No respite

I know how to resist nationwide general shutdowns called by “whoever” it may be. Walk about one hour from home to work and vice versa. Bandhs may be leisure time for some, but many suffer enormously. Bandhs cost our nation millions, if not billions. It is the ordinary people who are worst affected, be it the bandhs or the wait for the constitution. The people remain the losers whatever the case. The politicians will never stop playing politics because that is their job, and create trouble for us.

Santosh Kalwar, Chitwan 


Published: The Himalayan Times
Letter to the Editor

End of Terror+ism

The intelligent US forces have finally killed the World’s most wanted terrorist in anxious times. Mr. Bin Laden came into limelight by terrorizing hundreds and thousands of American people and by masterminding 9/11 attacks. Does this mean that there is an end to terrorism? I do not think so and I hope you too, will agree with me, on this front. My stupid mind suggests that we are living in very anxious times. There are many faces of this mother earth and something big is happening every day. There is revolution in Middle East (e.g. Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria); there is climatic disaster (e.g. Tsunami in Japan, Australian flood, New Zealand earthquake, Tornadoes in many states of US etc) and, there was/is war on terrorism.

Terrorism –a word that in itself is very scary. Two subjugates combine this world such as, “terror” and “ism”. Terrorism goes hand-in-hand with many “ism” such as Hinduism, Islamism, and Buddhism and so on. Anything that stays for longer period becomes a religion. Terrorism is another form of religion worshipped by extremist people with their own harsh pre-defined set of protocols. There are many terrorist organizations in the world and Al qaeda is one of the top-most terrorist organizations. These terrorist organizations organize “terror” and raise fear among ordinary civilians. The only way these organization works is by raising fear. However, with the death of most prominent leader in terror industry, people are most likely to breathe with a sigh of relief.

On one hand, there lies Osama bin laden—leader of famous terrorist organization. On the other hand, there is Obama—leader of US. Many conspiracy theorists in US speculated that Osama was Obama and demanded “birth certificate” of the President. It seems to be that US president has finally, won the battle against all his critics. Unlike two faces of a coin, terrorism does not have two different faces, it has one single face to raise fear, to kill innocent people, to abide by their pre-defined set of rules, to follow their path and to raise their industry—“fear industry”.

In my opinion, there is no end to terrorism like there is no end to poverty. When there is big division of class, culture, religion, sect, faith and money among ordinary people, there will be no end to either terrorism or poverty. The only possible solution would be to narrow the gap rose among divisions. Going by the news report, many politicians and diplomats feel that the world is safer place to live (with the death of Osama bin laden). They have forgotten the fact that terrorism does not necessarily end with a terrorist. Undoubtedly, Osama bin Laden was a terrorist and his religion was terrorism. Although, he was a leader of famous terrorist organization called al Qaeda his death does not eradicate terrorism as per se. 

Real men do not buy girls

Very recently, popular actor of Holly-something-wood, Demi Moore visited Nepal for her CNN project on slavery. By definition, Sex is one of the fundamental psychological and physiological needs of human beings. Every young lad desires to get laid someday and can pay almost anything to fulfil such psychological need.  As far as my own personal travel experiences are concerned, I am quite aware of the fact that there are several places where sex trade is done legally. But to find sexual pleasure neither do we have to visit cities such as, Frankfurt in Germany nor London in UK.

It is evident that sex trade is very common in our so called “freak street” (also based on my observation). It seems that in the Freak Street or, similar places sex trade is practiced illegally. Despite illegalities, those people in need can buy and sell sex in Nepal. For an instance, it is also very common to find people who sell/buy sex e.g. in massage center or in some spa/pub/restaurants.

Many illiterate young, poor girls are fooled every day. People are selling young girls to foreign land for example, in India or Middle East. Those who sell people for sex trade promise them a rosy job in foreign land or something fancy that deceives girls, eventually.  A simple question is how to reduce sex trade from the grassroots level.

