Measure your words

Thanks to Sher Bahadur Deuba, the entire Kathmandu Valley came to a virtual standstill on May 16. Around seven government vehicles were torched and the agitated protestors shouted anti-Deuba slogans. We really don’t want another phase of violence, at least, not because of one of the members of the seven-party alliance that was providing the leadership during the recently concluded Jana Andolan was misquoted by the media. It is clearly against the public sentiment if Deuba had said that the King could be allowed to remain the supreme commander-in-chief of the RNA without the uniform. However, Deuba has denied making any such comment.

It seems that the ex-prime minister cannot express himself well during party meetings or in front of the media and public. It also appears that he is still doubtful of the Maoist

intentions. He must understand that he and his Nepali Congress (Democratic) have no choice but to go along with the people’s agenda by respecting their aspirations.

Lamagren Jyaba, via e-mail

Be positive

With reference to Chandra Mani Bimoli’s Midway titled “What’s life?” (THT, May 15), I would like to express disagreement with some of his ideas. There is no doubt that the topic he chose for his write-up was very interesting and the writer appears to have a sound knowledge of the complex philosophical ideas like existentialism and absurdity.

He explained how different people describe life in their own way. But I disagree with his conclusion where he labels life as ‘absurd’ and the act of trying to understand it as ‘absurdity.’

Yes, life is abstract, but it is also a beautiful gift of God. It is a mixture of both joy and sorrow. Life is rather interesting and full of exciting activities. We should live life to the fullest. We must also try to make the best use of this short span and learn from our experiences.

Smita Jha, via e-mail

Lars’ right

I agree with the views of Lars G E Backstrom as expressed in his letter “Avoid chaos,” published in THT on May 17. Nepal can easily accept monarchy with ceremonial powers in order to avoid dangerous future dictatorial regimes, as suggested by the writer. No matter what, monarchy has its unique place in Nepali history and is part of our rich culture and heritage. I also agree that we should respect this institution, but there is a need to keep under check the ambitions of the King. In this context, I request the readers to read the book ‘Wild Swans’ to know the real nature of dictatorship.

Tsultrim Zangmo, via e-mail

Small is big

I am an avid reader of the Midway section. The Midway titled “Lessons to learn” by Ekta Kabra (THT, May 16) was a very nice piece. I agree that we should learn lessons in punctuality, regularity and discipline from a man-made inanimate object like a watch.

Usually, people have the tendency of taking everything in their life for granted and fail to

appreciate the small gestures of others. We seldom understand the importance of ‘small things’ in our lives. Even if we want to be rich, we have to start small.

Soyang Bajracharya, via e-mail