News

Here are some news from today’s República, a local newspaper.

Schoolgirl abducted

A group of local youths abducted a schoolgirl, aged 18, on Monday while she was heading to her school. Police suspect that the girl was abducted after her parents refused a marriage proposal for her from a man residing in the same village.

Tourists told not to trek alone

Tourism entrepreneurs in Pokhara have urged tourists not to go on trekking alone, following a series of robberies in different trekking routes. “Mostly those tourists have been robbed who trekked alone”, said president of Trekking Agents’ Association of Nepal. In some cases, tourists have been robbed of their belongings by those who accompany them in disguise of guides.

Swine flu medicine

With Nepal Homeopathic Doctors’ Association claiming that the pandemic H1N1, can be treated with the Influenzinum-200, the medicine is selling like a hotcake in Biratnagar. Association’s president Dr Jeevan Prakash had few day ago claimed that three doses of the medicine can cure the disease in a single day. The medicine costs only Rs 5 per dose.

Lack of proper abattoir puts public health at risk in Bardiya

In the absence of proper slaughterhouse, meat markets remain the most unorganized in Gulariya, Basgadi, Sanoshree and Rajapur areas in Bardiya. This has led to environmental pollution and has also negatively affected human health. The district supplies a lot of goats, buffaloes and chicken to major cities of the country.

From the You Say column – KFC, Pizza Hut

The entry of Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut in Nepal is a milestone in our nation’s journey towards globalization. Though we cannot stop such entries from taking place, we should take care to understand the value of our cultural foods and preserve traditions related with them and not let them allow to widen social division by encouraging a lifestyle that is alien to our society.

And some of my own news in short

I had visitors from Finland, a bunch of my college friends. They liked Nepal and I liked seeing them, I also got some salmiakki- a typical Finnish candy. Their visit was slightly disturbed by Maoists demonstrations and an embargo in the valley. We saw few demonstrations, more polices on the streets, but otherwise for us it was life as usual.

I have had a slight flu, but this hasn’t stopped me wondering around Katmandu and the valley. Found a nice village and a temple the other day and also a collection of Asian movies- movie marathon here I come. And no worries, it is not the piggy flu. But I do worry for the children. When the influenza starts spreading how will the malnourished children, or domestic workers, or others cope..

And I got my visa extension- they are not throwing me out yet. So normal life continues, work during the week and other adventures during the weekends. Oh and during the evenings the Bollywood marathons.   

About differences and changes

We had a good laugh at the office the other day. I told, that there is a country in Europe that is planning to make it illegal for two males to hold hands or hug in public. Why is this, I was asked. And I replied that I suppose it is, because they think that it is a bad influence for children see two men holding hands, I suppose they don’t want to see it them selves, I suppose they are so scared of homosexuality.. My coworkers were silent for a moment and then said: they should come and see Nepal!

Here men hold hands in the public, hug and touch each other more than in “the West”. And no, this doesn’t mean this would be a refugee for gay people, quite the contrary. Homosexuality in Nepal seems to be a taboo, not seen nor talked about. Here the heterosexual family is still in the center of the society. If someone doesn’t marry, this is seen as odd or even as a failure, for the unmarried individual and for the family.  Homosexuality, or to be more exact, engaging in homosexual activity was a crime until 2007.

But things are changing! As said, homosexuality is no more a crime and a law allowing samesex marriages has been formed, though not approved. Maybe the attitudes towards homosexuality will follow, but as we know, change in the attitudes is always slower. But perhaps soon Europe will turn towards the East to learn about tolerance..

We continued about talking the handholding and my co-workers pointed out that in Nepal it’s the males and females who can’t hold hands in public. This would be seen as indecent, though sometimes I see young adults enjoying a moment hand in hand in the deserted streets. I still am pondering the idea, why a woman and a man holding hands is indecent? I understand this is a society relying on the traditional values, which take partly their power from religion, but rely strongly on the community. In the traditions and in religion sex is preserved between man and wife. And the woman is seen somewhat with the destructive power, for example in the Hinduism the god of destruction, Durga, is female. So as in every society, especially women’s sexuality is protected, maybe because the destructiveness of femaleness is connected to the sexuality. So sexuality or anything suggesting in that direction should not be seen in public, not even holding hands, let alone a kiss! But the males hold hands you might say, but you must see that there is nothing sexual about people who are the same sex touching in a country where homosexuality doesn’t exist.

Once I was enjoying a evening with my Finnish and Nepalese friends, all females. We were out listening to some music, when a Nepalese youngster, a young man, came and talked with us. He had had something to drink and was somewhat flirting. For a Finnish girl the situation was normal and after a short chitchat the guy went away. One of the Nepalese girls said out loud: I was so scared, how did you know what to say! In Nepal the situation was not normal and girls and boys should in many peoples opinion keep a bit of a distance. But then again, many younger people don’t choose their friends according to gender and their parents are ready to honor this view.

A lot is changing in Nepal. Recently I red from the newspaper how people are trying to change the law so that women would have the chance to inherit land and property. This is not possible now, only in the case when the woman doesn’t have a man to take care of her.

But only time will tell what changes, how things are molded by the traditions and what is denied all together. But I hope that the change doesn’t bring with it the fear of homosexuality, put the understanding. I hope that males continue showing their friendship on the streets, though this could be seen as a form of brotherhood, which makes it difficult for example the women to get their right to inheritance. But time will tell what changes and how.