Ratanji. This is your usual tactic of listing a bunch of names to try and show a lot of people are behind you. Divita Mehta: "I personally think that the
discussions in this forum are extremely valuable and should be made public...." It was Subhash Shah who brought up the idea of structure for this forum and I responded with this: http://madhesi5.googlepages.com Lalit Jha and Ram Shah talked of "taking this forum to the next level," and I responded with this: http://madhesi5.googlepages.com I came up with a set of ideas, put them out for public discussion, respected the resulting majority voiced opinion, and settled on a creative resolution. But that nowhere ever meant I said bye bye to the Bill Of Rights for me. Free speech still rings true.
" ....Paramendra's "*His Way or Highway*" approach. If I recall correctly, it was his similar approach that led to removal of his membership from the ND Forum couple of years ago. Personally, I do NOT receive Paramendra's mail as I've marked them "SPAM". Nonetheless, I do get some of his mails in conjunction with other members' e-mails"
On the ND Forum issue looks to me like Sukhdev Shah and I stand on one side, and you on the other side. http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2007/02/kiran-sitoula-is-short-fat-idiot.html
Diaspora Dynamics
Phone Talk With Girija Koirala: Meeting History Itself
January 12 Janakpur, January 20 Kathmandu
Time For Madhesi Militancy Is Now
NDF Owner, Stop This Nonsense, Reinstate Immediately
ND Dynamics
The Cloud Model, Not The Pyramid Model
ND Glasnost
Diaspora Logistical Help To The Movement
I got kicked out of the ND Forum for this: Project Nepal Democracy: 5 Projects
The prejudiced Pahadis of the ND Forum became extremely uncomfortable that I intended to play a central role into Nepal's democracy movement - which I did, thanks to the digital democracy ways - and they did the cowardly thing of kicking me out. Which other Nepali in America, Pahadi or Madhesi, worked full time for the April Revolution? Name one other. You can't. There is no other. But the Pahadis still felt the need to disrespect me. The question is, why do you feel the need to join them?
Let's face it. You have made a second career out of getting along with the prejudiced Pahadis of the diaspora. It is the Mr. 1% mentality. We Madhesis are 1% of the Nepal Army, and 1% of the Nepali diaspora. So we try a little too hard to get along. We try not to offend.
Rakesh Mishra also got kicked out of that ND Forum recently. What do you make of that?
The curious thing though is what we Madhesis are in Nepal - disenfranchised, marginalized, powerless - the Pahadis are on the global stage. They mirror the mental slavery ways of the Madhesi on the global stage. They need help and they know it.
Internalized Racism Among Nepalis In NYC
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/05/internalized-racism-among-nepalis-in.html
Madhesi Self Hate
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/08/madhesi-self-hate.html
MaMaMaMa
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/06/mamamama.html
मधेशीसँग संख्या छ ...
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/05/blog-post.html
Bahun, Chhetri, Sunni
http://demrepubnepal.blogspot.com/2006/06/bahun-chhetri-sunni.html
"Regarding your comments about ANTA and its ELITE members, I feel happy when people feel that I'm rich (or elite). I rather be rich than poor. Won't you like to be the same? Otherwise, why would you be involved with one of the most riskiest type of investment venture?"
I don't know you are rich. But if you are, I am happy for you. I admire successful people, especially those from backgrounds that put major hurdles in the way, like the Madhesi of Nepal. I don't begrudge anyone's success. What I do have issues is with the elitism, this attitude that we intend to speak on behalf of the Madhesi masses, but think they are too beneath us to be part of our conversations.
True, my tech startup is a high risk venture, and the potential rewards are correspondingly huge, but what really drives me there is the vision statement: to con
"Lastly, with respect to our time commitment, we have our family, then our job/business, and then only ANTA/Madhesh Think Tank/ ND/NRNA/NAC,etc. We, the ANTA Executives, very well know how to prioritize our time, and we feel extremely proud and content about what we have achieved with ANTA and other similar social organizations. Nevertheless, I do agree that a lot more can be done, and we'll continue to do our best."
You are talking to the guy who launched ANTA in New York where ANTA has its largest presence, although the credit for expansion goes to ther people. I was part of the conversations that launched the Madhesi organizations in India, and Britain. You happened not to be. But it is a good thing you have interacted with them later.
If it is okay to criticize the Madhesi political parties, it is okay to criticize the Madhesi diaspora organizations. Why are you getting so defensive? Unless you criticize, how will you take them to the next level?
The summary phrase for this whole discussion is mental slavery. People have the option to disagree with me, people have the option to not even read my thoughts, and people have the option to outvote me, and people have exercised all those options at one time or another, but people still get agitated. It is because I am challenging people's mental slavery thought patterns and that makes them uncomfortable.
