| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 24-Mar-01 01:16 AM
The Nepali Times newspaper is great because the editor -- Kunda Dixit -- is a first-rate editor. Kunda, who is in his late 40s and is the elder brother of Kanak, has worked in Delhi, Manila, New York and other places around the planet, and is on a first-name basis with a number of journalists/writers around the
world.
Kunda is now using all his resources -- intellectual firepower and personal/professional networks --to bring out as great a weekly paper in English from Nepal as possible, and is
succeeding remarkably well. [Kunda is an excellent example
of how one can use one's years of one's non-Nepali global connections and foreign work experiences to come up with a commercially successful 'product' in Nepal!]
Kunda has recruited a first-rate team at NT: Binod Bhattarai (a Fullbrighter from University of Wisconsin) is the chief reporter.
Binod brings years of experiences at NT.
Other team members include Deepak Thapa (a first-rate copy editor), a couple of desk-editors from Delhi and Sri Lanka . . .not to mention Salil Subedi (a son of Dr. Abhi Subedi, the professor of English) and Ramyata Limbu --both of whom are first-rate writers with years of journalism experience behind them. Then there are younger journalists like Hem Lata Rai,
Alok Tumpahamphey (sp?), and Sujata Tuladhar.
And so, the NT is great because of BOTH leadership and the team.
[Of course, the NT needs a regular 'restaurant reviews' in the style of every Wednesday's New York Times, and, soon that may be coming too :-), not to mention a monthly column on 'architecture', possibly written by a Boston-trained
Nepali architect!]
At the Kathmandu Post, editing is generally weak. Financially, the Post is often subsidized by its sister publications -- Kantipur, Saptahik and other publications, though the editor Shyam Bahadur KC is institutiong great improvements.
Still, the Post remains the Post because it sees no competition. Personally, I think that a daily English newspaper -- run either by Kanak or Kunda or someone of their editorial caliber --can give a stiff competition to the Post, thereby FORCING The Kathmandu Post much, much better, and live up to its potential!!
oohi
ashu
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| amar |
Posted
on 25-Mar-01 01:17 AM
No doubt about the standard of Nepali Times. As ashu says, it would be real nice to have a Nepali daily with the standard of Nepali Times. Mr. Kunda Dixit is a real MADHATTER.
|
| Hulaki |
Posted
on 25-Mar-01 01:19 AM
I could not understand why ashu generates this topic. I think this is his only 'BYAKTI POOJA', not a perfect analysis!!!
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 25-Mar-01 11:42 AM
Dear Hulaki friend,
You are welcome to call it all "byakti pooja",
and that's fine.
I, for one, reserve the right -- as I have already
exercised the right on more than one
occasion -- to PUBLICLY disagree with some
of the ideas of Kanak, Kunda and the rest and
STILL be able to work together with them on
issues of mutual interests.
And this extends to many other people I do, in your
words, "byakti pooja" of.
After all, when it comes to PUBLICLY celebrating
fellow-Nepalis' genuine talents and tested
achievements -- as I have celebrated on more than
one occasion on this site and elsewhere -- I see no
reason to be stingy, even when I personally may not
appreciate some of their other personal and
professional behaviors/ideas and attitudes.
I know that regardless of whether they agree with me
or not, many people read my postings. And that gives
me the confidence to PUBLICIZE Nepali talents and
achievers in ways I see fit. Whether you see such
efforts as "byakti pooja" or something else
is a risk I am willing to take.
Long live such "byakti pooja"!!
oohi
ashu
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| Hom Raj |
Posted
on 25-Mar-01 02:32 PM
I think what Ashu posted was very informative and I do believe that people who do things better must be recognized. Recognizing people for their work does not necessarily mean "byakti puja." It is true that Nepali Times is a first-rate English newspaper, there is no question about it.
Of course, if they ran it daily it might be different. Right now, as a matter of fact, some of these writings may not be eligible for NY Times or Washington Post, not because they lack quality, but because NT allows creativity and a little bit of philosophy, which makes it more literary and magazine quality. It would be interesting to see what they would do with daily coverage. It would require a different style of reporting. But I'm sure they'd do a great job, and it's encouraging that Nepalis can do things well. There's a fantastic English daily in Bangkok. Why shouldn't we have one too?
Personally this is not "byakti puja." To be frank, although I am Acharya I don't know them. But I do strongly believe that no matter who you are, if you do things really well, you at least should deserve commendation!
Hom Raj
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| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 26-Mar-01 02:39 AM
Greetings,
Aha! it does feel good to be back!
I personally don't see any harm in prasising a person for his/her good efforts. Exceptional talents must be recognized, leaving all the differences aside.
Trailokya
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| Rekha |
Posted
on 28-Mar-01 08:26 AM
Personally, I feel we do not praise our kind (nepalese) enough!! And if I told my older generation that, they would say.."nepali haru testai ho..." well Ashu..I think you've made a great move to rectify that attitude. And the rest of us - lets follow suit!
Rekha
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