Friday, April 30, 2010

Puzzling long hair



I always loved my long hair simply because I believe that hair is like an ornament of man’s mind, as diamonds are a girl’s best friend. Every man’s hair determines his personality. However, in eastern societies hardly anyone accepts long hair. If someone has long hair, they will presume that a normal educated and intelligent guy is a ‘Hero’ or ‘Dada’ or ‘Gunda’.

Once I had to attend a job interview in a reputed Internet company in Kathmandu. I was surprised when an interviewer said, “Before I accept you as an employee in our organization, please cut your long hair.” I was in a dilemma. However, I had to get rid of my long hair in order to secure a job in the reputed Internet company. Sadly for me, I lost my lovely long hair.

It seems that people evaluate you based on your looks and appearances. Today, my appearance looks as they would like me to look. Short hair, most of the people believe is a smart and trendy look, but it depends on different type of faces. Short hair suits some and long hair others.

I believe that there are three step processes for things which are in or around us.

In the first step, we either buy an object or we just learn to live with those objects within us (long hair, six fingers, seven toes etc). In the second step, we either leave them or destroy them and, in my case, I had to destroy it. I had to get rid of my long hair in order to get a proper job and in the final step, we either pray that the new object/things which will fascinate us will appear to us or grow within us. ( I am praying that I will have long hair again but it will take some time).

I do not know why I am making these theoretical assumptions. Maybe, they are for grief for losing the lovely long hair I once had. The hair, mouth, nose, ears and lips are the main parts of human faces. Everything in our body is a part of our body, and  they make up part of our personality. If we cannot love our body, how are we supposed to love ourselves and then others?


Published: The Himalayan Times
2010-04-28 
Op-Ed: Topix

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Remember

Remember me,
When I am long gone into the woods,
Into the darkness of unnamed island,
Where no one humanly blooms,
Remember me without sadness
The way I touched you,
Will never, ever come back!

Remember me, when you will miss, the elegance
Of the man, the way I walked into your house,
In small village, journeying,
Just to get your glimpse, and smell your hair
Or, to share a kiss for a moment
That never lasted so long.

Remember me, when you will be all left alone
And there will be no man near your arms,
Remember me when someone else will
Try to make you laugh, the way I did,
May bring you, such delight, o my life!

I know you will say that:
“You will not remember me”
But, I know, My Rosemary darling,
That love is in, no man’s land.

So, when I will be long gone in that much unknown land,
With no one left behind to wipe your tears
Or, make you smile
And kiss you in your deep blue eyes
Please, remember me

Without grief, in you’re humanly life
As time flows with the sky

Remember me, as I will always remember you
In every moments,
Which I will spend without you!



© 2010 by  Santosh Kalwar



Sunday, April 25, 2010

Press releases: You Can

Lappeenranta, Finland, April 24, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Many of the times, we feel depressed and sad. It is very obvious that, we as the humans are in great need of inspirations during different phases of our lives. It is also known that there are thousands of self-help and inspirational books but hardly these books give suitable insights or ‘an inch of inspiration’. Therefore, unlike these self-help books, poems can be the best source of inspiration. What if you can read golden words of inspiration for free?

In his new book with very interesting title, "You Can", a young Nepalese poet from Chitwan, Nepal promises scintillating encouragement and motivation in his book, a collection of several inspiring poems.




Santosh Kalwar is an author of nine published books entitled, "Nature God (2008), Human behavior on the Internet (2009), A Very First Book of Poems (2009), ...109 Quotes, 07 Poems, and a song of despair (2009)..., 20 Love Poems and Economy Crisis (2009), 25 Sexy Poems (2009), Yet another book of Poems (2009), Happening: Poems (2010) and I Am Dead Man Alive (2010).

“You Can” is a collection of very inspiring poems by the young and talented poet, first published in 2010 by Lulu.com. The book is available to download for free. The book is collection of several intriguing and motivating poems written to inspire all ages. The poems are highly motivational that will stimulate the readers to achieve significant goals in life.

These poems can inspire anyone including business people, professionals and service man or women. Many of the times people need to inspire themselves. Therefore, these poems promise to provide encouragement for all those sad souls living on the planet.

