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By the time I finally got my hands on a copy of ‘Pachinko’ by Min Jin Lee, I had heard and read so many reviews and book club discussions that I was sure my reaction to it would be extreme: I would either enjoy it immensely or be severely disappointed. But Pachinko, mostly because of how smoothly the nar­rative flows, reminded me of ‘Good Earth’ by Pearl S Buck and that has forever been on my list of all-time favorite books.

Pachinko narrates the story of four generations of Korean immi­grants between 1910 and today. The story is set first in Japanese-occu­pied Korea in the early 20th centu­ry and then in Japan itself—Osaka, Tokyo, and Yokohama—from before the World War II to the late 1980s.

Pachinko is a Japanese version of pinball and for most ethnic Koreans living in Japan, pachinko parlors are the primary source of stable income and eventual wealth build­ing, and the characters in the novel run pachinko parlors too. But the title serves a metaphorical purpose as well. Just like the first strike of the ball in a pachinko machine deter­mines how it will move, the life of the characters in the novel too are determined at birth.

At the beginning of the novel, we are introduced to Hoonie, who is born with a cleft palate and a deformed foot, as he is getting mar­ried to Yangjin. This takes place in Yeongdo, a fishing village at the southern tip of Korea. The two have a happy life and go on to have a daughter—Sunja—who makes the central character of the story.

Then, Sunja is seduced by a yaku­za (member of transnational orga­nized crime syndicates originating in Japan), Koh Hansu, and she gets pregnant. But Hansu can’t marry Sunja because he already has a wife back in Japan. So he offers to put her up in someplace nice and take care of her and his child but Sunja doesn’t want to be Hansu’s mistress.

Sometime later, a young mission­ary, Isak, who Sunja and Yangjin nurse back to life, asks for her hand in marriage after coming to know of her situation and, to save her family from disgrace, Sunja agrees. The two then immigrate to Isak’s brother’s house in a Korean neigh­borhood in Osaka, Japan, where the rest of the story unfolds.

Spanning nearly 100 years, the novel chronicles Sunja’s story and that of her children, Noa and Moza­su, and grandson, Solomon. Lee narrates the struggles of people who are treated as outsiders in a country they call home so skillfully that you can’t help but empathize with the pains of second-class citizens.

What I liked the most about Pachinko was how noble most of the characters were. Here, every person is as he/she should be ideally. Husbands love their wives, chil­dren respect their parents, and the young care for the ailing. It just feels right and you wish things were that way in real life. Even Koh Hansu, a morally dubious character so to say, spends the rest of his life look­ing out for Sunja and his son Noa, despite Sunja clearly not wanting him to do so.

However, it’s the women who shine in Lee’s story. Yangjin, Sunja, Kyunghee (Sunja’s sister-in-law) and Etsuko, Mozasu’s girlfriend after his wife’s death, are all women who have gone through a lot in life but, instead of being hardened by their circumstances, they do everything they can to better the lives of those around them.

Pachinko makes you weep and it makes you smile but the best part is that it gets you thinking—about life, love, and the little things that we take for granted every single day O

 Few motorcycle brands can claim a following more loyal than Har­ley Davidson. The brand carries a lot of creed, even for the non-bik­ers. Iconic and irresistible, it encap­sulates so much with its unapologetic machines, with an illustrious legacy spread over an endless assortment of Touring, Softail, Sportster, and CVO family. However, the times they are a changin’. Enter the Street Series—a different recipe that veers away from the tra­ditional Harley styling to something that is more urban and sport-ori­ented. Introduced by Harley David­son at the EICMA Show in 2013, the Street Series targets entry-lev­el buyers in the US and upmarket buyers in the developing mar­kets. Available as a 750cc model, the Street Series bikes are nim­ble and middleweight motorcy­cles build to take on city streets. And these are our thoughts on the Street Rod 750, the Street 750’s sporty cousin.

First things first…

…The Street Rod shares its design with the Street 750. But, as with most models in Harley’s Dark Cus­tom range, the Street Rod stands out with its purposeful styling. And the drag style bars with bar-end mir­rors, Screamin’ Eagle slip-on muffler, blacked-out finishes and the 13.1-liter tear-drop tank calls out for a strict attention. The rest of the bodywork is a tasteful blend of HD’s flat-track heritage, American drag racing and streetfighter elements.

The Street Rod 750 measures 2,130mm in length while the ground clearance is 205mm. The wheelbase of the Street Rod 750 is 1510mm. The taller ground clearance and the new 17-inch wheels further add to the bike’s athletic stance. Also, the supercharger-inspired air intake does draw attention to the engine.

Visually, the Street Rod appears meaner and more powerful than its more affordable sibling—the Street 750.

At the heart of the matter….

…is a 759cc liquid-cooled V-twin Revolution X engine from the Street 750, but reworked to produce 20 percent more power and 10 percent more torque, which results in 68 bhp at 8,750 rpm and 65 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. Harley engineers have bumped the compression ratio from 11.0:1 to 12.0:1, and the redline increased from 8,000 to 9,000 rpm to maximise the mid-range torque. The new single overhead-cam V-Twin engine also features a larger air box, new 42mm dual-throttle bodies, revised four-valve cylinder heads and high-lift camshafts, and a new exhaust muffler to enhance the airflow.

