Langtang Trekking

Nepal's Development Regions: Creating an Obstacle to national integration ?

When someone asks me where I am from in Nepal, I often get confused. Geographically speaking Tanahun, where I am from, lies in the middle of the country. Thus, I should say I am from central Nepal. But, because Nepal is divided into five development regions and Tanahun comes under Western development region, I internalized Tanahun as being in the West of Nepal.

Today, suddenly a thought emerged, the geographical nomeniculture of development regions, like almost everything in Nepa,l is Kathmandu centric and reflects what state and rulers perceived themselves as. Eventhough Kathmandu is not exactly at the center of Nepal, the development regions are named as though Kathmandu is the center of Nepal. For example, Kathmandu lies in Central Development region and anything east lies in the Eastern region and most of the Nepal is West. By this logic, Nepal has more West than east or center. There are three different variations of West - Western Development Region (Gandaki, Lumbini and Dhaulagi…

Attacks on the fourth estate.

One of the victims of Maoist insurgency and King’s terrorocracy has been the fourth estate – mass media that flourished under 12 years of democracy in Nepal. From only about two daily broadsheet, one radio station, and one television station, all owned by government, Nepal has witnessed an unprecedented level of media boom. There are several daily broadsheets, news magazines, five nepali television stations, and over 40 radio stations all over the country. The beneficiary, nepali people who have benefited from competitive views, have access to local information, can watch quality television programs, and run their own radio stations. In last several years, lok-geet (folk songs) have become a mainstay (I believe largely due to FMs). But, the plurality of view-points are antithetical to autocratic King and totalitarian Maoists.

Maoists regularly threaten, kidnap and kill journalists and reporters. For Maoists, anyone who writes against their atrocities are “enemy of people”. For King an…

A Visit to Bulaki Chaur

“What programs are we taking to villages?”“Is it classes on adult-education? Oncommunity health?” Sanitation?”Our challenge. It’s not 1958. The proliferation of NGOs that began in 1980s and caught speed in 1990s in Nepal (like many other developing countries) has been amazing. While many organizations are providing valuable services to Nepalese people, the term NGO has almost become synonymous with educated elite enrichingon poor’s name.At least a few organizations have found their way to every village that run variety of program. Mostly, during the ‘project period’.Frequently, organizations find funds and go to the villages to implement them. Thus, there is an expectations among villagers that when people from the city come (especially the one from organizations), they come with handouts.**********Sarvodaya is about identifying local needs and working to solve through community participation.“I don’t know what program, we can take,” I would say. “Let’s go and find out from villagers,…

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