Dinesh Wagle's Commentaries

Latest stories – पछिल्ला टिप्पणीहरू

  • Timbu to Tarke Gyang [Helambu Trek Day 3 of 6]

    Ashika Lama, with her two little sisters, had lied about her name and didn’t want to be photographed at the later stage of our conversation though she slightly flirted with us in the beginning. She was waiving hands at us as we started climbing upward.

    21 October [Tarke Gyang]: We started late, walked really slow and it took us an era to arrive at Tarke Gyang: more than eight hours for a distance that generally takes about four hours to normal trekkers. That was in part, because, we were not sure about going to Tarke Gyang. Sometime I wanted to return while at others Suraj wanted to get back to Timbu. He had a solid reason. He was flirting with a woman (who I can’t identify here for privacy reasons) in Timbu and my impression was that she liked him! (धेरै…)

  • A Dangerous Suspension Bridge Near Keyul

    a dangerous suspension bridge near Keyul

    20 October (Timbu): A few minutes after we left the village of Keyul and Maya the girl behind, we came across a suspension bridge over Melamchi khola that we didn’t have to cross. But we wanted go over it. The first sight of the bridge reminded me of Wanda Vivequin and the amazing bridge over a stream in Nar village of Manang district. During last years Nar Phu trek, we crossed a bridge or Chamjong to go to Nar region from Phu region. I was terrified to walk from over that bridge. Wanda encouraged me by saying this: “You must do at least one thing daily that scares you.” (धेरै…)

  • CDMA Phone Revolution in Nepali Villages

    CDMA phone revolution in Nepali villages A hotelier in Timbu village of Helambu region holds the pre-paid CDMA phone set for better signal from Kathmandu valley while a customer talks. (Click to enlarge the photo and sketch.)

    21 October (Timbu): With the introduction of CDMA-based phone systems by Nepal Telecom, Nepali villages have experienced a revolution in communication. Even in some of the most remote parts of country like Kalikot and Jumla, people are now carrying cell phones that run on CDMA platform. Code Division Multiple Access or CDMA wireless phones are not only affordable but also have wide area of coverage. They work almost everywhere in the country, even in remote places where the GSM cell signals can’t reach. (धेरै…)

  • The Man Who Rescued Kanak Mani Dixit

    The man who rescued Kanak Mani Dixit
    Raju Gurung, right, rescued Kanak Mani Dixit from an accident on the trail of Annapurna Circuit. But he has a complain with the celebrated journalist.

    20 October (Timbu): One of the best things about staying in trailside guest houses is that you meet so many people (Nepali and foreigners) who have so many stories to tell. You learn from then and you also share your experience with them. I was waiting for food in the evening listening to the guys talking in the dining room. By the topic of their conversation, I figured out that they were guides or Sirdars from the French team that was camping on a round a little further from our hotel. “Dinesh Dai,” Suraj told me. “He is the guy who rescued Kanak Mani Dixit.” (धेरै…)

  • My New Canon Digital Camera (Plus Obit to My Old DigiCam)

    dinesh wagle with canon digital camera
    Wagle with new Canon digital camera that displays his own image- the first photo that was taken by the camera on the day he bought it. This photo and the one displayed were taken by Suraj Kunwar on 31 and 19 October. Clicking on the image will display the its enlarged version.

    19 Oct [Kathmandu]: I vividly remember that day, some four years ago in the same shop in New Road where I bought a brand new Canon Digital Camera today, I had gone to buy a digital camera. That was Canon A370 camera, two 128 MB memory cards, two pairs of rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. I paid Rs. 27,000 for all that (the camera was 3.2 Mega Pixel).

    The camera I bought today the camera is 7.1 Mega Pixel (Canon A570) and the pack included a slim 2 GB memory card, a pair of rechargeable batteries and a battery charger. The LCD is bigger and has more shock resistance capacity. The total cost: Rs. 19000. I could also add the inflation in Nepali market and currency over the last three years. (धेरै…)

