Pakhribas Updates

के गरिब हुनु श्राप हो त ?

noreply@blogger.com (Kamana Pradhan) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 16:51:00 +0000

भालेको पहिलो डाको संगै आज ऊ सबेरै उठ्छ । न त उसको हातमा घडी छ न त भित्तामा नै कुनै भित्ते घडी छ । हाम्रै नेपालको कुनै बिरानो गाउको सुन्नमा आएको सानो कथा हो यो । आज ऊ जेलको चिसो भुइँमा बसी टुलुटुलु बाहिरी परिवेस हेरिरहन्छ लाचार अनि बेवास्ताको साथ , आज भन्दा करिब 10 वर्ष पहिले एउटा गरिब मजदुरी गरेर खाने , झुटो नबोल्ने , अरुलाई ठग्ने उसको नियत थिएन । निस्वार्थ भावनाको उ, करिब 40 वर्ष उमेर भएर पनि कसैको साथ उसलाई थिएन ।सानैमा अनाथ भएकोले होला उ साहु महाजनकोमा विभिन्न शारीरिक काम गरेर जीविकोपार्जन गर्दथियो ।

सधै जही आज पनि उ कोदालो बोकेर सबेरै घरबाट उ चुरोटको सर्को तान्दै केहि परको जंगलको झाडीमा अगाडी बढ्दै गयो ।सुनसान जंगलमा किरा फट्यांग्रा र चरा चुरुंगीको आवाज सुन्दै आफैमा मग्नमस्त भइ अघि बढिरहेको थियो । बचाऊ! बचाऊ ! को आवाज उसको कानमा ठोक्किन पुग्यो, उसले सोच्यो कि कुनै चरा चुरुंगी वा जीव जन्तुको होला भनि अघि बढ्न थाल्यो । पुनः सोहि आवाज उसको कानमा ठोकिन पुग्यो , उसलाई डर लाग्न थाल्यो कतै केहि अनर्थ त भाको छैन अनि उ यता उताको झाडीहरु फाड्न थाल्यो, हैरान भैयो उ, तर केहि पत्ता लगाउन सकेन ।अलिक पर पट्टिको बाक्लो झाडीमा उसको आखा केन्द्रीत भयो ।अचानक मनमा धेरै प्रश्नहरु उर्लेर आउन थाल्यो । उ पसिनाले भिझे झैँ भएको थियो , उसको सास र ढुक ढुकी पनि तिब्र गतिले बडी रहेको थियो ।

बिहानीको समयमा मधुर घामको किरणमा मनबाट डर निकालेर उ त्यो झाडी तर्फ लम्कियो । उसले झाडी बिस्तारै पल्टायो, धर्ति नै चिप्लदै गएको जस्तो भयो उसलाई , भुइँमा रगताम्य भइ लमतन्न परेर पल्ला घरका दाई पछारि रहेको थियो । उ हतार हतार त्यो दाई तर्फ लाग्यो । उसको शरीर भरि खुन नै खुन थियो । उसले सोध्ने प्रयत्न गर्यो, "के भयो तपाइलाई, कसले यस्तो दुरदशा गर्यो " उसको मुखबाट अतालिदै आवाज आयो तर बिडम्बना त्यो दाई ले प्राण त्यागी सकेको थिए । उसको शरीर चिसो भैसकेको थियो । उसलाई के गरु कसो गरु कता जाऊ भयो ।त्यो दाइलाइ छाडेर कुद्न खोज्यो तर वर परको खुनको तलाबमा उ चिप्लन लड्न पुग्यो ।

उ उठ्यो त्यो खुनको तलाबबाट अनि हतार हतार घर तिर लाग्यो त्यति लामो दुरी पनि उसले आतिएको सुरमा केहि पलमा नै पार गर्यो । उ घर आएर आफ्नो लुगा खोलि नुहाएर बसिरहेको थियो सबै गाउलेहरु र प्रहरीहरु उसको घर अगाडी हल्ला गर्न थाले ।"ज्यानमारालाई बाहिर आइज "भन्दै कराउन, नारा लगाउन थाले ।"कसरी मारिस तेरो कोदालोले हानेर मारिस, हेर् त्यो लाश नजिकै थियो, त हत्यारा बाहिर निस्की " भन्दै त्यो भिड बाट आवाज आयो । त्यसै त उसको साटो पुत्लो उढेको बेला त्यो शब्द भन्दा त उ छाँगोबाट खसेको झै भयो ।

उसले रुदै सबै कहानी सबै समक्ष भन्यो तर कसले मान्ने उसको कुरो, उसको घर तलासी लिइयो । खुनले लतपत भएको लुगा उसको ढोका पछाडी पोको परेको अवस्थामा फेला पर्यो । गाउलेहरु सबै एक मुख लागे "त्यो हत्यारालाइ सजाय दिनै पर्छ भनेर प्रहरी समक्ष प्रस्ताव राख्न थाले । बिडम्बना हिजो सम्म सोझो , इमान्दार छ भन्ने व्यक्ति आज गरिब भएको कारण आज उसको पक्षमा बोल्ने पनि कोहि पनि त छैनन ।को हो त असली हत्यारा त्यसको पनि कुनै खोजी अनुसन्धान पनि गरिएन बहुमतको कदर गरियो । बिचार त्यो सोझो दाइ कसलाई गुहार्नु , कसलाई के भन्नु ,लाटो झैँ चुप लागेर बसी रहेका रहेका थिए ।सायद भगवानले त हेरिरहेका छन् , मलाई उहाले त न्याय दिनु हुन्छ होला भन्दै मन मनै सोची रहेका थिए । तर भाग्य बहुमतको नै कदर भयो उ आज जेल भित्र छ ।

सत्य के हो भन्ने कुरो नजानी जब गरिब तथा असहाय भेट्न साथ हामी भए भरको आरोप प्रत्यारोप लगाउछौ तर के त्यो सहि हो त? जसरि आज हाम्रा दाइ बिना कुनै गल्ती बिना नै सजायको भागेदार भैरहेका छन् । हामी आफुलाई चेतनशिल प्राणी भन्छौ तर खै त हाम्रो चेतना कहाँ हरायो हाम्रो स्नेह कता गयो हाम्रो माया ? आज त्यो दाइ जेलको कुनै कुनामा होलान तर भोलि पनि त्यस्तो अपच्य काम हामी गर्ने कि नगर्ने ? हामी आफुलाई मनुष्य भन्छौ तर हामीमा के मनुष्यको कुनै गुण बाकी छ त ? के हामी मनुष्य नै हो त कि बन्न बाकी छ ? भनिन्छ नि माया दिए माया नै पाइन्छ, विचार गर्ने हो कि ?

