(Courtesy: Dristi)

म मात्रै होईन, यो देशमा मजस्ता भोकै बस्ने धेरै छन् - रुविन गन्धर्व

राजधानीको आन्दोलनमा सारङ्गी रेट्दै गीत गाउने १४ बर्षीय रुविन गन्धर्व गोरखाबाट गतवर्ष काठमाडौ छिरेका हुन्।

कहाँ बस्नु हुन्छ ?

- बालाजु ।

को सित ?
- दाई सित बस्थें । तिन चार दिन देखि कोठामा आउनु भएको छैन ।

दाजु के गर्नु हुन्छ ?

- बीबीएस तेस्रो वर्षमा पढ्नु हुन्छ ।

दाजु क्याम्पस पढ्ने, भाईचाहिं सारङ्गी बोक्दै हिंड्ने ?
- जसले जे जान्यो त्यहि गर्ने त हो नि। एक भाईलाई सारङ्गी बजाउन आउंदैन पढ्नु हुन्छ, मलाइ पढ्न आउंदैन सारङ्गी बजाउंछु।

तपाईं किन नपढ्नुभएको?

- म चार कक्षामा पढ्दा बुबा बिरामी हुनुभयो। बा'को स्याहारसुसार र घरको काम गर्नुपर्यो।

जेठोदाईले स्याहार नगरेर तपाइँले पढाई छाड्नुभएको?

- रहरले छाडेको होइन। घरपरिवारले छाड्नलगाएको हो।

किन त?

- दाइ आईए गर्दै गरेको मान्छे। धेरै पढेकालाई बिगार्नु हुँदैन भनेर दाइलाई पढ्न दिएँ। मैले पढाईछाड्नु पर्यो।

आजभोलि पढुँपढुँ लाग्दैन?

अब नन्दरात्रि स्कूलमा पढ्ने विचार गरेको छु।

किन रात्रि स्कूलमै पढ्ने विचार गर्नुभयो त?

- दिउँसो दिउँसो आन्दोलन तिर हिँड्नु पर्छ, त्यसैले।

आन्दोलन किन गर्नुपर्यो?

- राजालाई पराजित गर्न।

राजालाई किन पराजित गर्ने?

- राजाले जनताको अधिकार खोसेका छन्। हाम्रा समस्या बुझ्ने राजा भएको भए मैले यसरी सारङ्गी बजाउँदै डुल्नु पर्दैनथ्यो। मेरै गाउँको स्कूलमा पढिरहेको हुन्थें।

राजालाई कसरी पराजित गर्ने त?

- म गीत गाएरै राजालाई पराजित गर्छु।

अब के हुनु पर्छ त देशमा?

- गणतन्त्र आउनुपर्छ।

के हो गणतन्त्र भनेको?

- राजा नभएको जनताको शासन। गणतन्त्र आएपछि शासन गर्ने अधिकार हामीजस्ता जनताको हुन्छ।

यो त माओवादीको कुरा भएन ?

- यो सारङ्गीलाई बन्दुक देख्नु भयो कि क्या हो?

आम्दानी कस्तो छ?

- सारङ्गी रेट्दै हिँड्नेको आम्दानी कस्तो हुनु नि? कहिले खान पुग्ने पैसा हुन्छ, कहिले भोकै पनि बस्नु पर्छ।

भोकै बस्दा दुःख लाग्दैन?

- जनताको पक्षमा गीत गाउनेलाई के को दुःख? म मात्रै होइन, यो देशमा मजस्ता भोकै बस्ने धेरै छन्।

यस्तो किन भएको होला?

- जनताको शासन नभएकोले हामी भोकै बस्न परेको हो। यो देशमा हाम्रो समस्या सुन्ने शासकहरुनै छैनन्।

नेताहरुले पनि सुन्दैनन्?

- नेताहरुले सुन्ने मात्रै होइन, सहयोग पनि गर्छन्। खाना खान जसकोमा गए पनि दिन्छन्, तर जान मन लाग्दैन।

Hit the iron when it is hot. Well said Nabin in the previous post. If the moment passes and you don't hit it, later once it gets cold, you never know how hard it is going to get, and instead of one shot, how many shots you are going to have to deliver to bend it into the right shape. Time is ripe. People are ready. World community snowballing against the monarchy. So, I think we need to go for it. There is no more room for compromises ('melmilap') anymore, as Nabin pointed out.

