A Altruistic Blog

MOVING IMAGES OF THE 2nd DIMENSION

2011-11-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

Its fantasy.

Created for your mind.

And you willingly submit yourself for an entrapment...

You are trapped in the space, and time-

Its A fault of the system you created once-

The routine of existence..

and you shall pay for it,

with things that are dear to you-

pay with money, emotions, and time.

Emotions cannot reason,

you cannot think with that little corner in the brain... I call it amygdala... you call heart;

begins and ends in your home...

In your living room...

with a smaller canvas 14 to 40 inches;

or papers filled with information that lures you;

Lures you out of your home,

and into the big dark castle- with surround sound.

It is a Fantasy Dome,

and you expect to travel

into a new space everytime;

and you are never travelling light,

you carry these commodities,

for the other senses that you don't indulge in,

you want to make the best of the 2 hours; the culture of it, the whole experience of it.

Your sense of taste,

of smell and of touch. ....

you want it to feel good.

And the Show begins.

First they'll flirt with you.

They may make you laugh,

Smile, make you start liking what you see.

They have to. You have to.

You have to be eased into the whole process;

They will never use force,

your indulgence is too precious.

Its all a relaxing supply of serotonin and dopamine...

quiet little chemical impulses, in your brain...

Making you happy,

taking you into that fantasy you want from it.

They'll even use examples from your daily life.

Things you need to relate to,

Things that make you feel that that is me,

that is my idea, my voice.

And you use all your reasoning- but everything based on emotions...

They sum you up into simple formulas of life,

A Mission you always wanted to achieve,

Romance- love letters, beautiful conversations,

a kiss on the first date, Or the wish of it.

Adventures, fears, and everything you wished out of your

boring little life.

Accompanied with music,

to entrap your emotions some more...

make you feel like its you that you are watching...

And then before you know it- a twist.

Overworking your Amygdala,

they present you with another mission to accomplish.

And another, and another.

You never get tired of the indulgence,

While you are always sitting in that dark space,

and you forget of the thousands like you watching, feeling.

because you find your connection.

they want you connected.

They will never let you go free.. and you do not wanted to be free eighter;

you wanted escape...

escape into the mind of a bunch of men and women taking you for a ride into their minds...

their imaginations...

But you make it your own...

when they leave you,

You still don't come out of it,

and you are never free when you leave the dark dome.

The trip is never over...

and right after you go home,

Amir Khan will sell you Coca Cola in your living room.

- AbhiManyu Dixit, 10-21 p.m. 11-11-11, Bhat-Bhateni-5, Kathmandu

Telling a story

2011-07-24T22:22:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time;

Once upon a time,

in a land far-far away,

Not actually a Land, A Lake,

with drizzling snow-flakes,

No no, a lake has very few water Comparatively,

There is more water, a lot - lot more.

As much as there is water in the sea, So, once again,

Once upon a time

In a SEA far far away.... Nah, even more water,

The ocean.

Whatever, there is a lot of water.

So amidst this water,

Lived a fish

I don't know what breed of fish it was.

It was a fish ok.

We call it “Fish”.

So, Fish had a Family.

No.

I should first build you up a bit. Tell you what kind of story it is.

Well,

It’s a tale of love, and hate and the ultimate goal of human ness= Revenge.

No, that’s one of the goals, its about Happiness. Yeah.

It’s a fun filled story with you message seeking people,

“The moral of the story is:”

As if I am a prophet and you are my follower.

What else?

There are characters,

All kinds of Characters,

There is this city dweller

who lives in a rented apartment, and

Has bought some land in the outskirts

of the city and now is building a house there.

He toils every day because he has no money.

There is this Farmer in a remote Nepali village

who has a small land,

And wants to try some different crop this time around

That’s Because he has quite a lot of money,

So, the Farmer has a wife;

who is sort of a Marijuana Addict,

She began smoking after her two daughters got married off are now working in Qatar.

Her Sons are in Dubai and Iraq cleaning plates for the American Army.

They send her money every month,

She's just bored out of life.

She does nothing all day but roll up a joint.

Her Husband works in the field all day,

and she stays home and smokes that Dubey.

I don't know who calls Marijuana a Dubey.

Sounds like an Indian Name :

Putting it down in a sentence: Mr. Dubey I like it when your wife wears a saree, makes her look, sooo... umm feminine.

Mr. Dubey: Really?

Unknown man who just told Mr. Dubey that his wife is hot: Yeah Man, super feminine.

Mr Dubey: I calling her now... oh PARVATI where you be huh suite-hart?

Mr. Dubey: I cannot be hearing you.

Indians have better English than Americans. They are superior Beings in every way.

It’s just that they have a lot of hair.

If it’s some consolation, the Normal Nepali's English is also Good.

It’s just our PRO-NOUN-SIA-SON; for the lot of us, a Wii is a WAI, not a WEEE.

I guess Dubey’s wife Parvati actually turns out to be this

Really hot grade school class teacher.

You know, the one every student has their first crush on.

But then after a few classes,

all the students start hating her because of her attitude.

She calls a poem a poem,

and a story a story and when a student writes something like this,

you know, like

What I am writing to you right now,

and what you are reading right now.

It would mean Disaster,

a “C” or a “D” or

even an “F” if she had a fight with her husband last night.

Deviating from the topic a lot; not cool.

Ok, getting back back back back now.

I was telling you a story about a Freegin FISH.

So, once there was a Fish.

The fish lived in a sea and had a family.

Not really, he was in a process of making a family.

He has a fish-wife.

And he has eggs that he and his wife took care of.

They planned it a lot more before taking the plunge and

must have been a hard decision to take,

your life stopping for some new beings you give life to,

I don't know I am just a story teller.

So one day, a snake falls off a boat.

So, the ocean is Indian Ocean, and thus the snake is a cobra just so that we are all clear.

I know a few breed of snakes, unlike fishes,

but I like Cobras, can relate to them easy. mmmmmm Sridevi.

So, a cobra fell off a snake Charmer's boat,

and it landed right outside Fish’s home, when he was not there.

Now the cobra would Normally eat the Fish's eggs,

Naturally.

But the cobra was well fed by the Snake charmer.

But the Cobra was trapped inside the box, and

Was living in a prison,

It turns out that the cobra is actually

very horny.

You know, all those years

being trapped in the Snake Charmer's box,

and having nothing to do all day but dance to a tune, just made him a maniac.

So, he did what any extremely sexually frustrated cobra would do.

He ended up having an affair with the Fish Wife.

So Fish, our Main PROTAGONIST comes back home,

and finds this huge snake in bed with his wife.

Angry at both, he goes out to the nearest Gun Store,

and gets himself a gun.

Then he Photocopies his citizenship card,

sits in line out of some government office,

Gets the police to approve of this,

and finally gets a license to shoot the gun.

Just so everything is legal.

But both of them had died already-

The Fish's wife and the snake.

I don't know how they died.

It must be the love making- that kissing and biting and stuff.

Well, The cobra was obviously poisonous.

So, the cobra's poison just transmitted to the fish's wife's body

and you know, the fish's wife bit back.

Whatever.

They are dead, end of their story.

Fish was distraught, you know in utter despair.

Fish threw both the dead bodies out.

Fish saw the bed sheets got angrier, and removed them too.

That was moment when the fish saw them.

Eggs: so many of them, right under the bed sheets.

Fish had once read an article on National Geographic on how to fertilize Eggs.

And this was it.

This was the process.

You place a bed sheet over the eggs and you do it over,

and that's how you make babies happen.

Fish could now understand the Fish's wife's psyche.

She wanted her off-springs to have the better hormones of the snake.

There were 500 eggs in total and not even one belonged to him.

The fish's anger brought out the worst in him.

He takes his gun out, loads bullets into the gun and starts firing away.

With loud Bang he shoots the first egg.

A fetus' brain splattered all over.

Another shot, and another and another and another.

He kept on shooting until his anger subsided.

His anger did subside.

He had destroyed about 50 eggs.

He sat down and thought about what he did.

Time healed wounds faster in this part of the world.

3 months after that incident,

The Fish was attending this conference on safe parenthood,

He meets this wonderful fish with white fins and a golden halo.

He thought she was Angelic, and Extremely Like able.

They became friends pretty fast,

and she helped him out with his eggs, took care of them,

and they got Married.

Pretty Fancy Ceremony.

So, The whole world actually got better after he knew

this Angelic, and Extremely Like able Fish.

And his eggs hatched.

Out of the 450 Eggs remaining, weather and everything permitting,

only 100 survived.

Because of his care, and, support and also the presence of

Angelic, and Extremely Like able Fish's help,

all of the eggs hatched into small fishes, except one.

One of the fish turned out to be a Snake.

But both the fishes accepted their fish and snake offspring,

they were growing them up just the same.

But one day, after all the fishes and the snake was old enough,

Fish remembered that the snake was a cobra,

and it was possible that their son too was poisonous.

So, Fish went through all the issues of National geographic ever written on cobras.

So, he finds out, that even if the cobras’ parents are poisonous,

the offspring might not be.

Sort of like AIDS.

"A Poisonous cobra can be recognized.” Said the National Geographic,

“It has fangs with Poison Glands, however the more distinguishing feature is that a Non Poisonous cobra has a red colored mole below its neck."

The fish now had a lead.

He went to his sleeping son with his torch, and checked the fangs.

There were there, he had fangs.

And now to look for the mole.

A red mole.

The Most deciding factor in his life.

He checks in the front, there was no mole.

He checks left- No mole.

He checks Right- No Mole.

He then checks the back of his neck- MOLE.

A red mole.

Fish is now officially happy.

He wakes Small non poisonous Snake up, his offspring

and hugs it tightly.

For the first time in the reptiles’ life,

the snake was hugged by his father.

Both of them were happy.

At night, when the Fish returned to his bed

he kissed his wife and the mother of his children

the Angelic, and Extremely Like able fish,

He is happy. She knows he is happy.

He tells her everything.

His wife then says "even if he was poisonous, we would have loved him just the same wouldn't we?"

The Fish thinks about it a while,

almost and hour,

He thinks about stuffs.

About the Cobra who messed up his life,

and everything.

He had grown up since the incident.

"Yeah. I guess so.”

He said after a half an hour’s interval.

Then he thought some more.

Upbringing is their part.

You grow up a child, turn it into a poison spitting cobra or a cute fish,

Its all up to you.

“Yes we would have" he replies, his conclusion of his Big thesis.

And he falls asleep.

After a while,

the wife gets up from her bed,

and flushes the red ink bottle down the toilet.

Legalize Porn!!

2010-11-05T02:09:00.000-07:00

Well.... I don't want to be establishing myself as this immoral or unethical character of the century by talking about this, and also, I don't think I am a victim of censorship here I believe no one is a victim unless you accept defeat. I am not accepting defeat. Never!

Well, I got my first taste of censorship when "Buds Film Fiesta" was censored by the film development board of Nepal.... Let me rewind a bit....

What happened was, we made this film called "LUST" which translates to "Wasana" in Nepali and "Hawas" in Hindi. All the three words have sexual connotation. Literally it means passion... immense passion... You'd have to watch the film to know why we kept LUST as the main title.

Anyway, We entered the film in Buds Film Fiesta: presented by Gopi Krishna Movies, (I am reading the flyer now); organized by "Creative Intranational Production Arts, Nepal" (CIPA); the television partner- Sagarmatha Television, Radio Partner- Radio Filmy. So, In the middle of the festival, Buds Film Fiesta was CENSORED, by Film Development Board. This happens only in Nepal, you see, no film festival in the world is censored.

Organizing a film festival means investment of a lot of funds, and people and time; everything seemed like it was going to waste, but CIPA and friends, made this possible by gathering established film makers and completing the Fiesta in Gurukul, School of Theater. There was Unity against the common enemy- CENSORSHIP, very similar to the February 2006 story.

Now here is the history from our perspective. When newspapers wrote about Buds Film Fiesta, Most newspapers had LUST's picture as the Artwork of the Film Festival's Coverage. Pictures of our female lead, Manisha Bista was in almost all newspapers. We were rejoicing. Why wouldn't we, our first film, and its getting all the publicity. But, almost immediately... we heard that the festival was cancelled. Complete shock!

Some of my friends pointed out that the people from the film development board must have read newspapers which had the words, VAASANA, LUST, HAWAS in them; and thus, they thought its a "sexy" film. So, they censored the whole festival. Made us feel bad.

Ok, maybe it happened that way... maybe not, but its not a far fetched idea. But come on people!! we planned to show the film in KU and we would have to be crazy to be including sex scenes of KU students to show it to KU students.

Anyway, it ended quite happily I guess... the film festival concluded... there was this huge event in Gurukul and everyone opposed censorship; and LUST won the best film of the festival. We're supposed to get a loads of prizes and other stuffs; haven't had that yet.

Case 2 Now,

Recently, Nepal Telecommunications Authority googled "sex", and blocked 60 sites which appeared as "Sex ful" to them. Along with some genuine porn sites were sexpistols.com and youtube.com, and all the subdomains of the blogspot.com... But later, someone told them of their stupidity and they reinstated blogspot.com where you are reading this piece... which is exercising its freedom of speech HA HA! (Nelson Style)

But the scenario could be worse. Pradeep Bashyal in his writeup in Kantipur quotes Anil Blogger of aakarpost.com saying that one day these people will block emails because they think that we are exchanging dangerous informations over it. Indu Nepal from Nepali Times has predicted that one day Newspapers will be censored because the newspaper editorials "threaten stability".

Where there is a will there is a way. See, They tried blocking facebook in China, I facebook chat with my good friends from China everyday. I guess China is a stronger in IT Nepal... and I am not saying Nepal is incapable. But Internet my friends can be taken over from a teenager- were you too young to remember the Y2K bug?? For now, lets just say, You can't really block porn-sites. You can use so many proxy sites. Which I am sure NTA knows about, and will try to block them in future.

Why Block Porn? The NTA says its because Porn excites young people and will lead to violence against women. Well, and have they done research to prove that? I dont know, Indu Nepal, says they haven't. And she also adds that sex crimes in Denmark has decreased since the legitimization of Porn in Denmark- back in 1969.

So, let's calculate for those of us who are weak in Mathematics:

1970-1980= 10 years

1980-1990= 10 years

1990-2000= 10 years

2000-2010= 10 years

10+10+10+10= 40 years...

40 years of legal porn films. Porn is censored in Nepal after 40 years of legal porn history of the world. Can porn be made into an industry? We will talk about this;

Does Porn excite people? Yes it does. Should Porn be controlled? Well yes. It should.

Young children should not be allowed to see porn.

However, Communication against porn should always be targeted to parents and/or guardians; let them have a free competitive advertising campaign in Prime time Nepal TV or Kantipur TV news saying "PARENTS CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN, THEY MIGHT BE PERVERTS FROM WATCHING TOO MUCH PORN".

But you don't control the adults. If adults are wise enough to think about which corrupt politician to vote for then, they are wise enough to follow the rules and live in a lawful state.

Now having read all that, please don't argue with something like "DUDE, PORN BRAINWASHES PEOPLE INTO HAVING SEX WITH EVERY THING THAT MOVES." I cant say anything to that.

Now, Can Porn be made into an Industry?

I was really devastated when NTA blocked every blogspot.com pages.. really angry. I wanted to start this campaign called "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN" because Sex Pistols website was also blocked.... and which would go on for about 2-3 phases.

You See, After a long discussion with friends, we concluded that this campaign should end with a grand "SOUTH ASIAN PORNOGRAPHY-FILM FESTIVAL" where porn film makers from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal can come together, and talk about how much their lives has been affected. Talk about films, film form, film structures, contents in their films... And basically communicate, and share. You know, Deal pornography as an art.

Of course, the government has to legalize porn first, and create avenues to block children from viewing pornographic materials in that festival, and take stern actions against any film makers that uses minors in their films...

In the end, it became a beautiful GUFF...

But its still a dream... you know, imagine watching porn in one of those cinema halls with great sound effects something like Jai Nepal... wait... didn't Jai Nepal used to be a Porn Film showing film (B-Grade Hindi film, softcore porn) hall before Quest took over and changed it completely. And I know Ganesh Hall in Suryabinayak used to show porn. Also Paramhansh Hall of Kalaiya showed porn. Men came to the halls, shagged off, and walked out. Simple as that.

There has always been a culture of eve teasing in our society... even before porn you know, and its not because of porn that there are violent crimes against women, its because of the PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY... PITRI SATTA... You know, men in power?? YES!! There are examples where Women have taken a stance against eve teasing; and won. And there are women who oppose this confined society by following fashion that exposes more skin compared to 10 or 20 or lets say 40 years ago.....

And ALSO, We are as ugly a society as all those 1980s Hindi Films... that showed Red Light Areas of Mumbai...

You know we have red light areas in Kathmandu. I am not telling you where... But you get to read about them a lot in Newspapers, and investigative stories in Magazines and have seen them in documentaries.

Take for instance all those sex workers in Kathmandu. Well, there are sex workers in Kathmandu, and all those nude bar dancers.... you do agree on that right. How much do you think are they paid? Its not like if they are unhappy they can quit. Its an imperfect system. I know that. And shoving everything away into a corner has never served purpose. These problems will not go away unless you devise a system. Come on people, prostitution is the oldest profession of the world... If its legitimate, and legal, you can control more crimes. That's what I think anyway.

Its very similar to try to make marijuana illegal. Seriously!...........Yeah... too much bichars at once... sorry to overload you like that..... Ok. I should conclude now.

Before I conclude, Here is a list of porn sites provided via a press release by Nepal Telecommunications Authority.

Which I think was a great help from the NTA because Now Nepali people have more options to visit porn sites... i call it the NEPALI STYLE OF PROMOTING PORN in young people...

To watch them from Nepal,

1. Go to www.hidemyass.com

2. and enter the following websites which are given by Nepal Telecommunications Authority via a press release

www.worldsex.com
www.xxx.com
www.watersex.com
www.pinkworld.com
www.livesex.com/
www.sexetc.org
www.smartersex.org
www.sexaa.org
www.freesexvideos2k.com
www.sexandthecitymovie.com/dvd/
www.seditionaries.com
www.cthulhusex.com
www.sex-lexis.com
www.headphonesex.co.uk/
www.screentours.com/…/satc
www.madonna-online.ch/…sex/92-10-21_sex.htm
www.sex.comedy.com
www.nepalikanchi.byethost2.com/cs/news.php
www.tube8.com
nepalijpt.blogspot.com
nepalibhalus.blogspot.com/
xnepalimodel.blogspot.com/2010/07/xxx-valuable-npf-bhalu.html
www.naughtyamerica.com
www.redtube.com
3xnepali.blogspot.com
www.elephantlist.com/
www.sex.com/
www.fuckingfreemovies.com/
www.worldsex.com/
www.home-made-videos.com/
www.el-ladies.com/
www.yourvoyeurvideos.com/
www.freebigmovies.com/
www.puresexmovies.com
www.wifemovies.net/
www.swegold.com/
www.younger19.com/
www.ultradonkey.com/
www.so-so-young.com/
wap.phonerotica.com
www.playboy.com/
www.tblop.com/
sexlymen.com
funfunsex.com
ivanafukalot.com/
bigbigbreasts.com/
strangeland.com
scottss.com/
eroticjapan.com
www.realitykings.com/
anjali.uncovered.com
cfake.com/
assteenmouth.com/
videosn.com/
littleapril.com/
bestcelebvideos.com/

1990s Kathmandu

2010-08-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is almost a true story.

It was mid 90s in Kathmandu... right before the turn of the century. You know, the New Millenium. I think that was the best time period for Kathmandu. For a couple of reasons.

I am not going to romanticize Kathmandu just because I was born here and I grew up here.

Its a beautiful place for me.

What was good about Kathmandu, and my child-hood I think it would be more suited if I say "my teenage", I had just entered my teens, and I scored like 80 percent in my exams and father bought me a FM radio. What? It was a huge deal for me. I used to be a really bad student. Like really bad.So, 80 percent was something really great. Of course that was grade 6 in galaxy public school and they gave marks for homeworks, and classworks, and tidy text books, and everything else. My father really thought I had done good in class.

Anyway, I got the radio, and I used to listen to Hits FM. Even before grade 6 I used to listen to hits FM. Of course most of the VJs of Hits FM left, and I dont know which frequency they are running in right now. There are so many FMs today.

I think there were a few back then, just the right number. Come to think of it, Kathmandu was in its peak at 90s. Some of you might disagree, you might say that Kathmandu reached its peak when Cat Stevens and Bob Serger sang about it and when hippies came and discovered Marijuana thus boosting the tourist economy.

But I was not around in the 60s. So, for me, Kathmandu saw its peak at 90s. Why do I think so? Well, first, there were not many people in Kathmandu. Less cars, smaller roads, and cheap transportation. Cross the cheap transportation part out. Because, it might not be relevant; and it might sound stereotypical too. Anyone asks you what you remember about the past, you say"ah, we used to buy the whole house for Rs. 200 or so."... you know.

Anyway, There were not many people around, Kathmandu was not overpopulated, Kapan, Budanilkanta was peaceful, there was no maoists, all the news was boring and it came from Nepal TV.. but the people who presented it looked really professionals. Ever seen that "She's the BOMB" guy present news?? Its just so wrong. Just really really wrong.

And we used to listen to FM. Kantipur FM was ok, from the start. ANd then came Image FM... I bought Rappaz Union... "In da House"... I think... it was an album cover with paper. Later I realized Lattu Hip-hop was much better, "YEI HO MANAVTA KO NATA? HUH?"

You could really guess image and kantipur wanted to develop themselves into this huge corporate house from the start. If you read the signs... They played contemporary music, both English and Hindi, and all of you being mindless ZOmbies sang those songs. Yeah, remember Backstreet Boys, and Boyzone, and Britney Spears?? Yes, I sometimes sang them when I went to school. Later it was Eminem, Avril Lavigne... yeah.. we all had our share of rough childhood. And hindi songs. I am proud to say the first cassette I bought was "Dil Se"- the guy won an oscar like after 10 years of Dil Se. See I have good taste.

Anyway,

But Hits FM was different. It had a different Image to that of Kantipur and Image (hehe that rhymed). Hits FM was not contemporary. It was more classical and off mainstream than contemporary. I think it was Hits FM where I first heard Janis Joplin, Elvis, CCR, the whole 50s 60s, 70s, 80s, era. Which was not really norm for Kantipur and Image because they served the mass.

I have this theory you know, never think about serving. You can always GIVE the people what they want. But in doing that, you will always be making them dumber. What I think one as a human being should do is share.

Not preach. Never preach. Just try to assimilate and share.

Anyway, Kathmandu was a great place to be in at that time. I was a teenager and my hormone were realizing girls. I started noticing girls in grade 4-5. My friends in Elites co-ed had girlfriend in grade 3... "will you be my girlfriend??... Yes... come on lets hold hands and sing a song..." .... You think that's weird? Well girls in Nepali Villages get married at around age 13-14 and they are mothers by the age of 15.

I bet you (people who can read english) were still watching cartoon network and saying "PICKA-CHOOOO" at that age. So, next time you flinch to a villager and might think about calling them ignorant, think about how you would have coped if you had their life to live.

