#401 23 - 29 May 2008 16 pages Rs 30

Weekly Internet Poll # 402. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.comQ. How confident are you that a republicwill be declared on 28 May?

Weekly Internet Poll # 401

Q. What should king Gyanendra now do?

Total votes: 6,921

W hen the newly-elected constituentassembly sits for its

first meeting at the BICC on28 May, it will ratify theabolition of the monarchybefore it even starts drafting anew constitution.

To make things easy, kingGyanendra could vacate thepalace on 27 May itself. If hewants to make it difficult, hecould try to stick it out andface protests at the gates,which could turn ugly.

“When Nepal was declareda federal republic last year, theking was given a grace periodto leave the palace and he hashad ample time to plan how hewas going to go,” says politicalanalyst Krishna Hachhethu.But the king has tried to clingon till the last.

Right-wing Hindu groupsand royalists haven’t given up,and say only a referendum canabolish the 240-year-oldinstitution. “The decision toremove the king came from areinstated unelected

parliament that had nolegitimacy,” deputy royal highpriest Madhav Bhattarai toldNepali Times.

The RPP (Nepal) has been avocal champion of monarchy andits leader Kamal Thapa has beentrying to buy time for the king.“This country will plunge intocrisis if the monarchy is removedin haste,” he says.

The election was anoverwhelming win forrepublicanism, with the royalistforces seeing a rout, so it can beexpected that a referendumwouldn’t save the monarchy evenif it was tried. Even palaceinsiders say the king should seethe writing on the wall and exitgracefully while there is stilltime. But they fear his decision

Changing of the guard

Eviction daynears atNarayanhiti

DISTANT THUNDER: Storm clouds brewover the palace on Wednesday evening.

may be “too little too late”. Jurist Nilamber Acharya

dismisses speculation that theking has something up his sleeve.“The king is powerless, he has nosupport from the politicalparties, the internationalcommunity, the Nepali people oreven the Nepal Army,” saysAcharya.

Some monarchists advise kingGyanendra to negotiate a dealwith the prime minister and theMaoists on his security and aprivy purse, and to keep QueenMother Ratna in her presentcottage in the palace, a place shehas not left since her marriage toKing Mahendra. He can thenmake a proclamation and stepdown on the day the newparliament sits.

Acharya and others say theend of the monarchy can bemarked by a ceremony in whichthe royal standard within thepalace is lowered and replacedsymbolically by the national flag.He adds: “Most countries have arepublic day, ours could be 15Jestha.”

MALLIKA ARYAL

SAM KANG LI

2 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401EDITORIAL

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LLLLL E T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R S

PRASHANT JHAPrasant Jhaís articles are good but heis relying more on rhetoric than on realanalysis (ëPost-identity politicisí,#400). He wrote before the electionthat Madhesi parties would do badlybecause their disunity had infuriatedMadhesis, but the result came out withMJF as the biggest party from theTarai. He wrote that people in the Taraithought of Ram Baran Yadav as thePahadisí dalal, which is little morethan mud-slinging at a Madhesi leaderwho is liberal and did not follow theradical path of Mahanta Thakur. In anycase, Ram Baran won. Jha also failedto catch wind of Jwala Singhís loss ofcontrol of his outfit, despite the factthat Madhesi FM stations andnewspapers have been reporting onthe storm brewing around Singh fortwo weeks.

Prasant Jha should start readingMadhesi newspapers to understandthe ground reality of the Tarai. A biggerdanger than Islamic militancy here iscaste-based groups from Biharinfluencing the local population in theMadhes. The Ranvir Sena and theSaravana Liberation Front havedeclared that they will fight against theMaoists in the Tarai who they see as aparty of Dalits. These groups shouldnot be ignored as they have beeninvolved in massacres in Bihar which

f democratic values are to berespected, the Maoistsshould lead the next

government. The establishedpractice of parliamentarydemocracy all over the world isthat the government of the day,when defeated in the election,must resign.

But this not how democracyfunctions in Nepal. The politicalparties who were trounced in theelection, particularly the NC andUML, have together formed acartel to hold on to office. Theyare arguing that the Maoists mustfirst prove their ‘democraticcredentials’.

The Maoists are continuingwith their efforts to form aninterim government, but the NCand the UML have put forwardrather tough conditions for theirsupport. Meanwhile, the mediacarries daily reports aboutabduction, illegal confinement,torture, extortion and murder ofpolitical opponents, media

Democracy seems to work differently in NepalSore losers

persons, landowners andbusinessmen by theMaoist YCL.

Explanations provided bythe leadership don’t convincemost newspaper readers of theMaoists’ innocence. Onoccasion exaggerated reportingby the media and NGOs, andmisreporting of Maoiststatements have also emerged.

The Maoists secured 30.52percent of the votes in theFPTP segment of the elections,giving them 120 seats. In the PRthey got 29.28 percent of thevotes which translated intoanother 100 seats, making atotal of 220 out of the 575 seatsso far declared in theconstituent assembly. They are48 short of an absolute majority.

The NC got 37 seats in theFPTP segment and 73 in the PRwith a total of 110, exactly halfof the Maoists. The UML got 33in FPTP and 70 in PR, with 103in total. What these two partieslost since the previous electionswent to the Maoists. The twoMadhesi parties, the MJF andthe TMLP together polled 9.5percent of the total votes inthe FPTP.

In the political hothouse ofKathmandu rumours grow everyminute, with a mix of fact andfiction. And in Nepal thingsalways seem to come full circle.In 2003 when GP Koirala metthe Maoists in a secret venue inIndia, they offered him the firstpresidency in exchange for theNC’s support for the Maoistdemand for a constituentassembly and republic. Koiralarefused. Today he wants to bepresident, and the Maoists are

not willing.With the approval of India

and America, the NC hassecretly conveyed to the Maoiststhat it will support them in theformation of an interimgovernment provided they agreeto the creation of a position ofhead of state who would be thecommander in chief and havepower to dismiss the primeminister, and that they give theposition to GP Koirala.Apparently this is a pressuretactic to force the Maoists todisband the YCL and surrenderall the arms in their possessionto the government.

The UML has demandedthat the Maoists disband theYCL as a price for their supportin the government making. TheMadhesi parties have agreed tobe a part of a Maoist-ledgovernment if they agree toa single Madhes spanningthe Tarai.

India doesn’t want theMaoists to form a governmenttill they have disbanded theYCL and surrendered all theirarms. All the major politicalparties secretly support thearmy in their opposition to theproposal of integrating theNepal Army with the MaoistPLA.

Tailpiece: a friend of mine,who plays tennis with colonelsand majors, said that a sectionof the army brass has becomewell skilled in politicalnegotiations.

Tapan Kumar Bose is thesecretary general of theKathmandu-based South AsianForum for Human Rights.

IPROCRASTI NATIONDepending on whether you see the glass as half full or half empty,some of us are waiting for Nepal to enter a brave new era ofdemocracy and progress, while others are convinced that we areheaded towards a totalitarian abyss.

The argument is well made that the Maoists won the elections,and they should be allowed to lead a government. The NC and UMLshould get over their self-obsessed misery and deep suspicion ofeach other, and look at the nationís future instead of their partisanambitions. And in a vestige of the Old Nepal they take to the streetsand declare a shutdown, punishing the people to get back at theMaoists. So set are they in their ways, that to change seems to beasking too much of them.

But itís not entirely fecklessness at the helms of the NC andUML. There is deep-set paranoia and distrust about true Maoistintentions. The comrades, it must be said, have done nothing toallay these fears. They have kept up their tactics of violence bybeating up those they beat in elections. They have even taken avictimised businessman to a UN-supervised camp to torture andkill. We gave Pushpa Kamal Dahal the benefit of doubt, but it is nolonger believable that terrorising opponents is not a part of hisstrategy.

Why is it so difficult for Pushpa Kamal Dahal to say sorry? Heowns up to the killing, says there will be an investigation, the guiltywill be punished and the victimís family will be compensated. Butnot a word of remorse or contrition. And it is the same with all otheracts of YCL brutality. The standard operating procedure is first to gointo denial, and when the evidence becomes too glaring, dismiss itas the work of a few rogue elements. And if public outrage mounts, astatement is released promising compensation and blamingìreactionariesî and ìcounter-revolutionariesî for a ìconspiracyî.

Revolutions devour their own children. If the Maoists arenítcareful this is what will happen to them. The Nepali people in theirwisdom voted for the Maoists, but didnít give them the majority torun things on their own. In a democracy, they have to learn to worktogether with the other parties in a coalition.The other parties have some understandableconcerns and have set pre-conditions tojoining the government.

Ultimately there is no way but to give upthe culture of violence and cooperate. Thatcan start with the Maoists leading thegovernment, making the NC a ceremonialhead of state and giving the speakerís post tothe UML. After that, who gets what ministryisnít that important.

