The rise and fall of the Tibetan Carpet Industry

What started as a handicraft project for Tibetan refugees and grew into the mainstay of Nepal's economy is now on the verge of collapse

TSERING DOLKER GURUNG

Once the pioneer of Nepal's Tibetan carpet industry, the Jawalakhel Handicraft Centre (JHC) is today eerily quiet. There are few customers and the workers, some of whom have been with the company for decades, fear for their jobs.

It is the same story at carpet centres across the Valley. An industry that during the 1980s brought in one-third of Nepal's foreign currency earnings is nearly finished. At its peak, there were 3,000 carpet weaving centres employing 1.2 million people. Only 600 firms remain, providing jobs to less than 100,000 people.

"It has been a story of decline and decay," says despondent general manager of the JHC, Chime Dorjee, "export orders have dropped and we depend only on meagre retail sales."

The rise and fall of Nepal's carpet industry is the same old story of everyone getting into the act, the production glut leading to lowered prices just as Chinese carpets became cheaper. There were other problems: the child labour and environmental controversies, government indifference and interference, inflation and labour issues.

"It has got so bad that unless the government acts in regulating the industry, we soon won't have any carpets to export," laments Tenzin Choegyal, chairman of Nepal Carpet Enterprise.

The industry is exactly 50 years old, and has its roots in the weaving skills brought to Nepal by Tibetan refugees fleeing the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1959. The Swiss Red Cross along with Swiss Agency for Technical Assistance set up the Jawalakhel Handicraft Centre in 1960 so the refugees would have jobs. Carpet centres were also set up in Pokhara, Dhorpatan and Solu Khumbu.

Encouraged by sales, the Swiss helped in marketing carpets in Switzerland and Tibetan carpets from Nepal became the rage in the rest of Europe and America. With the upheavals in Iran and Afghanistan, European importers turned in the late 1970s to carpets from Nepal.

Tibetans working for the JHC weaved at home during their free hours, and they slowly started training local Nepali helpers spreading the technique to Nepalis. At its peak in 1993 the carpet industry brought in more than Rs 10.4 billion, but by 2009 it had shrunk by half.

Choegyal, who has been in the business for 30 years, says the biggest problem now are politicised unions. "Labour is our major concern now," he says, "every now and then labour unions backed by political parties come up with unreasonable demands that we cannot fulfil and this hinders production." The best weavers have moved to the Gulf and there is a shortage of skilled workers.

The fierce competition from Indian and Chinese rugs isn't making it easier. "Although, we cannot compete with India and China in terms of price, we are unbeatable in terms of quality especially in America," explains Cheogyal.

If the government stepped in to save the carpet industry, it still has a great potential for growth. The Made in Nepal brand is strong and the added "Tibetan" label gives Nepali rugs an edge that could translate into premium prices.

But carpet traders say the lack of incentives for an industry that has the potential to create tens of thousands of jobs is keeping it hamstrung. Successive governments since the mid-1990s have been interested only in extracting either taxes or bribes from the industry. The government also has an important role in depoliticising union activity, and the competition between politically-affiliated unions that have wrecked the industry, they add.

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Left alone

Karma Choenzom, 64 lives in the Tibetan refugee centre at Ekantakuna and fondly remembers the times when things were a lot better. "We used to get lots of export orders and worked overtime, but that is all gone, and the tourists don't come anymore," she says. Born in the Kyirong region of Tibet, Choenzom came to Nepal 25 years ago. Since then she has been working for the centre, first as a carpet weaver and now a wool spinner. The stagnation in the carpet industry worries her. "My future is uncertain," she says with a distant look. Her three daughters have all moved out, and she lives alone in her one room quarter provided by the centre. During the heydays of the carpet industry in the 1990s she earned Rs 4,000 a month, today she barely makes half that.

P.D.A at G.O.D

One of my friends who had just returned from Canada asked me to take her around the most happening places in Kathmandu. Naturally, the first place that came to my mind was Thamel. With its colourful ambience and foreigners setting the place abuzz, this place is definitely hard to ignore by. So, I took her around and finally after stopovers at different local shops, we settled for Garden Of Dreams. Garden of Dreams is located in Thamel chowk. Originally, it belonged to the Ranas who ruled the country for 104 years. About six years ago, it was opened to public.

The moment a person steps into this garden, it is difficult not to get enthralled by its beauty. From the magnificent fountains to the colourful floras to the exquisite sculptures, this garden truly stands by its name for it indeed is a dream garden. Apart from its beauty, the thing that caught my eye was the number of lovers drooling in the garden. The place was filled with young teenage lovers to old married couples, all trying to get their share of privacy. What amazed me was not the number of such couples but their willingness to display P.D.A.

Many of the people may not be familiar with the term P.D.A which stands for Public Display of Affection but most of us have seen it either on T.V or other mass media. Basically, in a country like Nepal it is rare to see P.D.A being displayed at all (and no, we don’t count the foreigners’ snogging in open). It may be due to our culture or our respect for others, Nepalese have always been hesitant in displaying affection in public. Small things such as holding hands, sharing a kiss or just a hug is looked down by the society. But this was clearly not the case in Garden of Dreams.

