Travelling Abroad

Book review/ Ghar Pharkane Din (Travelogue) by Bhisma Upreti

Not many people in Nepal can afford to travel abroad. And those who can afford to do so may not bother to write and publish their experiences.  However, Bhisma Upreti, a well-known figure in Nepali literature, has arrived with his fifth travelogue, Ghar Pharkine Din, which is both interesting and exciting.

Ghar Pharkine Din is a collection of 14 travel memoirs. The foreword of the book is written by Taranath Sharma, himself an author of a well-known travel account.  Upreti’s travelogue covers accounts of England and France; the countries he had visited during his one-year stay in the UK while pursing his higher degree in economics at the University of Southampton.

The title of the book is itself taken from the last chapter of the book.  Unlike many travel writings, Upreti not only describes the places and people, but also shares the passions and sentiments he had undergone at various circumstances during his travel.

The first chapter deals with accounts of Upreti’s arrival in the university, whereas the second chapter delves into how the author gets helping hands whenever he encounters trouble. He is particularly surprised by an incident where he is helped by a lady bus-driver to take him many kilometres back to the train station he had missed. In another chapter, the author describes how he receives an email from a lady named Debra, who writes to him saying that she  wants to learn Nepali. Upreti is surprised as he doesn’t know the lady.

Whenever people travel abroad, it is obvious that the person looks around for fellow members of one’s community. This drive is often coupled with the desire to enjoy the food and culture of the person’s community. Upreti too looks around for the Nepali diaspora to have a feel of the local at the global stage. He finally meets and celebrates Dashain with them.

Upreti at times becomes adventurous. For instance, he tries out ice skating, but without much success. The author also crosses the border of UK and travels to France and writes about the city of Paris. After he visits a war museum there, a question keeps bothering him: Is war a necessity?

The author travels with diverse experiences throughout the book. Quite often he gets excited and sometimes he becomes romantic too. He often feels sad when he sees apparent mismanagement and mismatched things in his own country. Sometimes he becomes sentimental and at other times, philosophical. Some day he finds racial discrimination, the other day he struggles to define his confused identity in the strange land.

Being a  poet himself he has added value to  the book. The choice of words, formation of metaphors and composition of sentences are quiet good and. There is a flow in the writing.

However, the work would have been much better if few things were taken care of.  For instance, Upreti’s constant comparison of the situation in UK with that of Nepal doesn’t make much sense as these two places represent two different contexts. Secondly, the author’s use of sexist terminologies is one of the important drawbacks of the work. Upreti, it seems has missed the point of becoming gender sensitive. Another point missing in  the travelogue is that it doesn’t delve much into the academic activities in the university. It would have been interesting to know the campus life of a British university. Nonetheless, this is a good read.

(The review was published in The Kathmandu Post)

Effective Essays

Book review/ Book: Aandhi Naaune Ghar (Storm Resistant House) by Krishna Dharabasi

If a story is like an essay, how boring it would be. On the contrary, if one starts reading an essay and it flows like a story, how interesting it becomes. The essays collected in Krishna Dharabasi’s Aandhi Naaune Ghar (Storm Resistant House) follow the latter course.

Dharabasi, with 18 books and publications to his credit, is an established writer in Nepali literature with highly acclaimed novels like Sharnarthi, Tundal, and Radha. Radha went on to twin the Madan Puraskar. Dharabasi’s storybooks are also praised a lot by readers, and like his novels and stories, his prior collections of essays have also been widely followed. Aandhi Naaune Ghar is his fourth collection of essays.

A compendium of 27 essays, the book is named after the inaugural essay. The first essay is so beautifully written that the reader finds himself driven to read the other essays as well. In Bhitte Ganesh he has interesting things to say about the cultures of favouritism, nepotism and boot-licking that have deep roots in Nepali society.

Traditionally, women in Nepali society have been dominated by their own male counterparts. They are also victims of various forms of social discrimination. This issue is captured in Dhaade where the writer does not shun from laying bare many relevant facets of his personal life.

The armed conflict claimed thousands of lives. In recent years, violent crimes like abductions and murders are on the up. In Plastik ko Mann, the writer talks about the hardening of his soft heart after witnessing many wanton killings in his village. He wonders about why news items on various deaths do not surprise him any longer, and whether that means he is losing his humane sentiments.

There are some heartbreaking essays in the collection, such as Dashain, Sainli Sanima, Jutta and Andhi Naaune Ghar. These essays highlight the extent of poverty and despair in Nepali society. If readers are soft-hearted, they might struggle to contain their tears while going through these essays.

