By Shashi P.B.B. Malla

At a time when many people thought that the movement for the restoration of the Shah Monarchy was facing terrible head winds and also quite unnecessarily was bedevilled with internal squabbles, like a deus ex machina, a young prince charming entered the scene of a hopelessly divided Nepalese society.

Remarkably, Prince Hridayendra made his mark and charmed millions of Nepalese by his sojourn in Jumla, in the Far West of the country.

With his unassuming style and joie de vivre Prince Hridayendra also gave hope to millions of Nepalese who have remained dejected by the turn the nation has taken since the forced abolition of the monarchy.

Here was a young prince who could possibly – one day – slip into the shoes of his illustrious ancestors.

But he will have to be groomed to reign, but not to rule.

Moreover, his grandfather, the illegally ousted HM King Gyanendra and mother, former Crown Princess HRH Himani Shah will have first and second preferences to be reinstated as head of state of the reconstituted Himalayan Kingdom. 

HRH Princess Himani has already made her mark as chairperson of the Himani Trust.

The activities of the Trust must be diversified and extended to inform the general public of the capability of the royal family.

A start could be made in the Karnali province itself, where the current corrupt government is completely absent.

A multi-purpose project concentrating on the technical/professional training of the youth would go a long way in combatting joblessness and seasonal migration to India.

As the great American poet Robert Frost has written, the woods may be lovely, dark and inviting, but the people of Nepal hope that the former reigning family are cognizant of their national duty and commitment:

        “The woods are lovely, dark and deep:

           But I have promises to keep,

           And miles to go before I sleep,

           And miles to go before I sleep.”

The apologists of the current deeply flawed Himalayan Republic do not or cannot comprehend that the restoration of Constitutional Monarchy is not an end in itself, but the means to an end – the restoration and establishment of genuine grassroots, participatory democracy – in contrast to the fake, junk Loktantra, which, in fact, has metastasized into absolute oligarchy.

The apologists even have the effrontery to claim that periodical elections are the redeeming feature of the current Himalayan Republic.

The writer can be reached at:

shashimalla125@gmail.com