Facebook Photo Album
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Bryan Adams In Kathmandu
Two Chief Guests: Non Resident Nepali Gathering: Times Square: June 25
Budding banker steals Bryan Adams' show in Nepal it was a 27-year-old budding banker who found herself a celebrity overnight with her face in the major newspapers Sunday..... For Brinda Singh, an executive with the Bank of Kathmandu, it was the icing on the cake. Her greatest joy was on being chosen by the Canadian rock star - from among nearly 20,000 cheering fans at the Dasharath Stadium - to walk up on the glittering stage and croon with him..... Dhaka, where he had sung at the inaugural programme of the 2011 World Cup, set Kathmandu's crowds cheering during his nearly two-hour concert by beginning with American rock singer Bob Singer's 1976 hit, 'Katmandu', and later, introducing himself by saying, 'Hello Nepal, I am Bryan Adams'...... he beckoned to the crowds, saying he wanted female accompaniment for the 1990s chartbuster single, 'When you are gone', originally sung with Melanie Chisholm. ..... his eyes fell on the waving Brinda, who had arrived at the stadium almost five hours before the show ...... Brinda clambered up on the stage breathless, still not believing her luck ....... Brinda, the daughter of well-known Nepali singer Bijay Singh Munal, had been trying to break in on the diverse and competitive music industry of Nepal for four years, finally taking up a banking job as an optional career. .... He also said he and his team members were extremely proud to be the first international band to perform in Nepal. ..... 'May this first become a way to many other bands to come and perform here,' he added. ...... The crowds behaved beautifully, showing the authorities' security concerns as exaggerated. Nearly 5,000 police personnel as well as a private security company had been deployed...... The surveillance was beefed up especially after Adams' show in New Delhi was cancelled due to fears about security. ....... It was a triumphant moment for Nepal's tourism authorities who said the show would send out the message to the world that Nepal was a safe destination and boost its Tourism Year 2011 campaign to fly in 1 million tourists. ....... Also seen queuing up at the gate were Radhesh Pant, chief of Kumari Bank, and Anil Shah, CEO of the newly started Mega Bank.
Bryan Adams in Kathmandu: What Does That Mean to Nepal an Indian team that was responsible for setting up a stage and managing the sound system at the venue. But the red tape that they had to go through and the hassles they faced to make that event happen were clear to see. Every concerned authority, from police officers to the sports officials who rented Dasharath stadium for the gig, wanted their share of the profits. And there were countless demands for free passes. Those in powerful positions, including senior police officers, wanted the most expensive tickets free for them and their families. Others only demanded free access to the cheapest seats. “There are so many people who are envious that we are bringing Bryan Adams,” a person associated with one of the organising groups told me last week. “Everyone wants to pull our leg. There are obstacles at every step.” ...... It’s not surprising that earning money is one of the most difficult feats in a society that is one of the world’s poorest. ...... The chief and a member of the sports council reportedly each asked for separate kickbacks. The chief denied asking for a bribe, while the member in question said he wanted money for ‘sports’. Organisers denied bribing officials, but it was hard to believe that they didn’t. Agitating employees, who were waging a separate war of sorts with the management, locked the stadium gates. They unlocked the gates only after securing volunteering opportunities during the concert. Simant Gurung, one of the organisers, hinted to me that the organisers unofficially promised to voluntarily donate some money to the agitating employees’ group. By the time of the settlement, some damage had already been done. Vandals had burned the closed-circuit television cables put in place at the stadium complex. ........ Friends of organisers wanted photo opportunities with the singer. Some wanted to see Bryan at their restaurants in Thamel and Durbar Marg. “That bhai at Tamas (restaurant) asked if I could take Bryan to his restaurant and make the singer sing just one song,” Simant said last week. “Another bhai from Lakhe had the same request. I would love to bring the singer to my own restaurant (Simol, Durbar Marg) and make him sing a few numbers if that was possible!” ....... A few hundred thousand Nepalis may have directly experienced Western societies by visiting and living in them. But celebrated personalities from the West don’t come to us that often. ....... our poverty. We can’t afford to buy the expensive tickets for their programmes. We don’t have the money for their authentic CDs and DVDs. We can’t spend money on the merchandise that they hope to sell during their tours. This is the reason many Western celebrities who come to India (which is becoming a lucrative market) don’t step foot in Nepal. We are not important enough for them to come because we are not rich enough. ....... people like Nilesh Joshi, a guitarist with Nepali rock band Cobweb, feel bad every time Western celebrities tour India but skip Nepal. ..... Here enters Bryan, into this gloomy scenario. ..... the spokesperson of Kathmandu valley police who thought Shree Bryan Adams was a “British national” and a “band but not a person”
Bryan Adams live-in-concert from 8 pmThe 53-year-old singer who is also known for his knack for writing songs headed straight to the Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kalimati, after he touched down at the Tribhuwan International Airport on his private aircraft from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka at around 2:15 pm this afternoon. He was welcomed by a crowd of fans and the organisers of the event. ...... Also a freelance photogragher, Adams was seen coming out of the airport lobby carrying a camera on his hand. He took a few snaps before he got into the car and headed to the hotel. ...... After reaching the hotel, he posted a photograph on popular social networking site Twitter saying "A big welcoming at the airport on arriving for the concert in Nepal 19.2.2011". ...... In another post, Adams has written: Just flew over Everest into Katmandu, Nepal. We are the 1st western band to play here. With all the music in the world how is that possible? ...... The entrances of the concert venue, where Adams will peform before the capacity crowd of 25,000, was opened at 2:00 pm and closed at 5:30 pm. Tickets are priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000. ...... Three Nepali bands-- 1974 AD, Mongolian Heart and Namaste Band--will perform for half an hour at the opening of the concert. ...... The open-air show that will last two hours is being organised by the JPR events and supported by the ODC Network. Adams, known for his husky voice ...... The Candian artiste has been performing in India and Bangladesh as part of the Bryan Adams Live Full Band Show World Tour. ..... On Thursday, he had performed at the opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup in Dhaka.
Scam whisper over Bryan Adams’ concert in Kathmanduahead of his live performance in Kathmandu Saturday, two groups are slugging it out with each other amidst allegations of money-grabbing over the venue...... the new twist comes from the two groups associated with the stadium: Nepal's National Sport Council and the National Sports Council Workers' Association....... Both the Council and Association are accusing each other of having demanded money from the organiser of the concert, ODC Network Nepal, which is working in tandem with JPR Events. Both sides have held press conferences to air their views. The Association was off the mark first, saying two influential Council officials had asked the organisers for NRS 1 million for the use of the venue. On Tuesday, the Council refuted the allegations, saying the Association had taken NRS 500,000 from the organisers to let them use the stadium for the concert without informing it. ...... There is no sports minister to arbitrate with the new Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal unable to expand his four-member cabinet even almost a fortnight after becoming premier due to rows with his own party men as well as his allies, the Maoists. ..... as for the Bryan Adams concert, besides the feud between the two groups and reports that the Council has received five letters asking for scrapping the show, there's one more hurdle: the weather. After an unusually dry and cold winter, Nepal began receiving showers from Tuesday, courtesy the westerlies. It has led to snowfall in the mountains and a halt to domestic flights and left the capital drenched, cold and bedraggled. While the Met Office promised sunny days from Friday, it remains to be seen how fit the venerable open-air stadium will be for the show-stopper event that is also being regarded as a boost for Nepal's national campaign to bring 1 million tourists this year.
Facebook: Bryan Adams Live in Kathmandu Nepal
The Official Page For The ConcertThere are three categories of the tickets, which worth NRs. 2000 (Silver), NRs. 3000 (Gold) and NRs. 6,000 (Platinum) respectively.
