ISSN: 2705-4853 | e-ISSN: 2705-4861

Social Inquiry: Journal of Social Science Research 2020, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 151-158 https://doi.org/10.3126/sijssr.v2i1.28913 Open Access

Article History: Received: 26 March 2020 | Revised: 28 March | Accepted: 29 March 2020

Book Review Book Review: ‘Forget : An Elegy for Democracy’

Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy by Manjushree Thapa, 2005, Penguin Books. 260 pages. ISBN 0-67-005812-2.

Suresh Gautam Kathmandu University School of Education, Lalitpur, Email: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3740-9435

© 2020 The Author(s). This open access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA) International Public License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), which permits non- commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and such creations are licensed under the identical terms.

152 | S. Gautam

During pandemic and panic situation of COVID19, I was locked down at a rented flat in Lalitpur. Very quiet streets and unremarkable movement of people created a kind of gloomy atmosphere in Kathmandu. On one of the locked down days, I liked to re-read “Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy” of Manju Shree Thapa. It was a similar panic situation to that of the Royal Massacre and people’s war. Everyone on social media appeared with their black jokes on the government and federal democracy. Though the rhetoric of democracy has become more sophisticated and complex in contemporary Nepal as the Federal Republic, similar elegy was audible among the ordinary citizens. To escape from the fear of Corona, I could not forget Kathmandu because it is the part of my everyday life. Kathmandu was like a crab which grabbed me for my a narration of the author’s personal livelihood and profession. Therefore, I experience of present socio- political could not leave this place running out to scenario of Nepal which was traced from escape from COVID 19. Instead the historical background of Shah planning to stay with “Forget dynasty. I thought that Thapa has been Kathmandu” which I read a decade ago. influenced by the postmodern I picked up and started reviewing the perspective which departed the book in the current Federal Republic traditional way of telling history. She Nepal. seemed to be an archaeologist who presented bits and pieces of stories of Manjushree Thapa’s Forget Democracy in many places of Nepal in a Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy is reflective way. Foucault (1984)

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Book Review: ‘Forget Kathmandu’ | 153 described archaeologist as the bricoleur Thapa does not clearly mention the time who knitted the quilts of history from the when the democracy in Nepal was born. common events and experience of the I, therefore, come to conclusion that people. Akin to this, Thapa articulated democracy in Nepal died before its birth democracy in well fabricated events in after reading Forget Kathmandu. Thapa the . In doing so, the sometimes urges the shared public author rediscovered the struggles, local voices of Nepal detaching with and specific knowledge against the mainstream interpretation of history as if historical facts. Her furnace of the she is assimilating the voice of common history of Nepal with the personal people creating a different history as an experiences can raise the chances of archaeologist. multiple interpretations on the major events of the history of Nepal which lead There are seven chapters and a few towards the elegy of democracy of photographs associated with the themes Nepal. of each chapter in Forget Kathmandu. A map of Nepal is also presented in the The concept ‘elegy’ for me is modernist beginning of the book which assists where people usually lament on the loss readers to get a clear idea of the locations such as democracy and some other in Nepal. heritage. Let me give an example of a famous American Poet Whitman’s The First Chapter, Introduction: Reading (1865) “When Lilacs Last in the Nepal, gives common glimpses of Nepal Dooryard Bloom’d” which describes the during the royal massacre of Narayanhiti loss of Lincoln in American society Palace to the Maoist Insurgency. Politics where people found themselves without in Nepal is interwoven with uncertainties a leader. An ‘elegy’ does not stand for an and chaos. Common people as well as individual mourning but for the demise educated, even like the author herself, of democracy. It is, therefore, the could not understand and predict the collective perception of Nepali people Nepali politics at that moment. However, instead of the very personal experiences great potentialities of Nepal like of the author. Elegy is a funeral song Shangri-La and Mount Everest are sung on a death of an individual not for doomed by political instabilities. democracy or any political assumption. and extreme In an elegy on democracy, Manjushree Maoism were growing up and the

