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A. Ciney Gurung. I love the versatility in her voice.

Q. Would you date a fan?

 A. Yes I would. But I wouldn’t call it a date actually. Just a short coffee talk. After all, it’s because of them that we are where we are today.

Q. Your perfect Valentine getaway?

A. Valentine’s Day doesn’t have any special meaning in my life. I would instead prefer a family vacation to Dubai.

Q. If you weren't famous, what would you be up to right now?

A. If I weren’t famous, I would probably be in Japan. I’d gotten a student visa for there in 2004 but didn’t go. I rather pursued music here.

Q. What celebrity would you rate as a perfect 10?

A. Any celebrity dedicated to their profession is a perfect 10 for me.

Q. Do you sing in the shower?

A. Definitely. I am a bathroom singer.

Q. What is one item you could not live without?

A. My motorbike.

Q. Four things you would change about yourself?

A. Waking up late, not being punctual, trusting people easily, and not being conscious about my health.

Q. When was the last time you were late for something?

     A. I missed an international flight a few weeks back as I was late.

 The Monkey Temple restaurant over­looks the real Monkey Temple (the Swoyambhunath Monastery), and half of Kathmandu, from its property at Chakdol height, Swoyambhu, and the view is mes­merizing, especially in the evenings. Getting there can be a little tricky and we recommend using Google Maps to find the restaurant but when you do get there, the search will be worth it. Young­sters throng the cozy multi-cuisine restau­rant on weekdays as well as weekends to enjoy the servings of moderately priced food and the great view that the restau­rant offers. If you’re lucky, you’ll also have some good photos clicked by their in-house photographer for their social media pages.

PS: We know for sure that the Monkey Temple is a frequent hangout for one Nepali television actress. Who knows? You might just bump into her for a photo op.  

 Amid the raging debate on $500 million grant to Nepal under the Millen­nium Challenge Corporation compact, Kamal Dev Bhatta­rai talked to Nepali Congress leader Gagan Kumar Thapa to solicit his views on the debate.

 First, how do you evaluate the federal government’s overall for­eign policy conduct?

The government is confused on foreign policy. Learning from expe­rience and our geopolitics, Nepal should first manage its two giant neighbors. At the same time, we should enhance our relations with multiple powers. We should tread in a cautious and balanced way. Most important, we should not exploit our special geostrategic situation for immediate political gains. In this climate of political stability, there should be delivery in a new way. The dividend of government stability should be reflected in international relations. Our relations with other countries in the past two years have gone from bad to worse. Intra-party rifts and polarizations are unexpect­edly thriving over foreign policy. Irrespective of who is in the govern­ment, all important actors in Nepal should have a clear direction. But we are sliding back and different political factions of the same party have different stands. The issues have been made more and more complicated.

How do you see the current MCC compact debate?

When we talk about foreign loan and grants and relations between two countries, sometimes we are influenced by specific events and emotions prevail. Similarly, we don’t have sufficient debates and discus­sions on bilateral relations.

We have become victims of these two tendencies. The MCC debate started on an emotional footing and we have never seriously discussed it. But there is positive side to it as the parliament could otherwise have endorsed it in a day, without substantial deliberations. The par­liament has passed many bills of public importance without substan­tial debate.

The current debate should be taken in a positive way as it is part of our broader discussion on what should be our approach to foreign loans and grants. When the MCC enters the parlia­ment, we should shun emotional debates. There should rather be informed discussions in parlia­ment. It is also an opportunity for the parliament.

How do you evaluate this gov­ernment’s handling of the MCC compact?

The issue is being presented in the public in different ways. One section says the MCC is everything and we should not miss it. Another sensa­tional definition is that if we accept the MCC, American Army and mis­siles will come to Nepal. This result­ed from the government’s inability to handle it properly. Of course, even if you accept a penny from outsiders, their interests will invari­ably be involved. In international relations, nothing is mutually exclu­sive. We have to tell people why the MCC’s acceptance serves our interests. The government should start an informed debate on it. But that is not how the government is going about it. Instead of address­ing the raised issues, the govern­ment gave an impression that it is in hurry to pass the compact, which does not help.

