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SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 18 Forbidden Fruit VOL. I, NO. 20 By John Narayan Parajuli

COVER: Gaurav Shrestha The story behind the first large-scale www.nation.com.np abduction of Nepalis in Iraq is unfolding 24 Scary Business By Satish Jung Shahi Maoist ban on U.S. investments has sent the business community into a tailspin

26 Royal No-Hope Academy By Ajit Baral The Royal Nepal academy is adrift— poorly managed, highly politicized, unproductive and expensive 28 Burden Of Beasts By Sudhar Nepal Tourism has dried up in Chitwan, and it’s having a negative effect COVER STORY 21 Bungled Blockade BUSINESS By John Narayan Parajuli 32 Proudly Made The blockade failed because most people ignored it. That’s hardly a resound- In China ing victory for the government, but it may be enough of a blow to the Maoists By Satish Jung Shahi to edge them towards the negotiating table. Chinese goods have spread from Interview: Matthew Kahane, U.N. resident representative sidewalk stalls to swishy supermarkets

ARTS & SOCIETY COLUMNS PROFILE 34 Comedy TV 11 Blockade On 42 The Ad Gurus By Satish Jung Shahi My Mind By Aditya Adhikari Comedians are finally stealing By Suman Pradhan Business Advantage has emerged primetime TV slots The international community must say as a trendsetter in advertising that Maoist threats are inconsistent 36 As Always with their desire for U.N. role in talks A Novelty LIFESTYLE By Ajit Baral 30 The Right Contemporary Indian paintings are 47 Use It Or Lose It rich banquet of delight To Information By Yashas Vaidya By Pratyoush Onta Gai Jatra is an opportunity for people DEPARTMENTS In 1994 the Supreme Court made an to come out and say whatever they important decision regarding citizens’ want. Too bad we pass up the opportu- 6 LETTERS right to information nity every year. 10 PICTURE OF THE WEEK 38 Socrates Square 14 CAPSULES By Yuyutsu RD Sharma SPORTS 16 BIZ BUZZ The place with its small Kavi Kuna 17 MILESTONE teashops speaks of tumults of this nation 50 Only A Game 44 CITY PAGE By Aditya Adhikari 40 Unblock The Block For better or for worse, the Olympic 52 SNAPSHOTS By Kunal Lama Games are a political as well as 56 KHULA MANCH: MA-HA With the lifting of the blockade, sporting event, with enormous stakes 57 BOOKS: NEPAL STUDIES Kathmanduties have lost a great oppor- for winners and losers. tunity to relearn the tricks of survival 58 LAST WORD

5 Letters

TEACHERS IN CONFLICT||| PLASTIC MONEY ALL THAT JAZZ CIAA DOES IT AGAIN AUGUST 29, 2004 VOL. I, NO. 19 efb| !#, @)^! aif{ !, c+s !( www.nation.com.np I am equally keen to TOURISM “see the CIAA take SLUMP? action against police officers

RS. 30 ISSN 1811-721X

BLOCKADE ” RAMKRISHNA BHUSAL Young Maoists stand out. I am not too sure whether fea- BANDITA SIJAPATI’S COLUMN “CATCH turing Upstairs in your magazine was a Them Young” tells us in a nutshell the prob- good idea. lem of the Maoist rebellion: The rebel soldiers are young and dogmatic (Guest MAKAN GURUNG Column, August 29). But that exactly is VIA EMAIL why the problem is ours as much as theirs. Her journey to Makwanpur to see Humble man Maoist students was enlightening in MEGH ALE’S PROFILE WAS WELL DONE more one way. She does well in talking (“The River Guide,” by Satish Jung Shahi, about the attendant dangers of a Maoist August 29). Thanks for highlighting a per- rebellion without being too harsh on the son who has put in a lot of hard work to Maoists and yet keeps short of glorify- reach where he is now. I have come to ing their revolution. Like another letter admire this man more than most other writer last week (“Media’s Maoist men- high-sounding professionals. He was not ace” by Navin Thapa), I have always felt born with a silver spoon in his mouth, like that the Maoist problem has been much so many other tourism entrepreneurs and romanticized by the media and a second-generation success stories. Every- complicit civil society. More than any- one can learn from this humble man. thing else, it may be due to their failure to analyze the events and issues at hand. SUBAS MAGAR What disturbs me the most is the swell- SAMA KHUSI ing ranks of young Maoist fighters. When you have fighters as young as eleven, you U.S. elections can’t help imagining the worst for the SAMRAT UPADHYAY’S “A SOVEREIGN country. Sijapati is wary of the young Summer” was an excellent read (Sense & fighters’ “commitment”; I am scared to Nonsense, August 29). The upcoming death by their dogmatism. Commitment U.S. presidential election is going to be a to me has a positive connotation. dead heat, just as the 2000 elections. Bush never won the popular vote and yet won BINAY JOSHI the election. So don’t be surprised if NAXAL something similar happens. The debate that followed the 2000 elections deadlock Mixed feeling brought to the fore many issues that had “ALL THAT JAZZ” HAS COVERED A remained buried under the carpet in the watering hole that is extremely popular United States: minority issues, black among the expats in Kathmandu (Lifestyle, rights, right-wing fanaticism and, of by Aditya Adhikari, August 29). As someone course, chad ballots. Let’s hope that the who has spent a lot of time with them over American democracy functions better the years I have come to see one thing: The this election. expats quickly leave a place that becomes too popular, especially among the locals. BISHAL KARKI Call it their love for privacy or a desire to VIA EMAIL

6 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Bush bashing ecute the guilty without vendetta and a civil I KNOW THE ELECTION IS BIG IN THE society that supports the anti-corruption

United States now and Bush bashing is drive. While the media has been largely sup- Nation Weekly, The Media House, Tripureshor, fashionable among liberals like your col- portive of the CIAA’s anti-corruption mea- Kathmandu, Nepal (Regd. 165/059-060). Tel: 2111102, 4229825, 4261831, 4263098 umnists Samrat Upadhyay and Sushma sures, it has time and again given unneces- EDITOR: Akhilesh Upadhyay Joshi. So make hay while the sun shines. sary credence to the stories made up by the [email protected] corrupt. One thesis doing the rounds is that CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Suman Pradhan COPY EDITOR: John Child PUSHPA PRADHAN Wagle is not the only corrupt politician and SENIOR STAFF WRITERS: Sushma Joshi, Satish Jung Shahi, Tiku Gauchan VIA E-MAIL that the CIAA should have prosecuted oth- STAFF WRITER: John Narayan Parajuli ers before booking Wagle. It’s been said that PHOTOJOURNALISTS: Sagar Shrestha, Das Bahadur Maharjan DESIGNER: Raj Kumar Shrestha Omar of the Pacific Wagle is being made a scapegoat by the in- EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Indra Adhikari, Yashas Vaidya

SWARNIM WAGLE HAS DONE A stitution that suddenly wants to flex its AD & CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: Krishna Shrestha wonderful job in highlighting the muscles by going after high-profile leaders. OPERATING MANAGER: Ashish Bhattarai MARKETING EXECUTIVES: Sarita Gautam, Rameshwor Ghimire achievements of K.N. Sharma (“On Mi- I say this: The CIAA had to start somewhere [email protected] SUBSCRIPTION OFFICER: Bipin Raj Ojha gration And Omar Of The Pacific,” Writ- and Wagle happened to be the one. No ex- [email protected] ing on the Wall, August 29). There are cuse can be offered for not taking action ASST. SUBSCRIPTION OFFICER: Jeshna Karmacharya DISTRIBUTION: Angiras Manandhar some amazing success stories abroad. against him, though I personally sense that MARKETING CONSULTANT: Kreepa Shrestha

While it is not so much of a surprise to the Deuba government is dilly-dallying CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nripendra Karmacharya see some Nepalis stand out among a and delaying actions against Wagle. I am PUBLISHER: The Mirror Media Pvt. Ltd much larger diaspora in Europe and the equally keen to see the CIAA take action AD ENQUIRIES: Tel. 4229825, 4261831, 4263098 United States, they are few and far be- against police officers—both the sitting COLOR SEPARATION: ScanPro, Pulchowk, 5548861, 5552335 tween in Asia where Nepalis are still and the retired ones. While politicians PRINTING: Variety Printing Press, 4278869 DISTRIBUTION: R.B. News, 4232784, 4244679 busy toiling in the sweatshops. So Omar have rightly been fingered for their abuses, Nation Weekly is published every Monday by The Mirror Media Pvt. Ltd. comes as a breath of fresh air. two of the most corrupt institutions in All Rights Reserved. The reproduction of the contents of this publication, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without the the country are the police force and the prior consent of the publisher.

TEJ THAPA judiciary. The CIAA and the man behind Vol. I, No. 20. For the week August 30-September 5, 2004, released on August 30 BHAISEPATI the current mission, Suryanath CONTACT Upadhayay, both need our support. I CIAA needs support would be very disappointed if they were www.nation.com.np I DON’T AGREE WITH THE ARGUMENTS to back down—for whatever reasons. offered in “More Bite” that the CIAA needs Corruption eats into the vitals of a soci- more legislative teeth to target the power ety and someone has to take the initiative We prefer to receive letters via e-mail, without centers (by John Narayan Parajuli, August before it’s too late. Maybe Upadhayay is attachments. Writers should disclose any connection 29). This in fact was a routine excuse of- the man of the hour. I wish him luck. or relationship with the subject of their comments. All letters must include an address and daytime and fered by former CIAA officials for their in- evening phone numbers. We reserve the right to edit action. Other things, I believe, are more im- RAMKRISHNA BHUSAL letters for clarity and space. E-mail: [email protected] portant than that: the political will to pros- VIA EMAIL Fax: 4216281 Mail: Nation Weekly The Media House, GPO 8975, EPC 5620 Toast to local brews Tripureshor, Kathmandu, Nepal. SATISH JUNG SHAHI’S “A Toast for Good Health,” about Nepal’s only commercial vintner Maheshwore Lal Ranjitkar, was informative (Lifestyle, August 1). Thank you. SUBSCRIPTION Maheshwore Lal has an illustrious pedigree. His father, the late Satya Lal Ranjitkar, was the first E-mail: [email protected] Nation Weekly, The Media House, GPO 8975 Nepali horticulturist and the pioneer of fruit preservation in Nepal. After his resignation from a EPC 5620, Tripureshor, Kathmandu, Nepal government job in 1970, Satya Lal devoted the rest of life in a single-minded pursuit to develop jam Tel: 2111102, 4229825, 4261831, 4263098 and jelly under the brand name NESY. Fax: 4216281 Different kinds of wine are in vogue in different communities in Nepal. I myself have over the years tested many kinds of wine or wine-like products. I list some of them below. VERNACULAR NAME MADE FROM CONSISTENCY COMMUNITY BhyaabharMaize Thick Tamang Thon Rice Thin to thick Jyapu Newar Hayun Thon Rice Thin to medium Jyapu Newar Jaad Millet Thin to medium Tamang Tongba Millet Thin to medium Rai, Limbu NigarOat/BarleyThin Sherpa subscription

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Picture of the Week

WHAT’S COOKING? A trade union activist protests the closure of industries, including Soaltee Hotel by the Maoists

nation weekly/Sagar Shrestha Meanwhile Blockade On My Mind

The international community must say in no uncertain terms that Maoist threats to re-impose blockades is entirely inconsistent with their desire for U.N. role in talks. And that the international involvement depends on improvements in the Maoists’ respect for human rights.

its powers. There is also fear that the Maoists could hijack any prospec- BY SUMAN PRADHAN tive constituent assembly to draw up a one-party republic with scant he Maoists may have suspended their blockade of Kathmandu, regard for human rights. but last week’s episode brought to focus the stark realities of This is where the international community can play a very positive T role. Quiet donor diplomacy has already led to the formation of a high- today’s Nepal: The country’s political process remains as dead- locked as ever. All sides involved in the eight-year-old conflict have been level peace committee comprising the four governing coalition partners unable to muster the will to overcome the obstacles to a peaceful settle- and the King’s representative. But a key player, the Nepali Congress, is ment. It’s about time for the world to step in. still outside the committee and needs to be coaxed in, along with oppo- Despite our geographical isolation, it is hard to believe that the inter- sition parties, to lend it the broadest possible political base. The main national community has not shown more interest in this ever-escalating outside powers here—India, China, the United States and Britain— conflict, which is arguably the deadliest in Asia. More than 10,000 should urge the committee to hold a conference involving all political people have died since the rebellion began in 1996, almost a third of forces to build a common position on constitutional reforms. This is them in the past year since the ceasefire between the government and crucial if future negotiations with the Maoists are to make any headway. the Maoists broke down. Experience has shown that the main parties have different views on It could have been different. In June, a new government came to reform; harmonizing their position before any peace talks therefore is office promising peace and stability. Sher Bahadur Deuba, who had paramount. But first the international community should make clear to the been dismissed by King Gyanendra in October 2002, was reinstated by Maoists that they cannot return to the tactic of blockading Kathmandu or the monarch to quiet political any other part of the kingdom. protests and resolve the con- The Maoists may believe the flict. The prime minister had a past week has achieved their good start, managing to bring minimum objective—to show together four major parties in that the government is not in his governing coalition and, control of the highways—but crucially, lend his government their threat to reapply the a broad appeal. blockade in a month must be But nearly three months condemned internationally. later, that hope is dissipating, Such a message should hit as the coalition partners pub- home, given the rebels’ de- licly bicker about whether or sire for international accep- not to hold peace talks with tance. the Maoists. For their part, the Earlier this month, Maoists have consistently said UNICEF Deputy Director Kul they are in favor of talks but Chandra Gautam, speaking only under U.N. auspices and in his personal capacity as a only if the government agrees to their minimum demand of holding Nepali citizen, struck the right note when he called for the government elections to a constituent assembly to write a new constitution. to accept U.N. involvement before it is too late. There is no reason why In the meantime, the grim conflict continues. The rebels’ hit-and-run our neighbors should block such attempts because resolving the con- tactics have succeeded in stretching thin the Royal Nepal Army. The flict peacefully is in their interests too. Most government officials here blockade intensified that pressure, as Army and paramilitary units were fear that U.N. involvement means instant recognition for the Maoists. reassigned to defend the two main highways that link Kathmandu to the Gautam made it clear that it wasn’t the case. The international com- outside world. The civilian population, of course, continues to endure the munity, therefore, must say in no uncertain terms that Maoist threats to greatest suffering. The rebels have forcibly indoctrinated thousands of re-impose blockades is entirely inconsistent with their desire for U.N. school children and teachers, and have lately been targeting joint-ven- role in talks, and that international involvement also depends on im- ture industries and journalists. provements in the Maoists’ respect for human rights. Under such circumstances, it is easy to forget that the warring sides If this point could be hammered home to the Maoists, and if all do actually have some common ground on which to build peace. The political parties are united on a common constitutional agenda, then idea of a constituent assembly, long an anathema to most political there is a real possibility of breaking the political roadblock that keeps groups, has now by and large been accepted by the main parties. But Nepal mired in conflict. the Palace is still reluctant, fearing that a new constitution would restrict [email protected] nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 11 Comfortable, Safe &R eliable

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lies have left the village. The came after the Special Security dacoits raped the women because Bureau carried out the search they did not find valuable goods operation. The Indian police had in the houses, according to the intensified their search opera- victims. The victims were gang- tions based on information that raped in front of their husbands armed people in combat fatigues and parents, reports said. Babaita were active in the area. Addi- Devi from a village in neighbor- tional paramilitary forces have ing Dainiya VDC was murdered been deployed following the after she was raped. discovery, the daily said.

