I just want to say that I'm not nationalistic. I'm ready to give up my flag if any other flag is going to feed hungry people in Nepal, give them better education, a place to live, better sanitation and health facilities and better prosperous future for my fellow citizens.

Gwajyo,

I agree with you as far as feeding hungry people and giving them better education but being ready to give up this flag.... uh no.

This sounds like having retarded or laid back attitude. We should be able to do that, we are capable.

I don't want to stick to my flag till I die despite knowing that it's unable to give food, home, education, health to us. If someone can give us that with the freedom of speech, I'm ready to give up my flag because everyone in the world thinks that the country they're born is the best, and I do too. But it'd foolish to betray my fellow friends who goto middle east to die or india to be bahadurs for most of their life. I'd be happy to see them living with their family rather than sticking to my flag.

i agree with the spirit of gwajyo's thought here.

country, nation, nationalism are just fake constructs that divide humans and humanity.

and in our case, that hatred for human unity was fanned by Panchayati education.



One Love, One Heart, Let's get together and feel allright
-Bob Marley

As you said, countries, religion, race, color, castes are the divisions that prevents 2 beautiful human beings to meet with each other.

Kudos to your universal approach and acceptance of humanity. But I wish the world was same.
But to me, there are a lot more other things than being united with my family and keeping my stomach full.
I wonder where are you heading at. These kind of thought comes in your mind only when you are absolutely pessimistic and think yourself inferior to other nationalities.

I'm neither pessimistic nor feel inferior to any other people. I just try to see the simple truth everytime. I'm amazed to learn how hard for us to see this simple truth.

Everyone wants to see their family together and have the stomach full. It is the simplest truth and the basic need of human being. But who in the world is ever satisfied with just the basic needs?
Once you have it, your progressive mind looks up for something more and that day, may be you can't get anything more since you compromised your needs with your stomach and your family. Be it social freedom, or national character, or ethnic character.

It has nothing to do with compromisation as you've suggested and neither does mine or family's stomach is empty. You're probably the one who'll go to accept the U.S. citizenship first giving up the nepali citizenship. I'm not like those. What I was trying to ponder is 'may be for those hungry n' poor people in nepal, nationalistic views doesn't matter much coz' all they want is food, a place to live or better opportunities'. It's you n' me who does all this bakwash on non-real matters.

I would definitely take US citizenship for I know that I would have a dual citizenship. It isn't gonna stop me from being a Nepali.

I guess that someone is still not aware that Nepal doesn't have provision for dual citizenship.

They don't, but we all know that Nepal follows India. India only recently started allowing dual citizenship(which last I heard was put on hold). Nepal's soon to follow suit, trust my words. I recently came from Nepal, that's the buzz over there.

Finally a thread where truth matters most over anything else. nationalism patriotism they are the essence of 20th century and before. it is the 21st century we gotta think progressively and practically.
Gwajyo (what does it mean so hard to pronounce?!) thank you for your progressive thoughts many hats off to you bro!!!

and what more do you need than what more's support????huh?

Gwajyo (had to scrol back up to make sure I spelt that correctly :-))

I agree with your basic premise..the people in rural Nepal, therefore, a majority of Nepalese I believe are more concerned with having basic provisions of enough food to feed themselves and their childrren; a roof over their heads; basic access to medical facilities and education for the kids..I respect that you brought that up.

It is also true that with education, comes a hope for something more--a more "progressive" vision of their life and the lives of their kids..(unless of course you are like Pat Buchanan and the rest and you want to believe that God created Man and the Grand Canyon!!)...but, where I disagree with you is when you seem to think that no longer being a Nepali citizen makes you less Nepali. For people who have grown up in Nepal and have an affinity and respect for the country, I doubt it matters what passport they hold..I know many people who are American Citizens who deny that they are Nepali, but I also know some American Citizens who hold on to the Nepali heritage and try and make as much of a contribution to Nepali society in the U.S if not in Nepal...

I'm not sure I have the answers you seem to be looking for, but, I don't think that the situation is dire enough where we should be willing to concede to being a second Bhutan or even a Sikkim...let's hope that we are not there yet.

