(Courtesy: Mr. Ripley)
When self-absorbed Nepalese elites dictate their vision of the “how-things-should-be” to the Nepalese , it’s the masses that ultimately bear the burden.
Paras continues his addled ways; heads of media, politicians, civil society activists, and top leaders of the Maoists continue to send their children overseas to study; and international Brahmins in the NGOs and the United Nations continue to moralize their way to the bank.
Whether dying in a suicidal frontal attack on an army outpost for the “people‘s“ liberation army; taking a couple 0.303s from an Enfield Rifle with no body armor for a pre-modern monarchy that still lives in a 17th century cocoon; having to keep THEIR children home due to bandhs; suffering the failures of culture and society and waiting forever for clean drinking water, sewers, roads, or basic justice – its that abstract concept that we call “the people”, the beasts of burden, who quietly and desperately carry this burden on a daily basis.
Mr. Kanak Mani Dixit, who is emblematic of this biased elite group-think, offered us this piece in the Nepali Times: “Enter the Politician – Charting the Course Back to Pluralism (http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue/246)” served to demonstrate how much garbage our blow-hard elites can generate in just 1,000 words.
The basic thesis of his attempt at spinning the politicians and the UN to undeserved glory and the whiny tone against any well-intentioned diplomatic efforts (their evil imperialist nemesis Moriarty) are worthy of reading only to validate how elites can say what they want with no worries about anyone calling them on it.
In the fast moving world of the news, few really bother (or have the time) to check up on facts, analysis, or even basic logic – so, much like oil-painting, one always has the opportunity to deliver correcting brush strokes, overlaying the previous color as if it never existed. Skies become sand and trees become snow.
Following up on the above piece, Mr. Dixit, evidently stoked by his democratic zeal during the April 2006 uprising gave us an even more verbose analysis of 5,000 plus words in Himal Magazine (http://himalmag.com/2006/march/cover_story_1.html), a publication that can only be described as a reflecting pool for South Asian narcissistic leftist intellectual bores.
He gores King Gyanendra as the all-time villain and indulges in contradictory statements about the-then RNA. On the one hand, the RNA are bad because they never took the offensive, and then later to prop up another position, he argues:
“With the army refusing to engage them in the field, the Maoists could not hope for firefights and battles to show their fighting mettle. All in all, for the last few years the rebel fighters have been reduced to clandestine ambushes of security forces, laying down improvised explosive devices on public roads, as well as blockades and highway closures.”
Later in the same piece, he offers up this ridiculous lament:
“Due to domestic, regional and international considerations, therefore, the Maoist decision to come to a ‘safe landing’ is convincing to all players. All players, that is, other than some diehard members of Kathmandu’s royalist elite and the American ambassador, who in mid-February conducted a frenzy of meetings, speeches and letters-to-the-editor trying to convince whoever would listen of an impending Maoist takeover of Kathmandu, and of the need to reject the Maoist siren calls that the 12-point understanding and the Maoist interviews represented. Lacking a nuanced understanding of the fast-changing Nepali political discourse, and obviously running to the dictates of his own administration’s ‘fight against terror’, the ambassador managed – it is hoped momentarily – to deflect the debate and the search for peace. Whereas a civil cautionary note to alert the political class of the dangers of Maoist doubletalk would not have been untoward, the ambassador was acting very much the American cowboy in a Nepali china shop. As the royal regime’s detainee, civil-society leader Devendra Raj Pandey said from jail on a mobile phone, “The ambassador’s statements are designed to take the country back to civil war, more bloodshed, and away from a political solution.”
While he is correct about the need to make the incredibly stubborn King Gyanendra heel, Mr. Dixit’s over-the-top attempts to show us why the Maoists should be trusted and his juvenile anger against more centrist diplomats are now completely off the mark.
More than one year later, the Nepalese “people” can see how his thesis is playing out. From what one can observe, the facts appear to be as follows:
1. Basic security is non-existent in many parts of the country. Bandhs are back and schools and businesses are taking a hit - keeping yet another generation of Nepali middle and lower-class kids from opportunity.
