The Need for Reforms in Hindu Religious Practices and Attitudes

I posted the blog below, The Proselytization Conundrum, about two years ago. Nothing has changed. Recent coverage in the media on Christian evangelism and also, separately, the chaupati practice highlight some of the issues.

It has been proven that the lowest "castes" convert most easily to Christanity, the untouchables if you will. In rural areas, they are still prevented from using the same water taps as others. They are even prevented from entering temples. Having no stake in the prevailing religion, it is no surprise they convert, especially when motivated by evangelical bounties of money, education and health. The fault then lies not so much in the crusading fervour of the evangelists, though they are not fully innocent, but in the way we practice our own religion, Sanatan Dharma, often "abbreviated" to the term Hinduism. 

Chaupati is the practice, prevalent mostly in western Nepal, where women have to live in a shed during menses and after childbirth. This practice has just been criminalised by the Supreme Court. But apparently it continues in many parts, without adequate enforcement of the law.

Taking just these two phenomena - casteism and chaupati - which have both been illegalized but are prevalent socially, we can see the need for reforms. The other issues have already been mentioned in the blog below. Equality, women's rights, spiritualism as opposed to ritualism, the monopoly of Brahmins on religious events...one can go on and on. I believe in Nepal being a Hindu State; but it is not enough to have more or less ineffective rallies shouting for it without concrete steps to reform the religion. Education is of course essential. But we do not have our own religion in the school curriculum. Neither do we have the equivalent of "Sunday schools". We follow out-of-date rituals without real knowledge of our religion. We listen to Sanskrit prayers at every religious ceremony without understanding a word. A force for reform has to come forward. The secular government will not.

The Proselytization Conundrum

https://www.facebook.com/francoisgautierofficial/posts/830044567094429

Francois Gautier is a French political writer and journalist based in India since 1971. The above link is a post by Gautier in FaceBook today.

He pinpoints the Jesuits, which is not necessarily true for Nepal where proselytizing is mainly the domain of Protestant groups. Churches are mushrooming in the country; the last census put the Christians as 1.5% of the population, that proportion has increased rapidly over the past 4 years. A significant portion of the blame is due to the non-reformist nature of Hinduism. A Dalit or an untouchable treated as a pariah by their fellow Hindus has no stake in Hinduism. Given the right motivation, not just spiritual but also education, health and finanancial, he/she will readily convert to Christanity. And who is to blame them for that? On the other hand, the missionary zealots who see Jesus Christ as the exclusive saviour of souls are no less to blame. They are tearing apart the intrinsic culture and traditions of society for their own purposes.

The caste system has been illegalized, but exists socially especially in rural areas. Without awareness raising and education, this social disease cannot just be litigated away. Further, if the judiciary system cannot, and it does not, enforce the fact that casteism is illegal, reforms become well-nigh impossible. There are needed reforms which must be addressed by the pro-Hindu state advocates. Not enough to just shout for a Hindu Rashtra while turning a blind eye to areas in Hinduism which need imminent reform. The status of women, the barring of non-Hindus to convert to Hinduism, the monopoly of Brahmins in rituals and ceremonies, the eclipsing of spiritualism by pedantic ritualism, and the list could go on. A concrete example: Pashupatinath Temple is arguably the most sacred Hindu site in the country; there is a sign at the entrance "Only Hindus Allowed". As a Hindu, I have visited churches, mosques, and Jewish temples all over the world. Why do we feel threatened by non-Hindus entering our holiest shrine? And, actually, the sign basically keeps out only Caucasians and Africans because anybody who 'looks' like a Hindu can enter. Or as a friend told me, there is a church in Cracow, Poland, with a sign outside "Enter to pray only". Pretty practical, I daresay. 

The Old School Tie

The Old School is, of course, St. Xavier’s School Jawalakhel and Godavari where we had the fortune to receive our primary and secondary school education. Established in the 1950s by American Jesuits as the first English medium school in the country, the education we received there was second to none, world-wide.

It has been almost 47 years since we graduated from STX. We gather periodically to reminisce and talk about current events, history, books, our children and grandchildren and so on, assisted by generous helpings of libations of our choice, tasty snacks and a traditional Nepali meal of dal, bhat, tarkari (lentil soup, rice, curried vegetables and meat) with spicy pickles. These glorious evenings with friends I have known since 5th grade and earlier remind me why I have come home after retirement.

A case in point was this past weekend when classmate Buddha and I went over to another classmate, Govind’s, house for an overnight stay. Being with two friends with godlike names (Govind is another name for Krishna) and both of them being medical doctors, I felt secure spiritually and physically! Govind lives in the southern extremes of the city beyond the ring road. The peace, quiet, greenery and the fresh air were nothing but rejuvenating. We went up to the balcony to enjoy the dusk view of the Chandagiri Hills, Hattiban, and Swayambhunath and the airport further away. Scotch for them, beer for me, accentuated by ham from Flat Iron Grill with green olives, we had a merry time discussing medical issues and more.

Then it was time to watch Roger Federer at the Wimbledon semifinals. We descended to the living room and watched the grace of the great man while Govind prepped the dinner. Dinner was traditional Nepali with a ‘masala’ pickle kindly donated by one of our spouses. Post-sumptuous dinner, we settled down to watch tennis again with organic home-grown cucumber and tomatoes for snacks. It was getting late, Roger was way ahead, so time to turn in; the next morning was the hike starting at 6 am.

Morning dawned fresh and cool with a few sprinkles of rain. The sturdy doctors headed out while I, not as fit as them, slept in. I woke up to find myself trapped in the house. The front door was latched from outside by a super-efficient house help after seeing the docs leave, and there was no back door; well, apparently there was but I didn’t see it! I curled up with my novel awaiting the docs’ arrival. Almost three hours later, after a scintillating hike passing many temples, they arrived and released me from my comfortable bondage! A quick coffee and Buddha and I headed home leaving Govind to his splendorous solitude.