Cheers,

gwajyo means 'a fool'.

I just want to point out what the most important thing in life is. Does basic necessities come first or nationalism or our caste or religion or our beliefs? I'm fed up of looking at stereotype threads. Why do we need to hate some nepali gal marrying with pakistani? Why're we so scared of india taking over nepal? Why can't we see simple truth about royals? Does the misdeeds of political parties or maoists justify to take away basic civil rights from the king? Don't we need any system or criteria or forming cabinet or in bureaucracy or army? If there is, are they being followed?

even if we lose our flag (which i don't think will be the case) we will not loose our identity as a nepali. china took over tibet but tibetans still have their identity don't they.

it would be nice if everything can be worked out under the flag otherwise we need to be practical. anyways the flag is supposed to represent the sun dynasty and the moon dynasty of the ranas and shahs it barely represents the nepali people people.

i don't to correct your spelling but isn't it suppose to be GWAJO not gwajyo. i might be wrong

Gwajyo,

Personally for me, it is the bassic necessities of food, shelter and clothing that come first and I think should come first in people's mind....Nationalism is not going to give you a full stomach or keep you warm on a cold night..it ceratainly may give you a sense of pride--but I agree with you, at the cost of what?

As far as the threads of screaming at Nepali girls gone with Pakistani men is concerned, I read that too and like you I have not been able to make sense of it...the whole Hindu-Muslim is not something that I have ever understood..they are both religions and if people have given meaning to it which is not in the religion itslef then it is the people who must be condemned and not the religion.

As far as the King is concerned, again, I don't why why it is difficult for some to see the truth of the Royal family--I think a fair amount of the "respect" that he as monarch gets is derived from his reincarnation of Vishnu--although people seem too willing to forget the fact that this interpretation of the King's powers were given to him by folks who knew that the country would not take action against an avtar of Vishnu for fear of incurring the wrath of God.

As far as India is concerned, again, it is the Nationalism at the fore...but, I seriously doubt that the doomsday scenario of India taking over Nepal is going to come about any day soon...sure, they are problems with the interference from India that few accept and welcome but, as a weak country and one that is not only landlocked but, unfortunately locked between two major powers- India and China, if it's not India pulling and pushing then it will be China...we have unfair trade pacts with India and we forcibly send back Tibetian refugees from the border to almost certain death at the hands of China because KG needs their support/army supplies....it's a never ending saga.

nepali

corrections islam is a religion hinduism is not strictly a religion because there is no one doctrine dictating what god is and stuff like that....... it is in fact more like a way of life.(hinduism which i really hate to call it) there is no founder as well in hinduism. the influx of wester religions have turned the ancient vedic culture into a something else

for me the basic ideas are these vis-a-vis india:
1) no denying it is a bully and wants a great deal of influence over all its neighboring countries, especially neutral countries, i.e. ones they have not engaged in war with. this comes from many things, insecurity (in all senses of the word), chief among them.
2) it would like to turn nepal into another bhutan if it can.
3) but the way to deal with that is not to cultivate this shrill, irrational reaction to it.
4) king mahendra was pissed at the indians because he was involved in a lot of smuggling activities and the indian authorities busted his goods more than once.
5) his whole vision of panchayati system, built to perpetuate his legacy and his clan, centered on this hysterical cry of nationalism.
6) this nationalism chiefly derived from anti-india ideology.
7) the same line of thought was perpetuated, through propaganda, during panchayat.
8) many of us fail to see beyond that.
9) nepali nationalism, as defined by mahendra and his panches, is fake because it does not come from within - it confuses, heck even equates, a nationalistic stance with an anti-indian stance.
10) in the long run, if we don't have confidence in ourselves, how can we hope to deal with our neighbors?

if there has to be nationalism, i think it has to be inside out. let the brotherhood and sisterhood among nepali people flourish before we even think of railing against other people. if we cannot deal with the inequalities in our society, how can we collectively deal with something that is outside our society?

its a game we have to play with india. sure. but its not life and death. its more like who scores more points. i think...