The guy, Narsingh Bhandari Magar (right) doesn’t even know what this sign (left) means. But, he has lost one of his leg in childhood and has trained himself to earn his living, better than not so disabled people.
A teacher, Dal Bahadur Gurung of Dovan M.V. School in Dovan village of Palpa, Ghodebas in Western Nepal, was extremely surprised by the way Narsingh did his daily chores. With Gurung’s effort a documentary is prepared on Narsingh’s life and is being screened in various parts of Nepal.
Narsingh doesn’t need any support to do his daily jobs, not even a walking stick. His jobs are anything from cutting grass for his cattle, plough field with traditional halo (Narsingh is carrying one in photo), cross rivers, climb trees, and occasionally work as carpenter and mason. He can even dance on his one leg.
Narsingh is a real-life example to encourage people on dedication to work and not to dwell upon their shortcomings.
It was a sad incident that an intimate video of Namrata Shrestha and Kichaa Man Chitrakaar (DJ Tantrik) was released to the general public. They were aspiring artists in Nepali film and music industries. That might be the reason they got overwhelming response from Nepali people at home and those living all around the world. After a similar incident involving singer Prakash Ojha this was the second biggest sex scandal in Nepal. I don’t know weather Namrata and Tantrik forgot about Prakash Ojha incident or choose to ignore it.
Apart from these events there are many such videos being released from time to time in discussion forums. Those people, being unknown to general public, do not attract that much attention. But the person involved do not get less pain and frustration than the well known persons like Namrata or Ojha. It is not only the person who is seen in the video; there are whole lot of persons, like spouses, children, friends, and relatives, who are affected by such incidents. Our society is not that advanced to digest such acts released to public. So, care should be exercised while taking such photos or videos. Damage once done can not be reversed.
Note: This article was written in 2009. There are new entries in Nepali movie industry with better talent and education, not covered by this article.
The history of Nepali movies is not that long but it has grown a lot in recent days. Movie industry is one of the most creative industry and it demands the most creative crews to work for it. But to our disappointment, only a few Nepali involved in the industry have a university degree. A sad truth is that 60% of the Nepali film artists haven’t passed 10th grade.
It is seen that educated artists have succeeded in their fields as compared to uneducated artists. When we talk about education Rajesh Hamal, with a MA degree in English literature, comes the first due to his education and acting skills. There are many who don’t like him but it is undisputed that he is a super-hit actor of Nepali film industry.
Some new actresses like Sanchita Luitel, Malvika Subba have master’s degree. Mithila Sharma, Arunima Lamsal, Sarita Lamichanne also managed to get a bachelor’s degree.
There are some educated film directors and writers who are doing good works in Nepali movie industry. Some directors with a masters degree are Deepak Rayamajhi, Daya Ram Dahal, Naresh Poudel, Desh Bhakta Khanal, Dinesh DC, and BS Thapa. Writers and technicians like Javed Shah, Dr Bhola Rijal also have masters degree. Baikuntha Maskey(Bachelor,Photography), Tapa Nath Sukla (Sound Engineer), Pradeep Kumar Upadhaya(Sound Engineer) are other educated pioneer in the Nepali film industry.
Is that all?
I think so. If you know of somebody who has university degree in Nepali film industry please write in comment. I will edit the post accordingly.
The question remains. Why don’t educated people opt for the entertainment industry? Is the age old belief, acting in movies in not a decent job, a culprit?
Comments are welcome.
List of Film personalities with Name (and, Education)
Artists
Dr Bhola Rijal (MD)
Dinesh Dc (Bsc, MBA, BA)
Daya Ram Dahal (MA)
Deepak Shrestha (Bachelor)
Deepak Rayamajhi – MA(Film Direction)
Naresh Poudel – MA (2 faculties)
Desh Bhakta Khanal – MA (Politics)
BS Thapa – BLLB,MA(Politics)
Yabaraj Lama – I.A
Navin Subba – I.A
Ujwal Ghimire – Bachelor
Keshav Bhattrai – B.Com
Sarangi is a stringed instrument played by traditional ‘Gaine’ or ‘Gandarbha’ community of Nepal. The Indo-Aryan ethnic group mainly from central hilly region of Nepal makes a living by singing a type of folk song and narrative tales commonly known as ‘Gaine Geet’ or ‘Gandarva Geet’.
It is believed that Sarangi originated from Nepal. The simplistic design of the instrument made it easy to be manufactured and maintained locally. It is sad that search of sarangi in the internet lands us to Indian musical instrument which is quite different from the Nepali version. Encyclopedias and dictionaries like Britannica, Wikipedia (there is a page for Nepali sarangi however), Farlex, and Oxford Dictionary don’t mention Nepali Sarangi at all.
