Memorable Moments in Santa Clara

Rabin Man Shakya

(A Nepali journalist in USA)



Portland, Feb 5, (Nepal Oregon News): In December 2015 right after the Christmas holidays, I along with my spouse Naveena Shakya were in Santa Clara. We stayed with Dr Mahendra Man Shakya, a physicist  and his wife Pratibha, my sister-in-law.  Our visit to Santa Clara was very important to us because we could meet Dr Mahendra and Pratibha after 14 years. Oh boy, that's a long time.

Likewise,  Naveena was overwhelmed to meet her childhood friend Dr Roshani Shakya,  her husband Dr Pradip and her mom at Woodland, Sacramento. So, our nine-day journey to California took us not only to Santa Clara but to San Francisco, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Stanford University etc. Our  walk-through at the capitol building in Sacramento was also very memorable.

Naveena Shakya and Pratibha Shakya at Santa Cruz.

Alcatraz

Dr Mahendra Man Shakya and Dr Rabin Man Shakya at the Capitol in Sacramento, California.

In Sacramento

Dr Pradip Shrestha, Dr Roshani Shakya, Roshani's mom and Naveena Shakya.

Well, it was Dr Mahendra who took us to many interesting places in Santa Clara including the Levi's Stadium, the venue of Super Bowl 50. He generously took us to SF, Sacramento, Santa Cruz, Stanford University, Twin Peaks, Shoreline and so on.

Rabin Man Shakya, Naveena Shakya, Pratibha Shakya and Mahendra Man Shakya at Twin Peak.

An evening at Santana Row, Santa Clara: Mahendra Man Shakya, Rabin Man Shakya and Naveena Shakya.

Compared to my extensive travels and trips to the cities of the former USSR and Europe, I have not travelled that much across the United States. Never been to big cities like New York and Boston.  Well, I have been living in Portland, Oregon for over a decade and so far have been able to see  Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Eugene etc and this time, to see Santa  Clara, SF, Santa Cruz, Sacramento etc.

Mahendra Man Shakya and Pratibha Shakya.

Naveena Shakya and Pratibha Shakya.

Santa Clara, no doubt, is a small  city, but it is a fast growing city. One of the distinct things  I noticed in Santa Clara is the preponderance of Indians who according to 2010 US census are 43,889 (37.7 %) of Asians living in Santa Clara. In Santa Clara, you see Indians wherever you go. Also, you see so many Indian restaurants, Indian sweetmeat shops and Indian groceries. And when you go inside these stores, you see they are crowded with the Indians and you feel like you are somewhere  in New Delhi.

Well,  I am pretty  much impressed by my visit to Santa Clara which is located in the center of Silicon valley  and which is home to the headquarters of several high tech juggernauts like Intel and Google. Visiting Santa Clara in the evening especially along the El Camino street and Santana Row reminded me of the bright and sparkling, illuminated streets of European cities.

Rabin Man Shakya on a Google bicycle.

The unforgettable  moments of our journey was  that of a visit to  Golden Gate bridge  of San Francisco. I have seen the Alcatraz prison building in several movies and documentaries but it was the first time I saw it. Alcatraz  today is a public museum which is one of San Francisco's major tourist attractions.

Mahendra Man Shakya, Rabin Man Shakya, Naveena Shakya and Pratibha Shakya at the Golden Bridge in San Fransisco.

Anyone going to San Francisco should not miss to visit Fisherman's Wharf  which is also a popular tourist attraction in San Francisco. The Fisherman's Wharf is famous  for being the location of Pier 39, the Canary Shopping Center, Ghirardeli  Square, Wax Museum, Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum etc.



We had an opportunity to be at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk which is an oceanfront amusement park in Santa Cruz. I must admit that our  visit to Santa Clara and other  cities widened my perception about California.

Workshop on "Social Service Awareness and Benefit" Kicks Off

Rabin Man Shakya

In an effort to raise community and social awareness of the Nepalese Portlanders, Oregon chapter of the Non-resident Nepalese Association - National Coordination Council  (NRNA-NCC-USA) is working on various workshops to provide more useful and relevant information to the community members.

