| Username |
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 13-Jan-03 05:48 PM
I am irked to my nerves every time I log into Sajha to find the same monotonous tantrums of “Helping Nepal.” Even after the SajhaPoll has clearly indicated otherwise, We continue to couple the listless appeals. Instead of delving for the reasons beyond the poll, we get swept in the alluring wave of being able to prove ourselves as a true Nepali Patriot by contributing monetarily.
Bravo fellas! We now have all the contacts necessary around the world committed in Helping Nepal and its social causes from Abroad! We have innumerable advocates of building Nepal from abroad, but extremely rare braves who can voice and commit themselves to go back to the country and build Nepal from within. Isn’t Nepal getting enough contributions? Aint funds from developed countries in MILLIONS too less? Mind you, these funds are for the same causes like building schools in the remote, funds for the poverty stricken, and for the Maoists victims as well, yet why is it not HAPPENING? I have always wondered if it’s the capital Nepal needs or is it the Capital regulating manpower it lacks? Yet the Nepali Nationalism beckons in the foreign land with the cause of Helping Nepal and vociferous appeals for contribution.
Yes I am enraged-out of my senses sometimes(wakka, dikka, pyakka!!). There’s no doubt in my mind every Nepali, living abroad or within, wants to see Nepal blossom into a state of prosperity and peace. Yes, we do want to help Nepal with all our might, but when it comes to helping Nepalis next door, why this extreme double standard? It seems to me the horrendous plight of struggling Nepalis abroad aren’t worth considering. In every Nepali Convention, family get togethers, and forums, they talk about helping remote Nepal’s villages, put on agenda to promote women’s rights and so forth, yet every one of them remains stoic and turn their back on fellow Nepali students suppressed in a system devoid of liberty and resource, succumb to their horrifying destinies in front of them.
I don’t mean to belittle the noble causes put forth by Nepalis for our motherland. Infact, I salute personas like Logical Sense, Sally (her husband), Rabindra Mishra, Ruck and many others from my soul for their laudable effort. I’m sure there are many in line to join this altruistic cause but maybe are just too busy nursing their own wounds. But are we also willing to consider these wounds? Yes sure, the atrocities in Nepal far outweigh the plights of Nepalese abroad but all problems are relative to their system. Do we take for granted that every Nepali student in US is well off or in top notch college?
To me, the person who was hacked in broad daylight in Libang is no different from the person who jumped off the subway platform in broad daylight; people living in Lamjung in extreme fear and suppression are no different from people living in ocean city on boiled potatoes and in extreme fear of INS officials. Do you or have you not heard her story whose brother is onto drugs for her parents cant’ afford him to send abroad for higher studies? Or is his story of his mother selling all her jewelry and father engulfed in lifetime debt for his education less compelling?? Perhaps u have, perhaps u chose to ignore it. Yet those voices never surface in a judgmental Nepali society where the tag of being inferior in front of fellow Nepalis is indeed a mortifying experience.
Yet, we smile (fake) and pull through. We can cover up everything by contributing to Nepal, all our guilt shall be whisked. Honestly, if we were so genuinely concerned about Nepal, would we drag on making excuses of “bidhi” and “badyata” for staying in a foreign land. It would be too little a sacrifice for a true patriot wouldn’t it now? My dear Educated Friends, SWAYAM SEWA comes before samaj sewa, and I respect that and I do respect every individuals’ choice on where to live and how to live their life, then why this continuous dragging, bragging and duress on contribution? Is it just because we are too afraid to show our guilt or are we too afraid to risk our prosperous future here than start life in shambles in a moribund third world country?
Thus, with due respect, I request the philanthropists: if we can help Nepalis 10,000 miles away, why can’t we start listening to voices within a mile’s radius? I’m sure the horrendous tales some of us have to tell wont be less vivid than the stories that you have been swayed away from Nepal. Of course not. Why listen to the few negligible, selfish voices who have no credibility but are merely jealous and are hindrance for those who want to adorn Nepal??
