|
|
 |
 |
Prayers
and Guns; A Report from Nepal.
by
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho
February 15th, 2005
 Large Hindu temple in Kathmandu.
Twenty minutes before landing at the Tribhaun airport in Kathmandu,
I looked out of the window of the plane as the Himalaya Mountains
appeared; rising from the blanket of clouds with such majesty I
caught my breath. A man, seated in front of me, stood up excitedly
when he saw the mountains and began waving to fellow passengers
and speaking excitedly in his native Nepalese tongue. He peered
intensely out the window and continued to express his excitement
and joy.
I found this somewhat surprising, but his actions did not seem
to faze the other passengers who just nodded at him with smiles.
There were tears of joy in his eyes, and he made no attempt to
hide the emotions the sight of the mountain peaks brought to his
heart. He continued in his revelry along with the other passengers
until the flight attendant gently reminded him to sit down and
buckle up for landing. Even though I could not understand his native
tongue, I did understand the word Himalaya, Himalaya which he repeated
joyously over and over again.
As the plane descended into the clouds, I imagined that this gentleman
had not seen his homeland for a very long time. I tried to imagine
the journey he might have been on that took him away for so long.
From a country with the third lowest income level in the world,
many Nepalese seek work in other countries. Whether this gentleman
was returning with pockets full of gold or full of disappointed
dreams, his joy was infectious and I found myself celebrating his
return with him.
I am told that Kathmandu, the capitol of Nepal is a city that has
more religious statues than people, that the people of Kathmandu
live at the base of a mountain of gods, much like the Himalayan
Mountains that surround them. I am told that their lives revolve
around their beliefs and the life I was to experience here was
to be a rich one. I abandoned my thoughts for experience as I climbed
into my first Nepalese bicycle drawn rickshaw and headed for the
hotel.
Small cars passed, missing each other by mere inches on the narrow
winding streets. The streets were not host to only cars, there
were horse drawn carts, human manned carts, wheelbarrows, motorcycles
with two, three or four passengers, bicycles by the hundreds piled
high with furniture, bundles of vegetables, and wares for sale.
There were strong and wiry men colorfully dressed manning rickshaws
and pedestrians by the score. I watched in awe as we passed a man
that was actually carrying a full sized sofa on his back. Another
man bobbed and swayed through the crowds with two baskets piled
high front and back on a stick balanced delicately on his shoulder.
Mixed among this lively throng of humanity were cows, dogs, and
goats that also meandered through the right of ways. Every living
creature made their own noises, warning others of their passing
with a melody of sounds.
While all of this was going on IN the streets, the sidewalks were
also busy with activity. Vendors selling all types of wares, some
with only a single newspaper as a display for goods, lined the
streets as far as I could see. There seemed to be no apparent traffic
laws or rules for the road and yet I saw no collisions on my rickshaw
ride. I became aware of the intrinsic rhythm in this seeming chaos.
Everyone gave way to one another. I saw no fighting or anger or
impatience in the crowds. Every intersection looked like impending
disaster to me, and I thought there would be no way to move forward
through the crowds. I still am not sure how, but the tangles seemed
to unravel themselves and we would travel forward uninhibited towards
our destination.
The only real traffic snarl I witnessed was caused ironically by
a uniformed policeman that was making futile attempts at directing
and controlling the traffic to his liking. Those who passed us
by on bicycles or rickshaws worked hard peddling to keep up with
the pace of the traffic. I found myself tensing and pushing too,
trying to help my rickshaw move forward if only with my thoughts.
In the last few years I have been able to travel to many parts
of the world to teach Aikido or to work on developing humanitarian
activities with AHAN (The Aikido Humanitarian Active Network).
It has been a privilege to have local hosts in each country to
guide my way in their native lands; to be able to see and experience
things that a traveler cannot experience on their own.
One of my reasons for coming to Nepal was to learn about the Martial
Art community here. My first stop I learned was to be Dasrath Stadium
where many groups of martial artists gathered early each morning
at dawn to practice.
On the night before my visit to Dasrath Stadium, I asked the rickshaw
driver if he could meet me at my hotel at 5:30 am. the next day.
To make sure he was not late for our appointed meeting time, the
driver slept that night in the security room of the hotel. I am
sure his accommodations were not the most comfortable, but I guess
it was better than peddling across town to wherever his home might
be.
The next morning as we set off for the stadium, the city was still
dark except for the hundreds of butter candles that glowed a beautiful
orange from the temples and shrines. As we made our way, I saw
shop owners preparing for their busy day ahead in the light of
single dimly lit light bulbs.
