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
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
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!
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!
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
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
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The Art of Loving
I was reading a book called, “The Art of Loving” by Eric Fromm written during 1956. The book consists of wide range of ideas, not about “how to love” but “what love is”. It makes us think that love can be an art.
It is apparent that definitions of love vary based on people attitudes, experiences and believes. In addition, what love is, to me, may not be the same, for another person. We all are philosophers, at some point in life. In particular, when we talk on “world perspectives” for example, love, life, faith, religion and politics. Therefore, to generalize about love and on love, is to make an understatement about world perspectives.
In the final chapters of the book, Fromm articulates and answers if love is an art or not. He suggests that love is an art just like any other art, music, poetry, painting, carpentry and engineering. In every art, there are key elements. Three key elements which are necessary ingredients for love: Discipline, Concentration and Patience.
Generally, Sex plays a vital role in love. Fromm argues on Freud theory of “sexual pleasure” on love and rather suggests, “Sexual happiness” which is based on penetrating ‘hearts and minds’ of partner and ‘touching’ him/her in much, deeper sense. Maybe he meant ‘some kind of karmic connection’ is necessary to be happy and satisfied in love.
Many a great philosophers, poets and scientist have an opinion on love. My view is no different from Fromm’s perspective on love. He has clearly shown in his book that love is an art. There are several objects of love such as brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love, self –love, and love of God. Each of these love are different in one ways or another and these grow in time and space, as we do.
After reading a book, I have acquired a great deal of knowledge on love. However, love without practice and experience is not love. I have experienced many objects of love but still unsatisfied with the hunger for love. In a world where, we are consumers of food, drinks, a big bottle, a big breast; a big house, awesome car and great job. In more poetic sense, it seems that Love is not something for consumption.
Love is omnipresent and our appetite will always be unfulfilled for love. It is better for us because, without love, earth will not rotate, seasons will not change, birds will not sing and life will not exit.
As Eckhart has said, “If you love yourself, you love everybody else as you do yourself. As long as you love another person less that you love yourself, you will not really succeed in loving yourself, but if you love all alike, including yourself, you will love them as one person & that person is both God and man. Thus he is great & righteous person who, loving himself, loves all others equally.” I love you, all!
It is apparent that definitions of love vary based on people attitudes, experiences and believes. In addition, what love is, to me, may not be the same, for another person. We all are philosophers, at some point in life. In particular, when we talk on “world perspectives” for example, love, life, faith, religion and politics. Therefore, to generalize about love and on love, is to make an understatement about world perspectives.
In the final chapters of the book, Fromm articulates and answers if love is an art or not. He suggests that love is an art just like any other art, music, poetry, painting, carpentry and engineering. In every art, there are key elements. Three key elements which are necessary ingredients for love: Discipline, Concentration and Patience.
Generally, Sex plays a vital role in love. Fromm argues on Freud theory of “sexual pleasure” on love and rather suggests, “Sexual happiness” which is based on penetrating ‘hearts and minds’ of partner and ‘touching’ him/her in much, deeper sense. Maybe he meant ‘some kind of karmic connection’ is necessary to be happy and satisfied in love.
Many a great philosophers, poets and scientist have an opinion on love. My view is no different from Fromm’s perspective on love. He has clearly shown in his book that love is an art. There are several objects of love such as brotherly love, motherly love, erotic love, self –love, and love of God. Each of these love are different in one ways or another and these grow in time and space, as we do.
After reading a book, I have acquired a great deal of knowledge on love. However, love without practice and experience is not love. I have experienced many objects of love but still unsatisfied with the hunger for love. In a world where, we are consumers of food, drinks, a big bottle, a big breast; a big house, awesome car and great job. In more poetic sense, it seems that Love is not something for consumption.
Love is omnipresent and our appetite will always be unfulfilled for love. It is better for us because, without love, earth will not rotate, seasons will not change, birds will not sing and life will not exit.
As Eckhart has said, “If you love yourself, you love everybody else as you do yourself. As long as you love another person less that you love yourself, you will not really succeed in loving yourself, but if you love all alike, including yourself, you will love them as one person & that person is both God and man. Thus he is great & righteous person who, loving himself, loves all others equally.” I love you, all!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Hard Truth
Death of former Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, popularly known as Girijababu, has shocked the nation. Death is a bitter reality that no power, religion, scientific endeavour or pill can prevent. It is a harsh and fundamental truth that each one of us must face it someday.
