Nepal has its own consumer�s acts. Every company doing business in Nepal has to follow the acts. If the Indian companies are not very comfortable with the Nepalese acts they can leave the country. If there is a probability of profit there is a business. New company come to fill the gape. Nepalese people are sensible with their health.

LOL..what an epic failure!! Well Mr. Sanjay, yourself being a  media advisor of Mr. Manmohan Singh, you should have known , how companies that went deep down in controversy have recovered in the past. Take into account the Tylenol murder case, or the wall mart case in USA, something a public realtions student learn in the very first class. Dabur could have first apologised for the mistakes and changed the packets and their cover with new ones, and should have blasted with advertisement about their changed  product(you have enough media working for you in Nepal anyway), similar to what johnson and johnson did..  ANd I recently heard, Sood and the company at Lainchaur had spent 22 crore for the Madhesi jana-dhikkar Loktantrik forum and were told to not to vote prachanda, if they want to come down the Chure Hills.How will you justify this Mr. Sanjay ??, you dont even have a choice to apologise in front of Nepalese..

Cynicism is the root cause here. All those who criticise one or the other act of the Indian embassy or the government or their interventions, should stop for a while and think, if they are indeed fair in their criticism. It takes less than NRs 3000 to take a flight and reach Delhi in less than two hours, which boasts of one of the most modern, political and commercial hub in the region. Only Nepalis have unconditional access to that vast market called India. If Nepalis have not benefitted from this, who is to blame -- Indian embassy or Indian government?

It's not a question of India and Nepal because the two are historically for each other. Make the most of Indian opportunity, the whole world including China is vying for a share of this pie.

Even critical Nepali media should increase their presence in Indian cities in order to cornre some share of the vast advertising budget in the country. Regards

The purpose of having an embassy and of diplomacy is to make sure that there is good effective communication between governments, to build goodwill between the people, and make sure that both countries benefit over the long term.

On these counts, the Indian embassy in Kathmandu seems to have failed miserably as multiple incidents have proven:  the Dabur case, case of threatening a law-maker to vote according to Indian policy, threatening media houses and businesses to push Indian interests: the recent case of holding Kantipur�s printing merchandise for more than a month in Calcutta being an example .

By acting brashly and contemptuously, it has succeeded in alienating even its many well wishers in Nepal.

Now Mr. SANJAYA BARU is even here to tell us how we should all welcome this �proactive stand� by the Indian government.

Also, I wish he would have refrained from making serious allegations without providing any facts to back it up. That only undermines his own credibility

 ï¿½Dabur Nepal had received a blackmail threat from a leading media group in Nepal stating that a major campaign would be unleashed against its products if the company did not resume advertising with the group's print and television media.�

If it were true, why not publicize the name of the media group so it may be prosecuted for violating the law?

Whether he is speaking out of ignorance of facts (and history) or is just trying to defend an inept foreign policy gone awry, he is plainly wrong to state that this is how things are done between countries nowadays (by citing the example of other countries).

No other embassy would even contemplate doing such brazen acts that are counterproductive and only serves to antagonize the citizens of another country.

Clearly, the Indian foreign policy establishment needs some help if this is the best it can do.

Establishing a private non-partisan �foreign policy brain trust� to advise the government would be a good way to start.

Is anyone in the establishment listening?            

Dear who cares

Friend, I am a journalist with about 10 years of mainstream media experience. And, I am a business journalist currently working in Nepal. You can trust my knowledge, experience and integrity that all the anti-Indian talks in Nepal are by people with vested interest. The fact that Indian cities are open to Nepali citizens as much as it is for any Indian is enough. Nepal has less than 3 crore population. As an independent nation, it can go whichever way it wishes. Currently, Chinese and European interests are growing the counry while Indians have kept a safe distance feeling the anti-India sentiments here. Nepal-India relations are a lot emotional than profit-based. All talks related to trade treaty and Indians benefitting more than Nepalis have been circulated by some people suffering from inferiority complex. They don't feel confident enough to go and talk business in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad ect. But this does not mean India disdains them. Indians still like Nepalis as brothers. But relations are made and sustained by both sides. I hope got my point.

And as regards ghee and other such stuff, this is a poor arguement. Pls find out how many successful and big business houses are dealing with India -- all of them. Because, the youth in India have transformed the country. Nepal is very much on their radar and they want to alleviate Nepal of its ills. It is sad that there is so much of misgiving about Indian intentions. Now it cost less than 2500 to reach delhi in less two hours and it's biggest market Nepalis can reach in such cost and time. Make the most of it. Best regards

The old Indian 'twin-pillar' policy towards Nepal i.e. monarchy + democracy was far better for� both India and Nepal. But this was not good enough for the 'emerging superpower', was it?

