Just finished Manjushree Thapa‘s non-fiction – Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy.
This book does not have a specific genre – it is a mixture of historical, social, and political analysis of Nepal. It highlights Nepal’s autocratic history and its struggle for democracy.
Forget Kathmandu opens with the 2001 royal massacre and immediate events that followed. It vividly describes the hysteria and chaos during the aftermaths of the massacre. The royal massacre, the author argues – to which that I totally agree – is a deja vu of several historical events that we have witnessed over centuries marred with dirty politics. The author narrates the modern Nepalese history to prove her point.
The book showcases the extreme madness the ruler-class exhibited, right from the formation of modern Nepal. The kings, queens, princes, princesses, courtiers, concubines and everyone around the thrones have been foul-playing — and mass-murdering in extreme cases — to clinch and to stick to power. To list some – Prithvi Narayan Shah’s unfair attack on Kathmandu during Indrajatra, Rana Bahadur Shah’s insanity, Bhimsen Thapa murdering 90+ to consolidate power, Bhimsen Thapa’s own tragic end, Jung Bahadur’s rise in power through massacres, Sumsher family’s frequent coups among themselves, Mahendra’s coup, and so on and so on.
Discussed also is the six decades of political instability since the end of Rana regime – the political struggle after 2007BS, first elections and Mahendra’s coup, 2036 referendum, 2046 restoration of democracy and beyond. Then starts the CPN-Maoists’ People’s War, the armed struggle of the proletarians aimed at freeing themselves from centuries of suppression and poverty.
In the final chapter, the author depicts her experience of her travel to the remote villages of Karnali region, the areas that were worst hit by the Maoist war.
In all, this book is a precious resource for anyone interested in Nepalese history and social demography. It depicts all the imbalance there is between rich and poor, urban and rural, bourgeois and proletariat, educated and illiterate, and men and women.
The best aspect of this book is that the author is bold, frank, and fair – whether it be about the historical details or about Gyanendra, Paras, and massacre or about the political parities or the Maoists.
I am glad I read Forget Kathmandu. It gave me a good insight on Nepalese society during Panchayat times – when I was just a kid. Also it gave first hand details on the events during 2000-2005 – when I was already abroad. The author’s experience during her trip to Karnali region is also something that we rarely see in the literature.
Highly recommended!
About the author:
Homepage : http://www.manjushreethapa.com/
Twitter page : @manjushreethapa