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| There is a very famous temple right across the place I am staying. The sound of the bells is divine. |
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| The view from the hotel, which I am enjoying as I write this. |
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| The sunset |
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| The beautiful houses and the alleys |
Showing posts with label nepal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nepal. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Amo la Vida!
This is absolutely amazing, being able to enjoy my cup of tea amidst beautiful sunset, beautiful people, beautiful everything.
Monday, May 28, 2012
I ramble
I had decided to keep my blog 'politics free', but with the new developments, or let us say no developments, I have this serious urgency to write down my thoughts here.
For the past four years and especially the last couple of months, all that people talked about was the constitution. There were speculations on whether it will be made or it will not be made. Everybody had an opinion. Everybody shared their opinions. Honestly, I did not have much of an opinion. Whatever little I had, I refrained from sharing, because I knew that my opinion is not going to matter, that it is not going to bring the constitution.
So, now, some of you might call me a pessimist. But, let me just recap a few episodes of what my optimist Nepali daju bhais, didi bahinis, sathi sanginis have been doing in their bid to put pressure for the timely drafting of the constitution and put forth their demands.
Many hit the streets. Nepal saw a record breaking number of strikes this year and a lot of them ever since the formation of the CA. Our country looked like a jigsaw puzzle in my mind. Everybody wanted a share of it, without having to share their part with others. Some parts of the country, like the Far West has not yet come out of the closure plague. People are finding it difficult to meet their daily needs of food and medicine. Terai areas have been miserable. Kathmandu was not spared either. Everybody had their own sets of demands, everybody had their own agenda. Where did all these bandas take us? We are left without a constitution.
People wrote. Hundreds and thousands of articles have been written on the constitution, on CA, on federalism, on people's rights, on what nots of the constitution. The intellectual circle, the common people, the youth, the students, the political activists, the journalists, and many more people wrote on issues important to the constitution. Especially since the beginning of this year, the papers had nothing but the talks of the constitution. How much did this intellectuality lead us to? We are left without a constitution.
Social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter were full of expressions. Everyone expressed their frustrations, their disappointments, their hatred, their disapproval, and many more feelings through their status updates, photos, cartoons, and other forms of art. (Here, I too was a part of some halla khalla on a website, but it was more to raise awareness among the youth, than anything else). Moreover, last month, a movement was launched on Facebook where everybody started putting 'Nepali' to their names in a bid to show that they are Nepali first before being a Brahmin, a Chhetri, a Newar, a Janajati, a Madhesi, a Muslim, a Christian, a this, a that. I am sorry, but I did not participate in it, because I didn't buy in the so called 'virtual movement.' If you think you are a Nepali first, why do you even have to write your surname. Why can't you be just Mr X Nepali, rather than being a Mr X Shrestha Nepali, or Mr X Pradhan Nepali? It didn't make sense to me. Anyway, the point is, what happened out of these online movements? We are left without a constitution.
People participated in Sadbhaav (Solidarity) Rallies. People en masse showed their presence in different places with their best of white clothes, and a candle to pray for peace and prosperity, and of course a constitution. What came out of it? We are still left without a constitution.
So, now, what happens now that the CA has been dissolved and we are left without a constitution for which we waited for four years, for which we spent billions from our nation's reserves? Just think about it. What happened today? The first day after yesterday. I woke up in the morning with a heavy heart. Many people must have. But what really happened today? Life was as normal as any other day.
The milk van came early in the morning in its usual time to deliver milk packs. Nepalese woke up to read their daily dose of news in the national dailies. Families had their breakfast together, some even had their lunch together since it was an off-day (It was Republic Day today-my foot!). Friends met at cafeterias to have aaloos and momos, lovers went out for a spin, vegetable sellers did a good business, movie theaters were overly crowded, shopping malls were no less, neta haru clicked pictures grinning, the paan shop played the same boring music, the men who come every morning to play badminton in the ground behind my house arrived on time and made the same kind of noise they make everyday, the same people who were busy carrying out the 'virtual movement' were busy posting their new pictures on the same forums. Nothing stopped. Nothing changed.
