Friday, November 5, 2004

KMC okays over one lakh illegal buildings

Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu, May 10:
Over one lakh illegal buildings of the capital will be “legitimatised” soon, thanks to some money-seeking ward chairmen and rumour of nearing local election. A dozen “enthusiastic” ward chairmen are putting pressure in the municipal councils for time so that all the illegal houses in the city are made to pay fat fines. These illegal houses were constructed either by overlooking the regulations or by paying bribes to municipal staff. The concerned officials at Kathmandu Metropolitan City admit that as many as 70 percent of the total number of houses is constructed illegally. Among them, 50 percent are totally against the law while others have made minor changes, which are tolerable. Around 4,000 houses are built in the city each year and it is estimated that there are 180,000 houses in the city, though KMC itself does not have exact data of the houses.
Keshav Dwaj Rana, newly-appointed ward 9 chairman has taken the illegal construction around the city as a major source of income. “We cannot demolish the illegal constructions in the city. So, it is better if we make them all legal, and collect revenue which we need to as election is nearing us,” he proposed to the board. Mayor Keshav Sthapit, is said to be “impressed” by the idea and has formed a committee to recommend on this. The team is yet to give green signal to the plan.
Indra MS Suwal, the chief of Urban Development Department and the coordinator of the team, looks cautiously at the proposal. He said that the political decision might boomerang KMC in long term. He said that the decision may give clean chits to wrongdoers but it would not be technically justifiable. “KMC will has to be responsible if such faulty constructions collapse or cause damage to life and property to others,” Suwal said.
The recent plan in KMC has created a big fury among the urban planners and seismologists. “It is suicidal. If the KMC makes such a ridiculous change, putting the live of millions in danger, it should be condemned,” said Bharat Sharma, senior urban planner and former deputy chief of Department of Urban Development. He said that instead of implementing the Building Code, KMC is regularising all the crimes of the citizens in the petty interest of some revenue,” he said.
Similarly, Amod Mani Dixit, the secretary at National Society of Earthquake Technology Nepal said that the regularisation process only promotes others to construct more illegal houses.
“The vulnerability will be there either KMC regularises the illegal houses or not. And it would promote more illegal constructions and those who had followed the regulation would feel being cheated,” Dixit said.
Published: November 05, 2004 12:00 am On: Kathmandu

Saturday, August 14, 2004

20040813 ख्वनाया च्वलेचा व नेवाः संस्कृति


दँय्दसं गुंला वइ । गुंला वल कि धर्म संस्कृतिइ च्यूताः दुपिं छथ्वः मनूत अले नेवाःतय्गु संस्कृतिइ कुंखिनेगु थाय् मालाच्वनीपिं मेखलः मनूतय्गु ध्यान ख्वनापाखे वनी । गन बौद्ध नेवाःत स्वयम्भुइ वा मेमेथाय् वनेगु याइ धाःसा ख्वनाया छपुचः ल्याय्म्हत धँवा ज्वयेकाच्वनी च्वलेचिया गःपः वांन्यायेत । पिने च्वंपिन्सं थवंथवय् न्ह्यसः तयाच्वनी थुगुसिइ नं उमिसं च्वलेचा वां हे छ्वइगु जुल ला ?

सापारुया कन्हय् कुन्हु ख्वना धइगु स्वनिगःया दक्षिण पाखेलाःगु छगू गां गुगु तू चिकं व सिकालि द्यःया कारणं नां जाः, अन छगू कल्पनातक नं याये थाकुगु तथाकथित ‘जात्रा’ जुइ । उकुन्हु अन च्वंगु भ्यातनालं जाःगु फोहर वांछ्वइगु ‘देय् पुखू’ धइगु पुखुलिइ अनया वडा कार्यलयं छम्ह म्वाःम्ह च्वलेचा वांछ्वयाबिइ अले झिम्ह झिंनिम्ह ल्याय्म्हत पुखुलिइ लाल काकां व च्वलेचा ज्वनाः बेपत्ता जुइक बिसिउँ वनी, जात्रा क्वचाइ । थुकियात थःगु परम्परा धाइपिं व थ्व छु जात्रा धइगु हे मसिउपिं ख्वनामित त्वालाहां जक स्वस्वं जात्रा सिधइ । उमिसं थथे यायेवं छु जुइ धइगु मसिउ, याये जिउ ला मजिउ ला धइगु बारे स्पष्ट धारणा तकं तयेफइमखु । अझ व हे पुखूया सिथय् कःसिइ न्याता रंगया बौद्ध झण्डा ब्वयेकाच्वंम्हेस्यां तकं अथे यायेमजिउ धाइमखु, मूकदर्शक जुयाः ‘आनन्द’ कयाच्वनी ।

