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ä nf correspondent

The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists(CPN-M) secured the much needed support ofthe people for its legitimacy as a democraticparty, and as the key agent of the promisedtransformation of Nepal into a peaceful,democratic and prosperous country.

As early results indicated, Maoists hadalready bagged more than 55 seats, with leadsin as many constituencies, out of 175, where thecounting was in progress from Sundayafternoon. Results from nearly 230 constituen-cies under the first past the post system areexpected by Tuesday morning.

A re-poll has been ordered in nine of the 239FPTP constituencies following instances ofrigging and poll violence. The UML and NCwere racing for the second and third positionwith 16 and 15 victory respectively by Sundaynoon. The Madheshi Janadhikar forum (MJF)was emerging as the main party in Terai with alead in about 21 seats, far ahead of the TeraiMadesh Loktantrik party.

The final picture of the constituent assemblywould be known in the next two weeks as bythen the results for the remaining 335 seatsunder the proportional system will also beknown as per the information given by theelection commission. King Gyanendra promptlywelcomed the poll outcome as well as Maoists’march to victory.

However, the unexpected Maoists victoryvisibly makes United States of America as wellas India a bit uncomfortable. Maoists are stillunder the terrorist list of the US governmentwhile India was apparently was not yet ready towelcome Maoists heading the government.

But Maoists are all set to head the futuregovernment with Prachanda replacing GPKoirala who is under moral obligations not to

continue in the post. “We will be workingtogether with other parties and not fail thepeople who have reposed their faith on us,”Prachanda said while addressing swellingcrowds of his supporters after his victory inKathmandu’s constituency no 10.

It was not only the US and India, but also thebusiness community in the country also who fear‘capital flight’ as Maoists have the image of beinganti-economic reforms. “It is a mandate forpeace and I hope Maoists understand it,” anambassador said.

Prachanda was quick to address these fears ashe said he would be working in close cooperationwith the international community as well as thesecurity agencies. Besides, the Maoist supportersdemonstrated more restraint in celebrating theirvictory as their slogans were not at all provocativeas compared to the language they used againstthe King, UML and the Nepali Congress leadersduring the election campaign. ä

Mandate for peaceVictorious

Pampha Bhusal (Maoist) was the first to be declared winner from the party in the capitalvalley. She defeated Raghuji Pant (UML) from Lalitpur-3. Photo feature on page 6 & 7.

2 14-20 Apr, 2008 News

Key ‘peaceactors’ rejected

Home Minister KP Sitaula made no efforts atconcealing his frustration and disappointment withthe poll trends that leaves him trailing as a lesserknown Maoist candidate. “What did I not do forthe peace process and for the Maoists? I did notdeserve the outcome,” Sitaula told his disap-pointed party supporters as the counting of ballotsindicates that his luck might be running out.

According to the information, both PrimeMinister GP Koirala and the Home Minister,depended largely on the reports they got fromchiefs of the Armed Police Force (APF), CivilPolice and the Intelligence Department that theNepali Congress will emerge as the singlelargest party with the Communist Party of theNepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) asclose second and Maoists as the distant third.

A senior official in the Ministry of Defense saidthat the reports that the Nepal Army submittedto the PM about the poll prospects turned out tobe much closer to the outcome. Pleadinganonymity, he said the army was clear that theMaoists were adopting different tactics and allset to get most or all seats in Nuwakot, Rasua,Dhading, Gorkha, Kavre, Palanchok, Sindhu

Palchok and Ramechhap.It is believed that the PM had been told that

the Maoists will win in all the places where it hadintimidated the rival party candidates and theiractive campaigners, beginning with Ramechhap.“But once the PM consulted Sitaula, he refusedto go by the army’s reports,” sources toldnewsfront. The Home Minister, sources said,insisted that there was no reason not to trust thethree security departments’ assessment as hehad also traveled in most places and sensed themood of the people, “which was clearly in favourof Nepali Congress.”

Sitaula as the Home Minister was beingcriticised within his own Nepali Congress assomeone who served the interests of the Maoiststhan of his own party. He was also projected asthe key architect of the peace deal, with ShekharKoirala and Amaresh Singh toeing the line.

By Sunday noon, when Shekhar Koirala’sdefeat had been officially announced; Sitaulawas behind his Maoist rival in Jhapa whileAmaresh Singh was trailing behind his one timepolitical mentor, Mahantha Thakur of the TeraiMadhesh Loktantrik Party (TMLP) in Sarlahi.

A routMadhav Nepal resigns as Gen Secy

ä nf correspondent

The Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)turned out to be the biggest losersas the final results and decisivetrends of the first past the post votesbegan to emerge.

The party has lost its heavyweights from both sides of thedebate - favouring and opposing anyelectoral alliance with the Maoists,who seem to have gained the mostat the cost of the UML. In mostplaces except in Kathmandu districts,UML candidates have lost to theMaoists.

Not only that the party that hopedto be leading the future governmentwas humbled by the voters, almostall its stalwarts with some notableexceptions were trounced in theelectoral battle. The losers includeMadhav Nepal, Bam Dev Gautam,

Bharat Mohan Adhikary, AstaLakshmi Shakya, Raghu Panta andPradeep Nepal, and the latest trendsshow that KP Oli is also trailingbehind. The party’s over confidenceabout its results are now being seenpartly as its arrogance, and partly aslack of touch with the political realitiesat the ground level.

But the debacle has led to aquick introspection on the part ofits leadership. Madhav Nepalresigned as the General Secretaryof the party and announced thatparty ministers would be with-drawn from the government.Nepal’s resignation has however,not come into effect until the partyreviews the entire results of theelection including that under thePR system.

However, the victory of JhalnathKhanal, Pradeep Gyawali andSubhash Nembwang came as a

saving grace that gave hope thatdespite the poor number, UMLmembers will be making somequality ‘contribution’ to the CAmaking process. The UML, like theCongress and the Maoists, is stillwaiting for the final results of theproportional votes.

