Kunda Dixit In Jackson Heights

Kunda Dixit is a product of the Columbia University School Of Journalism, reputed the very best in the world. He has worked for several top notch global names in journalism. And, his claim to fame, he is the lead person behind the Nepali Times, a top quality paper coming out of Nepal that I have been reading online for the longest time, but only today got a hard copy, from Dixit himself.

Venue: Delhi Palace. Dixit compared it to the choice destination for the exiled leaders.

His talk was well informed and balanced, and the discussion in the aftermath was lively.

The samosa was great.

A small group of us, Anil Shahi, Sanjaya Parajuli and about four others, went to an after party at the Himalayan Yak Restaurant. I met Anil Shahi for the first time, but we met like old friends. We have been meeting online for so long. The table talk was all political. There were all these Nepali Speaking High Caste Males struggling to see the difference between the words "madisey" and Madhesi, and a law student from Tucson - Nepali female, Chanda - interning for now with the Human Rights Watch, who presided over the proceedings. . It was agreed instead to settle on the word Teraiwasi. There is less room for tongue-slip there.

40 Photos.

Video Clips: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 .

Samudaya Audio: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

In The News

• The UN, India And Nepal Kunda Dixit In New York Nepali Times ... India is lobbying hard for expansion of the UN Security Council despite staunch opposition from the US and China, a move that could in turn have a bearing on its role in resolving the crisis in Nepal...... officials fanning out to world capitals .... India has ASEAN endorsement and has amassed more than 100 of the 128 votes needed...... The G-4’s proposal is to expand the Council from 15 to 25, with six permanent and four non-permanent members. But the fact is that the G-4 are firmly opposed by some of their own neighbours. China doesn’t want Japan in. Brazil doesn’t have the Latin bloc, India has only Bhutan’s support from South Asia and Italy doesn’t want Germany...... “The Oval Office conversation represents the highest level American conversation on the state of democracy in Nepal, and the president and prime minister were in close agreement on the issue.” ...... It may also have to review its opposition to UN mediation in the Maoist conflict. New Delhi today needs Kofi Annan’s goodwill, knowing he has taken a keen interest in helping Nepal resolve its conflict. Besides, there is a real danger the revolution could spread to India....... The palace and the army do not like the idea of a UN role, while in their search for a soft landing the Maoists have sought UN or international mediation...... Some officials say India’s desire for a Council berth and its need to be seen as a regional stabilising force present a window of opportunity to lift objections to UN mediation. But that leaves the palace.
• Review Of Narayan Wagle's Novel Kunda Dixit Nepali Times ... Nepal’s slide began with the beginning of the insurgency 10 years ago and it was after the royal massacre of 1 June 2001 that things really started hurtling out of control..... Narayan Wagle, the journalist who rose up the ranks to become the chief editor of Kantipur...... He taught himself English spending days at the British Council while the People’s Movement protests raged on the streets outside..... Growing up in Tanahu, Narayan was so fond of taking high dives to swim in the river that after he nearly drowned twice, his parents sold off their riverside property and moved to a farm up in the mountains just to take their son away from danger..... I empathise with Narayan’s feeling of inadequacy about journalism’s capacity to provide a true picture of our nation’s trauma...... Nepal’s social fabric is being torn apart and all we are doing is reporting it with the journalism of detachment..... every story of a landmine killing children, abduction of students, young women disappeared by security forces is a heart-rending family tragedy...... the fragile and undeclared love between Drishya and Palpasa, a first-generation American Nepali who has returned to the land of her parents after being unable to take post-9/11 racism..... the atrocities, executions, disappearances and people caught in the crossfire .... this novel as fresh as an open wound, the author’s imagination makes Nepal’s real unfolding tragedy come alive with raw urgency.....drags us to the edge and forces us to peer down at the abyss below
• Delhi prods Nepal Calcutta Telegraph, India
• India wants multiparty democracy established in Nepal Deepika
• India asks Nepal king, parties to start talks Hindu, India
• India asks King, parties to start dialogue Outlook
• Nepal troops die in Maoist ambush BBC News, UK
• 19 killed in Nepal violence IANS
• Security forces killed in Nepal rebel ambush Scotsman, United Kingdom
• Nepal jails six peacekeepers for sex abuse in Congo Khaleej Times, United Arab Emirates
• 7 securitymen, 12 guerrillas killed in mid-western Nepal Xinhua, China
• Daschle meets Koirala, Pandey ..... all constitutional forces must try on their part to retrieve the derailed political process. Daschle was also of the view that it would be better if the King took the initiative..... He asked whether there was any overture from the King to solve the crises. Koirala repotedly responded in the negative.
• Daschle Meets Madhav Nepal Himalayan Times, Nepal ..... at the latter's office at Balkhu
• Maoists' arms no bar for talks: Nepal Kathmandu Post .... the political parties' negotiation process with the Maoists would move ahead after the formation of a monitoring team of human rights activists .... "If any political party wants to reconcile with the king, they will meet a similar fate as the UML did."
  
• Maoists don’t need to lay down arms for dialogue: Nepal Kantipur Online, Nepal “The crisis in the country will not come to an end unless the Maoists are brought to political mainstream”
• Two leaders, two tunes on Maoist talks Himalayan Times
• UML weighs Prachanda’s call Himalayan Times
• King interested in restoring democracy: Singh Kantipur Online Indian State Minister for External Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh Thursday said the King is interested in restoring democracy in Nepal.
  
• Nepal civil servants denounce ban Hindu, India Hundreds of Nepalese civil servants took to the streets ... more than 70,000 government staff
• Three Maoists Killed in Dhanusha Himalayan Times Ram Sewak Thakur, 35, of Hathale Tawa VDC-7 and Ganga Ram Yadav, 45, of Machijhitakhiya VDC- 4 ... Ram Udagar Kapar of Raghunathpur VDC- 2
• Melamchi Case Hearing on Sunday Himalayan Times supporters of the Nepali Congress (Democratic) organised a protest rally near Pulchowk demanding immediate release of their party president Sher Bahadur Deuba and party leader Prakash Man Singh. The rally was organised as Deuba and Singh were being taken to the commission office. Police intervened the rally.
• FNJ announces fresh stir Kantipur ...third phase of nationwide protests .... demonstrations would be staged in Kathmandu on August 5 and outside Kathmandu on July 31. Demonstrations will also be organized across the country on September 16 .... condemned continuous attacks on the unity of professional journalists in recent days
• RNA man kills a policeman Kantipur .... eyewitnesses claimed that the RNA man had shot Adhikari over a dispute.
• 3 Maoists killed in Dhanusha Kantipur
• King’s autocratic rule has failed: Speaker Kantipur .. Speaker Tara Nath Ranabhat... The speaker also accused political parties of failing to oppose the King’s move with full strength and said that he would be seen as the real leader if took to the street.
• Daschle parleys with Koirala, Moriarty Kantipur .... held separate parleys with Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala and US Ambassador James F. Moriarty.....
  
• Nepal’s economic situation remains grim Kantipur
• Maoists torch 3 buses in Morang Kantipur ... The Maoists disembarked all passengers before setting the bus on fire .... No vehicles are in operation along Ilam-Jhapa, Ilam-Fidim, and Fidim-Taplejung routes due to fear of Maoists