Conversation w/ Khagendra Shangraula

On July of 2012, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Khagendra Shangraula at his residence in Kathmandu. Mr. Shangraula is a very well known writer of fiction and non-fiction. He is equally noted for his political analysis. Below are some short excerpts from a longer conversion on a wide range of political issues in Nepal today. To listen to the entire conversation (in Nepali) visit http://chirb.it/Kae5Ls

Mr. Shangraula

The failure of the Constituent Assembly:

As glimpsed from the outside, the failure of the CA appears to be due to issues around “identity.” Or, identity-based Federalism. In reality, however, a conflict between federalism and anti-federalist forces is at the heart of all of this. The question of identity is only superficial, but the actual substance is Federalism itself. Certain forces seek recognition of identity; those who have been historically marginalized; those who have lost their land; and those whose culture and language have been suppressed seek federal provinces named based on population, language, geography and history. 

The present scenario:

There is a struggle between two forces: one side questions whether Nepal should become a federation, and the other seeks to maintain the status quo. Pertinent to this discussion is whether there should be equality and justice for all. Should Nepal finally address politically, the concerns of groups that have been historically marginalized? Nepal is still at a crossroads on these issues. The group that has enjoyed the privilege of power for an extended period does not want change. One side does not want Federalism. The other side will not be happy without it. That is the current conflict, in a nutshell. My own thoughts on this is that either Nepal will choose federalism and the marginalized groups and areas will get the justice they deserve. Failing this, Nepal will once more find itself at war. I cannot tell who will start the war, but the conflict could be between Hill vs. Terai or Janajati vs. Brahmins.

Guava tree in Mr. Shangraula's garden

The weakness of the Federalist forces:

The main weakness of the Federalist forces was they did not define very well what Federalism would look like according to the makeup of Nepali society. When Federalist forces started proposing names such as Limbuwan and Khambuwan, the anti-Federalists made it an issue and gave it the colour of ethnicity. (They said) in Limbuwan province Limbus would have hegemony. Similarly in Khumbuwan, Rais would etc. But in fact Nepal is a multicultural society and the country is composed of a diverse group of peoples. There is not one single group that makes up a majority. Once we go into Federalism, there will be elections. Let us take an example of the Limbuwan province. In an election the Limbus would themselves not be a majority. Hence, in order to form a government, there would have to be collaboration between different forces. Federalism has not been defined in that way. The Federalist forces did not make the abovementioned things clear and the anti-Federalist forces took advantage of this by claiming that it would lead to hegemonies of certain groups, with the country eventually breaking into pieces etc.

On anti-Federalist forces:

There are two kinds of anti-Federalist forces. One who sincerely believes that naming federal provinces based on identity could lead to instability. A second group is taking advantage of this first group’s sentiment and want to stop the entire process of Federalism.

The work required of the Federalist forces:

The Federalist forces have to explain what Federalism means to the general public. They have to explain that under Federalism all groups would have the right to vote and live freely. Otherwise it will be very difficult to implement such a system, because anti-Federalist forces are very strong. Examples include the judiciary system, the top brass of the Nepal Army, the majority of the governmental bureaucracy, and many other areas that are dominated by Bahun-Chhetris are all for the status quo. Hence there are strong forces against Federalism.

The Maoist-split:

The first effect of the Maoist split will be that their bargaining power will be reduced. Secondly, division will affect their morale. Thirdly, it will also depend upon what the Baidya faction will do. When the Baidya faction split, they said that they would take a revolutionary role. But looking at their activities after the split, they have not been doing what they said they would. They are roaming around Kathmandu. Sometimes they go to see the President. At other time, they are vandalising some education institutions to show their identity saying that they are different. If the peace process and the constitution process move ahead according to plan, then the Baidya faction cannot accomplish anything. If the peace and constitution process does not move forward, then the disaffected people might begin following the Baidya faction.

The Maoist insurgency lead to around 15,000 deaths, with many people still missing and many others scarred from bullets. Because of this the Nepali society is very tired. Just because you declare a war does not mean that people are going to follow in line to die for you. The biggest question among people is what would be the fruit of such a big sacrifice? Without people getting an answer to that question, there will not be another war.

