Young leaders fighting for power: Koirala

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PM Girija Prasad Koirala giving away Tarini Prasad Koirala Journalism award to the News Editor of Kantipur Daily Narayan Wagle on Sunday.

KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Prime Minister and Nepali Congress (NC) President, Girija Prasad Koirala, today said there is tussle in the ruling party, especially among the young leaders to come to power.

"The young leaders have no patience and are very clever. They want to come to power through us (Koirala and KP Bhattarai)," he said. "The young leaders are fighting among themselves for power and will fight more till the Convention."

"They sometimes persuade Kishunji (Bhattarai) and sometimes me for power. But, there is no tussle between two of us," PM Koirala said while speaking at the Tarini Prasad Koirala Memorial Journalism Award Distribution Ceremony organised by Reporters’ Club - Nepal.

On the occasion, PM Koirala handed over a letter of appreciation and a cash prize totalling Rs 25,000 to Narayan Wagle, News Editor of Kantipur Daily, sister publication of The Kathmandu Post.

Ramesh Tiwari, Executive Editor of Gorkhapatra Daily was the next person to be awarded with the prize. However, he was not present on the occasion.

Wagle and Tiwari were selected for the Award, by a seven-member team of journalists and other personalities headed by Harihar Birahi, President of Press Council.

Speaking on the occasion, PM Koirala reiterated that the mainstream newspapers of the country were in the grip of the tycoons. "Since the tycoons have dominated the media in Nepal, small newspapers are struggling hard for their existence. Small newspapers need special support of the government," he said.

Activists working for deaf urged to be united

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KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - The member-secretary of Social Welfare Council Dr Tika Pokhrel today said that the council would ask the international donors to stop giving donations, if the activists involved with the deaf and hard of hearing people do not united.

"Even after my repeated requests, the able activists, running institutions for the deaf and hard of hearing people have not shown interest to come to the table, it wrecks the future of the disabled people," he said, while addressing a programme to launch sign-language alphabet charts, organised by Nepal Association of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (NADH).

There are several parallel institutions for deaf working with the same purpose, which has created internal conflict among the workers.

Chairman of National Federation of Disabled People Munishor Pande said, the main hurdles of the development of the deaf and hearing impaired people is some of the able activists who have been fighting with each other for the donation which comes in the name of the disabled people. "We must know how much of donation is coming into Nepal in our name and where it goes," he said.

He also added that there are some ‘able’ activists who pretend to work for the upliftment of the disabled people but get annoyed when the government includes the disadvantaged people in various programmes.

Chairman of NADH, Nirmal Devkota, demanded that the government set up a separate department to research sign language under Tribhuwan University. "We never demand luxury items from the government but even the minimum of facilities are denied," he said.

Sarayoo Sherchan, the national chairman of Nepal National Federation of Deaf said that the government has not yet appointed the required number of interprets the deaf activist need in different sectors.

The four charts of Devnagari consonants, vocals, international numbers and Roman alphabets were launched by Minister of State for Women, Children and Social Welfare Kamala Pant.

The activists estimate that there are about seven hundred thousand deaf and hearing impaired people in the country and out of them only a few have access to sign language, which has around two thousand words, to communicate with other hearing impaired persons.

Booze trade grows in Kalikot despite ban

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KALIKOT, Jan 14— Even though Kalikot has been declared a ‘dry area’ for quite some years now, the booze trade has continued to grow unchecked, right under the nose of the administrative headquarters.

The third meeting of the District Council had decided to fine all liquor producers, consumers and the person recommending discharge of any imprisoned liquor-trader - a sum of Rs 6000, Rs 3000 and Rs 1000 respectively.

District Development Committee (DDC) member Navaraj Koirala says, "The liquor trade is growing at an amazing rate despite ‘attempts’ by the local politicians and administrators to implement hard local regulations. This means that such ‘attempts’ are basically superficial."

Collection of fines has raised significant amount of money. According to statistics provided by District Administration Office[DAO], Kalikot, and a sum of two hundred and thirty-nine thousand rupees have been collected since mid-April last year. The collected sum is being used for various public purposes, according to the administration.

The paradox is that, the subsidised food grain is used for brewing alcohol during the period that it is available from the local depots of Nepal Food Corporation [NFC]. And during the scarcities, however, the people have nothing to sustain themselves.

