The Nepal Digest - Sept 24, 1998 (8 Ashwin 2055 BkSm)

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Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1998 23:57:02 -0500
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The Nepal Digest Thurs Sept 24, 1998: Ashwin 8 2055BS: Year7 Volume78 Issue3

Today's Topics (partial list):

       Crisis of Leadership
       Roof over head in Madison
       A short reply
       Call for Participation
       Anti-nuke statement
       Protracted discussion
       From the Nepalese to the Global Context(III)
       Request for help
       British Soldiers -ballad/poetry
       Momo
       Helping the young scientist

******************************************************************************
* TND (The Nepal Digest) Editorial Board *
* -------------------------------------- *
* *
* The Nepal Digest: General Information tnd@nepal.org *
* Chief Editor: Rajpal JP Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* (Open Position) *
* Editorial Columnist: Pramod K. Mishra pkm@acpub.duke.edu *
* Sports Correspondent: Avinaya Rana avinayar@touro.edu *
* Co-ordinating Director - Australia Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Dr. Krishna B. Hamal HamalK@dist.gov.au *
* Co-ordinating Director - Canada Chapter (TND Foundation) *
* Anil Shrestha SHRESTHA@CROP.UOGUELPH.CA *
* SCN Correspondent: Open Position *
* *
* TND Archives: http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/tnd/ *
* TND Foundation: http://www.nepal.org tnd@nepal.org *
* WebSlingers: Pradeep Bista,Naresh Kattel,Robin Rajbhandari *
* Rabi Tripathi, Prakash Bista tnd@nepal.org *
* *
* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* *
* "Heros are the ones who give a bit of themselves to the community" *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" -Sirdar_Khalifa *
* *
******************************************************************************

****************************************************************** From: nhillbilly@juno.com (Vijaya K Sigdel) To: The Nepal Digest <nepal@cs.niu.edu> Date: September 10, 1998

Examining Democracy and Politics in Nepal
Author: Vijaya K. Sigdel

State of the Nation: The prevailing problems and practices that Nepal is undergoing today are not the sour fruits of our democratic experience commenced by the 1990 Revolution. In fact, these problems are the result of centuries-old neglect and abuses, which have compounded with interests, that will require decades, if not centuries, to solve. Correspondingly, it would be impossible to calculate the staggering costs in monetary terms. What is obvious is that post-revolution period leaders of all ideological persuasions, instead of trying to change, have perpetuated the sinister old political culture, which already had a strong grip on our society. As a result, we are facing problems that are more complex and towering than ever before. However, I reject the notion that democracy has failed in Nepal. The institutions created by the Constitution of 1990 are intact. Despite the numerous revolving-door governments within the last few years, power has been transferred peacefully and major political players have adhered to the constitutional process. Therefore, I would argue that it is not the crisis of democracy, but a crisis of leadership. The revolution brought us an alternative political system, alternative governments but not alternative policies. Consequently, current political situation is satisfying only to those who hold positions of privilege or power in Nepal. These people may believe that they are living in a better world but most Nepalese people do not. Today, dissatisfaction with politics runs too deep and wide throughout the country from Mechi to Mahakali, across all political spectrums. Most people have begun to question the future of the democratic system and its institutions largely because they have serious misgivings about the country's contemporary leaders and have no or little faith in the future.
It is not the loss of expectations that people are dissatisfied with, it is the loss of hope. The danger is that no system can survive and have a healthy growth unless it satisfies enough people and gives hope to the rest. Furthermore, political institutions themselves cannot survive without the continued nourishment of progressive leadership and appropriate political responses.

The Revolution and Its Aftermath: In these past eight years, our yearning for democratic ideals, justice, fairness, equity, equal opportunity, social progress, economic development, moral values, decency and so forth has received many severe blows. As British statesman Edmund Burke pointed out, "Among people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist." Moreover, the biggest and immediate threat to Nepal's democracy comes from the growing menace of terrorism, violence, and lawlessness in the country. Notwithstanding the overwhelming problems we face, I believe that our democracy is toddling along step by step, sometimes painfully. Eight years is not a very long time for a democratic system to mature and have a successful transition from an authoritarian rule. To begin with, our leaders were very inexperienced and often their behavior and actions have not only been wrong but blatantly undemocratic. By the same token, people have not shown the kind of response and vigilance that is needed for the successful functioning of a democratic system. Our situation is not any different from English historian Lord Acton's dictum: "In every age its [liberty's] progress has been beset by its natural enemies, by ignorance and superstition, by lust of conquest and by love of ease, by the strongman's craving for power, and the poor man's craving for food
[tangible benefit]." In other words, it is not always possible to have leaders who are better than the people they represent and people who are better than the leaders they elect. There have been exceptionally enlightened political leaders in the world but they come very rarely. Democracy in its true sense encompasses rights as well as obligations. Our democracy can succeed only when the people and our leaders apply both of these paramount principles equally and unequivocally. In the words of John F. Kennedy: " to remain free, people must cherish their freedoms, understand the responsibilities they entail, and nurture the will to preserve them." Nepal does not have a strong critical mass beyond the government and private media, which normally works for its own self-interest or works for some vested interest. Nonetheless, democracy has brought us greater transparency; people are slowly becoming more vocal and they are talking freely about the problems that affect their lives directly and about broader national issues. In many ways, the whole system is under cross-examination. The press writes more openly and critically now than ever before. The number and the distribution of private newspapers have expanded manifold since the revolution, reaching far and remote corners of Nepal. The role of the electronic media, particularly radio, has been an even more important source for news and information. As television expands more into the countryside, it will be the most effective means for disseminating information and education provided we can find ways to curtail the corrosive influence it puts on our culture and our way of life. By and large, these are positive developments, which will lead us towards the growth of a healthy democratic society. Ultimately, we will have the much-needed ebb and flow of public opinion and larger critical mass that will start demanding greater accountability from our elected officials. Presently, lack of accountability on the part of elected leaders is our biggest problem. To no one's surprise, in the light of such political vacuum, the bureaucracy has followed the same pattern.

The Revolution and Reforms: The first order of business for any successful revolution is to apply the concept of justice and introduce reforms. In Nepal, in spite of the people's rallying cry, no one was brought to justice for past abuses and crimes committed during the Panchayat System. Except the charade of the Mallik Commission, there was no blue-ribbon panel or truth commission. Thus, the justice for which the Nepalese people waited so long was permanently denied. And another great historic opportunity to make progress was quickly lost. To add insult to injury, the government dug deep into the sewage of the Panchayat System to find thugs and awarded them the highest positions. These same people still occupy many prominent positions, making important decisions that affect our country. These unjustifiable actions played a significant role in eroding public confidence in our system and in our leaders from the very onset. In the same vein, with the exceptions of writing the Constitution and organizing free elections, no significant political reforms were introduced in the country. In spite of the political leaders' high-sounding rhetoric and pledge to introduce decentralization and local-self government, in the end, the names were simply changed to Village Development Committee and District Development Committee from Village Panchayat and District Panchayat respectively, with mere cosmetic changes. The government granted no autonomy to the local peoples, whatsoever. If our goal is to empower people politically and economically and create "government of, by, and for the people," the concept of local autonomy should be implemented without further delay. As far as the economic front is concerned, the major political parties and their leaders' much-vaunted pledge to implement free enterprise and market economy is yet to materialize. No real efforts are being made to privatize the dead-beat public enterprises or to improve their efficiency and productivity. Instead, the political leaders have found the public corporations to be convenient instruments to make patronage appointments for their cronies and sycophants. The consequence has been a deadening effect on our economy; we are now in our worst economic crisis.

