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Motiram Bhatta was born in Kathmandu on 8 Sept 1866 at Bhosiko Tole as the second son of Dayaram Bhatta and Ripumardini Devi Bhatta. He was born on Kuse Aunshi (The dark fortnight of the month of Bhadra) and died on the same day on Kuse Aunshi in 1896. This is considered a good coincidence.

The contributions of Yuvakavi (the youth poet) to Nepali literature are enormous and incomparable. He is considered the first  biographer of Nepali literature. He wrote the biography of ‘Adikavi’ Bhanubhakta Acharya titled ‘Kavi Bhanubhaktako Jiwancharitra’. His other works include a rather long poetical work  Gajendramoksha (based on the myth of an elephant’s emancipation at the hands of Lord Vishnu), Prahlad Bhakti Katha (Prahlad’s story of devotion) and Ushacharitra, also based on mythological themes. Pikdut in which he makes a bird his messenger to his separated beloved in the style of great Sanskrit poet Kalidas ‘Meghdut’. Kamal-Bhramar Sambad (dialogues between the lotus and the bumblebee), Bhramargit (the song of the bumblebee) and Kavi Samuhnam (the description of poets) are his other marvels and so are ‘Manoveg Pravaha’ and ‘Panchak Prapanch’.  He was also a playwright, who wrote ‘Shakuntla’, ‘Priyadarshika’ and ‘Padmavati’. In the words of critic Kumar Pradhan, “His creative period started in 1883 and before his death at the age of 30, Motiram is reported to have written many more works than that have been published.”

Thus, he established himself as the genius and the living legend of Nepali literature. He was exposed to the outside world, especially in the neighboring India where he learned Hindi, Urdu and Persian languages. He also wrote a couple of ghazals and became a pioneer in this genre but this was not his main purpose. At that time, Varanasi (Venaras) was also the center of Nepali language. So, he concentrated mainly on the development of Nepali language and literature as it was his mother tongue. 

Critic Abhi Subedi is right in his observation. I quote him here: “In reality Motiram is the first  conscious artist and a very dexterous craftsman. On top of  being a good scholar and lover of language and literature he was the first critic and the first poet to bring literature to the common people.”

He also started to write Kuta Padya (knotty poetry) and poems related to problem-solving (poetic problem solving), which is called Samasyapurti in Nepali, which was the fashion of that time. He learned it from famous Hindi poet Bhartendu Harischandra and also imitated the trend of ghazal writing from him. Thus he became a pioneer ghazal writer in Nepali language.

We Nepali writers are fortunate enough to have known Bhanubhakta Acharya due to Motiram, who brought him to light first of all by publishing his immortal poetic epic, the Ramayan. He did some research first of all and then compiled his poetic creations and also published them. Firstly, he published the Balkand (child episode of Ram) and then wrote the whole biography of Bhanubhakta. He also became a pioneer in the field of journalism, which was unknown at that time. 

No journal was in publication at that time. So, he published a literary monthly journal named ‘Gorkha Bharat Jiwan’ in 1863, in cooperation with his friend Ram Krishna Verma, who was the owner of a printing press in Venaras.

To paraphrase Prof Govind Raj Bhattarai, “In a remarkably brief period of time, the life of Motiram, the visionary, vibrant and multi-talented youth, was extinguished. Motiram introduced Bhanubhakta by writing Bhanubhaktako Jeevan Charita, which has been translated into English by Mitbir Rai of Darjeeling. This is the first book of biography of the first poet as well as the foundation stone of Nepali criticism.”

He commenced a historical work in the field of journalism. Thus, he is remembered as a legendary  litterateur as well as a legendary journalist. He was also an expert on ghazal writing and his ghazals are very sweet and popular with a very soothing and balmy tone.

I would like to quote here the famous Pakistani ghazal singer Mehadi  Hasan: “For me, ghazal is delicate. When a deer is deeply wounded by a hunter, it runs into the forest for its life and the sound that comes from it just when it’s about to die, that sound is ghazal.’Tone, words and rhythm from the face of ghazal, the subjects of love lost, even love won and wounded sensibilities are deeply enmeshed within the ghazal form. But take it a step further and it can become metamorphic, the subject in the ghazal can become a country, the love for a country, the love for two countries to mingle again. And on a higher level, the words in the ghazal associated with the beloved can be a reaching out to God.”

