Limited access to education, scarce employment opportunities and discrimination embedded in social structure have severely restricted growth and development of dalits in Nepal. For dalit women, the situation is even worse.

Blogger Kiran at Everest Uncensored discusses about Dalit Women and their issues:

“When we talk about Dalit women they suffer from triple discrimination as oppressed by the so-called high caste people (which equally affects both male and female Dalits), oppressed by the design of the Hindu patriarchal system and oppressed by Dalit males. 90% of Dalit women in Nepal live below the poverty line and 80% of Dalit women are illiterate. These women are also vulnerable to serious health issues, sex trafficking, domestic violence, and suffer from social, political, and economic powerlessness.”

With 80% of dalit women struggling with illiteracy, odds could not be stacked higher against them. Dalit women are also often target of racially motivated attacks by the so called “higher” caste members of society. Renu Kshetry at NewsBlaze writes about a dalit woman who was attacked in a village near capital Kathmandu:

Recently B.K., a Dalit woman, was the victim of a heinous crime - she was tortured, beaten and forced to eat human excreta. The person who orchestrated this barbaric act was a supposedly educated woman: Bimala Lama. The principal of the local Gadi Bhanjyang Primary School, Lama accused B.K. of practising ‘witchcraft'.

The incident took place earlier this year, unfortunately, is not isolated. Every year dalit women are victimized, and very few manage to get justice.

Some dalit women, however, are working to achieve what was previously thought to be impossible. A temple is Kathmandu's Baneshwor area now has a dalit woman as priest.

“The 43-year-old is the priest at the Chhakkubakku Bhagwati temple in the busy Baneshwor area of the capital, hemmed by shops and pavement stalls. Besides being a woman, she is also a Dalit, a community that stands at the bottom of still-conservative Nepal’s rigid social ladder and is ostracized as untouchables even now.

The mother of four comes from the Sarki clan who were originally cobblers and once forced to live on the carcasses of dead cows when Nepal was a Hindu kingdom with a ban on cow slaughter.”

In constituent assembly elections held on April 10, 2008, a number of dalit candidates-including women, were elected and dalit leaders hope that increased political participation will help end discrimination.

Here is a video in Nepali by NepalNews.com which features dalit leaders to discuss how the country's new constitution should be shaped so that caste discrimination ends definitively.

For more information on Nepal's dalits, you can visit Nepal Dalit Info, which has informative articles, studies and latest news on Nepal's dalit movement in both English and Nepali.

Law against discrimination has been on the books for long in Nepal, but the caste system continues to ostracize one community. It is clear that unless dalits-especially women, are given the opportunity educate themselves the practice will continue to find new victims.

A Biogas plant. Image by Flickr user Marufish. Used under a creative commons license

For a nation struggling find cheap and sustainable source of energy, biogas certainly brings good news for Nepal.

Globalwarming Arclein, a blog on how agriculture can help reduce carbon emission, says that the low tech approach of biogas makes it accessible to the majority of Nepalese people who live in villages:

“Biogas production is not high technology. It takes a cistern that can be made with a shovel and perhaps setting liner stones as is often done in a modern septic field. Capping this and drawing of the produced gas into a holding tank is simple and usage after that needs again fairly minimalist hardware that can be jury-rigged together.

The major requirement is to simply know that it can be done and that it will work. Recovery of the produced slurry later is unpleasant but no different than similar tasks attended to.It is not a convenient way to produce enough gas for household heating, but certainly sufficient to support incidental heating for cooking and producing hot water in a healthy way.”

Nepal's success in biogas could inspire its neighbors too. Nepal's closest ally India is also looking forward to develop alternative energy sources to deal with the growing demand in its rapidly industrialized states. Razib Ahmed at South Asia Blog, which focuses on the region's business and social issues, says:

“I am interested about biogas a lot because I believe that it has immense potential not only for Nepal but also for neighboring countries like India and Bangladesh. Biogas Sector Partnership Nepal (BSP-Nepal) is an NGO that is actively working for the promotion of biogas in the country. Until June 2008, 172,858 biogas plants have been made with their support.

As a result, more than 1 million people are getting the benefits. 1 million people may not sound to be that much to you but you have to remember that it is mainly the poor people living in rural areas who got benefited through this technology. Not only that, I would also like to catch your attention about the fact that Nepal imports almost 100% of its oil. So, every biogas plant made means saving some foreign currency for the country.”

And the interest in biogas is not a passing fad for Nepal. After many years of hard work and careful planning, it has been able to generate significant attention. Back in 2005, Mallika Aryal at RenewableEnergyAccess reported on Nepal's quest to generate sustainability and revenue through biogas.

“Nepal's Biogas Support Program has extended its work to 66 of the nation's 75 districts and plans to have 200,000 biogas plants installed by 2009. A plant suitable for a rural household costs US $300. Government subsidies have made the plants affordable. An individual invests only $200 and his investment is recouped in three years. A very good deal indeed!

