ottawa chautari - volume 5 (october 2003)

Ottawa Chautari Year 2 No. 5 October, 2003

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Content

• Dashain: The greatest festival of Nepal

• NACO activities • Bal Jagat (Children’s World) • Yuba Jagat (Youth’s World) • Sahitya Sansar (Literary World) • Dashain Greetings • Membership application form

Feedback For the continuity and quality of this Newsletter, we request to all of our readers to send comments, suggestions and relevant materials for future issues Correspondence Kalidas Subedi Unit-4, 364 Tillbury Avenue Ottawa, Ontario Canada K2A 0Y2 Phone: (613) 792 4052 [email protected]

Dashain: The greatest festival of Nepal Bada Dashain, which is also known as Vijaya Dashami or Durga Pooja, is the greatest and most auspicious festival in Nepal. It is also the longest festival which lasts for a full fortnight. Dashain literally means “ten days of celebration” falls in the pleasant autumn season with brilliant clear sky and mild weather after the monsoon. This festival, which has cultural, religious, social and economical significance in Nepal, is celebrated with great enthusiasm and jubilation. The festival is based on Hindu religion, which commemorates a triumph of good over evil. It glorifies the victory of god over wicked demons, symbolized by goddess Durga defeating the terrible demon Mahisasur, who had terrorized the earth. The first nine days called Nawa Ratri (nine nights) signify the ferrous battle between goddess Durga⎯symbolized as an universal mother and the demon Mahisasur. The tenth day is the day when Mahisasur was defeated. It is called Vijaya Dashami (a victory day). Throughout the 10 days, goddess Durga is worshipped with great pooja (religious ritual) in her several manifestations. The first day of Nawa Ratri is called Ghatasthapana (Ghata mean holy vessel or jar and sthapana means to establish). On this day, a holy water vessel is placed in a sacred room; barley or corn seeds are planted in sand or virgin soil to grow sprouts (small shoots) until the 10th day, which are called Jamara. The seventh day is called Phulpati and the eight day is called the Maha Asthami. On Maha Asthami, goats, sheep, buffaloes, roosters and ducks are sacrificed to the temples of goddess Durga, the Goddess of victory and might. The tenth day (Vijaya Dashami) is considered as the main day of the festival. On this day, people receive Tika (a dab of red vermilion powder mixed with curd and rice) on their foreheads and Jamara on heads from their elders and get blessings. Getting Tika continues until the full moon day or the 15th day in some part of the country. On the last day of Dashain, the goddess Laxmi is given an invitation to visit each and everyone, which occurs on the third day of Deepawali, about 20 days later. Besides its religious and cultural values, Dashain has great social and economical importance. It is cerebrated with joys, relaxation and peaceful minds. Families, friends and relatives get unite, feasts are consumed, gifts are exchanged and blessing are imparted. People clean and repair their houses, paths and surroundings, buy new clothes for family members and eat plentiful and varieties of meals forgetting all hardships and pains.

For membership Form please contact Ram Acharya (phone: 823-8468) or Indra Chhetri (phone: 565-0770). Membership Application Form is also available in our web site [email protected])

Editorial Committee Kalidas Subedi Ram Acharya Ghanashyam Ranjitkar

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NCAO’s Activities

Second Annual General Meeting After successfully completing its first year, Nepalese Canadian Association of Ottawa has entered its second year with the second annual general meeting (AGM) held on 12 April 2003. The second AGM, which was attended by over 100 members of NCAO at the Ottawa Citizen’s Hall, enforced its commitment toward achieving the following objectives of NCAO, which were envisioned in the By-laws passed by the first AGM: (i) to foster positive communication, mutual respect

and cooperation among Nepalese, and individuals or organizations of similar objectives and interests,

(ii) to promote and facilitate awareness of Nepalese arts, culture, language, traditions and values,

(iii) to provide information and moral support to members and Nepalese newcomers, and

(iv) to promote and maintain the interest and welfare of Nepalese Community.

The meeting also decided to strengthen the achievements of the first year and broaden NCAO activities in the coming year. An open discussion session was organized to generate ideas and views for the future direction of the Association. Several members showed their enthusiasm and commitments for volunteering in different activities. A detailed annual financial report was also presented. A 12-Member Executive Board was elected as follows, whose responsibilities assigned are as in parentheses: 1. Indra Chhetri (Treasurer-registrar) 2. Kalidas Subedi (Publication /documentation) 3. Michael Casey (Events and sports) 4. Neeru Shrestha (General administration) 5. Pawan Agrawal (Language and education) 6. Pramod Dhakal (Communication) 7. Radha Basnyat (Public relations) 8. Rajendra Singh Rana (Culture) 9. Ram Acharya (General administration) 10. Robin Subba (Events and sports) 11. Sangita Rawat (Youth and children) 12. Tara Upreti (Public relations)

Nepali New Year Celebration Following the AGM, the community celebrated Nepali New Year 2060. Varieties of exotic food and cuisine prepared by Nepalese families were served. The feature film “Darpan Chhaya”, slides of Nepal and more importantly Nepali dance and funs made the program more exciting.

A Nepali dance on the New Year Party

Nepali Language School The first year of Elementary Nepali language class has successfully completed in June 2003. At the closing day, a small get together of children, parents, teacher and school administrator was organized. The community thanked Asha Bohara Bhandari for the valuable contribution she had made to the community as a Nepali language teacher for the year. The community also thanked parents and volunteers for the support they provided to the Nepali school.