Major Actors and Political Parties: The Nepali Congress (NC): Because of the split of the UML, the NC, once again, finds itself with the largest plurality in the Parliament, by virtue of which it is in power. The Party of giants like B.P. Koirala, Ganesh Man Singh and many martyrs and heroes is now so immersed in division, so troubled in spirit, adrift and purposeless that it does not seem it is going to be able to rise up and lift our country from the current morass to a new height. When the revolution brought it to power, the people expected the NC leaders to take great leaps forward but at every opportunity they have been taking giant steps backward. At a time when Nepal desperately needs revolutionary leaders, the Nepali Congress leaders are behaving just as though they represent the dim past rather than the bright hopes of the future. They have neither upheld their own professed principles nor have they sought new ideas. The NC at its best is a shrinking party and at its worst it does not appear to have a democratic creed anymore. How far it will decline depends on how the new generation of leaders will respond. United Marxist-Leninist (UML): Unwilling to give up their Marxist ideology completely or fully adopt democratic principles, UML leaders have remained steadfastly timid in reforming the party. Having lived in ideological limbo for seven years, now almost half of its parliamentary body has been amputated and, perhaps, a significant base at the grass root level has also been lost. It is likely to spend most of its time and energy competing with its breakaway Marxists-Leninists faction and will not offer any cohesive policy for the country. This inter-party struggle will bring further instability to our political system. It will also weaken our democratic system. The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP): The former high Panchas once again have shown their true disposition - opportunists. Their party's name does not represent their real personal character and political philosophy. Their success is derived largely from their personal notoriety, not from integrity. They have no overriding philosophy, core principles and values. They will only succeed if other major parties seriously default. The Nepal Sadbhabana Party (NSP): It also has no clear political philosophy. It is a regional party designed to exploit the ethnic divide in the Terai. So far, it has not found a solid base to play the Terai card and it will not find any support outside. Most Nepalese have and will find this party unappealing. All in all, Nepalese political parties have not lived by their stated principles and goals. Their primary preoccupation has been the pursuit of power, not the defense of broad principles. They have severely weakened the position of Prime Minister by unjustifiably relying on the Supreme Court to make political decision. In addition, they have also weakened the power of the government by passing unwise and counter productive laws. Recently passed civil service bill is one of the cases in point. If this trend continues, the Prime Minister's position will simply be a ceremonial position.

Challenges to Democracy: Democracy in Nepal basically has a twin set of enemies or obstacles. It is under attack both from the right and the left. The rightists do not want to apply the concept of justice in order to preserve the past or their privileged positions. So far, they have successfully protected their interests. The Nepali Congress and the UML, both revolutionary parties in their own rights, have proven their steadfastness to cater to the needs of the few rich and powerful. None of these parties is willing to take a radical departure from the past The battle cry of the far left is "justice" but in reality it wants to bring changes through bloodshed and establish a totalitarian Marxist state. A small part of this group, the so-called Maoists, has been terrorizing Nepal with ruthless violence, which not only threatens democracy, peace, and security but also threatens Nepal's very future. They will not bring justice. No wrongs will be righted, no social malady will be cured by violence. And, there will be no peace in Nepal. On the contrary, we will be living with endless chaos if we allow the terrorists to prevail. Once they are finished killing off their so-called enemies, they will start killing each other. This is the characteristic and history of violence.

The Genesis versus the Present: I am often reminded of that ordinary man with extraordinary wisdom, vision, and courage from Gorkha. Prithivi Narayan Shah, our founding father, was called by destiny to unite the fragmented people of our land into a big brotherhood under one nation - we call Nepal. As far as we know, he had no formal education and did not posses much wealth. Nonetheless, he was endowed with a combination of incomparable political skills, instincts and human qualities, which we have not found in Nepal since his death. He had a steely mind and a brave heart. At the same time, he was a compassionate man with deep religious and spiritual faith.
He profoundly understood the concepts of right and wrong, virtue and vice. He fathomed the principles of justice; he punished those who committed grave offences, he pardoned people who needed mercy, he rewarded those who deserved it. He compromised only when he could make progress. He understood people, politics, economies, social structures, and international relations. He also understood power, especially the power of British Imperialism and mammoth neighboring countries. To that end, his wisdom, to this day, is still the guiding principle of our foreign policy. Equipped with moral fortitude, passion and determination, Prithivi Narayan Shah was a great optimist who always believed that he would overcome his enormously powerful adversaries, particularly those from the more developed Kathmandu Valley, who possessed far greater resources than he had at his disposal in Gorkha. Yet, he never failed to be a realist. Like most people, his success came neither easily nor expeditiously, he remained relentless and tenacious until he conquered a new frontier. He had a profound confidence in Nepal's multitudes of culture. He did not believe that unity required uniformity. He saw strength, creativity, and beauty in diversity when he avowed, "Nepal should be a Phool Bari of all casts and ethnic groups." It also meant that he ardently recognized the rights and responsibility of all Nepal's inhabitants. Prithivi Narayan Shah's life was rather short but his catalog of achievements was infinitely long. Like many Nepalese, I often pause to marvel how the descendents of the greatest hero, greatest leader, greatest intellect in our history, have profaned the land he created and loved so much. We have become a nation of pessimism, cynicism, and pusillanimity. What's more, we are oblivious and dispassionate to common problems and the common man. I can almost hear Prithivi Narayan Shah weeping in Heaven. To his horror, his posterity has utterly failed to complete his unfinished task of nation- building. We have failed to create a politically stable and economically secure country where people can enjoy a good quality of life, feel secure and live free in dignity. Instead, we are haunted by ever lingering problems and confronted everyday by new ones. They require fresh and bold responses today. But, our leadership seems to be tragically unprepared to face these enormous challenges. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, once said, "The generation which commences a revolution rarely completes it." Indeed, the awesome responsibility has fallen on today's generation to make the necessary sacrifice for revolutionizing our society. We must put the foundation for progress by attacking the evils that have been tormenting the people of Nepal for too long - poverty, disease, illiteracy, injustice, violence, and discrimination. The future belongs to those who have an abiding faith in Nepal and an unwavering commitment for democracy. The future belongs to those who have an unshakable confidence and moral courage to overcome our current difficulties. It certainly does not belong to those who are content with the status quo.

Vijaya K. Sigdel P.O. Box 837 New York, N.Y. 10002 E-mail: Nhillbilly@Juno.Com

****************************************************************** Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 10:00:22 -0400 (EDT) From: "Pramod K. Mishra" <pkm@acpub.duke.edu> To: The Nepal digest Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Request for a roof in Madison, Wisconsin

Hello,

I'll be in Madison, Wisconsin, to present a paper at the 27th Conference on South Asia on Friday, October 15, at a panel called The Politics of Difference in the Himalayan Region. My paper title is "Nepali Nation-State in the Era of "Tribalism."

I'd be much obliged if somebody could host me (just providing their roof for the three nights--October 15, 16, 17).

Please call or e-mail. Phone# (919) 383-3826

Pramod Mishra

****************************************************************** Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 07:31:35 +1200 To: nepal-request@cs.niu.edu From: giri.kattel@stonebow.otago.ac.nz (giri raj kattel) Subject: A short reply

Dear Bhagat,

Thanks a lot for your comment on my letter to TND dated August 14, 1998. What a surprise that I did pinpoint to you as an antinationalist and you had a lot to tell against Nepal again. Neither I do have time to discuss on such unhealthy and unconstructive issues nor I ever raise the issues on racism in Nepal. I hate RACISM in every corner of the world. If you are a victim of racism, I am pleased to join in anti-racism campaign anywhere in the world. But if you raise the issue like "Nepal should be under India" it hurts me. I just can not be a person who forgets his/her identity existed in the world.

Giri Raj Kattel Department of Zoology University of Otago P.O.Box 56 Dunedin, New Zealand Tel: 00 64 3 479 7088 Fax: 00 64 3 479 7584

****************************************************************** Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 10:04:05 -0400 (EDT) From: "Pramod K. Mishra" <pkm@acpub.duke.edu> To: The Nepal digest Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Call for Participation

Dear Editor and TND readers,

Have you seen how much energy Nepali nationalism has generated in the recent issues of TND and SCN? It's amazing how nationalism could still possess such force in people's lives in the age of globalization! Or, is it that because of this new phenomenon of globalization nationalism has become a new form of anchoring one's identity on cyberspace, as has been said? Nepal's case may be complicated in yet other ways.

In any case, a look at some of the postings on both TND and SCN made me think that many of the participants were either too inadequately informed or unable to sort out issues or too choked with emotion to articulate their views without taking resort to expletives and slurs, name- calling, and sloganeering. And I'm referring not only to anonymous postings but also to responsible ones, the office bearers of parties.

And a sampling of the identities of the interlocutors would easily reveal that among the ranks are at least the sons--yes, the sons--of well-to-do Nepalis. They have had a relatively privileged background: they have been able to come overseas to pursue education after adequate schooling; they are able to communicate in English. Many of these folks will return to Nepal and help shape or disfigure Nepal's future. Or, even if they choose to remain overseas, they would, in myriad ways, mightily shape public opinion about these vital issues.

