Untitled-3 1 11/11/04, 2:46 PM 14 Marketing Team Nepal APR 19-25, 2004 Market pundits say VOL. 1, NO. 1 consistent display of WEEKLY quality is the key to attracting bigger crowds. 22 Ominous Rumbles There are signs that the Indian position against the Maoists is harden- ing. And its as much due to the alleged Maoists attacks against Indian vehicles and nationals in Nepal, as its due to Indias growing realization that the Maoists can be a serious trans- boundary menace. 24 Hushed Expectations The King appealed to all parties to help organize elections. His lofty ideas, however, dont seem to impress political heavyweights. 26 Song of Cover Story Sovereignty By Swarnim Waglé 16 14 Years Later In this day and age, why should we be beholden to norms, institutions, and Party protests arent getting anywhere but that doesnt symbols in our statecraft in a manner mean people are happy with the status quo. The sooner the that gives the impression that what we are holding on to, if let gone, would King and parties make peace, the better. violate all sanctity? 34 Anthropology and Columns Development Art & Society 9 Rebels With a Cause By Sondra L. Hausner 28 Phalano By Amanda Snellinger Together, anthropology and The Everyman: For readers tired of the In Nepal, vandalism is physical evidence development might be able to break out same old write ups in the papers of what the current government ignores: of their isolated states, and actually help everyday, K.C.s flashes of insight into the stalemated political situation and Nepal improve its social and economic the Nepali ethos provide both a lack of justice. And it shows that people conditions. welcome break and a catharsis: they are not currently interested in the state, offer a glimpse of the way things are and or at least not in state property. for once people can laugh at the expense of the high and mighty. 32 When Rights Departments 30 The Sky in his Eyes Go Wrong 6 LETTERS By Jogendra Ghimire By Sanjeev Uprety Human rights advocates put the 10 PICTURE OF THE WEEK For Buddhi Thapa the entire universe is security forces and the insurgents on 12 NEWS a play of vibrations; energies that pervade not only solar systems and the same moral and legal plane; and 33 CITY PAGE though they blame both the parties, galaxies but also run through each leaf, they especially up the ante against the 35 BOOKS each blade of grass: a mystical motif that security forces. 36 KHULA MANCH forms the basis of his spiritual paintings. WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE AND CHARITY TOWARDS ALL Nation Weekly, The Media House, Tripureshor, Kathmandu, Nepal (Regd. 113/059-060). Tel: 2111102, 4229825, 4261831, 4263098 fter five months of planning, we are finally hitting the EDITOR: Akhilesh Upadhyay [email protected] stands, with a certain degree of apprehension about our CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Suman Pradhan COPY EDITOR: Tiku Gauchan A market prospects but a great deal of excitement about how STAFF WRITERS: Sushma Joshi, Satish Jung Shahi PHOTOGRAPHER: Sagar Shrestha COVER PHOTOGRAPHER: Kishor Kayastha we are going to approach our news coverage. DESIGNER: Suresh Dhami Perhaps the question we have been asked most is: is it the right AD & CIRCULATION DIRECTOR: Krishna Shrestha [email protected] time to start a new venture, and a newsmagazine at that? We re- CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Nripendra Karmacharya ally dont know. We have got into the business with the spirit of a SUBSCRIPTION: Ashish Bhattarai [email protected] venture capitalist. We are starting out with a five-member edito- PUBLISHER: The Mirror Media Pvt. Ltd rial team but have set high standards for ourselves. We are a small AD ENQUIRIES: Tel. 4229825, 4261831, 4263098 newsmagazine with an overwhelming purpose: to help our read- COLOR SEPARATION: ScanPro, Pulchowk, 5548861, 5552335 PRINTING: Variety Printing Press, 4278869 ers make sense of these extremely confusing times. We will try our best and let you decide whether our efforts have been good CONTACT enough. Nepals media market has become very crowded in recent We prefer to receive letters via e-mail, without times. We are encouraged by the fact that scores of young people attachments. Writers should disclose any connection or relationship with the subject of their comments. have made journalism their full time career ever since Shyam All letters must include an address and daytime and evening phone numbers. We reserve the right to edit Goenka started Kantipur Publications in 1992, when just about letters for clarity and space. E-mail: [email protected] everybody dismissed his efforts to start a private media house as Fax: 4216281 Mail: Nation Weekly a bad business move. Kantipur defied all naysayers and went on The Media House, GPO 