Nepali School children at the end of the first year


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Since Asha Bhandari moved out of Ottawa, Geeta Dhakal Upreti has accepted the responsibility of teaching Nepali Language this year. The NCAO would like to thank Asha Bhandari for her excellent contribution and Geeta Upreti for taking the challenge for the community.

The Nepali language school has started its second year in the same school, Hopewell Public School. Anyone who lives in Ontario and is attending between Kindergarten to Grade eight can join the school at free of cost. The classes run every Saturday from 9:30 to 12 Noon. If you would like your child to learn Nepali language and culture, please contact us; the registration is open throughout the year.

Summer Picnic On 5 July 2003, NCAO organized an outdoor picnic in the Andrew Haydon Park in Ottawa. Over 125 members and guests participated in the picnic with joy and enthusiasm. Participants prepared variety of delicious Nepali food. They were busy throughout the day barbequing and playing exciting games such as “tailing an elephant”, “Catching toffees”, “balloon blowing”, “Piñatas“, and tog-of-war”. In “tug of war” between men versus women, the game ended in a draw, (although women group were highly pressurized, see the picture in Page 14), an indication of a remarkable balance of gender-force.

A Barbeque in the picnic

At the end, all members were involved in a circle with random drawings with a chit of action to be performed e.g. dance, sing, jokes, caricature etc. Overall, the day was a memorable one.

A couple in Nepali dance in the picnic Food Drive for The Ottawa Food Bank

As a part of its community program, NCAO also successfully organized a food drive for the Ottawa Food Bank on the occasion of summer Picnic. Due to the generosity of the picnic

participants approximately 200 lbs of non-perishable food items were collected. Subsequently, the NCAO has decided to make the food drive an annual tradition to coincide with the summer picnic.

A stall for collection of food for the Food Bank

For registration and other questions about school, please contact Pawan Agrawal (Phone: 823-0488), or Kalidas Subedi (Phone: 792-4052)


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Summer Sport Day On a beautiful sunny day of July 26th Nepalese families in Ottawa visited Little Rays’ Reptile Zoo at Bank Street. The zoo has a good collection of reptiles (snakes, crocodiles, lizards and tortoise) from all over the world. As expected, children were busy looking around and staring at the various reptiles. The zoo employees casually walking around with snakes wrapped around their necks amazed them. Furthermore, kids were stunned by the leaping ability of the crocodiles in an attempt to catch food. Kids were busy asking all sorts of questions about the reptiles, as parents frantically attempted to answer the questions directed towards them. The tour was very useful for kids as it enabled them to learn and understand a little bit more about these creatures. In the afternoon, Ottawa’s finest athletes took to the fields at Mother Teresa High School to showcase their athletic skills. Participants were anxious to lose some calories after partaking in a diverse picnic, which featured a mixture of Nepali and Canadian delicacies. Some pleasant sights included Raunak Nepal munching on a slice of pizza, Kailash Subedi having his share of Oreo cookies while Sony Subedi slowly worked her way through a plate of rice and potatoes.

The warm weather and the energy radiating from the youths set the perfect atmosphere for a fun filled day. The sports activities officially kicked off with the start of a volleyball game. Three teams were made with the winning team earning the opportunity to stay on the court. Those watching the game often heard screams and encouragement along the lines of, “We need to use all three of our hits to set it up properly”. Following the volleyball game, the participants formed two teams and began an exciting game of soccer. The game featured some superb scoring, passing, and tactics from both teams. Spectators watching from the sidelines were treated to a fast paced high caliber game. However, at the end Pramod Dhakal’s outstanding goaltending made all the difference as he led his team to victory. In fact, the only goal to sneak past Pramod occurred while he was distracted by a very exciting game of Kapardi being played by women a few meters away. In this game there were moments of silence followed by joyous screaming as one team accomplished it goals.

The participants were quite content with the sequence of events of that day. Individuals got an opportunity

to showcase their skills while learning the values of teamwork. If nothing else, at least the children got to see their elders do something they do everyday, have fun. The NCAO family would like to thank Robin Subba, Sangita Rawat and Sudeep Acharya for organizing the tour and the games.

Another soccer game was organized on labour day weekend.There were two teams and fierce competition continued for at least 2 hours. The score was 12-10, a confirmation of amazingly skilled shooters. Judging from the skills of our youths and the baby boomers, next year's match against Nepali teams from Mississauga and Toronto areas promises to be a delight. A Taste of Nepal – Fundraising Event for VillageNet

On Saturday September 13 the NCAO partnered with Engineers without Borders and Child Haven International in a fundraising event supporting “Village Net”, an initiative to provide computers and computer support to three worthwhile projects in Nepal. About 150 people attended the event to experience what the organizers called a “Taste of Nepal”. The participants were treated to a feast of wonderful Nepali food and then entertained by two dance troops of Nepali dancers. Several inspiring speeches were made about Village Net, Engineers Without Borders and Child Haven.

A Nepali stall displayed in the fund raising event

The event was held to raise funds for Village Net. Under this project several computers will be added to a small network already in place at the Kathmandu Child Haven orphanage and also involve the


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implementation of a computer lab and computer curriculum into the local Bhaktapur English Medium School. Additionally the project hopes to establish a computer and data link for a mobile eye care unit that will travel to rural parts of Nepal. The NCAO participated in the event by having a booth (see the attached photo), dance performers and by the generous donation of various items by NCAO members for the silent auction. The organizers of the event praised the NCAO for its participation and thanked it for making the event such a success.

