There is a house in Washington DC

The sad wreck of the Nepali ambassador's residence in the US capital resembles the decline of the nation it represents

By Daniel Lak

On a quiet, leafy street in northwest Washington DC sits a shabby decaying house with a gold plaque on its door. The grass in the garden hasn't been cut for weeks, garbage is strewn in the backyard, the paint around the windows is cracked and peeling. The plaque sign reads 'Royal Nepalese Embassy'.

I stumbled upon this sad little scene walking back from the nearby National Cathedral to my temporary home downtown. As I walked down the street towards the house, it was obvious that something was wrong.

A shaggy fringe of weeds and long grass protruded onto the sidewalk. Silence reigned behind the untrimmed hedge. Windows were shuttered. All around are well kept family homes with childrens' swing sets and toys on the lawn. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, so parents and kids were out enjoying themselves.

Poor countries face big financial challenges maintaining a diplomatic presence in expensive places, and Washington DC is certainly one of them. The salary of an ambassador from a small, developing country would not tempt an American factory worker or landscape gardener. Just paying the monthly bills is often a challenge.

In Islamabad, where I lived for four years in the 1990s, diplomatic staff from African countries often supplemented their paltry recompense by selling contraband whisky to thirsty foreigners like me who didnýt have official permission to buy alcohol in the Islamic republic. A prominent South Asian ambassador in London once had to sell valuable paintings inside his embassy to pay for some roof repairs. His successor later accused him of stealing rare works of art.

I have a lot of sympathy for people in this position, but the state of the Nepal ambassador's residence in Washington is a disgrace. It reflects badly on a country far away that needs more friends and support, not the contempt of strangers. The American capital is one of Nepalýs two most important diplomatic postings (the other is New Delhi) and keeping up appearances is part of the job.

There are excuses to be made. His excellency, the late Jaya Pratap Rana, passed on a few months ago after a long illness which meant he was never really able to take up his post. He was well and lively when I met him at a conference of Nepalis in America two years ago. His successor has been appointed but evidently has not yet arrived, or hasn't gotten around to issuing orders for maintenance.

Nonetheless, it all begs the question: what is the staff of the Royal Nepali Embassy doing on a day-to-day basis? They have, I'm sure, the usual duties of the diplomat: networking, reading newspapers, searching for American investment in Nepal. Iým sure they could spare a little time to trim the grass around the ambassador's residence and pick up some of the rubbish in the backyard.

Diplomacy, ultimately, is about appearances, and in Washignton that is being allowed to slip badly. It's been a long time since a happy crowd of power brokers and influential Americans toasted the kingdom in the garden while succulent sekuwa sizzled on the barbecue.

It's hard to avoid linking the decline of the house and the nation it represents. Nepal's elite has been absent without leave, or neglectful, or simply not paying attention. The garden (the country's hinterland) is unkempt, dangerous and depopulated. The house (the state) is a sad wreck, dry rot in all of the beams and corruption from the attic to the basement.

If someone, anyone, doesn't do something soon, the whole structure could collapse and make things even worse in the neighbourhood. And I'm not talking about a house here.

http://www.nepalitimes.com/issue209/herenthere.htm

Staggering at first
stumbling
then falling...
downhill
with speed.
Nepal and Nepali.
Here and there.
And where else?

Hope, perseverance, resilience... bah! Crash, boom, bang!

"Hold on guys... hold on for a few more months... may be in the next talk... in. a few years... "

Until then,
let's work.
Let's cut the weeds in DC Nepali Embassy and paint the windows.
Let's graze our cattle.
Teach. Write.
Run tea shop.
Do what we do best.
Work.
Against all odds.

"God! This is wishful thinking..."

But then again... let's do go on.
Doing the best we can,
wherever we are.

B.

I've been to the Ambessy number of times....it was not really a news to me.Never seen the place in any better condition.

"It's hard to avoid linking the decline of the house and the nation it represents"

As harsh as it may sound, There is no kidding about it, only that it does not have to show it as acutely.

If I am correct Jaya Pratap Rana, the nepalese Ambassador to the US, was kept at John Hopkins for almost a year. Was the Embassy's fund diverted to pay Late Rana's hospital bills?

So Mr Ass u toss.. what u doing to help us out in this matter.. or like always you're just going to post and run yo Assgas mouth. Ohh I went to harvard, I am smart, and NOBODY is to question ma intellect. Enought gutterball talk from your ever running stream of ASSGAS talk. Why don't you get your own site for your ASSGAS talk ? maybe you and your chamcha's can keep discussing about how great you are...
BTW... how's yo hairy palms working out fo u he he ?

Wow !
Looks like Bathroomcoffee is really after Ass U Toss (This must be a created version of Ashutosh or something like that, how creative...).
Good luck guys for the fightings.
Nice article Ashu.
DP.

After reading asuz posting.....I told them to clean the house and surrounding.....Thank U Asu...

San,

Could you please REMOVE the posting of Bathroomcoffee above?

I do not know who Bathroomcoffee is, nor do I particularly care about his/her identity.

As you know, I am all for freedom of speech, but such a post, I am sure you will agree, does not reflect well on the Sajha community.

Thanks.

oohi
ashu

whyhappy,
that was fast. good job!

B.

the house looks fine, at least from the outside. What's he complaining about?

bathroomcoffeshitman, die!
----
- http://www.mopu.net

Yo hypocrite Ass u toss,
Wha's up witchu ? Watch yo words Mr Asstoss," ohhh I am all for free speech but lets censure this particular one." Spoken like a true politician in training.

Oh yeah forgot to ask would you like to send you some non wax nair fo yo palms ? he he

Bathroomcoffee, shut it with your nigger talk, you 5'3" mook. If you want me to pull out that rod out of your shit maker, let me know. Idiot.

Yo thugged out !
Just cause yo daddy is 5'3 dun mean the entire population is 5'3. Besides, look at yo own name befo you staat name callin'. An what is this N talk u be talkin 'bout ? Rod outta yo shitmaker ? wha tha fleek is that ? Are u tellin me that u carry a( or place) a rod in yo shit maker ? Yo git yer shit straight SON ! And learn to mind yer bidness !!! Don't play with the bull unless you wanna git the horn !! He he

Shitmaker would be your poopshoot, nigger. You have a comprehension problem, don't you, idiot? You wouldn't understand slangs even if it bit you in the a$$, bathroomcoffee. Bathroomcoffee is the same nigger who used to attack Paramendra. Fking idiot, I know what you look like. If I ever meet you, prepare to get pummeled.

Lol, ha ha..........I am coming back to Sajha after 20-25 days hoping to find some nice postings that could provoke curiosity, some postings that that could be intriguing.........and wht do i find?

some shitty comments from people like bathromcofee? (did i spell u right?) . But i could not help noticing the way he writes (maybe thats the way he speaks, just like most of the black americans i guess......how long have u been in the us?)

mate, if you are less that 15 years of age, please ignore this message :) its alright, its due to the age factor, i understand
#
but if you are 15 or more, Grow up

off i go
cheers everyone
have a nice time

SO SAD THAT PEOPLE CANNOT HAVE A HEATHLY CONVERSATION. WHY ARE WE ALL ARGUING LIKE THIS? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO SAJHA ? PEOPLE LET'S RESPECT EACH OTHER.

If you could only stop yelling...

Yo thugged out,
I can't play in yer team cause I don't swing that way. You can play with your baseball bat by thugging in and out all you want...different strokes for different folks..he he !
Jhagalteybhoot,
It doesn't matter how long i've been here.. the question you need to ask is did I get in yer head ? Ping !!! ans is yeeeshhh !