Every country has problems as if every individual living on this bright blue planet. In our developing world sex slavery, human trafficking, and corruption are at peak. Many people have been a victim of violence and brutal act by sex traders. In a civilized society, sex if practiced with mutual consent of a partner is considered as a normal behavior whereas sex if practiced forcefully is immoral act or is regarded as a rape. Therefore, we must bring forth, a shared and common understanding to solve the problem. There are many NGO and I-NGO, which are helping on to solve sex crisis (unlike energy crisis). Our government should encourage organization which aid in reducing sex slaves. A highest priority should be given to these organization that deal with sex slavery and it should be upgraded as a national agenda. A national protocol has to be established to address the problem of sex trafficking. In addition, nationwide newspaper, radio and television programs should be widely launched, broadcasted and popularized.

Finally yet importantly, women are emotional animals. Women are highly sensitive towards words, expression, sentiments, emotion, love and feelings. Furthermore, it is highly likely that an illiterate woman would easily believe pimps or sex traders. Therefore, there is an ultimate need of professionals and experts to solve sex crisis in Nepal. I would also like to request our lawmakers, politicians and elite decision makers to solve sex crisis by empowering women at various upstream of the society. Perhaps, "real men do not buy girls; they protect them”, do you not? Maybe, we should ask some of our, Kolly-something-wood actors or maybe-not.

Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden Death

Remarks by the President on Osama Bin Laden

East Room

11:35 P.M. EDT

     THE PRESIDENT:  Good evening.  Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history.  The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world.  The empty seat at the dinner table.  Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father.  Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace.  Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together.  We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood.  We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country.  On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice.  We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe.  And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort.  We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense.  In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support.  And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan.  Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.

And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden.  It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground.  I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan.  And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.  A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability.  No Americans were harmed.  They took care to avoid civilian casualties.  After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies.  The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort.  There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us.  We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam.  I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam.  Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims.  Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own.  So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was.  That is what we’ve done.  But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding.  Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts.  They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations.  And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight.  It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens.  After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war.  These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war.  Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed.  We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies.  We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror:  Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome.  The American people do not see their work, nor know their names.  But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country.  And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores. 

And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11.  I know that it has, at times, frayed.  Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people. 

The cause of securing our country is not complete.  But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to.  That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place. 

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are:  one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.  May God bless you.  And may God bless the United States of America.
         
                        END               11:44 P.M. EDT

Source: White house

Costly Bandas

INDEED it was quite a while before we got to witness children sharpening their criceting skills out on the Kathmandu streets ("Strike one", April 28, Page 6). And yes, the banda eased the pero-crisis, be it for a day. Didn't all the major political parties sign on not to organize any bandas during the Nepal Tourism Year 2011? Foregin tourists will soon stop trusting the words of our leaders and choose to keep away from the hassle-filled destination when they have so many more peaceful and as beautiful countries to choose from.

Santosh Kalwar
Chitwan
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Letter to Editor/Voice of People

Nepal Today

Trend of brain-drain

Nepal is in deep crisis, and everybody must be aware of the problematic situation. We are not only facing the energy crisis, but also many other problems. Among the many other crisis, an eye-catching one is migration of intellectuals to foreign land. It is not sad that we are poor, underdeveloped and less educated, but it is regrettable that many are migrating abroad for the sake of rosy jobs, higher education and opulent income.

The money that is earned comes with energy and efforts in a foreign land. When we are young, the best option is always to go abroad for the so-called higher education. However,

recent data suggest that few graduate with a degree or with quality/skill. Many divert from their real goal to do some alternative form of work either in restaurants or something similar. People should always focus on their real goal/objective.

The increasing trend of brain-drain is not only due to opportunities, political and economic stability, social and financial risk, liberty and healthy living, but also because of family and cultural impact. People tend to think if somebody has gone abroad, earned a hefty sum of money, and also built his own house, why not my son/daughter?” But, many diaspora are well aware of the bitter truth of foreign land. There are goodies to be fetched if one puts a lot of effort. People are moving quite a lot these days.

