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 Amid the chaotic frenzy of Narayan Gopal chowk, Chakrapath, the Thaili Café (from Thaili, a small bag-like purse) and Lounge housed in the very first building of the main intersection (towards Basundhara) is like an oasis in the middle of a desert.

Enter Thaili and you’ll be greeted with cool, air-condi­tioned atmosphere, far removed from the heat and dust outside. Not only will you get a cool place to rest, you also get to choose your favorite dishes from Thaili’s multi-cui­sine menu. Sip on various alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages while you wait for the food.

For night prowlers, the Thaili also doubles as a lounge and local talents take the stage to woo the audience while they indulge in the good food there.

THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Mongolian Chicken

- Spicy Korean Momo

- Thaili Chicken Stir fry

Opening hours: 8 am to 10 am

Location: Narayan Gopal Chowk, Maharajgunj

Cards: Not accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 1,500

Reservations: 9844375951

 Bikalpa Art Center’s first pop-up exhibit titled ‘Pop-up Summer Art Exhibition’ cherishes the onset of summer. The exhibi­tion brings together art pieces of six renowned Nepali artists: Chirag Bangdel, Rajan Pant, Umesh Shah, Uma Shanker Shah, Seema Sharma Shah and Sushma Shakya. Each art­work narrates a distinct story. According to curator/director Saroj Mahato, the objective is to highlight the significance of local art and bring it to the common people.

The goal is also to create a platform to celebrate Nepali contemporary art and to pro­mote Nepali art and culture. The art pieces differ in their styles, patterns and techniques used such as etch­ing, oil on canvas and acrylic on canvas. The contents cover a wide range of sub­jects, from phases of human life to mythological aspects from “The Ramayana” and “The Mahabharata” to human nature.

The exhibition is also great opportunity for art admirers and art collectors to enrich their personal collections.

Artist Umesh Shah’s acrylic on canvas paintings, “Hid­den reality” and “Behind the mask” impersonate the emotions of the people, each of whom is wearing a mask and concealing his genuine feelings. Says Shah, “My artwork is highly influ­enced by Mithila and Ancient Egyptian Art. I try to show the everyday life of ordinary people in the 21st century in my work.”

Due to our growing fasci­nation with western culture we are inadvertently aban­doning our roots. This exhi­bition is a reminder of what we are losing out in the pro­cess. The show runs through till 21 June 2019, from 10 am to 6 pm.

 The Nepali Congress (NC), the main opposition at the federal level as well as in six of the seven provinces, is still smarting from its heavy electoral losses in the 2017 elections. Party President Sher Bahadur Deuba has looked to hang on, refusing to take personal responsibility for the party’s electoral setbacks. But it’s getting increasingly tougher for him to continue as president in the face of a strong challenge to his style of ‘autocratic’ lead­ership from old establishment figures like Ram Chandra Poudel, dynastic politicians like Shekhar Koirala and Prakash Man Singh and the younger generation led by Gagan Thapa. The party has just completed a nation-wide tour to gauge public sentiment on how the Grand Old Party may be revived. In this context, Biswas Baral and Kamal Dev Bhattarai spoke to political ana­lyst Puranjan Acharya, a close observer of Congress politics

How do you evaluate the perfor­mance of the Nepali Congress as an opposition party over the past year and half?

In the initial six to nine months of the Oli government’s formation, the opposition party was as good as nonexistent. In this time, a sec­tion of the ruling Nepal Commu­nist Party (NCP) led by Bhim Rawal played the role of the opposition. The main opposition party leader is Sher Bahadur Deuba, who is also Congress President and a federal parliamentary party leader. Anoth­er opposition leader is Congress General Secretary Shashank Koira­la, a federal MP. At the center, the NC could play the role of effective opposition through its parliamen­tary party leader. Ditto in the seven provinces. The party can revive if its parliamentary party leaders in all seven provinces take their roles seriously.

How can provincial leaders help revive Congress?

In a federal set up, provincial lead­ers gradually emerge as national leaders. For example, Indian leader Narendra Modi, who started his political career in Gujarat, ultimate­ly emerged as a national leader and is now the Indian prime minister for the second term. The NC has not thought about leadership-build­ing. No one is thinking about the party’s role at national, provincial and local levels. Provincial parlia­mentary party leaders live in a state of confusion and are uninformed about their roles. Additionally, if Deuba had played a vital role at the center in the initial 8 to 10 months, it would have reenergized pro­vincial and local levels. He could not do so. Thus the NC has also failed to play the role of an effective opposition in provincial and local governments.