Unlike Classical Indian Sarangi, it has four strings and all of them are played. The neck and body of the instrument are made from a single piece of light wood, locally known as Khirro. The body is carved into a hollow frame with two openings. The lower opening is then covered up with dried sheep-skin. Traditionally the fine nerves from sheep’s intestine were woven to get the strings. Horse-tail hair was originally used for the bow string of the Sarangi. These days nylon strings are preferred to the sheep nerves and horse-tail hair. The instrument is placed vertically on the left knee, suspended in front of the body by means of a cord around the left shoulder, and is played with a bow.
I have heard about Pushkar Shah in bits and pieces. He was travelling countries on bicycle and now it has summed up to be the World. Yes, he has finished his journey of eleven years to introduce Nepal … in bits and pieces.
November 29, 1998 was the big day Puskar set out on an 11 year journey on a bicycle with NRs 100 (about $1.50) in his pocket. After travelling 150 countries in Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Middle East, and Europe now he has announced that he has completed his journey.
Now he has his ultimate dream :
I would like to climb Mount Everest in 2010 bringing the national flags of all the countries I will have visited by then to the summit.
Let’s wish him luck and we know he would do what he says he will.
Looks like Guinness World Records book didn’t have a category for the record for a shortest person until a 20 years old and just 74.61 centimeters tall He Pingping got entry in it in the 2009 edition of the book and posed for its launch with the longest-legged Svetlana Pankratova. But our own Khagendra Thapa Magar was actually shorter than the guy and couldn’t get entry because of being underage at that time.
When he was seeking entry in the record book, Khagendra was only 50 centimeters(20 inches) tall and weighed 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) and only 14 years of age. Khagendra hasn’t gained any height till he was eleven years old. Soon (in about 4 months) he is turning 18 and he and his family are waiting that day for him to be registered in the World Record book. Let’s see some of his photos.
Record keeping is one thing but health and prosperity is far more important in one’s life. I hope he does get proper medical care and nutrition. Let’s wish him all the best throughout his life.
Raute is the only nomadic group in Nepal living in the hilly districts of Mid and Far West. I had heard about them and their language which is unique in the community. They are very isolated and don’t want to mingle with other people. Hari Thapa send me information about a site set for the group some time back. He also sent some photos (posted below) of Raute. It is told that they don’t stay longer in a particular place. Some stay in one place for 3 months and others up to a couple of years. With people encroaching forests, their habitat, they are facing very difficult time in their nomadic life.
Nomadic group Raute
Recently, the first ever census of the endangered Raute community was carried out by the Dailekh District Development Committee. The population of the nomadic ethnic group is found to be 304 (kantipur). The census report showed that there are only 112 females, 96 children and two disabled in the Raute community. The number of Raute females of marriageable age is below one dozen while the number of eligible males is 36. The fact is causing increase in the case of child marriage according to Raute leader Mahin Bahadur Shahi.
Rautes are the only ethnic tribe of the country who are found in the hilly districts of Mid and Far West. As they move from place to place, they do not rely on farming and other everyday livelihoods. Continue reading
Congratulation Anish Giri for being the World’s youngest grandmaster!
Anish, a 14 year old Nepalese boy living in Holland has been successful in being the World’s youngest grandmaster. Anish completed his final GM norm on Saturday by beating GM Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela.
Victory smile just after the game. (Photo courtesy: chessbase.com, by John Nunn.)
Anish’s father, Sanjay Giri, is of Nepalese origin. His mother is a Russian. Anish himself was born in St. Petersburg. He started playing chess at the age of 7, sparring with his mom and later improved by reading Chess books and playing on the internet.
Anish’s first achievement was a win in the U-9 section in Hokkaido (Japan), where his father was posted for a few years. He won the U-12 Russian title and tied for the 3rd place in the same age group at the European level. Continue reading
Miss Russia 2007, Ksenia Sukhinova, returned home from Johannesburg with the Miss World crown and Miss India, Parvathy Omankuttan, managed to grab the runner-up position in the Miss World finals held on December 13, 2008.
I am not talking about the Russian beauty or the Indian beauty who, we might be seeing a lot in Hindi movies in coming days. It is about the Miss Nepal 2008 who was not chosen in the first place. I would have been happy to write about a Nepali model whether placed last among the 108 contestants or somewhere in the middle. After lengthy preparation of the Miss Nepal 2008, the government decided that the event was worthless and it would serve no purpose to the betterment of the society.
Who knows one of these Nepali beauties might have been Miss World … well that may be a day-dream. But it is true that the experience to participate in one of the prestigious events in world would have brought home some knowledge. A few foreigners would have realized that a country called Nepal exists in reality. I hope the Maoist government would work on some common sense in coming days.
Melting ice in Arctic have been the hot news lately. Today there was another news about a 20 sq km (eight sq miles) of ice from the Ward Hunt shelf that split away from Ellesmere Island. This split is thought to be the biggest piece of ice shed by one of Canada’s six ice shelves since 60 sq km of the nearby Ayles Ice Shelf broke away in 2005. In an article in the New York Times in late July 2008 by an author promoting a forthcoming book about “global warming” calls the Greenland ice-sheet “one of ‘global warming’s’ most disturbing threats”. The article says: “The vast expanses of glaciers – massed, on average, 1.6 miles deep – contain enough water to raise sea levels worldwide by 23 feet (link). It is also told that the ice roads that were open 245 days a year have been restricted to only 100 days a year in Alaska.
