Caritas Nepal, the caretaker of Bhutanese refugee education, has set out to distribute school uniforms to all school students in camps. The distribution of the school uniforms is supported by UNHCR and the European Commission.
Father PS Amalraj distributes uniforms to school students of Marygold Academy. Photo: Tilak Niroula/BNS
Father PS Amalraj, the Field Director of Caritas Office in Damak, gave away the uniforms to school students of Marygold Academy today at a function organized by the school.
Speaking at the program, Father Amalraj told the students and staff that all 10,222 students from pre-primary to grade ten would get the uniforms with a stitching charge of 200 rupees each. “The uniforms are worth 62, 37,000 rupees”, he added.
Following distribution in Mary Gold Academy, the Caritas said it has planned to move to Tri-Ratna Secondary Cchool (TRSS), Green Vale Academy (GVA), New Horizon Academy (NHA) and Pancha-oti English School(PES).
D. B Subba, the Camp Secretary of Beldangi expressed his gratitude to the funding sources, EU and UNHCR, for their support to provide school uniforms. He also anticipated that such support system would prevail until the camps remain in Nepal.
One parent, Sabitra Giri, expressed happiness on receiving the uniforms. She said, “My child received the uniform after many years and it happened when the festival, Dashain, is just approaching”.
Integration into a new land and strange system of civic life is certainly a challenging choice to make. Immigration to US is definitely not simply a dream to keep but also a complex conundrum of hopes, despair, frustration and even nostalgic vividness. Yet, for refugees, it is a choice often not determined by themselves, rather an enticed culmination of reluctant hope.
Bhutanese refugees have been making progress in US and they are, in general, considered to be hard working for the labor market of US.
Meantime, there are community organizations in almost all states, trying to help the resettling Bhutanese in understanding the resettlement process and the daily life in US, making people self-sufficient.
Hari P Niroula and Dewaki Subedi, among those community workers, had a chance to attend the fifth national immigration conference in Baltimore, MD.
Hari took a paid leave from his employer to attend the conference all the way from Washington to Maryland. The conference met September 22 to September 25.
The conference opened up with tribal and Indian cultural show, having chief guest as Lieutenant governor of Maryland, Anthony Brown.
The conference delegates
The conference speakers mainly tried to put emphasis on the role of community organization network to help integrate the new comers.
The break- out sessions on third day of the conference discussed about the value of refugee experience for smooth integration, the understanding of citizenship laws and civil rights in US, citizenship classes for refugees-to-be –citizens, consideration of the anti-refugee sentiments among the native Americans etc.
On the fourth day, the topic was Civil Rights. Tom Pervez, Assistant attorney general spoke about defending the civil rights by federal government.
Hari Niroula who works with case management of multiple families of Bhutanese community hopes to share the ideas he gathered in the conference, and he is confident about the usefulness of those discussions.
While Bhutanese refugees have a long way to go for the successful integration, such conferences are of paramount importance to foster a better understanding on resettlement issues for community volunteers and case managers like Hari Niroula.
The Bhutanese Community of New Hampshire (BCNH) organized a cultural event at Derrifield School, Saturday.
Guests present in the program. Photo courtesy: Rajesh Koirala
Dozens of resettled Bhutanese, artists and their Nepalese well-wishers attended the function, the organizer said.
Singers including Jagadish Samal, Kanchi Maya Subba, Amber Subba and Arjun Rashaily among others echoed the function with their favorite songs. A variety of cultural dances, songs and speeches were other highlights of the event, informed organizer.
Executive Director of BCNH, Tika Acharya, also honored various community volunteers during the program.
While, BCNH Board Chair, Bhagirath Khatiwada, explained importance of such events in America, as he stated it was the responsibility of every citizen to preserve and promote the individual’s culture and traditions.
According to the organizers, over 500 Bhutanese, Indians, Nepalis and Americans attended the program managed by Bhutanese youths of NH by Rohit Subedi, Bhola Pathak, Manju khadka, and Dixya Mishra.
One of the senior professors of Kathmandu-based Tribhuvan University (TU) has ruled out existence of any signs of democracy in Bhutan.
Professor Bhattarai
Professor Dr Govinda Raj Bhattarai, who had also taught Nepali language for a few years in Bhutan in early 1970s, expressed that “the country may have peace, but it lacks democracy”.
“There are no any signs of democracy in Bhutan. The citizens lack right to practice their own religion. The media have not become independent,” Prof. Bhattarai told Bhutan News Service during an exclusive interview with him by journalist Binod Dhungel.