ओहो ! कस्तो पायो त्यसले जुनी

noreply@blogger.com (Kamana Pradhan) — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:04:00 +0000

वारी गाउको दाई पारी गाउ जान्छ
लोकल ठर्रा , तोंबा सबै कुरा तान्छ

अलि कति लागे पछी मै हु ठुलो भन्छ
बाटो घाटो नचिनेर कु-बाटोमा हिन्छ

कस्तो दल दलमा फस्यो ऊ नत बाहिर आउछ
रातमा मात्र हैन उसले दिनमा पनि पिउछ

मै हु सर्वज्ञानी भनि भासन गरि हिन्छ
समाजका सबैलाइ भुसुना झैँ ठान्छ

ओहो ! कस्तो पायो त्यसले जुनी

बल्ल तल्ल घरमा पुग्दा जड्याहा आयो भन्लान
परिवार , छर छिमेक छि!छि! दुर दुर गर्लान

नत उसको बुध्दी आयो सधै तल तल गिर्छ
आखिरमा मुटु फुटी अकालमा नै मर्छ

आखिरमा मुटु फुटी अकालमा नै मर्छ

खले song : Baby I Love You Forever

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 15:41:00 +0000

दिउसोको समय थियो ,पहाडमा बस्ने भएर होला मलाई इटहरीमा निकै गर्मि महशुष भैरहेको थियो । मैले आफ्नो समान लान भनि एउटा ठुलो तर पुरानो ट्रक फेला पारेको थिए । ट्रकमा गुरुजी ,खले भाइ र मा गरि 3 जना यात्री थियेउ ।
झिल्के गुरुजी फुर्के खले , गुरु केटीहरुलाई फोन गर्न व्यस्त, मलाई थाहा भए अनुसार 400/- को Ncell को recharge card आफुलाइ र उसको girlfriend लाई लगाईदिदै फोन गर्दै थिए ।मेरो फुर्के भाई , प्यार प्यार गर्दै बोलेको बोलेकोले मा हैरान भैसकेको थिए । उसको आफ्नै पिडा र बिडम्बनाहरु थियो । सुनी बसे , के गर्नु अर्को option पनि त थिएन ।

हामी करिब 12 बजे तिर उकालो लाग्येउ , ट्रकको इन्जिनको आवाज र त्यसको तातोले निकालेको पसिनाले म नुहाए बराबर नै भैरहेको थिए । त्यो खले भाइ पनि लगाउन ब्यस्त थियो अनि हाम्रा गुरु फोन गर्दै गाडी हाक्न ब्यस्त थिए । मलाई सरो bore लग्यो अनि ब्यागबाट earphone निकाले र गीत सुन्न थाले ।

गीत सुनेको देखेर त्यो खले भाइले एक पट्टिको earphone माग्यो , मेरो पालो दुईओटा earphone नै दिए । उ चुप चाप लागेर गीत सुन्न थाल्यो ।मैले त्यो भाइलाइ Baby I Love You Forever भन्ने नेपाली ग्गेत मन पर्छ कि भनेर त्यो गीत लगाईदिए ।

उक्त ट्या ...द्यांग ... त्यांग .... ट्या बज्न थाले पछी , त्यो खले भाइले दाहिने खुट्टा तल माथि गर्न थाल्यो ,अनि जब गीतमा Baby I Love You Forever भन्न थाल्यो त्यो भाइको होश नै हराए जस्तो गरेर चिच्याउन थाल्यो । मा हेरेको हेरेइ भए ।

मलाई सारै हास उठ्यो , गुरुजीले कराउन थाल्यो तर उल्ले सुनेको थिएन । त्यो खले भाइ झन् गीतमा डुब्दै गयो अनि चिच्याउन थाल्यो ।गुरुजीलाई इन्जिन तातिएकोले रिस उठ्यो , नाना भाती भन्न ठ थाल्यो अनि मात्र हाम्रो खले भाइले earphone निकाल्यो ।

बिचरा त्यो खले भाइ एकै चोटी आकाशबाट पुनः घर्तीमा झरे झैँ भयो । मलाई हेर्यो र मलाई earphone दियो , र पुनः इन्जिनमा पानि लगुना थाल्यो । मा पनि गीत सुन्न थाले ।नेपाली संगीतले पनि संगीतको स्तरमा गुणात्मक परिवर्तन लाग्यो ।हुन तहामि नेपाली हो सुन्नु पर्ने त हाम्ले आखिर नेपाली गीत नै हो तर गुणात्मक संगीत नभएको कारण सुन्न छोडेका थियेउ तर अब सुन्न र ओलाकन गर्न पर्ने समय आए जस्तो महसुश मलाई भयो ।

Man Shoots His Son : Mistaken For A Monkey

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 15:08:00 +0000

I heard this piece of news on KantipurFM last night. The electricity was out and I'd been enjoying myself with some songs on the headphone working out mentally on the post at my Wordpress site. That was an old guitar work by Steve Vai, ironically its title is For the Love of God.

Just then I remembered that I had radio on the cellphone! My finger instinctively scrolled the radio button, the first bit of news I heard devastated my pleasant night. Kantipur FM was saying that a father from one village from the western part of Nepal had shot his own son with his bharuwa gun.

The boy, as I recall the news broadcast, was wearing something brownish and was atop a tree to chase away the monkeys which were a nuisance lately, visiting their corn field often and creating a havoc. The broadcast didn't mention whether the father had ordered him to do so.

The father, when he saw the monkey on the tree, took out his gun and shot it down.

The news is mentioned here, not at all for the funny side of it( if you feel that it has any). I just wondered how much shock, grief and regret the man might have felt. How when the monkey fell off as his hunt from the tree turned out to be his son! How he might have felt!

Anybody can step into the shoes of the farmer and imagine his shock. I wonder how sometimes God (if there is any) rolls his dice for all of his people. That was surely a nightmare for the farmer, a nightmare from which you can't pinch yourself out.

This morning I tried finding out more about that shocking event, but the sites I surfed had no mention about it. Perhaps that wasn't a major headline at all! Or I might have missed it!

