Personal Space in Nepali culture “ Hey mom! I’m going out for a friend’s birthday today would you give me some money?” This is one of my most common pickup line when it comes to persuading my mom whenever I have to go for a day out with someone special. “How many friends do you have? Do your friends have birthdays every week?” of course, I wouldn’t be attending someone’s birthdays but I’m skeptical if I’d be allowed to leave if I’ll be honest enough to say the truth. I hope you have one of yours as well. And why wouldn’t you have one if you’re a typical teenager from a Nepalese family. We aren’t to this day courageous enough to ask our parents for their permission if we are to go on a date. Perhaps, we would but will our personal space be respected then? I guess not. Being a teenager myself, I feel I lack a personal space and I’ve come to know that I’m not the only one who feels so when I’ve heard the same from my friends. The personal space can be defined as the physical as well ...

The Blank Page The outer world sleeps never, shouting on top of its voice; And why wouldn’t it? The night’s there to imbibe this noise; The blank page has a death stare at me, just as I might have for it. Maybe it would have chores pending, deadlines calling; And is in a rush to reach somewhere but is still here–maybe where it doesn’t fit? It could be empty and chipped, full of slits and painted all white without a zit. Wouldn’t it like to express itself with letters and paint with all colors and shades? Ever wondered why the page is so silent and remains that way! Maybe it knows what it feels not being heard when there’s much to say. My dear page you express yourself when I pour my feelings on you; And you paint yourself with shades when tears drop and mix with the blue; Well, my selfless page, you will never remain unheard for I’ll never stop writing on you. This poem was written as I was busy doing nothing, thinking of writing something but wit...

The November Breeze The November breeze passes over my head–smooth yet so cold, Bringing in clouds of uncertainties with it from the places long sold. I wish I could take it only as a cool gust, but it was so long-drawn­­-out, But still, I think I should just be patient this time around.  Left to my own devices, I crouch to defend myself and stay calm;  I’m skeptical if I won’t deform halfway up for the gust may transform. I struggle not to fear it and try hard to find what is bright; Perhaps, I’d be grounded enough then and pass this test alright. Now, I’m not afraid of losing my breath as I stay upright, Nor of the changes beyond my sight. “Hold on Pain Ends” for HOPE is what they say; I hold on to hope and wait for the breeze to blow away. Been long since I wrote something ;) The poem was written in November of course, as I was lying and felt a sudden gust of wind. I’d love to hear from my readers about it J Good ...

Yatra “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Certainly, if you are to avoid inconvenience in Nepal, you’ve got to get used to with “Nepali time”. That day I woke up at 4 in the morning, had a cup of tea and rushed from Boudha by the earliest micro bus to Koteshwor, where  it was already two hours that I had been waiting for my friends to pick me up. It was not that I knew very little of “Nepali time” i.e. the time allotted by people is always to be multiplied by a certain factor of safety–which in our case is generally more. But the long two-hour wait was surpassed by the excitement of tour to Nainital. The bus finally arrived at 8:15 and picked us from Bhatbhateni and as I was getting onto the bus,the sight of  its green license/number plate gave me some   relief–the travel would be relaxing. But still we were not out of the “Nepali time zone”: we waited for another hour before we finally hit the highway. The bus halted at Naubise for breakfast. To my surprise, it was...

Syringe attack: A sick Mindset It was quite a normal evening for me in my dorm as I was busy folding the clothes, until the notification bell rang from Hamro Patro news, claiming four girls were attacked near Dallu area. It brought a cold chill down my spine. Worried me, immediately phoned my near ones who would use the same route almost daily. I should have worried them even more–a reflex­­­­ to my worried tone and the news. Specifically, these attacks on the person as an attempt to transmit blood borne disease such as HIV are called pin prick attack. But what causes one to do such weird and antisocial things? Biological Psychiatry says that human beings have a social disposition of sharing feelings. In case of hatred, anger or violence the emotion is often so grim and strong that the person feeling it wants to get rid of it, and since the emotion is so vaporous, the expression of it tends to be instantaneous as well. Although on moral grounds, the person knows hurting others is n...

Life, Death and Satisfaction One fine evening, my baby sister Rahi, was dancing on her favorite song “Kutu ma kutu” Beholding this wonderful sight, as she was holding her little hands back and forth as a step to her dance I could experience a different sensation on my chest, I could feel the bliss of that moment–my brains should be producing enough dopamine then. There are other instances as when everything else seems oblivious, and I feel I have reached a state of perfect happiness one of them being listening to my favorite songs. I sometimes wonder, how unbelievably our happiness depends on these mere things and not much on what we quote as an act of “big achievement”. Perhaps, our understanding of small and big things must have been wrong, or perhaps it’s in these small things that our happiness and being content relies on. But, firstly what is happiness? For me, it’s a sense of feeling heartily content regardless of the situation and circumstances life has bought with it. It ...

