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The Nepal Digest Friday 25 Apr 97: Baishakh 13 2054BS: Year6 Volume61 Issue4
TND Foundation wishes A Happy and a Healthy New Year 2054BS!
Today's Topics:
Reply to UNDP funding program & selling of Nepali girls
3 Muktaks
Nepali News
South Asian High School Conference
A POEM
Nepali craft, carpets, tancas
The Rough Guide to Nepal
A Project Proposal
******************************************************************************
* TND (The Nepal Digest) Editorial Board *
* -------------------------------------- *
* *
* The Nepal Digest: General Information info-tnd@nepal.org *
* Chief Editor: RJP Singh (Open Position) a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* Columnist: Pramod K. Mishra pkm@acpub.duke.edu *
* SCN Correspondent: Rajesh Shrestha (Open Position) rajs@aleph0.clarku.edu *
* *
* TND Archives: http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/tnd/ *
* TND Foundation: http://www.nepal.org info-tnd@nepal.org *
* WebSlingers: Pradeep Bista,Naresh Kattel,Robin Rajbhandari,Prakash Bista*
* webmaster-tnd@nepal.org *
* *
* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* *
* "Heros are the ones who give a bit of themselves to the community" *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" -Sirdar_Khalifa *
* *
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 17:24:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: aiko <gs07aaj@panther.Gsu.EDU>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Reply to UNDP funding program & selling of Nepali girls
Dear Editor and fellow readers of TND:
I have wanted to write a reply to
several articles I have been reading with interest in TND for quite
awhile, but school and work obligations have prevented me from doing so up
to now. Now that there's a slight lull in my studies(self-imposed for one
day!) I'm taking this opportunity to respond(Now's the chance to slide
down to another item of more interest!). First, I'd like to write that
the idea of UNDP funding program for Nepali professionals is an excellent
one. I don't know much about this particular program, but just from the
title it encourages me to know that there are some programs that are
incentives in encouraging Nepalis to return to their country - even for a
short while - and give something back by way of their expensively-gained
education abroad. With the world becoming more and more reliant on
technology(something we computer illiterates must learn to accept! Sigh!),
it is CRUCIAL that Nepal not fall so far behind as to become totally
submerged and left struggling. Thanks to people like Bijaya K. Shrestha
and UNDP, efforts seem to be geared towards bringing Nepal up to date in
the world of technology. It would be wonderful if those Nepalis who have
chosen to make their homes in the West would contribute back to their home
country by way of donations of computers they are no longer using - if any
of them could be compatible "back home" - or in monetary contributions
towards educating promising young computer-literate people. Well, enough
said. But I hope this program does not die for lack of interest; too
often people are apathetic or downright contemptuous of efforts that are
being made to try and improve the lot of the Nepali people. I as a
foreigner can only do so much, whereas native Nepalis who have had the
advantage of education and "know-how" could do quite a bit IN SPITE OF
corruption, disruption, derision and apathy. One doesn't have to make
changes of volcanic proportions; one may reach only two or three who
become great successes; at least one leaves with the knowledge that one
really tried, and if one doesn't see the fruits of labor right away, at
least the seed has been planted for someone else to water it. Crude
analogy but effective I hope!
I have been reading with increased anger, fury, rage, frustration and
immense sadness the various articles that have been appearing in TND
regarding the horrific practice of trafficking of young Nepali girls to
the brothels in Bombay. Although this disgusting trade is certainly not
limited to Nepal (Thailand and the Philippines are other favorite spots),
my heart goes out especially to the young Nepali girls who many of them go
to India under the impression that they are going to jobs that in turn
will help their families financially. This goes beyond the fact that this
is another way of men exploiting women; this trade cuts to the very heart
of HUMAN civilization and its long-term consequences for EVERYONE
EVERYWHERE. How so, you might wonder. Well, think about who profits, who
contributes from this degrading trading in flesh: men from all over the
world(just about); men from North America, Latin America, the European
continent, Japan, India, Nepal, Thailand, the Philippines, etc., etc. Men
from the "Western" countries and from Japan even go on organized tours
that are geared specifically towards indulging their lust. There are
travel agencies run by men who cater to the sick fantasies of men bored
with their wives, or bored with women of their race, or who have a twisted
stereotypical image of what a really seductive woman should be like,
perpetuated by the media by their insistence on playing on those
stereotypes out of ignorance. Fear of AIDS is not an option. There is no
such thing as AIDS in the minds of these selfish, cruel, inhuman people.
They would rather give in to the destructive myth that raping a young
virgin will protect them from AIDS than stop to think about the lives they
are destroying/scarring. Women are a commodity to be bought and sold, and
when one views someone or something as a commodity, the humanity is lost.
We are body parts to be parceled out to the highest
bidder, to be twisted, mangled, jabbed at, poked at, mauled, leered at,
spit upon, kicked, punched, pulled. . . in short, because we are
commodious "things" - not persons - it is permissable to treat us any way
it pleases the man. Of course, what then happens is that the man returns
to hearth and home, to an unsuspecting wife(usually mistreated in every
way imaginable at home), to unsuspecting children, and if the man has
contracted some hideous disease(like AIDS), the wife becomes infected and
if she should become pregnant, the unborn infant becomes infected.
Multiple that scenario with thousands - THOUSANDS - of men traveling to
these countries and think about the sexually transmitted diseaes they are
carrying back to their home countries. And what of the girls who become
ill? The girls who are duped into these brothels(whether in India,
Thailand, or the Philippines), or sold by their families - by parents who
use the excuse of poverty to get rid of unwanted daughters who are seen as
burdens - or who see no other option because they have been given no other
option by uncaring, corrupt governments who see no reason to encourage
educating their female citizens? How can one fight against high-placed
officials who see prostitution as doing more(financially) than tourism and
other conventional means? Don't give me the sad whine that well, there
are girls who actually LIKE what they are doing and therefore CHOSE to
become prostitutes! No, my friends, women do not choose to go into
prostitution because it's prestigous, glamourous, and wonderful; at least
not the women in the brothels of India, Thailand, and the Philippines.
That kind of logic is an attempt at justifying the continued maltreatment
of women worldwide, and makes the jobs of organizations that are trying to
help these women triply harder. When the girls finally are released -
usually because they are diseased and of no use - what do their families
do? Rather than giving them the support and comfort they need(for many
are returned dying albeit slowly), their families kick them out, beat them
up, turn their backs on them out of shame; in essence, THE VERY GROUP THAT
SHOULD BE GIVING EMOTIONAL SUPPORT IN HELPING THESE GIRLS OVERCOME THE
HORROR OF THEIR EXPERIENCE AND SHOULD BE PROTESTING THE CRUELTY OF THE
MEN, BLAME THE GIRLS! Blaming the victim is so much easier than blaming
the victimizer, particularly if the victimizer is some rich foreigner or -
if he happens to be a fellow countrymen - someone of higher caste or class
or in power. I know that there are some male readers of TND who are
contemptuous and derisive about women trying to empower themsleves and
assert themselves and gain back some of the dignity that many men have
taken away from us. To them, we women will always somehow be NOT QUITE
"QUITE" - as the British used to say. To those men I say, how would you
like it if YOUR DAUGHTERS were tricked into becoming prostitutes? How
would you like it if YOUR DAUGHTERS were constantly being whistled at,
grabbed at, fondled, or had to endure crude remarks and gestures? What
would you do if your daughters declare to you with great confidence that
they are capable of becoming a doctor, engineer, astronaut, warrior,
sports player, boxer, wrestler, etc. and they proved their capability?
