Purnagiri march team begins awakening campaign

NEPALGUNJ, May 21(RSS)- The "Purnagiri March Campaign Team" under the national awakening campaign organized by All Nepal Women’s Association left for Purnagiri from Kohalpur, banke district today.

The Purnagiri march team had reached Kohalpur Sunday night after passing through Narayanghat, Butwal and Lamahi on the way. The team is scheduled to reach Purnagiri in Dadeldhura district on May 23 under the six-day march.

The march team, which in the beginning had started off with only 90 members from Kathmandu, had some 500 members when it set out from Kohalpur after more members joined the team on the way.

A press release issued by the association states that the construction of the dam between the Purnagiri hill on the Indian side and the Kauwani hill on the Nepali side at the Nepal-India border on the Mahakali river on the western side of Dadeldhura district by the Indian government on the basis of the Mahakali treaty is not in the interests of Nepal.

CPN-ML president Sahana Pradhan is leading the march from Kohalpur. Earlier a rally taken out from the local Bageshwari multiple campus went around the town and later converged into a mass gathering at local Kohalpur square.

Addressing the rally, Pradhan underscored the need for all the political parties and individuals to remain on guard and be sensitive on issues of nationalism.

‘Education brings about positive changes in people's health’

KATHMANDU, May 21 (RSS)- A six-day workshop seminar on Training for Health Trainers organized under the joint auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Institute of Medicine, Maharajgunj Campus began here on Sunday.

Dean of the Institute of Medicine Prof Dr. Harigovinda Shrestha presided over the programme.

On the occasion, WHO country representative Dr. Claus Wagnor said that health education is important in bringing about positive changes in people’s behaviour in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Campus chief Prof Dr. Rameshkant Adhikari and assistant campus chief Chitra Kumar Gurung spoke on various aspects of health education.

Acting director of the Health Education Information and Communications Centre Laxmi Raman Ban shed light on the need for and the importance of health education in Nepal.

He pointed out the need for qualified health educators to improve the status of public health in the country.

The seminar aims at bringing about coordination between health education policy and activities of His Majesty’s Government and various health manpower training institutions for improving the present status of health education in the country.

A total of 16 health educators from the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), the National Health Training Centre (NHTC), the Regional Health Training Centre (RTC), the National Health Education Information and Communications Centre (NHEICC) and Institute of Medicine are taking part in the workshop.

Unhealthy fight for power creating disorder

Post Report

MORANG, May 21 - Senior bureaucrats, police officials and leading industrialists and businessmen from the eastern region have come out with a conclusion that peace and security in society was becoming fragile because of unhealthy competitions among political parties.

They expressed this view on Monday, addressing a one-day talk programme on "Peace and Security in Industrial Sector" organised by Morang Industrial Association.

Addressing the function, newly-appointed Eastern Regional Administrator, Chandai Prasad Shrestha, said the force fighting the present system should come forward to bring about industrial revolution in the country.

Following the restoration of multi-party democracy bureaucracy remained ineffective, Shrestha said, adding that the administration should play facilitator’s role in maintaining peace and security in society in the changed context.

Eastern Regional Deputy Inspector General of Police, Rajendra Bahadur Singh, said that the civil society should extend its co-operation to the police in this period of crisis.

Chairman of Morang Industrial Association, Sushil Kumar Dhanawat, said that industrial growth was declining due to the absence of security in this sector. He further added that new investments in industrial and commerce sector were almost nil as a result of poor security arrangement.

Other speakers opined that industrial sector should not be made the scapegoat of general strikes of political parties who often call to fulfil their vested interests. Chief District Officer, Binod Gyawali, said civil society should vehemently oppose the frequently-called strikes by the political parties and should be co-operative to the local administration.

Gyawali also requested the industrialists and businessmen not to provide donations to Maoists, who create disturbances on their own professions.

‘Khoj’ reveals his search for identity

Post Report

SINDHULI, May 21 - Whether it is in the walls of houses in Mechi in eastern Nepal or it is in the rocks on the banks of Mahakali river in the western Nepal, we can see a word "khoj" (search, or probe) inscribed everywhere.

As the word has been noticed by people everywhere repeatedly they have become familiar with the word. But many people perhaps do not know who has written this word in such a massive scale and so painstakingly. This is the message given by a man named Bhim Bahadur Thapa, resident of Bhimeswor Khurkot, whose only aim in life is life-long search and who inspires others also to be engaged in ‘search.’

This 82-year-old man has visited 72 districts in Nepal since 2035 BS and aims to complete his visit in the remaining three districts -Humla, Mugu and Dolpa. Although he is physically weak, he is mentally as active and alert as ever.

"Oh men ! since you are born in this world, first of all search yourself and then search the world". This is the sum and substance of the message that he implies to give to people all over Nepal through the one word, "khoj". He has written and inscribed the word though various means, using chalk, enamel and iron tools for inscription.

The man is always on the move, with a lantern in one hand and red flag in another. Some people nickname him as ‘mad’ while others go as far as calling him a ‘Maoist.’

This man passes through various terrains of the country, sometimes without food. When asked who helps him, he replied "It is the people like you who take interview." Then he added that a man who has sacrificed everything in life and has been moving about with the sole aim of ‘searching’ is not affected by things like where to eat and where to pass the night.

Thapa, who does not believe in religion, thinks that there should be only two classes in the society– male and female. He underlines the need to find out objectively how mankind can be made equal and classless.

Thapa, who entered politics after he was influenced by Marxism, gave up politics after he was fed up with the behaviour of Nepali communists. "The communists in Nepal are not genuine communists," he says.

"The truth and lies in everything can be found only after viewing it with clear heart and clean eyes," says Thapa. He said that if he could not complete his mission of writing in all the districts of the country other patriotic people would follow his lead.

He hopes his philosophy of "Khojbad" will be recognised one day in the world.