Perhaps I have sounded condescending above. Not so. The spectrum of opinions and ideas that have been voiced recently about Nepali nationalism on TND haven't come out out of nowhere--they represent the spectrum of views and stands on the ground in Nepal, from the illitirate farmer in the villages of the hills and the plains to the educated elites in Kathmandu. And these are the opinions, and not the unread academic books, that would shape the course of events in Nepal. And I know the existence of much hatred, vile emotions, on all sides, as I also know the flicker of goodwill existing on all sides.

Nationalism has given us both evil scoundrels and liberating saints. While it's good to talk about cosmopolitanism adn other post-patriotisms and the international global circulation of people, finanace, ideas, technology, media, etc., the easily perceptible and real battles are still won or lost on the ground based on nationalism. So nationalism is not at all out of fashion; it's in fact coming into fresh vogue to demand its due. It all depends on how the educated conduct and help others conduct the discourse about nationalism; if harnessed its tremendous endergies positively, we may have yet other Gandhis, Moses, etc., but if let it go wrong, we may have puny Hitlers, Bosnian Serb leaders Radavan K and Radko M.

The question is, Can democracy and nationalism co-exist in Nepal? Are concerns for sovereignty compatible with desire for prosperity? Of course, I do not presume an easy answer either in the positive or negative; nor should any thinking person. And that's why, the conversation needs to be continued and elevated from the level of choking emotion and expletive and hate speech and reverse racism and myopic vision to that of informed and impassioned conversation without being negatively academic.

Of course, I'd be vain if I thought that only such a conversation would shape the future of Nepal or any territorial entity for that matter; that are realities and vested interests on the ground that always militate against any rational conversation and judgement. But the continued and critical conversation do shape and help shape public opinion and affect the course of history.

Very often I have seen quite responsible participants resorting to name-calling instead of converting the easy epithets into sound argument. To my mind, expletives and slurs and name- calling are charged with emotion and energy. They are the result of either lack of training in articulation and argumentation or lack of opportunity. In the case of Nepal, I'd say that it's the latter--lack of freedom of expression. But they can also come from vested interests that feel threaten by the new changes in the historical configuration. The only way to either transform the thinking or defeat their designs is not to resort to such dumb-head talk nor to ignore but to engage them with cold reason and cutting and passionate argument.

At the end of the day, even responsible people everywhere are free, have been, and will be free to act--shed blood or resolve through conversation and politics--but they have to be at the end of informed conversation and debate. If such blood-letting occurs before informed conversation and exchange of ideas, then the fault goes to the intellectuals of the society, and those who make a career out of studying that society, for failing to have done their job properly.

Therefore, I ask the readers of TND, particularly those who have had academic training in particular aspects of Nepal and have written about and thought about seriously, to participate in the coversation as guides, as moderators, as educators, encouraging and directing the conversations if you get time and if you feel it was not adequately covered and needed input from somebody like you. Of course, TND's commitment to complete freedom of expression and the chance of having to engage in one-on-one conversation may discourage such a move--after all, TND is not a peer reviewed organ nor is it financially remunerative--but it'd be a precious contribution to Nepal. And I sincerely hope that such a participation would occur.

The End

**********************************************************************1 Date: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 16:17:09 -0700 To: nepal@cs.niu.edu From: chinmoy_banerjee@sfu.ca (chinmoy banerjee) (by way of Stacy Leigh Pigg <pigg@sfu.ca>) Subject: anti-nuke statement

Rajpal jyu, namaste.

what follows is an anti-nuke statement signed by about a hundred south asians from across Canada ( myself included). The statement was organized/prepared jointly by Non-Resident Indians for Secularism and Democracy, and South Asians Against Nuclear Weapons - both based here in Vancouver. I thought TND netters may like to read it. Thanks.

namaste abi sharma north Vancouver, British Columbia.

We Deplore Nuclear Explosions on the Subcontinent

Wheras the media have represented the peoples of India and Pakistan as well as their former nationals and non-resident citizens living abroad as overwhelmingly supportive of the recent nuclear explosions by the two countries, we, who hail from the sub-continent and retain fond links with the land of our origin, are deeply grieved by, and strongly deplore them.

At the same time, we deplore the hypocrisy of the so-called "nuclear weapons states" for their self-righteous posturing against nuclear weapons testing by India and Pakistan while retaining for themselves the monopoly over these weapons of mass destruction. In this context, we believe that India's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty while demanding the total elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide was a morally principled position which has been sadly compromised by its recent actions.

The peoples of India and Pakistan achieved their independence and statehood amidst the catastrophic bloodshed of Partition in 1947. Since then the two countries have fought three wars and maintained continuous military hostility at enormous cost to their peoples. What the vast majority on the sub-continent need is wholesome food, clean water, decent housing, health care, educational opportunity, democratic rights, and equality. These are possible only if the two countries settle their long-standing hostility through government-to-government and people-to-people communication. It is deplorable that the developing movement in this direction has been sabotaged by the recent nuclear explosions.

We call on the peoples of India and Pakistan to not fall prey to the chauvinism and militarism that ultimately serve only the interests of the elite, who are largely unconcerned with the welfare of the masses. We urge their governments to commit themselves to not producing nuclear weapons, to resume the process of settling their differences peacefully, and to get on with the task of providing honest and just governance responsive to the needs of the multitudes.

--End of statement.--

Sitaram Ahir, Sharif Ahmad, Freddie Amrolia, Piroj Amrolia, Nahar Aujla
(Brampton), Madhav Badami, Darshan Bains, Surjit Bains, Didar Bajwa
(Edmonton), Lachman Bali, Anand Banerjee, Chinmoy Banerjee, Sudipta Banerjee, Satyen Banerjee, Hardeep Baraich (Edmonton), Kamaljit Benipal
(Edmonton), Colin Benjamin, Jagdish Binning, Sadhu Binning, Nalinaksha Bhattacharya, Tirthankar Bose, Gurcharn Brar (Edmonton), Jagrup Brar, Rajwant Brar, Shinder Brar, Milkhiram Budhan, Raj Chouhan, K. B. Damji, Archana Datta, Paramjit Dhaliwal (Edmonton), Ranjeet Dhaliwal (Edmonton), Sudarshan Dhaliwal (Edmonton), Jagdish Dhingra (Edmonton), Gurnam Dulku, Charanpal Gill, Douglas Grant, Baldev Grewal(Edmonton), Alykhan Hassam, Anju Hundal, Sarabjit Hundal, Sukhwant Hundal, Farrokh Irani, Aminul Islam, Jasbir Jassar(Edmonton), Harish Joshi, Nargis Kakar, Safdar Kakar, Haneefa Kassam, Meorah Kassam, Nurdin Kassam, Aziz Khaki, Haroon Khan, Riasat Ali Khan, Manjit Lally, Paramjit Lehal, Gitanjali Lena, Harinder Mahil, Amir Mitha, Zeri Mitha, Sourayan Mukherjee, Diya Nijhowne, Shanti Nijhowne, Gurmukh Pandher(Edmonton), Harbhajan Pandher(Edmonton), Prabhjot Parmar, Abdul Pirbhai, Abid Pittalwala, M. Rafiq, Charan Rai, Ali Rajabali, Sandy Rakhra, Satwant Rakhra(Edmonton), Gurcharn Rampuri,Nirmal Rattan, Baldev Rehpa(Toronto), Ajmer Rode, Makhan Sahota(Edmonton), Bhagwant Sandhu, Nirmaljeet Sandhu, Syed Shafat Ali, Amy Shah, Gautam J. Shah, Mohammed Sharif, Abi Sharma, Hari Sharma, Faisal Shehzad, Satinder Sidhu, Ashok Singh, Karam Singh, Mukhtiar Singh(Winnipeg), Jagdev Sohi(Edmonton), Lidija Spasovska, Deepak Sunamy, Shyam Wadhwani.

*************************************************************** Date: Wed, 02 Sep 1998 23:46:54 +0000 From: Subarna Pradhan <spradhan@pol.net> To: Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Protracted discussion

To the Editor,

If last issue of TND gives a message then it is an overwhelming message that we have had enough with these unneccesary bickering about those nonsensical threads of discussions or matters that should be discussed some where else. Read Pramod Mishra and Ashutosh Tiwari's comments. Also read lot of other writers including Greta Rana, Aiko Joshi, Pawan Shakya, J H Lawrence, Eknath Belbase, Sudhir Shrestha, Prakash Bhandari, Madhusudan Bhattarai, Umesh Giri, Namita Kiran Thuene, Madhav Karki, Hutch, Bipulendu Narayan Singh, Parmendra Bhagat, Lomash Regmi, Hilary Dirlam, etc's note too.

