#232 28 January - 3 February 2005 20 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 173. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.comQ..... Which side in the conflict is a moreserious violator of human rights?

Total votes:720

Weekly Internet Poll # 172

Q. What is the most-feasible politicaloption at present?

If you have to fight

Fight by the rulest is an indication of just howseriously the world now takesthe brutality of Nepal’s conflict

that someone like Louise Arbourwas here this week.

The former Canadian supremecourt justice is a name associatedwith genocides in Rwanada andex-Yugoslavia. She specialises inbringing war criminals to justicethrough international tribunalslike she did the massacreperpetrators from Rwanda as wellas Yugoslav president, SlobodanMilosevic.

Her presence in Nepal shouldhave sent a chill down the spineof every commander and politicalor rebel leader under whose watchhuman rights atrocities are beingcommitted. More than 12,000Nepalis have lost their lives in thelast nine years: most of them areunarmed civilians, butchered,disappeared, killed after arbitraryarrests and torture.

This week in Kathmandu,Arbour was outspoken in hercriticism of state security and theMaoists and warned them thatthey would be held to account. “Inevery part of the world, politicaland military leaders who thoughtthemselves immune frompersecution are now answeringbefore the law for the gross humanrights abuses they perpetrated,”Arbour said.

Nepal has signed more than adozen international treaties andinstruments that would allow theUN to get Nepali human rightsviolators into international courts.“They are more than enough forthe UN Security Council to set uptribunals for Nepali perpetrators,”Sher Bahadur KC of the Nepal BarAssociation and internationallawyer told us, “and Arbour washere to assess the human rightssituation under that UN

provision.”Arbour met King Gyanendra,

Prime Minister Deuba, COAS PyarJung Thapa conveying herconcern that there have been veryfew serious investigations andconvictions of human rightsabuses. The army was also giventhe message that human rightsviolations at home would affectthe future of its UN peacekeepingoperations abroad.

Arbour also met human rightsactivists and relatives of thedisappeared. But her harshest

words were for the Maoists whoshe warned shouldn’t think theyexist in a legal vacuum. She toldus: “I would like to warn theleaders of the insurgency not tomisread developments in thewider world nor to believe thatthey can operate outside of thelaw.” She said she was mostconcerned about the abductions ofchildren, forced displacement offamilies, murders and extortion bythe rebels. But even while Arbourwas still in Nepal, Maoists wentahead with the abduction of 500

students and teachers inDadeldhura and 750 inSankhuwasabha for theirindoctrination programs.

A UN team on involuntarydisappearances was in Nepal lastmonth and is scheduled topresentitsreportin therun-up to a hearing on Nepalscheduled for March. Arbour’soffice in Geneva will be looking atprogress till then.

NARESH NEWAR

I

Arbour's advice p2Watchlist report p5

Why are Nepalisobsessed withBob Marley?

Rastarevolution

p10-11

DEEPENDRA BAJRACHARYA

1928 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232

DAJU BHAI: Prime Minister Deuba and Indian Ambassador ShivaShankhar Mukherjee attend the Republic Day celebrations at the IndianEmbassy.

REUNITED: Girija Prasad Koirala and Sher Bahadur Deuba bury thehatchet at the Australia Day reception on Wednesday at the RadissonHotel.

MIN BAJRACHARYA

MIN BAJRACHARYA

SUNDAY BEST: Shivapuri emerged glorious in snow after Sunday’sheavy snowfall which brought snow down to 2,500 m in the Valley.

KICKIN’ UP DUST: Australian ambassador Keith Gardner at thephotography exhibition of Australian contemporary indigenouscultural festivals at the Siddhartha Art Gallery with Sangeeta Thapa.

MIN BAJRACHARYA

RAM HUMAGAIN

T

AAHA: The finals of the Aha Gold Cup in Pokhara on 22 January inwhich, Manang Marsyangdi Club defeated Mahendra Police Club to winthe Championship.

ula Ram Pandey has longstopped having anyillusions that journalists

should not get involved intheir stories.

As a reporter in the remotedistrict of Kalikot, he was nearlykilled in a recent firefightbetween an army patrol and theMaoists. He has beenthreatened by both sides, foundhimself evacuating sickchildren to hospitals and haseven mediated between thestate and the Maoists to rescueabducted politicians.

“You have no choice,” says30-year-old Tula Ram, “Youcan’t just say I’m a journalist,that’s not my job.” Last year,Pandey played the role of a go-between to obtain the release ofthe UML’s Kalikot MP who hadbeen abducted by the Maoists.Neither the Maoists nor thearmy would trust anyone else.

But that trust is sometimesmixed with suspicion. Everyday is a high-wire act for TulaRam as he tries to stick toprofessional journalism whilekeeping the army, theadministration and the rebels atarm’s length.

He is not alwayssuccessful. Two months ago,while on a reporting assignmentup the valley from Manma hefound himself in the middle of agun battle between the army andthe Maoists. Four young Maoist

In the crossfirewhole-timers were killed,but Tula Ram was luckythat a ricocheting bullet justgrazed his leg.

Army officers havethreatened to bury him on thespot if he didn’t stop filinghuman rights stories, while anotorious Maoist militia chiefwarned he would be terminatedif his articles weren’t morepositive. Tula Ram Pandey isthe Kalikot correspondent forthe Nepali national daily,Kantipur, and has grown used tothe dangers. His moreimmediate worry is thetechnical difficulty of filingstories: there is only one phoneline in the whole district and itis on the CDO’s desk. Friendlyhelicopter pilots are Tula Ram’s(and his district’s) lifeline to therest of the country.

Despite everything, he isstill positive about the future. “Iam an incurable optimist,” hesays, smiling, “If I wasn’t Iwouldn’t have married lastmonth. You have to believethat someday this madnesswill end.” Kunda Dixit

SUDARSHAN RANJIT

KUNDA DIXIT

1728 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232

TEE BREAKDeepak Acharya

T

SPORTS

Day one: Clear blue sky, cumulus clouds popping off the high mountainsand an uninterrupted view of the peaks. An ambitious task of 40 km wasset. Starting from Sarangkot, the competitors raced 10 km down theridge to Naundada and then another 10 km back to Sarangkot beforeheading due north towards Annapurna IV and back south to Lakeside.The promising conditions deteriorated as clouds enveloped themountains and created strong valley winds. These winds blew thethermals out and put a lot of the competitors on the ground early. In theturbulent conditions one pilot from France suffered a collapsed wing andhad to throw his reserve parachute, landing safely. Only four pilots madethe final turn point, with only Jamie Messenger completing the task. JeanMichael from France came second and Ajay Kumar of India, third.

Day two: Another good day with early cumulus development. The racecommittee decided to set a shorter race that would allow morecompetitors to finish. So a 20 km ridge run with four turnpoints was set.A congested start saw all the gliders struggling for the best lift, withcloudbase 1,000 m above the takeoff, we were able to spread out and flywith little interference. Although you race against other pilots inparagliding competitions, in reality you compete against yourself. If youfly at someone else’s pace and worry about where they are going andwhy, it becomes hard to find your own rhythm, you lose focus and landearly. With good conditions the race pilot’s main priority is to decidewhen he should leave the thermal he is climbing in and move on to thenext. Today’s task was won and lost on just such a decision with metaking the low route and sneaking in five seconds ahead of JamieMessenger, Debu Chaudhary of India came third.

Day three: Though it had rained the night before, the day dawned clear. Ashort task was called as we had the closing ceremony that afternoon.Apparently, state ministers don’t like to be kept waiting! A 23 km racewas set around Phewa lake. Gliders have a wide speed range from 27-65 km/h. By flying fast you lose height, the skill is in balancing speedand height. Jamie Messenger dominated the field. Debu Chaudharyarrived second and Rajesh Bomjan from Nepal finished third.

In the afternoon the pilots headed up for a second flight, this time foran acrobatic display over the lake. A variety of thrilling manoeuvreslater, they had the option of landing on a raft situated 100m offshore or aspot landing with an egg in the middle. By the end of the day there werethree very scrambled eggs and many wet pilots. The crowd that throngedthe shores of Phewa lake cheered wildly as more and more pilotsmissed the raft landing and splashed into the lake. Minister for ForeignAffairs, Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, handed out the prizes to (pictured,from right) Jamie Messenger (UK), who came in first, Debu Chaudhary(India), second and Ajay Kumar (India). There were only eight pilotsfrom Nepal competing in the event. Sunrise Paragliders hopes to trainmore Nepalis for future events but in the meantime if you want to ridewith the wind, just head for Pokhara.

Pokhara sky raceThe annual Nepal ParaglidingChampionship was a flying successokhara, the town of lakes

and aerial sports, playedhost last week to a sky-wide

extravaganza. Forty-four pilotsfrom 14 countries participated inthe 6th Nepal ParaglidingChampionships, the colourfulfestival of gliders wheeling andsoaring in the air currents abovePhewa Lake.

Circling and climbing to2,000 m in a thermal with 43other pilots requires great skilland concentration. The idea is toride rising currents of warm aircalled thermals until they stopand then glide out to the nextrising current. These thermals arethe secret to sustaining flight andparagliders need to be extremelyadept at harnessing them.

Flying competition is oftenfast, furious and aggressive.Pilots race each other around a setcourse, the first to successfullycomplete it is the winner.According to topography andclimate, Pokhara valley is idealfor such a competition. This yearit played host to pilots ofexceptional skill. The class of thefield was world standard andthis showed in the speed of therace each day.

Adam Hill is the Director ofSunrise Paragliding and acompetitor in the event.

061-521174www.nepal-paragliding.com

sunrise@nepal-paragliding.com

ADAM HILL in POKHARA

ake up golf the right way and one of the first things you aretaught is how to hold the club correctly. This is known as ‘TheGrip’ and at all levels of golf, right up to the top, it is a vital

element of performing well.Neglecting this basic key technique will lead golfers into all sorts

of trouble, almost always resulting in an improper swing tocompensate for weaknesses in the grip. Unfortunately most amateursand almost all beginners don’t pay enough attention to this and justindulge themselves in whacking more and more golf balls on therange with an incorrect grip. Instead of practice sessions being

constructive, they end upingraining an incorrect swing thattakes much harder work to undo.

To top it off, even afterrealising that it is detrimental to

one’s improvement, once an incorrect grip has started to feelcomfortable, it’s something that’s not easy to change. Golf textbooksidentify three basic different ways of gripping the golf club.

The Vardon (or overlap) grip The interlocking grip The baseball grip

The Vardon or overlap grip: A vast majority of tournamentprofessionals use the grip invented by Harry Vardon, known as theoverlapping or ‘Vardon Grip’. Here, the small finger of the right handrests in the slot between the index and middle finger of left hand.Some find this awkward and prefer letting the little finger rest on theindex finger itself. In both cases though, the ring finger of right handshould rest closely against the left index finger.

The interlocking grip: Many players prefer the interlocking grip as itoffers a secure feeling of control over the club. This grip is formed bylocking the left index finger and right small finger.

The baseball grip: Similar to gripping a baseball or cricket bat, herethere is no linkage between the index and little fingers even thoughboth hands should be very close to each other.

No matter which style you use, there are a few basics that need tobe followed. First place your left hand on your club ensuring thatwithout moving your head you can see two knuckles. This set up isfor a normal grip as opposed to a strong or weak one. The V shapecreated by the left index finger and thumb should point to your chin.

Next, place your right hand on the grip ensuring the V created bythe right index finger and thumb point to the right shoulder. To crosscheck, unfold your hands and see if they are parallel to each other. Ifthey are, then you probably got the grip right.

Players usually adjust their grip in relation to their physicalstrength. Weaker people may opt for a stronger grip; one where youshould see three or more knuckles of the left hand while holding theclub. Conversely, for physically stronger people a weaker grip may beideal, where only one knuckle is seen while holding the club.

The bottom line is that both hands should be parallel to each otherwhen unfolded. The interlocking grip is recommended for players withsmall hands as it offers a secure feeling of control on the grip. Theoverlapping grip is best for stronger people and the baseball grip issometimes for those who have long or uneven finger lengths.

At the end of it all, it’s best to have your grip checked by your golfprofessional every two months or so. That is how easily and often agrip starts to go wrong and how important it is to stay ‘in the groove’.

Deepak Acharya is a Golf Instructor and Golf Director atGokarna Forest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu.

prodeepak@hotmail.com

Gripping stuffHold the club right and let it rip

P

Jamie Messenger, thewinner, glides by the

peaks. (Below) Theparagliders race over

Phewa lake.

surprising sanctuary in Nepal. It is hard toexplain the Bob Marley craze in Nepal but noone can deny that the raja of reggae with his rastalocks has found a certain resonance in here.

Legend has it that Bob Marley visited Nepalin the 1970s and went up to Mustang. Today,just below the temple of the eternal flame inMuktinath is his shrine, the Bob MarleyRestaurant, where he is said to have rested. Lateat night, the sound of ‘No Woman No Cry’emanating from the restaurant and disco echoesin the craggy mountains below Thorung La. Inthe remotest corners of Nepal, trekking porterswho don’t even speak English hum Marley’stunes. Taxis, rickshaws and corner shops inKathmandu and long-distance buses areresplendent in the Rastafarian colours of green,gold and red. Marley’s Rasta stickers are readilyavailable and ubiquitous defiantly showing offthe cannabis leaves and waving the Ethiopiantricolour.

The Bob Marley stickers are printed in

Bob Marley’s contribution to the world of music isimmense. He furthered a religion, promoted peace andsang for the people. He brought Jamaica to the world andthe world to Jamaica and more importantly he broughtreggae to Nepal. And one of the strangest sights whiletrekking in Nepal is to come across the Bob Marleyrestaurant and lodge at Mukitnath (pictured). Here, birds ofa feather (reggae fans, Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims) flocktogether to pay homage to the eternal flame that comes outof the ground and the eternal music of Bob Marley.

Museum in the singer’s former home inKingston probed the records to find anyreference to the singer ever having visited Nepal.There were none, but that doesn’t mean hedidn’t come here, especially since Jimi Hendrix,Cat Stevens, Janis Joplin had all visited Nepalduring that period and were inspired enough towrite songs.

Marley didn’t sing about Nepal but hisinfatuation with Nepal and vice-versa couldhave something to do with the similar outlooks(and looks) that the Rastafarians have withHindu sadhus. Bob Marley is seen by some as aBishnu incarnate and we wonder if this is themissing link that connects the famous Jamaicanstar with Nepal?

Marley died of cancer at the age of 36 in1981. The people of Jamaica gave him an officialfuneral, and his body was laid to rest in amausoleum. On his 60th birthday, his remainsare to be exhumed and re-buried in Ethiopia, thespiritual home of Rastafarianism.