Now the Nepali biogas plants are on their way to becoming a “good deal” for the global environment. When Kyoto Protocol, the global climate treaty, will enter into force for Nepal in December 2005, it would be eligible to start trading the carbon dioxide not emitted by using biogas and earn up to $5 million per year.”

To learn more about how biogas is helping Nepal, here is a video produced by the Nepal Project at Tokyo City University, Japan.

Hindupad, a blog on Hinduism, explains the significance of various days of Dashain:

“On the first day of Dashain, Ghatasthapana puja is observed and ‘Dashain Ghar’ or a special puja room is decorated. During Dasain, Saptamatrikas (7 divine Mothers), Ashtamatrikas (8 tantrik Goddesses) and Nava Durga Goddesses (9 aspects of Durga) are worshiped. Barley or paddy is sowed on earthen pots (ghata) and after ten days the seeds get sprouted. It marks the good harvest. All non-resident Nepalese return to their country to celebrate the festival of Dashain.”

During the final five days of the festival, people receive the sprouts called jamara from elders as goddess Durga's blessings along with tika (rice grains mixed with vermilion power and yogurt).

Jamara planted for Dashain, Photo by Bhumika Ghimire

A Sanskrit hymn is chanted when elders give the jamara and tika. For men the hymn is “‘Aayu Drona Sute” and for women it is “Jayanti mangala kali” .

Nepaleselaw explains the meaning of the first line of “Aaayn Drona Sute”:

“The actual meaning of ‘Aayu Drona Sute’ means May you have a long life like Son of Drona. The Son of Drona is called Asosthama, which is considered to be one of the Aastha Chiranjivi (Aastha Chiranjivi means those eight people who never die as per Hindu epics). Therefore, when our parents bless us saying ‘Aayu Drona Sute’, that means let my children have long life like Asosthama………that means you never die”

The hymn also wishes for prosperity, destruction of enemies and fame. Jayanti mangala kali, on the other hand, praises the goddess but makes no worldly wish.

For the Nepalese diaspora Dashian is especially a poignant time. Missing home, family and friends they try to organize celebrations in diaspora. The occasion provides them a chance to meet other Nepalese, procrastinate about home and have some good time together.

Bhumika, after receiving tika and jamara

RangeenChara, a Nepalese diaspora blog, describes Dashain celebrations outside Nepal. Dashain is also a festival with its own “theme tune”. Malshri tune is played during the festival, which is considered as auspicious.

Here is the Nepalese musical group Sur-Sudha with the piece Malshri.

This year's Dashain in Nepal was a bit controversial, with animal rights activists calling for an end to the tradition of animal sacrifice during the festival. Goats, sheep, buffaloes and even chickens are ritually sacrificed as an offering to the goddess.

AnimalRightsNepal calls for a more humane Dashain:

“Hindu religious book speaks for preserving planet and all living creature for better world so stop killing animals and sacrificing animals name of God. Celebrate Dashain without blood and meat. Save animals, save ecosystem.”

Various groups, including those promoting a more peaceful Nepal, have banded together to ban animal sacrifice in the country. So far, the public's reaction has been positive but there have been no official statement on the issue.

Even with controversies, different religious persuasion or difficult political and economic situation in Nepal, Dashain is celebrated as a joyous occasion and continues to be a festival that brings people together.

She did not limit her visit to the capital but went to the country side to learn more about the issue and called for better care for mothers and new born.

Well known Hollywood celebrity blogger Perez Hilton praised Halliwell's mission. His post also points to an alarming statistics of maternal mortality in Nepal.

“According to the UN, there is a one in 31 mortality rate for Nepalese women following child birth due to poor conditions, living in remote areas and the condition of uterine prolapse, which affects one in 10 mothers.”

Geri Halliwell received a warm welcome from the people and the Nepalese government too. But her interaction with Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal received some scrutiny from the tabloids. Indian television network Star TV tried to portray the customary greeting kiss between Mr. Nepal and Halliwell as “controversial”.

Viewers though have a different view on the “controversy”. Shulav83 at Star News YouTube Channel comments:

“Don't make mountain out of a molehill..doesn't india's media have something else to report about???”

The Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson's two day visit to Nepal did not create any such ripples. She was in the country with the White Ribbon Alliance to promote maternal health.

Sarah Sanyahumbi, head of British development organization DFID's Nepal division posted about the Duchess' Nepal visit in the organization's blog. Sanyahumbi says maternal health care in Nepal is not up to the mark but things are improving.

“…despite all the challenges in this country, there has been really good progress on this issue and the numbers of women dying in childbirth has fallen by nearly half. But still, every four hours in Nepal a woman dies due to pregnancy and/or childbirth complications, and 6 in 100 children will not see their fifth birthdays…..”.