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154 | S. Gautam mainstream political parties CPN (UML) Palace and the Royal State Council did and Nepali Congress lost much ground not address the massacre. in the politics. People were highly suffering from extreme left and extreme The interpretation of the massacre is right. The country continued its described in the “Fatalist and Conspiracy downward journey, special became of Theorists” under the second subtitle of Maoist insurgency and local elections the second chapter. Thapa analyses the could not be held for years (p. 3). Nepalese psychology and reaches the conclusion that some people believed in The Second Chapter “Dipendra did not astrology soothsayers and palm reading do it” showed the collective interpreted as fatalist whereas who consciousness of people. She presented understand Nepali politics and its history herself as a structuralist to sympathize interpreted the royal massacre on the Dipendra. “The coup that did not basis of the conspiracy theories because happen” shows the great public insight the whole history of Nepal is led from and opinion on the royal massacre. She conspiracy right from the beginning of explores the common opinion and social its modern history. It seemed that Thapa value system of Nepalese people who was influenced by Bista (1991) to claim strongly believed the King as the Nepali politics has been guided by the reincarnated God and his son cannot take fatalism and development. such inhuman step against his own family. She gives the true picture of the “We don’t need a murder king”, the next media which helps to cover the news of subtitle clearly shows the collective the royal massacre independently to unconsciousness of people agitating inform that people were in a crucial state against King Gyanendra who was and cannot cover the news of royal appointed as the king of Nepal. Crowds massacre. The first was the BBC’s are seen in the street raising voice against unconfirmed reports after eleven hours King Gyanendra and very irrational of the massacre that declared King preventive steps were taken from the Birendra and his family members died. It government like blackout, telephones cut was hardly believed that Dipendra led off leading to the undemocratic realm of the royal massacre. The news spread the ruling government. “The politics of fiercely in national and international the spectacle” narrates the territories, but government, the Royal archaeological history written from the

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Book Review: ‘Forget Kathmandu’ | 155 government with the formation of three- present situation of Nepal as Manjushree man investigation committee to find the Thapa said truth has been lost many ins and outs of the murder of King times to speculation and easily be lost Birendra seemed so ridiculous for again (p. 51). She is haunted by the people. At the same time, a press massacre and thus wanted to know the statement of the Maoist indirectly history of Nepal but was not satisfied charged King Gyanendra to be the with the history written in the textbooks. murderer of the whole family of So, she visited the National History Birendra. Collective sympathy of people Museum in Chhauni, Kathmandu to get towards King Birendra led the nation in something which is not written in the the state of further uncertainties. books of history “as New Historicists, Moreover, the government was like Tilyard, try to establish the gradually becoming more tyrannical interconnections between the literature after it had issued the ordinance to and general culture of a period” (Seldon, control the agitated groups of people in Widdowson, & Brooker, 2005, p. 181). the name of national unity. The media The recent line of coming were also restricted to publish news and down from Prithivinarayan Shah opinions freely. Similarly, “And the accomplishing their own interest rather Truth Eludes” explains the 200 pages than devoted to the people shows power report which claimed that Prince relations in history. So, her attempts to Dipendra was the murderer of his own focus on the local and discontinuous family with automatic machines knowledge against the claims of a showing discontent with his family unitary body of the history establishes a member regarding his love affair. These new historical knowledge of struggle. all events are, however, hardly believed She presented caste and class conflict as by the common people. Thakuri sub-caste of Chhetri, a warrior caste but the reality was more The Third Chapter “History Exhibits” treacherous (p. 58). “The Age of illuminates the historical reception to Queens” shows the situation of Nepal understand the broader critical climate of under the rule of queens Rajendralaxmi, Nepalese history which shows that the Tripuradevi and Rajyalaxmi and they historical records of Nepal which were helped to keep the lineage of Shah loosely recorded and all the events of Dynasty. These queens were empowered history were responsible to trace out the by the power and still not freed from the Social Inquiry: Journal of Social Science Research, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2020

