THE LIZARD KING'S CORNER

I UN FC Elections to the Management Board

2007-11-05T22:00:00.000+05:45

It only accepts one vote per computer. Please vote 3 times only! The first three will make it to the management board, the 4th, 5th etc will substitute the members of the board when they leave the country or when they are out of town.

The management board will have 3 functions: (1) Organise the games; (2) Choose the tactics and line-up, (3) Financial decisions, (4) Organise Fundraising Events.

Everyone is more than welcome to participate in any of those areas, but, ultimately, it is up to the management board to make the final decisions.

Deadline to cast your vote: Wednesday, 14 November 2007 at 1300.

KATHMANDU 05:00am

2006-07-18T10:00:00.000+05:45

This is only another of my experiments. It is a rather atypical view of Kathmandu. The video contains images of a motorbike ride from the center towards Lalitpur and it was recorded at around 0500am. The light is incredible and I hope you enjoy the soundtrack too.

Massive Maoist Rally In Kathmandu (02/06/06)

2006-06-05T14:01:00.000+05:45

On Friday, 2 June 2006, the maoist movement organised a mass rally in Ratna Park, at the heart of Kathmandu, Nepal. According to the Nepali Times more than 200,000 people gathered to listen to the speeches of some of the leaders of the movement.

The video above contains images of such rally. Prachanda and Bhattarai did not participate in the gathering. According to one of the organisers, they do not feel safe in Kathmandu. They fear being attacked by their political enemies. Many people claim that many people are forced to attend to these meetings. It is hard to assess, however, how many were actually forced to attend and how many came out of symphathy or pure curiosity.

WHAT WERE WE DOING DURING 3 WEEKS OF CURFEW?

2006-05-18T15:33:00.000+05:45

What could we do? ... Have fun while the people were struggling for their rights. Just like in Tolosa (a basque town known for its fierce resistance to spanish ocupation) during its carnival. That is what the song is all about, some people having fun while others fighting, yet all within the same place and time.

JANAANDOLAN II. A Revolution in the Making (21/04/06)

2006-04-25T10:10:00.000+05:45

JANAANDOLAN II. A Revolution in the Making (20/04/06)

2006-04-24T19:17:00.000+05:45

LANGTANG TREK. 4,600m Closer to the Sky

2006-04-06T16:53:00.000+05:45

Langtang is an area that belongs to the central region of Nepal, about 8 hours by Jeep from Kathmandu. We started our trek at Dunche, 2,000m above the sea level. On the second day we reach the Langtang pass at 4,600m. The video images belong to the second day, just before reaching the pass.

The area in inhabited by Tamangs and to a lesser extent by Sherpas. The tamang people represent 4% of the Nepalese population. They are believed to have come from Tibet, possibly around 3000 years ago.

The Tamang people were self-ruled and autonomous until 232 years ago. After the unification of Nepal, they were neither accepted into government posts, whether administrative, judicial or political, nor allowed to accept foreign employment till 1950. They were forced to serve as a reserve labour pool for the services of the ruling group.

According to the Nepali civil code of 1856, their status was Shudra (the second lowest rank in the Hindu hierarchical system), which meant that they could be killed and enslaved by those of a higher caste. This situation prevailed until the new civil code was formulated in 1962. Much of their land was redistributed and this poverty and lack of a voice within Nepal remains a serious issue in modern Nepal.

Tamangs generally follow a form of Tibetan Buddhism, speak a language derived from Tibetan-Barmeli and their culture is almost identical to that of Tibet. Tamangs are divided into 240 families but have no class or social status differentiations based upon the family groups. Every family has clans (Swagen Bhai). Marriage between their clans is restricted by Tamang traditions.

Photo: A Tamang.

AN ECCENTRIC SHARU DURING SHIVA'S DAY

2006-03-20T15:55:00.000+05:45

In theory a Sharu is a person that renounces to his previous material life and chooses to search for enlightment through a spiritual life. In practise, very few end up somewhere near there. The majority may be divided in two: the beggars and the hippies. The first ones are just begging all day. Their strategy is to put a "tika" on your head (a red thing that they stick on your forehead) and ask for money in return. The seconds, usually younger, are more like enjoying themselves, smoking spliffs and chatting. Although they will also ask you for money, they do not even bother to offer you tika.

During Shiva’s Day, sometime between the end of February and the beginning of March, many Sharus meet around Pasupatinath, the place where the people from Kathmandu cremate their dead. In this video, you will see one of these characters performing. If you listen to the audio carefully, you will notice a security officer giving instructions through his radio. You can also see several security personnel too. It gives you an idea of the level of militarisation in Nepal, due to the unstable political situation.