The NCAO executive would like to thank the Nepali dance performers (Grishma Thapa, Kanchan Gautam and Rasna Sherchan) and Rajendra Rana and Robin Subba for coordinating this cultural program. The dances were the shining stars of the evening in an event that had many highlights. The Executive would also like to thank Pawan Agrawal and Mike Casey for coordinating NCAO’s participation. Upgrading of NCAO Web Site As a cost effective way of disseminating messages to its members and a broader audience, NCAO is using its web site (www.nepalese.ca), which was developed in summer 2002 by its youth volunteers. In an effort to make the web site easier to navigate and maintain, it was re-designed in summer 2003. NCAO is grateful to Anup Pradhanang for his highly professional and tireless contribution in making this endeavor a great success. Tewa Program NCAO has started Tewa (helping hand) program. Under this program, the association accepts the donation of used and new household items. These items will be stored and made available to newcomers or needy members of the community. Except a simple inventory, no list of donors and recipients will be maintained. The program is coordinated by Sangita Rawat. Newcomers who are in need of household items and potential donors are requested to contact her (Phone: 565-4846). Welcome The NCAO would like to welcome heartily the following newcomers in Ottawa. Anup Pradhanang arrived in Ottawa to pursue Master in Engineering in Telecommunications

Technology Management at Carleton University. Before coming to Ottawa, he was working for an Internet Service Provider in Nepal. He has already a significant contribution to the NCAO through upgrading of its site and other support. Anjana Ranjitkar landed in Ottawa from Nepal to join her husband Ghanashyam Ranjitkar. Their son Shovan Ranjitkar also came with her, who will be joining junior kindergarten. Ashish Duwadi and Anup Duwadi have moved to Ottawa from Montreal. Mr. Duwadi is studying law at University of Ottawa. Bhadreshwar Upadhayay is in Ottawa for nine months training in Auditing conducted by Office of the Audit General in Canada. He is an employee of Auditor General Office in Nepal. Geeta Pudasaini and Grishma Pudasaini have come from Nepal to join their mother Ujeli Pudasaini. Geeta will be attending high school and Grishma is in Grade 9. Indira Tripathi, Osika, Nishika and Onis Tripathi arrived from Pokhara, Nepal. Mrs. Tripathi came with three children to join her husband Ganga Tripathi. Osika and Nishika have joined school in Grades 5 and 2, respectively. Keshar Thapa has moved to Ottawa from the U.S. Mr. Thapa has earned a degree in Computer Science. Parbati Gurung has arrived from Nepal. She was working as a staff nurse before coming to Canada. Philemon Rai and Bandana Rai, a young couple, arrived in Ottawa from Nepal. Philemon was involved in tourism industry in Nepal. Prabin Rasali has joined Undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering and Computer Science at University of Ottawa. He comes from Winnipeg. Pranav Dhoj Shah is currently doing PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Carleton University. He previously worked as Mechanical Engineer with Department of Environmental Protection in the US. Sailendra Basnyat and Indira Thapa came to Ottawa their two children Abipha and Arpace Basnyat. Abipha studies in Grade 6.


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Samip Rai and Samiksha Rai came to Ottawa from Nepal to join with their mother Pushpa Rai. Samip is in Grade 11 and Samiksha is in Grade 9. Surendra Upreti and Geeta Dhakal Upreti, a young couple, arrived in Ottawa recently. Mr. Upreti has written children stories and two of his collections have already been published in Nepal. Mrs Upreti has started teaching Nepali language class. Sushma Dhakal came from Nepal to join her father Pramod Dhakal. She is in Grade 2.

Memberships A total of 22 new families and individuals members joined the association this year and almost all of the old members renewed their memberships in the annual general meeting. The NCAO would like to welcome the new members for joining the association. NCAO memberships are due as at 31st March each year. Farewell With the pleasure of welcoming new members, NCAO also had to bid a farewell to some of its very active members. Those who left Ottawa region are Sevakram Bhandary, Asha Bohara Bhandari, Aditya Bhandari and Stuti Bhandari. Bhandari family has moved to Barrie for a new job. Similarly, Bedanand Bhattarai moved to Kitchner for a job, and Gautam Narayan Singh joined a college in Niagara. Ottawa Chautari also missed its contributor Rakesh Karki, his wife Kabita Karki, and their children Iha and Ijha Karki. Karki family moved to Windsor to join university. The NCAO would like to thank to all these members for their valuable contribution to the community and wish them a very successful career. Graduations Many of the NCAO’s youths have graduated this year. After closing one chapter of their life, they are embarking on a more challenging phase. The list of youths who have graduated this year is as follows: Aditya Bhandari graduated from J.S. Woodwords High School. He is planning to join University from January.

