Posted by: bhateeja April 20, 2009
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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.
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.