My recent Delhi visit in picture

Few glimpses captured during the 46th Annual Meeting of the ADB Board of Governors, held in Delhi, India, from 2 to 5 May 2013. It was really a good opportunity for knowledge sharing and partnership. The ADB seminar series, sponsored programs, civil society program and host country events were fruitful. 

With India's finance minister P. Chidambaram at ADB's host country reception. 
 

Beautiful girls welcoming to the ADB delegates at Jaypee Green hotel in Greater Noida, Delhi 

With Nepal's Finance Minister Shanker P. Koirala

With ADB president Takehiko Nakao at the reception party hosted by him for  ADB delegates 

In Nepal, scholarships empower Dalit girls

Seven years ago, 25 Dalit girls were given a chance to go to college. Today, they are role models for other Dalit daughters, and their parents.

In Nepalese society, where caste-based discrimination is all-too common, being a Dalit ("untouchable") means facing a life without access to opportunity – educational, economic or political.

• 
  Participants in the Empowering Dalit Daughters programme pose for a portrait. From left, Rebica Nepali, Hira Nepali, Sangita B.K., Pramila Bishunkhe, Anju Kadel and Barshaa Prakash, The programme provided scholarships, food and accommodation to 25 Dalit girls from across Nepal. [Photos courtesy of Professional Development and Research Centre (PDRC)]
• 
  Hema Shreepaile, 23, an Empowering Dalit Daughters programme scholar, won the Gold Medal for scoring highest marks in the Bachelors in Hotel Management from Tribhuvan University.

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Being female merely adds to the challenge. According to the 2001 census, only 43% of the Dalit population is literate, and the rate is much lower among Dalit women.

"Dalit women face double discrimination – added to the discrimination based on caste, they also face gender-based discrimination," said Birendra Bishwokarma, executive director of the Professional Development and Research Centre (PDRC), a non-governmental organisation that works on Dalit issues.

"Even if they are talented, Dalit girls rarely get chances to get higher education and reach leadership positions," he told Khabar South Asia.

Back in 2006, PDRC took steps to change that, through "Empowering Dalit Daughters," a scholarship programme for Dalit girls.

With financial support from the Nepal Youth Foundation, it embarked on a nationwide talent hunt to select 25 talented and motivated Dalit girls. They received scholarships to prestigious colleges in Kathmandu, as well as food and accommodation at a hostel in the capital for six years.

Before being placed in top colleges, the students received training in leadership, counseling and communications skills.

"The objective of the programme was to create role models out of these girls, which we believe will help make people aware about the importance of educating their daughters," Bishwokarma said. "It was also an effort to bring the leadership developed at local level into national level."

Success stories

Better education has translated into better opportunities for these young women. Hema Shreepaile, 23, and Mala Nepali, 24, are two of them. Shreepaile works at the prestigious Hotel Annapurna in Kathmandu, while Nepali is employed with an education consultancy in the city.

Shreepaile, who hails from Kailali district in western Nepal, scored Gold Medal from Tribhuvan University in 2012 for earning highest marks in the Bachelor's in Hotel Management programme.

"I feel very happy to have received the scholarship," Shreepaile told Khabar. "It helped me in many ways. It supported me financially to achieve my dreams. It also provided me a learning environment, helped me become more confident about myself and develop leadership qualities.

"Living with 24 students of different cultures from different parts of the country helped me learn a lot about their cultures, as well," she added.

Mala Nepali says the programme has not only helped her, but inspired others.

"More and more people in my community have begun sending their daughters to school nowadays," she said. "Sometimes, I have found mothers telling their daughters that they should study and become like me. It pleases me to know that I am inspiring some people."

Two of the 25 participants have finished their graduate studies; 13 have completed their undergraduate programmes; five more are waiting for their final results.

According to Bishwokarma, the assistance will continue. "Although as of now, we do not have funds to repeat the programme, PDRC intends to keep supporting more Dalit girls by providing them with training and connecting them with scholarship opportunities nationally and internationally," he told Khabar.

Bidhyanath Koirala, an educator, believes such efforts to educate girls is beneficial to the community as a whole. "Since girls are more connected to their family and their community, educating girls can have huge impact," he told Khabar.

By Surath Giri for Khabar South Asia in Kathmandu published on 3 June, 2013 

Excited About Young Talent

Having the privilege to work in Botswana and in Nepal is something that I don’t take for granted. I commit myself to the projects I am working on and do my best to become a subject matter expert about the issue we are trying to deal with. In Botswana I immersed myself in HIV/AIDS material and the statistics the government was producing, and with the influence of many TED Talks and other fabulously passionate people such as Melissa Godwalt (A Canadian living and working in Botswana who is thoughtful and with thought provoking presentations) I tried to make the issue jump out at people. In other words, used marketing and state of the art presentation techniques to slap people in the face so they would take notice.

