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The Nepal Digest Monday 26 Sept 94: Ashoj 23 2051 BkSm Volume 31 Issue 3
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* TND Board of Staff *
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**********************************************************************
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 15:17:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: rpanth@uceng.uc.EDU (Ranjan Panth)
Subject: They started it
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
While naming G.P.'s relative enjoying the fruits of democracy the writer
forgot two others:
Mahesh Acharya(nephew) : Minister of Finance
R. Acharya (Mahesh Acharya's brother but I can't recall his name)
:G.M. of Rastriya Banijya Bank
And to think that people in the U.S. worry about Hillary and her
health care.
****************************************************************8
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 15:31:08 -0400 (EDT)
From: rpanth@uceng.uc.EDU (Ranjan Panth)
Subject: Congratulation
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
I wish to congragulate Mr. Puspa Joshi of Ohio State Univ.
for the letter he wrote about having to congragulate all
the students that passed the S.L.C. exam and not just the
ones that excelled. His article about how some students
are not priviledged enough to even continue their education,
let alone do well, was something I, personally, had not given
much thought to. Thank you Mr. Joshi.
****************************************************
Date: Sun, 04 Sep 94 22:21:35 EDT
From: Rajeev Karmacharya <RXK0992@SRUVM.SRU.EDU>
Subject: News from Nepal
To: TND <nepal@cs.niu.edu>
I am back after spending almost two months in Nepal.
I intend to summarize some of the changes that I observed
during my stay at home.
My visit to New Road made it obvious that Kathmandu
was not the same as I had left almost three years ago.
One could easily find many foreign faces amongst the
Kathmanduites, too many in fact. No wonder, the present
population of Kathmandu has rocketed to 12 lakhs,
bringing in its wake the problems of water supply,
pollution, and load-shedding.
I was shocked to learn that many parts of Kathmandu
was facing water supply problems, and yet, nothing had
been done to identify and tap new sources of drinking
water. I read somewhere that even if such a project was
to be started right away, it would take at least five
more years to complete it. Needless to say, the problem
of drinking water is destined to haunt Kathmanduites for
many years to come.
Air-pollution is another problem that Kathmandu is
facing. However, in the light of all the comments that
we have had in the TND recently, I deem it is unnecessary
to elaborate the matter. The ever-increasing influx of
people into Kathmandu could only make the situation worse
over the years. Load-shedding of electricity can also be
attributed to this exodus. Although load-shedding has
been done in the past, but never has it been done to the
present extent; people are forced to live without
electricity for three times a week. Consequently,
virtually all economic activities are paralyzed. It is
ironical that the people of a country with one of the
highest hydro-electric potentials in the world have to
face the scarcity of electricity even though they are
willing to pay the high cost. (FYI the cost of
electricity has quadrupled in the past few years.)
Another interesting fact that amazed me was the
ever-increasing purchasing potential of Kathmanduites,
despite the poverty that is so prevalent in almost all
walks of life. For anyone going home recently after a
few years, it will not be difficult to notice that the
number of motor-cycles and reconditioned cars plying the
streets of Kathmandu has increased dramatically. There
are even advertisements in newspapers for installation of
car CDs. One wonders how many Kathmanduites can actually
afford a 1,200 rupees per Compact Disc tab from their
salary (not talking about businessmen, of course).
Finally, here are some excerpts from some prominent
newspapers. I have attempted to make the translations as
accurate as possible (subject to my translative
abilities, obviously). I would like to take this
opportunity to thank my dad for his efforts to get as
many newspapers as possible for me.
PM didn't seek options, say advocates on 2nd day
===============================================
(The Kathmandu Post, August 25.)
Advocates representing the plaintiff pleaded their
case for the second day Wednesday urging for annulment of
the Prime Minister recommendation to dissolve the House
of Representatives.
Senior advocates Bashudev Dhungana, Krishna Prasad
Bhandary, Sindunath Pyakurel and advocates Biswa Kanta
Mainali, Dr. Surya Dhungel, Babu Ram Giri and CP Regmi
participated in Wednesday's court discussion...
"If the Royal decision has an unconstitutional
origin, it can be pronounced null and void," he said.
Dhungana said the annual programme of the government was
defeated in the parliament due to non-cooperation of the
members of his own parliamentary party. Dhungana said
that the dissolution of the Pratinidhi Sabha (PS) had,
therefore, no validity from constitutional point of
view...
According to court schedule, the supreme court is to
hear the arguments of the lawyers pleading on behalf of
the defendants on Friday. Observers predict the final
verdict would not be coming before next Wednesday.
Indian army ......
==================
(New Kathmandu Daily, August 25)
After several raids conducted recently by the Indian
police in Kathmandu and elsewhere, it has been reported
that about 150 men belonging to the Indian army were seen
around Ramdi bridge of Kaligandaki river. Although the
report has not been officially confirmed, local residents
have attested to the above incident.