Santosh Kalwar is a PhD candidate in Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland. He loves reading and writing poetry. To arrange a book signing or interview, contact the writer. For further information about the writer, please visit author website at kalwar.com.np

ISBN 978-1-4457-5770-4

To place orders for the book, contact: Lulu.com

URL: lulu.com/product/paperback/you-can/10661154

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Desire and Misery


I am writing this with reference to the article by Arun Gupto ”Miseries of a nation: Desire” (April 14). I liked the way the writer has gathered data on ‘desire’ but  I am little skeptical about how desires would lead to misery. The conclusion of the article looks inspiring when one talks about the epic story of our religion. It is true that many of our politicians harbor a great desire to rule our nation but hardly anyone has become successful. As a writer, I would probably understand your expression.
It is obvious that there are many ways to look at the same things. Writers and scholars have great imaginative powers but politicians are not so imaginative. They do what they are told to do. However, it is not desire or power alone which will make us successful and happy because it is important for each Nepali to bear the burdens of carrying our actions themselves.
It is the desire of each Nepali politicians to rule the nation and become decision makers. They should also pay heed to the public because whatever our leaders desire will affect us too.

Santosh Kalwar
via myrepublica.com

Published: Republica
Letters to the Editor/Your Say
Source: myrepublica 

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Press releases: I Am Dead Man Alive

What happens when a person is dead? Human beings are one of the most intelligent creatures in this planet but no one knows till date where they go after their death.

A young Nepalese poet from Chitwan, Nepal answers these significant questions in his new book of poems, a collection of fifty poems, full of creative insights and imagination. Kalwar is prolific writer, poet and researcher.

He is author of eight published books entitled, "Nature God (2008), Human behavior on the Internet (2009), A Very First Book of Poems (2009), ...109 Quotes, 07 Poems, and a song of despair (2009)..., 20 Love Poems and Economy Crisis (2009), 25 Sexy Poems( 2009), Yet another book of Poems (2009) and Happening: Poems (2010).



I am dead man alive is a collection of death poems by the Nepalese poet Santosh Kalwar, first published in 2010 by PublishAmerica. The book is collection of several dark poems written to visualize the past, present and the future of human life. The poem is mainly about the death. These poems reflect how one should consider living on present moment and not fear the death.

I am dead man alive represents ancient, classical, modern and contemporary human times in very poetic manner. The state of physical, spiritual, and rational sensation is aroused in this book. The book brings new light and questions simple phenomenon of human life and death.

Santosh Kalwar is a PhD candidate in Lappeenranta University of Technology, Lappeenranta, Finland. He loves reading and writing poetry. He is currently working for his first novel.
For further information about the writer, please visit at http://kalwar.com.np

ISBN 9781448940394


To place orders for the book, contact:
PublishAmerica LLLP
P.O. Box 151
Frederick, MD 21705
(301) 695-1707
URL: Purchase

To arrange a book signing or interview, contact Santosh Kalwar at santoshkalwar@gmail.com

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Problems

****************************
Problems
****************************
I was searching to resolve my problems
I found nothing but more problems
I guess, life is all about moving on
when time is short for mere cries
let us share, our problems
friends alike, mind alike
thinkers and lovers alike
someday
as, we all have to die
maybe then,
our problems will no
more be alive
****************************

Monday, April 12, 2010

Possibly "thank you" in Portuguese !

Possibly "thank you" in Portuguese !

Recently, I traveled on my first scientific conference to Porto, Portugal. Porto is second largest city in the country after capital-Lisbon. The experience of the journey was horrific. Can you imagine falling in love with a city and the people, although it was only for just four days?

I met many pretty ladies in the conference in Porto and also many lonesome men like me-maybe to go wild in the romantic rainy climate of the Porto.

One of the pretty ladies said, “Do you know my husband ….” After that I didn’t wanted to store any piece information from a beautiful lady.

I wonder why these good looking Portuguese girls are “missing” their husband or boy friend and I have to handle the situation or listen to their sad stories. Poor Me! However, maybe I am born to solve the problem on love, truth and relationships.

I could not stand giving my piece of so called “wise advice” on that very lady and ended up saying, “You know, those who are close to heart are never missed.” Finally, she laughed and said, “Obrigado”, Thanks God, what does that word means?

