#420 3 - 9 October 2008 20 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 421. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

Q.Do you expect next year’s Dasain-Tihar to be better than this year’s?

Weekly Internet Poll # 420

Q. Was the finance minister right to cutthe budget for festivals?

lear skies, fabulous mountainviews, festivals, smiles.

Those characteristics of theDasain-Tihar holidays make theautumn season popular fortourism and trekking.

With the peace process ontrack, elections over and a newgovernment in place, visitorarrivals have picked up. Hotelrooms and airline tickets arescarce. But there are still places togo in this vast country that are offthe beaten track, like UpperDolakha (p 8-9). Nepali Timeshas compiled all its travelwriteups over the past eight yearsinto a Special Destinationpackage. See:www.nepalitimes.com.np/special/travel_nepal.php

HAPPY HOLIDAYNepali Times wishes all itsreaders and partners a happyDasain, Chhat, Eid.

Because of the holidays,there will be noissue of NepaliTimes on 10October. The nexthardcopy editionof this paper willcome out on 17October. Log on towww.nepalitimes.comfor regular newsupdates.

’Tistheseason

Editorial Time is running out p2

GUEST COLUMN Karna Shakya p2

PLAIN SPEAKING Prashant Jha p4

Dolakha’s hidden charm p8-9

Cars cars cars! p10-11

Maoist movies p15

College fashion p16

C

KIRAN PANDAY

Total votes: 5,089

BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY:Dentistry studentSunaina Palikhe andhotel managementstudent Monita Puntrekking in Dhampusamidst a spectacularbackdrop ofMachapuchre onSaturday.

2 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420EDITORIAL

Published by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda DixitCEO: Ashutosh Tiwari Design: Kiran MaharjanDirector Sales and Marketing: Sunaina Shah marketing@himalmedia.comMarketing Manager: Sambhu GuragainAsst Managers: Subhash KumarSubscriptions: 5542535/5542525

Hatiban, Godavari Road, LalitpurGPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845, Fax: 5251013Printed at Jagadamba Press, Hatiban: 5250017-19

edi tors@nepal i t imes.comwww.nepal i t imes.com

INTERESTING TIMESMallika Aryal

T

T

here are two kinds ofhistories: one is writtenand the other is unwritten.

Written history is found inbooks, unwritten history is foundin the good deeds of people.

Throughout our country thereare unseen heroes who don’t getwritten about, don’t compete forheadlines, but work quietly tohelp their communities and thenation.

Ram Shrestha left thecomforts of an affluent life inEurope and mobilised hiscommunity to set up a world-class hospital in Dhulikhel. Alsoin Dhulikhel, Suresh Raj Sharmaused his experience in educationto set up a university that ishelping build the country’shuman resource base. Lili Thapa’shusband was killed in the war,but she turned her grief intohelping other women affected bythe conflict by setting up theSingle Mothers’ Society. SitaPokhrel in Biratnagar invested herhusband’s entire inheritance andpension to set up an orphanage.

Neighbours think SebailalTharu is slightly mad. Any barrenplot of land he finds, Tharuplants trees. All his life, he hasbeen walking half-naked in hisbare feet, planting saplings whichhave now grown into tall trees allover his home district.

Mahabir Pun gave up an ITcareer in the US to come back, notjust to Kathmandu, but to his

home district of Myagdi to setup a world-acclaimed effort tobridge the digital divide in localschools with wireless internetfor education. There are manyMahabirs in Nepal, contributingto society without much fuss.

Then there is Sanduk Ruitwho has restored the gift of sightto tens of thousands of Nepaliswith cataracts. Every day at hisTilganga eye centre there aremiracles as people see again afterdecades of darkness. Ruit takeshis mobile clinics to remoteparts of Nepal, and even toTibet, North Korea and Ethiopia.He has made Nepal a majorproduction centre for cornealtransplants. We in Nepal were

slow to recognise and honourpeople like Pun and Ruit, whoare both Ramon Magsaysayawardees for public service.

Ujalata Subba of Myaglungstarted an embroidery unit afterher husband died and nowemploys 100 women. A studentfrom Pulchok campus went backto his village in Lamjung andbuilt a 3.5MW hydropower unit.Today, while the capital has sixhours of power cuts every day,Lamjung’s Besisahar andsurrounding villages have 24-hour electricity.

Ashok Thakuri is a trainedcheesemaker. Instead of stayingon in France, he returned andhas set up a goat cheese factory

in Chitlang which has anexclusive clientele inKathmandu. Thakuri buys goatmilk from surrounding villages,which have set up the ChitlangChandragiri Cheese ProductionSociety, raising cash incomes ofhundreds of families.

They are everywhere, thesecreative and independentNepalis. You just have to look forthem. They don’t sit on theirhands complaining that thegovernment doesn’t give themthis or that, they are enterprisingand implement projects thatprovide self-esteem and incometo fellow Nepalis.

This country’s future lies inthe combined efforts of hundreds

of thousands of Nepalis likethese who combine appropriate,human-level technology andsheer hard work to achievetangible results.

There is plenty to find faultwith in Nepal, but if we justcomplained about them wewould be stuck. This Dasain, letus recognise and reward theefforts of these unsung heroes allover Nepal.

Karna Shakya’s latest book, Khoj,was launched on Monday.

Khoj (in Nepali)Karna ShakyaPage 374Price Rs 275

GUEST COLUMNKarna Shakya

Unseen heroesTIME IS RUNNING OUTThe most frustrating thing about the pre-Dasain political mood inKathmandu is the utter lack of urgency.

Since he was sworn in five weeks ago, Prime Minister PushpaKamal Dahal has been in Nepal for just eight days. Last week, adozen cabinet members were in various parts of the world. Now,we go into the lethargic Dasain-Tihar break.

What will it take to inject a sense of urgency in our electedrulers about pressing domestic issues? When will they startfocussing on the people’s immediate needs and stop disruptingAssembly proceedings so that it can get on with the work ofconstitution-building?

On Tuesday, the Constituent Assembly went into a 20-dayDasain recess. Four months after the CA was installed, thelegislature is still bogged down in politics over the draft of theRules and Procedures. There are four main challenges ahead:

gaps in governance and delivery stability and keeping the peace process on track safeguarding freedoms during the transition drafting the constitution

The most urgent issue is to ensure law and order,relief and service delivery. The coalition governmentneeds to show that it is a government that cares for thewelfare of the people. That alone will give it legitimacy,not the electoral victory in April.

Good governance will also ensure the stability that isneeded for economic growth, which in turn will keep thepeace process on track. Instability, discord and youthvigilantism threaten law and order. The proposedintegration of the armies can only happen in anatmosphere of political consensus.

Recent statements by the Maoists have raised freshdoubts about their commitment to democracy and pressfreedom. This ambivalence is dangerous. The Maoistsneed to clearly and publicly renounce violence once and

for all and reassert their commitment to pluralism and democracy.Only when these conditions are fulfilled will there be the right

conditions to work undisturbed on drafting the new constitution.There is no need now to go out onto the streets. Issues must bediscussed and thrashed out in the assembly chambers. You can’twrite a new constitution while cremating tyres.

We have traditionally let Pashupatinath take care of things, butthere is a limit to what even Pashupatinath can do if we don’tmake a serious effort ourselves to overcome this paralysingennui.

he Miss Nepal 2008 beauty pageant,slated to be held at the armyheadquarters last weekend, was

postponed again—for the fourth time. Thewomen’s wing of the Maoist party, the AllNepal Women’s Organisation-Revolutionary said the contestdiscriminated against certain ethnic groupsand against shorter and darker women.They claimed it demeaned women by usingthem to advertise toothpaste and shampoo.

Hours before the event was scheduledto take place the organisers got a noticefrom the DAO asking them to cancel theshow as the event threatened to create ‘alaw and order problem’.

Every year, women’s organisationsprotest outside the contest venue, but afterthe pageant is over and the winner crowned,the protests fizzle out and everyone goeshome happy. This year, however, theprotests have been stepped up.Demonstrators stormed the offices of DaburNepal, the official sponsor, and madethreatening phone-calls to contestants.

The lure of this beauty contest is thatthe crowned winner will get to representNepal at other international beautycompetitions. In the last 14 years none ofour girls have made it pass the first round,

Witch hunt hits wrong target

but we are willing to overlook that becausethey do get international exposure andreturn to Nepal more confident. And thewinner, apart from becoming the face of thesponsor and brand ambassador for a feworganisations, doing a few modellingassignments and dabbling in a few socialcauses, doesn’t have to do much. They allsay that they want to alleviate poverty, helpthe hungry and end conflict, but 12 monthsis just not enough time to achieve that.

When Miss Nepal 2008 was postponed,the contestants and their parents organiseda press conference and said that the banviolated women’s rights. There was sometruth in that. Forget women’s rights: whatabout the rights of these young ladies tomake a decision about their own lives? Allthe contestants are over 18—an age whereyou are allowed to vote, drink, buypornography and get married without

parental consent. Does the Maoist-ledgovernment think that suddenly theseyoung women could not make informeddecisions about how to live their own lives?

The current political leadership seemedto have no problem using 18-year-olds tofight their war and to campaign for the partyduring the election. When others didn’t trustthe Maoists, 18-year-olds like these youngwomen went to the polling booths thisyear because they trusted the Maoists tobe different.

The pageant’s organiser, The HiddenTreasure, is a private entity that pays taxesto the government. It has set up offices inBirganj, Dharan, Butwal and Pokhara andhas tried to be as inclusive as possible inselecting candidates. Why does thegovernment, or any women’s group for thatmatter, need to be involved in deciding whomakes it to the finals when they are in no

way involved in the entire process?The ANWO-R has said that beauty

contests do nothing to improve the lot ofwomen. In case they had missed it, a newconstitution is being written. Instead ofthese groups threatening contestants withphysical violence, they could be pressinglawmakers to make the new constitutionmore gender-sensitive, ensuring thatwomen’s causes are better represented,and campaigning for more money from thebudget to be directed at helping women.They should be trying to rescuethousands of Nepali women who aretrafficked to the red light districts ofNepali and Indian cities.

Nightclub owners are out on thestreets demanding their right to engage infar sleazier business than beautypageants, but we don’t hear ANWO-Rcondemning them. They seem to have noproblem with dance bar operators makinghandsome profits from exploiting women’sbodies. Perhaps they view dance bars asmore ‘proletarian’ and thereforeacceptable, whereas beauty pageants are‘capitalist’ and should therefore bedismantled.

