# India, Nepal sign US$1 billion hydropower deal



## Vikrant (Nov 25, 2014)

This is a win - win deal for both. 

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KATHMANDU: Nepal and India signed a deal on Tuesday (Nov 25) to build a US$1-billion hydropower plant as Indian premier Narendra Modi began a visit to the impoverished Himalayan nation.

The deal allows India's state-owned company Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam to construct a 900-megawatt hydropower project on Nepal's Arun river, with electricity expected to be generated from 2021.

The two energy-hungry countries both suffer crippling electricity shortages and blackouts. Nepal will receive for free about 22 per cent of the power generated, while the remainder will be exported to India, according to the Nepal Investment Board.

A vast network of fast-flowing rivers through the Himalayas means Nepal has huge untapped hydropower resources. But disagreements over perceived threats to its sovereignty stalled earlier agreements to develop joint ventures with India.

Meanwhile, Beijing has intensified its engagement with India's northern neighbour, pumping billions of dollars into infrastructure projects ranging from roads to hydropower plants.

"When we trust each other, we can move forward very quickly," Modi said in Kathmandu. "Projects that have been in limbo for 25 years are moving forward. I feel very satisfied," he said on the sidelines of a summit of South Asian leaders and ministers under way in Kathmandu.

Modi has sought to deepen ties since coming to power in May, with the two countries signing a power trade agreement last month. India is investing billions of dollars to develop hydropower in Nepal, which currently produces just 750 megawatts - less than two per cent of its potential.

"This project is an important achievement for both Nepal and India. There is a lot of excitement here to finally sign the agreement," said Radhesh Pant, from the Nepal Investment Board.

The latest deal comes after Indian infrastructure giant GMR agreed in September to build Nepal's first 900-megawatt hydropower plant.

Modi, who arrived Tuesday afternoon in Kathmandu for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit, also urged Nepal's leaders to work together and secure a deal to draft a new constitution. "The only way to draft a constitution is through consensus ... if you don't agree on a new constitution, Nepal will undergo much suffering," he said.

Nepal has endured prolonged political limbo since the end of a decade-long civil war in 2006, when Maoists signed a peace deal paving the way for constituent assembly polls two years later. But successive governments have failed to agree on a new constitution which would conclude the country's peace process.

India Nepal sign US 1 billion hydropower deal - Channel NewsAsia


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

Nepalese nationalists still ain't gonna like this one. Ever since the civil war ended they've been anal about Indian economic and political immersing into their affairs. For comparison's sake, it's kinda like what I've read about ultra-nationalist factions in Georgia and their attitude towards the Russians in the dwindling days of the cold war.

That said, solid move by Modi. The more we pull their government away from covetous Chinese eyes, the better.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

RoshanNair said:


> Nepalese nationalists still ain't gonna like this one. Ever since the civil war ended they've been anal about Indian economic and political immersing into their affairs. For comparison's sake, it's kinda like what I've read about ultra-nationalist factions in Georgia and their attitude towards the Russians in the dwindling days of the cold war.
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> That said, solid move by Modi. The more we pull their government away from covetous Chinese eyes, the better.



If the so called nationalists are in the way of Nepali folks making some money from their hydro-electric resources then they are not much of nationalists in my opinion. 

Nepal and India are part of the same family. There is nothing that should divide the two countries other than the political border.


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## irosie91 (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


> RoshanNair said:
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> ...


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

irosie91 said:


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Majority of the population of Nepal is Hindu. They also have sizable Buddhist population. Nepal used to be the only country where Hindu faith was an official faith till Nepal under pressure from the western countries dropped the state support for Hindu faith. Ironically, the western countries that were pressuring Nepal to drop its state support for Hindu faith were declared Christian nations where tax payers had to support official Christian churches. I have to say Nepal got duped by them.