Budding banker steals Bryan Adams' show in Nepal it was a 27-year-old budding banker who found herself a celebrity overnight with her face in the major newspapers Sunday..... For Brinda Singh, an executive with the Bank of Kathmandu, it was the icing on the cake. Her greatest joy was on being chosen by the Canadian rock star - from among nearly 20,000 cheering fans at the Dasharath Stadium - to walk up on the glittering stage and croon with him..... Dhaka, where he had sung at the inaugural programme of the 2011 World Cup, set Kathmandu's crowds cheering during his nearly two-hour concert by beginning with American rock singer Bob Singer's 1976 hit, 'Katmandu', and later, introducing himself by saying, 'Hello Nepal, I am Bryan Adams'...... he beckoned to the crowds, saying he wanted female accompaniment for the 1990s chartbuster single, 'When you are gone', originally sung with Melanie Chisholm. ..... his eyes fell on the waving Brinda, who had arrived at the stadium almost five hours before the show ...... Brinda clambered up on the stage breathless, still not believing her luck ....... Brinda, the daughter of well-known Nepali singer Bijay Singh Munal, had been trying to break in on the diverse and competitive music industry of Nepal for four years, finally taking up a banking job as an optional career. .... He also said he and his team members were extremely proud to be the first international band to perform in Nepal. ..... 'May this first become a way to many other bands to come and perform here,' he added. ...... The crowds behaved beautifully, showing the authorities' security concerns as exaggerated. Nearly 5,000 police personnel as well as a private security company had been deployed...... The surveillance was beefed up especially after Adams' show in New Delhi was cancelled due to fears about security. ....... It was a triumphant moment for Nepal's tourism authorities who said the show would send out the message to the world that Nepal was a safe destination and boost its Tourism Year 2011 campaign to fly in 1 million tourists. ....... Also seen queuing up at the gate were Radhesh Pant, chief of Kumari Bank, and Anil Shah, CEO of the newly started Mega Bank.
Bryan Adams in Kathmandu: What Does That Mean to Nepal an Indian team that was responsible for setting up a stage and managing the sound system at the venue. But the red tape that they had to go through and the hassles they faced to make that event happen were clear to see. Every concerned authority, from police officers to the sports officials who rented Dasharath stadium for the gig, wanted their share of the profits. And there were countless demands for free passes. Those in powerful positions, including senior police officers, wanted the most expensive tickets free for them and their families. Others only demanded free access to the cheapest seats. “There are so many people who are envious that we are bringing Bryan Adams,” a person associated with one of the organising groups told me last week. “Everyone wants to pull our leg. There are obstacles at every step.” ...... It’s not surprising that earning money is one of the most difficult feats in a society that is one of the world’s poorest. ...... The chief and a member of the sports council reportedly each asked for separate kickbacks. The chief denied asking for a bribe, while the member in question said he wanted money for ‘sports’. Organisers denied bribing officials, but it was hard to believe that they didn’t. Agitating employees, who were waging a separate war of sorts with the management, locked the stadium gates. They unlocked the gates only after securing volunteering opportunities during the concert. Simant Gurung, one of the organisers, hinted to me that the organisers unofficially promised to voluntarily donate some money to the agitating employees’ group. By the time of the settlement, some damage had already been done. Vandals had burned the closed-circuit television cables put in place at the stadium complex. ........ Friends of organisers wanted photo opportunities with the singer. Some wanted to see Bryan at their restaurants in Thamel and Durbar Marg. “That bhai at Tamas (restaurant) asked if I could take Bryan to his restaurant and make the singer sing just one song,” Simant said last week. “Another bhai from Lakhe had the same request. I would love to bring the singer to my own restaurant (Simol, Durbar Marg) and make him sing a few numbers if that was possible!” ....... A few hundred thousand Nepalis may have directly experienced Western societies by visiting and living in them. But celebrated personalities from the West don’t come to us that often. ....... our poverty. We can’t afford to buy the expensive tickets for their programmes. We don’t have the money for their authentic CDs and DVDs. We can’t spend money on the merchandise that they hope to sell during their tours. This is the reason many Western celebrities who come to India (which is becoming a lucrative market) don’t step foot in Nepal. We are not important enough for them to come because we are not rich enough. ....... people like Nilesh Joshi, a guitarist with Nepali rock band Cobweb, feel bad every time Western celebrities tour India but skip Nepal. ..... Here enters Bryan, into this gloomy scenario. ..... the spokesperson of Kathmandu valley police who thought Shree Bryan Adams was a “British national” and a “band but not a person”
Bryan Adams live-in-concert from 8 pmThe 53-year-old singer who is also known for his knack for writing songs headed straight to the Soaltee Crowne Plaza, Kalimati, after he touched down at the Tribhuwan International Airport on his private aircraft from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka at around 2:15 pm this afternoon. He was welcomed by a crowd of fans and the organisers of the event. ...... Also a freelance photogragher, Adams was seen coming out of the airport lobby carrying a camera on his hand. He took a few snaps before he got into the car and headed to the hotel. ...... After reaching the hotel, he posted a photograph on popular social networking site Twitter saying "A big welcoming at the airport on arriving for the concert in Nepal 19.2.2011". ...... In another post, Adams has written: Just flew over Everest into Katmandu, Nepal. We are the 1st western band to play here. With all the music in the world how is that possible? ...... The entrances of the concert venue, where Adams will peform before the capacity crowd of 25,000, was opened at 2:00 pm and closed at 5:30 pm. Tickets are priced between Rs 2,000 and Rs 6,000. ...... Three Nepali bands-- 1974 AD, Mongolian Heart and Namaste Band--will perform for half an hour at the opening of the concert. ...... The open-air show that will last two hours is being organised by the JPR events and supported by the ODC Network. Adams, known for his husky voice ...... The Candian artiste has been performing in India and Bangladesh as part of the Bryan Adams Live Full Band Show World Tour. ..... On Thursday, he had performed at the opening ceremony of the ICC World Cup in Dhaka.
Scam whisper over Bryan Adams’ concert in Kathmanduahead of his live performance in Kathmandu Saturday, two groups are slugging it out with each other amidst allegations of money-grabbing over the venue...... the new twist comes from the two groups associated with the stadium: Nepal's National Sport Council and the National Sports Council Workers' Association....... Both the Council and Association are accusing each other of having demanded money from the organiser of the concert, ODC Network Nepal, which is working in tandem with JPR Events. Both sides have held press conferences to air their views. The Association was off the mark first, saying two influential Council officials had asked the organisers for NRS 1 million for the use of the venue. On Tuesday, the Council refuted the allegations, saying the Association had taken NRS 500,000 from the organisers to let them use the stadium for the concert without informing it. ...... There is no sports minister to arbitrate with the new Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal unable to expand his four-member cabinet even almost a fortnight after becoming premier due to rows with his own party men as well as his allies, the Maoists. ..... as for the Bryan Adams concert, besides the feud between the two groups and reports that the Council has received five letters asking for scrapping the show, there's one more hurdle: the weather. After an unusually dry and cold winter, Nepal began receiving showers from Tuesday, courtesy the westerlies. It has led to snowfall in the mountains and a halt to domestic flights and left the capital drenched, cold and bedraggled. While the Met Office promised sunny days from Friday, it remains to be seen how fit the venerable open-air stadium will be for the show-stopper event that is also being regarded as a boost for Nepal's national campaign to bring 1 million tourists this year.
