Declining interest in ANA

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How many people are going to the ANA this year? I was thinking of making plans but most people I went with before don't seem to be going this year. I think the importance of ANA is declining rapidly among Nepali diaspora in the US. The reason is mostly due to the abundance of Nepalis everywhere you go. When ANA was formed, it gained popularity because Nepalis got a chance to interact with other nepalis at the convention, but thesedays you see Nepalis everywhere so the enthusiasm for seeing more Nepalis is lesser. I have been to 3 ANA convention and I see a declining quality of the event. Last year I went there after a two year break and it was a mess to say the least. The organizers seem most interested in milking Nepalis out of their hard earned dollars. In addition to the flight and hotel cost, there was an excess cover charge for everything. In prior years you only paid for events if you wanted to go there. But last year you had to pay for registration before you could buy tickets to the events. Young Nepali people who came from all over were treated unfairly by putting in excessive security and lack of any respect. I went out for a ciggerette and I had to stay in line for 45 minutes to get back. The organizers had ensured an overwhelming presence of law officers during the event that the spirit of gathering among Nepalis was stiffled to the extend that even few friends were not allowed to gather in their own rooms that they paid for and threatened arrest if everyone didn't go back to their rooms. It was ridiculous how ANA organizers put so much importance in collecting the money and increasing the price of every event, but subsidized on the spirit of Nepali gatherings by employing the police to bust any parties after the designated time. It was a sad state of event to see police officers knocking on every room door with any minimal noise to excercise unnecessary authority and threats. It makes me wonder what the underlying motive of these ANA conventions are. The hosting city pays the ANA 60% of profit. ANA is acting like a business franchise trying to make money off hard working Nepalis who are going to care less and less for these kind of conventions because there are enough Nepali people in their own area to have their own convention, without having to pay an overhead to the ANA. I havent' seen much work from the ANA but i had anjoyed the opportunity to meet with other Nepalis during the convention but the last convention has left a bitter aftertaste and it is becoming evident that more and more people are losing their interest.

bhateeja · Apr 20, 2009 10:11 AM · 24,287 views

17 Replies

I am not going for sure....stupid ANA convention full of nothing!!! Boycott ANA people

dallas_texan · Apr 20, 2009 10:54 AM

Is that true?  god I was planning to go as its the first time they r having in SF but once I came to know abut ANA  from u guys dont feel like going ...

nepaliinus · Apr 20, 2009 10:59 AM

I would rather donate the money to some non-profit in Nepal. That money will bring cheer to some needy people as well as me.

Norton · Apr 20, 2009 11:05 AM

ANA is total waste of time and money. On top of that there is hardly any nepali pan. The purpose of ANA should be preserve, promote nepali pan or nepali culture amongst the nepali diaspora but it is more western than the western itself. It is good for singles looking to see a day/night to get ...aid. So gud luck for budhi kanya this time you will find someone and gud luck for chipya bokas you will get to see a lot of skins and less fabric. On top of that ANA organizer sucks big time!!

kanchu! · Apr 20, 2009 11:11 AM

Ha ha ha ANA is only for ppl who want to see and be seen. Never had any appitite for either therefore never went to any of them. But I totally agree with bhateeja's sentiments. It is the same for local events too not just ANA. Instead of helping the Nepali Community they are milking them but our Bhedas dun seem to mind tough. ha ha ha

BathroomCoffee · Apr 20, 2009 11:17 AM

Bhateej i was there last year and I felt the same way. I think ANA may get a shock this year because there won't be too many attendees. The bad economy may also be another reason why Nepalis won't want to spend over 1500 for the travel/hotel/event costs/food

grgDai · Apr 20, 2009 12:12 PM

दुई पेग लगाए पछी अर्कालाई झिङ्गा माकुरा देख्ने गोर्खे को मौलिक पहिचान लाई मध्यानजर गर्दा अत्यधिक सुरक्षा को ब्यबस्था गर्नु त उत्तमै लाग्यो है। कि कसो?

newlynew · Apr 20, 2009 12:15 PM

Not a good place to spend your hard earned money. Ridiculously high priced event.

à¤ à¥à¤²à¥à¤¦à¤¾à¤‡ · Apr 20, 2009 3:02 PM

Spend you hard earned money wise...! if you could.. just donate a small portion of what you'r gonna spend on this high priced event to some non-profit organization in nepal... or send money to your family ...at least they will be happy that you care.....

st0nec0ld · Apr 20, 2009 3:13 PM

I agree. ANA instead of promoting Nepali culture, tradition and all there is of Nepal, it has become a medium in promoting American values. i think ANA management should really look into the mirror and ask honestly what are its goal? it's be better for nepali to donate the money to some organization in home like maiti nepal than investing in ANA functions.

JPEG · Apr 20, 2009 3:27 PM

Newlynew you must be kidding that they had good security. It just showed how ANA thinks we are just their cash cows. They hire cowboys (police) to tame the herd (us). A good security is a must and it is appreciated where needed but the police coming to your room that you pay for,  at 1am to tell you to shut up is just wrong when you're supposed to be at this venue to socialize and meet with friends and family. If ANA had put up a rule saying you cannot congregate in your rooms after 1am then I would understand. Most people go there for a vacation to meet with friends and hang out. Imposing such stupid rule as not being able to hang out in your own room after 1am was pretty stringent and uncalled for. It sucked bad.

grgDai · Apr 20, 2009 4:05 PM

Can anyone from the ANA committee make a statement regarding security this year? Are they going to have the police go to every room and ask people to leave? If people can't congregate in their own rooms and share some good times with their friends and extended family, what's the point of going to there?

bhateeja · Apr 21, 2009 10:05 AM

let the thread die dude...why revive a thread that apparently has no one interested in anymore? besides, its not even a new gripe...go back 7,8 years on Sajha's threads...same old ANA grievances..nothing changes..you go if you want to go, stay home if you dont. Peace out.

jhyalincha · Apr 21, 2009 11:13 AM

Lets just start our own local "conference". Meet up in one of the 15 major cities, sit down with our peoples and drink sum beer in the summer sunshine and exchange ideas. Something informal. Hit me up if u wanna do it in twin cities during the summer :D

dekchidriver · Apr 21, 2009 11:18 AM

Wonder what they do with the money they make from ANA ?

BathroomCoffee · Apr 21, 2009 11:31 AM

Never been to one and will never go to one. But just from the original posting, it sounds like they are absolutely ruthless about their security. I don't know how good it is but if they go out of their way to make it totally secure, I support that. As I said earlier, we all know how notorious we are for drinking and then abusing everyone we come across. That is in Gorkhe genes.

newlynew · Apr 21, 2009 11:52 AM

wasteful spending instead hang out with ppl you know...

tintotopi · Apr 21, 2009 1:07 PM

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Declining interest in ANA

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