Besides the above excursion, meeting school classmates, health allowing, at home, restaurants or the alumni association premises are the events that add spice to a rather reclusive retired existence. We have had a number of class get-togethers, usually stag and especially when classmates living abroad return for a visit. From the 36 in our high school graduating class, 20+ are in Kathmandu, some live abroad and a few have sadly passed away. The camaraderie that exists among a group who have been at school together surpasses any bonding that is acclaimed these days by psycho-experts. There is no barrier to what we can talk about, share or confide. Whether it be school reminiscences, randy jokes, political discussions, business talk or just bantering volleys, everything and anything goes. It is almost a catharsis of the soul!

How much longer must they wait?

After the previous blog on being a sports fan, time to talk about something more serious. Most chiya pasals (tea shops) don’t have television anyway.

Nepal’s Great Earthquake struck in April/May 2015. It killed 8,790 people, injured 22,300 and affected more than 9 million. 490,000 houses were destroyed, 265,000 houses were left uninhabitable and 3.5 million people were left homeless.

It is July 2017 now – two years and four months later! The current monsoon is the third after the earthquake. Of the 755,000 houses destroyed or made uninhabitable by the earthquake, construction of only 32,195 houses have been completed. 102,986 houses are under construction and are to be completed before the Dashain festival which begins on 21 September. In effect, 18% of all destroyed and uninhabitable houses are expected to be completed by this September, not a figure to be proud of.

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA, not to be confused with the (in)famous US organization with the same acronym) harps on new houses not being in compliance with the government standard. It is apparently extending additional grants of Rupees 20,000-50,000 (about USD 190-490) to bring houses in remote areas up to the standard. Engineers are also apparently being trained to renovate structures to make them earthquake-resilient. The term “apparently” has been liberally used because this information has been culled from newspapers, and I cannot stand guarantee for the information. In any case, if engineers are still under training, what has the NRA been doing for over two years?

The 82% of houses still to be constructed means that the former occupants of those destroyed or uninhabitable houses are facing a third monsoon under makeshift structures, hard put to keep the heavy rains out. Of course, when winter comes in November, they have to suffer the cold for a third year again.

The Donors’ Conference for the earthquake garnered pledges of $4.1 billion, not a paltry sum. The housing and reconstruction needs cost over $6 billion. But the results above indicate a slow-moving bureaucratic approach which is not what disaster management ought to be. The construction of new houses must be speeded immensely without further delay. The excuse of new houses not meeting government standards is no excuse: (a) people may have been forced to build them because government assistance was so slow in delivery; and (b) it is the NRA’s duty to ensure adequate monitoring of new houses so that they meet the standards. That it has to doll out additional funds clearly indicates that the original funds were inadequate. The political delay in constituting the NRA itself, two years ago, speaks volumes about the approach to alleviating the circumstances of those affected by the earthquake.

Not much more to say. The situation is clear from the above diatribe. Housing the homeless created by the earthquake must be the foremost national objective. Let us hope the new government is listening.

Reflections of a Sports Fan

Now that tennis, football (soccer) and track and field days are over, one is relegated to watching sports on TV avidly. Well, my tennis racquets are still around somewhere and perhaps I shall get out on the courts again. Maybe hit a few balls when the grandkids get a little older. Football, played for the school alumni association and later at the United Nations, is out of the question now. Track and field ended with high school.

Currently, it’s the strawberry and cream on grass season, Wimbledon tennis. The last match on centre court, usually the most attractive, ends at 12.30 a.m. local time. A longish siesta, one of the privileges of being retired, usually does the trick of staying up late. The Gang of Four – Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, a cosmopolitan group of Swiss, Spanish, Serbian and British (Scottish) respectively – have had a stranglehold on the Wimbledon men’s title in recent history. Though Murray is ranked #1 as the defending champion and is the hometown favourite, Nadal is full of confidence after winning the French Open at Roland Garros in May, Djokovic is always dangerous though he slipped down from #1  this year but has won Wimbledon three times in the past, and Federer wants his 8th Wimbledon title and is coming off a grass court win in Germany. At 35, the Swiss would be the oldest Wimbledon champion and would break Pete Sampras’ record of seven Wimbledon titles, which he has already tied. I identify with and root for the “old man” of tennis, and many experts, including Boris Becker who won Wimbledon at the age of 17, consider him the favourite this year. Federer's tennis is so graceful, none of that double-handed backhand, that it is the proverbial poetry in motion.

The women’s championship at Wimbledon this year is up for grabs since Serena Williams has taken time off to have a baby. The ladies play beautifully of course, but the grunts quite a few emit at each stroke, pioneered some years ago by Monica Seles, often creates a cacophony that takes away from the game. Now the men have started grunting too though not as shrilly.  Angelique Kerber, seeded #1, has advanced to the second round. Simona Halep is seeded second, Karolina Pliskova third and Elina Svitolina fourth. Except for Kerber, who is German, the Eastern European ladies seem to have the ‘eye of the tiger’ more than others. After Wimbledon, the last of the annual Grand Slams with the largest prize purse, the US Open in Flushing Meadows takes place in September. I once lived in that area within earshot of the cheering but always watched the tournament on TV. Live watching does not have replays!

The FIFA Confederations Cup, a warm-up for next year’s World Cup football in Russia, concluded recently with a young German team beating Chile in the finals. Portugal, with Christiano Ronaldo who with the exception of Argentine Leo Messi is the finest footballer around, was third and Mexico fourth. Though Germany, the defending World Cup holders, won, Chile, the South American champion, performed admirably and conceded a lone goal to lose off a horrendous mistake by one of their defenders. The Russians appear well prepared to host the World Cup looking at the way they hosted the Confederations Cup. Difficult to say the same for Qatar which is supposed to host the WC in 2022.

