@ Rolpa [Libang] photos and journal from my October trip #Nepal

Libang

Unlike many other Nepali districts Rolpa has a distinct image of its own. Unfortunately that ‘distinctiveness’ is not necessarily positive and/or based on positive vibe. Think about Iraq and Afghanistan of the past decade. Rolpa once was Nepal’s ‘ground zero’. During the height of the Maoist insurgency that began in Rolpa’s Thawang village in 1996 (and ended in 2006 in Kathmandu) the district headquarter Libang had shrunken inside a 3-km radius ‘Green Zone’. The GZ was surrounded by barbed wire and protected/guarded 24-hours a day by the armed soldiers. It was dangerous to venture out of the Green Zone for government officials and anyone who wasn’t friendly to the rebels. The area outside the GZ belonged to them. That was way back in 2000-2001. Continue reading

Posted in Wagle Street Journal | 12 Comments

MLTR ‘Learn to Rock’ in Kathmandu

{more tweets inside]

mltr in kathmandu

mltr perform in kathmandu

Nepali band Kutumba, popular for their instrumental music, warm up the audience before the visiting Danish band MLTR show to the Himalayan audience how they have learned to rock in all these years. This is the second international gig (by western musicians) since last February when Canadian Bryan Adams kicked off his show with Bob Seger’s Katmandu.

Originally posted from WordPress for Android

Here are more photos from the concert: (all by Suraj Kunwar) Continue reading

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Hated Airport and the Mighty Himalayas #Nepal #Travel #Tribhuvan

Kathmandu’s (and Nepal’s) Tribhuvan: One of the World’s Most Hated Airports (!)

A plane is about to take off from Tribhuvan International Airport's runway.

CNNgo recently put Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan in a list of 10 “world’s most hated airports” along with JFK, LAX and Heathrow detailing correctly the shortcomings of Nepal’s only international airport. But the travel site also said correctly, at the end, this: Never mind. The city’s markets and surrounding mountains are lovely.

I agree with both the criticism of the airport as well as the praises for the city of Kathmandu. A few days ago clouds disappeared from above the green hills of Kathmandu valley providing us the stunning view of the mighty Himalayas that overlooked the airport. Fliers must have seen those snow-capped mountains from close and relished the view. That must have helped them to forget all the hassles that they might have gone through at the airport before boarding in the planes. Here are more photos and the detailed entry on the subject: Kathmandu’s (and Nepal’s) Tribhuvan: One of the World’s Most Hated Airports (!)

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View from a hill near Kathmandu

This is what I see from where I am standing at this moment.

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जहाँबाट “जनयुद्ध” शुरुभएको थियो…

jeetman gharti

जीतमान घर्ती

मेरो मध्य पहाड यात्रा जर्नलका कतिपय पन्नाहरू यहाँ प्रकाशित हुनै बाँकी छन् । तिनमा तस्बिरहरू पनि थप्न बाँकी छ । तर जीवन अगाडी बढीरहेको छ । यसैबीच मैले त्यही यात्राबाट संश्लेसित दुइ जर्नलहरू पत्रिकामा प्रकाशन गरिसकेको छु । एउटा “रुकुम-रोल्पा एक्स्प्रेस“ शीर्षकमा अघिल्लो साता र अर्को “शान्तिको लामो सास“ शीर्षकमा यो साता । ती दुबै टुक्रा मैले रोल्पाको लिबाङस्थित एउटा साइबर क्याफेमा बसेर लेखेको हुँ जसमा मुख्यत शान्तिकालमा गाउँले जनताको “परिवर्तित” जीवनीका केही झलकहरू प्रस्तुत छन् ।

तस्बिरमा देखिएका यी जीतमान कमरेडसँगको त्यो दिनको यात्रा रमाइलो भएको थियो । मैले चाहि दिनभर खुट्टा खोच्याउदै हिड्नु परेको थियो देब्रे घुँडाले धोका दिएपछि । यिनको एउटा गधाले मेरो सात किलो जतिको झोला बोकिदिएको थियो । अन्यमा मैले उनको गधाले भारी बोक्ने दर अनुसारको पैसा दिन खोज्दा जीतमानले लिएनन् । यिनी कुनै जमानामा माओवादी “पीएलए”मा भर्ती भएर केही आक्रमणमा सामेल भएका थिए ।

“उतिबेला पार्टीका पछाडी दौडीइयो, अहिले गधाको,” एउटा सन्दर्भमा उनले भनेका थिए । दसैंमा गाउँ लुकुममा मेला आयोजना गर्न उनले वाइसीएललाई १२ सय रुपैया चन्दा दिएको बताए । युद्ध सकिएपछि पनि पार्टिले सेनामै रहन दिएको दबाव नकारेर खच्चडमार्फतको व्यवसाय थालेका उनले पार्टीप्रति अझै सहानुभूति भएकाले त्यो चन्दा दिएको बताए । “काङ्ग्रेस, एमालेले मागेभने पनि दिनुहुन्छ त ?” मैले सोधे ।

“दिनुछु,” उनले भने । “१२ सयै त दिन्न तर दुइचार सय दिन्छु किनकी गाउकै मान्छेहरुले केही गर्ने खोजेर माग्न आए दिन्न भन्न कसरी मिल्छ ?”

जीतमानको थप कथा (र तस्बिर) यहाँ छ । अनि त्यो दिनको मेरो पीडादायी हिडाईबारेको विवरण (अ‍ंग्रेजीमा) चाहि यहाँ छ- Limping all day long with a Donkey caravan to reach Rukumkot

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Maoist Party Literature

Maoist Party Literature: Realized in past couple of days that I had never read Maoist party literature before. Amazingly complex writeup/sentences in Prachanda’s “work”. Hadn’t read all these “famous” decisions like that of Chunbang meet, 2nd National Conference & Phuntibang meet of the Maoist party during and after the armed conflict (1996-2006). Feels like knowing janayuddha (people’s war) & Maoist comrades’ feud, their hypocrisy/double standard from so close & first hand. Almst bcame Maoist! LOL. I was traveling in public bus carrying this thick book titled “Prachanda: Chhaniyeka Rachanaharu- Khanda Dui” (Prachanda: Selected Writings- Part Two) with a huge photo of the Maoist Chairman on the cover. People would look at the cover and immediately give me a look from head to toe with strange and unreadable expression on their faces. That was funny. They must have taken me as a hardcore Maoist member and may also have feared me! Sorry folks!!

[Added later in the day: Here's link to the article that I wrote after reading all those documents and talking to many people: माओवादी-भारत सम्बन्ध: पहिले विस्तारवाद, अहिले अवसरवाद

 

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