I remember a piece of wisdom my grandfather passed on to me before he died. He told me to recite this mantra daily: “I am going to die someday. But I am not sad about it today. If I am sad today of dying someday, then how am I supposed to live and do something today?”
I don’t know if this mantra really works. I suppose only a few of my learned readers may accept this philosophical convention. But it really does inspire and encourage me to live life to the fullest without being worried about death.
One invariable fact about life is that it will come to an end. But, it is not the destination that counts, rather the process by which one reaches the destination. If one fully lives their life on a day-to-day basis, one is bound to live a happier, healthier life. Despite this knowledge, many fear death. Imagine a scenario where somebody is standing in front of you, pointing a revolver towards your face. In such a scenario, one is bound to fear death. But fearing death for no present reason is not wise.
Before going any further on death, one has to understand the magnitude of fear, including the pain and suffering that the fear of death can cause. After reading several religious scriptures, I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of interesting ideas about death. For example, in the Bible, the ‘coming back’ of Jesus Christ is mentioned. Similarly, some Muslim scholars believe in the ‘coming back’ of the Prophet Mohammad. Hindus also believe in the concept of chaurasi janma. My childish mind doubts this though, without any proper reason to give. I believe that, take it or leave it, everyone has to die one day, and that is the only truth of this so-called, ‘human life’.
Life is not like a game of cricket where in one match if you are clean bold, you can come up fresh in the very next match. To me, life is about living in the present moment and feeling happy and thankful for being alive. It is about cherishing the memories of the past, creating new ideas and innovations in the present, learning from peers, and loving everything that has been placed front of us.
Sadly, our Girijababu is no longer with us, but his legacy and contributions to Nepali politics and the country will always be remembered forever.
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Post Platform
Source: eKantipur
I remember a piece of wisdom my grandfather passed on to me before he died. He told me to recite this mantra daily: “I am going to die someday. But I am not sad about it today. If I am sad today of dying someday, then how am I supposed to live and do something today?”
I don’t know if this mantra really works. I suppose only a few of my learned readers may accept this philosophical convention. But it really does inspire and encourage me to live life to the fullest without being worried about death.
One invariable fact about life is that it will come to an end. But, it is not the destination that counts, rather the process by which one reaches the destination. If one fully lives their life on a day-to-day basis, one is bound to live a happier, healthier life. Despite this knowledge, many fear death. Imagine a scenario where somebody is standing in front of you, pointing a revolver towards your face. In such a scenario, one is bound to fear death. But fearing death for no present reason is not wise.
Before going any further on death, one has to understand the magnitude of fear, including the pain and suffering that the fear of death can cause. After reading several religious scriptures, I have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of interesting ideas about death. For example, in the Bible, the ‘coming back’ of Jesus Christ is mentioned. Similarly, some Muslim scholars believe in the ‘coming back’ of the Prophet Mohammad. Hindus also believe in the concept of chaurasi janma. My childish mind doubts this though, without any proper reason to give. I believe that, take it or leave it, everyone has to die one day, and that is the only truth of this so-called, ‘human life’.
Life is not like a game of cricket where in one match if you are clean bold, you can come up fresh in the very next match. To me, life is about living in the present moment and feeling happy and thankful for being alive. It is about cherishing the memories of the past, creating new ideas and innovations in the present, learning from peers, and loving everything that has been placed front of us.
Sadly, our Girijababu is no longer with us, but his legacy and contributions to Nepali politics and the country will always be remembered forever.
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Post Platform
Source: eKantipur
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
My name is Khan
We all have choices and differences. The types of clothes we wear; the taste of different kinds of food and the different variety of movies that we watch. See, there is ‘differences’ of taste it also seems that there is ‘difference’ in how we perceive things.
Recently, I came across the movie named, “My name is Khan”. The movie itself has lot of ideas and message for the general people. However, the core idea suggests not all Muslims in World should be perceived as a terrorist. In general, it is very obvious that, neither any religious fate nor any spiritual dogma is above humanity.
From our ancestral times, we humans have divided ourselves into many religious faith and ethnicity. We also have divided the world as East, West, North and South. These divisions have side affect. After post 9/11 many of those people who has faith in ‘Islam’ has been seen as a possible terrorist in West. There are hundreds and thousands of sad stories and articles solely written for that particular event. The world is now divided into AC (After Christ), BC (Before Christ) and before or after 9/11.