In the initial stage, the PM pro­moted a conspiracy theory on the MCC. The head of government should have made it clear why the government accepts this grant and that such agreements could also be signed with other countries. Now the government is preparing to bring a house resolution stat­ing that Nepal would not join any military alliance. Government ministers said the MCC was signed during the tenure of the previous government so it was the responsi­bility of the previous government, which was an irresponsible act. There was lack of maturity. The lack of debate culture in Nepal also created problems.

Even American officials say the MCC is a part of their Indo-Pacif­ic Strategy. How do you see it?

There has been a lot of discus­sion on the MCC but not on key defense issues. There are joint exercises between Nepal and US armies. The US is providing a lot of assistance to Nepal Army. Similarly, China is also assisting the army. They are giving military assistance directly to the army. There has been no debate on whether the army should accept such assistance. Similarly, there are ques­tions over whether the army should accept mon­ey directly from those countries. We can discuss the merits and demerits of the MCC but it should not be projected as a big issue of national sovereignty and security.

How should the national parlia­ment handle the MCC compact?

In the parliament, we get just three minutes to speak. But even before the discussions in the par­liament, party leaders who have already served as government min­isters are continuously speaking on it. Some parties issued press state­ments on the MCC. All this called for a serious study of the MCC concept. Parties are allowed to take positions but they should be mindful because such positions could have long-term ramifications.

What do you make of the conspir­acy theory that the MCC compact will allow the US army to come to Nepal?

There is conspiracy and disinfor­mation over the MCC. Such conspir­acy began to emerge after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli linked the MCC with former speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara. PM Oli’s comment that Mahara did not help with the passage of the MCC through the parliament helped build a conspir­acy theory.

What do you make of the Amer­ican condition of parliamentary approval of the MCC compact?

There are serious questions around us. Let’s take an example. In 2014, then CPN-UML leader Bhim Rawal and I asked in parliament why the power trade agreement with India had bypassed the legislature. We then brought up the power trade agreement in a parliamentary com­mittee and the committee then gave appropriate instructions. The parlia­ment should accept the responsibili­ty for these important issues. In the case of the MCC compact, I think it entered the parliament in line with our own Treaty Act.

What will be your role as an MP when the MCC compact enters the parliament?

We should trust the parliament. There has been no discussion on it in the parliament. The issues raised by citizens will be definite­ly discussed there. If it is against national interest, we won’t accept it. If necessary, the MCC compact could be forwarded to parliamen­tary committees for discussions on technical issues. If these discussions are insufficient, we can form other expert committees. Again, the ruling party should handle the MCC in a mature way.

What kind of foreign help should Nepal ideally accept?

Nepal has a big resource-gap. We want to build big hydro projects, transmission lines, highways and fast-tracks on our own but then we don’t have enough resources. So we have to take out loans and accept grants. As far as possible, we should try to diversify the sources of our loans and grants. This is also a right of the Least Developing Countries. In our climate dialogue, we say that grant is our right. In European and Western countries, there was criti­cism that they were supporting us only in hardware and not in soft­ware. They have to support roads, transmission lines and other sectors too. This is what we are telling them. Perhaps the MCC compact is a reflec­tion of that

 The editors present at the prime minister’s residence in the Feb 4 get-together at Baluwatar were all struck by a sudden change in the PM’s voice-tone. Normally given to hectoring his audience, that evening, he seemed to be in a mood to listen. His replies were mild too, gone the acerbic edge. It was easy to guess why. PM Oli is soon undergoing another kidney transplant. He fears that as his mobility and functioning could be restricted in the case, it would be wise to placate or neutralize his enemies before he reenters active politics.

