LETTERS

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

Exemplary leader

The prominent leaders of 2007 B. S. remain no more after the demise of the popular and

outstanding saint leader and ex-prime minister K.P. Bhattarai. People gave some unfavourable “names” to the late Bhattarai when he was alive. Now, they are praising him tirelessly. He was a true leader who institutionalized democracy in 1990. He didn’t think about money, particularly for a luxurious life. He was accustomed to joking with his near and dear ones. But the era of the good and dedicated leader is over. These days we find leaders who are more actors than

leaders. They do politics only for lucrative business. They don’t have statesmanship. Their dramatic activities in politics show their conflict of interests.

Manish Koirala, New Baneshwor, Kathmandu

Tragic

In a classic battle of Man vs. Nature, nature won again. Japan is the best earthquake-prepared nation in the world. Yet, hundreds of people have died in the recent earthquake in Japan. It was very tragic to see so many people die and the country ravaged both by the earthquake and tsunami. There are numbers of lesson to be learnt from this kind of natural disaster. It makes us realize that politics, religion, ethnicity, and the other petty quarrels that we are so concerend about aren’t really that important. The most important thing is getting back to the basics.This can help put things in the right perspective. Things like air, water, food, and shelter that we take for granted are suddenly of greater importance than anything else.We should be grateful for what we have, and think about how quickly it can all be taken away. Let’s pray that god gives strength to Japan and its people to fight and bear this moment of tragedy.

Sharmila Shrestha, via e-mail

Be mature

This is in reference to the letter “Very rude” (THT, Mar. 14, Page 8). It is very sad to learn about the bitter feelings that the students have to bear when going to collect information from government offices. As a student of journalism, I had to rush from one place to another for relevant information in Nepal. I, therefore, have an absorbing capacity as to how students are treated when they go to collect information.

Based on my perspective, I do not want to use a yardstick to gauge people’s manners. As for my own experience, I did not find all the government officials rude, there were very friendly and helpful ones. It also happens that the officials are engaged in some important tasks, and they take the students coming for information as intruding.

That could result sometimes in the visiting students taking back a negative image. However, I am sure that with a formal letter from the college, things might have been different. To my knowledge, college student should not have been that immature.

This is the utmost important thing the media and communication students should learn to.

Shiva Neupane, Melbourne, Australia

Disconcerting

There are seats reserved for women and the disabled in public transports. However, we find that nobody seems to care. We find men nonchalantly sitting in the seats not meant for them, even as we find women and the disabled standing with much discomfort. Even more disconcerting is that some of the standing women carry their babies. Now that the traffic police are planning to enforce the required provision whereby the seats meant for women and the disabled are provided to them comes as a welcome piece of news. The men who violate the rule should be punished. They should be courteous so that the women and the disabled can commute without hassles.

Tina Lama, via e-mail

Puzzled

I am puzzled at the Nepal Rastra Bank’s hurry to withdraw all the Nepali curency notes with the image of the ex-kings as reported in “Royal cash icon causes

confusion” (THT, Mar. 15, Page 1). In fact, the central bank has not demonetised those currency notes from March 15, but the people are confused by the whole action. Maybe the central bank should have taken more time and also made the people aware of the whole exercise, rather than suddenly come up with the

cut-off date of March 15. It might be a clean note policy, but it has come all of a sudden and that is not appealing to the people. Where was the clean-note policy in the past? Get together the acts before implementing any decision.

Ramesh Dhakal, via e-mail