Marley in Muktinath

MIN BAJRACHARYA

2 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232EDITORIAL

LLLLL E T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R S

T

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Chief Editor: Kunda DixitDesk Editor: Abha Eli Phoboo, Aarti BasnyatDesign: Kiran Maharjan Web: Bhushan ShilpakarAdvertising: Sunaina Shah advertising@himalmedia.comSubscription: Anil Karki, subscription@himalmedia.comSanchaya Kosh Building, Block A-4th Floor, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, NepalTel: 01-5543333-6, Fax: 01-5521013Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 01-5547018editors@nepalitimes.com, www.nepalitimes.com

B

UNETHICALGoing undercover for researchis one thing but ’integrity’ inreporting is another. PranavBudathoki (‘Nepalis gounderground in Britain’, #230)needs to possess more ethicsin his writing so as not tomention real names in anational newspaper unless heasked their permission whichhe would not if he wasundercover. Working inrestaurants or grocery stores isnot lowly as he implicitlyassumes. At the same time,these same people may not beillegal migrants as he impliesand may be completing theirhigher level education byfunding themselves, an effortwhich I salute.

Kavita Rai, Bristol, UK

It was really distressing toread the report by PranavBudhathoki in a newspaper ofthe standard of Nepali Times.Illegal immigration is abig problem and Nepalis alongwith tens of thousands ofeastern Europeans and SouthAsians in the United Kingdomare obviously subject toextreme exploitation in theillegitimate economy. However,to paint the picture of the grimscenario in such a pathetic wayas Budhathoki did adds salt to

the wounds of the sufferers. Heand you in the editorial teamshould have realised theshortcomings of the Nepalis backhome. The conditions there areworse than in the UK and only aportion of the Nepali immigrantsare actually ‘underground’ inBritain. Many Nepalis havesecured better jobs and are paidreasonably well. Although thestudents are working at hotelsand restaurants or even cleaninghospitals, many have studied inuniversities having earned tuitionfees with years of hard work. Itwill be the country, Nepal orBritain that will reap the reward oftheir hard-earned universitydegree. How can the studentsfund sky-high univeristy feeswithout earning a few pounds onthe side? Their work has helpedstrengthen the British economyitself. They pay taxes as Britishcitizens do. Instead ofappreciating their hard work,derogatory articles like this willadd salt to the wounds of Nepaliimmigrants. The first or thesecond generation of Indian andChinese immiogrants sufferedand worked hard, and lookwhere their children are now. Infuture, Nepali Times should avoidsuch one-sided reports thattarnish the reputation of Nepalisas a whole.

R Kafle, London

RNAWords such as ‘democracy’,‘freedom’, and ‘liberalism’ thatour forefathers spilled their bloodto win are being cheapened bythe likes of Sadip Bahadur Shah(‘Not the people’s war’, #230)who use them with unbelievableease for their own unjustifiableneeds. Shah speaks as if the restof us are incapable of spotting afar-fetched claim when one is soobvious. Given the outrageoushuman rights violations that theRNA has added onto the recklesskillings by the Maoists (see thelatest report by AmnestyInternational), what ’democraticnorm’ does Shah speak of?Perhaps he means thedemocratic norm that hasallowed Nepalis to enjoyfreedom and fundamental rightsin the last 14 years. Thedemocratic norm that hasallowed our rural people todefend themselves against theviolations of their constitutionalrights: against caste discrimina-tion, brutality, and constantbullying. The norm that hasgenerously blessed our journal-ists with the freedom of speech.Nepal is yet to see a genuinedemocracy, let alone defend it. Isuspect most Nepalis outsideKathmandu have neither thetime nor the state of normalcybetween getting raped and

murdered to fight fear. If it isn’talready apparent to some, there isnothing served on their plates butfear. With no local authorities toeffectively report to, Nepalis haveno one to support or trust. So it’squite ironic that Shah brings uphalf-hearted support. I am certainDailekh’s ‘defiant mothers’ wouldbeg to differ with him. If the armyis to gain people’s authenticsupport, reasonable measuresmust be taken to punish thosewho violate human rights, to showthat they stand for democracy, andto prove that their concern isgenuine. There is much work that

needs to be done if it isinterested in winning hearts,being as crass as ‘the enemy’is not it.

Samudaya.org

Increased fuel prices andnow tax hikes, all for thesecurity expenses? Whosesecurity are you talking aboutMr Premier? (‘Adding fuel tothe fire’, #230) Security of thepalace, power elite andpolitical egoists? The generalpublic’s security has neverbeen a priority. Dear king, thisis an emergency, prepare tocompromise. The people canno longer bear the cost of thiswar. Prachanda: How can youdream of spring when you areuprooting the tree in winter?To the palace: You nest in thesame tree.

Rajesh Pokharel, NewYork

LAKGood to know from Daniel Lakthat ‘the Indians would likenothing better than a Nepalthat is prosperous, happy andat peace’. (‘Looking at Nepalfrom New Delhi’, #231) Sucha statement, if issued byPrime Minister ManmohanSingh would have providedgreat relief to us Nepalis. Butthis assurance has come from

y UN standards, thespeech delivered onMonday in Kathmandu

by the United Nations HighCommissioner for HumanRights, Louise Arbour, wasas blunt as they come. Shewarned both the rebels andthe army that they wouldultimately be held toaccount for human rightsviolations. She urged bothsides to sign the HumanRights Accord, saying thiswould reduce the corrosiveimpact of the conflict.Excerpts:

I am aware that the (NHRC)Commissioners’ current termsexpire in May. I cannot stressenough how important it is thatthe Commission’s work does notdeteriorate after that date andneither its independence not itseffectiveness be adverselyimpacted. This is particularly soin light of the conflict, whichovershadows this country andwhich is charaterised by graveand systematic human rightsviolations occurring on bothsides. While His Majesty’s Govern-

ment carries the responsibility ofmaintaining the integrity of stateinstitutions and while it bearsthe heavy burden of ensuring thesafety and security of its people,it must do so in full compliancewith international humanitarianand human rights law. TheMaoist insurgents, for their part,do not operate in a legal vacuum:they are equally bound underinternational law. The people of Nepal are now

prey to disappearances,summary executions, abduc-tions and torture. Its humanrights defenders are subjected toharassment in the pursuit oftheir vital work. And thecountry’s children are at themercy of being press-ganged bythe insurgents. There are few crueler means

of ending a childhood thanthrough military conscription.Children, incapable of complexmoral and political choices,should not be induced to utilisedubious means to pursuedubious ends, and risk, indoing so, being tainted for life—should they survive—by theircoerced association with apolitical agenda that they couldnot freely embrace or influence. It is always easier to point

the finger at the transgressionsof the other side than to take a

sober, hard look at the failings ofone’s own. Yet it is preciselythese leaders who bear primaryresponsibility, underinternational humanitarian law,for the actions of those undertheir command. Increasingly theycan expect to be held to account. Human Rights Accord

proposed by the National HumanRights Commission recognisesthat the armed conflict in Nepalaffects, above all, innocentcivilians. It asserts further thatthis must end and that if war isinevitable then it must be carriedout in accordance with certainbasic rules, well articulated ininternational law. It should not be difficult to

conclude this Accord: after all, itis nothing more, in effect, than areiteration of those legalobligations under human rightsand international humanitarian

THE LEAST-COST OPTIONhis country is running out of options. As the choices narrow, thediscourse gets polarised and even the moderates are beingpushed to be radically republican or royalist.

The four agitating parties on the streets ran out of options sometime ago. The anti-‘regression’ protest has suffered from attrition.Desperate to sow unrest, one party stooped as low as trying to spreadcommunal violence on 1 September after 12 Nepalis were killed inIraq. Lately it has used the fuel the price hike but the protests fail toignite because the people see the protests as being led by crooks whojust want their turn at the till.

King Gyanendra’s October Fourth gameplan isn’t going anywhere,either. He is now down to just two options: consolidate his takeoverand scrap the constitution once and for all, or roll back October Fourthand restore a semblance of democracy. The international communityhas reportedly sent unambiguous signals that he desist from thetemptation to go it alone. By now, it must be clear even to him that themusical chairs game of Article 127 can’t go on. The king thereforeneeds a face-saving way out, and the only one we see is for him tojoin hands with a rejuvenated poltiical process. For the parties itmeans recognising the crisis and coming together in a nationalgovernment to address the deep-seated problems with the polity.

The Maoists used to have time on their hands: as the country’seconomic situation deteriorated because of the insurgency they justneeded to bide their time as frustrations grew. Not any more. Therevolution is in serious danger of devouring itself. There are signs ofdangerous rifts. Desertions and resistance are spreading. To bringthings back on track, assert themselves and even to provide a strongbargaining position in future negotiations, the dominant hardliners willwant to mark the ninth anniversary of the start of the war next monthwith some big bangs.

Out of Nepal’s 25 million people, there are probably only some 150(arms merchants, hawks on both sides, toy boys) who benefit fromthis conflict. The rest don’t want to have anything to do with this war.The trouble is that this overpowering peace constituency is notorganised and represented to articulate its wish. The people havebeen let down by the people they elected, by a palace that is supposedto care, and by revolutionaries who have brought nothing but ruin.

Of the three, the only way to give the people back their voice is toallow them to speak through their representatives. The parliamentaryparties may have squandered democacy, but it is they who have lostthe most, physically and psychologically, in the past nine years.Whether it is to restore parliament, reform the constitution, haveelections, engage the Maoists in negotiations, bringing the partiesback in the picture is the least-cost option. Despite their sins onlyparties in a genuine democracy offer the self-correcting mechanismneeded to get us out of this mess. Authoritarianism and totalitarianismare both dead ends.

Arbour’s advice

MIN BAJRACHARYA

328 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232NATION

STATE OF THE STATECK Lal

ing Gyanendra’s OctoberFourth decision and thoseafter have been ascribed to a

shadowy coterie of royal advisers.We don’t know for certain whothey are, but it’s almost certainthat neither premier SherBahadur Deuba nor his cabinetcolleagues belong to that group.

Deuba knows where his orderscome from. So he can’t announce,defer or cancel parliamentaryelections on his own. He has towait for the appropriate lightbefore pretending he has made uphis mind. In the interim, heneeds to show he is doingsomething. So, once in a while,he stirs the poll pot. Likeeveryone else in the kingdom,though, he too knows theabsurdity of it all.

Despite his reputation, Deubais nether naïve nor inept. He is asurvivor and perfectly aware ofthe price of confrontation. Herefrained from directlychallenging the palace even whilehe was out in the boondocks inBudanilkantha last time he gotthe sack.

King Gyanendra haddismissed him by pinning the“incompetent” label on his lapel.There were many in Kathmandu’sdiplomatic circles then who gave

the king the benefit of doubt.They expected the king, withhelp from the military, wouldquickly clear up the Maobadimess and hand power back topeople’s representatives. It’s beentwo years and they are stillwaiting.

King Gyanendra hasrepeatedly said he is forconstitutional monarchy andparliamentary democracy, but hehasn’t given up his publiclydeclared intention that he alsowants to be a ‘constructive’ (apolitically correct synonym of‘active’) monarch. Elections nowwill be an exercise in acquiringlegitimacy for that active rolerather than one that theconstitution allows. Since thepolitical parties agitating in thestreets will be reluctant tocommit hara-kiri by agreeing topolls, polls will end upalienating the parties from themonarchy even further. KingGyanendra is used to takingpolitical risks, but this oneis real big.

The Royal Nepali Army hasbeen getting the goodies it wantsbut hasn’t been able tomeaningfully engage the Maoists.The military and the militantsoften play violent hide andseek—Tuesday night’s attack inMangalsen being another exampleof both sides claiming victoryover the people’s loss. Neither arein a position to subdue the other.

And nobody is sure ofthe kind of electionthe army wants. Asanyone with somecontact with ourjarsaps knows, theofficers don’thold politicos invery high esteem. Itmay sound harsh,but there is a vestedinterest in keepingthe conflict going.

As for theMaoists, they neverbelieved power flows fromthe ballot box anyway. Unlessthey reach a stage where they haveto either participate in polls orperish, they will do everythingthey can to disrupt elections.Their capacity to paralyse normallife isn’t in doubt. It would befutile to expect that the Maoistswill lamely surrender and letKing Gyanendra receive popularendorsement of his direct rule.

The palace’s propagandamachinery is good at turningvictims into villains, but theonly people with any stake inmeaningful elections are theleaders of political parties on thestreets. If they don’t wantelections, there must be a seriousreason for their reluctance. Andthat is the dissonance betweenthe pronouncements andpractices of the post-OctoberFourth Order. The Maoists areenemies of democracy, but

K

Stirring the poll potJust to show he is doing something, Deuba needs tokeep churning out talk of elections

law to which all parties to theconflict are already bound. A conflict that is waged

without regard for fundamentalhuman rights and internationalhumanitarian law not onlycauses unimaginable misery toinnocents but, in doing so, ithas a corrosive, embitteringeffect for those members of thesocieties on which it impacts. This Human Rights Accord

provides a genuine platform forpeace: an opportunity that Nepalcannot afford to disregard. Itsimply affirms the legitimatestatutory role of the NationalHuman Rights Commission tomonitor human rightsviolations, to undertakeinvestigations and to report onits findings. If the Commission’s

monitors were to haveunhindered access to all placesof detention, I have no doubtthat there would be a significantimprovement in the humanrights situation, particularly inregard to disappearances,arbitrary arrests, unlawfuldetention, torture and otherserious abuses. Violations of human rights,

committed by either side,achieve the twin destructivegoals of inflicting misery onthose whose rights are deniedand fuelling grievances whichdo nothing but push back theprospect for peace. I call upon the CPN-Maoists

to end, immediately, therecruitment of child soldiersand to desist from usingchildren in any way to furthertheir military goals. I also callupon them to demonstrate theirgood faith by signing the HumanRights Accord and by allowingfull access by monitors of theNational Human RightsCommission to all areas undertheir control.

monarchists haven’t shown theyare friends of people powereither.

And when Deuba boasts aboutholding elections, his owncabinet colleagues openlyridicule it. Bimalendra Nidhi hasbeen urging reporters not tolaugh, but to no avail. If Deubareally wants to hold free and fairelections, he should first holdfree and frank discussions withthe person who appointed himwith the ambiguous mandate of“starting the process of elections”by year-end.

