Ganatantra Diwas 2070 / Republican day Nepal May 29 2014

Nepal was added as the latest edition in the Federal Republican list. For most of the citizens they barely know what a republican day stands for, in-fact most of the people celebrate this day as a national holiday to dose off from their daily work and pressure.   
But on real grounds Nepal being declared a Federal Republic has no meaning to its existence. We neither practice the meaning nor do we have the legal rights. In any democratic system, people are considered the optimal power point, but here in Nepal the practice has been opposite.

People have been said to be the focusing point, but they have not been given the power. Their power have been taken away by their so called political leaders. These political leaders in absence of a political culture are practicing nepotism, corruption, manipulation, favoritism, criminalization etc. in the name of politics and public. The real meaning of federalism or republican means giving public the ultimate power to rights and justice of rule of law.

Looking back at present situation it has already been 6 years, since Nepal started its journey towards a new system, but still after six long years and billions of rupees being invested. We have not even been able to get our constitution. The constitution making process proves to be a joke that ridiculously appears as a cartoon or a discussion of illogical ideas with no ending  that has no meaning?

What’s the use when we elect and send these political leaders to make constitution and they are not even capable of making one?           

The country where the people or public have no voice and where the political leaders are the superior power there is #nodemocracy . It is just a formality of so called hypocrisy.....
In real democracy people have absolute power or mandate to choose and not being imposed......... 
Happy #ganatrantradiwas

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World Heritage site being ignored

During the ending of  every fiscal year places are ripped off just for the sake and in the name of maintenance. In the name of emptying the remaining budget, construction  takes its peak. The metropolitan city and its management are something that is more political than public oriented.    

Apart from that in the absence of proper traffic management the world heritage site suffers traffic congestion, and parking problem.

 

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Modi makes it clear Nepal and India relationship will flourish in BJP's regime

India is buzzing with the General Election 2014 and with the trauma of results the Indian Congress Party has no option except to keep silence and to resign from the respected post on moral ground where the practice has been well seen and felt. Yes, The Bharatiya Janta Party(BJP) has nailed the Indian General Election of 2014 held to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha, electing members of the  543 parliamentary constituencies of India. It has been tagged the world’s longest election running in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014.
According to the Election Commission of India, around 814.5 million people were  eligible for voting where the voter population increased by  100 million since the last general election in 2009.

Perhaps the concerning issue now for Nepal is, in view of making the present government the Preponed Nepal election of 2013 now stand with a question mark of what is called an identity crisis. As far as the Nepal Election is concerned,  the then Khil Raj’s Government was pressured and hugely supported by the then Congress Allianced Indian Government to force the election of the Constituent Assembly (CA) prior the Indian General Election 2014. Now the question is what kinds of effects will it have on the diplomatic relationship and foreign affairs. Will it be treated valid and considered diplomatically correct or will  the BJP lead government try to infiltrate the political alliance government to re-election in Nepal?

Or what kind of role will the  BJP government try to play in the ever changing political scenario of Nepal?

Though, the Nepali political leaders are very optimistic and assured about the  situation, but with the ever changing vulnerable political situation things do not look and sound good.

On one hand political gurus are expecting a huge shift in political power sharing mechanisms whereas on the other BJP has been solely supporting the ideology of Hinduism, Speculating that there are chances of king gaining power can be yet another possibility.

Modi has already declared that Indo Nepal friendship will further flourish in BJP’s regime and he has personally announced to visit Nepal first after his official take over in the government. Nepal’s political leaders do not sound reluctant about BJP winning the election, but  like said political leaders breed on diplomacy and foreign affair that is more diplomatic and  flexible. So lets cross our fingers and wait for things to for the best.  

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Content is not the king SEO is the KING

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As we all know these days Social media and micro blogging sites are getting popular and with that technology and people's perception is also changing.  The bulky text or content which used to flower the online pages has been replaced by crispy text, info graphics, videos and images. The website that use to be full of content and keywords have been transformed into responsive designs with retina display and one page layout highlighting the theme of engagement, reach and immediate conversion. Focusing the new designs,  conversion is the main Mantra. 

It's like people have less time to read, they want information at instance and they want it in graphics than long exaggerating content. By saying this I am not trying to demean the importance of CONTENT but to a level in this world of fast technology people are more grasping the mobile integration and technology in their life business and everywhere.

From smart houses to TVs to smart phones everything is getting smart, even the online website and its content has been tweaked to become more recursive and innovative in every aspect of its navigation and use.

It is a simple formula in the race of survival that if you are not available in mobile then you are nowhere. Your visibility is less and has no meaning if you cannot meet your competition.

