DOCSLIB.ORG

Oct 16. 2020 | 1 NEW SPOTLIGHT | Oct 16

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

NEW SPOTLIGHT | Oct 16. 2020 | 1 NEW SPOTLIGHT | Oct 16. 2020 | 2 NEW SPOTLIGHTFORTNIGHTLY Notes From The Editor Vol.: 13,14, No.-11,No.-05, January-October-16, 24, 20202020 (Ashwin(Magh. 10.2076) 30. 2077) Price: Price NRs.NRs.100 100 Amid theRequesting spread of COVID-19Indian government infection to and lift itsthe threat,restriction Ne- Editor and Publisher paliput people on palm are celebrating oil export, the Nepal Dashain government Festival, has their shown biggest its Keshab Poudel festival.weakness In the to wake traders of awho growing have beenthreat thriving of infection and makingand se- riousprofits sickness, through the theDashain misuse will of tradebe different agreement’s this loopholes.year than Contributor the Insteadprevious of years. restricting One of this the kind main of parts short of term the festivalbusiness, is Sabine Pretsch a familythis request union andwill takingboost thethe moraleblessings of tradersfrom the and elders, business the nearcommunity and dear ones. who However, has hardly COVID-19 shown interest spreads in fastsustained in big Design/Layout groups,and long-termand hence, industrialization people are requested of Nepal. to avoid With gatherings this kind Sahil Mokthan, 9863022025 and ofunions. backing, The tradersMinistry often of Health misused and the Population preferential has urgedtreat- the mentspeople time to avoid and again contact to makewith individualthe people gains.above In 60 the years last Marketing Manager as theythree are decades, vulnerable Nepal to andinfections. India have Following signed severalthe lifting trade of Madan Raj Poudel restrictions imposed by the government on air and road trans- agreements with preferential treatments to Nepalese prod- Tel: 9841320517 portation, the mobility of the people has multiplied with the ucts with certain percentages of local value added. This number of infections increasing. Within a month of opening aimed to promote industrialization in Nepal. By misusing Nabin Kumar Maharjan up, Kathmandu Valley, which has the highest density of pop- this kind of preferential treatments to generate short term Tel: 9841291404 ulation, has witnessed huge growth of COVID-19. The valley has benefits,over 70 percent Nepal hasof infectionsneither seen now. a long As termthe festival and sustained is ap- Editorial Office proaching,industrialization with COVID-19 nor consistent infections export. spreading This was all notover only the Kathmandu, Nepal country,applied that to is India a topic but of with continuing other countries interest. as But, well. coming In 1990s, out Tel: 977-1-4430250 of itNepalese for a while, traders we haveexploited decided the to markets cover theof Germanyuse of Tunnel and E-mail BoringUnited Machine States increasing(TBM) and the transformation volume of export the of newcarpet tech and- [email protected] nologygarment has brought under preferential in the country treatment. as our Oncemain story.the period Taking of P.O.Box: 7256 all thepreferential risks five treatment years ago, came secretary to an end,at Ministry they collapsed. of Drinking In Website Water1996, Madhav India Belbase,opened all who the is markets also regarded to Nepalese as the productsfather of www.spotlightnepal.com TBMwith in Nepal,preferential used thetreatments TBM in for Bheri-Babai many products. Diversion Nepalese Proj- ect. tradersAfter TBM’s and business success communitiesin Bheri-Babai, invested the government in Vegetable has Kathmandu DAO Regd. No. alreadyGhee decided with very to use nominal this technology local components. in Sunkosi-Marin Some traders and 148/11/063/64 nowmade considering billions usingindividually it in the but second it has phasenot made of Melamchi any long Central Region Postal Regd. Drinkingterm contribution water project. to Nepal. We look Even at recently, how TBM Nepalese technology trad- No. 36/067/068 is bringingers have change started in to tunnel increase construction export of inpalm Nepal oil inusing this theis- sue.loopholes As Nepalese of preferential are celebrating treatment. the Dashain, However, New it Spotlight came to US Library of Congress Catalogue familyan endwishes following all its readers,the new customersrestrictions. and This patrons is what Happy the No. 91-905060, ISSN : 2091-0711 Dashaincurrent 2077. cover issue has tried to look at. (Print), ISSN: 2091-0754 (Online) Printing Megha Offset Printing Press P. Ltd., Dhapasi, Kathmandu Tel. : 977-1-4363624 Keshab Poudel Editor NEWNEW SPOTLIGHT | OctJan. 16. 24. 2020 2020 | 1 1 CONTENT PM OLI Poly Tricks 3 NEWSNOTES 4 BUSINESS BRIEF 6 OPINION Dipak Gyawali 8 SHANKER DAS BAIRAGI COVERSTORY: MADHAV BELBASE: Father Of TBM In Nepal 20 Diplomat At Helm Of Civil Service 10 FORUM Dr. Prabin Manandhar 11 PERSPECTIVE Dr. K. Uprety 12 VIEWPOINT Dr. Shivaram Pd. Koirala 13 BHARAT RAJ PAUDYAL Diplomat With Passion 15 COVID-19 AAPHAILAI KHOJDA: Confessions Of A Professor 27 Nepal In Crisis 16 ENVIRONMENT Batu Uprety 17 UPPER TAMAKOSHI Work In Progress 28 ARITICLE Bimal Gurung 32 NEPAL-EU JOINT COMMISSION Strengthening Partnership 33 UNICEF REPORT: Children Suffering 19 WORLD BANK Dismal Growth 35 ARITICLE Hemang Dixit 36 NEW SPOTLIGHT | Oct 16. 