If updating the electoral rollis the beginning of the process,then preparations for polls havealready begun. It’s time Deubatook a lesson from ComradeMadhab’s directives to his cadreand commit himself to a vow ofsilence and let the king say whatexactly it is he wants.

someone who is not even anIndian national. (Or is Lakalready a naturalised Indiancitizen?) Frankly, does a westernparachute journalist qualify tosend a prescription to Nepalis,that too from a secure basecalled New Delhi? Why has theNepali Times given Lak apermanent platform to frequentlyhumiliate people living in Nepal?

Mahendra Moktan,Baneswor Heights

Being a respected journalistand ardent democrat, how canDaniel Lak in his Here and Therecolumn tell Nepalis to just followthe path of India? Although thereare many well-educated punditsin and outside Nepal who do the

same thing, as a Canadian, Lakshould be ashamed to suggestNepal follow India’s example.It’s like saying Canada shouldfollow the policy made inWashington DC. How would theCanadians feel about that? Justlike the Americans dominate theworld, what a great idea it wouldbe to let India dominate SouthAsia! As someone who hasspent a lot of time in Nepal inthe past, Lak is free to have hisopinions. And it has to beadmitted, we are also to blamefor kow-towing to the BigBrotherly Great NeighbourIndia. Historically, Nepal’skings, prime ministers andMaoists have all followed theIndian line, and look at where it

got us. So, Mr Lak, it is not thenumber of Indians who should ormust know where Nepal is, notthat the Indian media shouldhave more reporting on Nepal,but that Indian leaders them-selves must learn how to handleNepal. The Maoists are a threatto Nepal and India, yet they aretolerated in Indian soil. Or is hesuggesting that we handdefence and foreign policy overto people south of the border andonly then will we be free of the4Ms: military, monarchy, Maoistsand multiparty?

C S Rana, email

Every politician, bureaucrat,general, businessman andopinionist in Kathmandu should

read Daniel Lak’s ‘Looking atNepal from New Delhi’. Ouremotive pseudo-nationalism hasundermined the national interestfor too long. Successive rulersin Kathmandu used vitriolic anti-Indian rhetoric in public and soldus down the river in private. It istime to be transparent andpragmatic in our relations withIndia. Let’s do our homework,figure out what it is we want anddeal through a sense ofrealpolitik with New Delhi.

Jivan Khatri, email

MORE WEDDING PRESENTSKunda Dixit obviously doesn’t doany shopping for weddingpresents, otherwise he wouldknow of a few more excellent

presents that can be given tonewly-weds which would beessential for them in later life.Recently, I saw the followingfabulous gift items atBhatbhateni that I think everyhoneymooner would covet:1. A 3-D stallion gallopingthrough a wooden frame inwhich the artist has accuratelyportrayed speed and stamina.2. Neon coloured deities fromthe Hindu pantheon with woodenpedestals under which theycarry a ‘Made in China’ label.3. Fountains that spew out waterand smoke simultaneously witha sputtering sound whenplugged in.

Rush while stocks last!Simone Pradhan, Kathmandu

4 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232NATION

HERE AND THEREDaniel Lak

ajendra Prasad Acharya ofKewalpur in Dhadingwakes up at dawn every

morning, milks his buffaloes andwalks down the slippery trails toDharkechhap carrying a jar ofmilk. This time of year there isthick fog as he approaches theMaheshmati Milk ProductionCooperative off the PrithbiHighway.

The milk is tested for lactoseand fat content and sent off tothe Mahadeb Besi chilling plantfive km down the road. Fromthere Acharya’s milk and milkfrom hundreds of other farmersin Dhading ends up at the DairyDevelopment Corporation’s plantin Balaju for distribution in

Kathmandu.Acharya is part of Nepal’s

white revolution, the dramaticspread of dairy farming acrossthe midhills and the tarai thathas raised the income offarmers and improved nutritionlevels. Districts surroundingKathmandu Valley (Dhading,Sindhupalchok and Kabhre)and even Chitwan andNawalparasi have takenmaximum advantage of thegrowing urban demand.

“When there is nothing else,milk is the best way to get a fewhundred rupees,” explains HariPrasad Gajurel in Thakre. Mostfarmers who bring their milk tobe sold here have given up

growing crops to become fulltimedairy farmers. There is no formaltechnical training required andmost farmers already have cattleat home and just need to scaleup. The return on investment isgood during normal times.

Indeed, if it wasn’t for theinsurgency and politicalinstability, farmers like Gajurelwould have been quiteprosperous by now. But frequentblockades and bandas havecrippled Dhading’s dairy andvegetable farmers. Here and inChitwan, farmers recently gottogether and dumped thousandsof litres of milk on the highwaysand rivers to protest the roadclosures. But the message hasn’t

gone across to the Maoists orpolitical parties who believe increating maximum disruption byblocking highways. There hasalso been a glut in the dairymarket because of oversupplyand this has forced ‘milkholidays’—days whenKathmandu based dairies do notbuy milk from farmers. These areusually announced in advanceand farmers have learnt to livewith them. But local chillingunits and production of value-added dairy products wouldhave allowed farmers to be lessaffected by oversupply andhighway disruptions.

“I lost Rs 5,000 during thelast blockade,” says Bishnu

Acharya. He and other farmerswalked down to Dharkechhapcarrying milk in dokos on theirbacks only to find out therewas a banda and no one was atthe collection centre. Bishnucarried the milk all the wayback to his village but many ofhis friends just poured it intothe Trisuli.

Heramba Rajbhandary, theowner of the private NepalDairy in Kathmandu predictsthat at the rate milkproduction is increasing,Nepal is only five years awayfrom a big milk boom. “But forthat to happen, a stablepolitical environment is aprerequisite,” Rajbhandary toldus. Nepal Dairy gets milk fromDhapakhel, Panauti, Dhulikheland Panchkhal in the east andprides itself in never having todeclare a milk holiday. “Thisis because we havediversified,” explainsRajbhandary, “our productsinclude ice cream, mozzarella,pizzas and bakery items, inaddition to rasbaris andlalmohans.”

The state run DairyDevelopment Corporation hasalso diversified its productbase by investing in milkproducts like cheese andyoghurt. There are now 180private dairy companies allover the country and 15 inKathmandu alone, many areplanning to invest in newequipment. In the past fewyears, private companies haveset up units to turn surplusmilk into canned condensedmilk in Bhaktapur andHetauda and are exploringexport markets.

Almost as destructive asbandas is the import of cheapand dubious milk powder

MALLIKA ARYAL in DHADING

epal should consider joining anexclusive club of nations. It may bethe way to jump start the long

stalled process of national development.How about this for company: Australia,Brazil, Canada, Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistanand the United States?

What do they all have in common?Each has taken the decision to move the

capitalcityandtheseat of

government away from the largestmetropolis and into the hinterland,building a new town from scratch. Thesoaring arches of Canberra, the ultramodern precincts of Brasilia, Ottawa’sgothic buildings against a forest backdrop,Dodoma in the shadow of Mt Kilimanjaro,Abuja in the central plains, Islamabad’sbroad boulevards and the ultimateimperial city, Washington DC.

None of these places existed, saveperhaps Dodoma as a small village, before

Move Kathmandu away from KathmanduA bit radical but it may be the only way to effective decentralisation

the movers and shakers in each countrydecided to build them. There were manyreasons for such a move–mostly a desire toget the seat of political power away fromthe money culture of the big city, fromNew York, Sydney, Dar-Es-Salaam, Lagos etal. But also a genuine feeling that thegovernment could better serve the people ifit existed among them. And yes, not a bitof land speculation and builder cartelprofiteering.

The justifications in Nepal for such amove are many. No one who has studiedthis country can deny that alienation anddistance from a faraway capital is rampant,and has been for centuries. The braveattempts at devolution in the 1990s werepopular and effective. Now the only defacto decentralisation of power is practicedby the Maoists.

There’s also a hugely compellingenvironmental argument. The gorgeous andvaluable Kathmandu Valley is beingsmothered by urban sprawl. Decliningwater tables, poisonous air anddisappearing arable land all portend a

cumulative catastrophe that will affectmillions of people. So many attempts tostave off or mitigate this disaster havefailed amid the political entropy inKathmandu.

So where to build this new city, thisPrithbipur or Janapur or Prajatantrapur orwhatever? The East of Nepal is the mostfunctional part so arguably it doesn’tnecessarily need the development thatwould come with a massive public worksproject. The Far West is too distant fromthe rest, however poor andunderdeveloped. The hills are too rugged,the tarai too hot and too valuable asagricultural land. Pokhara or itssurroundings would justend up as another Kathmandu, an aloofcut off and increasingly beleagueredurbanised valley.

My choice is Dang. The broad riverinelands around Tulsipur and Gorahi have anequable climate and an abundance of spaceand water. The troubled districts of Rolpa,Salayan and so on are just to the north,within easy proximity for development

work and security operations if necessary.Just across the low Mahabarat hills is therich land of the tarai and the Indian borderfor trade and commerce. No morevulnerable convoys of smoke belchingpetrol tankers toilingup the Trisuli.

Of course, with a new capital, Nepalshould be building roads and rail lines toaccess the city. A huge urban marketeconomy would quickly spring up in themid west of the country with benefits forthe impoverished far west, the tarai,the central areas and even theindustrialised east.

The Kathmandu Valley could bereorganised as a super municipality andrestoration of the environment given toppriority. The city’s financial culture wouldeventually recover from the loss ofgovernment through a reinvigorated privatesector and surging tourism. Nepal’s newcapital city, young, dynamic, democraticand dedicated to developing the countrywould be the envy of the region and theworld. It’s worth a debate at least.

Despite bandas and blockades, awhite revolution raises the income ofdairy farmers and improves nutrition

MILK RUN: A convoy of rickshawscarrying empty milk jars returns from a

collection centre in Chitwan, and(overleaf) a farmer dumps milk that

was spoilt after a blockade preventedtransportation to the market.

N

Land

R

KIRAN PANDAY

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Nepal’s first milk processing plant was built in Lainchaur 40 yearsago with help from New Zealand and the UN. Until then, even inKathmandu, people kept cows at home and had no reason to buyprocessed milk.

The Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) was formed in 1969and as Kathmandu became urbanised, demand for processed milksoared. Another plant capable of processing 5,000 litres an hourwas set up in 1978 in Balaju. Two more plants were built in Hetaudaand Pokhara with Danish assistance.

Veterinarian Heramba Rajbhandary oversaw the DDC’sexpansion during those heady days. But he understood that thegovernment would never be able to meet Kathmandu’s growingdemand for milk and dairy products. In fact, by the early 1980s,Nepal had a milk deficit.

Rajbhandary dreamt of starting his own dairy and rememberscalling a pledging conference of his friends in 1981 to finance thelaunch of a private dairy. “Each person promised to loan me Rs10,000,” Rajbhandary recalls. This wasn’t enough to cover the cost,so he built a small shed in his garden and started producing yogurt.That was where Nepal Dairy was born.

Today Nepal Dairy employs 200 people directly in its Khumaltarplant and has seven outlets in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Hetauda andBiratnagar. Nepal Dairy does not penalise farmers with milkholidays but buys all oversupply and has made productdiversification and value addition its twin mantras. It has followedthis up with professional marketing, investing in the attractive ‘ND’logo and branding milk bars and dairy outlets. ND has alsobranched out into products that make extensive use of milk withbakery products, Nepali sweets and cheese.

“Marketing and processing benefits not just the company butalso the farmer who sells milk to the dairy,” Rajbhandary says. ButNepal’s ‘Milk Man’ feels he still has a long way to go. “I must keepdiversifying, if people are not eating ND’s pizza because there is ascarcity of napkins in the market, I’m quite prepared to venture intonapkin production as well,” he says half-jokingly.

from abroad. The production ofmilk is not uniform: there is asurplus during the wintermonths and a summer deficit. Toplug the gap, the governmentallows the import of powder andcondensed milk from Denmark,Australia, Singapore and New

Zealand.Farmers and dairy owners say

these imports are of questionablequality and dampen domesticdairy production. “It iscompletely absurd to importmilk powder from New Zealandwhen milk is being poured down

the drains in Panauti because theroads are blocked,” says DirghaRaj Khanal, a dairy farmer inKabhre.

The Dairy DevelopmentCorporation has a powder milkplant in Biratnagar that produces700 tons of skimmed powderedmilk every year and this is usedto tide over the lean periods.But project manager GopalKrishna Shrestha says theannual demand is for 4,000 tonsand this shortfall is being filledby imports.

Dairy expert Tek BahadurThapa doesn’t agree. “Nepal hasbecome a dumping ground forcheap milk powder,” he says,blaming the mess on the absenceof product monitoring and laxlaw enforcement. Domesticpowdered and canned condensedmilk could be a way for Nepalidairies to diversify and addvalue to surplus milk but apowdered milk plant can costanywhere up to Rs 60 million.

DDC supplies 130,000 litresof milk everyday to Kathmanduduring flush time, buying itfrom farmers on the Valley’soutskirts and surroundingdistricts. Even though it is staterun, DDC, faces competitionfrom private dairies by investingin dairy products. But it is alsoaffected by bandas and blockadesand loses up to Rs 3 million forevery day of closure.

Tek Bahadur Thapa agreesthat political stability isimperative for the survival ofNepal’s dairy industry. “Themilk boom has yet to come,”Thapa says. “But due toinstability, farmers have startedleaving the dairy businessbecause they can’t depend onmilk sales to meet daily needs.”

What is surprising is that thedramatic growth anddevelopment of Nepal’s dairyindustry has happened despitepolitical instability. It is clearthat if the situation normalised,Nepal would be a major dairyproducer meeting not justdomestic demand but also apotential export-orientedindustry.

Milk man

of milk and money ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Children in conflictAn international network of non-governmental organisationshighlighted the plight of Nepali children caught in the conflict.Watchlist, the New York-based network, said children were not justcaught in the crossfire. “Worse, they are being deliberately used andexploited by those waging the war,” said Watchlist’s Julia Freedson.“The lives of children are not being spared, neither by the Maoists northe armed forces.”

In a report launched on 26 January titled Caught in the Middle:Mounting Violations Against Children in Nepal’s Armed ConflictWatchlist details evidence of abuse committed against children byboth parties.The evidence was gathered by children protection groupsin Nepal, documenting alarming patterns of children beingsystematically denied their rights such as the right to education as aresult of Maoist strikes, destruction of schools, school closures andovercrowding and the pervasive atmosphere of fear and violence. Italso documents several cases of Maoists targeting schools forattacks and using schools as grounds for abduction and recruitment oftens of thousands of students and teachers.

“The government and the Maoists must take immediate steps tohalt violations against children,” said Kathleen Hunt, CAREInternational’s UN representative and chairperson of the Watchlist.“They must uphold the international human rights and humanitarianlaws, particularly the Convention of the Rights of the Child.”

