Harald Bluetooth Gromson was a king of Denmark who conquered Norway during his rule and took control of Norway and promoted Christianity. Experts believe that the name Bluetooth was given to him for his dark colored teeth that he got from some accident or, as many others believe, from eating Blueberries. His unification did not however last too long.

Prithvi Narayan Shah was a king of Gorkha who conquered several tiny kingdoms to form one large country that would be known as Nepal. Unlike Harald I, his unification has remained more or less intact till now (not to forget the land lost to the East India company that was never returned). Prithvi Narayan Shah probably also promoted Hinduism in Nepal just like what Harald Bluetooth did with Christianity.

After more than a millennium of Bluetooth’s rule, when researchers were thinking about a wireless communication technology that was to unite multiple digital equipments, Bluetooth was remembered once again. So much that they would name the technology Bluetooth. After all, uniting was what both Bluetooth did.
Prithvi Narayan is also being remembered today, some 300 years after unification, but not to credit him for the unity. Instead, Prithvi Narayan is being criticized for his war-time crime not just by people who can legitimately do so (like people from Kirtipur) but by many others (including those who were responsible for similar or even more offensive crime during the recent people’s war). The unification that Prithvi Narayan started definitely played an important role in the development of Nepalese history. Then, are we not repeating the same mistake that Kalidas supposedly made: cutting the branch with ourselves on the wrong side of it!

No, I am not against abolishment of Monarchy. I am against demolition of the historical artifacts in general and against destruction of Prithvi Narayan’s monuments in particular. Willing to be an emperor is one thing, being so is another(Gyanendra is an example). Winning war is one thing, taking control is another (Iraq war is a good example). Prithvi Narayan is no ordinary man in Nepalese history. He has earned his place in history, denying him the place or undermining his contribution is injustice to the country herself.

In the making of the history, new pages are added without removing the old ones. Many people in Nepal apparently don’t know this yet. For them I have a message: मेरो सानो दु:खले आर्ज्याको ईतिहास होइन, पाना पाना गरेर पुर्खाको रगतले लेखेको ईतिहास हो, सबैलाई चेतना भया!