2. The YCL is becoming entrenched, metastasizing into many seams of Nepalese society.
3. Mr. Dixit’s beloved politicians have reverted to true character.
4. Economic growth is almost at a standstill - even as India and China are both clocking near double-digit economic growth rates.
5. Armed groups are multiplying. And why not? If the Maoist cause has been sold as “legitimate”, why isn’t the Madhesi cause or a Hindu cause or any other cause “legitimate”?
6. The Nepali Army is sidelined. The same Army who Mr. Dixit has denigrated over the years (what exactly, Mr. Dixit, is a Maoist “activist“? ) as 90,000 royalists hell-bent on preventing democracy. Never mind that this is the very army that demonstrated great restraint last April despite Maoist hopes of drawing them in to kill a few hundred of the “people.” Mr. Sitaula, the weasel of a Home Minister of “New Nepal” has created more “martyrs” than Jana-Andolan II.
7. Political “inclusiveness”, instead of the promised palliative, appears to encourage fragmentation along ethnic, tribal, and caste fault lines.
But Mr. Dixit need not worry. He can continue to pontificate, show up at rallies to demonstrate he is a man of the people, commune with like-minded international Brahmin elites, and sell the masses his vision of how things should be. He can sleep easy that if he is wrong, he can say something else the next day, and if that is wrong, tweak it a little more another day - and ask the “people” to be patient.
Every day is a new day in New Nepal where you have nearly 30 million suckers who will pick up the tab.
If you’re a "Mr. Dixit," life is indeed very, very good.
RELATED LINKS:
Where are Moriarty's Haters Now?
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/03/where-are-moriartys-haters-now.html
The King, the Populists, the Herders and the Sheep
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/02/king-populists-herders-and-sheep.html
Surreal Politics - How Nepal’s Intellectual / Political Class, Continue to Look the Other Way…
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2007/01/surreal-politics-how-nepals.html
Nepal: Can We Ever Reconcile Our Relative Truths?
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/11/nepal-can-we-ever-reconcile-our.html
Perpetual Denial – The State of Nepal’s Intellectual Class
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/11/perpetual-denial-state-of-nepals.html
Democrats are from Venus and Maoists are from Mars
http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2006/11/democrats-are-from-venus-and-maoists.html
35 comments:
People should be allowed to change their views. What's wrong with that?
Kanak Dixit has been a vocal opponent of Maoist atrocities - for example, when Rato Bangala (his wife's school) was forced to close, he wrote agains the Moaists.
When he wanted to bring down Gyane, he wrote against Gyane; he gave an interview from "jail" over his satellite phone and told the whole wold how bad things were in Nepal - for him and his clan.
Today, things are better for Kanak and his clan. They will be best when all the ethnic groups come in and clean up the Bahunist house.
No one should make the mistake that they enjoy impunity (intellectual or otherwise) in the New Nepal.
Jai Hos!
No one should ever get the comfort of accusing or targeting individuals anonymously as this article does. I myself don't write a lot, but when I do, I put my own name on my articles, and even on my comments, because it is too easy to write slander articles by hiding your name. Although I agree with some of the issues on this article, and I myself have been labeled a royalist in the past, I suggest you respect at least some norms and journalistic ethics if you want to go beyond making this blog a joke that it is.
If the attack is on an individual, I strongly ask the moderators of this blog to remove this posting altogether.
If the idea is to attack the impunity with which the nepali inteligentsia adds fire to already inflamed situations and then steps aside, I wholeheartedly endorse this posting.
As for you "Nishcal," let's read some of your royalist writing.... your profile comes up blank??
Hey Nishcal Guru - Great that you write with your own name. So what is your "own" FULL name? I would very much like to read your articles.
Moderators: I would like you to please moderate the first comment on this string. This is business that should not be made public. It's personal and while I don't agree with a lot of what Kanak stands for, I don't think his family business belongs in the public domain.
Thank you.
"Nishcal" sounds like you have a chip on your shoulder for being called a royalist. Are you one? If so, then why deny it? If not, then why are you so concerned about journalistic ethics (that's why blogs exist - to bring out the truth that jouranlistics ethics don't allow).
I think you need to re-examine your comment. Why parts to you "agree" with and why do you find the truth so offensive?