But you would have survived. We all adapt to our situations thats what makes us humans. For example, if Kathmandu is really dusty and dirty, we complain, and protest, and maybe show our frustrations by cleaning Bagmati, but at the end of the day, we all wear face-masks. Its not because of just swine flu though.

I wonder off all the time. I was talking about 90s Kathmandu. The golden era. The time when girls started wearing jeans pants. The time when eating out was slowly becoming a culture, MoMos had established itself into Kathmandu's tastebuds, Gairidhara Nan sekuwa Corner was establishing, Bhat-Bhateni Supermarket was to be the biggest building around. ANd girls. Girls... started wearing jeans pant. Before that they might have been in salwar, or maybe they were already wearing jeans and I only noticed them later. But they didn't have those shapy jeans that girls wear today. You know those tight ones which you cannot take your eyes off once you look at them... hehe... It was more masculine jeans. Wearing pants was not only fashion then, it was more of a statement, that girls and guys were equal. This is one of the reason I respect my school Principal- Geeta Rana. I think she had that influence in that decision... see, Girls wore skirts until grade 5 Some of my friends still remember the colors of some of the girl's panties from back then... I came in at grade 6; so you cant blame me at all.

From grade 6, Galaxy girls wore pants. And I think I started noticing other girls who wore pants. Of course in KU, girls wore skirts, its a different Story all together. I believe Pants a symbol of control.... You know, a symbol of masculinity... of Manhood. Men wore pants above their waits on their belly buttons to hide that bulge of a stomach. Girls (unmarried of course) too wore pants but they were below their belly button right on the weist. Because they did not have that bulge of a stomach they looked very classy. Girls had them altered and made most men stare at the perfect shape... which is actually an illusion created by the master tailor... anyway, pants symbolized masculinity... sort of an equal-ness and girls did it with flair and sophistication... guys later followed suit with choose pants... geeta rana called it drain pipe pants... they go great with converse shoes.... Nowadays, Married women wear pants around the house. I think I would call them the boarding school generation.

You see. After every political revolution, there is this huge wave of change in Nepal... i think It was after the 1990s revolution which brought Kathmandu into a more westernized ( of course India influenced westernized) world.The introduction of cable television, people looking to go out and explore... and I think It was after that era that Kathmandu had more schools like Little Angels, Galaxy Public School, GEMS, AVM, ... which had many girl students and you know a sort of a patriarchal society was being transformed into a society where people believed that girls should have a chance to have good education. Girls went to St. Mary's school instead of Mahendra vidhya... you know the white dress school beside sano gaucharan. There were very cute girls studing there back then. But parents were under the idea that private education with more money investing has a more secure base for the future.

And of course, Co-education.

Now, if you remember, we have established earlier... like 2-3 paragraphs back that Nepalis are horny from their teens, and combine that with the FM culture which thrived from dance parties, and discos and concerts, you know events which helped young people get together. Also, there was a lot of influence from Hindi Cinema. LOVE was being explored. Amir Khan Escapes runs away with Juhi Chawla to have a romantic song after college. It was established. Of course, some films like "Bobby" had established it for people of older generations and maybe Amir KHan and Juhi chawla films only strenghtened the feeling more... Anyway, So, it was a great time for Nepali teens to explore cultures.

I was never a part of those events... I hated discos. I went to a few video game arcades; and that was that. But more so, I went to concerts. But I never played an instrument. I wanted to. But you know, its one of those things you want and you have to work hard to get and you dont want it anymore because the work seemed tedious. But There were many guys who played instruments. Who were good at sports. I never played any sports. I never saw any point to it. Of course we played some cricket in Tudikhel. But its a different story.

Overall, I think it was a great era. It ought to be. I grew up in this era.

It was also the era of cordless phones.... and... Well... I heard this conversation once. I woke up real early like around 4 am to do my Samajik Sikchya homework. And, you know, i was tuning my radio.
ANd i heard this conversation....
since I am paraphrasing, I might not get it exact.
It was between a boy and a girl, so you can guess what kind of relationship they had.... well, its
Its in Nepali.... so, i hope you guys have fun eavesdropping....

.................................................................................................................

girl: bihana 4 baji sakyo hai 11 baje dekhin 4 baje samma 5 hours phone mah guff
boy : naya record hai. aajhai badaune ki yeashmai banda garne (keta lai nindra lagna thaleko 1 hour bhayesakeko thiyo)

girl : je gare pani huncha
boy : bichari timilai maile raat bhari uthaye hai.
girl : chyaa haina come on. jabardaasti uthayeko haina ni.. malai sutna mann bhayeko bhaye mah aginai saade 1 baje sutthiye (exact time when the girl wanted to sleep)
boy : laaaa. aaba suta hai. timilai rest chahincha ni.
girl : la timi pani suta.
boy: lah aaba phone rakha.
girl :nai timi rakha,
boy:haina rakha phone mah last samma sunne timro aawaz.
girl : haina timi rakha.
boy : hyaa rakhihala nah kehi hunna kiii.
girl : timi rakhna nah tah uso bhaye kehi nahune bhaye.
boy: haina mah narakhne re.
girl : ke mah pani rakhdina uso bhaye.
boy: rakha nah hyaa.... pheri bholi college janu parcha nindrai pugdaina timilai.
girl : je sukkai gara mah rakhdai rakhdina.
boy : lah lah sangai rakhne lah.
girl : lah lah
boy : 3 ganne ani sangai rakhne.
girl : ok suru gara count garna.
boy : nai timi suru gara.
girl: nai mah suru gardina timi gara suru.
boy : lah lah sangai garne hai
boy: 1
girl:1
boy:2
girl:2
boy:3
girl:3
boy: khai rakheko???
girl: timi pahila rakha nah.
boy : hera yesto taal le hundai hundaina. phone bill dherai aauncha.
girl : ho ni mero last month 3900 aayeko thiyo.
boy : mero tah 4500 aayo last month.
boy: kasto gali khaye bhane.
girl : mero tah internet chalayera huncha ani tessaile dehrai aayeko bhanera bhanchu.
boy: ayee
girl: aaaba rakha hai ekdum thakiyo.
boy: phone mah guff garda kheri pani thakincha ra?
girl:thankincha ni. pheri bholi college janu parcha.
boy: lah bholi bhetumla ni uso bhaye.
girl: aaba rakha nah lah
boy: lah timi rakha
girl: ha ha. jhagada nagara kya rakhihala.
boy : lah lah aaba rakhne laa...............

girl : timile saas phereko sunirachu maile.
boy: timi rakhe pachi mah rakhchu bhanera kurirako thiye.

girl: lah hai tah rakhnne lah.
boy: ok aaba serious hunu parcha.
girl: ok
boy: ok
girl : bye
boy: good night
girl: good night
boy : lah hai
girl: lah bye bye...
boy: bye bye.
girl : lah rakha aaba
boy : haina timi rakha
......................

ए आम्मै!! आलु पाक्यो?

2010-06-20T14:20:00.000-07:00

साँझको घण्टाघरको घण्टी,

घण्टीको आवाज छोप्ने, जमल र दरबार मार्ग बाट हुत्तिएर आउँदै गरेका

असङ्ख्य रातो प्लेटका मोटरसाइकल र गाडीहरू ,

बाटोको छेउमै प्यासेन्जर बोलाउँदै गरेका माईक्रोबस र टेम्पोहरू,

सिट छ भनेर सोध्दै गरेका हुल,

जाम छल्दै आकाशे पुलबाट नाक खुम्च्याउँदै हिँडने,

बसन्तपुर गई राम्रा-नराम्रा ठीटा-ठीटी हेर्ने हतार भएका पैदलयात्रीहरू....

तल पेटीमा,

घर गएर भात पकाउन अबेला भएका, छिट् छिटो पाईला चलाउने बटुवाहरू,

उनिहरूलाई डाक्ने व्यापारीहरू,

सबैलाई तह लगाउन ठूल् ठूला धोडा चढेका ट्राफिक पुलिसहरू,

ती सबैलाई टाढाबाट हेरिरहेको गणेशमान सिँहको सालिक।

बाटो पारी,

हरियो रूख, रातो बेन्च,

मानिसको हिँडाईले बनाएको धुलो,

मकै पोलेको काठले जम्मा गराएको धुँवा,

फोहोर-> बदाम बेरेको कागज, प्लास्टिक, झार, पात,र चुरोटको ठुटाहरूको,

रु. १०को एक माना बदाम र रु. ५ को एक खील्ली सूर्य चुरोट बेच्ने नाङ्ग्लो साहुनी,

चिप्लेटी खेलिरहेका बच्चाहरू,

ब्लु फिल्म किन्ने?? ब्लु फिल्म?? भनेर सोध्दै हिडेका घुम्ती सि.डी

पसलेहरू,

भुईँकटहर र काँक्रोमा नुन खुर्सानीहालेर मीठो बनाएर बेच्नेहरू...

केही हुल बटुल्न सकेको चटक देखाउनेहरू,

ग्यास्ट्रीक देखी ज्वरो निको गर्ने औषधीको प्रचारगर्नेहरू,

बाबाजीको बुटी बेच्नेहरू,

परमेशवर is everywhere भन्ने साधु खैरे,

र रूखमाथिबाट "गाउँकाहरू बाँदरका छोरा, सहरकाहरू कुकुरका" भन्दै

प्रवचन दिईरहेको मुकुन्दे।

कामबाट फुर्सद भएकाहरू,

बसपर्कबाट बीर-अस्पताल हिँडेकाहरू,

घर जान मन नगरेकाहरू,

केटी घुमाउनेहरू,

केटी खोज्नेहरू,

आशावादीहरू,

जिन्दगी देखि दिक्क मानेकाहरू,

जेनतेन २ छाक गुजारा गर्नेहरू,

धेरै थरिका मानिसहरूमाझ....
कुनामा दम दिनुपर्ने स्टोभ माथि

कालो तेल भएको कड्हाइमा आलु तार्दै गरेको

कपाल फुलेको आमालाई कसैले सोध्छ: ए आम्मै!! आलु पाक्यो?

A ode to MY CITY.

Kathmandu Kultures... Not racist....

2010-06-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

How do we divide people into groups?

We take what's common in them and separate.

Simple. And of course then we study them. Culture- way of life... you cannot call the whole group "good" or "bad" though. Cannot hurt their feelings. Basic anthropology or sociology... people study.

Personally, I dont think people should be divided into groups. But that's how the world works right now. Black Skin, White Skin, Arabs, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Communist, Congress, Liberal... You always belong into a group... and you bad mouth the groups you don't belong to... Everyone is a racist pig. I guess that's how Nepal would be working... separate state for Newars, or Magars, or Tamangs...

Nepal is too big for me to talk about. I wanted to talk about Kathmandu. I believe Kathmandu has a culture.

I know you studied in grade 9 "सामाजिक शिक्षा" that Kathmandu is a metropolitian. You studied that it was traditionally a Newar settlement, but then it became the capital of Nepal.

Well, people from all over the country come here, begin forging a dream of Building a home in the valley, and as we can see from the population NOW that most of them have made their dream a reality.

We have always been taught that there exists so many different nationals- casts and creed, there is no single Kathmandu Culture. But there is. Certainly among the Youths of this place. My primary argument is based on very specific feelings I get from different hangouts within the valley. My Analysis may be Subjective, Biased, Racist, or Downright Stupid. But Hell with it, I have freedom of speech!!!

Malls:

There is this huge surge of big looking buildings everywhere in Kathmandu. I don't think architects design 3 storey buildings anymore, especially if its a roadside plot. And most of these buildings are malls. UWTC, City Center, Kathmandu Mall, Bhatbhateni Supermarket. You will mostly find the stereotypical 'lets go to a mall because I speak ENGLISH with the "Huncha Ni Like..." Phrase and accent' people.And I am always Amazed by the number of turnouts in those places.

I have a theory. People in Kathmandu, have a LOT of MONEY. Yeah... Pulsar, Ambition, Unicorn, Karizma, Yamaha FZ, R15, all those bikes, commonly seen in Kathmandu... at an average, they cost 2 LAKHS easy. That's 5 zeros... notice the cars the next time you go out. Not the small ones, The big ones. Tuscon, Pajero... more than 20 Lakhs... a new green pajero costs 1.3 corores. 7 zeros. Just for Fun sake, go to Kumaripat or those underground parkings in malls or in Durbar Marg, and count.

Durbar Marg:

Last week, I went to Sherpa Mall for the first time. There were those 'English speaking Nepali Citizenship, never been outside Kathmandu.. But I am going abroad' people, but worse, they are label addicted. Even guys. In movies, in most movies, if guys are Label or Brand conscious, they are usually homosexuals. I don't know if media mirrors the society, but those guys looked shiny. Very weird. But, There is nothing wrong with women being BRAND CONSCIOUS. I have always supported branded ladies underwear.

Course there is the Anna-casino. Do not go in there if you love money!!

KFC and pizza hut, I heard that you don't have to stand on a line anymore but haven't gone there yet. I had KFC in Delhi, but I don't know if I had Dhoti chicken or Brazilian chicken. I was in great stomach pain, 2 chicken leg pieces and my Gastric juices overwhelmed me. Had to take medicine then. But I am ready to try again.
No Comments on Nanglo... or hot breads though.

But for people who have Durbar Marg- as a frequent hangout area, my kind of place would be pretty cheap... it may be compared to a Bhatti. I dont care.

Green Curtains:

It does not have to be a real Hareeyo Parda.... with white, red, green, blue alcohol. But it has some requirements to fullfill. It has to serve a large number of Traditional Newari Dishes, chhoyala, sapu micha, Bara.
Everyone knows HONACHA behind Krishna Mandir, or Everest MOMO in Naxal.

What?? I grew up around those places.

I went to KU after grade 10, so, haven't grown up in Kathmandu to really relax in expensive areas. And besides, Green Curtains are the real cultural thing.

And I guess if the experiment on Federal States work, then we might get to see more Tamang, Gurung, Magar, Maithali, Bhojpuri versions of the Green Curtains. That would be great. If everyone doesn't kill each-other first.

But Kathmandu is Truly represented... for me, by Newroad.

Newroad:

Everyone goes to newroad at least once a month I guess. Or Once a year for sure. I go to mahabouddha, or soda pasal, or Chatamari Chee.... a lot of green curtains in those areas... or I would be there just to see the wonderful... weird... sad... and beautiful faces in Kathmandu. You don't know anyone there... and everyone seems to go somewhere... and you have no time to concentrate on one passerby...

I mean.. you feel like you know so many people... in real life.. because of college, or school, or Dashain... or facebook even.. but go to Newroad.. and then you will feel humble and say something like ... you know very few people...

Saturdays, I guess at about 10-11 am, below the RNAC building, you get an orchestra of Sarangies. ...Yeah sure you might have heard a lone sarangi player in a bus... once or twice... but think about 4 to 5 players sitting on the bench and singing and playing is a completely different experience. Even if you are not into the music. It would be like a smaller version of Kutumba. Its fun to listen to if you are not in a hurry. Don't blame me if they are not there every Saturday though.

Then Enter Newroad. To the left Gudpak, to the right, Mahaboudda- the mountain of Movies. Move Ahead....Jewellery shops, to the right.... ex momo king, not so expensive resturants... Left Khichapokhari... to the left... sheesha hooka... to the Right Ranjana Galli Soda Pasals.... The Peepal Tree Newspaper and Magazine stall, BHUGOL PARK and Juddha Samsher's statue...

I was born in BhatBhateni, (its actually a TOLE whichwas named after a temple. The supermarket came later.) And I love Kathmandu, and Newroad is the one of the strong reason.

I dont know how to end this.. so i thought of ending with New Road's history.

1990 BS... the whole Kathmandu was destroyed by the greatest earthquake ever to strike. Everything was destroyed. So Juddha Sumsher whose statue stands firm in Newroad... planned this road. This HUGE road... which starts from the gate to the Durbar Square... was to mark the Beginning of a New age. High Rise Buildings were adjacent to the roads to mark a DOWNTOWN... Kathmandu was fated to change.

Bhugol Park... which still exists today, and I guess most of you don't notice it to be right opposite Bishal Bazaar or right below the revolving restaurant... was actually the place to gather if there was another one of those earthquakes. If you walk past Juddha Samsher's statue.. towards Basantapur Durbar Square, to your left, along the line where they sell Flags, Maps, Buttons... in the footpath, inside the building's channel gate, ... you can still see a very old... beaten... battered... FIRE-ENGINE.

Paper Boat

2010-02-28T10:33:00.000-08:00

Complete_Stranger: Did you lose someone close to you?

Loner: Yeah. My Granmaw.

Complete_Stranger: I'm Sorry.

Loner: Don't worry about it.
She was quite old, and diseased.

Complete_Stranger: What Disease?

Loner: Brain damage, and a Very bad liver cirrhosis. She was a heavy alcoholic for three decades. She started in her late twenties, but she quit very late, in her fifties.

Complete_Stranger: She Quit drinking? What made her do that?

Loner: I think, It was a someone she met in a cruise ship.

Complete_Stranger: :-)

Loner: A Woman.
A French Woman. She used to tell me about their conversations. She always called it her destiny to meet Nicole.
You know, they went to the same University when Granny was a student in London, in her teens. and, they even lived on the same street. But they never met until the cruise ship.

Complete_Stranger: Wow, Small world huh!

Loner: Yeah. and, they shared so many things in common, Both married very young at 23, and were in their late twenties when they lost their husbands, grandpa died, Nicole's divorced her.. and both never got remarried.

Complete_Stranger: ah, your grandmother lost her husband quite young.

Loner: I guess, that's why she started drinking. And then my parents died in a plane-crash, when I was six months old.

.....................LIGHTS OUT..............................

The computer fan took a few seconds to stop, then it was completely silent. She took a deep breath, and thought about lighting the bedside candle.

She lit the candle and saw her grandmother's picture. In The picture a grey haired woman was holding a paper boat, and behind her was vast water. And she was smiling. As Though, she was in love for the first time. "The only time", she thought.

It was a picture Nicole took, and the only picture her Granny had framed in her life. Granny had never framed her parents' pictures, her parents' hated Granny for being an alcoholic. But she loved her because Granny was just a sad woman. And everything changed after the cruise.

She placed the picture back on the shelf, and looked at the time in her cell phone.

It was 4:15 in the morning already."Shit!!!" was her reaction.

She had wasted her time.

"Complete_Stranger" was a stranger to her. She didn't know the person's age, or even if the person was male or female. nothing. She didn't want to know.Conversations she thought, are REAL if they are among strangers. There would be no emotions involved, no obligations, no attachments no embarassments. The purest form of conversation.

She goes to her cell phone MENU>APPLICATIONS>ALARMS. And stares at it- 12 P.M. She smiles at her stupidity.

"12 AM idiot, 12 AM" she says when she changes her alarm to 8:30 am.

She then checks her INBOX and CALL REGISTER. There were no messages, no missed calls, nothing.

No-one cares.

She places her cell phone beside her bed, puts her head on the pillow, covers herself with the blanket and says, "Happy Birthday Loner, You are 29, and all Alone in this world".
.................................................................................................

She would be late for work. But She didn't care. This was her day. After her bath, and her ritual infront of the mirror, she opened her birthday gift she bought for herself, "Christian Loubatins". Even though she found it on sale, it cost her a fortune. and Even though it was a bit tight for her, she bought it. She would wear it on special occasions only. It was sparkling red, and 3 inches. She owned it.

She took a taxi to her office today. She needed to feel like a queen, or at least a lady, just for this day. And she had no one to do this for her. When the taxi stopped, she acted as though the door was stuck, and politely asked the taxi driver to open the gate from outside. He did. She thanked him with a nice smile.

She had a bit of trouble walking with those tight shoes. When she reached her office she would open them and let her feet breathe.

She opened her shoes, hid it, and put on something comfortable and went for the the formalities in her office.

She first reports to her seniors, to let them know she is there, she makes passive small talks, then she moves to her desk along with people her age.

Her peers, every woman peer in there had the usual loud, showy, over-exposed way of greeting each other. Everyone was performing with the fake smiles, and fake hugs. Everyday!

She was close to these people, But She never shared with anyone there. Once, she made the mistake of saying her Grandmother was sick and in a hospital, the conversation carried from her grandmother to old torturing women to old men farting to motorcycles to lipsticks. That was the last time she really opened up with them.

"This is work, only work." She tells herself everyday.

The men were worse. She could always notice the men ogling at her breasts first before saying hello.

The seniors were too professional. They only cared about how much money you are making them. That was her only motivation to stay in that place.
....................................................................................

"Hey... Lunch?" one of her male peers asked her.

She didn't want to go out. Not with him, and not with those tight shoes.

"I'm fasting today. Tuesday"

She planned to have a party at night for herself.

When everyone went out for lunch, she went to the terrace, lit a cigarette and released a tail of smoke. This was her first one today. And she always loved the first smoke.

She never thought about her everyday life when she was smoking. She believed that the cigarette would make her mind wander away from this empty-lonely life.

She sat down on cement fence of the terrace.

She had started smoking after a very nasty breakup with her third boyfriend. All men she knew were chauvinists, sexists... everyone wanted to prove their manhood, and always say "women don't do this, and women don't do that", or "you could do this, this would suit you better". Like they knew what they were talking about.

She had no strength left in her to try again and again and again for some fairy tale, Cinderella ending to her life. She was turning 30.

Sometimes, she would take home a bottle of wine, and finish the whole bottle watching Animals on Discovery or National Geographic. It came to her a while after She lit another cigarette with red ashes first one She was turning into her granny.

Her Granny was the world to her, but she was an alcoholic to the world.

She smoked the last tail of smoke, and looked as the cigarette bud fell 5 floors below. "Life could end so easily if you give up."
...........................................................

Quitting time.

She waited till everyone else left the office. She couldn't wear the shoes in front of her peers. She wore the shoes for herself, she didn't wear it to show off to the brand vultures. She planned to go to Newroad for her birthday treat.

She dropped off at Sundhara. She walked till Kichapokhari. There were very less people in the street, and all the shops were closing.

She then heard loud noises coming from Sundhara. Another "Protest" she thought. She walked northwards, to new-road. Everything was shut. People were hurrying towards somewhere, like a huge storm was about to hit. She had never seen New-Road so empty. There were always people here.

She tried walking quickly towards the gate, but her shoes were tight, and her heels were three inches. Still, she tried walking fast.

Everything happened so suddenly. She didn't know what came first, A huge rolling, Burning Rubber Tire, OR The sound of whistles- artificial traffic whistles, man made whistles and cries of loud noises, OR that faint smell of very rotten egg, or worse, rotten garbage.

"Tear Gas", she knew this smell before. She walked faster, almost in a running speed. with the 3 inches, the shoe seemed to be crushing her fingers. She reached New Road gate, turned left, and saw a bus.

She so wanted to get on this bus. The bus was the only one, and looked like a school bus and some passengers were trying to get in. She wanted to get in the bus.

The bus was beside the new building of Bir Hospital, and she was running opposite the Kal Bhairav Temple.

She walked faster now. Faster. Faster. The bus was trying to move. And there. right there. She saw herself sitting on line to get on that bus.

She was still running from Kal Bhairav Temple to catch the bus.

