Received: from mp.cs.niu.edu (mp.cs.niu.edu [131.156.1.2]) by library.wustl.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id QAA02252; Tue, 29 Jul 1997 16:22:14 -0500 (CDT) Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu id AA27510 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for nepal-dist); Tue, 29 Jul 1997 14:19:25 -0500 Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu id AA27506 (5.67b/IDA-1.5 for nepal-list); Tue, 29 Jul 1997 14:19:24 -0500 Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 14:19:24 -0500 Message-Id: <199707291919.AA27506@mp.cs.niu.edu> Reply-To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> From: The Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu> Sender: "Rajpal J. Singh" <A10RJS1@cs.niu.edu> Subject: The Nepal Digest - July 30, 1997 (21 Shrawan 2054 BkSm) To: <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Content-Type: text Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 237
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The Nepal Digest Wed July 30, 1997: Shrawan 4 2054BS: Year6 Volume64 Issue 2
Today's Topics:
Life in the Iron Mills - A Review
Voting and Women in a Nepali village
Nepali News
Home of New Hopes - Street children in nepal
Volunteering in Nepal
New CDROM on Nepal
Nepali language classes
Scholarships at Yokohama National University
Bhutia Community
A short speech about the value of time
Re The Joys and Sorrows of Teaching Nepali
******************************************************************************
* TND (The Nepal Digest) Editorial Board *
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* 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 *
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* 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 *
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* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
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* "Heros are the ones who give a bit of themselves to the community" *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" -Sirdar_Khalifa *
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******************************************************************************
******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 1997 15:50:39 +0800
To: The Nepal Digest <tnd@nepal.org>
From: Sabina Thapa<sthapa@supernova.net>
Subject: Life in the Iron Mills - A Review
LIFE IN THE IRON MILLS
Author: Rebecca Harding Davis
A Book Review by Sabina Thapa
(Ms. Sabina Thapa is a Pre-Law student studying in New York, USA)
Rebecca Harding Davis began her literary career with "Life in the
Iron Mills", the story that secured her place in the history of American
Literature. The book, set in an ugly iron work town in Virginia, depicts
the poverty, the misery, and the pathetic living conditions of its factory
workers.
Born on June 24, 1831 in Washington, Pennsylvania, Richard and
Rachel Leet (see note 1) Wilson Harding, moved with their family to what
was then Wheeling, Virginia. The eldest of five children, Rebecca got
most of her education at home, first from her mother and then from
private tutors. She completed her formal education at the Washington
Female Seminary in 1848. After graduating with the highest honors,
she returned to Wheeling and helped her mother manage the household by
taking care of her siblings.
Wheeling, being a heavy industrialized city active in the iron
works, inspired her to write, Life in the Iron Mills. Rebecca did,
however, continue to write serious themes, for examples, 'Temple of Time';
'Country Girl in Town'; and 'Is It All For Nothing?' (see note 2)
Later, on March 5, 1863, she met L. Clarke Davis and they were
married. They lived in Philadelphia for the rest of their lives and had
4 three children. Even though family life kept her busy most of the time
she continued to write. She died on September 29, 1910, in New York,
leaving behind many interesting books. (see note 3)
"Life in the Iron Mills" is based on her experiences working
amongst immigrant laborers and their families in Wheeling. The story
describes two mill workers and their daily struggles for survival with
no hope for a better future. Hugh Wilfe, a sensitive young person of
just 19, had the ability to become an artist, but was stuck to a life
of work in an iron mill. Deborah, his hunchbacked cousin, worked in a
cotton mill. It is painful to read that both of them worked
tenaciously for at least fourteen hours a day and were not well paid.
Their life revolved around their work and it seemed that it was
their only means of survival. Moreover, their bosses tortured them
and treated them like slaves.
Despite their hard work, they could not afford wholesome
food, and managedto eat two times only on their lucky days. As both
of them worked long hours, they did not have enough time to eat and
the only good meal was eaten at night after getting back from work.
It consisted of rank pork, molasses and ale. To be honest, I do
not even know what this food tastes like, but I am sure it is horrible.
Working long hours with empty stomachs, and not getting enough sleep
most of the time, Wolfe and Deborah slept without eating. In the
book it is mentioned that, a poor little girl named Janey, who is
probably Wolfe's daughter snatches the food Deborah was eating.
It is obvious that Janey had been very hungry to act in such a manner.
Their living condition too was very pathetic, due to severe
poverty. Residing in a town of iron works, with many industries,
the extreme pollution affected them and the people of Wheeling .
No one could breathe fresh air because of the smoke coming from the
industries. Even the wings of birds could be found covered with
smoke, let alone people's clothes and body. At that period no one
dreamt of green fields and sunshine because not even a single person
saw it due to black smoke. Wheeling, at that time, could be called
a black city.
The house Wolfe and Deborah lived in had two cellar-rooms
and the other rooms were rented to more then half a dozen families.
Sleeping in kennel-like rooms, and not even with decent rugs to cover
their bodies, it must have been pretty nasty. Moreover, the ceiling
was very low, and the floor was covered with green slimy moss. It
was also very damp, thus leaving little air to breathe.
The author never mentions them wearing clean clothes.
Whatever they wore, were all ragged, old and dirty. They were unable
to afford the luxury of washing or buying clothes. Severe poverty and
pathetic living conditions locked their fate, forcing them to live
miserably. Their low salary, even when combined, eventually
compelled Deborah to steal. This proves that money is the only
thing needful to take care of poverty, living conditions and misery.
Wolfe's cousin Deborah, who loved him unconditionally, wanted the best
for him. This led Deborah to steal money from the pocket of
one the rich gentlemen engaged in the debate at Wolfe's work.
Both Deborah and Wolfe were arrested for stealing.
However, it must beremembered that Wolfe was falsely accused, as
he had no hand in the matter. They both were put into jail for stealing
money. He was sentenced to nineteen years' imprisonment, whereas
his cousin Deborah was sentenced to only three years. The saddest
moment in "Life in the Iron Mills" was when Wolfe commits suicide
in jail. He saw no hope because nineteen years during that time
seemed like a century. He felt that when he would be freed
he would be too weak to work. To escape from misery, suicide seemed
the best thing for him.
Reading this book reminded me of my native country Nepal,
where in some villages, people's lives are like those of Wolf and her
cousin, Deborah. Because of the bad economical conditions, these people
have no other choices but to live in poverty and work for somebody else
at minimum wages.
Like Wolfe, who started working at the age of seven, these
village people start working at a very tender age . Most of them have
a hazardous and exploitative working environment, hence they offer
disabled. Event though they work such long hours, their lives do not
improve, as Wolfe's and Deborah's show. Eating unhealthy food, most
of them die at an early age. Working people are being tortured by their
bosses, as in the story, and many times girls are forced into prostitution
to satisfy the owner's sexual desire for free. Child labor is
exploited the most because they work better than the old people, they
learn faster, and are satisfied with low wages. The only difference
here is that the story of Deborah and Wolfe took place during Eighteenth
century, whereas in Nepal in the Twentieth century and it is really sad.
This kind of labor can never be eliminated until poverty disappears.
Overall, Rebecca Davis Harding's book Life in the Iron
Mills, is sympathetic and interesting. I enjoyed reading the book, but
in the meantime felt bad for Wolfe, Rebecca, and other workers who lived
in Wheeling.
It is sympathetic because she had portrayed the lives of
Wolfe and Deborah, full of hardship. One could feel the pain and anguish
while reading the book. It made me feel sentimental towards the people
who went through brutalizing work, the shriek of the engines, and the
pollution. I found it interesting because Rebecca has made everything
clear for the readers. Therefore, they are able to picture Wheeling,
the work place, and their characteristics. Overall, the book arouses
a revolutionary attitude towards the owner of the mills, for making the
workers work that long without good wages points to the selfish,
inhumane spirit of the people behind the system. This makes me want
to correct injustices in my own society today. I so not just take
it as a historic document but as a way of becoming involved in real
life problems today.
