ujjwal.acharya@gmail.com

I know as a journalist the happy moment is when somebody talk back about something s/he has written. Even better is when somebody acts positively after the writing appears. Same happened to Deepak. He wanted to write about a girl in Magaltar, Kavre who has been tied whole time since she was senseless – unable to reason. I accompanied Deepak for the tour, and he wrote from the angle which I loved. There were stories about such patients being tied up and always the angle used to be about the girl or boy’s right; they always criticized the parents for doing so and not providing treatment. Deepak thought from the point of view of parents. As a parent, what can you do other than putting her in chain after several of your treatment missions failed? I think I never complimented Deepak for the angle but I loved it.

After the story was published, a lady doctor provided treatment to the girl free of cost and Deepak has come up with that in his blog. Giving a New Life is about his writing helping the girl. He has photos of the girl before and after treatment.

And, lo and behold, she is now freed from chain. I came to know that she’s also cured from epilepsy. The before and after pics tell you a lot. Here, I would like to thank Dr. Aruna Uprety and Rural Health and Education Service Trust (RHEST) for being Good Samaritans.Hats off to you. I am also thankful to blogger and The Katmandu Post reporter Ujjwal Acharya and photojournalist Bikash Karki for accompanying me to the place. They didn’t complain when I had less-than-enough money to support the travel expenditure.

There are little things our writing can do.

Along with the happiness to seeing the new photo of the girl, I was made sad by two photos at UWB! that presented relatives of the killed policemen. The result of violence – I wonder when the conflict will end and we will be able to live in peace.

Nepal is the second richest country in the world (after Brazil) yet we are forced to spent a few hours everyday under darkness. Anbika Giri, in UWB!, writes about loadshedding in the town.

Nepal is second richest country in water resource in the world. Sounds good but reality? We are facing load shedding, we have no drinking water, and we should have to depend on sky raining for our croups. We are rich?

Deelip talks about a story in the religious ceremony that he heard and ask if the moutains are made up of somebody’s bone. The story of Swasthani, read daily for a month of Magh (current under Nepali calendar), has it. Deelip feels its ridiculous.

Lord Bishnu put them [two demons] on trap [by asking a promise] and said,” So i wanna kill you guys, You guys have did swear remember”.
They finally agree with him and bishnu killed them. then their blood made oceans , their bones made himalaya , their muscles made land . Then their was made a environment for living beings. Then Lord Bramha started to produce living beings.

Deepak gets lucky as a journalist because his medical fees for the checking of his knee pain has been waived for his story about doctors. Sounds great!

He said: “Don’t charge him, he’s our great friend.” I blushed in his compliment.

Among Nepali language blogs, NepalBlogs has an entry written by journalist Harihar Singh Rathore about Internal Security in Conflict Journalism. He enlists a few website useful for journalists working on conflict area and says that both the state and rebels have started avoiding fair local journalists.

Umesh has a video Prachanda, the rebel leader talking on an Indian channel. Chij had videos and news gathered about the New Buddha. I myself wrote about the Buddha Boy after visiting his place a few weeks ago. BloggerNepal writes about mismanagement in the National Football League in the country.

Confused! Well, a news entry in Laliguras says that Nepalis from Rauthat district living in Damam of Saudi Arabia have formed a committee and held the first assmebly. I know that many Nepalis are seeking jobs abroad dur to lack of employment opportunities and conflict in the country but didn’t thought that so many from even a district (Nepal is divided into 75 districts) would gather to a city in a Gulf country to held an assembly and form a 13-member committee.

Tajim accounts his experience of coming back to Nepal and how people are being cheated by Internet Service Providers in his hometown Butwal. Deepak describes his day – pain on his knees and wait to meet Sister Nirmala.

Aha! It’s sad to read such experience but journalist Nagendra Upadhyay’s writing in BloggerNepal after being freed from 166 days of prison reflect how difficult the condition is for the journalists outside Kathmandu. Upadhyay recalled how the Maoists forced him to accompany them in the ambulance to the hospital and how the security system in the country reacted after knowing that he accompanied them.

It is not just Upadhyay’s tale but the experience of every reporters employed in Maoist affected area. The entry is in Nepali and I hope someone will translate it into English so that the world could read how hard its for a journalist in Nepal.

And Deepak wrote yesterday about his hectic schedule as a journalist.

Nepal Info has an interesting fact. Compared to the world’s richest country’s president George Bush, King Gyanendra of Nepal earned 10 times more. Our King earning is Rs. 619,100,000 annually which is 19,878 times more than the average earning of a Nepali.

I missed it but Ratnapark, another Nepali blog, is being updated regularly.

To conclude, HK Nepal published a new about suicide commited by a 14-year-old girl in Kanchanpur. The reason: she was denied living with her lesbian friend!

I am undecided after seeing two pictures posted by Tajim with a question: Which is true Nepal?

Above two pics shows the actual reality of today’s nepal . Those in ‘called Catmandu’ rock there night with high voltage sound parties and the one in villages have to face the brutality of rebels.

United We Blog! too has a photoblog with recent photos making news from around the country. Pradeep Chand writes a short entry on Nepal’s IT scenario.

Laliguras reports a Losar celebration in Saudi Arabia. I am really happy that the organizers awarded a letter of appreciation to Laliguras for its contribution in disseminating news from the Arab. Blogs are being recognized! Umesh Shrestha has a video blog of his new year celebration in Pokhara.

Deepak Adhikari has begun jogging early in the morning for health. He quotes a popular saying: Early to bed and early to rise, makes man healthy, wealthy and wise. But for someone like me who surf internet aimlessly until its at least 12:00 night, rising early in the morning is a dream. I wish I could do something for my increasing body weight.

United We Blog! has the transcript of the interview given by Indian Ambassdor to Nepal Shiva Shankar Murkherjee to Vijay Kumar for the Kantipur Television talk show – Frontline. Today’s main news on The Kathmandu Daily is based on the interview. Kantipur daily published Nepali version of it.

What we do not agree with is a monarchy that is political player that is competing for political powers with political parties. That role should belong in multiparty democracy to the political parties and representatives elected by the people of Nepal.

Nepal Info had an article based on an interview with popular human rights activist Krishna Pahadi. He talked about the current situation in the country. BloggerNepal says they are planning to go podcasting and has a podcast about the conflict in Rastriya Prajatantra Party.

Umesh Shrestha has an entry about how the people in Dharan used (misused?) technology to vote for a local in a television program called Nepal Star similar to the American Idol or Indian Idol. Deepak Adhikari bids adieu to his editor in Au Revoir, Sudheer!

You have probably heard about blogs as a citizen media. Here is an informative entry about four types of citizen journalism.