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Japanese peace callPeace Nepal Network held a forum on peace building in Nepal inMeguro Kumin Centre in Tokyo this week. MB Thapa, keynotespeaker stressed the importance of a ceasefire under UN mediationand the need to find a solution through peace talks. MasayukiTanigawa of Nagasaki University talked about the background of theconflict in Nepal and Takaki Yagjisawa, photojournalist, gave a reporton the area controlled by Maoists. The need for pacifism advocated inthe Japanese Constitution confirmed that all the people in the worldhave the right to live in peace without fear and scarcity. Nepalis livingin Japan and Japanese who have maintained close relationships withNepal, also participated.

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Tek Nath meets KofiExiled Bhutani human rights leader Tek NathRijal has appealed to the UN Secretary GeneralKofi Annan to appoint a special envoy forrepatriation of the more than 100,000 Bhutanirefugees in Nepal.

“The United Nations must play its role torepatriate the refugees to their originalhomesteads with honour and dignity,” Rijal hassaid in a letter he submitted to Annan on 24January at the UN headquarters in New York. “Ifervently believe that the appointment of yourspecial envoy for Bhutan would provide anavenue for reviving the stalled Nepal-Bhutandialogues and their eventual repatriation withhonour and dignity as citizens of Bhutan.”

Rijal said he was worried by therestlessness among refugee youths in the UNHCR-run camps inJhapa and Morang. “In the face of uncertainty, these camps couldbecome recruiting grounds for Maoist rebels of Nepal and forseparatists groups of India’s northeastern states,” Rijal added, “Therefugee problem, if left unaddressed could pose new securitychallenges in the region.”

Nepal and Bhutan have been incommunicado after holding 15rounds of ministerial talks between 1993-2003. All that happened inthose years was the verification of a little over 12,000 refugees in oneof the seven camps. But since that went nowhere, the internationalcommunity has floated the idea of repatriating refugees to thirdcountries and assimilating them in Nepal. Rijal has opposed this,telling us last year: “That would be a most unfortunate move, it wouldmean Bhutan got away with what they did to us.”

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ADB not happyThe Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed its unhappinessto the government over the transfer of the chief of the RuralInfrastructure Development Project (RIDP) which the Manila-basedagency funded.

The bank wrote a letter to the government stating that the transferof Bhupendra Basnet would be a setback to the bank’s newlyapproved Decentralised Rural Infrastructure and Livelihood Project(DRILP), a flagship project for conflict-affected areas such as theKarnali zone. Basnet has worked at RIDP, which began in 1996 as aprelude to the DRILP.

“We do not condemn the government’s rights to transfer projectstaff,” said ADB Country Director Sultan Hafiz Rahman. “But, theyshould allow the right person to be at the right place for adequate timeand this is what we have stated in our response to the transfer.”

The bank thinks Basnet had the requisite experience which wouldhelp get the DRILP project for peace and development in conflict-affected areas. Approved last September, the $40 million project isaimed at promoting the participation of rural communities in planning,implementation, monitoring and maintenance of development projectsaimed at poverty reduction and social cohesion. “The project willhelp reduce poverty by generating livelihood opportunities anddeveloping rural infrastructure in poor and remote conflict-affectedcommunities in western, midwestern and farwestern regions ofNepal,” the bank says.

Transfers of officials from projects it funds has always been acontentious issue between the government and the ADB. “We areconcerned at the frequency of such transfers,” admitted a bankofficial. “It makes things difficult for both the donors and thegovernment.”

MIN BAJRACHARYA

6 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232NATION

A

any miraculous storiesof survival andendurance have emerged

from the catastrophic IndianOcean tsunami one month ago.

The Shahi family has onlynow started coming out of theshock of having nearlyperished, coming to terms withhaving survived when so manythousands died, and getting onwith everyday life.

Susheel Shahi is a Nepaliteacher working in Brunei whohad gone to Penang in Malaysiawith his family for Christmasbreak. The Shahis were justchecking into the hotel inPenang when they felt theearthquake. There was panic inthe lobby, but being from NepalSusheel knew what to do totake cover. After the tremorsubsided, the reception tooktime with the guests, soSusheel, his wife Milan anddaughter Aishwarya headed outto the beach.

Milan was busy takingpictures with her new digitalcamera while Aishwarya and

s the country grapples with an intensifying insurgency, threeissues in recent weeks have stolen the headlines away fromthe conflict: appointment of the Nepal Rastra Bank governor,

the rise in the prices of petroleum products, and the increase in VATto 13 percent.

Unscrupulous politicians and tail-wagging intellectuals ofnotoriously self-centered Kathmandu Valley are aflutter. This givesthe impression that the situation in the rest of the country is normal,as politicians indulge in their usual shenanigans to ridiculedemocracy.

Debates in the Nepali media revolve around the politically-correct rhetoric of leftists in social democratic garb: ‘the poor are

ignorant and need planning bythe government’, ‘thegovernment has to thinkstrategically’, ‘the state mustintervene because of the free

marketeers assumption that every individual knows what is in hisown self-interest is false’, and the punchline: ‘every human being isequal’.

It is therefore no surprise that the core points of discussion inthis left-led discussion have been knee-jerk free market bashing.The debate on the appointment of the governor became so spitefulthat candidates were publicly undressed. Some of them even startedstrutting about as if they had already won the contest. If they weresuitable candidates, being labelled political stooges and accused ofbeing party bagmen would have been the kiss of death.

To institutionalise individual liberty, the government’s authoritymust be limited. Issues directly affecting individuals should be leftto them to decide. It may sound utopian, but that is what hashistorically worked. Everything else was an experiment in chaosand disorder and a diversion from human destiny.

Small, resource poor countries like Switzerland and Nether-lands did not get waylaid by ideology. They carved a niche forthemselves by believing in their own worth and having a clearly-defined national goal. Here, we go into national paroxysms over theappointment of a central bank governor. If a government is endowedwith exclusive prerogative to literally mint money no matter what,every government would misuse that provision. And so, in Nepal,candidates tear at each other to become the governor which carriesa salary of $350 per month whereas an economist of the caliberdemanded by the job has an international market value of more than$3,500 a month.

The statists may dismiss privatisation of Nepal Oil Corporationon the grounds that petroleum products are a ‘strategic commodity’.But actually it has more to do with keeping this strategic item intheir control so it can be plundered for the party war chest. Partisanvested interest dictates the definition of what should be ‘strategic’,‘security’ or ‘essential’ items.

If the private sector is able to handle health care efficiently, whycan’t it be allowed to deal in petroleum? The government should berestricted to activities the voters asked them to perform. They aren’tsupposed to indulge in indiscriminate taxation. The VAT increasewas inexcusable, especially because it was not even an electedgovernment that did it. The argument that the money is needed tobuy more guns is even more indefensible.

Not surprisingly, apologetic capitalists and statist intellectualslike to confuse the issues. We need to demystify the selection ofgovernor, hike in petro prices and VAT increase and link them to theinstitutionalisation of individual liberty. In a democracy, people areallowed to raise a hue and cry. A government is needed to controlthe tyranny of individualism, but the irony here is that it is thegovernment that has run amok.

Dr Bhola Nath Chalise is is a liberal economist.

If this was a democracy, we should beworried about the choice of governor,the fuel price hike and the VATincrease, but it isn’t

Liberty and society

Nepali family “My wife anddaughter were

convinced Iwas gone”

ANOOP PANDEY Susheel were splashing aroundin the water.

Suddenly, the water wasreceding like a low tide on fastforward. “It was as if we couldsee the bottom of the IndianOcean, and the lifeguard startedblowing his whistle to get us toclear the beach,” recalls Susheel,“but we were having too muchfun to pay much attention.”Milan started waving andpointing.

It was only then that Susheelnoticed the approaching wall ofwater on the horizon. “At first Iwas oblivious to the danger asthe waves came up,” he recalls,“but it just kept coming higherup to my hips.”

A wave pushed him intosome rocks, he screamed for hisdaughter. Milan remembers, “Iwas pushed back by the waveand watched in horror as myhusband and daughter wereengulfed. Aishwarya wasscreaming and my husbandcaught hold of her and passedhim on to a man higher up therock.”

For some reason, Susheeldidn’t think of climbing up

himself and started looking forhis floating shoes. Just then alarger and stronger wave pushedhim onto the rocks nearlysmashing his head on them.

“I looked back and saw therewas an even higher wavecoming, and that is when Iscrambled up,” says Susheel. “Iclimbed in panic and finally gotto the top just then a giant waveas high as the palm treessmashed onto the shore.”

At the top, Susheel saw hiswife and daughter hugging eachother, they had given up on himbeing alive. The three of themheld hands and ran for dear life.Later, they found out the nextfew waves were twice as high asthe last one that nearly washedSusheel away.

Susheel was badly bruisedand Aishwarya had deep cuts onher side. The three found a taxito take them back to the hoteland along the way saw corpsesand wounded people waiting forambulances. The three went tothe resort of Langkawi the nextday but Milan and Aishwaryarefused to go anywhere near thesea again.

t a time when parts ofKathmandu haven’t hadwater flowing out of the

pipes for years, the people ofDhulikhel have what the capital’scitizens can only dream of: 24-hour water supply from the mains.

Sixty-year-old Nanu MayaShrestha is relaxed, she nolonger has to wake up at thecrack of dawn to wait with hergagro at the public tap. “We arelucky,” says Nanu Mayarecalling the days when Dhulikhelhad no water and dysentry andtyphoid were common. The watershortage drove many out ofDhulikhel, and some settled innearby Banepa.

What Dhulikhel

When Dhulikhel was made thedistrict headquarter of Kabhre in1962, the population soared andthe water situation got worse. Asthe Panchayat government was nottaking any initiative to improvethe water supply system,Dhulikhelis took the matter intotheir own hands. In 1983, a groupof volunteer engineers decidedthat diverting water from KharKhola was the best option, but itwas 14 km away and there was nomoney.

Things became much easierafter Dhulikhel was declared amunicipality and Bed PrasadShrestha was elected mayor in1987. The German aid group, GTZstepped in with part of the money,and local businessmen put up therest. A water user’s committee was

set up, and at the headworksvillagers provided land for free.

After the project wascompleted in 1991 (pic, above),more than 230households had private taps attheir doorsteps. Within a year, theuser’s committee raised Rs400,000 from each householdpaying Rs 35 per month for up to10,000 litres of water. This wasmore expensive than Kathmandu,where people paid only Rs 15 permonth in 1992, but in Dhulikhelthe water was reliable and clean.

“This was our dream project,and because it was initiated andrun by the townspeople there wasno chance it would fail,” ex-mayor Shrestha told us in aninterview (see box).

Last year, the user’s

NEPALI PANBhola Nath Chalise

NARESH NEWARin DHULIKHEL

A

M

NARESH NEWAR

KUMAR SHRESTHA

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survives tsunami

come and see for myself, it’samazing,” says Nancy Englishfrom Oregon who was visitingwhile we were there.

Once Dhulikhel had regularand clean water, Shrestha says, itwas easier to go ahead with theplan to turn the town into aneducation and health care centre.The internationally acclaimedDhulikhel Hospital andKathmandu University locatedthemselves in Dhulikhel, and onebig reason was reliable watersupply.

“Without the water, these twobig institutions wouldn’t havecome here,” says RamesworParajuli, engineer at the town’swater users’ committee. Theproject has made such animpact that the Maoists want

Enough water foreveryone all the time

The people of Dhulikhel elected Bed Prasad Shrestha mayor threetimes and they have never regretted it. Though no longer in office,the Dhulikhelis still call him Mayor Sa’b in appreciation of hishonesty and openness.

The mayor’s popularity has nothing to do with his diplomaticcharm or close affinity with the local community. He is modest andsoft-spoken and least interested in party politics. But when he planssomething, he gets it done—efficiently, honestly and quickly. That iswhy even though he is no longer mayor, he is still the de facto townchief.

“I dream of making Dhulikhel the perfect town,” says Bed Prasadas he waves at the scenic panorama of town and the mountainsbeyond from the roof of his municipality. Most people go to Dhulikhelto look at the mountain vistas, few notice that a lush forest comesright to the town’s edge, the vegetation not just giving the town apleasing ambience but also protecting its water supply.

It is largely during Bed Prasad’s tenure that the Dhulikhelmunicipality earned a reputation for being Nepal’s most dynamicmunicipality. And it is proof of just what one accountable anddedicated person can achieve in Nepal. Dhulikhel has the bestuniversity, an international standard hospital and an efficient watersupply system built and managed by the local community.

“When you have a clear vision and share it with your community,you don’t have to depend on the government or foreign aid,” saysBed Prasad (right) who played a major role in persuading the peopleto donate their land for the Dhulikhel hospital and KathmanduUniversity.

With less that Rs 15 million as budget, the Dhulikhel MunicipalityOffice relies on the local community for public service projects. BedPrasad is confident that once the office comes up with good ideas,the people will support it. He is now involved in his ‘dreamland’project: to promote Dhulikhel as a tourism, education and health carehub.

The plan includes building a lake, a scenic cable car, restoringold Newari houses and creating an amusement park with a golf club.A large football stadium was built with funds from the localcommunity and seed money from the Japanese government. “Mostprojects were thought up by the citizens, that is why theysucceeded,” explains Bed Prasad. This combination of publicparticipation with accountability of the leader is the winning formulain Dhulikhel.

Bed Prasad doesn’t take credit for any of this, saying he is justthe catalyst that allowed Dhulikhelis to realise what they werecapable of. Modest as ever, he adds, “All we had to do was find thecourage to do something practical, the rest is easy.” Naresh Newar

They spent a subdued newyear’s at their hotel watching thetsunami coverage on the newschannels. Milan and Aishwaryaare now back in Nepal, slowly

coming out of the shock. Susheelhas gone back to his school inBrunei. He told us over thetelephone this week: “Watchingthe news reminds me just how

can teach Kathmandu

committee generated revenueworth of Rs 3.6 million from1,000 consumers, hospitals,schools, police stations andgovernment offices. Dhulikhel’swater supply project have becomea model of community watersupply. Experts from Nepal andabroad have come here to see howit is done.

The water project has becomesuch an inspiration for the localcommunity that they are thinkingof investing in a larger network.“If the rest of the country wasinfected with this can-do attitudethere would be a bright future forNepal,” says Din Dayal SojuShrestha, member of the waterusers’ committee.

“I had heard about Dhulikheland was so amazed that I had to

Dhulikhel to help locals inBhumidara set up a similarproject there.