GUEST COLUMNTapan Kumar Bose

would make Gaur look like childís play.Raghuvir Singh Thakur, Rautahat

I donít think Muslims in the Tarai willstart communal violence because theyknow that with India as their neighbour theywill have nowhere to hide if the majorityHindus go after them. I donít know whyPrashant Jha is predicting a doomsdayscenario (ëPost-identity politicsí, #400).Muslims have a role in society and they willget it peacefully, not by threateningmilitancy.

Roshan, email

CK LALAll the points made by CK Lal in ëThere bedragonsí (#399) are true. Nepali politiciansand all Nepalis should bear these in mindand work for the good of the nation ratherthan personal gain. Nepalis have beencheated for a long time and we will notstand for selfish intentions anymore.

DR Gurung, email

Kudos to CK Lal on completing 400columns. One may not agree with yourforemost op-ed opinionist, but you have togive credit to the man, he is consistent.After eight years, one would have thoughtMr Lal would have run out of things to say,but he comes up with original analysisweek after week. Thank you.

J Oliver, email Congratulations to CK Lalji for being so

regular in Nepali Times over the pasteight years. He should be requiredreading for all policy-makers in Nepal.

Gyan Subba, email

Thank you Nepali Times for being oureyes and ears on Nepal for the past eightyears. Reading NT every Friday morninghas become such a habit that I think weare all hopelessly addicted. Please neverstop.

Tara Thapa, Sanepa

ASSI enjoyed the Assí ëMr Rajaísneighbourhoodí (Backside, #400).†There isvery little difference between Kingji andAwesomeji.

The kingís former military adviserBibek Shahís†deputy military secretary,General Phudung, is now Prachandaíschief military adviser.† Many†formeranchaladishes are now Maoists, includingSurya Bahadur Sen Oli who was close tothe king during the royal regime and isnow close to Prachanda.† The late†KingMahendra used to talk about youthmobilisation with the ëBack to the VillageíCampaign, the Maoists want a Ministry ofYouth. Mahendra and Birendra believed ina†Panchasila foreign policy, so does CPGajurel.†The monarchy used mandalegoons to threaten and intimidate people,and they have been reincarnated as theYCL. Both Gyanendra and Prachanda arepro-Chinese†and anti-Indian, both†areunpredictable, and†both still have†an armyunder them. It seems the only differencebetween them is that one has amoustache, but who can forget thatGyanendra also experimented with fuzzlast year?

I think it is even possible that the twomay unite some day. As the wise Assreports, who knows what deal was made inApril 2006? It wouldnít surprise me if weslipped back into military rule again.

Rassendra† Ram Aryal, Munich

ACCOUNTABILITY: Residents of theKoteswor area have been protesting againstthe Maoist murder of Ram Hari Shresthasince Saturday.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

323 - 29 MAY 2008 #401

JANAKPUR—The capital of Mithila lookslike a boomtown gone bust. There ishaphazard growth and the infrastructurehas almost collapsed. But the magnificentJanaki Temple continues to be the centre ofeverything.

Compared to the festivities of RamNavami, celebration of Janaki Navami is alow-key affair. Other than a session ofbhajans in temple premises, there is no

sign of birthday of Janaki being marked inwhat is believed to have been herhometown. But Maithil women are nowconscious enough to see a “male, royal andhigh-caste conspiracy” behind thistradition.

Inside the temple premises, a modernSita pointedly asks her Ram, “Why do westill have a national holiday on RamNavami but not even a mention of JanakiNavami though she is the daughter of oursoil? Is it because she was merely theconsort of a ruler rather than a reigningQueen? Does her indeterminate caste as theoffspring of Mother Earth make her lesssacred?”

Ram’s answer: “It has been a Pahadiyaconspiracy. They celebrate Chaite Dasain,and Ram Navami holiday is merely a coverto get an extra day.” When asked whetherhe is a Maoist, this particular Ram

STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

NATION

responds that his politics are closer to NCand TMLP rather than the Maoists or MJF.

Mythology is stronger in Mithila thanhistory. Janak is the synonym for king inMaithil legends. Maithili language andliterature are believed to have reached theirapogee in the courts of minor kings of theregion. Maithil pundits went to Gorkhaand other Baise-Chaubise kingdoms todraft their laws. They were the mainstay ofMalla courts in Kathmandu Valley.

When Durganand Jha threw a bomb atKing Mahendra after he usurped all powersin a royal-military coup in 1960, he became

Mithila’s mythology of monarchy and militancyCaste, class and religion

the first Brahman to get capitalpunishment in Hindu Nepal. Continuedneglect of Durganand by successivegovernments in the post-1990 periodrankled the Madhesis. The TMLP has nowhonoured Jha by nominating his widow tothe constituent assembly.

The love-hate relationship of Maithilswith monarchy persists. The king willprobably find that he has sizeable supportin the town where a Shah king wasphysically attacked but has been neglectedsince. The attendant of municipalityguesthouse reverentially touches the couch

on which King Gyanendra reportedly restedduring a brief visit to the town two yearsago.

Perhaps it’s the monarchical bent of theMaithil mind that refuses to accept theMaoist ideology. That could be the reasonjournalist-turned-politician RoshanJanakapuri almost lost his deposit eventhough he is quite popular and commandsthe respect of local intelligentsia for hisliterary pursuits.

But adherence to tradition does have itspitfalls: caste is much more important thaneither class or religion. Your surname is amarker of identity. Mainstream Nepalisociety has long pretended that the issue ofthe Madhes didn’t exist, but the uprisingwas waiting to happen.

After the national language controversyover the use of Maithili in Rajbirajmunicipality, the conspiracy againstcitizenship laws, and the Hritik Roshanriots in 2001, denouement has been longoverdue. Despicable though they may havebeen, the demolition of Bhanubhakta’sstatue in Janakpur and anti-Maoist violencein Gaur represented the rage of theoppressed.

Popularity based on resistance toauthority may win elections, but will thatbe enough to secure justice for Madhesis?That’s a question Upendra Yadav will haveto face as he works on electoral arithmeticto share power at the centre. Mithila hasexisted for over 5,000 years. It can wait forthe restoration of its mythic glory.

4 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401NATION

TARAI EYEPrashant Jha

arlier this week, humanrights activist Dipendra Jhaorganised an interaction of

the 13 women who have made itto the constituent assembly fromthe MJF. The experience was arevelation.

You can easily travel acrossthe plains, hold meetings withpoliticians and civil society

leaders, get a sense of the macropolitical dynamics, write reports,and not meet a single woman.Women’s participation inpolitics is passive at best: as avoter told by her father, husbandor son which way to cast the

first two women MPs to arrivecame with their husbands whobegan doing most of the talking.The women had their headscovered. One of them asked forthe day’s Kantipur and saidshyly, “I will return it in aminute. I just want to look at thehoroscope.”

But when the discussionstarted, we saw the real, assertiveface of the new Madhesi woman.They may have lackedKathmandu seminar etiquette byinterrupting other speakers inthe middle. They may not havestructured speeches and powerpoint presentations. Maybe theywere more comfortable because itwas an all-Madhesi gatheringwhere they could speak in theirown languages, with Hindi as thecommon medium. But what wasundeniable was that the womenknew what they were talkingabout.

The group was diverse interms of caste - Karina Begum,Durgadevi Mahato, Rambha Devi,Savita Yadav, and the most vocalof them all, Kalavati Paswan, amiddle-aged Madhesi Dalitwoman. Many of them had beenbeaten up during the Madhesmovement. They spoke about thediscrimination against theMadhes, the oppression ofwomen, the cry for education,the challenges of being a womanactivist, the need to takeadvantage of the India

The new Madhesi womanMake way for these articulate, aggressive assembly members

connection.What was striking was the

anger against Kathmandu as wellas the Madhesi social structure.Kalavati Paswan said, “We are asstrong as iron. We are ready to dieand kill for Madhes. If they do notlisten to us, we will break thechairs of the CA.” Upendra Yadavclearly has his secret weapon inthese articulate, angry members.

In India, the Panchayat systemhas now evolved with womenpoliticians coming into their own,taking independent decisions, andrising from the ranks. The gateshave been opened in Nepal nowand, seeing the new women MPs,it is only a matter of time beforemore independent women come tothe forefront. The big question iswhether they can present analternative kind of politics, or willmerely be pawns in the masculinenorm of corrupt, violent, andmanipulative politics.

This political revolution nowneeds to be accompanied bydrastic social reform on theground. Gandhi always attachedhis politics with a constructiveprogramme: promoting khadi,eradicating untouchability,working on sanitation in villages.What the Tarai desperately needsis a similar social revolution thatfights caste discrimination, buildsinter-community relations,focuses on rural upliftment, and,of course, allows women acrosscastes to break more barriers.