It is shocking, isn’t it? When I visualize my own past memory by pressing the ‘back’ button, I am in 2001 AD. Then, I remembered this scary event, when I was on my ways to school in a bus and one of the nearby passenger said, “Twin tower collapsed in America”. And another man was gossiping and saying, “Osama bin laden seems to be bigger and larger than America, itself.”
As said in the movie, “In this world, there are two kinds of people: good and bad”. The good people do well but the bad people are the ones who use ‘religion’ and ‘politics’ to ‘make a match out of nothing’.
But after 9/11, the way, people in West perceived “Islam” in general was not good, as suggested in the movie. Moreover, one friend of mine, from America was suggesting, “Forget Islam, if they see black or brown looking face, the white folks think these people are all Muslims.” Wonder why?
Many of us worry about our past or future but the life itself is dramatically changing with the major events.(for example 9/11, Haiti Disaster etc) It is very obvious that, no religion can give us the ‘pills’ to survive the death.
Neither any scientific advancement can inject the ‘death pills’ either. The ultimate truth lies on how we behave to fellow human beings. The common purpose of human existence should never be judged by what kind of religious practices, they preach or what kind of color of the skin, they possess or which place they come from, east, west, north and south but on very simple phenomenon of who they really are and how they behave in society or community, in general.
One wise man once said, “Always remember, humanity is above any religion, sect, country or faith.”
Recently, I came across the movie named, “My name is Khan”. The movie itself has lot of ideas and message for the general people. However, the core idea suggests not all Muslims in World should be perceived as a terrorist. In general, it is very obvious that, neither any religious fate nor any spiritual dogma is above humanity.
From our ancestral times, we humans have divided ourselves into many religious faith and ethnicity. We also have divided the world as East, West, North and South. These divisions have side affect. After post 9/11 many of those people who has faith in ‘Islam’ has been seen as a possible terrorist in West. There are hundreds and thousands of sad stories and articles solely written for that particular event. The world is now divided into AC (After Christ), BC (Before Christ) and before or after 9/11.
It is shocking, isn’t it? When I visualize my own past memory by pressing the ‘back’ button, I am in 2001 AD. Then, I remembered this scary event, when I was on my ways to school in a bus and one of the nearby passenger said, “Twin tower collapsed in America”. And another man was gossiping and saying, “Osama bin laden seems to be bigger and larger than America, itself.”
As said in the movie, “In this world, there are two kinds of people: good and bad”. The good people do well but the bad people are the ones who use ‘religion’ and ‘politics’ to ‘make a match out of nothing’.
But after 9/11, the way, people in West perceived “Islam” in general was not good, as suggested in the movie. Moreover, one friend of mine, from America was suggesting, “Forget Islam, if they see black or brown looking face, the white folks think these people are all Muslims.” Wonder why?
Many of us worry about our past or future but the life itself is dramatically changing with the major events.(for example 9/11, Haiti Disaster etc) It is very obvious that, no religion can give us the ‘pills’ to survive the death.
Neither any scientific advancement can inject the ‘death pills’ either. The ultimate truth lies on how we behave to fellow human beings. The common purpose of human existence should never be judged by what kind of religious practices, they preach or what kind of color of the skin, they possess or which place they come from, east, west, north and south but on very simple phenomenon of who they really are and how they behave in society or community, in general.
One wise man once said, “Always remember, humanity is above any religion, sect, country or faith.”
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Beauty and Light
May, you live
Full day of your life
May, you find
Beauty
In your prince
Or princess eyes
My love for you
Is not bodily
Materialistic
Or, full of lies
As sun will shine
In heavenly sky
I will always
Kiss my light
Either in days
Or nights
Up above
Twinkling stars
Singing songs of
'Beauty & light'
Those
Who are, close
To me
Will always be
With me
My voices are
Of ocean's wave
My happiness
Comes with
The music
Of natural songs
I am no one
In the land of
"Silence"
Those who speak
Are not speaking
Truth, my life
Those who seek to speak
May, just be hiding
In dark light
May, you live
Full day of your life
Kisses
And goodbyes
Full day of your life
May, you find
Beauty
In your prince
Or princess eyes
My love for you
Is not bodily
Materialistic
Or, full of lies
As sun will shine
In heavenly sky
I will always
Kiss my light
Either in days
Or nights
Up above
Twinkling stars
Singing songs of
'Beauty & light'
Those
Who are, close
To me
Will always be
With me
My voices are
Of ocean's wave
My happiness
Comes with
The music
Of natural songs
I am no one
In the land of
"Silence"
Those who speak
Are not speaking
Truth, my life
Those who seek to speak
May, just be hiding
In dark light
May, you live
Full day of your life
Kisses
And goodbyes
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Incompetent PM
Going by your special editorial, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal told the worried business community that he was ‘helpless’, apparently to nab and take swift action against criminal elements (“Law and disorder,” March 3, Page 1). Such a statement is unbecoming of the head of the government and suggests that the prime minister is undeserving of the post.