Freedom does not mean I can go to my neighbour's yard and dig or relieve my self there. Freedom of speech doesnot mean that I can call any one any thing or name I feel like. In reality to maintain freedom it is ironic that one has to abide by some set of rules which means giving giving up some freedom. Freedom means that one has to follow certain decorum of the society. Freedom doesnot just mean the just the rights of the majority. If one wants to maintain freedom then one has to guard the rights of the silent minoroties as well. I am not an intellectual or in academics as some of our collegues are. I have not studied in universities (some of them very presigious) as some of our collegues have. I am just speaking from my heart. Let us just stop these inflammatory discussions in TND. If they want to discuss it start a new thread. Lets keep the philosophy of TND as it is mentioned in each and every of TND. Otherwise who stops one from discussing about Clinton jokes, ethnic jokes, mayoral race in Cleveland, Jerry Springer show discussions, Hutu-Tutsi problem in Rwanda, economic crisis in Russia, India-Pakistan-Kashmir issue, massacre of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia, Ozone hole crisis, Bill Gates monopolization etc etc...................in TND. Subarna Pradhan

*********************************************************** Date: Sun, 07 Jan 1990 11:46:02 +0530 From: "F. A. H. ('Hutch') Dalrymple" <hutch@wlink.com.np> To: editor Contributions <nepal@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest

Re: the India-Nepal 'debate' nee what TND should do...

I agree with the man from Havard! Atosh (?)... Tiwari(?)... Let TND be free! It's one of the few 'places,' in the 'world,' where anyone with any nonsensical thing to say, can... And unedited! That's the beauty of it... TND is an open 'forum,' not a 'media publication,' controlled by a few, and influenced by advertising revenue!

Personally, my 'hat is off,' to those (Rajpal J. Singh) et.al. that produce this thing, for very little money (if any)... And then all of you turn around and complain!

Thus, this is what I suggest to all of you complainers... START YOUR OWN ON-LINE FORUM and control it to your heart's content! Otherwise, unless you 'volunteer' to help do the work, bugger off!

Whether or not, you get tired of a subject or not, it's your choice to read it (or not) and participate (or not) in the discussion... If you're tired of a particular discussion/subject... Who says you have to read/participate... Go do something stupid like watch TV!

Finally, I'm about (with Rajpal Singh and other's at TND permission and blessing) produce a printed/published copy of each issue of TND for local distribution in Kathmandu, Nepal... Who out there in 'cyberland' wants to help? Who wants to participate?

That is... If you're not too busy complaining!!!

hutch@wlink.com.np (until September 7-9th) then hopefully hutch@htp.com.np

P.S. By the way, there is a fourth I.S.P. in Kathmandu... 'Hi-Tech Pioneers (htp), which is cheaper and better than MOS, World, Link, or Computerland!

********************************************************** Date: Thu, 03 Sep 98 11:19:34 EST From: "Paramendra Bhagat" <Paramendra_Bhagat@smtpgtwy.berea.edu> To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Racism : From the Nepalese to the Global Context(III)

compiled and edited by Paramendra Bhagat
________________________________________________________________________________ http://www.antiracist.com/events/lawhate.html

    -very widespread and well financed organizations such as the "World Anti- Communist League" based in South Korea. This is not a specifically South Korean organization. It has chapter organisations like the Crown Commonwealth League of Rights which includes the Canadian League of Rights, the Australian League of Rights, the New Zealand League of Rights, the British League of Rights. These organizations also have fascist groups throughout South America and Mexico. I could go on and on. This is an openly and nakedly fascist network and a lot of money goes around and around that circuit.
    -this network of people who.......are indeed fascists does operate and operates with a great deal of money.
    -we have not successfully defined the problem to its full extent. There is a need to understand racism as the employer that does not want to hire a person because of his or her colour - to understand racism as the systemic barriers that disallows people who look different to gain positions of power.

    -Racists are protected and supported and they are allowed to play at the level they are playing at because of the way that our society and even our community looks at racism. We do not talk about power.
    -how incidents are covered up, I cannot help but think about it in my own community as a person of colour, an "invisible" black person. We are not talking about these power dynamics
    -If we are going to talk about racism, if we are going to talk about hate groups, then we must also talk about the hidden hatred that is often levied at people of colour who are not in positions of power.

-hate crimes, racism and human rights protections

1) the mandate, legislation and programs which deal with racism, hate and hate groups; 2) other provincial government agencies and programs which promote anti- racism and combat racism and; 3) community organizations and actions in their provinces which have demonstrated effective results in combating hate and racism.

1940's .........."Help wanted, no Blacks need apply"
    -if someone had a sign which read, "Jews are conspiring to take over the world." ..........that kind of speech could not be really considered under Human Rights legislation. 1977 Ontario - a landlord who placed a sign on his front lawn for a house which he was renting. The sign included a reference to Caucasians only. 1980 Nova Scotia - a button had been produced with a representation of a Black woman in the centre of it. The motto read, "I'm a big-mouthed Cape Bretoner, so kiss me". ..............stickers with the representation of a Chinese, South Asian and Black males in the middle of a red circle, with a line through their faces
    -the Ontario Code, section 28. D., which concerns the development of education programs, the power to hold public hearings to subject matter and, thirdly, the informal power of the commissioners to write or inform or inform other organizations taken of this sort with regards to hate group activities
    -how hate group activities can be dealt with in the work setting. .......... A service provider would also be held responsible and accountable for hate group activities on their premises, or indeed, any other activities which could be seen to create a poisoned environment for the service seeker.
    -the establishment of a telephone message line which provides information an anti-racism issues to the public
    -regional operations in assisting in educational efforts against hate groups, monitoring their activities, alerting concerned parities and facilitating meetings between key players in that whole process
    -the development of an anti-racist strategy which will be applied to government, provincial government ministries across the board
    -the Ontario Human Rights Commission, moving it away from a strictly complaints-driven process to one which is also pro-actively seeking strategic initiatives to address systemic racism and other forms of discrimination
    -employment equity legislation at the provincial level for both the private and public sector ...............allow greater access to the economic mainstream for groups traditionally disadvantaged
    -the Act...... covers employment tenancy, public services, public signs and notices. It is interesting that in section one of the Alberta Act is an override clause that says that the legislation overrides all other legislation unless that other piece of legislation has declared that they are notwithstanding the Individual Rights and Protections Act
    -section two of the Alberta Individual Rights and Protection Act reads that: No person shall publish or display before the public, or cause to be published or displayed before the public, any notice, sign, symbol, emblem, or other representation indicating discrimination or an intention to discriminate against any person or class of persons for any purpose
    -one of the difficulties with human rights legislation is that it is complaint driven and so cases often involve a long and arduous process. A person has up to six months to consider whether they want to put in a complaint
    -The town of Provost was on the cutting edge of dealing positively with issues of diversity and they wanted to be known as a town which welcomes everybody
    -The process under the Human Rights Act was important, but it took a year and a half for that to work. Legislation does take time and there are a number of difficult steps you have to go through
    -objectives: 1) awareness - which is to enhance understanding and appreciation of the benefits and positive values of being culturally diverse and to demonstrate how that contributes to a strong province; 2) access in terms of assisting public institutions, businesses and industries to develop operations and services that are available and appropriate to all Albertans, and; 3) participation in terms of working with Albertans from cultural and racial minorities to integrate effectively and participate more fully in society.

    -a lot of people say, "Well, we have to go to the schools, and ask the teachers to change the curriculum". But it takes a long time to change curriculum
    -I keep emphasizing partnership because that is important. We can send out messages forever, but it is really nice to have the Edmonton Journal and the Calgary Herald send out messages too and to have them as partners because then we can impact on more people
    -For some people, when you say `Albertan', it brings up all kinds of stereotypes - of what we look like, what kind of horses we ride and how much oil we sell
    -who Albertans are in the 1990's. There is an interesting story about the development of the project. We asked a number of Alberta writers to write a story about Albertans and we included 29 stories in the book. We provided a copy to all municipal libraries and to junior and senior high school libraries because the Ministry of Education indicated that it had potential value as reference material
    -Another project was to take six of the writers and interview them. We then combined the interviews with vignettes from their works. This became a one hour television broadcast special and it was broadcast province-wide by CBC in prime time.

