Saturday, November 12, 2011

Story of a Trafficker



It must be the happiest day of my life.

The clouds were coming over from far mountains to question the dominance of blueness in the sky. That couldn't bother me. I was just happy. Would you believe me, I a SLC fail could do this? I know I am clever, but did you? Am i a overconfident bloke, nope I amn't. I was just so clever, just that bit more so that i could puzzle the border patrol.Do you know that bloody fool? Yeah, that who got something of a somewhat hero award. She has a whole setup. She gets dollars to fund her wicked system, still I got away. Doesn't that mean I am clever?

So, why is this the happiest day? Aren't you curious, so was Sanu Maya? When i first told her jobs were easy and money would flow like the swirling sugarcanes in the monsoon wind, she looked at her hands bruised by the leaves of the paddy.She looked at me anxiously bamboozled to say the least. For one who had to quarell a fortnight to see a movie in a floor of a cinema hall, that was delightful.You know greed is a bad thing. Sanu Maya was. So she must have been punished. I was sent to punish her and didn't I do it in a better way. Did a simple persuasion of mine, a gentle touch of sympathy would get her  going to the city? No, not certainly. It was her greed that led her to come to me.

You may believe I am greedy. Yeah a little bit but not more. I swear I am not greedy.Don't you know why I didn't touch Sanu Maya even though I faked a marriage with her. It is simple. A virgin had  triple a price at Mumbai,and you know I was seriously meaning some business. Do you say that an act of my greed,no I don't.

And if i was greedy, I should have put all my money for myself. Would i have paid all the charges of the pub including that of Birkhe, Birey and even that of Chepe who stole my money last year. No, I wouldn't have. And would i have bought this lovely necklace for my wife. Aha, you must know the price of Gold, but i still bought it. Would you have done it. I know some of you delayed your daughter's marriage just for the sake of rising gold price. You greedy horse shits. Don't you know what have i bought for my daughter. None of you might have seen this before. She is 6 but she is going to look a princess tonight. I won't tell, who knows you will buy the same for your daughters.

And this conductor whistles, the bus pauses and the engine shuts off. I am in a hurry don't these people know this. I have to show this to my wife and daughter.Wait! Wait!! Be clever. Act simple, that was what i told to Sanu Maya at the border. You know the pickpockets don't you, they may eye me if i act this way.Let me act calm the same way Sanu did.

OK! I got off the bus tight and secure. I am clever.

I enter my house. Its late in the evening, my wife is suprised just looking at me. What will happen if she knows what i have in my bag? My daughter is doing her studies in a dim Laltin light, what shall happen to her. Certainly this must be the happiest day of my life.

So, I gave my daughter the secret dress. Okay! You don't know where i bought it from. So you will never know what it really is.

My lord doesn't she look pretty.

My wife is anxious but I can't let her know now.I just gave her few grands letting her know we would survive this winter's famine. We had dinner. She bought some meat. She is clever too. She baught me 2 mannas of local brewery from Suntali's pub. So, the dinner was joyful.Truly it was turning out to be the happiest day of my life.

So it was night time. This was the time when I would like to reveal my secret. I awarded with her the most precious thing that i stuffed into my bag. She was happy. She might have thought of showing her to Birkhe's wife tommorow, but isn't she clever. She thought of tonight. She quickly undressed herself completely. Just the necklace was on her neck.It was glowing.She slept over me. Every part of us overlapping each other, OH! Holy shit! What's happening to me. Wait i am not getting erect. Did i lose this stuff at 27. What is happening to me. I am listening to this curious sound of women crying sharply. But my wife is silent. How can it happen? That sound seems familiar. It seems to come towards me.It seems it is originating within me. I feel its like that of Sanu Maya. My wife is signalling at me. No, not for sex you fools. She is pointing to the right corner of our door.

