Ye To Had Ho Gayee

This video clip has been making the rounds right now among some Nepalis.



Some people are rightly offended. But those same people were okay when artists like Santosh Pant made fun of the Madhesis on TV. This particular clip does not have it, but the program did.



And then there is this.



An American getting offended that Nepal's Kumari got stripped of her spiritual status because she visited the US is not insulting, I don't think it is. Really though, why would you strip Kumari's status just because she visited some country? And I don't think Colbert is acting offended, I think he is trying to act funny.

People have a right to burn flags. It is called free speech.

And this offended some Indians, take this.

Related articles

• Issues of Nationalism in Nepal (my perspective) (latenightthought.wordpress.com)

Baburam Compared To Barack

Haaretz: The audacity of hope in Nepal

It is hard to think of two cultures more dissimilar than those of America and Nepal. The first glorifies an individual's ability to change in order to get ahead and overcome the many obstacles in his path. Therefore there is no story more beloved than a "Cinderella" tale: Against all the odds, thanks only to their abilities, a poor person breaks through and achieves amazing things. Nepalese culture, however, sanctifies the individual's ability to accept and come to terms with the way things are in a way that will not damage the purity of his soul. You're in distress? Don't fight it; learn to live with it. Change will come only in the inner realm of the soul.

While the Americans glorify deeds, the Nepalis believe in miracles. Acceptable behavior is also entirely different: If the American is extroverted, the Nepali is introverted. If the American extravagantly shares all his troubles and achievements, the Nepali hides them. In many senses, these two cultures operate in parallel universes.

"There, in the university's fine library, I encountered a small book about a person I had never heard of before," Bhattarai said, "and it shook up my life. This was the biography of Che Guevara, and after I read it I swore to do everything in my power to help my people live in real economic and social freedom."

The hopes attached to him compete only with those pinned on his colleague on the other side of the globe, United States President Barack Obama. It is with good reason he is called "the Nepali Obama" here. Like Obama, Bhattarai is a rare combination of a man of the book and a man of deeds. And like Obama, he too attributes importance to symbolic measures. When he was elected, he preferred to do without an official car and instead continued to travel in a locally made car, without air-conditioning.

...... the idea of a "first lady" is also foreign to Nepalese culture.

...... nearly 60 percent of Nepalese people live below the poverty line.

Traditional agriculture is still the main source of employment for more than 80 percent of the citizens and added to this is the difficulty in recruiting foreign investment because of the small size of the economy, the geographic remoteness, the absence of infrastructures within the country and the considerable exposure to natural disasters.

Related articles

• Why Baburam Bhattarai is Better Still? (backstreeetboy.wordpress.com)
• Myriad challenges facing new Nepal PM Baburam Bhattarai - BBC News (news.google.com)
• Ahmadinejad in Nepal! (backstreeetboy.wordpress.com)
• Chairman Kiran and Prime Minister Bhattarai (backstreeetboy.wordpress.com)
• Prime Minister Baburam in India: Agreements Signed and Some Photos Clicked (com.np)
• Another week of disappointing news from the Subcontinent. (aminaelahi.com)
• Nepal PM makes new peace pledge (bbc.co.uk)
• Everything You Wanted to Know about Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai (and his Mustang Car) (com.np)
• Baburam Bhattarai, Nepal Maoists Deputy Chief, Sworn In As Prime Minister (huffingtonpost.com)
• Nepal parliament elects Maoist prime minister (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)

Badhai Jiba Lamichhane Lai

Lamichhane elected NRNA prez
NRN Event At Thakali Kitchen
Darshan Rauniyar For Congress
ANA Convention: Reflections
ANA Convention: My Hamro Nepal Speech

Brikhesh Chandra Lal On The New Alliance

NRN Event At Thakali Kitchen

I happened by the NRN event at the Thakali Kitchen yesterday. I was out and about taking pictures when two people from out of town - Ratan Jha and Mukesh Singh - showed up on my camera's screen.

I show up for events. I don't join organizations. That has been my style. That was my style also when I was doing full time work for Nepal's democracy and Madhesi movements.

It was good to see people like Temba Sherpa do a major membership drive for the NRN organization in the city recently. Nepali organizations in the diaspora tend not to be mass based. And Nepalis in the city are light years away from even wanting - let alone achieving - voting rights in this city. That probably is my number one reason to not become a formal part of the NRN movement, and to stay put with my limited involvement at the city level in mainstream politics.

