Dinesh Wagle's Commentaries

Latest stories – पछिल्ला टिप्पणीहरू

  • Winter Flagbearers: Delhi Cold and JNU Food Festival

    JNU holds its multi-national food festival in the midst of a Delhi winter that is not very cold

    Dinesh Wagle
    Wagle Street Journal
    [This article originally appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Kathmandu Post today. See it here as it appeared on the paper.]

    The hottest news in Delhi is the absence of cold. “Who stole Delhi’s winter?” asked the Times of India the other day and went on to conclude that “winter has cheated Delhiites this season.”

    It was widely reported in December that the month entered record books as the second warmest in 108 years. January — traditionally the coldest month in Delhi — too has been freakishly warm with as many as 20 days out of 28 having recorded above average minimum temperatures, wrote the paper. The average minimum temperature of the Indian capital for the first 28 days of January was 8.9 degrees celsius.

    Before I came to Delhi almost three months ago people had warned me in Kathmandu about the extreme weather conditions in the Indian capital. “Flying crows fall on the ground in summer heat,” one well-wisher had cautioned me. “And people die because of cold. Delhi has a very different kind of cold: treacherous and dangerous.” (धेरै…)

  • Hail the Republic: How Indians Wrote the Constitution

    Republic Day is both a day of celebration and introspection for India

    Dinesh Wagle
    Wagle Street Journal
    [This article originally appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Kathmandu Post today. See it here as it appeared on the paper.]

    On the 26th day of every January a grand ceremony is held on Rajpath (formerly King’s Way), a wide road that begins from the Indian presidential palace located at Raisina Hills, New Delhi and descends on to run along flat land with spacious gardens on both sides that are filled by thousands of spectators. India puts its military might and cultural diversity on full display through a colorful parade while the President awards medals of bravery to deserving citizens. The day, a national holiday in India, has its own name: The Republic Day. (धेरै…)

  • IT and Beauty in India: The Traumas

    India’s success at producing IT and international beauties hides dark realities that have recently been revealed

    Dinesh Wagle
    Wagle Street Journal

    [This article originally appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Kathmandu Post today. See it here as it appeared on the paper.]

    Ene Adobunu, the Nigerian Girl in India
    Ene Adobunu, the Nigerian Girl in India

    [To read a related story in Nepali- काली काली हिस्सी परेकी– about beauty in south Asia, click here. This PDF file will open the complete four page issue of Kantipur Koseli.]

    As India experienced splendid progress in bringing out some of the world’s best information technology (IT) companies and beautiful ladies on the world stage in the 90s, many people considered IT and beauty as two hallmarks of India. The 90s witnessed the phenomenal rise of tech firms like Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services and the pleasant arrival of beauties like Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen and Priyanka Chopra on the international arenas of Miss World and Miss Universe pageants. But although India is thriving in both sectors, the ride hasn’t always been smooth. There are countless instances of failures in both industries. Not all Indian beauties make it to the top positions and not all IT companies make the amount of profits they claim. Last month was of particular interest as it saw a missed chance for an Indian beauty on the world stage and the exposure of the largest ever fraud in India that involved an IT company. (धेरै…)

  • Burning Effigies [in the Name of Lord Shiva]

    Dinesh Wagle
    Wagle Street Journal
    [This article originally appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Kathmandu Post today. See it here as it appeared on the paper.]

    Indian Hindu Rightwing Fundamentalists Demonstrate In Agra, India Against Nepal Government Decision To Apointment Nepali Priest in Pashupatinath Temmple

    The other day I came across a Reuters video on an AOL web site that showed some angry men on the street burning effigies of the government of Nepal, shouting slogans against the Nepali Maoists and demanding the restoration of the Indian priest at the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. The visuals were not from Gaushala or Chahabil or any other places in the Nepali capital.

    They were from Agra, India. The people in the video were not immigrant Nepalis who are in their millions in India but the members and leaders of a radical Indian Hindu outfit called Bajrang Dal. I don’t recall when I first heard about Bajrang Dal but whenever I come across this name, the images of angry men with swords in their hands willing to kill people from other faiths come to my mind. I am always proud of the fact that we don’t have such a squad like Bajrang Dal that frequently promotes religious disharmony in society in the name of defending Hindutva in Nepal. It was widely reported by Indian media last October that members of this group were involved in raping a Christian nun in Orissa. That is why the Agra video frightened and shocked me. (धेरै…)

  • Amazing Book Bazaar of Darya Ganj, Delhi

    Dinesh Wagle
    Wagle Street Journal
    [This article originally appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Kathmandu Post today. See it here as it appeared on the paper.]

    “On a Sunday…if you keep pushing through the crowd that is always there [in Old Delhi], go past the men cleaning other men’s ears by poking rusty metal rods into them, past the men selling small fish trapped in green bottles full of brine, past the cheap shoe market and the cheap shirt market, you will come to the great secondhand book market of Darya Ganj.

