I made a presentation on Blogging & Media in the one-day seminar for the media persons today. Download my presentation here.
It was fun and I really enjoyed as I knew a few of the participants personally. The seminar was jointly organized by FOSS Nepal and High Level Commission for Information Technology.
Thanks to Bikash Karki for the photos.
Since leaving Kantipur Publications [The Kathmandu Post], I have been busy because I was involved in a new online news project of Dhumbarahi Media Pvt. Ltd. Sometimes so busy that many asked me what I was doing in an office of newspapers that are yet to publish.
Today, we launched the beta version of the online project – MyRepublica.com and it’s a happy day. Eight years ago, on this night, I impatiently waited for the night to go by. On the next day was my marriage with the girl I have loved for eight years.
Tonight, I am impatient because I am waiting for comments from people about the website. Tomorrow, the comments will pour in – from everywhere and every form; negative and positive. But anything will help me and my team [I told it was a great team and it indeed is] to improve the website.
We hope to redefine Nepali online news media. MyRepublica.com has a team of almost two dozen experienced journalists who will be working fully for the site [at least for two months until the print edition comes out]. And that is simply great!
Since gaining a little popularity as pioneer blogger in the country, I have always thought that someday I will be doing something on online journalist and I am very satisfied that I have contributed for the establishment of a website that is likely to change the online media of Nepal.
Right now, I am feeling my decision to leave Kantipur was one of the best decisions of my life [it was like the engagement with my beloved].
Links: MyRepublica.com Dainikee.com Some Photos of Soft Launch
Changes are inevitable! Despite the fact that we fear the change for a sole reason that everything set into current track of life has to be modified. I still remember how hard it was for me to leave my first job, teaching, to join Nepal Samacharpatra daily in late 2000. For more than a month, if I missed anything then it was the school and the smiling faces of my students.
Then it was little easier to join The Kathmandu Post after 18 months. I was a sports journalist and I moved to the Post as a translator (and that too with a pay almost 15 per cent less than that of Nepal Samacharpatra). My reason behind – I want to do it in English and that Kantipur Publications is a dream place for a budding journalist.
Justified. I went through various departments. In my first two years at the Post, I moved to district desk, then to international desk and then to the night-desk (the hardest part as I have to work till 1AM). Then I went to assist in the opinion section and finally appointed as the sports co-ordinator.
Now I am making yet another big decision. Leaving Kantipur – it’s hard for many to believe I am actually doing it because Kantipur is the biggest publication house and I am a permanent employee there.
[I submitted my resignation 15 days ago as required by the contract I signed with the publications. It was feeling numb. I had to struggle hard to tell it to my editor, who congratulated me and asked me not to hesitate if I consider moving back. I roamed around the office premises thinking that I would not belong here in a few days.]
My logic this time is simpler – opportunity. I am moving into new job in a responsible role in online journalism. And, that’s something I consider will be a big challenge as well as a learning curve for me. Because of my involvement in NepalCricket.com for last eight years, and then as a pioneer blogger of the country, I was thriving to do something for online and here came my opportunity.
How different the new online project will be? Well, I will try to utilize whatsoever I have learned in my hobby involvements and I will of course be looking to become the destination for all (especially because I will be working with a great team).
I and my bosses at my new job are hoping that the new project will contribute to make Nepal’s online journalism more thriving and truly ‘online journalism’!
[Meanwhile, this is my first blog post in more than six months, and I hope to continue blogging now on!]
Once again, Nepalis surprised themselves. The Maoists sweep (still to complete but it is confirmed that the Maoists will establish itself as the leading party in the Nepal CA Election as they are way ahead than any other political outfit of Nepal) was something that the political analysts, media and leaders failed to predict.
Nepalis voted for change, and no wonder the new party with new agenda, was the one that the people hoped would be best for bring the change.
And, the old parties failed to understand the wave – they went for same old faces (in most of cases, ignoring youth who the large portion of the voters, youth, would have easily associated themselves with). And, they suffered as the top leaders failed to win.
The election was held after eight years in Nepal, and the large portion of the voters voted for the first time. Those grew up witnessing one of the most troubled times of the country and hearing the frustrations of parents towards the political parties.
