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Kumari of Patan taking SLC this year
School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exam starts on March 25, 2010. This year, about 450,000 students are taking the exam and among them is Kumari, a girl worshipped as a Goddess in Nepali society.
The Kumari of Patan, Chanira Bajracharya, is only allowed to leave her room 19 times a year on certain festivals. That was the reason why the teachers from the local Vashara School have been visiting her to teach in her room for the last ten years. The SLC exam is also arranged such that she doesn’t need to go out of her house for the exam. The SLC exam controllers will go to her house to conduct exam of the single student.
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Wanna Bid for Puskar Shah’s stuffs?
Puskar travelled 150 countries on a bicycle and now the bicycle is on sale along with other stuffs like flags, soil, coins, post stamps, and beer caps. The auction of the stuffs he collected from different countries he visited will take place in United World Trade Centre, Tripureshwar.
Sept., 2009 file photoPuskar had promised to carry flags of all the countries he visited to the top of the World – for which he needs cash. He needs about Rs. 4 million to climb the highest peak, Mount Everest, towards the royalty and other costs.
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Height of plagiarism in Nepali movies
A movie produced and acted by Rekha Thapa, Hifajat, is releasing soon. One of the posters featuring Rekha resembles very much with the poster of a 2007 Hollywood movie, Resident Evil: Extention.
Nagariknews says that there are only seven differences in the two posters. I can see that, apart from the face and some minor variations in dress there is nothing much difference between the two posters. Oh yes, the “Las Vegas” has transformed itself to “Kathmandu”!
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Happy Valentine Day
We wish you a very Happy Valentine Day!
I wasn’t brought-up with Valentine Day culture but I choose to differ in views with some people in Nepal who think the day as a cultural encroachment from the western world.
As long as it is symbolizes love and affection there is nothing wrong in adopting a festival of another culture/religion. Presenting rose to one’s lover is a blissful event.
Definition of the Day : Saint Valentine’s Day is an annual holiday held on February 14 to celebrate love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after Christian martyrs named Valentine. In the day, lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, greeting cards and other gifts.
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Two Grammies for AR Rahman
“This is insane, God is great again.’’ That is what AR Rahman said after receiving his second Grammy Award at Los Angeles. The 44-year-old Indian musician pocketed the Best Compilation Soundtrack and the Best Motion Picture Song at the 2010 Grammy Awards for scoring the tunes of Slumdog Millionaire.
Before that, Rahaman had won the Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, Best Original Score at the Golden Globe Awards, Anthony Asquith Award for Best Film Music at BAFTA for his musical contribution for the movie.
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UN Panel regrets estimates on melting of Himalayan glaciers
An international scientific panel overseen by the United Nations had estimated the glaciers in the Himalayas to disappear by 2035. The estimate was included in a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The group has now expressed “regret” (IPPC statement in PDF) for publishing an unsupported estimate of the speed at which Himalayan glaciers were melting. It is surprising that none of the 2,500 scientists who contributed to its 2007 report spotted the error that appeared in a sentence on page 493.
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Burj Dubai (Burj Khalifa) and records
The Burj Dubai (Burj Khalifa) tower officially opened its doors on January 4, 2010, six years after the commencement of construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The tower previously known as Burj Dubai was renamed Burj Khalifa in honor of the current President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa.
Some of the records made by the $4.1 billion, half-mile-high skyscraper are: - Tallest skyscraper to top of spire: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: Taipei 101 – 509.2 m (1,671 ft))
- Tallest structure ever built: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: Warsaw radio mast – 646.38 m (2,121 ft))
- Tallest extant structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: KVLY-TV mast – 628.8 m (2,063 ft))
- Tallest freestanding structure: 828 m (2,717 ft) (previous record: CN Tower – 553.3 m (1,815 ft))
- Building with most floors: 160 (previous record: both 1 and 2 World Trade Center – 110)
- World’s highest elevator installation
- World’s fastest elevators at speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) or 18 m/s (59 ft/s) (previous record: Taipei 101 – 16.83 m/s)
- Highest vertical concrete pumping (for a building): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previous record: Taipei 101 – 449.2 m (1,474 ft))
- Highest vertical concrete pumping (for any construction): 606 m (1,988 ft) (previous record: Riva del Garda Hydroelectric Power Plant – 532 m (1,745 ft))
- The first world’s tallest structure in history to include residential space
- Highest outdoor observation deck in the world
- World’s highest mosque (located on the 158th floor)
- Elevator with the longest travel distance in the world
- Tallest service elevator in the world
- World’s highest installation of an aluminum and glass façade, at a height of 512 m (1,680 ft)
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Flashback – Nepali Movies in 2009
In summary, the year 2009 wasn’t so good for Nepali film industry. Many of the movies screened in 2009 couldn’t profit due to lack of opportunity to get theater in time and low turn-up of viewers. In total 32 movies were released in 2009. It is told that only a couple out of the 32 movies could earn profit. Most of the film halls all over the country are now equipped with digital technology and are hence capable of showing new Hindi movies. As Hindi movies are more profitable than Nepali movies for the film halls, Nepali movies had to wait in long queue for screening them in cinema halls of their choice.
Most profitable movies of 2009 were ‘Kaha Bhetiyala’ by produced by actor Shri Krishna Shrestha and ‘Silsila’ by CP Poudel.
