Rekha Thapa with US scarf, Nepali flag and the love of nation

After reaching the USA, Rekha Thapa had posted a few photos of hers on Facebook, wearing a scarf with US flag printed on it. Some journalists had criticized Rekha for wearing such a scarf and accused her of embracing US lifestyle. Such an accusations have hurt Rekha’s sentiment and she told us, “I Love my country Nepal for ever.”

Hurt by the media report, she wore a Nepali flag on her chest. But, to her dismay, nobody noticed the photo and there were no report about Rekha’s love for her nation.

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Nepali Movie – Nepal (2007)

Sudhamshu Joshi presents a romantic movie with action:
Nepali Movie – Nepal (2007)
Starring – Rajesh Hamal, Dhiren Shakya, Sudhamashu Joshi, Deepak Raj Giri, Sajja Mainali, Nirmal Sharma etc.
Music – Sambhujit Baskota
Producers – Rajan Kumar Shahi , Nirmal Sharma
Director – Dayaram Dahal

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Nepal or India, who is grabbing land of other nation?

Usually, it is India that grabs Nepali land. Indian nationals used to be heard of taking benefit of the open Nepal-India border to take over land.

But this time, the story is different according to an Indian television news channel. The channel claims that thousands of villagers in seven border districts of Bihar have lost their land and homes to encroachers from Nepal – triggering a significant rise in violence and conflict along the state’s border with the Himalayan Kingdom.

On Thursday, the online news of CNN-IBN, a prominent Indian news channel, reported :

The land grab, it appears, has its genesis in a warped century old border treaty. The Indian authorities’ inability to ensure pillars demarcating the border stays intact, making it worse.

According to CNN-IBN news, villager Rashud Ansari, has said, Nepal is occupying the land which should be part of Bihar as all the papers for that land are with India and are from India. The local authorities are well aware about this issue but their hand seems tied down. It further writes, “A lot of people here are leaving their homes and are going to other towns because of the amount of problem Nepal is creating in illegally occupying our land,” said Ramesh Kamgaar, a villager.

The report further said, the 600 Km long open Indo-Nepal border is being patrolled by the Sashatra Seema Bal or SSB, India’s border security force. Yet, pillars demarcating the border are regularly uprooted.

CNN-IBN cited Indian intelligence reports which estimates as below: -

716 International border pillars have disappeared along the Indo-Nepal border.

• 281 pillars out of 716 have been uprooted in Madhubani district,
• 116 pillars from East Champaran district,
• 61 from West Champaran and
• 3 from Araria district.

The report referred the Sugauli treaty signed by the British in 1816, declaring the river Mahakali as the border between the two countries and said the treaty is meaningless as the river has changed course several times southwards into Indian land.

First paper money of Nepal (Rs. 5, 10 and 100)

The first paper money started to be circulated in Nepal after – 1945:

Rs.5 Violet Brown 
Front – Portrait of King Tri
bhuwan.
Back – Tiger in a Jungle.
Size: 73 X 126 mm.
Quantity published: 0.66 million (approximate)
Security features: Serial Numbers and watermark of King’s Portrait.

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Short Movie – Unhappen …

Rajani Production presents

Short movie – Unhappen
Starring – Apsara Thapa, Prakash Sigdel, Era Maskey, Santosh Adhikari, and Swapnil Baral
Story /Script- Sushma Banskota
Direction – Swapnil Baral
Concept: Dr. Krishnahari Baral
Camera : Srijan Bhandari
Producer: Santosh Adhikari
Duration - 7:57 minutes

A thought provoking short movie about the love for the country – Nepal

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Government Post Office – Can only happen in Nepal

This is a post office in a remote district of Nepal, Rolpa. The officers come to the office everyday. But, they don’t open the doors. They just open the letter box (hanging in the center) and take the letters and go home.

Load shedding schedule (Jan 2011)

The latest – 12 hrs load-shedding starting Jan 18, 2011 is as follows:

Load shedding schedule starting December 29, 2010 (11 hours a day). Some say, it is the New Year’s gift from Nepal Government.

