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#465 21 - 27 August 2009 16 pages Rs 30 Weekly Internet Poll # 466. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com Q. Will India give more support to Nepal’s peace process following the PM’s goodwill visit to India? Weekly Internet Poll # 465 Q. Has someone you know been injured in a traffic accident in the past year? Total votes: 718 In his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Madhav Nepal thanked India for its support for the peace and democratic process. He hoped this support will continue, and assured Delhi that he is committed to India-Nepal friendship. Translation: thank you for helping me get this job, please support this government, look I came here first and not China. I will retain the balanced policy you want at present of keeping the Maoists engaged, but out of the power alignment. The eastern Himalaya, encompassing Nepal, is a global biodiversity treasure trove with 353 new species discovered in the past ten years. But this ecosystem is now threatened by habitat destruction and climate change. One of the new species discovered here is the Impatiens namchabarwensis (above) which is normally deep blue but changes to purple when it gets hotter. Among the other new species are Nepal’s only scorpion and a 100 million year old gecko trapped in amber that lived before the Himalaya was even formed. Hot spot Nepal in India Mr Nepal’s Nepal Prashant Jha p2 A Pragmatic vassal CK Lal p3 The other Manmohan Ass p16 A Himalayan treasure trove p10-11 ELAYNE TAKEMOTO

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  • #465 21 - 27 August 2009 16 pages Rs 30

    Weekly Internet Poll # 466. To vote go to: www.nepalitimes.com

    Q. Will India give more support toNepal’s peace process following the PM’sgoodwill visit to India?

    Weekly Internet Poll # 465

    Q. Has someone you know been injuredin a traffic accident in the past year?

    Total votes: 718

    In his meeting with the IndianPrime Minister ManmohanSingh, Madhav Nepal thankedIndia for its support for the peaceand democratic process. Hehoped this support willcontinue, and assured Delhi thathe is committed to India-Nepalfriendship. Translation: thank

    you for helping me get this job, please support this government, look Icame here first and not China. I will retain the balanced policy youwant at present of keeping the Maoists engaged, but out of the poweralignment.

    The eastern Himalaya, encompassing Nepal, is a global biodiversitytreasure trove with 353 new species discovered in the past ten years.But this ecosystem is now threatened by habitat destruction and

    climate change. One of the new speciesdiscovered here is the Impatiensnamchabarwensis (above) which is normallydeep blue but changes to purple when it getshotter. Among the other new species areNepal’s only

    scorpion and a 100 millionyear old gecko trappedin amber that livedbefore the Himalayawas even formed.

    Hot spot Nepal in India

    Mr Nepal’s Nepal Prashant Jha p2

    A Pragmatic vassal CK Lal p3

    The other Manmohan Ass p16

    A Himalayantreasure trove

    p10-11

    ELAYNE TAKEMOTO

  • 2 21 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465EDITORIALPublished by Himalmedia Pvt Ltd, Editor: Kunda DixitCEO: Ashutosh Tiwari Design: Kiran MaharjanDGM Sales and Marketing: Sambhu Guragain [email protected] Manager: Subhash Kumar Asst. Manager: Arjun KarkiCirculation: Prakash Raut

    Hatiban, Godavari Road, Lalitpur Fax: 5251013GPO Box 7251, Kathmandu 5250333/845Printed at Jagadamba Press 5250017-19

    edi tors@nepal i t imes.comwww.nepal i t imes.com

    LLLLL E T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R SE T T E R S

    PLAIN SPEAKINGPrashant Jha

    CHITWAN & MELAMCHIThank you for your double-barrelled editorial(‘Harm reduction’, #464) exposing thegovernment’s incompetence. I doubt if it willmake any difference, though, because as youhint in your editorial both the Chitwan andMelamchi deals are lubricated by kickbacksand the decisions are never going to berational.

    Tashi Namgyal, email

    We really appreciate your leader onChitwan. A clear voice of reason. Many congratulations to you and Nepali Times.

    Leela Chhetri, email

    I have followed the whole saga of theChitwan resort controversy from the inside,and I’m afraid Nepal is committing tourismhara-kiri by letting this thing drag on. Youprobably couldn’t be more explicit in youreditorial than to say senior bureaucrats and thenew ministers want ‘a piece of the action’, butlet me spell it out to your readers that Nepal’stourism industry is being held hostage by acorrupt government and bureaucracy as well asrapacious private sector individuals who wantcontrol over the established resorts.

    Ganesh Shrestha, Chitwan

    the simultaneous catastrophic decline in civilisedsociety in Nepal is something that should beseriously examined. His late Majesty Mahendrahad very good reasons for exiling or imprisoningthe political bosses and outlawing their parties.

    Daniel Birch, USA

    ENERGY FROM GARBAGERatna Sansar Shrestha’s ‘Sharing WaterResources’ (#464) further illustrates how theyears and years of dreaming that Nepal willbecome rich from its hydropower proves is yetmore evidence that it was just that: a dream. Thegovernment has been talking about hydropowersaving the nation for at least the 20 years,ignoring other possibilities. The major resourcethat could be turned into energy, that is foundeverywhere in Kathmandu these days, isgarbage. Nepalis are ignoring what is right undertheir noses while pining away for hydropower thatwill never come. With global warming and Nepal’samazing glacial rivers too silty to be turned intohydropower without major problems, turninggarbage into power is the way forward for Nepal. Check out: http://wasteage.com/magwaste_wastetoenergy_chicagoarea_facility/and let’s get moving on a new energy plan forNepal, instead of sitting in the dark this winter.

    ’Jenny’, email

    IT’S A DISASTERThe cholera outbreak is fading from the headlines. Thosewho died are now just statistics. The country awaits thenext disaster, and when it happens the media will unleash aflashflood of coverage, everyone will hurl blame at eachother, and an unresponsive state will fumble again.

    It is hard to remember a time when there was such awide gap between what the country and its people urgentlyneed and the petty preoccupations of those who rule it. Thepeace process has got bogged down and development is ata standstill because of the political stalemate. The rhetoricof our leaders is getting shriller as they run each other downad nauseum.

    There is lots that needs to be done. We have to make upfor the decade we lost due to the war, and we have toaddress the poverty, inequality and exclusion that led to thatconflict in the first place. We have to meet an acute foodcrisis this winter and at the same time address the longer-term need for food security, education, health care, energy,jobs of a population of 40 million by 2020.

    Call it a volcano, a time bomb or whatever you like. Yet,weut you see neither the awareness nor an effort toformulate a strategy to deal with this unfolding calamity atdecision-taking and policy-making levels. Those of usattending the launch of the Nepal Human DevelopmentReport 2009 at the plush ball room of the Crowne Plaza theother day hung our heads in shame. Nepal has the lowestlife-expectancy of any country in South Asia, our maternaland infant mortality in pockets of the mid-west are at sub-Saharan levels.