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Hits FM Music awards 2066
Anju Panta and Shreya Sotang won two awards each in the 13th Hits FM music award, 2066. Anju was awarded with the Best Female Vocal Performance and Best Record of the Year for Ghazal song ‘Nabirse Timilai…’ (video attached below). Shreya Sotang was awarded with Best Pop Vocal Female and the Best New Artist award. It is to be noted that Shreya is daughter of Uday and Manila Sotang, who also won the Best Vocal Collaboration title.
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Top 10 countries to travel in 2010 – Nepal
If you ask me, I would always say Nepal is the best place in earth. 
Well, I am a Nepali but I am not alone – there are many who think so.Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide-book and digital media publisher in the world, has prepared a list of top 10 countries to travel in 2010. It is good to know that Nepal is one of them.
It is not clear what ranking Nepal is in in the list but it sure is good to know people think Nepal one of the best places in the world. Some news sites like Nepalnews said Nepal was 6th in the ranking – which is not true. The countries are listed alphabetically and hence Nepal is sixth in the publication. That doesn’t mean Nepal is sixth in ranking. It can be first or can also be tenth.
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Pooja Lama marriage (photos)
It was a surprising twist to the sex scandal, but, it sure was a happy end!The 15 minutes marriage ceremony should have broken the record of being shortest Nepali celebrity marriage ceremony (a public one, of course).
Pooja told the reporters that they were planning a huge ceremony but had to do it in a hurry. … we can understand that … don’t you?
Yes, the groom was Shishir Sangtang, a DJ in one of the Kathmandu FMs.
It was Pooja’s second marriage. Her first marriage with Biraj Lopchan, with whom she had a son, ended in 7 month. After the unsuccessful marriage, she was deeply in love with Dinesh DC and tried to commit suicide when Dinesh refused to marry her.
She sure needs all the best wishes she can get. Let’s wish her a long, happy and prosperous married life and see some photos of her marriage.
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Nibiru myth, no need to prepare for 2012
Internet is filled with Niribu, a 1976 creation of an author of speculative fiction, Zecharia Sitchin. The washingtonpost says that the viral Internet rumor is actually being circulated by pseudo-scientists, hoaxers, and movie promoters. The imaginary planet sure looks more like a publicity stunt for an upcoming movie “2012” rather than a reality. But, it sure has created enough momentum to create uneasiness among people. If there were any Nibiru heading our way some of the thousands of astronomers would already have spotted it.
Sony has set up a fake Web site for something called the Institute for Human Continuity — http://www.instituteforhumancontinuity.org — which uses scientific-sounding language to detail the upcoming shredding, torching and obliterating of the world from so many directions it makes your head spin ("large amounts of solar radiation will bombard the Earth and heat up the molten, semi-liquid layers beneath the lithosphere, thus allowing the crust to shift more easily"). (washingtonpost)
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Whitney Houston Wardrobe Malfunction
American recording artist, actress, and former fashion model, Whitney Houston’s comeback effort was nearly derailed by a wardrobe malfunction on a live-televised show, The X Factor, on Sunday. It wasn’t that much a disaster. The bra-style bodice unlatched in the back midway through her song and flapped open for the remainder of her performance.Some saw the awesome voice coming back and others choose to differ. The dress that was too tight on top, too loose around the middle, and too long on her legs, didn’t go with the artist for sure.
Well, you can listen to her and have your say:
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One-legged farmer, mason, carpenter …
The guy, Narsingh Bhandari Magar (right) doesn’t even know what this sign (left) means. But, he has lost one of his leg in childhood and has trained himself to earn his living, better than not so disabled people. A teacher, Dal Bahadur Gurung of Dovan M.V. School in Dovan village of Palpa, Ghodebas in Western Nepal, was extremely surprised by the way Narsingh did his daily chores. With Gurung’s effort a documentary is prepared on Narsingh’s life and is being screened in various parts of Nepal.
Narsingh doesn’t need any support to do his daily jobs, not even a walking stick. His jobs are anything from cutting grass for his cattle, plough field with traditional halo (Narsingh is carrying one in photo), cross rivers, climb trees, and occasionally work as carpenter and mason. He can even dance on his one leg.
Narsingh is a real-life example to encourage people on dedication to work and not to dwell upon their shortcomings.
(Source in Nepali)
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Namrata Shrestha video incident: Lesson to be learnt
It was a sad incident that an intimate video of Namrata Shrestha and Kichaa Man Chitrakaar (DJ Tantrik) was released to the general public. They were aspiring artists in Nepali film and music industries. That might be the reason they got overwhelming response from Nepali people at home and those living all around the world. After a similar incident involving singer Prakash Ojha this was the second biggest sex scandal in Nepal. I don’t know weather Namrata and Tantrik forgot about Prakash Ojha incident or choose to ignore it. 
Apart from these events there are many such videos being released from time to time in discussion forums. Those people, being unknown to general public, do not attract that much attention. But the person involved do not get less pain and frustration than the well known persons like Namrata or Ojha. It is not only the person who is seen in the video; there are whole lot of persons, like spouses, children, friends, and relatives, who are affected by such incidents. Our society is not that advanced to digest such acts released to public. So, care should be exercised while taking such photos or videos. Damage once done can not be reversed.Some suggestions, that I can think of now are:
