| ashu |
Posted
on 05-Feb-01 12:33 PM
Thanks to "cut and paste" for posting Bardiya ko
news. Bardiya, as many of you know, is a SEPARATE
zilla from Kailali and Kanchanpur. That is why, I
appreciate 'cut and paste's" effort to keep other
news about the ex-Kamaiyas alive and current. Thank
you, and please continue to post more such news.
If you read the news from Bardiya -- which is basically
about the relocation mess -- BASE, Dilli and NGOs
are mentioned NOWHERE.
There is a reason for that.
In Bardiya, the Kamaiya Andolan has been pretty much
'hijacked' by the United Marxist Leninist Party. The
UML, under the local leadership of Keshab Badal (a former MP)
has been, for some time, desperate to get some
credit for the Kamaiya Andolan. In desperation, it
has wrested many of the ex-kamaiyas in Bardiya from
the hold of the NG0s' influence, and brought them
into its fold, calling them 'krishi majdoors'
(read: vote banks).
After making the ex-kamaiyas chant pro-Lenin slogans
for a few days in cramped quarters, Mr. Badal and
the Gang have no further strategy, no further vision.
Hence, they were/are and will be helpless against
the clash with the local administration. Expect this
to continue for some days more. Mr. Badal, with
all due respect, is one of the biggest idiots I have
ever met in my life.
In Kailali, though some of the ex-Kamaiyas 'homes' were
burnt by forest rangers, the ex-Kamaiyas were
able to erect the homes again. Their message being:
No matter what, the ex-Kamaiyas are not moving from
their new 10 kattha of land. In Kanchanpur, the
local administration, headed by Rishi Raj Lumsali,
is more positive about distributing land, though it
is awaiting a decision from the Kathmandu Sarkar.
But, hey, tension is rising is all the places: after
all, this is all Andolan -- not a picnic.
All this is indeed fascinating, absorbing, complex
and full of 1000 and 1 learning experiences as
intersections among grassroots activism, the law,
human rights issues, politico-social structures,
NGO dynamics and Andolan strategies.
I've always been an admirer of great American
non-fiction writers such as John McPhee, John
Krakaur and many others. Now that a non-fiction book
on the Kamaiya Andolan will be brought out by
Martin Chautari (with regular feedbacks and advice from its
high-powered members: Pratyoush, Mary etc.), my dream
of completing a non-fiction (halfway between
academic and journalistic) book on the Andolan is
becoming a reality. Though the act of nuanced,
contoured writing continues to be difficult, efforts,
however, go on.
Again, thanks for posting relevant news.
oohi
ashu
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