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The arrest on August 7 of Khadga Bahadur Biswokarma, better known by his nom de guerre Prakanda, is indicative of the ruling communist government’s commitment to crack down on ‘anti-national’ activities and extortions. Prakanda is the spokesperson of the Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’-led Communist Party of Nepal. He has been charged with using violence to try to disturb last year’s local and provincial elections and of extorting various businessmen. The same charges have been levelled against his party, which is the reason chairman Chand has been in hiding since the government issued an arrest warrant against him in February. It was in 2012 that Chand and his mentor Mohan Baidya ‘Kiran’ decided to break away from the mother Maoist party led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, accusing the party chairman of abandoning the ‘incomplete Maoist revolution’ and of caving in to ‘status quoist’ forces. But in 2014 Chand would part ways with Baidya’s new party, too, as Baidya, in Chand’s reckoning, could not adequately justify splinter­ing from the mother party. He then formed the CPN. It rejected the new constitution and threatened to disrupt the three tiers of elections.

Since it was a marginal force the party had to adopt radical ways to come to the public notice. It started dispensing ‘people’s verdict’ and humiliated people’s representatives by smearing their faces with black soot. It bombed LPG plants it excused of extorting people. A transmission tower of a ‘tax evading’ telecom provider was similarly bombed. It was also under the pressure of CPN that the concert of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in Kath­mandu had to be cancelled earlier this year. These populist moves, CPN hoped, would earn it the goodwill of at least a segment of the Nepali society.

But Chand and company seemed blithely unaware that after witnessing nearly 17,000 deaths in the decade-long Mao­ist insurgency most Nepalis had had enough of the politics of violence. Its violent actions, which included nationwide shutdowns, were roundly condemned. The only way it could survive in this context was by shaking down rich business­men. In order to credibly threaten them the party needed to engage in public show of force, like bombings. A vicious cycle was thus set in motion.

Even though there is a level of sympathy for Chand and his party in the ruling Nepal Communist Party, it will be hard for Chand’s former Maoist colleagues to openly back criminals. Politically, CPN is fighting a lost cause. Signs are that its days as a criminal racket are also numbered.

There is a good chance that you, the reader, use Facebook. After all, according to online records, around 91 percent of social media users in Nepal are on Facebook. But do you also use Tinder, the glob­al ‘dating and hook-up’ app with over 100 million downloads? Of the 100 people between 20 and 32 that we surveyed, 26 said they were on Tinder. Yet there were also folks like Priya, a 24-year-old working woman who wants to use the app but is scared of doing so lest “my relatives find out.” One thing is for sure: Tinder is gaining in popularity in Nepal.

Sociologist Pranab Kharel sees this trend as a part of the evolution of the Nepali society over the past three decades. Compared to the past, the young people today have “a lot of autonomy when it comes to choosing romantic partners,” and technology makes it easier for them to do so. Today’s generation is more open too. Yet among those we interviewed for this article, men were much more forthcoming about their Tinder use.

Milipa Thapa, 24, says she started using Tinder when she got “bored of her single life”. Jimi, 32, a musician, uses it “just like Facebook messen­ger.” Likewise, Pooja Khati, 24, a journalist, who has been on Tinder on and off finds the app “shallow” yet continues to use it. Some believe Tinder makes communication easier for those interested in each other. “Swiping right [on Tinder] basically implies that you are attracted to that person so communication becomes smoother,” says Abishake Shakya, 22, an engineer. Shubham KC, 21, recommends Tinder for everyone: “It does not matter if it is for a casual hook-up, long term relationship or just for informal chat.”

Could there be a better reflection of a country that is rapidly changing on the back of new technology?

Full story Here

There is a good chance that you, the reader, use Facebook. After all, according to online records, around 91 percent of social media users in Nepal are on Facebook. But do you also use Tinder, the glob­al ‘dating and hook-up’ app with over 100 million downloads? Of the 100 people between 20 and 32 that we surveyed, 26 said they were on Tinder. Yet there were also folks like Priya, a 24-year-old working woman who wants to use the app but is scared of doing so lest “my relatives find out.” One thing is for sure: Tinder is gaining in popularity in Nepal.

Sociologist Pranab Kharel sees this trend as a part of the evolution of the Nepali society over the past three decades. Compared to the past, the young people today have “a lot of autonomy when it comes to choosing romantic partners,” and technology makes it easier for them to do so. Today’s generation is more open too. Yet among those we interviewed for this article, men were much more forthcoming about their Tinder use.

Milipa Thapa, 24, says she started using Tinder when she got “bored of her single life”. Jimi, 32, a musician, uses it “just like Facebook messen­ger.” Likewise, Pooja Khati, 24, a journalist, who has been on Tinder on and off finds the app “shallow” yet continues to use it. Some believe Tinder makes communication easier for those interested in each other. “Swiping right [on Tinder] basically implies that you are attracted to that person so communication becomes smoother,” says Abishake Shakya, 22, an engineer. Shubham KC, 21, recommends Tinder for everyone: “It does not matter if it is for a casual hook-up, long term relationship or just for informal chat.”

Could there be a better reflection of a country that is rapidly changing on the back of new technology?

Full story Here on Sunday

KATHMANDU: The government has formed a four-member committee to look into the activities of Nepal Sanskrit University Vice-Chancellor Kul Prasad Koirala. The committee is mandated to submit a report to the government after carrying out investigation into Koirala’s reported attempt to go abroad without leave approval and allegations related to financial irregularities. RSS