Prior to the above football bonanza, the ICC Champions Trophy cricket in England and Wales was a thriller. Especially when India and Pakistan, arch-rivals, ended up in the finals and the former was upset by the latter. The venue of the tournament could perhaps have been chosen better. Many matches were affected by rain and the Duckworth-Lewis system applied to shortened matches is not always fair. India had beaten Pakistan in the round-robin stage, but Pakistan then upset South Africa, Sri Lanka, England and finally India to win the trophy well-deservedly.

The annual Indian Professional League cricket tournament was played in April-May. Eight teams representing cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Pune vie for the IPL trophy. Top players from Australia, Sri Lanka, England, West Indies, Bangladesh and Afghanistan play in the IPL along with the Indian cricketers. Played in the T20, 20 overs per team, format, the matches last about three hours rather than the One Day Internationals which last six hours and the Test Matches which can last up to five days! Though cricket purists consider the Tests only as real cricket, T20’s action is what the fans want. No other cricket tournament offers as much money as the IPL. Since the IPL’s inception nine years ago, I have rooted staunchly for the Mumbai Indians. Initially, my fascination with them was Sachin Tendulkar, one of the cricketing greats, and the Sri Lankan Lasith Malinga, whose bowling was nonpareil in its speed and accuracy. Tendulkar retired a few years ago. Malinga, due to injuries and age, is not what he was. But I do still support Mumbai. It was a joy to see Mumbai win the IPL this year, for the third time.

So these are the sports that provide exciting yet relaxing entertainment for me, and the occasional Track and Field meets including the Olympics of course. That Nepal has yet to win an Olympic medal is a downer but time will tell. The sports fare on television here include American basketball (NBA), American baseball, golf, badminton, ping pong and professional wrestling, which I think is basically action acting. Golf is less interesting without Tiger Woods; and the basketball and baseball are televised in the early morning, not the ideal time for TV viewing.

As an epilogue, the cable system here is such that heavy rain causes the TV to freeze, for up to 20 minutes sometimes. This is not ideal while watching any show, especially sports. So we have to put up with a lot of this during the current monsoon rains.#

Banished for Bleeding

This post is inspired by a BBC video, with the same title, posted on FaceBook by a former colleague and friend. The writer is blogging after an absence of a year and the last two posts were on cricket. So this is also an effort to deal with a socially relevant issue.

In India, it is estimated that school girls lose two months of the school annually due to their monthly menses. In parts of Nepal, where this custom has been illegalized since 2005, girls and women are still banished to a cattle shed during menses. Even in the educated urban environment women are shunned for five days during menses as untouchable. They are also excluded from all religious activities and visit to temples. Tied to the ideas of a woman's 'virtue' and 'purity', some religious cultures consider menstruation (a reproductive health element) religiously impure and ceremonially unclean.

The medical definition of menses is the flow of blood that comes from a woman's body each month. Menstruation is caused when the ovaries start to produce female hormones in girls around puberty which cause changes in the lining of the uterus. Every month, during the Period, the lining of the womb is shed, together with some blood. The time between the start of one period and the start of the next is known as the menstrual cycle. The bleeding May last from 2 to 7.days. Menopause, when the menstrual cycle ends, occurs usually between the ages of 45 and 55. So this is all a natural biological function within the female body.

For those who adhere to "natural methods of birth control", the menstrual cycle can be used to achieve pregnancy during periods identified as fertile or to avoid pregnancy during fertile days. Of course, this natural method of birth control which employs unprotected sex, is not as reliable as more modern methods such as IUD, pill or condom.

The point being made here is that it is high time that we, men and women, discard the stigma of menses and consider it as natural a phenomenon as child-birth. The term menses was first used in 1597; let us step out of the 16th century! In fact, in ancient England, the start of a girl's menstruation was called rather glowingly "flowering" and a flowered girl was ready for marriage. Of course we don't want to go that far and condone child marriage.

Howzat!

The IPL regular season ended yesterday. The 4 teams who made it to the playoffs start their matches tomorrow, with the finals on the 29th: Gujarat, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kolkota. Mumbai, 'my team' and the defending champion, ended their season 5th.

Below are the verses I have been writing for the past 6 weeks (the two 3-line verses are attempts at Japanese haiku):

Howzat!

The floodlights shine bright

Players huddle and take the field

The opening batsmen saunter to the wickets

Game time in Hyderabad!

Sharma, Buttler, Guptill, McClenaghan

Pollard and Rayudu

Ready with their willow woods

Squint at the bowlers

Experienced Nehra, young Rahman and Kumar

Flaunt their wiles with the cork

It was to be Hyderabad’s day

As Warner demolished the MI bowlers

Cool Wednesday morning two days later

MI to take on RCB

The vaunted scoring of Kohli

The sporadic brilliance of Gayle

MI batsmen have to step up today

Not rely on Bhajji to top-score!

The record of 1-3 needs a’ changin’

Or else ‘Tis going to be a mighty bore

MI beat RCB last night

T'was bliss to see Kohli and de Villiers

Out in the same over

Watch out Delhi, it will be Sad Saturday

Lions felt Sun's heat

Devils will dare nought tomorrow

Pune vs RCB, who cares... (Today) 

No cricket today

Family celebration dinner

Awaiting tomorrow's match

MI, MI, MI...