Starting Jan 30, 2016, the NRNA-NCC-USA Oregon chapter is kicking off a series of workshops for the Nepalese community members in Portland.

At a workshop program "Social Service Awareness and Benefit" organized by Oregon chapter at the Nekusing Memorial Theater,  Portland on Saturday, president of the chapter Diwakar Maharjan expressed the hope that these workshops would pave the way for  understanding more about the benefits that the US government has provided to the people.

Speaking about  "Social Service Awareness and Benefit", vice president of the chapter Daya Shakya threw light on legal boundaries for citizens versus residents, Diversity and Discrimination, Medicaid vs Medicare, Child Protection Law mandatory reporting and other relevant issues.

Dwelling on Child Protection Laws, Shakya went on  to say,"Child Protection Laws (CPLs) provide an umbrella of protection in all areas of a child's life, including overall safety, protection from all forms of abuse and protection using the Internet or email. Violation of CPLs carry greater punishment than similar crimes carried out against adults."

Asked whether one can retire at age 62, Shakya replied: "You may start receiving benefits as early as 62. In that case, your benefits are reduced. If your full retirement age is 66, and you sign up for Social Security when you are 62, you would only get 75 percent of your full benefit."

Likewise, speaking on the theme of "Understanding Social Security Benefit", Bharat Banskota, Immediate Past President of Nepalese Association of Oregon (NAO) said,"Social Security helps not only older citizens, green card holders, but also workers who become disabled and families in which a spouse or parent dies."

Today, about 159 million people work and pay Social Security taxes and about 55 million people receive monthly Social Security benefit, Banskota informed the gathering of the Nepalese Portlanders.

Business Director of the chapter Ramesh Bhandari extended vote of thanks at the end of the workshop program which was attended by about 25 Nepalese Portlanders.

It is to be noted that another workshop on "Career in Science" is to be held by the NRNA-NCC-USA Oregon chapter in the month of February.

Need of the Hour: Stop Making Provocative Acts

Rabin Man Shakya
State Education Director,  NRNA-NCC-USA, Oregon Chapter

The media report about Nepal Police firing on Madhesi protesters  in Morang on Thursday, killing Draupati Chaudhari, 62, Mahadev Rishidev, 45, and Siru Majhi 25, has raised  questions about the sincerity and honesty of both the K P Oli government as well as the Terai Madhesi parties.

Tensions which have remained high in Terai region of Nepal since adopting its first republican constitution in September, 2015 were further inflamed when the police fired at the protesters on Thursday in Morang.

The incident is likely to aggravate the already existing tensions between Terai Madhesi parties and the Oli government.

At a time when there is a light at the end of the Terai crisis tunnel, when optimism about relaxing of blockade was building, this tragic incident may shatter the rays of hope. This incident is not the first one in the series of provocative acts. President Vidya Devi Bandari's visit to Janaki temple recently and other incidents could have been  stopped.

The timing and selection of Morang as a venue for UML's Youth Force program was sure to provoke the Tarai Madhesi protesters. This is  very sensitive time and no body and no political party should should move any provocative steps.

The crux of the problem in this case is the extremism and intransigence of the UML  party as well as the Teari Madhesi parties. Well, it definitely was not an appropriate time for UML's Youth Force to organize "Tarai Madhesi Dialogue and Awareness Campaign" in volatile Tarai area of Morang at this sensitive time.

And it was also an example of jingoism and stubbornness on the part of Tarai Madhesi parties to create a debacle by trying to preventing the UML Youth Force's program. The three innocent people who died and scores of others who were critically injured in the police firing were caught in the crossfire in the "battle" between the government, UML Youth Force and Tarai Madhesi parties.

As a result, the challenges facing the ordinary Nepalese people are indeed formidable because the mainstream political parties and Tarai Madhesi parties are working for their own vested interest, not giving a damn about the people's wellbeing.

Since it would be impossible to make a significant breakthrough towards making a negotiated deal between the government and the Madhesi parties unless both the sides come forward with flexibilities for the broader interest of the nation, they should at least stop making provocative acts to ease the current political stalemate.