But still I am imagining things like, how that twelve year old boy might have been performing duty on the tree. Maybe he was thinking that his father would be pleased with his ingenuity in chasing all those monkeys. How the father thought that the something brownish hiding silently within the foliage was a monkey!

How he might have rushed inside to get his gun! How he had felt when he saw that the monkey he had shot straight was actually his own beloved little child! How the mother might be feeling right now! How the father might be wishing right now, as you read this post in some faraway land, that it was just a dream!

Was the man drunk? I'll try to inform you if I get my hands on any piece information about the incident. You might be feeling that I am getting too sentimental but this accident touched my heart. It is something like the recent accident when a boy nearby my village shot his own friend, as he was boasting about how to shoot a bharuwa. They'd forgotten that it was loaded! The boy died on the spot.

Accidents, as they seem, have bizarre equations. I feel that God is just a component of this huge equation that moves the universe and composes accidents both fortunate and unfortunate! He has no upper hand on these equations...... so far!

बाल शिक्षा

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 16:41:00 +0000

यो हाम्रो नेपाल, जहाँ आजसम्म पनि यहाँको बाल बालिकाहरुलाइ सही ढंगले वा भन्नु पर्दा सही दिशा निर्देश नभएर होला उनीहरुको शिक्षामाथि बिशेष ध्यान दिएको छैन। आज पनि हाम्रो समाजमा अझै पनि बाल बालिका माथि बाल शोषण भैरहेको छ । उनीहरुको इच्छाहरुलाइ एक कानले सुन्ने र अर्को कानले उडाउने जस्तो भैरहेको छ । भन्नु पर्दा चै हाम्रो भविष्यको कर्णधार भन्छौ तर भने जस्तो कल्ले पो गरेको छ र हाम्रो यो देश नेपाल मा हैन र ?

एक पल्ट सोच्नुहोस एउटा सानोबच्चालाइ हामी घाँस काट्न ,गोठालो पठाउन, खेताला जान , दाउरा बोक्न इत्यादी विभिन्न खालको शारीरिक काम गर्न लगाउँछौ अनि फेरी स्कुलमा गलेर गएर दिमागी परिश्रम! कति गार्हो हुन्छ होला हैन त? तर हामीले कहिले पनि सोच्दैनौ ।यति मात्र कहाँ हो र अझै थकित हालमा घर फर्कन साथ पुन: त्यै बिहानको काम सुरु ....... ! के हामीमा माया भन्ने कुरा नै छैन कि समय अनुसार नै यो माया भन्ने तत्व पनि हराउदै गयो कि ? घरमा हुदा शारीरिक र स्कुलमा हुदा मानसिक तनाव कति गार्हो हुन्छ होला ति बाल बालिकाहरुलाई सोच्नु होस् त? अनि हाम्रा बाल बालिकाहरु कसरी डाक्टर , इन्जिनियर बन्छन त हैन आफ्नो घर को कामले नै फुर्सद हुदैन कहाँ बाट किताब को ज्ञान लिनु सकोस त हैन त ?

तर के गर्ने खान त पर्यो नि ,काम पनि गर्ने पर्यो नि हैन र? कति घर परिवार त यस्तो पनि छन्, राम्रो संग बिहान बेलुकी को खाना पनि खान पाउदैनन । अनि ति नानीहरुले आफनो आमा बाबुलाइ सहयोग गरेनन भने बिचरा ति नानीहरुले पनि के खाने के लगाउने हैन त ? तर दोष कसलाई दिने ? जवाफ कसले दिने ? समस्याको समाधान कसले गर्ने ? मैले कसलाई इंकित गरि रहेको छु भन्ने तपाईहरुले सायद बुझनु भैसक्यो होला, तपाईहरु पनि त बाठो नै हुनुन्छ नि कि कसो । म कुरो गर्दै छु त्यै हामीबाट चुनिएका बाठा 601 बादरहरुको , जो आज आफु ले आफुलाइ मान्छे नै हो भन्ने प्रमाणित गर्न खोज्दैछन ।

यस्तो दिन पनि आउछ जुन दिन हाम्रो शाखा सन्तानहरुले पढ्ने बेला शिर्फ पढाई मात्र गर्न पर्ने छ । तर त्यसकोलागी आजै देखि हामीहरुले सोच्न पर्ने हुन्छ , के ती बादरहरुलाइ नचाउने मदारी त हामी नै हो नि हैन र ? त्यो सर्कसको बादरहरुले सायद नाच्न सिकाउने बेला भयो होला हैन र ? ल है सोच्ने पर्छ है किनकि हाम्रो कर्णधारहरुको भविष्यको भविष्य बारेमा यो चर्चा गरिंदैछ ।

Dhankuta - Some interesting facts

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:23:00 +0000

This post was first published in Pakhribas.com.

Dhankuta, as I say it, doesn’t refer to only the district headquarter but the district as a whole. Trying to get closer to my district, I found that it has many things to feel proud of and many things to regret.

Though there’s not much in the internet to know about Dhankuta, being an inhabitant of the district, I was compelled to collect some information about our district and share what I’ve found.

So here goes my list.

A sleepy street in Dhankuta

What Dhankuta can be proud of:

Dhankuta gave birth to Jhamak Kumari Ghimire, the woman who has been awarded with Madan Puraskar. She suffers from cerebral palsy but her strong will power has made her an established writer and an inspiration for millions. Her award-winning autobiography “flower in the midst of thorns” puts her in likes of Helen Keller and Stephen Hawking.

Dhankuta has, among the few districts in Nepal, roads linked to almost all the 37 Village Development Committees within its boundary.

Dhankuta, for regular years, has been declared as one of the best districts in the implementation of the budget provided. In the last fiscal year, Dhankuta was honored as the best in that field and this year, it’s in the second place after Bhaktapur.

Dhankuta is rich in the consciously preserved cultures of its indigenous people. There is the cultural museum of the Aathpahariya Rais, the Dhan Nach of the Limbus, the Dewali of the Chettris, the Gaijatra of the Newars and more.
Dhankuta has lots of tourist attractions; Bhedetar with its cool environment,Chintaang with the famous Chintaang Devi, Hile with its tongba and sukuti, Sindhuwa with snowfall during winter, Pakhribas and ARS, Pakhribas.
Dhankuta has the literacy rate of 72 percent.

