Gujibahal

Friday, September 21, 2012

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

In Gujibahal, women are very active. Most of them are housewife however in their free time, they involve in social work. They formed themselves a group of about 55 women (only daughter in laws of Gujibahal) 6 years ago. They named the group as "Baishavarna Maa Pucha" (mother's group of Baishavarna (Gujibahal). On the photo one can see the women of this group on their uniform. They are now doing saving & credit work. Besides this they established sub-committees as Children, Health, Drinking Water and Cleaning. Children group also doing their monthly saving and different activities during their holidays. Health group is conducting weekly blood pressure check program for the community people. And occasionally different health related talk programs and camps. Drinking Water group is doing the most effective work in the community. It's been 5 years they established a big water tank and they purchase water and fill in that tank and supply to all the community people and neighbouring communities as well. Because of dry area (there is water in wells during the moonsoon months only). So people are feeling very easy to buy water from women group. They do the transaction of water of about 3,00,000 Nepali reupees per year.

As the group is registered at Lalitpur Sub-Metropolitan City Office, it is considered as CBO (community based organization). They are getting timely support from Sub-Metropolitan City Office for various training. Those trainings made them active, self-confident and learnt official procedures as well.

It is ture that women group of Gujibahal are very active in comparision to male group.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Poverty

History of Poverty

Poverty is as old as human society. It was considered as a sin and had the belief that there was no excaping from it. Alms giving as charitable donations to the poor was an important part of life in HInduism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam. The holy men (saints) enjoyed simple and poor life. Their motto of life was "simple living high thinking". Sudama, close friend of Lord Krishna, was very poor. Poverty never became a constraint in their friendship. To alleivate poverty was the main aim of the rulers or kings of ancient age. "I needn't the luxury and treasury of state. I need not the Heaven, and I need not Mokshya or the process ot gaining spiritual freedom. I only wish helping the poor, disables, suffering from sick and hunger." - Said King Rantidev (The Holy Bhagavata).

As the beggary in common in Muslims and HInduism, no such evidences are noticed in other religions. Every poor Sikh that participates in the langarkhana (common free lunch) is motivated to go out, earn for a living and one day tries to host such langarkhana with his own earning. That might be the reason no Sikh is seen begging in the road.

- Kunwar, K.B. - "The Himilayan Poverty", Meena Publication, Kathmandu, 2002 (pp. 21-22)

Education Ministry

The ministry of education in Nepal is currently one of the largest ministries in the government, with a large budget. An investigation into its operatin will provide an oppurtunity for a close examination of the operation of government in Nepal. Through it, we can get an idea of the working of Nepali bureaucracies and how policy is formulated and applied. Education itself is also of critical importance in the study of development because it is through education that the nation's manpower resources are improved and the vairous skills necessary for development acquired. The chapter begins with a conbsideration of the traditional attitude towards education in Nepal and exmines the development of the educational system since the Rana period.

- Bista, D.B - "Fatalism and Development", Orient Longman Limited, India, 6th Impression 1999 (pp. 116)

Poverty on BP's version

There was a group of hill porters who usually come from the hill especially in winter season. My father was weighing something in the weighing device in the street. They were watching that activity. My father felt humiliation when he saw them in badly torn out clothes. There was severe cold. There was Mr Asharphi Mishra in our house. His son lived in our house those days. My father said to him "please make them new clothes and in return take their torn out ones." There was a shop. New cloths were stiched for them. My father wrote a letter to the Rana ruler of Nepal stating that how people were suffering from the severe poverty. The letter read "Receive this parcel of torn out clothes of poor people. Please, watch this parcel from a distance without touching as it inmates foul odour. This is the condition of the people." The parcel reached in the office of the Prime Minister at Kathmandu. That badly irritated the Prime Minister. Then father fled away from there (Biratnagar) and sent to India. Immediately after he crossed the boarder, the government issued a warrant. He reached in Jogbani, Indian boarder. After that incidence, our whole family including myself began to roam in India like a gypsy. The government captured our business and whole the property was siezed.

- B P Koirala, ex-Prime Minister of Nepal, (from Aatma Britanta)