Many locals, on the other hand, are apprehensive about the ‘dry area’ declaration. A local resident Bhim Bahadur Shahi says, " The ‘dry area’ policy - instead of checking alcohol production or consumption - has simply fostered black marketing, which again swells the pockets of the rich at the cost of the poor."

Similarly, Koirala complains, "The Maoist have completely checked liquor production, as well as consumption, in the rural areas of this district whereas the administration has been a total failure in the urban areas where it is supposed to have some control."

Fog leaves passengers stranded

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NEPALGUNJ, Jan 14- Bad weather prevented passengers at the Nepalgunj airport from flying to various destinations in the hill districts of the Midwestern region on Sunday too.

In addition to the Royal Nepal Airlines planes, Nepalgunj-bound airplanes of Shangril-la Air and Yeti Air landed at Surkhet today, leaving the passengers stranded.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) at Nepalgunj denied landing permissions to these twin-otter flights, citing bad weather. The suffering passengers allege, however, that the weather wasn’t so bad for the planes to be denied the landing permission. One of the passengers who were stranded at Rukum during the Royal Nepal Airlines’ Kathmandu-Rukum-Nepalgunj flight said, "The weather was ‘okay’ for other planes, but ours was obstructed from landing. Therefore, I’m sure it was done with bad intent." He was referring to the fact that the flights of Space Air, Mountain Air and Budhdha Air were given the landing permissionby the CAA.

According to an RNA official Lokraj KC, Sunday’s scheduled flights to Dolpa, Sanphe, Rukum, Jumla and Chaurjahari were cancelled as the designated aeroplanes couldn’t land at Nepalgunj. The flights scheduled for Monday are also most likely to be cancelled as there are no planes ready for flight at Nepalgunj now, he added. The ATC Officer of the CAA at Nepalgunj, however, denies allegations of any discriminatory treatment. He said, "One can see that the weather is not fit for flights. As for the flights of the Budhdha Air and the Mountain Air, their flights were critical ‘so the flights of other airlines had to be diverted."

Gory Makar Sankranti at Kamalamai

By Lilanath Ghimire

SINDHULIMADI, Jan 14- Thousands of devotees sacrificed hundreds of female baby-goats early in the morning, Sunday, at the sacred temple of Kamalamai on the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti.

A huge crowd of devotees spent the night in the temple premise, lighting lamps, singing bhajans and dancing.

Those unable to find space within the temple for sacrificed, they did so at the side of the Kamalamai River. The meat of the sacrificial goat is considered as Kamalamai’s prasad. The entire premise bore a grim look as it was virtually ‘overflowing’ sacrificial in the blood.

According to tradition, female-goats are promised to the goddess Kamalamai for preventing ill omens and also to fulfil ones desires. If wishes are fulfilled, hapless animals are sacrificed as offerings on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Legend has it that Goddess Bhagirathi comes to visit her sister Kamalamai on the first day of Magh every year. It is believed that bathing in the river on that day is equivalent to bathing in the Bhagirathi.

The sacrifice of female animal is generally not allowed in the Hindu tradition. However, Kamalamai is the only shrine in Nepal where this practice is not only prevalent, but is also growing every year.

Ramesh Devkota of Sarlahi says that his father used to sacrifice a baby female-goat every year in the belief that evil influences are warded off. "I have continued this family tradition because I fear that discontinuing the custom may result in some kind of harm to the family," he adds.

Apsara Adhikari of Siraha told The Kathmandu Post that she had begged the Kamalamai for her husband’s early recovery during his serious illness last year. Her prayer was ‘heard’ by the wish-fulfilling Goddess and now she is here to fulfil her bhakal [promise]. This vegetarian woman didn’t even hesitate to eat the sacrificial mutton as the goddess’s prasad.

Not all are happy about the deluge of blood. Santosh Raj Dhakal, resident of Dharampur, Saptari, says, "The tradition of bloodletting is simply as ludicrous as it is cruel. Animals too are creation of God. So, how can a sane person believe that Goddess Mother Kamalamai would be happy at the ruthless massacre of her own children?"

Maoists have little influence in Dhankuta

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DHANKUTA, Jan 14 - The extending insurgencies of Maoists are immune from their influence in the headquarters, due to the presence of the Royal Nepal Army, observers say.

