Blue Blooded Traffic

The sirens were clearly coming closer. As I looked over the back seat, I could see flashing lights coming from big black land-rovers. In the end of work traffic in Kathmandu, these three cars zigzagged to advance in traffic. A friend was artfully driving Clayton and I through maddening traffic to a communion service with fellow expats. As he saw this line of cars coming, his face became stern: “It’s the King’s son”. The cars approached and clearly wanted everyone to stop and make way for them. The traffic was so bad that they had to stop right beside up. At least 7 men ran out of the cars with ear pieces in place and pastel colored jackets on. Not the body building type – just the typical long body 30-year-old Nepalis. They were running around frantically trying to communicate to the army post ahead to make some space for this little convoy. The

middle car, a luxurious black car, had a young woman at the back messaging on her cell phone – I don’t know who she was… but evidently from the special blood line. As soon as the traffic started to move, their cars moved and the men ran to jump in to their vehicles. At that moment, the last land rover’s back door slammed into our car as it was opened… twice… Our friend started screaming: “Mero Gaadi (my car)! Mero Gaadi!” We were all flustered, but the convoy didn’t care.

As we kept on riding, our friend was still dealing with what happened, wondering if his car would have the scars from the royal encounter. He said that if it was anyone else, he would press charges, but he’s afraid of the Royal bunch. He also explained that he would have been much more lenient in his driving and would have made way if it had been the present governing bodies… but the royal family… that’s another matter…

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The royalty in Nepal have seen better days. The last decade could be seen as a real bloodline ship-wreck. In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra (Clayton received a tikka from him in 1997!) shot 11 members of the royal family including the ruling King and Queen, who were well-loved. He then shot himself, but was declared King during his brief coma before he died. Following this, the present monarch, King Gyanendra (Picture), took the crown. In the last years, in the midst of the Maoist conflict, the King dissolved the government twice, the last time being right after my departure in February 2005. In the last year, the Maoist rebels have been integrated into the governing system. Only a few weeks ago, on Christmas Eve, all the governing parties and the Maoists agreed to abolish the monarchy… and instead of a Hindu Kingdom, Nepal will become a federal Republic later this year.

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All this to say… One drive in the busy streets of Kathmandu can be quite the insightful experience…