Having been born in the second half of 1930s, during the rule of the third last Rana PM, I can I suppose state that I have gone through changing times. Following on the practices of the British Colonialists of India, our Rana rulers had made it a rule for our military to fire the cannon at the Kathmandu Tundikhel at dawn, mid-day at night. The reason was perhaps to inform the people as to when they could go around for their daily tasks. How times have changed now in Nepal.

I vaguely remember seeing a post in FB stating that the cell phone or the mobile as we know it has replaced many of the gadgets that we grew up with. It is not only the old dialling Edison or the push button phone but also the calculator, wristwatch, calendar, camera, newspaper but also the radio, gramophone and even television whose functions have been taken over. Bands and orchestras can be heard and even cinemas seen in the handy mobile. The wrist watch that we grew up with will perhaps soon fall by the wayside. Such is life.

Recently there was a clip in FB with the title ‘Shifting sands of time’ which gave twenty illustrations of how the style of living has changed over the years in the western world. It noted about the trend of ‘memes’ of different forms that are currently in vogue. Children’s previously had little TV time but are now permitted unlimited Virtually Reality head set time.

One wonders therefore that in a current situation such as this as to why they are building a clock-tower at Surkhet. This is a heritage of the British Colonial times when they built them at Hong Kong, Calcutta and other places in India as not many people had watches on their wrists nor clocks in their homes. Is the construction at Surkhet a ruse to utilise and gobble up state funds? A great job was done with the construction of the Cakre Vihar but the construction of the ill-proportioned tiger and the cost of it raised the eyebrows of many of us Nepalis! These all appear to be to misuse public money as in the case of view -towers. My feeling is that the welcoming and departing arches at various towns and villages may be justified slightly as they help the visitor’s coming and going even though this is somewhat superfluous with the GPS doing so now in this modern age!

The decision regarding the changing of our number plates with the English alphabet and Roman numerals can be justified on the grounds that all people in Nepal, because of high cell phone usage, are aware of these scripts. The excuse that the whole world is doing so is not correct as this is not followed in the Arab world.

The change from a Hindu Kingdom to a secular state, which was inserted into our current constitution surreptitiously at the last minute into the preamble of our constitution by certain Nepali individuals, is a case in point of sheer highhandedness. Rumour has it that not a single of the many bags of the feedback from the country at large were not even looked at! Should this not have been done following a referendum?

All Muslim countries have their own religious laws and schools to teach their religion. Many of the Western countries which played a major role in making Nepal into a secular state have religious instructions. A Nepali in Norway posted about his child being instructed on Christianity and religion in class one. Charles III of UK is ‘Defender of the Faith’ or Anglican values in England. Teaching of Sanskrit, not synonymous with Hinduism, is done to a miniscule number of students. This like the Latin of the Western world is not religious instruction! It is likely that indigenous Nepalis, who follow Buddhism, are being converted to Christianity here, in contrast to many Westerners adopting the Buddhist faith.

True the Moors of Africa once ruled over Spain for over 700 years and the Ottoman Empire reigned over many countries of Europe. However, since the Portuguese started the slave trade in Africa in the 16th Century it has been the other way round. The many countries which make up the continent of Africa have been under the rule of countries of Europe. Besides the Boers, the British, Belgians, English, French and Germans all ruled over certain parts of the Dark Continent and took back to their own countries the minerals and many other riches. One is further reminded about the travels of Vasco de Gama, Magellan, Galileo, Columbus and others who started the same elsewhere. Then there are the Spaniards, Cortez who conquered Mexico and Pizarro who plundered the treasure houses of the Incas of South America. Such are the tales of looting and taking treasures back home to Europe to enrich their lives!

Though many of the countries of Africa are now free they are not in a position to really function properly as unseen economic pressures still exists by their previous overlords! Unseen bonds or should one say ropes exist to make this a reality. If one may be realistic and curt one can say that the countries of Africa had been ‘taken for a ride’ by their previous European masters. It is time now that they should do justice to the people who they exploited and ruled for years. Justice demands that this be done. One can perhaps think of these Western Colonial masters that ruled different parts of Africa as remnants of the past, as per the words of Leo Tolstoy:

“Governments not only are not necessary, but are harmful and most highly immoral institutions.”

Nearer home though we have never been under foreign master, a lot of changes are due in the various systems prevailing currently in Nepal. A wind of change is blowing in the country. One wonders whether it is for good or bad.

The author is a retired medical doctor and writes fiction under the pen name of Mani Dixit also. Website: www.hdixit.org.np. Twitter: @manidixithd