Posted by: MadDoGG November 28, 2008
Mob mentality and Kathmandu( WHY?)
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Hi folks This is a story event that is a daily ocurance in our NEW NEPAL these days and NO ONE IS SPARRED. The following is not a true story but EVENTS LIKE THIS ARE VERY TRUE.

                      Bimal was getting late for his first day in his work as a manager in a popular travel agency and was rushing everything at his home yelling out loud at his mother and sister about his good suit and tie, his socks and new pair of shoes which he had bought yesterday especially for this Day. It was his first day in his  good job with good pay. Everyone at his home was rushing up and down left and right so Bimal could look sharp and proffesional. About medium height five feet seven  inches, fair complexion and from a medium class family Bimal was a very intelligent man around his mid twenties. He was well qualified and had the personality of a confident man. As kids he passed school with good grades and was very popular with all his friends and had a nature of making friends every where he went. Recently engaged with his highschool sweetheart Pramila,  everything in his life was moving smoothly as expected in everyway a normal family transforms the generation gap of responsibilities. Bimals Dad who worked all his life in the army served his Nation untill a mine blewup his both legs while fighting the terrorists. Dissabled but active, he had the look of a proud father whose son was now taking the responsibilities away from his shoulder. Bimal takes his blessing from his Dad and mom and hugs from his sisters Kanti and Kusum. He then gets on his bike and heads off to his work all excited and a little nervous. Its Kathmandu traffic rush hour. Bimal rides fast but carefully not to hit anything or anyone in his path. Anyone who knows Kathmandu traffic knows how things are for all motorists, bikers, and pedestrians as well. Swirving left and right and overtaking vehicles at every chance he gets, Bimal was pretty good when it came to reading Kathmandu traffic. All of a sudden a micro van ahead of him made an evassive turn off the road to pick up some ladies waving him to stop in the middle of no where in full traffic. That took Bimal by surprise and before he could act the micro van was in front of him in his path and with out anysignal to warn Bimal, it stopped. Bimal grabed his brakes and put his foot down to avoid collision but it was too late. He was going about 40km/h speed. He hit the back of the van and his bike gave a big jerk and a dent to the vans back bumper as his bike crashed to the ground breaking its  side lights, Bimal hit the ground and  stood up real fats and checked if he was hurt , his new pants were torn and his suit very dirty, but it wasnt too bad.he thought, and a little shaken but OK. Now people were everywhere and most of them saw what happened. Bimal was very upset how the van cut his path an without any signal or warning stopped right in front of him. Angry he confronted the driver who came out to see the damage. The driver poorly dressed along with his buddy checks his bumper and Looks at Bimal who is now walking towards him. "BIKE CHALAUNE TAAL  KE HO??" asks the driver, AAKHA CHAINA SALA? TERO LISCENCE NIKAL, JATHA........... Bimal was taken by surprise, He was expecting an apology but he gets the opposite from the driver when he thought he was the one who was the victem and was ready to yell at the driver for driving so recklessly. Bimal is now Furious......" KERE........MERO AAKHA CHHAINA RE? TAILE MANCHHE TIPNA BATO KO BICH BATA SIGNAL BINA SWAAATTA MERO BATO KATCHHAAS ....AJHA MALAI DOSH??...very angry Bimal grabs the driver by his colar and jestures a punch........just then another microvan approaches.... and the driver of that van gets off....OI OI OI KE BHO YAHA???? the driver from the first van now with backup yell louder........YO SALA BIKE LE MERO BUMPER MA HANYO YAAR AJHHA MALAI THULO SWOR LE BOLCHHA YAAR.......LA HAAN TA SALA LA HAAN ..TALAI KE HUNCHHA BICHAR GAAR. Bimal tells the other van the whole incident and in the mean time the traffic is almost jammed and a good crowd is already gathered. ......just then two more micro van stops now blocking the whole road. One of them pushes Bimal with his two hands.....Oi TIE SUITE LAGAYERA YAHA DADAGIRI GARNE?? YO TERO BAU KO BATO HO?? Bimal pleads his case to the mob of drivers who are now ganging up at him in a very hostile way. He cant believe that this is happening to him they simply wont listen and as the loud conversation goes on Bimal notices that more and more people are turning up to the drives aid, they seem taxi drivers and many more micro van drivers who are turning up for support. Feeling outnumbered Bimal watches if any traffic police is around and he still stands his ground. He quickly calls his office and tell that hes going to be late due to traffic jam. Now someone from the crowd yells, OI TELLE FORCE LAUNA PHONE GARYA JASTO CHHAA........HAAN SALA LAI. All of a sudden the situation turns from bad to worse. Couple of them starts to push Bimal and Bimal shouts loud back to them "HAAT NA HAAL HAI HAAT NA HAAL." on the mixture of voices Bimal hears words of  swears, curses all for him. He cant believe whats happening why its happening because it wasnt his fault at all and the driver knows it yet he is now ready to hit him??? he just cant understand. All of a sudden the noise HAAN THOK SALA LAI becomes louder as now Bimal slowly starts to realize that his life could be in Danger. Backing up he asks loudly "MAILE KE GARE??? HUH MAILE KE GARE???? some people come betwen the drivers and Bimal and try to stop the angry mob.....who are now yelling and ready for a bloodbath. Finally some traffic police show up on the scene and try to disperse the crowd thats when the crowd now changes attention on the innocent police trying to bring some law and clamity to the rowdy crowd. soon police calls for backup and more and more people join the mob against the police. Bimal just cant believe his eyes. Now no one is even talking to him. they start attacking the police. He takes that chance to gather his bike and flee. As Bimal is walking away from the mob yelling DHEDE CHOR DESH CHOD!! He takes his bike up on the pavement and walks away from the crowd . The traffic is jammed as far as the road is and Bimal can see that there are no