In Botswana, this seemed to work. Change resulted, the civil society organizations started to work together in a new, trusting way and USAID and other donors started to pay more attention to the region of Ngamiland, the region with the highest infection levels in the world. Now don’t get me wrong. I am not trying to take credit for all the positive change, that would be so far from the truth. The truth is, I could not do any of the networking and change management had I not had real talent behind me.

This is what is exciting about what I do. I get to work with some incredibly talented, dedicated and capable people from all over the world and in the process smash some misconceptions about the young and those from the developing world. Kelly Lui, although not from the developing world was one of the real treasures of my time in Botswana.

She not only was great to work with, she became a good friend and hopefully future business partner or associate.

Kelly hadn’t had a great deal of experience prior to our work together, but what she lacked in experience she made up for with focus, determination and really fast typing. (I am not kidding, really fast. Break the keyboard fast.) Kelly did the lions share of work at NCONGO while I was trying to get attention for the organization and market it.

Lesson Learned: This is a best practice that I think can be adopted by many organizations: give direction and thorough vision to your staff and then get out of the way.

The next talented person I worked with was a young woman from Botswana named Charity Thite. Charity has travelled very little outside of Botswana, but has a wealth of insight and a real way of getting the work done. Charity again had little experience when she was hired but quickly was thrown into the job feet first. Sink or swim. Charity worked alongside Kelly and picked up on Kellys good work habits and did she ever learn. She was encouraged to puzzle things out for herself and when she had thought through a problem and couldn’t solve it, then come to Kelly or me. Charity with all her inexperience soon took ownership of the organization,even though her title didn’t reflect that. (Charity is so talented and capable, I am trying to find an opportunity for her in Canada or the US so she can further hone her skills.)

Lesson learned: Let some of your staff struggle so they can stretch and grow confidence in their own intuition and body of knowledge.

Finally, here in Kathmandu I am working with a young man who, similar to Charity, has taken ownership of an organization despite the lack of title. Rup Sunar is smart, technically savvy and very coachable. Rup, next to my good friend Jeff Brown, is the most coachable person I have come across. Rup listens and doesn’t give much feedback,but then thinks a concept through and puts it into action. I have been working in the last two months to try to show the organization that marketing matters. Everything we do creates a client or stakeholder experience and we must manage that carefully. Even though this is a very modest organization with little funding, the entrance, the greeting, the signage and the presentations printed send a message about the organization. Rup gets it. Thankfully, because it would be a challenging time in Nepal if the de-facto leader of the organization didn’t get it.

Tomorrow Rup and I are going to be talking about how to work a room full of people and to make friends out of new networking acquaintances. You see Rup will be heading to Delhi to the Asian Development Bank Annual General Meeting (I was to go but could not get a visa in time) and representing the PDRC. Not the little grassroots PDRC begging for money, but the PDRC “Business” that can offer insights and information helpful to all those in attendance in Delhi. He is not going to beg, but to sell the vision that this organisation can offer.

Lesson Learned: Coach in small stories and tools and stand back. Watch the implementation and offer support. And think like a business.

This is a blog written by Blair Henry, PDRC's organizational development advisor. You can read his other blogs at http://www.blairhenry.info/

राजदूतसँग तन्नेरी

नेपालका लागि अमेरिकी राजदूत पिटर डब्लू बोडीका एक थरी सल्लाहकार कूटनीतिभन्दा बाहिरका छन्। अमेरिकी दूतावास युवा परिषद्का ती सदस्य ३० वर्षमुनिका नेपाली हुन्। नेपालका महत्त्वपूर्ण राजनीतिक, सामाजिक वा आर्थिक घटनाबारे बोडी तिनै सल्लाहकारका कुरा सुन्न रुचाउँछन्। 

दूतावासको युवा परिषदका ती सल्लाहकार विभिन्न राजनीतिक आस्थाका विद्यार्थी नेतादेखि उद्यमी, चिकित्सक, खेलाडी, फिल्ममेकर, पत्रकार आदि छन्। दृष्टिविहीन, तेस्रोलिंगी, दलित एवं विपन्न वर्गका युवासमेत संलग्न परिषदमा सबैका आ-आफ्नै व्यक्तिगत कथा छन्। काठमाडौँ विश्वविद्यालयमा स्नातकोत्तर गरिरहेका कञ्चन खरेलसुनाउँछन्, "राजदूत र उनको टोलीसँगको कुराकानीमा हाम्रा अभाव, नैराश्य र समस्या स्वाभाविक रूपमा झल्किन्छन्।" बर्सेनि झन्डै आठ करोड अमेरिकी डलर नेपालमा सहयोगस्वरूप खन्याउने अमेरिकालाई सायद त्यसले आफ्नो प्राथमिकता र रणनीति तय गर्न सघाउँदो हो। 

