A hardworking nepalese got Ramon Magsaysay Award: Nobel Prize of Asia

Mahabir Pun of Myagdi bags prestigious Magsaysay award

Mahabir Pun: 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for Community Leadership.
Mahabir Pun of Myagdi, western Nepal, has bagged the prestigious Raman Magsaysay Awards, for Community Leadership.
The Board of Trustees of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) Tuesday announced that seven Asians bagged this year's Raman Magsaysay Awards, the Asian Equivalent of Nobel Prize.
Pun is among three Chinese, a Korean, an Indian and a Pilipino to receive the coveted award.
According to the RMAF, Pun, 52, is “recognised for his innovative application of wireless computer technology in Nepal, bringing progress to remote mountain areas by connecting his village to the global village”.
Pun is the fourth Nepali to receive the Magsaysay award. He will receive the award amid a ceremony in Manila on August 31.Here is Pun's profile:
Nangi Village, where Mahabir Pun was born, rests high in the Himalayan foothills of western Nepal. Here and in surrounding Myagdi District live the Pun Magar, whose men have soldiered for generations across the globe as Gurkhas. Yet, their worldly careers have done little to change their sleepy homeland, so far from the traffic patterns that knit together the rest of the world. Indeed, Nangi is seven hours' hard climb from the nearest road. No telephone lines have ever reached it. Despite this, these days the people of Nangi are definitely connected to the world outside. Wireless Internet technology has made this possible. Mahabir Pun has made it happen.
Pun passed his boyhood grazing cattle and sheep in mountain pastures and attending a village school that had no paper or pencils or books. Wanting more for his son, Pun's father moved the family to Nepal's lowlands, where, in Chitwan, Pun finished high school and became a teacher, working for twelve years to help his younger siblings through school. Finally, a timely scholarship led him to a bachelor's degree at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Then, in 1992, after more than twenty years away, Pun returned home to Nangi, determined to make things easier for other youths than they had been for him.
Nangi's leaders were busy establishing a village high school. Pun eagerly joined in. Once a month, he made the two-day trip to the nearest major town of Pokhara to check his e-mail and maintain his links to friends abroad. This led, in 1997, to the donation of four used computers from Australia. Powering them with hydro generators in a nearby stream, Pun began teaching computer classes at the high school. More computers followed, but it proved impossible to get a telephone connection to Pokhara and the Internet.
Pun e-mailed the British Broadcasting Corporation, asking for ideas. In 2001, the BBC publicized his dilemma and within a year volunteers from Europe and the United States were helping him rig a wireless connection between Nangi and the neighboring village of Ramche, using TV dish antennas mounted in trees. Some small grants soon led to the construction of improvised mountaintop relay stations and a link to Pokhara. By 2003, Nangi was online.
As word of Pun's project bounced around the World Wide Web, backpacking volunteers carried more and more donated computers, parts, and equipment into the hills. Meanwhile, Pun expanded the wireless network to embrace twelve villages-distributing a hundred computers to local schools, connecting them to the Internet, teaching teachers how to use them, and then tinkering and troubleshooting until everything worked.
Today, connectivity is changing Myagdi. Using the district's "tele-teaching" network, good teachers in one school now instruct students in others. Doctorless villagers use Wi-Fi to consult specialists in Pokhara. Village students surf the Net and are learning globe-savvy skills. Pun himself is using the Web to e-market local products such as honey, teas, and jams and to draw paying trekkers to campsites that he has outfitted with solar-powered hot showers. In parallel projects, villagers in Nangi have themselves added a library, a health clinic, and new classrooms for the high school.
Pun, now fifty-two, is both self-effacing and charismatic. "I'm not in charge of anything," he says. Yet, he seems to be the driving force of much around him. Eventually, he says, the people of Myagdi District will have to carry on for themselves. In the meantime, he hopes to play his unique role indefinitely. "As long as I can walk," Pun says happily, "I can do this."
In electing Mahabir Pun to receive the 2007 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership, the board of trustees recognizes his innovative application of wireless computer technology in Nepal, bringing progress to remote mountain areas by connecting his village to the global village.

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EXAMs are running !

Our exams has started since 24 th of july

and it will be run until the end of August. Exam is always challenge and stressing to student because they could ripe the cereal of their labor on the one hand and on the other hand they have to work harder during this period.

Students can register for exam 10 days before of the exam of any subject. No need to fill the form like in developing country. Students can register or withdraw from the exam of any subject online. Only the constraint is to do it 10 days earlier.

