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The Nepal Digest Sunday 30 October 95: Kartik 17 2052 BS Volume 43 Issue 6
******************************************************************************
* TND Board of Staff *
* ------------------ *
* Editor/Co-ordinator: Rajpal J. Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* TND Archives: Sohan Panta k945184@atlas.kingston.ac.uk *
* SCN Correspondent: Rajesh B. Shrestha rshresth@black.clarku.edu *
* *
* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* *
* "If you don't stand up for something, you will fall for anything" -Dr. MLK *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" - Sirdar Khalifa *
* *
******************************************************************************
*****************************************************************
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 08:13:23 EDT
To: The Nepal digest Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
From: "Pramod K. Mishra" <pkm@acpub.duke.edu>
Subject: "No Bias, No Merit"
Dear Editor,
We must celebrate the gains made in Nepal in the field of female
education in only forty-odd years, for it is nothing but the result of
this fast-paced progress that has enabled such a journalist as
Manisha Aryal to write her piece against affirmative action and advocate
the strengthening of merit-based hiring and promotion in the field of
journalism. In her moment of odd-defying courage, she declares, "We
never demand to be protected because we believe we are equal. If we
know who we are, we do not need protection." While I and, I'm sure, all
well-wishers of Nepali women applaud and respect this gutsy declaration,
one cannot help but wonder what's going on here?
Although Manisha avows of speaking only of journalism, what she has said,
if effect, apply to the philosophy (both theory and practice) of
affirmative action. Some things in her essay made me feel hopeful, but a
few others troubled as well. First of all, who is this "we" she is
referring to when she speaks for herself? Obviously, it appears from the
context that this "we" is the assortment of the female journalists in
Nepal. Then I wondered if there was an organization of Women
Journalists of Nepal whose spokesperson Miss Aryal was or did she
assume that all women journalists in Nepal could be subsumed under her
station in time, space, in other words, in history itself. If this
"we" is all Nepali women--in fact, whoever who could "believe" to be
equal, then it could have a broader meaning. "I think; therefore, I
am," said Descartes long ago. I work and eat; therefore, I am, Marx
would have said. Our all too popular capital seems to say, "You work;
therefore, you are." In this case, however, it's the "belief" that makes
someone what one is. "I believe; therefore, I am," Miss Aryal seems
to be saying! What a problematic and difficult proposition indeed! Like
a magician's.
Belief, I don't deny, could be a very powerful instrument of
transformation, both of societies and individuals. We all can testify
the profound impact religions have wrought on societies in human
history. But one cannot but ask a question here: What circumstances
after all make such miraculous belief possible? You believe to be
something, and you become what you wanted to be! Never heard before
except in the magician's performance.
Then again the writer invokes the Socratic dictum: "Know thyself." (If we
know ourselves who we are, we don't need protection) Belief and
self-knowledge, the writer argues, could preclude any need of
protection. Protection from whom and by whom? If an untouchable in a
Nepali village believes to be equal, if a lower caste in a north Indian
village believes himself or herself to be equal, you can well imagine
the consequences. At this point, I can't resist the temptation of
telling you an anecdote of my university days on the banks of the Ganges.
I had a friend named Bhushan, a nonworshipping Bhumihar Brahman from a
village near where Siddhartha became the Buddha under a Bunyan tree.
Twenty-five hundred years after this paradigm shift under a tree, an
incident occurred in Bhushan's village (one of many) that he couldn't
help telling me--an anecdote about the hazards of believing to be equal.
A young lad of the barber caste (Hajam) from Bhushan's village fled his
village and went to Calcutta, a city of joy and horror, of beauty and
filth, of power and human misery. The city in the young boy's case
proved benevolent, transformed him from a dhoti-clad rustic garrulous
barber's lad into a bell-bottomed speech-making convert. Of course, he
continued to cut short others' hair the way they wanted, but he refused
to shorten his own hair in the ecstasy of the city ways and filmy
images. Severed from his village and its ways, he developed urban, even
Bengali roots in his consciousness. His folks back in the land of
Buddha's enlightenment thought their boy would never return to the
village back again; he was considered utterly lost, for except for a
rare prideful letter or two and occasional money order, they didn't see
his face (and his hair) for years. Not even once.
Then one day, his big trunks full of goods and his mind intoxicated with
ideas of a new beginning and new world, this proud son of a barber
returned to his village. His barber folks welcomed him with embraces,
smiles, and urgent words that he must prove his manhood by agreeing to
marry the best girl in the caste, as the girls' folks would begin their
hunts soon.
But before long it was clear that this prodigal son had other things than
mating in mind; he believed in modern ideas of equality, merit, liberty,
and fraternity. Out of pride and respect, he went to pay a visit to the
village chief, a zamindar of my friend Bhushan's caste. He sat on a
chair in the outyard in his shoulder-long hair and bell-bottomed
pantaloons and asked to see the honorable Chief himself, whom others in
the village called "Malik." The Chief himself was not home, gone to
the city to fulfill some obligation, probably to fight a litigation. But
there was some one in the bangalow--the son of the Chief who himself
at the time was home on a vacation from his engineering college. He
came out, wondering who it was that asked to see his father.
This educated young man couldn't recognize the up-to-date lad seated in
the chair, eager and his one leg upon the other. Recognizing his
bewilderment, the Calcutta-returned barber's son asked, "So you don't
recognize me, Saheb?" "Not at all. Please introduce yourself. But my
father is not home today." Quite thrilled with this cordial reception, the
barber's son said, "I'm so-and-so, son of so-and-so! I was the one who
had fled to Calcutta!"
I don't have to tell you, Mr. Editor, what happened to this engineering
student, the son of the village Chief. Stung by this nondescript's
insult (now that he knew not only him but his father as well), he said in
real Bihari, "Re Saale! Mother this and that! Calcutta has turned
your head it seems!" The bell-bottomed young man, equal in age to his
interlocutor, was shocked. "Why do you speak like this, Saheb?" he
asked, his Calcutta fire raging in his heart. "I haven't eaten your
food," he added. "Please don't use foul words at me."
The engineer trembled at this talking back of this nondescript
barber's son. He raised his hand in anger to smite the audacious boy,
but the barber believed in himself, in his equality; he grabbed the
engineer's hand and demanded an explanation. By this time, his
father's thugs came rushing by, whom the engineer ordered to cut the
barber's son to size for his insult of sitting in a chair and talking
back to his father's lord. The thugs did their bidding; they not only beat
the day light out of this believer in equality, they summoned his barber
father right then and there and slapped his grey, wrinkled cheeks for
raising such a son, who didn't know social courtesies of not sitting in
a chair at the zamindar's outyard.