In other essays, Dharabasi offers a sharp satire of contemporary politics. He is disenchanted about the country’s bad governance, mismanagement, war and rights violation. In many places, he sounds frustrated (like the majority of Nepalis these days) with the lack of development, poverty, crime, impunity and the hopeless politics.

Dharabasi has unique ability to describe complex socio-economic and political issues in simple terms. He reads like a ‘natural writer’ as his writing as a spontaneous flow, much like a gentle river. There is no difficult jargon or complex sentences. Dharabasi delivers his message with easy and simple words and equally simple sentences.

Most of the essays are interesting, beautifully written and akin to reading a fiction. The price of the book (Rs. 150) is extremely cheap as compared with the quality of the essays.

Nonetheless, the collection would have been even better had the writer taken due consideration of a few other important aspects. In several places he uses words and dialect unique to the Eastern region. Thus, explaining them in notes or glossary would have been a good idea. A few essays are pretty average too.

There are also spelling errors in a few places. Similarly, most of the issues in the essays are related to the frustration resulting from unethical politics, bad governance and the culture of impunity. It would be good if he had raised some positive issues as well. Lastly, the author fails to mention that some essays have already appeared in various magazines and newspapers. But overall, it is a quality book and definitely worth a read.

(The review was published in The Kathmandu Post)

Apathetic Lot

As I closely scrutinise the metropolitan life, I realise that we are becoming more and more mechanical these days. We have lost our soul, and our mind too has stopped thinking, thus just becoming “mechanical”. One might find it bitter, but you cannot do away with the reality. The following perpetual phenomenon happening everyday in the Capital should be enough to justify what I have just mentioned.

First, a large number of Kathmanduities live an individualistic life that one would be lucky if neighbours look at, smile and say hello to him or her. Forget about the neighbours! Many friends of mine often get dumbfounded when they come to learn that I am quite close to my landlord. They comment saying that most of their landlords don’t speak to them. The rare occasion when they do, it’s when they go to give the monthly rent. Also many landlords expect the rent to be given on a fixed date of the month. If you delay by any circumstances, they might even give you a notice ordering you to vacate the abode shortly.

Second, I have repeatedly encountered this scene: An ambulance carrying a patient struggling to life and death wails on the street to let it go faster, but hardly any vehicle plying on the road gives a damn about the shrill siren; everyone thinks theirs is a valuable time. A big question may press on a sane mind as why people do not understand the emergency situation of an ambulance; why has the society become so indifferent?

Third, there is this “I-go-first” attitude commonly seen in Kathmandu roads. Poor pedestrians! Rarely does any vehicle give them a priority to cross the road. And during traffic jam, motor- bikers find the footpath as “new road” and they move speedily blowing horn, asking them to let go first.

Fourth, many of the shopkeepers in market sell adulterated products. In the recent past, one of the television channels had televised a report about the inedible stuff found in water jar and cold drinks. Likewise, many farmers use harmful chemicals on vegetables and sell them in the market. Mineral water is not a mineral water; stones are mixed up in rice and daal. Cooking oil is impure; petrol is adulterated. Hardly anything comes original.

Fifth, words like “Blow Horn”, “Horn Please” are written at the back of most public vehicles, as if it is good thing to blow horns as loud as one can. Everybody knows that unnecessary blowing of horns causes noise pollution which further hampers the hearing and mental health, but people don’t seem to care.

And sadly, scattered garbage in the streets has already become a common thing in public psyche. What effect does it have on them, has anyone tried to study so far? Bagmati and other rivers are being converted into drainage and sewage. It stinks and it takes a lot of courage to cross the river without covering nose. But the public and the concerned authorities, it seems, have got used to it, as if the nose has stopped working that does not sense the reeking river anymore.

(It was originally published in The Kathmandu Post)

Road Accident: An Unseen War of Nepal

Nepal is one of those countries in the world with a very poor road safety record. Not surprising that Nepal experiences a high fatality rate from road accidents. Various radio and television stations broadcast news about road accidents everyday as do our newspapers. Other news items come and go, but news about road tragedies remains all the year round, especially in the local newspapers and FM radio stations. The ground reality is that road accidents, which have been claiming thousands of lives every year are an unseen war taking place in the country.

