Call of time

By VIJAYA RANA

Times change. Regimes come and go. We compare the present with the past; remembering the good and the bad of that period. The Ranas ruled Nepal for over a hundred years. But a time came when the people resented the autocratic hereditary rule. People felt deprived of freedom and equality. It wasn’t that they didn’t do any good for the nation. But the resentment towards the Ranas was strong and so we joined hands to put an end to their oligarchic rule.

It took nearly a decade experimenting on various governments before settling down to Panchayat system headed by King Mahendra. The Panchayat regime, too, saw many development works in this country. People enjoyed more freedom and saw better roads and other infrastructures. King Birendra made Nepal known to the world through his zone of peace proposal. Though King Mahendra was a clever and shrewd king, his son King Birendra was a trustworthy man. People seethed with rage at the power wielded by the palace staff. A handful of palace karmacharis were getting their hands into most of the lucrative deals. It was believed that they were the hands behind making and unmaking of ministers. It was an era of hukum pramangi.

The maturing political elites were discontented with this situation. They waged a revolution in which we lost many lives and succeeded in establishing the multiparty democracy. And a benign King Birendra gracefully gave in to the public demand and remained a true constitutional monarch till the end.

We had expected a lot from the leaders of the multiparty democracy. But as time passed by, we began doubting whether we were actually ready for this system which worked so well in the developed countries. Various thoughts crossed our minds. Should we have put up with the Panchayat system, or continued with the interim rule of the Nepali Congress? Perhaps even the autocratic rule of the Ranas was not so bad? Have we pushed ourselves from the frying pan into the fire? Where has the promise of Nepal being turned into Singapore evaporated? Where has the assurance of good and fair governance gone? Is terrorism the byproduct? We felt cheated by our so-called leaders.

Apart from such far-fetched promises, the multiparty democracy has not delivered much. Nearly all the government-run corporations are in a shambles due to mismanagement and corruption. The national flag carrier is in overwhelming debt. Our very own Bir hospital is in a pathetic state. Nepal Bank Limited has become a bank that we cannot bank upon. The oldest University - Tribhuwan University that we took so much pride in, is no more the learning center it used to be. The government-run factories have collapsed. The government-run schools are without teachers and books. In short successive governments since the restoration of democracy have failed to deliver any prosperity.

We read about the unethical commissions and rampant briberies in daily newspapers. The exorbitant and obscene wealth amassed by people in power is unimaginable. We also read about how the parliamentarians were outraged by the remarks made by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Maybe he should not have said what he said. But is it not the topic that any two Nepalis talk about when they meet? Is this not something understood by all Nepalis? We found that the whole scenario of the Prime Minister cautioning the COAS and the latter humbly saying that he was misunderstood was very immature. (His remarks were very well understood by all Nepali speakers). Perhaps that is what politics is all about.

There is no doubt that the country is in a very sorry state of affairs. What is worrying is the mass exodus of our youths to foreign countries. We are losing our intellectually able as well as physically strong manpower. The highly motivated people who wish to do something in their own country are frustrated either because they have not the environment to work or their mental stimulation has been disturbed. The many clever heads in the country are busy making fast money. We need money. We are not hermits. But we need to balance our earned money with our input of work. Of course we have people dedicated to Nepal. We definitely need more of that kind to take the country forward in leaps and bounds. I don’t think for a single moment that we will perish and decay. After all, we are the land of Lord Pashupatinath and Buddha - the enlightened one. We are a land of rich culture and heritage and, last but not least, the land of Mt Everest. But how long should we live singing patriotic songs and glorifying our heritage and feel pride about things we had no hand in creating?

I would like to call upon our democratic leaders to work assiduously and unselfishly into making Nepal a prosperous country we all want it to be. Let not our patriotism be limited to the lyrics of our songs, in the pride we feel in calling Mt Everest our own or in claiming Buddha to be the son of Nepal. It is time now to build Nepal into a country that our children can proudly say: this is my own, my very own land.