The NRN movement has fundamental deficiencies. The urge for "consensus" instead of going for democratic, competitive elections hinders progress. Getting along is more important than getting things done. And so you end up with an organizational culture of homesick people who pour enormous energies to put together events so they can meet each other in person. Nothing wrong with all that bonding, but if that ends up the primary purpose of the organization big things are not attempted.

Another major deficiency is the lack of use of social media. People should not have to travel nationally and globally to get active with the organization. This was not the first time Ratanji had suggested his ability to travel was his number one claim to a leadership position. It ought not be that way.

Everyone took turns to speak. I made the shortest of comments. I welcome all those who are here from outside the city, I said. And that is all I said.

The dinner was nice. I got to meet a relative who I did not even know was in New Jersey. I got to sit next to someone with whom I had an email exchange a year ago. I had never met her, never seen her picture.

The NRN movement lacks bigness of vision, and that comes from its lack of grassroots spread, and the stifling of basic democratic processes. There ought be vigorous debates and voting, not "consensus."

Baburam Bhattarai: Good News

May 29, 2011: Where To From Here?
March 20, 2005: Doing Business With Baburam Bhattarai

The guy is honest. He is smart. He is a communist, but he is not dogmatic. He is socially progressive. A few years back he compared the plight of the Madhesis in Nepal with the blacks in South Africa during the apartheid regime.

For the first time I am feeling like the peace process in Nepal might finally pick up pace. This alliance between the Maoists and the Madhesi parties also makes sense politically on the ground. The Maoists rule the hills and the western Terai, the Madhesi parties hold sway over the rest of the Terai. The Maoists compete with the Congress and the UML in their strongholds, the Madhesi parties compete with the Congress and the UML, but primarily the Congress in their strongholds. This Maoist-Madhesi alliance might prove relevant also after the parliamentary elections after the new constitution. The Congress and the UML are the parties of the 1990 constitution. The Maoists and the Madhesis are the parties of the constituent assembly. The Congress and the UML disliked the idea of a constituent assembly for as long as they possibly could. They both came to the idea of federalism kicking and screaming.

This prime minister and this alliance could see a full four year term after the next parliamentary elections. But first the work on the constitution.

The Madhesi parties' primarily tussle continues to be with the Nepali Congress. It is not with each other.

NepalNews

Bhattarai elected new Prime Minister of Nepal: Bhattarai received 340 votes while Poudel received 235 votes. .... In addition to his party UCPN (Maoist) which has 237 lawmakers in the 595-member Constituent Assembly, United Democratic Madhesi Front with 65 lawmakers and few fringe parties had also supported Bhattarai. ..... Bhattarai was born in a village called Belbas in Khoplang VDC of Gorkha District on May 26, 1954. He was born in a low - middle class peasant family .... He scored the highest marks among total examinees in SLC examination conducted in 1970 and topped the I.Sc board again in Amrit Science Campus, Kathmandu.

SC trashes petition challenging legality of CA tenure extension
Baburam Bhattarai’s profile: Bhattarai was elected from Gurkha-2 in the CA elections held in 2008 with the 80 percent of votes cast in his constituency
Peace, constitution and relief to people are top priorities, Bhattarai says after getting elected as PM
Dahal heaps praise on Bhattarai: "A-one candidate". .... Dahal also said that his party was in favour of consensus to take the peace process and constitution-drafting even as the government is formed on the basis of majority. ..... Speaking in the House before Dahal, Bhattarai said he was not in favour of majority government personally.

Madhesi Front declares support to Bhattarai; UML goes with NC: five UDMF leaders ..... both sides agreed to negotiate to determine the ranks of Maoist combatants going for integration and to reduce the number for integration up to 7000 from the proposed 8000. .... They also agreed to make the public services inclusive and start inclusion of Madhesis in Nepal Army by fixing a certain number.