Heavy loss of lives

Road accidents in Nepal have killed as many people or even more than the figure claimed by the 10 years of armed conflict. One study reveals that they have taken the lives of about 5,000 people in just five years since the year 2000. Therefore, on average, road accidents claim three lives everyday, 83 lives every month and 1,000 lives every year. Unfortunately, many road accidents are not reported or recorded. Accidents only with significant property damage, serious injury or those leading to disputes and conflict are recorded. Were there to be an accurate assessment of all the accidents and incidents taking place, one can only guess how much higher the statistics of those injured, disabled or affected people there would be.

Road accidents not only have an adverse impact on one’s personal health but also a significant social and economic impact on the victims’ families and communities as a whole. When a person is injured in an accident, there may be a lifelong need for medical care, particularly if they have become disabled, which involves significant amounts of money on treatment. These costs may increase as the person gets older due to the combining factor of health complexities incurred with old age. Income conversely is unlikely to increase at the same rate.

On the other hand, if an adult is killed in a road accident, then it will likely bring financial crisis to the family, which has to cope with a severe loss to their livelihood. Other consequences that may follow can be the drop-out of the victim’s children from school and, of course, loss of a key role model in their lives.

In this connection, it is worth mentioning that the majority of lives claimed by road accidents are of people aged between 15-40 years. This means, the country is losing potentially the most productive people to road accidents. In addition, a study two years back revealed that road accidents cost a significant loss to the state’s resources (0.4% of GDP).

There are multiple factors behind the growing number of road accidents in Nepal. The following are the prime factors cited in respective order: Negligence of driver, inappropriate overtaking, consumption of alcohol, over speeding, mechanical factor, overload, negligence and mistakes by pedestrians, and cattle roaming freely on the streets. Other reasons include narrow roads and sharp bends on the highways. At this juncture, it is important to note that pedestrians are the largest affected groups by road accidents.

In order to lessen road accidents and the loss associated with it, a number of steps have to be taken into consideration. Awareness programmes in schools and for roadside inhabitants must be conducted. The media should broadcast and publish not just news about road accidents but also promote traffic education with high priority. Relevant, scientific and standardised medical reports should be sought from the applicants while issuing driving licences.

In fact, there is a high need to standardise driving tests. There are rumours that driving licences are being distributed to unskilled and incapable individuals. If this is the case, it has to be stopped at once. Similarly, old vehicles must be discarded. They should not be allowed on the roads without proper maintenance. Seeing the number of old, rusty vehicles on the roads, a friend of mine once quipped, should a person be hit by a vehicle, the doctor would first need to give him a tetanus injection before considering other treatment.

I have often seen on the highways road signs not showing the right direction. The responsibility does not complete only with the erection of such sign posts. The posts must be repaired regularly to see if they have been bent and twisted. Moreover, there should be vehicle testing centres, warning signs and appropriate street lighting. Highway safety patrol has to be effectively and efficiently enforced with appropriate measures taken against drivers not driving responsibly or safely.

In cities, separate access to pedestrians has to be set up; unfortunately, many people do not bother to use the overhead bridges in Kathmandu. I do not know why they do so. Maybe we need a separate ‘attitude-practice study’ to find out this strange behaviour. Not unlike the pedestrians needs, separate lanes for cycles are also required in Kathmandu and other big cities. Let’s hope that the cyclists will not behave like the pedestrians. The ‘loktantrik’ cattle should not be allowed to freely enjoy a walk in the streets. As more vehicles are bought than the capacity of the roads of Kathmandu can hold, the government needs to complete the outer ring road as soon as possible. Ultimately, the government should envision a mega city with pre-requisites such as flyovers and parking zones.

Changing attitudes

Let’s hope that the government will give high priority to reducing the number of road accidents soon. Developing better and safer attitudes, safer vehicles and so safer roads and preventing road fatalities may be difficult at this stage, but they are not impossible. Yes the government needs to make changes, but we also need to change our habits and take on our own responsibilities to act and drive safely. We have hopefully stopped the armed conflict; now let’s stop this unarmed and unseen war of road accidents in Nepal.

(The article was originally published in The Rising Nepal)

Community Based Disaster Preparedness

Nepal is most vulnerable to various types of natural disasters. The country has already experienced great natural disasters like the earthquakes of 1934 and 1988, which claimed numerous human lives and caused irreparable damage to public property. The most recent incident includes the floods caused by the Koshi and Mahakali rivers that resulted in heavy loss of life and property in the east and west Nepal respectively. As majority of the population is poor and marginalised, they are the ones who are hit the hardest.

Understanding disaster and its impact

A disaster is the result of an immediate situation or the result of a long process which disrupts normal life in its established social, traditional and economic life systems. It is caused by the destruction of the environment and assets caused by an extraordinary natural destructive phenomenon or human induced hazards, resulting in human hardships and sufferings.

