05-07-2009, 04:33 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sir,
Nepal is on route to its dismantling at the hands of street lampoons thrown up in the name of democracy in the Indian style. Our bane is that we peddle 'democracy' on behalf of others which is no democracy. Traditional societies which have deep roots and social discipline, a strength which western societies do not have no use for this hog wash which west calls democracy a product of commercial capitalism machination. After all this multiparty concept was a gift of the English commercial class which flourished under this banner stretching its empire where it did not meet resistance. Multi party system is meant to split traditional societies vertically, fragment them and make them vulnerable to penetration, destroy their spiritual sinews and replace all tenets by greed and money. So Nepal is being led in this abyss of darkness. King Gyanendra is responsible too. But all forces of good must join to curb this eruption. Nepal must remain a monarchy, look for other roots of this. Nepal must remain a Hindu state as much as England is a Christian state! Then why are we shy?
I learn that PRACHANDA IS A CHRISTIAN under his superficial skin! Is this true?
S. Chauhan from New Delhi <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sir,
I did not notice "Letter to the editor column" in your very colorful weekly (April 12-18 issue) but here are a few jottings from a reader who noticed that some clarification may be fitting.
Regarding the report titled "Cultural Whirlwind" by Sandhya Jain on page 8 of your April 12-18 issue. The writer seems to want to put some blame on the eroding of Hindu culture and "civilization of the nation" on Catholics, a minority group among an estimated almost one million Christians of Nepal.
Well here are the facts:
The Christians and Maoists have nothing in common regarding God and culture -- so to group them together, even indirectly, is laughable.
Catholics have and are actually helping preserve Nepalese culture. They are trying to teach young and old in their many educational institutions to appreciate their roots. <b>Bestselling books by "once American" (but now Nepalese) Jesuit priests on historical Hindu </b>monarchy, and Newar and Buddhist culture/religions can be found on libraries of every serious researcher of Nepal. <b>Catholic nuns (most of them now wearing saffron saris) </b>and priests are serving thousands of Hindu and Buddhist children 1<b>2 high schools, 8 primary schools and 3 intermediate colleges.</b> Parents know that Catholic run schools DO NOT try to convert children but help them become better Hindus or Buddhist -- that is why there is an unparalled rush for children admissions from class one onwards. In addition Catholics in Nepal run 4 day care centers for the handicapped and 22 pre-school programs for poor children. Why would you work with the mentally handicapped or mentally ill if you wanted to produce clever converts? If you think of less than 150 Catholic nuns and less than 70 priests running this Nepal-wide service -- they deserve encouragement and not criticism. By the way over half a dozen Catholic institutions (schools mainly) were bombed during the people's war in the last few years -- and it is only by God's grace no nun or priest was killed.
The Catholic Christians in Nepal number only 7500 as of the year 2007. We know the exact number of Catholics in Nepal as it is not easy to "become" a Catholic -- it takes at least a year of careful study/preparation even if you want to be baptized. Over half of all marriages in our church take place between Catholics and Hindus/Buddhists and couples remain that way.
So we practice inter-religious harmony and unions.
The report on your weekly talks about the first Catholic bishop of Nepal to be ordained on 5 May in Kathmandu. This would have happened even if Nepal was still a Hindu country. <b>The person being ordained (bishop) is Amulyanath Sharma -- a Nepalese citizen who was the first ever Nepali to become a Jesuit priest in 1968 </b>after over a dozen years of difficult study and training. It is a matter of pride that <b>he became the principal of the famous St.Joseph's school at Northpoint, Darjeeling, and taught kings and princes for many years. </b>Just after the Nepalese government requested diplomatic ties with the Vatican, Sharma was made the first "Ecclesiastic Superior" of Nepal Catholic Church on 9 April 1984. Later on 8 November 1996, the Catholic Church of Nepal was elevated as an "Apostolic Prefecture" and Sharma became first "Apostolic Prefect". Even before King Gyanendra was forced to see through the recent political changes, the Vatican had already informed him and planned to elevate Sharma to the position of "bishop" of Nepal.
You may find it interesting to note that among many groups of Christians (non-Catholic) in Nepal, the first one who was "ordained" as the first "bishop" is Pastor Narayan Sharma (in 2006). <b>So the first "Protestant" Christian bishop of Nepal is Bishop Narayan Sharma of the Believers Church group -- he resides and runs his activities from Jawalakhel.</b>
When a writer lays the blame of the eroding of Nepalese culture on some service minded group of people who live their daily lives in belief in God (who leave their families to serve) and groups them together with politicians, it is a ridicule to the writer himself. Our Nepalese civilization based on tolerance and peace is only going to be eroded if we cease to think positively in an effort to bring various ethnic and religious groups together. So let us not write reports that pitch one group against the other, but rather research facts first before offering positive criticism for harmony.