DAMAGE CONTROL: Tourism entrepreneurs say Nepal’s problems have been Arrest Wagle Talk team exaggerated by the media, both domestic and foreign The Special Court sent a written The Maoist-aligned student Maoist warning Dekendra Raj Thapa to his fam- order to the Kathmandu District body, the ANNISU-R formed The CPN-Maoist has called on ily, to provide compensation to Court to arrest and confiscate the a four-member team for talks the Chief Election Commis- his family and take action against property of Chiranjivi Wagle, with the government. The com- sioner Keshav Raj Rajbhandari, those involved in the murder of who was convicted on charges of mittee comprises central secre- and four other commissioners at Thapa. It has asked the Maoists corruption on July 22. The court tariat members Ramesh Malla the Election Commission, to re- to make public whereabouts of sentenced Wagle to two and half and Shivaram Yadhav, Office sign from their posts within the abducted journalists Dhan years in prison and imposed a fine Secretary Suresh Gautam and next four days or face “serious Bahadur Magar, Kul Bahadur of Rs. 27.2 million on him. Offi- General Secretary Himal consequences.” Maoist leader Malla and Parej Raj Shahi. The cials at the Kathmandu District Sharma. Sharma is alleged to be Prabhakiran and the commander FNJ has threatened to boycott Court have reportedly started col- in Army custody. The students of the Maoist special task force Maoist-related news if the de- lecting details concerning Wagle’s said they would sit for talks after for the Valley, who goes by the mands were not met within the property to be sent to the Rev- consultation with other student name Bhisan, have accused the specified date. enue Department. The unions. The government said it Election Commission of “plot- Kathmandu District Court has had not received confirmation ting to organize elections” in the Rapist dacoits also sent an official letter to Wagle from the Maoists on the ap- country. The latest Maoist threat Dacoits from neighboring Indian informing him of the Special pointment of a talks team. came a day after they called off villages are reported to have raped Court’s final verdict. their blockade of the Valley. at least a dozen women in TU quotas Harchagadi, Morang, 25 kilo- Maoist camp Tribhuvan University an- Gurkha compensation meters east of Biratnagar. The Police in the Indian state of nounced reservation quotas for The British government has women reported the incident at Uttaranchal found a Maoist women, dalits and ethnic stu- compensated 101 ex-Gurkhas the local police post. Among the training camp in a forest near dents. The university said 20 per- who were held as prisoners of victims, six were married women Chorgaliya and Hanspur in cent quotas will be made avail- war by the Japanese during the aged 27 to 35 years, while the Nainital district during a search able for women, 15 percent for Second World War. Two years rest were unmarried girls be- operation, reported Dainik dalits and 10 percent for students ago, a British court had ordered tween 15 to 18. Some 25 fami- Jagaran, an Indian daily. The find from ethnic communities. the British government to pay compensation of 10,000 pounds to each prisoner of war. The were raided, and 24 Nepali passports were recov- Kathmandu office of the Far No to Kuwait ered. In related news, the Iraqi interim govern- East Prisoners of War has received ment arrested 14 Nepalis for entering Iraq ille- 1,400 applications for the com- gally. pensation. The office will remain he government temporarily suspended in Kathmandu until 2005, by work permits for Kuwait and Jordan. The Tmove comes after militants abducted 13 which time all eligible claimants must apply for compensations. Nepalis in Iraq. A large number of Nepalis have entered Iraq through Kuwait and Jordan. After FNJ ultimatum the hostage crisis, the Jordanian government has The Federation of Nepalese dissolved the Amman-based employment agency Journalists has given a seven-day Morning Star Company, which was responsible ultimatum until August 31 to for sending the 13 Nepalis to work in Iraq. Mean- Maoist leaders to make public while, police in Kathmandu have arrested six per- their stand on press freedom. It sons from two employment agencies for sending has also asked the Maoists to workers illegally to Iraq. Offices of Quick Man- hand over the body of journalist power Agency and Pioneer Manpower Agency

14 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Blockade off growing pressure from air trans- Refugees critical gust 26.The strike was called The Maoist “district chiefs” of port entrepreneurs on the Min- Bhutanese refugees in Jhapa and against the Department of Trans- Dhading, Nuwakot, Rauswa, istry for Tourism and Civil Avia- Morang criticized the Bhutanese port Management’s decision to Sindhupalchowk and tion to increase the airfare. The government’s campaign to dis- issue permits to light vehicles on Makawanpur said they were airlines said that they had been tribute new citizenship certifi- the hill routes. Entrepreneurs said postponing the Valley’s blockade operating at a loss since the in- cates to its nationals. They said that the permits were a complete for a month. They said that the crease in the price of aviation the new citizenship campaign violation of established regula- blockade was called off after re- fuel. The airlines have been de- was yet another plot to make tions. Over 500 buses are expected quests from the civil society, po- manding an increase of Rs. 200 them “non-Bhutanese” after to remain off the roads. litical parties and intellectuals. In for flights whose flight time is their repatriation. The another development, the less than an hour and Rs. 300 on Bhutanese government started NC supremo Maoist trade union said the ban longer flights. issuing new citizenship identity President of Nepali Con- and 12 businesses in the Valley cards from August 20. gress Girija Prasad Koirala will remain. They have also or- VDC resignations was stopped from boarding a dered all businesses with U.S. Fifty-one secretaries of Parbat’s Lever bombing flight to Bhairahwa by secu- investments to close. village development committees Maoist rebels detonated three rity personnel at the resigned en masse citing secu- bombs simultaneously at the Kathmandu airport. The Int’l intervention rity reasons. The Maoists had main factory of Nepal Lever Army spokesman, Rajendra The Asian Human Rights accused them of misusing the Limited, a major Nepal-India Bahadur Thapa, said that the Commission said that immedi- VDC budgets and ordered them joint venture company, at former prime minister had ate international intervention is to resign. The secretaries collec- Basamadi in Hetauda. A group not informed the security needed to avoid a humanitarian tively handed their resignation of armed rebels took control of personnel of his trip. He de- catastrophe in Nepal. The Hong to the local development officer the security guards at the fac- nied any misbehavior on the Kong-based organization said and board chairman of the dis- tory before setting off the bombs, part of the security person- that the situation of law and or- trict development committee, reports said. The details of the nel and said he regretted the der and internal security is dete- reports said. The resignation has loss were not available by the incident. The NC spokes- riorating, reflecting govern- caused a lot of inconvenience for time we went to press. The In- man Arjun Narsingh K. C. ment’s inability to ensure safety the people in Parbat. Such ad- dian Embassy has condemned denounced the move. The and security for its people. Urg- ministrative works as verification the attack and demanded actions government has formed a ing the international commu- of family relations, recommen- against those responsible. five-member committee un- nity to condemn the killing of dations for the citizenship, de- der Medini Prasad Sharma, civilians by both sides to the con- tails of elderly allowance, mar- Transport strike joint secretary at the Minis- flict, the Maoists and the gov- riage registration, and birth and Transport entrepreneurs in the try of Culture, Tourism and ernment forces, the commission death registrations have come to Eastern region have called an in- Civil Aviation, to investigate said the international commu- a halt. definite strike starting from Au- the incident. nity should consider current events as a sign of warning and intervene to encourage both sides to head for peace talks.

Women’s varsity To raise funds for the establish- ment of a women’s university, Padmakanya Multiple Campus organized a Srimadbhagawat Mahayagya. The 53-year-old campus hopes to raise over Rs.100 million from the pro- gram. The campus was able to collect more than Rs.1.1 million on its first day. The Mahayagya runs for seven days.

More fare The Civil Aviation Authority has recommended a seven per- cent increase in airfares. The recommendation comes amid nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 15 Biz Buzz

technology comes into effect, telephone ser- vices improve in quality, and 10,000 custom- ers will be able to call overseas simultaneously. The technology is already in use in Kathmandu and Biratnagar on a trial basis. The total cost of installing optical fiber is Rs. 1.74 billion out of which Rs. 1.34 billion was provided as assis- tance by the Indian government the rest was met by Nepal Telecom. The next phase will cover the Lamahi-Kanchanpur segment. HULAS MUSTANG VANS LAUNCHED Hulas Motors, the only auto manufacturer in different sizes the country, started commercial sales of its four- (14’, 20’, 21’, 25’ and 29’). They have wheel pick-up vans. The new Mustang models been manufactured with technical assistance were unveiled at a function organized by the from Sanyo, a popular Japanese brand. They Morang Trade Association. According to are equipped with quadra point focus, white Surendra Golchha, managing director of Hulas SURE HOME PREGNANCY TEST KIT tone and plug and play features, 100 channel Motors, the Nepal-made vans are capable of Population Services International Nepal has settings and 150-watt sound system. Accord- carrying 25 percent more load than Indian- launched the Sure Home Pregnancy Test Kit. ing to Mr. Rajendra Jaiswal, proprietor of Jaiswal made vans. Sure is a discrete, reliable and easy-to-use Enterprises, BPL televisions meet the standard home pregnancy test kit that provides quick of Sanyo electronic goods. COUNTRY CRACKER results. Sure is affordable at Rs. 20 and is Quality Biscuit Company recently launched available in selected medical outlets as well as BEAUTI AND BOUTIKA-2004 Country Cracker, a low-calorie, sugar-free bis- some general stores. Population Services In- TO AWARD MR. INNOVATIVE cuit with high fiber content and rich in vitamins. ternational Nepal is a non-profit organization The Beauti and Boutika-2004 program sched- The biscuit is ideal for people suffering from working in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, uled to be held on September 9-13 at the diabetes and also suitable for people with high maternal child health and family planning. Birendra International Convention Centre will blood pressure because of its low salt content. Marketing home pregnancy test kit not only include the Mr. Innovative 2004 contest, as encourages women to detect pregnancy early, part of the exhibition. A man between the NATIONAL HYDRO POWER SHARES but also allows women the much needed op- age of 16 and 30 will be selected as Mr. National Hydro Power Company recently an- tion of consulting a physician for pre-natal care Innovative, based on a set of questions asked nounced the flotation of shares worth Rs. if they are pregnant, thereby increasing their during the final round. Out of the 40-50 en- 140 million at the rate of Rs.100 per share. chances of having a healthy pregnancy and tries each day, two will be selected. Among Of the total shares, 70,000 shares will be birth. Sure is also an ideal “gateway product” the final eight entries, one lucky winner will reserved for NHPC employees and the re- for consumers, especially women, to find out be selected as Mr. Innovative. He will win maining 1,330,000 shares will be made more information on available family planning prizes worth Rs. 10,000 in cash and six available for the public. NHPC was estab- methods, with the aim of encouraging increased months of free haircuts. lished in 1996 by N.B. Group to develop small contraceptive use as appropriate. and medium size hydropower projects. PHONE SERVICE WITH Indrawati III was one of the first to be con- BPL TV IN MARKET OPTICAL FIBER structed by the company. It has a capacity of BPL televisions have been introduced in the The installation of optical fiber cable between 7.5MW and produces 51 million kilowatt- Nepali market by Jaiswal Enterprises, the offi- Bhadrapur in the eastern Mechi district to hours of electricity in a normal year. cial seller and distributor of the television sets Lamahi in Rapti district in in the country. BPL TVs are available in five the West under the East- West Highway has been completed. Optical fiber lines have been installed along 900 kilometers from Bhadrapur to Lamahi at a depth of one and a half meters. This technol- ogy is more dependable that traditional telephone lines. According to Nepal Telecom, once the new

16 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Milestone Yeti Airlines Lost Proposed Revised Flight Schedule (Covering remote sectors) Effective from 25 JUN-15 SEP’04 Sangina Vaidya—Nepal’s best Olympic hope to date—never made it beyond the first round in Athens. Her defeat came against Shih Hsin Chen From To Flight Days of Dep. Arr. Rupee Dollar Remarks of the Chinese Taipei, who later went on to win N1o. Operation Time Time Tariff Tariff the gold in the flyweight (under 49kg) category. One way One way The Taiwanese thrashed the Nepal’s lone star 4- Kathmandu Lukla YA 111 Daily 0630 0705 1665 91 DHC-6/300 0. While Sangina’s loss to the Asian champ was Lukla YA 101 Daily 0635 0710 1665 91 DHC-6/300 hardly a shock, she failed to make any headway Lukla YA107 Daily 0810 0845 1665 91 DHC-6/300 Lukla YA113 1,2,3,4,5,7 0815 0850 1665 91 DHC-6/300 in the battle for bronze: She was again knocked Rumjatar YA 221 2,4,7 0950 1025 1245 61 DHC-6/300 out in the first round by the Cambodian, Mora Phaplu YA 181 1,3,5 0955 1030 1480 85 DHC-6/300 Romero Gladys Alicia, who defeated her 5-1. Manang YA 601 6 0815 0915 2995 122 DHC-6/300 A lot was expected of the Bruce Lee fan. Simara YA 147 Daily 1135 1200 970 55 DHC-6/300 Simara YA 141 Daily 1300 1325 970 55 DHC-6/300 With 18 medals, including 15 golds and a sil- Simara YA 143 Daily 1430 1455 970 55 DHC-6/300 ver in South Asian championships, she is cer- Bharatpur YA 173 Daily 1115 1140 1160 61 DHC-6/300 tainly South Asia’s undisputed taekwondo Bharatpur YA 175 Daily 1400 1425 1160 61 DHC-6/300 queen. She has golds in the last two SAF Biratnagar YA 151 Daily 0700 0740 2585 85 SAAB 340B Biratnagar YA 153 Daily 1040 1120 2585 85 SAAB 340B Games. She also brought home a gold from Biratnagar YA 155 Daily 1620 1700 2585 85 SAAB 340B the 12th Asian Taekwondo Championships held Pokhara YA 131 Daily 0905 0930 1710 67 SAAB 340B in Australia in 1996. She confirmed her place Pokhara YA 135 Daily 1530 1555 1710 67 SAAB 340B in the Athens Games and in Nepal’s sporting Bhadrapur YA 121 Daily 1200 1250 2950 109 SAAB 340B Nepalgunj YA 177 Daily 1245 1345 3500 109 SAAB 340B history when she finished third in the flyweight Bhairahawa YA 163 Daily 1425 1500 2220 79 SAAB 340B category at the Asian Taekwondo Qualification Biratnagar Kathmandu YA 152 Daily 0800 0840 2585 85 SAAB 340B Tournament in Bangkok in February. Biratnagar Kathmandu YA 154 Daily 1140 1220 2585 85 SAAB 340B Although she started with wushu in her early Biratnagar Kathmandu YA 156 Daily 1720 1800 2585 85 SAAB 340B Pokhara Kathmandu YA 132 Daily 0950 1015 1710 67 SAAB 340B teens, Sangina soon decided it was going to be Pokhara Kathmandu YA 136 Daily 1615 1640 1710 67 SAAB 340B taekwondo. And taekwondo it was all the way. Bhadrapur Kathmandu YA 122 Daily 1310 1400 2950 109 SAAB 340B Early this year, the 29-year-old was named Nepalgunj Kathmandu YA 178 Daily 1405 1505 3500 109 SAAB 340B Player of the Year by Nepal Sports Journalists’ Bhairahawa Kathmandu YA 164 Daily 1520 1555 2220 79 SAAB 340B Lukla Kathmandu YA 112 Daily 0720 0755 1665 91 DHC-6/300 Forum. She was also awarded the prestigious Kathmandu YA 102 Daily 0725 0800 1665 91 DHC-6/300 Trishakti Patta. Kathmandu YA 108 Daily 0900 0935 1665 91 DHC-6/300 With her loss, Nepal’s dream of an elusive Kathmandu YA 114 1,2,3,4,5,7 0905 0940 1665 91 DHC-6/300 Olympic win has to wait for another four years. Rumjatar Kathmandu YA 222 2,4,7 1040 1115 1245 79 DHC-6/300 Phaplu Kathmandu YA 1821,3,5 1045 1120 1480 85 DHC-6/300 “I might retire after the Olympics,” Sangina had Manang Kathmandu YA 6026 0930 1030 2995 122 DHC-6/300 said before she left for the Olympics. It now Simara Kathmandu YA 148 Daily 1215 1240 970 55 DHC-6/300 remains to be seen where she will go from here. Simara Kathmandu YA142Daily 1340 1405 970 55 DHC-6/300 Despite her loss, however, she will be an inspi- Simara Kathmandu YA144 Daily 1510 1535 970 55 DHC-6/300 Bharatpur Kathmandu YA 174 Daily 1155 1220 1160 61 DHC-6/300 ration for a new generation of Nepali athletes. Bharatpur Kathmandu YA 176 Daily 1440 1505 1160 61 DHC-6/300 Her records outside Nepal speak for her. Nepalgunj Dolpa YA 717 1 0630 0715 1315 85 DHC-6/300 Simikot YA 711 4 0630 0730 1800 96 DHC-6/300 nw/SS Dolpa Nepalgunj YA 718 1 0730 0815 1315 85 DHC-6/300 Simikot Nepalgunj YA 7124 0745 0845 1800 96 DHC-6/300 Surkhet Jumla YA 713 2 0705 0740 970 63 DHC-6/300 Rara YA 715 3 0705 0745 1800 96 DHC-6/300 Jumla Sutkhet YA 714 2 0755 0830 970 63 DHC-6/300 Rara Surkhet YA 716 3 0800 0845 1800 96 DHC-6/300