Must try and stay awake

To savour the victory

Seems RCB won last night

Planned to skip parties for MI 

Relieved match is at Four

Despite Captain Rohit’s heroics

Delhi won by 10 runs

Now eight more matches

For MI to come out with blazing guns

Slept through MI's win last night

Old age creeping up perchance

It was not much of a fight

Thursday, KKR will feel MI's lance

Watching Thu match with friends

And libations of course

Glad not to be alone or too sleepy

To savour MI's winning bourse

    Will be watching Thu match alone after all

    Being the sole cricfan in these woods

    Ah well, so be it

    Just so long as MI brings home the goods

     MI did win and jump to 3rd place

     Alas, Delhi and Hyderabad won yesterday too

     So it's Gujarat, DD, KKR 'n Hyderabad in top four

     MI will need to claw its way up tonight

    Cool Cap Dhoni's Pune team

    Will be taken by MI

    Must keep alive the dream

    Will be watching with a cousin/friend tonight

      Pune was taken and MI vaulted to #2

      Then Kolkota won last night and MI now #3

       It's a roulette between these two, Gujarat and Delhi 

       Latter two play tonight and Gujarat must win

       Or else beloved MI will be #4! 

IPL saga unfolds yet

#1 Gujarat slaughtered by Delhi last night

Now MI is #4

Their next match on Sunday shall be a fight. 

Kolkota beat Punjab last night 

And tops Standings now

Followed by Gujarat and Delhi

While to #4 MI takes a bow

DD plays Pune tonight

Negative rooting again

For Pune to win the fight. (.... Sorry, Deepak) 

Maybe #3 spot will then be MI's to gain

Mi resting till Sunday 

When Hyderabad will prove litmus test 

Meanwhile hoping other 3 teams in top four

Keep losing, encouraging MI to perform best.

Dozed off of course

But woke up to see the end

When Pune beat Delhi 

Driving some folks around the bend! 

Four crucial games remain

Mumbai 5th with Delhi just ahead

Revived Bangalore/Virat catching up

We must gather to watch more games!

For MI's sake, got to keep DD at bay

May de Kock be blinded by the Rising Sun

Let Warner do his batting voodoo 

And let Zaheer's Devils fall under the gun. 

‘Twas a dismal night

MI bundled out for 124 runs

Watch out Daredevils and Lions

As MI performs its usual last-stand heroics

It was a Sad Sunday

As Kolkota and Bangalore

Secured their playoff births

The four qualifiers now decided

With MI only fifth

Shall await the next season

To see MI victorious again! 

_________________________________________________________

Cricket Fever

IPL, Indian Premier League, is a bit of a misnomer. The eight teams in the league have top players from all over the world battling side by side with the Indian players - they come from Australia, Bangladesh, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies to play in the most lucrative cricket league in the world. The format is the shortest form of the game, T20 i.e. 20 overs or 120 balls per side. These 240 balls still take 3+ hours to be bowled; but this certainly is shorter than the One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test Matches, which last six hours and up to five days respectively.

Most folks, especially those in countries where the game is not popular, think of cricket as 22 men in white trousers, shirts and even half-sleeved sweaters, playing leisurely, even breaking for tea. A "gentleman's sport" is its traditional label. These are Test Matches. I have never watched a full one and do not intend to, so I shall not elaborate more on these here. Some hard-core cricket pundits consider these as 'real cricket' and shrug off the shorter forms of the game as aberrations. I don't even watch the ODIs unless it is the World Cup. The T20s fit my persona best.

If you expect to see men in sedate white knocking around the ball gently, T20 cricket can shock you. The team uniforms are in bright colours, each team has cheerleaders prancing away, and the runs come fast and furious. Some teams sometimes score 200+ runs off the allocated 120 balls; some, on a bad day, don't even cross 100 runs. IPL crowds, in cricket-crazed India, are loud, so loud that the umpires often have to make extra effort to be heard. I have seen bare-chested spectators, male, with their team's colours painted garishly on their bodies. Further, each team is owned privately, mostly by film stars and business tycoons. Watching colorful owners like dimpled Priety Zinta of Kings XI Punjab, Bollywood icon Sharukh Khan of Kolkota Knight Riders, or Mrs. Nita Ambani (Reliance Industries, owned by her husband Mukesh Ambani, the richest industrialist in India) of the Mumbai Indians are almost as much fun as watching the goings-on on the cricket pitch.

Game time, in Nepal, is 8.15 pm daily, except for the weekend double-headers when there is a first match at 4.15 pm. Glued to the television with all required paraphernalia lined-up along side the easy chair, one tries to make a real enjoyable evening out of cricket heroics. Often the games end around mid-night so staying awake, especially while watching the match alone, can prove difficult. But there are times when friends drop by. The enjoyment is greater with the ambiance and libations, even though few of them know the intricacies of cricket.

Nepal, never colonized by Britain or anyone else, is a latecomer to cricket. Even at school, football, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, and even softball, took precedence over the occasional cricket outing. But in recent times, cricket in Nepal has advanced to such an extent that the national team brings home more laurels than the national football team. Still our generation is not very familiar with the game, which has a language of its own. I had the fortune to be based in India and Pakistan for eight years during my UN days. In the 1990s, before the advent of cable, there wasn't much else to watch sports-wise on  TV than cricket. While in India, I watched Pakistan win the World Cup; the team was captained by Imran Khan, now a prominent politician. Four years later, while in Pakistan, I watched Sri Lanka lift the World Cup. It felt good to be a South Asian.

To my American friends, cricket is somewhat like your baseball. A home run is when the batter hits the ball outside the field boundary, getting 6 runs. The ball reaching the field boundary gets 4 runs. Crisis-crossing each other, since there are two batters at opposite ends of the bowling pitch, after hitting a stroke garners runs totaling the number of crisis-cross. Actually you have to watch a game to figure out what I'm talking about! My friend from New York was here for a couple of weeks; we watched cricket and now he's an expert on the game. I kind of repaid him for all the Mets baseball games he took me to while I was based in NYC.