Bibliography:
1 Bobby Ellen Kembel, "Dictionary of Literary Biography," V74: Page 147
2 Fairfax Downey, "Portrait of a Pioneer," 3 Dec 1932: Page 21
3 Arthur Hobson Quinn, "American Fiction," New York: 1963
******************************************************************
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 07:59:38 EDT
To: The Nepal digest Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
From: "Pramod K. Mishra" <pkm@acpub.duke.edu>
Subject: Voting and Women in a Nepali village
Dear Editor,
In the recent local elections in Nepal, as the Nepali media reports,
everyone got to cast a vote save the women of a certain village in the
Terai. The women in the Terai village have never voted since voting
began in Nepal's history, thirty-odd years ago. Deprivation of adult
franchise has come to be viewed an abominable thing in our times of free
market economy and multi-party democracy. But it is not as disgusting as
female genital mutilation in Africa or sati and caste in India, or death
by throwing stone, thereby obeying the Shariat in the Islamic world, all
ancient, tradition-sanctioned practices; it's more like blinding the
hardened criminal by pouring acid on his eyes, or castrating the rapist,
burning the bride. New solutions to new problems.
Female circumcision, public death for fornication and adultery,
untouchability are the stereotypes by which the non-Western world is
known. These practices may be viewed as extremes, not typical, as the
existence of KKK and other neo-Nazi groups, Christian fanatics, excessive
criminality, divorce rates, weak family ties, cut-throat capitalism are
the extremes of the industrialized world. In their milder forms, all
these practices do not bother the general viewer.
Depriving village women in Nepal of voting rights, however, is
not extreme like the other ones. It's normal, a milder form of
privation. The men of the village certainly feel proud of saving their
women of this abomination called voting. Then again, more than half the
world probably still doesn't choose its public officials by voting. And
even in countries where voting is a holy cow, either out of ignorance or
too much knowledge, many do not vote, keeping their right to adult
franchise in their pockets. Even those who haul themselves to the booth
in rain and sun, setting aside their work, voting may be only in name.
For example, those women who got to vote in the recent local elections in
Nepal, how many cast their votes as an individual choice, based on issues
or personalities? Most folks in Nepal still vote because the head of the
family, or village, asked them to. In theory, what the Urdu poet Iqbal
said may be true:
Jamhuriat vah tarje hukummat hai ki jisme
Insa ko ginte hain taula nahi karte
In a democracy, a person is counted, not measured. But in practice, men
count more than women; the head of the clan counts more than its members;
caste, language, region, the shape of your nose, the color of your skin,
the opening of your eyes count more than issues in a voting democracy.
And most people vote for these reasons. That's why, I was a little
surprised at the newspaper reports. They sounded as though the educated
women in Kathmandu make their choices on their own and not because their
husbands, fathers, and brothers tell them to. So what's wrong if the
husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons of that particular Terai village
voted both for themselves and for their women as well, keeping their
women within the four walls, saving their honor and preventing exposure
to sun, dust, and alien men? Many of these women may not know even their
village boundaries, let alone the virtues and vices of the candidates or
the platforms of their parties.
******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 1997 15:50:39 +0800
To: Nepal Digest <info-tnd@nepal.org>
From: Whelpton John Francis <jfwhelpt@hkusua.hku.hk>
Subject: Re: Publication notice (corrected version)
NATIONALISM AND ETHNICITY IN A HINDU KINGDOM - THE POLITICS OF CULTURE IN
CONTEMPORARY NEPAL, edited by David Gellner, Joanna Pfaff-Czarnecka and
John Whelpton, published by Harwood Academic Publishers, Amsterdam, 1997.
623pg. ISBN 90-5702-089-0 Price: US$75 Pounds sterling49 ECU63
`This is a truly thematic collection with a well-defined focus on the
contemporary topics of ethnic identity and nationalism. The importance of
the theme is self-evident in a world attempting to come to grips with such
problems in virtually all modern states. Anyone with an interest in
contemporary Nepal should study this volume.'
Michael Allen, Former Professor of Anthropology
University of Sydney
CONTENTS:
David Gellner Introduction: Ethnicity and Nationalism in the
World's only Hindu State
John Whelpton Political Identity in Nepal: State, Nation and Community
Axel Michaels The King and the Cow: on a Crucial Symbol of
Hinduization in Nepal
Michael Hutt Being Nepali without Nepal: Reflections on a South Asian
Diaspora
David Gellner Caste, Communalism, and Communism: Newars and the
Nepalese State
Alan Macfarlane Identity and Change among the Gurungs (Tamu-mai) of
Nepal
Ben Campbell The Heavy Loads of Tamang Identity
Claire Burkert Defining Maithil Identity: Who is in Charge?
Christian
McDonaugh Losing Ground,Gaining Ground: Land and Change in a
Tharu Community in Dang,West Nepal
N.J. Allen Hinduization; the Experience of the Thulung Rai
Andrew Russell Identity Management and Cultural Change: the Yakha
of East Nepal
Martin Gaenszle Changing concepts of ethnic Identity among the Mewahang
Rai
Charles Ramble Tibetan Pride of Place: Or, Why Nepal's Bhotiyas
are not an Ethnic Group
Joanna
Pfaff-Czarnecka Vestiges and Visions: Cultural Change in the Process of
Nation-Building in Nepal
Prayag Raj Sharma Nation-Building, Multi-Ethnicity, and the Hindu State
Harka Gurung State and Society in Nepal
ORDER FROM:
(Nepal)
Mandala Bookpoint, P.O.528, Kathmandu
Tel. 227711 e-mail: mandala@vishnu.ccsl.com.np
(India)
Yogesh Saxena, IPD, 2/9 Ansari Rd., Daryaganj, New Delhi 110002
Tel. +91 11 327 3588 Fax +91 11 328 6315
e-mail: ipd.del@sml.sprintrpg.sprint.com
(North/South America)
University of Toronto Press, 250 Sonwell Drive, Buffalo, NY14225, USA
Tel. +1 (800) 565-9523 Fax: +1 (800) 221-9985
e-mail: utpbooks@gpu.utcc.utoronto.ca
(Europe)
Marston Book Services Ltd., P.O. Box 269, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4YN, U.K.
Tel. +44 (0) 1235 465500 Fax: +44 (0) 1235 465555
(Asia/Australia)
International Publishers Distributor, Kent Ridge, P.O. Box 1180,
Singapore 911106
Tel. +65 741 6933 Fax: +65 741 6922 e-mail: ipdmkt@singnet.com.sg
(Australia/New Zealand)
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Australia
Tel. +61 02 9878 8222 Fax +61 02 9878 8122
e-mail: info@gbpub.com.au
(Japan)
Yohan (Western Publicaions Distribution Agency), 3-14-9, Okubu,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169, Japan
Outside South Asia, postage and packing $5.00 (sterling pounds 3) for
first copy, $2.00 (pounds 1.3 for each additional copy.) For prices in
yen or NC/IC rupees please contact Japanese and South Asian dealers
Orders from individuals should be prepaid by credit card (Visa, Mastercard
or American Express) or by check payable to company in the appropriate
region.
******************************************************************
Date: July 25, 1997
To: The Nepal Digest <tnd@nepal.org>
Subject: Nepali News
Source: The Kathmandu Post
Woman sold to brothel helps police arrest agent
By a Post Reporter
HETAUDA, July 27 - A woman who was sold to a brothel in Bombay by an
agent was later successful in having the
agent arrested by the police by bringing him back to Hetauda after she
was ousted by the brothel owner when she contacted desease.
