Re: 'Soldier poet' (Nepali Society, # 197). There are other things that a soldier and poet have in common besides 'strong sensitivities'. Each also has a pair of eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and let's see what else...oh, yes, two hands and two legs. But that's where the similarities end. The uncommon aspects between the two are:
One wields a gun, the other a pen/ Soldier is a doer, poet a thinker/ One is bound by rules and regulation/ in that type of environment the other would not be able to function/ Soldier lives and works in a group/ poet is basically a loner/ For one it is drill and timing, for the other it is the thrill of rhyming/ Soldier has a crew cut, poet looks like a hippie /The differences are so many that the two would never become chummy!

'Sagar',
Kathmandu

. Navin Singh Khadka's profile of the army's new spokesperson Rajendra Thapa may have been great journalism for those who do not him personally but for a retired army officer like me, it was hilarious. Thapa's claim that he is a strong soldier who climbed up the hierarchy with hard work is correct-he spent a tremendous amount of time and effort as a ghost writer and gardening consultant for his superiors.

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