After listening too many of the boring lectures and presentations by so called, “scientists”, I got frustrated and decided to visit some of the places such as harbor, port wine sellers and smell the cool breeze coming from Antarctic Ocean near the fort beach.

The smell was so beautiful and romantic. I talked with Portuguese couples. They hardly were very good at speaking English and I myself do not claim to be very good as well. Nevertheless with my curiosity, I asked with them, “How long you guys have been together?” the girl replied, “it has been seven years” Smilingly, I cherished their togetherness and felt “proud” of such Portuguese couple.

Many of the couples in recent days have trouble being together. I decided to taste some of the famous port wine and think on the reasons behind “not being together”. Under the smell of cool breeze near the harbor, with my eyes closed and beautiful romantic singers singing “tunes of Porto”, I invented something great that Einstein would have been proud of – The trouble is not with the couples but with the ever changing situation of globalized world and the economy.

Recession has hit in each and every corners of the globe. With less money, how can someone will have so called, “honey?”

My conversation with the Portuguese couple didn’t last long. I shared the same idea, wished them “good luck” for their future in their relationship and shared smiled in Portuguese way. They looked very happy with my piece of wisdom that I shared with them, In return they said, “Obrigado” to me.

Again, I have to come back to the conference arena. I started to wonder why these boring conferences are held. Then I realized maybe it is to “network and mingle” with like minded peoples. However, there were hardly anyone who was talking “romance and love” in the scientific conference and my journey was completely different that ordinary scientists or maybe I should have gone to 'romantic scientific conferences' rather than that I went.

Apparently, I saw another single mom, who was from Porto and she started to share her feelings of relationships with me. She said, “Do you know that love does not last forever, I was married with a professor for twenty five years but our relationship didn’t work out.” I wonder why?

I was so intelligent with my words that I disguised my appearance –as if I was feeling sad and said to her, “I am so sorry for your unsuccessful romantic life, maybe whatever we do is a based on our karma” The Hindu philosophical wisdom didn’t impressed her so I decided to give the Christian faith unto her. “Do not worry, you will find someone better, someday” Now, she seemed more satisfied with the response. More than ninety percent of population is Roman Catholic, I guess!

After couple of hours of wise talk, she finally got satisfied with the wisdom we shared.
The final day was approaching and the conference was coming to an end. There were more problems that could have been seen, heard or shared but ‘time is money’. Insofar, I wanted to hear more and help these people more but every journey has an end.

Every time I talked with these couples and shared my piece of wisdom with them, they said, “obrigado”. My lack of Portuguese was very unsatisfactory, I could not understand the meaning behind the word and I assumed that it won’t mean anything bad about me or about my color of skin or about my piece of wisdom.

I didn’t even had computer to “Google translate” the word. Therefore, my journey came to an end when I safely landed to Helsinki but the cold breeze smelled so frustrating and melancholy that I started to feel the same.

In conclusion, the journey of love of any place, or any experience with new people, country or conference is always like “the beginning of an end or maybe end of the beginning” By the way, what do you think, “Obrigado” would have meant? Possibly, “thank you” in Portuguese!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Who Knows?

Who knows? What love is?
Who knows? What pain is?
Who knows? How long I will live
Who know? About the life

Everyone is born alone
Have to die alone
Do you know what aloneness is?

Loneliness is not aloneness
I can be alone but never lonely
There is always someone
With whom you share:
Smile, sorrow, pain, love, life
There is no one
Who goes along with you? When you die

In a very short visit,
Whilst this life,
I found you:
Smile

Who knows?
Maybe you disguised me
So that I will too
Smile
Who knows?
Why are we fighting? When no one comes out alive

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Broken promises

It is true that many Nepali women are betrayed by middlemen who promise them rosy jobs and lofty dreams in foreign land (“Hard labour,” April 5, Page 6). No human should mislead another by promising them something they know to be untrue.

The number of women mentioned in your editorial is scary. However, it is apparent that this is not only a problem for women in Gulf countries or Lebanon, but also in the rest of the world. Therefore, the violence against women should be taken into consideration and those found guilty brought to justice, whether at home or abroad. What is the foreign ministry doing about women migrants? I recommend all Nepali brothers and sisters to do their homework properly before trusting middlemen to secure them a job in a foreign land.