Having a constitution in the country was not going to be a magic wand. We already have an Interim Constitution in place, that we have been following for five years. We will continue following it. But the point is that the Prime Minister has been giving a signal for another CA election. Do we want it? Are we going to vote in it? Do we Nepalese want to repeat the same mistake again? If we do, we are fools. I am not going to vote if the CA elections happen this November. I will rather not exercise my right than to feel guilty about it later. I am not, I am not. I am not. This is my personal movement, lu jaa! Je parla, parla.
For the past four years and especially the last couple of months, all that people talked about was the constitution. There were speculations on whether it will be made or it will not be made. Everybody had an opinion. Everybody shared their opinions. Honestly, I did not have much of an opinion. Whatever little I had, I refrained from sharing, because I knew that my opinion is not going to matter, that it is not going to bring the constitution.
So, now, some of you might call me a pessimist. But, let me just recap a few episodes of what my optimist Nepali daju bhais, didi bahinis, sathi sanginis have been doing in their bid to put pressure for the timely drafting of the constitution and put forth their demands.
Many hit the streets. Nepal saw a record breaking number of strikes this year and a lot of them ever since the formation of the CA. Our country looked like a jigsaw puzzle in my mind. Everybody wanted a share of it, without having to share their part with others. Some parts of the country, like the Far West has not yet come out of the closure plague. People are finding it difficult to meet their daily needs of food and medicine. Terai areas have been miserable. Kathmandu was not spared either. Everybody had their own sets of demands, everybody had their own agenda. Where did all these bandas take us? We are left without a constitution.
People wrote. Hundreds and thousands of articles have been written on the constitution, on CA, on federalism, on people's rights, on what nots of the constitution. The intellectual circle, the common people, the youth, the students, the political activists, the journalists, and many more people wrote on issues important to the constitution. Especially since the beginning of this year, the papers had nothing but the talks of the constitution. How much did this intellectuality lead us to? We are left without a constitution.
Social networking sites, including Facebook and Twitter were full of expressions. Everyone expressed their frustrations, their disappointments, their hatred, their disapproval, and many more feelings through their status updates, photos, cartoons, and other forms of art. (Here, I too was a part of some halla khalla on a website, but it was more to raise awareness among the youth, than anything else). Moreover, last month, a movement was launched on Facebook where everybody started putting 'Nepali' to their names in a bid to show that they are Nepali first before being a Brahmin, a Chhetri, a Newar, a Janajati, a Madhesi, a Muslim, a Christian, a this, a that. I am sorry, but I did not participate in it, because I didn't buy in the so called 'virtual movement.' If you think you are a Nepali first, why do you even have to write your surname. Why can't you be just Mr X Nepali, rather than being a Mr X Shrestha Nepali, or Mr X Pradhan Nepali? It didn't make sense to me. Anyway, the point is, what happened out of these online movements? We are left without a constitution.
People participated in Sadbhaav (Solidarity) Rallies. People en masse showed their presence in different places with their best of white clothes, and a candle to pray for peace and prosperity, and of course a constitution. What came out of it? We are still left without a constitution.
So, now, what happens now that the CA has been dissolved and we are left without a constitution for which we waited for four years, for which we spent billions from our nation's reserves? Just think about it. What happened today? The first day after yesterday. I woke up in the morning with a heavy heart. Many people must have. But what really happened today? Life was as normal as any other day.
The milk van came early in the morning in its usual time to deliver milk packs. Nepalese woke up to read their daily dose of news in the national dailies. Families had their breakfast together, some even had their lunch together since it was an off-day (It was Republic Day today-my foot!). Friends met at cafeterias to have aaloos and momos, lovers went out for a spin, vegetable sellers did a good business, movie theaters were overly crowded, shopping malls were no less, neta haru clicked pictures grinning, the paan shop played the same boring music, the men who come every morning to play badminton in the ground behind my house arrived on time and made the same kind of noise they make everyday, the same people who were busy carrying out the 'virtual movement' were busy posting their new pictures on the same forums. Nothing stopped. Nothing changed.