Stern action needed
===================
(The Kathmandu Post editorial, August 25, 1994)
...In the year 2050 alone, 3,200 cases if rape were
reported--a six-fold rise over the previous year. The
actual figure may be even higher since some victims
prefer silence due to fear of ostracism. Another
disgusting truth revealed by these statistics is that
nearly 60 percent of the victims were children below the
age of 14, some of them as young as six years. There
have also been a number of cases in which the victims
succumbed to the brutal force of the aggressors, or lost
the use of some parts of their body, or were infected
with the deadly AIDS virus. Yet most rapists are seldom
brought to book, or if they are, justice is painfully
slow. Of the 66 cases of rapes registered with the
Kathmandu district court in 2049 BS, only 11 have been
cleared so far...
...Marichman's Save the Nation ...
==================================
(Mahanagar Daily, August 25)
...Candidates of Save the Nation movement are among
the much talked about candidates for the upcoming
elections in Kathmandu. Movement's leader Marichman
Singh is slowly emerging in the picture. But sources
close to him maintain that nothing has been decided yet.
It is rumored that famous intellectuals known to be
associated with Yemale and Jana Morcha could affiliate
themselves with the Save the Nation movement in the
elections.
Supreme leader to be discharged from the hospital
=================================================
(New Kathmandu Daily, August 25)
Supreme leader of Nepali Congress Ganeshman Singh is
being discharged from the hospital on Bhadra 15th. He
had spent two and a half months in the hospital due to an
injury that resulted from his falling off a chair in
Bharatpur.
Some Quotes:
===========
"In the present situation, Prime Minister Girija
Prasad Koirala is the biggest criminal."
- N.C.P. (Yemale) chairman Manmohan Adhikari
quoted by Drishti Vernacular Weekly, August 24.
"Biswanath is doing politics"
- Assistant Minister for Law, Justice and
Parliamentary Affairs regarding Chief Justice Biswanath
Upadhyaya quoted by Drishti Vernacular Weekly, August 24.
"Due to unclear foreign policy, couldn't Nepal turn
into another Sikkim any day...."
- Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani quoted by
Samakalin Weekly, Bhadra 9.
From: Rajeev Karmacharya <RXK0992@SRUVM.SRU.EDU>
A message for Ex-AVMs
=====================
Our alma mater is trying to compile a list of
graduates studying abroad. Mr. S.N. Bahadur, our
principal, expressed the intention during my visit to
school this summer. I told him that I would help him in
this matter. I would, therefore, like to request Ex-AVMs
to send their name, address (both school and home), their
major, and their year of graduation (from AVM) to me or
to the principal himself. My e-mail address is:
RXK0992@SRUVM.SRU.EDU (Internet)
or, RXK0992@SRU.BITNET
Also, I would appreciate if you could spread the
message to other Ex-AVMs who do not have direct access to
the TND.
***************************************************************************
From: Ong Chin Huat <fbaongch@leonis.nus.sg>
Subject: Trip to Nepal
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Dearest people
I am a Singaporean who is going to Nepal for the first time, likely to be
in the third week of November. Being very new to Nepal, I am wondering
whether anyone of you can give me some advice and help:
(1) Whether is there any Singapore embassy in Nepal
(2) What should I bring to Nepal
(3) Where can I stay in Nepal
(4) What are the restrictions in entering Nepal, such as not allowed to
bring certain items
(5) Is English widely used in Nepal
I will also be very appreciative if anyone can give me other advices.
Simply send me an E-mail.
Thank you very much in advance.
Ong Chin Huat
Research Analyst
Centre for Business Research & Development
National University of Singapore
10 Kent Ridge Crescent
Singapore 0511
Tel: 65-7726398
Fax: 65-7753955
***********************************************************************
Date: 06 Sep 94 14:06:04 EDT
From: Rajendra.P.Shrestha@Dartmouth.EDU (Rajendra P. Shrestha)
Subject: News9/2-6
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
SOURCE: International Herald Tribune
HEADLINE: The UN Needs a Standing Force, and Gurkhas Could Do the Job
BYLINE: Brian Farrell and Christopher Lingle
DATELINE: SINGAPORE, September 6, 1994
BODY:
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold
War, military forces wearing the blue berets of the United Nations
have increasingly been called upon to intervene in trouble spots
around the world. The seemingly endless series of crises from Haiti to
Bosnia-Herzagovina pose a serious challenge for the only body with a
mandate to carry out the will of the global community.
While there is no shortage of goodwill or strong words in reaction
to conflictin places such as Rawanda, too often international action
is too little or too late. Without a swift and decisive response from
the outside, a crisis arising from a breakdown of civil authority can
easily lead to humanitarian catastrophe.Inaction by the world
community amounts to appeasement, even though it may be unintentional.
The problem stems from the lack of a standing military force under
UN command.A solution would be to put together a contingent of Gurkha
professional soldiersfrom Nepal who are particularly well-suited for
such missions.
Butros Butros Ghali, the UN secretary- general, is trying to
improve the ability of the world body to react to crises that do not
require commitment of massive forces or involve acute geopolitical
complications. In April 1993, he established a planning team made up
of seven military officers seconded from their national armed
forces. Their mandate is to plan and organize a UN standby force base
on troop contributions by member states.
Twenty-one countries are reported to have committed soldiers and/or
equipment to the reserve force and more may follow. The aim is to get
an accurate idea of the units that could be brought together in rapid
response to a crisis.
