KMC goes for E-governance

By Razen Manandhar

Gone are the days when the government officers used to send drum-players to the courtyards, market places and temple premises so that they could gather the people and announce public notices among them. This is the age of information technology — so the Kathmandu Metropolitan City also goes cybernetic.

In the past, there was a certain clan of people used to serve the "king" dispatch public information. That was enough then as the number of population as well as the notices to be delivered were limited.

Now, the local government of Kathmandu has owned its own website that provides all the information about the new strategies of urban development, public notices and all the information the citizens need to have. Thus the capital is slowly and gradually moving towards E-governance.

If you want any latest information about the city, its specifications and other updates can easily be found in its website: www.kathmandu.gov.np. Anybody, who feels himself or herself concerned about the capital city can login to this site and raise finger against the mismanagement he or she can see around the beloved city.

Daya Ram Shrestha and other local people from Dillibazar area are tired of stray dogs. They write, "In Peeplbot Marga, Dilli Bazaar, Ward No 33 (specially in old compound of Sarad Chandra Shah) we have a problem of stray dogs. They are making dirty everywhere, also bite to the passers-by and bark whole nights. So they are a headache for the local society. We request you either to kill them or save us form that kind of problems."

Tamoj Bajracharya of Gabahal is looking for some basic information of the city he lives in. He writes, "A am looking for statistical data of Kathmandu Ctiy like how many wards are there, how many households in these wards, population etc. I went to Central Bureau of Statistics but they don’t have it..."

Binita kayastha of Thahity has a complain: "The roads in our Thahity area are very bad and damaged. please help to reconstruct it soon."

Tilak P Pathak of Kalimati likes to know whether the city map or addressing is applicable for War No 13 or not. "If yes could you pls advise your plannig regarding mapping," he requests.

Mahesh Pradhan of Bansbari suggests KMC to publish the laws, public rules and regulations, public notices related to Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

It has become a source of information about Kathmandu even for foreigners. Namiko Suzuki of USA asks, "I would like to know more about the travel industry in Nepal such as tourism impacts on economy and environment, promotion, future tourism and development planned and etc."

The information officer of Kathmandu Valley Mapping Programme, Prakash Amatya said that the site receives abundant of feed backs from the residents.

The site has a feedback system which has become popular among the Kathmanduites in these days. Amatya says, " The responses it receives via e-mails have different topics - some appreciate the present development works and some express their anger desperately at the mismanagement and haphazard urban development."

Amatya says the concerned team responds to all the letters and so far possible provide answers to their questions. He adds the copies of the letter via e-mail are dispatched to the related departments of KMC to speed up reaction on the issues.

The website contains the mayor’s message, information about the KMC as an organisation, statistical information of each of the wards. This also gives general information about the city featuring civic services, facilities and world heritage sites. A photo feature illustrates the recent development activities and also provides news stories about urban affairs. (However, it does not give courtesy to the news source). It has rooms for public opinion and feed back too.

The site has been visited by round 2,200 people in last three months. Amatya admits that only a minority of the whole population have access to the Internet services and can show their concern to the KMC affairs through the website www.kathmandu.gov.np. "But this also can give KMC a sound guideline as most of the aware citizens today can trace us through e-mail."

The information team of KMC is now thinking about providing free desktop themes and screen saves with the images of the Kathmandu city through the webside.

Tungna ko dhun ma dada pari

By Perina Pathak

Tungna ko dhun ma dada pari jun ma...." is one of the popular song from the Nepali movie. In the song Tungna one of the popular Nepali musical instruments is exposed, which many of you may have heard and known about how this instrument looks like. But among us there may be many that are unknown about this instrument, which was at some time very popular.

"Tungna is a musical instrument, which is very much similar to guitar. In folk instrument it is also called Guitar because it does the work of a guitar. In the folk music Tunga brings the same melody, what guitar brings in modern music," says Ram Sharan Darnal, musician and the writer of the book ‘Nepali Baja’ (Nepali musical instrument) that includes the description of more than hundred instrument.

According to Darnal, many years ago, when modern instruments were not invented and were not that popular, Tungna players were large in number comparing to today’s age of modernisation. Nowadays, we can rarely find Tungna players.