The Maoists haven’t been consistentin their reasons for opposing Miss Nepal2008. Other beauty pageants have beenorganised in the Valley in the past monthand they chose to look the other way.One wonders why there’s so muchantagonism towards Miss Nepal 2008.Why the witch hunt?

Let’s applaud Nepalis who havequietly contributed to the nation

There are worse things to worry about than a beauty pageant

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

33 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420

L E T T E R S

LETTERSNepali Times welcomes feedback. Letters should bebrief and may be edited for space. While pseudonymscan be accepted, writers who provide their real namesand contact details will be given preference. Emailletters should be in text format without attachmentswith ‘letter to the editor’ in the subject line.

Email: letters(at)nepalitimes.comFax: 977-1-5521013Mail: Letters, Nepali Times,GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu, Nepal.

SECULAR BUDGETPrahsant Jha raises a good point in his column,Plain Speaking (Secularism in a diverse state,# 419). But I think the French Model would bebetter. The government needs to stopsubsidising any particular community’s festival.It would have been great if those who protestedraised some money and did it on their own, andin a much organised and dignified way. Nepalisneed to get rid of the mentality of extractingresources from the state.

Anand Jha, Texas

Regarding the president attending the Hindureligious functions—what if we have a Christianpresident or a Muslim one? As Jha points out,secularism looked like a huge positive leap fornew Nepal, but I wonder, like many otherNepalis, if the consequences would be a gift ora punishment for generations to come.

Mahima Adhikary, Sydney

Jha should have researched what previousgovernments did in the name of nationalisationand how they looted ethnic people of their rightsand property. Remember, even all these nationalparks were once ethnic property. Inthe case of Indra Jatra,there was a guthi.Nevertheless, Jha raisessome really goodquestions on secularism,religion and politics. Welldone.

A Shrestha,Kathmandu

Everybody will ask fortheir share of the pie. Afterall, we are about to write anew constitution and thestate has already becomesecular. Newars don’t needany state funding. Just givethem back their propertyworth billions of rupeesconfiscated by thegovernment. Do not besurprised if from now onwards Newars demandthe dismantling of the Guthi Sansthan that isresponsible for destroying our culturesystematically.

Gaganendra Shrestha, Thamel

The riot was never about the money tosacrifice buffalo (Interesting Times, ‘What ariot’, #419). The government was not giving thismoney as a donation to the Newar community,but it is a compensation for the guthi propertyseized by the government. So interpreting it asa mere ‘buffalo riot’ shows your shallowknowledge about this issue. Newars haveaccepted this for a very long time and neverraised their voice against it. But curtailing eventhat small amount is a violation of the law.

Ram Bhakta, Banepa

If other ethnic communities receive specialconsideration in these times, then why not theNewars of Kathmandu? Have they notdemonstrated sufficient restraint? Whathappens if the Newars of the Valley as a groupfeel disillusioned and decide to shut down thecapital? What implications would that have? I

am arguing that at a time when the discourse ofthis country has begun to encompass an ethnicdimension, one cannot then discriminate byasserting that these subsidies are for ‘elite’activities of a certain community such as animalsacrifices during important festivals, which canbe jettisoned, and that those subsidies are formore immediate and pressing concerns ofanother community that cannot be jettisoned.

BP Sharma, Biratnagar The riots were far more complex than just

about buffalos. Still, Mallika Aryal’s conclusionthat we now live in a society where anyone whodoesn’t get their way in Kathmandu simplyresorts to violence at the expense of the rest ofthe country is where the real point lies. Didn’t itoccur to the people that the Maoists arecommunist, and ideologically against religioustradition, when they voted for them? Was thisreally such a big surprise from a group thatswears by the leader of a ‘cultural revolution’?

Name withheld

I think there is nothing wrong in cutting thebudget for cultural celebrations. Otherwise, howcan a poor country like Nepal afford to sponsor

events of more than 100communities? Bhattaraidid a good thing bystarting to cut from Jatrasand other festivals.

PremarhshiChaudhari, Dhangadi

POWER PLAYFinally something aboutaugmented flow(Editorial, ‘Poweringgrowth’, #419) This iswhere it’s at folks: notmegawatts but incharging for additionalflow of water in thewinter. If we are toinundate Nepali land inorder to provideincreased water to Indiaduring the dry season to

increase their agricultural output, India must payfor this service. It’s all about the water, not theelectricity. Soz is right: India cares first andforemost about the water, and power is just abonus. If they have high demand for the irrigationrights, we must be willing to charge them for itaccordingly. Nepali politicians take note:discuss how much the Indians are willing to payper cubic metre of augmented flow of waterduring the dry winter season before discussingthe price of electricity per kilowatt.

Name withheld, email

4 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420NATION

VARANASI—At a Nepal-India seminarorganised by the Indian Ministry ofExternal Affairs this week, two thingsstood out: the duplicity, opportunismand lack of clarity of the Madhesi leaders;and the need for India to be more deeplyintrospective about its security concerns.

The themes hovered around theconsolidation of the peace process inNepal: rehabilitation, constitutionwriting, and federalism—as well as onbilateral issues like the open border. Theparticipation was impressive, from retiredofficials like Hormis Tharakan, the formerRAW chief who had a role in the 12-pointagreement, to PLA commander Pasang andNC’s Gagan Thapa.

The Madhes brigade includedHridayesh Tripathi, Sarita Giri, TMLP’sJitendra Sonal and Sadbhavana’s DevendraYadav. Minister J P Gupta was present inhis capacity as a representative of thegovernment.

The most jarring note was Gupta’sintervention in the inaugural session. Inthe presence of Indian Foreign MinisterPranab Mukherjee, JP launched into adiatribe in Hindi against the Nepalgovernment—the government he wasrepresenting—for not implementingpromises made to Madhesis.

“The Kathmandu rulers are cheatingthe Madhesi people…they are going backon past agreements…there should begroup recruitment of Madhesis in thearmy…” and he ended the speech with“Jai Madhes, Jai Nepal and Jai Hind.”

This was a speech that would have

PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

Madhesi politicians need to figure out their visionVenting it out in Varanasi

NEPAL PANEL: Nepal’s agriculture minister JP Gupta, Indian Foreign Minister PranabMukherjee former Indian ambassador to Nepal Deb Mukharji and law minister Deb Gurungat the inaugural session of the Indo-Nepal conference in Varanasi on Saturday.

been fine if JP Gupta was an MJF leaderspeaking to the streets of Rajbiraj. It mayhave been OK if he had fleetinglymentioned the Madhes problem. But itwas totally inappropriate for a ministerto be abusing his own government andpushing his political agenda on foreignsoil. If Gupta wants to be a Madhesiradical, he should not have joined thegovernment. He cannot use the state’slegitimacy, resources and position tooppose the state in another country.

The incident is representative of thelarger failure of Madhesi politics. Asveteran academic S D Muni pointed outin Varanasi, the Madhes needs to figureout what its vision is of remainingintegrated in Nepal and its leaders also

need to decide how they want to dealwith India.

In a statement that left delegatessquirming, Sadbhavana’s Devendra Yadavtold India: “You do not have to invest insecurity on the border because of us.Madhesis have been unpaid guards forIndia. We do your job for free. Now pleasehelp us against Kathmandu.”

It is people like these who fuelPahadi perceptions that Madhesis are thefifth column in Nepal and leaveMadhesis weaker for they have to provetheir Nepali loyalty all the time.Madhesis have close ties with people inIndia, but that doesn’t mean their livesrevolve around protecting the Indianstate. Historically inaccurate

understandings are being foisted becauseselect Madhesi leaders want to act asIndian sycophants. It will not work.

The other striking feature of thediscussions was Indian paranoia aboutNepal as a base for terror activities. The ISImay be present in Nepal, but for the mostpart, blaming Nepal and the open border isa ploy by an incompetent and paranoidIndian security establishment to hide itsown weaknesses.

The Indian government’s intelligenceapparatus is in a shambles. India’s homeminister is too busy changing his wardrobeto pay attention to security. Indianpoliticians do not know how to deal withrising Muslim alienation within thecountry. A vicious cycle repeats itself: thereis a blast, the media pressure on theestablishment to show results increases,cops make arbitrary arrests and engineerfake encounters, leading to more alienation.

In the process, they start plantingstories in a pliant media that the suspectshave run off to Nepal. The case of the two‘terrorists’ arrested in Kathmandu for the1993 Bombay blasts and extradited toIndia, but who were innocent andacquitted by the court, proves how hollowsome of these claims are.

Nepal must help India when theseconcerns crop up, but there is no need tobend over backwards to please Indianhawks who are wrong more often than not.In fact, Nepal has a strong case on cross-border crime, given the activities ofMadhesi armed groups who have linkswith political elements in Bihar as well assections of the Indian state. Given thatboth sides have concerns, the best way todeal with them is through institutionalmechanisms instead of succumbing to theblame game.

KUNDA DIXIT

“History begins anew”

rime Minister Pushpa KamalDahal, wearing a bluebusiness suit resplendent

with a red necktie, seemed atease as he took the stage at theauditorium of New SchoolUniversity last Friday in NewYork. A number of people jumpedto their feet, raised their fists andcheered loudly when he walked in.It turned out they were members ofvarious Marxist organisations whohad come to catch a glimpse oftheir revolutionary hero.

The young fellow with aresemblance to John Lennonsitting to my right, a student fromLafayette College, was one ofthem. He had travelled by bus foran hour and half to attend the talk.What brings you here? “To seePrachanda,” he said, as if he weretalking about a rock star, and thenexplained he was a socialist. Hewas a very serious sort of person.

“You know I had a funnythought on the way over here,” Isaid to him. “Wouldn’t it havebeen great if they had arranged forPrachanda to ring the opening bellat the stock exchange on WallStreet? Visiting dignitaries do it all

DAVID SASSOONin NEW YORK

the time.”Even my serious

acquaintance couldn’t suppress asmile. It soon took over his face.After all, Wall Street—the capitalof capitalism—was in crisis, withthe fate of Washington’s $700billion bailout of the financialsystem hanging in the balance.The irony of an elected Maoistrevolutionary ringing that famousbell to start the day’s trading wasdelicious.

