Indian Blockade to Nepal 2015 and its possible repercussions to India

Some countries are not directly connected to sea (called landlocked country) while some countries are totally surrounded by sea like Japan or Sri-Lanka (called island country). Nepal is one of the landlocked countries out of the 48 countries in the world. In South Asia, Nepal, Bhutan  and Afghanistan are three landlocked countries. Nepal is surrounded by India in three sides while northern side is by Tibetan part of China.

Being landlocked country is very impending to the development as this situation hinders the international trade and access to marine resources. Moreover, in the modern times of globalization the free flow of goods and people are the basic tenets. The international trade these days is essentially  free flow of the stuffs. For example Nepal is using  cars far from Japan, medicine from Germany and so on. Similarly, Japan is consuming the banana from Ecuador, coffee from Brazil or medicine from Switzerland. In this context, the United Nations has made Convention on law of sea (ratified in 1982 ) which gives a landlocked country a right of access to and from the sea without taxation of traffic through transit countries. 166 countries including Nepal, India and China have ratified the convention.

Nepal though mountainous country has plain areas in the southern parts adjoining India where there are major export import border points including Birgunj, Biratnagar and Bhairahawa. Unhappy with the constitution promulgation by constituent assembly in Nepal through the 7 years of hard efforts, India has been continuously using its border for the obstruction of the free transport of stuffs most importantly the petroleum products. This has resulted in the severe shortage of the petroleum products. This is severe blow to the Nepal's path to the prosperity after the 10 years of the bloody civil war and recent severe earthquake in April, 2015  which have caused severe loss of lives and property.

Nepal has ushered in the modern world after the autocratic Rana regime fall in 1950s. In the last 50 years duration, India has used blockade to neighboring Nepal to grip in her hands to fulfill  India's interests- 1969 during the Indira Gandhi regime, 1988 during Rajiv Gandhi and now in the time of Narendra Modi in 2015.  Narendra Modi of Bharitiya Janata Party (BJP)  was thought to be pronepali because of the Hindu majority country, holy land of Pashupatinath and Gautam Buddha. Modi was received very well in Nepal during his official visit to Nepal and the anti-Indian sentiments were  the lowest in the recent times due to his highly friendly behavior and oratory skills. He said that India will always be with Nepal and help Nepal prosper with the emerging India side by side. After the blockade, it seems that  his words were just cheap propaganda. Actually, India is party of Convention of sea and it is moral duty to follow the international law if she also wants be treated equally by other countries internationally.

Except Bhutan, which is pseudo independent small country,  India has no good relations with her immediate neighbors. It has fought 3 wars with arch rival Pakistan after both countries' birth in 1947. Bangladesh, which was helped by India during the independence war, has severe reservations with India mostly in the water sharing issues including the Farraka Barrage along with the Bengali migration problems. India has fought war with China and still there are problems with borders. Moreover, relations with Myanmar, Srilanka, Maldives are not well. The neighbor first strategy of the Modi was seeming working in the first year of his office but with the economic blockade to Nepal it is failing. The goodwill of Nepali people towards India has again waned because it is painful. India needs to understand that the country can be small but not sovereignty.

Being big in the regional context does not allow impunity to India in bullying its neighboring country including Nepal. India should be grateful to Nepal which has allowed its citizen to work in India security forces as per the agreement between Nepal, Britain and nascent India in 1940s. Nepalese people in Indian security forces are working hard and risking their precious lives to maintain the calm situation not only in the  cold  Jammu and Kashmir but also in scorching sun of Rajasthan and very unfriendly environment of Northeast fighting different revolutionary and militant groups. If the situation persists as before Nepal will be forced to take another direction that will be very bad for the not only Indian security but also Indian economy and the international image. India has to come forward and apologize for the ongoing bullying behavior to  Nepal and start the friendly behavior not in words but in action. World is watching this time.