She was not under the effect of the tear gas. She knows the effects of a tear gas. and this was not it. There are no hallucinations from tear gas. Now this time she saw herself getting on that bus. But it was not her. The coat the woman was wearing was not her's.

She was a different woman, but she looked exactly, in every shape and form, like herself. She had the same face as hers, the same hairstyle as hers... her clothes were different, but she had the same worried look in the face, the same body structure... she must have been 29 too... she wanted to know for sure.... she wanted to know who it was.

So, she opened her Christian Loubatins, and ran. Barefoot in the footpaths. Ran to know the person who got on the bus. Ran to know who the person was.

However, the bus was already jam packed and in motion. She reached the door of the bus, and she cannot get in. The driver will not stop because he is afraid the mob would devour his transport. The bus slowly was gaining acceleration.

She couldn't get in, she was sure of it. So she changed her tactics... She tried looking through the windows, trying to get her to possibly get down from the bus. She didn't find her in the sides, the bus was already picking speed.

At the back however, someone was tapping in the back window. It was her, the woman, the lady who looked exactly as herself... their eyes met.

The lady in the bus smiled, and she replied her smile. The bus started moving away. She was still running barefoot, and smiling with her red shoes in her hand.

Then the lady from the bus broke her gaze, and took out her cell phone, and pointed the camera towards the barefoot lookalike. The barefoot woman was still running, still holding the red shoes in her hands... and still smiling. And she took her picture.

The Bus went away.
The woman stopped running.
..............................................

She was home. She was looking at her mirror. She had not changed. She had spent an hour thinking about the woman in the bus. And then her eyes fell on her grandmother's picture. Her grandmother holding a paper boat.

"She took my picture" she thought. And she was holding her red shoes. She gifted herself those red shoes for this special day.

Maybe right now, the lady from the bus was looking at the picture from her cell phone. What would she ask her?

She looks into the mirror, she says,"Are you Married?? Do you have a boyfriend? Of course you do, You're so pretty... ha ha ha ha".

She asks again, "You know, today is my birthday... were we like separated when we were children? ha ha ha, but I don't know, that's not possible, only happens in Hindi Movies. Not Possible No???"

NO answer.

She then stops asking her questions, but telling her some things "You know, my Grandmother, went on a cruise once. She met a lover there. Nicole. And they promised never to contact each other ever, because, that sort of love could not exist then, so my grandmother made Nicole take a picture of her, with a paper boat... and today, you took a picture of me with my shoes... Do you know what I am talking about?"

No answer.- The mirror only shows her what she sees.

But she was smiling. She was somehow happy.

"You know, I used to feel like, I am all alone in this world. But you are there somewhere. Living as my self. It was my destiny to meet you. As... you and I have the same hairstyle, the same face, and same everything... I am not alone in this world... I am not... My decisions, my actions, affect others... you know... Yeah... I made you take my picture Didn't I???"

She was smiling. As though She was in Love for the first time. The only time.
................................................................................................

Tribute to Krzysztof Kieslowski,"La Double Vie De Veronique" (The Double Life of Veronique)

Confessions from KU: About Love (2006)

2010-01-08T08:49:00.000-08:00

Confessions from Kathmandu University. About Love 2006

सन्दर्भ 4 वर्ष अगाडीको हो। २००६ तिर को। म, हामी, Media Studies को first Batch हरू 2nd Semester मा थियौँ। पहिले सत्र मा आफ्नै कक्षाका सहपाटीहरू र अरू School (विषय) पर्ढ्ने, जस्तै, School of Science, School of Engineering, काहरूलाई चिन्दा चिन्दै बित्यो। तर Media बाट थोरै मात्र घुलमिल हुन्थे त्यो बेला, अरूहरू सँग। कक्षाका धेरैको Routine, KU आउ, घर जाउ हुन्थ्यो।

घुल्मिलहुनेहरू लाई धेरैले चिन्थिए। KU वरीपरि बस्ने भएकोले होला। Kishor (GK) ra Bijen (राम्री) Hostel बस्थे, अनि, क्षितिज पेप्सी बस्थ्यो, म २८ किलो बस्थेँ, दिपक कहिले बनेपा कहिले २८....

कक्षाका सबैजना अरू Faculty सँग घुल्मिल पनि हुन्छन्,अलिकति Media Studies Goodwill पनि, अनि, Media Studies Group, हाम्रो Club को Activity पनि अनि, Charity पनि को लागि केही काम गरौँ , नयाँ काम गरौँ जस्तो लाग्यो। त्यही हो, 1st Year को जोश।

Film Festival गरौँ भनेर लाग्यौँ। किनभने, Isc मा नि गरिसकेका थियौँ, Isc मै २ वटा Film, 2 वटा Documentary, बकैदा Charity Event को लागि Makers, Distributors (फिलिमको लागि Jai Nepal) सँग KU मा गर्न पाउँ भनेर Permission लिएरै काम गरेका थियौँ। सार्है झन्झटिलो काम थियो, १ दिनको लाई मात्र गरेका थियौँ त्यो बेला। २ वटा Documentary- भेडाको ऊन जस्तो, र ईतिहास जित्नेहरुका लागि र, 2 वटा Films- School of Rock, र The Incredibles।

Media Studiesमा, Isc को Deepak, र म थियौँ।

यो पालि गर्दा खेरी, HBO, Cinemax, StarMovies, Cinema Hall, मा देखाउने फिलिम भन्दा पनि, Film Festival मा जाने खाले फिलिमहरू देखाऔँ, Media को Brand, एउटा छुट्टै Class मा बस्नु पर्छ भनेर लागियो।

त्यही सन्दर्भमा, हामीले, Russian Culture Center मा, "Anton Chekhov's About Love" भन्ने फिलिम हेरेको थियौँ ....आधी मात्र है तर। त्यो नि देखाम् जस्तो लाग्यो। किनभने, +2, Isc मा, English किताबमा About Love भन्ने छ। KU को Isc. मा थिएन है फेरी। पछि त्यो Story पढ्दा खेरी, Movie र Story मा थोरैमात्र तालमेल देखियो।

जे होस्। रुसी साँस्कृतिक केन्द्र, (Russian Culture Centre) बाट, Permission लिएर त्यो Movie ल्यायौँ।

अरू Movie, Documentary हरू पनि ल्याएका थियौँ। जस्तै, भेडाको ऊन जस्तो, स: कर्णाली, ईत्यादिको लागि अनेक Permission Slipहरुमा Signature गरी गरी ल्याएका थियौँ।
Hotel Rwanda, Motorcycle Diaries भने, बिना permission; तर Studio लाई एउटा Email पठाऔँ ।

अरूको छुट्टै कथाहरू छन्। यो कथा चाहीँ About Love को हो।

रुसी सांस्कृतिक केन्द्रमा हामीले About Love आधी भन्दा अलिकति बढीमात्र हेरेका थियौ। Russian Film, Subtitle सहित, रमाईलो नै थियो। त्यो फिलिम घर ल्याएर फेरी हेर्यौँ।

घरमा हेर्दा खेरी, About Love मा Last Last तिर, Physical Love पो रहेछ। सभ्य नेपालीमा भन्दा त्यो फिलिममा अश्लील,कुन्ठित दृश्य रहेछ। केटा केटी नाङ्गै हुन्छन्। केटीको स्तन मात्र देखाउने नाङ्गो होईन, पूरै नाङ्गो, माथि देखि तल सम्म। केटा पनि उही हो। फेरी नाङ्गो मात्र हुन्छन् है, अरू केही पनि हुन्न। तर आपत नै हो।

के गर्ने? त्यो Movie नै Cancel गर्ने? त्यो गर्न मिल्दैन थियो, सबैभन्दा धेरै Audience About Love ले नै ल्याउँथ्यो, किनकी, त्यस्को लागि Publicity कम चाहिन्थ्यो।

एक छिन काटेर देखाउने? जस्तो लाको थियो, झन्झट जस्तो भो। केही उपाय निस्किन्छ कि भनेर फेरी हेर्यौ, फेरी हेर्दा खेरी Normal लाग्यो। यति सम्म चल्छ जस्तो नि लाग्यो। अनि एक छिन पछि, बाल हो, यो भन्दा कति खत्तम हेरेका हुन्छन मान्छेहरूले भन्ने निस्कर्ष निस्कियो। तर एक चोटी हाम्रो Department Head लाई सोधुम्, Controversial कुराहो, Permission लिनु पर्छ।

हाम्रो Languages and Mass Communications को Head Of Department, जङ्गब चौहानलाई सोध्न गयौँ, दिपक बोल्यो, म साथ मात्र गाको। सर लाई "सर, filmमा अलिकति अश्लिल द्रश्यहरू छन्" भन्दा सरले के छ र भन्नु भो। दिपकले त्यो बेला भनेको अहिले पनि सम्झनामा छ- "केटी निबस्त्र हुन्छे"। निबस्त्र रे... म हाँसो रोकीराको थिँए... तर अन्तिममा, सरको remarks हरू positive नै थियो। Bachelor तहका विद्दार्थीलाई पच्छ भन्ने भयो, र Go Ahead, पाईयो।
.....................................

Marketing phase:

Poster बनायौँ, Anton Chekhov's About Love भनेर, तर, यो Film को Marketing, Poster ले भन्दा नि चियापसलमा, बाटोमा भेटेको बेला दिईएको "आउ है" ले बढी काम गर्थ्यो।

Marketing फरक Group लाई फरक किसिमको गरिन्छ। तर Product एउटै हुन्छ। हाम्रो अगाडी, केटा र केटी गरी, २ वटा Consumer Group हरू थिए। Product= About Love. Meaning Distort हुनु हुन्न, र Goal- Clear हुनु पर्छ।

हाम्रो Motive or Goal भनेको, Hall मा, धेरैलाई फिलिम देखाउनु थियो। Charityको लागि पैसा जम्मा गर्नु थियो।

यसरी गरियो:

KU का केटीहरूलाई "Anton Chekhov को, +2 मा पढ्नु पर्थ्यो नि, हो त्यही, Anton Chekhov's About Love" भन्दै बोलायौँ। उनिहरूलाई त्यति भने पुग्थियो। हाम्रो बुझाई अनुसार, पढेको कुरा हो, र फेरी Love Story भन्यो भने, केटीहरू उस्सै नि आउँथे।

केटाहरूलाई Love Story भन्यो भने कमै आउँथे, त्यसैले, Anton Chekhov भन्नै परेन, "केटाहो, About Love,Film, खतरा Scene छ, हेर्न आऊ है" भन्यौँ।

Natural हो। हाम्रो गोल Clear थियो, Motive अनुसार काम गर्यौँ।

केटीहरूलाई ढाँटेको पनि हैन, पूरै सत्य नभनेको, Film को नाम त त्यही थियो नि।
जसरी बोलाएपनि फिलिम राम्रो भए पुगेन र???

फिलिम वास्तवमा राम्रो थियो, सबैले हेरुन् भन्ने भयो।
.......................................................................................................

शोको दिन, Hall Pack थियो। Computer Block को Auditorium मा गरेका थियौँ। Student हरू पलेटी- कसेर फिलिम हेर्न बसिराको थिए।

म चाहीँ, सबैलाई देख्ने ठाऊँमा... Reaction हेर्न रमाईलो होला जस्तो लाको थियो।

आँटेको त हो नि, KU जस्तो ठाऊँमा, public मा, ल हेर निबस्त्रता... Charity को लागि भन्न सकेको, KU कै ईतिहासमा पहिलो चोटी होला। नभएनि, मेरो ६ वर्षको KU मा पहिलो चोटी नै हो ।

Anyway, Scene आयो.....
यस्तो छ- older केटी, younger केटा, दुबै Nude, अनि त्या भको Conversation ले Sex Scene कहिले नहेरेको मान्छेलाई अलिक आछु आछु नै बनाऊँछ। त्यस्तो कोही कोही मात्र हुन्छ... भन्ने मेरो बुझाई थियो। तर त्यहाँ भाको केटीहरूले मेरो बुझाई गलत बनाए।

केटीहरूले मात्र Reaction देखाए... बिचरा, कत्तिले नखरा भन्लान, कत्तिलाई चाच्चिकै अफ्ट्यारो भाको थियो होला... मलाई त Reaction हेर्न रमाइलो लाको थियो।

Scene आउन साथ- कोही केटीहरू मुख छोप्छन्, कोही, आँखा मात्र छोप्छन, कोही, आँखा छोपेको जस्तो गरेर औँलाको बीचबाट प्वाल बनाएर हेर्छन। तर कोही केटीहरू अटल, No Flinching, No reaction Whatsoeverपाराले बसिराको थिए, मुख छोप्नेहरूले तिनिहरूलाई सोध्थे, "सकियो" भनेर।

कोही केटाहरू लजाएका थिए Public मा porn हेरियो भनेर होला, कोही मख्ख थिए, तर धेरै केटाहरूले Naturally लिए... जुन चहीँ सोचेको जस्तै भाको थियो।

बसमा जानुपर्ने बाहेक, कोही छिटो निस्केनन्। र कोसैले पनि, "यो भएन, बन्द गर" भनेनन्।
पुरै कथा सकियो, कत्तिले "Good Job" पनि दिए। हामी हास्यौँ।
.......................................................................................

Objectively हेर्दा खेरी, हिन्दी Cinema को १० हजार वटा कम्मरको vulgar thrust हेर्न हुने रे, अनि, त्यही कुराको रसियन Alternative हेर्न नहुने??? खै...

केही, सम्झनाहरू नियाल्दा खेरी, यो पनि कैद रहेछ। Confessions भनेर राखे पनि, I am quite proud of this memory. हा हा हा....

100 before you die.. BBC

2010-01-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

The BBC believes most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien

3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

6 The Bible

7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

8 1984 - George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcot t

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare

15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk

18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch - George Eliot

21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald

23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis

34 Emma - Jane Austen

35 Persuasion - Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis

37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres

39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne

41 Animal Farm - George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding

50 Atonement - Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel

52 Dune - Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville

71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

72 Dracula - Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses - James Joyce

76 The Inferno - Dante

77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal - Emile Zola

79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession - AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton

91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks

94 Watership Down - Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl

100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

thre is no earnest hemingway?? old man and the sea??? UHHHHHHH....

SIN

2009-12-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

It has to be well planned. Every detail looked onto. Everything must be perfect. The perfect sin. And the perfect place for it. The KITCHEN.

The Kitchen is the only part of the house which is cleaned Twice- Daily. Not top to bottom. But the Basics- the cooking area, the sink, they need to be clean.

It was because

She... was coming over for dinner.

In the past, he had called her over so many times. Every time she had an excuse. The first time he had invited her to his place, she said she had to do her laundry. That was six months ago.

Their relationship has developed quite a lot from then.

They work together. Seven months ago, when he asked her for tea, she had replied "colleagues are not allowed to date here". They did go for tea, and she paid for her cup, he paid for his. The conversations made them feel the jolt of "Love" at first sight.

They had indeed signed a contract which said they were not to date colleagues. The reason being that it reduced efficiency at work. This made their plight more interesting.

It started like any other love affair. Phone conversations. They would talk for hours on the phone. About everything. Life, culture, family, society, love, plans. They found so many things in common and so many uncommon yet fascinating elements in their lives.

By day, they were office goers, colleagues, strangers to the unknown eye, and by night secret admirer of each other. And after a few months the attraction developed into what both of them believed to be love.

In the office, They could only steal a look at each other in the meeting room, in the cafeteria. But whenever they were sure they were all alone, they would chance a kiss, or two. They had their usual spots in the office. The elevator, the car park, and once even in the men's room... when both of them were working late. But nothing went beyond kisses and hugs. They could not risk being caught violating office rules. For both of them, the Secrecy, fear, made the love affair more exciting.

Today she was coming over to his place. For the first time. And no one in the office knew about this. This thought had made him so excited that he sliced some meat off his forefinger while cutting carrots.

The knife was sharp. All his knives were sharp. And he had all kinds of knives. Knives, frying pans, cooking pots he had every specific kitchen gadget available in the market. And the collection of spices from normal cumin, fennel, chili, oregano, to very odd sounding Pimpinella anisum,
Foeniculum vulgare, Piper nigrum.... would make any housewife envy of this kitchen.

He is a good cook. That is his pride. His Passion. That is his love. He has a small library of cook books in his kitchen. French, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Newari, Thakali.... everything is there. Today he has something else in mind. Something unpublished. Something original. Something special. Because She was coming over. He lighted the stove and worked his magic... and let the stove on for a while.

And wine. The perfect red wine. "Cabernet Sauvignon" Year 1975. He never knew how or where to buy wines. This was a gift to him from his father who was the real wine lover.

The bell rang.

"Oh my god she is here." he thought. He went to the door, without taking off his kitchen apron which said, 'SALUTE CAPTAIN COOK'.

When he opened the door, he was flabbergasted. She was beautiful. She looked at him, smiled and said,"This is not really a formal event you know!!." Making a pun at his kitchen apron, She came in. And she gave him her coat which exposed her dress.

She was wearing a sleeveless, knee length, light blue gown. The slevelessness gave away her beautiful bosoms while the light blue-ness gave away her stunning figure.

"You umm... hah" He was lost for words. He tried to recollect himself. He wanted to hit himself on his head for acting so stupid with someone so close.

"You look great.. very prett..." She kissed him, covering his mouth, capturing his tongue before the word Pretty could escape from it. He kissed her back. They were lost in each other. They were not in the office, they didn't have to hurry. So, She had started to breathe very heavily now. He pulled back unlocking the kiss. "Wait..." he said, "The KITCHEN!!".

He literally ran towards the kitchen.

It took her a moment to come back to earth. She sat down. She looked around. Her breathing started coming back to normal. She was in the living room. There were pictures on the table. She looked at his parent's pictures, his dog's, she picked up his picture frame. "Wine?". She was startled.

"What?" he said. Shakes her head,"Nothing".

"Come on inside. We start with wine and cheese" he invites her into his kitchen.

She went inside and looked around in awe. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She prided herself to be a good cook. But when she looked around, saw the appliances, the spices, the cookbooks, she knew she would feel very inferior if she talked about food.

The wine was already poured... he gave her the bottle. 1975 the year. The wine was 10 years older than her. He said "drink up... The first glass is without cheese."

It tasted sweet. She had always thought old wines equals more alcohol equals worse taste, but this was different. She finished her glass. He poured her a second glass.

He gave her some cheese.
"Put this whole slice inside your mouth, chew everything, and then rinse the whole lot with the wine". She did as she was told, the cheese didn't taste so good at first, but the wonderful taste of the wine, made everything better.

He poured himself some wine before asking her.

She declined. "Are you trying to get me drunk?"

"No, I've Already Poisoned you" he said.

"Yeah. Someone like You would risk ruining this old wine? Why are you Drinking it then?" She asked.

"Not the wine honey." He took a sip of the wine. "The Cheese".

"Ha Ha Ha... Clever". She Laughed.

"Yeah, That's why I told you to put the whole thing in your mouth and chew.... The sedatives would take a lot of time to work if you had eaten the cheese in small proportions. And see.... the wine helps to rinse the sedative's bad taste off, in the end, you're just left with the good taste of the wine." He explained finishing his wine and pouring some more. "You sure you don't want any?"

"You win Captain Cook. You Poisoned me, please pour me some wine, and I am having the cheese". That was her attempt at being funny.

She knows he is kidding. She trusts him too much. She repeats the same action. She picks up the remaining cheese from the table, the whole lot, and put it inside her mouth- a whole mouth full with her cheeks ballooning out, chews it, takes in the bad taste, and the rinses her mouth with wine. And swallows everything. This time however, she starts feeling a bit tipsy,"Ooh.. I think the wine is getting to me" She says.

"Its the sedative honey. Not the wine." he says now turning his back to her and working in the kitchen.

"Ow.. Quit Kidding. Its getting really boring now". She changes her tone a bit.

He turns back to her, shaking a knife in his hand, and with a wicked smile, "Don't blame me afterwards".

Quiet. For a while.

Then She speaks.
"What are we having for dinner?"

"Its a surprise."

She loves his surprises. She remembers back when he purposed to her in the photocopy room with a set of diamond earrings. He had also said its a surprise then, and then according to him, the diamond earrings were the secret ingredients.

"What's the secret ingredient?" she asked.

He looks at her and says "YOU, my love".

Flattered. She smiles."No really. Come on... What are we having for dinner honey?".

"I am having you for dinner honey." She was feeling very different. She doesn't remember wine ever giving her such a different high. And for a moment she thought She was hearing things now. Or was in a very funny mood?

She tries to correct him, "You are having me OVER for dinner... honey. What.... " the effects of the wine are really getting to her. old wine. old wine. She closes her eyes and asks "What are we eating?"

"YOU......".
That was the last word she heard before she passed out.
.........................................................................................................................

It was well planned. Every detail was looked onto. Everything was perfect. The perfect sin. And the perfect place for it. The KITCHEN.
.......................................................................................................................

She opened her eyes. She was still in the kitchen. She tries to speak, she cannot. she looks around, her boyfriend, her love, was standing a few feet away, facing the stove.

He turns to see her awake.

"Hey, welcome back".
Her head feels heavy... she wants to hold her head.... She cannot move.

"Honey, you scared me for a while, you ate the whole cheese. I would have stopped you."

She was sitting on a chair. She tries to lift herself from the chair. She cannot. She cannot move. She doesn't feel anything holding her. She tries to speak. She cannot. She cannot speak, her lips are closed, she tries to let out sound from her throat, only an echo of inaudible sound.

"Let me Break some news to you... You cannot move, You cannot speak... You have been poisoned. NO no you wont die, Actually you are paralyzed... "

She can think, blink her eyes move her eyes, but cannot move nor speak.

"You made me wait 7 months for this... 7 months,and all we did was talk and talk and talk and talk... Ok I didn't mind the kissing, but honey... this is more fun. Both my love for Cooking, and you... are together." He turns to his stove.

He had poisoned her NO, He had drugged her. Whatever. She trusted him. She loved him. Now she couldn't move.

"7 months... you know, I can impregnate a girl and maybe have a premature baby by that time.. 7 months, I hate fetuses. I hate the way they smell. Even after washing them over and over and over.... Yuck... but I bet, you would taste great."

'I would taste great?' she blinked her eyes trying to communicate. She wanted to say so much. She wanted to ask why he was doing it. She loved him. He loved her.

"Honey, You see... cooking is not science, or art. Its Logic. Mixing the right kind of spices in right proportions and with the right food. Consider if you must, a goat.....What is the best part of a goat? no no no... not the head... you get great soup from the head, and ears should be burned in fire.. till the carbons turn black... not the belly... the fat doesn't really taste great... and yes, the limbs... not the feet area, the part where the feet ends... the arm muscles and the thigh muslces.. now they taste great..."

Tears rolled down her eyes. She remembers back to romance in office with him. 'Was it all a lie? The things he talked about. Everything was so real. So real.' She still couldn't move or talk.

"Logic also tells us that we should always know our food. I have an upper hand... I actually KNOW you.. You live, You breathe, You feel, And I know your wishes, your plans... I know you.... I knew you already in the first month though. We would have gotten this over with then if you didn't have to do your laundry. But chasing you was fun. The catch is marvelous... and so by knowing you, I know which part I should start with."

She was being eaten. Fear Grabbed her more now. More than the sadness of betrayal.

