Fiction and imagination

In the days of yore, plutocrats or autocrats ruled the roost. They behaved as if the area they ruled is their fief.  They were photographed mostly in front of the library, which had a sumptuous collection of books, at their homes; wearing dresses, sun-glasses or watches of renowned foreign brands. It was to impress the public which often had no shoes in their feet.

Now since the people hitherto belonging to the peasantry have replaced them, their eccentricities too have been inherited by the new rulers without any hesitation. One might unsurprisingly find racks full of thick volumes of hard cover books–still not removed from their plastic covers–behind the seat of a leading politician of the country talking to a You Tube News Channel, betraying how plebeian he still remains for keeping his books in mint condition. Only if he had opened and read a few of them he would have said things more insightful.

However, the finance ministers of the country one witnessed over the years were said to be an educated lot, as, more often than not, they wielded a high degree from a Western university.

One of them once expressed his aversion to fiction and a preference to nonfiction. His policies lacked imagination obviously. While the economy of the country almost tanked, he returned to the office often enough. Before long he was winning awards financed by banks in Europe, as the capital was flying to them from here unabated in the name of liberalization.

In the meanwhile a group declared a war against the state, as it saw no chance of things improving in spite of the democracy the country now had. It did cost dearly to the country and nearly a whole generation suffered the great turmoil which a civil war entails, before the things became peaceful again, though the country is now a republic.

The incumbent Finance Minister too could not be accused to be a well read person either, or possibly, he too prefers nonfiction. As, while he made chocolates inexpensive, he increased taxes on electric vehicles and, the—of all the commodities—books, in the last budget he made public.

At a time when the country is expected to have surplus hydro power, which it plans to sell to the neighbors; and the bill of petroleum in dollars drains most of the hard-earned forex—mostly by the migrant workers, and the electricity is the most costly in Nepal than anywhere else, such policy of deterring the consumption of a local product only needs an education a foreign university imparts on a natives, to formulate. It could not be even an over- worked imagination, which comes by reading too much of fiction.

Also, as the journalists have unearthed a business house which imported a fleet of electric cars just prior to the day the Finance Minister announced the budget and cancelled a large import order of chocolates. So too many coincidences here indicate that it was not an act of genius on the part of businessman but the sensitive information has been leaked by the state for private gains. Besides the journalists here only do not lack imagination.

One cannot forget here a Prime Minister one saw, who too holds a foreign university degree; who nearly established a diesel plant to produce power in a country which is the second richest in hydro power potential in the world. It later transpired that the country already had enough power but it was being stolen by businessmen with the collusion of politicians and bureaucrats. Thankfully, the PM lost the office before long, as then the political instability prevailed in the country and we do not have a diesel power plant to feel proud of.

The political instability was, during yesteryear, a blessing in disguise in one way, as it did not give any politician enough time to do all the damage he could have done. But now since politics has become stable, one wonders how the country could fare.

K. C. Bhatt

Tags: fiction, Politics, publishing