Facebook: Bryan Adams Live in Kathmandu Nepal
The Official Page For The ConcertThere are three categories of the tickets, which worth NRs. 2000 (Silver), NRs. 3000 (Gold) and NRs. 6,000 (Platinum) respectively.
Economic Revolution In Nepal And The NRN Movement
Two Chief Guests: Non Resident Nepali Gathering: Times Square: June 25
An economic revolution would be near double digit growth rates year in year out for 30 years. But the country has to get a new constitution first, and it will, it is only a matter of time.
I was The Reason the political revolution happened in Nepal in 2006. And I am going to be The Reason an economic revolution takes place in Nepal. Ma New York City ma Barack Obama ko Top Volunteer. Manhattan For Obama sangathan ko sansthapak le America ko sambidhan sansodhan garna parchha taki yo manchhe kunai deen rashtrapati ka lagi lados bhaneko manchhe. America aayeko chha mahina bhitra US South ko top liberal arts college ko student union president ko election jiteko manchhe. College ko 150 barsha ko itihas ma kahile na bhayeko kura. America aunu agadi high school pachhhi Nepal ma dui wata MP bhayeko party ko upmahasachib pad khayeko manchhe.
Bhanne bela ma Pahadi haroo le malai patrakar bhan dine garya chhan. Maile patrakarita gareko hoina, maile Nepal ko kranti lai political leadership diyeko ho. I did some major strategic thinking, major tactical thinking, and all of that is documented at my blog. Sambidhan sabha ko mudda ma sab bhanda pachhi ayeko byakti Girija Koirala, us lai kranti ko shreya kasari dina milchha? Tyo ta leader hoina follower ho.
At The Buspark
Southern Hospitality
Afoo le afai lai madisey bhanne Madhesi haroo chhan. Madisey bhaneko ta nigger bhaneko ho. Tone of voice makes no difference. Maile madisey bhanein tara mero voice ma hatred thiyena bhanna mildaina. There is prejudice and there is internalized prejudice. Malai patrakar ra cameraman bhanne Madhesi haroo chhan. Upendra Yadav lai visa dilayeko maile ho. Mero ek jana saathi le State Department ko South Asia desk officer chineko bela paryo tyati bela. Ma jail pareko bela oo bidesh mantri thiyo. America ko bidesh mantri lai phone garna parne usle, garya bhaye kunai deen pradhan mantri banne oo, aba bandaina. Gayo. Swaha.
Madhesi Self Hate
Ugh, Immigration (4)
Malai Upendra Mahato bhanda thulo banna saat barsa bhanda badhi na lagna parne ho. Kina bhane, maile mero company Nasdaq ma list garchhu. I have enormous respect for Upendraji, first as a successful entrepreneur, second as an overachieving Madhesi, and third as the founder of the NRN movement. 2008 ma Russia ko Manager Of The Year ghosit bhayeko manchhe. He is world class. No doubt. But I am going to be bigger than him.
Mero tech startup ko round one ma 10K invest garne pratyek NRN millionaire banchha. Google ma pahilo ek lakh invest garne byakti ko paisa 10 barsha ma 1.5 billion banyo. I could not do that well, but I could do at least 1/3rd as good in maximum twice as much time.
Ma chahanchuu 5 jana Nepali 5k each liyera mero round 1 ma aunu hos.
My Web Diagram
The Google/Facebook Of Microfinance
Microfinance
Duniya ko top venture capitalist Fred Wilson le afno blog ma mero bare lekheko kura.
Netizen Has Arrived: A Link From AVC
Fred Wilson: Mobile First Web Second
An economic revolution would be near double digit growth rates year in year out for 30 years. But the country has to get a new constitution first, and it will, it is only a matter of time.
I was The Reason the political revolution happened in Nepal in 2006. And I am going to be The Reason an economic revolution takes place in Nepal. Ma New York City ma Barack Obama ko Top Volunteer. Manhattan For Obama sangathan ko sansthapak le America ko sambidhan sansodhan garna parchha taki yo manchhe kunai deen rashtrapati ka lagi lados bhaneko manchhe. America aayeko chha mahina bhitra US South ko top liberal arts college ko student union president ko election jiteko manchhe. College ko 150 barsha ko itihas ma kahile na bhayeko kura. America aunu agadi high school pachhhi Nepal ma dui wata MP bhayeko party ko upmahasachib pad khayeko manchhe.
Bhanne bela ma Pahadi haroo le malai patrakar bhan dine garya chhan. Maile patrakarita gareko hoina, maile Nepal ko kranti lai political leadership diyeko ho. I did some major strategic thinking, major tactical thinking, and all of that is documented at my blog. Sambidhan sabha ko mudda ma sab bhanda pachhi ayeko byakti Girija Koirala, us lai kranti ko shreya kasari dina milchha? Tyo ta leader hoina follower ho.
At The Buspark
Southern Hospitality
Afoo le afai lai madisey bhanne Madhesi haroo chhan. Madisey bhaneko ta nigger bhaneko ho. Tone of voice makes no difference. Maile madisey bhanein tara mero voice ma hatred thiyena bhanna mildaina. There is prejudice and there is internalized prejudice. Malai patrakar ra cameraman bhanne Madhesi haroo chhan. Upendra Yadav lai visa dilayeko maile ho. Mero ek jana saathi le State Department ko South Asia desk officer chineko bela paryo tyati bela. Ma jail pareko bela oo bidesh mantri thiyo. America ko bidesh mantri lai phone garna parne usle, garya bhaye kunai deen pradhan mantri banne oo, aba bandaina. Gayo. Swaha.
Madhesi Self Hate
Ugh, Immigration (4)
Malai Upendra Mahato bhanda thulo banna saat barsa bhanda badhi na lagna parne ho. Kina bhane, maile mero company Nasdaq ma list garchhu. I have enormous respect for Upendraji, first as a successful entrepreneur, second as an overachieving Madhesi, and third as the founder of the NRN movement. 2008 ma Russia ko Manager Of The Year ghosit bhayeko manchhe. He is world class. No doubt. But I am going to be bigger than him.
Mero tech startup ko round one ma 10K invest garne pratyek NRN millionaire banchha. Google ma pahilo ek lakh invest garne byakti ko paisa 10 barsha ma 1.5 billion banyo. I could not do that well, but I could do at least 1/3rd as good in maximum twice as much time.
Ma chahanchuu 5 jana Nepali 5k each liyera mero round 1 ma aunu hos.
My Web Diagram
The Google/Facebook Of Microfinance
Microfinance
Duniya ko top venture capitalist Fred Wilson le afno blog ma mero bare lekheko kura.
Netizen Has Arrived: A Link From AVC
Fred Wilson: Mobile First Web Second
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Most Important Question To Ask In Kathmandu
There must be other ways to unite Nepalis other than by simply blaming India.What could those other ways be? #nepalunitesless than a minute ago via web 
ujwalthapa
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Rajesh Ahiraj Has A Right To Free Speech
(Some parts of the chat has been edited out)
Rajesh Ahiraj
37 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
kaise hay
37 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
thik hain? aap kaise hain?
37 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
may bhi...
37 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
how are things?
all that arrest and stuff -- is that all behind you?
36 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
sab kuchh aap kesamne hay.....
35 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
what? i am not getting it
lafra abhi bhi chal raha hai ki all that is over?
i don't know
35 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
kalh suprem court me final peshi hay
34 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
i am in the dark
i just saw the picture of your being handcuffed and that is all i know'
is there some place online where you have posted all the details?
i want to know
right now i don't even know what the charges are
33 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
www madheshvani com
32 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
nahi yaar, that site is there, i am talking about the specific case
what are the charges? and what have you said in defense?