Even big companies and brand have made it compulsory to market themselves  adopting new trends like why would news websites like BBC and CNN need social networking sites. In fact reality is in their prime time they pause to say check out faceboook link  and likes in our page.

Perhaps, why would  big brands like Coca Cola or Pepsi need to make a website or join social media, but they have felt the need and presence to be present online because it matter for their brand and marketing name. They want to be present in every aspect of showing their brand value online.

So whether its  Panda or  penguin or humming bird algorithm the concept of todays Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is to make your website more informative, qualitative and  more responsive towards the users. Making a fake website or stuffing keywords, or having too many outbound links or referral link is not going to make any difference. What matters is the value of information that is understandable and for that it has no criteria. The trend and presentation might change exploring  the trend of technology and people’s mindset, but the core value will remain the same.
-Simplicity
- Value of information
-User navigation
-Accessibility
-Presentation

It's not about the level or quantity of CONTENT but its about the value and how people are reacting to the presentation. Google algorithm has been changing it's evaluating mechanism, making drastic changes from having a limitation of keywords to proportion of graphic used for outbound links to the use of geo tags to cross linking of social media etc. It has been live examples of how Google is trying to adjust and adapt. Similarly, with all these  changes, what we must understand is with any content or any portal the main thing that matters is originality and presentation.

With globalization and different algorithm, your website is on the verge of constantly being monitored and evaluated by the Google crawlers that checks and updates the cache memory. These memories are stored as tiny bits of data that Google keeps checking and indexing every now and then. The google indexing is not just a scanning process, but it also uses it to cross verify and evaluate the information.

If the Google finds more difference in its crawling caches and indexed files than it directs the website link to various google webmasters as errors. if the errors are not rectified then  it directs the web-links to  Google sandbox that literally shows no visibility and reference no matter how popular your website or blog is.

So one must be very careful about the layout of  information and about changing patterns of design that we all try to do. Google evaluates a website not by its graphical  assortment it evaluates a website by its technical easiness of user navigation, user choices and clicks and genuine traffic and its sources.

Just by giving good design and qualitative content it's not enough, you need to optimize your website according to certain standard with a definite strategy and keywords. Every page needs to be targeted by demographics and optimized.

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Nepal Investment Bank one of the most insensitive and very very sad services

I had my first bank account opened in  Investment Bank Pvt, LTD in early 2000. I think it was my first bank account but I still recall the bad services and amount of money that I paid in return  and lack of customer care that was there. Specially in the Putalisadak the customer was seriously bad if you ask them what to do they would shout back gone are those days (10 years back), I even fought with one of the customer care officer when she behaved and complained it to the manager once. Though things have changed and its was ages back but that reputation still precedes me in the fade memories, so I never recommend NIBL to any of my clients and offices.

In fact you would be surprised that I have paid more money to the bank than the bank has paid interest to me. It is so true due to the low balance charges, I have paid the bank many times in the past for having a low balance. Thank god the central bank abolished the system and now people are saved but still every year they do have their ways of taking money from the public in the name of service where they provide limitation in the name of customer care and long lines.

I think NIBL still has miles to go where they have to improve at individual level where they have less focus but one thing that they need to understand you never know who that client is and how that client might be doing marketing on their behalf.

Every year they Charge VISA Card
1. VISA card year 400 New
2. VISA renewal Nrs 250


Now if you look at their VISA card, it is  one of the worst. Every time I issue a new one it breaks from the same place. The quality of the VISA card is so thin  and sad that it is very very weak and sad quality. I think they purposely keep the quality low so that they would be able to issue more cards.

It is one of the lowest grade VISA cards, I do not why they have ranked this bank one of the top most banks in Nepal. Even at ground level the normal clients and customers have to wait for long ques for general services.

With all the dissatisfaction and pain I finally decided to close the account so I went and inquired about the process, I seriously wanted to give away my account. I was asked to fill a closing  requisition form and was informed that for closing an account  they would charge me NRS 500. I was like what the F@@@@@@

Then another girl from the bank gave me a smart solution why don't you opt for the 1 rupee account where changing the account had a nominal cost of Nrs 300 and i would just have to maintain the 1 rupee in the account so i change my account type and I am happy.
 

 

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Talk of Ktown: I am a tax payer and I need my security

Kathmandu city is stunned with Akshya Kumar. The so called press is following him everywhere, making him a hero in the front page of newspapers to social media’s Newsfeed, he is everywhere. Going through the pictures, I noticed something that really surprised me. In one of the pictures he is walking around with plenty of police personnel as security.    What the hell?

