He knows all...

Mr Know All

When Kantipur TV's popular show Bahas comes on air, I make it a point not to miss it. It's a great program, with such a bold presenter who does not hesitate to ask any kind of questions to anyone, especially the politicians. But no matter how I try not to be disappointed, Mr Indra Lohani disappoints me eventually, with his humiliating questions.

His latest guest was Rajiv Kafle, one of the bold men who did not fear the stigma and publicized his HIV-infected condition at a time when only a certain population was aware of it. For thousands of Nepalis, he has become a role model, and when I saw this guy on Bahas, I thought Kafle's boldness and dedication would be respected.

But no, the first question he is asked is: "Do you have AIDS or HIV?" Maybe Lohani wanted to show the public what the difference between the two was through Rajiv, but he did not think how the guest would feel. And he was not an ordinary guest—a person who dared and challenged the mentality of people that even HIV-infected could stand up from the crowd.

In the course of interview, Rajiv said how his dream to be a pilot could not materialize. He also talked about a donation-based hospital that he was running. Also, he shared he spent a lot of time with around 40 children—some whose parents had died of the infection and some who had the infection.

Listening to all these, Lohani fires another question: "Don't you think HIV-infection gave you an opportunity to be popular?" For a moment, I myself was hurt. How could he ask such a question to a person who has been fighting the condition to live a better life? A person has to positively take all kind of facial expressions when people know of the infection...

Rajiv Kafle is not my relative or my friend or anyone linked with me. But since my school days, I have known him as a bold guy who publicized his condition irrespective of the isolation he was bound to face and then began working for people like him, to protect them. So, I respect him.

Mr Lohani may have all the knowledge in the world but that knowledge would do good to no one if he invites people in his show just to show them he knows better. One may think I am no better either as I am publicly criticizing someone, but there is a difference. I am a nobody but Lohani and Kafle both are public figures, and both of them should be respected in their own ways.

Kafle & Lohani on 'Bahas'

A positive sign

"Nepal has come a long way, but the journey continues, as there are still a number of challenges to overcome. The people of Nepal have taken a stand for democracy and it would be especially inspiring for the entire world to see Nepal, which already makes such a tremendous difference in peacekeeping for others, overcome its own conflict and achieve lasting peace at home." ---United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said at a press conference in Kathmandu on November 1.

Ban's visit to Nepal is a great sign of how interested UN is in our peace process. Though it might have been coincidental to his South Asia tour, his visit to Nepal is the appreciation of a country that saved itself from going downhill.

However, like Ban said the challenge for the political parties is to gather consensus on prime issues like constitution writing and the integration and rehabilitation of the Maoists' combatants.

Let's hope, we Nepalis can actually make Prachanda's vision of a "model for peace" come true. All the best to all parties, regardless of their political affiliation.

A Communal Communist

This was the Greeting Card sent by Ms Hisila Yami Bhattarai to my dad on the occasion of Mha Puja and Newari New Year.

At a time when the Nepal Sambat or the Newar Sambat has gained national recognition, it is indeed a matter of pride for the Newars to celebrate the festival.

However, I expected the Tourism Minister would also remember Dashain and Tihar, the two biggest festivals in Nepal celebrated by the majority of the people. It's easier to remember Tihar as it falls somewhere around the Newari New Year and Mha Puja. Why, then Ms Yami Bhattarai did not wish people a happy Tihar?

Two questions came in my mind, both of them contradictory:

1. Communists don't believe in celebrating traditional culture. If so, why is she printing colorful cards, with her pp-size photo and a signature beneath it??

2. Their Great and Glorious (Mahaaan tatha Gauravsaali) party talks about respecting everyone's religion, caste..If so, why did she willfully forget to mention Tihar, which is celebrated by a very large population, including Newars?

I guess, next time, if she stands in elections, she will ask for votes from only one community.

जहाँ जहाँ जान्छौ तिमी...