स्थानीय युवासँग सल्लाह र छलफल गर्ने अमेरिकी  परिपाटीको नेपालमै सफल अभ्यास भएपछि अहिले विश्वका ५० भन्दा बढी देशमा यो मोडलको सिको गरिएको छ। युवाका आवाज सुन्ने र उनीहरूसँगै काम गर्नुपर्ने आवश्यकता महसुस गरेसँगै सन् २०११ मा अमेरिकाले नेपालमा 'राजदूतको युवा सल्लाहकार परिषद' स्थापना गरेको हो। त्यस बेला स्कट एच डेलिसीराजदूत थिए। 

नेपालमा सफल अभ्यासपछि तत्कालीन अमेरिकी विदेशमन्त्री हिलारी क्लिन्टनले अमेरिकी विदेश मन्त्रालयमा 'स्पेसल एडभाइजर अन ग्लोबल युथ इन्गेजमेन्ट' पद सिर्जना गरी यसलाई विश्वव्यापी कार्यक्रम बनाएकी थिइन्। "नेपालबाट सुरु भएको यो कार्यक्रम अहिले विश्वव्यापी हुनु निकै गर्वको विषय हो," राजदूत बोडी भन्छन्, "नेपाली विविधता प्रतिनिधित्व गर्ने गरी परिषदमा युवा सहभागिता जुटाउने प्रयास छ, जसको उद्देश्य दूतावासलाई नेपाली युवाका वास्तविक मुद्दासँग जोड्ने र त्यसमा अन्तरक्रिया गराउने हुन्छ।"

परिषद सञ्चालनको शैली भने हरेक देशको स्थानीय आवश्यकता अनुसार केही फरक हुन्छ। अघिल्लो परिषदका युवाले कहिले नेपाली नेतालाई राम्ररी काम गर्न सम्झाइदिन त कहिले नेपाललाई सहयोग मात्रै दिएर परनिर्भर नपार्न राजदूतसँग खुलस्त छलफल गर्थे। "हामी अमेरिकी सहयोग नियोग (यूएसएड)को कामका प्राथमिकता र त्यसका स्थानीय साझेदार कसरी तय हुन्छन् भन्ने विषयमा पनि छलफल गथ्र्यौं," पछिल्लो कार्यकालका सदस्य एवं युवा अभियानकर्ता कञ्चन झा भन्छन्, "यसले उनीहरूलाई कमजोरी सुधार्न सहयोग पुग्थ्यो। उनीहरू यस्ता कुरा सुन्न रुचाउँथे पनि।"

राजदूत कहिले प्रधानन्यायाधीशलाई प्रधानमन्त्री बनाउने विषयमा युवाको विचार बुझ्छन् त कहिले कलेजमा हुने विद्यार्थी राजनीतिबारे। निर्वाचनलाई प्राविधिक रूपमा प्रभावकारी गराउनेदेखि युवामा उद्यमशीलता विकास गराउने विषयमा समेत राजदूतको जोड हुन्छ। केही समयअघि एउटा भेटघाटमा केही परिषद सदस्यले अब हुने निर्वाचनमा भोट हाल्ने वातावरण सिर्जनाका गर्न लागि युवालाई प्रोत्साहन गर्ने अभियान सुनाएका रहेछन्। 

त्यसमा खुसी हुँदै बोडीले अमेरिकामा चुनावका बेला थुप्रै युवा घरमै बस्ने गरेको समस्यासमेत पोखे। उनले परिषदका सदस्यलाई भने, "यदि कसैले भोट हाल्दैन भने उसलाई चुनाव जित्नेहरूप्रति गुनासो गर्ने कुनै अधिकार हुँदैन।" अनेरास्ववियु केन्द्रीय सचिवालय सदस्य मेनका पछाईं सुनाउँछिन्, "प्रविधिको प्रयोगबाट निर्वाचनलाई निष्पक्ष र प्रभावकारी बनाउने विषयमा आफ्ना मत राख्दै त्यसमा अमेरिकी सरकारका तर्फबाट हुन सक्ने सहयोगका बारेमा छलफल गर्‍यौँ।"