31 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
desh droh ka mukadma hay
17000 madheshi sena ka bigyapan chhapa tha
31 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
you need a webpage that has all the details of the case
give me all the details, i will make some noise about it
31 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
case final hone ke bad
30 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
17,000 madhesi sena in the Nepal Army?
what if you lose and they arrest you right away?
and you don't have the option to get your word out?
29 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
yes. madhesh ke surakshya ab pahida sena nahi karega...hum log khus aapni sena banaege...eshi ka addvertise tha
28 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
was it your own advertisement? or was it on behalf of some organization?
28 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
jtmm ka sainya varna sambandhi suchna....
28 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
oh okay
28 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
jantantrik terai mukti morcha
28 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
are you on skype? can you do a skype call?
ok
that perhaps was unwise
talking of our own police force in a madhesh state would be better
i have never been for either breaking up the country or for violence
27 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
sari media aur sarkar vi khilap me tha madheshi sena ki bigyapa pe
27 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
but you might still claim it was free speech on your part
they might disagree with it politically, but they can not deny you your free speech
26 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
e pahadiya ki desh hay boss
26 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
do you have Skype right now? what is your skype name?
26 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
yaha kanun vi samudae ke aadhar pe paribhashit hoti hay
ntc mo hay...98________
25 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
i don't have a card handy
well, what do you think might happen tomorrow?
24 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
may be jail......
24 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
you obviously have fought the case at lower levels and lost
how big is your Madheshvani team?
can they continue without you?
how long might the jail term be?
23 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
mujhe dekhna hay ki madheshi neta log ...morchh wale....madheshi intelectual....rest madheshvadi kya karta hay
23 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
who is your lawyer? and what angle is he coming from?
the free speech angle is the angle to come from
how long have you been free?
22 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
god knows
madheshvani band nahi hoga
22 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
in Canada the French legally talk about breaking up the country --- that is free speech
if you lose, how long is the jail term?
your lawyer must know that
21 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
(edited out)
20 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
(edited out)
20 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
may aapni phd jail ke ander hi pura karne ka soch raha hu
20 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
I understand the separatist sentiment. But I have never supported it. Neither political violence.
All we need to achieve we can do so non violently.
19 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
may jtmm ka kuch v nahi hu par 7 sal se madhesh pe kam karta hu.
19 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
Like the Congress got wiped out from the Terai in the last election, that was a big achievement.
i am aware of your work
19 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
madheshi morchha bale ki khamoshi kuchh to rang laegi na
18 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
and why would the JTMM want to harm any Madhesi leader? it is not like it is the Madhesi leaders who are going after you...
Look. You need to maintain some perspective.
You have to say all your are is a penman, not a gunman. You believe in equality for Madhesi. You have never been a member of any armed group. That what you have done is free speech.
17 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
(edited out)
16 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
No, I don't know. And I don't believe that.
It is the Pahadi establishment that is going after you.
(edited out)
16 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
samay aane pe sab kuchh praman k sath web pe rakhunga....wait kijiega
15 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
what if you are no longer free the day after tomorrow? then what?
14 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
mera team capable hay work karne k lie....
14 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
ok
13 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
mujhe jyada saja nahi hoga. sambidhan me hi press freedom hay.
13 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
free speech angle is the angle to come from
i hope you got a good lawyer and he is doing his best to come from the free speech angle
he will say all you are and you have ever been is a journalist
12 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
(edited out)
o neta nahi sirf byapari hay
11 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
I don't know the details. I can't say. One way or the other.
I am just worried about tomorrow
all the best
11 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
o madhesh ko marubhumi karke madheshi ko barbad kar rahe hay
kal jo kuchh vi hoga mere pakchh me hoga boss
10 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
the anger has to be directed towards people who have truly had the power and still do ---- (edited out)
10 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
jit gae to media man ke tarah kam karunga jail gae to bal thakre ke taral khud ko tyar karke niklunga
10 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
the energy should not be poured into madhesis fighting each other
9 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
hahaha
9 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
if you lose tomorrow, how long might the jail term be?
The Madhesh needs people like you. But we have to be clear about staying away from violence and separatism. We have to create a Madhesi police force inside a Madhesh state.
In a federal Nepal.
There are political solutions to our political problems.
8 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
(edited out)
13 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
but an ad in your newspaper is free speech, that can not be punished
13 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
(edited out)
12 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
i don't know any of these details that you are talking about ---- i just don't know --- i have been too far away for too long to know these things ---- i can't contest or support these claims
well ---- your best bet now is to make a strong case for free speech
12 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
abhi aap ko bura lag raha hoga... samay aae par sab kuchh bahar aajaega boss
dnt worry abt me
11 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
no, i am not feeling bad
11 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
may media man hu
11 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
i just don't know the details you seem to know
11 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
kalh court me bahut kuchh hoga .
10 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
You have been a trailblazer for Madhesi rights through journalism. That work has to continue.
Okay, good.
10 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
jit mera hi hoga...kyou ki may sirf fredom of speech ke pachh me kam kiya hu
10 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
That is the angle you have to come from.
10 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
may khud aapna case ladta hu
9 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
make the case
8 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
pahadiya paper me hum sare madeshi ko indian chhpne pe koe case nahi....mao ka sanya bhrna chhapne wala pahadiya media pe koi case nahi
with are vally me press meet karne wale pahadiya arms group pe koi case nahi aaur mujh pe case ?
7 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
in addition say you are personally opposed to political violence, and you are opposed to breaking up the country, although it has to be noted the french in canada talk of breaking up canada and that talk is still protected by free speech ---- but that you as a citizen are for equality for Madhesis, and federalism, and nonviolence, but everything you have ever published in your paper is protected by free speech, the martyrs of april 2006 paid for your right to free speech --- that you are surprised you are having to defend that
6 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
You are right. The Maoists still have an army. That should be illegal.
But be practical at this point and do your best to keep your freedom.
6 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
You can do more from outside than from inside.
I am going to blog about this.
5 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
boss...kalh ka faisala mera life ko aaham mod dega
5 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
If you want I can publish our entire chat at my blog. Or I can write up a blog post in your defense.
That is true.
4 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
(edited out)
4 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
okay
I can do that.
3 minutes ago Rajesh Ahiraj
unke sath aapas me clear karlenge....
may aap ko kuchh aur infor mation patha hu
3 minutes ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
Okay, all the best, good luck, and come strong from the free speech angle. You can't be sent to jail for publishing things.
That is free speech.
Yeah, we should not pour our energies into infighting.
about a minute ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
Read this, I was Obama's first full time volunteer in NYC http://technbiz.blogspot.com/2011/06/questions-prepared-by-my-lawyer-for.html
Netizen: Questions Prepared By My Lawyer For Immigration Court Date Tomorrow
technbiz.blogspot.com
about a minute ago Paramendra Kumar Bhagat
We are Madhesis in Nepal, and also in America.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Where To From Here?
A New Prime Minister
An all party government that commands at least two thirds majority in the parliament would be the best for giving the country a new constitution. When the three big parties and all the Madhesi parties get together, I think they reach that mark, although I will have to crunch the numbers.
I think it would be fair that such a government be led by a Maoist since they are the largest party in the parliament. Accepting a Maoist at the head of an all party government will also help build trust that is essential to taking the peace process to the next level.