I would also like to invoke the reclining Vishnu to use his devine powers to instil mental aptitude and physical strength into all of us Nepalis - the former for good planning, managerial skills and far-sightedness and the latter for much needed hardwork. As for the reclining Vishnu’s representative on Earth - he may still be finding it difficult to trust people after the "Et Tu Brute" act of his nephew. The people who is gradually losing their faith in their elected government, are now calling upon the hand of god for some positive intervention. Only time will tell. But time is just what we don’t have. The age-old adage- slow and steady wins the race - has become rather obsolete. We need speed - great speed to catch up with the developed world. And the time to begin is now.

Just good friends

By POONAM

Ihave heard this statement like most of you so many times, from people close to me, the not so close and even strangers -‘let’s be friends.’ Friends, yes we all need them, what could life be without friends? They complete the other dark selves of us we cannot share or express to well…unfriends (if there is such a word as unfriends)

However, here ‘just a friend’ is a syndrome related to a guy and girl relationship. Saying just friends removes a lot of dust from the relationships that are difficult to express or relationships you are yet not ready to get related to. Last week I met a friend and she was talking about a guy friend of hers, although I knew there was more than meeting the eyes on her gushing about this character in her life when she cut my romantic ideas and said come on ‘Poo he’s just a goooood friend’(yes the good stressed as gooooood). This statement is used by both sexes so freely that it’s become as cliche as buying red roses for the valentine day.

This line just friends somehow means an end to all hopes and dreams that you may harbour for a particular person. It’s like when the lights go off in the middle of the most interesting part of a TV show. Which you know, who will not be aired in a long time or even if it is you who will have lost interest. Soon as this line is thrown at us, however, sweetly or honestly we know we just cannot be friends ever again with that person, at least not as comfortable as an old shoe friend. The under currents and chemistry once shared with the other person is already lost or on the verge of getting lost and this just friends’ statement is supposed to smooth away feathers that may have been ruffled the wrong way.

All of us know that there is no such thing as a perfect person, so I guess most of us have these just good friends on a trail basis to see if they fit in with our idea of what is perfect. Maybe this helps to seek the right person, where we are free to calculate (consciously or otherwise) which of them will be cancelled from our lives, which will be buddies for life and, then, the mysterious few which we can do nothing about but term as just friends, who can be a back up for future potential perfects. I don’t mean we compartment our hearts for people in our lives but we do, (be honest now), don’t we?

Like most of you I’ve been both giver and receiver of this line. It brings to my mind things, which could have been or should have been a regret of not losing something but a regret of having somethng I never would know for sure if I had it. I guess this makes the just friends people a class apart from others.

Wedding gift hassle

Buying or selecting wedding gifts for friends have been one of the biggest hassles I know after trying to get a cab after 7 pm to the destination I want to go. First fixing time, this is even more when time fixing has to coordinate with other friends.’I’m free at 2 0’clock’, oops sorry can’t do at 2, I have to go, visit my dentist, or anyother such appointments. Time coordinating with various friends and finally everyone agrees on a time, then where to meet problem arises. I live so far I cannot get there, how about somewhere nearer, finally time bargaining and place is chosen and you haven’t yet decided on the gift.

Another part of the story is should we buy something from all or individual gifts? Yea, buying something together makes sense, then everyone has such diverse choices you decide to buy something on your own. Even then your problem is not over, every time you pick up something you are not sure, either it’s way above your budget or it’s too cheap. The tiny crystal cups that you picked up will your friend ever use it? Maybe perfume, but then it’s going to be over, you wonder should I buy something that is for keeps, something which only the bride can use, something both bride and bridegroom can use, something the whole family and even the future family can use, by now your mind is popping up ideas like microwave popcorns. Finally, you decide on something that creates an equilibrium with your wallet and taste.