In fact, soon after the talks for leftalliance failed, Maoists wentaggressively against

the UML. Beginning with printingphotographs in the party’s propa-ganda organs, of Madhav Nepaloffering coin at the feet of KingGyanendra soon after he ascendedthe throne, the Maoists also beganphysically targeting the UMLcandidates like Devshanker Poudelin Ramechhap, Rajendra Pandey inDhading and KP Oli in Jhapa,besides physically intimidating theactive campaigners of manycandidates elsewhere.

Indian perspectiveThe southern calculation seems to have gone wrong…

The United States of America hasreasons to feel uncomfortable with the gainthat the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists(CPN-M) has made in the election for theconstituent assembly, as the party is still onthe US government’s terrorist list. But Delhiseems to be no less perturbed having tosee Maoists in the leadership position ofthe government in its immediate north.

Delhi, that brought Maoists together withthe seven pro-democracy parties inNovember 2005, seemed to have littleinkling that the mandate in their favourduring the constituent assembly polls wouldbe so huge. Understandably, Delhi till thelast minute was calculating that it might haveto welcome Madhav Nepal, if its first choice,GP Koirala could not make it to the top.

It is too early to gauge how the USgovernment will respond to the emergingpolitical situation in Nepal, but JimmyCarter, a former President has made anappeal that Maoists must be taken off the‘terrorist list’ now that they have got themandate of the people through a demo-cratic process.

Reports from Delhi indicate that the

government of India’s channels suggestedthat the Maoists’ tally in the constituentassembly in the first past the post system willbe 20 at the most, and that the CommunistParty of Nepal - United Marxist Leninist(CPN-UML) will be the single largest party,most likely in a hung-scenario. With theCommunist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-M) emerging as the largest party, with orwithout majority, when all the results come,Delhi’s calculation has failed. The possibilityof China getting closer to the Maoistsappears to further upset the south.

The southern calculation also seems tohave gone wrong on Madhesh politics inmore than one way. It pursued a quiet policyof insulating the borders from the Maoists.But they got more seats in the area than theTerai Madhesh Loktantrik Party (TMLP), theparty that India supported. Moreover, theMadheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), a partyled by Upendra Yadav, emerged as thelargest Terai party despite India’s clear lack oftrust in its leadership. While TMLP leadershipconsists of the upper caste leadership mainly,the MJF has its leadership mostly from theintermediary and Dalit castes.

Madhav Nepal

Sitaula Sekhar

314-20 Apr, 2008News

DemolishedKoirala dynasty tumbles

US president Jimmy Carter oncecalled GP Koirala, “my hero” andIndian Prime Minister Man MohanSingh said he is a, “legendary leader”of South Asia. Koirala must be ashocked man today as not only hisCongress party was trounced, butalmost all his family members in theelectoral fray have also lost.

There is no news yet as to howKoirala is reacting to the defeat of hisparty, but the defeat of the ‘demo-cratic dynasty’ is something that he isvery upset with, a Baluwatar sourcetold newsfront. Koirala had resignedas leader of the Congress parliamen-tary party in 1994 when the NepaliCongress lost to the CommunistParty of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist

(CPN-UML) in the second electionsto the House of Representatives.

His daughter, Sujata Koirala lost toMadheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF)leader, Upendra Yadav. His nephew,Shekhar Koirala who lost to Sujata, inthe race to don the crown of Koiraladynasty once GP retired, alsosuffered humiliating defeat at thehands of Bijay Gachedar, anotherMJF leader. Interestingly, Gachedar,

who had been shown the door by thePM last month when wanted‘respectable number’ of seats for hissupporters from the Congress partyhad left Baluwatar with a partingsentence, “I will meet you only aftermy victory” - has won from twoplaces. Gachedar refused to acceptthe Congress nomination and joinedthe MJF to take on Shekhar Koirala.

Sushil Koirala, a prominent NC

leader in his own right, and a closerelative of the PM resigned asworking president of the party owningresponsibility for party’s poorshowing. He however said hewelcomed and accepted theoutcome. “We have brought Maoiststo the peace process, and we respectpeople’s mandate in their favour,”Koirala said in a statement. “As aleader I own the moral responsibility

for the poor show and resign fromthe post.”

But there are speculations thatSushil Koirala was acting like a ‘shockabsorber’ to let GP retain theleadership on grounds that, “through-out the election he acted more like anon-party man or leader of all theseven parties as he did not campaignfor the Congress party.”

Koirala’s other nephews, AshokKoirala and Mahesh Acharya alsolost. The only saving grace for thedynasty was the reports of early leadof Sashank Koirala, son of BPKoirala, from Nawalparasi. His victory,many guess, might lead to the returnof the dynasty’s leadership to the BPfamily once again, after GP Koirala.

ä Bhumika Ghimire in Austria

Arriving in Innsbruck, Austria March17th, I was struck by how similar thesmall Alpine city is to Kathmandu; with itssnow covered mountains that carryhundreds of years of history.

Although the façade of history andculture seemed similar, there were starkdifferences. Walking through Innsbruck,I never had to cover up my nose toescape dust, smoke or unpleasant smellof garbage. No member of oppositegender offered uncomfortable com-ments on my dress; traffic was saneand public transportation a class of itsown.

Austrians take pride in preserving theirnatural resources and their heritagesites. Rivers in Innsbruck run clean andclear, museums are well kept. Peoplevalue their family and culture and workhard. Innsbruck and Austria offered apicture of what Nepal could be if only wecould correct all the mistakes made inthe past and stop repeating them now.

Contrary to Austria, in Nepal we areplagued by the national disease of procrastina-tion and myopia. We rob the rivers of the sandto make quick buck, and we brand our ownculture as ‘backward.’

So what do Nepalis living in Austria thinkabout their homeland? Dr. ShyamUpadhyaya, President of Non-ResidentNepali Association Austria answered some ofour questions.

Picture of Nepal in Austria

How many Nepalis are now living inAustria? What is their profession andbackground?

There is no reliable data about the numberof Nepalis in Vienna. A large number areasylum seekers. Not all of them want todisclose their identity. Due to the free move-ments within Schengen states, it is hard toestablish the actual number. The estimatednumber is around 1000. A formal gatheringlike New Year or Dashain celebration is

attended by 100 to 150 Nepalis.A small number of Nepalis are working in

professional position. In United Nations, thereare three professional staff (UNIDO), twogeneral service (IAEA and UNOV) and five UNSecurity Officers.

