There is no dearth of such romantic fascination in the west for some of the third world thugs and mass murderers. These characters are seen by some as the new age messiahs. I have worked in different countries and with different nationalities and have come across some very interesting personalities who have fascination for the revolutionaries around the world. I look at these people like Jan Myrdal who supported Khmer Rouge with all his intellectual might during the worst phase of its rule in Cambodia. Jan realized his naiveté after almost 30 years and went back to Phnom Penh to apologize to the Cambodians for his support of Pol Pot and his murderous gang. I do agree some of these dreamers may never realize what is wrong with a totalitarianism inspired revolution.

"Out in the street, ... I wondered at the elderly ladies' fascination for communism. What did they understand by such heavy terms as communism and revolution? Were they serious....."

Well, you should have attended their lunch. (Duh!) This is interesting enough. But you might then have had something more insightful to say. The world is full of people with fascination for revolution.

To NT: Who is this author? An introduction would have been helpful.

Atleast there are some Americans who� hail "Prachanda" a hero. Good 2 know that as most of the americans dont even know that a country "nepal" exists.

And as these "Few" so called "well read & communism fed"� americans have� never "experienced" communism,� to them any "communist revolution" would obviously be � "adventurous". Let them enjoy their "fantasy communism" while we "Few" nepalese will enjoy thinking that every blonde american woman is a prostitute.

�

I can easily surmise:

Mr. Ranjan Adiga, an immigrant in the USA  declined to discuss about the Nepali Revolution and Prachanda with two ladies only becuase he might have been scared that either his GREEN CARD or Naturalized Citizenship or F1/J1 visa would be revoked and deportaed to his mother country if the USCIS officials would have known the rendezvous. What a petty interest !!!

Mr. Adiga seemed to be very "attached" toward the immigrated country - the USA than the real Americans, born in the soil. Did not he or his predecessors promise in the Visa application that he would return back to his home contry after the mission accomplished ??? He was hell a frightened like a "chicken".

Hang on now.

Two American ladies' fascination for Maoists of Nepal is causing such a stir! We Nepalis suffer from selective amnesia, don't we? Until a few years ago our own Nepalis were highly fascinated by the Maoists too. Led by our "intellectuals", media and "civil society", we the Nepali people ourselves hailed the Maoists as Robin Hoods of the poor, then the Messiahs of Peace, and red-carpeted them into center-stage of Nepali life, society, politics. ...or didn't we? 

Did anyone stop to question what was wrong with the 1990 Constitution that we needed a "Constituent Assembly" to draft a brand new Constitution for "New Nepal" then?! Didn't we all follow the Maoists' call for revolutionary change ("aamool parivartan") with maddenning zeal? ...Why then do we now talk so incredulously of these two ladies as if they were from some other planet?

Shall we hold a mirror up to our own selves, my friends? And ask how we got here? Who got us here? And why?

Rather than an article wondering at some retired Hawaiians, we need one that probes into our own psychosis!

What/who caused this mass hysteria that led us to (thoughtlessly, it would now seem) handover the nation's reins into the Maoists' "unwashed" bloody hands?!

("unwashed" 'coz, note, they were never even asked for any meaningful apology for their bloodshed before being invited to lead the charge for 'naya sambhidhan' and 'naya Nepal'!)

Fellow commenters (and Mr. Adiga), may I invite you to put these questions up to yourselves first before tsk-tsking at two old creatures way across the world? 

love has not so much to do with politics we vote peace. shanti.

In my Mind the nepalese feel a strong character is best, which has not proven to be P but BRB and what to do about hooligans destroy the life then vote hoooligans.

Almost like saying Goal I like football. I love whatever my country.

ALl not true.

"LOVE" is the most freely used word by the media.

# 20 Rishav,

You said it all what I have felt in the last five years stay in USA.

 There are some well-to-do fanatic very extreme left oriented ultra liberals who want to enjoy the fruit of liberal democracy and welfare capitalism and fantasize about far away communist revolution as the same way hippies used to fantasize seeing God or transcending into a superhuman taking some hallucinogen drugs or on some LSD tour.