Earthquakes, floods, droughts and other natural hazards continue to cause tens of thousands of deaths, hundreds of thousands of injuries and billions of dollars worth of economic losses each year around the world, and Nepal is no more an exception in experiencing these disasters that compel it to bear loss of lives as well as property every year.

There are many districts in Nepal that are prone to disasters from the viewpoint of landslides, fires, earthquakes, floods and other natural calamities. Each year, they not only claim people’s lives and property worth millions of dollars but also challenge the development infrastructure and destroy important flora and fauna.

In addition, disaster relief and recovery not only consume a huge share of resources available but also drain resources away from other social and economic development priorities. A study has shown that Nepal spends 12 per cent of its development budget on rescue relief and rehabilitation of disasters annually.

Considering the frequency and magnitude of disasters occurring in Nepal every year, we must agree that it is high time to exercise more community based disaster preparedness programmes. And here is an example of “Mutthidaan” to understand how it helps to mitigate disasters at the grass-roots level.

The literal meaning of Mutthidaan is ‘donating a handful of grain’. Therefore, Mutthidaan understood hereby is a system where people donate a handful of grain (for example, rice, wheat, millet and the like) from their daily meals, and support disaster victims through the combined collected grains or the money collected from the grain sale. Therefore, to a large extent, Mutthidaan can be considered a strategy to cope with the disasters at the grass-roots level through the communities’ own initiative. In fact, it is a self-help programme and a method to help one another in need.

To elaborate the concept vividly, people bring the collected Mutthidaan in a communal drum every month (the Village Development Committee or some institution can help provide the drum). The drum is placed in a house which is central for most of the community members. In their monthly meeting of grain collection, the members discuss disaster issues and make plans for before-during-post disaster situation.

Following the discussion, the community members also plant saplings on the barren hills or along the riverbanks, promote community forestry or build check-dams partnering with the government or I/NGOs. Besides the disaster subject, the community also discusses social and economic issues for a better livelihood.

Local strategies

The above model is cited as just one example, and there could be many other similar activities taking place in the country. The conclusion is that it is time we accelerated our grass-roots level strategies and actions widely without delay. So the government’s local body, I/NGOs, concerned stakeholders and local communities should start implementing community based disaster preparedness and relief actions in advance (not after a disaster has taken place) so that there will be less vulnerability and casualties during the next monsoon.

(The article was originally published in The Rising Nepal)

The Melting Mountains

The mountains to the north are our pride and joy. And one must agree that Nepal’s future lies in these mountains. Unfortunately, our mountains are at risk due to global warming, putting mountain dwellers and downstream communities as well as the entire population under threat.

The temperature of Nepal has been rising by about 0.06 degree Celsius per year since the mid-1970s. Many studies estimate that the temperature of Nepal will increase by 0.41 degree Celsius per decade, 1.2 degree Celsius by 2030, 1.7 degree Celsius by 2050 and 3.0 degrees Celsius by 2100. Many of us have already experienced the flow of water in the rivers go down and many of the springs and rivers have dried up, and mosquitoes are now found at higher altitudes.

Due to the rising temperatures, the glaciers of Nepal are diminishing. It is estimated that a quarter of the glaciers will disappear by 2050 and half by 2100. Due to glacial melting, new glacial lakes are forming and old ones are expanding in size. This means some glacial lakes are so swollen and unstable that they could burst any time, bringing ‘vertical tsunamis’ in Nepal.

Climate change and glacial melting will adversely affect the country’s economy. The government will have to bear a heavy financial burden to repair the damaged infrastructure caused by glacial flooding. Nepal already experienced this in 1985 when a glacial lake burst in the Khumbu in the Everest region washing away a hydropower station, trekking trail to Everest base camp and numerous bridges. Among the many infrastructure projects in Nepal, expensive hydropower projects are most vulnerable to such lake outbursts.

Eventually, mounting maintenance costs will compel the government to cut down on the budget for other development projects. In the long run, there might not be enough water to drive the hydropower plants even. Glacial melting will have other consequences as well. They will potentially damage farms and irrigation systems, which will cause food shortage on a large scale. Likewise, glacial floods will take away the vegetation, including endangered ones, resulting in permanent bio-diversity loss.

In order to address climate change, a number of steps must be taken. Alternative energy resources such as solar and wind energy as well as biogas need to be promoted, while furthering community forestry and creating public awareness about the issue.