In the evening, the barbers of the village held their caste meeting in
which the long-haired, bell-bottomed Calcutta-returned barber's son was
unanimously denounced for his lack of manners. The barbers were indeed
outraged. Some one brought out his knife (not scissors) and shaved off
the lad's hair--and with the same knife, cut to pieces his bell-bottom
and demanded that he wear dhoti, that too above his knees like other
barbers, indeed like Gandhi, meek, forgiving, offering the other cheek.
I'm sure the name of Gandhi didn't occur to these barbers, nor his
belief in equality and crusade against oppression. They only knew the
meekness, the obedience, the humiliation--and belief in the hereafter.
Now, please don't tell me that such incident occur only across the
border. I have yet to see (even the communists find it hard to bring
about this change) a blacksmith, a village blacksmith who does the
villgers' work and who is an untouchable, not the hand-picked tokens like
Hira Lal Biswakarma, to sit side by side with the village chief even in
Nepal. I don't say that it hasn't happened; only that I haven't seen
one. And you talk of believing to be equal and being one.
As for Miss Aryal's arguments against affirmative action, this is a
long story; I can't put forth all the arguments here. In fact, I don't have
to; there are plenty already in books and articles, both for and against
affirmative action. Those who are born with silver foot in their
mouths, those whom the religious systems place at a higher level even as
they see their first light of day, those who seek to placate certain
constituencies to ask for votes or jobs (both in the US and elsewhere),
those who have made it in the world have easy time denouncing
affirmative action. One need only go to India to see the fruits of
affirmative action for members of the untouchable castes and schedule
tribes. In the name of merit and divine providence, they had been
subjugated and relegated and humiliated; affirmative action has brought
at least some semblance of economic well-being among these people. As
for social respect goes, they will never gain it as long as Brahminism
remains a viable force.
What about the women of Palpa whom Manisha and her
Kathmanduite colleague coached in the art of writing? Can they come to
Kathmandu on their own? How do you assess merit and what standard of
merit you all of a sudden form in Nepal, where merit has a complex
meaning. Among other things, merit in Nepal means bias; that
you have to belong to a certain region, certain caste, possess certain
facial features, speak a certain language, have certain connection in
order to join the army, the police, the civil service in a country
where the government is the largest employer of manpower. As some one
said, "No bias, no merit." This is nowhere more true than in Nepal.
Even scholarship can't be value free, neutrally determined.
Non-Newars don't think certain Newar is a scholar; Newars may not
think that a certain non-Newar is a scholar. Everywhere hierarchy
and network determine the fate of individuals in most cases. And if
you have centuries of epistemological, theological hurdle against
certain castes and women, believe in equality is the last thing that
could clear your path for equality.
Knowing yourself is precisely what asks for protection. Her Highness
the princess knows who she is, and it's precisely this knowledge that
asks her to have adequate protection. And the woman from a Nepali
village who is sold to an Indian brothel knows who she is and wants
protection but can't have it, for it's too late for her. One
wonders if Manisha Aryal's belief in equality making one equal smacks of
certain arrogance and complacency, maybe of class, or maybe of caste, or
of region.
**********************************************************************
Date: Mon, 23 Oct 1995 22:07:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tulsi Maharjan <tmaharja@sun1.raritanval.edu>
Subject: Shubhakamna
To all Nepali friends "Deepawaliko Upalakshyama Hardik Mangalmya
Subhakamna"
Dr. Tulsi Maharjan, Raritan Valley College
Somerville, NJ 08876
******************************************************************
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 10:30:18 -0400
Mime-Version: 1.0
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
From: manish@nttc.edu (Manish Sainju)
Subject: Requesing contact info from Univ. of Indiana
Hi! I would appreciate if any Nepalese student(s) studying at Univ. of
Indiana, Bloomington, IN would contact me or provide me with their contact
information. I would appreciate if you could respond by this week. Thank you.
Manish Sainju
Email: manish@nttc.edu
Tel: (304) 243-5487 (H)
1-800-624-6992 ext. 2149 (W)
****************************************************************
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 10:45:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Jai Mehta (FO 1998)" <jai.mehta@yale.edu>
To: Nepal <nepal@cs.niu.edu>
Subject: e-mail address
Dr. Binod Bhatta (who is currently in the UK) is looking for e-mail
addresses of Narayan Bahadur Rajbhandari and Kundan Kumar Pandey. If any
one of you know the address(es), please send it/them directly to Dr.
Bhatta at <g9574091@wlv.ac.uk>. Thanks for your help.
Jai Mehta
**************************************************************
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 12:59:59 CDT
To: nepal-request@cs.niu.edu
From: MMGAUCHA@CC.OWU.EDU
Subject: seeking...
Dear editor,
Salutations for your great work !!!
Could you put up this message in the next edition ?
I am searching for the following people's addresses( or e-mail add) and
phone no.s.I would greatly appreciate any help.
Yalambar Tamot Denver Colorado
Prabhachan Shrestha Atlanta
Sajjal Rai Texas.
Also, if there happens to be any Thakalis on the line, my name is Mayur
Gauchan, my e-mail add : mmgaucha@cc.owu.edu Feel free to drop a line
anytime...Thanx.
Mayur
Ohio Wesleyan University
**********************************************************************
Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 21:32:28 -0400
From: nshresth@capital.edu (Nischal Shrestha)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Computers
Hi,
First of all "Happy Deepawali" to all of you.
Does anyone know or is anyone experienced with Computer Languages? I need
a little help. Please email me.
Thanks
nshresth@capital.edu
********************************************************
From: GANGA GAUTAM <g.gautam@lancaster.ac.uk>
Subject: SUBHAKAMANA
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 1995 12:10:13 +0000 (GMT)
TO THE EDITORIAL BOARD AND ALL THE FRIENDS ,
SUBHA DIPAWALI 2052 , KO HARDIK
MANGALMAYA SUBHAKAMANA AUBHAKAMANA SUBHAKAMANA.
Gautam
email : g.gautam@lancaster.ac.uk.
Lancaster , England
*****************************************************
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 1995 08:20:40 -0500 (EST)
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: 1116 NEPAL SAMVAT: NHU DAN YA BHINTUNA
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL ON THE OCCASSION OF THE NEPAL SAMBAT 1116 BEGINNING
TODAY.
AMULYA TULADHAR
**********************************************************************
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 95 13:47:49 EST
From: pradhan@mncppc.state.md.us
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: couldn't get response
Hello Kiranji, (Kiran Shrestha in Australia)
I sent e-mail twice but both messages returened, saying
service unavailable.
Is your e-mail address is changed, I sent the message in
following address:
ShrestK@ayrcrm001.prose.dpi.qld.gov.au
If you get this message, reply me soon
I already put this message in TND once this is my second
time.