So anyway, before this post becomes an epic, let me simply share my joy on these IPL evenings and on cheering for my favourite team, Mumbai Indians. No, I'm not receiving a commission from the Ambanis for supporting or writing about their team. I started supporting MI since the IPL began seven years ago. There were two players who inspired me: Sachin Tendulkar, one of the opening batsmen, and Lasith Malinga, a speed bowler. Sachin has since retired. Malinga is out this season with an injury. But I remain a MI fan, through thick and thin. It is the defending IPL champion, but is languishing in 5th place currently. Still four games remain, and it just has to be among the top 4 teams to enter the play-offs. Keeping my fingers crossed.

(To keep abreast of the current IPL season, please visit ESPNCricinfo.com)

About Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs)

[This piece is based on a recent interview of Dr. Sesh Ghale, President, Non-Resident Nepalis Association (NRNA) on Sagarmatha Television by prominent telejournalist, Mr. Jibram Bhandari.]

It was inspiring to listen to Dr. Ghale's quiet succinct answers to the probing questions posed by Jibramji. Dr. Ghale, one of the ten richest men in Australia, a Russia-trained engineer who started his working life in the Nepali government's Road Department, is in the process of building a 5-star hotel in Kathmandu. He stated frankly that most investors would have cut their losses and left after last year's earthquake, the Madhesi/India blockade and the general lack of investment incentives from the government. But he wants to give back something to his motherland, so he continued.

Excluding those in India, there are more than 4 million Nepalis working abroad, in Malaysia and the Middle East (Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, etc.). NRNA's membership is only 50,000 and efforts are being made to increase this. It was apparent that there are NRN associations in various countries who shy away from placing themselves under the NRNA umbrella. The remittance sent home by the workers in Malaysia and the Middle East account for 50% of Nepal's GDP. The government has yet to take the lead in assisting these workers, mostly menial labourers and security guards, with issues such as insurance and training. Dr. Ghale emphasized that this is the government's responsibility, not NRNA's. Far too many instances exist where there is a confrontational relationship between workers and the Nepali Embassies in their country of work.

To the question regarding what is the main bottle-neck to foreign/NRN investment, Dr. Ghale categorically said that a major disincentive is the bureaucracy. To another question asking his opinion on a common view that NRNs spend their productive years abroad and come home "to die" so why should they get any benefits, the answer was interesting. The vast majority of NRNs who retire here are quite well off and do not seek any local benefits. On the contrary, they can contribute expertise and even finances towards development. So any hostility towards them is quite misplaced.

Another issue covered was the young retirement age of civil/government servants in Nepal. In
Australia, it seems they work even up to 70 years of age as long as they are able and can contribute.

As regards post-earthquake rebuilding efforts, NRNA has allocated Rupees 4,20,00000/- (USD approx. 400,000) towards the construction of 1,000 houses in Laprak, near the epicenter of the quake, to make it a model village.

The issue of dual citizenship for NRNs was only briefly touched upon. If I heard correctly, NRNA is not pushing for this at this time. Nepal does not yet allow dual citizenship. A child usually takes on the citizenship of the father, whether Nepali or expatriate. This has forced many single women, whose foreign husband/partner have left them, to raise children without citizenship. On the other hand, I understand dual citizenship would create a flood of new citizens along the southern border with Nepali/Indian nationalities - a political quagmire. I wish the dual citizenship issue was dealt with more thoroughly in the interview.

On the whole I laud both interviewee and interviewer for an informative as well as inspirational, given Dr. Ghale's life story, interview.

A Little Angel

I thought I'd feel older when I became a grandfather. I could not have been more off the mark. My granddaughter was pretty much a stranger to me during the initial months, as breastfeeding and nappy changing are not my forte'.  But now that she is almost two, I can only describe her and our relationship as - Bliss! She epitomizes what family bonds mean. Her innocence is something to admire, having lost mine in so many ways. Her speech is pure and sweet as the nightingale's. Watching her toddle around is to marvel at the innate balance we have. Let me now restrain myself before I break out into poetry. I do wish I could kick a ball around with her, but her interest in football has not emerged yet. I do dream of a time when she can play for the Nepali or the US national women's team, presuming she will have dual nationality by then. The other sport I can play, tennis, will have to wait maybe two more years before I can take her out to the courts. This time, I will dispose her in the hands of a professional coach; I tried teaching my daughter, her mother, with unexpected results! Perhaps some day she will play tennis with the grace of a Sharapova, minus the grunts, the power of a Serena and the internal strength of a Hingis.

Wishing her Good Morning makes my day. She comes with me to blow out the candle I have burning most of the time, a personal oddity. I help her blow out the flame and then she's good to go for the day, meeting uncles and aunts next-doors and frolicking in the garden. Her outdoorsyness more than balances my generally reclusive indoor life. After her oil massage and bath she comes in her dress, already chosen by herself, with a black mascara 'Tika' on her forehead. The Tika looks good, though its main purpose as per local urban legend is to ward off the 'evil eye'. I can hear her talking and shouting, very rarely crying, through the day as she keeps the house lively while I lead my quiet retired life.

I was with her, in the third floor of the house, on that fateful day last year when the earthquake visited. Huddled together with her nanny, she screaming all the while, we rode out the shaking and the humming until it was safe to run down the stairs. It was a blessing that she bore no trauma, maybe because she was only ten months old and too young.

My mention above of "family bond" is not light. A premature retirement from the UN meant returning home; I had never given a thought to retiring anywhere else though there were choices. The extended family and old friends drew me, without hesitation, to Nepal. Eight years later, despite disappointments when one idealizes too much, I have no regrets. My daughter and son-in-law joining us three years ago, to pursue their career interests here, was simply icing on the cake. The nuclear family, if one can call it that, is complete - the little angel at its head, not me. 