Santosh Kalwar

Chitwan


Published: The Kathmandu Post
Letter to the Editor
Source: eKantipur

Sunday, April 4, 2010

April fool

The origin of April fool day is unknown, as the origin of the universe seems unknown. There are theories but theories are mostly based on ideas of people. Mainly our eastern culture is influenced by western culture for the celebration of April fool day. April fool day is dedicated to play pranks and make joke among friends and families.

When I logged into my Facebook and twitter pages, I was getting lots of “amazing updates”. For example, Osama bin laden is dead; Nepal became only Hindu State in the entire world; The Beatles are alive; climate change is unreal; earthquake may hit all parts of globe; Jesus Christ son is alive and so on and so forth.

After hearing such amazing updates, I started to think seriously. What is going on? My quest for mysterious search of “holy grail” of an unanswered question was at dismay.

So, I went back again to my facebook page for a heart comforting answers. After few seconds, a friend in my Facebook commented, “You look like Johnny Depp”. Since, I have a tendency to take everything seriously. I wonder if I do or am I being fool to be called, ‘the great, Johnny Depp’.

This is very personal statement and it asks many questions not only on personal level but also about human faces or “look-alikes”.

We are around six billion human living on this planet and it may be obvious that one can look alike another. But do I and Johnny look-like one another? Does it make any difference if I look like Johnny or if Johnny looks like me? I think it will.

It won’t make any difference if I look alike Johnny since he is a great Hollywood actor and everybody him from his famous pirate movies. However, if he looks like me then it might create problem for him because I am an unknown poet, writer and researcher. I wonder if someone like him would like to be like me.

I might be visually similar to Depp but do I really want to call as his “look-alike”. It is quite nice to hear that you look like someone who is famous and great but how about one’s self esteem and value? I get easily angry when somebody compares one individual to another. We all are unique in one ways or another, Aren’t we?

As the Easter is coming, I was walking lonely, slowly and peacefully near my residential Church, I met another friend of mine and he said, “Hey, Buddy, how you doing man, you look so cool in your black jacket, you look like Johnny depp”. Holy Cow! Which day is today, I asked.
He said, “Today is first of April, Man! I am sorry, I was just kidding…making you fool”.
Finally, I realized both of these friends were making fool of me. I was getting angry for nothing. It’s an April fool day!

Saturday, April 3, 2010

The Lunatic by Laxmi Prasad Devkota

The Lunatic

Surely, my friend, insane am I
Such is my plight.

I visualize sound.
I hear the visible.
And fragrance I taste.
And the ethereal is palpable to me.
Those things I touch--
Whose existence the world denies,
Of whose shape the world is unaware.
I see a flower in the stone--
when wavelet-softened pebbles on the water's edge,
In the moonlight,
While the enchantress of heaven is smiling unto me.
They exfoliating, mollifying,
Glistening and palpitating,
Rise before my eyes like tongueless things insane,
Like flowers,
A variety of moonbirds,
I commune with them as they do with me,
In such a language, friend,
As is never written, nor ever printed, nor ever spoken,
Unintelligible, ineffable all.
Their language laps the moonlit Ganges shore,
Ripple by ripple,
Surely, my friend, am I insane,
Such is my plight.

Clever and eloquent you are!
Your formulas are ever running correct.
But in my calculations one minus one is always one.
You work with your senses five,
With the sixth I operate.
Brains you have, my friend,
But the heart is mine.
To you a rose is but a rose,
It embodies Helen and Padmini for me.
You are strong prose,
But I am liquid poetry.
You freeze, I melt,
You decant when I go muddy.
When I am muddled, you are clear.
And just the other way about.
You have a world of solids,
Mine is one of vapour
Yours is thick and mine is thin.
You take a stone for hard reality,
I seek to catch a dream,
Just as you try to grab that cold sweet, minted coin's round reality.
Mine is a badge of thorns,
But yours is one of gold and adamant.
You call the mountains mute,
But orators do I call them.
Surely, my friend, a vein is loose in my brain.
I am insane,
Such is my plight.