“What we have shown isthat the people don’t alwayshave to rely on the governmentto bring development into theirhome towns,” says ShivaBhattarai, administrator at theDhulikhel Municipality,“Kathmandu can learn a lotfrom Dhulikhel.”

But for now, visitors fromKathmandu can only marvel at theabundant water that Dhulikhelishave, and there is no need topump it to roof tanks. Sayslocal resident Nilkantha Makaju,with visible pride: “No matterhow big your house, there isenough water for everyone allthe time.”

Perfect town

The Shahi family arriving atPenang airport on 26 December.Milan’s picture (right) of Susheeland Aishwarya on the beachminutes before the tusnami struck.

NARESH NEWAR

lucky we were.”Although their camera was

damaged by the tsunami, theyretrieved the last pictures fromthe memory card.

MILAN SHAHI

8 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232ECONOMY

he Nepal ElectricityAuthority (NEA) is underpressure from experts and

now the government, to sellmillions of units of electricity itallows to go waste every year for areduced price. Ironically, this ishappening at a time when theNEA has been going for declaredand undeclared load sheddingbecause one of the turbines ofKali Gandaki A project has offand on remained out of order.

Although there has been a bigincrease in generation capacity inthe past five years, 60 percent ofthe power comes from hydropower plants and most of themare ‘run of the river’ schemes andnot reservoirs. This means theirpower capacity depends on theflow of the river, and there isexcess power during the monsoonmonths when demand is lowest.

As a result upto one billionunits of electricity are wasted as‘spill’ every year. With aninstalled capacity of 610MegaWatts, the NEA systemgenerates more than 2,500GigaWatts hour (GWh) of energy ayear. One fourth of it is wasted asspill and NEA is under pressureto do something about it.

One option is to havedifferential tariffs for time of dayand time of year: power is cheaperif consumed during off peaknight-time hours or during themonsoon months. “We areworking out the rates for the saleof the spill power,” Minister ofState of Water Resources ThakurPrasad Sharma told us onTuesday. “The idea is to providerelief to the people at a time whenthey have been bearing the bruntof the fuel price hike.”

The idea is not new.Successive governments havetried to use the wasted monsoonpower by seasonal tariffs andother innovations. Butdifferential pricing has so far beenimplemented only for theindustrial sector. Nearly half thepower in the country is used by

the domestic and commercialsegments and seasonal pricing hasnot been offered even to theindustrial sector.

“We are trying to introduceboth seasonal and time of daytariffs,” Minister Sharma said, “Aconsultant has been hired andthese will be announced withinnext week.”

Working out the tariffs is onething but experts sayimplementing them is somethingelse altogether. Reason: it needs aformal nod from the TariffFixation Commission. In thepast, the NEA and theCommission have locked hornsover turf and tariff. When theLokendra Bahadur Chandgovernment leaned on NEA tointroduce seasonal pricing twoyears ago, the tariff commissionrejected the idea.

“The tariff commission is soautonomous that it isunanswerable to man or beast,”said Chand’s Water ResourcesMinister, Dipak Gyawali whopushed it. “It should beresponsible for making sure a newtariff is announced and

implemented each fiscal year.”But a commission official said

the recommendation was rejectedbecause differential pricing wasproposed only for consumersusing more than 150 units ofpower. “That would not have beenfair to poorer consumers who useless energy,” said the official,“Also, there is no infrastructurefor the recommended pricing.”

Gyawali argues that rebateswere offered for lower slabconsumers who would pay billson time. “Innovations on pricingcannot be implemented at once,they can be done phasewise.”

The commission says it isready to talk to the NEA on newpricing to sell the spill energy.Minister Sharma doesn’t thinkthere will be a problem this time.“We have sounded them out,everything looks positive,” hesaid. The Price FixationCommission was set up 10 yearsago as an independent body toregulate pricing mechanisms ofthe NEA. But in most cases theprices have been raised by thegovernment or the NEA, underpressure from multilateral donors.

When the World Bank was innegotiation with the governmentover the aborted Arun III project inthe early 1990s, the power tariffwas raised by around 300 percent.When it provided a loan for theNEA’s rural electrification projecta few years ago, the AsianDevelopment Bank got the NEA tojack up tariff by 60 percent. At thetime, the banks blamed thegovernment for not adjusting tariffwith inflation for populistreasons.

Past electricity tariff hikeshave, except for the time of daymechanism for industries, beenflat increases. Energy experts areglad the government is finallyconsidering differential tariffs sothe monsoon spill is not wasted.But they say the government alsoneeds to introduce power in sucha way that there is less pressureduring peak hours to reduce theneed for load shedding. “For thatthe price of power during peakhours in the dry season has to bemade expensive,” suggests energyexpert Ratna Sansar Shrestha,“demand can be controlled bypricing.”

Cheaper power at nightDifferential pricing for off-peak hours and seasons is the only way to go for nowNAVIN SINGH KHADKA

T

But since differential pricingfor domestic and commercialconsumers still doesn’t exist, theNEA has been forced this week torestart load shedding because oneof the 144 Mega Watt turbines atKali Gandaki conked out. As thedemand-supply gap grows,experts predict that power cutswill be chronic at least till 2008because of delays in the MiddleMarsyangdi. (See: ‘Long darkwinters ahead’, #229) Thesituation is already fragile: peakload will touch 560 MegaWattsthis year, while the installedcapacity is just 610 MegaWatts.

NEA forecasts an eight percentincrease in peak load this year, 7.8percent next year and almost ninepercent in 2007. But supply hasbeen stagnant and no majorcapacity has been added since the144 MegaWatt Kali Gandaki wentinto operation two years ago. Theconstruction of the 70 MegaWattMiddle Marsyangdi was supposedto be finished this month but isalready two years behindschedule. New plans like the WestSeti and Upper Karnali are noteven in the design stage.

928 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232BUSINESS

T he best way to keep one’sprofession going in Nepal inthese times of economic

decline, it seems, is to createpanic and talk down oneverything. Whether it ispredicting that the conflict willrage on for another decade, orthere will be an earthquake soon,the rupee is headed fordevaluation, or the sky will fall.

In Nepal, Chicken Little isalive and kicking ass. Economistshave started predicting the fall ofthe Nepali Rupee vis-à-vis theIndian Rupee thereby bringinginflationary trends in the Nepalieconomy. Economists shouldbehave as economists, notdoomsday soothsayers. And theNepali Times should stopquoting them (See: ‘Comingsoon’, #231).

This Beed has actually beingarguing the opposite. In a columnthree years ago in this space (‘Freethe Nepali rupee’, #59www.arthabeed.com/articles/article_details.php?id=113) I hadchallenged why the exchange rateshould just be 1.3 and not 1.6.Since no donor money wasthrown in for this study, it didnot get any responses.

Economic analysts in Nepalare either academics who haveoutgrown their utility orconsultants who are tired ofwriting ‘cut and paste’ reports.Unfortunately, no corporate houseor the plethora of businessassociations has economists whoanalyse issues as critical as theexchange rate. We have

Six blind men…and the elephant

associations of junket-savvyeconomists who are happier toplay ceremonial roles atworkshops and provide soundbytes to television.

The exchange rate betweenIndia and Nepal is driven by purepolitics and not economics. Howelse can one explain no revisionof the exchange rate since 1February 1993? In the past 11years, the compositions ofimports and exports have changedand this should definitely haveaffected the currency. Thirdcountry exports of carpets,garments and pashmina boomedand busted, the exchange rate didnot budge.

Gold imports, a major currencyticket item, declined but it madeno impact. Hard currencyremittances have increasedmultifold thereby increasing theforeign exchange reserves of thecountry. This should haverevalued the Nepali currencyupwards not downwards. Theargument that the Nepali rupee isover-valued against the dollar asthis paper reported does not carrymuch weight. One has tointerview real economists, not

gossip-mongers.While it is good to have a fixed

currency rate that does not changeover a long period of time, asystem of periodic review ofexchange rate becomes important.With the Euro emerging as astronger currency and the dollarlosing ground, the Chinese yuangaining importance with a strongereconomy, the Indian rupee ridingon strong ambitions, the fixedexchange regime with India andthe modality on fixing the parityneeds constant analysis.

The parity between India andNepal exchange rate wasestablished in 1960 to stemfluctuations of market prices inNepal as the basket of the poorcomprised mostly of itemsimported from India. We reallyneed to revisit the rationale andestablish timely justifications onthe parity and surely give 1.6 asecond look.

So, once again: 1.3, 1.4, 1.5.Rather than play Russian roulettewe should engage in meaningfulresearch. Definitely an upwardrevaluation means greaterpurchasing power, a strongercurrency and surely higherGDP.

http://www.arthabeed.com

ECONOMIC SENSEArtha Beed

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Business excellence awardsThe selection process has begun for the second TOP 10 BusinessExcellence Awards organised by the boss magazine scheduled thisyear for March. The awards celebrate great performance in theworkplace, recognise outstandingleadership, innovation,perseverance, creativity, teamworkand integrity through 10 corecategories. The independent, all encompassing business awardshonour companies of all types and sizes and the people behindthem. A board of advisers and a panel of experts, which includesome of the most eminent names in Nepal’s business arena, leadingexecutives and academicians, oversee the program. A newcategory, Social Entrepreneur has been introduced this year forpeople in the social sector, either individually or through theirorganisation.

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Broader horizonsNew Horizons Nepal is launching aGlobally Certified IT Program(GCIT) to create professionals witha set of specific IT skills that aremarketable anywhere in the world. GCIT consists of three streams:Databases, Networking and Programming. Participants completingthe program will have at least two global certificates directly fromcompanies like Microsoft, Oracle, Red Hat and CompTIA.

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Aid Boeing 747Martinair’s first Boeing 747freighter took off early in themorning on 12 January for SriLanka loaded with 110 tons ofaid supplies. A second Boeing 747 cargo aircraft departed forColombo carrying aid supplies that weekend. Supplies arechannelled through WHO, the Red Cross and the Sri Lankangovernment to disaster-stricken areas in Asia via Amsterdam. Italyis sending 35 tons of chemical toilets and water tanks, theNetherlands, 65 tons of medicines and bandages, and Germany andSweden, 10 tons of medicines and blankets.

NEW PRODUCTS

COLD CREAM: Dabur has unveiledAnmol Fairness Cold Cream in 25gand 80g packs, priced at Rs 24 andRs 56 respectively. Fragrant, easy toapply and non-greasy, Dabur AnmolFairness Cold Cream combines thequalities of a cold cream and a

fairness cream. Its principal ingredients are almonds and saffron.

ONE ON ONE: Chaudhary Group haslaunched a new offer with Big Mimi InstantNoodles. Under this new scheme, the couponscollected can entitle the consumer anywherefrom Rs 1 to Rs 111,111.

10 -11 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232MUSIC

Bob Marley would have turned 60 on Thursday,6 February. But a generation after his death, hehas left a living legacy not just around the worldbut here in Nepal as well.

Marley’s music from three decades agoremains as timeless and universal as it waswhen this obscure Jamaican singer first burstupon the world music scene. Robert NestaMarley has been called ‘The first Third WorldSuperstar’, the ‘Rasta Prophet’. Everyone whowas a teenager then remembers the brilliantlyoriginal and evocative revolutionary musicMarley gave the world. He was and remains oneof the most charismatic performers ever to havegraced the music industry with his distinctiveblend of Jamaican reggae and Rastafarian spirit.

In a musical career that took off in the 1960sBob Marley was named ambassador for peace andawarded Jamaica’s Order of Merit. His hit songsinclude, ‘Exodus’ ‘One Love’, ‘Buffalo Soldier’,‘I shot the Sheriff’ and ‘No Woman No Cry’. Hismusic has spanned the globe and has found a

The raja of rasta

and reggaeANOOP PANDEY

Bob Marley is not dead, he’s just not here with me or you

It’s difficult to properlyunderstand BobMarley’s musicwithout consideringRastafari. Thisspiritual culture is atthe very core of hismusic. Rastafari is amovement of blackpeople who believeAfrica is the birthplaceof humankind. Themovement grew out ofthe darkest depressionthat the descendantsof African slaves inJamaica have everlived in and they took

Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie as their mentor. Outof the filth and slime that humanity was built upon arosea sentiment pure, without anger and full of love—thephilosophy of the Rastafari faith. The green, gold andred flag of Ethiopia is the symbol of the Rastafari tri-colour. It’s motto is ‘Freedom of Spirit, Freedom fromSlavery and Freedom of Africa’ and has 700,000followers worldwide with its own ‘Black Man’s Bible’.

The influence dread-locked, ganja-smokingsadhus or wanderingascetics, well-knownfigures in Hindu society,had on the Rastafari is littleknown. But there is a link.The Hindu sadhu and thedevout Rastafari both havelong unkempt hair, ash-smeared bodies, very littleclothing and the trademarkchalice pipe, making itdifficult to distinguishwho’s who. The sight ofbands of sadhus living inRasta-style camps andsmoking marijuana from aformally-blessed communalchalice-pipe is commonplace. A good place towatch them in action is atPashupati duringShivaratri on 8 March.Bangkok and distributed by dealers in Marhu

Tole, Ganesthan to local shops. A small stickercosts only Rs 5 and the bigger ones go for Rs 10.It seems no rickshaw or taxi driver in town canresist the bright colours with the blacksilohuette of Bob Marley—even if they don’tknow who he is.

At nightfall these days, the streets of Thamelare alive with Marley songs and his beat blaresout into the streets. Hippie relics and wannabesroam with dread-locked hair and Rasta Stylecap-bobbing to the rhythm of Marley’s music.

Bob Marley memorabilia is everywhere andone can just imagine what it will be like nextweek during his 60th birth anniversary. Shopsspecialise in Rasta hats, T-shirts carryingcannabis leaves against a backdrop of theRastafarian tricolour are selling like rolledweeds.

During Marley’s days, Thamel was theboondocks. The place to be was Freak Street ofBasantapur. Jhonchhe was the kundalini ofhippiedom, where the world’s youthcongregated in search of peace and eternalhappiness. Many attained their private nirvanaswith the assistance of mind-altering substancesthat was freely available on Freak Street.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Marley wasthere too. Maybe he came to trace his Rastafarianroots? A recent Nepali visitor to the Bob Marley

“I love the development of our music, that’s what Ireally dig about the whole thing. How we’ve triedto develop, y’know? It grows. That’s why every daypeople come forward with new songs. Music goeson forever.” Bob Marley, August 1979

Rasta sadhus

Ethiopian utopia

12 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

SELECTED MATERIAL TRANSLATED EVERY WEEK FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Samay, 27 JanuaryBall and the chain: Violence, instability, extortionHill: VAT Increase

Former royal-nominated MP Dipta Prakash Shahin Deshantar, 23 January

Evaluating the circumstances of my resignation, itnow appears that I was pushed out because thepalace wished to establish a monopoly over statepower. It seems the king was not happy with thedivision of power as provisioned in the 1990Constitution. I was made to resign as a member ofthe Upper House because I stated all this in publicand also because the palace was out to get power.