Even when the old dogs speak against the republican agenda, they are not actually negating the existence of 'the new tricks', in Nabin's language. In actuality they are refusing to accept it as the possible solution out of the current crisis plaguing the country. Even then, is it really a new trick? Isn't the republican agenda actually had been here for centuries tried and found true?

I will mention it one more time that 'time makes more converts than reason.' That, even though Thomas Paine said in the circumstances leading to the full-fledged American revolution against the British colonialism, is still valid in our context. We just need to do our duty, and the detractors right now will later come to join us.

I sent following letter to Nepali Times. I don't know whether it will be posted on their website or not. In either cases, it won't harm to have another copy and that is the reason I am posting it here.

*******************************************

As Thomas Paine, in his famous "Common Sense", wrote that 'time makes more converts than reason', the detractors of republican agenda will have a moment of truth sometime very soon. So, I will try neither to negate nor to support their stand right now. I will also not, from such a great distance from home and ground reality, try to explain the current societal dynamics evolving after King's February 1st move, or shall I say coup d'tat. I will not even say that I really understand the current ground reality there back home. I will just try to write some thoughts that are always there on back of my mind.

One thing that I have realized from time to time is that it is very easy to lose sight of the reality over there, from over here, by looking at the news that make headlines of Kantipur, Himal, and other magazine and newpaper websites. Those websites are the main source of our information about 'over there.' There are so many ugly details not covered by those websites and those that are then invisible from here, that generalization based on the headlines, which most of the my compatriots here around me usually and comfortably do, poses a risk of appearing a sciolist. I will not take that risk.

When I was back home last December, I wasn't expecting to see bombs lying around in the middle of the highway, and people walking by it without even giving it an apprehensive look, as if that thing covered in the bucket was nothing more than a joke. People were stranded on both sides of the town, as there were noone to defuse that bomb. Actually that bomb remained there for next couple of days. I was scared to see kids go near the bucket to peer inside trying to fathom may be the depth of the problem plaguing the society. I was amazed at how those little kids became so brave that they were not afraid of the bombs anymore. Couple of days after, there was another bomb on the middle of the ground. This time somebody actually thought that was just a joke and tried to move it. It exploded. Luckily that person escaped with minor injuries.

Neither was I expecting to hear ugly details of how Maoists' extort money from small town business people who were trying to make their living by doing what they knew how to do, was I expecting to feel the disenchantment of people towards both the government and the maoists that self-proclaim to be fighting for regular people.

I know such things are happening locally almost everywhere even right now. But they don't make it to the headlines because there are simply too many of them. Or, on second thought, they may actually not sell as easily as others bigger and coarser headlines do hence donot make it to the headlines.

I copied following article from INSN. I don't know whether it is copyrighted material or not. Even if it is, I don't care.

