An Avid Observer

CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL Once Karl Marx said, "In changing technology world, men change his own nature." Undoubtedly, human society has changed with every advancement in the field of technology. We have become more dependent on technology and media. We, common people, have been consuming media content and participating in virtual conversations and interacting with each other using technology like never before. Our life as a whole has been slightly or in some cases drastically changed due to advancement made in the field of communication technology. As a whole, our life can be summarized into the following statement. “The increasingly common habit of sharing what you’re thinking (Twitter), what you’re reading (StumbleUpon), your finances (Wesabe), your everything (the Web) is becoming a foundation of our culture.” (WIRED, 2009)   If you were the typical American media consumer, then you would spend over nine and quarter hours a day with the media! Multiply that by the...

CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL Nepal has earned tremendous appraisal for its role in conservation of forest through community forestry. However, community foresters often face tough time dealing with the absurd existing laws. One of the victim of such chocking regulation is community of Chaubas, Kavre. They operated the first ever saw-mill by community forestry in Nepal, which they saw as the dream towards prosperity. Sadly, their dreams have been put on halt. I report from Chaubas, Kavre...

Since the Preliminary Draft of long-awaited Constitution was tabled  in the Constituent Assembly on 7 July, it has invited unprecedented criticism. Draft Constitution has burnt down, torn apart,  labelled  as the tool for reinstating stereotypes in the country and regressive, demeaning the achievements of People's Movement-2, Armed Conflict and Madhesh Uprising in 2007. In its extreme criticism, some have gone too far calling it 'illegal' as it was brought against the 'Interim Order issued by Supreme Court'.  Various provisions like citizenship issues and other issues are seen as the reversal of the achievement guaranteed by the Interim Constitution of 2007. Because of its discriminatory and regressive provisions, c ommon people, civil society and media have been raising their voice against the flawed document. Here, I have tried to collect some response that were seen on social networking site Twitter, where users expressed their views...

Former National Cricket Team Captain Binod Das declared his retirement from the game of Cricket after participating in the match played in honour of Australian Cricket Phil Hughes. Watch how Nepali cricket fans and his admirers bade him the farewell at TU Cricket Ground...

A hungry stomach never revolts for knowledge. All it wants is some food. This story was coativered by me as a reporter of  Nayapusta , a kids-news program. 'Food For People' a campaign of Prem Sagar Foundation was initiated about five years ago. The foundation provides food to the school-going children so that they do not have to go to school with empty-stomach or run out of school during break, which was seen as the major concern in the surrounding area of Tasarpu VDC, Dhading. Now, the situation has improved gradually. The percentage of student drop-out has fallen significantly. All thanks to 'Food for People'. Know more about the campaign, its beneficiaries and transformation brought by it.

How many of you remember reciting nursery rhymes in your early days of schools. Humming A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat to Z for Zebra still take us back in our childhood days. But, if you think A always stands 'Apple' and B does so for 'Ball' then you might be a bit old-school kid :P Time has changed so does the alphabetical rhymes... I met him about two years ago in Far-Western district of Bardiya, while awaiting for my bus to Kathmandu. And this kid was full of fun and had something different on 'ABCD' to share with people...Listen to him...I might disappoint but he surely wont... :)

S pending time after retirement is one of the biggest dilemmas for senior-citizens. As they do not have much to do, their daily life goes around reading newspapers, watching television, talking to neighbors or sitting idle. Very few can continue an energetic life. Shashi Bikram Rana, a retired government officer, is one of such example, leading an active life. After working for 25 years for Employees Provident Fund, he was free most of the time. Pondering on looking after post-career option, he found his new passion – rooftop gardening.  Rana decided to grow vegetables in his rooftop garden to utilize his leisure time and stay fit as well. "I didn't want to be idle at my home after retirement. So, the idea of installing rooftop garden was best for keeping myself busy," shares Rana. However, Rana had no knowledge about moving ahead.   'There is a wish, there is a way' worked rightly for Rana. Soon, he came in contact with some organization providing k...