Beggars Can't Be Choosers

It came to light today that Nepal Airlines Corporation(NAC), a government owned and operated airlines in Nepal, has requested “eight planes from the northern neighbor as a grant.” The story from eKantipur quotes Krishna Hari Banskota, Finance Secretary at the Ministry of Finance as saying that “if it is not possible as a grant, we have also requested China to provide a soft loan.”

This is the state of the government run airlines in Nepal—it needs to beg for planes!

Now, when one begs for gifts, one loses the right to complain or receive any compensation for any faults with the gift. In other words, one might be stuck with a long bill on repairs and other expenses if the gift is faulty. It seems like the officials at the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and Ministry of Finance have discounted these possible future costs. Even if China donates brand new planes (highly unlikely) to Nepal, this story demonstrates the colossal failure of the NAC. It is highly inefficient, lacks the trust of the flying public, and is “incurring Rs 50 million in losses annually from each aircraft serving the remote sector.”

It is high time that we dismantle the NAC!

This can be done in phases and in partnership with private air carriers to have little or no impact on employment. In an industry that has grown with the entry of private carries, NAC’s existence only hinders the improvements that are possible in air travel in Nepal. It takes teh government away from the actual job that it should be doing--making travel safe and secure.The government should move away from trying to provide flights and concentrate more on improving the infrastructure to support the industry. The increase in crashes in recent years and the damage to the runway in Kathmandu are some examples of the failure of various government bodies associated with air travel and tourism. It is also an indication of the bigger problem of corruption in the Nepali public sector.
Getting new planes, whether for free or for a “soft loan” from China, ignores the underlying problem at the NAC, drains the national treasure, while postponing the inevitable.

How quickly we forget the Lauda scandal!

The Prakriti Project

Where would I be at 5pm on November 15, 2011 if I was in Kathmandu? That's easy--I would be in Gyaneshwor at the Fulbright Commission Auditorium. The Fulbright presentations are well researched and very interesting and I would like to encourage you, if you are in Kathmandu, to attend. The details of the program is posted below from the e-mail I got from Fulbright.

F U L B R I G H T F O R U M

" The Prakriti Project:
A Pioneering Synthesis of Newari Repoussé and Contemporary Painting"

Speaker - Ms. Maureen T. Drdak, Senior Fulbright Researcher of Art

Date - Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Time - 5:00 p.m.
Venue - Fulbright Commission Auditorium, Gyaneshwor

Abstract
Taking its name from the Sanskrit word prakriti, signifying both physical matter and the primal creative force that shapes it, Maureen Drdak’s Prakriti Project is the first synthesis of contemporary painting and the metal art of traditional Newari repoussé, a technique in which sheet metal is hammered from both sides to produce a three-dimensional bas-relief.

Drdak is working both at her studio in the Patan Museum, and in the Patan atelier of contemporary master of Newari repoussé, Raj Kumar Shakya, to continue and advance her study with Raj Kumar's brother Rabindra Shakya. Both men are grandsons of the venerable Kuber Singh Shakya, the acknowledged historical master of repoussé. The Kuber Singh Shakya family lineage of artists and scholars, patronized by the Malla rulers, is traceable back to Abhaya Raj Shakya, founder of the Mahabouddha Temple in 1601.

The significance of The Prakriti Project lies in the creation of a genuinely new art form resulting from the mergence of specific materials, artistic practices, and cultural traditions. It represents a unique contribution to the vocabulary of the visual arts, evidencing the unexplored contemporary applications of this venerable and ancient art form, addresses the relevance of qualitatively endangered material techniques to contemporary art practices, and furthers the dynamic expansion of cultural boundaries and the ongoing artistic and cultural dialogue between the Asia and the West. It serves as a model for future investigations of the expressive potential for contemporary art inherent in Nepali traditional practices.

Drdak is creating a major artwork demonstrable of this synthesis, to be exhibited at Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu in January 2012. She will exhibit jointly with her guru, Rabindra Shakya, in order to exemplify the linkage between master and student, traditional legacy and contemporary form. Drdak’s work, Flying Nagas, takes as its theme the protective serpent deities of the Kathmandu valley; among the Naga’s many powers and blessings is the ability to alleviate drought--a growing problem for Nepal--beset as it is by the accelerating effects of global warming. Closely associated with the health of the environment, and symbolic of the integration of opposites, the Naga is a beloved and powerfully relevant symbol for Nepal and for this project, one which speaks with authenticity and eloquence to the Nepalese people and to their current environmental concerns.

Drdak explains her work and its genesis, introduces the audience to the repoussé form and process, its contemporary masters, and presents her work progress to date. A Power Point presentation rich in visual imagery and photos will accompany her presentation.

Economics of Terrorism