#46 6 - 14 June 2001 8 pages Rs 10

TTThis is a Special Edition of the Nepali Times. The next issue will be our regular #47 on Friday, 15 June.June.,

The kings are dead, long live the King

This was an unimaginable ‘tragedy in our country’s history. has had to live through a series of sorrows. But we must bear with it and we must behave responsibly. We must prevent

people from taking

undue advantage of this crisis to threaten our ‘ sovereignty, democracy and

MIN BAJRACHARYA .

King Gyanendra after his crowning at the Naasal Chowk on Monday, 4 June. 222 EDITORIAL 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES

Nepali Times is published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, ChiefKunda Editor: Dixit Editor:Anagha Neelakantan,Design : Swosti Rajbhandari, Kiran Maharjan STATE OF THE STATE by CK LAL [email protected], www.nepalitimes.com Marketing: Sunaina Shah, Anup Adhikary [email protected] Circulation:Sanjeev [email protected] Sanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, Lalitpur GPO Box 7251, , Nepal Tel: 01-543333-7, Fax: 01-521013 Printed at Jagadamba Press: 01-521393 A tribute to history Having suffered the heart-breaking deaths of our royalty, “ MAYDIE LET MY NATIONLIVE ON” riday night, faith died. Belief succumbed I , theto thechallenge cruelty of history. Impregnablenow is to get on with the life of the nation. That is a line by the late King Mahendra that was turned into a patrioticwalls could not stop the flight of an age song. Words particularly prescient in a week when two kings diedtowards in a eternity. The king is dead, may his Parba scream out from our history books. It carnage that nearly wiped out Nepal’s entire royal family. Yet (andsoul this rest inwill peace. Long live the king, the is said: the only lesson of history is that no come as a surprise to those who see only the shroud of death thatsymbolf of Nepali unity and cultural identity. It one ever learns anything from it. Every presently covers the country) the institutions of democracy have held. is with this mixture of grief and hope that we generation has to bear the agonies of Confusion prevails among commoners about this mass murderare coming of their to terms with a tragedy too painful human failings and death all over again in royals. This was an aloof, but respected clan in a country of multipleand complex to comprehend. order to learn to live with the pathos of the ethnicities, castes, faiths and languages. The monarchy is one of few politics of power. When telephone calls with the ‘news’ symbols that hold this diverse country together. The Nepali royalty lost its Having borne the brunt of heart-breaking woke us in the dead of the night, we checked authoritarian edge in 1990 when King Birendra let go of the reigns of deaths, the challenge now is to get on with life. absolute power and became a constitutional . He learnedthe time.to grow First there was disbelief, “This comfortable in this role, and genuinely believed that it would givecannot Nepal be true.”the We checked the date. There The departed soul of our beloved king does suppleness to deal with its democratic transition and developmentwas horror, “This is far too serious to be a not need copious tears, it needs our agenda. In the past eleven years, he played a low-key but effectiveprank.” role, And then the shock sunk in, numbing commitment to the cause he personified: the providing continuity to a land going through the stress of change,us. a That near- numbness still persists. And with grief sovereignty of every Nepali citizen through feudal country pushed headlong into a globalised era with little preparation. there is now fear for the future. The question equality in politics, equitability in economic We tried authoritarianism for 30 years, it didn’t work. Parliamentaryon everybody’s mind, that nobody dares opportunity, and respect for each other in democracy was seen as the only alternative to bring social and speakeconomic is, “What now?” society. Coming to terms with painful realities progress. Unfortunately, the insular political chieftains who took over were is so difficult that we often tend to take The unpredictability of the future is not able to rise above personal and party interest, and wasted a full decade recourse to philosophies that suit our in factional infighting and corruption in high places. We experimentedfrightening. with King Birendra was a link with mood. At times like these, fatalistic every permutation of political coalitions between the left, centre andthe past. right, He offered a reassuring continuity but the country fell ever-further into an abyss of mal-governance.with It allowed the hoary traditions of an age when the philosophies that point towards the the Maoist insurgency to burst forth with surprising speed and vigour.king was not just the provider and protector of inevitability of history are most appealing. In this mess, the one institution that lived up to its role was thehis subjects, but the very incarnation of Lord This was evident in the shouts of a section constitutional monarchy. King Birendra was correct to a fault, as Vishnu.the political He carried the duality of a god-king of the crowd during the royal funeral parties in power came and went in a welter of crises. It is the precedentand a constitutional that monarch with nary a trace procession. But as Marx said: “Philosophers he set over the last decade of his reign that strengthened the foundationsof contradiction visible in his demeanour. have so far interpreted the world. The of our democracy. And that is what will allow it to stand after his tragicKing Birendra ascended to the throne point is to change it.” departure. The legacy King Birendra bequeathed his Nepali subjects is a The most lasting tribute we can pay to our parliamentary democracy backed firmly by a constitutional monarchy.during thatHe stage of conflict between tradition departed monarch is to devote ourselves to had made it easy for his son Dipendra andto modernity when every step forward is follow, but Dipendra too is by now reducedfollowed by two steps backward. Nepali building a just Nepali society. We can, and we to ashes by the banks of the Bagmati. Itpolitics in 1972 was tightly controlled by the must do so to atone for the sins of having been now rests on the survivor, Gyanendra topalace. The kingdom still resembled a mythical a part of a decadent society. The march of make up for his brother’s absence. Shangri-la, good for the mind and spirit, but history does not allow long periods of grief. Nepal, it is said, is a ‘soft state’—onewith few physical amenities. Development was As I write this, King Gyanendra has just that is spectacularly mismanaged and theonly dream of Nepalis in those days; and the ascended to the throne after it was officially keeps standing through times of stressyoung, western-educated monarch promised announced that King Dipendra “left for his because of the resilience of its polity. Thisus all that and much more. heavenly abode”. King Dipendra became has perhaps to do with the fact that NepalFrom his coronation platform, King perhaps the only monarch in the world who is the oldest nation state in South Asia. All passed his entire reign in a coma. The throne of the others were born after 1947, butBirendra called for Nepal to be declared a Nepal was unified by King Gyanendra’sZone of Peace. It is a paradox of history that of Nepal is not new to King Gyanendra. He eleventh ancestor in the mid-1700s. Andhe himself was destined to fall prey to an act of was crowned king in 1950 by the last Rana so, even with this catastrophic decimationviolence. Apart from that one instance of trying prime minister, Mohan Sumshere. People of our royal family, the country’s to redirect the course of history, King Birendra refused to recognise the infant-king, as the parliamentary democracy has held. Girijapreferred to respond to events and facilitate then King Tribhuvan and Crown Prince Prasad Koirala is shaky but still primethe march of time. He seldom made a Mahendra were both alive and well, though in minister, the army remains in the barracks,conscious attempt to determine the pace of a self-imposed exile in India. This time, it is a and the succession to the throne has been different story altogether. After the decimation done by the book, passing through change, but was always there at the head of the Dipendra and within two days to caravan as the nation moved forward. This is of King Birendra’s family, King Gyanendra is Gyanendra. what made him a peoples’ monarch—loved the legal heir to the throne sanctioned by the However, all will not be smooth for theby all, adored by few, but feared by none. customs and traditions of Nepal. newly anointed king. To begin with, Perhaps the hard-liners of The challenges faced by the new king Gyanendra will have to win the confidencewere less than happy when King Birendra are enough to keep his sharp intellect on of the people on two counts: first, he willcalled for a referendum in 1980 in the wake of edge. As expected, Maoists see a have to convince conspiracy-obsesseda students’ agitation. But he went ahead with conspiracy behind the tragedy and citizens that the kingship was thrust upon it, and initiated a gradual process of political Comrade Prachanda has called on people him. In the past, violence and killings openness. It was this process that culminated among Nepal’s ruling classes were never to intensify the People’s War. Though all properly explained, with historians forcedin the to Peoples’ Movement, and finally the the major political parties of the country promulgation of the Constitution of the leak information by writing novels and making oblique references. King have shown surprising maturity in calling Gyanendra broke with this obfuscatory tradition in one of his firstKingdom acts as of Nepal in 1990 that has guaranteed for restraint, there is no saying which of monarch, by announcing a high-level independent enquiry lead byme thethe freedom Chief to write and publish this them will succumb to the fatal attraction of Justice of the Supreme Court. The confusion arising from debatestribute, within apart from ensuring other liberties. cheap populism and fall prey to conspiracy the UML will first need to be sorted out. King Birendra will go down in history as propaganda. King Gyanendra has already Second, there is the matter of Gyanendra’s son, Paras. With histhe sovereign who made his subjects sovereign, truth about what promised to bring to light the truth behind reputation for lawless behaviour, the fact that Paras could be crownand transformed prince them into citizens of his own really happened last week’s tragedy. There is a chance that is unbearable for many Nepalis, who are additionally suspiciousaccord. because He was, in that sense, the very behind the four walls facts will emerge as some of the survivors the young man remained unscathed in Friday night’s slaughter. personificationThis will be of history. Not many rulers of are now said to be out of danger. Restraint a tough one for King Gyanendra: he may well have to choose betweenthe world the can lay claim to have guided the of Narayanhiti on people and his son. that fateful Friday is what we all need, not rumour-monger- journey of a nation from autocracy to ing. MIN BAJRACHARYA The larger problems regarding the state and society will remain. They night is yet to democracy with relatively few setbacks along The most important challenge before us is require King Gyanendra to work with the prime minister and the the way. If there was a price to pay, he emerge, but what is government of the day under the umbrella of the parliamentary system. most certain is that to start building a culture of peace. This is the ultimately paid it with his own life and the country of Buddha. Peace is never a legacy of Democracy has not yet brought long-suffering Nepalis the relief livesthey of hisneed, immediate family members. the values of Nepali but the ideologically rigid path proposed by the Maoist insurgents is not the society have ancestors and ancients, we must build peace by But that does not mean we can absolve magic wand either. The insurgency has led Nepal up the path of crumbled, leading to OS ourselves. The creation of a culture of unprecedented political violence over the last five years. ourselves of having been a part of it, no matterthe death of our faith democratic values, tolerant beliefs, and King Gyanendra must support the elected government and parliamenthow marginal our roles were. We may have and beliefs. responsive social institutions through the to find a peaceful solution to this raging problem, and our squabblingbeen mute spectators as the tragic drama That said, let it be stable mechanism of universal suffrage and unfolded, but we are collectively responsible elected leaders must support him. They must remember that they need to remembered that cruelty is not unique to constitutional governance may sound like well- first save the country. If the nation ceases to exist, they will have fornothing building to a society that allows a tragedy of Nepali society, as the ill-informed recklessly worn clichés, but salvation lies in living by fight over. this magnitude. Where have our religious suggest. Throughout human history, killings these canonical beliefs rather than simply moorings gone? What kind of values have we parroting them. Lord Buddha is an established? What sort of education system wehave been a favourite way of choosing heads of state. Somewhere deep down, we are all inspiration, late King Birendra was an have we adopted that prompts people to run example, but each one of us has to start amok with guns? It is the decadence of the savages. Rather than freeing us from the vagaries of nature, technology often makes us building peace by being not just a believer, middle-class that is on display, in exaggerated but a practicing democrat. form, in the lifestyles of the power elite. The greedier, more envious of our fellow human beings, and hence more barbaric. History is a resource that enables us to Savagery, as indeed all human failings and endure the present and face the future. A tragedies, is independent of time and space. tribute to the memory of King Birendra is a Nepal’s history is replete with “crimes, follies tribute to the march of Nepali history for over and misfortunes of mankind”. The execution two centuries. The grief is debilitating, but at Makawanpur, the cruelties at Kirtipur, the together we shall overcome. We must, for we massacre of Kot Parba, the barbarity of Bhandarkhal Parba, or the massacre of Alau NATION 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 333 Between grief and angerThe Valley of Halla lapse” in the formation of the probe. if one were to dig up the foundation of each house here The party says that in keeping with the only hearsay and rumours would be heaped up there constitution, a committee should have that’s why this is a country of hearsay and rumour been formed by Singha Darbar, and not this is a country standing on hearsay and rumour by the palace. Latent feuds within the this is a country founded on hearsay and rumour party, the latest having to do with the this is a country of hearsay and rumour still-warm aircraft leasing scandal, made KP Oli and Subhas Nemwang challenge -Bhupi Serchan in “Hallai halla ko desh” Madhav Nepal’s agreement with the (Excerpt translated by Manjushree Thapa) prime minister and the king at Naasal MIN BAJRACHARYA Chowk at Monday’s crowning ceremony to be a part of the probe. (Nepal later publicly denied ever making such an agreement.) The UML seemed once more to be putting its politics before the national need to avert deep crisis. The inquiry commission is a pivotal effort to cool down heated passions about the royal succession, and to defuse conspiracy theories. The communists may have defended their move by referring back to the constitution, but many are baffled: why did they not take the opening provided by the royal palace statement and instead rely on sophistry? “They are umour has its origin in the absence of information and in intellectual mediocrity haggling over legal niceties when the which disallows creativity and kills empathy. There has been an absolute and continuing dearth of information about what happened on that fateful Friday important thing is to have a commission rnight within Narayanhiti Royal Palace, and it is not hard to understand why rumour— with credibility that the people will halla—is flying. The public is in the dark, and the intelligentsia too busy accept,” said a leading leftist from within manufacturing rumours and conspiracy theories. the party. Nepal himself told a BBC Why is no information being provided? The Narayanhiti Royal Palace has always interview on Tuesday that he had to controlled access, and in the midst of this horrific crisis it would have been impossible leave for “personal reasons”, but upon for Singha Darbar to step in to fill the information gap. Decimated at the top, the being grilled from London failed to Royal Palace itself was hardly in a position to provide information even if it was inclined to do so. With the tragic progression of dying kings and other royals explain what they were, and why they throughout the weekend, there was no one to instruct palace underlings—miserly with What exactly transpired on Friday night atwere more important than the national information at the best of times—to open up. The events of last week also made clear the royal palace, and when will we know? interest. that the structure of Nepali society has remained essentially feudal, with even the The UML appears to have been topmost political classes having nil access to the palace and therefore believing wholeheartedly in hearsay. MIN BAJRACHARYA pressured by two members of its alliance With no explanation available, the public would be forgiven for thinking the worst BINOD BHATTARAI (the Nepal Workers’ and Peasants’ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ quarrel gone horribly wrong. The whole of the successor to the throne, former Prince Gyanendra. All the survivors of the s if the catastrophic curse that truth may take weeks, if not months, to Party, and the Popular Front), which shooting were royal relations. The only people they shared the story with were close had decided that the royal crisis was the befell Nepal this weekend was not become public, but the inquiry family and friends, and that is where the truth remains locked. While a section of the right time to activate the long-pending public will continue to think conspiracy no matter what, the country may be able to bad enough, the information commission set up by King Gyanendra a strategy to oust Prime Minister Koirala. pick up the pieces and move on if and when this group of witnesses begins to speak blackout that followed it made matters in his first proclamation is expected to up. Even the supposedly alert and aware fell for political or successional conspiracy as bring at least preliminary facts to light. “We didn’t like this being done by royal the most plausible explanation for the massacre. With Paras Shah having the history worse. Deprived of accurate information, decree, the government should have Nepalis from all strata of society began to Curfew-bound Kathmandu listened he does, and the new king himself with the reputation of a royal hardliner, it was a proposed the committee and we would convenient leap to think the worst of them. As the curfew took effect and idle minds to their new monarch on television construct and believe their own wildest have assigned a member instead of the were forced to stay indoors, the rumours entered other, wilder dimensions: poisoning of Monday evening as he announced the theories about what happened at the king naming an appointee,” was what a the water mains or milk supply, the supposed death of the queen mother or Krishna formation of a three-member probe Prasad Bhattarai by heart attack, and the murder of the surgeon who attended to the royal palace that gruesome Friday night. party official told us. “This was a typical consisting of the Chief Justice, the stricken royals. Had the government not pulled the plug on satellite television, the Numerous royal family and army ploy by the king, a conspiracy, to get us House Speaker and the leader of the producers and the avid consumers ofhalla all may this well have been happy watching sources have confirmed to us the original bogged down with a possibly main opposition party. The inclusion of Hindi soaps. account of the tragic calamity (see predetermined outcome to the inquiry,” UML general secretary, Madhav Kumar But paucity of information hardly explains everything. It is the gullibility that www.nepalitimes.com). There are slight said another UML parliamentarian. Nepal, was unanimously hailed as a very comes with a lack of intellectual curiosity that makes Kathmandu succumb so easily to discrepancies in the exact sequence of rumour raj. Vacant minds easily ingest rumour, and this is the case of the Kathmandu events: where precisely were the membersastute move—the devastated royal intelligentsia, whose members have so little self-respect that they are willing to impute of the royal family during the first and palace had taken the unprecedented their own worst motives to others. Their tendency is always to be certain of a conspiracy when a simpler explanation may suffice. To stick to a straightforward explanation second bursts of automatic weapon fire, step to open up. But it may have been too astute to would require too much rationality. where were the wounds on the bodies, Kanak Mani Dixit where were the ADCs, where exactly waswork: it hadn’t taken into account the Queen Aishwarya, did Paras leave the Byzantine world of Nepal’s left politics. room? But on the question of who was In a bizarre twist, Madhav Nepal involved, what emerges from extensive decided to pull out of King Gyanendra’s interviews is confirmation of a family inquiry commission citing“a““ procedural ÖÖÖSee p. 6