Parvati Pariyar of Hetauda Municipality-11 was staying at her
parents house along with her child after she was deserted
by her husband. Eight years ago, she was persuaded by her cousin
(maternal uncle's son) Durge Pariyar and another man,
Jung Bahadur Thapa alias Ram Bahadur who had lied to her that they
would go to visit Babadham. Thus they took her to
Bombay and sold her to a brothel.
Parvati spent a wretched life in the brothel for seven years.
As she happened to contact disease in the mean time, she was
driven out from the brothel.
While she was roaming about in the streets of Bombay helplessly, she
fortunately met a man who had a house in India and
was living in Hetauda. The man not only brought her back to Hetauda but
also married her with her consent. They have
been leading a happy conjugal life for about a year.
Parvati was worried as to how she could punish the criminals who had
sold her to the brothel. After discussing the matter
with her husband, she reached the same brothel where she had spent seven
years of hellish life and told the owner, Gori
Tamang, that her economic condition was very bad.
She said that she had two women at Hetauda and that she could bring them
to Bombay if only some people were sent to
escort them to Bombay. Gori Tamang said she would help her financially if
she would bring the two women to Bombay
and sent her husband Jung Bahadur Thapa alias Ram Bahadur and another
man employed in the brothel, Krishna Bahadur Lama of Sundarijal.
Upon their arrival in Hetauda, Parvati filed a report with the police
office disclosing that Thapa was the same criminal who
had taken her to the brothel of Bombay and that the two men had again
come to take two girls to the brothel.
Consequently, she was able to get them arrested.
Parvati says that criminals such as these who usher the unsuspecting
Nepali girls to the brothels by telling them lies must
be punished severely and that they should not be released at any cost
because they might again endeavour to take more girls to India.
Jung Bahadur pleaded guilty of the charge of trying to carry two more
girls to his brothel. He said he owned
the brothel where Parvati had worked.
Source: The Rising Nepal
Women trafficking: Better policing measures needed
By G.P. Thapa
THE misery of women is endless. Many female children are considered an extra
burden on the family in Nepal. They suffer from various forms
of discrimination. They are deprived of some of the basic human rights a
male child enjoys. Girls are more prone to be expelled, dejected and
and neglected. Their existence is constantly in danger in our male-dominated
society.
The growing crimes against women and children have made their lives more
frightful. Women, as a separate class, are subject to greater criminal
victimisation, both inside and outside the home. Such violence usually
includes harassment, torture, abuses, and even murder in the most deceptive
manner.
Trafficking of women and girls for prostitution is the most pressing issue
today in Nepal. "The origin of girl trafficking has been traced to
three instances in our past.
First, the Rana regimes practice of taking girls out of the village
and bringing them to Kathmandu valley where they served as concubines.
concubines. Second, the entry of Nepalese in the Indian Gorkha Regiment
initiated their travel to India. Third, a result of the Tibetan
influence in Nepal. They had been conducting business in India during
1951-1952. They introduced Nepalese women into the flesh trade. Tibetans,
once settled, began inter-marrying Tamangs. They targeted especially the
poor Tamang families." (M.R. Vaidya, Feb 1997).
The exact figure of Nepalese women engaged in prostitution within and
outside the country is not available. However, the estimated number crosses
more than 100,000. Most of them are in India. There is a rough estimate
that indicates that around 5,000 to 7,000 girls are trafficked every year
for prostitution from Nepal. UNICEF states that the numbers of Nepalese
engaged in the sex industry is growing by 5 to 10 per cent annually.
The official records of girls trafficking in Nepal as registered records
are as follows; in 1989 -1990, 104; in 1990 - 1991, 137; in 1991 - 1992,
117; in 1992 - 1993, 126; in 1993-1994, 102; in 1994-1995, 105;
and in 1995 - 1996, 133.
The girls are trafficked to India on the pretext of false marriage, a good
life or a good job in big cities. These women and children can be seen in
most of the major cities of India, including Mumbai, Calcutta, Delhi,
Banaras, Lucknow, Allahabad, Mujjaffarpur, Kanpur, Patna, Gorakhpur,
Faridabad, Banglore and Ranchi. In fact, it is said that there is no
big Indian city without Nepalese girls working as sex workers.
Gopal Prasad Tiwari (1994) says that trafficked women and children who
enter India are found in brothels, lodges, and guest houses, the porno
film industry, massage parlors, calls girls networks and hotels. The price
for which a girl is sold to a brothel owner ranges from Rs. 9000 to
to Rs. 25000. He adds that they get in the business by
different means by cash, abduction , deception, parental intention,
rape and even fake marriages. The primary sources of these sex workers
for Indian brothels are districts such as Nuwakot, Kavre-palanchowk,
Dhading, Sindhupal-chowk, Makwanpur and Ramechhap.
A study conducted by WOREC states that twenty per cent of the sex workers in
Mumbai were married, four to five per cent minor under 15 years. It is
estimated that most of the girls are between 10 to 20 years of age. Out of
107 cases studied by this writer, 36 victims were of the age of 16-20 and
19 of them between the age of 10-15.
It was also found that almost half of those working in Mumbai brothels were
duped by galla wallahs or even by their own relatives.
The poors fall prey to the flesh traders. Tamangs, Magars, Rais, Limbu,
Chaudhari, Sherpa, Biswokarma and Newar are among the worst-hit communities.
The reason: poverty and illiteracy.
Official data of women trafficked and engaged inside and outside the country
is not available. However, unofficial data puts the number between 100,000
to 200,000. In comparison to the large scale of trafficking, the reporting
of these crimes is very low.
The reporting of the trafficking is 130 in average per year in Nepal. It
is estimated that a large number of human trafficking cases go unreported and
thus undetected.
Sometimes social values and cultural pressures discourage women and child
victims from reporting abuses. They are afraid of humiliation, insult,
neglect and oppression from family members.
The other reason could be the flaws in the criminal justice system itself.
Laws alone cannot bring desired changes in society unless such laws are
properly implemented. The procedural and evidentiary aspects have an impact
on the quality of law enforcement. A sound criminal justice system,
together with the enforcement agency's efficiency, can produce desired effects.
It is sometimes said that the existing laws and the justice system are not
proving effective to protect the women and children against trafficking
in Nepal. Enforcement of legislation needs to be tightened.
"There is a tendency of making fake charges. We have to investigate
applications, which are naturally troublesome to innocents. Politicians are
corrupt. Political workers are on payroll of those involved in this
business." (R. Mainali, 1996).
The police are blamed for not having a positive attitude towards the women
and child victims, showing little interest to register the crimes and
sometimes failing to collect evidence. They are criticised for their behaviour
being not sympathetic with the victims. Allegations of inefficient and
ineffectiveness should be a source of serious
concern for the police organisation. The police also have to change the
policing style. The involvement of community members and more women police
in the total management of crimes must be welcomed and given due priority.
It is sometimes said that the present criminal justice system is meant for
the adults and managed by the adults; which has no ear for the voice of
voiceless. this seeming indifference is considered to be pervasive which
makes a victim suffer many more
times during the procedures. The process and methods of investigation, the art
of presenting evidence in the court, the autocratic and bureaucratic
environment of courts humiliate a victim and make secondary victims.
Intervention can bring a very damaging effect if we do not handle it
properly. Communicating should not be made humiliating to a victim.
Reconstruction and reproduction of the scene of a crime makes a victim
suffer many more times amid many more people.
The open border between Nepal and India makes matters worse. Trafficking is
comparatively easier in such situations. The legislation, regulation and
prohibition system of prostitution in receiving and sending countries have
a direct impact on the trafficked women. As a result, many victims have
their human rights violated and not able to receive justice.
