| Username |
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| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 03:03 PM
I just came across this article written by one of my former bosses. Though I don't care too much for his writing style - what the heck's he writing a memoir for anyway?? being an FAO Rep to Nepal (among other things) isn't enough to warrant a memoir as far as I'm concerned - and though I didn't care too much for his management style and the way he thrived on surrounding himself with yes-men, I thought some of you might enjoy reading this if you haven't already done so.
The King and I
Richard T. Wurster, Los Angeles, California.
The following is taken from my memoirs, a chapter entitled
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| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 03:15 PM
The King and I
Richard T. Wurster, Los Angeles, California.
The following is taken from my memoirs, a chapter entitled "the King and I." It is a tribute to a great man, whose loss will impact on the entire country and have profound effects on Nepal’s future.
The phone rings at 9:00 a.m. at my UN office in Kathmandu, and Meera answers it in the next room. It is a large modern office with a conference area across the room, where 10 people can sit comfortably around a table. There are three telephones and a fax machine on my desk, which give the appearance of a modern communications system, but all the telephones rarely work at the same time, and getting a reliable telephone service man in Nepal is probably more difficult than finding a brain surgeon. Unfortunately, the UN building was made with paper-thin internal walls, so I could hear someone sneeze in the next office.
Now, I can hear Meera’s voice speaking in Nepali. She also speaks English quite well, because she was one of the lucky Nepalese, who attended one of the government schools, where the teachers themselves just barely speak English. Then, I hear Lakshman’s voice and ignore them both and continue reading the E-mails from my headquarters in Rome. I know that I have good staff members, who protect me from the dozens of routine calls that come every day to the UN office. Meera has been the secretary to at least 6 other FAO Representatives, before I arrived in Nepal. Lakshman has been a Senior Program Officer for over 15 years, handling the projects of FAO, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
I only became Head of FAO in Nepal, from 1993 to early 1998. I think to myself, "how fortunate I was to be sent to Nepal, after three miserable years in Sudan, where a civil war is still going on." My thoughts drift back to the country I left three years ago and I think to myself, maybe, I was lucky to have survived that one. Others I knew were not so lucky. Some day I should write my memoirs about my experiences in 8 different third world countries." I wonder if people will believe me when I tell them I was in Sudan, at exactly the same time as Carlos the Jackel and Osama Bin Laden. Suddenly, I am back in Nepal, as Meera brings my appointment schedule and a huge stack of mail. "Please keep your voices down, Meera; I have to finish this report." Yes, sir she replies as she empties my out tray. "I wish my staff would stop calling me "Sir", but they won’t; it is the Nepali way with foreigners." Maybe, I am too autocratic with my Nepali staff; I am not that way with my foreign staff members.
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| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 03:16 PM
contd....
The Nepalese are used to a system that works from "the top down." There is the King and a strict hierarchy down to the lowest cast, known as the "untouchables." I always hated that word, which refers to a group of people who are treated as almost "sub-human" with no opportunity to advance themselves. However, I guess it is unlikely that I will be able to change a system that has existed for 1000’s of years. I can’t even change the system in my own office.
It’s now 10:00 and the phone is still ringing. Damn it, how will I get any work done? Then Meera bursts into my office, which she has never done before. "Sir, sir, the Palace is on the line." "Meera, what do you mean? Who is one the line? The King, the King, sir." "Meera, please calm down." The King doesn’t call people. No, Sir, she says, excitedly. She would agree with me no matter what I said. "Then who called me, Meera?" "His Majesty’s Chief of Staff called you, sir." Now, I realize that she is serious. At that moment, Lakshman runs into my office. He is always calm and knows the right thing to do according to Nepali protocol. "They want you to come to the Palace," The King has asked to see you at 12:00 o’clock, Lakshman says calmly. I glance at my watch; it is 11:20. "Lakshman, that’s impossible." With the Kathmandu traffic we won’t make it. You can’t be late for the King, so we have to leave right away. The car is waiting, so I grab my necktie and jacket and race for the car and we head for the Palace. Surendra, the FAO driver, who used to work in the travel business, is flying the UN Flag as we speed off in the direction of the palace in the middle of Kathmandu.
