Modern entertainment replaces traditional theatres

By Perina Pathak

KATHMANDU, Sept 21 – Theatres have been one of the most significant sources of entertainment. However, the modern society is shunning away from the theatres, primarily due to the advent of other forms of entertainment.

Experts believe that along with the introduction of different modes of entertainment like television, cinema, and satellite channels, people have stopped going to the theatres.

"May be the stage show could not satisfy audience’s taste that have changed along with time," says Harihar Sharma, Chairman of Nepal Cultural Corporation and also a senior drama director and actor.

Audience of this era is eager to watch good theatre. Standardised presentations are also very few in numbers, which should be changed according to time, says Sharma.

The recent decrement in stage show reveal that quality dramas are less in number. The dramas presented have defects in direction, artists performance, stagecraft and the combination of light and sound also have weaknesses.

According to experts, writing a drama is very complicated, compared to other genres of literature. That has caused to the decrease in the number of litterateurs writing the drama.

"Those who are expert in other genres of literature may find drama writing difficult. A drama writer must have knowledge of theatres," says Prachanda Malla, senior stage director.

Popular drama director and artist Sunil Pokharel said that a drama becomes successful when it succeeds to transmit the message to maximum number of people. For him, the aim of performing a drama is fulfilled when the performer and the audience are satisfied.

"Organisation of dramas in regular intervals will make this part of the entertainment popular," says Pokharel. "This helps to increase the number of audience and the presentation too will be up to the standard."

Years ago, school and college students used to play dramas in different functions, which now-a-days are performed less in number. According to Sharma, schools and colleges must continue the tradition to encourage new generation and popularise the field.

"Dramas like Bhulai Bhul ko Yathartha and Farkera Herda which I played during my acting period were staged for more than a month," says Sharma, remembering his acting days.

But, now, the tradition has changed. Along with the introduction of different entertainment media, people have stopped going to the theatres. "It is not only responsibility of the actors but the audience too should accept what has been produced by the artists," says Sharma.

In Sharma’s view, parents should encourage their children to go to the theatres to popularise it. "It is the responsibility of the parents to encourage their children for the development of theatre."

In the western countries, one section of the society has developed the habit of going to the theatres, which enabled this field to prosper. But, here in our country, people gives more priority to movies than the theatre.

"It is not only that dramas are performed less in number. But the halls too are confined in the Kathmandu Valley," says Ashesh Malla, one of the prominent drama personalities. "The halls available are too expensive to hire, even for a day."

At least, the government should provide special facilities to establish mini–auditoriums in different part of the country, says Malla.

Artists join this field to fulfil their interests but that end inside themselves, after they become frustrated going through different hurdles, says Pokhrel. "The development of this field is difficult as there are very few educated and dedicated artists."

Creating awareness among the general public on visiting the theatres is one of the ways to popularize stage plays. Experts also stress the need for the big industries to organize these plays.

DOA to receive seized ancient idols

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 21 - Department of Archaeology (DOA) is receiving around 40 ancient idols stolen and seized in various dates, an officer said.

"The district court has consented to return those idols stolen from various parts of the valley and were lying in the court or police stations due to the undecided cases," said Sukra Sagar Shrestha, the Chief Archaeology Officer of DOA.

He said the idols included those of eight Matrika goddesses, Ganesh, Kumar, Krishna, Tara Buddha several primitive cult idols from western Nepal and others.

He added that the catalogue is being made and the stock would be handed over to the DOA as soon as it is made complete.

Experts say thousands of unique masterpieces of ancient stone and metal art, depicted in the form of religious deities have been stolen from the Kathmandu Valley in last 40 to 50 years and only a few of them are arrested before they are smuggled out of the country.

UNESCO has an international convention that empowers the countries of origin to bring them back after certain procedures. However, the experts claim Nepali government showing not enough initiative to work for that process.

However, DOA is not taking the collection for itself, neither are they being sent to the original places from where they were stolen due to security causes.

"But we will not be able to keep them all here because we can’t give enough security here. We will soon hand over them to the national museum," Shrestha said.

Health report proposes reforms

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Sept 21 - The Annual Report, of the year 2056\57, prepared by Ministry of Health, Department of Health Services, focuses on improving the effective health care system that provides affordable and accessible essential health services.

"22 percent of the problems are related to human resources, so the sanctioned posts need to be filled with trained health workers", says the report.

The Infant Mortality Rate(IMR), Child Mortality Rate(CMR), Maternal Mortality Rate(MMR) per 1,000 in the fiscal year 2053\54 is 74.7, 118 whereas the target for the next 20 year is 34.4 and 62.5, 25.0.

The National Health policy, adopted in 1991 with the main objective to extend the primary health care system to the rural areas, curative health services, promotive health services participation, blood transfusion etc.

The second long term health plan, 1997-2017, targets to reduce the infant mortality rate to 34.4 per thousand live births, to reduce the under-five mortality rate to 62.5 percent, to reduce the total fertility rate, to 3.05 percent, increase life expectancy to 68.7 percent.

The problems related to budget, supplies, equiptment, lack of greater coordiantion and planning, community participation were the identified reasons behind the poor service delivery, shows the study report.