typical of him. In Monday’s statement he said he would continue his brother’s strong “Very sharp, and a goodcommitment to constitutional listener…” monarchy and multiparty democracy. He also said Nepal ing Gyanendra, 54, grew up Council of Royal Representatives nationwide proclamation Nepalis wereKing Gyanendra is said to be decisivewould work to maintain the good alongside his elder brother several times when his brother went given a glimpse of his style: forceful, relations with two large klate King Birendra and had a on state visits abroad. In a sense he hasauthoritative and someone who got and no-nonsense, and these qualitiesneighbours India and China. close view of the conduct of seen it all. straight to the point by announcing a three-man committee representing were on display whenfor your he opinion addressed and even Off work, sources said, the king state—both during the days of And King Gyanendra, the th12 enjoyed sitting around campfires and after the judiciary, parliament and the the public after hisexplains coronation. why a decision was ruler of Nepal’s already opposition party to probe the hunter-turned-conservationist, reached to satisfy minority with colleagues with a drink or two, 1990. Gyanendra has chaired the ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ has his hands full. On Monday, in a palace killings. King Gyanendra believes that the opinions,” said a source who has and also occasionally lit up at environment can only be preserved People who have worked with worked with the KMTNC. “The meetings. He is said to be an avid when communities living near reader, and “very sharp”. Belying his King Gyanendra in the past say if only thing I would advise him is national parks support it. He told to smile a bit more in public. proud, authoritarian public image, there is someone who has the abilityNepali Times in an interview in he is said to be “friendly and affable, to bring Nepal out of the confusion Someone seems to have drilled it in November: “If the people do not him that maintaining a scowl in and a good listener”. it is now in, it is he. “Even though want conservation, no amount of this is a sad and sensitive time, I public is what a prince should do.” For King Gyanendra, this is his effort will succeed.” A model of Others who know the new second time on the throne. He was think he can provide us the this has been the KMNTC’s leadership we now need,” a former king closely say that he has a crowned king at the age of four by Annapurna Area Conservation the last Rana prime minister in 1950 colleague told us. Project, regarded as a model eco- decisive and no-nonsense King Gyanendra has been personality. King Gyanendra has and was king for a few months tourism project. before Shah Dynasty rule was chairman of the King Mahendra already shown that by responding Gyanendra’s colleagues at to public demands for a probe into restored in 1951.  Trust for Nature Conservation the KMNTC say that contrary (KMTNC) since its establishment Friday’s shootout. He was brief to his authoritative public image, and to the point—said to be in 1982, besides heading the he is very democratic at Lumbini Development Trust (1986-meetings. “He literally prods you 1991), a non-profit trying to restore the birthplace of Buddha. An avid The same crown being placed on King Gyanendra in November 1950, and again in June 2001. 444 OBITUARY 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES

King Birendra erred on the side of King Birendra’s 30-yearcautiousness, as shown by his asking reign the Supreme Court for advice on the constitutional crisis caused by the SHIVA GAUNLE ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ The most important gain of the past ten years is the minister directly responsible and dissolution of parliament in 1994 and ing Birendra had just accountable to the House. Despite 1995 on the recommendation of completed 30 years of his conviction of Nepalis that a constitutional monarchy and the party-less nature of the Panchayat,prime ministers Girija Koirala and the amendment gave it a democratic kreign. It spanned the decades democracy can not only co-exist, but is alsosince 1990perhaps is the Nepalis’ the conviction most Man Mohan Adhikary respectively. of Nepal’s development from when veneer. This experiment did not last, Legal experts debated whether he desirable polity for this multi-ethnic and multi-linguisticthat a constitutional monarchy nation. and and in ten years public demands for this once-sequestered kingdom was democracy can not only co-exist, but should have taken the matter to the getting accustomed to the big wide ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ full-scale democracy boiled over. The courts, but most felt he acted legally population has also doubled from 12 also is perhaps the most desirable king’s absolute powers were world, up to the present muddled million to 24 million. During his polity for this multi-ethnic and and maturely to defuse the situation. network of roads in Nepal has increased dismantled and replaced with a The relationship between the foray into parliamentary four-fold in that time. The annual coronation in 1975, King Birendra multi-linguistic nation. Not only is democracy. constitutional monarchy. Democratic monarch and elected prime minister budget in 1971 was barely Rs 1 billion, announced free primary education the institution of monarchy part of leaders, many of whom suffered long In 1971, the country was still through the country. The National Nepal’s tradition, but it is also the represents the relationship between today it has crossed the Rs 80 billion years in jail and exile, soon assumed the constitutional monarchy and the largely roadless, and travelling from mark. Nepal’s infant mortality rate has Planning Commission was set up in most important symbol of Nepali power and almost immediately began one part of Nepal to another 1974 and the National Forests and nationhood. The Nepali people have people in a democracy. King been slashed from 172 per 1,000 live to experience first-hand the challengesBirendra’s personal thoughts on the invariably required crossing over births to less than 90 today, and the Parks Act for protecting wooded time and again shown a genuine of Nepal’s governance. It became into India. Today, the 1,000 km commons was promulgated the same affection—almost devotion—for state of the nation are hard to come literacy rate has risen from 15 percent to apparent that many of them were by, but he does give tantalising hints, Mahendra Highway named after year. In 1975, National Forest their kings. The queue to receivetika nearly 50 percent. Annual per capita poor managers, the level of corruptionas he did during a dinner for the King Birendra’s father, links the income has gone up from $80 when Development programme was begun. from the monarch grows every year. escalated, and political infighting country from east to west. The King Birendra also gave directives to diplomatic community last year in the King Birendra came to the throne in The grief, sadness and shock of gradually brought governance to a course of which he said: “Only if 1971 to $210 today, even though the establish the Nepal Press Council to Nepalis this past week comes out standstill. Ironically, as the oversee the development of media, and people in responsible positions carry of genuine affection—it is not put government’s image plummeted, the out their duties with care and set up a commission for judicial reform.on, or forced. king’s stature grew. Even though the But the biggest change has come in accountability and treat all Nepalis No doubt, the reputation of the constitution had taken away his equally will the people of this country the transformation of the political institution of monarchy has suffered executive powers, King Birendra’s believe completely in democracy.” structure since the People’s Movement setbacks as it did after the dissolutionstanding among Nepalis grew This comment triggered a reaction— in 1990. A violent and cathartic of the BP Koirala government by enormously, because he played the one MP felt that even such a mild upheaval, which threatened the King Mahendra in 1960. King role of constitutional monarch by the reprimand should not have been aired institution of Nepal’s monarchy, ended Birendra inherited the Panchayat Lordbook, neverBuddha overstepping . May better his bounds timespublicly and should have been up not only restoring democracy, but system that his father had put into returnand preferring and may to be theguarded, souls despite of the killed have peace. conveyed to then prime minister also in rejuvenating the prestige of the place. After the student unrest led to pressure from hardliners to resume hisBhattarai in person. There is no doubt Leo Leemans (Jampa king as a constitutional monarch. But the 1979 referendum, he introduced previous autocratic role. And now, tenthat King Birendra realised the this has been a mixed blessing—the lastdirect elections of the Rastriya years later again, the euphoriaGyatso) has extreme public sensitiveness to every decade has been messy, elected officials Panchayat and made the prime worn off and justThe as inNetherlands many newly- have largely proved to be as venal and democratic nations around the world irresponsible as the people they Ithere want are to stirrings pay my here, respects too, of to all replaced. Yet, the most important gain thenostalgia royal for family strong-man members rule. who were shot dead. I was shocked personally bereaved on hearingwhen I read the news in the the horrible information on theWashington Post. death of Their and other members of the royal Jeff Greenwald family. For Nepal, and its Oakland, CA friends in Russia and elsewhere, it is a tragedy of This is just to say “Thank you” Himalayan and Shakespearean LETTERS for providing the updates on the dimensions. Please accept my massacre... I followed most profound and heartfelt nepalitimes.com all Saturday, and We share the grief of our Nepalicondolences in this hour of am simply grateful for being able brethren. May god almighty grief. My four years as the to access the most reliable grant peace to all the departedRussian Ambassador in Nepal source of news at the most noble souls. It is better to havewill forever remain in my mind shocking of moments. loved and lost than to have as the best period of my never loved at all professional life. Never could I Jane Ong Shishir Mehrotra conceal the fact that I have always had a soft corner in my At this hour of extreme shock heart for your beautiful country. Let our beloved King, Queen, and despair over the news of As dean of the diplomatic and Princess Shruti and Prince the tragic massacre of our royal corps, I had so many Nirajan’s souls rest in peace. family in Nepal, there is hardly occasions to meet Their We will always love you and any newspaper on the net with Majesties and all the slain you will be in our hearts. We this news. You are the only members of the royal family. I will always remember the good ones who covered this online am proud to say that we deeds you have done all over for us Nepalis living abroad. became good personal friends. Nepal. Thanks for serving your purpose That is why the tragedy is of Unhappy in the USAwell and making us part of the Namkha Sherpa, great resonance for me. As a broad Nepali community in Nepal Nawang Sherpa mark of Russia’s and my and abroad. My sincere thanks highest esteem, admiration andI was shocked by the news, as and Calvin Sherpa every Nepali is right now. Kingto you for this commendable affection for the memory of contribution. Their Majesties, the national Birendra was a thorough Pradeep Bhandari I am a student of class 12. As flaga of the Russian Federationgentleman and Nepal won’t get a Nepali, I, and all Nepalis, shouldwill fly half-mast for three daysbetter king than him. UK be given proper information at our Embassy in New Delhi. Rajeev Mishra about our royal family. I am Let God give your wonderful My heart goes out to the decent, among many who feel that the people the power to overcome hardworking people of Nepal newspapers and the palace are While all the dailies went to sleep the tragedy in wisdom and who have had to endure so not giving proper information. At or to mourning the fifteen hours harmony. many problems over the last this time of great shock and after the royal family was killed, Alexander M. Kadakin, decade and do not deserve this grief, some of our people are you did a great job by putting at tragedy. slandering the palace. What we Ambassador of theleast three bulletins on Saturday. don’t know or understand is Russian Federation in IndiaBut Dipendra, the king? The Carol Pavesi that other members of the royal person who, according to CNN, USA family were also present at the the BBC and everyone, was As a friend of your beautiful site of murder and were also responsible for the tragedy? country, I am choked by the I would like to thank the Nepali shot at and wounded. The royal Just imagine: If I were the king of tragic death of your king and Times for its highly professional family is important to all Nepalis Bhutan, would I send queen and members of the coverage of the tragic death of and we have a right to know congratulations to the new king royal family. I hope happier King Birendra and so many what happened. Times have for ascending to the throne after times will return to the Nepali members of his family, and for changed and we cannot still having allegedly killed his father? people and that this karma will making the coverage accessible have a bunch of sycophants Is Nepal turning out to be the be purified. I pray for you to on the web. I would also like to covering the palace and hiding biggest joke on earth? The express my sincere sympathy to the facts. Can’t these biggest yoyoland? you in this time of sadness. I sycophants see that they are Too ashamed to use my have every confidence that the responsible for a massive name in Thailandmagnificent Nepali people will security lapse? I hope your survive this crisis, and will merit newspaper will give us the detailed truth unlike the other Thanks for keeping all of the far- papers. flung Nepal community informed about this unbelievable tragedy. Shavana Rana As we receive bits and pieces of this horrible news in our I was stunned, shocked and various distant lands, it is encouraging to know we have a credible and sensitive source of intelligence. OBITUARY 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 555

