On one end of this Valley was the giddy Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. Madhav Kumar Nepal inaugurating the widely anticipated Visit Nepal Year 2011 inviting prospective tourists from all over the world to come visit this paradise of a country, while on the other end were my fellow countrymen and women hurling stones, bottles, what-have-you on the cricket pitch over at the Tribhuvan University’s ground where Nepal was getting thrashed by the United States of America. They were displaying their wrath on the looming result of the match that obviously was not going to go in Nepal’s favor. Guess what those Americans are going to remember their tour of our country by? At one end was a rally so inspirational where Nepalis came out of the woodwork to support Visit Nepal 2011 that even yours truly wanted to do something (not sure at this point what that “thing” is) for this great cause while at the other end was an act by our counterparts so condemnable and shameful that even yours truly wanted to join those cops that were chasing away the perpetrators.

Like we say in Nepal, had those spectators behaved themselves, the sun surely would have risen from the West in the morning. To provide ammunition to my argument are the 19 political parties that have vowed to abstain from any bandhs during the Visit Nepal Year 2011. WHAT?? Does that mean we won’t get to enjoy clean and unpolluted air at least once a month in the Valley anymore?? Yes sir, or ma’am, say Nepal News and Avenues TV. What these and other Nepali News outlets will not tell us is what parties they are. These half-baked news reporting efforts are getting really old. What are those nineteen parties? Can the genral public in Nepal also know? Don’t these media people who report, say, type, edit news have bosses?

Let’s behave, people. Where was our nicety and sportsmanship (yes, among spectators) this afternoon on that cricket pitch? I know things are getting out of hand here: the Minister of Education was caught taking bribes (the rest of them are extremely good), the ex-Ministers are seizing vehicles that belong to the Nepal Electricity Authority for their private use, the political leaders can’t sign documents let alone write the constitution of this country, there’s severe lack power in more than 95% of Nepal, water is scarce, you don’t know when someone will show up with a gun and shoot you dead, I mean, the going is getting pretty tough, I understand. But violently disrupting a foreign team from winning a game they deserved to win on time? And that too on the inauguration day of Visit Nepal Year 2011? Only in Nepal!

Tomorrow’s the finals where Nepal again gets to play the USA, thanks again to our stone pelting Nepali cricket hooligans. I’m going to the game, I think. I will report if I go. Hopefully, we don’t hurl anything at anyone except cheers for our team. Let’s go Nepal!

Oh and to all you foreigners, please please come to our country and spend your money. We need it. I’m not even going to sugarcoat anything here. Our country is pathetic politically but you will not find a better looking country on the face of this planet other than Nepal. You will not be be disappointed. If you are, we will give you your money back! Some of it, we promise. Now get your friends and family together, and visit Nepal already!