Now that Maoists have got the people’s mandate, the worse fear for us is that they could deviate themselves from the democratic process and try to establish a communist nation (which looks largely unlikely).Otherwise, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the victory. Here are three of mine:
Congratulations to Maoists! May you change the face of Nepal (after all that is going to give benefits to all Nepalis regardless of whom they voted for). And, also for all other parties and people, let’s give up the party politics after the election and join hands for the nation building! (of course, the parties can resume party things in the General Election).
Nepalis continue to surprise themselves… and the World. Didn’t we?
Today, Nepalis thronged at the voting booths to cast their votes in the Constituent Assembly Election that surprised almost everybody (the preliminary assessment is more than sixty percent vote casted). And, moreover, it went peaceful.
Despite the Young Communist League (YCL) behaviors, poll boycott calls by armed groups in Terai and the pro-monarchist anti-feeling (for the assembly elected by the election is set to declare Nepal a republic), it went peaceful – and that’s something that made everyone happy.
Four killed and the election suspended in 33 booths. The killing gives sad feelings but it’s less than in last parliamentary election (then it was half-a-dozen and that was not after a bloody conflict that killed 11,000 people). 33 is a small number among 20,889 total booths.
A Historic Day! A Historic Success! Continue reading…
It’s 5 PM now, and the voting for the CA election in Nepal begins exactly after 14 hours. Ten hours after that – it closes, if without major incident, then in next 24 hours, Nepalis will be celebrating one of the most important success of their lives.
Isn’t that great? Certainly, it is.
But there could be hiccups. Until now, apart from inter-party fights and two sad killings of candidates, nothing looks like threatening to the polls.
Or is that that the silence before the storm?
One of the most suspiciously taken issues is the silence of King Gyanendra. Well, he is silent (for many of us, he has no options) and for few of those little ‘conspiracy theorists’, he is PLANNING!
Planning what? Not necessarily to disrupt the polls, but possibly to get CA members to vote for keeping the institution as a powerless yet respected body.
The Telegraph Weekly had main news today titled ‘His Silence’ and it goes on to say that the King is equipped with the agreement signed with parties with India and US as a witness in April 2005 that promises to save the monarchy.
We knew that, didn’t we? Since the King stepped down in April 2005 after visit of an Indian envoy, the talk of the agreement is everywhere. And, we more or less believe in that point.
If that is that, and if the monarchy remains, it will be a grievance for all of us.
But, that will come later. The poll is the first priority. I pray that it would end with acceptable results and that the country would at least know the path to go on!
Sadly for all of us, the violent abruption in the polls still looms as a concern – the fear is still on!
The Election for the Members of Constituent Assembly of Nepal is almost here. April 10 is going to be a historic day for the country, and its our opportunity to feel like we contributed to the historic milestone (of course most of us were on the streets during the April Uprising that is foundation to what is going to happen) so
LETS VOTE!
I can not wait to vote. I refused to go on a trip to eastern Nepal (that could have been financially beneficial) because I would have skipped voting. Here I feel sad for those Nepalis leaving outside the country who will all be unable to vote. And, also for my journalist colleagues, who are performing their duties outside their place, because they all will be unable to vote. The government turned deaf ears to the demands of the journalist organizations, most notably Federation of Nepalese Journalists, to provide the journalists right to vote in the proportional system from where they are.
When the Election Act was passed, the rights were given to army, police, Maoists army in cantonment and other government officials on duty but not the journalists! It’s sad but most of these journalists will be watchdog of the election and their presence will certainly help for free and fair election and that’s nothing less than the VOTING!
* * *
Today is the last day of the election campaign! And, while I am writing this in my room, I can hear UML campaign outside my house. Nepali Congress and Maoists have long ago completed this area.
Notable in this election was the use of media by the political parties to campaign – the ‘affiliated weeklies’ and Maoists’ own daily was doing it all the time through news but for the mainstream dailies – for they were trying hard for balanced coverage – blatant support wasn’t the case. So, the parties gave advertisements to them – all of them including RPP Nepal which vocal for ‘democracy with King’. I also saw UML ad on television.
Well, then newspapers are going to be filled up with ads from the parties in next elections (which should happen within two and half years – six months of it being possible extension).