Paramendra Bhagat http://paramendrabhagat.blogspot.com
President, Hamro Nepal http://hamnep.googlepages.com
Chairperson, JyotiConnect Inc. http://jyoticonnect.googlepages.com
Madhesh Think Tank: February 2009 And Before
Madhesh Think Tank: Sukhdev Sah, Tharu Movement, Dalit
Madhesh Think Tank: Board
Madhesh Think Tank: Murari Raj Sharma, Upendra Yadav
Madhesh Think Tank: Links, Hindi
Madhesh Think Tank: Ek Terai, Jhijhiya, Open Border
Madhesh Think Tank: Mayawati, Laloo, Manmohan, Gmail
Madhesh Think Tank: Gayatri Shah, Ek Terai
An Opaque Madhesh Think Tank
Broadband And Madhesi Liberation
Madhesi Gathering: Shangrila: Jay Kishan Heights: New Year
Global Madhesi Organization
Madhesi All Round Development
(1) Political Leadership For Ek Terai, Ek Rajya
The major Madhesi parties give us hope like the Madhesi members of the
three big Pahadi parties don't. But we have to engage those Madhesis
also. Our immediate goal is Ek Terai, Ek Rajya. For that we have to
seek a coalition not only of the Madhesi parties, but also the Madhesi
MPs of the three Pahadi parties.
(2) Second Goal: National Leadership
After Ek Terai is achieved, and Nepal gets a new constitution, the
Madhesi Movement's next goal is going to be to get a popularly elected
Madhesi president/prime minister for Nepal. For that goal to be met we
are going to have to work to unify all Madhesi parties. We might start
with that goal and still not manage to rope in all of them. But even
if we manage to rope in most and not all of them, the goal could be
achieved.
In a democracy, it is not age or wealth that decides who the leader
is. Right now as the leader of the largest Madhesi party, Upendra
Yadav has a just claim to the leadership position. It is not Mahantha
Thakur, much as I respect the guy. He is a "parosiya" from Sarlahi.
But after unification if at a party convention someone like Hridayesh
Tripathy, Rajendra Mahato, Jay Prakash Gupta, Bijay Gachhedar, or some
fifth person gets elected party president, that new person gets to
lead. It is for the democratic process to decide who the leader is
going to be.
(3) Immediate Goal: A New Madhesi Identity
Manjil Ek Aur Rahi Do, Phir Pyar Kaise Na Ho? The Madhesi want Ek
Madhesh, Ek Pradhesh, the Tharus want Ek Tharuhat, Ek Pradesh. We go
for Ek Terai, Ek Rajya. We have to seek middle ground. We have to work
for equality for the Dalits, the Muslims, and upward socio-economic
mobility for them and the Tharus and the other Janajatis. Just like
the Nepali identity so far has not been inclusive, the Madhesi
identity so far has not been inclusive. The Madhesi women so far have
not been treated equal. That has to change over time. We have to
reinvent the Madhesi identity so that the Dalit, Muslim, Women and
Tharus feel at home in that identity, because it is the Tharus that
will make a Madhesi-Janajati coalition possible. Laloo created the
Muslim-Yadav coalition, we have to create a Madhesi-Janajati
coalition.
(4) Madhesi Diaspora Organizations
organizations. They are almost allergic to the idea of going mass-
based. They suffer from elitism. They have an exaggerated sense of how
much they matter to the Madhesi movers and shakers in Nepal. They
suffer more from homesickness than from a strong urge to serve the
masses back home. They don't talk to each other enough. At some level
they are fundamentally disrespectful of the leading Madhesis in Nepal
who are working under tough conditions. At least they are there in the
trenches. We are not.
Apr 7, 9:29 pm
From: paramendra
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 18:29:54 -0700 (PDT)
Local: Tues, Apr 7 2009 9:29 pm
Subject: Re: Madhesi: All Round Development
Purushottam Shah: "I have seen you advocating for unification of three
Madhesi parties very strongly in several of your write-ups and
discussion forums. You have also presented a proposal that looks fair
and democratic enough for all the sides involved who have stakes.
Madhesis, as a whole too want this. So, as it must be apparent, what
is stopping them from uniting? Are the egos and sense of pride over
being the party chairman of a party of Nepal stopping them from doing
so? In their mind, are they thinking that being the party chairman of
a 3 MP party is better than being the secretary-general or party
spokesperson of the party that would command nearly the second largest
numbers of MPs or aggregate votes? ............ Who should push in
this regard? I see that you (Paramendra) do know the party-heads
personally, what was their explanation for not moving forward for a
unification?"
Right now I am busy with my own stuff, but over time I hope to start
working the phones to make this happen, or at least give it a good
try. I might be the best person to work on this. One, I am neutral.
