By Madan Lamsal


It is hard to believe that the times have changed, so fast. Anywhere you may go, you are sure to find that things have really changed.


In the past, the industrialists used to run the hotels, factories or companies. But at present it is the trade unions that do that job. In the past the businessmen had lot of money, today all the money is either with the politicians and bureaucrats or dons. In the past it was License Raj, today it is Goondaraj, which is claimed to be the Nepali version of free market economy. Therefore, in the past one got the license after the officers felt the criteria were met.

In the past, the job of the police was to prevent the thieves from stealing or the robbers from looting those connected to Narayanhity Durbar, now their job is at jeopardy if the let-loose bandits connected to the Durbars at Paris Danda, Balkhu and Sanepa is even suspected by the police. These days people feel comfortable to see the bandits to whom they pay weekly charge called hafta. Rather they disdain the appearance of politicians who nowadays enjoy the larger chunk of the same hafta.


The public corporations used to be rich by earning handsome profit. Now the affluence has shifted to their employees and politicians and the corporations are in ramshackle. In those old good days, sick people used to get good after visiting a doctor. But today, even a healthy person becomes sick as soon as he/she sees the one. There was a time when fat man in the street generally meant a businessman or a rich fellow. Businessmen used to run or morning walk to burn their fat.


Today, all their fat is taken away some by the banks, some by the politicians and some by the extortionist Goondas. But now, they who are in trouble don't need to panic thinking about the tricks of suicide. It is just that they need to come out of building home or office, a shooter might be standing right at the doorstep to facilitate his journey to heaven. Originally, educational institutions were means for social service and were opened to educate and inculcate moral values and culture in the heads of the students. Today schools and colleges are opened solely for profit. Students too, used to attend the classes.


Their objectives these days is to be in demonstrations and at the service of political leaders if they are in the government colleges, or for dating if they are from five-star private colleges. Even the fashion has gone a sea change. Those were days when the girls had long hairs and wore the earrings. Today it is just the opposite - the boys have taken up the girls fashion and vice-versa. Nowadays men have started to marry men and women have started to marry women. Dating spots too have changed from the zoos and parks to the shopping malls or department stores.


These are only a few instances of a massive changes that are going around us. But it is the media that has failed to embrace the fast pace of changes. Like in the past most media enjoy portraying good to a political patron regardless of how bad he could be.


So, is not it the time to change for media too?