Happy first Republic Day to Newuser, Loote, Captain and all celebrating Nepalis !
I am missing the euphoria of the night of 24th April 2006, when I was so certain about the birth of the republic any minute. There has been some waiting fatigue and some developments that are making my personal celebration somewhat subdued. However I join all to celebrate and welcome republic Nepal.
Yet I can not help sharing this feeling that republic, my beloved, arrived today not alone but with somebody I am not fully familiar with. I was trying to put that in a shayari and this is what it became:
उल्टै सोधिन् प्रियतमले - किन भनेको ‘ओहो !’
मैले भने - तिमी त आयौ, तर साथमा को हो ?
Yesterday, we were celebrating the eve of republic in a small email group of friends. Here is my share. It has some solemn reflections that I could not hold.
> Friends,
>
> While we celebrate our dreams coming true, we must not forget two things.
> One, those known and unknown fellowmen who gave their lives for the cause
> and those fellowmen who suffered at the hands of insurgents and the rulers
> for no good reasons, whose lives and dignities were rubbed, whose
> whereabouts is still unknown and we don't know if they are celebrating the
> day or have left that part to us. Republic has come with great prices, both
> acceptable and unacceptable. Our celebration will be incomplete without
> letting those who bore the burden of the impure war fought in the name of
> republic know that we owe our republic, our celebration and optimism for
> future to their sacrifice, endurance and hope. Let's pay a tribute to them
> with our tears of sorrow for the dirty past and our hope and determination
> for a clean and blessed future.
>
> Our determination for a clean and blessed future can only be possible with
> our awareness about and acknowledgment of truth. And the truth is that,
> there are people who don't want to let the truth be known. And there are
> people who don't want to know the truth. But we have no right to eat the
> fruit of the republic without knowing the full truth about the price some
> people who are either no more with us or are waiting for their sufferings to
> be acknowledged and healed, paid. Let's make a promise today that we shall
> know the truth about all wounds, heal them and leave no stones unturned to
> bring the abusers to justice.
>
> On the same note of our awareness, we must also be aware and acknowledge
> that we have some political parties which have reluctantly accepted
> "republic" part and others who have reluctantly accepted "democratic" part
> of the "democratic republic" we are celebrating today. It is only common
> Nepali folks who have longed and embraced "democratic republic" in full and
> wholeheartedly and who will defend it against any deviation from any party
> no matter how powerful they may be. So let's common Nepali folks know how
> the republic depends on them and let the political parties know our
> conditional acceptance to them.
>
> Republic is love of our lives and we shall defend it against any power,
> whoever and however they are.
>
> Long live Democratic Republic of Nepal !
>
> DK
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Nepe