It is evident that many intellectuals who fly out will try their luck for an “American dream” or “European holidays”. But, who will look after the prosperity of Nepal? If only women and children are left behind, who will provide the helping hand? The crisis deepens when these scholars come back after spending quality time in foreign land, in their old age. It might also be hard for them to adapt in their own land. I would like to request all the Nepalese intellectuals and scholars to think about their priorities, to love their motherland, to put culture and bravery as their stereotypes, to love themselves and to use their level of thinking. Please consider coming back to your land, we need you.


Published: The HImalayan Times
Letter to the Editor
2011-04-14

Santosh Kalwar, Tandi,Chitwan 

I Am Dead Man Alive reviewed by ReadersFavorite.com

Santosh Kalwar is a prolific writer. His latest offering is a book of poetry with the theme of death. I Am Dead Man Alive’s verses are short. "God Save The Flag" speaks of the many patriots that sacrifice their blood for the flag. "O Dream" speaks of the release of death. "The Child" speaks of the death of a child. 

"Old Women" was one of my favorites. It made me think of someone dear to me. There comes a time when death is a welcome release. Our friends and family have gone before us, and we seem to be left behind. Another favorite was "Nobody Remembered Me." We will be remembered for only a short time after our death. 

Santosh Kalwar speaks with great wisdom. Death is inevitable. It happens to all living things. A tiny seed sprouts, pushes its head through the soil, and eventually blooms. Slowly the bloom dries out and the plant withers away to make room for the next generation. Death is a vital part of life. 

I Am Dead Man Alive is a short book at a mere 60 pages. The poetry is well-done. Santosh has penned several books. I believe this one to be his best. 


Source: Readers Favorite 
Rating: 5/5

Second International Airport

The idea of spending $600 million to build one more international airport in Nijgadh as advanced in the editorial and the news 2nd Int'l airport possible in 4 years at $600 million (April 10) is indeed a praiseworthy view if the estimated amount gets spent for the completion of the project. But if it goes into hands of top-notch politicians, bureaucrats, leaders and officers, this colossal investment will only warm up their pockets and people and the nation will gain nothing.

Santosh Kalwar
via email
Published: Republica
Your Say/Letter to Editor

Facing death

MAR 06 -
Last year, Girija babu left our bright planet. And just days ago, we lost the great legend of the Nepali Congress (NC) and former prime minister, Krishna Prasad Bhattarai.

Kishunji was an inspirational leader—he wasn’t involved in any corruption scandals, was heartily followed by many and had a great sense of humour. Now that he is no more, it will be hard for his followers to cope-up with his peaceful demise. His contributions to the NC and Nepal in general will surely be extolled in golden words. As he was accepted as one of the great Nepali political legends, his death has sent shock waves across the entire nation. We have lost great charismatic leader.

However, the bitter truth of his demise has forced everyone to think about death. Sadly, no one escapes death. Death is a fact of life for everyone, and it often comes without displaying any traces, signs, symptoms, or predictability. The true beauty of death is that nobody knows much about it.

Everybody is fearful of something in their life, and many people fear death. But death is not something to be feared. Everybody is born and everybody has to die—there is no escape from this cycle of life. There are plenty of views on death. Some views and ideas emerge from religious beliefs and some from science—but no matter the theory, it is a part of life. Everybody is aware of biological causes of death—a certain disease or condition ranging from cancer to heart failure, or perhaps an accident.

According to Hindu doctrines, there are three fundamental stages of human life: birth, marriage and death. Undoubtedly, every human being must born, marry and die. Nevertheless, most of us find excitement in the first two stages but somehow remain terrified with the idea of death. We should appreciate each of these vital stages equally, no matter what.

The reasons based in religion and science are not satisfactory. The primary reason for this is that, despite their contributions, they don’t actually help us better understand death. The fundamental question of life—where do we come from, why are we here, and where will we go—is an unsolved mystery and will remain unsolved. But perhaps rather than trying to espouse the mysteries of death, it is better that we just accept its reality and live each moment to its limit.