परिषदमा रहेका केही युवा पढ्दै छन् भने केहीले व्यावसायिक जीवन थालेका छन्। कोही आफ्नै बाहुबलमा समाजसेवा गर्दै छन्। कूटनीतिक शिष्टाचार उनीहरूलाई त्यति धेरै थाहा छैन। परिषद सदस्य करुणा पराजुलीले हालैको भेटमा राजदूत बोडीलाई भनेकी रहिछन्, "हामी धेरै भूमिका बाँध्न जान्दैनौँ, धेरै सोचविचार गर्नुभन्दा तत्काल प्रतिक्रिया जनाउन हतारिन्छौँ, त्यसलाई नकारात्मक रूपमा लिनुहुँदैन।" प्रतिक्रियामा राजदूतले मुस्कुराउँदै भने, "कूटनीतिज्ञ भनेकै धेरै सुन्ने र थोरै मात्र बोल्ने व्यक्ति हुन्।"

राजदूत बोडी राजनीतिक विषयका कुरा सुन्न बढी रुचाउँछन्। सदस्य मेनका थप्छिन्, "राजनीतिलाई बिर्सेर देशको उन्नति हुँदैन। राजनीति भनेको सांसद, मन्त्री हुनु मात्र होइन। युवामा राजनीतिक सचेतना बढाउन दुई मुलुकबीच कस्तो साझेदारी हुन सक्छ भन्ने हाम्रो चासो हो।"

परिषद स्थापनाको उद्देश्य भने ठूलो आर्थिक सहयोग गर्ने राष्ट्रले देशमा कुशल युवा नेतृत्व जन्माउन पनि लगानी गर्नुपर्छ भन्ने हो। राजदूत बोडी थप्छन्, "नेपालका युवाले कुन कुन क्षेत्रमा चुनौती झेलिरहेका छन् र त्यसलाई सुल्झाउन के के गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने जानकारी प्राप्त गर्ने राम्रो माध्यम परिषद बनेको छ।" परिषदकै सल्लाहमा दूतावासले विभिन्न अवसरमा अमेरिकीबाटै विज्ञहरू राखेर डिजिटल भिडियो कन्फरेन्स सुरु गरसिकेको छ। विभिन्न देशका युवा परिषद सदस्यबीच भर्चुअल सम्बन्ध स्थापना गराएर युवाका सोचाइ आदानप्रदान गर्नु यसपटकको प्राथमिकता हुने सदस्य खरेलको भनाइ छ। 

राजदूत-युवाबीच आफ्ना व्यक्तिगत अनुभव पनि साटासाट हुन्छन्। जस्तो : केहीअघि बोडीले कामलाई सानो-ठूलो नभनेर हरेक अवसरलाई स्वीकार्न र त्यही काम गर्दै अघि बढ्न आफ्ना युवा साथीहरूलाई सुझाएछन्। हरेक जागिरबाट आफूले केही न केही सिकेको अनुभव पनि उनले सुनाएछन्। पहिले आफ्नो करिअर विकासमा जोड दिन सुझाउने बोडी अंग्रेजी र प्रविधिको प्रयोगसँगै ठूलो सञ्जालमा काम गर्नुपर्ने दोहोर्‍याइरहन्छन्।

अमेरिकी विदेश मन्त्रालयको वेबसाइटका अनुसार परिषद सदस्यका विभिन्न नमुना क्रियाकलापमा दूतावासले धेरथोर आर्थिक सहयोग पनि गर्छ। जस्तो : गत वर्षका परिषद सदस्य सभाना पौडेलले विभिन्न २० वटा एफएम रेडियोमार्फत महिलाविरुद्ध हुने हिंसाबारे रेडियो कार्यक्रम प्रस्तुत गरनि्। भुवन केसीले 'सोलार कुकिङ् सिस्टम' विकास गरे।

अमेरिकी सरकारले स्थानीय युवाको भावना बुझ्न ३० वर्षमुनिका व्यक्तिहरूका लागि सांस्कृतिक आदानप्रदान कार्यक्रमलाई धेरै पहिलेबाट प्राथमिकतामा राख्दै आएको हो। राजदूत सुनाउँछन्, "जब हामीले यस्ता कार्यक्रमको थालनी गर्‍यौँ, तब हामीलाई विश्वभरका युवा आफ्नो मुलुकको विकासमा योगदान पुर्‍याउन बाटो खोजिरहेका रहेछन् भन्ने कुरा थाहा भयो। उनीहरू राजनीति र नागरकि समाजमा सहभागी हुन चाहन्थे।" 

परिषदमा रहेका युवा कति विविधतापूर्ण क्षेत्र र परिवेशका छन् भने त्यहाँ नेटवर्कमा काम गर्ने एउटा राम्रो मञ्च बनिरहेको छ। त्यसैले यस वर्ष परिषदभित्रबाटै समूह बनाएर विभिन्न नमुना कार्यक्रमको योजना बनाइएको छ। दूतावास र युवासँग समन्वय गररिहेको संस्था 'युवा'का अध्यक्ष दीपेन्द्र केसी भन्छन्, "यसले नेपाली युवाको क्षमता विकाससँगै नयाँनयाँ प्रयोग गर्नसमेत सघाइरहेको छ ।"

(This news article was written by Pradip Basyal and first published in Nepal magazine.)

