Many of the current political leaders to their credit have back-to-back bumbling antics under their belts. But a few of them are better known for their maverick ways. No wonder that they have power to attract maximum media attention. While the decisiveness with which Home Minister Bamdev Gautam ordered raids in the watering holes of the capital are still fresh in public minds, CPN-UML general secretary Jhalanath Khanal’s recent exploit is even more endearing. The other day, after the cancellation of his flight threw cold water on his plans to visit his party workers at Mahendranagar - just ahead of the eighth national convention of the party - Khanal managed to address them through his mobile in the capital, thanks to the network connections that, luckily, didn’t play the spoilsport.

In a geographically challenged country like Nepal, information and communication technology can play a huge role. That is the implicit nugget of wisdom that can be derived from Khanal’s flash of brilliance. But this kind of innovation can be sustained only if the infrastrucutre that supports such technology is trustworthy. At least, the same cannot be said about the network connections of our mobiles. They are mercurial. Distance addressing may have its spinoffs as well — reductions in wasteful expenditure and a small but salutary effect on the greenhouse emissions. But, according to the cognoscenti, all this is a flash in the pan. He has made a virtue of necessity.