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Nepal’s not playing the China card

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Devendra Gautam The Oli mission First things first: It’s not a hunting trip beyond the national borders nor it’s a marriage procession, in response to a cordial invite. Rather, it’s an official delegation heading up north to discuss some serious business with the leaders of the world’s second largest economy in terms of nominal GDP ($18.273 trillion), the largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity ( $37.072 trillion ) and the third most powerful country in terms of available firepower with a PwrIndx of 0.0706, lagging only behind Russia (0.0702) and the United States (0.0699). So, it’s only fitting for Nepal to send under Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli a 78-member delegation to make things happen, isn’t it? As the saying goes, two heads are better than one and 78 heads, as yours truly feels, are far better as the amount of grey matter in each brain adds up to make a huge mass that can come handy during negotiations. Also, if airplane seats are available, why not make the most of...
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As giants fight, small nations should unite

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Devendra Gautam Call it sheer confidence. Just days after an internationally-educated and renowned economist floated a Monroe doctrine 2.0 projecting the sphere of influence of the world’s largest democracy and the fifth largest economy with smaller nations from the neighbourhood forming the periphery and the semiperiphery, Bangladesh erupted.  There’s no dearth of experts, who call it the corollary of the Sri Lankan crisis that erupted two years ago, and those who differ, arguing that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are like chalk and cheese. This scribe leaves it to experts par excellence to conclude whether or not it’s a domino effect playing out in our neighbourhood.  A groundswell of protests against the Sheikh Hasina government, especially over her labelling of those protesting against the generous job quotas for the children and the grandchildren of the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan as the Razakars (the collaborators of Pakistan in that war) brought her regime char...
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एक भुल्को कविता

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  एक    भुल्को कविता     देवेन्द्र   गौतम जीवनको दुर्गम भेगमा दुइ दिनको यात्रा पनि धेरै लामो भो तर अब म जान्छु प्यारो छोरा     ढुङ्गामाटोको शरीर हो कहिलेकाहिँ बिसंचो होला त्यतिबेला एक सुराही कविता राम्ररी उमालेर स्वाट्टै पार्नू तिर्खा लागे एक पेट कविता घटघटी पिउनू , नपुगे निर्जन वनको झरनामा जानू निर्झर आँसुसँगै मन लागेजति पिउनू एक खोला , एक झरना , एक सागर एक महासागर , एक आकाश , एक धर्ति रोएर फर्किनू निर्वाण नजिक - नजिकै पुगौला कि ?   भोक लागेमा दुइ - तीन मुठ्ठी कथा , कविता निबन्ध , निर्बन्ध , लघुकथा , गीत आदि प्रेसर - कुकरमा ३ - ४ सिठ्ठी लगाएर दिनमा २ - ३ पटक खानू ए साँच्चै , ग्यास सिलिण्डर रित्तै होला दाउरा झरीमा रूझेर ओस्सिएका होलान् के गर्नू म थला परें , तिम्रालागि केही गर्न सकिन केही छैन मेरो साहसी छोरा आफूभित्र दन्किएको भोकको आगो अनि  विद्रोहको ज्वालाले तिम्रो खाना पाकिहाल्छ   बरू कहिलेकाहिँ मुख बार्नू धेरै साहित्यले स्वास्थ्य बिगार्छ छोरा
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Time to move with extreme caution

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Munsi Premchand’s Shatranj ke Khiladi offers a grim reminder of the vulnerability of weaker nations at a time when great power rivalry is at its height Awadh ruler Wajid Ali Shah’s noblemen Mirja and Mir die an ignoble death while ‘protecting’ their ‘kings’ on the chessboard, letting Awadh collapse like a house of cards In the global chessboard of geopolitics and geostrategy, Nepal must move ahead with extreme caution Devendra Gautam Playing against Magnus Carlsen must be really tough even for FIDE grand masters. Though an extremely difficult challenge, a few minutes at the chessboard with the maverick (with a standard FIDE rating of 2832, rapid rating of 2827 and blitz rating of 2888) as your opponent must be one of those moments to cherish forever. It can be a real confidence booster for those lacking self-confidence.  While the 34-year-old maverick remains ensconced in his lofty citadel as the 16th undisputed world chess champion and the number #1 player in the world since 2011,...
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दुष्टबुद्धि बकुल्लो र चलाख गँगटो