High maternal mortality rates in Nepal mask another serious health risk to Nepalese women - Uterine Prolapse. It is a condition where the womb falls out of the vagina. In western Nepal about 600,000 women suffer from this painful condition. It happens when a woman returns to hard manual work too soon after childbirth.

Here is a video by Sudaron Karki on this issue, uploaded by YouTube user snowheadcouk, with personal accounts from women who suffer from the condition. (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES)

Visits by Geri Halliwell and the Duchess of York certainly brought the issue of maternal health in Nepal into media spotlight but it will take more than high profile celebrity visits to bring relief to Nepalese mothers who suffer because of deep seated prejudice and lack of awareness.

“Changing weather patterns have dramatically affected crop production in Nepal, leaving farmers unable to properly feed themselves and pushing them into debt, ” Oxfam says in a report.

Chandan Sapkota, a Junior Fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, also thinks that the effect of climate change on Nepal's agricultural sector warrants immediate attention:

“Late monsoon will decrease agriculture production, which is the backbone of the economy and more than 70 percent of the population depend on it for living. This will also have a huge impact on economic growth rate and per capita income.”

Nepal - Island Peak (Imja Tse)- Impressive glacier icefall below peak, Image by Flickr user mckaysavage

Climate change is also having serious impacts on Nepal's pristine Himalaya mountain range and the surrounding communities. Phil Butler at Pamil Visions notes the dangers of melting glaciers in the Himalayas. Supported by satellite pictures he has posted an in depth analysis of the endangered glaciers and the rising glacial lakes to show the urgency of the situation.

“These high glacial lakes (..) have risen in some cases by as much as 45 percent. Satellite imagery reveals without a doubt, severe melting of these crucial glaciers, still further evidence that global climactic change is proceeding at an accelerated rate. Hundreds of millions of people in the region that depends on the water from these glaciers will be negatively effected in way we cannot envision or predict accurately.”

Nepal's “meltdown” has prompted many international environment organizations to look into the issue seriously, although the government in Kathmandu is still dragging its feet when it comes to serious long term planning on climate change issues.

This video from World Wildlife Fund (WWF) shows the impact of climate change on villagers and ecosystem of a mountainous village in Nepal.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in partnership with UNEP and the Asia Pacific Network has released this video to show the impact of climate change on Nepal's glaciers.

The Nepalese government's inaction aside, works of international organizations like WWF and ICIMOD are beginning to have an effect on the country's conscience. Various citizen and youth groups are being formed across the country to raise awareness about climate change.

Nepalese Youth For Climate Action is one such group. They call for stricter worldwide emission standard, encourage sustainable development by emphasizing on indigenous knowledge and industry, rally for investment on clean energy and seek more awareness in Nepal about climate change.

There are also efforts to provide training and resources to enhance the cause of climate change action by the private sector. Bhajumahesh reports that an eight day South Asian workshop (17th August -24th August 2009) was organized by PANOS South Asia-PSA to:

“build the capacity of media and other communication practitioners on climate change issues and the role of communications by applying ICTs for local content development, networking, knowledge sharing, to enable them to produce multimedia local contents on climate change communications in South Asia.”

As the country's government is sidetracked by political infighting, the Nepalese private sector and many ordinary citizens are leading the charge on climate change actions, showing the power of the people.

Tehelka.com, a news outlet known for its investigative journalism released exclusive pictures of Police arresting Sanjit, who does not appear to be resisting. After a few moments he is shot and killed in a crowded market place.

“….a shootout that happened in the heart of Imphal, Manipur’s capital, barely 500 metres from the state assembly, on July 23. They show the moments before, during and after the ‘encounter killing’ of a 27-year-old Indian citizen – a young man called Chongkham Sanjit, shot dead by a heavily-armed detachment from Manipur’s Rapid Action Police Force, commonly known as the Manipur Police Commandos (MPC).”

Lakhipuronline further describes the police action before Sanjit was killed:

“The captured scenes, under no circumstance indicate than (sic) Sanjit resisted arrest. Police claimed that Sanjit tried to evade arrest and fired indiscriminately while fleeing through, unarguably the most crowded place in the capital city of Manipur. Rather the 27-year old is shown pushed and shoved by the security men inside a pharmacy before his lifeless corpse is carried out and laying (sic) still in a police vehicle.”

A pregnant bystander was killed later when the police tried to control the crowd, which gathered after learning about the death.

Manipur’s Chief Minister is now under huge public pressure to act. VisionMp reports that:

“Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Wednesday ordered a judicial probe into the alleged fake encounter and ordered the immediate suspension of six policemen involved in the incident.”

Times Now is now reporting that even though the Chief Minister has initiated probe of the incident, residents are now demanding his resignation.

This incident, unfortunately is not an isolated one. Alleged human rights violations in Manipur have been reported for a number of years.

This YouTube video uploaded by ramjoishy shows the history of police brutality in Manipur. A word of caution: the following video is very graphic in nature, viewers' discretion is advised.