Would you squash their dreams? Tell them they are nothing more then
delicate hothouse flowers incapable of nothing more than bearing children
and draping themselves at the feet of their husbands? Would you blame
them if they come home crying because they have been sexually harassed by
some oversexed schoolboy the teachers seem unwilling to control, or would
you confront the teachers and the parents of such boys and demand that
they begin teaching boys the nuances of appropriate behaviour? And what
of you men out there(you know who you are) who enlist the services of
prostitutes and escort services because you do not have the confidence to
try and win over an intelligent young woman who is trying to make
something of herself via work or school or both; or you're just too lazy
to bother about relationships because establishing a good relationship
takes time, energy, and hard work(not necessarily money - that's another
misassumption that men and women have in the dating game - but that's
another story!); or you think there is noone suitable out there - but of
course, a prostitute is "suitable"!(note the irony) Which are the lesser
of the two evils: the family men with the traditional notions of womanhood
and what a wife should be (silent, obedient, a good maid-cook-sex
slave-breeding machine, and punching bag, if necessary), or the man who
goes out spending money for an "escort"/prostitute because it's more
convenient to lie with a (basically) faceless, nameless body part than to
have to deal with intelligent and witty conversation, possible rejection,
monogamy, compromise. . .in short, all the attendant requirements to a
successful and loving RELATIONSHIP. This is not a diatribe per se, nor is
it a diatribe exclusively geared towards the male of the human population.
Should anyone read this, I want them to feel the sense of outrage,
frustration, sadness, and impotence that I feel/felt. The problem is
overwhelming; there is a sense of urgency as groups strive to rescue young
girls(some as young as 8 or 9!) - THE NEXT GENERATION, more or less! You
might all wonder what can I do, why should I care; buying a piece of flesh
is the right, the privilege of us males(oh, yeah? sorry, dudes, but we
females are not cattle-chickens-dogs-things!) Those of us in academia
right now, we can speak out in our schools, in journals, in forums such as
TND via the Internet, in Chat rooms. We can lend support - not
necessarily monetary - to groups that are trying to make a difference.
Those of you in the respective countries most guilty of this trafficking
of young girls can write letters to newspapers; try to talk with officials
who care - even in the most corrupt governmental organization there is
someone who cares enough and is courageous enough(You don't know Nepal or
the Philippines or Thailand, I can imagine someone yelling via the
computer screen). True, but in any country and in any level of
government, there people who have not turned their backs on the plight of
the female half of their populations. I could go on and on re this but I
won't. I would love to get some kind of feedback from you netters out
there! This is a global issue that is affecting one half of the
population of this entire world. You traditionalists out there, think
about that; you misogynists out there, think about that! You get rid of
all us females and there will be noone to cook for you, clean for you,
slave for you physically, noone left to beat up, punch, hit, twist, kick,
jab, poke, slap, and grovel at your bloodied feet. Imagine, you
homophobics, a world made up of homosexuals because you killed off all us
females! Follow the examples of India and China and that woman-less
society may not be the stuff of fantasies after all! The End.
**********************************************************************
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 16:28:54 -0500
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
From: Jay Shrestha <shrestha@uab.edu>
Subject: "fm" station
Can someone enlighten me with e-mail address for the new "fm" radio station
at Kathmandu? By the way, happy New year "2054" to you all....Jay
***************************************************************
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 16:54:23 -0500
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
From: Jay Shrestha <shrestha@uab.edu>
Subject: CPA, CIA candidates?
I am in interest to take advices from individuals who have attested for the
CPA(certified Public Accountant) and CIA (Certified Internal Auditor)
exams. Anyone who does have such experience, please feel free to give me
some tips to help my preparation. Will be sitting for the CIA on November
97' and CPA on May 98'. Thankyou.......Jay
****************************************************************
From: "Shailesh R. Bhandari" <sbhandar@garnet.acns.fsu.edu>
Subject: 3 Muktaks
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 09:02:30 -0400 (EDT)
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN NEPAL
Three muktaks with three distinct flavors
1. Humor:
NEPAL KO PRAGATI
America maa aaitabaar hundaa
Nepal maa sombaar vai sakchha,
America maa san. 2000 hundaa
Nepal maa 2057 vai sakchha,
Farak eti maatra ho ki,
Pratek American sangga kamti maa eutaa gaadi chha,
Tara, khaana napaae pani aru kuraa maa ta
Nepal dherai agaadi chha.
2. Love:
TIMRO MUSKAAN
Aruko valaai chaahaanchhauu vane
Timi Musukka nahaasa,
Aruko valaai chaahaanchhauu vane
Timi Musukka nahaasa,
Kinaki
Timro muskaan maa dherai gahiro jaadu chha,
Ani, tyo jaadu maa nikai dhaarilo dhaar chha,
Saundrya premi mutu laai ta
Ghaaite nai paarchha.
3. Satire:
NEPAL KA NETA
Nepal ko sampati vannu nai nadi ho
Kinaki ti nadi haru maa garib Nepali kaa
Vaat ra daal bagdai chhan.
Aaja kaa vokaa netaa haru vane
Voko mukh ko behosi maa
Desh laai nai murdaa banaaera,
Desh laai masaan Ghaat tira lagdai chhan.
Shailesh Bhandari
Florida State University
sbhandar@garnet.acns.fsu.edu
***************************************************
Date: April 21, 1997
To: The Nepal Digest <tnd@nepal.org>
Subject: Nepali News
Source: The Rising Nepal
Its hubbies vs wives in alcohol war
Mahendranagar, Apr. 16 (RSS):
Two separate groups of husbands and wives at local Parasan Village Development
Committee, Ghansan village in Kanchanpur district have come to a bitter show
down of strength with the ladies
demanding a complete ban on the sale of liquor in the area while their
counterparts putting a stiff resistance to their demands.
An anti-liquor demonstration staged by a group of women chanting slogans such
as No Liquor, No More Wife Beating was surprisingly countered by a group of
their male counterparts who instead took out procession of their own shouting
Better no wives than liquor.
Meanwhile, women activists of the Local Mothers Group at Parasan VDC who
have lunched an all out war against the sale of liquor in the area have
destroyed about 600 litres of various kinds of drinks seized in a raid
launched at ward No 3,4 and 8 of the VDC. Similarly, Rs 6,000 has been
collected as fines from those engaged in brewing liquor and those habitual
boozers. According to yet another report, Kainla Tamang, a resident of Parasan
VDC who used to molest women in an effort to discourage them from the
anti-liquor campaign, has been arrested by police.
An eleven-member action committee has been constituted at the initiatives of
the local women in Parasan VDC under the chairmanship of Parbati Budha to
lobby for declaring the VDC a complete
liquor-free area. The women activists told RSS that their campaign will
continue till the area is declared a dry zone.
Source: Explore Nepal
The Pajero owner turns bankrupt
Deputy Prime Minister Bam Dev Gautam had dug a pit in which he was supposed to
put the King, Congress and the RPP. But it seems that he has put all his
assets and money in the pit to prove that he surely falls under the category
of the proletariat class. Otherwise his asset would not have
included only a few hundred rupees, two tola of gold and a few square feet of
land. The militant worker of the UML Mr. Gautam felt comfortable to drive a
Pajero car while in opposition. But now his total asset hardly exceeds Rs. One
lakh. He owes five lakh as loan to the bank. If we believe the statement of his
asset made public recently we must call him a bankrupt
politician, whose liability is five times more than his assets.
To know about his actual asset, which he might have hidden in the pit by him a
couple of yearly ago, one has to wait for some time. People should be watchful
regarding his assets when he exits from power. It is surprising to learn that
Bam Dev turned bankrupt after assuming power. Where
did he keep his Pajero jeep? An investigation team should be constituted to
find out the fact.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
Women and environment management
Time to realise their worth
By Usha Pokharel
THE impact of developmental and environmental policies are different on men
and women. Often times, these policies have discriminating impact on women
just because gender connections were not considered
during the formulation of the policies. For example, the first statement in
the Eighth Plan policy, "Until women who constitute half of the entire
population are involved in the task of nation building the economic
development of the country will not be possible......." clearly indicated
that, the planners' assumption"
women are not involved in nation building" in itself is gender biased as it
fails to recognise women's
contribution to nation building and of their productive role.