What are the major roles of the main opposition in a democratic set up?

The first role of an opposition party is to hold the government to account. The parliamentary party leaders should raise the problems faced by people in their day-to-day lives and the issues of the country’s future and prosperity. The parlia­mentary party leader should also activate the role of lawmakers in parliamentary committees, which means making government account­able. There are several examples where the opposition party has not raised its voice strongly.

For example, the communist gov­ernment made a time-bound com­mitment on the completion of the Melamchi drinking water project but failed to see it through. The opposition should have vehemently raised this issue, and if necessary, obstructed the parliament. Deuba could have instructed party cadres to stage street protests to expose the real reasons behind the delay. Or he could have spoken about it in the parliament with hard facts and figures.

The second role of an opposi­tion party is to make government transparent. The policy decisions of this government, the modality of the budget and its major deals lack transparency. In most other countries cabinet decisions are made public instantly, but our gov­ernment is concealing them. The NC should have strongly protested this. The role of the opposition is to put pressure on government to be transparent in its functioning and decision-making.

Third, we have a communist gov­ernment that commands two-thirds votes in the parliament. Its activi­ties suggest it is heading down an authoritarian track. It is the respon­sibility of the NC to prevent the gov­ernment from taking this route.

Why is Congress failing on these crucial fronts then?

I think the focus of party president Deuba is not on these issues. Not only Deuba, General Secretary Koi­rala is not paying attention either. Frankly, their focus is not politics. They do not know the roles they are supposed to play in the par­liament and the party. With due respect, Deuba, Shashank and the parliamentary party leaders of all seven provinces have failed to carry out their political roles. Parties in government and opposition have both failed in their political respon­sibility.

This is a dark phase in Nepal’s recent political history when the main opposition party lacks effective messengers to inform the people of government wrongdoings. There is a need of an effective communicator who can speak with the people, the media and the international com­munity. NC President Deuba lacks this skill. As an opposition party leader, it is Deuba’s responsibility to convey a strong message on the government’s wrong decisions. Both Deuba and Shashank have failed to play that role.

What about their role outside the parliament?

Their roles as party president and general secretary are to inform and to create awareness among cadres. They should instruct cadres and leaders to protest certain govern­ment decisions, to monitor its activ­ities, and highlight people’s general issues. These will in turn expand the party’s support base. To gain public support, the NC should raise the issues that are either being neglect­ed or handled improperly.

Has Deuba failed to effectively lead the party?

We cannot put all the blame on Deuba as there are other senior leaders in the party as well. How­ever, Sher Bahadurji is the party’s commander. For example, he did not speak a word about the gov­ernment’s pre-budget policy and program, as if he was in no mood to offer any resistance. It shows the NC is failing to monitor the government closely. To connect with the people, it is necessary to get timely infor­mation on government policies and convey its import to the people. The NC is rather spending all its ener­gy in internal power competition. When the general convention will be held is still uncertain and yet the leaders are already canvassing their districts.

It was Deuba’s strategic blunder not to try to prevent the alliance between the two communist forces when the Maoist party was in a coa­lition with him. In the election cam­paign, he tried to build a narrative that if communist forces won, they would impose an authoritarian rule but people did not believe him. He failed to make a strong electoral alli­ance with other fringe parties and to provide organizational as well as ideological leadership to the party. A party never loses an election; it is its leader who does.

The leadership who loses steps down; a new leadership comes with new vigor and vision and revamps the party. In the past, the BJP leaders who used to stay in New Delhi made the party weak. It is leaders such as Modi who came from outside Delhi who rebuilt the party. Likewise, Congress leaders who live in com­fort in Kathmandu are running the party and not those who are con­nected to the grassroots.

There have long been talks about handing over the NC’s leadership to the younger generation. Why hasn’t that happened?

The party proceeds based on its statute. There should have been a provision in the statute for a special general convention to elect new leadership if the party loses an elec­tion badly. Some countries have such a practice. It is not about who comes to power in the party but about paving the way for a new lead­ership to tackle the new situation. Now, the Congress lacks freshness. Deuba had a golden opportunity to announce a special general con­vention as the party lost the 2017 elections under his leadership. This could have been the first step toward the NC’s revival. Now the process has completely stopped.

How do you see the NC’s future leadership?