Birendra’s Nepal: the once and forever kingdom forces aremore loyal to the palace DUBBY BHAGAT endra’s 30-year reignthan to the elected government. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ In those early days, an air of Camelot prevailed. Harvard-educated King This ambiguity is most apparent in After the funeral of King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah on Saturday night, the Birendra gathered about him a Brains Trust who advised and supported him. word he uttered. Former Speaker and the friction between the government immediate grief that swept the country turned to mourning and a degree ofOne among them met the Indian press Saturday to pay his tributes to the legal expert, Daman Nath Dhungana, and the palace and army about how introspection. Old stories were retold. slain king. He barely started to relive those times, when tears choked him. He attributes this to the hangover of the to deal with the Maoists, whose On a visit to Germany as crown prince, Birendra broke protocol and is Nepal’s ambassador to India, Bhekh Bahadur Thapa. 1961 putsch and the hobby of Nepali avowed goal is to abolish the asked his German liaison officer to show him “typical” Germany. The “He was too kind, and kindness and kingship don’t go together,” said one intellectuals to look for historic monarchy and declare Nepal a protocol officer called Bonn, told them the prince would not be showing uplong-time Kathmandu resident referring to the time the king acceded (some parallels. Kirti Nidhi Bista differs. “If peoples’ republic. The army is for his scheduled opening of an art gallery, and took the youth instead to hissay too easily) to the will of his people who wanted a constitutional monarchy the people appeal to the king to step reluctant to accede to command by farmhouse. After spending several days there Birendra confided to his host, and democracy. And as that nascent democracy floundered and many a confused civilian bureaucracy, but in, he will still have to think very, very “Some day you will help me to make my country nostalgically harked back to the past, almost the civilian government and its carefully,” says Bista. like this.” The protocol officer retired, became an everyone agreed that, “His is the only one police are fighting the insurgency In the last decade, the king called expert on containing leprosy, but continued in Nepal who abides by the constitution.” with one hand tied behind their for over 20 ordinary or special sittings advising Birendra, by now king of Nepal. Nepal, since the king was crowned in 1975, back. King Birendra did not make It was King Birendra who asked the Germans of parliament. Parliament has made his views known, but it is clear he has always made the distinction between the or passed more than 500 new laws— was worried that the army would be to restore the city of Bhaktapur when asked what palace and the king. In that difference lay the all signed into law by King Birendra, sucked into a wider civil war. he wanted as a wedding gift. The city, which won a realisation that all that emanated from the palace except the sensitive Citizenship Bill, heritage award, is regarded by the Germans as a For the last 10 years the palace was not the king’s desire, wish or aspiration. which he sent to the Supreme Court leading project in their 50 years of international aid. Indeed, once an aide to the king remarked, “What was playing by the rules set for it by on a technicality. King Birendra had And it was King Birendra who insisted that all are we going to do about all the king’s men?” the power to send acts back to the constitution, and is now slowly trying to create its own space. Other master's-level students do a stint of teaching in the Seen as Vishnu in his Hindu avatar and parliament for re-discussion, but villages of Nepal, before they graduated. Every years the king would take hisLokeswar byhis Buddhist subjects, King Birendra probably leaned rarely used it. In the past ten years voices are asking for the role of a court out to different parts of thecountry to get to know the problems of towards the Buddhist deity, who rather than hurt anyone would retire we’ve had ten prime ministers: constitutional monarch to be his people better. His courtiers did not always approve of such initiatives.within himself. Koirala (twice), Bhattarai (twice), redefined. Some want the monarch to reassert himself, while others It is rumoured that once when the king insisted he see an experimental At his coronation, the young king asked that his friends be Adhikary, Thapa, Chand, Nepal and farm he opened some years earlier, cauliflowers were uprooted from Deuba. None felt that King Birendra want him to stay aloof and leave interviewed rather than himself. The picture that emerged was of a matters to the elected government. elsewhere and planted in time for the royal visit. sensitive man concerned about his subjects, aware of their poverty and did not heed their advice or created Other royal reforms included an effort towards transparency in the social problems for them. Besides in The compromise seems to be that determined to serve them as against ruling them. Court intrigue that system as well as in the role of royal family members and their business matters that affect them directly, most Nepalis would like to see their toswirled tune about in to himthe hadBBC him for first the bewildered 11 and then withdrawing. But no party publicly protested King king play a more active part and be a ventures. Such controversial steps could not succeed at the time and the kingo’clockhis concern news. for his And subjects immediately remained we even as recently as a few months Birendra’s role. role model in the development found that the palace as an institution that enveloped him was often feltago wheninferior, he visited let down. a restaurant This was and apologised for being late. quicksand for the ideals he stood for. another event for the Northern In recent months, as the Maoist arena—much as he did during the King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah has found peace from the wrangling winter visits he made to the various Back then, the king set himself a punishing schedule. Courtiers saw himmediaand “fitful to coverfever” thatthe hadSouth him the more way and more isolated. In Nepal, it is insurgency escalated, King Birendra parts of the country during the they are used to. We were working late, as he answered petitions or asked aides to inquire into cases ashamedbelieved that that good this kings person will be they reborn: As the dust slowly settles on the found himself increasingly ambivalent Panchayat years. about allowing the Royal Nepal Army requiring his attention. Palace protocol came between him and those he saidtragedy, was Nepalis responsible gather beneath for the thepipalbot (the pipal tree where to be used for the Integrated Security wished to talk to but sometimes he forced a gap in the wall around him andkillingsnewspapers was have to be traditionally our king. been Our sold) and reassure themselves that hope without a weapon. See whatthoughts turned to the crown and Defence Package. But most became for a brief moment his “friendly, outgoing” self, as a friend from hisKing Birendra Bir Bikram Shah, like one of his ancestors, will be reborn school days described him. others want and have to say. prince’sand another love: golden we pagewere in concernedNepal’s history will be written. Nepalis also know that the armed To the UML and other for the girl’s security and the horrific situation she is in. opposition parties: be mature enough to form the government byWe talked about royal families. the news. I have wept on andwinning off the confidence of peopleWill the institution of royalty ever after hearing what is the saddestand not merely by street be liberal or open? Is it outdated, and news for me, and all people whodemonstrations, chakka jams andso on. Nepal is unprepared for a love the king and want the Nepal bandhs. constitutional crisis without a king. institution as a symbol of nationalLet us pray to God to give usWe don’t have a problem with Gyanendra, but are not too positive We will be sorrowful about thisunity and integrity. This is a timehope to and ability to transform our about King Gyanendra’s notorious national tragedy for some time. beWe united, and bury our dreams into reality. This will be the son Paras, who will probably be the the world’s admiration for theirexpect a thorough investigativedifferences if there is to be a raygreatest tribute to our late king. I’m very sorry to hear about strength in the face of disaster.report on this tragedy. We awaitof hope and dedication to crown prince and future king if thethe death of King Birendra and Ramesh Chandra Khanalmonarchy continues. Robert L Milleryour forthcoming issue, and the future. The road ahead is Queen Aishwarya. I am request you to not be affected challenging.by It demands courage, Utah State University, USA.Is there greater feudality andshocked and sad. I believe that Chicago, USA circumstances that may arise duehard work, and perseverance. conservatism than we have seenthe in family didn’t die. They went to the untimely demise of our We need to hold on to our dreamsNepal is going through the worstNepal in the last few days? As weback to the paradise they Thank you very much for tellingbeloved king. We hope no one willof freedom, civilisation, develop-crisis it has ever faced. The onlyheard the news, we thought, "wecame from some years ago first what is happening in Nepalforward their selfish motives inment. Let us give all our supportway we can come through thisnever is improve": the silence fromand the they will live forever there. today. Your pages told us herethis in time of crisis when we faceto the king and the government.by trusting and working with eachpalace, our deputy prime minister notMay the lord Pashupatinath Europe what happened last nightthe most unfortunate dilemma of To our king: This is the time other.to The 22 million Nepali peoplebeing accountable to the people andbless us all! the royal palace. All friends ofour age. uphold the system within the have the right to know the detailskeeping the truth from them when Nepal abroad are with you. Surendra Raut Chhetryframework of our constitution ofand Friday night’s palace killing. Ifthe foreign media was giving the Reijo Härkönen to continue what has already the government and the king keepwhole world the same story. At LongQi 22 million people in dark then thereleast he could have told us that the Finland Our heartfelt condolences on thebeen done and what needs is no trust. I hope and pray thatmedia may not be telling the truth. Hainan Province, sudden and untimely loss of ourgreater attention. the truth will come out quickly. Even the Maoists were hesitant to China king, queen and other members ofTo the government: Pardon Our condolences to the people tell the truth—that it was an accident the royal family in Nepal. May the “Mero Babu” of Nepal. This is a big tragedy. the Maoists. Contain corruption, with consequences for our political We are very sorry. departed souls rest in peace. take the opposition parties into Deepest regrets for this future. This crisis has revealed toterrible us tragedy, and prayers Nepalese Association confidenceof and pay a real tributeWe learnt the news of the Kingwhat we are as a nation, whether to the late king through efforts andto Queen’s death after about 30 for peace in Nepal in the South Africa royalty, Maoist, or people like us troubled days to come. Jaya uplift the people. attempts to read our email in thewho get worked up in vain. From Abdullahi and Jeanet Eastern Cape Nepal. To the Maoists: Try to see town of Xam Neua in northeasternthe bottom of our hearts we send Laos. Xam Neua is a little like our condolences to our chaotic This is a national crime that allI wish to mourn with my Mugling amidst hills with home nation. Thomas Lloyd Nepalis must protest. We are countrymen over the sudden death khoriyas—just a little larger. It was among those who live in foreignof Their Late Majesties in a killing around 6.45 am Nepali time when We send our heartfelt countries and expect the mediaspree. As everybody else, I am the news stunned us. Now, condolences to all the Nepali will be faithful, and not allow adeeply shocked and horrified by everyday, one of us goes to the people. We should wait with repeat of 1846. The news media neighbour’s telephone and tries should stay faithful to the people patience for the outcome of for about an hour to get on the the investigation. We expect a and the nation and tell the truth Internet. Opening the Nepalnews about this crime. truthful, honest and clear site and saving it as quickly as report from your publication. All Nepalis in China possible had become part of our daily ritual. We wondered who was Beena Pant responsible for this? Tuning in to a Philippines news station on a Chinese-made radio with compressed shortwave The last few days have seen was no less an effort than an erosion of public connecting to email. We managed confidence and every Nepali citizen’s constitutional right to information of public importance. An impartial and trustworthy investigation by the official probe panel depends upon preservation of all evidence, even if religion dictates otherwise. In a situation of national emergency, the citizens’ trust is paramount, and cannot be gained through news blackouts and curfews.

Teeka Ram Bhattarai, Samita Pradhan, Nepal Chintan Bideha Agam and Srijana Concerned Nepalis in Shrestha Boston

NHUNCHHE MAN DANGOL Laos 666 NATION 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES

BARBS byBARBARA ADAMS

significance to the fact that the first deployment is to be in Gorkha, the ancestral home of the Shah dynasty Lets talk and from where ventured forth If the situation in Nepal were not so potentially and The whole dangerous plan has been hatched by the Primeto unite Nepal. It is also possible, that Gorkha has terrifyingly explosive, one could rejoice in the received first priority because it is also the home of emergence of a few encouraging signs amid the Minister and a handful of his hard-line anti-communistBabu Ram Bhattarai, the Maoist leader best known to potentially and terrifyingly explosive period in Nepal’s Kathmandu’s intellectuals. history. One is IGP Pradeep SJB Rana’s frank and chelas to solve the Maoist problem by force and not Five years ago, in Gorkha I was struck by how courageous disclosure recently of police brutality in thethrough negotiations. Parliament. Mahesh Acharya was at a loss for words. well locals spoke of their brilliant native son, Babu Maoist areas, during the tenure of his predecessor, ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Come to think of○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ it, the whole dangerous plan Ram Bhattarai. His family home is perched on a Achyut Krishna Kharel. hilltop, and the villagers would point it out to us kept by the Royal Nepal Army. The two issues presentseems a to have been hatched by the Prime Minister and “Police killed innocent people, discriminated a handful of his hard-line anti-communistchelas to cope proudly. One year later, it was in Gorkha that we pandora’s box of problems which if not properly interviewed students and teachers tortured in the local against ordinary people based on their social status, and with a country-wide problem, which the entire country addressed could affect the armed forces—the institution jail who told us chilling tales of police terror, and the maltreated the locals during their patrols,” he is quoted thinks should be solved politically, not with force. The that the government thinks can save the country from killing of innocents. as saying. This is an unprecedented admittance by the Nepali newspapers cannot make up their minds chief of police that the offensive was a major cause forthe Maoists. Today, large parts of Gorkha district are at last The threatening news concerns the deployment of whether the three-pronged Congress force to suppress the rapid spread of Maoist support. Seen in this the Maoists is really going to make matters worse. Mypeaceful and free of police harassment. The Maoists perspective, the killing of police in Rukumkot and the army in Maoist areas. It is still not clear to anyoneguess I is that the Congress pundits presently in power have held local elections and are carrying out Dailekh two months ago were revenge attacks against know,a except maybe army officers ( and they ain’t will set off a dangerous confusion in chain of command,grassroots development in the poorer villages. People force seen as the oppressors. talking) exactly what the rules of engagement are and and bring up ambiguities regarding the assigned roles ofare happy they receive quick justice in the “People’s Pradeep Sumshere’s statement gives us a glimmer ofwhat the army’s role will be in the much-vaunted the army, police and paramilitary as they barge brazenlyCourts”, and proud of the way they have been at the hope that recognition of responsibility of those who Integrated Security and Defence package (ISDP). By into Maoist-controlled areas. vanguard of a new kind of revolution Now, with the the time I return from a trip to the US in a month or gave orders to the police, and the police themselves, will No one in his right mind can imagine the army ISDP going into force in Gorkha, Rukum and Rolpa so, one fears Nepal may be drifting dangerously in the one trembles to think what might happen when the lead to a thorough investigation of those in power who enjoying being told that it has to take orders from the direction of full-scale engaged in a civil war. The army and paramilitary move in soon.  allowed these atrocities to take place. Many say that if reigning Chief District Officer. Knowing the officially the recommendations of the Mallik Commission reportgovernment thinks this will solve the problem, or at least divert the people’s attention away from real crisis.confirmed hatred for the police, which pervades the had been carried out after the 1990 Jana Andolan, and Maoist areas, it is not hard to imagine how the people perpetrators of “crimes against humanity” including A recent discussion programme starring the UML’s Jhal Nath Khanal, Kamal Thapa from the RPP and defencewill react to seeing heavily armed paramilitaries Kharel himself been punished, then the atrocities in the marching into their villages under the protection of the mid-West may not have been carried out, we would notminister Mahesh Acharya was interesting. All three gentlement said the right things—agreeing that the army. have seen the insurgency taking such a brutal turn, and The army, aside from being considered the right the country spared much of the anguish it has suffered“Maoist problem” is a national problem and not just a arm of the Monarchy has up until now been largely since. problem of the ruling party. untouched by the scandals which have rocked almost The other potentially explosive development is the One of the questions the host then asked Mahesh Acharya, was how he could reconcile this withevery other national institution. The people in general expose by ex-servicemen of the exploitation of lower think well of the army. This may change faster than we ranking army personnel by officers as household the fact that all decisions regarding “solving the Maoist problem” including the ISDP are made unilaterally bycan imagine, if the government’s plan goes ahead. orderlies. Tied in with this is the issue of anomalies in Then there is, one supposes, a kind of symbolic the system of payment for Nepali peacekeepers servingthe ruling section of the Congress Party without in the United Nations—where a bulk of the money is discussion with the parliamentary opposition, the public, the Maoists, or even the upper house of OBITUARY 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 777 MIN BAJRACHARYA with friends at Nagarkot, in favour of the family dinner. People who knew the 22-year-old prince, remark on his passion for conservation and wildlife. Inspired by his Princess Shruti and Princeuncle, King Gyanendra, the lateNirajan prince wanted to start a whose aesthetic forays were mostly literary, Princess Shruti crusade to protect endangered freshwater Gangetic HEMLATA RAI was more inclined to painting like King Birendra, whose art ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○ has been published in book form. Critics have sometimes dolphins, which are rapidly disappearing from the Karnali he late Princess Shruti only recently became active in and Narayani rivers and Chisapani Gorge inside the Royal the public sphere, but interest in her had been said her style is strongly influenced by her father’s, but it is her teacher, Govind Dongol, whose mark was more visibleBardiya National Park (RBNP). He had already visited t growing for some time. As a college student at Mayo these areas and talked to residents—and, apparently, had in her art. But she wasn’t only a painter, she was also Girl’s College in India, she was once publicly criticised forpainted. Dutch painter Ed Vanderkooy who painted the already decided to do all he could to reverse the present lack of ‘royal etiquette’ when photographs of her with an princess in May this year told us his impression of her: “Sheadministrative arrangement that issues annual fishing Indian film actor were carried by various gossip magazines.is a thoroughly modern woman of the world. She is shy butlicenses to businessmen inside the RBNP. “But he remained The late princess had an uneventful childhood. “She not formal, and she is very knowledgeable about art. It wassensitive to the plight of poverty-stricken locals, and wanted was a patient, quiet and obedient pupil. She was very a pleasure to paint her.” to ensure that traditional fishing rights of the indigenous communities remain secure,” said a friend. disciplined,” said Lt Col (retired) Shishir Chandra Shah, “Hardworking” is an adjective former instructors often Friends and teachers of the late prince remark on his her horse-riding instructor. According to him, though she use when talking about the late princess. In high school, she was not a “technically perfect” rider, her love for the animaldisplayed a flair for sports that remained with her even aftersporting abilities. He was a junior swimming champion at never allowed her to quit horse riding. The 24-year-oldthe birth of her daughters. In March 1999, she did her judoKathmandu’s Budhanilkantha School and his former horse- princess continued her lessons between two teachers Om Bahadur Thapa and Maha Laxmi Shrestha atriding instructor Shishir Chandra Shah says the prince had pregnancies, and her school exams. She was one of thethe National Police Training Centre proud by earning a more talent for the sport that he was inclined to develop. finest horse riders at Mayo Girl’s College in India whenblack-belt following ten years of training. Princess Shruti “His alertness and physique were perfect for riding… if he’d she was there for two years. made remarkable strides in her academic endeavours late intried, he could have made real achievements,” says Shah. Princess Shruti’s passion for art marked her as papa’s her student life, at Kathmandu’s Padma Kanya Campus. The late prince’s attentions had turned to football in recent girl. Unlike her mother, grandfather and paternal uncles She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree with distinction. Atyears. He was reportedly seeking a role at the National St Mary’s High School in Kathmandu, a former classmateSports Council for the development of football in the recalls, “she was just an average student.” After finishing hercountry. Following his brother’s much-lauded involvement SLC examinations in the capital, she went on to finish herin the SAF Games last year, Prince Nirajan also wanted tofriend of the late prince. senior secondary education at Mayo College, where her aid in the development of sports in Nepal. His friends say Prince Nirajan attended the Kanti Ishwari Shishu mother Queen Aiswarya studied two decades earlier. he promised his brother, then the crown prince, to get Vidyalaya, Budhanilkantha School and St Xavier’s School. personally involved in organising and managing a proposed Public speculation about her marriage started growing He briefly attended Eton College in England and returned international karate championship in Nepal. to Nepal to take a Bachelor’s in Business Administration as she was finishing school, but that ended in May 1997, A close friend of the prince, who did not wish to be when she married Kumar Gorakh Sumshere Jung Bahadur (BBA) at the Kathmandu School of Management. He was Rana. The princess passed away on Friday, 1 June 2001.identified, says: “The two brothers were close, but thepreparing for his final exams later this month, when he She is survived by two young daughters, and her prince was more attached to his father, King Birendra.”passed away last Friday, 1 June, 2000. “The prince was a husband, who is undergoing treatment at the BirendraHis friends say the late prince had little interest in fantastic person. Though he had royal titles, he was a Military Hospital. governance and politics, but was aware of what was commoner at heart,” said a classmate of the late prince at going on in the country. “He used to have regular the Kathmandu School of Management. Prince Nirajan, friends and teachers say, was like any otherdiscussions on these issues with his father,” said another young urban man—he enjoyed sports, driving and partying. The rumour mill is rife with speculation that it was only

late○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ last Friday that he decided against attending a gathering MIN BAJRACHARYA “A gem of a person”