For more info on related topics:

http://www.kantipuronline.com/2012/06/01/opinion/democratic-deficit/354879.html

http://www.kantipuronline.com/2012/06/20/opinion/the-radicals-strike-back/355853.html

http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/06/05/opinion/rudderless-drift/355086.html#.T81wSFIxNOk.facebook

http://www.kantipuronline.com/2012/06/26/opinion/invitation-to-a-deposing/356176.html#.T-nAfDP13t0.facebook

The Dhading Incident

Here’s a sad and shameful story. In Dhading district, there is a village called Mulkharka (Ward # 5) in Padi Village Development Committee. In Mulkaharka there is small dalit (untouchables) neighbourhood* of 10 houses. Mr. Ram Bahadur Sunwar, his wife, two sons and a daughter live in the neighbourhood. On the July 1^st (Ashad 17), Mr. Sunwar’s son Nawaraj Sunwar eloped with Samjhana Subedi of the same village Mulkharka. In the Hindus caste hierarchy Sunwar is the lowliest and Subedi the highest.

Mr. Ram Bahadur Sunwar

The village of Mulkharka primarily comprises of Subedi and Sapkota families, both of high caste. After the village found out the young couple had eloped, Mr. Suwar was asked by the bride’s family to find the young couple and bring them back to their respective homes. Obviously the bride’s family were distraught that their daughter eloped with a dalit. Mr. Sunwar and his family were verbally abused and threatened by the bride’s cousins Thakur Subedi and Ram Babu Subedi if the young couple were not found immediately, Mr. Sunwar and his family will be forced to leave the village.

At 8 pm on July 3rd, under the leadership of Krishna Bahadur Subedi and Ram Babu Subedi, both schoolteachers of the local High School*² and also relatives of the bride attacked the entire Dalit neighbourhood with approximately a group of 100 people. They beat people in the neighbourhood including school children and women with wooden rods and flashlight among other things. They vandalized property and abused them verbally. Mr. Sunwar’s wife was severely beaten with a wooden rod. Mr. Sunwar luckily escaped in nick of time from the attic window. Otherwise he would have been the main target of the mob.

Miss Rekha BK, Mr. Sunwar's relative addressing the press meet

The following day Mr. Sunwar went to the nearest police station, two hours walk away and filed a complaint. The Inspector in charge asked for the assailants’ cell phone numbers, which Mr. Sunwar did not have. The police have brushed aside the case and the assailants are still free and going about their daily routine. Mr. Sunwar has not returned home due to fear of attacks.

I briefly met Mr. Sunwar and few of his friends and relatives at press meet held yesterday at World Trade Centre in Kathmandu, which was organized by Dalit NGO Federation and several other dalit organizations. There were representatives for human rights groups and other organizations. According to the Dalit NGO Federation representatives, there have been many incidents like this all across Nepal.

* Just like many N. American neighbourhoods, Nepali villages are also segregated. Generally dalit neighbourhoods are situated in the less prosperous areas in terms land yield. You could consider these neighbourhoods the ‘ghetto’ of Nepali village landscape.

*² Dol Bhanjyang Ucchha Ma Bi

Sunil Babu Pant: The Champion of Nepal's LGBTI Movement

Mr. Pant in his office

Mr. Sunil Babu Pant is the first openly gay politician in Nepal and was a member of the dissolved Constituent Assembly representing a small Leftist party. He is the founder of the Blue Diamond Society (BDS), an organization that advocates for the rights of Nepal’s sexual minorities. The excerpt below is a summary from our conversation in July of 2012.

In 2000, I would frequent Ratna Park (a small park in downtown Kathmandu) hoping to find other people like me. That is kind of how the BDS started. I was surprised to find so many Gay, Lesbian and Transgendered people there. After meeting with all these people and forming a small community, we realized there were many issues related to LGBTI (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgendered-Intersex) people, such as blackmailing, physical abuse, sexual abuse, restrictions from going outside of home, restrictions from going to school and job discrimination, especially among Transgendered individuals. There was even a case of murder in Gorkha district (central Nepal). From these incidents and experiences, we decided to form and register the BDS as an organization in 2001.

During the Maoist insurgency as well as the State of Emergency (declared by the state), it was very difficult times for us as there were lot of police and security forces on the streets, and they often arrested and harassed people from our communities. Things started becoming a little easier from 2007. We participated in the 2006 Jana Andolan (People’s Movement) II to restore democracy. After the People’s Movement, the new government in 2007 did not listen to our demands, and I filed a case against the government in the Supreme Court, which I won. After winning this case, things started improving for us. Recently, the provision for including the option of "Other," in which one could state a third gender or transgender or otherwise in Nepali citizenship has been approved. A law for same sex marriage is also being drafted.

