Narayan Wagle gets Madan Puraskar

KOL Report

KATHMANDU, Aug 31 - The Madan Puraskar Award Trust has decided to present the "Madan Puraskar" for the year 2061 to litterateur and journalist Narayan Wagle for his book entitled ?Palpasa Caf?.?

Palpasa Caf?, the debut novel by Wagle, had created a new "fastest selling" record in the Nepali book publication history. The second edition of the novel has already hit bookstores after 5,000 copies were sold out in the first month of its release in the end of July.

The decision to this effect was taken by a meeting of the trust Wednesday. The award carries a purse of Rs. 200,000.

The 245-page novel has been able to arouse enormous interest and satisfaction among the readers because it highlights contemporary issues facing the country, book critics say.

Wagle is the editor of Kantipur daily.

Likewise, the trust decided to present this year?s ?Jagadamba Shree Award? to litterateur Phanindra Raj Khetala in recognition of his more than half-century long service to the field of Nepali literature. The award also carries a purse of Rs. 200,000. (snn)

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Congratulations to Narayan Wagle!

I can't comment on his book because I have yet to get hold of a copy and read it, though -- thanks to the publisher Kiran of Nepalaya -- I know that a signed-by-the-author copy is waiting for me in Kathmandu.

Narayan is an immensely likable guy. That, plus his being the editor of Kantipur makes him a really powerful figure in Nepal. Besides, all the young journalists adore him. All these combine to make it virtually impossible for his book to get a 'bad' review in Nepal.

Some observations on the prize, and, as a no-nonsense long-time friend of Narayan, I hope he tolerates my raising these issues here.

1. Narayan's book came out just two months ago or so. Now it's already won Nepal's most prestigious literature prize.

I can't help thinking: Isn't the prize for Narayan a little too soon, too early, too fast?
I mean, the book is getting ecstatic reviews and is still in its ''honeymoon' phase,
so to speak . . . surely Narayan's winning it NEXT year perhaps would have been
more appropriate, I'd think.

2. By giving the prize to Narayan this fast this soon, are the prize committee members (who are anonymous) sending a signal to the market that they seriously consider even the very recent books of first-time novelists?

3. I am confused: Madan Purasakar has this image of being really stuffy, dowdy and too mustily Nepali lit. It usually goes to people with three long names such as . . . Krishna Prasad Parajuli. Is the Prize Committee trying to be hip and young and oh-so-relevant in contemporary times by giving the prize to Narayan? Alternatively, is it trying to piggy-back on the poularity of Narayan's novel?

Just some food for thought.

Once again, congrats to Narayan.

oohi
ashu

SunnyDev, please, make this totally different view between you and me, rest in peace here.

I do respect you and your opinion, and I solemnly respect mine.

Please thanks but no thanks for further comments.

We all are different.....

RSVP jeu,

I respect your never ending curiosity and i am also aware that this is an abnormal event. After all, palpasa cafe is not Harry Potter and most of us are not a big fan of literature .We are similar in a way that we don't make our bold statement based on skepticism , specially a blind one.

This is just a preemptive approach i took to make sure that , we don't accept this as an evidence to support his bakra sansar philosophy " everything exceptional is inherently evil in disguise" (copyright SunnyDev) ----(sojho aunla le gheu aaundaina) tara "jahan pani aunla ghumaundaimai gheu aaundaina" (This is another copyrighted one)

I could not keep quiet when Ashu is taking "plagiarism" as a tool to brighten up his image while taking, using, and passing off as his own, the ideas or words or work of another.

Keep on lying to yourself.. but this plagiarism will surely kill you. Now in my and other sajhabashis' eyes you are a "Pathetic Loser".

It should have been 'NARAYAN GOT LAXMI'

Newuser,

Thanks for your contributions.
Enjoyed reading them.

******

On another note, shrugging off these silly attacks against me for no reason,
I wrote:

"Fortunately, what does not kill you only makes you stronger."

This sort of general-knowledge/ookhan-like statement has always been in
the PUBLIC DOMAIN for anyone to use it as they see fit.