Republica

Small cabinet to be sworn in Monday: an agreement has been reached to give 11 ministries to the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF). The new cabinet is also likely to get four deputy prime ministers. .... Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar from the MPRF-Democratic, Upendra Yadav from MPRF-Nepal, JP Gupta MPRF-Republican and one from the Maoist party are the strong contenders for the deputy prime minister. .... The Maoist party is likely to send its Vice-chairman Narayankaji Shrestha into the cabinet as the deputy prime minister .... there is a tussle between Upendra Yadav and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar over who gets to become senior in the cabinet. Yadav may send another party leader into the cabinet if he doesn´t get a position senior to Gachchhadar in the cabinet.

Madhesi alliance to decide its vote Sunday: the Madhesi leaders proposed to the Maoist leadership that a directorate under the Nepal Army should be formed to accommodate 6,000 personnel each from the security agencies, the Maoist combatants and the Madhesi community. That means the directorate will have 18,000 personnel. ..... the alliance has proposed that such a directorate should be mandated to work in the field of development and industry. They have clearly stated in their proposal that such a force will not have any mandate for border security and any combat role. The Maoists, in their proposal made public Thursday, sought to give a general military mandate to such a directorate. ...... Madhesi leaders Jitendra Dev, Laxman Lal Karna and Hrideyesh Tripathi prepared the amended proposal. .... the Madhesi parties have also sought from the Maoist party an agreement on sharing constitutional appointments and other governmental appointments.

Maoists, Madhesis ink four-point deal: no citizen will be deprived of their land ownership, besides agreeing on giving "special" relief for those affected by the Maoist insurgency, Madhes movement and Janjati movement...... "All the court cases against those involved in the Maoist insurgency, Madhes movement, Janjati movement, Tharuhat movement and Dalit and Pichadabarga movements will be dropped and they will be given general amnesty," the second point of the agreement reads. ..... uphold universal fundamental rights, constitutional supremacy, rule of law, press freedom, accountable judiciary, inclusive democracy autonomous states with right to self-determination and competitive politics

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Bits And Pieces

Wormholes And The Dollar A Day People
The Most Powerful Scene In Interstellar
My New Startup
How Will America Benefit?
BNKS' Gift To Me
Chinatown: My Favorite Part Of Manhattan
$100 Billion Plan To Save The World

The Google/Facebook Of Microfinance
Seeking Head Of State Like Powers
My Web Diagram
Social Concentric Circles
Wearing Black
Black Friday
My Failures
Larry Ellison's 1995 Network Computer Vision
Eric Schmidt's Cloud Computing And My IC Vision
Google's Newest Venture: Google Ventures
Permanent War
54 Followers On Angel List
The Significance Of Eating An Apple
The Subway, The Mobile Phone: NYC, The Global South
Top Influencer During Social Media Week? Moi

Me In The New York Times
Paul Graham, Brad Feld, Me, BBC
Netizen Has Arrived: A Link From AVC

New York City
The White Male Conundrum
White Male Conspiracy To Drive Me Homeless
Truly Disruptive
Race, Gender, Tech (2)
So I Did It
At The Buspark (2)
At The Buspark (2), Kentucky Blues
At The Buspark
1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2007

Hitting The Road
Big Rig
My Hurricane Story
Driving Coast To Coast
My 9/11 Story

So Much For The Butterfly Effect
One More Immigration Court Date
Kentucky Blues
Southern Hospitality
Third World Guy
Enemy Of The State
The First Time I Heard The Obama Name
Larry Shinn
Larry Ellison
Larry Insane
Larry Ellison's Personal Life
Tim Berners-Lee: The Internet Is Not A Country
DL21C: Enemy Organization
What Is Racism?

A Statement For My Next Immigration Court Date

Family, Internet, New York City
The Democratic Party Died For Me In 2008
Berea College Died For Me During Five Minutes With Virgil Burnside
Budhanilkantha School Died For Me On The Kanchenjunga Balcony
Budhanilkantha School (2)

March 8, 2012: Next Immigration Court Date
Using Political Contacts To Beat The Immigration Beast
Questions Prepared By My Lawyer For Immigration Court Date Tomorrow
Immigration Court Date: June 6, 2011: Prepared Statement
June 3 Immigration Court Date
Immigration Mess/Humiliation And Window Shopped Tech Entrepreneurship
My Non Personhood Of 2009, 2010
A Life Of Poverty
April 22 Immigration Court Date
Immigration Is Today's Civil Rights Movement
June 3 Immigration Court Date
An Event Invite From DL21C: This Can't Be Real
A MLK Style Death Awaits Me In Nepal
Jail Time
A Political Immigration Detention
Letter To The Department Of Homeland Security
Freedom, Finally

Robin Hood: My German Nickname

"Do You Have An Email Address?"
"Can You Understand This?"
"Bring Home An African Next Time"
Padgurum
Hawai Chappal
Deaths In The Family
How My Grandfather Became Mayor The First Time
Gonu Jha
Hum Jayega Burnt His Ears
"Thanks For Asking"
Prax
मोदी के चाय दोकान पे चर्चा
पप्पु यादव: Persona Non Grata?

