31-03-2009  Press article  

Nepal: Deepa, Pushpa, Sita and Maiya

Deepa Pandey lives in Surkhet, Pushpa Chaudhary is from Kailali, Sita Thapa is in Rautahat and Maiya Mijar lives in Dhading. What they have in common is that they are all women in their mid-20s who suffered during the war and are now running small businesses to take care of their families.

This article was first published in the Nepali Times and is reproduced here with the newspaper's kind permission.
© ICRC/C. Von Toggenburg/v-p-np-e-00116

Sunamati, whose husband is missing since the war.

Sunamati, whose husband is missing since the war.

© ICRC/C. Von Toggenburg/v-p-np-e-00116

It was mostly non-combatants who were affected by the conflict, and above all women. Tens of thousands of families were displaced and many ended up being women-headed because they lost their husbands. Many families also now have disabled breadwinners, and have the added medical burden of taking care of them. Deepa was caught in a crossfire in 2003 and a bullet hit her back, turning her into a paraplegic. Her husband took a second wife two years later, and she now has to take care of her children and extended family. Pushpa's husband was killed in 2002, and she lives with six other family members including two children. She is a landless kamaiya but has some unregistered land. Sita's husband disappeared after being arrested five years ago, she now depends on her parents for support. Maiya's son is missing and she has to meet the medical expenses of her husband who was injured in the neck during an attack on their village in 2003.

All four women are now beneficiaries of an initiative by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Nepal Red Cross Society to help women whose livelihoods have been severely affected by the war with income-generating activities. The effort gives the women back some lost dignity by restoring household incomes so that the entire family benefits.

Under this initiative women-headed households first get an in-kind grant valued at Rs 10,000, which serves as start-up capital so the families can meet basic needs. The grant can fund livestock, small-scale farming, trade or vocational training. The beneficiaries include households of the missing and killed, disabled, children affected by war, the internally displaced and returnees. Households facing serious difficulties to meet their basic needs get priority.

Since ICRC and NRS launched the initiative in November 2006 women in 23 districts have benefited and 12 more will be added soon. Some 2,500 families, most of them women-headed households, have had help to restart their lives.

With the seed grant, Deepa started a shop in Surkhet and sits on her bed selling grocery items. She earns Rs 1,000 a month and her business is growing and can send her daughter to school. She has also got a wheelchair now and is more mobile.

Pushpa has done so well with her shop that her backers are extending her another Rs 10,000 grant. In Rautahat, Sita now has some goats and runs a shop so she can take care of her family. Maiya in Dhading bought a buffalo with her grant and took another to buy a buffalo calf. She now makes enough money to pay for her husband's medical treatment.

There are thousands of Sitas, Deepas, Pushpas and Maiyas all over Nepal. Many are widows who have the responsibility of supporting their families as well as the burdens of grief and bereavement. But these four women have shown that with very little help they can rebuild their lives and begin looking towards the future.

Moheindu Chemjong and Govinda Dahal

Nation
Explosive remnants of war
Long after the ceasefire, people continue to lose limbs

FROM ISSUE #428 (05 DEC 2008 - 11 DEC 2008) | TABLE OF CONTENTS

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ICRC

As the world prepares for states to sign the Cluster Munitions Convention in Oslo this month, Nepalis still face the threat of being maimed by unexploded mines.
In October 2006, shortly after his Bhai Tika ceremony in a village 15km from Pokhara, Ram Chandra Biswakorma, a regular 15 year-old teenager was helping friends powder some small explosives for fishing.
No sooner had they begun the process, the plastic bucket which bore the chemicals exploded. When he opened his eyes, Ram found himself in hospital, wrapped in plasters and his two legs amputated. Six other boys were injured.
Today, he is no longer the fun-loving youngster that he was. He used to be good in studies, but is now lagging behind. He worries a lot about his future and feels sad that neither he nor his friends had ever received any education on the risks posed by mines
Like a lot of mine and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) victims, Ram Chandra did not realise that he and his friends were in danger. The Maoists had formerly used their house as a storehouse for explosives and his story is repeated in the plight of many mine victims around the country.
The ten-year armed conflict has come to an end but it has left the threat of explosive remnants of war in its wake. In the first 10 months of this year alone, 58 people have been injured by mines in Nepal-most of them are children.
As part of its mandate to protect civilians from the effects of the conflict, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working to prevent injuries, assist victims and reduce the socio-economic impact of this lethal debris on civilian populations. It provides assistance for emergency and hospital care, secondary surgery and physical rehabilitation services to the victims of conflict if they fail to get support from the government.
The ICRC is working with the Green Pastures Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre (GPH&RC) in Pokhara, where Ram Chandra has been treated. Today, he has artificial limbs and can walk to and from school even without crutches. He is catching up with school work. His aim in life is to help put an end to the stigma the disabled face in Nepal and around the globe.
As part of the ICRC's Micro Economic Initiative (MEI) project, which provides cash for income generating projects for conflict-affected people, Ram Chandra's family received Rs 10,000 in kind. This grant can fund livestock, small-scale farming, trade or vocational training. Since it was launched in 2006, approximately 3,500 families in 35 districts have benefited.
Moheindu Chemjong

Nepal: where have the missing gone?

