Dinesh Wagle's Commentaries

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  • Beard (Daari), What a Lively Thing U R!

    By Dinesh Wagle on November 20th, 2004 in Wagle Monologues
    Originally published under UWB banner

    beard (noun) hair growing on a chin and lower cheeks of a man’s face: a week’s growth of beard. a false/grey/bushy/long/white beard.

    Thus defines the Oxford dictionary the word beard. We in Nepali call daari to what they call beard in English. Therefore, the hair on chin and lower cheeks of my face is daari. I cannot give you the exact number of my daari.

    However, I can tell you how important they are to me. Very important. Daari generate talks, start conversations, and create such an atmosphere where people feel free to express themselves. They are thought provokers. They attract attention from both sexes. You might understand why my daari is popular among women. I will explain why men are interested in my daari.

    Let’s start the discourse, I call it Daari Mahatmye, from the latest news. Today, I am no longer a bearded man. No daari, clean shaved face, cute and shining, at least for some of you people out there. (धेरै…)

  • Shailaja Acharya And Uma Bharati: Are Marriage And Temper Related?

    Does marriage makes one mature, or consistent or helps calm down the temper? There are some examples that show that unmarried people seem to loose their temper too quickly. They are quite unstable and saying this now and that then. On the other hand, is that so? Arguments are bound to be countered for everyone has their own say. Nevertheless, I am in the mood of arguing. Before that, let me present a quick background.

    Shailaja Acharya is a centrist ‘Nepali Congress Party’ leader who is famous for her incoherent expressions. One moment, she proudly announces her intention of fighting parliamentary elections. The next, we can hear her backing off from the earlier remarks. She made quite a front page when she demonstrated this inconsistent behavior some time back. She is also notorious for easily loosing her temper on smallest cause. She acts like a kid who, at one moment decides to go to school and immediately after some time, without any valid reason decides not to go.

    Uma Bharati is a rightwing ‘Bharatia Janata Party’ or BJP leader who, like Shailaja, is quite notorious for her Sonia Gandhi, Indian Congress Party leader of Italian origin, bashing. She also regularly makes outrageous comments against, well, anyone, regardless of her party line. She nearly resigned from the Chief Ministerial post of Madya Pradesh, an Indian state, when Sonia was on the verge of becoming the Prime Minister of India.

    Why I am writing about two women who probably, let me guess, haven’t meet each other? I have a point to make, or prove what I made in the beginning. Shailaja devoted her entire life for political cause, involving herself in the political movement that eventually restored democracy in Nepal. Uma is a self declared Sanyasini who sports yellow/red color attire, wears malas and talks about politics that is largely based on religious hatred and communalism. Both women are in top positions of their respective parties, dream of leading the organization one day. The most important point is that these both women are unmarried. One of our unmarried leaders, celebrated by the name of Krishna Prasad Bhattarai also regularly demonstrated such fluctuation emotional personality.

    These both ladies were in news recently. Prashant Aryal, an assistant editor with Nepal Magazine was interviewing Shailaja Acharya some weeks ago. I didn’t read the interview or don’t remember whether that was published at all. But I read Prashant’s diary in the magazine recently where he vividly remembers what happened in that interview day. The scribe wanted some scoop or exclusives from the leader. So he asked her about the complex web of family relations in the Nepali Congress Party. He wanted to know if Shailaja was confident of winning cooperation of other various factions inside the party in her fight for the party presidency expected to be held sometime later this year.

    Hearing the question, writes Prashant, Shailaja lost her temper. She would order him to switch off the recorder that was capturing her voice. Shailaja would also expect him to behave like a Congress Party cadre or well-wisher at least and refrain from asking such question, which, she was certain, would bring further divide in the party. “Then the mercury of my respect toward her lowered drastically,” frustrated Prashant notes. He ends his writing, which Devendra, a fellow blogger, termed as “an overwhelmingly emotional expression”, with a question. “Why would she wish to run a party who can’t even deal with a journalist?” Well asked.

    Uma’s drama was far more publicized by numerous Indian TV channels that are always looking for some juicy scoops. After re-assuming the presidency of BJP, veteran leader Lal Krishna Advani was before cameras flanked by various senior party leaders. He spoke of increasing violation of discipline in the party. He suggested to leaders, naming Pramod Mahajan, Sabha Navi and Uma, not to speak against each other publicly. Hearing this, Uma who was sitting just in front of Advani, suddenly on her feet and started blasting against some leaders whom she accused of doing nothing but talking against her. They were members of Rajya Sabha, upper house of parliament in India, she said. She also challenged Advani to take disciplinary actions against her. The scene itself was not only dramatic but quite shocking as well. Uma demonstrated her impatience this time around too.

