Feast for PM leaves man Rs 6,000 poorer

RABINDRA UPRETI, MAHOTTARI, OCT 15 -It was indeed a night to remember for Bisun Sada. Hosting the country’s prime minister was something he had not imagined in his wildest dreams.
As someone from the Musahar community, one of the lowest Dalit groups, entertaining the PM of Brahmin descent in a society still rife with caste-based discrimination was a matter of honour for Sada. He did his best to keep his guests happy and made sure they enjoyed delicious and more importantly a bellyful feast.

प्रधानमन्त्रीको स्वागतमा ६ हजार ऋण

रवीन्द्र उप्रेती- प्रधानमन्त्री भट्टराई छोरी मानुषीका साथ महोत्तरीको फुलकहा ६, मनहरवास्थित बिसुनी सदाको घरमा केराको पातमा घोङी -शंखेकिरा) को तरकारी, गँगटाको अचारसित शनिबार रातिको खाना खाँदै । तस्बिर: रवीन्द्र/कान्तिपुर प्रधानमन्
महोत्तरी, आश्विन २९ - फुलकहा ६, मनहरवाका ६३ वर्षीय बिसुनी सदालाई असोज २७ गते अविस्मरणीय दिन रह्यो ।

Dahal's wartime security commander is now Nepal Army officer

Birendra BM a.k.a Manjil

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Oct 15: Birendra BM lost his three family members - his father and two sisters-during the decade-long Maoist insurgency. But he ensured foolproof security to UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal for years.
Birendra provided security to the former supreme commander of the Maoist army from the time Dahal and his family arrived in Rolpa, the Maoist hotbed, until Dahal became the prime minister.
When Dahal arrived in Rolpa, the task of ensuring security to the Maoist chairman was a very crucial responsibility to the Maoist army, People´s Liberation Army and the PLA commander were in search of a trusted and responsible PLA commander for the purpose. Birendra shouldered the responsibility.
During the more than six tumultuous years, he encountered seesaw situation with Nepal Army many times. During such incidents he would provide security to Dahal, putting his own life at risk.

Umbrage and uncertainty

NABIN BIBHAS
DISTRESS IN PLA
In Rolpa, where the ‘people’s war’ originated, I met the PLA personnel who joined the war as members of Ladaku Dal during the war’s initial phase. Cantoned in Dahaban, the combatants think they were duped into sacrificing their happiness to build the political career of Dahal.
“By joining the war, we neglected the future of our three generations: ours, our parents’ and our children’s. And that was for the political careers of a few leaders,” says a combatant from Rolpa, who joined the Ladaku Dal [the precursor to PLA] to change the face of Nepal. “But it just changed the fate of some leaders. We are just disposable things, like condoms,” said another combatant. Dahal spent the whole process thinking about how to abandon them. And finally, we have been thrown away.” It won’t be surprising if some of them even take to criminal activities, in which case the second installment of those who opted for voluntary retirement will be stopped. They pose a challenge to Dahal.

PLA couple, siblings now NA officers

Bimala Panta a.k.a Birangana and Ram Bahadur Lama a.k.a Bibek

KIRAN PUN
KATHMANDU, Oct 14: Former Maoist combatants Ram Bahadur Lama and Bimala Panta have many things to cherish together. Coming from different castes, they not only fought shoulder to shoulder in many a guerrilla action against the state during the decade-long insurgency but also ended up tying the knot the Maoist ´janabadi´ way.
The saga of their heaven-made partnership didn´t end there, but took yet another unprecedented turn when both of them were selected for officer-level integration in the Nepal Army.

The ultimate deception

KIRAN PUN
DISTRESS IN PLA
With the dissolution of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA), many people thought Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal had successfully tackled the most complex issue of the peace process and led the party to the political mainstream. Last April, he deployed the Nepal Army to disband the PLA in a humiliating manner and accepted the recruitment of a few hundred combatants into the army as a face-saver. With that move, he sufficiently addressed the criteria set by the international and domestic actors to become a “civilian party”, and allayed the widespread fears of the Maoist design to capture state power through violent means.
The question, however, is: Has Dahal been relieved of his responsibilities to the combatants who sacrificed themselves for his political career? If Dahal believes he has left his past behind and can disassociate himself from all that, he is naive.

Mom goes to school with 3 kids

Chepang mom (r)

CHADANI HAMAL
CHITWAN, Oct 13: Struggling to eke out a living with odd jobs, one thing Man Kumari Chepang, 38, of Dhading district never gave up her longing for schooling. It must have been because of that inextinguishable zeal, she doesn´t feel awkward going to Chitwan Higher Secondary School along with her children.
Like every five in the morning she pedals back to her room after buying a sackful of green corn from Narayanghat market.