    It’s not that there hasn’t been progress. In fact, despitethe war our overall development parameters will meet mostof the UN’s Milennium Development Goals by 2015. But thisadvance has been uneven and unequal. Only 35 per cent ofDalit women are literate, compared to 70 per cent amongBahun/Chhetri females. The trans-Karnali lags behind in allindicators. The eastern Tarai has a Human DevelopmentIndex almost as bad as the remote northwestern mountains.The Jajarkot epidemic showed a disproportionate number ofthose who died and were hospitalised were Dalits.

    Even natural disasters in this country are manmade,and the poor suffer more: landless settlements alongvulnerable flood plains, crowded tenements that floutseismic codes, droughts that lead to health epidemicsbecause of the lack of clean drinking water.

    The next big calamity is not a question of ‘if’, but“when”. As Jajarkot showed this year and Kosi last year, weare not prepared. In the short-term, a rapid response systemwith heavy-lift helicopters is long-overdue.

    For the future, however, there is really no other optionbut to raise the capacity of every Nepali family to cope: witheducation, jobs, food self-sufficiency and health care. It’snot too much to ask, and it can be done with bettergovernance and if we muster the political will.

    NEW DELHI–Madhav Nepalcame, he saw, and he left withoutas much as creating a ripple inthe Indian capital.

    If anything, the core messagethat Mr Nepal should be takinghome is that this is a new India.The Indian PMO may be keeping

    an eye on Nepal because ofsecurity interests, but it spendsfar more time and energy lookingout to the west finding ways tocarve a space in the world.

    The Indian media’s interest inNepal is narrowed to the interestof certain key senior journalistswho wield influence in theirnewsrooms to push a story orinterview. The businesscommunity may attend the fancyCII lunches but they areincreasingly disinterested andfrustrated with the political andeconomic drift in Nepal. Andanyway, Kathmandu barelyfigures on the radar of the bigbusiness houses influencingforeign policy.

    So who is Nepal, andsubsequently Mr Nepal, left within Delhi? Only a few politicianswho have little presence or say inIndian politics anymore (A BBardhan, D P Tripathi, P ASangma, Sharad Yadav), and theNepal desk officers of SouthBlock. The prospect of Nepal andIndia’s Nepal policy becominga larger issue of publicdebate in India is growingincreasingly dim.

    Except for a few dips andcops, no one is interested inNepal here. But those very fewmen and women decisively affectour politics.

    Madhav Nepal thanked Indiafor its support for the peace anddemocratic process. He hopedthis support will continue.Translation: thank you forhelping me get this job, please

    support this government, look Icame here first and not China. Iwill retain the balanced policyyou want at present of keeping theMaoists engaged, but out of thepower alignment.

    The most significant meetingof the trip was between MKN andManmohan Singh accompanied byPranab Mukherjee that lasted anhour and in which Singh firmlybacked Mr Nepal. The primeminister always saw this as atrust-building exercise and isconvinced that objective has beenaccomplished.

    The Indian side expressed itsfirm support to the government.The idea was to reassure MadhavNepal that they were with him, heshould be bold and assert himself.More importantly, Delhi waswarning the other Nepalipoliticians, Girija Koirala, PusphaKamal Dahal, Jhlanath Khanal,and Upendra Yadav, not todestabilise the presentarrangement. This was also athank you trip for Madhav Nepal’srole during the Katawal crisis.

    But a certain Ms Koiralacomplicated the plot andthreatened to convert it into moreof a farewell trip for Mr Nepal.Even during her preparatory visit,Sujata queered the pitch for thePM’s visit by blabbering in frontof the media after each meeting,playing up the discussions, andtalking about Indian promises.With the latest tantrum, sheundermined her own government.

    No one in Delhi is fond ofSujata and she wasn’t missed herethis week. But they understoodthat the signal was from Dad, andthey don’t like the rumours thathe is cosying up to the Maoists.India and the Maoists havethemselves started talking at fairlysenior levels, but at the momentofficials here insist that theysupport the Nepal governmentand any talk of an alternative iscounter-productive.

    “Don’t make it a self-fulfillingprophecy. Back this arrangement.

    Does Nepal want to just keepchanging governments all thetime?” asked one official.

    There is a growing recognitionin Delhi that the constitutionmay not be written on time. Notethat even when all Nepali actorswere claiming elections can’thappen, India insisted it wouldand used its leverage to pusheveryone towards the polls. Thistime, India seems pretty muchreconciled to the fact that theprocess cannot meet its timeline.What that means is that they maynot be using their leverage,beyond the usual rhetoric, topush it either.

    Mr Nepal made an appearanceand felt good about it. India waswarm and hospitable. Beyondthat, this trip has done little toresolve either the India-party-Maoist impasse or bring aboutany substantial change in India-Nepal relations.

    Nepal’s Mr Nepal

    While it might have been a bad idea tosuddenly close down lodges inside the park,especially seeing their contribution towardspromoting eco-tourism in Nepal, the government’smove should not be viewed with such cynicism.These resorts need to adhere to strict guidelines tobe able to operate inside the national park.However, that does not seem to be the case. Ifthey have been sticking to the guidelines, thenrenewing their licenseshould not be a problem.But perhaps these lodgeshave not been as earnest intheir operations and thusthey are creating the fuss.

    Priya Joshi,Kathmandu

    ARMS AND THE MANThe Guest Column by KulChandra Gautam (‘Rollbackviolence’, #460) about armsand their effect on societywas well written andarticulate. But, the idea thatthe development of aculture of criminality and armed violence is a sideeffect or by-product of the political developmentthat have taken place over the past 12 years is

    wrong. Rather than being a side effect, armedviolence and criminal behaviour was the hallmarkof the so-called movement for democracy from itsinception. When the Panchayat system was inplace, no one would dream of possessingweapons. There was no fear of violence orchaos for ordinary people. Even the police wereunarmed. The idea that the political changes inNepal over the past couple of decades represent

    some sort of social progressor improvement is absurd.The situation has beendeteriorating steadily sincethe 1980 protests began theunraveling of the Panchayatsystem and, finally, thedecline of the monarchy. Themere existence of politicalparties andthe holding elections is notsensible proof of positiveprogress. Nepal’s politicalparties and their supportersonly know how to disruptsociety. They only know howto incite violence. The armed

    violence that is now prevalent in Nepal can beblamed squarely on the netas. The obvious linkbetween the rise to power of political parties and

  • 321 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465OP-ED

    STATE OF THE STATEC K Lal

    When Prime MinisterMadhav Kumar Nepalreturns from NewDelhi this weekend, he will begrilled about the deals he made.