"You don't do much exercise, so your arms were not much of interest to me... your bosom... is just so... unrealitically big... frankly, I never thought they were real. Yeah.. but you always had the sexist of the thighs...."

She rolled her eyes to her thighs. Without Speaking, Without Moving.

Her transparent dress which she wore for him was torn in the thighs... and she could see blood red... and white... her thigh bone... She could she her femur- the bone that joins the pelvis to the knee... a whole chunk of meat was missing from her right leg.

He begins singing in the worst possible voice "Todaaaaay is a greaaaaat daaaaay... cuz..... boooooth my laaaave are weeeeeth me"....

Tears. Uncontrolled tears. And more tears. She did not feel any pain, she was completely paralyzed. They were just tears coming out of her.
.........................

Dedicated to "Hannibal the Cannibal"... The greatest villian cinema has seen so far.

Normal...

2009-12-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

फेरी निद्रा लागेन

अब २-३ बज्छ, ट्वाल्ल पर्यो, बस्यो, यसो को को छन्... भनेर online हेर्यो, ती नै हुन्छन जैले...

जैले देखिरकाहरू।
काम नपाकाहरू।
काम भाको भए बिहान ९ बजे हाजिर गर्नु पर्ने हुन्थ्यो होला, अरू मान्छे सरह,
Normal मान्छे सरह...

Normal हुनु पनि काई हो।
स्वाद नै हुन्न क्या life मा। हरेक दिन उही routine... उही व्यस्तता।
अनि हरेक हप्ता शुक्रबारको पर्खाई
दारू खानलाई।

शुक्रबारको पर्टीमा नि जहिले त्यही group हुन्छ।
अनि त्यही कुरा... त्यहाँ नभाको मान्छेको...
त्यस्तोलाई "कुरा काट्ने" भन्छन् अलिक पाकाहरूले।।

नेपाली भनेपछि कुरा काट्ने भनेको रगतमै हुन्छ क्यार
दुनियाले चाहिँ केटीहरूले... मुख्यत: आईमाईहरूले धेरै कुरा काट्छन् भन्छन्!
होला।।
तर मैले देखेको, केटाहरूपनि उत्तिकै छन।

४-५ जना केटा केटा भेलाहुँदा... दारू खाँदा... गफको मात्रै Quantityको हिसाब गर्ने हो भने:

१. नम्बरमा केटीको... धेरैमा देखेको, कुरा काट्ने मै पारेको यसलाई पनि।

२.नम्बरमा ...बुढाहरूमा बेसी Politicsको गफ हुन्छ, अनि Teenagers मा कत्तिको झ्याप भईयो, या यो भन्दा नि अझै झ्याप कहिले भाको थियो, र त्याहाँ, त्यो बेला, के कस्तो ताल देखाईयो....

३. अरू मूड अनुसार हुन्छ.... गफ। Ideas, Plans, Sports, Movies, Philosophy,

त्यो Ageको मुड जे छ, त्यही अनुसार।

४. २-३ जना मात्र भाको बेला दु:ख बाँडिएला। यस्तो भयो भने रक्सी पिएको सार्थकभो मान्छु म चाहीँ।

तर यस्तो बेला उपदेश लिन हुन्न। किनकी, झ्याप सुरमा मन-लाग्दी बोलिन्छ।

४ नम्बरमा दु:ख बाड्नु भनेको, सुनाउनु मात्र हो। दारू खाको मान्छे सँग Therapy खोज्ने हैन।
बोल्न दिने हो, अनि अर्कै तर्फ मन डुलाउने।

.....दारूमा पुगेछ कुरो। हामी Routine जिन्दगीको कुरा गर्दै थियौँ।....

मान्छेको कस्तो हुन्छ भने...
मान्छेलाई रोग लागे पछि मत्रै ....हिँड- डुल गर्न पाए हुन्थ्यो,
घुम्न पाए हुन्थ्यो, date जान पाए हुन्थ्यो लाग्छ...
प्रतक्ष असर नपरे सम्म.... तँलाईँ यस्तो हुन्छ, अनि तँ मर्छस्, भन्ने नपरे सम्म केही ठूलो परिवर्तन आऊँदैन।

त्यही बटोमा सोच्ने हो भने,
जिन्दगी रमेर जिउँछु भन्छौँ तर... कतिसम्म? एकदिन मरिहालिन्छ, जस्तो लाग्छ...
एक दिन मरिहालिन्छ, मोज गरुम्, २ दिनको जिन्दगानी... भन्दा फेरी... "पाप लाग्ला है"!! भन्छन्
तर म फेरी, भगवानको पूजा- अर्चना नगरे पनि, स्वर्ग र नर्क चाहीँ मान्छु।

नर्क देखि साह्रै डर लाग्छ।
नर्कमा त पोल्छन् रे।
हामी तात् तातो तेलमा,फ्राई हुन्छौँ अरे, बेसनमा दलेर होला, स्वादको लाई
अनि यमराजका भूँडीवाल दानव पालेहरूका लागि... KFM हुन्छ होला, केन्टकी फ्राई मान्छे।
बकेट बकेट खाने होलान् है हाम्रो....

त्यतिमा मात्रमा पीडा सकिन्न नि।
त्यहाँ बाट, दानवको digestive systemको सयर,
अनि एकै थुप्रो,
आत्मा हो क्यार, अजर-अमर हुन्छ... (सन्चो हुन समय लाग्ला, तर सन्चो हुन्छ)
अनि एकै छिन निको हुन बिश्राम,नुवाई धुवाई,
अनि फेरी, त्यही Routine.

तर अब,
स्वर्ग चाहीँ रमाईलो सुनिन्छ।
ईन्द्रको Clubमा गयो,
Dance हेर्यो,
मुड चले अप्सराहरू सँग Flirt गर्दै बस्यो... छुट्टै रमाईलो।

तर काँ हामी जस्तालाई छिर्न देलान त ? सार्है सोझो हुनु पर्ने होला है, त्या entry पाउन।
बाहिर फेरी
दारू भन्न नहुने होला।
जाम न 'सोमरस' खान... भन्यो भने, "हुन्न पाप हो", भन्ने होला ।

म अनि, "किन हुन्न?? भगवानले त खान्छन" भन्थेँ।
स्वर्गको Logic पनि पृथ्वीको जस्तै हुँदो हो... "भगवानले त गाँजा नि खान्छन्।"

अनि फेरी Topic change गर्न त्यही कुरा,
"तिमीले ३ हजार वर्षको मानव सभ्यताको दर्शन अध्य्यन गर्यौ ?"

ढाट्न मिल्दैन फेरी,
"अलि अलि गरेँ"

त्यहाँ पनि यस्तो गर् उस्तो गर, यस्तो नगर, उस्तो नगर, भन्नेहरू भईहाल्छन् नि।
"लौन, अध्ययन पुगेन है, पुगेन, ३ हजार वर्षको मानव सभ्यता र ३ करोड वर्ष भगवान दर्शन सकाउनु बाँकी छ। पुगेन"

त्यस्तै हुन्छ जस्तो लागिराको छ मलाई।

एक चम्चा पानीमा दुबेर मर, तेरो केही scope देखिन मैले।

Everyday People (Story)

2009-11-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

He is in a small cubicle separated from the world around him. He stared into his computer screen. Both his hands were on the keyboard. He could hear no one. He felt away from everyone yet he felt remotely together.

He had to write what he was doing in about 140 words or less. He begins typing. 'Sitting in my office cubicle... waiting for a promotion, and a window with a view'... "No No NO" He shakes his head. "This is too much information". He pressed backspace until nothing remained in the box except a blinking cursor.

People read what you put on this, he thought. Just then a status update read- 'My child spent 30 minutes in the toilet today'. This was from his ex-classmate from grade 10. She had married earlier than him, and had two children- a boy and a girl. He himself had a girl about 9 years old. She spends hours in the bathroom herself. But it wouldn't seem appropriate to mention her bowels and toilet habits in public.

Another of his school mates had recently changed her profile picture. It was tiny, so he clicked on it to view it in full size... and... "Whoa!" escaped his mouth. He checked the time. It was a very recent update.

"She must still be online" he thought. And she was.

He faced a common problem: How to begin a written conversation with someone you have never spoken to? not even way back in Grade School?

Without thinking, he typed "Hi" and pressed enter

She replied almost instantly 'Hi to yourself, long time no see'

He takes a bold step and types: 'Yeah, tell me about it, I never saw you here until your profile picture change'

He waited for her reply which seemed to take forever. 'She must be thinking' he thought. He also had her profile page open- Age 32, unmarried, and looks like a underwear model. In her profile picture, she had a yellow top- tight fitting- not exposing, but visible, a red skirt- long legs, and hair that supports a very provocative look.

A red blip with the letter 1 appeared on the bottom right of his computer screen, it was her.

'Do I look fat in that picture?' She asked.

This was not flirting. He is not betraying his wife. He wife looked at him from his picture frame on the table. The picture was taken in Pokhara on their 7th anniversary second honeymoon. She was smiling in the picture. His wife did not look angry.

'All I see are muscles- no fat there' He replied

This private moment was disturbed by his co-worker. "Hey! The company bus will come around in about half an hour. Get Ready, we're taking pictures outside."

Another red blip with the letter "2" appeared.

'Really?'
'You look good too, You used to wear glasses in school right?' She asked.

He then replied:
'Yeah- huh you remembered'
'I wanted to look like a hindi film hero, a nice guy :-)) '

She said:
'ha ha.. you looked Like a studious person'

He was enjoying this: 'Now... not like a nerd though right?'

She too showed she was enjoying this. 'No! you were not good in studies. Nerds are good in studies. I beat you in almost everything'

She remembers so much detail. And its been over 15- 16 years.

He was about to type, 'seems like yesterday doesn't it' but deleted everything.

Again a disturbance from his colleague. "Come on! You're Missing Office Group Pictures".

He had to say goodbye to his ex classmate. 'Hey, I have to go. Lets catch up sometime over coffee or lunch' he said Without any hope of reply from her.

She then replied, 'Sure, I would like that very much'

He smiled while he typed good bye. Sure he was married for ten years, but it was not like he was doing anything immoral. Actually he was happy for himself. " I Still got it... I still got the power." He was smiling as he went for the group pictures.

.........................................................

He was sure his pictures came out good. He was smiling all the time during first round of pictures, until the fifth round. Then, it started getting a little irritating.

Everyone had a camera there. And everyone was taking pictures. Click here and click there. And then they starting to make faces and pose in front of the camera.

He remembered the last outing from the office when everyone had a camera for a single purpose "TO UPLOAD PHOTOS" And they uploaded everything. Even the 'being drunk stupid' part. He always thought Nepalese who stay abroad were more liberal in terms of showing what they drink and smoke and syringe compared to people in Nepal. He hated to be proved wrong.

....What he felt most irritating was the album names they use 'A fun time with friends'. "How would they be having a nice time if they are busy photographing? Loners, Narcissists... Everyone of them", he thought.

After a series of camera parties, he had vowed never to go to another party for the rest of his office going life. But this one was important. One of his seniors was leaving, going abroad. Which meant a vacant post. He was due for a promotion. And everything was going good for him.
.................................................

The party was exactly like he thought it would be. People would start drinking, making smoke circles, talk about nothing, and then start clicking. Click here, click there, click click, click, click, click everywhere... He needed to breathe.

He took a huge gulp of his drink. And stayed there trying to hold a smile to everyone, to every camera pointed at or around himself. Conscious of everything. Never relaxed.

He didn't know why he was still in the party. His work here was done. He was there; He was sitting beside his leaving senior, his boss knows he is in the party, he was smiling to every camera, but it was getting unbearable.

No one really wants to listen to each other. And everyone is constantly talking, getting drunk and getting stupid. He wanted to get out.

A colleague sitting beside him tells him, "Hey.. Hey... Your Phone's been ringing for hours."

He reached to his jacket pocket. It was his wife.

He picked up his phone, listened for a while and said, "Stay there, Stay there... I am coming over right now, just stay there".

He then turned to the colleague sitting beside him, "I have to go, my daughter is sick". He then said his last farewell to the abroad going senior, and clarified his leave to his head boss.
...................................................

His wife had called him because their 9 year old daughter had fainted. On the way back home, he called his doctor friend who said he would come by the next day.

He reached the front door and rang the bell. His wife opened and said almost immediately, "She is sleeping. Do you know our daughter has been dieting?"

He was baffled. "Dieting? What? Why in the world... ?"

"She says she wants to be a model." Replied his wife.

"My God. Is this what its all about?" He replied in a matter of fact way.

His wife gave him a look saying 'Do you know something I don't?'

He begins explaining. "She was taking this quiz in this social networking site. 'What should be your ambition'... or something like that. The results are fashionable celebrity Ambitions like Astronaut, or Journalist, or Scientist, or a Politician."

"And her's came a model?" His wife always filled in the gaps in their conversation.

"Supermodel" he corrected her, "It is supposed to make us feel good about ourselves. People don't take these things seriously".

"She is a child. She grabs these sort of things. I have child locked the television so that she wouldn't be influenced by it... and..and...You said this site would be a nice learning experience for her."

"It is a nice learning experience, I didn't think about this.... I'll talk to her in the morning." He tried defending himself.

His wife takes a deep breath. "Did you have dinner?"

"Yeah.. "
.......................................................

Bedtime was early for his wife. He however was in the television room. He was thinking about everything. When he came to his senses, he realized he was watching a French channel.

He didn't follow the usual routine of TV and then internet. He didn't visit the social-networking site that night. It didn't feel awkward. He brushed his teeth and went straight to bed.

In the bed, he was thinking about child locking the internet. He had read somewhere that internet is the Twenty First Century addiction. He calculated his hours in the internet. All day in office, and back home over 8 hours. 'Every addiction had a price to pay' he thought, "Maybe I should lay off the site for a while"

He then tried sleeping. He thought about what he would tell his daughter, and if his boss will promote him or not. Then, his mind then wandered off to the unmarried 32 year old ex classmate. 'Wonder why she is unmarried?"

He was falling asleep but the visions of his daughter as a 32 year old unmarried model came to him haunting back. He opened his eyes. "Bloody Site!" he cursed and fell back to bed.

Therapies.

2009-08-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

Its 3:15 AM and I am typing on my keyboard. No No no I didn't plan this. I don't plan something like this. I am spontaneous, moody. I guess I need some sort of outlet. This is how I do it. I punch the keyboard.

I believe, Everyone has some form of outlet. Some form of therapy. I am not talking about going to a shrink. Many people cannot afford that. However, psychoanalysis is done naturally by many people.

I know people who go to a gym. I used to; I was awful. But these regulars say its quite refreshing. I talked to a few (and I am filtering only interesting answers here). They say, People relate gym-going to "real life". For example, they Imagine a face on the punching bag. That face may be of the teacher who gave them a 'C' on the end semester exams, or boss who never talks about a raise, or dads who never buy The Yamaha FZ-16.

I hate going to gyms. I am lazy. So what do lazy people like me, find therapy in?

Drinking. That's therapeutic. You actually go for a drink to talk, but you drink because you cannot just sit in a bar for free. I know people who drink quite often. They seem happy. But You shouldn't have someone to support or depend upon if you want that life style. If a Family Man drinks, he goes home, has a debate with the wife, and a brawl with the 16 year old son who can really throw a fist.

People say Fighting is therapy. You find a good release from this. But Not really recommended. Ah, and Smoking pot- always therapeutic. Shouldn't make it a habit though. Its Not much fun if the release is the routine.

People find therapy in Religion too. A large chunk of people- Young, old, ugly, beautiful, any color, shape, size or form. I guess religion has always been there, its tradition. Religious stories must have been the sole source of leisure before televisions or books or drinking. And religious places must have been the chat rooms and hangout areas of today.

Religion has been there since ages, and in different cultures too. Sure, there is diversity and many tend to take it seriously. I don't. I belong to the Hindu persuasion by the way- by birth. I am not obliged to worship a particular god though. So, its Quite liberal.

You know what I think? I think Religion is what people with good imagination created to guide their society into a particular direction. And Everyone thinks their religion IS the path to Glory. I guess you can use that theory for politics too : Marx, Mao, Che, Congress, Communists, Democratic, Republican, Liberals. Everyone thinks their path leads to Glory.

Einstein once said that religion provides discipline by fear. You know, fear of going to hell. Nepali politicians would say if you don't follow us, you will go to hell. See they are similar. Politics is also good therapy.

But its not really religion they find therapy in, its God. I believe in God. I believe that God has a great sense of humor. Human Beings are God's cartoons. Human beings have free will- God does not Control us, so that makes us very interesting, and funny.

The power of Making free choices allows Human Beings to aspire. To have an Ambition. Quite Simply, to HOPE. Everyone hopes. (I got that from 'a hopeless person ends his life' so..) Too many people hoping for something good, struggling for something good, Striving for a future- Makes them really funny.

If I were God, I would be Laughing my Ass off when YOU humans close your eyes, join your hands and bow down your heads and pray for "Better Grades for exams", "Good Husbands", "Beautiful faithful Wives", "The wish to see the world", "More Money", "Long Life", "Better Health", "Peace", "Team Wins the world Cup"... if you really dwell on it, every wish is funny.

If I were God, I would meet every human being, after they die of course. I would ask them(very seriously at first, "How Did your life go"? (I would have that special power to be in all places at once, so that I could spend quality time with everyone.) And then, I would sit down with them, have my angel bring them some heavenly wines. After we are a bit woozy and settled, together, we would start watching a series of wishes and the way that person tried fulfilling it. And then Laugh. I would be laughing at the person of course, but since the person is settled drinking the wine, and the person would be with GOD- the almighty himself, someone really close to the person, so, he or She would also laugh with me.

Laughter- Now there is a Great Therapy.

15 minutes of Fame

2009-08-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

I hate it when people are famous for having no talent. What kind of celebrities are they? Models. I have this theory. Beautiful people are stupid. Especially beautiful people who come on the media.

They are famous because they are beautiful. Now I am not cursing a profession. Its good to be professional, but people really have to think about the effects of their profession. Fashion TV has really really beautiful, professional, mouth watering girls. They get paid more in a day's job than what we earn in a year just for staying beautiful and anorexic. But They dont think about the effects. That's why I call them stupid.

One of The effect on the society is that girls... very very young girls... who are told they are beautiful by their parents... who mold their perception of society looking at fashion TV become very depressed... Because of the model's figures. They start striving to achieve it. So, they start dieting- depriving themselves of all the essential nutrients they need to grow up healthily. Some even start painful sessions of self induced vomiting.

We sort of discussed celebrities in "Media Culture and Society". That was like 2 years ago. We need models to sell. Because guys like looking at girls and girls like being looked at by guys and the media being the place to show us "what we should strive to be like".
Celebrities are hence used by media. Especially advertisers. However, these people have a very small screen life. You have heard the line "15 minutes of fame". I told you they have no talents.

I hate it when people are famous for having no talents. Rishi Dhamala- he had this space for news people to collect news. Dont microscope the guy. You will find talents everywhere if you do that. Even staying anorexic is a talent then.

OK an example then. and also the reason I am writing this. I am trying to tell it like a love story. Bear with me.

City Center. Kamalpokhari. The new Mall where they show the 4D movie. I went to see that the other day. It costs Rs. 300. Its a waste of money. Archan had told me so. But I went there anyway. Just to see technology. And they had that warning sign... NO HEART PATIENTS... NO PREGNANT WOMEN ALLOWED INSIDE. I thought it was scary. (A victim of good marketing).

And there she was. I first saw her in the 2nd floor. And I ran into her on the 3rd floor. YOu know, sometimes, you see a person, and you have that feeling that you have met her somewhere, but you dont really remember. I dont really meet too many good looking girls. I study in KU. Girls in KU are not stupid.

Anyway.. I knew her from somewhere. I didnt remember. Maybe she looked like someone I knew.

Whatever... She was beautiful. She was wearing this whitish kurta with some blue pattern. I dont know what that pattern was, I couldn't take my eyes of the most beautiful, perfect face I had ever seen. I dont know the color of her eyes. I wasnt so close. But they were supported by the wonderful looking eyebrows. And killer expressions when she was talking. She gazed into a bag shop from outside. You know we sort of tend to focus our eyes to something that's far. And she did that with expressions. अदा. It was like WOW. And she was a human. She didn't have wings. I checked that.

All the while I was lost in my thoughts (everything written above and many things more),... I didn't realize I was staring at her, and I was stalking her. You draw a line somewhere right? So I stopped. Sat down and recollected. Then it came to me. I had been seeing her every time I come to kathmandu in Baneshwore standard Chartered Bank's green colored hoarding board. Almost everyday In Jamal's overhead bridge- Samgsung. She always looked great with that apple in her hand. Sneh Rana.

It was mesmerizing. I was under the spell of true beauty. I had to wait for about an hour for the 4D movie. It was sweetest hour I ever spent. I stayed imagining her sitting right by me inside the hall, and then asking me "I am scared May i Hold your Hand?". I know. A teenager's fantasy. hehe. I am not ashamed. It was nothing dirty, or lusty. It was very sacred. I was respecting true beauty.

My point:
She was not anorexic. And she is talented. She is a beautician. She is married though. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife". But anyway... it was beauty perfect beauty. Because she is a beautician, maybe in her case it'll stay for more than just the 15 minutes (I hope it does). And so its not a crime to be beautiful, and to make money off it. But People should respect beauty if it makes sense. And advertisers will never stop using these beautiful people. But health should also be a priority. The audience is always stupid. They'll buy it if someone convincing sells it to them. The people who make it convincing should start believing in heaven and hell and do something for the people.

Pretty Kathmandu...

2009-07-29T01:16:00.000-07:00

Blind Bats in God's Caves
Hang Upside Down on a Rocky Ceiling
The Stream runs down below, constant
They wake up always to total darkness.
Move around, Do what is expected.
and go back to sleep before the sky turns blue.

Before Dawn, Birds are outside
Sweet Morning Air, heavy midday work, and tiring evening...
The Stream ripples through pointy stones- and they drink from it.
They Play, they mate, and conjugate.
Form a fantasy and Work late, and go home to slumber in sorrows.
Every Night Before sleeping, they hum the same tunes:
" Pretty Kathmandu, How I wish I was Born Again to A God's life"

A Beehive.
The stream takes a turn
The Bees always miserly.
Work in teams, Organize, share the work
Dance, communicate,make honey.
Ensure Enough Supplies in the winter.
Every Morning, before dawn, the hymn:
"Pretty Kathmandu- I don't want to break a smile to another fiend again".

Always, Rich and Glory to the Vultures.
the stream is a beautiful waterfall
Vultures fly around in circles
they feed, they kill, have made fear their primary arsenal.
Vultures- Respected, by everyone
SO they smile.
Smile in front of millions, and preach.
Preach the route of "fear":
"Pretty Kathmandu- self survival, and mass brainwash"

Pretty Kathmandu
Where Hopes Bleeds Blue.
NO one is ALONE... everyone is LONELY.
Trapped in routines, Ambition, fantasy, hope, motive, birth, death.
Trapped in Life.

Crowing towards sunrise
crowing back home at dusk.
Living each life, their own way
Everyone believes their way is right.

But, When everyone is right... no one IS.