Human Rights Watch released a report on July 17,2009 which questions the government’s security tactics:

“Local human rights groups have documented several killings in Manipur in recent months in which the killers are alleged to be members of the security forces. The Special Powers Act gives members of the armed forces broad authority to search, arrest, and shoot-to-kill - and protects them from prosecution. The culture of violence perpetuated by this law has become so deeply rooted that the police now routinely commit the same kinds of abuses long practiced by the army and state paramilitary forces.

In several cases, security forces allegedly robbed and killed people, but then claimed that the deaths resulted from “encounters” - shootouts with armed group.”

Twitter user rituparnabhuyan says:

a bullet in the wrong head (and a few camera shots) has shaken the state, as Manipur boils, my heart goes out to the innocent victims in Imphal

surajkala informs:

It's a war zone in Manipur - where is the democracy http://is.gd/23vGV (must watch video : an eyeopener) (via @palinn) #fb

Keerthikiran says:

Thu Aug 06: I still wonder how the whole nation is silent if not sleeping on Manipur fake encounters. Really sad.

alakrenu replies:

@keerthikiran because its Manipur. how many atrocities from the northeast come to limelight? its sad.

According to Republica:

“Some 2000 Nepalis from villages on Nepal-India border who have been displaced due to alleged harassment by Indian border security forces are running out of the meager food stuff they brought with them. [..]

The number of displaced due to harassment by India´s border security force — Sashastra Surakshya Bal (SSB) — is increasing. Even on Tuesday, some 250 came to Satbariya. Many are still on the highway not knowing where to go.”

Nepal's government has promised to look into the issue but the public anger is palpable. Around the country several protest rallies have been organized. Maoists and student organizations are taking the lead. According to Nepalnews, student organizations have decided to send delegation to border areas to asses the situation.

Online, reactions to the dispute ranges from frustration to call to regulate open Indo-Nepal border and organize grassroots citizen effort to publicize the issue and force peaceful and equitable solution.

Bivash, a blogger who is sympathetic towards the Maoists, points towards the open border between India and Nepal as a security problem and that regulated border could help ease tension.

“The open border is always operating at the pleasure of Indian interest. India has time and again used the open border issue to threaten Nepal whenever it feels that Nepal is not responding to its interest. There are incidents of major transit points closed for long duration by India without consulting Nepal as a punishment for dealing with other countries without India’s prior knowledge and consent.

However, after the birth of Maoist insurgency in Nepal, and especially in the past few years, India is also feeling the heat of negative implication of the left-wing and anti-Indian coordination in both countries that is linked to its internal security concern. So, it is the time for not only Nepal, but also India to rethink its strategic policy about the open border in the changing context of regional security as well as cross border undesirable activities. Being a small country, Nepal is suffering more from India in the negative consequences of the unregulated movement of population across the open border.”

Some frustrated citizens are also taking the matters to the court. Lawyer Santosh Basnet and journalist Pushpa Thapaliya have asked Nepal's Supreme Court to intervene.

“Meanwhile, lawyer Santosh Basnet and journalist Pushpa Thapaliya filed a public interest litigation in Nepal's Supreme Court, accusing the government of having failed to protect its citizens in the border areas.

The petitioners have asked the apex court to order the government to protect border villages from encroachment by India.

The Prime Minister's Office, council of ministers, home ministry and land reforms and management ministry have been named in the petition as having failed to execute their responsibilities.”

Nepali language blog MySansar is spearheading efforts to mobilize Nepalese online to publicize the issue. They are calling for global day of action on June 15th, asking readers to send banners, posters to protest the alleged encroachment.

At Facebook, several groups are popping up to protest alleged encroachment by India, and there are some videos posted at YouTube on the issue. Here is a video on the border dispute from the Nepalese side.

While majority of these efforts by Nepalese are an honest effort, there are some groups at Facebook who are dangerously promoting hate and xenophobia against India. At Mysansar too, some posters sent by readers for the global day of action are racist and biased, administrators there have not taken down the offensive images.

The bleak outcome is eliciting strong reactions online from those who support freedom of press and want North Korea to release the two journalists. A Facebook page for Laura and Euna already has more than five thousand members. Today they are asking the public to respect the families privacy at this moment and not to get emotional:

“You will have many emotions racing. Please try to stay clear of anger. Anger is a waste of energy and what North Korea wants of you.We can and will work together and use our minds, to work this through.”

LiberateLaura, a blog authored by Los Angeles entertainment journalist Richard Horgan, describes events happening in North Korea as “worthy of Shakespeare” and questions the decision of the “Hermit Kingdom” to arrest Laura Ling and Euna Lee:

“Unfortunately, into that mad kingdom, just ahead of the chaos, wandered @Current journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. On Tuesday, March 17th, whether by accident or the trickery of a paid-off Chinese guide, they are alleged to have stepped across an invisible border line at a bridge crossing between China and North Korea. Harsh interrogations and two and a half months of solitary confinement followed, and now, after a brief trial, an absurd sentence of 12 years of hard labor for illegally crossing the border and an unspecified “grave crime.”