  • अजबका जर्मन फिरन्ता

    दिनेश वाग्ले

    काठमाडौं- अनेकौं रंग, ढंग र चालका मान्छे संसारभरिबाट ठमेल तथा आसपासका होटलहरूमा बस्न आउँछन् । हिप्पीदेखि युप्पी र जिप्पीसम्म । ती शब्दहरूको अर्थ तत्कालै थाहा नभए महत्त्वपूर्ण कुराले भरिएको आफ्नो टाउको नदुखाउनुस् किनकि अहिले हामीले कुरा गर्न लागेको मान्छे आफूलाई ती कुनै वर्गमा नराख्न दृढ छन् । ‘म हिप्पिचाहिँ होइन है,’ उनी गह्रौ जर्मन लवजको अंग्रेजीमा जोड दिँदै भन्छन् र होटल अगाडिको गार्डेनमा ब्रेकफास्ट गरिरहेकाहरूतिर एकसरो आँखा डुलाउँछन्- ‘यिनीहरूजस्तो डुलुवा पनि होइन ।’ ठमेल गल्कोपाखास्थित इन्काउन्टर होटलमा शुक्रबार नास्ता गरिरहेका विदेशी पर्यटकजस्तै नभए पनि जोनहान्स लोथर डिलेनवर्ग नामका यी अजीव प्राणी डुलुवाचाहिँ पक्कै हुन् । निश्चयै उनको डुल्ने तरिका फरक छ- आफ्नो पैसा सकेसम्म खर्च नगर्ने, अर्काकोमा मस्ति गर्न नछाड्ने । त्यही आफ्नो ‘गौरवशाली परम्परा’ लाई निरन्तरता दिँदै यी जर्मन ४४ वर्षपपछि एकपटक फेरि काठमान्डू गएका छन् ।

    ‘उतिबेला मैले महेन्द्रलाई भेटेको थिएँ,’ हान्स भन्छन्- ‘काठमान्डूमा होटल खोल्ने बोरिस लिसानेभिखले भेट मिलाइदिएका थिए । अब अहिलेका राजा पहिलेका जस्ता कहाँ रहे ?’

    ‘किन ?’ संवाददाता भएपछि कतिपय कुरा आफूलाई थाहा हुँदाहुँदै सोध्नुपर्छ ।

    ‘म देख्छु, म सुन्छु तर म बोल्दिनँ,’ दाइने हत्केलालाई क्रमशः आँखामास्तिर र मुखको दायाँ पुर्‍याएपछि नाइको संकेत दिँदै हात हल्लाएर उनले भने । विरोधाभाष के छ भने आफूलाई २० वर्षको बताउने यी ७१ वर्षे खासमा ज्ञानेन्द्रलाई भेट्ने आशामा थिए । एसियाका कतिपय ठूला/प्रभावशाली व्यक्तित्वलाई भेटेको कुरा रवाफपूर्ण लबजमा सुनाउन चाहने उनी भुटानी राजालाई दार्जिलिङ्को नर्थ प्वाइन्ट स्कुलमा विद्यार्थी छँदा भेटेको सम्भिmन्छन्, सिक्किमका राजासँग फुटबल खेलेको उल्लेख गर्छन् र जापानको कुनै एउटा पि्रफेक्चरका गभर्नरदेखि हैदराबादका निजामलाई भेटेको सम्भिmन्छन् । प्रमाण ? उनी तत्कालै एउटा पुरानो अटो देखाउँछन् जहाँ थुप्रैले उनीसँगको भेटलाई छोटोमा उल्लेख गर्दै हस्ताक्षर गरेका छन् । (धेरै…)

  • पदयात्राका पात्रहरू

    दिनेश वाग्ले/सुरज कुँवर
    (यो लेख पहिलोपटक आज शनिबारको कान्तिपुरमा प्रकाशित भएको हो । पत्रिकाकै पेजमा हेर्ने भए यहाँ क्लिक गरेहुन्छ ।)

    हेलम्बु (सिन्धुपाल्चोक)- ‘उसो त सात सालसम्म राणा शासन थियो,’ होटल अगाडिको खाली जग्गामा बाइक पार्क गरिरहँदा उनले भने- ‘मर्नु अगाडिसम्म मेरा हजुरबा सास फेर्दै थिए । (दुवै खुसुक्कै गए) त्यसैले मेरैपालादेखि हरायो भने हराई गो’ नि ।’ काभ्रे, कुन्ता बेसीको आफ्नो लजमा बास बस्न आएका पाहुनालाई नन्दप्रसाद सापकोटाले ‘अहिलेसम्म कसैको बाइक हराएको छैन’ भनी आस्वस्त पार्दैगर्दा पाहुनाले ठट्टा गर्दै त्यस्तो जवाफ फर्काएका थिए । हेलम्बु घुम्न निस्केका उनी साँझ छिप्पिएकाले बास बस्ने भएका थिए । ‘म पोलिटिकल एक्टिभिस्ट,’ बाइक थन्काएर ढुक्क भएपछि डाइनिङ हलमा खसीको मासुसँग चिसो वियर पिउँदै गर्दा उनले परिचय दिए- ‘यूएमएलको ।’ (धेरै…)