That person I believe is Baburam Bhattarai. If the Maoists manage to secure a simple majority on their own after the next parliamentary elections, it will be entirely upto the Maoist party to decide as to who their prime ministerial candidate will be. But right now they don't have that simple majority. And so they have to be okay with letting Baburam Bhattarai be Prime Minister. He did an excellent job when he was Finance Minister. He has a clean image. His smarts are second to none. A Baburam Bhattarai as Prime Minister will give Nepal a head of state who will match the smarts of any head of state on the planet. I have my ideological differences with him, but I like the fact that he is not a dogmatic communist, but rather a thinking one. Communism is supposed to be science. You have to be willing to face facts. You have to be willing to change your thinking when new ground realities emerge. Whereas too many communists have this don't-confuse-me-with-the-facts attitude.
Army Integration
Allowing for a full debate in the parliament on the issue is the way to go. So far the issue of army integration has failed because the party leaders have tried to discuss it among themselves outside the parliament. Unless the parliament is given its due respect the army integration issue will continue to confound the leaders of the country.
A New Kind Of Democracy
Unless Nepal is turned into a new kind of democracy, one that is a multi-party democracy of state funded parties, truly a one person one vote democracy where the poorest of the poor have that same one vote as the richest people in the country, genuine peace is not possible. Parties like the Nepali Congress want to turn Nepal into a democracy like India, Britain and the United States and that is why the Maoists want to keep their army for as long as possible so they can dream of yet another revolution, armed if necessary. I don't blame them.
The kind of democracy I am talking about is a fusion of the two major ideologies of the past century. It would be a first in Nepal. Unless this political move is made, we will keep having problems with army integration.
A multi-party democracy of state funded parties means political parties in the country will have no other source of funding besides the state, and the state funds will be directly proportional to how many votes the parties earn in an election. That would be a step towards classlessness.
An all party government that commands at least two thirds majority in the parliament would be the best for giving the country a new constitution. When the three big parties and all the Madhesi parties get together, I think they reach that mark, although I will have to crunch the numbers.
I think it would be fair that such a government be led by a Maoist since they are the largest party in the parliament. Accepting a Maoist at the head of an all party government will also help build trust that is essential to taking the peace process to the next level.
That person I believe is Baburam Bhattarai. If the Maoists manage to secure a simple majority on their own after the next parliamentary elections, it will be entirely upto the Maoist party to decide as to who their prime ministerial candidate will be. But right now they don't have that simple majority. And so they have to be okay with letting Baburam Bhattarai be Prime Minister. He did an excellent job when he was Finance Minister. He has a clean image. His smarts are second to none. A Baburam Bhattarai as Prime Minister will give Nepal a head of state who will match the smarts of any head of state on the planet. I have my ideological differences with him, but I like the fact that he is not a dogmatic communist, but rather a thinking one. Communism is supposed to be science. You have to be willing to face facts. You have to be willing to change your thinking when new ground realities emerge. Whereas too many communists have this don't-confuse-me-with-the-facts attitude.
Army Integration
Allowing for a full debate in the parliament on the issue is the way to go. So far the issue of army integration has failed because the party leaders have tried to discuss it among themselves outside the parliament. Unless the parliament is given its due respect the army integration issue will continue to confound the leaders of the country.
A New Kind Of Democracy
Unless Nepal is turned into a new kind of democracy, one that is a multi-party democracy of state funded parties, truly a one person one vote democracy where the poorest of the poor have that same one vote as the richest people in the country, genuine peace is not possible. Parties like the Nepali Congress want to turn Nepal into a democracy like India, Britain and the United States and that is why the Maoists want to keep their army for as long as possible so they can dream of yet another revolution, armed if necessary. I don't blame them.
The kind of democracy I am talking about is a fusion of the two major ideologies of the past century. It would be a first in Nepal. Unless this political move is made, we will keep having problems with army integration.
A multi-party democracy of state funded parties means political parties in the country will have no other source of funding besides the state, and the state funds will be directly proportional to how many votes the parties earn in an election. That would be a step towards classlessness.
Finally A Janajati Party
Image via WikipediaRepublica: Lekhi launching new party Sunday: Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (Nefin) President Raj Kumar Lekhi is all set to announce a new political party called Nepali Citizens Party (NCP) .... a seven-member central committee with representatives from indigenous groups, Muslim comunity, Dalits, women and other backward classes of society. ..... the new party will form its organization in about 35 district in the first phase. ...... Bijay Danuwar, Nagendra Rajbanshi, Chandra Kumar Chaudhari, Tajmohammed Miya, Chandrakala Gurung, and Raj Kumar Regmi. ...... Danuwar is an ex-secretary of Nefin while Miya is the chairman of Nepal Muslim Federation. Similarly, Rajbanshi is Nefin vice chairman and Chaudhari is the chairman of the Tharu Welfare Council. Likewise Gurung is ex-chairman of the National Indigenous Women´s Federation and Regmi is the chairman of Society of Parliamentary Affairs Journalists. ..... Nefin, an umbrella organization of indigenous nationalities, had elected Lekhi as president last year.This was long overdue. There was a need for a national political party that was lead primarily by the Janajatis. The Janajati organization NEFIN had been banging its head against the wall as a pressure group. That was a dead end. Now some meaningful progress can be made, one hopes.
I am happy for this development.
I hope the party works hard to get Dalits and Muslims into its fold. Those are two clear underrepresented groups.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Chapter 7: Letter From Ministry
It was one December morning, unusually bright, as the mist of pollution had settled down with the rains day before, making snow visible on the mountains far beyond in Nagarkot, like a deity. Sky was clear and spotless, sun felt cold as the wind blew unkindly. I put on my big jacket which I had bought in Buffalo.
It felt good walking and most things passed unnoticed, in the joyfulness of the morning.
Unlike most other ministries, health ministry was in a modern new building, with the red bricks wall. Just beside the main entrance, there was a small army post, with two army personnel pointing the gun towards the gate through a hole, each had the finger on their trigger; it seemed comical as it implied, they sure knew the trouble will start in the front. As I entered the gate, one of them called and asked me for the identity card. I showed my citizenship card. They inquired about the purpose of my visit. I need letter of statement from Health Ministry for my training in United States, said I. They were amused hearing United States. They asked with great interest about America.
With some brief, but delightful conversation on their calm curiosity, they asked me to sign my name and let me in. I walked to the information desk, and asked a smaller looking fat man behind the glass about the secretary’s office. The man was talking on the phone really loud, as if the person on the other end were deaf; his hands movement mimicking some kind of chorea, continued at his leisure showing no sign to end.
Seemingly annoyed at my intrusion, he pointed up with the fingers, with unrestrained irritability.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
I took stairs. There was no sign of inefficiency or lack of economy in the building; the erection of monument, for it’s paradox, was aesthetically indefensible as it represented health of a country where maternal mortality was still highest on this planet, but I invited no other thoughts beyond a shame. In few minutes, a man readily approached me and asked, if he can help. At the time of insurrection, strangers wandering in the building must have made him paranoid, but his tone lacked any of those concerns. He took me to Nirakarman Shrestha’s office, the health secretary then.
A gentle looking woman, in red sweater and red scarf, sat at a desk, in front of the secretary’s office. She was the personal assistant of Nirakar Man Shrestha. I approached her and explained to her about the letter. She seemed familiar with the kind, I was talking about. She asked me to come in a week, she will have it ready. The conversation was unusually simple and straight. Considering, I just had come from United States, still little delirious of its effects, her courteous manner struck me as Déjà Vu. I thanked her, promising to be back again. Next week, she told me that Dr Shrestha was on vacation, and I might have to wait another two weeks. I went back twice after that man had returned from his vacation, but couldn’t see him, as he was always in some kind of meetings; it frustrated me.
