President For A Secular Nepal

suchandra · 07-22-2008, 02:03 PM

President for a secular Nepal

Anirban Roy, Hindustan Times
Email Author
Kathmandu, July 22, 2008
First Published: 23:04 IST(22/7/2008)
Last Updated: 23:12 IST(22/7/2008)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryP...nt=strParentID

Nepal’s president-elect Ram Baran Yadav has a great mission — to paint a new secular image of the Himalayan nation, which has been the world’s last Hindu Kingdom.
In an exclusive interview to Hindustan Times on Tuesday, Yadav said that as the new Head of State of Nepal, his primary aim is to play the role of guardian of the nation, and maintain equilibrium in the multi-cultural society for stronger national integrity.
Nepal’s first president would be sworn-in on Wednesday by the Chief Justice of Supreme Court Kedar Prasad Giri.
Yadav said that it is important now for the people of Nepal to view the new government as a secular identity. “I have equal respect for every religion and the people of Nepal are my Gods.”

Nepal's president Ram Baran Yadav

For centuries, the King of Nepal, who has been the Head of State, has been the icon of Hindu religion. The monarch was viewed as a re-incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and always took an active role in Hindu religious festivals.
Yadav said his secular mantra is aimed to bring about integration among the various ethnic and religious groups in Nepal. “I am the first democratically elected president of Nepal. So, my views and action would always be different,” he said.
The president-elect said that as the Head of State, he would also have to ensure the process of constitution writing progresses in the right direction.
Yadav, who spent nine years in India, said he would like to draw inspiration from former Indian Presidents like Rajendra Prasad, S Radhakrishnan and APJ Abdul Kalam.
“India is out nearest neighbour and the largest democracy in the world, so we will have to learn a lot from India,” he said, adding that tucked between the two Asian giants India and China, Nepal would now need to seek plenty of support from both the countries.

suchandra · 07-27-2008, 11:39 PM

That sounds familiar with what happened in ISKCON. After the takeover overzealously pushing to draft a new constitution.

Nepal president’s first address to republic

Kathmandu, July 27, 2008

http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=&id=ac5fad5f-dda9-4f83-b97f-4cb2f1fcf562&&Headline=Nepal+Prez%E2%80%99s+first+address+to+rep ublic&strParent=strParentID

Nepal’s president Ram Baran Yadav on Sunday urged the people from different ethnic groups to maintain harmony to build a stronger nation.
In his first address to the nation, the president said that all people living in mountainous, hilly and Terai regions of the country are all Nepalis.
In fact, Yadav’s appeal has come at a time when there has been a growing difference between the people in the hills and the Terai (the southern plains bordering India). During the last four days, there has been a strong and violent anti-Hindi movement in different parts of Nepal after the country’s first vice-president Padmanand Jha took his oath in Hindi.
Yadav said he would extend complete support and play a coordinating role in the drafting of a new constitution. “Respectable Nepali brothers and sisters, we are now preparing to sketch the fate of Nepal and we have a big challenge of drafting a new constitution within in next two years,” he said.

suchandra · 08-06-2008, 12:15 AM

How Much Money Does Indian Diaspora Remit from Nepal?