Sitting in the back seat of my flag car, I finally manage to collect my thoughts, as we get stuck in the first traffic jam. A few days ago, I had received an invitation from our Headquarters addressed to his Majesty, the King, inviting him to deliver the keynote address at the World Food Day observance, in Rome. This would be a major event, including such world personalities as the Pope, and many heads of state. Even Fidel Castro had been there. Our Director General in Rome has asked me to personally deliver his invitation to His Majesty the King.
I clutch the invitation tightly in my hand as we weave in and out of traffic, occasionally ignoring the signals of traffic policemen. You can do that when you are a diplomat flying the flag of the UN in Nepal. I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I am feeling rather proud of myself at that very moment. The big white Toyota Crown starts to move again, as we made our way through the heavy traffic, which seems to get worse every year. Every manner of conveyance is on the road: people, bicycles, donkey carts, even a trolley bus, given to Nepal by the Chinese, and of course numerous cows. The cows are holy to Hindus and cows seem to know it. One cow can block traffic for hours, until it decides to get out of the middle of the street. A religious person would never think of pushing her out of the way. They say, the penalty is same whether you run over a man or a cow. That seemed to me to be a good reason to have a driver.
God, what if we are late? How can you explain that to a King? In fact, I was a bit nervous at the prospect of meeting the King for the first time in the palace. Of course, I had seen him in reception lines several times, but this is different. I felt really pleased that I would have the honor of personally delivering the invitation to the King. Somehow, I felt that this was the high point of my career. After all how often does one meet a King? Fortunately, Lakshman had briefed me earlier on what to say when you meet the King. "Good afternoon, your Majesty, and wait for his response. My God, can you imagine saying something like that to a President of the United States? I have met US presidents and it was just "Mr. President."
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| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 03:17 PM
Contd.....
Suddenly, we reach the Palace gates, which swing open, as the guards salute me. I am really excited about being inside of the palace grounds for the first time. I’m enjoying this and wondering what comes next. The grounds inside the palace are vast, and we pass building after building, each one of which is guarded by smartly dressed uniformed guards. Then suddenly the car stops in front of the main Palace and my driver opens my door. I walk unaccompanied to the main entrance. No one stops me, so I enter past smaller doors into an office, where an attractive secretary says in perfect English, "please take a seat, Sir." I sit for what seems like an hour getting more nervous by the minute. God, I hope they don’t cancel this meeting. I wonder how many people will be present when I meet the king. Surely, he must have a huge staff.
The door opens and the French Ambassador leaves and the King’s Press Secretary, says "His Majesty will see you now" and leads the way to the Kings inner office. I have never been more excited. The King welcomes me and motions for me to sit down at a table across from Him. Suddenly, I realize that no one else is in the room, just the King and I. He is dressed in traditional Nepali clothing, which is loose white trouser with a business jacket. "But where are his staff, I wonder." I had expected a room full of people, but there was no one else, just the King and I.
Hi Majesty speaks softly and clearly in perfect Oxford English. His manor is disarming, almost humble. I am not nervous any longer. He begins by thanking me for the work the UN is doing in Nepal. Then we talk for almost half an hour about the many problems facing the country, and I am convinced that here is a man who genuinely cares about his people. "We are a poor country", the King says "and we need all the help the UN is providing." When it comes my turn to speak, I say "Your Majesty, our Organization would be honored to have you deliver the keynote address on the World Food Day in Rome," I say and hand him the invitation."
I know we have been talking a long time, but do not know when I should leave. The King continues, "Why has FAO chosen Nepal for this honor at the World Food Summit?" "Your Majesty, Nepal has made a great deal of effort in increasing food production, which can serve as an example to other developing countries," I reply. We then discuss the major points that the King wants to include in his address and I happily offer some suggestions. Finally, I sense that the time has come to end the meeting. The King stands up which is my signal to leave. He thanks me for coming. I feel proud and privileged to have had this opportunity to meet a great leader, and I know that I will never forget this day.
As for the King, himself, although he is a constitutional monarch like the British Queen, so the political power rests with an elected government. I leave with the impression of a sincere leader, who wants to help his people. I hope he rules for many years, I think to myself as I bid him farewell. Nepal needs him now, more than ever to bring stability and peace to one of the poorest countries in the world.