Low quality fuels emit more greenhouse gases, therefore, strict monitoring mechanisms need to be developed to stop the adulteration of petroleum products. There is a need for research to study the impact of climate change in Nepal as such information is largely lacking.

Likewise, installation of early warning systems near vulnerable lakes and places will help reduce the number of casualties. Industrialised countries such as India and China have a moral obligation to support Nepal in its endeavour to mitigate the impact of climate change as their industries are largely responsible for climate change in the region.

(The article was originally appeared in The Rising Nepal)

Learning from Haiti

On January 12 this year, Haiti was hit by a catastrophic earthquake that measured 7 on the Richter scale. There was major damage to Port-au-Prince, the capital city. Confirmed deaths of people have crossed 150,000, and the final death toll is predicted to be more than 200,000. Public property and important and historic infrastructure have been destroyed, and about 3 million people are said to have been affected by the quake. During the disaster, many foreign civilians also died including citizens from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Mexico, New Zealand and USA. One of the best known victims was Zilda Arns, a Brazilian paediatrician, humanitarian aid worker and Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

Haiti as one of the poorest countries in the world was already suffering from lack of food, water and other basic needs. The situation has only become worse due to the earthquake. It will take many decades to repair and rebuild the things in Haiti, and the loss of people’s lives is irreparable.

Similarities

Haiti and Nepal hold many similarities. Both are poor and have been experiencing instability and natural disasters over the years. Both of them have unorganised and unplanned capitals. Like Haiti, Nepal is also a country vulnerable to disasters as it lies in a seismically very active Himalayan mountain belt. Nepal ranks eleventh on the list of nations at risk from earthquakes. Of all the cities in the world, Kathmandu faces the highest risk, according to seismographic studies.

In the last 75 years, Nepal has experienced two major earthquakes, one in 1934 and the other in 1988. The 8.3 Richter scale earthquake of 1934 had claimed 8,518 lives, half of them in the Kathmandu Valley, and more than 80,000 houses were destroyed. During the quake of 1988, 721 people lost their lives, 6,500 were injured and 22,000 houses collapsed. An earthquake of a similar magnitude could strike Kathmandu any time. It is impossible to predict when the next earthquake will come. However, Nepal’s seismic record indicates that an earthquake of the 1934 magnitude occurs approximately every 75 years, which means it is due any time. The fact is that earthquakes are an unavoidable future of Nepal.

According to the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), an earthquake of the scale of 1934 could destroy 70 per cent of the valley’s buildings and 80 per cent of the casualties would occur as a result of people being crushed by buildings. Similarly, as per a recent report by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), 12 per cent of the population will die and 50 per cent of the buildings would be damaged. According to the Nepal Red Cross Society’s Earthquake Contingency Plan 2008, an earthquake measuring 7-8 on the Richter scale will destroy 60 per cent of the buildings of Kathmandu. All these studies clearly show that if a powerful earthquake were to hit the capital, the loss of lives and property would be unimaginable.

In the event of an earthquake in Kathmandu, rescue operations will be extremely difficult due to the narrow gallis. Therefore, the casualties will increase significantly, and people will be buried under debris simply because rescue vehicles and teams are unable to reach them. Not only houses, but also hospitals could collapse as most of them are poorly built, according to a research report. Vehicular transportation will be difficult due to bridges being destroyed. If the only international airport is damaged, then no international rescue and other support can be received.

An earthquake is natural, but the scale of loss is influenced by political factors. The issue should, therefore, be dealt politically. A look at the world reveals that casualties and destruction caused by a quake are significantly high in those countries which have poor governance and unstable national politics. On October 17, 1989, a major earthquake measuring 7 on the Richter scale struck the Bay Area in Northern California which claimed 63 people. Recently a disaster of a similar magnitude hit Port-au-Prince in Haiti, but it has claimed 3,000 times more people than in California. Tokyo often experiences a shake, but the loss is very minimal due to proper urban development.

Usually, it is not the earthquake that kills the people but the collapse of buildings and infrastructure that are poorly built due to lack of awareness, poverty and corruption. Therefore, good governance in a country is crucial to minimising the risks of an earthquake and other natural disasters.

Nepal could have learnt good lessons from the last two big quakes of 1934 and 88, but it seems that our leaders and urban planners have a very short memory of the past. It is time the country woke up for we are in a ‘do or die’ situation, and if we do not learn lessons from the past, we will be brutally punished in the future. Earthquakes cannot be stopped, but the magnitude of devastation and human tragedy can be minimised if adequate precaution and preparedness are taken into consideration.

