Received: from mp.cs.niu.edu (root@mp.cs.niu.edu [131.156.1.2]) by library.wustl.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id RAA25114; Sat, 17 Jul 1999 17:27:28 -0500 (CDT) Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) id PAA05477 for nepal-dist; Sat, 17 Jul 1999 15:34:45 -0500 (CDT) Received: by mp.cs.niu.edu (8.9.3/8.9.3) id PAA05473 for nepal-list; Sat, 17 Jul 1999 15:34:44 -0500 (CDT) Date: Sat, 17 Jul 1999 15:34:44 -0500 (CDT) Message-Id: <199907172034.PAA05473@mp.cs.niu.edu> Reply-to: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> From: The Editor <NEPAL-REQUEST@cs.niu.edu> Sender: "Rajpal J.P. Singh" <A10RJS1@cs.niu.edu> Subject: The Nepal Digest - July 18, 1999 (6 Shrawan 2056 BkSm) To: <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Content-Type: text Status: O X-Status: X-Keywords: X-UID: 313
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The Nepal Digest Fri July 18, 1999: Shrawan 6 2056BS: Year8 Volume88 Issue3
Today's Topics (partial list):
A very special person
NASA's Annual Convention
Information Technology and Nepal
BPC Privatization
Kala-pani belongs to Nepal (fwd)
News Clippings
Picnic Invitation!
Request for information about volunteering in Nepal
Nepalese workers suffer in Kuwait
******************************************************************************
* TND (The Nepal Digest) Editorial Board *
* -------------------------------------- *
* *
* The Nepal Digest: General Information tnd@nepal.org *
* Co-ordinator: Rajpal JP Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* Editor: Pramod K. Mishra pkm@acpub.duke.edu *
* Sports Correspondent: Avinaya Rana avinayar@touro.edu *
* Co-ordinating Director - Australia Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Dr. Krishna B. Hamal HamalK@dist.gov.au *
* Co-ordinating Director - Canada Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Anil Shrestha SHRESTHA@CROP.UOGUELPH.CA *
* *
* TND Archives: http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/tnd/ *
* TND Foundation: http://www.nepal.org tnd@nepal.org *
* WebSlingers: Open Position 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 *
* *
******************************************************************************
******************************************************************
From: "Patrick Mannix" <pmannix@idsi.net>
To: "Rajpal JP Singh" <a10rjs1@cs.niu.edu>
cc: "Xp-Connection" <xp-connection@xps.org>
Subject: A very special person
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 13:25:11 -0400
To all our friends in the XP Society community,
There are so many special stories that can be told about the people and
events surrounding Camp Sundown this year and years past. I have one that
simply must be shared.
The kick-off party for Camp Sundown was held at a local restaurant. This is
where we all get together and get organized in preparation for camp. Things
often get hectic, with last-minute changes in travel plans and the like to
contend with. This past Monday, we learned that one of our campers (a young
woman with XP who is also blind) was unable to come because her friend's car
broke down due to the intense heat. She was so disappointed. She had looked
forward to Camp Sundown all year. There appeared to be nothing we could do.
They were three-and-a-half hours drive away.
Then came Kiran Thapa to the rescue! Kiran is the young man who brought our
Gokul Panthi and his sister (who are from Nepal) to Camp Sundown. He had a
van. He said he could drive to pick up our stranded camper -- a seven-hour
round trip! He had to be at work in New York City (over two hours from where
we are) the next day at 7:30 a.m.
We couldn't talk him out of it. He didn't know this person; but he did know
that she desperately wanted to be here! So he went. And he accomplished his
mission. I haven't been in touch with him yet; but by copy of this message
to one of the leaders of the Nepali community in this country, I want to
publicly thank Kiran Thapa -- a fine young Nepali man -- for this remarkable
unselfish act. There could not be a better representative of the good people
from Nepal that we have come to know. Thank you Kiran!
Patrick Mannix <http://Patrick.Mannix.com>
Xeroderma Pigmentosum Society <http://www.xps.org>
Mid-Hudson Computer User Group <http://www.mhcug.org>
******************************************************************
Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 16:23:59 -0400
From: Mel Batson <melbatson@sprintmail.com>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Hello
I am searching for a male massage therapist or student who is in
training to give me private bodywork/yoga/massages.
must be in the manhattan area. prefer the old traditional methods
as well as the new. prefer young man of india. many thanks
if you know of any kindly send me contact numbers or e-mail address.
mel
******************************************************************
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 11:28:36 -0500
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
From: Mary Ann Maslak <mam233@email.psu.edu>
Subject: NYC location
I'll be moving to NYC (Queens) in the fall and would like to identify
communities where people from Nepal may live. If anyone knows of
neighbhorhoods, please send the names of those neighborhoods along to me at
<mam233@psu.edu> Many thanks.
******************************************************************
From: HDhungana@aol.com
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 22:58:07 EDT
Subject: NASA's Annual Convention
To: The Nepal Digest
Dear Friends,
Please allow me to use this E-mail address list to inform you and invite you
to the NASA's 9th Annual Convention in Nashville, TN. If this info is
repeated to some of you, please ignore it and accept my apology.
In order to view the document, download the file called FLYER AND ELECTION
NOTICE.
Hope to see you all in Nashville. Please let us know how many of you can
attend and enjoy the networking and friendship.
Thank you
Hari Dhungana
******************************************************************
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 19:08:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Brand Management: The Kathmandu Post Review of Books
Namaste everyone,
Thanks to some TND readers' enthusiastic response, we now have NEW writers
who have agreed to write reviews for the Review - and this is just
splendid. You know who you are, and thanks for agreeing to do the
reviews/essays for your assigned months.
The next three issue-cordinators of The Kathmandu Post Review of Books
are:
For July (two issues): Manjushree Thapa, Kathmandu
For August (two issues) Shizu Upadhyay, Kathmandu
For September (two issues) Ashutosh Tiwari, Boston
Now, please bear with me, as I trumpet, once again, this distinctive
entity known around the planet as: The Kathmandu Post Review of Books.
The Kathmandu Post Review of Books should NOT be confused with the
regular, normal Kathmandu Post daily newspaper you read everyday on the
screen. The Review is distinct from the newspaper in three different
ways.
1) All co-ordinators of the Review are busy, working professionals
who enjoy books and writing about them but who themselves are
NOT journalists (Translation: none of the co-ordinators work
for The Kathmandu Post).
2) The Kathmandu Post ko regular editorial-page editors have
graciously -- right from the beginning -- let their
hands off the Review's content matters: This means that an
issue-cordinator has all the latitude and flexibility
in the world to shape his/her issue to his/her interests.
(Translation: no meddling from the Kathmandu Post ko
editors regarding any book-review/thought-essay and so on.
3) The Review actively recruits new writers and
reviewers who are paid a sum each upon publication.
(Translation: Our co-ordinators are looking for
new writers and reviewrs, and you could be the next
one getting your stuff published in the Review!)
Check out the web-page for details:
http://jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu/~deschene/sinhas/kprb.html
oohi
ashu
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities
of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men."
******************************************************************
From: Paramendra Bhagat <PBhagat@ChaiTime.net>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Information Technology and Nepal
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 10:25:03 -0400
charset="iso-8859-1"
(This is an excerpt from a recent article in the New York Times. Siddhartha
Kumai and I offer this to the Digest readers for feedback. Personally I
agree that "education" is not automatic, but information technology WILL
speed up the process.)