Raksha Bandhan 2011 In Boston
Madhesi Self Hate

At The Buspark (2)

At The Buspark (2), Kentucky Blues
At The Buspark

The legend has it I got beat up at the buspark and that is where it all started.

The truth is nobody laid hands on me. My classmates who plotted the whole thing were so scared of me they did not bother showing up themselves. They knew they had to come back to school once the vacation was over. Where were they gonna go?

Another meme has it that my grades nosedived because I started chasing girls. It was an all boys boarding school.

A third story line says I was not a math and science guy. I was an English Literature person. And so I did not do well for the A Levels Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The truth is that for the nationwide exam I sat for at the end of the year my score for science was the highest in class. I failed O Levels English Literature.

But let's start with the bare facts. I never hit anyone. No one at any point ever hit me. I never got into any fight. I never feared anyone while at school, before, during and after. I was always this natural leader type person with plenty of friends. Until people with a combined age of a few centuries ganged up on me.

Something big did happen at the buspark. My sports captain, someone who shared my ethnicity, was chased to be beat up. A student from my hostel a few years junior to me was humiliated at the buspark. The guy's reaction to the incident was that he lost his mind over the years.

Something very wrong happened at the buspark. Something much worse happened at the school before and after. And it was not from the students. It was from the motherfucking Pahadi Bahun teachers who ran the place.

It is important for me to bring this up. Students/classmates I had beat year after year for seven years to that point a few years later went to Harvard, Stanford and everything in between. My solace is that many of them ended up with brand names like Apple, Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, but not one ever thought in terms of creating one. It is called the road less taken. I have not created one either, but I have said I will. I got time. I am only now getting started. You could go work for Apple, or you could create an Apple.

Like I say, Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, I never went to Harvard. That makes me one better than Bill Gates in the out of the box thinking department. A Nepali - not a grad of that high school - who is a Harvard MBA now living in Seattle recently reported to me that some of my friends describe me as "the smartest person ever to have attended Budhanilkantha School."

The housemaster of the red house - this motherfucking Bahun by the name of Jiwan Raj Wagle - was the original mastermind of the buspark incident. During the weeks prior he apparently told his students, "Do what you have to do outside of the school compound!"

And so some of his students volunteered to orchestrate the buspark incident. My vice captain, who was from Kathmandu valley, tricked the perpetrators into writing an apology letter to the school authorities not long after it happened. They promptly owned up to the whole thing.

So now the school authorities had everything they needed to take action.

Instead they suspended my sports captain. A few weeks later they suspended me. Then they suspended my vice captain.

I have immense hatred for the Bahuns like Jiwan Raj Wagle and Sudarshan Risal. What those motherfuckers started was a family feud. And they found a ready ally in the white male headmaster.

First they wanted to kick me out of school. Then they said let him finish the school year and then let's kick him out. Finally they suspended me from my office of House Captain.

It was the strangest experience. I had not participated in any fight. I had not hit anyone. No one had hit me. I had not organized any protest later. I had felt bad about the injustice later, but I had kept my feelings to myself. I was gearing up for the end of year exams instead. And they still did what they did.

What happened was the entire establishment, the Pahadi/Bahun establishment started seeing me as a future Prime Minister, and they decided it was best to nip the bud early. And so they came after me full force. Nepal has never had a Madhesi Prime Minister.

It was a nexus of the Pahadi Bahun and the White Male. One Britisher once called me "Napoleon" a year or two later. Apparently my year as House Captain had threatened the White Male order in the world. He also compared me to Maradona. Maradona was relentlessly fouled on the soccer field. He suggested it was like that.

