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ä nf correspondent

In what might be a clear indicator ofrevival of traditional relationshipbetween the Indian and Nepal armyafter nearly 34 months of ‘chill’,government of India is consideringinviting Chief of Army Staff, GenRukmangad Katawal to Delhi very soon.

According to information availablefrom Delhi, Gen Katawal would beinvited for the platinum jubileecelebration of the National DefenseAcademy (NDA) at Dehradun nextmonth. The government of India ishowever, yet to decide on holdinginvestiture ceremony to confer thehonorary title of the General of theIndian army to COAS Katawal. Thepractice of the two countries armychiefs being conferred the title ofhonorary general on reciprocal basiswas suspended after the royaltakeover on February 1, 2005.

Gen Katawal’s visit will follow thatof his Indian counterpart toKathmandu in which he will beconferred the title of the honorarygeneral of Nepal Army. Indianauthorities were said to be dividedon whether to invite Gen Katawalonly for the NDA celebrations or alsofor the investiture. But Nepali side issaid to be insisting for both.

The army headquarters inKathmandu refused to say anything

more on the subject except for thecomment, “an army chief’s visit if andwhen it takes place will be a matter ofpublic knowledge.”

“Yes, we are hoping that thesuspended tradition and the age-oldties of the two armies will be restored,”a senior official in the Prime Minister’soffice in Kathmandu said.

There are no official wordsavailable yet on Gen Katawal fromDelhi, but the government of India isunder pressure from its army torestore traditional relationship withthe Nepal Army in the wake of itsrepeated commitment to democracyand rule of law. Delhi had suspendedsupply of all arms and ammunitions toNepal army it had been supplyingthroughout, following the royaltakeover.

Despite Nepal Army’s silence onthe matter, there are clear indicationsthat it values its traditional ties withthe Indian Army a lot. Sources in theDefense Ministry say there are someinvitations already extended to thearmy chief from other friendlycountries of the Asian region includingChina; but the army headquartersbelieve that, “India as the first countryfor the chief’s visit will be ideal.”However, PM Koirala as well as thedefense establishment is also keenthat the investiture ceremony shouldresume soon. ä

InsideMartin locks hornwith PM

page 2

UML comrades upin arms againstSecy Gen Nepal

page 3

RestoringrelationshipDelhi might invite Gen Katawal

People in Biratnagar celebrating ‘Chhath’, an important festival in the Terai. The celebrations concluded on Saturday morning.

Bhas

hwor

Ojha

2 19-25 Nov, 2007 News

ä nf correspondent

It is clearly an added headache forPM Koirala’s since the Communistparty of Nepal -Maoists (CPN-M)categorically demanded his ouster asleader, if he failed to fulfill all theirdemands ‘now’. The demands, putforward by Maoist Chief Prachanda,barely 72 hours before the sessionwas to begin on November 18,included declaration Nepal as a

republic state, adoption of propor-tional representation system ofelection, review of implementationof the comprehensive peaceaccord and re-allocation of majorportfolios to different coalitiongroups.

The price fixed by theMaoists for non-compliance isnot too difficult to guess. Apeaceful protest from the

streets with the help of civil society isaimed to push for the formation of anew interim government andparliament with an enlarged shareto the Maoists. That also means

Maoists are no longer keen to extendsupport to Koirala’s leadership.

In a concept paper that Prachandacirculated on behalf of his party onNovember 15 among leaders of theother political parties, he categoricallydemanded that Koirala must fulfill thesedemands immediately or face the risk oflosing their party’s support. The threatcomes in the wake of a new builtalliance between the Maoists and the

ä nf correspondent

In what appears like a simmering tusslecoming to the fore, United Mission to Nepal(UNMIN) chief, Ian Martin has asserted hisright to interact with various ethnic groups andTerai leaders including some who have beenindulging in violence and killing of civilians.

Martin’s latest public statement came onNovember 16 with a new interpretation of themandate he had received from the govern-ment and the Maoists, soliciting UN assistancein the peace process implying it does not haveto be literally confined to the management ofarms and armies of the Maoists and thegovernment, besides observing the polls to theConstituent Assembly. Meeting with theJanajati and Terai leaders, he asserted, wasdone in that spirit.

However, there are clear indications that thegovernment does not buy Martin’s assertions,and there are fears that in the worst case, anyfurther embitterment in the relation betweenUNMIN chief and the government, might havea negative impact on the mission’s future.

Martin’s assertion comes clearly in the wakeof Prime Minister GP Koirala objecting to hismeeting with the Janajati and Terai leaders aswell his flatly turning down any role for theUNMIN in Security Sector Reforms (SSR)immediately, ‘to create a proper atmosphere

for polls to the CA.’ The government alsoturned down the UNMIN’s request forenlargement of its role beyond the mandategiven by the two sides earlier. “The govern-ment is simply going to extend the tenure ofthe UNMIN but in no way will it enlarge thescope of its operation,” a senior official in theForeign Affairs Ministry said, adding, “ourpermanent mission in the United Nations hasbeen instructed accordingly.”

“UNMIN cannot go or act beyond themandate we have given,” asserted RameshLekhak, Minister of State for Labour andTransport. “Of course, the government of Nepalhas to address the grievances of the Janajatisand Terai groups and we are doing that. But itis not at all connected with the UNMIN mandateand the PM has clearly asked Martin to keepaway from these issues,” a senior minister fromthe Congress party told newsfront. “Moreover,there are many experts in Nepal who arecapable of deciding what reforms the securitysector in Nepal are needed,” he added.

Martin’s mission that hopes to conclude theverification of combatants in cantonments alsobelieves that the unity among the sevenparties is crucial for the success of the peaceprocess. But a positive review of the CPA aswell as enlargement of the UNMIN’s jurisdic-tion was equally necessary as far as Martinwas concerned.

“Of course, the Secretary-General andMember States which have made a majorinvestment by mandating UNMIN out of theirconcern to see sustained peace in Nepal wantto make sure that UNMIN is as effective aspossible in supporting the peace process. This

Martin locks horn with PM

Tussle

is why I have been frank in my meetings and inmy public statements, when I say that I believethat UNMIN is able to offer further support tosome key aspects of the peace processwithout in any way compromising the Nepaliownership of the process,” Martin said.

Prachanda’s demandsMaoists wish to move from back seat

to driving seat

CPN-UML parties that together willhave 167 members against 135 oddmembers of the Congress which headsthe ruling coalition.

Prachanda’s concept paper alsodemands initiation of the SecuritySector Reforms (SSR) processimmediately so that the Maoistguerrillas could be introduced in theNational Army, something that thelatter has been resisting firmly.

Maoists are clear that the electionin itself without their demands fulfilledwould be meaningless and theywould not be part of it. They wereclearly opposed to the Congressparty cornering major portfolios andwould now want a larger share in thegovernment if they are to join it. Themessage was clear - from a positionof back-seat driving, they would nowwant to occupy the driving seat usingthe UML strength to dislodge theCongress leadership.

Maoists are also preparing to createa ruckus in the House asking the chairto issue directives to the governmentto go for PR system and republican onthe basis of passage of two resolutionsof public importance by the Houseduring the special session earlier thismonth. “But that would be a mockeryof parliamentary practices and rules asthe simple majority for passingresolutions of public importance cannotbe used to go for a constitutionalamendment,” said Kumar Regmi,President of the ConstitutionalLawyers Forum (CLAF).

Maoists involvedJournalist Thakuri abduction case

The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) was involved inthe abduction of journalistPrakash Singh Thakuri, a humanrights group claimed. JournalistThakuri was abducted by theMaoists on July 5 from hisresidence at Mahendra Nagar inwestern Nepal by a group ofMaoists, led by their leader,Pomlal Sharma.

Although the Maoist centralleadership has been denying itshand in the incident, it chose toreward Sharma after thekidnapping of the journalist.Sharma is a member of theMahendra Nagar municipaldevelopment committee as anominee of the Maoist party.

The Human Rights TreatyMonitoring Committee (HRTMCC)which sent an investigation teamto Kanchanpur recently made itsfindings public on Saturday

confirming that the abduction wascarried out by the Maoists.Thakuri’s whereabouts are stillunknown but going by the patternin such cases, there are fears thathe might have been killed by theabductors during captivity.

HRTMCC also demanded thatthe government form a high leveljudicial commission to go into thecircumstances of Thakuri’skidnapping and find his where-abouts.

The Federation of NepalisJournalists (FNJ) which hasintensified its campaign for tracingThakuri in the wake of confirma-tion of Journalist Birendra Saha’scase has also asked thegovernment to act firmly andpunish the guilty in Thakuri’scase. Journalist Thakuri had beenkidnapped by the Maoists,allegedly for supporting the royalregime.