Emergency rescue plan

Therefore, the government should prepare itself and make an effective rescue emergency plan. Public awareness and preparedness are crucial to mitigating the impact of an earthquake. Halting the unorganised urbanisation in Kathmandu and initiating planned urban development with an effective building code must be the priority. Enforcing the building code will only become effective if there is awareness about earthquakes and incentives. Lat but not the least, let us at an individual level start making our homes earthquake-resistant, finding a safe place for our family members and discussing with them about other safety measures to be taken during an earthquake.

(The article was originally published in The Rising Nepal)

The Fight against Poverty

Book review/ Book: Creating a World without Poverty by Muhammad Yunus

Half the world’s population lives on US $ 2 a day and over a billion people live on less than a dollar a day. Poverty is the deprivation of basic needs and opportunities every human is entitled to. The presence of poverty is the absence of human rights and a threat to peace. Any individual would love to see their society becoming prosperous vis-à-vis a developed nation. But how does one go about it? The answer is Creating a World Without Poverty, a new book by Muhammad Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. In this book Yunus sets out to answer the question: ‘How to end poverty in our lifetime and create a just society for all?’

Yunus, the pioneer of microcredit and founder of Grameen Bank that has helped thousands of families in Bangladesh escape from poverty, finds a possible solution in a new business model named “social business” which he defines as a non-loss, non-dividend based business and one which is cause-driven rather than profit-driven, and one with the potential to act as a agent of change. Yunus says social business is not a charity because it, unlike other non-profit and non-government organisations, recovers its full costs while achieving its social objectives. He further clarifies that investors in social businesses can get their investments back, but are not entitled to any dividend; and the profit would be ploughed back into the companies to expand their outreach and improve the quality of their products and services.

Yunus argues that the traditional capitalism or current market-oriented economy exists for the sole mission of profit maximisation. While it cannot solve human misery, it may actually exacerbate poverty, diseases, pollution and inequality. Therefore, the Nobel laureate outlines his vision for a new business model—a social business model—which he believes will be an avenue to poverty alleviation. Yunus estimates that in the future these businesses will increase because human beings, he believes, are more than money making machines. They have many other drives and passions in life—for example, Bill Gates is not just a business magnate but also a noted philanthropist.

The book begins with Yunus meeting the executives of Danone—a world famous French food products company—in Paris. The meet concludes with an agreement to establish a joint venture company ‘Grameen-Danone’ to supply cheap and highly nutritional yoghurt to poor children in rural Bangladesh. The saga of the joint venture social business—from abstract concept framed in Paris to concrete accomplishments at Bogra village in Bangladesh—is fascinating.

The book, which its main focus on social business, has three parts and 11 chapters: i) The first part, The promises of Social Business take up two chapters; ii) The Grameen experiment takes up five chapters; and iii) The world without poverty four chapters. The book also contains Yunus’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech. Part two of the book is an account of Grameen Bank since its inception. Sixteen Decisions of Grameen Bank, transformation of Grameen to Grameen-II in order to serve its customers and their needs most effectively, establishment of 25 business operations collectively known as “the Grameen family of companies” and the 10 indicators of prosperity are all remarkable features of this section. However, Chapter 6 on discussions surrounding Grameen-Danone is more relevant given the fact that the focus of this book is social business.

Yunus in this book also envisions SAARC along the lines of the European Union in terms of expanded cooperation, unity and prosperity. Yunus is, in fact, very optimistic about the economic prosperity of the region. He argues, “No matter what their political past, the countries of South Asia—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka—can achieve rapid economic and social transformation only if they band together strongly. There’s no reason that South Asia can’t achieve the kind of economic miracle members of the EU have enjoyed, but with an even greater positive impact on millions of lives”.  In pursuance of SAARC’s cooperation and prosperity, Yunus has a number of recommendations.

Yunus firmly believes that Bangladesh can escape from poverty completely by 2030 and that the role of micro-credit, social business and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) will be crucial towards that end. At the same time, he also identifies climate change as a hurdle to achieve the mission—of putting poverty into a museum—and urges all the nations, especially the developed ones, to show commitment towards addressing global warming.

The book is a truly inspirational read, but some may find Yunus’ excessive optimism a little grating. They might be sceptical of his ideas, especially social stock market and the wish list of a world that he would like to see in 2050. Some of the points in the wish list are nothing but over ambitious and utopian concepts.

