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Symbolism counts for a lot in diplomacy, and few leaders understand this better than Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Damodardas Modi. PM Modi’s projection of raw confidence during his electrifying speech in the Nepali parliament in 2014, when he mesmerized Nepali MPs and common folks alike, will never be forgotten. But nor will the souring of his tone during his second official visit, also in 2014, which in some ways presaged the nearly five months of border blockade.

Or take Oli’s first India visit as government head, right after the end of the blockade. During that trip, Oli stood up to the Indian pressure and refused to toe its line. Oli and his left alliance, it can be argued, rode on the anti-blockade popularity wave to secure a thumping victory in subsequent federal and provincial elections. On becoming prime minister for the second time, Oli went to India again, and the confidence he projected in New Delhi, and his treatment of Modi as his equal in every respect, were just as remarkable.

The focus of Modi’s third Nepal visit is on religious places like Janakpur, Pashupatinath and Muktinath. Besides that, his 36-hour Nepal stay will be peppered with meetings with leaders from across the political spectrum. Keenly aware of the inclinations of his core constituencies back home, Modi apparently wants to show them that he is still close to his Hindu roots, which will come in handy during the 2019 Indian gen­eral elections. Some view his visit to Muktinath in Mus­tang on the northern border as an indirect signal to China to keep a safe distance from Nepal.

Whatever the motive for his visit, Nepalis, who have traditionally treated their guests as no less than gods, should continue the tradition. There is no point harping on past Indian injustices or, on India’s part, bemoaning the unreliability of Nepali political actors. Modi seems keen to forget past bitterness and reestab­lish bilateral ties on a more equal footing. Ditto with PM Oli. That course of action is also in Nepal’s interest. There is really no gainsaying the importance of nor­malizing relations with India.

Whether one likes PM Oli or not, a Nepali leader has after a long time shown himself to be capable of holding his own against any foreign counterpart. Perhaps Oli has a long-term foreign policy strategy up his sleeve. He deserves some time to prove his diplomatic credentials.

FICTION/MURDER MYSTERY

All By Myself, Alone

Mary Higgins Clark

Published: 2017

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Language: English

Pages: 321, paperback

When you have read too many thrillers, you begin to understand how writers of the genre tend to think and, as a result, you can sort of figure out (with 100 percent accuracy, 99 per­cent of the times) who the killer is after reading about a 100 pages. And that sucks. That’s when you turn to Mary Higgins Clark. Reading her is perhaps that one percent of time you can’t make a correct guess. And that more than makes up for all the times you picked up a murder mys­tery and shoved it back in the book­shelf halfway through, disappointed by the writer and vowing to give up on the genre altogether. The thing with Mary Higgins Clark is that she tells you a story where every character comes to life. She’s not just trying to thrill you with moments and incidents, though there will be plenty of that too.

Take for instance ‘All By Myself, Alone’, where she brings back two of her characters Alvirah and Willy Meehan, last seen in 2016’s ‘As Time Goes By’. Here it almost feels like they continue where they left off as they celebrate their 45th wed­ding anniversary by taking a luxury cruise aboard the Queen Charlotte, which is making its maiden voyage from New York, USA, to Southamp­ton, England. In a myriad of char­acters and their own stories, Clark then injects theft and murder.

Lovers of Agatha Christie can rejoice because reading this latest installment by Clark will bring back fond memories of those days when reading Christie was an unmatched pleasure. The plot feels somewhat similar to Christie’s 1934 master­piece, ‘Murder on Orient Express’, featuring the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, which was recently adapted for the big screen as well. But the sense of familiarity is because of the fact that Christie’s novel took place on a train and Clark’s tale of suspense unfolds aboard a ship.

The language is simple and the chapters short. And though Clark simply lets the plot play out till the culprit makes a mistake and gets caught—unlike in her previous works where each suspect would be put under the spyglass, interrogated, and then carefully dismissed—the intrigue quotient is still high in All By Myself, Alone, and Clark, now 90, proves once again that she’s at the top of her game.