30-08-2008 Feature

The armed conflict in Nepal between the government and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist ended following the 2006 ceasefire agreement. The ICRC in Nepal is working to clarify the fate of people missing as a result of the conflict. The ICRC’s Moheindu Chemjong reports.

 

  ©ICRC/K. Kayastha / np-e-00213    

 

  Families of the missing    

   

  Families of the missing  
  ©ICRC/K. Kayastha / np-e-00213    

The armed conflict has come to a halt but its impact in humanitarian terms still lingers. One such impact is the human tragedy of missing persons. It is a tragedy for the person who disappears, but the other victims are the families suspended in limbo, suspecting their loved ones are dead, yet unable to mourn or move on and, in the absence of proof, tormented by countless unwelcome possibilities – a secret prison, or even a new life in a for eign land.

The pain is not only emotional; often it can be financially crippling. The impact of this tragedy on families is manifold and long-lasting.

Ram Janaki Tharu of Rajapur, Bardiya district, is one of the hundreds of Nepalese parents whose offspring have gone missing. “No matter how difficult it is to mourn the loss of a loved one, it is even more distressing not to be able to mourn at all”, she sobs. She clearly remembers the night her son was taken away. Since then, she has knocked on the doors of many authorities and spent her entire life savings on a fruitless search.

   

   

 

  Who are the missing?

•   In Nepal, the ICRC defines a missing person as an individual who is unaccounted for as a result of the armed conflict in the country between 13 February 1996 and 21 November 2006, and whose family is still waiting for one or more of the following:
•  
• a satisfactory answer from the authorities clarifying their fate;
•  
• an acknowledgement of the disappearance from the government (in the form of a declaration of death, a death certificate or the granting of a special status);
•  
• support from the government to receive reparations;
•  
• if deceased, information on the location of human remains and the recovery thereof;
•  
• legal redress.
•    

   

   

  Who are the missing?

•   In Nepal, the ICRC defines a missing person as an individual who is unaccounted for as a result of the armed conflict in the country between 13 February 1996 and 21 November 2006, and whose family is still waiting for one or more of the following:
•  
• a satisfactory answer from the authorities clarifying their fate;
•  
• an acknowledgement of the disappearance from the government (in the form of a declaration of death, a death certificate or the granting of a special status);
•  
• support from the government to receive reparations;
•  
• if deceased, information on the location of human remains and the recovery thereof;
•  
• legal redress.
•    

 
 Searching for answers  

The ICRC has redoubled its efforts to tackle the issue of missing persons on a global scale. To help people like Ram find answers to questions about missing family members, the ICRC is carrying out a range of humanitarian activities.

The organization advocates families’ right to know what happened to their missing relatives. It reminds the former parties to the conflict ­– the authorities and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist – of their obligation to provide information that might help shed light on the fate of missing people. It also reminds the authorities of their duty to support such people’s families.

Together with the Nepalese and other National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the ICRC accepts requests from families wishing to find relatives who disappeared during armed conflicts. Through its contacts, whether among former parties to the conflict, individuals or institutions, the ICRC gathers information to help trace the missing relatives.

The ICRC raises public awareness of the problems faced by the families of missing people. It also encourages individuals to come forward with information that might provide answers.
 

 A herculean task  

A lot remains to be done to address this pressing humanitarian issue and help families clarify the fate of their loved ones. International organizations play an important role in the process, but they all agree that national authoritie s must ultimately lead the way. 

Preventing the disappearance of people during armed conflict or violence and clarifying their fate once they have disappeared is an arduous task. This is further complicated by the absence of political will among those directly concerned – government authorities and parties to the conflict – and lack of cooperation by those who might persuade them to act.

 Everybody’s business  

There is a need to work together for humanity and strengthen local and government partnerships in confronting complex humanitarian challenges. These include worldwide efforts to resolve the issue of people unaccounted for as a result of armed conflict or internal violence - and in so doing, to bring back together families torn apart by such events. Only when this issue is given the priority it deserves will society’s wounds begin to heal. Then the development of a beautiful new Nepal can begin in earnest.