Again, if some of you are angry at me in a ONE-SIDED way for any reason,
then, please understand that it's perfectly fine.

Be angry,
Be mad.
Disturb yourself.
Pull your hair out.
Smash the key-board.

All in a one-sided way for no reason.

And then, take a deep breath and relax.

For everything else, hey, try: ashu at sajha.com

Best wishes,

oohi
"expect silly attacks in public; learn to shrug them off and smile more"
ashu

YO newuser ra Subhashish KSHETRI ko kura oostai oostai parecha.



NOT A CLASSIC, STILL WORTH A READ



?Palpasa Caf? starts promisingly on a light, romantic note and shifts focus towards Nepal?s civil war and the attendant tragedies along the way, tightening its grip on the reader. However, it falters towards the end.

BY SUBHASHISH KSHETRI

If you used to enjoy Narayan Wagle?s ?Coffee Guff,? you are likely to relish his first novel too. After all, in terms of style, Palpasa Caf? is an extended version of ?Coffee Guff.? Just like ?Coffee Guff,? the novel is rich in masterfully crafted, engrossing conversations; it?s evident that the writer?s ?Coffee Guff? touch has rubbed off on the novel too.
Barring the last fifty pages or so, the novel is an interesting read. Its breadth is impressive: it spans Nepal?s war-torn countryside as well as globalizing, semi-cosmopolitan Kathmandu, and effectively captures a variety of human emotions and experiences ? romance, idealism, struggles, hope, angst, frustration, desperation and pathos. Yet, it lacks the aura of a literary masterpiece. In terms of literary merit, it does not match up to Dhanush Chandra Gotame?s Gham Ka Pailaharu or Parijat?s Shirish Ko Phool, both of which had earlier won the prestigious ?Madan Puraskar?.

Drishya ? the novel?s central character ? is a hybrid product of Nepal?s rustic hills and Kathmandu?s semi-cosmopolitan ambience. A Kathmandu-based artist born and brought up in Nepal?s rural west, he heads to Goa for a Christmas vacation; romances a US-returned Nepali girl (Palpasa) and, later, a Dutch art connoisseur (Christina); dreams of studying in Paris; travels to the civil war-ravaged countryside on the insistence of a college-friend-turned-Maoist-leader (Siddhartha); nurtures the ambition of building a magnificent resort at his village. Potentially quite a colourful and interesting character, this. Yet, sadly enough, Drishya?s character is not properly etched out and adequately developed, neither is that of Palpasa ? the novel?s female protagonist. The same could be said of Phoolan (Drishya?s secretary) and Christina. The most clearly delineated character is arguably that of Siddhartha, but his character development also leaves a lot to be desired.

Besides the inadequacy in terms of character development, Palpasa Caf? also suffers from another glaring flaw: like a B-grade Bollywood potboiler, it depends on too many coincidences to take the narrative forward. In what can be considered an extreme version of this phenomenon, Drishya finds none other than Palpasa sitting next to him on his way back to Kathmandu from the countryside! Hmmm, destiny!

Despite the aforementioned drawbacks, the novel manages to grab the reader?s attention for the most part, thanks to the vivid and poignant portrayal of violence-affected rural Nepal and a plethora of enchanting conversations.

The witty and juicy one-liners that Drishya and Palpasa liberally throw at each other during their first few trysts are particularly fun to read. Drishya?s conversations with Palpasa?s grandmother in Kathmandu and different folks in rural Nepal also enhance the novel?s appeal. Siddhartha?s verbal, ideological duel with Drishya is not only gripping but also insightful in that it helps the reader understand the mindset of an ultra-leftist ideologue hell-bent on destroying the old order and ushering in a utopian society. The novel?s charm generally nosedives whenever Wagle switches from conversations to descriptions and jarring long letters, including rather clich?d love-letters.

The events that unfold in western Nepal during Drishya?s trip to the countryside are the strongest parts of the novel. Wagle paints a profoundly moving and realistic portrait of war-ravaged rural Nepal, sucking the reader effortlessly into the narrative. By depicting Maoist cadres in a sympathetic light without supporting their means, he also achieves considerable success in humanizing them.