However, the plan is seriously flawed. It does not deal with the
basic questioof whether the force will be able to assemble and move to
wherever it is needed quickly enough. Nor does it take account of the
slow way in which governments involved reach agreement on the actual
deployment of the UN forces or what to doif some of the promised
national troops are ultimately witheld. Most importantly, the United
Nations must be confident that the troops provided will be good enough
to do the job and able to work well with each other.
Instead of trying to assemble a multinational rapid response
contingent, the United Nations should have a standing force trained,
armed, equipped and ready to go. The ground forces of a major power
should not be involved, because that raises too many political hackles
in too many places, producing disruptive consequences for any
peacemaking or peacekeeping effort.
The Gurkhas are ideally suited to take on an emergency reaction
role. They aresuperb professional soldiers long accustomed to service
for an authority other than the leaders of their homeland. Since 1816,
Gurkhas have served with great distinction in the British and later
Indian armies, and they continue to do so. At present, most British
Gurkhas are based in Hong Kong and the sultanante of Brunei. With the
return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the Gurkhas will no longer be
required in the British Army.
The legal and diplomatic arrangements under which individual
Nepalese serve thBritish and Indian governments could easily be
replicated for the United Nations. A minimum of 5,000 troops would be
needed for the force to be credible and to give it the flexibility to
answer more than one call at a time. Garrisoning costs and logistics
would probably limit the number of troops to a maximum of 15,000.
Based on past experience, it is unlikely that Nepal would try to
interfere in the UN chain of command for Gurkha troops or demand the
evacuation of the force in the face of mounting casualties. The
presence of Nepalese soldiers would alsobe unlikely to provoke
antagonistic reactions based on nationality. Indeed, the formidable
reputation of Gurhkas as impartial fighters might well help to
defusetense situations.
Nonetheless, such a proposal raises challenges that many
governments are reluctant to confront. If a Gurkha force is assembled
and used, the United Nations would be taking a large step toward
acting as an independent, supranational body. The force could only be
used if the major powers on the UN Security Council supported its
intervention. And only the United States is capable of providing the
airlift the force would need to reach trouble spots andoperate there
as long as necessary.
Once its job was done, the United Nations would almost certainly
have to take control of the territory in question for an indeterminate
time. This raises fundamental questions about the role of the United
Nations in building a new world order.
It is time these questions were confronted. Improvised
multinational military contingents are simply too slow to assemble and
pose too many political and operational problems. A viable alternative
must be found. Pragmatism must be allowed to outweigh cynical
objections that Western governments seek the political benefits of
putting Gurkhas at risk in chaotic situations in place of their own
soldiers. -
Mr. Farrell is a military historian and Mr. Lingle an economist
teaching at the National University of Singapore. They contributed
this personal comment to the International Herald Tribune.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: nepal's security arrangements guided by national need
DATELINE: kathmandu, september 6; ITEM NO: 0906054
BODY:
nepal's home ministry has made it clear that the country's
security arrangements are guided by its own national requirement and
distinct characteristics. a spokesman of the home ministry said in a
statement monday that nepal need not be dictated from anywhere else in
the matter concerning the security issue. the home ministry statement
came in response to recent rumors saying that nepali security units
are used to help indian intelligence sector. the spokesman reiterated
that any activities directed against nepal's neighbors cannot be
condoned and nepal stands firm on its policy not to allow its soil to
be used against its friendly neighbors. a country has to be sensitive
on matters of its security, the spokesman said, adding that nepal has
been enjoying cordial relations with its neighbors on the basis of
mutual cooperation and wants to promote her relations with all
friendly countries on the basis of mutual respect.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: private sector operates postal service in nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, september 5; ITEM NO: 0905031
BODY:
a private corporation has started postal service to provide post
box facility to the clients in nepal. the private corporation
--everest postal care private limited, a non-governmental
organization, will provide post box at the general post office of the
country. it is the first time in the history of the country that a
private sector enters the postal service sector, local daily "the
kathmandu post" reported today. the company has space to accommodate
4,000 post boxes and the clients should pay 500 rupees (about 10
u.s. dollars) a year along with a deposit of 500 rupees for the post
boxes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: nepal to get grant from canada
DATELINE: kathmandu, september 5; ITEM NO: 0905175
BODY:
canada has promised to provide nepal with a grant assistance of
174.2 million rupees (3.55 million u.s. dollars) for the twin otter
aircraft support project. a memorandum of understanding to this
effect was signed here today by representatives of the two countries.
the project aims to assist the nepali civil aviation department and
the royal nepal airlines corporation to extend the life of the twin
otter aircraft, to improve the fleet's operational strategy and to
enhance the capabilities of nepal's air transporation institutions,
said the nepali finance ministry here today. the grant assistance
would be utilized for the procurement of spare parts of the twin otter
aircraft, providing training and making available the services of
experts for the department of civil aviation and royal nepal airlines
corporation. the canadian-made twin otter aircraft are mainly used
for domestic flights in nepal.
------------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: Xinhua
HEADLINE: encephalitis claims 36 lives in western nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, september 3; ITEM NO: 0903141
BODY:
encephalitis has claimed 36 lives in the mid-western region of
nepal this year. according to the information from the mid-western
region health directorate, 193 patients are being treated at bheri
zonal hospital and 64 others in other hospitals and health centers,
the national news agency rss reported today. bardia district in the
region is reported to be the hardest hit by the outbreak of the
disease.