    “You may have heard of this market, sir, since it is one of the wonders of the world. Tens of thousands of dirty, rotting, blackened books on every subject- Technology, Medicine, Sexual Pleasure, Philosophy, Education, and Foreign Countries — heaped upon the pavement from Delhi Gate onwards all the way until you get to the market in front of the Red Fort. Some books are so old they crumble when you touch them; some have silverfish feasting on them- some look like they were retrieved from a flood, or from a fire. Most shops on the pavement are shuttered down; but the restaurants are still open, and the smell of fried food mingles with the smell of rotting paper. Rusting exhaust fans turn slowly in the ventilators of the restaurants like the wings of giant moths.” (धेरै…)

  • दरियागन्जको किताबी हाट

    दिनेश वाग्ले
    वाग्ले स्ट्रिट जर्नल

    यो लेख पहिलो पटक आजको कान्तिपुर दैनिकमा प्रकाशित भएको हो । पत्रिकाकै पन्नामा हेर्ने भए यहाँ छ । अ‌ग्रेजी स‌‌स्करण यहाँ छ ।

    ‘हरेक आइतबार (पुरानो दिल्लीमा) सधैं हुने भीड छिचोल्दै, खिया लागेको सानो फलामे डन्डी घुसारेर अर्को  मान्छेको कान सफा गरिरहेका मान्छेहरू हुँदै, नुनिलो पानीले भरिएको हरियो बोतलहरूमा थुनिएका साना माछा बेच्ने मान्छेहरूलाई छेउ पार्दै, सस्तो जुत्ता बजार र सस्तो सर्ट बजार हुँदै जाँदा तपाईं दरियागन्जको महान् सेकेन्डह्यान्ड पुस्तक बजारमा आइपुग्नुहुनेछ ।

    ‘यो बजार’boutमा तपाईले सुनेको हुनुपर्छ, महोदय, किनकि यो संसारका आश्चर्यहरूमध्येको एक हो । दसौं हजार फोहोरी, च्यातिएका र कुहिएका हरेक विषयका किताब- प्रविधि, औषधि, यौन आनन्द, दर्शन, शिक्षा र विदेशी मुलुकहरू- दिल्ली गेटदेखि लालकिल्लाअगाडिको बजारसम्मको फुटपाथमा थाकका थाक राखिएका हुन्छन् । कुनै किताब कति पुराना हुन्छन् भने तपाईले छुँदा ती टुट्छन्, कुनैमा कीरा डुलिरहेका हुन्छन्, कुनैचाहिँ बाढी या आगलागी भएको ठाउँबाट उद्धार गरिएका जस्ता लाग्छन् । फुटपाथ किनारका प्रायः पसलका बन्द हुन्छन् तर रेस्टुरेन्टहरू खुलेकै हुन्छन् र त्यहाँबाट आउने खान्कीको बासना कुहिएका किताबबाट आउने गन्धसँग मिसिन्छ ।’ (धेरै…)

  • Symbol of Progress [Metro Rail of New Delhi]

    Dinesh Wagle
    Walge Street Journal
    [This article originally appeared on today’s Kathmandu Post. Nepali version appeared in today’s Kantipur. Click here to read as it appeared on the page of Kathmandu Post and click here to see as it appeared on Kantipur page.]

    Metro rail of new delhi
    Inside the Metro rail of New Delhi. Pic by DW

    Two reasons prompted me to take a ride on New Delhi’s Metro train this month. First, it was one of the easiest means of transportation from Dwarka to Central Secretariat from where I could take a bus to Jangpura Extension where I live. Second, I wanted to see the famed Metro that has been widely described as one of the world’s best city transportation facilities. No doubt, the coolest train system of Delhi is also one of the top tourist attractions in the Indian capital. While travelling about 30 kilometres of distance I not only enjoyed the aura of the fancy compartments but also got to see the city from the height of a three-storey building. The elevated train track runs over the road where ever growing number of vehicles fight for the road space and get stuck in red signals. Up in the air-conditioned metro compartments passengers don’t face traffic jams. Instead they are treated with a good view of the cityscape. (धेरै…)

  • दिल्लीको मेट्रोमा सरर

    दिनेश वाग्ले
    वाग्ले स्ट्रिट जर्नल
    यो लेख पहिलो पटक आजको कान्तिपुर दैनिकमा प्रकाशित भएको हो । पत्रिकाकै पन्नामा हेर्ने भए यहाँ छ । अ‌ग्रेजी स‌स्करण यहाँ छ ।