"Don't you miss it when we used to rule India?" he asked another Britisher in my presence months after I was done with school. This was in Thamel, Kathmandu.

I only came to America after he left Nepal. He was the college counselor. Before the final exams for A Levels, there were the trial exams. It was grades from these that went to the US and UK colleges. When you scored a BCC, the school gave you ABB since it was thought you would improve two months later and people did. I scored CDD. Everyone else's grades got jacked up by one, this guy left my grades at CDD. The day before the finals began he yelled at me so hard he woke up people asleep one floor up. He spoiled my week. I graduated with EEE. After school I did political work and wrote a 100 page book and applied. I got myself admitted to the top Economics department in the world, "not for your numbers, but your actions and words." The school awarded five seats and three scholarships. One of the five declined because he wanted to go to India. One guy readily took the scholarship and went to Chicago. One Bahun took the offer, went to Chicago, and came right back to go to medical school in India. He invested in round trip airfare to spoil it for me. If the Pahadi Bahun White Male nexus had not spoilt it for me yet one more time I might have met Barack Obama at Chicago. And he might never have become president. (The First Time I Heard The Obama Name)

There was this guy Anil, classmate. If I were as good at soccer as he was, I thought, I would not spend as much time as he did at the Computer Center, I'd be out on the soccer field. I mean, this guy was our Bill Gates. He was the out of the box guy, passionate about computers and electronics. This white guy once yelled into his ears so bad Anil went to Japan for college, the rest of the crowd headed west.

That yelling was child abuse. Anil was not legally an adult yet.

It was like they stabbed a dagger into my thigh with the buspark incident and I reeled for the rest of my time there. I might have been depressed at some level. It is this experience from where I derive my intense political affinity for women. The illogic of the injustice made me feel very out of place in the logics of Physics, Chemistry and Biology. I went through the motions of my science classes like Galileo going through the motions of church services. He instead focused on the swinging pendulum. I saw water but did not have the vocabulary for it, so I did not know what it was that I was seeing. I took the emotional hits but it was long years before I had the words to articulate what might have happened.

I have thought in terms of political warfare. If I had the mind to do so well in academics and in group dynamics, the positive kind, maybe I can apply that same mind to political warfare and drive home the message to those Pahadis, those Bahuns. It is still not too late. This fight could go generations. I could fucking colonize their backyards.

This was also my introduction to the White Male. I was reintroduced to the White Male later in Kentucky.

One line of attack was that I was an out of the valley guy, I did not have connections in Kathmandu, and so the mishap fell in my lap. That was not the case. My vice captain was from the valley. There were as many connected Kathmandu valley people in my blue house as there were in the red house.

And a prince classmate threw his weight behind me. His father was brother to the king. The country was no democracy. In many ways his father was the most powerful man in the country. This prince got a body builder type to show up at school and go scare the people in the red house.

The white male headmaster suspended the prince. This prince, son to the most powerful man in the country, was not too connected to not be suspended, but the minions in the red house were too connected? That argument flies in the face of logic.

They came after me, they came individually after me. They formed an alliance of the Pahadi Bahun and the White Male because both felt their places in the world threatened by an under age guy who had just given them the best year any House Captain ever in school history.

And so I say nuke that high school. My idea of nuking would be to see a day when every page in every textbook is online, accessible to anyone and everyone. I think I already have seen that day. It is called the Wikipedia.

Darshan Rauniyar For Congress

Facebook Photo Album

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.

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

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 Favorite Retweet ReplyUjwal Thapa
ujwalthapa

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.

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.

Related articles

• Maoists join Nepal government (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)
• Save Baburam Bhattarai! (backstreeetboy.wordpress.com)
• Nepal's former Prime Minister Bhattarai dies at 87 (msnbc.msn.com)
• Nepal election stalemate a setback for Maoists - Christian Science Monitor (news.google.com)

Finally A Janajati Party

Image via Wikipedia

Republica: 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.

Related articles

• Political turmoil looms over Nepal's peaks (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Constituent Assembly: The Day the Deadline Expires (com.np)
• Nepal's women have a voice in politics but no one is listening (guardian.co.uk)
• Nepal Maoists storm Indian hydropower office (redantliberationarmy.wordpress.com)

CK Lal: New School Event: April 30

Masu-Bhat and homeland politics

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!!

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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.

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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