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Nepal Local Elections

The Pessimist in me felt like writing again. I feel old writing about or commenting on political matters. I am not an expert and my thoughts might not be right in a broad perspective. But, it has been hard to keep this feeling with me and here I am tempted to write. The newly implemented federal setup of Nepal creates decentralization. Decentralization is much awaited phenomenon for Nepal. But, will it really help to develop our country? Coming years will tell, but we should never back away from making a prediction. Our new constitution allows the decentralization of the nation’s budget as well. It is a good thing, as a local level project will not have to wait for specific approval and budget allocation from several ministries like in the present scenario. But, there is also a negative side to it. The winners of the coming local election will have power on the state’s money and they can form a syndicate to use the state’s money for their personal interests. A good financi...
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Sajha Yatayat

A few days ago, I boarded the new Sajha Yatayat bus manufactured by Ashok Leyland. I am going to express my genuine feelings about the experience. I boarded the bus from Baneshwor and got off at Tripureshwor. I know that Kanak Mani Dixit is a visionary person. I also know that cycles and big buses instead of private two and four-wheelers are very important for greener tomorrow. But, this does not fit quite right here, especially in the context of Kathmandu. Getting back to that new bus ride, I have to admit it was not extraordinary. In fact, it was less ordinary than I had previously thought. The seat arrangement uses a smart technique of reducing the seat size and letting as much space as possible open for people to stand in. For a crowded city like Kathmandu, it is a really appropriate concept. But, this doesn’t end here. The seats were too small for a person of my size. And, for clarification, I am a teenager of very average size. Furthermore, the seats had absolutely no cu...
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INDIAN Embargo on Nepal

The undeclared economic blockade imposed in Nepal by India is now in its third week. I wish Nepalese government had responded timely and effectively to these matters which have put daily lives into a grueling test for its citizens. Only Nepali news agencies have been publishing the original stories about the ongoing political unrest in certain regions and the embargo. Also, different solidarity movements have helped Nepali people fight back the bossy attitude of the Indian Government. On the contrary, the roles of international news agencies have been quite ineffective in delivering the right message and information about current issues in Nepal. The sole role of media is to speak out the truth. It is not true that citing an authority is bringing out the true story to the public. Especially in case of politics, where matters can never be analyzed forthright, ‘citing and authority’ can be highly refutable. Now, in the case of the embargo imposed in Nepal by India against the treaties...
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Ahmed, the clock-maker

A 14 years old Muslim kid, an engineering enthusiast, brought to school his home-made clock to show to his teacher. Despite being applauded for his creation, he was arrested by the police because the teacher thought the device was suspicious. One glimpse of the device will not knock in your head what exactly it is. It is a tangle of wires, some boards and other electrical connections. It could have been a bomb, or a clock or any device that has not yet been invented. Ahmed’s clock. An electrical device made by a Muslim kid does not necessarily mean it is a bomb. The job the teachers had in hand was just a simple interrogation with Ahmed eliciting the device details and a meticulous assessment of the device. The obfuscating device would eventually turn out to impose no harm. But wait. There is another more important question here. Would the case have been different, had the inventing kid been white? I think straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will not make a good answer. While the frantic rea...
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Mumbai Dabbawala!

Just as I was flipping through multifarious channels in search of something worth-watching, I was led to the BBC channel which was airing a documentary covering the astounding aspects of Mumbai city. India, being a neighbor to my home land and a country set to become an epitome of development, technological advancement and economic utopia never ceases to dumbfound me. The documentary I watched was about a small service provided by the Dabbawalas in the Mumbai city. The English translation of Dabbawala is ‘Lunchbox delivery person’. A lunchbox is called Dabba in Hindi. The reason I called this service small despite its large coverage in the city area is that it has a small function. Nonetheless, the service is deemed very important in the bustling city where over-loaded trains are the key means of commuting on daily basis. During its peak hours in the office-rush time, it’s a humongous task just to get into the train let alone carry a huge lunchbox with you. This small service that I...
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My Nepali DNA!

ROSHAN KARKI Last Christmas, I gave away my spit but the very next month, the DNA results came back making me feel: Not-So-Special “Who am I?” This selfie question often reverberates in my head, even more so at times when my Nepali identity (ego) is questioned, challenged, or brushed aside by an Indian stamp far away from home. Over the years, this insecurity has been fueled by overtones of ethnic federalism—an idea entrenched on differences we possess as Nepalis, along the lines of caste, creed, color, and culture. The ambiguous talks on identity issues by journalists, scholars, and op-ed writers from Nepal have done little to ease my dilemma. The question resurfaced again in one of those Chiya-Chats at my Alma Mater in Connecticut among the most diverse, passionate, and intelligent Nepali students I’ve ever interacted with. Beyond the usual fervor of Mount Everest and Buddha, we seemed perplexed about our Nepali identity: whether to associate with our country, align with our eth...
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Page not found!

Banging my head against the couch placed in the drawing room, I was murmuring unusual things. I thought those were murmurs, but it was just a feeling given by hodgepodge of random thoughts running in my mind. There was desperation to take a glance at something. My mind was completely dazed, not by the bangs but by the same thoughts. My shudder went too strong making it hard for me to stay firm. At the same time, I glanced back into my past and wondered how great it would have been like if I had got a chance to reorient it. The thought was like a powerful virus capable of reproduction a thousand times each second. Its effect was all over my body in seconds. My hands and feet were icy, and my lower jaw was fighting with the upper one. My gaze was uninterrupted like that of a perished guy, and something had stuck in my neck which I wasn’t able to gulp down. My thoughts were still within me, intact and unspoken of. I couldn’t know what to do. Every thought and idea was tangled like...
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