That's a lot of shakti, dear Karima Begam!

Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति) from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that move through the entire universe.[1] Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes referred to as 'The Great Divine Mother' in Hinduism.

One cannot be but proud, happy and astonished by the giant steps made in XX century by the feminist movement and the achievements of women lib in significant part of the world. Of course, there still are a lot of countries where women are oppressed and a lot to do in some other places, but the progress is undeniable.

Saying this, I cannot be but cowed, speechless and overwhelmed by a case of a feminism gone a bit wild:

Local government offices in a southern district of Nepal have shut down in protest after a visiting minister beat up the most senior local official. The minister, Karima Begam (Begum), slapped the man five times* - for not sending a new car to pick her up from the airport. When chief district officer Durga Prasad Bhandari protested, she struck him again, breaking his glasses.

Here is the victim - Mr Bhandari, glassless after the incident:

Of course, I did my best to look up Karima Begam: I still nurture a dream about traveling to Nepal, and it's prudent for a tourist to know what to avoid in a foreign place. So here we are (click to enlarge):

Let's take it step by step now:

This male dominated society has to come to an end and men should revere a woman for her Shakti (power) and wisdom, and understand that denying her a rightful place in the society will be a big loss to Nepal.

I think that one slap on the face is quite enough Shakti spent per male. Six slaps is a bit beyond the call of duty, I would suggest.

I am going to raise my voice not just for Muslim women or Madhesi women but for all the backward, deprived communities.

No one will dare to object now, I am sure.

The biggest challenge will be to prove our worth and competence in the development and structuring of a new state.

The shiners Mr Bhandari is sporting are proof positive. Nepalese feminists can rest their case.

It is high time to stop paying lip service to these issues and take some concrete and conclusive actions.

This was said about a year ago. By now there is no more need for concrete or more conclusive actions. I believe that the male inhabitants of Nepal will grok now what Shakti stands for and start behaving accordingly.

Or else.

(*) There is a minor controversy in the media re the number of times Mr Bhandari was slapped. Some indicate that it was only four times (not counting the glasses-breaker, I guess)

Update: I don't know whether it's this post that caused so much anguish, but here it is, from Telegraph Nepal:

The former Shangri-La, Nepal, that was taken around the entire globe now has become a country for fun associated with chaos and uncertainty. The fun, doesn’t entertain instead humiliates. The fun terrifies. Is this then a fun? This is really unfortunate.

Sorry, folks, nothing to do with it. It's only business fun.