drivers in any of the micro Vans , taxis , Safa tampoo and busses. He asumes they have gone to join the mob or just curious. He sees a bunch of young kids running towards the center of comotion. He takes a more good lok at the ones who are near to him as they pass by, they have YCL armbands. Bimal feels bad for the police but looking back he can see that the police have backup in trucks stopping near the far turn. Soon Bimal takes a small side road which leads him towards Durbrmarg, his office. late and dazed, confused, shocked and angry He steps into his office and calls his boss to inform him due to the traffic incident. Surprisingly his boss knows about it already that there has been a huge mob and fight between the drivers and the police. His boss even regrets the fact that now a days the only way to plead a case is through violence and it has been proven since now the terrorist has become the liberators. Now you cant win because you cant say a word to anone. So one should Accept defeat even before the blame hits you. He hangs up the phone, bimal doesnt feel it necessary to tell the real deal to the boss or to anyone. He turns on the news radio at work and listens live about the comotion. The radio people call it a mass brawl between the drivers union and the police due to unknown reason. The agitators haveburnt tires, hauled stones at the police and several people injured and arrested. The news media tracks down the leader of the drivers association in his house who angrily screams POLICE BRUTALITY HAS TO STOP, HUMAN RIGHTS OF POOR HARD WORKING DRIVERS ARE DISCRIMINATED EVERYWHERE. Bimal cant comprehend whats going on what led to this. He cant tell it was all because of a small accident but how come things went from a small arguement to being a politically motivated mob clash. As the day progressed the clash took a new turn as YCL now gets involved in supporting the drivers union saying police brutality cannot be tolerated and some high Maoist leader supports the clash, soon the news report hundreds arrested, injured, tear gas dispersed and many cars and public vehicles burnt shops vandalized and destroyed. Bimal fears his life and calls his friend to come pick him up to take him home. As he went home he makes up a story that he hurt himself while running away from the scuffle between the cops and the drives. He turns on the news to find out if anyone mentions him and sofar Noone even mentions the real incident. The police chief addresses the media saying that the police had gone to investigate a crowd that was causing a jam thats when the mob dispersed on Them, whereas the drivers unions story was that police used brute force on some Van drivers who were parked doing their daily routine. To Bimals surprise they even interviewed the actual driver of the van who had changed his story saying that while stopping to pickup a passenger a police hit him because he wasnt allowed to park there and when he said he was going to leave the police tried to ask for money or he would book his van. He further in a almost crying tone pleaded before the media, "Hajur hami ta Garib manchhe, mehenat gari baal bachha palnu parchha, Police lai ghus dina ka sakshu ra, sarai atyachar bhayo hajur, pyasenjar tipna rokrko gaadi lai paisa nadiya chlna dinna bhannyo ra binti garda pani chhodena ani badhyata bhayera union lai guhareko hajur, yesma mero ke dosh." and he cries infront of camera while his buddies yell murda baad murda baad. Mouth wide opened and still confused Bimal breaks into a loud laughter of the drama and his invisibility in this whole incident, as he laughs louder and louder he suddenly breaks into tears realizing that this was not a good incident. The lawlesness and mob mentality of following the herd wether wrong or right disturbs him. He recalls every second of the incident and how minor he thought it was and what kind it ugly turn it took? he couldnt blame himself because he knew deep inside that it was not his fault in any angle but he pondered on the scary thought how quickly a mob ready to kill him and the police and anyoneelse gathered even without knowing the real cause of the incident. He thought wether it was the frustation of the poor people or was it the mob mentality that has engulphed the whole of  Nepal where Nowa days no one knows or cares to know the truth and follow a mob to release anger, the anger of poverty, joblesness, discrimination, low pay, bribes, lack of water, food and electricity. Jobless youths walking around supporting a political party and creating havoc at the command of these leaders, clashes between youth groups, robbery, kidnapping, murders, obstruction of justice and law. People joining Unions , gangs, armed outfits to feel the power of violence as one party has shown that by extreme violence one can topple a kingdom. And by sheer force and intimidation one can be above law and can rule from within even when one is not a KING. Bimal has tears in his eyes, as he looks out his window, He Looks at the far horizon and hears a distant temple bell going on and on. He looks at the people walking on the street like nothings changed. Is this Nepal??? .......he closes his eyes and remembers his child hood where things were so simple and his teen life where life was just incredible, He had heard of the bad events going around nepal and the word Maoist but NOW he realizes what has become of this country. Bimal sits down on his bed and calls his Fiance and tells her I want to go abroad to study, lets get married soon and both apply to go to US or AUS. I cant live here anymore......................................................after a couple of months Bimal and Pramilla his sweetheart arrives at Logan Airport......A new start....Bimal promises to take care of the family from US and vows never to return to Nepal untill Nepal again Becomes the Nepal we all loved, peace, prosper and loving. he felt guilty leaving his loved ones behind but He could do for them more from America than he could ever do for them in Nepal. Next few yrs Both His sister got married and Bimal financed the whole wedding, last year Bimals Dad and mom Visited America at the news of their first grand son. Things are going good for Bimal these days as he works for a big Firm. If you ask him about returning back to Nepal he just smiles and says HERAULA, HARAULA...........................

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