What's wrong at the moment?
Everything!?!
Like the scenario before half time of a typical Indian or Nepali movie where the hero is the ultimate crime fighter but who has not quite found his ground yet-and so the city where he resides is still infested with heinous crimes, and what not-I find myself squarely planted in that "before half time" scenario.
All the crime dramas that I see unfolding in such movies-corrupt cops, even more corrupt justice system, atrocities right in front of people's eyes, power, paisa and the "bad" having a field day-everything is happening right before me.
My life is not a movie, where I reside is not a movie set. Yet everything so eerily resembles the plot of such badly told, heavily exaggerated, and repugnant male dominant movie.
In such movies, the heroine or the victims generally feel helpless until the hero comes along, fights all the bad guys, the corruption the system everything until everything is sorted. He makes everybody's life perfect.
How I wish right now that such rescue were possible in real life, however misogynist the rescuing notion is.
In real life, there is no "after half time" scenario. Its a continuation of "before half time" where you have not had your pop-corn, where it is not time yet to anticipate the good part happening soon. Perpetually laden with sorrow, defeat and dejection-and thinking of "popcorn". That's what the first half is all about.
For over a year, thousands of people screamed every day from 9-11AM in front of a space in Baluwatar-nearby Nepal's Prime Minister's home-demanding for justice for 5 principal cases of violence against women. It has been almost two years since we shut up, and moved on with our lives. Some of us milked this into election campaigns, some of us used it to get a fellowship, some of us added this in our portfolio as our show of leadership and initiation, some of us fished appreciation as a supporter for cause of Violence Against Women. Some of them were there truly for the victims, and thought that our collective screaming would somehow help bring justice. Whatever our inner motives were, we were there. We were a force to acknowledge. Major newspapers always devoted a few space for the event's coverage-extending up to the individual cases that were being forwarded.
This movement changed shape over time, added and removed cases it was standing up for, changed its nature and the composition of participants. But throughout this all, what did not change were the families of the victims-and their constant struggle for justice. I remember to this day very clearly - the Maharjan sisters. I remember Saraswoti's mother and father equally vividly. I also remember arrays of celebrities, mini-celebrities, hot shots, hot shot wannabees all hogging the lime light by at least appearing once a week.
Two years down the lane, one by one the alleged perpetrators have either walked free, are about to walk free or get away with minimal punishment.
We pushed the cases through the government, through the police, but we could not push it beyond the court-that institution supposed to be the ultimate to uphold truth and justice. What is their beyond the court?
Take to street protest once again? Only to be guinea pigged and fenced by the judges? These, I am realizing are the real "bhardars" and "sakuni" characters of modern day.
And so the daughters look on, as justice dances way out of their reach. The perpetrator side must be having a bellow of mock laughter towards them.
----------------------
Supreme court judges were nominated and appointed a few days ago. Atrocious as the nomination of these sketchy judges already was, what was far more atrocious and utterly dejecting was the fact that they closed their eyes through all the clarification sessions. One even got away with telling a "mule's tale" when asked about their past records. Them, I am realizing are the real "Chanakya"s of modern day, only their policy does not seem to be for the economic and political welfare of the state but rather to defend their "chanakya" dom.
---------------------------
National cricket players waging a war against our own national cricket body-the only coach to have taken Nepal to new heights, only has 27 more days in his contract and there seems to be no action being taken to extend the contract.
He is being punished for being successful. Because that is what must have triggered the cricket players to go to such lengths-that is what the "sakuni" thinking of CAN officials must be at the moment.
------------------
I have no grudges against "sakuni" or "chanakya" because I did not know them. I'm only referring to the character they represent as established in our popular thinking. If by any chance thousand years ago, they were actually the victims of clever scheming minds and were portrayed in such light deliberately- when I say "sakuni" or "chanakya" I will be referring to these scheming minds. A 100 years from now on, it is very likely that the Maharjan family will be portrayed as some clever con group who wanted to swindle honest rich people. Wait, may be not a 100 year-this we may get to see within a month or even a day. This is after all thousand years into future from the age of Sakuni.
