A Lady not with the Lamp

N. P. U padhyaya

It has rightly been said that when a particular Nepali national is rejected by the society wherein he or she lives in jumps either into the profession of journalism or at best politics. This could be a common phenomenon in the South Asian region. But I am not sure.

Lee Kuwan Yu too had once told his audience that joining journalism sector is the best if he or she is uneducated or ignored by the society.

Joining media doesn’t need any academic certificates.

We support the idea of Nepal President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav who once penned an article wherein he demanded that the journalists must sit in the examinations and then only be allowed to enter into this profession.

Wishful thinking indeed.

However, we are not here to criticize our own professional colleagues this week instead we will talk of a common woman who un-fortunately has been awarded with a bumper prize that she perhaps not deserved.

A human being becomes more and more modest if he or she is highly qualified.

Modesty is what counts in the society. Modesty plus responsibility makes an individual perfect.

It has generally been seen that any individual who gets more than he or she deserved then he or she begins thinking that he or she is something more different than the rest to which it is not.

It is not the money and not the post which makes a man great but his or her humility that elevates his or her position in the society.

This applies in politics as well.

However, Mrs. Kalyani Rijal (with due respect and honor to her though she doesn’t deserve it) is the one Constituent Assembly member who not only terrified a simple cloth merchant in Bagbazar , Sunday September 5, 2010, 12:30 PM, but managed her CA member authority and put the simple Shambhu…into police custody for more than six hours thus abused her redundant authority.

The Commission for the Investigation of the Abuse of Authority, CIAA, must investigate this matter and take to task this arrogant CA lady member.

Pashupati Kurta Store is the name of the shop wherein Mrs. Rijal had dropped in to ask whether the shop had any red Kurta or not?

The man at the shop-Shambhu- was by then dealing with another customer and thus he either ignored her question or he may have dared to finish the deals with the previous customer with whom he was engaged.

Shambhu perhaps was extensively busy.

This enraged the redundant CA member-Mrs. Rijal to the hilt.

She cried “Don’t you know me? Who am I?” “I am the CA member and you ignore me….

So what responded Shambhu.

This much was his fault to land him in police custody for six hours as stated in the previous paragraph.

An annoyed and humiliated Mrs. Rijal misused her honored authority and made a call to Police stating that she was misbehaved by the shopkeeper. It was not what she told to the police.

A subservient and frightened police instantly dropped at the shop which was by then taken the form of a circus crowd and packed Shambhu in the van. Thousands of people thronged at the shop who witnessed how all time sleeping Nepal’s CA members behave normally.

Later when the Sunday PM election was over, the arrogant lady dropped at the police station to know how the things were.

Later, Satish-the elder brother of Shambhu pleaded innocence and asked for mercy from Mrs. Rijal stating that there had been some sort of mis understanding in between Shambhu and defunct CA member.

Mrs. Rijal got convinced only after Satish apologized.

The police set free Shambhu.

Mrs. Rijal’s misconduct must have come as a matter of shame for some. Others may have enjoyed. And yet some others, including her family members, might have concluded that their mom, sister, wife, grandma and etc. accomplished a Himalayan task. More than scaling the Everest.

However, as a media man, we are not that happy with what and how Mrs. Rijal presented herself at the shop and the crowd that surrounded her at the shop who listened to her unusual loud cries.

I think this much should be sufficient for Mrs. Rijal if she really wants to change herself. Wisdom would demand that she changes herself. Earlier the better.

Learn modesty Mrs. Rijal! The shop keeper earns money through the hard work and you earn free from the CA accounts department. The people know you and your breed.

Thanks Nagrik daily dated September 6, 2010.