Council Members meet SCA Deputy Director Nicole Chulick

March 28, 2013, Kathmandu: U.S. Embassy Youth Council Members met Nicole Chulick, Deputy Director of Office of Press and Public Diplomacy from the Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs at YUWA. During the visit, Miss Chulick listened to the council members’ concern over the recent political development of the country and other social social issues including the changing gender roles and women rights movement of Nepal. Council members also shared the common problems that the Nepalese youths are facing. During the one-hour long meeting, Miss Chulick promised her continued support to Nepali youths. She also promised to initiate the virtual exchanges among the council members from around the glob.

Eight Leadership Lessons From The World's Most Powerful Women

Today I had the great pleasure of speaking at The Innovation Enterprises’ 2013 Women in Strategy Summit, which brings together 75 high-level women in marketing and strategy, about the leadership secrets of the world’s most powerful women. With women comprising just 4% of corporate CEOs, 14% of executive officers and 20% of America’s government officials, we’re facing a persistent leadership gap at the highest echelons. To move forward, we must first take stock of what is working. The following eight leadership lessons, synthesized and updated from a keynote I gave last year, come directly from the women who know what it takes to get to the top.

Stay Determined

The world’s most successful women really want it–and remain determined even in the face of obstacles. They have the skills, and they put the time in. But more importantly, they have the desire to do something great. Beth Brooke, global vice chair of Ernst & Young, was diagnosed with a degenerative hip disease at age 13 and was told by doctors she may never walk again. Before going into surgery she promised herself she would walk—no, she would run—and aspired to become one of the best young athletes the world had seen. Not only did she walk, she went on to play several varsity sports at her high school, earned multiple MVP awards, and later played Division I basketball in college. She made up her mind, and she didn’t quit. She brought that same determination to her career and today ranks among the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Be Courageous

Women at the top aren’t fearless. They move toward their fear to continually challenge themselves. That takes courage. In 2011, Beth Mooney, CEO ofKeyCorp, became the first woman ever to lead a top-20 bank in the U.S. Mooney began her career as a secretary at a local Texas bank, making just $10,000 a year, but soon realized she wanted something more. In 1979, she knocked on the door of every big bank in Dallas and asked for a spot in their management training programs. At the Republic Bank of Dallas, she refused to leave the manager’s office until he offered her a job. After waiting for three hours, he finally agreed to give her a chance if she earned an MBA by night.

That was a turning point in her career, one of many, powered by a courageous call to action—to champion herself and what she knew she was capable of. Later, she had the courage to move into roles she’d never done before, to pick up and move across the country, and to stick with it for three decades. If you’re not a little bit scared every day, you’re not learning. And when you’re not learning, you’re done.

Think Bigger

In order to achieve big success, you have to have big impact. When Michelle Gass, who is now leading 33 countries for Starbucks, started at the coffee chain, she was asked to architect a growth strategy for a just-launched drink called the Frappuccino. Her mantra: “Let’s think of how big this can be.” After countless hours testing ideas, she decided to position it as an escapist treat and added ice cream parlor fixings and new flavors. What began as a two-flavor side item is now a $2 billion platform with tens of thousands of possible combinations. Gass repeated her go-big-or-go-home strategy when she took over Seattle’s Best Coffee. She decided to take the sleepy little-sister brand to new heights by partnering with Burger King, Delta, Subway, convenience stores and supermarkets. In one year, the brand exploded from 3,000 distribution points to over 50,000.

Take Calculated Risks

As CEO of Kraft Foods and now Mondelez International, Irene Rosenfeld is very familiar with this one. A couple years ago she completed a hostile takeover of British candy company Cadbury. Not long after, she surprised the business community again with a plan to split Kraft into two separate companies, a North American foods company and a global snacks company. To move the needle, you have to make a big bets—but never rash—always based on a careful study of the outcomes. You have to know what you have to gain, and if you can afford to take the hit if it doesn’t go your way.

