PICS :CHONG ZI LIANG

The Nepal Tourism Bored may have hit upon a great fundraising strategy completely by chance. Our roving correspondent took these snaps of bronze Buddhas at the Nepal pavilion of the World Expo in Shanghai this week. Even without a sign saying 'Donations Welcome', Chinese visitors (there have been 5 million so far) have dropped oodles of yuans. The only Nepali officials present seemed busy hawking handicrafts on the side, and it wasn't clear what happened to the money at the end of each day. By the end of the Expo in September there should be a couple of million dollars right there. We could use the money to buy more x-ray machines to reduce congestion at the airport and maybe a fleet of new airport taxis ahead of the expected invasion of one million tourists during NTY 2011. The donkey just got a brainwave: how about installing a dozen more Buddhas and line them up at the exit to the Shanghai pavilion?

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No wonder the Chinese are so spooked by a Buddhist monk's 75th birthday.

After all, no one ever throws money at the mummified cadaver of the Great Helmsman at his Maosoleum in Beijing, whereas a Nepal-born mendicant commands such respect and following even after 2,500 years. Incidentally, we were all fabulously impressed by the vigilance and courage shown by our Armed Police Force Special Unit in preventing people at Boudha and Jawalakhel from rallying for peace and compassion. And if you were wondering what caused the huge traffic jams on Tuesday it was because APF commandos were dragging away 'Tibetan-looking' persons out of buses coming in through Kalanki, Koteswor, and Jorpati. The Chinese may be so impressed with the thoroughness of our APF they could request a loan to quell future disturbances in Lhasa. Then what do we do?

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Why is everyone getting so worked up about Awesome telling the Times of Hindoostan that Indian and Nepali Maoists got along like a house on fire and that the Naxalites were welcome in Naxal anytime? PKD told confidantes he was striking while the iron was hot as the Congress was being badgered by the BJP and the CPM. He said this was part of his carefully calibrated `bargaining tactic' to hit the headlines in India so he would be noticed and finally get the audience he has been craving at the Delhi Darbar. My educated asinine guess is that the interview will backfire on Terrifico.

Then the very next day Hormis Tharakkan writes in the India Espresso calling on the Govt of India to be 'more flexible' in dealing with Maos in Nepal. India's Super Spook seems to have a soft spot not just for Nepal but for its baddies as well. But Com Hormis should've also enlightened us on his engagement with the guerrillas during the war and the safe haven he provided the teroristas in India then.

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You know fhit is about to hit the san when the comrades at Perish Danda stop picking up their mobiles. It looks like they are literally busy with internal 'party' politics. PKD found out that the four commanders plus Baburam and Kiran attended Com Hitman's party at Gongaboo last week. So the Chairman invited them to the Pistachio Palace for a charm counter-offensive. It seems to have worked cuz Ananta and Pasang quickly un-defected. The rank and file are now really confused because the PKD and BRB are nowboth in the semifinals for PMship. Which is why the three parteis all looked sheepish when they arrived at Shital Nibas on Weds to get the prez to extend the deadline for govt formation by five days. After all, they squandered the whole past week squabbling and the first time they even met was on Wednesday, and that was to sit down to agree to ask the president for an extension.

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Finally good news from the North American Nepali diaspora: NAC and ANA have merged to form the NRNNCC, the USA chapter of the NRNA. It will now lead the ANA to set up NRN America and ANA, NRNNCC/USA, NRNA.

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A kangresi, an eh-maley and a maobuddy went to the CA canteen. The sauni asked, what kind of tea? One said 'white', one said 'black' and the third said 'black or white'. The alert sauni said: "You want milk in your tea, so you must be a kangresi. You want black tea, you must be a maobadi. And you don't seem to know what you want, you must be eh-maley."

ass(at)nepalitimes.com