Barsha Chhetri graduated from J.S. Woodwords High School. She is pursuing her post secondary study at Algonquin College in Person Support Worker Program. Ben Wood graduated as an Ontario Scholar from Sir Robert Borden High School. In his last year of school he was awarded second place in a citywide art competition for high school art students. Ben is pursuing Civil Engineering at Carleton University. Chandra Paneru, after graduating from Rideau High School, has joined Undergraduate program in International Business in Faculty of Commerce at Carleton University. Prashanta Dhakal graduated with a Silver medal from Sir Robert Borden as an Ontario Scholar. His excellence in mathematics earned him the highest standing at the school on the Euclid Math Competition. He is pursuing his interest in math at Waterloo University in Bio Informatics, where he scored the highest in his program in the math preparedness test. Shitalhari Gautam graduated from Laurentian High School. He is pursuing his Undergraduate degree in Department of Chemistry at Carleton University. Sangeeta Singh earned a degree from Algonquin College in Travel and Tourism. After graduating in an honor list, she has already started a promising career in her area of training. Sudeep Acharya earned his B.Sc. Honours in Biopharmaceuticals from the University of Ottawa. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Bio-chemistry. His research involves protein purification and its structural analysis via NMR. Congratulations Graduates!!! Work harder to achieve excellence in your chosen fields. Appreciation As a recognition of their hard work for the community, NCAO has decided to recognise Anup Pradhanang (for his excellent work to upgrade the web site of NCAO) and Stuti Bhandari (for her exemplary voluntary support to the Nepali Language class). They will be granted Letters of Appreciation, on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami.

Tai Sai Shvachko: Yury Shvachko and Verona Dixit are blessed with a beautiful baby girl Tai Sai in July. Congratulations to Yury and Verona.


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A HURRICANE

Kailash Subedi Grade 7

The clouds were covering the sky, It was going to rain I know, The thunder began to rumble, The lightning started to grow. The rain began to drip, The rain began to drop, Then I realised something, The rain wasn’t enough. It was a hurricane, People started to scream, It was familiar I know, It was like my dream. Then I heard something, It sounded like a cry, It came from a little kid, Waiting to die. He had a broken leg, He couldn’t run, If the hurricane will hit him, He will surely be gone. Then I realised something The kid was too young to die It was risk; it wasn’t a piece of pie I ran towards the kid, Suddenly I bumped my head, When I woke up I had fallen from my bed. It was a nightmare a bad old one, When I woke up it had all gone!

Bal Jagat (Children’s World)

GREEN

Green is the colour of the grasshoppers, The colour of leaves, And of the green grass that grow. Green is the colour of the spring season, The colour of the food we eat, Green is the colour that makes me feel excited, The colour that makes me feel happy, And, makes me feel rich.

A great experience in Canada!

Canada for me was an alien land but soon I got to know the people here and I found them very friendly. First of all, it was very exciting to be here in Canada. All sorts of feelings about adapting in this different society came into my mind. Seeing diversity in culture, I was happy that I was not the only one belonging to my culture. This encouraged me to feel less lonely. Eventually, a month had passed away. Within this period, I had started to begin a new session of life. New friends, a new country and a new culture, but I dearly missed friends back in my country. I had never imagined that I could stay without them. Somehow, thanks to the advancement in technology that I could keep in contact with them through e-mails and telephone. I learned a lot about struggling in life through these experiences. “Life is full of ups and downs, so I have to overcome all the obstacles in life. This was the only thing that came to my mind after I came to Canada. Anyway, now I have to go along wherever my fate takes me. After all, Canada is a great country and I seem to like it very much. Thus, I hope in years to come, Canada will bring happiness in my life. Lastly, everyone needs a change in life. Being here in Canada has changed my life a lot. But still I can never forget my country because home is where the heart lies.

Iha Karki Grade 6

Rasna Sherchan Grade 10


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Yuba Jagat (Youth’s World)

Please visit NCAO’s web site www.nepalese.ca. If you have any suggestions or questions on our web site please contact Pramod Dhakal (Phone: 596-6692) or send your email to [email protected]

Fragile Youths! Kanchan Gautam

Let me click on my recollection folder! It is an event that

happened sometimes in 1990-1991, when my family was in Canberra for my dad’s study at Australian National University. Five Nepali families used to live at Carrole Street. We three girls -myself, Sirjana and Jyoti - were of about nine years old, and were very close friends. We were extremely annoyed with our parents and didn’t like the way our parents dictated us. We wanted a free life without any control; we just wanted to be independent One day, as we were walking back home from the school, one idea popped in to one of the girl’s head—the idea to run away to Melbourne. When the plan was accepted, we stole some amount of money from our parents. We also managed to pack all essential in our backpacks leaving our wardrobe empty. Every time our parents would come to our rooms, we would shut everything up. We were very much scared that our parents would browse our shelves and everything in the room, which is normal for parents. Somehow, we were able to keep away our parents from our rooms. We were pretty much ready for the big day and packed everything we needed in our daily life. Our plan was to meet at the nearest park at the midnight of Wednesday so that no one in our family members would catch us red-handed. We were pretty confident that in mid night everybody would be in his or her dream except three of us. The night came in, and I had my dinner as a usual day. My big brother and my parents were at my dad’s university for their work. My two brothers were already asleep. My parents would not come from the university and I would keep on looking out of the windows in a hope to see my friends. They were supposed to pick me up in their way to the park. My parents arrived home just few minutes past the mid-night, and I pretended I was asleep. As soon as I find out they were in sleep, I quickly got out of the bed and looked over the window for the final time. Then I could wait no longer for them, and I went to my cozy bed after all.