In short, ghazal is a gossip between the lover and the beloved in solitude. Motiram’s ghazals create a soothing effect on the listeners and audience equally. He was a  romantic poet and ghazal writer. So he wrote some romantic ghazals such as “ Dubai ankhi bhaun ta katar chhan, tarbar kina chahiyo. Timi afai malik bhai gayau  sarkar kina chahiyo.” The translation goes something like this: Your eyebrows are like knives, why do you need a sword? You are the lord yourself, why do you need a government? His another popular ghazal is “Jata heryo utai mera najarma Ram pyara chhan,” which translates into: I see my dear Lord Ram everywhere. 

Motiram is considered the father of ghazal writing in Nepali language and literature. He was the  first singer of love and beauty in Nepal. John Keats’ words “A thing of beauty is a joy for ever” ring true in the case of Motiram’s works. 

Madhav Lal Karmacharya is quite correct in his observation. He goes: Sometimes after 1883, a new phase appeared with the introduction of the elements of love and beauty, and that period came to be known as the period of ‘Sringar Sahitya’ meaning the literature marked with the traits of love and beauty. The pioneer poet of this period was Bhatta, thanks to his zeal and enthusiasm, a number of dramas, novels, lyrics, gazals, folk songs, literary criticisms, etc were published.”

For a long time, Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretaries Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma have been pressuring the party leadership to take a clear stance against forming any pre-election alliances, like the one with the Maoists in the 2022 elections.

Thapa and Sharma are essentially trying to address concerns among grassroots cadres who are reluctant to support the Maoist party due to lingering animosities from the insurgency era. During the 10-year insurgency, Maoist cadres targeted NC members, killing many, seizing their properties, and expelling them from their homes.

As a result, many NC cadres at the local level are unwilling to vote for the Maoists, preferring instead to support a royalist party like the Rastriya Prajatantra Party. This resistance contributed to the poor conversion of NC votes into support for Maoist candidates, not only in parliamentary elections but also in the National Assembly elections. With Friday’s decision by the NC, it seems Thapa and Sharma have partially succeeded in advancing their position, although the decision does not explicitly rule out future electoral alliances.

“We will re-establish the Nepali Congress as a party capable of securing a majority on its own by further energizing our organization and increasing public trust and support,” reads the party’s decision. However, it does not prevent the party leadership from making last-minute decisions regarding electoral alliances. Although Thapa and Sharma believe the party can emerge as the largest without an alliance, the party’s organizational strength has significantly weakened in recent years due to inaction.

The NC is plagued by faction feuds from the central to grassroots levels, and little effort has been made to revitalize the party organization. The party’s main competitor, CPN-UML, is known for its robust organizational strength and has been launching a series of organizational campaigns even after the 2022 elections. Despite the alliance between the NC and the Maoists in 2022, the UML managed to secure an equal number of popular votes as the NC. It will be challenging for the NC to compete with the UML in many constituencies, especially as some NC cadres and leaders are gradually shifting to new parties. 

A senior NC leader commented, “We are in a difficult situation because grassroots sentiment is against the alliance, but our organization is weak, and we cannot rule out the possibility of all communist parties uniting.” This is why NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba appears hesitant to make a decisive move, leading the party’s Central Committee meeting to adopt a somewhat ambiguous decision.

The party’s Central Working Committee (CWC) approved a proposal that Thapa had presented during the meeting of the Mahasamiti, the party’s highest policy-decision making body, in February. However, the Mahasamiti was unable to decide on the proposal at the time due to opposition from Deuba. The Mahasamiti then decided to discuss the proposal in the central working committee meeting.

Deuba had instructed Thapa to revise the proposal, arguing that forming alliances is a strategic decision made before the election and not something to be publicly declared. However, Thapa refused to revise the proposal.

Political analysts suggest that Thapa’s proposal was one of the factors that led CPN (Maoist Center) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal to break alliance with the NC and form a new coalition with the UML in March. However, Dahal’s new coalition was short-lived, as the NC and UML announced a new coalition on July 1.

While the CWC meeting was ongoing, Deuba held a separate meeting with Vice Presidents Purna Bahadur Khadka and Dhanraj Gurung; General Secretaries Thapa and Sharma; and CWC member Ramesh Lekhak to forge a consensus on three proposals submitted by Khadka, Thapa, and Sharma. These meetings, held on Tuesday and Thursday, reached a consensus, and a framework was laid out for decisions that were eventually adopted by the CWC.

