Over the top

By Eben Bhujel

For all the development dollars flowing into the region, life continues to be a desperate struggle for millions of Southasians. Putting aside — if only for a minute — the government schemes and NGO politics, here are five recent innovations that have the potential to make the lives of some Southasians just that little bit better:

Liter of Light: This astonishing yet simple idea uses a plastic bottle to bring light into the slums.

BioLite: A smokeless cooking stove that can save fuel, improve health, and even charge a cell phone.

The Tulip Water Filter: A simple and affordable solution to clean, drinkable water that does not require the use of electricity or boiling the water.

Janma- The Clean Birth Kit: A birth kit that gives a sanitary environment to give birth in to avoid preventable deaths.

Cambodian ‘Easy Latrine’: A simple hygienic latrine built with easily accessible materials to improve sanitation.

by David Barsamian

Re-published with permission from Naked Punch

For obvious reasons freedom of the press in Kashmir is limited and constrained. Military occupation with its attendant curfews, roadblocks, checkpoints, searches, surveillance, wiretapping of calls and emails, and state-sponsored violence from custodial deaths and extrajudicial killings to torture and disappearances, produce immense pain and suffering among Kashmiris. Intimidation and fear are widespread. That is the intent, design, and logic of occupation. In such a repressive and oppressive atmosphere people are reluctant to speak freely and provide information to journalists and journalists do not have freedom of movement to report stories. Occupation nourishes and sustains a climate of timidity, paranoia, and intense psychological distress. The uprising and resistance in Kashmir to Indian rule is one of the major news stories in the world yet it is underreported. The Indian state has been diligent in framing and manufacturing the news messages coming from Kashmir. It has broken the windowpanes and hearts all over besieged Kashmir. In addition to a series of draconian laws, which are imposed arbitrarily and without any legal recourse there is a campaign of censoring and controlling journalists.

Another issue complicating the functioning of journalists is the vast network of state spies who deliberately spread disinformation and rumors. In addition the Indian state directly deports journalists, if they are already in Kashmir, as in the case of John Halpern, or preventing them from entering Kashmir from Srinagar airport as in the case of Gautam Naulakha or denying entry at any of the international airports as happened to me on 23 Sept 2011. Of course if journalists report on Kashmir within the conventional government framework then they will have no problems and will be garlanded with malas.

In late November 2011 I visited to the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York. I learned that of the top countries in which journalists experience the most difficulty, five are in South Asia – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India. Pakistan is at the top of the list and India is at number thirteen. “India,” the official I spoke with told me, “is moving up the list.” At a time when rebellions and revolts are erupting over large swathes of India journalism is crucial for not only the world community to know what’s going on but for Indians themselves. An unimpeded free press is essential to the functioning of democracy. In reporting on Kashmir and other conflict areas journalists, in addition to being deported, are threatened, harassed and in some cases beaten, as happened recently in Srinagar.

In late November 2011 I visited to the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York. I learned that of the top countries in which journalists experience the most difficulty, five are in South Asia – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India. Pakistan is at the top of the list and India is at number thirteen. “India,” the official I spoke with told me, “is moving up the list.” At a time when rebellions and revolts are erupting over large swathes of India journalism is crucial for not only the world community to know what’s going on but for Indians themselves. An unimpeded free press is essential to the functioning of democracy. In reporting on Kashmir and other conflict areas journalists, in addition to being deported, are threatened, harassed and in some cases beaten, as happened recently in Srinagar.

As long as the Indian state continues to portray the struggle for freedom in Kashmir as an expression of Pakistani driven terrorism and deny the aspirations of most Kashmiris and their right of self-determination, then the people of India and the rest of the world will never understand what fuels Kashmir’s discontent with Indian rule. Kashmir is packaged in a public relations campaign as a magical tourist destination where middle class Indians escape the heat of the plains in the summer, stroll in Shalimar gardens, stay on houseboats and enjoy shikara rides across Dal Lake and in winter pretend that they are in Switzerland as they frolic in the snow. Bollywood’s portrayal of Kashmir in films tends to reinforce cliches from romantic visions to jihadi fanatics who lust for blood. These stereotypical images are light years away from the brutal and harsh realities faced by average Kashmiris everyday of their lives. The fare offered by TV talking heads replicates the U.S. Fox network model, i.e., obfuscate, mislead, traduce, slander, and fabricate.

As long as the Indian state continues to portray the struggle for freedom in Kashmir as an expression of Pakistani driven terrorism and deny the aspirations of most Kashmiris and their right of self-determination, then the people of India and the rest of the world will never understand what fuels Kashmir’s discontent with Indian rule. Kashmir is packaged in a public relations campaign as a magical tourist destination where middle class Indians escape the heat of the plains in the summer, stroll in Shalimar gardens, stay on houseboats and enjoy shikara rides across Dal Lake and in winter pretend that they are in Switzerland as they frolic in the snow. Bollywood’s portrayal of Kashmir in films tends to reinforce cliches from romantic visions to jihadi fanatics who lust for blood. These stereotypical images are light years away from the brutal and harsh realities faced by average Kashmiris everyday of their lives. The fare offered by TV talking heads replicates the U.S. Fox network model, i.e., obfuscate, mislead, traduce, slander, and fabricate.

