Prakash A Raj, Kathmandu
An article published in the Herald Tribune by Robert Radtka Vice President of Asia Society in the US raises interesting questions about economic development in two of Nepal's neighbors India and China. Radtke believes that economies of India and China that are competing with each other might become more complimentary in the future. He concludes China may believe it has more to gain by establishing amicable relationship with India. Steps taken in recent years in normalizing Sino-Indian relations should also interest Nepal. Both India and China have enjoyed impressive growth rates in the past decade. Both are on their way to become economic giants. Nepal is situated just north of heavily populated states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in India, which has remained relatively backward. Tibet Autonomous Region is sparsely populated but will be linked with eastern part of China by railway. Nepal is already linked with Tibet by Kodari Highway built in the 1960's. A second highway is being constructed now that will link Kathmandu by Rasuwa to Keyrong. Nepal should be able to take advantage of its proximity to both Indian and Chinese markets. China was able to get foreign investment of $54 billion in 2003, which was ten times more than that received by India. While the strength of the Chinese economy is in manufacturing, that of India is in services.
Recently, Chinese government has provided medicines and hospital equipment worth 1.4 million Nepali rupees to B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Nepal. The Chinese government has been providing medicines since 1999.
Even recently experts said in Kathmandu, transit economy between China and India will serve as a milestone to generate employment and boost Nepal`s economy. The trade volume between China and India stands about 10 billion US dollars and the two countries plan to increase it to 30 billion US dollars within 20 years.
- Haribhakta Katuwal
I won't go to school, pa
where history's dead days are taught.
Math formulas, too, are all worn out
like a rusty old machine
I don't want to get struck
between pages of history
anything but history
let me move on faster than that
and live in the days yet to come
so I won't go to school, pa
where history's dead days are taught.
I'd rather have lessons I can carry with me
She stands just 1ft 11in tall and the average two-year-old would tower over her. But Jyoti Amge is no toddler - she is 14 years old.
This remarkable teenager, who weighs just 11 lb, is the smallest girl in the world.Her tiny size - she's just nine inches taller than this page - means that Jyoti has to have her fashionable clothes and jewellery made for her.
The youngster - who has a form of dwarfism called achondroplasia and will never grow any taller - is too small to use a normal-sized knife and fork so she eats off special plates... and sleeps in a tiny, custombuilt bed.
