"You should take good care of the lamp of democracy that I have lit, let it burn, don't let it go out" - this is the sentence spoken by Martyr Gangalal Shrestha to his brother Pushpalal in his last meeting with his family. Remembering that moment, the younger brother of Martyr Gangalal, Vijayalal Shrestha says, 'I have been remembering my brother for 91 years.'

'One day before killing the brother, at 3/4 in the afternoon in Jagannath's temple in Bhadragol Jail  The meeting was the last. Apart from my sister-in-law, only the family went. There were other brothers too . I came to know what the brothers said in that meeting later," said Vijayalal.

Brother Vijay's age difference with Gangalal is 15 years. I was 5 years old at that time. My brother loved . We had two mothers. My brother and I are the children of the first mother," he said, "I was the youngest and my brother was the eldest. We were nine brothers from two mothers.' He says that the

martyrs died for their country rather than their family. Gangalal's brother  Vijayalal said that the republic sought by Pushpalal has also come. 

'But it seems that the current leaders do not understand the meaning of democracy. Even the current leaders could not understand the various dimensions of democracy," he says, "the democracy understood by Gangalal and the democracy understood by the current leaders are completely different. Gangalal understood the importance of democracy, he wanted the country to develop. He said that he understood from his brother that in the democracy that came from the sacrifice of martyrs, there is more responsibility than rights to build the country. ``Now everyone is looking for rights . Those who don't pay fees also have rights,' he said, 'no leader of today has been able to understand the democracy that Gangalal envisioned.' There was a house in the village, they had a meeting in that house. At that time, he heard the summary and understood that there is no poverty in Russia, there are no hungry people, they do not follow religion. Pushpalal was not allowed to stay in the room. He is heard from outside .'  He says that the contribution of

martyrs has reached the current situation and they have the right to speak. Four people were martyred from January 10 to 15, 1997. Rana was ordered to be killed by Prime Minister Juddhashamsher. The statue of Juddhashamsher is in New Road, a busy area of ​​Kathmandu. Which Shalik did not like Vijay . As a symbol of "I am still there" in the political environment of Nepal, that  He understands that it is kept.

'That salik is in such a place, if he returns to Vasantpur, he will come to Gangalal's house . If you turn towards Ombahal, you will come to the house of the devotee . If you turn towards Indra Chowk, you will come to Shukraraj Shastri's house. If you go back to Tundikhel, you will come to the house of Dashrath Chand, who is passing through that road,' he said, 'even if you remove that salik and put four martyrs who turned in all directions . The king's palace was demolished . Why can't they remove the salik of Juddhashamsher?' 

The five martyrs of history

Lakhan Thapa Magar, Shukraraj Shastri, Dharmabhakta Mathema, Gangalal Shrestha and Dasharath Chand were martyred because they stood against the autocratic Jahanian Rana regime.

Shaheed Lakhan was killed by hanging from a tree in the Mankamana temple complex of Gorkha on February 2, 1933. Born in Gorkha in 1891, Magar started a political movement against the autocratic Rana regime. For that reason, he was brutally killed on the order of Jung Bahadur. In addition, four martyrs were also killed because they were active against the Rana regime.

Among them, Shahid Shukraraj was killed. On the night of January 10, 1997, he was hanged and killed in Teku. Devotee to 1997  He was hanged in Sifal on January 13. Dasharath and Gangalal were executed by firing squad on January 15, 1997 in Sobhabhagavati. Finally, Jahanian Rana's rule, which began in 1903, ended in 2007 after 104 years.

Who is Shahid ?

The definition of 'martyr' is given in the Nepali comprehensive dictionary of Nepal Pragya Pratishthan as 'an immortal person who sacrifices himself for the sake of public welfare by sacrificing himself for the protection of his country, culture and existence and for the attainment of freedom' .

Similarly, Pragya's broader word Sansar has mentioned about Shahid as 'a person who gives his life for the country and people, a great sacrifice' and about being a martyr as 'to become a martyr, to die for the country' .

Similarly, the political dictionary written by Professor Gopal Sivakoti defines that 'a person who sacrifices himself for the sake of the public interest for the protection and freedom of his country, culture and existence, for human interests and principles, for progress and development is called a martyr'.

In the dictionary published by Ekta Books, it has been written as 'a person who sacrifices his life for principles'. Also, the Oxford dictionary defines a martyr as 'a person who suffers or is killed because of religious or political beliefs'.

Political analyst CK Lal says, "What we call 'martyr' has two origins". It comes from the Greek word 'martyr' which is also used in English . It means 'witness' or 'witness'. It means that if something is true, then the truth is only one thing . That means God, God or Allah, it is the same. The witness of that truth, to be a witness must have seen and heard the truth . That is, in Christianity, Jesus Christ is called the 'First Martyr.'

