There are some things that I haven't told you, things that I shouldn't tell you, but at least I have to try to help you understand why there are omissions. Eighteen years ago when I was traveling in China, I met an interesting artist who had very nasty things to tell me about the Chinese government and the Cultural Revolution. When I asked him why he had a picture of Mao on his wall he said, "Mao was so scary that I kept his picture to frighten away the evil spirits." When he saw that I carried a journal with me everywhere I went, he cautioned me not to write anything that he said in a public place because it could be very harmful to his health.
I love Nepal dearly, but it is going through some growing pains. It would not be good for me, my business, or anyone that I do business with, or anyone that I am trying to help, for me to discuss my uneducated political views about Nepal. I will only say, and I think that all parties concerned would agree, that corruption is a bad thing especially when it is paired with violence.
When I offered to help the Shree Nava Vijayee Mahendra Secondary School to build a library, I didn't consider how that could affect local politics. My immediate thoughts were: How much would it cost? and Who do I give the money to? But it took very little time for me to understand that there was no one person or group that I could give money to. It simply wouldn't be healthy for them. What was needed was an NGO (non-governmental organization) with established practices. So, of course, I said, "Just tell me who and I will work it out with them." But there was no reply.
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| Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. He is prayed to before other deities because he helps to clear the path for communication with the other deities. |
As I wandered the streets of Kathmandu, I was puzzling how to make good on my promises to the school children. I talked with my suppliers, and the other Nepalese people that I knew, and some other foriegners that I didn't know, asking them all about how one establishes an NGO in Nepal.
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| Kathmandu |
In the end, it was the man that I have known the longest in my travels to Nepal and who has helped me the most with my business who had the solution that I needed.
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| Kathmandu |
Raju, is a remarkable self-made man. I knew him when he had a small shipping business that operated out of a second floor office on a side street in Thamel. It had a dirt floor and I had to climb a wooden ladder to get to the office. He now has his own building, several vehicles with chauffers, and a multitude of business ventures including a network of ayurvedic medicine shops attached to free yoga centers. It is my personal opinion that he has acquired all of this wealth via his rakish good looks and superior smile. It also helps that he is considered extremely trustworthy and well connected. I have known him to be quite generous both with his customers and with his staff in providing regular parties, good advice, and loans in dire situations. Once, when I was in Nepal he got a phone call from another importer like myself who was going to jail because his taxi cab driver accidentally hit a cow. Raju sorted things out and got the foriegner back home safely. But his success has not come without drawbacks. Because he is well known and has money, his family has been threatened and his brother beaten. In fact, while Tania and I were in Nepal, he received a phone call demanding a million rupees. It was an insane demand with no specifics, and no follow-up. He has lived a remarkable life, and some day someone will write a book about this country boy who grew up to receive awards from the King of Nepal.
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| Kathmandu, click to enlarge |
When I mentioned to Raju my intention to build a library, he knew exactly where to begin. He and several businessmen in Thamel had set up the
Joy Foundation, years ago, for just this kind of charitable donation. They had all of the accountability and the follow-up worked out and they had years of practice building schools and training teachers. He even offered to make a donation. Without hesitation, he made phone calls and arranged for Tania and me to be invited to a dinner where we could meet with the founders of the Joy Foundation. I will tell you more about the dinner soon.
I haven't told you anything that isn't well known in Nepal, and Raju, unlike many poorer people in Nepal, does have the resources to protect himself and his family.
