Dedicated to Nepal and the Nepalis

In the latest edition of #SoftTalk, I have had a conversation with the senior advocate and constitutional expert, Dr Chandra Kanta Gyawali.  Dr Gyawali argues that the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli must make way for a new government by facing the sovereign Parliament and stepping down, pointing that he has already pointed at the absence of majority support for his government in the Parliament. A caretaker government can take shape only after the current PM  quits,  Dr Gyawali argues, pointing that it is unethical on the part of PM Oli to stay on to power even after losing majority support.  Responding to another query,  Dr Gyawali argues that the PM Oli sticking to power is in contravention of prevailing parliamentary practices. He also criticises the President for failing to protect the Constitution by opting for a course correction, reminding that the President is not a rubber stamp but the protector of the Constitution.  At a time when the country has bee...

   राष्ट्रिय सेनाको क्याम्पमाथि छिमेकी ठुल्दाइ सेनाको क्याम्प अर्थात् district soldiers board बस्छ यहाँ । यहाँको सेनाले छिमेकी, दाइ सेनाको प्रमुखलाई मानार्थ जर्नेल मानी सलाम ठोक्छ । हुन त हाम्रो सेना प्रमुख पनि दाइ सेनाका मानार्थ जनरल हुन तर के यथार्थमा एउटा ठुलो सेना र सानो सेनाको हैसियत समान हुन्छ जति नै sovereign equality को गफ छाँटे पनि ? कदापि हुँदैन, हुन सक्तैन । अनेक थरी राजनीतिक परिवर्तन, अझ क्रान्ति पछि पनि विशेष सम्बन्धका नाममा असमान सम्बन्धको यो भारी हामीले कहिलेसम्म बोक्नु पर्ने हो ? के हाम्रा भाग्यविधाताहरू बताउन सक्नुहुन्छ ? शाहतन्त्र समेत इतिहास भइसकेको अवस्थामा, अनेकानेक परम्पराहरू, रितिथितिहरू हामीले पोलिखाएको अवस्थामा पशुपतिनाथमा दक्षिण भारतीय भट्टतन्त्र चाहिँ किन कायम रहिरहनुपर्ने हो ? संघीय कर्मनिरपेक्ष गणतन्त्रका हर्ताकर्ताहरूसँग चित्तबुझ्दो उत्तर छ कि ? लैनचौरको उपसचिव/सहसचिवस्तरको कारिन्दा कुर्ता पजामामा सजिएर चप्पल फटकार्दै यस सार्वभौम देशको सर्वाेच्च जननिर्वाचित प्रतिनिधि अर्थात् प्रधानमन्त्रीलाई भेट्न रातबिरात उनको शयनकक्षमै पुग्छ । के उनका नेपाली...

  शनिबार आज एक दिन उड कल्पनाको उडान मुक्ताकाशमा जून-तारा टिप बादलका रंगीबिरंगी टुक्राह रू   टिप अनि बाक्लो कंक्रिट जंगलको  साँघुरो कोठामा खुम्चिएको टुक्रे आकाश  इन्द्रेणीका रङ्गहरूले सिँगार आज एक दिन चढ शरिरको इंच-इंच दुखुञ्जेल उपलब्धिको नाकचुच्चे पहाड अलि बिस्तारै, अलि सजिलोसँग हिँड प्रगतिको अनन्तसम्म फैलिएको समथर मैदान भोलि फेरि अभिमन्यु हुनु छ  भोलि फेरि चक्रब्युहमा फँस्नु छ शिखण्डीले छेलिएका तथाकथित महान धनुर्धारी अर्जुनको धनुर्विद्याको निरीह तारो  अर्थात् भिष्मपितामह हुनु छ भोलि फेरि आधुनिक भारदारह रू ले रचेको सोफिस्टिकेटेड तर उत्तिकै घातक कोतपर्वमा पर्नु छ, भण्डारखाल पर्वमा पर्नु छ  युद्धका कुनै नियमह रू  लागू नहुने  आधुनिक कु रू क्षेत्रमा लडनु छ  खिइएका हतियार लिएर  भोलि फेरि सौखिनह रू को सोखका खातिर  कोलोसियममा तरबार युद्ध लडनु छ  जीवनको के भरोसा छ र ? भोलि भाग्य बलियो नहुन सक्छ  भोलि नयाँ जंगबहादुर उदाउन सक्छ  अनि तिम्रो सूर्य अस्ताउन सक्छ भोलि तिमी सहित सयौँ यात्री सवार टाइटानिक आइसवर्गमा ठोकिन सक्छ त्य...