कथा दाहाल दम्पत्तिको

प्रचन्डजीको प्रचन्ड पत्नी माया देखेर नयाँ नेपालका लोग्ने मान्छेले केही सिक्लान् जस्तो लाग्या छ मलाई । छायासरी वहाँकी पत्नी जतिबेला पनि साथ साथ देखिनुहुन्छ, चाहे त्यो राजनीतिक कार्यक्रम होस् वा अराजनितिक । चाहे त्यो दाहालजीकै शब्दमा भनिएको 'सम्राज्यबादी' अमेरिकामा होस् वा 'शारिरिक र मानसिकरूपले आशक्त' गिरिजा प्रसाद कोइरालाको चियापानमा--सर्वत्र छाउनु भएकै छ सितजी । त्यसैले त पत्रकारहरुको घम्साघम्सिमा च्यापिदा पनि दु:ख मान्नु भएन वहाँले । हुन त एक हिन्दू नारीको धर्म भनेकै पतिको खुशीमा साथ दिनु हो । तर ....

तर हामी जनतालाई भने यी कुरा चित्त नबुझ्ने रहेछ, किन भन्देखीन न त सिताजीले कुनै मन्त्रिपद सम्हाल्नु भएको छ न त वहाँनै हो प्रधानमन्त्रिको औपचारिक अङरक्षक ... त्यसो भए के का लागि सधैं अघी पछी लाग्नु हुन्छ त वहाँ लखर लखर, दाहालजीको ? शुभचिन्तकहरुको नमस्ते र पुष्प गुच्छा थाप्न? कि पुष्पक बिमान चढ्न ? बरु साचिकै पुष्प प्रेमी हुनुहुँदो रहेछ वहाँ त । यता पनि पुष्प उता पनि पुष्प, जताततै पुश्पै पुष्प ।

तर एउटा कुरो भने दाहाल दम्पत्तीले चटक्कै बिर्सिनुभएछ है! त्यसरी नै जनता को पैसामा राजारानीले मोज गर्दा आज ऊनिहरुको ठेगाना दरबारमार्ग बाट वनमार्ग भईसक्यो । त्यस्तै हो भने त कमरेड दम्पत्ती पनि बालुवाटार बाट बालाजुटार तिर लाग्नु पर्ला, होस् गरौ है ...

सोचौं है सोचौं !!

Report'ing or Eat'ing?

They say one can't concentrate while eating but i've seen so many reporter friends here who make an excuse of reporting for eating. Free lunch!

A reporter friend asked me whether i would be attending a press meet somewhere in Kathmandu. I had some other things to do, so i said no. In response to my negative reaction, the friend sent me a text message: "Let's go, they are serving good food." I wondered whether the journo friend was going for a reporting or for a free lunch. Maybe for both but the msg surely disgusted me.

Imagine, you are speaking something important at a press conference and the media people gathered turn into 'chewing and drinking faces'. If you are hungry, perhaps you would also like to eat but considering the mike in front and a topic in your mind, the distracted faces savoring the taste of Real Juice or cookies irritate you...

I've come to know about 'bhaatay patrakaars'--those who find out the daily engagements in the city from a newspaper like Gorkhapatra, and then pick the ones being organized in big Hotels. They don't even have to be a reporter as no one asks them about their cards at the programme. If, in case, they are asked to 'register' their names, they would do under somebody else's name..

they don't care what happens in the programme, all they care is what they get after the programme. They help thesmelves very well..and pamper their insatiable appetite with second and third helpings....(Sadly, i don't have their pictures, next time, maybe i will try to get some and post here.. )

You can't really control these kind of circumstances but you can definitely take precautionary measures:

1. If you are an organizer--i) If you "have to" provide food, do that only at the end of the program, not when the program is taking place, like it happens at our famous press clubs.

ii) ask your people at the 'registration' to look for valid ID cards of the bhaatay patrakaars in disguise.

2. If you are a reporter--Take notes or get your querries answered first. When everybody is done with speaking and questioning and the stage is cleared, then only help yourself. That way, you will save yourself from critics like me. :)

Born to be slaughtered!

How mean are we?

Come Dashain and the season of slaughtering of goats begins in Nepal. Thousands and thousands of goats, sheep, buffaloes, and pigs are eaten by crores of Nepalis, in the name of celebrating the tradition, and in the name of religion.