Surendra Pradhan (USA)
*********************************************************
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 19:32:08 +1000 (EST)
From: rajeebga@student.gu.edu.au
To: The Nepal Digest <Nepal@cs.niu.edu>
Subject: Please help me find addresses.....
Dear internetters,
I am eagerly trying to contact some of my friends from my school days who
are some where in the States. I have lost their addresses. After coming to
Australia, I was very busy so I could not even think of
writing an e-mail message to internetters.
Presently, I am studying in Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland
4111, Brisbane, Australia. I am taking Masters in Environmental
Engineering Course.
My e-mail address is rajeebga@frodo.student.gu.edu.au
Names of my friends are
Sandeep Sharma
Sandeep Giri
Pradyumna Regmi
Ashis Dev Bhatta
Anup Babu Tiwari
*********************************************************
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 14:50:43 +0200 (IST)
From: Avi Golan <madansh@bgumail.bgu.ac.il>
To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Help
Dear friends,
I am looking for the internet address of ANIL RAJKARNIKAR (permanent
address: Jawalakhel, Lalitpur), New York, USA. If anybody knows the internet
address of Anil, plese send me through e-mail. Your help will be really
appreciated. Thanks
Madan K. Shrestha
TEL NO: +972-7-565888
+972-7-570629
E-mail: madansh@bgumail.bgu.ac.il
**********************************************************************
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 95 08:49:51 EST
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Subject: NEPAL listed as money lundering country by US
TAJA KHABAR
Recently Us dept. of state in its International narcotics Control
strategy Report included a variety of countries thought to be
attractive to money launderers for a wide range of reasons.
Unfortunately, Nepal is one of them and falls to be in the low medium
category. It is most likely the reason behind it is mainly connected
to gangs smuggling opium, marijuana, and heroin. The nepalese should
be ashamed of being labelled as such. This is high time for the new
government to look into this matter seriously and impose strict
practical measures to save this peaceful,(virtuous)? country from
such international mafia and criminals.
Beena Pant
Bangkok .
*********************************************************************
From: Rajesh Shrestha <rshresth@husc.harvard.edu>
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 13:56:05 -0400 (EDT)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Predoctoral Fellowship in Biological Sciences
Here's some info I got from the USEF/Nepal Newsletter recently:
1) Predoctoral Fellowship in Biological Sciences
Eighty fellowships will be awarded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for
full-time study toward a PhD in the biological sciences. Awards are for 3-5
years and provide both cost-of-education allowance and living stipend. The
fellowship covers a broad range of fields and is open to foreign citizens.
Non-US citizens must study in the US. The annual application deadline is
November 3. For more information write:
Hughes Fellowship Program
National Research Council
2101 Constitution Ave.
Washington, DC 20418
Telephone: 202-334-2872
Fax: 202-334-3419
If it is late for this year probably one can give it a shot for next year (its
not a case of me apply first then let others know when its too late, I got the
info just today).
SPENCER POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
Spencer Fellwoships are designed to promote scholarship on matters relevant to
the improvement of education. The fellowship is open to applicants in
eucation, the humanities, or the social sciences but project must be related
to education. Applicants must have received their PhD or Ed.D between 1/1/90
and 12/31/95. Award is $40,000 for an academic year. Deadline 12/21/95
For more information contact:
USEF/Nepal
P.O. Box 380
Kathmandu.
(For those of us in the USA, probably there is a better way to find out about
the fellowship contact address than writing to USEF/Nepal. Anyone know about
this Fellowship? Please post if anybody knows better).
***********************************************************
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 13:56:41 -0400 (EDT)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Call for Abstract: 14th ICSMFE
Nepal Geotechnical Society
G. P. O. Box. 4058
Kathmandu, Nepal
For Nepali Geotechnical Engineers
=================================
Call for Abstract
XIV International Conference on
Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering
September 6-12, 1997, Hamburg, Germany
All members of our society (Nepal Geotechnical Society) interested
in forwarding papers are requested first to prepare an abstract
and send to our Secretariat for review. In forwarding the abstract,
please follow the following points:
1 The abstract must be prepared in one sheet of A4 size paper.
The screened abstract after review will be provided the
separate sheet.
2. Our Executive committe of the society will screen the abstracts
for acceptatnce prior to forwarding them to the conference
organizers before Jan. 1, 1996.
3. Members are kindly requested to forward their abstracts as
specifed above to reach our Secretariat by Nov.20, 1996, this
will then give ample time for out Executive committee to screen
the abstracts.
4. The abstract should have title of the paper on top of the
abstract and authors ' full name and mailing addresses.
5. The scoring system for the screening is as follows:
a. Member of the society as principal author +20
b. Non-members of the society as '' '' -10
c. " " " co-author(2nd...) -5
d. Member of the society as " +5
e. Living in Nepal (member) +10
f. Not-Living in Nepal (member) +00
g. Not-Living in Nepal (non-member) -10
h. Originality of the paper (themes matching with
ICSMFE) +50
i. Applicability in Nepal +20
j. Data from Nepal +50
k. Number of Authors +n*10.
l. Abstract without a single author(address)
or data from Nepal will be given (additional) -50.
(paper by single author will be denied). Minimum
number of author should be at least 3, in no
case less than 2)
The papers will be selected based on the above scoring
system. So, all the scores are cumulative.
So, be sure that you have chances to be screened. These
strict rules have been prepared because the total papes
to be screened are only 2 (Just two). This is quota.
In case any papers screened and has /have authors who
are not members of NGs shall have to pay additional
US$ 10(admission fee)+ 10*3(1995,'96, '97 membership
fee for NGS)+ 10*3 (for ISSMFE membership fee).
So, total comes out to be US$ 70. This is because
we have to pay for handling service and also to run
our society plus the annual fee for getting this
oppertunity. (Remind no papers are selected directly
by the organizing committee. All papers are
forwarded by national societies. There are more
than 70 countreis. So, be fare.
Many thanks for helping us this way and looking forward to your
valuable participation.
Meanwhile,Very many Good Wishes.
Faithfully yours,
Dr. Gyaneswor Pokharel
Founding Member, NGS
Mailing address: Nagoya -shi-465,Meito-ku, Umemori-zaka 4-101
Umemori-sho-18-607.
NGS Secretariat:
(Attn: Prof. R. K. Poudel)
Nepal Geotechnical Society
G. P. O. Box. 4058
Kathmandu, Nepal
P.S. Additional information may be obtained for the secretariat.