The trip by rickshaw from the hotel through the winding streets
dotted with temples and shrines took about a half an hour. The
stadium was located next to the Nepalese Army Training Center and
is the largest soccer stadium in Nepal.
 |
|
 |
| Karate signs in a row. |
Karate practice outside. |
 |
|
 |
| Different Karate groups practice
side by side |
 |
|
 |
| Different Karate groups practice
side by side |
On the ground level underneath the stadium were many smaller gymnasium
spaces. As I entered the gates and got closer to the shuttered
gymnasium fronts I was met with a surprise. Each space bore a sign,
and the first ten spaces in front of me that I could see were hung
with signs for Japanese Karate and Chinese martial art dojos. Through
the shuttered doors below each dojo sign came a faint but familiar
sound. It was the sound of “kiyai” or the voices used
in martial art practice. The familiar sounds came from the first
floor gyms, and also from a second level somewhere. I soon noticed
that kiyais could be heard coming from the parking lot areas outside
the stadium and more could be heard from adjacent buildings. As
I looked around, following the sounds, I glanced at my watch. It
was now 6:00 am.
I went inside and began to walk past gym after gym. I have never
seen so many styles of martial arts practiced side by side anywhere
in the world especially before sun up! Each gym looked to have
an average of thirty students, some numbered closer to one hundred.
Even within one form of martial art, there would be several different
style groups practicing at the same time. Somehow I did not look
out of place as I strolled through the stadium and everyone was
polite, gracious and helpful; offering me assistance as I passed
by. One young instructor stopped and introduced himself, and I
introduced myself to him. He studied me for a moment before disappearing.
He returned shortly to my surprise with a worn and tattered copy
of my book “Structure of Aikido”, and asked me to sign
it. Where on earth he got that book I guess I will never know!
All of the gyms I passed by were practicing Karate, Kempo, or Taekwondo
styled martial arts. The only exception I saw was one group practicing
Judo. The stadium facilities I was to learn, are run by the National
Sports Council which organizes most all of the martial arts taught
in Nepal. I was informed later by a National Sports Council staff
member that the reason martial arts like Karate and Kempo are taught
in Nepal is because these arts can be practiced anywhere with a
minimum of equipment. “They can practice almost anywhere”,
I was told. “Judo however requires mats and a permanent facility
which is harder to afford on our budget. It used to be that Martial
art groups were not organized by the National Sports Council. These
arts became so popular however, it was decided by the Council that
it would be better to register and organize the groups and practices.
By being able to provide a facility for these practices, it is
easier to keep our young people in control. There used to be an
Aikido group that practiced here, but not presently”.
After spending about an hour at the stadium, I returned to my rickshaw
driver and we headed off back to the hotel. By this time, morning
rush hour had begun, and what was a thirty minute trip to the stadium
became an hour and a half trip back!
Along the way we came upon a steep hill, and the rickshaw driver
was pedaling heavily in a standing position just to keep moving
forward.. It seemed like the whole world was behind us, honking
impatiently as we attempted to scale the hill. Finally the driver
ordered me out of the rickshaw with a wave of his hand, and I began
to push the rickshaw from behind. I had hired the driver for four
days, and I felt like we had formed a bond. I am sure it looked
a little strange, but I didn’t mind helping at all. After
we had negotiated the hill, I decided I wanted to try to “drive” the
rickshaw. The driver hopped into the back and I attempted to maneuver
the rickshaw forward.
I didn’t even make it ten yards. It looked so easy! But it
was very difficult to steer, and keep my balance and momentum going
at the same time! I could not for the life of me imagine how to
deal with any traffic should I encounter it. The driver smiled
at me knowingly, and we switched places. I decided that my job
teaching in the dojo was MUCH easier than his job any day!
When we arrived back at the hotel, I was surprised to see that
a few people I had met at the stadium were waiting for me. One
of them said “While you are here in Nepal, we would very
much like to practice Aikido with you. There are other students
who wish to practice also”. Since one of my goals for visiting
Nepal was to find out if there were any practicing Aikido groups,
and offer any assistance I might have, I happily agreed. After
giving me the time and location for the practice, they left to
go on about their day.
The practice was to be held at a Nepalese Military Facility. When
I arrived, there were about forty students waiting for me. Most
of them were from the military or police services along with a
few young karate students. Out of the forty people, there were
about sixteen that had had any experience with Aikido at all.
One gentleman was a security guard for the former Prince Dipendra
Bir Bikram Shah Dev, and he had served as practice partner for
the Prince who had achieved his black belt rank in Aikido in London
while he attended his studies. The guard was happy and nostalgic
about practicing again.
Before practice and I looked out at all of the body guards and
policemen before me. “This is going to be interesting”,
I thought to myself. “These are big and strong men, and few
have any Aikido experience at all. I know that they are looking
to see hard effective techniques. They want to learn things they
can use now; I don’t think there is time to start with tenkan
steps and rowing exercises! What can I teach them? , I thought
with growing anticipation.
