Ram Nawami being observed today paying homage to Lord Ram
Today is the birthday of Maryada Purushottam Shree Ram. Also known as Ram Jayanti, Ram Nawami is considered the day when the light of truth and dignity prevails over untruth and darkness.
Ram Nawami festival is celebrated on Chaitra Shukla Nawami (the ninth day of the bright half in the month of Chaitra as per the lunar calendar).
It is celebrated to commemorate the victory of truth over evil and to the memory of Lord Ram. The festival celebrates the descent of Vishnu as the Ram avatar, through his birth to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya in Ayodhya during the Treta Yuga.
The day is marked by Ram Katha recitals or reading of Ram stories, including the epic Ramayana which narrates the tale of Ram. Hindus visit a temple while others pray within their homes, paying homage to Ram.
Devotees are thronging the temples and shrines dedicated to the Hindu god Ram throughout the country since the morning today on the occasion.
A large number of devotees have thronged several Shree Ram Temples in Kathmandu valley, including Battisputali to pay homage to Lord Ram.
Devotees have also thronged the Ramjanaki temple in Janakpurdham to offer prayers. Today, a fair is also held on the premises of Janaki Temple. Thousands of devotees from India are also participating in the fair and take holy baths in the Gangasagar and offer prayers at the Ramjanaki Temple. There is also a tradition of staying awake at night with recital of hymns dedicated to Shree Ram.
Ram's reign in Ayodhya is remembered even today as exemplary statecraft. Ram is worshipped as an ideal man devoted to his father and mother, respecting elders and loving the younger. It is said that Lord Vishnu took birth in the form of Ram in the world to protect the righteous by ending the evil in the universe.
The kingdom of Lord Ram, known as Ram Rajya, is considered a model for justice.
Poets conferred at TPWAW conference
The ongoing fourth general conference of the Traditional Poetry Writers Association of the World (TPWAW) honored three poets on Tuesday. On the first day of the two-day event, poets Sita Ram Adhikari, Bhuwan Hari Sigdel, and Prahlad Pokharel were conferred with the Yew Suhng-Gyou Literary Award.
They were awarded by the President of TPWAW, Kim Bong-Goon, on the recommendation of the TPWAW Nepal Chapter for the poets’ achievements in publishing around a dozen books about literature, including traditional poetry, over the decades.
President Kim and the President of the Nepal Chapter, Ram Kumar Panday, jointly inaugurated the conference by illuminating the traditional Panas lamp. The inauguration ceremony featured chanting of veda/swasti verses along with shankha dwani and mangal dhoon.
Presidents of member countries—Hoon Kim (Canada), Li Wen-Hua (China), Kang Jung-Hi (Germany), Choi Soonn-Hyang (South Korea), Sun Hwa Griffiths (UK), and Kim Ki-Sook (USA)—delivered congratulatory speeches for conducting the general conference.
Additionally, there were paper presentations on the analysis of the beauty of Chinese traditional poetry by Guang Shao-Kui, Korean traditional poetry (sijo) by Kim Bong-Goon, an introduction to the tradition of humor poems in Nepal by Ram Kumar Panday, and sonnets by Toony Peek (UK).
Further, there were poetry symposiums, art-crafts, and artifacts exhibitions, musical performances, and book exhibitions. Dr Mitra Bandhu Poudel, General Secretary of the TPWAW Nepal Chapter, delivered the vote of thanks.
Participants from member countries are also scheduled to visit Kathmandu, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Pashupati World Heritage Site, and the Bouddhanath Stupa.
The two-day event will conclude on Wednesday with a closing ceremony and the distribution of awards and certificates.
TPWAW, initially formed through collaboration between China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, the UK, and the USA, saw South Korea take the initiative in promoting traditional poetry globally in 2007. Nepal joined the association later in 2013.
The series of international conferences began in 2013 in South Korea, followed by events in China in 2016 and the UK in 2019.
In addition to Panday as the President and Dr Poudel as General Secretary of the Nepal Chapter, the executive committee includes Dr Ram Bahadur Jitali and Dr Yadav Prasad Dhungana as Vice-presidents, Kishor Bajra Bajracharya as Treasurer, and Sita Ram Adhikari, Shiromani Dawadi, Ashok Man Shingh, and Shanti Sapkota as members.
Implementation of laws vital for good governance: PM Dahal
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has stressed that the establishment of good governance in the country could be ensured only through a successful implementation of laws.
In his address to a program on "Challenges for good governance and government's future roadmap" organized by the Institute for Strategic and Socio-Economic Research (ISSR) here today, the Prime Minister underscored the need to pay special attention to the effective implementation of laws to take the country towards a path of good governance and prosperity.
"Prevention of corruption is warranted for the country's overall development, to promote the citizens' interests and establish good governance," the government head said, echoing the need to enrich anti-corruption bodies legally and with resources.
He announced that the government is committed to investigating any cases of corruption that took place at any time frame and seeking legal action against those responsible for such offenses. "Good governance, social justice and prosperity are the top priorities of the incumbent government, and the establishment and promotion of the first one is in the center," he added.
The Prime Minister highlighted the essentiality of continuous collaboration and cooperation among the three tiers of government, private sector, civil society, media and the masses to bring the government policy against corruption, and for good governance into practice.
He said that the successful implementation of laws is needed to operate the governance effectively. "This will lead the country to a path of good governance and prosperity."
Sharing that a huge transformation was necessary in the policy and legal sector, Prime Minister Dahal clarified that the government was active to formulate federal acts in accordance with national resolution and necessity.
