Word Power v Hard Power

 

Devendra Gautam

A recent thought-provoking conversation with the op-ed editor of an online news portal has this writer on the lap of the Himalayas on think mode, which is albeit rare if not outright unusual even in this milieu where there’s no dearth of food for thought — from local to regional to international. With a dedicated team of experts doing the thinking and disseminating on any topic 24/7, knowledge and expertise are just a click away, both for the Nepali laity and the clergy. 

The sad part of the story, though, is that ears that matter do not listen, if occasional conversations with experts of repute are any guide. But let this be a topic for coming ramblings.

Aware that thoughts can drive you mad if you think too deep, long and hard, aware that emptiness within you makes the most noise, this byliner has even taken baby steps towards thoughtlessness and mindfulness by attending some wellness cum meditation sessions. Aware of an empire of ignorance within, he’s been trying to get reading, seriously.   

With a palpable fear of a detour, which may have an obvious consequence for this piece, let us return to the exchange with the gatekeeper in question. 

The online exchange was over a Nepali literary-musical that draws parallels between the struggle of a young Polynesian plant growing in a bottle in a faraway Kathmandu with triumphs and tribulations of an ordinary mortal. Touching upon themes of exploitation of intellectual labour, displacement and a deep longing for home, the piece concludes in an upbeat tone: One day all Rastafarians will return to Africa and we all will go home one day.

But the piece was not to see the light of the day in the said portal of considerable repute as the editor pronounced the verdict of its enlightened editorial team: We have decided not to publish your piece as we give space to articles on relevant topics that offer clear perspectives and roadmaps for the future. Heavy words like spasht avadharana (clear perspectives) and margdarshan (showing the way to the future) that featured in our conversation made it clear that the portal was not the right address for a sapien at a crossroads and far away from the corridors of power.  

It gives this writer immense joy as his fingers dance all over the keyboard, with Beethoven offering the background score (5th symphony in C minor), to inform the readers that the plant native to Central and South Asia is doing quite well in its bottled home even after a mishap that almost broke its limb as this fragile sapien almost came crashing down while looking after it. 

From a near-snapped node sprouted new roots that have become stems, reminding this sapien of his bed-ridden months following more than one bike accidents on our roads that are not that safe. 

Apparently, this sapien wouldn’t be here to tell the tale if he were not doing okay in this metropolis full of people of exceptional calibre. Indeed, an additional day in a fast-atrophying world caught in forever wars, climate change and poverty is no mean feat, right?  

This human must eat the humble pie, though: Aware of no-nonsense editorial guidelines, he has neither sent another piece to the said portal nor the rejected piece to some other portal, fearing that editorial teams may demand a governance roadmap for Nepal for, say, the next 50 years.

If his writeups, which lack grand narratives, face the spike, then so be it. After all, stories of countless lesser mortals have died in the annals of history, haven’t they? What would humanity lose even if lakhs of ordinary stories die every year? For a world that bears with lakhs of preventable under-five deaths annually, that’s nothing, right? 

Writing frankly, this homo erectus isn’t sure if the makers of our destiny — international donors, investors, politicians, bureaucrats, planners and other exalted beings that this writer doesn’t know about — look for guidance in newspaper articles and reports. His interactions with a few experts of repute suggest that those in power in Nepal don’t bother to consult them as they hardly have any doubt on any topic. 

Towards the end, a nugget of wisdom from Osho Rajnish, which proclaims that the whole society is in a mess because almost everybody is in the wrong place. 

Are a bunch of enlightened people who should be running this country wasting time in editorial matters, offering the rulers in echo chambers clear perspectives on consequential topics and grand roadmaps that can propel Nepal into a new era of peace, progress and prosperity?

If they genuinely think so, how about striving to be in the driving seat of a country that’s been in reverse gear for decades, five years from now or even earlier as heads keep rolling in a burnt-out Singhdurbar, lawmakers besotted by power continue to make a hash of themselves in public and the rulers keep steering the executive like an operator who has lost control of a superpowerful earth-moving equipment.