On a pleasing final note, Lets crush such voices with our outstanding contribution to Nepal: Les all stand united against hatred, authority abuse, corruption, contribute to the poor and the underprivileged, fight for the women’s rights, lets all go to Nepal in short trips for HOLIDAYS, acknowledge the exotic spots in Nepal, bring back photographs of the wild, tradition and culture, bring back the atrocities caused by the Maoists, vivid stories of widows, orphans and handicapped; but LET US IN NO ETERNITY GO BACK TO NEPAL, BE THE PART OF THE TORRID SYSTEM, HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE HASSLE OF LIVING IN NEPAL, Lets just stay far from the heat, and fritter from our keyboards ‘bout big time campaign and agendas, brag about our social work and impeccable vision for Nepal.
Yors truly,
Evergreen Pessimist!
Oys
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| Biswo |
Posted
on 13-Jan-03 06:13 PM
oys,
The only thing I can reply about your question is: if we help Nepal, or a community, we help a community in need, a community benighted, a community oppressed since long. The reason why we need to do it 'despite' millions flowing from developed countries is because those millions either rarely percolate down to the needy ones or they are insufficient, and it is better for us to contribute whatever we can. Let's not forget that despite the presence of billions of dollars of federal grants, multibillion dollars charity trusts, Americans still do contribute to the causes like helping minority and poors, improving schools and libraries etc...
Also, it is good to help a Nepali person who is in USA. Fine. But the difference between two things need to be understood: greed and need. We must distinguish the victims of greed, and the needy ones. If someone comes to USA because it was a vogue, if someone uses drugs because he wants to go to USA, then obviously it is much about his desire. Society owes something to him, but it is less urgent than what society and esp rich ones, the enlighted ones, owe to those poor people in the far-flung villages who don't have (good) schools , and need school more urgently, because the potential of not only the present generation, but that of even the future generation will be squandereded without the famously called 'sikshyaako ujyaalo ghaam'.
I know people with negative attitude [Not you] are apt to term what HENN etc are doing as 'checkbook philanthropy'. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. For example, as a student, it takes guts to set aside even US$25.00, and that is why those students with thick glasses studying in midnight worrying about the irate professor of the next day need to be commended or at least encouraged when they remember their primary school, the education they got in Nepal, the poors they walked along in Nepal, and pledge a few dollars of their hard earned currency for the causes they find dear.
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| Natty |
Posted
on 13-Jan-03 06:18 PM
Dear Oyes I and I have been doin dat long taam ago.Been to da dark side of da moon twice. I and I always felt like livin in da fish bowl. I and I been contributing from long long time ago. My fada contributed but them peopal took a lot from I and I and my fada and before him his fada. So what you want I do to? I is workin hard 70 hours and sendin all my money back home to help da economy. When I keeps goin in few years them people start takin my hard earned money and stuff right from da airport.While my frien dont do no work here and when him goes them dont take nothin from he.Him dont do now work but him drink them Heinekein and I and I work till my balls freeze and I and I drink Mexikan size Budweiza.When I and I went back from dem Korea them took my money. When I went back from da Japan them took my money. When I buy my land them took da money. When I build my house them took da money.Them did nothing to I. Did they? Them only have rights and not I ?
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| noname |
Posted
on 13-Jan-03 06:50 PM
>>” Even after the SajhaPoll has clearly indicated otherwise, We continue to couple the listless appeals.
OYS, why do you think that the SAJHAPOL states 'otherwise'? More than 50% (58% exactly) are ready to contribute for the 'SAJHA' fund!
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 13-Jan-03 07:06 PM
Biswo ji, thanx for your wonderful analysis but i really don't have arguing capacity like you guys (HONESTLY BHANYA! noi sarcastic being)...
well, like i said before, I am not against contributing to Nepal, but to me, we are being sucked up into this "MATRIX" that we can only contribute to Nepal MONETARILY!! i mean at least that's what i have perceived so far!! and u say those "billions of dollars" couldn't be implemented properly??? now whom can we hold accountable for the FEW THOUSANDS? ( STill we need qualified manpower there, don't we?) ...i don't know where u got this sense of NEED AND GREED thing.....I jus jotted down few examples here in US..you may twist and play with it any way you like.......