***********************************************************************************************
***********************************************************************************************
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 21:04:43 -0500
From: karkis@mail.med.upenn.edu (Sher B. Karki)
To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: News 10/26/1995
OCTOBER 25, 1995, WEDNESDAY
LENGTH: 107 words
HEADLINE: nepalese man turns
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 25; ITEM NO: 1025082
BODY:
a man living in a village of east nepal has turned 135 this month to become
the oldest citizen of the country. bir narayan chaudhary of the eastern sunsari
district has fallen sick only once in his long life and he believed that he
could live for 20 years more, the national news agency rss said tuesday.
chaudhary has seen six generations of his descendants since 1861 when he was
born. he saw the death of his two wives and all his sons, the report said.
chaudhary has been physically fit during his life and does his daily
activities like bathing, eating and walking by himself, but could not hear
properly, according to the report.
Copyright 1995 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
October 24, 1995, Tuesday
SECTION: Part 3 Asia-Pacific; SOUTH ASIA; NEPAL; EE/D2443/A
LENGTH: 108 words
HEADLINE: INTERNAL AFFAIRS;
House of Representatives starts discussions on budget
SOURCE: Source: Radio Nepal, Kathmandu, in English 1415 gmt 17 Oct 95
BODY:
[10] Excerpt from report by Radio Nepal
The House of Representatives, at its meeting this morning 17th October ,
commenced general discussions on the budgetary word indistinct for the year
1995/96. Initiating the discussion, Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharang Mahat said
bearing in mind the nature of the national economy the budget has adopted two
strategies - a modern and a rural one. The government has (?devolved
responsibility) for the helpless, the old and the disabled. Stress has been
placed on women's education and planned rural development and an attempt has
been made to bring direct taxpayers within the purview of taxation...
Copyright 1995 British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC Summary of World Broadcasts
October 24, 1995, Tuesday
SECTION: Part 3 Asia-Pacific; SOUTH ASIA; NEPAL; EE/D2443/A
LENGTH: 159 words
HEADLINE: INTERNAL AFFAIRS;
Former Premier Adhikari home from hospital
SOURCE: Source: Radio Nepal, Kathmandu, in English 1415 gmt 22 Oct 95
BODY:
[11] Text of report by Radio Nepal
Former prime minister and leader of the CPN-UML Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified Marxist-Leninist) Man Mohan Adhikari returned home after undergoing 67
days'medical treatment at the (?Tribhuvan) University Teaching Hospital. Mr
Adhikari was admitted to the hospital following a helicopter accident on 14th
August. The helicopter carrying the then prime minister met with an accident
during the (?close) inspection of the flood-affected name indistinct project in
Bardiya district in the far western region. Mr Adhikari has made satisfactory
progress in his health and can now walk with the aid of a corset and walking
stick, according to doctors attending on him. Talking to Radio Nepal's
reporter name indistinct , Mr Man Mohan Adhikari said he viewed the transition
of power in (?a casual) manner and added that support to the (?current)
coalition government would depend on its merits and (?demerits).
Copyright 1995 Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 24, 1995, Tuesday, BC Cycle
03:05 Central European Time
SECTION: International News
LENGTH: 840 words
HEADLINE: World's highest power plant to benefit some of Nepal's poorest
BYLINE: By Shyam Bahadur
DATELINE: Kathmandu
BODY:
A hydroelectric power project at the foot of 8,848-metre high Mount Everest
in north central Nepal could considerably ease the stress on the fragile
Himalayan ecology.
Built with the cooperation and financial support of the Austrian government,
the 600 kilowatt hydro-electric plant is designed to provide energy needs to the
local people as well as to the thousands of tourists who flock to the region.
An estimated 10,000 Western tourists visit the Everest region during the
trekking season from October to May each year.
A survey in 1990 revealed that 800 tons of wood are burnt during the eight
months of trekking season for heating and cooking purposes.
The power project is expected to considerably reduce the dependence on wood
and kerosene and help in the preservation of the environment in the area.
The plant is located at a height of 11,590 feet (3,532 metres), making it at
least one of the highest, if not the highest, in the world. The plant is located
at the Thame Valley some 180 kilometres northeast of Kathmandu.
Engineers say construction of the power plant at that height was extremely
difficult. It took each porter ten days to carry a bag of cement to the plant
site.
The plant has two turbines of 300 kilowatts each and power generated is
carried through 11 kilovolt high-tension lines for 24 kilometres to eight
villages in the region.
Among the more important villages to benefit from the project are the Namche
Bazar, Kunde, Kumjung, and Syangboche, all of which are on the Western trekkers
route.
Talking to the German Press Agency dpa, the chief of the Nepal Electricity
Authority, Santa Bahadur Pun, said projects such as the Thame plant were
necessary for the Himalayan kingdom but the country also needed big projects to
cater to the needs of industry.
The Everest power plant is owned by the users in the region who hold 85 per
cent of the shares and the Nepal Electricity Authority which owns 15 per cent.
The plant is administered by the Austrian non-governmental organisation
known as "Oko Himal" (Society for Ecological Cooperation Alps-Himalayas).
The management of the project will be handed over to the owners by the Oko
Himal once necessary competence has been built up.
The project aims to benefit the poorest among the people of the region and
for this a graded "progressive" tariff to enable the poorest sections of the
population access to electric power.
An official of the Nepalese Ministry of Forests expressed hope that the
distribution of power would help to prevent the "devastation" of the forests in
the region which due to altitude take more time to grow than in lower heights.
dpa ds ks
Copyright 1995 Xinhua News Agency
The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Xinhua News Agency.
OCTOBER 24, 1995, TUESDAY
LENGTH: 125 words
HEADLINE: peace walk organized in nepal to mark un day
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 24; ITEM NO: 1024106
BODY:
a walking program was organized here today to mark the 50th anniversary of
the founding of the united nations. the eight-kilometer peace walk from the
united nations development program (undp) office in kathmandu to the
international convention hall, which was built with chinese assistance, brought
the participants to main streets of this capital city of nepal. the event was
organized by the nepal police as part of the celebrations of the 50th
anniversary of the world body. un resident representative in nepal carrol
long spoke highly of nepal's continuos commitment to un activities. about 500
people including high-ranking officials, diplomats, police and army officers and
people from various walks of life took part in the event.
The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Xinhua News Agency.
OCTOBER 24, 1995, TUESDAY
LENGTH: 123 words
HEADLINE: 400 gurkhas to join british regiments
DATELINE: london, october 24; ITEM NO: 1024255
BODY:
some 400 gurkhas, who are recruited from nepal, will stay in the british
army because it is difficult to recruit britons to serve, the armed forces
minister nicholas soames announced today. these gurkhas will form up to three
infantry companies to substitute for british soldiers, and some will join royal
signals units, the bbc television quoted soames as telling the commons today.
the gurkhas will be retained for three years from 1997, he added. "i believe
this scheme will be warmly welcomed by the gurkhas, the army and the public,
who have huge regard for the gurkhas," he said. it is reported that previously
the british government had planned to cut the gurkhas forces from 4,000
currently to 2,500 by the middle of 1997.
