#533 24 - 30 December 2010 16 pages Rs 30

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A satellite-eye view of the Indiansubcontinent on 16 December, withhaze cloaking the Gangetic plainson its way to the Bay of Bengal.

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Kanak Mani Dixit bids UNMIN adieu inthe interest of the Nepali peace process

Two Christians share their experience ofliving in a Hindu-majority country thisChristmas

Kashish Das Shrestha documents theeveryday of Nepali UN peacekeepers inHaiti, who have had an eventful year

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2010!

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ON THE WEBwww.nepalitimes.com

HELP OUR WORKERSI am against the government’sdecision to send women to work inmiddle-eastern countries (‘Helpingworkers abroad’, Roundtablediscussion, #532). Women and poorpeople are treated like slaves there.Everybody knows the human rightssituation–their attitude is even worse.Most of the people there believewomen who leave home to work areloose and don’t deserve respect.There have been many of reports ofwomen workers being raped andabused there.

R Rai

First and foremost there needs tobe at least 10 representatives from theoverseas workers in parliament toraise the concerns of migrant workersin Nepal. There are more than 3million overseas workers bringing inbillions of rupees annually; their woesmust be addressed and thegovernment must take action. Theymust be treated as heroes who havesaved the country from economicdebacle.

Shanti Dhami

Keep on hammering on the subjectto get the rules and system updated.The Nepal Government needs toemploy a new policy to make theirpeople skillful and trained and searchfor global demand for appropriaterecruitment. Putting manpoweragencies under close supervision andapplying the ILO convention will not beenough. Secondly, government shouldprovide an information desk in thelabour department so that a honest andhelpless Nepali can easily get the realinformation about recruitingcompanies, so he can judge forhimself whether the job is suitable ornot.

Engr. Arjun Bhattarai, NepalEngineer Association, Qatar Centre,

SAAC Nepal- Adviser

This news provides me with immensepleasure that the Nepali community hasstarted a discussion on Safe Migration ata responsible level. My Filipinocommunity developed practices based onstrict rules and regulations over 50 years.If the Government of Nepal is determinedto control the Cats, Wolves & Jackalsdealing in the migration trade it will beSAFE enough. You need help fromexternal experts, as your own strength isnot enough. Wishing you success.

Rodel Cawicaan

BAD BOYSHow many in Nepal have fired guns, andeven killed people (‘Who’s bad?’,Editorial, #532)? Have all of them beencensured by the press, and have all ofthem been punished under the law? Andhow many are still free, even whenconvicted by the Supreme Court? Shouldthe law not apply to all, without exception?

K. K. Sharma

Nothing wrong with this editorial, inmy opinion. If you do not like it, that’syour right, but it seems we are up for afight between the old monarchy and thenew oligarchy. It is indeed good to seethat the government actually has thecojones to do its job and follow dueprocess. Time will tell if anythingsubstantial comes out of this or, as isexpected, the government with its tailbetween its legs will let it pass after thedust settles.

Binoy Yonzon

DUMBOCRACYCannot disagree with the points raised inthe article but to be fair, it would havebeen better if the Gachchadars, theYadavs, and the Guptas were alsomentioned along with the lessons that theyhave taught (‘Hollow loktantra’, PrashantJha, #532). The writer may have hisreasoning but to some it may look likeselective sermonising.

Also, does this mean that the Nitishgovernment in Bihar has no corruption

and treats all law and order situationsequally? Universally, the Haves wereand are in a better position to be treatedmore favourably by the law than theHave Nots. This still is the case even inthe most democratic or law-abidingcountries in the world. Corruption, lawand order (maybe selective) are onething; vision, management, anddeliverance something else. Take Chinafor example– it has all of the above. Therefore, they are not mutuallyexclusive.

It is all about priority, it should be thepeople and country first, party second,and individual third. In Nepal it is theother way around. With rights comeresponsibilities; the only responsibilitythese days seems to be “me first”.

Reb

FINANCE FOR THE POOR, NOT THE RICHMicrofinance is always linked withpoverty reduction (‘Small is beautiful’,Paavan Mathema, #532). But what wealso need to consider is what level ofpoverty it addresses. Generally,microfinance caters well only to peoplewho are not destitutely poor, people whoare better off than the worst. People atthe lowest base of the pyramid find ithard to benefit from microcredit becausethey do not have sufficient time, energyand patience to wait for the incubationperiod of an enterprise. Such peoplewant instant results.

Lending to groups and establishinggroup liability is a feature of theGrameen model. India’s apexdevelopment bank NABARD came upwith the SHG (Self Help Group) model.The problem related to microfinance inAndhra Pradesh, India is more becauseof the over-commercialisation of themicrofinance sector. In India, themicrofinance sector was becoming avery attractive sector for investors andmany fund/wealth managers werecanalising investments towards it. If wereally want to link microfinance withpoverty reduction, we should never

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

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2|EDITORIAL

Q. Should students be involved in politics?

Weekly Internet Poll # 533

Q. Were the police right to arrest Paras Shah?

Weekly Internet Poll # 534. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

A s darkness falls, instead of pushing ontowards home and hearth, more urban Nepalisare likely to be tempted to tarry awhile, if not

in their generator-powered offices, then inrestaurants and bars in cities that will offer themsome respite.

By now, we are all resigned to another longperiod of loadshedding this winter and beyond. Weare equally resigned to the incompetence of anelectricity authority that has done so little toincrease grid capacity or reduce leakage of whatlittle we have that things are bound to get worsebefore they get better. The irony is not lost on thosewho are relieved to hear that power cuts may peakat ‘just’ 14 hours a day.

But there is something that could be done toshed some part of the load borne by all of us, notjust those who can afford to purchase generators,inverters and (still not cheap) solar power. If onlygovernment showed more imagination than whatthey have displayed thus far in resolving Nepal’spolitics, then daylight saving time (DST) couldlighten the days ahead.

It has been estimated that if Nepal StandardTime were pushed forward one hour and 15 minutes,then we could reduce our electricity shortfall byabout 16MW, and thus loadshedding by about 40minutes a day. DST would delay the time at whichsunset and sunrise occur by one hour and 15

minutes, which would reduce electricity usage duringevening peak hours. This would outweigh theincreased use of electricity in the mornings.

The supply shortfall this winter is 440MW and thistranslates into 14 hours of power cuts a day. Nepalisare not rioting in the streets only because they havecome to expect nothing from the inept government.DST can reduce the shortfall by 15 per cent.

Systems loss and pilferage of mains electricity isat 45 per cent, highest among Asian countries.Cracking down on power thieves alone could reducelosses by 25 per cent, which would be like adding a150MW power plant. The other reason for the powercrisis is our dependence on run-of-the-riverschemes. The time has now come to think aboutstorage plants that capture monsoon runoff inreservoirs to generate peak power.

Of course, DST is no straightforward adjustmentfor a populace unused to it, or unaware of its potentialadvantages. The benefits would have to outweigh thedisadvantages to early risers such as farmers, andthere has to be a strong awareness campaign beforeimplementing it.

The reason to go for a one hour and 15-minuteDST shift is also to adjust the petty-seeming 15-minute time difference with India to a morereasonable 1.5 hours. And when we do finally get tothe point where our hydropower dreams are realised,DST can always be revoked.

Total votes: 2,502

SHED THE LOAD

forget to address it as a social weapon orpoverty alleviation tool and not interpret itas a commercial booster servinginvestors alone.

Prashanta

BLOWING HOT AND COLDA balanced view on wind power (‘Ridingthe wind’, Rubeena Mahato, #532). Greatthat Ms Mahato does not push wind poweras the panacea for the power crisis inNepal. Solar or wind, nothing can evercompare to hydro and the reporters whogo gaga over alternative energy withoutunderstanding the basics need to learntheir abcs first.

I like the idea of promoting wind inoff-grid places without scope formicrohydro. And Ms Mahato’s signaturestyle of showing people taking the lead isgreat as always. Way to go Mr. Thapaand all the students who built the turbine.

kaji

CORRECTIONIn ‘Helping workers abroad’, #532,the name of Ramesh Badal, legaladvisor to GFONT, was inadvertentlyprinted otherwise. Hansaraj Wagle isthe ex-vice chair and Madan Mahatthe first vice chair of the NepalAssociation of Foreign EmploymentAgencies. The error is regretted.

KIRAN PANDAY

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533 OP-ED|3

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

Rakesh Sood could havebeen more diplomatic, buthe is not to blame for Indianpolicy on the Maoists

The diplomat’s burden

NEW DELHI. Recent discussionsin Kathmandu about thepossible departure ofAmbassador Rakesh Sood reflectdeep ignorance of how policy isformulated in complexgovernment set-ups. It alsomisses a more overarching reality– India, like Nepali politicians,has moved on from the 2006framework to a more uncertainand dangerous trajectory.

