HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN          Dec 3-9, 2014

Nepal Maoist leader forms new party, calls for ‘armed struggle’

Netra Bikram Chand

Kathmandu, Dec 2: Former secretary of the Mohan Baidya-led CPN-Maoist Netra Bikram Chand on Monday officially announced the formation of a new party, the fourth Maoist party to enter mainstream politics since the former rebels joined the peace process in 2006.

 The new party, Communist Party of Nepal Maoist CPN (Maoist), declared Nepali Congress as its prime enemy. Chand blamed UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal and CPN-Maoist Chairman Mohan Baidya of undermining the bloodshed of more than 10,000 people and deceiving commoners by joining hands with ‘enemies’ to weaken Maoism within the country.

The party, leaders said, was the need of time to sustain the legacy of ‘people’s war’ after the UCPN (Maoist) and CPN-Maoist ‘diverted from their principles’. The leaders claimed that the party could go as far as undertaking an ‘armed struggle’ in order to protect ‘national unity, integrity, sovereignty and rights of people’, The Himalayan Times reported.

Chand’s document on ‘unified struggle’ talks of launching a new revolution with the support of rural peasants and urban working class (middle class) along with other marginalised communities.

Nearly a third of the CPN-Maoist leaders, mostly young ones from the People’s Liberation Army, have joined the party.

The party further demanded an ‘all party conference’ to resolve contentious issues of the constitution writing process. The party also asked to nullify all unequal treaties signed between Nepal and India, including the1950 treaty.

Build centres of learning, not temples: Dalai Lama to RSS

New Delhi, Dec 2: Sharing dais with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and VHP patron Ashok Singhal at an event recently, Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama said India should remember and reinforce its great tradition of tolerance and religious harmony and think about why it has more temples than centres of learning.

The Dalai Lama was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day World Hindu Congress (WHC) organized with support from RSS and VHP. The conference  was organized with the objective of bringing together Hindus at a time "when the community is beset by very serious challenges and is standing at a critical crossroad".

"We are all equal. Born the same way. Sometimes we forget the sameness of humanity and talk of divisions. In terms of we and they... We need sense of oneness among seven billion people of the world," the Tibetan leader said. He pointing out how all wars and violence are created by man and "unfortunately religious faith also causes problems".

Dalai Lama credited India for all the knowledge that Tibet and Buddhists have, but said, "Ancient India was our guru. Not modern India, it is too westernized ... It is not enough to carry on puja and rituals. This nation produced great thinkers. Now in every corner there is a temple. But places where one can think or discuss are rare."

TO MT. KAILASH THROUGH NATHULA IN 2015

Gangtok, Dec 2: Indian pilgrims would be able to visit Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet through the new route of Nathula in east Sikkim from next year, state tourism department officials said here on Saturday.

Things are progressing at a very fast pace and the Centre and the Sikkim government are aiming at having the first batch of pilgrims visiting Kailash Mansarovar using this new route in June 2015, the official claimed, PTI reported.

India and China had signed a bilateral agreement on the Nathula alternative route on September 18 this year. The route through Nath la will augment capacity and reduce hardship and journey time, enabling many more to undertake the yatra, the official said. More than 1,600 pilgrims, moving in 10 batches, are expected to take the Sikkim route next year and preparations are underway to ensure that the June deadline is met, the official informed.

Two senior officials from the ministry of external affairs were recently in Sikkim to examine the state’s infrastructural preparedness and to finalise other nitty-gritty.

Nepal indigenous groups to unite on federalism

Padma Ratna Tuladhar (left) and Nagendra Kumal

Kathmandu, Dec 2: The Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN)) and Padma Ratna Tuladhar-led Adibasi Janajati Rastriya Andolan (AJRA) have forged a deal to launch a combined agitation to press for the issues of indigenous groups, including ethnic identity -based federalism.

The two sides issued a joint statement informing about their plan to launch an agitation at a time when the federation is said to have back off from agitation, Kantipur reported.

In a meeting coordinated by the Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Nationalities Journalists Association (FoNIJ) at NEFIN’s office on Monday, Nefin Chairman Nagendra Kumal and AJRA Chariman Tuladhar have signed the joint statement issued after the meeting.

“Both Nefin and AJRA has agreed to join hands for protest programmes to ensure ethnic-identity based federalism in the constitution drafting process,” read the press release. The press release has further stated that the subsequent talks will be held to decide the structure and programmes of the protest.

NEFIN is an umbrella organisation of 56 ethnic communities while AJRA is a cluster of various ethnic organisations, sister wing of political parties, Janjati leaders of other political parties, experts and individuals, among others.