> A while ago, I had this naive assumption that I could go to
> Nepal, obtain computers and training for the Nepalese and get them to have
a
> 20 percent jolt in the G.N.P.
>
> But here's what I found out: Only 30 percent of the Nepalese
> are literate.
>
> Of that 30 percent, only 10 percent speak English. Even if I
> got someone to provide every one of them with a computer with
> communications, what could they do with them? They have no skills to sell.
>
> To get people to do this, I would have to educate them, and
> people don't get educated overnight. So, 15 years. From this and other
> experiences, I've concluded that the information revolution, if left to
its
> own devices, will mean that the rich are going to buy more computers, be
> more productive and become richer, and the poor will not be able to
> do that and will stand still.
Subject: RE: Paki-bashing
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 13:40:40 -0400
I relate to the article personally. In Nepal if you have my "looks," they
call you Madisey, which is like being called Paki in Britain.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Abeer Hoque
> Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 1999 12:30 PM
> To: content
> Subject: Paki-bashing
>
> The Rediff Special/ Piali Roy
> Paki-Bashing In The Age Of Subcontinental Nukes
>
> Paki-bashing is back. Instead of white neo-nazis on the rampage, NRIs and
> Americans of Indian origin have reclaimed that racist slur to denigrate
> Pakistanis during the current Kargil crisis. Newsflash to Ignorant
> Indians:
> Long before we became South Asians, desis or Indian-Americans, we were all
>
> once Pakis.
>
> On Kargil-related websites and email discussion lists, many Indian
> (nationals) are lashing out at "those Pakis" and "idiot Pakis". Even the
> media is picking up on this disturbing phenomenon.. India Today columnist
> Dilip Bobb cavalierly mentions how Paki-bashing is a safe electoral bet
> for
> the "ruling party".
>
> Rediff carries a headline on an Indo-Pak tea summit, punning on the
> Hindi-Chini bhai bhai to Hindi-Paki chai chai. The New York Post joins in
> with a prescient headline, "India: Pakis Killed POWs", catching the faux
> pas
> in time for its daily edition, not its electronic version.
>
> Once the domain of epithet-shouting skinheads, the indiscriminate use of a
>
> slur by the very people who were once targeted is unbelievable.
> Name-calling
> in such a highly charged atmosphere is expectedly juvenile but hardly
> exceptional. But to anyone who grew up south Asian in this country, Canada
> or the UK, who was beaten up, chased down a road, had their home set on
> fire,
> even pushed onto subway tracks, all because of the colour of their skin,
> this is an abomination. The out-of-context return of a word so charged
> with hate
> and ice-cold fear feels like a slap in the face.
>
> Originating in England when south Asians began immigrating in greater
> numbers in the 1950s, it was the kind of language that would easily spurt
> out of an
> English racist in a Hanif Kureishi film. The Oxford English Dictionary
> dates
>
> its first usage in print to only 1964. It migrated to Canada by the late
> '60s and early '70s when its borders were allowed to be opened up. By the
> 1980s,
> 'dothead' and 'curryhead' were merely American alternates in New Jerseyite
>
> dot-buster's vocabulary.
>
> To be called a 'Paki' was the great leveler, transcending all boundaries
> --
> your local racists kindly ignored class, creed, color, class and caste
> when
> it came to the hunt. The histories of nations were wiped clean by a
> steel-toed boot, a tabula rasa created by men blinded by hate. They knew
> nothing of Partition, the wars between India and Pakistan, the civil war
> in
> Sri Lanka, and the Liberation of Bangladesh. It didn't matter whether you
> were Parsi or Christian, working-class or filthy rich, Sinhalese or Sikh,
> Bangladeshi or Gujarati.
>
> But I'm not a Paki, you say? I remember the differences, the turmoil of
> the
> subcontinent, I know with whom I identify. As American writer, Bharati
> Mukherjee, stated in 1981: "For an Indian of my generation, to be called a
>
> 'Paki' is about as appealing as it is for an Israeli to be called a
> 'Syrian'."
>
> She and others simply don't get it. It wasn't about whether we were
> Pakistani or not, but the inequality facing all of us in countries around
> the world.
>
> What has happened now is the misappropriation of a word so imbued with our
>
> oppression in the West. While other African-American and gay communities
> have rehabilitated 'nigger' and 'queer', we have chosen to reclaim a term
> of
> abuse and partition its meaning. To misquote Salman Rushdie, Indians have
> "adopted
> the demon-tag the farangis hung around their necks." But they have not
> turned "insults into strengths... to wear with pride the names they were
> given in
> scorn".
>
> Fortunately some young South Asians are actively employing our own symbol
> of
> our marginalized status, that symbol of intimidation and racial
> discrimination, without any sense of us vs them.
>
> Are Indian immigrants (sojourners and expats) so removed from their
> experiences in this country not to recognize these kinds of connections?
> We
> demonstrate an incredible selective use of memory to remember past wrongs
> on
> the subcontinent and highlight current troubles, but are not as vigilant
> about our history here.
>
> Of course, we have a multiplicity of identities and experiences, but when
> we
> "demonize" and "essentialize" Pakistanis, we stoop to the level of those
> who
> once oppressed us. Why should anyone listen to complaints from the Indian
> community in the US -- other Americans shouldn't have to be more
> politically
> correct than us.
>
> When we use 'Paki' against each other, we lose. We disrespect every
> migrant
> before us who suffered the indignity of prejudice. To appropriate a
> Western
> slur used against all of us to attack some of us is true degradation. Who
> said the Empire Struck Back? The imperialists and their progeny, the
> neo-Nazis, have won.
>
> (Piali Roy has been published in several Canadian publications)
>
Subject: News Clippings + Commentary on the Sadbhavana
Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 14:14:04 -0400
Uproar over poll conduct rocks House
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/1999/Jun/Jun25/ind
ex.htm#1 UML for
repolling in Siraha despite leading
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/1999/Jun/Jun25/ind
ex.htm#2
Internal rifts plague major parties
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishweekly/telegraph/1999/Jul/Jul07/
index.htm#1
The Sadbhavana's pet issues:
(1) Elevate Hindi, the lingua franca of the 11 million Teraiwasis, on par
with Nepali.
(2) Introduce a federal form of government: eastern Terai, western Terai,
eastern Hills, western Hills, Kathmandu.
(3) Admit Teraiwasis into the Royal Nepalese Army en bloc.
(4) Take active steps - possibly reservation - to enhance the participartion
of the Teraiwasis in the state apparatus - the bureaucracy and the police
force.
(5) Provide citizenship certificates to all Nepalese. That includes 3.3
million people even by government accounts.
None of these is disputable. And yet the Sadbhavana's electoral prospects
have not brightened in 10 years. Why? Yeah, it is a young party. Where was
the Nepali Congress in 1988, for example? The NC and the UML have 50 years
of work behind them. The Sadbhavana has barely 10 years. So the
underachievement is understandable. The Teraiwasis in the NC, the UML and
the RPP have not come around to thinking the above issues are fundamental
and they reflect the mood in the Terai as of now. Democracy has always been
a good idea. BP Koirala talked about it in the 40s. But it was a while
before the concept took firm roots on the soil. Similarly the Teraiwasi
voters will take their time to come around to the Sadbhavana. And there is
the NC muscle machine that rams its way through the booths. The Home
Ministry gets misused to the ends of this one party. And the Marwadi
donors. They are too scared to contribute lavishly to the Sadbhavana. They
would rather contribute to those who take money from them and buy paint with
that money to add graffitti on their walls: Made chor Desh chhod.