Although the party approved the proposals submitted by Khadka and Thapa, it did not pass Sharma’s proposal related to term limits. Sharma had proposed limiting leaders to one term as President, two terms as Prime Minister, three terms as Minister, and four terms as a Member of Parliament. For provinces, Sharma proposed that a leader could not serve more than two terms as Chief Minister, three terms as Minister, and four terms as a Provincial Assembly Member.

Leaders close to Deuba opposed this proposal, arguing that it was designed to prevent Deuba from becoming Prime Minister again. “I won’t rule myself out of the premiership just because you suggest it. I am not ready to give up the position yet,” Deuba reportedly said during the meeting.

The meeting decided that necessary decisions regarding term limits for various positions would be made during the constitutional amendment process. Although the meeting agreed to hold the upcoming general convention within the stipulated time frame, it did not set a specific date.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that violence of the past will never happen and will not be allowed to happen again in Nepal.

Speaking during the launch of the book ‘Into the Fire’ by Capt Rameshwar Thapa, chairperson of Annapurna Media Network, in Kathmandu on Saturday, Oli also assured that Nepal will not go through the economic and political turmoil like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

Oli was responding to a statement made by CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal in Parliament on Aug 26, where he suggested Nepal should learn from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Prime Minister Oli remarked, “Just because something happens in Bangladesh doesn’t mean it will happen here in Nepal,” claimed Oli. “Politics of lawlessness, chaos, and violence is no longer possible in Nepal. We will not let it happen.”

He added that Dahal, who led an armed insurgency that killed 17,000 people, is now loudly telling him to learn from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. “Did I kill 17,000 people in the name of the People's War to gain something? Did I commit looting to gain something? I have nothing to fear.” 

Advocating for a peaceful society, Oli recalled how he resisted the Maoists' violence, even when he had no army or police, relying solely on moral courage.“When the Maoists were spreading violence in the name of people’s war, indiscriminately killing people, and looting, I strongly opposed it. I had the moral courage to stand on the side of truth.”

Prime Minister Oli also mentioned that he has no personal desire to cling to power and is prepared to smoothly transfer power to the Nepali Congress before his term ends. 

“My current term as prime minister has only 1 year, 10 months, and 15 days remaining. And I have said it in the past too that I will transfer leadership of the government a week before the term ends.”

Oli emphasized that the country cannot be ruled recklessly. “I have been committed to building this country for six years. I have never coveted others’ properties and will never do so. I have not engaged in corruption, nor will I allow others to do so.”

He also highlighted the country’s economic challenges, noting that revenue collection decreased by 24 percent last year. He assured that this situation would be resolved through actions, not just words. He also pledged to raise the living standards of the more than 20 percent of Nepalis who live below the poverty line.

Regarding Capt Thapa’s book, Oli claimed, “We have inaugurated in this book an important moment of history. ‘Barudmathi Udda’ was published six years ago, and its English translation ‘Into the Fire’ includes some additional details and information. I would like to congratulate Captain Rameshwar Thapa for this achievement.”

Oli praised Capt Thapa’s bravery, stating, “Capt Thapa risked his life to support Nepali security personnel in maintaining peace and order during the conflict. Though not a soldier, his bravery is no less than that of a military person. If he was after a salary, he could have earned an income doing other work, but he chose to prioritize the country’s security over his own.”

Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba also attended the book launch and spoke highly of Capt Thapa. “I have known Captain Rameshwar Thapa for a long time. I have flown many times in his helicopter, both for party work and for other purposes. He has been a tremendous help to me personally and to the party.”  

Deuba added, “I regard him as a person who wishes well for everyone. He has played a significant role in Nepali politics by bringing major parties together and preventing political instability.”

Capt Thapa, in his speech, reflected on his journey. “I am the son of an ordinary farmer. I wish for the country and society to prosper through good deeds. I witnessed the 10-year conflict firsthand, surviving ambushes and bullets. These experiences need to be documented, and I will continue writing. During the conflict, I focused on minimizing human loss and material damage.”

He also recounted his contributions to relief and rescue efforts during the conflict, often flying his helicopter to remote villages. “At times, the courtyards were empty because there were no people left in the settlements. Only about 70 percent of these incidents are written in the book. Now, we must not let our relations deteriorate. Our country is beautiful, and no one dies of hunger here. This is the message my book conveys.”

Capt Thapa expressed his commitment to working for the country with courage and dignity, emphasizing that Nepal is a land of knowledge and spirituality. “I hope that now no one should be an enemy of anyone in the country.”

