| Username |
Post |
| Biswo |
Posted
on 13-Aug-01 02:06 AM
1. Imitation:
We have some journalists in Nepal who are afraid of everything Indian. Their
intemperate opposition to everything Indian sometimes result in very pesky
definition of nationalism. I recently heard about the Nepali version of "Who
wants to be millionaire" hosted by honorable comedian Madan Krishna Shrestha.
Quite a few papers gave negative reviews of the show, citing it is a crude
imitation of hindi show "Kaun Banega Karodpati". Since I haven't seen Nepali or
Hindi version of HWTBM, I am not in a position to comment anything but obvious.
The point I want to discuss here is about imitation in show business.
About ten years ago, when I used to shuttle between KTM and Chitwan in my
college era, most of the night buses I travelled in used to play Hindi songs. The
passengers were more interested in those songs than in any Nepali songs.When
walking in the streets of Tandi or Narayanghat, one used to hear latest scores
from Bollywood. The situation was completely changed about two years ago.
People preferred Nepali songs in those nightbuses(even in those which went to
terai cities like Raajbiraaj and Birgunj), and cassette players blared loudly Nepali
songs in Tandi bazaar.
And most of those songs were from Shambhujit Baskota. Baskota is accused of
copying Hindi tunes in his songs.But,even when we may not get a masterpiece of
music world in him, we have got a new trend in our cities and villages because of
him. Even in Hindi tunes, he has filled Nepali spirit. The result is surge of life style
of our singers, and other show biz artists. Even those who came to US thinking
they would be better off here washing dishes have started regretting their
decision. It is not likely that Ram Krishna Dhakal would come to prepare
sandwitches in McDonald's in Atlanta these days. Because we have now
started buying our own cassettes. It is better than buying other's cassette.
So, what's wrong if Madan Krishna Shrestha also copies HWTBM just like Amitabh
did in India, or others are doing in several other countries? I have seen the
Russian show, and that is exactly same as that of Regis's show in abc. I don't
know anything Russian except Ya Lublu Jibya, but yet I could figure out what
was going on the show. I mean isn't it great if Nepali smart people earn a few
rupees, a comedian gets regular source of income (about $3000 per month) and
advertising agencies get more business just because of the show?
May be one day we will really have one creative genious, like Amadeus Mozart
who will have his own reportory of masterpieces.Until then, Shambhujit will do.
After all, Bhanu also united Nepal by translating and Nepali-fying Ramayana.
2. Capitalism:
Our economic liberalization has been modelled more after India's than after
China's. What is our(as a generation) right in opening up our economy? How much
we should go on? There seems to be a lot of confusion.
Chinese were very poor in 1978. Even then, they managed to make agreements
with global financial giants in their own terms. Nobody could order them to
open up their market,esp their distribution sectors and their retailing sectors.
Whatever they did, they did on their own discretion.
I think we can make agreements that last only for a couple of decades. But we
shouldn't make agreements that last more than that, and hamstring the future
of our progeny also. We shouldn't bind our children for our interest or depending
upon our wisdom.We can also remember the treaties of Koshi and Gandaki,
whose century long agreements has helped Indians to submerge our villages,
while we have to stand sideby,arguing in ourselves whether those treaties
were good or not. Rightnow, just to propitiate french investors of Indoswez
bank, we have changed rule of share of foreign ownership.I am not against
foreing investment, but I believe that we shouldn't denude our economy in the
name of liberalization so that callous predators can ravish us and leave us whenever they want.
Will somebody tell me what we gained by making Koshi barrage? By Gandaki
barrage?By selling Bhrikuti paper mills?It will always be good if we have
Momo Kings rather than Burger Kings in our New Roads.If we hadn't made the
Koshi barrage and given the leash to India then, it would still have been
possible that we could have made one there now, or anytime in future when we
have sufficient funds, so that it won't inundate our own villages.
Let's welcome foreigners , but in our terms. Those who see profits will come
anyway, and those who don't, won't come anyway.Give tax relief to them,
give them benefit of cheap and talented labor force, give them secure
environment, make more roads, make energy availabe (relatively better job
being done by NEC by being in the black) and that's the way to attract
capitalists.