Monday 1, Tuesday 2, Wednesday 3, Thursday 4, Friday 5, Saturday 6, Sunday 7

n Subject to change without prior notice.

Corporate Office: Reservations: Tribhuvan Airport Office: Lazimpat, Kathmandu 4421215 (Hunt. Line) 4493901, 4493428 Ph. No. 4411912 (Hunt. Line) Fax: 977-1-4420766 Fax: 977-1-4420766 Email: [email protected] nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 17 Iraq Saga FORBIDDEN FRUIT

The story behind the first large-scale abduction of Nepalis in Iraq is unfolding. The time has come for the government to regulate the Iraqi market and start cracking down on culprits.

BY JOHN NARAYAN PARAJULI Nepal’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed “As far as the militants are concerned, 12 abductions. The Amman-based re- the Nepalis are being taken hostage for AR AWAY FROM HOME, THERE cruiting company, Morning Star, had specific reasons,” says Bishnu Rimal, vice is another killing field waiting for subcontracted 67 Nepalis to work in chairperson of the General Federation of FNepalis. Most seem happy to go, Iraq—out of which 12 have been ab- Nepalese Trade Unions. The Iraqi mili- even if it requires a bit of self-deception ducted. tants increasingly see the Nepalis in Iraq and the willingness to turn a blind eye to Details are still sketchy, but a mili- as mercenaries working for the British and the lies of the crooked agents and tant group, the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, the Americans, he adds, claiming that a middlemen. Three Nepalis have already has shown pictures of Nepali hostages growing number of Nepalis are working lost their lives in Iraq, one in Basra and on its website. It’s hard to speculate for American and British security compa- two in Baghdad in the past few months. why the militants have targeted the nies based in Iraq. The number of Nepalis Another succumbed to jaundice in Nepalis until the Nepal government caught in the Iraqi quagmire is rising, but Mumbai, en-route to Iraq this month. establishes a clear communication of none of the culprits behind the rackets that “We don’t know who took my son to line with them. But militants have said get them there have been nailed. Iraq,” says Jit Bahadur Khadka, father of they want to set an “example to all the But who is the culprit? Government Ramesh Khadka, who was abducted with collaborators of American and other officials say they cannot be blamed as the 11 other Nepalis on August 19. “I appeal imperialist forces and to those com- hostages crossed into Iraq illegally, to the kidnappers to release my son and bating Islam.” In a vaguely-worded though they admit they have moral re- other Nepalis,” pleads Khadka’s mother, charge, the Iraqi militants accuse the sponsibility to do their best to free the Radha in grief. But Ramesh is not the Nepalis of supporting the American hostages. By all indications, the employ- only one. “infidels” in their crusade against Iraq ment agencies were willing to go far to As many as 23 Nepalis could have been but everyone is at a loss to explain why cash in on the Nepalis’ desperate search kidnapped in Iraq in August, according Nepalis, neither citizens of a power- for employment. The employment agen- to a government official. Fourteen oth- ful country nor with any established cies say the government is responsible ers have been arrested by the Iraqi gov- connections with “the American infi- as much as the agencies. There are alle- ernment for illegally entering Iraq. dels,” have been targeted. gations that some labor officials maybe hand in glove with the culprits. Many NOT ME: Moonlight smell foul play behind the government Consultancy’s director K. B. Rana talking to Radha Khadka, reluctance to take action against Moon- mother of an abductee light Consultancy, the employment agency that’s responsible for sending the abductees to Jordan. Officials avoid di- rectly commenting on whether they would take actions against the operators of Moonlight Consultancy. “We have formed a committee to probe the incident,” says an official, in- sisting that the government would take action only after the probe is complete. The director of Moonlight Consultancy, K.B. Rana, confirmed nine names out of 12 as having gone through his agency, but he denied that he or his firm had anything to do with workers going to Iraq. Here in Nepal, police raided offices of two recruiting agencies

18 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly have assured the family that they are doing all they can to free State of Shock Ramesh. Neighbor Sudarshan Dottel says, “We are really surprised by BY SHUSHAM SHRESTHA ing milk to the local dairy and the Morning Star employment the charges against the Nepalis IN LELE, LALITPUR working in the fields. Khadka says agency, says the Nepalis were abducted in Iraq. They had gone the family had taken a Rs. hired to work there but like “every- to work in Jordan as cooks at a n a humble house on a gravel 150,000 loan in belief that his one who comes to Jordan,” they hotel. I think they have been road, the family of 19-year-old son was heading to Jordan. The heard of higher paying jobs in Iraq framed.” Nepal had declined U.S. I sum is a fortune for the family, he and decided to try their luck. requests to send troops to Iraq, Ramesh Khadka is wondering why an Islamic militant group in far- says. He recalls his son saying, The family last heard from saying its army had its hands full away Iraq would hold him hostage. “Since things are not looking up Ramesh a month ago when he with the Maoists. Ramesh’s father, 55-year-old in Nepal, why not go abroad to called from Jordan to say that he (Shrestha writes for AFP, the Jit Bahadur Khadka, holds onto a make some money? was still without work. “He is not French news agency.) picture posted on an Islamist “I don’t understand why and even politically moti- website and repeatedly repro- how Ramesh got into Iraq in the vated, let alone [inter- duced in newspapers that shows first place,” says his 23-year-old ested in] helping a for- his son demurely holding his pass- brother, Sudarshan Khadka. “His eign country’s army in port in front of the militants’ ban- employment company in a foreign land,” ner. “All we can do is pray for his Kathmandu had said he would be Sudarshan Khadka safety and his safe return,” says going to Jordan to work as a cook adds. the father, who is in tears. at a hotel in Amman, as he had Bishnu Khadka, The government has appealed trained as a cook in Kathmandu.” Ramesh’s 16-year- for the release of the 12 Nepalis Sudarshan says his brother’s em- old sister, says the abducted but says it has no inde- ployment company in Kathmandu family first heard pendent information on their had promised that he would be about his situation whereabouts. able to earn at least $400 a while watching televi- Ramesh is one of five chil- month. sion Sunday evening. dren, four sons and a daughter. In Amman, Haytham Officials at the labor The family survives in Lele by sell- Mohammad, assistant manager of and foreign ministries Rok Elliot/AFP

who were reportedly taking interviews KDP Deputy Prime Minister Sami DISBELIEF: Jit Bahadur to send Nepalis to Iraq. The police took Abdul Rahman and KDP Minister of Khadka into custody the operators of Quick and Agriculture Saad Abdullah. Pioneer Manpower Agency days after Iraq is rapidly becoming an eyesore their money, they have nowhere to go. militants kidnapped Nepalis in Iraq. for the Nepali government. The govern- Some women job seekers have started This is the second kidnapping inci- ment has long banned Iraq as a labor des- taking odd jobs in Mumbai, and some dent involving Nepalis in Iraq. In April tination for Nepalis, but hundreds of even have reportedly taken to prostitu- one Nepali was kidnapped along with Nepalis are bypassing the official pro- tion in a city notorious for its red-light two Turks and two Indians. The Army hibition to reach this forbidden desti- districts. Reports coming from Mumbai of Ansar al-Sunna, kidnappers of Nepalis nation. “There has been repeated over- say some 2,500 of those stranded there hostages, is a dangerous outfit, believed sight from the government officials too,” have been rescued and sent back home to be an offshoot of Ansar al-Islam, “De- says Dan Bahadur Tamang, former presi- with the help of local NGOs. fenders of Islam,” a group with ties to al- dent of the Federation of Foreign Em- The Iraq issue is increasingly becom- Qaeda. The group has been involved in ployment Agencies Association. Not just ing problematic both for the government killings of civilians including Iraqi “col- oversight there has been gross negligence and the recruiting agencies. It’s a test of laborators,” Canadians and Britons. on the part of the government. The their commitment to the people who The Army of Ansar Al-Sunna staged a shocking tale of Nepalis stranded in have been and are being tricked to collect high-profile attack in February this year Mumbai is a testimony to it. the forbidden fruit in former when it struck the offices of two promi- Thousands of Iraq-bound Nepalis Mesopotamia, where legend says the Gar- nent Kurdish political parties. Suicide are stranded in Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, den of Eden once existed. The govern- bombers entered the PUK and KDP Kuwait and Jordan. Sujit Mahat has re- ment needs to regulate the Iraqi market headquarters in Erbil, Kurdistan, an au- portedly died of jaundice while waiting and start cracking down on unscrupulous tonomous Kurdish enclave in the north for his visa to go to Iraq. Most of the job agents and fly-by-night companies who of Iraq, and detonated bombs simulta- seekers took loans or sold property to are devising fraudulent ways to break the neously, killing 109 people, including go to Iraq. Now that the touts have taken law under the government’s very nose. nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 19 BUNGLEDBUNGLED BLOCKADEBLOCKADE

The blockade failed because BY JOHN NARAYAN PARAJULI week. “We are calling it off on the re- quest of the civil society and human most people ignored it. That’s FTER TRYING THE rights activists ,” the statement said. hardly a resounding victory nerves of Valley’s resi- That surely must have been an excuse dents for a week, the to pull out from an action that most for the government, but it Maoists finally called people had ignored and that was about may be enough of a blow to off—postponed, in to backfire. By the time the blockade their terms—their in- was called off last Tuesday, the Maoists the Maoists to edge them to- Adefinite blockade of knew they had antagonized quite a large ward the negotiating table. So the capital. A statement issued by their section of the Valley’s residents. Civil “district government chiefs” had society leaders were angry; the media the civil society hopes. grown mellower in the intervening was livid.

20 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Cover Story

Karki, president of the NGO Federation. And there are reasons to believe that the Maoists still care about how the civil so- ciety responds to them. It is perhaps be- cause the civil society still recognizes them as a political force and it holds the key to their legitimacy. The media played a crucial role in telling the Maoists that the blockade was a very unpopular deci- sion. And for once, the government and the media seemed to have made peace. “The media coverage helped in belittling the blockade,” says Army spokesman Rajendra Bahadur Thapa. Analysts now say the Maoists made a hasty move in announcing the blockade in the first place and completely mis- read the mood of the Valley’s residents. But it was always going to be difficult to close down the country’s nerve center. Kathmandu, after all, is both the country’s economic and political hub and the state was bound to go to great lengths to keep the highways open. The Maoists must have held high hopes, though. The blockade called by their “district governments” in Dhading, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Makwanpur and Sindhupalchowk had the full blessings of their central leadership. Analysts say they were testing the Kathmandu waters, the seat of the “reactionary” government, before launching their “final offensive.” The officials describe it as their “endgame,” their last shot to bring the government to its knees. “The Maoists are trying to exploit the fear of banda that is deeply rooted in people’s psyche,” says the Army spokesman Thapa. They had hoped to attain much more, he says. Independent observers say the block- ade had several objectives. The first was psychological. The Maoists wanted to prove that they had attained more than a “strategic equilibrium” and that they were capable of taking on the state’s security “The blockade collapsed due to two “The blockade was more a psycho- apparatus head on. “The Maoists wanted reasons,” says Minendra Rijal, spokes- logical tactic,” says Krishna Pahadi, a hu- to make their presence felt without fir- man for NC-D, the prime minister’s man rights worker. The Maoists never ing a single shot,” says Narayan Wagle, party. “First, it never enjoyed popular manned the highways to ensure the strict editor of Kantipur. It ended up, at best, as support, and second, the Maoists just implementation of their decree in a mili- a mixed blessing for them, he says. don’t have the resources to sustain an tary sense. It was more to see if their That’s not how the officials view the indefinite blockade.” The Maoists were whip would override the government’s blockade and its aftermath. A senior certainly not hoping to beat the 30,000 presence in the Valley. Army official says that the security forces security personnel manning the Valley. There is every reason to believe that didn’t encounter a single Maoist along They attempted to create a virtual block- pressure from civil society forced the the highways for all seven days of the ade for other reasons, say civil society Maoists on the back foot. “It’s a success blockade. The Maoists will now have to leaders. of sorts for the civil society,” says Arjun redraw their strategy if and when the nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 21 Cover Story

within a state, something ‘No Military Solution that the Maoists badly want—again according to the critics? To The Conflict’ We simply don’t see it that way at all. There needs to be some form of peace process. For such he United Nations Resident First, we are very con- even if it’s be- talks to be going anywhere, the TRepresentative Matthew cerned about the situ- cause of the two sides should talk to each Kahane spoke with Akhilesh ation in the country. blockade. But the other seriously. That’s not an is- Upadhyay about the U.N. role in Daily loss of lives of all way they have sue of conferring legitimacy. Nepal’s conflict. sections of the popu- presented the turn lation. Frequent clo- of events doesn’t What’s the U.N. track record as What is the U.N. position on me- sures of schools, col- quite reflect the mediator/facilitator in conflict diation/facilitation in Nepal’s leges, bandas, and situation on the situations? conflict? now the blockade. ground. Nepalis As varied as the conflicts have The position of the secretary Second, this is a war have been very re- been. I can talk about the situa- general is that his good offices and there has been a great deal silient in dealing with the situation. tion in Tajikistan with some author- are always available for facilita- of military buildup. It could be dif- ity since I was there. The mecha- tion. The secretary general is will- ficult to get the opposing sides into There is a feeling here among nism put in place through United ing to meet various actors in a peace process because they a section of the society that Nations allowed the parties to Nepal’s conflict should the state mutually feel stronger about the that the international com- come together. wish so. conflict because they have built munity now views that it’s up strong feelings about the con- endgame in Nepal and that Lately, a lot has been mentioned How best can the United Na- flict. This is a political conflict and the country could be better here about the South African ex- tions do that? can only be solved with the Nepali served by an intervention of perience? To begin with, we can help the par- parties coming together. some sorts? The authorities in South Africa recog- ties in the conflict meet without No. That’s not the case. There’s no nized Nelson Mandela and they had putting up formal preconditions. This Has Nepal’s plight drawn military solution to the conflict. The to deal with him. Mandela and F. W. could be quiet preparatory talks. enough attention of the inter- United Nations however could help de Clerk had the stature and moral national community? if the government and all sides agree. authority in front of their people. There are speculations that some What has intrigued us is that the of that is already underway? mainstream international media The overriding fear among Does Nepal have Mandela and I am not aware of that. has neglected Nepal for months the critics of U.N. partici- de Clerk to deal with the cur- and months on end. I am de- pation is that its involve- rent situation? How does the United Nations lighted to see much more of in- ment will legitimize the ex- That’s for the Nepalis to de- view the situation in Nepal? ternational coverage of Nepal istence of two states cide.