Vulnerable Women and children due to their unequal status regarding education,
control of finance and their role in
decision making process are more vulnerable than men. Thus the impact of
environmental crisis is more on
them than on men. A woman loses her right to her husbands property on
divorce and her parents'
property on marriage. So it is a Catch-22 situation for a women as majority of
the women population are
illiterate and unskilled. In circumstances when she has to be the bread winner
of the family, she is at a disadvantaged position.
The term environment not only describes our natural surroundings but also the
social and psychological
surroundings. Women being the nucleus of a family, plays an important role in
preserving a healthy
environment in the society as well as in the family. Traditionally, women are
considered as "home makers"
but with the increasing level of education and awareness among the new
generation of women the term may
be modified a little as "community makers" "nation makers" including a wide
range of possibilities within it
and thus widening the horizon beyond the four walls of the home. Considering
the term "home maker" in a
different perspective, women of the 90s have justified the modification of
the word to "community
makers" by initiating and actively participating in improving the environment
of the community and
eventually contributing to the task of nation building.
Women have been instrumental in preserving the social environment in the
community. They can either
create a pleasant environment with their neighbours, their family members,
(in laws) and other members of
the community or spoil it. The reason behind this being the fact that
generally women are the ones who
maintain the social relation and are in the position to influence the total
out look of the family. Pleasant
thoughts, good behaviour and action improve the social environment for
maintaining good relation with their
neighbours. Women are the peace makers. The extension of this role beyond the
family and community is in
nations peace building. Clear example of this is the lead role played by
women striking a truce between
warring factors in Northern Ireland. The 1976 Nobel Peace prize was awarded to
Mairead Corrigan and
Betty Williams for their campaign for peace in Northern Ireland.
Women also play a major role in the psychological environment. Children of
both sexes are dependent on
their mother till they go to school. Till this age the actions of their mother
reflects on them. Since this is
generally the age when they try to imitate their parents, mother's
behaviour is bound to have an impact on
the children as they spend more time with their mother. This fact has to be
taken seriously into
consideration while raising kids. As the children grow, they are exposed
to various activities taking place
around them either at home, in the community or in their school. This is the
time for the mother to be
sensitive and listen to what their children have to say with full attention.
Improving the environment within
a household is instrumental towards improving the environment of the
community. Women can enhance
harmony and peace of mind in any member of a family.
Women being the managers at home, are also responsible for the well being of
the family. They have to
adopt healthy habits to prevent the family from getting sick. Hence they have
to be aware of all the do's
and don'ts to maintain a healthy environment at home. Women's awareness
of the different ways to
dispose trash makes a big difference towards preserving the healthy
environment. Men and women are
equally responsible for producing household waste, so why should woman's
awareness make a difference?
We are still living in a male dominated society. Despite all claims by women
to be equal partners, they are
equal partners in producing garbage but not in disposing them. Hence women
have to take care of it at
home. There is a saying that, If you educate a man in the family, only the
man gets educated, but if you
educate a woman, the whole family gets educated. It is on this saying that
we are counting on. Women, armed with answers to all the questions (as much as
possible) that may arise in
the community, can make an impact.
Women are the main managers of the waste produced by a household because they
have to conserve and
maximise the benefits of the resources such as food, water and others. In fact,
it is the women who can
either spoil the family habits and waste resources or promote conservation.
Making them aware should
help towards keeping the household and the grounds clean. But that is just
part of the work. If women are
aware they will make the men participate in the clean up process. Women have
had the power to dictate
men's actions since historical times. Cleaning up and managing waste in the
community is something that is
possible to achieve with cooperation of the whole community.
Unmanaged solid waste is a health hazard. Different types of parasites infect
us. The smoke combined with
fog in winter produces smog that effects our breathing. We do not have to
smoke cigarette to get lung cancer
if we do not maintain our vehicles and take care of the amount of smoke
produced by the exhaust of a tempo.
Women in some communities have initiated and have been successfully operating
small community clean up
projects.Their whole concept being that the waste produced at home should be
taken care of at home and
the rest kept for pick up and used to make compost manure. They believe that
trash management starts at
home and then the community on a finally the government.
There are two ways of solid waste management, preventive and curative
Preventive is to prevent and
reduce the production of solid waste. Curative is when the garbage is produced,
to look for ways to dispose
it in a better way. We have to remember that to manage the solid waste we
have to always remember the
three Rs: reduce by producing less garbage. For example, carry your own
canvass or cotton shopping bags
and reduce the amount of plastic bags. Cut down on wrapping papers. Avoid
buying items that have a lot
of wrapping; reuse every possible reusable trash like using both sides of
writing paper and recycle as much
of the waste produced at home. Nowadays almost every house gets at least one
newspaper. Recycle this after reading them.
In our country, the population is growing faster than the ability to provide
homes, fuel and food; so more
and more trees are being cut down for fuel. The problem multiplies with the
increase in the population;
hence as the numbers of people increase, garbage also increases.
Awareness It is about time women became aware of the fact that it is only the
women who can help themselves. Till
now the policy makers have looked at women as a burden. The reason behind this
is that men look at things
differently than women. Since not many women are involved in the policy
making process, the flaw exists.
>From a mans point of view the policies may be fine but a woman may see
errors in it. All programmes and
developmental works should be tools in improving the status of the women.
Women have to be aware that
they have to actively participate, make an effort to change their status and
their living environment. Only
then will the desired change take place.
******************************************************************
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 09:12:21 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Pravin Karki <pravin@stud.ntnu.no>
To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
Subject: Re: HAPPY NEW YEAR
THE NEPALESE COMMUNITY LIVING IN NORWAY WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2054.
Pravin Karki
Hermann Krags Vei 34-51
N 7035 Trondheim
Norway
Ph ++47 73888438
Fax ++47 73591298
Email pravin@stud.ntnu.no
*********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 17:27:14 -0400 (EDT)
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
From: tambar@husc.harvard.edu (Uttam Krishan Tambar)
Subject: South Asian High School Conference
My name is Uttam Tambar, and I am a member of the Harvard-Radcliffe
South Asian Association. We are organizing a conference for South Asian
High School students in the Greater Boston area. Since your newlsetter
reaches many members of the Greater Boston Nepali community, I was
wondering if you could spread the word of our conference in the community
to see if anyone would be interested in coming. I have included a press
release and a registration form. It would be great if you could distribute
these to your members. Thank you very much for your time.
Sincerely,
Uttam Tambar
For Immediate Release, 4/12/97
SHADES OF BROWN
The Harvard-Radcliffe South Asian Association is sponsoring "Shades
of Brown," a conference for high school students interested in learning
more about and expressing the experiences of the entire South Asian
diaspora, which inlcudes people from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Guyana, India,
Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname,
Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States. The conference will take place
all day on Friday, April 25. The morning and afternoon sessions will
include provocative discussion workshops and a panel of distinguished
speakers, and in the evening there will be a cultural show and dance. If
you would like more information, please contact:
Parul Singh (617) 493-3301
Ravi Dixit (617) 493-3726
REGISTRATION FORM
Name: ______________________________________________
Grade: ___________
Address: ______________________________________________
______________________________________________
High School: ___________________________________
Telephone: ______________________________
E-mail: ______________________________
So we can find out where you are coming from, please answer these
questions.
These are optional but please take the time to fill them out.
How did you hear about this conference?
Why do you want to come to this conference? Why do you feel this
conference is important?
How do you identify yourself? (example: I am born in the US and my
parents are from Southern India. We speak Tamil at home?etc.)
Are there any issues you strongly feel we should address?
Do you have special dietary, language, or other needs? (Need a
translator? Don't eat Pork? Tell us, we will make arrangements
accordingly.)
