June 17, 2019

"Religion is like opium" - this empirical observation can not be denied just because it was karl marx to state it. Screaming pictures of "rich" women on the streets of kathmandu shouting out "jatra is our soul" speaks the same thing. Violent expressions of hatred of buddhist monks against burmese rohingya also says the same. Its signals can not be ignored in kathmadau, too; details of newar muslims do not obscure these signals because the possibility of victimization of another religious community can not be ruled out. Constant disappointment and suppression of new ideas will no longer make kathmandu worthy of sympathy and protection. Old structure giving helping hand to sectarianization of very narrow mindset and sectarianism of speech community, whether its name is guthi or kuti, need to be overthrown. Community that considers the "culture" of "banquet" and "festival" as "dearer than life," this "dearness" will one day become venom for them. The provisions, whether ancient or modern, that only do good to the feudal lords and chiefs, that teach to treat them still as "leaders," if even young people of the new age hang on them, if they also think "banquet" and "festival" as their "everything," then, as morning shows the day, it is only hypocrisy to show off advanced feelings like human rights and equality, which ultimately will create distrust and unbelief towards electoral system in people of the basic levels. Kathmandu now has to leave the habit of thinking that it alone represents a "country" called nepal. It is only a part of a province and it can no longer make other provinces toe the kathmandu line. People who give priority to sectarian naming such as "nepal-mandal" create misconceptions by saying that "socialism is a caste-based system," which is sad. Providing protection and support to sectarian-extremist institutions and structures is not the principle of secularism. If this continues to happen then this means that they are finally ready for political regression, too. If there is no change in this old contemplation of supposing "newar," which is a linguistic community or caste, and "nepal" as synonymous, then nepal will remain a "nation" limited only to kathmandu. No one can stop uprising without addressing its causes.
No sect can fully be praised unless and until muslims start giving zakat to hindus and buddhists as well, hindus and buddhists start donating to muslims as well. There is no religion, creed and caste of poverty. If the work of encouraging racial organizations and structures in lieu of promoting social and philanthropic deeds of servicing helpless and oppressed still remains constant then it is a weighty evidence that revolution is still incomplete. Most of the guthi's income is spent in festivals and feasts. It will do bad for the concerned community in the long run if they do not escape from this "culture" of festivals and feasts. If it was not for a sect but for serving orphans, helpless and poor then today all people would have supported guthis. The work of those institutions could have been supported if they got up from the sectarian prejudices for the welfare and benevolence of all human beings. Even after the promulgation of new law, it would be necessary to preserve the guthi-lands and use them in a nonsectarian way for the benefit of the public and this should be the subject of debate.
June 17, 2019