    There are stark similarities of impatience and incoherence, among other things, between unmarried women- Shailaja and Uma. I can fairly conclude, not only based on these two events but also after observing their behavior, that both Shailaja and Uma are fluctuating personalities. They are immature. So, my question is: Is there anything to do with their being unmarried in that? Will anyone, married, please clarify?

    1 Comment »

    I thing Mr. Wagle is unmarried guy. Otherwise he would have writtena ll this thing more clearly. Everyone should know there is somethin called sex and lack of that causes a lots of problems.

    Comment by Binaya Sharma — 11/15/2004 @ 2:01 pm

  • The John Grisham Novel and My Journalistic Life- II

    Those striking similarities between Willie Traynor, the protagonist of the John Grisham novel The Last Juror and myself that I had described in detail in one of my earlier blogs, ended just there. Grisham is a master at telling stories and, well, lecturing on how a newspaper should function. I could not disagree with Grisham’s wisdom, and what Willie does at the Ford County Times, a fictional weekly paper of which he is the owner, publisher, editor and reporter. Here is why.

    The ailing newspaper finds itself on the verge of bankruptcy. With the help of his generous grandmother, 24-year-old Willie takes over the management of the paper and does some wonderful reporting that the paper was aspiring to print. A gruesome murder certainly helps him. But, then, he didn’t confines himself on that event. He covers on varieties of subjects that either was neglected by the former editor/publisher or was too taboo in the white-dominated American society of 1970s- Clanton, Mississippi to be precise. (धेरै…)

  • Some Words on Yasir Arafat & Situation in Nepal

    How you see Yasir Arafat, a Palestinian, who died at 75 today in a Paris military hospital, largely depends on which spectacle you are wearing on. For Israelis and some of their western allies, he is merely a terrorist, and for Palestinians and their Arab brothers, he is a father-like figure who gave up his life for the greater cause. I think, for people like me who have nothing to give or take with Israel-Palestinian conflict, at least directly, Yasir Arafat is a fearless and one of the greatest leader of 20the century who miserably failed to land the jet safely that he was piloting.

    As the New York Times firmly declares in its front-page headline today, Arafat “forced his people’s plight into the world spotlight.” Arafat became the symbol of Palestinian nationalism. He was, in a true sense, a world-class leader. That might be, partly, because of the magnitude of the Israel-Palestinian problem and it’s impact throughout the world. People from around the world, I am sure, have intense interest to learn how the events are unfolding or will unfold in West Asia or Middle East, as the mighty westerns prefer to call the region.

    That is why I am listening a continuing coverage of his death in BBC World Service for the fourth consecutive hour. Still, I am not tired with the news though the information that is pouring in is pretty much the same. I have been listening the name Yasir Arafat since the days of my childhood when I used to tune in to Radio Nepal news bulletins. Names like Arafat, Israel, Palestinian, West Bank, Gaza Strip would dominate almost all international news bulletins. I offer my deep condolences to the Palestinian people. May Arafat’s soul lies in peace.

    Yesterday, I read an Op-Ed piece in Kantipur by Angaraj Timilsina about Arafat and how Nepal can learn from his life. Though they may look like two side of a coin, there is difference between leading an insurgency and a nation. Yes, I agree with Timilsina. Arafat could not do the later as our leaders like Girija Prasad Koirala and other. Mandela, however, did just that with an illustrious manner. He was free of greed, power hunger, corrupt mindset, and was driven by the will to achieve greater national goal. People say Arafat could not control the corruption in Palestinian Authority, did not delegate power to his subordinates.

    Here too, Girija Prasad Koirala, at the age of 80, five years older than the late Arafat, is still eying for the Nepali Congress Presidency. Surya Bahadur Thapa is trying to open a new political party. To sum up, almost all leaders are running after power. We do not have a Statesman. We lack a dynamic and versatile leadership. Yes, what we can learn from Arafat is his courageous leadership, his determination to achieve Palestinian nationhood, his aspiration of freedom. We should throw away the corruption and lust for power. Don’t you think that Mandela, even after resigning from the post of South African President, is a powerful personality?

    2 Comments »

    1. I am not a great follower of world politics but yet I respect Yasser Arafat for his devotion and dedication. His death, indeed, is a loss to the world. It would be difficult to find any other people fighting for the rights of the people so hard and so long – I can only remember Nelson Madela as greater.