The next day we talked about how my friends’ parents caught us in our plan. However, my family still had no clue of what was going between us, and I was relieved with this information. I quickly unpacked my clothes as soon as I got home so that my parents would not believe what I had intended to do. One evening after dinner, Jyoti’s dad called my dad to his house to chat over a cup of coffee. My dad didn’t know why he called all of a sudden, and I was getting bit scared. I was 99% sure that Jyoti’s Dad was going to talk about our plan. I couldn’t wait till that night was over. So, I pretended I was asleep in my bed. When my dad got home, he called me over to the living room. I was reluctant to accept his invitation and tried not to hear his voice. My heart was pounding with nervousness as I went down the stairs. I couldn’t even bear to stand in front of my parents. My dad couldn’t believe that we made such a plan. Three of us were extremely ashamed to stand in front of our families and our brothers. From that moment of life, I began to realize that parents are leading people in our life. We had misunderstood their love and also that they could by no means do the things that are misleading to us. It is especially hard for young kids to understand the meaning of parent’s love. When I browse in Nepalnews (www.nepalnews.com) these days, I happen to read frequently about young girls being lured by some people with promises of lavish life or attractive employment abroad and eventually sold in Indian cities. I remember the event how we three girls, who were lavishly living with own family, got this idea. The situation may be highly vulnerable in communities where there is high rate of illiteracy and hardship. Young people in communities need guardians in safeguarding them from such mischievous ideas.


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Prashata Dhakal

Self Inflicted Injury of Mankind

Human population growth and its impact on earth has been a matter of great concern in the recent decades. World population is increasing at such a pace that 210 thousand people are added to the planet very day. The entire population of Earth, for millions of years, was a fraction of the current increase in population in a year. Such increases in population lead us to the question of whether we should worry about the trend or not. Cornucopias believe that advancements in technology will save humans from any problems that may arise as a result of increasing population. Malthusians, however, believe that population growth is a problem that needs to be solved soon before nature’s positive checks are forced upon us. From the trends we are seeing today, and with the proper studies of the trends, it is clear that Malthusian views are more rational than the optimistic Cornucopian outlook.

Cornucopias tend to disregard the notion that perpetual increase in population will eventually lead to reduced standard of living. If population growth rate does not decrease, the population will continue to grow, and do so at ever-increasing pace. If population continues to grow at today’s rate of 1.23 percent per year, it will double in less than 60 years. Within two centuries, our population will be in the 50 billion ranges. Even if food production was able to keep up with this monstrous increase in population, the average person’s standard of living will definitely be affected. Space crunch itself will mean reduced quality of life. Parks and large recreational areas will shrink or be non-existent while more people wish to access them. We will have to take over land that currently supports millions of species of plants and animals. We are already having difficulties disposing of our garbage; imagine the state with a population of 50 billion! It is clear that quality of life will decrease, if not be horrific for the average population. Even if we find a way to conquer Mars and live under the sea, it will only be a temporary solution to the problem. In another century, we will have an overcrowded Earth and an overcrowded Mars!

Cornucopias generally argue that over the past fifty years, all measurements of quality of life have gone up. The average person is better off and fewer

percentages are living below poverty line. What is not mentioned here is that in absolute terms, the number of poor people has actually increased. With a population of 50 billion, if 90% of population were above poverty line, it would leave 5 billion people with economic adversity. Would Cornucopias find a problem with this?

It is true that we have increased the carrying capacity of the Earth in the recent past due to various advancements in technologies, but much of the gains have come at high environmental cost. Take Brazilian rainforest as an example. It is being cut to convert into farms at an incredible rate to support greater need for food. This situation is particularly alarming since forests absorb carbon dioxide – the most influential global warming gas. Let us not forget that this problem is not confined to Brazil. Many countries around the world, including developed ones, are clearing forests for the purposes of farming and development. We are not only clearing precious forests to increase farmland, but also using chemicals in farming that harm the environment. The largest increase in carrying capacity may have resulted from the invention of electricity, but power plants are one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gasses.

Technology is always the best friend of a Cornucopian. If the means of solving a problem causes yet another trouble, they believe that newer technology will also come along to cancel the negative effect. Their belief in this is so great that they say the growth in population is not a worrisome trend, and that the problems associated with the growth can easily be overcome. This is a dangerous stance to take. We shouldn’t create problems and hope they will be solved in the future. What happens if we create a problem that cannot be solved easily? What will we do if the implementation of certain technology causes total environmental and ecological disaster before we are able to act? Surely, we wish to avoid another DDT disaster. We may run into an accident that is much worse than the DDT incident. The optimist view of cornucopias that technology will solve the problems arising from population growth is an easy pill to swallow, but unfortunately, it does not cure the illness. We must not jeopardize our environment and the well being of future generations by being careless now. Advancing technologies will save us from facing some of the problems in the future but not all. It is better if we avoid this scenario altogether.