Ecological well-being performance (EWP) is gaining power in an era where environmental sustainability is more important than ever. This novel metric is revolutionizing our understanding of the state of our ecosystems and the effects of human activity on the environment. By combining community feedback and scientific data, EWP seeks to present a comprehensive picture of ecological health and produce insights that may be used to inform resource management and policy decisions. Gaining an understanding of and improving upon EWP has become crucial as governments, corporations and communities work toward sustainable development.

The majority of material, people, transportation and information flows produced by urban activities “are carried by infrastructure. Renowned primatologist and environmentalist Jane Goodall asserts that our health is inextricably linked to the health of the planet.” EWP provides a means of measuring this connection and directing us toward more environment-friendly behaviors. Ecological weighting (EWP) is a comprehensive metric used to assess the sustainability and health of ecosystems. Economist Jeffrey Sachs states that “creative approaches to development that respect and enhance natural systems are necessary to achieve high EWP scores.” Although a major obstacle still remains in striking a balance between ecological protection and economic development. According to a recent study of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), areas with higher EWP ratings typically have more resilient ecosystems that can support a variety of species as well as human populations. 

Using metrics from the HDI, which are regarded as globally authoritative, proved more persuasive when calculating the output of residential well-being. Even China’s most developed areas such as Guangdong, Shanghai and Beijing did not have the best EWP values. In the context of Nepal, this situation cannot even be imagined. It is not impossible if the politics of Nepal will be stable and the government will think about this aspect during the overall development and make that dream come true. It will definitely take a few years (decades even), it will be possible, otherwise we as citizens should wake up. Sometimes we have to know the way to the village that we never go to. So together, the six ecological input categories offer a thorough knowledge of human consumption trends and the effects they have on the ecosystem.

EWP is measured by employing a collection of metrics to evaluate the sustainability and overall health of ecosystems. These indicators shed light on a number of environmental factors, including pollution levels, resource usage and biodiversity. Here are some important metrics that are frequently used to assess EWP, along with explanation:

Biodiversity: It is the variety of life on Earth, including species diversity, genetic variation and ecosystems. It supports ecosystem resilience, provides essential services and is crucial for maintaining the health of the planet. Purvis, A, & Hector, A concluded that high species richness indicates a healthy, resilient ecosystem.

Habitat quality: Foley, J A, DeFries, R, Asner, G P, et al. stated that a decrease in natural habitat area signifies ecological degradation, the partition of ecosystems into separate, smaller areas. ‘Fragmented habitats support fewer species and are more vulnerable to environmental changes’, Haddad et al. wrote in their research article. 

Water quality: This actually means concentrations of nutrients in water bodies, according to Smith, V H, Tilman, G D, & Nekola, J C. Excess nutrients can lead to eutrophication, harming aquatic life. Also note what Bilotta & Brazier’s have to say: high turbidity can indicate pollution and poor water quality.

Air quality: The concentration of air pollutants such as PM2.5, NO2 and SO2 refers to the levels of these harmful substances in the air. Kampa, M, & Castanas, E also noted that poor air quality affects both human health and ecological well-being.

Soil health: The amount of organic material in soil, known as Soil Organic Matter (SOM), is crucial for maintaining soil fertility and supporting ecosystem productivity. This is the conclusion of Lal R. Per Pimentel D, the rate at which soil is lost due to wind or water, known as soil erosion, is a key indicator of land degradation and reduced soil quality.

Resource use: According to Foley, J A, Ramankutty, N, Brauman, K A. et al, the amount of water used per unit of agricultural or industrial output is a critical measure, with efficient water use indicating sustainable resource management.

Energy consumption: Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth, essential for ecosystem health, resilience and providing crucial services like pollination, climate regulation and resources.

Waste management: Karak, T, Bhagat, R M, & Bhattacharyya, P argued that a high proportion of waste being recycled minimizes landfill usage and reduces the need for resource extraction.

Waste generation: In Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata’s opinion, lower per capita waste generation reflects efficient resource use and promotes sustainable consumption patterns.

Conclusion: The State of the Environment Performance is a guiding concept for a sustainable future rather than just a measurement. EWP gives us the ability to make decisions that are beneficial to the environment and people by offering a holistic perspective on ecological health. Adopting EWP can ensure that our choices result in a resilient and prosperous world for future generations, even as environmental problems continue.

The author is president of Forum of Development Journalists’ (FoDeJ), Nepal. Views are personal