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Women carry Fulpati offerings from the Nishani Mai temple at the start of the Fulpati festival at Birgunj on Thursday.
(Photo : SAILENDRA KHAREL ) Aftermath of Kapilvastu riots (Photographs)

Maoists will rejoin govt after Dashain: Home Minister





BIRATNAGAR, Oct 18 - Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula has claimed that the Maoists would rejoin the government after the Dashain festival.
Talking to Kantipur at the Biratnagar Airport on his way to his home district Jhapa, Sitaula also claimed that the new date for the Constituent Assembly (CA) elections will also be fixed shortly after the Dashain, which ends next week.
Home Minister Sitaula is also a senior NC leader who played an important role in forging the alliance of the parliamentary parties and the Maoists that led to the April uprising.
The Maoists quit the coalition government on … after Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala-led Nepali Congress (NC) did not agree on the new “pre-requisites” demanded by the Maoists for “meaningful” CA elections.
The Maoists have even summoned the special session of the interim parliament to fulfill their key demands--immediately declare the country a republic and make a provision for a proportional representation system of voting for the CA elections.
The poll has also been put off indefinitely and the country is facing political and constitutional crisis due to the stand-off between the NC and the Maoists. Meanwhile, Home Minister Sitaula reiterated that the government will take all seven parties on board to deal sternly with the groups unleashing violence, abductions, extortions and murders in the Terai.
When asked about the government’s effort to find the whereabouts of journalist Birendra Sah, Sitaula said that the government was “hopeful about disclosure of his whereabouts” as the home administration has intensified the search and parliament has also formed a panel to probe his case.
A parliamentary panel was formed on Tuesday to find the whereabouts of journalist Sah, who was abducted 13 days ago from Bara district by the Maoist cadres.
Expressing concern over the failure to find the whereabouts of journalist, a meeting of the parliamentary Human Rights and Social Justice Committee held in the presence of Speaker Subash Nembang formed a four-member panel led by lawmaker Urmila Aryal.
Sah, a Bara based journalist- affiliated to Nepal FM, Dristri Weekly and Avenues TV was abducted by Maoist cadres on October 5 from Pipara Bazaar, Kalaiya VDC-6, the district headquarters of Bara.





Maoists have no alternative to peace process: Nepal





KATHMANDU, Oct 18 - UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal Thursday said that there was no alternative to the Maoists besides joining the government.
Speaking at a function in the capital today, Nepal said that the Maoists don’t have any other alternative than to move ahead in the way of agreement.
He also said that the Maoists should forget the way of revolt and street agitation and engage in political debates.
“The CPN-Maoists has no alterative than to move ahead the peace process and on the way of agreement,” he said.
That’s why it’s not important to resort to agitations, he added.





Fulpati today





KATHMANDU, Oct 18 - The seventh day of Dashain, the greatest festival of Nepal, is known as Fulpati, which means holy flowers and leaves. From this day people begin the real celebrations as all the government and private offices throughout the country remains closed until the end of Dashain—on the day of Kojagrat Purnima.
As part of the religious and cultural celebrations of Fulpati, general people take five different flowers and leaves to the place where Jamara (tiny yellow sprouts of crops such as barley) is being sown at their homes. On this day Hindu religious people take various flowers and
On Fulpati, the seventh day of Nava Ratri, five Magars carry a palanquin of flowers and sacred leaves from Gorkha Durbar, the ancestral royal palace of the ruling monarchy, all the way to Kathmandu which is finally kept at Tundikhel. In previous years the King used to observe it.
With the PM in his new capacity as the head of state, all the religious and cultural ceremonies will be headed by him.
Earleir, the Army used to offer 31-gun salute to the monarch on the occasion. Later the fulpati is taken to the temple of Taleju, one of the forms of Goddess Durga, at Hanumandhoka, the old royal palace. Then the palanquin is taken to the royal Dashain ghar at the Narayanhiti Royal Palace amid a procession.
The government of Nepal welcomes Jamara to Hanuman Dhoka from Gorkha Palace. Earlier the King of Nepal used to perform the ritual, but from this year the ritual will be carried out by the government of Nepal.
History of Jamara procession The procession apparently seems to have begun from the time of the King Prithivi Narayan Shah, who moved to the capital, Kathmandu, from Gorkha after unifying Nepal.
On this day, Jamara for the royal family carried from their ancestral Royal Gorkha palace arrives at Rani Pokhari Kathmandu and in the evening. They are taken to the Royal Palace along with a huge parade.





'Face challenges for lasting peace’





KATHMANDU, Oct 18 - Stating that the country is going through transition, Inspector General of Nepal Police Om Bikram Rana on Wednesday directed police personnel to face all
sorts of challenges in order to establish lasting peace in the country through full professionalism and by abiding by the law.
Speaking at a function organized to express condolence to martyred police personnel, Rana said he country is undergoing transition to institutionalize the outcomes of Janaandolan II. "Of course, there are complex challenges ahead for the police. All police personnel will have to face those challenges through professionalism," he added.
During the function, he informed that establishment of Crime Investigation Bureau has reached the final stage in a bid to develop suitable and scientific system in crime investigation. "I believe that crime investigation and control will be more scientific and systematic as priority has been given to produce a group of specialists in the coming days in this sector," he said.





Villages shun sacrifice since 90 yrs





GORKHA, Oct 18 - It's quite hard to imagine a place in Nepal where animal sacrifice is shunned even during the greatest festival of the Hindus, Dashain. But two remote VDCs in Gorkha are exceptions -- there has been no animal sacrifice there for the last 90 years.
Chum area (Chumchet and Chhekampar VDCs), which is eight days’ walk from district headquarters, was declared a 'no violence zone' 90 years ago. Interestingly, there is no buying and selling of cattle either these days.
Guru Dukpa Ringpoche Serab Dorje initiated the violence free zone.
"It has been our tradition now," said Nima Lama, a local at Chhekampar VDC. He said that 'non-violence' has become their creed these days. In a country that has suffered a bloody insurgency for over a decade and is still struggling to break from the past, these two villages offer hope.
After the arrival of the Bhutan- born Rimpochhe Dorje in the village, he worked hard to convince people to follow the path of non-violence. He preached relentlessly to make villagers aware of the impact of any kind of violence. Five years after his arrival all the villagers had gone vegetarian.
With the help of local leaders, a strong rule was enforced to prevent animal sacrifice. One had to pay 250 rupees penalty if s/he sacrificed an animal.
"Nobody breached the rule," said 91-year-old Chhewang Laharke, adding, "Everyone follows the teachings of the guru and it has now become an integral part of our precious culture."
Locals have not even reared cattle except cows. "Why rear other animals since there is no use for them," said a local.
Villagers have also blocked the trading of animals through these villages. "We have taken the decision to discourage other people from animal sacrifice," said Dawang Khenrab, guru of a local monastery.