Nepali identity and Prashant Tamang BY PRATEEK PRADHAN (editor, Kathmandu Post) About a week ago a diplomat from one of the biggest donor countries mentioned off hand that if the Nepali people continue bickering among themselves, the country will ultimately lose its sovereignty, and will be ruled by India. The diplomat was only speaking his mind, and it was just a personal observation. But a simple statement for a foreigner was not so simple for a Nepali journalist to digest. For any patriotic Nepali existence without our own national identity would be beyond imagination. This scribe avoided prolonging the discussion on the issue, as there was a risk of getting carried away. Nationalism is quite a sensitive issue for Nepalis, maybe much more so than for people in other countries whose identities are not in crisis. Our hyper sensitivity over nationalism could be due to our sandwiched and land-locked geopolitical reality. But even for those who do not believe in conspiracy theories and believe instead that expansionism in the present-day world is unimaginable, there are examples aplenty in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries. Moreover, the stories of Sikkim and Tibet are not so old as to be considered ancient history. News of the death of Lhendup Dorji, the then prime minister of Sikkim who allegedly helped India capture that kingdom, and stories about Sikkim's fate at the hands of its big neighbor also stoked the already activated apprehensions of nationality under threat. The only difficulty in Nepal is to know who is playing Lhendup Dorji here. When the Maosits were still underground, Baburam Bhattarai compared King Gyanendra to Lendup Dorje in an article published in our sister daily, Kantipur, in 2001. The editor and publishers were arrested for a few weeks by the government of none other than Girija Prasad Koirala for publishing the article. A few months later the king did play a dangerous game by capturing state power. The king's move might have led the country to civil war in which a neighboring country's army could have intervened in the name of maintaining law and order. Fortunately or unfortunately, the king was rescued from going the Lendup way by the success of the people's movement. However, after the restoration of democracy the petty interests of various individuals, groups and parties have threatened our integrity to such an extent that many of them are in a position to claim the title of Nepali Lendup. Groups that have waged a struggle to secede from Nepal have threatened the sovereignty of this country. If matters get worse, these groups might succeed in displacing the government's authority from their areas, but they will ultimately end up losing their own sovereignty. The armed Madhesi groups and some other armed rebels can be placed under this category. The Maoists are also not quite serious about strengthening the fabric of national integrity. If they attempt to foil the Constituent Assembly election, the country will face great chaos and conflict, and national integrity will become seriously threatened. Smaller groups of indigenous peoples, dalits, Badi women, Madhesis et al are also unknowingly contributing to the bickering that is affecting the integrity of the country. Any move that weakens our democracy and promotes only the interests of a particular caste, religion or ethnicity contributes to intolerance among Nepalis. No need to explain that intolerance brings disintegration in its train. So all these groups, while raising their demands, should be very sensitive to the need to promote democracy and strengthen unity among the people. Against the backdrop of all these threats to national identity and sovereignty, a small event on the glittering box in our living rooms has instilled unprecedented confidence in all Nepalis and people of Nepali descent. The frenzy of support for Prashant Tamang, an ethnic Nepali in the musical talent hunt on India's Sony TV channel has spoken volumes for our bonding, our unity and our sense of pride in being Nepali. It has given fresh confidence to all Nepalis that no matter who we are as individuals, what we do and where we live, we are all stringed together by our Nepali identity. Prashant Tamang does have a good voice, but he has been surviving the elimination rounds week after week more because he is a Nepali from Darjeeling than on the strength of his talent. Millions of sms (each costing INR 3) are sent every week in his support by Nepalis living across India and also Nepalis in the UAE, Singapore and other places from where the channel accepts sms voting. The Indian Idol show has become an opportunity for all Nepalis to show their pride in being Nepali. Indian Idol has become immensely popular in Kathmandu as well, because one Nepali has reached the top three positions in the show that is hunting for singing talent from all over India. Maybe Prashant Tamang might not survive any longer because, with the number of contestants shrinking, the votes for his rivals could now surpass his. We wish him good luck and even if his winning spree is now checked, he will always be remembered as an icon of Nepali identity. The story of Prashant Tamang is a lesson for all. It is clear that no matter where Nepalis are living, they consider Nepal their motherland, and will not blink over their identity. Obviously, this is a warning to all ill-intentioned groups. But at the same time, it is also a warning to all vested interests within Nepal that are fulfilling their aims at risk of nationality and integrity. There is definitely no need to be terrified by the warnings of a foreign diplomat, but we should always keep our eyes and ears open, and remain prepared to fight back any element that threatens our national identity and our sovereignty. http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=121640