Like the scenario before half time of a typical Indian or Nepali movie where the hero is the ultimate crime fighter but who has not quite found his ground yet-and so the city where he resides is still infested with heinous crimes, and what not-I find myself squarely planted in that "before half time" scenario.
All the crime dramas that I see unfolding in such movies-corrupt cops, even more corrupt justice system, atrocities right in front of people's eyes, power, paisa and the "bad" having a field day-everything is happening right before me.
My life is not a movie, where I reside is not a movie set. Yet everything so eerily resembles the plot of such badly told, heavily exaggerated, and repugnant male dominant movie.
In such movies, the heroine or the victims generally feel helpless until the hero comes along, fights all the bad guys, the corruption the system everything until everything is sorted. He makes everybody's life perfect.
How I wish right now that such rescue were possible in real life, however misogynist the rescuing notion is.
In real life, there is no "after half time" scenario. Its a continuation of "before half time" where you have not had your pop-corn, where it is not time yet to anticipate the good part happening soon. Perpetually laden with sorrow, defeat and dejection-and thinking of "popcorn". That's what the first half is all about.
For over a year, thousands of people screamed every day from 9-11AM in front of a space in Baluwatar-nearby Nepal's Prime Minister's home-demanding for justice for 5 principal cases of violence against women. It has been almost two years since we shut up, and moved on with our lives. Some of us milked this into election campaigns, some of us used it to get a fellowship, some of us added this in our portfolio as our show of leadership and initiation, some of us fished appreciation as a supporter for cause of Violence Against Women. Some of them were there truly for the victims, and thought that our collective screaming would somehow help bring justice. Whatever our inner motives were, we were there. We were a force to acknowledge. Major newspapers always devoted a few space for the event's coverage-extending up to the individual cases that were being forwarded.
This movement changed shape over time, added and removed cases it was standing up for, changed its nature and the composition of participants. But throughout this all, what did not change were the families of the victims-and their constant struggle for justice. I remember to this day very clearly - the Maharjan sisters. I remember Saraswoti's mother and father equally vividly. I also remember arrays of celebrities, mini-celebrities, hot shots, hot shot wannabees all hogging the lime light by at least appearing once a week.
Two years down the lane, one by one the alleged perpetrators have either walked free, are about to walk free or get away with minimal punishment.
We pushed the cases through the government, through the police, but we could not push it beyond the court-that institution supposed to be the ultimate to uphold truth and justice. What is their beyond the court?
Take to street protest once again? Only to be guinea pigged and fenced by the judges? These, I am realizing are the real "bhardars" and "sakuni" characters of modern day.
And so the daughters look on, as justice dances way out of their reach. The perpetrator side must be having a bellow of mock laughter towards them.
----------------------
Supreme court judges were nominated and appointed a few days ago. Atrocious as the nomination of these sketchy judges already was, what was far more atrocious and utterly dejecting was the fact that they closed their eyes through all the clarification sessions. One even got away with telling a "mule's tale" when asked about their past records. Them, I am realizing are the real "Chanakya"s of modern day, only their policy does not seem to be for the economic and political welfare of the state but rather to defend their "chanakya" dom.
---------------------------
National cricket players waging a war against our own national cricket body-the only coach to have taken Nepal to new heights, only has 27 more days in his contract and there seems to be no action being taken to extend the contract.
He is being punished for being successful. Because that is what must have triggered the cricket players to go to such lengths-that is what the "sakuni" thinking of CAN officials must be at the moment.
------------------
I have no grudges against "sakuni" or "chanakya" because I did not know them. I'm only referring to the character they represent as established in our popular thinking. If by any chance thousand years ago, they were actually the victims of clever scheming minds and were portrayed in such light deliberately- when I say "sakuni" or "chanakya" I will be referring to these scheming minds. A 100 years from now on, it is very likely that the Maharjan family will be portrayed as some clever con group who wanted to swindle honest rich people. Wait, may be not a 100 year-this we may get to see within a month or even a day. This is after all thousand years into future from the age of Sakuni.
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