Pix

by n

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ont

Ian Martin

Prachanda

Prakash's wifeJanaki Thakuri

319-25 Nov, 2007News

Minister MoriartyIn what appears like a clear indication that the Bush administration is

going to give continuity to its Nepal policy, James F Moriarty, formerambassador to Nepal, is being tipped as Deputy Assistant Secretary incharge of Nepal affairs.

Moriarty who left Nepal in July on completion of his tenure was to goto Dhaka as its ambassador, but a last minute change saw him cata-pulted to a Deputy Assistant Secretary in charge of some South Asiancountries including Nepal. This only indicates no US policy shift on Nepalas well as regarding the Maoists.

There have been no official words yet on Moriarty’s new assignmentbut reports indicate a new replacement will be found for Dhaka. Moriartywas the most hated diplomat as far as Maoists are concerned in Nepal,since he consistently raised the issue of atrocities and unlawful activitiescarried out by them in violation of the code of conduct.

US visa for comradesIn what came as a surprising flexibility in its earlier approach, the US

embassy in Kathmandu has granted visa to three Maoist parliamentar-ians to visit the US as part of the Nepal delegates in the United Nationsgeneral assembly.

Parliamentarian, Nandkrishna Prasai is already in New York whilePrabhakar Sharma aka Janardan Sharma, party’s deputy leader inparliament, and another parliamentarian Suresh Ale Magar have alsobeen granted visa for the same purpose. Suresh Ale Magar had beendenied visa to the US just two months ago by the embassy here.However, Rishi Adhikary, ambassador designate for Malaysia against theMaoist quota was denied visa by the US embassy here.

The communist party of Nepal Maoists and its top leaders are on theUS terrorist list, and that was cited as the reason for their earlier beingrefused the visa. But there are no words if the relative generosity ingranting visa this time around to the Maoists is any indication that the USis hopeful that Maoists will change.

Prachanda, Bhattaraikeen to visit US

Top Maoist leaders, Prachanda and Baburam Bhattarai are very keento visit the US. That they longed for a trip to the country they hate themost became obvious when they accepted an invitation from the WorldBank to attend a programme in their headquarters in Washington DC.

Bhattarai who spoke on behalf of the party as well as its chief Prachandaabout the Maoist party’s vision of economy in new Nepal so captivated thetop World Bank (WB) officials that the duo were extended an invitation to itsheadquarters. “We will love to be there if the US government gives us visa,”Bhattarai is said to have told a senior WB official. Now that there is anassurance from the WB to do their best to facilitate their trip to the US, thecomrades’ visit there in near future appears almost certain.

To the utter disbelief of the WB officials, Bhattarai told a top levelmeeting of the WB recently here that Maoists believed in creating jobopportunities and expanding infra-structures in the country for which theywould expect a role for the WB. Bhattarai also promised that his partywould not put any hindrance to the WB activities and projects in Nepal.

The WB has promised to give 16 billion dollar assistance to Nepalprovided all stake holders including the Maoists agreed to a laboursector reform which, among other things means, sweeping rights to themanagement to hire and fire labourers. That also means a reduced rolefor trade unions, something that the Maoists and other political partiesmay not be agreeable to.

No agreemoDespite their joining the political mainstream, the world community still

seems reluctant to accept Maoist nominees as Nepal’s ambassador insome countries. None of the four Maoist ambassador designates hasreceived the agreemo, a formal acceptance of their appointment by thecountries concerned.

Bijay Karna (Denmark) and Pampha Bhushal (France) are among theprominent Maoist nominees for ambassadors. Along with four Maoistnominees, Shailaja Acharya, ambassador designate for Delhi is alsowaiting for the agreemo.

New KUKL ChiefJanak Raj Shah has been appointed as the chairman of the

Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited (KUKL) with immediate effect.Shah replaces Birendra Man Shrestha. The decision to appoint Shahwas taken by the steering committee of the KUKL on November 18.

The meeting also appointed Mr. Dhruba Bahadur Shrestha as thecoordinator for a committee that will oversee the transition managementof the company including the transition management. Those in the boardof directors of the KUKL include Suresh Basnet, Indra Man Singh Suwal,Rudra Prasad Gautam, Sashin Joshi, Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal, DhurbaBahadur Shrestha besides the chairman. Himeshananda Vaidya will besecretary of the company.

Newsbrief

DisorderSecurity chiefs raise hands

ä nf correspondent

Security Chiefs have admitted thatthe law and order situation in thecountry is in a very bad shape; butblamed the political parties, their‘interference’ in functioning of thesecurity agencies besides variouscriminal groups using Indian territoryas the base, as the key reasons forthe situation.

The chiefs of Nepal Police, ArmedPolice Force (APF) and the NationalInvestigation Department (NID)gave vent to their frustration andanger before the cabinet onNovember 15 where they had beencalled to give their assessment ofthe law and order situation in thecountry in general and Terai inparticular.

The meeting was called in thewake of Bandh calls given by fresh

agitation plans by certain Teraigroups in those areas from thisweek. Moreover, the MadheshiJanadhikar Forum (MJF) leader,Upendra Yadav has set a freshdeadline for the government toimplement provisions of the accordsigned between him and thegovernment earlier.

The security chiefs wereinstructed to deal with the law andorder situation firmly with thewarning from the PM that they willbe made fully accountable for anyfurther deterioration. “You are freeto deal with the situation, but therewill be no excuse for any lapses” thePM told the chiefs. PM Koirala alsoasked the security chiefs not tospare anyone from the Maoist partyincluding the Young CommunistLeague (YCL) if found indulging incrimes. Koirala’s response came

after the cabinet meeting wasinformed about the increasingnumber of cases of land grabbing byMaoists as well as by some Teraigroups in various parts of thecountry.

“While we have to deal with thesituation firmly on our own, thegovernment has agreed to take upthe matter with Indian authorities, asenior official of the Home Ministrysaid. He also quoted PM as havingsaid that he had already taken upthe matter with India at the highestlevel.”

Security chiefs also advised themembers of the council of ministersthat absence of any political activities inTerai areas had demoralised thegovernment apparatus, and in thesame proportion it was also encourag-ing the criminal groups to carry ontheir activities without any fear.

In the dockä nf correspondent

Madhav Kumar Nepal, GenSecretary of the CommunistParty of Nepal - UnitedMarxist Leninist (CPN-UML),has come in for sharpcriticism of his senior partycolleagues for his inconsis-tent political line and shiftingstance in the current politics.

Nepal has been asked tobehave like a leader by hisown comrades including KPSharma Oli and PradeepNepal; and accused ofshifting political standing andequation too often. Someleaders have even asked forhis resignation from theleadership as his ‘inconsis-tent stance’ has cost theparty its image.

The UML leadershipl hasnot only been accused ofembarrassing the party oncrucial political issues, it hasalso been charged by someof having committeddiplomatic impropriety by leaking certain informal advice hegot from a friendly country to another. “We have taken avery serious note of what our leadership did. Our leadershould not be seen as breaching the trust of any friendlycountry,” a senior UML leader who did not want to bequoted told newsfront, refusing to divulge details at this

Party comrades up in arms against UML Secy Gen

stage.Oli told Nepal on his face

that he had no right to buildequations with the Commu-nist Party of Nepal-Maoists(CPN-M) with a view toreplace GP Koirala as theprime minister without thematter being discussed in theparty forum. Oli was alsocritical of the way the partyvoted along with the Maoistsin parliament seekingimmediate declaration ofrepublic and adoption of theproportional representationsystem of election.

In an angry outburst in theparty, Oli chastised bothMadhav Nepal and theSpeaker for having soughtgovernment directives toimplement these twodemands on the basis of thepassage of two resolutions ofpublic interest in theparliament.

“These are issues whichwarrant constitutional

amendment through due parliamentary process and anyshort cut to that will be illegal and unacceptable,” Oli said.Known for his straight-forward nature, Minister forEducation, Pradeep Nepal also endorsed Oli’s line accusingthat what the UML did in the parliament only amounted tosurrender to the Maoists.

Madhav Kumar Nepal

Editor & Publisher : Yubaraj GhimireExecutive Editor : Sushma AmatyaNews Coordinator : Manoj DahalDesign: Sunil Khadgi, Kishor Raj Panta & Ramkrishna RanaAddress : PO Box: 8830, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, NepalTel : 4443888, Fax : 4421147 (Edt.), 4411912 (Mkt.)Email: newsfront@bhrikuti.com, marketing@bhrikuti.com (Mkt.)Printed by: Express Color Press, Buddhanagar, Tel.: 4781810, Distribution: Kasthamandap, Tel.: 2010821

19-25 Nov, 20074 Editorial

LettersGreat artist

I and my friends have been followingup on Sanchita Sinha Roy’s works ofart and her eloquent write upspublished in newsfront right from thevery beginning. Your paper deservesall the credit for highlighting heramazing works of art that transcendsall boundaries and barriers.