In this country, I am a legal public tax payer and pay my taxes on time with 5 digit figures every year and I don’t get any security and bloody a foreigner who is not even a taxpayer gets dozen of security personnel.

 What kind of policy is this?

If I go to a police station and launch a complain then they will not even register it, they will first ask to investigate and only after that looking at the severity they will decide whether to launch FIR or not. Whereas in normal practice once a person goes to a police station, it is the first duty of the police personnel to launch and register the complain but in Nepal that’s not the case. I think this is the reason why Nepal police has a high crime resolving rate because they fail to register or address most of the cases that comes to them either they suppress it or ignore it.



You need status and authority, even for registering a case. If it’s a so call hi-fi VIP then it will be done by instance, but for the local normal public they would have to WAIT…………………
We need to change this in the system. It has to change, police is there for the public not to discriminate, we have to make people understand that tax payers  need the respect that they deserve and the top on the list are the civil servant who ignore and neglect the tax payers. They have to know this, that taxpayers are their high priority  and they have to be  abide by the law.


Just think how sad this is"There is no rights to justice when you are vulnerable, you have to strive and that is what is wrong"  

STOP BEING VULNERABLE....................... 

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FNJ is back with its political swing for its election

Once again the social media are in full swing use with the promotional advertisements of election for the candidacy of the executive committee of the Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ). Different social networking sites are bombarded with election materials and information about the affiliation of political parties for the individual candidacy promotional purpose.

The FNJ is the mother organization  of all the journalists all over Nepal but due to its political influences and bad reputation, the FNJ has been labeled a political influenced organization.
 
Time and again the election of FNJ and its candidates have been questioned with the  association of various political organizations, but with the growing trade unions and political parties playing a major role in the economy, Nepal journalism has been controversially influenced at its core level.

So labelling Nepal's Journalism accuracy on the basis of political influence, Nepal has no standing grounds.

On one hand the direct involvement of the memebrs of FNJ in political organization directly questions the relevancy of the check and counter mechanism in and against the political organization where as on the other, how can a political influenced organization be a federation of all journalists that has no morale and ethics.  

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Social Media Buzz and dumb reality: social media myths

These days there is a buzz of social media. From the top notch brands to the local in house shop everybody is going global with opening their social media pages, blogs and experimenting and spending their time, money and resources on heft program without knowing their purpose and interest. It's like the trend of the 21st century that has ignited the fire and passion of social media fashion.

One thing that really amazes me are the so called big names in the game. These so called digital strategist or gurus have been harvesting the social media with millions of dollars in the name of so called social media resources selling and opining their expertise in increasing of the reach, interaction and conversion.

Now, I have few questions about such so called self proclaimed social media strategists and gurus who run hundreds of classes online or sell materials online in the name of running 100% successful program. What guarantee do they give nothing? Then what do they sell?

 They sell dreams and hopes that are more lucrative than anything and target their clients.

 I am surprised how dumb can we be. The internet is a powerful tool just do a research and you will have everything than following some American or Australian  running a so called marketing program that cost hundred of Dollars. They are not the official representative of Google or Facebook or Twitter or Youtube or Linkedin. You can easily do a research about some topic in google or any other search engine and get desired results to get their answers.

Like what are ways of interacting with people on facebook or how to tighten your privacy or how to make your profile more appealing in social media.

For instance Facebook runs its own marketing page where it updates its users about its recent developments and security issue. Similarly, other social media send updates via emails and newsletters about their new changes and updates, then why are people so dumb in spending hundred of USD for something that is already there.

I have seen big corporate following big names in the game just for the sake of it. It's just common sense. You need to be yourself and need to be honest.To some extent, this new trend of social media craze is giving more priority towards SPAMMING. People specially corporate are going viral with making videos, blogs and newsletters and sharing it uselessly and unwantedly. On one hand, you are wasting your  time, money and resources where as on the other hand, you are wasting others time doing spamming. The thing is with your social media you are already discoverable on the different social media channels with the variables of factors of Search Engine Optimization(SEO) to info-graphics if you have quality content then you just to tweak it and you are visible.

One thing that I can predict and say is social media has driven the 21st  century to the crazy of doing everything differently where the consequences are very open, but using the logic, we fail to realize and adapt the alteration of its impact in both our society and human behavior.