It does exactly what it says on the paper. The engine produces more torque through the mid-range and power at the top-end. The sweet spot for the motor lies between 3,000 and 5,000 rpm, and the result is a torquey machine with extra revs at your disposal. Once you wring the throttle, the bike leaps forward with a calm demeanor. Throttle response is great and power delivery linear. There is no change in the six-speed gearbox which has been taken from the Street 750 with the exact same ratios. Hit the twisties and the bike encourages you to push it even hard­er. And, the exhaust note begs you to be heard even louder.

The Street Rod bears a ‘Bull­dog’ stance that is…

…poised and aggressive. Instead of sitting back in a relaxed position, you sit up on the bike in a forward stance and the flat handlebars ascer­tain this fact. The forward seating position is not ideal for taller rid­ers. Compared to the Street, you sit 45mm higher on the Street Rod, and the first thing you’ll complain about is the ergonomics. The seating position is cramped and the high-set mid-mounted foot pegs will take some time getting used to. The rub­ber heel rest on the right exhaust is annexed to the top of the silencer shroud to mitigate the limited foot control placement. But instead of covering the rear brake pedal, you waste your time trying to adjust your foot in the right position. This is the reason why we ended up with using the front brakes more. Could the Street Rod’s handling outshine the uncomfortable ergonomics?

The Street Rod delivers handling that is light and precise at all speeds. While the Street Rod is easy to maneuver, the wide handle bars at times allow only modest room for lane changes in the urban jungle. Because the fork rake is tightened from 32° to 27° for quicker steer­ing, the tighter steering geometry does make it easier to ride the bike through fast swooping curves. With a machine like the Street Rod at your disposal, you’ll want to hit highway speeds once in a while.

Out on the highway, dropping into the rare sixth gear, is where the Street Rod really stretches itself. Everywhere else, it’s just a matter of selecting the right gear and letting the throttle do the talking. Although the Street Rod weighs 238 kg, we had no problem handling the bike at cruising speeds. But squirting in and out of rush-hour traffic can be cum­bersome because of the heat. This is the only downside of the riding the Street Rod inside the city.

The suspension setup for the most part provides a comfortable ride, even on rough or uneven pavements. The front end features 43mm USD forks gripped by lightweight alu­minum yokes with no adjustment. Coil-over piggyback shocks support the rear end with adjustable spring preload that can be adjusted with a standard wrench. The steel swing arm is slightly longer to accommo­date the taller shocks and provide extra traction.

The Street Rod wears 17-inch front and rear cast alloy wheels and MRF rubbers—120/70 rubbers up front and 160/60 on back—facilitating for more lean, with 37.3 degrees to the right, and 40.2 degrees to the left. When it comes to braking duties, the Street Rod gets dual 300 mm rotors up front and the rear, with twin-pot calipers. Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) comes as standard and its non-switchable. The brakes provide plenty of stopping power where you need it most.

We think the Street Rod is the most-nimble motorcycle in the cur­rent Harley line-up in Nepal.

Should you get one?

The Street Rod is not your typical Harley Davidson. It may not have a macho or a rad appeal like other Harleys, but the appeal is more along the lines of a performance oriented machine with an authentic Milwau­kee heartbeat. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rider, the Street Rod 750 will appeal to you with its sporty demeanor and a distinct character.

At Rs 2,700,000, the Street Rod is the second most affordable Har­ley-Davidson motorcycle in Nepal after the Street 750, which is priced at Rs 2,300,000. In other words, it is priced to be almost irresistible for someone looking for a starter Harley. For us, we would still leapfrog to its big bore brothers

Most love stories, as we know them, are full of clichés, repeated for generations to give the receptors a romantic facade. Familiar with the girl-boy enmity that turns into love? A love triangle where the bond of friendship overrides and makes room for life-altering sacrifices? A good-turns-evil or evil-turns-good character change? We’ve watched them all in cinemas, daily soaps, music videos and all kinds of consumable video materials for years.

Until when will the audience be subjected to these irrational clichés, and continue to have their intelligence challenged? Released this week, “Love Diaries” is a supposed romantic drama that in reality is nothing but a show-reel of repetitive banalities. In fact, one is forced to consider if the filmmakers first jotted down all the available clichés into their diaries, and then nonchalantly wrote a plot over them.

Love Diaries was meant to be a Valentine’s special. Directed by newcomer Saurav Chaudhary, the movie collided in its release with Bollywood veteran Imtiaz Ali’s “Love Aaj Kal,” both the films trying to capitalize on the Valentine’s Day crowd. It was courageous on the part of the distributors and producers to release the Nepali movie against Love Aaj Kal which stars the current Bollywood heartthrob Kartik Aaryan.

Unfortunately, both the movies failed to make V-Day romantic enough. There are reports of Love Aaj Kal’s weak collections, with critics already claiming the market has rejected it. We can only guess from the empty cinema halls, the dwindling number of daily shows, and social media word-of-mouth that Lovie Diaries too is a box-office dud.