I was thinking about it more asa tactic to raise Nepal’s visibility

in America. It would have made forone of those short news itemsbeamed to 100 million Americanson the nightly news, a clever wayto cut through the clutter. Dahalhad already addressed the UNGeneral Assembly earlier in theday, as had countless other headsof state, all equally ignored by thejaded media.

At the New School, Dahalfaced a pretty tough crowd. Hebegan his remarks by readingfrom a prepared text in English for15 minutes. His primary message:

“History begins anew in Nepal.”He promised the rule of law

and freedom of the press, a just,prosperous, stable and peacefulsociety, relief and rehabilitation, agrowth of living standards and anend to governmental corruption—all leading to the socio-economictransformation of the nation. Hisremarks included an invitation toUS investors and a guarantee ofcooperation from the nation thatwas a bridge between two of thebiggest markets in the world:China and India. Dahal was notexporting his revolution, he wasseeking to import capitalinvestment. That visit to WallStreet was perhaps not afarfetched idea after all.

The real action, though, camewith the questions from theaudience. Two long lines quicklyformed behind each of the twomicrophones in the aisles. It wastime to dig into the details of thejust, prosperous and peacefulsociety-in-the-making. One groupof questions centered around howto rein in the YCL and othervigilante groups. Another group ofquestions came from protectors ofthe Tibetan cause, who wantedtheir right for peacefuldemonstration guaranteed. Andwhat role for Hinduism? How will

land reform proceed? How willcorruption be corrected?

“This is a very sensitivequestion,” Dahal said more thanonce. In one instance, he saidwith jocularity: “You are trying toprovoke me.” In every case, hismessage was brief: these thingswill be handled in a very cautiousway and balanced in ademocratic way. But by the end,there were so many questionsthat there was no longer time forresponses. Questioners weregiven 30 seconds to say theirpiece, until finally no one was lefton the lines. Then Dahal wavedand took his leave.

Aside from the UN GeneralAssembly meeting and the stockmarket crisis, New York was hostto another high stakes circus thatweek: the Clinton GlobalInitiative. This year, at theopening plenary, theachievements of the President ofLiberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf,were highlighted and celebrated.

After taking the reins of theAfrican nation torn by civil war,she has affected a remarkabletransformation. The most tellingdetail perhaps is this: per capitaincome has risen from $100 to$400 in the two years she hasbeen in office.

That stage where she sat isthe Wall Street of globaldevelopment. Getting there is nomedia event, no ironic ploy forvisibility. The lights go on thereevery September when theGeneral Assembly is in session,and it’s another destination forthe Awesome One to put on hisagenda on his next visit to NewYork.

Prime Minsiter Dahal should have also rung the openingbell at the stock exchange on Wall Street

P

53 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420BUSINESS

ECONOMIC SENSEArtha Beed

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Helping handsStandard Chartered Bank hasdonated Rs 500,000 to theFinance Ministry to help floodvictims in the Far West and East.The bank was also involved inthe Sahayogi Hatharu initiativelaunched by the Annapurna Post,through which it provided afurther Rs 200,000 to Kosi floodvictims.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Nabil on topNabil recently held its AGM andannounced that with the past 24years of operation the bank haspaid out Rs 3.37 billion in cashdividends. The bank’scapitalisation was Rs 36 billion atthe end of 2007.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Nokia callingNokia has launched a globalcontest for developers to createmobile applications that will helpimprove people’s lives in threecategories. It seeks to develop:mobile solutions to helpconsumers makeenvironmentally-friendly choices.www.callingallinnovators.com

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

GeniusHorlicks will hold its preliminaryround of the Genius Nepalnational students’ quiz in16 centres across the country.The winning group from eachplace will go through to thesemifinals in Kathmandu inNovember. Last year, 1,356students participated in thecontest.www.horlicksgenius.com.np

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Kamana chhaKamana Development Bank hasopened a second branch withinits first year of operations. Thebranch, in Chipledhunga,Pokhara, offers all basicservices, has a savings accountoffering seven per cent interest,and plans to include SMS and e-banking soon. The originalbranch is in Tanahu.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Monte CarloA clothing brand from India,Monte Carlo, is opening a newoutlet in Kumaripati after thesuccess of its first showroom inKamaladi. The store specialisesin sweaters and jackets but alsohas casual wear, denims andaccessories for customers of allages. The brand currently has 85stores in India.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

SterlingMercury Apartments is launchinga new apartments development inDhobighat, Patan, to be called theSterling Patan. This GolchhaOrganisation project, designed inDelhi, will have 32 apartmentsand two penthouses.Construction is expected tocomplete within 18 months.

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Cool airHim Electronics, part of theGolchha organisation, hasintroduced AUX air conditioners,available as wall-mounted orfree-standing models formaximum flexibility. Thecompany will also provideconsultants to advise oninstallation and positioning, andhas service centres in 12 townsin Nepal.

aving toured the Kosi-ravaged area of the east, President RamBaran Yadav this week visited parts of the far west that havebeen ravaged by flash floods and landslides.

Yadav spoke to the families affected by the devastating floods lastmonth, lauded the government’s response to the disaster and promisedto follow up on rehabilitation.

He also used the opportunity to build on the brand new institutionof the constitutional presidency, by rising above day-to-day politics tospeak about humanitarian issues, development, communal harmony,the writing of a democratic constitution and of the need to protectNepal’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

Wearing a churidar jacket and achkan on kurta-pajamas, topped by aDhaka topi, the president mingled among people of Kailali andKanchanpur in the plains. In the hills, he paid a visit to Bhim BahadurBhat of Jorayal in Doti and his two surviving daughters. His wife andfour other daughters died in a landslide on 20 September.

he Beed’s campaign for asacrifice-free Dasain acouple of years back has

now actually reached the streets.In a secular Nepal, the right toinfringe on other people’s beliefsand practices has become moreimportant than the right topractise one’s own culture andbeliefs. The challenge is to strike a

balance between animal rights andthe right to worship, between theright to perform rituals in privateand the right of reformists who donot want to see blood in the street.

Fareed Zakaria in his recentbook, The Post-American World,describes a new world order ofcontemporary practices, such ascorporate management, diplomacyand Islamic culture. The bookpaints a picture of a world thatwill leave religious dogmas andbeliefs in place, but will also seethe rise of small groups offundamentalists. Perhaps, for

secular Nepal, celebrating its firstDasain as a republic, now is thetime to think about bringing inchanges .

We should begin byconsidering whether a week-longholiday for a particular religionneeds any amendment. Shouldthe compulsory one-month salarybonus be just a festival bonus that

people should have a choice totake at Christmas, Lhosar or Eid?Should the practice of bribingthose in the corridors of powerwith bottles of booze be stopped,given that it has its roots in royalpractices?

Dasain also brings aboutpositive mood swings. Evenfamilies with few resourcesplunge into merry-making,knowing full well that debts willbe piling up from all the expensesincurred. There is an atmosphereof conspicuous consumption

and, for those who can afford it, afair amount of wastefulexpenditure. In an economydominated by agriculture, dasainheralds the harvesting season—thetime to convert the fruits of one’slabour into money. For traders andthe quasi-money lenders of ruralNepal, it is the time to ‘profiteer’sufficiently to keep them afloat for

the rest of the year.This year, because of the

delayed budget, dasain has givenus the chance not only to reviewour personal finances, but also tolook at the macro-economic issues.Furthermore, the nice Septemberweather and the fact that dasainfalls early this year, has meant thatthe festival coincides with thearrival of ‘parachute consultants’trying to figure out the politicaland economic agenda of the newMaoist-led government in anerstwhile Hindu kingdom. The

romanticised views of somedonors for the current leadershipmay not be a healthy sign. It isimportant for the donors to testwhether our rulers actually meanwhat they say in their wildlycontradictory speeches.

Post-Dasain, the challenges areimmense. The government’shoneymoon period will be over.How does one increase agriculturalproductivity through economiesof scale and at the same timepromote reforms that willfragment land holdings? Howdoes one decentralise the fiscalprocess when central resourceshave to be shared? How does onedownsize an army that needs tointegrate the PLA? How does onepromote private enterprise whilestill trying to pour money downthe public enterprise drain? Howdoes one define a public-privateenterprise? Will it still be aprivate enterprise forced toemploy party cadres?

Let’s wish ourselves luck,and all readers a sacrifice-freedasain. www.arthabeed.com

Dasain resolutions

PRESIDENT’S EYE VIEW: President Yadav looks down on the KarnaliBridge at Chisapani during his visit to flood victims in the farwest thisweek.The president visited the landslide victims in Doti and the rescue andrehabilitation site at Bhajani in Kailali. He posed with the crew of thepresidential helicopter, with its newly-painted Nepali flag.

Prez in westH

T

This year, let’s go beyondkhasi and gambling

ALL PICS: KANAK MANI DIXIT

6 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Interview with Girija Prasad Koirala inHimal Khabarpatrika, 16-31 October

Where is the country heading with a Maoist-ledgovernment?So far, the government’s achievements were based onconsensus and the support of the internationalcommunity. But the Maoists have opted to discard theidea of consensus. The country’s politics and peaceprocess are heading in the wrong direction. Politicalstability and democracy are not possible withouteconomic development. And economic developmentcannot be achieved unless we are all united. We have lostthat chance to work together. The Maoists are now sayingthat democracy and communism should be fused andsocialism is a product of such a fusion. But if you take outdemocracy from socialism, we will only havecommunism. The Maoists are taking the country in thewrong direction by claiming to implement an ideologydiscarded by history.

The NC has still not nominated its parliamentaryleaders. How will such a party be an effectiveopposition?We have set up a committee which will monitor theactivities of the government. The party will not lose itsstanding, but we need to focus on being more aggressiveand vocal against Maoist activities, among other things.We have to go among the people, not just sit in our cosyrooms.

Do you really think that the future of democracyis in danger?Democracy will never be in danger, but we should be alertto protect it. Consider the present budget: it is tooambitious and could invite anarchy. They are creating asituation where they will eventually be able to blame NC

“We will protect democracy”

for the budget’s failure. They want to disgrace democracy.We have to be strong and make people aware about this.The Maoists are trying to extend their tenure and I suspectthat they are trying not to finish the constitution withinthe stipulated period.