Kishunji has inspired many generations of leaders in Nepali politics. I hope those inspired leaders will display their true talent and pass on his ideologies, philosophies and aspiration towards younger generation. Kishunji, we salute you for your outstanding contribution to Nepali politics. Rest in peace.

Posted on: 2011-03-07 07:58
Published: The Kathmandu Post

The continuous affair

Two things drive human motion: evolution and revolution. I am not so much worried about human evolution, but I am worried about human revolution. It seems to unfold slowly but steadily. Signs and symptoms of people acting revolutionaries in pre-historic times and post-historical times, against dictators, kings and rulers, can be identified. It all has come to change the status quo, with hopes of a better future, hopefully.

As Darwin had pointed out, we are all evolving creatures. And, to my mind we all are revolutionary creatures as well. No, it is not ridiculous to think so. If you were an addictive newsreader (like me), you would know of global events like the Egyptian revolution, and Mubarak quitting. Of course, Tunisian event preceded that. Now, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, Oman and Iran are facing the same crisis. Dictatorship is NOT going to work in tech-savvy, social media bound twittering world. I personally believe that people have more power than politicians or leaders in today’s digital workspace. It had always been the people power, not the political power, running any great nation or territory. A mandate for common rule or protocols is only possible if the majority of the people vote for it democratically, peacefully.

Today, if all Nepalese citizens gather to fight for their basic rights such as food, electricity, clothes, jobs, social security, and privacy, nobody can stop them. The people have proved themselves many times in the past, so the political bosses must act sincerely taking them into consideration.

With the world population hitting the seven billion milestone, problems are bound to multiply the world over. I envision a world where there would be less value for art, words and self-respect. There would be more value for oil, food, technology, safety, security, and balance. As a young scientist, ‘balance’ is not to be worried about as Nature wouldl balance herself in some ways (climate change, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes etc).

If the people’s needs are unfulfilled, a revolution will simply begin at any point in time. Nothing remains forever, as everything is finite.

As the wise man said, “Every beginning has an end and every end has a new beginning.” This is what makes the human beings look forward to something better.


Source: The Himalyan Times
Published: 02-March-2011

Benazir Bhutto Speech

Benazir Bhutto Speech - Male Domination Of Women

Benazir Bhutto, Prime Minister of Pakistan
Beijing, 4 September 1995

As the first woman ever elected to head an Islamic nation, I feel a special responsibility about issues that relate to women. In addressing the new exigencies of the new century, we must translate dynamic religion into a living reality. We must live by the true spirit of Islam, not only by its rituals. And for those of you who may be ignorant of Islam, cast aside your preconceptions about the role of women in our religion.

Contrary to what many of you may have come to believe, Islam embraces a rich variety of political, social and cultural traditions. The fundamental ethos of Islam is tolerance, dialogue, and democracy.

Just as in Christianity and Judaism, we must always be on guard for those who will exploit and manipulate the Holy Book for their own narrow political ends, who will distort the essence of pluralism and tolerance for their own extremist agendas.

To those who claim to speak for Islam but who would deny to women our place in society, I say:

The ethos of Islam is equality, equality between the sexes. There is no religion on earth that, in its writing and teachings, is more respectful of the role of women in society than Islam.

My presence here, as the elected woman prime minister of a great Muslim country, is testament to the commitment of Islam to the role of women in society.

It is this tradition of Islam that has empowered me, has strengthened me, has emboldened me.

It was this heritage that sustained me during the most difficult points in my life, for Islam forbids injustice; injustice against people, against nations, against women.

It denounces inequality as the gravest form of injustice.

It enjoins its followers to combat oppression and tyranny.

It enshrines piety as the sole criteria for judging humankind.

It shuns race, colour, and gender as a basis of distinction amongst fellowmen.

When the human spirit was immersed in the darkness of the Middle Ages, Islam proclaimed equality between men and women. When women were viewed as inferior members of the human family, Islam gave them respect and dignity.