    While talking about Arafat, one should always remember the 1990 Gulf War. He supported, I find it difficult to believe, Saddam Hussein, who captured Kuwait. The one who was fighting for his nation should have also remembered the cause of Kuwaities. That one particular thing was the cause that stopped Arafat from being as great as Mandela.
    May his soul rest on peace.

    Comment by Ujjwal — 11/11/2004 @ 4:41 pm

    2. Yes Dinesh, I wholeheartedly agree with you as well as the scholar Angaraj that Arafat was a failure in handling his beleagured occupied territories but at the same time a great revolutionary.With his death, a saga in palestinian struggle or Intifada has come to an end.He must be regarded as a great leader of our times.

    Comment by deepak — 11/12/2004 @ 2:48 pm

  • The John Grisham Novel and My Journalistic Life-I

    I studied journalism with a hangover. In the early days at Syracuse, I aspired to be an investigative reporter with the New York Times or the Washington Post. I wanted to save the world by uncovering corruption and environmental abuse and government waste and the injustice suffered by the weak and oppressed. Pulitzers were waiting for me. After a year or so of such lofty dreams, I saw a movie about a foreign correspondent who dashed around the world looking for wars, seducing beautiful women, and somehow finding the time to write award-winning stories. He spoke eight languages, wore a beard, combat boots, starched khakis that never wrinkled. So I decided I would become such a journalist.

    I grew a beard, bought some boots and khakis, tried to learn German, tried to score with prettier girls. During my junior year, when my grades began their steady decline to the bottom of the class, I became captivated by the idea of working for a small-town newspaper. I cannot explain this attraction….

    I do not eat breakfast, and I’m usually not awake during the hours in which it is served. I don’t mind working until midnight, but I prefer to sleep until the sun is overhead and in full view. As I quickly realized, one of the advantages of owning a small weekly was that I could work late and sleep late. The stories could be written anytime, as long as the deadlines were met.

    (धेरै…)

  • Congratulations President Bush! Hillary, Are You Ready?

    Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the victorious President Bush. Though I endorsed Senator Kerry’s effort for the White House, the popular and the Electoral College vote favored George W. World opinion was against Bush. But majority of the people of the “Divided” States of America voted for the continuity of the incumbent. That’s what matters most. However, the President shouldn’t forget the fact that nearly equal number of people voted against him.

    I have seen no person supporting Bush in Kathmandu. Why? Whatever might be the answer, Bush will definitely give no attention to that. But the view of the people of Nepali capital represents the majority of the resident’s around the world. The international community expects very good leadership from the planet’s most powerful man. Arrogance is the last thing they want in the US President. Bush should understand this. Reconciliation is the best option. The effect of globalization couldn’t be ignored.

    Let me end this blog with a hopeful note. I genuinely expect Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to run for the 2008 Presidency. That can be possible. She should be prepared for that race. The US needs a female president which will create history on it’s own. Hillary, are you ready?

  • Kathmandu In Festive Mood. And, Patent for BBC Nepali’s voice.

    [Originally posted in UWB platform]

    The recently launched BBC 103 FM in Kathmandu has definitely changed my radio habit. Before I was a TV worm, always pressing the remote control and surfing those 40 something satellite channels available on my cable network. In a normal day, I would be in front of that idiot box until 2 AM. Not anymore. It’s the BBC’s World Service tuned all the time and I am constantly updated on world events. In the mean time, I can do a whole lot of work, like, now, I am writing this blog. It has been a good medium for a global citizen like me who wants to listen news from Africa, music from South America, a drama from Europe etc, etc. When it is 3 PM in London, Kathmandu clocks 20:45, time for the tune Changba ho Changba in BBC’s Nepali Service.

    There was an interesting report on yesterday’s broadcast of BBC Nepali. Their far-western Nepal correspondent Umid Bagchand (sorry if I misspelled) had filed a report from Kathmandu about the mood of the capital city and his impression of that. His argument, and its’ very much true, was that unlike remote places like Dadeldhura where people were very much afraid to celebrate any festivals because of the messy security situation, Kathmandu was largely unaffected from what was going on in other parts of the country, and was in a festive mood to celebrate Tihar. (धेरै…)

  • चोयु महोत्सवमा पर्वतीय पर्यटन प्रबर्द्धनको चासो

    दिनेश वाग्ले

    काठमाडौं- चोयु स्वर्णमहोत्सव मनाउन राजधानीमा भेला भएका पर्वतारोहीमा विश्वकै छैटौं अग्लो शिखर पुगेको अनुवभ मात्रै छैन, पर्वतीय पर्यटनबाट नेपालले कसरी बढी फाइदा लिन सक्ला भन्ने चिन्ता पनि छ ।