Two quotations from Badamaharaja:
"Bidesh kaa saahu mahajan lai aauna nadinu, ti aayaa bhane hamilaai kangaal
paari chhaadne chhan.."
"Haamra Santaan(royal family) ra timraa santaan (citizens) bhai yo desh gari
khaanyaa chhan.."
(not verbatim)
|
| sally |
Posted
on 13-Aug-01 11:26 AM
Those who criticize the Nepali show for being a copy of an Indian show might be a little more open-minded if they realized that the super-successful U.S. "Millionaire" show is actually based on a British model.
Success breeds imitation. Hollywood has remade "Planet of the Apes" (and lord knows how many other old hits), and is currently awaiting the fifth Star Wars saga. Thamel shops are stocked with identical "Tibetan" bags, "Nepali" wallets, pseudo-"thankas," and whatever version of embroidered/tie-dyed skirts and blouses are currently selling. From children at play to the behavior of nations, we see the same behavior: Whatever is successful is imitated. Such is life.
Of course, it's got to be a GOOD copy to work. I wish the producers of Nepal's "Millionaire" copy the best of luck.
How fascinating to hear that Nepali songs are now heard on night buses! Four years ago (when I left Nepal) that wasn't the case.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 14-Aug-01 11:41 AM
Dear Sally:
I have heard about HWTBM being modelled after a successful British show,
but wasn't sure about that. Thanks for the info.
The nightbuses travels these days are far better than those of previous
years. Be assured!:-)
Biswo
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| Mahesh |
Posted
on 14-Aug-01 12:11 PM
Listen Pal(Biswo),
Its ok to patriotic, but we have to face the music. Without foreign investment how the hell are we going to progress. Where the hell are going to get the money from ? We have nothing, our GDP is close to negligible. You want to spend the rest of our lives depending on foreign aid and paying interest ? If we don't then they are going to go to India, Paki's and Bngla's. Look at maruti, herohonda etc etc. We would be profitting them instead of manufacturing.
With the globalization, believe me pal you cannot avoid having Burger King, or Pizza Hut They have the capital and the muscle. They already are in the developing Asian nations. If you just look at KTM 10yrs ago and now, you can see what I am talking about. There goes our tradition, in comes modernization. The kids these days have more in common with MTV than Radio Nepal. Thats just one example. There are a lot of pros and cons on this issue, but that where we are headed.
We have 2 of the biggest markets in ASIA as our neighbours. But our lazy asses have not been able to take advantage of that one bit. If we keep to our traditions we will stuck in that same pit for the rest of our existance.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 14-Aug-01 12:35 PM
Well, Maheshji:
Did I oppose liberalization?
I am opposing liberalization on foreigner's term. I am opposing 99 yrs-long
or 200-yrs long contracts that will affect our children's discretion.(Koshi
dam is one example.)We can probably make ourselves slave, but not our
children.
We don't get anything if we don't have anything to offer to 'those' people.
There are tens of countries who liberalized and lived in eternal misery
because of the wrong policies.Nobody can become happier just by wearing
'Nike' in Durbar Marg, and eating chicken sandwitch of McDonald's in
Tripureshwor.
Give you an example: For Indoswez, we changed our rules. We said ,foreigners
could have more than 50% in a bank share.Did they stay? They said" We are
pulling out of smaller markets" and pulled out.
I once sold marbles and granites in China. It was obvious to me that we
could earn better if they allowed us to have retail stores in China. But
the government forbids foreigner to sell stuffs directly. Though it makes
the foreign exporters less rich, they are still there.
Why China benefitted so much from liberalization and why not Indonesia?
Why not even Pakistanis, or Indians?You know it better.And since economy
is being considered the psuedoborder of a nation, by letting foreigners
set our rules, we are effectively undermining our own sovereignty.