KP Oli is in no doubt that, boosted by a new kidney, he will be at the helm for another three years of this government’s remaining term, as he admitted to the editors. He must also be feeling quite humiliated at having to make big political concessions to his co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal. For instance, despite his old stand against the election of Agni Sapkota as the new speaker of the federal parliament, he had to bow down before an un-budging Dahal. He has also faced a lot of flak from inside his party over the American MCC compact, again largely from the ex-Maoists.

Oli seems to realize he can only lose by going on the offensive when his political hand is weakened and his health is again iffy. He rather appears minded to bide his time. This is perhaps why he has of late been unusually soft spoken, even with the press folks he usually takes to task. Maybe this is also why he agreed to the leak of the photograph that shows him playing a bansuri, to suggest that the hardheaded politician also has a ‘soft’ side.

KP Oli has made astounding political comebacks even when all hope seemed lost. He had developed a debilitating kidney ailment much before he became the party chair, much less a two-time prime minister. So his determination to make yet another comeback should not be taken lightly.

But will his charm offensive work? He may have removed some doubts of the participating editors at his Tuesday meeting. But the doubts will soon start resurfacing as he will remain the executive prime minister who presides over an ineffective government, whether or not he can rule from Singhadurbar post-operation. His time-buying tactic could come to be seen as another cynical ploy to cling to the PM’s chair. Besides, he has his hands full with the unfolding Lalita Niwas fiasco

The week-long Nepal Communist Party Central Committee meeting that kicked off in Kathmandu on January 29 was overdue. The party statute provisions for the CC meeting every six months. But the ongoing meeting is only the second since the formal unification of the two largest communist forces in the country some 20 months ago. On paper, the 441-member Central Committee is the party’s second most powerful decision-making body, after only the General Convention. Yet the committee was virtually defunct as the two NCP chairmen, among them, made nearly all important decisions. What they could not agree on, they got done via the nine-member Secretariat.

The Central Committee plays a vital role in strengthening the party organization and in energizing the grassroots. But the NCP Central Committee could not convene, first, because the two chairmen and the Secretariat did not consider it necessary. Second, the former UML and Maoist members could not settle their differences. Twenty-long-months after the formal unification, the NCP is still a divided house. One notable division is over the American MCC accord, which is sure to create a stir in the Central Committee meeting too. The ex-UML leaders, for instance, are more amenable to the accord’s parliamentary endorsement than are the ex-Maoists.

It will be interesting to see how such ideological debates play out on the CC floor. Another big ideological debate concerns whether the new party has gone too far down the capitalist road and whether the time has come to rein in the excesses of its senior leaders. Maintaining party control over the functioning of the federal government, which is widely seen as underperforming, will be another area of focus.

Perhaps the leaders and cadres of the newly minted NCP can take comfort as the main opposition, Nepali Congress, is arguably even more divided and chaotic, and the NCP has no serious electoral challenger on the horizon. But that isn’t saying much. The CC meeting would have achieved a lot if it can send out a clearer message of unity, an assurance that the bitter divisions between the UML and Maoist parties of the yore have been narrowed if not bridged altogether. (Announcement of the ‘Unity General Convention’ for April 7-12, 2020 could be step in that direction.) In that case, many other issues will sort themselves out for the political behemoth with 800,000 active members.

Q. Which living person do you most admire the most, and why?
A. I don’t have one person that I admire the most. Different kinds of people that offer varying aspects, traits and personality, are always inspiring me.

Q. Nikon, Canon or something else?
A. Always ‘The Canon Guy.’

Q. What is your favorite cuisine
A. Nepali Thali with some mouthwatering sukuti.

Q. What is the most difficult part of your job?
A. Things that seem to be the worst are the best at the same time, like being independent and self-sufficient or knowing that everyone is a photographer today or at least takes pictures, which makes a difference.

Q. What is the biggest project you’ve been a part of?
A. My biggest projects have been Bryan Adams, Mohit Chauhan and Farhan Akhtar concerts.