----------------------------------------------------------------
SOURCE: UPI
HEADLINE: Indian cops face trial in Nepal
DATELINE: KATMANDU, Sept. 2
BODY:
Five armed Indian policemen arrested after illegally chasing a
suspect into Nepal July 8 face trial for their border incursion, Home
Ministry spokesman Sri Kant Regmi said Friday. Regmi said the five
have been charged under the Arms and Ammunition Act for illegal
posession of arms, and their case is being heard in west Nepal 675
miles (420 km) southwest of the Nepalese capital. The five were
arrested with a revolver and six rounds of ammunition and a pair of
handcuffs July 8 at Nepalgunj. Nepal protested the incident,
prompting New Delhi to issue a public statement that the Himalayan
kingdom's giant neighbor ''continued to respect Nepal's sovereignty
and territorial integrity.'' The Indians crossed Nepal's border as
they pursued a kidnap suspect, angering Nepal. Indian Prime Minister
P.V. Narasimha Rao regretted the incident and promised it would not be
repeated.
************************************************************
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 14:05 EST
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: Update on Nepal Environment
Nepal Environmental Update: Sept 1994
====================================
The following extract isfrom ESCAP "Environmental News Briefing ofthe
REgions'Press: July 1994" for Nepal
1. Forest Conservation in Parbat District: Parbat is a middle hill
district in West nepal about 550 squ. km in area and about 20,000 ha of
forest. Mahesh hari Acharya, the District Forest Officer, [my student/assitant
in 1987/88 at Institute of Forestry], reporteed that his office had exceeded
th target by 37 natural forest plantation areas have been handed over to the
local community by 1993/94. [The scale of the forests handed over is
disappointing at 52 ha, or 1/4 of 1per cent of the total forests.] there was a
plan to rehabilitate 30 more ha, again underscoring the limited scope
government forest action.
2. Wildlife Monitoring of rhinoceros inChitwan National Park have put the
population at 440 to 460. These included 333 adults and 113 youngs. 159
females were identified and the sexes of 63 individuals could not be
determinied. In 1975, the rhino population was 270-310, increase depite 59
rhinos killed by poachers. Bardia national park has 38 rhinos too. [This
brings up the question of culling rhino population once theri numbers exceed
the capacity that can be supported at Chitwan, which ecxperts think is 358.]
3. Air Pollution by Himal Cement Factory has again been criticized. The
factory recently unveiled a 24 million Deutsch Mark Wet Scrubber technology
for reducing dust from the factory. The author, Anish Sharma, contends that
thistechnology is not worth themillions since all it consists of is a series
of tanks from which the factory exhaust is made to pass through to wet and
trap dust, anybody in nepal could have done it. Moreover, the dust is only 3%
of the pollutant and noxious fumes of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxid e are
allosed to pollute the air and health of Chovar and kathmandu residents.
The technology alwo will produce a ddense fag that will hide the sun in Chovar
except for the noon .
4. Construction material a threat to Kathmandu environment. According to
Achyut Luintael , an environmental engineer, over one hundered brick kilns are
operating in the valley supplyig the building boom. This industry not conly
consumes valuable farm lands but also fuel and produces dust and carbon
dioxide. Similarly sand dredged and excaved and gravel mined from reiver beds
and river levees are already altering the characteristics of river bed systems
in aresa such as Kapn, Bhaimal, Gothatar,Dhapasi, and Mulpani VDC. and rivers
such as Manahra, Hanumante, Dhove Khola. The construction boom has also
encouranged recent immigrants from the Terai and this has increased cultural
and economci conflict for jobs and services.
5. Environment-friendly hydropower? asks Deependra Nath Sharma. When
Kulekhani and Marsyangid hydel projects were built, some 3,500 and 1800 people
were displaced with meager cash compensation. It is expected that Chisapani,
Pancheswor, Chisapani, West Seti, and Budhi Gandaki hydels are materialized
more people will suppfer displacement. The author is also worried aboutthe
large workfore that will come to anew project area and induce antisocial
activieties including alcoholism, hoolignaism, gamblisng, and prostitution and
*************************************************************************
From: Abi Kumar Sharma <abi@sfu.ca>
Subject: South Asia Bulletin
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 10:50:25 -0700 (PDT)
South Asia Bulletin - Special Issue on Nepal
South Asia Bulletin, volume XIII, Nos. 1 and 2, special issue on
nepal is guest edited by Nanda Raj Shrestha, dept. of geography univ.
of wisconsin at whitewater. This issue (carries eight articles on
Nepal) contributes to some of the contemporary issues of nepal for
debate, such as development, land reforms, gorkha varti etc. I find
the special issue thought provoking and helpful to understand better
e.g. the whole notion of development. It is, indeed, very impressive
effort by Dr. Shrestha to provide the forum for such important issues
of a critical body of thought that speaks to many causes of our
problems.The articles are as follows:
1. Enchanted by the mantra of Bikas: A self-reflective perspective on
Nepalese Elites and Development.
2. Prospects for Land reform in Nepal.
3. The road to Shangri La is paved: spatial development and rural
transformation in Nepal.
4. Unintended consequences: the ideological impact of development
in Nepal.
5. Circular migration and families: A Yolmo sherpa example.
6. Soldiers, sovereignty and silences: Gorkhas as diplomatic
currency.
