I may have gone beyond the limitations permitted by philosophers and logic while searching for an appropriate analogy; yet, as with individuals, nation states too are incomplete, unsafe, and in a serious threat of failure without defining for themselves a national identity. I see this dynamic process of identity formation as a process consisting of three very important aspects: a) tradition, b) vision, c) and social conditions. I am in no manner arguing that identity formation happens exclusively through these three ways- much seasoned and wiser people may disagree- what I am saying though is that these three forces must be considered while shaping up the national identity. Another important feature of shaping the national identity is that because it is a concept that is so reliant on, what we call ,the aam Jaanta ( the common man) the citizens of the nation are participatory members ( voluntarily or involuntarily) of the process.
Nepal is in a strange conundrum regardless itself. Either Nepal needs to come out of the closet that our vision less leaders have forced us into, or be prepared die a slow suffocated death as a nation. Let all be clear about one thing, Nepal as a sovereign nation stands no chance in the international arena if it does not strengthen its weak national roots. No country harboring within itself the flimsy doubt of who it is has been able to stand the inevitable test of time and the inevitable notions of separatist aspirations. So let us first see whether or not, Nepal as it stands today has a strong national identity in terms of the aforementioned aspects.
Traditionally, because of the short sightedness of the fools “leading” our nation ( to god only knows where) we have been left to wonder where we find our roots. We have been left seeking our national soul amongst the glorious mountains, and beautiful plain; and although it sounds amazing, these have led us to neglect the great tradition of philosophical and spiritual development that we were a part of. India has unjustly hogged the glory of all ancient Hindu scriptures and knowledge by claiming it as exclusively its own, leaving us with only high mountains, beautiful landscape, couple of ancient temples and an apathetic debate over Buddha to seek our national soul from. I say India has hogged the glory of the ancient Sanatan Dharam because I believe, she as a nation-state does not have a monopoly over it. India as it exists today did not exist in the days of the past. The Vedas, the Upanisads, the Gita, the Ramayan is as much ours as Indias’, as a matter of fact, it is as much Sri Lanka’s, and Bangladesh’s, and Pakistan’s as ours and India’s. The greatness of this legacy is a shared heritage of the Indian subcontinent as whole- regardless of present day national boundaries. A very significant chunk of the Vedantic and Buddhist philosophy found it birth in the present day India but claiming it solely of India( as we define it today) would we wrong.
In terms of vision, Nepal lacks both the ingredients that can lead a nation to know itself: visionaries and a vision. Great nations that have survived myriad of political crisis have done so because they had a number of great thinkers who could provide a blue print for the nation; India with its great thinkers like Tagore and Gandhi, America with its Jefferson, Madison and Lincoln have shown us that all nations need a vision. This vision needs to be debated by all, and is dynamic in nature. Nepal embarrassingly lacks this. Firstly, there is no vision worth debating and secondly, even if there is a debate worthy vision no serious debate takes place because we have no means of doing so.
Finally, the national identity of a nation depends heavily on the social conditions of the people, in other words the ground reality. Social conditions of the nation provide a reality check to empty dreamers as well as a chance to aam janta to shape the will of the nation. But the social condition needs to be evaluated, it needs to be studied and understood- a colossal task.
What I am saying is Nepal needs an insurgency of new thinkers soon or Nepals days as a nation-state are unfortunately numbered.
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