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The Palk Strait separating India and Sri Lanka, 82 km at its widest, did not prevent India from sending its mili­tary to Sri Lanka in 1987, purportedly to save the Tamil minority from the excesses of the Sinhalese government in Colombo. Tamil extremists would later be crushed with Chi­na’s military support. Likewise, even though around 4,000 km separates Sri Lanka and China, the Middle Kingdom has been more and more active in the smallish South Asian country of 21 million souls. Most notably, in 2017, Sri Lanka was forced to hand over the strategic port of Hambantota to China on a 99-year lease after being unable to service its debts—to India’s horror. This old geopolitical competition between India and China is once again being played out in Sri Lanka with President Maithripala Sirisena’s unexpected sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Oct 26. In Wickremesinghe’s place Sirisena appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president known for his cozy ties with Beijing. (It was Rajapaksa who had negotiated the building of Hambantota with China.) Sirisena in fact was elected as the executive president in 2015 on an explicit anti-Ra­japaksa platform. He had promised to help his coun­try emerge from China’s debt trap. His prime minister, Wickremesinghe, had been particularly keen to improve ties with India.

While this political drama in Sri Lanka still unfolding, it is nonetheless a stark reminder to Nepal that navigating the choppy waters of India-China geopolitics will not be easy in the days ahead. Rumors are already swirling inside the rul­ing Nepal Communist Party of how India is plotting to bring down the ‘pro-China’ KP Oli. Reportedly, party co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has of late been assuring India that he is firmly in their camp. This in turn has raised the hackles of the Oli faction that sees deepened ties with China as indis­pensable to balance the ‘big brother’.

Recently, Nepal government extended a warm welcome to the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marx­ist), Sitaram Yechuri, a harsh critic of the BJP-led government in India. One of the goals of his visit was said to be to keep Oli from sidling too close to Modi. The BJP leadership will see it as yet another ‘provocation’ of Oli government.

Be it the blockade in Nepal, recent elections in the Mal­dives, or the Sri Lankan PM’s sacking, no big political devel­opment in South Asia remains untouched by the new great game in South Asia.

Tihar is never complete with­out homemade ‘sel rotis’ and ‘phinis’ among other assort­ed desserts. It’s true that we today can easily procure them, ready­made, from one of the stores. Yet there can surely be no substitute for cooking them, fresh, in our own kitchen. APEX caught up with Chef Sandeep Khatri, also known as Pak Shastri, to get some tips. With 20-plus years of experi­ence in food experimentation, Khatri brings you contemporized versions of the traditional bread-based delicacies—exclusively for APEX.

First, a little info about the chef. Khatri learned culinary arts in Europe and he has travelled the world, learning, practicing and mastering his skills. Khatri is also an educator and founder of the Global Nepalese Chef Forum, which is working in collaboration with Global Chefs to make Nepali food popular around the world. His recent venture, Ka’ffi Global Catering, specializes in catering to the Nepali movie industry.

Sel Roti

(Authentic crispy rice donuts, coated with dark chocolate and coconut powder)

Sel roti is made in such a way that it will not go bad for months. Nor will it get fungus as it is deep-fried. It actually tastes better the next day, at least to some peo­ple. The sel roti is like an arti­san’s baguette or other Europe­an bread which they make and store to consume for days and months. That’s the reason they ferment the dough. Sel roti was historically the staple for travel­ers who walked up to Tibet for days to trade salt. Here we offer a lip-smacking version of it, sel 2.0 if you will.

Preparation Time: 3 hrs

Cooking time: 15 mins

Batch: 15 each

Ingredients

• Rice flour: 800 gm soaked for at least one hour

• Regular flour: 300 gm (Mixed well with rice flour in a batter, just as in pancake)

• Sugar: As per taste (Standard will be 10 tablespoons)

• Coconut powder: 1 cup

• Chocolate block: 1 cup (Micro­wave it to melt)

• Sesame seeds: Handful

• Water: 6 to 8 cups

• Baking powder: 1 teaspoon

• Spices like cinnamon powder, cardamom and vanilla are optional (for a tangy twist)

• Chocolate syrup

• Ice cream: The best would be vanilla but you can get a flavor of your choice

• Dry fruits: Crushed, to sprinkle on top

• Mint leaves for garnishing

Method

• Take a mixing bowl and add both rice and regular flours. Pour water gradually

• Add sugar and keep mixing, adding more water

• Dip the spoon and run your fingers on the back of it. The paste should be no more than 1 cm thick