The Teraiwasi voters have yet to catch up with the Sadbhavana. The Marwadi
donors have yet to catch up with the Sadbhavana. The UML and the RPP have
shown no signs that they understand if they don't build a coalition of three
parties inclusive of the Sadbhavana, the NC will bag a majority the next
time around as well. And the Sadbhavana leaders have refused to expand on
their manifesto. The 5-6 pet issues are great, but in the second poorest
country on the planet the number one issue has got to be the National
Economy. In the Hills and the Terai, that is the number one issue. And the
party has got to show flexibility. If the BJP had stuck to its guns on the
Ayodhya issue, it would never have managed to come to power, and without
coming to power it would have lost the momentum gained over the span of a
decade. As Lenin said, Two steps ahead, One step backwards. You make
progress that way better. In politics the shortest distance between two
points is not a straight line; it is a zigzag line. The Sadbhavana should
be able to step back on some of the more contentious issues now to come back
to them later on. Most important, it should talk strong on the National
Economy. The voters are always right. That is the basic premise of
democracy. Either you create a majority, or you follow it. As Abraham
Lincoln said,"With public opinion all is possible; without it nothing is."
But then the party needs to be asking itself, does it hope to be a regional
party forever? I mean, face it, even for the 5-6 pet issues, they will only
be realized if at least a majority of the Pahadwasis were convinced they are
just. A majority of the country will have to feel the need for a federal
form of government before that becomes a reality. In the meantime the
Sadbhavana needs to learn to surf the waves. And that means coming into
power.
Will the Sadbhavana manage to forge an alliance with the UML and the RPP in
the forthcoming local elections; that is a major question. If that requires
scaling back on some of the pet issues, so be it.
In politics, you cannot stick to your guns. Compromises are made.
Otherwise you soon end up becmong irrelevant to the process. It is more
fruitful to make incremental gains and continue being part of the process.
Subject: Fwd: More thoughts on why system of white privilege is wrong
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 1999 09:40:20 PDT
>Baltimore Sun, July 4, 1999
>
>Headline: More thoughts on why system of white privilege is wrong
>Subhead: Bias: After being criticized for his article last year, the
author
>ponders more deeply the realities of racism in America.
>
>By Robert Jensen
>
>Last July, I wrote an article about white privilege for The Sun and every
>week since it appeared, I have received at least a dozen letters from
>people who want to talk about race.
>
>A wire service carried the article and it was picked up by newspapers
>across the nation. More people found it on the Internet, where
>electronic copies wound up on discussion lists. And Ambrose Lane,
>who is black and hosts a talk radio show in Washington, D.C.,
>discussed the article on the air and offered to send copies to
>anybody who requested one.
>
>Since the article appeared on July 19, 1998, I have given
>a lot more thought to who I am, and I've learned a lot more
>about why many white people can't come to terms with my premise:
>whites, whether overtly racist or not, benefit from living in
>a mostly white-run world that has been built on the land and
>the backs of non-white people.
>
>
>The reactions have varied from racist rantings, to deeply
>felt expressions of pain and anger, to declarations of solidarity.
>I'm white and I mentioned that in the article. Someone in
>Minnesota sent me a can of black shoe polish. I think I get the
>message.
>
>But the most significant response I got was from non-white
>folks, predominantly African-Americans, who said something like
>this: "Of course there is white privilege. I've been
>pointing it out to my white friends and co-workers for years.
>Isn't it funny that almost no one listens to me, but everyone
>takes notice when a white guy says it."
>
>Those comments forced me again to ponder the privilege I
>live with.
>
>Who really knows more about white privilege, me or the people
>on the other side of that privilege?
>
>Me, or a black inner-city teen-ager who is automatically
>labeled a gang member and feared by many white folks?
>
>Me, or an American Indian on the streets of a U.S. city who
>is invisible to many white folks? Whose voices should we be paying
>attention to?
>
>My voice gets heard in large part because I am a white man
>with a doctorate who holds a professional job with status.
>
>In most settings, I speak with the assumption that people not only
>will listen, but will take me seriously. I speak with the assumption
>that my motives will not be challenged; I can rely on the perception
>of me as a neutral authority, someone whose observations can
>be trusted.
>
>Every time I open my mouth, I draw on, and in some ways reinforce,
>my privilege, which is in large part tied to race.
>
>Right now, I want to use that privilege to acknowledge the
>many non-white people who took the time to tell me about the
>enduring realities of racism in the United States. And, I want
>to talk to the white people who I think misread my essay and
>misunderstand what's at stake.
>
>The responses of my white critics broke down into a few basic
>categories, around the following assertions:
>
>1. White privilege doesn't exist because affirmative
>action has made being white a disadvantage. The simple response:
>Extremely limited attempts to combat racism, such as affirmative
>action, do virtually nothing to erase the white privilege built
>over 500 years that pervades our society. As a friend of mine
>says, the only real disadvantage to being white is that it so
>often prevents people from understanding racial issues.
>
>2. White privilege exists, but it can't be changed because
>it is natural for any group to favor its own, and besides, the
>worst manifestations of racism are over. Response: This approach
>makes human choices appear outside of human control, which is
>a dodge to avoid moral and political responsibility for the injustice
>we continue to live with.
>
>3. White privilege exists, and that's generally been
>a good thing because white Europeans have civilized the world.
>Along the way some bad things may have happened, and we should
>take care to be nice to non-whites to make up for that.
>
>Response: These folks often argued the curiously contradictory
>position that non-whites and their cultures are not inferior
>and white/European culture is superior. As for the civilizing
>effect of Europe, we might consider five centuries of inhuman,
>brutal colonialism and World Wars I and II, and then ask what
>"civilized" means.
>
>4.White privilege exists because whites are inherently superior,
>and I am a weakling and a traitor for suggesting otherwise. Response:
>The Klan isn't dead.
>
>There is much to say beyond those short responses, but for
>now I am more interested in one common assumption that just about
>all these correspondents made -- that my comments on race and
>affirmative action were motivated by "white liberal guilt."
>
>Well, they are wrong about a couple things. I am white -- but I'm
>not a liberal. I'm a radical; I don't think liberalism
>goes far enough to address problems based on race, gender, sexuality
>or class.
>
>And I don't feel guilty. Guilt is appropriate when one
>has wronged another, when one has something to feel guilty about.
>
>In my life I have felt guilty for racist or sexist things I have
>said or done, even when they were done unconsciously. But that
>is guilt I felt because of specific acts, not for the color of
>my skin. Also, focusing on individual guilt feelings is counterproductive
>when it leads us to ponder the issue from a psychological point
>of view instead of a moral and political one.
>
>So, I cannot, and indeed should not, feel guilty or proud
>about being white, because it is a state of being I have no control
>over.
>
>But as a member of a society -- and especially as a privileged
>member of society -- I have an obligation not simply to enjoy
>that privilege that comes with being white, but to study and
>understand it, and work toward a more just world where unearned
>privilege is eliminated.
>
>Some of my critics said that such a goal is ridiculous; after
>all, people have unearned privileges of all kinds.