What we regret:

Dhankuta regrets the Chintaang massacre where 15 people were brutally murdered by the advocates of the Panchayat System in 2036B.S.
The shift of the major government offices from the district headquarter during monarchy of the Shah kings. Some people blame ineffeciency of the political parties too.
The rising suicide rate within Dhankuta. Some statisticians claim that Dhankuta district comes on the top of the list.
The unplanned urbanisation within Dhankuta, Hile, Pakhribas and other growing towns.
The lack of a well facilitated hospital in the district. Usually the district headquarter refers patients to BPKIHS, Dharan.

After the long monsoon

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 10:05:00 +0000

These photos were taken with a simple Kodak digital camera. Immediately after the rain had stopped and the fog had parted, I saw this glorious side of nature. What my eyes beheld........I couldn't capture with the camera...that's the sadness I felt then.

Pheasant - A Recipe for its Titey

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:47:00 +0000

Pheasant found in Nepal

Pheasant meat? It's A-w-e-s-o-m-e!

If you have never tasted pheasant meat then consider yourself unlucky, contrary to me who had been hunting pheasants for years but never tasted it. Why? Obviously because I was a vegetarian!:p

I broke my ten year long vow of vegetarianism because of the taste my buds felt one night. Hungry and tired, we were back home that night, jubilant after having shot three pheasants. Boys were discussing frantically as to what culinary methods should be applied for those pheasants, one male and two females.
If you are acquainted with pheasant meat, then you sure have noticed that meat from a male pheasant is usually tough and female pheasants are t-e-n-d-e-r.:D The older the pheasants are, the tougher their meat tends to be.

So that night, we decided to prepare Titey ( pronounced /tIte/ ), an age old process of preparing fowls. The acknowledgements for the cuisine goes to the indigenous people of the Republic of Nepal. I am not sure whether any country has its people preparing Titey like we do in Nepal. If Titey is the unique taste of Nepal, then I gotta be proud!:)

Though our hunting process was different from the tricks of the indigenous people (click here to read their trick), and we didn't even set up snares ( read how it's done)..... we had bagged three within an hour using this method. The night was cold and my tummy was shrunk, so I thought whatever issues my conscience might face afterwards, I decided to taste this Titey.

The recipe is quite simple.

Burn a blazing fire.
Burn the pheasant over the flames so that all its feathers get burnt.
When the burning process reaches the semiplumes and the filoplumes ( the softer feathers near to the skin), they are scrubbed down into a bowl.
Remember, the larger feathers go to the garbage disposal can whereas the softer feathers go into a bowl.
Then the little black cinders which fall off the skin of the pheasant is mixed with rice for cooking.
Mix the properly washed entrails of the pheasant, little leg pieces and the crushed head with the rice.
Prepare the rice as to your taste. A bit watery rice (broth) is considered the best while preparing Titey but fluffy rice is equally good.
Serve it hot.

And I tasted the first meat after ten years, it was ......aWeSomE! I felt a bit guilty at first, something like nausea, but the hunger won. After the first spoon combined with a little bit of guilt, I never had to look back. It was simply too delicious to make a vow against and too tempting for a vow to keep.

The roast meat from the pheasant tasted like heaven! Then only I understood the meaning of the sweat we bled in those darkened forests...........under the bushes with a million thorns.

Pathibhara Blues

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Sun, 29 Jul 2012 16:26:00 +0000

The plan was set. We were to hike from Pakhribas to Pathibhara Temple. Everyone, including me, opted for the hiking plan because of two reasons; lack of resources and the longing to feel life on the way. So we set out late, quite unsure where our journey would end. Our plan was to lodge wherever night fell, wherever we could pitch our little tent and cook whatever we had carried ourselves. Having successfully carried out one such low-budget-cook-yourself tour, where we had mapped the Muga Khola, blended with the Arun River and climbed a treacherous hill towards Chintang, we had presumed that this trek to Pathibhara would be lot easier because we would have civilisation all around us. Not until the rain beat us and thrashed our moral spirits to a nil.

Gupha Pokhari (2890m)

The newly built cement factory near Sindhuwa intrigued us. People, excited with the prospects of employment opportunities by the hundreds, promoted it with enthusiasm at first but when the smoke and dust had an adverse effect in their crop production ( mainly potatoes and cabbage), they have been fighting a legal battle to lessen the amount of pollutants being emitted from the chimneys. What about the health hazards they haven't faced at the moment but which may surface after some years or generations?

We reached Basantapur late in the night which is just two hours' drive from Hile. Luckily we found a shack of a lodge which fitted the standard of our tour guidelines. The owners were surprised when we told them that we were cooking ourselves and they needn't worry about washing the dishes late in the night. The beds at the lodge were awesome......we had to bend our knees throughout the night because of the baby-size beds.

Cement Factory at Sindhuwa

We believe a tour taken in luxury does not yield much. We had to believe that and there was no other way not to believe that:P

Next morning born in us a feeling of gratitude for letting us be born in Nepal. Once you walk the serene road from Tute Deurali, you will understand what I mean. Wide road in the middle of thick rhododendron trees (that area is known as the Capital City of all Rhododendrons), not a single person in sight. You walk with yourself, content within yourself. Such are usually the moments when we actually be in the present and hence get filled with a hitherto unknown serenity and joy.

It was then, we saw the cows with GPRS fitted on them! Walking along that serene path, we were constantly hearing a bell chiming softly in the bushes. Our eyes explored the jungle and green opening below the road but the source of the heavenly chime was nowhere to be seen. The revelation only struck us when we noticed some cows grazing placidly in the meadow. Zooming our eyes, we found that the cow had a big bell fixed to its neck that chimed every time it made the slightest movement during the process of feeding itself.

"That's the GPRS-tracker," one of my friends blurted. And that was really one! The ingenious farmer had planted a tracker on the cow so that in the evening when he would come to collect the cattle, he would instantly track the position of his cow in that deep jungle.:D

Along the way we observed one of the failed projects experimented in Nepal. Huge nets were hoisted on top of hills, supported with iron framework and we found that they were rain gatherers. The mist would be trapped within the nets and trickle down into the pipes at the bottom. From there, they would flow down to the luxuriously constructed dome shaped reservoirs and we felt whoever made those things truly believed that these nets would satisfy the thirst of the local villagers.

Ironically, the village where the cloud gatherers are built is known as Paanch Pokhari ( Five Lakes!). Sadly, the lakes have dried and the cloud gatherers turned to rags.