("Pretty Kathmandu" Phrase courtesy: Bigyan Raj Gyawali)

Mind your language... and Lay it on them

2009-07-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

आपत्तिजनक तथा अभद्र भाषा: When we informally learn a language, I don't think we start with A, B, C, D. We go straight to the cursing words. I grew up with a lot of Newars. And I have learned nothing but "Haku", "Kicha" and "Maka" (काले, कुकुर, बाँदर)... and a lot more nastier words.

If you watched "into the Wild", you will remember this phrase, " Call everything by its right name". The thing is.. we have to know what we are talking about.

I would like to take that concept and merge it into cursing. Everyone Curses. It may be a small साले or a huge "F#(k". But its a nice way to lash out something building inside you. And guys cannot survive without cursing. That's our signature. But you don't do it every time. You don't curse in front of your boss or your parents.

But talking about people and derogating them (backbiting) is an accepted pass time when two people or more meet up.

I read a blog from this girl once who said there is too much cursing in Australian trains. She was urging like "Broharu" ट्रेनमा मुख नछाड्नु न ल?

I don't support that either. Hardcore curses may sound beautiful in "Twaake Production". Or even television or internet because they are more for a private viewing in your homes. When you have locked your doors. But never in public place. You cannot use hardcore curse in public.

That's a rule, but... its meant to be broken. There are some softer versions of Curses which are very derogative but... they're accepted.

Something like : Kaaai.

काई:
१. सिमसार वा रुखमा उम्रने हरियो मासिनु झ्याउ; पानी झ्याउ
२. दाँत वा जिब्रोमा लाग्ने सेतो गन्हाउने लेउ
३. बिरामी पर्दा हत्केला, पैतला,आदिमा देखा पर्ने कालो मयल
४. सफा नगर्दा योनिमा जम्ने मयल
५. ढुड्गा, माटो आदिमा लाग्ने चिप्लो वस्तु;
६. काठ, धातु आदिका भाँडाभित्र जम्ने मयल;

You have to be careful though. You want to curse, but you should always call everything by its right name. It was 2nd year Media studies I guess we had a course on "Globalization". There was this huge chapter about "cultural colonization"- Rule the smaller cultures by disseminating ones language. Eg: English is the global language.

Some of the words are quite famous:
Psycho: Victim of sever mental or emotional distraction.

Everyone uses it.

And some of the more famous words... may have a Nepali word which may not be related...
There is a Nepali word called :फोगिन

फोगिन : माग्ने कामबाट जीवन धान्ने

People say that's what Indians have been trying to do to Nepal. Indians are trying to make Nepal their Cultural colony. There are some Indian words, which have a completely different meaning in Nepali. But we use the Indian words because we are more accustomed to it. And besides, Nepali words have come off Sanskrit, Arabian, English etc. But there is always "Calling everything by its right name".

The Indian version of Psycho is probably "भेजा" . But, The Nepali word "भेजा" has a completely different meaning.

भेजा:
१. चिठी आदि पठाउने; प्रेषक
२. गुठी वा यस्तै धार्मिक कृत्यमा सामूहिक रूपले घर घर बाट उठाइने सिधा, दक्षिणा आदि।

Another word is more common but very much mis interpreted : छक्का

छक्का:
१. छ दोबर, छ गुना; छक्के
२. सोह्र वा आठ कौडाले खेलिने जुवाको एक ढाउ

My point, If you have a Nepali version of the word, why not use it.

षण्ड:
नपुंसक; हिँजडा। स्त्री. षण्डा

There are more interesting words in Nepali. Which are common. But sound so crude. I am comparing बोको and स्त्रीलम्पट: both of them sort of mean the same in Spoken language. Call someone a बोका first and then a स्त्रीलम्पट and look at their face change colors. Its more effective. And more derogative.

बोको:
बाख्रीको भाले; नसुमरेको पाठो;

स्त्रीलम्पट:
स्वास्नी वा स्वास्नीमानिस भनेपछि मरिमेट्ने; बढूता स्त्रीप्रसड्ग गर्ने, कामुक।

There are common words too. But if you see it in the meaning level, just the same... very derogative.

ग्वाजे:
लठेप्रो पाराको; ग्वाँगे, लाटो। ग्वाच (modernized)

पाते:
कसैले बोलेको कुरा हास्यात्मक रीतिबाट काट्ने उल्क्याहा व्यक्ति

मूला:
१. साग र कन्द दुबै पकाएर वा काँचै खाईने शाकजातीय एक उदभिद बनस्पति।
२. बेकम्मा; रद्दी (लक्षणिक अर्थमा)

पाजी:
१. गधाको बच्चा
२. कसैलाई गालीका रूपमा मानिने शब्द।
३. दुष्ट; दुर्जन
४. नीच; तुच्छ

भाते:
१. भातका भरमा अर्काको काम गरी जीवन बिताउने भतुवा
२. कुनै काम, ईलम नगरी बसेर मत्र खाने; भातमारा

There are some traditional curses that sound "so Natural". And they're not regarded as Hardcore. Very helpful to get people depressed.

गाँडे:
१. घाँटीमा गाँड निस्किएको गाँड भएको; गँडोहो।
२. नमिल्दो स्वभावको, असुहाउँदिलो अस्वभाविक
३. मिलनसार नभएको; गाँडू
४. कामै नलाग्ने हलम्बू; लट्ठक: गाँडो

मुढे:
१. बुध्दिसुध्दि नभएको बल; मढपेलाई; जबर्जस्ती
२. मुर्खता; मुर्ख्याईँ

मोरो:
१. मुर्दा; लास; शव
२. लोग्नेमानिसलाई गाली गर्दा वा भित्र माया भए तापनि बाहिर रिस देखाउँदा प्रयोग गरिने शब्द । स्त्री. मोरी।

लिँडे:
पुच्छर नभएको; ठूटे ।
२. एकोहोरो; हठी ; जिद्दीवाल।
३. गाली गर्दा प्रयोग गरिने शब्द

नाथे:
१. नाकका प्वालभित्र उम्रने रौँ
२. कसैलाई हेला, घृणा वा तिरस्कार गर्दा भनिने शब्द; कसैलाई होच्याउन भनिने शब्द
३. तुच्छ; नीच; जाबो; पमर

धुन्धुकारि:
१. फट्याईँ गर्दै हिँड्ने व्यक्ति; उल्लू मानिस
२. खराब आचरण गर्ने छोरो; कपूत; कुपुत्र

पतित:
१. खसेको; झरेको; गिरेको
२. जाति; धर्म आदिबाट च्यूत भएको
३. आचारभ्रष्ट चरित्र भष्ट
४. माहापापी; पातकी
५. नीच

पिचास:
१. जथाबावी खाने; हन्तकाली
२. फोहोरी; असभ्य्; जड्गली।

For any language, the dictionary is the dirtiest book there is. And the above words are only random samples Nepali Dictionary. But its a nice book. Really nice. You'll feel proud of the dictionary's weight and richness of Nepali Language.

Use it.. enhance your dirty vocabulary. And ... Lay it out on them.

Staying up past Midnight... Memories

2009-06-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

I have always liked the night I guess. Particularly, The music of the night. There is always this Pitch Black Silence. But you have the ambiance in the form of sad howls of dogs or bats screeching in glory or cuckoos just melodiously adding up some flair to the dark.

Well, The first time I stayed up all night was in Grade 8. (staying up all night means staying up till dawn breaks)- or The first sights of the murder of crows flying towards the sunrise.

The first time was the hardest, I guess. I don't really remember getting disoriented, but I still remember those nasty burps. It all started with a small thermos and a very very Black coffee. I had never had Black coffee in such a large quantity before. My drink was "Milo"- a chocolate drink. You used to get free Frisbees or sling shots in a jumbo Milo pack. You could drink about 5 Glasses of Milo and you'd be left asking for more. I had about 3 cups of the Black coffee and I felt the whole Mahabharata in my stomach. I tried to ignore it. Ah, I was staying up for my tests. "Optional Mathematics and Computer". A test in Galaxy Public School is a 25 marks, compulsory, mid term analysis of how the students are doing. You can fail in a test. Hence I experimented with the "WHOLE NIGHT" thing.

I stayed up till 5. That's when the crows came on. And I woke up around 7. The Burps woke me. I guess the empty stomach of the night combined with really black coffee that does not digest, made my stomach produce excess acid. And so those acidic belches.

I really hate those Belches that taste like rotten egg. Personally, I like Coca- Cola burps. Or even the burps that come after you have beer. Those are classic Burps. You paid for those, and you feel proud after doing those. No one wants their mouth to taste like a rotten egg early in the morning. And on top of it, I had to walk around with that face that says "I'm constipated".

So, I guess I got used to sleeping late. 12, or 1 or 2 even. I used to listen to the radio while doing my assignments. I grew fond of listening to some old Hindi songs, or some love stories at night. Those were nice programs. Subtle, nothing over the top.

KU made the sleeping habit worse I guess.

In the early days, I used to wake up around 7 15. Have something, wear my uniform, do my toilet duties and go to Bhat Bhateni before 7:45. Never missed a bus. Used to come home around 5:45. Simpsons were on at 6:15, So was always busy till 6: 45. 6:45, Either turn to HBO, or Start Movies or Cinemax for a movie or do practicals or both at the same time. Then stay on the net. Chat or do something else till 12 or 1 or 2 at night.

When I came to Dhulikhel, the timings didn't change. We didn't watch the Simpsons or see a movie but we talked, till really late. We used to Share Stories or talk for hours on anything.
So, the timings still were 12 or 1 or 2 at night.

Isc stopped really suddenly. My routine however stayed the same. After my Isc, I was living in London Time Zone. Australia were visiting England for Ashes 2005 summer. And, I watched every game, every day, even watched the highlights. I was practically living with the London Time Zone, my sleep timings remained the same. 12 or 1 or 2 at night.

Yeah, Kaag Tihar, Undergraduate 2 year I guess, I was in BC the whole night. Saw movies, had a few drinks, played a few cards... I don't have to explain the whole party scenario do I? Well, we boarded a Bus to Kathmandu at 5 in the morning. Went to Gaunshala for a tea, and then went to Pashupati. Anyway, we rested on Om Hospital and Research Center's canteen to have the morning tea.

No. Don't get me wrong. I do sleep. I can sleep. My needs are not even that special. I can sleep on the floor with two day's newspapers as my cushion. And its really cold and I am burning a heater. I can sleep on top a dining table. (I HAVE done them, both )... I can sleep when its cold. It gets really cold in Dhulikhel when the season's right. Umm, I can doze off anytime during the day time. If I choose to. I can sleep in a moving bus. I wake up if the bus stops moving though. Its got something to do with motion and the constant breeze of air. I guess its all in my mind. My moods. Am I starting to sound a bit Crazy now?

Its 3 in the morning, my father just came in. "sutnu pardaina talai?" ... Its nothing new, he didn't really elaborate on that. He used to. But he's giving up... Finally, well you know late has less benefits.

Well, I dont really have a good looking face, but I wouldn't want it to look worse than it already is. Not having enough Sleep is really bad for health. Skin too. You get those really dark circles around your eyes. If you have a positive outlook in life you may say it makes you look like John lennon without the glasses.

Not healthy for the brain. I used to like the high I got after losing sleep for a couple of days. I was more disoriented than a drunk maths teacher. They don't usually drink, but when they do... watch out.

I like staying up late. I don't know. I need to get some things in order in me life. I will miss staying up late though if I stop staying up late.

Legalize Marijuana

2009-06-02T00:43:00.001-07:00

People will not speak in favor of Marijuana. Never in public because talking in its favor can label the person a "गजेँडी" or "शिवे" or "तोपे" or "junkie" or "dope-head". Everyone else will look at them as criminals. Marijuana is illegal, and a common belief is there that it will ruin a person's life. Consequently, career, social status, public image and respect everything will be ruined if you are caught smoking dope.

Ok, long term use can harm mental process and health- can cause cancer possibly in lungs because of the smoke and… wait…. alcohol long term consumption can cause cancers in kidney, mouth, and stomach and it does harm mental process too. But alcohol is legal. You see huge royal stag boards in almost every Road junction of Kathmandu- even in outside the traffic headquarters. I have pasted a nice comparison on alcohol and marijuana in the end of the note. My point: If alcohol is legal, why not marijuana?

Addictions are good and bad. Good addictions involve consumption of goods like music or movies that "increase value over time and do not disrupt function derived from other goods". Bad addictions involve a reduction in future consumption ability- and drastic deterioration of health. Both Alcohol and Marijuana are bad addictions.

What are Marijuana's uses?

When Marijuana was legal in Nepal, during the 1960s, "Freak Street" and "Monkey Temple" were invented. Kathmanduties know these places as "Jhochen" and "Swayambhu". There were hangouts for pot-heads of the flower generation. Shops around the area sold marijuana openly and made economic profit.

After the illegalization, marijuana could be seen as hemp clothing. Hemp clothing is a very small industry in Nepal. Thamel which used to be a hangout for the flower generation now has many clothing stores with hemp brands.

But once, Marijuana or hemp was very legal internationally. It may be safe to say marijuana was more popular than alcohol. Here are my proofs taken from illumanati-news.com (full link in refrences):

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers GREW HEMP; Washington and Jefferson Diaries. Jefferson smuggled hemp seeds from China to France then to America.
The first Bibles, the first drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were made from hemp; U.S. Government Archives.
Henry Ford's first Model-T was built to run on hemp gasoline and the CAR ITSELF WAS CONTRUCTED FROM HEMP! On his large estate, Ford was photographed among his hemp fields. The car, 'grown from the soil,' had hemp plastic panels whose impact strength was 10 times stronger than steel; Popular Mechanics, 1941.

Hemp can be used as clothing, food, fuel, and even medicine. It could have replaced paper, timber and oil. Hemp is purely organic- very safe for the environment. However, there has been little research (less than adequate) on Hemp because of its illegal nature.

"There is scientific evidence that [marijuana] helps with pain relief and nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy, for example, in terminal cancer patients," said John A. Benson, Jr., a principal investigator of the IOM study and a professor of internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

In addition, some HIV/AIDS patients suffering from decreased appetites use marijuana to "get the munchies," another oft-noted effect of the drug. However, Safe consumption of Marijuana is necessary. Smoking cannabis in hot-burning papers is potentially the most harmful method of consuming cannabis- burning temperature can reach 700°C.=1292°F.° Cannabis is safer if brewed in tea, or taken as a capsule. "When you inhale something into the lungs, it's very rapidly absorbed—you get an effect in five minutes," Benson said. "When you take a capsule, it may take an hour and a half", but it is a lot safer. (3)

How does it Work? (3)

Roger Pertwee, a professor of neuro-pharmacology at the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Medical Sciences in Scotland, noted that "cannabis contains lots of different chemicals called cannabinoids." The most active chemical is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

THC binds to specific receptors in the human brain to create the euphoric high associated with smoking pot.

In the early 1990s Pertwee's research group helped to uncover human-produced chemicals similar to THC that stimulate our appetites and help us control pain. "We produce our own cannabis, in effect," he said. "It often seems to have a protective role."

Why was Marijuana Illegal in Nepal?

Tracing history:

Illegalization of marijuana can sort of be linked to the Pulitzer Prize. Pulitzer Prize was a result of redemption from Joseph Pulitzer because he was involved in Yellow Journalism with his competition William Randolph Hearst. With the ongoing yellow journalism (sensational stories to attract people's attention) Hearst began a smear campaign against Marijuana.

Hearst owned timber and paper manufacturing firms. His newspapers came from his factories. Hearst is said to have lost billions (in today's money) because of hemp.

A media blitz of 'yellow journalism' raged in the late 1920s and 1930s. Hearst's newspapers ran stories emphasizing the horrors of marijuana. Readers learned that it was responsible for everything from car accidents to lose morality. It's on the newspapers so, everyone believes it.

Films like 'Marihuana: Assassin of Youth' (1935) and 'Marihuana: The Devil's Weed' (1936) also helped for the propaganda. America sort of Illegalized Marijuana on 1937. But it was not until 1970, that it was put under Controlled Substances Act under U.S. Federal drug law as a Schedule I substance. The designation describes drugs with a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Other Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD. But, Morphine, and Cocaine are Level 2 Substance which has permitted medical use.

The figure below shows how Marijuana or Cannabis is SAFER than cocaine, Tobacco, or even alcohol.

So, its 1972, U.S. began lobbying for marijuana illegalization on Nepal because a lot of Hippies (anti Vietnam) were popular in Nepal. Mahendra was dead, and Birendra was a newly crowned monarch, and a new lobbying propaganda was in order. In turn for Banning the drugs, U.S. starts giving huge Foreign Aids. From Fiscal Year 1970, to Fiscal year 1988, United States commitments, including United States Export-Import Bank funds, totaled US$285 million(not counting inflation).

The money was handed down to politicians, so, it never reached the population that earned their money from Marijuana. In Rolpa, Indians from Delhi buy Marijuana in huge kilos and take them to Delhi, add extra chemicals and then sell them in a higher price. Nepal Police seized one tone of marijuana from Nepal- India border on February 08, 2009.

Drug lords benefit from Marijuana being illegal because they can sell it in any price they want. If it was legal, people would be paying taxes. They pay taxes to Alcohol, and it's a huge industry.

If alcohol is Legal, Why not Marijuana? (1)

Marijuana:	Alcohol:
Does not induce violence, more likely to induce relaxation and calm	Known to induce violence domestically and socially
Offensive in Public	Offensive in Public
Less likely to cause domestic or social damage	More likely to cause domestic or social damage
Common place for large percentage of the adult population	Common place for large percentage of the adult population
Small demand for rehabilitation	Large demand for rehabilitation
Rehabilitation process is relatively short and usually self induced	Rehabilitation process is long and drawn out
Referenced in positive ways in the Bible	Referenced in positive and negative ways in the Bible
Marijuana:	Alcohol:
Short term memory loss for long term users	Long and short term memory loss – people are known to wake and not remember how they got there – both long and short term users
Paranoia, loss of mental focus and self consciousness	Loss of sensory equity or awareness
Slight Loss of inhibition	Extreme loss of inhibition
Better ability to DUI although we are not advocating it	Has taken countless lives from DUI and has strict laws for those who DUI
Short term Depression	Depression
Marijuana:	Alcohol:
A person can not smoke themselves to death	A person can drink themselves to death
Relaxes the eyes while under the influence	Discoloration of the eyes (whites of the eyes turn yellow) from long term use
Unproven claims to cause cancers	Various types of cancer – kidney, mouth, stomach and is proven
Aphrodisiac	Impotence
Enhances senses	Creates numbness
Dry Mouth – dehydration	Dry Mouth - dehydration
Induces Hunger (munchies)	Induces Hunger , Nausea and vomiting
Induces Coughing	Induces Urination
Induces Sleep	Induces Headaches
No Hangovers	Hangovers
Does not Induce Involuntary eye movement	Induces Involuntary eye movement (the spins)
Addictive – less than alcohol and tobacco	Addictive (to the point of disease in some cases)
Marijuana:	Alcohol:
Generates small Tax Revenue	Generates Large Tax Revenue
Creates a limited range of industrial Businesses and jobs - has the potential to achieve what alcohol can +	Creates a broad range of commercial and industrial Businesses
Serves a limited range of commercial and industrial markets	Serves a broad range of commercial and industrial markets
Tax Money is spent on enforcing the laws, apprehension and jailing	Tax Money is spent to monitor and maintain laws and regulations

If Marijuana, or cannabis, or joint, is legalized, it needs to be out of reach of children. Bhat Bhateni Supermarket does not allow anyone under 21 to enter the "liquor section". This started during Bam-Dev Gautam's active involvement period.

Taxing addictives has an economy of its own. Surely the cost of enforcing more armed policemen to fight off drug lords is very HIGH compared to the cost of enforcing a law to "Pay taxes". The same technique prevalent with tobacco and alcohol tax system and "awareness in the society" programs would also not cost so much. Money would be saved. That money can be used to research marijuana use in medicine, Bio-Fuel, as an exception of cutting trees fo timber and paper, there are so many unresearched fields in Nepal.

References:

By Renato Ferraz, Why Marijuana should be Legal

http://www.scribd.com/doc/126706/Why-Marijuana-should-be-Legal

Police seizes one tonne marijuana from Nepal-India border

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2009/feb/feb08/news04.php

The Marijuana Debate: Healing Herb or Dangerous Drug?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0621_050621_marijuana.html

Fair trade designer

http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/315/NepaliSociety/12492

Alok Tumbahangphey, Not so freaky anymore on Freak Street, http://www.nepalitimes.com.np/issue/66/Heritage/7121

http://www.illuminati-news.com/marijuana-conspiracy.htm

Getting Romantic

2009-05-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

I was in Kumari, the other day, watching Star Trek. It’s Science Fiction, and everything you expect from science fiction is there. Anyway, two rows ahead of us, there were two kids. I am refraining myself from calling them "a couple" because they were too young to fit the profile. But they were doing almost everything a couple does.

Star Trek is not Romantic. There are a few kisses and flirts. Even "Mission Paisa" has some. But these two were really getting it on, while watching the movie. I mean, The guy had his hands over her face, and they were well really getting romantic. I didn’t really see their face before the interval. Nepalese have a really small bladder we always need an interval in a two hour movie.

During the interval, I saw their face. The first thing that came to my mind was "Grade 8". Well, you know someone is grade 8 when you have that really small lining of pubescent mustache. To some consolation, the girl looked a bit older, but grade 8 nevertheless.

I had girls in mind in grade 8 among so many other things. And, once in grade 8, I saw some of the really good looking ones making out in the balcony. Broke my heart. Now, I don’t want to sound like a nerd. You know, by normal people's definition, nerds are people who never get the girls and so, they make up things, also called theories or philosophies or ideas, to console themselves.

And, I am not against public display of "love". But if the couples are really young, it makes everything different. The main problem starts when people start generalizing about the whole society by looking at a FEW samples. I have been through grade 8, and I know many students who are in grade 8 in West Point High School, in Thankot, and those students are not that sexually active. Ok, they have that culture of sending love letters, and they say "I have a girlfriend" and "I have a boyfriend". But that's not bad, because you don’t really think about getting physical at that very young age.

OK, an example.

Two weeks ago, on Sunday, I was drinking (don't tell my parents) with my brother in Baneshwore. We had about half a dozen beers left. We were going very slowly. I don't like hurrying up when I drink. I like the Mr. Bajaj Style of Drinking. (Yeah, I used to watch Kasauti in Grade 9, you caught me).

Anyway, there is a girl's hostel very close to the home. The whole building is a girl's hostel, on the top floor, there are A-level students (17-19 years old). I am not naming the college. Now, we were not eavesdropping, but we were merely "over-hearing" conversations.

They were talking about guys and chest hairs. There was resonance of "Tero Buda KO Chaati Bhari Jhyau huncha... chyaaa... hahahaha". Didn't really make me proud of having chest hairs. Damn Media.

Its nice listening to different groups of people, because well, you get a different perspective of life. Girls do not talk so freely when guys are around, so, I didn't really feel like I was sinning.

Suddenly, (I am jumping topic, bear with me), I heard a window smash.

