It is impossible for me to explain about Christmas without explaining bit of history on Christianity in Nepal. I personally have never attended Christmas celebration in Nepal, as Christianity accounts for only around 1.5% of the population. In past, many Hindus claimed that Christian churches were paying money for the converted and in some cases, it was found out to be truth that all the people who visited to church on Sunday morning were offered a small stipend for food (well it was small for the church ran by westerns at the time, but was almost 4 days’ salary for some people who live in poverty). Many things have happened since both progressively and non-progressively. Very recently, I heard a news that some church was forcefully asking people to donate food and other things apart from willingly donated 10% of their income, apparently, it was required for running church operations, also the news continued with a sentence “But while pastor lives a lavishing life the people visiting churches are under poverty line”.

Anyway, now in present, after 2008, when our country’s interim constitution declared our nation as secular nation, Christian society has developed, people are able to express their religion openly. Christianity has offered some sort of sanctuary for people from lower caste in Hinduism (yes, we still have caste system in Nepal still *sigh*) since Christianity doesn’t have any caste and widows (specially women) are converting to Christianity since remarriage of a widow is forbidden in Hinduism. In midst of all of these converted Christians there are few genuine Christians including second and third generation of converted Christians who truthfully believe in the religion itself. Some data say that about 1% Christians in Nepal are Protestants and rest 0.5% are others. Christianity’s history in Nepal starts only from 1950s.

As for the Christmas, since 2008 people get public holiday for the celebration. Mostly you cannot really see decorations and lights everywhere but if you would go to churches or tourist area in Kathmandu (Thamel) you can see lots of lights, Christmas trees etc. There are many events happening in Thamel like concerts and other happenings, but this is mostly for foreigners, they even sell proper Christmas food in restaurants. For Christians of Nepal, they go to church, share gifts and eat nice meal, meal usually consist of lamb/goat meat with rice, same as rest of the Nepal, few do add pumpkin pie and turkey to their meal on this day. Since beef is unavailable in Nepal due to religious restrictions, people compensate that with water buffalo.

Merry Christmas
Binay Devkota
Originally from Nepal, now working for Analystica
#Analystica #Nepal #christmas

Kulttuuri auttaa ihmisiä jaksamaan. Åbo Svenska Teater järjestää ilmaisen Pete Poskiparta näytöksen 11.3. vähäosaisille lapsille. Tapahtuma on ilmainen lapsille ja heidän vanhemmille. On todella hienoa, että ÅST, Mannerheimin lastensuojeluliitto, Icehearts Turku, Pelastakaa lapset ry, Turun ensi- ja turvakoti, Punainen Risti ja Hope järjestävät tapahtuman yhdessä ja myös hienoa, että antavat meidän olla mukana pienellä osuudella.

Omalta osaltamme olemme mukana rahoittamassa opiskelijoiden palkkoja pienellä summalla. Opiskelijat hoitavat narikkapalvelut, ohjaavat ihmisiä paikoilleen ja auttavat muissa tehtävissä.

Tämän summan antamisen mahdollistatte te hyvät asiakkaamme. Ilman teitä emme tällaista pysty tekemään. Tehdään jatkossakin hyvää yhdessä!

Hyvää joulua ja hyvää uutta vuotta ja kiitos teille kaikille kuluneesta vuodesta.
Michael Lindholm
Toimitusjohtaja
#ÅST #apu #joulu #Poskiparta #PetePoskiparta #uusivuosi #Analystica

”Hauku tai kehu, mutta ilman palautetta ei kasva kukaan jehu” (freely translated: Compliment or critique but without feedback there is no development) stated Esa Lehtinen in his blog in Hämeen Sanomat 7.2.2013. The article is mostly about giving feedback within working community but his idea applies also with external feedback. Feedback helps and supports development. After all, feedback is free consultation.

One of the biggest differences between external and internal feedback might be the way we give it. When giving internal feedback it is easier to target the feedback to the right person or to the right department while the external feedback often is targeted to whole organisation or a customer servant. In this case it is up to the organisation if the feedback ever reaches the targeted person.

We at Analystica thrive to develop our services according to gathered feedback. It is bit ironic because one of our main goal is to enforce the gathering, handling and analysing feedback in organisations of all sizes. Recently we have focused in finding new ways of gathering feedback. One way that is used quite rarely is QR-codes.

QR-codes are already in use in few places but we are still far from reaching the potential that they possess. QR-code can gather exact location and other specified information depending on where it is snapped from. The more we can automatize the system the easier it gets to give feedback and at the same time we ensure that enough information is gathered. This makes it easier for example target the feedback automatically to right person.

Like I in my previous blog stated, for some reason we Finns are rather unwilling to give feedback. Let us all together ensure that giving feedback is as simple and effortless as possible. Once again, feedback is free consultation.

Hannes Kari, Analystica

#QRcodes #feedback #feedbacksystem #feedbackhandling #feedbackgathering #feedbackanalysing