Remain Disciplined

It takes discipline to achieve and maintain success. You simply can’t do everything, and the world’s most powerful women stay focused on the areas that will have the biggest impact—from both a leadership perspective and a career management perspective. Sheri McCoy, the new CEO of struggling Avon Products, is currently implementing a huge turnaround at the century-old beauty company. Interestingly, when I asked what the biggest challenge would be, she said: “Making sure people stay focused on what’s important and what matters most.” It is very easy to get distracted by new trends, new markets, new projects—but when you extend yourself too far, the quality of your work suffers across the board.

Hire Smart

Over and over again women at the top say their best strategy for success is to hire people who are diverse, passionate and smarter than themselves–and then listen closely to their perspectives. Hala Moddelmog, president of Arby’s Restaurant Group, believes surrounding yourself with people of different backgrounds—including gender, race, geography, socio-economic and personality types—will help round out your conclusions. “You really don’t need another you,” she says. Similarly, staying open to different viewpoints keeps you ahead of the curve. Claire Watts, the CEO of retail and media company QVC, schedules open door times every Tuesday, so that anyone in the company who wants to come talk to her, ask her a question or share something they’ve noticed can do it then.

Manage Your Career

Denise Morrison, the CEO of Campbell’s Soup, knew from a very young age she wanted to eventually run a company, so she asked herself what are the kinds of things I need to do to prepare for that? That might mean management experience, global exposure or revenue responsibility. She always looked at her career as: Where have I been? Where am I now? Where am I going, and what are the right assignments to get there? If her current company would work with her to deliver those assignments, she was all-in. But if it didn’t, she knew she needed to move on. “We apply these skills in business, and yet when it comes to ourselves we rarely apply them,” she said.

Delegate At Work And At Home

The most successful women have learned that they have to have help, and they have to have faith in the people around them—at work and at home. It’s not easy, but it’s critical over the long-term. Katie Taylor, the CEO of hotel brand Four Seasons, admitted to me that she is a bit of control freak, but for the good of her and everyone around her, she tries to delegate. “Sit on your hands, if you have to,” she said. “Get yourself to that place.”

(This article is written by Forbes staff Jenna Goudreau and extracted from www.forbes.com)   

48th Int'l Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Marked

(KATHMANDU, NEPAL 22 March, 2013): Hundreds of people representing various national and international organizations rallied to the street to mark the 48thInternational Day for the Elimination for Racial Discrimination. Coordinated by the National Dalit Commission in collaboration with scores of Dalit civil society organizations, this year’s theme was “The basis of ending racial discrimination and untouchability is granting proportional privilege with special rights of Dalits in new constitution.” 

The rally began at 11:00 am with enthusiastic protesters marching in the rain from Bhrikutimandap to Rastriya Nach Ghar Jamal. The formal program at Jamal commenced with the welcome remarks from NNDSWO National President Bhakta Bishwakarma and was followed by national anthem and one minute silence to commemorate the martyrs from the Dalit community. Amongst the participants were representatives of political parties and senior civil society leaders. Padam Singh Bishwakarma, an original leader of the Dalit movement and living legend, chaired the program.
 

“The negligence of political parties and the government has united us to redouble our efforts to fight for our cause” said Gajadhar Sunar, DNF President. He continued emphasizing that in order to overcome caste discrimination and untouchability, proper policy should be formulated and supported by implementation guarantee.
 

CPN Maoist leader Ram Narayan Bidari noted that “discrimination faced by Dalit community is pernicious.” He called upon political parties, civil society organizations, media, private sectors and all individuals to work together against caste based discrimination and untouchability whenever it occurs.
 

Similarly, youth entrepreneur Anil Gajmer Bishwakarma opined that we should take pride in our identity as Dalit. He further elaborated, “The culture of hiding caste must be wiped out.” He further promised to provide a support of Rs. 50, 00,000.00 for construction of a temple provided the government supplies land. He further highlighted the need of millions of people coming to the street in protest of untouchability on 21 March every year.
 

In his concluding remarks, the chief guest Padam Singh Bishwakarma suggested to give up the culture of silence. He called everyone to be united and determined to discard the caste system from Nepal. The program was concluded by the NDC president Sushila Sirpaili.
 

PDRC student Smita Nepali recited her much appreciated poem about the miserable lives led by Dalit women and it earned a generous applause from the audiences. PDRC would like to thank students, guardians and other well wishers who came out to support this very worthy cause. 

 

The 10 Traits Of Extremely Successful People

Success is something that all of us wish to attain. But if it were so easy, everyone who wanted it would have it – it’s relative elusiveness is what makes it special. It’s exclusive to a handful of people who did extraordinary things in their lives to get them to where they are today. And it wasn’t because they were lucky or because it was just handed to them. 

Most successful people in this world started from the bottom and worked their way up in life. The only time luck plays a role is when you are in the right place at the right time, but it’s up to you to get yourself there and then.