I finally get my senses right.My daughter is crying. Certainly my wife can't attend her all naked. I hurried to her corner of our room. She laid in her small bed all in tears. I asked her why? She told the pin in her dress kept pinching her hard.And didn't i tell you it is the secret dress. It has secret ways of undressing. So i undressed this gift off her to make her comfortable. In the process, i saw my baby naked. My daughter turned silent, but the echoes of cry returned. I accidenlty imagined Sanu Maya being naked and raped.It wouldn't go.It just started buzzening. It deepened within me. Fuck me, i fainted.

I rise this morning. I am listening to the Japenese radio. I am tuning in for news.My wife is preparing some tea. She is acting weird after yesterday's act of mine. She blamed the brewerey but i blame something i cannot reason.I am thinking how did this sound came.The radio too continued.The newsreader declares a someone named Sanu Maya committed sucide in a police custody after being rescued.





Saturday, November 5, 2011

Why should Engineers get into Politics?


Engineers are generally problem solver.

Engineers are taught a technique to deal with certain pattern of problems. Later with experience and instinct they are expected to solve problems of different kinds.  They have to keep on improvising the taught techniques so as to survive and prosper. Since, every situation is different from another an engineer always looks to learn, modify and be modest about the vast knowledge he has already accumulated. Engineering ethics believes in respecting and supporting his fellow colleagues work and idea along with constructive criticism.

The engineered product is meant to survive for longer period. Hence, an engineer must be far sighted. He has to take the responsibility of his present action up to the point in future where he himself might not exist.
How long will you apply for these type of jobs?
Engineers are brought up to be reasonable and economic. An excellent engineer separates himself from the numerous other by being cost effective for the same output. An engineer must possess social skill so as to work smoothly in the field and to understand the demand of the public.
The above mentioned qualities are required for another breed of job as well. They are politicians. They too are expected to be problem solvers. They must be willing to learn from their experience, courageous, improvising, modest, far sighted, responsible, reasonable and cost effective.

One of the few examples of such leader is our current PM Bhattarai. A career of Architect has certainly helped him not only design structures but made him full of above mentioned

characters. Although being a communist and a hard one on that he is ready to improvise. He seems to be ready to take the risk of venturing into parliamentary democracy. He knows how to win place in people’s heart and mind. Even if that is a show off to drive a Mustang and go checking hotels in the highway, it has certainly worked in his favour. He is modest with his personality though his intellectual ability boasts a commanding platform wherever he goes.

Among the advantages that an engineer has above other profession while coming into politics the major ones are being able to work in a group , knowing the grass root demands and ability to stay calm in tough situations. The humility that the former US president Jimmy Carter possesses is second to none among his colleagues. He too was an engineer. What more, the head of the Libyan interim government formed after the successful revolution that removed Gadaffi  is an engineer too. However, being an engineer you need to work up on your political thesis, enhance your dialectics and be in touch with an organization of your liking. So, people if you are an engineer who knows that chair in the office is waiting for you?
{the blogger is an engineer himself and asks for forgiveness if found guilty of being biased, but surely engineering rocks!}

Sunday, October 2, 2011

TECHNOLOGY AND EQUALITY




The present day world is full with different sort of inequalities. Nepalese don't have as equal share as the EU or the Americans do. In EU, roughly an organization made to unite and equalize every nation of  Europe, Germany has a louder say than Greece. In sports, Rooney is paid more than Tendulkar.  Even among laborers, Nepalese have a minimum salary of Rs 6500 a month while the British have 5.8 pounds (roughly Rs 580) per hour.

Why is this happening? Were things planned to happen like this?

Let me take u back to the day when very first humans were born. Back then everyone must have been equal. Now we aren't.
Why?

Many have tried to answer this question. Buddha, Jesus and other religious or spiritual Gurus tried to remove such  inequality through their spiritual preaching and magical deeds. Marx tried to convince us through his theory of class struggle. Capitalism which have been running the show in the present time, has moreover served in widening the rift between  the poor and the rich. So, where have we missed the plot? Why  have we been put into a situation where we think that all of us can't be given the same privilege to survive? Why does the mere geographical location of our birthplace determine most  of our future?