People also make money by ill-feeding the animals to sell them at good price, of course by lying how healthy the animals look. Personally, I am a vegetarian and I stopped eating meat after a teacher explained 'Kopila', a poem by Laxmi Prasad Devkota so well that it made me change my mind. The lines of the poem go something like this: "Natipnu hera kopila, nachyaatnu paap lagdachha, namaarnu jantu hai kunai, daya ra dharma bhaagda chha…"

The tradition has been going on for centuries, but at this age, when we talk equally of animal rights as we do of human rights, can we say NO to animal sacrifices and let them live their lives to the fullest?? Maybe we can start by trying and tell ourselves "It's just a matter of taste to us, to them it's their life!"

Also lets ask a question to ourselves: Can we imagine your beloved pet animal in such a painful situation? Think and answer......

Life is life, whether it's the pet animals; or of those who die to satisfy our taste buds.

When are we going to spare their lives?

I don't honk, do you?

Stuck in an immovable traffic jam, just when your legs fight to find some legroom on the streets, pungent smoke irritates your two important sense organs—the ears and the nostrils. You adjust your scarf/mask to check the amount of what-not gases and then another sense organ gets terribly affected—your ears—by the incessant honking of the horn by (I would say) 'insensitive' people.

Already our capital badly suffers from bad traffic system—with narrow roads, abundant street vendors and scarce sidewalks--on top of that people pretending to be blind and not realizing the vehicles ahead cannot move until the vehicles before them don't move, adds woe to it. They, no matter whether there is space for the vehicles to move forward or not, blow horn, assuming as if the 'noise' they/their vehicles make petrifies the rider/driver ahead to clear the road.

Why have a 'don't-care' attitude? Lets respect such signs.

Now here, think for a while and lets be honest, haven't we done that before? Haven't we seen no-horn signs/zones before? How often have we paid respect to it? Haven't we, ourselves, been irritated by the ear-piercing pressure horns? You must have heard the two popular pressure horns that have the tunes of the Bollywood hits—Kajra Re and Dhoom Macha Le?

And one more thing—have we (let's be real honest) ever thought whether people were carrying babies on their rides/drives? Did we then think, those fragile ear-drums could be affected by the high-decibel sound that our horns produce? If you were really honest, you must have an answer by now. I don't want to sound preachy, but I really think we, the 21st-century civilized people should be enough thoughtful and wise to not irritate others and play with others' audibility. I am on a campaign—"I don't honk", are you with me too?

Hope such a situation does not come!

Too soon, too radical!

Who's more??

The people in Basantapur and New Road have a reason to get angry. They are being deprived of what is needed to keep their "faith" alive. The culture that they have been celebrating since thousands of years is now challenged by radicals, who do not want to believe in anything called God.

A certain group is forgetting that Nepal is known to the international community by its rich culture. Otherwise, why would UNESCO keep our places under its 'heritage list'? Even we Nepalis ourselves, regardless of our caste and culture, proudly introduce our capital as 'city of temples' and our country as the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

A scene in front of RB Complex.

Why doesn't 'that group' keep this in mind and understand that trying to disregard somebody's faith could be extremely dangerous. And anyway, if they had all the money in the world to bring a hefty budget of Rs 236 billion, then it's a stupid idea to justify the 'fund reduction' for 'economical reasons'. I personally feel that their radical/revolutionary approach towards anything won't materialize until and unless they realize what 'sensitive issues' are!!

Sad but true--religious funds have been slashed.

A rebel-turned-Prime Minister

Among the rows of histories created this year (2008), former rebel leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal made one, by being elected the first Prime Minister of the kingdom that turned into the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Indeed it is a good thing that a leader who waged a decade-long bloody war in the country, that took lives of nearly Fourteen Thousand Nepalis ended the war and joined mainstream politics to be eventually elected as the Prime Minister. But there are quite a few things, that I, personally am not happy about. You might consider these petty things, but I take it seriously.