One Year After...contd.

So tomorrow, in the Nepali calendar, and the day after, in the western calendar, is the first anniversary of the "Great Earthquake" of 2015. A quiet sunny Saturday morning brings back memories of that fateful Saurday last year when the quake, which we knew was expected, finally arrived.

Aftershocks still continue though few are near enough to be felt in Kathmandu. Reconstruction of ruined houses continue, for those who can afford it. The rest still huddle in makeshift shelters waiting and hoping for help from the ineffective government. Around 8,700 people lost their lives. Besides loss of lives and property, the survivors have to deal with the more complicated less discernible effects - from the trauma caused by the quake. An expatriate friend returned to his country with his Nepali family due to the trauma retained by his small daughter. Another young boy I know, very independent and free, insisted on sleeping daily with his mother after the quake. I, myself, have pushed the memory of that deadly minute to the depths of my mind; it is quite unnerving to relive. I was lucky that my granddaughter was only 10 months old and too young to have any after-effects. For those who can remember, every loud noise and every ordinary shake of furniture make the spine tingle and the limbs ready to flee.

Mental health services, never strong in Nepal, did try and offer the maximum psychosocial counseling possible in the wake of the quake. I doubt that it made much of a dent. Psychosocial workers were trained, I gather, and sent to offer services to the neediest. I think they were too few and not all of the training were of the required standard. I can but imagine the trauma-stricken children and adults who still walk around with its after-effects - those who suffer the after-shocks in their minds.

The government National Reconstruction Authority was formed belatedly after much political quibbling and remains still a white elephant. If the newspapers are to be believed, the process of assisting the neediest has commenced. Getting about USD 2,000 to those who lost their houses has proven to be a Herculean task. Apparently the residents of the village of Barpak in Gorkha, the epicenter of the quake, have started rebuilding with what little resources they have. As for the 4.1 billion US dollars pledged by the international community post-earthquake, well, I only wish an objective audit would be carried out to see how many of our leaders would have mud on their faces.

Meanwhile, as per the US Geological Survey's probability analysis done last June, there is still an 80% chance of a 5-6M aftershock until 24 June 2016. There is a 1:200 chance of a quake/aftershock stronger than the original 7.9M; let's not even think about that! 

Cricket Anyone?

The T20 World Cup is just over followed almost immediately by the Indian Premier League. The West Indies took the World Cup in swashbuckling fashion. Now the eight IPL teams are settling in into their long season, 9 April - 29 May. Though it is an Indian league, it attracts the top players from all over the Test cricket countries and more. The daily matches begin here at 8.15 p.m. And the next three hours are lost in the glorious haze of the battle royale between two teams, focused on a pitch 22 yards long and 10 feet wide.

Eyes focus on the two batsmen across 22 yards of the bowling pitch, the opposing bowler who is essentially out to get the scalps of those batsmen, and a green oval field speckled by ten others of the bowling team. The crowd, especially in cricket-crazed India, gets so loud that the umpires' verdicts are often drowned out by their noise.

Batsmen the likes of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, David Warner (impossible to include all the stars) walk jauntily to the wickets crease and try and psych out the bowler with their boundaries (4 runs) or sixers. The big hitters hardly go for 1 or 2 runs: they have only 20 overs and they are confident of their hitting prowess. The bowlers, in turn, are the duelists against the batters. The seamers, fast ballers, try and intimidate the batsmen with their speed, often reaching 140+ km.\hr. Their bouncers justify why the batsmen wear helmets similar to that in American football. The spinners, who usually get more wickets (outs) than the seamers are a tricky lot. They make their balls twirl and change directions like magicians. The West Indians, Narine and Badree, are master slow ballers. For me, no fast baller can compare with the panache of the Sri Lankan Malinga, though there are others like the South African Steyn and some Australians who in recent times may have better records.

I root for the Mumbai Indians and not because they are the defending IPL champions. I have been rooting for MI since the IPL began around seven years ago, because Malinga bowled for them and the great Sachin Tendulkar opened their batting. Sachin has retired and Malinga is missing this IPL season with injury; but I stay loyal to MI. They still have batsmen the caliber of Simmons and Rohit Sharma and bowlers led by the veteran 'Bhaji' Singh who can swing a mean bat too.

Interesting how cricket has become internationalized over the years. It was invented in 17th century England and was limited initially to the royal courts. When the sun never set on the British Empire, the game caught hold in the colonies. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, West Indies, South Africa all took up the game with a vengeance. I think it is certainly the most popular game now in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, if not the others. Having lived and worked in India and Pakistan, I caught the cricket fever because in those days, the 1990s, there wasn't much else to watch on TV by way of sports. Viewed Pakistan, with its Captain now turned politician Imran Khan, win the World Cup against England in India. Viewed Sri Lanka, while based in Pakistan, hoist the World Cup at the next World Cup. Cricket is now opening up and a second tier of countries play to qualify for the World Cup; Afhanistan, Netherlands, Scotland, UAE, USA, Zimbabwe - and Nepal too - participate in tournaments to get a chance to play the Big Boys. Afghanistan and Bangladesh had qualified to play in the recent T20 World Cup; the former beat West Indies in the round-robin and the latter lost to India by a single run.

Test cricket, with all players in white and breaking for tea, though still played has given way to One Day Internationals and T20. A test match can last up to five days; in ODIs each team gets to bat 50 overs (300 balls) and usually lasts around six hours; while T20s have 20 overs (120 balls) for each team and lasts, thankfully, about three hours. I have enough patience only to watch T20 Matches and, only when it's the World Cup, ODIs.