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Stuti Bhandari Grade 12

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Sahitya Sansar (Literary

The Tragedy

Suddenly gloomy clouds gathered up in the sky Yellow leaves, dust and dirt covered the ground, For the worst had happened On the night of June the 1st That swept away my smile And left me with silent tears. And, that was all I could do Helplessly sit back with tears in my eyes, Hoping someone to wake me up from the nightmare And tell me it wasn’t true. Doomed…filled with doubts. Does every cloud have a silver lining? If so why did it leave alone? My land so barren and dreary? Two years elapsed, But the dreadful hours of darkness, The tragic death of the Royal family, Still frightens me to my very soul. The emptiness in my heart will remain for years. And I always feel a lump on my throat Whenever I think of Nepal. Door knocks that brought the tragic news, Phone rings, televisions and www Wish everything were a mere nightmare Wish a miracle would happen To bring the departed souls back And break the dawn of the endless night. Nor did I know him personally, Nor had he ever given me a pat when I deserved, Let alone a pat or a word of inspiration, Never did my eyes ever saw him without a screen. And I know I can go on with my life, Facing away from the reality, Thinking there never was such an incident And believing he is still ruling the nation. BUT I cannot do that, For my king has taught me To be a bold, fearless and vibrant citizen, Not to tilt my head away from the truth. No, this isn’t just me, nor just you. But it is all of us, all Nepalese. The massacre still shakes us; trembles our hearts… Ever since we always are drifting, Like a balloon over stormy tides…

Stuti Bhandari Grade 12


11

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;Demgf cfO{ /xGYof] . labfdf 3/ hf“bf cfdfn] c+ufnf] xfn]/ d]/f] /d]z t slt ;f/f] b'AnfP5 eGb} cf“vfaf6 cf“;' emfg'{x'GYof] . a'jfn] klg skfn d';fb}{ afa' t“nfO{ ;f/} sl7g eP h:tf] 5 vfg ;dodf ePg xf]nf b'AnfO5;\ eGg' x'GYof] . bz}+df v;L sf6\g], lrp/f s'6\g], k"'hf ug]{, /fd|f, /fd|f n'uf nufP/ lkª v]Ng hfg] . 6f9f–6f9f b]lvsf cfkmGtx? sf];]nL lnP/ cfpg], s:tf] /dfOnf] x'GYof] . ltxf/df lbbLx?n] l6sf nufO{ lbPsf], b]p;L, e}nf] v]Ng], gfr ufg ug]{, lkª v]Ng], gf6s ug]{ ;f“Rr} g} /dfOnf] x'GYof] . p;n] dbg eP/ d'gf dbg gf6s k|bz{g u/]sf] lyof] . gf6sdf d'gf /f]Psf] b]v]/ ;a} bz{sx? /f]Psf lyP . a'jfn] t]/f] ljjfx ug]{ s]6L x]g'{ ePsf] 5 eg]/ cfdfn] ;'gfp“bf s:tf] nfh nfu]sf] lyof] . d t lax] ulb{g eg]/ 6fpsf] lgx'/fPsf] clxn] h:tf] nfU5 . lax]df hUu] 3'Dbf, a]x'nL;+u} a;]/ ;'kf/L v]Nbf hGtL / 3/ufp+n]n] lh:Sofp“bf p;sf ufnf /ftf ePsf lyP . p;sf] 5f]/f ;+hLj hGd“bf klxnf t s:tf] nfh nfu]sf] lyof] . p;n] s] s] ;f]r]/ y'k|f]a]/ PSn} x/fpbf s:tf] cfgGb cfpY\of] . 5f]/fnfO{ w]/} k9fpg], 7'nf] dfG5] agfpg], eGg] gfgf s'/fx? dgdf v]n]sf lyP . emg 5f]/L hlGdP kl5 cem} w]/} lhDd]jf/L a9]sf] cg'ej eof] . pgLx?sf] af/]df ;w} lrlGtt x'GYof] . p sf7df08f}+ cfp“bf sf7df08f+}df g} NofP/ k9fpg yfNof] . p;sf] hflu/af6 cfPsf] k};fn] 3/ef8f, vfgf, s]6fs]6Lsf] :s"nsf] z'Ns ltbf{ eg] h;/L s]xL /fd|f] ;fdfg lsGg kfPg . p;n] o"/f]k hfg] df}sf kfof] . la:tf/} kl/jf/ klg o"/]f]kdf g} lemsfof] . o"/f]kdf klg /ft lbg sfddf Jo:t x'GYof] . p;sf] eljZo eg]sf] ;+lhj / 5f]/L z'lhtf sf] eljZo g} lyof] . aRrfx?s} nflu eg]/ 3/df klg c+u|hL dfq af]Ng yfn] . g]kfnL af]Nbf, k9\g n]Vg ghfGg] lk5l8Psf] ufp+sf= dfG5] ePem} nfUbYof] . c? g]kfnLn] af]n]sf] ;'Gbf klg tLg} ufp+sf dfG5]sf] leq p;sf] dfg;k6ndf 3'Dg] uY\of}{ . efiff s} sf/0fn] cGo g]kfnL efifL ;+u b"/L a9fpg rfxf+GYof] . k:tf}+ b]lv cGwlaZjf; / k5f}6] kgaf6 hsl8Psf] ;:s[ltaf6 5f]/f5f]/LnfO{ d"Qm kfg{{'k5{ eGg] uYof{ . p;sf] kljf/ v'zL / z'vdo ;fy rNb} lyof] . lalwsf] la8Djgf eg}f p;sL >Ldlt lbkf crfgs laxf]if eP/ 9lng . 5f]/f 5f]/L aflx/} ;fyLx?sf 3/lt/ lyP . Pda'n]G; af]nfP/ c:ktfn k'/\ofof] . b'O{ lbgsf] nfdf] kl/If0f k5fl8 yfxf eof] . pgsf /Qms0fdf Sofg;/ ;+rf/ eO /x]sf] 5 eGg] . pgL 8fS8/ / c:ktfnsf] lgoGq0f eGbf aflx/