Anything else you need to tell us?
Please send this in by Sunday, April 20, 1997!!!! Registration is FREE if
you do it in advance; $5 at the door.
Send to: Shades of Brown
c/o Uttam Tambar
2435 Harvard Yard Mail Center
Cambridge, MA 02138-7514
Questions???
Call: Ravi Dixit (617) 493-3726
dixit@fas.harvard.edu
Parul Singh (617) 493-3301
singh2@fas.harvard.edu >>
******************************************************
Date: Sat, 12 Apr 1997 23:40:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: DNelson354@aol.com
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: A fondness for Nepal
I was fortunate to have been able to travel to Nepal 5 years ageo. There is
not one day that goes by that I don not think of my experiences there. I
still have so many questions about what I saw and felt. I was hoping to be
able to find someone to talk to about Nepal.
Thank you,
Debbie Banahan
EMail-DNelson354@aol.com
******************************************************
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 00:32:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: Apjoshi@aol.com
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
"What if all Nepalis become Christian?"=20
- R.B. Rokaya
This year Dr. R. B. Rokaya (42), an Associate Professor at the Pulchowk
Institute of Engineering, celebrated Tihar for the first time since he
was a boy. To Rokaya if felt like a coming home, second time in his life.
Rokaya, a Hindu by birth, experienced his first homecoming when he
became a Christian as a 21 year old student. It was only after Rokaya had
been an active in the church member for some year that Rokaya realized he
was kept in a prison." Together with a group of friends he left the church
and started a "Sagarmatha Fellowship," a group of Christian who wants to
find the essence of Christianity and remove its cultural make up. Since then
Rokaya's eyes were opened to the realities of his society, including
corruption, the violation of human rights and the shortcoming of democracy.
Christianity in Nepal regularly has been fiercely criticized by
governmental officials, the media and individual people. How do you feel
about that, being a Christian yourself?
"Christian have been accused of many things, but it boils down to two
things: anti-nationalism and destruction of Nepal=92s rich cultural heritage.
Both are true in a sense. A Nepali who becomes a Christian literally
starts a new life. He or she will no longer celebrate local festivals, will
start wearing Western clothes and will adapt a Western lifestyle. Family is
hardly important any more, now the so called Christian brothers and sisters
have become his real family. He of she will no longer be involved in politics
and will hardly be part of society. That is what worries non-Christian, and
it should."
What if all Nepalis become Christians, as our church leaders would like to
see? What would be left of our culture, of our colorful tradition, of our
ethical diversity? What about politics, literature?
What kind of experiences made you rethink Nepali Christianity?
"The only kind if Christianity I experienced up to recently has been
European Christianity. When I joined the Protestant church in Calcutta as a
student I started wearing ties and dressed up suited-booted. I simply was
a part of being a Christian, as many people do. I copied the other peoples
Western lifestyle, and focused completely on church life. It was only when
my family members back in my village in Jajarkot became church members too
that I realized that there was an enormous social conflict involved. They
suddenly were no longer allowed to join village rituals, like those related
to birth and death, and suffered badly because of that. In Nepali villages
people depend on each other, and one cannot afford to be dissociated from
social life."
"In meantime I got a chance to visit churches in different parts of the
world: in East Asia, Europe and America. I realized Christians all over the
world follow western culture and are more or less uniform. I started to
think: what if all Nepalis become Christians, as our church leaders would
like to see? What would be left of our culture, of our colorful tradition, of
our ethical diversity? What about politics, literature? I realized that
would be a dangerous trend. At the same time I became conscious of the fact
that I actually was given very little freedom. The church provides
guidelines in almost every field of life. At that time I wouldn=92t even think
of buying a news magazine or to watch TV. Everything had to be Christian,
from the pictures on the wall to the books on the shelves. I realized I was
sitting in a prison, as I did when I was a Hindu, only this time with even
less freedom."
To what extent do Nepali Protestant Christians dissociate themselves from
political and social life?
"Nepali Protestant focus very much on conversion. Christian often think and
talk in numbers. For example in the "AD 2000" project, churches aim to
providing a bible to every household and establishing a church in every
Village Development Committee by the year 2000. They are a heavenly-minded
people, believing that our main mission is to ensure that maximum number of
people goes to heaven. Actually, all these ideas and plans come from outside
Most churches depend on foreign money to sustain themselves, and are used by
international mission organization as a vehicle to convert and to establish
churches. The real needs of Nepali Christians are not to taken into account.
Famous missionaries and crusaders like Billy Graham and Louis Palou came to
Nepal, but instead organizing spectacular healing programs, can we not use
the money to build hospitals or houses for disable people?"
"The churches encourage their members to be involved in conversion and donot
offer proper advice on how to become a responsible member of the society.
Non-Christian festivals and rituals are only talked about in terms of
temptation. During Dasain, Tihar and national holidays churches organize
events, in order to prevent people going home and being tempted of forced to
participate in rituals. While Nepalis from all corners of the country and
even from abroad travel home, Christian gather within the four walls of their
churches. When people fail to abstain from the rituals, for instance when
they cut their hair and wear white clothes after a family member had died,
they are not allowed to enter the church."
Why did you choose to leave the church, instead of trying to transform the
church from within?
"Our churches have inherited a colonial type of leadership. Pastors are
regarded to be God=92s representatives and their words are not challenged.
Therefor it would have been a difficult struggle to change things from
within. We left with a good understanding."
What does sagarmatha fellowship stand for?
"We choose a Nepali name, because we thought that would be a good start of
the Nepalisation process. Sagarmatha represents the ultimate height, and
transparency and purity. As s group we try to define what the core of
Christianity is, and what part of culture. Christmas for instance is not
mentioned in the bible. Therefore we believe we have the freedom to celebrate
the coming of Jesus Christ, the victory of good over evil, during Dasain. We
motivate the members to be responsible members of society. We don't have a
paid pastor, because we believe we should have regular jobs like everyone
else. In our teaching we include social issues and we celebrate national
events like martyrs day. We have a democratic leadership and women are equal
to men. We do not accept foreign donor money, but we do allow expatriates to
become members like ourselves."
What kind of effect did these new insights have on your personal life?
"I finally become aware of the realities of my country. As a result, I
became active in fighting exploitation and promoting human rights. I now see
my society as disintegrated and totally corrupted. Together with some friend
I reported cases of corruption within our institute to the authorities,
expecting they would take action. We went as far as Ministry of Education,
but nothing was done. Recently we organized a press conference, in which we
exposed the corruption. There is strong link between corruption and human
rights. In our democracy money and violence is being to sustain and cover up
the corruption."
"Some ten years ago Jajarkot got fully equipped fifteen bed hospital. By now
the building is disintegrating and the equipment and furniture are stolen.
There is one staff nurse; since one and half year we haven=92t seen doctor
there. Recently a women patient was raped inside the hospital because there
was no chowkidar. My father tells me, =91Our village has become dangerous place
to live.=92 People feel there is no security the community has disintegrated
and cut up along party lines."
"These days, one needs a party connection for everything in this country. So
professional and honest people are not necessarily the ones in power. Many
of my friends leave the country, since here they see no longer a future for
themselves. People have fought for democracy, and watched three government
come and go. Things only got worse. People loose patient. I'm thinking of
that women who set herself afire in front of a high court judge and of
Baburam Bhatterai, a Ph.D. holder in urban planning, who now is a Maoist
fighter. These are extreme actions. But they indicate a general feeling of
despair."
Lucia de Vries
(This article was originally published in Dec 96- Feb 97s Face to Face)
*****************************************************************
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 09:13:54 -0500
From: Satish Mishra <Satish.Mishra@milgrp.com>
To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: A POEM
"PLEA"
You offered me the POISON
I refused to take it.
You reminded me there is no
Paradise without the Poison.