When women were treated as chattels, the Prophet of Islam (Peace Be Upon Him) accepted them as equal partners.

Islam codified the rights of women. The Koran elected their status to that of men. It guaranteed their civic, economic, and political rights. It recognised their participative role in nation building.

Sadly, the Islamic tenets regarding women were soon discarded. In Islamic society, as in other parts of the world, their rights were denied. Women were maltreated, discriminated against, and subjected to violence and oppression, their dignity injured and their role denied.

Women became the victims of a culture of exclusion and male dominance. Today more women than men suffer from poverty, deprivation, and discrimination. Half a billion women are illiterate. Seventy percent of the children who are denied elementary education are girls.

The plight of women in the developing countries is unspeakable. Hunger, disease, and unremitting toil is their fate. Weak economic growth and inadequate social support systems affect them most seriously and directly.

They are the primary victims of structural adjustment processes which necessitate reduced state funding for health, education, medical care, and nutrition. Curtailed resource flows to these vital areas impact most severely on the vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.

This, Madam Chairperson, is not acceptable. It offends my religion. It offends my sense of justice and equity. Above all, it offends common sense.

That is why Pakistan, the women of Pakistan, and I personally have been fully engaged in recent international efforts to uphold women’s rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights enjoins the elimination of discrimination against women.

The Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies provide a solid framework for advancing women’s rights around the world. But the goal of equality, development, and peace still eludes us.

Sporadic efforts in this direction have failed. We are satisfied that the Beijing Platform of Action encompasses a comprehensive approach toward the empowerment of women. This is the right approach and should be fully supported.

Women cannot be expected to struggle alone against the forces of discrimination and exploitation. I recall the words of Dante, who reminded us that "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis."

Today in this world, in the fight for the liberation of women, there can be no neutrality.

My spirit carries many a scar of a long and lonely battle against dictatorship and tyranny. I witnessed, at a young age, the overthrow of democracy, the assassination of an elected prime minister, and a systematic assault against the very foundations of a free society.

But our faith in democracy was not broken. The great Pakistani poet and philosopher Dr. Allama Iqbal says, "Tyranny cannot endure forever." It did not. The will of our people prevailed against the forces of dictatorship

But, my dear sisters, we have learned that democracy alone is not enough.

Freedom of choice alone does not guarantee justice.

Equal rights are not defined only by political values.

Social justice is a triad of freedom, an equation of liberty:

Justice is political liberty.

Justice is economic independence.

Justice is social equality.

Delegated, sisters, the child who is starving has no human rights.

The girl who is illiterate has no future.

The woman who cannot plan her life, plan her family, plan a career, is fundamentally not free….

I am determined to change the plight of women in my country. More than sixty million of our women are largely sidelined.

It is a personal tragedy for them. It is a national catastrophe for my nation. I am determined to harness their potential to the gigantic task of nation building….

I dream of a Pakistan in which women contribute to their full potential. I am conscious of the struggle that lies ahead. But, with your help, we shall persevere. Allah willing, we shall succeed.

Featured poem on Mad Swirl

One poem accepted and published by 'Mad Swirl Poetry' Journal entitled, "Tell". You may read a poem here:http://www.madswirl.com/content/poetryforum.html ...
Now, I am also one of the Contributing Poets here on Mad Swirl. Check out my new page at: http://www.madswirl.com/content/poetry/Santosh_Kalwar.htmlThank you and happy reading... :)

What is modern

JAN 12 - 

What is modern

Anil Bhattarai’s latest article was a nice read and I hope he continues to write with this improved presentation (“We are all modern,” Jan. 11, Page 6). As Bhattarai wrote, we may envision New Nepal and write flowery text to highlight a modern Nepal, but the bitter truth belies us. While modernity has meant bungalows and Pajeros to some powerful people, many Nepalis are still without two square meals a day. We cannot solve Nepal’s problems with grand statements of being the next Switzerland or Singapore in ten years, but we can follow the author’s direction to initiate small and feasible improvements. We are constantly thinking about big changes, like in education, healthcare and business. But the only way to initiate any change is by doing the little things right.  Being modern means different things to different people. Not only our politicians have the right to modernity. Average Nepalis can be modern by being accountable for their actions.

