This exhortation could not have come at a better time “Take pride in national identity: DPM Rawal” (THT, Feb. 12, Page 5). Most ordinary people were proud of their national identity: Nepali, and not of their individual clan and tribe, until the politicians started brain-washing the people with wrong ideas. The politicians should take sole credit if most Nepali people today do not take pride in being a Nepali. As for the others, we not only took pride in Nepali identity but also promoted it worldwide through our individual high standard of behavior and presentations. It is not too late to make amends and inculcate nationalism in 30 million people. The government has to take initiatives though. It can ensure that people continue taking pride in Nepali identity by taking various steps that will boost pride in people. How can people be proud of their identity when the government tacitly allows black-marketeers to hold them to ransom for such basics as cooking gas and kerosene etc? How can people be proud when they have to go looking for a political godfather for a tarpaulin sheet to protect them from natural elements?

How can people be proud when top cops, university VCs, public servants, and politicians start munching state money “Cancer hospital chief charged with graft” (THT, Feb. 15, Page 1)? How can people be proud of their identity when they are jumped on the queue at petrol pumps by goons while the duty policemen and pump owners shake hands with them? How can people be proud when they have to shell out money to grease the palms of the servants at various state citadels such as Malpot offices and the like? The best way of course to protect and promote Nepali identity is that the

politicians themselves have to come clean from the office they serve for some time.

Manohar Shrestha, Kathmandu

Clean Bagmati

This is with reference to the news story ‘’Now fish can survive in Bagmati River ‘’ (THT, Feb. 13, Page 2). After 14 weeks of rigorous campaign launched for cleaning the Bagmati River, aquatic life can survive in the once most polluted Bagmati River above Guheshwori. It was a campaign which was taken up with intensified efforts two years ago, in which a highly important role was played by the then chief secretary Leela Mani Paudyal. On the single day of February 13, 2016, a

total of 14 metric tons of garbage was collected from the religiously sacred river. Well, what can be said for certain is that the cleanliness campaign of the main rivers in Nepal was both supported and assisted by the present government. This was a good initiative taken by the Nepalis themselves, not by any foreign donation or grant, not reaching any agreement with any development partners. Now the people who took part in the mega campaign feel pride in taking part in such a noble cause without any external support. Conserving the rivers is to conserve our own national heritage and national identity.

Pratik Shrestha, Kathmandu