Nepal-India Border Length Brekaup with Indian State

Nepal has border with Tibet/China on the North and India on South, East and West. The open border with India is one of the most disadvantaged relationship Nepal is facing because of the lack of the regulated human movement leading to the human trafficking, narcotics sales and illegal trade. Before 1950 there was need of the documented evidence like passport to travel to India and vice versa. But with the unequal 1950 unequal Indo- Nepal Friendship (?) treaty, the border has been kept unregulated and open. Even the sky was unregulated and only after the Indian Airlines hijack in late 1990s it has been mandatory for both the nationalities  to show official identity card like passport to travel. However, it has not been the case on the land border.  Had India been serious of making good relations with her neighbor Nepal, she should have made the fortified barriers as with Pakistan. India is benefiting more through the unregulated open border with Nepal like encroaching land, jobs for the poor Indian fellow and mass influx of Indians getting citizenship through the nexus of the corrupt and traitorous politicians and their crooks. Millions of Indian origin people are getting citizenship cards of Nepal and that will have severe repercussions on the politics and nationalism in the coming years. There are some people fearing  Nepal going to the  fate of Sikkim (loss of nation) or Fiji (political power usurp by Indians). This has created deep fear among the natives of  Nepal towards the hegemony from the 1950s even after its independence from the British. 

 But given the high hopes from Indian Premier Narendra Modi with Indo--Bangladesh Land deal India will sort out the all the border disputes with Nepal.  Modi has to create the regulated borders between India and Nepal and march in the path of prosperity.

Name of Indian State	Total border length  ( in Kms)
Uttarakhand	263
Uttar Pradesh	560
Bihar	729
West Bengal	100
Sikkim	99
Total	1751

Day in Photo-38

Somnath Temple, Bhaktapur Nepal
(Photo : Bishwa Nath Uprety)

Day in Photo-37

Beauty of Kathmandu, Nepal (Photo by Dr. Pralhad Uprety)

 

 

 

                                                            

Sorry state of India and its implications on Nepal

There have been a buzz of India regarding its health issues, poverty and sanitation problems even though it is one of the rising economic powers in the current time. Following highlights the state of India.

Literacy: 74%

Life expectancy : 68%

Most Polluted City in the world : New Delhi

Open Defecation : 50 % (620 million)

                              more than the population of Europe or twice that of USA

Poor people : 179.6 million  in 2013

                      (20.6% share of world's poor but 17.5%  share  of global population )

It is often compared that  India has more poor people than that of  all the African countries combined. The sorry state of environment are due to unplanned industrialization, illegal mining and waste mismanagement are some of the burning issues of India. In addition to these, the rampant open defection (50%)  has not only posed environmental problem but also have created the situation of cholera, dysentery and many more. To compare this Bangladesh has only 3%  open defecation and China just 1%. In spite of the fact that there is increased calorie intake than the previous time, the defecation has increased the exposure to the diseases thereby not only causing  death but also making stunting and intelligence problems in children thereby continuing the vicious cycle of poverty. The track record on public funding for the sanitation is just 1 (($400 million)   compared to 60 ($26 billion)  for food and job sectors. This has huge repercussions to the Indian society as sick society can not prosper in long run. According to the research recently reported in New York Times, INDIA HAS BECOME RISKY PLACE TO RAISE  CHILDREN.

It is great concern to Nepal (population just 26 million) because it has free entry system with India. Millions of people cross the border for education, shopping, medicine and tourism. Moreover, being a big neighbor its impact is obviously high. Any untoward incident in India has sever repercussions in Nepal. It is hoped that: More the India prosper the more the Nepal will prosper. As development is contagious and in fact the trickling effect of prosperity will benefit Nepal too. In this context the poor and sick states of India (Bimaru states in Hindi) are Bihar, UP and Bengal which are the biggest population bases  (more than 400 million ) of India are the border of Nepal. It is high time that Indian society and government should come forward in sanitation culture and bring the clean and hygiene society not only for its benefit but also for the global health concerns. All countries including Japan (which has severe obsession on cleanliness and sanitation) should help India. Even Nepal should help India in by sharing its positive experiences (like Attitude and Practice) in sanitation and health sectors.

