Hey isn't that guy at top right corner in the picture a basketball player for Phoenix?
Posted on April 17th, 2008 by Deepak
I
think part of the reason many of prominent leaders in Nepal lost in the
April 10 CA election is they are not attached to the common people the
way Barack Obama is.
Letter from America
By Deepak Adhikari
It’s been more than a month I am in the US as an Alfred Friendly Fellow
and I missed the CA polls and the surprising results back in Nepal. The
election is going on in the US too. I wanted to see the US presidential
candidates first hand, American people’s perception toward
election/politics and watch some of the debates and the Primary.
Hello Barack! Supporters including a
Nepali scholar Nawa Raj Pradhan reach to shake hands with Democratic
presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, after he spoke at a rally at
the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., Friday (8 March). Dr. Eng.
Pradhan from Ilam, Bhanu Path-2, is a post doctoral research associate
at the University of Wyoming, U.S.A. He completed his PhD from Kyoto
University in Japan in Water Resources Engineering. Photo by Associate Press via USA Today
Previous UWB post on Obama: And I Endorse Barack Obama for the American Presidency
Luckily, I am posted to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ,
the biggest newspaper in Western Pennsylvinia. The much awaited primary
is slated for April 22 in this state. My mentor Greg Victor assured me
that I would be able to watch the Primay and may be shadow a reporter
covering the presidential election. The latter has not taken place yet
but I was pleasantly surprised when both of the candidates, hoping to
clinch the Democratic nomination, turned up in our office to garner the
support of Post-Gazette. Hillary Clinton’s visit went almost unnoticed as she did not want to meet the newsroom people.
But April 15 was different. Post-Gazette office was abuzz
with presidential candidate Barack Obama’s visit. My colleagues here
often talk about Democratic presidential hopefuls Clinton and Obama.
I’m not someone who runs after celebrities (be they politicians or
sportsmen/artists) and asks for an autograph. As a reporter, you get to
see them every now and then. But, the excitement in the office forced
me to take a chance and see Obama. Many of my colleagues were
disgruntled that he was meeting only with the Editorial Board. So, as
the hullaballoo grew, I ventured out of the office in Boulevard of the
Allies to catch a glimpse of him.
Half a dozen young people were waiting accross the road from our
office. Then, the Secret Service people asked me to go to the other
side of the road where I ran into several colleagues and Obama
supporters who were standing and talking animatedly. It was 2:30 PM. At
one point, I received a call from Samuel Siringi,
a Fellow from Kenya. I told him that I was expecting Obama’s arrival
outside the office. He didn’t believe it. After an hour or so, Obama
arrived, flanked by his people and the omnipresent Secret Service
agents. He waved to us and entered the office.
It seemed I was merely seeing him in person instead of TV. So,
what’s the big fuss? But, a surprise was awaiting me. I was busy
working on my training plan which is due Friday. I saw colleagues
running toward the hallway saying “Obama is meeting personally everyone
in the newsroomâ€. For a moment, I thought of staying in my desk. But,
as eveyone flocked to the place where Obama was, I could not resist.
He was shaking hands and moving toward where I was. As he approached
me, I introduced myself. and shook hand. I said: I’m from Nepal. He
said: Oh, it’s a beautiful country. I said: Nice to meet you. He said:
Nice to meet you too. Then, he moved ahead.
Now almost every one in the newsroom is talking about how he looked
like, how his handshake was etc. Comments vary from his handshake being
soft to he looking young. To me he appeared a guy-next-door, attending
to everyone. Back home, politicians are a different breed; they don’t
relate to the people. They think they are superior to the people who
elect them. I think part of the reason many of prominent leaders lost
the recent election is they are not attached to the common people the
way Obama is.
My colleagues congratulated me on meeting a person who has already created a history.