In every nook and corner of the place, some sort of affection was being shared. The onlookers didn’t pass any strange gazes neither gave a second look. This was so not the society I was used to living in. A part of me felt glad that our society was becoming more open minded but a part of me also felt that we may be heading toward the road to indecency which bothered me. It is not only in garden of dreams but many secluded areas where couples often forget their virtues and put the by-stander in an awkward position. I am not against P.D.A at all. Believe me, I’d be the last person to oppose it but I strictly believe there is a thin line between cute affection and raunchy P.D.A.

Journalism1- Assigment1

Why journalism and democracy are considered interdependent? Discuss with suitable examples.

Journalism and democracy are closely related. It is only in the presence of democracy that journalism can achieve its goal of communicating news freely and objectively.Also, journalism has in many cases helped bring about democracy to countries and it has also helped in sustaining democracy.

When we look into the history of our country Nepal we find that the first newspaper in Nepal, the Gorkhapatra was established in 1901 which acted as the mouthpiece of the government. After the introduction of democracy in 1951 there was growth of newspapers including vernacular weeklies, which expressed different political views and ideologies. But this growth came to halt when King Mahendra dissolved the elected parliament and Panchayat system came into being. This system which lasted for 30 years is well known for its hindrance towards press freedom and restrictions on media in private sector. Therefore, it is considered the darkest period in the history of Nepali media. Although Nepali press started to enjoy some liberties in 1979 after the nationwide pro-democracy movement, it was only after the re-introduction of democracy in 1990 that it was guaranteed its freedom. This led to a revolution in the media scenario of Nepal which has seen a massive growth since 1990.

In the democratic equation there are three types of identities: the politicians, the public and the publication. These three p’s of the democratic process which, through their correlation with each other , make modern democracy unique compared to other political philosophies. The relationship between the politician and the public, through the media and journalism particularly is distinctive in a democracy and has a very special connection with the electoral process, which separates true democracy from imitations. We can take the example of USSR which also had elections but that certainly didn’t make them a democracy. Liberated media is fundamentally crucial in genuine democratic societies because it practices the theory of including the public in governmental affairs, and commemorates the democratic idea that reality can only be relative and truth and facts are to be deemed authentic by individuals, not administrators.

Journalism is necessary because direct democracy is obsolete. People do not really have a say in modern democracy except for their vote. Journalism serves as a mirror to socio-political reality. It informs people about what really is going on and involves them in decision-making processes. In a democracy most of the times an average person is gone unnoticed and it is through journalism that average people are able to have a say and influence on things. The only real reason there is journalism in democracy is to make people aware. Had it not been for newspapers and media we wouldn’t be aware of the events taking place in the world. We wouldn’t be informed and cautious as we are now. Due to journalism we know about elections and candidates and we vote accordingly to what we hear and see through T.V, newspapers.

The main difference between a democratic and non-democratic country is not determined by elections, but by how free their journalists are. Journalism fails to serve its purpose in the absence of freedom. The essence of journalism is lost when it faces barriers and pressure from authorities. Democracy guarantees journalists that freedom and encourages them to have and publish their own opinions. In the absence of democracy journalism becomes futile and tools of propaganda or rather the mouthpiece of the authority in power.

Journalism is an anarchist dimension where individuals choose to relay the truth, or make their own. Government don’t need free press, but free journalism needs democracy. Free journalism is simply impossible without one. A democracy would be unattainable without attempting to include the public into government affairs. Free press can be good or bad but without freedom the press will most certainly be bad. Journalism for better or worse is the best example of the freedom of individuals and the importance of free thought in a democracy.

We can take the example of china where there is no democracy and hence no free journalism. The Chinese government has the full authority over the media there. They are known for censoring those media which are inappropriate to them and endanger their prestige among the Chinese people. The Chinese television channels and newspapers always broadcast and print newspapers in the favour of their government. During the 2008 Olympic Games which was held in Beijing, China; the government didn’t broadcast any news about the protests happening world wide against it. When questioned by foreign media about it to the people there, they were unaware and didn’t have any idea about it. This is one of the few instances where the Chinese government has violated the citizens’ right to freedom and expression.

In modern, democratic societies the press is considered the fourth state. Although democracy ensures press freedom but it also makes sure that the freedom given is not unlimited. Therefore, the government drafts law and acts regarding press freedom. This is done in order to assure that the freedom given is not misused in the field of journalism.

Journalism provides a forum of public debate about different issues and articulates public opinion. It forces government to take into consideration the opinion of people. It also provides an independent channel of communication between different groups in the society. Thus. It becomes an agent of private citizens being reconstituted as a public body exercising informal supervision of the state.

The inter-relationship between Journalism and democracy is undeniable. One cannot function properly in the absence of other. Journalism makes sure that democracy is being exercised in the proper way. Journalism ensures that people become public and they have a say in politics. It is through journalism that the people gain power and journalism becomes a voice through which people speak. Likewise, journalism also advocates for the importance of democracy. It speaks against injustice, inequality and authoritarian rule. Similarly, democracy facilitates journalism. It gives them the freedom to do their work without interference from any parties.