It’s a story of three strangers who cross paths and then intermingle in a complicated relationship, like hundreds of similar romantic movies released across the world. Needless to say, even the characters are written dispassionately and the lack of creativity in writing (both the plot and dialogues) makes one cringe.

Nirvan Narsingh Rana (Sushil Shrestha) is a wealthy NRN, born and brought up in Canada, who is forcibly sent to Nepal by his father to curb his drinking and womanizing habits. Ram Aryal (Bishwojit Rimal) is a migrant worker who’s deported from England and has a family loan to settle in his hometown of Chitwan. Sanjana Malla (Rubeena Thapa) is a Kathmandu-girl who wants to be an interior designer against the will of her father.

A hotel in Chitwan—owned by Nirvan’s father, where Ram works as Nirvan’s assistant and Sanjana as the interior designer—becomes the plot’s epicenter. What then transpires between them has been played onscreen for years, only presented rather absurdly in this one. The story of how they get to Chitwan—don’t even ask. The screenplay offers more jerks than a Ratnapark-Jorpati microbus trying to outrun its competitor.

The writing is not the only disappointment in the movie. There’s a feeling of immatureness, negligence and sloppiness surrounding the whole production. The night scenes suffer from terrible lighting while continuity is a forgotten art for the filmmakers.

Debutant Bishwojit is the biggest let-down. His presence onscreen makes one question the filmmakers’ intent. With zero acting skills, feeble dialogue delivery and the most unassertive gait possible, Bishwojit proves to be a disastrous choice for the lead, not that the filmmakers seem to care much about other aspects of the movie.

Another debutant, Rubeena, kind of becomes a causality amid all this mess. But she definitely draws attention with her acting as well as dancing skills. She’s a promising performer who hopefully makes better choices in the future.

Who should watch it?

Well, we met a group of a dozen-odd young men who’d come to the theater just for Sushil Shrestha. Performance-wise, the actor is just repeating his character from “Hostel Returns” (2016) for which he earned many young fans. If you’re not among his big fans, spare the ticket-money for another film.

Rating: 1 star

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Run time: 2hrs 5min

Director: Saurav Chaudhary

Cast: Sushil Shrestha, Rubeena Thapa, Bishwojit Rimal

Renault Nepal has launched the new Triber in the Nepali market at a starting price of Rs 28.20 lakhs. But the sub-4 meter seven-seater Triber will only be available in a five-seater configuration in the Nepali market. The compact multi-purpose vehicle will come in three trims: RXE (Rs 28.20 Lakhs), RXL (Rs 31.60 Lakhs), and RXZ (Rs 33.99 Lakhs), with over 20 features as standard across all trims.
The Triber gets a sporty look up front with the Renault logo highlighted on the triple edge chrome front grille, which in turn extends to the projector headlamps. The LED DRLs are circled in chrome and black headlamp masks. At the rear, the vehicle gets eagle beak split tail lamps that onto the outside of the wings and taper to point to the center of the tailgate. Other features include front and rear SUV skid plates, roof bars, and black plastic wheel arch protections.
The interior is a modern-day affair with two-tone colors, from deep black for the upper part of the dashboard to a beige tone for the lower part and door trims. It gets a host of features like an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, Auto climate control, tilt steering adjust, seat height adjust, MID display, four-door power windows, powered ORVMs, rear defogger, start/stop button and hands-free card, among others. In addition to the lower glove compartment, which is also cooled, there is an upper glove compartment with a capacity of more than four liters. The Triber offers the best level of interior storage compartments of
up to 31 liters.
The Triber comes equipped with a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder petrol engine which generates 71 Bhp with 96 Nm torque and is paired with a five-speed manual transmission. The Triber has a length of 3,990 mm, and the width and height are 1,739 mm and 1643 mm, respectively. The wheelbase is 2,636 mm, while the ground clearance is 182 mm. Similarly, the vehicle boasts of a massive 625-litre bootspace. The vehicle also comes with functional roof rails with a 50 kg load-
carrying capacity.
Safety features on the Triber include ABS with EBD, 3-point belts in all rows, four airbags (driver, passenger, and front sides), rear parking sensors and reverse camera. The Triber is the outcome of a joint project between Renault teams in India and France and is based on the modified version of Renault’s CMF-A+ platform. It’s available in five color options: Fiery Red, Ice Cool White, Moonlight Silver, Electric Blue, and Metal Mustard.
Triber RxE comes with dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, projector headlights, body color bumpers, wheel center cap, dual-tone dashboard, digital instrument cluster, manual AC, front power windows, second row of seats with slide, recline, fold and tumble functions, powered boot opening, and a 12V charging socket
in the front.
Triber RxL has chrome-finished front grille, wheel covers for the 14-inch steel wheels, and blacked-out B- and C-pillars, tilt-adjustable steering, and manual adjust for wing mirrors, remote central locking, 2-DIN audio system with Bluetooth and USB, two front speakers, and cooled storage in central console.
Triber RxZ features four airbags, rear camera, and 14-inch alloy wheels, LED DRLs, keyless entry, push-button start/stop, two front tweeters, rear defogger and wiper O