Those in the coterie of the royal palace andwell-known opportunistsinstigated the king to takeover. Normally, people makemoves on the basis ofadvice from people aroundthem and that is what theking seems to have done.

It is not that the king isunaware that democracy isnecessary. In fact, he hasbeen reiterating hiscommitment onconstitutional monarchy andmultiparty democracy. Theproblem is his actionscontradict his words. Hismoves point to a directionvery different from hisspeeches. Abuse of theking’s authority by thepalace coterie is not new.Unfortunately, Nepal’shistory is riddled with suchincidents. Patriots such asBhim Malla were hangedand others were banished.Times have changed, butpatriots and democrats inour country are stilltarnished and dishonoured.

People need to knowwho the people around theking are and who influencehim to take wrong decisions and that includesforeign power centres like India and the UnitedStates. They are working in their own nationalinterest and could be encouraging the powercentres. They also stage events to show theircapabilities. The Delhi treaty was signed just whenthe 1950 revolution was about to be successful.India knew that if the revolutionaries came topower, the people would be all powerful and India’sinterests would not be fulfilled if the people’s voicebecame decisive.

India realised that if the Nepali Congressrevolution succeeded, the Nepali people would notagree to the 1950 friendship treaty it signed with

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Keepers of peaceRajdhani, 22 January

The government has requested theUnited Nations to continuerecruiting Nepali security forcepersonnel for peacekeepingmissions. The Foreign Ministryrecently wrote a letter to the UNHigh Commissioner for HumanRights stating, “The governmentis committed to improve thehuman rights situation in thecountry.” It requested thecommission not to suspend thepeacekeeping quotas allocated forthe Royal Nepali Army. TheCommission has prepared a reportto be presented at its annualgeneral meeting in March statingthat the Royal Nepali Army hasbeen violating the human rightsof its own citizens and thereforeit can be concluded that it has notbeen able to respect human rightsin the international peace keepingmissions. If the report is passedNepal could be debarred from UNpeacekeeping forces.

The UN commission hadsought the government’s reactionto the report a month ago. “In itsresponse the government said thatin the name of violation ofhuman rights, the RNA, whichhas earned fame for establishingpeace in the international field,should not be pulled out of thepeacekeeping force,” a highlyplaced government source said.Before sending the reaction, theForeign Ministry consulted withthe defence and home ministriesand the Human Rights PromotionCentre at the Prime Minister’sOffice. The Royal Nepali Armyhas been a part of the UNinternational peacekeeping forcesince 1975. Around 45,000 Nepalisoldiers have served in UNmissions and 3,000 RNApersonnel go to different parts ofthe world as UN peacekeepersevery year. Indian officials hadhinted in media reports inDecember that the RNA’sinvolvement in overseapeacekeeping missions washampering its counter insurgencyoperations at home.

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Doctor whoAnnapurna Post, 20 January

A sad reality in Nepal is thatsome doctors are more inclinedtowards profit making. This isevident in Lumbini Hospitalwhere all the doctors havereportedly spent their timeworking in nursing homes absentfrom their duties. It is the samecase in Seti Hospital where manypoor Nepalis wait for doctors totreat them. In Dhangadi’s SetiHospital, only seven out of 19doctors are available while therest are busy serving the elite. Ourhealth system is growing poorerdue to cases such as these wheredoctors are not available whenthey are most needed.

Doctors are unwilling to servein remote areas. After all, moremoney can be made in the cities.There are many vacant posts fordoctors in rural-based hospitalsbut few apply. The situation hasgrown so desperate that in somehospitals, peons fill in fordoctors. Even in the cities, thestate run hospitals are in bad

Mohan Shamsher. The Indian government toldNepali forces to play along, made a Rana primeminister who led the government that the NepaliCongress was forced to be a part of. Historically,that is how Indian interests were safeguarded andhow foreign powers move to safeguard theirinterests.

In the post-1990 era, Nepal had a differentenvironment. Though ministers were involved incorruption and other irregularities, the peoplecould voice their concern. The parliament and thepress were vibrant. As a result, issues such as the

Mahakali Treaty came upfor national debate. But aconscious public is notconducive to certain powercentres and so they eggedthe king to take over. Onesuch power centre is India.

The other reason behindthe king’s move were theMaoists. When the Maoistinsurgency began, the kingwas of the opinion thatdevelopment would be a bigsetback for democraticpractice in the country. Thatis why the palace was quietabout the movement at first.Later, when the Maoistsgrew to be a threat to thecountry, the palace thoughtit was the right time to takeover. October Fourth wasthe result but this has nowbecome a liability for theking.

What is done can’t beundone. The king wantselections to be heldbecause he believes thatthe polls will help him gethis October Fourth moveratified by the people. Thiswill not be an election of the

people’s representatives. Free and fair polls can’ttake place while war and violence rages. In short,only those approved by the security personnel willbe elected and you can only imagine the kind ofchanges in the constitution that will then takeplace. Everyone who is for elections now arethose who think they can win and bring thosechanges in the constitution.

The only way out is to let the people decide.Let the people decide which is the way out. Letthere be referendum and let Nepalis decidewhether the way out should be through anamendment in the constitution or a constituentassembly.

shape. Many of these doctors donot treat their patients well ingovernment hospitals, forcingthem to go to private clinics. Thepoor cannot afford thesetreatments. They are made to payfor medicines that are availablefor free in government hospitalsand health centres. There isalways a code of ethics for everyprofession and it is the state’sresponsibility to ensure that thecode is not violated. Citizenscannot depend on thegovernment alone to speak forthem but must also bear theirresponsibility and raise theirvoices against unethicalprofessionals. Perhaps the bestway to have doctors applying inrural areas is by providing themwith more attractive allowancesand other benefits than thosebased in the cities.

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Journos attackedKrishna Shahi inRajdhani , 23 January

DAILEKH—The security forcesand the Maoists in Dailekh arecompeting to intimidate,threaten and pamper journalistsso as to get favourable coverage.Four years ago, the Maoistsestablished their people’sgovernment in Naumule afterattacking the Area Police Officeand killing 32 policemen. Sincethen, they had threatened to‘clean out’ journalists who daredwrite against them. Their threatswere not to be brushed aside,they proved this by killing radiojournalist Dekendra Thapa lastyear. Several journalists fled afterthe Maoists threatened to cut offtheir hands and legs. But thesecurity forces are also thrashingboth journalists and humanrights workers accusing them ofbeing pro-Maoist. Manyjournalists were intimidated andforced by the Maoists to writepositive stories about them. “Ifyou write anything to defame ourparty, you will end up likeDekendra,” the Maoists havewarned us. Then state securitywarns action will be takenagainst those who write positivethings about the rebels. “Youmust write the exact informationwe give you about them, if yougo to villages without ourpermission, you will be victimsof crossfire,” the army tells us.Journalists in the district aretired of threats and as of now,have decided to boycott news ofboth the security forces and theMaoists.

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Bloody incidentKantipur, 26 January

Nothing is as it seems inKathmandu anymore. There wasblood flowing out onto thesidewalk from under the shutterof a coffee shop in Darbar Margon Tuesday night. The policecame promptly to check it outand cordoned off the area,concluding that a murder hadbeen committed here. There wasblood everywhere, shattered glassinside the café and eye-witnessessaid four people had rushed offin a taxi taking a bleeding manwith them. The police searchedall night for the owner of the

“If I ever meet my son, I will ask him to end the violence and start a peaceful campaign,”

Maoist supremo Prachanda’s father Muktiram Dahal in Desantar, 23 January. He has notseen his son since the people’s war began.

1328 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

restaurant, Sushil Shrestha ofRamechhap and his brother. Inthe morning, the police on dutysaw the owner of the restaurantreturning with the cook, GaneshKarki, who was all bandaged up.It turns out that, the previousnight, a mouse had somehow gotinto the trousers of the cook, whopanicked and fell on the counter,shattering the glass panel. A shardgashed his feet and blood startedgushing out. The restaurant

owners rushed him to BirHospital where they had spent thenight.

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Ninety daysNepal Samacharpatra, 18 January

JUMLA—Chhetra Bahadur Mahatof Ranka village, Tatopani VDCsaid he was kept in a cave for 90days by security forces whoarrested him on suspicion of

being a Maoist in mid-November2003. He was on his way toKhalanga when they stoppedhim. He was severely torturedduring detention and has not yetrecuperated. He was taken to BheriZonal Hospital in Nepalganj inserious condition. “Doctorsdischarged me saying they werenot able to treat me. They saysome watery substance hascollected in my chest,” he says.“The army men blindfolded meand took me away. They forcedme inside a cave near theKeshabganj Barrack. I spent 90days there before being finallyreleased.”

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Forced recruitsNispakshya, 26 January

The Maoists in Achham and Dotidistricts have been campaigningto force many youths to acceptportfolios in the village people’sgovernment. Their campaign wasmost active last dasain and tihar.Since then a large number of theyouth have left their villages tosettle in India. “Many who wantto live have left their homes. We

are still here because we are readyto face death,” says a young manin Chaukhute on the borders ofDoti and Accham. Only a handfulof young men like him remain,the rest are only elderly citizens,women and children. “We coulddie any minute, whether in the

hands of the rebels or the securityforces,” says the youth. Thesituation grew worse when youngmen who had returned home tocelebrate festivals with theirfamilies were forcefullynominated as candidates for thevillage people’s governmentelections. Their worst fear wasthat they would be easy targets forthe army who could arrest andtorture them without realisingthey had been forced to join. Onestudent of Patal VDC, Dotistudying at Kailali MultipleCampus was forcefully appointedthe Maoist village chief. He fledthe village and vowed never toreturn. As soon as the securityforce finds new Maoistcommittees in the villages, thesearch for new members starts.

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DisplacedSama Thapa in NepalSamacharpatra, 22 January

TIKUNIA, INDIA—Hundreds ofNepalis from various districts ofthe Karnali zone reach this Indiancity everyday in search of safetyand refuge. As the Maoists

intensify their activities, theyfind no option but to leavetheir villages. “Everyday wesee around two to threehundred new Nepali faces

here,” said Dinesh Baidya, atrader. “Most of them are fromKarnali.”

Unlike Nepalis migrating toIndia through Mahendranagar ofKanchanpur and Nepalganj ofBanke, the records of thosereaching Tikunia city in India via

Sati Bajar in Kailali are notrecorded. More and more peopleuse the Sati Bajar passagebecause there are no securityhassles. “We hoped it would bepeaceful again,” said DharmeLohar of Kalikot district. “Butboth the security forces and therebels have grown more brutal bythe day, we have no choice butto leave.” Jad Darji, also fromKalikot said more than 150villagers including himself hadvacated his village at once andreached Tikunia. “I can imaginehow many may have migratedfrom other villages and districtsof Karnali,” he said. Only malemembers of the family used toleave for India, now the numberof women and children isequally high among migrants.Entire families are known tohave migrated, some womencarrying infants. Eleven-year-oldRam Lohar of Kalikot districtarrived in Tikunia with hisparents. “My parents and I wereafraid that the Maoists wouldtake away even children my age,”he said. Many Nepalis arestranded at the Tinkunia railwaystation. “We spent all our moneyon transportation, so we decidedto stay here for a few days,” saidPrem Bahadur Rawal from Jumla.“But there are so many Nepalishere already and it is hardfinding a job.” Even children areseen working as porters withtheir parents to earn theirlivelihood at the Tikuniarailway station. “We aredetermined not to go back to bekilled in crossfire,” said PremBahadur Shahi of Kalikot.

KIRAN PANDAY

14 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232INTERNATIONAL

here are many lessonsthat emerge from thetsunami that brought

such devastation and loss oflife to Asia. It demonstratedthe power of globalisation, astelevision brought vividpictures of the destruction tohomes around the world.Indeed, it is at times like thisthat the world truly does seemlike a global village.

Of course, it seemed to takesomewhat longer for news ofthe extent of the disaster toreach the Crawford, Texas,ranch of President Bush. Butin the end, he decided tointerrupt his vacation andoffer amounts of aid that weresuccessively revised upwardsin a global competition whichpromised to benefit those whowere desperate for help.

America’s aid stillappeared niggardly whencompared with the amountsoffered by countries with afraction of America’s economicwealth. Lightly populatedAustralia offered more thantwice America’s assistance,Japan promised almost 50percent more and Europepledged more than five timesas much. This led manyobservers to reflect on the factthat the world’s richestcountry was in general themost miserly in foreignassistance—all the more so incomparison to the amount itspends on war and defence.

The disaster wasinternational, so it wasappropriate that the UnitedNations take the lead incoordinating the relief effort.Unfortunately, in an effortthat was widely seen asanother attempt to underminemultilateralism, the US triedto lead a ‘core group’ drivingthe assistance program,ignoring ongoing effortswithin the region and at theUN. Whatever America’smotive, it later wisely decidedto join the UN effort. The Bushadministration’s face-savingrhetoric that it had rushed topush together the core groupin the absence of other effortswas quietly let to pass.

The response of somecountries within the regionwas truly impressive, showinghow far they had come inestablishing efficient andeffective governments. Myriaddetails were addressed:Thailand flew ambassadors tothe affected part of the countryto help attend to the needs oftheir citizens, helped thosewho lost their money andpassports return home,provided health care for theinjured, set up systems toidentify bodies and dealt with

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After effectsThe extraordinary international response to the tsunamis thatdevastated south Asia is a remarkable political phenomenon.Though it is too soon to predict all the effects, some goodconsequences are already evident. One useful consequence is thewider attention low levels of assistance wealthy countries give tothose less fortunate have gained. Plainly, the comment by JanEgeland, the United Nations official in charge of humanitarianassistance, calling the West “stingy”, hit home, especially in theUnited States. The Bush administration had committed a measly$35 million in aid. In contrast, the countries that are mostgenerous—Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and tinyLuxemburg—give proportionately far more than the Americangovernmental and private assistance combined and the lion’s shareof their aid goes to the world’s most impoverished countries. In thewake of the tsunamis, it seems possible that the US and otherwealthy countries will rethink their assistance programs andpossibly step up their aid to those most in need. But there is therisk that assistance for tsunami victims is diverting aid fromdisasters that are of a more chronic character. (Project Syndicate)

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Central banks dump the dollarWASHINGTON—Central banks around the world are getting rid ofthe US dollar in favour of the European currency, the euro, in a bidto stem losses from the declining greenback, an internationalsurvey says. More than two-thirds of central banks have increasedtheir exposure to the euro in the past two years, mainly at theexpense of the dollar. Reports find over half the central bankssurveyed now regard euro-zone money and debt markets as beingas attractive for investors as those of the United States.