Landslide leaves 36 families homeless in Darchula

By Lokendra Bista

DARCHULA, Sept 21 - More than 35 families became homeless after a huge landslide triggered by torrential cloudbursts buried their houses at Sunsera village, which is situated on the banks of the snow-fed Mahakali River and about 30 km north of here, the district headquarters, local administration said Friday.

The Sunsera VDC officials said 300 other families are on the verge of collapse following the huge landslide. Most of the families to be displaced due to the landslide are the oppressed class community, the VDC officials said.

The local administration said that nobody was perished or hurt in the landslide as all of the villagers had already abandoned the area for fear of their lives. Police said that 16 other families had developed fissures due to the mountainslide.

The landslide has washed away the standing crops planted on about 150 hectares of land below the landslide area. The locals visiting the district headquarters via India said that seven villages in the area have been cut off from the rest of the district as the landslide has swept through the mountain trails.

Sunsera VDC vice-chairman Birbal Singh Dhami said the villages at the ward No. 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 have been badly affected by the natural calamity. Dhami said the only rural telephone service at the VDC has remained out of order as no technicians reached the area to repair it. Dhami said landslide buried a public high school, a primary health post and a forest office, causing heavy damages to the national property. Students have been told to stay at home as there is no place to continue to run classes.

The landslide victims have approached the district administration office and the District Development Committee office, seeking immediate relief for their rehabilitation. The victims said they could not take their belongings out of their houses by risking their lives in the landslide.

Local representatives accused the administration of not providing any relief materials to the victims even if it has been more than two weeks. The victims are currently taking refuge at a neighbouring village, which is also unsafe to live as the entire mountain area has developed deep cracks and it can slide any time in case of heavy rainfall.

Budhathoki’s 13-day rituals performed

Post Report

BHADRAPUR (Jhapa), Sept 21 - The 13-day rituals of chairman of the Bhutan People’s Party (BPP), R K Budhathoki, were performed here in accordance with Hindu traditions, bereaved family members said here Friday. Budhathoki’s widow Jashoda and her three sons Akash, Ananda and Ashish - performed the obsequial rites according the tradition.

The BPP General Secretary, Balaram Poudel, and the bereaved family members extended their sincere thanks to all people for their participation in the funeral procession and for extending condolences at the tragic demise of the senior Bhutanese refugee leader. Refugee leader Budhathoki was hacked to death 13 days ago by some unidentified refugee people when he was holding an important meeting with his student cadres at Damak. Police have already arrested eight people including S K Pradhan, a top Bhutanese Human Rights activist, in connection with Budhathoki’s murder. But the police is yet to arrest Ram Chandra Subedi, who is believed to be the prime mastermind of the incident. The refugees and their leaders have termed his murder as a "political conspiracy."

Meanwhile, some unidentified people have put up posters warnings death threats to some of the eminent BPP cadres in three of the seven refugee camp in Jhapa. It may be recalled that a pamphlet was spread around the refugee camp in the name of "Bhutan Revolutionary Independent Students’ Army" on the next day of Budhathoki’s assassination. The pamphlet accused Budhathoki of being failure to move ahead the Bhutanese refugee cause.

The pamphlet seems to have prepared on back date - on September 4 - whereas Budhathoki was murdered on September 9. Looking at the back-dated pamphlet, police suspect that his murder was planned beforehand. The police investigating the heinous crime have not disclosed the records of statements made by the arrested people in the police custody.

Maoists taking Fascist style: Nepal

PHIDIM (Panchthar), Sept 21 (PR) - General Secretary of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) - CPN-UML - Madhav Kumar Nepal challenged the underground Maoists to prove their strength in the forth coming local elections and said that forcing the elected representatives to resign from their posts was a Fascist style.

General Secretary Nepal made this remark while addressing an orientation programme organised for the party cadres of Mechi zone here on Friday. "It is a Fascist style of the Maoist party to compel the elected representatives from their posts at gun point," he said, adding, "If the Maoist claim themselves to be so popular, I challenge them to defeat us in the next general elections."

He said that the Maoist demand of constituent assemblies was irrelevant and there was room for amendment in the present Constitution except for the constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy. He said that the UML was ready to reach national consensus to address the national crisis through dialogues. The party is launching a nationwide campaign against extreme-leftist ideology.

Locals deprived of electricity in Dolpa

Post Report

DUNAI (Dolpa), Sept 21 - It has been almost one year the Liku micro-hydro power project has completed but the locals of this mountain region have not connected electricity due to lack of wires for main transmission line, a report here said.

The 3.6 million rupee 12 kilowatts project was started about five years ago under the parliamentary Remote Region Development Committee. Overseer of the micro-hydro project Nanda Lal Dharala said that the project generated energy last year but the power could not be connected to the area as the project lacked adequate wire for main transmission.

Dharala said the project lacked budget for the purchase of the required wire.

By the time the project distributes its power to the area, some of the structure like the main canal has damaged due to landslide during this year’s monsoon rains.

Hari Prasad Pahadi, a local, said that if such a small scale project takes such a long time to complete, how many years would it take for the government to provide basic facilities to the remote areas. Accountant of the committee in Dolpa, Uttam Raj Amatya, said the project would be completed during the fiscal year 2058/59.

He said the government has proposed adequate budget for the project during this fiscal year.