In diplomacy, individualsmatter, but it is rare for them toovercome the systemic red lines.

In 2005, foreign secretaryShyam Saran, intelligence chiefPK Hormese Tharakan, andambassador Shiv ShankerMukherjee played aninstrumental role. They helpedconvince India, a status quoistpower in the region, to support afairly radical change in theneighbourhood.

But they were aided in thistask by a range of broaderpolitical factors. The king’sactions; GPK’s willingness todeal with the Maoists; thestrengthening of the Baburamline within the Maoists; theIndian government’s dependenceon the left parties internally; thefocus on the ‘peaceful periphery’in Delhi’s policy circles; and agrowing recognition that royalrule was not sustainable allcreated the context for the12-point agreement.

The guiding principle herewas to help get the Maoists intothe ‘mainstream’, but ensurethey remained a secondary force.

Indian diplomats workedovertime to fulfil this dual,often contradictory, aim. Toassure the Maoists, theyconsented to UNMIN; backed theCA roadmap; encouraged Maoistparticipation in government; andasked other parties to be flexible.To weaken them, they supportedMadhesi forces, pushed Maoistsduring the arms agreements,assured the Nepal Army itsinterests would be protected,and bet on elections to lock theformer rebels in.

The election results showedtheir plan – or at least its secondcomponent – didn’t work, butDelhi stuck to the same script.

When Rakesh Sood arrived inApril 2008, his brief specifiedthat the Maoists had to begiven their rightful share in thepower structure, but also hadto be kept under strong check.Sood’s initial statements werein fact interpreted by NCleaders as being too soft on theMaoists.

It was Maoist actions ingovernment that alienatedmultiple constituencies – NCleaders, traditional religiousleadership, the businesscommunity, and of course, theNA generals, who all feared lossof power and privileges. All ofthem began lobbying hard withIndia to ‘do something aboutthe Maoists’. The Maoistrhetoric on equidistance andattempts to play the China cardhad anyway not won it friendsin Delhi. And when they actedagainst General Katawal, India– which had repeatedly warnedDahal away from the army –reacted. Delhi decided it couldnot ‘let the Nepal Army fall’,and allow ‘Nepal to turn into aMaoist state’.

While the ambassador’sinputs played a part in shapingsuch a line, it was by no meansSood’s policy. Assessments byRAW, Indian defence brass, theIndian home ministry, theanti-Maoist orientation of thepolitical leadership in Delhi,and the changing domesticequations in Nepal all playedan equally important role inconvincing India’s cabinetcommittee on security that theapproach had to be reviewed.Sood naturally became the faceof the new Indian hardlinepolicy – keep the Maoists outat all costs, force them to‘reform’, engage them withoutgranting any concessions, andwhen necessary, confront them.

Keeping the largest partyout of power in anothercountry is a hazardousenterprise. And from theperspective of establishmentinsiders, Sood turned out to bean effective diplomat whosucceeded in implementing anunpopular policy line.

Could Sood have presenteda more nuanced view to Delhi,and used Indian leverageconstructively to get theprocess back on track? Perhaps,by offering more carrots alongwith sticks to the Maoists.

Could his style have been lessabrasive? Definitely, as evensome of his colleagues in MEAagree. And could he have dealtwith issues like Kantipur andMRP differently? Yes, by takinga broader view of India’sinterests and conveying hiscase more diplomatically.

But to conclude that theambassador was at the root of

the India-Maoist impasse, andhis exit – whenever it happens –will change policy is shockinglynaive. Only this week, Indiansources said that a crisis hadmerely been postponed byextending the CA last year; thatthey saw no chance of theMaoists compromising onfundamental issues; and it wasimportant for Nepali ‘democratic

forces’ to stick together and beready for the comingconfrontation next May. “Wehave the appetite for a fight,Nepali forces must be ready,” saida senior official.

Rakesh Sood represents thestrategic resolve in India to takethe Nepali Maoists head on ifneeded, and a tough intolerantapproach on ‘security issues’ thatis the hallmark of Indiandiplomacy in the neighbourhood.A more balanced assessment ofhis tenure, instead ofsuccumbing to a black-and-whiteportrayal, will only help usunderstand the complex India-Nepal relationship better.

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #5334|NATION

Not missing UNMINhe United Nations Missionto Nepal, UNMIN, is to bethanked profusely for its

efforts with the peace process andgraciously shown the door whenits term expires on 15 January. Inthe meantime, Nepali politicalactors including the Maoists mustconcentrate on making successfula unique process that wasdesigned by Nepali stakeholders,starting with the 12-pointunderstanding of 2005.

In its first days, many did feelreassured by UNMIN’s presence asa symbol and guarantor of theinternational community’scommitment to peace anddemocracy in post-conflict Nepal.After the Constituent Assemblyelections of April 2008, however,UNMIN’s remaining task ofmonitoring the cantonments wasconducted without distinctionand at great cost. Even whilerepeatedly misleading the SecurityCouncil with its own version ofevents, the Mission leadershipconstantly sought to expand itsmandate to be the arbiter of Nepal’speace politics. There is no doubtthat the Mission’s inability tochallenge the Maoists to stand bythier peace commitmentscontributed to that party’sobduracy, helping delay the peaceprocess. Those who had lobbiedhard for UNMIN’s deployment in2006 were let down.

The question arises whether weshould not seek accountabilityfrom the UMNIN leadership in thesame manner we do from ourpoliticians and bureaucrats. WhileKarin Langdren, the present chief,has been rewarded with apromotion and a Burundiassignment, the tone and tenor ofUNMIN’s work was set by theformer chief Ian Martin, and TamratSamuel, the designated Nepalhandler at the UN Department ofPolitical Affairs. Together, Martinand Samuel sought to injectUNMIN into our peace politics,seeking sociological roots toNepal’s conflict when disarming ofthe Maoist Party should have beenthe priority. It is they who certifiedUNMIN’s erroneous reading of theMaoists as true agents of progressivechange and the other major partiesas carriers of the status quo.

Even as the Maoist leaders todayengage in rearguard action toextend UNMIN’s term, we need tobe clear that continuation of theMission beyond 15 January will –ironically – derail Nepal’s peaceprocess. In turn, this will guaranteethe collapse of constitutionwriting, the deadline for which isend-May 2011. The Maoists havepreferred to use UNMIN as asecurity blanket, and they wouldutilise another extension tofilibuster further and influence thelast days of the ConstituentAssembly.

Pushpa Kamal Dahal lacked thesagacity and courage to convertUCPN (Maoist) into a civilian partywhen it was united under his

Asking UNMINto stay onwill only

jeopardisethe peaceprocess

T command. Now, challenged by histwo deputies, the chairman seeksto appease the cantonmentcommanders, peace process bedamned. He seeks to link UNMIN’sdeparture to constitution makingand government formation eventhough the 2006 agreement on theintegration/rehabilitation of ex-combatants allows noconditionality.

Fortunately, the politicalparties and the internationalcommunity are not about to betaken in by the Maoist bluff thistime around. UML and NC onWednesday reiterated theirposition on the non-renewal ofUNMIN’s term, and Prime MinisterMadhav Kumar Nepal has remainedsteadfast. The word from New Yorkis that the Security Council is notabout to reverse its decision andprovide another extension. Thechange of guard at the UK and USembassies in Kathmandu seems tohave delivered a more balancedinternational approach, andChina has spoken out againstUNMIN extension as well. Germanyand India joining the SecurityCouncil as non-permanentmembers on 1 January will favourthe successful conclusion of thepeace process.

Anyone who wants to see theConstituent Assembly proceedwith its work must answer thequestion that UNMIN never asked– can any civilised society beexpected to proceed withconstitution writing when oneparty retains its private combatantforce? Why did the Mission notpublicly urge the Maoists toimplement the repeatedpronouncements of ChairmanDahal as prime minister, that thecantonments had in fact comeunder the Special Committee onintegration and rehabilitation?

The urgent requirement of thenext three weeks is to transfer themodest task of monitoring the 28cantonments from UNMIN to theSpecial Committee, after which thework on integration andrehabilitation can begin in earnest.The transfer of responsibilityshould not be a problem inprinciple, because the committeeas well as its technical secretariatinclude the Maoists members. Andit is a good sign that the Maoistsagreed to the appointment ofexperienced ex-general BalanandaSharma as coordinator.

Looking ahead beyond the faitaccompli of UNMIN’s exit, thedemocrat-politicians anddiplomats must stand firm as theMaoists seek to manufacture adeadlock. Chairman Dahal perhapsknows that if he pushes too far,the resulting political snowballcan lead to a situation of nointegration/rehabilitation at all.While the polarisation within hisparty may not allow the chairmana free hand any more, standing upto UCPN (Maoist) is the best wayto promote its democraticevolution.

