It was only 3 months before I arrived in Nepal that the country had changed its national anthem. The old one was about the king, and since the people don't like the current king very much, they decided to change the national anthem. It is now about flowers, fields, and the beauty of their country. This rendition was performed by the students at my school, Shree Jana Jagrit Higher Secondary School, in Sarangkot. It is so new that not even all the teachers know it.
I'll go ahead and inform you of the political situation there. King Birendra was a very well liked king. His rule began in 1972. Among other things, he protected Nepal from China, India, and the Soviet Union in their efforts to take advantage of Nepal, and he tried to bring democracy to the country. Sadly, he was assassinated in the Nepalese Royal Massacre of 2001 in which his son, the heir to the thrown, shot many of his family members and then himself, over his mother not approving of the girl he wished to marry.
Bihendra's brother, Gyanendra, assumed the role as king, and the people of Nepal have not been very happy with him, especially when he disbanded the parliament in 2005 and declared the government an absolute monarchy. It has been difficult for the country to establish themselves as a democratic republic, but 2 weeks ago, the parliament held a vote to assure the removal of the monarch upon this April's vote to bring in a new constituent assembly. Nepal will soon be a federal democratic republican state. (see BBC for more)
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