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Vishnu Kumar Agarwal is the Managing Director of the MAW Group of Companies and the Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic in Kathmandu. He actively supports the bilateral relationship between Nepal and the Czech Republic. Agarwal is also the dean of the Honorary Consular Corps-Nepal (HCC-N), an organization of non-residential consuls. In this interview, Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talks to Agarwal about the role and work of Honorary Consuls. Excerpts:

What are the key responsibilities of Honorary Consuls?

Honorary Consuls play a crucial role in diplomacy. As the Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic in Nepal, I represent the Czech Republic, which is a significant responsibility. If any Czech citizen encounters issues in Nepal, they should contact us for assistance. This is our primary objective. Additionally, we facilitate visits for Czech delegations and embassy officials.

Our role also includes developing relations between the Czech Republic and Nepal for mutual benefit. We promote cultural exchange, showcasing each country’s culture in the other. Furthermore, we foster trade, investment, and tourism between the two nations.

How do Honorary Consuls help in trade, investment, and tourism?

Honorary Consuls facilitate bilateral and multilateral agreements that promote regular discussions on trade and investment. Individually, we promote trade and investment through various means. For instance, my office has many Czech-related books and catalogs that we promote in Nepal.

For the Nepal Investment Summit 2024, we invited all Honorary Consuls and embassies. Through them, invitations reached the business community, resulting in significant participation from the sending countries. We also organize events to promote trade, investment, and tourism. Honorary Consuls in Nepal represent 63 countries, and about 15-20 percent of tourists visiting Nepal come from these nations. These countries also participate in trade fairs, education consultancy, and investment activities.

What were the key takeaways from the peace conclave in Lumbini in March 2024?

The two-day event, ‘Global Peace for Prosperity,’ in Lumbini was organized by HCC-N and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Our goal was to highlight Nepal’s advocacy for peace and the importance of peaceful conflict resolution for a sustainable future.

We invited all ambassadors from the sending countries, and around 20 attended, along with 45 Honorary Consuls and Foreign Ministry officials. This gathering significantly improved diplomatic relations.

The event also aimed to showcase Lumbini, a significant yet underexposed tourist and historical site in Nepal. Many delegates visited Lumbini for the first time and were captivated by the Maya Devi Temple and the story of Lord Buddha’s birth in Nepal. We believe this exposure will boost tourism in the region.

Another objective was to attract participants for the Nepal Investment Summit. Sushil Bhatta, CEO of the Investment Board of Nepal, presented at the event, providing attendees with insights into the summit.

What are the key objectives of the gathering on July 23?

The 17th General Assembly and Charter Day of HCC-N will take place on July 23, where we will hand over leadership. HCC-N, established on July 23, 2007, brings together all Honorary Consuls and Honorary Consul Generals and is affiliated with FICAC, a global network of consular associations. This network allows us to collaborate effectively and address common challenges.

HCC-N has been very successful, especially in facilitating aid during the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2015 earthquake. The Dean serves a one-year term based on seniority among Honorary Consuls.

How are you coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA)?

Our engagement with MoFA is extensive. We work closely with MoFA whenever delegates arrive or when individuals from the sending countries need assistance or coordination. MoFA acts as our patron, and we collaborate closely with them. We have received excellent support and assistance from MoFA. Our work indirectly supports and complements MoFA’s efforts.

What are your expectations with the new Minister for Foreign Affairs?

I believe the new Minister is highly experienced in foreign affairs. She has been in public service for a long time and understands diplomacy well. I am confident that under her leadership, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will achieve new heights in both bilateral and multilateral relationships. Her extensive experience in dealing with people will likely be transformative for MoFA.

To provide the poor and genuine students access to technical education after their SEE, Pokhara Metropolitan City Office has run an educational academy as Gandaki Polytechnic Institute. It has been expanding access to higher education through a dozen of long- and short-term technical courses including civil engineering, forestry, pharmacy, geo-metrics engineering, industrial training, building construction, automobile and so on. To run this academy, Pokhara Metropolitan City Office annually invests money, labor and attention by providing its inputs in overall development of students. It aims to serve the students, communities, and the region through a quality, market-oriented and demand-based education system. The institute currently has almost 400 students from all over Nepal.

As informed by the Pokhara Metropolitan City Office, the ratio of admission has been increasing in every new educational year since the last couple of years. Smita Adhikari of ApEx talked to Director of Gandaki Polytechnic Institute Laxman Timilsina on the issues of the real value of technical education at the local level.

What do you think is the value of setting up separate educational academies at the local level?

Education is a major base of development. It is that element that supports the creation of the pillars of overall development by shaping the concept of people and making them concerned in their liability in development. So, the Schedule 8 of 2015 Constitution has ensured the local bodies have the right to set the education system in their area. While the right to shape the educational environment goes to the local leaders and stakeholders, it will add value to make the education more productive. It is because local stakeholders are quite familiar with the problems of their area and can identify what type of teaching and learning the people of the area need. Similarly, only the local stakeholders are familiar with the demand of the job market. 

Why the focus on technical education?