मेगु हरेक जात्रापर्व, धर्म, संस्कृतिया विषयय् छप्वाः म्हुतुं नवाइपिं ख्वनामित थ्व ‘जात्रा’या विषयय् धाःसा विभाजित खनेदु । न्हापा न्ह्याकथं चलेजुयाच्वंगु खःसां प्यदँ, न्यादँति न्ह्यः कान्तिपुर न्हिपतिइ थुकिया विभत्स फोटो सहित समाचार वयेवं थ्व जात्राया चर्चा देय्न्यंक जुल । थ्व स्वनिगलय् दच्छिया सछिगु धइथें जात्रा जुइ तर थुकिं ति मेमेमगु जात्रां ध्यान साले मफु, संचार माध्यमय् थाय् कायेमफु । थ्व धाःसा तःताजि कथं बौद्धिक, धार्मिक, साँस्कृतिक व मेमेगु ख्यलय् चर्चा, टिका–टिप्पणी व आलोचनाया विषय जुल । विशेष यानाः जनावरतय्गु हित व अधिकारया खँ ल्ह्वनीपिनिगु संघसंस्था व अहिंसावादी धार्मिक संघ संस्थां थुकियात अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय स्तरय् हे प्रचार प्रसार यानाः नेपाःया इज्जतय् ल्हाः तल । 

मजुइगु नं छाय्? थ्व जात्रा हे थज्याःगु । अथे जुसेंलि ख्वनाया हे छगू वर्र्गं थुकिया विरोध यानाहल – थ्व ज्या दिकेमाल धकाः थम्हं फक्व कोशिस यानां नं च्वन तर हिंस्रक, अमानवीय व अन्धविश्वासी पुचलय् धाःसा थ्व खँ पचेमजुल, विरोधया नं विरोध जुल । 

स्वनिगलय् थी थी कथंया जात्रा पर्व दूगु खँ सकस्यां सिउ । अज्याःगु परम्परा झीगु जीवनया छगू अभिन्न अंग खः, झीगु पुलांगु पुर्खां लिपाया सन्ततियात त्वःतावंगु सम्पदा खः । अज्याःगु सम्पदां झीगु न्हाय् तपु याइ, छाय् धाःसां अज्याःगु परम्परा धइगु सलंसः दँ पुलांगु स्वनिगःया सभ्यताया दसि खःसा व न्ह्याम्हेस्यां न्ह्याकूसां छगू कारण मदयेकं लहरं बहरं जक न्ह्याकूगु मखु । व हे कारणं थौं तक झी उकिइ सहभागी जुयत प्रेरणा बिइ , अन वनेवं झीसं गर्व यायेखनी । तर ख्वनाया देय्पुखू जात्राया सवालय् धाःसा थ्व खँ मिलेमजू । 

स्वदेशी व विदेशी लेखकतय्सं च्वयातःगु इतिहास, धर्म, संस्कृतिया विषयया सफुतिइ थ्व जात्राया चर्चा जूगु मदु धाःसां जिउ, गनं गनं प्रसंगवश उल्लेख तक जूगु खनेदु । अथे हे ताकं ताकं खँ ल्हानाः विद्वान जुइत स्वइपिं नेवाः विशेषज्ञतय्सं थ्व जात्राया बारे स्पष्ट धारणा न्ह्यब्वये मफु । अले ख्वनाय् हे च्वंपिं बुराबुरितय्के नं थ्व जात्रा गुकथं न्हयात, छाय् न्ह्याकल, गबलेंनिसें न्ह्यानावयाच्वंगु धइगु न्ह्यसःया लिसः मदु ।