pursuit of knowledge, no one questioned the choice. The CNAS took a big leap forward after Kumar Khadga took over and helped define its scope of The last family portrait of work with clear-cut programmes. law and mother. Bodh Kumari Shah (on bed, His priorities were research, human Khadga and Lalit went to St centre), Lalit Shah, Kumar resource development and he Xavier’s high school at Godavari Khadga, Neer Shah and encouraged researchers to specialisetogether, and then to St Xavier’s Princess Sharada (standing at in different countries in the South back) and grandchildren taken College in Calcutta. Khadga Asia region and Japan and China. two weeks before the tragedy. graduated in political science and An intimate moment by the “For most of the decade, the studied law in Kathmandu. fireplace,liberal thinker, and he with was optimistic Centre functioned as Nepal’s premier A keen sportsman, Khadga was grandchildren.about democracy, but had grown thinktank on current international captain of the hockey and cricket increasingly frustrated with the way issues,” says Sridhar K Khatri, who teams, and was also a footballer, things were going in the country with teaches political science at playing with the Mahabir Club until a political infighting, chronic instability Tribhuvan University. “Kumar leg injury forced him off the field. and the lack of development. Khadga was able to transcend That did not take him far from sport Kumar Khadga was director at politics when it came to research.” though, he was the first member CNAS 1984-89. His appointment Both Lalit and Neer remember secretary of the National Sports there was initially looked on with Khadga as an affectionate and Council where he gave Nepali sports a Kumar Khadga Bikram Shah’s family and colleagues suspicion by academics who now had responsible older brother who took solid foundation by helping the remember an erudite and intelligent man who did not likea royal relative as a leader. But their charge of family responsibilities from aconstruction of the Dasrath Stadium. suspicions were put to rest once he young age. His first job was at the He stayed there as long as he was able to put on airs, or flaunt his royal status. began to take charge and is now British Embassy, and with his salary, to keep sports out of politics, ○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ issues, which preoccupied him remembered by his contemporaries as Khadga supported the education something on which he differed with a dynamic director who was able to and upbringing of his younger the then rulers. The sportsman in RAMYATA LIMBU while he was with the Centre for ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Shah, Khadga’s youngest brother who give the institution—still one of the brothers. Says Neer: “He made us Khadga soon found him promoting is now mourning three deaths in the Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) at he late Kumar Khadga Bikram Tribhuvan University. most respected in Nepal—a much- what we are today.” another quest by founding the Nepal Shah spent most of his lifetime family—Kumar Khadga, his wife needed push forward. For 57-year-old Lalit, who is now Mountaineering Association. Sharada and the brothers’ mother, The family showed us his study: tburied in books or cooking. Just “Initially, when he was appointed regional director of the International “His loss is irreparable because his Bodh Kumari Shah, who died of a hundreds of books on politics, last week, the 58-year-old academic CNAS director there was great Civil Aviation Organisation (Asia- full potential was never realised,” says and sportsman had finished reading heart attack on Saturday. geography, history, international relations, mountaineering and a select reluctance to accept him,” recalls Pacific), he was more: “a friend and a Neer. “Maybe he could have Boutros Boutros-Ghali’s “Thulu was an extremely good Prof Dhurba Kumar, a researcher atgem of a person”. The bereaved contributed a great deal more if he Unvanquished,a candid look at the cook who would spend hours in the choice of fiction. Says Neer: “He was an all-rounder from every point of CNAS. “Sceptics scoffed. They felt brothers are at their home mourning had not been a royal relative.” UN system. Kumar Khadga was kitchen. He was a gem of a person,” he had got the job because he was athe deaths of their brother, sister-in- The Khadga ancestral household says 57-year-old Lalit Bikram Shah, view. Within his constraints, he tried among those killed in Friday night’s his best to make substantial royal relative.” But that was not the in Gyaneswor wears a solemn look royal palace shootout. the middle brother. “The study was case—after they got to know this week, the two brothers dressed in his favourite room. He would come contributions in the academic and Just a week prior to his death, he sports areas and was always concernedKhadga’s passion for learning and white mourning cloth, and grim-faced had invited family members to a here and constantly arrange and and teary-eyed visitors lining up to rearrange his books,” another family about the country.” dinner at his home where he served By all accounts Khadga was a sign the condolence book. Chinese food. “That was the best member told us. Kumar Khadga Chinese I’ve ever eaten,” says Neer was interested in development 888 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES

King Birendra 1945-2001 PRADEEP SHRESTHA PRADEEP Stupa’s Jitendra Shakh. Ansal Choudhary, for its part, is collaborating with the Agricul- tural Development Bank and United Finance for housing loans. The private sector has stepped in where the government NEPALI ECONOMY has failed. And the government6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES has not even been able to fulfil its 999 role of regulator. It has yet to introduce necessary regulations even though parliament passed entrepreneurs,” says Ram Prasad the Joint Apartment Ownership Maharjan, chairman of Construc- Act in 1997. There is also no tion Material Entrepreneurs separate building code for Association. The price of per apartments, and no rules on safetythousand bricks has soared from features like fire-escapes being Rs 1800 to Rs 2900, and implemented. Maharjan says it may even top Falling for flats 3,500. Brick kilns have not been The apartment boom has also able to meet the increased perked up the real estate market demand. Cement and steel rods which was going through a slump.have also seen a rise in price The price of small plots have risen in the past six months, and “The demand for cement has part of the reason is the demand increased by 50 percent this for apartment complexes. But the year,” says Bimal Chandra main reason is still the Sanchaya Poudel of the National Trading Kosh’s announcement of housing Center. As the Nepali cement loans for civil servants which has industry is unable to address brought a surge in new increasing demand, the import of construction in Kathmandu Indian cement has risen. Due to Valley. “It was an encouraging this huge demand, Indian cement year for the construction importers have hiked the price by Rs 11 per sack. In the last fiscal year, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has issued Building Construction Permission for 2,347 houses. This year, the number crossed that mark by Arpil. It is estimated that 3,000 construc- tion permits will be issued in Kathmandu and 1,000 in is still out of reach for the Patan. salaried class—since there is really nothing for less than Rs 1 MIN BAJRACHARYA million. The two-bedroom

apartment of Stupa Houses at BAJRACHARYA MIN Kathmandu’s apartment craze is catching on asBudhhanagar a new is one ofsurge the few in One visitor at the Harisidhi low-cost apartments, but even housing complexes tries to keepcomplex up is Basu with Shrestha, demand. a these are at Rs 700,000. “We ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ businessman who lives in targeted civil servants, and we Kathmandu’s inner city Indra will offer financing in a tie-up MUKUL HUMAGAIN ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Last year, when Ansal Chowk area. He says: “I want to with the Sanchaya Kosh,” says f necessity is the mother of Choudhary Developers came up take my family out. It is getting invention, then the denizens of with the idea of Kathmandu too congested to live in the city.” iKathmandu may finally be Residency, some scoffed. A joint Others inspecting the interiors looking forward to an end to theirventure of the Choudhary Group are happy that there is now an housing woes. For too long, the of Nepal and Ansal BuildWell, alternative to buying expensive Valley has coped with explosive Ansal Choudhary Developers was property, supervising unreliable urbanization, malignant, the first to launch an apartment labour and fixing the utilities. unplanned growth of improvised based housing project in Nepal. Does this presage the age of concrete structures that added With a total of 180 apartments suburbia in Kathmandu? Some floors to accommodate the influx.with price ranging from Rs would hope not, but it will surely Zoning laws were flouted, 900,000 for a one bedroom make urbanization slightly more building codes violated, safety apartment to Rs 1.9 million for a planned. The only real estate sacrificed. three-bedroom one, the development so far had been Now, housing estates and apartments were surprisingly targeted at the super-rich in areas modern apartment complexes are affordable. People stopped like Bhaise Pati with its large at last making their way in. For scoffing and started taking the plots for villas. now restricted to the upper trend seriously. Given the Nepali penchant middle class, the trend is already Kathmandu Residency will be for copying anything that is showing signs of trickling down tocompleted by October next year, successful, urban planners hope low-income housing as well. And and Ansal Choudhary has already other developers will copy this Kathmandu is following the started a new housing project model and take the pressure out Think South Asian trend that makes an named Mount View Residency at of inner city Kathmandu. Eyeing Smooth apartment a bigger status symbol Harisidhi outside Patan. Spread the potential bonanza that Ansal The 1.2 billion dollar car, the all than a bungalow. Already, over nearly two hectares of formerChoudhary will make, others are new Hyundai Accent is here. A paddy fields, Mount View already joining the bandwagon. surprisingly affordable apartment high performance luxury sedan complexes are coming up Residency is a townhouse conceptKantipur Development Pvt Ltd is promising a “European lifestyle”. with Duplex and Individual preparing to start a housing with drop dead gorgeous looks. Building a house can be one Homes. Aimed at the middle to project at Balkumari, Thimi with Think Smooth. Think Accent. big headache, from getting the upper income brackets, the price 107 single homes, 16 2-bedroom raw materials, hiring an engineer of a duplex home is Rs 1.9-2.2 apartments, and 14 3-bedroom and contractors, getting the million, while an individual home apartments. The price of a single necessary permits (through is Rs 2.6 million. bedroom home is Rs 2.2 million underhand methods if necessary) Launched in mid-May, the and that of two- and three- fixing up water, electricity and apartment complex has attracted bedroom apartments is Rs 1.4 phones. All this can be avoided byhordes of prospective home million and Rs 1.6 million paying the little extra for an buyers. “We get up to 60 visitors respectively. apartment. Hassle-free housing a day coming to inspect the Suraj Apartment at Tangal seems to be the new slogan. And houses,” says V Rajgopalan, and Priyanka Apartment at since there is a demand, the technical head of the project. Chabahil are the two complexes supply has suddenly come up in “More than half the apartments already in operation in the past five years. have been booked so far.” Kathmandu. Half of the flats of

Suraj apartment have been sold Business Advantage/0105 while rest are on rent. At Priyanka, all 16 flats are on rent ranging from Rs 14-16,000. Most tenants are businessmen from outside the Valley. Other luxury apartments and flats cater to expat clients and are out of the reach of most Nepalis. Although demand is growing, many Kathmandu inhabitants have not outgrown their initial reluctance to living in flats. And despite the relatively low cost, it

Showroom: Tel: 428679, 410394, 414634. Fax: 422252. Nagpokhari. Service Center: Tel: 413086. Maitidevi, Kathmandu.

INTERNATIONAL (P) LTD. Dealers: Sole distributor of Hyundai vehicles for Nepal and Bhutan. Jonchhen Traders: Pokhara, Ph: 061-28589. Fax: 061-25695. Mally Auto Distributors: Butwal, Ph: 071-40648. 071-42648. Genuine Auto Traders: Narayanghat, Ph: 056-26562 MIN BAJRACHARYA giving the quickening air a voice. Plastic bags, startled birds and leaves were snatched by the flying yellow dust. The storm edged closer until the WEATHER 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 101010 flash and crash became simultaneous. The roiling blue-black clouds KUNDA DIXIT overhead muffled the guttural roll of ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ the thunderbolt as it travelled away rue, rivers are swollen, there is a over the mountains into Tibet. danger of landslides, highways Another, more delicate din are blocked, flights cancelled approached as the hailstones hit and in the tarai there are floods. t corrugated roofs of the houses in the But rain is life. More than 90 percent bazaar below. By evening, the of the farms in Nepal are rain-fed. pyrothechnics were over, the storm Weather forecasters on Radio Nepal had moved over to the east briefly sound upbeat when they report “rain framed in a double rainbow over the Monsoon moodsthroughout the kingdom”. The GDP holy ridges of Gosainkunda. The growth rate for the subcontinent is varnished leaves dripped, the tree Rain gets a lot of bad press. Forget what the guidebooks say. dependent on the timely arrival of the trunks sweated, the wet water monsoons, stock markets take a buffalos were shiny. plunge if there is a delay. If a pre-monsoon thunder shower Visit Nepal in the monsoon. Get wet. It is time we discovered our is an opera, then the arrival of the country in the rainy season. Time we monsoon itself a few weeks later is a wet our dry and dusty souls with Smetana symphony. You can smell the water from heaven. In a week or two, rain long before it actually arrives. we will witness that annual From the pass above Pokhara, the meteorological miracle that makes clouds move about among the prevailing winds over Nepal suddenly Annapurnas like the little curly puffs make a u-turn. Moist and warm air you see on thangka paintings. They from the Bay of Bengal will travel up, ride the westerlies across azure skies, deflected by the Himalayan foothills and suddenly stop, hesitate, and turn where it will billow up and condense around. That change in high-altitude into thick wads of rain. For three wind direction precisely between months in a year, the Himalaya from June 10-15 over central Nepal every Kashmir to Assam act as a gigantic year is the first sign that the atmospheric dam to store this water monsoon will soon burst. vapour. The mountains are such an By evening, the air suddenly turns effective barrier that the Tibetan plateau to the north is left literally humid, a smell of warm wetness swells high and dry in the rain shadow. up from the valley below. A yellow moon rises from behind a range of These weeks before the arrival of mountainous clouds to the east. They the monsoon are hot and muggy. glow in the moonlight, and the inside Rivers run dry, fields are parched, and of the clouds are incandescent with farmers stage elaborate frog weddings silent lightning. By nightfall, there is a as rites of rain. The pre-monsoon sudden sharp coolness as the moisture showers are cataclysmic events. turns into mist, and the mist in turn Pumped by the heat, huge convection into a fine gauze of rain. The Nepali currents send cauldrons of cumulus vocabulary has at many onomatopoeic rising vertically into the atmosphere, words to describe different kinds of sometimes more than 50,000 feet. Uprain: at midnight it turns from there in the stratosphere, the jet drizzlysim-sime to heavierdarkane stream smears their tops into wild and by early morning it is a angry cobra heads. On one pre- torrentialmusal-dhare . monsoon afternoon, I once watched the entire Ganesh massif dwarfed in There is nothing like the simple the shadow of one of these pleasure of lying dry and drowsy inside cauliflowers of moisture penetrating a sleeping bag on a bed of straw below the edge of space. The convection a shingle roof of a Nepali farmhouse system rose out of the Buri Gandaki while the monsoon beats down Valley to ride on flashing neon legs of outside. You can analyse the purple lightning. From high up on a individual sounds: of rain drops falling ridge above Dhunche we watched on the trees, tapping on the stone tiles transfixed as the afternoon sun was above your head, gathering in the blotted out, and the snowy slopes of gutter to splatter on the street below. Langtang Lirung lost their light. It When you wake up, you find it is still suddenly became dark and silent like raining through the mist. The ridge an eclipse. Animals, humans, and even the thirsty plants waited nervously as a veil of violet rain advanced from the west. The wind picked up, the poplars bent like bows: their agitated leaves lightning made her seem strobe lit, so that flash, flash,flash there was Mushroom cloudscape: Cotton candy monsoon clouds over Kathmandu Valley illuminated by slanting rain light. Below, right, moss covers Om ManiElizabeth leaping, gyrating Padme Hum inscription on a wet roadside rock near Tengboche. and spreadeagled against and space under trees the night. For a while she PHOTOS: KUNDA DIXIT PHOTOS: together for at least a month.ignored our entreaties to But psychology was at work.come A in and then all of a bedroom was a bedroom wassudden was inside a bedroom, and those foursplashing cold rain on us all. the blue ceiling.Gone too the beds placed rather close Her French companion’s together did suggest orgy. wallpaper and, alas, the great loud complaints were literally Elizabeth overcame remorse Just singing,loo. We’d once dancingagain arrived in thedrowned byrain… a bucket of by taking a quick dash for her in time for Yak Tails and we freezing water brought from bed and bundling in under sat being eyed rather the loo by Elizabeth and DESMOND DOIG blankets, clothes and all. emptied over him. ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ little else thankurta, a a lungi suspiciously by the other We were soon asleep. At n one of my earliest and a pair of slippers. Evenguests through a long evening Kathmandu does strange visits to Nepal I the slippers were a recent and the first real dinner we some ungodly hour we werethings to people the way walked across the acquisition as we had begunhad had in weeks. Even Boriswakened by the most frightfulShangri-la did to the old, the o the journey barefooted. tired when Elizabeth, the din. The skies over Kath- young and to those in love. border. I came with a Hungarian artist, kept urging manduus were exploding. The Hungarian artist who lived inThe monsoon was to have one more before goingmonsoon had arrived. But India, her companion a expected to thud down on to bed well after midnight. Shewhere was Elizabeth? It was(Excerpted with French artist-adventurer, a Kathmandu any day: the Indianherself didn’t drink. At last Boristhe Nepali dancer who sawpermission fromMy Kind Nepali male dancer friend plains had been scorching had the bar closed and moreher or first and shouted, “God,of Kathmandu, Harper and a small dog of no and still, as they are just less ordered us to bed. she’s gone mad.” Collins, 1994) particular breed. before the monsoons. I like to When we got to the door of There in the courtyard with Together we were think we were the first hippies our room we understood apparently nothing on was a visiting places where who hit Nepal. Sans hash we Elizabeth’s reluctance to retire.figure dancing in the pouring Gautama the Buddha hadlooked the part, so that even She stood outside and saidrain. Continuous purple lived and preached and Boris Lissanevitch was briefly piteously, “I have never done died. We ended the hesitant to take us in. There this before.” Which was pilgrimage where we were few rooms at The Royal remarkable considering we should in fact have begunHotel and its growing reputa- had shared train it— in Lumbini. The lady tion had to be protected. Boris compartments, rest houses artist had insisted that wesuggested in our interest, and travel humbly and cheaplyI suspect his own, that we like true pilgrims. So we share a single room which carried nothing but our turned out to be one quarter of paints and a change of the original ‘Number One’. clothes which consisted ofGone were the cherubs and WEATHER 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 111111 track has by now turned into a torrent. There is commotion on the trail as men and women shrouded in plastic and bobbing umbrellas get their hoes ready to move down to the paddy terraces for the transplanting. Forget what the guidebooks say. Visit Nepal in the monsoon. Get wet. See the denuded slopes burst with foliage as nature gives Himalayans one more chance at regeneration— another hope to set things right. Watch Kathmandu Valley reclaim the green and turn emerald once more. Gaze down from the Jiri highway at three thousand vertical feet of staircased rice fields mirroring the gray sky. Today, most tourist areas are accessible by air even in the monsoon. There is a chance your flight will be cancelled a few days in a row, but you will get there. You gather at the domestic terminal in Kathmandu as the rain thunders on the metal roof. Drenched helicopters squat grounded on the tarmac like wet dragonflies. But, surprise, the flight to Syangboche is called. The pilot ducks, leaps and sidesteps the monsoon stratus. The Sun Kosi, swollen brown, plunges eastwards in a series of rapids. Red scars of recent landslides maul the slopes near Rumjatar. Lamjura is closed up by clouds, so we fly around it, sometimes grazing the steep flanks as goats and cattle flee my shoes. The buffalos are faring for cover in the high meadows. The into the misty undergrowth. They worse, they are bleeding from their mountains get steeper, meaner. that once used to connect Kathmanduwear straw slippers so their hoofs snouts and eyelids. In the black-and- Long tendrils of waterfalls tumble Valley to the plains. In the village of don’t wear off on the stony trail. The white world of a monsoon forest the over cliffs and dissolve into mist Chitlang overlooking the Kulekhani rain comes down in fat drops, and crimson streaks on the buffalos look half-way down in their journey to bend in the track to Tengboche, night and stops abruptly at dawn. that is when the leeches decide to like fluorescent graffiti. the deep drone of the Bhote Kosi Mountains are like the Lake they gather for their last day on the valley below. The tops of the trail. Tomorrow they have to ambush the convoy. Suddenly they are By mid-September, the sun mountains disappear into a dark relentlessly cutting ever deeper centrefolds of girlie magazines. After a everywhere, dropping down from the returns. The dasain revelries begin, gorges. These rivers are older than the make the climb up to the Chandragiri ceiling of cloud. while, you wish they had some clothesPass at 8,000 feet before the steep lower branches, flailing out from wet the buffalos are massacred at the Up here in Syangboche the air mountains and they have been slicing on. Mountains look infinitely more rocks, sucking the buffalos without Kot. The sky is navy blue and dotted through the rising rock for 60 million descent down to Kathmandu Valley is more humid than Kathmandu. interesting when there are clouds mercy. At the pass where we rest with kites. At Kathmandu airport, years. Hydro-powered waterwheels on the other side. By the time we The next morning Mt Everest, the hovering around them. And the sight while the buffalos straggle past, I pick the tourists start arriving again. churn energetically spreading the enter the oak forest the next Lhotse-Nuptse wall, Thamserku of the first rays of the sun illuminating out fifteen leeches from inside one of prayer about the jewel in the lotus afternoon, the clouds move in. The and Kongde gather around like old the summit seracs of Kangtega would in all directions. Monsoon is the buffalos are single file, disappearing friends. They look fresh with a look incomplete without the wisp of time when the trekking trails coating of new snow, but the pink plume moving across them. mostly only have Nepalis on snowline has receded up their Clouds give an added dimension to them. There is not a backpacking flanks—exposing wet shoulders that the rock and ice—the dimension of tourist in sight. look like they are carved out of movement, of flight, and of matter ebony. The difference in the By ten in the morning, the first in its vapour state. And because monsoon is the greenery. The clouds are chugging up the Imja they are visible so fleetingly, the flowers are in full bloom, alive with Khola—the forerunner of an ocean monsoon makes you treasure the butterflies and birdlife. The grass of clouds that can be seen lapping rare glimpses. creeps up right up to the moraines at the ridges below Namche in the By late August, you notice that and the snowline. distance. They move up silently the relentless rain is ebbing as the Everywhere, there is the sound through the junipers, soaking the monsoon starts to lose its swaying lichens with droplets of of falling water: big waterfalls that momentum. The water buffalos condensation. By eleven, when we thunder right across the Imja valley, start making their treks up from are safely inside the Ama Dablam little ones that gurgle behind every Hetauda to the slaughter houses of Lodge, the rain starts falling steadilyKathmandu for the post-monsoon in that marathon-like pace of no- Dasain feasts. Many of these nonsense, long-term rain. It falls animals are nowcrammed into continuously into afternoon, all lorries, but some still trek up the trail