blockade resumes—in a month if their the press secretary at the Indian Embassy South Bloc to discuss the contingency demands are not met, according to the in Kathmandu, Sanjay Verma, denied plan, many in Kathmandu believe the in- Maoist statement last week. media reports that JN Dixit, the Indian formation may have been deliberately Secondly, the Maoists wanted to raise national security advisor, had convened leaked and later denied. “The Maoists the morale of their war-weary fighters. a meeting of the security chiefs in the will have to be blamed for taking the The argument is that the Maoists, over country this far,” says Pahadi. OFFICIAL the years, have kept their ranks motivated LINE: The Political instability and security situ- more from the talk of their military Army ation are likely to top the agenda during offensives than by the military offensives believes Prime Minister Deuba’s visit to New the media themselves. The third objective was to helped Delhi slated for September 8-11. send a message to the international com- belittle the The blockade may have gained the blockade munity that Nepal is a failed state, and Maoists some propaganda value among that the Maoists are capable of doing any- the cadres, but the message to the inter- thing, including suffocating the capital. national community may have backfired: Analysts believe that a prolonged The last thing the ulta-nationalistic siege, even a virtual one, would send Maoists want is foreign involvement. Nepal’s friends into a state of panic. And the blockade failed to impress resi- Many say the Indian contingency plan to dents of the Valley. In trying to strangle airdrop supplies to Kathmandu was a the capital by blocking its supply life- clear hint of Indian concerns. Although lines, the Maoists are employing the

22 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Cover Story

BLOCKADE: It’s over for now, but the Maoists have threatened to be back

same tactics as the king they say they loathe most, Prithivi Narayan Shah. Once the Maoists mocked his tactics as “feudalistic.” Last week they were emu- lating his campaign. There is a huge gap between what they say and do. The press has turned away from the Maoists since the killing of journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa. To many in the media, the blockade was just another in- strument for the Maoists to push for their core demands one last time before the peace process gets underway: U. N. mediation and a constituent assembly. “It was a clear shift in Maoist tactics,” says KEEP MOVING: The public face of a banda Kantipur’s Wagle. The Maoists were try- ing to pressure the government without asked to step in now. “If Nepal can take The last two peace process could possi- a large-scale bloodbath—a clear shift help from the international community bly have been salvaged in the presence from tactics of mere killing and violence. for development, in procuring weapons of a credible third party. One Maoist demand that has been and training its armed forces to fight the Activists say U. N. presence is key to consistent is the call for U.N. involve- Maoists, it can very well do so to restore stopping human rights violations, which ment. And even the United Nations be- peace in the country,” he said. then holds the key to creating an envi- lieves that it has a role to play in Nepal, The United Nations remains open ronment congenial for talks. NGO provided that all parties to the conflict about its role in Nepal, say civil society Federation’s Karki believes that the so want. The role could range from fa- leaders who have met U.N. officials, in- United Nations can work in partnership cilitation to active political mediation. cluding the secretary general, Kofi with local institutions to facilitate the Secretary General Kofi Annan’s special Annan. Unlike most countries, the peace process, even if the warring par- envoy, Samuel Tamrat, has been making United Nations is seen as neutral by all ties can’t agree on its active role. frequent forays to Nepal in recent months parties to the conflict. At the end of the “It’s wrong to allege that both the par- and meeting with all kinds of leaders— day, however, the differences have to be ties are not serious about the talks,” says from the civil society and the political sorted out among the Nepali actors, says Karki. “My impression is that they are parties. Kul Chandra Gautam, U. N. As- Matthew Kahane, the U.N. resident rep- doing serious homework to broker a sistant Secretary General who was in resentative in Nepal. But the presence peace.” It remains to be seen whether town recently, gave a well-rounded argu- of an objective third party could sig the failed blockade will hasten the elu- ment on why United Nations should be nificantly narrow down the differences. sive peace process. nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 23 Conflict SCARY BUSINESS

The Maoist ban on businesses with U.S. investments has their shareholders, in hopes they sent the business community into a tailspin. There is wouldn’t become the next Maoist tar- gets. Bottlers Nepal, which produces massive confusion on the ground. the famous U.S. brand Coca-Cola, said that U.S. investors no longer hold any BY SATISH JUNG SHAHI a potential Maoist target.” President of stakes in the company. U.S. investors the umbrella organization of industries, had sold off their 98 percent share in HE MAOIST-ALIGNED ALL the Federation of Nepalese Chambers the company to a South African com- Nepal Trade Union Federation’s of Commerce and Industries, Binod pany, SABCO. A group of shareholders, Tdemand on August 27, Friday, Bahadur Shrestha said he wasn’t ready all Nepalis, owns the remaining two for the closure of all businesses with for comments and was “following the percent and also controls 92 percent of U.S. investments has confused the busi- developments closely.” Very similar its subsidiary in Bharatpur. The Nepali ness community. Many businesspeople were responses from other business lead- public owns the remaining shares. are plain nervous over the topic of ers. But it is still unclear how the Maoists whether their companies fall under the The Soaltee Crowne Plaza Hotel, will treat Surya Tobacco. One of the Maoist rule while others just don’t know one among the 12 businesses ordered company’s shareholders is British- what to make of it. by the Maoists earlier to shut down, had American Tobacco Company, which The Maoists’ earlier call for the clo- contacted its employees verbally to re- does have U.S. investments. “It is diffi- sure of 12 businesses, including the sume services starting August 28, Sat- cult to distinguish the Americans in most Soaltee Hotel, cited concern for work- urday. The assumption was that since companies,” says GEFONT’s Rimal. “It ers’ exploitation. No such seems the Maoists are concern seems to have only adding political driven this move: Unions color to their protests, doubt that companies and the workers are with U.S. investors are being made the scape- any worse than others. goats.” “If the Maoist move has Rajdhani daily re- to do anything with labor ported on August 28, exploitation then why dif- Saturday that at least 90 ferentiate American from companies in Nepal Nepali, Japanese or any have U.S. investments. other investors?” questions But that doesn’t mean Bishnu Rimal, vice chair- others are safe. The person of GEFONT, the bombing of a factory largest trade union organi- belonging to an Indian zation. “The Maoist move CLOSED DOORS: Soaltee joint venture, Nepal Hotel and 11 other is like saying a black cat businesses remain closed Lever, in Hetauda Fri- would not hunt a mouse day night deepened while a white cat would.” GEFONT has the confusion. A ties to the CPN-UML; the other major there were no U.S. investments in the Maoist statement the same day had asked unions, NTUC and DECONT, are hotel, it was alright to resume opera- businesses without U.S. investments to aligned with the Nepali Congress. All tions. But the hotel management de- resume regular services. The three unions have jointly protested the lat- cided at the last moment that the Maoist unpredictability of the situation is worse est Maoist move and the closure of the 12 statement was still not a clear green light than paying extortion, say businesspeople. businesses since August 17. Thousands of for it to open its doors. “Most businessmen like us were workers are now jobless. The Soaltee Hotel says it has no U.S. asked for money by the Maoists, for our Apart from the job losses, Rimal is investment, but it is not clear whether own safety,” says an industrialist who did concerned which businesses were sub- the Maoists will promote it to the “safe- not want to be named. “But the situation ject to the Maoist order. “The Maoists list,” as there are investments from roy- is turning scarier with the Maoists look- have now forced us to think who the for- alties. ing into the nitty-gritty of our internal eign investors are and the level of their Other companies were quick to ei- workings. That could turn extremely stakes in Nepali companies, and who is ther guard or disclose information about nasty for the entire economy.”

24 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly

Academy nw/SS

ROYAL NO-HOPE ACADEMY

The Royal Nepal Academy is adrift—poorly managed, opinions. Ramesh Bhattarai, who teaches Nepali at TU, says, “Represen- highly politicized, unproductive and expensive. It needs tation from the left has been next to nil.” professionals, not politicians or poets, at the helm. He adds, “Ramesh Vikal is perhaps the only left-leaning writer to be represented BY AJIT BARAL But Minister Shukla resigned before he in the academy.” Women have also been could recommend Sharma’s name to then under-represented. People like Dhakal HE GOVERNMENT LAST WEEK Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa. demand that the academy be made into appointed Basudev Tripathi as Even then, many had thought Sharma an autonomous body. Tvice chancellor of the Royal would be appointed. No one knows why Other academics have started to sug- Nepal Academy. It was a long time com- Tripathi has now been tapped. gest that representatives should be se- ing: The post had remained vacant for It was politics, apparently. The con- lected through elections. “In countries four months after former vice chancel- tinued weight of parties and power play like England, academicians are selected lor, Mohan Koirala, left office in March. in the corridors of the Royal Nepal through elections,” says Bhattarai. Maybe Shortly after Koirala’s departure, a se- Academy doesn’t inspire hope that the we should follow suit. But Dhakal lection committee, comprising artists academy can fulfill its mission to help doesn’t quite agree. He says, “Elections Manoj Babu Mishra, singer Bachhukailash promote art, literature and culture in could be an alternative, but it’s a very Bahadur Basnet, Rastrakavi Madhav Nepal. Novelist Narayan Dhakal says, complicated process. We should focus Ghimire and Tribhuvan University Vice “I am not optimistic that anything good on value systems instead.” Basanta Thapa, Chancellor Govinda Prasad Sharma, had will come out of the Royal Nepal Acad- columnist with Himal Khabarpatrika been formed. The committee was chaired emy. Since 1990 we have been able to and director of Himal Association, says: by the then Minister of Culture, Tourism put our faith in democracy but not in the “It doesn’t matter a fig to me whether and Civil Aviation Sarvendra Nath Shukla. academy.” academicians are elected or appointed. According to a member of the committee, People close to the power centers What matters to me is that the academy the committee had recommended three have always dominated the academy, with should know where its orientation names for the post in this order: Taranath berths and funding going to scholars with should be. And its orientation, I think, Sharma, Tulsi Diwas and Basudev Tripathi. the right connections and the correct should be on research.”

26 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Thapa and his association are one of words that have been adopted into En- sional mismanagement, providing only the few organizations making real ad- glish. As a result the English language a nebulous glimpse of what could be.” vances in social science research. While has expanded a great deal. Thapa says, The appointment of Tripathi doesn’t other fields are advancing, social science “The academy should bring out books provide any indication that the things research in Nepal is falling behind. Yet like encyclopedias that will be impos- will change for the better. Tripathi was the academy rarely gives grants to re- sible for others to bring out.” Referring upbeat about the controversy surround- searchers. It has brought out a social sci- to the “Brihat Paribhasik Sabdokosh,” a ing his appointment: “People come and ence journal. But such poor quality as to dictionary of science, laws and humani- go, but the institution remains. It’s the be laughable, say other academics. Thapa ties brought out by an Indian govern- institution that creates a naya yug, a new says the academy should be funding re- ment commission, he says, “The acad- era. My efforts would be towards that search and confining its publications to emy should publish this kind of book.” end.” The complaints concerning his reference works. “The academy should A common feeling is that the acad- appointment aren’t about his qualifica- not be publishing any other books. Our emy has been unproductive because the tions. Indeed, he received the first Ph.D. writers are doing that. It should bring writers and artists running it have weak in Nepali, has taught at the Nepali de- out books that would a be standard managerial skills. People are therefore partment at Tribhuvan University for 37 which we could follow.” coming around to the idea that profes- years, has published 16 books of essays Instead the academy has become a sional managers should be given a and criticism and has written many jour- haven for poets and writers, and its chance to lead the academy. Sangeeta nal articles. But his moral integrity isn’t membership is heavily skewed. Not sur- Thapa, director and curator of the beyond reproach. prisingly, most of its resources have gone Siddhartha Art Gallery, says, “Someone Questions involve the reported in- into the development of literature. Even with good management training should clusion of many of his unpublished then, little has come out of the resources be drafted to run programs at the acad- works in the Master’s degree syllabus that are purportedly being pumped into emy.” She adds, “Many countries now while he was head of the Nepali depart- the task. For instance, the academy hasn’t offer courses in hospital ment and a member of syllabus selec- done anything to standardize the Nepali management...is anyone from Nepal at- tion committee. He also listed books he language by publishing a language or ed- tending these courses that could change wrote for grades 9 and 10 as reference iting manual. the pathetic and incompetent way hos- material for Master’s students. He is al- The academy-sponsored dictionary, pitals are functioning in Nepal? If our legedly on the academy’s list of scholars “Nepali Brihat Sabdakosh,” is a good academicians don’t realize the impor- who have neither completed their work work, but the academy has been reprint- tance of professional managers, the state according to the conditions specified ing the book without ever thinking of of the arts will remain like the state of nor returned their grant money. There updating it. Oxford updates its dictio- Nepal’s government hospitals...sick and are other charges as well. naries every year, incorporating new pathetic, in the gray zone of profes- The government spends more than Rs. 20 million each year on the academy, a sum equal to that set aside for nw/SS the new Peace Secre- tariat. It’s time to ques- tion spending so much on an institution that de- livers so little. The gov- ernment should stop paying for the academy’s expenses. Instead, the academy should be made to generate money for itself from its assets, estimated at Rs. 2 bil- lion. Professional man- agers can turn those as- sets into a regular source of income; artists and writers cannot. But can good managers rid the academy of politics? Only if they, and the academy, are autono- mous. nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 27 Tourism BURDEN OF BEASTS

In olden times the King sometimes gave an elephant to a retainer with whom he was displeased. The royal gift could not be refused or disposed of, and the cost of car- ing for the beast would eventually bankrupt the poor official. Tourism has dried up in Chitwan, and it’s hav- ing the same effect.