It is well known that people form Northern and Southern parts had long back migrated to our country. Therefore, Nepal is synonym to say Multi-cultural and Multi-linguistic country with varied people along with their own cultural identity brought along with them.

"It is believed that, people who came from northern side brought with them their cultural instrument Tungna," says Darnal. "Therefore, to the people of Himalayan region and in Bouddha Gumbhas, the folk instrument Tungna is very popular."

When asked about the origin of Tungna, Darnal says that there is no exact date about the origin of the instrument. It is believed that the Tungna was originated from Arbazo, which was used long before that is similar to Tungnan.

Tungna has four strings played by the Nakhi (piece of bamboo). Tungna that is similar to guitar has no fret (Parda) as in guitar and is therefore played with imagination in one to half-inch difference. And as in violin it also doesn’t have bow. Therefore, it is a bit harder to play.

It is made of the gutted string (Nahar) that is of veins (Nasa). But these days along with the time and with the need of rapidity in work, people have started using silken string, and these days steel or nylon strings are also being used. Darnal laments that due to this change Tungna has also lost its original sound.

The strings of Tungna are quite similar to Guitar. The first string is thicker and serially other three are thinner to that. If the Guitar player plays Tungna he will feel that he has been missing the last thick base string.

According to Darnal, Tungnas may have been originated from the Tibetan region because it has Dragon printed on the head of its frame. It is believed that Tungna is popular in different places throughout the world as folk instrument.

In Nepal Tungna was highly popular among the Tamang, Sherpa, Sherpard, who used to play their Selo music throughout the Himalayan Region.

The instrument is still popular and is widely used in that community. In places like Namchee Bazar, Goisei Kunda and to that area where the large number of Mongoloid community lives Tungna is very popular among them and they used it in their special occasions while celebrating.

"As other folk instruments Tungna is also fading out because of the lack of place in modern musical instrument. The one who is perfect in using the instrument are also getting less opportunity," laments Bajracharya, who is playing Tungna from about fifteen years ago.

Tungna is an instrument popular throughout the world with different name and in different size. As for example in America it is known as American Benzo. And the biggest form of Tungna is Dongman with 6-7 stings.

But with mounting modernisation the most popular and century old folk instrument Tungna is loosing its identity. And is crying for the need of some conservation. Therefore it has been the responsibility of those people involved in the musical field to preserve the age-old instrument.

"Preservation is not that easy. Because to preserve Tungna or any other folk instrument the players should be encouraged and given some opportunity from musical institution and organisation," says Darnal. "And the skilled one with experience should be given some priority."

"To compose a music, modern musician can use many modern instrument at a same time but that kind of practice is not possible in folk music composition, because the musician have to use the instrument where ever the beats of the instrument suits," says Darnal.

For the continuity and development of any instrument the foremost responsibility is of the musicians because they use the instrument most. If the musician use the instruments frequently then only will the players get the chance to play, says Darnal.

"It is very necessary to provide frequent training to the new generation, which will encourage these people for the preservation of the instrument," says Suresh Raj Bajracharya, Tungna player. "And the one who is perfect in playing the instrument should get the chance to play."

For preservation, providing training and other activities organisation like the Royal Nepal Academy, which have been established with this aim should act actively, says expert. And there is also a need of National Orchestra for the folk instrument.

Kathmandu Valley future generation didn’t see

By Tika Ram Timsina

I can imagine the past picturesque beauty of the Kathmandu valley looking at the old photographs hung on the wall of my house. But in another glance I could imagine thousands of city’s inhabitants being addressed by the then Prime Minister Judha shumsher JB Rana during the earthquake relief measure program in Feb 1934. All these give the people of Kathmandu a nightmare, regarding the perceived earth- quake in the near future.

Having situated on the lap of the roof of the world, the mighty Himalayan, kingdom’s capital city Kathmandu has witnessed centuries of significant changes. This change started from the deep blue lake to a pasture of cattle followed by golden agricultural field and to the modern day’s highly urbanized society. Such changes can be attributed to great Manjushree who cut open Chovar valley to drain the water. The past lake has been transformed into a capital city of our country Nepal.

The images of the century reveal the lustrous beauty and culture of the past that has shown tremendous degree of departure from the present luxurious city life but the changing climate has come to question the survival. The town area has swallowed the rich and prestigious cultural heritage and has seized the beautiful green topography.