We have fewer formal membership in the organization because members have to submit a copy of their citizenship at the office of Chief District Officer (CDO) and most of the people in the community don’t want to openly come out due to societal and family stigma. However, we are in contact in with more than 400,000 LGBTI all over the country. We have program offices in 40 cities all across Nepal. Our movement has become a visible national movement. We are now thinking of focusing our programs on new opportunities in areas where violence and discrimination has subsided, such as in education, health care, jobs, small business development and microcredit. And there are also certain people within the LGBTI community who are politically active and there are discussions about partaking in politics. There are some of us who think we should remain involved with different political parties according to one’s own political leanings. And there are others who think we should encompass younger LGBTI youth and start our own party.

I was invited by the Communist Party of Nepal (United), a small Leftist party to join the Constituent Assembly (now dissolved). I was not affiliated with any political parties before this. I accepted the CPN's invitation for the sake of drafting the constitution. I am leaning towards continuing my involvement in politics. I will have to discuss with the CPN and the people in the LGBTI community as to how we should move our cause forward, politically. The choices are that we could form a LGBTI party or be involved individually in different parties. We will finalize all these in the coming days.

For further reading:

The New Republic: What Can We Learn From Nepal's Inclusion of 'Third Gender' on its 2011 Census?   

Wave Magazine: Patient Courage - Roshan Mahato Takes the Lead for LGBTI Students in Nepal

My Republica: Nepal's Gay Rights Movement 

Narrative from Banshighat

Yesterday morning I met Ms. Mina Koirala and few of her neighbours in Banshighat, one of 14 squatter settlements along Bagmati River in Kathmandu district. She has been living in Banshighat since 1986 (V.S. 2043). When she moved there, there were only five other families who had moved in 1983. At the beginning the settlers were often threatened by the people from the neighbourhood (but not by the government). Currently there are 105 families in Banshighat.

Ms. Mina Koirala

Ms. Koirala along with her husband, son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons live in a little house in the middle of the settlement. She is smart, energetic and very articulate. She has been involved in various advocacy groups for the squatter rights. Currently she is a member of the Central Committee of Mahila Ekata Kendra (women’s advocacy group of the squatter settlements). She also ran for the office in the last Municipal elections for Ward 11 Sadasyay (four elected positions under the Ward alderman), but lost with a small margin.

Rear entrance to Ms. Koirala's house

She and her family have citizenship, voting card, identity card based on her current address. They pay utility bills to the municipality. The Municipality has granted her son’s marriage certificate based on the current address. Despite all this, they have been notified by the municipal employees and security officials to move out by July 29^th. According to the information received all the 14 settlements will be demolished. But there has been no official eviction notice, creating confusion among the squatters. On wee hours of May 8^th, a neighbouring settlement at Thapathali was demolished (http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=34794).

Ms. Koirala makes her living as street vendor in Sundhara area. But unfortunately the current government has banned street vending in the area for the past nine months. Ms. Koirala believes it is a ploy by the current government to pressure the squatters. She lambasted the current Maoist government severely. The Maoist Party had promised the squatters their rights, but now they themselves are evicting the squatters.

Further reading on squatter issues:

The Kitchen

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=34423

Bedroom

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=36511

From left; Shova Lama, Bedana Tamang and Sabita Poudel, Ms. Koirala's neighbours

Kathmandu's Housing Colony Experience

I spent the morning yesterday photographing at Civil Homes, Phase III, a housing colony in Sunakothi. Access to photograph within the property would not have been possible without Mr. Chakra Man Shrestha and my old friend Niraj Lamsal, who are both residents there. I am grateful to them both.

Mr. Shrestha is a semi-retired lawyer and has been living at Civil Homes Phase III for the past five years. He lives there with his wife, his son and daughter in law. His daughter lives in Texas. Mr. Shrestha and his family sold their old house in Anamnagar before moving here. He is originally from Sindhuli (central Nepal).