But the zen like contemplation about the state of our villages was disturbed when we were pelted again with raindrops as large as fists. Then we understood that our desire to camp in the jungle like Bear Grylls from Man vs Wild was about to be an impossible feat. Nature was quite against us; though we had the means and tips from the survival show we didn't have a single calorie to search for a dry twig to churn out fire from.:(

The Weird Trekkers

So we decided to walk on until we reach the faintest light that we had seen. The faint light could have been a star but it was worthwhile hoping that it was the light from the cottage that Hansel and Gretel had seen. Nothing mattered more than reaching that faint light and everyone's surety had grown about not spending the night in that wet and wild place. Though our veins felt like being loaded with lead and we regretted not traveling light, we continued to push on towards that faint star, stumbling and staggering.

As I was leading everyone, I was quite surprised when I saw the lights from a village just some metres below me. The faint light we had been following was exactly the light from the other hill and we would probably have reached there the next day.:D

We had reached Gupha Pokhari, drained out of all energy and we broke the tour guideline again- we decided that letting the hoteliers do the cooking would be an immense relief. Gupha Pokhari (2890masl), when we looked around in the morning, was a beautiful place with a beautiful pond near the village. The pond is a holy shrine which constantly receives pilgrims and tourists.

Our desire to reach Pathibhara Temple had faded by the time we reached Gupha Pokhari. There were also two reasons for this; i) we were out of resources ii) we were out of energy. Since, reaching Pathibhara from Gupha Pokhari would take us two more days, we decided that we would climb that above 3000 metre dwelling of Pathibhara Devi in the near future with proper resources and more tips and tricks from Bear. We returned homewards from Gupha - lost.

Pathibhara Temple at Basantapur

We satisfied ourselves by visiting the branch of Pathibhara Temple above Basantapur. Folks say that since the other Pathibhara is too faraway for most pilgrims, a shaman with some of his friends brought a part of her to Basantapur so that it would be accessible to every dejected pilgrims-- like us!:D

Searching for previous versions of Microsoft Windows (Issue) - Learn to fix it

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:04:00 +0000

Due to the hike in the prices of all hardware stuff, you wouldn't want to go for a new hard disk when the headlined problem (above) occurs in your PC running on Windows XP. This problem nagged me when suddenly I had a system crash and the only option was formatting my C drive and performing a clean install. I was going through the normal process of drive formatting when suddenly exactly before the formatting part, the screen just got hung on this weird message - "Searching for previous versions of Microsoft Windows" and it hung and it hung and it hung..........

If you ever face this problem, then get this advice in advance that restarting the computer and re-doing the process won't help you neither inserting another of your not-so-genuine CD will be of much help. Don't waste your time.....Google and you will find threads in some geeky forums which will pretty much discourage you; to the point that you will start wondering how you can retrieve the treasured files and say goodbye to your hard disk and to the wad in your wallet.

Most of the Googling will point towards the fact that you had welcomed a worm or installed and uninstalled programs so much that your hard disk has gone beyond repair. They will tell you about how hard and how tiresome and how expensive it is to recover the data from your damaged disk and more, you need to install a new one; then you begin to worry about the money.

Then comes GParted to your rescue!! Yippee!! And it's free!! You can download the software from the site.

Buy a (or more) blank CD/s, depends on the way electricity supply flows in your country. In Nepal you need more CDs as the electricity supply here is super-erratic! Burn the ISO file to the CD so that your computer can boot from the CD. If you are not sure how to make a bootable CD then you need to try with some CDs at first. ImgBurn would be the best software for burning; I used it.

Insert the CD. Remember I am not a geek and don't have much experience with these procedures but I just got quite relieved when I got back my OS without paying a single rupee, so I'm writing this DIY trying to give hope for the miserable people..........As to the re-writable CD, I got it from a friend and luckily it got accurately burned in the first try.

After the insertion of the CD, you might need to cross your fingers as they say that if the User's interface doesn't pop up in your screen then your hard disk is a goner. But if the screen flickers with the GParted on it then you just need to keep on hitting the Enter Key and setting the Keyboard Layout to English. Then you will be greeted with the home screen of GParted where you should browse around for a while and click here and there. And lo! Suddenly a window pops up which is something like what you see when you click the My Computer in Windows XP! The only difference is instead of Local Disc (C:) or Local Disc (D:), the drives have numbers behind them - like .../sda1 and ..../sda2.

I'd memorized the capacity of my C drive so I instantly recognized that the sda1 was my C drive because the memory amount matched. So I guess, sda1 should always be the C drive. I clicked here and there, in and around sda1 and got some options like the ones we get when we right click in Windows. I must have right clicked sda1!

Finally the format button! And once clicked............it was done! So quick and so simple!

Take out the GParted CD once the formatting to NTFS is completed. Insert your pirated XP CD and cross your fingers again!

No need to cross your fingers! Unless you had hurled your CPU in a blind fit of rage!

You will see that your life isn't going to get hung with the "Searching for previous versions of Microsoft Windows!"

Jhamak Ghimire - the Helen Keller from Dhankuta, Nepal

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 13:01:00 +0000

Jhamak Ghimire, who has been honored with Madan Puraskar, Nepal's highest award in the literary field, was born in Dhankuta in 1980. Like Helen Keller, she suffers from cerebral palsy and just like most of the cerebral palsy patients turning out to be geniuses, she too has come a long way from a vegetable whose parents wished she were dead to one of the most esteemed writers in Nepali literature.

I wonder whether cerebral palsy blocks all physical activities and channels out creativity from the brains. Look at Stephen Hawking, a crippled man with no movements whatsoever, and he is considered as the greatest theoretical physicist alive. Helen Keller, on the other hand, has already carved her name in the history of the world.

Why compare Jhamak Ghimire with such world renowned people?

There is a vast gap between their lives. For instance, Helen Keller was from a well off family and they could afford her a private tutor (Anne Sullivan), just as it was the same for Stephen Hawking and any other geniuses with cerebral palsy. Jhamak had none; she is from a poor family from a God-forsaken village in Dhankuta. Her parents were always against her wish to learn to read and write.

