Read All About It

Thought it would be interesting to post some of the Nepali news headlines. There is a fascinating blend of news similar to the UK and the bizarrely different. Daily newspapers here cost 4p and are delivered by a man on a bike throwing them over the gate.

Average Nepali spends RS 122 per day: 122 rupees is about 75p. The poorest spend about 30p and the ‘urban rich’ £3. A kilo of cheap veg is about 30p, 100g chocolate £1.40, a microbus ride 15p.

Big 3 at Loggerheads: No issue of the paper would be complete without several articles on fall outs between the major political parties or within them. Democracy is fairly new here and it is a steep learning curve. Other headlines on this theme: ‘Going Nowhere’, Maoist Mischief’, ‘Talks Fail to Make Headway’.

Chitwan Hospitals Flooded with Patients as Mercury Rises: Kathmandu is in the hills but the temperature reaches an energy sapping 32 every day at the moment. Down on the plains it has been over 40. There do seem to be a lot of viruses and stomach bugs around.

Modhi for Strong Nepal-India ties: Lots of coverage re the Indian election but nothing on European elections yet.

From Shamans to Full Immunization: A huge health programme to immunize babies met with initial resistance as women preferred to trust traditional practices and would hide from health workers in the jungle. But with education and financial incentives this has changed dramatically over the years and infant mortality greatly decreased.

Rihanna Recovering Physically: Sadly there have been a number of stories recently of people, usually women, being burned by relatives over financial disputes. Rihana’s marriage was arranged when she was 19. Allegedly her husband and in-laws set her on fire and then kept her from receiving treatment for 2 days because she had failed to bring sufficient dowry.

The football World Cup is already getting significant coverage. Hollywood and pop music always feature. But my favourite is the financial pages which alongside the stock market always show the movement in prices of rice, potatoes, garlic, papaya etc.

 

 

Vivaldi and Chariots

We sometimes feel culture starved in Kathmandu so it was exciting last week to have two very different cultural experiences.

The first was Nepali. Rato (red) Machhendranath is a god associated with rain. Every year in April the statue of the god is loaded on to a huge wooden chariot, a 30 foot tall, decorated tower placed on top of a large wooden cart. Over several weeks the chariot, with its tower toppling over at a dangerous angle, is pulled by hand through our local streets accompanied by drums, cymbals, dancing and roars of encouragement to the cart pullers. You can see my video clips here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/81326269@N00/sets/72157644600821176/

Most Hindu temples and festivals I have seen have left me a unmoved, I don’t find anything aesthetically pleasing about them. This had a tremendous atmosphere. It was a great spectacle and the crowd were buzzing. It didn’t feel to me like it was a religious experience for most people but a traditional and cultural happening. I don’t think many people really believe that the monsoon rains will only come if Rato Machhendranath is honoured.

However, the chariot has now been moved to my cycling route into college and as I pass it there are always groups of men singing, people lighting candles and making puja (worship). For some people it is intensely spiritual.

The other cultural event was a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria sung by the Kathmandu choral society. This stirring music, beautifully sung, is also old and intensely religious. But there was no sign amongst the hushed audience of it being a spiritual experience. A watching Nepali would not have known that the performance was anything other than secular.

These two events left me asking questions: What makes something spiritual? What is the connection between art/event and spirituality? If a spiritual event can be read by others as non-spiritual does that mean a ‘secular’ event can be seen as spiritual by some? Is spirituality just in the eye of the beholder? Some Christians feel there is something intrinsically evil about Rato Machhendranath. Why didn’t I feel that? Discernment needed!

Other news: We have both had periods of illness. We enjoyed an encouraging and restful conference with INF and UMN mission workers. Jenny has started to get more clients. Andy has completed the course he has been teaching on the first past of the old testament. Jenny is making 60m of bunting for the wedding.