Enigmatic Monuments

ECS

Text by : Moheindu Chemjong
Photographer : kishor kayastha

When the humdrum blues of daily existence starts to take over…When you feel the need to acknowledge your place in the Universe or catch God’s whisper…Or when you feel the need to re-discover your human spirit, I would say, “Indulge.” For a change, overindulge yourselves in the magical splendor of the marvelous, timeless, holy monuments of the Kathmandu Valley! I promise you a few hours of enchanted hypnosis!

If you are looking to quench your soul’s thirst like myself, I would recommend early mornings or early evenings. But if it’s just beauty that you are seeking in these famous symbols of the ancient Nepali civilization, you might as well let your heart decide the timing! Whether it’s the Pashupatinath temple, Swoyambhunath and the Dharahara in the Kathmandu Valley or the Changu Narayan temple in Bhaktapur or the Patan Durbar Square in Patan, you cannot escape the overwhelming touch of tranquility, the affluence of exotic spirituality, the extravagances of Nepali art and culture, and the lavishness of the rich and elaborate Nepali history.

In the early hush of the morning or in the evenings when Kathmandu draws her curtains to welcome another evening, these magical monuments draw worshippers and visitors alike to their bosoms. A few weeks ago, I, too decided to join the line. I luxuriated in the wait with flowers, fruits, incense and other offerings in my hands and as I waited, my heart was overcome by a certain rush of joy and peace.  My nostrils were delighted to the confluence of juniper and sandalwood fumes! I got totally mesmerized in the fumes and the lights of the diyas, butter lamps burnt and lighted by the worshippers ahead of me.

The sweet morning breeze and the ecstatic pigeons in hundreds joined me in reverent rhythms. Besides this vision of delight, I joined the worshippers in chants and prayers! When I heard the temple bells ring, the ambience was a world apart-I could sense pride, pain and other follies of life, exchange places with the seeds of warmth, verses of peace and urns of compassion. After offering prayers and getting blessings from the Gods, the worshippers learnt to practice their prayers, to serve, to help and show compassion by offering money, food and clothes to the beggars who sit on the temple courtyards and pray for kindness to be showered upon them.

In Swoyambhunath and other Buddhist shrines, the worshippers carried prayer wheels in their hands and many of them circumambulated in God’s name. Here, the prayer flags in tassels of bright hues added to that spiritual splendor and helped evoke the glorious, benevolent mélange of feelings, of modesty, of wonder, of self-realization and of  humility. In the throes of Compassion and Jubilation, you might feel you’re on the pavilions of the Gods!

When I’m immersed in the beautiful geometric vibrancy of these ancient monuments, I can’t help think that Lord Brahma might have consulted some other Gods before creating the Nepali race! After He created us, the Buddhist Gods of compassion, Awalokiteshwara and Chakwa Dyo must have filled our hearts with immense love, overflowing compassion and the holy lessons of good karma. When I look at the monuments, I am convinced that Saraswati, the Goddess of Fine Arts has blessed us and also endowed us with an innate aesthetic sense and hence, these pieces of art and beauty!

In Kathmandu Valley, UNESCO’s world heritage site, Vishnu, the God of Preservation, too seems to have touched us for many of us consider it our duty to work towards the preservation of these sites. Besides the kenso satori moments mentioned above, these holy shrines, temples,  and edifices of extraordinary power are also a blissful, visual retreat! Each of them has a very unique and distinctive style. Each carries in them the stories of the various dynasties from the Kirants to the contemporary rulers that ruled over Nepal and the mythologies of the existence of these very monuments.

From the enigmatic architecture to the ornamented stonework, exquisite woodcarvings, the beautiful sculptures, they all emaciate the heavenly essence of the Nepali philosophy of love, peace and compassion, and the harmonious fusion of the Hindu and Buddhist influences. They are indeed a celebration to the testimony of the rich culture and heritage of Nepal! Your purpose might have been spirituality. Your purpose might have been beauty. Like my colleague’s photographs which have given a completely new dimension in doubles, my fulfillment out of this visit also came in double digits.

Not only did I soak in the beauty and spiritual bliss, I also learnt a lesson of a life time. If our ancestors wanted to monere (Latin root word for monument), I would say their aspirations have come true. At that very divine moment, my favorite author Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophic statement, “The purpose of life is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well,” burst into appearance…..I caught God’s whisper and re-discovered my spirit!