For the India-Nepal Goodwill

India in Numbers 

Size: 3,287,590  km  ( 7th Largest in World)

Population ( 2011 census)  1.21 Billion (2nd Biggest in World)

GDP: $ 2 Trillion (10th Biggest in World)

Borders by land: 6 countries

                             (Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma and Bhutan)

Territorial Issues: 5 countries 

                            (Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Srilanka)

Territorial issues between China and India comes from the  Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1950s and with Pakistan from the Jammu and Kashmir. Since Bangladesh was East Pakistan it has some issues from the very birth of India and Pakistan.

But it is interesting to note about the territorial issues between India and Nepal. It is to be noted that India is about 22 times larger than Nepal. Given the friendly past it seems unnatural that both Hindu majority nations have border issues. However, it is the fact that there are border issues including Kalapani (source of Mahakali river in the Western boundary of Nepal), Susta in Nawalparasi district. Kalapani is in Indian occupation in 1960s (after the Sino-India war in 1962 where India was defeated with humility from China). Nepal has border accord with China in the 1960s but with India it was set up to complete in 1980s but is yet to complete . The main reason is India wants to sign the strip maps excluding the Kalapani and Susta. Nepal of course denies this. It is to be noted that after British India and Nepal had broadly defined the area during the Junga Bahardur Rana premiership. There were appropriate pillars (Junge pillars) along the border maintaining the good border environment. The friendship treaty and recognition of sovereign state in 1923 made further bonding between two nations. But Indian state mechanism  with colonial mentality and narrow heart started problem once India got independence in 1947. Many reports have emerged that Indian SSB force along the Indo-Nepal border has harassed  the Nepali people crossing India and asking for bribe. Those who are challenging are tortured and severely beaten. The No Man's Land (Dash or 10 gaja) is severely encroached by Indian side and is supported by inactions from SSB (border force of India). This has increased the bad image of India among the Nepali citizens.

           After the economic liberalization in 1990s India has progressed a lot and even aspired to be a permanent member in security council of the United Nations citing its area and population. But there are serious objections from its own neighboring nations because of its dismal record as a BIG BROTHER. Many experts opine that- If India seriously wants to have goodwill in aspiring to be a global player it must stop hegemony to small neighboring states and resolve the international border issues as soon as possible. It should start from Nepal as it is the most friendly of all of its neighbors as evident from the fact that she is providing her great manpower (more than 50,000) in its security forces maintaining law and order securing the frontiers. Big country will be great by its virtues not by size and population. Let it be followed in action.

            Narendra Modi, current prime minister of India who has shown acumen in diplomacy by inviting high dignitaries in his oath ceremony, while visiting Nepal this year for SAARC summit must ensure that any in-differences between India and Nepal must be resolved quickly and peacefully. More sooner the better. 

Paper published

Critical paper  by our regular contributor Dr. Pralhad  Uprety on the earthquake disaster in the Nepalese context- Learning from the 2010 Haiti Earthquake in Nepalese Context has been published in 2014 issue of the Byabasthapan,   Nepalese Journal of Management.

The abstract of the paper goes like

Natural disasters have been showing their devastating power to people and their livelihood throughout the history. Nepal is no exception in this regard. She has been affected from different disasters including landslides, earthquakes and floods resulting in loss of lives and properties from time to time. Fragile geography, ever-increasing population and lack of proper preparedness are the some of the pressing issues of Nepal. One of the most striking recent examples of sorrows and horrors perpetrated by the disasters is from the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The status of Nepal is similar to Haiti and hence it is imperative to draw lessons from it in Nepalese context.

The paper is result of rigorous research and has referred many  papers including the followings: 

Bilham. R., Paul B., and Jackson, M. 1995. Entertaining a Great Earthquake in Western Nepal: Historic Inactivity and Geodetic Tests for the Present State of Strain Journal of Nepal Geological Society, Vol. 11 (1) pp 73-78

Uprety, P., and Poudel, A. 2012. Earthquake Risk Perception among Citizens in Kathmandu, Nepal. Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies Volume 1.

Uprety, P., Bhandary, N. P., and Yatabe R. 2012. Questionnaire Survey Based Earthquake Damage Estimation in Kathmandu Valley of Nepal. The 5th Indonesia Japan Joint Scientific Symposium (IJJSS) 2012 Chiba, Japan(in CD-ROM).

