Blogs & Blogging

Just at the time when I am planning to write a brief history of Nepali blogosphere for The Radiant Star, Deepak Adhikari write a short entry on Nepali bloggers and me. His Nepali Bloggers Making Mark is his quick words on his own blog and how he found two of his friends had already running blogs. He called The Radiant Star, a Nepali version of Global Voices (and I loved it):

He confided me that he has his own site, The Radiant Star, a Nepali version of Global Voices where he makes a daily round on Nepali bloggers.

Chij has a short news entry about police raid on X Bar at Sundhara. He wrote it was because had naked dance sequences. I have heard a lot about it and had been there once for less than five minutes when some of my foreign friends asked me to take to some place like it. I also know there are other similar places. They are running because, many believe, they pay the police official. Is that true?

Kantipur reporter for remote Darchula district, Bikram Giri recounted his recent travel from Darchula to Kathmandu in NepalBlogs.com. Oh, I loved the piece.

Dowry stories has always drawn my attention. In fact, I have written an article for The Kathmandu Post a few years ago about it which was published as the main article on a Sunday. HK Nepal has an interesting story related to dowry. It is about people disguishing as beggars to collect money for dowry in Janakpur area.

Legal News from Nepal has an entry saying that the Supreme Court verdict on legitimacy of Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCC) has been deferred. Umesh Shrestha revealed that the government is planning for a ordinance about election. He writes: considering that the current act prohibits the election if a candidate is killed, the government is planning to bring out an ordinance to cancel that clause. This has been done in the wake of Moaists’ statement about ‘action on candidates’ for the upcoming municipal election. There is widespread belief that the election would be cancelled and Umesh‘s title says the same.

Chij, writing on 10th anniversesary of the people’s war by Maoists in Nepal, has raised some issues in his entries. Blogdai rounded-up some incidents in the country and his stay in US in his own (erratic?) way. When I read his entry, I enjoyed these few statements:

The Parties have absolutely nothing now. They are “caught in the middle” as Girija says. Their little ploy for political leverage–the 12 point agreement–has backfired and now they are all marginalized.
…
Ambassador Moriarty is a big chicken. It is clear to blogdai that he will refrain from making any overtly anti-Maoist statements until he’s tucked safely behind the wall of his new, fortified embassy compound–currently under construction.
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Looks like Amnesty International (AI) has left Nepal alone for the moment. Probably because they realized it’s a non-starter in the fundraising department.

Deepak Adhikari talks about the identity crisis after his makeover.

My answer will be NO. But Deelip Khanal believes so and has added an entry. His main concern is that Nepali bloggers are biased.

Every time when i see the blogs the stories are in a long page but nothing exept the words shouting against the king . It seems the bloggger are also political leaders. Its true that almost nepali blogger journalist. But i dont think so journalist should favour anyone especial.

He also writes about Moblog and says since Mero Mobile has annouced GPRS, now its possible for Nepali to write blogs using mobile phones. I wonder how many will come up with moblog. Certainly, I won’t type words on my mobile.

The most intresting blog entry this week is about two covered statues of late King Birendra in Pokhara. The photo entry by Iswori Neupane on NepalBlogs says nobody visited those statues on the day of late King Birendra’s birth anniversary.

Parmanande Bhagat proposes a Republic Constitution. Deepak Adhikari recalls his relation with Sudheer Sharma, the editor of Nepal Weekly who just resigned, and wishes him good luck for coming days. Tajim compares his life in 2006 with 1996 and look for changes to come by 2016.

One more addition to Nepali Blogosphere, Deepak begins his new blog – Deepak’s Dashboard. He annouces his new initiative here:

Writing for me is both passion and profession. Of late, blog has become my favorite e-hanging out spot with like-minded people.

I wishes him best of luck for coming days and hope he will continue blogging to foster Nepali Blogosphere.

This is my attempt to summarize what Nepali bloggers are writing. I had planned to start this daily feature from Jan 1, 2006 but some unavoidable circumtances denied me that. Anyway, now onwards I will try to do it daily.

This is my effort to summarize what Nepali bloggers are writing everyday.

US-based Paramendra Bhagat is bewildered by GP Koirala’s request to postpone the elections.

What did Girija Koirala mean by that? I am bewildered. It can be understood to have been a peace and reconciliation overture, soudly rebuffed by a government minister. It is unrealistic to think this regime is interested in any such thing.

Bhagat also hints about two popular Nepali blogs, Mero Sansar and BloggerNepal, turning into self-supporting business.

Newly appointed Attorney General Laxmi Bahadur Nirala promised to obey constitution and law. But Kiran Chapagain at United We Blog! co-relates his appointment and other ongoing ‘game’ such as appointment of new justices in the judicial body and says the government want to turn the Supreme Court into the Royal Court.

Chij quotes a letter by a Nepali returning home from Saudi Arbia retelling the story of the hard times of Nepalis there. He also has a reader’s feedback to his appeal to do something for Nepali women. There is also an UWB blog telling about students protest on security shooting including photos .

My personal favorite of the day comes from Umesh Shrestha of Merosansar. In his entry, he points out the Martyr’s Forum (Khula Manch) at Ratnapark turning into a road. This is indeed sad to see the place used for many public meetings used as paid parking space.

A Royal Nepalese Army committee has submitted its report on the Nagarkot Massarce which left 13 civilians dead.

The incident of guests being forced out from Hotel Yak & Yeti surprisingly caught attention of Deelip only. He questions: How can tourism develop?

Appointment of new Attorney General has drawn attention from bloggers with LegalNews and HK Nepal having an brief entry.

NepalInfo says the warring Maoists are preparing to celebrate the 10th anniversary and warns it could be violent. Shankar Pokherel opines its last chance for the King.

United We Blog! serves exclusive pictures from Nepalgunj where Nepal Communist Party (United Marxist Lenninist) held a rally while also boosting that one of its founder D Wagle’s interview being available as podcast at ClandestineRadio.com

Chij from Saudi Arabia writes about plight of Nepali girls in the country. He writes instead of offering a helping hands, Nepalis abroad are involved in misleading the girls.

HK Nepal also has an human-interest entry. It is about a rape of eight-year old. The villagers fined the rapists Rs. 5000 and the father of the raped girl Rs. 150 for allowing the girl freedom!?

This is beta-testing of the Best of Blogs – a collection of interesting stories from various Nepali bloggers.

Blog is not a buzzword for common Nepali but there are a lot of journalists, and journalism students, who have heard the word but hadn’t understood what it is all about. This morning, Bhojraj Bhat, a reporter with Nepal Weekly and also a first year student of Masters in Mass Communication and Journalism at Ratna Rajya Laxmi College invited me to talk about blog in a leisure period. Continue reading…

In a last two days, two stories relating to bloggers made headlines. The first: A California judge rules that bloggers should not have the same protection afforded to journalists under US law. This wasn’t welcomed in the Blogosphere. The second was the good one: Garrett M. Graff, who writes a blog about the news media in Washington, is to be ushered into the White House briefing room to attend the daily press ‘gaggle.’ So he officially has the status of Journalist– first blogger to be issued a press pass.

I started using w.bloggar. This freeware, w.bloggar, is a nice software to use, because I can type offline, save my entries locally and post them when I am online without logging in to the WordPress. A good tool for the regular bloggers, find it here.
Continue reading…