KANAK MANI DIXIT

Tamrat Samuel(left) and Ian

Martin,Lalitpur, 2006

Tamrat Samuel(left) and Ian

Martin,Lalitpur, 2006

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533 BUSINESS|5

NEW DELHI. Arriving atDelhi’s gleaming new Terminal 3gives one the impression thatthis city has indeed upgradeditself to meet internationalstandards. Spread over 500,000square metres, this is one of theworld’s largest terminals, built tohandle 34 million passengers ayear. Although you may still havea few complaints (baggage losses,arrogant and/or untrained staff),it’s a tremendous improvementfrom the congested, polluted, anduncomfortable terminal buildingof the past. An urban plannertold this beed that if India haddepended on aid agencies tobuild an airport of thismagnitude, then it would havetaken ten years instead of justfour. The biggest lesson for Nepalis that large infrastructuraldevelopments might be better offin the hands of local privateoperators than donors.

Rapid development of urbaninfrastructure obviouslyfacilitates one’s ability to dobusiness in a city. The expandedDelhi metro network has helpeddecongesting city roads andrendered commuting easier andfaster, decreasing the economiccosts of traffic jams. The over-charging cabbies complain thatbusiness is down but surely massrapid transit is a crucial factor inmaking cities livable. We maystill be battling hours of dailyloadshedding here, but it is

Nepali lessons from theworld’s future power center

Delhi diary

ECONOMIC SENSEArtha Beed

important that we explore thepossibility of rapid electrictransit systems for intercitytraffic. Malaysia, a country with asimilar population to Nepal,consumes 22,000MW while weare projected to be using just5,000MW by 2025. It’s time wecalculated domestic energydemands and plan for selfsufficiency in supply.

Small and mediumenterprises are growing rapidly inIndia and this emerging segmentpresents a business opportunitymore feasible for Nepal thantrying to attract the attention ofthe big Indian giants. Indiantourists, too, comprise thehighest percentage of visitors toNepal. But we as a destinationhave to compete with many othercountries that are actively wooingIndian tourists. Nepal needs tolaunch specific promotionalpackages to increase the interestof Indian tourists in coming overand spending money.

Anti-Indian sentiment blowshot and cold in Nepal but whatcannot be denied is theimportance of India to Nepal, incontrast to the significance ofNepal to India. In fact, Nepal ismore of a potential security issuethan anything else. In the last sixmonths, key world leadershave made pilgrimages toDelhi, indicating India’s risingglobal standing. The onus ofengaging with India lies squarelywith Nepal.

We need more Nepalis to go toDelhi, market Nepal’s economicpotential, and provide reasons forIndia’s engagement rather than

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New gadgetsSimmtronics Semiconductors, a memory module andmotherboard manufacturer, has launched its products in Nepal.Simmtronics products include memory modules of 128 MB to2 GB for over 6,000 different types of desktops, servers, laptops,desktop PCs, motherboards for Intel/ Nvidia, Nvidia graphiccards, and flash drives.

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Double winLaxmi Intercontinental, the sole authorised dealer of Hyundaifour-wheelers, has picked the winners of its scheme DashainTihar ko Bela Hyundai ko Upahar Mela. The winners MitraBandhu Poudel, Amarnath Bade Shrestha, and Jeevan NathSapkota took home a Santro GLS, an i10 Magna, and an i20 Astarespectively.

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Expanding JanataJanata Bank has opened its fifth branch in Birganj. The bank hasplans to open branches in Gaur‚ Fungling‚ Birtamod andInaruwa.

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Teen queenKriti Tamang Lama has won the Miss Teen 2010 title. AnjaliPradhanang and Alisha Kunwar were named first and secondrunner-up respectively. The pageant was organised by JCIKathmandu.

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Biz plusStandard Chartered Bank has introduced ‘a Business PlusAccount’ to cater to small and medium enterprises. The accountis exclusively for private limited, sole proprietorship, andpartnership businesses and offers up to six per cent interest.

make trips to seek political orfinancial favours. We need toreassess the responsibilities ofour embassy in India. Perhapsthe time has come to outsourcesome of these relationship-building activities.www.arthabeed.com

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #5336|OP-ED

MY TAKEDamakant Jayshi

e seem to be moving more towards presidential rule after28 May next year rather than promulgating the newconstitution and holding elections thereafter.

Unless the political parties agree on the major contents of theconstitution, the make-up of the future Nepali state, and delinkingthe Maoist political party from its army, the existing ConstituentAssembly-cum-Legislature/Parliament will die on 28 May, 2011.Gone with it will be the prime minister (caretaker or otherwise), thespeaker/chairman, and all the committees of the ConstituentAssembly.

Only the president’s office will remain active. Of course, lawyersclose to the Maoists and the Maoist leaders themselves and theirarmy of apologists have argued that the president too will cease toexist.

It will be in no one’s interest, least of all the Maoists’, to havepresidential rule. Surprisingly, the dominant sections of the threemajor parties – NC, the Maoists, and UML – are open to PresidentRam Baran Yadav (pictured below with Indian Army Chief VijayaKumar Singh, Wednesday) stepping in. Clearly they have their owncalculations.

Let us take the Maoist party first. Having tried all the angles itcould think of, from civilian supremacy to national sovereignty,enforcing a nationwide shutdown to issuing the open threat ofpeople’s revolt, the party has failed to ignite the desired passionamong large sections of the populace. Exasperated, it even triedthrowing in the revival of the monarchy as a ‘cultural’ or ‘people’s’monarchy (whatever the last means). Nothing has clicked.

The party, especially Chairman Dahal, is looking for an agenda togalvanise the nation and especially its cadre base, which is growingdisenchanted by his ‘Rado’ culture. Presidential rule, before the CAdies a natural death, would provide just that spark. “We told youso,” will be the refrain from Dahal and his acolytes.

NC’s hardline faction wants the head of state to take matters inhand because it feels the country is sliding into chaos due to Maoistatrocities, obstinacy, and its refusal to accept a constitution thatguarantees constitutional supremacy, pluralism, an independentjudiciary, and a free press. They are gaining strength since theMaoists have continued to add fuel to their suspicions, thusweakening the moderates in NC who advocate courting the Maoistsand believe they can transform into a truly civilian democratic party.

The Madhav Kumar Nepal-KP Oli faction of UML would gladlyaccept presidential rule, now or post-28 May. These two leaders areitching to “teach the Maoists a lesson” and by proxy, their own partychairman Jhalanath Khanal, who is close to the Dahal-led faction ofthe Maoist Party.

Needless to say, these influential people do not believe theconstitution will be written and promulgated by 28 May, 2011. Butpresidential rule will not follow the script they may expect.

All the gains made since the success of People’s Movement II in2006 will be either lost or will come under attack from royalist forcesthat are already rearing their heads. Dahal would be too happy toeven formally align with them. He is already hobnobbing with themunder the umbrella of ‘nationalism’.

The sections in the big three parties and civil society that believethat the country has really made impressive gains and can build onit need to openly raise their voice in favour of writing theconstitution and settling the question of ex-Maoist combatants.Growing calls for presidential rule should be a wake-up call forthem, for it won’t be Dr Yadav who will be running the show if rulein his name is announced.damakant@gmail.com

President’s rule?

W

KIRAN PANDAY

724 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533LIFE TIMES

The general understanding of Christianity inNepal is that it was a very small communityprior to 1990, when proselytising was stillillegal, but that it is now growing apace. Willthe 2010 census to be revealing?Narkaji Gurung: Before1990, according toofficial government reports, the numbers ofChristians were small. However, there mayhave been more who were closet Christiansdue to the fear of opposition from family,community, and the government, and otherwho were unaccounted for. Post 1990, manyof these closet Christians have come out.Moreover, now that we are able to freelyevangelise, more people have theopportunity to hear and receive Christ astheir saviour. So yes, the 2010 census willbe revealing in this regard.

Sradda Thapa: One of the basics ofdemocracy is freedom of choice, includingthat of religion, so it would seem natural thatwith the end of the criminalisation ofChristianity, more Nepalis would be open toexploring their faith or admitting to it. As forthe census, any minority group wouldnaturally hope for an accurate reflection ofreality!

Why do you think so many Nepalis arewilling to convert now, and whichcommunities are they concentrated in? NG: Conversion is a matter of personal freewill. People may convert for variousreasons, some of which may be self-motivated but in the course of time those

“Being a Christian in Nepalis both a great privilegeand a positive challenge”

who are genuine converts will be revealed.I don’t think conversion is concentrated inany particular community though generallythe poor have been more receptive to themessage of Christ’s deliverance. This notsurprising considering they are the mostoppressed. Our small church of around 80represents nearly all strata of Nepalisociety.

ST: I’m not sure if more Nepalis are willingto convert now or if the removal of a statereligion (which labelled others as un-Nepaliand hence ‘illegal’) has permitted Nepalis tobe more open. But we’ve come a long waysince the bugging of Christian leaders’phones and open threats.