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## irosie91 (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


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OH!!!!   majority is HINDU?    gee------I had a kinda wrong
impression.   --------uhm-----I am very confused------well-----
nothing new------A Tibetan Buddhist persisted in conversing
with me about his meeting the  DALAI LAMA----and one day
I asked him   "how are things going back home in Nepal" 
I have another idiot question------does Nepal also have a
problem with china?       Don't worry-----some day India will be
recognized as a HINDU COUNTRY-------if Pakistan can be
muslim-----india can be hindu       (even Mahatma Gandhi will----
someday-----agree)


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

irosie91 said:


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I do not think Nepal at the moment has any problem with China because it is pretty much acting like a doormat to China. Nepal has been criticized by the U.N. for arresting Tibetan refugees that were trying to cross into India to flee Chinese oppression. These refugees were handed back to China by Nepal even though Nepal knew that China will certainly execute them.


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## irosie91 (Nov 26, 2014)

[QUOTE="Vikrant, post:


OH!!!!   majority is HINDU?    gee------I had a kinda wrong
impression.   --------uhm-----I am very confused------well-----
nothing new------A Tibetan Buddhist persisted in conversing
with me about his meeting the  DALAI LAMA----and one day
I asked him   "how are things going back home in Nepal"
I have another idiot question------does Nepal also have a
problem with china?       Don't worry-----some day India will be
recognized as a HINDU COUNTRY-------if Pakistan can be
muslim-----india can be hindu       (even Mahatma Gandhi will----
someday-----agree)[/QUOTE]

I do not think Nepal at the moment has any problem with China because it is pretty much acting like a doormat to China. Nepal has been criticized by the U.N. for arresting Tibetan refugees that were trying to cross into India to flee Chinese oppression. These refugees were handed back to China by Nepal even though Nepal knew that China will certainly execute them.[/QUOTE]


OY!!!!!       no wonder I am confused------and no wonder the
TIBETAN person was so horrified that I confused Tibet with
Nepal--------how did the Nepal people become so CONTROLLED??????


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

irosie91,

I forgot to add this. 

Hindus and Buddhists do not have any conflicts. They are very similar religions. I grew up a Hindu but adopted Buddhist faith during later phase in my life. Both of them are inclusive religions so I do not have any compatibility issues.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

All it takes is a few rotten apples to stink up the orchard  

In a nutshell, in 1996, the Communist Party of Nepal, also known as Maoists  started a bid to replace the royal parliamentary system with a people's republic by violent means. As you guessed it by their nick name,  Maoists were supported by China. The civil war lasted till the royals lost their administrative hold on Nepal in 2006. The civil war significantly weakened the national character of Nepal. China exploited this to create a lackey out of Nepal. But majority of Nepali are proud folks and with little bit of help from good countries in the region will be able to bounce back.


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## irosie91 (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


> irosie91,
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> I forgot to add this.
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> Hindus and Buddhists do not have any conflicts. They are very similar religions. I grew up a Hindu but adopted Buddhist faith during later phase in my life. Both of them are inclusive religions so I do not have any compatibility issues.



sure you do-----if your blood type is  B (-)  -----do not
   accept   A (+)  blood------not compatible

   getting back to  "inclusive"------that inclusive thing
   should NOT    "INCLUDE"   arresting people fleeing china---
   for the sake of being  "POLITE" -----there are limits


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

irosie91 said:


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Good point. But just to clarify, the Nepalis who support those heinous acts are mostly Maoists. They are neither Hindus nor Buddhists.


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


> irosie91,
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> I forgot to add this.
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> . I grew up a Hindu but adopted Buddhist faith during later phase in my life.



I as well, amazing!!!


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


> irosie91,
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> I forgot to add this.
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> Hindus and Buddhists do not have any conflicts. They are very similar religions. I grew up a Hindu but adopted Buddhist faith during later phase in my life. Both of them are inclusive religions so I do not have any compatibility issues.



Bhai, are you sure you're fully aware of the history of Hindu-Buddhist relations?

There were a few Hindu kings were dedicated to destroying Buddhism in ancient India. Pusyamitra Sunga, Shashanka, and Mihirakula being some notable names who destroyed tens of thousands of stupas and massacred an equal number of monks and boddhisatvas, not to mention Rajendra Chola's invasion of Sri Lanka in which Buddhism was destroyed throughout the north to propagate Shaivism. Even today, the relations between Buddhists and Hindus in Sri Lanka is a problem, albeit an ethnic conflict.