The Shakespearean analogy is useful because it allows us, just slightly, to make sense of the unfathomable June 8th Ling-Lee verdict. Kim Jong-il is indeed pushing it to the limit on the diplomatic, nuclear and innocent Americans fronts, all in a bid to reassure the country’s military hard liners that a Kim Jong-un succession will maintain the Amy-first status quo.”

On YouTube, supporters are posting videos calling for the immediate release of Laura and Euna. There are also videos and photos of vigils in South Korea, San Fransisco and elsewhere in the United States.

Here is as public service announcement from Pacific Rim Video and Kelly Hu:

As the public and various organizations promoting free press are coming together to call for Laura and Euna's release, some are now questioning the reactions of United States State Department and former U.S. vice president Al Gore (the founder and chairman of Current TV, which employed Euna and Laura) to the situation.

At Asia Times, Donald Kirk says:

“The North Koreans also get offended every time a top-level American visitor visits the region, and one immediate complication of the trial is that it coincides with a trip to South Korea, China and Japan of a US delegation led by Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg.

Steinberg has not talked publicly about the two women but has made clear in meetings with South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak and other top officials that the US is not willing to negotiate their fate. Could he have had their case in mind when he assured Lee that the US would not offer more aid for North Korea. “

He then proceeds to speculate about Al Gore's involvement in negotiations:

“How about giving them up to a high-level American delegation? Gore comes to mind as the man for the job in view of his control over the network for which the two women were working.

Gore has been strangely silent throughout, all the more reason to think he's waiting to give face to the North Koreans and rescue the two women - a happy ending that may be too much to hope for.”

Gore would be perfect for the mission. His presence would acknowledge North Korea's need for recognition as a member of the global nuclear club but would not constitute official US recognition of anything.

Not everyone is taking Gore's silence so lightly.  John in Condition Yellow takes Gore's lack of involvement less lightly, saying:

I don't expect Mr. Global Warming to just drop what he's doing and go sailing off to north Korea to negotiate the release of two people who work for him. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is far too busy saving the planet. Right? But how long would it take for him to issue a simple statement like, “Hey, Kim Jomg Il! Let my people go, or we will take your carbon credits away.”

But seriously, am I the only one who thinks that even a simple public statement from Mr. Pulitzer, condemning the trial, would at least be the decent thing to do for people who work for him?

Hmmm. Okay, maybe Bill Richardson would be more effective.

But one thing is for certain, as Jo points out in the blog Jo's Department - everyone is wishing for the journalists' safe return:

I hope that they do not endure Pyongyang’s horrific (as described by escapees) prison system and that two journalists could safely return and be reunited to their families soon.

Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Image by Utudanuki, Wikipedia

After weeks of wrangling among political parties in Nepal, veteran Communist leader and former general secretary of Nepal communist party (United Marxist and Leninist) (CPN UML) Madhav Kumar Nepal was “selected” as Nepal's prime minister. Mr. Nepal's job, especially at this point, brings a heavy baggage of problems-some of which could potentially torpedo his government.

Foreign policy is on top of his to-do list. Neighboring India recently re-elected the coalition lead by Congress party and China is showing renewed interest in Nepal's strategic position in the region. Nishchal N. Pandey at NepalNews comments on “Prime Minister Nepal’s Foreign Policy Priorities”:

“The manner with which our leaders have cheapened themselves by repetitively making the same mistake of frequently meeting foreign envoys to ask their advice on domestic political developments has taken its toll on the authority and respectability of the Nepali state as a whole. Therefore, the first foreign policy priority of newly appointed Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal should be to invite the Prime Minister of India Dr. Man Mohan Singh and the President of China Hu Jintao to pay an official visit to Nepal at their earliest convenience. [..]

The second priority must be to correct the drift of our conduct of international affairs.”

Mr. Nepal also has to deal with disgruntled Maoists. His party was a member of Maoist lead coalition government but when the issue of army chief Rookmangud Katwal's sacking came up they decided not to backup the former guerrillas-which ultimately contributed to downfall of Maoist lead government.

Robert Lindsay, an American communist, sounds off on the power struggle.

“What’s particularly disgusting is the behavior of other Nepalese Communist parties, who have refused to work with the Maoists and have lined up behind feudalism, the monarchists and reaction. These parties were in parliament for over a decade during the 1990’s and were never able to accomplish a damned thing. Talk about useless.

I think the Madhesis are originally from India and live in the Far South near the Indian border. They are staunch Hindus and seem to harbor secessionist tendencies. I think the Terai (an ethnic group) may be much the same, but I am not sure.

Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) or CPN (UML) is the name of one of the sellout Communist parties.”

The Maoists have been staging protest during constituent assembly meetings, which some say is disrupting the constitution writing process. Mr. Nepal declared immediately after taking oath of office that drafting the new constitution is his first priority.

Here is Mr. Nepal addressing the nation, after assuming his duties-in Nepali. Basically, he stressed on the “new constitution drafting and taking the ongoing peace process to a logical conclusion.”

At Becononline Barun Roy has an article from Express Buzz on the Maoists allegedly stalling the constituent assembly meetings:

“The new Communist Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, who replaced Maoist premier Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda Monday, has a fledgling three-member cabinet. Bitter infighting in his own party as well as his main allies has retarded the formation of a full cabinet.

Though Madhav Kumar says his top priority is writing a new constitution by next summer, the growing Maoist opposition will make it near-impossible.”

Working with the Maoists seems to be an uphill task for prime minister Nepal. Dealing with expectation of the people is also going to be tough, especially since the people are very skeptical about his “selection” and what he will be able to accomplish in the current environment of political instability.

Here is what the people feel about Mr. Nepal as the new prime minister of Nepal:

Gurkha soldiers in the remebrance day parade, image by Flickr user Rodderz

The Gurkhas, young men from Nepal who serve in the British military, have served the Queen and the United Kingdom for almost two centuries. Unfortunately, the British government has been less than fair when it comes to honoring their service and sacrifice.

Last week, British press and blogopshere were buzzing about the new government proposal that is prejudiced against the veterans of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Anna Raccoon writes about the proposal:

“To learn that five MPs, who represent the political wing of the IRA, have not even taken up their Parliamentary seats and yet have claimed £500,000 for second homes in the same breath as we are told that we ‘cannot afford’ to allow some 1500 Gurkhas, who have fought in every major theatre of war, from the first Afghan war through to Bosnia, the Falklands and more recently Iraq, on behalf of the British Army, to settle in the UK, and yet we can ‘resettle’ the old ‘soldiers’ of the IRA in London, complete with ‘Samson’ 28-inch wide televisions, and DVD Sony cinemas surround systems, in a £5,400 a month – a month! – house in London.

Truly, the Gurkhas must this morning be wondering whether they were aiming their guns at the wrong soldiers. Gordon Brown used a ‘fabric of falsehood and fantasy’ in claiming that it would cost taxpayers 1.4 billion pounds to let Gurkhas live in Britain, according to campaigners.”

Paul French from Shanghai is “disgusted with the British government's attitude to the Gurkhas”. He voices support for the ongoing campaign by actress Joanna Lumley for the Gurkhas:

“There is a campaign currently running to support Gurkhas and pressure the UK government into giving more help and equal treatment to Gurkhas, called Gurkha Justice that has caught the public’s imagination and widespread support. A motion was voted on in the House of Commons on the 29th April 2009 by the Liberal Democrats that all Gurkhas be offered an equal right of residence in the UK. This resulted in a defeat for the Government by 267 votes to 246, the first, first day motion defeat for a government since 1978. The Commons vote is not binding, but it represents an embarrassment for the government. Yet Phil Woolas, the immigration minister (and, as I well remember a nasty little self-centred careerist when he was head of the National Union Students in my college days - a real horrible little greasy pole climber who obviously hasn't changed one jot) continues to prevaricate and pettifog.”

While the right of Gurkha to settle in Britain and fair pension are the focus of discussion, the issue of race and racism is also being raised. At Spiked Brendan O’Neill writes:

“The Gurkhas have always been treated as second class, as loyal but peculiar, as a race apart, as less intelligent than the white leaders of the British Army but a bit more trustworthy than the everyday wogs of Nepal, Burma and India. Indeed, the Gurkhas have long been an institutional expression of inequality: they were made and sustained, not by British decency, but by British racism.

But not everyone is supporting the Gurkhas. At New Statesman Peter Wilby says that “the Gurkhas are mercenaries” and:

” They don’t fight “for love of Britain and Her Majesty” (to use a soundbite favoured by their supporters), any more than South African cricket mercenaries play for, say, Leicestershire for love of the county’s fox-hunting denizens and rolling countryside.The Gurkha regiment was formed two centuries ago when British troops invaded Nepal but found the fighters too much of a handful and therefore paid them to join our army. A 1947 agreement stated that a Gurkha soldier, if he joined the British army (many joined newly independent India’s army instead), “must be recruited as a Nepali citizen . . . serve as a Nepali citizen and [be] resettled as a Nepali citizen”. They were paid less than British-born soldiers – an obvious attraction to the Ministry of Defence – but the money was high by local standards.”

Some British citizens are voicing their opinion at You Tube too about the Gurkha issue. Here are some voices supporting the Gurkhas:

Image credit: Wikipedia

Only ten days ago there were allegations that the generals of Nepal Army were making plans of a ’soft coup’ to tackle Maoist’s plan to dismiss the Army chief.