Nepal in Figure

Name: Nepal

Capital: Kathmandu (1500 m from sea)

Boundary: 

              Latitude : 26.36 North to 30.45 North

             Longitude : 80.06 East to 88.212' East

Area : 147181 Square Kilometer.

International border :

      North – China (Tibet)

      East, West and South-India

Population: 26.49 million 

Government: Republic (since 2008)

Elevation:

        Lowest point : 70m (Kechanakelan, Jhapa district)

        Highest point: 8,848 m Mt. Everest/Sagarmatha (Solukhumbu district)

(Source : CBS Nepal 2011)

Day in Photo-18

People, Pagoda and Passion

Incredible! Moon meets Light

Chandra  Dangi
(Photo: Krish Dulal, Wikipedia)

It is incredible moment indeed. The shortest living man and  woman meet for the first time in the history. As a part of 2013 release for 57 edition of Guinness World Records, the records  made this arrangement in London. Chandra Bahadur Dangi  (height 54.6 cm) from Nepal is the world's  shortest man. He is from Purundhara village in Dang district in Western Nepal. He is the also the smallest person in the recorded history of smallest adult before which Gul Mohammad (1957-1997) of India hold that record  (height 57 cm). Born in 30 November 1939 (age 72) he came in the limelight only after 2006 when some people noticed his uniqueness and showcased in different expos. He was awarded this record in 2012 only. He weighs just 14.5 kilogram but fit and fine. He is unmarried and a farmer by profession. After winning the  records said: "I'm very happy that I'm being recognized by Guinness World Records and that my name will be written in a book.  It's a big thing for my family, my village and my country.  I am very happy." He loves travelling and is proficient in playing madal.

Similarly, the world's Shortest Woman, Jyoti Amge (62.8 cm) is from India.She was born in December 16, 1993 (age 18). She loves fashion and wish to become actress in coming years.

Meaning of Chandra is moon while Jyoti refers to light. So, in simple way Moon is meeting with light complementing each other! Great meaning in the sense that we should be calm and cool as moon and its light. Enjoy the video of this great moment! 

India and her neighbors- Part 1

-By Sardul

Introduction

India, from the very beginning of human civilization, is one of the developed areas as evident from the Indus civilization in Mohenjado and Harappa civilization. It has been ruled by different rulers from both outside and inside including Greek (Alexander the great ), Mughal (derivation of Mongol ) and finally British through East India Company. It is home to the ancient thinkers, birthplace of Mahabir (proponent of Jain religion) and workplaces of  Buddha (born in Lumbini, Nepal) and  GuruNanak (born in current state of Pakistan).

Modern History

Fig 1 India and her neighbours

India gained its independence in 1947 from Britain and at that time there were 500 princely estates within India itself. Most of them were absorbed with India either through  force or agreement. At that time there were some European  colonies like Goa of Portugal, Srilanka of  Britian and Vietnam of France. Other  independent states on the were Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan and Sikkim.Tibet has been annexed by China in 1959 while Sikkim by India in 1975. 

Current Status

Currently India is the largest nation in South Asia and seventh (about 3.2 million square kilometer) in the world by area. It is the  second largest  country by population (more than 1.2 billion) in the World. For the time being it is considered the largest democracy in the world as China, with largest population, is one party communist system. With the downfall of USSR in 1990 and emergence of free market economy many new economic powers (like Brazil, China, Indonesia, India, South Africa) have emerged. With its growing economic status, big population size, cheap labor and  large pool of English speaking people India has become attractive investment destination. Currently it is the 11th largest economy by GDP count with 7% annual growth rate and expected to be 2nd in the coming decades.

Next blog will talk about the relation of modern India to her neighbors.

Krishnajanmastami (Lord Krishna Birthday)

Balkrishna (Baby Krishna)

Today is the birthday of Lord Krishna who is the human  incarnation of Lord Bishnu (one of the trinity of the Hindusim). The word Krishna literally  means black as well as person with charisma (attraction). He was born as the 8th baby to mother  Devaki and father Basudev in the prison in Mathura (now in Uttar pradesh, India) at midnight. His parents were imprisoned by maternal uncle Kansa out of fear that he would be killed by the 8th son .To avoid risk Kansa killed previously born 6 babies from the couple. Last 7th and 8th babies however survived the death trap of Kansa. Basudev secretly transferred Krishna out of prison and he was raised by foster parents Nanda and Yasoda in Gokul (now in Gujarat, India).