What is it like to be a Christian in Hindu-majority Nepal? Is there suspicion towardsthe community, and what would you say toHindus who may feel that in a secular statethey are ‘losing their religion’?NG: It is a great privilege and also at thesame time challenging in a positive way.Personally, I think the Nepali community asa whole is very welcoming and friendly toChristians. One thing that must be madeclear is that Christ did not come to start anew religion so the Nepali people shouldnot feel threatened that they will lose theirreligion. However, truths in the Bible dochallenge us to revaluate our religiousconcepts and practices, whether be itHinduism, Buddhism, Islam or evenChristianity itself.

ST: Since my childhood, when I wasscared to proclaim my faith, to my teenageyears, when non-Christian Nepalisperceived me as less of a Nepali at bestand more of a traitor at worst, things havegotten better. These days, well-travelled,educated and urban Nepalis are moreopen to the idea of freedoms, so there areopportunities to learn about each other’sfaiths. Actually I feel Christianity can helpexpand Nepali culture; we sing Christianhymns to Nepali tunes, wear traditionalclothes and serve Nepali meals at ourfunctions.Institutionally – from the state that stillfrowns upon proselytising to mediahouses that run Dasain specials but notLhosar, Eid or Christmas specials toschools that do not post ‘Merry Christmas’on bulletin boards like they would for‘Vijaya Dashami’, minority groupsobviously realise that they still reside in a‘Hindu’ state. But I don’t think I feelthreatened or consider it malicious – it’sbeen an opportunity for me to experiencehow it must be like for Hindu Nepalis inculturally Christian countries elsewhere.It’s made me consider how to makespaces more comfortable for themarginalised and minorities of any kind.

What about the accusations aboutmissionaries who ‘bribe’ or ‘takeadvantage’ of poor people, convertingthem with promises of money or materialbenefits?

NG: Some of these accusations are validbecause sad to say, there are those who dofollow such practices. It could also be alack of wisdom on the missionaries’ part;they have a genuine desire to shareChrist’s love but they may do so withoutproper discernment. However, in somecases missionaries are not to be blamedbut those who come to them with variousexpectations of personal gain. Many timesit could just be that the missionary isaddressing a need someone may have andthose who are envious make accusations.

Would you like to share your personalexperience of finding Christ?

NG: I came to Christ in 1996 shortly after atwo-month backpacking journey in India. Ibumped into two English missionaries inShimla. We decided to travel together fortwo weeks, at the end of which they gaveme a Bible as a gift. After returning toNepal, I began to read the Bible and foundthat it answered some of the deepestquestions I had been struggling withregarding my origins, identity, purpose anddestiny as a human being. It also providedthe forgiveness, acceptance and love Isought in the person of Jesus Christ. Myconversion was a simple affair. Oneevening I was reading the Bible and I cameto a portion of the Scriptures, Romans5:6, “For when we were yet withoutstrength, in due time Christ died for theungodly. For scarcely for a righteous manwill one die; yet peradventure for a goodman we would dare to die. But Godcommendeth his love towards us, in thatwhile we were yet sinners, Christ died forus.” After reading this I felt convinced thatJesus was the one who would save mefrom my sin so I said a short prayer in myheart, accepting Him into my life.

ST: It’s nothing exciting – my parents foundthe Lord when they were in their earlytwenties, so I was born into a Christianhome. But since Christianity isn’t a religionyou inherit from your parents or forefathersI made the conscious decision to acceptChrist as my saviour when I was 12. Iwaited till I was 24 to get baptised as it wasthe most important decision of my life.

What are you (and your congregation) doingthis Christmas?NG: The week leading up to Christmas Daywe have been singing carols in theneighbourhood where some of our believerslive. On Christmas Day itself we will havea service in the church in the morning withprayers, hymns, and a message celebratingthe story and meaning of Jesus’s birth. Wewill have a simple meal afterwards. Theservice is open to everyone, bothChristians and non-Christians. If youhappen in to be in Pokhara that day, youare most welcome to join too!

ST: We have had caroling at differentchurch members’ houses in the eveningsthis past week. We will have a specialprogram at church in the 25th and havebeen raising money and dipping into ourchurch funds (comprised of members’tithes, or 10% of our earnings) to buyclothes, bedding, stationery, and toys for asmall orphanage.

Anything else you would like to add?NG: Though there are differences amongchurches as to when exactly Jesus wasborn, most important to us is that His birthis a historical fact and He was born to dwellamong us to reconcile us to God. And whenwe celebrate Christmas we celebrate Christso actually for us every day is Christmas!

ST: Contrary to popular belief and thecommercialisation of this season, it’s notabout gifts and partying, as much as aboutremembering God’s largest sacrifice tomankind, the sending of his son, JesusChrist, to be crucified for us and our sins.

This Christmas, Nepali Times spoke to two members of thegrowing community of Christians in Nepal: Pastor Narkaji Gurungof Pokhara’s Zion Grace Church and second-generation believerSradda Thapa of the Areopagus Congregation.

STARTING OVER: Pastor NarkajiGurung (right) and Krishna Baniya (left)

baptise Sher Bahadur Gurung in theKali Khola, Pokhara, Christmas 2009.

8|LIFE TIMES 24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

es, the two movies reviewed here aren’t new by any stretch of theimagination but if you’ve been to Mahaboudha lately and consideredwhether you should invest in a ‘box set’ of all Pedro Almodóvar’s

films (upto 2006’s Volver), the only downside is that with 16 movies on twoDVDs, the video quality is just about good enough for laptop screens. Butthis won’t filter out the riot of wild and wacky human experience the Spanishdirector conjures up for the adventurous viewer.

Matador (1986) and Tie me up! Tie me down! (1989) are vintageAlmodóvar, and both feature a young Antonio Banderas. His performanceshere have nothing to do with the parodies he has too often indulged in withHollywood productions – nonetheless, they are of a piece with the extremenature of the films themselves.

Matador tells the story of would-be matador Ángel (Banderas), whofalls under the spell of the very weird Diego (Nacho Martinez), a matadorwho has retired since a near-fatal goring but continues to be obsessedwith death. “Treat a woman like a bull,” advises Diego, and Ángel tries to

oblige. He gets into trouble, and indeed seems intent on condemninghimself, but the arrival of a seductive lawyer, MaríaCardenal (Assumpta Cerna), heralds darker times.

The premise of the movie is shocking enough, andAlmodóvar has no hesitation in testing his viewers’ nerves timeand again. But the brilliant performances put in by the cast elevateMatador far above the realm of a gory psycho-thriller B-movie,whatever the parallels.

Tie me up! Tie me down! (¡Átame! in Spanish) seems positivelygentle by comparison, which goes to show just how Almodóvar hascontinually evolved in his capacity to portray a certain culturedbrutality, and the lives of those on the fringes of society, with charmand realism. Here we have orphaned Ricky (Banderas again),recently released from a mental institute and hot on the trail ofactress Marina (Victoria Abril), a recovering drug addict and formerporn star. Ricky kidnaps Marina and holds her captive in her ownflat, prepared to wait for her to fall in love with him. The two are asbeautiful as they are damaged: “Tie me up…just a little,” pleadsMarina as Ricky leaves the flat on one of his expeditions to bringdrugs for her. Whether you find Tie me up! Tie me down! convincingor not, it’s certainly compelling.

Both movies are flashy, dark, and full of sex and violence. Butget beyond the distractions, and you’ll find that like most ofAlmodóvar, they delve where we don’t often explore on our own,perhaps because we are afraid of what we might learn aboutourselves. A great way for Almodóvar fans to sample precursors ofhis more sophisticated later films.