The timber utilisation exam has already finished and students have done it wonderfully despite of long stress from the large number of reading materials.

The exam schedule is:

July 24: Wood Utilisation (8:30 to 9:30 and 10:00 to 11:00 oclock - FSR 4.1)

July 30: Ecopedology (09:15 to 11:00 in F 02)

August 2: Wood Products (10:00 to 12:00 in FSR 4.1)

August 7: Project Planning (10:15 to 12:15 in room no.F 01)

August 15: Forest Protection and Agroforestry (09.30 to 12:00 in FSR 1.1)

Best wishes and Good luck to all the friends!!

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Unbelievable stealing case ! (Exclusive news !)

In the country like Germany where people can walk at midnight without any fear and risk, the place like Goettingen, where anyone can sleep outside and put his valuable anywhere without any fear, the places like Georg August university, where people can find there valuables even after lost, the Beamer has been stolen unbelievably from building 4.1.

The thief probably might have entered through window and snatched the beamer that was hanging under the ceilings for normal use. The thief was so crucial and barbaric in stealing the things like this from the university, which is our temple (or Church or Mosque) for education. I donot know how this kind of ill will use to come in someone's mind.

This event came into light (to us) when today our teacher Dr. Ramazan Kurt was trying to fix the Beamer for his presentation. We were worrying about this unbelievable and mischievous activity.

This incident should not be taken as the minor thing. It should be investigated and put the culprit into the jail. I would like to request all whoever can assist in investigation of this robbery !

I have put the photo of ceiling, hanging the cable after Beamer stolen.

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The memorable party for Wood product student !

We had very good and nice party today. The party was jointly organised by the student of Wood products' side and by the teacher side. Dr. Ramazan Kurt has been teaching the wood science and wood products technology in the Georg August University, Goettingen. He has been involved in teaching for 15 long years in Turkey.

He has completed his master degree from Uk, and Doctorate and Post doctorate from the reputed universities of the USA. He is perfect in teaching skills. He taught the subject in very particatory and interactive way. All the students are happy and satisfied with his teaching methods and skills.

Since he himself is very labourious and hard working man, he always wanted to do labour from sutdent side. For that, he obliged students to write 5 reports in different subjects. In the beginning, student were thinking that these are too heavy to finish. But, he inspired and encouraged students so much, almost all students could finish it in time. At the end, students are more than satisfied with this methods. By writing reports, student learn the subject in depth and in permanently. This is good way to depart knowledge to the students.

Dr. Kurt has charismatic personality. He is soft spoken and very kind to others. He treated student as the teacher, as the guardian and most of time as the best friends. He has really great friendly nature who can impress anyone from first sight. We learned many things about the human behaviours from him besides from the knowledge on the subjects. He is one of the great teacher we ever had !

We wish all the success in his professional career ! No matter how far would we be physically, he will remain always in our heart and soul ! We would like to extend our thanks to Georg August University and DAAD for providing us the opportunity to learn many things from him.

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Class end party

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Dr. Ramazan Kurt Party

We wish all the best Dr. Ramazan Kurt !

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Nepalese Sommer party (photos)

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Nepalese Sommer Party

Nepalese residing here in Goettingen took the opportunity to celebrate the sommer party. 7 families participated on the gathering. They interacted alot on this occasion. Children enjoyed the family environment and open atmosphere there.

With the Nepalese Flag flurring there, all became sentimental and pround to be nepalese and discussed alot about the faith and fate of country and countrymen. They showed the motivation to work for the country.

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Shortest man in the world is a Nepalese

There are lots of things in Nepal to be proud of herself. Unique and unparallel natural beauty, brevity and honesty are few about which all nepalese can be proud.

In this series, one nepali boy is going to be declared as the shortest man in the world. His name is Khagendra Thapa Magar, who has born in 1992 in one of the remote district on Nepal is just 50 centimeter tall and 4.5 Kg weight.

His height is less than the knee height of full grown European children. Guiness Book of World record is officially going to include his name as the shortest man in the world.

This is a good news and happy news for all nepalese.

We have also one of the tallest man in the world. His name is Rajan Adhikari, whose height is 7 feet and 3 inches.

What a variation from the shortest to one of the tallest ! Read more...

SLC results published

The School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exam which is considered iron gate in Nepal has published midnight yesterday. More than 350 thousands students were taking exams this year. Out of these large number of student, 58% could passed this Iron gate. Congratulation to all the successful students, their parents and other relatives.

This was the record % of student passing this iron gate. Before this year, never happened the passing result over 50 %.