.my friend used to say
"Being middle class is like being a liberal: too rich to be a communist, too poor to be a democrat" hope u get the picture.... and once again i am not against contributing..if i could, i would too..but I believe that I could contribute more by being part of the nepali society...I am sorry to say this, as long as I am in US, I can't contribute a Penny for Nepal's cause even if i were a billionaire....:) ..if i go to Nepal, a different story all together..and if u ask me if i am jealous of others contribution?? (YES VERY MUCH)!!!
Noname ji, please don't try to bring out miny winy things and make a mountain out of it? have u realized how long this sajhapoll has been here? i was bout to write to san that we needed a change now..it has its say long enuff.. Anyways, being a evergreen pessimist, noname jyu k garnu, I LOOKED AT THE 42% who DECIDED TO CONTRIBUTE "NUTHING" u know ..not even a penny? did that miss you or did it hit you hard? it hit me hard!!
ani natty jyu, hajur trying to justify me or redefine yorself!!?? comfused me!
oys
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| noname |
Posted
on 13-Jan-03 07:18 PM
OYSji, I am old enough in SAJHA not to be aware of the 'half full' side in this so called 'evergreen pessimism'!
>>did that miss you or did it hit you hard?
I did not even notice that before your thread!!
Anyway, did not mean to interrupt your enthusiasm! :)
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| oys_chill |
Posted
on 14-Jan-03 12:25 PM
hoina noname jyu, sajha poll ko po kura garya, sajha ko hoina ni?
anyways, hajur ta naya avatar ma less tolerant, and more sarcastic bhayera aaunu bhayecha chinnau garho!! kaha hajur le mero enthusiasm ghataunu? boru mero tatparya ko khandan garnu ko satta aru nai gaun ma rummalinu bha bhe ra po ta ( damn did i write that, thanx to deep) eheh...
ah! devil in disguise, thanx for butting in! ( no pun ;) for fun) re kya ajha :)
oys
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| isolated freak |
Posted
on 14-Jan-03 12:56 PM
oys,
bull's eye, dude. I say the same thing. Nepal does not need 2-3000 dollars, what it needs is people who can bring about changes. Money is not a problem. Broadly analysing (without generalizing): I think people who are away from nepal have a guilt that they are not doing anything for their matribhumi. Tey want to go back, but there are factors prohibiting them from doing that. So, they collect money and send it to Nepal. It may sound a little harsh but I compare this gesture of sending money to Nepal comparable to the behavior of Norman (the protagonist/antagonist) of Alfred Hitchcock's Pshycho. Sending money to Nepal somewhere makes you feel proud/that you are doing something for your country although you know it deep in your heart that your money isn't going to make any difference. But still, you long for that false sense of having done something to the nation and you don't want to get out of that illusion.
I second Oys when he says, why not help Nepali people in America who need help and support. Why not start a fund that gives out scholarships to needy students to pay for their tuitions or atleast help them financially to cover other expenses such as books/commuter fares etc.?
I disagree with Biswo when he says the money they send to nepal is actually used in the community.. hell no, the money is handed to the PM infront of a few TV cameras and reportes, the PM thanks them, then they (or their representative) returns to his "karmabhumi" and nobody ever bothers to find out where their money went to.
a freaky analysis
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| fRank |
Posted
on 14-Jan-03 08:44 PM
Can't refrain from none of Oys broz threads.. dem (Rastaz lingo) too interesting too realistic to ignore.. me nearly in da process of getting kicked out of mah appartment for not having signed a new contract. k garney.. rentz too high out here.. student bhayera America ma bachhna dherai garho cha.. well i guess nothing new about this... umm i really haven't gone word thru word of dis thread. .ain't got time.. got classes tomorrow.. gotta git up at 6 but hell with it.. just want to say sth before i go to bed..."I have always hated myself for having left Nepal... for leaving everything that was MINE for the opportunities this country is suppose to provide. " May be it was da way i lived in Nepal or may be it is true patriotic feeling that i can't figure out. but i do agree to what Oys bro has to say.. Ya get mah vote again bro.. ya should run for da United Nepali Front Party.. ya gonna be da next PM of Nepal.. well will write more on da topic Oys bro addressed tomorrow after going thru each and every reply. ... To be continued.....
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