>
>Several people pointed out that, for example, tall people
>have unearned privilege in basketball, and we don't ask tall
>people to stop playing basketball nor do we eliminate their advantage.
>
>The obvious difference is that racial categories are invented; they
>carry privilege or disadvantage only because people with power
>create and maintain the privilege for themselves. Violence is
>the tool creating the privilege and it is maintained through
>the threat of force and other more subtle ways.
>
>I can't change the world so that everyone is the same
>height, so that everyone has the same shot at being a pro basketball
>player. In fact, I wouldn't want to; it would be a drab and
>boring world if we could erase individual differences like that.
>
>But I can work with others to change the world to erase the effects
>of differences that have been created by one group to keep others
>down. Not everyone who wrote to me understood this. Clearly,
>the person in Clement, Minn., who sent me the can of black shoe
>polish did not understand. No correspondence accompanied the
>shoe polish, so presumably the sender's message was if I
>felt so bad about being white, I ought to paint myself black.
>
>But I don't feel bad about being white. The only motivation I
>might have to want to be black -- to be something I am not --
>would be pathological guilt over my privilege.
>
>In this case, guilt is a coward's way out, an attempt
>to avoid the moral and political questions. As I made clear in
>the original essay, there is no way to give up the privilege;
>our society confers it upon us, no matter what we want. So, I
>don't feel guilty about being white in a white supremacist
>society, but I feel an especially strong moral obligation to
>push for change because I benefit from the injustice.
>
>What matters is what we decide to do with the privilege.
>For me, that means speaking about white privilege and it means
>listening to those who don't have it. Listening to people
>like the elderly black man who saw it on the bulletin board outside
>my office and stopped to chat with me. This man, who has experienced
>decades of racism, told me: "White privilege, yes, good
>to keep an eye on that, son. Keep yourself honest. But don't
>forget to pay attention to the folks who live without the privilege."
>
>It doesn't take black shoe polish to pay attention. It only
>takes a bit of empathy to listen, and a bit of courage to act.
>
>
>Robert Jensen is a professor in the Department of Journalism at the
>University of Texas at Austin. He can be reached at
rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu <mailto:rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu> .
********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 09 Jul 1999 09:42:17 +0530
From: Pratyoush Onta <sinhas@mos.com.np>
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: BPC Privatization
Source: The Kathmandu Post, 9
July 1999
The Politics of Knowledge
BPC Privatization: Some
Concerns
Pratyoush Onta
For some months now, we have
been hearing a lot about the
privatization of Butwal Power
Company (BPC). BPC's
privatization is intricately
linked with the much talked
about Melamchi
Water Project (MWP), touted by
its promoters as the
'ultimate' thirst quencher for
a parched
Kathmandu. A crucial component
of the MWP is the construction
of an about 28-km long tunnel
that
will bring the water to
Sundarijal.
Although the final financial
packaging for MWP remains to
be negotiated, it relies on a
Norwegian
grant of US$ 25million for the
construction of the tunnel.
The Norwegian aid agency,
NORAD has
agreed to provide this money
as grant only on the condition
that BPC will be privatized.
This
privatized BPC would then be
given the NORAD money for the
construction of the tunnel and
the
proposed hydroelectric plant
at Sundarijal of some 15-22MW
capacity. NORAD had instituted
this
condition way early in the
negotiations regarding MWP
because it thinks BPC is the
only Nepali
company capable of supervising
the construction of the tunnel
and the power plant.
In 1998, the Nepal government
called for bids for BPC from
interested private parties.
Although 18
parties bought the bid papers
(costing Rs 2 lakhs), only two
parties submitted their bids.
One party is
led by a consortium of
Norwegian companies
(Interkraft) and also consists
of some of the most
prominent Nepali business
houses (including Trishakti,
Jyoti Group, Mercantile, and
Panchakanya).
The other party is led by a
British Company, Independent
Power Company (IPC), who has
been
represented in Nepal by ICTC,
and also includes the
Chowdhury group. The technical
part of the
bids were opened some months
ago and the financial part,
only some weeks ago. The
single,
non-conditional IPC bid is for
$10million whereas the
Norwegian offer varies from
the lowest
(non-conditional) bid of $ 8.1
million to the highest
(conditional on several
parameters) bid of $11.6
million. Given these figures,
it has now become clear that
if the government accepts any
of the
proposed bids, it will be
selling off BPC very cheaply,
at the potential loss of
millions of dollars to the
national treasury. To see that
one needs to know at least the
following facts about BPC.
BPC was started as private
limited company over 30 years
ago. About seven years ago it
became a
public limited company. The
first power plant it
constructed was the 1MW Tinahu
Project which was
nationalized after it came
on-line. It later made the 5.1
MW Andhikhola Project (which
came on-line
in 1991) and the 12MW Jhimruk
Project (1994). Both of these
projects were made with
Norwegian
grants channeled to BPC via
the United Mission to Nepal
(UMN). When each of the latter
two
projects came on-line, UMN's
shares were transferred to
HMGN which currently owns
about 97%
of BPC.
What is the current value of
BPC? At the "Bidders'
Conference", representatives
of HMGN stressed
that the bid price should
cover (a) BPC's shares in
Himal Power Limited, the
company which is
constructing the 60MW Khimti
project, total value of which
is about $4.95 million; (b)
BPC's
investment in Nepal
Hydroelectric, a Butwal-based
broad venture, total value of
which is about $0.5
million; (c) BPC's net current
assets, total value of which
is about $2.85 million; and
(d) net present
value of expected income from
power sales from Andhikhola
and Jhimruk to Nepal
Electricity
Authority (NEA) over 2 years
under existing power purchase
agreement (PPA) expiring on 15
July
2001 (calculated at 8.5%
annual price increase and 16 %
real return per annum) worth
about $2.78
million. The total of these
four make the present value of
BPC worth about
$11.08million. Hence the
IPC bid is about a million
less and the highest
Interkraft bid is only about
half a million more than
what BPC is worth at the
moment.
But the above calculation is
hardly realistic. The power
plant in Andhikhola has a life
expectancy of at
least 20 years beyond the year
2001; for the case of Jhimruk,
this would be at least 25
years. If a
10-year PPA with the same
price structure as currently
agreed between BPC and NEA
were to be
worked out, present value of
net income from power sale
over 10 years beyond 2001
alone would
amount to about $11 million
dollars. When you add that to
the present value of BPC, this
comes to a
total of about $22 million. If
a 20-year PPA were achieved,
this total would rise to about
$35 million.
But that is not all, once
privatized, BPC is expected to
get not only the
above-discussed segments of
MWP, but also similar
projects. It has in recent
years executed rural
electrification projects worth
more than $1.2 million with
the help of USAID. It has a
staff with an admirable range
of expertise
and experience. These are
assets that must be
incorporated in any
calculations of BPC's net
present
value.
In conclusion, we must
emphasize the following. The
current bids do not cover or
just about cover
the net present value of BPC
with the current PPA which
runs out in 2001. With a 10
year PPA, the
bid prices cover only half of
what BPC is worth; with a
20-year PPA, they cover not
even one third.
In both of these calculations,
other assets discussed in the
previous paragraph are not
included.
Hence the government of Nepal
must either call for fresh
bids or invite both of the
above parties to
negotiate new offers for the
privatization of BPC. Just
because its treasury is
starved of money,
HMGN must not rush through
this process. It must
withstand any pressure from
NORAD or
temptations from the Nepali
partners of IPC or Interkraft.