2020 | 2 PM OLI Poly Tricks Despite efforts of his rivals to contain his authority, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has shown that he knows the political techniques to beat his rivals By A CORRESPONDENT ust a week after a gentleman under- standing between Prime Minister JKP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to equally share state powers and positions, Prime Minister Oli’s cabinet took a major decision ap- pointing his close political aid and for- mer finance minister Dr. Yubaraj Khati- wada as ambassador to the United States and former chief secretary as ambassa- dor to United Kingdom. Co-chair Prachanda and his group opposed the move in media blam- ing PM Oli for violating the gentleman understanding. Some persons close to has shown that the party has nothing to over enemy in war. Prachanda and Madhav Kumar Nepal do with his administrative and day to This is what Prime Minister demanded withdrawal of the cabinet day authority. It seems that Prachanda Oli has been pursuing in his politics and recommendations. and other party colleagues accept this. turning the thing in his favor. He con- However, no one raised any This is not the first time PM spired to break the strength of his rival question over the appointment of am- Oli showed his strength. In all the polit- Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Ne- bassadors and cabinet reshuffling issue ical battles, he has been able to win over pal duo by encouraging Bam Dev Gau- at the Secretariat meeting of the ruling rivals of his party. From appointment of tama to rebel. Oli offered Gautam vice Nepal Communist Party (NCP). ministers to other matters, PM Oli has president of the party and member at The meeting has conclud- not surrendered his power. National Assembly for weakening Pra- ed without discussing the much talked What Prime Minister Oli has chanda-Nepal faction. about Cabinet reshuffling and new ap- is a unique political trick, which some After almost two months of pointment. NCP spokesperson Narayan people term Oli-trick of politics. Prime hurdles and turmoil, Prime Minister Oli Kaji Shrestha said that the meeting was Minister and co-chair of Nepal Com- was able to force standing committee to centered on previous agenda of the party munist Party (NCP) Oli does not have take decision favorable to him. as the Chairmen duo, Prime Minister KP strong theoretical political knowledge The strategy of Oli is a prod- Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal of political tricks and tactic but what he uct of his culture and times. His morali- ‘Prachanda,’ could not present concrete knows is a typical Nepali style of tradi- ty is based on justification of any means, proposals on the issues as entrusted to tional cunning, tactic and skill to man- by hook or crook, to remain in power. them. age the affairs. Oli’s political tactic also evolves around The Secretariat meeting held Although he claimed to be a the politics of Mahabharata. However, on Sept. 22 had given the responsibili- follower of Marxist, Maoist and Lenin- his tactic is very much influenced by ty to the two Chairmen to come up with ist communist, what prime minister Oli Chanakya. concrete proposals about the reshuffling has been displaying is his skills in the Whether one likes it or not, of the Council of Ministers. traditional power game based on manip- PM Oli remains a successful politician. “Both the Chairmen informed ulation and conspiracy of Hindu domi- One can argue about the ethics of his Secretariat meeting that they were nated society to defeat his powerful and methods, but he has laid the foundation working on the responsibility given united enemies. in his political party as to how to run to them and that they had yet to forge Chanakya says everything is divergent groups and interests. As the a clear basis for the issues,” said NCP justifiable during the war time and there legacy of Chanakya, Oli is ruthless and spokesperson Shrestha. are no questions of ethics and morality. compromising to be in the centre of un- In all this, Prime Minister Oli He argued that nothing is wrong to win challenged power. NEW SPOTLIGHT | Oct 16. 2020 | 3 NEWSNOTES Germany: 30 Years Of Unity KAAN And KOICA Distribute Food To Ashram Ambassador of Germa- KOICA Alum- ny to Nepal Roland Schäfer tweet- ni Association of Nepal ed, “30 Years of Germany Unity on (KAAN) and KOICA October, 3rd – friendship instead of have donated essential hatred: Germany unification brought food and hygiene materi- former opponents together. We must als to Manavsewa Ashram build on that and together contribute KOICA Alum- to peaceful and friendly cooperation ni Association of Nepal worldwide.” (KAAN), with support In his statement delivered from the Korea Interna- through a press release, he said: tional Cooperation Agen- “This is the time of the year when we are accustomed to in- cy (KOICA), organized a donation program on October viting you all to a happy moment in Gyaneshwar, on my resi- 05, 2020 to support essential food and hygiene materials to dence’s lawn.” Manavsewa Ashram worth US$ 3,059.51.
Recommended publications
  • Nepali Times