    This is the time-honouredtradition in Nepal. There is noway Nepal can gain somethingfrom India without giving

    something away. And given ourtrade deficit and ouroverwhelming dependence, therewill always be a pound of flesh.But gone are the days of grandgestures and magnanimity,

    reciprocity is now the mainstayof diplomacy even inasymmetrical bilateral relations.

    This is not new, the SugauliTreaty severely curtailed theelbow room of Nepali rulers afterthe Anglo-Nepal wars of 1814-16.By personally leading themilitary contingent to assistbesieged British troops inLucknow during Sepoy Mutinyin 1857, Jung Bahadur provedthat he led a vassal state.

    In recognition of Nepal’sassistance during World War I(1914-18) the British elevatedtheir minister in the court ofKathmandu to the level ofenvoy. But Nepal remained moreor less a tributary state. It was

    A pragmatic vassal

    Reciprocity is now the mainstay ofdiplomacy even in asymmetricalbilateral relations

    called once again to contribute tothe Allied war effort in WorldWar II (1939-45), but the countryfailed to benefit in any tangibleway. Profits of victory accrued tothe Rana rulers and theirfamilies.

    The departure of the Britishfrom the subcontinent in 1947was followed by the replacementof the Ranas by the Shahs inNepal. But the basic natureof Indo-Nepal relationshipremained almost the same. Inlieu of Jawaharlal Nehru’s helpin reinstalling him to theSerpent Throne, King Tribhuvanaccepted the patron-clientrelationship enshrined in theIndo-Nepal Treaty of 1950. Theoverlord had extracted its tributefrom the ruler of theprotectorate.

    There was a brief 18-monthsinterregnum of some semblanceof independence in foreignpolicy during the premiership ofBP Koirala. But King Mahendraended it in December 1960 witha military coup and toconsolidate his absolutism, heagreed to abide by all terms setby Delhi. But when the ColdWar increased the number ofstrategic suitors in Kathmandu,and following the Indo-ChinaWar in 1962, Mahendra tried toplay it both ways, arousingIndia’s suspicions.

    Nepal’s diplomaticflirtations soon came to an endwith the fall of the Soviet Unionand the sudden US dis-engagement in South Asia. WhenIndians imposed an economicblockade on landlocked Nepal in1989, no country, not even ournorthern neighbour, consideredit worth their while to come tothe rescue. Once limits ofNepal’s sovereignty were starklyexposed, every successivegovernment in Kathmanduresigned itself to the inherentasymmetry in Indo-nepalrelations.

    The 12-point agreementbetween Maoists and themainstream parties signedin Delhi in November 2006 setthe stage for the fall of the Shahmonarchy.

    Pushpa Kamal Dahal can raveand rant as much as he wantsagainst bideshi prabhuharu butall his outbursts against foreignoverlords are not going to changethe ground reality: no Nepaliprime minister can survive inSingh Darbar for long byalienating South Block.

    In the coming days, Nepalwill have to learn to cope withfundamental changes in theoutlook of the Indian

    establishment. Indian foreignpolicy is a legacy of the imperialBrits and with the signing ofIndo-US civilian nuclear deal,New Delhi has adopted the bazaarmodel of diplomacy. Thereis no place for emotions in themarketplace.

    It’s pointless to talk aboutage-old linkages of shared cultureor of the sacrifices made byGorkha soldiers to protect theunity and integrity of the IndianUnion. Compassion doesn’t comeinto market relationships, alltransactions are based on theprinciple of Caveat Emptor:without a warranty the buyerassumes the risk of quality.

  • 4 21 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465NATION

    he release of national accountsdata and development reports isoften cause for good cheer and

    self-congratulation on the part of donorsand government policymakers.

    Barring socioeconomic or politicalcatastrophe, even countries like Nepalcan pair the acknowledgement that ‘thereis much to do’ with ‘but look how far wehave come’. Successive reports reveal thatmaternal and child mortality rates havebeen slashed, life expectancy and literacyrates are on the rise, and GDP is growingyear by year. But what if these statisticswere, as some would have it, pretty lies?

    National accounts data provides themost comprehensive overview of acountry’s economy. Governments usethem to formulate budgetary policies,central banks to make monetarydecisions, businesses to makeinvestment decisions and financialinstitutions to make portfolioallocations.

    he peace process isstalled, development is ata standstill and the

    poverty, inequality anddiscrimination that were at theroots of Nepal’s conflict havestill not been resolved. Politicsand the power play inKathmandu have taken centre-stage to the detriment ofdevelopment and servicedelivery.

    Nepal has the lowest life-expectancy in South Asia,development parameters in themid-west are at sub-Saharan

    levels. UNDP’s Nepal HumanDevelopment Report 2009,which was released onTuesday, shows just how far welag behind.

    It measures the state ofNepal by indices such as theHuman Development Index

    It’s clear that if this data is outdatedand inaccurate, the decisions that dependon them will be flawed and evendisastrous. The quality of statistics inNepal is dubious because the CentralBureau of Statistics (CBS) doesn’t conductsurveys regularly, and the surveys thatexist employ poor methodology.

    Quarterly rather than annual nationalestimates are particularly useful forpolicymakers. CBS has long been compilingannual national accounts, but Nepal may bethe only country in South Asia that doesnot compile them quarterly. Besides thetwo decennial population and agriculturalcensuses, the only household level surveysbeing conducted by CBS are the Labor ForceSurvey (LFS) and the Nepal LivingStandard Survey (NLSS).Thediscontinuation of the only annual regularsurvey of manufacturing establishmentshas left little base for the estimation ofvalue added and other aggregates.

    Agricultural data is unreliable because

    surveys aren’t scientific but based on adhoc field reports. Monetary statisticscover Nepal Rastra Bank and commercialbanks but ignore finance companies. Theofficial inflation figure of 13 per cent isinaccurate because the consumer priceindex does not capture all items, data iscollected only from urban centres anddoes not reflect changing patterns ofconsumption. Likewise, balance ofpayments statistics are incomplete anddata collection on remittances, foreigndirect investment, records of grants, loansand oil transactions, re-exports, short-term inflows, and other private capitalflows is seriously flawed.

    Matters get worse when you turn tothe informal economy, which is evenmore important for Nepal than the formaleconomy. The LFS 2008 reveals that about96 per cent of Nepalis are employed in theinformal sector, which contributes over51 per cent of total GDP. But manyeconomic transactions are not observable

    COMMENTBishnu Dev Pant

    If the qualityof statisticsin Nepal is

    dubious,then so are

    policiesbased on

    them

    Lies, damn liesor directly measurable, particularly in thecase of those working at home.