• Then add the spices of your choice

• Again add sug­ar to ensure it is up to your taste

• S p r i n k l e some white s e s a m e seeds

• Let the mixture then ferment for three hours to get a nice texture

• Add baking powder (optional, and to be used only if you want to get fluffy sel rotis)

• In a deep pan, heat oil. It should be enough to submerge the dough

• Take a mineral water bottle and cut it in half. Use the neck part of the bottle to give your sel rotis a consistent, circular shape

• Put the dough in the half-cut bottle and pour it in the heated oil, in a circular shape

• Use a wooden stick or ladle to turn the sel roti

• Once it is golden brown, remove the roti from the pan

Time for the twist now

• Soak one side of the sel roti with melted chocolate on a serving plate

• Sprinkle some coconut powder and Gems chocolates on top

• Once the melted chocolate dries, top it up with vanilla ice-cream and pour some chocolate sauce

• Enjoy your contemporary sel roti

Phini Roti

(Nepali puff layered bread, with spinach and beet-root)

Preparation Time: 1 day

Cooking time: 30 mins

Batch: 15 each

Ingredients

Regular flour: 500 gm

Rice flour: 500 gm

Clarified butter (Ghee): 1 cup

Water: 3 to 5 cups

Beetroot: Bake or boil one medi­um-sized beetroot. Mash it up in a blender and let the water drain so that just the chunks remain

Spinach juice: Blanch a few spin­ach leaves and make puree in the blender

Method

• Add the spinach puree into regu­lar flour to make soft dough

• Add clarified butter/ghee with the rice flour and mix well to get your ‘satho’ ready

• Once the dough is ready, oil a flat, hard surface (maybe the marble in your kitchen or a sturdy chopping board) and roll the dough into a square, thin surface

• Add the mix of ‘satho’ on top

• Add some chunks of beet root

• Roll the dough from one side, just like you would roll a news­paper

• Once the roll is ready, cut the dough evenly into small sizes

• Roll the small cut-outs into square or round shapes. Don’t flip the phini while rolling, unlike you would do to normal roti

• Once rolled into the shapes you want, make at least 2/3 small cuts in the center of your phini so that they don’t get too puffed up while frying

• Fry the phini in a deep pan, just like you would the sel roti

• But do not flip the phini while frying. Use a ladle to pour hot oil on top of the phini while frying

The spinach and beet-root will give exotic colors to your regular phinis. Feel free to exper­iment with the sizes, shapes and presentation.

With the aim of bringing Nepal’s air safety record up to the inter­national standards the ‘Helicopter Society of Nepal’ has been estab­lished under the chairmanship of Capt Rameshwar Thapa.

Thapa, who is the chairman of Simrik Air, is among Nepal’s most reputed rescue pilots. Before his latest appointment, he had twice served as the chairman of the Airlines Operators Association of Nepal.

Besides Thapa, tourism entrepre­neur and chairman of Dynasty Air Ang Tshering Sherpa and executive chairman of Manang Air Satish Prad­han have been chosen as vice-chair­men of the working committee. Likewise, the CEO of Heli Everest Yograj Sharma has been chosen as general secretary while Janak Thapa, also of Heli Everest, serves as the treasurer.

Likewise, Chairman of Altitude Air Nimanuru Sherpa, manag­ing director of Prabhu Helicopter Binod Thakali, managing director of Simrik Air Capt Siddhartha Jung Gurung and Shree Air’s corpo­rate director Anil Manandar have been chosen as member of the working committee.

The non-profit hopes to help improve Nepal’s aviation record, as well as to build safe helipads and increase the availability of trained manpower in the field.

The society will work for the devel­opment of aviation and tourism under the government’s remit and take the initiative to highlight the importance of helicopter companies for the country.

Also, it will reward those who have made significant contribution for the development of helicopter transport in Nepal. Towards this goal, different kinds of programs will be being organized right across the country. Moreover, the society will try to disseminate right information about the recently reported problem of ‘fake rescues’.

Whether the government of KP Sharma Oli has been able to deliver on its electoral promise of ‘prosperity’ in its eight months in office is questionable. Its other promise of ‘stability’, it appears, will also not be easy to keep. Set aside for a moment the implications of the ruling coa­lition’s failure to heed the demands of the Madhesi parties, which have given the government until the end of Chhat to amend the constitution. It looks like an even bigger danger lurks within the Nepal Communist Party itself. No, this threat does not come from senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, who has mounted a vigorous criticism of the government of his own party. Nepal is making his own political calculations ahead of the first general convention of the merged party. But he does not seem minded to topple the government, a move that could badly backfire on the veteran leader.