And there are also other not so much well to do very small groups of lazy Americans whose daily bread comes from welfare check. All day they visit public libraries, in the evening drink beer, wants their children expense to take care by government, read the smartest way to claim welfare benefits, and in spare times dream about communist revolution blaming US system on the ground that some people are richer than them. The new immigrants work above 70 hours a week to meet their ends. These hard working immigrants in a decade or two become richer than these days dreaming revolutionaries and will have better life.

There are many quirky, fringe elements in the US who can do nutty things.  You can see Osama bin Laden t-shirts in the US, but that doesn't mean everyone in the US is a supporter of Osama.  Che Guevara relics can be seen in a lot of places, but that is more out of curiosity than a deeply-felt support for him.  This case is just one example of a few people  romanticizing issues they don't know very little about but they find it all "kinda interesting and neat!" As the adage goes: little knowledge is dangerous! 

I am sure there are some of these folks dispersed in Canada and elsewhere--far away from the mayhem and well ensconsed in their social security paying jobs but acting like armchair quarterbacks and pouring fuel to the fire.  

Talking to a lot of other Americans who know a thing or two about Nepal and a good number of the NRNs, it's clear that they don't think the murderer-in-chief Prachanda is a hero.  They view him and his ilk a band of murderers who are trying to legimitize their crimes.  They do not consider them revolutionaries.  They think Puspha Kamal is just an opportunist, who will go on looting and plundering on the power of the barrel of his gun.  Take the gun away and he will be reduced to a whimpering mongrel. 

Well, going by these comments, it seems that most Nepalis have been totally disillusioned by the Maoists and their promises of building some great "new Nepal". Well, if we have wisened up now, then let's go ahead and bring the King back. After all, life was better with monarchy around. There was more peace, security, stability, no ethnic hared, no extortion, chaos, mayhem etc etc.

What exactly was the monarchy abolished for? We have got nothing but worse things in return for following these "republican" leaders and their "ridiculous" ideas. Most of all, the monarchy was only doing the best it could to prevent these Maoists (and their supporters) from unleashing mayhem in our country in the first place. This seems to be clear by now. So why do we keep quiet about the pointless, foolish and unjust abolishment of the monarchy???

Restore the monarchy. It was the better institution compared to all others. And it was only trying to do the right thing. Nepal was better off with monarchy around. We should restore it!

To achive revolution is one thing than to run a country. Achievement of maoists comes down to 'over throwing Monarchy'. Despite being a bigger party they have succeeded to fail.

As a citizen I feel Maoists are the 'draw back' for country's development  and its proven,which is getting worse as we speak.

In short Nepal is better with the Monarchy than the Maoists by far. Still now if you minus Moaoists Nepal would be better off as they dont have democratic nerve. They have no idea what they are into.

At the end of the day its not a Party or system, it come down to the person what makes a different. So we need a dynamic leader in every party who think for Nepal's betterment.

LONG LIVE NEPAL...................................................................................

#46. aawartan.org

Comparing the Maoists to petty politicians is an insult to petty politicians.

Petty politicians do not murder, loot and extort.

If Rajan's heart swelled with pride when he heard the lady say I love Prachanda, his heart would or should stop if he opened himself a bit to learn how corrupt the politicians are back in Nepal. If Adigaji further sees the toilets at the aiports in Nepal, I am sure his nose would swell with stinks received from such so called facilities. And then when he actually visits the Minstry of Health in Putali Sadan (I refuse to call it Ramshah Path), the welcome pungent smell coming out of the hallway toilets would remind him that he is now in a government office that is incharge of people's health in Nepal. If he had less than one percent chance of knowing how the dalits are treated by so called high castes in Nepal, then if he had any humanity left on him, he would bleed.

Shahrukh,

merely the name you wrote suggest your aukat (level).

Ranjan Adiga

I thank you for your write up and respect my rights to disagree with you. If you are biased then your views will be biased. Do not forget Prachanda is the one who took his life in risk and envisaged this change. I am not supportive of any political party, but the way you are writing shows that you want people to compare your contribution to Nepalese society with Prachanda. Never underestimate him. He is genuinely fighting the cause of suppressed people of Nepal. I believe your father has earned a lot of money for you and that is why you do not understand the pain of majority Nepalese.