Copyright 1995 Xinhua News Agency
The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Xinhua News Agency.
OCTOBER 24, 1995, TUESDAY
LENGTH: 76 words
HEADLINE: three americans, one british scale peak in nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 24; ITEM NO: 1024107
BODY:
three americans and a british have climbed the 6,812 meter-high mount
amadablam in the qomolangma region, nepal's tourism ministry said tuesday.
the four scaled the peak last thursday. they included the youngest climber, mark
pfetzer, a 15-year-old student from rhode islands of the united states. the
other climbers were americans travis spitzer, 24, and robert manthy, 32, and
british alan burgess, 47. they were part of an american expedition.
The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Xinhua News Agency.
OCTOBER 23, 1995, MONDAY
LENGTH: 83 words
HEADLINE: girls killed while digging clay in east nepal
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 23; ITEM NO: 1023034
BODY:
two girls were killed in a village of east nepal recently as they were
buried under a clay mound, a report reaching here today said. the two girls, 7
and 10 respectively, of a village in the eastern siraha district were buried
under the ground while they were fetching clay for house cleaning purpose,
police said. it was estimated there are over five million children, almost a
quarter of nepal's population, directly or indirectly involved in different
forms of child labor and child work.
The materials in the Xinhua file were compiled by The Xinhua News Agency. These
materials may not be republished without the express written consent of The
Xinhua News Agency.
OCTOBER 23, 1995, MONDAY
LENGTH: 89 words
HEADLINE: nepalese delegation leaves for unesco meeting
DATELINE: kathmandu, october 23; ITEM NO: 1023165
BODY:
a five-member nepalese delegation left here today for the general meeting of
the united nations educational, scientific and cultural organization (unesco) to
be opened in paris wednesday. the delegation was led by education minister
govinda raj joshi. the 28th general meeting of the unesco will pass the
organization's budget and programs for the coming two years and will hold
elections for a vacant seat in its executive council. nepal has filed its
candidacy for the executive council membership, said earlier reports.
Copyright 1995 Reuters Limited
The Reuter European Business Report
October 23, 1995, Monday, BC cycle
LENGTH: 330 words
HEADLINE: NEPAL WANTS TO JOIN WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION
BYLINE: By Gopal Sharma
DATELINE: KATHMANDU, Oct 23
BODY:
Nepal, eager to benefit from
trade concessions for poor countries and to boost dwindling
exports, wants to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO),
officials said on Monday.
"We cannot remain cut off from global developments,"
Commerce Secretary Bishwanath Sapkota told Reuters. "We have
already applied for observer status with the WTO and we will
apply for full membership in the organisation."
He said the government had established a task force to study
the implications of joining the world trade body, particularly
as membership would affect existing bilateral trading
arrangements, notably with southern neighbour India.
The panel is expected to complete its report next month.
The landlocked Himalayan kingdom has a trade treaty with New
Delhi, which stimulates exports by allowing Nepali industrial
goods with up to 50 percent Nepali or Indian content, including
labour, to enter the Indian market duty-free.
In return, Nepal exempts Indian goods from 20 percent of its
import duties, giving them an edge over exports from competing
nations, officials said.
India accounted for 29 percent of Nepal's total merchandise
Business executives said it was time Nepal faced competition
in international trade while reaping the benefits of most
favoured nation (MFN) status. Countries which offer each other
MFN status agree to extend the maximum tariff concessions on
their mutual trade which they already grant to other countries.
Hand-knotted woollen carpets and ready-made garments are
Nepal's two main exports to Western countries. The main buyers
are Germany and the United States. Exports of those items have
declined recently in the face of objections in industrialised
nations against the use of child labour and environmentally
harmful colouring chemicals by Nepali manufacturers.
Nepal has tried to diversify and officials said they hoped
computer software could emerge as a major Nepali export.
********************************************************
From: dk2662@accunix.wjc.edu (Diwas Khati - student)
Subject: to manjil thapa
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 1995 22:47:25 -0400 (EDT)
Manjil, could you give me your phone number..I could not send you any
message through your regular account/address......
diwas
**********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 23:00:07 -0500 (EST)
Subject: About my Thesis Proposal
To: THE NEPAL DIGEST <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
From: Shyam Sundar Shrestha <nrb957802@rccvax.ait.ac.th>
Dear Sir
Now i have selected the thesis topic:
Watershed Planning for Sustainable Natural Resources Management by Using Remote
sensing and GIS : A Case Study of Palpa District Nepal
Could you help me circulating this message in Internet so that i may have a lot
of feedback from related persons to review the literature? As my teacher i am
seeking strong support from you on this regard. Thank you very much for your
kind consideration.
With respect.
Shyam
*************************************************************
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 00:34:52 -0500 (EST)
From: atuladhar@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: oct27_head.html (fwd)
To: THE NEPAL DIGEST <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
Amulya's comment:
... and I thought nepal was a Hindu amityville, sundar, shanta, vishal.
how come we cannot tolerate the muslims? as the following news item shows:
_________________________________________________________________
CURFEW IN NEPALGUNJ FOLLOWING CLASHES;
By a Post Reporter
NEPALGUNJ, Oct. 26 - Local administration imposed an 11-hour curfew
beginning 6:00 pm here today after a minor debate between a buyer and
seller over vegetable prices turned into a sectarian clash.
Eleven people were injured, three of them seriously, when two groups
resorted to vandalism and arson, authorities said. Six persons were
arrested in this connection. Some of the injured have already returned
home following minor check-ups while others are undergoing treatment
at Bheri Hospital. The condition of one is reported to be critical.
Police opened one round of fire to check the mob and the local
administration has clamped curfew till Friday morning in the major
thoroughfares of this industrial township bordering Indian state of
Uttar Pradesh.
Thursdays violence resulted from a buyer and seller row on Wednesday
in which the former had accused the latter of charging exorbitant
prices for vegetables. The two men then lobbied into two communal
groups of Hindus and Muslims. The situation was aggravated after some
youths burnt firecrackers on Wednesday evening in front of the
vegetable sellers stall. The situation worsened when some men from
both sides indulged in incidents of beating and trashing Thursday
morning in some parts of the town. Several shop stalls were either
burned or damaged by the mob. One shop was also reported to have been
looted. Although the situation is under control, public life is still
tense in Nepalgunj. Police are maint aining frequent patrols to keep
the law and order situation at normal.
This is the second time a curfew was imposed in Nepalgunj due to
communal clash. A similar situation had occurred last year when the
two communities disputed over the construction of a Shiva temple.
_________________________________________________________________
furniture, rack and books for the library of the school and timber
required to construct the library building. Similarly, READ is to make
available about one million rupees to construct the building, and buy
additional books and furniture.