‘Andheri Nagari Chaupat Raja’, a drama produced by CAP motion Pictures & Kalaasi Production, which had previously been making movies and music videos, is being staged at Kunja Theater till May 11. The show time is 5:30 pm every day of the week except Wednesday. There is an extra show on Saturday at 1 pm. ‘Andheri Nagari Chaupat Raja’ is one of the most pop­ular dramas of Bhartendu Harishchandra, the father of modern Hindi literature. Directors Sangeet Sapkota and Ashish Ghimire have adapted the drama to local taste. The play is a satire on an unscru­pulous and autocratic mon­arch and reveals how a ruler’s misguided actions can lead to his downfall. “This drama is a reflection of the society we live in,” say the director duo.

The drama’s music is directed by Sangit Sap­kota and Monish Niroula. The cast includes Jiban Bhatta­rai, Shravan Singh Rana, San­jeet Pratap Malla and Peter Prince. APEX BUREAU

Places Restaurant & Bar at Saathghumti, Thamel is one of the very few dedicated vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Kathmandu. Menu consists of exquisite vegan and vegetarian dishes, from breakfasts to starters to main courses, all with a Mediterranean touch, making it a favorite dining spot for locals and tourists alike.

The restaurant, with a cozy ambience, with options for both floor and table seating, and for smoking and non-smoking sections, is also pop­ular for its tasteful musical events. To maintain quality, Places only features the best of jazz, blues, funk and reggae musicians on weekly basis. The restaurant also has regular events like quiz nights and movie screenings.

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

Pumpkin Momo

Spinach Pie

Vegan Pancake with Fruit and Home Made Almond/ Coconut Butter

Opening hours: 9 am-11 pm

Cards: Not Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2,000

A memorandum of under­standing was signed between the Chef’s Association of Nepal and the Turkish Gastronomy Tour­ism Association (GTD) this week. Turkish Airlines is the Official Partner Airlines for the collabo­ration. The collaboration is aimed at exchanging the food culture of Nepal and the Republic Of Turkey with one another.

With this collaboration, the two parties will help contribute to local to global, and global to local collaboration, in Culinary Tour­ism. Both will take part in activi­ties to empower and increase the recognition of their cultural heri­tage and modern kitchen culture of respective countries.

Rabindra Tiwari won the Hyun­dai Open Golf Tournament at Gokarna Golf Club this week. Tiwari, playing with six handi­cap, scored 41 points to win the trophy. He scored birdies on fifth and 18 holes, while his drop shots was on ninth, 16th and 17th holes. With the win he also got Rs 100,000 worth of gift voucher and a Coolpad smart phone. Bharat Bastakoti and Bhairaja Pandey were tied for second place. On the count back Bastakoti finished runner-up as he scored 20 against 19 of Pandey. Bastakoti got a trophy, Rs 50,000 worth of gift voucher and Cool­pad smart phone. Pandey was the second-runner up on the count back and got a trophy, Rs 20,000 worth of gift vouchers as well as a Coolpad smart phone.

Altogether 127 golfers took part in the tournament sponsored by Laxmi Intercontinental Pvt. Ltd., the sole authorized distributor Hyundai Cars in Nepal.

Qatar Airways has been recognized for its out­standing achievements at the Luxury Network Inter­national Awards that took place at the Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand Hotel, Lebanon, on April 30.

The event was organized by the world’s leading lux­ury affinity marketing group, The Luxury Network, in cooperation with CAEL (Contribution Appreciation to Embassies in Lebanon) and under the auspices of the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Saad Hariri. It was attended by Qatar’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Ali bin Hamad Al Marri, Hamad International Airport Vice President Commercial and Marketing, Abdulaziz Al Mass, Project Executive Director Hamad Port, Eng. Jassim Al-Shirawi, as well as other dignitaries and VIP guests.

If you want to hone your skills in music, especially on the guitar, join instructor Rajat Rai’s private classes at Baluwatar. Rai is a guitarist, musician, song-writer and composer who plays with Cadenza Collective and April Rush and specializes in jazz music. He has worked as an academic coordinator at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory since 2013 and recently been teaching advance level guitar students in private classes as well as conducting the one and only Nepal Army big band. His private classes for all levels are focused on improvisation, music theory and ear training, among other skills.

Contact: 9808535145,
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