BACK IN THE SSR

Re: Back to the SSR, Editorial, #382. I don't agree that the army wasn't an indoctrinated group before. The army still has a majority of Chhetris. As long as CoAS Rukmangat still puts a red tika on his forehead, I won't believe that the army is a neutral force. Nowhere else in the world does the army general, serving in a secular country, put on a religious symbol whenever he appears in public. I'd like to recommend that you engage in regular visits to the barracks. Feudalism, casteism, nepotism are all rampant there.

Nirmal Ghimire Sharma,
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. If you believe in democracy then why not give the monarchy a chance as well? Before you criticise the NA, show me one Nepali organisation that is more professional than the NA. Which other institution is more inclusive than the NA? If the war hadn't tarnished the democratic credentials of this country then I think the NA is still dignified. If the last two years of authoritarian rule by the seven parties are respectable, then so is the NA. Our democratic leaders can't even say a word against the encroachment on Nepali soil by India. What kind of democracy is this?

Name withheld,
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LAL

Why is CK Lal defending the Indian stand on Susta? (State of the State, 'The sigh of Susta' #382)? We need inclusive visions of nationality, democracy and our own identity as Nepalis. Although I admire your deconstructive approach to many current issues, I also begin to see your vantage point being dualistic and perhaps deceptive as a result of your overly parochial language games.

Bal Chandra,
Australia

. I understand Matrika's greivances but Nepal is a multilingual country so we cannot please all language groups ('Matrika's antics', From the Nepali Press, #382). The only remedy is to declare English as the official language. This would allow us to be globally competitive and we should formulate our education and national policy accordingly. That way we won't keep bickering about language.

Name withheld,
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YETI

It is being over-analytical and pretentious to simply explain the yeti reports in terms of linguistics, myths and worldviews of the Himalayan peasant who is often portrayed as living in an irrational world of his own. ('Chemo or yeti', #380) To paraphrase the biologist Edward Cronin, it is an insult to the spirit of science to declare that an unknown thing doesn't exist. Binnendik cites Reinhold Messner to debunk the yeti reports. But what about the reports on the southern flanks of the Himalaya where there are no chemos? Especially the little explored cloud forests of the Eastern Himalaya and particularly, the watershed of the Barun? When I was there last year, I came across a few hunters and the occasional herders who go into the Barun Valley. They describe an ape-like creature that they simply refer to as "chhapani", alluding to the peculiar shape of its head resembling the helmet-like utensil used locally to brew alcohol. Unlike Sherpas further west they can't be accused of selling yeti stories as very few outsiders visit the area. Importantly, these people have never heard of the word 'yeti', which for them is simply a strange name for a creature that is as real and distinct to them as a bear.

Rai Thulung,
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POWER TO EDUCATION

'Hydropowered education' (#377) is the way to go in our local development
arena. We can learn across the nation from this project about financing the local development.Congratulations to the people of Sankhuwasbha. We are proud of you.

A Sarup,
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