    त्यसैले महोत्सवका तीन दिनमा ८ हजार २ सय १ मिटर अग्लो हिमालमाथि मानव विजयको स्वर्णमहोत्सव मनाउँदा उनीहरूले नेपालले आफ्ना अलौकिक हिमालहरूको अझ व्यापक प्रबर्द्धन गर्नुपर्नेमा जोड दिए ।

    ‘नेपालले अब ८ हजार मिटर बाहेकका हिमालको डटेर प्रबर्द्धन गर्नुपर्छ,’ २० वर्षघि चोयु चढेका विख्यात आरोही रेनहोल्ड मेस्नर भन्छन् । ८ हजार मिटर अग्ला सबै हिमालको टुप्पामा पुगेका यी इटालेली आरोहीले मंगलबार काठमाडौंमा आयोजित ‘नेपाली हिमाल- दिगो नेपाली पर्यटनका स्रोत’ विषयक सम्मेलनमा भने ।

    मेस्नर ८ हजार मिटरभन्दा होचा हिमालहरूको पर््रबर्द्धन गर्नुपर्नेमा जोड दिँदै गर्दा अर्को सर्न्दर्भ पनि छुटाउन चाहदैनन् । ‘हिमालमा जति धेरै मान्छे चढे, त्यसको छवि त्यति नै घट्छ,’ कृत्रिम अक्सिजनबिना सगरमाथा पुगेका मेस्नर सुझाउँछन् । ८ हजार मिटरको साटो होचा हिमालतिर आरोहीहरूलाई लोभ्याएमा आम्दानी बढाउन र छवि पनि जोगाइराख्न सकिने उनको सोचाइ छ । उनी भन्छन्- ‘हिमाली आरोहीहरूमात्रै आम्दानीका लागि पर्याप्त हुने छैनन् । पदयात्रीहरूको संख्या बढाउन अभियान चलाउनु पर्छ  ।’

    तर धेरै पदयात्रीभन्दा एउटै पर्वतारोही फाइदाजनक देखिन्छ । त्यसैले थोरै लगानीमा धेरै प्रतिफल पाइने पर्वतीय पर्यटनले खस्कूदो अर्थतन्त्रलाई टेवा दिनेमा विदेशीहरू मात्रै विश्वस्त छैनन् । ‘एक जना पर्वतारोहीले औसतमा सामान्य पर्यटकले गर्ने खर्चको १६ गुणा बढी गर्छ,’ सम्मेलनमा कार्यपत्र प्रस्तुत गर्दै पूर्व पर्यटन सचिव दीपेन्द्रपुरुष ढकालले भने- ‘गत दशकमा राष्ट्रिय पर्यटन आम्दानीमा हिमाली हिस्सा २ प्रतिशतबाट बढेर १० पुगेको छ । पर्वतारोहण उच्च आम्दानी गराउने पर्यटन हो । हामीले पनि यसलाई उच्च महत्व दिनर्ुपर्छ ।’

    सम्भवत त्यही उच्च महत्व दिने क्रममै सरकारले ८ हजार मिटर अग्ला नेपाली हिमालहरूको सफल आरोहणको ५० आंै वर्षाई पर्वका रूपमा मनाउने निर्णय गरेको  हो । गत वर्षसगरमाथा स्वर्ण्र्ााहोत्सवको सफलताबाट त्यो इच्छालाई हौसला मिलेको प्रधानमन्त्री शेरबहादुर देउवाको धारणा छ । मंगलबार साँझ चोयु विजेता विदेशीहरूलाई सम्मान गर्दै देउवाले बताए- ‘गत वर्षको सफलताले हामीलाई उत्साहित गरायो ।’ सगरमाथा महोत्सवले नेपाली हिमाल र पर्यटनलाई अन्तर्राष्ट्रियस्तरमा महत्त्वपूर्ण प्रचार दिलाएको थियो ।