_________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 00:35:36 -0500 (EST)
To: THE NEPAL DIGEST <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: oct27_letter.html
LETTER TO EDITOR
DECAYING CULTURE ?
Sir,
Originally conceived as a demonstration of cultural unity, the annual
motor rally of the Nepal Bhasha Parishad (NBP) nowadays gives us the
impression that the end of Newari Culture has arrived. During Mha
Puja, Bhaktapur was invaded by a large convoy of NBP revellers,
polluting the town with the exhaust of their minibusses each of which
carried a powerful sound system that blasted commercial Hindi film
music and American pop music.
When people require such music in order to feel truely Newar, they
show only that they have no idea what they are doing. The same event
which was meaningful some years ago, has become a mere nuisance and
should be stopped. There are certainly more effective ways of
preserving the language. How about talking Newari with your children
and encouraging them to learn one of the Newari musical traditions?
Gert - Matthias Wegner
Dattatreya, Bhaktapur
*************************************************************
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 01:07:46 -0500 (EST)
From: ATULADHAR@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: brain-drain or brain-dead?
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Brain-drain or Brain-dead?
============================
I found the article on "Brain Drain" brain dead.
There are several objectionable premises in that article but I will focus
on one.
The author begin with the brain-dead difference between those who come on
government scholarships and do not return and those who "come on their
own" and who are drawn by all the airy-fairy motivations of personal
freedom, professional actualization, rational enrichment, and so on.
This distinction between brain-draining from government scholarship
wallahs and the free "on-their-own" wallahs is a brain-dead, false, and
totally repugnant distinctiion.
First, two years ago there was a vigourous debate whether the Fullbright
scholars who come from nepal and do not return for some of the lofty
reasons outlined inthis article are 'thugs' or just free-spirits reaching
out for self-actualization in a single global village. None of the
Fullbright wallahs and their sympathizers thougth their actions were
"indefensible" as this article implies.
Without saying why these government scholarship wallahs have no right to
be defended, except by definition, for reneging on the investment the
country has made on them, one wonders how this same axe can not be used
on the moral timber of the "on-their-own-wallahs."
Who are these on-their-own-wallahs and do they deserve the immunity from
condemnation like the traitorous government scholarshipwallahs?
My unscientific survey shows that over 90% of these so-called
on-their-own-wallahs have put up cash investments ranging from a minimum
$ 2000 for a two way ticket and incidentals to some $ 25,000/ year for
some brave nepali who pay for the educatin cash up front.
In a country where the per capita income is $170/ year, is not any sum
over $170 a thievery over the fair share of the Nepali janata, some one
paying $ 17,000/ a year is consuming the income of 100 Nepalese, and if
they use that much for 4 years it is 4 nepalese. Current estimates are
that some 500 nepalese get student visas every year and 2/3 are
undergrads. For heuristic exercise alone let us assume that all
undergrads are on their own, since most graduates get government or full
university fellowhsip, this is about 350 Nepalese spending some $
17,000/year, so all these free spirits take up the opportunity cost value
of 350 x 100 average nepali income or a net outflow from a third world
counttry like nepal to us a sum of 35,000 nepalese dana-pani.
Before i get fried, I ask these on-their-own wallahs where does this
money come from if not from the mutu of nepalese, that parents may have
"earned" them due thier historical place in nepalese class socieity from
land, or access to govt jobs, consultancy or business, it is money made
in nepal on the back of the nepalese. To say therefore that these
nepalese can now pursue their free spirits without an obligation to nepal
is repugnant. I condemn this brain-dead argument.
*********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 11:21:34 +6000
From: Pokharel Govind <govind@hardy.uni-flensburg.de>
Subject: CHOOT-KILA(byangya)
To: The Editor <nepal-request@cs.niu.edu>
ITALIKO SOFAMA BASER=20
PARYABARAN RA =B4INDIGENEOUS PEOPLE=B4 KO KURA UTHAYER
DESHMA AUNE PAISA RA SAHYOG=20
NGO KO CHHATAMUNI BASER=20
BIRODH GARNE MERA SAHYATRI
TAPAILAI JAYNEPAL-LALSALM CHHA:
DUIGHANTA LAMO BATO HIDER HIGHSCHOOL PADHANE
MA PANI JHANDAI NABBE % NEPALI MADHHE AK HU
SALLO KO DIYALO BALER GAUKA SATHI JAMMA BHAYER
GURUKA TUTION RA POLITICS MA HARAUNE MA PANI AK HU
DUI DIN BINA PANI UKALI CHADHADAI DASHAINMA GHARPUGNE
NEPALIKO CHHORA LAI USA : CANADA; UK ;GRMANY BAT PADHER
UKALI ORALI BHANNE TV RA KUMARBASNET KA GITMA SUNEKA MERA NEPALI SATHILAI
GAUKA MANCHHELE =B4BULB=B4 KO SATTA TUKI BALE =B4INDIGENOUS=B4BHAINE RAHECH=
HA
KATHMANDUMA BASHER BIHARKO TARKARI RA PANJABKO CHAMAL KHAYER
BAKI PHOHOR SADAKMA PHALER SEMINAR MA ENVIRONMENTKO KURA GARNE
TOYOT CHADER TRAFFIC RULE PALANA NAGARNE
CAR KO SIDE MA =B4BHURE GAUN DEVELOPMENT PROJECT=B4 LEKHER
BHANSAR KAR PANI CHHALI NGO KO NAMAMA GADI KHARIDER
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MA BUSY MERA SATHI
TAPAILAI DHANYABAT CHHA:
DIUSO KANGRESI NETA SANGA BHET RATI COMMUNIST SANGA BHET
KALE MALE SABAISANG THIK
JHOLAMA REPORT BOKER RA INGO DHAUDA TAI PANI NABIRSINU MERA SATHI
NEPAL MA 90% LE BIJULIBATTI DEKHNA PAYEKA CHHAINAN:
DOCTORKO MUKHADEKHNA NAPAI MARNE KO=20
BATOMA HIDADA PAHIRO LE CHYAPI MARNEHARU
KANGRESSI COMMUNIST RA PANCHE LE NACHAIYAKA KO=20
TARFA BAT TAPAILAI DHANYABAT:
DHANNYBAT CHHA TAPAILAI:
MERA SATHI SAPHALATA KO KAMANA
JANATA THAGNU; DESHLUTNU; BIDESHGHUMNU; NETABANNU; NGO KO OFFICE=20
KATHMANDUMA RAKHER REPORT LEKHI KAMAIGARNU; YEHI TAPAIHARULAI MERO=20
SHUBHKAMANA:
******************************************************************
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 1995 20:06:56 -0500
From: karkis@mail.med.upenn.edu (Sher B. Karki)
To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: News 10/28/1995
Copyright 1995 The Daily Telegraph plc
The Daily Telegraph
October 28, 1995, Saturday
SECTION: Pg. 23
LENGTH: 1557 words
HEADLINE: Travel: On this island big Buddha is watching you A nature trail in
Hong Kong? Michael Kerr reports from the only part of the colony where the
Beijing duck is safe
BYLINE: By MICHAEL KERR
BODY:
IT HAS camping and birdwatching. It has a 60-mile hiking trail through rugged
hills. It has 234 sparsely populated islands. Yes, Hong Kong has a little more
to offer than shopping. Forty per cent of the territory's land is given over to
country parks and nature reserves. Another 40 per cent is classified as rural.