The past picturesque beauty of the valley eroded because of the continuous invasion by the exploding population of the valley. With the passage of time, the commercial interests exploited the present lap of majestic Himalayas, brutally.

I can imagine looking back nostalgically at the photographs depicting the fertile pieces of land tilled by the then farmers, using pairs of oxen near the Bodnath Stupa during 1960s-the place where present ring road stands. Today, new shabby and ugly buildings cover these places.

Many new buildings are being built to replace the traditional ones without having planned much just piling up the bricks. Majority of the houses though concretely made is very carelessly built. Young architects coming up with ocean full of dreams to design these buildings of this valley has to dwindle away their hopes and aspirations in agony.

Market and commercial complexes are being built along with the residential buildings with hardly any space between two houses. Streets have become much congested and you cannot walk freely in the gullies, lest you will be crushed beneath the wheels. The lessons from the past earthquake of 1934, tuned with the moral of bitter reality are either forgotten or ignored simply because of the passage of time or because of old faded photographs. The rubble of the clock tower, Durbar High School, Dharara, etc. after the earth quake of 1934 shown in one of the photographs reflects the extent of destruction that took place then!

The past Kathmandu was sparsely populated with far wide spaces in between gullies and buildings. Trees and deep forest and grasses covered most of the land. Katmandu with Dharahara and phulchwoki in the background in mid 1920s was more a village than a town. Thatched roof houses with terraces farming, ridges and cultivable land with sufficient water of Bagmati laid placidly in this part of the valley. Today the town has changed and it is grown in Dallu area into a much-congested place (to the left), but along the road through Chawani, the military camps have retained some green space.

Aryaghat in Pashupati Nath area in mid 1920s looked cleaner and healthy where roots of the green trees anchored the soils and rocks. The Bagmati River seemed to be hygienic. I can imagine people taking bath from the glimpse of the photographs. Cows and oxen grazing near the area proves that there were sufficient volumes of grasses and vegetation then.

The Ganesh Himal at the background with crispy snowflakes added beauty to the then silent surroundings.

Far behined the Swayambhunath with the Vishnumati River at the background where thick forest protected the wild life- chippering birds, swarming flies and sprawling insects no longer exists now.

The village scenery at distant location along with very few houses with farmyards captures the imagination when viewed from top of Swayambhunath (photographs of 1920s). Near by the Stupa of Buddha, a small shrine room supported by the big tree reflects as if Buddha might have prayed here for a brief period before going to Lumbini. The two women seen beside the Buddha with the bamboo basket at their backs, phariya and choubandi in their bodies and dhungri-bulaki as their earrings and ornaments lay there shamefully. But, on the contrary today women in Kathmandu with mini and micro decorate in western fashion with different modern ornaments. In the far away places like Panchthar, Shubhang, Bharpa and Ekchepa villages, the unique culture and recipes are still kept alive reminding old Kathmandu.

This unique place of cultural heritage once wide spread in the valley has now changed to a New World of Internet revolution. We have adopted the fashion and cheap culture of the west when old were not so in conformity with the landscape and picturesque beauty of the valley. As a doomsayer on the positive tone, I can simply say that during those old golden days there were few who lived very well while thousands of people had no education, food, shelter, etc. Some were even sheltered as servants by those who were in the power as it is evident from history of our country and the photographs of the past (1934).

The place where Judha Shumsher Rana is seen addressing the people then during which pale faces of the people read nothing but liberty. For this one I put it as follows: " I chanced to see those people who wept, when the earth-quake night had kept;

Yellow sun was shone in the hill,
Lions and tigers monkey that shrill!
Houses of the people barely found,
Liberty! Liberty! The country sound".

The question is that how can we harmonize the present trends with the past ones? Can we go with the rich culture and the new development of a state hand in hand together without departing from each other? This tug of war between culture, conservationists, politician and young people will surely be lost by one side but with the vision and balance between all of them there are chances that all of them can co-exist. Otherwise, these landscapes of the valley may silently curse us and we will soon be under the beds of the volcanic rocks or we will be trembled by the violent Earthquake and alas the recent earth-shattering predictions have taken my many sleepless nights.

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