Be my guest, and I apologize for not having the time to make a profile on this blog, cheers:
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/june/guest_columns_jun06_10.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/aug/guest_columns_24.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/aug/guest_columns_09.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/jul/guest_columns_24.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/mar/guest_columns_mar06_09.php
Be my guest, and I apologize for not having the time to make a profile on this blog, cheers:
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/june/guest_columns_jun06_10.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/aug/guest_columns_24.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/aug/guest_columns_09.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/jul/guest_columns_24.php
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/mar/guest_columns_mar06_09.php
Thank you for the links Nischal. It will take an hour to find your article from the whole archive, but be certain, I will find time to read and comment.
So what's your point? That you aren't ashamed of being a Royalist or that you don't agree with nepali intellents like Kanak Dixit or that you always write under your own name so that gives you the right to call critiques of other public views, slander?
I think we should stay on target with the message of this posting - not the individual used as an example. I am sure if Mr. Dixit wants, he is capable of defending his own views.
I don't agree with this article because no one can forecast the future? There are hundreds of so-called intellectuals who are on record with their predictions. At some point in time or another, everyone of them is going to be wrong.
Isn't this true?
Is it possible to seperate personal agendas and politial agendas?
At some point, Kanak Dixit and Devendra Raj Pandey and all these people had problems with Army Generals. I remember reading an article in which Kanak was taunted at a party by these Generals.
Ripley, if you were treated like that and you were a journalist, woudl you not also critize the army?
Nischal, I do admire your courage to say what you believe in - although using your name here can only makes you a fool. No matter that you are a Royalist. I still respect you.
Can you please respect others right to also say what they want to with pen names? There does not seem to be anything untruthful in "Ripley's" piece. It his his/her view and it is about published writing.
The way I read this, Ripley isn't attacking an individual, he/she is attacking a culture of holier than thou. Maybe I am wrong?
Journalist ethics, yes. The same ethics as journalists in Nepal. Do you know how many journalists write in the mainstream media with pen names? At least this is a blog. Read it if you want, don't if you don't. It's a choice everyone has.
But read it, agree with some of it and then call it a joke, now that's really funny.
What is the relation between your political views as a royal stooge and this writing? I don't get it? Could you please explain this along with your wonderful articles also?
You're clearly having a hard time understanding something pretty elementary. It's not that I don't like the article, nor is it a way to vindicate myself because I write “my own name”. As for intellectuals predicting the future, be my guest, break a leg or two, I couldn’t care less how many Nepali “intellectuals” envisage what.
As for journalistic ethic, I’m sure all of you that hang around this blog know much more about ‘ethic’ than I could ever comprehend. The one simple point I was implying is that it is the lowest form of journalism to splatter accusations without taking responsibility for it via anonymity (or am I to understand that Mr. Ripley is another trailer trash American “intellectual” that comments on Nepal’s political situation because he can’t get a real job?). You might now come up with a few conspiracies, which Nepalis have a knack for, that Mr. Dixit pays me to defend him and that I was raised by him when abandoned by my own parents. Believe me, I disagree with a lot of what he says and I’m not the greatest fan, but I would never stoop to a “below the waist” tactic of maligning a man behind the veil of anonymity. Even for an enemy there is a shred of respect. If you have anything to say, say it with your name on it, so we know who to criticize if you’re wrong. Otherwise it’ll be like your General Kutwal writing “hail to the king” articles under the alias of Ajay P. Nath. So act like you know, even though you clearly don’t.
Oh and to “anonymous”—Yes, I definitely have a chip on my shoulder for being a royalist. You got me man. Good one, I’m hurt. Btw I love your question: “why are you so concerned about journalistic ethics”. You basically make my point for me. Thanks. You might want to re-read that when you're not drunk. Cheers, and oh yea, please feel free to criticize me ;)
I think Kanak Dixit has indeed met his match in another Nepali writing in English in a Nepali political context. This is great as we can now read good English writing with diametrically different points of view. Unfortunately this appreciation of good writing is about the only benefit that may have befallen us so far post democracy. The man in the street was very poor before and he continues to be very poor now.What can we do to rectify this witout bloodshed? A million dollar question. One answer could be to do our assigned daily work, not be feudal ( be a team player) and be suspicious of anyone ( king or Maoist) that only says we are doing thigs in the "name of the common man", the famous "janata ko lagi" means "mero lagi".