Arvind Rimal
August 6 2008
http://telegraphnepal.com/news_det.php?news_id=3860

A rejoinder to Dinesh Dey
I read your disclaimer (Scroll down for Dinesh Dey's Comment) of my view of India (July 16, 2008) with due interest.
I, too, have to disagree with you on the things you stated in your writing.
We in Nepal do not blame India for our incompetence. We only ventilate our dissatisfaction and express unhappiness for India’s hegemonistic attitude towards us.
Certainly, we are not facing “bad Karma” because we “blame India”. On the contrary, we face “bad Karma” because of India’s highhanded behavior towards us. I do admit that India had been open and welcoming throughout its history to the Jews, the Parsi Zoroastrians, the Lamas—the Dalai and Karmapa. Leaders of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan had happened to take shelter themselves in India in hours of their domestic political troubles. Nepalese leaders, too, had taken shelter in India in such times. And there is much graciousness about India and its people when they give shelter to such leaders in distress. I appreciate this point.
I have, however, to differ with you on your view that neither India nor Nepal was there (in the map) at the time when the “Vedanta was recognized”. True, India as a country with such a nomenclature had never existed as a nation-state in those days, when as you say “the Vedanta was recognized”. But there used to exist even at that particular period in history the entity what is called the Aryavarta. However, the latter terminology does not indicate a nation-state but it was a geographical expression denoting the whole landmass we today describe as Asia, or what you rightly call “Jambudweep”. The Aryavarta comprised a conglomeration of various States such as Mathura, Ayodhya, Magadh, Kalinga, Kaccha Desha, Hastinapur, Rajasthan etc. It was the British who forged these principalities into what have now become independent states we call India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Not even Samudra Gupta, whom the English historians of India had called as the “Napoleon of India” and Emperor Akbar had been able to change these political entities into a one single State as such. This point should be clear to you.
However, there had existed a separate country known as Nepal, even during the Pauranik period and you may kindly consult at least the sacred Padma Purana Himottara Khanda, the Skanda Purana, the Shiva Purana and the Devi Bhagawatam. The last one mentions the country as having an important Shakti Peeth.
I am gratified to know that you are proud of your heritage of being the follower of the Vedic pantheon. I am a Hindu myself and, as such, I am no less proud, as yourself being the adherents of the same Vedas, besides other sacred books of the Hindu pantheon.
Lastly, I should be thankful to you for your advice to my compatriots (in India) to remain studious and hardworking. However, do not, please, be under the illusion that what you call the Nepalese Diaspora is a vital source of financing the “improvement of Nepal”.
Meanwhile, you also should be aware of how a vast sector of “Indian Diaspora” in Nepal too, helps Indian economy when it sends its remittances earned here to its country.
I should like to conclude this article with the recitation of a famous passage of prayer from our holy books which wishes all living beings for their good health, happiness and welfare and also wishing them never having to undergo any trouble and suffering.
Sarbay Bhavantu Sukhina,
Sarbay Santu Niramaya,
Sarbay Bhadraani Pashayantu
Ma Kaschid Dukkha Bhagbhavet
Om Shanti! Shanti!! Shanti!!!

Stop blaming India
Commented by Dinesh Dey on:
5-questions: Will not an economic viable and politically stable Nepal be in the interest of India? 2008-07-16
Please stop blaming India for all your incompetencies. Blaming India will only bring bad Karma on you. India has been open and welcoming to all people throughout its history -- when the Jewish temple was destroyed by the Romans in the 1st-2nd century BC, the Jews came to India. When the Parsi Zoroastrians were attacked by the Muslims around 700 AD, they fled to India. When the Dalai Lama and Karmapa Lama fled Tibet, they came to India. Nepali politicians and royals of every color have sheltered in India. Leaders of today's Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and even Afghanistan have all sheltered in India at some time of their careers. India is easy to blame because it is open and democratic and multi-religous. Are there not natural calamities occurring in neighboring countries too? But we do not hear much about them because their media is not free, and because these countries are very unstable or are dictatorships. And, by the way, there was no Nepal or India at the time the Vedanta was recognized, many thousands of years ago. There were the Himalayas and Jambudvipa. The Vedas and Vedanta are the common heritage of people living in those areas mentioned in the Mahabharata and Ramayana. "Nepal" and "India" are not mentioned in those texts, because these names were coined much later. Also please do not forget that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment in Gaya, the Mahabharata war was fought at Kurukshetra, and Lord Rama ruled at Ayodhya. That the Vedas and Vedanta have survived after 1000 years of Muslim rule and 300 years of British presence is a tribute to the resilience of the Vedanta. I am a proud Indian and Bengali. I have been to Nepal and the neighboring countries many times, and it is painful to see how India is blamed for the self-created problems some of these countries are facing. Strength is developed from within, by improving yourself, not by blaming others. Let the Nepalese Diaspora study hard, work hard, and send money back to Nepal to improve their country. Let education be the primary focus of the Nepalese Govt.
Asato Ma Sat Gamaya,
Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya,
Mrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya,
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.
2008-08-06 06:56:08

suchandra · 08-23-2008, 01:11 PM

Nepal President worships at Krishna temple Kathmandu (PTI): Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav on Saturday visited the famous Krishna Temple at Lalitpur near here for the first time after assuming power to pay homage to Lord Krishna on the occasion of Sri Krishna Janamashtami.
Tens of thousands of devotees have thronged the famous 21 pinnacle temple at Patan Durbar Square since Saturday morning.
The President alongwith high ranked government officials and diplomats reached the temple at 8.30 a.m. (local time) and spent about 10 minutes there.
Krishna Temple is made of stone on which Indian epic Mahabharata has been inscribed.
The Himalayan nation, which recently abolished monarchy, has a tradition of its King visiting the Krishna Temple on the occasion.
After the abolition of monarchy, the duty to be the chief guest at major Hindu festivals is being executed by the head of the state.
This is the second Hindu festival, after the Matchhendranath Bhotojatra festival last month, which the President Yadav attended as the head of state.
Last year Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had attended these functions as acting head of the state.