A leader from Nepal's Maoists, a group that fought a decade-long insurgency that brought the nation to its knees before winning parliamentary elections in 2008, has warned it could start another conflict that would turn the country "into another Afghanistan".

According to the 2001 census of Nepal, there are 103 different ethnic groups in Nepal. They speak at least 90 different languages. Some of the ethnic groups are as small as 164 people. Nepal is a country of minorities. The largest minority group is that of Chhetris at 15.80% followed by the Bahuns at 12.74%. Magars constitute the third largest minority group at 7.14%. Realizing the complexities of the makeup of the population, Pirthvi Narayan Shah, the founding father of Nepal declared in 1767 AD that Nepal is a garden for people of all races and ethnic groups. In fact, Nepal was well known as a peaceful nation with complete harmony among people of diverse ethnic groups who practiced different culture and spoke different languages.

“Who are Non-resident Nepalese (NRN)?” I thought that the answer to this seemingly innocent question was obvious. But after spending a month in Nepal traveling as well as attending a weeklong conference of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), I was compelled to think otherwise. Being among the thousand delegates and observers in the largest of conference in NRNA history, listening to the President and Prime Minister of Nepal to “who is who” of Nepalese politics, businesses and diasporas from over 50 countries, and interacting with common people in the cities, towns and villages, made me realize that NRN is a well heard but poorly understood term. Consequently, instead of writing a report on the conference, I am pondering on above question with the context that made me rethink. This article is written with a hope to divert some of the intellectual energy currently expended in anchoring divisive thoughts onto healthy debate on NRN identity.

I am experiencing Facebook Fatigue. I'm tired of phony emotions over the internet. I now regard it as a time-wasting cesspool of pseudo-communication where we remain unthinkingly connected.

Politicians don't go to their constituencies anymore. Mainstream parties have almost abdicated the countryside. From Marchabar to Manang, the only political activists who can be seen in the districts are the Maoists. More often than not, it's to gherao something.

We have rarely seen confessions and apologies from political leaders for their wrongdoings. Gagan Thapa’s prompt response from him on the allegation against him is very significant in the context of the political deadlock the country has experienced at the moment.

Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel Prize winning work is based on the case studies from fisheries in Maine to irrigation system in Nepal. Her study is concentrated on how common resources are actually managed by communities.

A well known Nepali lefty litterateur often remarks that Maoist behaviour is semi-Marxist and semi-Talibanish. The latter may not be a fair analogy given the vast gap in the scales of cruelty. But our comrades do have a ruthless instinct and consider instilling fear among opponents an acceptable strategic instrument.

As the main purpose of the project is to motivate farmers towards organic farming, there are plans to develop the above villages as the model village and encourage farmers in other parts of the country to start the same.

Although the communist forces in Nepal, including Maoists, claim that they are pro-poor, their behaviors do not exhibit so. While the Maoists were in power nothing was done to launch a campaign against this and other serious national maladies. Now that the present government is headed by a communist party, it seems busy in ‘appeasing affairs’ than addressing the real issues that mar the future of Nepal’s health.