Sood and his Indian masters thought that after getting rid of the monarchy, the Nepali parties (including Maoists) and media would bow down to Lainchaur Darbar as the shadow ruler of Nepal. Now they're getting it in the face.

Just you wait 'bada bhaiyas'. The day is not far when our Maoists� start providing safe haven to your burgeoning Indian Maoists. And don't misread� the Maoists'� pure intentions.� Their wish will simply be to foster more 'democracy' in India. Same as you wanted in Nepal. Thank you, bada bhaiya, for your gift of Maoism to us. I am sure, in good time,� we will do enough to reciprocate.

�

�

I wonder in all this back and forth and India bashing, why doesn't one see that the blame is on us? maybe not the man on the street but certainly the politicians and partially the media too. Why do you highlight Indian embassy 'giving' 22 crores to someone, why not highlight the one who TOOK the 22 crore bribe mentioned in one of the comments?

Haven't we learnt in primary school that the house has to be strong enough to keep family fueds internal...here the house members keep running to the neighbours even when they get constipated and can't get it out. Don't you think the neighbour would exploit such an advantageous situation? I think if the roles were reversed, we would be doing the same.

Stop nagging, think, just ranting doesnt help.

@mahesh: Everyone outside of one's family has ugly intentions...it is upto onesef to protect one's integrity or be driven away with other's "intentions"...haven't you learnt that lesson in your regular day to day life? thats why I gave the example of 'home' in my previous post.

how ugly is it that one of "us" excepts that bribe of 22 crores. If one of "us" was to say "no", none of the talk about destabilising, ugly investment yadda yadda would be needed, would it? You seem to see the fault in the ones who gave, and not in the ones who accept...for me, the ones who accept are the bigger culprits...that was what I was trying to point out...do you see my point now about "Stop nagging, think..."???

Nepal and India are in the eyes of the world an strangely assorted pair placed face to face like two dogs in faience as if ready to jump at each other's throat which no terrestrial power of any sort can yank out let alone such permanent cross-purposes. And China and Pakistan are there to add fuel to the flames and to contemplate the same as assiduous spectators of their mischievous power of a nuisance and rabble-rousing.

Unless there are some visionaries at the top level of high diplomacy in New Delhi and Kathmandu determined to get an equitable solution sorted out for both protagonists in a very short span of time there will be all the time such fire and brimstone or comments with cross-firing and war of words.

And there will be always somebody in both countries to write nothing but fillers to clown around to amuse the crowd.

wtf?? I dont believe that everyone out of one's family have ugly intentions for others, neither was I taught so. I was rather taught to live with harmony with neighbours and help each others when needed, not to bully, interfere, and use others when they are weak. Coming to the point, see how shit Indian companies cropped up producing low quality products , in Bangladesh when it was newly formed, and not to forget Indian hagemony there until recently. See how India sponsored LTTE in lanka killing more than 50,000 lankans. See how lanka treats India now. And what about the ethnic cleansing of Nepali speaking Bhutanese from Bhutan and from Meghalaya.and the list keeps going..........with all these what I am trying to say is this is not what a neighbour does. So its better u stop nagging and think, dont advocate Indian hagemoney and its sponsored terror, and dont find an excuse to keep ur mouth shut. Well, for me, I PROTEST in whatever form I can.

@Mahesh, First off, I am not advocating any hagemony and sponsered terror, Indian or Nepali or whatever, nor am I finding an excuse to keep my mouth shut (I am not sure what you mean by that). Don't throw big words around on others just because you know them.

I am just a reader of these forums and am trying to show a DIFFERENT point of view, whether or not I subscribe to it. 

But I don't think you're seeing my point here, or you don't want to see my point here. So I will try it once more with a cooler head.

Along with citing so called 'shit' companies etc, you might want to put a question:

Why is someone accepting 22 crores worth of bribe acceptable to you, and not someone who is offering it? At least, from your writings, you don't seem to acknowledge in anyway to my earlier writings about the people ACCEPTING the bribe. For me both are unacceptable. The BIGGER unacceptable being the one who accepts the bribe.

Is your answer still a general 'India'? I wouldn't be surprised if it is.