Her paintings have a soulful qualityin them that is rarely seen these days.And the way she writes speaks outaloud her struggle, sorrows and joysso starkly and honestly. We reallyadmire her creative outpourings thatare really divine gifts.

We sincerely wish her all thesuccess, recognition that an artist ofher caliber truly deserves; and well intime. I personally find it tragic thatgreat artists are only discovered after they are no longeraround. We need to learn from history and start recognisingworks of new masters while they are still alive to bask in theirwell earned, highly deserved glory.

ä Tim RicardFrankfurt, Germany

Managing flesh tradeIt is good that YCL are trying to stop the flesh trade going

on around Bir Hospital. I agree with Rajib Tamrakar’s viewsthat we should take this seriously and think about alternateways to address this issue.

Bangkok has been capitalising on flesh trade since decadesbut strictly under laws and medical supervision. It earns morethan 20 percent of national income through this business.

Thousands of Nepali women are sold in other countriesyearly, and many of them are sent back, once they get HIV/

AIDS. This too is another picture of theflesh trade that takes place in ourcountry.

It is indeed high time that thegovernment take a positive step to givea green signal to open a red light areain Nepal, before it goes out of control.

ä Rajendra GurbacharyaNaya Baneshwor

Disappointing leadersThe cover story in Newsfront # 40

has reflected the present situation ofNepali politics. The seven partycoalition has been divided in such away that there isn’t any possibility ofconsensus. The people are highlydisappointed watching their leadersbehaving so foolishly and not movingforward with the elections. For the past

year and half, the leaders have been engrossed with theirown self interests that proved that their coalition and consen-sus was only a facade.

What do Nepali people want now? Conflict among parties,unrest and selfish leaders? The answer is a big no. Nepalipeople want the politics of consensus and a favourable environ-ment for CA polls. They want long term peace in the country. Ifpolitics in Nepal keeps regressing in this manner, it may lead ourcountry again to feudalism, autocracy and civil war.

ä Krishna Chandra DahalKathmandu

Criminal, who?The worst that was feared has happened. Journalist Birendra

Saha’s death in the hands of the Maoists has been confirmed. Butthat has neither made the Maoist leadership remorseful nor lessarrogant. The crime was committed in the most gruesomemanner by the top functionaries of what the Maoists call, ‘people’sgovernment’ of Bara. Saha was first invited by the local represen-tatives of the ‘people’s government’ for a news coverage, detainedillegally, murdered and buried. This was a brazen example ofcommitting crime and enjoying immunity by a political party that ispart of the ruling coalition for the past 18 months.

Saha’s murder comes in the wake of kidnapping of anotherjournalist, Prakash Singh Thakuri by the Young CommunistLeague cadres from western Nepal months ago. His whereaboutsare still not known and the worst is being feared. In both cases,the state has miserably failed to act against the guilty.

Prachanda, chief of the Communist party of Nepal-Maoists whois also in direct command of the YCL needs to be made personallyanswerable. He failed to fulfill his commitment made in presenceof Saha’s wife and representatives of the Federation of NepaliJournalists (FNJ) that his whereabouts would be made knownwithin four days. This was sometimes in the third week of October.Now circumstances prove that Prachanda was in the know of thefate of Saha. This attitude on the part Prachanda is reprehensible.

In fact, some journalist groups in different parts of the countryhave now decided that no journalist should visit Maoist leaders, atthe national or local level, if called for press coverage, since Sahaepisode has proved that they cannot be trusted. This loss ofcredibility will have much wider ramifications in the approach thatthe international community might adopt vis a vis Maoists. Already,countries like Denmark, France, Australia and Malaysia despitetheir having welcomed the peace process, have not yet acceptednominations of the Maoists as Nepal ambassadors to theircountries. This only means that not only the United States, butmany other countries in the world are yet to be convinced aboutMaoist sincerity in democracy and peace process.

Maoists’ involvement in the kidnapping of Thakuri and Saha,and latter’s murder on one hand and Maoist leadership’s refusal toapologise for this will only harden the attitude of the media as wellas the world community against the Maoists. By not apologisingand still protecting those involved in the Saha murder case, theMaoist leadership is further encouraging their cadres at the locallevel to carry on the crime of annihilation of the class enemy, in thename of politics and without fear of any action. Prachanda, onbehalf of his party, must apologise and handover criminals to thegovernment, as a proof that his party’s leadership was notinvolved in the two cases.

Dare to be honest and fear no labour.- Robert Burns

Point to Ponder

My creed is loveMuhammad Ibn ‘Arabi was a mystic,

philosopher, poet and a spiritual teacher.Known as Muhyiddin (the revivifier of religion)and the Shaykh al-Akbar (the great master),he was born in 1165 AD into the Moorishculture of Andalusian Spain, the center of anextraordinary flourishing and cross-fertilisationof Jewish, Christian and Islamic thought,through which the major scientific andphilosophical works of antiquity were transmit-ted to Northern Europe.

Ibn Arabi’s spiritual attainments wereevident from an early age, and he wasrenowned for his great visionary capacity andfor being a superlative teacher. He travelledextensively in the Islamic world and died inDamascus in 1240 AD.

He wrote over 350 works including the

Fusûs al-Hikam, anexposition of the innermeaning of the wisdomof the prophets in theJudaic/ Christian/ Islamicline, and the Futûhât al-Makkiyya, a vastencyclopaedia of spiritualknowledge which unitesand distinguishes thethree strands of tradition,reason and mysticalinsight. In his Diwân andTarjumân al-Ashwâq healso wrote some of thefinest poetry in Arabic language.

Ibn Arabi showed how man, in perfection, isthe complete image of this reality and howthose who truly know their essential self, know

Spiritual CornerMy creed is love;Wherever its caravan turns along the way,That is my belief,My faith.

Turmoil in your heartsWere it not forthe excess of your talkingand the turmoil in your hearts,you would see what I seeand hear what I hear!

When my beloved appearsWhen my beloved appears,With what eye do I see him?With his eye, not with mine,For none sees him except himself.

god. He believed in the unityof all religions and taughtdifferent prophets all camewith the same essential truth.

Ibn Arabi’s poems:

Wonder

Wonder,A garden among the

flames!My heart can take on any

form:A meadow for gazelles,A cloister for monks,

For the idols, sacred ground,Ka’ba for the circling pilgrim,The tables of the Torah,The scrolls of the Quran.

Readers, your reactions, criticisms, com-ments, suggestions are most welcome.Please address it to:

newsfront@bhrikuti.com

19-25 Nov, 20075Debating Development

Nearing his fourth year in office, thereare very little achievements that theIndian prime minister can boastabout. The recent fiasco surroundingthe civilian nuclear agreement withAmerica is an elaborate example ofthe failure of the Congress led UPAgovernment to impact politicalchanges in a progressive direction.Clearly, the alliance with the Leftparties has yielded in diminishedreturns for the Congress at both, thedomestic and the international stage.But if the Congress wishes to moveahead in a progressive direction, itmust like Indira Gandhi; sever its tieswith the communists. It is imperativethat the Congress ceases coopera-tion with the Left, so that; it enablesCongress to chart independenteconomic and foreign policies thataims to take India to the forefront ofglobal politics.

CPI –M, have been maintainingthat India should import gas fromCentral Asia as an alternative to the123 Agreement with the UnitedStates. However; the trade route forthe central Asian gas project cannotmaterialise without political stabilityprevailing in both Afghanistan andPakistan. The latest edition of theNewsweek described Pakistan as theworld's most dangerous nation. Itfurther reports that the ISI continuesto maintain clandestine relations withTaliban and other Islamist fugitives inthe hope of using them to wage Jihadin Kashmir in the future.

Bhutto now under the threat ofIslamists and the Taliban, was apivotal figure in aiding the Talibanstorm to power in Kabul. Bhutto hadenvisioned a secure neighbour underthe Taliban so that she could usesouthern Afghanistan as a strategictrade route to build pipelines to importgas from central Asia to help theailing economy of Pakistan. Unfortu-nately, Bhutto's strategy backfiredwho was heavily influenced by the ISI.But more significantly, both New Delhiand Islamabad have failed to take thepeace talks forward. Therefore, howthe establishment in New Delhienvisions importing oil from CentralAsia that has to pass thoughAfghanistan and Pakistan still remainsa matter of speculation.

