Ankit wanted to visit the place. I distinctly remember that while I was busy sharing pictures of Akash’s marriage reception; Ankit was just awestruck by the beauty of the place. The fountains, the lush green gardens, everything were so fabulous. He just could not believe that this place was actually in Nepal. Come to Kathmandu, I had said to him innocently, and I will take you to that place. But when he did come here, things had changed so much that even walking on its pavement had been deemed illegal.
I am sure you know what I am talking about. It is BICC, a one of its kind, state-of-the-art convention center in Nepal. Eternal romantic that I am, I still remember the last time I was inside the hall and 1974 AD was playing a song meant for the late king after whom it was named. There were people from all walks of life, and the whole hall was gently rocking, swaying to the tune of the song.[break]
Today, every time I pass by, I can’t help but wonder how such a place can be neglected. I am sure the Chinese people who built this piece, our own version of Taj Mahal, are sad to see it go to waste. It was never meant for tents, but today, much of its eastern portion seems to be occupied by the white makeshift tents of UN. The grand hall and other mini halls have suddenly become office spaces, supposedly used to draft something, which actually turned out to be a hoax!
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With the guarantee that we will not see any election for some time, unless another revolution forces it on us, why not give the building back to who it belongs? Why make it a hostage? Much space towards the northern side has now turned into a police depot kind of thing where policemen bathe and wash their dirty laundry. If you are wondering how I know all this, you should try something called Google Maps, which shows most of these details.
Some days ago, I spent a considerable amount of time googling another space: the ex-royal palace. Spread over some 750 ropanis of land, it lies right at the heart of the city. I am sure it was more by design than chance, those royals would always want to be at heart of everything! In the months after the last monarch vacated the palace, it was appalling to see streams of urine flowing on the pavements outside its high walls. At times I remember things getting even worse, to the point that you could not walk on those west side pavements where you could also find human excreta. I don’t intend to spoil your mood by going into the gory details, but things did improve, thanks to our gods and goddesses. When all our efforts to keep our city clean fail, we plant gods and goddesses on the walls. And then, nobody wants to anger them by making them dirty. If you don’t believe me, take a walk around town.
Getting back to the point, today the same palace has become a place where hundreds and thousands of Nepalis already have, and will continue to, queue up for passports. Any day of the month, the place virtually packed to the hilt. How come we squeeze thousands of people in mere two ropanis of space, that too literally outside the gate, when there is almost 700 ropanis of land completely unoccupied? If this is a deliberate act on the part of Government to dissuade people from leaving their homeland, I have nothing to say. Otherwise, people could perhaps sit in a shadier place. And Google map tells me this place is full of such spaces.
Another thing that irks me is that within what appears like a blink of an eye, Kathmandu has run out of open space. There’s no space to run in the mornings. Some determined souls do try walking on the roads, but to me that is a risky idea. You take morning walks in order to become healthier, not to get rammed by some vehicle.
According to a report, pedestrians, especially those who venture out in the mornings for their walks, are most often the casualties of road accidents. There was even a useless suggestion going around that you attach a shiny reflective piece of cloth to your walking suit in order to reduce your chances of being hit by a passing vehicle.
What could be more preposterous than that? Instead, why not let people walk inside the safety of four walls of the Narayanhiti palace? I am sure a significant chunk of Kathmanduites would jump in their seats if that happened. Unlike BICC, where it is not completely implausible that its occupants may one day return, the same cannot be said of Narayanhiti.
If at all BICC does anything, it symbolizes hope. The hope that someday, people will drum roll the same table tops again and pass the same resolutions, and we will celebrate our freedom just like true citizens of republican democratic sovereign country of Nepal all over again. But what about Narayanhiti? It only gives hope to those people who should not be harboring any hopes. These forces, as they have been branded time and again, are nothing but ‘regressive’, taking our nation further back in time. If there was a timescale that would put New York City in actual 2013, it would be interesting to know which year Kathmandu would fall. Barring a few stretches of city, I am guessing we are somewhere in the late 19th century. A comeback of these ‘regressive forces’ might actually take us to the stone ages!
So here’s the deal. We need a place to flex our muscles. We need a proper place for our soldiers to stand. The people standing in this queue are no different from soldiers. Just as American soldiers keep America from falling apart by fighting enemies in the Middle East, these people go to the Middle East and keep Nepal from falling apart by fighting poverty. Hence, the entire facility must be made available to the public. If the king is not coming, what are we preserving it for?
As for BICC, give us a timeline. Let us know how this place is going to be utilized in the next two years. Difficult? Well, then, give it to us. We will give it back when needed.
hiteshkarki@gmail.com
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