पन्ध्र महिना पछि आकाश नियाल्दा

भाइकाजी घिमिरे
- गत २०६० मंसिर १७ गते दिउँसो २ बजे कार्यालयको कामका सिलसिलामा क्षेत्रपाटीतर्फ जाँदै गर्दा पक्राउ परें । अचानक २ जना अपरिचित व्यक्तिले मोटरसाइकल रोक्न लगाई मलाई जबरजस्ती समाउन खोज्दा म आत्तिएँ, जसबाट छुटकारा पाउन प्रतिरोध गर्न खोज्दा अरू १०/१२ जना अपरिचितले पेस्तोल टाउकामा राखी ‘बल नगर, सिध्याइदिन्छु’ भनेर धम्की दिए ।त्यसपछि रातो प्लेट भएको सेतो भ्यानमा राखेर आँखामा कालोपट्टी र हातमा हत्कडी लगाएर करिब २ घन्टा कुदाएपछि उनीहरूले मलाई गाडीबाट भुइँमा बसाए । त्यस दिन खाना पनि त्यहीँ ल्याएर दिए । मसँग कुनै किसिमको सोधपुछ गरिएन । ९८४१-२२९५३३ नम्बरको पि्रपेड मोबाइल र बा१६प ४०९७ नम्बरको लिभिरो मोटरसाइलसहित पत्रिकाको रबर छाप पनि साथमै थियो । उनीहरूले मेरो साथमा भएका सबै सामान कब्जामा लिए र एउटा ठूलो हलजस्तो कोठामा लगेर पुरानो मण्डी दिए । हलभित्र अरू पनि थुप्रै मानिस थिए । सुत्न साह्रै अप्ठ्यारो थियो । त्यसपछि एक्कासि तेस्रो दिनको राति ११/१२ बजेतिर २ जना अपरिचितले बाहिर लगी सोधपुछ गर्न थाले । सोधपुछकै क्रममा एक जनाले यसको सबै कपडा खोलिदे भन्ने आदेश दिए । मेरो सबै कपडा फुकालियो । त्यस बेलासम्म मलाई के कारणले पक्राउ गरिएको हो भन्ने थाहा थिएन । उनीहरूले मलाई ‘तँ माओवादीको कुन तहमा काम गर्छस् तेरो हैसियत के हो ?’ भन्न थाले । बल्ल थाहा भयो- मलाई माओवादीको आरोपमा ल्याइएको रहेछ । आफ्नो माओवादीसँग कुनै सम्बन्ध नभएको यथार्थ बताउँदा पनि मलाई शारीरिक यातना दिन थालियो । त्यति बेला पाएको बर्बर यातनाका दाग शरीरमा अझै छन् ।
जति यातना दिए पनि मैले माओवादीसँग असम्बन्धित व्यक्ति भएको अडान लिइरहेँ । त्यसपछि उनीहरूले मलाई ‘तेरो पत्रिकाले संविधानसभाका बारेमा वकालत गरेको छ, त्यसकारण तँ माओवादी नभए अरू के हुन सक्छस् ?’ भन्दै पिट्न थाले । मैले ‘संविधानसभाको पक्षमा लेख्दा माओवादी भइँदैन, संविधानसभा त प्रजातान्त्रिक विधि हो, यसले देशको सम्पूर्ण वर्ग तह र तप्काको प्रतिनिधित्व गर्छ र देशको समस्या समाधानमा सहयोग पुर्‍याउँछ’ भन्दा उनीहरूले ‘हामीलाई सिकाउँछस्’ भन्दै पिटे । फोहोर पानीको ठूलो ड्रममा आधा शरीर डुब्ने गरी पानीमा खुट्टा माथि र टाउको तल पारी डुबाउन थाले । त्यो बेला मलाई मृत्युको नजिक पुगेको अनुभूति हुनथाल्यो । हातमा हत्कडी, आँखामा कालोपट्टी बाँधेकै अवस्थामा बर्बर यातना सुरु भएपछि म बेहोस अवस्थामा पुगें । धेरै समयसम्म यो प्रक्रिया जारी रह्यो । लामो समयपछि पानीबाट बाहिर निकाल्दा मलाई सास फेर्न साह्रै गाह्रो भएको थियो ।
केही पछि उनीहरूले मलाई सोध्न थाले ‘तँ माओवादी नभए पनि तैंले माओवादी चिनेको त छस् नि, उनीहरूका बारेमा भन, नत्र मारिदिन्छौं’ भन्ने धम्की दिए । मैले कसैलाई चिन्दिन भनेपछि फेरि पहिलेकै जस्तो गरी पानीको ड्रममा डुबाउन सुरु गरे । दोस्रो पटकको डुबाइमा मलाई मरणाशन्न अवस्थामा पुर्‍याएर बाहिर निकाले । त्यो बेला म अर्धचेतनामा भएकाले उनीहरूका कुरा सुनिमात्र रहेको थिएँ । उनीमध्येका कोही भन्दैथिए- ‘यसलाई खाल्डामा हालेर प्लास्टिकले राम्रोसँग छोपेर गन्ध नआउने गरी पुरिदे ।’ कोही भन्दै थिए, ‘भन् न भन् ।’ एउटाले चाहिँ ‘तेरोे अन्तिम इच्छा के छ ?’ भनेर साध्दै थियो । त्यतिबेला मैले साँच्चै मरिने भो भन्ठानेर ‘मेरी बुढी आमासँग एकचोटि कुरा गराइदिनुहोस् भनें ।’