It was night-time, and we were getting drunk, nevertheless, we tried to be very quiet. Because in a society, you need to be BEHAVE. No matter what you do, or who you are, you need to follow the rules.

The window smash created a flood of flashlights in the surrounding houses. There was load shedding, and it was about 10 at night.

Then we heard voices. We listened carefully this time.

He was a teacher, calling a girl student to come meet him. The hostel warden was a really strong voiced woman; she was threatening him saying she'll call the police. I guess the girl was in the top floor, and she was dead scared. I didn't really see her face, but when you so much cricket as me; you sort of know how to read some body language.

There were other girls protecting her, telling her not to worry.

Cops didn't come. The warden couldn't call the cops. It’s a college located in Baneshwore. And, it’s really reputed, I guess they thought you can't call the cops and make it an issue.

After some time, I found out that the strong voiced hostel warden locked the teacher in a really dark room. He was still shouting from there, but the situation had sort of neutralized.

I don't know why he was after that girl, I can only speculate. And, what I saw was evil under the influence of alcohol. But, I interpreted that calling a 17 year old, in the middle of the night needs some courage, and lot of signs reading from the drunk. She must have given signs that she would come out at 10 at night. But she was scared. That's her natural response to this situation.

The problem with public display of romantics is that it generalizes the whole segment of the population. Not everyone is horny every day. Are they? I guess everyone wants to be unique, and I guess everyone wants their life to have some sort of adventure. Have a heroine by their side, and fall in love.

Anyway, small pecks on cheek, and holding hands is great. I support that. You go one step ahead, you may get your story recorded in a cell phone-over the internet- and then to your parent's computers.

परालको आगो

2009-05-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

Background score:
Nepathya, “सानो कुरा”
गीतको ५ seconds पछि, गितारको धुन सँगै:FADE IN FROM WHITE, (settle to morning light).
Kitchen Tap in the foreground, a radio in the background.
हातले धारा खोल्छ, हात भिजाउँछ, धारा बन्द गर्छ।
हातले साबुन दल्न थाल्छ। फिँज निकाल्दै।

CUT TO:
Sideways shot of the man in long range so that the kitchen can be seen, and the man is also recognizable. Upper- Middle class kitchen. Nothing fancy, they are traditional.
मान्छेले अझै हात धुँदै छ।

CUT TO:
Kitchen tap once again, same angle.
धारा खोलेर, फिँज धोएर धारा बन्द गर्छ।
(CAMERA PANs and ends ON TOP OF THE DINING TABLE where a white plastic bag and a glass is clearly visible.)
Man Places the soap on top of a cupboard (OFF SCREEN) comes to the table with a plate(onscreen)

Plastic bag मा हात हालेर खानेकुराको aluminium packet, Real Juice, र रातो गुलाफको फूल निकाल्छ र plateमा राख्छ।
(गुलाफको फुलको screenमा स्पर्स हुना साथ रेडियोमा अम्रित गुरुङ् गाउन सुरु गर्छन- सानो कुरो मनमा लिई दु:खी हुनु हुन्न, दुक्छ मुटु चस्स तर देखाउनु हुन्न……)

CUT TO:
Close up: Packet
Packet को Silver wrapping खोलेर tibetian म:म: निकाल्छ। juiceलाई glassमा राख्छ र गुलाफको फूललाई राख्छ। (मुखबाट पानी आयोस, follow the event)।

(कस्को भर पर्नु खै, सँधै डर लाग्छ, आफ्नै छाँया देख्दा पनि डरै लाग्छ …. The man has to prepare the plate and get out of the kitchen by end of this paragraph…)

CUT TO:
outside kitchen corridor. (Music sounds softer…)
Man comes with plate towards camera, camera moves backwards, man turns camera turns with the man and so we can see a living room.
The main living room sofa has a television set 25 inches…. In front of the TV a sofa with pillow and a blanket, someone slept on it the other night possibly the man. There are other sofas and a भुईँ table, with चकटी… while on the wall, Marriage Pictures. His photos there, stay on the husband and wife picture for just a while.
The man crosses the camera. And starts knocking on the bedroom door off screen. )

Cut to:
(Nepathya Music barely audible)
Close up of man with plate in front of the door. The man- चामे is 30 years old.

चामे:(लामो सुस्केरो लिएर)
गौँथली… ओई गौँथली, एक चोटी बाहिर हेर न… ढोका खोलेर । मैले के-के ल्याएको छु।
(No answer)
नहेर ऊसो भे… १ प्लेट म:मचा छ। म एक्लै खान्छु।

(picks up a momo with hand, dips it in अचार, and takes a bite )

चामे: (मुखभरी म:म लिएर)
आहा! कस्तो मीठो, ...(आधा म:म अचारमा चोपेर खाँदै,).. अचार पनि उस्तै छ...मीठो...साह्रै मीईईठो।

( गौथलीले ढोका खोल्छे, plateलाई हेर्छे। full shot of गौँथली’s लोभी नजर with चामे and plate on the foreground)
गौँथली’s point of view ढोकाको चेपबाट चामेलाई हेर्छौ- चामेको मुखमा रातो अचार लागेको छ। जिब्रोले अचार चाटेको देखिन पर्यो। hold this angle until गौँथली’s two worded lines)
गौँथली: (हात अगाडी बनाएर)
खै दिनुस।
Cut to full shot of चामे

चामे:
तिम्रो हात सफा छैन जस्तो छ। मैले फेरी...चम्चा काँटा केही ल्याको होईन। (picks up a momo dips it in achar) एउटा चाख मेरो हातबाट खाको मीठो हुन्छ की?
(एक छिन जिस्किएर... खुवाउँछ। ढोकैमा बसेर खुवाउन थाल्छ।)

गौँथली :
(चपाउँदै) बसेर खाम्।
(view of the bedroom for the first time. A huge bed, cup boards, bedside study table with a photo. She sits on the bed, he waits, looks at her, to sit down, a while sort of like asking for permission )

गौँथली: (sarcasm)
निन्द्रा राम्म्रो लाग्यो होला नी सोफा मा?

चामेँ:
टिल्ल थिएँ। मीठ्ठो निन्द्रा लाग्यो।

गौँथली:
तपाईँलाई जति भने पनि नलाग्ने भो है?

चामेँ(overlapping):
ह्या...काममा थिएँ, हिजो फोनमै भनेँ... अग्रवाल सँग काम गर्नु भनेको पिउनु नै हो। तिम्ले देखेनौ हिजो अग्रवाललाई, उठ्नै सकिरा थिएन। Taxi सम्म पुराको मैले त्यो जाँडेलाई।

गौँथली: (प्याच्च बोल्छे)
खूब आफूले चाँहि जाँड-न-धोकेको जस्तो।

चाँमे: ( अलिक रिसाउँछ)

गौँथली:
( senses the anger, she knows what he’s like angry, she changes topic)
म हिजो हस्पिटल गाको थेँ नि।

चामेँ:
किन?

गौँथली:
Period बिग्रीरा थ्यो। (soft smile)

चामेँ: (surprized look… )
हो?....के भन्यो डाक्टरले?

गौँथली:
के के खाने के के नखाने भनेर

चामे:
Wine खानु हुन्न नि, थाहा होला?

गौँथली:
सबैलाई आफू जस्तै भन्ठान्नु हुन्छ है?

चामे: (हाँस्दै)
तर...हा... राम्रै भओहो। Celebrate गरेको जस्तै भो । अब हामीले..ह.. दिने पार्टीमा दारू नहराखुम्ला नि? लौ आज कहाँ जाने भन ल।

गौँथली:
नजाने कतै... छोरा छोरी पाल्न साह्रै खर्च हुन्छ। मेरो दाई भाउजुले त कति रिन लिनु परेको भन्दै हुनु हुन्थ्यो।

चामे:
घरमा भनिसक्यौ?
(Shot of the bed from front, having both of them in frame)

गौथली:
माईतमा पहिला भने, अनि घर फोन गरेँ। आमाले “आउँनु पर्छ?” भन्दै हुनु हुन्थ्यो, मैले २-३ महिना पछि पर्ला भनेर टारेँ।
चामेँ: (overlapping… nodding in agreement)
अँ।
(A bit of silent gap, both of them thinking)

गौँथली:
काठमान्डूमा छोरा छोरी पाल्न सक्छौँ?

चामेँ:( overlapping)
छ्याआ..... कस्तो बेला के सोचिरा??
(camera ….gently moves back from the bedroom towards the door)

चामेँ:
आज हामी बाहिर निस्किन्छौँ। पहिले बजार तिर, भोलीको लागि preparation.
(Camera ... gently moves out of the door, ढोकाको बीचमा दुई जना, म:म खाँदै गफ गर्दै, आवाज सानो हुँदै)

गौँथली:
के गर्ने भोली?

चामेँ:
तिम्रो र मेरो घरमै date.
(END PROLOGUE)
.................................................................................................................................................
परालको आगो गुरुप्रसाद मैनालीको classic हो। त्यो कुरालाई अहिलेको context मा ढाल्दा खेरी मैले यस्तै सोचेँ। middle class, city audience लाई target group बानाको। story चाहीँ उही हो theme: “लोग्ने स्वास्नेको झगडा, परालको आगो” but it extends though 9 months of Pregnancy. लोग्ने र स्वास्ने दुबैको जीवनको महत्त्वपूर्ण परिक्षाको क्षण। so… anyway,
And because of lack of research, I cannot say what will happen next. I need some more research. Imagination is good, but, when you are paying tribute to a classic like परालको आगो, you cannot just play with it.

Watch em before you die.

2009-05-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine asked me "what's the latest movie you've seen?", my reply was "I dont remember". I had to correct that, so, I thought really hard and said "Fast and Furious part 4". Saw it in a cinema hall, It was really depressing. IT was worse than "Gajani".

The movie wasn't important enough to remember. I am still young and my mind still has the capacity to store memories, I know the story of F n F4, but its not really worthy of my time to repeat the story of the movie for someone else.

I do that a lot, its sort of my way of paying tribute to the movie.

I paid tribute to almost all the movies nominated for "best picture" oscar this year. I know i have described "Frost/Nixon" as a boxing match,"The Reader" made me stare at the screen until the credits rolled off, I thought it was better than the excellent "Slumdog".

Woody Allen's "Vicky, Christina, Barcelona" was beautiful. It was a artistic, it was sensual, everything a movie should be.

Until recently, I haven't really seen a good movie. All the action movies, were average. Seriously. Maybe i have matured or maybe i am becoming this really boring, uninteresting person, or maybe my movie watching preferences changed over time because I watch too many movies.

Nowadays, I have a fascination for indipendent movies. (An independent film, or indie film, is a film that is produced outside of any major film studio.) Flim festivals, repect these movies a lot. So, when looking for movies, you look for that specific film festival symbol.

Some indi flims which literally made my boggled my mind and popped my eyes out are "CHoose conner" and "Stephanie Daley" two I can Remember right now.

I am not overstating this, but your life is incomplete if you haven't seen these movies. And, I am not looking though a list, I am writing them with my mind. Besides film festival nominated movies, I respect classics a lot. Classic directors.

The first that comes to my mind is Milos forman. "One flew over the cuckoo's nest" I loved the conversations between the crazies, I loved the way, they were all shown as Human, like anyone I know.

"Amadeus" is another Milos Forman classic to me. The movie is about how Mortzart is "mind fucked" (i am loving this word nowadays) into suicide. The movie starts with "MORTZART.... FORGIVE ME.... I KILLED YOU MORTZART...".

Hitchcock. Alfred Hitchcock. I don't have to really tell you how much of a visionary this guy is. Watch "Psycho", " Vertigo", "Dial M for murder"... the list really goes on. I call him visionary because he sort of inspired people like "Spielgberg".

Lets talk a little about artistic movies. My definition of artistic movies is quite different from art movies (An art film (also called an “art cinema”, “art movie”, or in the U.S., an "independent film" or “art house film”) is typically a serious, noncommercial, independently made film or a foreign language film that may have these qualities, but may have been made by a major company in its home territory and achieved popular success. It may thus be aimed at a niche audience, rather than a mass audience,[1] or the use of subtitles in foreign language films may limit audience appeal.)

I don't believe in diving movies into genre. Some people, do not make movies for a genre. Woody Allen for instance, you cannot call him a comedy movie maker because, well he is a creative artist. His movies may be funny but not COmic. NOt much of a debate here, anyway, these are some more movies I remember.

Woody Allen's movies. EVery movie. No choosing there. He makes someone like me cool. SO, that's really nice for me.

There is this Iranian guy "Majid Majidi" i dont know his name really, havent seen his face. But his movie made me cry... I shed tears watching "Children of Heaven" for the first time. I was sort of drunk then but you know, I might just be saying that to hide my embarassment.

A french director "Krzysztof Kieslowski" I saw one of his color trilogy movie "White" from "Red", "White", and "Blue".

White means equal in french. I cannot say what the movie is about not because I didn't get it or not because I am researving that suspence, but you have to watch it for yourself. If I describe it, I ruin Kieslowski's idea.

Nepali movies also has a room in this anaysis.

"Deuta", "Kusume Rumal"... the songs were beautiful, And these movies really knew how to play with the mind of the audience. I heard they were remaking kusume rumal. They will ruin it. Am sure of that.

I have been wanting to watch "Basudev" for a really long time. I had seen the movie once when I was a child, I didnt really get it then, too much philosophy maybe.

Wrote this piece on may 12 2009. The above mentioned movies were movies I have seen in the last month or two. some names repeated because I have seen them too many times.

Act 1 Scene 1

2009-05-01T08:31:00.000-07:00

P1/
I dont know.
I cant think right now. There is... too much going on ... everywhere around me. The last time I was here, i was doing fine. I was OK...

and also, I had time in my hands, and my mind was... was fine. I guess. and , well.... its not my fault.. is it??

P2/
What're you talking about?

(Fade in from black
Table,
brownish tone
Two men, drinking,
Whiskey bottle, a plate of cut- sausage, lemon, and Hajmola

P2 is eating mostly and only sipping

P1 is quite woozily drunk
Bricked Wall brownish tone Background, close up of P1 when he is talking.

P2's closeup with P1 in the frame while P2 is talking)

P1/
I mean, when you hurt someone's prized ego, you pay. dearly. (takes in huge gasp of air... wipes sweat with arm).
I tried. I tried, its not like I was the only one there. I mean there are others who took part in THAT (takes in a mouthful)
just as same as me.

P2/
oh that. (overlapping, with a mouthful of sausages)
You worry too much.

(Long Range Shot of the Bar
view of the dark bar, Paper Chinese lanterns, late night, short skirt girls serving drinks, two men facing the wall )-----> do this until P1 finishes his line)

P1/
I am not worrying. Its just that, Being around those people will make me lose my mind. I cannot function well, if i am not left alone. An... an... and th- they wont leave me be. and sHE was... I felt sorry for her, so I called her.

P2/(Back to closeups)
You called her... you never told....(Takes in a Hajmola, Mukh bigarcha)... What'd she say?

P1/
Sh...She mind fucked me........... (takes a mouthful, empties glass)
First she talks about How low I close I was, how my being there brighter than the fucking sunshine... I was really smiling then, you know, that was her ice breaker.. with a.. with a ice picker... violent. And out of nowhere, she talks about that thing..... and how much I betrayed her.
She mind fucked me and i am impregnated with.... (pouring a drink) you want a drink????

P2/ (Overlapping, shakes head)
You weren't the only one, there were 13 of us that night.

P1/
Yeah, I felt sorry for her. that's my cardinal fucking sin. (looks around being unsecured)
I felt sorry for her. Wh-what was I supposed to do? She didn't expect on us being so aggressive.

P2/(overlapping)
ah... no fuck. She knew. That night was not just an instant outbreak... (Hard Gulp with Hajmola) that was result of suppressed rage and all 13 of us.

P1/
She donest see it that way.
You know, she says, that I have learned my mistake and... and... and... she wants me to come to her side. Aid her... in some shit plan she's thinking for all of ya.

P2/ (No need of closeup for P2)
(Scoffs)

P1/
I felt sorry for her... but i don't regret what I did. (Pours drink for himself only this time)

P2/
(Scoff vanishes)
She deserved it for Christ's sake.

P1/(taking a small sip)
Yeah.. Bu... but she doesn't see it that way. she... she still thinks she is the queen bee. You know... and we...we were the only ones telling her to stop coming to our workplace.... we really hurt her ego... some people dont just forget.
(hickup)
And when we signed the papers... she lost it. Completely.

(Silence)

(a cute waitress passes by, white top, red skirt.. short)

P1/

There was this girl I knew from.. from a few years ago.... an.. and she always told me to be in contact with a small number of people....because.. well she believed that I didn't have an ego, an... and...
she told me to have few friends... you know.. really told me to choose the people i hang out with.

Anyway, According to her... i would build my ego if i choose these.. um... friends who have a high opinion of themselves.

P2/ (No closeup)
High opinion... Rich Snobs??

P1/
(Laughs),

Yeah... snobs.

We wern't taking the same courses iin college.
But....aa.. I.. knew her friends... an... and they were, you know, famous for the wrong reasons...and everyone in the school knew them.

She broke it off with me.

Because... just because I hung out with my friends... I didn't like them then, I grew up to like them.. but, the guys, they used to tease me... laugh when she was around and stuff... You know how guys are right?

and I didnt care.. because its guys... and we teased girls all the time... but she.. sh... she was hurt. I guess... Her ego was hurt.

(END ACT)
..........................

......................................................................
Bracket bhitra ko chahi direction jasto khai malai lekhna aaundaina.

Anyway,
How do people talk??
(Rib Davis, writing dialogues for script )

We talk in incomplete sentences,

We are correcting ourselves as we go along, and constantly overlap when someone else is speaking, sometimes to show complete interest that we are listening..

A dialogue is very

And when we stay to write a dialogue, we are constantly polishing it because we are not used to seeing unfinished sentences or dots and commas in a sentence.

Nepali ma dialogue lekha na koi...

when we write conversations, we tend to polish a lot...
Je paye tehi
lastai je paye tehi)

radio script

2009-04-23T02:50:00.000-07:00

Kshitiz(09), Abhimanyu(04)
उद्देश्य:
यो कार्यक्रम सुनेपछि नेपालमा अनियमित जलवायु परिवर्तन र ग्लोबल ह्वार्मिङ्का नराम्रा प्रभाव तथा यसबाट जोगिन के गर्ने र यस सम्बन्धि जानकारी हासिल गर्न मद्दत पुग्नेछ। साथसाथै स्थानिय /व्यत्तिगत स्तरबाट वातावरण संरक्षणमा हाम्रो भुमिका पहिल्याउन समेत सहयोग पुग्नेछ।

Direction
Description
Duration
Theme Music
Fade up
fade down do not cut until opening finishes
15 seconds
Opening: क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
नमस्कार, म क्षितिज साथी अभिमन्यु सँग कार्यक्रम हाम्रो घर लिएर तपाईँसामु आएको छु। यो कार्यक्रम काठमाण्डौ विश्वविद्दालय मा मिडिया स्टडिज् अध्ययनरत विद्दार्थी द्वारा चौथौं वर्षको रेडियो प्रोडक्सन र्कोस् का लागी तयार पारिएको हो। नितान्त शैक्षिक प्रयोजनका लागी तयार पारिएको यस कार्यक्रमका विषयसूची समूहगत अनूसन्धानमा आधारीत छ।

20 seconds
Continue theme music
Fade up, cut
5 s.
Information of the Program: क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
यो कार्यक्रममा हामी बढ्दो औद्दोगिकरण तथा शहरीकरणले वातावरणमा पारेको प्रभावको बारेमा कुरा गर्ने छौँ। विश्वका विकसीत राष्ट्रहरूमा बढ्दै गएको ठूला उद्दोगहरूले वातावरणमा के कस्तो प्रभाव पार्न सक्छन्, यसलाई न्युनीकरण गर्न के गर्नुपर्छ भन्ने कुराको वरीपरी हाम्रो विषय घुम्ने छ।

Music
Fade up, fade out

Continue informationक्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
पृथ्वी आमा हुन्। पृथ्वीलाई हामीले आफ्नो आमा जत्तिकै माया गर्नुपर्छ। यसको हेरविचार गर्नुपर्छ। अनिमात्र यसले भविष्यमा पनि मानिसहरूलाई वास, गाँस, र कपास प्रदान गरिरहने छ। तर, आजको बढ्दो आधुनिकीकरणले मान्छेलाई अन्धो बनाएको छ। आफ्नो स्वार्थ पूरा गर्न मान्छेले हाम्रो घरलाई पार्ने प्रभावको बारेमा पटक्कै सोचेनन्। यसको नकारात्मक प्रभावले हामी सबैलाई दु:ख दिनेछ भन्ने हामीले बिर्सनू हुँदैन।

Music
Fade up, Fade Out, Cut

Highlights Menu:
अभिमन्यु दिक्षित
पृथ्वीलाई माया गर्नेहरूका लागी आजको प्रस्तुती उपयोगी हुनेछ भन्ने हाम्रो आशा छ। आजको कार्यक्रम हाम्रो पाँचौ श्रृङ्खला हो। कार्यक्रममा हामी आज
l ग्लोबल ह्वार्मिङ् को कारण र नेपालमा यसको प्रभाव
l वातावरण संरक्षणको लागी युवाहरूको भुमिका
l च्छो रोल्पा हिम्तालमा घुमेर आएकाहरूको अनुभव र ग्लोबल ह्वार्मिङ् को प्रभाव उनिहरूका आवाजमा
l वैकल्पिक ऊर्जाको रुपमा सजीवनको तेल प्रयोग गर्दा के-कस्ता फईदा हुन्छन् भन्ने विषयमा छलफल गर्ने छौँ।
l र अन्त्यमा नियमित नाटक श्रृङ्खला अब फेरिन्छ सुनाऊने छौँ।

Music + Social Advertisement‌‌ + Music
Fade music up and out, Play advertisement, Fade music up and out

Narration 1:
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
कुनैपनि प्रविधि र विकासको राम्रो र नराम्रो पाटो दुवै हुन्छ। तर, हाम्रो कर्तव्य नराम्रो प्रभावलाई न्यून पर्दै राम्रो पक्षको अपयोग गर्नु हो। औद्दोगिक क्रान्तिको राम्रो पक्ष छन्। यसले जीवनस्तर सुधार्यो, विग्यान र प्रविधिलाई फस्टाउने राम्रो मौका दियो। तर यसका नकारात्मक पक्ष डर लाग्दा छन्।

SFX

Narration 1 continue:
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
औद्दोगिक क्रान्तिले उर्जाको मुख्य श्रोत ईन्धन बनाएको थियो। यसरी, अठारौँसताब्दी देखी बलेको ईन्धनले हरित गृह वायुको मात्रा बढायो। हरित गृहवायुले सुर्यका विकिरणहरू वायुमण्डलमा फर्कन दिँदैन। यसैले पृथ्वीको तापमान बढेको छ। वैग्यानिकहरूका अनुसार तापमान वृध्दिको दर वार्षिक तीन डीग्री छ। यो तापक्रम वृध्दिले गर्दा नेपालका पच्चीसवटा हिमताल फुट्ने खतरामा छन्।

SFX

Narration 1 Continue:
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ

ईन्धनको प्रयोग विकसित देशहरूमा बढी हुन्छ। तथ्याङ्क अनुसार अमेरिका एक्लैले विश्वको सत्तरी प्रतिशत हरित गृह वायु उत्पादन गर्छ। नेपालको हालको हरित गृहवायु उत्पादन जम्मा सुन्ना दश्मलब दुई प्रतिशत छ। तर असर पुरै विश्वलाई छ। समाधानको लागि अमेरिका जस्ता राष्ट्र हरित गृह वायु कसरी कम गर्ने भन्ने तर्फ लाग्छन्। नेपाल जस्तो देश यस समस्या बारे छलफल गरी निती निर्माणको स्तरमा के गर्न सकिन्छ भन्नू रहन्छ।

यसै सन्धर्भमा हामीले वातावरण विग्यान तथा प्रविधि मन्त्रालयका उपसचिव सँग छोटो कुराकानी भएको थियो, तर उहाँको टोक्ने दाँत छैन भनेर कुरा टार्नु भयो।

Voxpop
Laughing sound

Narration 2:
अभिमन्यु दिक्षित
श्रोताहरू, आज हामी बढ्दो औद्दोगिकरण तथा शहरीकरणले वातावरणमा पारेको प्रभावको विषयमा कुरा गर्दै छौँ। वातावरण संरक्षणको लागी युवाहरूको भुमिका के हुन सक्छ त?