E ballot, and as fodder when streetagitations are launched.

Discrimination againstwomen exists across the country.But in the Madhes the preferencefor a son is higher, femaleinfanticide is growing alarminglyand girls usually drop out afterprimary school. Dowry iswidespread with education onlyreinforcing the practice andhiking up the rates for grooms.Widows are treated as sinners anddeprived of the most basichuman dignity, and a premium isplaced on women being confinedto homes. They may be treated assymbols of izzat, but rarely doesthis translate into autonomousdecision-making and personalagency.

When quotas were allotted for

women in PR, Nepali malepoliticians hated the idea ofsharing the slice of power. Asenior Madhesi politicianconfided, “We have got a33 percent reservation forMadhesis but will have to givehalf to women. They don’t knowanything. What a waste.”

Cynics pointed to the Indianexperience in local governance.Since a law was introduced in the1980s to have 33 percentreservations for women in allPanchayat posts, India haswitnessed a ‘bibi-bahu-beti’brigade. Men have got their closestfemale relatives to stand as proxycandidates while calling all theshots from behind-the-scenes.

At this week’s program, itlooked like they were right. The

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

WOMANíS VOICE:Basanti Jha has

been elected for theTMLP from

Mahottari, aftercampaigning for

womenís votes formany years.

523 - 29 MAY 2008 #401BUSINESS

STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

Nepali Times: The Nepali Congress lost the election, yet itis reluctant to give up power.Ram Sharan Mahat: The PM is ready to handover powerdemocratically and constitutionally. The constitutionenvisages a consensus government. If that is not possible,it should be a government with two-thirds support of the CA.As soon as such a scenario emerges, the NC will leave thegovernment. The PM has already asked the political partiesto start a consultation to form such a government.Furthermore, the Interim Constitution has ordained someresponsibilities to this interim government, such as theimplementation of the republican agenda. The cabinetmaking process will therefore have to await the start of theCA session. Instead of making irresponsible chargesagainst the NC, the Maoists, as the largest party, shouldstart negotiations with other political forces to form agovernment based on a common minimum program. Atleast to ensure necessary support to their government, asthey lack necessary numbers to form the government ontheir own.††

Arenít your conditions to join a Maoist-led governmentneedlessly delaying the formation of a government?Our seven pre-conditions are to ensure the survival ofmultiparty democracy in Nepal. The Maoists haveunleashed violent activities and taken the law into theirown hands, this is a real threat to peace and a democtraticfuture in Nepal. We want to make sure the politics ofviolence and terror is given up for good. They still continuewith their parallel administrative structures, hold arms,maintain militias and paramilitary forces. There isnít a daythat goes by without some YCL atrocity being reported inthe press. They are terrorising and looting property.Constitutional politics and violence canít go together.

How come the kangresis are demanding the presidency?We are not, this is another canard. The constitution saysthe prime minister will perform the functions of the head ofthe state until the time the republican agenda isimplemented by the CA. We do not have a separate headof the state now because the king is still there. Once theCA removes the king, you will have to have somebody toact as a head of the state. Otherwise there will be aconstitutional vacuum. A separate head of the state isnecessary also from the point of view of check andbalance: to restrain the chief executive from crossing thelimit and being an autocrat. This head of the state can befrom any party or outside, based on consultation andconsensus. But the chief executive canít be both.†

The Maoist chairman says your party is counter-revolutionary.This is ridiculous. Prachanda desperately needed the NCand GP Koiralaís leadership to facilitate his party gettingto power. Now they are in a hurry to ditch him and ìdraghim out of Baluwatarî. This is blatant opportunism whichbetrays their real intention and disregard for the rule of law.

Arenít you being a bit mistrustful?Just remember the Maoists have frequently madereference to Brest-Litovsk treaty and Chungking

negotiation as their classic models of peace deals. MaoZedong made peace with the Kuomintang to fight theJapanese occupation in Chungking. Once they won thewar, the Kuomintang was pushed out and the communiststook over power. The Maoists joined hands with NC andother democratic forces to remove the king.† Now, theyprobably want to target the NC and other democraticforces to pave the way for total control of state power.The real threat now is the emergence of one partyfascist autocracy.

As finance minister, what is your assessment of the stateof the economy?Investment is still suffering from agony of transitionpolitics. The unrest in the industries, street politics andconfusing and contradictory views of our Maoist friendshave discouraged new investment despite tremendouspotential. The political free-for-all has also hampered ourcompetitiveness. Despite this, the overall macro-economyis in good shape. Deficit is under control. Impressiverevenue growth has enabled us to meet large expenses onsalary hike, security cost, CA election, oil subsidy andothers. Development assistance is on the rise. Thebalance of payment is very positive. Public capitalinvestment is high. The treasury situation is comfortable.

What do you think of the Maoist economic policy?Lots of confusion and naivete. They talk of double digitgrowth, a 20 percent growth rate and economic revolution.But have no clue as to where and the required investmentis to come from, given the low internal saving. They areonly for selective private investment, especially FDI. Theytalk of capitalist development but want to do away withprivate investment in education and health. Some of themtalk of nationalisation, not understanding the state andquality of public management everywhere. They donítseem appreciate the urgency of promoting major hydroprojects as a means not only to develop nationaleconomic confidence and catalyse growth but also toaugment national earnings and close trade deficit.

“Constitutional politics andviolence can’t go together”

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Fly yetiflyyeti.com has opened its first sales shop inKathmandu at Hattisar Road. The shop willprovide extra customer service for bookingsand visa assistance. Based in Kathmandu, AirArabiaís new venture in collaboration with Yeti Airlines offers flightsto new destinations throughout South Asia, Central Asia, the Middleand the Far East.

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Hansa experienceHome Furnishers has launched Hansa bathroomfittings from the Hansa Metallwerke AG Company,Germany. The products which come with a 10 yearguarantee provided by the company are also certified inaccordance with the ISO 9001. The prices range from

Rs 6,390 to Rs 23,900.

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Nepal Ice in UKSungold Brewery has recently exported local beerNepal Ice to the UK. In 2006, it was launched in selectedpremium outlets of Kathmandu and other cities. The beeris brewed in Nepal with fine hops, water and barley maltand has an alcohol content of 5.5 percent.

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Dream team winnerPepsi has announced the first ìPepsi-Meet thedream teamî winner. 28-year old RahulBajracharya of Samakhusi won Rs 100,000through a lucky draw. He will also get to appearin a Pepsi ad.

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New Himalayan branchHimalayan Bank has opened its 17th

branch in Nepalganj. The branchhas an ATM, tele banking andvarious credit cards services. Amongst its other services arepremium savings account, locker, home loan, auto loan and facilitiesloan.

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Certified ICTCICTC has been conferred with ISO 2001:9000certification. ICTC is the first company to behonoured with this prestigious certification invalue added and liaison services in Nepal.

Finance Minister Ram SharanMahat speaks to Nepali Timesthis week about the post-election power play and aboutthe state of the economy.

KIRAN PANDAY

aying that your company isfor quality is not enough.How you put your systems

in place to achieve quality is whatmatters. This was the conclusionof a recently held two-dayworkshop in Kathmandu onLeading for Quality. The event

was led by two American expertsPat Townsend and Joan E.Gebhardt, and organised byNepal’s Network for Quality,Productivity andCompetitiveness. Around 80managers from the profit andnon-profit sectors attendedthe program.

Townsend and Gebhardtexplained the seven requiredelements – top managementcommitment, leadership, 100percent involvement with astructure, communications,training, measurement, andemployee recognition – of acomplete quality process (CQP).

Up to a point, topmanagement’s commitment toquality is self-explanatory. Butcommitment here indicates bothpersistence and constant follow-ups to make sure that pursuit ofquality in terms of products,services and customer satisfactionremains high on the agenda ofsenior managers. Most Nepalimanagers want quality throughstatistics and measurements

Quality questwithout thinking about gettingthe internal culture right. Theyforget that machines do notproduce anything by themselves.It’s the people who must bepersistently encouraged to worktogether to produce results.

Such persistence calls forboth focus and the ability to letthings go. Focus, because the goalto achieve quality is clear. Lettingthings go means taking a step backto authorise employees to makedecisions at their levels. Andthat’s another way of saying,“create mini-leaders throughoutthe organisation.” It is thesepeople—empowered to makemistakes and learn from them—who can help senior managerstranslate their drive for qualityinto tangible results.

With managers and employeeson board, there needs to be acommon structure on which theycan perform. For instance, someemployees may have ideas whichare good, but not practical or inline with the organisation’s largergoals. Others might have minorideas that could make a small butimportant difference to customersatisfaction. A common structureallows all to discriminatebetween ideas that lead toquality, and ideas that are justgood to have.

