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Elizabeth Strout has a knack for bringing characters to life. She explores them in great detail, adding layer upon layer of nuances to their personalities, and thus makes us resonate with them. I read ‘Olive Kitteridge’ in high school and remember falling in love with the character and the setting. The character comes back in ‘Olive, Again’. Both the books are set in a fictional town in Maine.

Lucy Barton, the protagonist of ‘Oh William’, which was longlisted for The Booker Prize in 2022, is another character Strout seems unwilling to let go of. Lucy has appeared in Strout’s short story collection ‘Anything Is Possible’ and the novel ‘My Name is Lucy Barton’. It’s a delight getting to know Lucy. She’s every bit as endearing and complex as Olive and I’m hoping Oh William won’t be the last we will see of her, though I fear it is probably where her story ends.

In ‘My Name is Lucy Barton’, Lucy Barton was a young mother. She wakes up after an operation to find her mother, whom she hasn’t seen in years, sitting beside her. The story moves back and forth between the five days her mother stays with her at the hospital and Lucy’s traumatic childhood in Maine. The novel explores childhood trauma and poverty. It’s a portrayal of how childhood trauma almost always defines your life.

In Oh William, Lucy is divorced from her first husband (William). She had remarried but David is no more. In My Name is Lucy Barton, her children, Chrissy and Becka, were young but now they are married. There is some gap in the stories between the two books but we get to know what has transpired in flashbacks. Oh William is focused on William but the story is told through Lucy’s perspective.

After the death of his mother, William discovers that she had another child before him. This shocking piece of information is what sets him off to Maine to look for his half-sibling. He asks Lucy to accompany him and this trip forms the main plot of the book. We get to know William but we also get to know Lucy and all her thoughts and emotions as well as the things and incidents that have shaped her.

William is Lucy’s ex-husband but she ‘has only ever felt at home with him’. Despite his repeated affairs and Lucy’s decision to leave William, the two are still a team for their children. Lucy confesses that David, her second husband, made her happy and that they were made for each other. But she calls William after finding out about his illness and later after his death as well.

Strout is an empathetic writer and the result is that we never judge Lucy for her decisions. Nothing comes across as shallow or callous. Instead, we are left to wonder if first love never really leaves us, and how, as human beings, we are all inherently flawed, as much as we’d like to believe otherwise.

Fiction

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56294820  

Oh William!

Elizabeth Strout

Published: 2021

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Pages: 240, Paperback

Bharat Pariyar, 21, is a mahout (an elephant handler). He lives in Sauraha, Chitwan. His father works abroad as a driver in Saudi Arabia. Pariyar comes from a family of seven, with three brothers and two sisters. He started working at an early age to support his family. Now, he is a professional elephant handler, working for an American project that rescues wounded, old elephants that are forced to work despite their bad health. All elephants are kept unchained.

Every day, Pariyar starts his work by feeding the rescued elephants. Then he and his friends take their elephants, Maya Kali, Champa Kali, and Srijana Kali, to the riverside where they play with dirt and water. This happens twice in a day, from six to 10 in the morning and two to five in the evening.

Pariyar and his friends sit in an ancient Tharu structure known as ‘machan’ built to provide shade from the scorching Tarai heat. They watch their elephants from a distance. Tourists gather to take pictures near the elephants and that’s when they have to be alert. Pariyar says he makes sure to be by his elephant’s side at those times to prevent possible attacks.

Later, they clean the dirt off the elephant’s backs and ride back to Sauraha. Elephants need to be fed often, even late at night, so Pariyar manages food for the elephants before calling it a day.

Manoj Acharya is the founder principal of Kathmandu Global School. He was awarded Best Principal (2017) by National Power News. “Kathmandu Global School is a friendly, vibrant, community-minded school, whose decisions always prioritize students,” he says. “We are excited about all the things we will do and learn this year.” Here are the excerpts from an interview with Acharya.

Why should parents choose Kathmandu Global School for their child’s education?

At Kathmandu Global School, we offer a comprehensive educational experience that goes beyond academics. Our curriculum is designed to foster critical thinking, creativity, and global awareness, preparing students for success in an increasingly interconnected world. With a dedicated faculty, state-of-the-art facilities, and a focus on holistic development, parents can trust that their child will receive a well-rounded education that equips them with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a competitive world.

What initiatives has Kathmandu Global School undertaken to enhance the educational standards in the community?

Kathmandu Global School is committed to contributing positively to the educational landscape of our community. We regularly organize teacher training programs, workshops, and seminars to enhance the professional development of educators not only within our school but also in collaboration with other educational institutions in the region. We actively engage in community outreach programs, such as free tutoring sessions, educational fairs, and awareness campaigns, to promote the importance of education and support students from all backgrounds.

How can private and community schools work together to address the challenges in the education sector?

Private and community schools can play complementary roles in addressing the challenges in the education sector by fostering collaboration and sharing resources. By leveraging each other’s strengths and expertise, these institutions can create innovative solutions to common challenges such as access to quality education, teacher training, and infrastructure development. Through partnerships, mentorship programs, and joint initiatives, private and community schools can work hand-in-hand to ensure that every child has access to high-quality education.

What strategies can Kathmandu Global School implement to ensure its competitiveness in the international educational landscape?