While we are not against non-technical education, we should understand that local development needs a large number of skilled manpower to accomplish various technical tasks. Local governments are compelled to hire people from outside countries and districts, as manpower or consultant for the works in their areas. So, Pokhara Metropolitan City aims to fulfill its need of skilled manpower in an easy and economical way. We also want to support other districts too. So, Gandaki Polytechnic Institutes takes students from all over the nation who want to take technical education at a reasonable cost.

What has been the output of the institute so far?

A batch has already passed out in all courses. Eighty percent of the students have joined the job market. The most positive aspect is that those who have not joined the  job market are self-employed. We encourage students to explore new things and identify their working areas. We manage to send them in paid or non-paid internships for jobs as part of their academic curriculum. In some courses we have got the highest score in all over the country too. The admission rate has been growing in every new academic calendar. Every year we have added new technical courses to address the numbers of students willing to work with Pokhara Metropolitan City.

How do you convince the community that an educational academy under the local government is fruitful?

We know that 60 percent of school education in Nepal is occupied by private organizations. Institutions like ours offer a high discount when it comes to the education fees. In comparison to other private institutions, we provide education at a reasonable cost. Likewise, we involve our students in extracurricular activities and inspire them to be confident to face the situations in their life. This year we are giving free education to girls who are talented and sat for their SEE from community schools.

Do you think there are any problems running a local government owned academic institution?

We feel local stakeholders and people representatives including the bureaucracy are very supportive to this endeavor. Nevertheless, the big stakeholders are more biased toward private organizations than the local government-run institutions. So, the lack of encouragement, monitoring and attention from related authorities are the problems that we have been facing.

The fifth season of Nepal Idol, which is produced by and broadcast on AP1 HD TV, concluded recently, with Karan Pariyar of Bardiya winning this year’s contest. Each episode of the international reality television singing competition franchise, has garnered over one million views on YouTube. Pratik Ghimire of ApEx interviewed Suresh Poudel, the show director, about the Idol’s success and its future. Excerpts: 

Nepal Idol Season 5 concluded recently. How was your overall experience this season?

We used the experience and lessons learned from the previous four seasons. We paid attention right from the audition, which we conducted in all seven provinces. To those who missed out the first round of auditions, we held an audition in Kathmandu as well. The talents selected by the show judges were all phenomenal. To elevate their talent we had an experienced, agile, and smart production team. Asif Shah and Rima Bishwokarma were amazing as the show hosts. I believe that season 5 was the most powerful and weighty edition of the show so far. 

We saw the winner of Nepal Idol being congratulated by the prime minister and other senior political leaders. How do you think this recognition will impact the show and its contestants?

This is very exciting, as this is probably the first time that the winners of a television show have been awarded and honored by the prime minister. It has also proved that the presence of Nepal Idol is unique in the crowd of many franchised and non-franchised reality shows, so of course the judges and organizers are naturally happy, and so are the contestants. I think there will be more excitement among the contestants of the next season. If everything goes according to the plan, we could get the prime minister to give away the prize.

How do you see the future of reality shows like Nepal Idol?

The future is determined by three things. Firstly, the way the show evolves over time; secondly, the confidence of the advertising market; and thirdly, the availability of good talent. In this sense, I am confident that the future of Nepal Idol is good. The future of other shows is also bright as they too provide platforms to talented people forum around the country. 

How has the audience response evolved over the seasons?

We are pleased to see the maturity of the audience after reaching the fifth season. They are very much capable of picking out deserving winners from among the group of highly talented and gifted contestants.   

How has Nepal Idol contributed to the careers of past contestants, and do you keep track of their progress?

There is a good presence of singers in the Nepali music scene who came from the Idol background. Yes, the show gives them exposure, but putting in the hard work is up to them.  

There were reports that the finale of Nepal Idol Season 5 was going to be organized abroad. Why didn’t it happen?

There were talks with some parties but the financial deal did not work out. We could not afford to shoot the grand finale abroad. There was also talk about doing the show in a stadium in Kathmandu, but it was not wise to do so during the rainy season. So eventually, it was held at the AP1 studio. 

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you are working on or planning for the future?

Nepal Idol Junior is about to start shortly, then there is the season 6 of the Idol. In AP1, I’m trying to do a documentary version of Tamasoma Jyothirgamaya talk show where we are researching about how to live 100 years. Besides that, I have some outside projects that I have to do. Let’s see.

How do you enter the television industry?

I joined Nepal Television for a children program, but my interest was in documentary making. After 93 episodes of the children program, I was transferred to the documentary section of Nepal Television. My first documentary was about Mustang, titled ‘Nepal: Beyond the Himalayas’. It was made for the SAARC Audio Visual Exchange Program and aired on national television in all SAARC nations. In seven years at Nepal Television, I made almost 45 documentaries, and to this day, my documentaries are regularly shown on the four channels of NTV. 

Then I joined Kantipur TV from its establishment time and made documentaries under the title ‘Bikalpa’. Documentaries have rebroadcast value, so I think these shouldn’t be seen merely as one-time financial means. For example, I made a documentary related to Dharahara in 2007. In 2015, it fell due to an earthquake. After that, Kantipur played that documentary many times, highlighting its rebroadcast value. Now, I am with AP1, mainly focused on Nepal Idol and television operations.