A good manager needs a clear-cut strategy for the management of crimes. A
forward-policy would play a more important role than one of containment.
Enforcement of law is more concerned with containment. We have a tendency of
attending crimes and do not dig into the root cause. A clinical approach
rather than a symptomatic one is called for.
************************************************************************
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 19:26:08 PDT
To: tnd foundation for nepal <info-tnd@nepal.org>
From: Sandrine Emery <emery@SLAC.Stanford.EDU>
Subject: Home of New Hopes - Street children in nepal -
Hello,
I've found the tnd foundation page on the Web, with also
the adresses for the NAFA and NANC associations.
I would like some advices from you, as I have friends
who have recently (1993) created an organization to help street
and endangered children in Nepal. They rent 2 houses,
one for 31 girls, and one for 39 boys, and they take care
(food, bed, education and affection) of these 70 children
helped by a team of 7 Nepali teachers.
They were proud as recently the children in class 5
passed the official board exam.
The house is in Boudanath, and called Nawa Asha Griha.
I've been there last November to visit them and the child
I sponsor, Gopal Gautam.
The association is for the moment composed of a french and
a swiss group. The president of the french group is my friend
and used to be a particle physicist ; he now studies earthquakes
and goes very often to Nepal.
Nicole is a swiss young woman who has stayed in nepal since the
beginning with the children. She has now married one of the
teachers and they had a baby in january.
I am french, and I'm living in San Francisco Bay area
for one year, for my job (particle physics), and the idea
was to get new members among american friends here.
But I don't know how to declare officially an international
non-profit organization, so that people get tax reductions,
and it is better to present an organization when things are
officialized. I've phoned the Internal revenue service, info
on taxes, and asked for an application, 2 weeks ago, but I
still have no answer ; so may be I did not correctly present
the problem, or I phoned to the wrong place.
The lady on the phone told me she understood but she didn't
know exactly how to do for international organization, she
would search what she could and send me documentation.
So if you could give me advices about the administrative
part, I would transmit what to do to the president of the organization.
That would be great !
It is also an opportunity to know what other organizations do and
try to get advices and experiences from each other, not to do
twice the same mistakes for example.
I am personnaly interested to know more about your activities,
specially as far as children education and protection is
concerned. For example, there is another french organization for
street children, in Chauni, and Nawa Asha Griha recently bought
swings and toboggan (for the children to play) made by the
ex-street children of Chauni. They also try to share some experiences,
even if they don't always agree.
If you'd like also more information about Nawa Asha Griha, it
will be with pleasure.
Thanks a lot for your help,
Sandrine Emery
email : emery@slac.stanford.edu | (at work)
Tel nb: 1-415-926-3766 | at SLAC |
Fax nb: 1-415-926-3882 | |
Home adress : Sandrine Emery
450 Blake Street, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel/Fax : (1-415) 329 9032
********************************************************************
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 1997 12:00:00 +1000
To: Nepal Digest <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
From: "Sinha, Kishor K." <sinhak@anz.com>
Subject: Request
Dear Sirs,
My youngest brother Dr. Sunil Sinha, has been suffering from Giant
Aneurysm. Am including a brief note explaining the current situation
and the sort of help/assistance/advise we are currently looking for.
I would be very obliged if you could circulate this to the readers of
TND.
=============================================
Re.: Treatment Option for GIANT BASILAR ARTERY ANEURYSM
Dr. Sunil Sinha, a general surgeon (aged 35 yrs, Male) at
B.P.Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan (Nepal) has been
suffering from GIANT BASILAR ARTERY ANEURYSM (appx. 3.5 cm in
diameter). The detailed report (type written) of the patient issued
by Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi (India) where the
problem was first dignosed may be sent if asked for.
We are looking for a proper Centre for the management of the
aforesaid problem. We will appreciate if you could guide and
provide necessary assistance in locating an appropriate Centre for
treatment for him and also a Centre/Foundation/Support
Group/Sponsor which may provide some financial assistance since the
patient is not financially able to bear all the expense of
treatment. Any enquiry or information for or in relation to the
patient may be sent at the following numbers:
Tel.: (++977 - 1) - 415773 or 429013 (Att. Anil Sinha)
Fax: (++977 - 1) - 415774
email : sinha@verma.wlink.com.np
Since the matter needs urgent attention, we will be thankful for
your cooperation.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Bimal Kumar Sinha
Kathmandu NEPAL (contact no. as above)
==================================================
A copy of the medical Report can be obtained from the above contact or
from the following:
Kishor Sinha Phone (++678) 22536 (work) , (++678) 22462 (Home), (++678)
83160 (mobile)
e-mail: sinhak@anz.com
************************************************************
Date: Wed, 02 Jul 1997 16:10:17 EDT
To: tnd@nepal.org
From: REFGID@library.phila.gov
Subject: http://www.nepal.org/ A Poem
On the Hazards of Living with Mindless Hedonists
------------------------------------------------
I live in a dive
It's a bee hive
Jerks everywhere
There's no peace here
The toilet's not working
Pukes on the floor
They had a party last night
With booze & a stripper-whore
The fridge's been raided
And the TV's gone
If you were in my shoe
What would you have done?
Sarah called to say her purse's missing
I gotta hear this crap she's dissing
Roomies are still asleep-- they should know
Speed's gonna ruin ya: they should let go
3 weeks gone by, no studying done
Been missing classes chasing such fun
Ray was here and his whole gang too
I'm helplessly watching my dream turn to "goo"
I get up to go buy milk
And who do I see
Sarah outside my window
Waiting for me
Said she lost her ID and car key too
Shoulda seen her last night--piss drunk in the loo
Everybody trashed; no one got laid
About us losers what more can be said
Still, life goes on dysfunctionally
No more can I think rationally
When I had my chances, I shoulda left and gone
Alas, after all is said and done
More is said than done....
(I have finally moved on to live with a more academic-minded Chinese
roommate. Dumped Sarah 'cause she was carrying around too much
baggage. I still visit my previous roommates to "partake of their
orgiastic parties" on weekends only. Hell, that way I can have
my cake and eat it too. The irony is now I'm raiding their fridge. Ha ha!)
*********************************************************
Date: Wed, 03 Jul 1996 09:31:26 +0800
To: info-tnd@nepal.org
From: Catherine <bc7306724@ntuvax.ntu.ac.sg>
Subject: Volunteering in Nepal
Dear Sir/Mdm,
I am a graduate student from Singapore. I would very much wish to
volunteer as a teacher in Nepal on a long term basis.
I was searching through the internet and came across a British
Organization which help get volunteers to teach in Nepal.
This organization is :
Volunteer Nepal
14 St. Andrew's Close
Clifton Campville,
Tamworth, Staffs,
B79 OBB
I was wondering if you could let me know if this organization is an
established one and also if there are other ways for me to volunteer as
a teacher in Nepal.
Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing from you.
regards,
Yee Hui
bc7306724@ntuvax.ntu.ac.sg
****************************************************************
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 1997 09:41:16 PDT
To: info-tnd@nepal.org
From: Gloria Dickens <dickens@SoCA.com>
Subject: Volunteering
My son is a visitor to Nepal each year. He is interested in a volunteer
position in Nepal. He has had some experience helping teach children.
He does not have a college degree but has a big heart and deeply cares
for the country and its people.