Townsend and Gebhardtstressed that senior managersspend much time leading internalcommunications via regular staffmeetings, emails, and face-to-faceconversations. In most Nepali

organisations, it’s the employeeswho have to rely on rumours andoffice cliques to find out whattheir own company is doing ornot doing. Regular internalcommunications give the sameinformation to all, therebymaking everyone focus on qualityand not at each other’s positionsin office politics.

Most Nepali companies arehesitant to send their staff ontraining programs because theyfear that the staff might leave forhigher pay elsewhere. In otherwords, ongoing training is seen asa way to reward long-term loyalty,not necessarily to enhancespecific job-related skills andknowledge. But quality requires astream of training programsrelated to measurements,feedbacks and learning from othercompanies that lead to betterways of doing the same processesand procedures.

Finally, a commitment toquality requires that employeesare recognised and rewarded, andthat their efforts are celebrated insome form throughout theorganisation. Since most Nepalicompanies are family-runenterprises, celebrating non-family employees’ good workdoes not happen easily. But asTownsend and Gebhardt pointedout, who wants to do qualitywork if no one appreciates theperson or the team behind it?

The workshop was instructivein the sense that it showed thatwhile ‘hard’ tools such asstatistical analysis are necessary,it is the repeated application of‘soft’ tools such ascommunication, appreciation andthe like that create a real climateof quality in an organisation.

S

6 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401INTERVIEW

What is the mandate of the people?Change. Radical forces, agitational forces, havewon. The rest have been swept aside. The peoplevoted for us because we led the Madhes movementand fought genuinely for Madhesi rights. The masseswant us to continue fighting against Kathmandu.

†Will you join the government?Our joining the government is really a secondaryissue. The crux is whether they implement pastagreements, and whether they amend the constitutionto incorporate the provision of an autonomousMadhes state. That is our key demand prior to anydeal. As of now, we are not in favour of joining thegovernment.

†Do you think Girija Prasad Koirala should become aceremonial president?Girija Prasad Koirala must resign immediately topave the way for a new government. He has no rightto be president. His party has lost under hisleadership. He is physically, emotionally, mentally,intellectually, morally not appropriate for the job.

How do you see the role of India in Madhesi politics?Very negative. India, especially South Block and theIndian Embassy, have been against the Madhes andMJF. They created the TMLP to weaken us. In fact,one of the reasons the pre-election alliance did nothappen was because India was trying to boost upTMLP. They also tried to defeat me in Sunsari bybacking Sujata Koirala, funding her and gettingpeople from across the border to support her. I amnot saying anything against the Indian people or theentire Indian government. Sections of MEA,especially ambassador Shiv Shanker Mukherjee,were against us. As the counting started and resultscame, Mukherjee packed up and ran off. I donít knowthe new ambassador yet.

Was RAW more positive?I have never met any of them. Donít know them.

How do see your relationship with Maoists shaping upgiven the past tension? What is your stand on issueslike PLA integration?We have met already. If the Maoists are positivetowards the Madhes, I think we can work together. Thearmy must be a politically neutral force. If the soldiersof one party join the national army, problems mightcome up. The PLA has to be managed and some wayneeds to be found. But I donít think integration will beappropriate.

†The Maoists have said they will launch land reforms.This has implications in the Tarai. What is your stand?These issues come later. First we have to fight apolitical battle against the internal colonialism in theMadhes.

†What should be done with armed groups?Talk to them. Do not ignore them. What can I do? It isthe government which has to take the initiative. It is apart of the eight-point agreement.

†Is a single Madhes province across the plains afeasible demand? Western Tharus want their own unit,there are mixed population settlements, otheradministrative issues will crop up.See, the people of the Madhes want one province. Thisis a non-negotiable demand for us and not a bargainingchip. If we compromise on this issue, the Madhes willbe finished.The Pahadi ruling class will divide up theTarai and we will all be powerless little units. Tharusand others in the west are also with us. If there areinternal issues within the Tarai, we will deal with itourselves within one Madhes, that is our business. Ifthe other parties do not agree, we will launch adecisive movement and go back to the streets.

“Koirala must resign”

The MJF’s Upendra Yadav is a politicalkingmaker and seems to know it. Asaides scurried around fixing meetingsand activists chatted loudly in Maithili,Yadav spoke to Nepali Times’s PrashantJha at the party office in Pulchok thisweek. Though guarded aboutgovernment formation, relations withMaoists, and the future of Madhesipolitics, he was scathing about India.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

723 - 29 MAY 2008 #401FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

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FederalismAbhiyan, 19 May

Nepal’s move towards federalismis now confirmed. The majority ofthe winning parties in the CAelection are for it, including theCPN-M, NC, UML and MJF.However, Janamorcha and theNepal Workers and Peasants Partyare against it.

There have always beendifferences in opinions about howmuch power the states shouldhave. In other countries thecentral government has sometimesfaced problems because the stateswere too powerful. In India, thefriction between Tamil Nadu andKarnataka on Narmada can betaken as an example. It is alsopossible that if means andresources are not distributedproperly, goods produced in onestate might not be permitted inanother, and states might evenimpose blockades against eachother.

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King to obeySanghu, 19 May

The CPN-M has sent a letter askingthe king to leave Narayanhiti by 26May. This sudden message aftertheir earlier claim that the kingwould be asked to departaccording to protocol hasgenerated a lot of interest.

Rumour has it that someadvisors of the king who are closeto Gyanendra have recommended

that he leave the palace before thefirst CA meeting. However, otherofficers and advisors in the palacewant the king to wait for the CA’sdecision. A senior politician closeto the palace said that the kingwas perplexed by the situation.

The source said that the kingdoes not intend to hang on in thepalace if he is humiliated. Neitheris he willing to bear the brunt ofthe people’s wrath by goingagainst their wishes. The king islikely to make his decisionknown before or on 26 May.

The CA oath-taking ceremonyis scheduled for 27 May, and thefirst meeting for the next day. Asource reports that having beengiven a 15-day ultimatum, theking is likely to move into hisprivate residence in Maharajganjto gain the goodwill of thepeople. But before leavingNarayanhiti, he will consultprime minister Koirala, and theIndian and American

ambassadors. According to anothersource, the king is believed to havesaid, “Till now I have been doingwhatever the prime minister hasadvised me to. I have sealed mylips on his request. I will talk tohim.”

On the other hand, someanalysts believe that the king islooking towards the Madhes tocreate obstacles for the CA andhavoc in the nation. Leaving thepalace for a private residence maygain the sympathy of the peopleand raise his popularity to a pointwhere the monarchy could berestored.

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New Pushpa Lal?Bishwadeep Pandey inKantipur, 19 May

There has been a lot ofcommentary, both positive andnegative, about the Maoist leaderBaburam Bhattarai. His adamantstance on ‘republican democracy’is history now. It is no longer justMaoist party doctrine but hasbecome the policy of the entirecountry.

But now there are opportunistsboth inside and outside his party,who from the shadows call him ananti-republican. People want toknow how seriously Bhattarai istaking these charges, and his well-wishers want to know why he isnot retaliating.

Bhattarai is a republicanthrough and through and he hasbeen leading the republican agendaall along. Anyone who claims that

he wants a ceremonial monarchyis just stirring up trouble for theirown interests. Could this even bea plot to make Bhattarai the newPushpa Lal?

There are also peoplespreading rumours aboutBhattarai regarding the race tobecome number two in the party.His personality, sacrifice,capability and intelligence areknown to the public. His life isan open book. Why are theymocking his sacrifice? True, all ofus and all other parties have madesacrifices for the revolution andhave helped us get to where weare today, but that does not cometo the kind of sacrifices made byPrachanda and Bhattarai.

Still others call Bhattarai ‘pro-India.’ Just because one hasstudied in India doesn’t meanone is pro-India. We challengethese people to show us proof totheir claims. It is more likely thatthey are scared of Bhattarai’s

political vision and are makingthese insinuations to curb hispopularity.

Mohan Bikram said thatPushpa Lal Shrestha was pro-India and pro-Congress buthistory proved him to be wrong.Those who cannot compete on apolitical footing resort to callingtheir rivals traitors and lackeys.The true chain of events showsthe emptiness of their words.People should be judged on whatthey do or don’t do rather thanwhat they say or don’t say. Basedon Bhattarai’s actions, no one cancall him pro-India.

Pushpa Lal was called a traitorbecause he wanted to join forceswith the Congress to end thetotalitarian Panchayat regime andthe monarchy. His vision was laterrealised in the first People’sMovement and in the recent12-point agreement. And it is clearthat the main force in endingfeudalism and monarchy, andestablishing a republicandemocracy has been BaburamBhattarai.