According to him, Bhutan has always curtailed people from enjoying their right to speech and expression.
“The citizens are compelled to accept the fake democratic practices which have been totally imposed by the state authority,” he added, expressing some hopes for true changes in long-run.
He further said, “I am optimistic that true democratic practices would prevail in the kingdom. But, they won’t appear immediately. I fear that citizens’ sufferings may continue for a longtime.”
In another context, Prof. Bhattarai blamed exiled leaders of lacking sincerity and dedication towards the ongoing democratic struggle in Bhutan, saying it was their mistake to opt resettlement in the west.
However, he expressed his hope that the Bhutanese diaspora would keep on pressing the regime through various means and mechanisms.
Prof. Bhattarai is the author of famous Nepali novel ‘Muglan’ that he had written at the age of 21 in 1974. Its English translation has recently appeared in the Nepalese book market.
The Muglan features pathetic lives of lead characters duo (Sutar Kancha and Thule), who are tricked into working for a local contractor believing that he would get them enrolled in the British Army. However, they find themselves as road workers constructing a road from Paro to Haa, where they work for some years in appalling conditions before they decide to run away.
The novel has clearly depicted sufferings of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese and their contributions in bringing Bhutan to the present stage.
म्यानचेस्टर – अमेरिकाको न्यु ह्याम्सर राज्यमा बस्ने भूटानी समुदायले शनिबार स्थानीय डेरीफिल्ड स्कूलमा ‘भूट्नीज युफोरिक नाइट’ नामक सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रम गरेको छ । कार्यक्रम बेलुका ५:३० मा सुरू भएर १० बजेतिर सकिएको थियो ।
कार्यक्रममा उपस्थित अतिथिहरु
भूटनीज कम्युनिटी अफ न्यु ह्याम्सर (बिसिएनएच) को वार्षिक कार्यक्रमका रूपमा आयोजित उक्त कार्यक्रममा नृत्य, गीत, कविता, संगीत आदि प्रस्तुत गरिएको थियो । कार्यक्रममा राज्यका विभिन्न शहरका साथै अन्य राज्यबाट आएका कलाकारहरूले आफ्नो कला देखाएका थिए ।
कार्यक्रममा भूटानी समुदायलाई मद्दत गर्ने संस्था, व्यक्तिहरू सम्मानित गरिए । सम्मानित हुनेमा भूटानी समुदायकै वीरेन नेपाल, विष्णु निरौला, श्याम गौतम थिए । संस्थाहरूमा लुथरन सोसल सर्भिसेज अफ न्यु इंगल्याण्ड र इन्टरनेसनल इन्स्टिच्युट रहे । त्यसैगरी सम्मानित हुने व्यक्तिहरू सिस्टर आइरिन, मार्गरेट पेगी, बिल गिलेट, जुडिथ, क्यारोल ह्यारिस, बिल ह्यारिस, जेसिका स्यान्टोस, डग हल र राजेश कोइराला थिए । असारमा आयोजित भानुजयन्तीको कविता प्रतियोगिताका प्रथम शिवलाल अधिकारी सम्मानित भएका थिए ।
अमेरिकी सरकारले गत जून १८ सम्म यो उत्तर-पूर्वी राज्य न्यु ह्याम्सरमा १ हजार ७ सय ३१ जना भूटानी शरणार्थीलाई पुनर्स्थापना गराइसकेको छ । अमेरिकाभर भूटानी शरणार्थीको संख्या ६० हजार कटिसकेको छ ।
September 22 and 23 evenings in two different cities in the USA were completely nostalgic with some entertaining flavor for the resettled folks as the much-awaited movie Suruwaat was screened there. Produced by Organization for Bhutanese Community in America (OBCA), the movie was brought to Syracuse (New York) on the 22 by the Bhutanese Community of Syracuse (BCS) and to Aurora (Colorado) on the next day with the joint effort of the youths and other community members of that city. Suruwaat will be screened in Concord (New Hampshire) in between Dasain and Tihar.
Following its premier show in Phoenix, Arizona in June this year, OBCA has been coordinating with local Bhutanese Communities for the screening of Suruwaat – Ek Naya Jeevan, the first broad-screen movie produced by resettled Bhutanese.
The first community screening was done in Salt Lake (Utah) followed by other shows in Charlotte (North Carolina), Akron (Ohio) and Spring Field (Massachusetts).