******************************************************************
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 10:36:35 CDT
To: tnd@nepal.org
Subject: Bhanu Jayanti
Nepali Society's 5th Annual Meeting
His Excellency Royal Nepalese Ambassador Dr. Bhekh Bahadur Thapa
inaugurated International Nepali Literary Society's 5th Annual General
Assembly Meeting on July 13th, 1997 at Leesylvania State Park, Woodbridge,
VA on the occasion of 183rd Bhanu Jayanti. The inaguration ceremony
was chaired by INLS's president Mr. Achyut Srestha. The assembly was
also addressed by special guests national level move stare from nepal
Saroj Khanal, President of the Nepal Television, in Fairfax VA, Ram kharel
Nagendra Poudel . INLS Past President Hom Nath Subedi reported that
'INTERNATIONAL NEPALI POETRY FESTIVAL" in ANA Boston Convention on 4rth
July weekend was grand success. They paid tribute to the great poet Bhanu
Bhakta Acharya. INLS treasurer Bhim Prasad Regmi reported last year's
income, $7965.78 and expenses, $1548.41, and total balance, $6417.20.
The elected board of directors and treasurer Mr. Purushottam Subedi
presented estimated budget of $32,000.00 for the year 199-98 and the
assembly approved it. Poetry was recited by Mohan Thapa, Nagendra
Poudel, Gyanendra Pandit, & D. B. Tamang, Giri, Kalpana Subedi, Bhim
Prasad Regmi. Nepali folk songs were presented by Mohan Thapa, Nanda
Subedi, and others. Besides formal programs and meetings, the event was
entertaining due to volleyball, pot-luck picnic and informal singing
and dancing .
******************************************************************
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 02:01:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: JoshiAP@aol.com
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Did you know?
Top ten excuses that were privately considered by Nepal's government on
why the prices of oil, cooking gas, etc were increased recently.
10. Hey, we are Marxist-Leninists, not market-analysts. How the hell are
we supposed to understand how these global, evil, imperialistic,
hegemonic and capitalistic markets for oil and gas work?
09. Relax. Most Nepalis go hungry every night and walk barefeet every
day anyway. So, what's the point of raising all this halla about this
little price hike that'll affect only those wealthy enough to cook with
gas and ride their own gaadi?
08. As netas, we get free petrol and free cooking-gas. Too bad you
don't. Not our fault, really. Have you janata ever considered becoming
netas yourselves? Try it, it's fun.
07. OK. Go, revolt! What do we care!! At worst, a few more saheeds will
be born. When that happens, dekha jayaga.
06. We are not capitalists. We are communists, and that means we really
don't believe in the price-system. Since we don't believe in the
price-system, any increase or decrease in prices really means nothing to
us. Understand?
05. It's all India's fault. They tricked us again!! Slimey bastards.
Come, come. Let's now bash India publicly at the Khoola Manch. Guess
what, we'll even bring loud-speakers so that your chantings can be heard
across the border.
04. OK, OK. We'll raise all of your salaries. Happy now?
03. Don't you agree that we politicians -- with your, meaning
tax-payers', money -- should now fund RONAST all the more to devise
techniques to convert our apaar jal-srot into petrol, diesel and gas?
Think about it. Hey, that'll be a sweet dream to lull you all for some
time.
02. Too expensive to live in Nepal? Well, don't lose heart. We know a
couple of dalals in Putali Sadak who can expertly export you as manual
laborers to Saudi Arabia or to South Korea for a little fat commission .
01. All right, daju-bhai, didi-bahini ho, listen up! The fact is: You
Nepali voters are born losers. You may rant and rave, but there's really
nothing you can do about this price-hike. Got it? THE END.
*******************************************************************
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 09:52:37 -0400
From: Audrey Glasbergen <glasbergen@scar.utoronto.ca>
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: re: submission to Himal Magazine
I'm writing to ask on behalf of Professor Ken MacDonald (who at present
is in Askole, Baltistan) your address to the Himal Magainze. We are
trying to reach Mr. Keepak Thatta or Mr. Katak Mani Dixit to send a
submission for the book from the Portering Conference in 1995.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Audrey
************************************************************
Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 15:33:46 -0600 (CST)
From: TSHRESTH@MSUVX1.MEMPHIS.EDU
Subject: New CDROM on Nepal
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
NEPAL - The Multimedia CD-ROM, Version 1.0
This multimedia CD-ROM is the most comprehensive source of information
on Nepal, and is jointly developed by Nepal Software, Kathmandu, Nepal,
and Poetic System Corporation, Tokyo, Japan .
For further information, demonstration or business inquiry, please contact:
The General Manager
Nepal Software (Pvt. Ltd.)
Pension Vasana, Dilli Bazar
PO Box 2722, GPO
Kathmandu, Nepal
Telephone: 414614, 417761, 421082
FAX: 977-1-417460
E-Mail: UNIQUE@MOS.COM.NP
Cost: In Nepal - NR 5,000.
Other countries - US$ 150.
Introduction: The CD-ROM contains over 7000 pages of information comple-
-mented by attractive charts, tables, 1200 color photos, 120 maps, 28
video clips, 12 musical pieces and others. All these information can be
reached with user friendly, interactive, navigational tool. It gives
in-depth geographical, historical, political, economic and ethnic
information on Nepal. It also vividly describes our religious heritage
and provide comprehensive information on Nepal's natural resources, flora
and fauna. This CD-ROM would cater to any of your concerns, whether it is
tourist destination, or Himalayan peaks, or investment feasibility, or
Buddhist philosophy, or socio-economic statistics. It also contains the
full volume of Nepal Encyclopedia with over 3000 entries and the compre-
-hensive 'who is who' in Nepal.
******************************************************************
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 16:27:15 -0700
From: Gloria Dickens <dickens@SoCA.com>
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Nepali language classes
Please e-mail me information on any Nepali classes in my area. Mark
*********************************************************************
From: "sudheer birodkar" <sudheer_birodkar@hotmail.com>
To: sudheer_birodkar@hotmail.com
Subject: INDIA - A Search for Our Present in History
Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 21:39:34 PDT
Namaste
I have started putting up the notes of my sociological study
INDIA - A Search for Our Present in History at the site:
"http://members.tripod.com/~sudheerb/"
I invite you to visit this site.
Sudheer
P.S.The intriguing title of this book represents a novel approach to
the study of present society looked upon as a result of history.
This approach 'stands on its head' the conventional approach to
study of history which begins with the dim past and comes to
present as a conclusion. Our approach starts with social
institut ions and practices of the contemporary age and traces
their origin and development to the historic past.
With this approach the reader does not feel lost on 'She opening
page of a history bock. He is not confronted with a society in
which lived his ancestors two or three thousand years ago. He
begins with the society surrounding him, which is of his immediate
concern. This method of interpreting the present and past should
establish an intimate rapport between a citizen of today and the
heritage bequeated to him by earlier generations. In our lifestyle,
customs, traditions, beliefs; our history is reflected but it is
normally beyond our perception. It would be a fascinating and
enlightening experience to trace the origins of things we see and
today in the bygone ages. You can find more on this subject at the
site: "http://members.tripod.com/~sudheerb/"
***********************************************************
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
From: Brot Coburn <bcoburn@wyoming.com>
Subject: Conversion of BS date to AD
Date: Fri, 18 Jul 1997 17:02:10 -0600
I would be grateful if someone could tell me the AD date for BS 2046 Jestha
29. I believe this is some date in June, 1990.
Broughton Coburn
bcoburn@wyoming.com
P.O. Box 1022
Wilson, WY 83014 USA
Phone and Fax 307-733-4124
********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 19 Jul 1997 19:34:34 +0900
To: tnd@nepal.org
From: Geotechnical Engineering Lab <imai@gretzky.cvg.ynu.ac.jp>
Subject: Scholarships at Yokohama National University
Dear editor
Kindly publish the following announcement in your next issue, if possible.