    This has serious implications forgovernment policy. Official GDPestimates are significantlyunderestimated and the calculation of therate of change of economic growth isequally inaccurate. The Ministry ofFinance loses billions of rupees as taxrevenue each year, raising the tax burdenon those who pay tax and reducing theamount available for governments tospend on public goods. Inaccurate datameans government policy is based oninappropriate targets.

    Statistics has never been a priority forsucessive governments. Untilgovernments allocate adequate resourcesto conduct regular, rigorous surveys ofboth the formal and informal sectors, thestatistics on which government policy isbased simply cannot be taken at facevalue. Investment in statistics is no lessimportant than investment ininfrastructural development.

    From 23-26 September, the SouthAsian Institute of Management (SAIM)and the International Association forIncome and Wealth (IARIW) will beorganising an international conference inKathmandu on Measuring InformalSector in Developing Countries.Participants from over 40 countries areexpected to discuss the problems relatingto the collection of statistics in theinformal economy. Behind the scenes,statisticians are working hard to fortifythe database so necessary to soundpolicymaking.

    Bishnu Dev Pant is the former Director ofthe Development Indicators and PolicyResearch Division of the ADB in Manila.He is now director of the newlyestablished Centre for Economics andApplied Statistics of the South AsianInstitute of Management.

    T

    How far we lag behind

    (HDI), the Human Poverty Index(HPI), the Gender EmpowermentMeasure (GEM), and the Gender-related Development Index (GDI)and breaks them down across 13sub-regions and 11 caste andethnic groups.

    Despite improvement as a

    whole, glaring disparities remainamong regions and populationgroups. Political democracy hasbeen unable to deliver socialtransformation, and has sufferedas a result.

    ”Nepal is quite probablyundergoing the most profoundtransformation of any society inthe world today,” the UN’sresident coordinator, RobertPiper, said the launch of thereport, “but the absence of warwill alone neither assure a lastingpeace nor deliver prosperity.”

    Using the ComprehensivePeace Agreement (CPA) of 2006as a launching pad, the reportfocuses on socio-economictransformation as a means toachieve human development.‘Without peace, humandevelopment is not possible, andwithout human development,peace is not sustainable,’ thereport says.

    Exclusion and inequalitypersist and, unsurprisingly, thefar-west and mid-west are thepoorest as measured by HDI, andGDI mirrors this trend. Once thedevelopment regions aredisaggregated into eco-development regions, we find that

    rural and mountain regions are theleast developed. Brahmins andChhetris lead the pack, the best-offbeing Madhesi Brahmin/Chhetris,the worst-off being Madhesi Dalits,Tarai Janajatis and Muslims.

    An inclusive ConstituentAssembly is cited as an importantstep towards remedying thepoverty of disadvantaged regionsand groups, including Dalits andwomen (though the former fall shortand non-Dalit Madhesis arerepresented disproportionately inthe Assembly).

    But representation alone isinsufficient, the report warns.Participation of previouslyexcluded groups is crucial, andthis will require democracy tobe deepened, including withinpolitical parties. The report alsoaddresses the question offederalism and recommendsterritorial and differentiated ratherthan ethnic-based federalism tostamp out exclusion anddeprivation.

    The report looks to the futurewith a ten-point agenda: byreviewing the mixed electoralsystem, democratising politicalparties and bringing governancecloser to the people. Peace must

    RABI THAPA

    The poverty and inequalitythat gave birth to the conflict

    persist, says a UN report

    be consolidated, not onlythrough the effectiveparticipation of CA members butalso the reintegration ofinternally displaced personsand disqualified Maoist armypersonnel, the integration orrehabilitation of Maoist armycombatants, and transitionaljustice.

    Everything may be up fornegotiation, as the prefacedeclares, but this must beachieved through a considered,inclusive, participatory processthat fosters good citizenshipwithin a strong nation-state,even one that is a federation.Above all, state transformationmust be accompanied by thetransformation of Nepali society.

    Yubaraj Khatiwada of theNational Planning Commission,who launched the report, wasn’tvery optimistic that itsrecommendations would betaken seriously given how pastreports have been ignored.However, exclusion andinequality consistently identifiedby the UNDP, may have finallyarrived at centre stage. Now, ifonly the CA members picked upa copy and read it.

    T

  • 521 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465BUSINESS

    t Entrepreneurs for Nepal (E4N), aloosely structured organisation thathosts business interactions and

    assists entrepreneurs and small businessesto scale up, we try to exchange experiencesand advice.

    Members of this self-selected grouphave ideas about starting niche businesseswithin a bigger industry, such as, offeringThakali décor services to hotels andhousing companies. Some want to make

    use of food technology degrees to produceoil from Himalayan olives. All are drivenyoung Nepalis with ideas, vision,enthusiasm and energy. Over cups of coffee,E4N helps them by critiquing businessplans, sharing business know-how’,coaching on presentations, analysing thenumbers, opening networks and contacts,and being business mentors.

    Through the E4N work, we have tried todrive home these three ideas that Nepalientrepreneurs need to have when theysearch for private investment.

    1. Money is not important;credibility is: Almost all youngentrepreneurs talk about money as if lack ofit is the only thing that’s holding themback from executing their great ideas. Thisis not surprising. People do equatebusiness with money. But most do notrealise that the only way to attract money orinvestment is to first invest time and effort

    in building up their own credibility.This can be done through acquiring

    the relevant education, experiences andskills, building up a team that candevelop prototypes, widening contacts,owning proprietary technologies, and soon. Investors, or people with money, donot want to chase every business ideathat needs money. They want to givemoney to credible entrepreneurs who cansend consistent signals saying that themoney invested in their ventures islikely to deliver a return. In other words,to attract money for your venture, first,be credible yourself.

    2. Ideas are dime a dozen:Unsurprisingly, most entrepreneurs tendto fall in love with their ideas. Theytend to think that no one else in Nepalhas thought of what they have thought.In conversations, they stress on thisunique ownership. They even go to greatlengths to keep their plan a big secret.

    All this is counter-productive. First,most investors do not want to throwtheir hard-earned money to test someoneelse’s new and unproven idea. They’drather fund niche ideas, within anestablished and competitive industry,that come with a high probability ofcommercial success. Second, smartinvestors tend to be skeptical: if no onehas thought of the idea before, perhapsthere is not much to the idea, and thehard burden of proving it otherwise lieson the entrepreneur. Rather thanpitching “first time in Nepal” ideas thatinvestors do not know what to make of,

    first-time entrepreneurs are better offselling a niche idea in familiarlycompetitive industry.

    3. Confidence and humility:Starting a business taps into one’spsychological strengths: an ability to takecalculated risks, to deal with unknowns,to learn what one does not know, etc.These are all intangible strengths.Through informal questions, investorslike to test the limits of an entrepreneur’sself-confidence, thought processes andknowledge.