Krishna in Mahabharata War

There were several attempts by Kansa to assassinate him. Lord always foiled them and finally he killed Kansa and restore his father as the king of Mathura. Kansa is notorious for his evil thinking and deeds and hence regarded as evil person so nobody wants to be compared with him. He worked as a chief Prince to Ugrasena and later established own kingdom in Dwarka. During his lifetime he worked for the betterment of human being by siding with the goods and eradicating the evils. In the Mahabharata war he sided with Pandavas and worked with the Arjuna. During this time he delivered the essence of life what we call the Bhagvat Gita. Gita is the most philosophical yet easy way of understanding the life and self. Divided into 18 chapters, it also talks about the morality and Yoga (union of soul to super soul of God). Here he stated the importance of duty, compassion, self and the invincibility of soul and reincarnation. Gita is one the most important religious texts in Hinduism. Originally stated in Sanskrit, now there are several translations in different languages including, Nepali, English, Gujarati, Urdu and so on. Gita Press of India is doing very good work since 1923 in popularizing the books. Even Braille version has been evolved.

Krishna Temple (Patan, Nepal)

On this holy day many devotees flock to the Krishna temple around the globe. In Nepal Krishna temple in Patan, is very famous and is packed with devotees. The temple,built by King Siddi  Narsingh Malla, is made from stone and has 21 pinnacles. On the wall events of Mahabharata is very nicely portrayed. The night time environment is  special with bright light and colorful devotees. High dignitaries like King and president come to pay homage to God.

Krishna in  Nara Japan 

Regarding the influence of Krishna out of South Asia, we can found the  image of Krishna in Bali Indonesia, and even in Japan. There is a depiction of Krishna playing flute in the Nara temple constructed in 752 AD in Japan. 

In modern times, with the evolution of ISKON movement (Hare Krishna Movement) in 1966 by Prabhupada in New york USA has  significantly draw attention of  Western people and many people are following the Devotion tradition (Bhakti marga) of Lord Krishna. Its centers are expanded to Canada to Britain and Kenya to Australia. 

In the today's high-tech world people need to do many things and feel stressed. In such situation, people of all race and faith can learn Gita,  pratice Yoga for the solace and peace of mind. The devoted one can recognize self and become great soul Like Buddha and Krishna. It is really possible.

Happy Krishnastami to all !!!!

May this day brings peace, prosperity and progress to all. 

People be friend to each other and compassion rein their heart.

South Asia Then and Now

South Asia in 1805. Note Nepal written as NIPAL on the top

Nepal has been an independent country throughout her history. Even when the great neighbors viz.,  India and China were subjected to foreign powers, Nepal managed to preserve its independence.This is the reason why we can now have an identity as Nepal and Nepali in international arena. In the coming years too Nepal must preserve its territorial integrity. True Nepali people living  in or outside Nepal love their county first and  ready to do anything to preserve the nation and make her more strong in every front of development.We must give prosperous and independent Nepal to our next generation. 

South Asia in 2012. Note the emergence of new nations

RICE

Rice (the grass species Oryza sativa) is one of the most popular food in the world. 

• Rice has a long history and it is mentioned in the Vedas.
• Rice is grown in Asia, Africa, South America,  and some parts of North America.
• There are many folk lore, culture and tradition related with the rice cultivation.
• It is main staple food of about 2.5 billion people.
• More than 90% of rice is consumed in Asia.
• Most of the rice is consumed where it is produced  like India, China, Japan. Only some countries like Thailand, Vietnam and USA export rice to other countries.
• There are 140,000 varieties of cultivated rice. Basmati rice is famous for its sweet flavor.
• Rice is water intensive farming. For each kilo of rice production  5,000 liter of water is needed.
• Rice production (in million metric tons)
• World 476
• Asia-430
• India  and China -215
• Nepal-4

Regarding rice farming in Nepal it is one of the oldest agricultural practices. There are about 3000 varieties  of rice in Nepal.Out of 75 districts in Nepal only 3 districts are without rice farming.Rice is grown in 1.4 million hectare of land producing about 4 million metric ton. Chandannath rice is grown in Jumla and  it  is the highest rice planting area in the world(about 3000m above sea level).  