Outside UN there are around six families ofprofessionals. There are around 150 universityand Ph D students. Around 100 Nepalispermanently settled in Austria through job ormarital relations. All others are refugees,

victims of conflicts whose lives werethreatened by Maoists or Army.

There are reports that about 200Nepali refugees now live in Austria.What attracts them to this country?

Well, to be a refugee cannot be anattractive matter. Here, social security isvery strong. A recognised refugee mayget benefit of up to 600 Euro.

About the political situation inNepal?

As a president of NRN I am notsupposed to make a political statement.As an independent citizen of Nepal Icould say that the culture of violence iscreated by Maoists and they areresponsible for lives lost during the warand till date. The rights of all ethnicgroups must be respected within thestate of Nepal. Maoist violence is asetback in the struggle of ethnic groupsfor their cause. However, I am optimistic.But election alone would not be sufficientto solve all the problems.

About your life in Ausria?I am working as a Chief Statistician of

UNIDO. When I have free time I like to meetother Nepalis, especially those who have ahard life here. We also have a small groupwho arrange Nepali class for our childrenevery Sunday. It gives us an opportunity tomeet each other frequently. And I miss mycountry, my society.

…In Nepal we are plagued by the national disease of procrastination and myopia.

DIASPORA

Innsbruck City, Austria

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PM Koirala Sushil

Editor & Publisher : Yubaraj GhimireExecutive Editor : Sushma AmatyaNews Coordinator : Manoj DahalDesign: Sunil Khadgi, Kishor Raj Panta & Ramkrishna RanaAddress : PO Box: 8830, Lazimpat, Kathmandu, NepalTel : 4443888, Fax : 4421147 (Edt.), 4411912 (Mkt.)Email: newsfront@bhrikuti.com, marketing@bhrikuti.com (Mkt.)Printed by: Express Color Press, Buddhanagar, Tel.: 4781810, Distribution: Kasthamandap, Tel.: 2010821

14-20 Apr, 20084 Editorial

LettersGood wishes to PL

This is in response to theinterview given by Mr.PLSingh. I think PL did speakwell but after a long spell ofsilence. I am sure if hewould have stressed theseviews from a politicalplatform during the time theking revived the House ofRepresentatives, today’sparliamentary electionswould not have been thesame or the elections mighthave taken place a longtime back.

PL forgets that we are allliving in an era where we arein constant rift with speedand time. We live contempo-rarily and tend to forgetthings quickly too. This trendwill also make the people ofNepal forget that they will beelecting a governmentconstituting of Maoists whotill yesterday were killing theirown countrymen.

My good wishes to PL who still thinksof morals in politics but also feel sorry forthe Nepali mandate who does not find hisname on the ballot paper this time.

ä Ashok MathurNew Delhi

Keep politics away fromexpedition

This is in reference to your story onNepal’s assurance to China that theexpedition to Mt. Everest from Nepal’sside will be all peaceful. I completelyagree that expedition and politics aretwo different things. If any group wantsto get involved in Free Tibet or other

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replacethe Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.

- William E. Gladstone

Point to Ponder

A vote for peaceThe people of Nepal have spoken through their ballots. They have

accepted and recognised the Maoists as the key agent of desiredchange. The present election is an outcome of the Delhi agreementthat defined peace, democracy and economic prosperity as thecommon agenda of the nation. Delhi agreement had also intrinsicallyenvisaged that violence will have no space in future politics of Nepal.

So it is imperative that the Maoists do not misinterpret thisvictory as an endorsement of the politics of violence, extortion,annihilation of those they did or do not agree with. This is clearlyan endorsement and encouragement of their pledge, post 12-point agreement, that they would shun violence and be a part ofdemocratic process and politics.

It is time for the Maoists to be magnanimous in their victory.Revenge against the dissenters will have no place in future politics.They have also got the mandate to implement the ComprehensivePeace Agreement (CPA) in a much more responsible and credibleway. Democracy is not just about setting some populist goals. It isvery much a process that has wider acceptability. In that sense,the interim parliament has blundered on many occasions.

With Maoists coming in as the main party, internationalcommunity’s discomfiture is clearly understandable. Most of themincluding India were hoping that Maoists would get less than twodozen seats, and will only be a marginal player in future politics.

On the negative side, key international players - the UnitedStates, United Kingdom and India, all have contributed to Nepal’sinstability and conflict. The three not only supported the King in2002 in sacking an elected government, but also supplied armsand ammunitions in ‘militarily suppressing’ the Maoists when anoverwhelming majority of the people favoured management of theconflict through peaceful dialogues.

The international players backed out and aligned with the SevenParty Alliance, putting the entire blame on the king when thingswent wrong. And unfortunately, the rulers in the past couple ofyears that included the Maoists seemed to be guided more bythese players even on domestic affairs. The challenge lies indefining the road map of future Nepal independently.

No doubt, the international community’s support will be crucialfor Nepal’s peace process and development, but the futuregovernment needs to have a clear approach about how to solicittheir support without inviting interference in country’s internalaffairs. However, Maoists need to understanding that it is possibleonly if their actions as a government are in conformity with thespirit of the people’s mandate and are well within the parametersof established or accepted democratic norms.

There are going to be representatives from all parties includingthe Madheshi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) and other parties whichMaoists have been boycotting all along. Besides, Maoists mustrealise that they are very much on the terrorist list of the UnitedStates. Respect for dissents in internal politics, and shedding alltraces of what could be called ‘terrorism’ are the minimal and naturalexpectation of people who voted for them. After all, it’s not thebullets, but the ballots, that Maoists have derived this victory from.

Wisdom teachingsShri Gurudev Mahendranath (April 29,

1911–August 30, 1991) was a British occultist,mystic, writer, poet, Avadhut and founder ofthe spiritual organisation known as theInternational Nath Order.

