The Children of God (Exclusive)
By: Prem Raj
This world has become an inferno. The situation around is worsening day-by-day. In context of South Asia, India crops up as the key player to be responsible for exacerbation of the circumstances.
The aggravated situation in Assam— the Manipur becoming victim of Indian Army’s excesses, Tripura facing belligerence , Dalits in India being pounded in to fragments, Bengalis feeling insecure , the trio of Nepalese political alliance , the Maoists movement & the Monarchy , is existing on dissimilar angles which is always at the brim of striking with each other. Bhutan’s right of speech & taking decisions independently have been curbed & Kashmir facing the brutal atrocities at the hands of Indian Army since six decades where the number of dead is more than the number of living. So are the few examples to be quoted in context of the expansionist designs of India.
The style of India or the modus operandi has always been to blow the nation or a segment of society into a portal of pipe just to cut them into a size of its choice and receive them on the other end and then play like the puppets having strings in its hands under the garb of sympathy, consolation & friendship.
If we go through the chapters of history, Indian Army went crushing through the fields, buildings, rivers and cities of East Pakistan, taking un-due advantage of the situation, thus, turning the land of pure into Bangladesh while bluffing the world all over that the sovereignty of a country was crossed to liberate the oppressed.
India not only wants to have control over the resources but is also exerting all out efforts to become a ‘waterman’ of South Asia. India has nurtured the feelings of caste and creed. It has not only restricted to its own bounds but also carried it beyond that wherever it could pull the strings. This gave rise to class distinction and society turned faceless.
The editor of Hindu daily newspaper said in one of the seminars held to commemorate the services of Dr. Ambedkar, “You can change the world but you cannot change the mind of a Hindu”. Indo-Bhutan Treaty of 1949, referred as the treaty of friendship between the two countries, reads that matters of Defense and Foreign Affairs of Bhutan would be looked after by India. This shows that Bhutan became a subject of India always ready to be driven by his master though the treaty is recently reviewed.
After having seated in the driving seat of Bhutan for such a long period, India sowed the seeds of linguistic problem while advising monarchy to throw away the people who speak Bhutani language loathed in Nepali dialect & are neighbored to Nepal.
It was during early 1990s, when the storm erupted, as on the fateful day people woke up from their sleep due to the heavy unusual noise and then found the dozers at their steps. The announcement wrangled in their ears, almost ordering them to leave their abode immediately otherwise they would get crushed in the debris. So most precious thing one could carry was a child at the back and then run for secured life in the direction of eastern part of Nepal.
In actuality, they were deprived of their permanent homes, had lost the sacred temples, the place where bodies of their ancestors were cremated and ashes were secured.
It is almost two decades that Nepal considers them Bhutanese whereas Bhutan calls them Nepalese. They are leading a miserable life in the hutments made of bamboo woods. Most of the children born in the refugee camps are unaware of the realities. Though America has offered 60,000 refugees to be settled in different states but in a programmed installments spread over on the period of six long years. They also look towards India as their Godfather, which would never come to help them.
In the process of their demand where they want to live and die in Bhutan, have lost their identity as no one owns them. So they do ask “are we not the human beings & our God is different than the others? Why alone we are to be condemned and left unheard in this world which acclaims morality, values, enlightenment along with peace?”
The writer, Prem Dhoj, is responsible for all opinion expressed in this piece.