Nepali Times
KUNDA DIXIT
Under My Hat
Give us back our holidays

KUNDA DIXIT


One important trait of us Nepalis (if we may be allowed to modestly toot our own trumpet here) is that we rest on our laurels. Once we achieve what we set out to achieve, we don't just sit around and twiddle our thumbs, we go to sleep.

It's the same with the achievements of Jana Andolan IV. Two months after the Nepali people took power into their own bare hands, it is encouraging to see people are still taking to the streets to demand their right to bring the nation to a standstill in every sphere of life, including the biosphere. The fires of the pro-democracy movement still burn brightly and people from all walks of life are still staging sit-ins, walk-outs, pen-downs, shut-offs and break-ins to show the boss who's boss.

We in the media just can't keep up with all the news of protests pouring in from various parts of the country ever day. At this rate, we in the fourth estate (being self-appointed guardians of freedom and an important part of democracy's cheque and balance) will have to start devoting a separate supplement in each issue for news of agitations. And what better time to start doing that than with this week's column itself.

Civil servants stage holiday
BY OUR BUREAUCRATIC REPORTER
The All-Over-Nepal Civil Servants Confederation stayed away from work Friday to protest the government's cancellation of the holiday on King Gyanendra's Birthday.

Government offices remained closed in protest against what the Confederation declared was a "unilateral and unjust" decision by the government to cancel the holiday.

"We've had this holiday for 237 years, we demand our right to sit idly by on the king's birthday," said a civil servant while chanting pro-republican slogans during a sit-in outside Singha Darbar. "It isn't fair that only royal palace employees get a holiday."

Deputy Prime Minister locked up
BY A MEDICAL CORESPONDENT
Employees at the Ministry of Health locked up Deputy Prime Minister Amik Sherchan in his office for eight hours on Tuesday saying he wasn't devoting enough time to his ministerial portfolio.

(Till here, everything in this news item is based on actual fact.) The employees had earlier locked-out the ministry, but found that Minister Sherchan was using it as an excuse not to come to work. So, they waited till the official ceremony welcoming him to his new office, garlanded him and then locked him up. Ministry employees said they fully supported parliament's decision to declare Nepal a secular state, but would lock up the minister again unless their demand that all Hindu holidays (beginning with Janai Purnima next week) be immediately restored are met.

Ronaldinho's effigy burnt
BY OUR POLITICAL FOOTBALL REPORTER
Nepali fans of the Brazil team staged a rally outside the office of the Honorary Consul General of Brazil at Hatisar on Sunday denouncing the team's loss to Germany in the World Cup last week.

"We had pinned all our hopes on them, but they let us down, we just can't tolerate it," said one enraged fan, "we will block this road until Brazil is put back in the semi-finals." Later, the protesters burnt an effigy of Ronaldinho blaming him for the loss and blocked traffic at Kamaldi for four hours. The protesters also cancelled a plan to put up a statue of Kaka at Tinkune.

Tourists stage walkout
Hundreds of tourists who arrived in Kathmandu last week staged a mass walkout from the capital and went on a trek.

"We just couldn't stand the filth and the touts so we decided to just walk out and won't return until all our demands are met," said a tourist leading a rally to the airport to board a flight to Lukla. The trekkers, all suffering from upset stomachs, have submitted a 35-point memorandum to the Nepal Tourism Board demanding better living conditions and safe drinking water. If their demands aren't met the tourists threatened to overstay their visas.



LATEST ISSUE
638
(11 JAN 2013 - 17 JAN 2013)


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