Real journalism should go where the silences are. It should go into the darkest corners and shine light into them. It should be fearless and courageous. It should be uncovering the mass graves dotting Kashmir. It should be focusing on massive human rights violations, collective punishment, custodial deaths, sexual molestation, fake encounters and the plight of the mentally disturbed, orphans and half-widows. It should investigate war crimes and name the members of the security forces, intelligence agencies and officials in Srinagar and Delhi who are responsible. It should be in an adversarial relationship with power. To be invited to have tea with Omar Abdullah or dosa with Chidambaram is a sign of journalists failing their duty. This is embedded journalism at its worst. Why? Because state officials want to seduce journalists with access to power and manipulate the flow of information through leaks, half-truths and lies. The classic aphorism, which historically informed U.S. journalism was: Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable. Sadly in the world’s second largest democracy that adage has been largely forgotten, as it seems to be in the world’s largest democracy as well.

Real journalism should go where the silences are. It should go into the darkest corners and shine light into them. It should be fearless and courageous. It should be uncovering the mass graves dotting Kashmir. It should be focusing on massive human rights violations, collective punishment, custodial deaths, sexual molestation, fake encounters and the plight of the mentally disturbed, orphans and half-widows. It should investigate war crimes and name the members of the security forces, intelligence agencies and officials in Srinagar and Delhi who are responsible. It should be in an adversarial relationship with power. To be invited to have tea with Omar Abdullah or dosa with Chidambaram is a sign of journalists failing their duty. This is embedded journalism at its worst. Why? Because state officials want to seduce journalists with access to power and manipulate the flow of information through leaks, half-truths and lies. The classic aphorism, which historically informed U.S. journalism was: Comfort the Afflicted and Afflict the Comfortable. Sadly in the world’s second largest democracy that adage has been largely forgotten, as it seems to be in the world’s largest democracy as well.

Journalists who curry favor and approval from higher-ups are chamchas. They are experts in makaree and have sold themselves for career advancement. Access to ministers in Delhi or corporate bigwigs in Mumbai are signs of their moral corruption and the desire to get ahead at the expense of reporting the truth. Thus they function as stenographers. They are lapdogs with laptops, and in most instances, become de facto instruments of the state and conveyor belts of propaganda.

Journalists who curry favor and approval from higher-ups are chamchas. They are experts in makaree and have sold themselves for career advancement. Access to ministers in Delhi or corporate bigwigs in Mumbai are signs of their moral corruption and the desire to get ahead at the expense of reporting the truth. Thus they function as stenographers. They are lapdogs with laptops, and in most instances, become de facto instruments of the state and conveyor belts of propaganda.

Even with all the difficulties I have cited above, some of the bravest journalists I know are Kashmiri. They cut through the layers of barbed wire and report the facts without fear or favor. I am proud to know them.

Even with all the difficulties I have cited above, some of the bravest journalists I know are Kashmiri. They cut through the layers of barbed wire and report the facts without fear or favor. I am proud to know them.

After his last movie on the sports dream of a Kashmiri youth, Inshallah, Football, was dragged into a year-long legal battle with the Central Board of Film Certification, filmmaker Ashvin Kumar has this time decided to bypass the Indian censor board altogether. Since midnight, his new movie entitled Inshallah, Kashmir: Living terror about stories of torture that ex-militants suffered at the hands of the Indian forces has been released online on Youtube. It will remain available for 24 hours (Mashallah!) before, presumably, India’s Internet laws might bring it down.

By Erik Wilson

Image: Flickr user aNantaB, CC license

Over evening khana on my most recent trip to Nepal I listened as a friend expressed his concern regarding the study habits and priorities of his young nieces and nephews. Members of what he deemed the ‘Facebook and Twitter Generation’, their sights seem to be set more on motorbikes and cosmopolitan material comforts than studying or creating a plan for their futures. He, along with others I’ve talked to, are concerned about the future of Nepal due in no small part to the increasingly outward and international aspirations of many in the younger generations. Unlike in Western countries, he laments, the only social safety net in Nepal ‘is the Gulf’, referring to the exodus of Nepali youth seeking employment in the Middle East. How is Nepal to prosper and develop when the youth are perceived to be disinterested?

If there is any doubt as to the desires of today’s Nepali youth, one only needs to stroll past the passport office where, day after day, rain or shine, the queues are overflowing with people waiting for their travel documents to be processed. If you’re still not convinced, head over to the American embassy around mid-morning and check out the crowds that gather outside the fence and across the street waiting for visas.