You slowly pierced your
soft pale skin.
I watched helplessly.
Then you floated
I guess to your Paradise
leaving me alone, all alone.
Occasionally, I heard you
groan and moan.
I touched your lifeless
flesh, it was cold like
the Siberian winter nights.
Your lips - chapped and bloodless;
Your eyes - still, without the tales.
I missed you -
Your talks, your thoughts
Your laughs, your tears
Your touch.
Now the Poison has stolen you.
You are in the Paradise
I can't be in.
You are floating in the space
unknown to me.
Oh! you are so cold,
Please wake up, Wake Up!
You are my Paradise.
- Satish Mishra
******************************************************************
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 05:29:03 PDT
To: nepal-request@cs.niu.edu
From: Semyon Reznik <sreznik@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: nepali craft, carpets, tancas
Please tell me, if you know, who sells nepali craft, carpets and tankas
in the United States
D.Reznik
**************************************************************
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 13:33:07 EDT
To: info-tnd@nepal.org
From: STUSHRES@ACS.EKU.EDU
Subject: information
hi i am student and i will be very grateful if you could send me some
information about pasang lamu sherpa( the lady who climbed everest), i
have tried my best to find about her in the internet but i did not find
anything(i need it for my english paper)
if you have anything in your record could you please send it to me.
thanks j. shrestha.
*******************************************************************
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 23:52:03 MDT
To: webmaster-tnd@nepal.org
From: dreed@rmi.org (Dave Reed)
Subject: "The Rough Guide to Nepal"
Hello there,
We've created a Web site for my book, The Rough Guide to Nepal, which you
might consider linking to. It contains a huge amount of pre-departure
material from the book, an extensive update section, in-depth features, and
no ads. The URL is:
http://roughguides.com/RG_WWW/books/tbk_nep.html
Sincerely,
David Reed
PS -- I've included a link to your site.
********************************************************************
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 01:30:50 EDT
To: TND@nepal.org
From: ShreeS@aol.com
Subject: Some Thoughts
Namastay! my name is shree Ram Sharma. I was born in Nepa and raised in Bal
Mandir (Orphanage). I was adopted in 1966 by an American who helped to build
a rope way. I did my SLC from Tribhuvan Adarsha Vidhayala (TAV) in 1970 and
ISc from Amrit Science college in 1972. I came to the state in December 7,
1972.
To make long story short. I have been working for the State of Washington
for last 20 years. I have four children. Lucas Sanjeeb (Adopted from Bal
Mandir) Nadya Beenu, Peter Krishna and Elizabeth Kumari Sharma. Since 1972 I
have been to Nepal three times. Last time I was there was eight years ago
when I adopted Lucas.
For last couple of months I have been reading Nepal Digest, Kathmandu Post
and Rising Nepal in regular basis. I am always interested in Nepal and
Nepali. I know there are lots of Nepali who are well educated and would very
much like to do something. As I read one of the paper giving dual
citizenship to all Nepali who are staying abord is a step forward.
My main point of this writing is that those people who run Nepal has to stop
bickring and finger pointing. They need to run the government (all level)
clean. Those who cheat and take bribes should be punished. I read in
Kathmandu Post that the upper house did not pass single bill. I think they
should all donate their salaries for that. What a waste of tax payers money.
I wanted get this out of my chest. I hope other Nepali like me would wake up
and speak.
Thank You.
Namastay
******************************************************************
Date: Mon, 14 Apr 1997 23:08:48 +1000
To: webmaster-tnd@nepal.org
From: ihc@mos.com.np
Subject: A Project Proposal
Community Eco-Village Resort in Nepal -- A Proposal
Dear TND Readers;
The following is a joint-proposal of Himanchal High School, Nangi and Ramche
VDC of Myagdi
district on the Occasion of Visit Nepal Year-19989 for the development of a
community Eco-Village Resort in Dhunga gare Deurali, Myagdi District of Nepal.
I would like torequest all the friends around the world to read this proposal
and provide yours suggestion/comments as
well as participation/contribution for developing this community project- a
unique in Nepal
For more information about Nangi village, Himanchal High School and the
project, please visit
our web site at http://rip.physics.unk.edu/Nepal/
Thank you very much. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Mahabir Pun
A Joint-proposal of Himanchal High School, Nangi and Ramche VDC of Myagdi on
the Occasion of Visit Nepal Year-19989 for
the Development of a Community Eco-Village Resort in Dhunga gare Deurali,
Myagdi Nepal
The Community Eco-Village Resort, A Berief Account
Location- Myagdi District
Altitude -3,100m-3,200m
Total Bed-40
Total Land Area-2 ha.
Land Type and Acquisitio -Open Land without trees
To be acquired in the name of Himanchal High School, Nangi Myagdi
Proposed Facilitie- Hut type lodging, Restaurants, Information Center
Telecommunication Services,Telescope View Point, Side Treks, Helipad
Building Type-Permanent and typical village style thatch/slate-roofed
huts made from wood, stone and local materials
Total Project Cost-NRs.3020,000~US$53,200
Source of Finance 60%.-Himanchal High School, Nangi
20%.- Villagers/Businessmen
15% -Travel/Hotel Companies
5 % - Local VDCs
Project Implementation Time One year from Starting Time during Visit Nepal
Year-19989
Table of Contents
1. Background
2. How did the Idea Come
3. Why Dhung gare Deurali (3,210m) as a new Tourist Spot?
4. Routes to Dhunga gare Deurali
5. Our Plan for the Project
5.A Establishment of a Eco-Village in Dhunga gare Deurali
5.A.1. Acquisition of Land
5.A.2. Building of Related Civil Works
5.B Development of Intermediate Stopovers on the Trails
5.C. Liaison and Support Office in Kathmandu and Pokhara
6. Tentative Budget Estimation for the First Phase
6.A. Building Construction and Civil Works
6.B. Machiney and Equipment
6.C. Furnitures and Fixtures
6.D. Pre-operating Expenses
7. Source of Finance
8. Mode of Project Implementation
9. Project Implementation Schedule
10. Conclusion
1. Background:
Ramche VDC is one of the forty one 'Village Development Committees' (VDC) of
Myagdi district
bordering with Kaski district to the east and Parbat to the south. This
VDC comprises three
villages Ramche, Kaphaldanda and Nangi with a total population of about 3,500.
More than 90%
population of the VDC belong to Pun Magar, one of the highest living tribes
in Nepal.
Himanchal High School is situated in Nangi village. It has six feeder schools,
five primaries and
one middle school. There are 250 students in the high school studying in
academic year of 1997.
Upto the middle school section, the government supports to pay for the teachers.
The high school section was started in 1993 with the initiation of three
villages Nangi, Ramche
and Kaphaldanda of Ramche VDC and three villages Banbare, Dandakateri and
Lopre of
neighbouring Lekhpant VDC of Parbat district. The high school is fully
supported by the
contribution received from local people and friends abroad. The yearly
expenses for running the
school now is over Rs.400,000.
Although this area is not situated on the main tourist trail, more than 50
organized groups of
tourist every year pass through this area on their way to Khopra,
Ghorepani or Ghandrung.
They either camp out in Nangi or in Ramche. Nangi School has established a
well facilitated
camping ground to raise money for the school with the financial support of the
Institute for
Himalayan Conservation, Japan In the past two years, we raised about
Rs.100,000 from the camping ground.
2. How did the Idea Come?
We have been very much interested in Eco-tourism for a long time because we
are located close
the most famous tourist areas of Nepal, "Round the Annapurna Trail". In the
mean time, His
Majesty's Government of Nepal proposed 1998 AD. as the "Visit Nepal Year" to
attract more
tourists and promote tourism business in Nepal. Therefore the "Visit
Nepal-1998" campaign of
the government made us to think deeply for our own economic benefit.