Having a constitution in the country was not going to be a magic wand. We already have an Interim Constitution in place, that we have been following for five years. We will continue following it. But the point is that the Prime Minister has been giving a signal for another CA election. Do we want it? Are we going to vote in it? Do we Nepalese want to repeat the same mistake again? If we do, we are fools. I am not going to vote if the CA elections happen this November. I will rather not exercise my right than to feel guilty about it later. I am not, I am not. I am not. This is my personal movement, lu jaa! Je parla, parla.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Feelings
I feel a sense of failure these days for some reason. I am not sure where does it come from. It may be because of the sense of hopelessness that my country is giving me, and the lack of purpose, lack of vision, lack of compassion, lack of sensibility that the people are exhibiting day in and day out. It does not feel right. Everybody is angry at everybody. This anger, this hatred, this lack of empathy is doing no good to me, or anybody for that matter. I don't even know why am I writing this when I know that my voice does not count.
Last night I could not sleep. I feel burdened. I feel like crying. I feel like yelling. I feel like slapping the politicians hard. I feel like punching the 'bandh kartas'. I feel like leaving. I feel like giving up hope. I feel like not feeling anything anymore.
Last night I could not sleep. I feel burdened. I feel like crying. I feel like yelling. I feel like slapping the politicians hard. I feel like punching the 'bandh kartas'. I feel like leaving. I feel like giving up hope. I feel like not feeling anything anymore.
Monday, May 7, 2012
My company
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| This is what has been giving me company as I get stranded as a result of unending strikes in a nation which has become so fragmented that I no more feel we are a part of one single country. |
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Patched Roads
We are poor, and our roads prove it. Like a poor mother who stitches her children's torn clothes with colorful patches, our roads are stitches every now and then with the black and grey tar. We can't afford new roads. We need to keep stitching the old ones.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Bandh ko din
Aja 'Nepal Bandh' (this word is absurd. How can a country be closed? funny). But I reached my office on my scooter before nine. Janne bhako. Jahile yestai ho ma. Scooter is insured (thanks to papaji). Laptop is insured (thanks to office). I am not worth an insurance. Je parla parla bhanera hideko. Dhanna safely pugiyecha!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Ramblings of a frustrated citizen
I am happy i reached office without my fatfate getting stopped on my way to office. I am happier that I didnt have to push my bike in the middle of the road. The roads were relatively empty today with not many vehicles plying on the road, thanks to the irregular supply of petroleum products by NOC."Yo desh ma sabaila man pari garchan." So NOC has every right to do it as well, huh.
This is frustrating, really really frustrating. I get up in the morning, and I stumble after i hit the small table in my room because it is dark, because we dont have electricity, because we are going through a period when we have loadshedding for 14 hours a day, which means no electricity in the mornings, no electricity at nights, and when there is electricity, we are not at home to enjoy it. Irony.
In the bathroom, there is no water, because there is no water anywhere, because our ghar peti does not switch on the motor because when we have electricity she is not at home to switch on the motor, and when she is home, there is no electricity. Irony again.
How long are we going to live like this, like a poverty stricken bunch of people. Why is it that although we are paying Nrs 97 per litre (which is 9 rupees more than what we paid few months back), we dont have a smooth supply of petrol? How come NOC has all the money to declare bonuses and dividends when it is suffering from billions of losses?
Why is it that we Nepalese are ready to go through this pain of waiting in the petrol queue for hours without questioning our administration? How can we just accept not having water and electricity at home, and wake up in the wee hours of the night to fill our jars and buckets of water, and charge our cellphone batteries? Why is it that all we do is say "yestai ho, k garne?" We need to wake up and question. We might not get answers to all our problems, but at least we will feel good about questioning. It is our right as citizens, our responsibility too. Our government cant just get away with cheating us all the time, making us the victim all the time, conning us all the time.
