Crazynep,

For a second I thought you were burning that midnight oil over my gibberish comment until I realized you were from down under. Prior to pitching my own thoughts (again), let me take some time in thanking you for the time you spent in replying to me. Believe me, eons ago, in sajha, someone like you had chosen to the same, he was someone from Wichita, Kansas and he, for no reason called me a fool, moron, used some expletives to get his point across. So, I really appreciate the maturity you have displayed.

Now let’s get to the point. While I agree few things that you mentioned – most primarily it is not about resenting Indians but preserving our culture, part of me still makes an effort to understand if our personal choices make us lesser Nepalese. You sound more patriotic than me, you certainly do. But is that patriotism or jingoism or fanaticism or even extremism? Please ask yourself. Also, here is the fallacy in your comment. As you type those words, you were perhaps sipping a hot latte in frigid outback; you were not in Nepal at the comfort of your living room. If you only support what Nepal offers, shouldn’t you be studying (or working) in Nepal than migrate to a foreign nation? You do have a choice don’t you? Also, do you always wear daura suruwal? Don’t you ever eat samosa? And why aren’t you typing in devanagiri? See, preserving our culture does not mean we need to confine ourselves in our culture or to resent others’. Our simple choices shouldn’t define how ‘unpatriotic ‘we are.

Speaking of comparison, if Natikaji and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan would compete against each other unplugged, I would, by all means will not support the latter. But in all honesty, at all times, I would prefer listening to Amjad Ali over Natikaji, simply because it is my choice. I was deeply perturbed when the vice president in Nepal chose to take his oath in Hindi, that is murder, that is an absolute wrongdoing, but I would never cease listening to Hindi songs or watch Hindi movies only to vent my frustrations.

You may disagree, but we are all playing devil’s advocate here. We take the first aircraft out of Nepal to a foreign land, display our international best the moment we land in America (or Canada, Australia, England, even China, Dubai and Malaysia for that reason) even beseech the immigration to let us stay abroad, yet we do not spare chipping our thoughts when it comes to National pride. Shouldn’t we return to Nepal instead?

Finally, despite our choices, and our locations, we all are Nepalese regardless. Our culture and heritage is to love everyone, and disseminate peace and harmony, not to fanatically guard our stance and feign our patriotism regarding unrealistic choices we make.

Peace.