7. He's no good: Sexual division of labor and habitus among Nepal's
Marpha Thakali.
8. The Vadi community and prostitution.
thanks. abi sharma.
********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 9 Sep 1994 20:16 EST
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Persecuting Buddhists in Nepal:
===============================
We have this glorious myth of religious and communal amity in Nepal, partly
constructed by the Panchayat polity and partly reinforced by the powerfyl
vested interests that benefit from the undue legitimacy to caste privileges.
It is often pointed that Hindus and Buddhists get along quite fine and old
Lichavi and Malla king patronage of both religious persuasions are often
alluded to. Allusions are also made to everday life where people of both
faiths visit both temples. Granted we have had few widely known cases of
violent suppresion on one faith by another but the reality of hunky-dory,
pally-pally religious amity are misleading if not disingenuous.
History shows that even during malla times, a distinct State involvment to
promote Hindu faith and social orgnanization along caste lines was instituted
at the expense of other faiths. Merchants to Tibet, mostly newars, were made
to undergo repurification rituals and the reinstitutions of caste because they
were declared to have lost their caste purity by the contact of non-caste
Tibetans. This was done by the ruling authorities at the advice of royal
priests.
During the Rana times, the integration of Hindu regressive legal code in the
Muluki ain was even more blatant. One of cardinal principles of civil life,
namely that every was equal before the law, was explicitly trampled to give
special immunity to Brahmins. This resulted in Tanka Prasad Acharay suffering
humiliatin with this life intact so he could be the prime minister while other
freedom fighters were martyred.
The Buddhists, namely of the Theravada faith, the yellow robed monks were
specially singled out for Hindu-inspired persecution by the Ranas.
According to the Sangharam Kondanya in Dharma Kirti (Aug 1994), Juddha
Shumsher Rana decreed on 30 July 1994 ( 50 years ago), that no Nepali Bhikchus
and their proselytes can preach their faith and all Buddhists must lieave the
mingdom, ie, kathamandu valley in 3 days. This is in ironic in a country which
proudly says it is the birthplace of the prince of peace, Gautam Buddha.
Among those who suffered exile were: Dharma lok karma Sheel (Prgjyananda),
Subodhananda, Pragjyarashmi, Ratnajyoti, Aggadhamma, and Kashyap.
The exiles Bhikchus (monks) from Sarnath, Kushinagar, and Benares under the
initiation of Bhikchu Amritananda formed the " Dharmodaya Sabha" under
theleadership of Chnadramani Mahasthabir on 30 Nov , 1944. The Sabha networked
with all the Buddhist institutions in India and mobilized public opinion of
the religious persecuation that led to the banishment of Buddhist monks from
Nepal. The campaign led to the inclusion of Vicchu Amritananda in the
Buddhist Goodwill Mission constituted by Buddhist Monks of Srilanka in April
1946. The mission succeeded in persuading the government to give visa to
Buddhist pilgrims to Nepal. Meetings with Padma Shumsher, Amritananda was
successful in having the decree exiling Buddhist monks withdrawn.
***************************************************************
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 1994 10:16:40 +0700
To: a10rjs1@cs.niu.edu
From: Mona Shrestha <hsd92165@emailhost.ait.ac.th>
Subject: A thought (fwd)
JUST A FEW WORDS
The irresistible, delicious aroma and the sensitive nose of mine arouse
my hunger 'ever-ready to gobble down' delicacies offered by the endless
sprouting up restaurants and fast food centers of Kathmandu - not always
filled with bideshes - no more. We at Kathmandu are really learning to
eat out, aren't we?
Delicacies have done wonders to people (pun intended). So, I came across
a couple of well-feds (88 would be appropriate if you were playing
Bingo!!!), claded in tight jeans shorts, at a wonderful bookstore in
Lazimpat, and I heard them getting into an argument with the sullen
looking sales boy. I watched them giving their arrogant ethnic identity.
No more just Nepalese, the so called mosaic of different culture and
ethnicity. Is somebody trying to apply the old theory of "DIVIDE AND
RULE" on us?
Fashion follows food. Clothing is too " basic". Fashion has gone into us
so well in Kathmandu, everyone is trying to look SWELL. Then there was a
woman in hot pink silk saree knocking at my door- so fluent was her
English and so serene was her looks. Displaced, deprived, she landed to
Kathmandu with no destination, she needed Rs. 500/- urgently but is not
looking for any work. The incident was not of a rare kind. Beggars have
learnt to dress up too, be it on their own land or foreign land, haven't
they? 'APPEARANCE FOR PROFESSION" applies everywhere.
There was a shopping spree just before Nepal bandhs. For some matching
pair of shoes to dazzling filigree for the scheduled parties had to be
tended. Meanwhile for the most it was hectic trip to groceries. Some
green grocers were selling off all kinds of grocery with the falling
price as it grew dark, while the well-informed ones had no panic -
happy to finish up with some perishables. Why worry! the bandh
actually would be only for one day and not as proposed three days. How
witty! they had their own way to apply "VON THU'NEN THEORY".
As I walked down the road, I wondered if anybody really prayed for
Kathmandu. Hark! .... didn't I hear the noble FATHER MAHARJAN "...... amen",
just then.