मेरो आग्रहलाई बेवास्ता गर्दै उनीहरूले फेरि भने, ‘तँ किन मर्ने ? केही कुरा भन या कुनै माओवादीलाई पक्राइदे ।’ मैले पुनः त्यही पुरानै कुरा दोहोर्‍याएँ । त्यसपछि उनीहरूले पानीको ड्रममा पुनः डुबाउने र उतार्ने गर्न थाले । त्यतिबेलासम्म मात्र थाहा छ त्यसपछि के के भयो मलाई नै थाहा छैन । किनभने म पूर्णरूपमा बेहोस भइसकेको थिएँ । होसमा आउँदा पहिले सुताएको ठाउँमा स्लाइन चढाएर राखेको अवस्थामा आफूलाई पाएँ । त्यतिबेला मेरो शरीरभरि रगत बगिरहेको थियो । नाक, मुख, कान पूरै सुनिएको थियो । मलाई सात दिनपछि बिहान ११ बजे कोठाबाट बाहिर ल्याइयो र विभिन्न किसिमका धम्की दिइयो । उनीहरूले भन्न थाले, ‘तँलाई हामीले बचाउन नसक्ने भयौं । तेराबारेमा अरू साथीले सबै कुरा भनिसके । अब हामीलाई तेरो मुखबाट मात्र सुन्न बाँकी छ । बाँच्ने मन भए भन् नत्र मर्लास् ।’ मैले ‘मलाई केही थाहा छैन । तपाईंलाई विश्वास नलागे मारिदिनुस्’ भनेपछि ‘साले घामट’ भन्दै २०/२५ लट्ठी हाने । त्यस दिनदेखि मलाई कहिल्यै सोधपुछ गरिएन, राखियोमात्रै ।
यसरी राख्ने क्रममा अत्यन्त भयानक किसिमको मानसिक पीडा दिने गरियो । शारीरिक पीडा त बयान गरी साध्य छैन । बिहान शौचालय जाँदा एक मिनेटमा दिसा गर्नुपर्ने, त्यो समयमा नभ्याए अमानवीय ढंगले पिटाइ खानुपथ्र्यो । पिसाब फेर्न जाँदा चार लट्ठी, आउँदा चार लट्ठीका दरले पिट्ने गर्थे । पानीबिना नै दिसापिसाब गर्नुपर्ने, पिसाब फेर्न जाँदा सानो शौचालयमा एकपटकमा सात/आठ जनालाई एकैचोटि पठाउने गरिन्थ्यो । शौचालय सानो भएकाले एउटाको दिसापिसाब अर्काको शरीरमा पर्न जान्थ्यो । हामीलाई दुःख दिन राति १/२ बजे ‘फिजिकल’ गर्न लगाइन्थ्यो ।
त्यतिले नपुगेर राति सुतेका बेला प्रत्येक घन्टा १५/२० मिनेेट उठाएर राख्ने गरिन्थ्यो । ३ महिनासम्म हामीलाई नुहाउन, लुगा धुन, हातमुख, दाँत सफा गर्न, कपाल काट्न पूर्णरूपमा वञ्चित गरियो । तीनमहिनापछि मात्र कपाल काट्न र हप्तामा एकचोटी दाँत सफा गर्न दिइयो । खानाका रूपमा आधा प्लेट भात र दाल दिइन्थ्यो । त्यतिले नपुगेर हामीले भुइँमा झरेको भातको सितासमेत टिपेर खायौं । जाडो समयमा चिसो भुइँ, कपडाको अभाव र खानाको कमी इत्यादि कारणले म सुनिएको थिएँ । खाना खाँदा र बिहान शौचालय जाँदाबाहेक पूरै समय हात पछाडि बाँधिन्थ्यो, पानी खान कठिनाइ हुन्थ्यो । उनीहरू आफैंले पानी मुखमा हालिदिन्थे, जसका कारण पानी नाक र आँखाभरि पथ्र्यो, तर मुखमा भने थोरै पथ्र्यो । तिर्खा मेटिने गरी कहिल्यै पानी खान पाइएन । एवं रीतले भैरवनाथ गणमा १३ महिना १७ दिन राखी ०६१ माघ ३ गते हामीलाई त्यहाँबाट राति ट्रकमा राखी अज्ञात स्थलतर्फ लगियो जुन ठाउँ अत्यन्त चिसो थियो । ट्रकबाट ओरालेपछि पट्टीमाथि फेरि टाउकोसमेत छोपिने गरी अर्को पट्टी घाँटीसम्म आउने गरी