Brahmins have always worked to undermine the sovereign identity of Buddhism. The whole "Buddha is an avatar of Vishnu" rhetoric is nonsense manufactured by the Brahmins to assimilate Buddhism into the Hindu fold. Adi Sankara was an intellectual, manipulative criminal and his faithful followers are the reason for Buddhism's gradual decline in India. According to the accounts of Chinese travelers in ancient India,  Buddhism was the dominant religion in the land before the Hindu revivalist movements founded by Adi Sankara.


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


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Western influence was a non-factor. It was all due to the Maoists.

Western nations can't effectuate such changes anywhere.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

RoshanNair said:


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That is not correct. The main critics of Nepal's Hindu status were Christian monarchies from Europe.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

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I do not live too much in past. Past is past. I personally do not see too much friction between Buddhists and Hindus. There is a lot of support for Buddhists among Hindus and vice versa. This is pretty evident when you travel through Himachal Pradesh where large number of Buddhist refugees from Tibet live. 

As far as Sri Lanka is concerned, that conflict is mainly between hardliner Christian Tamils and Sinhala of all faiths.


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


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Critics, yes. But the reform in the nation via the promotion of a secular constitution emerged only after the war ended, as a capitulation from the ruling regime.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

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The criticism was backed by routine admonition in the U.N., threats of sanctions and so on. There was a systematic attack on Nepal to drop Hindu faith as a state religion of Nepal. Maoists were an ally of these anti-Hindu/Buddhist forces but they were not the main culprits.


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

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Most Tamils are Hindu though, and proportionately most LTTE members were as well.

You're right, there isn't much friction nowadays. Hell, the contemporary relations between Hindus and Buddhists are more favorable than Christians and Jews I'd say. But again, that is only because Hindus believe that Buddha was a reincarnation of Vishnu hence Buddhism can be reconciled within Hindu teachings.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

RoshanNair said:


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I was born and raised a Hindu. I have never heard anyone make that claim that Buddha was a reincarnation of Vishnu. There may be some people who believe that. I am not denying that. Keep in mind both Hindu and Buddhist faith are very different from organized religions like Christianity or Islam. So individual Hindus or Buddhists have individual beliefs. 

As far as LTTE is concerned, even though it had good number of Hindu members, its leadership was Christian. It's funding also mainly came from questionable Christian organizations and Tamil expatriates.


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## irosie91 (Nov 26, 2014)

Vikrant said:


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oh?   not what tamils I have known have told me----tamils from
India-----gee---I will always be confused


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

irosie91 said:


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Both India and Sri Lanka have Tamil population.


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## RoshanNair (Nov 26, 2014)

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Seriously? That's strange, I have to say.
Gautama Buddha in Hinduism - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

It is considered a standard and integral part of Hindu beliefs. Every learned Hindu, including my own mom, has parroted this nonsensical belief in Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu due to generations of misinformation spread within the Hindu community.

LTTE receive funding from Christian organizations? News to me. I agree that most of their leaders were Christians, though.


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## Vikrant (Nov 26, 2014)

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I learned about Hindu faith by being born in a Hindu family and listening to other Hindus. I did not learn about it from WikiPedia. Let me repeat it again. I have never heard any Hindu say that Buddha was a reincarnation of Vishnu. 

LTTE received lots of financial support from Pentecostal church.In other words, it was a pure and simple Christian operation, although there were lots of idiotic Hindu Tamils who joined it.