वंगु सेप्टेम्बर महिनाय् साँस्कृतिक सम्पदा नेपाल नांगु छगू संस्थाया ग्वसालय् ख्वनाया हे सामुदायिक भवनय् थ्व जात्राया विषय् छगू सहलह जूगु खः । थुकिया बारे प्रो–पब्लिक थेंज्याःगु संस्थां ला विरोध हे यात, तर थ्व जात्रा न्ह्याकातयेमाः धाइपिं बुरापिन्के नं थ्व जात्राया ऐतिहासिक व साँस्कृतिक महत्वया बारे तर्क मदु । उमिगु धापू कथं थ्व ‘जात्रा’ राणाकालय् न्हयाःगु खः अले अबलय् अनया प्रशासक जुयाच्वनीम्ह द्वारें च्वलेचा पुखुलिइ वांछ्वयाबिइगु खः । थुकिया हे भरय् थपाय्च्वः विवाद ब्वलंकूगु थ्व प्रचलनयात ‘जात्रा’या नां बिइ जिउ ला? उमिके थ्व च्वलय्चा सु द्यःया नामय् वा भूतया नामय् वांछ्वइ धइगुया लिसः मदु । थ्व जात्रा पुखुलिइ छु छु जातयापिं वनीगु, वने न्ह्यः, वनेधुंकाः गनं पुज्यायेमाःला, म्वाःला? जात्राया तयारी गुकथं याइ? उकुन्हु त्वालय् भ्वय्, नखत्या जुइला मजुइ ला? थ्व जात्राया बारे गनं गुगुं कथंया लिखत दूगु मसिउ, सुनां अभिलेख च्वयातःगु  मदु । अथे हे ख्वनामितय्गु हरेक नखः चखः व बुसांनिसें मसिइतकया संस्कारलिसे स्वापू दूगु सिकालि अजिमा वा रुद्रायणीलिसे नं थुकिया छुं स्वापू खने मदु । पुजारीं सिसाबुसा पुखुलिइ वायेगु व च्वलेचा वांछ्वयेगुया दथुइ स्वापू मदु । अले गथे जुयाः थ्व झीगु संस्कृति जुइ ?

देय्पुखूया लु सिधयेवं थ्व जात्राया मेगु ज्या शुरु जुइ । बुरापिन्सं धाःकथं गुम्हेस्यां व च्वलेचा स्याइ, व वयाम्ह जुइ अले वं उकिया पलेसाय् त्वालय् भ्वय् न्यायेके माः, मोहनिबलय् त्वालय् नाटक दयेकाः क्यने नं माः । तर स्थानीय मनूतय्सं तःदँनिसें थ्व धाःसा दिइधुंकल धकाः स्वीकार यात । उलि जक मखु, दँय्दसं च्वलेचिया खँय् अन ल्वापु जुइ, अले भ्वय् न्योकेगु खँ वलकि त्याकूम्हेस्यां व सिइम्ह च्वलेचा पुखुलिइ हे वांछ्वये हइ ।

च्वलेचा वांन्यायेगु संस्कृति खःसा भ्वय् नकेगु, नाटक क्यनेगु संस्कृति मखुला ? भ्वय् व नाटक त्वःते जिउसा च्वलेचा त्वःते मजिउ ला ? थुकिं हे क्यं च्वलेचा प्रथा अनया संस्कृति मखु अन च्वंपिनिगु हिंस्रक व अमानवीय स्वभावया प्रतिविम्ब जक खः ।
संस्कृतिया हे खँ ल्हायेगु खःसा सकस्यां सिउ, ख्वनाया संस्कृति, सम्पदा, गौरव व पहिचान धइगु अनया तू चिकं खः । देय्न्यंक प्रख्यात उगु ख्वनाया चिकं थौं उखानय् जक सीमित जुयाच्वंगु दु, थ्व द्वलंद्वः दँ पुलांगु परम्परा थथे न्हंकाछ्वये मजिल धकाः युनेस्कों तकं साः ल्ह्वनाबिल तर चिकं पिकायेमफुत । आः ख्वनाया संस्कृतिया चिउताः दुपिन्सं च्वलेचा जक वांन्यायेगु लाकि साः नं चलेयायेगु ? ख्वनाय् च्वंपिं नेवाःतय्त चिकं बंजाः धायेके यः लाकि च्वलेचा वांन्याइपिं धायेके यः?