    But most Nepali entrepreneurs tend tostick to a script no matter what thequestions are: making investors worrythat the entrepreneurs are so rigid thatthey do not understand the veryecosystem of business. Investors look forsigns that the entrepreneur is confident ofreaching the goal while being humbleenough to accept that the road may comewith many unexpected turns and twists.

    Entrepreneurs make effective use ofresources to create jobs. Helping them talkhonestly with private investors is the firstsmall step toward strengthening ourcollective entrepreneurial know-how forour prosperity.

    STRICTLY BUSINESSAshutosh Tiwari

    Business ecosystem

    Let's strengthenour collectiveentrepreneurialknow-how forprosperity

    ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

    ForefrontWith the provisional profit before bonusand tax of Rs 1.63 billion and profit aftertax of Rs 1.03 billion, Nabil Bank, nowin its 25th anniversary, is at the forefrontof the financial industry once again.Also, the bank reports to haveregistered a growth of 33 per cent intotal operating income, in the fiscal year08/09.

    ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

    Lucky 108Lucky draw winner of ‘Real 8 timesmore contest- Real Fun, ExcitingPrizes’ was held on KantipurTelevision’s live show, ‘Call Kantipur –Reloaded.' Launched by Dabur Nepal,the eight week long contest had 108winners getting free trips to Thailandand Malaysia, Sony Bravia 32'’ LCD TVand Sony DVD Home Theatre Systemrespectively.

    ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

    Honda ActivaSyakar Company, the authorizeddistributor of Honda Motors Japan inNepal has unveiled the New HondaActiva. Powered with a 110cc engine,the New Activa is touted as being morestylish and having more mileage.

    ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

    Snack timeSmart Food andSnacks launched theinstant noodles,YUMYUM, lastweek. With technical

    supervision from Wan Thai FoodsIndustry of Thailand, YUMYUM noodlesclaims to include all fortified vitaminsand minerals.

    A

  • 6 21 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465FROM THE NEPALI PRESS

    Editorial in Naya Patrika, 18 August

    Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s visit to India, especially at thistime of political turmoil at home, seems completely purposeless,except probably to revamp his personal relations with the Indianpoliticians. The UML government seems rather too beholden to India.Last month, Defence Minister Bidya Bhandari’s pledge to India toprovide weapons for the Nepal Army affected the country’s peaceprocess, while the agenda for Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala’s trip toIndia was also ambiguous. The current government is temporary.Madhav Kumar Nepal has to understand that India may be plottingagainst Nepal, forcing to sign unbeneficial long term treaties or eventaking advantage of our unstable situation. Hence, the major priority inNepal’s visit to India should be to right past wrongs like the unequal1950 treaty and other irritants.

    Pratima Banskota inKantipur, 18 August

    Fed up with the rising theft oftelephone wires, the residents ofTikathali, Lamatar and Lubhu inLalitpur have attached an alarm tothe telephone poles so a siren goesoff whenever it is touched. Therehas been a spurt in wirevandalism by thieves who stealthem to sell the copper inside.But the burglars have found a wayaround it: they now steal thewires during power cuts when thealarm is disabled. Three monthsago a whole section of telephonewires were stolen in Lamatar.Residents say wire thefts see a risewhen the festive seasonapporaches. The police havebeen accused of not taking action,although the police say they havejailed seven groups involved instealing wires. One of them wascaught stealing a 400 m section oftelephone wire surrounding theLubhu exchange. Residents alsoblame Nepal Telecom whichallows the wires to dangle so theyare within easy grasp.

    Editorial in Janadisha, 18 August

    Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal alongwith the biggest team ever in the history, isvisiting India today. People are not told whyso much state money is being spent: whether

    India wants to get things done or Nepal wantsIndian grace to sustain the government.

    Nepal was defeated in two constituencies,and yet is now the prime minister of Nepal.

    Nepaland

    India

    He has no future in politics and is thereforetrying to get back his lost position in the partyby spending state money. He organises banquetsin his residence everyday.

    These are ethical questions. It is up to anindividual to decide what is right and wrong.

    A person in power shouldbe conscious about this.How ethical is it for aperson who lost elections tobe prime minister? Such aweak person should notsign any treaty or agreementthat will have a lastingimpact, even if he does itwill have no legal or moralground. According toprecedent one third ofparliamentary consent isrequired to sign a treatywith another country. TheMaoist members make up 40

    per cent of parliament and they have alreadywarned Nepal not to sign any treaty during thevisit, which automatically makes any agreementsigned by Nepal unconstitutional.

    Lame duck

    Wire-tapping

    Rajesh KC in Nagarik,20 August

    Not well? If you don’t believeme, ask doctors Ram SharanMahat, Minendra or evenBaburam.

    SU

    BH

    AS

    RA

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  • 721 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465CONSTITUTION 2010

    Rupa Chaudhari, Maoist CA member, Kailali

    How did you spend the last yearin the CA?We declared the country a federaldemocratic republic then elected thespeaker, we set CA rules andregulations and the agenda. Then weestablished the committees and pickedtheir brains and went to the villages tocollect ordinary people’s suggestionsfor the constitution. We wroteconstitutional drafts on the basis onthese suggestions and conversationswith experts. Six committees havefinished their preliminary drafts andconcept papers. We postponed thedeadline because we worried that wewouldn’t finish all the work on time.

    If the CA hasn’t met its own deadline, will theconstitution be written on time?The deadline has been pushed back a couple times butthe constitution will be written on time if the parties findcommon ground.

    How do we make that happen?Different parties have different opinions and they stubbornlystick to them. There’s a lot of dissent. But, they need to thinkabout the bigger issues and put aside differences. Ordinarypeople and the media can also help. We’ll finish theconstitution on time if this happens.

    Aren’t party whips operating in these meetings?The party positions are being presented unsystematicallybecause there aren’t rules to govern them. Of course we haveto follow the party line, but there’s room for independentthinking too.

    Krishna Prasad Sapkota, UML CA member, Kabhre

    How did you spend the lastyear in the CA?We declared the country a federaldemocratic republic with greatenthusiasm and visited villagersand experts for advice about theconstitution. We prepared a lot ofquestionnaires which wedistributed to the public andwrote drafts on the basis of theanswers we got, but still haven’tcompleted them. Somecommittees have deliveredpreliminary drafts withunanimous support from withinthe committees, but others have

    struggled to reach consensus. As a result, we’re behind schedule.

    Will the constitution be written on time?It’s possible, but we are running out of time and the parties arebecoming increasingly distrustful of one another. This couldfurther delay the constitution.