Well, it's almost time. Mumbai is playing Kolkota. Gotta go root for MI!

One Year After

Monday, 25th April 2016 marks the first anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal last year causing almost 19,000 fatalities and massive destruction of property. Much has been written on what has happened and what sadly remains to be done. This is a personal perspective, leaving the other aspects to the pseudo-intelligentsia.

Huddled on the third floor with my 10 months old grand-daughter and her nanny, the shaking and the ominous humming, at around noon that Saturday, seemed to last forever. It did last almost a minute. There was no time to be frightened. Pure self-preservation kicked in, there was no question of running down the staircase; we were thrown off our feet, quickly recovered and went into a rugby-like huddle to keep ourselves stable. We rushed down to the house parking lot as soon as the shaking stopped. Little did we know that countless aftershocks would follow. A sizable crowd of neighbours had gathered in our parking lot since apparently it was the only open space in the vicinity. A neighbour was having a Buddhist ceremony performed, so there were about 20 monks also in the compound. The motley crowd, now numbering more than 50, was in shock especially as the aftershocks came fast and not far in between. Cell phones were not very effective while we tried to reach family members away from home. Texting was slightly better. Soon all family members were safely back home. The Internet was down, but only for a couple of hours. Of course, we immediately disconnected the electricity even though there was none.

It was a relief that the house had not crumbled, though we were to discover numerous cracks later on. The monks left in the afternoon. We were left with around 40 neighbours – children, women and men – who did not want to return to their homes as the aftershocks were continuing. At least we had plenty of bottled water for immediate needs. A building nearby which was rented by many expatriates was damaged beyond occupancy. So we had quite a cosmopolitan crowd of French, German, Italian
and even an Ukranian, besides the majority Nepalis.

As night set in, a light bulb was hooked up to the garage from the solar panels and a connection to recharge cell phones was also readied. The cars were removed  and the majority of our guests spread carpets and settled down for the night under the garage shed. We spent the first night in the car, not daring to use even the ground floor of the house; this continued for a few more nights. Gradually a few neighbours set up tents around the grounds. We were lucky it was not winter or the monsoon season.

We moved back into the ground floor of the house around the third or fourth night. We had neighbours in the front lot for the next month; most had returned home after a few days but returned after the second quake a week later. Food was brought from their homes and cooked in the open. Everyone was surprisingly quite self-sufficient. With the Internet back, we were able to know the
magnitude of the earthquake, 7.9 in the Richter scale, and follow the aftershocks on the US Geological Survey web site. A lot of the conversation focused on that web site to find out the epicenter and how strong the aftershocks were. Soon we settled down to the increasingly less frequent aftershocks. We became impervious to anything less than 5.0M!

We really did not know any of our neighbours before the earthquake. The biggest bonus from the disaster was the sense of community which developed in our neighbourhood. Now we know all our neighbours and how supportive and warm they are. They shared often the delicious Manangi momos (dumplings) they made for dinner. No more looking at surrounding houses with Buddhist banners and thinking how different people are because they come from another part of the country. I had an additional bonus. I did not have to watch the Indian Premier League cricket games alone anymore! We had our morning tea together while looking at the USGS reports Often we had our round of pre-dinner Ruslan (vodka) too to brace ourselves against  any nocturnal  aftershocks!


Another significant result of the quake was the number of queries from friends all over the world who sent emails, messaged on FaceBook or called to check on our safety. It was simply heart-warming. I reconnected with some  friends from college in the US with whom I had lost touch for about 40 years!

Now things are relatively normal. Sleeping late is still not possible because of the drilling and hammering in houses being reconstructed. We have yet to demolish and reconstruct a small portion of our house, that portion being about 150 years old and irrevocably damaged. The seismic energy in the moving fault lines under us has apparently not been spent. So another earthquake, perhaps a stronger one, is expected. When? Nobody can predict earthquakes. They say anything close to a 9.0M will pulverize the city. Meanwhile we feel blessed to be safe and sound. Life goes on as it must.

Let me attempt to sign off with a Haiku:

We huddled in shock
As the earth danced wantonly
Peace now till next time.

Birat K. Simha

World Mental Health Day, 10 October

Today, 10 October, is observed internationally as WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY. Events in various countries highlight the need to educate everyone about what mental health is. It is also an opportunity to de stigmatize mental disorders.

WHO estimates that fully 25% of Nepal's population suffers from some mental health issues - depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia being the major ones. The decade-long insurgency has further exacerbated the dent in the nation's mental health. The April earthquake and the current blockade have not improved matters. Mental health services are abysmal with around 50 psychiatrists, mostly in the capital, and even fewer psychotherapists. The next budget has zero allocation for mental health!

The next time you see a person with mental disorder, please do not dehumanize her/him by simply dismissing the person as mad, crazy, or worse. Mental disorders are rooted in chemical imbalance of the brain. Proper medication, therapy, support from family and friends, conducive environment, exercise, and spiritualism can pave the way for a perfectly normal productive life.

There is no health without mental health!

Blockade Update

Here is my understanding so far:

There is a Indian blockade, officially denied. The argument that there is no security in Terai for essential goods to pass through is stupid. The Army can provide absolutely secure transit of the convoys from India. Yes, it may have to come down hard on some of the Madhesi demonstrators; and that would be problematic to our neighbor.

Seems the Bihar election is a litmus test for PM Modi's BJP. The election concludes on 5 Nov, still more than a month away. Apparently 80% of Madhesis in Nepal originate from Bihar. So one can put two & two together.

At least 8 international laws and conventions are being broken by India with this blockade. Our government has not raised the issue. International community is twiddling its thumbs.

Seems NOC is not bound to obtain petroleum products exclusively from IOC. Was there really an offer from China to help out in this regards, an offer refused by our government? 

