Cellular phone culture

Though I did not fully appreciate the fact at the time, even before my arrival in Seoul, the capital city of Korea in the beginning of March (this year) in a seemingly insignificant conversation, I was faced with an aspect of Korean culture quite different from what I had known on my last visit to Korea. This scribe was in Korea for nearly two weeks to take part in a programme entitled "Partnership Building with Asian Countries" held from March 2- 11, 2003 at the invitation of Korean government's Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). Most of the Asian and Pacific countries' representatives attended the programme.

My friend, who was to meet me at the airport, told me I should call her beeper when I arrived to tell her where I was in the airport. Exhausted from a long flight and jet lag, I painstakingly listened to all the options on the phone at the airport and then left the "surprising" message that I was in the arrivals hall. Then I sat down and waited.

People ran back and forth in front of me struggling with their luggage, greeting relatives and buying cups of coffee as they waited for incoming flights, but what struck me was the proportion of people who accomplished these deeds while on the phone. Not for the last time was I to wonder whether I was the only person in Seoul- world's 10th largest city and the home to over 11 million of the 48 million South Koreans- without a cellular phone. Seoul city is a business hub of the Asia seemed like an unreal city- fairyland where everything around the city looked like a bright, thrilling sideshow.

Cellular phones and beepers do not form an integral part of student life, at least not in the United States or the United Kingdom. Indeed, I don't know anyone who possesses either. When I see someone walking down the street on the phone in New York City, my first thought is that they must be in business.

It was then surprising to me that my friends in Korea not very rich, who are hardly involved in business deal that demand constant availability and instant decisions, had all invested in cellular phone or beepers. It is also often unclear to me why. One might think, for example, that one purpose of the beeper would be to enable the person you are calling to return your call at their convenience, but my friends stop conversation with me mid-sentence and run to the nearest phone the minute their beeper beeps.

Whenever I am in public space I end up wondering just who all these people around me are talking to, people must have a lot of friends to receive so many phone calls. While I was watching movie at the theatre or traveling in the subway train or shopping in the departmental store, thousands of people seem talking on their cellular phone. Of course, not everyone lets their phone control their life to that extent. But it is interesting to consider how technology such as cellular phones, changes our experience of different spaces.

A German scholar Wolfgang Schivelbusch, has argued that in Europe the development of the railway carriage, with all seats facing forwards, spelled the end of conservation while travelling. Then cartoons from the early 20th century often poked fun at people's efforts to avoid eye contact with fellow subway travellers who were seated facing each other. The time honoured strategy of focusing intensely on a newspaper or a book is a common in Korea as elsewhere in the world. What does it mean, then, when these habits developed to avoid contact with people in one's physical presence, are replaced by phone calls from who knows where?

If people are embarrassed to have these strangers seated next to them, are they not embarrassed to have these same strangers listen in to their loud conversations? In any case, the subway carriage is now filled with conversation again. Being the world's 11th largest economy Korea is a high-tech hotbed. User penetration rates of broadband and mobile telecommunications are the highest. Korea is the world leader in CDMA mobile telecoms.

Anywhere in Seoul-the most wired city, the mobile generation will not only be talking on their handsets, but will be actively messaging, emailing and surfing-weaving the world's densest digital web, a true online community. My thoughts on the cellular phone are not as critical. The urge to find what is Korea in the past is hardly new, but I would submit that we would do well to refrain from accepting this equation of the West versus the East. We might think, rather, how these different technologies have taken on different meanings in different contexts.

Korea has done a great job of taking broadband lead. Truly, Korea is where all the action is in Asia and will be occupied. Koreans feel about today's Korea as a miracle in the Hang River. But whatever it may be, Korea is a country of contrast and contradiction, past and present, tradition and innovation, difference and attentiveness.

From this, Nepal should learn the lesson for its development of rich arts, culture and explore of the natural resources.