Second Sino-Nepal trade route opens

The new route is linked with the China’s railway project

Kathmandu. Dec 2: In a major boost for bilateral trade between Nepal and China, one more cross-border trading route has come into operation. With China officially opening the Gyirong Port on the Rasuwagadhi border on Monday, the second land route has opened for bilateral trade.

For long, the Tatopani border was the sole trade transit with China. The new route has historical importance as it was a busy trade link between Tibet and Nepal during the Lichchhavi and Malla periods. Besides, the newly opened route is linked with the Chinese government’s railway project.     

    During the fifth Nepal-Tibet Trade Facilitation Committee meeting in Lhasa in September, the Chinese side had agreed in principle to extend the Qinghai-Tibet railway to the Nepal border. Hari Prasad Bashyal, Nepal’s consular general in Lhasa, and Dong Mingjun, vice-chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region government, jointly inaugurated the facility.

The Friendship Bridge connecting China with Nepal.

China briefly opened the route in August when the Tatopani border was shut due to landslides along Araniko Highway. Nepali importers rerouted their shipments from China via Rasuwagadhi for some time. China closed the route before Dashain citing the lack of infrastructure on its side. According to Chinese authorities, the customs, quarantine and immigration offices have come into operation.

China plans to scale up its trade ties with Nepal as a new bridge to improve the connectivity between the two countries through Tibet was to be opened in October this year.

The bridge is in Gyirong Valley in the prefecture’s Gyirong county and will also help revitalise Tibet’s Gyirong Port, Director of Gyirong Customs, Wang Long told state-run China Daily.

China is developing Gyirong to make a major land passage between Tibet and Nepal. Currently, Nepal and China rely on Rasuwa Gadhi bridge built by Switzerland for trade and also for visitors to cross over.

But the bridge is not sufficient as trade and travel volumes between the two countries have increased in recent times.

Besides the bridge, China also plans to connect its new railway lines being built from Shigatse up to India, Nepal and Bhutan borders by 2020.

The Beatles’ ashram in Rishikesh lies in ruins

(Left) Rishikesh yoga Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the Beatles.

Dehradun, Dec 2: George Harrison died on November 29, 2001, of lung cancer. He was cremated in Los Angeles and his ashes later scattered in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Much water has flowed down two of India's holiest rivers 13 years since.

But in a nondescript ashram, overrun by creepers of Uttarakhand's Rajaji National Park, one of the defining legacies of Harrison and The Beatles continues to live on.

Situated by the Ganga, the 'Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram' of Rishikesh — known the world over as the Beatles ashram — is where the "band more famous than Jesus Christ" dabbled in transcendental meditation under the tutelage of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the spring of 1968. More famously, the Beatles ashram in Uttarakhand is where the iconic 'White Album' was born. The album sold 9.5 million copies in the United States alone, The Times of India reported.

Today, a few Beatles devotees, mostly Western tourists, seek out the ashram to pay their respects. Chris Cheul from England is one of them. With a guitar in his hands and 'Dear Prudence' — one of the more memorable singles from the White Album — on his lips, Chris walks around the abandoned ashram, "soaking it all in".

"I am a die-hard Beatles fan," he says, "and I couldn't stop myself from coming here once I heard that the Beatles were here for three months and wrote some of their most beautiful songs."

As per official records, the UP forest department, in 1961, leased out 15 acres for 20 years to Mahesh Yogi to set up the ashram. The lease expired in 1981 but Maharishi had moved base by then. The land was taken back and, two years later, handed to the national park. Locals claim it was abandoned around 1977 and has failed to gain the administration's attention ever since.

Much like Chris, many people visit Rishikesh just to visit the ruin. A couple from Australia who learned meditation from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself are among them. "The transcendental meditation works," says John as Sussane nods her head. "Otherwise we wouldn't have been practising it for the past 41 years. We came to the ashram in 1973. It was beautiful and serene, but now all that remains is overgrown vegetation. The Beatles association by itself attracts so many fans to this ashram even today. Something really needs to be done about it."

Editorial

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Modi Faces A Daunting Task

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently urged the people to be vigilant and guard India's unique unity in diversity, which gave it strength, and asserted that its rich heritage could never be divided on ideological lines. Modi’s call will be tested on how his party handles the delicate issue of Article 370 concerning Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP will be forced to come out openly on this sensitive issue whether it sits in the Opposition or forms the government after the poll results are out.

So far the Modi Government has done commendable job as far as tackling corruption in high places. Decision making processes are faster, government officials are made to work and accountability has been sought from appropriate authorities. Even on foreign affairs Modi has shown the world that he can lead India to a better future. As the Modi wave sweeps across the country winning many Assembly polls the real test of his leadership quality would be to build an India that reflects the age-old heritage of unity in diversity. In a real sense India’s unity is based on its diversity.

