Pun, Khakurel, Malla, Khadka, Veswakar, Gauchan, Mukhiya, Karn, Regmi, Bhandari and Airee. What do these surnames mean to you? Don't worry, I won't make this a rhetorical question.
Most of you probably viewed them as the cricket veterans who showed the path to realizing Nepal's T20 World Cup dream after a breathtaking last ball 5 wicket win over Hong Kong in the quarterfinal of the recently concluded T20 World Cup Qualifier in UAE. But did you notice the subtle significance these surnames will play in the lives of Nepali and its upbringing?
Everyone of us viewed it as a historical day in our lives and put our daily chores aside to celebrate our involvement in the making of the history. After all, we achieved the feat in just our 17th international T20 game. We rushed to the streets to start a rally. Some of us, like me in particular, didn't care to serve glasses of tea to our guests who were patiently waiting for over an hour and didn't care to do so even after an hour passed into the presentation ceremony. I even made sure to defy physics by banging the wall some 50m from its position (of course, I failed). I yelled as loud as I can in my home corridor like I didn't care the neighbors will call the police to report the continuous shrieking I had contributed to their meaningful peace. Some of us flooded the social network servers with tweets or posted status for others to share common joy along with us. But, once again, we failed to notice the revival of the lost tradition. A tradition we had long practiced but that limited its place in the history books after issues were raised against it in our previous Constituent Assembly.
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| 20 faces, 20 surnames, one mission... |
Allow myself to share the experience which inspired to produce this masterpiece, will you? Then, where were we? Yes, rightly after we went into the history books in our cricketing career, I allowed myself to skim through the status that my peers had posted on Facebook. None carried such an important weight than that posted by Rabindra Mishra, a reputed BBC Nepali radio journalist. He asked the same question as I did at the beginning of this post. But, it was his answer which really highlighted the significance of this victory and which made me realize the dream of a prosperous and peaceful country was at the doorsteps.
If we look closely at the surnames, not even one of them repeats itself. Hence, we can clearly conclude that negotiations can be reached even if we come from various backgrounds. We can reach the dream that we spun since the childhood. Or we can fulfill the ambitions shared by millions of people, millions of our families. And that is what this cricket team did.
We did not hear the players boycotting the training because the issue of caste came in light. Nor did we hear them demanding that all batsmen should be Khadkas or the bowlers only Mukhiyas. Moreover, they did not stage protest by burning their kits to the head coach demanding a separate practice match for Regmis. None of these issues sprouted that could potentially be dangerous to shatter the hopes that all the people rested on. They were all different but had the same dream: to reach the first ever World Cup.
Most of you have already got the message I am trying to convey.
It has been just over a week since the second constituent election was concluded. The results have already come out. But I fear that the politicians have still a lot to learn. And, I believe that most of these lessons can be learned from the Nepali cricket's legacy. What these politicians have to learn is that a consensus cab be reached only if we get united and sort out the differences immediately. And I believe that it is possible. After all, they represent the common aspirations of the Nepalese: to build a respectable and inclusive constitution.
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| A pre-election scenario of folks trying to hear the plans of a candidate. But there are no demands to guarantee eternal peace. |
It is time that the politicians leave the drawbacks aside and commit to building a better and prosperous country. It is time to realize that disputes over caste issues should never be broadcast in the media as fear will engulf the next generation to experience the traumatic wars of days long forgotten.
The hard fought victory will serve as a reminder that getting the resources at hand is not pivotal, but wanting to have that is. It is still possible to realize the dream through continuous dedication and team effort.
It must be the reason why I feel that our progress to the World Cup has stood as a base to building a revered constitution. The reason to return smiles to countless faces who had forgotten in the aftermath of the 10 years long Maoist insurgency. I believe that Nepal's cricketing legacy has imprinted an impression that will always stand out. The legacy will create a new revolution unlike never seen. I believe that it has even already started.
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