Instead of wearing a national dress, the former rebel wore a Western Suit and tie while taking the oath of office and secrecy. If that he thinks is okay, then why does not the party, he heads think it's okay to allow the Miss Nepal event?? What's wrong with that one? Unlike the Maoist Supreme Leader, the girls there promote their nationality and ethnic values.

Congress Prez adminsters oath to Maoist PM

They wear their ethnic/national dressess. Is that diagonal-stripes tie Nepali? Are those meticulously ironed coat and pant Nepali too? Then, why be a hypocrite?

Another thing--Not taking the oath "in the name of God" but "in the name of the people"......FINE, as long as you truly prove that you don't believe in God or any religion. It is expected that a Communist leader does not believe in God, but why then do you attend religious functions? Why then do you accept blessings from religious leaders? Why, of all the things, do you put tika? Well, you might say, Red symbolises power, but in our society, the vermillion stands as Deuta ko Prasad also, and you very well know it.

Another thing we should be concerned about Mr Prime Minister is that of the extra security. Earlier, PMs used to be satisfied with 80 army men, but for Mr Dahal, that's not enough. He will have more than double of it--150 army men, along with a couple dozens of Armed Police Force, and his own People's Liberation Army that fought the bloody battle with civilians and security forces of the country for a decade.......

Rastriyata bokna gaaro naparos!

CHALLENGES

With reservations, people have accepted Mr Dahal as a Prime Minister because they want peace, lasting peace. He has certainly taken Nepal to a new direction but if the government that he is going to lead, misleads the people and disregards the people's aspirations to live in a violence-free country that ensures their basic rights and needs, then something unfortunate won't be undeniable.

Mr and Mrs Dahal at the oath taking ceremony

For Communal Harmony

He is a man who understands national identity is more important

Born to a farmer's family in Dhanusha district, he never dreamt that he would become the head of the state of his country. Firstly, he comes from terai region and is a Madhesi. No one from the terai region has had bigger chance than Doctor Yadav. Thanks to the Maoist because of who this gentleman has become the first president of the country. And look at his nobleness, he wore Nepal's national dress—daura suruwal and took the oath in Nepali language.

His junior, vice president, who is also a Madhesi was dressed in 'dhoti' and took the oath in Hindi language. To Paramananda Jha, his community was more important, but Mr Yadav believed Nepaliness is above his ethnic identity. On Tuesday, when he visited Swoyambhunath temple and Kumari temple, I was assured that this man is trying to bring communal as well as religious harmony.

Monarchy is really gone

When I heard the news that former king Gyanendra was organizing a press conference, at first I didn't believe it. Then some of my reporter friends confirmed it and passed on a number where I could register my name for the press meet. I called up the guy and gave my name.

The press meet was said to be at five in the evening and we were told to be at the gate of Narayanhiti Palace around 4.45. I reached on time but was surprised at the huge crowd gathered there.

There was no queue as such; people had thronged from all direction possible. The gate, however, was closed. Journalists, holding their press cards were requesting the gate keepers to let them in. International journalists were also there. In that crowd, I was probably one woman trying to get in, protecting my camera and flaunting my press card. It was hard to breathe; i was sandwiched between the people. Normally, my dry skin does not perspire but it did there.

After the pushing game continued for a while, the gate opened. I was entering the Palace for the first time. As a child, i always had a dream to enter the gates and put tika from late king Birendra on Dashain. That did not happen. He and his entire family were killed in a royal massacre seven years ago, after which, Gyanendra Shah had become the new king.

I entered in but stopped for a moment to take a picture of the palace. As I was fixing my lens, i felt sorry for Gyanendra Shah, who was vacating this palace. I felt sorry for the fact that his forefathers who had united the nation into the Kingdom of Nepal was going to be re-written in the history, with his name as the last king of Nepal. In the meantime, I also recalled the over-ambitious role this king had played when he imposed a state of emergency, which dug the pave for ending monarchy.

The highly disorgonized crowd inside the palace hall pulled me back from my thoughts. I wondered why the palace officials had been lazy in properly managing the press conference, that was going to be attended by national as well as international journalists.