Social media Myths 

1. Big number of likes make you or your company famous and popular

2. Being present in all social media is a symbol of social status

3. Following big names help you increase your popularity

4. There is no hard and fast rule on Social media, it depends upon the company and its set of experiment that it tries

5. Using and following technique has no result than wasting your time, value and money

Social Media rules 1. Be honest

2. Have limited number, but quality people as your audience

3. Good information is more useful than bulk of rubbish information

4. Communication is important, but useless and unwanted communication in the name of SPAMMING is wrong

5. Creating fake information is more harmful than anything

6. Always be attentive about your audience

7. Core values of society Human values to be precise helps you to connect

The reality is social media is just a platform of interaction that can facilitate in flowing the information. One thing we all should understand is following other is good but following other blinding is completely wrong.It's part of storytelling where you can be a leader or a follower or an addict  the choice is yours, but trying to someone that you are not can create problems in the long run which needs to be understood.        

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Manakamana Temple in need of support

How does it sound when you go to a temple and you hear people asking money?
It is ridiculous the way people were asking for money at the Temple of Manakamana. I think in Nepal Manakama is one of the expensive temples that has a  nominal cost of Nrs 2000( USD 25)  and above for its  per person cost.

Total Cost Overhead Segregation ___________________________
Transportation:       300
Food:                    500
Cable car:              575
Other expenses:     625
____________________
Total                    2000

The most surprising fact is being one of the most popular temples of Nepal, it  has no money for its repair. If you look at the turnover of the temple then you would be amazed how many people are earning  in the name of goddess Manakamana and they contribute nothing.

The Manakamana Cable Car receives around 10,000 a day on Saturdays, the cable car runs round the clock from morning 7 am to evening 7 pm without stopping.

So my question is with such income generation, how could the temple be NIL with no revenue that the management committee was asking  for money with the public.

The thing that intrigued me was people who contributed  money their names were being voiced out in public as if they did something great but my question is how can this happen in a temple. Isn't it a form of discrimination? It is clearly said in Dharma that donation in the name of publicity has no value and importance then people were doing this?

Most surprisingly Manakamanan Temple is one of the most popular temples that has a huge turnover, I mean to say from individual donations to income generation. There are a lot of people who are generating income in the name of the temple  and still the Temple has no money for renovation was a point of amazement.

Finance prospective 
If you look at the scenario the  Manakamana Cable Car Company has over 3000 visitors on average daily.
The people who sell the goods  earn accordingly. Perhaps one cannot  imagine the money collected from the donation boxes that are placed at the temples periphery. Similarly the money and offering that people make towards the goddess is yet another important fraction of the temple is a  hard source of income. Now my question  where does all this money goes. The Manakamana Cable car Company must be paying a hefty tax money to the government, WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT MONEY?
Likewise, the money collected from the offerings directly goes to the pockets of the priests isn't there any management committee to manage this?

Lastly the remaining amount of the donation boxes are left for the temple management, which also has more management and transparency  issues. I guess the goddess of wishes has many wishes of her own where people are branding and en-cashing her name but when it comes to her  management then they look up to the public for the solution.





     

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Reckless Driving a sad, but bitter truth in Nepal : REALITY BITES!!

Killing people in the name of reckless driving is wrong. Driving recklessly in the name of age and Adrenaline is also wrong. Nepal government failing to address the issue of responsible driving in its driving curriculum is also wrong. So where are we lacking?  Every day or the other we hear about people getting killed or we face people driving recklessly. Things are getting worst and I think it's happening because the government is not paying attention to the root cause of the problem that is nobody cares about being responsible while driving all they know is once the accelerator is on, it's ON. Once you get into your vehicle, then you are the king of the road and you will drive as per your wish which is completely wrong.

My question is reckless driving is not just a mistake, it's a criminal offense as it might be a small mistake for you, but for someone who faces the consequence due to your negligence, he or she might have to pay a big price.    

If you look at the trend, then, especially in abroad first they ask you to get responsible and learn the theoretical aspect of how to drive responsibly only after that they issue the learner's permit. If you compare the situation, then it's just opposite here in Nepal. Here you just have to appear for two  examinations. One theoretical and the other practical where if you can, you can also manage to fluke the theoretical examination just by your IQ.

Getting back to the topic the latest tragic incident of Manju Mahat that occurred at Golkopaka was an incident where she lost her life. Whoever's mistake was it, but a person lost her life. It was reported that she was squashed in between two public vehicles that was driving down. She died, but her death has raised serious questions regarding issues of responsible driving in Nepal.

Reality is that particular section of the road is always monitored by Nepal Traffic police personnels, so in the presence of such resources  how did that accident occurred which can be a serious issue of discussion. If such accidents are happening in such places, then its high time, we seriously have to look into our driving manual and traffic system as it truly needs some upgrading and research.            

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