Being successful is all about how badly you want it and how much you’re willing to work for it – it’s about the traits you possess to help get you there. Do you have what it takes? The best way to figure that out is to look at the traits of extremely successful people and see how you can begin adapting them into your life so that you can eventually end up just like them.

1. They Work Extremely Hard

Successful people understand that without hard work you get nowhere in life. They know the basic science of life: your input will equal your output. They don’t depend on luck to get them anywhere, they depend on their skills and ambition to get them to where they want.

They have sacrificed everything to get to their position and will eat and sleep thinking about work. It becomes a part of their life and even if they have to stay up for a few days or be up at 5am every morning, they make sure they do it because they love it.

They will rarely complain about how hard they are working because they know that all their hard work will pay off. They expect the utmost from themselves — and when they are focused, there is nothing that can stop them.

2. They Are Incredibly Curious And Eager To Learn.

Most people are stubborn; they don’t like to learn or explore new things and are very narrow-minded. Successful people are the complete opposite. They are very open-minded and are always studying something new, learning and constantly asking questions so that they can find out more information.

They know that knowledge is the backbone of success and they are hungry for more information because the more they know the easier it makes it for them. They apply or take advantage of what they learn in life. Successful people want to learn everything about everything!

3. They Network.

Your network is your net worth, as the good old saying goes. They don’t have to be the life of the party or the loudest one in the room. In fact they are usually quiet because they move in silence rather then being too loud.

They are constantly networking with others, exchanging information and asking people what they do before they even ask their name. Successful people have a Rolodex full of people who value their friendship and return their calls. In today’s world, it is all about the people you know and how they help you get to where you want to be.

4. They Work On Themselves And Never Quit!

Peasants are stagnant, they never grow and they get very comfortable with where their life is. The truly successful people are the ones that are always working on themselves and their lives. They are working on their personality, leadership skills, management skills, as well as every other detail of life. Successful people don’t tolerate flaws; they fix them.

5. They Are Extraordinarily Creative.

There are those who just accept everything in life and don’t like change and then there are successful people who like to question the status quo and change things that are too consistent. They go around asking, “Why not?” They see new possibilities and opportunities where others see problems. They wake up in the middle of the night yelling, “I’ve got it!” Successful people create stuff and innovate things. They are the ones that change the world.

6. They Are Self-Reliant And Take Responsibility.

Many people will find things to shift blame towards or find excuses as to why they are not successful so that they can make themselves feel better about the situation. All they are doing is giving themselves bullshit reasons. Incredibly successful people don’t worry about blame, and they don’t waste time complaining. They make decisions and move on. Extremely successful people take the initiative and accept the responsibilities of success.

7. They Are Usually Relaxed And Keep Their Perspective.

Even in times of stress or turmoil, highly successful people keep their balance. They breathe easy, ask the right questions, and make sound decisions, even in a crisis. They understand that when you let emotions get in the way of something, that’s when it all goes down hill. Life is about dealing with problems and successful people are the best problem solvers on planet earth because they don’t dwell on it.

8. Extremely Successful People Live In The Present Moment.

They know that “now” is the only time they can control. Successful people don’t waste time; they use it! They understand that the past is the past and they have learned from it. The future is what will happen when they are exceling in their present.

They are always focused on the current moment and don’t get lost in the game of time.  They “look over the horizon” to see the future. Extremely successful people live in the present, with one eye on the future!

9. Repeatedly Successful People Respond Instantly!

When technology, a new competitor or a change in the economic situation requires an adjustment, successful people are the first and quickest to respond. They don’t let things drag on or take too long to do something. They understand that time is everything…and that things need to happen fast.

10. Successful People Never Quit

Most people in today’s world will walk away from something because they find it too hard, whereas successful people love challenges. They understand that if it were easy, they wouldn’t want it and sacrifice it all to defeat the challenge at hand. They would rather die than quit at what they are doing. Their goal is to be the best always and to be on top because that is where their ambition and passion lies.

(This article was taken from www.elitedaily.com)

Youths dream of 'Beautiful, peaceful Nepal'

KATHMANDU, March 12: Sixty youths from 29 districts of Nepal gathered in Pokhara recently with the determination to work for the development of the country. Members of the US Embassy Youth Council promised to work for the development of their community, and Anil Shah, Executive Director of Mega Bank, boosted their resolve.

“The youth are not only the builders of the nation, they are also the present. Hence, my belief is not on my relatives, my friends, or even the political leaders, but on the youths of the nation,” said Shah. This statement managed to encourage the participating youths who came from various places, diverse communities and different employment and who had diverse views. 