  • हेलम्बुमुन्तिरकी माया

    दिनेश वाग्ले/सुरज कुँवर
    यो लेख पहिलोपटक आज शुक्रबारको कान्तिपुरमा प्रकाशित भएको हो । पत्रिकाकै पेजमा हेर्ने भए यहाँ क्लिक गरेहुन्छ ।

    Maya Lama, a girl from Keyul village below Helambu

    किउल (सिन्धुपाल्चोक)– हालैको घमाइलो दिन मेलम्ची आयोजनाले बनाइदिएको धुले सडकमा हेलम्बुलाई लक्ष्य गर्दै टिम्बुतिर हान्निएका दुई तन्नेरी संवाददातासामु एक हूल युवती देखापरेका थिए । झ्याप्प दाह्री पालेका एक र सिनित्तै काटेका अर्का पत्रकारले तत्कालै झिलिमिली पोसाकमा सजिएका र दसैंको माहोलमा रमेका ती युवतीको मन चोर्न चाहेका थिए । ‘कतातिर दौडिएका हो बहिनीहरू ?’ लटरम्म फलेका स्याउ र त्यस्तै गाला भएका सोल्टिनीहरूको कल्पना गर्दै उकालिएका संवाददाताले बाटैमा अन्तर्वार्ता गर्न थालेका थिए- ‘बिस्तारै हिँडौं न, हामी पनि उतै जाने हो ।’

    ‘सांस्कृतिक कार्यक्रममा,’ एउटीले नरोकिईकन जबाफ दिइन्- ‘सुरु भइसक्यो ।’

    ‘त्यसो भए हामी पनि त्यतै जाने,’ मूल गन्तव्य बिर्सिएका संवाददाताले भने- ‘बहिनीहरू कुन (उच्च माध्यमिक) स्कुलमा पढ्ने ?’

    ‘हामी घाँस काट्ने केटी हौं हो दाइ,’ अर्कीले भनिन्- ‘स्कुल पढ्दैनौं ।’

    ‘कति राम्रा घाँस काट्ने केटी हौ यो गाउँमा !’ संवदादाताले त्यति भन्दा केटीहरूबाट एकैपटक हाँसोको फोहोरा छुट्यो जसको प्रतिध्वनि मेलम्ची खोलापारिको पहराबाट आयो । रंगीचंगी कुर्ता-सुरुवाल लगाएका र सलले ज्यान बाँधेका केटीहरूको त्यो समूहमा एउटीले सेतो टिसर्ट र नीलो जिन्स लगाएकी थिइन् । हातमा फ्रेन्डसिप ब्यान्ड बाँधेकी थिइन्, कपाल रंगाएकी थिइन् र अलि ठूलो ज्यान भएकीले होला, सबैभन्दा पछि लम्किइरहेकी थिइन् । उनी हुन् सरस्वती लामा जसलाई घरमा माया गरेर ‘माया’ भनी बोलाइन्छ । उमेर २१, शिक्षा एसएलसी जो दुई पटकको लगनशील प्रयासमा पनि पूरा हुन सकेन । बिहे भएको छैन तर अरूका बच्चा खेलाएको अनुभव छ, पैसा उतिसारो कमाउने उनी होइनन् तर अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय उडान गरेकी छन् । अहिले उनी दौडिइरहेको स्थान समेट्ने गाविस किउलमा (नजिकैको) लामाटोलकी यी बासिन्दाका आँखामा आफूले गरेको संघर्ष देख्न सकिन्छ । (धेरै…)

  • Riding, Walking and Playing [Day 2 of 6]

    two girls in a bus

    These girls were heading to their home for the Dashain vacation. They had reserved the bus because no vehicles were plying on the 9th day of Dashain.

    20 October (Timbu): We started walking on the unpaved road from Kunta Beshi in the morning: the target was Melamchi Bazaar where the administrative site offices of the super-talked about drinking water project in Nepal are located. Just as we started the walking we saw some kids playing ping. We wanted to play and take photographs. That was the first time I had played ping after almost a decade. It was like riding a bicycle after a long interval. I started having difficulties in walking. (धेरै…)

  • Faces of a Little Lady in Timbu. We Ate Potatoes in Her House!

    Her name is Tenzen Angmu Lama, 6. She studies at grade 1 in a local school (Kakani Primary Schoo). When we reached her home in search of food on the second day of the trip, she was playing with herself. Her mother kindly agreed to boil potatoes for us after we requested and told her that we were really hungry and needed to eat anything that was possible to make at that point in time. A hotel nearby was closed and we were very hungry. No other homes were nearby, only a dense jungle was ahead of us. (धेरै…)