'Ganatantra' At Golden Gate Park

SAN FRANCISCO: Nepalis living in different parts of Northern California (Nor-Cal) welcomed the transformation of their motherland from monarchy into a republic. To mark the occasion, they organized a community picnic at Golden Gate Park on July 6.

On May 28th, the first meeting of Nepal's newly elected Constituent Assembly in Kathmandu declared the country a federal democratic republic, which also said sayonara to the 240-year-old monarchy.

The program was a brainchild of a group of San Francisco taxi cabdrivers, including Ashok Gautam, Rabindra Rai, Sagar Koirala, Roshan Subba, Prithviraj Upreti, Ang Tshering and Ang Newang Sherpa, Santosh Lama and Puru Subedi.

“We’re very happy to see new political changes in Nepal,” said Gautam. “We hope this will bring stability in Nepal and end the bloodshed and conflict forever.” He was referring to the uprising by the Maoists communists guerillas that lasted almost 12 years, claimed thousands of lives and displaced another million people.

The celebration at Golden Gate Park from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. started with singing of Nepal’s new national anthem by about 300 participants, coming from Gilroy to Sacramento. The abundance of delicious ethnic Nepali foods -- Sel Roti, Tamako Tarkari, Mulako Achar, Khasiko Masu – reminded many of their mother’s recipe. Fun filled games with prizes, dancing and singing of folk songs were also included in the festivities.

“The thing I liked best about the whole celebration was there were no formalities and lengthy speeches,” said Biplop Upreti, a recent high school graduate from Michigan who moved to the Bay Area in June. “We youths love forums like this where we could enjoy our culture and understand it by sharing our experiences with others.”

According to a rough estimate, out of 7000 taxi drivers in the city of San Francisco, about 200 cabbies are of Nepali origin. With the overwhelming participation of the community in Republic-Day celebration picnic, the organizers are planning for yet another gathering of same magnitude.

“If we have this kind of program at least three or four times a year, it will definitely help us understand the richness of our ethnic background, religion, culture and origin as a Nepali,” said Rabindra Rai. “The more we understand each other, the more we start living in harmony in Nepal and outside Nepal.”

(Published in The Indian Express)