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## Vikrant (Dec 2, 2014)

Within just six months at the helm, Prime Minister Narendra Modi injected over $3 billion of investments into Nepal, a possible gamechanger in Nepal-India relations that may entirely change the economic landscape of the Himalayan nation.
The two sides recently reached three agreements - two in the energy sector and one on country's line of credit - and another landmark power trade agreement. Tapping Nepal's hydropower resources is a major focus in the deals signed.
Mired by decades-long armed conflict that totally devastated Nepal's economy, the size of which is a mere $62.384 billion, the Himalayan nation needs huge investments in infrastructure development, fighting poverty alleviation and illiteracy and food security.
The latest Indian initiative under Modi started with the signing of the project development agreement on September 19 of the 900 MW Upper Karnali hydropower project in west Nepal between Investment Board Nepal and country's GMR-ITD Consortium.
The second and third were country's soft loans of $1 billion for various Nepali infrastructure projects and the project development agreement of Arun III between the Investment Board Nepal and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam of India on the sidelines of the 18th SAARC summit in Katmandu last week.
Both Upper Karnali and Arun III will have a generation capacity of 900 MW each and the projects will cost over $2.4 billion at present market rate. This is probably the biggest investment coming in Nepal within a short span of time from one country.
This has also rekindled hopes that the much touted and ambitious Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, which was initially signed some 17 years ago between Nepal and India, is all set to take off.
The 6,720-MW project will cost over $6 billion and the two sides are ready to set up the Pancheshwar Development Authority within a couple of months.
While inaugurating the India-funded trauma centre in Kathmandu November 25, the country's prime minister thanked the prime minister of Nepal, the political parties and officers of Nepal for removing obstacles and speeding up work which had been held up for the last 25 to 30 years. He said he felty satisfied because "a happy Nepal gives India a reason to smile".
Nepal and India have been discussing building the Upper Karnali project for 30 years and Arun III for six years.
"It is only possible due to the charismatic leadership of Modi," Chirinjivi Nepal, economic advisor to Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, told IANS.
With the signing of the power trade agreement with India and two project development agreements with GMR and Satluj, many foreign investors are keen to invest in Nepal's hydropower sector, the obvious market of which is India, said Nepal.
The wavelength between Modi and Koirala also played a very crucial role to move ahead, he said.
Apart from these projects, several other pending projects between Nepal and India are moving ahead, giving bilateral relations a fresh impetus.
There have been positive reactions from civil society, political fraternity and media since Modi started taking a "lead neighbourhood first" in his foreign policy mantra.
A recent editorial in The Kathmandu Post stated: "The August (2014) visit, the first by an Indian prime minister in 17 years, proved effective in getting rid of the resentments that had accumulated over the last decade, and in establishing a foundation for greater economic cooperation. Modi is expected to take up where he left off last time."
But, the daily stated, the question was whether the hardcore anti-India nationalism prevailing in some political classes in Nepal would let these projects go ahead because the hardliner Maoist faction has been upping the ante against the Upper Karnali and Arun III.
"There is no chance to look back. We are waiting for more good from India. Regression is over," Nepal said.

India s 3-billion investment might be gamechanger for Nepal - Business Today


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## Vikrant (Dec 26, 2014)

BEIJING: In what appears to be a straight competition for influence with India, China has increased its official aid to Nepal by more than five times. China has also promised to build electricity infrastructure in Nepal worth $1.6 billion to counter an Indian offer of soft loan for the power sector. 

Chinese aid to the Himalayan nation will rise from the present level of $24 million to $128 million in 2015-16. The announcement came after talks between Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and his Nepali counterpart Mahendra Bahadur Pandey in Kathmandu on Friday. 

Besides, Beijing is building a police academy for Nepal as a special gift. This is probably because Nepalese police help control the flow of Tibetan refugees trying to enter India through Nepal. 

...

China raises Nepal aid 5-fold to compete with India - The Times of India


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## Vikrant (Mar 6, 2015)

NEW DELHI:  India has rushed a team of Air Force officials along with a recovery kit by a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to Kathmandu, to help in operations to clear the runway after a Turkish plane skidded off the runway on Wednesday.

The C-130J ferried 11 personnel of Air India and the recovery kit to Kathmandu airport where the usable runway length has been reduced to only about 5000 ft, making it impossible for any commercial aircraft to land.

The C-130J was chosen as it has the capability to land on restricted surfaces, IAF officials said.