Open those areas, where both can benefit. Make rules where both the foreing
investors and local populace can benefit. Don't make rules where only one
side benefits. If only we benefit, they won't come. But if only they
benefit, what are we supposed to do? Why not let Bengladeshis have such
good chance?
|
| Mahesh |
Posted
on 14-Aug-01 01:47 PM
Those people are not going to come in and invest if they cannot profit. At the same time I certainly don't think that we should sell our souls. My point is that because of all the dilly dallying during Pahchayat years, we are already behind. (Honda did want to open up a factory in Nepal about 15yrs ago)And the govt. not being stable, nobody is going tocome and invest. We need that money, and the govt. should make every effort to accomodate these people without compromising our sovergnity. Our country is small enough to adapt to changes quickly(our phones went digital before India).
I am not saying that wearing Nike is better, but that's what the kids these days want. They want to eat hamburger and hotdogs. Thanks to mtv, everything has changed. Having a girlfriend in 7th or 8Th grade was unheard of 10 yrs ago, but kids are going out at that age. Just look at the population of working women today and 10yrs ago. Same with inter-racial marriage as well. We are racing towards westernization(Globalization). As I said earlier there are a lot of pro & cons in this issue.
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 15-Aug-01 04:15 PM
>Those people are not going to come in and invest if they cannot profit. At the
>same time I certainly don't think that we should sell our souls. My point is >that because of all the dilly dallying during Pahchayat years, we are already
>behind. (Honda did want to open up a factory in Nepal about 15yrs ago)And the
>govt. not being stable,nobody is going tocome and invest. We need that money,
>and the govt. should make every effort to accomodate these people without
>compromising our sovergnity. Our country is small enough to adapt to changes
>quickly(our phones went digital before India).
Just got another info from Pashupati Shamsher Rana in yesterday's lower house.
He said, stung with the snub from world bank re Arun, they hastily approved
Khimti and Bhotekoshi.Mr Rana is sorry about that decision.
I am sure that you know about the treaty done in attracting Khimti. We said
we would pay them in dollars, we would increase the payment by 3% each year,
and we would buy all the electricity whether they could be sold or not. The
total cost of the project ,acc to ktmpost, is around US$200 million, and we
would be paying US$50 million per year.
That is not how we benefit by opening up our economy. We are ,basically, giving
away our taxpayer's money to foreigners, as if we are paying tributes to
some colonial power.
See, Maheshji, I don't doubt your good intention. I am also a supporter of
liberalization and capitalism.But we can't let a few people decide our future
in the name of liberalization.We need to see our benefit also.
>I am not saying that wearing Nike is better, but that's what the kids these >days want. They want to eat hamburger and hotdogs. Thanks to mtv, everything
>has changed. Having a girlfriend in 7th or 8Th grade was unheard of 10 yrs
>ago, but kids are going out at that age. Just look at the population of working
>women today and 10yrs ago. Same with inter-racial marriage as well. We are
>racing towards westernization(Globalization). As I said earlier there are a lot
>of pro & cons in this issue.
I don't oppose Nike or McDonald's per se. What I am afraid of is we may
introduce an untenable culture(as you pointed out saying westernization is
tantamount to globalization) that would be albatross to ourselves in the future
and yet we wouldn't be able to get rid of that.(Like having kids thinking
that without Nike there is no jogging possible..)
Nike makes shoes in China, Vietnam or even in India(?) and sells some of them
in those countries. Nike doesn't make anything in our country. Are we so
rich now to be able to import a Rs 7,000.00 per pair shoes? I hope the government impose sufficient tax in them so that only rich people who would
buy them anyway could afford them.[Interestingly, I used to buy only Nike and
Fila in my undergraduate years ,thanks to the new fad. It is only in my
senior year that I realized that the shoe made by a shoe-maker in Narayanghat
was both comfortable and longlasting and cheaper..]
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| Hari Rocka |
Posted
on 18-Aug-01 12:38 PM
Please joint me to Wish
"HAPPY 49th BIRTHDAY"
To our dearest friend "BISOW"
All the best Bisow.............Love to read your interesting posting keep it up!
Hari Rocka
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| Hari Roka |
Posted
on 18-Aug-01 12:40 PM
I mean "BISWO"
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