We have to turn their attention towards formulatingthe constitution, and that may require protests anddemonstrations from the people. Otherwise, there will bemore anarchy.

Do you feel that the Maoists have deceived you?They wronged us most during the presidential election.For example, they had agreed to make Madhab Kumar

Nepal the president, but dismissed his candidacy in theend. When the UML turned its back on us at the lastminute, I chose Ram Baran Yadav. We talked to otherparties, won their co-operation. They betrayed us againduring the government formation process. We had askedfor the defence ministry but the Maoists did not agree.Later they called me to have a discussion but by then Ihad lost my trust in them and chose to stay inopposition.

Do you take responsibility for the weaknessesof the government up to the CA elections?I don’t want to rake up old issues. If we get entangled inthem, how will we move forward?

What will the future of the Nepal Army be?I am completely against politicising the army and I feelthat the political parties and the parliament should bealert to such a situation. The Maoist combatants canonly be integrated if they qualify according to thestandards of the army.

What do you think about the idea offederalism?We started the peace process and established Nepal as arepublic peacefully. Now we have to formulate theconstitution. The question of federalism must reflectthe unique Nepali identity. Geography and developmentshould be prioritised as the basis for federalism.

What do you feel is the achievement of yourpolitical journey?I brought the Maoists into the peace process. The NCholds the credit for this achievement. When theparliament was dissolved, I was the only one who saidwe could reinstate it. Many thought I had lost my mind,but I made it happen.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

73 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

Diwas Guragai in Nepal, 5 October

The daura suruwal tailors ofBhedasingh, Kathmandu, are very busythese days. They are so overloaded withwork that they can’t even take on anynew orders. They claim they have neverbeen this busy, and yet the orderscontinue to flow in. While it is naturalfor demand for daura suruwal toincrease during the festive season, thisyear it is for quite a different reason:Darjeeling.

Surging Nepali nationalism inDarjeeling has led to mass protests inwhich Indians of Nepali origin don thetraditional daura suruwal and gunyocholo from 22 October to 22 November

to press their demand for a separate state, Gorkhaland.Once Darjeeling and eastern Nepal could no longer meet the rising

demand, Kathmandu’s tailors stepped in. Along with daura-suruwal,the demand for gunyo-cholo has also increased. Niranjan Joshi,proprietor of Puja Store, says he has already sent out 600 pairs of gunyocholo to Darjeeling. The traditional Nepali topi is also equally indemand. Sagarmatha Daura Suruwal Centre alone has sold 600 topis. Itsproprietor, Naresh Kasti, says: “This is possibly the highest sales we’vehad in the seven generations that we’ve been in business. It’s trulyunimaginable.”

Three weeks ago, about 10 tailoring centres each dispatched about500 pairs of daura-suruwal, and are now sending another batch of 500pairs of daura suruwal by the first week of October. Similarly, about10,000 bhadgaule and dhaka topi have already reached Darjeeling. Thereis even a demand for khukuris from Nepal.

However, back home in Nepal, demand for daura suruwal is falling.Even ministers have discarded the national dress.

Editorial from Annapurna Post, 2 October

As soon as PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal landed at the airport, he called

on the NC to take part in the government and work together. The

very same day Girija Prasad Koirala rejected the offer. Lately,

Koirala has been on the offensive about the Maoists. He worked with

the Maoists ever since the signing of the 12-point agreement

between the seven-party alliance and the Maoists in New Delhi up to

the establishment of Nepal as a republic. But things changed after

the presidential election. Because he was not nominated president

and was forced to climb down the power ladder, Koirala seems to

have started acting like a spiteful, wounded tiger.

The NC has always thought of itself as the only genuine

democratic power. Koirala sees the Maoists bent on totalitarianism.

The Maoists understand that an extreme version of communism will

not be accepted in the 21st century. With ‘Prachandapath’ as their

base, the Maoists want to fuse the strong aspects of federalism to

wipe out the weak aspects of a people’s republic. But this model is

not acceptable to the NC.

Writing the constitution is imperative to ensure Nepal’s future. If

the parties get entangled in power politics, the people’s aspirations

will never be achieved. The NC and the Maoists walked hand in

hand from the time of the peace process to the period before the

presidential elections. This laid the foundation for the state of

politics today. Nepal still needs the Koirala-Dahal friendship. The

people will benefit only if these democratic and revolutionary forces

join hands as the country transforms itself. Those in government

have more responsibility to ensure this than the opposition.

Darjis for darj

Wounded tiger

“When will they ever light the fire?”Pot: Constitution

Rabindra in Nepal, 5 October

8 TOURISM FOR DEVELOPMENT

Dolakha’s harikot, 133km east from Kathmandu by road, isthe gateway to the recently opened GaurishankarTrekking Area, encompassing mountain peaks,

waterfalls, temples and monasteries in Dolakha district.Despite its relative proximity to the capital, northern

Dolakha feels nearly as remote as Humla. And because ofthe lack of roads and neglect of the state, it is desperatelypoor. Almost every household has several membersworking in Kathmandu or abroad.

Now, thanks to help from the Austrian NGO EcoHimal, Dolakha has become an example of how tourismcan inject cash income and help development. Eco Himalbegan in 1997, helping locals construct tourist lodges toattract trekkers. “We invested in this area because we sawthe potential,” says Eco Himal’s Kurt Luger, “as a touristdestination Gaurishankar can be as popular as theDhaulagiri and Annapurna regions.”

Eco Himal first built a lodge in Bigu, a four-day walkfrom Charikot up the Tama Kosi river. Since then it hashanded over other lodges for local groups to run. “Wecouldn’t have invested so much ourselves, but we’ve takenthe responsibility,” says Ranabahadur Thapa Magar,chairman of the Bigu Tourism Development Cooperative.

The lodges offer clean rooms, hot showers, a variety offood and local handicrafts. Where there are no lodges, thereare campsites. The cooperatives have also worked with EcoHimal to renovate temples, build bridges and improvehiking trails. Increasing numbers of schools now have safedrinking water and hygienic toilets.

HOW TO GET THERE: Kathmandu-Charikot, Charikot-Singati Bajar by bus. Trekkers can choose between five,10 or 20-day hikes in the area. All the lodges are operatedby local residents.

DAMBAR KRISHNA SHRESTHA in DOLAKHA

Ten-year-old Sonam (above) appears lost in thought duringher first day at the Tashi Chheme Gomba in Bigu. She isone of 12 children who entered the nunnery last week. Built75 years ago, it is one of the largest in Nepal.

A line of gold-tipped chortens at the Tashi Chheme Gomba.

C

93 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420

hidden charm

Gaurishankar (7146m) stands tall and splendid, seen from a hill at Singati Bajar. A suspension bridge crosses the Sorang River between Loting and Ladok in Dolakha.

Even the roads are submerged inwater due to the rains, turning thetracks into little waterfalls.

A Thami man from the village of Alamphu in Dolakha district returnshome with a chitra woven from bamboo.

Ranabahadur Thapa Magar, chairman of the Bigu Tourism DevelopmentCooperative, (centre) with members.

ALL PICS: DAMBAR KRISHNA SHRESTHA

10 CARS CARS CARS

Tata Indigo CS (Compact Sedan)The Tata Indigo CS is smart—a blend of hatchback and saloon whose compact buildis handy for Kathmandu’s crowded lanes. The interior feels spacious for the smallestsedan in the world and is kept uncluttered. The rear seats fold down to increase thesize of the boot. The 1405cc diesel version comes with a charcoal-black interiorwhile the economical 1193cc petrol version comes with a beige interior. The car,who’s official distributor is Sipradi Trading, also comes equipped with a new frontgrille and headlamps, along with a thinner rear bumper for a smaller profile. Despiteits name, the Indigo CS is available in six different exterior colors. This is a relativelycheap car, ideal for the first-time buyer.

Skoda LauraIf you want soft leather seats, enough leg room to stretch out, and a silky smoothengine, check out the luxurious 1,896cc Laura. This 1.9-litre diesel-powered car haswon numerous awards in Europe and is fitted with a ‘rough road’ package of upgradedshock absorbers, protective underbody coating and 160mm ground clearance to copewith Nepal’s potholes. Morang Auto Works, the distributor of Laura, has a fully equippedworkshop for its servicing.

Need for speed

Naza ForzaThe Forza, a Malaysian subcompact offering, is the updated version of the NazaSutera. Although still powered by a 1.1-litre engine, the 1,075cc car comes with allpower options and safety features. Buyers can choose from an array of six shadesof this fuel-efficient automobile. Its distributor, Alpine Motors Company, offers twoyears warranty and five free servicings. Spare parts are also easily available.

Kia SportageThe all new Kia Sportage compact SUV, whose sole distributor is Continental TradingEnterprises, tries to appear youthful and adventurous, and it is bulky enough to benoticed. Kia claims the new model has improved traction and is equally at homeperforming the city crawl as it is on the open road and off-road. Inside are smart storagecompartments and reclining rear seats along with all the safety requirements: centrallocking and keyless entry. There are 2.0 litre inline four cylinder petrol and commonrail diesel engine versions. Sportage is available in six colours.

Special Dasain and Tihar Festival Offer:Padma Shree Private Limited offers one electric bike free of cost (model TDR64ZWG) in each puNemlink Int. Traders will be offering a Perodua Scheme in which 6 Installments is free from any b

Hyundai i10The Hyundai i10 supermini, distributed by AVCO international in Nepal, offers choice:five models are available in 10 colours. The i10 Era model is powered by a 1.1 litre petrolengine, while the i10 Magna is powered by 1.2 litre engine. The two-tone beige interiorlooks good and is comfortable, with front and rear arm rests and space to fit five adultscomfortably. Hyundai has paid attention to safety with front airbags and an impact-sensing automatic door unlocking mechanism among other features. The car also wonan award for the Indian car of the year 2008.

o what if there’s no space on the roads? So what if they are all potholed? Sowhat if traffic jams make getting from Dhulikhel to Kathmandu three hours?Car sales are booming like never before.

Car prices are coming down and sales have never been better. Upwardly mobileurbanites are graduating from motorcycles to cars in greater numbers. With betterpaying jobs and higher disposable incomes, they are not prepared to wait. And thanksto generous finance schemes, they don’t have to. Competition is prompting dealers tooffer better after-sales service and many are upgrading their maintenance facilities.