We discussed with villagers for the last several months as what we could do to
promote Eco-tourism program in Myagdi district to bring more tourists in our
area and make tourism
as one of our main source of cash income for local development. We concluded
to develop the
'Dhunga gare Deurali' and 'Hiun Ko Mela' area of our VDC as one of the
most fascinating tourist
spots of Nepal to become a part of the "Visit Nepal Year-1998" campaign for
two purposes.
The first purpose, which drove us to initiate this program, is to generate
income to support
Himanchal High School of Nangi and to launch community development programs
in Ramche VDC.
The second is to serve tourists by providing them opportunity to visit an
excellent view point
for the Himalayas, sun rise, sun set and the deep valleys.
The following number of the tourists who passed through Ghorepani, a nearby
tourist spot about
an hours' walk away from the proposed spot, shows how popular this area is
among foreigners.
According the record of Ghorepani Police Checkpost, 19,146 tourist visited
Ghorepani from the
mid July of 1993 to mid July, 1994. Again from July 1995 to July 1996, the
number was
12,779. However, this second data doesn't include the number of tourists for
the month of
April, May and June because it was missing from the police record. Again from
June 15, 1996
to Feb.12,1997, the number was 15,025. The tourists were from 45 different
countries.
The following is the list of the top six countries from where the largest
numbers of tourists
visited Ghorepani. (Source: ACAP information center at Ghorepani and
Ghorepani Police Checkpost.)
>From July, 1995 - March, 1996, Total Tourists who visited Ghorepani = 12,779
1. Britain 1,564
2. Australia 1,112
3. Germany 1,077
4. Japan 1,001
5. America 887
6. France 878
7. Others 6,260
>From June 15, 1996 - Feb.12, 1997, Total Tourists visited Ghorepani = 15,025
1. British 2,431
2. Germany 1,678
3. Australia 1,444
4. France 1,414
5. Japan 1,234
6. America 1,125
7. Others 5,699
Most of the tourists spend at least one night in Ghorepani to see the
beautiful panoramic and
close view of the Dhaulagiri and the Annapurna ranges from Pun Hill (3,090m)
which is about
forty five minute's climb up from Ghorepani town.
Because of the reasons as mentioned above Himanchal High School, along with
Ramche VDC,
proposes this proposal for the development a Community Eco-Village Resort9
in Dhunga gare
Deurali of Myagdi district as a community program for local development.
3. Why Dhunga gare Deurali (3210m) as a New Tourist Spot?
There is no doubt that Pokhara and the vicinity will be visited by much more
tourists than they
are visiting now during the Visit Nepal Year-989. Therefore we need to
develop new tourist
spots with sufficient physical facilities for the increased numbers of
tourists. We also need to
identify new trekking routes that give better opportunity for the tourists
to explore the
wilderness of the region other than the one that is heavily crowded.
For the last two decades, Pun Hill is serving as a very good view point of the
Himalayas and
Ghorepani as a good resting place for the tourists. However, the proposed site
of Dunga gare
Deurali gives the following advantages to the tourists over Pun Hill and
Ghorepani.
a. It gives better and wider views of the Himalayas because it is over 100m
higher than Pun Hill
and is located about two kilometers to the south of Pun Hill. One can easily
tell the difference of
the views after one visits there.
b. A better sun rise and sun set can be viewed from this spot. Furthermore,
those tourists who
stay in Ghorepani have to walk about forty five minutes up to Pun Hill to see
the sun rise and
sun set. However, one can see it from the windows of their room,
c. Views of the three beautiful valleys, Pokhara to the east, Nangi to the west
and Sikha to the
north can be seen from here. Phewa Lake and the night view of Pokhara city can
be seen clearly from here.
d. Since this area is not on the main trail of the local people and is far
away from any villages it is very quite, peaceful and clean.
The proposed spot of Dunga gare Deurali can be also used as a side trek for
the tourists who stay
overnight at Ghorepani. Thus there is a very good chance that we can make
tourists to spend one
more day in the area if we develop the area as a tourists spot.
4. Routes to Dhunga gare Deurali:
>From Pokhara there are several ways tourists can get to Dhunga gare Deurali.
4.1. Existing Routes:
The routes that are currently on operation are as follows;
a. Pokhara-Birethanti-Tikhedunga-Ghorepani-Dunga gare Deurali
b. Pokhara-Nayapul-Deupur-Sirpu-Jaljala-Dhunga gare Deurali
c. Pokhara-Nayapul-Deupur-Salija-Nangi-Dhunga gare Deurali
d. Pokhara-Patichour-Bajung-Dobato-Jaljala-Dhunga gare Deurali
e. Pokhara-Kusma-Dobato-Jaljala-Dhunga gare Deurali
4.2. New Routes:
The following new routes also can be started to get to Dhunga gare Deurali.
These routes will
actually give tourists a different experience of trekking and better views of
the Dhaulagiri and
Annapurna Himalayas. Tourists will certainly like these three routes more than
any others.
a. Pokhara-Beni-Lopre-Nangi-Ramche-Dunga gare Deurali
b. Pokhara-Beni-Baisiri-Kaphaldanda-Ramche-Dhunga gare Deurali
c. Pokhara-Beni-Baisiri-Histan-Thula Kharka-Dhunga gare Deurali
d. Pokhara-Birethanti-Ulleri-Bheri Kharka-Dhunga gare Deurali
4.3. Routes for the Tourists Coming from Jomsom:
Those tourists returning from Jomsom-Tatopani can take the following routes to
get to Dhungagare Deurali;
a. Tatopani-Sikha-Ghorepani-Dhunga gare Deurali
b. Tatopani-Sikha-Khibang-Naka-Phulbari-Dhunga gare Deurali.
4.4 Returning Routes:
One can take any of the routes as mentioned above other than the route one
took to get to Dhunga
gare Deurali to return to Pokhara or go further to other destinations such as
Tatopani-Jomsom-Muktinath, Ghandruk-Chhomorong-Annapurna base camp,
Swanta-Khopra etc.,
5. Our Plan for the Project:
We would like to frankly tell that our main purpose for developing the project
is to develop a
tourist trap9 so that we could make money to support Nangi High School, other
schools in Nangi
valley and community development projects such as health, sanitation,
nature conservation etc.
Had we not been in a situation of do or die9 for keeping Nangi High School
survive, this proposal
would never have come forward. However, we would like to promise that we are
not only money
minded. We will try our best to give best services possible for the money we
get from tourists.
The following are three components the project will comprise.
A. Establishment of a Eco-Village in Dhunga gare Deurali,
B. Development of intermediate stopovers on the trials.
C. Liaison and Support Office in Kathmandu and Pokhara
5.A. Establishment of a Eco-Village in Dhunga gare Deurali:
5.A.1. Acquisition of Land
In order to acquire about 20 ropanis of public land of Dunga gare, Mohare
Deurali, Kali Daha and
Hiun ko Mela necessary steps will be taken from the VDC level to central
government level. The
land will be acquired in the name of Nangi High School.