Santosh Kalwar
Ratnanagar 4, Tandi
Chitwan
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Letters to the Editor
Santosh Kalwar
Ratnanagar 4, Tandi
Chitwan
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Letters to the Editor
Friday, March 5, 2010
Time to act
After reading several articles on the disputed concept of 2012, the end of the world, and watching hundreds of videos on You Tube, I finally decided to write about it.
Many contemporary scientists and astrologers have written books on 2012, and they have different opinions and ideas regarding it. Some believe that the world will come to an end in the year 2012 because of a mysterious supernova, natural disasters and polar shift while others discard it.
As there are always two sides of the coin, I believe that we should listen to different opinions coming from different sides and experts.
The idea of ‘polar shift’ was first suggested by Albert Einstein in 1955. Recent studies have suggested that ‘polar shift’ has happened in the past, and is likely to occur in coming days. If that happens, the entire earth will change its position with rocking earthquakes and rising tsunami flood and natural catastrophe. On a similar account, many astronomers have predicted that, the earth will be in exact alignment to the sun and the centre of the Milky Way galaxy in Dec. 21, 2012. They say that such event called as ‘galactic alignment’ occurs only once in every 25,800 years. No one can exactly predict the effect of such alignment on earth. But they believe that it will be disastrous. Similarly, many astronomers believe on ‘Mayan Calendar’ which predicts the end of time coming during the same date.
The world has evolved from Stone Age to agricultural, and has gradually moved towards industrial age and now it has reached to the technological. Despite the technological advancements we have, we still do not have a control over nature.
None of the above discussed predictions can be asserted as true or false. However, it would not be wrong to state that the world is currently facing several problems — both natural and human induced — which may be suggesting that ‘something huge’ is coming on our ways. Take for example, Haiti earthquake disaster, which killed almost 300,000 people. There is another recent incident of Chile, where around 700 people were killed by earthquake, tsunami and floods. Similarly, people in the Western Europe are reportedly facing a tough time with winter and snow. So, where is all this leading to?
Million dollar question to ask is: What are we doing? Is there nothing that we can do to prevent it from coming? The world leaders are after their own national agendas and interests. Sadly enough, they could not come together to the conclusion in the recently concluded Copenhagen conference on climate change. It seems that the money matters to us more than human lives and the earth. If the same pattern continues where climate change issues are ignored, mass killings are rampant, and religious and racial wars are raged, the earth will definitely be (or already is) in danger, as the proponents of 2012 concept believe and tell us.
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Post Platform
Source: ekantipur
Many contemporary scientists and astrologers have written books on 2012, and they have different opinions and ideas regarding it. Some believe that the world will come to an end in the year 2012 because of a mysterious supernova, natural disasters and polar shift while others discard it.
As there are always two sides of the coin, I believe that we should listen to different opinions coming from different sides and experts.
The idea of ‘polar shift’ was first suggested by Albert Einstein in 1955. Recent studies have suggested that ‘polar shift’ has happened in the past, and is likely to occur in coming days. If that happens, the entire earth will change its position with rocking earthquakes and rising tsunami flood and natural catastrophe. On a similar account, many astronomers have predicted that, the earth will be in exact alignment to the sun and the centre of the Milky Way galaxy in Dec. 21, 2012. They say that such event called as ‘galactic alignment’ occurs only once in every 25,800 years. No one can exactly predict the effect of such alignment on earth. But they believe that it will be disastrous. Similarly, many astronomers believe on ‘Mayan Calendar’ which predicts the end of time coming during the same date.
The world has evolved from Stone Age to agricultural, and has gradually moved towards industrial age and now it has reached to the technological. Despite the technological advancements we have, we still do not have a control over nature.