Shangrila 121212 TECHNOLOGY 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES In the US, a 25-year-old woman researching chat rooms gave away her identity on the net and started receiving mail divulging Do you knowdon’t havewhere to go through the pain of information aboutyour herself hardly children are? meeting the person in real life,” anyone knew. The harassment got so bad that she committed suicide. says 18-year-old Mamta. Research not because nothing can happen user and chatter is lucky: her Things here haven’t reached that on Internet use and especially here, but because we’re at an earlier parents ensure there is always pass yet, but there are already chatting in the US shows that most stage of engagement with the net. someone to guide her when she is tell-tale signs that it could happen. chatters are male—and that female Some people are waking up to this, online. No one here is thinking yet “This person I was chatting to names get all the attention. No in- and 11-year-old Serina, a regular net of laws against crimes in kept sending me nasty emails. I depth study has been carried in cyberspace. Will we wait for the eventually changed my email Nepal, but an overwhelming first cybercrime to happen before address,” says 17-year-old Srijana. number of chatters we found turned Safety tips for chatterswe think about safety on the out to be female. “My parents Even more terrifying for parents Internet? Talk to your children and z Don’t respond to flaming (provocation online). would rather have me at home, of younger children is how watch where they are clicking z Choose a gender neutral screen name. using the net rather than going out topaedophilia seems to have found its before we have our first juvenile z Don’t flirt online, unless you’re prepared for the consequences. a disco. I don’t really mind,” says home on the net. In South Asian cyber criminal or victim. t countries like Sri Lanka and You have the right to flirt and the right to a provocative 17-year-old Ameena. Parents and nickname, but sometimes it’s better just to back off a bit and not children alike see the Internet as a Bangladesh, many paedophiles find exercise all your rights all the time. “safe place” for young people to their targets chatting on the net. socialise. Authorities in Sri Lanka estimate z Save offending messages and(Names report have beenthem changed to your to protect service the provider. identity of minors.) And it can be, but you must that around 600 boys below 18 are used for paedophilia on the net. z Don’t give out any personal information about yourself or anyone Talk to your children and watch know that when you chat, your else. system is open tothe whole wired Children as young as ten are where they are clicking before we known to chat in Kathmandu, and z Get out of a situation online that has become hostile, log off or world. Operating systems like surf elsewhere. have our first cybercrime. Windows 95 or 98 are insecure andnot always at home, but also in have technical loopholes any cybercafes. The number and z Change your password regularly. diversity of users in Nepal will ○○○○○○○○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ experienced hacker can work their way through. “Linux and Unix are only increase because of the ISP’s Guidance tips for parents: ALOK TUMBAHANGPHEY more secure compared to Win- price-wars. “The larger problem ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ sophisticated Pentagon system and here is that its not impossible for z Keep the computer in a central family location, not in the child’s t’s dinnertime and your teenage the 16-year-old Indian boy who dows, but due to their complexity only experienced users use them,” some sexually frustrated, middle- room. The computer shouldn’t be an escape for the child, but a daughter doesn’t respond to your made a porn site with pictures of aged person with sweaty palms to family activity. calls. Then it strikes you: you’ve classmates who’d taunted him. Thesays Deepesh Pradhan, director i of Yomari Inc which designs web harass you,” says Bela Malik, a z Get to know your children’s online friends. You wouldn’t let them just bought her a brand new net may not turn children into pages and develops software for teacher at Rato Bangala School, spend loads of time with a new friend in the neighbourhood until personal computer with all the latestcriminals, but it may well take them you’ve met them. Online friends are no different. companies. Hackers have who is running a campaign to make features and given her an exclusive deeper into a seamy world than they her students aware of the dangers of ever need to go. Even searching for countless ways to enter your life z Screen e-mail with all younger children. Many paedophiles Internet account. So you assume the Internet. Malik feels young attach child pornography to e-mails sent to children. The child she’s safe and sound in her room, Britney Spears pictures can lead to through your computer. Cookies are small files that websites use to people should be encouraged to go pornography is used to convince the child that other children are surfing the net, widening her a world your child has never out and meet real people rather than performing sexual acts. Make sure you screen all attachments or knowledge. Maybe not. imagined. identify visitors. It’s a tag that limit e-mail through parental control features or software. identifies your personal computer on the chat. One of the defining characteris- One phenomenon of particular Nepali users are still in the dark concern in Kathmandu is chatting, and this can also be used to z Help your children keep being online in perspective. Too many tics of the Internet is that you never about what can go wrong on the net, children get compulsive about computing and forget to play with and it isn’t restricted to children. In retrieve information from your know when it will startle you. system. The possible material real friends, and ignore physical activity. Virtually every crime is possible corporate offices that use leased damage is insignificant compared z If you can’t be home with them when they’re online, use a net here. There is paedophile rack- lines, there is almost always nanny—child protection software to help keep an eye on them. someone chatting. Eavesdrop on to the emotional, mental, and eteering, stalking, high security physical trauma this can result in. Some software keeps them from sharing personal information with systems hacking, and child any teenage conversation and the others online, like their names, addresses and telephone pornography. The net can be a words “this guy/girl I met on the numbers. dangerous place for a growing mindnet” are sure to pop up. It’s fun: the chatter can assume any identity. “I z Make sure they understand that they should never meet anyone to experiment. There was the 20- in real life that they met online without parents in attendance, year-old Israeli who hacked into thego to general chat rooms because I and that people online are often not honest about who or what they are.

Shangrila WORLD 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 131313

COMMENTARY byDONALD A GOLDMANN

were dying from hospital-acquired bloodstream infection caused by the very WARNING: Hospitalsdevices that were supposed may to save their lives—intravenousbe unsafe catheters, mechanical for the poor ventilators, and bladder drainage catheters. Though the equipment was adequate, Most public health initiatives in developing countries focus on controlling infection control and staff training were not. A damp towel teeming with hospital infectious diseases in the community. The morbidity and mortality caused bybacterial pathogens was used to dry hands. Intravenous and bladder catheters diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, schistosomiasis, pediatric pneumonia and were neither inserted nor maintained properly. Tubing for ventilators (hung to diarrhea justify such priorities. But another aspect of the public health systemdry in over a hole in the floor used to dispose of urine and wastes) was not nations with limited healthcare resources—hospital-acquired infection—has been disinfected correctly. We found innumerable other violations of basic infection largely ignored by the public, press, and funding agencies. control technique. A bone marrow transplant unit, financed largely by Japan, had just opened in the same hospital—placing the most vulnerable patients at the Developing nations lavish their limited resources on hospitals, which in some mercy of deadly infections. countries consume over 50 percent of healthcare budgets. Regional or national Sound infection control costs a fraction of even basic medical technologies. tertiary care centres in these countries offer as much high-tech diagnosis and treatment as the country can afford (or persuade industrialised nations or Granted, countries with limited resources cannot supply their hospitals with the philanthropists to provide). The craving for expensive, technologically full repertoire of infection controls available in wealthier nations. But infection sophisticated care is noteworthy. Poor countries make these large investmentscontrol to principles, such as effective hand hygiene and good aseptic technique, are improve the quality of diagnosis and treatment, but also to keep their best simple and easily taught. Where safe water is unavailable, effective physicians, who return from training in advanced countries with a keen desiredecontamination to of hands takes a few seconds with a water-less, alcohol-based gel use their skills, only to find outdated radiology equipment, a limited range andthat costs a few US pennies if manufactured locally. Gloves, locally manufactured, unreliable supply of drugs, and primitive life-support technology. And can be reserved for high-risk activities to prevent cross-infection among patients industrialised countries that build and help fund these projects may be and protect care-givers from blood-borne infections. Proper disinfection of motivated, at least partly, by pressure from high-tech equipment and suppliesequipment is generally affordable (especially in comparison to the cost of companies. equipment itself), and contamination of medications and solutions can be avoided through training and vigilance. Deadly outbreaks of Lassa fever and Ebola have But these huge investments are frequently counterproductive. Many patients occurred among patients and care-givers in rural facilities simply because gloves enter hospitals only to fall victim to largely preventable, potentially fatal, and other personal protection necessary to prevent the spread of these antimicrobial-resistant infections. These infections prolong hospitalisation andblood-borne viruses were unavailable or, if available, not used properly. Hospitals require additional diagnosis and treatment, generally with expensive, that have invasive devices like intra-vascular catheters, ventilators, and bladder difficult-to-obtain antibiotics. The more advanced (and expensive) the care, thecatheters tend to overuse them and leave in place longer than is medically higher the risk. Danger is greatest in intensive care units (ICUs), where patientsnecessary. This is the worst-case scenario—expensive material is wasted and the are colonised rapidly with hospital bacterial pathogens, which often are resistantrisk of infection increased. to antibiotics. ICU patients are infection-prone because they are exposed to Healthcare policy leaders and funding agencies should remember that even invasive devices (like intravenous or arterial catheters and mechanical ventilation), complex surgical procedures, and drugs that weaken the immunethe most fearsome contagious diseases can yield to basic infection control training system. ICUs in developing countries not only have high rates of infection, butand equipment. But hospital-acquired infections must be given proper priority. If also are subject to devastating outbreaks of lethal bloodstream infection and not, many investments in costly hospital facilities in the developing world may do pneumonia due to contamination of equipment, medications, and other supplies.more harm than good. The widespread lack of appreciation of the importance of hospital-acquired infections among care-givers and policymakers in developing countries is disheartening. The thirst for technology is not accompanied by an appetite for infection control. On one occasion, my colleagues and I were invited to a public hospital in a developing country to investigate why the death rate in a paediatric ICU for patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever was so high. The prevailing (Project Syndicate) theory held a virulent strain of the dengue virus responsible. But most children Dr. Donald A. Goldmann is Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health and has worked on improving infection control in many developing countries. 141414 ASIA 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES Tintin in the Tibetan industrial stronghold as well as a Reinventing politicalBeijing and cultural centre. Ten years Autonomous Region of the after the Communist takeover in 1949, In their bid for the 2008there were Olympics, 700 factories and 2,000the Peoples’ Republic of China ofChinese them because wantforeign banks to areturn notblast Beijng furnaces belching into soot a into the ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ allowed to do local currency businessair. Today, there are more than 1,000 BRUSSELS - Tintin, the intrepid boy reporter of comic strip infuturistic the capital. Despite metropolis the cluster of and business centre. fame, was at the centre of an embarrassing diplomatic industrial enterprises in the city, incident last week after politically correct Chinese transla- state-level○○○○○○○○ financial○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ institutions in the employing millions of people. In 1957, tors renamed his adventures inTintin Tibet in Chinese Beijing finance area, it has attracted the old city walls with their turrets and Tibet. Known as simply Tintin only three foreign banks which have battlements were torn down. Since set up representative offices here. in Tibet since 1957 when it then, most historic buildings have been was first published in the Even within the capital, the razed. Ancient temples, tombs, west, the translating “error” government-approved finance area courtyard homes and narrow lanes have has caused untold problems faces stiff competition from the been bulldozed to make way for high- for the Belgian publisher Casterman, which has just Central Business District in eastern rise apartment blocks, highways and Chaoyang district where most of negotiated a groundbreaking shopping malls. Ironically, the goal of and lucrative deal to bring the Beijing’s foreign companies and their making Beijing the host of 2008 adventures of the quiffed boy expatriates are located. But Xicheng Olympics has made authorities quietly journalist to China for the first district officials brush aside doubts time. The overly orthodox of the project. A regiment of reverse Mao’s policies. Over 700 about the future of Beijing’s Wall industrial plants are to be pushed out translation also caused a good skyscrapers has risen on the site of the deal of awkwardness for Street. “Beijing Finance Street is the of the city in the next three to five ANTOANETA BEZLOVA former maze of courtyards and old only place in Beijing that is devoted Belgium’s foreign minister, IN BEIJING lanes in Xicheng district. Authorities years. The city government has also Louis Michel, a self-styled ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ to financial business,” argues Cao say that so far, some 300 firms, announced plans to invest nearly 100 champion of democracy, who n their zealous bid to win the Zengsen. He says that in the Ming billion yuan ($12.5 billion) in a huge was in Beijing last week to toast the historic deal only to hosting of the 2008 Olympic including state banks, insurance and and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), the discover that he had walked into a diplomatic minefield. “I securities companies, have settled in clean-up campaign, aiming to reduce iGames, Chinese leaders may be place was known as Jincheng Fang or air and water pollution and plant 40 am not a translator or a publisher and I don’t speak the finance area. The second phase, pushing for more changes in Beijing Gold City Lane because many gold Chinese,” was all the minister would say, urging the matter which will include office buildings, percent of the urban area with trees, all to be settled privately between Casterman and their local than the city can take without and silver workshops were there. five-star hotels, convention and by 2007. But conservationists say the partners, the China Children Publishing House. surrendering the last bits of its ancient Adds Liu Jian, deputy governor of the exhibition centres, will take another enormity of the destruction to the city But Casterman signalled last week after a hastily identity. Beijing is now touted to Xicheng district: “Today all of the five years to complete. “With China’s is irreversible. While the clean-up convened meeting in Beijing that it would be insisting that become a financial capital, adding a state-level financing bodies are pending accession to the World Trade campaign might improve the city’s the word “Chinese” be dropped from all future editions. The glitzy Wall Street-style financial area at located in the area. If foreign Organisation, the state will open the image enough to host the Olympics in publisher also sought to play down the seriousness of the the foot of the ancient imperial city. companies want to make money, incident. “We are interested in the Chinese market but we financing industry wider to the seven years’ time, it would be difficult Authorities want to reinvent they will move in here because their for athletes and guests to find a cultural are not interested in getting involved in politics,” outside world,” says Cao Zengsen, Casterman’s Willy Fadeur said. Fadeur added: “We have Beijing’s image from that of a domestic partners are here.” environment that really represents an executive chairman of the Beijing City officials could make a faux asked our partners to rectify the album, not for political prohibitive old city of emperors into Xicheng District Government where ancient capital. reasons but simply to defend the authenticity of the original pas to mtach that of Chairman Mao one of a futuristic metropolis. They arethe area is located. and they have agreed.” Fanny Rodwell, the widow of Zedong’s. He altered Beijing’s core Tintin’s Belgian creator Herge is reported to be a personal evicting 20,000 families and pulling But China already has two down thousands of old courtyard irrevocably, saying the capital of a friend of the Dalai Lama and she did not attend the launch bustling metropolises—Hong Kong houses to make way for its showpiece workers’ state needed to be an ceremony in Beijing for that reason. Chinese censors have and Shanghai, where most of the already ensured that the most populous country on earth Wall Street—104 ha next to the city’s country’s financial and business will be deprived of Tintin in the Land of the Soviets (anti- second ring road, which was approved transactions are concentrated. Beijing communist) and Tintin in the Congo (too racist and imperial- by the State Council as the capital’s ist) although 21 of the original 23 books will be available cannot mount a serious threat to either financial centre in 1993. Over the past officially for the first time. Pirated albums of Tintin have eight years, the city government has circulated for the last two decades but they are of such poor quality that Chinese readers have been under the financed and completed the first third impression that Tintin (Dingding in Chinese) was asiatic rather than from Brussels. (IPS)