    -how well organized some of these hate groups are and that they have leadership conferences. I think we have to be as well organized, if not better organized, and we should spend a lot of energy dealing with youth
    -there are a lot of racial tensions in our schools
    -the media selectively picks people for sensationalism and we thought it would be useful for people who are going to be on the media to develop some skills. So we initiated the Cultural Ambassador Program that helps people develop skills in public speaking and media relations. We found it has been very effective in a lot of communities because now they can have members out there who can speak in an informative matter about a highly emotional issue and come across reasonably in the media
    -Legislation.....is important. Legislation, however, really comes into effect after the fact - as damage control - for incidents that have already happened. We would like to promote an environment where such incidents do not occur so I think public education is as important as legislation; the two have to work hand-in-hand. I think that community action is the answer. We need leadership and commitment, and if that is not there, then we need community action to develop that leadership and commitment

    -Church of Jesus Christ Christian - Aryan Nations,
    -an "Aryan Fest" ........At the fest they burnt a cross, wore white hoods, flew nazi flags, displayed signs that read "KKK White Power" and shouted slogans
"death to Jews". ............The Board found that the Respondent had failed to discipline Ross for defying instructions to abide by the Department of Education's policy regarding multiculturalism and human rights. The Department was ordered to establish an annual review process to set goals and assess progress in the implementation of its multiculturalism and human rights policy and to establish a system for periodic assessment of race relations in the school environment. The Respondent was also ordered to place Ross on a leave of absence for 18 months, to appoint him to a non-teaching position should one become available within this time period, to terminate his employment immediately if he published or wrote anything that mentioned a Jewish or Zionist conspiracy or that attacked followers of the Jewish religion and to terminate his employment if a non-teaching job is not available during the 18 month period, or if he is offered a non-teaching job and refuses it.
    -The section of the Act under which this complaint was filed is similar to Section 3 of the British Columbia Human Rights Act. Section 13 subsection 1 of the Canadian Human Rights Act provides that: It is a discriminatory practice for a person or a group of persons acting in concert to communicate telephonically or to cause to be so communicated, repeatedly, in whole or in part by means of the facilities of a telecommunication undertaking within the legislative authority of Parliament, any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt by reason of the fact that person or those persons are identifiable on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.

Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act which prohibits the transmission by telecommunication of repeated messages that are likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt by reason of the fact that person or those persons are identifiable on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.

Section 2 subsection 1 of the old Manitoba Human Rights Act provides that: No person shall,
(a) publish, display, transmit or broadcast, or cause to be published, displayed, transmitted or broadcast; or
(b) permit to be published, displayed, broadcast or transmitted to the public, on land or premises, in a newspaper, through television or radio or telephone, or by means of any other medium which he owns or controls; any notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation;
(c) indicating discrimination or intention to discriminate against a person;
(d) exposing or tending to expose a person to hatred; because of the race, nationality, religion, colour, sex, marital status, physical or mental handicap, age, source of income, family status, ethnic or national origin of that person."

The Manitoba Court of Appeal found that "notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation" did not include articles and editorials published in newspapers.
    -The editorials stated that an Indian person is "drunk, a wastrel, an idle monger person who is only too happy to live on a government cheque, an in- breeder, a parasite, a non-contributor".
    -the Court did not dispute that the articles and editions belittled and affronted the dignity of women. However, the Court found that the articles and editions were not "other representations". "Other representations" should be read in the context of section 14 to mean "similar representation" and it therefore refers to other materials like "symbols and "emblems". Section 14 of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code provided in part: 14 (1), No person shall publish or display, or cause or permit to be published or displayed, on any lands or premises or in a newspaper... any notice, sign, symbol, emblem or other representation... which exposes or tends to expose to hatred, ridicules, belittles or otherwise affronts the dignity of any person, any class of persons or a group of persons because of their race, creed, religion, colour, sex, marital status, physical disability, age, nationality, ancestry or place of origin.
    -Only about 10% of our cases go to the hearing stage as the vast majority of the complaints are resolved during the investigation stage or prior to the hearing. The Council is required under the Human Rights Act to assist parties to resolve complaints among themselves. The Council has been emphasizing mediation much more than it had done in the past. In some cases, mediation is provided to parties even before a complaint is investigated. Mediation services are also provided during investigation and prior to a formal hearing. The Council has also been putting a greater emphasis on human rights education. This includes advice on the role of the Council, providing specific information on provisions of the legislation and providing advice on how to file a complaint. The Council produces pamphlets and posters for employers and employees regarding various employment-related human rights issues. It also provides information and advice for employers wishing to establish employment equity programs. In addition, the Council provides speakers to groups and organizations seeking information on the Human Rights Act.
    -About 75% of the cases that the Council receives relate to discrimination in employment.
    -the number of complaints filed with the Council is increasing each year by about 25 percent.

Date: Thu, 03 Sep 98 11:43:43 EST From: "Paramendra Bhagat" <Paramendra_Bhagat@smtpgtwy.berea.edu> Subject: Personal or Racist Attacks

To Lokesh Shreshtha I have this to say : A personal attack, if that is what it was, that uses blatantly racist vocabulary ceases to be personal. It is an attack on everyone who shares my background, and all others who find racism offensive.

Paramendra Bhagat

****************************************************************** Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 11:32:12 -0400 From: Lokesh Shrestha <mailto:shrestha@princeton.edu> To: mailto:nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: Racist remarks

This is just to let you, Mr. Tiwari, and the TND subscribers know that Budhanilkantha graduates did not just sit and observe the "racist" remarks thrown at Paramendra dai, a fellow Budhanilkantha graduate. Paramendra dai had sent a copy of the posting that he posted on the TND
(May 18) to a selected bunch of Budha graduates. Some of us had replied to him stating our concern on the matter defiling the perpetrators. I, on one hand, had felt that the comments posted on Paramendra dai's web site were more of an expression of personal antipathy towards him rather than the ethnic background that he represents and felt that the matter should have been resolved on a personal basis rather than by creating an impression of a racial crisis on the TND. I am pretty sure that Paramendra dai knows who the perpetrators are and what their intentions were. So, as an reply to Mr. Tiwari's concern Budhanilkantha graduates knew better than just to "to swiftly denounce such acts of blatant racism in the strongest of terms" as you have suggested. One thing that we, the graduates of Budhanilkantha, cherish more than anything else is the opportunity that we had to interact with students from all sorts of background. We know the difference between expressions of personal antipathy and "acts of blatant racism".

Lokesh. http://www.princeton.edu/~shrestha

*********************************************************************** Date: Thu, 03 Sep 98 11:46:11 EST From: "Paramendra Bhagat" <Paramendra_Bhagat@smtpgtwy.berea.edu> To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: The "Holocaust Deniers" and Racism in Nepal

To those who deny the existence of Racism In Nepal - the "Holocaust Deniers," as I call them - I extend an invitation to my Guest Book at
<http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/9511/geobook.html> where they will view these messages people have scribbled since I started discussions on the topic on The Nepal Digest <http://library.wustl.edu/~listmgr/tnd/>

Respectfully- Paramendra Bhagat

- 08/11/98 21:31:10

Comments: Hey you **** son of ****, ***** Indian ***** *****. Get the
***** out of Nepal and go to India. That's where you belong not in Nepal. You
***** people don't want to be recognised as Nepali. You ****. You *** my
****.

**** **** 08/11/98 14:38:21 My Email:****@****.com

Comments: **** **** ko putra huru, **** ko **** *****, Tero **** ko
**** ko hariyo **** **** . **** ko choro huru nepal chodera bhag.