It is to be noted that the United Madhesi Front, which is leading the protests for last five months, wants state boundaries to be redrawn to give their communities more power, a step that the mainstream political parties are reluctant to move.

The need of the hour is:  Until the much-awaited deal is reached, both the ruling parties and the Nepali Congress as well as the Tarai Madhesi parties should be able to quit their stubbornness and intransigence and stop making provocative acts for the common good of the people.

Media Should Speak Out Against Lawlessness in Nepal

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Associate Editor, The Rising Nepal

As we enter a new year, there's plenty for we media folks to be concerned about. Black marketing, corruption, nepotism and misuse of power etc are rampant in Nepal today. And it is the duty of the mainstream media not only to point out the flaws in the governance but also to spill the beans on the corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.

The newspaper industry has an immense opportunity to surprise and delight the common people of Nepal -- if they really and truly know what investigative reporting is -- by publishing news stories about the people related to corruption and black marketing  of essential goods like cooking gas and petrol.

It is not that the Nepalese FMs and TVs  as well as the newspapers are not pointing out the flaws and shortcomings in the governance. But it is not enough, for sure. There are growing signs of discontent with the government's approach to the current situation with critics accusing prime minister K P Oli of recklessly plunging Nepal into an unprecedented  economic crisis. The blockade orchestrated by the Terai Madhesi parties has already enough negative consequences on the people. According to media reports, right now, there is enough petrol in the depots of the Nepal Oil Corporation. However, there is acute scarcity of petrol and cooking gas in the market. Paradoxically, petrol and cooking gas are available in plenty in  the black market. It looks like under the Oli government the black marketing has been legitimized. It is the millions of simple and poor people who are suffering from this situation.

The economic blockade has added to unprecendented troubles to the people who were couping with the consequences of the massive earthquake. This is the time of great distress and anxiety for the Nepalese. When the politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen are conniving with each other to trouble and cheat the people, who else can help the people except the media? As the watchdog of the nation, the media should be able to expose the misdeeds and crimes of corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen.

The politicians and parties also understand the need to avert any kind of political catastrophe that may arise if the current crisis is not figured out. But there is the lack of will and commitment to do something for the good of the people.

The 100-day honeymoon period of the Oli government passed without zero achievement, and the government is not even ashamed a little bit. Everybody is angry in Nepal. The Nepalese people are struggling with the high cost of making ends meet. People are totally discontented with the corrupt Oli government.

It is already time for the mainstream media to speak out against the rampant black marketing and lawlessness. Not just speaking out, but they should bring out more news stories about the corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and greedy businessmen who are looting and cheating the common people of Nepal. Why are the politicians and bureaucrats impune from the crimes they are committing against the people ? If the culture of impunity is not uprooted and proper discipline is not enforced, the nation can easily plunge further into civil chaos, poverty and lawlessness.

It's Holiday Season, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Rabin Man Shakya

The great cultural holidays of Nepal - Bijaya Dasami and Tihar - are over. This year's Halloween and Thanksgiving Day are also over. Now,  on the occasion of Christmas and New Year 2024, I extend my best wishes to all my relatives and friends living in Nepal, the US and other countries.

Christmas, which is the most important holiday for Christians, is observed to remember the birth of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.

Today more than ever, Christmas has become a world wide celebration, a celebration observed both by Christians as well as non-Christians all over the world.

The history of Christmas dates back to Dec 25 in 336 AD when it was first celebrated by the Church in Rome, Italy during the rule of the emperor Constantine.

The word 'Christmas' is derived from the words 'Mass of Christ'. A Mass service (also sometimes called Communion or Eucharist) is where Christians remember that Jesus Christ died for them and then came back to life.

The Nepalese living in Portland, Oregon also celebrate Christmas and Gregorian calendar New Year in their own way. Living in America and not celebrate American holidays just does not make any sense.

Even, in Nepal, Christians are also a part of the Nepalese population, though they are minority. Nevertheless, Christmas and New Year are celebrated in Nepal both by Christians and non-Christians in their own way because they have become international holidays.