According to him, the word 'martyr' used in Nepali comes from the Arabic language 'sahd'. Which means 'man who sees' or 'seen'.

'He became a person who saw the truth rather than what he saw. After seeing that truth, Prophet Mohammad himself is not used as a martyr, his grandson who was in Karwala, located in present-day Iraq, fought with 700 opponents with 78 warriors . He had his shahadat on that, he is called the first shahadat of the Muslims,' he clarified and said, 'what was established from these two, the definition of truth was linked to the Prophet because the truth was connected with religion. He became a martyr or a martyr to be killed for Christianity. Those who are killed for the religion of Islam are called martyrs. He said that those who are not ready to give up their faith, even to sacrifice their lives for their faith, are called martyrs.

'The word of martyr has come to us from India's freedom struggle. Those who fought for India's freedom struggle were said to be martyrs," he said. "National independence was defined as a religion and faith. When the army started using martyrdom, the Indian government said that those who were killed in the army should use the word "heroic speed" and "sacrifice the highest".

religion Another and the highest faith, the word martyr is used for a preacher of a religion who refuses to give up faith . He said that there is a reason to use the word "sacrifice and heroism" for those who lost their lives in the line of duty. He further said, "Nowadays, such a thing is not called a martyr in India."

Likewise, in Nepal, the word martyr is used to refer to those who were involved in the anti-Rana movement, who were killed in the struggle against the main power, after 1951, they were recognized as our four immortal martyrs.

'Durganand Jha is considered as the last martyr in fighting against the power in Nepal . "Who threw a bomb in Mahendra's motor in Janakpur," he says, "Then it was made wide for martyrs." Rather than the Maoists, the Malays at that time said that since the 1970s, our comrades were killed in the struggle, the comrades were martyrs.

This is his argument, "Those who are written with a thick 'S' are the old ones and the thin 'S' written by the dictionary of Pragya Pratishthan are the new martyrs.' 

Recently, there is a pressure to declare 10 lakh rupees as a martyr and give financial assistance to those who lost their lives during fights, accidents and various demonstrations. Lal says about this, "What is the situation now, if the government announces it, there will be martyrs". It gives 10 lakhs. It does not matter if an employee dies and achieves heroism in the line of duty. If declared a martyr, his family will get 10 lakhs . Sometimes, if someone is killed in a motor accident, there is a strike here to be declared a martyr for the greed of 1 million. The number of martyrs with a thin 'S' is increasing in the greed of this million. But the fat 'martyrs' who knowingly put their lives at risk for faith are decreasing.'

Not only that, he also argues that those who were killed in the Maoist armed conflict were not martyrs but achieved heroism. The argument of the Maoists is wrong. On the one hand, they call the people's army. If it is the army, he has received a salary . He used to get salary, take facilities, live in barracks, he got heroism in the line of duty. Where did Veer Shaheed happen? They are devoted to the ideology, but have achieved heroism, not martyrs. The difference between truth and duty has to be distinguished.'

General Secretary of Janmat Party Chandan Singh giving the definition of martyr says, 'There are different kinds of movements from time to time for a country or for a change in a particular kind of country.' We consider all those who supported that movement as martyrs on the foundation of that movement. Not only that, but those who fought for rights, identity, federalism and inclusiveness will also be martyrs, he said. He argues that the state should also take into account the basis on which it is declaring martyrdom. 

How many martyrs are there? 

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 14,608 martyrs have been declared so far. According to Ramchandra Tiwari, Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry, the government has declared martyrs to those who have achieved heroism for the country and for political change at different times.

The number declared as martyrs includes the martyr Lakhan Thapa Magar, four martyrs Shukraraj Shastri, Dharmabhakta Mathema, Gangalal Shrestha and Dashrath Chand who lost their lives in various conflicts and agitations, according to Dilkumar Tamang, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Deputy Secretary to the Government.

"This includes the data of the various democratic movements, armed movements, Terai movements, and all the police, army, state and rebel sides of Nepal who died and were killed," Deputy Secretary Tamang said. In which 1 thousand 448 of Nepal Police, 1 thousand 18 of Nepal Army, 318 of Armed Police Force, 23 of National Investigation Department, 8 thousand 471 who died during armed conflict, 2 thousand 674 who died in various movements and incidents and Other 6  There are 151 people. 

Who is considered a martyr?

With the five martyrs, who will be considered martyrs? Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) spokesperson Manish Sumanko  The answer is, "Those who sacrificed their lives for the nation, for the change of the nation, who had no personal interest, almost all martyrs were killed by the state." We can consider those who were killed, murdered and sacrificed their lives as martyrs.