In the frigid winter month,
I basked in the first white heat of the astral light.
They called me crazy.
Back from the burning-ghat,
Blank-eyed I sat for seven days,
They cast their eyes on me and called me one possessed.
Shocked by the first streak of frost on a fair lady’s tresses,
For a length of three days my sockets filled and rolled.
For the Buddha, the enlightened one, touched me in the depths,
And they called me one distraught.
When I danced to the bursting notes of the harbinger of the spring,
They called me one gone crazy.
One moonless night, all dead and still,
Annihilation choked my soul,
And up I jumped upon my feet.
And the fools of the world put me in the stocks.
I sang with the tempest one day,
And the wise-acres of the world dispatched me down to Ranchi.
And once when at full stretch I lay upon my bed,
As one but dead,
A friend of mine pinched me so sharp.
And said, "Oh mad man,
Is thy flesh now dead?"
Year by year such things did occur,
And still, my friend, I am insane,
Such is my plight.

I have called the Nawab’s wine all blood.
And the courtesans all corpses.
And the king a pauper.
I have denounced Alexander the Great.
And I have deprecated the so-called high-souled ones.
And the insignificant individual I have raised,
Up an ascending arch of praises,
Into the seventh heaven.
Your highly learned men are my big fools.
Your heaven is my hell.
Your gold, my iron.
Friend, your piety, my sin.
Where you feel yourself clever,
There, there,
I find you a stupid innocent.
Your progression is regression to me.
Such is the upsetting of values, friend,
Your universe to me is but a hair.
Surely, my friend,
I am absolutely moon-struck,
Moon-struck indeed,
Such is my plight.

I find the blind the people’s pioneers.
The cave-penancer do I find a runaway, the deserter of humanity.
And those who climb the platform of lies do I declare to be but dancers dark.
And I declare the defeated ones the splendid laurelled victors.
Advancement is retreat.
May be I am a squint
Or that I am a crack, friend,
Just but a crack.

Look at the strumpet-tongues adancing of shameless leadership!
At the breaking of the backbones of the people’s rights!
When the sparrow-headed bold prints of black lies on the papers,
Challenge the hero in me called Reason,
With conspiracy false,
Then redden hot my cheeks, my friend,
And their colour is up.
when the unsophisticated folk quaff off black poison with their ears
Taking it for ambrosia,
And that before my eyes, my friend,
Then every hair rises on end,
Like the serpent-tresses of the Gorgons,
Every one so irritated!
When I see the tiger pouncing upon the innocent deer,
Or the big fish after the smaller ones,
Then even into my corroded bones, my friend,
The terrible strength of the soul of Dadhichi--the sage,
Enters and seeks utterance.
Like a clouded day crashing down to earth in the thunderbolt,
When man regards a man as no man,
Then gnash my teeth and grind my jaws, set with the two and thirty teeth,
Like Bhimsen's teeth, the terror-striking hero's,
And then,
Rolling round my fury-reddened eyeballs,
With an inscrutable sweep,
I look at this inhuman human world
Like a tongue of fire.
The machine parts of my frame jump out of their places,
Disordered and disturbed!
My breath swells into a storm,
Distorted is my face,
My brain is in a blaze,
Like a wild conflagration.
I am infuriated like a forest fire,
Frenzied, my friend,
As one who would devour the world immense,
Surely, my friend,
I am the moonbird of the beautiful,
The iconoclast of ugliness!
The tenderly cruel!
The bird that steals the celestial fire!
The child of the tempest!
I am the wild eruption of a volcano insane!
Terror personified!
Surely, my friend,
I am a whirl-brain, whirl-brain,
And such is my plight!

Friday, April 2, 2010

Ecclesiastes 1

Ecclesiastes 1 (New International Version)

Ecclesiastes 1

Everything Is Meaningless

1 The words of the Teacher, [a] son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless."

3 What does man gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?

4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.

6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.

7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.

8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,
nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.

11 There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow.

Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men! 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
15 What is twisted cannot be straightened;
what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
the more knowledge, the more grief.

Footnotes:
Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or leader of the assembly ; also in verses 2 and 12