“Nepalis are working harder and are willing to invest in cars,” Anup Baralof Sipradi Trading, the agent for Tata in Nepal, told Nepali Times. “The fuel situationis worrisome and the market is unpredictable, but we are seeing higher sales thanin 2006.”

S

113 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420

SsangYong ActyonThe newly launched Actyon A200XDi SUV replaces the unhandsome Musso.Hansraj Hulaschand, the SsangYong Motors authorised distributor in Nepal,says the fuel-efficient 2000cc advanced XDi 2.0-litre diesel engine earns thecar its green credentials. It comes with CD player, power steering and electricwindows and rear-view mirrors as standard, and with audio control on thesteering wheel.

Mahindra Renault LoganIt’s already won the Business Standard Motoring Jury Award 2008. Its highquality has also led the J D Power Asia Pacific 2007 India Initial QualityStudy to rank the Logan as ‘Best Entry Midsize Car in Initial Quality’. Thisproduct of a joint venture between Renault and Mahindra is affordable, reliableand low-maintenance. This is also one of the safest cars as it has an anti-lockbraking system with an electronic brake force distribution. Local distributorAgni is offering the car in a 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre diesel version. It alsofeatures state-of-the art technology such as advanced in-built trachometer.

Perodua VivaLocal distributor NemLink International Traders is offering this sleek, fuel-efficient, Malaysian supermini in three different sizes: 660cc, 850cc and 1.0litres. Front airbags, a collapsible steering column, anti-lock brakes, alarmand central locking are standard—and signs of Perodua’s attention to safety.With engines enhanced by Dynamic Variable Valve Timing, Double OverheadCamshaft and Electronic Fuel Injection, the performance is high. Coloursrange from glittering silver to passion red.

2009 Subaru ForesterThe new Forester is bigger—and claims to be better—than the old model. ThisSUV remains as practical as ever, and is well powered by a turbo-charged2.5-litre engine with four-speed automatic gearbox. It has the clearance forNepal’s rough roads, a spacious interior and a huge boot. The roaring machineis fitted with standard safety options. Its distributor here is Vijaya Motors.

urchase of Mazda vehicles. Offer will be valid from 17 September-15 Novemberbank.

12 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420FOREIGN AID

oreign aid has hardly altered Nepal’s state of under-development in its struggle for modernisation. From financingthe First Five Year Plan in 1951, foreign aid accounted for half

of the capital expenditures in the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007).Almost three-fourths of the capital expenditures in the current ThreeYear Interim Plan up to 2010 are expected to be borne by externalgrants and loans.

Dependence on foreign aidsuggests that Nepal’s economystill has a long way to go inattaining self-reliance asgovernment revenues go mostly

towards meeting consumption, which doesn’t leave much forinvestment. The share of regular expenditure in the GDP is almostdouble to that of capital expenditure, with foreign aid financing mostof the latter. Current saving levels are as high as 30 per cent of GDPbut stagnant investment undermines growth, leaving little resourcesto meet the debt burden. Nepal’s external public debt fell sharplyfrom half of GDP in 2002 to 30 per cent in 2007. But external debtservice (as per cent of exports of goods and non-food services)climbed from eight to 11 per cent, reflecting a crisis-ridden exportsector and overall economic languor.

Aid can complement national poverty reduction and growthstrategies in low-income countries, but there are grounds to believethat this may not be so. The market economy advocates claim thatthe receipt of concessional resources delays self-reliance on thepart of the recipient nation, substitutes for domestic saving, fostersdirigisme and postpones much needed policy reforms.

Left leaning economists believe that aid perpetuates dependency,props up authoritarian regimes and perverts domestic development.Despite these extreme views ‘Does aid work?’ may be consideredlargely an empirical question. Studies by aid agencies conclude thatmost aid does indeed ‘work’. Evaluations by the World Bank, theADB and the Inter-American Development Bank for the period1970-2000 show that a majority of their loans fully met theirobjectives.

A three-member team made up of Bishwambher Pyakuryal,Dadhi Adhikari and Dipendra Purush Dhakal has made an attempt tostudy the Nepal experience by updating their background document,Nepal’s Foreign Aid Policy 2002. Is Foreign Aid Working? Ananalysis of aid effectiveness and growth complies past evidence andraises pertinent issues in the domestic context. Based on a timeseries data from 1975-1994, Bikas Joshi’s 1996 research revealsthat foreign aid contributed positively to growth in Nepal. Anotherstudy by World Bank economist David Dollar suggests that aidvolumes to Nepal were insignificant to trigger any significant positivechange in per capita GDP largely due to a weak domestic policyenvironment.

It is unlikely that Nepal would have been able to achieve itscurrent income levels in the absence of physical infrastructure,financed mostly by foreign aid. These public goods contributed inovercoming geographical barriers, establishing markets, andprovided communication, drinking water, education, energy, health,and transport facilities. Skills and technology constitute hiddenexternalities aiding national capabilities.

However, domestic economic mismanagement aggravates aiddependency. Business principles are often subservient to personal,group, and party interests in Nepal’s case. Under both the Panchayat(1960-85) and liberalisation (after 1985) domestic economicmismanagement bred externally-driven solutions often at high cost tothe public exchequer as well as compromised domestic policy-making space.

For instance, state-owned banks resorted to politically-motivatedlending, misallocating scarce resources while making its main goalof ensuring financial inclusion difficult to attain. Unwarrantedgovernment interference in the industrial sector undermined theperformance of public enterprises, culminating in stuntedindustrialisation. A mix of feudal land tenure system and lowinvestments slowed the modernisation of the largely traditionalagricultural sector. Unless sound business principles are followed, itwon’t matter which model of economic reform is adopted. However,greater domestic ownership can generate wealth, empower excludedsections of the population, and reduce deprivation as the successesof community forestry, primary education and adult literacy, and ruralmicrofinance attest.

With their rich experience as Nepal’s prominent economists andpolicy makers, the authors identify leading issues in Nepal’s foreignaid. Despite the sometimes plodding text and desultory arguments,this is a subject that matters greatly to make the promised ‘economicrevolution’ a reality.

a useful overview of Japanesedevelopment assistance. Japanovertook the United States tobecome the world’s largestdonor on a net disbursementbasis in 1992. What is dramaticis that in 1965 Japan rankedsecond only to India as thelargest borrower from theWorld Bank.

Authors Nishigaki Akira andShimomura Yasutami areJapanese ODA experts with pastexperience in government andhave made a thorough academicstudy in this translation of theirbook. They examine the shifts ofJapan’s aid policy from the ‘tiedaid’ on large infrastructureprojects in the past to a moresophisticated approach towardsaid policy and the aid fatiguethat accompanied an economicslowdown in Japan.

The philosophy of Japaneseaid shifted along the way topromote self-help efforts, whichthe authors say are rooted inJapan’s own post-warmodernisation process. Theauthors do try to either playdown or justify the ‘tied aid’component of Japanese

development assistance, sayingthat 80 per cent of Japanese aid in1993 was already ‘untied’compared with only 30 per centfor France, UK and the UnitedStates in that year. Theproportion of Japanese companiesthat win yen loans forinfrastructure assistance has gonedown in the past decade, butlarger projects are still Japanese-dominated. Kunda Dixit

Living beyondone’s means

Do donors help or hinder self-reliance and development?

Is Foreign Aid Working? An analysisof†aid effectiveness and growthBishwambher Pyakuryal, DadhiAdhikari and Dipendra Purush Dhakal118 pagesNRs 550Mandala Book Point, Kathmandu 2008

BOOKSShyamal K Shrestha

Aid andinfluence

The Economics ofDevelopment AssistanceJapanís ODA in aSymbiotic WorldNishigaki Akira andShimomura Yasutami(translation)LTCB International LibraryFoundation 1998ISBN 4-924971-05-7

Aid & InfluenceDo donors hinder or help?Stephen BrowneEarthscan, London, 2007ISBN 1-84407-202-9

E

SUBHAS RAI

xcept for emergencyhumanitarian assistance,no aid is completely

altruistic. Overseas developmentassistance always has a geo-political, military or commercialmotive. Some of this influence isharmless, but much of the aid inthe past 50 years has ended upbenefiting the donor rather thanthe recipient. Just like waris politics by another means,foreign aid is foreign relations byother means.

Seeing ‘Gift of theGovernment of India’ painted inlarge letters on the sides of thecommuter buses for theemployees of the ConstituentAssembly secretariat it is clearthat aid is also public relations,and most donors want to make abig song and dance about havingbeen so generous.

Veteran international civilservant, Stephen Browne, in hisbook Aid & Influence: Do DonorsHelp or Hinder? takes a somewhatcynical look at foreign aid overthe ages, highlighting the ivorytower planning of non-participatory aid policy. ButBrowne also presents solutions:promoting neutral and beneficialschemes like fair trade, debt-cancellation, peace-building andimproved governance.

Developing countries alsohave plenty of in-countryexamples of where aid has workedand lifted communities out ofdependency. Countries of thesouth can also learn from eachother with successes in socialmobilisation and communityparticipation in development.Browne also makes a suggestionthat may be pertinent for Nepal:the government should be morechoosy about aid and not just takeeverything that comes along.

The book has a chapter ondonors from the South, looking atthe little-examined subject ofregional powers which are majorrecipients of westerndevelopment assistancethemselves projecting ‘soft power’through aid for infrastructure anddevelopment in neighbouringpoor countries. The OECDestimates that ten per cent of aid(up to $10 billion a year) isbetween countries of the south.

Although published 10 yearsago, The Economics ofDevelopment Assistance: Japan’sODA in a Symbiotic World is still

F

3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420 13WORLD

s a spreading financial crisis threatens to deepen the economicrecession in the United States, the news of an unprecedented700-billion-dollar bailout package reverberated through the

corridors of the UN this week when over 100 world leaders gathered inNew York for the annual General Assembly.

At a time when the United Nations is seeking increased financialassistance from rich nations to help developing countries meet thefaltering Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including reducingextreme poverty by half by 2015, the current US economic crisis isexpected to be a major setback.

Addressing delegates last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonwarned that the current gloomy outlook threatens the well-being ofbillions of people, especially the poorest of the poor and compoundsthe damage caused by the higher prices for food and fuel. Ban has calledfor $72 billion per year in additional external financing to achieve theMDGs by 2015.