The 12-nation currency was up on Monday to $1.3086 from1.3044 late on Friday in New York. Titled Management Trends 2005,the report is published by the London-based Central BankingPublications Ltd. It surveyed reserve managers of 65 centralbanks, who control reserve assets worth $1.7 trillion, betweenSeptember and December 2004. The survey was sponsored by TheRoyal Bank of Scotland. Since early November, the dollar has hitrecord lows against the euro almost every week, with a brief lulllast month. A euro that cost only 84 cents in June 2002 and $ 1.21last September, now costs about $1.30. The decline is powered bythe current account deficit in the US or the gap in trade in goodsand services, investment returns and one-way financial transfersbetween the US and the world. If China and Japan, two countrieswith the biggest dollar reserves, dump some of their dollar assets,the dollar is likely to go down far more than just the anticipatedmaximum of an extra 20 percent.(IPS)

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Cutting hunger in halfBROOKLIN, CANADA—World hunger canbe cut in half in a single decade for a mere60 cents per month for every person livingin a developed country, say two renownedscientists heading the United Nations taskforce on hunger. “It’s peanuts compared toother big expenditures such as the war inIraq,” said Pedro Sanchez of the EarthInstitute at Columbia University. More than850 million people go to bed hungry everynight, 300 million of them children. Worsestill, more than 5.5 million children die ofmalnutrition-related causes each year. Butthese horrifying statistics can eventually beeliminated, Sanchez and MS Swaminathan, leader of India’s GreenRevolution movement, explained in the journal Science. The firststep is to meet the UN Millennium Development Goal of halvinghunger by 2015, they say. The financial costs are modest: $8 billionfor 2005, rising to $11 billion a year by 2015 says their reportHalving Hunger: It Can Be Done. It describes 40 specific, provensolutions for fighting hunger and a plan for implementing them atinternational, national and community levels. (IPS)

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India shifts geopolitical cardsBANGKOK—Within a month of the tsunamis battering 12 countriesacross south and southeast Asia together with east Africa, Indiahas gained a new political foothold in the Indian Ocean region.None captures this emerging climate better than the receptionextended to India, itself a victim of the 26 December tsunami, fromSri Lanka. An Indian naval medical team was given a rousingfarewell as it left the port town of Trincomalee in northeast SriLanka after completing its mission of mercy. Elsewhere across theSouth Asian island similar scenes of gratitude are being enacted tothank the large contingent of Indian military and naval personnelwho began arriving in Sri Lanka hours after the tsunami struck—theday after Christmas—as part of New Delhi’s ‘Operation Rainbow’.

India’s tsunami assistance rendered to its immediateneighbours can also be viewed as going beyond the humanitariandimension. “India’s willingness to help Sri Lanka and the Maldivesclearly indicates that New Delhi takes an active interest in theregion,” said Betram Bastiampillai, former professor of history andpolitical science at Colombo University. From the geopolitical front,New Delhi’s helping hand virtually put a stop to possiblechallenges from other contenders for power and influence in theregion, such as China and the US, at a time of crisis. New Delhihas also pledged $23 million to help rebuild the south Asianisland’s coastal areas. (IPS)

the difficulties posed byshortages of body bags and thelack of cold storage facilities.

Countries, like Thailand,that felt they could handle thefinances on their own askedthat assistance be directed toothers. They did ask onething: a reduction of tariffbarriers and greater access tomarkets abroad. They didn’twant a handout, only a chanceto earn income. The response,at least at the time of thiscolumn’s writing, has mostlybeen deafening silence.

On the other hand, the G-7made a truly importantcontribution in offering debtrelief. This is especiallyimportant for Indonesia,which must service a debt of$132 billion. Even without thetsunami, this debt burdenwould have been an enormoushindrance to the country’sdevelopment as it finallyrecovers from the aftermath ofthe 1997 financial crisis.

Indeed, there is acompelling case to be made forIndonesian debt relief in anycase, given that much of thedebt was incurred in loans tothe corrupt Suhartogovernment. Lenders knew, orshould have known, that notall of the money was going tohelp Indonesian development.Moreover, some of the debtwas incurred as part of the1997-1998 crisis, which wasaggravated and deepened byIMF-imposed policies.

No one pretends we canprevent or alter the forces ofnature. Rather, we have tolearn to cope with them. There

are now calls for improvedtsunami early warning systems.But in one area, global warming,we have already received an earlywarning. Most countries haverecognised this, coming togetherin Rio and Kyoto to do somethingabout it—not enough but theKyoto protocol was intendedonly as a start. Sadly, globalwarming will likely destroy someof the same countries ravaged bythe tsunami. Low lying islandslike the Maldives will becomesubmerged.

We are, however, still not aglobal village. After firstdisputing that there wasscientific evidence of theproblem, the largest polluter inthe world, the US, is now simplyrefusing to do anything about it(other than preaching voluntaryrestraint—of which there is littleevidence, at least in America).The international community hasyet to figure out what to do withan aberrant member who fails tolive up to its responsibilities as aglobal citizen.

Optimists say that technologywill solve the problem. Realistsobserve that in the long racebetween the environment andtechnology, it appears thattechnology has so far been losing.Nature, as we have learned fromthe tsunami, has its owntimetable. Unless we learn how torespect it, we will all miss theboat. Project Syndicate

Joseph E Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate ineconomics, is Professor of Economicsat Columbia University and was SeniorVice President at the World Bank. His

most recent book is The RoaringNineties: A New History of the World’s

Most Prosperous Decade.

Though the world came together after the tsunami,it still ignores disasters waiting to happen

Lessons from the tsunami

COMMENTJoseph E Stiglitz

T

BANDA ACEH: Before and after in two satellite pictures.

1528 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232INTERNATIONAL

hen the SouthasianSeven meet at the 13th

SAARC summit in Dhakaon 6 February, they can takesatisfaction in the small butsignificant achievements of theirorganisation. The verycontinuance of the South AsianAssociation for Regional

Cooperation through the variousIndia-Pakistan wars and war-of-words is a matter of someconsequence. For creating aforum where ministers, primeministers and presidents can meetwith some regularity, we can thankthe long-departed Ziaur Rahman,Rajiv Gandhi, JR Jayawardane,King Birendra and Zia Ul-Haq.And King Jigme and PresidentGayoom who are still with us.

The weaknesses of SAARCare of course many, for it startedout as and remains, an externalaffairs project and secretariat. Thedirectors are deputed from theforeign services of sevencountries, their jobs are definedregardless of background andmerit. The budget is infinitesimal.The plans tend to be grandiose, ininverse proportion to what isfeasible. All seven foreignsecretaries have to okay theSecretary General’s every moveand initiative. No wonder theSAARC Secretariat, fast by theNarayanhiti Royal Palace inKathmandu, exudes suchdreariness.

Beyond the institutionalproblems, however, there areconceptual issues that limitSAARC’s utility other than servingas an annual talk shop andgeopolitical safety valve. Thestate-centric construct of theorganisation limits the interactions

SOUTHASIA BEATKanak Mani Dixit

SAARC’s Southasia and ours

expanse, you have everythingfrom the Changthang high plateauto the Sundarban mangroves,Indian Ocean atolls to theHimalayan rimland, the TharDesert to tropical rainforests.Given such an all encompassingpresence of India in Southasia,there is no way for the state-centric SAARC not to be impactedat every turn by this behemoth.

India’s overpowering situationis a reality confronting all itsneighbours and this fact aloneshould help propel supplementaryvisions of Southasian regionalismother than SAARC’s. While theregional organisation has usconsidering a Southasia of sevennation states and seven capitals,there are in fact other approacheswith which to view this space. Wecan envision it as more than theseven countries, as a largerregion with grey edges and

The summit in Dhaka is an opportunity to see southern Asia differently

encompassing Tibet, Burma andAfghanistan. We can considerregionalism as alsoencompassing bilateralrelationships across adjacentnation state frontiers or we canconceptualise Southasia asconstituting many sub-regionswithin each country.

Whereas today Southasianinteractions are rigidly controlledby the capitals, regionalism with afocus on the people will blossomwhen adjoining regions ofindividual nation states are able totrade and travel with ease. Lahore

here is a shocking tendencyfor the media to be moreinterested in the failure of

elections in Iraq than in it’ssuccess. The ‘story’, as thedoomsayers apparently see it, isin the death threats and thoseintimidated out of voting and inthe boycott by the Sunniminority which happilyrepressed the Shia majority fordecades under Saddam Hussain.

Regardless of one’s view of theUS-UK attack on Iraq—and Ispeak as one sceptical about it atbest—surely one should wish theelections on Sunday to be asuccess. And I don’t mean justwant them to be but will them tobe, and certainly not helpthose seeking to disrupt andundermine them.

People will risk their livesgoing to the polls in areas of Iraqthis weekend and some parts ofthe media—in other countries as

Starting the day with a sneerDemocracy matters and it deserves better than the media’s jaded cynicismwell as in ours, I assume—havealready written off these efforts asworthless, the elections as fatallyflawed. What blinkered arrogance.

Who needs Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to shoot down a nascentdemocracy when they have someof Britain’s best-loved andrespected voices? Perhapsthousands will be killed voting.Perhaps turnout will shrink tolevels which render the resultillegitimate. At that point, then,discuss the validity of the result.But not before the poll has evenoccurred.

One hundred and elevenparties standing in the firstelection in half a century in acountry of 25 million people ofwhom more than 80 percent of theelectorate say they want to vote.This is a great and excitingexercise in democracy. Iraqis arenot voting at the barrel of anAmerican gun or under the heel ofa British soldier.

The main Sunni politicalparty, the Islamic Party, saidyesterday that it will participatein drafting the country’s

constitution and might evenaccept some appointments ingovernment, even though it isboycotting the poll itself. Nowsurely that is grounds foroptimism about the future of thecountry?

Shamed by the arrogance ofthe sneering at democratic efforts

IRAQ POLLSAlice Miles

in Iraq, I find myself takingefforts to define a purpose for athird Labour term here seriously.Concrete policies are emerging toengage the poorest members ofsociety, the hopeless ones whogrow relatively poorer year by yearas the rich grow richer.

Iraq’s election isn’t just about

turnouts and tactical voting, nomore than the Iraqi vote is justabout the suicide bombers. Nor isit about Brown and Blair or whowill replace Michael Howard if heloses big.

So what have we done to makedemocracy so dull? Written it off,for a start. (The Times, London)

T

Wmust have access to Amritsar andSiliguri to Bogra. Southasianinitiatives of the future will be thekind that promote links betweenSindh and Gujarat/Rajasthan,Punjab state and Punjab province,Meghalaya and Sylhet. Thosehung up on technicalities will termsuch initiatives ‘bilateral’ but it isthe cumulative buildup of suchlinkages that will help completethe regional jigsaw that isSouthasia. (Another time, I will tryto defend my preference andproposal for the one-word spellingof ‘Southasia’.)

Without doing violence tosacrosanct nation statesovereignty, it should also bepossible to promote a version ofregionalism that includes states,provinces and sub-regions asparticipant entities of a broadly-defined Southasia. In this sense, atruly federal India or Pakistanwould be the best contributions tothe goal of Southasianregionalism. Such would be theshape of Southasia of the future,which would require nothing lessthan rescuing our unitary pastfrom the vivisection that hasoccurred. In the meantime, withhopes for the future, we will makedo with an a-historical SAARC.

to the seven capital cities (towns,in the case of Male andThimphu). As a result, even civilsociety’s attempts at regionalcooperation have tended toreflect capital concerns. Onemust learn to distinguish between‘SAARC’ the organisation and‘Southasia’ the region. For themoment, the former refers to itsmembership of seven nationstates, while the latter speaks ofmore than 1.4 billion people, afifth of Earth’s population.

The greatest incongruity ofSAARC is the manifestdisproportion among itsmembers. Whereas ASEAN orthe European Union havecountries of roughly comparablesize and weight, Southern Asiapresents a different picturealtogether. In considering thelimits of what SAARC can do asconstituted or the way it mustevolve, one may simply look atthe variation in population size,land area, economic power andglobal reach of its largest andsmallest members. (India: 1.1billion population, land area of3.2 million sq km. Maldives: 3.3lakh population and atoll area of298 sq km.)

Besides its giganticpresence, India is centrallyplaced and bordering on all theother Southasian countries,whereas none of the others toucheach other. While the verydistinctiveness of peninsularIndia gives all of Southasia its‘shape’ in maps and satelliteimagery, present-day India haseven usurped the historicallegacy of ‘India’ pre-1947.

Further, India already makesup much of Southasia in waysbeyond population size oreconomic strength. Within India’s

16 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232MUSIC

The divine fluteHari Prasad Chaurasia might never have

played the flute but god intervened

t was only natural that SunnyJain should find in jazz theanswer to his identity crisis.

An American of Indian origin,music is a spiritual activity forhim. Besides, being a Jain, hegrew up listening to bhajans andthen moved on to classic jazzand blues.

“My Indian heritage and Jainbackground is obvious in mymusic and aspirations, just asmy upbringing in America,” hesays.

Sunny will be jamming withlocal jazz musicians at Shangri-la’s Jazz bar on Friday, 28January and it promises to beone of those not-to-be-missedevents on Kathmandu’s jazzcalendar.

Sunny is a musician 24/7. Inroaring traffic, sledgehammersgoing off, in a plane, on thebeach or the sound of footstepson the sidewalk, everything ismusic to his ears. “That’s how Iperceive the world,” he says.And when he picked up thedrums, it fast grew from passionto profession.

The Sunny Jain Collective isa group that fuses east with west.Its jazz improvisation revisits

Jain’s jazz jammingBollywood classics such asAawaara Hoon and Aap Jaisa Koi,bhajans like Raghupati and MeriBhabana. Their originals MangoFestival and Pink City are freshand vibrant sounds. With a fewelectronic tweaks fed through akeyboard and then injected withIndian tunes, the Collectivesound is different frommainstream jazz.

