KATHMANDU, Jan 11: Hundreds of people assembled in front of the west gate to Singha Durbar in Kathmandu on Wednesday morning to mark the 295th birth anniversary of late King Pritihvi Narayan Shah.
The day also commemorates the National Unity Day as late King Pritihvi Narayan Shah unified the modern Nepal that was divided into 24 and 22 small principalities before the unification and expansion of the Gorkha kingdom.
The mass, comprising representatives of Rastriya Prajatantra Party, National Unity Forum (NUF), National Forum, Shiva Sena Nepal and 295th Pritihvi Jayanti, National Unity Day Civic Main Ceremony Committee and people from various walks of life garlanded the statue of the late King in front of the west gate to Singha Durbar.
Carrying the national flag, placards and banners, they also chanted nationalist slogans and marched a rally, calling for adhering to the principles propounded by Pritihvi Narayan Shah.
Addressing the mass, Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chair Kamal Thapa lauded the sacrifices made by Pritihvi Narayan Shah and underlined the need for unity among the political parties for safeguarding nationality, national sovereignty and indivisibility.
In attendance among the leaders was RPP National Chair Pashupati Shumsher Rana, who reaffirmed his party's nationalist stance that they would not give in to any action leading to division of the country and weakening the national unity.
Commending Pritihvi Narayan Shah's contribution for conceiving and executing the unification process of modern Nepal, he ranted that it was "unfortunate" of the government failing to acknowledge Shah's contribution and declaring the day as public holiday so that it would be observed nation-wide with great fervor.
Echoing with Rana's sentiments was Sudeep Rana, who came to express his solidarity with the nationalist public as soon as he came to know about the event through a social website.
A hard-core nationalist and pro-monarchist in his own word, he underscored the need to encourage younger generation's participation in such an event which he argued would help imbibe patriotic feelings since their younger age.
While the youths, mostly dressed in national attire, evoked the nationalistic sentiments among the public by singing national songs, chanting provoking slogans, some elderly blew conch and chanted vedic mantras, rituals deemed auspicious in Hindu faith while conducting any good deeds.
Many of the bystanders were seemingly agog watching the celebration that lasted for around an hour, giving the traffic cops a hard time to manage the traffic during the morning rush hour. RSS
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