Posted by: mcmxc January 24, 2009
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Beyond Borders.
Nepal is on the verge of extinction. Newsflash. And this only sentence can bring me a slew of foul languages and accusations of being Pro-India. :D!! Pardon my wry sense of humor.
But does anyone give a flying f**k if I am Pro India or Anti India? I guess, No!
So, I guess I will be more verbal.
Nepal is a very proud country. And I know for sure, Mexicans are proud of Mexico too. But pity!! Mexico is poor-ish abutting the formidable United States. But, still, Mexico is under the umbrage of the US. But the United States economy slightly depends on Mexico too. The US outsource their factory jobs and productions to Mexico, and Mexico, in return, export their labor, beer and Coke. And, they both live harmoniously. If there had not been the Jihad, the border protection issue would have been a non-issue. Now, as far as it goes for the Coke import, it has been going on for years, even before the times of Pablo Escobar. And, mind you, he was a Columbian. Mexico was only his transit, in order to put his Coke on the US Market. As of today, the Mexican cartels have grown so strong, they have declared war against the Mexican governement, and blood spills in the border states of MX everyday.
But life goes on. Hundreds and thousands of Mexicans along with other South Americans cross the Rio Grande or stake out the desert for a safe passage, in order to fulfil their dreams and mitigate their penury and trepidations. Now, had the Mexican economy been strong enough, the people neednot have risked their life with the perils of desert, mountains and Coyotes. But they do. They do it everyday. And they do not do it for fun, or even enhancement of their already impoverished state. They do it for the mere bread and butter for themeslves and the families they left behind. And in the US soil, they toil away their youth and life in menial services for meager compensation, yet, is a fortune for some people who come from the shadow of abject poverty.
Now, many of you might say, why I am raving like a lunatic about Mexico and the US and what that has got to do with Nepal and India.
My friends, It is not synonymous, but the notion is almost congruous.
Nepal is a landlocked country with India in its three borders. And the China up north is not very visible because of our pride, Everest and the Himalayas, the only nearest contact point being Khasa. Now, India is in our everyday life, and in the far and reaches of our tiny erstwhile kingdom. Republic, Democracy will not contribute to any economical progress, not it will add to the market value of Nepal or Nepal-made goods, excluding Handicrafts and Pashminas et al.
Levying heavy taxes in the Indian imports will only make our already hellish life an utter nightmare. I am not even a tad bit educated about Economics, neither do I have any fancy and lofty theories about the market and production. So, what I say here might just be pleasantly laughable or even ignorable. But lets have a say, for the sake of saying!!
Made in Nepal is a very noble concept. And there are many great Nepalese products and commodities. We should encourage our generation, and the old and coming generations similarily to purchase and use our products. But then again, there are consumer demands and needs factor. Everytime, I go to CVS Pharmacy to buy Omeprazole OTC, I prefer Prilosec over the CVS generic brand. I guess, both are the same, as the label clearly labels the dosage and the literature is also similar. But why do I choose Prilosec over CVS generic which is almost 3 to 4 dollars expensive than the CVS brand? Is it the brand? Is it the hefty price tag reassuring of its quality? For me, it is the comfort factor,and its efficacy as I have been using it times and again with very good results. Brand loyalty could be another reason.
Talking about commodities, Nepal has an array of offerings. From Salt and sugar to Toothpaste and oil, everything is produced in Nepal. Biscuits, confectioneries, cookies, ramens. Maybe some of them are products of Indian companies made in Nepal, advertised with dubbed over Nepalese ads. Or maybe these days, they make 100% Nepalese ads, I am not sure, but it used to be so back in the days. My favorite ad was, Dabur lal danta Manjan.
"Raju, timro daant ta moti jastai chamkiraheko cha!"
"Kina nahos ta sir, ma dabur ko lal dant manjan jo prayog garchu."
However I never liked Dabur Dant manjan. It was so tacky, and rumor had it, they mixed the crushed brick in it. I hope that is only a rumor.
Who will not remeber the Butterfly aftershave, Made in China. It is like a legacy of our generation. Before the designer fragrances invaded the Nepalese amrket, and still it was exorbitabtly expensive, Charlie spray and Butterfly Aftershave were the gold standard. And Nivea also followed the suit. However, these products are not (?) Indian, still we have fond memories of our dads splasing on some aftershave after shaving with Topaz razor (Gillette was considered an item of luxury back then).
Brighter toothpaste is another good product, but in my time in nepal, nary a person I have seen using Brighter toothpaste. Colgate and Close Up rocked the world back then.
Everytime, my father stayed with us to watch DoorDarshan (it was before the Zee invasion and cable tv), he used to mention that he watched this or that Hindi movie back in his young days in Kathmandu. Our generation itself grew up watching Hindi movies, serials and songs. Having lived in the US for 1 decade, I still am fond of Hindi movies and songs. And I have seen a great deal of young generation savoring the music and masala of a typical Hindi movie.
My rantings have become awfully long, and vapid. So, I will rest my case. I shall continue should I get a feedback. I have this feeling that I am a spoiler of a thread. Most of threads (which is very few) I post in either ends with me or a couple of postings later, it completely phases out.
So, I urge you, bash me, and call me names, and all you can think of. I would very much like some commendations too. Narcissist that I am.
PS: All and everything I raved about is solely from my experiencs and knowledge and opinion and whatnot. I apologize in the advance should some of my lines hurt the ego or very patriotic essence hidden in some of us.
Long live Prachanda and Long live Nepal!!