While I agree with you on your intial thought of how Dabur should have handled the affair (apologies to consumers, new packaging, new ads etc), which is the way most companies around the world do their thing, I don't know why you're so skeptical in accepting that the BIGGER culprits in your second part, if it's true, since you note it's a rumor (I heard....22 crores), is our own politicians?

All I was saying was: Don't always offload the blame on others, first see what's wrong in yourself and correct that. I am not talking about 'you' the person but 'you' as in the general state of things in Nepal, of course.

But it seems to be going nowhere. 

You know, any place and any aspect of life, like even one's workplace, others are going to take advantage of you if you let them. Everyone, including ourselves, has vested interests. If you can't be practical enough to understand that, keep citing examples of random things, keep 'protesting' and then keep dreaming of being treated 'harmonously'. Good luck.

wtf! . If you can't be practical enough to understand that, keep citing examples of random things, keep 'protesting' and then keep dreaming of being treated 'harmonously'.????

you seem to easily submit yourself, even when you see clearly that things are wrong. Living harmoniously means living with respect and mutual understanding, not like one party totally submitting itself to another.

Why is someone accepting 22 crores worth of bribe acceptable to you, and not someone who is offering it? At least, from your writings, you don't seem to acknowledge in anyway to my earlier writings about the people ACCEPTING the bribe. For me both are unacceptable.

Its known to everyone, that bribing and accepting bribe,  both are wrong. But for me, the ones who poke their nose in others internal affair, by giving life threats, bribes and making propagandas are more wrong. I may have a different point of view.

@Mahesh

Well, I think for someone to be able to poke their noses in one's matters, one has to be on the vulnerable side. That vulnerability comes by way of compromising oneself. So who compromises and why can't that hole be plugged? Since this is ongoing, we can't be idealistic about living with mutual respect. That will never happen. Not only from this discussion's prespective, but anywhere in the world.

Overall, I think we're all frustrated by the current (and ongoing for years now) happenings.

I have been understanding your point of view to a certain degree, even if I agree to it or not, and as I said earlier, wanted to give you another perspective of the issue.

Hopefully, by now you understand what I was trying to get at. Even if not, it's ok. I will not be pursuing this discussion further. Peace.

Firstly, you have established a blatant precedent to start off with.  You said �It is probably the first of its kind................� then towards the end of the sixth paragraph you ended with �...........would increasingly expect diplomats to do precisely what the Indian embassy in Nepal did�.  These words of yours show the incongruity and inconsistency in your article. The article has no substance as it is regrettably only based on emotions and allegations with no evidence provided. This questions not only your integrity as the editor of the Business Standard newspaper in India but now I am sure that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must be thinking the same.  As a media advisor, you appear to be the �first of its kind!�  The imbecility of your mind invites your readers to stifle a titter on tweeter.
 
A job description is a list of the general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a position.  So, what is the job description of the Indian Ambassador in Nepal?  There certainly appears to be a delusion/confusion of the diplomatic roles and responsibilities.  Somewhere in the description, you will see the roles and responsibilities of diplomats are to facilitate................... or to support................, but not to intervene in the commercial matters and protect the interests of Indian brands and companies in another sovereign state.  It would be politically correct to say to support (but not protect) the interests of Indian brands and companies.

The Indian Embassy represents the Government of India in other countries.  So, to see certain Indian diplomats acting erratically on foreign soils and devaluing the image of the country�s flag will naturally provoke every Indian tax payer�s right to know and evaluate the performance of those diplomats based on fact and rational argument where emotions are out of the equation.  I am sure that Indian taxpayers would be alarmed to find that their hard-earned taxes are being used to support the financial interests of one Indian company.
 
The Norwegian researcher Dan Olweus defines bullying as when a person is "exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other persons."  He defines negative action as "when a person intentionally inflicts injury or discomfort upon another person, through physical contact, through words or in other ways.�  I find that the article in the Business Standard newspaper serves nothing more than flagrant abuse of power by a journalist.  Here we have a report that the Indian Embassy is issuing a press release suggesting that such a malicious campaign against an Indian brand could hurt bilateral relations  - this is just like imposing a threat by a preposterously bully neighbour to a peaceful neighbour.
 
On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy.  With $639 billion in assets and $619 billion in debt, Lehman's bankruptcy filing was the largest in history, as its assets far surpassed those of previous bankrupt giants such as WorldCom and Enron.  So, according to the illogic of your article, all the international countries� diplomats should have threatened the US that the crisis will harm international bilateral relations.  This would be outrageous and would have been laughed at and derided all around the world.   Did you have the guts to raise this tone of voice to the US diplomats through the Indian Embassy in Washington?  The answer is - the pussy cat just meows.
 