The main reason of today's inequality is the unequal distribution of technologies. The reason of this is the pseudo feeling of nationality which has been developed among us. Whether it be nuclear energy or plastic toys every country wants to make its technology a secret. Within a country itself various private companies fight for the patent rights of their efficient  models.  Many provisions such as taxes, trade treaties, embargos etc have prevented the free flow of technology through out the globe. This has caused inequality among the humans.

Once we reach the tipping point of technological advances, and once we find a mechanism to spread it all over the earth we all shall be equal. Despite of our difference in attitudes,  talent ,nationality, religion we all shall be equal again. The
rate at which that particular day shall be approaching us depends on how our policy makers act. If the policies are devised  so as to provide a direct relation between the mass and the technicians, the day shall come to us soon. Otherwise, if we keep foolish politicians and bureaucrats  in between controlling our technical demands and technician's expertise, the day might not come even during the lifespan of the mighty sun.

So let us believe in ALL were EQUAL,  ALL aren't EQUAL, ALL will be EQUAL. Good luck to us.

Here is  John Lennons's Imagine. A perfect song for this article.
 

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Why arent we creative?


Creativity is what makes us human. The problem is most of us lose it or are made to lose it.

It is unknown to many of us how we lose creativity while we grow up.Once, while i was a child...i asked one of my  vinajus how did the camera work? He said its too complex for me to understand.Well, his answer was very much true.  Now, when i  look  back i think i lost a bit of my creativity there.

God knows..if he just wore those golden lungis and walk  around bare chest even in winters. That is atleast what the Indian produced epic serials like Ramayana and Mahabhart showed. That is how we are made dumb. Somewhere down the line, i think, many children may be believing that God speaks in Hindi.

Well from what i have seen...i believe west is more creative than the east ( at present and forgive me for my lack of knowledge of the past). As a matter of fact its their creativity that we are riding on. I  am typing this instead of writing. You are moving the cursor from line to line....rather than moving  ur fingertips. They own this, they made this , they excelled on things and ya we just followed.

So maybe you question why arent we as creative they are? Well to be creative u need freedom. We have it now. Oh..........Do we really? Don't u remeber you asking your teacher whether to underline such and such stuff...whether to leave a line while you write...in which format to write the date? Don't you remeber ur parents making u conscious of your career when u thought of choosing a field that was of your interest?Well its like asking u to drink a cup  of tea when ur handcuffed. Even then some do it with their legs or their elbows. So dont be confused to see some among us being creative and a super one...u know..leaving even the west behind.

Well i and maybe even  u dont know why we fight between communist and capitalist,,,,,but we imported it from the west. We are made to lack  creativity and we keep on trying what flopped.Constantly  people who try to make innovation in these philosophies get turned down by mysterious forces.Madan Bhandari revived communism and made it tough enough to face elections well he was dispersed. King Birendra experimented or let say was the only dictator(atleast the one i have seen) who thought army was not the solution he neither used it against Maoists nor against the People in 1990 AD....well and he got perished.

Ladies now if u wear blouse with those threads flowing to make ur self sexy...well  u know our Chowbandi had 4 of them already and probably a sleevless version would have made the street go wild.
Neither of us realized that because...we were busy following Cyrus, Swift and Perry.

The TVs presenter try to give you details in such a way that u never heard of something as such as Prachanda, your filter comes with such manual as if u knew nothing about cleanliness.After all there's a mystery that is making us less creative. We are being efficient in the expense of creativity. We now skype each other but very few of us know how the telephone works.

well we may do this someday!can't we
Now that the world has developed we are being made dependent on each other and moreover in a dangerous way. Even in a subject lets say Civil  Engineering,you have specialist on structure, hydropower, irrigation etc. This way we are programmed to know less of the whole.The knowledge is divided and we diversify and we become easy to dominate easy to control. Universities are there to ensure that anything you learn  except that by professors( i mean what is in the book) is invalid because u will never have the certificate for it.

