Daily Archives: February 14, 2010

Blast at German Bakery, Pune

Posted on February 14, 2010 by | 7 Comments

When India suffers, Nepalis share the pain

1. There was a Nepali in Hotel Taj Mahal’s kitchen on 26/11/2008. Another Nepali was serving guests at Leopold Cafe, on that fateful day. He was injured in the attack.

2. When several Indian soldiers came under a deadly avalanche in Kashmir recently, a Nepali rifleman serving in the Indian army’s Gorkha Rifles was among those who died.

3. A Nepali working at German Bakery, Pune is suspected to be among the nine dead in yesterday’s blast. Four Nepalis were injured. The Bakery is run by a Nepali where 70 of his compatriots work. Keep on reading for details

injured nepalis at german bakery, pune, india

Click to enlarge. At least four Nepalis were injured and one is suspected to be dead in the German Bakery bomb blasts in Pune, India

german bakery, pune, india. torn apartFour Nepali nationals have been injured in the deadly German Bakery blast in the Indian city of Pune on Saturday (yesterday) that killed nine people. The nationality of one of the dead could not be ascertained, but his name is said to be Gokul Nepali. Some workers at the Bakery said that their colleague 32-year-old Gokul Padewa from Nuwakot district in Nepal have been missing since yesterday. Padewa was inside the Bakery when the bomb exploded. It was not clear till late Sunday (today) if Gokul Nepali and Gokul Padewa were the same person.

At least 55 people were injured in the incident. The injured Nepalis work at the Bakery that is run by their compatriot from Nuwakot district in central Nepal. Two of the injured–Paras Rimal and Manish Shrestha–hail from Nuwakot, while Ganga Magar and Pravin Panta are from Bara and Kathmandu respectively. Paras was undergoing treatment at local Sassoon Hospital until late afternoon today.

The Hospital sources said they could not verify Gokul Nepali’s address. Also, the name and address of two other dead persons has not been known.

A total of 70 Nepalis work in the Bakery that is popular among foreigners who go to the nearby Osho Ashram. a Jewish Chhabad house and a synagogue are half a kilometer away from the bakery.

A few Nepalis who tried to meet owner of the Bakery, Gopal Karki, said their effort was futile. “May be he is too busy helping police in investigation,” said a Nepali living in Puna. Originally opened by a German, the Bakery is being run by Karki for the past 25 years.

nepalis at german bakery, pune, india

Click to enlarge. Seventy Nepalis work in German Bakery that is run by a Nepali. Pics by Rudra Bahadur Thapa

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Posted in Eye on India, Nepal-India

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Finally, Comrades Carry the National Flag

Posted on February 14, 2010 by | Leave a comment
natinal flag of nepal and communists

Click to enlarge

By Mohan Buda Aer

While their leaders in the Constituent Assembly are working towards changing the national flag of Nepal angering millions of patriotic Nepalis all over the country, the Maoist guerillas yesterday not only carried and hoisted the Sun and Moon in a cantonment but also removed their party flag. The guerillas abandoned their party’s flag and opted for the national flag on an important day for them: the 15th anniversary of the People’s War in Nepal. The cantonment in Badaipur of Kailali district was decorated like a bride with the national flag and the People’s Liberation Army’s flag being hoisted at the distance of every 5 meters. The PLA had removed photos of the Maoist leaders as well.

“If any thing obstructs the integration process or the overall development of the country, we are ready to abandon that,” said co-commander Jeevan. “We removed the party flag respecting concerns at some quarters that putting the party flag makes the PLA affiliated to the Maoist.”

Well, that’s the the whole truth.  The PLA is still under Maoist control and they haven’t abandoned the Maoist philosophy and affiliation. The chief guest of the anniversary ceremony in this cantonment a central leader of the Maoist party. Politbureau member Lekh Raj Bhatta said that PLA was the strength of the Maoist party. “We are still under the party,” said co-commander Jeevan. “So, we haven’t abandoned party flag and photos of leaders formally.”

But the PLA didn’t play the Communist’s international song that they used to play in many such occasions. Instead, they played the national anthem and their own song.

Maoists want to change the national flag:

16 Sept 2009 – A fresh dispute over the national flag has erupted between the UCPN (Maoist) and the other parties. The main opposition Maoist party has been calling for the provision of a new model of national flag that should contain stars equal in numbers to the number of federal units after the restructuring of the state. The flag row surfaced at the sub-committee formed by the Constituent Assembly (CA). At the meeting, the UCPN (Maoist), the Rastriya Janamorcha, and the Dalit Janajati Party demanded that the country’s flag should be changed after the state restructuring.

However, the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, and the Nepal Majdoor Kishan Party have asserted that it is not necessary to change the national flag as it gives our national identity. Nepal’s current flag is the only national flag that is not rectangular.

The Maoists want to change the flag, believed to be up to 2,500 years old and which has a white moon and sun printed onto two red triangles, to reflect Nepal’s changed political reality. “The flag with the moon and the sun gives the reflection of the monarchy and cannot be the symbol of a multi-ethnic republic,” said Dev Gurung, a Maoist member of the constituent assembly. “The flag must be changed in the inclusive, proportional democratic republic,” he said.

[The debate about changing the national flag started on UWB long time before Maoists expressed their desire to do so in the Assembly. Check out this entry: On the National Flag of Nepal]

Meanwhile, the flag continues to represent Nepal all over the world:

Nepali national team marches in Vancouver Winter Olympics 2010

click to enlarge

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My Name Is Opportunity

Posted on February 14, 2010 by | Leave a comment

my name is khan

My Name is Opportunity. Click to enlarge.

By Dinesh Wagle
Wagle Street Journal

This article, written on Friday morning, was published on today’s Kathanndu Post. Correction: Mumbai attack happened in 2008, not in 09 as mistakenly mentioned in the article

There are not many similarities between Ajmal Kasab and Bal Thackeray. The former is the lone survivor of the 26/11/08 Mumbai attack who took part in a carnage that killed dozens of innocent citizens. The latter is a fascist political leader of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, who has been doing hate politics for the past 50 years. Both, in their own ways, are serious threats to peace and harmony in Indian society. There could be other similarities too, but a major difference between the two is also a major headache for India.

While Kasab is inside the heavily fortified Arthur Road jail and faces trial in court, Thackeray is in his Matoshree house that is well protected by government police and issues threats to luminaries of India. A top police officer of Mumbai remarked on Thursday evening that it was easier to deal with the underworld than with politicians like Thackeray, his son Uddav and nephew Raj. You can easily kill a terrorist, an underworld don or his agent in some encounters or meticulously planned intelligence operations that can involve rival underworld dons and the busy streets of a foreign capital. But to get rid of a virus like Thackeray is not an easy job. Continue reading →

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