Similarly, part two of the book is a repetition of his bestselling first book Banker to the Poor. This chapter won’t be compelling to those who have already gone through his earlier work and they might wonder why the same was added to the second book. Instead it could have been better had he just concentrated on social business to go along with the book’s theme. More practical concepts and details on the theme could have been deployed. One of the book’s significant flaws is that the Grameen-Danone’s impact is not explicitly mentioned despite the main focus of the book being experience and experimentation on how the joint company conducts ‘social business’.

Nevertheless, the concept of social business is not a daydream. The book is full of information to better people’s lives, and inspires and gives hopes to anybody who wishes to battle poverty to create a just society. The book is definitely a must-read for policymakers, development professionals, business persons and philanthropists.

(The review was originally published in The Kathmandu Post)

Living with the People

“Go to the people, stay with them,

Love them, learn from them,

Start from what they know,

Build on what they have got.”

This poem written by Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, is very popular in the field of development. Most of the development workers have recited it like the small children with their “twinkle-twinkle little stars….” This statement, in fact, is often used by development workers when discussing about participatory approach and empowerment process.

Participation or participatory process is a popular term and powerful concept, and, therefore, all the development organisations attempt to make their works participatory and people-centred. However, on many occasions, the word is overused, misused or abused. In fact, participatory is not a word or a development jargon per se, rather it has a deep philosophy of empowering the people. It is not only demanding “their participation” but also exhibiting “our (development workers) engagement” with the poor and marginalised communities. Participatory is, therefore, a deed in the real sense which needs to be demonstrated in practice.

Learning from best practices

An organisation in Maharashtra of India, which I had recently visited, is demonstrating a good example of living and working with the people, which could be an inspiration to many of us who believe in people’s participation in development to bring about positive changes in their lives.

SEARCH, an NGO established in 1985 in Maharashtra, was founded by Dr. Rani Bang and Dr. Abhay Bang, doctors who had graduated from Nagpur University, India and had done their Postgraduate in Public Health from John Hopkinson University, USA. The organisation is based in Gadchiroli district which is about 175 kilometres from Nagpur and about 87 kilometres from the nearest railway station. Gadchiroli is still a very remote and challenging place which was far more difficult and remote when SEARCH began its journey about 25 years ago.

SEARCH, like all NGOs, believes in the participation of the target communities or right holders. All the staff there wear simple and socially acceptable clothes, and Drs. Rani and Abhay wear only khadi (very simple, cheap clothing made out of cotton). Working in such a remote place and living with the Adivasis (tribal people) is a rare example found among doctors. Had they wished, they could have lived in the USA, but they chose to return to Gadchiroli.

In the initial days, SEARCH was holding a meeting with the Adivasis who said that they were scared to go to a hospital because big buildings intimidated them. They also said that they got lost in the multiple-storeyed buildings. The other reason why they did not want to visit a hospital was that the doctors and nurses there wore white dresses.

The Adivasis were asked how that affected them, and they said, “We wrap our dead bodies in white and then bury them. How can the people who cover themselves in white save the lives of others?’

Having heard so from the people, SEARCH decided to build a hospital and atmosphere where an Adivasi could feel at home. Therefore, they constructed a hospital that resembled an Adivasi hamlet with several small huts. Since the Adivasis live near the jungle, lots of trees have been planted in and around the hospital’s premises. So the hospital looks more like a tribal village. None of the doctors and nurses wears white. This way, the hospital was built according to the wishes of the people, and its named was christened by them as well.

In another instance, the two doctors and their team discovered that in formal meetings, only the leaders of the village participated, and the real Adivasis sat quietly. So they gave up such formal meetings and started bonfire night sessions instead. Community-based research in public health is the key strength of SEARCH, but research is not conducted for research sake nor is it carried out ‘on people’ rather it is done ‘with people’. The results or findings of the research are first shared with the communities, and together with them appropriate programmes are designed.

Over the years, the organisation has worked to meet the felt needs of the people, not just its targets. According to Dr. Rani, the organisation has never accepted any support or grant from donors without first identifying the real needs of the people because they have learnt from the community that people’s problems cannot be solved by enforcing an outsider’s ideas on them.

Dr. Rani told us that the big health institutions of the world often asks why SEARCH is ten years before them in finding and solving the problems of the communities. To its response, she replied, “Because you are ten years behind the people.”

Dr. Rani and Dr. Abhay see patients in the hospital, also visit the communities, sit with them and talk with them. Dr. Rani doesn’t remember a single incident where she has left her staff in difficult times. When there is a chakka jam or bandh, she never sends an ambulance driver to go alone. She always takes the front seat beside the driver during such troubled times. Every success or failure is shared with the staff and communities. This way, they have lived with their staff and the communities.

