Few Words on Nepal-India Border Dispute

Few Words on Nepal-India Border Dispute

I have been forced to contemplate about an idea that I had stopped thinking about for a long time- the idea of territory. Standing on the same idea I become a citizen of another abstract idea called ‘Country’. Being born inside this imaginary boundary, I qualified to be called as Nepali from the day I was born. Growing up reading, listening and watching stories about how great this specific land inside this boundary is, I started developing a bias towards it. The territory being embedded deep in my brain, I learnt to feel great about the land and show hostility against people outside the boundary if necessary. Had I been born outside the territory; my bias would have been flipped towards another land and hostility towards this land.

A few seconds after I heard about the dispute between Nepal and India over the land in far western Nepal, the place I have never been, the imaginary territory embedded in my brain since I was a child triggered and I quickly reached to the conclusion that India has done something wrong. If I was an Indian, born outside this territory of Nepal, the conclusion I reached would have been the other way round. I think this is what’s happening for most of the people in the present day world. From most-heard conflicts like Israel-Palestine and India-Pakistan to Trump’s campaign of building a wall, are all inspired by bias towards one’s territory.

Among all other imaginary boundaries like religion, race and language, dividing line of territory runs the deepest. However, sometimes these boundaries overlap with each other. For example: A person born inside Nepalese territory would support Darjeeling in Gorkhaland movement for its partition from West Bengal and establishment of separate State inside India. I have even experienced attitudes of most Hindus being more welcoming towards Nepali because they share the common religion and are more hostile towards Indian-Muslims. This is analogous to Pahadi-Nepali suspecting nationality of Madhesi-Nepali while a person descending from Darjeeling is easily welcomed.

Good reference about ideas like territory and religion can be read in “Sapiens — A Brief History of Humankind” by Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harrari. He has examined the evolution of such ideas and has explained how they enabled us humans to collectively unite unlike our cousin apes — Gorillas, who require to know each other in person to be the same members of a group. We built cities, empires and pyramids working together under the umbrella of such ideas. This ability to work together benefited us in several many ways but the ideas of religion, nationality or race mostly lead to “Us Vs Them” situation where a group is represented as separate from the other group. Human civilization has already fought hundreds of wars based on these ideas.

Coming back to the topic of recent Nepal-India conflict over territory fueled by barking Indian media and Nepali keyboard warriors, we are just displaying our deep rooted Gorilla-like xenophobia. Nepal and India share age-old friendship that rises above any borders. Citizens from both the countries can cross border without requiring any special document. Hundreds of thousands of Nepalese work in India and thousands of Indians work in Nepal. Indian Army has its separate regiment called “Gorkha Regiment” and hires Nepalese every year. Cross-border marriages are common and needless to say about the influence of Indian music and cinema in Nepalese audience. Hindi is easily understood by the mass in Nepal as opposed to the South India where Hindi-Imposition is a hot debate.

I personally believe, once people start becoming conscious about the abstract ideas of religion, race and nationality, the deep rooted lines of territory in start to fade off in their minds. Even if these concepts are products of the evolutionary pattern which enabled larger number of people to come together for a common goal,we have substitutes for these - conception of freedom, secularism, development and well-being of all the people in this region and beyond. I see a huge possibility of a larger alliance among all the South Asian countries, somewhat like European Union or even better. It is not possible overnight but the phenomenon has already started. The conflict among right-winged religiously biased Central government and progressive states like Kerala has clearly shown the need for greater autonomy in Indian states. Once there is enough pressure on Central government from all the states and the Central government’s power is limited to foreign policy and defense, that would pave a path to alliance among all present-day states of India and other neighboring countries, believing in Secularism, Human rights and overall well-being of the people in this region.

That being said, this border-conflict seems futile if we really contemplate about the relationship between these two countries. That does not mean there no point of searching for the solution. If the problem heads in the direction it is heading now, fueled by some divisive Indian media and people trolling on social media from both sides, there is no solution to be found. If both the countries cling to their claim for the land, the situation will never improve and will stay in limbo for several years to come. India might retaliate and increase force in the area or impose economic blockade which will exacerbate the issue. I see no immediate or future possibility of war between these countries but the harm caused by online trolls and yellow journalism cannot be underestimated.

Is there a common ground for both the countries? Yes, of course there is! From Nepal’s perspective, there is minimum or no settlement of people in the area being claimed. There has been no presence of Nepalese Army or any other force in the area for decades. From India’s perspective, the land holds strategic importance since it borders China. Indian forces has been present in the are after Sino-India war of 1962. If the question is about the rightful owner and not of the use of land, India should be ready to accept Nepal’s ownership of the land provided there are enough evidences for the claim. And I personally believe Nepal should also consider India’s security emergencies.

The solution can only be found by good conversation,and mutual respect is the key to start. Exhibition of power from Indian side and mere claim over the land by Nepal without a conversation benefits neither . India can negotiate with Nepal to lease the land or provide better trading options. One of many options, I personally think, which can be beneficial to Nepal is — easier access to sea route. Nepal has longed for a sea route for centuries and has minimum or near to zero presence in global trades just because of it being a landlocked country. India can offer a dedicated port near Nepal’s border in exchange, upon which Nepal would have full autonomy. This could be a win-win for both the countries.

Disclaimer: All the above statements are my personal opinions.