A more dangerous sign that not everything is well in the NCP came when sitting federal MPs were being put under pressure to resign and vacate their parliamentary seat for another senior leader Bamdev Gautam. It was hard to buy the prime minister’s argument, in what was a lame attempt to sidestep the issue, that Gautam’s loss in his Bardiya con­stituency in the federal election was somehow ‘unnatural’ and Gautam was thus looking for a restitution. Nor was it easy to believe that the presence of Gautam—who has had a checkered history in government—in the federal parliament is ‘indispensable’.

Some people close to the prime minister saw the attempt to elect Gautam to the federal parliament as ultimately aimed at unseating Oli. In their reading, it was part of a plot hatched by Gautam and party co-chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal—possibly with India’s backing. Apparently, India is none-too-pleased with Oli’s growing China tilt and Dahal has given the Indian establishment credible assurance that he will follow their playbook.

If Gautam wins the by-election, he would directly challenge Oli for government leadership; if he losses, he would mount a strong revolt against ‘in-party conspiracy’ to defeat him. Dis­sent will grow. One thing will lead to another and ultimately Gautam will find a way to unseat Oli and become the prime minister himself. Dahal would then lead the party. And both these developments will have New Delhi’s blessings.

Perhaps this is just another conspiracy theory and there is no more to it than Gautam’s desire to be MP again. But all these theories of sinister plots to destabilize the party and the country emanating from within the NCP circle suggest that Oli’s hold over his party is far from absolute and Nepalis should not take stability for granted.

Want to be a multi-million­aire? You would certainly be one if you give 15 correct answers in a row. With the slogan of Jaba gyaan jhalkinchha, taba bhagya talkinchha (‘When your knowledge shows, your luck improves’), the soon-to-be-broadcast show on AP1 HD Television, “Ko Bancha Crorepa­ti”, will give you this once-in-a-life­time opportunity.

After the scintillating success of singing reality show ‘Nepal Idol’ and dancing reality show ‘Boogie Woo­gie’ AP1 HD Television is starting, from the second week of Novem­ber, the Nepali version of the world famous television reality show ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire’.

The show, with Coca Cola as its title sponsor, will be hosted by popular actor Rajesh Hamal. The banking sponsor is Civil Bank, with other sponsors being Hero, Indica Hair Color, Baltra Home Electron­ics, Suit That Fits, Education Park and Enchanteur. Actor Amitabh Bachchan, host of Indian version of the international franchise ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’, sent a video mes­sage expressing his happiness at the show’s launch in Nepal.

Actor Hamal informed that as this is an international level show, specific criteria need to be met. He added that he will try hosting it in an original Nepali way. As he has to present for an audience with Nepali taste by adding some Nepali flavor, he said this would be both an oppor­tunity as well as a challenge. He also expressed his hope that the show would boost Nepalis unity and identity. Managing Director of Annapurna Media Network Laxmi Prasad Paudyal said that this show would not only be entertaining and knowledgeable for Nepali viewers but also offer a great chance to them to earn lucrative cash prizes.

CEO of SRBN Media, the pro­duction company of “Ko Bancha Crorepati”, Bipin Acharya, informed that the first question will be for Rs 1,000. The prize amount will keep increasing, leading to the last ques­tion worth Rs 10 million. According to him, the questions’ worth would increase in the manner: Rs 1,000, then Rs 2,000, Rs 3,000, Rs 5,000, Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000, Rs 80,000 and then the prize mon­ey will keep doubling with succes­sive question leading to the last one worth Rs 10 million. There will be 14 steps to the last question and each participant will get three life-lines.

Program Director Suresh Paudel informed that the show will be broadcast every Saturday, Sunday and Monday between 8:30 pm and 9:30 pm. He promised that the show would be made inclu­sive with respect to age, gender and geography.

 Q. Three most attractive qualities in a person?

A. A sparkling conversationalist, followed by the non-judgmental listening ability and lastly, anyone who can respond to a sarcasm with a higher level of sarcasm are the best kind of beings to walk on the face of this planet.

Q. The best piece of advice that you’ve received?

A. ‘Don't look back at things that remind you of grief. Don’t listen to judgements people have of you. Don’t bother talking to people you don’t like.’ A self-shaped advice I remind myself, every day.

Q. The weirdest compliment that you’ve received?

A. ‘You speak like Sushmita Sen.’ Well, I didn’t buy it but I won’t deny, it felt nice.

Q. A question you wish people would stop asking?

A. ‘Don’t you get nervous before going LIVE on TV?’ Trust me, it’s sometimes more annoying than people asking single people when they plan to get married.

