Rabindra Raja Shahi
During my MA study in English literature way back in 1995/1996, we had to read the prose drama ”Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett where the dramatist has dramatized the absurd situation in which Vladimir and Estragon constantly keep waiting and waiting for the arrival of an unseen, unidentified Godot who, they frequently hope, will mend their miserable life but who, to their bad luck, never comes to their rescue.
Now, our life is much the same as that of Vladimir and Estragon. A common human experience as we have all waited in the course of our life ceaselessly for our Godot only to end up as frustrated and despaired lot in the long run.
In Nepal, Nepalese people have been struggling ad infinitum- for the betterment and upliftment of their lives- against multiple political systems like Ranarchy, partyless Panchayat polity, multi-party system, King Gyanendra’s absolute monarchy and the republican system. But no system whatsoever gave any relief and respite to the common people: their condition is almost the same as always and as before.
The economy of the country is in disarray and messy. The country doesn’t have industries and factories so that people have suffered the cancer of mass unemployment which in turn has forced them to migrate in droves after droves to foreign lands for income earning. Export is next to nil whereas the scale of import has gone up staggeringly high thereby forcing the nation to rely upon foreign countries for goods and merchandise ranging from petroleum products to medicines to automobiles to agricultural products.
Owing to the virtually non-existent bright future of life, students following the completion of their plus two level opt for being outbound abroad for their higher studies which is why our educational institutions have begun to experience the student crunch awfully. No youths see any future in staying back here in the country.
Nepalese politics is wholly devoid of ethics and morality. Rat race for the hot seat of central power among the politicos, lust for power and position and pelf, self aggrandizement at the cost of voters and common masses, capital cronyism, rank commissionism, rampant impunity to sitting people’s representatives and above all, utter disregard and complete indifference to the sad plight of countrymen are what characterize our current condition of our motherland.
These scenarios apart, our nation’s international reputation and recognition stands horribly low. We Nepalese are in the world treated as though we are sub-humans or persona non grata.
Look at any government offices, colleges or hospitals; they are all dysfunctional, their service delivery is terribly unsatisfactory, too sluggish, time consuming and fraught with red-tape. Until and unless you pay hush money, you can’t have your work done in time. You are compelled to grease the palm of personnel with your kickbacks. This is the way of government practice! And, this is Nepal!
Hundreds of common people shed and sacrificed their blood for the political transformations and changes of guards in order that they may have prosperity in their day-to-day lives, but what have they got in return for their sacrifice? Nothing at all. No political stability, no economic prosperity, no lasting peace! We can only fantasize about our prosperity and happiness only in our dreams. Never in our real life situations!
That’s why, our hope for the best in our age-old struggle for our savior and messiah like Lee Quan Yeu, like Mandela, like Mahathir Mohammed has come to naught, has got fruitless and gone in vain. It has become an illusion, it has turned nothing but a mirage! We Nepalese also are waiting, as Beckett said, for Godot.
(Rabindra Raja Shahi is an Associate Professor at Triyuga Janata Multiple Campus in Gaighat, Udayapur)