Music:
Fade up, Fade out

Narration 3:
अभिमन्यु दिक्षित
क्लिन इनर्जी नेपालले हरेक वर्ष काठमाडौको पूतलीसडक र भक्तपुरको सूर्यविनायकमा वायू प्रदुषणको मात्रा नाप्छ। यसका तथ्याङ्क अनुसार सन् दुई हजार पाँच देखि सूर्यविनायकको वायूप्रदुषण झन्डै आधाले घटेको छ भने पूतलीसडकको प्रदूषण झन बढेको छ।

सन् दुई हजार पाँच मै भक्तपुरका नब्बे प्रतिशत ईट्टाभट्टाले वायु प्रदुषण कम गर्न आफ्ना मेशिनहरू फेरेका थिए। यो सम्भव हुनुको श्रेय पत्रपत्रीकाहरू भक्तपुरका युवा क्लबहरूको क्रीयाशिल सहभागितानै प्रमुख मान्छन्।

SFX

continue:
साच्चैनै वातावरण प्रति सचेत युवा पीडीलाई आफ्नो भविष्य प्यारो छ। तर नेपालमा सचेत युवाहरू थोरैछन्। चेतनानै प्रमुख हुनुपर्छ। नेपालीज् युथ फर् क्लाइमेट एक्सनका मन्जीत ढकाल

Interview:
मन्जीत ढकाल

Conclusion:
अभिमन्यु दिक्षित
यसरी युवावर्गले प्रदूषण कम गर्न पहल गरे भने आफ्नो भविष्यलाई बचाउन सक्छन्। साइकल र्याली, वृक्षारोपण कार्यक्रम, नदीनाला सरसफाई अभियानहरू हाम्रो समुदायमा नयाँ होईनन्। यी कार्यक्रमहरूमा सबैभन्दा बढी सहभागीता युवा वर्गकै देखिन्छ। चाहे ती संस्थागत कार्यक्रम हुन् या विद्दालयको कार्यक्रम हुन् या स्वेच्छिक स्वयंसेवी कार्यक्रम हुन्।

Music
Fade up... Fade Down

Social Advertisement

Music Fade Up.. Fade down

Narration
अभिमन्यु दिक्षित
श्रोताहरू तपाईँ सुन्दै हुनुहुन्छ प्रतेक विहिवार प्रसारण हुने कार्यक्रम हाम्रो घर। हाम्रो घरमा हामीले अहिलेसम्म छलफल गर्यौ :
· ग्लोबल ह्वार्मिङ् को कारण र नेपालमा यसको प्रभाव
l वातावरण संरक्षणको लागी युवाहरूको भुमिका
हाम्रो कार्यक्रममा अझै
· च्छो रोल्पा हिम्तालमा घुमेर आएकाहरूको अनुभव र ग्लोबल ह्वार्मिङ् को प्रभाव उनिहरूका आवाजमा

l वैकल्पिक ऊर्जाको रुपमा सजीवनको तेल प्रयोग गर्दा के-कस्ता फईदा हुन्छन् भन्ने विषयमा छलफल गर्ने छौँ।

l र हाम्रो नियमित नाटक श्रृङ्खला अब फेरिन्छ अझै बाँकी नै छन्।

Music:
Fade up... Fade down

Narration 3
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
नेपालको प्राकृतिक सुन्दरतामा साच्चैनै खोट देखाउने ठाँऊ छैन। तराई, पहाड, र हिमाल सबै थरीको हावापानी र भौगोलिक विभेदताले नेपाललाई सजाएको छ। सुन्दर बनाएको छ। नेपालको सुन्दरताले वर्षेनी हजारौँ पर्यटकहरूलाई नेपाल भित्राउने गर्छ।
तर, अब सुन्दरताको व्याख्या गरेर मात्रै नपुग्ने भएको छ। यो साँचो हो की नेपालको प्राकृतिक दृश्य र सभ्यताले विश्वलाई नै लोभ्याएको छ। त्यसले नेपाललाई संसारको माझमा परिचित पनि गराएको छ। तर, आजको परिस्थितिमा, विश्वभरी प्रकृतिले हेला र दूरदूर सहन परेको छ। त्यसको प्रभाव नेपालका हिमाली भेकमा देखिन थालेको छ।

SFX
Natural sounds

Narration 3 continue
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
दुई हजार तीन सय हिमतालहरू रहेको नेपालमा करिब पच्चिस वटा हिमतालहरू खतराको सूचीमा परेका छन्। पृथ्वीको बढ्दो तापक्रमको कारणले बढी हिउँ पग्लिने, समयमा हिउँ वा पानी नपर्ने, मौसम परिवर्तन जस्ता समस्या दिखिएको छ। त्यसरी पग्लेको हिउँहरू हिमतालले थेग्नै नसक्ने गरी जम्मा हुन थाले। यसरी हिमताल फुट्ने खतरा बढ्न गएको छ।

SFX

Narration 3 continue
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
यसै मध्ये एक दोलखा जिल्लाको रोल्वालिङ् हिमश्र्ङखलामा पर्ने च्छो रोल्पा हिमताल पनि जलवायु परिपर्तनको चपेटामा परेको छ।
अहिले च्छो रोल्पाको अवस्था कस्तो छ त?

काठमाण्डौ विश्वविद्दालयका विद्दार्थीहरू त्यहा पुगेका थिए।

कार्यक्रमको यस भागमा हामी घुमन्तेको अनुभव सुनाउने गर्छौँ। प्रस्तुत छ च्छो रोल्पा हिमताल घुमेर आएका नेपाली पर्यटकहरूको अनुभव।

Interview
5 Tourists

Social Advertisement

Music
Fade up, Fade down

Narration 4
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
श्रोताहरू, तपाईँ सुन्दै हुनुहुन्छ कार्यक्रम हाम्रो घर। यतिन्जेल सुन्नुभयो च्छो रोल्पा हिमतालको भ्रमण गरेर आएका विद्दार्थीहरूको अनुभव। अबको भागमा हामी वैकल्पिक ऊर्जाको रुपमा सजीवनको तेललाई लिन सकिन्छ भन्ने विषयमा छलफल गर्ने छौँ। त्यस सँग सँगै हाम्रो नियमित नाटक पनी प्रस्तुत गर्छौँ।

Music
Fade up, Cut

वातावरणमा प्रतिकूल असर पारिरकेको पेट्रोलियम पदार्थको विकल्पको रुपमा जैविक पदार्थलाई लिँदा धेरै फाईदा देखिन्छ। यसले वातावरणमा मात्रै कम प्रभाव पर्ने नभई आर्थिक रुपमा पनि मद्दत पूर्याउँछ। ऊर्जा उत्पादनमा स्वनिर्भर बनाएर राष्ट्रको धन वर्षेनी बाहिरिनबाट समेत जोगाउँछ।
आर्थिक विकास र ऊर्जाको गहिरो सम्बन्ध हुन्छ। नवीकरणीय ऊर्जाको सदुपयोग गरी नेपालको ग्रामीण जनताको सामाजिक तथा आर्थिक जीवन उकास्न सकिन्छ। यसले देशको बढ्दो ऊर्जाको मागलाई पूरा गर्न सक्छ। साथसाथै वातावरणको संरक्षण र वन विनाश हुनबाट पनि बचाउँछ।

Inspiring Music

Narration continue
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
आर्थिक वर्ष दुई हजार त्रीसठ्ठि मा कुल उर्जा खपतलाई हेर्दा चौरासी प्रतिशत परम्परागत ऊर्जा, पन्ध्र प्रतिशत व्यापारिक ऊर्जा, र एक प्रतिशत नवीकरण ऊर्जा प्रयोग भएको पाईन्छ।
व्यापारिक ऊर्जामा मुख्यत: पेट्रोलिएम पदार्थ छैँसठ्ठी प्रतिशत, कोईला सोर्ह प्रतिशत र विद्दुतमा उन्नाईस प्रतिशत रहेका छन्।
विगतका वर्षका तथ्याङ्क हेर्दा प्रति वर्ष पेट्रोलिएम पदार्थको खपत बढ्दै गएको छ। त्यसैले नेपालमा वैकल्पिक ऊर्जा र प्रविधिको विकास र विस्तार गर्न जरुरी छ।

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Narrationक्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
संसारभरी चल्ने सवारी साधनहरूको पेट्रोलिएम पदार्थ मुख्य ऊर्जा हो। तर यस ऊर्जाले वातावरणमा हरितगृह वायु फ्याक्ने गर्दछ। जैविक ऊर्जा बल्दा हरितगृह वायु न्युन हुन्छ।
वातावरणलाई पनि कम असर पार्ने, आर्थिक रूपमा पनि फाईदा हुने र ऊर्जा उत्पादनमा स्वनिर्भर हुने- यति धेरै फईदा हुँदा हूदै पानि हामी सजीवनको खेती किन गर्दैनौ त?

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Narration
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
वैकल्पिक उर्जालाई नै विस्तारै मूल ऊर्जाको रुपमा प्रयोग गर्ने बेला आई सकेको छ। हाल विश्वमा सबैभन्दा बढी बायोडिजेल उत्पादन गर्ने राष्ट्र जर्मनी हो। जर्मनीले वर्षमा झन्डै दुई सय करोड लिटर बायोडिजेल उत्पादन गर्छ। हाम्रै छिमेकी मुलुक भारत समेत सन् दुई हजार उन्नाईस सम्म वार्षिक एक सय बीस लाख लिटर बायोडिजेल उत्पादन गर्ने योजना लागू गरिसकेको छ। हामी मात्र किन पछाडी पर्ने?

Music

Narration:
क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
बायोडिजेल उत्पादनमा सजीवनको तेललाई बढी प्रभावकारी मानिन्छ। कार्यक्रमको अन्तिम भागको रूपमा हामी वैकल्पिक उर्जाको विशेषतामा केन्द्रित नाटक सुनाउँदै छौँ। प्रस्तुत छ नाटक- अब फेरिन्छ।

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नाटक

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Music

Narration:अभिमन्यु
श्रोताहरू, आजको कार्यक्रमको समय सकिनै लागेको छ। अर्को कार्यक्रममा हामी बिभिन्न सामाग्रीका साथ भेट्ने नै छौ।

Music

Narration:
अभिमन्यु दिक्षित
तपाईँलाई आजको कार्यक्रम कस्तो लाग्यो? केही सल्लाह, सुझाव वा प्रतिक्रिया छ भने हामीलाई लेख्नुहोला
पत्राचारको लागि ठेगाना:

कार्यक्रम हाम्रो घर,
भाषा तथा आम सञ्चार विभाग,
काठमाण्डौ विश्वविद्दालय,
धुलिखेल, काभ्रे,
पोस्ट बक्स: ६२५०
फोन न: ०११-६६२२४५
र हाम्रो इमेल ठेगाना हो: hamroghar@ku.edu.np

Music

Closing: क्षितिज श्रेष्ठ
हवस् त, हाम्रो घर आजलाई यतिनै। कार्यक्रमबाट कार्यक्रम निर्माता लक्षमण दत्त पन्त, प्राविधिक सहकर्मी .................. , साथी अभिमन्यु सित म क्षितिज अर्को कार्यक्रम सम्मका लागि विदा माग्छु। नमस्कार॥

YOU- The Audience

2009-04-08T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ok
Everyone's read the Paras interview.

And it must have started some thought process. See, I heard people talking in the bus about trying him on. And people will give him some votes. I called them " BHEDA" under my breath, then, but I AM SHOUTING.

If I have to blame someone for this, I blame the Nepali Newspapers Media Tussle.
There are two new newspapers launching in websites trying to make impression. Meanwhile, older newspapers are changing formats looking more sophisticated in design. And Blah!!! in content... with one mission: "Sell Sell Sell"

Nepalese have to be media literate to know that they are being played around. Newspapers should not dumb down content so much that people start behaving like the consumers of Indian News Channels.

Sure the reporters and editors knew about Paras and the PR person Clement Mesenas.

Ok, here is what we know through Nepali media:

Paras decides to talk about the Royal Massacre publicly for the first time... in SINGAPORE, that's 2001 to 2009 (count the years).
And he wants to join the politics. He is allowed to by the laws of the country.

Let the Deciphering Begin....

Why an interview now?

The king was in the spotlight. He was visiting Paras' In-laws. Paras does some analysis. and Hires a PR agency- BANG PR, in Singapore. The agency sends Clement Mesenas to improve his image. The interview was conducted as planned by Clement Mesenas.

Proof:
This is a news report in Bang PR website. Dated : 29 October 2008

"VETERAN JOURNALIST CLEMENT MESENAS JOINS BANG PUBLIC RELATIONS- Clement Mesenas, previous TODAY journalist has joined BANG PR as Director of Editorial and Media Advisory"

Whoa, This sounds like a conspiracy theory Already....

Anyway,

In the Mesenas piece, Paras says he decided to open up because "the Nepali people need to know the truth". The New Paper writes "he now wants to clear his name" about "the ugly rumors of his involvement in the incident". (Eric Ellis, Asia Sentinel)

Yeah, every book from that era says He did it. He cant run for office with that image.

Besides, he had been known to be a little drunk- Hit and Run- Singer Killing - Harley Davidson Riding- Wife Beating- most notorious Crown Prince of the Free Media era.

He needed an Image change.

And that's where the Public Relations Man comes in.

So,

What is a PR man??

You call Public Relations professionals to make people adore you to support your cause or your company.

Every company does it, Coke, Pepsi.

This is the intro page of BANG PR WEBSITE:

"BANG Public Relations offers strategic, creative and effective public relations and media communications solutions for our valued clients.

Our number one goal is to deliver top-notch results. Whether they are start-ups, mid-sized companies or large corporations, we know our clients are all in a race. They have engaged a PR firm because they need high quality results for successful branding, sales and profits. "

At many firms, PR success usually means media coverage, but at BANG PR, coverage is just one of several essential components of how we define success.

I guess its a part of Marketing Communications. And they are bad people,my ad teacher says he is going to hell. They target all the money in your pocket, bank Balance, house assets, your wife's wedding jewelery gifted to her by her grandma.

But, Politically its votes.

You need people to like you first to vote you.

Maoists used marketing communications to a great extent.

Remember that NAYA NEPAL MAP??? It had separate "Rajya" for almost all minority. It even had plans for cross country electric vehicle travel, industries in Far western region, where you walk for 5-6 days.
They had 10 years thing going on then, which was a great strategy to win votes, and many student supporters.

Also, Prachanda was practically the President of the walls.

And, newspaper ads - Sort of like Mayos' "Palo Naya Pidi Ko", which was great because of the war with established WAI WAI.
Maoists were Mayos, COngress and UML were Wai Wai. Congress= WAI, UML= WAI.

Maosits won that one. Others didn't understand the audience. Simple.

These are a few Lines:
for marketing communications...

You can't be a great man if you don't tip your waiter.
You can write in Facebook all you want but I earn Rs. 1000, from one article.
Profits are indicators of your success- always.

So, how do Marketers make Money?
BY making BHEDAS of everyone else in the society. Why do you think Prachanda and Baburam Wear a Rolex?
Girija wears a new cloth everyday.
UMLs are NGOs. Full stop.
All that money spent in Marketing for what?

I have an Example:

You are a parent. You take your kid for a walk, he sees a small toy helicopter- it costs a fortune for you.

Your kid starts crying in front of everyone, and you know some of these people. You are embarrassed, and you know your kid will make a bigger scene if you don't get him what he wants.

This was more of a get the money in your pocket through your kid. Now, it maybe your wife. your Girlfriend or You yourself.

You may have a defense mechanism, but you probably lose in the end.

Another one:

Here is my Brand List:

Wake up wash my face : water stored in Hilltake tank
brush my teeth : Toothbrush : Pearl
toothpaste: Colgate
I have a tea: "Ram Dai ko chiya Pasal" (Personal Marketing, there is a signboard i guess)
I buy Groceries: "Bhawani Didi ko Kirana Pasal" (No sign board)
I do the dishes: Vim Bar
I cook: Kriti (Pressure Cooker)
Surya Shri (Gas Stove)
I make my bed : Bhaiya ko kaath ko pasal (he's called Bhaiya by almost everyone)
I pat my Brother's Bike Before I go Out: Pulsar 200
And I look around, I see some people with Dhaka Topi*, some with converse* shoes, some with Wrangler Jeans*, I can go on.
and that's Dhulikhel.

Ok, my head hurts, I need a D- Cold Break.

I spend all my money for Marketing. I am a product of the society I live in.
We want our personality to be co-related with the brand we wear.
"Gatsby" Hair and "reebok" shoes. The examples are more prominent in Newroad or Jwalakhel.

People, swarming, and everyone has a similar look, same taste, same style, everyone is a Bheda following a trend. And everyone wants to look like their celebrities in the posters.

I am not saying I am free from the Bheda Disease. Everyone's got it. I don't know to what extent.

But The society works right? They work just fine. Like they have always done. And this time, everyone gets to be happy. The celebrities make money.
We look good.
The politicians Make money.
The media has a job.
And Paras wants to come back home.

Everyone has a fix. An addiction, a desire to be happy.

And,
I don't know.

Maybe this culture of Hiring a marketing communicator to improve your image could be good for the country. You know, people may start liking politicians. They like Gagan Thapa. And how can you tell he doesn't use a marketing communicator.

But I cant predict, I am not an expert.

Sources:

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1799&Itemid=594
http://www.bang.com.sg/
http://www.bang.com.sg/index-2_bang-pr291008.html

This is Not Porn !!

2009-03-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Remember Grade 9 sex education class? Yah, The black Board was half filled with of Internal sexual, you know, organs. The teacher then read the whole, process with utmost clarity, and that was that. Then, they expected us to memorize the figures for Exams. And it was boring. The process of teaching sex with chalks and dusters. And later rote learning it at home.

I thought sex education was supposed to avoid teenage pregnancy. I don't think people can relate to foreign figures on the blackboard which is drawn and, it doesn't even look like something you see in the toilet everyday.

Another example, Grade 7, the whole class burst out laughing when the teacher read "Condom". The students were reading along with the teacher and they burst out laughing when the teacher read condom.

The teacher gave a sheepish smile, and said "Well, you know about these things.... that's good."

Yeah we knew about Condoms, the "JHILKE DAI, CHA CHAINA CANDAMA" Ad was airing in Nepal TV and Radios of Nepal then. Everyone knew what Condoms were. Everyone knew that it was supposed to stop AIDS, and other sexual Diseases. And, Condoms were thrown in concerts everywhere. And it filled up like a balloon if you blow air in it.

But 1999 Grade7 students didnt really go to concerts. Very few had seen, you know, condoms. And Girls were menstruating, and Guys were discovering masturbation.

What prompted me to write this note was this case.in some school, a girl had to miss a year because she was pregnant. At Grade 8. Maybe it is a rumor, but its shocking. And, I even know the girl's name. However, I don't know how many else do. And in a country like Nepal, Bad news travels faster than electricity.

My friend's sister is in grade 8 in some other country. And she says her school has given her a "baby". The "baby" is a robot. The baby cries like a real baby, poops like a real baby, you know, and eats, and sleeps like a real baby. She had to keep the baby for 15 days. And she will be evaluated, by her parents and teachers on how she handles the baby.

I guess that's a much better way to learn about sex than by weird scribblings in the blackboard, or from porn sites in the internet.

But I am not blaming Nepali teachers. Yes, There has been a "If you can't Do, Teach" Trend. I have been seeing those teachers all my life. But there are some. Who still draw figures with chalks. But explain...with some stories of their own.

But we cannot only blame the teachers. See, Parents in Nepal cannot talk to their children about sex. Its not the norm. Besides, Parents think their children know everything about sex from all the movies and music videos. and their friends.

Yeah, Grade 8 boys and girls learn how to masturbate, from friends.

There have been some cases however, of Parent-Son talks. It only starts after the parent catches their children watching porn, or some Anjelina Jolie flick.

Those children need all the luck explaining "This is not Porn!!" to those parents.

Love Song For Kathmandu

2009-02-27T00:51:00.000-08:00

04:00 P.M.

The lights just went out. He put the down the remote and pulled out the plug. He was not watching Television, just surfing through. There was nothing to see.

"Maybe at 8 tonight", he thought. That's when the lights came on again. It was a very long wait.
He sat back, let his head rest on the soft cushion of the couch. He hadn't lifted a finger all day. But his eyes were exhausted.

So, He closed his eyes, "I shouldn't be watching so much TV", he said to himself.

04: 13 P.M.

Nature's call.

He opened his eyes; Got up for the bathroom, performed, and saw his reflection on the mirror. "I need a shave", he said.

He washed his hands and his face once, and looked at the mirror again. He liked the haze around his chin and cheeks on the double take. He thought the beard made his eyes pop out. He was not shaving. Now he was admiring himself.

He always liked his eyes. He had a wide forehead that supported two filled eye brows. He thought the brows complimented his eyes. And he was right.

This made him smile. He gave a photo-studio smile to the mirror, but soon closed his mouth. Then, He took his toothbrush, soaked it in running water, put some toothpaste in his mouth, and started brushing.

04: 49 P.M.

Back on the couch.
He had a washed face, and a set of pearly whites. "Now what?" he thought. He looked around. The room was quiet except for the tick-tock of the wall clock and the faint sounds of honking horns.

He Inhaled and exhaled in tandem with the wall clock. There was nothing to do. Except, "I need a smoke", he said to himself.

05: 07 P.M.

Honking was louder in the main street. Kupondole was very crowded at office time. Not everyone seemed busy. People walking on the street had different pace. Some were walking briskly, while others were seemed to be in their normal pace. There a girl in uniform. The girl's hair was streaming down to her hips. She stole a glance at him. He responded. Nothing happened.

She was beautiful. But he didn't think about her so much. He always believed there are too many beautiful girls walking the streets of Kathmandu. If you concentrate on one, you will not be doing justice on so many others.