Mr. Shrestha informed me that the housing colony has a swimming pool, departmental store, parking, parks and children’s playground. He mentioned that most of the residents come from higher spectrum of the Nepali society and many are doctors, engineers, lawyers and judges. He told me he is very happy living there. He mentioned that there are security personnel on 24-hour watch. So there is no worry of theft or burglary. He said, unlike other parts of Kathmandu there is 24-hour drinking water facility. I was told that the company extracts water from groundwater and the water is treated and even tested at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) for drinkability. The company (Civil Homes) has guaranteed that the water supply will last for a minimum of 50 years. He further mentioned that there are less chances for neighbourly squabbles as each property’s compounds are well defined and also the residents are well-established people who know how to deal with neighbourly situations. Mr. Shrestha did mention load shedding (power outage) does apply here, but the company has a generator and provides electricity for all street lamps. However, each home has to supply alternative electricity resources during power outage. Mr. Shrestha informed that there are five different styles of houses within the colony and each comes in different price brackets. He mentioned that the value of his house has more than doubled from the time he bought it five years ago.

Mr. Chakra Man Shrestha in his living room

On the way out, I stopped by at the Sales Office and inquired on property prices.  I was told that the prices range from 5 aana* property, which costs around Rupees 1.24 Karod (US $141,632) and 7.5 anna costs around Rs. 2 Karod (US $225, 626). The company has also begun development of more affordable housing and they are calling it Colony I in the adjacent lot. For these, the costs range from Rs. 77 Lakhs (US $ 86,902) for 1.4 aana and Rs. 1.3 Karod for 4.5 anna.

Surprisingly it cleared up in the morning and the Himalayas were visible

* 1 anna = 342.42 sq. feet, 16 annas = 1 ropani (5,476 sq. feet)

Bāghdwār: Headwaters of Bagmati River

To commence The Kathmandu Project, I visited Bāghdwār  today to pay my respects to the headwaters of Bagmati River. Bāghdwār is located in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park and is a kilometer before you reach the summit of Shivapuri Peak (8,963 ft) in the northen fringes of Kathmandu Valley. Three headwater streams originate at Bāghdwār to make Bagmati River.

Torkey Baba

I had the pleasure of meeting two Babas (spiritual followers of Lord Shiva who generally choose to live Hermit-like lifestyle) who reside in Bāghdwār. Torkey Baba has been living in the area for the past 19 years and Mahatma Sushil for the past 3 months. Torkey Baba got his name from the Nepali word 'torkey,' which stands for the trunk of a tree because he lived in hollow tree trunk for five years when he first moved to Shivapuri. Since then he has moved to his current location, which has separate guest quarters equipped with solar generated electricity. Torkey Baba was very hospitable and welcomed us with cups of tea.

According to Torkey Baba, Shivapuri got it's name because Shiva and Parbati used to live at the Peak. 'Puri" in Nepali and Sanskrit means place of residence. He also informed us that Bāghdwār in fact was originally called Wākhdwār, made of two words 'wak" meaning to spit out and 'dwar' meaning door. Baba informed us that once when Lord Shiva laughed he spit out some saliva, which hit the grounds of Bāghdwār resulting to the origination of Bagmati (originally Wakmati) river.

Torkey Baba seemed well informed and well connected to the organizations that oversaw the preservation of Shivapuri and Bagmati. His cell phone had a ring tone of a famous Pop song that I recognize but can't quite name it. It is not Brittney Spears, but something along the lines.

Medani kaka takes a break to admire the view of the valley

In summation, I can't think of better way to start off The Kathmandu Project.

Funders for Landscape in Transformation: The Kathmandu Project

www.indiegogo.com/surendralawoti

A documentary project photographing the changing urban landscape of Kathmandu by Toronto based Nepali photographer Surendra Lawoti.

Christine Collins, Boston

Tom Robles, Toronto

Sabin Ninglekhu, Toronto

Katie Swanson, Chicago

Shyam Aryal, Raleigh, North Carolina

Sarad Baral, Pocomoke, Maryland

Sameer Khati, Denver

Stephen Bulger, Toronto

Anjan Chhetry, Toronto

Mahendra Lawoti, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Asha Rajak, Toronto