Kathmandu Global School is committed to continuous improvement and innovation. We prioritize staying abreast of global educational trends and practices, integrating international perspectives into our curriculum, and fostering partnerships with international educational organizations. We offer language immersion programs, exchange opportunities, and participation in international competitions to provide our students with global exposure and perspectives. By embracing innovation, collaboration, and a forward-thinking approach, we are confident in our ability to prepare our students to excel on the international stage.

Over the past few years, Nepal has found itself in the midst of a tug-of-war among three major global powers: India, China, and the US. Each of these countries are vying for influence in Nepal’s economic, military, ideological and technological spheres.

Let’s begin with the US. The Biden administration in the US has made advancing democracy one of its key global priorities. In South Asia, Nepal appears to be in the high priority of the US democracy projects. The US has been inviting Nepal’s prime minister to its annual democracy summit. Both communist and non-communist prime ministers have attended the summit. The US is making efforts to counterbalance the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in Nepal and uphold democratic values in the region. In the meantime, the US is equally concerned about the influence of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which is pushing for the restoration of Hindu state in Nepal. A US document says: “The Nepali political class’s penchant for balancing relations with its large neighbors India and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) renders security cooperation, including with the United States, prone to political interference.” 

Despite claims that it does not export its communist ideology, China has been promoting its political model in other countries. Under the guise of showcasing its achievements, China has been exporting its ideology to South Asian countries. Chinese leaders are urging their Nepali counterparts, particularly those aligned with the communist ideology, to embrace the Chinese model. Every year, China invites a large number of Nepali communist leaders to its cities to showcase its development model. Of late, Nepali leaders have started saying that Nepal can replicate the same model which reflects a growing acceptance of the Chinese  model within the country.

Though India and the US are on similar pages on a range of issues, the two powers have divergent views about the democratic values in South Asia. India, on its part, is sending conflicting signals on the ideological front. While the Indian government seems committed to uphold democracy, secularism and inclusive constitution in Nepal, the ruling BJP harbors reservations about Nepal’s 2015 constitution, which, it perceives, is imbued with Western values. The BJP’s parent organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, is reaching out across the political parties and the general people with Hindu-centric agendas. The BJP believes it can reduce Western influence on Nepal, dismantle secularism and restore Hindus state through such activities. Such activities are already polarizing Nepal’s political fabric.

In addition to ideological battles, Nepal is grappling with strategic challenges posed by major powers. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its insistence on the One China policy dominate all its engagements with Nepal. Likewise, China’s Global Security Initiatives (GSI) and Global Civilizational Initiatives (GCI) and Global Development initiative (GDI) are getting more prominence over economic issues. Nepal has consistently expressed its commitment to One China policy for over 50 years now. Still, China does not seem convinced and seeks reaffirmation on One China policy every time.

A press statement issued after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's visit to China last September also reiterated Nepal's firm stance against Taiwan Independence. His new Foreign Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha echoed the same sentiment during his visit to China last month. Although China keeps emphasizing on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in various meetings, tangible progress on infrastructure development under the BRI umbrella has not materialized yet. Government officials, politicians, and foreign policy analysts say that Nepal needs to capitalize on China's economic growth. However, this aspiration has yet to materialize due to the significant focus that both countries are placing on strategic concerns.

While Chinese investment in Nepal is on the rise and cooperation between the two nations has expanded in recent years, substantial investment projects that could catalyze economic growth remain elusive. Instead, Nepal’s attention is primarily directed towards ensuring that its territory is not used for anti-China activities. Regarding Chinese investment in Nepal, there have been occasional complaints from the Chinese side regarding obstacles faced by its investors.

Nepal engaged in a four-year debate on whether to accept the $500m support from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) of the US government. The MCC projects are finally into implementation. However, the project is not gaining the desired pace. Many attribute the slow progress to the government’s lackluster commitment to these projects. This tepid response was partly influenced by China’s strong opposition to the projects which labeled it as part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). Nepali politicians, bureaucrats and experts continue to struggle in comprehending the US policy towards Nepal in the context of the IPS. Following discussions on the IPS, attention in Nepal shifted on the State Partnership Program (SPP) of the US government.

Under domestic pressure, the government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress wrote a letter to the US government stating that Nepal won’t be a part of the SPP. Of late, there has been a notable increase in interest from US investors looking to invest in Nepal. However, Nepal has yet to effectively address this interest despite a substantial increase in US assistance through USAID.

All this shows that Nepal has already fallen into the geopolitical trap. Nepal is not seeing much investments in priority sectors as major powers are prioritizing their security and strategic interests. Though Nepal is pushing for more economic collaborations, strategic issues are dominating the bilateral negotiations and public discourse. Nepal’s current key priorities are economic recovery, minimizing the impacts of climate change and creating jobs but due to the geopolitical tensions these issues are getting a backseat in the engagement with major powers.

Nepal has struggled to take a clear stance on initiatives like the IPS, BRI, and other strategic endeavors. While managing these challenges should be the top priority of the government, the country is marred by internal political instability. Geopolitics is gradually creating rifts within Nepali society. Nepal needs to make concerted efforts to mitigate internal divisions and chart a path forward that safeguards Nepal’s interests amidst global power struggles.