Note: Sharing a thought, coming back from Kathmandu.
Mona Shrestha,
Human Settlements Development Program
SERD, AIT.
****************************************************************
Date: Sun, 11 Sep 1994 15:54:48 EDT
To: The Nepal digest Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
From: "Pramod K. Mishra" <pkm@acpub.duke.edu>
Subject: Women in Hinduism VI
Dear Editor,
An honorable Hindu marriage as practiced today in most parts
of India and Nepal is at once solemn and ridiculous, at once a
carnivalesque affair of endless feasts, absurd rituals, rip-off
dowries, cheap Hindi songs and costly dances (if you don't swing
your own male hips to the tune of the "English band"); and a sad
occasion of searing lonesomeness and alienation. No matter how
much we brag about the free-for-all, innocent atmosphere of
Rodighar between hormone-plagued tribal boys and daring girls,
about tribal customs of wooing a mate by playing on-the-spot duet
contests while returning from a local fair, the socially adored
kind of Hindu marriage remains a contradictory event, immensely
crowded and acutely lonely.
For the parents of the groom, their son's marriage promises
a cook, a housekeeper, the bearer of male progenies, frequently a
swelling dowry, and, far from least, an elevation of their social
and family status through this connection to an influential
family. The unfulfillment of any one of these cherished hopes
results in a moaning disappointment, to be blamed either on the
son's crooked crossing of stars or on the bride's forbidding
presence. For the relatives and caste members, the wedding of
one of their own young hotblood threatens with envy while
promising a reward of jamboree, a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity
for gustatory surfeit.
For the groom himself, this occasion certainly guarantees
the quenching of his lifetime's fantasies, his wildest bedtime
imaginings, the culmination of everything he had seen, imagined
or heard about carnal satiation. In most parts of Nepal, as he
sets out to look for a bride, stealthily either himself or
publicly through me/iddlemen, he never forgets the doll he had
seen in the movies, whose body seemed to melt at human touch,
whose dance looked like those of the nymphs in the court of
Indra, whose voice sounded like that of a kokil, the cuckoo, and
whose shyness surpassed even the lajwanti weed--all these virtues
about a prospective bride drilled into him from childhood. But
whereas in the movie, the nymph was a nymph, a public woman, here
for marriage, the first and foremost condition must be that she
be a virgin--unspoiled and chaste. And don't forget! A two-
legged mule.
Thank God, in Nepal, he can at least have a look at the
potential bride! Even a remote one. In most parts of India, a
boy's look at a girl for potential marriage erodes the girl's
honor and shames her family's prestige. (Now my city-bred, cake-
eating friends would rebuke me by saying how ignorant I am and
how open the customs have become in Bombay, Delhi, and Culcatta,
and invite me to walk with them through their streets. My legs
are tired; I can't walk anymore, my friends! Let my pen do the
walking for now)
What do the girl's parents do in the meantime? Well, on
this side, things are not rosy at all. There is hardly any
promises, only headloads of anxieties. When a young Hindu female
reaches puberty, survives the Sitting in the Cave trauma, and
everything along with it, her parents begin to worry about her
future chances in the marriage market. In the case of the boys,
it's the job market that begins to worry most parents these days.
Wherever schooling is considered superfluous for a young
female, such as in the rural areas both in the Terai and the
Hills, parents' concern for their daughter's marriage becomes an
obsession. In the case of the Hindus from the hills of Nepal,
the parents wait for a suitable boy to send a messenger with the
request for the daughter's hand.
Now your curiosity may get out of hand and ask, Who is a
suitable boy here? Well, the definition of a suitable boy has
changed from time to time, with changes in social, cultural, and
political mind-frame. However, much of what makes a suitable boy
remains the same.
In the days of the Panchayat system, and I'm sure during the
time of the Ranas, too, a suitable boy had certain specific
ingredients. First, the boy must come from the same caste. This
was an uncompromisable component, non-negotiable; this criterion
seemed eternal for the upper castes. The only exception for the
Chetri caste could be that if he came from the Rana family, so
much the better. If not, then there should be some link, even a
tenuous one, even a manufactured one, would bring glory to the
family; as closer the blood line to the royal palace, the better
the social prestige. Prestige and power functioned as sisters,
for everyone knew that if the boy came from a family close to the
palace, if the boy's father and family belonged closer at the
helms, even as gate keepers and cooks, even as tobacco fillers,
it didn't matter what the boy did. Even if there was muddy water
in his brain instead of sharp intelligence, he would surpass any
son of a gun who had nothing but gunpowder of intelligence inside
his skull.
In those days, old money carried infinitely more value than
any upstart wealth, earned by the sweat of the brow, or by
felling clear the forest of the Terai and smuggling its timber to
India, or by becoming an employee at the customs department, or
even by embezzling the office budget and taking bribe from the
poor, helpless villagers. These avenues of getting rich fell
perfectly within the ethical parameters of these otherwise moral
pillars of Nepalese society. In fact, that constituted the core
of morality and virtue. If you got nowhere in terms of material
gains even after seating in such chairs, the society branded you
dimwit, and dimwit you were, for you couldn't move anywhere
except down.