The space we had for practice had no shrine, or front for that
matter, so I just picked a direction to be the front and had everyone
line up. We began with a silent meditation with closed eyes. After
the meditation, I opened my eyes, bowed, turned around to face
them, and bowed again. As I did this, I realized that the first
thing I had taught in Nepal was “rei”; the spirit of
respect and greeting that is an essence of Japanese martial arts.
The Nepalese are a religious people by nature and by culture, and
these gentlemen were trained, disciplined soldiers. The concept
behind “rei” was easily understood and assimilated,
and made for a wonderful start. The mood now set was friendly and
sincere, and I was able to follow my beginning Nippon Kan class
format with these new Nepalese students.
On the morning of my sixth day in Nepal, I awoke at 6:30 am and
flipped on the television in my room. It took me a moment to realize
that every station was broadcasting the same image with the same
message. I did not understand what was going on, so I went down
to the lobby to get some tea and inquire about this oddity. The
entire hotel staff was gathered in front of the television in the
lobby, so I had a feeling something was going on. At 10:00 am,
King Ganendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev came on the television and began
to give a message to the people of Nepal. Without asking, someone
translated his words for me so that I might know what was going
on. It seemed the King had dissolved the cabinet and had retaken
control of the government. They were calling this the Kings “coup”.
Television and radio stations had been taken over, and telephone
or internet communication and transportation had been cut with
the outside world.
I looked outside to see heavily armored soldiers manning the streets,
fingers on the triggers of their weapons. Some soldiers were masked;
others on horseback, all were armed and ready; watching carefully
as locals gathered in groups to read special edition newspapers
that were being distributed about the take over. Since these special
edition papers were on the streets not thirty minutes after the
King’s announcement on the television, it was apparent that
this take over was well planned and organized. The special edition
newspapers about the Kings take over provided some relief for locals
who worried that this might be a government take over by Maoist
communist groups.
 |
|
 |
| Soldiers patrolling
the streets. |
Soldiers on horseback
move
towards their positions. |
 |
|
 |
| People pray while walking
around the pagoda in circles. |
Life as usual, daily
prayers. |
I had so been enjoying the flavor of Nepal, and the holiness of
live here. It was quite a shock back to reality to see armed, masked
soldiers patrolling the streets! What a contrast from daily prayers
to guns. However, even though the peaceful feeling I had experienced
in Kathmandu the day before was interrupted, I did not feel worried
or fearful for my own safety. I did not fear for myself, because
the people I saw around me did not. Life somehow started forward
in an almost normal pattern. The people I saw seemed to be going
about their normal routines. The money wheels at the temples kept
turning, the bells rang, incense and candles were lit, and somehow,
an air of calm, normality filled the city around me.
That evening a military officer came to my hotel. He had attended
the practice I lead earlier in the week. He said he had come to
warn me that I had better hurry and get out of Nepal. “It
is safe here right now” he said, “but there may be
demonstrations that follow. It might be even more difficult soon
to get a flight out of Nepal if you do not hurry”. With that
he bowed toward me with his hands held together in front of him
and said “Namaste”, shook my hand and left.
The next day, I made my way through a heavily guarded airport,
and with great luck, made my originally scheduled flight on time!.
Security at the airport was extremely tight, and everyone was searched
carefully. It seemed they were especially looking for recorded
images of the current internal situation, and film, digital chips
and tapes were being confiscated.
In my case, I “donated” a new disposable camera to
the guards, and they also took the chip that was in my digital
camera. That chip contained photos of the practice at the military
base, and also of the military patrols after the take over. They
looked at me more than a little suspiciously, but after accepting
my “donation”, let me pass. Luckily all of the other
digital recordings of my visit to Nepal I had kept in another pocket
and they had remained undiscovered. It would have been a terrible
shame to have lost all of my photos of Nepal.
As I walked toward the plane I remembered that I had promised to
teach one more class before I left, but with the turn of events,
I was unable to even say goodbye and thank you to the many people
who had made my stay in Nepal a wonderful one. On this trip I was
able to meet with students who were interested in learning Aikido.
In the future, this is something I hope I will be able to help
with, and some day there might be an opportunity for an AHAN project
in Nepal.
As I waited for my flight I wrote notes to myself about an interesting
situation I had observed during my visit. I had learned first hand,
that Nepal is a country that is in need of support, but it is not
a poor country. It is one of the richest countries I have visited
with its wealth of history, culture, beauty, and wisdom. The people
of Nepal are rich in heart and have deep religious beliefs and
spirit.