Born Lawrence Amos Miles in London,England, his interest in spirituality began at anearly age. He arrived in India in 1953 and wasgiven initiation (Diksha) as a Sannyasi into theAdinath Sampradaya by H.H. Shri SadguruLokanath, the Avadhut of the Himalayas.

He was later given tantric initiation by ShriPagala Baba of Ranchi into the Uttara Kaulasect of northern tantrics and became hissuccessor. He also received initiations as a

Bhutanese Lama, as a meditationmaster in Soto Zen, as well asinto Taoism and both Mahayanaand Theravada Buddhism.

He resolved not to pass on theIndian Sannyasi initiation andmade no new Indian sadhus. Thisdecision was made in response tochanges in Indian socio-religiouspatterns and the difficultyexperienced by sadhus of tantrictraditions to be welcomed and supportedoutside of areas where they were well knownand loved.

To meet this situation and to give occultspiritual pursuits greater expression in western

Spiritual Cornerlands, Shri Gurudev put intomotion the formation of theInternational Nath Order. TheGuru tradition and initiation whichhe has passed on includes notonly the wisdom teachings fromIndian, Bhutanese, and Soto Zensources, but also includes gemsof Taoism, and such wisdom as isrediscovered by the science andyoga of meditation and contem-

plation. A Nath or Devi of the InternationalNath Order is not bound by the rules ofAsian sadhus, and may work for gainfulemployment, marry, and live the normalway of western patterns.

political movements, they must do itfrom a different forum.

It was good that the Nepal Mountain-eering Association (NMA) took theinitiative towards assuring China that noanti-Chinese activities will be conductedby the expedition group. Thus the NMAalso has been able to ensure that Nepaldoes not lose revenue and foreignexchange through this expedition. Thisis truly a great service not only towardsNepal-China relationship, but also inretaining the faith of expedition groupswho keep coming to Nepal each year.

ä Nima LamaSwayambhu, Kathmandu

Allow not anyoneto curb pressfreedom

Newsfront’s main story ‘Atlast’ in its last issue gaveinteresting details about theelection preparations. Nowpeople have voted and astrends indicate, Maoists mayemerge as the largest party,with or without absolutemajority of its own in theconstituent assembly. Andwhat will the big powers doin that case? Will theyrespect the mandate of thepeople or try to impose theirown agenda?

It is also a big challengefor the media to continuewarning the political partiesand exposing their failures.Media must fight for itsfreedom and rights ifMaoists try to curb it. MaoistChief Prachanda’s latestcriticism of the media shows

he and his party do not feel comfortablewith criticism, and if that continues oncethey are in the government, they mightalso contemplate bringing laws to curbpress freedom.

ä Sunita ShresthaMakhan, Kathmandu

Shri Gurudev Mahendranath wrotenumerous articles and essays on tantra andthe spiritual life, including the Twilight YogaTrilogy, the Levogyrate Tantra, and TheLondinium Temple Strain, subsequentlycollected under the title The Scrolls ofMahendranath in 1990. These workspresent the essentials of spiritual life and thetantric path in a humorous, non-dogmaticand non-sectarian manner. In 2002, anexpanded online version of The Scrolls ofMahendrath & Other Writings was publishedby the International Nath Order. His lastresidence was his hermitage, ShambhalaTapowan, near the Vatrak river, in the stateof Gujarat, India.

Readers, your reac-tions, criticisms, com-ments, suggestionsare most welcome.Please address it to:

newsfront@bhrikuti.com

14-20 Apr, 2008 5Perspective

Realising the dreamThe constituent assembly members must act independently and with conscience. Their account-

ability to people is much higher than their allegiance to their political parties.

Historically, a revolutionary force thatis successful takes charge of a situationfully and completely. It does so, on thestrength of ballot rather than a bulletfor which there is no need after asuccessful revolution. This is a normalscenario witnessed by people all overthe world as a revolutionary force fightsfor the sake of poor, oppressed andoutcaste. Any situation different thanthis normal scene requires a criticalassessment by the revolutionary forceand the people as well.

In Nepal, despite a successfulrevolution of the Maoists for aconstituent assembly (voting for whichtook place on 10 April) that is supposedto create a new Nepal for all Nepalis,yet the Maoists appear to be in adefensive situation. From currentindications it appears that the Maoistsmay not receive the overwhelmingsupport from the Nepali people in spiteof their grand vision and numeroussacrifices made for the cause.

There are three major factors thatprevented the Nepali Maoists fromrejoicing the success of their revolutionfully. Unfulfilled promises and commit-ment of returning seized lands torightful owners, continuing extra legaland illegal activities of extortion,abduction and highhandedness, andlack of visible efforts to address andremedy the pains and sufferings of the

people during the insurgency period.It is quite clear from the present

behavior of the YCL (young commu-nist league) during last one week ofthe constituent assembly polls date,when Maoists supremo Prachandainstructed YCL to behave as Gandhi(non violent means of campaigning),that the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists is fully capable of functioningas a legitimate democratic politicalparty. Mistrust of the system and therival political parties might have keptthe Maoists at bay extracting a veryheavy price on them.

As soon as the constituent assembly isestablished in about three weeks time,the members of the assembly wouldhave to act responsibly not only fordrafting a new constitution but also runthe country during the transition phase,expected to last about 3-6 years. In fact,this task is equally as difficult as theconduct of CA elections that fortunatelysaw good participation of voters as wellas political parties. Chances are that theconstitution in-the-making would beacceptable to most.

The present interim constitution, asamended, does not elaborate on theformation of government except thatthe same would be according to theinterim constitution with necessarychanges. At the outset, the firstchange that must be done is to either

delete sub-clauses 1,2,3 of article 38of part 5 or form a new understand-ing among the parties and individualsrepresented in the assembly.

The new members as legitimatepeople’s representatives, elected onthe basis of adult franchise under anacceptable election process forNepal, should alone decide the fate ofNepalis henceforth. No citizen ofNepal expects the constituentassembly and the government (yet tobe formed) to behave like the presentlegislature and government that hasprojected an image of absolutesubmission to external influences,captivity from within, and whimsicalactions and decisions except conductof CA elections.

