| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 19-Dec-01 06:26 AM
I want my NTV
a satire by Bhupendra Rawat
All right, time for sneak previews of shows that are to be beamed directly to your living room this spring from the studios of the Nepal Television (NTV).
(1) Marx, Marx, Baby
In this show, you'll see Marxism co-opting Bahunism, Leninism flirting with crony-capitalism, and some-are-more-equal rhetoric edging out all-are-equal propaganda. Sponsored by the
Neo-bourgeoisie Wing of Nepal's united communist parties, MMB will:
(a) serialize nuggets of wisdom from "The Little Red Book";
(b) feature ads from car-dealer comrades who have offered discounts to
the UML MPs; and, (c) strive to stamp out any inter-communist dissent to promote a diversity of ideas. Tune in on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
The Hajmola Congressi Hour:
Sponsored by Dabar Nepal, and hosted by the Nepal Student Union "karyakartas", this show will favorably dissect unprocessed, undigested and constipated national policies and internal fights for which Congressi netas have the right skills and th
e temperament. The innards of past, present and future Congressi greats w
ill also be admiringly profiled. B.P. ko sapana, however, will be shown l
ate in the night (after everyone is asleep) so that viewers can dream it
themselves. Mondays at 8:30 pm.
Recording Poorano Panchai-baja:
Covertly sponsored by Salyan's Save the Nation Group, RPP is to be put on by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP). Parading a cast of politicians, bureaucrats, PhD-wallahs, literary critics and "Mandalays" -- most of whom had made their
name and loot before 1990 -- this program will articulate such burning priorities as "Basic Needs", "Measuring up to 'Asiali maap-danda'", "New Education System Plan" and so on. Expect lots of tall promises and vague generalities, as former panchas continue to denounce their past to morph into swooning lovers of democracy. Tuesdays at 9:00 pm.
Vijay Kumar Mis-presents:
Watch Mr. Vijay Kumar, winn er of three National Self-promotion Awards, greatly imitate Ted Koppel and Larry King, as he interviews the movers and shakers of this Himalayan Kingdom. How does Kumar pull off the show? Easy. Though his well-respected anti-establishment days have been over since the fall of Panchayat, Kumar is chugging along just fine -- on publicity that does not demand him t
o do a thorough background research, ask orderly questions, and display
some showman-finesse. Fridays at 9:00 pm.
Dharna -- A "samajik" serial:
This features a gripping saga of a Gurung boy who launches a long dharna outside a Tharu girl's house until she marries him. Shot in Jumla, Ghandruk, Dang and Kanchanpur, this 10-part serial also shows off our Nepali "sanskriti" and the usual
"himal-pahad-tarai" routine in all their touristy splendors, while unfailingly making a point that yes, romantic love is the boiling point of our pan-Nepali culture.
Besides, Dharna comes well-oiled with these rating-boosting masala: Affected dialogues, melodramatic performances, forced comic actions, garish set- and costume-designs, inane song-and-dance routines, implausible plots and twists, and, most importantly, zero entertainment. Saturdays at 9:00 pm.
"Priya darshak-brind", throw away your remote. Sit back,
relax and watch -- all these shows and more. Right here on NTV.
THE END.
[First Published in the Kathmandu Post, Circa 1997]
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 19-Dec-01 11:20 AM
My comments:
First on the satire itself:
I am not commenting on the technical but moral quality of this piece.
While all major shows of the country are enlisted in it, one very important show is missing. That is, let me do its ‘nwaaran’, ‘Behind the iron curtain of a palace’. The satirist could have described it as a show where viewers will be shown nothing but a curtain throughout the show. This curtain will occasionally shiver and shodder, but viewers will have no clue what’s happening behind it.
I hope you got my point. This literary piece suffers from a fatal flaw of, I will call, a selective comprehension (cf. Selective amnesia). I do not need to explain that such work, instead of becoming a pure art, becomes a tool that serves the interest of a certain individual, class or school. Omission of a very important power, the palace, in above piece is a case of selective comprehension.
Factors that cause selective comprehension, like selective amnesia, are various. Right now I do not have time to divulge into it. But I have concluded, after a long observation, that this disease has plagued Nepali intellectuals to an epidemic scale. And I am also starting to believe that the cure of this sickness has the secret of the cure of Nepal’s sickness.
(Biswo, if you are reading this, I am expecting a cautious appreciation, again)
Second comment on Ashu (but not personal):
Please do not take it as a personal attack (I am a freshman here. So I do not have strong opinions about anybody). Okay here is what I wanted to say. I wonder about your intention (if it is too strong word, I take it back) in posting this piece. I know, I know, it was for fun. I have no doubt about that. But again, will you be posting, let’s say, an exactly similar piece, if it was making a mockery (okay, fun) of the palace ?