???? - 07/31/98 01:48:01 My Email:

Comments: U *****

kannchhaa - 07/28/98 03:33:19

Comments: A **** **** KO CHOORO **** **** DALAL MERO **** ******
**** **** KO BAYAN GARCHAA A **** INDIA JA **** **** !!!!!!

yogesh dhungel - 05/18/98 19:37:36 My Email:dungel@jfaucett.com

Comments: I was disgusted to read the comments posted on your website. I am disgusted by racist comments toward nepalis from the terai. Unfortunately i sometimes hear these comments from my cousins in kathmandu. I think you are wise to post them. Thanks. yogesh dh ngel

kanchha pulami - 04/17/98 20:49:55

Comments: ***** Budhanilkantha school ko nam bechera tero dhoti party kholdaichhas! By the way tero party sadvawana (dhoti party) sita bilaya bhayisakyo. Ajai pani vice secretarary hoki samajbadi dal ko tagh !!!!!! I felt hurt when you put such harsh words on r wild and Manav . Tero ability thiyena ra ta school captain bhayinash !!!! Afulai kattiko hero thanne
****. A-level ra O-level ma keti ko pachhi lagyo---- A-levels result gultayo.........Thanks god atleast bhagawan le kripa garera america puraidinu bhayo So just don't blow your own trumpet-------- let others do that. Ani party nai khole pani kina bihari style kina apanaune. - Madhise haru le matra suffer gariraheko chhha nepal ma . Have you ever been to remote hilly areas of nepal?????? Only dhotis need ttention by the government!!!!!!!!! Do you expect to support your idea by ex-budhanilkantha school ko student harule?? No way dude.I personally would not wanna join your ill-motivated party like that of lallu yadhav. Always come into reality--don't just ive false statements to nepelese people.By the way I had gone through your party manifesto of sangram morcha, That shows how eye cathing words you have put
--nepali ko ankhama chharo halne kamm matra gareko chha,.If you come up with idea of unifying all n pelese in your party I will work with all my heart and soul to uplift your party........so will all the sebs members. Tero party lai garne kharchha bhanda give that all money to sebs nation wide scholarship programme .At least some needy people will be b nefitting .Being the part of national school of nepal--- you try to spit on the same plte that you have eaten,,,,,,,,thats natural in every madesis.They forget their history ra khusi hunda kheri kasailai pani bal dindaina.Why not stop indian **** to imp ove our economy as one of the well wisher of Budhanilkantha school says in his comments.So Parmendra I think You are on the wrong track...with full of misconceptions and grudges.better purify yor self. A well wisher of Budhanilkantha schoo

- 04/16/98 21:26:38 My Email:i3pp@sdsumus.sdstate.edu

Comments: Do you want to be a pawnmaker? Go between the people who are struggling to get food for living. They are not struggling to get a good status they just need food. They are not only madhise or janajati, people from all parts and casts of Nepal are suffering the same. Issue you are raising is like the one who can not succeed their goals by their own means and wants to make a easy way to the top. If you really care about Nepal, stop people entering and settling from India. This will definitely help to improve the economy. Create a feeling of nationalism, motivate people to work hard and teach them how to defend themselves from cheating and to foll w the law and order. We need hardwork to develop the country. You can see how hard americans work. I feel ashamed with what Budhanilkantha School had taught you. Ex. B.S.

******************************************************************* Date: Thu, 03 Sep 1998 11:01:57 -0700 From: Pawan Agrawal <pawan@cisco.com> To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest - September 2, 1998 (8 Bhadra 2055 BkSm)

I like to second the Mr. Pawan Raj Shakya's opinion. Let's put our energy in something more constructive.

Thank you.

Pawan Agrawal
(San Jose, CA, USA).

******************************************************************* Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 10:00:10 +0545 (NPT) To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu From: sinhas@mos.com.np (Pratyoush Onta) Subject: TKP article

Source: The Kathmandu Post, 28 August 1998

The Politics of Knowledge Decentralizing TU for Real

Pratyoush Onta

Much has been reported about the mess in Tribhuwan University (TU). In the executive summary of the Report of the National Education Commission 1992 TU's problems were described in this manner: "classes do not run regularly. Examination are not held in time, and the publication of results is inordinately delayed, wasting [the students'] precious time. No timely improvements are made in the curricula. Publication of text-books goes on at a snail's pace. Teaching, hostel, library, laboratory and other facilities are so few that they are not conducive to the evolution of an academic atmosphere....Higher education has an administrative rather than academic bias."

The Report identified the mounting pressure from increasing number of enrolled students in TU's campuses as one of the main reasons behind its ill management. This problem followed from a more fundamental one - the centralization of authority whereby all of TU's campuses had to rely on its Kathmandu officers for academic direction and financial assistance.

To address this problem, the 1992 Commission recommended that TU be decentralized - its campuses and other campuses affiliated with it should be integrated under at least four universities located in the eastern, central, western and mid-western development regions. With respect to TU's five technical institutes, the Report recommended that "Full autonomy should be granted to Technical Institutes to plan and execute all activities required for raising their level of efficiency except the confering of Degrees."

What has happened in this front since 1992? A look at the Report of the National Education Commission 1998, published recently, provides some answers. It acknowledges that in TU's 61 campuses and 140 affiliate campuses, there are about 1.5 lakh students. Other universities - Kathmandu University and Mahendra Sanskrit University - enroll only a few hundred students each. This Report further states that the four-year old Purbanchal University has not been able to run more than a BBA class. Pokhara University has also been established but neither TU's own nor its affiliate campuses have become a part of these two putatively regional universities. Hence no concrete move toward TU's decentralization has been made in the intervening six years!

As an explanation as to why this has not happened, the Report further adds that there is no clear thinking regarding how regional universities should be developed. As an example of the confusion that exists, the Report states that under the World Bank funded Higher Education Project, a cluster-oriented system has been designed whereby Pokhara's Prithivinarayan Campus (presently under TU) would become the node for a regional university. But the government has already established a separate Pokhara University. Only the office bearers of the latter have been appointed but no concrete plans exist as to how it will acquire physical and other necessary apparatus to run real classes. The Report concludes "This shows that there is no coordination and understanding between concerned official bodies."

What does the 1998 Report recommend in this regard? It recommends that academic and administrative infrastructures of the Purbanchal and Pokhara Universities must be developed in such a way that they will be able to operate as regional universities with specific characteristics. Necessary legal and other changes must be made so that TU's own and affiliate campuses might be incorporated within regional universities after fulfilling specific preconditions. With respect to technical insitutes, the Report recommends that the Institutes of Medicine and Engineering should be provided full autonomy and work must begin to establish universities in those disciplines. With respect to the Institutes of Agriculture and Forestry, it recommends that a university must be established in Rampur in Chitwan district as the necessary physical and academic infrastructure already exists there.

The Report, however, fails to recognize the urgency with which TU's burdens need to be decentralized. At a time when it has become amply clear that without reducing TU's massively centralized burdens any of the other processes that need to be executed to clear its mess can not be carried out, the Commission's recommendations should have been more pro-active. For instance, instead of using diplomatese regarding the need to develop the infrastructure of the Purbanchal and Pokhara Universities, it should have stated explicitly how this could be done.

As was argued by Dr Bhim Dev Bhatta, a public administration expert who has worked for TU for almost 30 years, in the weekly discussion program Dabali
(which this writer hosts over Radio Sagarmatha) in early August, one way to build the infrastructure of these universities is to immediately (say within a year) disentangle appropriately located TU campuses and its affiliates from TU and incorporate them within Purbanchal and Pokhara Universities. At least two additional regional universities would have to be established in the mid-western and far-western regions of the country. While necessary legal provisions for these could be easily established, the
'seed' infrastructure would come from the dismembering of TU's own campuses. The government grant presently given to TU could be accordingly distributed to these universities with the clear understanding that within five years, they will only get a certain portion of their funding from the government. This process could be executed at a faster rate in the case of the technical institutes as they are more likely to find independent sources of funding.

In other words, we need a specific time-bound, clearly delineated decentralization plan for TU. When I asked Bhatta why the decentralization plan had not been put into action after 1992, he suggested that TU's own
'academic' politicians and their ultimate masters in political parties did not want to see a decentralized TU because it would reduce their political tundikhels. It is time that those - both inside and outside of TU - who can no longer stand the farce that TU has become in recent years wrest the decentralization initiative away from these political masters and toward the future of those who deserve a first rate higher education in Nepal.

************************************************************************* From: <abowdler@inf.wlink.com.np> To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1998 16:22:40 +0000 Subject: Nepal Digest

Dear Sir,

In his reply in the September 2nd issue of TND, Bipulendu said,

> I said Nepal is a Hindu country. ...
> So how can any body living in Nepal not be a hindu ? They
> might follow different paths ( Budhism, Christianity, Islam,
> materialists, Tantriks, Saivites, Hare Krishna's), but how can they
> say that they are not inhabitants of this land. In my opinion thus,
> all Nepalese (and indians for that matter) are Hindu's first and
> then only something else. How can they say that loyalty to the land
> (which goes back thousands of years) is greater than their loyalty
> to a faith they picked up only a few centuries ago.

