Sonal In Scarsdale

Sonal In Scarsdale 

Saturday evening was a gathering at Binod Shah's place. He lives in Scarsdale. That would be Westchester County. Satya Yadav has his annual event at his Long Island home early in the year every year. I think Binodji is trying to set up something similar. He took a first crack at Holi. Now he is shooting for a Dashain khasi thing. I think it is a good thing to have a few family home setting events spread over the calendar that local Madhesis might have the option to show up for or not.

Celebrating birthdays is not native to Nepali culture. But many Nepalis do celebrate the same. Goat meat during Dashain is not a Madhesi thing, it is a Pahadi thing, Madhesis associate goat meat with Holi, but then there is culture, and there is cross-cultural pollination. And so there was goat meat, and there were about 20 or more Madhesis. Binodji ka ghar itna door hai shahar se, bahut Madhesi unke ghar jate jate raste mein hara ke wapas shahar ki or chale jate hain.

The main attraction of the evening was MP Jitendra Sonal of the Terai Madhes Loktantric Party (That Madhesi Agenda: Jitendra Sonal). I told him, there are about three Madhesis in town that show up for most events Nepali. Most of the rest stay away until someone big and famous like Sonal shows up.

I took many pictures, to be stored on Facebook as a private album to be shared with those who showed up and are also on Facebook.

Sonal's Talk

I think Sonal gave a terrific talk. We all sat on the floor and he talked. Then we fielded questions. He handled them really well. Sonal was beat up real bad by the police during the Madhesi Kranti. Before that he spent long years in the wilderness as a Sadbhavana cadre.

"Back then, even the trees and herded animals in the Terai were either with the Congress or the UML," he likes to say.

He gave solid replies to questions on what exactly is Madhes, and who is a Madhesi. The 22 Terai districts are Madhes, he said. He pointed out distinct cultural differences between the Madhesi and the Pahadi. The Pahadis in the Terai are Teraiwasi, he said. Madhesi is a cultural term.

I added that when they use the word madisey, they don't have the slightest doubt as to who the Madhesi is, but when we talk about rights and equality, they act like they don't know who the Madhesi is.

The formal part of the event was chaired by the ANTA New York chapter outgoing president Ritesh Chaudhary. 

Overnight

The event started in the afternoon, some people left late in the evening after dinner, but most stayed until the morning. Then I had a call from Sonal around 11 that he would like for me to join him for lunch with his friend Arvind Singh who is in Sunnyside.

Seaport Diwali

A few hours later Sonal went gift shopping with Arvind, I went to the Seaport Diwali.

Friday Evening: Ridgewood Dashain Party (Dashain Party, Ridgewood)

Jitendra Sonal showed up for this event late. He had just got back from his DC trip. Binodji wanted to know if the two of us would like to ride with him to Scarsdale that very evening while the rest joined us the following day. Neither of us felt ready.

Jamaica: Halal

Kamal Labh was responsible for the goat meat. He had been to the same halal place in Jamaica only a week or so earlier for another goat meat party with another group of his friends.

The Delegation

Sonal of course has been in town as part of the Prime Minister's delegation to the UN.
There was quite a tamasha towards the end of the Prime Minister's interaction program with the local Nepalis: Interaction With Madhav Nepal: Friday. I got interviewed by Namaste Nepal television towards the end of that event, and also by the USNepalOnline that was broadcasting live with Ustream. There was another tamasha during an interaction program of the Foreign Minister with some of the members of her party. Compared to all that Sonal's interaction with local Madhesis was smooth sailing.

Social Gathering, Political Talk

This was primarily a social gathering in Scarsdale, lekin 20 Madhesi jamma ho wahan rajniti ho, wo sambhav nahin hai.

Mission Madhes

I briefed Sonal about Mission Madhes during my time with him Sunday.

Bye

I get to see him off Monday evening.