He tried thinking about something else while he waited for his bus. And people always were interesting subjects. Just then, Hari Sahu from the corner vegetable store smiled at him. "Fake smile" he thought. He replied with his own version of a fake smile.

This was one of the reason he was taking a bus to smoke a cigarette. He couldn't smoke in his locality. Smoking is a taboo. If the tole elders find someone smoking, they will scold the person, right there making a scene.

Hari Sahu was not the town elder. But his kind was even worse. People belonging to Sahu's category have a history of Squealing. The facts were always distorted while squealing. Smoking according to a Squealer was always combined with Smoking-Marijuana, or Smoking-Hashish. This was dangerous to smokers whose parents didn't smoke.

But there were very few locals in Kupondole. The cooler ones moved outside ring-road. The ones who were left can be compared to Muslim Extremists.

05: 25 P.M.

26 No. Lalitpur Yatayat was a brand. It had good buses, relaxed drivers and very calm conductors. 26 No. Buses were also first buses to provide Student Discounts. This was partly because most collages in Route 26. Were very political- Thapathali College, Lalitpur College, Pulchowk Engineering, Patan Multiple, Viswa Niketan. The conductors never ask for a proof of Identification of a Student.

There were people getting off in Kupondole. Mostly Patan Multiple and Pulchowk Students. Pulchowk was not far from Kupondole, but it’s always a long walk if you were tired.

He got on the bus. He was going to New Road, Ranjana Galli. But the bus does not stop anywhere near the place. He had to get off at Sahid Gate, and walk from there.
He was lucky enough to find a window seat. But the window was closed. Bagmati Pul was approaching.

05: 42 P.M.

Thapathali. The bus stopped. He opened the window. The regular office hour rush jam. The bus was slow. Outside, motor bikes swooshed between huge vehicles. Cars and Buses, however, seemed to follow the rule- Honk-Rush-Honk, Stop, and Curse.

Everyone except the bikers was stuck in traffic. Some bikers had college girls (with their face covered) stuck to them, while others had women (Mid 30s) sitting sideways and as far away from their driver as possible. There were also women drivers who maneuvered the jam more fluently than men.

The folks in the backseat of A/C cars seemed more tired than the people standing up in a pickle-jar- packed Nepal Yatayat. The people in the car had to look up at the people in Local Buses. And the people in the Local Buses Looked down at the people in the car.

"This Song is the ultimate love song for Kathmandu, Enjoy- Cat Stevens' Tribute to the most beautiful City in the World"- The Radio Jockey was a woman.

"I sit beside the dark
Beneath the mire
Cold gray dusty day
The morning lake
Drinks up the sky

Kathmandu I'll soon be seeing you
And your strange bewildering time
Will hold me down

Pass me my hat and coat
Lock up the cabin
Slow night treat me right
Until I go
Be nice to know"

06:12 P.M.

Twilight in Sahid Gate.

The plan was simple. Sahid Gate, The overhead Bridge to Sundhara, then Khichapokhari, the alleyway to Pipal Bot, and Ranjana Galli.

"Hi" was the only hitch in the plan.
"Key chaa?" He replied.

She gave out her palm to shake. They held hands together but never shook them. He felt weird shaking her hand. For a moment he was taken back to the morning show of Mission Impossible III in Jai Nepal. They held their hands together during the sex scene. But after that, a flood of bad memories came to him.

"I'm fine. How about you?" She asked.
"Ditto." He didn't really want to talk to her. He did not want any distractions from the plan. And she was a great distraction.

They never met randomly a year ago. It was always planned and she always made him wait.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"New Road."
"Ah".
"You?"
"A friend will pick me up".

Typical. She cannot be left alone. But she's waiting for a change.

"I never had a bike. Should have known, she waits for the machines, not for humans." He said to himself.

But what she could never say was "My boyfriend is picking me up".

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm great. I have a nice job and I am happy."

"I am happy for you" He lied. "I really am happy for you" He lied some more. Just like her when he asked her why she was breaking up with him. She had replied, "You forgot my Birthday".

"I need to run. It’s nice seeing you." He said.
"Ditto" She smiled. He smiled back, a very different smile to Hari Sahu, but very much fake.

He wanted to hide somewhere and see who her current boyfriend was. But he didn't really care. He saw her with a guy in a cinema hall two days after she broke up with him. He couldn't sleep all night that night. He thought another scene like that would cause him an anxiety attack.

He climbed the overhead bridge.

06:27 P.M.

Evening New-Road is even busier than afternoon New-Road. Khichapokhari side is packed with street vendors. The goods they sell are cheap and they look good. At that time, women and men buy undergarments out in the open. Some of them stretch the garment to check if it holds.

But he did not want to be distracted. It was already dark and he had to smoke and get back home. The small road linking Khichapokhari and Pipal-Bot looked even smaller with too many people.

He accelerated his pace a bit. People walking in new-road ignore each other completely. You do not have to say sorry if you dash a person, you do not have to say excuse me if you touch a person. But some do look at you. And forget you that instant.

Walking fast meant dodging people. It was like dancing. You anticipate the move and act accordingly. They came from all directions- he moved in all directions. His hands were in his jacket and his feet did all the talking. It was poetry in motion. But no one seemed to notice.

06:35 P.M.

Pipal Bot was a legend in itself. It had the photo-concern- one of Nepal's oldest photo studios in its back and it had Ranjana Hall one of the oldest cinema halls of Nepal. At its Right was Sheesa (hookah) bar, and on the ground floor of Seesha Bar arguably the most expensive watch shop of Newroad.

He was not going to the watch shop, or to the photo concern. He Entered Ranjana Galli. Went straight and took a left before city jeans tailors. He was walking straight to a hair saloon "Jagadamba Handsome Palour" But took a left towards a traditional Chowk.

The Soda Chowk is a slate-paved area which is surrounded by seven stories building on all four sides. He always had an eerie feeling in his stomach when he was in this place. If an earthquake were to come, he would not have any place to escape to.

But he was on a mission. "Give me one lemon soda and, Cigarette"
"Which Cigarette?" asked the shopkeeper?
That was strange. Because every-time anyone asks for a cigarette, it’s always Surya. He now had a choice. He looked around and saw two people wearing a cowboy hat.
"Marlboro..... Lights". I am trying to quit, he said to himself.

"No lights, only red" replied the shopkeeper to his strange request.

He didn't want red. "I don't want red". He wanted lights. "I want Lights, Marlboro Lights, you have that poster that says you sell Marlboro here." He was losing his temper.

"We are out of Lights." was his reply.

Deep-Breath, Inhale, Exhale, "Where can I find one?"

07: 12 P.M.

Usually shopkeepers do not let their customers go. But the shopkeeper must have sensed the tone of voice in his customer. There was no alternative in offer. The shopkeeper had said Marlboro Lights are sold at only one place at that time of night. It was not in front of Peanuts, Not Bishal Bazaar fourth floor; it was under the overhead bridge near Bir-hospital.

He did not believe it. So, he went to the Pavement shop opposite Peanuts. There were no Lights. He had boarded the escalator to the fourth floor Bishal Bazaar. There were Gundang Garam, Menthols, Even chocolate cigars but No lights.

No choice left. He was in front of the emergency Gate at Bir-Hospital. "Just one more turning away from a good puff".

At the turning, he saw a girl being harassed by two boys no more than fourteen or fifteen. He looked at them while he walked. Then, the girl reached to one of the boy's back pocket and took out his purse. She was a prostitute. He looked away.
"Cheap Bastards" was what he heard.

07:14 P.M.

Under the bridge, there is a fruit shop, and a drug store. He was told to go to the Nepali. That was harsh from the soda shopkeeper's side. The drug store keeper must have been from lower terai, but he can easily possess a Nepali Citizenship card.

The Fruit seller sounded like he was from Charikot. "I just sold the last packet, just now".

He walked away. He tried smiling. Genuinely this time. "Yeah, Give Up, Go home."

Then, Out of the blue, above the bridge, he noticed a man light a light from the red and white packet of Marlboro Lights.

"God, I promise I'll Quit smoking".

The man was above the overhead bridge, if he ran across to the other side, he could get there and ask him for one. "just one" he thought," I only want one." And he jumped the railing.

07: 16 P.M.

Traffic at night in Kathmandu is very thin, but the cars, Micro Vans, and Buses are notoriously pacey. He was concentrating on the traffic. The man above the over head bridge was hidden behind the huge advertising boards.

He was very careful. A confused Micro-van might have had a drunk driver. But He didn't care. He wanted a Cigarette.

He reached the other side.

The Man smoking the Lights was descending from the stairs.

"Just on time", he caught his breath.

"Hi" He said to the man on the pavement. He was on the other side of the railing. That railing was there for a purpose. It separated this side from that side.

Naturally, The Man ignored him.

He had expected this.

"I'll pay you ten rupees for one Marlboro Light; I know you have a packet".

The man looked at him.

"I just want one" He said, holding the money in his hand.

The Man gave him a cigarette, and even lighted the match. And walked away. He didn't take the money offered.

07:20 P.M.

Inhale, Exhale.

It was night. Night was a good cover. He did not have to look for corners to hide and smoke. The night was a good thing.
He had his wish fulfilled. "The man was a Weird one". He said, "but he gave me this trophy for all my troubles, I thank you oh crazy stranger."

Inhale and Quickly Exhale.

"I would also like to thank the soda shopkeeper and my ex for making my day more badly, than it already is".

Quick and hard Inhale and Exhale.

"Last but not the least, I would like to thank the Nepal Electrical Authority for their short sightedness and all the freegin policies made for our country."

Quick and hard Inhale and Exhale.

His head was feeling heavy. It was the same heaviness he felt when he smoked his first puff one year ago. "Taking me for a time Machine Ride are you?" He said to the Cigarette.

Then suddenly, 'crash'.

He was knocked down by a Micro-Van.
He saw people coming towards him. He wanted to get up, he couldn't. The heaviness he got from the Cigarette was nothing compared to the state he was in. But he wanted to look for his trophy.

He couldn't feel his hands. He looked to see if his hands were there. What he saw was his trophy rolling away from him, Still alive, still red, still burning.

08:00 P.M.

Lights On in Kupondole.

A Song could be heard :

"Pass me my hat and coat
Lock up the cabin
Slow night treat me right
Until I go
Be nice to know"

The NTC CHRONICLE

2009-01-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

Get your balance to minimum. Below 1 Rs. (NTC Pre paid SIM cards) and call.

Anyone. Anywhere in the world.

But
You can talk to the person for only about 1 second.

You will be punished, you'll receive an SMS saying "Your account fee:0.39 Rupees. Please recharge in time. Thank you!"

There is a lot of things you could say in a second. "HI, Helllow", "Wazzzap", or "Namaste", or "CALL ME" or "I MISS YOU" or "DIE" or "Wait" or

Just bad mouth them. But nothing more than a second.

Its news for me. I Did not know about it. And I found about this during my exams. At KU, exams last till one month, like a mela, but exams are when most of have free time. And, there is 16 hours of load shedding. So, there is a lot of free time.

And Its not a sin to play with your cell phone. Especially when there's no electricity.

And its no Intrusion on Privacy, in any country if you call someone and the phone cuts right after the person says "Hello".

But I didn't really think all that when I dialed an international number for the first time. It just happened.

First you have the usual NTC warning "Your Balance is getting low, Please recharge your account soon.", and then a different connecting tone sound. If the number does not exist or if the user has switched off the cell phone, You hear a completely different voice. Very different than that of the NTC chick.

Also, the connecting tunes are very long. Unlike Nepal.

My first call was Qatar. Everyone I called were cheap bastards. No one called back. I mean you're getting a missed call from Some other country and you don't reply.

My adventures were getting over before they started. Then I saw this advertisement.
You know, Karina Kapoor, in her anorexic body, says something about caller tunes.

Right there, I knew who to call. INDIANS. 0091 and 10 cell phone numbers.

Indians because they are the second largest populated country in the world and they are our neighbors, we know their language, we have seen their films, we know their culture, and we know how to um, flirt in Indian.

And yes, most Indians too are cheap bastards but some are really good ones. The good ones always call back.

When they call back we have to talk to them. I talked to them as a tour guide, who has some tourists coming to India and the person in the phone is our only hope in booking a hotel. They didn't book the hotel though.

I sometimes genuinely tell that that I was giving them crank calls. Because it doesn't cost me a cent. And I have this power to talk to anyone anywhere in the world. Only, they have to call back.

When I say this they either call me crazy or just switch off the phone blurting out really unheard Indian Slang.

But there is a must follow rule: ALWAYS TALK IN ENGLISH.

And, calling India, you get to hear caller tunes. Very different, very unique ones. I have been dialling 0091 971 (7 random numbers) and have been reaching south Indians. You can tell. Their caller tone is really you know, South Indian.

And they call back and you say "I like your caller tune, Its nice". That way, you can talk.

Its a nice pass time.

I had some fears after the first day.

I had called, India, Qatar, and America, and must have cost NTC some money. I havent recharged yet. And NTC cannot legally cut money from my account because it is a pre paid cell phone.

At the back of my Mind, I had the intelligence of India and America. You know, all those wild stories of RAW and CIA. But I have not done anything Illegal. I am not a terrorist. and Bush is no longer in power.

Yeah, I also feared the Indian Media. You know, lets say they found out. "One number TERRORIZING everyone in INDIA" will be their headline in Red color with dripping blood.

Indian Journalists will demonize me like I am some murderer, or a Drug lord.

Yeah and Nepali Journalists have not fallen far from that apple tree. There are some really great cases of character assassination in our own Dailies. But that's some other note.

For now,I dial. Randomly. And I talk, to strangers.

I am going to call.
I am going to call different people, from different backgrounds, who grew up differently, who got their cell numbers in a different way, who bought their cell phones in a unique way, and people who are brave enough to take a chance by calling an unknown number.

But these people who call back have one thing in common. They are all enthusiastic, and everyone says,
HELLO, YOU CALLED ME, WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM MAN???

Hope NTC doesn't find out.

Marketing Nepal

2008-10-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was jumping channels before I landed on BBC. It was five pm. I stopped for a while. I guess it was the classic BBC red and white. Then, something else in red and white struck me- Our National Flag. It was an advert, “Naturally Nepal- Once is not enough”. Except the background narration, I respected every frame of it, especially the slogan.

The only grand problem was the timing of the advert. Five pm NST is when Indians, Pakistanis, Sri-Lankans and Bangladeshis are trapped in their rush-hour traffic. The English will still be having their lunch and Americans will be dreaming ways to fight global economic meltdown. Besides, the BBC we have in Nepal is a South Asian relay. The programs may be Global, but the adverts are very much local. Why wouldn't the tourism board air it globally? Maybe they had, but not very likely. The cost of running a 15 second effective advertisement Globally in BBC for a month about 24 times a day (1 ad each hour), would equal to the economy of the tourism industry for about 2 years maybe more.

TV fails us then. How do we reach Global Audience? The internet? But If I read something like “Nepal is divided into three ecological belt where Terai is the breadbasket...” another time, I am going to puke. Kiran Khatri a professor from KUSOM would say something like, “If you want to market something, try associating it with the target audience”.

That’s pretty simple then. A global audience needs a global issue to relate to. What is today’s global issue? Terrorism? Yes. But not in this case. Poverty? They’re doing that already aren’t they? They market poor people in every political and NGO speech. This lands huge amount of money and a fraction of it magically disappears in Kathmandu.

Bhusan Tuladhar an Environment Guru proposed “Global Warming”. Why not? It’s easier. Al Gore, you know that bloke who lost the US 2001 election bitterly and started that documentary which got an Oscar. “The Inconvenient Truth” was a success because it used Global Warming as the focal issue. We use Global Warming and footage of Nepal from “The inconvenient Truth”. And add a small tagline. Bhusan Tuladhar suggested, “The glaciers are melting away, watch them melting, LIVE”. I liked that. Or maybe we can add something else, Like "The glaciers are melting, you children wont see them, you can. COme to Nepal, to escape the warming... OFFER VALID UNTIL THE GLACIERS MELT".

But say you’re not that ambitious. The whole globe wouldn’t fit in the small brick shaped country like ours. Okay, target specific populations then. More specific, the second most populated country in the world. How? You know the Char-Dham? Nepalese go on tour buses to India to walk hours to see a stone image of a god. DOnt get me wrong now. I am not an atheist, I believe in god just like the other person smoking pot beside me. I am more of a Nationalistic religious person. I worship Bhat-bhateni, not the supermarket, the temple. (Get that through your heads consumer cultured freaks.)

We market our Gods and Goddesses like the Indians did their Char-Dham. Why not We find our own Char-Dham. Gosainkunda, Mustang, Lumbini, I could probably go on, there may be 880 Dhams. And just add some marketing glamor to it, "There are 880 Dhams in Nepal, just go to 8 for a place beside any god you desire... After death".

Gods reside everywhere right? Use them, that's what they want from us right? remember "God helps those who help themselves"?? Dont curse your fate if you didnt get a Visa. IF it were the 60s you could make money stealing idols and selling it to India. But that's a crime now. And gods dont like people who commit crimes. How do you make money and not hurt gods? Glamorize gods.

Market gods. Research Nepal’s personal Char-Dham and Glorify it. That’s what the Indians did. You can make a lot of Money off them.

When i am high

2008-09-05T22:08:00.000-07:00

Introduction
time, place, event, date...building up..
first day at school cry, separarated, extended arms..building up ...
unknown lovers, adventures, everyone the same...
companionsfirst day at different school...
adult wreklessnessnot thinking about .... influence....
good or bad??
television... especially indian...
MONEY MAKING PROPAGANDA 1980s love movies, running away from homes...
building up their children turn out messed up.
younger.... building up perspective..
building up a single point of viewwhat everyone else says is wrong
Your path is greatbecause in the end, you dont want to say,
i lived my life following the wrong ethics.
Everyone is the same.
every teenager and young adult is a product or they want to be a product.
everyone wants to find love... everyone wants to be in love in a movie
in an advertisement
in a romantic love story where every moment equals to 2 hours of a whole lifetime.
especially girls
guys cant commit. they in turn want to be in love in "american pie"... building up
I am not old enough to speculate.
but i have my freedom of speech.
Life.. building up to death
what do you take with you??
memories.. only feast, mess up people's lives so everyone comes to your funeral
brush your teeth twice daily... let everyone know you're smiling
even though inside your'e depressed as hell
nature, youth, and technology, enjoy them before they change..
building upevery person equals 1 life.
remember that.
every person is as equal as your life.
try to respect every life like you respect your own.

Just a thought

2008-05-10T19:21:00.000-07:00

I was looking for blogs the other day, to look at some stable heads in the world of BLOG. I was not satisfied. Most of them post without much knowledge of why they are doing it. I am not talking about professional bloggers, that's their job. I am talking about others who think they have some knowhow.

I have only begun, this is my second post and its not fair on my part to be creul to other bloggers. Who knows, I might turn out to be like one of those bloggers who would write just for the sake of writing.

the whole day yesteray i spent on research. and yes there are some bloggers who are very praise worthy, their style of writing is pretty good and they bring newer ideas into inquisitive minds. But I cant be so sure on that either.

One of the smaller problem here is- people writing without much information. You know, generalizing out of very small amount of information many researchers do the same thing but after years of research with millions of considerations (good researchers)... wait i'm generalizing again now.

That's not a big issue though there is so little time to do so many things in this world...you cant spare to sit down and analyze every little detail of every little thing. But dont be so rigid in your conclusion... say "maybe..." I would love to site some examples... but then again I would be generalizing... this is just a thought. lets have some study beforehand shalll we??

newer perspective... (खबरदार :जाति उडाउने सन्दर्भ)

2008-05-10T00:26:00.000-07:00

what do you expect when your'e on an indian train that too a triple decker...
(3 wota bed bhayeko lai triple decker bhaneko...)

you know one of those "super fast" expresses which goes slow on turnings and comes to halt at stations... rokeko station mah thaadai gu ganaune bhanya...
mah sanai dehin kathmandu baseko ani hurkeko .. aaba malai pani pachena tyo ganda!!!tesaile maile jhyal lagayeko...jhyal lagaunu parne arko karan pani thiyo... kholyo bhane lamkhutte... ani pheri indian lamkhutte haru kathmandu ko lamkhutte haru jasto hundainan, trust me maile bhogeko ho...

ek chin jhyal lagayeko moja ganauna thalyo... mah aafai chahi aaru lai moja ganauncha bhanera converse lagayera sutirachu... tara partly jutta harauncha bhanne darr... tara dhoti haru hindi filim mah matra chor raichan real life mah thikkai thiye...

Aauta sanga ramro guff bhayo though. suru mah maile chatna thaleko thiye huncha ni baula baula question sodhne (hindi mah naboleko... thaaadai english mah):

"tell me something about the people of your hometown..." malai tyo bicharo aalik aalmaliyeko jasto lageko thiyo ani pheri clarify gardai maile bhane hamra kathmandu ka manche haru ko gaatha :
"people of kathmandu are very busy and very rude... you see if you accidently dash a person while walking in the streets, we dont even turn to say "excuse-me" or "sorry"...your first thoughts would be to say that they are very busy but the same person will be staring at a couple quarrelling... along with 5-10 people who have no business being there"

indian local train mah english mah teasto bhane pachi saab jana chup chaap... guff hanna sakne hai,
basically, "lucknow" ka manche haru thug hunchan bahndai thiyo... aalik dherai beher nai bhanyo tara tyo naya kura lagena. thug haru hunchan ni tah hamro

guff chaldai thiyo ani yekkasi teashle laptop kholyo.. mero mama ko chora pani sangai thiyo ani teasko lai bhanera "tom and jerry" play garna thalyo .

pachi girlfriend ko kura garna thalyo.. laptop sangai thiyo teasle photo dekhayo... harek friday newroad ghumne bhayeko le hola teashko girlfrinend khas lagena. tara ke garnu international sambanda banaunu thiyo pheri superpower dhoti (mah bhanda lamboo nai thiyo) "that's nice that's nice" thapdai gaye.

lucknow aayepugyo ani bye bye bhane. aile tyo event bhayeko 3 hapta bhayo....hamile hi5/ gmail haru saateka thiyoum...

hi5 chalayo, ani scrap book mah lekhrara thiyo..

"Hi......abhimanyu how r u...??? where r u these days...???i m missing u lot dear. ..........

tara girl friend cha bhandai thiyo ek chin whaaaa jasto lagira bhanya.

bharkhar Annie Hall hereko thiye teashma bhancha -new york is a city confined to itself... kathmandu pani teastai ho.. new york island ho kathmandu khaldo...saab thok, saab jana, saaiyou thari ka manche haru payencha... i know i was born here... tara huncha ni last mah thankot nagdhunga pari gaye pachi khaldo nai tah ho ni hai jasto lagcha..

mah kathmandu bahira first time gayeko haina though... mero mama ghar "kalaiya" i have seen, drank, and slept in a lot of eastern nepal... tara aauta chuttai perspective hundo raicha. nachineko manche sanga guff garda kheri... khai dherai bhayeko thiyo bahira naniskiyeko 1-2 barsha.

tei ho age sahit ko naya perspective... like a friend of mine says " life bhaneko yestai ho" . huncha ni jasto pani super fast train.. naya kura...or turning aaye pachi slow huncha... psycho huncha...