Monday, January 16, 2006

Symposium At Columbia








My Proposal To The Saturday Symposium At Columbia
Anand Bist, Troublemaker

I was so excited I could hardly sleep the night before. I dozed off for a few hours during the wee hours of morning. I was the first person to show after Niraula and Son. I showed up half an hour early. Sometimes they do construction work during the weekends, so I made time for train delays, but there were none.

Dr. Tara Niraula is one of those establishment figures on the Nepali scene in the city. Plus he speaks with the perfection of those who host cultural programs, announcing song and dance sequences. Dr. Niraula teased me that he was telling someone the evening before that I might be the first to show.

The setting was great. The format was excellent. It was not like you go sit and all these brainiacs try to fill up your empty brains. It was interactive. There were moderators, and some of us volunteered to provide slave labor to write ideas down on the white board as they got read out. But mostly everyone participated, literally everyone, not just the lound and vocal ones. There were specific topics. And you had a folder, and pieces of paper. For each topic you were given 10 minutes to write down all your ideas. All got collected. Then the moderator read them out and the ideas got written down on the road for all to see. Then discussions would ensue for about 40 minutes.

This format made it possible for it to be an all day event and still worth it.

And there was classy New York pizza for lunch. Breakfast was available. Tea, coffee, bakery products. Sweet stuff.

Dignitaries like Shyam Karki and Murari Sharma showed up. Also a bunch of the professorial class, like Shiva Gautam who teaches at Harvard. Names I had encountered online I was meeting in person.

"Now I need to meet that other celebrity diplomat, Kul Chandra Gautam," I teased Murariji at the end, on our way out.

Shyam Karki came to the US before Microsoft got founded. He is one of those establishment Nepalis on the national scene going international. He is a pleasant person. He was in Rochester for a long time, now in Baltimore. He knows Congressman Walsh (Write A Thank You Email To Congressman Walsh). Walsh speaks Nepali, has done a Peace Corps stint in Nepal, and has a soft spot in his heart for Nepal.

Shyamji praised my handwriting during the topic he moderated. Neki aur poochh poochh.

I took a ton of pictures. More importantly I was on assignment by Samudaya to record the entire event on audio which I did. All that will be online soon. So I am not going to talk too much about the substance of the discussions. Get your own taste of it on audio.

It was a pleasant and productive day.

I got to meet a movie star, Sudhanshu Joshi. How often does that happen? He has this Rajesh Hamal air about him. He got his training in New York. He makes movies both in Nepal and in the US.

There were hard core republicans like Anil Shahi, Sanjaya Parajuli and Deepak Khadka, but there was also a lot of sentiment for a ceremonial monarchy. Me? I am staunchly republican after the king wasted the ceasefire. My point being you can not offer a ceremonial monarchy to a king who clearly wishes an activist role for himself.

I told a few people I was Laloo Ka Aadmi. "All you say here gets reported to Laloo!"

Many good ideas came out. But at the end of the day you are only offering moral support to the democracy movement in Nepal. I am sorry the crowd did not come strongly for providing logistical support to the movement. The day was not designed to end with that conclusion either. But I think a lot of the shift will take place in follow-up emails and phone calls. Lets' put it this way: the work is being done. Money is being raised, projects are being implemented. Details are being discussed on a need to know basis.

Sometimes you do have to think though. Do we do these events for ourselves? As in, is this bonding for us? Or is this for the movement in Nepal? It has to be both with the emphasis on the movement. This movement in Nepal is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We have to extend logistical support. Moral support is already there.

I collected some names and email addresses.

The timing of the event was great. Just when the movement is really taking off.

The best part was being able to meet all the people. Some of the best audio I might have recorded was during the informal breaks. Towards the end of the day Samudaya itself became a minor controversial topic. All that went on record.

Did I tell you, there were many people who had come from far away places like Boston and Baltimore and beyond? Yes.

Freedom Of Assembly Under Attack In Nepal







Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
PREAMBLE
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people

The government attacked freedom of speech forever and relentlessly. Now it has changed gears and is doing all it can to prevent the massive January 20 gathering in Kathmandu. This order may not be followed. People have to come out into the streets. Basic human rights may not be taken away by any regime. They are our birth rights. We do not derive them from any king, any regime, any army. We have them because we are, we exist. They are inherent to us. We claim them simply by being human beings.

The countdown has begun.

There is no reason to hold dialogue. The basic demand of the seven party alliance has to be met. And that is it. There is no reason for exploratory discussions.

Victory is in sight. You can just smell it.

Repeat Janakpur in Kathmandu. Hold a huge rally and then march towards Narayanhiti to totally surround it and lay it under siege.

Visitors

16 January06:22Nepal (wlink.com.np)
16 January06:26Pacific Century Matrix, Hong Kong S.A.R.
16 January07:34Bluewin AG, Switzerland
16 January08:40203.27.235.x
16 January09:09Smart Telecom Holdings, Ireland
16 January10:53Philippine LD Telephone Comp., Philippines
16 January12:08Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago, Trinidad And Tobago
16 January13:09State University of New Jersey, United States
16 January13:54Bowling Green State University, United States


16 January15:06Olofströms Kabel TV, Olofström, Sweden

In The News

Government bans peaceful demonstrations in Kathmandu .....a ban on public gatherings in the areas within the Ring Road with effect from January 17 to check Maoist infiltration in the protest programmes..... has appealed to the seven agitating political parties to call off their mass meeting in the capital slated for January 20 saying there might be infiltration of Maoists in the mass meeting........ also asked the agitating political parties to come to the negotiation tableto find an outlet to the present crisis...... urged people to refrain from participating in such mass meetings...... urged people to cooperate with the security check ups...... District Administration Offices of Kathmandu and Lalitpur districts have also imposed curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. with effect from Monday until further notice....... Leaders of the alliance however said that they will hold the mass meeting at any cost despite the government's prohibition.
Curfew imposed in Kathmandu, Lalitpur The curfew orders will be effective in areas within the Ring Road in Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan City until further notice...... The DAOs in their notices said security forces have been allowed to shoot anybody trying to break the curfew orders.
Curfew imposed in Biratnagar and adjoining areas district administration of Morang has imposed overnight curfew in the eastern town of Biratnagar from Monday- probably for the first time in the last five decades...... will hamper industries that operate overnight .... local authorities have also imposed curfew in eastern districts of Jhapa, Sunsari, Siraha and Saptari
Indian envoy leaves for New Delhi Nepal king imposes curfew in Kathmandu Times of India
Rebels in Nepal warn of more attacks; govt urges residents to ...
Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
Nepal Army chief father's house bombed
Hindu, India
Nepal army says 28 killed in hunt for Maoists NewKerala.com