A brace of Almodóvar Y

Photo Exhibition by GemunuAmarsinghe. Till 11 January, 11amto 2pm, Tuesdays closed, PeaceMuseum, Madan PuraskarPustakalaya, Patan Dhoka

Let’s talk about ART baby! acollaborative solo from the seriesof Artivities by artist SujanChitrakar. Till 27 January, 3.30pm,Siddhartha Art Gallery, BabarMahal Revisited, 4218048

Winter Art Collection, works byJapanese and Nepali artists.19 December to 24 January,Kathmandu Contemporary ArtsCentre, Jhamsikhel, 5521120

Peace 2010, exhibition ofpaintings and poetry. 23 Decemberto 4 January, Nepal Art Council,Babar Mahal

Assorted motifs, an exhibition ofpaintings by Chirag Bangdel andother artists. Till January 15,Chai Chai Café, Jhamsikhel

Staging of Suina Karnika, a newplay presented by Aarohan-Gurukul in association withKarnali Natya Samaj of Mugu.Till 9 January, Rimal Theatre,Gurukul, Old Baneswor, 4466956Christmas and New Year events

Christmas Confectionaries atHyatt, fine selection of Christmasconfectionaries, hampers andgingerbread houses are on saleat the Lounge of Hyatt. HyattRegency, Boudha, 4491234

Christmas Turkey Dinner, withsurprise visit from Santa and giftsfor all, festive menu, a free glassof Irish coffee and all UEFA &Premier League soccer games. 24 December to 1 January, K-too!Beer & Steakhouse, Thamel,4700043 Christmas by the fireplace,surprise visit from Santa with giftsfor all, turkey with all thetrimmings and a free glass of hotmulled wine. Festive menu from24 December to 1 January,Kilroy’s Restaurant, Thamel,4250440/41

EVENTS

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

LIFE TIMES|924 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

taxes, Exclusive 5-course candle-lit dinner, 24 December, ChimneyRestaurant, Rs 2,500 plus taxes,Christmas brunch, December25, Sunrise Café, Rs 1,200 plustaxes, Christmas hi-tea, a fun-filled event for the children fromBal Mandir with magic show andgift hampers, 26 December,Poolside Garden, 4248999

Christmas Eve Celebration atGokarna Forest Resort, one nightaccommodation with alavish Christmas Eve Dinner, aglass of sparkling wine, andbreakfast the next day.24 December, Gokarna, Room rateRs 11,000 Nett, Dinner onlyRs 3,500 per person, 4451212,sales1@gokarna.net

Celebrate Christmas at 1905Restaurant, traditional Christmasdinner. 1905, Kantipath, 4225272,4215068,restaurant_1905@yahoo.com

Celebrate New Year in The FulbariResort, sumptuous food, livemusic, traditional dances and lotsof games and prizes to be won.The Fulbari Resort, Pokhara,4462248, resv@fulbari.com.np,Rs 2,500 nett person

Sunday Jazz Brunch, enjoy arelaxing Sunday in The Terrace atHyatt Regency Kathmandu withbarbeque and live jazz music byInner Groove. 12pm to3.30pm, Hyatt Regency, Boudha,4491234/4489362

Humble Bee playing live atMoksh. Every Tuesday, 7.30pmonwards, Pulchok, 5526212

Live Music by Sign band at TheCorner Bar. Every day exceptTuesdays and Wednesdays,7.30pm onwards, The RadissonHotel, Lazimpat, 4411818

The Factory, a trendy restrobar fora refreshing stopover in the chaosthat is Thamel. Great food anddrinks, with zesty music. MandalaStreet, Thamel

Boudha Stupa Restaurant & Café,enjoy wood-fired pizza with asuperb view of Boudha stupa andfree wifi, candlelight dinneroptions are also available for theromantics every full moon night.Boudha, 2130681

Ramalaya Tea Room, now open fordinner, experience Chef Mohit’screations from Cider brined PorkChops to Guava Cheese. PaniPokhari, near Japanese Embassy,for bookings call 4006589,4006589

Ghangri Café, a quiet place withcomfortable sofas and a lovelycourtyard, perfect for those sunnyafternoons. Although famous fortheir open sui mai, they offer a fewother great dishes as well.Pulchok

Roadhouse Café, serves pizzascooked to perfection in wood-firedovens. Jhamel, 5521755

Jazoo, a quiet place ideal for beerand relaxing conversation. Bring afriend and enjoy their specialbarbeque set for a mix ofeverything, Jawalakhel, 5538321

New Orleans, offers a wide varietyof western dishes that arescrumptious yet healthy. We gothooked on the rosemary chickenand hamburgers. Jhamel,5522708.

Toni Hagen Fellowship 2010, theToni Hagen Foundation announcespost graduate fellowships forstudents of natural and socialsciences. Application deadline24 December, commencement offellowship 15 January, 2011, ToniHagen Foundation c/o HimalAssociation, Patan Dhoka,5542544, www.resourceshimalaya.org

Launch of AmarJyoti Foundation,December 26, to provide supportthrough scholarships in art andsports, elderly daycare and griefrecovery. 9851023958

MUSIC

The Merry Menu at Café Mitra, 4-course set menu by Chef MohitRana. 24 December to31 December, Rs 2,750 non-vegand Rs 2,200 veg, inclusive of allextras, Café Mitra & Lounge Bar,Thamel Marg, 4259015,9851023934

Share the Christmas Cheer atSoaltee Crowne Plaza, ChristmasEve Dinner, Garden Terrace,Rs 1,999 nett person, Rs 3,999nett per couple, Christmas DayLunch and Dinner at Poolside, forBarbeque Lunch, 12pm to 4pm,Rs 1,999 nett per person, Rs 3,999nett per couple, for BarbequeDinner, 6pm to 10pm, Rs 2,999nett per person, Rs 5,999 nett percouple, Christmas delights, cakesand pastries , Patisserie, Rs 3,500nett for a basket full of goodies,Tahachal, 4273999,www.crowneplaza.com/kathmandu

Christmas celebrations at Yak &Yeti, Christmas carol singing, till24 December, hotel lobby,Christmas Eve dinner, with lavishfood and live music, 24 December,Sunrise Café, Rs 1,600 plus

DINING

ANNOUNCEMENTS

10|HAPPENINGS

UNITED IN LANGUAGE: The management committee of the InternationalMaithili Conference organised a rally of Maithili language speakers onWednesday.

KIRAN PANDAY

TIME TO CELEBRATE: The Jyapu community of Kathmandu celebrates7th National Jyapu Day on Tuesday in Basantapur.The program wasorganized by the Jyapu Cultural Development Fund.

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

KIRAN PANDAY

BACK TO THE ROOTS: Kiratis dress in their traditional attire and danceat a program organised in Nakhipot, Lalitpur, to observe Sakela Udhauli,a Kirati festival that marks the harvesting season.

WEEKEND WEATHERby NGAMINDRA DAHAL

FRI SAT S U N

20-2 19-1 18-0

KATHMANDU

WEEKEND WEATHERby NGAMINDRA DAHAL

KATHMANDU

A dominant high pressure spread over the Tibetanplateau has marked the weather patterns of theHimalaya. Due to the pulling effect of the giantlow pressure zone in the southern hemisphere,the cold air of the north continues to spill over theplateau and the Himalaya to the south. As a result,temperatures have continued to drop by aboutone degree per week in the last three weeks. Thesatellite images of Thursday morning clearly showthat high pressure has turned the sky a dark blue.There are no clouds around either, so there islittle possibility of rain until the end of the year.Enjoy Christmas and the New Year under clearblue skies in the mountains but expect foggymornings in the valleys and the Tarai.

hen doctorscontemplate writing ahealth column, the

first thing that comes to mind isthe potentially monotonous topicof the common cold (‘ruga khoki’)or nonspecific upper respiratorytract infection, as it is known inmedical parlance. But let me run aquick quiz to rescue you fromboredom. Which of the followinghas been shown to decrease theduration of the common cold?The choices are : a) azithromycin(an antibiotic), b) vitamin C,

DHANVANTARIBuddha Basnyat, MD

KIRAN PANDAY

adenoviruses. In general, unlessa ‘super added’ infection hastaken root, bacteria are not theinitial culprits.

So, the answer to the abovequestion is not an antibioticbecause viruses, unlike bacteria,do not respond to antibiotics.Many people swear by vitamin C,but randomised controlled trials(RCTs, the gold standard inwestern medicine for judging theefficacy of any drug or device)have shown that vitamin Cdoesn’t cure a cold. Zinc andherbs are also ineffective. Sothe correct answer is, none ofthe above.

Washing your handsproperly and covering yourmouth while coughing willinhibit transmission of theillness to others. Influenza Aand B can be effectivelyprevented through annualvaccination. The US AdvisoryCommittee for ImmunizationPractices (ACIP) nowrecommends influenzavaccination for everyone above6 months of age, includingpregnant women. Moreimportantly, this year’sinfluenza vaccine incorporatesthe HIN1 (swine flu) vaccine aswell. H1N1 caused a scare lastyear and continues to beproblematic this year too.

So can the common cold becured or must you just sneezeand bear it? The drug treatmentis basically nothing, except someparacetamol, a nasaldecongestant, and coughmedicine. Just watch out for theside-effects of drowsiness whileyou’re at the wheel.

c) zinc, d) Echinacea herb e) all ofthe above, and f) none of theabove.

Upper respiratory tractinfections are the leading cause ofambulatory visits to the doctor’soffice. These infections arecharacterised by a stuffy nosewith some discharge (rhinorrhea),sore throat, cough, and a generalfeeling of being unwell. Thisillness is caused by viruses whichsometimes prepare the ground forbacteria to launch a ‘super added’infection. Some doctors say thatwhen the nasal discharge and thephlegm becomes green or yellow,the bacteria have settled in. Themost commonly implicated virusis the rhinovirus, followed by theinfluenza virus, and

Atchoo!