Binaj Gurubacharya at The Huffington Post provides the background:

“Dahal, a former Maoist rebel leader, sacked army chief Rookmangud Katawal on Sunday after the two quarreled over the enlistment of former rebels into army ranks. President Ram Baran Yadav, who officially commands Nepal's military, rejected Dahal's decision and ordered Katawal to return to work in a late night notice.

Nepal's Maoists fought a bloody, 10-year war against the government before joining the political mainstream in 2006 and winning the most votes during elections last year after the Himalayan country abolished its centuries-old monarchy. However, many of the former Maoist fighters remain restricted to U.N.-monitored barracks under a peace accord.

Dahal wanted them freed and integrated into the military, as prescribed under a U.N.-brokered peace agreement. But Katawal resisted those efforts and sparred repeatedly with the government over the issue.”

Here is the video of the Prime Minster’s press meet [In Nepali], where he announced his resignation and accused the President of staging a “constitutional coup” by reinstating sacked army chief Katwal.

Prachanda said that the President's action is unconstitutional and alleged that foreign powers and his political rivals pushed Nepal’s figure head President to defy his decision.

Neil's Nepal explains the constitutional issue regarding the President's letter:

What should be plain to all here is that there is nothing unconstitutional about the defense ministry sacking the army chief. However, there is nothing constitutional about a ceremonial president giving orders countermanding such a proposal. This letter is tantamount to authorization to conduct a military coup. We shall see how the Maoist contingency plans hold up.

At United We Blog, readers seem divided over Prachanda’s decision to quit. Some have praised him for keeping his word but some accuse him of being reckless.

Ahimsa comments that:

“(Royal) Army has taken over!. By blocking the integration of PLA into the National Army, the (Royal) Army has successfully spoiled the peace process in Nepal. They will most likely now try to enrage and radicalize the Maoists to get the public consent to impose martial law. Bye, bye Republic of Nepal.”

Nepali’s views are very different from Ahimsa:

“when pm dares to make such foolhardy and reckless decision , what a general Nepali can expect from him…….except resignation”

Nepali language blog Mysansar is also covering the ongoing political crises in Nepal. In a post on the Prime Minister’s resignation, it claims that now the main opposition party Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist and Leninist) (UML) is in the race to form new government under the leadership of its former General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal.

A reader, Lax, at Mysansar, commenting on Prime Minister’s resignation says that the people’s aspirations for better future are being quashed for political goals:

“It’s the same game again, we have seen over and over in the Nepali politics. A selfish and power hunger struggle in the name of general public’s interest. It’s even a sad tragedy to see the same public being played and swayed again and again by the same so called corrupt leaders who have already deceived and shown their true colors in the past. Nepali Janta never learns a lesson. As long as these leaders are alive, nothing is going change at all. Don’t let anybody use you. Come out of that unconsciousness and decide your fate yourself.”

Late breaking news from Kathmandu, as reported by Republica, says that the Maoists have announced new round of protest against the President.

“A secretariat meeting the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) has decided to intensify struggle in the parliament and the street until President Dr Ram Baran withdraws his “unconstitutional” move. [..]”

Persecution of Christians is a hot topic among Indian and foreign bloggers. Violence against Christians in the state of Orissa is the most widely commented topics on the issue of intolerance against Christians in the country.

Here is Sandhya, a citizen journalist for Instablogs reporting on the Hindu-Christian clashes. The title of this video is provided by the journalist, not by author of this blog or Global Voices.

While there is strong presence of blogs, websites on the issue of alleged persecution of Christians, some Indian bloggers and foreign journalists have negated those claims:

Francois Gautier, a French journalist, discussed the issue back in 2001, long before the Orissa violence:

“Now to come to the recent cases of persecution of Christians in India at the hands of Hindu groups. I have personally investigated quite a few, amongst them the rape of the four nuns in Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, nearly two years ago. This rape is still quoted as an example of the “atrocities” committed by Hindus on Christians.

Yet, when I interviewed the four innocent nuns, they themselves admitted, along with George Anatil, the bishop of Indore, that it had nothing to do with religion: It was the doing of a gang of Bhil tribals, known to perpetrate this kind of hateful acts on their own women. Today, the Indian press, the Christian hierarchy and the politicians, continue to include the Jhabua rape in the list of atrocities against Christians.”

At Vijayvaani, Hilda Raja-a retired professor, writes about the ongoing debate on persecution of Christians in India which grew louder as the elections approached:

“The GCIC (Global Council of Indian Christians) has made a grave accusation against the present UPA government – that there may be unfair elections. But it appeals to the same political leaders who cannot ensure even fair elections to guarantee safety for religious minorities (read Christians) and ensure their participation in elections, defend freedom of religion, and bring to justice those who discriminate against Christians. That’s a tall order. If the UPA government till date was not able to ensure all this, how can it do so on the eve of elections?