Almost after four weeks of my initial visit, I had a chance to see him. The meeting was marked by brevity and refusal to give me the letter I needed. He dismissed me saying “Nepali Government has decided not to issue the letter.”..... Law of the land changed overnight, but his curtness stunned me. He pressed a buzzer on his desk, the door opened and the secretary lady anxiously asked me to come out.
She had a look on her face “What happened?”, as for sure, she had not anticipated any problem.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Just few weeks old, I was puffed up with conceit, rapidly it evaporated like a monsoon rain in Terai. My rage was so acute to find the odd secrets of where I stood in my own country, that my pride receded in disappointment and my worthiness filled suddenly with doubts.
“We could do nothing without his signature.”- She told me, in a casual easiness, as if her perverse sympathy begged the conclusion of a justifiable horror. I looked back on her, ungrateful and unimpressed. For few minutes, couldn’t think straight, knowing not what to do, I implied not leaving until I see someone else.
She showed weariness to the vicissitudes of event, but her promptness to admit the unacquaintedness of similar case gave me a fresh misery and strengthened the distaste of everything and everyone around. I was furious, knowing most people, who applied for the same letter, had received without any inconvenience before.
Confused lady hurriedly took me to different office, seemingly, happy to get rid of me, at the time.
This new person (I hardly remember his name) seemed to have a good eye contact, and was engaging in conversation.
With a degree of moderation and composure, which seemed consistent with the common feelings of an educated man, he offered to explain, at times, in a tangential manner, about the brain drain. His lecture lasted about twenty minutes before he asked me anything.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
One was utterly rude and hostile, another was articulate with ostentatious wit; message was plain and simple. I felt betrayed by own health ministry. The concept of brain drain seemed to have been constructed to coerce me, and I, surely, made no effort to appreciate it’s austerity.
Unrestrained anger, I could feel a throb chocking my throat during his lecture. He was done talking.
“What is your Name?” he asked.
“Ajay Thakur, Sir. I have a residency spot in University of Pittsburgh in America that requires Letter of statement from this office.” I felt pity for my self-pity.
“I can’t promise but I will take a look, meet me tomorrow at 1 p.m.” he suggested.
I left with a whispering thank you.
Crash course of Nepali bureaucracy had lasted for at least two hours, but seemed longer to me, now with cumulous cloud of uncertainty - felt almost endless. What if they don’t change their mind tomorrow? It already had dragged longer than I expected. I remained anxiously hopeful in human fallibility, not just in virtues but also in their vice.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
The army waved at me on the way out of the building, the fact that they were protecting somebody like Nirakarman Shrestha was inexplicably incomprehensible to me. Embittered and filled with rage, I set to walk back to my clinic, following the curves at Singha durbar, in front of Bhrikuti Mandap and through Sahid gate. On the way, I noticed unusual nakedness of December trees, dishcloth Bhrikuti Mandap, and barrenness of Tundikhel. I noticed thick fog of pollution, barely seeing beyond a mile.... The constant honking of mini-bus terribly loud..... I noticed the street kids collecting plastic bags, running back and forth, across the street......they were so free, free of all the necessity to identify themselves of any relevance, and here I was, with profession of highest order in my country, carrying a meaningless piece of paper (citizenship card) which identified nothing. Nothingness loathed me, as I dragged on my feet.
I reached life care clinic looking sad. Rauniyar and Tripathi, still seeing their last patient, asked me “what happened?” They knew, I had gone to health ministry for a letter.
“They refused to give me letter, saying health ministry changed the law.” I said.
“My brother is a politician and he knows people, I will talk to him.” said Tripathi, looking at everyone in the room, but talking to me.
Conversation on the subject of prevailing prejudice and corruption lasted for another hour. Artless representation of their sympathy seemed to take a quality of identification, as if I gave them a chance to feel victimized. Whatever the merits of their argument, the skill with which it was put together made me uncomfortable. It gave me a sense that prejudice would yet prevail based on which side one is born; pahade vs. madheshi, high caste vs. low caste, politically connected vs. unconnected... so on and so forth. The distinctive ugliness of recrimination would fly thick and fast between these feuding classes even with reversal of their fate. It would read like a palindrome no matter what.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Despite all his education and authority, a psychiatrist by training, Shrestha had lacked any introspection into his own moral decay. But it wasn’t just the Shrestha that surprised me. It was also Tripathi whose abhorring counter arguments made me sick. His flattering effort to be useful and narcissistic account of political self absorption was disturbingly annoying.
At the moment it seemed to reduce me further, of any particular significance. He represented the phoniness of post-1990, prosperity and self satisfaction of few Madhesi over the wretchedness of multitudes. He belonged to class of people who always seemed to add to the insult of many for being insignificant without them. He equally lacked any reflection or earnestness, despite his impatient desire to show solidarity with me.
At 3.30 p.m., it was time for me to finish and go home.
As usual, I took the mini-bus to Jorpaty. I sat in one corner and opened the window. Whispering breeze filled with dust and smoke seemed to express some feelings- not the insolent kind, like the one I felt few minutes before. In that forty five minutes journey to my home, as a result of some interference in my hypothalamus, kinaesthesia impeded dysesthesia and my dizziness seemed to relieve. I liked the solitude of that moving bus.
I reached home, and Kavita was waiting for me, all excited to go out. Unable to commit anything, I simply said, I had a bad headache and lied on my bed. She brought me tea and sat beside me. Her body had softness and great warmth. As if fear of failure had caused an eruption of greater tenderness inside me, I held her tight and fell asleep...
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
I woke up about the dinner time, half delirious yet the throb of headache coursing through my head was impossible to ignore. I called my father from a local booth explaining the day. My father, realizing I was upset, tried to explain with lots of pause and silence on his end, letting un-intercepted ventilation. At times, he wondered if I was calling him from a prison, as the degree of abhorrence made him hard to believe, I came through all those perils unscathed. He saw the danger in my perverse insistence for the letter, as it might somehow be mistaken for an association with violent groups or the ongoing act of subversion, he thought. The conversation ended inconclusively, as to volunteer listening to him was too much an effort, I found.
I had lived my life unconcerned to the matters like this, at times, indifferent to my own Madheshi background, but now I felt so naive to suppose my indifference was shared by the people on other side of social geography. As a matter of fact, it was not too bad until I had a dream or a future. In Buffalo, I had witnessed a qualitative shift in the way some stranger would treat me, but here I was faced to seek the good of men filled with prejudice, as sanction for my right to pursue the future that I want. The burgeoning of a fragile dream seemed receding back, even before it had begun.
My father must have had his share of imposition; everyday refusal of acceptance, denial of a dignity, and so many other things he would never talk about. He had admirably adapted to its course, with the load of unearned guilt he came to deserve for belonging to Madhesh, and that had remained largely unknown to my grandfather. He endured it, without ever complaining; I was the one impatient kind, mistaking his carefulness for his lack of empathy in this capricious climate.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
It would become clear to me, in years to come, that survival depended on quality of his, in the places like Nepal, which I would have yet to learn.
All night, I could not sleep. I inhaled and held my breath, and then painfully releasing it, making Kavita acutely aware what was going through my mind. I tried to perceive the provenance of my contentious past, revisiting the history in absurdity. Next morning I felt worse. I asked Kavita if there was enough water for me to take a bathe, she said no. I dressed up and went to clinic disheveled; humidity made my cloth stick to my skin and it felt uncomfortable all day. Later at noon, I walked to the ministry again. The lady smiled and handed me a folder. I thanked her, in earnest.
Two months later, I was notified by ECFMG, about a mistake in that document, and it would need correction, my heart sank!!