Jhamak learned to write with three toes of her left foot; they are the only organs under her full control. In her autobiography "Jivan Kada Ki Phool" ( Life is a Flower or a Thorn ) which has been recently translated into English as "a flower in the midst of thorns" she writes:

"My younger sister used to pronounce vowel sounds with father, but I had no voice to utter those letters, although I had powers of hearing. As a result, I would silently and inwardly try to pronounce what I had heard and repeat them twice, thrice or more. He used to hold my younger sister’s hand and teach her how to write those letters, that is क (ka), ख (kha),ग (ga), etc. On my part, I would collect the dew drops falling from the eaves of the roof in a crucible, crawl up to a little distance, dip my toes in that crucible and, with the dew, attempt to scribble some letters at random on a nearby rock stone. When there was no dew collected, I used to break little bamboo twig, make a ‘pencil’ out of that and try to scrawl letters, using the flat earth as my ‘exercise book’. As I would scrawl with dew-dipped foot-finger (toe) on a rock, the force of scrubbing would peel off my soft skin many times without number. But, nothing ever deterred me from learning . Whether my toes be bleeding or I mastered writing or not was immaterial to me. "

Her autobiography is a must read. It's not just a story of a disabled person, not an impossible book which someone has written holding a pen within her toes. It's the story of human patience and perseverance, it's about the poverty within Nepal that makes the parents wish that their offspring ( usually the ones who aren't productive) were dead. It's about winning and the happiness that showers with the fulfillment of wishes:

"I remember now that at the time I first learnt to write the letters of the alphabet, I could not share the joy with anyone. I had, nevertheless, mastered the art of scrawling letters even if it was on the bare earth and had learnt to pronounce them although only within my mind. The first day I had been able to scribble the first letter of the consonant क (Ka), I had sprayed a cloud of dust in the air out of sheer happiness because I had broken innumerable twigs time and again in order to learn writing this letter and I bruised the tender skin rubbing against the soil. Moreover, my toes bled when I practiced writing by dipping them on the dew drops collected on the bowl."

Leaving the comparisons aside, Jhamak Ghimire is the living embodiment of human will power and what can be achieved when we go for it. She is a miracle for all and an inspiration for the depressed. Look at many of us, we are all full bodied and half minded but yet lack the zeal to learn more and live more............................

It's time we learnt from this girl.

Timeline - Revising History

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 14:31:00 +0000

As the title might suggest, this post has nothing to do with the timeline of your Facebook account. We are dealing with something bigger than Facebook here, we are going back down our own memory lane- not the database of facebook.com. While remembering things, many times we get confused as to what might have been happening exactly at the same time in our Nepali date or the Gregorian date. Do you remember September 11? What were you doing at that time? And as you recall that moment, can you exactly say what was the day or month or year according to the Nepali calendar?
We have two major calendars in Nepal, Bikram Sambat and the international Gregorian calendar. The difference between them is 57 years. That means now it is 2012 AD whereas the Bikram Sambat has flown far ahead- it's 2069BS right now.

The confusion arises from the use of both calendars and our memories sometimes get deluded. We usually remember days according to one particular calendar and get shocked later on when that date is converted to the other calendar.

For example: The twin towers were attacked on September 11, 2001 and that was 2058BS; exactly five years after the upsurge of the Maoist Revolution (2o52BS).
So here I give you some information I gathered while going down my memory lane.

If you have crossed over any old bridges in Nepal, you will find that most of them have a stereotyped design. It was so because all of them were built under the aid of the British Government. If you ever explore carefully , you will find that they were built in 1903 AD, that means 1960 BS- the time when the Ranas were ruling in Nepal. The bridges are still being used in various parts of Nepal, though the exact construction dates carved on the iron framework might differ slightly. On the other side of the world, exactly in 1903 two brothers from America had invented the aeroplane.

World War started in 1939 AD : that was 1996BS, six years after the Great Earthquake and the publishing of the 14th edition of Muna Madan.

Remember 2007 BS.? That was when the Ranas were overthrown; it was in 1950 AD- Tibet was about to be colonized by China..............1952AD precisely. Cold War had started.

1969 AD? Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon; 2026 BS according to Nepali calendar. Nepal was under the Panchayat Era then.

While the Nepalese were voting between the Panchayat System and Multi-Party System in 2036BS; Pink Floyd members were releasing their hit album The Wall (1979 AD).

Can you believe Michael Jackson had released his multi-platinum album in 2039BS? 1982 AD........Back then, every youth used to grow long hair and wear tight jeans..........remnants of the Hippies who had left the scenario by then.

Gulf War started in 1990 - that was 2047BS. Whenever a plane droned in the horizon we used to gaze at the smoke trail and wonder what kind of war was going on in Iraq........ Nepal was issuing its first Democratic Constitution after the end of the Panchayat System in 2046 BS.

In 1993, Princess Diana visited Pakhribas. Click here to have a look at the beautiful images. That was two years behind the start of the Maoist Revolution (2052BS).

Okay, so this list keeps on going! I might have missed some major events and their corresponding Gregorian or Nepali dates............................you can convert them yourselves and refresh your memory of the times we lived.

Lice Terminator

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:58:00 +0000

How many of you remember being infested with lice during your childhood? They are one hell of a species which never say die. They feed on the scalp and the debris in our skin.The lice in the hair are usually dark in colour whereas the ones which we host in the other parts of the body are white. Lice usually create a problem in the children.The nits (eggs of a louse) are quite persistent because they don't come off easily from the roots of the hair they are attached. The reason is the special saliva that the mother louse secretes while laying eggs. So most often the productive time of the women in Nepal is wasted in hunting lice and nits in each other's scalp.

The nits don't come off easily from the roots of the hair. Hence hunting them down is considered a talent among the women folk. A woman or a girl who hunts the most number of well fed dark lice is considered a good hunter and most of the women offer her to explore their scalps, in a sunny day.

But what about the picture above and the ones below? Oh well! Since we all know that there is always an invention to a necessity, the man in the pictures is the maker of what I want to label as lice terminator.........it's name is Likhauto in Nepali where Likha refers to nits. This comb made from bamboo is a good solution for all the lice and nits. This comb doesn't only shovel out plump lice from the scalp but it wreaks a havoc on the peaceful lives of all those nits.

Usually normal combs pull out just the bigger ones and not the babies (chamkana) or the eggs. But this Likhauto is widely used in the villages of Nepal as a great solution for lice extermination without the use of chemicals.

The less gap these comb needles have between themselves, the better they are. But at least, the needles should be able to go through the strands of hair.

We found this man at work on a Nepal Bandha's Day! When all the shops were closed and everyone was out rallying in the streets for some cause, this man oblivious of the cause and his surrounding, was intent in the craft; he had already sold some of his products on the spot!

