By Narayan Prasad Mishra
Being an educated citizen of the country and also a career man with decades of experience in university affairs, I had an opportunity to visit some foreign countries in Asia, Europe, and America. Because of this, I am acquainted with some foreign countries and their people. So I know the people of developed countries hardly talk about politics, political parties, government, presidents, prime ministers, or ministers, as we always talk about all those things in Nepal. Politics are left to politicians. Professions of any kind are left for professional people. Politics are not supposed to interfere with professional work. In developed countries, people mostly talk about their work and profession or about social life and traveling. It does not mean that they never talk about politics and do not show their interest in it. Of course, they do, but not to the extent we do. We all know in our country, people from all walks of life —shopkeepers, drivers, laborers, peddlers, teachers, professors, medical doctors, engineers, police, army, etc. enjoy talking about politics and government rather than any other things as if there are no other things to talk about. Our people hardly talk about their own profession.
Politics has politicized our country so much that the country has become a country of political pollution. Because of this, not only do you need to talk about politics, you need to join politics. It means joining political parties. If you do not talk about politics, you will hardly make friends. If you do not join the political party, you have no society. You have no close friends. You have no group to share your problems and suffering. More than that, you would not have anyone to get help to speak for you. Our society is developing in such a way that if you do not join a political party, you will be considered no human being or considered to belong to the royal family group or their follower.
In this context, the people of true professionalism are gradually disappearing in the country. From university professors to hospitals, medical doctors see an advantage in being politicians rather than professionals. Because of this, most people have become politicians. Hardly do you find people who are not supporters or followers of some party. So wherever we go for our work – university, campuses, schools, offices, hospitals, nursing homes, government ministries, and departments- we enquire about the chief of the organization with curiosity to know which party he belongs to. By knowing it, we proceed with our steps, thinking about where to go for help from a high-power position.
Professors, teachers, medical doctors, engineers, etc, all are divided based on parties. All have associations and organizations linked with parties. They look at their professional problems through their party’s eyes and act accordingly. We all know our politics are like a political caste. They discriminate against each other as people of different castes and tribes discriminate against each other in a Hindu society where the caste system still exists.
In these circumstances, the nonaligned people who love to be purely professional, pure nationalists, and independent have become orphans in this country. In some way, they have been made like untouchables, like in a backward society. In other words, they are considered the unclaimed deceased bodies of no one’s concern. We very often see no one showing concern for their problems. No one evaluates them correctly. No one sees their undebatable goodness. No one rewards them with important positions, medals, or awards which they deserve. My late wife, Shanti Mishra, experienced it. I have been experiencing it. No party or group owns them. In fact, pure professionals and nationalists are the people who treat all the parties equally and evaluate them based on their activities, performance, and contributions without being biased toward anyone. They are the true friends of all these parties. They point out their mistakes as friends and appreciate their goodness with open hearts. I have a strong view that not to give importance to nonaligned people means not to love truth and righteousness. I have an opinion that not recognizing nonaligned people means you want to hear only your praises but not your weaknesses.
I am a nonaligned citizen of this country. I am in my 80’s. I have experienced the history of this country from King Tribhuvan to date. I am proud of my career as a nonaligned citizen of this country, not linked to any ruler or politician, not linked to any party or leader. I have not gained anything in my life – power, positions, land, house, cash, etc. from anyone with blessings bowing down to anyone forgetting my conscience. But I am sad to lose my rights and suffer a lot because of my speaking truth and writing truth. I was also despondent to see that my beloved wife, Shanti Mishra, who was a great supporter of all my writing and who was no different from me in thoughts, work, speech, and writing, suffered a lot and left this world.
I am proud of my published stories, poems, articles, and books based on truth and facts, without bias towards any ruler or party for personal gain. I have a published poem in Naya Nepal Post on (2041 Kartik 2) under my pseudonym. It critiques the Panchayat System, addressing its shortcomings. I have a poem in my poem book on the King titled The King Speaks in my Dream (Mero Sapanama Raja Bolcha), which I composed regarding the ideal King that I want to see. I have several published poems on democracy, which I want to see in my country. I have some published poems in which I appreciated Maoists for their genuine demands and activities for the development of the country and the welfare of the people when they were not in power. I also have many published poems that talk about fake democracy and fake communism. I am continuing my writing.
I proudly invite anyone to evaluate my contributions, considering whether a nonaligned perspective is crucial for our country. The solution to this issue lies in the recognition by all political parties of the significance of nonaligned individuals in our nation. Nonaligned individuals are revered in developed countries for their independent thinking based on truth and facts. Unfortunately, in less progressive and backward nations, they are often marginalized as outcasts due to their lack of affiliation with political groups. I hope that one day, all political factions will acknowledge the importance of nonaligned citizens. They should be valued as integral members of our society, not marginalized.
Furthermore, devaluing nonaligned individuals undermines our country’s nonaligned foreign policy. It is imperative to respect their independence and appreciate their crucial role in our nation’s development.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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