GREEN SCENE

nly a month ago Nepal Oil Corporationincreased fuel prices, including that of LPgas and kerosene, used in most households

for cooking and heating. A majority of those whocannot afford the luxury of LP gas or kerosenestoves rely on firewood.

“An alternative to traditional energy sources forheat is briquettes,” says Sanu Kaji Shrestha of theFoundation of Sustainable Technologies (FoST),which has been advocating production and usage ofbriquettes since 2004. A briquette is a block ofcombustible material that has the same utility asfirewood. It looks sturdy but is very light. Small-sized briquettes are used for cooking, grilling as wellas in fireplaces. Larger briquettes are often used forindustrial purposes. While charcoal briquettes arewell known, the uniqueness of the briquettesShrestha is talking about lies in the fact that that they

Handy wasteare made from waste materials.

Fuel briquettes can be produced from agriculturaland commercial residues including paper, sawdust,scrap wood, dried leaves and weeds, rice husks, andkitchen waste. All biodegradable waste, in fact.

The process of producing a briquette is quitesimple. The waste is ground and soaked for a while.A specially designed press is then used to compressthe mash into compact blocks. A ready-to-usebriquette forms after the block is allowed to dry inthe sun. Drying can take 2-7 days depending onthe weather.

A two-inch thick briquette six inches in diametercan burn for about 40 minutes. Shrestha says that abriquette emits 70 per cent less smoke than wood,thus reducing indoor air pollution. His organisation,FoST, is currently designing special stoves forbriquettes and is researching methods to improvethe technology.

FoST has already given training courses onbriquette production and usage in 40 districts. Abriquette pressing machine costs Rs 7,000 and canproduce over 20 kilos of briquettes a day. Briquettesare priced at Rs 20 a kilo. FoST has beenencouraging its trainees to start commercialproduction so that they can generate incomefrom briquettes. Shrestha has shared thistechnology in Afghanistan, Cyprus, Cambodia,India and the Philippines.

On the one hand, briquettes made from wastehelp in garbage management. On the other, theydecrease the consumption of wood and other fuels.Shrestha says: “This is an eco-friendly technologythat has double benefits.”Paavan Mathema

O

W

THIS WEEK

SOCIETY|1124 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

S

J

KALAMRabi Thapa

ust the other night, I woke up forno particular reason. No barkingdogs, no drunken rants from next

door, no errant cars. As I turned over toresume my repose, it occurredto me just how quiet itactually was. I strained myears to catch the inevitableinterruption. The deep silenceremained unbroken. Secondspassed, then minutes. I hadno idea what time it was. Butno dogs, no cars, no drunks.Absolute, pure silence: theworld around me was at rest.

For a few more minutes, Irelished the luxury of silence.I knew too well that thebeehive of Nepali lives wouldbegin buzzing soon, andwould continue to do sothroughout the day.

We are so accustomed tonoise in our neighbourhoodsthat we indulge in it as amatter of course ourselves,shouting, tooting and blaringour way through the day. Lastweek in a microbus, I wasforced to listen to a youngwoman whine along to amedley of English and Hindipop cheeping from her mobile phone,never mind that the vehicle’s speakerswere also booming out choice selections.Where’s the sense in that, I felt like askingher, (feeling like) slowly throttling herinto eternal silence.

What’s the big deal, you might say,why make a fuss about noise? Just like theconcept of privacy, the right to a littletranquility can too easily be dismissed asan individualistic Western concept. But ifwe are to embrace specific Western valuesas good and wholesome, then perhaps weshould also consider whether other suchvalues are equally worthy. Pick and choosefor a hybrid of Western and Nepali values,

sure, but this should be a consideredprocess, not random.

Take the concept of individual freedomso beloved of Nepalis of late. In moderntimes, this is indubitably a Westernconcept, with individual freedoms

Amid the useless noise surrounding the passingof the old year, here’s to pin-drop silence

Enjoy the silencecoordinating to create a working democracy.The key word here is coordination. For ifeveryone was to do whatever they felt likedoing, in the name of freedom, individualfreedoms would only coalesce into amorass of anarchy. Counterweights areneeded to ensure that individuals exercisenot just their rights, but also theirresponsibilities.

Not making unnecessary noise is one ofthese responsibilities thatcounterweight the right toexpress oneself loudly.Yes, it does sound petty,but not when you begin tosee that noise pollutioncan cause annoyance,aggression, high bloodpressure, and stress, amongother select perks of livingin close quarters withmillions of people. Godknows this city is hardenough to live in, for all itsunspoken joys. Why makeit harder?

The right to tranquilityis not such a Westernconcept either, if you canhear yourself think abovethe roar of the officegenerator, the “su ayo, suayo” of your colleague’sson, and the visiting idiotwhose declamations overthe phone can be heardacross 50 metres of open-plan office space.

Tranquility, or passaddhi, is a keyBuddhist concept that translates intotranquility of the body, speech, thoughts,and consciousness. Whatever for, you maywell ask. The answer is enlightenment.Passambhati bhava.

Special session offThe special session of parliamentsummoned by the president on therequest of the Maoists and otherparties ended without entering intoparliamentary business onThursday. Agreement was reachedjust before the scheduled secondsession of the special session tosummon a regular session instead,to be called within a week.

The agreement was madepossible by the Maoistswithdrawing the proposals theyhave registered in the House andthe annulment of the candidacy ofNC’s Ram Chandra Poudel. Theprocess to elect a PM will now haveto start afresh.

Indian Army Chief visitsPresident Ram Baran Yadavconferred the honorary rank ofGeneral of the Nepal Army tovisiting Indian Army Chief VijayaKumar Singh on Wednesday. Singhalso met with Prime MinisterMadhav Kumar Nepal and DefenceMinister Bidhya Bhandari.PM Nepal assured Singh hisgovernment would address Indianconcerns on cross-borderinfiltration by terrorists, and Singhexpressed willingness to supportthe Nepal Army. Singh said he washopeful that his visit to Nepal wouldhelp enhance the military relationsbetween the two countries. Hereturned to New Delhi on Thursday,winding up his four-day visit.

No extensionA meeting of the 27 political partiesin the CA on Monday decided not toextend the term of the high-leveltaskforce, formed to settlecontentious issues pertaining toconstitution writing. The partiesagreed to use the ConstituentAssembly and the ConstitutionalCommittee instead. The taskforceheaded by Maoist ChairmanPushpa Kamal Dahal reacheddecisions on 127 out of 220disputed issues.

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #53312|EDUCATION

s I flew into Nepal and was greetedby the sight of mountains obscuredby clouds of dust above a chaotic

spread of buildings, vehicles, and humanbeings, I couldn’t help but wonder whatdifference my short internship with aneducation-oriented NGO would make. Littledid I know these first impressions of sharpcontrasts and striking diversity, obscured bydust, would mirror my experience of Nepalieducation and convince me that thinkingglobally about reforming Nepali schoolsrequires ‘watching locally’.

Most would agree that it is necessary toprovide equal access to quality education forunderprivileged children. Unfortunately,many of the large-scale top-down educationreforms of the last few decades have usedapproaches akin to deploying jackhammerson nails. The universal, one-size-fits-allmodel promoted by these reforms ignores theethnic, cultural, economic and geographicdiversity of Nepali students. My internshipwith The Learning Center of Kathmandu(TLC), which is staffed by four Nepalis andhas an annual budget of under US$20,000,demonstrated how small, targeted programscan effect significant change.

It’s 6am in Maheshpur, Jhapa. Uniformedstudents emerge from the morning mist.Some have cycled from 15km away, andclassrooms are filled by 6.30am. The stage isset for two hours of Partners In Education(PIE) tutorials. The program pairs committedprivate schoolteachers withunderperforming,albeit promising,public schoolstudents in grades 8-10 for tutorials in thethree mostproblematic subjects– English, Math, andScience. It currentlyprovides free tutoringto more than 300children in Jhapa.Since its inceptionfive years ago, not asingle PIE-tutoredstudent has failed the SLC, an impressive100 per cent success rate compared to thenational average of 40 to 60 per cent. And thecost to donors? Less than US$4 per studentper month.

Leaving my home in central Europe at 16for better quality education abroad, I couldrelate to the apathy I have seen in the eyes of

Nepali public school children. TLC’s effortsto close the gap between the privileged andthe underprivileged via simple, concrete,targeted interventions has transformed thisapathy into the sparks of enthusiasm that Isaw in the classrooms of Maheshpur.

Witnessing thisnewfound passion forlearning, I wondered:Why doesn’t thisprogram reachchildren in other partsof Nepal?

Raphael Pradhan,the head of TLC, hassimilar questions. Hecites the example ofTara Bahadur Waiba.Tara was a domesticlabourer before joiningPIE in 2006.Completing three yearsof tutoring enabled

him to secure an impressive higher seconddivision result in the SLC. “He even receivedthe ‘Most Regular Student Award’ which TLCgives out annually for recognition of studentdedication. Despite the handicap of comingfrom a financially poor background, he hadthe zeal to further his studies and improvehis living standards,” Raphael remembers.