    Nepali Times

    www.nepalitimes.com #150 20 - 26 June 2003 16 pages Rs 25 Weekly Internet Poll # 90 Q. Who do you think is primarily responsible for the current state of the nation? One country, two systems Total votes:3,211 Weekly Internet Poll # 91. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. If the election were to be held next week, who would you like to see as our next prime minister to lead the country ? MOHAN MAINALI Near Jumla, farmers use the ceasefire to ready terraces for paddy. MOHAN MAINALI two governments. team to conduct a vasectomy camp in firefights this week in Dang and Jajarkot. from JUMLA, KALIKOT and DOLPA ○○○○○ Welcome to ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ To be sure, the ceasefire has eased the their village. There have also been instances of Patan Museum Café ts not that the Maoists are lives of most people somewhat. Many It is better. We dont have to worry resistance: some refugee families in Opening from1030 – 1930 hrs everywhere, its just the government is from the outlying villages can now travel anymore about the possibility of getting Kalikot who were prevented from going Enjoy our new Cocktail & Snacks of the nowhere to be seen. relatively unhindered to the main bazar killed while gathering fodder, or fetching back to their villages pelted Maoists with Week from 1700 – 1930 hrs Except for the district headquarters of towns to collect subsidised rice. Some water, says one villager in Dolpa. Were stones at a recent rally. Paru Thapa in For reservations please call these three roadless mid-western districts, farmers have returned to their home just afraid the war may start again.
  • Three Years of Reconstruction Special You Can Obtain the Previous Editions of ‘Rebuilding Nepal’ from NRA Office at Singha Durbar