The new money was not good enough, however, in the marriage
bazaar among the highest circles. It did not carry the fragrance
of fixed deposit, nor the thrilling odor of a hidden treasure-
trove; instead, it had the cheap smell of unrecognizable donor
currencies, of the poor villagers' dirty sweat, or of the herbage
of the forest. So preference was justifiably given to old money,
not to prima donna-rise to pelf. But when old money didn't come
fast, then of course the preference had to shift to quick money.
Money after all was money. You can't ignore Laxmi, can you?
The girls in such middle class well-to-do situations
definitely began to go to college in recent years, for parents
thought the boys wanted college-going girls, on top of everything
else, to run the household, and, in some cases, to earn an extra
buck as office clerks or school teachers, while the boy thought
he would display his college-passed possession for everyone's
envy. Illiteracy and even high school education had become
outdated to be an aspiring, competitive commodity in the marriage
market. However, the education of most of the village girls,
more or less both in the hills and the plains, remained
blissfully limited to counting the numbers and recognizing the
alphabet. What need for a girl's education? You need education
to wash pots, cook food, and change the diaper? So what applied
to men during the Rana regime applied to women now.
Like men in any time and place, some of these boys were
shrewd fortune hunters, too. The fortune they hunted for was
"source and force," most readily understandable Nepalized terms
of the otherwise cow-eating language, because what it meant could
be directly convertible into cash, like a delayed bankdraft, late
but cashworthy. Now these boys, making marriage their career-
opportunity, violated an age-old wisdom that said, "Chchori dinu
aafoo maathi, buhari lyaaunu aafoo muni." (Better to give
daughters to your superior; safe to bring a bride from one ladder
lower). This advice was followed very often, not only to impose
the age-old rule over the daughter-in-law, but to make sure that
the daughter also remained under servility. But some of the
fortune-hunters violated this traditional rule and eventually
became, at best, a sort of "gharjoin" (eternal guest at the in-
laws), at worst "joitingre," hen-packed husbands, butt of
ridicule among the mainstream, who loved to rule over young
women.
In the case of the hilly Hindus, the marriageable girl had
to wait for a suitable boy's musical knock at her father's door.
If more than one knocked, the parents would feel proud of her and
brag about it, not without reason. They could make a choice, and
the girl felt tickled and vain of her beauty and her family's
standing. And when nobody knocked for a long time, blame fell on
her heavy shoulders. She is ugly; she doesn't have this; she
doesn't have that. And in the case of those who had neither
renowned family (that also most often meant wealth and power) nor
blinding beauty, the poor unmarried girl felt lost, most
despicable, for she had no other quality to attract grooms. Nor
resources to live a dignified life.
Among the Hindus of much of the so-called Hindi heartland in
India and those in the Nepali plains, the business of marriage
worked, and still does, slightly differently. In this case, the
boy does not take the initiative. Once they see moustache
sprouting on their son's undernose and their kitchen in need of a
youthful cook, the parents do not borrow eyes and ears to scout
suitable young females of impeccable thirty-two virtues as well
as of noble birth and prestigious clan. In this case, the boys
parents among middle class Hindus, after investing their money in
the fixed deposit of their son's education, wait like a cat in
ambush for a big fat mouse with a bulky purse. Here, the boy's
worth is counted in terms of how many representatives from how
many prospective girls' families come to ask for the boy's hand
and how much money they offer. It's like auction, folks--auction
of a livestock, or furniture, or anything. Bidding begins, and
the highest bidder wins the prize-bull, only to turn him into a
load-pulling bullock, castrated and sensible. Other criteria of
marriage--caste, family name, and other variables--remain the
same, but money clinches the matter. In the case of these Indian
and Terai marriages, this price for the groom's head is honorably
called dowry. Although illegal in India, it exchanges hands
anyway. Even the law makers and the law enforcers chomp their
paan and grin, extending their empty purse, "An elephant has two
sorts of teeth: one to show off, the other to eat. Ha! Ha! Ha!"
The groom in almost all cases, unlike most Nepali arranged
marriages, does not even get to see the girl's face before
sleeping with her. It's not that the girl remains unseen. No,
she is seen accompanied by all the suitable rituals and
paraphernalia, including sweets. But the eyes are different from
those of the groom. They are borrowed, fat-layered; those eyes
don't see; they only smell--only money. Most often the boy's
parents see the girl when the whole thing is a done deal and on
condition that they will not refuse marriage. So seeing or not
seeing the girl doesn't count in the last analysis. Eyes are
here only to smell, not see. In cases where the girl's father is
not rich because he does not possess enough land or he is not an
embezzling official, the girl and her mother intensify their
prayer to Lord Shiva's consort to send a suitable boy marriage.
The girl's parents suddenly transform their money-grabbing hearts
into an idealistic one and look for boys who have high ideals,
who can defy their parents' greed for the sake of the noble deed
of doing good to the poor girl by marrying her. But the days of
Gandhi are gone, and with them went the courage of most Indian
young men in this respect. Ideals, spirituality, and philosophy
only in speech and while talking to the foreigners, folks! Carry
on! Carry on!
