Caravan to the plains

By Suman Pradhan

KATHMANDU, Feb 21 - If what the makers of Caravan say is true, then the hit Franco-Nepali production about life in Dolpo could be showing at cinema halls all across the country this summer.

Neer Shah, the Nepali co-producer of the film, confided yesterday that his company, which has the distribution rights for Nepal, is currently dubbing the film into the Nepali language. Eric Valli, the French director of the film, said the same thing as did Thinley, Caravan’s rugged star.

How wonderful. Just imagine, the entire dusty Terai belt, as well as the hills and valleys, booming to the sound of Thinley, Karma, Pema and the yaks. More so than in the hills, Caravan will undoubtedly be a novelty in the Terai where the usual fare is the chhammak chhallos of Bollywood or their poor imitations spewed out by Kollywood.

But coming from the Terai myself, and having enjoyed the company of many Terai friends during quite a few chhammak chhallo movies (which I confess I enjoy), I know what the regular bloke in the plains will most likely feel about Caravan. What, no songs? Hey, where’s the song and dance sequence to which to throw our valueless pennies? I can already hear the complaints.

In a region where a single song can incite comments such as "ek hi gana me film ka paisa sad gaya," song and dance in a movie is a serious business, as serious as sattu, the local staple. This leads me to wonder if Messers Valli and Shah are ready for the flood of complaints about their precious but song-less film in the Terai.

Since Caravan played to packed houses all over the world, including our very own Jai Nepal, and since it made it to the Oscar nominated list, the producers, directors, actors and everyone else associated with the acclaimed film have heard nothing but praise. That could change with its all-Nepal release.

Though I’m not a film reviewer, and don’t have any pretensions of being one, I think both the praise and the acclaim are justified. But try saying that to Ramlakhan of Birgunj ward 10, or Shital Bhai of Hariharpur VDC. I did, and here’s what they had to say -

Ramlakhan: What’s all this talk about the Oscar? Is it the name of the heroine?

Shital Bhai: No song and dance and you expect us to see this film? And they say it ends at half-time.

Me: Na bhaiya na. It doesn’t end at half-time. The entire film ends within 90 minutes, unlike the usual three hours.

A few "dialogues" later, I know I’m not getting anywhere with these fellows, even when I mention that the film is loaded with snow-capped mountains, a sure turn on for the sun-baked Terai folks. But let’s hope that Mr Valli, Mr Shah and Mr Thinley et all cracks this tough nut which is the Terai market. The film, after all, is a universal-themed one, on love, jealousy and as the glossy brochures say, "man’s eternal struggle against the elements."

Son disowns mother after taking property

Post Report

SINDHULIMADI, Feb 21 - Talak Kumari Thapa, 77, a widow from Jhanga Jholi VDC, is now homeless. Her youngest son, Birjung, banished her from her own home after obtaining her property by taking advantage of her blindness and ignorance.

The septuagenarian widow is now knocking the doors of administration for justice.

Life has never been easy for her. She lost her husband nine years ago. The mother of three sons chose to live separately when her sons got married.

Even then, she was unfortunate. After sometime, Talak became blind. She needed more help than normal, yet none of her sons were willing to care for her.

To make matters worse, one day her youngest son dropped by and lovingly asked her to go to hospital for her eye surgery. She desperately needed vision to look at her lost world. She was credulous at her son’s magnanimity.

"My son brought me to the city. He asked me to press my thumb prints for the treatment of my eyes," Talak Kumari said sobbing. She could not believe that her own son had turned so cruel.

She did get her sight but what she lost was all her property. Her son had disinherited her from her property. Birjung had transferred the property to his name by producing fake papers at the District Land Revenue Office.

While selling any property of a disabled or elderly person, chief of the concerned office, in accordance with a established norm, should examine all evidences meticulously before any transaction is made.

However, the widow claims that she was not consulted by the government officers whilst she was putting her thumbs on the papers which she never saw.

"My own son disinherited me," Talak Kumari laments. District Development Committee Chairman, Ramesh Karki, opines that the local administration should exert its influence to get back her property from her son. Chief District Officer, Ganga Prasad Luitel, said that he is ready to cooperate in this matter.

Need to review Constitution: Shrestha

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KATHMANDU, Feb 21- There is a need to review the Constitution keeping in view the national welfare of the country, said Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Omkar Shrestha today.

"If needs be, the constitution has to be reviewed," Shrestha said speaking at a workshop on Equal Linguistic Rights and the Constitutional Amendment organized by Nepal Bhasa Struggle Committee.

Minister of State for Health, Tirtha Ram Dangol, however, said that problem of Nepal Bhasa has reached the crisis point but there is no need of amending the Constitution.