Because all of this could be as vulnerable as civil and financial liberties come
1997, I decided to see some of it while it was still green. I started at
Kadoorie Farm, a 360-acre spread near Tai Po in the New Territories.
Clinging to
the misty slopes of Tai Mo Shan, Hong Kong's highest mountain, it is less of a
food factory and more of a nature reserve. It was opened in 1951 by two
brothers, Lawrence and Horace Kadoorie, who had made their fortune in rubber,
hotels and power generation and wanted to lend a hand to the penniless refugees
who flooded into Hong Kong after the Second World War. For 40 years the farm
supplied free pedigree pigs and poultry. Later it trained retiring Gurkhas for a
second career as farmers in Nepal. As agricultural land has disappeared under
new towns and the Gurkhas' ranks have thinned, Kadoorie Farm has had to find a
new raison d'etre. Under the grandson of the late Lord (Lawrence) Kadoorie,
Andrew McAulay, it is becoming a centre for education and conservation. Children
are bused in from schools to learn that the local fauna can be as delightful in
the wild as they are on the plate (this is the only place in Hong Kong where the
sign "Beijing duck" is not an enticement to eat). Tourists are also welcome, in
small parties by appointment, which is how I came to be shown round with half a
dozen other visitors by McAulay himself. We puffed up hills, once barren and
boulder-strewn, which the Kadoories have planted with lychee and citrus trees.
Half of Hong Kong's 2,000 plant species thrive here, including 70 of the 120
orchids. Fifty species of butterfly have been recorded. Barking deer, wild boar,
civets and leopard cats hide in the thickets. McAulay, entrusted with this
oasis, is determined that the farm will point the way towards a greener future
for Hong Kong, just as it once pointed a way out of poverty. He himself is an
impassioned amateur, an Oxford law graduate in his late twenties. But he has
expert help from Gary Ades, another Englishman, who is a biologist, and Lawrence
Chau, a botanist, plus a budget that runs to pounds 20 million this year. He
feels they are making progress in persuading children of conservation's merits.
The elders are a different matter. At the farm's aviary, which houses injured
falcons and eagles, he gave us some idea of the size of his task. "More than
once," he said, "I have seen people leaning against the netting, eyeing the
birds and muttering 'Ho sik' - 'Good to eat' ." If the Hong Kong Chinese do not
take readily to ecology, they do enjoy a break from city life. Hiking is
popular, especially along the MacLehose Trail, a demanding route over the
ridgetops that was named after an energetic governor. Another favourite outing
is a weekend ferry trip to one of the outlying islands. Many of these are tiny,
barely visible at high tide, but one, Lantau, is almost twice the size of Hong
Kong Island. Thanks to its mountainous terrain, more than half of Lantau has
been preserved as country parks, and the population is only about 30,000. But
the building of an international airport which is under way off the north coast,
at Chep Lap Kok, promises the growth of another skyscraper jungle. I went to
Lantau from Kowloon on the mainland, so it was a two-boat trip, one for the
seven-minute harbour crossing to Hong Kong Island, another for the one-hour
crossing to Lantau. If the first was a commuter vessel, the second was a
pleasure boat. I found myself among excitable daytrippers: uniformed
schoolchildren, families in jogging gear, a hospital party shepherded by
nurses. They played cards and mahjong, rushed to the windows to watch the ships,
jostled at the snack bar for noodles and Coke. I did hear one pager bleep but
its owner immediately switched it off and settled down for a nap. The pursuit of
the buck stopped here. Lantau's most famous attraction is Po Lin Monastery.
Situated on the plateau of Ngong Ping, 2,460 feet above sea level, it is home to
south-east Asia's biggest outdoor bronze Buddha, which stands about 100 feet
tall, weighs 202 tonnes and cost more than HK$ 70 million. I wanted to see this
and so did most of my fellow passengers, so we rushed straight from the ferry
dock to a bus. The journey took about 45 minutes, most of it in low gear, as the
driver wound through narrow roads into the mountains. We passed beaches no wider
than a towel, clusters of holiday villas, a YWCA campsite and a couple of
prisons. Shouts went up as we neared the second prison, where lifers played
football in the yard. Necks craned towards the windows. On the other side of the
road lay a reservoir; beyond it, looking down on mankind from his mountain, was
the Buddha. He was yet more impressive close up, a monster but a dignified one;
not the laughing fatty of the souvenir stalls. As we poured from the bus, the
wind howled around us. Cameras were unzipped, spouses posed on steps in front of
the Buddha to make the most of converging lines. Nearer the top, girls shrieked
as the wind whipped at bags and hair. It was not a place for spiritual
contemplation. After lunch in the monastery - a communal meal of soup,
vegetables and rice - I took another bus for a 15-minute ride to Tai O, a
village built partly on Lantau and partly on a tiny island a few yards
offshore. A hundred years ago Tai O was a prosperous trading port, exporting
salt and fish to China. The salt pans have been abandoned; now the villagers
farm ducks and rice and process fish. A ferry - a flat-bottomed boat pulled
along on a rope by a couple of old women - connects the two halves of the
village. It is the most photographed sight in the place but its operators remain
remarkably camera-shy. I have some fine shots of the backs of their heads. The
far side of Tai O is known as Hong Kong's Little Venice, on account of its
houses built on stilts. Some of these have always been dwellings; others were
once boats but are now so encumbered with extensions that they will never sail
again. All of them look as if they have been lashed together from the contents
of a skip. A Venice made by Blue Peter. I strolled along a causeway towards the
north-west side of the island, pinching my nose against the stench of the fish
factories. At the causeway's end a sea eagle buzzed me, as if sizing me up as a
target, before peeling away. All was quiet - so quiet I could hear the
skittering of lizards on the mudflats. My last excursion was to Cheung Chau, an
island which, though barely bigger than a square mile, has a population of at
least 22,000. It was a bolthole for smugglers and pirates until as recently as
the 1920s, and it still sustains a thriving fishing community, living on junks
and sampans anchored offshore. The 8am ferry brought me in among them: dogs
shaking themselves awake, old women brushing their teeth and spitting over the
bows, small boys hosing down decks. Cheung Chau has several temples but the most
important is that dedicated to Pak Tai, Spirit of the North, Supreme Emperor
of the Dark Heavens and protector of all seafarers. Every May, in thanks for
deliverance from a plague in the 1800s, the islanders erect three bamboo towers
50 feet tall outside the temple and decorate them with buns. Once the spirits
have had their fill, the locals can collect the buns. Until recently, there was
a mad scramble to do this, intensified, according to one account, by rivalry
between gangs of Triads. The buns are now taken down, at a more sedate pace, by
officials of the Cheung Chau Rural Committee. In a baker's I bought my own bun,
which had the consistency of a scone. I showed the baker a guidebook drawing of
a bun tower. She shook her head: wrong bun. As she made no effort to direct me
elsewhere, I concluded that festival buns were made only at festival time.