My dear by Nischal, yes, your writing does deceive your feelings or else you wouldn’t waste time bringing it up. :-)
With all due respect, I think you should grow up and understand that your ideals and ethcis got you where you are now; pretending not to be crying about being a Royalist. It’s ok :-) I can respect that, even though I think Gyane is a piece of trash.
What I am telling you is also very elementary. If you want journalist ethic, go read the papers (but you won’t find any paper critiquing editors who are immortalized). If you want raw hard details read the blogs and make up your own mind.
But if you want to read blogs then don’t wine about ethics because blogs are not popularity contests – unlike your pretty pictures on Nepalnews.com.
I am trying to say that this is not about YOU. It is not about you being a royalist and it is not about YOU not “stooping below the belt.” It is not about YOUR former Royalist General-truned-Kangresi Katuwal either. I can understand why u are upset with him. That’s alright too.
Speaking of ideals, Ripley may be a “trailer trash” American with no job, but what kind of ethical/moral/responsible person are you for using such a racial term? Did you not learn anything in your “blue-blood” education? Not so ethical yourself, are you?
The next time you use your high morals and write under your own name, I will surely remind you of your racial slander.
Good morning and “cheers” to you also :-)
Kanak Dixit is a public figure by design and he relishes that so much sometimes he goes overboard. He has done that so many a time. The problem with Dixits & Pandey is this- they wrap themselves as civil society and press memebers but act violently political. They talk about separation of state and press but in action it is to the contrary.
I am yet to hear them speak about 10 days school closure, abduction or even about YCL. Now, this is something very wrong.
This article does expose Dixit's shortcomings which are intentional and by design. There is a story how he even short changed funds for this publication. His family is well known for prospering by looting someone else. Better stop.
Im off the topic but folks lets poll if Vahsek should quit. Go to
http://nepaliakash.blogspot.com/
and vote on the polling on top of the page.
(This comment has been moderated to remove profanity)
since when did Kanak Mani Dixit represent the so called "elite" intellectual of Nepal? And by that defition, do the people who started this blog, who live in the US and were educated in a convent in nepal fall in the same category? And have people like anonymous and Virat come out clean to prove that the reason they are in the US right now is because of the "gist" their grandfather received from the Palace? Why are we talking about this nonesense subject when the problem in Nepal is much bigger than Kanak Dixit. If you don't like the guy, don't read him-- why are you jealous that despite how contradicting you think he is, he still sells. Move on with life!!
Nepal Lover is right. As long as people are selling from Nepal's misery, the voices of "jealousy" should be silenced.
whatever people want to say, i belive there is a place for everyone. nepalese intellects just like media, parties, civil society all should have a role in system to do check and balancing.
nepal lover- I guess the things you speak about would be right if all things were right in Nepal or on a even keel but it is not the case. Profiting from misery (likes of Dixit) of a nation is worse than YCL parading Parsain in Khula Manch. Gotta put a break to liberalism when it warrants.
Its the case when few good men keep quite, evil triumphs. We just cannot afford this anymore and act prosperious liberals in UK or USA.
"Looks like, finally someone is beginning to examine and evaluate the Nepali intellectuals. It was long over due."
R. R. Misra
Do Dixit and Pandey have answered about the "rule of law" which they used to raised before? Isn't it necessary to obey the "rule of law" to maoist? spaM had killed people in terai more than Janaandolan-2 but they are silent about it, but why? What about their views regarding sovereignty of the nation? What do they say about nation in fraction due to misrule of spaM? Aren't they concerned ? They should be considrered as intellectual crooks for all these mishappenings and their silent.
Nepal lover loves himself.
He loves to ask questions so that he can change the topic away from things he wuld like us to foget.
Sorry lover boy, you may have bigger things on your personal agenda but we are going to get to teh root of all the problems from the bottom up.
Top down has not worked in Nepal and we all know it.
ganapati,
just look at the CMDP - what they did today? A sit-in.
they are doing a sit-in to ask the governent to declare polling date when their YCL friends are doing things to destroy law and order.
