" India Invading Nepali broder night by night "
"Greater Nepal: revealing Nepal’s hidden truth"
-Sampada Malla
Greater Nepal is a documentary that unravels the truth about Nepal’s geographical status. One of the substantial Nepali documentaries made so far, it has cinematically raised issues about the nation’s identity and boarder encroachments. The documentary is directed by Manoj Pandit.
Since our childhood, we have felt great pride in reading about our heroic past. We still rejoice on being a sovereign country who no one dared to rule over, not even the British. But are we also equally aware about the bitter realities of our nation? No, we aren’t.
The documentary begins by showcasing the historical facts about Nepal. It recalls the struggles of our ancestors as they widely expanded the Himalayan Kingdom. It also reminds us about the Anglo-Nepal war that occurred in 1814-15 A. D. which resulted in the humiliating Treaty of Sugauli. As a result, Nepal had to lose more than one-third of its territory to the East India Company, who was ruling India during the time.
But, after the British left India, the lost territory should have come back to Nepal. The documentary shows enough legal evidences to prove this fact. But, why haven’t we received our valuable territories? Even more, why is India encroaching our land illegally? Why isn’t our government fighting against it? All these inquisitive questions lead the protagonist of the film (the director himself) towards exploring the once great Nepal. He sets on a journey to the places where the wars had taken place and to the lands which should have been his but unfortunately, are not.
On his travels, he realizes the painful truth. His heart aches to know the fact that our renowned political figures have themselves closed this topic when constantly raised by the common people. In the film, legendary historian and novelist Diamond Samsher Rana relates a fascinating tale, “It was during the Rana regime in Nepal. Many English men constantly told the Rana rulers that they ought to take back their lost territories because they legally belong to Nepal. The Rana rulers would reply by saying that since it was already hard for them to handle the present territory, they did not want to invite extra burden. Moreover, those territories had already experienced democracy and the Ranas feared that those people would acknowledge the naive Nepalese to a democratic nation.” Thus, even after democracy, due to various political inclinations, this topic was always pressed down. Our democratic leaders never bothered to raise this sensitive issue.
As the narrator walks further towards the Nepal- India boarders, he constantly visualizes the lands encroached by the Indians. They are slowly increasing their boarders in several parts of Nepal; particularly in Kalapani, Susta, Pyaratal, Bhadrapur and Kakarbhitta every time the country experiences national insurgencies. The interviews with the local victims make the audiences question about their identity and the fakeness that their eyes have always beheld. The dialogues of the native people, "We will die but will save Nepal's land." are immensely heart touching. But, more depressing is the fact that the local government authorities are not bothered at all.
Though the documentary contains some technical faults, Manoj needs applause for raising such an important issue. His effort for preserving our nationality is clearly noticed. An eye- opener, the documentary must be seen at least once by every Nepali citizen. It should also be specially screened for our political leaders. Even after watching this documentary, if no action is taken, that day is not far away when our beautiful country Nepal will be embedded only in the historical books. People will say, "There used to be a wonderful country named Nepal….."