    Three Years of Reconstruction Special You Can Obtain the Previous Editions of ‘Rebuilding Nepal’ from NRA Office at Singha Durbar

    Three years of reconstruction special You can obtain the previous editions of ‘Rebuilding Nepal’ from NRA office at Singha Durbar. Cover: Jagat Bahadur Khatri and Chitra Kumari Khatri of Singati, Dolakha. Khatri is the first beneficiary to sign and receive the government’s private housing reconstruction grant. Photo: Chandra Shekhar Karki THREE YEARS OF RECONSTRUCTION NRA Chief Executive Officer of the National Reconstruction Authority Sushil Gyewali addressing a press meet to mark the completion of the NRA’s three years of establishment on December 25, 2018. 77% in private housing, 80% in schools and 95% progress in public buildings The National Reconstruction Author- with 742,135 beneficiaries, out of which in the rebuilding of health institutions, 95 ity (NRA) has publicized the progress 337,319 have completed rebuilding their percent in government buildings, 54 per- made in the post-earthquake reconstruc- houses while 233,343 houses are currently cent in security sector buildings and 68 tion and rehabilitation during three years under construction. percent in the cultural heritage sites. of its establishment and also unveiled the Similarly, 80 percent progress has been “We are on the right track to complete plans for the next two years of its tenure made in the reconstruction of the educa- the reconstruction of private housing during a press conference organized in tional institutions. As per the available within this fiscal year,” said Sushil Gyewa- Kathmandu on December 25. data, 55 percent of the schools have al- li, Chief Executive Officer of the NRA. The NRA has informed that there has ready been reconstructed while 25 percent “As many structures are currently under been 77 percent progress in the recon- of them are currently under construction.
  • 1 Zoey Garland AGR*1110 Manish Raizada November 23, 2014

    1 Zoey Garland AGR*1110 Manish Raizada November 23, 2014

    1 Zoey Garland AGR*1110 Manish Raizada November 23, 2014 Bringing Commercial Wine Production to Nepal 2 South Asian Nepal’s food industry is quite self-sufficient; they grow what they need and sell excess products at the market. Nepal’s population is just under $27 million and agriculture accounts for 36.1% of the countries GDP. Just over 76% of the workforce in Nepal is involved in either animal or crop agriculture (Bell 2014). Due to these statistics any improvement in yields or greater contribution to agriculture in Nepal would lead to substantial benefits to their growing country. Currently in Nepal wine is made from fermenting aiselu and chutro berries, which grow in the wild, in plastic barrels. Indulgence of wine in Nepal is steadily growing however it is most popular to the wealthy Nepalese and European tourists. The idea as a whole is to increase the production of traditional wine made in Nepal by exporting wine making supplies made by Canadian companies and shipping grape seeds, that are also produced in Canada, to be grown in vineyards in Nepal. Together, production of red and white wine can bring a source of income and jobs for the people of Nepal. Product Information: Both the aiselu and chutro berry grow in the wild in Nepal and are ripe for harvest from March to May. Traditional winemakers in Nepal hand pick these berries, mix them with sugar and yeast, and then let them ferment in plastic drums for a month at a time. The wine that is currently made in Nepal is in high demand in the European Union (EU) but the production could not meet the amount required and therefore income is limited for exports (Dahal 2010).
  • Debating Identity: Reflections on Coverage of Dharaharā and Kāṣṭhmaṇḍap Post Gorkha-Earthquake 2015

    Debating Identity: Reflections on Coverage of Dharaharā and Kāṣṭhmaṇḍap Post Gorkha-Earthquake 2015