Mangal Siddhi Manandhar member of the Lower House stressed on the need to empower local units rather than pursuing ethnic rule to protect mother tongue. Kapil Shrestha, member of Human Rights Commission also pointed out the failure of the Constitution to enforce the protection of language and culture despite the provision for their protection in the Constitution.

Matters related to Constitution, Nation and the Language were discussed widely where the forum also suggested that any person can file a petition to the court in his own mother tongue. The group reached a resolution that the National Assembly be made ethnically balanced and the provision for ethnic self governance be included in the Constitution.

Birgunj Sub-metropolis increases board members' allowances

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BIRGUNJ, Feb 21 - Birgunj sub-metropolitan city has increased the meeting allowance of its board members and the number of meetings.

The meeting of the sub-metropolis held on Monday decided that 10 meetings could be held every month in each ward. It has also decided to pay Rs 300 meeting allowance to each of the board members per meeting.

Consequently, the office will spend more than Rs 300,000 merely to pay the monthly allowance to its board members.

Deputy Mayor of Birgunj, Krishna Murari Rauniyar, opposed the increase and wrote a note of dissent on the decision. RPP Board member Mohammed Hussein and Nepal Sadbhawana Board Member Bir Lal Shah also wrote a note of dissent on the decision, Deputy Mayor Rauniyar told The Kathmandu Post.

According to Rauniyar, clause 99(1) of the Local Self-government Act, 2055 states that one meeting will be held each month and more meetings could be held if deemed necessary. The Mayor and the UML members have wrongly interpreted the clause regarding more meetings. By adding more facilities to the members they have misused city council funds, he added.

The Mayor and UML alliance is in the majority in Birgunj for the time being. Since there is no clear majority of any party, the alliance changes every six months and the representatives of the people are deriving benefit from these frequent changes.

Last year too, board members had their salaries increased to Rs 6,500 per month. The government later banned this salary increase in the wake of public protest. However, members have once again increased their remuneration by increasing the number of meetings and awarding a meeting allowance.

Election fever affects studies

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KATHMANDU, Feb 21 - The preparation for the studnent union elections in colleges within the Valley has severly hampered the daily classes of the students.

"We come here to these institutes hoping to get education and knowledge, instead we end up being spectators to nothing but politics," said Bijaya Shrestha, a Bachelor level student.

For students like Shrestha, these elections and campaings that run for weeks, if not months disrupts their education as exams are postponed and classes get extended to finish the courses.

Some students applying for higher education abroad have missed their deadlines due to these prolonged classes and delayed results.

At times these elections backed by the national political parties spark violence in the campuses like the recent fire in one of the colleges in the capital.

Student leaders are blamed to be giving more importance to their own political ambitions and career than studies. Education experts say that the preference to politics and devotion of much time by the students to politics within the colleges has given rise to educational unemployment.

At an interaction programme organised to discuss the role, rationale, function and responsibility of Free student Union in the capital today, the experts blamed the college authorities of neglecting the education routine of the students. The programme was organised by Education Journalist’s Society.

Though the regular classes were supposed to start from January 30, the election fever in the colleges has caught the attention of the students and the fierce competition between political parties to win over the unions has deteriorated the educational environment, said the experts.

They blamed the authorities within the colleges of not making attempts to create an environment for studies in the colleges. "The responsible field has not made adequate plans to control the over political environment in the colleges," said Dr Kedar Nath Shrestha, dean of Kathmandu University, Education Department.

"Here the students are handling politics improperly due to the institutional weakness and lack of academic soundness", added Dr. Shrestha. "Political activities should be provided in limitation, developing academic calender".

All the participants urged for the quality education within colleges as well including political environment without hampering regular studies.

Political Science is the master of all science-that controls all science which has been mishandled in the colleges. The strengths and weaknesses of the free student union goes to their mother parties, accused Dr. Tirtha Khaniya, chief of Higher Secondary Education Board.

Union leaders - Rabindra Adhikari, Gagan Thapa, Dhanbahadur Buda, Binod Manjan, Hari Rokka and education experts - Dr.Madhav Bhattarai, Dr. Manprasad Wagle expressed their views in the programme.

Property gutted

DHADING, Feb 21 (PR)- Property worth Rs 400,000 was burnt to a cinder after homes and sheds of three families at Kaphal village of Sunaula bazaar VDC caught fire on Monday morning, the VDC chairman said.

According to VDC Chairman, Resham Raj Simkhada, property worth about Rs 200,000 of Chandra Bahadur Rana Magar, about Rs 150,000 of Kul Bahadur Rana Magar and about Rs 75,000 of Tilak Bahadur Rana Magar was destroyed after their homes and cow-sheds caught fire.

Simgkhada suspected that children set their homes alight whilst playing with fire when their parents were absent. Three people sustained burns whilst extinguishing the fire.