In this assertion, Bipulendu makes two false assumptions. Firstly, that a country can be of any particular faith. I believe that the constitution states that Nepal is a Hindu KINGDOM - this refers to the humans living in the country. No one can properly claim (though in the past it has been tried) that Iran is an Islamic country,that America a Christian country, that Thailand is a Buddhist country, etc. There may be Islamic, Christian, Buddhist or Hindu states or nations, but the 'country' (which is, after all, usually something designated by politicians, regardless of ethnic boundaries) is neutral in this sense. In all countries, there are groups who do not adhere to the majority faith, and never have done throughout their history. They are still regarded as citizens of that country, though.

However, if Bipulendu and others insist on the argument quoted above, they should really say that Nepal (in common with every country in the world) is an animistic or spiritist country, since these forms of religion pre-date even Hinduism and therefore have an even greater claim to being

> strongly linked with the land - as a concept that signifies a way
> of life in pursuit of truth.

Yours in pursuit of reality Andy Bowdler

************************************************************************* From: PRAKASH@hbl.mos.com.np (PRAKASH BHANDARI) To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu Date: Sun, 6 Sep 1998 13:59:44 Subject: Request for help

Dear Editor and Readers,

I am a student of ancient Astronomy and now engaged in research regarding the "Impact of Ancient Mathematics Upon Modern Mathematics" in Mahendra Sanskrit University of Nepal. So I request all of you for any kind of help you may have to avail. Specially, I am trying to find-out the books, manuscripts, and other works prepared Before Christ regarding mathematics. If you have any reference on this subject, please inform me and suggest me the process to have the desired materials. Your help in this regard will highly be appreciated.

Prakash PRAKASH BHANDARI Himaayan Bank Ltd. Tridevi Marg, Thamel P.O.Box.3810 Ph. 977-01-227749 Kathmandu E-mail:prakash@hbl.mos.com.np

*************************************************************** Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1998 13:21:39 -0300 From: Iwona Jankowski <jankowy@umoncton.ca> To: nepal-request@cs.niu.edu Subject: British Soldiers -ballad/poetry

We are looking for a ballad (poem?) of British soldiers with a mention of Kathmandu? Would you , please help as to identify it?
Thank you in advance Iwona Jankowski(jankowy@umoncton.ca)

********************************************************** From: tfg@bainesgwinner.com (Tiffany Goldberg) To: <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Momo Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1998 15:25:19 -0400

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you e-mail me recipes (I don't know if there are variations) for Momos. When I have had it in the past it was prepared with a tomato sauce over beef filled dumplings. This dish is far too scarcely known in this country and I would like to expose others to this fantastic culinary work. Thank you for your time.

Tiffany Goldberg

Baines Gwinner N.A. Inc. 280 Park Avenue New York, New York 10017

******************************************************** Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 11:43:12 -0300 From: Iwona Jankowski <jankowy@umoncton.ca> To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu Subject: KATHMANDU AS MENTION IN THE POEM OF BRITISH SOLDIERS(1th WORLD WAR?)

We are looking for a ballad (poem?) of the British soldiers(Gurkhas?) with a mention of Kathmandu.
Would you , please help as to identify it?
Thank you in advance Iwona Jankowski(jankowy@umoncton.ca)

****************************************************************** Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 14:39:36 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lokesh S. Shrestha" <shrestha@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu Subject: Racism

A lot of talk on racism has been going around lately, and, particularly, Paramendra Bhagat has been really emphatic about his views on the matter flooding the TND with his opinions and his evaluations of others' beliefs. And each time I see one of his postings I would say to myself "hey kale'le' pheri lekhecha..." And that is what I thought when I saw his posting today. Wow! I am racist, aren't I? I thought. I used the word
"Kale'" to announce my disapproval, my contempt. Usually, such "racist" views creep into my mind without my noticing, and generally, I don't want to think myself as being "racist" (I use the word "racist" to categorize those who use the basic differences in people, such as color, to vilify other people, and I think all racism develop from such usage). And, I thought, what is wrong with me? Am I really "racist"? Why did I use the word "kale'" when I could have used many others to declare my contempt
(Why I disapprove of Paramendra dai's - dai because I know him personally
- posting is a different matter, which I do not want to indulge myself into now)? May be it's in me? May be it's in us, all of us? After all, we are animals aren't we? And, I thought, may be it's the animal instinct in me which actually is "racist". Even if it is, that does not authorize me to be a racist, now does it? Is it really permissible to go around hurting other people's feelings, ruining their confidence being a "racist" and to ascribe my "racist" opinions to my animal instincts? NO. We may be animals, biologically and or chemically, and, we may have animal instincts, which may at times direct our thoughts and actions towards animalistic behaviors. But we are, as humans, empowered with the "faculty of reason and deliberation" (Dr Padma B Singh, Humanism and Jai Prithvi Bahadur Singh) and it is with the usage of these that we have been able to civilize ourself. And, I think, it's this faculty that we have to use if we really want to tackle the problem of racism. No political rhetoric or law is going to mitigate this problem, as long as we, as humans, don't feel that it is wrong to hurt other people, knowingly or not. People have to understand this. And, education, only education can help this understading to be realized. Education, not as in textual learning of math and sciences, but education as in the development of the qualities that are humane. And I think, going to Budhanilkantha, which gave me a valuable opportunity to interact with students from all over the country, did make me sensitive to issues such as racism, apparently the school didn't do a good job on that, as evidenced by the postings on Paramendra dai's guestbook, however much we would like to think that the school did.

Lokesh

**************************************************************** Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 17:39:52 -0400 (EDT) From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@fas.harvard.edu> To: nepal@cs.niu.edu Subject: A short reply to Namita Kiran Theune

Namita Kiran Theune writes: (TND, September 2 '98)

> What is the wisdom behind publishing Mr.
> Ashutosh Tiwari and Mr. Pramod Mishra's squabble in the internet? Could
> you please ask them to carry on their "dialouge" through their own
> personal e-mail. Do these two honourable poeple think the readers are
> benefitting from their highly personal so called debate? For, I don't
> think this on-going "dialogue" has any value to me when they try to tell
> each other what one should do and how one should think and what one should
> read. It has gone too far from the central issue.

Namitaji,

Relax.

Though I do not agree with many of Pramodji's arguments, I have nonetheless learnt immensely from his many (excruciatingly long :-)) postings and from his detailed replies to/criticisms of my postings. I have never taken offence at Pramodji's comments/criticisms whatever -- in fact, far from finding them personal, I have wecomed them!!

Now, his and my TND kura-kani may have lacked the gloss of civility that you so surprisingly -- to me anyway -- yearn for; but, hey, those kura-kanis have served this reader's purpose of putting certain ideas "out there" and having them commented upon/debated/discussed/interpreted/critized or, better yet, just plainly ignored . . . just like you, to use an analogy, put your poems "out there" to be commented upon/debated/discussed/interpreted/criticized or just ignored.

Beyond this, if you have specific criticisms about the content of Pramodji's and my discussions, I look forward to learning from you. If you are just plain bothered, then, I offer you my heartfelt sympathies.

namaste ashu

****************************************************************** Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1998 19:44:20 -0700 (PDT) From: anil tuladhar <anilt@ee.ubc.ca> To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Please publish this in your next TND edition.

Help! Help!! Help!!!

BIJAY ADHIKARY, a 23 year old Nepali scientist, is suffering from major health problems and desperately needs your help.

Despite the background of penury and deprivation, a Jhapa native, Mr. Adhikary has been carrying out various scientific researches in the field of immunology and bio-medical; among others, aimed at producing commercially viable low-cost heart-pacemakers. Mr. Adhikary's researches were supported by the staff of RONAST at their personal level with financial grants and logistics because RONAST itself could not do anything owing to the "rules and regulations".

Mr. Adhikary has now been diagnosed by Doctors in Nepal and India as suffering from suspected brain-tumor, ulcer and other illness, some of which are attributed as side effects of the scientific researches he has been undertaking (remember the leukaemia suffered by Marie Currie who gave radium to the world to treat cancer). According to the information from his family source, Mr. Adhikary is currently hospitalized in Calcutta for the treatment and his illnesses are curable. His father is desperately looking for financial help.