He mentioned, "The government has been making necessary preparations to forward a process to make laws and amend some laws through discussion with all parties represented in the parliament."
Underlining that scientific policy, standard and implementation of reward and punishment were necessary to ensure good governance, the Prime Minister shared that the government has been moving ahead in the process of accelerating the development of construction projects.
"Serious discussion is underway about achievements, problems, challenges on development projects, as well as reforms in policy-level, legal, structural and working-style sectors to resolve the problems," he stressed.
Sharing that the government would move ahead with some arrangements at the structural reforms sector in the upcoming policy, programme and budget, PM Dahal added projects would get adequate means and resources along with prioritization of development projects, as well as should be completed within slated time.
Conference of traditional poetry kicks off
The Nepal Chapter of the Traditional Poetry Writers Association of the World (TPWAW) hosted the fourth general conference on traditional poetry in Kathmandu. The two-day event started on April 16 under the banner ‘Advancement of human culture and world through the exchange of traditional poetry.’
The conference agenda includes opening addresses, congratulatory speeches, greetings, country papers, musical performances, and visits to heritage sites. Selected poets will also present their traditional poetry. Additionally, there will be cultural presentations from each participating country, an art exhibition, and poetry recitations.
Nepal not only boasts natural beauty but also a rich cultural tapestry reflected in its poetic expressions. Various poetic genres thrive within Nepali folklore, including Jhyaure, Muktak, Silok Ghansi, Dohori, Dhamari, and Roila. Furthermore, Nepal holds a significant legacy of traditional poetry in the Sanskrit tradition, characterized by its development, structure, and beauty.
Ram Kumar Panday, President of TPWAW Nepal Chapter, describes Nepal as “the headquarters of peace, paradise, poems, and rhymes,” noting the chanting of one of the oldest poems in the Himalayas since the era of the Siva civilization. He highlights the pervasive role of poetry in Nepali life, from daily recitations of mantras to its presence in fairs, festivals, ceremonies, and religious and social rituals throughout the month.
Panday acknowledges Nepal’s potential as a research hub for various aspects of traditional poetry but points out the dearth of research on Nepali poets and poems. He extends an invitation to researchers to delve into Nepal’s poetic traditions and explore the poetic essence of the Himalayas.
“We can collaborate on a traditional poetry research program with colleges across the globe,” he suggests. “To educate the next generations, we can write books on prosody.” Panday expresses the TPWAW Nepal Chapter’s interest in translating traditional poems from various countries into Nepali. “We seek, search, and share Nepal’s traditional poetic heritage, working towards the preservation and promotion of the cultural intrinsic value of Nepali poetry,” he adds.
TPWAW, initially formed through collaboration between China, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Singapore, the UK, and the USA, saw South Korea take the initiative in promoting traditional poetry globally in 2007. Nepal joined the association later on in 2013.
The series of international conferences began in 2013 in South Korea, followed by events in China in 2016 and the UK in 2019.
Jhulaghat border crossing point in Baitadi to remain closed from this evening
The Jhulaghat transit point along the Nepal-India border in Baitadi district is to remain closed from this evening in view of the Lok Sabha election in Uttarakhand of India.
Baitadi's Chief District Officer Bhimkant Sharma has said Jhulaghat will remain shut from 6 pm Tuesday until 7 pm on April 19 considering the Lok Sabha polls in Uttarakhand State in India. The election has been scheduled to take place on April 19.
However, in case of emergencies, the border can be reopened through a mutual agreement during the official closure. There is a practice for closing the transit points during an election in the neighboring country.
CPN (US) withdraws support to Laxman Kishor in Sudurpaschim
The CPN (Unified Socialist) has withdrawn support extended to Laxman Kishor Chaudhary after an agreement was signed among the four parties of the ruling coalition to make Dirgha Sodari of the Unified Socialist as the chief minister.
The CPN (US) withdrew the support after an agreement was reached among the ruling coalition parties to give chief minister to the Unified Socialist in Sudurpaschim.
CPN (US) leader Dirgha Sodari himself went to the Office of the Province Chief and withdrew the support.
On April 14, Laxman Kishor Chaudhary of the Nagarik Unmukti Party had presented the claim for the post of chief minister with the support of 29 lawmakers—28 of Nepali Congress, four of CPN (US), one of Rastriya Prajatantra Party and seven of his party.
After the CPN (US) withdrew the support to Laxman Kishor, now, he will have the support of only 25 Province Assembly members.
Two out of seven members of his own party, however, have decided not to support him.
There are 52 Province Assembly members in Sudurpaschim after the demise of one. One needs the support of 27 members to be appointed as the chief minister.
PHC unanimously endorses Raya as Auditor General
The Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Tuesday unanimously endorsed Toyam Raya as the Auditor General.
Committee Chairperson Pashupati Shumsher JB Rana said Raya was unanimously endorsed for the post of Auditor General.
Presenting the 15-page action plan, Raya expressed commitment to carry out activities to reduce arrears.
A meeting of the Constitutional Council held on March 31 had recommended Raya for the post of Auditor General.
Nepse plunges by 14. 81 points on Tuesday
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 14. 81 points to close at 1,991.71 points on Tuesday.
Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 2. 26 points to close at 353. 51 points.
A total of 5,471,068-unit shares of 312 companies were traded for Rs 2. 10 billion.
Meanwhile, 10.75% SBL Debenture 2089 (SBLD89) was the top gainer today with its price surging by 9. 99 percent. Likewise, Ru Ru Jalbidhyut Pariyojana Limited (RURU) was the top loser as its price dropped by 10. 00 percent.
At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 3. 15 trillion.