and the elephant-back jungle safari has BY SUDHAR NEPAL contributed significantly to making HERE WAS A TIME WHEN Chitwan a must-do in travel experience. Sauraha meant elephant rides. A carpeted platform high on an T Everyone who visited the elephant’s back is a splendid vantage point, “Thamel of Chitwan” would look forward and there is no danger of getting lost or of to experiencing the jungle with an en- a breakdown in the middle of the huge chanting elephant ride across the Rapti forest. Elephants, after all, have an uncanny far as from Siberia—from the top of the and through the dense tropical forests sense of direction, and other wild ani- elephant, comfortably and safely. where grasses grow as tall as the elephants mals seldom attack them. In the jungle But times have changed for the el- themselves. The Royal Chitwan National book, the pachyderms are right on top of ephants who once had regular loads of Park has been a tourist’s dream destina- the hierarchy. You can see the tigers, rhi- tourists. They are now seen mostly in the tion since its establishment in the 1970s, nos and the migratory birds—the latter as Rapti river, sloshing and splattering, joy- ously playing with their mates or qui- etly dozing off for an afternoon slum- ber. They are well fed by the mahouts. They have never had it so good. But times are not good for their keepers: The elephants have now become a burden. During the tourist season, every el- ephant would make four to five trips a day. Now with infrequent tourists, ev- ery single trip is good news. Gopi Sapkota, who has been in the business for a decade, says, “It’s now become un- imaginable to support yourself on the meager income from the elephant busi- ness. Times have changed. Keeping the elephant has now become a huge chal- lenge.” When the tourists were coming in, elephants meant very good business. Every Nepali is charged Rs. 250 for a single ride, South Asians Rs. 300 and all others Rs. 500. The owners contribute

28 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Rs. 300 to for the upkeep of the local forests for every single trip an elephant makes from Sauraha to the national park. Only four persons are permit- ted on the elephant at one time. The total income generated from one ride of four riders, mahouts say, does not even cover the cost of a day’s meals for the elephant. Meeting medical expenses that recur every three to six months, care- takers’ salary and amortizing the money spent to buy an el- ephant, which cost from Rs. 5 to 8 million, is impossible. When tourism slowed, half a dozen elephants were taken from the roughly two dozen elephants once kept for tour- ism purpose. If the tourists don’t return soon, other el- ephants may have to go too. That’s not the end to the woes of the elephant owners. These days elephants are not allowed entry into the national park, and the tourists they carry have to make do by visiting the nearby Kumroj and Baghmara commu- nity forests. “We have spoken time and again to the related authorities, but noth- ing has been done so far,” says Gopi Sapkota. In such a predicament, it is a treat to see any tourists in Sauraha. Sauraha does not even attract domestic visitors anymore. Last year, in an attempt to revive tourism, the residents of Ratnanagar planned a fair, the Ratnanagar Mahotsav, in Sauraha, but frequent and, often, unannounced cur- fews by the Army in Narayangarh even- tually led to a further decline in the number of tourists and discouraged them from holding the fair. Orders from the Army forbidding two persons on one motorcycle have also put do- mestic tourists off from visiting Chitwan, says Manish Khan of Unique Elephant Booking. The manmade problems are glaringly evident, but if they aren’t enough, natural calamity has also struck Sauraha: Floods have completely destroyed the town. Frustrated businesspeople have nothing left to do but to hope and pray. nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 29 The Essay THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION In 1994 the Supreme Court made an important decision regarding the right to infor- mation. Ten years later, Nepal still does not have a right to information act.

demand and receive information on any how duplicates are to be made available, BY PRATYOUSH ONTA matter of public importance.” then the office can charge the interested EPAL STILL DOES NOT HAVE By referring to the Directive Prin- individual the actual cost of preparing the a right to information act. ciples of the State as elaborated in Ar- duplicate copies and certify them as such; NAbout four years ago, there was a ticles 24 through 26 of the Constitution, (6) if the office has reasons to not make lot of discussion regarding a draft act that the SC adjudged in 1994 that the particu- available either a partial or complete list of had been prepared by some media-related lar project was of public interest and relevant documents to the interested in- organizations. However our parliamen- hence it was a matter of public impor- dividual or has reasons to not make such tarians never passed a bill on this theme tance. In other words, the petitioners documents available for inspection/ when they had a chance. In the absence of were correct in seeking the SC’s help in reading and for duplication, it should such an act, a Supreme Court (SC) deci- exercising their right guaranteed by Ar- explain the reasons to the interested sion of 10 years ago provides legal guide- ticle 16. But since there was no provi- individual within three days after re- lines for media practitioners and activ- sion in the Constitution with respect to ceiving the initial request; (7) if the in- ists to secure information from the state. the procedures regarding the exercise of terested individual is not convinced by This short essay highlights the Supreme this right, the SC provided an eight-point such a denial or the reasons given for Court’s guidelines and the draft act. guideline to obtain information from them as per (6) above, s/he can approach Certain Nepali activists and NGOs government offices until the Parliament the Supreme Court within seven days have contributed to the legal and social passed specific legislation on this sub- of receiving such a notice of denial of opening up of Nepali society by actively ject. Since such legislation had not been access; and (8) the procedure to be ap- searching for information about devel- passed by the time the last Pratinidhi plied to such requests will be accord- opment projects that had been shrouded Sabha was dismissed in May 2002, the ing to the rules of the Supreme Court. in governmental secrecy and filing cases SC’s guidelines are still valid today. of public interest litigation (PIL) that has forced the apex court to make decisions GUIDELINES impacting the citizen’s right to know. An These guidelines are (in my rough transla- example of this would be the case be- tion from the original Nepali): (1) the in- tween Gopal Siwakoti ‘Chintan’ and oth- terested individual can ask for a list of writ- ers versus the government, the Finance ten documents (from any government of- Ministry and others filed in 1993. fice) related to the subject of interest; (2) This case is known in general parlance the office has to make available such a list as the Arun III case because it refers to a within seven days and the interested indi- hydroelectric project that was going to vidual can then make a request to have a be developed on the Arun River in east- look at the relevant documents; (3) if such nw/SS ern Nepal with the financial participa- a request is received, the office has to, tion of the World Bank and some donor within three days, inform the interested countries. ‘Chintan’ and his colleagues individual the date, time and location had asked for information regarding this where such an inspection of the documents development project from the Ministry can he held; (4) after such an inspection/ of Water Resources and other relevant reading occurs, the interested individual government offices. When they were can note down points from the documents stonewalled, they filed a PIL against the or if s/he is interested in obtaining a dupli- concerned ministries by invoking Article cate of the documents concerned, a request IGNORED: There has been no follow-up on the 16 of the 1990 Constitution, which states to that effect can be made to the designated Supreme Court directive that “Every person shall have the right to official; (5) if there are no rules regarding

30 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Gopal Siwakoti ‘Chintan’ says that he ernmental organizations and any other among others, information that would ad- and his colleagues have used these guide- institutions that influence public welfare. versely affect national security, criminal in- lines repeatedly to seek information Second, the draft act requires public au- vestigation, and Nepal’s sovereignty and in- about other development projects they thorities to publish, from time to time, a tegrity. Other exceptions include prema- have scrutinized since 1994. Given the whole variety of information of public ture disclosure of information related to the frequency of lamentation regarding the importance. It also requires such authori- budget, customs, currency exchange rates, unwillingness of government authorities ties to store information in an orderly interest rates and other taxes that could have to provide needed information to the manner and make them available to those a negative effect on the national economy public, it would be interesting to find who request them. Third, the draft act or result in illegitimate profit or loss to any out how many other individuals (and requires public authorities to identify an individual or organization. Additional ex- organizations) have used the same guide- “information officer” who has the obli- ceptions are also listed regarding the dis- lines to ask for information from gov- gation to store and provide information closure without consent of information re- ernment sources in the past 10 years. immediately to those who seek it. This lated to the personal privacy of third parties would prevent the “passing of the buck” and also regarding their trade and commer- THE DRAFT between officials in any given office as so cial rights protected by other laws. Now we move on to the second theme of often happens. Fourth, the draft act con- this essay, the draft right to information tains a public interest override in the form HIDEOUS WAYS act. One version was prepared about four of Article 8 in which information offic- Some analysts feel that the set of excep- years ago by the NGO Nepal Press Insti- ers are required to provide information tions listed in the draft Act is too broad tute (NPI), which offers various types of that would show negligence or illegality and hence it can be misused to deny in- training to potential and working jour- on the part of public authorities or their formation rather than facilitate an envi- nalists and the Federation of Nepalese abuse of authority. Information officers ronment of information flow to serve the Journalists (FNJ), the largest elected body are also required to provide information public interest. As journalist Shiva Gaunle of journalists in Nepal. After some pub- regarding possible harm to the health of has noted, a bureaucracy noted for its abil- lic discussions with legal activists and individuals and the public at large as well ity to hide information can use the small- others, its initial text was revised and that as the environment. They are also re- est of excuse (within the exceptions pro- version has been published in NPI’s bul- quired to divulge information regarding vided by Article 7 of the draft act) to not letin Khabar (Vol. 5, No. 4, August 2003). the misuse of public funds. Fifth, the draft provide information. Hence it is possible Looking at the published draft act, we act clearly spells out the process that needs that the “space” for the flow of informa- can say that there are many positive as- to be followed when an application seek- tion opened up by the 1994 decision of pects in it. First, the definition of public ing information is received. the SC and its subsequent application authorities as conceived by this draft act However the draft act is still inadequate could be inadvertently diminished by this is very broad and includes governmental in many ways. Article 7 of the draft act pro- set of exceptions. In addition, as in the offices, councils, commissions, working vides for a set of exceptions for public au- case of many other acts currently in use, committees, political parties, non-gov- thorities who are not required to reveal, Article 7 of the draft act is non-specific regarding the process of interpretation that could lead to the conclusion that a listed interest had been adversely affected. For instance, how are the information of- ficers to conclude that if the information requested if disclosed would adversely affect Nepal’s national security or its sov- ereignty? Or what constitutes ‘premature’ information about the budget? In 2003, it was rumored that King Gyanendra’s government was going to issue a right to information ordinance that would be some revised version of the draft act. Given the deficiencies noted above and more importantly, given the present political context, it would be rather futile to issue such an ordinance without further public debate on its con- tents. Nepal certainly needs a right to information act but not one that is is- sued surreptitiously by a government that is not accountable to the people of Nepal. nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 31 Business

quality while still remaining inexpen- sive. Rayamajhi’s company, for example, PROUDLY sells television sets from Conic in Hong Kong that come with a three-year war- ranty. A 21-inch flat-screen set costs about Rs. 18,000. A similar Japanese TV costs Rs. 5,000-10,000 more. “Plus, Con- MADE IN ics come with 200 channels. You can even check time, date and temperature while you’re watching TV,” says a salesperson at Rayamajhi’s showroom in the China Market. There are at least a dozen Chi- CHINA nese television brands available currently in the Valley. Despite the increasing demand for Chinese goods, traditionally cheap but now aiming for Chinese goods, businesses fear the future. quality too, have spread from sidewalk stalls to swishy “There are rumors that India could be opening its business transit point with supermarkets China through Sikkim, and then there’s the ongoing Maoist insurgency at home “China’s strategy is to produce goods that is affecting everybody, including BY SATISH JUNG SHAHI according to the market,” says Durga businesses like ours,” says Rayamajhi. ERE, THERE AND POSITIVELY Bahadur Shrestha, president of Nepal That would mean new competitors with everywhere, from shoes and gar- Trans Himalaya Border Trade Associa- floods of Chinese goods coming in Hments to watches, decorative tion. “You can get the same goods rang- items and television sets, Kathmandu is ing from a price of Rs. 600 up to Rs. 3,000 flooded with goods that are really cheap. depending on the quality. Some of the The “Made in China” label is ubiqui- Chinese goods are as good as those made tous. Decades ago, the trend started on in Japan or anywhere else, if you are will- the footpaths of the old city areas in ing to pay the right price.” places such as Mahabaudha and then the For some consumers, price is all that bazaar at Brikhutimandap. Suddenly, matters. Shoppers told Nation Weekly Chinese goods are everywhere. some Chinese goods presently available “Earlier, the supermarkets thought in the market were so cheap that it would they would be losing their good name cost less to get a new one than to get an by selling Chinese goods. Now they have old one fixed. And many Nepalis have been forced to by market demand,” says no choice but to buy cheaply. Kesav Bahadur Rayamajhi, general sec- “A lot of Nepalis would have died retary at Nepal Trans Himalaya Border during winters hadn’t it been for the in- Trade Association. Rayamajhi also runs flux of cheap Chinese garments that are Chandrasurya International, a company warm enough to keep away the bitter that imports Chinese electrical goods. Kathmandu cold,” says Sandhya He says that 60-70 percent of the items Shrestha, who was shopping in China in the supermarkets are now Chinese Town Shopping Centre in Sundhara. She and that wholesalers like him are enjoy- had a pair of jeans for her young son in ing the benefits. her hands. They cost Rs. 200; making a The main factor that makes Chinese pair of cotton trousers in Nepal would goods so inexpensive is economy of cost at least Rs. 250. scale, say business analysts. Goods made The prices of even electronic in China have flooded the whole world, goods are pretty low. A DVD player now that the once-isolated communist costs around Rs. 3,200 and a VCD nation has encouraged capitalism and player between Rs. 1,900 to Rs. 2,200. adopted “economic diplomacy.” The An additional Rs. 5,000 could even get huge volume China produces makes you a full surround-sound system BUSY: The China Town Shopping each item less expensive than the same with five speakers. A telephone set Centre goods made elsewhere in lower vol- with caller ID is just Rs. 525. But there umes. are also goods that have a claim to top nw/SS 32 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly WTO: The rich get richer?

through more accessible Indian transit Last fiscal year the Customs Department Metropolitan City offices has about 50 points even as a large part of Nepal re- made at least Rs. 3.98 billion in revenues at percent occupancy, with 112 shops open. mains cut off. Local commerce is in ru- the Tatopani checkpoint alone. Readymade Stalls sell goods ranging from cosmet- ins and when it is not, the villages aren’t garments, shoes, electronic goods and fab- ics, readymade garments and consumer always accessible for business expansion. rics are the major Chinese imports. goods to snacks and TVs. The Chinese Rayamajhi says his association is con- Businessmen are positive that government built a gate at the premises stantly trying to raise this issue with the Nepalis want more. Importers of Chi- recently at a cost of around $20,000 as a government and unite importers to pre- nese goods opened the China Town token of friendship. vent their market share from decreas- Shopping Centre in March 2002—it’s “The response we have received so ing. The Maoists have shut the Tatopani supposed to be the “all under one roof” far is tremendous,” says Nilendra Man border crossing with China at least three market for Chinese goods. The four- Pradhanang, office secretary at the shop- times over the years, most recently for story building next to the Kathmandu ping center. It will launch the Dashain 18 days in May. Festival 2061 next month. “We Another problem importers will also be holding fashion are increasingly facing, says shows, musical concerts and vari- Rayamajhi, is the extremely bad nw/SS ous food stalls to attract more cus- condition of the Bahrabise- tomers.” Tatopani section of the 114-km “With the onset of Dashain the Arniko Highway. “There’s the con- shopping season is beginning, and stant threat that heavy trucks bring- businesses are highly optimistic ing in goods could skid into the that sales will boom once again,” Bhotekoshi,” he says. “It’s high time says Pradhanang. To tens of thou- the government realized the in- sands of Valley’s two million resi- creasing revenues businessmen dents, it will be more of Made in like us are making for the country.” CHEAP: These sets cost less, but don’t lack in features China come this Dashain.

nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 33 Arts & Society

(perhaps herself?) sleeping on a couch. One image is in a corner of the painting, As Always A Novelty and the other on a mysterious floating space, creating a scene of a woman in the midst of a dream. In her other painting, Contemporary Indian paintings are a rich banquet of de- she has herself perching on a thin tendril in a vast space. As a critic wrote, she writes light. An exhibit at the Siddhartha Gallery offers a tiny taste. herself into paintings in the shape of photo cutouts. This is her way of making work she has on display, wild buffaloes herself the subject and protagonist of her BY AJIT BARAL and other animals gallop in the fore- paintings—paintings in which she seems familiar refrain in the Nepali art ground. The background is done in to invoke conversations with multiple circles goes like this: Nepali art is shades of yellow with hieroglyphic signs aspects of herself. Astuck at a point. Some interesting scattered here and there. Sheila Makhijani and Chintan works do come up but few and far be- Ananda Mali’s paintings are impres- Upadhyay are technically different than tween. So whenever an international ex- sionistic renditions of landscapes, but they the others. Sheila’s paintings look like hibition travels to Nepal, we invariably look more like abstract paintings. Her etchings but are mixed media paintings, find it refreshing and novel. “Contempo- subtle gradations of colors create depth and intricately done. Upadhyay’s paintings rary Expressions from India,” an exhibi- fuzzy effects, giving her paintings an aura are digital prints on red paper. Both of tion of paintings from India on display at of the abstract. She seems to paint what these artists prefer to use minimum the Siddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal she experiences at the spur of the moment, space and have left most of the field of Revisited is a case in point. but she says the moment their painting untouched, perhaps in an The show ends Monday, that she experiences attempt to focus the attention of the August 30. doesn’t reflect her art, but viewer directly on their subject. nw/SS The gallery is instru- rather the art itself be- Pramod Kumar’s watercolor land- mental in bringing paint- comes the moment. scapes are excellent. His command over ings from other countries Beena Pradhan’s paint- lines, color and forms are immaculate. for the benefit of Nepali ing captures powerfully a His touches are quick and deft. And he artists and viewers. This woman with a child in a seems to paint with playful ease. His land- time around it has moment of fear. One scapes of buffaloes grazing by the river, people around the temple on the other side of the river and clouds opening up after the summer nw/SS rains all vibrate with life. Anand Panchal’s and Dipali Bhattacharya’s paintings to me are the best of the lot. Panchal has three small paintings of human figures. These are drawn with childish simplic- ity, yet they bear an unmistak- able stamp of Indian-ness. Bhattacharya looks assured about the way she handles her colors. Her paintings of some- one, perhaps a princess, decked in gold and livery are remark- able for their balanced tones. The exhibition pooled to- gether too many artists. That brought 44 artworks of 20 contempo- doesn’t know the source of her fear, but would have been good had the artists rary artists from India in association with the unmistakable expression seems been adequately represented. Unfortu- the Gallery Beyond of Mumbai. The art- etched on her eyes. The background done nately they were not. Some of the artists ists and their works vary widely to em- in swathes of yellow, red and white had only one painting on display; I didn’t phasize the vibrancy of contemporary heightens the effect. quite feel I had enough of them. After Indian art. In her two paintings, Hema Upadhyay seeing this exhibition I felt like I had Shoba Ghare infuses elements of creates dreamscapes. In one of her paint- tasted an array of delicacies but returned primitive art in her work. In the single ings she uses two photographs of a woman home with an empty stomach.

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sion stations have outsourced the serials. Comedy TV The top rated shows are NTV’s “Tito Satya” and “Hijo Aja Ka Kura,” and KTV’s “Tite Kareli.” Comedians are finally stealing primetime TV slots “These comedies on TV are a good time pass,” says Sharmila Karmacharya, a ing to pay almost any amount, depend- BY SATISH JUNG SHAHI housewife who lives in Maharajgunj. ing on the quality of the content and the “Some of them are so good that they ctor and comedian Deepak Raj Giri popularity of the comedians involved. nicely reflect the current state of the na- starts the day catching up with Nepal 1 had been airing Santosh Pant’s tion.” But increasing competition has Anews and current affairs from “Jan Gunaso” (People’s Grievances) and also kept actors and comedians on their newspapers, radio and television. It’s not is now on the lookout for more. toes to focus more on quality. “People a hobby. He is hard at work, collecting State-run Nepal TV also has a don’t laugh at funny faces and scenes material for his regular comedy satire primetime winner in the 8:40 timeslot where someone slips on a banana peel “Tito Satya” (The Bitter Truth), which on Fridays, Santosh Pant’s “Hijo Aja Ka any more,” says Khatiwada, who is also airs Thursdays at 8:40 p.m. on Nepal Kura” (Talk of the Town). It has a record popular for his humorous songs. “Com- Television. for being the longest running comedy edy script-writers like us have to do sub- “It is all for the daily bread and but- serial in Nepal. Nepal TV also has “Tipan stantial research, and the humor now has ter,” says Giri, whose show dominates Tapan” (Bits and Pieces), which airs on to be more content oriented.” the Thursday primetime slot. Having Sundays at 1:30 p.m. Not far behind are There’s a lot to poke fun at just now major market share is an experience the private stations, also aiming to use and plenty of reasons why we need a Nepali TV producers have almost for- humor to win more viewers. Kantipur laugh. gotten since Kathmandu households Television has at least three programs tuned into satellite channels and were scheduled in primetime: comedian captivated by Indian television serials Prakash Ojha’s “Tite Kareli,” (Bitter such as “Kusum,” “Kasauti Jindagi Ki” Gourd), on Fridays at 8 p.m.; comedian and “Kyu Ki Saans Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.” and singer Narad Khatiwada’s “Post “At least selling laughter has suddenly Mortem” on Mondays at 7:30 p.m.; and started to be good business here,” says “Pothi Bashyo” (The Hen Crows), on Giri, who adds that he has been making Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. a decent living by making people laugh. Luniva Tuladhar of “Pothi Bashyo” That’s good news, especially at a time says she wanted women to enter the com- when the movie industry is complain- edy scene: Tuladhar and Deepanjali Lama ing that Nepali cinema has literally gone host the program. Channel Nepal had nw/SS down the drain. Suddenly, Nepali hu- actor and comedian Gopal Raj Mainali’s mor is starting to steal television “Foo Mantar” (Abracadabra) until re- primetime. Why? cently. They now have the reality-com- “The quality of most Nepali TV se- edy series, “Fifty-Fifty,” on Sundays at 7 rials has come down drastically, as most p.m. Image Metro Television has “Khota of them have been copied from India,” Baji” in Newari at 10:30 p.m. every Tues- says Santosh Silwal Giri, not related to day. comedian Giri, who is chief of the en- “The television is providing a huge tertainment department at Nepal 1 Tele- platform for satirical comedies by vision. “Comedy has now become a ma- extending our reach to the jor crowd puller as people,” say Madan Krishna the next best al- Shrestha and Haribansha Acharya ternative [to of MA-HA, legendary comedi- the serials],” ans who are celebrating 25 years he says. Ac- of working together this year and cording to have produced more than half a dozen nw/SS him, there is a big television hits. “Even the returns demand in the for the comedians have now become television market commercially better,” they say. for more com- Though most comedians re- edies and sa- fused to divulge their earnings, in- tirical seri- dustry insiders told us each epi- als. They sode earns them between Rs. are will- 10,000 to Rs. 60,000, if the televi- Khatiwada Giri

36 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly

Guest Column Socrates Square

New Road’s Pipal Bot is both an open-air editorial office for freelance writers and penniless editors of little literary magazines. It’s here you meet most of the members of Nepal’s literary family: from Krishna Chandra Singh Pradhan, Bimal Nibha, Shailendra Sakar to very young writers like Chunky Shrestha, Mani Lohani and Buddhi Sagar Cheppain.

BY YUYUTSU RD SHARMA say, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai would come up, bringing every thing to a standstill.” n the early 80s when I first visited New Road I came across a “The place used to be infested with spies,” recalls Upendra Shrestha, Istrange scene. Beneath the Pipal tree I saw about half a dozen “the moment anyone raised his voice, they would grab him.” Interest- decent looking, well-dressed men begging. On an inquiry I learned ingly the place holds great romance for writers. In fact Nepali literature that these men were Nepali poets begging to save the life of an ailing owes a great deal to this illustrious place. It’s from here great poet Gopal fellow poet, Mohan Koirala, who lay on his deathbed and needed urgent Prasad Rimal used to initiate his evening walks to the temple of Mahankaal medical treatment abroad. Moved by the emergency call of these un- to utter a prayer of rebellion to topple the autocratic Rana regime. Liter- known poets I had stepped ahead to drop my meager contribution and ary giants like Bal Krishna Sama, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Hridya Chandra moved on. Singh Pradhan, Bhawani Bhikshu, Siddhi Charan Shrestha, Vijay Malla Little did I know that day that these poets would become my best Gothale and Kedar Man Vyathit, all used to visit this place. “This was the friends and active partners in several literary ventures in the years to only place you could get a newspaper in Nepal,” discloses Upendra come. How could I have known that this fanciful New Road was in fact a Shrestha. “In addition to Gorkhapatra, one could find Indian newspa- grand place of power, an irresistible temptation for poets, politicians and pers in English here” political activists? Shrestha tells how it was Hridyachandra Singh Pradhan who regis- With the passage of time I learnt that like the coffee houses of tered New Sandesh Griha. Later, he handed it over to Maskey Brothers. Calcutta or restaurants of Paris the place with its small Kavi Kuna teashops “It’s just part of history, you see,” Upendra Shrestha emphasizes. possesses a dynamism that speaks of the tumults of this nation’s demo- During those days they had restaurant called Tripti where several cratic struggle to usher modernity into this once sequestered medieval significant writers would gather. It’s here they launched the famous liter- kingdom. ary movement “Amlekh.” Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, Poshan Pandey, The origins of New Road go back to 1934 earthquake that rocked Bhupi Sherchan, Basu Shashi, Tana Sharma, Upendra Shrestha, Hari Nepal, killing many, turning the area into rubble. “The then Prime Minis- Bhakta Katuwal, Madan Regmi, Dwarika Shrestha and scores of other ter Juddha Shumsher was off to the western Nepal, hunting,” says writers used to gather to exchange their views and works. Several popu- historian Kamal Raj Singh Rathaur. “When he came back he was shocked list movements like Sadak Kavita Kranti (Poetry of the Road) and Boot to see the ravages of the quake and soon decided to build a new world Polish Movement rocked the streets and squares of New Road. Bhawani out of the debris, symbolically putting Nepal on the path of urbanization Ghimire and Sakar remained the main voice behind this movement. and modernization. “ Meanwhile, Boot Polish Movement and Aswikrit Smaj, the movement of Juddha Shumsher named this once-narrow path New Road. Rathaur the discarded communities, were launched to raise voices against believes Juddha Shumsher built Bhugol Park to assert that there existed Panchayat hegemony over media and freedom of speech on the streets another world beyond the cloistered Nepal. “These buildings you see of New Road. from here, they all belonged to Hanuman Dhoka complex,” points out I’ve found New Road’s Pipal Bot both an open-air editorial office for senior poet Upendra Shrestha as he discloses the forgotten chapters of freelance writers and penniless editors of little literary magazines like history while sharing the long bench on the Kavi Kuna teashop along the myself. It’s here that the exchange of manuscripts takes place. It’s here pavement.” This Photo Concern building, they used to have sheds for you meet the most of the members of Nepal’s literary family. It’s here Army horses here. The long line of shops beginning with the Juddha you meet almost everybody who matters in the literary scenario from Shumsher’s Square and ending at Indra Chowk, all the area had been Krishna Chandra Singh Pradhan, Bimal Nibha, Shailendra Sakar to very a heap of wreckage during the earthquake.” young writers like Chunky Shrestha, Mani Lohani and Buddhi Sagar Today Juddha Shumsher’s statue stands staring into the long row of Cheppain. fancy shops and plazas displaying various riches. But there’s more to It’s an honest literary wrestling ring as well. Here you have to be this place than a cursory glance can assess. After 1950 democratic honest. You have to be ready to face the worst blows of blatant criticism. revolution the political significance of the place gradually started becom- That’s why those who have joined power and are corrupted in the corri- ing conspicuous. During the one-party Panchayat it became an influen- dors of power often shun this place. The place appears to be a demo- tial platform for political activism. “The place was a virtual dread,” says cratic alternative to the conventional places of establishment like the novelist Nararayan Dhakal. “In that autocratic system the scene was Royal Nepal Academy or a university campus. It represents everything volatile. Imagine how in the bustling crowd someone would raise his urgent, candid, ongoing, honest and modern. It’s Socrates’ square in voice, furl a handful of pamphlets or start a speech holding the bars of the polis of the Himalayan kingdom. the plinth that circles the historic banyan tree. Or all of a sudden a leader, [email protected]

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With the blockade lifted, Kathmanduites have lost a great opportunity to relearn the tricks of survival

BY KUNAL LAMA the hyped-up reports the foreign press were having a field day reporting. Routes to Kathmandu were not totally cut-off, neither were the highways was not amused to read the headline, “Maoists call off their ‘block captured; there was ample food stock—well, at least in my house there Iade’ for a month.” There are number of reasons. certainly is—to last for more than just a few days. Kathmanduites were First, I am a Virgo, and, as aficionados of Linda Goodman can rattle not gasping or dying, even though it did not seem to have occurred to off immediately, Virgos are organized to the point of being obsessively some of them that one sure way out of the Valley would have been to anal. Consequently, predictably, I have a hoard of edibles and inedibles commandeer a rubber dinghy and float out on the Bagmati, straight into stored in various nooks and crannies of my tiny flat, not to mention every the Ganges eventually. If the blockade had extended beyond the week, cubic centimeter of my cupboard, wardrobe and the refrigerator. Having indefinitely, perhaps, Kathmanduites would have lazily stirred out of their paid inflated prices for all these items, I look rather a fool now. There is complacency to delve into the skills that their countrymen away from the no telling if the blockade of Kathmandu really will be re-imposed in a checkpoints in Sanga, Nagdhunga and Mudkhu have to over-exercise month’s time. In these wavering times, who can be trusted to keep their every minute of their existence, while we express shock and horror at word? Looking—in no particular order—at the pile of Wai-Wai Instant Space Time’s audacity to beam at us Italian and Russian channels Noodles (chicken is my favorite flavor); several Tetra Paks of Today UHT instead of the beloved ZEE English and HBO Movies. Gobar-gas instead Milk, undrinkable but could be useful; sacks of sugar the color of sand of LPG; vegetable patches instead of eco-unfriendly hectares of slippery, on the beaches of Bangladesh’s monsoon-inundated coastline; liters of kerosene from my local dealer who is an ace in hiding his goods for the benefit of his customers; Dove soaps and shampoos; bottles of Shilajit capsules (I could have lost my youthful vigor in a prolonged blockade); rolls and rolls of loo paper; Nebico biscuits (I still eat them and so does my puppy); tins of tuna-in-olive-oil; DVDs from Khasa Bazaar; boxes of “mineral” water; a chestful of anti- biotics (all of us would be dead by now if we are not prescribed these at least twice a month, even if the complaint is only about a few sleepless nights); oh, the list is end- less, and it makes me sick to see them. All this IN ADDITION to the earthquake kit I have hidden in the corner of my garden, almost away from the shadow of the 7-foot-wide, 7- storey building built in 7 weeks of loose bricks and powdery cement not too long ago. nw/SS Second, I have no excuse now to give for the non-delivery of all the deadlines and work that I am supposed to do but didn’t really want to do even though I concreted, brick-paved driveways and courtyards; walking and cycling expect to get paid for them nonetheless because that is what my instead of gas-guzzling in foreign-exchange-wasting motorcycles and motor contract says. Now you know why this column is appearing as it is vehicles. Kathmandu, wake up before Nepal is gone! supposed to; if the blockade were on, it wouldn’t have. Fourth and finally, the blockade has ended before the Olympic games. Third, Kathmanduites have lost a great opportunity to relearn the There is every chance now that I will miss Sangina Baidya’s gold-medal- tricks of survival without having to be rescued by our friendly neighbor’s winning fight. And I might also miss that long-awaited Olympic moment: excessive offer to bread-bomb us, just because the Maoists decided to a glittering synchronized-swimming contestant emerging spluttering and listen “to the requests made by general public, civil society and human embarrassed from disturbed blue waters, all aquatic elegance lost, be- rights community.” Why, now, did they have to be so darned humanitar- cause her nose-clip decided to dislocate, and descend to the bottom of ian and complying and concerned for the welfare of the citizens of the the pool! My Wai Wais are waiting. I must go and start eating. Nebicos Valley? Blockade or no blockade, life was normal in the city, in spite of all next.