The movie Directed by Santosh Ramdam and Buddha Khaling, the film produced with investment of around US $60,000 has a run time of 116 minutes.
The film poster
The movie, which basically highlights life after resettlement in America drawing enough parallels of refugee camps and nostalgic sentiments of homeland Bhutan, features Bhanu Tiwari, Bhuwan Ranpal and Revica Shankar in lead roles.
The characters and artists involved in the movie are all resettled Bhutanese, according to Bhanu Tiwari.
The movie has also featured beautiful places like Georgia, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago and New York City.
Synopsis
Movie
Suruwaat
Directed by
Santosh Ramdam/Buddha Khaling
Cinematography
Himgyap Tashi/Arjun Subedi
Action
Binod Magar
Legal Advisor
Susan Pavlin
Music Direction
Mahesh Thulung
Choreography
Deepak Gajmer
Lead Cast
Bhanu Tiwari/Bhuwan Ranpal/Revica Shankar
Management
Toya Nepal/Chandra Bajgai
Story Suruwaat features story of a resettled girl in the U.S.A. Juna (Revica Shankar) begins her new life from an entry-level job. Surprisingly, her lifestyle changes as she starts spending enough time in restaurants before she develops an affair with a guy from Nepal, Bhuwan (Bhuwan Ranpal) who has been in America for years and has a decent living with economic stability.
In the meantime, her longtime boyfriend Dev (Bhanu Tiwari) gets resettled from the refugee camp months after her entry in the U.S. While in the camp, the lovebirds have promised to spend rest of their lives together in America. The boy becomes frustrated after knowing that her girlfriend has dumped him to marry a Nepali fellow. The frustrations on him continue to rise up eventually making him decide to return to Nepal with an aim of readopting his camp life.
At the climax, one of his close friends stops him from boarding the plane assuring his full support in convincing his girlfriend for re-union. What happens next is left to the audience to watch and find out.
In general, 40 percent of the movie features life after resettlement, and the remaining part features the camp lives, Bhutanese issues and other aspects of the Bhutanese folks in a deeper sense.
Responses Over all comments of the people who have watched the premiere show in Arizona until the movie night in Colorado seem positive.
“I like the movie as it has the real story (of elderly v/s youngsters) depicted”, says Dhana Pati Poudel, who watched the movie in Syracuse. However, he seems unsure if the younger folks would love the movie.
Surprisingly, for the young guys like Pashupati Neupaney, the movie has been interesting because of its lively music.
“Aakasai Maa Cheel Hoki Besara has added a life to the movie”, notes Mr. Neupaney with conclusion that the song seems appropriate in context of the picnic scene.
According to Bhuwan Ranapal who watched the movie along with the audiences in Colorado, majority of people seemed enjoying it.
Strength & Weakness The debutants like Bhanu Tiwari, Revika Shankar and Bhuwan Ranpal have done maximum justice to their roles. Their acting skills, at certain times, seem to be surpassing even the established artists.
The audiences have loved Mahesh Thulung’s music. Santosh Ramdam, who has already directed two movies, has done a better job.
However, many have been disheartened because of the movie’s weak presentation, less impressive cinematography and unattractive fight scenes.
Specifically, Suruwaat has vividly revealed western-style transformations among youngsters and children, compelling aged-ones to lead frustrating lives.
The feeling of ignorance towards parents, fear of isolation among senior citizens, and unhealthy changes on youngsters among others have been well reflected in the movie, besides featuring cultural and religious aspects.
The movie has depicted the whole story without confusing audiences. However, you would definitely feel that some of why’s and how’s have remained unanswered throughout the movie.
Vidhyapati Mishra from Kathmandu contributed to this story.
Bhutan is to inaugurate its third domestic airport in Gelephu next month.
Drukair Plane
Two more airports in Bumthang and Trashigang will be relaunched next month, the Kuensel reported.
The airports would be serviced by national carrier Drukair, which also operates its only international flights from Paro, the gateway to the mystical Buddhist nation that is seeking to keep a fine balance between modernisation and tradition.
With a population of just over 650,000, Bhutan is bordered to the south, east and west by India and to the north by China. India is its main trade partner.
Namgay Wangchuk, general manager of Drukair, said the airline had earlier suspended flights to these destinations due to repair work.
The laying of a concrete layer on to the 1.2-km Batpalathang, Bumthang runway was delayed after a bridge in Trongsa was damaged and construction materials had to be rerouted. Work at the Yonphula, Trashigang airport was delayed due to bad weather. A patchwork on a 600 metre stretch of the 1,300 metre runway is being carried out, according to the Kuensel report.