The party is also a strong bureau­cracy. Some people will try to save Deuba, arguing that the party did not lose due to his leadership. They will indulge in all sorts of legal/illegal, appropriate/inappropri­ate games to save Deuba. Active membership would be distributed accordingly. Sending a message that Deuba is still popular and can lead the party would create unhealthy competition. Another faction will work tirelessly to boot him out. This means the party would be trapped between these two forces. The next general convention will be held as per the wishes of these factions. The leaders and cadres who are genuine and who enjoy public support will gradually distance themselves from party. Unhealthy competition and money-based politics will repel peo­ple with high values and principles.

Is there a possibility of handing over party leadership to another generation anytime soon?

Now, there are three factions in the party. The first is a hierarchical faction encompassing leaders who have emerged from a long strug­gle, who have served jail terms and are unceasingly dedicated to the party. This faction is led by Deuba himself. The second Congress is called dynasty Congress or umbrella Congress.

This faction is living under the umbrellas of their fathers. At the forefront of dynastic power are lead­ers like General Secretary Shashank Koirala, leader Shekhar Koirala, Bimalendra Nidhi and Prakash Man Singh. This faction draws strength from people’s emotional attachment to their families. The emotion is still saleable and works inside the party.

The third faction is republic Con­gress which emerged from the 2006 people’s movement. This faction carries some agendas and their leaders have strong communication skills. This faction has the capacity to drive the 21st century. The cur­rent symbol of republic Congress is Gagan Thapa. Other ascendant leaders in this faction are Pradeep Poudel and Gururaj Ghimire. The republic Congress faction is weak in the party but it is the only force capable of fighting the communists. The hierarchical Congress which fought the Ranas and Rajas cannot fight the communists. The leaders of the dynastic faction never rose up through the ranks; they emerged under the protection of their fathers and think 10 times before ventur­ing out of their comfort zone. The republic Congress has age on its side and its members are under pressure to reform the party for the sake of their own future. The party culture, however, is not republic Congress-friendly. Hierarchy and dynasty still rule the roost.

Which faction is likely to win party leadership at the next gen­eral convention?

To win, two factions should come together. No faction can win on its own, no matter who leads it. If the three factions fight separately, there will be give and take after the initial rounds of votes. One thing is clear: the republic Congress alone cannot win party elections.

Can you explain why?

The republic Congress has public support and if the party’s active members are allowed to vote direct­ly, its leaders will win party leader­ship. But there is a strong bureau­cratic network in the NC, which is beneficial to hierarchical and dynas­tic politics.

Again, I do not think the party led by hierarchical leaders can fight the communists. Dynastic politics is being phased out of South Asia. Hierarchical Congress will feel a shock in the next leadership contest. My prediction is that the republic and dynasty factions will form an alliance, that Shekhar Koirala and Gagan Thapa will come together. This development will lead to frag­mentation in hierarchical Congress. After one general convention, Gagan will lead this faction. But this time, there is an emotional wave in the NC that after Deuba’s failure, the party again needs a Koirala leadership. It would not be a surprise if the leader­ship goes back to the Koirala family for emotional reasons.

So you think it’ll be a while before Congress emerges as a force that can effectively chal­lenge the powerful communists?

As per the NC statute, the gen­eral convention should take place within a year. But this won’t be pos­sible. The party’s position in the next election is a separate question. Soon after the convention, there will be local elections. Without set­tlement of intra-party disputes in the convention, the party will again struggle to win any election. Hence it is Deuba’s responsibility to hold the convention on time and revive the party.

Ruslan wins Grand Gold Quality Award 

 Ruslan Ultra Premium Vodka has been awarded the Grand Gold Quality Award in the “Spirit and Liquor” cat­egory at the prestigious 57th Monde Selection Awards in Italy. The award is based on five different criteria— taste-aftertaste, packaging, harmony, odor, and visual aspects.

Initiated in 1961, the Monde Selec­tion is a collaboration between world-renowned experts, chefs, oenologists, sommeliers, brewing engineers and master blenders to assess the intrinsic quality of a prod­uct with scientific and legal approach. More than a distinction, the Monde Selection Award guarantees quality for consumers, international rec­ognition and external control of the product, and an indisputable sales argument.