During the five-year long period of their ‘people’s war’, the Maoist insurgents have already exploded bombs at the Land Revenue Office and the local branch of Nepal Telecommunications Corporation. A similar attempt at the District Administration Office, however, had been unsuccessful. Otherwise, there has been little Maoist influence in the headquaters except for their warning letters —called ‘letter bombs’ here.

However, the residents of villages in the district say that the Maoist workers are actively extending their organisational base by conducting cultural programs and training workshops, among others, in the remote areas.

Instead of deploying the police in the Maoist-hit areas more effectively, the district administration has removed police posts from Chanuwa, Markelahare and Okhre, citing reasons of lack of adequate personnel.

Meanwhile, the All Nepal Free Students’ Union (Revolutionary), close to the Maoists, has declared to hold the district level convention of the Union on the 23rd of this month.

It would be great to work with Nepali artists: Jagjit

KATHMANDU- Ghazals, they say, is the balm for the soul. If it is so, then ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh is one of most soothing singers of his era. Along with popular ghazal fankaars as Pankaj Udhas and Ghulam Ali, Singh has contributed massively to the popularity of this unique style of singing in the sub-continent.

Born on February 8, 1941 in the town of Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, India, he received training in Indian classical music from Ustad Jamal Khan. He hasn’t turned back since, churning out such popular albums as Silsilay, Unique, Love is Blind, Someone Somewhere, Black Magic, Cry for Cry, and In Search.

He was recently in Kathmandu for a concert at the Banquet Hall in Yak & Yeti Hotel sponsored by the group L’achievers. The concert turned out to be a sweet nostalgia to all who were present at the ‘Evening With Jagjit Singh’ as they were spellbound by his melodious voice that echoed through the hall, mesmerizing audience of all ages. The dim lights added to the magic of the evening. Crowds applauded as he sang their favorite ghazals from popular movies Tarkeeb, Arth and others.

Smriti Dhungel of The Kathmandu Post talked to the ghazal maestro after the concert. Here are the excerpts:

TKP: What is your comment about to the Hrithik Roshan episode that took such an ugly turn here in Nepal?

Jagjit Singh: First, the statement supposedly made by him was not real. Some people who had some vested interest especially in destroying close relations with India created it. Eventually this episode will fade out with time. We should not discuss them anymore because we do not want to spoil the special bond we share between the two countries.

TKP : Did you have second thoughts in coming here?

Jagjit Singh: Definitely not. I enjoy coming here. People here have a good ear for music. It’s a beautiful country with beautiful girls. I had come here last year and I came here again. In future if I get the chance to come here to perform I would love to come.

TKP: Ustad Sultan Khan has added Nepali lyrics to one of his songs in the ‘Piya Basanti’ album. It was a great success. What do you say about adding Nepali lyrics to your songs in the future?

Jagjit Singh: I have not considered it so far but if I ever start working with Nepali artists I would definitely consider it. It would be great to work with Nepali artists, which would be an opportunity to intermingle our thoughts and words in music together. I am not against it at all.

TKP: Who or what has been the main inspiration behind your music?

Jagjit Singh: Nobody but myself. My love for music has inspired me in being what I am today.

TKP: What is your opinion about Nepali artists like Udit Narayan Jha who have made it big in Bombay? Do you have any plans to work with them?

Jagjit Singh: They are talented artists and have contributed immensely to Indian music. The music industry in India would not have been what it is today without the contribution of these artists. Given the opportunity I would not hesitate in working with them.

TKP: So what is your personal opinion about Nepal and its people?

Jagjit Singh: I am proud about Nepal more so because I am a Hindu and Nepal is the only Hindu kingdom. Even India has not been able to call itself a totally Hindu state. I am proud of Nepal and its people who have stood by its religion and culture.

I have never considered Nepal a foreign land and I have great respect and admiration for it.

 Work for the poor: Minister Yadav

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KATHMANDU, Jan 14 - Health Minister Ram Baran Yadav inaugurated the Third National Dental Conference held in the capital today.

The conference was organised by the Nepal Dental Association (NDA).

Speaking at the function, Minister Yadav said, "I humbly request dentists to work for the benefit of the poor and the have-nots by holding free dental camps and awareness programmes". The minister also extended his hope that the conference would result in productivity and success.

The aim of the conference was to bring together members to exchange views, discuss scientific advances in dental materials and to present clinical, academic and research-based studies.

