Waiting for the Suttee’s curse to expire?

Can a curse determine the destiny of a country and her peoples?

Sounds like a question from ancient times, doesn’t it?

Something that does not make sense in this day and age of overt and covert wars, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning, space exploration, democracy, human rights (and wrongs), good governance (and corruption) and many other things. 

Or does it?

Even when her giant neighbours are moving on at dizzying paces, not much seems to be happening in Nepal when it comes to fulfilling popular aspirations for peace, progress and prosperity for her roughly 30 million people. 

Moving on at a comfortable pace or not moving at all, people often turn back the pages of history and blurt out this adage: Sutteele sarapeko desh (The country on which the curse of a Suttee – a virtuous woman – has befallen).

The story goes something like this. During the reign of Laxminarsingh Malla, the king of Kantipur, a nobleman named Bhim Malla struck a trade deal with Tibet that served national interest well. 

In those times, kings of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and other neighbouring states used to rule over large swathes of territories beyond the present-day national borders through a kind of federal setup by appointing Samanta and Mahasamanta (local administrative chiefs). The three kingdoms had thriving trade relations with Tibet. 

Happily, Bhim Malla returned home, only to find that his rivals had cooked up and narrated a different story to the king implying that the nobleman had harmed national interest through the Tibet deal. 

Angered, the king ordered the execution of Bhim Malla. Grief-stricken, his widow consigned herself to flames but not without a parting curse, per historians. She cursed, it is said, that ill fate should befall in this country on those people, who are honest and patriotic.   

Soon enough, King Laxmi Narsingh Malla went mad as the truth behind the Tibet deal came to light, making way for the ascension of his son, Pratap Malla, to the throne. 

By the way, several important developments have taken place in this land since the execution of Bhim Malla and immolation of his wife. 

But whenever a tragedy strikes this country, whenever a disaster – manmade or natural – occurs, the blame goes, without an iota of doubt, on the good ole Suttee and her curse. 

Leave the national level impact of the curse aside, for now. 

Suppose some Tom, Dick or Harry tried hard but failed to make it through some highly competitive exam, say a Public Service Commission exam. Ram, Shyam, Krishna, Sher, Rita or Parvati deserved a promotion (or so he/she thought) but didn’t get one. Some clerk did not get a raise. Some other guy applied for a visa, in vain. 

Lakhs of people leave this country for foreign shores – for jobs, for better education, for enjoying a better life and several other causes. 

In the minds of many among the above-listed people is this impression that the good ole lady and her cuss is to blame for all bad things that have happened to them.  

Forget those sweating it out in some of the most hostile working conditions around the world. If posts on social media are anything to go by, even the ‘cream of the cream’ from Nepal recites the refrain, Sutteele sarapeko desh, every now and then. 

Granted, some of the Nepalis have done this country proud in foreign shores with their feats. For example, Nepali engineers had a role in the construction of the landmark Burj Khalifa. Another crop helped build the iconic bridge over the Padma river in Bangladesh (that was a recent feat). Workers from Nepal played an important role in the construction of a state-of-the-art stadium in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. 

Ethical hackers. Scientists. Medical doctors. Computer engineers. Chefs. International consultants of all sorts. Actors. Singers. 

These and many other professionals have made their names and given the international image of Nepal a boost.

Despite their remarkable contributions, Nepal remains poor, unstable, hungry, corruption-plagued and ill-prepared to deal with contingencies. 

Per the global hunger index homepage (See https://www.globalhungerindex.org/nepal.html), Nepal in the year 2021 ranked 76th out of the 116 countries with sufficient data to calculate 2021 GHI scores. Nepal, with a score of 19.1, has a level of hunger that is moderate, it points. 

With a paltry score of 33 out of 100 in the Transparency International’s global corruption perception index(CPI), the year 2021 saw Nepal in an unenviable 117th rank out of 180 countries(See  https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/nepal). 

In terms of corruption control, elimination of hunger and other walks of national life, Nepal can perform far better than this, what with a population dividend, a relatively manageable population size and a thriving democracy powered by a conscious citizenry.

Perched between two global economic and military giants, the country can rise and shine in her own right, with or without the Suttee’s curse, with a bit more of endeavour from her sons and daughters. 

Success stories like the (almost) tripling of tiger population offer hope. Success in nature conservation and bringing down maternal-child mortality rate are no mean feat. 

Even when neighbourhood economies are collapsing like houses of cards, Nepal has managed to remain afloat thus far. This is significant, though ever-rising price hikes have become a matter of serious public concern. 

The worst is not yet over for Nepal and the best is yet to come. In terms of crises like these, the country needs the expertise of her ‘cream of the crop’ (based abroad, of course) the most. Brimming with expertise of all sorts, that lot can do quite a lot in tiding Nepal over this crisis. 

What are you waiting for, o the ‘best of the very best’? Isn’t this the best time to come home and prove yourself, yet again? A formal call from the government?   

Or are you waiting for the Suttee’s cussword to expire?

- Devendra Gautam

This article appeared in The Rising Nepal of August 24, 2022. Do click the link: https://risingnepaldaily.com/news/15776

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