Bijukchhe urges India to show generosity

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KATHMANDU, March 15: Deputy chief at the Embassy of India Ashok Kumar called on president of Nepal Workers and Peasants Party Narayan Man Bijukchhe here yesterday. On the occasion, NWPP president Bijukchhe said that India should show generosity to provide continuity to the historic friendship between the people of Nepal and India.

He drew the attention of the deputy chief of the Indian Embassy towards India making new map and erecting new border pillars without taking into consideration the previous Junge pillars at Parsa district, inundation of the a part of the Nepalese territory because of the construction of Mahali Sagar Dam at the border of Kapilvastu district, inundation of a part of the Nepalese territory because of the unilateral construction of the Laxmanpur, Rasiyalkhurdalotan dams.

Mr. Bijukchhe also drew attention towards bypassing the Junge pillar at Tilathi and Lalpati of Saptari district and drew his towards informing the concerns of the Nepalese people to the government of India.

Mr Ashok Kumar said that the issues between the two countries were being resolved through mutual understanding and the construction of every dams, embankments and pillars had been carried out with the consent of the Nepalese side, the NWPP has stated.

Man held for killing wife

By Our Correspondent

DHADING BESI, March.15: Surya Bahadur Duwadi, 49, have been arrested by the District Police Office for death of his younger wife Sanu Maya Duwadi, 39. Thirty-six others mourners have also been arrested when the body of the deceased were being taken for the funeral.

Duwadi of Maidi VDC of the district, has confessed to the police that he had beaten his wife in a domestic quarrel which resulted in the death. The mourners were arrested for not informing the police and taking to cremate the body without carrying out post mortem. Villagers say the two used to quarrel on the issue of the husband loving his elder wife more.

Police say the mourners will be released after interrogation.

Bring disabled in mainstream: Nepal

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KAPILVASTU, March 15: The two-day fourth national convention of the National Disabled Federation got under way yesterday at Taulihawa, the headquarters of Kapilvastu district. CPN-UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, inaugurating the national convention, said that the development of the country will get boosted if the disabled are also brought in the national mainstream and make them efficient and productive citizens.

District unit chairman of the federation Mitra Lal Sharma presided over the programme. Participating in the convention are 104 representatives and 46 observers of 53 disabled association from 41 districts across the Kingdom. The national convention will release Kapilvastu declaration for the protection and promotion of the rights and interests of the disabled and also elect a new leadership for the next four years.

Meanwhile, Nepal Red Cross Society has started ambulance service in Tehrathum district for the first time. A vehicle provided by Health Ministry to the District Health Office Tehrathum has been used as the ambulance in the district. A meeting of Nepal Red Cross Society Tehrathum district held here recently has decided to charge Rs. 3,500 to carry patient to B.P. Koirala Health Science Academy Dharan.

Earlier, the patient had to pay Rs. 4,500 to 6,000 to carry patient to the hospital from district headquarters.

Honeymoon lake in offing in Lekhnath town

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POKHARA, March 15 : Dipang Lake of Lekhnath Municipality, which is known as a town of seven lakes, is to be developed as honeymoon lake. "We have started to develop the lake as honeymoon lake with a view to attracting internal and external tourists, said Bhanubhakta Sapkota, chairman of Dipang Agro Tourism Pvt. Ltd. It will be very interesting to spend the honeymoon days in a new environment in this first honeymoon lake of the country.

This lake will not only be an attractive tourism spot for the newly wedlock couples but also to others interested to enjoy the natural beauty of Pokhara. The works of developing the lake as the honeymoon will be started this week, Sapkota said. There will be a restaurant in the middle of the lake and the hotels will be in the bank of the lake, he said. There will be appropriate facilities of fooding and lodging in the honeymoon lake.  About 300,000 fish have been dropped in the lake to make additional income and make the lake more attractive.

There is the plan to develop the lake, spread at an area of 8.98 hectares of land, as an entertainment park even at night. The lake is three and half meter to 14 meters deep. There will be fish farming, fishing by hooks, boating, jogging, swimming pool, and mini restaurant and bar, picnic spot and bird sanctuary in the lake. We have spent about Rs.1.5 million and it is estimated to cost about five million to complete the construction , said Bal Chandra Sapkota of the Pvt. Ltd.