This is frustrating, really really frustrating. I get up in the morning, and I stumble after i hit the small table in my room because it is dark, because we dont have electricity, because we are going through a period when we have loadshedding for 14 hours a day, which means no electricity in the mornings, no electricity at nights, and when there is electricity, we are not at home to enjoy it. Irony.
In the bathroom, there is no water, because there is no water anywhere, because our ghar peti does not switch on the motor because when we have electricity she is not at home to switch on the motor, and when she is home, there is no electricity. Irony again.
How long are we going to live like this, like a poverty stricken bunch of people. Why is it that although we are paying Nrs 97 per litre (which is 9 rupees more than what we paid few months back), we dont have a smooth supply of petrol? How come NOC has all the money to declare bonuses and dividends when it is suffering from billions of losses?
Why is it that we Nepalese are ready to go through this pain of waiting in the petrol queue for hours without questioning our administration? How can we just accept not having water and electricity at home, and wake up in the wee hours of the night to fill our jars and buckets of water, and charge our cellphone batteries? Why is it that all we do is say "yestai ho, k garne?" We need to wake up and question. We might not get answers to all our problems, but at least we will feel good about questioning. It is our right as citizens, our responsibility too. Our government cant just get away with cheating us all the time, making us the victim all the time, conning us all the time.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Why this culture of Impunity?
No breaking news with that..there was yet another bandh today..well,not one but two...The micro-bus drivers and conductors were agitated because a policeman beat up a driver...and the businessmen were on a protest on the raid that happened around yesterday...I had a difficult time trying to find out a local transport for myself.Everytime i and other passengers got on a tempo,we were very courteously threatened by the chaps to get down and walk to our destinations...It was irritating...but could i do anything??No,i couldnt...In a country where the government is so weak,it is credulous for a common citizen like me to fantasize ways to change the country...Why are people so self-centered in our country..Why is it always we versus they?Dont we belong to the same country?Will not the closure of the shops and transportation affect all including the providers and the users?
The micro-van drivers can do everything they want to...they can drive rash without even thinking of the troubles that they cause to others...charge more than what should actually be charging..be rude to passengers like they are doing a favor by giving a ride to them..use foul language...break traffic rules...and if someone, a policeman in the case tries to intervene,they think they are mistreated...its ridiculous...A funny thought passed my mind...i wish that the micro van drivers go on a perpetual strike...the capital would me much safer without them around..why were they ever introduced as a means of local transportation?and if they were,why were the drivers not provided with proper orientation?i use them everyday but i do that because i have no alternatives...Wish i had better alternatives...
Why are our countrymen the way they are?Why cant we all think like a family?Why is every group fighting against the other?I am starting to get sick of everything around...When will we change for the good...when will we live normal lives?..Why is there this culture of impunity in our country?
So many unanswered question..can anybody help with the answers and give me a reason to be optimistic?
The micro-van drivers can do everything they want to...they can drive rash without even thinking of the troubles that they cause to others...charge more than what should actually be charging..be rude to passengers like they are doing a favor by giving a ride to them..use foul language...break traffic rules...and if someone, a policeman in the case tries to intervene,they think they are mistreated...its ridiculous...A funny thought passed my mind...i wish that the micro van drivers go on a perpetual strike...the capital would me much safer without them around..why were they ever introduced as a means of local transportation?and if they were,why were the drivers not provided with proper orientation?i use them everyday but i do that because i have no alternatives...Wish i had better alternatives...
Why are our countrymen the way they are?Why cant we all think like a family?Why is every group fighting against the other?I am starting to get sick of everything around...When will we change for the good...when will we live normal lives?..Why is there this culture of impunity in our country?
So many unanswered question..can anybody help with the answers and give me a reason to be optimistic?
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