Dr Praveen Mishra, Chairman of NDA, speaking at the press conference, said, "Dentistry is not just about dental treatment but also about the supporting structure of the teeth like the mal-alignment of the upper and lower jaws, tongue, cleft of the lips and palate, facial deformation and tumours."

The theme of the conference "Dentistry in the Modern Era" was an emphasis on the various problems and aspects of dentistry and of the dentists themselves.

According to a press release issued here, Oral Health Education

is lacking in villages, districts, schools and colleges. People lack awareness in preventive dentistry and they find curative treatment too expensive.

Taking advantage of the unaware and the poor, dental assistants and quacks have started practising independently. To tackle such serious issues, professional dentists feel the pressing need for a Nepal Dental Council.

Chairman of the organising committee, Dr Bishnu Bahadur Bastola said, "Like other countries, we too should have a Nepal Dental Council to regularise the dental profession. Until today, this is being done by the Nepal Medical Council".

NDA comprises 116 members. The conference was jointly supported by Nepal Lever Limited (Pepsodent) as principal sponsor, Colgate Nepal, and People’s Dental College and Teaching hospital.

First ever Sattar language school begins in Jhapa

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BHADRAPUR, Jan 14- "Talanana, talanana, Ukatem chalakana, Natekyagme Happan Banbu, Sahepakana," the seven-year old Lukhi Murmu reads aloud from her Sattar dialect text-book in the classroom. Translated loosely, it means, in effect, "Dear aunt, Dear aunt, come and look here, doesn’t my small brother look a real Sahib?"

Thanks to the pioneering work by Dilip Baskey [Sattar] at Lakhibari, three kilometres south of Garamuni in Jhapa, Murmu has been able to learn in her own mother tongue. This visionary tribal youth left no stone unturned to translate into reality his dream of founding a school that taught the language of his people.

Meanwhile, Budrai Mardi of the Sattar village at Lakhibari is too happy to see his children studying in his own native language and script. Earlier, the only familiar sounds in this village of simple and hardworking people used to be the sounds of sickles and axes.

The Parsi Puha Santhal School, set up two years ago at Garamuni, is the first school of its kind not just in Jhapa but in the country too.

The sixty-year old Budrai, who lives near the school, laments that his generation couldn’t even dream of having any formal education. "Even Nepali [government] schools weren’t there during our time—let alone such as this," he says. "But, I am hopeful now that my children at least will have better learning opportunities."

Budrai is not the only one to be proud of the indigenous school. Every Sattar here is glad that his community has ‘done something’. Despite their anxiousness to contribute to the school’s progress, they remain helpless because they reel under grinding poverty. The case in point is that the school doesn’t have any proper building to accommodate the 31 students studying there.

"It is with much difficulty that I have been running this school,"says the founder-headmaster Dilip. The one-room bamboo hut was built with the financial assistance of Garamuni VDC. However, it is already in shambles - two walls have already crumbled down, and the roof leaks. The pupils use dust-slate to take their lessons.

In the beginning, Dilip - who is also an undergraduate student at Mechi Campus, Bhadrapur, - had planned to conduct adult literacy program too, but the elders found little time to devote after the long and hard days of work.

"One substantial achievement of the school is that the local tribals have at least become aware of the importance of learning," says Dharmendra Mama, a teacher at the nearby Garamuni Secondary School.

"We don’t study everyday, but anyway I’ve learned how to read books in my native language," says a pupil Hari Mardi. He is excited at having been lucky enough to learn his script but - like Dilip - he is concerned about the new school’s future.

Perhaps he doesn’t understand that an insignificant voter group like his gets little attention in a parliamentary ‘democracy’.

The Garamuni VDC provides Rs One thousand per month as the teacher’s salary. In addition, every new student is charged fifteen rupees admission fee. Otherwise, the school doesn’t have any other source of income.

The government’s policy of providing primary education in the mother tongue seems an incomplete task unless it also provides, inter alia, adequate financial assistance and opportunities for their curriculum development.

The Sattars (an offshoot of the Santhal Tribes in India) are one of the most disadvantaged and backward tribes in the entire country. Almost all of them are landless, and generally depend upon the jungle to eke out a living.

The Sattar Guru Pt. Raghunath Murmu of Mayurbhanj district in Bihar, India had in 1936-37 developed the Santhal script Ol Chiki. This script has 30 Adangs [letters]- 24 consonants and 6 vowels.