NRN convention boosts Janakpur's pride

Daulat Jha

JANAKPUR, Oct 17 - While Janakpur was still recovering from the festivities of Dashain, it was time for another big event - the NRN Day 2008. Decorated bamboo gates erected on the roads bore banners welcoming the guests. President Ram Baran Yadav was on his second visit ...

Furthermore, this was the first NRN convention to be organized outside Kathmandu.

The main road running through Janakpur was cordoned off for hours as President Yadav arrived to inaugurate the program. The program itself had started on Sunday but the inauguration was scheduled for Monday. President Yadav duly delivered his staple message about the need for national unity while celebrating the diversity of the country.

He expressed commitment to drafting the constitution on time and urged the NRNs to contribute positively to the peace process. Investments by NRNs will bring prosperity and economic development, he said.

The joint inaugural session included speeches by Minister for Works and Transport Bijay Kumar Gacchedhar, NRN advisor Kul Chandra Gautam, and FNCCI chairperson Kush Kumar Joshi, among others.

The theme of this year's NRN convention was "NRN in Local Transformation". Following the joint inaugural session, two separate technical sessions were held.

The first technical session, titled "Economic Development and Local Transformation", was chaired by Minister of Science and Technology Ganesh Sah. Minister Sah said there was a dire need for a scientific revolution in Nepal. He urged NRNs to contribute to the process with their knowledge and skills that they have acquired through their international experience.

The session also included some scholarly presentations by experts. Dr. Bishwamber Pyuakurel highlighted the role of NRNs in minimizing the restraints on economic development in the current context. Similarly, Dr. Bhogendra Jha spoke specifically of the development of Janakpur and the role that NRNs could play in bringing about positive transformation to the town. Ratan Jha, also the chairperson of Association of Nepali Taraians in America (ANTA), said that it was necessary for the diaspora and Nepali residents to share and transfer knowledge and skills, which could be put to good use to transform the country. Usha Sharma emphasized the role of women and the importance of their participation in local transformation.

The second session, chaired by Minister of Local Development Ram Chandra Jha, was titled "Non Resident Nepalis and Local Transformation".

Perhaps the most significant happenings at the program were the various charitable acts done by the NRNs themselves. President Yadav posthumously facilitated Ram Swaroop and Ram Sagar Sah, founders of the RR Campus. Canada resident Aditya Jha pledged to donate 100 laptops to Sarswati Secondary School, whose alumuni include President Yadav himself. An ambulance was provided to a local youth club. Another NRN, Ram Sah pledged to construct an auditorium with a 800 person capacity behind Janaki Mandir, a much needed facility.