THE GLOBAL AND THE LOCAL

SUSHMA JOSHI MAR 27, 2010 - Kathmandu Post Prabal Gurung has become a household name in most of the planet, and yet, ironically, remains fairly unknown in Nepal. After starting his own fashion label titled Prabal Gurung, Prabal is on his dizzying way to dress some of the most famous people in the world. Recently, Michelle Obama was seen wearing his black-and-white brush-painted rose-silk twill gazar hand-draped off-the-shoulder dress. She had a radiant smile, and looked softer and relaxed than she usually did in her tightly tailored outfits. Actress Demi Moore has become a big fan and tweeted about Prabal on Twitter, sending the first wave of news about this new designer across the planet. Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, who was immortalised for her excruciatingly high standards in the movie, The Devil Wears Prada, recently sat in the front row of Prabal’s show at the New York Fashion Week, giving him the kiss of approval. And yet, he remains to be known in his own home country...

Prabal Gurung has become a household name in most of the planet, and yet ironically remains fairly unknown in Nepal. After starting his own fashion label titled Prabal Gurung, Prabal is on his dizzying way to dress some of the most famous people in the world. Recently, Michelle Obama was seen wearing his black and white brush painted rose silk twill gazar hand draped off-the-shoulder dress. She had a radiant smile, and looked softer and relaxed than she usually did in her tightly tailored outfits. Demi Moore, actress, has become a big fan and tweeted about Prabal on Twitter, sending the first wave of news about this new designer across the planet. Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, who was immortalized for her excruciatingly high standards in the movie, ”The Devil Wears Prada,” recently sat front row of Gurung’s show during New York Fashion Week, giving him the kiss of approval. And yet, Prabal remains yet to be known to his own home country. Partially, its because the ...

SUSHMA JOSHI A high UN official got ticked off by Nepali civil society for using the word “boring”. It was a “boring argument,” he said, to blame UNMIN for the failure of the peace process. He went on to make a bold statement: “It basically means people are not doing their own work and looking around for somebody else to blame.” This, I thought, was quite interesting (the opposite of “boring.”) Most of us have felt the same boredom as we watch 601 CA members vacillate between endless positions on federalism, ethnic and indigenous issues, Army integration, and the writing of the Constitution. The most boring thing of all, of course, is the blame game. A lot of blaming going on, with the Maoists now getting the worst of the flak. They are now apparently to blame for the way things are falling apart, according to recent media reports. Just as no doubt UNMIN is to blame for not making a little questionaire and holding focus groups in local villages with its skeletal staff, saying: Maam...

SUSHMA JOSHI 2010/03/07 I rarely watch TV — guilty admission, I don’t own one. So when I got my hands on a remote control and flipped the channel, I was agape to see an ad in an international channel. People sailed off cliffs in paragliders, rushed through mountains in sleek bikes, and jumped through empty space tied to bungee cords. Thumping techno music held me spellbound. An ad for an extreme athletic event, I imagined. Then the familiar voice (Bhusan Dahal?) announced: Naturally Nepal, Once is Not Enough! You will forgive me if this ad came as a shock — as I said, I don’t own a TV, and rarely watch it. I was surprised on three counts. First, it appears the ad linked Nepal as a destination — not of culture, not of nature, not of friendly people with great hospitality, but a place where testosterone-laden men (and women) could unload some of their twentieth century instincts to live life on the edge by indulging in extreme sports. Of course, bungee, paragliding and mountain biking ar...