While My Country Gently Weeps: Life in Transitional Nepal

1:43 PM melodycharm: ke hunthyo…yo jhaare ma ta khaali padhai padhai…..n it’s not at all smart work…just da dull HARD WORK….so useless
1:44 PM hrd abt some political disturbance again in ktm??
me: what useless ni tero jhan sunaula din aucha then.
1:45 PM melodycharm: aako aayai ho
me: yah tyo ta daily routine nai ho, sometimes its soooo frustrating
1:46 PM melodycharm: i know….malai pani nepal ko haal dekhera ekdam dikka laagchha….feel like murderin all those rascal of politicians….

Sep 23, 2007

This is an excerpt of a conversation I was having with a friend of mine who is currently studying in India. The date Sep 23. Let me check the newspapers if anything happened in Kathmandu that day. It says the Nepali Congress Mahasamiti Baithak started with a purpose of sealing the republic agenda. Now, that doesn’t make for political disturbance does it? She was most probably talking about the Maoists resigning from the government and proclaiming the Constituent Assembly Elections to be a hoax!! Ten days after quitting the government in Sep 19,2007 the news states that the Maoist leaders say that Constituent Assembly Elections should be held in the given date i.e Mangsir 4, 2064 B.S. ( Thursday, November 22,2007). Sep 19 seems like history to me now. Changes are instantaneous here, every second counts. Days will surely feel like months when you live under such circumstances.

On Being a Poster Girl

I entered the computer lab after class as usual.
Someone called ‘Come here as soon as possible.”
“Can I go home for lunch and come?” I asked and felt extremely foolish and childish on completing the sentence.
“Be quick.”
I could see the call duration on my cell phone.

Perception: The pains of Blogging

Dearest D,

Where would I have to start if I were to fill you with all the details of my life since the day you were gone? The Bhotekoshi adventure must be. Did you know that I had gone there? Anyways here is what I came back with in spite of not being a CLS graduate: “Everything in life is 90% attitude and 10% skill”. That’s the best thing I ever heard so I would like to talk on a similar theme with you here. Huncha? Vaye ni navayeni sunnai parcha coz you have me no option. Do I have to say I miss you?? Always, always always. Leaving that part I just want to share this with you, because you would only understand…

Perception

Once he called me for a cup of coffee. I went as usual, coffee khandai ma ke cha ra I thought. So we met and I asked “Wouldn’t you rather like to be with some hot girl? I mean I can’t understand why a guy like you would even meet me, a Jassi like character with these braces, thick specs…I mean no guy, a typical guy especially would hang out with such a character? He said, “Well, you just answered that. Why should I want to be with someone else? The rest are the same, no one wears those braces like you. You are unique, that’s why.”
I bet you know what I said “Waihat”. Still it struck me. Everything is the way you perceive it to be.

She called me to meet her. I went, just for the Heck of it. I ask myself, why I do that again and again?? She sat across the table. I don’t exactly remember the context but you came up in the conversation. “ U kasto thiyo?” She asked.
“Full of life, carefree, bindaas, full of smiles” I told of you.
“Testo keti haru sadhain testa nai hunchan.” (Girls like that are always like that.) She replied.
I was drinking a glass of lassi. No, I din’t feel like splashing it on her face. I just looked at it. Beautiful Liar. And that instant I realized what it meant when others ( our friends) told me that they want to defend you against others. I didn’t defend. I said nothing realizing again that people only see what they want to see. I instead pitied her. Well, you can only think of other people the way you are, hoina ta?

Thoughts

उन्मुक्तिको दिन

This article is published in the Kantipur Daily today ( Bhadra 28, 2064 B.S.) I liked it because of the way it defines Teej as a day of Freedom for Women, it gives a nice explaination of why the tradition and all, a balanced view overall. And I felt grown up reading this too, I mean I don’t hold those ultra radical views of Teej, its personal choice after all. Just a while ago the radio was playing the song ” Poila jana pam” ( Let me Elope) by Komal Oli and we ( me and my sister) both agreed that it was a form of revolution too. Women seeking the freedom of choice. If someone wants to, there’s no stopping is there? We even said “Its Cool to elope” but after a minute of silence the discussion came back to ” But what fun is it to run away? I mean the guy is just a baggage that comes with the freedom of running away from home, its better to be on your own.” That’s it of our pointless discussions which never end, for now read this article by Indra Adhikari

Love-in-Tokyo!!