COMMENT Thailand punches below its weight (Guardian) n the past 100 days, the Thaksin government has punched below its weight on foreign policy. Instead of matching or going beyond its weigh-in status and UNICEF rapped for HIV report i capability, the government is content with pathetic diplomacy under the ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ amorphous banner of “forward engagement”. Worse has been the government’s NEW DELHI - The portrayal of an Indian caste as being enthusiasm for a nationalistic agenda which clashes with the policy objectives inherently given to prostitution, in a government report on outlined by the Foreign Ministry. Certainly, that position has won Thai Rak HIV/AIDS funded by UNICEF, has drawn condemnation from Thai a lot of domestic support. But it was painful for the government to find out human rights and women’s groups. UNICEF has asked the Human Rights Commission in central Madhya Pradesh state that the foreign community did not buy it. After Thaksin’s disastrous speech at a (MPHRC), which carried out theCaste-based study UN meeting in Bangkok recently, which shocked the Bangkok-based diplomatic Prostitution in Madhya Pradesh, to withdraw the report. community, the government took a series of damage-control actions and came “The concept of such a caste-based survey is repugnant to out with the message that Thailand would remain open to global investment and human rights and democratic thinking, being premised on a trade. That demonstrated the imperative of external exigencies, which have belief that there is something intrinsic to the caste which shaped Thailand in more ways than one since the Western colonisers knocked makes women prostitutes and men pimps,” said Brinda on its door some 150 years ago. Karat, general secretary of the All-India Democratic To move forward, Thailand needs pragmatic domestic policies that will Women’s Association. Karat pointed out that the 80-page report was “replete with shocking generalisations”, like one strengthen its social fabric and democratic foundations. At the same time it disappointment.Thaksin’s Bangkok first decided100 to days go for a non-actionhave not vote against done the US- that said 50 percent of the women of the Bedia community requires forward-looking policies that boost the national interest and elevate sponsoredits resolution to condemn China’s human-rights violations. It could have were HIV-positive. “There are no substantiations for such position in international contexts. Somehow the external part of this equationmuch for a forward-looking foreign policy. statements nor any details of the studies conducted, the abstained, which was the position it took on a similar resolution on Cuba. That number of people interviewed, or the details of the ques- has been missing or misplaced in the first 100 days. No one can deny that theway○○○○○○○○ Thailand would○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ not have alienated either side. It was understandable that dominant issues of the coming decades for Thailand will include drugs, refugees, tionnaire,” she said. The Bedia community has demanded the Thaksin government voted the way it did, given the circumstances and withdrawal of the report. migration, disease, environmental degradation and international crime as well as excellent ties with China. But the voting also shows the government’s true This is not the first time a publication to increase democracy and human rights. Thailand cannot deal with all these issues alone.colours: it does not care about the issues in the hearts of the Thai people. This To be fair, the government has been intensifying its anti-drugs efforts both awareness of HIV/AIDS has offended the sensibilities of a sentiment is being reinforced by a proposal currently under consideration to particular community. Last year, Abhijeet Das and his wife domestically and regionally. China’s willingness to call a summit meeting to withdraw from the UNHCR, to which Thailand got elected last year on the Yashodhara, founders of the well-known NGO Sahyog, discuss drugs among the Mekong countries was laudable. Like many other Asian roster. Somehow the government believes the policy of appeasement and narrowly escaped being lynched by a mob in the Himalayan pledges, it must be judged in a long-term perspective. But unfortunately Thai town of Almora for suggesting in their pamphlet titled AIDS denunciation of human rights and democracy are requisites to improve ties with and Us that incest was rampant in the region. Such foreign policy has failed to maximise the country’s newly found leverage in neighbouring countries. The ongoing Thai-Burmese squabbling shows otherwise. international relations. The Thaksin government has chosen to dwell on incidents have led to growing public scepticism about the If the Foreign Ministry decides to pull out from the UNHCR, it will do rather well-funded programmes to fight HIV/AIDS even as traditional issues and zero in on neighbouring countries. The government wantsirreparable damage to the Thailand’s international position and reputation and to strengthen trade and economic opportunities with neighbours who are less the government is steadily cutting funds for a tottering trustworthiness. It will lose friends in liberal democracies that have been helpful public health delivery system. Human rights groups have developed but rich in natural resources. So there has emerged the not-so-newin the country’s social and economic development over the past decades. slammed the government for flaws in its vertical, anti-HIV concept of economic policy, which puts the emphasis on economic imperatives Thailand applied to the UNCHR because it had confidence in its programme funded mainly with a $544 million World Bank rather than political and social ones. loan. India’s health minister, CP Thakur, defends the Here lies the government’s biggest pothole. Take the issue of human rightsdemocracy and protection of human rights. Others countries might join the programme, but accuses UN agencies of “misreporting facts commission for the self-serving purpose of defending their own dismal human and creating confusion,” especially by putting out estimates and democracy for which Thailand has been fighting for the past five decades.right It records, but Thailand wants to share its experience in nurturing and and projections that there were nearly four million people is only in the past decade that we have enjoyed the fruits of this long struggle.strengthening human rights with the rest of the world community. The Thaksin living with HIV in this country of one billion people. “In the Political reform since 1997 has created a new domestic environment with government can take credit for bringing new thinking into Thai politics and Indian context it is difficult to estimate the exact prevalence increased political participation from non-governmental and civil-society of HIV because of the varied cultural characteristics, problem-solving in the domestic arena but definitely not in foreign policy. In the traditions and values with special reference to sex-related organisations. This element used to be part of the country’s diplomatic posture:age of globalisation, only a foolish nation will punch below its weight. foreign-policy outlook then reflected domestic development. It is incomprehen- risk behaviours,” he says. sible why this government is constantly in a state of self-denial about democracy and human rights. These values are not make-believe norms implanted by the(Editorial inThe Nation, Bangkok) West. Ironically, the government views this hard-won creditability as a liability. Thailand’s recent voting in the UN Commission on Human Rights is a big

(IPS) FROM THE NEPALI PRESS 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 1515 Embassy. The Indian Embassy151515 has employee, adding, “But he does not support bigamy.” BP (BP Koirala) died. not released the names or even Crown Prince Dipendra is romantic in nature, and he loves to joke and be the number of Nepali soldiers open. His professors say he is uninhibited and has the poetic talents of his You’ve spent your lifetime in politics and have not started a family... who have died fighting for the grandfather, the late King Mahendra, although his poems have not been By starting a family, do you mean Indian government. Sources say A suitable princepublished yet. Some people say the crown prince is against parliamentary that in order to be employed by democracy, but in reality he supports it wholeheartedly. He wants the Nepali marriage? I did not have the time to marry. When could I have got the Indian army, many Nepali Kishore Nepal inNaya Sadak, people to have social discipline and responsibility. youth lie their age, name and Sunday, 27 May The crown prince is also very studious, his favourite subject being Nepal’smarried? Even when we were in exile, I had to work to make a place of residence. Since Bahuns geography. He does not read a lot of fiction but devours non-fiction. He also living. I fought for democracy, don’tare not enlisted into the Indian Preparations are underway to painstakingly reads all the major newspapers. Crown Prince Dipendra also you think I’m happy now that the army, they also lie about their celebrate the 31st birthday of engages in discussions about how to boost the nation’s economy. He often object of my desire has been caste. This has been a practice the heir to Nepal’s throne, quotesslokas from the Gita during discussions, but has a vision for the future.realised. I married democracy. since the days of Rana rule. It is Crown Prince Dipendra Bir The crown prince usually likes to dress in informal and colourful clothes. when these people are killed in Bikram Shah Dev. With this His favourite is a brown daura-suruwal, says a source close to him. According battle or die while on duty that royal birthday around the to him, the crown prince is very conscious of the Nepalidhaka topiand if he the trouble starts. Since they have corner, people’s attention is particularly likes one, will wear it until the colours fade. A lovely mouthful have lied about their identities, focused on the crown prince. Crown Prince Dipendra’s most gentlemanly quality is that he never leavesof paan their bodies cannot be identified People are asking why the crown ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ if someone is speaking to him, even though he is often constrained for time. He and their families do not get the prince is unmarried at this age, is only satisfied once the discussion ends. Although he is very interested in Kedar Bhattarai inGorkhapatra , money that is their due. Accord- and whether his future as the matters of governance and state administration, he does not wish to see the 24 May ing to sources, there may be as heir to throne is in danger. monarchy heading the politics of the country. He maintains his stand that the many as 4,000 people that have This is not an uncommon monarchy must play a major role in social development. The enthusiasm he Krishna Prasad Bhattarai has lied their identities but are still worry for the Nepali people, displayed in the SAF Games is proof of his belief. confessed that he still chews 30 serving the Indian army. who have a lot of faith in and Another professor close to the Crown Prince says Dipendra views his paans (beetle leaves) a day. He These problems grew in respect for the royal family. grandfather, the late King Mahendra as the biggest “communist with a crown”.made the admission while address- magnitude under King Crown Prince Dipendra is He does not believe any of the communist parties are real communists, excepting a recent convention of the Paan Mahendra’s reign, and so he set perhaps the first member of the the extreme leftists. The crown prince likes to talk with Krishna Prasad BhattraiBusiness Association of Nepal. up the Gorkha Recruitment and Nepali royalty to break tradition and admires his wisdom and ability to be light-hearted even at the most seriousBhattarai also said this was the first Pension Unit under the foreign and not be married even at 31. times. His relationship with Prime Minister is, however,time that the chief guest of a ministry. The main duty of this The Royal Palace is also concerned about the Crown Prince’s marriage. But just cordial. function complemented the unit was to keep proper records MIN BAJRACHARYA many do not know where the crown prince’s heart lies. occasion, and that he was very of all Nepali soldiers killed on Crown Prince Dipendra turns 31 on 27 June. It is high time His Royal People close to the crown prince speak of two women he has an emotional happy to be addressing the duty in the Indian army and to Highness got married. The Nepali people wish to celebrate his marriage soon association. Sambhu Prasad collect their pension payments relationship with. According to them, one is a childhood sweetheart, while hisand in the grandest manner. Everyone is worrying about when this will happen. relationship with the other began when he was older. “It might be that the Chaurasiya, apaan-wallah told all from the Indian government for crown prince is finding it difficult to choose between the two,” jokes a palace present that Bhattarai was a true proper distribution to their concerning them are being formed. paanconnoisseur after which the families. But India did not let this Plots of land are being pooled and these are being cultivated to provide latter was presented with a bundle unit function. The Indian side employment to families of martyrs, and to feed the people’s army and of paan, which he graciously threatened that if Nepali volunteers. Cottage industries are also being promoted. Weaving is a major accepted. He chewedpaan authorities began distributing component of such industries and training is being provided to those who need pensions, they would close all it. In winter the weaving and textile set-ups provide the woollen garments pension offices in Nepal and the needed by the people’s army and villagers. Collectives for cattle farming are also Nepali authorities would have Life in Maolandbeing encouraged, particularly in the higher Himalaya. This is being extended collect to the money from Chetan Kunwar inSaptahik Janadesh, 22 May to the tarai and hill regions too. Community forests are another important issue Gorakhpur, India. Today there the people’s government is looking into. Forests that were cut down in the last are no signs of whether that the 10 to 15 years are now full of trees. Massiverestation refo is being carried out. In teh villages, all issues related to land and property are looked afterGaon by the foreign ministry is aware of the Community forests are being developed in all villages, and committees are being Jana Samitis (GJS) (Village People’s Organisations). It approves transactions only unit or not, and no paperwork on formed to deal with the issue appropriately. The forests are an important source of it exists. after the buyer and the seller have come to an agreement. The cost involved is a tworevenue of the people’s government. percent registration fee and Rs 5 for obtaining a form. People in villages are very Alcohol has been banned. Decadent lifestyles are not allowed, although pleased with this system. They no longer have to spend large sums of money to bribepeople can enjoy themselves within limits. All music and songs under a officials at the Land Revenue office or bother with government bureaucracy. The GJSpeople’s government are based on the philosophy of the party, and about the has stopped a lot of money from going to the government’s coffers—land is an working class and a progressive society. The people’s government is taking important source of government revenue. strong corrective measures against the present educational system. Education is The judiciary of the People’s Government is simple and practical. All casesfree of cost until standard ten. Sanskrit is no longer taught and the singing of are dealt with locally. Crime has been divided into three categories, the “verythe national anthem has been stopped. Teachers are being asked to be more serious”, the “serious” and the “ordinary”. After a case has been filed at the careful and regular, and school management is being strengthened. There is Deer-killer Colo- people’s court, a verdict is passed only after it has been thoroughly investigated.Education for the elderly in all villages, to enable them to at least read simple Those found guilty might be sentenced to death, labour camps or be fined, butletters and notices. nel cleared they can also appeal the verdict. In all cases dealt with by the People’s Courts, ○○○○○ ○○○○○○○○○○○ All health centres are being put in order and irregularities in the Jana Aastha weekly, 23 May the participation of villagers is the overriding principle, and they do participate.distribution of medication are being rectified. Action is being taken against The villagers provide practical rather than technical solutions, unlike those corrupt officials. Awareness programs are being conducted and health officialsMIN BAJRACHARYA throughout the function. handed out by the courts of the reactionary forces (the government). are always on the move to check on health centres. Roads, bridges, waiting Bhattarai started chewingpaan Colonel Dilip Rana who was caught hunting deer in Chitwan has been Major changes are also taking place on the economic front. A new people’srooms, martyrs’ memorials, drinking water systems and other infrastructure iswhen he was living in Benaras. He cleared of all charges. Colonel economy is being formed, with an emphasis on communes. In a war situationbeing built. Villagers are no longer dependent on others, but are carrying out spent 14 years in Sundarijal prison, Narendra Aryal of the Royal Nepal like now, the economy must be made self-sufficient. All production systems developmentare work themselves. The people’s government formulates where he did not get to chew paan. being transformed into collectives or communes, whether for farming, cattleprogrammes and the villagers implement the plans. Army, who is in charge of the rearing or manufacturing. Financial institutions are also establishedbeing in But he has compensated for the army’s legal affairs,said that RNA’s discomfort after he was freed. He many villages. This process is being hastened because most banks have pulled out image was being tarnished by said perhaps the administration of from villages. The new financial institutions have been teaching villagers about the unconfirmed and false reports. the time thought they could break working of the proposed economy and how to be involved. They also provide loans The RNA is deployed to protect him if they did not provide him to the needy. The prices of commodities are being regulated and guidelines wildlife, but ironically, soldiers withpaan at regular intervals. It have been caught killing endan- didn’t work, he said. He added thatgered species. And now the all paanlovers shouldn’t just pay for RNA’s image is tarnished the paanthey consume, but should QUOTE OF THE WEEK further—by the brass’ decision to “Married to de- also invest in the business. give Colonel Rana a clean chit. mocracy” Bhattarai, who has been living in Even the government has All I can say is that the prime minister should have been implicated based on the conditions imposed by the○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Kathmandu for 50 years, said he proved ineffective in the face of the CIAA, but it will not be appropriate for me to say why this did not happen. Excerpts from an interview with had given loans to many people to army. Earlier, it had issued a press Sushil Koirala, MP, Nepali begin sellingpaan . In 1951, he said, Subhas Chandra Nemwang, Chairman Public Accounts Committee in an interview givenTarun to the National release stating that those found Congress,Gorkhapatra , 24 May Rs 100 was enough to openpaan a Weekly, 29 May 2001 guilty of hunting in protected areas shop. He might as well have openedwould be punished. The assistant a paanshop himself—Bhattarai says minister for forests even stated You have been in politics for a very he once paid over IRs 100 for a publicly that the guilty would not long time. What were your happiest mouthful ofpaan . be let off lightly. But even the and saddest moments? assistant minister has been proved My happiest moment was when helpless by the army’s decision. democracy was restored in this Rana is said to have good country, my saddest moment, when connections with the army top brass. Missing files In fact, he has already served as ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ secretary of a very important unit in Jana Aastha weekly, 23 May the army hierarchy. Rana is also the son-in-law of former army chief, Dharmapalbar Singh Thapa. The The pension records of Nepali former chief is said to be involved in soldiers who died fighting in the an arms-selling scandal, and this new Indian army are mismanaged and incident only proves that he still calls there is much bungling in the the shots in the armed force. The distribution of pensions. In fact, district forest officer who caught Rana money is siphoned off. According to hunting has been promised that he sources at the foreign ministry, as will be sent to Switzerland for names, address and their verifica- “training”—or maybe to keep his tion are often inaccurate, a lot of mouth shut. ‘We will expose the corrupt!’ the money does not reach the Banner: Lauda PM resign! people it is supposed to, but Flying suruwal: China South-West remains instead with the Indian Himalaya Times,27 May MIN BAJRACHARYA

