martyr lakhan thapa

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Martyrs, Martyrdom and Martyr Lakhan Thapa

- B. K. RanaB. K. RanaB. K. RanaB. K. RanaEmail:Email:Email:Email: [email protected]@[email protected]@gmail.com

JANUARY 29 was martyrs day this year. In memory of thebeloved martyrs formal programmes were organized across thecountry. The prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba himself leda procession that was marking this years Martyrs Day inthe streets of the capital and paid tribute placing awreath under the statue of four martyrs: Ganga Lal, ShukraRaj Shastri, Dharm Bhakta and Dasharath Chand, whose marblestatues you can see from a distance at the Martyrs Gate inKathmandu. One of the former prime ministers - GirijaPrasad Koirala was reported to have garlanded his brother

B. P. Koiralas photo, however, the media did not mentionwhether he had also garlanded the martyrs photos there inthe function. B. P. Koiralas contribution to the growthand development of democratic Nepal is unsurpassable. Healso deserves quite a good respect from the nation andwhich is also being offered on his anniversaries each year.

Those four martyrs were put to death for they had, in 1940,campaigned against the autocratic tyrannical Rana Regimeten years before the birth of democracy in Nepal in 1950.And unfortunately as usual, we did not hear of anything atthe national level this year also about the sacrifice ofthe first martyr of nation - Lakhan Thapa Magar who had

already started a movement against the Ranas in 1876 andtherefore was subsequently hanged by Junga Bahadur Rana,then de-facto ruler, along with Ajakh Singh Chumi Magar anda number of other martyrs. Each year, the last week ofJanuary brings back fond memories of our beloved martyrsand the nation also celebrates Martyrs Day in a suavelyfashioned poise. Those four martyrs were remembered andpaid homage at the national level and few others were alsoremembered. But we have not been able to hear of anytreatment from the nation on the part of Lakhan Thapa Magar- even though the government, on February 23, 2000 hasalready declared him the martyr of kingdom of Nepal andapproved a grant of 0.7 million rupees to erect his bustsize statue and construct a memorial park in Gorkha KahuleBhangar where he was hanged. We believe the history ofmartyr Lakhan Thapa has to be retold to every newgeneration. His biography should also be included in schoolcurricula in order to groom our children to live and diefor the cause of the country as the martyr did there 126years ago, however, some biased historian have not donejustice towards the martyr. We do not believe in thoseprejudiced historians anecdotes. And, this year also the
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country failed to treat the first martyr what he deservedthere from the nation. This is what has been the conventionhere even after we have successfully restored democracy in1991.

Jung Bahadur Kunwar who later declared himself a Rana had

been able to rise to power after killing hundreds ofcourtiers in the dreadful event of Kot Massacre in 1846.The gruesome killing of General Abhi Man Singh Rana Magarfollowed the Kot Massacre at the present Hanuman Dhoka areain Kathmandu, however, the courtiers were gathered there asthe queen had ordered them to fall in so that she wouldknow the killer of her paramour, General Gagan Singh, whowas shot dead the day before by Jung himself as historianswrite. Jung Bahadur Rana ruled Nepal for almost 30 years.He began the Rana family rule of terror that lasted 104years in the Himalayan country.

The Rana regime was Black Days in the history of Nepal.

People had suffered much from the Ranas and wanted to getrid of them. So Martyr Lakhan Thapa initiated peoplesmovement which can better be equated with democraticmovement in todays terminology - for the first time inhistory from Gorkha by organizing peoples in hisleadership. We believe his campaign for uprooting Ranatyranny was the first seed of democracy in Nepal thatgerminated from Gorkha, grew over time with martyrdom ofhundreds of martyrs and flowered in 1950. However, theflowered 1950 democracy could not last long asdifferences had surfaced from within the ruling NepaliCongress Party following which King Mahendra captured it in1961.

After 30 years in 1991, democracy has been restored herewith peoples popular movement. Now, it has been 12 yearsthat we have democracy in the country. But, it seems tohave been lacking luster. The fruit of democracy has notyet reached to the people. Apparently, democracy has beenportrayed as begging bowl of political leaders only.Peoples aspirations have been totally ignored. With theseleaders incompetence and corrupt attitude, the country hasfallen under extremely difficult circumstances in history.People have lost faith in the political leaders. In themeantime, the ruling Nepali Congress Party has not been

able to work in the best interest of the peoples in thecountry. Its bosses - the party president, Prime Ministerand some other senior leaders seem busy in theirloggerheads or vying to topple each other in other words.They are portraying the country as it used to be in 1961,nevertheless, the possibility of kidnapping the democracyis far from reality. Additionally, the opposition leadershave also been dolls at the hands of quick-men. Their roleshave been diminished to a zero mark. Maoist insurgency hasnot yet come under control - the ruling party-heads are


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committing it publicly. We have grossly devalued the bloodof beloved martyrs and their martyrdom. The fruit ofdemocracy should reach to every one of us in the country.Every one should prosper and enjoy the value and spirit ofdemocracy that the martyrs had dreamt.

(The author is the central committee member of the NepalSamata Party.)

Peoples Review WeeklyPeoples Review WeeklyPeoples Review WeeklyPeoples Review Weeklyhttp://www.peoplesreview.com.np/Kathmandu, NepalApril 07, 2002
http://www.peoplesreview.com.np/http://www.peoplesreview.com.np/

martyr lakhan thapa

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