Nepal is on the verge of extinction. Newsflash. And this only sentence can bring me a slew of foul languages and accusations of being Pro-India. :D!! Pardon my wry sense of humor.
But does anyone give a flying f**k if I am Pro India or Anti India? I guess, No!
So, I guess I will be more verbal.
Nepal is a very proud country. And I know for sure, Mexicans are proud of Mexico too. But pity!! Mexico is poor-ish abutting the formidable United States. But, still, Mexico is under the umbrage of the US. But the United States economy slightly depends on Mexico too. The US outsource their factory jobs and productions to Mexico, and Mexico, in return, export their labor, beer and Coke. And, they both live harmoniously. If there had not been the Jihad, the border protection issue would have been a non-issue. Now, as far as it goes for the Coke import, it has been going on for years, even before the times of Pablo Escobar. And, mind you, he was a Columbian. Mexico was only his transit, in order to put his Coke on the US Market. As of today, the Mexican cartels have grown so strong, they have declared war against the Mexican governement, and blood spills in the border states of MX everyday.
But life goes on. Hundreds and thousands of Mexicans along with other South Americans cross the Rio Grande or stake out the desert for a safe passage, in order to fulfil their dreams and mitigate their penury and trepidations. Now, had the Mexican economy been strong enough, the people neednot have risked their life with the perils of desert, mountains and Coyotes. But they do. They do it everyday. And they do not do it for fun, or even enhancement of their already impoverished state. They do it for the mere bread and butter for themeslves and the families they left behind. And in the US soil, they toil away their youth and life in menial services for meager compensation, yet, is a fortune for some people who come from the shadow of abject poverty.
Now, many of you might say, why I am raving like a lunatic about Mexico and the US and what that has got to do with Nepal and India.
My friends, It is not synonymous, but the notion is almost congruous.
Nepal is a landlocked country with India in its three borders. And the China up north is not very visible because of our pride, Everest and the Himalayas, the only nearest contact point being Khasa. Now, India is in our everyday life, and in the far and reaches of our tiny erstwhile kingdom. Republic, Democracy will not contribute to any economical progress, not it will add to the market value of Nepal or Nepal-made goods, excluding Handicrafts and Pashminas et al.
Levying heavy taxes in the Indian imports will only make our already hellish life an utter nightmare. I am not even a tad bit educated about Economics, neither do I have any fancy and lofty theories about the market and production. So, what I say here might just be pleasantly laughable or even ignorable. But lets have a say, for the sake of saying!!
Made in Nepal is a very noble concept. And there are many great Nepalese products and commodities. We should encourage our generation, and the old and coming generations similarily to purchase and use our products. But then again, there are consumer demands and needs factor. Everytime, I go to CVS Pharmacy to buy Omeprazole OTC, I prefer Prilosec over the CVS generic brand. I guess, both are the same, as the label clearly labels the dosage and the literature is also similar. But why do I choose Prilosec over CVS generic which is almost 3 to 4 dollars expensive than the CVS brand? Is it the brand? Is it the hefty price tag reassuring of its quality? For me, it is the comfort factor,and its efficacy as I have been using it times and again with very good results. Brand loyalty could be another reason.
Talking about commodities, Nepal has an array of offerings. From Salt and sugar to Toothpaste and oil, everything is produced in Nepal. Biscuits, confectioneries, cookies, ramens. Maybe some of them are products of Indian companies made in Nepal, advertised with dubbed over Nepalese ads. Or maybe these days, they make 100% Nepalese ads, I am not sure, but it used to be so back in the days. My favorite ad was, Dabur lal danta Manjan.
"Raju, timro daant ta moti jastai chamkiraheko cha!"
"Kina nahos ta sir, ma dabur ko lal dant manjan jo prayog garchu."
However I never liked Dabur Dant manjan. It was so tacky, and rumor had it, they mixed the crushed brick in it. I hope that is only a rumor.
Who will not remeber the Butterfly aftershave, Made in China. It is like a legacy of our generation. Before the designer fragrances invaded the Nepalese amrket, and still it was exorbitabtly expensive, Charlie spray and Butterfly Aftershave were the gold standard. And Nivea also followed the suit. However, these products are not (?) Indian, still we have fond memories of our dads splasing on some aftershave after shaving with Topaz razor (Gillette was considered an item of luxury back then).
Brighter toothpaste is another good product, but in my time in nepal, nary a person I have seen using Brighter toothpaste. Colgate and Close Up rocked the world back then.
Everytime, my father stayed with us to watch DoorDarshan (it was before the Zee invasion and cable tv), he used to mention that he watched this or that Hindi movie back in his young days in Kathmandu. Our generation itself grew up watching Hindi movies, serials and songs. Having lived in the US for 1 decade, I still am fond of Hindi movies and songs. And I have seen a great deal of young generation savoring the music and masala of a typical Hindi movie.
My rantings have become awfully long, and vapid. So, I will rest my case. I shall continue should I get a feedback. I have this feeling that I am a spoiler of a thread. Most of threads (which is very few) I post in either ends with me or a couple of postings later, it completely phases out.
So, I urge you, bash me, and call me names, and all you can think of. I would very much like some commendations too. Narcissist that I am.
PS: All and everything I raved about is solely from my experiencs and knowledge and opinion and whatnot. I apologize in the advance should some of my lines hurt the ego or very patriotic essence hidden in some of us.
Long live Prachanda and Long live Nepal!!
Last edited: 24-Jan-09 11:46 AM