बानियो । त्यहाँबाट ३०/४० मिनेटको बाटो हिँडाइयो । बाटो अत्यन्त अप्ठ्यारो खाल्डाखुल्डी परेको थियो । हामीले एक आर्कालाई समाएका थियौं । हात पछाडि बाँधिएकाले एक अर्कालाई समाउन पनि निक्कै कठिन थियो । एक अर्कालाई छाड्नासाथ उनीहरूले पिट्न थाल्थे । त्यो समयको सम्झना गर्दा मलाई अंग्रेजहरूले भारतीय नागरिकलाई गरेको दुव्र्यवहारको फिल्म र दन्त्यकथामा राक्षसहरूले गरेको अत्याचारको याद हुन्छ । त्यसपछि हामीलाई एउटा घरमा राखियो । भुइँमा सिमेन्ट थियो । त्यहाँ हामीसँग ओढ्ने र ओछ्याउने केही थिएन । अत्यन्त चिसो ठाउँ भएकाले हामीलाई त्यो कष्ट सहनुभन्दा मर्न ठीक लागिरहेको थियो । तीन दिनपछि हामीलाई भैरवनाथ गणमा राख्दा दिएको पुरानै मण्डी ल्याएर दिइयो । हामीलाई पुर्‍याएको कुन ठाउँ हो भनी याद गर्दा र पालेहरूले बोलेको सुन्दा शिवपुरी ब्यारेकमा राखिएको रहेछ । त्यहाँ हामीलाई शौचालय जाँदा र मुख धुँदा घाँटीमा डोरी लगाई पशुलाई जस्तो बाँधेर लगिन्थ्यो । शौचालय बस्दा बाहिर उनीहरू डोरी समाएर बस्थे । एवं रितले त्यहाँ राखेर मलाई माघ २२ गते शिवपुरी ब्यारेकबाट फेरि भैरवनाथ गणमा नै ल्याए । त्यसै दिन मलाई राति राजदल गण लगनखेल ललितपुरमा लगियो ।
फागुन १२ गते जिप्रका ललितपुरको आदेशले नजरबन्दको मुद्दा लगाई मलाई नख्खु जेल चलान गरियो । १५ महिनापछि बल्ल मेरो हातको हत्कडी र आँखाको पट्टी खोलेपछि मैले १५ महिनासम्म देख्न नपाएको आकाश र यो संसारलाई नियाल्न पाएँ । पहिलो रात जेलमा सुत्दा मेरो हात नबाँधिएकाले मलाई रातभर निद्रा लागेन । बिहान ३ बजे हात पछाडि च्यापेर निदाएँ । त्यसपछि मात्र मैले आप\mना परिवारलाई भेट्न पाएँ ।
जेलमा आएपछि, पत्रकार महासंघ र मानवअधिकारवादी संघसंस्थाले मेराबारेमा राष्ट्रिय तथा अन्तर्राष्ट्रियस्तरमा आवाज उठाएर सहयोग गरेको थाहा पाएँ । उहाँहरू सबैलाई म हृदयदेखि धन्यवाद दिन्छु । कारागारमै पत्रकार महासंघका सभापति विष्णु निष्ठुरीसहितको टोली मलाई भेट्न आएको थियो । मलाई कारागारमा राखिएको १ महिनासम्म थुनुवा पुर्जी मेरो हातमा दिइएको थिएन । यो खबर मैले महासंघमार्फत जानकारी गराएपछि पत्रपत्रिकामा ‘पुर्जीबिना पत्रकार अझै थुनामा’ भनेर समाचार प्रकाशित भयो । त्यसपछि बल्ल मलाई पुर्जी दिइयो ।
पुर्जी हेर्दा त मलाई माघ २६ गते जिल्ला प्रशासन ललितपुरले नजरबन्दमा राख्नु भनी निर्णय गरेको रहेछ । तर मलाई फागुन १२ गतेमात्र कारागार ल्याइयो । कारागार ल्याउनुअघि राजदल गणमा फागुन १० गते मेरो हातमा कटुवा पेस्तोल एक थान र पाँच राउन्ड गोली राखेर फोटोसमेत खिचिएको थियो ।
कारागार ल्याएको साढे पाँच महिनापछि पत्रकार महासंघको अनुरोधमा बार एसोसिएसनको सहयोगमा मेरी श्रीमती पम्फा घिमिरेले बन्दीप्रत्यक्षीकरण रिट निवेदन दर्ता गराई यही भदौ ९ गते सर्वोच्च अदालतको आदेशबाट म रिहा भएको छु । मुक्त भए पनि अझै असुरक्षित भएकाले मेरो रिहाइका लागि पहल गर्नुहुने सम्पूर्ण मानवअधिकारवादी संघसंस्था र पत्रकार महासंघलगायत विभिन्न समुदायमा पुनः पहलका लागि हार्दिक अनुरोध गर्छु ।
-िघिमिरे समदृष्टि मासिकका पत्रकार हुन् ।)

