By Narayan Prasad Mishra
When I was a Nepal National College student, the night college run by Prof. Shanker Dev Pant, the Principal, the stalwart of honesty, integrity, and principle, we had a professor named Ambika Prasad Adhikari who taught us Nepali literature. He was a learned man and very efficient in teaching. Later on, he became a Bada Guruju of King Birendra. He is known as the Bhagavad Gita author with excellent translation from the Sanskrit language to the Nepali language. He also became the dean of the Institute of Sanskrit Studies, Tribhuvan University when I was the Deputy Registrar. At that time, we became colleagues of the same organization. I always remember the Nepali proverb he told us – Bigriya Pandit Kabi banchha, Bigria Bidyarthi rajnitigya banchha (Failure, worst student of Sanskrit studies will be a poet, failure (worst) student of other fields will be a politician.) We see in most cases this proverb is right in our country. That is primarily true in our politics. Most of our politicians are dropouts or do not have academic excellence in studies that would not fit professional works.
But Dr. Dilliraman Regmi, the renowned politician of our old generation and the colleagues of Matrika Prasad Koirala, Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala, and Tanka Prasad Acharya, the ex-prime ministers, was an exceptional person. He was a learned politician because of his high degree and excellent study, research, and writings to his credit. Nepal has taken the pride in his multi-volume books written in English – 1. Ancient Nepal, 2. Medieval Nepal 3. Modern Nepal. Shanti Mishra, my late beloved wife, and I had a very close, cordial, and lovely relation with him. He loved us like his own son and daughter or brother and sister. That was, maybe he was a scholar and book lover, and we were the creator and developer of the Tribhuvan University Central Library, the only modern and organized learning resources center of the time. Although he owned a vast collection of books and his library, he often used our library and requested information and books. Though we did not have a habit of visiting dignitaries, we were regular visitors to his house. That was because, as the proverb says.” Men go where they are wanted.” He wanted us very much. He had called us many times to drop in his residence when he felt lonely. He had called us many times to come to his place when he wanted to discuss something with us.
Dr Dilliraman Regmi, a learned politician
We had calls and talks many times on the telephone. I often remember his call with happiness early in the morning to congratulate me on my poem” Prajatantra” (Democracy) published in Samakleen weekly. (Chaitra, 17, 2057). We both were so happy to be the founder members of his institution Dr Dilliraman Regmi, Kalyani Regmi Pratisthan” at his will.
King Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the democratic hero
I am pleased to remember his tale about King Tribhuvan how simple, lovely, polite, gregarious he was. How appreciable democrat he was in his manners and dealings compare to many top politicians. According to him, King Tribhuvan, by receiving the visitor with his affectionate, amicable manner, used to offer cigarettes lighting the cigarette lighter. He was a handsome, charming king. I had heard this type of exciting comment from many sources, including my father-in-law Jyanki Lall Shrestha, the King’s violin teacher, a contact person, and a mediator between the King and the revolutionaries.