Another component vital to India'snational security and industrialisationof the Gangetic plains is the urgencyto restore political normalcy in Nepal.Nehru, India's first prime ministeronce stated, “our border lies up untilthe northern Himalaya's". FollowingNehru's statement, Kathmandudebated the context of Nehru'sspeech at length. But the Nepalipolitical circle tacitly approved thisremark by identifying the commonthreats that endangered both Nepal'sand India's national security.

However, the latest Indian policy toaide a former rebel outfit like the

Maoists under the influence of theCPI –M suggests India has perhapsdeviated from the liberal Nehruviandoctrine that helped shaped Indianforeign policy. Like radical Islam,communism is a dogmatic ideologythat supersedes geographicalboundaries. The continued failure ofthe Indian government to understandthe nefarious schemes of their Leftcoalition partners to help the Maoistrise to power continues to remainignored. The net result of thislackluster policyvis-à-vis Nepal willonly complicatesecurity issuesand undermineeconomicdevelopment innorthern India.

Althoughlargely ignored inIndia, the Maoistmovement inNepal should beviewed as asymbolic politicalmovement inSouth Asia. Today

radical communist parties operate notjust in Nepal, but in India,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and even inBhutan. As identified by Indian PMMan Mohan Singh, the Naxalitemovement in India remains thelargest security menace to the Indianestablishment. The compact politicalcorridor that the Naxal's and theMaoists want to erect is gainingmomentum due to the lack of policy inNew Delhi.

Even though Maoists Chairman

parties engaged in revolutionarypractice know that the internationalsituation is quite unfavorable toaccomplish new democratic revolutionto sustain it.”

However, Prachanda’s conclusionin his report to COMPOSA is the mostimportant part of his report, a closeread will magnify the eventual planand aim of the Maoist movement inNepal – “The enemy who is attackingour party especially its youth wing“YCL”, with whatever they find in theirhands, has generated massresentment against the enemies. Andour mass line, discipline of our PLAand political line has gatheredmomentum to prepare the ground forthe final insurrection. We are utilisingthis transitional phase to spread ourbase and consolidate it, to get rid ofour own short comings and bringdisintegration in the enemy’s camp(Nepali Congress, RJP, RPP, MJF,Nepal Army and the monarchy) sothat we can give a final blow andusher into the country a newdemocracy.”

India’s stature in global politics willbe defined by its ability to democratiseits neighborhood and in conjunctionwith development of its economy.However, there are serious hurdleson both fronts to the Indian govern-ment. Nicolas Burns, the US underSecretary of State for political affairs,in his article, ‘America’s StrategicOpportunity with India’, in the latestedition of the journal Foreign Affairshas identified India as one America’smost important strategic partners inglobal affairs. To live up to suchexpectations, first, India has to curtailand confront the growth of commu-nism and radical Islam in India and inits neighboring countries.

As the leftist’s continue to espousesentiments of self determination, thelikelihood of further ethnic confronta-tion and possible disentrancementwith the center evolving into seces-sion movements cannot be ruled out.Already, Nagaland, Mizoram, AndhraPradesh (Telganga) and moreevidently Punjab in the past have allposed threats to India’s national unityand integrity. Therefore, should Nepalfall into the hands of the communist,Nepal will serve as a core state forfurther communists movements inSouth Asia directly threatening India’snational security.

As India strives to make gargan-tuan economic leaps, it is crucial thatIndia generates necessary energyfuel to meet the demands of itsgrowing industries. The 123Agreement can therefore provideIndia with a strategic advantage inAsia. However, as the Left continue toquestion the rationale of this deal; itsfeasibility and eventual implementa-tion of the 123 Agreement remainsquestionable.

However; India will have to seekother alternatives to meet the soaringdemands of its economy for moreenergy. Some of these alternativescan be found in the rivers of Nepal.However, for the development of anyrealistic hydro power projects inNepal, it is essential that peace andthe democratic forces prevail inNepal’s political uncertainty. For this, itis sacrosanct that the Maoists inNepal and other members ofCOMPOSA are confronted andviewed at a similar level of policyanalysis by all agencies that helpshape India’s strategic policy at homeand abroad. ä

Like radical Islam, communism is a dogmatic ideology that supersedes geographical boundaries.

The Left threat

ä Siddhartha Thapa

Prachanda might have wept in Delhideclaring the Nepali Maoists have nonexus with the Naxal's andCOMPOSA, recent intelligencereports indicate otherwise. In a reportsubmitted to COMPOSA by theMaoist Chief Prachanda, he reaffirmshis party's commitment in preservingand further bolstering their ties withregional communist parties.

In a candid revelation the reportsubmitted to COMPOSA byPrachanda this summer declares: "

On severaloccasions wehave broughtout ourassessmentthat thedomesticsituation inNepal isfavorable andripe to capturecentral statepower in thenear future butas all thegenuinecommunist

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19-25 Nov, 20076 Opinion

ä Manish Gautam

While the world leaders prepare for the nextUnited Nations Framework Convention onClimate Change (UNFCC) conference todetermine the international response toclimate change in Bali, Indonesia, beginningof December 2007, the prominent climatechange advocate Dr. R.K Pachauri -Chairman of this year Noble Prize winningIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change(IPCC), Director General and the Energyand Resources Institute (TERI) - has saidthat without immediate action, globalwarming is set to reverse decades of socialand economic progress across Asia, hometo over 60 percent of the world’s population.

“Asia is at a critical juncture as the hometo the majority of humanity. It has made realadvances in reducing poverty but lies on thefrontline of impacts from climate change,” hesaid, addressing the regional workshop withmedia in the Asia pacific Region on ClimateChange jointly organised by UNDP andSwiss Development Cooperation in NewDelhi, India. He added that Asia has alreadywitnessed the impacts of climate change andwe would further see its effects which willpose a threat to human development.

According to a very recent study report,‘Up in Smoke: Asia and the Pacific’ - Asia ishome to 87 per cent of the world’s known400 million small farms, all especiallyvulnerable to climate change as they rely onregular and reliable rainfall. To address theimpacts of climate change, Dr. Pachaurisuggests integrating the adaptation toclimate change with development policiesinto practices. He said, “Climate changeaffects the human development of this earthbut poorest section of the society will suffer

more.”For over a decade, scientists

from around the world workingwith the IPCC have reached theconclusion that world’s climate ischanging and human beings arelargely responsible for it. Theexpected repercussions of climatechange, including droughts andfloods, snow retreating in theHimalayas, crop failures, extinction of speciesand emerging or re-emerging of infectiousdiseases will affect every nation of the earth.The most vulnerable people are in general thepoorest, since they have less capacity to adaptand their livelihoods often depend on resourcesthat are linked to climate.

Asia is set to warm during this century, andthat this will be accompanied by less predictable

and more extreme patterns ofrainfall while monsoons aroundwhich farming systems aredesigned, are expected to becomemore unpredictable in their strengthand time of onset.

The 28 million people of SouthAsia affected by flooding havedirect relation to climate change.Drought in north China has

increased ruining the livelihoods of the region’sfarmers; and around 8 out of 10 glaciers inwestern China are reportedly in retreat due toclimate change.

Nepal is no exception to the impacts ofclimate change. Nepal is home to theHimalayas, where due to climate change snowis retreating; and international organisations likeUNEP and ICIMOD have already warned the

outbursts of glacier lakes which eventually willmake impacts on mountainous human life andtheir livelihoods. Similarly, it has now beenproven that the flash floods and erraticweather patterns that Nepal is experiencingare the consequences of climate change.

According to Dr. Pachauri social implicationof climate changes varies from context tocontext and he strongly points on socialscience research on climate change to bringout the human dimension. “We are likely towitness heat waves, floods, droughts and somany other repercussions and climatechange adds one more layer to this problem,”he said. He added, “bottom line is that poorwill become even poorer. So we need todevelop institutional network and occupationalinnovation which can provide a safety net forthese people.”

Historically, developed countries havereleased the vast amount of green-housegases, but they are also the best positionedfinancially to reduce those emissions.Developing and countries in transition willbear the burnt of any change in climatepatterns and these are the people who willsuffer the most. In an effort to address thethreats posed by climate change, 178nations including Nepal came together at theRio Earth Summit in 1992 to adopt theUNFCC.

