Pousha 27 is the birthday of the late King Prithivi narayan Shah(1723 - 1775 A.D.; Nepali: पृथ्वी नारायण शाह) the great, the founder of the modern Nepal. He made the unification efforts after being king of Gorkha and was continued by his next generations with the help of the brave people and able warriors. It was because of his effort that present Nepal exists and we are proud to be Nepali. In the past the unification day was observed with national holiday. However after 2006 April Uprising the government has cut the holiday citing he is the ancestor of the unpopular King Gyanendra. However the common people and intellects cannot forget his great farsightedness in making a modern Nepal.
In this regards Kantipur Reports (Jan 11,2009) with the title All to follow Prithvi Narayan’s footsteps. The details is as foloows:
"Politicians and intellectuals on Sunday appealed to the government not to take lightly the contribution of the late king Prithvi Narayan Shah. Speaking at the programme titled “Prithvi Nar-ayan Shah and National Unity” organised by Reporters’ Club and Nepal Highlights, the speakers demanded that the government pay due respect to the late king as he is the founder of modern Nepal.
"Politicians and intellectuals on Sunday appealed to the government not to take lightly the contribution of the late king Prithvi Narayan Shah. Speaking at the programme titled “Prithvi Nar-ayan Shah and National Unity” organised by Reporters’ Club and Nepal Highlights, the speakers demanded that the government pay due respect to the late king as he is the founder of modern Nepal.
The leader of CPN-UML Modnath Prashrit said it was wrong to portray King Prithvi as a feudal and autocratic ruler. “He united small states engaged in fighting and formed Nepal at a time when Britain was preparing for an invasion,” Prashrit said. “Going by Karl Marx's philosophy of historical materialism, King Prithvi is a patriotic ruler.”
The vice-chairman of Rastriya Janashakti Party, Prakash Chandra Lohani, said King Prithvi’s contribution to the country cannot be undermined by demolishing his statue. King Shah’s concept of Nepal as a garden of all castes and ethnicities is a guiding principle for inclusiveness, Lohani said. By taking Nepal as a yam between two stones, King Prithvi has pointed to the need to adopt a balanced foreign policy with two neighbours — India and China — in mind, he said.
Speaking at the programme, culture expert Jang Man Gurung said Shah was a far-sighted king as he emotionally united people from small states.
Scholar Ramesh Dhungel flayed the government's decision not to celebrate Prithvi Jayanti, the birthday of the late king, and said the Maoist-led government was all set to forget the history of the country in the name of progressiveness. Two years ago, the government had cancelled the public holiday to mark the birthday of King Prithvi, which falls on the 27th of Poush".
In the name of New nepal, we cannnot ignore the past. It is pity that in Nepal, the trend of cursing the good leaders has been increasing. Everywhere in the world the leaders that united the countries are revered very much be it Gariwaldi in Italy or Bismark in Germany. Prithvi Naryanan must not be forgotten in the country where there is a culture of gratitude. No one will be motivated by such kind of activity to work for the country.We are destined to suffer if we do not learn from the history.
On this auspicious day of Unification, let us march towards the fraternity and the brotherhood, the inner quality of the Nepali Society. Let us foil the divisive political tactics of the foul leaders in the name of the new, inclusive and federal Nepal!
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