Santosh Kalwar

Ratnanagar, Chitwan

Source: The Kathmandu Post

Letter to the Editor

Passport adventure

DEC 29 -
As technology engulfs the world, every office and organisation must become tech-centric. Recently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in our own country has launched the much hyped Machine Readable Passport (MRP). The good news for me was that I could apply for one of these high-tech passports for my wife. The bad news was that we still had to stand in a long line to do so.

On the first day of our passport adventure, we went to the MoFA and waited in a queue to receive a “free passport application form.” We were excited to see that the queue was quite short; it only took us five hours to reach the front. Feeling pretty good, we decided to fill out the application the next day.

On the second day, we hurried to the Ministry to get in line to submit the application form. The tail of the queue was at Narayanhiti Durbar Museum where we popped in and waited for our turn. Patiently, we waited, and waited, and waited. The sun was shining bright and the blue sky had no sign of rain. We had reached the Ministry of Education and Sports when a police officer approached and said, “Please come tomorrow, you cannot submit the application today.”  Wow, a whole day lost and we hadn’t even submitted the application.

On the third day, we wised up and arrived much earlier, before sunrise, around 7 in the morning. Surely this was early enough that we would manage to submit the application—especially considering the government offices do not open before 10. Another journey in the queue had begun and we patiently waited our turn. Finally, we managed to secure a place at the window where the prized application would be submitted.

But a government officer on the other side of the window said, “You cannot write your application in ball-pen; write it in jell-pen or print it with the help of a computer and bring it again.” As we disappointedly trudged home, ordinary citizens of New Nepal, we took solace in the face that we had at least made many friends during our days of line-waiting.

On the fourth day, we arrived at the MoFA earliest yet, while the city was still sleeping, around 4 am. Our beloved queue had now become routine and we were no longer surprised to end the day without having accomplished our goal, nor to plan to return the following day.

Finally, on the fifth day, we were able to submit an application after answering a few questions asked by a government officer. Lesson learned: It is hard enough to be a V.I.P. in Nepal; it is even harder to be an ordinary person.

Posted on: 2010-12-30 09:11
Published: The Kathmandu Post

Worthy of reading

NOV 17 -
Reading is regarded as a way for people to acquire knowledge. But reading just anything cannot easily provide satisfactory knowledge. I read the content that interests and fascinates me. For example, I read newspapers, essays, articles and dozens of books every month.

There are several ways to read. Some people read thousands of pages very quickly. Such type of reading technique is called skimming. When someone takes a longer time to read text then it is called scanning. However, it depends on what type of material a reader is reading. Some may prefer to scan newspaper columns and essays. Moreover, other may prefer to read or briefly reread novels, stories and poems. It is not how you read but what you read that matters.

In my opinion, in our society we lack good readers. This can be seen from the literary merit and scarce number of works published by Nepali writers. There are works of many great Western contemporary writers that are quite popular in our motherland. On the contrary, not many Nepali writers are well known or well read in the West. This leads to burgeoning questions such as how many Nepali writers have published their readings at either the national or international levels. On the other hand, how many literary critics has Nepal produced or how many people here are interested in what our nation’s own authors have written. I think this lack of interest is due in part to the lack of reading. Our literary circle does not necessarily have clear expertise.

Everybody is trying to make money out of literature. But litterateurs should rather focus on making people more literate. Some people in villages do not even have textbooks to read, a newspaper to purchase nor the Internet to surf.  It wouldn’t be very surprising to find that many people from rural areas have never seen Google or Facebook. A reader therefore, would be much more interested to read the works that provides him knowledge and ideas rather than worthless information.