#################################################
Brain drain, no doubt, is a tremendous problem and countries facing it are overwhelmingly undeveloped. Migration of human capital is the greatest loss. However, what one has to understand is that developing countries are poor not because everybody in those countries are poor, but because it has the worst economic and opportunity stratifications. The difference between rich and poor is not just the assets, but the distance and degree of access to the information and education and well beyond. An educated young man from privileged minority has easy transition into adult life within the country or outside; one from humble majority confronts obscurantism. (According to Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) 2003/04, during the last eight years, Gini-coefficient which shows the inequality of income distribution has increased from 0.34 to 0.41 which indicates that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased further.)
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
For all its benevolence, the entire philosophy of brain drain seemed to me, a cryptogram to coerce others or deny them the freedom of choice based on class. It bestowed favouritisms. It was pitiable for them to give me lectures about it, as I knew one of theirs daughter too was coming for the residency the same year. I am sure the law of the land didn’t apply to her.
#################################################
Janakpur is land of Maithili people. Mark Moxon in his travel diary wrote “Janakpur is an Indian town in all but geography”, that is part-true and part-tragic. Any central government treated this region as far from source of beauty and grace, not to mention, not sexy like mountains. (Tourism never happened in Madhesh). The fertile land was treated as mistake by all kinds of people in Government, and it was a liability to be born there, I would come to know.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Madhesi Self Hate
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Chapter 7: Letter From Ministry
It was one December morning, unusually bright, as the mist of pollution had settled down with the rains day before, making snow visible on the mountains far beyond in Nagarkot, like a deity. Sky was clear and spotless, sun felt cold as the wind blew unkindly. I put on my big jacket which I had bought in Buffalo.
It felt good walking and most things passed unnoticed, in the joyfulness of the morning.
Unlike most other ministries, health ministry was in a modern new building, with the red bricks wall. Just beside the main entrance, there was a small army post, with two army personnel pointing the gun towards the gate through a hole, each had the finger on their trigger; it seemed comical as it implied, they sure knew the trouble will start in the front. As I entered the gate, one of them called and asked me for the identity card. I showed my citizenship card. They inquired about the purpose of my visit. I need letter of statement from Health Ministry for my training in United States, said I. They were amused hearing United States. They asked with great interest about America.
With some brief, but delightful conversation on their calm curiosity, they asked me to sign my name and let me in. I walked to the information desk, and asked a smaller looking fat man behind the glass about the secretary’s office. The man was talking on the phone really loud, as if the person on the other end were deaf; his hands movement mimicking some kind of chorea, continued at his leisure showing no sign to end.
Seemingly annoyed at my intrusion, he pointed up with the fingers, with unrestrained irritability.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
I took stairs. There was no sign of inefficiency or lack of economy in the building; the erection of monument, for it’s paradox, was aesthetically indefensible as it represented health of a country where maternal mortality was still highest on this planet, but I invited no other thoughts beyond a shame. In few minutes, a man readily approached me and asked, if he can help. At the time of insurrection, strangers wandering in the building must have made him paranoid, but his tone lacked any of those concerns. He took me to Nirakarman Shrestha’s office, the health secretary then.
A gentle looking woman, in red sweater and red scarf, sat at a desk, in front of the secretary’s office. She was the personal assistant of Nirakar Man Shrestha. I approached her and explained to her about the letter. She seemed familiar with the kind, I was talking about. She asked me to come in a week, she will have it ready. The conversation was unusually simple and straight. Considering, I just had come from United States, still little delirious of its effects, her courteous manner struck me as Déjà Vu. I thanked her, promising to be back again. Next week, she told me that Dr Shrestha was on vacation, and I might have to wait another two weeks. I went back twice after that man had returned from his vacation, but couldn’t see him, as he was always in some kind of meetings; it frustrated me.
Almost after four weeks of my initial visit, I had a chance to see him. The meeting was marked by brevity and refusal to give me the letter I needed. He dismissed me saying “Nepali Government has decided not to issue the letter.”..... Law of the land changed overnight, but his curtness stunned me. He pressed a buzzer on his desk, the door opened and the secretary lady anxiously asked me to come out.
She had a look on her face “What happened?”, as for sure, she had not anticipated any problem.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Just few weeks old, I was puffed up with conceit, rapidly it evaporated like a monsoon rain in Terai. My rage was so acute to find the odd secrets of where I stood in my own country, that my pride receded in disappointment and my worthiness filled suddenly with doubts.
“We could do nothing without his signature.”- She told me, in a casual easiness, as if her perverse sympathy begged the conclusion of a justifiable horror. I looked back on her, ungrateful and unimpressed. For few minutes, couldn’t think straight, knowing not what to do, I implied not leaving until I see someone else.
She showed weariness to the vicissitudes of event, but her promptness to admit the unacquaintedness of similar case gave me a fresh misery and strengthened the distaste of everything and everyone around. I was furious, knowing most people, who applied for the same letter, had received without any inconvenience before.
Confused lady hurriedly took me to different office, seemingly, happy to get rid of me, at the time.
This new person (I hardly remember his name) seemed to have a good eye contact, and was engaging in conversation.
With a degree of moderation and composure, which seemed consistent with the common feelings of an educated man, he offered to explain, at times, in a tangential manner, about the brain drain. His lecture lasted about twenty minutes before he asked me anything.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
One was utterly rude and hostile, another was articulate with ostentatious wit; message was plain and simple. I felt betrayed by own health ministry. The concept of brain drain seemed to have been constructed to coerce me, and I, surely, made no effort to appreciate it’s austerity.
Unrestrained anger, I could feel a throb chocking my throat during his lecture. He was done talking.
“What is your Name?” he asked.
“Ajay Thakur, Sir. I have a residency spot in University of Pittsburgh in America that requires Letter of statement from this office.” I felt pity for my self-pity.
“I can’t promise but I will take a look, meet me tomorrow at 1 p.m.” he suggested.
I left with a whispering thank you.
Crash course of Nepali bureaucracy had lasted for at least two hours, but seemed longer to me, now with cumulous cloud of uncertainty - felt almost endless. What if they don’t change their mind tomorrow? It already had dragged longer than I expected. I remained anxiously hopeful in human fallibility, not just in virtues but also in their vice.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
The army waved at me on the way out of the building, the fact that they were protecting somebody like Nirakarman Shrestha was inexplicably incomprehensible to me. Embittered and filled with rage, I set to walk back to my clinic, following the curves at Singha durbar, in front of Bhrikuti Mandap and through Sahid gate. On the way, I noticed unusual nakedness of December trees, dishcloth Bhrikuti Mandap, and barrenness of Tundikhel. I noticed thick fog of pollution, barely seeing beyond a mile.... The constant honking of mini-bus terribly loud..... I noticed the street kids collecting plastic bags, running back and forth, across the street......they were so free, free of all the necessity to identify themselves of any relevance, and here I was, with profession of highest order in my country, carrying a meaningless piece of paper (citizenship card) which identified nothing. Nothingness loathed me, as I dragged on my feet.
I reached life care clinic looking sad. Rauniyar and Tripathi, still seeing their last patient, asked me “what happened?” They knew, I had gone to health ministry for a letter.
“They refused to give me letter, saying health ministry changed the law.” I said.
“My brother is a politician and he knows people, I will talk to him.” said Tripathi, looking at everyone in the room, but talking to me.
