I have to admit, I am impressed. I hadn’t held high hopes for the summit talks to conclude in a positive note, let alone reach an agreement in the many contentious issues from arms management to the fate of monarchy. I also believed that talks for a temporary parliament would only provide with more hurdles […]
daulat
CPI 2006 – Nepal Ranks 121st
Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) 2006 is out, and I guess we Nepalese can be glad that we haven’t done any worse than before. But then, we haven’t done any better either. Nepal still has a score of 2.5 (10 being the least corrupt) and ranks 121 out of 163 nations. Bangladesh and Pakistan […]
Open Discussion –Worshipping Kumari
The Supreme Court has suggested the formation of a committee to investigate the practice of Kumari worship in response to a petition that said the tradition violated human rights norms and that the chosen girls suffer from psychological damage. The Newari community maintains that it is a time honored tradition. Please use the comments section […]
Holy Cow!!
Nepal is notorious for its slow legal procedure, often taking years to decide even a minor case. But half a year ago, on April 3rd, acting with astonishing speed, a verdict was passed within two weeks against a 50 year old woman of Tibetian origin sentencing her to 12 years in prision. Her crime – cow slaughter. Evidence – some beef sukuti found in her house. The story of Kripa Bhoteni was well publicized in the international media, though it failed to attract much attention in Nepal.
Backlash against Change
There seems to be a sudden trend of backlash against the progressive ideologies put forward by the Maoists, and the popular mandate (a slippery term) of the April Uprising.
Play Review – Jeevan Dekhi Jeevan Samma
I had heard a lot about Sama Gurukul. It is supposed to be an artistic hub of Kathmandu, like City Lights of San Francisco in the 60s. So when I heard that a play, Jeevan Dekhi Jeevan Samma, was being performed there, I was excited to go see it. It was written by Prof. Abhi Subedi and directed by Sunil Pokhrel, Nepal’s most renowned theatre director. Furthermore, I had read some glowing reviews of the play in Nepali newspapers. As it turned out, it was a disappointing experience.
Janakpur – A City in Flux
When I returned to Janakpur after five years, I was surprised to see that not much had changed in the city. True, new houses were being built in the outskirts of the city which was slowly but surely sprawling towards the outlying villages. A few new shops with large glass windows decorated with fashionably clothed mannequins had opened up in the heart of the city.
Lessons from Lebanon
The picture stares out at me from the computer. It is of a child, a dead child. She is being carried by a middle-aged man. He extends her towards the camera. Her arms are stretched to the sides, eerily resembling Christ’s crucifixion. Grey dust covers her hair. Her head looks down. The man holding her is looking to the side, his flushed face both angry and grieving.
The Plague of the White Sun
I tried to crawl towards her. I dug my fingers into the hard frosty soil, and nudged my body an inch further. Then my strength gave away. My body was wet with cold sweat, and darkness closed in on my eyes.
Anger in the Streets, Once Again
A clear example was Sher Bahadur Deuba’s hesitancy to terminate any association of the monarchy with the army by revoking his post of ‘supreme commander-in-chief’. Today, people are spontaneously out in the streets venting anger while the party sits in yet another meeting to decide which names are to be proposed for what portfolios in the current cabinet.