HELLO NEPAL

What a shame? It was so unfortunate and sad to hear and read the news about the recent attack on a group of youths from the Dalit community in Rukum West-Jajarkot, where at least three have lost their lives, shows how regressive Nepali society still remains in the rural areas. The incident, which has also left many injured or missing, occurred because people of the locality in question wanted to stop an inter-caste marriage from happening. Locals allegedly pelted stones at the group, chasing them down to the Bheri River. According to a witness, the perpetrators went as far as to mercilessly beat the would-be groom, Navaraj BK, before throwing his body into the river.  In fact, this is not the first such heinous crime against the Dalit community in the recent months. How sad it is to know such discrimination and crime against poor and Dalit community in a democratic republic country where such crimes are punishable.  Might be, it could be the reason of im...

Know your personality Today I decided to write something different from my usual blogs. I was going through today's (May 21/20) The Kathmandu Post and found a totally different tips which may be of interest to you.  Even I had never thought and cared about the position of my own fingers and never bothered to do so also. But, when I saw this tips , I was surprised and amazed to know about my own personality. What a fantastic tips that may also help you to find out your own personality. Ha ha .  So sad, this applies to men only. Stay Home and Stay Safe. Your fingers can tell you a lot about your personality. What kind of fingers do you have? https://www.tips-and-tricks.co/various/fingers-personality/2/

Bold decision Finally, the K.P.Oli led government has published new political map of Nepal after facing tremendous pressure from the general public and parliamentarians of both the ruling party and oppositions. This new updated map has now included the contested lands of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani. As per the government's sources, this updated map will be used everywhere for all the official purposes in the coming days, including on textbooks, the government’s seal, and for all administrative works. In fact, the Oli government was under pressure from all sides to publish a new political map of Nepal after India on May 8 announced that it had inaugurated a road link via Lipulekh.   Nepali politicians have long said that historical evidence shows that the disputed territories are within Nepal’s borders, but successive governments have failed to hold talks in earnest with India regarding the lands. Statements are issued only when India makes a move...

Act swiftly and responsibly It was unfortunate and sad to know that a woman who had delivered a baby boy at Teaching Hospital day before yesterday died of corona virus. This is the first case of corona related death in Nepal since it started appearing in Tarai area from the beginning of March/20. My heart felt condolence to the bereaved family. I am nervous to learn that more people are being infected with this contagious deadly virus in Nepal. However, Nepal still, as of today, seems to be lucky not to have thousands of infected people as compared to other parts of the globe Having said that if the government does not take more proactive precautionary measures to control spread of virus, it does not take time to become epidemic and see more untimely deaths.   Health professionals and experts have been criticizing the government for its poor logistic management around the country. Front line health workers and other paramedics are facing with acute shortages ...

Necessity of long term solution The government is making the current lockdown more stricter following the rise in corona virus infected persons in the country. More likely, it is also considering extending the current lockdown beyond May 16/20. Extending lockdown for the fifth time simply to control the spread of virus does not make any sense unless the government brings out long term plan and program to cope with the virus affected national economy and addressing the livelihood of the common people who has been hard hit by the pandemic.  I have not so far seen any such program packages in black and white. If the government is expecting the financial assistance from any donor countries, it will be mere a dream. Most of the governments around the world have been badly hit and suffered a heavy blow in their economy.  I am not so sure how the government is going to manage its financial resources in the coming days. More than 4 million migrant workers from the...

Long Live Mr Joshi I was delighted to read the news and know about Cultural Icon Satya Mohan Joshi celebrating his 101 birth date today. Joshi, who was born in 1919 in Patan, is celebrated for his achievements in the field of literature, history, and culture with more than 60 books on music, drama, culture, and history to his name. Joshi, who is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Madan Puraskar, has also been honoured with the title of “Litterateur of the century”.  Happy Birthday , Mr. Joshi. Many Happy Return of The Day  Wish You a very healthy and Happy long life.  https://tkpo.st/2WPxCEk http://ecs.com.np/features/interview-satya-mohan-joshi

Cramped quarantine It is so unfortunate and sad to know that the migrant people have to spend 14 days in a poorly managed quarantine. When I was going through a news report in today's (May 11, 2020) "The Kathmandu Post". I was shocked to know how the local government is putting the people in quarantine. Is it for them a punishment for coming back to their home village or if they are not infected then infect them by keeping them with potentially infected people? I have read similar news report from other quarantines set up in other parts of the country.  What are the local level health institutions doing? Why don't they become sensitive and responsible for the proper management of such quarantines so that the people would feel comfortable and safe and are encouraged to spend 14 days in the quarantine?  This seems to be totally irresponsible act of local level governments as well who are supposed to be looking after proper management of these quarantine i...