Nepal is a country that probably has more cultural and traditional festivals and holidays than any other countries in the world. Art, culture, rituals and traditions are the integral part of our national life in Nepal. They are like the mirrors which catch the glimpses of the whole nation.

In economic terms, Nepal may be a poverty-stricken country, but in the front of arts, culture and traditions, there are reasons for Nepal to be proud of her cultural heritage, ancient arts and architecture.

All the countries of the world have their own cultural holidays. Well, Christmas is the most important holiday in the Christian world. Even in the former Soviet Union, the people privately celebrated the Christmas because Christmas was prohibited in the former communist superpower in those days.

I knew and heard about the Christmas still when I was a high school kid in Kathmandu. But I must admit that I came to know about North American holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving Day only when I listened to the song "I just called to say I love you."  The album entitled "The Woman in Red"  by Academy Award winning singer Stevie Wonder was released in 1984. At that time, I was still in Minsk, the capital of Soviet Belarus and we used to listen to Steve's wonderful and melodious songs again and again on our turntable.

Here in the US, we celebrate Mohani Nakha, Swanti Nakha, Nepal Sambat new year and other holidays of Nepal. Similarly, we also celebrate Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas as well in our own way.

Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States and in Canada. Thanksgiving is the second biggest traditional and cultural holiday of the Americans after the Christmas.  Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November, but majority of Americans take a day of vacation on the following Friday to make a four-day weekend, during which they may travel long distances to visit their nearest and dearest. In fact, Thanksgiving dates back to 1621, the year after the Puritans arrived in Massachusetts, determined to practice their dissenting religion without interference and the indigenous Indians taught them how to grow corns and other harvests.

Thanksgiving dinner almost always includes some of the foods like: roast turkey, cranberry sauce, potatoes and pumpkin pie. Before the meal begins, families or friends usually pause to express gratitude for their blessings, including the joy of being united for the occasion.

Halloween is celebrated on October 31 of every year. American kids dress up in funny or scary costumes and go "trick or treating" knocking on doors in their neighborhood. The neighbours are expected to respond by giving away children small gifts of candy or money. Adults may also be attired in funny and dramatic costumes for Halloween parties.

(Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in America)

Non-resident Citizenship: That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

Dr Rabin Man Shakya

State Education Director, NRN-NCC-USA Oregon Chapter

It is true that Nepal is in the constitutional crisis today. Whatever  trouble and agony the Nepalese  people are bearing today is mainly because of the stupidity and stubbornness of the ruling parties as well as the Terai Madhesi parties.

But one of the remarkable aspects of the new constitution of Nepal is related to a provision that grants non-residential citizenship to the non-residential Nepalese living across the world.

The new constitution of Nepal has included a provision to grant citizenship without political rights to NRNs who hold citizenship of countries other than SAARC nations. As per the constitutional provision, NRNs holding such citizenship will be ensured economic, social and cultural rights in Nepal.

This means that the NRNs can purchase and sell properties or engage in business activities in Nepal. Article 19 of part 2 of the new Constitution of Nepal dealing with citizenship states that NRNs holding citizenship of foreign countries excluding SAARC nations can be granted non-resident citizenship that will make them eligible to exercise economic, social and cultural rights as per Nepal's law.

However, there should not be any confusion that non-resident citizenship guaranteed by the new constitution of Nepal is not a dual citizenship. It is just partial dual citizenship.

Anyway, the provision of non-resident citizenship in our new constitution is a fait accompli. That means for the time being, at least, there is no option for NRNs except to accept it because that is the practical and real situation that the NRNs can not change right away. But NRNA should always be effortful in pressing the government and the parliament for the full dual citizenship in future.

More than 70 nations across the world including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan already have implemented the provision of dual citizenship with none or minimal exceptional prohibitions.

Just twenty years ago, we could not have thought about the non-residential
 Nepalese living across the world. Going to America, Canada, Britain Australia and so on  and settle down in those countries is something most Nepalese could not have imagined back then. I myself spent 10 years in the former Soviet Union doing my Masters and Ph D in Journalism. Back then, even going abroad for studying was considered a very big privilege.  Today going anywhere in the world is not a very big deal. I never imagined back then that I would end up settling in the US.

