| ashu |
Posted
on 16-Aug-02 04:42 AM
What follows was edited further and published in today's Nepali Times.
Thanks to many friends and supporters overseas -- notably suskera.com and its well-wishers -- for helping us, as representatives of 18 arts-related associations, better
plan for Bichalit Bartaman in Kathmandu.
Come one and come all to this.
See you all in Basantapur tomorrow (Saturday) from noon till 6 pm.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
**********************
A solidarity against violence
By Khagendra Sangraula, Rajendra Maharjan and Ashutosh Tiwari
We in Nepal live in troubled times. We look around and see our economy, our political institutions, our societies and cultures and our systems of social peace in trouble. Caught in the crossfire between violence and more violence, and in the absence of social justice, the lives of Nepali citizens are increasingly becoming troubled. As writers, artists, activists and social commentators, we have tried to make sense of the escalating violence in urban areas and countryside through signature campaigns and public awareness. But each day brings more news of deaths, clashes, fear and despair.
Against this backdrop, we have been thinking: Just what is the role of writers, artists, activists and social commentators in times of trouble? Are we to close our eyes, look the other way and just wish that the whole thing would blow over or are we to search for ways that make us proud to be citizens of democratic Nepal? We have given this question much thought in the last few weeks, and have decided that we too have a role to play to help stop the senseless, numbing violence that dominates the news everyday in Nepal.
It is in this context that 18 arts-related organisations -- working through diverse genres, various institutional set-ups, responding to diverse beliefs and representing a wide segment of Nepali artists, writers, musicians, photographers, thespians, poets, journalists, social commentators and art-enthusiasts -- have voluntarily come together to organize a day-long arts event called Bichalit Bartaman (The Disillusioned Present) from noon to 5 pm on Saturday, 17th of August in Basantapur Dabali in Kathmandu. We all have come together to give an outlet to voices and thoughts that surround us amidst today's troubled times, and to share our social and humanitarian concerns for peace and justice with the public at large.
Nepal’s recent history shows that the idea of artists' rising up to make a statement against troubling times is a well carried-out one. During the National Referendum (Janmat Sangraha) of 1979, for instance, Nepali poets of various backgrounds campaigned for multi-party democracy by taking their poems directly to the people through Street Poem Revolution (Sadak Kabita Kranti). Similarly, in the Jan Andolan of 1990, Nepali artists and writers of various political persuasions gathered at Sarswoti Sadan at Tri-Chandra College, where they sat down en masse, with lips sealed with black ribbons. This was to protest against the absence of freedom of speech and a lack of social justice.
Today, the violence raging in Nepal demands similar reactions from all of us regardless of our individual political beliefs. And so, the event aims to promote non-party political, creative and activism that would build up solidarity among diverse Nepali writers and artists, give space to disparate concerns about present-day Nepal and bring together all our individual fragmented efforts in one place to push for peace collectively. To this effect, participating artists of all disciplines will freely express their own thoughts regarding ways to put today’s troubled times behind us.
Asked why he is participating in this event, the poet Durga Lal said, “This is going to be a soul-renewing exercise. Even if I cannot bring my poem, I would come to derive emotional sustenance from what other poets and writers have to say about what is going on in our society.” Sarita Mishra, a tabla player, said that she hoped the event would let her create music to reflect the present and to spread the message of hope. Photographer Usha Titikchu said she wanted to join hands with other artists to express concerns – through her photographs -- about the increasing lack of social justice in Nepal today. Artist Ashmina Ranjit said that her installation work would be against violence and for peace in Nepal.
Indeed, this is probably the first time that Nepali artists and writers of various political affiliations have come together to make a public statement about the deteriorating situation of Nepal. In doing so, they do not believe that they can achieve peace and justice by merely making wishes or by engaging in activities in their isolated spheres. In fact, what has come up in our discussions and meetings over the last few weeks is that an essential condition for peace and justice is that members of the civil society – artists, writers et al –care about their societies by using means of non-violent public persusasion. Only by actively involving ourselves can we strive to change cycles of violence and mayhem into lasting peace and justice. In this context, Bichalit Bartaman is our collective attempt to show that much damage has been done by violence, to call for an end to mayhem, and to build solidarity for a peaceful, democratic Nepal.
(Sangraula, Maharjan and Tiwari are on the “Bichalit Bartaman” Organizing Committee)
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