Nepal Unites--Sherpa Mall

The program organized by Nepal Unites was scheduled to begin at 7pm. People started to trickle in around 6:30, and by 7pm the entire open space on both floors of the Sherpa Mall was packed with supporters eager to listen to Avaya & the Steam Injuns. Some came with Nepali flags, some had flag stickers on their cheeks, some wore t-shirts with flags on them, and some simply showed up with patriotic feeling in their hearts. To these young and active youth the event was much more than a release of a single by an up-and-coming band—this was their way of showing support to end the political stalemate and complete the constitution, this was their way of saying enough to the corrupt culture of the past and start a new beginning, but most importantly, this was their way of saying “WE ARE HERE AND WE WANT CHANGE!”

Continue on to Nepali Blogger to read the full story.

Kudos to Nepali Youth!

Congratulations to all the organizers and participants of the recent activities-- "Letter to the Supreme Court,""Jyala Liyau, Aba Sambidhan Deu,""No Bandh." etc.

I will be in Nepal next month working on different projects and plan to participate and help in various programs organized by the Nepali youth. For those of you still on the sideline, here is a song by Dave Matthew's Band to give you that final push!

Next post will be from Nepal. 

No Country For Old Men

There comes a time when silence is betrayal --MLK

Here is an excerpt from my new essay published on Nepali Blogger. 

The political and economic systems in Nepal are archaic. It is time for the older generation to let the young and the vibrant ones work on building a nation in which they will live, raise their families, and take pride in what they create. It is an absurd idea to rely on leaders from the “Gandhi era,” to help us navigate through these electronic times, especially when they do not foster the teachings of Gandhi! It is time that the young generations demand a change in leadership. It is stupid to expect a different outcome while repeating the same process, with the same leaders, in the same system. It is time to change the system.


Continue to read the entire essay on Nepali Blogger

Visible and Invisible Hands

Here is a little blurb from an article titled "No Invisible Hands Here" written by Ms. Kalpana Khanal and Mr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha on The Kathmandu Post:

The developmental experiment in Nepal, and many studies done elsewhere, confirm that market-based development strategies alone do not work in countries like Nepal.
In the preliminary stage of development, the government should be instrumental in bringing the economy onto a path of development. The state can fail in many dimensions, but as Polanyi (1944) emphasised, it is the central economic actor.

I agree with the authors on most things they discuss in their article. However, I did have a slightly different view on the role of the government in the Nepali economy, which I expressed in my article "Of Growth & Visible Hands" published on Nepali Blogger. Here is a little blurb:

Yes, the government does have a role, an important one at that, to play for the development of a nation, especially when it comes to maintaining equity and addressing market failures. However, the economic problems of Nepal that the authors cite are mostly due to the ineffective government that Nepal has seen over the years, especially since the 1991 revolution. Giving more power and control to such dysfunctional government is a recipe for disaster!

"Galli Aapnaun"

I was driving on the highway and realized something that I had overlooked for a while--"Adopt A Highway" signs! So, I sat down and put my thoughts on paper. The article is published on Nepali Blogger (CLICK HERE). Please feel free to add your ideas/thoughts, which will undoubtly help improve it. Also, share it on Facebook so other Nepali people are aware of this project!