The participants had resolved to bring in positive thoughts to their society and thus build the nation. Carrying the belief that it was not by burning tires on the road but by involving young people in the policymaking level that the nation can be made prosperous and each participant had the same dream of a “beautiful peaceful Nepal.”

“Don’t the young people have the guts to be involved in politics without burning tires?” asked Karuna Parajuli from Pokhara who is studying in Kathmandu and is a member of the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU). She stated that it was time that the young minds represented Nepal and if they have to snatch some power and authority from the leaders in order to develop the country, then so be it. She explained that she had joined the US Embassy Youth Council to unify youths who carry similar dream of developing the nation.

ANNFSU’s leader Menka Pachai has similar thoughts. “We’re not allowed to take up the actual role of the youth in politics,” she said desolately. “So now we’ve to assume the responsibility we have and help in boosting our country.”

Surat Giri, a researcher, has different experiences to support his belief on why the country is not developing. He understands that though Nepali youth put in their best in various areas, the fact that they cannot reach the policy making level is a drawback. “It’s essential that youth should be involved and be allowed to participate in policymaking level,” he said. “Youth participation is important in their issues. I’m thinking of raising such issues through the Council.”

Kailali district’s Rup Sunar wants to do something for the Dalit youths. “These youths are still very far from the reach of information,” he said. “I’m working to ensure that they have the access to information and even to employment.”

Neha Poudel from Birgunj says that she joined the Council to do something for the society. “In various areas in the Terai region, marijuana is still illegally farmed,” she said, “With a group of young friends, I’m working on stopping marijuana farming.”

Lured by the prospect of good income, the people in the district are now habituated to smoke marijuana. “Many young people are now addicted to it and some have even lost their lives due to it,” she said. “We’re now working on stopping the farming of marijuana and encourage other kinds of farming.”

Neha has worked in an organization called Syano Paila in Birgunj, taking the responsibility of raising funds. At present, she is involved in a campaign to stop human trafficking. She believes that traffickers should be brought to book, and through Syano Paila, she is striving to see justice done. She plans to strengthen this campaign with the help and coordination of more young people. A participant of Miss Nepal 2011, she won the title of fourth runner-up as well as Miss Popular Choice.

Sushil Adhikari is visually impaired and he is grieved that the government has not paid any attention to the rights of the handicapped. He has trained many visually impaired people in computer and is working to change the way the society views them along with other handicapped people. “We’ve not yet been able to enjoy or exercise our fundamental rights set by the government,” he said. “So I aspire to spread positive messages in the society and do creative work.” He as worked for voice software which is installed in mobiles and helps visually impaired people. The software helps them to maintain their privacy.

A nursing graduate from Lalitpur, Pawitra Basnet gives training in basic healthcare and reproductive health in schools and community. She says that she doesn’t have any intention of going abroad to work.

The image of people dying of common diseases in remote areas is trapped in Santosh Nepali’s mind. From Jumla district, he says, “Since there’s no health service facility, people have died of common diseases in remote areas. My plan is to have health services available to the people there.”

Saroj Karki works with Youth for Blood in Biratnagar. The organization was set up two years ago and now has branches in Dharan, Lahan, Damak and Kathmandu. Saroj says that till now it has helped more than 1,500 people by providing fresh blood.

Ganesh Dhungana from Dhading says that Nepali youths do not have reading habit. “We’ve operated libraries in 15 schools in the district. We’ve also built the biggest library in the district,” he says. He is the leader of Yuwa Sanjal. They have published four books, two each in English and Nepali, and have also been presented with an international award.

Affiliated with Antardristi as a psychological consultant, Rajani Bharati works with children who are victims of torture and sex abuse. She trains them in dance, music and yoga and also spends a day of each month with 21 children who live in Opportunity Village in Hemja in Kaski.

Twenty-six year old Shivaraj Chaulagai from Ratamata in Sindhuli runs computer classes at a local school. “We’ve started compulsory computer classes in three schools of Kavre, Ramechhap and Sindhuli,” he said. “We’re planning to take computer literacy in all villages.”

Shivaraj started the campaign with four friends while studying at Western Region Engineering Campus in Lamachaur and they have plans to expand it in other districts.

Media person Sabana Paudel used to conduct a slot for women’s rights and against domestic violence on her weekly radio programs, touching on issues of trafficking in women, domestic violence, dowry and violation of human rights. She said, “Many women who were victims were able to get justice through the radio programs.” he, in her radio shows, used to call on youths and sometimes politicians. Paudel, who ran the radio show on women’s rights for 27 weeks, currently works for Nepal Television as a newsreader.

(This feature article was written by Madan Chaudhary and Samundra Poudel, and published in The Republica daily dated 13 March, 2013)