It is like saying that if Australian consumers find New Zealand kiwi fruit disgusting and revolting then you should get the New Zealand diplomats to intervene in the Australian market and protect the interests of the New Zealand kiwi fruit brand.  However the reality is that the New Zealand diplomats would follow international protocols and follow a strict chain of command within their job description of their roles and responsibilities, which would be clearly and diplomatically outlined.  You certainly wouldn�t be seeing undiplomatic cowboys in the arena like the ones we have seen in Nepal.
 
So, the Indian Embassy is in Nepal to facilitate and support the interests of the India not to protect the interests of the Indian brands.  I sometimes do get carried away by passion and find myself in a quagmire.  It is good to revisit your job description and I recommend that every Indian diplomat should also do that.  This might sound like common sense, but is not common in our practical life.  I suggest that as a foreign diplomat that you don�t get bogged down in commercial mayhem and a merciless furore, that you don't make a misrepresentation of representing your own country, you are rather there to facilitate and improve bilateral relations between the two countries.  I also strongly believe that the Nepali government needs to step up, and speak up.  I believe the Nepali government has the right to question these kinds of inappropriate behavioural issues and ask the Indian Embassy �to please explain.�

@whocares

Dear Friend,

Nepal getting closer to China or the other way round is a good thing, This does not necessarily mean India or Indians will be jealous of this. Surprisingly, this is how people in Nepal think. I think, this is the line of thinking the Maoists in Nepal have brought in to encash. Indian and China are two emerging superpower with Nuclear capability and they are also good freinds and their freindship will grow in times to come. Nepal having good relations with China will only help India.

In matters of business, India is looking out to the world and not to Nepal. Infact, Nepal has a ready market in India. Now, it is up to average Nepali how they take it. China's freindship with Nepal is a welcome development. But if a politcial party uses this for its benefit, again it's average Nepali's concern, not so much of India's. As a neighbour, we feel sad about killings in the name of politics, whether in India, Nepal or just anywhere. Regards

Dear Rishav,

I read your points very carefully. Good that you have articulated them in some detail.

See, the last war India fought with China was in 1962, well almost 50 years ago. And if you go by the gestures, acts and intentions, in the last 50 years the two countries only looked at each other with a sense of guilt and tried to avoid hurting each other's feeligns. China and India have been friend from centuries. You know they practise Buddhism and they learnt the religion by imbing Indian values. China never created any problems even when India faced separatist movements in North-East, Kashmir and elsewhere in the country. India respects China's maturity in the matter.

Somehow, powers in the West and elsewhere who are scared of the both China and India like to pit the two against each other. I don't understand what is the basis of them thinking that the two countries can go to war. This is sheer nonsense.

Secondly, when Europe can divided and fight like dogs in the first and second world war and can again come under what they call European Union, how does couple of ill-conceivd wars between India and Pakistan can them enemies for ever. This is again what the West wants and likes to potray. Try to understand that modern education and media have inherited the West model. So, these institutions even in India and rest of the south asia, perhaps not in china or even there to some extent, copy the Western agenda in the name of professionalism and a certain model of development. So they the same.

Your arguements are typically those represented by the modern education and media. Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China and India are still living in peace and harmony if you compare them with other parts of the world like Africa, Iraq, Central Asian countries etc.

The bigger question is a seat of UN has to come to this part of the world -- most possibly to Nepal. Then only the values represented by us is recognised and this part of geography gets the kind of attention it deserves.

And, India is leading that charge. Regards

More than its geography, India is an idea. Idea of simple living high thinking. Idea of how people can live within meagre means and can still have a self esteem which can show the world the way.

Little land here and there could be the reasons for war in the past, not anymore. Presentday society is knowledge-based. And, if India has the best pool of talent, the entire world will salute it, not fight with it.

India is not limited to its geography. It can be found far beyond, whereever humanity is suffering and wherever the debate on freedom amd democracy is going on.

India is the talking point in Nepal, China and elsewhere, not because what wrong it can do but because of its capability of good.

India is what the whole world to meant to become. Tell me one country you like and why.

With Himalayas and Hinduism, Nepal complements India. Nepal offers whatever India misses.

You admit it today, you will be happy forever. You deny it and you will be marking rounds in vicious circle of hatred and bigotry.

Regards

Dear Whocares,

I think I agree with you. Regards