Do we Nepalese deserve development?

Welcoming gates have been removed, electronic screens in Baneshwor aren’t there anymore, the flower pots that had been rented for the event has been returned, traffic congestion is high, people have once again stopped using overhead bridges or crossing through the zebra crossing and Kathmandu is back to its original state.

The hangover of Xi Jinping on the denizens of Kathmandu has also faded away.

It seems like the capital which had a makeover just a few days back has wiped all the makeup off using cleaning wipes.

Social media was flooded with reviews and memes on this overnight beautification. Some criticized the overnight development as fake and pretentious while some expressed how they wanted government to work in similar pace every day.

Realizing that we pay huge tax I don’t think it's wrong for people to expect smooth roads to ply on or to be able to walk around beautiful parks which only get beautified during international visits.

It's completely normal for citizens to expect to be treated as special as foreign dignitaries.

Yes it drives me crazy as well when I travel through Bouddha Jorpati road stretch. I get angry when I cannot wear my white dresses owing to fear of dust.

On the contrary I also think we Nepalese aren’t responsible enough for such kind of development and maybe in a smaller scale we are also similar to our government.

We forget how we take out finest of cutleries when guests are arriving in our home and have a lavish spread in the dining table which would hardly be served in some other days. We forget how we post beautiful pictures in social networking sites when our life is no way closer to it. We forget how decking our neck with gold necklaces and covering our body with designer dress has become a trend.  I am not playing a blame game here but somewhere similar things happen in my life as well. So I don’t know how fair would it be for me to call someone pretentious.

We forget that these developmental efforts didn’t go through the procedure of 35 days long tender; we forget that if the grant we will receive in the coming days is used properly we will not fall in a loan trap but we will be the one benefited. Let alone the financial assistance the fact that a Chinese head of state came to Nepal for a state visit after 23 years is also an achievement that too when China has emerged as an economic giant.

Not only that no sooner had Xi Jinping departed for his hometown, I saw the streets of New Baneshwor filled with piles of garbage, I saw people plucking the marigolds and a woman throwing a bag full of puke in the middle of the road near Gaushala. Some individuals were also booked for tearing the flex in New Baneshwor before Xi arrived Nepal.

Isn’t the Nepali during the visit of Xi and after the visit of Xi same?

I know some of you might say that those actions might have been taken in a fit of rage or why can't the metropolis use broomers just like it did when Xi was in Nepal.

I don’t think  it makes sense for some to keep on dirtying roads and for some to keep on cleaning. 

I might be blamed of generalization too but why do we forget that the roads are ours, we belong to this country and we are also equally responsible for the cleanliness? Why is it wrong to pluck flowers from your own garden but okay to steal from others lands or from those planted by the government?

I am not saying that the developmental efforts must not be carried out. Government must carry out its responsibilities. But just like that we should too. How fair would it be to question our elected representatives when we ourselves are not responsible?

I hope we understand its not only the government that needs to change or bring reforms, the bureaucracy needs a change and the most important one our mindsets need a reform too. 

Leaving all the things aside I hope this state visit will be as historic, fruitful and successful as it has been termed. I hope the streets will remain as clean and as beautiful as it was in President Xi's maiden visit and I hope people of Kathmandu also become as civilized as they were for the 20 hours. Long live Nepal China friendship.

 Photo Courtesy: The Kathmandu Post