    Metro rail of new delhi

    यसै महिनाको सुरुतिर मैले नयाँदिल्लीको मेट्रो रेल चढ्नु पछाडि दुई कारण थिए । पहिलो, द्वारकाबाट सेन्ट्रल सेक्रेटेरियट पुग्न सबैभन्दा सजिलो यातायात माध्यम त्यही थियो । मेट्रोको अन्तिम स्टेसन सेक्रेटेरियटबाट म बसमा जंगपुरा एक्स्टेन्सनको फल्याटमा पुग्न सक्थेँ । दोस्रो, संसारकै उत्कृष्ट मध्येको एक सहरी यातायात प्रणाली भनि व्यापक रूपमा वर्णन गरिएको प्रख्यात मेट्रो हेर्न चाहन्थेँ म । शंकै छैन, दिल्लीको गज्जवको रेल प्रणाली भारतीय राजधानीका शीर्ष पर्यटकीय गतव्य मध्येको एक भएको छ । बेला-बेला अाइफोनमा इन्टरनेट ब्राउज गर्दै ३० किलोमिटर जतिको दूरी यात्रा गर्दा मैले सुविधासम्पन्न टे्रन डिब्बाभित्रको जीवन्त वातावरणको मात्रै मजा लिइन, तीन तले घरको उचाइबाट सहरको अवलोकन पनि गरेँ । अग्ला र मोटा खम्बामा अडिएको रेल ट्रयाक सडक माथिबाट जान्छ । तल सडकमा ठाउँ र गतिका लागि तँछाड-मछाड गर्ने गाडीहरू तिनका चालक र यात्रुलाई थकाई लागुन्जेल रातो बत्तीमा अड्किन्छन् । माथि वातानुकूलित डिब्बाका यात्रुलाई ट्राफिक जामसँग मतलवै भएन । (धेरै…)

  • India’s “White Tiger”

    Many Indians, it appears, find it very difficult to accept that their country is still part of the third world

    Dinesh Wagle
    Wagle Street Journal
    [This article originally appeared on the Op-Ed page of the Kathmandu Post today. See it here as it appeared on the paper.]

    In an interview with last week’s Tehelka magazine, leading Indian sociologist Andre Beteille mentioned the hotel that came under terrorist attack earlier this month and said: “The Taj Mahal Hotel is, of course, a symbol, but whose?”

    Of the elites of India.

    N. Kunju, provided further explanation in a letter to Outlook magazine last week: “All this disproportionately loud noise on the Bombay terror attack is because the affected come chiefly from the elite. The victims were people who could afford Rs. 10,000 for room rent and a few thousand on dinner. If this were a terrorist attack in which more people were killed at a religious place like Varanasi or Ajmer, the whole incident would have been written off in a couple of columns.” (धेरै…)

  • अडिगाको अँध्यारो भारत

    अडिगाको ह्वाइट टाइगर
    ठुलो पार्न तस्बिरमा क्लिक गरे हुन्छ

    दिनेश वाग्ले
    वाग्ले स्ट्रिट जर्नल

    अडिगा

    अग्रणी भारतीय समाजशास्त्री एन्ड्रे बेटेलीले गत साताको ‘तहल्का’ म्यागेजिनसँगको अन्तर्वार्तामा हालैको मुम्बई आतंकवादी हमला परेको एउटा होटलको नाम लिँदै भनेका छन्, ‘ताजमहल होटल पक्कै एक प्रतीक हो तर कसको ?’

    धनाढ्यहरूको । गत साताकै ‘आउटलुक’ म्यागेजिनको ‘चिठी’ स् तम्भमा दिल्लीका पाठक एन कुन्जुले त्यसलाई यसरी प्रस्ट्याएका छन् ।

    ‘बम्बे आक्रमण’boutको यो सबै असमानुपातिक होहल्लाका कारण त्यसमा प्रभावितहरूमा मुख्यतः ठूलाठालूहरू पर्नु नै हो,’ कुन्जु लेख्छन्, ‘-तिनीहरू) जसले कोठाको १० हजार तिर्न र एक छाकमै केही हजार खर्चिन सक्थे । बनारस र अजमेरजस्ता धार्मिक स्थलमा धेरै मान्छे मर्ने आतंकवादी हमला भएको भए त्यो पूरै घटनालाई (अहिले कोकोहोलो मच्चाउने मिडियाले) एक/दुई कोलममै सिध्याइदिने थियो ।’

    फरक पत्रिकाका फरक पन्नामा छापिएका ती टिप्पणीमा एउटा गम्भीर विवाद र विभेदको झल्को पाइन्छ जसलाई उजिल्याएका छन् अरविन्द अडिगाले आफ्नो उपन्यास ‘द ह्वाईट टाइगर’ मा । भारत अझै विपन्न र पिछडिएको छ । हालैका वर्षहरूमा केहीले दाबी गर्ने गरेजस्तो पूरै चम्किएको छैन र जति चम्किएको छ, त्यसको प्रकाश गरबिहरूसम्म पुगेको छैन । सन्तोषजनक आर्थिक वृद्धि र सूचना प्रविधिको क्षेत्र मा केही हदसम्मको सफलताका कारण सहरी मानिसहरूको क्रय क्षमतामा सुधार आउँदा मिडिया र राजनीतिको एउटा पक्षले त्यसलाई भारतीय उदयको संज्ञा दिँदै आएको छ । तर त्यो उदयमा सहरकै थुप्रै र गाउँका प्रायः सबै समेटिन सकेका छैनन् । उनीहरू अझै अडिगाको किताबमा व्यापक रूपमा प्रयोग भएको शब्द ‘अन्धकार’ मा छन् । (धेरै…)