THIS PAGE CONTAINS MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE NEPALI LANGUAGE PRESS 161616 SPORTS 6 - 14 MAY 2001NEPALI TIMES

loved each moment of this bond I Mud andhad with the kids out there. BikeAnd championship many thanks to Philippe who lent me his bike,” he said, pointing to a French racer in the junior division who offered Thompson his bike when he saw him with a flat tyre Vital statistics near the circuit gate. But there were also other lucky factors in Junior Division (9: km) Thompson’s win. His nearest Arjun Ghale 24 min 46.82Nepal sec 5,000 cash & trophy competitor, Chandra Bahadur Sanjeev Thapa 25 min 37.02 sec Nepal 4,000 “ Chettri, was barely a minute behind Ravindra Adhikari 25 min 58.72 sec Nepal 3,000 “ him—until, that is, he got a flat. “I was in the middle of nowhere. I was Senior Division (22.5: km) helpless,” sighs Chettri. John Thomson 33 1 hr 00min 59 sec New Zealand10,000 cash & trophy The first runner-up, Canadian Richard Torgen 35 1 hr 02min 4 sec Canada 7,000 “ Richard Torgen had a less dramatic, spectators.Suresh TheyK Dulal were kept21 1 hr04 min 11 sec Nepal 5,000 “ but very consistent ride. Suresh entertained by a multitude of Dulal, who finished third, had three things— rough falls, but managed to Top Female Racer (22.5 :km) Erin Ryan, Canada whistling time-keepers, first-aid maintain his position. “I lost so Youngest Racer (9 km) : Heman Pun, 10, Nepal much speed recovering from the squads rushing hither and thither falls, but I did my best,” he said. onOldest motorbikes, Racer kids cheering(22.5 km) : Sonam Gurung, 52, Nepal vociferously in between scarfing Not a single contestant dropped Time keeper : Baikuntha Manandhar, marathoner, and Sushil Nar- out because they were tired and down vast amounts of ice cream, a couldn’t hack it, including Erin Manangi and Sherpa volunteer singh Rana, a coach, both with the Nepal Athletics Association family distributing a Nanglo lunch Ryan, the Canadian woman with a Race Director : Sanjeev Pandey (NMBA) splint on her sprained foot. In the box and bananas to the racers and senior division, 34 bikers finished volunteers, and a swarm of monkey- like children grabbing at the fruit. the circuit. finishing at Budhanilkantha, and member of the NMBA “The NMBA Also exciting and equally “do or Mountain biking began gaining attracted 72 mountain bikers from is confident that such races will die” were the 26 under-18s in the popularity in Nepal about a decade Scotland, England, Australia, help promote tourism in Nepal— junior division. They did two laps ago. The Himalayan Mountain BikeDenmark, Belgium and Nepal. The plenty of people love to mountain on the circuit instead of five, and Tours and Expedition organised theNMBA, which was formed and bike in such wild terrain and were wildly excited. Young Sanjay first MB race here in 1993. It was a recognised by the National Sports enchanting landscapes,” he adds. Shrestha from Samakhusihi, who 32 km race starting from Kakani Council in 1995, is an active “We plan to send the Nepali finished in tenth place, had quietly member of the Asian Cycling mountain bikers to participate in skipped breakfast and slipped out Confederation and Union Cyclist the seventh Asian Mountain Bike from home with his heavy bike. Internationale. This year’s Nepal Championship to be held in Korea One of the fastest juniors, nine- Mountain Bike Championship was in October this year. But we are year-old half-Australian half-Sherpa the association’s fifth. trying to raise funds,” says Chimmi Sunny, was the pre-race crowd “Our objective here is to Gurung. favourite, but unfortunately took a promote mountain biking in Nepal. Whether that happens or not, bad spill at the beginning of his We want to attract a large number even as the dust was settling on the second lap. Many juniors fell, but of domestic racers and turn them trackat the end of this race, NMBA there were no serious injuries. Ten- into professionals, and make Nepal members were already scheduling year-old Heman was unfazed by the an international mountain biking for an international race at a similar rough trail. This student of Little venue,” says Umesh Rimal, a venue in Nepal next March. Angel’s School who bicycled all the way from Sat Dobato, seven km

from venue, won the trophy for the SALIL SUBEDI youngest to finish the circuit. Eighteen-year-olds Arjun Ghale (first position, 24 minutes 46.82

SALIL SUBEDI seconds) and Sanjeev Thapa The NMBA championship is the only (second, 25 minutes 37.02 seconds) showed what the younger recognised national level interna- participants could do given a few tional-class mountain bike champion-years of experience. Thapa was the winner last year of the Himalayan ship in Nepal. Mountain Bike Championship held

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ at the same venue. But he wasn’t doing too well, and only barely put SALIL SUBEDI ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ protect a sprained foot. As soon as Ravindra Adhikary (25 minutes 58 nder blue skies interrupted the pistol resounded, the bikers 72 seconds) in third place. by the wispiest of clouds, 72 shot off, only to navigate a hair- These precise times come uoff-road mountain bikers raising hairpin bend to get to the courtesy the organisers, who made from seven countries, waited for thesouth hill of the circuit gate and sure every participant went back shotgun to begin the fifth National then whizz down a dirt track with a formal notification of their Mountain Bike Championship. The leading north. There are a few timing and position. This may seem contest, an annual event of the obstacles on this path, which after like the obvious thing to do, but Nepal Mountain Bike Association one-and-a-half km goes west pervious mountain bike (NMBA), was held on 26 May this towards Nagarjun hill. There’s an championships in Nepal have not year, beginning at Gairi Gaun, a uphill one km slog past a gompa, bothered to actually keep any such deserted stone quarry on the where the path was particularly, records. “We don’t want anybody southern flanks of the Swayambhu well, muddy. It was on this segmentto go back without knowing and section of the Ring Road. that most of the racers tasted having official proof of their timings Chimmi Gurung the chairman mythical Kathmandu mud, after and position— they have worked so of the NMBA was saying: “This is which they careened down a hard just to even participate,” says the last call, if anybody has any bone-shaking gravel path. They Sanjeev Pandey, the director of the queries about the circuit and the went around this 4.5 km track race and a member of the NMBA. race, please ask now... Some parts not once, but five gruelling times,The chief time-keeper was none of the trail have been washed out bycovering 22.5 km most of us hopeother than Nepal’s record-breaking the rain. Expect a lot of mud on we never have to walk across, senior marathiner, Baikuntha your tyres... All right, everybody’s leave along race. Manandhar. “The boys are good, clear.” This is serious stuff—the Predictably, most racers lost “ he said. “They’re committed NMBA championship is the only speed on the uphill, but there was and that’s what I like about this recognised national level plenty of opportunity to do so on whole thing.” international-class mountain bike the downhill, too. And this was While the racers were struggling championship in Nepal, and it is shown to full advantage by Kiwi on the track and the timekeepers slowly gaining international John Thompson, described by were watching, eagle-eyed, there recognition as a contest to be spectators as “the crazy one.” was plenty of excitement among the reckoned with. Descending at approximately 50 The club The 46 competitors in the km/hr from the highest point on senior division were deadly serious. the course, he hit a rock and flew Only a slight smile on some faces right off his disc-brake bike. The belied the sense of anticipation in children up the hill fell down the air. The contestants were a laughing. Thompson, who went on mixed lot, from tattooed Thamel to win the senior’s title in just over folk to a lone female participant an hour, enjoyed it thoroughly. wearing a strange contraption to “That’s how I got my energy. I CULTURE 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 111777 SAVING FAITH byDESMOND DOIG A monument to an Indian princess

There exist other stupas that may be Ashokan, overlooked by called Chabahil. There, inspired by historians and scholars both. One isher father, she raised and about it a on the hill of the thirty-two vihara.Apparently she herself took butterflies, not far from History is uncertain: it is a long time more and more to a religious way of ago. Deupatan was either a Pashupatinath, another beside the new ring road below life and finally renouncing regal flourishing city spread about the living, became a nun. most holy shrine of Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath and a third to the or the sacred land waiting for a city. north of Bhaktaphr. But even these My sketch is of the Charumati Certainly there must have been a are outside the limits of my concernvihar orbahal as it is today: old, settlement, a centre of with Ashoka’s daughter Charumati. very old, but obviously not original. pilgrimage already. The king, They merely substantiate the Perhaps it stands on ancient according to early travellers, lived visit to the Kathmandu Valley of foundations, for the people of near the temple where he her forever famous father. Chabahil are firm in their belief that worshipped daily. She must have travelled with it was Charumati who built it. The pujaridoesn’t even know who There was a palace on a mound him, and either it was love, a political arrangement or Charumati was: a goddess, he told above Pashupatinath. And a road led me. to distant Swayambhunath on its sacred hill. Tradition, legend, Three shrines occupy the natural surmise, has a sprawl of square building. Beside the habitation about the sickle of the entrance, in the spirit of Buddhist- Bagmati that flowed through the Hindu coexistence, is a small shrine a strange to Bhairab, the terrifying protector. Kathmandu Valley It was called fascination that had her married to Manjupatan after Manjushri, who The main shrine is occupied by a a prince, Devapala, who is standing Avalokeshwar, and drained a lake to form the Valley. Inhistorically connected with the morass of time, dates have small immediately above, in a shrine Deupatan, near Pashupatinath. forbidden to most visitors, is an meaning but a halo is forever cast Hearsay history has him either about the time when Gautama Ajima, or grandmother goddess living in the palace above the worshipped by Buddhists and Buddha was born. Scholars will temple and administering the forever debate whether he visited the Hindus alike. township of Deupatan, or founding Before the main shrine is a valley of the gods or not: tradition it together with Charumati. terrifying noises in the night, says he did. He visited the city or chaityacarved with four Buddhas One fairly authenticated version There is still the strong sense of coming from the direction of a town of Patan, where he bestowed that date to earliest Licchavi times tantric shrine that flow stands the favour of his name upon the of shadowy history has the (AD 300-8OO). Although still monastery that stood about the tantric mysticism that attracted impetuous Charumati—her beauty, Charumati to the place. Legend has beside the new highway that rings blacksmith caste by elevating them remarkably preserved, this historic shrine has disappeared. Modern the Kathmandu Valley. Perhaps in to Sakyas. After visiting Swayambhuher graces are left to imagination— monument is in urgent need of building begins to encroach upon it that a tantric was locked for days deeply impressed by a display of in religious debate with a visiting the solemn and darkest darkness of he sat upon the lion throne made by restoration. Thepujari told me that the old Chabahil and its ancient the night, sorcerers still meet to Viswakarman, and read from the sorcery and black magic. Water wassome foreigners—he thought neighbour Deupatan, are but Shankaracharya from south India in turned to oil, water burned, an iron the small courtyard of an existing change metal into stone and water Puranasto the large company of Americans—had come some years names; only a few old buildings into burning oil. people who had gathered to do him arrowhead was changed to stone ago with promises to repair the indicate where they once stood: in temple courtyard. The debate honour and a wooden staff into a writhing building, but they never returned. Chabahil, the stupa and the ended only when the snake The Indian princess begged Shankaracharya discovered that the What concerns us more is the courtyard named after Charumati; her father to many her to the young Nearby is the stupa Charumati temple goddess herself was aiding coming of the Mauryan emperor built, painted with large, all-seeing in Deupatan, a tantric temple and a prince Devapala—handsome, stone bath fed by carved water the tantric sage. And residents of Ashoka in the footsteps of his courageous, himself possessed of eyes and surrounded by small votive the area are given to saying that master. He raised or added to chaityas, stupas and images. A spouts Where the prince and mystic powers? princess might once have bathed, they hear strange and often existing stupas wherever the Buddha It was done, and Charumati beautiful Licchavi Buddha that had had tarried or preached: four about and some ancient paving stones. remained in her new homeland, stood out the centuries, was briefly the city of Patan, one on stolen but returned. All trace of the Swayambhunath hill, one at helping to found not just one new Baudhanath and one at Kirtipur. town, but two, because beside Deupatan she herself lavished (Excerpted with permission from patronage on a Buddhist settlement In the Kingdom of the God, Harper Collins, 1994.) 181818 CITY 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES ABOUT TOWN BOOKWORM

MOVIESMOVIESMOVIES Mahâmudrâ: The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation Takpo Tashi Namgyal, The Club, Bhatbhateni Latest Hindi movie and latest top-ten English movie, 7pm, free. trans. Lobsang P Lhalungpa Nepali and Hindi moviesonline ticket booking at www.nepalshop.com Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1993/2001 Rs 792 EATING OUTOUTEATING The first English translation of a major Buddhist manual detailing the various stages and Sekuwa (BBQ) Night Dwarika’s Hotel. Starters, meats, vegetarian selections, dessert, practices for training the advanced student of Mahayana and Vajrayana meditation. The complementary drink. Traditional dance in lamp lit Newari courtyard. Rs 699. Friday nights. original Tibetan text was composed by Namgyal (1512-1587), a great lama and scholar of 479488 the Kagyu Buddhist sect. La’Soon Restaurant and VinothequeLunch, tea and dinner with European and American The Concealed Essence of the Hevaja Tantra GW Farrow, I Menon food, fine wines. Pulchowk. 535290 Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1992/2001 Brunch with swimmingShangri La Kathmandu’s award-winning garden. Rs 700 + tax. Rs 632 412999 The Hevaja Tantra is a non-dual Yogini tantra of the late Mantrayana Buddhist tradition Wet & Wild Summer Swimming in a cool pool and a buffet lunch. Saturdays at Godavari composed in north-east India in the late eighth century. This text constitutes the essence Village Resort. Adults Rs 600, children Rs 350. Taxes extra. 560675, 560775 of sophisticated, but controversial, tantric methods and is an authoritative account of Mango Tango Exotic mangoes desserts Hotel de l’ Annapurna. All day, all food and the classic tantric period of India in religious history (5-13 century). beverage outlets. Movenpick Exotic desserts at the ice-cream lounge, Darbar Marg. Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of the Shambhala Chögyam Trungpa MUSICMUSICMUSIC Shambhala Publications, Boston, 1999 2:001 For the Love of RockVibes Entertain- Rs 1,875 ment presents the third annual rock festival with The follow-up toShambhala: The Sacred Path of theWarrior. Trungpa addresses our deepest Robin and Looza, Flower Generation, Axata, fears: the alienation of modern life, depression, materialism, aggression, anger, anxiety, and lack Albatross, and Hybrid Pressurize. Scout Headquar- of self-worth. He says we are all powerful and genuine individuals who need to ignite the ters, Lainchour. Rs 200. 2 June. Win free tickets online at www.vibes.com.np warrior within.