As one Asian delegate put it: “The 72 billion is peanuts comparedto the 700 billion the White House wants to dish out to save some ofthe Wall Street firms from going belly up.”

Father Miguel d’Escoto Brockman of Nicaragua, the newly-electedpresident of the General Assembly, warned that the current financialcrisis will have “very serious consequences” that will impede thesignificant progress, “if indeed any progress is made”, towards thetargets established by the MDGs.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg told delegates that“money doesn’t seem to be a problem, when the problem is money”.

As the economic meltdown in the United States continues, thecasualties are piling up both among commercial and investment banks:Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual (allowed tocollapse with no government bailout); American International Group,Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley (allowed to survive withemergency financial assistance, including some from the government).Merrill Lynch has been folded into Bank of America and Citigroup has

eveloping countries haveraised large numbers of

their people above the povertyline but few of the ultra poor162 million people in the worldhave benefited, says a reportfrom the International FoodPolicy Research Institute(IFPRI).

The findings, based onhousehold survey data from20 developing countries,constitute a wake-up call forthe international aidestablishment and nationalleaders.

The thinktank urges aidofficials to tailor anti-povertyefforts to fit the specific needsof the ultra poor. Neededinitiatives include basictraining in literacy, numeracy,and other skills required tomake use of microcredit, whichhas helped many poor peoplebut remains beyond thereach of the poorest, saidAkhter Ahmed, lead author ofthe report.

Policies that make outcastsof citizens because of theirethnicity or religion also mustbe scrapped: The report saysthe ultra poor overwhelminglycome from minority or, in thecase of India, lower-castecommunities.

Scattered about theeconomic fringe, the ultra poorare so numerous that were theygathered in a single country, itwould rank as the world’sseventh most populous. Thiscountry would beoverwhelmingly rural and lackroads connecting scatteredhamlets to market towns. Itwould be populated almostentirely by illiterate andinnumerate outcasts whosephysical strength and staminais drained by malnutrition.

In all, some 969 millionpeople, nearly one-sixth of allpeople on the planet, fall belowthe dollar-a-day poverty line.Half of them live on at least75 cents a day and about one-third live on between 50 centsand 75 cents. The ultra poormake up 17 per cent of thepoor.

Nearly 20 million, or12 per cent, of the world’s ultrapoor live in South Asia. Theregion saw economic growth torival East Asia and the Pacificin 1990-2004 but failed toparlay this into gains for itspoorest people. In 1990, the twoAsian regions had the samenumber of people living on lessthan a dollar a day, IFPRI says.By 2004, East Asia and thePacific had lifted 307 millionpeople out of poverty. SouthAsia managed to improve thelot of only 33 million.

Existing measures topromote income growth need tobe buttressed with measuresthat reduce the risks and coststhat ultra poor people incur indaily life and that cut them offfrom economic opportunity.Simply focussing on growthwill not be enough, the reportsays.

Aiddoesn't

reach theultra-poor

ABID ASLAMin WASHINGTON

taken over Wachovia Bank.As the entire U.S. economic edifice is in danger of collapsing, the

White House has been called upon to save some of the biggest financialinstitutions in the country and, at the same time, redress the excesses ofWall Street business tycoons who earned multi-million-dollar salariesand extravagant bonuses.

The greed factor in the crisis is that these same tycoons, who areresponsible for mismanaging their companies, still insist on continuingwith their same lavish lifestyles and lofty salaries even after themassive taxpayer-funded bailout.

But these salaries and bonuses are likely to be curbed as part a returnfor the bailout package.

Addressing the 192-member General Assembly last week, thePresident of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the economy of anycountry is “too serious an undertaking to be left in the hands ofspeculators”. He added: “We must not allow the burden of theboundless greed of a few to be shouldered by all.” (IPS)

No bailout forthe world’s poorest

THALIF DEEN at the UN

AD

DAMBER KRISHNA SHRESTHA

14 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420REVIEW

or the serious film enthusiast, buying a boxed collection of onedirector’s work is an alluring, yet uncertain, proposition. On theone hand, for your money, you get several films that you would

probably buy anyway, with a whole lot extra thrown in besides. Onthe other, the attractive exterior sometimes hides shoddily organisedcontent, absent subtitles and below-par quality. However, there aretreasures to be found nestling among the junk: perhaps a hard-to-findfavorite or even a title you have never heard of.

One illustrative find is the Studio Ghibli collection I came across.Studio Ghibli is synonymous with the name Hayao Miyazaki, oneof the world’s most respected animators and creator of some of Japan’s

most popular animatedcharacters. Studio Ghibli’sbox-office shattering creationsand its huge influence haveearned Miyazaki the apt, if

perhaps chauvinistic, label of the Walt Disney of Japan. But his workhas a level of sophistication that is not often found among hiscounterparts in western popular animation, even while it resonateswith the experience and tastes of a young audience.

In his meticulously crafted, fully realised, fantastical worlds,populated with complex characters, Miyazaki draws on themes ofmankind’s uneasy relationship with nature, our tendency for war andviolence and our resilience and hope that he seems to believe willpreserve us from our own disasters. He constantly probes theproblematic relations between the world of modernity and thebeleaguered spirit world it has supplanted. Gods and spirits operatejuxtaposed with our world, and few humans can recognise them, letalone placate or relate to them. Miyazaki provides the requisite senseof wonder that we expect from good animation, but often he also doessomething more, to leave us pondering over the serious themes thatinform his little universes and weigh heavily on our big world.

You would be hard-pressed to find a collection as comprehensiveas the one dedicated to Alfred Hitchcock: a whopping five-disc setwith around 50 titles amounting to dozens of hours of screening time.Hitchcock needs no introduction, being one of the most widelyrecognised directors in the history of cinema (partly, it must be said,due to his self-promotion and showmanship). Hitchcock’s grippingsuspense thrillers remain entertaining and accessible even half acentury after they were made. The collection is well representative ofhis career, with material from both sides of the Atlantic and fromevery decade of his working life, including episodes of the televisionshow Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Best of all, the collection covers hismost important period—the 1950s—very well, with Rear Window(1954) and North by Northwest (1959) among others.

The Pedro Almodóvar collection is populated by womencareering wildly along the edge of a precipice to disaster and mendriven by obsessive desires. The films are entertaining, campy andstylish, even when dark and despairing. I find a thread of continuitystretching between Hitchcock and Almodóvar: the sharedexperimentation with film noir and the exploration of psychoses andexistentialism. Clearly a debt is owed, but an Almodóvar film exists inanother moral universe: absent is the judgment that Hitchcock’s filmsrender on their outcasts.

While Hitchcock’s characters are cast as fugitives by circumstance,only to be rehabilitated before the end, Almodóvar’s aren’t framedinnocents but the real McCoy, lobbing fierce, if futile, attacks on thestructures of society. Almodóvar embraces the subversive, identifieswith the rejected, and welcomes our human foibles.

The Pedro Almodóvar collection includes most of his oeuvre,including the early, flawed and outrageous Pepi, Luci, Bom & OtherGirls on the Heap (1980) and real gems like Women on the Verge ofNervous Breakdown (1988), but sadly Volver (2006), his most recentwork, is bereft of English subtitles (like others in this collection). Theold adage applies: buyer beware.

CRITICAL CINEMAA Angelo D’Silva

Boxed up

The works of Miyazaki,Hitchcock and Almodóvar

F

3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420 15REVIEW

t’s 8AM on a weekday morning and just along the street from thevacant Narayanhiti palace, the sound of frenzied cheering eruptsfrom the packed Biswa Jyoti cinema hall. On the

big screen, Maoist cadres are gloriously storming aprison to free their friends to the familiar beat of theMission Impossible theme tune.

The event is a special screening of Jana Yuddha, afilm produced by the Maoists which portrays, in sceneafter scene for nearly three hours, the Maoists’ struggle toliberate the people from the clutches of a corrupt state,which is repeatedly depicted as the perpetrator of

unwarranted violenceagainst thepowerless.

This portrayal isneither unexpectednor overly

misleading. As with leftist revolutionselsewhere, the armed struggle in Nepal was aresponse to the state’s failure to do its job.But the villains of this film are small-timedistrict officials, not the wider oppressivestate against which Marxist dogma rails. Landowners and businessmen—the usual culprits from thefeudal or capitalist classes—do not appear in the film.

Even after three hours, and despite the locale,there is little to be learnt of the specific Nepali contextof the conflict. If one were to alter the set, cast andlanguage, Jana Yuddha (see pic) could just aseasily be about the Naxalites of Chhattisgarh orPeru’s Shining Path.

Such generalised representations of thedecade-long conflict dominate the growingoeuvre of Maoist cinema that has appearedsince the party entered mainstream politicsin 2006. Films such as Awaaz (‘Voice’), Shahid(‘Martyr’) and Paribartan (‘Change’) all revisitthe same old themes.

As commercial undertakings,these films were created toentertain, to tug at emotions orpropagandise, not to explore thenuances of the conflict. Theprominence of romance in many ofthe narratives, complete with dancenumbers to revolutionary lyrics,certainly supports this view.

But the movies haven’t beencommercially successful. While thespecial screenings organised bythe Maoists are well attended,regular sales of both theatre ticketsand DVDs have been less thanspectacular. This is not surprising.The Nepali film industry is totallyovershadowed by the enormouslysuccessful productions that pourout of the vast Bollywood machine.

Maoist-produced films releasedthus far do not even outshine theaverage Nepali film in terms ofacting, cinematography or script, somost viewers have little reason towatch them. The Maoist producersand directors don't seem to realisethat they might find a largeraudience if they simply delved a bitdeeper into the many issuessurrounding the actual conflict. Thisis being attempted by director KPPathak in his film Maina, which isbased on the real-life story of MainaSunar. The movie is due for releasenext month.

Two years have passed sincethe war ended but political stabilityseems a distant aspiration. Thecountry has yet to begin examiningthe impact the conflict had onsociety. As the country strugglesforward, popular culture can andshould play a significant role insparking much-needed publicdialogue.

The Maoist movies could haveoffered much more than othermovies. If these revolution filmswere to even begin to show thecomplexities of the last decade ofwar, this might not only help themsell more tickets and DVDs, butalso help heal some wounds.