People from all over the world have recognized the wonders of Nepal,
and there are many non profit environmental, historical (restoration
and preservation) and humanitarian aid organizations that have
offered support to this land. In fact, I was stunned to find out,
that there are between 15,000 to 20,000 different non governmental
charity and non profit organizations represented in Nepal. The
money generated by this body of organizations is larger in sum
than the Nepalese National revenue. I also learned from a number
of reputable sources here that many of these organizations are
scams or fronts, and that any moneys collected by some of these
groups never reaches the intended in need.
One authorized Nepalese Non Government Organization Staff member
told me “Tourism is Nepal’s leading source of income,
and we are grateful for all of the visitors that come to Nepal.
Unfortunately problems like unsubstantiated Non Profit organizations
are also a problem that has manifested itself with the coming of
the visitors as well.
Visitors measure the standard of living in Nepal by their experiences
in their own country. They think the lifestyle here is poor and
sad, and they give us money or things. In the West, a dollar is
just a dollar to spend on soda or the like. Here, a dollar is BIG
money. If a visitor pledges one hundred dollars a month to a non-profit
organization in Nepal, and the organization cultivates ten sponsors,
this one thousand dollars of monthly revenue is e equivalent to
six months of average working wages. It is understandable how someone
might think that this is an easy way to make a lot of money, but
setting up charitable organizations as fronts for personal profit
injures many; from the visitors that may be raising money back
home to generously send in aid to those who never receive the support
intended for them. Disreputable organizations like these endanger
the validity of authorized reputable assistance organizations and
lowers the reputations of Nepalese organizations in general”.
During my visit I was approached many times young men who hung
around the temples and tourist attractions. I watched them prey
on tourists, soliciting donations for non profit organizations.
If I ignored one of these young men when they approached me speaking
English, they would soon switch to Korean or Japanese. If none
of these multilingual solicitations worked, their words would turn
more cursory in nature as they turned to fresh prey in defeat.
In the capital city of Kathmandu alone there are dozens of world
heritage historical sites, of which most I saw were in disrepair.
I saw monuments and works of art that you would see behind glass
in a climate controlled museum in the United States that were covered
casually with a blue plastic tarp to keep off the rain. World support
IS needed in Nepal for among other things to preserve their wonderful
history and heritage. It is important however to be careful to
check the credentials of any assistance organizations before making
contributions, and to make sure that funds go directly to the projects
for which they were intended.
 |
|
 |
Current ongoing preservation
of historic monuments. |
Infrastructure systems
such as water and sewer lag behind growth in Kathmandu. |
The price for admission to historical monuments is $15.00 US for
tourists, which is a handsome sum in Nepal. You do not get a ticket
or receipt in return for your $15.00 donation, and I have my concerns
about where this money actually goes. Unless this system is tightened
up, I fear that it will be a very long time before the blue tarps
are replaced with more permanent preservation solutions. Nepal
bases its economy on tourism. These monuments are a national historical
and monetary resource. The importance of their preservation is
not only to remember the past, but to secure the future in Nepal
as well.
Before my visit, Nepalese friends I have in Denver gave me gifts,
letters and messages to give to their families back home. From
each person I was given small sums of money to be offered at the
local temples and shrines near their homes. Even from so many thousands
of miles away from their home, my Nepalese friends still live in
their hearts under the Himalaya Mountains. No matter how far away,
they do not forget their home, their gods and their families. It
is our dream for the future at Aikido Nippon Kan Headquarters to
be able to support Nepal and its many people through the teaching
of Aikido.
Many thanks to all of the people who showed me so much of their
country, both here and in Kathmandu. I hope to return soon, as
soon as the rifles and guns disappear and the peaceful wonder of
life in Kathmandu prevails.
.
As I boarded the plane to leave Kathmandu, I thought of the young
man on the plane coming into the capital city, and the glee he
showed at the sight of the mountains of his homeland. I imagine
now that he has been reunited with his family and that is was a
happy reunion.
What is happiness…what is wellness…to be happy we need
money…but you can’t buy happiness…like counting
sheep, I pondered this question as the plane climbed high over
the Himalaya Mountains. It was not long before I fell fast asleep.
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho
February 15th, 2005
*authors note
Due to the sensitive nature of the political unrest in Nepal, any
reference to specific names, places or people were not included
in this article. All Aikido practice photos at the military instillation
were confiscated by security at the Kathmandu airport. If you have
any questions or information about Aikido in Nepal, please contact
Nippon Kan at info@nippon-kan.org
To try to describe my impressions of the people of Kathmandu in
a few pages is truly inadequate and an injustice to the hearts
of these people. I think to truly understand the Nepalese people
one has to come here.
|
|
|
|