Moreover, the constituent assemblymembers must act independently andwith conscience. Their accountabilityto people is much higher than theirallegiance to their political parties.The future of Nepal rests in theirhands. Since they must pay fullattention to the task at hand, it maybe desirable to work out a mecha-nism to lessen their involvement andtime in the regular law makingprocess and overseeing of thegovernment.

The dream of a new Nepal can behardly realised by leaders and partiesthat had never raised the issue of

constituent assembly and a change inNepali system of governance. By allcounts the present situation in Nepalhas been possible because of theCommunist Party of Nepal-Maoists.Logically, they should be leading thecountry for now. However, owing tomistrust and fear they could not makeamends at the right time thus placingthemselves in an awkward position.Like a wounded revolutionary, theirbehavior would be quite unpredictableand perhaps more difficult to sustain ifthey were left out of power. Peace inNepal would again take a back seat.

Since the interim constitution hasadequate provision to not only toaccommodate but also changecertain articles to suit the situationduring the most critical transitionphase, serious thought must be givenby the forerunner political parties toallow the Maoists to take lead. Thelargest democracy and the secondlargest democracy, being close toNepal and her people in the successof present elections, would certainlyfind a way to explain, interpret andpersuade the people as well as theworld that a minority party can alsoassume power under successfuldemocratic governance. Mostimportantly, democracy will neitherdevelop nor thrive in the absence ofpeace and stability in a new Nepal.

ä Binod P. Bista

Their account-ability to peopleis much higherthan their alle-giance to their

political parties.The future of

Nepal rests intheir hands.

Shya

m B

hatta

Number of women casting their votes in Mahendranagar

Photo 6 14-20 April, 2008

CELEBRATING VICT

Maoist chief Prachanda, under burden of marigoldgarlands, addresses a cheering crowd in the BirendraConvention Centre on April 12 soon after he was declaredwinner from Kathmandu 10.

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714-20 April, 2008feature

TORY

Jhakku Subedi, Maoist

Chakra Thakuri, Congress

Hisila Yami, Maoist

Suprabha Ghimire, Congress

Prakash Man Singh, Congress

Narahari Acharya, Congress

Navindra Raj Joshi, Congress

14-20 Apr, 20088 InterviewHer passion is writing and it takesforms of stories, novels and songs.The woman behind the words isPadmavati Singh. She strives toreach out and touch the hearts andminds of women and the society atlarge. She believes strongly inintegrity and in equal rights forwomen. Padmavati shared her viewswith Sushma Amatya recently.

When did you start writing?

I was interested in literature rightfrom my school days. I then came inclose contact with Prema Shah, whowas my neighbour and was arenowned writer. She used to lendme many books. She encouraged meto read a lot and gradually I foundmyself wanting to write. I’ve beenwriting for the past 35 years now. I’vewritten many stories, poems, andsongs. I sang several of my songstoo.

How did your first novel,Samanta Akash, come about?

Writing a novel demands a lot oftime and concentration which I wasnot able to manage here. So, oneday, I decided to go to Biratnagar,stayed there for a month as a payingguest and completed the book inthree weeks time. The book talksabout modern women and theirstruggle. At that time I had nostructure but once I started writing, itstarted flowing.

I focus mainly on women’s issuesespecially regarding the discrimina-tion they face. I being a woman,know their issues intimately and it sobecomes my dharma to write aboutit. Gender discrimination is my mainconcern. When women and men arethe same human being, living underthe same sky, why can’t they haveequal rights? Verbally, everybody saywomen are equal to men but it doesnot happen in real life, not at homeand not outside. Domination existseverywhere. Yes, men do have theirproblems too but my work concen-trates on women. Samanta Akash isexactly about that.

How does literature help increating awareness?

Reading something that is writtenwith good intention, with honesty,does strikes one’s psyche at a deeplevel and slowly makes one questionone’s attitude, behaviour and valuesin life. Although people do not readmuch in our country, due to illiteracyand poverty, the habit is picking upslowly and people are starting to readbooks besides their courseware. Iwas convinced of this after I receiveddiverse feedback on my book.

Yes, there is lack of direct,measurable effect on the affect whatyou read has on you, but people areaffected by what they read. They willat some point begin thinking and startquestioning if the values they clungon to all their lives are right or wrongat this point of time. Thus, it is a steptowards creating awareness. Withthis confidence that what we writedoes have a positive impact onpeople’s attitude, mentality and willbring changes in the society - dowriters like us continue to write.

What changes did you see inwomen in their work environ-ment?

Writing, an art thatdemands integrity

I worked for various NGOs andINGOs for about 25 years. I remem-ber the first time I was posted as afield coordinator when there were nowomen working in the outposts.Sensing their presumption that Iwould not be able to survive in the notso comfortable environment, I put inall that I had and completed theproject successfully. Not long after, Ibegan to see more and more womenventuring into field work and excellingat it. Today, they are definitely moreconfident and can compete with menat any level.

Future plans?

Ratna Pustak Bhandar is publishing acollection of my short stories very soon.Now I’m planning to go to the US towrite about this rising phenomenon ofNepalis migrating to the US citingvarious reasons. I want to see formyself what kind of lives they areleading there; how happy they are;what changes has moving to USbrought to their mentality, their life style;how they are adapting to the different

culture and how they are integrated inthe new environment. I will be studyingtheir identity crisis, the problems theyare facing, feeling their dreams andthen write a book on this diaspora.

Why the US?

I have friends and relatives thereand nowhere else. I will have a placethere to stay. I am going there for justthis purpose. I want to make my bookbased on the realities, not based onwhat I hear or read or see on TV.

Don’t you plan to get yourwriting translated into English sothat it has a wider outreach?

Unfortunately, due to lack oftranslation, a majority of Nepaliwriters are confined within Nepal only.People know me here but not even inIndia. For this reason, this women’sorganisation called Gunjan works topromote women writers. I chair theorganisation that is ten years old.Lack of funds is another reason whytranslation does not take place but

Gunjan which is a totally self sufficientorganisation with no outsideintervention, is working on it.Translating our work is important andwe should give it due attention.

