Another quest for peace After Manjushreee Thapa's "Forget Kathmandu" in English and Narayan Wagle's "Palpasa Café" in Nepali, MK (Madan Kumar) Limbu's novel in English, Fragile Mounatins, is a timely addition to the literature of one of the bloodiest insurgencies in South Asia. This book not only informs readers about the insurgency but also stimulates their insights into how social conditions combined with the unique character of the People's Army's revolutionary doctrine determined the evolution and the future trajectory of the insurgency movement in Nepal. Written with a deep concern for the political future of his country devastated by the authoritarian impulse of the old feudalism on the one hand and the new anarchic violence of the Maobadi insurgents on the other, the novel weaves facts with fiction. It is on the surface the story of three generations of Dil Bahadhur Rai and how his own dreams, and especially that of his son Milan and his daughter-in-law Lalita, were shattered by the Maoist rebellion that began in 1996. Also, the story of Lalita and Milan is not merely a yarn of two star-crossed lovers but of the struggles for survival of the thousands of young people living in Nepal. First published on demand by the Canadian publishing house of Trafford and recently by Vajra Publications of Kathmandu, Fragile Mountains chronicles the major events in the history of Nepali politics, such as the 1990 people's movement for democracy, the royal massacre of 1 June 2001, and the take over by King Gyanendra on October 4, 2004 that has intensified the Maoists insurgency. What makes the book a memorable read is the writer's ability to take the readers to the edge and then make them see for themselves the plights of the people victimized by both sides – the state and the rebels. The writer has vividly portrayed the historical subordination of the indigenous population of the hills by the feudalists. He deconstructs the present Nepali state structure dominated by the so-called upper classes, and asserts that the Maoist insurgency sprung up from the state's neglect of its aborigine people and the Maoists' promise of a just and equitable society upon the success of their revolution. Limbu begins with a picturesque description of "the sleepy village where life moves at its own slow and tranquil pace, following its own age-old pattern, quietly and peacefully…as if nothing of significance happens here." Khewang is one of the many such sleepy villages where life moved on at its own leisurely pace until the Maoists transformed it into a "guerilla zone". The writer has brilliantly captured the chaos that haunted the predominant Limbu population of Khewang when all of a sudden the Maoists intensified their operations in the eastern hills of Taplejung. Hundreds of people, such as the patriarch Dil Bahadur were roped in as supporters, by force or free will. Members of the People's Committee such as Comrade Prakash and Comrade Raktim dismissed the elected village committee and unilaterally declared villagers as members of the people's government at the local level. People were routinely tortured, threatened, assaulted, beaten up and sometimes murdered for the slightest offense. To avoid being picked up by the security forces or the Maoists, men started fleeing to Kathmandu and across the open borders into India. Left behind were women like Laxmi and a large chunk of the elderly people who managed the family amid the conflict. The writer has presented a chilling account of the army atrocities – of how innocent villagers were tortured in army barracks and some shot dead in front of their own homes for supporting the Maoists. The writer is equally critical of the Maoist violence — that included, among other things, the brutal torture meted out to people such as the politician Hemraj and the local teacher Chandra, the latter alleged of being an informer. Limbu has also brilliantly pointed his fingers at some of the ills prevalent in our society. One interesting topic that Limbu has repeatedly broached in his novel is his criticism of the Nepali belief in destiny or niyati. Lalita becomes a mouthpiece to vent the author's belief that man makes his own destiny. When Amrita tries to reason the treachery of his beloved as something written in Niyati, Lalita is quick to explain that cheating someone and blaming it on niyati is ridiculous. She gives a reference of how she defined her own fate and so did Milan. Lalita further reasons that Suraj deserted her because he had better options and because her love for Amrita was insignificant with regard to the lust he harbored for Anita. It took the writer almost a year and a half to write the book and four months to edit it. However, there are still some grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. An efficient proofreader is what this book needs before the third edition is brought out in the market. Fragile Mountains is a disturbing book, and a novel at that. It concludes on a happy note, but there is also a grim prediction that there will be more bloodshed in the days to come , with scores of ordinary people dying in a war they did not support but could not avoid either – except by dying at the discretion of the warring factions or fleeing one's village and country. Fragile Mountains: By M K Limbu; Vajra Publications, Kathmandu, 2005; 536 pages ISBN: 99946-644-5-X; Rs 400; Reviewed by Monica Upadhyay