    Debating Identity: Reflections on Coverage of Dharaharā and Kāṣṭhmaṇḍap Post Gorkha-Earthquake 2015 Abhas Dharananda Rajopadhyaya Abstract The 7.8 Mw Gorkhā-earthquake in April 2015, took 8,857 lives, injured 21,952, destroyed 755,549 buildings, 581 heritages and cost an estimated approximate $513.38 billion. Many heritage sites, including those enlisted in the World Heritage Site, were damaged due to this disaster. The fall of Dharaharā, among all cultural-historical sites, was given (un- ) due attention by many national media, owing to high number of deaths and as a popular landmark of the city. This modern elite tower structure was presented as symbol of national unity and of 'rising back'. But there are other important public heritages too — many centuries older than Dharaharā and they too had stories of deaths, of injuries and of survivals, but received a very small space or almost none in the national media. I take an example of Kāṣṭhamaṇḍap that hosted over 54 people during the earthquake. I have used the method of qualitative content analysis to discuss the construction of identity by national media. Keywords: Gorkha earthquake, heritage, Kasthamandap, Dharahara, media coverage, qualitative analysis, reconstruction, identity 68 Bodhi: An Interdisciplinary Journal 7 (1) Background Nepal has, for centuries, been prone to disasters, including earthquakes with major ones hitting almost once every century. Earthquakes, from the historically recorded 1223 AD (1280 BS) earthquake1 or that of 1255 AD (NS 375 or 1312 BS) claiming life of reigning King Abhaya Malla (reign: 1216 – 1255 AD) and one-third of the city population to as recent as those in 1834 AD, 1934 AD and now 2015 AD are major ones of the respective centuries that proved disastrous for the nation.
  • Food and Liquordashain Special Issue

    Food and Liquordashain Special Issue

    Every Thursday ISSUE 238 RS 40 18 SEPTEMBER 2014 2 cflZjg 2071 FOOD AND LIQUORDASHAIN SPECIAL ISSUE BON There’s no time riper than Dashain to pair your favorite dishes with the APPÉTIT! drinks that go with them Newsfeed k ckstart TOP 3 EVENTS WORKSHOP AT IMAGE PARK ONAM URBAN DOWNHILL Date: 20 September, Time: 10am Date: 11 to 14 September, Date: 14 to 21 September ! Venue: Hotel Annapurna, Kathmandu Venue: Tansen, Palpa Time: 7am to 9am Contact: 4221711, Entry: Rs.1500 Contact: www.switchbacknepal.com Venue: The Image Park, New Road Contact: 4002070, Fee: Rs.2999 Onam, the state festival of God’s Own Country, Kerala, will be Switchback presents the Palpa Image Park’s workshop is for beginners and celebrated in Kathmandu for the first time on 20 September. DH Race, the first of its kind in Kathmandu Kerala Samajam, in association with the Indian Cultural those enthusiastic about photography. DSLR Nepal. Promising a high dose Centre, the Embassy of India, and Hotel Annapurna will be putting or compact cameras are preferred for the together this mega South Indian festival. Various cultural programs, of thrill and adrenalin, the classes but not compulsory. alongside a traditional Kerala sadya-lavish feast, will be cooked under cycling path... the aegis of Executive Chef Sreejith Kartha of Hotel Annapurna. (For more information, please refer to Page 8) (For more information please refer to page 9) OLD DURBAR: An Elite Blended Scotch Malt #FillTheBucket in numbers Whisky with Himalayan Glacial Water. Imagine a fine scotch malt spirit uniqueness of Old Durbar to the #FillTheBucket, a campaign to collect relief items for flood and landslide victims, is on the verge of from Scotland blended with liquor market of the nation is being one of the most successful social initiatives the capital has ever seen.
  • Nepal Earthquake 2015: Lesson Learnt and Future Guidance