He led the way for the 12-point agreement, negotiated withthe political parties andinternational powers, and maderepublicanism possible. Thosewho were shown up by hiscapability are now trying to sullyhis name and image by spreadingrumours and lies. If realrevolutionaries are not able tounmask these false revolutionariesthen the entire Maoist revolutionand the People’s War will be putto shame.

KIRAN PANDAY KIRAN PANDAY

8 SPORTS

“Ready?” shouts Kabita Sah, onehand on her hips and the othercasually tossing a lime greentennis ball in the air. There is ananswering nod from the otherside and Kabita gets intoposition. Taking a few stepsbackwards, she makes a runningstart along the dusty path andsends the ball rocketing over herhead in a perfect bowl. It bounces

once on the hard ground, finds asnag and careens wildly, flyingover the head of the batter. “Noball,” shouts Ramesh RC.

Every evening, on this smallstretch of dusty path in thealleyways of Dhumbarahi, localboys and a few girls gather to playcricket, football and sometimes,marbles.

“If one of us has a bat or aball, then we play cricket. If thereis only a ball, then it’s football,”

says Kabita,12, who bowls andbats like a pro. Kabita startedplaying because of her brother.An avid cricket fan, he wouldgather his friends in the emptylots behind buildings andconstruction sites to play with atennis ball and a piece of wood.“At least we have a bat now,” saysKabita, before turning back to herbowling duties.

With few parks, playgroundsor public spaces, the alleywaysand empty lots of Kathmanduhave become a sportsground forits children. Between the end ofschool and nightfall, the citykids congregate with tatteredfootballs, worn tennis balls andwhatever else they can find.

Usually, the one who bringsthe ball gets to make the rules. Inthis evening’s cricket match atDhumbarahi, a fly ball over a

Who needs playing fields

ALL PICS: SAM KANG LI

StreetStreet

923 - 29 MAY 2008 #401

nearby wall is a six, if it touchesthe back wall then it’s one runand if it hits or breaks a window,you’re out. Street football, too,has some rules of its own. Thegoal is small, usually just twobricks about five paces apart. Theball has to roll through the posts,it can’t fly over. That is a “highgoal” and doesn’t count.

A few kids even play golf,

after acquiring a golf ball fromsomewhere. As children do, theyimprovise: a few holes in theground, a hefty L-shaped pipeand they’re teeing off. They don’tknow golf rules, except that theball needs to go into the hole andwhoever does it with the leastnumber of strikes wins.

In the outskirts of the Valley,five children looked like theywere wrestling in the middle of afield. On closer inspection, it

turned out they were in a scrumover an oval rugby ball. “I’ve seenthis on tv,” says Nirmal Pandey,13. “Your team has to get the ballto the other side, and the otherteam tries to stop you.”

They have no properequipment or sports fields, andsometimes don’t even know therules, but Kathmandu’syoungsters put boundless energy

into their hotly-contested,makeshift games. A long boringday at school is relieved by atussle in the grass, a sprint forthe crease or a slide for the ball.Playing on concrete and litter-strewn surfaces means there areoften injuries and often tears, butgrazed knees are usually quicklyforgotten to return to the game,until it’s dark and their parentscall them home. Pranaya SJB Rana

s and sports equipment?

t spiritt spirit

10 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401NATION

NEPALIPANJean-Baptiste Monneau

t is common knowledge in Nepal that foreigners do not knowhow to drive. And if any proof needed, do you see many ofthem driving around?

ìDrive as you liveî. I was reminded of this advertisingcampaign which took place in France 20 years ago while stuck in atraffic jam between Thankot and Kalanki one Saturday afternoon.

Blocked by line ahead, many drivers of cars, buses, microsand even a steam roller decided to take the matter into their ownhands and beat the jam by going down the other lane. Did thesepeople not consider that by going in the right-hand lane they wouldmeet traffic coming from the opposite direction? The result: twohours from Naikap to the Ring Road.

A similarly unnecessary jam locked down Lagankhel for hourslast week. Walking through the gridlocked vehicles I could see no

conceivable reason forthis mess, and surmisedthat someone will havedone a u-turn and blockedthe road, someone elsewill have tried to dart

through the space, another will have tried to go through the otherlane, blocking that one too. There was no other reason than that.

Driving is an expression of our civic and social behaviour, andrequires civility and respect for others. It shows to what extent asociety respects law and order, and appreciates and appliesdemocratic values.

The selfishness and lack of consideration evident in the waymost Nepalis drive, including psychotic use of horn, threateninguse of head lights (ìget out of my way!î) and disrespect for themost basic of traffic rules show that Nepal has a long way to go inthis regard.

Itís not just an annoyanceódriving habits here are also really

dangerous. Itís not surprising that barely a month goes by without amajor bus accident given the way that bus drivers overtake on theblindside on the edge of precipices and blaze through villages withchildren and pedestrians on the road.

Of course people rarely pay for breaking the rules or causingharm or damage to others. Traffic police are more than happy tolook the other way if their palm is greased with a bribe, or theoffender has a good connection.

I sometimes wonder if the driving can be linked to the socialills which have famously plagued Nepal: self-interest, in-groupcronyism rather than a belief in society, and endless impunity forwrongdoing.

If there really is to be a new mentality in a new Nepal, this isone of the issues that should be addressed. At the end of the dayNepalis just make things more difficult for themselves by drivinglike morons. Traffic laws, like other laws, exist for a purpose, andif people here started abiding by their laws they might find thecountry functioned much more smoothly and painlessly.

As the old campaign said, ìDrive as you liveî, in a morerespectful and egalitarian way, and the whole of society will benefitfrom it. And casualties and deaths on the road will decreasedramatically too.

Drive asyou live

Good God, do we really live like that?

I

ipesh has slanted eyes, alow set nose, and earswith a slightly unusual

shape. Born with Down’ssyndrome, his features set himapart from other children. Despitebeing mentally disabled, he wasenrolled in a mainstream nurseryschool at the age of three.

Down’s syndrome is a geneticdisability caused by achromosome shift. It is associatedwith a range of medicalconditions, including mentalimpairment. Despite this, studieshave shown that earlyintervention can allow peoplewith Down’s syndrome to lead areasonably independent life.

Unfortunately, in Nepal thereis no institution thatindividualises education andtraining for these children.Parents are therefore forced tochoose between the two equallyunsuitable alternatives ofmainstream and ‘special’ schools,neither of which providesDown’s syndrome children withthe kind of education they need.

Dipesh faced difficulties in amainstream school, as the classesmoved too fast for him. Specialschools were just as difficult, asthey inhibited his individualcapabilities, causing him toretreat into himself. By the timehe was 11, he had been enrolledat five different institutions.

Most parents of Down’ssyndrome children would rathersend their children to amainstream school, but someschools are reluctant to acceptchildren with the condition.“Many people think it is acontagious disease,” says ShilaThapa, president of the Down’sSyndrome Association. Even ifthey do get accepted, an extraamount of time and patience isrequired to integrate them intothe school environment.

Pritam has been studying atthe Abhiyan Boarding school for ayear. Initially, the other

What is Down’s syndrome?A genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra chromosome21. A baby born with Downís syndrome has three copies ofchromosome 21 instead of the usual two.

CauseUnknown, although mothers above the age of 35 stand a higher risk.

CharacteristicsMental disability, differing from child to child, it ranges from mild tosevere. It is associated with a range of developmental difficulties,which include delayed motor skills (such as sitting, crawling andwalking in infancy) and delayed cognitive skills (such as speech andlanguage acquisition and short-term memory abilities).

IncidenceOne in every 800 live births worldwide.

One size doesn’t fit allchildren’s parents told them notto mix with him. Hishyperactivity and outpourings ofaffection, which are characteristicof many Down’s syndromechildren, are baffling and evenintimidating to many.

His mother Dhana KumariSunar hoped that he would besocialised out of it and becomemore ‘normal’. “He has to learnnormal behaviour to assimilateinto society,” she says.Fortunately, he is picking up thenorms of his classmates and isgradually learning to behave likethe rest. Other parents are slowlychanging their perceptions andbeginning to accept him.

But not all Down’s syndromechildren respond well to amainstream learningenvironment. Seven-year-oldSamridi went to pre-school whenshe was three. However, she fellbehind in her class and couldn’tdo most of her homework, and inher three years at the school, shemade no friends because she wasunable to express herself. Samridieventually fell into depressionand had to drop out of school.

Imran Ansari, a pediatrician atPatan Hospital, says that theenvironment in mainstreamschools can highlight theabnormality of Down’s syndromechildren and cause them to feelinferior. But Shila Thapa thinks

this can be mitigated by keeping aclose eye on the child’sreceptivity to the newenvironment. She says thatgetting them to socialise withother children is almost asimportant as giving them aneducation. The DSA currentlysends children for short lessonsat mainstream schools and onlymakes them continue to attend ifthey respond well.