Devendra Raj pandey is a Maoist tool, nothing more. He MUST be brought to justice for all the lies he has told and the damage he has brought to the npelai nation.
First, this is a blog and it is not journalism. A blog is personal propaganda, or as some call it an on-line journal. If it were printed in the print media, it would be called: op-ed piece or a column and yes, the by-line (author name) must be attached.
Second, yes, intellectualists are the ones that run the UN and most governments who ride the backs of the exploited, which tend to be the uneducated or undereducated, the poor and people who just believe anything they read.
This older than time issue is going to take a longer time to resolve and it starts with personal integrity, acknowledging insecurities which is all self-love.
Some will laugh at this, but ask yourself how hard (sounds so ridiculous) to have self-compassion to actually love yourself and lead with that. .
Lack of self-love is the root of all the evils: jealousy and greed. You know it's true. If you have everything you need right now, what is better than that?
It's a constant to think we want more. This is where politics and economics have the power to change: in the people.
Throwing money at a situation just makes someone want more and exploit others to get it, educating without a job market is frustrating, these have been tried time and time again in Nepal.
There are more creative ways to make this better. Let's hope we can.
--Sharmila
Amen to Sharmila!
In fairness to the blogger (anonymous or ortherwise, as this is a blog) whose comment was deleted re: the morphine kanda on Jagadamba by Dixit's father and grandfather, due to a comment by another annonymous blogger called "moderator", who said it is a matter that is private - well actually not quite - about 30 years ago Prakash A. Raj's (the author) father published a book (no less) on the Jagadamba kanda, with the result of him being threatend by the Dixit's and ultimately the Dixit's buying up all the copies of the published book and burning it. So yes, it is a "personal matter" but, No the public do have knowledge of it. Besides when people steal the property of another - it is very personal - publically so. Especially when the owners Jagadamba and Madan (with no children)intended to hand over their wealth for social work and not to benefit individuals and their families. So it is a cause for the public who would have benefitted to know these issues.
baje- that was a good one-- "get to the root from bottom up"....not sure how one does that!
And I wasn't asking to forget anything in fact it was the contrary. I was saying don't let people like Dixit distract you from bigger problems of the country. And surely, there was no personal or otherwise agenda hidden in it. And yeah, I do love myself, don't you? That was the only qusetion I asked today.
Nepal Lover, how one does that is by exposing the fraud analysis that people like Kanak Dixit have "sold" to the world again and again.
I get your point now, but I think being focus on the big picture lets little rats run wild and these little rats cause lots of problems too.
As for loving yourself, talk to Sharmila about it. It would be a good topic.
I think Dr. Dixit and Pandey should be taught ;
1. What is "real democracy" ?
2. What is the meaning of "real human rights"
3. What is the "rule of law" in democracy ?
4. How the major decisions are taken in the democracy "with conscent of the people or with the syndicate system?"
They need a specail classes for this course. I think we should arrange these classes to democratic countries.
Do they know there are already 14 arms groups in Nepal and expected to come more in future as generated by their leaders?
If worst civil war occured by splitting the nation then they should be ready to pay the price to the innocent people and to the nation for their useless bak..bak...
This is a very intersting posting and an interesting collection of comments.
What strikes an occasional reader of this blog is the level and detail of interest that this particular piece on intellectual elitism has generated. It is quite fascinating because the more analytical/scholarly peices that appear on this site and others hardly get any attention at all.
I suppose the takeaway is this: A lot of people have been reading/watching/listenting to the likes of Kanak Mani Dixit and Company and now, that they have been proven completely off base, people want answers from these Nepai Intellectual Elites.
There is no more impunity in Nepal... even for the self-righteous, educated, manipulative few, who hide from the masses behind a veneeer of democracy.
These people have to be held accountbale just as they have worked over-time to hold accountable their personal enemies.
The patina of Dixit is wearing thin these days. He find himself between a rock and hard place. I see a true Bhaunist character in him and Devendra Pandey and most of the SPAM-no principle, no ethics and no morality except prostitution of word democracy and sense of intellect. A paper think characters who will die by their own sword or their making.
DOA
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