The loss – amounting to
millions of US
dollars – is the equivalent of
tax revenues collected from
thousands of Nepali
tax-payers. After all,
the transaction costs involved
in creating a 10 or 20 year
PPA between BPC and NEA are
much
less than those incurred while
running after thousands of
small-time tax-payers.
*****************************************************************
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 1999 09:46:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Kala-pani belongs to Nepal (fwd)
(From People's Review, July 8 - July 15)
US map locates Kalapani in Nepal
BY OUR REPORTER
Buddhinarayan Shrestha, former director general of the
Survey Department,
has discovered a map of the controversial Kalapani area in
the American
Library of Congress. According to reports, the US maps of
1821,
1830,1835, 1841 and 1846, all have clearly located presently
India
occupied 310 km area up to Limpiuiadhura, along with the
Indian army
camp area as Nepalese territory. The US map developed by
British
technician James Hearst in 1827 for the East India Company
has indicated
Limpuadhara as the point of origin of Mahakali river.
India is presently claiming another point, east to
Limpuadhara, as the origin
point of Mahakali river. According to Shrestha, a retired
government
official, the present maps are strong proof that can back
the Nepalese claim
in its Kalapani dispute with India.
It is surprising to note that although Shrestha possesses
such an important
map, none of the concerned officials from Foreign, Home or
Defense
Ministries working in the Nepal-India Border Joint
Committee, have
contacted him.
Now, the Nepalese government has something concrete to show
to back its
claim on Kalapani. The Indian government has always been
saying show
proof.
In the Treaty of Sughauli with British India, the Kali
(Mahakali) river has
separated Nepal and India in the north-west part of
Darchula. If
Limpiadhara could be confirmed as the origin of Mahakali
river, presently
India occupies more than 20 hectors of land with three
villages. Also the
Kuti pass that goes to Tibet will be included in the
Nepalese part.
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 16:50:23 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: This from: Mahesh Maskey in Boston
Kali Nadi and the Western Face of Nepal.
>Before having the privilege of hearing Mr. Buddhi N. Shrestha, the former
>Director of Department of Survey, HMG/Nepal, in a talk-n'-dinner program
>hosted by GBNC president Rajesh B. Shrestha and Dr. Mabi Shrestha, I had
>no
>idea that something fundamental would change in my perception and
>understanding about the shape of Nepal.
>It was a strange feeling to discover that Nepal, of the usual maps that
>we grew up looking at with, has in reality a different western face. A
>veil of silence , born out of ignorance or shrewd political calculations,
>had covered this fact from a long time. This veil would lift only in
>recent times by one of about 47 border disputes with our southern neighbor
>India - with the knowledge that Kalapani was (and still is) occupied by
>Indian armed forces at least since 1962.
>Mahakali or Kali river would
>again rock the country, not as "Tanakpur" dam or "Mahakali" package but as
>the border river whose origin is disputed by the bordering countries. India
>had claimed that Kalapani area is in their territory and for that claim
>they had to show that Kalapani lies west of the river Kali. But the Kali
>river they produced in the map could not convince Nepalis, nor would any
>unbiased observer. They show a narrow stream that takes origin from a
>small pond south to Pankhagad river and ask to believe that it is Kali
>river.
>Nepali government held that the river that has taken origin from Lipu lek
>is the real Kali. According to this Kali , the kalapani area would lie
>within Nepali territory and push the border 62 kilometer west from Indian
>claims. This is consistent with the map we grew up with. But here is the
>rub! This familiar map of ours was again (and understandably) one that was
>prepared by India and was in the force since 1962. Question remained - is
>this the real Kali?
>Historians, researchers, intellectuals, and conscious citizens joined by
>a group of survey experts of Nepal however started looking at the evidence
>and came up with another Kali that originates from Limpiyadhura pass. In
>various maps this Kali has also been called Kuti Yangdi river. [The people
>who inhabit these area are from "Shauka" nationality. And in their language
>Shauki - "Kuti" means "Kali" and "Yangdi" means "Water". For details of
>very interesting information about the origin of Kali river, see Giri Raj
>Mani Pokharel's article "Bharatiya Sena Kuti Yangdi Pari Pathainu
>Pardachha, published in "Khoji" 1st issue, 2055]. Now it became clear that
>Mahakali river has two origins one smaller coming out from Lipulek pass and
>another bigger coming out from Limpiadhura pass. Both meet at Kava. Now of
>these two which should be regarded as the real origin of Mahakali? - the
>real Kali? If the Kali river originating from Lipiyadhura is considered the
>origin of Mahakali then about 310 kilometer land would belong to Nepal from
>the present border claimed by India.
>This was not an ideal speculation. There were strong evidence that until
>1962 and before the Indian army came to Kalapani, the villages west of
>Lipulek river and east to Kuti Yangdi river were under the jurisdiction of
>Nepal. The population of Villages like Gunji, Nabhi and Kuti which are
>settled near the bank of river Kuti Yangdi used to be surveyed by Nepali
>government until 1962, and even after 1962 some Gurung was the "Pradhan
>Pancha" of Gunji village. This claim was made by several people, mainly the
>then survey officer Bhairav Risal. [see, Mulyankan , issue 59, 2055].
>The tremendous national sentiment unleashed by the nationwide protest
>against the occupation of Kalapani, outpouring of evidence about the origin
> of Mahakali, obscure stand of Nepali government and shaky defense from
>Indian side have all raised the fundamental questions. What did Nepal look
>like when carved by Sugauli treaty in 1816 AD? Which river is the Kali
>river at the time of Sugauli treaty?
>Mr. Buddhi Narayan Shrestha started his deliberations with these questions
>and offered what the maps of different historical period had to say
>regarding these questions. He had told us how the various maps speak
>history with undeniable evidence. He had told then that maps can be divided
>into three periods. The ones belonging to a period before and upto 1860,
>1860 to 1900 and later than 1900. The maps that are before 1860 all mention
>the river coming out from Limpiyadhura as Kali nadi. From 1860 to 1900 some
>maps mention the river coming out of Limpiyadhura as Kuti and some as Kuti
>yangdi. The maps after 1900 have mentioned river coming out of Limpiyadhura
> as Kuti yangdi and the river coming out from Lipu lek as Kali nadi.
>Since the question was what Nepal looked like when it conceded its
>territories to British India in Sugauli Sandhi in 1816, Mr. Shrestha
>argued, that the maps closer to that period are more reliable. All the
>three maps available until then of 1846, 1850 and 1856 showed Kali river
>originating from Limpiyadhura. One government map published by Moscow also
>showed the Limpiyadhura as Kali's origin. He told that most elaborate
>survey was that of 1856 done by Survey of India which included survey'rs
>diaries and a devnagri map in possession of Janga Bahadur Rana. This
>survey has named the river originating from Lipiyadhura as 'Kali' and
>should be called so. The river originating from Lipu lek should rather be
>called 'Lipunala' river.
>In support of his argument he had quoted the dispute of origin of Mechi
>river in 1839 AD. Whether the river coming out of northwest of of Antu
>hill of Ilam was Mechi or the river coming out of its Northeast side? At
>that time the principle that British used to resolve the dispute was
>whichever river has larger amount of water should be taken as the origin of
>Mechi river. And thus we have our mechi from Northeast of Antu hill. The
>same principle should be applied to the dispute of Mahakali, Mr shreshtha
>had argued. And this principle would establish river coming out of
>Limpiyadhura as the origin of Mahakali river.
