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| View from Tinker, Near Lipulek |
Machhi Marna Jauna Dajai Kalapani
Ma
Kheti Bari Juhari Mahakali Ma
Machhi Marna Jauna Dajai Kalapani
Ma
Machhi Marna Jauna Dajai Kalapani
Ma”
माछी मार्न जाउँ न दाजै कालापानीमा...!
Once again, these verses from the legendary
patriotism-filled song strikes back to the psyche of each and every Nepalese
within and beyond the Nepalese border. I had first listened to this song when I
was just a kid, maybe almost more than 20 years ago. Back then, I didn’t have
the capability to understand the essence and depth of this song. But now, once
again, this song “Machhi Marna Jau na Dajai Kala Pani Ma” has found its way
back into the hearts of patriotic Nepalese. In fact, this song was even banned
back then, citing some issues which may had been a concern to our neighbors.
And maybe that’s why the original singer of this song, Bidhan Shrestha, didn’t come
into the mainstream and that was the greatest tragedy for Nepali Music and to
the Nepalese people as well.
The song itself is very deep. The words are genuine. The metaphors
are simply amazing. The first line of the song is concerned with the
sovereignty of our country.
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| Nampa Peak, Tinker |
माछी मार्न जाउँ न दाजै कालापानीमा...!
(English Translation: Let’s go, brothers and sisters, for
a fishing, at Kalapani)
Click Here for Guitar Tabs and Chords for
Machhi Marna Jauna Dajai Kalapani Ma
This line implies that we can go to Kalapani, simply
because it belongs to us. Metaphorically, here the fish signifies the foreign
armies who have been camping in our land since the 1960s and still remains
there, which is against the sovereignty of Nepal. And as for “fishing”, it
calls for the Nepalese to chase away those foreign elements from our land and
claim our sovereignty there forever.
I could go on describing the real hidden meaning of the
song which led to it being banned, but I leave it to your contemplation to
decode it in your way.
After the introduction of amended political map of Nepal
including Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiadhura , the current border issue in the
far remote north-western part of Darchula district of Nepal takes me back to 2016
when we had gone to Tinker during our Study-cum-Cultural Tour (SCCT). Once
again, it takes me back to the nostalgia of Kalapani.
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| On the Way to Tinker |
We were set out on a couple of weeks tour in the then Far
Western Development Region of Nepal and our main destination was Tinker Pass,
which was just few kilometers away from the Lipulekh, which is considered the
strategic point for three countries, viz. Nepal, China and India. In fact,
China has included Lipulekh in its ambitious Belt Road Initiative. However,
Lipulekh itself has fallen into the Tug-of-war between Nepal and India. With
Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiadhura also comes into the scene. Both the
countries claim these strategies points as their own. Hence, the contradiction
prevails.
It took us almost five days to reach Tinker on foot from
the district headquarter Darchula Khalanga. As went advanced towards Tinker,
making our own trails through the mountains, cutting down the bushes to make
our paths, Mahakali river was flowing vigorously on our left, just at the base
of the steep slope of the mountain paths we were making. One wrong step, and
you will find yourself flowing with the Mahakali current.
On the fourth day of our trek, we reached Chhangru
village where the Armed Police Force has been deployed for the Border Security.
In between, we went stayed at Huti and Dhaulakot. In fact, Chhangru is almost
four hours away from the Tinker Pass where the Nepal Police had established the
Post since a long time ago. And even from Tinker, you can only see Lipulekh
somewhere up the hill lost in the clouds. And when you look around 360°, it’s
just amazing. It is one of the few rarely explored areas of Nepal.
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| Border Police Post at Tinker |
Traditionally, this region used to be the center of
trans-Himalayan trade. It is still the summer home of the “Rang” and “Sauka”
people in there. Following the 1962 Indo-China conflict, life in this region
has undergone complete changes. Not only in their lifestyle, but in large part
to in relation to the sovereignty. And thus the opening song in this article.
We also interacted with the locals there in Tinker. There
was literally no presence of the state except for the Nepal Police. In fact,
the Border Outpost of Nepal Police at Tinker was the only unit that existed in
the far rural part of that Tinker Pass. At such isolated place, the police were
protecting the border with the meagre utilities and equipment they had. Weather
was unpredictable. The only source of power was the solar power and that even
was time bound. The only means of communication was the wireless sets which
worked only when the base station was powered by the afternoon sun. Other
times, even that communication didn’t work. One of the policemen found about
the news of the demise of his mother only after three weeks. Hats Off to the
brave soldiers of Nepal who are at the most overlooked part of the country…
until now!
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| Panoromic View of Road to Mansarovar (Under Construction-2016) |
Talking about the road to Mansarovar that India just inaugurated, it was already under rapid construction back when we were making our steps from Darchula towards Tinker. Blasts could be seen and heard at the other side of the Mahakali River and huge machines were excavating and constructing the road. Little did we know back then that after almost four years the road will be inaugurated virtually amid COVID-19 pandemic and only then the issue of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiadhura will be of national interest. We didn’t see it coming. In fact, we totally ignored it. That part of Nepal was so ignored that the Nepalese living in there had to opt for Indian route to reach Darchula or any other less-rural part of Nepal for their basic needs. Most of the locals were even employed in India. So apparently, we led ourselves into this situation.
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| Road to Lipulek (Under Construction-2016) |
The tour that we had back in 2016 to Tinker was once in a lifetime moment. Though we didn’t reach to Lipulekh which would have taken us almost half a day from the Police Unit at Tinker, we promised to ourselves that one day we will come back and reach to that destination of Lipulekh, Limpiadhura and Kalapani, and that too not as a disputed region but as our homeland with sovereignty.
And that’s when the song by Bidan Shrestha “Machhi Marna
Jau na Dajai Kala Pani ma” will truly find its lost melodies. And last but not
the least, we should appreciate the tireless and brilliant historian and expert
of Nepal on Border issues, Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, who had actually once
published in his book the map including the Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiadhura
part. He was ridiculed by the so-called political leaders of Nepal. But now,
the truth has prevailed. Buddhi Narayan Shrestha’s version of Map closely
resembles the official Map of Nepal.
God Bless Us.
May Lord Pashupatinath Protect Us Always.
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