I spent ten years, off and on, studying and traveling in
India in the seventies and eighties, and during my stay there I
would lie if I said I found a single soul who could vow to
forsake money and defy his parents for idealism and marry a girl
at the expense of displeasing his parents and society. Parents
would suffer strokes, if that happened; parents are parents,
after all. You worship them; you don't cause heart attacks, do
you? You can not disobey them, can you? Be a good boy, at times
a naughty boy, but don't disobey. Marry for cash. Idealism has
come down to this pass, folks. Most Indian young men, no matter
what their degree in--engineering, medical science; no matter
what their position--the highly prestigious Indian civil services
occupied by highly belabored, information-crammed young men, PhD
professors--remain dowry seeking boys. They take dowry, they
assert, only to pay for what their parents have invested for
their education. Some even argue that dowry maintains a social
stability, bringing folks of the same economic status, makes
marriage more durable, makes it sealed in heaven. What about
those who never go to school? They take dowry anyway, to
maintain social stability, to make marriages durable.
At times I wonder if these information-crammed, rote-heads
ever become men, capable of facing life and the world with
judgment and perspective. Those shy, purdah-loving women become
pot-washing, male-child bearing chattels and the men become wage-
earning slaves. The mission of their lives becomes making
compromises and satisfying the family, the clan, and the caste to
perpetuate the cycle of similar births and similar marriages.
All their energies, all their extrapower, all their enthusiasm
they spent in populating the earth. An important function, of
course. The woman sacrifices all her ambitions, and because she
has been made dependent from childhood, she easily submits
herself to her husband's wishes and to her in-laws' dictates.
Submission alone, however, is not enough, for it very often does
not mean money or fair skin or the birth of male children or some
other gain.
This is arranged marriage in both India and Nepal, and this
kind of marriage, with the consent of the family and caste
accompanied by the ritual of fire, is graded as the highest in
the Manusmriti and the present society. It is called Brahma
Bibah, marriage around the ritual of fire, sanctioned by the
four-headed Brahma, the progenitor of the universe. In fact,
there are eight kinds of marriages described in Manu's code of
law. The worst is demon marriage; the best is marriage around
fire. All other marriages come in-between. Except for Brahma
marriages, which are arranged marriages, other kinds of marriages
hardly take place in the Indian heartland without dire
consequences. The case of Nepal is different. The presence of
strong tribal cultures and their practice of different kinds of
marriages has functioned as a catalyst in the way some Nepalis
actually behave in marriage practices.
So what is an arranged marriage, then? How does it look?
Let me attempt an answer. In an arranged marriage, the parties
most at risk, bearing its consequences the most, participate the
least. Marriage becomes a matter of ritual, a means to serve the
caste, the joint family, and a convenient arrangement to run the
household and populate the earth. Noble functions all these, no
doubt. But more remarkable than any of these is how the groom
and the bride are judged, their suitability determined, and their
worth measured.
The amount of money received as dowry becomes a matter of
social pride and life's achievement. By taking hefty dowry, the
groom's father wants to get back his investment in his son's
education, if the son is educated, and to show off his caste men
and society how preciously he fathered his son. But in order to
accumulate enough dowry for his daughter, many fathers save money
by not sending their daughters to school and college. Once she
is married, her husband will take care of her education, they
say, will take care of her ignorance.
Now what is the value of a young female in the marriage
market? Let me use my favorite expression. She is reduced to
her meat, to her skin, to her eyes, to her hair, to her money, to
her father's prestige. Where is the human being we make so much
fuss about? A Hindu marries money, caste, family, clan, eyes,
skin, hair, a mule, the potter's oven of a womb to bake male
scions, anything but a human being. But where is the human being
one is supposed to treat as partner, as mate, as spouse, as
someone with a soul and a mind? Or soul and mind don't matter if
they belong to someone else, particularly to a woman?
An arranged marriage gives you everything, but where is the
human being? Otherwise, if you marry a woman just by looking at
her, either yourself or through somebody, then what is she if not
the skin, the bodily bulges or lack thereof, the body itself?
Who cares for the soul, the mind, the whole human being?
Abstractions all! As for the bride, marriage is her blind fate.
Only Shiva's consort can bring her a good husband. It's not for
nothing that a woman laments in a song in Vidyapati, the
fourteenth century Maithili poet, "Which penance did I miss in my
last birth that I was put in a Hindu woman's body? I'm a young
woman, but, alas! my husband is a child." And children many
Hindu men remain--naughty, tantrum-filled, but eventually
obedient sons of obedient parents.
On the other hand, a Hindu girl marries her husband's job,
his last name, the red dust in her hair, consoles herself,
"Lekheko hoonchcha, dekheko hundain." She can't even think of
marrying this lofty animal, HUMAN BEING. She couldn't even
recognize him if he showed up without announcing his caste, his
clan, his job. She would look up to her parents, and they would
say, "But we don't know his caste, his clan, his money! He is
nothing!" Some daredevils would venture a reply, "But he is a
human being, father or mother!" " But what is a human being? We
haven't grayed our hair in the sun, my daughter. A human being
is what if not his caste, his color, his clan, his money, my
dear? A human being without these components is a misnomer. And
don't you try to be one yourself; your in-laws won't like it."
And she would understand, for she has been taught what the word
husband means as opposed to a mere human being. What is that
strange beast called human being? The creation of a poet's
fancy? Or a madman's raving? So hail Money! Hail Caste! Hail
Clan! Hail Meat! Hail Skin! Hail Hypocrisy! Down with this
friend called human being!
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