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ePsf] s'/f 8fS8/ s[i6n] ;'6Ss atfof] . p Psbd cflQof] . cf]7d'v ;'s]/ cfof] . 6fpsf]df 7"nf] kxf8 em/]em+} nfUof] . pgLx?sf 3/df cfPsf lyPgg\ . ;+hLasL ;fyL d]/LnfO{ kmf]g u/\of] . p;n] she can’t talk now eg]/ kmf]g /flvlbof] . Psflt/ >LdtL d[To';+u o'4 ul//x]sL l5g\ . csf]{ lt/ 5f]/f5f]/LnfO{ ;Dks{ ug{ klg ;s]g . ;f/} 56k6L eof] . >LdtLnfO{ emg ;f/} x'“b} uof] . ;f; /f]lsg], xft v'6\6f k5fg]{, 56k6 ug{ yflng\ . d]/f] ;+h', ;'hL eg]/ af]nfOg\ . pgsf xftn] 5f]/f5f]/LnfO{ 5fDg vf]h] . c+x“ 5f]/f5f]/L Toxf“ lyPgg\ . pgLx? o"/f]]k]nL eO;s]sf lyP . cfkm\g} ;fyLx?;+u /f]dfG;df x/fPsf lyP . of] s'/f pgLx?nfO{ kQ} ePg . /d]zn] 6fpsf] lylrlbof] . cflv/ p;sf] o'4 xf/df kl/0ft eof] . 8fS6/ lqmi6n] dead n]v]sf] sfuh lbof] . /d]znfO{ ;f/f ;+;f/ c“Wof/f] eof] . s]lx ;f]Rg, ;Demg klg ;s]g . p;sL cwf{l¨gLnfO{ ;]tf] sk8fn] 5f]k]/ csf]{ sf]7fdf lnP/ uP . p 6''n' 6'n' x]b}{ kl5 nfUof] . sf]7fleq /fv]/ 9f]sf aGb u/] . p lsdst{Jolad"9 eP/ 3/ kmls{of] . 5f]/fsf] sf]7faf6 3/ g} ysf{pg] u/L Do'lhs cfO/x]sf] lyof] . Ps k6s uP/ 5f]/fnfO{ af]nfpg dg nfUof] . km]l/ s] ;f]r]/ xf] kmls{of], af]nfpg ;s]g . 5f]/Lsf] sf]7fdf 6s 6s u/\of] . 5f]/L sf]7fdf lyOg . a}7s sf]7fdf uP/ lstfj /fv]sf] /\ofsaf6 k'/fgf] 6]lnkmf]g 8fo/L lgsfNof] / kfgfx? kN6fpg yfNof] . y'k|} gfdx? x]/]/ kmf]g ug{ vf]Hb} km]l/ u/]g . ;+sf]r dfGb} 8f/fO 8/fO wgaxfb'/sf] gDj/ 8fon u/\of] . wgaxfb'/nfO{ p;sL >LdtLsf] b'Mvb vj/ ;'gfof] . ca sxf“ nu]/ cTo]li6 ug]{ bfO d t PSn} 5' . ;xof]u ug'{{k/\of] . d'6'df uf“7f] kf/]/ s'/f /fVof] . wgaxfb'/n] c? tLg hgf g]kfnL lnP/ cfP5g\ . vf]O 5f]/f5f]/Lx? wgaxfb'/n] ;f]w] . /d]zn] 6fpsf] dfq lgx'/\ofof] . s]xL eGg ;s]g . lrtfdf hlt cfuf] hNYof] ptL g} /d]zsf x[bodf cfuf] hNbYof] . p;nfO{ /fte/L lgGb|f nfu]g . >LdtLsf] d[To';+u} dgnfO{ kL8f lbg] y'k|} s'/fx? t“5f8 d5f8 ub}{ cfP . s;}n] 3f]rL/x]sf], ufnL u/L/x]sf] h:tf] nfUof] . p;n] k|m]Gr, u|Ls, rfOlgh, hfkflgh, lkmnlkgf] ;d'bfosf dflg;x?sf] Pstf lgofNof] . cfkm\gf] ;+:s[lt l/ltl/jfh, efiffsf nflu slt d/Ld]6]sf 5g\ . nfvf+}sf] ;d'xdf eP/ klg slt ghLs 5g\ . slt cflTdotf 5 . xfdL eg] kb, k};f, lzIff / hftsf] cx+sf/df ?dlnP/, cfkm} rfp/L k/]sf] dl/r eP/ af“r]sf 5f} . xfdLn] g t c?sf ;+:s[lt / snfnfO{ cg's/0f ug{ ;Sof}, g t

