We need to adjust to globalisation without changing our culture.

Nepal is limping back to normal, grief-stricken and shocked. Slowly people are trying to look ahead. And that is what everyone ought to do, because the task in front of us now is making for ourselves a workable, bright future. As a country whose economy is saddled by an inefficient government and a bandh-loving opposition, we have all got to put in some more time trying to make the future work. The Beed has been in a dilemma, wondering how a nation should react in such trying times without bringing the economy to a standstill. The last two weeks saw only a couple of workdays. In order to gain some kind of closure, we have been following certain rituals of mourning from time immemorial. The challenge we face now is fitting these into a modern paradigm of commerce, business and economy.

The world economy functions around the clock. True, Nepal does not have the volumes of the big bourses, or commodity exchanges that transact high volumes of trade or foreign exchange markets that work on rates quoted minute to minute, but there are areas that have been affected in the last few weeks. One could argue that when a nation is shocked, as we have been, perhaps discussing trivial issues like business is moot, but the reality is that life goes on. People who had to retire their Letters of Credit had to fork out penal interest, demurrage charges had to be paid to transporters, rental had to be paid for goods that stayed in the other side of the border. Students going abroad missed out, because the banks were not functioning and did not issue Travellers Cheques. People who had to go out of the country for medical emergencies could not travel, because the offices handling the issuance of passports were closed. People trading on the low volume stock exchange had to wait two weeks to square off their deals and most have lost in interest the gains they anticipated.

The list of the unquantifiable is longer. The number of days the schools have been closed this year has become even longer. The change in examination dates especially impacted those taking international competitive examinations. The transportation system came to a virtual standstill, affecting the movement of agricultural produce. In Nepal, where a large portion of the populace lives hand-to-mouth on daily wage, is it fair to deprive them of their income while also forcing them to pay more for everyday goods and foodstuff due to disruption in supplies. And in a country that depends on tourism as much as we do, shutting down the economy for extended periods is not a luxury we can afford.

It is time we examined our laws for shutting down the country and assessed what they should affect and what not. The government may not do much about this since the bureaucracy is notorious for enjoying extra days off?the same reason there is little real opposition to the bandhs. Government servants who avoid work even on the best of days cannot be expected to support changes that would require them to work more. The business community that largely comprises traders also has a vested interest in such situations?they control the supply chain and gain by charging an extra five rupees for a litre of kerosene or a kilogram of sugar. And the people who really suffer? They do not even have a forum to voice their concerns.

Simply put, we need to make adjustments to accommodate the economy in the context of rapid globalisation without affecting too adversely the ethos of our religion, our culture and our social values. This difficult task must begin now.

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