    What needs to be done for the constitution to bewritten on time?CA members should obey the rules and parties should makeconcessions to one another. There needs to be greater cooperationin every region and level. Committee members must worktogether to prepare the preliminary drafts on time. If all of thisis done I see no reason why the constitution will have to bedelayed any further.

    Are party whips operating in the committees?Our party isn’t using its whip. The party leadership obviouslyhas some authority over its members, but for the most part theyare free to think for themselves.

    “It will bewritten on time”

    “No party whip”

    he deadline for drafting theconstitution is drawingnear but only six of the ten

    thematic committees havecompleted their drafts so far. TheConstitutional Committee, whichshould prepare the final draft ofthe new constitutionincorporating the committees’suggestions, is still withouta chair.

    The aspirations of the peopleare incorporated in the submitteddrafts to some extent. But thisalone will not guarantee thewriting of the constitution. Apolitical mechanism is requiredto resolve contentious issuessuch as these:

    Provision of military trainingfor those of 18 years of age Use of term ‘people’s

    movement’ or ‘armed insurgency’ Debate about official

    languages Using ‘federal’ or ‘national’ by

    constitutional committee Structure, name and

    formation of parliamentSemantics shouldn’t make

    any difference, but there aresubstantive issues on whichpositions are rigid. Compulsorymilitary training has no meaningin today’s world, but the debateover language is very sensitive.There is a need to set up standardmeasures to categorise languagesfor different purposes.

    The form of parliament haspolitical importance since it isrelated to the entire political

    COMMENTKrishna Khanal

    system. The federal structure,political system and system ofrepresentation are interrelated.There may be differences on theseissues within the concernedcommittees. That is why there isa provision for a joint meeting ofthe committees in the CAregulations but it has nevermet so far.

    The committees arefunctioning without leadership,and their chairs are designatedwithout considering theleadership role of the candidate.The CA members just follow theparty’s instructions instead ofusing their own knowledge,experiences and conscience. If thepeople-elected members limitthemselves to their party whip,then one person would be enoughto represent a party in the CA.

    The constitution writingthrough CA is not an easy tasksince ensuring people’sparticipation and incorporatingtheir suggestions makes itcomplicated politically and thustakes time. However, if thepolitical parties and leadershipexhibit a desired understandingand compromise, it can be an easytask. South Africa is an example.

    Constitution writing is not acommon agenda of our politicalparties. We have never seen theleaders of two parties sittingtogether and discussing theissues of constitution writing.They do not attend the CAsession and committee meetings.

    The 12-week time period forthe public to comment on theintegrated constitution draft hasbeen reduced to seven weeks. TheCA members think this is enoughtime as they collected their

    Delayed for sureUnless the leaders shows more

    political will for changeopinions before. This isunfortunate.

    There is widespread publicscepticism about whether theconstitution will be written ontime. The people ridicule the CA,and they think it will be writtensouth of the border and we willjust endorse it. People presumethe PM’s visit to India is toarrange for this.

    The leaders do not doanything themselves but they seea foreign hand running thegovernment. Despite their rhetoricof democracy, revolution andautonomy, they all have the same‘bidesi prabhu’ (foreign overlord).

    Nepal is at a turning point forhistorical political change.Federalism, republic, newpolitical structure, federal andprovincial parliament electionswill change the polity. Whateverthey say to the public, the UMLand NC are not willing to see thischange. It is difficult to knowwhat the Maoists are thinking.The destination of the Madhesiparties depends entirelyon the self-interest of theirleaders.

    Amid such politicaluncertainty, the constitutionwriting process will be delayedfor sure. It may be better not towrite a constitution than to writea flawed one. This will be a test ofthe political parties and leaders aswell as their political will andcommitment for change.

    Krishna Khanal is a politicalscience professor at TribhubanUniversity. This opinion piece isa translated adaptation of theoriginal printed in Nagarik on16 August.

    T

    KIRAN PANDAY

  • 8

  • 921 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465

  • 12 REVIEWS 21 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465

    t seemed to the participantsof the Mongol Rally thatthey had one last obstacle to

    overcome on their epic trip bycar from London to Ulan Bator.With 24 hours notice they wereadvised that the Russia-Mongolia border closes forthe weekend.

    Kathmandu man RinchenChoegyal and his friends drovenonstop to make the crossingjust in time last week. At theborder it was a case of eithertrying some fast footwork withcustoms officials to avoid payingimport tax on their wreck of a car(since the lovingly nicknamed‘Dirty Yeti’ car was destined to

    ot many who met the late James J Donnelly will ever beable to forget him: his thundering voice and commanding

    stature, his phenomenal memory of his students.The Cincinnati-born Irish American lad came to Nepal in 1961

    as a young Jesuit priest, and spent his entire life serving thecountry as a teacher at St Xavier’s in Godavari and Jawalakhel.He inspired both awe and fear, especiallyif you were a growing Nepali boy underhis tutelage having had to confront thegiant that he was when he was upset withsome homework not done.

    There have been unfortunate oneswho have faced the Donnelly fury. Butthis was because the teacher of Englishgrammar and later principal was aperfectionist who drove his students toachieve excellence. Not a comma couldbe out of place, and the use of everysemi-colon needed to be fully justified.There is a whole generation of Nepalistoday in their middle ages whosegrammar and punctuation is what it isbecause of Fr Donnelley.

    Long before he even decided to come to Nepal, Jim knew thatthe path he had chosen, to serve God through the Society ofJesus was not an easy one, but he was not a man to falter. Thiswas a character reflected in his personal life. The goal he sethimself to, improving the standard and quality of the Englishlanguage knowledge of his students is one of his biggestcontributions to the education sector of Nepal.

    It was not easy seeing a man one associated with so much ofenergy and life vegetate into an invalid, forgotten by those whoseevery detail he remembered and filed, until his death in coma lastweek. His last wish, to be bestowed an honorary Nepalicitizenship was left unfulfilled. Alok Tumbahangphey

    CitizenDonnelly

    Rinchen reachesUlan Bator

    be auctioned for charity) or theeasier option of the one girlteam member feigning illnessand pretending to be in urgentneed of medical attention.

    Her creative use of makeupdid the trick and jubilant attheir bluff working they werefinally on the home runtowards Ulan Bator. Or so theythought: 600km short of UlanBator their hitherto (fairly)trusty vintage Skoda brokedown for the very last time. Theengine had exploded and thisbreakdown was terminal. Teammembers knew they were thelast vehicle in the convoy.There was no prospect of

    rescue. Ke garne?At which point a mirage seemed

    to arise from the desert dust. Acoach full of girl students arrivedat the scene, their enjoyment of asummer outing being enhanced bya supply of Genghis Khan Vodkathat they had on board. Withouttoo much persuasion the teamabandoned the Skoda (means“sorry” in Czech) got on thebus and were soon singing withthe girls.