The rally turned out to be nothing; just a babble of words. The constitution, it seems, is not made on the streets. The man, when his work was over, picked up his belongings and went his way. But the lice have infested us and we forgot to buy the Lice Terminator from this guy. The lice are sucking our blood and sucking our lives. They are breeding everywhere. I wish, as the Lice Terminator was packing his bags, he would have turned his head at us and said, " I'll be back."

Chhintang - A Pilgrimage

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 13:20:00 +0000

Chhintang is a prominent pilgrimage site in Dhankuta district. Not only the local people from Dhankuta go on a pilgrimage to Chhintang but pilgrims from far and wide have been seen visiting this beautiful place. The Devi who resides here is known as Chhintang Devi. Hindus believe that Chhintang Devi fulfills all the wishes of her devotees. Years back, pilgrims had to travel on foot to reach the place but these days there are transportation facilities right up to the temple. Pilgrims just need to get a ride from the Tongba Chowk at Hile , occasional buses or regular taxis cost about NPR 160/- per person. The vehicles usually head towards Chhintang after 12 noon.

We got on the crowded taxi and started our journey at around 1:30. Because of less vehicles plying along that route, the taxi was stuffed with people but we just considered that taking in mind that we were on a pilgrimage and pilgrimage is usually about suffering for God!

On the way at Pancha Kanya, we viewed the statues of the martyrs. They were killed during the Panchayat era, most of them were shot. The murders were atrocious, they say innocent people who had hidden inside caves and holes had been forced to come out in the open by burning chilly at the mouths of the caves!

We reached Chhintang Devi Temple at around 4 o'clock. I had a deep sensation of religiousness as I entered the temple premises..........a pleasant and calm feeling that we get whenever we visit some religious shrines. The most baffling thing for me were the trees in the vicinity of the temple.....so thick a jungle but I couldn't name a single tree...........so strange!

The pilgrims to Chhintang usually make a vaakal (promise) before visiting the place. Most of the vaakals are usually made on a yearly basis e.g. "If my son passes the SLC, I will visit you Oh Chhintang Mother! I will sacrifice a goat or a cock!" Lots of pilgrims were around with their various vaakals and their sacrificial goats, roosters, eggs etc. The puja usually starts late, at around 3 and the priest and his helpers behead all the sacrificial animals and birds and throw them outside in the square. The pilgrims need to recognise their birds and animals and take them outside. It is widely practised that the pilgrims should never take back the sacrificial beings, there is a limitation to that..........they can carry back the prashad (the meat) only up to Marga Pokhari which lies some kilometres above Chhintang!

We had two roosters, one large and another just a chicken. We were afraid we might lose ours in that crowd of beheaded hens, cocks and goats, so we just kept a sharp eye on our roosters!! The other tradition in Chhintang Devi is that the pilgrims need to offer the head and legs to the temple.

After the rituals were finished, we took our roosters towards Mangthaana Hotel where we were lodging for the night and we hoped to enjoy the prashad with some hard liquor. We found that the little lodge was well facilitated. Mr.Yogendra Rai the proprietor of the lodge also informed us that we need not have carried the roosters all the way from Pakhribas. He says if pilgrims wish then he can arrange for whatever sacrificial animals they need. So here's a piece of advice, if you ever decide to go on a pilgrimage to Chhintang then you can call him at 9842076773 beforehand and he will make arrangements for sacrificial goat or cock and also take care of your lodging and fooding. We had a merry time throughout the night, drank to our fill with the meat(prashad). In the morning we got on the vehicles which were heading for Hile. The road is comfortable, quite wide for a hilly road and it has been gravelled.

Thanks for reading..............Have a happy journey..........Jai Chhintang Devi

The Start

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 15:52:00 +0000

Usually when we visit a town or a bazaar we get greeted with beautiful monuments and banners but today when I visited our own Pakhribas Bazaar, I was greeted with something different! Literally I was disappointed ! I accept that when a village turns into a town, we face problems during the transition but what I saw this morning was plain carelessness! It's time somebody spoke against this misdemeanor.

This dumping site is situated exactly below the Health Post of Pakhribas VDC! The road is nearby the entrance of Pakhribas Bazaar-3! Just think for yourself , how difficult the pedestrians might feel while passing through this stench! The dumping site has just been started but what becomes of the surrounding environment if this continues? My dear brothers and sisters, it's time to think about this.It's time to think about our environment!

Every high school kid knows that dirt brings diseases. So why not think about a proper way of managing all the waste?

Hunting Pheasants- Method 3- Using Intoxicants

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 11:43:00 +0000

Raksi being brewed

The method I'm going to explain today is for those who are not into hunting as a profession or those who do not possess hunting rifles. It's a simple method by which you can capture the pheasants which frequent around your fields or homes. Follow the instructions and you can have a change to your palate. This method is often used in the villages of Nepal.

What you need is a handful of jaand, in the solid form.
Jaand is prepared from millet. First you need to boil some millet with appropriate amount of water. When you can feel with your fingers that the millet grains have become soft, take the jaand out of the pot and spread it on a sack. Mix some marcha( basically it is yeast) thoroughly with the cooked millet.

When the jaand is a bit cool, you need to store it in a plastic drum. The surrounding of the drum should be warm; during winter wrapping warm blankets around the drum is suggested. Wrapping warm materials around the drum is suggested for warm weather too. Wait for 3 to 5 days until the room gets filled with the intoxicating aroma of the jaand that has woken. That's what the Nepalese say for the jaand which has become ready for serving.

The longer you put the jaand in the drum, the stronger it gets. Jaand can be used to prepare raksi, an alcoholic drink. You need some dishes which resemble the picture above. A pot to cook jaand (A), a pot with holes to let the steam from pot A go to pot C. Pot C should be conical and has to be refilled regularly with cold water so that the coldness helps in the condensation of the vapour arising in Pot B drip into the green pot placed in the middle of pot B. Pot B is where the raksi gets collected.

Jaand can be taken with different variations. I just explained how raksi can be made. Jaand can be taken directly from the drum too...that is ...if you had mixed some water while storing it in the drum. Then you can drink the liquid which lies at the bottom. That drink is known as Nigaar. The solid part can be taken out and squeezed through a chapani (it's metallic in Nepal but a mosquito net would serve the purpose equally well) adding some water to the jaand is called chyaang. Chyaang is usually white and thick.

The jaand which has been stored for a long time can be served as Tongba, fill it in a jug, add some hot water, let the water cool down a bit and pull the juice out through a straw pipe.