Lekhnath Municipality has given the Dipang Lake on lease for a period of 20 years to develop it as a honeymoon lake. The municipality has given Begnas, Rupa, Khaste, Gunde, Neureni, Maidi lakes on lease, Ram Mani Adhikari of the municipality said.

The Pvt. Ltd will pay tax at a rate of Rs. 32,000 per year for the first five years, Rs. 65,000 for the second five years, Rs. 455,000 for the third five years and 519,000 for the last five years. The cease-fire between the government and the Maoists have also paved way to develop the lake in a new way, said the investors.

The honeymoon lake will be very fruitful to increase the number of tourists in Pokhara at a time when the number of tourists arrival has decreased drastically in Pokhara since 2000. About 40 percent of the tourists visiting Pokhara visit Lekhnath Municipality.

Candle making training underway in Dailekh

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DAILEKH, March 15 : A seven day long training on candle making got under way here Thursday under the aegis of Cottage and Small Scale Industries Development Committee branch office Dailekh and Dalit Sewa Sangh Dailekh.

A total of 14 women of backward community have been participating in the training, which is expected to be fruitful for the upliftment of backward community women.

'Role of press vital in restoring peace'

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NEPALGUNJ, March 15: Persons making contributions in the institutional development of democracy and press, human upliftment and rural development were honoured at a programme organised here yesterday.

The personalities honoured by the Press Club of Nepal are the managing editor of Space Time Dainik Yogesh Upadhyaya, and journalists Bipul Pokharel, Shiva Dotel, Rajendra Nath, Madhav Aryal, Tanka Khanal, Rahis Siddique, Laxmi Bhandari and Poshan KC. Achyut Rai, Prem Prakash Malla, Amit Basnet, Aman Shrestha, Kiran Koirala and Madhu Rai who have made significant contributions in various fields were also honoured at the programme. General secretary of the Nepali Congress Susheel Koirala presented them a shawl and a citation each.

On the occasion, general secretary Koirala said that the role of press is vital in restoring peace n the country and that his party had taken up the cease-fire positively. Managing editor of the Space Time Dainik Upadhyaya said that this honour had added another challenge to him in discharging his duties.

850 SLC examination centres fixed nationwide

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BHAKTAPUR, March 15 : Examination Control Office Sanothimi has fixed 850 School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination centres throughout the country. A total of 284,024 students are sitting for the slc examination this year and among them the number of students in the regular course is 219,995 and 64,029 in the partial, according to Controller of the Examination Dr. Sahadev Bhatta.

The number of examination centres have been increased due to the increase of students by about 30,000 this year compared to the last year, he said.

People's participation on rise in forest conservation

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DOTI, March 15: People's participation has increased in the conservation of forest after the government adopted a policy to hand over forest to the people. The District Forest Office has handed over 26,775 hectares of forest area out of 144,477 hectares of the district to the concerned consumers groups.

A total of 18,139 people of the districts have been benefited from the community forestry of the district since 1992, according to District Forest Officer Bishwanath Mahato. There is the target of handing over five public forests to the local consumers groups this year, he said.

Natural Resource Management Programme under the Danish government has been running in the district to make the management of the community forestry more effective for the last three years.
The project has been helping the local people for the preservation of the local forests for the last three years.

There is 65 per cent forest area in the district and 350 hectares of land is covered with tree plantation.
Meanwhile, in Butwal, a workshop on community forest users group was held at the initiative of District Forest Office Rupandehi and forest programme for livelihood . The participants of the workshop stressed the need of involvement of the poverty-stricken population in the forest management for the sustainable development of forest resources.

Some of the income of the forest should be earmarked for the poverty alleviation programme and poor people should be given skill oriented training. A total of 43-community forest has been handed over to the consumers group in Rupandehi district so far.