Today, Tara is studying in Bhairahawa andaspires to become a Health Assistant indentistry. “I would like to see more poor andunderprivileged students receive extra helpso that they can at least complete high schooland stand on their own two feet, just likeTara did,” Raphael says.

PIE has its limitations. Improved publicschool supervision is needed to ensure itdoes not become yet another excuse forabsentee teachers in government schools whothen claim responsibility for the results.Crucially, its scalability depends on theavailability of human capital and funding:in the absence of any support from aidagencies, the small individual donationssustaining TLC at the moment do not allowfor further expansion.

PIE will not solve the underlyingproblems of the Nepali education system,but it does promise more concrete results forindividual students than many largerprograms. So far aid agencies andgovernment have not hit upon the right mixof interventions for education in thedeveloping world. In the meantime, programslike PIE can help close the gaps. With publicsupport, targeted programs can be sustainedand scaled up to reach the widest possiblerange of beneficiaries.Support TLC and PIE at www.tlc-nepal.org

How to achieve a 100per cent pass rate in the SLC

PETER SUTORIS

ATargeted,

small-scaleprograms maymean more to

individualstudents than

large-scaleschool reforms

PETER SUTORIS

24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533 NATION|13

t seems we only hear about Nepal’s UNpeacekeepers when things go wrong. But thismay have something to do with the fact that

peacekeepers are deployed in the most difficult placesacross the globe, and the size of Nepal’s peacekeepingcontingents – Nepal is the second largest contributorto MINUSTAH in Haiti, and the fourth largestcontributor to UN peacekeeping missions overall.

Still, it has been an unusually busy time forNepali soldiers in Haiti this past year. First, therewas the January 12 earthquake, which left Nepalipeacekeepers unscathed, enhancing their ability to

Keeping the peaceTEXT and PHOTOS by KASHISH DAS SHRESTHA

respond quickly to help the locals. Then there wasthe outbreak of cholera, which was blamed on aSouth Asian strain of the virus allegedly broughtin by Nepali peacekeepers. And finally, there werethe presidential elections of November 28, whichMINUSTAH had a key role in ensuring the successof (though as with UNMIN, it is consideredpartisan).

Kashish Das Shrestha recently visited the Nepalipeacekeepers in Haiti, and here chronicles fragmentsof a soldier’s life, far from home.

A temporary Junior Commission Officer’s mess camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. On January 12, whenthe earthquake struck, all the Nepali troops here were gathered in this open field for an anniversaryevent. The quake struck minutes before the event started and the field immediately became a makeshifttreatment centre.

Young officers gather at The Famous Bar within the Nepali camp’spremises in Port-au-Prince after an evening of sports.

Nepali troops pose for pictures during a rest stop at a place they like tocall ‘Nepal Danda’ along the route between Mirebalais and Hinche, northof Port-au-Prince.

While there are female members of the Nepal Army serving in Haiti,most of them are medics. Seen here however are MPs and a captain atthe Mirebalais camp, the largest concentration of Nepali peacekeepingtroops in Haiti.

Soldiers can be regularly seen working out at the small gym in theNepali base in Port-au-Prince.

I

Lt. Col. Krishna ManShrestha addressesNepali troops in Hincheon their ‘commendable’conduct during theelections. In mid-November, whenHaitians demonstratedagainst MINUSTAHnationwide, localsdemonstrated againstthe Nepali troops hereand four Nepali officerswere injured.

A young man walkspast a beauty parlour inHinche, central Haiti.

14|FROM THE NEPALI PRESS 24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

Durga Lal KC in Kantipur, 19 December

LAMAHI (DANG). Disqualified Maoistcombatants are having a difficult timerehabilitating into society. They complainthat society still treats them like it didduring the insurgency years and that it isdifficult to mix with people. More than400 ex-combatants were designated asunqualified and sent home from thecamps by UNMIN.

“Society still perceives us negativelyas combatants,” says 20-year-old TufanSingh Kathayat of Kohalpur. “Some lookat us with a feeling of revenge. Somebelittle us, saying that we didn’t qualify.

Editorial in Nayapatrika, 20 December

The government installed a security printing pressworth millions of rupees that it received in grantsfrom donors three years ago to print confidentialdocuments. It is lying idle. With the SLCexaminations around the corner, the governmenthas not been able to decide whether to print thequestion papers within or outside the country.

Donors provided a grant of Rs 160 million forthe security printing press under the secondaryeducation assistance program, but Janak SikshaSamagri Kendra (Janak Educational MaterialsCentre) is now preparing to print the questionpapers in India, as has been the convention. Onthe one hand, the printing press is lying idle, onthe other, hundreds of millions of rupees areleaving the country. But printing question papersabroad in the name of maintaining confidentialitycannot be justified any longer.

The Commission for the Investigation of theAbuse of Authority and the Public AccountsCommittee of parliament have already instructedthe government to print the question paperswithin the country. The Ministry of Educationformed a taskforce under the former educationsecretary to study the issue but it recommendedprinting question papers outside the country,citing confidentiality requirements. In the event

Printing question papers

that the papers are to be printed in Nepal, thestudy suggested taking strict measures to ensureconfidentiality such as installing CCTVs anddeploying plainclothes security personnel.

The committee’s recommendations arerational but such measures alone will not ensureconfidentiality of question papers. In any caseconfidentiality can hardly be maintained even ifthe papers are printed in India when we have torely on government employees to distribute themto the districts. It is upto the government, theconcerned authorities, and the employees of thepress to maintain confidentiality of thedocuments printed, but they should be printedin Nepal.

Whither the disqualified?We picked up guns when we weresupposed to go to school. Our friendshave progressed, what do we do now?Where do we belong?”

They say that they have not been ableto get appropriate jobs. They feel putdown because of lack of education andemployment. The disqualifiedcombatants claim that the rehabilitationprogram was not enough to enable them toearn a living. They also complain thatthey did not receive the aid allocated tothem through an agreement between thegovernment and UNMIN.

“The rehabilitation program did nothave concrete results. If this situationcontinues, we will be compelled to pick

up guns again,” Kathayat says.He, along with two dozenother disqualified combatants,left home in search of work inLamahi.

“I don’t have an incomenow. At home, they ask me why I havereturned. My friends have jobs, what have Iachieved? How can I stay home in such asituation?, ” says Sunil Basnyat of Bardia.They also feel that the Maoist Party hasdeserted them. “They promised us manythings but left us alone in the end,” saysBhim Bahadur Budathoki. “It was not rightfor them to destroy our lives.”

The disqualified combatants say thatalthough they were given vocational

training after being disqualified, it wasnot enough for them to start a business.More than 100 disqualified combatantshave undergone training in veterinary,electrical wiring, and plumbing skillsfrom Rapti Technical School. “We haveonly had male students so far, but only afew are interested,” says Gopal Acharya,chief at the school. “It takes time toimprove their attitude, but things arechanging slowly.”

Nagarik, 22 December

The Last Resort, Nepal’s only bungee jumping company, has playeda major role in developing adventure tourism here. It was padlockedby locals Tuesday evening. The suspension bridge from whichbungee jumping takes place was built though the joint investmentof Nepali and foreign nationals in 2000 and spans the Bhote KosiRiver in Sindhupalchok District, but locals are nowclaiming ownership.

“The locals have padlocked the doors at the jumping point inthe middle of the bridge,” says Bishnu Neupane, director of TheLast Resort. “They have demanded that the ownership of thebridge be handed over to the VDCs and that the resort should rentit to use it.”

Listi and Marming VDCs lie on the periphery of the resort, andlocals from these VDCs have been making such demands over thelast 14 months. Although meetings were held between the officialsof the resort and the representatives of the VDCs all day on Tuesday,they could not come to an agreement.

“This bridge is private property, built on land we own. Thelocals of both VDCs have been allowed to use the bridge,” explainsNeupane. “We have contributed Rs 3.3 million to the two VDCs fortheir development.”

During the meeting, Neupane offered the VDCs an additionalRs 4 million each. Although Marming agreed to the proposal, Listidid not. Another meeting is scheduled for Wednesday with themediation of the district administration.

Neupane adds: “We have had a smooth relationship with thelocals for many years. This sudden action has baffled our foreignpartners. They say that they cannot understand why they are notbeing allowed to work even though they had helped thelocals with honest intentions.” Neupane has warned that thisincident will send out negative messages in the run-up to NepalTourism Year 2011.

The Last Resort was set up 11 years ago for the purpose ofbungee jumping, through a joint investment of Rs 15 million fromfour individuals from New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands,and Nepal. The resort is spread over an area of 0.63 hectares and has25 two-person tents.