Forty years behind bars on a fabricated murder charge. No trial, no recourse for justice. Burden of proof solely on an alien, who is medically unfit to stand trial. You may be thinking: This must be a story from one of those Leo Tolstoy books. This is a fiction, not a fact, for such a miscarriage of justice cannot take place in a modern, democratic world. Or this must be a story from one of those pariah states. Forty years behind bars on a fabricated murder charge. No trial, no recourse for justice. Burden of proof solely on an alien, who is medically unfit to stand trial. Wrong. Absolutely wrong. In fact, this miscarriage of justice took place in a country that takes pride in its 'democratic traditions'. Yes, it took place in a country that presents itself in regional and international fora as the 'world's largest democracy'. Thanks to the efforts of Radhe Shyam Das, the HAM radio club called the West Bengal Radio Club and the Nepal Radio Club, and the kin of the ...

Did you watch Durga Prasad Timsina aka Dipak Jaisi returning home with his kin after his 40-year imprisonment in India on what, most probably, is a fabricated murder charge? Did you see Dipak reuniting with his ancient-looking, grief-stricken-yet-trying-to-be-happy mother. Did you see her grinning? Were you not moved to tears on watching a relatively happy part of Dipak’s life? Or you do not know that Durga aka Dipak Jaisi even exists? Alright. You have the liberty to forget him, to not know that Dipak Jaisi exists. After all, journeys/ordeals of lesser mortals like Dipak Jaisi are meant to be forgotten, no? Otherwise, the annals of history will get heavier and heavier with long stories of suffering in silence and denial of justice. If the so-called beacon of democracy, the Indian state, can forget the alien called Dipak Jaisi for 40 long years after condemning him to prison, why can’t you? If the so-called beacon of democracy, the Indian state, the Indian judiciary can forget the alie...

  How does it feel to be behind bars for 40 long years, that too on an unsubstantiated/unproven charge? How does it feel to languish in inhuman conditions, away from family and friends, without even the faintest of hope for legal recourse? How does it feel to be from one inhuman cell to the other, to be with one set of notorious criminals after the other? How hard is it to adjust in such a world? How does it feel to be behind bars for 40 long years, that too on an unsubstantiated/unproven charge? And how can one remain sane after spending so many years in such an environment? How does it feel to be treated as guilty without proof? Durga Prasad Timsina of Lumbak, Mai municipality-10, Ilam district, knows better. Or does he?   How does it feel to be treated as guilty without proof? Durga Prasad Timsina of Lumbak, Ilam, knows better. Or does he?   Before proceeding any further, let me dwell a bit into the man and the charge against him. For this, let ...

राजनीतिका नाममा यस देशमा मंचन भइरहेको अन्तहीन जस्तै लाग्ने कलाविहीन नाटक कति मात्रै हेर्नु ? सत्ता स्वार्थमा लिप्त भएर यस सुन्दर देशलाई रणभूमि बनाउनका लागि चिरकालसम्म नियन्त्रित अस्थिरता सिर्जना गर्ने देशविरोधी योजना फत्ते गर्न लागिपरेका जननिर्वाचित युद्ध सरदारहरूका अवांछित क्रियाकलापहरू हेरिरहने हो भने अनि संभावित त्रासदीबारे सोचिरहने हो भने मानसिक सन्तुलन नै गुमाउन पनि के बेर ? अनि जुन भ्रष्टतम शासन प्रणाली अन्तर्गत शासित हुने सौभाग्य हामीले पाएका छौँ, त्यस अन्तर्गत बडेबडे नेता, नोकरशाह, नवधनाढ्य, सत्ता र शक्तिका दलालहरू आदिका लागि त देशभित्रै वा विदेशका सुविधासम्पन्न अस्पतालहरूमा हरेक रोग वा स्वास्थ्य समस्याको लागि अत्याधुनिक उपचार उपलब्ध छ । तर सिद्धान्ततः सार्वभौम नागरिक, व्यवहारमा भने रैतीभन्दा माथि उठन नसकेका हामी अर्थात् बराबिचरा, असंगठित करदाताहरू त सरकारी, गैरसरकारी वा निजी स्वास्थ्य संस्थाहरूको चर्को शुल्क सुन्नेबित्तिकै ठाउँका ठाउँ ठहरै हुने सम्मको डरलाग्दो स्थिति छ । यस्तो अवस्थामा व्यक्तिगत स्वास्थ्यको ख्याल त राख्नैप¥यो नि, होइन ? अनि मानसिक स्वास्थ्यका लागि कला, संगीत,...