Those martyrs will be a source of inspiration for the new generation and he argues that the state should shoulder the responsibility of the martyrs' families. The state should take all the responsibility of the family. Not only by giving them normal compensation," he says, "the state should take responsibility for the upkeep of their families. The story of those martyrs should be kept in the curriculum by the state. Future generations will learn something  He also suggests that infrastructure should be built in their name to remember the martyrs.

'Nepal is a changing country . Many political changes took place in Nepal in a short period of time. The number of martyrs of the Maoist people's war has increased. But it doesn't seem like the state has given anything except compensation of 10 lakhs per victim," he says. All the martyrs of the Madhes movement have not been honored. Some are missing . They should also be included.

MP Krishna Prasad Paudel, who is also the office secretary of the Congress, also says that there is no need to comment on the number of people who sacrificed their lives in Nepal's political movement in different periods.

'What we should also realize is that no matter how many victims there are during the Maoist movement, it is true that they could not be addressed in time,' he said, 'now the joint government of Congress and UML has passed the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Bill&nbsp ; The government is sensitive to this . The government is supposed to work in such a way that they have self-respect.'

He also said that the Congress will understand the sentiments of the conflict victims and will move forward by leading in a way that will not be unfair.

Many prominent leaders have lost their lives in the country's democratic movement. The Nepali Congress highly respects that," says leader Paudel, "the money has been provided for the families who have received martyrdom. It is important for all of us to understand that support has been provided for the livelihood of his family so that there is relief for his family.' 

Since 2012, the metropolis has been celebrating 'Martyr Week'

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has been celebrating Martyr Week from January 10th to 16th. Every year on January 16th, ``Sahid Diwas'' is celebrated to commemorate martyrdom for freedom in different eras. The metropolis has started celebrating Martyrs Week since 2012. 

Teku Machali, the place where Martyr Shukraraj Shastri attained martyrdom on January 10th, Sifal, the place where Martyr Bhakta Mathema attained martyrdom on January 13th, and Shobha Bhagwati, the place where Martyr Gangalal Shrestha and Dasharath Chand attained martyrdom on January 15th, are celebrated by placing wreaths in their memory and honor. is . 

Why is the metropolis celebrating Martyrs Week? To the question, Metropolitan Spokesman Naveen Manandhar replied, 'Those who sacrificed their lives to get rid of feudalism in the country, never compromise for the country, never bowed down and being metropolitans, since the Nepal Government has given the responsibility of celebrating Martyrs' Day to the metropolis, we have laid wreaths on the saliks in memory of these four martyrs of Gaurav and celebrated Martyrs' Week. Let's celebrate . We will celebrate by organizing a large program on 16th of January.' He said that these four martyrs were selfless to liberate the people from autocratic rule from their private lives.

'Who will remember the missing?'  

Bipin Bhandari was arrested on June 3, 2059. He was a student leader of the then rebel party Maoist . He is also a contemporary friend of the late Rabindra Adhikari and was in student politics along with the current Health Minister Pradeep Paudel. On June 3, 2059, 1,095 people including Vipin and Dil Bahadur Rai were arrested and disappeared by the then royal army on charges of being Maoists. 

Vipin was 22 years old when he was arrested and disappeared. It has been 22 years since he disappeared. It has also been 18 years since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) was signed between the then rebel party Maoists and the seven parties on 5th November 2063. According to the 12-day agreement in the CPA, a Commission of Inquiry on Disappeared Persons was also formed to resolve the disappearances. 

After that, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who was leading the rebel party Maoist, came to the government time and again. However, Bipin's father Ekraj says that he has not received any news about the missing persons. If the state is unable to address the missing and their families, he is proud of the change in the country with the sacrifices of his sons.

'Like my son, thousands of children and grandchildren had to lose their lives . Thousands of warriors were killed and disappeared. How many became homeless, how many were disabled. The sacrifice of all of them is also a small sacrifice of my children . I am proud of my children in terms of sacrifice. I think that our children also contributed to the change of this country,' he says, 'the country has changed . But we could not institutionalize the change . I have been falsely accused many times . It was a terrible situation. Now that has changed . I fell into the fact that someone had to lose.' Although the pain of losing one's child is unbearable in terms of a father and family, he says that someone should be martyred for the change of the country. 

He says that according to the investigation commission of the disappeared persons, 1300 people have been disappeared. "Constitution has been made". But the peace process could not resolve the excesses of human rights violations in the war. This issue was not shown by the behavior and results of any political party as a priority. We families want results,' says Vipin's father Ekraj.  

Nepal is a country that has witnessed various political changes in a short period of time. Nepal is practicing a federal democratic republican system of governance through a single monarchy, constitutional monarchy like Britain, Rana's autocratic rule. Many lost their lives for these political changes. Be it the armed uprising of the Maoists that arose in 2052 or the establishment of the republic in 2062/63, both the state party and the rebel party lost their lives.