None of the above discussed predictions can be asserted as true or false. However, it would not be wrong to state that the world is currently facing several problems — both natural and human induced — which may be suggesting that ‘something huge’ is coming on our ways. Take for example, Haiti earthquake disaster, which killed almost 300,000 people. There is another recent incident of Chile, where around 700 people were killed by earthquake, tsunami and floods. Similarly, people in the Western Europe are reportedly facing a tough time with winter and snow. So, where is all this leading to?
Million dollar question to ask is: What are we doing? Is there nothing that we can do to prevent it from coming? The world leaders are after their own national agendas and interests. Sadly enough, they could not come together to the conclusion in the recently concluded Copenhagen conference on climate change. It seems that the money matters to us more than human lives and the earth. If the same pattern continues where climate change issues are ignored, mass killings are rampant, and religious and racial wars are raged, the earth will definitely be (or already is) in danger, as the proponents of 2012 concept believe and tell us.
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Post Platform
Source: ekantipur
Thursday, March 4, 2010
She walks in beauty
She walks in beauty
The way she walks, like a rain dear in the night
Of smiling cloud up above the Finnish Sky
Gentleness surrounds with her movement
Dwindling across the waves in an ocean
Peaceful serenity around
The smile ever wins, the days which glows
A beautiful mind in peace shows
Without any sorrows
A heart full of love
So innocent and shyness all around
She walks in beauty
Like a rain dear
Down below the heart of Finnish Sky
The way she walks, like a rain dear in the night
Of smiling cloud up above the Finnish Sky
Gentleness surrounds with her movement
Dwindling across the waves in an ocean
Peaceful serenity around
The smile ever wins, the days which glows
A beautiful mind in peace shows
Without any sorrows
A heart full of love
So innocent and shyness all around
She walks in beauty
Like a rain dear
Down below the heart of Finnish Sky
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
My Country Awake
Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
by Rabindranath Tagore
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
by Rabindranath Tagore
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Blind
I wish
I was blind
I would never have
Seen you, then!
My sweet beautiful
Angel or sunshine
Why are you going away?
From this life or,
Why am I killing my own life?
I wish
I was blind
No lust, no emotion
No feelings
Would have aroused,
In this unfarmed land.
Only those who seek me,
Would have known me
Only those who truly love me,
Would have loved me back
But I know, nobody loves
The blind
I was blind
I would never have
Seen you, then!
My sweet beautiful
Angel or sunshine
Why are you going away?
From this life or,
Why am I killing my own life?
I wish
I was blind
No lust, no emotion
No feelings
Would have aroused,
In this unfarmed land.
Only those who seek me,
Would have known me
Only those who truly love me,
Would have loved me back
But I know, nobody loves
The blind
Sweet beloved
Oh dear soul,
Why do you worry?
Your heart
Is flooded with love
You need
A beautiful vessel
To preserve
Come on,
Hold on and don’t grieve
Your heart
Is filled with cosmic
Energy
You are floating around
This breeze!
Of love, of your sweet beloved
Why do you worry?
Your heart
Is flooded with love
You need
A beautiful vessel
To preserve
Come on,
Hold on and don’t grieve
Your heart
Is filled with cosmic
Energy
You are floating around
This breeze!
Of love, of your sweet beloved
Sunday, February 14, 2010
My Love
It was not my lips that you kissed but my heart,
It was not my heart that you broke but my life.
It was not the life that I ever wanted
But I have to live it, anyways, my love.
The smoke of fumes and shyness of red rose.
I will die one more time, just to see you, my love.
Happy or sad, I will always remain as yours, my love.
Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Ready for love
The Valentine's Day also called as St. Valentine's Day is the day when lovers express their love. To my utmost surprise, I am little confused, how am I going to celebrate this special day? As commonly said, “I am single ready to mingle”.
I am poor and lonely who do not have any girl friend or wife. That is not the whole part of the story. Do you know that I am not even famous since Wikipedia under my name defines the biography as, “This article may not meet the general notability guideline?” I know I am not famous and I do not want to, maybe that is one reason why I am still single.
Under extreme condition of cold windy winter of Finland, I am sitting on my couch and thinking: “What should I do during Valentine's Day?” Suddenly 'somebody inside me' suggests that I should call all my friends and relatives around the world and express them my gratitude for being part of me. But on the contrary, other half of the 'very somebody inside me' suggests that I should find someone beautiful just to love me.
Sometimes, I hear the voices inside me saying, “Your days are coming soon, so love yourself more each passing day.” However, my idiotic mind is against that very someone inside me and rather it suggests me to go drinking whiskey or smoking cigarette or to visit red, blue or white streets.
Most of the times, it seems that one always falls prey of the mind and do not listen to the voices that come from deep inside. However, whatever be the reason, I am still thinking how would I spend my valentine's day?
Once, one beautiful angel used to love me, but she gave up the “so called” relationship on the Valentine's Day, simply because I did not belong to her “caste”. Then couple of years later, another girl found me interesting, and it was again on the same Day, I was dumped by her. Poor Me!
After these sad experiences, it is no surprise that, Valentine's Day has become an important day to me. You see, I keep on losing love. On every new Valentine's Day, my heart is broken and I have to suffer extremely.
This valentine's day, I do not want to suffer. I will not start a new relationship since relationships are meant to be broken. I will not visit any red, blue or white streets either, since those streets do not have my name written on them. I will not drink or smoke to rectify my feelings. Above all, I will just be alone.
Some wise man has said, “Aloneness is the first lesson of love.” Maybe, I should learn from my mistakes and rather be alone. I had my heart broken into pieces but now I would like to mend them and put them back where it belongs, once again, on this Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day!
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Post Platform
Source: ekatnipur.com
I am poor and lonely who do not have any girl friend or wife. That is not the whole part of the story. Do you know that I am not even famous since Wikipedia under my name defines the biography as, “This article may not meet the general notability guideline?” I know I am not famous and I do not want to, maybe that is one reason why I am still single.
Under extreme condition of cold windy winter of Finland, I am sitting on my couch and thinking: “What should I do during Valentine's Day?” Suddenly 'somebody inside me' suggests that I should call all my friends and relatives around the world and express them my gratitude for being part of me. But on the contrary, other half of the 'very somebody inside me' suggests that I should find someone beautiful just to love me.
Sometimes, I hear the voices inside me saying, “Your days are coming soon, so love yourself more each passing day.” However, my idiotic mind is against that very someone inside me and rather it suggests me to go drinking whiskey or smoking cigarette or to visit red, blue or white streets.
Most of the times, it seems that one always falls prey of the mind and do not listen to the voices that come from deep inside. However, whatever be the reason, I am still thinking how would I spend my valentine's day?
Once, one beautiful angel used to love me, but she gave up the “so called” relationship on the Valentine's Day, simply because I did not belong to her “caste”. Then couple of years later, another girl found me interesting, and it was again on the same Day, I was dumped by her. Poor Me!
After these sad experiences, it is no surprise that, Valentine's Day has become an important day to me. You see, I keep on losing love. On every new Valentine's Day, my heart is broken and I have to suffer extremely.
This valentine's day, I do not want to suffer. I will not start a new relationship since relationships are meant to be broken. I will not visit any red, blue or white streets either, since those streets do not have my name written on them. I will not drink or smoke to rectify my feelings. Above all, I will just be alone.
Some wise man has said, “Aloneness is the first lesson of love.” Maybe, I should learn from my mistakes and rather be alone. I had my heart broken into pieces but now I would like to mend them and put them back where it belongs, once again, on this Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day!
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Post Platform
Source: ekatnipur.com
Feel the Sunlight!
******************************************
Feel the Sunlight!
******************************************
Feel the Sunlight!
******************************************
I lost her, I found her.
I lost her again, but never found her.
In loosing and gaining,
I think, “love is raining.”
I lost her again, but never found her.
In loosing and gaining,
I think, “love is raining.”
From high above, an angel sings:
Love me tenderly, just love me till the very end.
Love me tenderly, just love me till the very end.
From low below, a lonely lover sings:
I don’t know what is love, how can I love?
I don’t know what is love, how can I love?
No match found.
Cloud all over the sky.
Nothing is seen above or behind.
Time passes by, lover is awake.
What a joy is to feel alive!
A newly born baby kissing her mother’s breast.
An old man singing alone nearby the lonely street.
A writer finding treasures on his own territory.
An old man singing alone nearby the lonely street.
A writer finding treasures on his own territory.
These words may not rhyme
But
Romance kisses these fresh limes.
Good luck and feel the sun light.
**************************************
God bless you all !