Best regards
Dinesh R. Shiwakoti
Graducate school of economics of Yokohama National University has
announced the master`s program in Public Policy and Taxation (PPT) starting
April, 1998. This course is offered in English and is sponsored by
World Bank. Kindly circulate the information to as many Nepalese
candidates as possible. It is possible that one or two Nepalese students get
the scholarship for the course. Following may be the points of interest:
Total no. of scholarships: 10
Amount of scholarship/month 185,000 (yen)
Scholarship offered to Developing countries
Application requirements
************************
1. Holding a bachelor`s degree
2. Under the age of 40
3. Full times working experience of at least three years in the public
sector of the applicant`s home country and currently holding an offical
position.
4.English proficiency
5. Priority to: a. women applicants,
b. candidates working in tax administration field
Application Deadline
********************
Oct. 31, 1997
For further information and application please contact
directly to:
Master`s program in Public Policy and Taxation
Graduate School of Economics
Yokohama National University
79-3, Tokiwadai
Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama 240
Tel: 81-45-339-3510
Fax: 81-45-339-3504
email: adminppt@econ.ynu.ac.jp
With Best Regards
Dinesh R. Shiwakoti
*****************************************************************
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 17:03:35 EDT
To: tnd@nepal.org
From: REFGID@library.phila.gov
Subject: http://www.nepal.org/re: English medium in Nepal
Hi!
Here, I may be flogging the dead horse, but at least I want to make
sure the horse is really really dead. In her June 4th article, Ms. Helen
Abadzi faults the English medium used in Nepali universities for our being
perceived as backward by westerners, and laments our copying "Indianized
English". While her intentions are good, I think she misses the big
picture. I'll elaborate on this later. First let me take up the issue of
"backwardness".
It's unfortunate that Ms. Helen Abadzi, a self-professed Greek lover of
Nepali language, doesn't qualify "backwardness". It's also ironic, since
Greek philosopher Socrates hardly ever broached a subject without
at least a definition. Anyway, in its modern day usage where the term
"western" has become an euphemism for "modern", us non-westerners being
seen as "pakhes" not only makes semantic sense to them but it also
panders to their false sense of superiority. Calling the rest of the world
names has historically been a western tradition. Labelling Africans
"savages" (as Conrad does in HEART OF DARKNESS) was their excuse for the
colonization of Africa while seeing native American indians as "heathens"
their justification for the latter's subjugation and eventual Chriteni-
zation. It didn't matter that the Mayans and the Aztecs and the Anasazis
had civilizations that were ahead of their times. It doesn't matter that
Nepal has architecture/art that stands upto the best the west has to of-
fer, it doesn't matter that the RAMAYAN and the MAHABHARATA rival the
best works of Shakespeare and Homer, it doesn't matter that Bhupi Sherchan
wrote in a more satirical vein than e.e. cummings. The whole thing is
rigged from the start. I mean if "western" means "modern", and progress is
defined in western terms, no matter what us non-westerners do we're
always going to fall short. This is only partly because their notion of
progress doesn't take cultural relativism into account. Enough said.
I do not understand why Ms. Abadzi blames the English medium used
in Nepali universities for our being perceived poorly. I think the fault
lies elsewhere. As it is she merely barks in the right forest, but up the
wrong tree. To understand why the state of English in general is poor and
infantile in Nepal, one has to look at its public education system. In
Nepali public schools, English is taught, starting in 4th grade. This is
such a big mistake. As any child development specialist would be happy to
point out, language acquisition skills are best acquired as early as pos-
sible since they can then be acquired with such rapidity and effortlessness.
While most of us learn Nepali at our mothers' laps-- and from the get-go
in public schools, our English gets a belated start. In 10th grade,
many students struggle to understand a simple Aesop's fable with such
simple lesson as "Don't count your chickens before they're hatched."
In the west, high schoolers typically read such works as THE CATCHER IN
THE RYE, A SEPARATE PEACE, THE GREAT GATSBY, and LORD OF THE FLIES while
their 3rd-4th graders breeze through the Aesop's Fable that gives us
such a headache in SLC exams. If the English medium used in Nepali
universities seems poor (as Ms Abadzi points out), it's because those
of us educated in the public domain haven't really mastered it. After all,
these are the students who had to dole out some good dough in private
tutorials in their pre-SLC days, or line up to register for English
courses in trendy English language Institutes in their pre-University days.
In an ideal world, the government would implement English language program
starting in 1st grade, and confer on it the same status or attention as
it does to Nepali language. Being a product of public education system
myself, I have always been envious of those who were educated in jesuit
schools or British-run school. Even worse, I've always believed that
my English is behind that of lucky others (those educated in private
schools) by 4 years, and that I can never catch up, psychologically.
Those 4 years' of late start still haunts me. What has the government's
oversight wrought?
Those of us educated in the public domain have always had to play
catch-up by taking private tutorials, or enrolling in english language
institutes. What an enormous waste of money and time!
The government's oversight has created a business niche, and a
virtual industry has arisen to fill in that niche. Those English-medium
schools Ms. Abadzi talks about are sprouting like mushroom even in
regions not conducive to the growth of mushroom. It's here that
the students are likely to encounter "Indianized English" since many of
the teachers are imported from India, particularly Darjeeling. It's not so
much the Indianized English I object to. It's the horrible Indian accent
in which some of them speak it. If we can keep their English in, and that
accent out, I think we'll do just fine. I mean the thick, barely understood
Indian accent is made so much fun of in the west, as is evident from
the Appu character in the SImpsons Tv show. However, not all indians
speak with such strong accent, especially those who come from big cities.
Anyway, I'm not sure how effective these english-medium schools are,
since they are primarily profit-motivated.
Those of us educated in the public domain have had to cover-up our
ignorance of English language, by showing it off in our conversations only
to expose our ignorance even more. I remember peppering my Nepali conver-
sations with English words, lest other think I was not hip. My Nepali
was good to begin with, but later it got corrupted. For many Nepali youth,
mixing English with Nepali has become a second nature... and in the
process the Nepali language has become corrupted. That's why to save
Nepali language from such corruption, the level of English has to be
propped up. That way, if we are confident enough to speak in English,
we'd speak only in English... and not use Nepali words as complements
to communicate our thoughts. Then we'd be able to speak English in full
if we had to, or speak Nepali in full, and not have to mix the two,
and become a half-ass in the process.
Apparently, the remedy for the poor English medium in Nepal is not
less English as Ms. Abadzi points out, but more, starting from as early
on as possible. I may be wrong but when she says that in China Chinese
study math and science in Chinese, in Arab in Arabic, I get the impression
that she's suggesting we scrap the English medium altogether and reinstate
the Nepali medium even at the University level. She points out our rich
Sanskrit language base as being adequate for this purpose, should there
be a need to coin terms that do not yet exist in our Nepali language.
I think this oblique suggestion is not practical. Sanskrit language is
practically a dead language, banished from our public education system,
, and now the exclusive domain of linguistics scholars or pundits. I never.
understood why we had to take two years of Sanskrit... which seemed such
a lousy half-hearted attempt to resurrect the otherwise dead language.
I think we can never coin the new terms fast enough to keep up with the
developments happening in various disciplines. Yes, we have coined "Door-
darshan" for TV, but what do we use for "cyberspace", "quantum electro-
dynamics", "comparative advantage", "black hole" or "hoagie". I have to
chuckle at the thought that they might dare to come up with "kalo puwal"
for "black hole". What a joke! Coining the terms is not enough. They have
to popularized, and people must feel comfortable using them. That takes
a long time. The English medium gets a lot of these headaches out of the way
, and so should remain. Besides, 80% or more of the knowledge or information
base created or known since the big bang is packaged in English or can be
only accessed via English... so English is truly the dominant language
in the world. Even knowledge or information created in another language So obvi
ous, yet still ignored.
will certainly be translated in English. Hence, I'm suggesting bilingual
education, with equal status attached to both English and Nepali for the
health of both.