There was a man at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Bleecker Street at noontime, holding up handmade cardboard signs numbered from one to ten as women passed by, the numbers being his rating of their looks. He, a featureless, potbellied construction worker who labored at a nearby site, was barely a one, but this in no way diminished his enthusiasm. He smirked as he judged.

Teresa ignored him. She had been avoiding such men all her life. But the seventh or eighth time she passed, safe on the other side of Sixth Avenue, she stopped to watch. A question had hit her: does he juggle ten signs? He didn’t. After a few minutes, she had seen all this signs, a ten, a nine, a seven, a five, and a two. For a moment, Teresa wondered what would happen if she passed him, if she allowed him to rate her. For a moment only, for she knew she never would.

Is Tokyo considered a popular spot for romantic escapades? It should be. Experience ( ali ali matra vayeni) tells me. Shristi (well, I keep quoting her as she tells everything “Bidhi puryayera”) had the perfect way to put it after watching the fireworks: “This is what we should do, come here with our lover for Hanobe by the sea, have dinner in the ship (we could see it nearby) and then spend the night in this five star hotel. ” After the visit to Disneyland the next day, Sampada had her plans ” Buda sanga aune ho yahan ta bachha harulai liyera.” And there were these “ooth salbalayo” jokes by another friend on seeing live-lip locking sessions in Bidesh. For me the only thing I longed for was Pineapple (the fruit) after visiting Disneyland or salt as I would feel the dire need of it all of a sudden! So much for romance. Surprisingly I wasn’t the only one worrying about the lack of romance in my life!!!ha ha haha It Felt good to have somebody else worrying for once

मृत्‍यु को मुल्य

कुनै बेला थियो म संसार बुझेको धाक लगाउँथे । पत्याउन गाह्रो लाग्यो होला, मेरा स्कुलका साथीहरुलाई पनि त्यस्तै लग्थियो, ओठ लेप्र्‍उँथे । तर गधे पच्चिसी पनि नपुदै त्यस्तो भन्नु आफ्नो अज्ञानता मात्र देखाउने काम हो, अहिले बुझेको छु ।
त्यही पनि जीवन नभएपनि मृत्‍यु बुझे जस्तो लाग्छ।यो चाँही भोगेरै भनेको है।

गएको आइतबार, भदौ १६(Sep 2, 2007) काठमाडौंका तीन ठाउँमा श्रीखलबधरुपमा बम बिस्फोट भयो । तीन को मृत्‍यु भयो, दुई को घटनास्थल्मै र एक को केही दिन पछी।

The journey begins with a lot to ponder about…

I hadn’t been to the airport before either. I have a faint memory that I have a long time back but I don’t know when. Just a blurred memory. It was a normal goodbye (no reason to be anything else either). Still there was drama going on there with a few teary eyed relatives (not our gang’s but that of strangers) sticking their faces to the glass door to look at their loved ones behind that.

We were filling up the Departure form, an woman to my right was doing the same. Most probably in her late twenties or early thirties the woman wore a kurti and jeans and had a little child at her feet. “Kati gate?” she asked.
“Its July 29, I only know the English date.” I replied. Then someone told me Shrawan 13. She heard it too.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Japan.” I replied.
“Are you friends?” she asked looking around.
“Yah, they are. We are going as a group.” And though I didn’t really care where she was headed to I asked to be polite. “USA” she replied smiling a little too broad and a hint of pride in her voice. That’s a very common syndrome I tell you.
“Oh” I replied casually.
“Dependent visa ho” she continued. “Sriman utai hunuhuncha tesaile jana ateko”( My husband’s there so I am going).”
“Oh” I had nothing to say.