40 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Attraction: Innovative Beauty Palace presents Mr.. InnovativeInnovative ’04’04, win Rs. 10,000 Profile

expansive Subu Shrestha and the goateed, contemplative Deependra Tandon. Though they are both involved in every aspect of the firm, Shrestha primarily heads the creative team, The Ad and Tandon focuses on managerial and financial responsibili- ties. They operate with a team of 18 people; everyone is under the age of 30. In a country where hierarchies are prevalent in all areas of society, there is a remarkable egalitarianism about Business Gurus Advantage. Creative dissent and irreverence are encouraged. Conscious efforts are made to keep the atmosphere light. They believe that genuinely original ideas can arise in only BY ADITYA ADHIKARI such conditions. Little importance is given to work experi- ence in prospective employees because, as Shrestha says, f you’re flipping through the pages of “with experience, often comes conformity as well.” a magazine and an arresting picture Shrestha has a warm, welcoming presence. He warms I up readily and is quick to answer questions thrown at him. and caption makes you grin, chances Tandon cuts a more sober figure. There is always a pause before he are it’s the creation of the Battisputali- starts speaking, and he speaks slowly and precisely. It is not too difficult to see how they complement each other. Often when based Business Advantage. Remember the Shrestha discusses a theme Tandon steps in to add a comment or hilarious The Himalayan Times adverts: qualify it. Shrestha begins: “Most agencies in Kathmandu have at least one Indian member on their team. Some clients are sur- A shirtless, pot-bellied man reclining on a prised, sometimes even disappointed, that we have none.” Tandon rickshaw (“Didn’t make it to the Olympics?”) or the one with adds: “But sometimes this works to our advantage. Some people two children pointing at each other in accusation in front of a like that. We are a small, all-Nepali team.” parent (“There are two sides to a story”)? The two have known each other since 1993, when they Business Advantage has emerged as a trendsetter in some studied B.Com in Delhi together and also shared an apart- areas of advertising. “In the past, for example, all advertise- ment. Later, they moved to Kathmandu and both did their ments that colleges put out were notices that declared Masters in Marketing at Kathmandu University. By that time, admission was open and listed the facilities offered at the another commonality had emerged: They shared an aesthetic college,” says Subu Shrestha, one of the directors. “Young interest in advertising. “We used to follow various ad cam- people now who are exposed to the international media are paigns that would interest us, and discuss them,” says not going to be attracted by such ads.” It all started with Shrestha. But as Kathmandu University did not offer an taking a more creative approach with an ad for Ace independent advertising major, they never thought beyond Institute of Management. Now there’s keen competition admiring ads in the foreign media. among the colleges to do it better. They still haven’t stopped doing that. Just the approach Not many years ago advertisements were mere notices, has changed. They follow campaigns they admire and spend like the ones that still much time on the Internet looking up ads. “We have always dominate the pages of really liked Nike ads,” Shrestha says. “They still inspire us.” DELIBERATE: Gorkhapatra—no graphics, The inspiration started early. A turning point in their Deependra heavy on text. Since the advent career came when they devised a marketing campaign for of color and innovative Wimpy’s as part of their course requirements for designs, glossy ads featuring a Kathmandu University. A prominent advertising executive variety of eye-catching who was teaching them was so impressed that he suggested pictures and punchlines have that they try to sell the approach to Wimpy’s directly. They replaced the old genre. began to think they possibly had a flair for advertising. Manufacturers now After graduation they parted ways. Shrestha got a job with realize that a product must Buddha Air; Tandon joined the House of Rajkarnikar and have an image that separates it then moved to Toyota. In 1998 they both called it quits and from its competitors and also decided to go into business on their own. Business Advan- resonates with the target tage at that time was an agency meant to conduct market audience. Business Advantage research for businesses. They operated from a small room in has been specializing in Tandon’s house in Baneshwore, without any employees. creating quirky adverts for Their only possession was a computer. such manufacturers for the Early days were tough: No one would even approach the past five years. young and inexperienced designers. “The first year and a half nw/SS The agency is the we just pretended we had a job,” says Shrestha with a laugh. brainchild of the tall and “Basically we were just hanging out full time.” It was

42 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly nw/SS

somewhat of an accident that pushed them into the advertising world, full time. Trying various ways of attracting clients, they approached Necon Air, the largest domestic airline then, with a detailed proposal to create an in- flight magazine. Anup Rana, the managing director of Necon Air, did not need such a magazine. But he was mighty impressed with the work they had put in. Rana hired them. They were asked to create an advertising campaign. Their first major commercial break came when the Khetan Group ap- proached them for an ad campaign for a new product, Mayos Noodles. nw/SS Deependra and Subu hired four people and devoted themselves with passion towards creating an aggressive campaign. “We came up with 250 names for the product and 100 package designs,” recalls Subu with enthusiasm. Business Advantage’s proposal was selected. They had edged out a number of estab- lished names in the game. That was in 2000. Since then they have created many ad campaigns. From their early area of expertise, the print media, they have now branched out to offer full services in the electronic media as well. And they continue to hit headlines. The advert they created for Shakalaka Boom noodles for the Khetan Group was named best TV advert at the 2061 Crity awards from a field of 23 ads. Different approaches are needed to create ads for different clients. “Some clients hand us a portfolio with detailed specifications of what they want. Others simply tell us the basics, like the audience they are targeting, so we have a lot of freedom to follow our inclinations,” says Shrestha. He explains how the work is formed within the framework of the client’s expectations. “We have assignments where we are continually thinking of the client, while in others we think only of the audience. The ones that come out the best are those where the focus is the audience.” When it comes to questions about the market situation, Shrestha turns to Tandon, who is in control of the facts and figures. “Two years ago businesses stopped advertising because of the insurgency,” he says with a pensive look on his face. “They felt they had to keep a low profile. Now they have realized that the Maoists are not going to go away, and so advertising is on the rise again, even though it hasn’t regained the growth of the mid- 90s.” The advertising market is growing at a rate of 10 percent annually. Business Advantage has done better: It has grown 100 percent in the past five years. “But that doesn’t mean that our growth is satisfactory,” says Tandon. “Our problem is that we are not aggressive in going out and getting clients.” Still, they have not done too bad for themselves as figures show. And with the ad pie growing, their own share can only grow larger. SPONTANEOUS: Subu nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 43 CITY ThisWeek EVENTS PHOTO SAMYAK EXHIBITIONS DRISTI Journalist, critic, and filmmaker Shekhar Kharel comes up with the latest in his series of photo exhibition “Samyak Dristi.” “Samyak Dristi” (Rightfold Vision) is one among the eight principles propounded by Lord Buddha. Shekhar is the recipient of the first prize in a nationwide photography contest that marked the Visit Nepal 1998 campaign. He is currently working with Nepal Weekly. Shekhar has dedicated this exhibition to his son, Samyak. He says, “For me, photography is the juxtaposition of beauty and technology. It is a new age art.” Gai Jatre Sur Taal Gai Jatre Sur Taal is a culture through the streets led by a cow. specific event designed bear- Finally, this procession made ing in mind the cultural impor- the grief -stricken queen real- tance of Gai Jatra to the peple ize that it wasn’t only her who of Nepal and Kathmandu in had lost her loved one, and was particular. back to her senses. Ever since One of the most popular festi- then, Gai Jatra has become an vals of Nepal, Gai Jatra has its annual practice. roots in the ancient age when Gai Jatre Sur Taal will incor- people feared and worshipped porate various elements of Gai Yamaraj—the god of death. Jatra such as humor and mu- However the most famous tale sic. Musical performance by relating to this cultural feast still Kutumba at Basantapur, ap- remains the endeavoring story pearance of Khyalaas (jokers) Cine Club IT Exhibition dated back to Pratap Malla’s at various points and art exhi- Movie: Josephine et les gitans Dristikon Nepal invites ev- reign. When Pratap Malla’s son bitions will be the major events st/ang(1995). Director: eryone associated and inter- died, his queen was in a state of to look out. Venue: Basantapur Vincent Ravalec. Starring: ested in Information Tech- shock and couldn’t get over it Durbar Square, Gai Jatra route: Miou Miou. At Alliance nology to participate at its 2nd for long. Considering her state, Ason,Hanumandhoka, Francaise, Tripureshwor. IT Exhibition-2004. Venue: the king summoned all those Basantapur. Date: August 31. Free admission. Date: Sep- Birendra International Con- families who had lost a loved Time: 2 p.m. onwards. For in- tember 5. Time: 2 p.m. For vention Hall. 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during the Rana years and then again dur- ing the Panchayat, when political expres- sion was considered unpatriotic, fa- mously labeled “anti-political.” The severe restrictions on freedom of speech could be bypassed, briefly, at Gai Jatra. Over the years, the idea of Gai Jatra changed to a festival where you had license to say whatever you wanted. Well, just about whatever you wanted. Before 1990, Gai Jatra meant a sophis- ticated forum for satirists, writers, stage actors and cartoonists. “During the Panchayat, Gai Jatra was a big event,” says Khagendra Sangroula, a prominent writer and columnist, well known for his sharply critical satire. “One rarely got the opportunity to criticize people in high places,” he adds. After 1990, though, Gai Jatra seems to have lost much of its sting. Not many people really look forward to the Gai Jatra publications that used to be the talk of the town—at chowks, bus stops, col- leges, you name it. So why has this col- orful festival lost it luster? Some reasons are obvious. One is that the after 1990, freedom of expression is no longer restricted to Gai Jatra, an an- nual event. Another is that there has been so much “Gai Jatra” in our society lately that we seem to have lost our capacity to be shocked. Bandas, blockades, and bombs are an everyday occurrence. Pity that the mother-of-all-laugh-fests now Use It Or fails to invoke more than a passing chuckle. It wasn’t always this way. Sangroula recalls how Gai Jatra was the time for Lose It people to speak their mind during the Lose It Panchayat. In his essay “The Panchayat Media,” Pratyoush Onta observes: “Pri- vate Nepali newspapers and their edi- tors who were critical of the King’s re- gime were variously punished... During 1961, several newspapers...were banned Gai Jatra is an opportunity for people to come out and for various periods of time.” The gov- say whatever they want. Too bad we pass up the ernment actively restricted freedom of expression. Gorkhapatra and The Rising opportunity every year. Nepal became mouthpieces of the gov- ernment; so did Radio Nepal. No criti- BY YASHAS VAIDYA Gai Jatra is a rich and colorful annual cism was allowed, be it of the govern- t’s that time of the year again. A time festival, initiated, folklore says, by Pratap ment, the system or the people involved. for merriment, a time for people to Malla. His original festival, a procession The pent up frustrations of the people Ipoke fun at our own shortcomings needed an outlet. Gai Jatra became the of bereaved households followed by a and a time for society as a whole to laugh day of merriment, was hardly about free ideal occasion for people to let off steam. at itself. It’s time for Gai Jatra, The Festi- expression. But Gai Jatra gained impor- There were outrageous publications, val of the Cow. tance as a forum for expressing dissent performances at City Hall, the Royal nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 47 Nepal Academy’s “Gai Jatra buying their claims, or Mahotsab” and more. Satire their publications. Book- took center-stage, as people sellers admit that there isn’t came out and spoke their much enthusiasm for these minds, poking fun at every- magazines anymore. thing and everyone, though It’s saddening that the the royalties were still un- prospects that Gai Jatra touchables. There were other provides go wasted. Gai restrictions too. The govern- Jatra is to Nepali society ment would step in from time what the jester is to the to time to ban magazines—the court. The court jester was special Gai Jatra issue of considered a madman, not Samikshya was banned in 1980 bounded by norms. He was for being a bit too bold. given the liberty to say any- Now that we do have free- thing. Gai Jatra is a platform dom of expression, a sensational media reasons. The thrust of the humor in these for all-out expression; it’s an opportu- that exercises very little self-restraint says magazines is crude, at best, and, at worst, nity for people to say and do things that all there is to be said, every day, over and it’s plainly pornographic. Publishers would otherwise be considered deviant. over again. “I think there is little left to would like to disagree, shake off such But instead of a sharp festival on satire, say during Gai Jatra now,” says Sangroula. charges lightly. Kushal Gautam, editor we end up with a sorry display of vulgar- It’s Gai Jatra in the newspapers and on of Kamana, which brought out a special ity and pornography. TV every day. issue for the festival, maintains: “We’ve Gai Jatra is an opportunity for One Gai Jatra tradition, special pub- tried to bring out a magazine that people people to come out and say whatever lications for the event, survives, but does can take home. “Some readers may find they want. It provides a platform for not necessarily thrive. The publications something offensive, but from our side, “meaningful and artistic” expression. that come out during Gai Jatra attract little we’ve tried our best to remain within Too bad we pass up the opportunity ev- attention, that too mostly for the wrong social norms.” But not many people are ery year.

