According to Bhashanti Magar, the peace talks have increased support for the Maoists, and they are working with the seven parties to end the monarchy. The US is trying to disrupt this, and the Maoists know that the US is behind the seven parties; ‘When we talk to the seven parties, we are talking with the US.” Apart from the USA, all the neighbouring countries have accepted the Maoists as legitimate. He tells us that the US wants an army base in Nepal, in their plan to ‘contain’ China. The Maoists will not allow this, of course. The Maoists do not trust US Imperialism, Indian expansionism, or corrupt Nepali parliamentarians.
While in Tawang, we also went to the nearby ‘New Model School’. On arrival, the children greet us by singing Communist and Maoist songs, including the Internationale in Nepali. We are very impressed. The full name of the school is the ‘Martyr’s Memorial Democratic Model School’; it was established in 2004. The children are between the ages of 6 to 15, and there are 53 male students, and 34 female students. About 50 of the students stay in a hostel in the school, and the rest live nearby. Most of the children who stay in the hostel are the children of PLA soldiers who died fighting the RNA. There are four teachers, two men and two women, and there are a further thirteen people who manage and look after the school. They teach five main subjects: Maths, Science, Art, Social Science - including philosophy - and Language. The children learn Nepali as well as the local Magar language, and they try to teach a little English. There are six hours of school everyday. During the winter, the school closes for a month or so due to the heavy snowfall; there are no holidays as such.
All of the teachers at the school taught previously at Government schools. The principal K. Bahadur was formerly a principal at a government school for 25 years. All of the teachers are members of ANTO, or All Nepal Teachers Organisation, an organisation of revolutionary teachers. It was set up 22 years ago as an organisation against the Panchayats. We asked the teachers to tell us the difference between a government school and the New Model School. Anita Desai, a teacher of Maths and Science, told us that: “In the government schools they teach things which are useless, such as the history of the Kings of Nepal. There is a photo of the King and the children have to pray to the photo. They teach mythology as history, and the teaching has no relevance to the lives of the children. Furthermore, only the children of the rich can go to school, the children of the poor often do not go, and if they do go to a government school, the teachers do not respect them. In the government schools, there is only parrot learning, there is no creativity.”
It is different at the New Model School. The school is free, the Magrat Autonomous Republic provides all the money, and the teachers are here voluntarily. Like the barefoot doctors, the teachers who work at this school feel they can only fulfil their duty as teachers by working with the people, working with the Maoists. Another teacher, Rita Giri, told us that here the children and the teachers are encouraged to be creative. The school consults and interacts with the local people. Even the teachers feel they are learning. In government schools, only Nepali is taught and not any local languages. Here, even the teachers are learning Magar, and from the children. Madan, the art and literature teacher, told us that even the teachers at the government schools like the New Model School and would like to teach here, but they are afraid of the RNA.
We visit a classroom and the children greet us once more. There are three classes, divided only by the age of the children; sometimes the older children will teach the younger ones. We ask the children what they would like to do when they grow up. A few answer they would like to become teachers, others to become doctors, some journalists, and writers, while others would like to join the PLA. The majority would like to become artists, however. They also ask us some questions: “What do people in your country think about the People’s War in Nepal?”; “Is there a King in your country?”; “Why don’t the Americans like us?” and “Why did planes crash into buildings in New York?” We answer that people in our countries know nothing at all about the People’s War because they are kept ignorant by the media and education system; the American people are alright, but the American Government don’t like you because they do not like people that they do not control; and the British have a Queen.
Madan is trying to teach the children a little English. The ABC is taught in a novel and interesting way. C is for capitalism, D is for Darwin, I for Imperialism, K is for Karl Marx, L is for Lenin, and M is for Mao. Furthermore, Madan tells us that he would like to teach more science, more about Newton, Kepler, Einstein, and about Darwin’s theory of evolution. However, there is a lack of materials and equipment. They want to teach using a mixture of hi-tech equipment like computers and televisions, as well as using methods that are more traditional. There are plans to build another 30 such schools in the base area. However, as with the hospital, it all depends on the political future of Nepal. The children are encouraged to think in a rational and scientific manner, to question old beliefs, and to criticise. They do not teach religious doctrine at the school, and unlike schools in the US, the teachers want to teach about Darwin and evolution. The future will be different.
Further up from the New Model School is a commune that runs on Communist principles. It resembles any other village, but is organised quite differently from an ordinary village. The name of the commune is Ajambari or the Immortal commune. At the beginning, there were six families at the commune, now there are thirty-two families. The members of the commune are mostly party members and their families, the families of PLA soldiers, and the families of martyrs killed fighting the RNA. There are two units in the commune, and there are 19 people in these two units. These units are composed of people from the farmer’s movement, from the student’s movement, the women’s movement, and the children’s movement. The commune tries to live a social life without the caste and class divisions that are present in ordinary Nepali and South Asian villages. The commune has a labour department, an economic department, a health department, an education department, and a childcare department. There are no personal items in the commune. The commune chooses the leaders based on inclination and ability. There are nine children below the age of five in the commune. Two women usually look after the children, but sometimes men also look after the children. Those above five years of age go to the nearby New Model School. There is a hotel and a shop in the commune. Food is cooked and eaten communally, and everyone eats at the same place. There are thirty-two houses in the commune.
The commune divides labour equally amongst all, and there is rotation of activities. People have the chance to develop different abilities in diverse fields, from agriculture to drama. Rotation takes place when someone gets tired of doing one thing and wants to do another type of activity. The main economic production is agriculture, and there is a hotel and shop in the commune. The profits go into developing the commune. Comrade Prathak says that they would like to develop the commune further. They have a growing population and want to increase agricultural production. They also want to develop electric power, and increase their education and childcare departments.
Who decides who can become a commune member? Many people in the villages like the commune and want to stay there. A further 54 people want to join the commune. Comrade Prathak tells us that the first step is to become a general member of the commune. The general member supports the commune but does not live in the commune. The general member accepts the discipline of the commune: He or She does not have private property and accepts the culture of the commune. There is no set period that person may join the commune, it depends on their ideology and thought. If a person works and accepts the ideology and principles of Maoism, he or she may join the commune. All the families in the commune take the decision whether to accept a new member.
What if there is a problem in the commune? The commune solves problems autonomously, by rational discussion and thinking, and applying the insights of Maoism, such as criticising old ideas etc. Not all the families in the commune are at the same level of ideological development; that is, there are still problems with sexism, casteism, etc. These problems are only small problems, Comrade Prathak tells us, as living in the commune is a process of development and experimentation. When the Maoists criticise traditional ideas and practices, there arises a new problem – the problem of how to do things better. For example, a French comrade who stayed for a few days in the commune told us that many commune members asked him about whether it is better to bury the dead or to cremate the dead. They were interested in this question as they were really trying to decide what is better for their environment, for their community, and for their future – cremation or burial. Everything is being questioned, all aspects of life. There are cultural events twice a month, such as dancing, drama, and music. There are holidays on Martyrs day, and on the birthdays’ of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao.