    The final 20-hour leg of thejourney was completed in a nineseater bus, with 15 passengers onboard. Given that the teammembers had only managed threeshowers during the 26 day,16,000km bash it is hard toimagine the citizens of Ulan Batorwelcoming them with prolongedembraces. However they can be sureof a hearty greeting when they doget to Kathmandu and visitfriends, family and the projectwork of Nepal children’s charity,The Esther Benjamins Trust, whichhas so far raised $2,000 fromsponsorship for ‘Dirty Yeti’.

    See also: Nepali Times, #458, 3 JulyYou can add to Rinchen’s challengetarget by visitingwww.justgiving.com/rinchen

    I

    N

    Himal Khabarpatrika1 7 - 3 1 A u g u s t

    COVERThe Maoists’ Four Fold Path

    The Maoist roadmap

    DANGEROUS ROADSHow many more people have to die?

    FOOD SHORTAGEWFP and government disagree

    PREJUDICED REPORTSuperficial and anti-democratic ICG report on

    Nepal’s transition

    CONSTITUTION SUPPLEMENTDebates on the formulation of new parliament

    Which districts are ahead in agriculture?The Charikot Debate

    BACKPAGESimulating flights over virtual Nepal

  • 1321 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465NATION

    n Sunday, Hindu women in Nepalwill be decked up in differenthues of red as they make their way

    to temples to worship Shiva and Parbati,the divine couple who epitomise theultimate conjugal bliss.

    Tij starts with dar khane din, the dayof feast, as women get together and eatinto the night to prepare for the next day

    of fasting. Tij is when the womenreplicate the fast observed by Parbati inorder to ‘obtain’ Shiva as consort, andlater that night the fast is broken withpuja and fruits.

    Tij is the day Nepalis celebratewomanhood. Single, married and evenwidowed women, break out in songsabout relationships, their daily lives,pining for their husbands who have goneabroad, loneliness, inequality,discrimination, abuse, bigotry and war. Itis Nepal’s own version of InternationalWomen's Day.

    As the structure of our societychanges, so does the way we celebrate ourfestivals. Till a few years ago, it was onlyBahun and Chettri women who observedfasts, today women from differentethnicities have embraced this custom astheir own as well. And there are evensome husbands who mark Tij with a

    ‘solidarity fast’.“I will fast for my husband’s long

    life if he fasts for me, why is it that onlywomen have to give pain to theirbodies?” asks an educated marriedBahun woman from Kathmandu. Shesays she is not a feminist, “but unlikeour rural sisters I see this as a practicestarted by men so that they can feel goodabout themselves.”

    She has a point. But what she findsrepressive is found to be liberating bymany. In rural Nepal women lookforward to this day so that they can packtheir bags and go to their maternal homewhere their mothers and sisters arewaiting. It is the time women reconnect,vent their feelings and find comfort inother women. And in the cities, womenare not frowned upon if they are notwearing red on Tij, if they observe thefast or if they do Shiva puja.

    In the last few years, privateinstitutions and NGOs working onwomen’s issues and small women’sgroups have started celebrating Tijtogether. It has been used as anopportunity to raise funds through‘Tij mela’ where they eat, buy goods,play dohori and other games and danceall day.

    Tij may have started out as a maleconstruct, but it doesn’t have to remainthat way. It can be the day when womencelebrate each other’s successes. Nepaliwomen’s rights groups, and even

    individuals can use this day to push formore political and economic rights.

    In Kathmandu and other urban areas,Tij may be becoming a consumeristfestival, but there are ways to turn thisaround as well. Renting a space out sothat women can get together and dance,play games and eat is one way of beingcreative about the festival but it doesn’thave an impact.

    Valentine's Day in the US is a veryconsumerist affair, and those who findthat unacceptable have come up with adifferent way to celebrate it. Instead ofcelebrating romantic love, they talk aboutissues relating to women: domesticviolence, rape, discrimination againstwomen. Campaigns such as ‘Take backthe night’ and staging of the VaginaMonologues, are examples of how theyspread awareness.

    Giving or not giving up meals for aday is fine if that is what you want todo, you can sulk about the ‘maleness’ ofthe festival or find liberation in hunger.Nepali women have known for a verylong time that they have to fight theirown battles: let us use this day to spreadawareness in our circles about maternalmortality, domestic violence, health, andcelebrate the big and small victories ofNepali women.

    Perhaps by coming out in red, thecolour of revolution, in large numbersoutside Singha Darbar every year we willachieve what years of lobbying hasn’t.

    INTERESTING TIMESMallika Aryal

    Re-inventing TijO

    MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

    Womendressing in redare using thecolour ofliberation

  • 14 21 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465CITYABOUT TOWN

    sfd ;fgf] 7"nf] eGg] x'Fb}g . kl;gfsf] s'g} /ª / hft klg x'Fb}g . sfdu/]/ vfg nhfpg' klg x'Fb}g . rf]/]/, 9fF6]/, 5n]/, n'6]/ vfg kf]nhfpg'k5{ . hf] hxfF /x]/ h'g sfd u5{ pm To;}df /dfpg'k5{ uf}/aug'{k5{ / ;dlk{t eP/ ug'{k5{ . sfd g} zlQm xf], elQm xf] / d'lQmxf] . sfdsf] OHht u/f}+, kl;gfsf] ;Ddfg u/f}+ .

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    Call 4442220 for show timings at Jai Nepalwww.jainepal.com

    In the thriller Agyaat, a film unit travels deep into a forestto shoot a movie where they stay in abandoned house runby a lonely and eccentric man. When their camerasmalfunction, they stop work and wait for replacementsbut are quickly bored because there isn’t anything to do.They decide to camp even deeper in the forest just forkicks. Things get scary when one member of their team,Setu, is brutally and mysteriously murdered. But he isonly the first to meet this end. As their numbers dwindleand panic sets in, they reveal their true selves and feelingsfor one another.

    For inclusion in the listing send information to editors(at)nepalitimes.com

    KATHMANDU VALLEY

    WEEKEND WEATHER by NGAMINDRA DAHAL

    The monsoon is getting a “second wind” as it were with low pressuretroughs coming off the Bay one after another. There have beenlulls, too, as there was on Wednesday when a brisk westerly windchased away the moisture. But by this weekend, the monsoonalpulse currently over Bangladesh is expected to regroup and chargeacross Nepal again. This will bring drizzles over the next few dayswith moderate night showers. The maximum and minimumtemperatures will drop a notch, but the afternoons will be clammyand hot when the sun does come out.

    KATHMANDU

    RECIPES

    This Portuguese influenced dish requires little effort but takes a whileto make. It’s worth it! Gizzards are eaten around the world althoughin the southern US they are commonly deep fried and served with ahoney and mustard or barbeque sauce.