Ropai

A stranger I met on the train once told me, “Sweetheart, always paint the walls of your heart with many beautiful pictures.” Today as I came home, I realized that I have done just that — for today I tasted a slice of paradise, another art form, the timeless art of ropai!

Come this marvelous monsoon season of Ashad and the Gods above bless Nepal with sweet summer and Nepali hearts are filled with the spirits of endeavor and aspiration. When the rain begins to pour, the Nepali farmers are smitten by the ropai bug- the time to work magic on the paddy fields. On the chosen day when a farmer decides to plant the paddy seedlings, relatives and friends are invited from far and wide, near and next door to play parma, the practice of helping others so that they will also help you some day, in order to help plant the seedlings – those precious seedlings that sustain life as a staple food for the entire year and a source of income, those seedlings of hope, compassion and life.

The day began with the latheys, gentlemen, ploughing the fields and leveling the deep layers of mud, moistened by the downpours of the day before. I began by soaking in the beauty of the hills that surrounded us in the summer splendor. The bluish skies pregnant with heavy rain droplets and the feelings of camaraderie amongst the ropai artists filled me with animated feelings of wonder and ecstasy. After the men played their parts, I, with the other ladies stepped on the velvety brown carpets of mother earth! The ladies including myself changed roles between the byares, who hand the seedlings that were earlier grown in trays and the ropareys, who do the actual task of planting the seedlings. I felt I was in a dream — a human who’d always lived among people who have embraced the sensational phenomenon of ropai all their lives but had never tried to understand them, a soul who had religiously been visiting mud-soak spas in foreign lands but had never let my pedicured feet ever touch the religious grounds of my own motherland!

And as we planted the paddy seedlings, my work colleagues and friends for the day began swooning choirs of emotions. I was awfully distracted in my work but I couldn’t help enjoying their dohoris as we all planted the seedlings of hope, motherhood, tolerance and life. The melodies carried a profusion of emotions of love between lovers, sisters and admirers, of the apparent simplicity of their lives, of the tragedies that had taken place in their lives and of unfulfilled desires and wishes. I got totally mesmerized and totally besotted by their simple thinking, their super simple ways, their conspicuous buoyancy of life and their ability to be happy with what they have.

When the steamy humidity of the summer’s day enveloped us, one of the ropareys handed us masala, sweet somethings which comprised of lollies, cardamom, cloves and betle nuts to break the monotony or shall I say to burnish the straightforwardness of this centuries old art? As hours went by and this aesthetic orgy continued, mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters did not refrain from expressing their overflowing affection towards their younger ones, while some men relaxed on ‘gaida’ cigarettes.

Time and again, the slight hint of drizzle would tantalize and tease us. At 2pm, we decided to take a lunch break. We savored chiura, aloo tarkari, khasi tarkari and golveda ko aachar, to name a few. The choice of dishes wasn’t eclectic and I was sharing a plate with folks who were strangers to me till a few hours ago, but the experience was no lesser than a fine-dining experience with my favorite people. To be honest, the pleasure of simple dining left me completely satisfied! We resumed work after lunch and this time, I was taken into confidence and told the secrets and stories. I learnt the misery of a young lady who had been forced out of her own home for her better-half had left home for good. I learnt of a 62 year lady’s chyang business. I learnt of the joys of a mother whose adventurous, prodigal son who had left for Bahrain and had come back home for good. Such is the magical power of love of the motherland and the charm of ropai!

As our day’s work came to an end, it was time for fun, time to add the icing on the cake! It was time to shed all inhibitions, to forget ourselves and to dive in the flurry of the mud baths. Some of us, especially myself had really been looking forward to this. Hari’s accidental fall when trying to tease Rajan marked the beginning of the mud fight. Rajan began by grabbing mud and throwing it at the ladies. We, the ladies were equally sporty and adventurous when it came to healthy competition! The beautiful setting evening sun and the light drizzle added glamour to our magical game. We splattered one another with mud and started chasing the men around. There was mud and water all over, everyone was covered in mud from head to toe and there was a roar of pure laughter and sheer delight in the air. For those few hours, I felt we were really the children of the Universe, playing with and on her bounty with only happiness and joy on our minds!

When the mud frenzy came to an end, all of us posed for the photographer’s collection. Evening came and we had to hurry back home. We parted with the promises of meeting again. Only when I said goodbye to everyone, did I realize that I had fallen victim to a beautiful trance today – that of aesthetic ropai, of extravagant camaraderie and that of world class simplicity.

When I went to bed that night, I slowly relished those magnificent pictures, exquisite emotions and the religious lessons of ropai! Yes, stranger, you can come and check out the paintings on my heart right now...

The Wonders of Fruit

Conflict related....