Prabhat Lamichhane, Toronto

Adrian Rios, Medellín, Colombia

Saty Patrabansh, Washington DC

Aishwarya Gurung, Toronto

Kiran Byanjankar, Chicago

Steven Beckly, Toronto

Thomas Nowak, Chicago

Claire Beckett, Boston

Sarobar Thapa,Virginia

Kul Thapa, Boston

Anonymous

Shailesh Mani Upadhyay, Stockholm

Sundar Gurung, Boston

Anonymous

Beth Gilbert, Boston

Man Bahadur Poudel, Toronto

Luna and Bishal Rajbhandari, Chicago

Jack Martin, Toronto

Bruce Myren, Boston

Manjushree Thapa, Kathmandu/Toronto

Diane Goodman, Kathmandu

Sumi Gauchan, Houston

Janak Chemjong, Toronto

Erik Schubert, Colorado Springs

Pranav Rana, Toronto

Pratik Shrestha, Toronto

Nilam Khatri Chhetri, Toronto

Richard Fung, Toronto

Trevor Fairbrother, Boston

Sashi Nembang and Peter Giaquinta, Chicago

Anonymous

Evan Tapper, Toronto

Subarna and Prativa Basnet, Boston

Saugar Sainju, Toronto

Parag Shrestha, Toronto

Astrid Rana, Zurich

Fist Limbu, Toronto

Prasoon Khanal, Bothel, Washington

Anonymous

B&I Bookkeeping, Toronto

Ariel Estulin, Toronto

Surya Chataut, San Francisco

Roman Abramovich, Chelsea FC

Subhana Regmi, Toronto

Prapti Giri, Toronto

John Sharkey, Toronto

Helena Chapellin de Wilson, Chicago

Sabina Prajapati, Boston

Manish Munankami, Houston

Angshul Moktan, Toronto

Joanne Lukitsh, Boston

Haema Sivanesan, Vancouver

Bhuwan Gurung, Boston

Priyanka Bista, Toronto

Sushil Thapa, Montreal

Inn Noordin, Boston

Maya Gurung, Boston

Janman Jay Ranjit, Toronto

Anil Bhattari, Toronto

Sugam Pokharel, Atlanta

Amit Regmi, Toronto

Prajna and Layla Shakya, Toronto

www.sajha.com

Kamal Ranabhat, Baltimore

Ujwal Chhetry, Baltimore

Krishna Shrestha, Doha

Kohila Kurunathan, Toronto

Suman Shrestha, Chicago

Ganesh Rai, Toronto

Landscape in Transformation: The Kathmandu Project

Project Background: 

Nepal has gone through some dramatic transformation in recent history. After 239 years, monarchical rule has come to an end. The country witnessed a decade-long Maoist rebellion that resulted in over 13,000 deaths and displacement of over 100,000. Various political movements and discourses of rights, justice and equality have heightened. The governance of the country during the transitional phase is unstable, chaotic and often frustrating. And there is the impact of globalization via media, technology, commerce and culture. Signs of capitalist aspirations are abound. Amidst the desire for modernity, there are aged old customs and traditions that strongly persist. The confluence of these factors has created an air of uncertainty. The present, at times feels bleak. There is hope in the distant future, but things could go horribly wrong any time. You can viscerally experience the synergy of chaos, hope and uncertainty if you stand on a sidewalk in Kathmandu for five minutes.

Project Description:

According to a recent census, Kathmandu Valley’s population has almost doubled in the last ten years. Kathmandu does not have the supporting infrastructures to support this influx. What once used to be fertile agricultural land is now covered with boxed houses. Gated housing developments like in American suburbs are being built. In fact Kathmandu saw its own housing bubble. Banks heavily invested in real estate lending easily available loans. On the other hand, the poor and the landless live in one of many squatter settlements in the city. On the streets, there are traffic jams. There is pollution. And there are severe environmental concerns. What once used to be beautiful Bagmati River now is stagnant with stink, plastic bottles and garbage.

I want to spend five weeks in July and August of 2012 photographing Kathmandu. I plan to be on top of people’s houses, on office buildings, on the streets and in the squatter settlements photographing the urban landscape. For a photographer like me, who revels in visual pandemonium, Kathmandu is heavenly. I want to make striking and formally intricate images that distil the truth of modern Kathmandu.

The Impact of the Project

Photographic images have a unique ability to represent the familiar world into confounding and confronting terms. A frozen photographic moment can infuse the past with the present, turn despair into hope and it can represent the physical world with such clarity that the heart could miss a beat. With this project, I want to create a dialogue by bringing forth my photographs to the public of Kathmandu, to the people in power, to the people who can influence and to the people who are concerned.