That was North Pole; what about the third pole, the top of the world? Scientists and climbers are also witnessing the rapid melting of snow cover exposing bare rock on the climbing route.
“Climbing is becoming more dangerous, and I think we will start to see more injuries and even fatalities because of the difficult terrain,” said Dawa Steven Sherpa, team leader of Eco-Everest Expedition 2008, who successfully ascended Everest for the second time this May.
According to him, there was only 50 meters of rock to climb on the famous Hillary Step last year. This year, there was about 150 meters of rock. “Wearing crampons (metal shoes made for climbing in snow and ice) and standing on the bare rock at over 8,600 meters was a very scary experience,” said Sherpa. “At one point I slipped and if I hadn’t been clipped in I would have fallen 2,000 meters to Camp Two. (kantipur)
Some people claim that the Nature has its own way of doing things and we have done nothing much to upset it. Most others however disagree. Melting of Arctic ice seems way faster than some computer models predict.
Do we need to do more to offset this? Are we in the right direction?
Miss Venezuela, 22-year-old Dayana Mendoza, won the Miss Universe pageant held in Vietnam on Monday, beating models from three other Latin American countries and Russia.
Mendoza, 178-centimetre (5′ 10″) beauty, clinched the diamond-studded gold crown after answering a question on the difference between men and women.
“Men think that the fastest way to go to a point is to go straight,” explained the trilingual contestant from Amazonas state. “Women know that the faster way to go to a point is to go to the curves.”
Mendoza’s Venezuela is a “pageant superpower” with 4 previous Miss Universe and 5 Miss World winners. (Read more about her in Wikipedia and official Miss Universe site) Continue reading
Do you know Hindu people drink cow urine for therapeutic and religious purposes? Sounds awkward but it is true. Now, researchers are trying to prove it is not a mere myth.
But it is not to be forgotten that urine is a product excreted through kidneys and contains the waste metabolites. It can also contain the bacteria, bovine tuberculosis for example, and other harmful germs and metabolic products.
Researchers of pharmacology and toxicology department, Veterinary College, Hebbal, India are conducting a study on ‘pharmacological and therapeutic evaluation of cattle urine’. In the first year of study, cow urine, which has traditionally been used only in clinical applications, has shown anti-diabetic properties. (times of india)
In another news, Uttarakhand (Indian province) Government in Feb 2008 announced that it will procure cow’s urine, on the pattern similar to the procurement of milk by dairies, refine it and sell it to Ayurvedic pharmacies. (tmmkonline)
Apart from cow urnine there are some who claim magic healing powers of drinking one’s own urine, called Shivambhu. Some claim that it contains antibodies which act against the harmful diseases affecting our body, but analytically and biochemical it has not been proven so far.
In one more news from Indian Express, Mumbai edition (published on the January 14, 2000 – clip attached), states that Gomutra (gomutram) or the Cow’s Urine highly beneficial in the treatment of Asthma, headache and tooth problems.
In Nepal, people worship anything strange. As a latest example, people have started worshiping a strange snake that changes color.
Thousands of people have been thronging Chapaghar area of Tanahu district in western Nepal to see a strange seven-colored snake found in a well there, the National News Agency RSS reported on Saturday.
According to the RSS, the snake was first seen by a local people. Since then thousands of people have seen the snake. A local Kum Bahadur Thapa said 1,000 people visit the area daily to see the snake.
Another local Jagat Raj Khanal said the snake has already changed four colors. Locals meanwhile have started worshiping the snake by making an idol of the snake near the well. They have also placed a donation box at the place to collect funds to construct a temple there. (source)
TIME magazine has compiled the best websites of 2007.
They have tried to present new and exciting websites with exceptional style, sites that offer new ways to access and share content, and the ones that can enrich your online experience.
You can visit the TIME 50 Best Websites 2007 to see what they think and if you can agree with them. It’s too bad I haven’t heard about many of them. May be I should start visiting them.
Well the list continues with 25 Sites We Can’t Live Without and the 5 Worst Websites too. Well, it is another story that I have never bought anything in Amazon (the first site that I can’t live without according to TIME) although I have done ample amount of online shopping.
Institute of International Education with support from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs published a report on November 12, 2007 stating that inflow of Nepali students in US has increased by 25% as compared to the previous year. With this increase, Nepal has become the 13th major students’ supplier to the US. The red line in the following graph shows the Number of students enrolled in universities and purple line gives the trend of increase in percentage share of foreign students by Nepali students. Year is given in Nepali calendar Bikram Sambat(BS) and the current year is 2064.
