A Message to the Leaders

An officer of the Nazi occupation forces visited Picasso in his studio and, pointing to Guernica, asked, “Did you do that?” Picasso is said to have answered, “No, you did.” I happened to remember the same while visiting the photo exhibition tour of a book called ‘A People War’. A visitor’s comment posted on the wall read, “Prachanda, Baburam, Girija and Madhav Nepal should visit the exhibition”. I certainly agree with him. Everyone seems to have a clear idea that the pictures are done by the greedy leaders.

The pictures are so dreadful that I felt uncomfortable to stay there for long. My heart started pounding in a peculiar way. I felt very nervous and dizzy so I hurriedly made my way out. I never knew the rebellion was that violent before visiting the exhibition.

Who does not empathize when one sees tears flowing across a child’s cheek at the death of her journalist father? An octogenarian grandma looks totally confused when several of her neighbors are killed and her house is destroyed in an army operation. Among several corpses, a woman is crying beside her dead husband. An old man and three goats are roasted together with a bomb in an aerial operation. Men and animals are dying the same death.

In an armed conflict, it is always the general people who are the victims. In a non-violence movement they are always the victors. I wonder how pleasant it would have been had the change been brought by non-violence.

An another comment by a visitor who had lost his father in the conflict is worth reading. He says that earlier he wanted to avenge his father’s murderers. But after visiting the exhibition, he has realized that there are thousands of victims like him. Now he is feeling peace in mind. His eyes are still wet, but all he wants is that the same bloodshed should not repeat.

Nepali people have realized that the death of thirteen thousand people was not necessary to bring about change. . A nineteen-day long movement was enough to turn an autocratic king upside down. No any armed conflict in the world has brought positive result.
The visitors at the exhibition have one single voice, “No more violence”.

I would like to suggest the old leaders as well as the newly emerging ones to visit the exhibition. Upendra Yadav, Jwala Singh, Gohit and Pasang Sherpa among others should come and see for themselves what the consequences of violence are. They should ask with people affected directly or indirectly how exhausted they feel by the decade-long violence. They should always take the consent of the people before making any decision.

Victors are they who follow the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence. The world has learnt many lessons from the historic nineteen-day long Nepali movement for democracy. Twenty-five million people will always be with them who tread the intellectual route to democracy.