Rahul bhai!

As I understand you are also very attached to the Newari culture you will see how our culture being attacked viciously, mostly from  the political front.

" My ear drum still feels the drum of Majipa lakhe " tung tuung chyan tung tung tungpaka nakduung chyan" and " Jhin nala sing tan" of Sawa Bhakku. Being attached to this culture I am deeply saddened to see what is happening here.

I think there is a miss conception amongst " new nepalist" and " gantantrist" so called " revolutionist" that the political change brings the cultural change automatically. BR Bhattari attack on Indrajatra was nothing but a result of this kind of mind set.

In my opinion,  government can not force people of  Kathmandu, " Newar"(not included Maoist's wing of Newar coz they want to uproot all our cultural value) whom they want to felicitate or be felicitated. The question is " Why people attached to Indrajatra still want Former King Gyanendra to felecitate former Kumari?" You may want to say " ahh Raju Maharjan is mandaley-but I have known him since my childhood-he was amongst the active face of indrajatra-always! or your conspiracy mind would say King would have bribed the former kumaris to secure political points..whatever..go on..there may  not be end to this..

The point I am trying to make is, republican government in a first place should have stopped  culture of " head of the state" coming to participate Indrajatra because " head of state" is not necessarily " cultural Juju for Newar". I would rather have IDOL of the King (not necessarily of shah, could be statutue of pratap malla)  if not the king to run my jatra. Not to mention, Lakhe refused to dance in front of President Yadav when he first went for Indrajatra two years ago.Politically also I see paradox here, why in a hell Head of the state of secular country still wants to be part of which is purely hindu-buddhist culture?. Why you want to create a room for " Non newar/non hindu/buddhist" to raise a voice against the culture which is so rich?

Now tomorrow if " Samyak Guthi" wants again Gyanendra to be part of it for "Samyak Puja"-will he then be banned and President would be sent instead and what if Samyak Guthi will reject president or will continue with Gyandendra as a King? What if tomorrow we have president which is non-hindu/buddhist or of a lower caste-will newar accpet it for indrajatra? Our culture is based on certain principles, tantrism (suva, asuva, chyama puja etc) and some amount of orthodoxy and it has not changed from the ages!!

Politically you and I may have different opinion, but culturally the concept of " cultural king" is so inherent in our society. This will continue to create some tough situation for us. The point is whether we want to continue coflict or appease it by some sort of amicable measure. Let us call upon all the guthis, gawaju and stakeholders of jatra , Newars and run a referendum whether they want president or abolished cultural king?

Or being newar if  i present my radical view, however still rational and valid, " give me my all guthi lands. it is non of your bloody business how i run my festivals or whom i should or should not call".


Jai Kumari!