Jyanki Lall Shrestha, the King’s violin teacher
Shrestha, my Father-in-law, was a handsome person with a very distinguished personality. He had a good name as a violinist and learned it in Calcutta. He had an opportunity to teach it to King Tribhuvan. I heard even King Tribhuvan admired his impressive personality with always a tip-top dress. The King loved him. They were like friends. I listened to this from Dayaram Bhakta Mathema, himself a man of dignified personality, King Tribhuvan’s Secretary, who was also a Secretary to King Mahendra after his retirement, once when I saw him connected with my university work. Jyanki Lall was a teacher at Juddhodaya High School, Kathmandu. He was also a very prevalent artist who played as the hero, the role of Jwaisaheb (son-in-law) in the play based on Bhimnidhi Tiwari’s Sahanashila Sushila. The cover page of the book Sahanashila Sushila contained his picture of the play. He was also a painter, an artist trained by Chandra Man Maskey, the renowned artist. He was one among three sons – Kushav Lall Shrestha, Jyanki Lall Shrestha, and Subarna Lall Shrestha of Ram Chandra Lall Shrestha, the well-known businessman, merchant of that time, a well-known person of the wealthy business family of Jhochhe Tole, Kathmandu. His father Ram Chandra was so rich and luxurious in his life that he even arranged a wedding for the dolls of his daughters Amala Devi and Bhawani Devi and took the wedding procession with hundreds of merchants and guests from his Jhochhe residence through Kathmandu Durbar Square, Makhan Tole, Indra Chok with band music and organized a big dinner. That was the talk of the town at that time. Unbelievable. It was like a fairy tale. I heard this story from Amala Devi, my beloved wife Shanti’s aunt. But because of his passion, love, and zeal for music and art, Jyanki Lall Shrestha, the second son of this wealthy person, turned into a musician, actor, and painter and became the secretary to Prince Himalaya Bir Bikram Shah later on. According to him, King Tribhuvan was a unique example of soft, polite, and friendliness. It was a joy for him to be his near and dear. He was a handsome, gentle King who loved his people by his heart.
By being a learned man, Dr Regmi could not be a successful politician compare to his colleagues. But he never compromised his democratic principles with the positions though the government offered him some high positions during the Panchayat era, as we heard about it very often. He was a man of principle. However, he was successful or unsuccessful in politics.
When I remember his description of King Tribhuvan, I wonder how the monarch of the absolute monarchy could be such polite, friendly, and democratic. We have multiparty democracy with two houses of the parliamentary system now. The leaders are elected with a general election. But I am always sad to think about how the leaders and followers of democratic political parties could be undemocratic, aggressive, and grumpy. When I see mismanagement, corruption, suppression, exploitation, and partiality among all political parties, whichever or whoever comes to power, I just become thoughtless about its reason. I do no know what is wrong with them. Since the inception of the country’s multiparty system, I have seen the democratic system and its autocratic government. That is why there are many groups within the party. They fight against themselves and charge each other undemocratic and despotic. All of them have no democratic culture. In general, all are self-centred. People are suffering. We are suffering.
They made the country and the people for the system, not the system for the country. They made the country and people for the constitution, not the constitution for the country. So the system is not based on our culture, tradition, religion, education, and economy. They made the constitution and the political system beyond the necessity, needs, and country’s capacity with hundreds and thousands of unwanted positions and legislatures and parliamentarians with a federal system in a tiny country. They do not care about the outcome. They boast of the doctrine and structure, not the product of it. That is the reason that our country is in a mess. Our history witnesses it. So, we must have a constitution and a system suitable and viable for the country. Is it not the time to think over the matter for the country and the people? Is it not the time to discuss, formulate, and implement a suitable political system for its overall development and the people’s welfare rather than grumbling and fighting for the unsuitable political slogan and dogma?
You can easily make the constitution and the system suitable to you based on the past constitutions already experimented with in the country if you are honest and loyal to your country without bias to any network, institution, or political philosophy. That is certain if you are determined to your destiny. Only the thing we need is unity among us and national consensus. That could happen if we all think and work with our pure Nepali hearts. Friends and Comrades! I do not belong to any political party – Congress, Communist, RPP, or Royal. I belong to Nepal Party, where all Nepali are. I honestly think you need not have the lesson, teaching, preaching, and help of Marx or Mao, Lenin or Putin, Washington, or Lincoln, Nehru or Patel to serve the country and the people. It does not mean that it is harmful to read about the significant figures of the world and know about them and learn from their experiences. But it is not necessary to fight for their political doctrine for our development and welfare. We all are behaving in the country like the Nepali proverb “Kamkuro Yekatira Kumloboki Thimitira” (Our work is somewhere, but we are going in the opposite direction Thimi with our carrier, Kumlo). Your honesty, love, and sincerity are enough to serve your people if you trust yourself.
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