Drukair now operates flights, besides India, to Nepal and Thailand and is also starting flights to Singapore from Paro, which is about an hour’s drive from capital Thimphu.
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Narayan Kaji Shrestha, has expressed that Bhutan must amicably resolve the longstanding refugee imbroglio by accepting those refugees who have declined to resettle in the west.
Narayan Kaji Shrestha
DPM Shrestha, who pledged to hold serious parleys with Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley on the sideline of the 67th UN General Assembly session underway in New York, reiterated Nepal’s desire to convince Bhutan to accept its exiled citizens back home.
Prior to his departure to New York Saturday, DPM Shrestha told mediapersons in Kathmandu that he would make a request with Bhutan to help amicably resolve the issue of the Bhutanese refugees.
“I will make a request with Bhutan to help amicably resolve the issue of Bhutanese refugees,” Shrestha told Republica, an English daily published from the Nepalese capital.
DPM Shrestha mentioned that around 14,000 refugees have declined third-country resettlements, demanding that they be repatriated to Bhutan with dignity.
“The bilateral relation that has a huge prospect is now at a standstill situation due to longstanding refugee problem. This needs to be resolved amicably,” he said.
Bhutan is scheduled to make official request to Nepal to support its bid for non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) during the meeting.
Nepal is likely to positively respond to Bhutan’s request if Bhutanese side agrees to help resolve the protracted refugee problem that has remained the only irritating factor between the relation of the two countries, sources said.
Addressing the 67th UN General Assembly in New York, Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley said the world’s economic, social, ecological and political problems were interconnected and rooted in the “folly of mankind’s pursuit of the wrong ends in wrongful ways”.
Prime Minister Thinley
The Secretary-General had sounded the alarm about the international community’s direction as a human family, but he had also pointed to moments that projected hope, said the Prime Minister.
“One such moment had been when it had resolved that it was time to accept human well-being and happiness as a developmental goal binding all of humanity with a common vision and pursuit, and that it should bring about a holistic, sustainable and inclusive approach to development,” added he.
According to him, the resolution had prompted Bhutan to host a high-level United Nations meeting on well-being and happiness, and the General Assembly had later declared 20 March as the annual International Day of Happiness.
The agreement to develop Sustainable Development Goals was a substantive outcome of the Rio+20 Conference, consistent with the Assembly resolution and Bhutan’s efforts, he said.
His claim was that Bhutan hoped to actively participate in that work and saw it as evidence of the growing convergence on the understanding that the world must break from the past and agree on a collective vision.
He further said, “Bhutan had initiated several steps in the same direction in line with the 2 April high-level meeting on well-being and happiness.”
Thinley also announced that In July, the King had set up an international expert working group comprising more than 50 “thought” leaders to shed light on the proposed development paradigm in the coming two years.
“Their work would be made available during the Assembly sessions in 2013 and 2014. The King had also appointed a national steering committee to guide and support that process. The working group’s findings would contribute to the high-level panel’s efforts,” added he.
For the first time, he also sought non-permanent membership in the Council, for the 2013-2014 period.
All States, regardless of size, population and level of development, must be given the opportunity to contribute by bringing diversity of thought, approach and their will to work on the Council, PM Thinley told the UN assembly.
Marhta Ham, 51, a Canadian volunteer teacher working in Dungtse Middle Secondary school in Phogmey, Trashingang died in Monger regional hospital on September 20. The school is mourning the death of this dedicated volunteer from the other side of earth.
Prayer flags.
According to the school Principal, Martha had taken a medical leave to go for health checkup in Trashigang Hospital, 37km away from Phongmey School. “She was suffering from cough and cold for a long time”, said the principal. She was teaching in the school for nine months.
Although she was referred to the Monger Hospital, the disease she contracted medically known as septicemia and multi-organ failure caused her death, according to the doctors in Monger hospital. Much to despair, the response from health and education ministry mobilizing a chopper to airlift her to Thimphu has simply gone with the wind because of the foggy and rainy weather.
Martha was teaching in Bhutan under the exchange program of Bhutan Canada Foundation, a charitable organization to help the Bhutanese students and other charitable works. She was a graduate of Bishop’s university where she completed BA, ESL certificate and recently M.Ed. She also had taught English to Tibetan refugees in Dharmasala in 2000.
Martha Ham was cremated in Trashigang on September 21 with the consent of her family in Canada.