It seems to me that, the well-known publishers are publishing the works of well-known writers and the small faction of literary critics is promoting them. Moreover, much of

the media attention is given to those writers or publishers who are relatives of some political parties or editors

in one way or the other.  Until and unless this form of nepotism is not longer prevalent in our society, it would be difficult to receive genuine criticism and review of writer’s work. Thus, a publisher should focus on publishing content that can be beneficial to society or the community in general rather than beneficial to just himself or herself.

Nothing is permanent in this world and everything changes with time but an idea always survives. In my short lifespan, I have accumulated thousands of great ideas and knowledge from the works of many known and unknown writers. My simple idea in this short column was to exemplify that I would love to spend my valuable time on worthy material rather than worthless material and I think reading is just a way to know how.

Posted on: 2010-11-18 07:38
Published: The Kathmandu Post

A comment on article at Nytimes on title, "

Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post"...

This is not good that company or any industry has rights to "look into" their employee’s social media pages.
I do not know what the law is but the law has to be reinstated. No employer should be allowed to judge their employees on what they think about them. Moreover, they should rather put a "complaint box" or tool in their organization so that anyone can "drop in" their feedback and disuses that issue further. If that is done, then it will not only help the industry but also it might just improve the relationship between various stakeholders.
The only way to solve humanly problem is by understanding the magnitude of a problem. It is nowhere now an age of Big Brother but Collaborative Brothers. Welcome to this new world.


Source: Nytimes Online

Policing porn

I am against the government policy to block pornographic material online (“Net effect,” Nov. 1, Page 6). The domain of the web, the most democratic of all mediums of communication, belongs to common people. The government should not be policing its content and deciding for the people what they should or should not view.

And it is also unrealistic to expect internet service providers to block certain sites; it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I would like to know who in the government comes up with these stupid plans when there are clearly more pressing issues to take care of.

Santosh Kalwar

By email

Published: Letter to Editor
The Kathmandu Post

Cricketing country

OCT 23 -
Cricket is always regarded as a gentleman’s game. This mental attitude is very important in the game of cricket; this is the game of battle played with both hearts and minds. This game, of bat and ball is Australia and England’s national game. There is no doubt that has become like a religion in India. And if cricket is has become a religion in India, then obviously, Sachin Tendulkar is the god of the game.
I have been great fan of Sachin from my childhood days. I have loved the way he bats, fields and bowls in both one day and test matches. If anyone has ever played cricket then they must be aware of the great Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. However, the cricket game, in particular is bigger than any personal legend or name. I have learned that no game is won individually. The team effort plays a vital role in the success or failure of the game. Nevertheless, it does not matter if we lose or win the game, what matters most is the way the game is played.

In my opinion, this sport is catching up and emerging in Nepal as well. Personally, I have participated in one national game and several league games. And from what I’ve seen, I believe that Nepal has the potential to play World Cup Cricket game one day. I have always imagined Nepal and Nepali players playing with big players the likes of Sachin. Someday, I hope this too can be achieved.
The problems with cricket in Nepal are several. First, the cricket grounds are not well prepared. Second, the players are not given any benefits. Third, compared to other cricket powerhouses, there are not good coaches and physical trainers in the country. Fourth, the media attention and sponsorships given to the sport are limited. And lastly, there are not enough
competitions held at all levels: district, municipality and national. There are surely solutions to overcome these problems. Some of the right solutions would be to engage people, sponsors, and media people and engage more players into the game. Sometimes, I feel sad that I no longer play cricket, something I had to give it up due to my age. But I still polish my heart when I see my brothers and colleagues playing. It does not matter if I am not the one representing the Nepali cricket team. What matters most to me is that Nepal is being represented and Nepali players are competing in a big arena.

If we make improvements to national facilities to play this so called gentleman’s game, I believe the next Sachin may emerge from our Himalayan land. Providing solutions to above mentioned problems, in a few years, we could be playing at a World Cup Cricket match.
If we really love the game and have the passion to fight, Nepal can surely win the hearts and minds of cricket lovers across the world.



Published: The Kathmandu Post
Source: ekantipur online

Sheena Iyengar on the art of choosing