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Mr. Mad Man
Once upon a time there was very young handsome man. He was handsome but everybody called him, “Mad”. He had lot of sentiments and emotion. One night, he was sitting on the top of the terrace, he was very lonely and he asked, “God, Why am I here?” God did not reply anything to him. He felt very sad. Later after few years, he completed his studies and started to search for jobs. He asked again to god, “God, why I don’t get job?” Again, God did not say anything. Later after few years, he felt in love with a beautiful young girl. But after few years, girl left him. He was again sad and asked god, “God, what did I do wrong that she left me?” This time also God did not said anything.
Few years passed and he started to realize that there is no God. He started to write against God. In one of his book he wrote, “God is Dog and Dog is God.” Those people who liked God hated him but those who do not like god, loved him.
One day he heard the news that the girl who left him all alone got married and has a kid. He started to buy new toys and gifts for the kid. Since he has lot of emotions attached to him, he could not stop doing that. Eventually, he had lot of toys and gifts of the kid. He tried a lot to meet the girl but girl always refused.
Everybody started to make fun of him and in the town where he lived, people said, “This guy is mad, he is so sick.” He didn’t felt anything of anyone what they were saying to him.
One day while he was sleeping. Some strange but very lovely lady came to him. He asked, “Who are you?” She said, “I am no one and I don’t have any name.” The handsome man then replied, “Why are you here?” She said, “I want to take you to the place where God is, you wanted to talk with him, don’t you?” He said, “Yes, I wanna!”
The beautiful lady and the handsome guy went to meet the God.
Finally, he met God and asked, “Why did you call me?” God replied, “I didn’t call you, you were calling me so many times, I am sorry handsome man but every individual on earth has to suffer simply because we sent them to learn some lessons.”
God continued…
“Well, but don’t worry, I know that you have lost love, you have lost job, you have lost so many things, but now I have special gift for you.”
Handsome man said, “Wow, what is it?”
God said, “It is all those things that you lost in Earth. Do you want them back?”
Handsome man paused for a while and started to think ….
Finally he said, “No, I don’t want anything that I have lost because all those things were my lessons to be learned out of “so called life.”
Next morning, handsome man was found dead in his bed. All of his friends, relative and strangers took him to grave. They buried him and on his tombstone it reads,
Mr. Mad man
1600-1672 AD
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Visa suspension
The temporary suspension of applications for tier 4 student visas to Britain can be seen both in good as well as bad light (“Hard lesson,” Feb. 2, Page 6). It is good considering the extreme difficulties those who went to Britain under this system are now facing — in terms of adaptability, culture, socio-economics. For those eager to study in Britain under the “easy” 4 tier system, let them be in no illusion, it is anything but easy out there.
At the same time, the abrupt halt in student visas is unjustifiable for if the “British concerns are genuine,” as you impute in your editorial, the UK authorities should have thought about the repercussions of the lax visa policy before its implementation. This policy smacks of British colonialism where the White folks assume they know what’s best for the rest of the world.
Santosh Kalwar
Ratnanagar-04, Tandi, Chitwan
Published: The Kathmandu Post
Letters to the Editor
Source: eKantipur
Monday, February 1, 2010
Quotes and Poem
Dear all,
-There is no true or false love, there is only love.
-The true and false are very subjective evaluation of most important feeling human would ever have: Love.
-Love is not bold or bald. Love is the true essence of human nature. The way he/she/it behaves, the way of an act, the way of deep feelings for objects or subjects so on and so forth.
-True itself is not true. False was never false. We evaluated them and put them into two baskets. One was evil and other was god.
-May love find you, may love be into you, may love bring you joy to dance with the wind of change, may love be in each of us, may love bring peace on earth, may love be only shrines, even at devil's workshop, may love find you, my love.
God bless you all !
-There is no true or false love, there is only love.
-The true and false are very subjective evaluation of most important feeling human would ever have: Love.
-Love is not bold or bald. Love is the true essence of human nature. The way he/she/it behaves, the way of an act, the way of deep feelings for objects or subjects so on and so forth.
-True itself is not true. False was never false. We evaluated them and put them into two baskets. One was evil and other was god.
-May love find you, may love be into you, may love bring you joy to dance with the wind of change, may love be in each of us, may love bring peace on earth, may love be only shrines, even at devil's workshop, may love find you, my love.
God bless you all !
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