I'm sure others might argue that implementing English program at
early stage is not feasible since there is a dearth of decent English
teachers. Valid point. But had we had the system I have advocated above
in place a decade ago, by now we'd have enough decent English teachers to go ar
ound.
around. We have to start somewhere. Why not now. 10 years hence, we'll
be reaping some harvest.
Even in Nepal with tourism and what not English language has
become a necessity, not merely a luxury. It's become a bread-and-butter
language. I do not know what it takes to dispel the perception that
we're backward. We've not produced internationlly known writers who
write in English, for one thing. All those who write in Nepali are not
known internationally for the obvious reason. The days are not far off.
It's not the question of how, but when. Time will come when we will have
our Nepal-bred Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Bharati Mukherjee, R.K.
Narayan... that will deal a blow to the misconcieved perception. The
least our government can do is hasten the process.
*****************************************************************
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 10:59:20 MDT
To: "'nepal-request@cs.niu.edu'" <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
From: "Bhandari, Prakash - Broomfield" <Prakash.Bhandari@cexp.com>
Subject: Books Wanted
Dear Editor,
Like almost all the Nepalis, I am also saddened at the present social,
political, and economic chaos in Nepal. However, there ought to be
something we can still do to try strengthening our society. There are
literally hundreds of thousands of Nepali school children who have
desire to read and learn, however due to the unavailability of books
their desires wither away and their enthusiasm slowly wanes. You can
still see thousands of students frequenting British Council, and Avon
libraries respectively. In light of the depressing day to day affairs
of Nepal, that ought to give us some optimism.
Unfortunately, millions of children and young adults who study in public
(government) schools don't acquire necessary proficiency in English,
which to some extent limits their source knowledge, and later (after
SLC) limits their career as well (most are discouraged by their poor
achievement in English as a reason not to pursue science education). I
am not trying to say that
everyone should study science or that if you don't know English your
education is not worth anything. I am just saying that if these
children at least had books (any books), they could further their quest
which is so noble and heartening to see.
Therefore, I would like to gather all the books I have (which is not
much) and donate to a government school in Nepal, during my visit in
October. Eventually, I would like to build a structure through which we
can regularly do this kind of thing. At this time, I don't know which
school such donation will have the greatest impact, however, I will
definitely give it to a government school.
Like I said earlier, I don't have too many books. I would appreciate if
anybody had books they would like to donate to this worthy cause. I
definitely would accept any book, history, philosophy, accounting,
physics, geography, autobiographies, biographies, travel.....anything
except cook books :). I think in this scenario those types of books
would not serve the purpose. I would highly appreciate children's
books, however. Due to the obvious controversy surrounding monetary
donations, I would like to avoid that altogether. If anyone wants to
donate cash I suggest them to please buy books (from a used book store,
then we can get more) and send them to me.
So, if you have any books to donate, please send them at
1327 W. 84th Ave.
Apt. #1323
Denver, CO 80221
I would love to hear from people who have similar interests and who
would like to get involved.
From: "Bhandari, Prakash - Broomfield" <Prakash.Bhandari@cexp.com>
Subject: Email or Phone No for Manish Shrestha
Hi all,
I have been looking for Manish Shrestha's email or phone no and would
appreciate any of your help. Manish is doing his MBA in University of
Houston.
If anyone could give my email to Manish or write to me I would thank you
a million.
Sincerely,
Prakash Bhandari
prakash.bhandari@cexp.com
prakash_bhandari@hotmail.com
Work (303)664-3265
Home (303)430-0195
*********************************************************
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 12:15:35 EDT
To: webmaster-tnd@nepal.org
From: AVINAYA@aol.com
Subject: Action against street children
Action against street children
Orphans and street children have been victimised by the administration
in the name of tourists. A few urchins have been arrested.
"It is a way to prepare for the Visit Nepal Year 1998," said a official
the district administration. Begging would discourage and insult the
tourists. The street children should therefore be removed from the site
where tourists visit on occasions.
How about the human rights of the street children? Can they be deprived
of chance to earn a living?
*****************************************************
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 16:38:54 EDT
To: info-tnd@nepal.org
From: "Sanjay B. Shah" <AGENGS25@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU>
Subject: Notice
Dear Editor,
Kindly publish the following message in the coming TND. Thank you.
Sanjay
I am trying to locate a friend, Krishna P. Paudel. He is a veterinary
doctor who completed his MVSc from Edinburgh in the early nineties.
After that, to the best of my memory, he was working in Panchthar for
the Koshi Area Hill Development Project (KHADEP), a British project.
I would be grateful if any of you who know him, could send me his
address or phone number. Thank you very much.
Sanjay
sashah2@vt.edu
(540)951-4092 (H) or (540)231-6509
****************************************************************
Date: Mon, 21 Jul 1997 15:02:12 PDT
To: webmaster-tnd@nepal.org
From: Charlene Choi <lcchoi@inow.com>
Subject: inquiry
Hi, I am a student at the University of California, Berkeley, in the
United States. Currently in my business administration, focusing on
International Business, we have chosen to research on Nepal as our term
project. Surfing the net, I have found your website that contains a
tremondous amount of information. I am shocked by your integrity and
commitment to your work and concerns on Nepal.
I am wondering if I can acquire some information on Nepal from
you,
especially those related to the international business developments in
this country which have taken place recently. Our group will research
and study your country thoroughly, including your natural resources,
your advantages and disadvantages as a country (social, economical, and
political). At the end of this research period, we will write up a 15
page term paper and do a class presentation, analizing our findings and
expressing our opinions on your country in terms of our project goals.
As this is a summer course, time is very limited. We have
approximately 3 weeks to conduct our research project, on which we will
surely work hard in order to satisfy our inquisite minds and hopefully
introduce our class to your country.
Please provide me with as much information on your country as
you
possibly can.
I can be reached by the following:
Name: Ling Charlene Choi
Add: Apt#104, 2511 Hearst Ave.
Berkeley, CA, 94709, USA
tel: (510) 845-9135 (this phone number will be changed to
(510) 883-1048 starting Aug. 05, 1997)
email: lcchoi@inow.com (the most convenient way... and the most
efficient, if it is not too much trouble)
Sincere thanks and appreciation for your kind help! I hope to
hear
from you very soon and hopefully be able to submit a copy of our
completed research project for your analysis and comments.
Sincerely, Charlene
*************************************************************
Date: Sun, 20 Jul 1997 21:00:54 EDT
To: nepal-request@cs.niu.edu
From: Aneet Shourie <shourie@intercall.com>
Subject: Bhutia Community
Hello, My name is Kamala Mantha, and I am a social worker in New York City,
and am currently working with a women from Darjelling India who is of
Nepalise origin. We at the Shelter are trying to obtain some information
regarding a certain Bhutia community, which is buddhist and has Nepaliese
origins in order to help with her immigration case. We have been having
some difficulty in obtaining this information. If you could help us with
any information that would be wonderful. Please email me at at above
address. Thanking you much for your help.
Seinecerely,
Kamala Mantha
******************************************************************
Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 06:29:22 -0400 (EDT)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
From: Puspa Man Joshi <joshi.2@osu.edu>
Subject: A short speech about the value of time
Dear netters
I have been a member of the OSU chapter of the Toastmasters Club
since last year. It is an international club with the goal of
helping its members improve their ability to express themselves
clearly and concisely. I joined this club to improve my English
speaking skills as well. I am posting a modified version of one of
my speeches given to our club which is related to the Nepal Digest.
You are welcome to comment.