    Nepal Earthquake 2015: Lesson Learnt and Future Guidance

    NEPAL EARTHQUAKE 2015: LESSON LEARNT AND FUTURE GUIDANCE Dr. Narayan Bahadur Thapa Ministry of Home Affairs Government of Nepal ACDR2016 Phuket, Thailand BACKGROUND . Nepal is a hot spot of natural disaster. Frequently occurrence: Flood, landslide, fire are the main disasters. Nepal stands in the 11th position in terms of Earthquake disaster, 6th in climatic hazards and 30th in terms of floods . According to geological studies, Nepal lies on SiSeismi c AtiActive Zone. NEPAL IS DISASTER PRONE DUE TO Difficult Geological Terrain 8848 Meter 70 Meter 3 Disaster Prone Seismic Hazard KhiKashmir (>80,000) Bam (>40,000) Wenchuan (>70,000) Kathmandu Bhuj Collision of Euro Asian Plates and Indian Plates by 3 mm per year, History of Nepal by J. Whelpton Earthquakes in the Himalaya Indian Plate EARTHQUAKE DISASTER HISTORY . The massive earthquake of 1255, which was the first recorded earthquake of Nepal had damaged palaces, temples, and houses in the Kathmandu Valley and killed one-third of its population. The reigggning monarch, Abhaya Malla, had also died. Massive earthquake of Magnitude 8.4 in 1934, more than 10,000 death in Kathmandu. Since then, large scale earthquakes in 1980, 1988 and 2011 had caused human and physical loss. EARTHQUAKE DISASTER HISTORY…… . As a result of the two major earthquakes that struck Nepal on 25 Appyril and 12 May 2015,,y, nearly 9,000 lives and large number Infractures and houses have been destroyed. On Saturday, 25 April 2015 at 11:56 local time a 7.6 magnitude earthquake recorded by Nepal’s National SiSeismol ogi cal Cen tre (NSC) stktruck BkBarpak in the district of Gorkha, about 76 Km northwest of kathmandu .
  • Nepali Times Caught up Help Their Clients

    Nepali Times Caught up Help Their Clients

    #475 6 - 12 November 2009 16 pages Rs 30 UPENDRA LAMICHANE “Stop the slaughter” inside ith only two weeks to At an ecumenical function on well as chickens, pigeons, ducks go before the mass Saturday in Bara, Bomjon and even rats are sacrificed. The W sacrifice of animals at (pictured, above) urged that the event is held every five years and Gadhimai in Bara, calls to stop ritual sacrifice be stopped. “The this year will take place over two the slaughter for once and for all animals are killed cruelly for the days on 23-24 November. Netbooks are growing. notion that wishes will be Indian animal rights activist in Nepal Adding his voice to the granted. I urge everyone to stop Maneka Gandhi has also spoken campaign is Ram Bahadur the slaughter,” he said. out strongly against the sacrifices, Bomjon, the ‘Boy Buddha of The Gadhimai sacrifices have writing a letter to Prime Minister p8-9 Bara’ who gained world renown been opposed by animal rights Madhav Kumar Nepal urging him after he meditated in the hollow groups in Nepal, but this year to ban the festival. But of a tree, ostensibly without food there has been unprecedented preparations are going ahead and water for six months in international attention on the regardless. 2006. He disappeared gruesome ritual in which half a Gadhimai is a transnational mysteriously then, and is now million buffalos and goats as festival, and most of the pilgrims living in the jungle near as well as the animals being Ratnapuri. sacrificed come from across the border in India.
  • A House Divided: Land, Kinship, and Bureaucracy in Post-Earthquake Kathmandu