Ruslan Ultra Premium Vodka was launched in December 2018 and is fast gaining traction as a preferred choice among vodka consumers  

CG discounts on Super Carry

 CG Motocorp, the authorized distribu­tor of Suzuki four-wheelers in Nepal and the automotive division of CG Holdings, introduces a special offer on Super Carry vehicles. The all new Suzuki Super Carry is offering a discount under which buyers can get attractive cash discount of Rs 20,000 with free insurance for a year. The company has 2yrs/30,000 km (whichever is earlier) as warranty together with after-sales sup­port. There is also an additional benefit of one year full free servicing facility with free engine oil, oil filter, air filter and screen wash. The Super Carry is aggressively priced at Rs 1,199,000.

Hotel Yak & Yeti contributes to World Environment Day  

 As part of its corporate social respon­sibility, Hotel Yak & Yeti organized a tree plantation program within it premises to mark the World Environment Day. “As per the theme of this year’s environment day ‘Air Pollution,’ we found it to be ideal to plant trees that are the main and the most natural way to resolve air pollution,” a press statement issued by the hotel read. Radhe Shyam Saraf, the hotel chairman, and Arun Saraf, its executive director, planted the trees along with their family members as well as hotel staff.

Learn carving In Kathmandu

Every Sunday at 1 pm, ‘Horns and Bones’ carving and crafting workshop is run at ‘PATANsquared by SherpaShah’ in Pulchowk. In this three-hour experience, you can learn basic skills of how to use horns and bones of buffaloes to make objects such as buttons and pendants. Meet two artist brothers Shailesh and Success, the organizers of ‘Horns and Bones’. Hear their stories and make your own souvenirs. Explore the fascinating economy of how neglected materials are reused/upcycled to make different objects, from eyeglasses to jewelries to chessboards. The attendance fee is $15 per person, which is inclusive of transport, facilitation, and all materials in the workshop.

Call 9818975527 for more information.

Hike to Ghale Gaun In Lamjung

The popular short hiking route to Ghale Gaun takes you to a typical Nepali village. Ghale Gaun, which is a cultural Gurung village, lies on the lap of Annapurna Trekking area range. Ghale Gaun offers guests home stay accommodation if you are interested. This place is also called nectar chasing territory as honey hunting is the conventional occupation of people in the area. We suggest you to drive to Besisahar and then walk to Ghale Gaun. It should take you around 4 hours to reach there on foot. Offering spectacular views of the Annapurna range, Ganesh Himal, and Manaslu Himal, this is the perfect short escape from the bustle of the city.

Attend a Comedy Night In Kathmandu

Are you one of those people who like to watch stand-up comedies? If you are also a foodie on top of that, then this is the perfect place to be for you! Every month, Belle Ville café and pub in Baluwatar presents a comedy night. This multi-cuisine restaurant that opened in 2015 offers a soothing ambience that is sure to uplift your mood. The event usually takes place around 6:30 pm during evenings. There is no entry fee. Just order something and have a good laugh. They feature 3-4 stand-up comedians every time to tickle your funny bones.

Call 01-4411266 or email www.bellevillecafepub.com to find out more.

 Nepal’s civil liberties are hard-won. During the 104 years of the Rana rule, there was no such thing as freedom of expression for common people. Education was out of their reach and foreign travel completely banned. When the Ranas were forced out, there was a brief respite from authoritarianism in the 1950s, before King Mahen­dra again usurped civil rights in 1960. It would be 30 more years before the gradual opening up of political and social space again. Finally, following another long struggle, absolute monarchy was formally abolished in 2008 and complete sovereignty vested in the people.

As people would from then on be governed solely by their representatives, never again would civil liberties be curtailed, it was hoped. Yet more than a decade later there continues to be a palpable threat to free speech. The two-third communist government of KP Oli has been coming up with one regulation after another to curb press freedom. It censors the internet. It makes a sweeping decision on ownership of traditional guthis in the country without even consulting the stakehold­ers. Most recently, it arrested a comedian on the dubi­ous charge of stepping on public sensibilities.

The communists the world over and throughout history have been high on discipline. (Lenin famous­ly wanted to maintain ‘iron discipline’ in his Bolshevik Party.) They like structures. But it is difficult to give defi­nite structures to a diverse society like Nepal’s. In fact, any democratic society is riddled with contradictions, and the more diverse it is, the more contradictions there will be. But rather than taking it as a natural part of the democratic process and trying to manage these contradictions in a democratic way, the federal govern­ment seems intent on imposing its own vision of a silo-like, monochromatic society.