5.A.2. Building and Related Civil Works
The Eco-village will be developed in such a way that it will not destroy any
natural scenery of
the area. The following steps will be taken for this purpose.
a. Fencing: First of all, barbed wire fencing will be put around the area so
that no domestic
animals could come in and destroy the vegetation. This will make more trees
and bamboo bushes
to grow and help to conserve the nature.
b. Lodging: Small but typical round-shaped houses of mud, stone and wood
with thatch/slate roof
will be built randomly each of which will have double bed and attached
bathroom. Some of the
huts will have also kitchen so that guests could cook food by themselves if
they want to.
c. General Facilities: We will build only one big building in the Eco-Village
that will comprise
general facilities like reception, cultural information center, communication
center, restaurant, kitchen and dining hall etc .
d. Power: We will absolutely use no firewood in the village for cooking and
heating purposes. We
will mostly use solar/wind power in the village for lighting bulbs and
heating water. However,
we will use kerosene and LPG gas for cooking and heating purposes. There is
also possibility of
producing about 2 KW hydro-power from a nearby stream which will be stored and
used as necessary.
e. Water Supply: Since the village will be established on the top of mound, we
will have to pump
water from a spring about 100m below. We will pump the water up to the top by
using solar
power (gasoline operated motor pump when solar power is not enough). The water
will be treated and stored in tanks making it drinkable.
f. Telescope View Point: We don9t have to build any tall tower for viewing the
Himalays, however, we will build an observation point with powerful telescopes
from where the
Himalayas, the valleys and the nearby villages could be explored.
g. Communication Services: We believe that good communication facilities is
very important to attract more tourists in Dhunga gare Deurali area as well
as in Nepal. Therefore we plan to use
the latest means of communication as far as it be possible even though this
place is situated in a
remote area. The purposes for having the better communication system are;
i. to introduce the area around the world through the Internet
ii. to provide opportunity for tourists to have a close contact with
their home countries.
For this, we will have two VHF telephone/fax lines at the beginning. We will
develop a
comprehensive web site on the Himalayas and Nepal on the Internet and will
communicate with
the world through e-mail. Actually we already have an educational homepage on
Nangi High
School, the Himalayas and Nepal in the Internet. The access code is
http://rip.physics.unk.edu/Nepal/ We will update this site putting more
information about
Nepal and the Himalayas in order to attract more tourists in Nepal during
the Visit Nepal Year-989 and after.
h. Helipad: It takes only about two to three days to get here for average
tourists by walking.
However, we will also make necessary arrangements for helicopter arrival and
take off for
those tourists who can9t walk up here either due to physical inability or
shortage of time. It
takes less than ten minutes by helicopter from Pokhara to get here.
5.B. Development of Intermediate Stopovers on the Trails:
There is enough facilities for the tourists coming to Dunga gare Deurali
either through
Ulleri-Ghorepani or Tatopani-Ghorepani route. However, we need to develop
intermediate stopovers at the following places so that tourists have places to
eat and rest overnight;
a. Dobato for the tourists coming through Patichour/Kusma,
b. Lopre or Gunthale for the tourists coming through Beni
c. Kaphaldanda or Ramche for the tourists coming through Beni/Baisiri
d. Thula Kharka for the tourist coming through Beni/Histan
We will build hut style lodging facilities like those in Dhunga gare Deurali
with a restaurant in each of the stopover mentioned above.
5.C. Liaison and Support Office in Kathmandu and Pokhara:
We will set up an liaison office in Kathmandu and a support office in Pokhara
in order to have
business contact/publicity, reservation and public relation. These offices
will be linked to
Dhunga gare Deurali with telephone/fax. The office building in these places
will be rental with two staff in each.
6. Tentative Budget Estimation for the First Phase:
Since this is going to be a very big project, we won9t be able to finance the
project by ourselves
alone and establish all the infra-structure such as constructing large numbers
of lodging huts,
developing intermediate stopovers, opening support/liaison offices in
Pokhara and Kathmandu
etc. Therefore we will develop the program phase-wisely depending on the
resources that will
be available. However, we would like to develop at least some physical
facilities such as some
lodging huts, a building for general facilities such as restaurant,
information center,
communication center etc., drinking water, power and water heating system in
the first phase of
the project. In the following paragraphs we would like to give very
preliminary and tentative
type of cost estimation. This estimation is subject to change as needed
after detail discussion
between share holders. [Note US$1=Nepali Rs 56.75]
6. A. Building Construction and Civil Works in Dhunga gare Deurali:
1. Barbed wire fencing -Rs.50,000
2. Water storage/treatment tanks- 50,000
3. New construction of 15 round shaped-houses
with two bed room and attached bathroom Rs.40,000 each -600,000
4. New construction of 20mx7m building for general facilities -500,000
5. Contingencies of civil works-10% of civil works -120,000
Sub Total -1,320,000
6.B. Machinery and Equipment:
a. Operating Equipment
1. Solar Heaters of 1,000 liters capacity
including installation charge - Rs.170,000
2. Solar Panels of 100 w power (5 nos.)
including 100amp/hour storage batteries (5 nos.)
and necessary accessories -300,000
3. Battery Operated Water Pumps (2 nos.)/pipes - 100,000
4. Telescopes (2 nos.) -100,000
Sub Total -670,000
b. Equipment for Secretarial Services:
1. Personal Computers with necessary accessories (2 nos.) -RS.250,000
2. Telephone/Fax/Internet installation -125,000
Sub Total- 375,000
c. Kitchen Equipment:
1. LPG gas cooking range with complete installation (4 nos.) -Rs.30,000
2. Cooking utensils -25,000
3. Crockery and cutleries -10,000
4. Gas oven -30,000
Sub Total -95,000
6.C.Furnitures and Fixtures:
1. Beds, tables, chairs, robes, mattresses, quilts etc. -RS.200,000
2. Local carpets and curtains -75,000
3. Garbage collection and related tools/equipment -15,000
Sub Total -290,000
6.D. Pre-operating Expenses:
1. License, registration, legal fee etc. -Rs.20,000
2. Project management -50,000
Sub Total -70,000
Total Fixed Asset and Investment - Rs. 2820,000
Thus the very tentative total project cost including working capital for the
first phase of the
proposed Eco-Village in Dhunga gare Deurali area is given below.
Breakdown
1. Building construction and civil works -Rs.1320,000
2. Machinery and Equipment -1140,000
3. Furniture and Fixtures -290,000
4. Pre-operational costs -70,000
5. Working Capital -200,000
Total Project Cost - Rs. 3,020,000
7. Source of Finance:
This project will be developed as a company. Nangi High School will be the
main promoter for
this project and will own the land. It will raise money from donor agencies
and supporters for
investment and will hold about 60% of the total share. If necessary it will
take loan from
commercial banks or individuals. The remaining share will be sold
to local individuals/business
men/VDCs and travel/trekking companies only if they agree to donate 10% of the
total net
income for local nature/culture conservation and community development. The
share will be sold as follows.
a. Nangi High School -60% of the share
b. Villagers/business men -20% of the share
c. Travel/Trekking companies -15% of the share
d. Local VDCs-5% of the share
8. Mode of Project Implementation:
Based on the result/outcome of the first phase, the second phase of the
project will be developed
and implemented. The second phase of the project will include the
development of intermediate
stopovers at Lopre, Dobato, Ramche, Kaphadanda, Histan etc, side trails, and
places of tourist
interests. We will have lots of time to think, discuss and draw conclusion as
what we should do
for the second phase of the project.
9. Project Implementation Schedule
We plan to complete the first phase of the project at the beginning of the
'Visit Nepal
Year-1998'. Therefore everything will be carried out as fast as it be
possible. The following is
the tentative schedule for project implementation.
Starting time - April, 1997
Land acquisition and legal formalities - 2 months
Construction work for phase-I -6 months
Finishing and trial operation -2 months
Opening of the facility- at the end of 10 months from starting point
10. Conclusion
Our plan is to develop the spot as one of the unique tourist spots in the
world. Every plan will be
carried out making it the best example of environmentally-friendly tourism
program. However,
we are fully aware of the fact that it is easier said than done. We are ready
to face the challenge.
For this we need your creative inputs for developing this program. We will
appreciate your help very much.
********************************************************************
Forwarded By: Rajesh Shrestha <shresth2@husc.harvard.edu>
Date: Tue, 15 Apr 1997 17:31:41 -0400 (EDT)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: A few Legal questions?
Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------
I wish I had that much strength to hold on so long after what has happened
to you and your parents owing to the inhumane treatment that your deceased
sister received before and after her death from her in-laws. I'm assuming
that all the SCN readers who has read your heart aching story must be
wishing that they had enough resources to relieve you from that pool of
miseries. There may have been, to some extent, just a flicker of deviation
from the preciseness of what actually happened, and why it happened that it
really happened. I'm saying this, not because I am trying to pose myself as
some cynically indifferent person. Unless we hear the both sides of the
story there is always that grain of doubt looming large over our inqusitive
consciousness. However, I found your writing very genuinely portrayed and
very reflective. Reflective in a sense that I was able to refer it to a
couple of incidents, but not that intense like yours, back home. These
happened to people whom I would see today and never see them tomorrow.
Perhaps, this was why it did not bother me much. But now that I'm here,
where life, liberty and freedom is so much cherished, sometimes, like you
said, if you could unwind the time, you would prevent the gruesome
incident, had I the power to do it all over again, I would not hesitate to
become a monk and lead a solitary life after seeing how the human society
have molded over the years. As you may well be aware of the fact that most
SCN readers are not at the position to offer you any legal advise due to
the fact that our judicery system is somewhat vaguely interpreted. The
verdict, hinges so much on how influensive a person is in a society and how
much he can funnell money into the loop holes of our ever unstable
governing body.
Just to crack you up a little, a friend of mine pointed me the similarities
between the recent launching of the social security administration's web
site and several of our past governmentis. They had so much in common. Both
were fairly clueless as to who should recive benefits the most. Both were
doomed to fall and be forgotten. Thanks to the some congressmen. The plug
was pulled on the site.
I hope you have better lucks and hope you receive more encouraging letters.
- friend
Kunga
http://www.ionet.net/~kunga
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Re: "What if all Nepalis become Christian?"
Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------
As a frequent visitor to Nepal and one who has developed close ties with
Nepalis in Nepal and in the United States, I was deeply disturbed to find
that Christian missionaries have "invaded" Nepal. This article is
thought-provoking. I would submit, however, that missionaries of all types
should be totally banned from Nepal (as well as all other countries). I
was raised in the Baptist Church replete with its missionary do-gooders
who, in my experience, are people primarily living on the backs of others
and their donations to enjoy a different culture and life.
The primary problem with Christianity (with which I want no part) is its
attempt to lay a guilt trip upon is suppliants. Nepalis do not need this
intrusion into their lives.
Send the missionaries packing!
A.J. Chapman
********************************************************
From: "Damber Gurung" <dgrng@CLEMSON.EDU>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 10:27:13 +0000
PROGRESS AND STABILITY
- Damber K. Gurung, Clemson University, SC
Nepali elites talked quite frequently about political and
socio-economic stability in the past several months, especially after
the coalition government.
Stability means a state not easily moved or thrown off balance, not
likely to breakdown, fall apart or give away (Webster's Dictionary).
Keeping this definition in mind, we certainly wish everyone to have
stability in all aspects of their lives this year, 2054 BS (1997 AD).
A desire for political stability makes sense because if the political
system is thrown off balance or falls apart country's law and order
will be unstable leading to changes in rules and regulations affecting
both private and public activities. Consequently, other aspects
(family & children, income, health, education, environment, etc.) of
society are very likely to be unstable.
In fact what is generally desired is not just stability but stability
with progress (a movement in a socially desired direction) in terms of
different aspects of our lives. Also, without progress, stability is
possible (the case of Panchayat system). Thus, progress and stability
in political aspect is intimately related with the progress and
stability in other areas of human development. Specifically,
political developments should translate into progress and stability in
other aspects of the society. Without such a transformation in a
society, it will be impossible to keep fruits hard earned in any
revolution.
In a nutshell, how the new political environment has translated into
other valuable aspects of Nepali lives is of vital importance. And I
do not think it is early to dwell on this question.
Usually, it is almost impossible to get satisfactory answer to such a
query from political statements. Under a democratic environment,
however, one would expect establishment of independent agencies (say,
think tanks) to assess country's current situation and predict future
course. Unbiased information could form a basis for stable changes in
the right direction. We can hope that recently established think
tanks in Nepal will serve this purpose.
As we strive through our daily lives toward stable progress away from
our Motherland, I believe we could affect the progress and stability
in Nepal. A few ways one can make the difference are by: =95sharing
ideas and experience via conferences, meetings or existing media (such
as TND), =95participating in and/or supporting national and
international agencies' activities, =95directly supporting your
community or village, etc.
Let us get involved in this exciting process of helping each
other/ourselves.
********************************************************
Date: Apr 16, 1997
To: The Nepal Digest <tnd@nepal.org>
Subject: Book Review
Source: People's Review
POWER (SOMETIMES) BEHIND THE THRONE
QUEENS OF THE SHAH DYNASTY IN NEPAL
By Prakash A. Raj
Published by Nabeen Publications, Kathmandu; Pages 80; Price Nepali Rupees
300/Indian Rupees 200 (in India).
Prakash A. Raj has done it again -- provided a valuable insight into a
not-too-well-know area of Nepalese
history and folklore. This time, it has taken the form of a volume on the
Queens of the Shah dynasty.
Although there is a considerable body of historical work on the Shah dynasty
there is virtually nothing of
note in one single volume about its Queens. By providing interesting
reading about their life and times,
including glimpses of their sometimes powerful behind-the scenes-role, the
author has helped to broaden the
general public's knowledge of an important, if generally hidden, aspect of
Nepal's modern day history.
In neatly compartmentalized sections -- Beginning of Unification, Period of
Powerful Queens, Ranas Rule the
Country and the Advent of Democracy -- the author has shed considerable light
on the Queens of the Shah
dynasty, often providing interesting nuggets of information gleaned from a
wide variety of historical sources.
Along with material on the family background and lives of the Shah Queens, the
author has also provided a
good deal of background of the social and political conditions of the times he
deals with including the
practice of sati, multiple marriages, and, even, marriage to the daughters of
highly placed Indian families.
There is quite a bit on Rajendra Laxmi under whose regency the frontiers of
Nepal extended from Chepe
westward to the Kali Gandaki as well as on Rajya Laxmi who was responsible
for the infamous Kot Massacre
which led to the transfer of power of political power from the Shah Kings to
the Ranas.
The author has also not shied away from detailing the history, if only
briefly, of Queen Kantabati "a
beautiful Brahmin widow from Mithilia region of Nepal near Janakpur" who was
"forcibly" brought to the
palace of King Rana Bahadur Shah and married -- an event that resulted in the
birth of King Girvan Yuddha.
The slim volume under review comes with a plethora of period photographs and
drawings, charts, a glossary and assorted lists
Of various events and activities.
All in all, they help to enhance the value of the booklet which should well
complement any shelf containing
books on Nepali history. Reviewed by MRJ.
******************************************************************
From: MH8@soas.ac.uk
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 1997 18:16:27 GMT
Subject: Re: Himalayan talks at SOAS
CENTRE OF SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES
School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh Street, Russell
Square
London WC1H OXG
HIMALAYAN RESEARCH FORUM
Summer Term 1997
Thursdays at 5.30 p.m.
Room G51
Thursday April 24th Ingrid Massage & Elizabeth Rowsell
(Amnesty International, London)
The Maoist "People's War" in Nepal: an emerging armed conflict?
Thursday May 1st T. Louise Brown
(University of Birmingham)
Economic development in Nepal and the impact of political change
since 1990
Michael Hutt
School of Oriental and African Studies London
tel. 171-323-6240/6251
fax 171-436-3844 or 171-436-2664
e-mail mh8@soas.ac.uk
***************************************************************
Date: Thu, 17 Apr 1997 01:17:37 -0700
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
From: Nischal Shrestha <nshrestha@uab.campus.mci.net>
Subject: Greetings!!!
To all the netters,
"HAPPY NEPALESE NEW YEAR(2054)"
Make your life creative, and enjoy it. You know what I mean.
From
NEPALESE OF BIRMINGHAM,AL.
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