Puspa Man Joshi
Ph.D. Candidate
The Value of Time
Dear Toastmasters:
I remember giving some speeches way over the time limit. I used to
think that it was acceptable. However, I now think that I must
learn to be time-conscious if I would like to be a good speaker.
I am sure that everyone of you has a T.V. and a remote control at
home. But my wife is looking for a special remote control that can
control my mouth when we go to a social gathering. She thinks that
I talk too much. But I never took it seriously because I thought
that it was just a spouse's nagging. However, one recent event
changed my attitude towards my wife's complaint.
I am a regular subscriber of an electronic newsletter called The
Nepal Digest. Recently, I have found that some contributers post
very long articles. Before I finish one half of the article I lose
my interest on it. You may ask me, "Why don't you skip the
article?" I can do that but some of the articles are thought-
provoking and they are presented with good references. But the
biggest problem is that writers want to tell everything in one
article. Thank goodness, the newsletter is free-otherwise, not
many people would continue to subscribe.
We know that speaking and writing have something in common.
Speakers need listeners and writers need readers. A speaker may
annoy the audience, and a writer may irritate the readers.
Suppose there are 50 people in an audience. If a speaker wastes 5
minutes in each of them he altogether is wasting more than 4 hours
of cumulative audience time. Besides, a long winded speaker may
make one or more of the following mistakes. The first one is the
problem of redundancy. Consciously or unconsciously, he or she
will be talking the same point again and again. The second is that
he will be presenting many materials quite unrelated to the main
topics. The third one is that if there are several speakers he
will be taking other speaker's time. This is applicable even in
our regular conversation. Maybe that is why my wife has been
complaining.
Many speeches in our manual have the suggested time limits of five
to seven minutes. But speakers often speak longer than that. We
forget that what counts is not the length of a speech but its
effectiveness. After all, as Shakespear wrote, "Brevity is the
soul of wit." Thus, it is my opinion that if we want to be a good
speaker we must learn to speak within the time frame given in the
manual.
**********************************************************
Date: Thu, 24 Jul 1997 14:44:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Bijay Raut 99 <raut@panther.middlebury.edu>
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Desi Spirit!
Dear friends,
I just found this article in the editorial section of The
Kathmandu Post (date: 23 July 1997). It appeared to extremely biased.
It is racist, too. Shouldn't these types of articles hinder
our National Unity vis. a. vis. National development? What do think?
Post Platform
Desi spirit
Sangita Khadka
Hardwork has never been our cup of tea. We Nepalese
have always been pointed out for leading an easy life. To labour is below
our dignity. No wonder the vast portion of our market
has been ruled by Desi people.
Our sahuji category occupy the first place in
leading a cool life. There is no activity among Nepali sahujis sitting on
thick mattresses
inside their shops, they seem to be more relaxed
than creating an atmosphere that can attract customers. It seems that it
is difficult for
them even to utter a few words. On the other hand
look at the Desi spirit! There is no need to mention that the madhise
sahujis are better educated in customer psychology and marketing
tactics.
To prove that the desi spirit has almost devoured
the market, just go to a saree shop of a Nepali sahuji. You wont be shown
more than a few varieties, colours and types. If you ask
for a wider range you will get an answer "Thats all" or "Its in the store,
you will have to wait for half an hour". Now who would like
to waste his or her valuable time waiting in one shop when there are so
many. Try bargaining. "No, the price is fixed" is the
immediate retort that makes you feel that you are not his valuable
customer. And if you
are equally adamant, you will throw the items and go
to the other shop. "Who cares! His is not the only shop in town". This is
certainly not what is taught in the four Ps of
marketing!
Now for a change, go to the shop of a Madhise or
Marwari. You will receive a warm welcome. Before you ask for what you are
trying to purchase, you are asked. He will not
hesitate to show you the variety, the types, colours etc. If he realizes
that he does not
have the quality that you are looking for, he will
have already sent a person to fetch it from his godown or from other shops
even without you knowing about it.
He is clever enough not to talk of the price. But if
you ask for the price he will say "first choose and we can always settle
on the price if you like the item." This is the point where the
customer begins to have a positive attitude towards the item. What more,
the clever fella will treat you with a cold drink if he thinks
that you could be his good customer for the day.
This happens not only inside the shops. Go to buy
fruits from Madhises, he will praise the fruits in his cart. If you are
not convinced, he will simply cut the fruit and tell you
to taste. It is not necessary that you might be tasting the same item that
you are going to buy but you tend to buy the item fully
convinced that you got it cheap enough for the quality.
Talk of building a house, no one can beat the Desi
spirit. While Nepalese labourers are having a nice time at bhoj the other
category will have earned a days income. On top of all this
we call them chors and what not. Whatever it is, their effort needs to be
applauded. You may be duped in quality, you may be
fooled in price but you were his customer! In an age where the phrase
"survival of the fittest" rules, these Madhises can
make us Nepalese extinct.
Bijay Raut
MC Box-3670
Middlebury College
Middlebury, VT-05753
USA
*******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 16:04:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: aiko <gs07aaj@panther.Gsu.EDU>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Re The Joys and Sorrows of Teaching Nepali
I commend the Joshi's for their desire to keep the Nepali language alive
for the children of Nepali immigrants. I have attended several
Conferences where I was quite disturbed by the number of children who
could not speak Nepalese, and whose parents did not seem much bothered by
that fact.
This is the situation of which Bharati Mukherjee addresses in her books.
If anyone has occasion to read any of her writings, I recommend them with
a word of caution: her stories are provocative, disturbing, infuriating,
and even repulsive.
To the Joshi's I say: do not give up your efforts to teach Nepali to the
children. It can be discouraging when even the parents make no effort to
help preserve the language and culture within the home, or they see no
need. The disservice is being done to the children, not to the parents.
Grandparents suffer too, for how tragic to be unable to communicate with
your own grandchildren! We immigrants and our offspring all go through
crisis of identity and culture at some point; that is inevitable when we
are living here, where the dominant culture is white and tends to look
down on anything smacking of "exotic" or "foreign"; it's easier to go
along with the game and show shame for speaking another language, eating
different kinds of foods, wearing different kinds of clothes; to give in
to the contention that we of the Asian continent are somehow inferior to
those in North America.
Schools for Japanese children and Korean children in North America (by
that I mean United States and Canada) started out just like the Joshi's
little school. Now, even here in Atlanta, for example, the Japanese
school has expanded to third year junior high school; before it went only
to sixth grade. I don't know about the Korean school, but my understanding
is that is goes up to junior high level as does the German school.
I have met countless people who were offspring of immigrants whose parents
did not take the time or effort to teach them the "mother" tongue, or
about the culture of the "home" country, and those offspring -- once grown
up --- have deeply regretted not learning to speak the language of their
parents or not knowing anything about the country of their parents. If
the offspring were born in the "home" country but came to No. American
when babies, they had no recollection of that life at all!
Should I and my husband ever decide to have a child, I will insist it
learn both Nepali and Japanese!
I think this effort of the Joshi's is a wonderful cause that those who
read TND and who live in the Ohio area, or anywhere in the US or Canada
should find ways to contribute money and time to help them. This is where
the North American Nepali communities can get together and WORK TOGETHER
to keep alive a wonderful idea/reality. For those who are leaders of
their respective Nepalese communities throughout the US and Canada, I hope
you will think about how to help the Joshi's. Do it for the children!
Cheers,
Aiko (Anne) Joshi
******************************************************************
From: Bhuban Pandey <bhubanp@admin.stedwards.edu>
Subject: Nepalis Living in Texas
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 11:21:21 CDT
Dear Netters:
Please visit a new web site called "Home Page for Nepalis Living in
Texas" at:
http://www.stedwards.edu/instres/nptx/neptx.htm
Thanks.
Bhuban Pandey
Austin, Texas
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