cfkm\gf]kgfnfO{ g} hf]ufP/ /fVg ;Sof+} . æk/f]ksf/ k'Gofo, kfkfok/lk8gd\” nfO{ rl/tfy{ ug{ ;s]gf+} . xfdL ;u/dfyfsf ;Gtlt eP/ klg cl:tTj x/fPsf lnlnk'6 dfga ag]sf] 5f} . Ps cfk;df ;xof]u ug]{, ;b\efj /fVg], b'Mv;'v ;f6f;f6 ug]{ s'/} ePg . dfG5] dfG5]aLr cnUofpg agfPsf hfthfltsf kvf{nx?, ljrf/jfbsf kvf{nx?nfO{ lsg tf]8\g ;s]gf}+, lsg ;Dk|bfosf] vf8naf6 lgl:sP/ dfq g]kfnL eP/ laZj;fd" lrlgg ;s]gf+} . cx+sf/sf] pGdfbn] hNb} an]sf] d}gaQL em+} lvO“b} lvO“b} uof+} . p;nfO{ ;f/} cfTdfUnfgL eof] . ;+h' / ;'lhtf o:tf] aGgdf klg d]/} xft 5 . d}n] 7"nf] ck/fw u/]+ . p;nfO{ >[hglzntf, ljj]s, dfgjtf, xflb{stf z"Go, oGq dfgj eP em}+ cg'e"lt eof] . p;nfO{ of] ;a} r6Ss} 5f8]/ hlGdPsf] w/tL, ufp“, 8f“8f, kfvfd} hfg dg nfUof] . lr;f] d"naf6 lgl:sPsf] 9'¨]wf/fsf] kfgL vfg dg nfUof] . xfo ld:6/ zdf{ cf/ o" cf]s] eg]/ 8]le8n] xft ;dfTof] . p;nfO{ 5f]/fn] k|lt306f !) 8n/ lbP/ /fv]sf] lyof] . 8]le8sf] hfuL/ klg /d]zsf] hLjg h:t} cNemg] ls v':sg] bf];f“wdf /x]sf] lyof] .

What is my identity? Robin Subba

This is one question that will remain in our youths until they find their real identity. “Don’t’ ever forget where you come from” can be the standard prelude to most sermons in our household. In return, they might retort “Dad- hello- I am from Canada”. Are they really sure of this? Parents want their children to hold onto their original roots, but for our youths that heritage also includes elements of Canada, which is after all, the country where some were born or brought up. As a child of immigrant parents, they feel trapped, and have little choice between embracing Canadian mainstream culture and their parent’s values and traditions. Although they may have the same freedoms and liberties as their peers on issues like career choice, the parents usually decide education and marriages. Issues about dating are still taboo in our culture let alone living together or sharing a room. As a result, many immigrant parents find western culture too liberal and get upset when the children question or second-guess their decisions. Somebody named “Hari” may find it more unique when he is called “Harry” by his friends. The


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traditional “Namaste” when meeting elders is used by our youths just for the sake of it, in return they prefer a “high five”. While our children generally take a year to integrate comfortably into Canadian life, for parents it can take a couple of years or more. Although eager to integrate into Canadian society, our children still face the problems either related with completely strange land or to new languages. If these difficulties are not addressed properly with support from parents, they may result in aggressive or depressive behaviours and outlooks in our children. The parents too bear the extra challenge of trying to establish themselves economically and socially in a new land, while still holding on to their traditional authority over the family. But one issue which is appreciable is that even though our children’s key challenges are getting adapted to the Canadian society and learning the language and overcoming social isolation, they feel that their parents experience more difficulties in adapting, particularly with respect to finding gainful

employments. They are keenly aware of their parents’ struggles and hardships. Since our youths are more diverse culturally and ethnically than us, this trend will increase because they form one-third of immigrants who come to Canada each year. Most of them speak neither English nor French upon their arrival. At schools they are being thrust into a “sink or swim” situation where they have to learn the language and make friends quickly. But this will be a learning experience to them as well, where it will help them to adjust quickly to Canadian society. Last, but not the least, integrating into new social and cultural environment requires time and effort, as well as the support of the community. Let us hope that they don’t forget their roots because language, culture and traditions form an important part of personal identity.

A moment of “Tog of War “ between men and women on the occasion of Summer Picnic 2003, although women group were more energetic, eventually the game drew in balance!


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Join the NCAO and be a Part of a Dynamic Community Organization

The Nepalese Canadian Association of Ottawa (NCAO) is a registered non-profit organization established to foster mutual respect and cooperation among Nepalese and individuals or organizations of similar objectives and interests. The NCAO is also actively involved in promoting awareness of Nepalese arts, culture, language and tradition, and assisting Nepalese newcomers in Ottawa. The membership to NCAO is open to everyone who has an interest in Nepal and Nepali culture. The members receive discounts on ticket prices of NCAO events, and a subscription to Ottawa Chautari, the NCAO newsletter. The annual membership fee is $15 for a single, $25 for a family and $10 for a student. Please mail the completed application form below along with the membership fee to: Treasurer, NCAO, c/o Ram Acharya, 36 Rodeo Drive, Ottawa, ON K2J 4Z5. For additional information, please call Ram Acharya at (613) 823-8468 or Indra Chhetri at (613) 565-0770

- ----- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- cut here and mail the application -- -- -- -------------------- -- -- -- -

Nepalese Canadian Association of Ottawa Membership Application

Name: (Mr./Mrs./Ms.) ___________________ _________________________ (First Name) (Family Name) Mailing Address: _______________________________ _______________ (Street Address) (Apartment Number) ____________________ ________ _______________ (City) (Province) (Postal Code) Telephone: ________________________ __________________________ (Home) (Work, optional) E-mail Address: __________________________________ Preferred mode of communication: E-mail [ ] Regular Mail: [ ] Additional information for family members Name of the additional family members Date of Birth (optional) Relationship

ottawa chautari - volume 5 (october 2003)

Documents

day of dashain

victory day

main day

moon day

day of deepawali

day vijaya dashami

day of nawa ratri

goddess of victory