Deniability is an innate human quality. In the face of adversity, we like to deny rather than face the reality and take a corrective action.

With overwhelming historical evidence against them, the king and his coterie of supporters are denying the reality, denying that forces of overwhelming capacity are gathering against them, and by denying they are thinking somehow the reality will stop existing, and all the forces gathering against them will vanish. They are confused.

On the game of hide-n-seek, a sometimes when there is nowhere to hide child hides its own face with both the hands thinking that nobody then can see it. I used to do that, when I was a little kid. Here the king, by turning his head away from the reality toward his 'well-wishers', is thinking that the reality that is moving towards him to destroy his very existence doesnot exist and only reality that exists is that of palace, army, arms, and groveling bunch of unctuous, spine-less coteries of well-wishers. Or may be he is in a virtual world created by his so-called well-wishers and thinks that everything is running smoothly and those demonstrating, protesting, demanding freedom and democracy are just a bunch ("mutthi-bhar") of anti-national elements ("arastriya tatwa haru"). Or may be he is still thinking that he is "Vishnu's Avatar" and nobody can demand anything from the him. Nobody has the right to demand from him. Who are these people anyway?

Tulsi Giri, after proclaiming that monarchy and democracy cannot co-exist, now has said that current government 'is not obliged to follow the constitution' (Kantipur). I am very happy that he said that. Otherwise there was still some confusion among certain circle of people who were trying to legitimize the king's February 1st movement by saying that the king was acting from inside the consitution. This statement from Dr. (sic) Giri should remove any doubts now.

Welcome Thakur and Nabin to the blog. I hope collaboratory participation will bring out some really interesting thoughts, and ideas in this forum. As this blog is basically about political ups-and-downs in Nepal, Thakur's writings will have profound influence on how we view those ups-and-downs, as he is the one who is experiencing everything first hand right now. Looking forward to your posts.

It is interesting to see how government's rhetoric changes with passing times. Now Ramesh Nath Pandey is saying that king's visit to the UN General Assembly was cancelled because of king's focus on restoring peace in Nepal. What a nice thing to say?

Government is blundering in so many places. As Sun Tzu said in "The Art of War", its the enemy that provides means to defeat itself you just have to look carefully, government is showing so many of its weak points. So many of its vlunerabilities. But sadly, even the political parties do not seem to realize that. They are just crying for reinstatement of the parliament, all-party government, election for the constitutional assembly, same old stuff. May be it is time they get outside the box, and try to look around for something new to say about, something new to fight for.

Time is ripe for the final battle and people are ready for complete overhaul of the country. Let's do it once and for all, for the last time. Patchwork no more is the solution now.

On Saturday, August 3, 2005, CPN-Maoists, again declared a ceasefie, this time unilaterally. They made the first move for peace. I think that was a very good sign. Looking back at their attitude toward the dialogue and ceasefire, we obviously have to be cautious. But caution and suspicion shouldn't take the front seat during this ride toward peace and democracy. We have to make ourselves clear about where we stand in the issues of monarchy, people, sovereignty, democracy, among other things. We also have to make ourselves, the citizen society, clear that no ambivalence in these matters will be allowed and tolerated. Not from the political parties, not from maoists, and obviously not from the palace. Time has come that we move with a goal, not making the issue of republic just a bargaining item, as Girija P Koirala suggested couple of weeks ago, because it is not just a bargaining point, but the main agenda. It is the future of Nepal and nobody can stop it now. But making all these things clear, we also have to move decisively, in whatever front possible, peaceful demonstrations that are going on right now around the country, raising awareness through writings and activism, and dialogue with people and parties, toward democratic republic.

Political parties are pillars of a good democratic society, but people are the foundation. Without a good foundation, the pillars are of no use. And there are a lot of things to be done before citizens become a good foundation, aware of the meaning of democracy. As has already been mentioned in various speeches and writings, democracy is not just right to do whatever one feels like doing. It is a rule of law, sovereignty of people, and active participation of the people. Delegation of all the sovereign power to the representatives doesnot end the role of citizen in a healthy democracy. Citizens always have to be active, provide checks to the representative if they go 'unruly', and constantly engage in dicussion about how to make democracy and society better. I like how the term 'participatory democracy' has been floating around the intellectual and political circle these days. Without engaging people in the practice of democracy, and without hearing and acting on the good things they have to say about it, democracy only helps to alienate the citizens. As it is happening here in US. We have to learn from the democracies around the world and make use of the best of both of the worlds. We have so many examples to learn from, we can be much better.

Let this moment of peace be a moment of everlasting peace we have been waiting for. Let this peace of a live peace, not a dead one. That is all I can wish for. That is all I can hope for.