The novel also has a pacifist, optimistic message, which Drishya?s outlook essentially embodies. An individualist and pacifist to the core, Drishya is opposed to both the belligerent sides in Nepal?s civil war and epitomizes the middle path; he seems to be Wagle?s medium for advocating the third way.

On the whole, Palpasa Caf? starts promisingly on a light, romantic note and shifts focus towards Nepal?s civil war and the attendant tragedies along the way, tightening its grip on the reader. However, it falters towards the end. After Drishya returns to Kathmandu from his tour of the countryside, the novel loses its charm. The last three chapters of the novel are anti-climactic and redundant.

Palpasa Caf? is definitely not a classic. Still, it is worth a read, for a glimpse of the war-torn rural Nepal and Wagle?s masterful use of witty conversations, if not for anything else.

Be angry,
Be mad.
Disturb yourself.
Pull your hair out.
Smash the key-board.
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:)

For one thing you could not defend yourself Ashu.. and now we got a clear picture how you manage your anger as you mentioned below :

Be angry,
Be mad.
Disturb yourself.
Pull your hair out.
Smash the key-board.

Thanks but no thanks. You have the nager so we really don't care how you manage your anger. But certainly your above prescription to sajha bashi will not be adopted by anyone coz they are as destructive as idiocracy.

You always complain that people attack you inthe sajha threads.. but hey have you ever taken a step back and thought what's really wrong with you. You need to do your brain operation by meditation. to understand yourself.

See, tyhere is a man, who always trips on various stairs int he building and he conmplains that those stairs in the building are not properly built. Now think this, if all the people trip in the same stairs, then of course something is wrong with that stairs... but this guy trips in all the stairs while no other person have trouble except him (meaning you ashu). So the fault must be with athe person!!!! Think zillion times on this OK?

And don't try to hide your plagiarism. YOU INDEED sounded as if those "thing that doesn't kill me only makes me stronger" statment is your own. Don't try to protect yourself telling that that statment is an axiom like such "Sun rises from the East". You indeed try to impress sajhabahi and tried to be HERO.. but you are that only a Naked King.. ha ha.

Ashu, I think you really need a vacation now.

Ashu, I think you really need a vacation now. By the way who is that Philosopher whose statements you used without referring? Why are you feeling ashamed to reveal here as you were asked to.

As prem ji suggests, perhaps something is really wrong with you. May be poeple find your writings out of line. And you might be Jiraha claiming that you are always right. The result is: you are wlways whinning how people are attacking you. May be you really deserve it.

By the way, if you are sipping tea and reading Palpasa Cafe... it means you are already biased... you are in enjoying mood and reading that novel.. certainly your analysis will not be correct. Perhaps you are showing off here how you read novels in an aristrocatic way.

Thanda Beer,

Actually, I am on a vacation right now, and enjoying my share of early-morning fruit platters.

But thank you for your concern.

**************
Other than that, hey, let's prolong this thread . . . the more this thread up and
running, more people are likely to read this, and hopefully that will lead to more
copies of the books to be sold.

For book sales, ALL publicity is good.
So, let's jack up the "viewed this many times" count . . . to about 7000.

**************

That said, these silly attacks against me count for NOTHING because anyone can see that these attacks are plainly stupid and without any merit.

But I do want to engage with these attacks -- mind you, NOT with the attackers (I don't know them, and I don't care to know them!) but with the attacks -- for a wider 'signalling value".

That's to say: I DO WANT TO POINT OUT that this sort of stupid attacks is pretty much what one gets when working in Nepal -- online or offline -- for our Nepalis and among
our Nepalis, where:

a) there is so much corrosive negativism and anger

b) with ZERO evidence, almost everyone has starkly negative things to say about others, even about people they do NOT know at all.

c) supreme jealousy about others' success -- perceived or real.

d) And just because you are attacked in public by someone's stupid accusations, you are either expected to be a quietly wounded gentleman or get stark raving mad in return.