Globalization and global migration are taking place very rapidly. Millions of Nepalese have migrated to other countries in search of jobs and better opportunities owing to dismal economic scenario in Nepal.

In fact, as a result of globalization and global migration, it will be hard to find a country where a Nepali has not reached today.

Thousands of enterprising, educated and professional Nepalese have sought opportunities abroad. The new wave underscores the evolving nature of globalization. However, no matter, where they go or settle, a Nepali always remains a Nepali.

There is no doubt that NRNA should be  the common platform of the Nepalese people living abroad. It should champion the common cause  and interest of the Nepalese living abroad, not just the interest of the nouveau riche, entrepreneurs and technical experts.

Today,  Nepalese diaspora living abroad have some kind of impact and influence on the entire rural and urban lives of Nepal. In fact, non-resident Nepalese have become a house-hold word in Nepal.

There is no doubt that NRNA should not be a political platform and  NRNs should not be contracted by viruses of political maneuvers and bickering. But it goes without saying that there should always be cordial and harmonious relations between the state and the NRNA. At the same time, the state must play a pro-active role to facilitate and encourage the NRNs to create create jobs and augment the national economy.

It is to be noted that the seventh international convention of NRNA was held Oct 14-17, 2015 in Kathmandu in which 1127 NRN representatives from across 52 countries of the world had taken part.


*Also please read my article "NRNA and the issue of Dual Citizenship" published in the month of January, 2015.

Blockade: A Tug of War Between Govt and Madheshi Parties

Rabin Man Shakya
Former Lecturer of Journalism, Peoples Campus,  RR Campus.

Warning that millions of Nepalese children are at risk because of the blockade, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has cautioned that the blockade has led to severe shortages of fuel, medicine and essential goods.  UNICEF was quoted as saying in the media reports that " the ongoing blockade of Nepal's border with India, which has now stretched for months and created shortages of essential goods like fuel, food and medicines,  may soon put millions of infants at risk of disease or even death."

It is so nice and overwhelming to know that even an international organization like UNICEF has spoken out about the serious consequences of the blockade. The UNICEF went on to stress that "the lack of essential medicines and vaccines, as well as the onset of winter as Nepal continues to recover from last year's devastating earthquake, will adversely affect over three million children under the age of five."

Although the independent, common Nepalese people have been emphasizing on the need for building consensus among both the mainstream political parties and the Madhesi parties to give an outlet to the ongoing blockade impasse, the stalwarts of both the mainstream parties as well as the Madhesi parties are embroiled in a tug of war for fulfilling their vested interests.

As a result, the common Nepalese people are caught in the crossfire in the raging battle between the government and mainstream parties on the one hand and Madhesi parties supported by the South Block on the other hand. It is to be noted that the political elites of both the mainstream parties as well as the Madhesi parties have not been affected by the blockade.

Nevertheless, the issue of the blockade has created polarization and trivial politicization in the Nepalese political spectrum in which the political elites from both the mainstream parties as well as Madhesi parties  are divided in their views and attitude about the blockade. It is obvious that the government should not fight or confront or challenge the Madhesi parties, the government should be able to bring the agitating Madhesis to the negotiating table and be able to address their issues in a rational manner, otherwise the country may plunge into an abyss of unending trouble and violence.

Both sides (the govt and mainstream political parties as well as the Madhesi parties) are equally stubborn and adamant  about their vested interest. Until and unless both sides are willing to sacrifice something for the cause of the common people and come to a compromise, there is no solution to the ongoing impasse. The need of the hour is: both sides should be able to be flexible.

There have been many rounds of talks between the government and Madhesis in the past but there still is no signs of breakthrough very soon. The reluctance of the government, mainstream parties as well as that of the Madhesi parties to move ahead with some flexible and mutually-acceptable steps have raised genuine questions about their vested interest, about their unnecessary intransigence and stubbornness. This shows that neither the government and mainstream parties  nor the Madhesi parties do give a damn about the common Nepalese people.

The political, social and economic situation is very critical and vulnerable in Nepal. The gauntlet thrown to the Nepalese people by the Indian trade blockade is unprecedented.