Hey people, If somebody says Nepal is not an indeppendent country, it is under India. How do u feel?????? Here is one bitter experince. MEMORYLANE-6 A serious question " Nepal is one of the states of India", when Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit argued it in Nepal, millions of Nepali shocked and wonder whether beauty queen of India is joking. And people started getting scepticism over perception of Indians including her. Just think once if so is the condition of the internationally exposed Indian then how miserable could be the knowledge of an ordinary Indian. While doing my +2 in South India I got an opportunity to get along with many Indians. Moreover it was a time to get exposure how an ordinary Indian perceives their neighbour. Difficult to believe and thorny to write as a but most of them even don't know "Nepal is a sovereign country." During my study years in Hydreabad, Andhra Pradesh, I had experienced such bitter experiences time and again. One lousy evening after having dinner I felt homesick and wanted to make a call home. Though I was running dry I decided to call making sure that I had to survive without tiffin in college canteen for couple of days. As I entered telephone booth I saw a skeletal old man with long moustache in counter. I said " I have to make an ISD call'. "ISD call why not?" He was happy to hear ISD. Apparently, he asked me in detail about making a call; "Nepal" was my answer. To my surprise he bewildered and screeched out "Nepal?" He alleged "is not a different country, it is a part of India". I became so infuriated and distressed that I wanted to hit a big blow on his wrinkled face but remembered, " Ignorance can be excused." Forgetting about phone call I explained as vividly as I could, but he was still adamant. I suggested him to take the help of directory, which was just on the table. Instead of flipping the pages of directory he asked a black chap who was sitting nearby. "Is Nepal a seperate country?" Old thin man asked him, it was really overside, I could not tolerate but I did nothing. He again asked him" Is there a country called Nepal?" And you know, what was his answer " Yes, there is Nepal but not country, it is inside India". Just guess what would you have done if you were in my place. People say your country is not a country in front of you and you could do nothing; I felt greatly dishonoured and wanted to roar but.....that was not my land. Then, it was his turn to listen my lesson as I started giving clarifications. I told him " Brother, Nepal is not under any country neither it was like India under British" he felt disrespected. " And for your kind information, Nepal is the only one country which was not under any slavery". I went on and on. I gave examples of Mt. Everest and Lord Buddha but he chuckled and said, " Yes we know Mt. Everest is in Nepal, but don't forget Nepal is in India". But I kept quiet as there was directory on the table and I wanted to show them that. Still they were trying to be right and I persuaded them to go through directory and they did on my force. Then, as they found Nepal on international list they were baffled and said "Really we did not know it; we are sorry", lest they had no other way to get excuse. That incident made me serious and ponder about our country Nepal and Big Bad Brother India. The very next day I asked around twenty friends of my college where was Lord Buddha born. Everyone said "Lumbini" but to my surprise they all belive it is in India. It is not their fault either as they are taught in the same way. I wonder, when the whole world knows that Nepal as a country of Mount Everest where Buddha was born, why and how our closest neighbour India and our Indian brothers-sisters are unaware of it? Isn't it a serious question? The end (this topic) will be back with another one Thanks for reading. Amazing