Maitighar mandala draws controversy

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 - The huge Mandala, being set up by Kathmandu Metropolitan City at Maitighar at the cost of millions of rupees ahead of the SAARC summit has invited controversy even before the construction work is complete.

Traditional artists said that the mandala is being installed in the wrong position and it is a distortion of the traditional value of
mandala which is unique to the Bajrayana Buddhism of the Kathmandu Valley.

A two ropani land at Maitighar is being developed as a green park with a huge mandala, a stone stupa and a set of three water spouts. But the mandala is set up in 45 degrees to the stupa.

Artist Lok Chitrakar said that as the stupa and mandala have a direct relations with directions, they must be set up in accordance with the traditional rules.

"Placing of a mandala in the wrong position is tantamount to defying of the traditional concept of which is thousands of years old," he said.

"Mandala is just like a stupa. Each of the faces of the square of a mandala has to face one specific direction. The mandala must be placed parallel with the stupa," said Chitrakar who has been painting traditional paintings or paubhas of mandala for years.

He added that each of the four directions has its own colour and element to represent.

Each colour symbolizes one of the five elements which composes the world. "North is green and it stands for air, south is yellow and stands for earth, east is blue and it stands for sky, and west is for red which symbolizes fire element. The one element that is left is water which is represented at the centre of the four faces," said Chitrakar.

Artist Batsa Gopal Vaidhya, the designer of the mandala, said that he had only designed the mandala, which was later applied to the whole landscaping design.

Bipin Chitrakar, the consultant at Astra Development Network, said that the architects had taken a long discussion on the position of the mandala and we later came to the decision to make a fine composition. The mandala is to be placed diagonally because it has eight corners.

Inter-higher secondary quiz contest held

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 - Campion Academy bagged the 3rd Campion Gold Cup Inter-Higher Secondary Quiz Contest held today in the capital.

Campion Academy bagged the first prize carrying a purse of Rs. 12,000 while the first and the second runners-up were St. Xavier’s. The cash prize for the first runner and the second runner up were Rs.9000 and Rs. 7,500 respectively. St Xavier’s had won the championship on both the previous occasions.

"Such quiz contests should be organised frequently to encourage the students," said Kaushal Raj Regmi, Vice-Chairman of Higher Secondary Education Board (HSEB) and the chief guest of today’s contest. "Quiz contests are always helpful for the students who are willing to learn," said Regmi.

Likewise, Indu Chemjong principal of the Campion Academy assured the continuity of the quiz contest. "We will do our best to give the consistency to quiz contest," said Chemjong.

The quiz organised by Campion Academy began on 23rd December. The preliminary rounds and semi-finals were held at the Fun World, Soaltee Crowne Plaza. Altogether eighteen teams from different higher secondary schools fought for the cup.

Delay in passing women’s property right bill flayed

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 - Experts gathered at an interaction programme on National Code (Muluki Ain) here vehemently criticised the decision of the Upper House of Parliament for flagrantly sidelining the National Code, (11th Amendment Bill) which when passed would allow women constituional right to inherit parental property.

Speaking at an interaction programme jointly organized by the National Human Rights Commission and the Gender Equity Programme, MP Kamala Pant has said the lawmakers feel contended by keeping the Bill away from becoming a law.

"They are passive," said former Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare while attacking other male counterparts of the Parliament as "passive to the proposed Bill."

MP Panta further said that the Bill has been overlooked so far as empowering women to parental propoerty is concerned. "It, however, incorporates wide ranges of women rights, " she said.

"We will move to the court or take to the street to see the Bill become a law," said Santa Thapalia, President of the Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre (LACC).

She, however, objected a provision in the Bill that allows the return of the parental property by women after their marriage. She said even if the Bill in its present shape went operational , it would take at least 20 years for women to get their birthrights.

Indira Rana, member of NHRC urged women to wage their struggle unitedly for their recognition and equality of status at par with their male counterparts while advocate Sapana Pradhan Malla shed light on the new provisions in the Bill.

The Bill, which was approved by the Lower House two months back and sent for the votes of the Upper House was again returned to the Lower House seeking further amendments. However, women representatives from various organizations said such an act of the House contravenes the very fundamentals of democracy.

While the existing Bill declares abortion to be unconstituional, the proposed Bill has permitted the women to go for abortion through ‘voluntary consent,’ divorce, right to full ownership of property after becoming a widow, separate laws for rape, incest and marriage among others. "This Bill still has many shortcomings that need correction," said Sapana Malla.

Concerns raised over children’s plight

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28- Human rights activists and representatives from various organizations related to children raised concerns over the children’s condition during the time of the state of emergency.

Speaking at a programme Divya Mani Dixit, General Secretary of the Federation of Children said that government and political leaders are not concerned about the situation of children at this time of emergency. "No political leaders raised even a little concern over the plight of children in the rural parts of Nepal, "he further said.

"It’s been 12 years of the Convention on Child Rights in our country but they are only confined to paper and not yet open to practice," he added.