    A House Divided: Land, Kinship, and Bureaucracy in Post-Earthquake Kathmandu

    A House Divided: Land, Kinship, and Bureaucracy in Post-Earthquake Kathmandu by Andrew Haxby A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Anthropology) in The University of Michigan 2019 Doctoral Committee: Professor Tom Fricke, Chair Associate Professor Lan Deng Assistant Professor Jatin Dua Associate Professor Matthew Hull Professor Stuart Kirsch Andrew Warren Haxby [email protected] ORCID: 0000-0002-5735-1173 © Andrew Warren Haxby 2019 Acknowledgements It is utterly humbling to think of all the people and institutions who have helped make this document and research project possible. This project received generous funding from multiple agencies at different stages. I want to thank the University of Michigan’s Rackham graduate school, which funded both my pre-dissertation fieldwork and a significant portion of my main fieldwork, as well as provided me with funding throughout my graduate career. I also want to thank the National Science Foundation and the Wenner Gren Foundation for their generous support of my fieldwork as well. Finally, thank you to the U.S. Department of Education’s Foreign Language and Area Studies program for their support of my language training. I also want to extend my thanks to the Nepali government for hosting me during my fieldwork, and to Tribhuvan University for sponsoring my research visa, particularly to the Economics department and Prof. Kusum Shakya. Throughout this process, both the Nepali government and Tribhuvan University have been committed in supporting my research agenda, for which I am deeply grateful. I also want to thank both the commercial bank and finance company that allowed me to observe their work.
  • Revealing What Is Dear: the Post-Earthquake Iconisation of the Dharahara, Kathmandu Author: Michael Hutt, SOAS University Of

    Revealing What Is Dear: the Post-Earthquake Iconisation of the Dharahara, Kathmandu Author: Michael Hutt, SOAS University Of

    This is the version of the article accepted for publication in Journal of Asian Studies published by Cambridge University Press: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021911819000172. Accepted version downloaded from SOAS Research Online: http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/30148 Revealing What is Dear: the post-earthquake iconisation of the Dharahara, Kathmandu Author: Michael Hutt, SOAS University of London Abstract On 25 April 2015 central Nepal was struck by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake which killed over 9000 people and displaced 2.8 million. The image of the Dharahara, a nineteenth century minaret which collapsed during the quake, quickly became for many Nepalis an iconic representation not only of the disaster but also of a national determination to recover and rebuild. Edward Simpson has argued that the aftermath of a disaster is ‘a product of the longer history of a locality’ and it is the aftermath ‘that may reveal what is dear’ (Simpson 2013: 53, 50). Drawing upon media and literary discourse in the Nepali language, this article asks why the Dharahara tower loomed so large in the Nepali imagination in the immediate aftermath of the April 2015 earthquake, rather than the country’s severely damaged World Heritage sites, and why it became a rallying point for a resurgence of Nepali hill nationalism. Keywords: Disasters, nationalism, heritage, Nepal, public memory, politics thado nak samasta kantipurko he ucchata kritrim! jyami lakh thiyau pavitra pasina he meghko ashram! seto stambha sukirtiko Dharahara! deu malai bida! he aglo prahari sari nagarko!
  • Overview Report of the Nepal Cultural Emergency Crowdmap Initiative 19 May 2015 Acknowledgements

    Overview Report of the Nepal Cultural Emergency Crowdmap Initiative 19 May 2015 Acknowledgements

    Overview Report of the Nepal Cultural Emergency Crowdmap Initiative 19 May 2015 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As the news of a massive earthquake in Nepal broke out, ICCROM, ICOMOS-ICORP and their combined network of heritage professionals decided to put up the Kathmandu Cultural Emergency Crowdmap to gather on-the-ground reports in order to provide a consistent situation overview. This initiative was successful in gathering valuable information thanks to the contributions of several institutions namely, the Smithsonian Institution, USA, the Disaster Relief Task Force of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-DRTF) and UNESCO office in Kathmandu, Nepal. Social media reports of cultural heritage professionals working in Nepal helped in gathering reports of damage to cultural heritage beyond the Kathmandu Valley. In particular the core team of the crowdmap wishes to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of: Dina Bangdel, Randolph Langenbach, Prof. Arun Menon, Tapash Paul, Neelam Pradhananga, Swosti Rajbhandari, Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, Rakshya Rayamajhi, Kai Weise. Crowdmap core team: Céline Allain, Emergency response coordinator, National Library of France / FAC 2015 Participant Jennifer Copithorne, ICCROM Jonathan Eaton, Cultural Heritage without Borders–Albania / FAC 2015 Participant Rohit Jigyasu, President, ICOMOS-ICORP Elke Selter, Cultural heritage consultant Aparna Tandon, Crowdmap initiative coordinator, ICCROM Report compiled and edited by: Jonathan Eaton, CHwB–Albania Disclaimer: The contents of this report are based on crowd sourced information and individual reports on damage to cultural sites and collections in Nepal, and which remain to be verified through detailed on-site assessments. 2 STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT 4 A. CRISIS overview 5 B. KEY ACTORS 6 C. Nepal’S cultural HeritaGE 6 D.
  • World's Largest Reconstruction