156 | S. Gautam male domination and could not challenge The Fifth Chapter “Post Modern the patriarchal structure of the society. Democracy” began in Nepal where election, parliament, democratic The Fourth Chapter “The Wind and government and other democratic norms Haze” clearly depicts Nepal under the were made in the paper, but the socio Rana Regime. It was the time of so- economically underprivileged called construction avenue road, communities never felt democracy. building, telephone and other physical Government and state could not address infrastructure were built certain the problem of the common people and, newspaper were published, schools were at the same time, the royal massacre and opened, civil and political organizations Maoist insurgency took place and the were established and raised the voice civil war began in the post-modern against Ranas a short of bourgeoisies’ democracy. “Those in Kathmandu were revolution was started in Nepal which mimicking MTV VJs, and those in the might be the effects of the WWII. “The villages were joining Maoist” (p. 153) is Haze” portraits that the so-called a clear depiction of different upbringings democracy was established under the of civilization in Nepal. Like Lyotard Bahun caste domination in political (1984) defined, postmodern keeps on power. “The Takes a Stab at going. Redefined democracy has been Democracy” shows King Mahendra and going on in Nepal however more chaotic, his steps to coup democracy and to more complex and more sophisticated in establish the system almost paper but not in practice. two years after the royal coup with a new constitution. “The State of “The Massacre to Come” or the Sixth Schizophrenia” describes how all Chapter shows the instable situation of political parties were banned and they Nepal arisen with the Maoist activities in started to campaign against the remote part of Nepal from Dailekh to Panchayati System which was rooted Manma and the terrible situation of down after the public revolution during villagers under the two governments King Birendra’s rule. All these historical ruling together. This chapter is like a facts show that the great kings of Nepal travel writing describing various statuses would have been ridiculous figures and of geo physical structures of hilly region responsible for bringing the elegy of of Nepal, where the author herself democracy in Nepal. assimilates with the situation. Many

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Book Review: ‘Forget Kathmandu’ | 157 Nepalese youth became typical describes in the “Unfinished comrades and showed great passion for Revolution” where the people were reforming Nepal, especially from remote dying from epidemics of diarrhoea. It parts of Nepal. would be a big deal to fight against the pandemic like Corona which challenged The Seventh Chapter deals with the so-called most democratic country in Gynendra’s initiation of taking the world and socialist countries of responsibility to handle the situation Europe. Hopefully, it should not compel which failed to address the basic needs one to lament on the loss of democracy of people and freedom they want in the pandemic situation. ultimately led towards the undemocratic nation. Similarly, the “Unfinished I am influenced by the rhetoric of Thapa revolution” started in Nepal with the who links the present and past of Nepal restoration of the parliament and a new through breaking the grand narratives of government was established. Currently, the past and creating the background for such voices are very common against the plural interpretations of the present Oli Government (Nepal Communist through ‘clear and vigorous prose’ with Party has been ruling Nepal since the reportage and analysis of covering the legislative election of 2017 during contemporary issues of Nepal. pandemic situation of Nepal in 2020). Disclosure Statement I remember the crowd of youths who shaved their heads showing great respect The author declares that no potential to King Birendra, rallied on motorbikes conflict of interest exists. in the streets of Kathmandu Valley and my grandfather was shocked at the news References who had the great faith on the monarchy. So, I have asked myself many times Bista, D. B. (1991). Fatalism and either the democracy of Nepal will be development: Nepal's struggle for restored or not even though the modernization. Orient Blackswan. politicians are enjoying the taste of Foucault, M. (1984). Art after Federal Republic whereas the Terai and modernism: Rethinking Madhes are in the flame of agitation representation. David R. Godine demanding their rights as Thapa Publisher.

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Lyotard, J.-F. (1984). The postmodern Thapa, M. S. (2005). Forget condition: A report on knowledge Kathmandu: An elegy for (Vol. 10, G. Bennington & B. democracy. Penguin Books. Massumi, Trans.) University of Whitman, W. (1865). When lilacs last Minnesota Press. in the dooryard bloom'd. Seldon, R., Widdowson, P., & Brooker, https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstr P. (2005). A reader’s guide to eam/handle/2142/30220/whit- contemporary literary theory (5th when.pdf?sequence=2 on March 29, ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson 2020 Longman.

Reviewer Biosketch

Suresh Gautam holds a PhD in Education from Kathmandu University, Nepal. He is an assistant professor of Development Studies and is currently teaching Sociology of Education and Development, and Advanced Qualitative Research at the Department of Development Education, School of Education, Kathmandu University. His research interests include urban education, youth and adult education, resilience, social theory, and qualitative research.

To cite this article: Gautam, S. (2020). Book review: ‘Forget Kathmandu: An elegy for democracy’. Social Inquiry: Journal of Social Science Research, 2(1), 151-158. https://doi.org/10.3126/sijssr.v2i1.28913

For other articles and journal archive, visit: 1. http://socialinquiryjournal.org/index.php 2. https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/sijssr/index

Social Inquiry: Journal of Social Science Research, Volume 2, Issue 1, 2020