    1 kg cleaned chicken gizzards5 medium sized onions, peeled8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled1 teaspoon fresh rosemary1 teaspoon fresh thyme, sage or oregano3 bay leaves1 medium sized carrot, peeled1½ lt chicken stock2 cups dry white wine1 small tin tomato paste2-4 tablespoons red chilli paste or to taste1 tablespoon sugar¼ cup olive oilsalt and pepper to taste

    Peri-peri Chicken Gizzarsd(Serves 6)

    Roughly chop 3 of the onions and the garlic. Finelychop the remaining onion.

    Place the garlic, roughly chopped onion, gizzards,rosemary, thyme, bay leaves and carrot in a large potwith the chicken stock and simmer over a medium heatfor 2-2½ hours, topping up with water if necessary,until the gizzards become tender. Remove the bay leavesand blend the remaining stock until smooth. Once thegizzards are tender remove them from the stock and cutinto bite sized pieces. Fry the gizzards in the olive oil for

    2-3 minutes before adding the onionand chilli paste. Add the wine andallow to reduce to half before addingthe tomato paste, sugar and theremaining stock. Allow to simmer foranother 5-10 minutes and season withsalt and pepper. Serve with steamedrice or crusty fresh bread.

    EXHIBITIONS‘In Unison With God’, photo exhibition by Pasang Sherpa atYala Maya Kendra, Patan, till 25 Aug. 2307751

    EVENTSTeej Party, red yellow and green for women and anythingsensational for men, at 1905 Regal Hall, 21 Aug, 7PM. 4225272Heat and Dust, movie screening at Lazimpat Gallery Café, 22Aug, 5.30 PM. 4428549.

    MUSIC Musical bash, concert by Astha

    Tamang Maskey and band at the Houseof Music, Thamel, 21 Aug, 6PM.9851102337 Baja gaja, every Tuesday at Moksh,

    7.30 PM onwards, Pulchok. 5526212 Live band every Friday and rooftop

    bbq everyday at Kausi Kitchen, DurbarMarg. 4227288 Sunday Jazz brunch barbecue and

    live jazz music at the Terrace, HyattRegency from 12-3.30 PM. 4491234 Jazz evening at Delices de France

    Restaurant every Wednesday,11AM-2PM. 4260326Some like it hot every Friday BBQ and live music by Dinesh Raiand the Sound Minds, 7PM onwards, Rs 899 at Fusion,Dwarika’s Hotel. 4479488Happy cocktail hour, 5-7PM, ladies night on Wednesday withlive unplugged music at Jatra Café & Bar.Live Sensation, performance by Yankey every Saturday, 9PM,Hyatt Regency, Kathmandu. 4491234Live Band Sensation performance by Aprilrush, every Saturdaytill late, Rox Bar, Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. 4489362Sunday Jazz Brunch by Inner Groove with barbeque, Sunday,12PM-3.30 PM, The Terrace at Hyatt Regency Kathmandu.4489362Nepali Ghajals and songs at D’Lounge Beijing Duck Restaurant,every Thursday 6.30 PM onwards. 4468589

    DININGAsparagus mania, enjoy all flavours at the Rox Restaurant,all through August. 4491234Wine Festival, until 15 September, Kilroy’sThamel. 4250440A cafe’s cafe Dhokaima Cafe, Patan Dhoka. 5522113Jazabell Café, relaunched at Jhamsikhel. 2114075The Corner Bar, 3-11PM, 5-7PM, Radisson Hotel Kathmandu.4411818Mango Etagere with hi-tea at The Lounge from 4.30- 6.30 PM.Hyatt Regency. 4489362Al Fresco, for home made pastas, steaks and fresh water trout,Soaltee Crowne Plaza. 4273999Kakori, for varieties of biryanis, curries and Kebabs, SoalteeCrowne Plaza, 7-10.45 PM.Chez Caroline for French and Mediterranean cuisine, BabarMahal Revisited. 4263070Mediterranean cuisine every Friday from Greece, Italy and theMiddle-East at The Café, Hyatt Regency. 4491234Teppanyaki meat items and garlic rice right at Le Resturant,Gairidhara. 4436318Plat Du Jour at Hotel Shangri La, Kathmandu, Rs 600. 4412999Reality Bites, The Kaiser Café, Garden of Dreams, operated byDwarika’s Group of Hotels, 9AM-10PM. 4425341Starry night barbecue at Hotel Shangri-la with live performanceby Ciney Gurung, Rs 999, at the Shambala Garden, every Friday7PM onwards. 4412999Himalayan Rainbow Trout at Hotel Yak and Yeti, Darbar Marg.4248999Tiger for Breakfast, breakfast everyday at 1905, Kantipath.4215068.

    GETAWAYSDhulikhel Lodge Resort, offers an overnight stay for Rs 1600,from 24 July-30 September. 4222389Relax Package at Hyatt Regency Kathmandu for Rs 5555 plustaxes, for a night on double occupancy with breakfast,complimentary use of spa, offer valid to Nepalis and localresidents only. 4489800Spa package, Ayurvedic massage and access to the pool andspa with either breakfast or lunch at The Cafe or hi-tea at theLounge at the Hyatt Regency. 4491234.

    by GRAHAM SYDNEY

    Sat Sun

    25-17 28-17

    Fri

    24-17

  • 21 - 27 AUGUST 2009 #465HAPPENINGS

    FACE OF HOPE: A child wears a headband proclaiming 'freedom' tomark the Pakistan's independence day on 14 August at the Pakistaniembassy in Maharajgunj.

    KIRAN PANDAY

    HELPLESS: A UN employee looks on as Tibetan protestors are roundedup after demonstrating for 'Free Tibet' in front of the UN building inPulchowk last week.

    MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

    15

    OLD IS GOLD: Novel Kishore Rai unveils the 'Tony Hagen House'transformed from a concrete block to traditional Newari style in tribute torenowned geologist Toni Hagen.

    MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

    MAHATMA LOOKS ON: The Indian embassy's Counsellor of EconomicCooperation Puneet R Kundal signs a pledge to grant Nepal Rs 25.9million to build three schools in Doti district.

    MIN RATNA BAJCRACHARYA

    THE REAL THING: Elton John look-a-like Eldon John browses theNepali Times on Sunday in Thamel where he helps to run a hotel.

    MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

    MIN RATNA BAJRACHARYA

    # 465.pdfpage 2.pdfpage 3.pdfpage 4.pdfpage 5.pdfpage 6.pdfpage 7.pdfpage 8.pdfpage 9.pdfpage 12.pdfpage 13.pdfpage 14.pdfpage 15.pdf