Stories of undisciplined teenagers with misplaced priorities in search of an easy way out are a dime a dozen, and not only in Nepal. So instead of reflecting on this somewhat universal truth, consider for a moment another factor that might contribute to this contemporary ambivalence and resultant ‘brain drain’ – education.

The spring of 2010 found me in Bajura district working with an organization that reunites trafficked children with their families. A colleague and I were conducting observations at a local boarding school and were asked to sit in on a level 10 English class.  Upon discovering my US background the teacher proceeded to inform his students that I would impart to them the critical importance of learning English. However, the Sir didn’t stop there, going on to tell his students that Nepal is a terribly backwards country, that the West is an unequivocally better place and that they as students need to adopt Western ways if they hope to achieve anything in this life.

The teacher was, in his own way, echoing sentiments that I have heard many times before. Be it the taxi driver who talked about how bad the traffic and culture is or students at other schools that said to me “our schools are very bad, yes sir?” – they all speak to a certain engrained negativity. Discussed once, such an idea will vanish, but discussed endlessly, such an idea will transform a society. Take the American counterpoint as an example. From an early age children are told that America is the greatest country on Earth and that many aspects of our nation and culture have far-reaching influence. Granted, holding our country in this high regard seems to have bred a certain questionable hubris, but at the same time it contributes to Americans staying in America.

In much the same way, Nepalese youth are a product of their upbringing. Writing them off as disinterested is of little value. When I hear members of older generations discussing today’s youth and their lack of motivation or interest in Nepal, I want to stop and point out that an enculturation and schooling based on the negatives and difficulties of life in Nepal can only be expected to produce these results. Instead people should be asking why. Why are they disinterested? Why aren’t they serious? Why do they want to leave Nepal? Only when these questions are answered or discussed in an open fashion can there be progress.

By Erik Wilson

Wen Jiabao drops in to Kathmandu

Lathi charge on Tibetan protest in Kathmandu. Image by Flickr user Buddha's Breakfast.

Saturday’s visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao came as a surprise to many in the Kathmandu Valley. The Nepali Government announced the visit only an hour before the Premier landed at Tribhuvan International Airport, and Kathmandu woke up to increased security measures, particularly in the Tibetan areas of the city. The subsequent meetings with Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai lasted just over 4 hours and resulted in the Chinese pledging more than US $140 million of assistance for everything from finalising the peace process and improving the police forces to assistance for a new international airport in Pokhara and 3 large hydropower projects. US $20 million is to be given immediately for the peace process, with a further US $120 million over the next 3 years.

By now, discussions of China’s increasing influence in Nepal and the inherent interplay and conflict with Indian interests are well hashed out. So are the acknowledgments that much of Chinese policy towards Nepal is contingent on the Nepalese Government taking an unwaveringly pro-China stance on the issue of Tibetan refugees. Indeed, Premier Jiabao was originally scheduled for a 3-day visit to Nepal in December that was cancelled in no small part because of the threat of protests and the potential for self-immolation by Tibetan activists. It has also been noted that Saturday’s whirlwind visit just so happened to coincide with the Buddhist Kaalachakra initiations being given by the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya. Many Tibetans travelled to India for the event, and upwards of 200 of them were detained on the return trip. This is in addition to the many Tibetans that were detained around the valley on Saturday. These events come as no surprise as the Nepalese Government has been anxiously awaiting the Premier’s visit – and the promise of financial support – since December. So with all of this in mind, what new insights can we take away from the Premier’s trip and China’s monetary pledges?

Let’s start with the numbers. China’s Ministry of Commerce lists the value of China’s overseas non-bond investments in 2010 at USD $57.9 billion (the numbers have yet to be published for 2011). China’s pledge of USD $140 million to Nepal represents a mere one-quarter of one percent of China’s overall foreign investment in 2010. The point here is not that China should be investing more in Nepal, but that distinct consideration should be given to the amount of influence China is able to wield for such a relatively small sum of money. Nepal definitely needs investment, especially if it is to become a successful bridge between India and China, but the societal cost of that investment should be weighed carefully.

Nepal has suffered under the specter of poor security and volatile foreign investment since 1996. The country is finally starting to emerge from this shadow (as evidenced by the recent lifting of the US travel warning and the return of the Peace Corps).  What Nepal cannot afford right now is renewed insecurity. A definite catalyst for conflict has been and continues to be ethnic marginalization. Aggravating Tibetan communities will only stir the pot, not to mention drawing unnecessary attention from countries in the West where many hold a romantic view of Tibetan culture.

Saturday’s events and the actions of the Nepalese Government suggest that crackdowns and arbitrary arrests are likely to continue. Investments like those made by China will help Nepal provide for its citizens, make essential improvements and push the boundaries of development, but citizens must also trust their government. The Government of Nepal therefore must walk a fine line between creating the conditions for a cohesive society and meeting the demands of donors, a process that could have, but unfortunately did not, begin on Saturday.