Nepe
(enjoying anonymity for now)
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| ashu |
Posted
on 19-Dec-01 11:45 PM
Nepe wrote:
>Second comment on Ashu (but not personal):
> But again, will you be posting, let’s
>say, an exactly similar piece, if it was
>making a mockery (okay, fun) of the palace ?
Well, why talk about mere mockery?
Why not go one step further?
I am on record -- dammit! -- for being critical of, for instance, late King
Birendra's New Education (Naya Sikchya Yojana) policies. For evidence, I
urge you to refer to Himal magazine of Sept/Oct 1994. The phrase I had then used was: "failed leadership", that was, on the part of the [late] King contributed to the mess that our education system finds itself today.
Look, as an independently-minded Nepali citizen who favors strategic realism over
starry-eyed idealism/patriotism of Nepali comrades, I have no problem criticizing the Palace for things it does wrong, and praising it for things it does right, and giving realistic reasons to argue for and against Palace-related things that fall between absolute right and absolute wrong.
The self-styled Republicans, so far, apart from the usual shrill emotional cries, have offered us Nepalis NO convincing reason to reject the Palace altogether.
One can be critical of the Palace WITHOUT crying out loud for Republicanism. And one can praise the Palace without being accused of being some Royal chamcha. There is a MIDDLE GROUND to analyze Palace-related affairs, without being so much of this side or that side.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 20-Dec-01 01:26 PM
>I am on record -- dammit! -- for being critical of, for instance, late King Birendra's New Education (Naya Sikchya Yojana) policies………… >I have no problem criticizing the Palace for things it does wrong.
I am impressed. But still not convinced fully. I will love to see more references. You know what, since I sense that you want to give evidences of your audacity of being able to be criticize the palace, allow me to be cynical. For instance, can you go as far as demanding an independent investigation of our crown prince’s alleged crime of murdering that popular singer and asking to punish him, if found guilty, similar to any other criminal ? Life imprisonment, perhaps ?
It is off ‘strategic realism’ in Nepal, isn’t it ? But again, it could shut up Republican’s mouth for ever. And you know what, if that can happen in this constitutional monarchy, I am ready to sacrifice my dream of republic Nepal.
> The self-styled Republicans, so far, apart from the usual shrill emotional cries, have offered us Nepalis NO convincing reason to reject the Palace altogether.
I was thinking the opposite. The Monarchists have offered no reasons except some myths and sick mentality to oppose the republic Nepal. If you have some, enlighten me.
Nepe
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| ashu |
Posted
on 21-Dec-01 12:07 AM
Nepe wrote:
> For instance, can you go as far
>as demanding an independent investigation of
>our crown prince’s alleged crime of
>murdering that popular singer and asking to
>punish him, if found guilty, similar to any
>other criminal ? Life imprisonment, perhaps ?
I did.
Like I wrote here before, along with 499,999 other Nepalis, I too signed a petition against Paras in Kathmandu in the summer of 2000. That petition eventually ended up going nowhere, and I am now perfectly willing to live with that outcome.
I accept that life is unfair, and you don't always get what you want for, and accepting realities is the best way to yourself honest.
And so, I am not going to spend my time trying to be bitter and mad and angry and all that, and try change the past either way for Paras. As a Nepali citizen living in Nepal, I can only WISH and HOPE that Paras has learnt his lessons well, and has become a better Crown Prince that all Nepalis can be proud of.
If saying that makes me pro-monarchy in your eyes, well, so be it.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| GP |
Posted
on 21-Dec-01 04:18 AM
My observation on "NEPE", a new character in GBNC.org
1. You seems to be a younger brother of "MAODAI", that we
had ever encountered.
2. You will praise anyone who writes any good to BS, against Royal
Palace.
3. You will blindly attack or criticize anyone who supports
or do not criticize Palace for anything, and for all things.
4. You don't want to appreciate Palace for any thing good they
do. (you might even make your logic: Palace has done nothing good)
Well, as common peoples, I will love to see good work
as praise worthy, and for failure or wrong things , I want
to know the reasons: whether its by mistake or deliberate.
But, you will look only dark side of Palace and accumulate
whole -ve things to justify your campaign against
palace. Well, I don't mind. World is colorful for me,
and for Nepali ultra-communists supporters like you, world
is Black and white. You might say: Either you are with
us, or with enemies i.e. palace.
5. Palace Palace ..... is only your enemy, but, I don't
see some other Nepali political leader to be as better
as Gyanendra is. If you want to carryover his past
history, why not we carry past dedication of Shah
dynasty. You pointout the mistakes of yesterday,
we extrapolate based on day before yesterday.
We (most of us in gray zone: my personal
observation) are neither blind supporters of king
nor blind opponent of king. Looking at the
afghanistan and cambodia, what ultra-communist
and so called reformists and any king leaders
produced gives us some taste of what will be
after declaration republic of Nepal.