A Nepali young genius deservingly needs your help.

Nepalese in Vancouver(NiVan) have taken initiatives to help Mr Adhikary in whatever small way they could. We first authenticated the case from RONAST, contacted his family (sister) and are now actively generating funds. A group of people have volunteered their time and efforts to raise the fund, handover the fund to Mr. Adhikary and get the feedback to the contributors with an account of the fund raised. Your contribution in this noble cause will not go wasted. PLEASE HELP!

Current status report and background information such as the news article in the Kathmandu Post and e-mail from RONAST are appended at the end of this plea-mail.

Your check/MO may be made payable to :

>Anil Tuladhar
>705 - 2725 Melfa Road
>V6T 1N4
>Vancouver, B.C.
>Canada

Status report

Anil Tuladhar has contacted RONAST, The Kathmandu Post, and Mr. Adhikary's sister in Kathmandu. Anil is now raising the fund and keeping the account.

Naresh Koirala has taken the responsibility of taking the fund to Bijay as he is visiting Nepal on September 18.

Sunira Tripathy is managing the logistics of producing pledge forms and mailing them.

Suresh Bhatta is helping Anil in practical/technical issues related to preparing the solicitation emails and handling the account.

All the NiVan members have helped with their valuable suggestion and generous contributions.

>
>> Date: 23 Jul 98 11:50:18 +0000
>> Subject: Helping the young scientist
>> Message-ID: <dc4_9807231300@npl.healthnet.org>
>> Organization: Via HNET Nepal Gateway - Kathmandu, NEPAL
>> To: tuladhar@UNIXG.UBC.CA
>>
>>
>> Dear Mr. Anil Tuladhar,
>>
>> First of all we would like to apologise for not writing to you
>> earlier. This was partly because your email came to our notice little
>> back and the most problamatic was with finding out Mr. Adhikari's
>> where about. We hope you have understanding with us in this matter.
>>
>> Before informing about him, I think it is necessary to clear you about
>> Mr. Adhicari's relationship with RONAST. Actually he is not an
>> employee of RONAST. Though, he used to come here frequently asking
>> funds for his immunology researches. Unfurnatually, he could'nt
>> received funds because of the rules and regultions regarding fund in
>> RONAST. Nevertheless, he was provided regular financial and other
>> supports by the employee of RONAST and was also offered lab.
>> facilities for his research.
>>
>> Mr. Bijaya Adhikary is a resident of Ward No. 15, Bhadrapur, Zhapa
>> of Nepal. He has completed (passed) ISc. (Biology) from Mechi Campus
>> and is beeing ingaged in bio-medical and immunology research
>> activities from long before.
>>
>> Due to his poor health and side effects from his bio-research he had
>> to undergo stomach operation 6 years ago at Silguri Hospital, India.
>> According to the information he had been constantly engaged in
>> research activities despite his poor health since then. The old
>> government had provided him with financial and housing supports at
>> Kathmandu. However, it is discontinued by the present government.
>>
>> Since few months he is suffering from various syndroms including
>> same old stomach problem and headache. The local doctors ( Dr. Ram
>> P. Upreti of Teaching campus, Maharajgung, Kathmandu) has
>> suspected a brain tumour too and advised his family to take him at
>> India (Vellore) for further medical checkup. They have also
>> suspected that he might have to undergo brain surgery and have
>> estimated Rs. 200,000 for the operation. Accordingly, his father, Mr.
>> Bhim P. Adhikari took him to India for further treatment.
>>
>> Mrs. Benuka Adhikari, his mother is presently working at Agriculture
>> Input Corporation, Kathmandu as a Senior Typist (Pnone: 279715). Mrs.
>> Sarda Upreti, his sister is an employee of Employment Management
>> Committee, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu (Ph: 474882). Pnone No. of
>> neighboure at Jhapa: 977-387-2083.
>>
>> For further information please feel free to contact at RONAST. If
>> we have any new information about him, we will pass it to you.
>>
>> We would again like to thank you for your kind willingness to support
>> Mr. Adhikari.
>>
>>
>> Pramod Pyakural
>> Computer Section
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>>
>> Dear Sir/Madam,
>>
>> I was shocked to read the article "Young scientist ill again" by
>> Khemraj Rijal in The Kathmandu Post (in the internet) dated June 10,
1998.
>> The article discusses about a young scientist named "Bijay Adhikari". He
>> apparently worked in RONAST for approximately three months on the project
>> of "Pace-maker". Could you please confirm that the news is authentic and
>> the scientist is in a dare need of help. If proven authentic, we
Nepalese
>> in North America, are ready to help him in whatever little way we can.
We
>> need a reliable address/contact to send the help (money/medicine). Could
>> you please find out the possible address? I also want to make sure that
>> the help will reach to him and not to somebody else.
>>
>> My sincere apologies if I am taking your too much time. Hope to
>> hear from you soon. I have attached the artcile below for your reference.
>>
>>
>> Yours Sincerely
>>
>> Anil Tuladhar
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
=
>>
>> Young scientist ill again
>> By Khemraj Rijal
>>
>> KATHMANDU, June 9 Young scientist Bijaya Adhikari who has =
>> come on struggling with penury and deprivation for quite long has once =
>> again fallen ill.Born in Bhadrapur-15 of Jhapa,twenty-three year old =
>> Adhikari had developed brain tumour and become ill when he was only =
>> twelve years old.
>>
>> When he only recovered to some extent from the disease after
=
>> operation at West Bengal Medical Institute,Calcutta,he suffered from =
>> ulcer.Once again both the diseases have surfaced on him.
>>
>> Entered in the field of Science and Technology with the =
>> desire to devote his entire life in this area,young scientist Adhikari =
>> not only have studied but also done research on how electric charge is =
>> generated from the heart,its reasons, advantages and the working of pace
=
>> maker.
>>
>> In his experiment Adhikari has generated electric charge by =
>> using the heart of a frog.From this he discovered that artificial pace =
>> makers could be produced on commercial scale.Adhikari says that he =
>> studied and brought about the conclusions regarding the experiment in =
>> RONAST. For this he studied and done research in RONAST for three =
>> months.
>>
>> "Despite desire to continue in this field, illness and =
>> economic deprivation have become a hindrance," laments Adhikari.I =
>> don=92t even have money for treatment.
>>
>> He has been assisted with some money by INSEC,GRINSO,Nepal =
>> and Lumbini builders.Although the then Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka
=
>> had also ordered the local administration to provide Rs 5,000 to the =
>> young scientist as help for his treatment,he has not received the amount
=
>> after the change of the government.
>>
>> Presently, he and his father are busy collecting money for =
>> the treatment.

********************************************************************** From: Tanmay Biswas <Tanmay.Biswas@agc.ngci.co.ae> To: "'nepal@cs.niu.edu'" <nepal@cs.niu.edu> Subject: Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 12:39:13 +0400

Hi editor,

I don't know how to start or what to write. All I know is that I am looking for a Nepali soulmate. I am bengali from Calcutta, currently working in Dubai. I always longed to have a Nepali wife. Actually, I was born in Katmandu. So, I can say that I am a Nepali by birth. While browsing through the net I came to know about you. I would like to request to help me in my search for my soul mate. Following are my personal details.

Name Tanmay Kumar Biswas Religion Hindu Height 164 cm Age 31+ yr.. Education Graduate Civil Engineer Occupation Working as a Structural Engineer for a Canadian Company Salary USD 5000 plus expat benefits

I am looking for a good looking Nepali girl, between 21 & 25 of age, 4'10" to 5' 3" height. I don't believe in religion or caste. All I believe is in God. So caste or religion is not a problem. NO DOWRY.

I have plan to visit Calcutta in early Nov'98 for three weeks. So if you can help me in any way , it will be great. My contacts are as follows :

Tanmay Kr. Biswas P. O. Box 53150 Dubai UAE

Email : tanmay.biswas@agc.ngci.co.ae Tel +971506558992

Thank for your help & time

Tanmay Kumar Biswas Chartered Structural Engineer

Note : Recently people are reporting that they are getting failure message while trying to send me an email. I have reported this to our IT guy. He is looking into it. So, for the time being, please bear with me & try sending it at least two-three times. Because I am getting emails even though people are getting failure message. Just to make sure that I get your valuable email, give me a call or send me a fax after sending the email.

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