थ्व ‘जात्रा’या ऐतिहासिक प्रमाण वा दस्तावेज न्हयब्वये मफुतलेया निंतिं छम्ह औसत नागरिकया निष्कर्ष थ्व हे जुइ कि थ्व ख्वनाया मौलिक व साँस्कृतिक नखः मखु । बरु थ्व अबलय् अनया तःधंपिं प्रशासकतय्गु अन च्वंपिं सोझापिं नेवाःतय्त थःथवय् ल्वाकेगु छगू योजना जक जुइफु । थुकथं ठुलाठालुतय्सं स्याये नं मजिउम्ह, वांछ्वये नं मजिउम्ह छम्ह ल्वगिम्ह च्वलेचायात माध्यम दयेकाः अन गामय् थःगु हैकम नं कायम यात जुइ अले ब्वनामतःपिं छुं मसिउपिं “गामाः”तय्त अमानवीय ज्या याकाः, ल्वाकाः मनोरञ्जन नं याये खनी जुइ । आः छु थज्याःगु आधारहीन प्रथायात झीसं थःगु संस्कृति धकाः नालाच्वनेगु ला? यदि थथे खःसा छम्ह अय्लाःगुलुं छकः नशाय् करपिनि मिस्तय्गु इज्जतय् ल्हाः तल धाःसा उकियात नं संस्कृति धकाः दँय् छकः अथे मयासे मगाःगु धकाः धायेगु अवस्था वइ ।

शायद थुलि ब्वने धुंकाः ख्वनामिपिन्त तं नं पिहाँ वल जुइ । वय्कःपिन्सं धयादीफु – थ्व जात्रा धइगु ख्वनाया आन्तरिक खँ खः, पिनेच्वंपिन्सं वास्ता तयेम्वाः । तर जब च्वलेचिया खँ ज्वनाः गैरनेवाःतय्गु समुदायं नेवाःतय्त कक्कु ज्वनी, उमिगु अल्याख संस्कृति व सम्पदाय् ध्याचलं छ्वाकी, अले थ्व प्रथाया पुरातात्विक व साँस्कृतिक महत्वया बारे सिइकेगु व थुकिइ थःगु सरोकार क्यनेत हरेक नेवाः बाध्य जुइ । थौं कुमारी निसें बुंगद्यःया जात्रायात तकं सह मयाइपिनिगु ल्हातिइ राज्यसत्ता दु, उमिसं कन्हय् च्वलेचा ज्वंपिन्त झ्यालखानाय् तयेमयंकी धायेमफु । अथे जूगुलिं कि त ख्वनायापिं वा मेपिं सुनां नं अनया थ्व ‘जात्रा’या ऐतिहासिकता व औचित्य प्रष्ट यायेमाल (अथवा ऐतिहासिकता हे लुइकूसां थ्व वर्तमान परिवेशय् थज्याःगु अमानवीय ज्यायात तर्कसंगत ढंगं थुकिया बचाउलय् अनया लब्धप्रतिष्ठित मनूखं देय्या कानून व अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय कानुनयात कःघानाः वक्तव्य बियाः गर्वसाथ दँय् दसं जिमिसं थुलि बांलाःगु जात्रा हनाच्वनागु दु स्वःझासँ धकाः सार्वजनिक इनाप यायेगु वातवरण हयेमाल, अले इनाप नं यायेमाल) कि मखुसा गुलि फु उकि याकनं आवंलि ख्वनाय् च्वलेचा वांन्यायेगु ज्या जुइमखुत धकाः सगौरव घोषणा यायेमाल । थुकिं यानाः समस्त नेवाःतय्गु न्हाय् धस्वाइ ।