>These were the main themes of his talks while he was in Boston the first
>time. I have tried to recapture it with the help of his notes, for the
>benefit of those who could not participate in that memorable event. I met
>him again a few weeks after on the occasion of his daughter's marriage. He
>was just back from Washington then and had unearthed several precious maps
>from 1821 to 1846 from the Library of Congress. These maps he told, were
>much clear and bigger than any other maps he had scanned before. And as he
>had expected, the origin of Mahakali was shown to be Limpiyadhura in these
>maps.
>It gives me a great pleasure to see how welcome was Mr Shrestha's research
>in Nepal. Though he is not contacted by any of the government bodies, he
>and his maps has been all over the prints. People of Nepal are tremendously
>benefited by his efforts. We who heard him speak in Boston are thankful
>too. What to do with the disputed territories, how much should either side
>concede for the mutual benefit and friendship, is a matter of dealings and
>negotiations between the people and the government of two countries. And
>in time, we will settle this dispute. But I think we should not hesitate to
>say this was how our Nepal looked like at the time of Sugauli Sandhi. We
>should say it, especially to our friends in India, because disputes can
>only be effectively settled on the basis of truth.
>mahesh maskey
>7/12/99
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From: Paramendra Bhagat <PBhagat@ChaiTime.net>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: News Clippings
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 17:48:40 -0400
Nepal under scourge of imperialism
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/1999/Jun/Jun24/edi
torial.htm
Government seems asleep
http://www.info-nepal.com/p-review/1999/07/080799/gov.html
Ministers concerned about their own facilities
http://www.info-nepal.com/p-review/1999/07/080799/min.html
I also feel that the Bhattarai government will not last long: Kuber Sharma
http://www.info-nepal.com/p-review/1999/07/080799/face.html
Baburam Bhattarai: a dinosaur
http://www.info-nepal.com/p-review/1999/07/080799/rea.html
Budget blend of populism & reforms,Thrust on poverty alleviation
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/1999/Jul/Jul12/ind
ex1.htm#1
Budget in the eyes of experts
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/1999/Jul/Jul12/ind
ex.htm#2
Govt defies pressure on VAT
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/englishdaily/ktmpost/1999/Jul/Jul12/ind
ex.htm#3
16 members elected to the Upper House of parliament
Nepal Sadbhavana Party: Gajendra Narayan Singh
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/archive/mainnews/arc52.htm#6
Nepal to give priority to economic diplomacy
http://www.nepalnews.com.np/contents/archive/mainnews/arc52.htm#3
Subject: RE: A little knowledge is dangerious thing.
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1999 09:32:54 -0400
I would guess this would be a response to one of my postings on TND. What I
don't understand is as to why the writer chose to remain anonymous.
-----Original Message-----
From: Library User [mailto:libuser@ucalgary.ca]
Sent: Monday, July 12, 1999 6:31 PM
To: PBhagat@ChaiTime.net
Subject: A little knowledge is dangerious thing.
We read your letter and I am convinced that what one can get from
Bharatiya Dalal.It is self explained.
yours sincerely,
ABC
*****************************************************************
From: RKSHRESTHA@aol.com
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 00:12:29 EDT
Subject: Picnic Invitation!
To: RKSHRESTHA@aol.com
Dear Friends,
Please allow me to use this E-mail address list to inform you and invite you
to the Alliance's annual Picnic in Astoria Park, Queens. If this info is
repeated to some of you, please ignore it and accept my apology.
I
PICNIC-99
The Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Nepal, USA invites all Nepalis
and friends of Nepal to its annual Summer picnic on Saturday, the
24th of July, at ASTORIA PARK, Queens, New York.
The special guest of honor at the picnic will be His Excellency Narendra B.
Shah and Nepali film superstar, Rajesh Hamal.
Date: Saturday, July 24th
Time: 10am - 8 pm
Place: ASTORIA PARK, Queens Spot # NW corner
(* This location is found to be very interesting having big play ground and
lots of trees. Its also very close to the East river with the view of
Manhattan in West. Being close to the Subway, its most convenient to subway
users. It's also close to major highways. Roadside parking is available.)
This is a potluck picnic, so please bring something to eat or drink / snacks,
food, and beverages for 4-5 people.
Directions:
By TRAIN: Take 'N' Train to Ditmas Blvd. (last stop). Walk to the left few
blocks, up to the 19th Street. Picnic Spot is on your left.
BY CAR:
1. From Manhattan:
Take queens borough bridge upper level
Follow up sign for 21st Street
Make right on 21st and go all the way up to the Ditmars BLVD, make left on
Ditmars and go up to the riverside road and spot is on the left.
2. From LIE:
Take Vandam Street exit, go all the way up to Thompson Avenue( beg. Of Queens
blvd), make left and go all the way up to 21 st. make right on 21`st and
follow as the number 1 direction.
3. From Grand central p/way:
Go towards Triborough Bridge, take last exit before the bridge toll.
Find 21 St or Ditmars Blvd and follow the no.1` directions above.
There are a limited number of parking spots in side of park along river
side, but these are available on a first come basis only.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
Rajendra K Shrestha
President, /ADHRN Tel: 718-392-7467 / E-mail:rkshrestha@aol.com
Pramod Pokharel
Chairman /ADHRN Tel: 718-729-9077 /E-mail: pnamrata@aol.com
Bashu Shrestha/ Executive Member Tel: 718-784-1496
Harka Gurung: Executive Member Tel: 718-784-74
Nuchhe Dangol: Executive Member Tel: 718-458-4329
Dhruba Onta: '' Tel: 212-677-0005/6
Reminder: Alliance is holding its annual Dashain Party on October 16th, 1999.
*******************************************************************
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 10:43:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: correction: From Mahesh Maskey re: an earlier article
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 10:11:17 -0700
From: Mahesh Maskey <mmaskey@bu.edu>
To: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu>
Subject: correction
I received a correction from Mr. Buddhi N. Shrestha. If you have not
already send the article to TND and SCN please correct the last line of 4th
paragraph as follows. (only change is from 310 to 372 Kilometer).
"If the Kali river originating from Lipiyadhura is considered the origin of
Mahakali then about 372 kilometer land would belong to Nepal from the
present border claimed by India."
Mahesh
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 08:52:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu>
Subject: Nepal's English Fiction Star: Samrat Upadhyay (fwd)
This is from the latest Issue of The Kathmandu Post Review of Books. To
continue reading some of the most thought-provoking (and at times
thoroughly infuriating) writings being published in Kathmandu today, check
out The Kathmandu Post Review of Books ko web-page:
http://jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu/~deschene/sinhas/kprb.html
>KPRB July 11 1999, Volume IV No. 7, Coordinator Manjushree Thapa
>
>NEPAL'S ENGLISH FICTION STAR
>
>
>With a story selected in the prestigious Best American Short Stories
>anthology in 1999, and a collection of short stories called The Good
>Shopkeeper due to be published by Houghton Mifflin in 2000, SAMRAT
>UPADHYAYA has become Nepal's own English-language literary star.
After his studies at St. Xavier's School, Upadhyay went to the US
>and majored in English at Ohio University. He later taught at
>Kathmandu University and worked at Traveler's Nepal. Upadhyay
>recently completed his PhD in English (with a concentration in
>creative writing) from the University of Hawaii, where he was also
>a fiction editor at the prestigious literary magazine Manoa. He is
>now teaching English at Baldwin-Wallace College in Ohio.