Chirendra Satyal
Gairidhara<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Nepal is on route to its dismantling at the hands of street lampoons thrown up in the name of democracy in the Indian style. Our bane is that we peddle 'democracy' on behalf of others which is no democracy. Traditional societies which have deep roots and social discipline, a strength which western societies do not have no use for this hog wash which west calls democracy a product of commercial capitalism machination. After all this multiparty concept was a gift of the English commercial class which flourished under this banner stretching its empire where it did not meet resistance. Multi party system is meant to split traditional societies vertically, fragment them and make them vulnerable to penetration, destroy their spiritual sinews and replace all tenets by greed and money. So Nepal is being led in this abyss of darkness. King Gyanendra is responsible too. But all forces of good must join to curb this eruption. Nepal must remain a monarchy, look for other roots of this. Nepal must remain a Hindu state as much as England is a Christian state! Then why are we shy?
I learn that PRACHANDA IS A CHRISTIAN under his superficial skin! Is this true?
S. Chauhan from New Delhi <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sir,
I did not notice "Letter to the editor column" in your very colorful weekly (April 12-18 issue) but here are a few jottings from a reader who noticed that some clarification may be fitting.
Regarding the report titled "Cultural Whirlwind" by Sandhya Jain on page 8 of your April 12-18 issue. The writer seems to want to put some blame on the eroding of Hindu culture and "civilization of the nation" on Catholics, a minority group among an estimated almost one million Christians of Nepal.
Well here are the facts:
The Christians and Maoists have nothing in common regarding God and culture -- so to group them together, even indirectly, is laughable.
Catholics have and are actually helping preserve Nepalese culture. They are trying to teach young and old in their many educational institutions to appreciate their roots. <b>Bestselling books by "once American" (but now Nepalese) Jesuit priests on historical Hindu </b>monarchy, and Newar and Buddhist culture/religions can be found on libraries of every serious researcher of Nepal. <b>Catholic nuns (most of them now wearing saffron saris) </b>and priests are serving thousands of Hindu and Buddhist children 1<b>2 high schools, 8 primary schools and 3 intermediate colleges.</b> Parents know that Catholic run schools DO NOT try to convert children but help them become better Hindus or Buddhist -- that is why there is an unparalled rush for children admissions from class one onwards. In addition Catholics in Nepal run 4 day care centers for the handicapped and 22 pre-school programs for poor children. Why would you work with the mentally handicapped or mentally ill if you wanted to produce clever converts? If you think of less than 150 Catholic nuns and less than 70 priests running this Nepal-wide service -- they deserve encouragement and not criticism. By the way over half a dozen Catholic institutions (schools mainly) were bombed during the people's war in the last few years -- and it is only by God's grace no nun or priest was killed.
The Catholic Christians in Nepal number only 7500 as of the year 2007. We know the exact number of Catholics in Nepal as it is not easy to "become" a Catholic -- it takes at least a year of careful study/preparation even if you want to be baptized. Over half of all marriages in our church take place between Catholics and Hindus/Buddhists and couples remain that way.
So we practice inter-religious harmony and unions.
The report on your weekly talks about the first Catholic bishop of Nepal to be ordained on 5 May in Kathmandu. This would have happened even if Nepal was still a Hindu country. <b>The person being ordained (bishop) is Amulyanath Sharma -- a Nepalese citizen who was the first ever Nepali to become a Jesuit priest in 1968 </b>after over a dozen years of difficult study and training. It is a matter of pride that <b>he became the principal of the famous St.Joseph's school at Northpoint, Darjeeling, and taught kings and princes for many years. </b>Just after the Nepalese government requested diplomatic ties with the Vatican, Sharma was made the first "Ecclesiastic Superior" of Nepal Catholic Church on 9 April 1984. Later on 8 November 1996, the Catholic Church of Nepal was elevated as an "Apostolic Prefecture" and Sharma became first "Apostolic Prefect". Even before King Gyanendra was forced to see through the recent political changes, the Vatican had already informed him and planned to elevate Sharma to the position of "bishop" of Nepal.
You may find it interesting to note that among many groups of Christians (non-Catholic) in Nepal, the first one who was "ordained" as the first "bishop" is Pastor Narayan Sharma (in 2006). <b>So the first "Protestant" Christian bishop of Nepal is Bishop Narayan Sharma of the Believers Church group -- he resides and runs his activities from Jawalakhel.</b>
When a writer lays the blame of the eroding of Nepalese culture on some service minded group of people who live their daily lives in belief in God (who leave their families to serve) and groups them together with politicians, it is a ridicule to the writer himself. Our Nepalese civilization based on tolerance and peace is only going to be eroded if we cease to think positively in an effort to bring various ethnic and religious groups together. So let us not write reports that pitch one group against the other, but rather research facts first before offering positive criticism for harmony.
Chirendra Satyal
Gairidhara<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->