Dangerous situation I am becoming more nervous and concerned as well after seeing the government's act of gradually easing the lockdown especially in the Kathmandu valley. Soon after the government’s recent announcement of letting the bank, cooperatives and other service provider organisations to start their operations, number of two wheelers and four wheelers suddenly swelled up making traffic congestion in major roads. I have not been so sure as of today that the valley is completely free from Corona Virus as there is no guarantee that the people from infected areas have not been entering the valley. It seems to me that the government has to put stringent measures in place for not letting the people from infected districts enter the valley on one side and ensure on the other hand that the COVID 19 tests are properly performed among the Kathmandu denizens inhabiting in densely populated areas. Otherwise, easing lockdown in the Valley without doing any proper ho...

Alarming situation It seems that the coordination and collaboration among the government's organizations are not going well as seen at the corona virus infected areas. The recent news about Birgunj where seventeen people,including two infants, tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday, 14 days after the district confirmed its first case. The number of positive cases soared from one to 23 in a matter of one week in Nepalgunj. This shows that there is clear lack of sensitivity and responsibility between the concerned agencies towards tracing the affected cases which could be extremely dangerous in transmitting virus around and among the communities .     There is a news report in today's (May 8, 2020) The Kathmandu Post  about the flaws and weakness at the district level.    Health experts warn of multiple outbreaks if contact tracing efforts are not ramped up https://tkpo.st/3fv6iDP

Salute to Lily Thapa This is just to salute Lily Thapa for her untiring service provided to more than thousands of daily wage workers and low-income families during this difficult time. She and her team have been feeding  two meals a day from the day of third extension of lockdown.  While responding to Post's Srizu Bajracharya's query, she explains about her feelings: For many of the families that we are trying to help, more than the virus, their current situation is scarier. For many daily wage workers, the lockdown has stripped any opportunities for work. Women who work mainly in the informal sector as domestic help have been forced to stay home. There’s no doubt that our current situation has hit the people from the lower economic strata harder than the others. They have been urging us to provide two meals per day because they really rely on this support. There are students living on their own, far from their hometowns and families, and for them,...

What a fantastic article   I always look for a article published either in the Himalayan Times or The Kathmandu Post that really speaks the heart of the author. I find Naresh Koirala's most of the articles very strongly worded and critically and analytically written.  This is just to share his another wonderfully written article "Time for a rethink" in today's (May6/20) The Kathmandu Post. It is true that we are in a crisis. We must be on the war footing to mitigate Covid-19's immediate impact. But to call the virus an enemy is misleading. It did not evolve to kill human beings and it does not go about looking for human prey. It is a product of nature's processes—much like a forest fire, an earthquake or a flood. The impact of fires or floods or earthquakes is local, but Covid-19 is global. That is the only difference. We do not call natural disasters the enemy; why call Covid-19 that?  https://kathmandupost.com/colu...

 Where is the government? I just happened to see this picture on Twitter today and felt so helpless that I curse myself for not being able to shout at the government and its selfish and lethargic machinery. This helpless but determined husband was seen somewhere in the Kathmandu street a few days ago taking his kidney patient wife to hospital for dialysis on a pushcart. What a shame on the government. The government’s sudden announcement of lockdown to control transmission of corona virus almost five weeks ago was immature and was not properly programmed which remained to be extremely difficult and burdensome for the general public. Had it done some proper homework before announcing lockdown, it would be easier for the common people to manage their lives accordingly especially severely sick people and daily wages earner.  The government has been badly criticized for its failure to address the daily needs of the people during this lockdown period. Even the pre...