Terai parties have pre-conditions to sitting down for talks with the government. Unacceptable.

The responsibility for this entire mess falls on the brain-dead heads of the troika which fast-tracked the constitution without ameliorating Madhesh issues. In any sane nation, they would have payed a heavy price - political and otherwise!

Amen.

My Take on Current Indian Blockade

As I see it:

There is a blockade of essential goods coming into Nepal from India. Sure, it may be "unofficial" but there is no denying the reality of it. Rumour has it that things will improve when Mr. Modi returns to India from the US, today perhaps. Others link the blockade to a flexing of muscles by the politicians in Bihar, where elections - to conclude, by phases, on 5 Nov only - are underway and they want to look strong; apparently 80% of Nepali Madhesis are from Bihar.

On the home front, I do not see any serious dialogue between the government and the Terai parties yet. The former has to push for this; the latter needs to cease hiding behind Bihari dhotis.

Meanwhile, rationing of petroleum products is operational. Prices of food products have risen. There is a cloud of anti-Indian phobia across the land. Since yesterday, all Indian TV channels have been blocked out here.

Unfortunately, the Tatopani border point with China is still not operational after the earthquake's devastation. So essential goods not yet forthcoming from our Chinese friends.

Still a work in progress. Let us see who comes to their senses first!

Post-constitution Musings

To continue the last blog...well, the nation has been well and truly teased. Question remains whether we laugh or cry.

We have a federal constitution to which there is vociferous opposition from the Terai-based political parties and various indigenous and ethnic groups as well as those who see no need for federalism in this country. We have a secular state which will "preserve the Sanatan practices passed down through the ages"; a peculiar definition of 'secular' decipherable only to the troika who shoved the constitution down the throats of the sheep-like Constitutional Assembly members. We have annoyed Big Brother to the south by not listening to their suggestion to put off the promulgation until the Terai issues were ironed out. We rejoice at the success of a fast-tracked constitution which was delayed for seven years then approved in around seven days.

I'm not laughing. But who gives a damn! 

Teej and the Teasing of a Nation

Today is the fasting day of Teej, observed by women all over Nepal. The singing and dancing sober down today as women fast for the health and long life of their husbands or, for the unmarried, to find a good husband. Not being a believer in getting benefits from others' sacrifice,  I believe that, if they wish, they can fast; but they should not feel obliged to do so. Wearing red sarees, green beads joined by a gold ornament slung over a shoulder, women bear a certain aura today.

While Teej is being celebrated, the nation is being teased to an ominous situation by a cabal of politicians who cannot see further than their self-interest. Yes, of course, it is the new constitution "fast-tracked" for promulgation on Sunday 20 September 2015. If only our reconstruction and development efforts were fast-tracked in this manner! In four days, if the situation remains as is, this release of the long-awaited document may very well release the political fury of the Terai-based parties, the ethnic Tharus, Magars, Limbus, as well as those who have not given up yet on a Hindu state. The constitution was promised by a year after the last elections. That self-imposed deadline went by months ago. Now, in the name of I know not what, it is being rushed through without serious attempts at ameliorating the differences with the disgruntled parties. Various politicians are saying that prolonging the constitution drafting process will endanger the nation. Pardon my ignorance, but all that will be endangered is: Mr. Oli may have to wait a bit longer to be Prime Minister, the current Prime Minister also may have to wait to be President with the additional accolade of having promulgated the constitution during his watch, and the comrades are in a rush to ensure that a federated state comes into being quickly so that they don't look like fools if it does not.

Armageddon or Arcadia? Either way, the die is cast. 

An Open Letter to the United States of America

I posted this in the blog NepsliPerspectives 6 years ago, 2 years after taking retirement from the U.N. and prior to the writers' block that followed. Found it while Googling myself! Quite a bit of it is, not surprisingly, still relevant.
______________________________________________________

http://nepaliperspectives.blogspot.com/2009/06/open-letter-to-united-states-of-america.html

Why Sanatan Dharma in the Constitution

https://www.facebook.com/birat.simha/posts/10154211206962729

21st September & Beyond

I understand that the new constitution will be promulgated on Monday, 21 Sept. 2015 by the bumbling leaders (and I use the word with distaste) of the three parties - Nepali Congress, United Marxist-Leninist, and United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists).

NC takes pride in being the party which brought democracy to Nepal. That was when the astute visionary B.P. Koirala led the party. His youngest brother, the late Girija, left behind a hollow party sans principle sans direction. Its present leader and PM, another Koirala, is a septuagenarian suffering serous health problems.

The UML is neither united, Marxist or Leninist; at best it is mildly socialist, straddling the political fence between the NC and Maoists.

The Maoists are now divided into three factions: Prachanda's (UCPN-M); Baidya's, the more doctrinaire faction; and Chand's, which is the far left and even espouses armed rebellion once again. The first faction has the money, and money talks. The other two factions boycotted the last CA elections in protest and now want to flex their unelected muscles.

But it is the Sushil Koirala, KP Oli and PK Dahal troika who are in the process of coming out with a secular 7-state model constitution. Should they have the short-sighted hubris to do so, the constitution will be opposed by the Terai-based political parties, the Janajatis (inigenous ethnic groups) and the forces calling for a Sanatan Hindu state.  Reasons for this are already discussed in previous blogs. Women's groups aso have representational issues with the constitution draft. Why, many CA members of the three high-handed parties are opposing the current draft.

About two weeks still remain till "D-day". Whether the constitution will land safely in the mountains, valleys and plains of Nepal or whether this country will go up in the flames of religious and ethnic strife depends on how well the three oligarchs and their henchmen read the situation and prepare and plan. A pity I don't see the likes of Churchill or Eisenhower among them!