Addressing the programme on the responsibility of civil society and its concerns towards children during the state of emergency, Surendra Prasai, president of CAP-CRON said the government should look into the behaviour of the police and the army personnel towards the children in remote parts of the country where hundreds of children are abused these days.

Various speakers urged the government to allow human rights activists, media personnel and the Red Cross to go in the field to help the children and the innocent victims of war. "The school children who are surrendering themselves to the police should be treated as children and not like the terrorists," speakers said.

The programme was jointly organised by CAP-CRON and Save the Children Norway, Nepal programme.

Maithali CD album to be released today

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 - The first Maithali Compact Disc (CD) album Song of Light - Priyatam Hamar Kamauaa" is being released by Kantipur FM amidst a programme here tommorow.

In the presence of famous scholar C.K Lal, Kantipur FM will broadcast the Maithili CD album from 8:00 to 9:00 AM live on Dec 29.Dhirendra Premarshi composed music for the songs in the CD album. The album is the first break of Mithila music, where every big name of the Maithali singers and musicians are associated.

The CD includes 10 songs and the lyrics of Dr Rajendra Bimal, Ram Bharosh Kaapadi, Chandra Shekhar Lal, Kalikaant Jha, Digambar Jha and Dhirendra Premarshi. The songs were recorded at the Alpha Digitech. Singers like Gurudev Kamat, Rupa Jha, Sunil Mallik, Hari Shankar Chaudhary, Aavas Laav, Santosh Jha and Rashmi Dutt contributed their voice to the Maithili songs.

KMC firm to keep city clean

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 - Kathmandu Metropolitan City has punished 15 persons and business institutions for illegally throwing garbage in the streets in the past ten days.

Deputy Chief of Environment Department Shanta Ram Pokhrel said that on Thursday alone four persons were fined Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000 for littering the city with garbage.

Shri Krishna Shrestha of Thamel, Kanchha Ratna Shakya of Bhotebahal, Gagan Pradhan of Tripureshwor and Prem Rai of New Road were fined for throwing garbage in the street at the wrong time, letting the litter remain for the whole day.

"We are implementing the law strictly to keep the cities clean ahead of the SAARC Summit,"
said Pokharel.

The Department had fined a dozen people in one week or so previously. They were Bastukala Utpadan of Kalanki, Kolkata Flower Decorator of Tripureshwor, Saila Lama of Chabahil, The Rink of Kamal Pokharai, Hans Hospital of Tripureshwor, Madhav Pyakurel of Keshar Mahal, Prakash Maharjan of Ratna Park, Vishnu Khadka of Kalimati, Tek Bahadur of Sundhara, Morang Auto Works of Teku.

"KMC has urged the people to keep the city clean and not to throw the garbage in the street and damage the beauty of the city with random posters and boards on the city walls," said Pokharel.

Amendment of Copy Right Act demanded

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28- Nepali feature film producers today raised their grievances on the pirated Compact Discs (CDs) that are being produced and distributed across the country.

Producers demanded the Copy Right Act- 2022 be amended immediately if the country is to be free from pirated-products at an interaction programme organized by the Film Critics Society Nepal (FICSON).

"The existing Copy Right Act-2022 has many drawbacks which needs to be amended as soon as possible," said a noted producer cum actor, Ashok Sharma. "The Act does not have a provision to punish the producers and distributors of the pirated-CDs," he said.

Sharma also emphasized the need of harsh punishment to those involved in producing the pirated-products. " For the past couple of years, Kathmandu has been known as the hub of pirated-products. This tainted image can only be cleaned after the act is amended," said Sharma.

Similarly, Yadav Kharel, Chairman of the Motion Picture Development Board said that the amendment is not only the solution for the current problem. "Implementation part should be strong enough to curb the practice," he remarked.

According to the Act that was introduced in 2022 BS, the fine for producers of the pirated-products ranges from Rs 1,000- Rs 10,000. The cineworkers and producers have been claiming that the fine amount is meagre.

Two children injured in bomb blast

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KAVRE, Dec 28 - Two children were seriously injured on Friday morning when a hand-made bomb reportedly left behind by Maoist rebels went off while playing with it near the premises of Disabled Children’s Hospital in Banepa Municipality, about 25 kilometres east of Kathmandu, according to the police.

The children, who sustained serious injuries in the explosion, have been identified as Dil Bahadur Khatri, 12, and Jayaram Banjara, 9 of Ugratara Janagal VDC-6. Khatri and Banjara are undergoing treatment at the Shir Memorial Hospital and the Dhulikhel Hospital respectively. Condition of the injured boys is reported to be very critical.

Doctors at the Dhulikhel Hospital said they were facing difficulties in removing a piece of metal from Banjara’s heart. Both the boys were shepherding a herd of goats in a nearby jungle where they found the object and broke it unknowingly.

Soon after the incident, the Royal Nepal Army and the police launched a joint patrol in the area. Security sources said that a bomb-disposal squad of the army defused two stray bombs buried under the earth.