But she says that this is onlya stopgap measure necessitated bythe current lack of provisionavailable in Nepal. Down’ssyndrome children ultimately doneed a different education, and indeveloped countries, she says,there are calibrated curriculumsin designated schools to helpDown’s syndrome childrenadvance their interest or talentsinto a career.

Dipesh, now 18, just droppedout from a special school whichhe had been attending for sevenyears. Unequipped with skills,he cannot take up a job to supporthimself. In Nepal, many peoplewith Down’s syndrome who havereached or passed working age arestuck either in schools or athome.

A late intervention is betterthan none at all. Dipesh andothers like him are still waitingfor assistance to help them liveindependently.

Providing education for Down’ssyndrome children is still a problemSHEERE NG

D

KIRAN PANDAY

SAM KANG LI

1123 - 29 MAY 2008 #401NATION

hile their leaders say therevolution will follow thepath of “bourgeoise

capitalism”, here in the Maoist heartlandparty faithful are planning to expandexisting communes.

During the conflict, the Maoists setup four communes in Jajarkot, Rukumand Rolpa. Each has between 30-40families, there is no private property,labour and harvests are shared. Marx’sfamous dictum, ‘from each according totheir ability and for each according totheir need’, is the credo here, and for themost part members of the communesseem happy with it.

“Life is easier living in a commune,work in the farm is easier since everyonehelps out and agricultural productivityis higher,” says Dipak Khadka, the headof the ‘Balidan’ commune in Rukum.

The ‘Juni’ commune in Jajarkot wasset up after the police killed 20 farmersin two separate massacres in 1999 to takecare of surviving family members,widows and orphans. Farmers handedover all their land and property to thecommune.

In Thawang, the ‘Ajambari’ commune

Experimentingwith commune-ismThe Maoists can’t decide whether to keep communes or scrap them

was set up by the survivors of an armyhelicopter raid which destroyed most ofthe buildings in the town. (See also:‘Rolpa is waiting’, #389 and ‘FromMaoism to tourism’, #340.)

The communes all have departmentslooking after health, education, culture,development and security. All the

members have to take part in physicalexercise and there is military discipline.Alcohol is banned, as is untouchability.There are no religious festivals and15 Feburary, People’s War Day iscelebrated as the new Dasain. Funerals aremarked by draping the body in red clothand commemorating the dead with social

service.Another famous member of the

‘Balidan’ commune is the head of theYCL, Ganesh Man Pun. “Everyone sharesthe burden, and that makes it easier tobear the hardships,” Pun says. This isespecially true of elderly parents whocan’t do back-breaking work. “The seniorcitizen department of the commune looksafter us, and life is a lot easier,” says 80-year-old Mangal Roka in Thawang.

Besides communes, there are morethan 50 cooperatives that run eateries,manufacturing units, farms, schools andhealth posts in the Midwest. The bigquestion in the Maoist party now iswhether to convert cooperatives intocommunes, or the other way around, andthere have been some contradictorystatements.

“We have seen communes just asmodels, we will not try to replicate them,but will promote cooperatives,” explainsMaoist ideologue, Baburam Bhattarai. ButGanesh Man Pun thinks cooperativesshould all be turned into communes, andthere should be more communes.

Last year the Maoists organised acommune conference in Thawang inwhich they passed a resolution to‘preserve communes forever’. However,the prospects aren’t good. The FrenchCommune in 1871 didn’t last more than72 days and the Chinese communesdidn’t survive past Mao’s death in 1975.

In last year’s comprehensive peaceaccord, the Maoists agreed to disbandtheir communes along with their localpeople’s governments. After an electionin which they emerged as the largestparty, the Maoists now have to reconciletheir commitment to a capitalist freemarket with the legacy of the communeshere in the cradle of their revolution.

PRAKASH MAHATARA In RUKUM

W

PRAKASH MAHATARA

12 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401REGION

TEE BREAKDeepak Acharya

T

t is fashionable these days,particularly in the West, tospeak of India and China in

the same breath. These are the twobig countries said to be taking overthe world, the new contenders forglobal eminence after centuries ofWestern domination.

Indeed, two new booksexplicitly twin the twocountries—Robyn Meredith’s TheElephant and the Dragon: The Riseof India and China and What ItMeans for All of Us and Harvardbusiness professor TarunKhanna’s Billions ofEntrepreneurs: How China andIndia are Reshaping their Futures– and Yours. Some even speak of“Chindia,” as if the two werejoined at the hip in theinternational imagination.

Count me among the sceptics.It is not just that China and Indiahave little in common, save for thefact that they occupy a rather vastlandmass called “Asia”. It is alsothat they are already at very

different stages of development.China started its liberalisation adecade and a half before India, hitdouble-digit growth when Indiawas still hovering around5 percent, and, with compoundgrowth, has put itself in a totallydifferent economic league fromIndia, continuing to grow fasterfrom a larger base.

Moreover, the two countries’systems are totally dissimilar. IfChina wants to build a new six-lane expressway, it can bulldozeits way through any village in itspath. In India, if you want towiden a two-lane road, you couldbe tied up in court for a dozenyears over compensationentitlements.

When China built the ThreeGorges dam, it created a 660-kilometer long reservoir thatnecessitated displacing twomillion people. Since India beganthe Narmada Dam project, it hasspent 34 years (so far) fightingenvironmental groups, humanrights activists, and advocates forthe displaced all the way to theSupreme Court.

That is how it should be:India is a fractious democracy,

he Surya Nepal Golf Tour and the unwavering support of thelocal golfing fraternity continue to herald a bright future for golfin Nepal. The first event of the tour, the Surya Nepal Central

Open, concluded last Friday and Shiva Ram Shrestha won with abrilliant score of 10 under par. The outstanding performance of many

professionals at the event notonly showcased their ability butalso confirmed that given theopportunity they can enhancetheir skills and make a mark ininternational golf.

The next event lined up on the tour is Golfer Pilots NPGAClassic, which will run from 25 to 27 May. This will be a real test forthe pros as they will have to compete over all three golf courses inthe Kathmandu Valley, comprising a total of 54 holes. The first daywill be played at Tribhuwan Army Officersí Golf Club, followed bythe second round at Le Meridien Gokarna, and finally the 18 holes atthe RNGC.

This event was initiated last year by enthusiastic pilot golfers,who envisioned scheduling it a week before the all-important SuryaNepal Masters to provide exposure for the competition and a chanceto prepare for the bigger tournament. This paid off last year as wewitnessed a Nepali winning the Surya Nepal Masters.

The two founders, Rabindra Dhakal and Deepak Thapaliya, arefirmly committed to makingthis an annual affair. Thisyear the prize money hasincreased three-fold andthe winner of the event willreceive Rs 100,000.

I caught up withRabindra Dhakal who said,ìThe pleasure that golfprovides is amazing. Apartfrom that, this sport reallyenriches your heath too.We are trying toencourage young talent ingolf because we want togive something back to thegame.î

There will also be aPro-Am event on 24 May.Here again amateurs will

have to opportunity to play alongside professionals and experiencea higher level of play than they are used to.We hope that the golfing community and sponsors will continue theirsupport, to make the Surya Nepal Golf Tour bigger and better thisyear and in coming years.

Deepak Acharya is a golf instructor and Golf Director at GokarnaForest Golf Resort & Spa, Kathmandu.prodeepak(at)hotmail.com

Round robinin the Valley

Golfer Pilots NPGA Classic

ANALYSISShashi Tharoor

Elephantand dragon

China is not. But, as an Indian,I do not wish to pretend thatwe can compete in the globalgrowth stakes with China.

But if we can’t compete, canwe cooperate? The twocivilisations had centuries ofcontact in ancient times.Thanks mainly to the export ofBuddhism from India to China,Chinese came to Indianuniversities, visited Indiancourts, and wrote memorableaccounts of their voyages.

But it has been a while sinceIndians and Chinese had muchto do with each other. Theheady days of Hindi-Chinibhai-bhai (“Indians andChinese are brothers”), theslogan coined by Nehru’s Indiato welcome Chou En-Lai in1955, gave way to thehumiliation of the 1962 borderwar, after which it was “Hindi-Chini bye-bye” for decades.

The border dispute remainsunresolved, and there are newirritants such as the anti-Chinese protests by Tibetanexiles who have been givenasylum in India. To speak of abilateral “trust deficit” might bean understatement.