Sunny Jain has steadily beengaining popularity. He headlinedthe Atlanta Jazz Festival last yearand has played at the New YorkCity’s famous Blue Note to sold-out tickets. He has also performedwith Norah Jones, KiranAluwhalia, Seamus Blake, KyleEastwood, Dermit Driscoll,Lonnie Plaxico and KennyWollesen. The Sunny JainCollective’s debut album MangoFestival is truly a joyouscelebration. “I was fascinated at avery young age by the sound oftablas but even more so by therhythms of Indian music,” saysSunny.

The Collective features SteveWelsh on tenor saxophone andeffects, Gary Wang on bass, RezAbbasi on guitar and Jain ondrums. Avoiding clichés the

group reinvents music. In May2002, Sunny Jain Collectivereleased its debut CD As Is, whichfeatured many of Jain’s Indianflavoured compositions andarrangements. The group quicklygained recognition and support asit shared the bill with therenowned New Delhi band,Indian Ocean, at the Concert forPeace in South Asia in New YorkCity.

A debut tour to India inNovember 2003, headlining at theJazz Yatra Festival in Mumbai andNew Delhi, brought the groupinstant recognition in theirmotherland. Now, the Sunny JainCollective is joining thebandwagon to visit Kathmandu asit puts itself on the jazz map.

Navin from our very owngroup, Cadenza, is known to be ascrazy about drums and jazz. Hewill be playing with theMcTwisters, it is sure to be quitean event. The McTwisters, led byCzech Peter Kroutil features threemembers of the famous Nepalirock band 1974AD.

Jazz it Up with Sunny Jain Collectiveand the McTwisters on 28 January, 7

PM onwards at Shangri-la Hotel.Tickets Rs 999, 4412999

ABHA ELI PHOBOO

East is east and west is west but how the twain meet!

ari Prasad Chaurasia’s father was a serious wrestler andwanted desperately for his young son to follow in his footsteps.Not wanting to spend the rest of his life throwing people over, the

boy instead grew up to become one of the world’s most acclaimedflautists.

“It was difficult but fascinating,” says the maestro about hischoice. The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and the Indian Council onCultural Relations are bringing Chaurasia to Nepal to celebrateIndia’s 56th Republic Day and he will perform on his divine flutes atthe BICC on 1 Feburary.

Born in Allahabad in 1938 Hari Prasad Chaurasia learnedclassical vocals at 15 from the noted musician Pandit Rajaram. Hemight have continued with singing had he not chanced to hear PanditBholanath play the flute. So spellbound was young Hari that heimmediately began learning to play the wind instrument under histutelage for eight years. A prodigy of sorts, Hari Prasad quicklymastered the flute and joined the All India Radio while still a teenager.

Chaurasia flourished as a musician as his recitals gained a newdepth and expression. In Chaurasia’s hand, the flute transformed intoa magical instrument expressing the finer nuances of Indian classicalmusic. The title of virtuoso soon followed and he was playing atconcerts in India and abroad. He collaborated with many musicians,most famously with John McLaughlin, Jan Garbarek and a couple offusion jazz albums.

Chaurasia’s stint in Bollywood also received widespread acclaimfor the music he wrote with Shiv Kumar Sharma in Silsila. He is oneof the few growing classicists who has made an effort to reach outand expand the genre. He has played at music festivals all over theworld and each concert is an experience for Chaurasia. “I treat eachconcert like the first and last so each becomes memorable to me,” hesays.

Hari Prasad Chaurasia is known for his innovation and expansionof expressive possibilities on the North Indian flute through masterfulblowing techniques and unique adaptations of the alap and jor. Oftenwhen you walk into Thamel’s book or music shops, the soothing flutesound you hear is Chaurasia’s. His best-selling albums include‘Ragas-Morning’ with Padma Talwalkar and Amjad Ali Khan, ‘Ragas-Afternoon’ with Pandit Jasraj and Shahid Parvez, ‘Basant Bahar’with Pandit Jasraj, ‘Megh Malhar’ with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, thefamous ‘Soundscapes’, ‘Maestro’s Choice’, ‘Nothing but Wind’ and‘The Elements’.

Chaurasia’s musical repertoireextends beyond North Indian art

music to Indian folk, Indianpopular and western music.Equally impressive was hisexperimental album‘Eternity’ which incorporated

many western elementsalongside North Indian art

music.

Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia isscheduled to perform on 1 February at

the BICC at 5.30 PM. Passes areavailable at the Indian

Embassy.

H

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ABOUT TOWN

18 28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232CITY

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Call 4442220 for show timingswww.jainepal.com

KATHMANDU AIR QUALITY

KATHMANDU VALLEY

by MAUSAM BEEDNEPALI WEATHER

Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue

19-0 18-1 17-1 18-1 18-0

When it rains, it pours as we found outthis week. Behind one westerly wasanother westerly and then another.Enough already. When we said therehad been a winter drought, we didn’tmean for Lord Indra to dump three feetof snow in Jumla. This winter has beenregistered the wettest in a decade withKathmandu receiving in one week 58mm of rain—four times the Januaryaverage and the month isn’t evenfinished yet. This satellite image takenon Thursday morning shows the horizonto the west is clear except for a lowpressure area over the Pamir which willbring patches of fast high clouds overthe weekend. Valley residents canexpect chilly and foggy mornings withincreasingly balmy afternoons when thesun is shining.

Good < 60

Ok 61 to 120

Unhealthy 121 to 350

Harmful 351 to 425

Hazardous >425

Putalisadak Patan H Thamel Kirtipur Bhaktapur Matsyagaun

16 - 22 January 2005 in micrograms per cubic meter.Source: www. mope.gov.np

Good news is in the air. Believe it or not, Kathmandu’s air quality improved thisweek. After a couple of weeks of extremely high levels of pollution, the concentrationof dangerous particles below 10 microns in Kathmandu was down by 22 percent lastweek. We must thank the rains for reducing the street level dust. Although PM10 inurban areas are still higher than national standards, in Bhaktapur and Kirtipur thelevels were healthy on most days.

FESTIVAL AND EXHIBITIONSReflection of Nature II Pressed dry floral Oshibana art by Pabitra Shresthaat Park Gallery, Lajimpat. Until 28 January. 4419353Life through the Lens Photographs by Kishor Kayastha at Indigo Gallery,till 31 January. 4413580, indigo@wlink.com.npKickin’ Up Dust Photographs of Australian contemporary indigenouscultural festivals at Siddhartha Art Gallery. Until 31 January. 4218048

EVENTSShahid Dibas, 29 JanuaryTsunami Relief Fundraising dinner on 29 January, 6PM onwards forRs 1,200 at 1905, Kantipath. 4225272Crazy Golf For Corporates at Soaltee CrownePlaza on 29 January, 10.30 AM to 3PM. 4273999Sitcom Cine Club at the Alliance Francaise on 30January. 4241163Sunny Side Up Jazz picnic with the McTwisterson 30 January at La Soon Restaurant, Pulchok,12AM to 6PM. Entrance Rs 300, 5537166Kathmandu Chorale Rehearsals from 31January, 7.10 PM at The British School,Jhamsikhel. 5534737Birdwatching at Taudaha Laka on 2 February, 6km southwest ofKathmandu organised by Friends of the Bagmati. 4470-770Adventure High Documentary on cyclists from Mongolia to Nepal atLajimpat Gallery Café on 3 February, 7PM onwards. 4428549Sanibaar Mela Every Saturday at the Dharahara Bakery Café, 12AM-5PM.3rd Annual Wave Web Winner 2004 Website designing contest. Entrydeadline 15 February. www.wavemag.com.np.The God Dance of Kathmandu Valley Tuesdays at Hotel Vajra. 4271545

MUSICMotown Nite with Soul-T on 28 January at Four Season restaurant, Thamel,7PM-10PM, tickets Rs 100. 4701715Full Circle Live on 28 January at Moksh, Pulchok, 7.30 PM. 5528703Good Time Blues Band at Rum Doodle every Friday, 25 percent off from5PM to 7PM on 28 January. 4701208, 4701107, rum_doodle@gohimalaya.comMargarita Night at Fusion-The bar at Dwarika’s Hotel on 28 January withAbhaya & the Steam Injuns, Rs 799. 4479488Jazz it up New York style with Sunny Jain Collective on 28 January at theJazz Bar, Hotel Shangri-La, 7 PM onwards for Rs 999. 4412999Dhicyag Subhchu Rinpoche’s debut album Dharma Dhwani release on30 January at Maitreya Gumba, Swayambhu, 2.30PM.Classical music, 7PM onwards, every Friday at Hotel Vajra. 4271545Jatra Saturday nights with Looza, 6.30 PM onwards. 4256622Happening live jazz in town at Upstairs Jazz Bar, Lajimpat. EveryWednesday and Saturday, 7.45 PM onwards.

FOODGrand Dosa Festival at The Café, Hyatt, 6.30PM, till 30 January. 4491234Barbecue Dinner Every Friday at the Summit Hotel. 5521810Seasons Special Luncheon at Hotel Shangri-La for Rs 450. 4412999Delicacies Pastas and snacks at Roadhouse Café, Jawalakhel. 5521755Sizzling Weekend Treat with live music, dance, barbeque and karaoke atGarden Terrace, Soaltee Crowne Plaza. 4273999Genuine Thai cuisine at Royal Lotus, Bakhundole. 5521231Delicious barbecue dinner Fridays at Summit Hotel. 5521810Café Bahal Newari and continental cuisine under the giant Cinnamon tree atKathmandu Guest House, Thamel. 4700632Splash Spring BBQ Wednesday and Friday evenings, 6PM onwards.Radisson Hotel, Lajimpat.Dwarika’s Thali Lunch at the Heritage courtyard. 4479488The Tharu Kitchen at Jungle Base Camp. Junglebasecamp@yahoo.com

GETAWAYSTiger Mountain Pokhara Lodge Pure relaxation, escape the chill.4361500Shivapuri Heights Cottage Tranquil atmosphere at the edge of ShivapuriNational Park. steve@escape2nepal.comChiso Chiso Hawama Two-day package at Club Himalaya. 4411706Jungle Base Camp Lodge, Bardia, special package and prices.junglebasecamp@yahoo.comMalaysia Dream Holidays Packages starting from Rs 45,500 per person.2012345, malaysiaholidays_marco@polo.com.npGetaway package Night’s stay at Godavari Village Resort. 5560675AAA Organic Farm and Guesthouse Rs 950 with three meals. 6631734Temple Tiger One night package $250. 4263480Machan Wildlife Jungle Resort special packages available. 4225001Weekend Special at Park Village Resort, Budhanilkantha. 4375280Jomsom Mountain Resort Two nights-three days at Rs 5,999 for Nepalis,$199 for expats including airfare and food. 4496110, salesjom@mail.com.np

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What for?

Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists ( NEFEJ),4261991, nefej@mos.com.np

walkathon

To raise funds for Radio Sagarmatha building

Want to walk with Bhairab Risal?

on Feb 27, 2005

The film is set in the India of the tumultuous 1930s whennationalists fighting for the country’s independence roseup urging the British to quit. At this time, a young Indian,Kisna (Vivek Oberoi) befriends and then shields a Britishgirl Katherine (Antonia Bernath) from an enraged mob ofnationalists including Kisna’s own uncle and brother.Katherine is the young daughter of a ruthless Britishcollector. Kisna takes it upon himself to escort Katherineto the safety of the British High Commission in New Delhi.A tender attraction develops between Kisna and Katherineduring the journey, a love story that is torn between Karma,the noble deed, and Dharma, the duty. Laxmi (IshaShravani), the Indian girl Kisna is engaged to, forms thethird point in an emotional triangle involving the Indo-Britishromantic pair.

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28 JANUARY - 3 FEBRUARY 2005 #232

CDO Regd No. 194/056/57 Lalitpur, Central Region Postal Regd. No. 04/058/59

UNDER MY HATKunda Dixit

don’t know about you, but we’ve been getting sleepless nights aboutthis Chinese expedition that is arriving here next month todetermine if Mt Everest has indeed shrunk. On a matter as serious as

this, the whole nation should be getting sleepless nights. Wake up, yes,you there in the driver’s seat.

What if the Chinese discover that due to plate tectonics, themountain has moved south and Tengboche is actually in Tibet? What ifthey find Mt Everest isn’t the highest mountain in the world anymore?How can we hold our head high again among the community ofnations? Imagine the ignominy and shame. What will all those proudowners of Mt Everest Restaurant and Bar (credo: ‘Get High Here’)

, Everest Bank (‘Our InterestRates Are Highest’), EverestHotel (‘Nepal’s top Hotel’),Everest Nursing Home (‘Don'tYou Ever Rest?’), Everest

Insurance (‘Life Insurance for Mountaineers, Too’), Mt EverestMomo Shop (‘Dumplings Without Oxygen’), Everest CorrugatedZinc Sheets (‘The Roof of the World’), Everest Rubber Flipflops(‘Be the First To Summit in Chappals’), Mt Everest YarsagumbaCapsules (‘Size Matters’) do? Somehow, K2 Momo Shop justdoesn’t have the same zing.

Sir Edmund Hillary will be in the horns of a dilemma: toreturn his knighthood or not. And imagine the promo brochuresNTB has printed, we’ll have to scrap them all and print new oneswith the slogan: ‘The Land of Everest, We Were Great Once’.

It is an unthinkable,nightmarish scenario. And what Iwant to know is why HisMajesty’s government had to besuch a smart ass and grant theChinese permission to make adiscovery that would bepotentially disastrous for ournational morale. As if we didn’thave enough problems already.

It is therefore in our nationalinterest to safeguard ourterritorial integrity and verticalsovereignty to pre-empt thisexpedition and ensure thatQomalungma (which in Tibetanmeans ‘Goddess Mother of theEarth’) and Sagarmatha (which in

Nepali means ‘The Pointy One Behind the White One with the Flat TopThat Is Third from Right If You Are Looking Counter-clockwise’)remains the tallest one in the world.

There are several steps that Nepal’s Bureau of Standards andMetrology can start taking right away if we can get them to wake up:

1. Every expedition climbing Mt Everest from this season onwardsmust ensure that team members who reach the top all carry at least 10kg of rocks to deposit at the summit. At this rate, we can restore threemetres to Mt Everest in just a few years.2. All Cleanup Expeditions that used to bring the trash back from theSouth Col and dump it on the banks of the Bagmati at Balkhu, willhenceforth be required to take it on to the summit and deposit it thereinstead. If this happens, my calculation is that by 2008, Mt Everest’saltitude will have crossed 9,000 metres above sea level.3. Tectonic plates are like a see-saw, you press one side down and theother side goes up. So, if we can move all 25 million Nepalis to thevicinity of Jaleswor, we can make the entire country tilt, thus pushingMt Everest up considerably.4. Bribe the Chinese Height Fixing Committee.

Everest foreverI