Rich countries, both historically and today,are disproportionately responsible for theemissions that have caused and still fuelclimate change. As such, they need to meetand exceed their targets for reducinggreenhouse gas emissions set under theKyoto Protocol. Countries like USA, Australiaand some of other industrialised countrieswhich are the biggest polluters have notratified the Kyoto Protocol yet. ä

Then a noble soul from Tanahu, thegreat poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya,was mesmerised by the splendour ofKantipur. He was also appalled bythe delays that occurred in acting ona simple matter by the thengovernment agency under the Ranaregime. Being a famous poet of thetime, who was also clever with hiswords, he could express his feelingsso brilliantly that it touched thehearts of many people including therulers and got his work done.Coming from a village, he imaginedthe beauty of Kantipur, the place aswell as the people, to be equal toheaven. His love for Kantipur wasprofound and sincere.

The Kantipur of yesteryears hastaken the name of Kathmandu today.Having been born and brought up inthis city, my love for it has not waneddespite everyday confusion anddisruption of public life on one pretextor the other. There are severalreasons why one loves this city. It canbe considered as the epitome ofcontrasts as well as a citadel oflearning.

For early risers, the study can startfrom a well-disciplined queue ofvehicles and motor- bikes, which

seem to be waiting in eternity forpetrol. This is no small matterconsidering the fact that the petrolshortage has been continuing forseveral months now without anyforeseeable respite. Many vehicleowners return empty handed afterlining up for many hours and withouttending to the call of nature. Yet,except for one-day protest organisedby the taxi drivers recently, the peoplehave remained extremely patient andaccommodating.

One cannot help but appreciateNepalis’ commitment to law and orderand their enormous faith in theirgovernment; a government that isvirtually non-existent. One can alsosee scores of people taking theirmorning walk or jogging. Childrenand teenagers going to schoolsappear quite energetic and happy.

This certainly reflects that theNepalis, especially the young, are fully

the illegal blockade by the protestors,who might be directly or indirectlylinked to the powerful parties rulingthe country today. There is no dearthof protestors as most are unem-ployed or under employed. Neverthe-less, at the end of the day an averageperson manages to get to work andcomes home safely for dinner.

The second lesson of the day:Today’s world, especially poordeveloping countries, is a dangerousplace to live in but one must engagein daily productive life.

Late afternoon, suddenly a strike iscalled at a slightest provocation,causing serious problems to publiccommuters. Instead of restrainingsuch activities that are bound todeprive the common man of his rightto honest work, the civil societies keepon encouraging the protestors andeven join such protests as they haveall the time in the world. I receive thethird lesson of the day: sacrifice yourpresent for future, which in the Nepalicontext remains as dark as ever.

Evening time in Kathmandu appearsbeautiful with some streets well lit andbusy with moneyed people frequentingrestaurants, pubs and hotels of thecity. With the day’s work successfully

MY BELOVEDKATHMANDU

executed, even the average protestorsfind solace in local brew and ediblesmade available by the organisers (andperhaps paid by INGOs).

After nine, most places go to sleep,the cycle for the day completed. Mostfamilies are happy that they are stillsafe, have something to eat and cansleep in peace. Tomorrow is asuncertain as can be. Lesson learned -uncertainty is the name of the game.

Where else on earth does one getsuch a complete education everysingle day? The city of gods andgoddesses, accepts the disruptivebehaviors of its inhabitants asgracefully as meaningful actions ofothers. Residents of Kathmandu areflexible, accommodating andcommitted, as reflected during theyoga lessons imparted by the IndianSwami Ramdev recently.

Despite being pockmarked withpotholes, smelling of garbage,marred by ugly structures,Kathmandu charms its inhabitants asmuch as it does the tourists. Despite itbeing grossly neglected by itscaretakers at different times, the cityseems forgiving and keeps smilingmysteriously like the famousMonalisa. ä

It can be considered as the epitome ofcontrasts as well as a citadel of learning.

prepared to face the present daychallenges by pursuing education andmaintaining good health for futureprogress and prosperity. Others arecommitted to the rule of law andbelieve that they will enjoy their fullrights one day. First lesson learned:keep healthy and pursue your duties,and do not lose hope no matter what.

Come office time, the streets ofKathmandu depict a totally differentpicture, that of arrogance andimpatience. Most streets are chokedwith vehicles of all sorts making italmost impossible to estimate the timerequired to keep an appointment.Frequently, one witnesses flashingmotorbikes, speeding micro/minibuses that can come from any angleon narrow two lane streets. If notcareful, an average pedestrian isbound to get hurt if not land at anearby hospital with broken bones, ifnot life lost.

One small accident anywhere onthe road can deprive you of a day’swork as that spot could attract a well-organised demonstration blocking theentire street in no time. The policeforce of Kathmandu is as helpless asit has to wait for instructions fromabove for taking any action against

ä Binod P. Bista

Time to act now

Dr. R.K Pachauri

Flooded Nepalgunj

19-25 Nov, 2007 7Interview

Vijay Sarga Maharjan, 34, is anavid Phaubha/Thangka painter.Newsfront talked with him recentlyabout his passion which he says haschanged his life.

What attracted you toThangkas?

I was always interested in painting.I started painting when I was 14. Iused to paint birds in which Ispecialised for three years. Then Imoved on to Thangka. I learnedThangka from my Tamang gurus atSwoyambhu; and Prem ManChitrakar and K.K. Karmacharya.Although monetary return was themotivating factor behind my decisionto become a Thangka painter, now Ican interpret it in a different way. Ithink I was attracted to the mindaspect of it. I don’t think there is anyother art that expresses the functionsof mind so vividly.

What difference do you see

between Thangkas and otherforms of painting?

I’d like to cite examples of Dali’sworks. Dali’s works are mostly basedon Freudian analysis that expressedthe knots, neurosis of the mind; but inThangkas, the different manifesta-tions of mind are presented. Freudiananalysed only the ‘sick’ people, so inhis own words, he could not find acompletely healthy person. Modernarts depicting negative aspects ofmind do not give you a good feeling. Ipersonally would not want a painting,however famous or expensive, thatdepicts a confused or tortured mindhung on my walls! But Thangkasdefinitely generate a positive feelingno matter how ferocious the deitymay look.

Why is it so?Thangkas are the expressions of

enlightened minds that could see thepictures of the deep layers of sub-consciousness. These pictures helpcleanse, purify sub-consciousnessand it assists in opening up yoursuper consciousness. The enlight-ened forms of mind are depicted

through deities such as Hevajra,Vajrasattva, Chakrasambhava,Samantabhadra and many others.Carl Jung also held Thangkas andespecially Mandalas in high esteem.He said it was the best technique tofree mind of its neurosis.

Samantabhadra has a specialsignificance with its two forms in unity.The blue male figure depictsemptiness and the white femalesymbolises clarity. An enlightenedmind is basically a unity of emptinessand clarity.

Tell us about your favoritepieces of work.

Picture no. 1, the Phauba wasdone by me and by other studentsaround 15 years ago. It depictsAryavaloketeswara – the deity ofcompassion. In picture 2, the Buddhais depicted as radiating compassion;and lastly, the Kumari which I paintedaround five years ago. It is painted onplywood with water colours.

Do you think Thangkas areappreciated as much in Nepalas it is abroad?

No, we don’t understand the depthof Thangkas. Art critics here do notvalue it so much. They call it copy art.But there are people from othercountries who really hold it in highesteem. I recall reading about aNobel Prize winner in Chemistry, whowas here and was reported to havesaid that he spent all his moneybuying Thangkas. It has a hugemarket abroad and vast quantitiesare exported worldwide every year.

Unfortunately, due to lack ofeducation, interest and exposure,Nepalis have not learned to appreci-ate our own traditional unique artforms. I’m sorry to say but modern artby popular names are held in highesteem by the so called intellectualcircles here; but they have missed outon or completely ignore our preciousheritage.

Your recent painting of theBuddha shows your style haschanged now. What caused thechange?

It looks different but the essenceremains the same. With full aware-ness of what a particular deityrepresents, I just play around withhow it is expressed. I do not imposeother irrelevant elements on it. Thatwould be stupid. I only try and simplifythe qualities of a deity and express itscore meaning.

Your working hours?

Thangkas are the expressions of enlightened minds…

Symbols

When I have time I work 12 hoursa day at home and teach once aweek. Apart from that I work threedays a week at the office of the artist,Karsang Lama at Swoyambhu. Myjob is to add final touches toThangkas.

How has spending so muchtime with deities changed you?

Apart from increased, sharpenedconcentration, my perspectives haveopened up. It has added newdimensions to my way of thinking andthat has made it easier for me tosurvive in this world. I’d like to addthat I owe a lot of my spiritual guru,Sridhar Rana Rinpoche who taughtme how to look and go deep downinside and to channelise my potential.The art form that I’m doing now,where I translate Buddhist philosophyinto art form was inspired by him.