The result published in the midnight took away the sound sleeps of millions of nepalese. The 350000 students, their parent (350000x2=7000000), their brother and sister (350000x2=700000) and other relatives (350000x10=3500000) altogether around 5.5 million people, could not sleep well by knowing or in the wait of knowing the results. Therefore, I did not like the idea of publishing the results at midnight however we know the difficulties and pressure from all in publishing results at the earliest time. Anyway, they deserve the admiration for tireless works.

From yesterday, I also could not sleep because our children were also taking exams this year.
My son (Rupesh K.C. 0143620V) got 84.8 % marks in aggregate, brother in law (Aashman Khattri: 0322937 Q) got 85.7 % and sister in law (Pushpa khattri: symbol number 0463237 U) got 87.5 % in total, all they passed SLC with distinction marks. They broke our family records in passing SLC.

We all are proud and happy by knowing their results. We are also quite serious about their future career too.

Good luck to them and congrats !

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The Extraordinary social worker:

It is always nice to read and write about the people who has contributed to his society. In these series, today I found the extra ordinary man about whom I would like to dedicate the gift of words.

I am going to say somthing about Dr. Sam Essiamah, he has finished his PhD from university of Goettingen in 1980s. Then, his professor asked him to stay here for few more years working as the researcher in university. therefore he stayed and spent around 10 years here in Germany working in different institutions and abilities.

He was asked to stay here, but he politely denied this offer of wonder land. He thought that he has some moral duty towards his motherland. Therefore, he went back to his country to serve there where he started the project of plantation in Schools. As other developing countries, Ghana also has faced the problems of deforestation, poverty and other societal ill effects. At present Ghana has less than 1 million hactare of natural forests.

Then, when he went to school, many schools didnot have well infrastructure and also the trees. Students use to sit outside on the day sun. These pitiful situation hurted him and inspired him to work there. He started school plantation with the participation of students and teachers. In the beginning it was only limited in the 4 schools.

The students were inpired and motivated plantation and protection by giving them the footballs. The soccer crazy students were so motivated they started to plantations and protection. It was successful on this.

He also noticed the problems of electricity in the house to provide the reading environment to children. For this, he collaborated with the German institutions, and developed and distributed solar lamp. This solar lamps are really miraculous. It is just 8 inches long with 4 inches diamter joined with the solar panel at top (Lantern like structure) that has only 250 grams weight and can provide light interruptibly for 8 hours if once charged. Ithis can be used to 10 years without any big maintenance and is quite portable and easy to operate which costs just 15 Euro.

Realising the poverty, he subisidized it to 7 euro to the student. And, also these 7 euro, he started the saving credit activities. The motive of this is to make the poorer people to make able to buy and use this wonderful solar lamp. With his single attempts he has been able to greenify the school compounds, inspire student to work towards nature conservation and lightening the society. He further more worked towards other societal development activities. Now his project has been working in 72 governmental schools and being very successful and popular among Ghana people.

For his contribution, he and his project have been awarded with prestigious Globolog Prize (2004) and 13 thousands euro. He spent all these money for developing this society.

People might think this as the small thing but for me it is the greatest contributions by single person to his motherland and society. He himself is so simple, no one could guess that this lean and thin man has been doing such a wonderful job to his society. I really salute him and his selfless endeavors !

These person could be reached at essiamah@yahoo.co.uk

Also, his organisation official site is www.schulwaelder.org

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HEBRA: the wonder !

Nowadays one animal have been attracting the most number of audiences here in SAFARI Park in Germany is the Hebra. Do you ever know about HEBRA? Have you ever heard about this?

If not here is the story.

This is the hybrid with Horse and Zebra. So, it is half plain white and half portion has the stripe as zebra has.

It is crossed in Italy and brought to Germany in SAFARI Park. It is being the key animal in the park however it has many problems and grievances. No other animals want to come close to it. No other animal either zebra or horse like to be its friend because of its different look.

The Park people are restlessly waiting partner for its mating however it has difficulty produce offspring since it is hybrid.

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20 Indians held for wildlife trade

MAHENDRANAGAR, June 30 - Kanchanpur District Forest Office has arrested 20 Indians, including 10 women, on suspicion of their involvement in the smuggling of parts of endangered fauna.

Forest officer Debeshmani Tripathi said that they were arrested on a special tip-off from Indian security. Eight of the accused were arrested Thursday while the others were nabbed on Friday. Officials found parts of endangered species in the bags of the women as they entered Nepal via the Nepal-India border.

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