Following the participatory approaches, many significant changes have taken place in Gadchiroli especially in women and children’s health. For example, the neonatal mortality rate has declined by 70 per cent and infant mortality rate has been reduced to 30 from 76, a net reduction of 57 per cent.

Be patient

The experience of SEARCH over these years reveals that things do not change fast, takes time to gain the trust of the communities. The success in Gadchiroli has demonstrated that if people really participate right from the planning stage, they come up with unique insights, list their priorities and suggest appropriate solutions.

(This piece was originally published in The Rising Nepal)

Heroes of the Economy

(Coauthored with Kesh B Malla): Labour migration in Nepal has been a historical phenomenon since time immemorial. Migration to neighbouring India has a longstanding history, and movement to the Gulf commenced about 20 years ago. Due to poverty, unemployment, declining natural resources and displacement by natural disasters and war (e.g., the Maoist insurgency), labour out-migration has become an increasingly significant and major livelihood strategy in Nepal. The remittances sent home by the labour migrants contribute 20 percent to the GDP. Most importantly, the money sent back reach the poorest of the poor directly. A recent Human Development Report of UNDP has also noted that remittances have played a key role in improving Nepal’s Human Development Index (HDI) even during the insurgency.

 

Despite being a pillar of Nepal’s economy, the migrants have to endure much humiliation and face lots of hurdles and difficulties both at home and abroad. At home, the labour migration process itself is a big headache and source of irritation, thanks to a number of fraudulent cases perpetrated by manpower agents. Potential migrants have to wait for almost a year just to fly out even after having paid the said amount, which is often very high and has been borrowed from the village landlords or moneylenders at a high rate of interest.

 

“I just want to fly. I would at least have the experience of flying,” a migrant worker, frustrated and fed up by the time consuming pre-departure process, said with angst. Similarly, migrant workers are not given adequate or actual pre-departure information about the nature of the job, the salary and benefits they would be receiving, the money transaction procedure and the customs, culture, law and so forth of the host country.

 

Upon reaching the employment destination, the workers may face a series of troubles right from the clash of expectations versus the reality. Their physical and mental health worsens due to poor living conditions, filthy prison-like camps and the pressure to repay the loan at home. Needless to mention that there is a high health and safety risk at the workplace. On the other hand, there is no or limited health facility at work; and treatment at desired hospitals at one’s own expense is very pricey, often unaffordable.

 

Likewise, migrant workers become “bonded labour” in most cases, as their passport is held by the employer, which is contrary to the country’s own labour legislation. If the workers are found to be involved in any kind of objectionable act, they are immediately deported to their home countries without being given a single chance to defend themselves. Moreover, some workers are paid much less than they have been promised by agents in Nepal; and they do not return home for years because they have nothing to bring back except their memories of pain, despair and tears. Women face more problems than men in the Gulf due to their illegal or unofficial out-migration, which makes it difficult for them to seek help from the Nepali authorities in times of trouble.

 

The heroes of the Nepali economy deserve better treatment and respect, at least in their country if not in the host countries. To make the labour migration process easier, the government should give it a re-look and make it safer and more economic. The government should also work to impart vocational training programmes so that Nepali migrant workers will no longer be treated as slaves to build monuments as Ghaith Abdul-Ahad has written in an article entitled “We need slaves to build monuments” published in The Guardian of Oct. 8, 2008.

 

On the international front, the Nepal government can send a good message by signing and ratifying the UN Migrant Workers Convention, which may pave the way for the protection of migrant workers’ rights abroad. The Nepal government’s recent decision to post labour attachés in four countries with heavy Nepali populations is a praiseworthy act. More such labour attachés should immediately be appointed to other countries as mentioned in the Foreign Employment Act 2064 which requires that a labour attaché be appointed in countries having more than 5,000 Nepali migrants.

 

Also, there is a need and opportunity for Non-Resident Nepali Associations to work together with Nepali embassies and other organizations as they have vowed at their recently held global conference in Kathmandu. It is appreciative that the Nepali media in recent times has been giving a good amount of attention to foreign employment issues. However, there is still room for I/NGOs to work on labour migration issues that may include raising awareness about foreign employment, skill development and remittance management through entrepreneurship development to ensure sustainable livelihoods for the families of rural migrants. Lastly, the government, civil society and other concerned authorities must work hand in hand to make labour migration more effective and safeguard the workers’ rights in and outside the country.