A right-wing pro-monarch leader has claimed that only the return of monarchy and declaration of Nepal as a Hindu state would bring stability to the Himalayan Nation.

In an exclusive interview with ANI, Rajendra Prasad Lingden, chairperson of right-wing pro-monarch Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) claimed the present political system has failed and needs reform.

Lingden, also the parliamentary leader of the fifth largest party in the parliament with 14 seats, called for the dismissal of the federal structure claiming it to be costly and unfavorable.

“In the context of Nepal, in order to make it a peaceful, stable and prosperous nation, the provincial system of governance should be dismissed and the Hindu nation as well as the monarchy should be reinstated. On the basis of it peace and stability would prevail and the people's representative would then be able to take forward the developmental works,” Lingden told ANI.

According to Lingden, the party has been using the fronts of the road as well as parliament to raise awareness and garner its support from the public to bring about the changes. The pro-monarchist leader stated that the party would convince existing parties to agree on a point to make changes in the constitution making them realize the failure in delivery which was promised at the time of change.

“The existing political parties who have stood in line with the republic, secularism and federalism, those political parties would be convinced and made to agree for it for change. The reason would be their own roadmap which led their country to this phase has been proven wrong. The current malpractice has proved this system to be wrong. In order to correct it, we would convince them to make the correction and reinstate the monarchy, Hindu state and annul the federalism, moving forward with a new roadmap which would be achieved through mutual understanding and the conviction,” Lingden added.

Demands for a Pro-monarch system have continued to rise in the Himalayan Nation in recent years with huge turnovers seen in the protest called by various pro-monarch groups. Thousands of people took part in a pro-monarch protest organized in the capital Kathmandu on 23 Nov 2023, which clashed with the police for hours where pro-monarch chants along with others relating to loan shark laws were heard.

Earlier this year on April 9, thousands of pro-monarch supporters rallied in Kathmandu and broke into a restricted zone in front of Singha Durbar, the administrative capital of the nation, defying the tear gas and water cannons used by the Police.

Lingden who had led the protest claims it to be a result and testament to rising frustration/ dissatisfaction of people towards the existing system of governance.

“Now the calls for a Hindu state and the monarchy are rising. People now are realizing that replacing the King with a President has led to the inclination in the respect and value of the nation. The public in real-time is experiencing it. In bygone days many had thought that the nation could operate in the absence of monarchy, develop and prosper, there are countries in existence in the absence of Kingship, and it worked as a driving force. Making a comparison of the past and present and the place of Nepal in the world arena, the lowering graph also might have made people realize the importance of the monarchy in any form, the essence of a strong guardianship,” the leader of the right-wing pro-march party said.

“On the other hand, being an independent nation and its prerequisites apart from the geography, the governing system—the existence of the monarchy, only Hindu state in the world, like we have been saying the country of Mount Everest, Hindu state and the Monarchy also would add-on identity to Nepal. It has been realized lately which has given rise to the Hindu state and the monarchical system.”

Nepal in the year 2006 had abolished a centuries-old constitutional monarchy after then King Gyanendra seized power and imposed an emergency sending all the leaders under house arrest. The movement also referred to as ‘People’s Movement II’ witnessed bloodshed with dozens killed in the crackdown against protestors by the government.

After weeks of violent protest and increasing international pressure, Gyanendra gave up and reinstated the dissolved parliament, the dawn of a new democracy is highlighted as Lokantantra (People’s Rule).

Upon being asked about the form of the monarchy that the RPP is promising, Lingden replied, “When we talk about monarchy, there is a perception that the King is only related to RPP. Those who follow us (RPP) also are under the illusion that the King whose reinstatement we are talking about only relates to us but the King which RPP is talking about, whether you call it figurative, cultural, constitutional or any of the name to be given, it (Kingship) will perform the duty as a parental institution, bounded by the constitution and the parliament would have the rights to appoint the successor. We are doing so because the concept which we have proposed has the provision of a Directly elected Prime Minister with executive rights, which gives the King a limited right to remain within the boundaries of the constitution. The Kingship which was in practice in bygone days does not come under our proposed monarchical system.”

Formed in the 1990s after lift of the ban on the formation of political parties by then monarchical system, the RPP since then served as the force always supporting the Kingship. It also has been taking part in periodic elections and presenting its demands forth.

In the year 2008 right after the overthrow of monarchy rule from Nepal, the RPP had secured eight seats in the Constituent Assembly out of the 575 seated strong parliament. In the 2013 election, it was able to secure 13 seats while in the year 2017, it fell down to one seat while it bounced back in the election of 2022 with 14 seats.

The party since its inception has been supporting the Hindu State and the Kingship as interdependent in the tiny nation buffered between two giants India and China. The Himalayan Nation of Nepal has a population of 30.55m with a Hindu population of 81.19 percent as per the census of 2022.

With rising demands for the Hindu state and monarchy, Lingden also clarified that the party’s demand would be inclusive and not based on any religious ultraism feared by minority groups. ANI