Centre to form panel on Gorkhaland

BJP, Cong, TMC against division of Bengal

Darjeeling, Dec 2: The Centre’s recent assurances to Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on formation of a committee to examine the demand for Gorkhaland state has given a fresh lease of life to hill politics.

"I am happy to inform to all our supporters that Shri Rajnath Singh, Hon'ble Home Minister has agreed to set up a committee to examine our century old demand of Gorkhaland," said Morcha chief  Bimal Gurung last week.

Gurung’s statement came after a meeting of top level GJM delegation with Union Home Minister  Rajnath Singh, in presence of  Morcha-backed Darjeeling MP SS Ahluwalia.

Reacting to the Centre’s assurance, BJP West Bengal State President Rahul Sinha said, "We will never support any split within the state."

Sinha knows well that formation of Gorkhaland statehood may give BJP assured win in Darjeeling, but, that will ruin BJP throughout the whole state as almost none in the other 41 Lok Sabha constituencies in West Bengal have any support to this separate statehood demand, The Economic Times reported.

Moreover, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) is the specified body constituted by the Central Government in 1953 to recommend reorganization of state boundaries.

“There should not be any need of any other committee," said senior Congress leader S Malakar. Leaders from TMC, the ruling party in West Bengal, have also criticized Singh's statement.

In Delhi, Morcha said the delegation reminded the Union Home Minister of the BJP’s promise in the election manifesto to “sympathetically examine and appropriately consider” the demand of the hill people.

In response, the party said, Singh agreed to form the committee and also requested the Morcha to postpone its Delhi dharna, scheduled to start on December 18.

“On Rajnath Singhji’s request, the GJM has decided to postpone the three-day Delhi Dharna and ask the Central Government to expedite the formation of the committee to examine our demand for Gorkhaland,” Morcha  said.

It may be recalled that former Darjeeling MP and expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh in May this year alleged that the BJP was not serious on the statehood issue.

"It is sad BJP has not fully accepted the statehood demand of the Darjeeling hills. It is a reality that the state BJP will never agree to a division. Bengal has already seen two divisions and does not want another,” Singh had said.

St. Paul’s School celebrates 150^th anniversary

The school, founded in Calcutta in 1823, was shifted to Darjeeling in 1864

St. Paul's School was founded in Calcutta by Archdeacon Corrie at the instigation of John William Ricketts, a local Anglo-Indian leader, and opened at 11 Park Street on May 1, 1823. The school was moved to its present Jalapahar estate in Darjeeling in 1864 with 31 boarders and a few day scholars. At that time, at approximately 7,600 feet above sea level, it was the highest school in the world. A number of its students fought in both World War I and World War II.

Bishop Foss Westcott, Metropolitan of Bengal, Burma and Ceylon, played an important role in the growth of the school. The Maharajah of Burdwan also made important donations. Over the years a number of estates were purchased and merged with the existing school estate. The Mount Vernon Estate, known as Dawkins, was purchased at the beginning of the 1900s and the Terpsithea Estate in 1955.

The school's original purpose was "to supply a good education at a moderate cost to the sons of Europeans and East Indians", and it remained almost exclusively white until after World War II. After Indian Independence in 1947 it became a school for wealthy Indians and attracted wealthy students from other Asian countries, as of 1960 especially from Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka.

The school celebrated its 150^th anniversary in Oct-Nov this year.

There is a ‘hidden agenda’ in Sikkim, BL body tells Centre

Gangtok, Dec 2: The Centre has been asked to take a serious note of the ‘hidden agenda’ of a section of the people in Sikkim to do away with the former kingdom’s special status within the Union.

A seven-member delegation of the Bhutia Lepcha Protection Force (BLPF) led by its President Phigu Tshering Bhutia has urged the Union Government to safeguard Sikkim’s religious, social and political rights and interests as per Article 371F of the Constitution.

“We have also appraised the Government in the Centre about the Hidden Agendas to do away with the rights and benefits enjoyed” by the minority indigenous Bhutia-Lepcha tribals, a release of the BLPF said.

BLPF  President Phigu Tshering Bhutia

While condemning the Burman Commission report, the BLPF said the content of the report dilutes political rights of all Sikkimese, particularly of the Sikkimese of Nepali origin. Issues relating to crapping of mega hydel projects in west and north Sikkim have also been raised with Central leaders, the release said.

The issue of restoration of the political rights of Sikkimese Nepalese  through seat reservation in the Sikkim Legislative Assembly also figured in the talks and memorandum submitted to various authorities at the Centre.