Well lets hope we raise our creativity ,unite and turn  things around.Hopefully we will be successful in changing the way this thing works.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

IS VIRGINITY THAT BIG?

When I was a child i was curious to knowing what others didnt. Nobody of my age cared what " dhall condom" sticken into the boards at some irregular spots of East West Highway meant. I wanted the answer. I asked it to one of my frankest guardian,,,,,my late grandmom. Such issues being a taboo in our society the answer what I received could not be fair. Still she tried her best and was able to satisfy me.

Now at this age I am curious for thing far more complicated than mere rubber. Still while most of the Nepalese linger about teaching other fellows how to wear condom.......i am now curious why is a thin membrane that covers the vagina of a women taken so seriously. Ya male virginity may still be under scrutiny but not as that as much of women.

I want to give you an example. After a well put on marital ceremony one of my relatives (a female) was returned maternal home....just for being accused of having sex with a men previous to marriage.  Now what  does it matter to that boy and his family...that with whom the girl slept with previous to marriage.

You may say ya it matters for a girl  to be a virgin so as to guarntee her of being married to a eligible boy.That same thinking has put the life of many widows colourless. So women forget about remarrying after divorce...and ya thats how we linger back.

What is wrong if we have consent in having pre marital sex.We must remain honest to our partner whether it be pre marital, marital  or post marital relationship. That is what we need not neccesarily a virgin couple being married into and virtually being pushed to have sex with unknown person.(I mean in arranged marriage thats the case)...So may be we open our eyes,,and may be Nepal Police stop raiding couples having sex other than that of lacking mutual consent, immature ages  and illegal prostitution

Thursday, March 31, 2011

RUN HARD LADIES

Lately I have got into an irregular  habit of running down the crooked lanes leading up to the Pashupati Temple in the early morning. I had a sure feeling that the no. of males running alongside me would outnumber that of females and that too by a large margin.I was wrong.

I was astonished by the no of young girls and middle aged women coming in a gang, or with company of their husbands boyfriends,,,,,or brothers. That was different from what i saw when i joggled down the same route some ten year back in my blue adidas track suit trying to keep up with my fathers' pace.Maybe now at 20 I am more inclined to look at ladies for obvious reasons but I assure you something has changed.

Maybe the era of Korean slim actresses has taken over or many have carried out their lessons from baba Ramdev or have role modelled Mitchell Obama but I feel a change in mentality among most of the city dwelling women.Being educated almost with the same investment as their male counterparts and with the confidence that women too can do something more than just getting married off to a rich guy they have begun to take care of their physical fitness seriously.

Thats not only what i have noticed lately.Last 3 months I have begun to take it upon myself to walk on foot from New Baneshwor to Old Baneshwor every Friday and I feel the difference. Working ladies looking smart in their fitting ladies suit! Wonderful! Now that the change has begun to occur  lets hope matured women dont get them self quoted as just being a housewife.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

DONT YOU SMELL SOMETHING WRONG?