Bungy Jump closed on dispute with the local community

Update: The Last Resort was officially open later yesterday. The agreement between the resort and the locals is not made public. Previously posted text follows:

If the talks with the locals doesn’t go well, we might see the last of the internationally popular bungee jump in Nepal. In a press release titled "Bungy Nepal and The Last Resort forced to shut down" the owner of the New Zealand-Nepali partnership adventure sports facility, The Last Resort, has told that the locals have forced to close the bungy bridge on Poush 6, 2067. The company says that the local community has claimed the ownership of the bridge and won’t let them do the business on it. (Full press release posted at the end of the article).

The Last Resort, founded in 1999, is located in Sindupalachowk near Barabise. The 160-meter high suspension bridge was constructed on top of steep Bhote Kosi River gorge for bungy jump purpose.

Now the local VDC official and leaders want the bridge to be handed over to them and the company use the facility in a lease agreement. But, the company says that they had build and paid for the bridge and can’t hand it over to the local people. If the local insist on taking over the bridge it will certainly prove to be a bad example for investors. Some argue, what will happen if people in Gorkha ask for the ownership of the Manakamana Cable Car or locals in Kulekhani ask for the ownership of the hydropower project over there.

The copy of the press release:

US government nightmare – WikiLeaks released US diplomatic cables – 2600 cables from Kathmandu

A website popular for releasing secret military and government documents, WikiLeaks has started releasing more than 251,000 cables from various embassies all around the world. The website says that the cables from the US Embassy in Nepal counts 2600.

According to the chart in the WikiLeaks website, cables from Kathmandu are:

• Secret – 84
• Confidential - 1399
• Unclassified – 795

That makes a total – 2278. I have no idea what other 322 cables are related to.

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Himal and green oranges

The green hills, white mountain, and the green oranges. This photo reminds of the general scenery from the human settlements in the hilly parts of Nepal. Photo by – Pitambar Sharma

In secular state, Nepal, police arrest Muslim for selling cow meat

It was back in May 18 of 2006, Nepal was pronounced a secular state and was no longer the ‘only Hindu nation in the world’. But, a news published on Nov. 5 in Kantipur and Himalayan Times implies that Nepal is still a ‘Hindu Kingdom’ in practice.

A Muslim from Siraha, Eastern Nepal, Mohammad Sabir, was arrested on charges of selling cow meat. Muslims don’t worship cows, and the "New Nepal" respects every religions.

Then, why is a Muslim arrested for selling cow meat? Is it only because Hindu (80% of the population) don’t eat it? Well, Muslims don’t eat pigs. Does that mean butchers selling pig meat should be arrested ?

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The shortest person in the world being prepared for the big day

Khagendra Thapa Magar is going to turn 18 on Thursday, October 14, 2010. A team of representative of The Guinness World Record has already arrived in Pokhara to hand over the certificate of the shortest person in the world.

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Schoolgirl call girl, ABC TV and journalism ethics

In a latest news about a couple of schoolgirls being arrested for prostitution in Kathmandu, a local TV has been criticized for divulging too much information of the girl while dramatizing the issue.

On October 2, 2010 police arrested two girls from Town Plazza in Naxal. Two pimps named Sanjiv Lama and Som Bahadur Tamang were also arrested with the girls. It is told that they used to charge Rs. 50,000 for a night to customers, however, the girls got only Rs. 10,000. But, the issue is not about prostitution or, cheating the prostitutes, it is about how our journalist cover the news.

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Documentary – Fairytale of Kathmandu

Irish Film Board presents a beautiful documentary

A 2007 documentary by Neasa Ní Chianáin.

Documentary - Fairytale of Kathmandu

On a subject almost impossible to get this close… Celebrated Irish poet Cathal O’ Searcaigh invites his greatest fan Neasa to Nepal.
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Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesh Chaturthi in 2010 is on Saturday, the 11th of September.

Ganesh Chaturthi, also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Bhadra, starting on the Shukla Chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). Read the rest of this entry »