@oneLady: ha ha ha ... He is anything but what u said in yr comment. I was his classmet for almost 10 whole yrs so I am guessing I know him better than u (unless u know him more closer than me). One thing I know, he loves to talk.

To others, I only see pessimism in their responses. Hey, why don't we realize that this is the time when there is no solid system in the country but will slowly head towards that elusive stability (will take a heck a lot of time to reach there). Remember may be after 10-15 years, you might say one day "I was the part of the history when the Monarchy was abolished". Then go in front of the mirror and look at yourself and say to yourself are the leaders of this county the only fraud ones.

Hi  All,

      I believe that Revolution never comes  Easy,

  Either most of you above are from Rich family or you want your life to be very easily fed , without having to hear or see anybodys rights been taken away, or been treated like Non-Humans.

      It is true that The Peoples War cost us many Nepalese Lives , but is is those Millions From the future in Nepal who will benefit from the fairness of treatment and will be thankful to those who caused and fought for the Revolution, but unfortunately is very hard for us to agree/support with what has happened  to cause so many lives.

   But if you Guys really want to understand why this took place, then go look into the History of the World , and you will find many examples of Revolution that took place and never been Peaceful  as we would have prefered it to be, and you Guys will also realise that Revolution is not done by one Like Prachanda OR Baburam, but infact it is a Belief that was hidden inside Peoples Heart and Mind for ages and just been waiting for the right Time .

   If all of us commenting here over the Internet regarding the Issue were those Living amongst the Poorest People of Nepal , then it would have been different case, but infact we are amongst those who left the country (NEPAL) because we couldnot  afford to do anything about the unfairness and got fed up with the system in Nepal and when we Got into some Developed countries like USA and UK and others , we then start to compare our own country to this Developed ones and start to Complain,    for me it is being like a Child who dont have to Contribute anything running the Household but gets to Complain and Complain  for not getting  what  he wanted only for his purpose.

   Come on all,

   Think about  Nepal and the Poor living there, dont just sit and complain, either make some contribution ar just

  SHUTTTTTTTTTT   UPPPPPP

Ranjan Adiga

I thank you for your write up and respect my rights to disagree with you. If you are biased then your views will be biased. Do not forget Prachanda is the one who took his life in risk and envisaged this change.

Prachanda did not risk his life. He took other peoples' lives. For most of the period that he was creating mayhem in Nepal he was enjoying Indian hospitality. Mostly, it seems in Noida of New Delhi.

The communist murder campaign in Nepal was the clear result of careful planning. It had nothing to do with conditions on the ground which were rapidly improving. Democracy was getting institutionalized, and development was rapidly reaching the people.

Matter of fact, the pace of welfare delivery as well as establishing better living conditions was mush faster than the pace of expansion in pre-war USSR, where the 1917 revolution led to an extended period of terrible hardship till the start of the war, during the war and well after it. That is 30 years of communist rule, unchallenged by any other power.

Nepal did not have to be known as a peaceful haven, it actually was.  

In conducting their war, the Maoist deliberately forced people to flee their homes and those unable to leave cowered under their terror, forced to either fight or send their children to fight a war that they wanted no part of. 

The Maoists systematically destroyed the VDCs and DDCs; the purpose was quite simply to stop any development activity whatsoever. 

They made it impossible for political leaders to visit their constituencies and prevented the holding of democratic elections.

The most important element of their murder campaign and their hypocrisy comes from the following facts,  the Maoists didn't allow free press, civil society or human rights-they ruled by instilling fear. 

However, none of the self-serving votaries of democracy and human rights ever felt it necessary to censure the Maoists in clear and unambiguous terms for their deeds. Even now when they continue their murder campaign newspaper journalists are too scared to report them.

The (Royal) Nepali Army had done a commendable job in respecting the rights of non-combatants. 

Contrast the action of Nepal Army with that of the European and US armies. Although there have been thousands of civilian casualties (some of that very wilful) in Iraq and Afghanistan, none of the British, American or any European soldiers have been brought to justice.