If carefully scrutinized, the statement calls for throwing out such a government and bringing in one which will fulfill the tall order made by GCIC. Thus, unwittingly, it has accused the UPA under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi, an Italian Christian, to have failed in protecting minorities. Another serious accusation made by Abhishek (director, Open Doors) is that the law had been restricted in its application in favour of the Hindu majority and to the disadvantage of minorities such as Christians and Muslims (under Congress-led UPA, I suppose).

Does this mean that he and other organizations with whom he collaborates want to throw out the UPA government which failed minorities and bring in a government which will protect minorities? “

Alleged bias against India's Muslims is also being discussed online. Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan discusses “Indian Muslims and the 2009 Elections - Challenges and Prospects of Political Success” in depth.

He points out the emergence of small regional parties as a viable choice for Muslims who feel alienated by large national parties:

“A new phenomenon this time is the emergence of a number of small Muslim parties. Muslims already have the Indian Union Muslim League in the southern state of Kerala (with 2-3 members of Parliament and a sizable presence in the provincial legislative assembly) and Majlis Ittehadul Muslimin in the southern city of Hyderabad (one member of Parliament and about a dozen in the provincial assembly).

A new Muslim entrant from the last year is the Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) in the northeastern state of Assam which won nine seats in the provincial assembly elections last year and expects to win 4-5 seat in the current national elections. The AUDF has now stretched its wings to other states too and is fighting elections in a number of northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.”

Here is actress Shabana Azami, talking about being Muslim in India. An interesting discussion on bias against Muslims in India.

This post is part of the Global Voices special coverage on the Indian Elections 2009

A number of convicted felons, gang members with long criminal history and leaders accused of violent crime (murder, attempted murder, armed robbery) - villains in every sense are going to the people asking for their vote.

Abdullah Khan, says “this nexus of politicians and criminals is bane for great Indian democracy.” He provides a list of criminals turned politicians, most of whom hail from troubled states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

“In UP only, BSP’s candidates with an alleged criminal past are Dhananjay Singh (Jaunpur), Aruna Kumar Shukla ‘Anna’ (Unnao), D P Yadav (Badaun), Kadir Rana (Muzaffarnagar) Rakesh Pandey (Ambedkar Nagar), Rizwan Zahir (Shravasti) etc.

Among the Samajwadi Party’s candidates are Brij Bhushan Singh from Gonda, Rakesh Sachhan from Fatehpur, O P Gupta from Dhaurhara, Mitra Sen Yadav from Faizabad, history-sheeter Mukhtar Ansari (Varanasi) and Bal Kumar (brother of robber Daduwa) from Mirzapur. Seema Parihar, a former robber, is also contesting from Mirzapur on Udit Raj’s Indian Justice Party ticket.

In Maharashtra, gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the North Central Mumbaiparliamentary constituency. In West Bengal, ‘bahubali’ Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary is in the fray from Berhampore on Congress party’s ticket. In Bihar, JD(U) has given Lok Sabha ticket to Vijay Kumar Shukla alias Munna (a criminal-turned-politician). Lok JanShakti Party has also given ticket to alleged criminal, Rama Singh, an accused in many criminal cases, from Ara.”

The list of criminals turned politicians is long, and the political parties are accused of encouraging and accepting the felons. Avinash Narula says that getting rid of criminal politicians is not an easy task because of the “cooperation” between them and the power circle. He says that the ‘Lead India” campaign launched by Times of India to ask citizines not to vote for criminals will not succeed because:

“Most of the politicians will not be convicted because of a number of reason. There is a nexus between politicians, cops and criminals. On top of this the courts take years to decide on a case which allows the criminals to keep on contesting elections and winning based on goondagiri (highhandedness).

So do you think Lead India Campaign against criminals in politics will have any effect? I don’t think so.

First, getting criminals out of politics is not in the agenda or manifesto of any major political party. Forget, forget about removing criminals from politics, they are not even talking about doing anything about corruption.

Second, we need to change the law but again we cannot do this without the politicians.

Third, we need to expedite the legal process which also we cannot do.”

In city of Varanasi, holy city for Hindus, election battle sure looks like a movie script. A person accused for murder (who just happens to be a Muslim) is pitted against a party veteran who is known as a Hindu hardliner. BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi will be battling against Mukhtar Ansari, who was accused for murder and is currently in a jail. Ansari is the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate.

Citizens are sounding alarm on muddied political environment not only through blogs but also through videos. At YouTube, there are a number of videos urging citizens not to accept criminals as election candidates.

In this video, No criminals, youngsters ask fellow citizens not to vote for criminals. It also has some parts in Hindi, where people ask political parties not field criminals. More interesting are the slides which list charges against some candidates.

This video titled No criminals Hindi, has a similar message.

This post is part of the Global Voices special coverage on Indian Elections 2009