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एकादेशमा वनको बिचमा अनेकानेक जलचरहरूले युक्त एउटा ठुलो जलाशय थियो। त्यसै जलाशयको किनारमा वृद्धावस्थाका कारण माछा मारेर खान असमर्थ एउटा बकुल्लो पनि बस्दथ्यो।  एकदिन भोकले आकुलब्याकुल त्यो बकुल्लो धर्धरी रोइरहेको थियो। ठिक त्यही बेला त्यही जलाशयमा बस्ने एक गँगटो र अन्य जलचरहरू बकुल्लाको हालखबर बुझ्न आइपुगे किनभने उनीहरूले बकुल्लाले नि:शब्द मोतीका दानाजस्ता आँसु बगाइरहेको अनि केही नखाइ बसेको तिनीहरूले देखेका थिए।   गँगटोले बकुल्लोलाई संबोधन गर्दै भन्यो: हे मामा! आज तपाइँले भोजनको मेलोमेसो पनि गर्नुभएको छैन, रूँदै अनि लामो सास फेर्दै एकदमै शान्त भएर बस्नुभएको छ। किन? तपाइँलाई के भयो?  बकुल्लोले भन्यो: तपाइँले सही अनुमान गर्नुभो बाबु! माछा धेरै खाइयो, पाप धेरै कमाइयो, त्यसैले प्रायश्चितस्वरूप अबदेखि माछा नखाने बरू प्राण त्याग गर्ने व्रत धारण गरी बसेको छु। त्यसैले त नजिकै आएका माछा पनि खाइरहेको छैन नि!  बकुल्लाको कुरो सुनेर गँगटोले सोध्यो: हे मामा! के-कति कारणले तपाइँमा यस्तो वैराग्यभाव जाग्यो? हामीलाई पनि बताउनुस् न।    बकुल्लाले खुइय्य गर्दै भ...
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  Devendra Gautam   < devendra.raj.gautam@gmail.com > Jul 4, 2024, 9:50 AM (7 days ago) to  People's May the secular deities protect us all Devendra Gautam The recent collapse of a portion of a roof at the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s terminal 1, which is used for domestic operations, reminded this scribe of his stopover at New Delhi en route to Bangalore in the first week of April.  Reading about the June 28 incident that caused the death of an individual and injuries to around eight others came as a shock months after a brief stop that offered passing glimpses of modern infrastructure at a sprawling airport. While writing this piece amid yet another change of guard in the offing, heart-rending scenes from our very own Tribhuvan International Airport played out, in particular scenes from the chock-a-block smoking chamber where migrant workers bound for different countries make their last calls from their home turf to their near and dear ones amid a th...
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Time for an independent ombudsman against corruption

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Devendra Gautam   The United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), the major treaty guiding anti-corruption work worldwide, does not explicitly define corruption. But the treaty, which entered into force in December 2005, includes a series of offences that should be criminalized and fall under its jurisdiction.  The purposes of this convention are: (a) To promote and strengthen measures to prevent and combat corruption more efficiently and effectively (b) To promote, facilitate and support international cooperation and technical assistance in the prevention of and fight against corruption, including in asset recovery and c) To promote integrity, accountability and proper management of public affairs and public property.  Unlike the UNCAC, Transparency International (TI) and the World Bank (WB) appear to have no qualms about defining this scourge. TI defines corruption as the ‘abuse of entrusted power for private gain’ whereas the WB describes it as the ‘abuse of ...
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