The Five Pence Shilling The Missouri river breeze was mild like any month of the year in a small village where the Mandan Tribe reside. Zomi, a well-built young man of about 19, is all set to make a trade of horses for gun with the new inhabitants from Europe at Gettysburg. Zomi is a confident young lad who has a business mind since a very young age. He has been with his father to these trade trips since he was five, the farthest he has travelled to being Westfield, north east of the Mandan village. It has been already 10 years since the first American Industrial Revolution, and America has been home to many dwellers from Europe thanks to its alluring resources and growing economy. The people of the Mandan tribe are gifted hunters but they have started preferring gun over arrows to hunt antelopes for their tusks–which pays a good price at the local market in Hayes, south of river Missouri. The traders of the Mandan village buy salt enough for the fortnight and with the money left–d...

Right feel Charlie Musselwhite, an American electric blues harmonica player better known as the “white bluesman” quotes on his fellow musician ,“When Big (Walter) was in the right mood, he could be the most ferocious, the most inventive, the most dangerous harp player I ever heard.” Being at crest on a chore­­­­ in the right feel­–would entail most of us since it is a consequence of mood swings which in turn is an outcome of hormonal changes. What would be the best start to your day? Well, for me it would be a warm cup of coffee slitting down my throat in a mild breeze of air near the window listening to  Guns N' Roses in the   mise-en-scène . This brings in me a different premonition than anything else does, and sets me right in the mood to kick start my day. The day when I miss this Ambiance, I am the not just the same Guy. I get busy but alas not productive enough! We already might have known by now that we can’t always get things going our way; the comfort zon...

Renewable Energy in Nepal, its Prospects and Challenges           How much are you worried about global warming and climate change? As of 2017, there is about 59.8% (8161 mega ton equivalent) use of primitive nonrenewable oil and coal, which is certainly going add to your worries [1].   17.1% (2334 mega ton equivalent) is the consumption of renewable energy worldwide including nuclear energy as of 2017, which is 3.9% greater than the 13.2% (806 mega ton equivalent) consumption of renewable energy as of 1973. Keeping in mind the world population in 1973 to be 3.915 billion as compared to 7.550 billion in 2017, nearly 4% increase in world total primary energy supply (TPES) is in itself a big deal that clearly states that world is in favor adopting the renewable energy. With more than 20,000 of the deaths worldwide due to carbon emissions, clean energy has been undoubtedly the necessity of today’s world. [2]     ...

Walking Alone Not only children but even adult Nepalese seem to depend on each other to visit the washroom. I’m pretty sure we’ve encountered those people who seek company simply to go to washroom. You may be wondering what’s so peculiar about this. But it’s only one of those things that makes us aware of the extent to which we are dependent on someone else. In fact, it is these small instances that lead to bigger ones. The problem is not in being amicable and accompanying ones who are close to us but in being too contingent and clingy upon someone else, which stimulates us subconsciously to be prone to emotional ordeals when we later become desolated. When was the last time you took a serious decision about your life or did something productive and who were you with back then? Perhaps you took the decision alone and certainly not amongst a crowd. You probably took the decision as a consequence of hours of comprehension. We must have felt for at least once that at the end ...

Living In The Moment I am old enough now, I can be on my own,” I vividly remember saying before leaving for my college dorm to pursue for my Bachelor’s degree. I was pretty excited about moving to Dhulikhel and being on my own—to experience being an adult. Why wouldn’t I be excited? It was my first time away from home. I felt it was about time that I leave my parents’ nest and start afresh. The first few days were the best days. I enjoyed making new friends and wasn’t homesick at all. Everything was new and exciting, and I was basking in that ‘newness’. Slowly, my life slipped into  a routine and monotony clouded my days. It was    then that I began missing home. I used to drag myself through the week waiting for the weekend and catch the earliest bus home every Fridays. I was rushing to be an adult, but I now realised what it really meant. According to Niharika Dugar, a content developer at Grade Up, to be a man means to be mature and act your age...

Hope Gloomy am I or really so weak? I believe I ain’t so lazy-just out of fuel to be at peak. Up and running? Well, it’s been hell of a time since my days became so reek; Amidst the crowd, I struggle to find where actually I leak from within! It feels I’m drowning deep incessantly, like a plunge into the silence desperate for help. It’s like a race I would like to finish not an ace. I know I’m my own guardian angel but this monotony! Why is it at such pace? Oblivious to the goings-on at times, Motivation seems more elusive than ever. But desolation has never room in battle, And I know I’ll pull this off because Nothing lasts forever even the cold November rain. I have so far believed that poem isn't my cup of tea. This is one of the first on my blog. Should i be writing more of it? Good day ;)