How can this art form bepreserved in Nepal?

of MINDTo preserve, we have to create

awareness. We have to know thevalue of our art and publicise it. I thinkthat through Thangkas, we candevelop wisdom inside us and thathelps everybody. It would also be agood source of employment andincome generation.

We need to find ways to encouragemore young people to take up thisform of art that has so much demandworldwide. Personally, I think byinvesting in creating more Thangkaartists in our country, we’d be creatinga pool of precious resource that theworld would look up to. Being aThangka artist is a matter of greathonour, and creates a lot of selfrespect in yourself.

Final word?I owe a lot to my wife and child for

being so undemanding. That hasmade my life a lot easier.

(Artist phone: 2312769, email:vijay_sarga7@hotmail.com)

Unfortunately, dueto lack of educa-tion, interest andexposure, Nepalishave not learned toappreciate our owntraditional uniqueart forms.

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19-25 Nov, 20078 Opinion

There were lots of expectationsfrom the Nepali people whendemocracy ultimately came in Nepalin April 2006. In addition to thedisappointments Nepalis experi-enced on the political front, themonths that followed have beendisappointing on many other countsas well. Many people have died evenafter the conflict ended. Hence thenumber of orphans and widowsacross Nepal increases with everypassing day. In the name of people’swelfare, political parties are indulgingin all kinds of destructive activities.Most disappointingly, people in powerare in their insensitive best towardspeoples’ grievances.

One striking example of thisattitude from people in power wasseen by all through the case ofUmravati Saha, who recently had tocry in front of two most powerful menin Nepal, just to know the where-abouts of her husband who waskidnapped. This was on October 30,2007, 25 days after late BirendraSah was kidnapped. That heartrendering image of Umravati andher two little kids crying in front ofGirija Prasad Koirala and MaoistsChairman Prachanda, shown onvarious television channels and printmedia is still fresh in our memory.The picture was disturbing to say theleast, because it looked more like ahelpless bonded laborer paradedbefore a feudal lord, rather than anaudience granted to an aggrievedindividual by people’s leaders.

This was one example of manydashed hopes that Nepalis gothrough presently. Though both PMKoirala and Maoist ChairmanPrachanda were fully aware ofSaha’s kidnapping, the duo preferredto prioritise celebration of Dashainahead of ascertaining the where-

The number of orphans and widows acrossNepal increases with every passing day.

Disturbing picturefor a nascent democracy

abouts of the journalist. They bothwoke up only when the helpless wifealong with her two little kids wasparaded in front of them by the FNJ.Worse still, it took the poor lady andthe persistent media, 35 long days toascertain the ultimate fate of thejournalist; the shocking revelationcoming in the form of Maoistsdeclaring that he was killed.

For Umravati, there can’t be abigger tragedy in her life than thisone. But she is not an exception.This is a reality that confronts manyother women in Nepal even afterthe conflict had seemingly ended.Across regions in Nepal, there aremany Umravatis, whose husbandsare killed, missing, disabled ormaimed. Umravati was at least ashade fortunate that her latehusband was a journalist. Thisenabled her to reach the corridorsof power to knock on doors for help,though unsuccessfully. There arehost of others whose husbands arepetty government officials, villagelevel political workers, labourers,ordinary villagers and so on whosecries the authorities convenientlyignore and go unheard.

It was a shame for the govern-ment as well as the Maoists to havenecessitated the tour that Umravatiundertook to Kathmandu. All theseyears, the Maoists have beenshouting at the top of their voicesvouching for what they called theright brand of democracy, whichinclude respect for lives of citizensand adherence to all aspects ofhuman rights. In neglecting anincident as serious as killing of aperson, and for so long, the Maoistshave only demonstrated that theavowed promise to ensure theirbrand of democracy was only loosetalks spoken from a high moraleground. It is time the governmentand the Maoists realise that themore Umravatis shed their tears,the faster the public would dumpthem into dust bins. ä

(Chandrakishore Jha is a Birgunjbased journalist)

ä Chandrakishore Jha

ä Ram Thapaliya

In Nepal the context for leadershiphas changed many times but thestyle of leaders and reaction ofpeople and constituents to it is notchanging. In Nepal, there is a longhistory of feudalism. The verycomplicated geography in Nepalmade it very difficult, until moderntimes with improved communication,to govern the territories of thecountry under a single ruler.

Over hundreds of years Nepal wasgoverned by many small rulers ofprincipalities, landlords who owedallegiance to the kings and Hindureligious leaders, who maintainedtheir power mostly by staying in favorof kings or other leaders they served.This describes a context repeatedmany times in Nepal’s history wherethe power of leaders is gained andmaintained according to the leaders’position and not due to their qualitiesand qualifications for the position.

The right to leadership authority inNepali history came to the leadersand was passed on to other leadersby inheriting positions. The right tostay in leadership position camefrom the ability of the leader to keepallegiance to a higher leader andauthority. The caste system andfeudalism made people believe and

rely on fate instead of personal willand capabilities.

Nepali Congress party won themajority in the general elections in1991 with the so called popularmandate for the democracy; but thenew leaders did not have the visionhow to translate their vision intoreality. Leaders were mostly focusedon leading own party and did notcommunicate with the people to gettheir support for the new system.

Besides the lack of experience indemocratic leadership, one biggestproblem and challenge for leaders ina new democratic context was thelack of governance inside their ownparty. Party leaders wererecognised leaders because theyhad many years of experienceleading the party, but only very fewof them had any type of formaleducation and diverse skills to qualifythem for leadership in a differentenvironment. The leaders did nothave the vision, strategies and theexperience for leading the new typeof system. They were usingknowledge and experience from thefeudal and traditional system thatdepended on relying on leaders.

From my study of the NepaliCongress party and its struggles Ican find some lessons learned aboutthe leadership: Leadership that does

not practice its vision cannotconvince people to follow its vision.Leaders have to encourage newthinking, perspectives and even takeon the challenges to leadership asone way possible to test their ownvision. There can be no substitutefor transparency and accountabilityin leadership.

Leadership is earned andmaintained by dedication. It cannotbe just awarded, inherited orappointed on a whim. In this way,vision cannot be well translated andtransferred. Only power and powerbenefits can be transferred.Leadership has to be flexible andunderstand the context. Leadershave to do some homework in theadvance so they can have morethan one vision and strategy.

The main complication in thedealing with political leadership is thatunlike in a business situation everyonein political party sees themselves aspotential leaders. For politicalleadership development, there needsto be new research on Nepal politicalleadership and the type of qualities inleaders that are best suited to leadingthe party and the nation.

(Writer is PhD, Crisis Manage-ment, a visiting professor at TuftsUniversity, and TU, Conflict Peaceand Development in Global Context)

Leadershiphas to be flexibleand understandthe context.

Lackingdemocraticleadership

news

front

19-25 Nov, 20079From the region

Grieving survivors and rescuerspicked through the rubble left in thewake of a super cyclone that batteredBangladesh as the death toll neared1,900 on Sunday and a governmentofficial declared the disaster "anational calamity". Military ships andhelicopters were trying to reachthousands of people believedstranded on islands in the Bay ofBengal and in coastal areas still cutoff by the devastating storm.

Officials expected the death toll torise further as the search forhundreds of people missing afterThursday night's storm intensified.The disaster ministry in Dhaka hadrecorded 1,861 deaths by Sundaynoon, but local media put the figure atmore than 3,000.

A much improved disasterpreparedness plan has been creditedwith saving scores of lives. "It will takeseveral days to complete the searchand know the actual casualty figureand extent of damage to property,"said food and disaster ministry officialAyub Miah.

A huge effort was underway to getfood, drinking water and shelter to

Bangladesh cyclone toll nears 1,900tens of thousands affected by thestorm, the worst to hit disaster-prone Bangladesh since 1991 whennearly 143,000 people died. CycloneSidr smashed into the country'ssouthern coastline late on Thursdaynight with 250 kph (155 mph) windsthat whipped up a five metre tidalsurge. Most of the deaths came fromthe surge washing away homes andstrong winds blowing down dwell-ings. Many others drowned or werelost at sea.

In Barisal, one of the worst hitdistricts, authorities used elephants toclear uprooted trees blockinghighways. Helicopters flew sorties todevastated areas, dropping food,drinking water and medicine for thesurvivors.

"There are not many places wherewe can land," said one pilot, as largeareas were still under water.

Several fishermen picked by atrawler from sea said they sawdozens of bodies floating in thewaters near the Sundarban man-grove forest, a world heritage siteand home to the endangered RoyalBengal tiger.