Brahmaputra dam won’t hurt India’s Northeast: Beijing   

Beijing, Dec 2: China on Monday promised to take "full account" of concerns about its new hydropower dam on the Brahmaputra in the river's downstream areas, which include India's northeastern region. The dam will not come in the way of flood-prevention efforts undertaken in the downstream areas, it said.

On Sunday China had announced the completion of the first phase of construction on the 500MW Zangmu hydroelectricity dam on the Brahmaputra, in its Tibetan region across the Indian border. This is one of the five dams China has planned on the river, which is called Yarlung Zangbo in Tibet, The Times of India reported.

"We'll take full account of concerns of downstream areas," Hua Chunying, foreign ministry spokeswoman said. "The hydropower stations that China has built will not affect flood prevention and ecological systems of downstream areas."

India has repeatedly expressed concerns that intense dam-building activity on the Brahmaputra would make downstream areas, including Arunachal Pradesh, vulnerable to flash floods. Besides, the dams will give China the powers of a 'water tap manager' in the river's upstream areas. India's position is especially vulnerable since there is no water treaty between the two countries.

But Hua said China was in full "cooperation and communication" with the downstream areas. She said during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to New Delhi in September, it was India which "thanked China for the provision of hydrological data and assistance in emergency handling" of the river situation. "On the exploration and utilization of trans-boundary rivers, China has been adopting a responsible attitude, and we ensure exploration goes hand in hand with protection," she said.

Hua said China looked at the Brahmaputra issue in the context of the "bigger picture of China-India relationship". The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for enhancing cooperation in the field of trans-boundary rivers in 2013, Hua said.

China has built the $1.5 billion Zangmu Hydropower Station at a height of 3,300 metres above sea level on the 'Roof of the World', raising concerns among environmentalists that damming the river will upset rare water species and upset the fragile ecological balance in that part of the Himalayas.

ADB reluctant to fund border road projects in Arunachal, Ladakh: Congress MP

Japan assures China it will stay out of Arunachal projects

New Delhi, Dec 2: A Congress member contended in Lok Sabha last  Thursday that Japan is now backing out of funding the border roads in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, a project on which China has raised objections and questioned what the government would do now.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Ninong Ering claimed that following an agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at APEC, Tokyo has now become against the funding, PTI reported.

He recalled that the Asian Development Bank has been reluctant to fund the project due to the Chinese objections.In such a situation, he sought to know how government would go about early completion of the border roads at a time when the Border Roads Organisation has drawn a roadmap.

Beijing: China said last Tuesday that it had received a "clarification" from the Japanese government saying Tokyo would not involve itself in infrastructure projects in Arunachal Pradesh.

Responding to reports in India which said the Border Roads Organization (BRO) had given 'strategic' projects to the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) along the China border, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the Japanese government had made clear that it would not involve itself in projects in 'disputed areas' between India and China. Officials clarified this included Arunachal Pradesh, which China has territorial claims on.

"China has noted the report and has checked with the capable authorities," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters, in response to a question on the issue raised by an official Chinese media outlet at a regular press briefing. "The Japanese side has clarified that its cooperation with India is not in disputed areas between China and India," Hong said.

Bhaichung conferred AFC 'Hall of Fame Award'

Manila, Dec 2: Former Indian national football team captain Bhaichung Bhutia was Sunday honoured with the AFC Hall of Fame Award on occasion of the Asian Football Confederation's 60th anniversary here.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter presented the award to Bhaichung on the Awards Night here. AIFF president Praful Patel was also present as were a host of other dignitaries from all over the footballing World.

Moments after receiving it, Bhaichung said the award was not solely for him "but for Indian football".

"It is an honour to be accepting this award not on my behalf, but for football, for India and for all Indian footballers who have to struggle against all odds to prove themselves every single day," he told www.the-aiff.com.

"This is an award for Indian football," he reiterated.

"When I first started playing football as a kid, I never imagined where the game would take me. As I moved up through various stages of my playing career - from a teenager with East Bengal to captaining the national team - I had to face obstacles at every single step of the journey," he recollected, IANS reported.

"But I loved the game. So, I stuck to it and every challenge I faced only made me push harder. I know most Indian players today still face many of the same challenges I did, and this award is for the passion and dedication that makes them continue to play the game," he said.

"Bhaichung has been the flag-bearer of Indian football in over 100 international matches. He deserves this award for sure. My heartiest congratulations to him," Patel said.

"AIFF has been keen on using his experience and post retirement, Bhaichung has been closely associated with AIFF and we expect to work closely for the development of football in the country,"

Patel added.