Conversation on the subject of prevailing prejudice and corruption lasted for another hour. Artless representation of their sympathy seemed to take a quality of identification, as if I gave them a chance to feel victimized. Whatever the merits of their argument, the skill with which it was put together made me uncomfortable. It gave me a sense that prejudice would yet prevail based on which side one is born; pahade vs. madheshi, high caste vs. low caste, politically connected vs. unconnected... so on and so forth. The distinctive ugliness of recrimination would fly thick and fast between these feuding classes even with reversal of their fate. It would read like a palindrome no matter what.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Despite all his education and authority, a psychiatrist by training, Shrestha had lacked any introspection into his own moral decay. But it wasn’t just the Shrestha that surprised me. It was also Tripathi whose abhorring counter arguments made me sick. His flattering effort to be useful and narcissistic account of political self absorption was disturbingly annoying.
At the moment it seemed to reduce me further, of any particular significance. He represented the phoniness of post-1990, prosperity and self satisfaction of few Madhesi over the wretchedness of multitudes. He belonged to class of people who always seemed to add to the insult of many for being insignificant without them. He equally lacked any reflection or earnestness, despite his impatient desire to show solidarity with me.
At 3.30 p.m., it was time for me to finish and go home.
As usual, I took the mini-bus to Jorpaty. I sat in one corner and opened the window. Whispering breeze filled with dust and smoke seemed to express some feelings- not the insolent kind, like the one I felt few minutes before. In that forty five minutes journey to my home, as a result of some interference in my hypothalamus, kinaesthesia impeded dysesthesia and my dizziness seemed to relieve. I liked the solitude of that moving bus.
I reached home, and Kavita was waiting for me, all excited to go out. Unable to commit anything, I simply said, I had a bad headache and lied on my bed. She brought me tea and sat beside me. Her body had softness and great warmth. As if fear of failure had caused an eruption of greater tenderness inside me, I held her tight and fell asleep...
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
I woke up about the dinner time, half delirious yet the throb of headache coursing through my head was impossible to ignore. I called my father from a local booth explaining the day. My father, realizing I was upset, tried to explain with lots of pause and silence on his end, letting un-intercepted ventilation. At times, he wondered if I was calling him from a prison, as the degree of abhorrence made him hard to believe, I came through all those perils unscathed. He saw the danger in my perverse insistence for the letter, as it might somehow be mistaken for an association with violent groups or the ongoing act of subversion, he thought. The conversation ended inconclusively, as to volunteer listening to him was too much an effort, I found.
I had lived my life unconcerned to the matters like this, at times, indifferent to my own Madheshi background, but now I felt so naive to suppose my indifference was shared by the people on other side of social geography. As a matter of fact, it was not too bad until I had a dream or a future. In Buffalo, I had witnessed a qualitative shift in the way some stranger would treat me, but here I was faced to seek the good of men filled with prejudice, as sanction for my right to pursue the future that I want. The burgeoning of a fragile dream seemed receding back, even before it had begun.
My father must have had his share of imposition; everyday refusal of acceptance, denial of a dignity, and so many other things he would never talk about. He had admirably adapted to its course, with the load of unearned guilt he came to deserve for belonging to Madhesh, and that had remained largely unknown to my grandfather. He endured it, without ever complaining; I was the one impatient kind, mistaking his carefulness for his lack of empathy in this capricious climate.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
It would become clear to me, in years to come, that survival depended on quality of his, in the places like Nepal, which I would have yet to learn.
All night, I could not sleep. I inhaled and held my breath, and then painfully releasing it, making Kavita acutely aware what was going through my mind. I tried to perceive the provenance of my contentious past, revisiting the history in absurdity. Next morning I felt worse. I asked Kavita if there was enough water for me to take a bathe, she said no. I dressed up and went to clinic disheveled; humidity made my cloth stick to my skin and it felt uncomfortable all day. Later at noon, I walked to the ministry again. The lady smiled and handed me a folder. I thanked her, in earnest.
Two months later, I was notified by ECFMG, about a mistake in that document, and it would need correction, my heart sank!!
#################################################
Brain drain, no doubt, is a tremendous problem and countries facing it are overwhelmingly undeveloped. Migration of human capital is the greatest loss. However, what one has to understand is that developing countries are poor not because everybody in those countries are poor, but because it has the worst economic and opportunity stratifications. The difference between rich and poor is not just the assets, but the distance and degree of access to the information and education and well beyond. An educated young man from privileged minority has easy transition into adult life within the country or outside; one from humble majority confronts obscurantism. (According to Nepal Living Standard Survey (NLSS) 2003/04, during the last eight years, Gini-coefficient which shows the inequality of income distribution has increased from 0.34 to 0.41 which indicates that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased further.)
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
For all its benevolence, the entire philosophy of brain drain seemed to me, a cryptogram to coerce others or deny them the freedom of choice based on class. It bestowed favouritisms. It was pitiable for them to give me lectures about it, as I knew one of theirs daughter too was coming for the residency the same year. I am sure the law of the land didn’t apply to her.
#################################################
Janakpur is land of Maithili people. Mark Moxon in his travel diary wrote “Janakpur is an Indian town in all but geography”, that is part-true and part-tragic. Any central government treated this region as far from source of beauty and grace, not to mention, not sexy like mountains. (Tourism never happened in Madhesh). The fertile land was treated as mistake by all kinds of people in Government, and it was a liability to be born there, I would come to know.
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Enduring Everest By Ajay Thakur
Madhesi Self Hate
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Nepalis In New York And The NRN Movement
New York City For Barack Obama 1-10
Staff, Volunteers, Elected Officials
DL21C Annual Summer Bash: Barack Won The Straw Poll
The conversation made me think though. I was the only Nepali in America to have worked full time for Nepal's democracy movement of 2006, and later the Madhesi movement. But my style was one of digital activism. I did not join any organization.
I have a newfound interest in Nepal. That's there. But it is hard for me to ignore some of the very real issues the Nepali community in New York City, in America, and the world at large grapples with. Instead of being the best and the brightest who went global and are willing and able to lead Nepal to an era of rapid economic growth, we find little gatherings of locally relatively well to do homesick Nepalis begging the Nepali establishment in Kathmandu for very basic rights. Much of that comes from how we have attempted to organize ourselves. There has been no desire to go mass based. A lacking culture of basic democracy, transparency and egalitarianism has been holding us back.
Kiva Is In Nepal
There are no rich Nepalis in America. If there were, I'd have read about them in some magazine. I never have. So for people who might be in professional white collar jobs to dissociate from the masses who might be working below minimum wage salaries is not classist. It is self destructive behavior. Because the power rests in mass organizing. Power is in numbers. Unless Nepalis get organized in large numbers, we can not better our situation locally, and we can not earn our rights inside Nepal, and we can not help Nepal in major ways.
The well and alive anti Madhesi prejudice among the diaspora Nepalis is another self destructive behavior. Unless the Nepalis in New York City claim their larger South Asian identity, they are not going anywhere. Working for Indian bosses by the day, and talking hate speech against them by the night are not exactly the way to go.
I have no desire to become yet another token Madhesi in New York City. I was one of Barack Obama's top volunteers in the city. This is a city where Indians matter little, and Nepalis are not even on the map anywhere. There has to be an acknowledgment among the Pahadis that things were and are wrong in Nepal and that is why you see so few Madhesis in New York City. Talking hate speech is not how you express that acknowledgment. And there has to be a sense of mutual respect. And we have to forge a new Nepali identity. And that is how we can become better organized.
There are about 50,000 Nepalis in New York City. Most of them party in small groups about once a a week. Identify those party organizers. Every Nepali in the city has a mobile phone. Those parties and those phones are the key to going mass based in terms of organization. 50 white collar Nepalis meeting in some five star hotel is not my idea of a mass based organization. And for as long as we don't go mass based, we will stay largely irrelevant.
Nepali Slaves In The Middle East
Image via Wikipedia
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)