What do we need to ensurebooks written by women reach allcorners of our country?

Distribution is the main problem. Aproper distribution channel is lackinghere. I can get my books circulated inKathmandu valley but it becomes verydifficult if not impossible for me to getmy books to go outside. The systemis lacking.

Challenges that women writersface?

To be a woman is the firstchallenge! From my experience,finding time to write is another majorchallenge. Women have so manyresponsibilities such as looking afterhome, children, fulfilling socialobligations, and if you are a workingwoman, then the load doubles. To beable to write with all that is itself amajor achievement. I cannot write inthe day time, there are so manydistractions; so many things demandmy attention, so I write only at nighttime. Had it been a man, he can justannounce that he should not bedisturbed and everything gets donefor him and he can focus on hiswriting alone. Women definitely havea larger load to bear.

Another problem is lack ofnetworking for women to get theirwork published. Men move around alot but women again due to theirresponsibilities cannot do that and sothey lag behind in that area too.These days without a propernetwork, it is not easy to get yourwork published and marketed.Another problem is lack of exposure. Ihave seen it in my years of workingthat whenever there is a chance oftraveling abroad; it is the men whoget the priority.

Despite all these setbacks, if awoman writes something then it isreally something. For writing is not justwriting, it takes a lot of effort, studying,research. It calls for a lot of personalexperience, interaction with manypeople from different walks of life.

Here too, women face dominationin a different way. When a womanwrites, the general concept of men isthat ‘what will women write, we arebetter,’ kind of attitude. Go to aliterature programme and you will seeall men out there on the dais;perhaps now, they will have a fewwomen there just to make sure thatthe gender equation appearsbalanced out. Nobody can stop usfrom writing but we need to worktogether to overcome the seen andunseen domination that is takingplace around us.

What would you advise women

who want to write?

In this intellectual arena, we haveto compete with men who have betteraccess to time, environment,opportunity, freedom to travel etc;and for very this reason, we needmore women who are determined towalk in this less traveled space andmake their mark on it. It calls for a lotof integrity and confidence in self; andbe able to face the challenges withoutwavering.

Why would people be attractedto this field which is not knownfor its monetary value?

Right. In other fields, you earnmoney but in this field, you have tospend money. If you want your workpublished, you have to spend yourmoney and the return is not guaran-teed. Well known names do getpublished by publishing houses butfor a new comer, it is very difficult.Their work just gathers dust.

And today the time is such that a lotdepends on marketing for which youhave to invite people, get yourselftalked about in the media, etc. Forthis, you need money. What I’ve seennow is that those who have money,they publish one book after the nextregardless of its quality; and they areviewed as successful; and there arepoor and good writers whose worksnever see the light of the day.

Money talks and we have seen ithappening not only with writers butsingers, actors and other artists too.Those who throw around money, themedia cover them again and againalthough they are not even worth it.And here too the domination ofmoney has to be challenged and onlywe writers can do it.

What can be done to giveopportunity to new talents?

Organisations that work to promoteliterature should hunt for talents andpromote them. Priority should bebased on the writers’ creativity andcapability. Potential should berecognised and tapped.

Final words?

I wish that the tendency of onegroup of writers to slander anothergroup and turn it into yet anotherpolitical, corrupted arena would stop.And I wish, money would stop takingprecedence. We have even seensome people who give money tounknown writers to write somethingand then get it published in theirnames. This is sheer exploitation. It isa negative trend that should benipped in bud. In this field asanywhere else, one’s own credibilitybased on one’s talent, hard workshould be recognised; and not basedon the façade one creates aroundoneself with money. This is an area ofintellect, wisdom and integrity and itshould be respected. ä

Reading something that is written withgood intention, with honesty, does strikesone’s psyche at a deep level and slowlymakes one question one’s attitude,behaviour and values in life.

Nira

j Sap

kota

14-20 Apr, 20089From the region

Hu: China-Pakistanfriendship is strongChinese President Hu Jintao and Pakistani President

Pervez Musharraf Friday reaffirmed the strong alliancebetween their countries, a news agency reported.

The leaders said during the Friday talk they would workto strengthen bilateral strategic joint efforts between Chinaand Pakistan, Xinhua reported. Hu and Musharraf metduring the Pakistani leader’s visit to Sanya in China’s Hainanprovince.

Hu said China and Pakistan were close friends andpartners that have an all-weather bond and overallagreement. He also said their friendship was based insupport and trust regarding each country’s core issues.

Musharraf said he would like the countries to look intonew methods of expanding joint efforts, such as with trade,energy, education and culture.

(UPI)

President PervezMusharraf has called forsharing expertise andexperiences, removingtrade barriers, involvingpublic and private sectorsand setting up regionalcooperation networks toraise environmental andenergy efficiency.

Addressing the BoaoForum for Asia on“Green Asia: Movingtowards win-win throughchanges” here onSaturday, the presidentsaid: “The challenge ofsustaining economicdevelopment andensuring environmentalprotection is overwhelming and beyondthe capacity of most individual countries inAsia.”

He said that demand for water, energyand raw materials had grown in theworld. “Collectively, we face an enormouschallenge to ensure food and energysecurity, prudent water management andenvironmental protection.”

The president said the phenomenalgrowth in Asia had led to an increase in

‘Trade barriersshould be removed’

global demand for energy and added that70 per cent of the new demand wouldcome from developing countries,especially those in Asia.

“We will have to rely on both traditionaland non-traditional sources of energy tosustain our growth. We simply cannotdepend on fossil fuels to be the mainstayof global economy.”

Mr Musharraf pointed out that despitesuccess a large proportion of Asian

population still lived onless than two US dollar aday.

The president saidPakistan was dedicatedto promoting cooperationfor Green Asia, both inthe region and within theSaarc framework.

He said Pakistan hadtaken various steps,including setting up of apolicy and review forumon climate change,launching of a megaforestry project, mountainareas conservancyprogramme and PakistanWetlands Programme, tomitigate climate change.

Mr Musharraf said Pakistan was tryingto maintain and accelerate its economicgrowth which had been seven per centover the past five years.

This, he added, continued to remainthe top priority of the new government.

President Musharraf praised theChinese companies for their contributionto Pakistan’s economic developmentthrough investment and business.

(Dawn)

Glimpse of enlightenment

14-20 Apr, 200810 Perspective

In the Mahayana path, the first glimpse of enlightenment is attainedwhen the person has a direct non-conceptual experiential glimpse of

emptiness (Sunyata).

ä Acharya Mahayogi SridharRana Rinpoche

The four noble truths was the firstteaching the Shasta (master/teacher) gave and it was in Sarnathto the five, who had abandoned himin the middle of his endeavoursbecause he started eating. When aperson moving on the Sraavakayanapath has his first glimpse of enlighten-ment, he experiences in his ownmental streams, the 16 aspects of thefour noble truths. This is the firstglimpse of enlightenment according tothe Sraavakayana system likeTheravada.

If one properly practices theVipassyana of the Theravada system,this is what he will experience. He willnot experience the Atma – Gyana ofthe Hindus or Jains nor Godrealisation of some Hindus orChristians. An understanding of this isvery crucial to the correct under-standing of Buddhism. This glimpse istechnically called Srotapatti and theperson is thence forth aSrotappanna. Srota means the

stream, i.e. the stream that leads tofinal emancipation (Mukti/Mokchhya)and Apatti is falling into or entering.So it literally means entering into thestream that leads to or flows towardsArhathood which is the final emanci-pation (Mukti/Mokchhya).

However there are still two morestations or degrees of emancipationcalled Sakridaagaami and Anaagaamibefore Arhathood is attained.Sakridaagaami means once returner.The person will return once more tothe human realm before he attains tothe Anaagaami or the higher Arhatstage. The Anaagaami is the nonreturner. He will not come back to thehuman realm anymore but until hebecomes an Arhat he may be rebornin the Deva or Brahma realms and goon to attain Arhathood. But if heattains Arhathood here he has nomore birth. This becomes his lastbirth.

The steps, the realisation and thefinal emancipation according toSraavakayana are totally differentfrom any other non-Buddhist systems

as can be seen from the aboveexplanation. But this is only the resultof the Sraavakayana path. TheBodhisatwayana/Mahayana pathagain is a little different from theabove, if not totally different.

In the Mahayana path, the firstglimpse of enlightenment is attainedwhen the person has a direct non-conceptual experiential glimpse ofemptiness (Sunyata). As you can seethis cannot really be equal to therealisation of the Atma as someHindu Saints/Yogis/Paramhamsahave tried to posit in the past.Sunyata is a synonym for Anatma butthere are two levels of Anatma. Oneis the gross Anatma (no-self) which isthe negation of I and me. ButSunyata is the subtle Anatma andtherefore not only merely thenegation of I and me but also thenegation of real existence, inherentexistence, true existence of alldharmas including the fabricated selfor Atma.

(To be continued)(Sridhar Rinpoche is a Vajrayana

Master)

MARSHLAND FLOWERS

14-20 Apr, 2008 11Society

Sankhu is an old Newari backwater that lies 23 km north-east of Kathmandu. Its original name was Sankhapura thatliterally meant a ‘Conch town.’ It was once an important town, inthe old trading route between Kathmandu and Tibet. Beautifulold houses, intricate wood-carvings, temples, public ponds andwater taps are testimonials to its prosperous history.

The ancient city is believed to have been guarded by Asta-matrikas, the eight mother goddesses each in eight differentdirections of the city. Sankha deva is believed to be the first kingof the city. This predominantly Newar town probably was settledin the Lichhavi era (2nd -8th century).

The present three storied temple is the contribution of KingPratap Malla who ruled in 1655 AD. The temple is believed tohave been built originally by King Manadeva during the 5th

century who is associated with his penance meditation forunintentionally killing his father. The typical courtyard behind thetemple is called Gana Bahal, Gana means forests and Bihar(Bahal) means recreational place in Newari language. A finelycarved sunken bath from 10th century is in the middle of thiscourtyard.

There are a number of waterspouts on the way up the steepstone staircase to the temple. Mid-way to the temple, imagesof Bhairav, Vishnu and Ganesh can also be seen. Animalsacrifices are made in front of the Bhairav image.

The smaller shrine beside the main temple houses DharmaGhatu Chaitya which is a replica of Swoyambhu temple. Animage of Manjushri with a sword also stands in there. VajraYogini is believed to have been the mastermind behind

Historic backwater–Sankhu

Manjushri who used his power to cut the hill and drain thewater from the valley and made it fit for human settlement.

There are numerous Chaityas around the temple. Carved inthe wood around the temple are animals and gods from theBuddhist pantheon. The temple stands midway up the forest ofManichaur (heap of jewels) said to be dotted with the meditat-ing caves of Buddhist and Hindu ascetics.

opularly known as Vajra Yogini, the deity is Ugra Tara, NilaTara (blue Tara) or Khadga Yogini. She is the eldest among 64legendary Yoginis. She is the deity of wisdom worshipped byboth Buddhist and Hindus. The beautiful goddess here isdefined as a ferocious protector of the Buddhist doctrine. Hercompanions (dakinis) Baghini (tigress) and Singhini (lioness)can be seen nearby. To Hindus she is the goddess Kali. Nearbythe temple lies the Dharma Ghatu Chaitya.

Sankhu is still noted for its religious significance related to holyHindu book of Swasthani and its rites - the month long purificationinvolves fasting, reading of sacred texts, and morning baths in theSali river. One of the most celebrated festivals is the Vajra Yoginifest which falls on the full moon day in the month of March/April.Maghe Sakranti is the Hindu festival commemorating animportant Hindu event associated with Shiva, one of the Hindusupreme trinity and Mahadevi, consort of Shiva.

Sankhu is a point to get started on some of the mostpleasant hiking and treks around the valley. Richly endowedwith forests, rivers, rivulets, hills, rich farmland, andhardworking people, this historic place could be made attractiveif it were kept clean. Sadly, this historic town lies in the shadows,ignored, despite its glorious past.