I get anxious every time I need to buy a wedding gift. Giving and receiving gifts is a wonderful feeling. But I never seem to get this deep down unsatisfactory feeling that I did not make a good choice. I remember, in college we used to tell each other what we wanted as wedding gifts. We used to giggle and joke about what we wanted, yet when my friends got married I bought them gifts that were not even remotely connected with what we had discussed about. Maybe, we were young and had a rosy picture about wedding gifts and didn’t have to bother about the time or money factor.

There is a consolation however. I have never seen a bride being ungraceful in receiving a gift. I have sat and watched and observed brides receing gifts and not once have I seen a bride who wasn’t graceful or polite, maybe that is part of being a bride but I’d like to think that the bride too knows of the headaches.

Women’s rights’ protection

By SIRJANA SHARMA

Every society and culture practises its own system of social relationship and defines or rationalises the male and female relationship. The system of rationalisation and perception may be just or unjust. Gender stratification generally refers to a state where females do not occupy equal position with males in the social hierarchy. Women typically have a lower social standing and less power, income, wealth, prestige and personal freedom. This is very much so in Nepalese society. Gender stratification
exists almost all over the world but its degree varies.

Nepal is a least developed country with the highest illiteracy rate among women in the world. It is said that Nepalese women sleep last, wake first and eat last after feeding all the family members. These are only a few activities which a rural Nepali woman has to perform every day. Women do valuable work, but their work has been given less importantance and it is traditionally considered that a woman’s everyday work is her inborn duty. If we can create awareness among the people and convince them about their valuable role and its importance in the family or society, hopefully society will gradually accept women’s role and we will one day be able to establish harmony between men and women.

In Nepal, a woman faces discrimination from birth to death. She is brought up to serve "some body" as their property to be given away as early as possible. She has no social existence without a father or husband. Her identity as an autonomous individual is never recognised. She is somebody’s property and the protector of somebody’s honour. She has no identity and does not exist on her own.

Among those discriminatory practices, we also find very positive aspects. A number of government institutions have been set up for the implementation of women’s activities in this country. The major institutions may be discussed as follows:

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MWCSW) established in September 1995, has the goal of helping women to enter mainstream of national development through policies of gender equality and empowerment. It serves as the hub for all women’s development activities
in Nepal.

MWCSW has the mandate to supervise, monitor, evaluate and co-ordinate women development activities of all sectors. The ministry has formed a national level co-ordination committee on women and development, headed by the Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare. The main thrust of the committee is to co-ordinate women development programmes that are being implemented by government agencies. This avoids duplication of programmes and ensures effective monitoring and evaluation. Secretaries of the line Ministries are members of this co-ordination committee.

The National Council for Women and Children was established on 8 March 1995, with the Prime Minister as its chairperson. MWCSW has been defined as the legal agency to monitor and take necessary actions to meet Nepal’s commitments to UN Convention and Declaration related to women. It also works as the focal point for the national and international activities related to women and disseminates international declaration and conventions.

The ministries which have "Women and Development (WAD)" units, sections or divisions within the ministers are: The Ministry of Local Development, the Ministry of Transport and Labour, the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat under the Ministry of Water Resources and the National Planning Commission. Ministries which do not have "Women and Development" cells but which have projects, programmes relating to women are the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Forestry, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supply.

Separate women’s cell in police headquarters was established in 1995. This has been extended now in 14 districts. The 1996 Human Rights Commission Act has conferred the commission the power to monitor and implement human rights guaranteed by different international conventions, including right to equality. On May 26, 2000 a five-member Human Rights Commission acquired power to inquire and investigate on cases involving human rights violation and to give necessary recommendations for effective implementation of international human rights instruments.

At this point of time, women are demanding the "National Women Commission". Women are in dilemma as to what sorts of programme will be helpful and fruitful for their empowerment.

Such a commission will be helpful for the women participating in national development activities in this country. It will also become a national forum for women who work on women development.