And yet, there is some goodnews. Trade has doubled ineach of the last three years, to anestimated $40 billion this year;China has now overtaken theUnited States as India’s largestsingle trading partner. Tourismis thriving. There are dozens ofChinese engineers working in(and learning from) Indiancomputer firms and engineeringcompanies, while Indiansoftware engineers support theChinese telecoms equipmentmanufacturer Huawei.

In other words, the elephantis already dancing with thedragon. The only question iswhether political tensionscould bring the musicscreeching to a halt. There is nodoubt that, whatever India’slegitimate differences withChina’s Communist regime,cooperation is in the bestinterests of both peoples. (Project Syndicate)

Shashi Tharoor, an acclaimednovelist and commentator, is aformer Under-Secretary-Generalof the United Nations.

Can India compete with China?

I

23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401 13FILM

CRITICAL CINEMAA Angelo DíSilva

his summer another comic superhero joins the pantheon ofbox office smashes. Tony Stark dons his slick mechanisedarmour and becomes the eponymous Iron Man. His outfit is a

gleaming shell of metallic red and gold that transforms its humanresident into a hurtling missile.

As a summer flick, Iron Man provides the requisite CGIbombast, and its hero, a weapon manufacturing magnate turnedpeace warrior, has more than the usual tally of one-liners, imbuedwith devilish fun by Robert Downey Jr. Thankfully, Jon FavreauísIron Man isnít a clunky, mechanical, lifeless assembly, but a lively

piece of work that flitsentertainingly through thecustomary motions of thesuperhero narrative.

In this first entry (the dateof the sequel has already

been announced), perhaps an inordinate time is dedicated to theëoriginsí of the character, in this case the development of TonyStarkís powered costume. As the billionaire magnate of weaponsmanufacturer Stark Enterprises, Stark enjoys a playboy jet-settinglifestyle before he is imprisoned in a cave by an ambitious warlordand has to show his true grit. Instructed to recreate his latestweapon, Stark instead constructs a mechanical suit which he usesto tank his way out, swiping aside or flaming down gun-wieldingfighters.

Of course, the metamorphosis into a superhero is predicated bya more personal transformation. That is, from a conceited egotisticalnihilist to a conceited egotistical humanitarian. The experience ofseeing his weapon in the hand of the bad guys seems to show himthe truth about the warmongering ways of his company and,conscience now firmly rooted, he publicly commits to ending StarkEnterprisesí war-profiteering ways. He may have seen the light, butthere are others who have plans of their own.

Stark is apparently unaware of the malicious machinations of hissecond in command Obadiah Stone, the burly regent to the Starkkingdom. Much has been made of Downingís performanceóandindeed he is excellent as Tony Starkóbut the real showstopper isJeff Bridges as Stone, a beefed up Iago, all false paternalism andconcealed envy.

Stark retreats to his workshop beneath his Malibu mansion,tinkering away at his new concept of a mechanised suit. Heentertainingly tests the designs, intentionally and unintentionallydemolishing parts of his mansion in the process. How his work mayhelp the cause of peace is a question only partially answered whenhe flies to Afghanistan to rescue some refugees from the thuggishband that imprisoned him earlier in the movie. Eventually, he putsStark Enterprises to replicate the first Iron Man which leads,unsurprisingly, to a final battle between two tin titans.

Comic book aficionados might be reminded of other superherorivalries which have made it onto the big screenóSuperman,Batman, Spiderman and X-Men to name a few. These titlesrepresent very profitable movie franchises whose proceedsironically eclipsed the profits from the comic book salesthemselves.

But Marvel Comics (the progenitor of X-Men, Spiderman andIron Man) is now undergoing a transformation of its ownógeekycomic book publisher by day, Hollywood production powerhouse bynight! Having fully funded Iron Man, they are set to reap the rewardsof another promising franchise. All this can only mean we will beseeing plenty more superheroes on the screen, of both cape andnon-cape varieties. Super!

IRON MANDirector: Jon FavreauCast: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard, GwynethPaltrow2008. PG-13. 2hr 6 min.

ince early January, thirteen outstandingdocumentaries from South Asia, which werefirst shown in Film South Asia ’07 last

October, have been touring around the world. TheTravelling Film South Asia ’08 package features fiveaward-winning films. After successfully opening in Pokhara,Chittagong, New Delhi and Karachi in South Asia,Arizona, New Haven, Minnesota, and Virginia in theUS, and Brighton in the UK, the films are comingback to Kathmandu next weekend. Catch TFSA ’08-Kathmandu at Yala MayaKendra, Patan Dhoka from 30 May to 1 June. Thefilms will continue travelling until October 2009and in the next few months will be shown inIslamabad, Goa, Guwahati, Shillong, Colombo,Colorado and New York.

6 Yards to Democracy (55 min)India, 2006, dir – Nishtha Jain & Smriti NevatiaElection promises of free saris leads to a stampede(31 May, 11.30 AM)

Ayodhya Gatha (60 min)India, 2007, dir – Vani SubramanianLife in Ayodhya post-Babri MasjidWinner of the Special Jury Mention Awardat FSA ’07(30 May 1.30 PM)

Chaama Deu! Tara Nabirsa!(Forgive! Forget Not!) (59 min)Nepal, 2007, dir – Pranay LimbuA journalist’s fight for survival in a Nepali barrack(1 June, 3PM)

Eisenfresser (Ironeaters) (85 min)Bangladesh, 2007, dir – Shaheen Dill-RiazFamine forces farmers to seek work as ship-breakersWinner of the Ram Bahadur Trophy forBest Film at FSA ’07(31 May, 4PM)

Every Good Marriage Begins with Tears(62 min)UK/Bangladesh, 2006, dir – Simon ChambersSassy Londoners sent to Dhaka for arrangedmarriage (1 June, 1.30 PM)

Man of ironA new Golden Age forsuperhero movies?

From Dust (60 min)Sri Lanka, 2005, dir – Dhruv DhawanPost-Tsunami exposé of state corruption (31 May, 10 AM)

A Life with Slate (59 min)Nepal, 2006, dir – Dipesh KharelPoetic dimensions of slate-mining in a NepalivillageJoint Winner of the Best Debut Film Awardat FSA ’07(31 May, 2PM)

Living Goddess (96 min)Nepal, 2006/07, dir – Ishbel WhitakerLives of the Kumaris during the People’s Movementof April 2006(30 May, 5PM)

The Miseducation of Pakistan (30 min)Pakistan, 2005, dir – Syed Ali NasirPrimary schools in Pakistan: an indictment of stateand society(31 May, 11.30 AM)

Motherland Afghanistan (74 min)Afghanistan, 2006, dir – Sedika MojadidiAn Afghan father’s return to the home country(31 May, 6PM)

Rabba Hun Kee Kariye (Thus Departed ourNeighbours) (65 min)India, 2007, dir – Ajay BhardwajThe scars of Partition in Indian Punjab(1 June, 10AM)

Remembrance of Things Present (81')India, 2007, dir – Chandra SiddanHow is a teenager supposed to deal with an arrangedmarriage?Winner of the Second Best Film Award atFSA ’07(30 May, 3PM)

The Sky Below (75 min)India/Pakistan, 2006/07, dir – Sara SinghThe India-Pakistan frontier six decades afterPartitionJoint Winner of the Best Debut Film Awardat FSA ’07(1 June, 11.30 AM)

Tickets - Rs 30 available at Dhokaima Cafe,Patan Dhoka, 5522113 & Film South AsiaSecretariat, Patan Dhoka, 5547279Limited season passes also available for Rs 300

For screening schedule and further information,visit: www.filmsouthasia.org or contact 5547279.

Travelling backto KathmanduS

T

14 23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401CITY

KATHMANDU VALLEY

ABOUT TOWN

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WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

Although according to the calendar we are now in pre-monsoon time,usually characterised by warm southerly winds and convective rains,the current weather pattern is exactly the opposite. An active westerlyfront supported by a strong low pressure over the Tibetan Plateauhas spread south of the Himalaya, including into Nepal, bringing withit cool breezes and showers in the afternoons. The front is gettingstronger and will most likely produce more rain. The Valley has nowreceived 90mm out of its 116mm quota for this month. Satellite picturesindicate that the rest of this will fall this weekend. Together with therain, expect cloudy skies and cool temperatures.

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Call 4442220 for show timings at Jai Nepalwww.jainepal.com

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie siblings aretransported back from England to the world of Narnia, where theymeet Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian,who has been forced into hiding by his uncle Miraz. During theirabsence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct; Narnia hasbeen conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of theevil King Miraz. With the Narnians, and led by the mighty knights Peterand Caspian, they embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan,rescue Narnia from Miraz's tyrannical hold, and restore magic andglory to the land.