They also saw scores of dead deerand other wildlife floating in thePashur river, near the forest.

Navy ships scoured coastal areasand sought to clear river channelsclogged with sunken vessels. Red

Crescent officials said some 1,000fishermen and about 150 boats werestill unaccounted for in the Bay ofBengal.

Tapan Chowdhury, a governmentadviser for food and disaster

management, described the cycloneas a "national calamity" and urgedall to come forward to help thevictims.

"Everybody, including all politicalparties, should join the relief efforts,"he said, adding that "aid pledges fromthe international community have sofar been good",

Relief operators on the ground saidsupplies were still inadequate andthat the government should make animmediate plea for more internationalaid to avert a "human disaster."

In many areas there is still noelectricity, and officials have warned itcould take weeks to restore.

Aid officials said damage from thestorm was very severe.

"Our relief teams have startedemergency distribution, with an initialcoverage of 100,000 people," VinceEdwards, national director of WorldVision Bangladesh.

In many areas, 95 percent of ricecrops due to be harvested in a fewweeks have been badly damaged,officials said. Hundreds of shrimpfarms have also been washedaway. ä

Leaders of the Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations gatheredin Singapore on Sunday ready tosign a landmark charter givinglegal status to the 40-year-oldbody and making strides in humanrights.

With Burmese Prime MinisterThein Sein and Foreign MinisterU Nyan Win attending and thedelegates from the 10-memberbodies staying in 11 differenthotels, police designated"protected areas" giving authori-ties greater leeway to deal withpossible security threats,demonstrations or other incidents.

Among the affected venues anda 500-metre perimetre aroundeach are The Shangri-La Hotelwhere the 40th anniversarysummit is taking place, TheRaffles City Convention Centresite of a gala dinner and the AsianCivilizations Museum where areception will be held.

Nearly 1,000 delegates from 43countries are attending.

While the charter, a blueprintfor an Asean economic commu-nity by 2015, and a documenton climate change and theenvironment are highlights,diplomats said Burma isovershadowing the other issuesafter its bloody crackdown onpro-democracy protesters inSeptemer.

Asean countries have mademany commitments over theyears, but have only implementeda third of them, said ProfessorTommy Koh, Singapore'srepresentative on the task forcewhich drafted the charter.

"This is not an acceptablerecord," Koh said. "A keyfeature in the charter is the

emphasis on developing a cultureof taking our obligations seri-ously," he added.

The secretary-general will beempowered to monitor compliancewith Asean agreements and reportbreaches to the summit, he said.

Referring to critics who maintainthat Asean is little more than a "talkshop, Koh said the charter willenable the grouping to play abigger role in regional and globalaffairs.

Asean includes Singapore,Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, thePhilippines, Brunei, Cambodia,Laos, Vietnam and Burma.

The UN Secretary General'sspecial Adviser Ibrahim Gambari isscheduled to brief the East AsiaSummit which includes the Aseancountries in addition to China,India, Japan, South Korea,Australia and New Zealand.

Police have warned againststaging any outdoor protests afterlearning of plans by foreignstudents to do so on Monday.

A petition was released howevercalling on the UN Security Councilto bring "tangible results" in thenational reconciliation and politicalreform process.

The document was signed by3,626 people or 10 per cent of theBurmese nationals in Singapore.

A group calling themselves the"Overseas Burma Patriots" saidthey want Singapore to give thepetition to the council.

Public demonstrations againstthe Burmese junta have flaredelsewhere, but police saidSingapore's prohibition againstoutdoor gatherings of more thanfour people without official approvalis in full force.

(Bangkok post)

ä By Ihtasham ul Haque

President Gen Pervez Musharraf toldUS Deputy Secretary of State JohnNegroponte on Saturday thatemergency rule was needed for apeaceful conduct of elections,refusing to set a date for lifting it.

Informed sources said that during aone-hour meeting with the visiting USofficial, the president also said nopolitical party would be barred fromcontesting elections and that a levelplaying field would be provided toeveryone.

The president assured MrNegroponte that free, fair andtransparent elections would be held inthe first week of January.

The president’s spokesman, Maj-Gen (retd) Rashid Qureshi, told Dawnafter the meeting that Mr Negropontehad come to Pakistan to understandthe fast developing political situationand the president briefed himparticularly about the elections, waron terror and the circumstances inwhich he was ‘constrained’ topromulgate emergency on Nov 3.

“The president told the visiting US

official that the third phase oftransition to complete civilian set-upwill be achieved by holding free andfair elections,” he said.

The sources said Gen Musharraftold Mr Negroponte that former primeminister Benazir Bhutto was ‘tooconfrontationist’ and ruled out anyfurther discussions with her over aproposed ‘power-sharing agreement’.It is not known that what was theresponse of the US official on thiscomment.

There were speculations that MrNegroponte would meet Ms Bhuttoon Saturday. However, she leftLahore for Karachi in the eveninginstead of coming to Islamabad.

The president told him that theproclamation of emergency hadbecome ‘necessary’ to fight effectivelyagainst terrorists and religiousextremists in the country.

The sources said Mr Negropontesought a date for the lifting ofemergency, but the president refusedto do so.

President Musharraf insisted thatemergency would ensure a smoothpolitical atmosphere, leading to

orderly elections.He said the step was also aimed at

arresting the deteriorating law andorder situation as well as containingthe influence of terrorists who werenow heading towards the settledareas of Pakistan.

One of the major objectives ofimposing the emergency was to avoidviolence and bombings duringgeneral elections, he said.

During the meeting, he said,Pakistan-US relations also came upfor discussion and that both havesimilarities of views on variousnational and international issues.

The president also told the USdeputy secretary of state thatPakistan government has decided toraise additional 125 platoons ofFrontier Constabulary, 7,000 leviesand 1,500 policemen to furtherstrengthen war on terror in theNWFP.

He said that Pakistan’s securityforces were fully capable of carryingout operation in the troubled region.Pakistan, he said, did not need anyforeign military support in thisbehalf.

In the context of fight againstterrorism, President Musharraftermed unfair and untrue theallegation that political developmentshad distracted government in itscounter-terrorism efforts. He saidPakistan was fully committed to thewar on terror.

The president also briefed hisguest about the current situation intribal areas and Swat.

Mr Negroponte lauded the role ofPresident Musharraf in the waragainst terror and said that theUnited States would continue itssupport to Pakistan in this behalf. Heappreciated the announcement of thepresident about the holding ofelections in January. Senior US andPakistani officials were present in themeeting.

(Dawn)

Emergency to stay, US told Asean leaders ready tosign landmark charter

19-25 Nov, 200710 Perspective

Similarly at 82% trance, recall oflost memories is easily accessiblewhich is so useful to psychotherapy.This is called hyper amnesia whileabove 84% regression intochildhood or past life is possible.These properties are not availableto the common waking mind nomatter how sharp or intelligent theperson is. At around 80% the mindcan control organic body functionslike heart-beat, blood pressure,digestion etc. Inall these arevarious levels ofaltered states ofmind, many things are accessiblewhich are not accessible to the mindin its humdrum waking state. Whenwe go off in a tangent into a day-dream we are again going intoanother altered state of mind.

As we said earlier, there aremany types of altered states of mindwhich are different from each other.For example, when we go off intosleep, we go through various levelsof altered state. The first stage ofsleep onslaught called the hypna-gogic state is an altered state ofmind which is different from thewaking state. Actually the wakingstate itself is one state of the mindand is itself an altered state. It is not

scientifically correct to say that thewaking state is the normal state and allother states of mind are the alteredstates. Calling the waking state asnormal and measuring all other statesof the mind against it as altered state isbased on conditioned ideas of what isnormal and is thus scientificallyunwarranted.

In another neuro-scientific languagewhat is called waking state (what mostpeople consider as the normal state) the

brain emits betawaves. Beta wavesare rays ranging from13 hertz upwards.

The normal waking state ranges from13 hertz to 25 hertz. This is the wakingstate of normal alertness. Once thehertz increases towards 25 hertz andabove, states of anxiety and stressbegin. The higher the hertz go the morestressed out and anxiety laden the mindbecomes. It becomes more distraught,tensed up and is unable to focus.

From 8 hertz to 12.9 hertz is thealpha wave range. When the mind iscalmly focused and relaxed, it begins todip between 8 and13 hertz. This is arelaxed but alert state. The state whenthe brain is emitting alpha waves is alsocalled the super learning state becausethe mind is in a state where it canabsorb vast amounts of information

easily and quickly. Memory capacity isheightened. This is also the first stageof meditation and also the first stageof sleep onslaught.