    उत्साह र क्षणिक प्रचारले मात्रै पर्वतीय पर्यटनलाई दिगो आर्थिक स्रोतमा परिणत गर्न सक्दैन । त्यसका लागि केही कदमहरू तत्कालै चाल्नु आवश्यक छ । जस्तो, हिमाली क्षेत्रको कुशल प्रबन्धन । ‘चल्तीका हिमालबाट नचलेका हिमालतिर आरोहीहरूलाई आकषिर्त गर्ने उपाय अपनाउनर्ुपर्छ,’ प्रथम पर्यटनमन्त्री डा. हर्क गुरुङको राय छ । ढकालको कार्यपत्रमाथि टिप्पणी गर्दै पर्यटन तथा भूगोलविद् डा. गुरुङले भने- ‘अनि हिमालहरूबाट मिल्ने आम्दानी राज्यले स्थानीय जनतासूग बराबर बाूड्नर्ुपर्छ ।’ त्यसो हुँदा स्थानीयस्तरमा पर्यटन पर््रबर्द्धनप्रति थप चाहना उत्पन्न हुने डा. गुरुङको तर्क छ ।

    सरकारले गत केही वर्षा नयाँ पर्वतहरू आरोहणका लागि खुला गरेपछि चढ्न पाइने हिमालको संख्या ३ सय २६ पुगेको छ । नेपाल पर्वतारोहण संघको जिम्मामा ३३ पर्वतहरू सुम्पिएको छ । तै पनि एउटा कमजोरी सुध्रन सकेको छैन । नेपाली पर्वतहरूमा तिब्बती भूमिबाट आरोहण गर्नेहरू बढिरहेका छन् ।

    यसपालि स्वर्णमहोत्सव मनाएको चोयु नै उदाहरण हो ।

    चोयुको प्रथम सफल आरोहण गर्नेहरू अस्ट्रियाबाट काठमाडौं हुँदै अक्टोबर १९, १९५४ मा त्यहाँ पुगे पनि विगत वर्षरूमा नेपाली भूमिबाट यस शिखरको आरोहण गर्नेहरूको संख्या न्यून छ । गत १० वर्षा नेपालतिरबाट चोयु जान सात जनाले मात्रै अनुमति लिएका थिए । तिब्बततिरको बाटो लामो भए पनि सजिलो छ र शुल्क पनि कम तिर्दा हुन्छ । त्यसैले अधिकांश उताबाट चढ्छन् । ‘आरोहीहरूलाई आकषिर्त गर्न यस्ता महोत्सवका अवसरमा पर्वतहरूको रोयल्टीमा छुट दिइनुपर्छ,’ ढकालको भनाइ छ- ‘पाकिस्तानले त्यसैगर्दा त्यहाँका हिमाल चढ्नेहरूको संख्या ह्वात्तै बढ्यो ।’

    प्रकाशित मिति: २०६१ कार्तिक ४  कान्तिपुर दैनिक

  • British Boys of Bridim

    Two British teenagers are spending their time in a remote Nepali village for a good cause.

    By Dinesh Wagle

    You may think they should talk only about recent Hollywood flicks like Catch Me If You Can. They will do that too, because they have just finished reading the book on that title (they have no time to go to the theater and one of them says the story “is boring”). And when they start talking about providing good education to poor, you may think like “what these ‘kids’ are talking about?” But when you see what these teenagers are doing in a remote village of Rasuwa District to poor school children and their school, you won’t be surprised.

    At the moment, James Gould (left) and Martin Baker, both 19, are busy helping upgrade the facilities in a public primary school in Kanjm, Bridim VDC. These guys first time came in Nepal in July 2001 as the members of World Challenge Organization Expedition, a school program that sends students of 16-18 year age group go to different countries to experience the local culture and tradition. They made a toilet in Rasuwa. On the way to the Gosaikunda trek, they came to know that their tour guide Dame Tamang was planning to open a school in Syabru Bensi, the starting point of popular Langtang trek. They promised him to help. After returning to England, they created “The Nepali and Welsh Joint Education Foundation” of which James is the Chairman and Martin is the treasurer, and started raising funds for the noble purpose.

    Excited after receiving some money from various sources including prestigious Cardiff High School, both boys came back to Nuwakot three months ago. After talking with locals and evaluating the situation, they decided to add facilities in an already established government primary school then making a new one. “At least government school have buildings and they are already giving education to students”, says James. “Our principal is to work with government schools wherever possible.” Now, the Bridim Primary School, for the first time, has new good benches, a toilet is constructed on its premises, and children are provided with uniforms. There are 25 students and one teacher in the school currently. Both James and Martin volunteered as teachers for some weeks. (धेरै…)

  • Wagle Mantra: Think Well, Do Well

    Namaste, and welcome at Wagle’s Web World. WAGLE.com.np is my official medium of representation to the World Wide Web. In this website, you can find various information about me, including my family, profession, interests, and activities in the related links. [Added on October 2005: I have started archiving my life in Internet from October 2005. Blogs below this post will provide updates on my life. You might want to check out my public blogs at United We Blog! as well.]