I’ll have the Nepal sandwich
Bloody but sustainable, Nepal’s internal strife is not going anywhere fast.
By Nedroj Walker
China above and India below, Nepal is the stick being chewed. There are those called Maoists and those that follow a king. There are other sides, subtle sides, but these are the main—the ones with the guns. China works through one; India works through the other. This is no philosophical battle or debate. Nepal’s strife is a direct result of China and India flexing.
People think of the mountains and Buddhists when they think of Nepal, but at over eighty percent Hindu it is the “only official Hindu state in the world”. Most of the people live in the plains at the feet of the mountains. This majority doesn’t matter. They are slaved to their poverty and overcrowding. There will be no inspiring change blossoming in their growing realm of polluted artifice.
China is even less a true communist country then America is a true democratic country, and they don’t intend for Nepal to become communist—not really. China is making money, and more important it has learned lust for it. What is capitalism without the free market? In a word—tyrannical, and this is exactly how China is behaving.
India calls my home it seems nearly every day. I hate them for this. It is unforgivable. China is trading bicycles for cars. I hate them for this. It is unforgivable.
They need to leave Nepal alone. The mountains there are a precious place, more important then the people that live there. The world needs to set it aside as a park—the whole mountain range. Those people who have lived there for millennium practicing their sustainable harvesting techniques may stay, but all others may only visit.
China and India need to reorient their priorities. There is nothing more important then the environment. Learn the sustainable art, get back on your bikes and work on making eco-friendly electronics.