Fri Sat Sun

29-16 29-15 29-16

For inclusion in the listing send information to editors(at)nepalitimes.com

EXHIB IT IONSBrass art exhibition at Susan's collection, Buddha Garden,Kathmandu Guest House 23-24 May. 4700632Transformations furniture exhibition 9-24 May at the ImagoDei Gallery CafÈ, Naxal.Silhouettes in Time paintings by Erina Tamrakar, 13-30 May atSiddhartha Art Gallery, Babar Mahal Revisited. 4218048Trees and Leaves a painting exhibition by Samjhana Rajbhandariand Bidhata K.C, 24 May-13 June, 5.15 PM at Bario Fiesta,Naxal.

E V E N T SMachhendranath: on the road with the red gold by Kesang Tsetenon 25 May, 7 PM at Alliance Francaise.Reineke the fox a drama performed by Studio 7 at the NagaTheatre, Hotel Vajra, 7.15 PM until 25 May every Friday,Saturday and Sunday.Cinema Paradiso, a film by GiuseppeTornatore presented by Cine-Sankipaat Rimal theatre, Gurukul on 26 May,5.30 PM. 4466956American Gangster a movie byRidley Scott, 27 May 6.30 PM atLazimpat Gallery Cafe. 4428549Israeli Film Festival organised byEmbassy of Israel on 27-29 May atRussian Cultural Center,Kamalpokhari.Traveling Film South Asiashowcasing 13 documentaries from South Asia at Yala MayaKendra, Patan Dhoka, 30 May-1 June. Tickets available atDhokaima CafÈ. 5547279

MUSICPaleti with Kumar Subba on 30 May, 5.30 PM at nepalaya 'r' sala,Kalikasthan. Rs. 565. 4412469Live karaoke with special thai cuisine, every Wednesday atHoliday Karaoke Restaurant and Bar, Lazimpat. 4445731Rudra night fusion and classical Nepali music by Shyam Nepaliand friends, every Friday, 7PM at Le Meridien, Gokarna. 4451212

D I N I N GLajawab tandoori and kabab festival, 7-10 PM every Friday at theHotel Himalaya, Rs 550.Hot summer spicy food at the Jalan Jalan Restaurant, KupondoleHeights. 5544872The Kaiser CafÈ open now at the Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarikaís Group of Hotels, open from 9AM-10PM. 4425341Sunday jazz brunch design your meal with pastas, salads andbarbeque, with jazz by Mariano and band, at the Rox Garden,Hyatt Regency. 4489361Steak escape with Kathmanduís premier steaks available forlunch and dinner at the Olive Bar and Bistro, Hotel Radisson.Bourbon Room Restro-bar now open for lunch and dinner withover a 100 cocktails, Lal Darbar.Cocktails and grooves with jazz by Inner Groove at Fusion-thebar at Dwarikaís, every Wednesday, at Dwarikaís Hotel.Cocktails, mocktails and liqueurs at the Asahi Lounge, openinghours 1-10PM, above Himalayan Java, Thamel.Illy espresso coffee at the Galleria cafe, every Friday espressococktails.International buffet at the Sunrise CafÈ, and Russian specialtiesat Chimney, Hotel Yak and Yeti. 4248999Steak Fare variety of steaks every Monday and Tuesday At theRox Restaurant, Hyatt Regency, 7-10.30 PM. 4489361Jazz in Patan with coffee, food, drinks and dessert at theNew Orleans Cafe, Jawalakhel. 8.30 AM-10PM. 5522708Dice-licious brunch at Kakori, Soaltee Crowne Plaza, roll thedice to the number of the day and get 50% discount on anindividual meal, Saturdays and Sundays, 12.30-3.30 PM.4273999Scrumptious wood fired pizzas, cocktails and more atRoadhouse, Bhatbateni 4426587, Pulchok 5521755 andThamel 4260187.Retro Brunch Barbeque with live acoustic music by SoundChemistry, every Saturday, 12-3PM at LeMeridien-Kathmandu,Gokarna. 4451212Dhamaka a Nepali style barbeque with a pan-Indian fusion at theSplash Bar and Grill, Hotel Radisson, Rs. 1399 7PM, everyFriday. 4411818Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-la with Live performanceby Ciney Gurung, Rs. 666.00 nett. per person, at the ShambalaGarden, every Friday 7PM onwards. 4412999Kebabs and curries at the Dhaba, Thapathali. 9841290619Lavazza coffee Italyís favourite coffee at La Dolce Vita, Thamel,Roadhouse CafÈ Pulchok and Thamel. 4700612Pizza from the woodfired oven at Java, Thamel. 4422519

23 - 29 MAY 2008 #401 15

BODY COOLER: In contrast to Kathmandu, Chitwan temperatures weresoaring on Wednesday. Here a woman cools down with a slice ofwatermelon.

HAPPENINGS

TAXI STANDSTILLt a

ITíS YOU: Publisher of Himal Khabarpatrika Kanak Mani Dixit points PMKoirala out to himself in a picture at the Himal Khabarpatrika photoexhibition held at the Nepal Art Council last weekend. The exhibitionincluded photos taken since the Peopleís Movement 2006.

LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER: Arzu Deuba and Pratibha Rana, wifeand mother-in-law of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, werefelicitated along with other women elected to the CA at a ceremony onMonday. Deuba is representing the NC and Rana the RPP.

KIRAN PANDAY

STRIKE AGAIN: The microbus-stops at Ratna Park were deserted duringWednesdayís strike, called to demand justice for Ram Hari Shrestha, abusinessman murdered by Maoists at the Chitwan cantonment.

MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

KIRAN PANDAY

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23 - 29 MAY 2008 #40116 BACKSIDE

ass(at)nepalitimes.com

W hen Comrade Parsuram,accompanied by his sidekickComrade Hanuman, accepted

garlands and blessings from a republicanGodman at the Marwari Brahman Societylast month we thought that the baddieswere well on their way to becominggoodies.

And sure enough, last week theyattended a meeting of Christianevangelicals during which they saidatheism didn’t mean intolerance ofminority religions. Then on BuddhaJayanti, the comrades all trooped off toLumbini and, in the presence of a Maoistmonk on the podium, Awesome oncemore underlined the many similarities heshared with Siddhartha Gautam Buddha.

There is a certain logic to all this:being an atheist means not believing inGod, but there is nothing stopping anatheist from trying to be God himself.Lotus Flower really thinks he is thereincarnation of the Buddha. Wonderwhat the widow and children of Ram HariShrestha think of that.

The reason PKD needs divine

Opiate of the assesattributes is probably because he intendsto perform a “miracle” in this country inthe coming months. He hasn’t reallyspecified whether the chamatkar is goingto be economic, political or spiritual buthe sort of hinted that the nation wasgoing to be brought back, Lazarus like,from the dead. For that he definitelyneeds a miracle, how on earth are we goingto be Switzerland in the next 25 years atthe rate we are going? And for thiscountry of 28 million growing at2.5 percent we need to attain an economicgrowth rate of 25 percent a year if we areto attain a per capita income of $3,000 inten year’s time. Given the difficulties,YCLs armed with iron rods are having todiscipline traffic at Kalanki, we may needmore than a miracle. We may need aSecond Coming.

Girjau also went to Lumbini for Buddha’sbirthday and it was confession time.“I’m not personally greedy anymore,” theprime minister said. Glad he admittedthat he has been greedy in the past.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch the feudbetween the Baburam loyalists and Badalloyalists seems to be reaching a crescendo.BRB has been writing passionate columnsin the newspapers defending himself fromallegations of being an Indian stooge, afront for the BJP by advocating culturalrights for the king and suggesting that Nepalmay as well be merged with India if theopen border remains open. After havingbeen banished from the Pistachio Palace toEkanta Kuna to live in with ComradeInfinity, Laldhoj is reportedly shiftingresidence again. The tension with ComradeCloud goes back a long way to the beginningof the revolution, and the current slangingmatch is reminiscent of BRB and PKD airingtheir dirty linen in public two years agobefore they were made to patch up.

From the 12-point agreement to the 7-pointpreconditions that GPK has put to PKD tojoin a Maoist-led government, now we havecome to the 5-point prerequisite that Kingji

has set out before he vacates Naryanhiti.KG wants security, protection of his assets,a royal allowance befitting an ex-king andcultural and religious rights. The planseems to be to buy time for the monarchyat least till such time as the newrepublican constitution is not promulgatedin two years time. The trouble is, becauseof his past bad behaviour, no one trustsHis ex-Majesty anymore, not the parties,not the international community and thenot the people.

This country is an example of samanupatikgone bonkers. The PR lists brought in thejanajatis and dalits and women inoverwhelming numbers, but now theremaining 103 ethnic groups want to beincluded in the 26 seats remaining for theassembly. It’s high time wejournalists also demanded aseat in the assembly: thereisn’t a single hackrepresenting our profession.