(nte@mail.com.np)

ä Pramesh Pradhan

Vajrayogini is the deity of wisdom worshipped by both Buddhist and Hindus

14-20 Apr, 200812 Last words

ä The wanderer

It’s been a very entertaining weekend. I hadthe opportunity to watch comrade LotusBlossom in full bloom, so to speak, on two veryentertaining occasions. The number one topspot, of course, just has to be his invigoratingconversation on Kantipur TV on Saturdaynight when his very own version of the famousAmerican phobia ’Reds under the bed’ wasrevealed to be ‘royalists under the bed.’ A littlemore transparency on exactly who the ‘many’are who ‘attempted’ to put the famoushelmsman’s ‘lights out’ would be useful; andobviously they couldn’t have been too seriousabout it because he was jolly, fat andubiquitous on the television show.

It is puzzling how, half a century after comingout of the jungle, Fidel Castro still manages tolook mean and lean, but our own comradeleaders, after such a short time in the fat catcity, are, like June in thefamous song, burstingout all over. Some ofthem are very roly polyand one has to wonderwhich of them really didthe hard work of runningup and down steeppathways and gaspingthrough the junglesliberating us witless folks.There is much thatremains to be madetransparent.

Unfortunately, thevery next day, in full flow,our ‘President in waiting’revealed that the media has an old mindsetand will have to be brought under control afterthe election. Get a life! If ever one neededproof that a) Lotus B’s thinking is old fashionedand rooted in the past, failed glory of Stalinistdialectics and that b) he has no intention ofadhering to democratic norms, it is that onestatement.

The whole point of a democracy is that afree press is one of the estates or bulwarks ofthe system. The whole point of democracy is

Who’s oldfashioned?

that it changes and progresses as timeschange and it varies from country to country.The original democracy of the ancient Greekshas only one thing in common with modernforms really; and that is the rule of law - andon other issues, the ancient Greeks hardlythought women had souls, let alone givingthem democratic rights. Intelligent women justhad to be sorceresses or possessed by thegods. In fact in some countries that perspec-tive hasn’t changed to this day.

Norms that are always unchangeable in ademocracy though are the supremacy of thelaw and the equality of all before it and thefreedom of the press. It is not the media that isold and stale in its thinking but the extreme leftwing and the extreme right wing in thiscountry. They have many similarities. Onethat struck me as amusing on Saturday nightwas Mr. Dahal’s reference to himself as‘Hajur’, although I suppose he’ll deny that

ever leaving his lips as hehas denied many state-ments that we have allheard gushing out of theheady environment ofKhula Manch.

If truth be told, however,the supreme leader of theCPN/Maoist party is notalone in what I see as afeudal mindset. There, Iused the ‘f’ word! Most ofour current political leadersare feudal and belong to anold order that we would dowell to put into retirement,making way for the younger

generation. It’s too late now frankly andpeople do get the government they deserve.For the rest of us, it is about time we reflectedupon exactly what we have done to deservethis lot.

Another glaring example of the feudalmindset was GP Koirala’s response to theSupreme Court’s show cause concerning theconstitutional changes that catapulted us intorepublicanism just on the Maoists say so. Theprime minister’s response, as reported in the

national dailies, was cheeky (“it is not a matterthat need concern the court”) to say the least, ifhe did indeed say that, and the press wouldhardly misquote our very own emperor, wouldthey? Had he given such a response to theSupreme Court of any really democratic countryhe might have found himself contemplating a spellof real retirement from politics-behind bars forcontempt of court.

The fact that probably troubles the SupremeCourt is that there has been no general electionor referendum (and there will still not have beeneven when the constituent assembly electionsare over on April 10th) asking all those who areentitled to vote in this country what kind of a statethey would prefer. The glaring fact is that aninterim unelected government has changed theconstitution and laws and has made decisionsthat no unelected body should be empowered tomake.

I have heard some of our politicians argue thatthey were elected once; but frankly we are beinggoverned by people for whom the ink on theballot paper has faded or is green with fungus.There are also a goodly number who havenever stood for election and for whom no-onevoted, namely the Maoists. It’s called dictatorship.

Do we have a future? If so, when will it arrive?This dreadful shadow of conflict that has afflictedour nation was (and is) caused by egoists of onefaction or another. Together they have exploitedthe wretched and poor among us: some of themhave caused children to leave their classroomsand fight, even kill, their own compatriots. Othershave been overburdened by their own feelingsof importance. Their richness and privilege in

terms of education or money has done nothingbut weigh them down with an aversion for thosewho do not have such privilege or who comeway too low down in the pecking order.

There are awful divisions in this society.Divisions indeed caused by old-fashionedmindsets, but on all sides. If the fortunate arebrimful of self-importance, some of the unfortunateare full of hatred and envy for the fortunate. Iteats away at their being. Being poor is not acrime, but the exploitation of the poor who areyoung and have unlimited aspirations and limitedmeans is. When the flames of envy are fanned,envy becomes hatred and hatred becomesviolence. Those who have nothing to envyrespond for the most part with an equal violence.Some politicians are adept at exploiting this,because they have ignorance on their side: theignorance of the poor about the rich and theignorance of the rich about the poor.

Politicians, of course, are expected to close thegap between rich and poor and not fan theflames of division; and that has never happenedin this country. Well perhaps Thursday willchange all that and we should just let it go.

Let what go? What are we really voting for?Are we voting to get rid of this infamous oldmindset? If so we should remind ourselves thatwe are not voting on anything that concerns usas citizens because SPAM has already chalkedout the order of the game; and the order is thesame for all of these parties. We should alsoremind ourselves that democracy is about choiceand looking at all the manifestos that the SPAMhas produced, there is no choice. Whitherdemocracy and a new Nepal? ä

It is puzzling how,half a century aftercoming out of the

jungle, Fidel Castrostill manages to lookmean and lean, butour own comrade

leaders, after such ashort time in the fat

cat city, are, likeJune in the famoussong, bursting out

all over.

When the flames of envy are fanned, envy becomeshatred and hatred becomes violence.

GP Koirala

Sanj

eeb

Khan

alCDO Regd No 93/063/64 Kathmandu, Central Region Postal Regd. No 46/063/64