Legalizing prostitution in Nepal?

An ambivalent issue. 

Prostitution is a tacitly sanctioned institution which flourishes in any society where men are shamelessly desperate and the women completely helpless. Can we imagine men walking down the streets of Thamel trying to attract female clients? It would not hurt anyone for a change!

Considering the downright unethical nature of this trade, it should be prohibited. Especially in a country like Nepal where bridging the gender imbalance has come to a stand as the most important determinant in the overall growth of the country.

But if we cannot efface this heinous flesh trade and the safety of the women involved are concerned, legalizing prostitution would be a necessary evil. At least legalizing it will encourage provisions which will regulate the women’s health conditions, their pay and protection from violent men if necessary.

It is quintessential to separate moral issues from the reality of prostitution if legislation is to formulate such a law. Can prostitution be treated with complete indifference so as to consider it as a trade for women to earn a decent living? Are people ready to let go of the stigma attached with this profession? If yes, then legalizing it is the most pragmatic step that the government can take.

Such a sensitive matter will only raise more questions, hence, this issue needs to openly discussed.

Should there be a ceiling on freedom of expression?

Expression in all form is a manifestation of the subtle cognitive endeavors that humans carry out. Considering the fact that these outwardly expressions results in writings, speaking, and various gestures, they affect other people as well. Hence, one person’s freedom has the potential to trespass on another’s. 

Though freedom is an abstract idea, it does manifest when it comes to expressing it. Postmodernism takes the relativistic position that there is no absolute truth or objective reality, hence, through this lens a person in this epoch is sanctioned to express without any self-censorship as practiced almost completely in some western countries.

When it comes to putting a ceiling on freedom to express oneself, certain criterion can be applied. For instance, the relevance of the subject being discussed can be examined. Obscure expressions can be eliminated.

Absolute freedom of expression can result problematic. For example, if one publishes a book on completely justifying patriarchal practices, making use of its unrestrained freedom to express, this will spark unrest due to its complete inconsiderate nature. Expressing oneself is the most natural thing for a human being but the consequences of this using this power needs to be properly understood before using them for any purpose.

India Unbound- Gurucharan Das- A review.

India unbound- Gurucharan Das.

                      : A review and possible lessons for Nepal.

The faculty of perception enables individuals to reflect upon the affairs of the world. India unbound is a personal outlook at the transformation of a poverty stricken country to one of the greatest international stories of the 21^st century. Amartya Sen succinctly puts it, “India unbound is a great mixture of memoir, economic analysis, social investigation, political scrutiny and managerial outlook being thrown into the understanding of India.”

It is a narration on India’s struggle away from the clutches of a mammoth bureaucratic state to a free ‘liberated’ economy. It seeks to answer how a country that symbolized as an epitome of inefficiency could pose itself as one of the fastest growing economies of the world. The reforms of 1991 created a conducive environment for common Indian people to carve their own destiny in contrast to a collectively organized “functioning” state. India unbound clearly portrays the transition of this former colony to being a major economy of the 21^st century. The book is a Story of this “economic revolution”.

Das traces the roots of evil in the Indian society that has impeded capitalism to flourish.  Das portrays how money making endeavors are looked down upon in India. It is culture that has always discouraged entrepreneurship in India. Some intellectuals even call the current liberalization as ‘baniaization’ of Indian society. One major hindrance for prosperity is lack of co-operation, the stratification of the Indian society into various castes have beyond a doubt created this problem. The relief is that market does not discriminate against caste, creed, class, religion or color; hence, it seems to be the only cure out of this system of injustice. There is a dire need for swift acceleration of reforms that were introduced in 1991.

How prosperity of a nation is a direct consequence of different policies in place is clearly depicted in the book. This can be seen through the contrast between highly centralized and regulated India before and after the liberalization of 1991.Das bluntly held Nehruvian socialism as responsible for India’s failure to develop economically in contrast to some East Asian nations which opted to open up their economies. The book proves how and why nationalization impedes bright entrepreneurs from making the best for themselves and eventually for the entire economy. The ‘License Raj’ made things even worse and it only encouraged corruption and inefficiency in the working of the state.  

The book finally undermines the fallacy of India’s quest for self-sufficiency and how it was the direct cause for economic stagnation.  Economy is the underlying base upon which all the social institutions place themselves. With the advent of liberalization the entire landscape of the India has changed. In contrast to centralized governance, the emergence of the ‘new middle class’ has had a very good impact on the Indian politics via. Dissemination of information.

The Vedic adage ‘knowledge is wealth’ clearly sums up India’s role in the coming century. As globalization has entered into a new phase, knowledge economy is bound to be the new currency of the world as compared to industry based economy. Hence, India is bound to be one of the world leaders in the ongoing information centered world.

It is the entrepreneurs that have changed the face of India today. India has come into limelight as a country of genius entrepreneurs. Das talks about ‘the lost generation’ which the Indian political system curbed for such a long time.

India unbound clearly illustrates how even developing nations can follow suit from the Indian example if they want to realize prosperity. The book finally resolves the debate of free economy and state controlled economy, and how harmful the latter is on the nations’ economy.

 Lessons for Nepal

It is quintessential for Nepalese political parties to keep aside ideological differences and strive for an efficient economic system. It is necessary to “unleash Nepal” if it is to ever realize prosperity. In terms of economics, Nepal could learn from the Indian mistakes and bring efficient economic reforms in the country.  

The book will surely make the reader think if it is viable for Nepal to stay isolated in today’s economically integrated world. Nepal needs to capitalize on the very fact that it lies in one of the world’s most crucial geographical areas. Letting Indian and Chinese market penetrate would help it realize unimaginable profits. Of course, this will require intensive research to find out what works best for Nepal.

It needs to be understood that the current economic system is strangling prosperity and hindering people to earn a living for themselves. Nepal needs to focus on what shall facilitate prosperity. India unbound highlights the success stories of Indian entrepreneurs and how positively it has impacted India as a whole. If engines of growth lie in entrepreneurship, they ought to be looked from a different perspective.  Moreover it needs to be understood that there is a direct relationship between economic freedom and individual liberties.

It is high time for Nepal to start considering that it is its economic state that will determine its overall well being in the long run.