Two, I have no career interests the way I might have had if I were in
Nepal and politically affiliated and active. I might be that one
person who personally knows the top leaders in all the Madhesi
parties, and I garner political respect and admiration across the
board. Maybe I will get listened to. I don't think we are running late
on this one. But I do need to pitch in.
The idea is right. The formula is fair. But the work will have to
happen over the phone, and it will take a little time.
Otherwise I am in good standing across the board. For a few years
between high school and college I was politicking in Nepal. I was Vice
General Secretary to the Nepal Samajwadi Janata Dal that had two MPs.
Hridayesh Tripathy was General Secretary. Sarita Giri was yet another
Vice General Secretary. Rajendra Mahto was Central Committee member,
and he made a point to publicly state that fact at a Madhesi event in
Jackson Heights when he was in NYC as a Cabinet member. I am friends
with Hridayeshji's wife, I know Rajendraji's wife. I know some of
their children. I mean, it is not all political. We have a friendship
that goes back a decade and a half. I know other leaders in those two
parties, people like Anil Jha.
When Upendra Yadav landed in Los Angeles in July 2007 for the annual
conference of Nepalis in America, his first words were "Where is
Paramendra Bhagat?" They took him to the hotel. He again asked, "Where
is Paramendra Bhagat?" They had to fly him over to NYC to meet me.
The first time I called up Jay Prakash Gupta, he said, "Ye to mera
ahobhagya hai ki aap ne mujhe phone kiya." I had never met him before,
never called him before, never corresponded.
I personally don't know anyone from the Dalit Janajati Party, or the
Nepali Janata Dal, but that can change fast after I start working the
phones, which might be in a few weeks, or a few months, depending on
how much space I can make and how soon.
I would probably tap on a network of volunteers to work the phones. We
diaspora Madhesis are in a unique position to help bring together the
various Madhesi parties.
http://madhesi5.googlepages.com/upendrayadav
http://madhesi5.googlepages.com/rajendramahto
Along those lines, I have two other related stories.
I was at a Nepali event in Jackson Heights in Queens. Some MPs from
Nepal were on stage. I was sitting in the front row. Hundreds were in
attendance. In the middle of the program one MP got off stage to come
sit one seat from me to get his picture taken with me. Then he got
embarrassed and said he was trying to get the crowd into the
background of the picture.
In February 2006 Madhav Nepal, then leader of the largest political
party in the country, was put under house arrest by the royal regime.
A month later he managed to come online wireless. His brother lived in
the house next to his. The first person he contacted was me. We
chatted on Google Talk. Madhav Nepal is a Pahadi.
All the top politicians in Nepal know me or of me, and that is a good
standing to have if you are going to work to unify the various Madhesi
parties.
I know politics and group dynamics the way Binod Shah knows medicine,
the way Ratan Jha knows engineering.
When Bill Gates was 19, he launched a company. When I was 19, I
launched a political party.
I am a digital democrat. That is my newest political incarnation.
Apr 8, 1:28 pm
From: paramendra
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 10:28:11 -0700 (PDT)
Local: Wed, Apr 8 2009 1:28 pm
Subject: Re: Re- mdheshi: all round development to Paramendra
Kritji.
Mahanta ki baat nahin hai. I could not operate on somebody, I am not a
surgeon. But if a surgeon were to circulate his resume, would he be
flaunting, and being immodest?
Madhesi diaspora organizations are subject to criticism just like
Madhesi political parties. We should have open, healthy discussions so
as to make them better.
"....who writes your material..."
This is a strange question. I write my stuff myself. Who do you think
writes my material?
"Ek Pardesh ek Terai is absolutely bad for the general public of
Terai"
Ok so we disagree on this. I have said why I am for Ek Terai, Ek
Rajya, but you have not said why you are against Ek Terai, Ek Rajya.
Would you like to share your reasons?
"Madheshi leaders are as bad as Pahadiya leaders"
Political leaders are public figures subject to criticism. Sure. But
it shows your political naivete to lump all politicians together. That
is kind of like saying all western women are "loose!" Which is a
sexist thing to say, and exhibits ignorance.
"Doesn't racism and discrimination exist in the Terai"
If you have been reading my recent posts, you will realize I have time
and again empathized with the Dalits, the Muslims, the women, the
Tharus of the Terai. But because all that inequality exists, and so
there is no point in fighting for equality for Madhesis on the
national scene, that line of thought is exactly what the Khas rulers
want you to have. You are making them happy.
"Please do Think about what are you saying and consider what will be
the impacts of the action on general public"
I do that ALL the time.
" 4 weeks ago I was in Nepal and have seen the condition of the Terai
Basi"
It would be more helpful if you were to be more descriptive in terms
of what you saw on the ground. Would you like to share some of the
revealing conversations you had with people?
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