CadenzaJazz at the Upstairs Bar, Lazimpat, Teachings from the Vajrasattva Retreat: Land of Medicine Buddha, Wednesday, Friday 7.30pm. Rs 200 February-April 1999 Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, Weston, Mass., 2000 DANCEDANCEDANCE Rs 1,500 Sounds from the UndergroundDance party at Simply Shutters Bistro, Baber Mahal “Doing Vajrasattva retreat is not simply about reciting the mantra and saying some Revisited. 1 June, 8pm onwards. Rs 300. prayers. It is about making the practice effective for your mind, making it the quickest, most powerful way to transform your mind.” Lama Zopa Rinpoche EVENTSEVENTSEVENTS Fanta Grand Fun FairLive music, games and food. Godavari Alumni Association and Cohort 1,2,3 June. Jawalakhel Grounds. Courtesy: Mandala Book Point, Kantipath Stress Free Weekends Overnight stay at the Hyatt, dinner for two at the Rox Restaurant, use of pool, health club, spa and outdoor jacuzzi, ayurvedic massage for two, weekend brunch, late check out Sunday. Rs 9000 plus tax. Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. 491234 CLASSIFIED

Pheri Jaun Hai Pokhara Free airfare, room, breakfast, airport transport, use of health club ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Visit The New Bishalnagar Nursery To let and lots more. Rs 1500 for Nepalis, $45 for expats. Shangri La Hotel & Resort; for flowers you will not find elsewhere! Just [email protected], 412999 Fully furnished apartment, three two minutes from Bishalnagar Chowk onbedrooms, the two baths, spacious living- Spiny Babbler MuseumReadings and presentations of contemporary Nepali literatureDhumvarahi Road. Specialties of the dining, kitchen, phone line, terrace and art, Sundays 5-6pm Kathmandu Guest House, Thamel; Tuesdays 4-5pm Kathmanduseason: Fuschias in many colours and overlooking garden. Peaceful Environment Education Project, Thamel; Thursdays 7-8pm Bamboo Club Restaurant,varieties, young plants of early-fruiting surroundings, near Jawalakhel Zoo. Thamel, Saturdays 5-6pm New Orleans Café, Thamel. [email protected] 542810, vine, and many others. 524389. 546725

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For insertions ring NT Marketing at 543333-36. EXHIBITIONEXHIBITIONEXHIBITION If Bodies have VoicesFrom the Street: Kathmandu 1985-1995. Photographs by Wayne Amtzis. 25 May-11 June. Amtzis reads from his collection City on His Back. 3 June, 4pm.YAK YETI YAK by MIKU Siddhartha Art Gallery. 411122 Mani: Jewelled Words of Tibetan-Buddhism on Flags, Wheels, Fulbright and Stones Scholar Katherine Anne Paul’s research on the popular use and manufacture of Tibetan religious artefacts in Nepal. Until 2 June. Bamboo Gallery, Panipokhari. 412507

MARTIN CHAUTARI Formal and Informal Judicial System and VDC’s Judicial Rights Advocate Pundits: DN Parajuli, Dinesh Prasai CVICT. Unless otherwise noted all discussion are in Nepali. 5 June, 5.30pm Martin Chautari. Thapathali.

For inclusion in the listing send information to [email protected]

NEPALI WEATHER byNGAMINDRA DAHAL

This satellite picture shows a fine series of southwesterly trade winds building up from the southern Arabian sea right up to the east coast of on FM 102.4 Thailand—indicating that the monsoon is off to a healthy start. These winds will in the next weeks head towards Bangladesh and take a sharp left turn to be DSES- 3-05-2001 0400 GMT over eastern Nepal by 10 June. Till then, we will see a Mon-Fri 0615-0645 BBC World Today series of weather cells moving from west to east bringing thunderstorms and occasional heavy bursts Sat 0615-0645 BBC Science in Action of rain characteristic of pre-monsoon showers. Finally, monsoon winds will chase the westerlies Sun 0615-0645 BBC Agenda away and that is when the rainy season will officially start. (See “Monsoon moods” p. 10-11). So far, the onset of the monsoon is right on schedule. Long-term Daily 2045-2115 BBCg] kfnL ;]]jf]]] forecasts also show a healthy advance of the monsoon over June and July. Daily 2245-2300 BBCg] kfnL ;]]jf]]]

Radio Sagarmatha KATHMANDU P.O. Box 6958, Bakhundole, Lalitpur, Nepal Tel: ++977-1-545680, 545681 Fax: ++ 977-1- Fri530227 Sat Sun Mon Tue E-mail: [email protected] www.radiosagarmatha.org 30-19 29-18 29-19 30-18 30-19 ARTS 15 - 21 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES 191919

ART REVIEW byNINA BHATT

If bodies haveelders whose voices furrowed brows bear KIRAN’S WINDHORSE testament to their struggles to earn a daily wage. What is remarkable about this Kiran Manandhar, a strokes cannot ten year retrospective is the prolific and break free of. intimate engagement between the versatile painter These new limits artist and his subjects. Those known for his set on the artist’s photographed are aware they are celebratory use of freedom of color and stroke, expression allows objects of the camera’s gaze, yet has taken a new for an honest there is an unusual degree of departure. A recent contemporary consent, albeit momentary, to allow stay in Tibet, reading of place. Amtzis to penetrate their lives. traveling and The brooding Both parties tacitly acknowledge leading workshops figures of woman or that a kind of intrusion is occurring, in painting has lovers that appear but somehow appear to recognize introduced a in many of Kiran’s that this intrusion, onthis occasion, collage-like canvasses are here element to his as well, and their with the sympathetic naturethis of work. His current juxtaposition to the camera lens,must happen. Thus do exhibit at the prayer flag adds a the subjects engage directly with Contemporary Art personal the viewer, unapologetically offering Gallery in Thamel incorporates in eachdimension. In #6 and in # 26 we see a piece of their troubled lives. This painting a Tibetan prayer flag with a these figures with the prayer flags. In windhorse and a wish-fulfilling jewelone, a woman turns towards the flag and frankness reveals itself more the rising from its back. oet Wayne Amtzis’ longer one spends on each the viewer senses encounter; in the other, At first glance, much like many photographic photograph. two figures, mutually engaged, seem not to p notice the flag’s presence. Interest and exhibition currently western artists, he seems to be utilizing Take for instance, theYouth at on display at the Siddhartha an artifact from a culture even more indifference, an emotional opening towards Indrachowk (#9). This handsome commitment and a troubled emotional Art Gallery compels its “exotic” than his own. A more thorough viewing indicates the boldness of hisentanglement, set the parameters of viewers to acknowledge the boy is seated for a brief respite from his work as a porter. At any attempt. The dominant image, whetherengagement it with a wider world. difficult socio-economic is integrated into Kiran’s vocabulary of Kiran is persistent in his use of the circumstances experienced moment, his name will be called out to haul a load probably beyond evocative color and energetic stroke Tibetanor prayer flags. Whether the by Kathmandu Valley child not, makes itself known throughout the his capacity. His facial expression is windhorse flies above, or lies laborers, abandoned exhibit. So close to Tibet’s borders, submerged,a or even fails to enter into or women, petty traders and one of explicit engagement. He flag of Tibetan origin is raised in the seems fresh, still innocent, but his modify Kiran’s abstract landscapes, their porters. The collection of landscape of Kiran’s work. presence must be accounted for in 43 black and white eyes have begun to ask “why me?” These paintings are more containedwhatever aesthetic conclusions the photographs is an uncom- As viewers, we can weave a than Kiran’s previous endeavors. viewer may draw from his work. promisingly harsh portrayal narrative as we move on to the Though drawn from the openness and young man inNational Refrigerator, of the vicissitudes of power of the Tibetan landscape, thereKiran is Manandhar, Everest Gairidhara (#12). He seems to a sense of enclosure that even Kiran’s modern urban life. It Contemporary Art Gallery, Arcadia designate the future of the boy from color-rich palette and free flowing depicts the drudgery of Building, Thamel. physical labor, moments of #9. Yet a sense of determination hopeless respite from work, still emerges in his face and eyes. solitary mad women, This young man knows his life is dejected street vendors, and hard, but he hasn’t succumbed to resignation and despair. The people whose portraits appear in this exhibit are cornered by the walls and streets HAPPENINGS of Kathmandu. The barbed wire they hang to, the ropes looped around their bodies and hands tell us how bound and limited are their lives. Representing “everyman”—they symbolize the drudgery carried out daily by millions of Nepalis. In a wider sense Amtzis’ photographs provide a global commentary of MIN BAJRACHARYA MIN on-the-edge urban workers and denizens of the street. Giving themselves the time these portraits deserve, the viewers can move beyond cursory impressions and appreciate the exhibition’s complexity and subtlety. With patient scrutiny, what emerges are DAY ONE: Tourism entrepreneurs fielded Volkswagen Vans with “Tourist”highly personalized “voices” banners to ferry tourist groups to and from the airport as the strike got underwaywhich convey narratives specific on 27 May. For individual travellers, rickshaws were the best (and mostto each individual. expensive) way to get to town. The cheapest way was to walk. The serendipitous timing of the taking of these photographs (1985-1995) makes for disheartening political commentary. In today’s Kathmandu “democracy” has arrived. Civil sector groups and NGOs flourish; politicians wax

MIN BAJRACHARYA MIN eloquent while expatriate and local developmentwallahs continually reproduce new ‘agendas.’ Meanwhile, life for those depicted here remains unchanged. DAY TWO: Bhaktapur shops wear a deserted look as tourists stay away onAs a complement to this the second day of the strike. exhibit, Amtzis will read at the gallery from his poetry collection, “City on his Back” at 4 PM on

Sunday, June 3. MIN BAJRACHARYA MIN

From the Street: Kathmandu 1985- 1995 Photos by Wayne Amtzis DAY THREE: No one is left out of this public meeting organised bySiddhartha the Art Gallery May 25-June organisers of the bandh. Ratna Park on 29 May. 11, 2001 Babar Mahal Revisited 202020 6 - 14 JUNE 2001NEPALI TIMES Under My Hat NEPALI SOCIETY

by Kunda Dixit

live to see another day Thank you, Dr Tej t must have finally dawned on each and everyone among us by now 5,678 marriage processions 1980. The Karnali river at the Chisapani Gorge. It was themade first their way upstream. Suddenly, one of us jumped right up in that we have just voluntarily and dispersed nationwide time we dolphins saw a real scientist. Our cousins in thefront of these two humans. The doctor almost fell off his boat with i Narayani had told us a strange human wearing glasses,excitement. a big He took off his glasses and said: “I was right. There out of our own free will stayed at At least 3.2 litres of Single Malt camera and a funny hat had been giving them the eye. Theyare Gangeticsaid DolphinsPlatanista ( gangetica) in Nepal’s rivers.” home for three straight days in a allegedly consumed in one he would jump and point his camera at the smallest movementWe certainly didn’t mind word of our presence getting out. spontaneous gesture of support for newspaper office alone. of water. But our relatives couldn’t get to know him too well, Over the years we had lots of visitors, but they were mostly one bunch of jokers (which we shall If all this could be achieved in three because the dirty water from the beer factory and paper mill at for the time being call Team A) to days, how much more could be done Narayanghat forced them to move. tourists. We migrate in winter from the Karnali and topple another bunch of jokers (whichin a week...two weeks…a month. When he came to Chisapani Gorge inside the Bardiya Kosi, we don’t spend much time in the Narayani we shall call Team B) to be this Insider sources tell us Party HQ is National Park, our mammalian proximity sense told us he had and the Mahakali. And there are only 20 of us country’s Numero Uno Clown-in- now inundated with congratulatory pitched camp near a big cliff and had left in Nepal. So, very few of you will get to see Chief. We must collectively thank messages of heartiLest felicitation and befriended an old fisherman. The two used us unless you approach with love and care, to row upstream to reach the tranquil much like Dr Tej does. waters in the middle of the gorge. It was all We knew Dr Tej campaigned to create an very amusing for us. We jumped up for fresh air often and looked over at him, but aquatic wildlife preserve for us while One Great Leap we were too quick and he never saw us. everyone wanted to focus on terrestrial We liked him. We learnt that he was quite mammals—tigers, rhinos and elephants. a rare specimen—a Tribhuvan University- We live in a complex ecological system, Forward, trained zoologist honoured by over 20 international scientific organisations like and though we are labelled endangered, the Institute of Biology UK, the Linnean locals still sell our meat. They call us Team TwoA for this opportunity Leaps to jubilation from Back fraternal and maternal Society of London, and the British bhagirathor sonsh, thinking that we arrived express our holehearted, unquantified Orinthological Union. After about a when Shiva sprouted water from his hair to organisations all over the world month, we decided to surprise and air-conditioned support for their commending the General Secretary create the Ganga. People hang our bones bid to be head honcho of this circus him. It was a beautiful early in doorways to drive away evil. Ayurvedic on the successful completion of his morning. “Doctor sahib, go home. doctors extract oil from us for its by allowing us to enjoy a totalitarian three-day National Paralysis. Just to Onlysanyasis wander around like bed rest and to adhere to a strict supposed aphrodisiac, analgesic and give readers an idea of the intense this,” the fisherman was telling Dr liquid diet of Single Malt for most of international camaraderie and Tej Kumar Shrestha as they antiseptic properties. But nobody this past week. Ladies and gentlemen, solidarity, we reprint below the full except this doctor, who also let us give the organisers a big hand. text of some of the messages: knows all about Nepal’s birds, That the three days have been a SALIL SUBEDI has bothered to truly get to know Telegram from Bangladesh Prime us. Thank you, Dr Tej. grand all-round success there is now Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed: no doubt—because Team A says so. CONGRATULATIONS STOP But if you asked me (not that you have, but here I go anyway) what the YOU OUTDID US STOP THREE biggest achievement of the three day DAYS WHOLE COUNTRY STOP national sleep-in has been for our BUT WHY ON EARTH DID nation, it is that at the end of it Team YOU BURN OUR MOTOR- B is still in charge. Which means it CYCLE AT MITRA PARK ON leaves open the opportunity for Team SUNDAY QUESTION MARK WE A to once more request us to please VERY VERY ANGRY STOP consider voluntarily taking another PHULBARI TRANSIT STOP week bed rest with liquid diet before SMUGGLING OF OXEN STOP the budget session. MEDICAL SEATS FOR NEPALIS STOP Over at the HQ of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unfit Marxist-Leninists) they have been From Kim Jong-Il: engaged in marathon debriefing You have just received a Blue sessions and have unanimously Mountain Internet greeting decided that last week is sure to go card from Dear Leader in down in the annals of the Great Pyongyang, and it goes: International Proletarian “Comrade Nepal, you still Revolution as One Great Leap have a lot to learn about Forward for Mankind and Juchhe, but you are getting Two Leaps Back. Here is the general Idea. In North the latest tally of Korea, our streets are achievements: empty of cars all year round, our huge hotels are always empty. If you continue at this rate, you will also be able to attain Jucche. Keep it up. Yours in 3,108 bicycle tyres solidarity and camaraderie, deflated Kim the Last of the Reds.” 7.3 million litres of MSN Hotmail from Fidel petrol and kerosene- Castro: “Bravo. You have just laced diesel saved struck another blow at the heart 35 goats, 57 ducks of global imperialism. Sending Pepsodent and 403 chicken cigars by DHL.” which would otherwise have been lost to road kill on our highways

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