So, Nepal's first president was elected by parliament, 2 days after it was supposed to be, but this is Nepal. Things move slowly. However, during the inauguration the Vice President took his vows in Hindi, a move that has caused strikes and unrest across the country since. To give an idea of the insult that this caused the Nepali people, imagine Winston Churchill giving his first speech after the Second World War in German. Yesterday I went into Kathmandu, and protesting bus drivers, taxi drivers and lorries were all parked the wrong way along the huge one way system in the middle of the city, forcing most of the traffic in the area to a standstill. Add to the that mile long queues for petrol that cause traffic chaos anyway, and Kathmandu was just impossible to move in.
But anyway.
The President's first formal engagement as Head of State was to attend the Bhoto Jaatra, a festival the King of Nepal previously would attend. During the day the Raato Machhendranath, a chariot with a tall spire of wood, is pulled by devotees and tourists from Lagankhel to Jawalakhel roundabout, a distance of about a mile or so. On one occasion a few years ago the Machhendranath collapsed killing 4 people on this journey. Fortunately this time all went well. At Jawalakhel the crowds gathered. The police were making their presence known with several hundred holding back the crowds and others walking round in riot gear and carrying large bamboo poles, ready to beat anyone who steps out of line. At the foot of the Machhendranath a welcome party consisting of local dignitaries, the Scout groups from the private schools in the district and a band all dressed in white. Suddenly in a flurry of car movement, the Presidential cavalcade entered the roundabout and a huge round of applause erupted from the crowd. Nepalis were keen on embracing their new found democracy, even if some members of it were culturally inept. With the president and vice president stood the Army chief and former temporary Head of State, G.P. Koirala, showing his stubbornness and unwillingness to relinquish power quite yet.
The President and friends
After the traditional speeches, which no-one except those near the stand could hear, the band stuck up. And then the main part of this festival. The first VIP climbs up onto the Machhendranath, climbs onto the corner railings and hold out a jewelled vest. The crowd cheers. Then the VIP moves on to the three further corners before passing the vest onto the next dignitary who does the same thing. This is repeated several times for each dignitary. At one point, one of the VIPs fell off the railings into the Machhendranath. This was greeted by the crowd with laughter, after realising that he wasn't hurt. However, if he had fallen the other way, a drop of 2 metres would have greeted him, and a solid concrete floor.
Once all the posturing had concluded the President was whisked off again in a melee of flashing lights and sirens. One of the two Machhendranaths were left at Jawalakhel to be dismantled, whilst the other was again pulled towards Lagankhel, and then out of the city to a small village 3 miles from the Ring Road. Accompanying the Machhendranath on it's final journey of this year were hundreds of people, singing, dancing and enjoying the festival. This whole festival is to worship the Kathmandu Valley's rain bringing God, and this year it obliged us in the evening with a torrential downpour lasting several hours that threatened to leave several parts of this ancient city under water.
All of this I saw with great ease compared to most Nepalis as I have a slight height advantage over them. I did feel sorry for those behind me, but only for a second. I think I'm turning into a...
SAM
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