If there is one politician who is not just bent on reaching the top of the proverbial political dung heap, it is Ramesh Dangol. The politician and sportsman can't wait for the spring mountaineering season to begin.
Mountains have always fascinated the 39-year-old chairman of Kathmandu's Ward 2, but only recently has he started paying his respects to them from up close. Inspired by his recent successful ascent of Yala Peak, he now wants to get to the top of Mt. Everest this year. He is doing all he can, following a tough daily physical training regimen that stretches to four hours over weekends. And he'll be accompanied to the peak of Everest by the very best-the legendary Babu Chhiri Sherpa. "It's part of my attempt to change the general perception that politicians talk big but do little," he says a little shyly. Dangol was elected on a CPM-UML ticket, and when the party split in 1998, he decided to go along with the CPN (Marxist-Leninist) splinter group. "I want to do something extraordinary that my community can take pride in," he says.
Dangol's struggle to change the "general perception" of people isn't restricted to traipsing up and down mountains, though. He tries in more traditional ways, too, like by actually serving his constituents as best as he can. During his tenure, Ward 2 (the Lazimpat area) has witnessed impressive changes-the locality is significantly cleaner than it used to be, more than 2 km of inner roads have been black-topped and more areas are now served by an efficient sewerage system. His efforts have not gone unnoticed by residents-although his party saw a disastrous defeat in the last general election, he still commands a trail of local supporters. "There is much more to attain, and I am obliged to fulfil my election promises," says the athlete-cum-politician-cum-mountaineer.
Dangol is a determined man who nevertheless came to politics after failures and disappointments. All job applications he put in here, on the strength of his Bachelor's degree in automobile engineering, were rejected. After a hard time in Nepal his skills and good judgement were recognised in Bahrain, where he worked for 18 months. "I was denied jobs here because I didn't have political connections. I got involved in politics because I want to change that," he says.
Dangol prefers doing sport alone because of run-ins with the bureaucracy-despite a stellar performance as a sprinter at a national sporting meet, he was not asked to represent his home zone, Bagmati at any other time. He had also been selected to the national taekwondo team for the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, but was dropped for speaking his mind about a decision made regarding a team-member.
Firm convictions and determination aside, there's more to Dangol than just toughness-his friends know his love for music and flowers. He himself says: "I surrendered to my love for my wife." He's an ardent follower of Newari culture, and a Buddhist, but six months ago married a non-Newar and non-Buddhist woman. No, she's not going up Everest with him, but she certainly will be on his mind.
