Empower minorities

I was happy to read the news “Awareness on the rise in the Chepang community”

published in THT on March 14. It is good that educational awareness is increasing among the members of this community, especially women. It is also daring on the part of some of the women to come forward to demand educational right for their children. At a time when most women are confined to homes and cannot come forward, the courage, enthusiasm and spirit shown by the elderly Chepang women in front of the DEO is laudable.

The news also highlighted how the government is not acting responsibly about the needs of the ethnic minority of Nepal. The government should immediately design policies and implement programmes so that no children from the Dalit, ethnic minorities, remote villages and other underprivileged classes are denied one of their inalienable rights — the right to education. Moreover, all women should learn a lesson from the elderly Chepang lady, Aiti Maya Praja, who is demanding education for the Chepang children, and should come out of their homes to push their own rights, whether in education or in other areas.

Harihar Poudel, Pokhara

Renovate it

The article “Pearl of Palpa” by P Ravi Shankar published in THT on March 13 about the beauty of Palpali Durbar of Ranighat was indeed a very well-written one. The palace lying in the lap of the beautiful valley is Nepal’s pride except for the fact that no authorities or conservationists

have shown interest in preserving it. If renovated, this place could become an exciting site for tourists from home and abroad and the local people would also benefit from it. The tourism sector should take the initiative to beautify the palace.

Ratan Tamang, via e-mail

Seek help

There is an important lesson that Nepal can learn from Jim Lobe’s article “China’s upward mobility” published in THT on March 11. We know that Nepal’s agricultural sector has a huge potential to grow into a big industry that can help bring in the much-required economic prosperity in Nepal. Though it is true that the Chinese are importing more food grains and raw materials in significant amounts now, China has grown to be an economic giant through

agricultural development. Also, the economic recovery of Argentina after 2000-01 crises was due to soya export to China, which accounts for 30 per cent of China’s total soya consumption.

If Argentina, though a distant land from China, could come out of their crisis why can’t we? We must promote our agricultural sector and seek help from experienced nations like China and India who are our next-door neighbours.

Amit Subedi, Samakhusi

Moral science

Different fields of science continue to engage the human mind. And moral science, among others, occupies an important place because it breeds morality in humans — a quality that is simply deserting the present generation. But the MTV generation, in its bid to adopt the carefree attitude of the West has tried ignoring the moral values of our society. That, however, is a wrong thing to do. There are enough domestic virtues around for an alert mind. No matter however appealing other’s virtues appear, ours are to be cherished. Moral science is also important for individuals to develop discipline, punctuality and social relationship. It has relevance in everyone’s life. The younger generation must, therefore, embrace it more than anybody else.

Shomila Kakshapati, GEMS Boarding School