> Upadhyay responded to questions by Manjushree Thapa over
>email. Excerpts:
>On his beginning as a serious writer:
>I began writing seriously while I was in the master's program at
>Ohio University. I wasn't as disciplined then as I am now, and
>mostly wrote in bursts, with long period of inactivity in between.
>The first story I wrote, "The Man with Long Hair," is about a man who
>rethinks his relationship with his wife after coming into contact
>with a theater actor, with whom he becomes enamored. One teacher was
>critical in influencing me, Eve Shelnutt, whose passion for the short
>story form was contagious. I started writing very seriously once I
>entered the PH.D. program here. I try to get up early in the morning
>to write, sometimes at 4 am, when my energies are fresh and my
>intuitive faculties sharp. I leave most of the editing and revising
>work for the afternoon or evening. I also write poetry but less often
>than fiction.
> My first publication was in [the literary magazine] Manoa, a
>story titled "Kathmandu," using an American protagonist who falls
>in love with a Nepali woman and becomes enmeshed in the political
>turmoil of pre-democracy era.
>On his short story collection:
>The Good Shopkeeper contains stories that explore the nature of love
>and desire, physical and metaphysical, and its link to spiritual
>transcendence. The collection explores the relationship between men
>and women in the landscape of the city of Kathmandu. The setting
>provides the stories with a backdrop that becomes increasingly
>meaningful in the characters lives as the stories unfold. In the
>title story, for example, the protagonist, in desperate search for a
>job, finds solace in the tiny apartment in the center of the city
>belonging to his lover, a housemaid whose kindness acts as a balm to
>the wounds he receives from the society. The stories also look at how
>the family plays a crucial role in lives of the characters--the
>choices they make, the choices they reject, and how they choose to
>interact with members of the opposite sex.
In "The American-Ten Speed Bicycle," a young man struggles
>between obligation towards his family and his attraction towards a
>woman of a different caste. In "Earthquake," a woman learns to
>fight an dominating mother while she seeks the affections of a
>young man. A recurring theme in the collection is the
>self-deception the characters engage in when their desires are
>thwarted. In "The Room Next Door," a mother is forced to look at
>her relationship with her own husband after her daughter becomes
>pregnant. In "Deepak Misra's Secretary," a young businessman
>dismisses his attraction to his secretary despite the spiritual
>fulfillment it brings.
Another issue the collection explores is the choices women
>have to make in a conservative, male-dominated society, how the
>boundaries that restrict them are challenged, stretched, and
>accepted. The Good Shopkeeper chronicles a city and a society in
>transition and the resilience with which the inhabitants of the
>city negotiate these transitions.
>On his current novel:
>The novel that I'm working on is my dissertation. After defending
>it, I decided I didn't like a large portion of it, so it's going
>through substantial revision right now. The basic premise is the
>same. It's about a Nepali woman who is divorced and who struggles
>between her desires and her obligations to her family. That's all I
>can say for now because I find it sort of futile to talk
>extensively about a work before it's completed. Because I don't
>work with plot, my work changes course substantially while being
>written--a factor that makes the writing process exciting for me.
>On his influences and stylistic preferences:
>I believe in the economy of the sentence, that a sentence should
>only have the minimum words required. This I probably learned from
>the so-called minimalists, such as Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff.
>But my work shuns other characteristics of minimalism: lack of
>spirit, emotional hollowness, overly distant narrator, and so on.
My first clear influence was Ruth Prawer Jhavbala, whose
>collection Out of India is still one of my favorite books. I was
>probably attracted to her early in my writing career because of the
>in-between position she occupied as a writer: a European woman
>whose home became India because she married an Indian. I saw my
>position similarly: a Nepali who attended a Jesuit school, was very
>attracted to everything West, then came to the United States and
>started feeling alienated from his own culture. I know Jhavbala
>receives flak from some critics for what they see as her
>neo-colonial attitude toward India, but I disagree and find her
>observations of the Indian society very astute, and I think she's
>one of the best writers in the world of the short story form.
I should also pay homage to Midnight's Children and Rushdie,
>who opened doors in the West for writers like me, although I find his
>later writing intolerable. Other South Asian writers in English I
>admire and who have influenced my writing in some ways are: Anita
>Desai for her intimate psychological portrayals, especially in In
>Custody; Rohinton Mistry for the expansiveness of his world as well
>as the compassion he shows towards his characters; and most recently,
>Jhumpa Lahiri, an Indian born in England and living in America, who I
>feel is one of the better writers to emerge in the past couple of
>years.
In terms of international authors who have shaped my writing
>in various ways: South African Nadine Gordimer for the risks she
>takes in her stories and her marvelous observations of a society in
>momentous transition; Irish writer William Trevor for his craft,
>especially in short stories; American Peter Taylor for his intimate
>portrayals of the old South; Toni Morrison for her attention to
>detail and the compassion towards her characters; and Pablo Neruda
>for showing what poetry can do. So, it's a mishmash of writers who
>might not have much in comm
>On writing in English about Nepal:
>Writing in English about Nepal is a curious project. It gives me a
>sense of dislocation because I am writing about landscape and
>people that do not live English, except for a small English
>language literati (who are not interesting material for fiction).
>Indian writer Raja Rao said it perfectly, that storytelling in
>English is not easy: "One has to convey in a language that's not
>one's own a spirit that's one's own."
I love the English language despite its colonial history and
>neo-colonial manifestations. I admire Kenyon writer Ngugi Wa
>Thiongo, who says in Decolonizing the Mind that as long as we use
>the English language, we project a mindset that is essentially
>colonialists. But I also disagree with him because I think English
>can be an effective tool for decolonization, as Indian and African
>writers in English with their critique of the Empire have already
>shown us.
I want to see the English language as another language
>that's available to us in a world of thousands of languages. We
>have to be careful that we don't give English prominence over other
>languages, as Salman Rushdie did in a New Yorker piece a while ago
>when he said that the best literature coming out of India right now
>is being written in English. The statement, as absurd as it sounds,
>is indicative of the kind of hold English can have on people: the
>very writer who deconstructed English by giving it very Indian
>flavors, and thereby made "non-native" writing in English
>respectable, fell into the trap of thinking that only English could
>deliver the best literature of a country that has hundreds of
>languages.
We do have to be careful of not equating Western publication
>with literary talent. Some authors currently being touted highly in
>the West are mediocre at best. Chitra Divakaruni, for example, I
>think plays up that gross exoticization of India, spices and
>arranged marriage and what not But she's become a star, and her
>work is highly regarded in the U.S., with critics saying that it
>represents the status and struggle of the Indian woman. For me,
>it's a too simple equation: that literature is only mimesis, that
>it only reflects reality and that it doesn't change reality by the
>very language it uses.
The problem with English in Nepal is that it doesn't have
>the kind of history as it does in India, which means it's still a
>very new language for us. I hope that in the coming decades it will
>also be recognized as a vehicle for Nepali literature. Although I'd
>like to believe that my work is Nepali literature--it deals with
>problems specific to our culture and its steeped in the cityscape
>of Kathmandu--I'll leave it up to the readers to decide. I'd like
>to believe that my audience are both Eastern and Western. I don't
>write merely for a Western audience, but I make sure that the
>Western audience can also understand some of the cultural nuances
>in my work. At the same time, my work is not a cultural tour
>guide.