48 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly

Perspective

national participation, the Games have grown to proportions inconceivable two thousand years ago. No wonder that the games are now viewed less as an oppor- tunity for mutual understanding and peace than as an arena to display the strength and superiority of nations. That view of the games is common to all countries, and to spectators as well as participants. Now that the novelty of mere participation has worn off, it is in- creasingly important for Nepalis that we win a medal. Failure to do so feels like an international humiliation. Though there is cynicism about the bureaucracy of the Nepal Olympic Committee, Nepalis invested much hope and anxi- ety into the performance of our only medal chance, Sangina Baidya. The sup- port provided by private sector to her Only A Game? and, to a lesser degree, the other athletes reflected the nation’s pride. The Hima- layan Times announced that it would be For better or for worse, the Olympic Games are a political awarding lakhs to Baidya if she won a medal. This was welcome in a nation as well as sporting event, with enormous stakes for winners where state support is minimal, and it and losers demonstrates the importance that Baidya’s performance had in our minds. But it may also have had the adverse ef- Though the scale was much smaller, the fect of putting undue pressure on her. BY ADITYA ADHIKARI objectives were the same. Huge numbers Without Nepali participants to cheer ith the Olympic Games over of visitors came to Olympia as spectators. for in most televised events, we seemed and talk about the victories and Every participant was fighting for the glory to support China and other Asian nations. Wlosses of individuals and nations of his hometown. Many athletes em- China was the most visible and signifi- done with, conversation turns to more ployed professional trainers to coach cant competitor to the United States, a philosophical matters. Often someone them, and they adhered to training and nation well liked in other areas but per- will express dissatisfaction with the dietary routines much like athletes today. ceived to be too powerful. China’s prox- modern Games, and say they no longer Cheating, bribes and match fixing were imity allows us to harbor brotherly feel- reflect the true values of the Olympics. common. Athletes were professionals in ings towards them, while the differences Those true values are, presumably, the the sense that they lived off the glory of in our cultures provide enough distance values of the Games during their re-es- their accomplishments for the rest of for us not to feel too much rivalry toward tablishment in the last years of the nine- their lives. Their hometowns them. “I like China because I teenth century: International trust and awarded them cash, free meals think they are well disci- understanding, and amateurs participat- for life, tax breaks and even plined and work hard ing in the true spirit of sportsmanship. leadership positions in their from an early age,” says In those years, athletes were not nation- community. Sometimes one television viewer ally chosen but came at their own ex- they were immortalized watching a badmin- pense and wore their athletic club’s uni- through statues and poems. ton match in a café form instead of their country’s. Even For better or for worse, in Thamel. In con- tourists who happened to be in the vi- the Olympic Games have be- trast, India’s abys- cinity of the Games could participate. come more like they were dur- mal performance All this seems now to have been a golden ing the time of the ancients, a at the Games was period, before the dominance of nation- political as well as sporting source of satisfac- alistic fervor and the influence of large event, with enormous stakes for tion to many corporations. winners and losers. Nepalis already Few remember, however, that the What is different is the insecure about LOSS: Both games as practiced now are close to the scale. Due to the glo- personal Nepal’s own per- original Olympics of the ancient Greeks. bal market and inter- and formance. corporate 50 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly

Snapshots BY DHRITI BHATTA

RJ And nw/SS More

Did you know CHIRAG BANGDEL—the radio jockey at K.A.T.H 97.9 F.M.—does much more than just rock the airwaves? A poet, a writer, a television personality and an artist: He is all of these. “It’s all my interest,” says Bangdel. “So more than work, it’s fun I get through all of it.” Sure he does. Bangdel had his fifth solo art exhibition early this month and it surely didn’t go unnoticed. “I mainly do figurative pieces, but this time my paintings depicted eastern religion. So that was different and appreciated.” Bangdel will soon be coming out with his third book of poetry. With such a pace and talent, he surely has a world to capture. Together We ‘CAN’

What is the mantra for a triumphant venture? Ask BIPLAV MAN SINGH—the newly elected president of the Computer Association Nepal, which is better known to computer enthusiasts as CAN. “Together we CAN,” says Singh. His vision? To bridge the huge digital divide that exists between the Valley and outside. In view of CAN

nw/SS Info Tech’s success in the capital, he now harbors hopes of taking digital literacy beyond the mountains of Kathmandu. Let’s hope that he really CAN. Bagmati Boy

You can’t pass by the Bagmati and not feel helpless about its sorry state. But some decide to go one better. SUNIL TIMILSINHA—or the Bagmati Boy—geared up for the rescue around a decade ago. Since starting a door-to-door waste

collection campaign in Sinamangal, Timilsinha has come a long nw/SS way. Last Saturday, as the coordinator of the 4th Bagmati River Festival, he tried hard to make the residents of Kathmandu realize one more time the poor state of the river. “In the beginning I just started out to keep myself busy,” says Timilsinha, recalling his early association with the Bagmati campaign. “Now it’s my dream to see a clean Bagmati.” We hope, for our own sake, that he succeds.

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nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 55 Khula Manch Around The World In 25 Years omedian duo Madan Krishna Shrestha (MA) and Haribansha Acharya C (HA), popularly known as MA-HA, need no introduction. Ever since their first performance “Bankeshwore,” marking the silver jubilee of the Rastriya Banijya Bank, the duo have been a major nw/SS crowd puller. Shrestha and Acharya, first introduced

as colleagues working at the bank, have We do manage. We take our families than Nepali songs, I have a long list of become best friends. MA-HA will be on along during long tours. Last year we Newari songs to my credit. Though I stage at the capital’s Birendra Interna- were away for four months. It was fun. later went more into acting, singing tional Convention Hall with MA-HA When in Kathmandu there’s always time is something I always want to con- Gaijatra from August 28 to September 6. for family, despite our performances. tinue. The performance marks their 25th anni- versary together. Dhriti Bhatta pieced What is the state of freedom of expres- HA: I thought I too could sing, after hear- together this conversation about their sion now compared to 25 years ago? ing others sing. I was a little shy at first. I comeback, life on the stage and their take Certainly it is a lot different now. Dur- wrote the lyrics and started humming on the state of the nation, where one of ing the Panchayat, it was not very easy to the tune to myself. Eventually they be- them would begin and the other would speak your mind. We stepped forward came complete songs. Later, I hear the end. to generate awareness among the gen- songs became instant hits. eral public even then. Our performance Your program in Kathmandu at the Con- was the best medium of information. We heard Madan-ji never vention Hall comes after a long gap. Our viewers ranged from young chil- combs his hair. Is that true? What have you been doing all this time? dren to the elderly. Then we were fight- MA: I guess my hair has its own style. I Well, Nepal is not only Kathmandu. We ing for democracy. Today we are more don’t need a comb, my hands act as one. have got to please our fans from all over or less doing the same, but rather to pro- I don’t have much hair to use a comb on the country and those living abroad as tect democracy anyway. well. Most of the time we were busy performing out of station. Last year alone Which work of MA-HA has we did more than 100 shows, most of been your favorite so far? them outside the Valley and abroad. On During the Panchayat, Naming just one out would be totally our foreign performances, almost 80 it was not very easy to unfair. Each of them required a lot of percent of the crowd is Nepali. hard work. But the message-oriented speak your mind serials we made that were telecast by Both of you are natural at work. Are Nepal Television have contributed a lot you both funny in real life as well? to the society. We are proud to have We are just normal Nepalis when we are Are you two joining politics? worked on those. off the screen. This means we are loyal No, not as of now, though most of our citizens concerned about the state of af- plays are closely related to politics. Do Is the present state of fairs in the country and desperate to make not bind us to any political party. We are country just like Gaijatra? some positive changes. It is only when the voices of the people and our ideas The country has fallen into a deep pit. we start writing our scripts that we come reflect what they want. We are doing the The smiles of the innocent citizens have up with insane ideas. It’s like we’re un- same job as any politician. But we think been snatched away, and terror is every- der the spell of some deity. Otherwise, we are doing a lot better. where. It’s high time politicians and phi- like any other person, we are husbands, losophers made the country their top sons and dads. Both of you are now also into singing priority. There should be no more fight- MA: I started singing even before act- ing for power. Let’s end this conflict and How do you manage your family ing, more than 38 years ago. My first bring back smiles to the faces of all life with your busy schedule? song was on Radio Nepal. But more Nepalis.

56 SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 | nation weekly Books

ers. Hutt says, “The new generation’s in- terest in Nepal probably converges with How They See Us Nepali concerns rather more closely than that of earlier generations.” Mark Turin agrees: “Studying in Nepal can no Onta’s book is an engaging account of how social science longer just be working with ‘one people’ research about Nepal has developed in the U.K. and where without taking into account the func- tioning of the modern nation state.” it is headed These researchers face problems in disseminating their work in Nepal. Most BY ADITYA ADHIKARI been in the field of social anthropology. of them are forced, particularly because This is partly because of the influence of of their interest in advancing their ca- ratyoush Onta’s “Nepal Studies the anthropologist Christoph von Furer- reers, to publish with western publish- in the UK” is a collection of in- Haimendorf, who was, among other ing houses. Because of the high costs of Pterviews with 19 scholars based things, Dor Bahadur Bista’s mentor, and the books, they become available to the mostly in the U.K. who have been or are partly because anthropology depart- Nepali audience only years after their engaged in research on different aspects ments receive more funding than his- initial publication, when the original of Nepal. An introduction by Onta pre- tory or literature departments. But the publisher agrees to have the book pub- cedes the interviews. In it he discusses most important reason is because most lished in cheaper editions in India and the history of British scholarly interest researchers were not interested in Nepal Nepal. Also many academics are uncom- in Nepal and presents short analyses of as such; they were more interested in fortable about how Nepali audiences themes common to the interviews that the theoretical constructs behind respond to and use their writings. David follow. The interviews are ar- their findings, which could be ab- Gellner comments that Newari activists ranged in a chrono- stracted and used in analyses of distorted the findings of his book on logical order other societies. In the 70s and 80s Newari ethnicity as a defense for according to Newari culture. Similarly, Mark Turin when the writes, “I know that I am being con- interviewees re- Nepal Studies in the UK: sciously and willfully manipulated by the ceived their doc- Conversations with Practitioners various Thangmi ethnic communities torates, the first in AUTHOR: Pratyoush Onta when they ask me to come to their meet- 1966 and the last Martin Chautari (Chautari book series) ings.” whose thesis is still PRICE: Rs. 950 Nevertheless many interviewees, to be published. PAGES: 210 including Turin, are keen that Nepalis As the focus is the read their works, and they remain deeply research these aca- most anthropologists engaged with the Nepali public. They demics have done con- were concerned with find current intellectual circles in cerning Nepal, there are the societies of single Nepal much more congenial and stimu- themes and preoccupa- tribal groups. lating than in the past, they are much tions that are shared by Since the 90s, how- better acquainted with Nepali languages many of them. It is thus ever, anthropologists have been in- and literature and they are deeply dedi- possible to read the book terested in other themes, such as public cated to their professions. However, not as separate accounts of the works of health, the media andScarlett the Johanssoneffects of glo- Onta bemoans how “embarrassingly ig- different practitioners but as a single, balization. Academicsin the are movie also getting“Girl in- norant” we are regarding “the institu- With A Pearl connected narrative. Moreover, Onta creasingly involvedEarring” in viewing Nepal tional and disciplinary dynamics that asks each of the interviewees the same through other lenses than those of an- generate and constrain scholarship questions, an approach that suggests that thropology. Michael Hutt, who teaches about Nepal.” the purpose of the book is to reveal gen- Nepali language, among other things, at Foreign scholars have tackled sub- eral trends of social science research and the School of Oriental and African Stud- jects that still lie outside the ken of tra- not to provide accounts of the individual ies in London, is a prominent figure. He ditional Nepali scholarship, which is works of the people involved. What re- is often viewed as a central figure in Brit- still concerned mostly with modern sults is an engaging account of how so- ish social science research about Nepal political history, and they have revealed cial science research concerning Nepal today because he is connected to many important truths about our nation. Only has developed in the U.K. in the last fifty British and Nepali academics and often by engaging with their works can we or so years, the problems it has faced and acts as an intermediary between them. reach a mutual level of understanding faces today and the directions in which In addition he is the only academic in where, in Michael Hutt’s words, “the it is going. the U.K. with the word Nepali in his kuire-puja” will cease, but at the same Since the 70s and 80s, we learn, most job title. He has been responsible for in- time will “not give way to indiscrimi- western academic research in Nepal has spiring a younger generation of research- nate kuire-bashing.” nation weekly | SEPTEMBER 5, 2004 57 Last Word Endgame?

he blockade ended last week after We think that their central leadership seven days of confusion before the still believes in a negotiated settlement, TValley’s million-plus residents had though they are under strong pressure quite felt the pain that’s become an ev- from the middle ranks and downwards eryday occurrence to those outside. to continue with the war. They still care We’re endlessly efficient 365 days... When the blockade ended with a joint about how the civil society views them. statement from Maoist commanders in As much was once again evident last “ring” districts bordering the capital, week. They haven’t reached a point of most motorists still had their tanks full no return yet. and their households were still stocked But that’s not the whole story. There Shangri-la Inter Continental Freight (p.) Ltd. Logistics (p.)Ltd. up with essentials. The Maoists said they are fears that the CPN-Maoist com- had withdrawn mand and control is under severe strain Thamel, Bhagwan Bahal, GPO Box:11829, Kathmandu, Nepal Phone: 4424456, 4410901, 4423671, 4412601, Fax: 00977-1-4414858 from a fast-expanding party base that E-mail:[email protected], [email protected] website: www.shangri-lafreight.com, www.visitnepal.com/shangfreight seems to have lately developed along eth- nic lines. The Madhesi Swayetta Chhetra, Magarat Swayetta Chhetra, Kirat Swayetta Chhetra, Tharuwan Swayetta Chhetra and Tamuwan NEPAL Swayetta Chhetra have certainly not or- PASHMINA INDUSTRY ganized along ideological lines. We fear warlords running amok, should the central leadership lose its hold. the blockade in view of the “requests Much like the Maoist leadership, the made by the civil society.” government also still believes in talks and There are two stories behind their has done substantial groundwork for peace withdrawal. First, they just didn’t have lately. But just as with the Maoists, a sec- NPI the military capability to face dangers tion within the government—or the Main Showroom: Soaltee Mode (On the way to Hotel Soaltee) attendant to continuing with an indefi- state—is facing a strong militarist pull. Thamel Showroom: Opposite Sanchaykosh building Tel:4-273292, 277023, 283644 | Fax: 4-270092 nite blockade of Nepal’s most forti- Pressure to announce an election sched- Email:[email protected] | Web: www.nepalpashminaindustry.com fied city. It became evident that both ule when the country is barely discussing the government and its foreign allies peace again is a dangerous proposition. It’s were willing to go far should the need just not common sense. There is another arise. Second, the Maoists didn’t want interesting dynamic emerging. Along with to continue the blockade at the cost of the Maoist ranks that see war as the only completely losing face with civil so- solution here on, ranking security offi- ciety. cials seem to be hardening their position We are inclined to believe the answer against the talks. That’s disturbing. lies somewhere in between. Some 30,000 We urge both the sides to the con- security forces were deployed to keep flict to scale down their rhetoric and the highways open. Though the Maoists military activities and talk peace seri- could still severely paralyze traffic with ously. Failure to do so could push us into stray attacks, the fact that they didn’t do a full-blown civil war and make foreign so is meaningful. After eight years, their intervention inevitable. “people’s war” has come far, but the scale still hasn’t tipped in their favor yet; their “strategic offensive” will still have to wait. The question then comes: Why did the Maoists withdraw the blockade when they did? Akhilesh Upadhyay, Editor

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