* * *
The news of electoral violence hasn’t decreased. Once again, Maoists and their Young Communist League leading the wrong way. They are beating the candidates, blocking other parties’ campaigns and even blocking journalists from going to other parties’ campaigns. That’s sad, very sad.
And, Prachanda asked them all to be ‘Gandhi for a week’. I am afraid, are they supposed to do anything after the election?
* * *
With the satisfaction of election being held, there are also fears of what next? What mandate the people will give? And, what if Maoists lose heavily?
The questions can not be answered now, let’s see what’s in stake, but I am sure that April 10 and weeks after it are going to be very, very interesting and I hope that they will bring good results to the country.
[Once again, I am going to write about Prachanda, the Maoist supremo, and I am afraid this is not something his admirers will like to read. Actually, this is my feelings about him after listening to him for 15 minutes in a press conference organized at the Annapurna Hotel today.]
Prachanda’s press conference at Hotel Annapurna. I was curious to see the ‘first future president’ of Nepal (I had seen him in the past but never from very close), so I made my way to the five-star hotel, where I had to go through at least a dozen youngsters wearing Maoists election promotion t-shirts and standing on the way leading to the hall.
I was not stopped, or security-checked anywhere and within a few minutes I was a few steps away from him.
The first thing that amazed me was his smiles – sense of humor. But as the question-answer session went on, the sense of humor starting feeling like senseless humor. How can one of the top leaders of the country, who is hoping good to lead the nation, be so humorous (that too for nothing, and all the time)? Continue reading…
I was invited for the Nepali adaption of George Bernard Shaw’s The Apple Cart by director Yubaraj Ghimire. I had once tried to read the drama itself, but couldn’t find enough energy to complete it so I just read a long summary of it and thought it was a Monarchist drama. I was surprised when Ghimire said Silpi, a theatre group he has co-founded, had staging the drama.
The long drama was shortened, I was informed beforehand, and I found I would have enjoyed it even if it was not shortened. I was amazed to see how the drama perfectly fitted to the present context of Nepal. And, then it changed my belief that The Apple Cart is an advocacy to monarchy.
Actually, the drama tells you why the King is always a threat to democracy; reminds us how he could be at a position to take decisions that may undermine people and sovereignty. And, for us, sadly, it also reminds on how the political parties are performing. Of course, there were a few lapses in drama (the thing I found most disturbing was the use of sleeping dress as national dress…).
April 10 is the day! Nepal will see the historic election – for the Constituent Assembly. This will also, probably, end the long-running monarchy and formally end the Maoists’ people’s war.
Election fever is already gripping the nation. Door-to-door programs, mass meetings and election region visits by the candidates are keeping most of the leaders busy. And, there are of course speculations among the people of results. The most frequently asked question being how many seats Maoists will win.
And, the most interesting part of the election seems to be outcries of the leaders for this and that. The front-runner is of course Maoist supremo Prachanda – the ‘first future president of the new Nepal’ (according to Maoist graffiti/banners around the city).
Prachanda is candidate from Kathmandu Constituency No 10 and Rolpa No 2. There was an interesting article on The Kathmandu Post on why he chose the No 10 Contituenty of Kathmandu. It’s a well known that if the big parties do not work out on a plan to elect all big leaders, it would be very difficult for Prachanda to get elected from Kathmandu.
And when the alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (UML) failed, the Maoists fear that difficulty has increased and Prachanda does not want the lose. For a man who has never faced election, even Rolpa – the Maoists’ biggest success during People’s War looks shaky (for what if fear). The fear has been reflected time and again in the speeches by Prachanda. Every time he speaks, he has venoms for UML.
Here are a few of things Prachanda has said in recent past about UML:
‘UML shield away from leftist alliance under US behest’
‘I’m president in people’s heart’ (in reply of UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal’s ‘he is the wall president‘)
‘What do these parties think of the people? Nepali people are not fools. They know who are traitors‘
And, what if Prachanda loses in both constituencies? (well Prachanda himself fear he could also fall flat in Rolpa saying that there are conspiracies afoot to defeat him).
The answer is: ‘Peaceful War’ (that I am using out of context, as he said it if there is no Maoist majority). Well, I am still trying to figure out which among the two words in the phrase remains silent!