Cheung Chau has no cars. Even cycling is banned along the waterfront between
noon and midnight at weekends, and I saw one little boy ticked off ferociously
by a policeman when he absent-mindedly sat on the saddle while pushing his bike.
The only traffic noise was the drone of a lawnmower engine on a mini-tractor
pulling fruit and veg. Away from the waterfront it was quieter still. I wandered
along the main road, a concrete path less than eight feet wide in parts, towards
the south-west end of the island. The road leads to one of the most popular
cemeteries in Hong Kong, and it is lined with little pavilions, rest stations
for pall-bearers sweating to the top. I followed it beyond the cemetery to the
cave of Cheung Po Tsai, a pirate who roamed the South China Sea during the Qing
Dynasty and who is said to have filled the cave with his booty. A man sat under
an awning at the cave's mouth, hiring torches to would-be explorers. Entry was
recommended "only for slim and agile people". I qualified on both counts but
still declined. Sheer cowardice was the main reason but I could justify my
reluctance in a different way. I had come to Cheung Chau to escape the crush of
Hong Kong, so why squeeze into an even smaller space?
Copyright 1995 Deutsche Presse-Agentur
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
October 28, 1995, Saturday, BC Cycle
10:08 Central European Time
SECTION: Entertainment, Television and Culture
LENGTH: 360 words
HEADLINE: Thailand to build temple at Buddha's birthplace
DATELINE: Bangkok
BODY:
The Thai government plans to begin construction on a temple in the Lumpini
area of Nepal, believed to be the birthplace of Buddha, news reports said
Saturday.
The temple's foundation stone will be laid on November 19, 1995 in a
ceremony chaired by Thailand's Supreme Patriarch and deputy education minister
Chaowarin Latthasaksiri, said the English-language The Nation newspaper said.
Thailand's Religious Affairs Department decided to build the temple, which
will be of classical Thai design, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of King
Bhumibol Adulyadej's ascension to the throne, to be celebrated next year.
Almost 90 per cent of Thailand's population of 58 million claim to be
followers of the Buddhist religion, which originated in Nepal and India but
won its strongest following in Southeast Asia and China.
Buddha was believed to be born 2538 years ago in the southern plains of
Nepal, in an area now called Lumpini, southwest of Kathmandu.
Thailand has secured a 99-year lease of the 5.2 acre site on which the
temple will be built.
*******************************************************************
Date: October 19, 1995
To: The Nepal Digest (TND)
From: Sapkota
First thanks a million for including such a wonderful net-magazine
in the internet. It is especially good for readers like me who have been
out of Nepal for different purposes. To be frank this magazine has
created an enviroment where we are less 'homesick' than we would have
been otherwise. I was more than excited to read about Nepal from here.
I am presently studying Biochemistry at Bath University and will be
here for another four years.
I would be grateful if you could include me in the subscription
list of the magazine. I have a personal email adress and it is
bs5gps@bath.ac.uk .
I would further be glad if you published the following poem wishing
you all the best with your efforts to improve and maintain the standard
of TND.
TND, Ekanta ma Dubeko yo Manma
Sathi banera Aai Diyou Timi,
Hridaya bata Badhai Chha Timilai
Sadhai yesari Aaune gara timi.
Matribhumiko Harek Kuna kapcha Sametera
Manka byatha Pokhdai jau
Sadhai hami Pachhi hunechhoun
Hamilai pani Bahaundai Jau !
Once again I would like to wish you all the best in all your
endevours.
Yours sincerely,
Gopal Prasad Sapkota
University of Bath.
******************************************************************************
* *
* The Nepal Digest(TND) is a publication of the Nepal Interest Group for *
* news and discussions about issues concerning Nepal. All members of *
* nepal@cs.niu.edu will get a copy of TND. Membership is open to all. *
* THE EDITOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ARTICLES FOR CLARITY. *
* *
* Subscription/Deletion requests : NEPAL-REQUEST@MP.CS.NIU.EDU *
* Provide one line message: sub nepal "lastname, firstname, mi" <user@host> *
* [OPTIONAL] Provide few lines about your occupation, address, phone for *
* TND database to: <A10RJS1@MP.CS.NIU.EDU> *
* Snail-Mail Correspondences to: Rajpal J.P. Singh *
* Founding-Editor/Co-ordinator *
* TND Foundation *
* 44 Greenridge Ave *
* White Plains, New York 10605, U.S.A. *
* *
* Digest Contributions: NEPAL@MP.CS.NIU.EDU *
* Contributors need to supply Header for the article, email, and full name. *
* *
* Postings are divided into following categories that are listed in the *
* order below. Please provide category-type in the header of your e-mail. *
* *
* 1. Message from TND Editorial Board *
* 2. Letter to the Editor *
* 3. TAJA_KHABAR: Current News *
* 4. KATHA_KABITA: Literature *
* 5. KURA_KANI: Economics *
* Agriculture *
* Forestry *
* Health *
* Education *
* Technology *
* Social Issues *
* Cultural Issues *
* Environment *
* Tourism *
* Foreign Policy *
* History *
* Military/Police *
* Politics *
* 6. CHOOT_KILA (Humor, Recipies, Movie Reviews, Sattaires etc.) *
* 7. JAN_KARI: Classifides (Matrimonials, Jobs etc) *
* 8. KHOJ_KHABAR (Inquiring about Nepal, Nepalis etc. ) *
* 9. TITAR_BITAR: Miscellaneous (Immigration and Taxex etc. ) *
* *
* **** COPYRIGHT NOTE **** *
* The news/article posters are responsible for any copyright violations. *
* TND, a non-profit electronic journal, will publish articles that has *
* been published in other electronic or paper journal with proper credit *
* to the original media. *
* *
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 11 2000 - 11:15:48 CST