Monthly Archives: November 2007

Langar: The Gurudwara Community Lunch

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Wagle eating Langar in Gurudwara

Wagle enjoying the delicious Langur, the community food served in the Gurudwara.Pic by Bikas Rauniar

After the Carter press conference, I went to a Gurudwara (Sikh Temple) located near the Thapathali bridge with Bikas Rauniar. Shikhs were celebrating the birth anniversary Guru Nanak and Bikas wanted to take photos of the celebrations. Since I was in his car, he asked me to come along with him for possible stories. Yes there was a story. I talked to a Sardar, original and from Punjab, India, as he was taking part in the musical celebrations. That was a pleasant conversation which I have included in a story about him and the celebrations that appeared in today’s Kantipur. Then there was a surprise for me: They serve food (the Prasad). Shikh devotees sit cross legged on the floor in several lines- male and female have separate lines- and eat the food that is cooked by the volunteers (which I found delicious and well served.) That was my first experience with the Gurudwara food. Continue reading →

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All About Nepali Press Conferences (Including Two by Jimmy Carter)

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The Jimmy Carter press conferences (pic by Bikas Rauniar) were definitely better organized than many of the usual PCs in Nepal that are grossly mismanaged and both organizers and reporters are responsible for such mess.

24 Nov: It’s 10:30 PM and I just finished writing second of the two news items of the day (they will appear in tomorrow’s editions of the paper.) I missed the 9:30 van that was delayed for about 15 minutes. Now I am actually waiting for the next one which will leave the office at 11 PM. It was a hectic day. Thanks to the 39th US President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, I woke up early today.

It was 9 AM that I finally decided to throw the siraks off. The alarm rang just on time I had wanted it to sing the national song: 7:15 AM. I wanted to sleep more. I set the alarm for 8:30. It worked but still I didn’t want to get out of the bed. It was 9 when I finally decided to get up because I had to attend Carter’s Press Conference that, according to a Carter Center invitation, would begin “at 12:15h at the Megha Malhar Conference Center of the Crowne Plaza Soaltee in Kathmandu, Nepal.” Here is what was in the invitation that made me wake up early: “Due to security protocols, accredited Nepalese media and foreign correspondents are asked to arrive no later than 11:15h using the rear entrance of the Conference Center. Persons arriving after 11:15h will be denied entry.” Continue reading →

Kindle Thy Reading Passion!

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Amazon KindleThe Kindle is a book reading/storing device whose screen uses the E Ink technology that makes the texts look like black ink on light gray paper. No backlight, no glare, no eyestrain, writes a NYT columnist.

First I read about this in Newsweek and then in other web sites. I love this new device called Amazon Kindle (see pic via NYT). I want to have one. Perhaps not immediately for neither can I afford it (USD 400) nor that is available here. Also, I don’t have credit card which means I can’t use Kindle store to download the latest books which are actually cheaper compared to their physical versions. But I can download out-of-copyrights books from Gutenberg and put them in Kindle. If the Kindle’s wireless feature supports the 3G service-like it does in the US- offered by Nepal Telecom (which is limited to certain sections of Kathmandu city) then I will be able to download them on the move. [Anyone, Amazon included, reading this and want to present me a Kindle this Christmas, please you are welcome!] Continue reading →

Architecture Blog: New York Times Building Vs Kantipur Tower!

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New York Times BuildingIt’s 10:22 PM now and I spent most of my last three hours with the Nehru autobiography that I started reading yesterday. The winter has arrived in Kathmandu for I find it very difficult to wake up early in the morning. Like yesterday, I slept today till 12 AM and I have decided to wake up early from tomorrow.

One thing that I feel good about today was reading a report in New York Times about the new New York Times building (see pic by Vincent Laforet via the Times) in New York. I found the story written by Nicolai Ouroussoff and titled ‘Pride and Nostalgia Mix in The Times’s New Home‘ very interesting. The story provides lots of insights about the building and is an example (for me personally) of how stories on a building could be done. A building is not just the block of bricks and cement (and the Times Tower is certainly not!), it’s more than that. It has to be lively and some sort of distinct personality and aroma. I have never thought that a story like that could be written. Nicolai has considered the building almost as a living person (with some star attractions) and has done wonderful analysis of the personality of that man/or woman. He has pointed out the good sides and lacking aspects of the building. My impression is that the building is really beautiful and a cool place to wrok. Continue reading →

A Paragraph From Nehru Autobiography

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It’s 11:16 PM and I am yawning. I should be actually going to bed though I was there until a few minutes ago reading “An Autobiography” of Jawaharlal Nehru. I finished reading first 36 pages of the six hundred (plus something) page book that I found very interesting and insightful. I wonder why I didn’t go through this book earlier.

As I finished this current chapter (War-time Politics In India) and started yawning, the nocturnal blogger inside me urged me to get the sirak off, start the PC and type some lines. What lines exactly, I wasn’t told. So a few lines from the book that are particularly contextual to my day today (which was utterly wasteful and boring). Okay, just remembered the work that I did today (visiting the Nepal Investment Bank), so I must change that ‘utterly wasteful’ to ‘partially productive’. When I am saying ‘utterly wasteful’ perhaps I am hinting at my recent days or weeks that haven’t been quite productive. Productive in what specific terms, that I don’t know. Continue reading →