Q. If you could go on a coffee date with a famous person, who would it be?

A. Vladimir Putin. Being in the media indus­try myself, I feel this leader has been scripted completely on the basis of per­sonal opinions. There’s more to Putin, I think! One cup of coffee wouldn’t be enough, for sure, to decipher this man.

Q. If you could have your three of your wishes granted what would they be?

A. Firstly, two-day weekends. A well-rested mind is likely to be happier and more productive. Second wish would be to be able to travel without the tedious process of applying for visa(s). And thirdly, better public toilets in this city. Perhaps, then I will not hesitate to drink enough water throughout the day. Just saying.

Q. Ideal vacation destination?

A. I’ve always wished to live with the Mentawi tribes (Indonesia) for a month or two. As constantly evolving humans, I believe we have forgotten our natural ability to connect with the things around us.

In a complicated world that we live in, living with the tribes shall be a lifetime experience (for me).

 Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy drama, ‘The Shape of Water’, emerged as the ultimate win­ner at the 2018 Academy Awards. It had been nominated for 13 Oscars and won four, including best director and best picture. Starring Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spenser, and Richard Jenkins, the movie was a visual marvel, one that tugged at your heartstrings. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of its novel coun­terpart, the pace of which is a little sluggish and thus makes you want to skim through the pages halfway through. You already know the ending anyway.

For those of you who haven’t watched the movie yet, the basic premise is this: Set in America of the 1960s, Elisa, a mute janitor working at a government research center in Baltimore, falls in love with an imprisoned amphibi­ous man who is being tortured at the lab. The military responsi­ble for its capture then decide to kill the creature to dissect him for further research and Elisa, with a little help from her friends, plans a rescue operation.

The filmmaker Toro collabo­rated with author Daniel Kraus to bring the cinematic experience unto paper and the book was published a little less than two months after the movie’s release. The book was supposed to expand and enrich the story but what it does instead is make you feel like you are reading the first draft of the movie script.

The filmmaker and author both no doubt felt that a movie, at two hours, could only scratch the sur­face of human emotions and strug­gles. The novel thus takes its time to dra

w out the characters and delve deep into their minds. The result is a bit tedious. This is per­haps because you feel you know the characters and what they are thinking, having met them in the movie already.

That being said, The Shape of Water isn’t a bad book. Not by any means. It’s just that you have already watched (and loved) the movie, and seen the char­acters through their trails and tribulations that there’s no shaking off the feeling of déjà vu you inev­itably get. That is what takes away from the reading experience and makes the narrative seem long and stretched. You already know where it’s going yet you have to bear through pages of introspection and (oftentimes) pointless drama to get there. If you haven’t watched the movie, we recommend you read the book. If you have, you might be better off finding something else to read

Perhaps the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal (RJPN) leaders who had gone to meet Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Oct 8 were well aware that little gets done during the over a month-long holiday sea­son that starts with Dashain and ends with Chhath. That is why when Prime Minister Oli assured the RJPN leaders that their demands would be fulfilled by the end of Dashain the Madhesi leaders said they were happy to give him until the end of Chhath. Who knows, they too might have been in a festive spirit not to make a hard push. Dashain remains the most widely celebrated festival in Nepal, even though not everyone celebrating it is religious. They will go to different Shakti Peeths during the Navaratri, the ‘nine nights’ and 10 days of Dashain (See Sabhyata Jha’s sto­ry, Page 8-9), to imbibe the festive spirit if nothing else. There is also a growing trend of people leaving Nepal to visit other countries during Dashain, as they are unlikely to get another holiday nearly as long. This also signals the dwindling religious importance of Dashain even as its cultural and socio-economic signif­icance remains high.

For meat-eaters, this is the time to gorge on goat, a Dashain delicacy. But interestingly the trend of people becoming vegetarians, nay, even vegans, is rocketing as well, partly because of the violence associated with animal killings (See Main story, Page 7). Another popular pastime this Dashain, at least for those who remain in the country, will be play­ing cards, often with the involve­ment of huge sums, never mind that the government has banned any kind of gambling.

Many bemoan the days when the whole extended family used to get together to celebrate, often by vis­iting their ancestral homes. Now half the family is invariably abroad during Dashain, working there or on vacation. But it would be unreal­istic to expect the country’s biggest festival to remain static in a society that has been in a state of constant flux since the 1990 political change.

Rather than resist the inevita­ble change perhaps it is a better idea to gracefully accept it. Let us celebrate today and look for­ward to a better tomorrow. Happy Dashain, everyone.