Reelrevolutions

Tired plots fromMaoist filmmakers fail toattract audiences

I

SANTOSH BARAILI

PHILM FARESurabhi Pudasaini

16 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420FASHION

ou can see them at thecinema, on the sidewalks,inside micros, on the

backs of speeding motorcycles:boys and girls with modifiedcollege uniform.

The boys can’t do much withtheir trousers and shirts, butwith the girls, the skirts haveedged higher and higher andlong socks have come into vogue.Influenced by wildly popularSouth Korean teledramas and theproliferation of branded apparel,shoes and hand bags,Kathmandu’s youth are notletting their college uniforms getin the way of theirindividualism.

There isn’t much the parentsseem to be able to do about this.And at a time of cut-throatcompetition, colleges appearsecretly happy that the morerisqué the dress code, the moreenrolments they get. Said one10+2 principal: “Girls chosecolleges with daring uniforms,and if the girls are there the boyscome automatically.”

Officially, colleges in

Kathmandu do not allowstudents to individualise theirclothing and take strict actionagainst it, but the hemlines seemto go up as soon as the girls areoutside the college gates.

Suyash, a student, says themedia has made his peers paymore attention to fashion. Butfellow student Anisha doesn’tlike the competition toexperiment with uniforms:“Fashion is not for collegestudents. We have the whole dayto show how fashionable we arebut we have to be properlydressed when we are in school.”

Sonam says it’s the SouthKorean films such as My SassyGirl and My Tutor Friend ,whose young stars are widely

imitated, as can be seen fromSonam’s own hairstyle. It seemsyoungsters are very easy to lureand fashion houses rely on themto spread new ideas.

Naresh P Shrestha, principalof Prime College in Naya Bajartakes a dim view of all this. “Wehave uniforms so that everyoneis uniform,” he said, “all thismodification will also harm astudent’s future career.”

The students appear to want tobe part of a group where theyjudge each other by what theywear and which mobile phonesthey carry. But has the alterationof uniforms gone too far?“Absolutely not,” says Sujita. “Abig no. We should be allowed towear our uniforms the way wewant to and be comfortable, but ofcourse a certain limitation shouldbe enforced by the college.”

he first season of one ofKantipur Television’s more

popular shows for youngsters,Café Kantipur, has come to anend. The show revolved aroundsix friends and a café called CaféKantipur, much like the hitAmerican sitcom, Friends.

Prachanda Shrestha andReecha Sharma admit the showhas made an impact on urbanyouth fashion, but that theythemselves, would never wearmodified college uniforms theywear in college.

“I wear dresses on the showthat I am not comfortable in, and Idon’t dare wear them outside,”says Reecha, “Students shouldnot follow on-screen fashionbecause on-screen, it’s more

Uniformly smart

PRAVAT J GURUNG

Television and collegeuniforms have transformedfashion in Kathmandu

Sujita adds: “We should begiven a standard size to whichthe pants can be modified andto what extent can the skirtsbe short .”

Ultimately, most studentswant to fit into a crowd andshow that they are cool enoughto be in the group. This is seenparticularly when students passout from school and move tocollege. They may be insecure,

there is peer pressure toconform and many don’t knowthe real value of money.

Some colleges hold specialsessions with parents whennew students are admittedwhere the rules about uniformsare explained. When a studentis not properly dressed,initially, they are givenwarnings and ultimately theparents are called.

Café Kantipur about appealing to the viewers.One’s got to give respect totheir uniform.”

Assistant director,Prachanda Shrestha, says,“Fashion is all about seekingattention. It’s an individualchoice and we are not opposinganyone.”

Is adolescent fashioninfluenced by television, ordoes college fashion influencetelevision? When college girlswear short skirts, are theyimitating what they see in thenew teleserial College? Or arethe producers of College justduplicating what they see on thestreets outside the colleges inthe capital?

In the past year, collegefashion in Kathmandu has seena transformation from knee-length pleated skirts to itsstylish mini version and socksthat come up to the thighs.

KIRAN PANDAY

Y

T

ANUP PRAKASH

3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420 17NATION

asain is usually thetime Nepalis buy newclothes and shoes.

This festive season, it is Madein Nepal shoes that are flyingoff the shelves.

If someone had asked you10 years ago to name a Nepalishoe brand, you would havescratched your head. Today, BFDeerhill, Shikhar and Goldstarare all familiar brands that arecrowding out imported shoeswith lower prices andimproved quality.

The Nepali shoe industryhas certainly come a long waysince the days of the nowdeparted state-run Bansbarishoe factory. Its momentarysuccess did at least prove thatthere is a market for locally-made shoes if the quality andprice are right. Newcomers tothe shoe market are now hard atwork to re-establish the lostprestige of the ‘Made in Nepal’label.

“Previously, we struggledjust to survive,” says RamKrishna Prasai, managingdirector of Shikhar Shoes, “butnow we can proudly say thatwe are growing, and growingdynamically.”

Today there are about 60registered shoe manufacturersin Nepal, with perhaps another100 operating informally, andthe industry estimates thatlocal brands now account forabout 35 per cent of the local

he all-pervading stench clings to you long after you’ve crossedthe Bagmati Bridge. It’s scarcely believable that this toxic soupof garbage and raw sewage is the holy water that is supposed

to purify bodies and souls. Previous efforts to stop the pollutionand clean up the river have never been successful.

The problem is so vast that the government needs to be involved,but that hasn’t stopped pressure groups like Friends of the Bagmatiand other activists from raising awareness and organising clean-ups.Friends of the Bagmati marked the 16th global Clean Up the WorldCampaign on 28 September by teaming up with the AustralianEmbassy to help tidy up the banks of the Bagmati at Teku.

While one may be skeptical of what difference one day ofcleaning could make to this terminally ill river, it could at leastgenerate some awareness of the problem.

Australian ambassador Graeme Lade (in picture) who lent a handby picking up plastic litter said: “This day is about encouragingpeople to understand the importance of protecting theirenvironment. Let’s hope it will last all year and not just one day.”

The Clean Up The World campaign started in 1993 as a smaller,national project in Australia, but founder Ian Kiernan foundinternational interest overwhelming. Today, more than 35 millionpeople in about 120 countries take part every September to encouragelocal communities to start conserving and cleaning up theenvironment around them.

The Bagmati is one of the most polluted places in Nepal, so forKedar Bhakta Shrestha, chairman of the Friends of the Bagmati, itwas the obvious place to begin: “Starting the campaign here wouldbe a good way of encouraging people to clean up their owncommunities.”

Defying a bandh, more than 200 people from differentorganisations–including the Nepal Scouts, Nagarpalika, Toyota, AgniCorporation, the Rotary Club and Nepal Police–turned out to takepart in the campaign.

Keshav Mathema, another member of the Friends of the Bagmatisaid the larger problem of city sewage emptying into the river had tobe stopped. “The major problem of sewage and drainage has to beaddressed to give the Bagmati back its natural, holy character.” Shradha Basnyat

Downand dirtyBagmati lovers turn outin force for a clean-up

footwear market. Retailers, oncereluctant to sell locally madeshoes, are now eager to stockthem.

And its not just the standardselection of leather shoes, asmany Nepalis think. Domesticmanufacturers are now producinga wide variety of sports shoes,ladies’ footwear and casualsandals.

“High quality, competitivedesigns and a price range that fitsmost Nepali pockets” are the

reasons for this new-foundsuccess, according to Hom NathUpadhaya, managing director ofBF Deerhill Shoes. Initially, themarket was dominated by cheapand shoddy Chinese shoes whichoften quickly fell apart.Manufacturers here say customershave now learnt that Nepalishoes, though more expensivethan the Chinese models, lastlonger and still undercut pricesof shoes from elsewhere.

Another change is that localmanufacturers and retailers arenow marketing their productsmore aggressively throughadvertising and eye-catchingpromotions. Many come with awarranty which has increasedtheir credibility amongconsumers.

Despite these improvements,many shoes sold here are stillwrongly labelled and mis-sold.“A lot of shoes make it to theNepali market illegally, andthere seems to be an unhealthycompetition between theregistered manufacturers and thenon-registered sector,” saysSurendra Dahal of the LeatherFootwear and GoodsManufacturers Association.

While the domestic marketis booming, local shoe

manufacturers have made littleheadway in finding exportmarkets. About 70 per cent theraw materials still need to beimported, and there has to be animprovement in quality beforeNepal can compete withVietnam, Indonesia and SriLanka as a manufacturing basefor designer shoes.

Officially, only one Nepalibrand, Goldstar, is currentlyexported to India. In factGoldstar is so popular in Nepaland India that the Chinese havestarted making knock-offGoldstars to sell in Nepal.

Says Goldstar’s RajanShrestha: “Our sales are growingat 10 percent a year and there isa huge market right next door forour shoes.”

Mero jutta ho Nepali

PAAVAN MATHEMA

This Dasain, Nepali shoemanufacturers have goodreason to be cheerful

D

T

PICS: KIRAN PANDAY

18 3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420CITY

KATHMANDU VALLEY

ABOUT TOWN

WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

So it’s October, and we saw the monsoon give its dying gasp this week. As hasbeen the trend in the past 10 years, the monsoon departure date is being pushedback by two weeks and also marked by high-intensity cloudbursts. The totalmonsoon precipitation and monthly totals at most stations were normal or aboveaverage. In September, Kathmandu received nearly 300mm of rain, well aboveits normal monthly quota of 190mm. Interestingly, most of the rain fell in thespan of a few hours last week. Similar patterns were reported from flood-hitareas of mid and far west Nepal where a few hours of intense rain, after monthsof below-quota rainfall, triggered heavy landslides and huge floods. The satellitepicture on Wednesday afternoon shows a north-south cloud band over far westNepal gradually being pushed eastwards by nascent westerlies. The Valley islikely to receive light night-time showers with misty mornings and sunny, breezyafternoons during Dasain.