    World's Largest Reconstruction

    World’s largest reconstruction Experiences and learning Nepal has gained despite various adversities will be exemplary for other countries as well as our future generations Inside NDRRMA chief speaks | NRA helps vulnerable people rebuild | JICA project benefits 95,000 people Inside Reconstruction of Ranipokhari begins | Housing grants simplified | Foreign aid in numbers Inside Helambu returning to past glory | Tembathang promotes Hyolmo culture | Public hearing in Melamchi Inside Donors pledge further support | Laprak settlement in final stage | Rs.141 billion for post-quake rebuilding You can obtain the previous editions of ‘Rebuilding Nepal’ from NRA office at Singha Durbar. NRA LATEST NRA holds review meeting Government 46K houses rebuilt in first four months extends NRA term for one year The Government of Nepal has extended the term of the Na- tional Reconstruction Authority (NRA) for one year. The meeting of the Council of Ministers held on November 30 extended the NRA ’s tenure for one more year. The present term is till Decem- ber 25, 2020. The Council of Ministers has said the NRA ’s tenure has been extended as per the Sub-Article 3 of Article 3 of the 2072 Act re- lated to reconstruction of struc- tures damaged in the earthquake. As per the decision, the NRA will implement the recon- NRA struction work as per the allo- The National Reconstruction Author- ciaries to buy land in safe locations. cated budget for this fiscal year ity (NRA) held its four monthly review of During this period, various phases of 2077/78 which ends in mid-July its work in this fiscal year, i.e.
  • Rebuilding Nepal

    Rebuilding Nepal

    Re-building Nepal: Collection of Preliminary Thoughts (Working Paper) Asta-Ja International Coordination Committee (Asta-Ja ICC) Editor Dr. Ambika P. Adhikari June 2015 Asta-Ja Research and Development Center, Dhobidhara-31, Kathmandu, Nepalwww.astajardcnepal.org Email: [email protected] Foreword and acknowledgement This working paper deals with the upcoming redevelopment efforts in Nepal that are necessitated by the damaging earthquake of 7.8 Richter scale that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. This working paper is a collection of 13 preliminary thoughts by the Asta-Ja members from across the world providing initial thoughts on various aspects of post-earthquake reconstruction and management in Nepal. These thoughts are from experts in various disciplines: such as, engineering, medicine, agriculture, social sciences and planning. The idea is to put forward a comprehensive list of items that the policy makers and implementers in Nepal need to think of during the long rehabilitation and reconstruction phase which may last more than a decade. I greatly appreciate the work of all contributors who took time to jot down and share their ideas from their professional perspective in such a short notice. I would also like to acknowledge editor Dr. Ambika P. Adhikari and associate editors, Dr. Shiva Gautam, Dr. Upendra Man Sainju, Mr. Pushpa Lal Moktan, Dr. Dilip Panthee, Mr. Purushottam Sigdel, Ms. Anita Pant, Mr. Nilkantha Tiwari, Dr. Rupak Rauniar, Dr. Narayan P. Dhital, Mr. Sudeep Bhusan Aryal, Dr. Prakash Neupane (MD), Dr. Deergha R. Adhikari, Ms. Sabina Khatri, Dr. Surya Bhattarai, Mr. Jagannath Kafle, and Dr. Jay Krishna Thakur for their invaluable support and help in developing this document.