CK Lal's "Musharrafship" (#124) delves into fundamental concept of human and democractic rights. Are democracy and human rights universal? Who made them universal? This is a Western concept that is deeply rooted in individualism and materialism ill-suited for traditional society like Nepal that still is rooted in "inner worldly" quests. Who is to say that one particular civilisation, philosophy, race or nation is superior to another, eg the ardent belief in the universality of democracy, human rights and global capitalism? These self-evident truths mask an ethical superiority complex of the West. All civilisations and their system of thoughts are a product of that particular civilisation's experiences. We need to be aware of the "colonisation" of our thought-process. From the 1940s to the 60s, people of the physically colonised world, threw off the yoke of tyranny. Now it\'s time to be aware of an even more potent danger, a colonisation of the mind...Nike, McDonalds, Coke, MTV, CNN.

Subarna Bhattachan,
Lawrence, Kansas, USA