 सन्ध्या टाइम्स २००४ अगष्ट १३

Saturday, February 14, 2004

The homecoming


Stolen works of art smuggled out of the country with little or no hope of return. This is the story of one famous piece that found its way back thanks to the zeal of art lovers
Razen Manandhar
Kathmandu
Well, sir, this it the unparalleled antique head of Dipankar Buddha, brought here from the great Himalayan culture, with utmost care. It would cost some 2,00,000 US dollars,” said Peter Hardt, the German art dealer. He had brought the two-feet tall gilded Buddha in a huge black box, with special glowing lamps too to impress his client. The instalment was simply magnificent.
Dr Schicklgruber, the curator for South Asian Art of the Ethnographic Museum in Vienna, was mesmerised to see the masterpiece from Nepal, a country he had hardly heard about. He suddenly wished to acquire it for his museum but he had never dealt in any such big business, so he didn’t venture a sum. However, he managed to convince the museum director, but was also worried whether the piece was genuine or worth that sum.
“I will inform you about our decision after consulting with some experts on Buddhist iconography,” he told the dealer, thinking that a thorough examination of the object’s antiquity is necessary before buying it.
This conversation took place in April 2002, at the Ethnographic Museum of Vienna. While talking, both might not have imagined that it could lead to a 19-month long story of smuggling, which recently concluded into a success story of return of the idol.
After meeting the art dealer, Dr Schicklgruber visited the University of Vienna in search some details the antiquity of the image. Co-incidentally, he found a scholar, who was academically and sentimentally also attached with Buddhism of the Kathmandu Valley — Prof Alexander V Rospatt. Looking at the pictures, the professor, recognised the Buddha head as a smuggled antique piece.
Rospatt was actually studying Buddhism in Nepal for quite some time and had seen the same Buddha, during the grand festival of Samyaka Puja in Patan (on this occasion, the Buddhists bring their clan idols to one open place for a public worshipping).
In fact, it was Dipankar, named “Kanakmuni Aju”, named after a Kanakmuni Shakya, a local merchant, who had erected the idol for the trust. Estimated to be 400 years old, it belonged to the local people of Patan and under care of the six-member trust at Chibah Nani of Nag Bahal. The have to take the idol to Nag bahal for Gunhla Punhee festival in August-September every year.
The idol was stolen mysteriously in February 2002, just two months before it was displayed in the Austria museum, from the house it was kept in. According to locals, only experienced hands could take it out from the old house with small doors. The trust members informed the police about the theft. Then the members almost forgot about the incident until the next Samyak festival in September 2002 and even then, they managed with a photograph of the stolen idol.
In stead of helping the curator buy the piece, Rospatt made a mission to rescue the ancient object from the art pirates and return it to the original owners in Nepal. He immediately wrote to Min Bahadur Shakya, a local scholar on Buddhist iconography, with the Buddha’s picture, to have it identified. And Manik Bajracharya of Lotus Research Centre also helped him in his mission.
Nepal, being a state party of the UNESCO treaty against smuggling of art objects, can also claim the destination country for unconditional return, through government and diplomatic channels. However, surprisingly, none among the four components — Nepali diplomats in Germany (also for Austria), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Archaeology (DoA) as well as the locals — showed eagerness to have it restored.
Prof Rospatt collected all the documents from his Nepali friends and forwarded them to the Interpol in Vienna. This helped the Austrian authorities to act swiftly. The state attorney was informed about the incident and within a few hours, the court was in charge and issued an order prohibiting the sale of the Buddha head until the case was resolved.
The court case against the art dealer was referred to Germany. The case is now on and fortunately or unfortunately, the art dealer refuses to reveal the details of the people involved in the high-class smuggling. This prevented, as it usually happens, the smugglers from being punished.
The media made a hue and cry on this issue, which pressurised the concerned authority to have it brought back. The case drew attention when it was reported that the idol was taken to Austria through “legal channel” and it had a tag of DoA.
However, as a result of the hard work of the Austrian government and international scholars, the idol finally came to Kathmandu on October 24 last year. Austrian ambassador to India Jutta Setfan Bastl visited Nepal and acted also as the ambassador to Nepal to hand over the idol to the locals.
Keshav Raj Jha, the former ambassador to France and representative to UNESCO, said: “I have a bitter experience. The government officials just do not want to have them returned. I can say in most of the cases, the officials are directly or indirectly associated with the smuggling so they are reluctant to fight art smuggling.”
The objects could be as big as the Dipankar head, but they are also not returned from the airport. The thousands of art objects sold openly in curio market of France, Germany, USA and other countries also are the evidence that Nepali government has no idea of the art objects smuggled out.
Some two years back, UNESCO organised a symposium on trafficking of art and DoA committed to have a website designed for stolen art objects, three heads have come and gone in DoA but the website still seems distant.
The story of the return of the Buddha has recently ended after the local owners got the idol. Still, the three small idols of Tara, stolen on the same day from the same house, are yet to be recovered and after going through international propaganda, the experts have no hope that it will ever be seen anywhere in the world art market.
Published: February 13, 2004 12:00 am On: Entertainment

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