Voted in with an overwhelming mandate, the ruling communists claim unsullied democratic credentials. They are no Bolsheviks of yesteryears, they protest. Having long fought for the cause of democracy, they claim to be aware of their duty to protect people’s free­doms. They rather blame the recent public backlash against the government as part of the opposition’s dirty politicking. But no one’s fooled. Rather than issuing empty promises to safeguard people’s rights and free­doms, the government would do itself and the coun­try a huge favor if it refrained from restricting people’s constitutional right to free speech. If they want to be heard, it is the democratic government’s duty to listen to them. The undemocratic way of trying to muzzle them is self-sabotage.

By Shankar Prasad Khanal | Nepalgunj

 Around midnight on June 3, the police caught seven people red-handed with what turned out to be Rs 3.8 million in bribe money in Hotel Batika in Nepalgunj. Those arrested had taken bribes from Nepali applicants to the Indian army by promising them recruit­ment, and had leaked ques­tion papers of the qualifying exams.Nepali citizens who have passed the Secondary Edu­cation Examination and are between the ages of 17.5 and 21 are eligible to apply for the Indian army. Many Nepalis apply, as the job offers a lucra­tive monthly salary of around Rs 50,000.

Currently, there are 42,000 Nepalis serving in the Indian army. Depending on the need, the recruitment process takes place once or twice a year at five centers in Nepal—Nepal­gunj and Butwal in Province 5, Pokhara in Province 4, Chit­wan in Province 3, and Dharan in Province 1.

This year in Nepalgunj, 896 applicants sat for a written examination between May 30 and June 4, and 447 of them cleared it. Even though one of the exams was going to be held on the morning of June 4, between 400 to 500 peo­ple were seen at Hotel Batika the previous midnight, which raised suspicion.

When the police raided the hotel, they found 85 mobile phone sets besides the Rs 3.8 million in cash in the posses­sion of the seven arrestees. It is suspected that on an average an applicant paid Rs 200,000 in bribe; others might have paid as much as Rs 500,000.

Even if each of the 447 appli­cants who cleared the exam gave Rs 300,000 in bribe, the total amount would exceed Rs 130 million. “It seems the tar­get was to raise Rs 100 million that night. We could not catch some culprits because they ran away,” says Bhim Rana, an eye-witness and Banke district chairman of Nepal Retired Sainik Committee. The inci­dent has revealed the extent of the fraud in the Indian army recruitment process.

Rana says, “People pay between Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000 for a leaked ques­tion paper. An additional Rs 500,000 is asked from appli­cants if they clear the medical entrance exam at Gorakhpur, India. Some applicants and their parents have revealed that getting recruited to the Indian army costs at least Rs 800,000. Fraud of such a scale is not possible without the involvement of a criminal ring.”

Training centers for Indian army recruitment have opened up in several cities of Nepal. Many have invest­ments from retired Indian army personnel. The police have informed that of the seven people who have been arrested, five are retired Indian army officers who were running such training centers. Nepal Retired Sainik Commit­tee suspected irregularities last year, but could not catch anyone red-handed.

Spokesperson for the dis­trict police office DSP Prakash Sapkota says, “Those who were involved in calling the applicants to Hotel Batika to receive the leaked question paper in return for bribes are now under investigation.”

The committee organized a press conference on June 8 in Nepalgunj, in which it accused the police of investigating the matter slowly and even trying to protect the guilty.

Q. How would you describe yourself in three words?

A. Fun loving, adaptable and ambitious.

Q. If you were to be somewhere now, where would it be?

A. I want to be right where I’m at now. My career is important to me and I’ll do anything to move it forward. I honestly can’t think of anywhere else I would rather be.

Q. A song you wish had your vocals?

A. There are many but if I had to choose, it’d be “Bhanu K Ma” by Poonam Singh feat Cobweb.

Q. In one word, what is music to you?

A. It would be unjust to describe music in just one word. I think its “indescribable”.

Q. A song you would like to dedicate to your fans?

A. ‘Shabda’ because it’s my first original song that the audience loved and supported.

Q. A person from the music industry you always look up to?

A. There are many but one would be Amy Lynn Hartzler.

Q. How would someone get your special attention?

A. People know me as a singer. Maybe with my voice.

Q. What is one message you would give to your fans?

A. I want to thank all of my fans for being the best fans possible. I will never forget where I came from. I’m never too far, I’m always one phone call, text, Instagram message or Facebook message away.

Q. What is your pet peeve?

A. People who talk while their mouth is full.