KATHMANDU

sfd ;fgf] 7"nf] eGg] x'Fb}g . kl;gfsf] s'g} /ª / hft klg x'Fb}g . sfdu/]/ vfg nhfpg' klg x'Fb}g . rf]/]/, 9fF6]/, 5n]/, n'6]/ vfg kf]nhfpg'k5{ . hf] hxfF /x]/ h'g sfd u5{ pm To;}df /dfpg'k5{ uf}/aug'{k5{ / ;dlk{t eP/ ug'{5k{ . sfd g} zlQm xf], elQm xf] / d'lQmxf] . sfdsf] OHht u/f}+, kl;gfsf] ;Ddfg u/}+ .

g]kfn ;/sf/;"rgf tyf ;~rf/ dGqfno

;"rgf ljefu

Ques

t Ent

erta

inm

ent

Call 4442220 for show timings at Jai Nepalwww.jainepal.com

After her mother divorced her father eight years ago, Sonia(Minnisha Lamba) was forbidden from seeing her father. Hell-bent on meeting him, Sonia walks off from home only to bekidnapped by Kabir (Imran Khan). The abductor agrees to negotiatewith no one but Sonia’s billionaire father, Vikrant Raina (SanjayDutt), and Sonia's mother is forced to bring him into the game tosave her only daughter. When Kabir holds Sonia hostage, Vikrantis pulled into a cat and mouse game and made to obey Kabir’sdaunting tasks. With his daughter’s life at stake, Vikrant is madeto comitt crime and to face the ultimate challenge of how far hewill go to save his daughter.

For inclusion in the listing send information to editors(at)nepalitimes.com

EXHIBITIONSKumudinee-The Lotus, an exhibition of drawings and blackpottery sculptures by Kalapremi Shrestha till 28 October atSiddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited. Sunday-Friday11AM-6PM and Saturday 12PM-4PM. 4218048A way of life-a photo show by Rajendra Manadhar till 26 October,5PM onwards at The Bakery Café, Pulchowk.

GETWAYRelax Package at Hyatt Regency, Rs 5000+. 4489800Discounted Overnight Packages during Dasain & Tihar atGodavari Village Resort. 5560675Two nights package at Le Meridien. 4451212Weekend Chill & Plunge, BBQ dinner every Friday andSaturday, rafting Saturday and Sunday at Borderland Resort.4700866Dasain Package at the Fulbari Resort. 4462248

MUSICPoesie and Fags a jazz vocal trio from Holland, Saturday atPatan, 5522708. Sunday at Thamel, 4700736. New Orleans Café,7PM.74 Twister playing live every Tuesday at Moksh,Pulchowk.5526212Robin and the New Revolution playing live every Tuesday,7.10 PM onwards at Bamboo Club restaurant, Thamel. 470157Some like it hot every Friday BBQ and live music by Dinesh Raiand the Sound Minds, 7PM onwards, Rs 899 at Fusion,Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488TGIF with live band EPIC every Friday, 7-10PM, JazzabellCafé.2114075Happy cocktail hour 5-7PM, ladies night on Wednesday with liveunplugged music at Jatra Café & BarHyJazz Club every Friday from 8.30 PM, Hyatt Regency,Kathmandu. 4489800Dance and Cocktails at Cube Bar, Kamaladi. 4438017Fusion and Looza Band every Friday night, Bhumi Resto Lounge,Lazimpat. 4412193Rudra night fusion and classical Nepali music by Shyam Nepaliand friends, every Friday, 7PM at Le Meridien,Gokarna. 4451212Sufi music by Hemanta Rana, every Friday at 7.30 PM at DhabaRestaurant and Bar, Thapathali.Fusion and Classical Music by Anil Shahi every Wednesday,rock with Rashmi Singh every Friday, Sufi & Raga with HemantRana every Saturday, 8PM onwards, Absolute Bar. 5521408

DININGWok & Curry every Wednesday at Hyatt Regency. 4491234Sunday Jazz Brunch at Hyatt Regency with performances byMariano and his band from 12-3.30 PM. 4491234Organic Salad Bar and Steak at Jalan Jalan restaurantevery Friday from 6PM, Rs 650lly Expression Coffee at Hotel Shangrila,Lazimpat and Mandap Hotel, ThamelSocially Responsible coffee at HimalayanJava, ThamelFusion of Marcela Regan’s new menu andMannie’s new bar at Dhokaima Café. 5522113Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri-la, Kathmandu, Rs 600. 4412999Pizza & Pasta every Monday and Tuesday at Rox Restaurant.Hyatt Regency. 448936Pasta pesto passion at La Dolce Vita, Thamel. 4700612Steak special with free Irish coffee at K-too! Beer & Steakhouse,Thamel. 4700043Continental and café item with live band every Friday at VintageCafé and Pub, Woodland Complex, Durbarmarg.Unlimited wine offer for Rs 990 at La Maison wine and cigarlounge. 9841333628Home made pasta at Alfresco, Soaltee Crowne Plaza. 4273999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM. 4425341Steak escape with Kathmandu’s premier steaks at the Olive Barand Bistro, Hotel Radisson. 4411818Cocktails, mocktails and liqueurs at the Asahi Lounge, openinghours 1-10PM, above Himalayan Java, Thamel.Retro Brunch Barbeque with live acoustic music by SoundChemistry, every Saturday, 12-3PM at LeMeridien-Kathmandu,Gokarna. 4451212Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-la with live performanceby Ciney Gurung, Rs 666, at the Shambala Garden, every Friday7PM onwards. 4412999Kebabs and curries at the Dhaba, Thapathali. 9841290619

Fri Sat Sun

27-18 28-17 29-17

3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #420 19HAPPENINGS

DIRGHA UPADHYAYA

DESOLATE DASAIN: 27 homes were swept away by flash floods inBhuruwa VDC in Kanchanpur on 20 September, and dozens of peoplewere washed away. Their homes and crops gone, the survivors are nowliving in tents.

KIRAN PANDAY

ARPAN SHARMA

KESHAV THOKER

YESTERDAY'S MAN: Ex-king Gyanendra being greeted by a well-wisherat his first public appearance after vacating Naryanhiti at theShyamashyama Dham in Thimi on Thursday.

JETSETTERS: PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal arrived back in Kathmandu onTuesday after his trip to New York. Greeting him are UNMIN’s Ian Martin,UNDP’s Robert Piper, OHCHR’s Richard Bennett and UNICEF’s GillianMellsop. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has accepted Dahal’sinvitation to visit Nepal on 30 October.

GREAT SAVE: NRT keeper Surendra Shrestha blocks a shot on goalfrom Gorkha 11 in Majhua Deurali in Gorkha on Saturday. The matchmarked the end of NRT’s eight-venue national tour, organised by Nepa-laya to popularise football and engage youth in positive activities.

ww

w.n

epal

itim

es.c

omIS

SN 1

814-

2613

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

3 - 9 OCTOBER 2008 #42020 BACKSIDE

J ust when you thought hecouldn’t be more dim-wittedafter banning night clubs and

cyber cafes, unelected HomeMinister Ban Dev has told thepeople of Pokhara that he wantsto turn that city into a Free SexZone for foreigners.

No, Comrade Leftist Godwasn’t being misquoted,or quoted out of context, heactually wants Pokhara to be a“free sex” tourism destinationfor foreigners. And just like thecasinos, only tourists will beallowed to partake in the fun andfrolic, Nepali citizens will not beallowed into Pokhara’s red lightdistrict as customers, only as sexworkers. Time for NTB to getcracking with catchy slogans:‘Screw in Nepal, Once Is NotEnough’, ‘NEPAL: The Land ofInternational Intercourse’, or even‘Go Get a Poke in Pokhara’.

In his drive to crack down ondirty dancing and cyber porn,

The land of international intercourseKam Dev seems to have completelyoverlooked the trafficking ofNepali women to Indian brothelsand the red-light districts in SoreKhutte that are now doing aroaring business because there isnowhere for bar hoppers to go after11 at night.

However, the Ass has nothing butpraise for Fearsome’s terrificperformance in New York. He evenmanaged to give the Secret Servicethe slip after taking the ferry backfrom the Statue of Liberty to takethe Number 1 subway uptown tothe Grand Hyatt. He must missbeing underground.

Glad to see, though, he tookour advice on the wardrobe and totell the yanks what they want tohear. Although he should go easyon the Brylcream, the greasylook makes him look, well, oily.And then there is the other smallmatter of taking the entire familyalong on these trips. At a presseron return, the Terrific One was

quizzed on his son Prakashaccompanying him everywhere hegoes. Mummy Sita had alreadybegun to reply to that one, whenDaddy motioned her to keepquiet and clarified that the FirstSon was the prime ministerialcomputer assistant.

Fair enough, but eyebrows arenow being raised even within theMaobaddies about sonny boyPrakash, nephew Samir having asecretarial position in Baluwatar,daughter Ganga made a sectionofficer, elder daughter Renu beinga CA member on the PR list andbrother Narayan a member of theCA from Chitwan. This must behow dynasties are born.

Awesome’s luggage seems to bejinxed. Heads nearly rolled whenhis checked-in baggage withvaluable documents was lost onthe RA return flight from Delhilast month. And this time, itlooks like Sita’s overstuffedDelsey burst open somewhere

between JFK, Frankfurt, Bangkokand Kathmandu leaving a trail ofclothing and other belongings inaircraft cargo holds spanningcontinents.

Ex-king Gyan went on apilgrimage to sacrifice panchabali in Kamakshya after beingenthroned. Girijau went toTirupathi. So it’s no big deal thatComrade Terrifying made sure hemade time for a side-trip duringthe Olympics for a darshan ofMr Zedong’s birthplace inShaoshan and dhogo theMaosoleum in Beijing. And whenit looked like Angela Merkelcouldn’t find time to see him inFrankfurt last week, Awesomemade a three-hour dash for Traier,the birthplace of Karl Marx. Andif there is a visit to Russia soon,even the war in Georgia may notprevent Lotus Flower fromexpressing a desire to visit thebirthplace of Stalin in Gori.

It’s a good thing our seniorofficials are busy traveling all overthe world. The YCL and theYouth Force chieftains foundthemselves on the same junket toSouth Africa last month, theydrank together, they visited theApartheid Museum together. Itmay not be connected, but therewere fewer reports of YCL vs YFclashes after the trip.

Before jetting off to the USnext week, BRB at gostis aroundtown has been reciting Sanskritslokas (after banning Sanskrit andbombing Sanskrit schools duringthe war). Deb Gurung paid apilgrimage to Sarnath, where theBuddha attained enlightenment.And when PLA CommanderPasang sprinkled holy water fromthe Ganges on his head inBanaras last week,Hridayesh Tripathicouldn’t help telling thepanda: “He needs towash off his sins.”

ass(at)nepalitimes.com