Over 15,000 people have visited The Last Resort to dive fromthe bridge into a narrow gorge from a height of 160 metres. Nepalinationals are charged Rs 3,000 while foreigners are charged 65 Euros,for a package including transportation and lunch.

Editor's Note: The locals agreed on Wednesday to allow the resort'scontinued operation in exchange for additional financial supportto the VDCs.

Nosedive

Chair: Prime MinisterVessel: Special House Session

Batsyayan in Kantipur, 20 December

INTERVIEW|1524 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #533

Interview with UML politburomember Pradip Gyawali inChhalphal, 19 December

Chhalphal: Why did UMLgive up its neutral positionin the PM election and whois likely to lead the newgovernment?Pradip Gyawali: Our honestand relentless efforts to form anational unity government forthe past five months yielded noresults. The never-endingelection process has createduncertainty. Ideally, there is noalternative to nationalconsensus but as the chance ofconsensus is waning, wedecided to open up room for thepossibility of a majoritygovernment as well. We are opento all possibilities. But webelieve there is no possibility ofthe Maoists leading thegovernment until they aredisarmed. We have not specifiedwho should lead thegovernment. Any democraticforce can lead.

It means the Maoists don’thave a chance to lead thegovernment.First of all, the Maoists are notdisarmed. Second, they havefailed to garner the requiredmajority in the past andwithdrew their candidacy.Therefore, I don’t see anypossibility of the Maoistsleading the government.

So the neutral stance ofUML for nationalconsensus has now beenproved wrong?The decision was not wrong but

Rabindra Mishra in Nagarik, 22 December

Nepal’s sightless idealists are trying to cloak their immoralitywith sweeping talk of high ideals. In most of them, there is nohumanity, only inhumane selfishness. They talk loftily ofpeople’s democracy or pluralism, but couldn’t care less aboutfamilies that commit collective suicide because they have nothingto eat, or of small children who have to hang onto wire bridges togo to school. These paper idealists are not interested in real change.Those who believe that change can only come through idealismare slaves of idealism, not real vehicles of change. They only wanttheir ideology to be victorious, they want to win elections, beprime minister. They don’t really care what happens to the countryin the process. This country will not be remade with ‘people’sdemocracy’ or ‘pluralism’. Our country will not be built byidealism but with unity, integrity and hard work: qualities inwhich our political leadership scores zero.

Nepali citizens are fed up with the slogans of a ‘new Nepal’.When ex-crown prince Paras was detained for a familiar charge ofshooting a gun, there were rallies in his support, he was greetedlike a leader when released. Where were those who used to shoutslogans against Paras? The manner in which ex-king Gyanendra,Paras and Himani are regaining public acceptance is a warning tothose who thought Nepal would be heaven once we turned into arepublic. In fact none of the political parties look set toinstitutionalise the new republic through a new constitution. NCand UML want the blame for the inability to write a newconstitution to go to the Maoists. The Maoists are reconciled tonot having a new constitution and are preparing for a ‘people’srevolt’. And the civil society that the Maoists abandoned are toobusy trying to patch up their frayed ranks.

There are six months to go for the new constitution. If thepolitical parties can agree the term may be extended again. But ifthere is no agreement why extend it? Instead of focusing on realissues they want to change the flag, others want the word‘pluralism’ inserted in the democratic constitution. Why gettangled in these meaningless debates? Will changing the flag fillthe stomach of a hungry Nepali? Will it help Nepalis hold theirheads high? And if we change the flag, why not change the nameof Nepal as well since it has feudal antecedents?

If the constitution is not written in time, the politicalpolarisation will be hard to control. At that time, the gun andmuscle will triumph over principles. It will take a long time tobring things back to normal. The present rulers have wrecked thiscountry’s beautiful past and its potentially beautiful future. Atthis rate they will fall into the holes they have dug themselves.

Blind idealists“We are open”

did not get implemented. Theundeniable fact is that anational unity government wasand is still relevant for writingthe constitution andcompleting the peace process.It did not work out becauseothers did not cooperate.UML’s effort alone was notenough.

Is there still the possibilityof a national consensus?We are still making efforts for anational consensus. We arediscussing the probablemodalities of a consensusgovernment. For instance, thistransition period should bedivided up into three phases:first the peace process, thenconstitution writing, andfinally a new election for a newgovernment. The big threepolitical parties will lead the

government in turn throughoutone phase.

This means the possibilityof a majority governmenthas increased.That’s right. If a consensusgovernment is not possible, amajority government should beformed to end the currentimpasse. But even in a majoritygovernment, there are twothings we should focus on.First, the government ofmajority will keep striving for aconsensus government forwhich it should be ready.Second, efforts should be madeto forge a consensus inconstitution writing and thepeace process.

Does your party lead orsupport NC in forming amajority government then?Since the Maoists cannot leadthe government, there is apossibility of NC leading thenew government. We don’t haveselfish and self-centred motivesto claim a government underour leadership. UML is ready totake the responsibility if otherswant us to. We don’t have anypreconditions and prerequisitesfor whoever takes theleadership. We are open.

Who does UML nominatefor the post of PM in thenew process then?This is yet to be discussed. Wecan take the responsibility butwe don’t claim leadership. Ifother parties feel UML shouldtake the lead in the newprocess, then we will field ourcandidate.

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24 - 30 DECEMBER 2010 #53316|BACK SIDE

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fter he resigned Makunay told ushe’d be out of Baluwatar byDasain. He forgot to tell us which

Dasain. Looks like he’ll be taking-care tillOctober 2011. Does the fact that ComradeAwesome has started parting his hair inthe middle have anything to do withanything?

‘Tis the season to be merry, so I knownone of you out there want to hear aboutthe never-ending feud between andwithin the various political parties thathas brought Nepal to a standstill. Andthey’ve made sure there are enoughdistractions so we don’t notice thedeadlock. As soon as one scandal showssigns of disappearing from the headlines,another one is cooked up. Just as mediainterest in the Paras-Rubel duel started towane, we got the CIAA raid on Dabur. Ass’prediction: there will be another scandalnext week.

Of all the scandals, the most intriguing isthe Case of the Vanishing Pistol.After making a statement that he pointeda gun at Rubel’s head and then fired intothe air, Porous now says there was no gunand no firing. And after he found out thatall his shenanigans were going to beuncovered Rubel also retracted hisoriginal statement and said there had beenno shooting after all. Oh yes, when Dad-in-law GPK was medevaced to Gleneaglesearlier this year, parliament approvedS$400K but the total hospital bill came to

The Case of the Phantom FirearmA

only S$70K. Someone was laughing all theway to the bank for sure. So, Sasoo Suziecancelled a scheduled press con, and alsostopped making demands for a thoroughsearch of Nirmal Nibas for the phantomfirearm. Are the two princes in cahoots,or what?

No other country perhaps comes anywhereclose to us when it comes to shootingourselves in the foot. Just when it lookedlike Chitwan was all poised for theElephant Sport Week, mahoots incahoots went on strike. Just when TheLast Resort was booked solid for Christmasand New Year, the VDCs on either side ofthe Bungy Bridge decided to padlock it tilltheir extortion demands were fulfilled.

The owners and locals have now come to acompromise that, unsurprisingly, requiresthe former to shell out more moolah for theprivilege of using their own bridge on theirown land. Great way to welcome 2011.Government is not silent; here is an actualWikiLeak phone transcript fromWednesday:

Female Board Member of NTB: “Thesituation there concerns me…my daughteris on a school trip to Last Resort nextweek, will there be any problems?”

Last Resort: “Unfortunately the schoolhas already cancelled the trip.”

FBMNTB: “Oh good. That’s all rightthen.” (Hangs up)

One of NAC’s two 757s has been grounded

because of a dispute over who fingers thekickbacks on an engine repair contract,so its flights have been curtailed, leavingtens of thousands of Nepali migrantworkers in the lurch. Air Arabia wantedto use fifth freedom rights to fly KTM-KL, so NAC’s union has stopped alldomestic operations now for a week inprotest.

The PM called up the Arabians andsaid: “You understand how things arehere, can you postpone the KL flight tillthings cool down a bit?” Air Arabia hassued anyway. NAC’s new motto for 2011Nepal Tourism Year is: “If we can’t flywe won’t let anyone else either.”

Instead of sending a CA delegation toEthiopia to learn about how not to doethnic federalism, the donors whosponsored the Addis junket should’vesent NAC’s Board to study EthiopianAirlines. Despite wars, famines andpolitical instability Ethiopian hasmanaged to stay on as Africa’s best andfastest growing airline with 30 aircraftand another 25 on order.

The hands down winner of this week’sOnly In Nepal Contest: ‘Weeping Protest (Rua-Basi Julus) Held:Community groups from Dailekh held arally outside the Constituent Assemblyon Tuesday pretending to weep, wailand cry loudly to protestthe delay in writing thenew constitution.’

ass(at)nepalitimes.com