All these add up to our lovely-bubbly Nepalipan . . .

For additional evidence of a different sort, check out:

- http://samudaya.org/articles/archives/2005/09/nepal_students.php


Meantime, hey, keep these attacks coming.

Those attacks mean NOTHING to me.
They are stupid attacks.
But they are perversely entertaining.

And they will keep this thread up and running, and that may help sell more copies of Narayan's book -- WHICH IS WHAT THIS THREAD is all about.

oohi
"enjoying a slice of Kiwi fruit somewhere near the ocean!"
ashu

This is interesting -------------------

>>>>>>> By the way, if you are sipping tea and reading Palpasa Cafe... it means you are already biased... you are in enjoying mood and reading that novel.. certainly your analysis will not be correct <<<<<<<<<<<

And again the analysis will be biased if somebody is reading it in one of the glooomy cells in hanumandhoka. That's why I am avoiding my reviews from the very beginning.

I am wondering, how , where and how does a subject read novels for review? is there any international standard?

Ashu, You are still whinning.. basically.

Ashu wrote: "That said, these silly attacks against me count for NOTHING because anyone can see that these attacks are plainly stupid and without any merit. "

Who is "anyone"... that's supporting you.... you could not even quote the name of the philosopher out of shame.. however you did use his statement to mislead sajhabashi.

Dunno who gonna help you now.

Nice way to go My Dear Ashu... now we can see how you utilize your vacation committing PLAGIARISM. I think you should seek Help. Some diseases just don't vanish until you take a medicine.

But yes, medicine could be "Tito" @@@

Feri Keyboard bajarne hoina ni, otherwise your cpaital investment will go in vain.

Ya, Ashu:

Give us a single name who supports you and your silly arguments --- just one please. We are interested to know him or her.

Do not cry... do not cry... you kid, do not cry.
Think twice why so many people oppose your ideas--- I mean SO MANY---ALL!

-Futurenepal

>>>>>>>>>>> By the way, if you are sipping tea and reading Palpasa Cafe... it means you are already biased... you are in enjoying mood and reading that novel.. certainly your analysis will not be correct <<<<<<<<<<<


Oh, and by the same logic, if anyone of you want to have your reading of the book 'Palpasa Cafe' to be a fruitful experience, then don't forget to help yourself
to slices of guavas and pineapples.

oohi
ashu

Ashu, now that you are behaving like a kid.... You silly, you still could not correct your misdoing out of shame .. i am sure you will never cite that philosopher's name whose statement you quoted in this thread to impress the sajhabasi.

I already told you, there is still time to repent and correct your grave mistake, all you have to do is cite the name of that philosopher here to fulfil due diligence. Lucky that you dude is no more in USA... otherwise you could losde your degree.. do you understand>?>?

But I am sure you will again show up here writing nonsense stuff.. guava.. ha ha..

Do you guys remember that devine "that's it"
That's it. The first reply I got was a whinning F.....
the second was a little longer one but it was the same.

It started with demeaning Narayan and now it's someone else.

After all --------------

from this month's <<< Nepal >>> <<< Notebook >> " Jhopadi chodeni khopadi ustai"

Our initial battle of "baseless acclaimation and JIRAHA ( from Thanda Beer), believe it or not, i am great attitude" vs " i am a simple mind, explain it to me, show me the light, i am almost blind , please help"

is gone a long before.

RSVP is true, we all are differently, we all think different , do different and believe in different values. So respect each other's difference. There is nothing called ultimate truth. everything is relative. still we have some common grounds. while argueing put your beliefs aside and come with those grounds to support your claims.

YOu gotta right clearly.. hai? Doesn't make haed or tail. You do not need to write garbage (thinking yourself that you write complex englilsh) to impress sajhabasi. Otherwise your prognosis will be same as Ashu.. but I still see that you can salvage yourself.

IF you have problem communicating in sajha threads, It's OK to write in Nepali here.. we all understand Nepali :-) !!