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Air Crash in Nepal India Sends Team to Help


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## Vikrant (Mar 7, 2015)

KATHMANDU
6 Mar 2015
Nepal's only international airport will remain closed at least till 10 am on Saturday even as the Indian rescue mission tried to remove the Turkish jet that skidded off the surface on Wednesday morning, blocking the runway and stranding thousands of passengers.
The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has extended the shutdown of international flight operations till tomorrow, Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, Director General at Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) said.
"Flight operations won't resume until 10 am on Saturday as the efforts to move the plane from the current position is in progress and like to take more time," he added.
Indian Air Force on Thursday sent 11 technical experts and a C-130J Super Hercules transport plane with an aircraft removal kit following requests by the Nepalese government to remove the Turkish Airliner Airbus A-330, for resumption of international flights in and out of the country's capital.
The Indian technical team has lifted the front portion of Turkish Airliner with the help of lifting airbag, TIA Chief Birendra Prasad Shrestha said, adding, all front wheels of the plane will be changed on Friday.
The grassy land in between the runways broken up by the aircraft has been smoothened with gravel and sand, Shrestha was quoted as saying by Ekantipur.
The Indian team of technicians is expected to complete the clearance work by tomorrow morning, he added.
Nepal's only international airport had remained shut since Wednesday morning when the Turkish Airliner - with 224 passengers and 11 crew members onboard - skidded off the runway and part of the wing of the plane fell on the runway, blocking movement of other aircraft.
All the passengers were unhurt, but there was some damage to the front of the Airbus 330.
Thousands of passengers and tourists remained stranded at the TIA as flights were cancelled for the third consecutive day, affecting the upcoming tourist season, one of the main source of forex for the Himalayan nation.
Nepal's high altitude and tricky runways that often suffer from foggy conditions and poor visibility pose a challenge to even the most accomplished of pilots and had been blamed for a string of aircraft crashes in the past.
The European Union had banned all Nepal-based airlines in December 2013 from flying to the 28-nation bloc, citing poor safety standards followed by the airlines in Nepal. PTI

KATHMANDU Nepal s airport to remain closed till today The Echo of India


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## irosie91 (Mar 7, 2015)

I wonder how the Chinese feel about it


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## Vikrant (Mar 7, 2015)

irosie91 said:


> I wonder how the Chinese feel about it



Do you think China will not like India helping Nepal cope with a crisis?


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## irosie91 (Mar 7, 2015)

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  DUH!!!!!!


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## Vikrant (Mar 7, 2015)

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You got my brain cranking, woman.


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## irosie91 (Mar 7, 2015)

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it is good for a brain to ......CRANK


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## Vikrant (Mar 7, 2015)

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Brain is what makes us strong.


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## irosie91 (Mar 7, 2015)

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have you ever seen a brain it its natural state?-----it is a mushy
thing-------no muscle at all.   ----can't lift a feather.  -----a pile of mush----just
blow on it and you knock out high school.    In order to examine it-----it must be
MARINATED to firm it up.     not cranked-----marinated.


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## Vikrant (Mar 7, 2015)

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It is amazing something so fragile can control so much that goes around us. I was going to ask you, how did you learn all that about brain but then I remembered you worked in a hospital.


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## Vikrant (Mar 7, 2015)

Here is a picture of the crash:







India sends help for moving Turkish Airliner that skid off Nepal runway The Indian Express


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## Vikrant (Aug 17, 2015)

After water, it is time for oil 

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*India, Nepal set to sign agreement for oil pipeline*

KATHMANDU: India and Nepal are set to sign an agreement for the construction of the much-touted cross border oil pipeline for supplying petroleum products to the land- locked Himalayan country, India's Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae said here today. 

Addressing an interaction programme organised by Reporters Club Nepal to mark the 69th Independence Day of India, Rae said that if the two countries work together and exploit the natural resources at their disposal, economic prosperity an .. 

Read more at:
India Nepal set to sign agreement for oil pipeline Ranjit Rae - The Economic Times


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