KATHMANDU: Newa Deya Daboo (NDD), an umbrella organisation of all the Newars in the country — today formed an ad hoc committee of its student wing — Newa Bwomi Daboo (NBD)—Newar Students’ Forum.

A national gathering organised in the central office of NDD in Ombahal, unanimously elected Risa Shrestha as the president of NBD. The gathering also elected a 29-member central committee including six vice-presidents and six secretaries. The six vice-presidents include Pradip Kumar Manandhar for eastern region, Amot Maharjan for central region, Anish Shrestha for Western region, Anupama Shrestha for mid-western region and Sudip Shrestha for the Valley.

The gathering unanimously elected Chhabi Shrestha as the general secretary and Gyan Krishna Dangol as the treasurer of the NBD.

The elected secretaries include Ritesh Baidhya for central region, Kopila Shrestha for western region and Subin Maharjan for the Valley.

The organisers said the central committee will decide over the selection of the vice-president for far-western region and the secretaries for eastern region, mid-western region and far-western region.

The elected 14 members of the Newar Students Forum are Sunita Pradhan (Syangja), Ananta Shrestha (Dolakha), Ambika Maharjan (Kathmandu), Nikesh Maharjan (Kathmandu), Anju Darshandhari (Kathmandu), Neeru Shrestha (Pharping), Reema Maharjan (Bhaktapur), Dip Rajbhandari (Kathmandu), Anjana Shrestha (Kavre), Renuka Shrestha (Kathmandu), Eros Shrestha (Lalitpur), Amit Baidhya (Lalitpur), Promesh Man Pradhan (Lalitpur), Man Devi Shrestha (Kapan).

Addressing the inaugural function president of the Forum Naresh Tamrakar expressed serious concerns over the decrease in use of Newari language in both the urban and rural areas of the country. He said only 63 per cent of more than 1.2 million Newars through out the nation speak their language.

He said that the Newars had formed various Newa students’ organisations in several colleges in the name of promoting the culture, but they remained defunct for long and therefore the NDD was seeking a strong students’ forum.