6. The anti-palace propagandoists have no answer
"What next? after republic funda." Are we fighting
to replace King Gyanendra by Nepali Fidel crasto,
or Nepali Kim Il Song?
7. Don't get addicted to republic idea, my two
paisa suggestion (if you don't like to pay even 2 paisa, then,
let it free of cost suggestion).
8. Republic Idea is too monotonous when we see
no one good leader in far sight. Most of the
leftist leaders run behind emotional and sentimental
stuffs. Thats why their cadres are mostly below
25years old. The loss of faith after Aug. Sept.
extortion campaign in KTM is well illustration
of the exact direction of post republic Nepal.
Teach me.
GP
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 21-Dec-01 11:29 AM
>Ashu wrote:
>Like I wrote here before, along with 499,999 other Nepalis, I too signed a petition against Paras in Kathmandu in the summer of 2000…
Indeed admirable.
>That petition eventually ended up going nowhere, and I am now perfectly willing to live with that outcome….
What !?!
>As a Nepali citizen living in Nepal, I can only WISH and HOPE that Paras has learnt his lessons well, and has become a better Crown Prince that all Nepalis can be proud of.
Nothing to comment. I am a republican.
To all those who signed that petition against Paras and now are giving up the cause (and also to all those who show their greatness and heroism only when it safe), all I have to say is:
"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance"
(My schooldays’ favorite quotation, I don’t know the source)
And, to GP-
Thank you for noticing me as a new character at GBNC.org. My hello to you and all other fellas. Although I am very new, I have already become an aficionado of GBNC.org and am literally addicted to those serious and savory Kurakani, humor and literature as well.
Now to the theme of the moment. You wrote-
>1. You seems to be a younger brother of "MAODAI", that we
had ever encountered.
Interesting to know. Well, I am as much brother of MAODAI as you might be errrr.. a servant of the SHREE THULDAI. (using the same language, although distasteful)
>4. You don't want to appreciate Palace for any thing good they
do. (you might even make your logic: Palace has done nothing good)
No, I do appreciate the Palace for the good things it has done. For example, I appreciate the Palace for giving up much (you may argue almost all) of its power that marked the end of the ‘People’s movement’. I know that the Palace gave up it after it was forced to do so. Nevertheless, I appreciate the late Maharaj Birendra for what he did. Its not like appreciating a good person, but appreciating a bad person for not being worse. If you venerate the Maharaj Birendra, you might have been offended. But I could not explain otherwise.
>5. Palace Palace ..... is only your enemy, but, I don't
see some other Nepali political leader to be as better
as Gyanendra is.
I can only be sorry for you- for the limit of your vision. You are crying for today. I am dreaming about tomorrow. Permit me to quote my following note from another thread Re: ON ROYAL FAMILY.
"I have not seen an honest leader in Nepal, who can be more acceptable than King Gyanendra ....".
In a way you are right. There is nothing sacred about Gyanendra. And our leaders are no better. But have you ever wondered, why a decade long presumed democracy did not produce a single competent leader ? I have. I think we never had ‘leaders’, they were at best in-charge of slaves in every sense. They were slave themselves. Their mental master lived in the palace. These in-charge of slaves never did (had to) feel more accountable than keeping law and order. That’s what happened in the past eleven years. It is not a metaphor but an exact account of what happened in Nepal.
The only way we can have real leaders, not just in-charge of slaves, is first to free them from the slave mentality by making them their own master. This is not possible until we dismantle the other master. Monarchy has to go. Too much time has been wasted already.
>6. The anti-palace propagandoists have no answer
"What next? after republic funda." Are we fighting
to replace King Gyanendra by Nepali Fidel crasto,
or Nepali Kim Il Song?
Not them. By Nepali "Kemal Ataturk". Don’t ask where is he now. He is there, among twenty-two million people of Nepal.
>8. Republic Idea is too monotonous…
Eighth Wonder of the world !!!
Basically, Monarchists are standing on a very weak ground made up of some myths and pessimism.
Astoo
Nepe
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| ashu |
Posted
on 21-Dec-01 11:26 PM
Nepe wrote:
>"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance"
And what's your name again?
And where are you now?
Gotta love your sense of irony!!
oohi
"neither a republican nor a Royalist but open to working with both sides to promote Nepal's interests domestically ad internationally"
ashu
ktm,nepal
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 22-Dec-01 12:48 AM
Ashu wrote:
>>"It is easy to be brave from a safe distance"
>And what's your name again?
>And where are you now?
>Gotta love your sense of irony!!
Yap, it's irony. But again it proves my point.
>oohi
>"neither a republican nor a Royalist but open to working with both sides to >promote Nepal's interests domestically ad internationally"
>ashu
>ktm,nepal
Doesn't sound bad.
Have a good day ! Let me enjoy my anonymity and safety for now.
Nepe
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