8975, EPC 5620 Tripureshor, Kathmandu, Nepal. to write its own historyperhaps the greatest success story of SUBSCRIPTION post-1990 Corporate Nepal. In doing so it unknowingly served E-mail: [email protected] Nation Weekly, The Media House, GPO 8975 one huge purpose that Mr. Goenka may never have thought of: EPC 5620, Tripureshor, Kathmandu, Nepal Tel: 2111102, 4229825, 4261831, 4263098 it pushed press freedom to a new height and secured the rights Fax: 4216281 for generations of journalists to come. And that has only come about the hard way. To be sure, Article 13 of the 1990 Constitu- tion guarantees press freedom, but that doesnt mean a thing unless it is established through rigorous exercise. The Consti- tution has guaranteed a lot more, but you only have to look at subscription the mess around you to appreciate the remarkable development [email protected] of Nepals media. No matter what, we are firmly convinced that press freedom is 4229825 here to stay. And in similar vein to the spirit that defined the early years of Kantipur, we would like to think that good journalism is 4261831 also good business. As for the crowded media market, we say: Let 4263098 a thousand flowers bloom. 6 APRIL 19-25, 2004 | NATION WEEKLY ManasluManaslu PashminaPashmina MANUFACTURER OF HAND WOVEN PASHMINA GOODS NOW INTRODUCING AN EXCLUSIVE RANGE OF SAREES SHOWROOM: # 351, Third Floor, Bishal Bazar, New Road tel: 977-1-4242258 | fax: 977-1-4223344, 4435617 [email protected] AMBIENCE- a complete decor shop LIFE STYLE P. LTD. for your home where we House of Furnishing New Baneswor, Bijuli Bazar, Kathmandu, Nepal Telephone: 4781071, 4781072, 4781073 showcase a wide range Fax: 5535122 E-mail: [email protected] of quality products including carpets, mattress, doormats, venetian blinds and linen. Your home reflects your personality - we help you create the image you desire. Amanda Snellinger Rebels With a Cause hat are the legitimate forms of protest in a democracy? At present this is a valid question in Nepal. The Nepali people W have become familiar with techniques of public protest that many different factions have exercised in the last 14 years. So as the chy, I would like to make the claim that the root cause can at least be students proceed in typical fashion, the public is not shocked, although dated to October 4, 2002. they may be slightly inconvenienced. Of these different forms of protest, Acts such as vandalism cannot be analyzed within a moral sensibility. the one that has fascinated me of late is the vandalism that the students It is neither right nor wrong but a reaction that tangibly signifies the are engaging in as an extreme-as well as extremely efficient-tactic. systematic flaws of society. In Nepal, vandalism is physical evidence of One may wonder, as I have, whose attention they are vying for. How what the current government ignores: the stalemated political situation does destroying public property further their cause? And on a more and lack of justice. And it shows that people are not currently invested in abstract level, what does this all symbolize? I am surprised to find that the state, or at least not in state property. These sorts of self-destructive students dont expect to gain the current governments attention with protests happen all over the world. these displays. I had it explained to me in cynical fashion by a student Thinking about this within my own national context, I am reminded of leader that the current governments actions are so shameless that the littering and high crime rates in low-income neighborhoods in cities like such forms of protest dont even faze them, much less move them New York. Many people have not been given reason to trust the state; they toward restoring democracy. are jaded by a history in which their voices were suppressed. So rather The government does not listen even if thousands come into the than participate in a legitimate democratic process that was set up for street; they certainly wont listen to the smashing of bricks and glass, or them to air their frustrations, these frustrations manifest in counterproduc- smell the burning of tires tive ways that reduce the and effigies. But the quality of life in their com- people hear it, smell it, munity. and reroute themselves Currently in Nepal to avoid airborne bricks people dont even have a and raised lathis. democratic system in What does the public which to dispute the politi- think of such exhibitions of cal situation legitimately, force? Well, for every ve- so vandalism comes as no hicle destroyed, a new surprise. one must replace it, and At least here, it is not during the replacement directed at the private citi- process, the politicians zens but rather targets the have a new opportunity to source of the frustration: swindle the public through the state.