Again pushing people, I went closer to the place where the king would be sitting. Oh, it was too far from where i was and it seemed impossible for me to get to that point. So, I rather stood behind. But because I am a shorty, I couldn't see anything from there. For the first time, I breached discipline and stood on a chair, so that I could take pictures of the king, who had now become 'former'.

He came in with a smile. He was, as always, dressed in Daura Suruwal and a dhaka ko topi, Nepal's national dress. I wondered how he managed to wear a smile. Had i been in his position, where i would be ripped off all my properties, belongings, and history, I wouldn't be able to handle myself. I praised his tolerance and acceptance.

He started reading a speech. Though it was called a 'press conference', we were told he wouldn't take questions. And he didn't either.

He talked about all the allegations people made about misappropriating palace property. He refuted it. He said he had preserved all the property, inherited from his forefathers.

It was a touching moment when he talked about the royal massacre. He said he had to become king when his brother's entire family had been killed. There was no time for him to mourn their deaths, and on top of that public had doubted his family to be behind the killing.

He also said that his wife, Komal was still undergoing treatment for the bullet that went in her, at that time. I saw some of the reporters eyes wet. This was actually an unexpected day in Nepal's history. Nobody had really thought that the 240-year old monarchy would be ended that easily. The other day, Home Minister in his informal talk had told me and some reporters that it was Nepal's success to abolish monarchy peacefully. He had termed it 'a bloodless revolution'.

Towards the end of the speech, former king Gyanendra Shah said he would not leave the country. He said, "I want to contribute in the peace process in my mother land." It was a good message, indeed. Before ending the speech, he thanked all those who helped him in his seven years' of kingship and apologized to all those, who he said, were unknowingly hurt by him or his family.

He left with a smile, like always, saying "Shri Pashupati Nath Lay Sabaiko Rakshya Garun"

The former royal couple, after the press meet, moved to Nagarjuna Palace, where they will be staying until they manage their own residence. After Nepal was declared Republican on May 28, all the royal palaces in Nepal have been nationalized by the government. This decision of the government to let the couple stay there for some time has been criticized by various sectors. But, i believe the government did a right thing as it has to assure its "citizens' safety".


Uncivilized Reporters
After the former king left the hall, there were unacceptable behaviors shown by Nepali 'so called' journos. The chair, where Gyanendra Shah sat to deliver his speech was now being used as a chair to pose for photographs. Those 'reporters' were busy taking pictures and their expressions were saying--look, nowe we've taken his seat.

They showed ill-respect to other items like historic posters and photographs hung on the wall. I also heard there were attempts to steal and break the furntiures and other commodities. What a pity. Reporters, they call themselves!

New History Written

Outside the BICC, the crowd became impatient as the meeting did not begin on time. Some of them hurled stones at the building and the police fired teargas. Earlier in the afternoon, the Royalists took out a procession and chanted: “Haamro raja, haamro desh praan bhandaa pyaaro chha”

Read more at http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/30/stories/2008053061361800.htm

The First Republican Day--May 28,08

all pics by Prerana..please don't use these pictures without permission.

Writing history, writing republican Nepal
BICC, where the historic CA meet took place and from where 240-year-old monarchy was replaced.
It is now 'Sambidhan Sabha or constituent assembly.





Tight security at the CA meet's

entrance gate.
Kantipur Television's cameraman Yopesh Pradhan busy capturing
the historic day's happenings.

Not a mundane Nepali song.

Was browsing all the Nepali webpages that I knew today when I came across a link in Fursad.com: http://www.fursad.com/ads/Shanti/index.html I downloaded the video.

It is a sad story that talks about what amount of peace we are left with and how can we hide it so that it stays. The lyricist Basanta Chaudhary has done a wonderful job by writing a true picture of what our country is going through. Whenever I listen to songs like these, I feel so bad that I can't describe in words. I am one of those fortunate/unfortunate ones who has seen the transformation of a peaceful Nepal to a rebellion Nepal. And, it hurts...

It's a request to all Nepali friends who browse this page to listen to that son. Feel the song...please. It's very important for Nepalis to understand Nepali-solidarity.