I am one of those few students who have had the opportunity of
studying at  both Tri Chandra College (few months) and Kathmandu
University. The difference is striking . Many may point to the huge
difference in the fees that the two institute charge as a cause. That
may be a reason but the other major factor is the politics that
affects both the institution.
When you enter into Tri Chandra you cannot ignore the big boards of
political figures like Prachanda or Madan Bhandari welcoming you. That
surprised me. Are they so big a scientist to be there?  A step of few
leaders of the fellow student unions to please their senior comrades
has given the educational institution an ugly political look. Once you
enter into the college arena you can feel numerous unknown
people(obviously these are party affiliated student leaders)  shaking
hand with you and the funny thing is they may do  it even twice or
thrice to you in a single day. They don’t attend class regularly or in
most of the cases not at all (that’s why they have the time to discuss
politics and shake hands with every students).Silly thing is, student
politics is taken as a footstep to senior party politics. How about
the media? They constantly accuse politics in Colleges as a major
factor for degrading educational standards. On the contrary, when it
comes to student union election they portray it as a “mini election”
for the major parties to check their strength on ground.
Kathmandu University has clearly stated in its rules that no student
union affiliated to political parties shall be entertained. At least
that was among the points that I signed while I got admitted . There
are no such boards of political figures neither you can see offices of
such student wings. It clearly has a provision of a Student Welfare
Council, were members are elected among the class representatives
(i.e. one who have won from their respective class commonly known as
CR).This policy certainly discourages those sort of leaders who don’t
attend classes and later fight for the place in the student council.
The rules were broken though. I have two good examples to back it up.
When Girija Prasad Koirala, the then president of Nepali Congress,
died a notice was stuck on the notice board of the university gate
under the authority of Nepal Student Union –Kathmandu University wing.
Everybody saw it. The rules were broken. It seems as if the rules had
changed. Sadly, I didn’t know it or simply I don’t want  to come in
terms with it. Second one is related to the recent visit of Dr.Baburam
Bhattarai and the other fellow comrade(I forgot his name) of UCPN
Maoist. I too was interested in listening to him. A learned man and a
celebrated engineer himself  I hoped it to be fruitful. When I was to
enter the auditorium  it was clear the program was a political one
organized by the student union close to the Maoists popularly known as
“krantikaris”. I turned around and returned. How easy have we made for
the leaders to forget the rules? An individual is greater than a
University? Shame on us who attended!  If the rule is obsolete why
don’t simply throw it away rather than breaking it more than seldom.
Last Tuesday we had the student welfare council election. Two of my
friends stood up for the post of CR from my class. To my knowledge
they are merely interested or involved in active pro party politics.
At the time of election, the environment turns so ironic that they had
to have a backing from at least a political student wing. Getting
substantial post in the Student Welfare Council, is impossible until
you back a political wing or vice versa.
I felt sad and remained absent in the election. I can’t simply blame
my friends. Problem lies somewhere else. Slowly but surely we are
taking the wrong step by allowing such things to happen freely and go
unnoticed.  Now the former students who were the leaders of such
political student wings roam around the University during the election
trying to influence the voting pattern. After a decade we shall have
many more such “leaders” fighting for influence. Then we may have to
allocate a week for the election to the contrary of a single day in
the present day situation. The most troubling thing is I heard
teachers influencing students to vote to a certain political wing. One
of my friends reportedly received SMS from a fellow teacher to vote a
certain way. How fair is that? We all are hungry for power and
influence. The student unions create such atmosphere that we cannot
account for consensus in a class of 60.How can they suggest their
senior party leaders to form a government of consensus?.
It’s hard to create and sustain a university of caliber of as ours.
The result of politicization of the Student Council has shown its
obvious result. The University has been padlocked  since the election
.This is just one of the few problems that shall arise. In this path,
we shall surely reach a day where the VC, Registrar, Controller all
are from various political backing. Professors shall be hired in terms
of their political belongings and than we shall slide back once and
for all.
People may question me, how can the students be made politically aware
without making them involved in such pro party politics. They give me
example of various universities having pro party student election. The
problem I see is why do we always have to follow others. Why can’t we
lead by examples? If we want political awareness, why can’t we hold
political debates bringing politicians from world around. American
Universities holds debate between the candidates running for the post
of president. One of the Universities even invited the Iranian
President  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a debate. Why can’t we bring three
leaders of top parties and hold a heated debate regarding the
education policy they have neglected so easily? That way we shall be
politically aware and in fact ahead of other institutions which simply
hold a propaganda style one dimensional pro party conference with
senior party leaders. Maybe we come to realize that only few Nepalese
leaders have the quality to withstand such debates with a highly rated
academia.
We all are students and we all have the same agenda. We want quality
education .That’s it. We are being broken down into different fringes
due to the selfishness of political parties. Is there something called
pro communist physics or pro capitalist chemistry. No! So, why do we
have to be affiliated to one? We are surrendering our precious time
listening to the propaganda of our top leaders saying students should
now take the charge of the country. What they simply want us to be is
to be ready to block the roads when they don’t have the government .
Gosh , I recall Prachanda saying he wants to turn Universities to
Barracks. The students listened and clapped, and we revolt when we
feel questions are tough or when the exam centers are too tight. Such
are we into the shell of politics and power. We have forgotten what’s
right and what’s wrong.
Kathmandu University, I thought took a brave step and sought a new
system of remaining away from politics. Nobody cared of it when it was
small and in it early days. Now that it has grown and has turned
influential everyone wants a share of the pie. I have begun to smell
something wrong. We too are falling prey of dirty politics. We should
be aware of it right now .Small but irreversible changes shall hurt us
big in future. Otherwise, one day we shall be the same as Tri Chandra
were no entrance tests are taken, professors don’t come at time and
the student union elections stops the planned syllabus. Then the
experts shall flood in the op-ed with articles as much like they do
now commenting about the status of Tribhuvan University.It shall be
too late by then.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