Rice is one of the most important food and has the great influence in the economic sector  (25% of GDP). This is the reason why the Nepal government has started commemorating Asar 15 (June/July) as the National Rice Festival for last 7 years. It is to be noted that Asar 15 is also celebrated as the Dahi Chiura Khane (Curd and beaten flake rice eating ) festival and traditionally rice plantation festival.This year rice production is expected to be of 90 billion rupees.

Secret of Western Civilization

Western Civilization has dominated for last 500 years and it was the colonial powers of most of the countries in the world. Only after second world war (1939-1945) many countries have broke the shackles of colonism.

Many countries have developed their countries combining the western values with their own values in a unique way. The rise of Japan to World economy was their adoption of Western methods since Meiji Restoration in 1850. Now many countries have followed Japan and become rising super power like China, India, Singapore Vietnam to name a few.

Noted Harvard historian Niall Ferguson has noted 6 points of western secrets for success. They are:

1. competition,


2. modern science,


3. the rule of law and private property rights,


4. modern medicine,


5. consumer society and


6. work ethic.

Nepal lacks many of the above pointed secrets. Most importantly it lacks work ethics and the rule of law. Until all the above steps are adopted in our lives it is difficult for Nepal to compete internationally with dignity.

DEMOCRACY AND EDUCATION

Education is key to success as it enables to search the ways for prosperity and development. It also makes people responsive. Considering the trend of development in true sense, it can be found that those countries which have strong sense of education have prospered a lot. Japan, Singapore, Isreal are some examples. That mean to say that the human capital is important intangible assets of a nation.

Regarding the modern education in Nepal, it started only after the establishment of Durbar High school on 1892 (1910 Ashwin 27 Bikram era ). However, only the elite and ruling Rana could send their children for education. Rana dictatorship ruled Nepal from 1846-1950. It was one family ruling and country was closed to outside.

It is tragic thing that the education for common people was seen as menance to their system. They believe that educated people will not tolerate their regime so they deny their education rights. It was indeed bad luck of Nepal that we had rulers with such mentality and they ruled the nation for 104 years. During Rana regime only one college, (Tri- Chandra College) was established and it  was affiliated with Patna University of India. It is said that Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shamaser wept while inaugurating the college. He was saying that he was digging the downfall of Rana regime. What could be expected from such shrewd politician ? Had the Rana ruled that 100 years properly in utilization for the modernization as done by Japanese after Meiji restoration (after 1850) Nepal could be the power house of Asia both financially and academically.

Only after the 1950 revolution the country got the liberation from the aristocrats. This year we are observing the 61st Democracy Day and our forefathers fought for it. It is special for us as it was the time that common people could join the schools. In spite of all odds Nepal has progressed a lot in education in this last 60 years. Each year thousands of students go abroad (USA, Japan , Australia etc). They have excelled in many different fields. Many people have worked in academic and research institutions. Even one guy (Kul Chandra Gautam) became the Vice secretary of United Nations, the highest and most respected organization in the world. Many Nepali scholars have contributed to the knowledge and wisdom thereby not only serving Nepal but also to the whole world. This could not be even dreamt in the Rana regime.

Glimpse of education in Nepal (2010)

Number of schools- 32,130

Colleges-More than 700

Universities- 6 in operation (other 3 in pipelines)

Literacy rates (above 6 years)- About 60%

Now Nepal has 6 universities and more than 700 colleges imparting education from humanities to commerce, medicine to engineering and so on. Even students from other countries come to study in Nepal. There is high charm of education among people and in the coming days we are sure to progress if we do hard work and invest heavily in education sectors.

It is therefore pertinent to remember the martyrs who have sacrificed their time and lives for the betterment of people. Your sacrificed has created the new paradigm in the Nepalese history.

Deep gratitude and remembrances to all the freedom fighters.

Nepali Heart

I like this Nepali National song: