Deepa Narayan – Playback Singer

Mohan Thakuri – Sahitya Akademi Award Winner

Born: 20th April, 1948 at Darjeeling

Awarded Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996 for Nihsabda (Poetry) in Nepali language.

Gadul Singh Lama – Eminent Nepali Writer

Born: 15th June, 1939

Awarded Padma Shri in 2005

19-point code of conduct for Nepal’s new government announced

FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA NEWS

Kathmandu, Aug. 22 : The three-party coalition of Nepal to lead the new government has announced a 19-point code of conduct to be followed by ministers.

The code of conduct was signed by leaders of the three-party alliance, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) (CPN-UML) general secretary Jhala Nath Khanal and Chairman Upendra Yadhav of the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF), , The Rising Nepal reported.

According to the code, the coalition ministers shall follow the principle of collective accountability and individual responsibility in conformity with the universal principle of democratic republic and the measures provisioned by the Constitution and law.

The ministers should stand in favor of fair implementation of the Common Minimum Program announced on Thursday by the three parties.

The ministers should publicize the property details before taking charge the ministerial posts and resigning from the post.

Nepal leaders blame both India and Nepal governments for Sunsari flood disaster

FROM SOUTH EAST ASIA NEWS NET

Kathmandu, Aug 22 : Political leaders and experts in Nepal have blamed the Nepal Government’s negligence and the Indian Government’s bullying tactics for the breach of the Saptakoshi embankment.

Water resources and disaster management experts stressed on the need to revise the treaty between both nations regarding the Koshi Barrage, Kantipuronline reported.

“The people of Sunsari district have been victimised by the Indian Government’s bully nature,” Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist leader Dinanath Sharma was quoted, as saying.

Nepali Congress leader Minendra Rijal accused his government for not accepting responsibility for the havoc and transforming the incident into a political one.

Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF) advisor and former Joint Secretary at the Water Resources Ministry of Nepal Ratneswor Lal said the responsibility for the maintenance of the Koshi Barrage lies with India as per the Nepal-India Koshi Treaty.

Kayastha also said the problem could also be because of the irregular maintenance of the barrage.

A 12 km stream of the Koshi Barrage has developed breaches at two places. The barrage is maintained by the Bihar Government’s Water Resources Development Department in Biratnagar. New Delhi has sought cooperation from Kathmandu.

Gyanendra faces fresh eviction as Maoists ready cabinet

FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES

Nepal on Friday heaved a sigh of relief with former Maoist guerrillas finally forming a new cabinet more than four months after the elections. But it is a fresh blow for ousted king Gyanendra, who now faces eviction from the mansion that had been his refuge since quitting the royal palace in June.

The last king of the Hindu kingdom of Nepal, who was reported to be penning his autobiography in his present solitary life, has begun looking for a new abode as he has to vacate the Nagarjun summer palace where the earlier Girija Prasad Koirala government had allowed him to shift from the Narayanhity royal palace.

Though the Koirala government had said the former hunting lodge of the royal family, now the property of the state, was loaned temporarily to the former king and his wife Komal to facilitate their final exit from the palace, it did not make any move to nudge the former royals away even two months later.

After winning the April election, Prachanda, the chief of the Maoist party that waged a 10-year war on the omnipotent royal family and brought their downfall two years ago, had indicated that the deposed king would be asked to find a new roof over his head once he came to power.

With Prachanda sworn in as republic Nepal’s new prime minister last week and a Maoist-led cabinet to be sworn in on Friday, the ex-king has read the writing on the wall.

The former king could now move into the residence of his uncle, the late Prince Himalaya, reported Jana Aastha, the Nepali weekly that has been a close watcher of the palace.

The sprawling mansion, located in Kathmandu’s quiet Chhauni area, was transferred to Gyanendra’s name when he was a prince, the weekly said.

Koshi pact a historic blunder: Prachanda

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET

KATHMANDU: As massive floods in Nepal poses the first major challenge to the Maoist-led government, newly elected Prime Minister Prachanda today blamed the Koshi agreement for the crisis terming it a ‘historic blunder’.

“Koshi agreement was a historic blunder,” Prachanda said during his visit to the flood-hit area in Sunsari district where more than 50,000 people have been displaced and at least 5,000 houses submerged following a breach in the western Kushaha embankment along the Saptakoshi river.

The Koshi pact was signed between Nepal and India 50 years ago during the tenure of first elected Nepalese Prime Minister B P Koirala, elder brother of Nepali Congress leader and former premier G P Koirala.

“People are suffering due to this agreement,” the prime minister said in a sentimental mood talking to the flood victims in Sunsari, according to Kantipur daily.

He said the new government will be more serious while building such embankment in future.

Stressing on the need that India should be serious while constructing such embankments, he said his government has initiated dialogue with India to resolve the problem.

“The Foreign Ministry has already written a letter to government of India to contain the damaged embankment,” he said, adding the situation of flood was more serious than the government had earlier thought.

China provides $50,000 flood relief to Nepal

FROM PEOPLE’S DAILY

Chinese ambassador to Nepal Zheng Xianglin handed over 50,000 U.S. dollars of flood emergency relief to Nepal on Friday.

On behalf of the Red Cross Society of China, Ambassador Zheng Xianglin handed over the amount to the Red Cross Society of Nepal in Kathmandu.

Dev Ratna Dhakwa, Secretary General of the Red Cross Society of Nepal appreciated the aid provided by the Red Cross Society of China, and introduced the situation of the flood occurring in southern Nepal.

Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda” said China giving a hand when Nepal is in need fully reflects the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Prime Minister Prachanda, on behalf of the government, on Thursday called on all the friendly countries and other international community to provide necessary cooperation in flood relief.

In the public appeal, the Prime Minister said the Nepali government was quite aggrieved from the misfortune and the painful situation created by full inundation of three Village Development Committees (VDCs) including Sripur, Haripur and Kusaha and four other VDCs partially submerged in Sunsari district, some 220 km southeast of Kathmandu, after the embankment of Saptakoshi River suddenly broke down, affecting more than 50,000 people while displacing thousands.

Vijender fought intelligently, says Sports minister

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

Olympics but the middle-weight boxer’s historic bronze medal winning effort was applauded today by Sports minister M S Gill, who praised him for fighting intelligently.

Gill said he was now looking forward to meet Vijender when he returns to the country on August 25.

“I am sorry that Vijender has lost but I am happy that he fought intelligently with a cool mind against a very well known opponent. I congratulate on his performance in Beijing and look forward to meet him in Delhi,” Gill told PTI.

Vijender lost 5-8 to Cuba’s Emilio Correa Bayeaux, a two-time Pan-American champion, in the semifinals today. But the effort was enough to make him the first Indian boxer to clinch an Olympic medal.

The Bhiwani-lad would return to the country with a bronze medal. PTI

Dialogue with Pranab satisfactory, says GJM

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

Siliguri (WB), Aug 22 (PTI) The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has said it is satisfied with the “positive” dialogue its delegation had with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and hoped it will pave way for early tripartite talks on the Gorkhaland issue.

“We are expecting tripartite talks on Gorkhaland issue soon as the dialogue with Mukherjee was positive,” GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang said.

He said Mukherjee gave a patient hearing to the nine-member GJM delegation yesterday in New Delhi and assured that Congress in principle was not against the concept of ’smaller states’.

Tamang said that Mukherjee had agreed that the GJM movement was not unconstitutional and anti-national.

The delegation, headed by GJM general secretary Roshan Giri, had submitted a memorandum to Mukherjee demanding separate statehood by including areas in Terai and the foothills of Dooars in Jalpaiguri district.

Mukherjee, Tamang claimed, had also assured the delegation that he would present a clear picture of the GJM movement demanding Gorkhaland to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil. PTI UBR MD KAD 08221644 DEL

Maha CM announces reward of Rs five lakh for Vijender Kumar

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

Mumbai, Aug 22 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh today announced a reward of Rs five lakh to Vijendra Kumar, for getting a bronze medal in boxing at the Beijing Olympics.

The CM said, “Though he lost the semi-final round he got the first bronze medal in boxing for the country. This will definitely increase the popularity of the game,” he said. PTI SAG VKV vrk vmd 08221639 MUMBAI 08221649 DEL

Vijender loses semifinal bout, settles for bronze

FROM PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

By  Amlan Chakraborty

Beijing, Aug 22 (PTI) Vijender could not be the alchemist and turn his bronze into gold but today’s semifinal defeat could not deny him the honour of being India’s first Olympic medal winning boxer.

Cuban Emilio Correa Bayeaux simply outsmarted the Indian 8-5 to win the 75kg category semifinal in a comprehensive manner and the outcome meant Vijender had to be content with the bronze, which he was already assured of.

The Cuban negated Vijender’s height and reach advantages by playing from a distance. He simply did not allow Vijender land a single blow in the first, third and fourth rounds.

Even two penalty points in the final round could not make any difference for the Cuban had tilted the game in his favour a long away.

Surprisingly, barring the second round, Vijender held himself back throughout the bout and mostly sprayed his punches.

Emilio, son of 1972 Munich Games gold medallist Emilio Correa Vaillant, was precise with his blows. He did not resort to wild arm swinging or uppercuts but relied mostly on straight punches, which paid him rich dividends.

Clearly the faster of the two, Emilio led 3-0 early in the second round and though a desperate Vijender managed to reduce the gap to 4-3 by the end of the round, the Cuban proved his superiority again in the lop-sided third round that virtually sealed the fate of the bout.

Shekhar Pathak, Prof. (Dr.)

Eminent Academician and Educationist from Himachal Pradesh Uttaranchal

Received Padma Shri in 2007.

Media Partnership Program

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION FROM SOLIDARITY FOR DEVELOPMENT BY PINKY PRADHAN

PINKY PRADHAN IS A COMMUNICATION AND ADVOCACY OFFICER UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME, SHE IS ALSO AN AVID BLOGGER.

HER BLOG ADDRESS: http://solidarityfordevelopment.wordpress.com/

To mark the International Year of Sanitation (IYS) and as a run up to SACOSAN III, the Water and Sanitation Program South Asia (WSP-SA) is pleased to announce the Media Partnership Program for regional media professionals (in print, electronic, audio and audiovisual media) who have been writing/producing/documenting water, sanitation, hygiene and health related stories in their countries.

GUIDELINES

Applications are invited from media professionals (in print, electronic, audio and audiovisual media) that have been covering water, sanitation, hygiene and health as mainstream issues. Approximately thirty media professionals shall be selected to participate in SACOSAN III which will be held in New Delhi. The winners shall participate in the six-day SACOSAN event , from 16 to 21 November 2008, being organized by the Government of India (Department of Rural Development) at New Delhi. The selected professionals will also be invited to visit field-based innovative initiatives that have resulted in adequate provision of water and sanitation services, improved hygiene behavior and have had a positive impact on the health of the target populations.

CRITERIA FOR SELECTION

Eligibility: Professionals with at least three years experience in print,electronic, audio and audiovisual media with general circulation are eligible to apply for the program.The program is open to media professionals from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and is likely to be extended to Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives,contingent to availability of funding. Preference shall be given to entries received from women media rofessionals.

First batch of the NCC to pass out from Mirik College

Photo by Himalaya Darpan

Beacon Online’s Homage to A Martyred Soldier

Skulls and Bones sezied at Indo-Nepal Border

Photo by Bikram Sashankar [Himalaya Darpan]

A GJM Delegation after meeting with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee

Why our athletes bring up the rear?

FROM THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

By Biju Babu Cyriac

The pathetic performance of Indian athletes, excluding Surendra Singh and Preeja Sreedharan, at the Olympics brings the focus back on their record breaking efforts at home and in unknown meets abroad and experts feel the absence of strict dope control is one of the key reasons.

Our national record holders, be it in triple jump or discus throw brought up the rear in Beijing and it seems their peak performance comes in the run-up to the Olympics when they barely manage to meet the qualification mark after umpteen attempts.

Take the case of Renjith Maheswary whose leap of 17.04 metres in the Asian Grand Prix meet in Guwahati last June eclipsed the great Mohinder Singh Gill’s national record of 16.79m set in 1971. The 22-year-old, who went to the Games low on confidence and form, managed 15.77, X, 15.51m to finish 35th in a field of 39.

‘‘Our athletes go for the Games after achieving their peak performances. And the Olympics is nothing but a jolly trip for many of them. It is true that doping is prevalent and it may be one of the reasons why our throwers’ performance come down by 4-5 metres,” an informed source said.

Harwant Kaur who touched 61.09 metres in Madurai just a few months back ended 30th with a heave of 56.42 while Krishna Poonia, who managed 63.41 during training in USA, came down to 58.23m in Beijing.

‘‘Just a few years back in one of the circuit meets I saw throwers taking injections from one bottle and all of them using the same syringe. It is just that they are more cautious now,” he said.

The three heptathletes who all tallied more than 6,000 points en route to Beijing fared no better with Pramila Aiyappa (5771 points) finishing 28th, J J Shobha (30th, 5749) and Susmita Singha Roy (33rd, 5705).

It’s a wrestle for sports other than cricket

FROM THE HINDU BUSINESSLINE

NEWS SHARED BY AARDEE

By Meera Mohanty and Vinay Kamath

New Delhi/Chennai, Aug. 21: They are the men who came in from the cold. With Sushil Kumar bagging an unexpected bronze in the 66-kg freestyle wrestling category and boxer Vijender Kumar assured of a bronze in the middleweight class, if not more if he wins his next bout, the Olympics has changed the focus of sports in this cricket-obsessed country just a wee bit.

The Union Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad, distributed laddoos to celebrate Sushil Kumar’s silver; he, after all, is a railway employee. Promoted to assistant commercial manager from a ticketing
inspector and a cash award of Rs 55 lakh from the railways, Kumar can look forward to a bounty when he’s back. Boxer Kumar, already assured of a medal, will hopefully win a silver or gold and can also look forward to cash prize announcements.

While government plaudits will be quick to come, will corporates look to sign on successful sports people outside the sphere of cricket? Sports endorsement depends hugely on the television broadcast of the sports, says Mr Nandan Kamath, Director of GoSports. “Unless these sports are repackaged so that they are seen regularly, it will be difficult to convince sponsors to put in money,” he says.
Image sustainability

There will be opportunities for the young athletes, and he’s betting they are being flooded with calls from marketers, agents and others but it still boils down to the sustainability of their image. Except for a Sania Mirza, no other non-cricketer has given significant returns as a brand endorser. “With Bindra you had a name, and then a face. In the case of Sushil Kumar and Vijender Kumar we barely know them,” points out Mr Mahesh Ranka, General Manager of sports management firm, Relay Worldwide.

However, Mr Kuruvilla Abraham, of the Chennai-based sports marketing and celebrity management firm TNQ Sponsorship India Pvt Ltd, is convinced that the Olympic winners would be certainly marketable. “An Olympic medal right now is a rarity; maybe as we go on winning them it may lose commercial value.” It’s a matter of managing and marketing the talent well, he says.

But, media hype will be key for any endorsement prospects. Packaging of the sports does help; the next Olympic telecast which ESPN has won rights for might also package the games better, says Mr Ranka. Sustaining PR is also important for those managing these athletes; swimmer Virdhawal Khade, who is only 17 and finished first in his heat, should be in the news when back.

Goddess Role To Be Scrapped

FROM THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

A CENTURIES-OLD custom in Nepal of worshipping a virgin girl residing in a palace as a “living goddess” is set to be scrapped after the Supreme Court ruled that the “deity” must go to school.

Religious authorities are searching for a new Kumari – chosen from a handful of three-year-olds – after it was revealed the current living goddess would retire this year.

But the process looks likely to be scrapped after the country’s highest court accepted arguments that keeping a girl locked up in a medieval palace in the capital, Kathmandu, breached her fundamental rights.

“There should be no bar on the Kumaris from going to school … as there are no historical and religious documents restricting Kumaris from enjoying child rights,” the Supreme Court said. Analysts said the ruling was in response to a new atmosphere in the Himalayan nation, now under the control of the Maoists who fought a long rebellion against the monarchy, and who are determined to end feudal practices.

Kumaris, who are revered until they menstruate, preside over key Hindu festivals in Nepal. The tradition was started in the 16th century by the monarchy, which believed the girl would protect them. Attributes are said to include a voice “as soft and clear as a duck’s, the body of a Banyan tree and the chest of a lion”.

Prachanda’s journey begins in Beijing

FROM ASIA TIMES

By Dhruba Adhikary

KATHMANDU - Defying criticisms, Nepal’s newly appointed Prime Minister Prachanda is embarking on a visit to China this week, breaking a tradition requiring every new head of state in his country to make India the first call. Accepting the invitation to watch the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, Prachanda is setting a precedent for the conduct of relations with Nepal’s two immediate neighbors.

Until three years ago, Prachanda was a dreaded name as he led an insurgency widely perceived as a terrorist campaign. The government had announced a cash reward to anyone helping police to arrest the revolutionary whose “people’s war” claimed the lives of over 13,000 people, beginning in 1996.

On Monday afternoon, the 54-year-old communist leader was taking an oath as the first prime minister of Nepal since it became a republic at the end of May. Kathmandu-based ambassadors lined up to offer their congratulations to Prachanda, whose registered name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal. The event represented a leap forward and Prachanda conceded that it was a “pleasant surprise” for him as well. He may have suddenly realized that he has been humbled by greater sense of responsibility.

Nepal’s first elected communist prime minister was Manmohan Adhikary, who headed a minority government in late 1994 that lasted only nine months. Adhikary’s moderate party had agreed to serve under a constitutional monarchy and did not carry the radical image the present-day Maoists are radiating, even after their decision to enter competitive politics on the eve of the April uprising against then-king Gyanendra’s rule in 2006.

As chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Prachanda needs to address the ambitions of his comrades-in-arm while balancing the demands from other coalition partners. It was the consequence of claims and counter-claims for influential ministerial portfolios from these partners that prevented Prachanda from announcing his cabinet by the time he was sworn in as prime minister.

Some of the issues involve appear thorny because not all the coalition partners share a leftist ideology. One of the two main partners, the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF), does not hide its leanings towards India. The centrist Nepali Congress, which has chosen to sit in the opposition in the 601-strong Constituent Assembly, is skeptical about the sustainability of such a partnership. Serious doubts will persist if the Prachanda government cannot accomplish the main objective of the assembly elected in April: to draw up in two years a new constitution to replace the present interim charter.

Cabinet formation likely today

FROM SOUTH ASIAN MEDIA NET

KATHMANDU: The CPN-Maoist, CPN-UML and Madhesi Janadhikar Forum were close to reaching a power-sharing deal, according to Maoist leader Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran.’ Maoists want the cabinet formed very soon, as it would be almost impossible for Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ to leave for China to attend the closing ceremony of Olympics scheduled for Sunday if no cabinet is formed here.

Baidya said in all probability the cabinet would take shape tomorrow after a power-sharing dialogue with the UML. He said things had been finalised with the UML and issues with the MJF would be sorted out tomorrow morning.

UML leader Bishnu Poudel told this daily that the cabinet would take shape tomorrow and standing committee meeting of the party will finalise UML’s nominees to the cabinet. Another UML leader, Bharat Mohan Adhikari, said at an interaction today that the new ministers would be sworn in by tomorrow evening.
Besides the three main partners, Adhikari said CPN-ML, CPN-United, Janamorcha Nepal and Sadbhawana Party would also join the government.

Meanwhile, MJF has decided to send its representatives to the cabinet under party chairman Upendra Yadav’s leadership. Though Baidya said they had not talked anything about creating the post of deputy prime minister, it would not be a surprise if MJF gets DPM’s post, as Adhikari said creating such a post was a possibility.

MJF leader BP Yadav claimed that the Maoists had already agreed to give DPM’s post to MJF. Since the NC is in the opposition, the Maoists are unlikely to antagonise the MJF and force it to join the NC in the opposition, analysts say. Yadav said his party had decided to send only new faces to the cabinet.

Today’s Olympic Medal Ranking

CLICK ON THE SCANNED DATE TO ENLARGE

A new innings

FROM THE HINDU

BY GAUTAM CHATTERJEE

After “Via Darjeeling”, the National Film Development Corporation of India is now working on several co-productions and hoping for big success. Since more and more international producers are eyeing the Indian film market, NFDC is going to play its new innings with hope and scope. “Before we take on a film, certain aspects are checked by our panel of judges. We have bifurcated production into fully funded and co-produced. In the first ategory, our focus is on new filmmakers,” says Nina Lath Gupta, Managing Director, NFDC. [Inset: Nina Nath Gupta]

NFDC is most commonly known for its co-productions. “The Making of the Mahatma” (1995) directed by Shyam Benegal, was NFDC’s most important international co-production. NFDC needed to pursue its own objectives and establish its own niche in the market, says the official. In the past, NFDC has presented critically acclaimed films such as “Ganashatru” (Satyajit Ray), “Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda” (Shyam Benegal), “Antareen” (Mrinal Sen) and “Gandhi” (Richard Attenborough) and now “Via Darjeeling” (co-produced with Moxie Entertainments Limited). Its next arrivals are “Ladkiyan”, “Kabhi Tum Kabhi Hum”, “Bas Yari Rakho”, “Jameela” and “Kshan”.

“This year NFDC is going to release a few projects like “Bioscope”, a Malayalam movie of K. Madhusudhanan. This feature film was a part of the competition section at the 10th Osian film festival 2008,” adds Gupta.