Hindu Press International

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7424302.stm

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, May 29, 2008: The Himalayan nation of Nepal has become the world’s newest republic, ending 240 years of monarchy. A constituent assembly meeting in the capital, Kathmandu, overwhelmingly voted to abolish royal rule. The Maoists, the largest party after laying down arms and standing in last month’s elections, were committed to ousting King Gyanendra. People celebrated wildly in the streets of the capital after news of the assembly vote.

The approved proposal states that Nepal is “an independent, indivisible, sovereign, secular and an inclusive democratic republic nation.” Royal privileges “will automatically come to an end,” the declaration says. It also states that the king’s main palace must be vacated within a fortnight, to be transformed into a museum.

The Maoists and other politicians are being conciliatory about the monarch now being ousted and say he should live on in Nepal as a private citizen. Some militant pro-Hindu and pro-royal factions are campaigning against Nepal’s shedding of its royal - and its officially Hindu - status.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7425557.stm

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, May 29, 2008: With the ending of the monarchy in Nepal, what is ex-king Gyanendra planning to do now - and what will take the place of the crown? There are reports that Gyanendra and his ex-queen, Komal, are already packing to leave the royal palace, Narayanhiti.

Although they have had months to think about it, Nepal’s leaders are still arguing about the new, temporary constitutional arrangements. Clearly the republic will need a president during these two years while a completely new constitution is being written. It is now agreed that he or she will have a largely ceremonial post but will be the supreme commander of the army, with emergency powers exercised on cabinet advice. Whoever it is will have to be elected by the 601 assembly members, by a simple majority. Until that happens, Nepal will technically have no head of state at all.

The same questions apply to the Maoists’ army. While the Maoists want them merged with the national Nepal Army, the latter’s chief is vocally unwilling to accept them. With the Maoists now in the government, yet still encumbered with the baggage of a guerrilla group, many questions remain about the structures of the new Nepalese republic.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/23/stories/2008052360942600.htm

CHENNAI, May 23, 2008: An ambitious project to conserve more than 200 ancient
paintings in the Siva temple at Kalakkad in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district is to be undertaken soon by the REACH Foundation, a non-governmental organization.

The paintings on the inner walls of each of the nine tiers of the temple’s gopurams are about 400 years old and resemble those of the Vijayanagara and Nayaka school of the 16th/17th century CE. The initiative will also strengthen the 185-foot tall gopuram to stop seepage of rainwater and mend most of the 1,500 stucco figures that adorn it on the outside.

“The movements of the art on these murals is so superb that they look like modern techniques,” Dr. Satyamurthy said. They have an influence of Chola school of murals. These masterpieces provide a wealth of information on contemporary life in terms of costumes and ornaments worn by kings and commoners, hair style, musical instruments, and so on.

http://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2008/5/29.shtml

Only the ignorant man expects perfection and lasting fulfillment from this Earth.
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