Too late for the trees

At last, a letter of complaint. During and after felling of all the mature trees that

previously lined the main road to Pulchowk I was astonished that people just shrugged their shoulders as if there was nothing that could be done to stop it. As a foreigner I have no voice, but I have an opinion. What an amazingly brutal and stupid thing to do! And for what and why? Security? Excuse me! Please explain. How are we more secure? Were the trees conspiring against us in some mysterious arboreal manner? Were they planning to jump out to block our passage? And if those who cut are really concerned for security, why do they not take the corpses away? Instead, they occupy the sidewalks so that pedestrians must risk life and limb by walking in the road. It’s a tragedy that should never have happened. Look at the road now. Stark and ugly. No greenery; just dust, fumes and concrete. Was that progress? I despair.

David Irwin, via e-mail

Helpless

I fully agree with what Hosanna Shrestha said in “Deliberate ignorance” (THT, May 17). The

photograph showing forceful evacuation of the Maoist victims from a Kathmandu street they had occupied moved me to tears. It is true that the government and the so-called social

organisations receiving aid in the name of the poor and the displaced seldom reach out to them.

I agree that the students and social organisations that collected funds for the tsunami victims are blind to the crisis and suffering at home. I guess their short-lived philanthropy was based more on snobbery and less on humanitarianism.

And why can’t the government do something to help the displaced? The security personnel too could have handled the situation in a better way than forcefully dragging a helpless mother of an infant.

I would like to appeal to all those concerned Nepalis to come out and help the displaced in the country. Meanwhile, I appreciate the thoughts of Hosanna, and I would be more than happy to help Hosanna in this mission of helping out the helpless fellow countrymen. I hope that others too will think about this mission.

Aamita Manandhar,

via e-mail

Right abuse

I was surprised to know that the Supreme Court issued show cause notice over Kumari worshipping custom (THT, May 13).

The tradition of worshipping Kumari has been going on for past several centuries. Not only the people but the King also visits and accepts blessing from the girl child every year. It has been an essential part of the country’s identity.

Besides, various wings of the government and other non-governmental organisations have been promoting the Kumari tradition by labelling the girl child as a “Living Goddess”.

Next, if the practice of Kumari infringes upon human rights, what about the other even worse cases in the country — millions of children are deprived of food, education and basic health services. They are forced to marry against their will and are even forced to prostitution. I think the incident has something to do with the changing political scenario. We should be watchful in a situation like this when unwanted elements can divert attention to unimportant

issues, to have their things done in their ways.

Gyan Manandhar, Lalitpur