A South Asian Journalists Association poll in the United States showed that the Nepali expatriates are disenchanted with the Royal Nepal Embassy in Washington-contrary to Artha Beed's opinion in "Diaspora dreams" (#119). In that poll, 82 percent of respondents said the embassy "did nothing" to help Nepalis, only eight percent said it "did something" and ten percent didn't know. In my own experience, the staff are rude and unprofessional towards Nepalis. The embassy should also be more proactive in improving trade relations, making visa service more efficient, holding Nepal awareness programs, providing various support for Nepalis to expand their business into the North American market. To borrow the king's own words, this embassy is "asakchyam".

"Riten",
by email
Thank you for posting the brilliant article "Diaspora dreams" by Artha Beed (#119) on your site. It was educational. A merger between Nepalis living abroad and our clueless government could ensure a better deal for our country and our people. This could probably be an idea worth exploring by the new government. As for the so-called "educated people living abroad", instead of discussing and complaining about Nepal from the depths of your couch as you nurse a beer or a glass of wine, you should give serious thought to making an actual contribution to Nepal. It doesn't have to jeopardise your careers and dreams.
In Beed's words "Everyone wins-returnees get valuable experience, and Nepal gets professional expertise from its own."

L Mathema,
by email