As I am writing this exactly 60 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, I am saddened by the events of this year. The worse tragedy in the history of my country occurred on September 11, 2001. Compared with the tragedy of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, in which 2403 Americans died. More than 3,300 innocent people died on September 11th. In four criminal suicide missions, radical Muslim extremists flew two hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center in New York, another into the Pentagon in Washington and a fourth airliner, which may have been heading for the White House or the U.S. capital building, crashed in Pennsylvania.
The tragedy in America, may have been on a much larger scale, that the events of June 2, 2001, in Nepal, which claimed the lives of the King and Queen and other members of the Royal family, but the impact on Nepal was just as great. At least, the carnage, which occurred in the U.S., brought Americans together determined not to yield to terrorism. I can only wish that the same thing was happening in Nepal, but the deep political divisions within the country do not seem to offer much hope for a political settlement of the conflict.
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| Just curious |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 04:15 PM
Hey Joie, did this guy live in Sanepa just off the Ring Road, near an Australian forestry project? Just curious if it's the same guy who got paid like $100,000 plus a year, but paid at least one of his (as I recall) eight servants only 2,000 Rs a month although the fellow was supporting a wife and two small children ... plus the servant's kid wasn't allowed to visit his Daddy at work because the kid was "too dirty" to be in that nice garden ...
Anyway, whether it's this guy or another white guy, I'm sure the rationale would be the same: "Gosh, we just hate that backwards concept of Untouchability, but oooooo those little Nepali kids are soooo dirty, we just couldn't possibly, like, touch them .... and you know how it is. You can't change society. When in Rome ..."
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| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 05:11 PM
Don't know about how much or little he paid his staff, but yes, Richard Wurster lived in Sanepa, but then again, so did several other expats. The person you're talking about might not even be him. As much as I disliked Richard, I won’t judge him on hearsay.
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| why stereotyping? |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 06:07 PM
jdv
it was interesting to read , but a few things simply could not move down my oesophagus:
>as we made our way through the heavy traffic, which seems to get worse every year. Every manner of conveyance is on the road: people, bicycles, donkey carts, even a trolley bus, given to Nepal by the Chinese, and of course numerous cows. The cows are holy to Hindus and cows seem to know it. One cow can block traffic for hours, until it decides to get out of the middle of the street. A religious person would never think of pushing her out of the way. They say, the penalty is same whether you run over a man or a cow
donkey cart on the way to palace... i never saw it in kath
cow stuff seems to be an exaggerated one
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| Ratatata... |
Posted
on 09-Jan-02 11:46 PM
This article had apperared in last Sunday's edition of THE SUNDAU POST, the weekly magazine of The Kathmandu Post. Would have been better if you'd mentioned the source of this article...Otherwise, it'll be injustice if we just cut and paste articles from other sources on GBNC without mentioning the source. Let's bring about a healthy atmosphere - an environm,ent that respects other news sources, be it that wins your appreciation or not!!!
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| joie de vivre |
Posted
on 10-Jan-02 09:11 AM
Actually I DID type the source (the url) but it must've gotten cut off in my numerous attempts to post the whole darned thing.
http://www.nepalnews.com/
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| villageVoice |
Posted
on 10-Jan-02 09:50 AM
I agree with Ratatata. I suggest that we go for clear citations whenever we post someone else's stuffs here. After all, GBNC has been at the forefront on the anti-plagiaririzing crusade in Nepal.
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| villageVoice |
Posted
on 10-Jan-02 09:56 AM
I think this guy's stereotyping and has the tendency to exaggerate. Interesting comments though! Well, that's how many white sahibs look at Nepal, at us. Hmmmm.
King Birendra did leave a lasting impression on many people whom he met one-on-one.
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| Nepe |
Posted
on 10-Jan-02 03:58 PM
>King Birendra did leave a lasting impression on many people whom he met one-on-one.
King Birendra indeed was a gentleman. He impressed many people by his manners. But I haven't heard anybody saying they were impressed by his intellect, wit or vision. At least they are quoting none.
Lately I have been reading memoirs written by Mao Ze Dong's doctor and being demystified of many things about Mao. Well, sort of. I was wondering if anybody close to our royals will ever write about them and we will know exactly how they were, they did, they felt, what they were, what they were not and so on. I very much doubt. May be after Monarchy becomes history. Right now everybody seems fine playing Chakadi Baja.
Nepe
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