REFLECTION ON A CHANGING TOWN !

 Some precious making of my childhood took place at this  very town,  Lalbandi.If i know things such as tyre gada, a couple or two things more about the Haat bazar or rice harvesting all of the credit goes to this fellow town.I rode a buffalo here and i am learning to ride a motorbike here.The change is evident and can be felt in every aspect of lifestyle of people living here. The country has changed and as I say Lalbandi too have adjusted.....and more over has emerged as an important hub of the bordering( to India) Sarlahi District.

Lets begin with education. As I was a small kid, there were three boarding schools...and a primary and a secondary school in the whole neighbourhood. Now things have changed, the no of boarding( understand as private english medium school) has almost tripled.Higher Secondary and Bachelor Degrees has been introduced.Ya,,,,,,,these things make much of a difference but the other more important thing is the changed perception among the people.Unlike me, who carelessly squeezed  shirt into an unironed pant.....and locked the belt so ugly and then the knot of the tie which would sway in any possible arc about my neck my little brothe( my uncle's son) a nursery student cares for his uniform in every possible way.Smiling to myself I thought that was an individual phenomenon(as we say him nakkale),i peeped into the street leading to a popular boarding school early in the morning, and everyone were smart. Hair well oiled coupled with  handsome combing and a  neat handkerchief stitched with a saftey pin to the blue school sweater.WOW! what a scene.People have begun to take schooling as a wholistic approach of development of their child's personality.A significant change which is still lacking in various parts of the country.

Lets look at the second aspect employment.All Lalbandians combined still may not form a billionaire.Maybe not even half of it.But, almost all have managed to attach themselves to a satisfactory job(as per their qualification) apart from their regular agricultural practices.The amazing thing is, places like Lalbandi offers people and especially children to grow up in environment which will make them an allrounder of some sort.In an avergae family(lets assume a liitle more than average), children have an unique opportunity to learn how to milk a cow and simultaneously post the video of it on a facebook page.

Sub Urban place like Lalbandi are now the next frontier of Nepal which may play a dashing role in overcoming the widening rift between big cities and small villages.And also from a ethnic point of view Lalbandi provides a diverse yet peaceful blend of Mongols, Pahadeys and Madhesis.

Today, when i talk to people in Lalbandi, they are optimistic about their future.They seem to invest in their home town with ease and feel people in Kathmandu are a just an inch ahead in terms of infrastructure( education, banking, hospital etc.) but yards away in terms of quality of life(coziness,stress, pollution etc.).Amazingly enough people of this town have begun to take the later aspect as an important integral of a successful life.
Evidently, Lalbandi is expanding rate of immigration is higher than that of emmigration and hopefully turns into a happyily self sustaining municipality in the near future!