>On current Nepali literature:
>I still have to read a lot more of Nepali literature, but from what
>I've read, I see much talent among some "younger" writers. Among the
>older generation writers, Bhupi Sherchan remains my favorite,
>probably for his harsh realism and his very endearing angst. Also,
>it's quite obvious while reading him that his words were very
>carefully chosen. Writers of the younger generation I admire are:
>Rajav for his powerful sentences and his comedy; Banira Giri for her
>intelligence; and Shyamal for simply beautiful poetry. Shyamal
>especially is outstanding. His images are refreshing and his language
>out of this world. I'd put him in the same league with some of the
>best contemporary world poets right now.
Although I still have to read more, it seems to me a lot of
>Nepali literature seems to be stuck in the old days of rhetoric and
>didacticism rather than paying close attention to the craft, an
>obsession with mere ideas rather than attention to how those ideas
>translate into things. I have found some highly touted authors
>ordinary. But there's a lot more reading to be done before I can
>form conclusive opinions.
********************************************************************
From: deg@lava.net [mailto:deg@lava.net]
Sent: Monday, June 28, 1999 12:31 PM
To: Ngin@asu.edu
Subject: Request for information about volunteering in Nepal
I came across your name and resume when I did a NETSCAPE search for
"Friendship Club Nepal." I am hoping that you can tell me how to get in
contact with the Friendship Club. Do they have an email address or a fax?
I'm interested in the Friendship Club Nepal's program to help Nepalese
teachers learn how to teach English effectively. I am an educator with
experience in teacher training and in ESL. Do you know about this program?
Perhaps you'd be willing to offer some of your expertise about volunteer
projects in Nepal?
In August I will be going back to school to start work on a PhD in
Educational Reform. Between now and then, I want to have a worthwhile
adventure and was thinking it might be good to do some volunteer work
abroad. I have lived and traveled abroad (mostly extensively in Asia and
most recently in Africa) and I'm ready to get out of the USA before
starting my doctoral program. I'm thinking about a month-long trip that
runs between mid-July and mid-August. Admitedly this is short notice and a
short trip but I'm an optimist that there is a good match out there.
I'm interested in working with people but define "people" and "culture"
rather loosely. This means that I wouldn't be opposed to work related to
people AND land/animals. For example, I contacted an orangutan
orphanage/sanctuary in Borneo to see if they could use a helping hand but
they explained the laws re visas made it complicated.
Ideally, I will do something that is different from my normal
day-in, day-out work. For example, I would not be interested in teaching
ESL 10 hours a day at a high school in Tokyo as this is so similar to the
work that I have been doing for the past couple years. I want to see new
things,
meet new people, see a different perspective. I want to broaden my
perspective.
I should make myself clear: I am willing to pay my way to the place and to
pay for my living expenses while there but I am NOT willing to pay to
volunteer. I found some organizations that are charging their volunteers
$1000 a week to volunteer. This is ridiculous. Besides, I am financially
strapped right now. Things are a bit tight.
Do you know of any organization that might like a helping hand for a month?
As I'm hoping to leave in mid-July, time is of the essence so your timely
response would be very appreciated.
I've attached my resume in the chance that you know of an organization and
that your contact might want to know more about my past experience.
Not in my resume but potentially important: I have lived in China and
traveled extensively through Asia. I have also studied and lived in
Western Europe.
DeLacy Ganley
1582 St. Louis Drive
Honolulu, HI 96816
Tel/Fax: (808) 735-0546
Email: deg@lava.net
*******************************************************************
Date: Wed, 30 Jun 1999 20:56:04 +0530
From: Pratyoush Onta <sinhas@mos.com.np>
To: a10rjs1@cs.niu.edu
Subject: hi
Dear Jon:
I am responding to your
following note which I saw in
The Nepal Digest.]
"I am a British television
journalist. I am trying to
discover whether =
any information has been
released in Nepal about the
funeral =
arrangements for Sergeant
Balaram Rai, who was
tragically killed in =
Kosovo.
Any help would be gratefully
received.
J. Hawker"
No definitive information has
been released as of Wed
morning (30th June) Nepal
time. The last news we had
here was that the body would
be flown to Nepal if the
family wished as much but
there has been no confirmation
if this will happen. If you
have more definitive news,
please send to my email
address.
I am a historian who has
worked on themes related to
Gurkha history.
best,
Pratyoush Onta,PhD
******************************************************************
From: Paramendra Bhagat <PBhagat@ChaiTime.net>
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: (this from a sawnet post... ) forwarded message
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 11:21:00 -0400
(this from a sawnet post... ) forwarded message
> I have started to resist the things I let go for a long time. It always
> bothered me when my parents would always ask me to do the dishes, serve
> the
> guests, where traditional Indian clothing, etc when they would never
> expect
> or ask my brother to do any of those things. It bothered me when I got
> married and my mother-in-law did the same thing with me and never asked
> her
> son. Finally, after a long time, I said something. I tried to talk to them
>
> calmly and understand why. All I got at first was denial. These were the
> reasons I got for not asking the sons:
>
> 1)He already knows how to cook
> 2)He is so tired after working (even though I work too)
> 3)You are closer to the kitchen
> 4)What is the big deal
> 5)He was sick
>
> It was so stunning to hear them rationalize the behavior. It was almost as
>
> if they were insulting my intelligence. When I offered reasoned arguments
> against all the issues above, they couldn't handle the truth and either
> avoided the issue or agreed, but defaulted back to the same behavior.
>
> What amazes me is that my mother complained to me many times about how she
>
> hated some of the traditional things they made her do and yet she has
> raised
> her son to be chauvinistic and wants me to do the things she complained
> about.
>
> My father has been willing to talk about the differences and admit that
> tradition as opposed to rationale being the driver but he still offers the
>
> following reasons to stop doing things like keeping my name, bringing up
> issues like the ones I mentioned above. How do I respond to these?
>
> 1)You are a drop in the ocean. You can't change the older generation.
> 2)You are simply upsetting yourself and others. Why not enjoy life?
> 3)You are ruining the fabric of society. Things came about through many
> years of experience and wisdom. You are naive and young and don't realize
> the value of tradition.
> 4)You should respect your elders
> 5)You are rocking the boat and will end up alienating your family
> 6)You are making a big deal out of nothing
> 7)Why not get a group together and if you can convince enough people, then
>
> resist. Until then, it is not a worthy cause.
> 8)Resist outside family and friends. Do it at work.
> 9)Just go along now. You can resist this one later.
Subject: Nepalese workers suffer in Kuwait
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 11:51:42 -0400
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_394000/394638.stm
**************************************************************
To: pkm@acpub.duke.edu
cc: a10rjs1@cs.niu.edu
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1999 10:37:40 -0500
Subject: Correction
Dear TND Editor,
On the July 15, 1999 issue of The Nepal Digest you published my poem titled "A Captive". But
underneath my name "7th Grade" appears. I do not know where did that come from. I checked my
original submission and I do not see that. I just wanted to inform you and your readers about this
typo. Though sometimes I wish I were in the 7th Grade, it wouldn't be the truth. Thanks again for
giving us the forum to publish and voice our opinions. It is greatly appreciated.
Thanks !!
Satish Mishra
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