Q. If you could wish for one and the only thing, what would it be?
A. Live and work freely without any stress.

Q. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
A. Asked for bacon burger but unknowingly ate my friend’s Gordon Ramsay beef
burger

Q. One gadget that’s been in your wish-list?
A. Evo II Pro Drone or Airblock

Q. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
A. Vienna, Austria or Santorin, Greece

In an interview, Isabel Allende said that she wrote ‘In the Midst of Winter’ in 2016 just when she was coming out of a divorce after 28 years of marriage and her agent, three close friends, and dog had all died. It was during these trying times that she came upon a quote by Albert Camus: “In the midst of winter, I finally found there was within me an invincible summer. For the summer that we all have inside to manifest we need to open the heart and take risks.” And that’s what the book is about: Three trau­matized people trapped in a snow­storm in Brooklyn, New York facing a life-and-death situation. By choos­ing to support one another and being kind, they ultimately discov­er the invincible summers that lie within them.The book opens with a minor car collision, between 60-year old schol­ar Richard Bowmaster and Evelyn Ortega, an undocumented Guate­malan refugee. This incident sets into motion a chain of events which forces the two and 62-year-old Lucia Maraz, a visiting professor at NYU, who is also Bowmaster’s coworker and tenant, to deal with a situa­tion that, to begin with, is not their problem, and which seems to be spiraling out of control by the min­ute. While ‘In the Midst of Winter’ mostly focuses on Richard, Lucia, and Evelyn’s seemingly ordinary lives, mystery and intrigue simul­taneously weave their way into the story, making what would otherwise have been a slow narrative into a gripping can’t-stop-till-I-know-what-happens-next read.

Lucia and Evelyn sometimes feel like extensions of Allende’s personal history as the author has said, time and again, that, for much of her life, she’s felt like a foreigner. And it seems here, through them, Allende is taking the liberty to make her readers understand what the immi­grant experience is like. Though there can be no better time to tell immigrants’ stories, you sometimes wish the writing were a little less flowery, allowing you to focus on the character’s lives instead of getting stuck in the imageries it manages to conjure.

Also, ‘In the Midst of Winter’ feels a little awkward because something doesn’t seem right and the ending too is a bit off. But, all in all, Allende deserves to be read because her sto­ries get you thinking about the many things you tend to take for granted in life.

On the first day of his Great Himalayan Trek, photographer Sudin K.C. was lost in the jungles of Chyang Thapu. It was dark and raining in the jungle, he had to suffer leech bites, and somehow make it through the deserted, spooky night. Starting from the Eastern region, K.C. trekked to the Far Western region, in 100 days, clicking pictures of people of different cultures. Of his hundreds of such photos, 12 are currently on display at the Himalayan Java Café, Mandala Street, Thamel. One photo in the exhibi­tion is of an old Kulung Rai man who is a high-altitude shepherd and lives near his livestock. The shepherds wear a traditional jacket called “phenge” made of stinging nettles. In the oral history of the Kulung village, Lord Shiva wore one of these jackets after the creation of the universe.

“I wanted to know how Nepalis live in various cir­cumstances. There are many cultures buried behind these mountains and hills. This trek’s main motive was to cap­ture these cultures in photos. I wonder if these culture will be in existence forever but my photos will surely be there,” says the photographer.

Another photograph is of woman carrying wood from the Birendra Lake in Manaslu glacier. “I thought I’d help her and offered to carry it till her house but the basket was so heavy that I could barely lug it for five minutes. After that she let me know that she got this and carried it home herself,” says K.C.

While he was on the trek, K.C. was unable to bathe for 17 days. Despite smelling ter­ribly everyone he met on the way was helpful. “The people welcomed me as if I was their own. They even allowed me to stay in their home. This shows true nature and hospitality of Nepali people. In such a short time I felt a strong bond of with those people.”

The photo exhibition will run till the end of the first week of February.