But what we are concerned here is about hunting pheasants with the help of this jaand. People usually note the place where the pheasants frequent much. They might have been lured there because of the rich availability of grains. You can note that place and take out a handful of strong jaand from your drum. Plant the intoxicant and wait for the pheasants to arrive. From your hiding place when you see that the pheasants have eaten a lot of their favorite grains(millet-that is what jaand is usually made of), and when you realise that they have had too much of their share, when you see them drunk,intoxicated..............when they can not control their movements........you can jump out and catch the pheasants as many as you can........
Happy hunting...............................

ऐशेलु - Raspberries

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:23:00 +0000

Who doesn't like to spend some time of theirs getting lost into the thorny bushes picking Raspberries? Whether kids or old people, they can be seen struggling with the thorns just for the sweet raspberries which hang among the bushes of the hills of Nepal. But these days they are not so plentiful as they were before. Maybe some years later we will talk about those bygone days when we used to step just a foot away from the roads and entertain ourselves with the sweet taste of those wild berries. There's a wine bottled in Basantapur, Hinwa is its name and it is advertised as being prepared purely from raspberries but I don't believe that. What is the amount of raspberries needed to make a bottle of wine? How is the cultivation done to provide the wine factory with the primary raw material? Maybe we need to start cultivating these sweet berries so that we can bring this wild fruit into some better use and also make the coming generations feel proud of us for letting them taste Aishelu..................

Difficult and that's why she is trying so hard........

Do you remember the taste if you have ever tasted one?

Mouth watering............ummmmmmmmmmmmm

Beautiful and with a unique taste

The first disadvantage

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:32:00 +0000

A town gets good roads, banks, health facilities, entertainment facilities but along with them comes population growth and it disturbs all the balance. The first disadvantage of urbanization must be the scarcity of drinking water. As the rate of urbanization increases so do the problems.

With urbanisation, the nearby jungles are being destroyed and the water sources are getting extinct..............dunno from where people will drink water when this rate continues...

The sources diminishing day by day.........people start searching for alternatives..

Spending one litre of petrol for two gallons of water????

Play time and study time being wasted for the supply of water!!

If this continues, so much valuable time of the people will be spent on the supply of water from the nearest well or pond................

Gohoro, not a crocodile!

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:20:00 +0000

A gohoro (Varanus flavescens?) has been killed in Pakhribas-7. The hunters who had gone deer hunting in the jungles killed it unknowingly.This creature looks like a crocodile but it isn't one but falls in the lizard's family. If it is Varanus flavescens then it is a protected creature in Nepal.

These men cut the lizard apart and ate its meat.

About three feet long, this must have been a baby because we had seen matured ones as long as five feet and much heavier with a hissing that had frightened us to hell........

Ignorance must be the main cause of many wild animals and birds getting extinct.

Some glimpses from Buddha Jayanti and Chandi Purnima

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:40:00 +0000

Activities at Hile and Pakhribas during Buddha Jayanti and Chandi Purnima

बक्र कुण्ड- Bakra Kunda, the new found shrine

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sat, 05 May 2012 16:23:00 +0000

Here, I present you the images from Bakra Kunda situated to the south of Hile Bazaar, in between Hile and Uttarpani where it is believed that 108 Gods and Goddesses have found a home. The newly appointed priest, Mr. Dan Bahadur Ghising says that Gods and Goddesses like Chintang Devi, Pathivara Devi, Barha Chettra, Madhuganga, Nishanthan and other 103 holies reside here.

The area of the Holy Residing

Entrance

The shrines of the Gods and Goddesses

The Priest

Swallow as per the size of your throat

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 16:47:00 +0000

The five star hotel being built at Hile where approximately 15 percent of Nepalese will get to entertain and we are sorry for the remaining 85%. Oh! By the way the hotel is called Horizon..........

And............... an old woman has opened a teashop nearby for ordinary people like us..........you can drink a cup of tea with Khukuri cigarettes.

This shop is yet to be inaugurated..............maybe that will take place on the very day when the 5 star will be inaugurated.

Dhankuta Mahotsav 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:43:00 +0000

Artifacts from Bamboo roots

The Prestige of all Nepalese...............Khukuri

Bed made from bamboo

The Turkey put on display by Agricultural Research Station, Pakhribas

Abnormal radishes, pumpkins and other vegetables on display

The circus from India.....this man keeps on dancing and attracts the visitors.

What's Khagendra Thapa doing in Dhankuta Mahotsav?

noreply@blogger.com (Avishek Chongwang) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:06:00 +0000

Khagendra Thapa, Age - 20 years

Khagendra is the chief attraction in the ongoing Dhankuta Mahotsav 2012. Though his Guinness World record has already been broken, but his charm has remained. Every person is sure to be shocked when he/she sees Khagendra and wonders how this man happened to be thus..... I was surprised not with his height but the way he was kept there in a hut, like some animal in zoo..

Taking Khagendra's pics was totally banned but somehow after much requesting I managed to take one photo. To have a look of this nature's fault, we had to pay Rs. 20 but I never liked the idea of keeping him there, handing out pamphlets to the awe-struck visitors. If it was his wish to stay in such a way then I have nothing to say.........but how can he stay there passing out the handouts?.........above him was a notice which said that trying to make him talk, laugh and dance were strictly not allowed.....quite interesting..........but if he was to be put for exhibition, wouldn't the organisers earn more if he showed us some dances..........just a thought................

Glimpses from the opening day at Dhankuta Mahotasav 2068

noreply@blogger.com (Vrastachari ) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Rallies appeared from every nook and corner of Dhankuta city and the whole city had been decorated like a bride. The Prime-minister Mr. Baburam Bhattarai inaugurated the event which will last for12 days of merriment. The crowd was so big and my constant worry was that my purse might get nicked in the hustle.The entry cost me Rs. 25 and I slapped it at the counter and got in. Everywhere I saw couples having fun and wondered whether all fairs are meant for couples only as I was the only single there. Looking at the huge attendance, I wondered from where all these people have appeared and where will they go! Felt hungry after fooling around and hunting faces for hours, I ate two plates of momo that cost Rs.35 per plate without worrying about all those people. Maybe some of them thought that I had just broken my hunger strike. Shambhu Rai was singing "यो मन भन्छ कहाँ जाउँ "(this mind tells me to go somewhere else), Iwas feeling cold so i thought my mind was telling me to go home...........I walked home, alone in the cold making up my mind to bring a girl with me the next time around.........