Most meditators are normally at thelower levels of this frequency which

means from 8 to 10 hertz. When aperson is in this level of altered state,the mind is relaxed. This is a verygood altered state for lowering bloodpressure and relaxing the mind,making it free from all tension, anxiety

etc. In this state, the mind tends to bepositive and all negative thinkingdisappears.

Below 7.9 hertz to 4 hertz is thetawave state. This is a state of deeprelaxation, deep meditation, in-creased memory and focus. This is adream like state. When we are seeingdreams, the brain emits theta waves.This is also the state where creativityoccurs. Einstein said that wheneverhe came up with a new theory, heused to go into a dream like state.Thomas Alva Edison also realisedthat he had in hand a new invention,just after waking up from a deepsleep. This is the theta state.Transformation or change can takeplace easily in the theta state. This isalso the state of deep hypnosis whensuggestions given by the hypno-therapist are easily absorbed into thesubconscious and thus changes inmental attitudes and behaviour arebrought about.

Creative visualisation as used inVajrayana produce theta wave statesquickly with a little amount of practiceprovided there is concentration. It is insuch a state that the mind is receptive tocreative intuition and insights and totransformation. The elaborate Mandalameditation of Vajrayana is based on thisprinciple. (To be continued)

(Sridhar Rinpoche is a VajrayanaMaster)

Altered states of mindEinstein said that whenever he came up with a new theory, he used to go into a dream like state.ä Mahayogi Acharya Sridhar Rana Rinpoche

Marshland Flowers

19-25 Nov, 2007 11Art & society

ä Yuyutsu RD Sharma

I celebrate myself, and singmyself,And what I assume you shallassume,For every atom belonging to meas good belongs to you

--Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

The idea of 'self' appears repugnantin the himalayas. Much before theopening up of the nation to the outsideworld, long before the roads snaked into shatter the charm of this collectiveself, self was a dreadful abuse. Thewhole population seemed to be livingin an exquisite pastoral; a network ofrural worlds defining the entire worldas one big nation village. Youbelonged to a specific outer world thatwas all that mattered. What happensinside belonged to shamans andpoets.

In such a world, the self becomesan elusive notion and the idea ofexploring the infinite possibilities of theself are seen as shallow and self-indulgence. With the advent ofmodernism, the ideals of an objectivescientific worldview seem to hold itssway in science, literature andjournalism until today. You need thetruth as seen through Galileo'sbinoculars and anything beyondwestern scientific learning becamehoax.

Walt Whitman would have had ahard time here and also his predeces-

Walt Whitman would have had a hard time here.

In theHimalayas

sor who propounded the ideaof self as a defining principle inarts and literature and evenmodern medicine. No wondershamanism, trance, and

initiation have come as great news inthe western medicine in the newcentury.

The very essence of creative writingis an enlargement of the self. That'swhat matters in the new world of thenew millennium. In a nation whereradical insurgencies are flourishing inprofusion, where the ethnic conflictsand communal strife grow like ferns inthe himalayan wilderness, a writer'smyths of his self might appeardeceitful and subversive.

In Nepali literature, self had its fullsway in the essays of Laxmi PrasadDevkota and Shankar Lamechani. Yousee it finding its actual force in the lovepoems of Gopal Prasad Rimal. Hisenlargement of the self to encompassthe history of Nepalese polity isunparalleled.

But sadly enough, with the rise ofmass media, the self still remains onthe edge. It is not in demand as itrefuses to glorify senseless chauvinismand tribalism. It has no axes to grind asit celebrates a self that can, to quoteWhitman, contain multitudes. Nepalijournalism too has failed to paint self’smyriad colors and dimensions. Much ofthe contemporary journalism refuses torise above the rigors of objectivity andmundane realism.

(writer@yuyutsu.de)

Sun, jungle, spring-scape andautumn leaves are my abstractcreations where I’ve used rubbercement solution in place of wax toget that contemporary Batik effect.I am greatly attracted to thenatural elements that no manmade things can ever come closeto. Attempting to give it my own

FOR LOVE OF NATURE

interpretation on paper or canvasgives me that unparalleled deepsense of joy.

I draw warmth, healing powerfrom the sun. Jungle vibrates withthat sense of wild abandon, anunbridled sense of freedom andprofound mystery. I can losemyself in it and be the way I wantto be. Spring-scape signifies life’s

beginning with its green youngleaves, full of potential. Autumnleaves represent life’s transitorynature. The vibrant colours of theleaves delight and soon wither awayto be one with the soil, just like we alldo. Nature is us, we are nature.

(Sanchita’ paintings are on sale.For details, contact the artist at:

Phone: 00- 91-9818803916 andsanchitasroy@gmail.com)

ä Sanchita Sinha Roy

Children at play, Ilam, Nepal.

Spectrum of life

ä By Sushma Amatya

Springscape Autumn leaves

jungle

sun

19-25 Nov, 200712 MakersIf you're having a birthday bash or aholiday party, make sure to inviteNicole Kidman. The Australianactress, as it happens, gives the mostspot-on gifts imaginable.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, who playsKidman's sparring sister in "Margot atthe Wedding," admired a pair of jeansin a magazine, and presto, one daythe precise pair was in her hotelroom. Her husband (and the film'sdirector), Noah Baumbach, got a"great" silver pen he uses all the time,

and "a great bottle of wine." AndChris Weitz, who directed Kidman'sDec. 7 fantasy saga "The GoldenCompass," scored "lovely Frettesheets and, let me see, caviar. Shegave me some very nice things, to meand my wife."

No wonder Leigh admiresKidman's "tremendous memory" andcalls her "really generous. She's reallythoughtful. Very sweet in that way."Especially given her turn in "Margot,"which opened yesterday, as Leigh'scontrolling, domineering andmanipulative sister. Kidman's Margotarrives from New York to attend herpregnant sister's country wedding -and promptly casts aspersions on thenuptials. Ask Kidman, 40, if she'sanything like the mercurial and mean

says Kidman, who's still operating onDown Under time but looks perfectlyneat in a snug, dark blue and greenpatterned frock. "I'm a boringinterview now, an old marriedwoman! Not a lot of controversy here.

It's a good life, though, and I'm reallyblessed in terms of the road that ithas taken."

This winter, Kidman has twopotential hits on the horizon. After"Margot" comes "The GoldenCompass," Weitz's lavish adaptationof the first book in Philip Pullman's"His Dark Materials" trilogy, starringKidman as the mesmerizing scientistMrs. Coulter.

Kidman, Weitz says, "is very cleverand intelligent, as Mrs. Coulter is. Shehas an allure, a power over people. ButMrs. Coulter, in our movie, is at heart avery damaged and borderline evilperson, and that's not true of Nicole.She's very thoughtful and probably themost committed actress I've met."

That commitment hasn't alwaystranslated into big-screen success.She has had a series of misses sincewinning an Oscar as Virginia Woolf in2002's "The Hours". Asked about herrather offbeat choices, Kidmanbreaks into rueful laughter. Despitestarring in such flops as this summer's"The Invasion" and 2004's "Birth,"Kidman says she doesn't dwell on herdecisions or agonize over films thatdidn't work. ä

Margot, and she snorts with laughter."I would hope not. For me, it was

actually quite difficult. She's anintellectual New Yorker. I didn't have areference for her," she says. "I don'thave a temper. I didn't grow up in afamily where that was prevalent, thatsort of loudness. My feelings get hurt.I probably tend more to crying andbeing hurt. The grief is easier thanthe anger."

In person, Kidman is every bit as talland willowy as you might imagine, with

porcelain skin so light and flawless, it'salmost translucent. She's ravenous, soKidman, in contrast to her dainty anddelicate image, digs right into a turkeysandwich, ripping off chunks andstuffing them in her mouth.

What comes as even more of asurprise, though, is her wit andwarmth. Her year-old marriage tocountry singer Keith Urban hasbrought out her lighter side, andKidman, giggling, breaks into aSouthern drawl whenever she talksabout her husband. She preens withpride when discussing his Grammy-winning career. The two are inManhattan for only a few days beforethey must fly back to Oz, whereKidman is shooting the epic "Austra-lia" for Baz Luhrmann, who directed

her to an Oscar nomination in 2001's"Moulin Rouge".

"I was up at 2 o'clock in themorning. Brutal. I've been roamingaround the hotel room. I'm just amess right now - I'm a little ragged,"

Kidman inhalesher roles deeply

Her year-old marriage tocountry singer KeithUrban has brought outher lighter side, andKidman, giggling,breaks into a Southerndrawl whenever shetalks about her husband.