LETTERS (Spotlight Weekly)

Lavish Ritual

The wedding ceremonies in urban Nepalese society has been transformed to lavish rituals with everybody competing to show-off their wealth (Wasteful Culture Spotlight February 18). While the upper class elites spend money like water during their weddings, the middle class people follow the suit in a desperate attempt to maintain their social status. Unless and until the society itself starts deriding the extravaganza, the malady will continue to affect it.

Sitaram KC
Hattisar

Revolting Display

The prevalent practice of fabulous marriages in the Nepalese society can be directly attributed to the growing corruption in the country (Wasteful Culture Spotlight February 18). As corrupt people spend their ill-gotten wealth in such social rituals and as the society respects these corrupt people instead of boycotting them, even the middle class families part with their life-long savings in a bid to cling to the false sense of social status. This false sense of status and prestige needs to be flushed away to bring order to the society.

Bharat Thapa
Putalisadak

Down With Dowry

The culture of dowry has hurt the society immensely (Wasteful Culture Spotlight February 18). The exchange of expensive gifts have become the order of the day inviting several social maladies. It is immoral and despicable to associate wealth with human beings. How can the thinking that daughters will be better taken care of in their in-laws' house if more dowry is handed over be termed right? This is outright disgusting. A massive social reform movement is required to stop the practice of dowry.

Nabin Shrestha
Teku

Invest In Productive Sector

Nepalese spend tens of millions of rupees each year in conducting wedding ceremonies of their children (Wasteful Culture Spotlight February 18). This is a clear pointer where the scarce resources are heading towards. At a time when the country is groping for more resources to speed up its development, people are throwing them away in such an unproductive manner. It is not good to always accuse political leadership for the lack of development. People themselves have to realize their mistakes and take active part in the nation-building.

Aashish Poudel
Maharajgunj

Failed To Deliver

Your cover story was aptly titled "Old Man In No Hurry" (Spotlight February 11). It indeed seems that our Prime Minister, who never tires of talking through his hats making tall promises during the election campaign, has been transformed to idle person with no clear visions set for the country. The present government has let all the countrymen down by its non-deliverance.

Santosh Karki
Satdobato

Dead Patriotism

Due to its frustrating non-performance, the present Bhattarai government has become burden to the country (old Man In No Hurry Spotlight February 11). It will be costly for the future of Nepal, if such government continued to rule the country. But no succor is in sight as none of the available breed of political leaders seem even remotely concerned with the state of affairs of the nation. These leaders seem to have lost love for their nation.

Dhan Bahadur Basnet
Siphal

Stop The Violence

Last four years have been particularly brutal to Nepalese living in the remote corners (Red Signals? Spotlight February 11). Along with their day-to-day problems, the people living there had to face the insurgency from ultra leftist groups. Though on the face of it, it could be easier to dismiss the insurgency as terrorism, if one is to dig a little deeper, one will find that socio-economics of the region is the bottomline. The insurgents have exploited the absent attention of the policy-makers on these regions. Anyway, the need of the hour is to stop the growing violence and end the killing of innocent lives. As recent signals show both government and Maoist positive for a dialogue, efforts must be made to realize it even if only to end the violence.

Surendra KC
Maitidevi