इन्टु मिन्टु लण्डनमा

लोक सेवाको परीक्षा केन्द्र राखिएको एउटा स्कूल । अलि छिटै पुगेकाले यताउता गरिरहेको थिएँ । आँप(?) को रूखमुनि उभिएर अगाडिको ब्लकतिर हेरिरहेको थिएँ । एउटी सानी (सायद कक्षा एक या दुईमा पढ्ने) केटी झ्यालमा आइन् । उनी सँगै आए तीनचार जना अरु केटीहरू । “ओहो ! आज कति धेरै कति धेरै नौला मान्छेहरू !” उनीहरू भनिरहेका थिए । जिज्ञासा पनि थियो आफूआफू बीचमा, “आज के हो ? किन आएका यी मानिसहरू?”

हामी पनि त स्कूलमा नयाँ मानिस आउँदा यस्तै कुराकानी गर्थ्यौं नि ! “को आए ? किन आए ?” जस्ता प्रश्नले मन उथलपुथल हुन्थ्यो । जवाफ नपाउन्जेल आँखा कक्षा बाहिर डुल्थे । तर बाहिर हेर्ने अनुमति कहाँ हुन्थ्यो र ? गुरु, गुरुआमाहरूले थाहा पाउनुभयो भने त सजाय पनि हुन्थ्यो । कक्षामा पढाइ नभएका बेला (लिजर)मा मात्रै बाहिर हेर्न पाइन्थ्यो । त्यो पनि डराइ डराइ !

यी साना नानीहरूको पनि लिजर पो थियो कि ? नभए त शिक्षकले बाहिर हेर्न पक्कै दिँदैनथे । उनीहरूको क्रियाकलापले भने मलाई तोत्तोचानको याद दिलायो । “सन् १९३० तिरकी जापानी तोत्तो-चानको सन् २०२० को दशकका नेपाली नानीहरूसँग के सम्बन्ध ?” एक मनले जवाफ माग्यो । अर्को मनले भन्यो, “बालसुलभ चञ्चलता त जहाँ र जहिले पनि उस्तै हुन्छ, हैन ?” मनको वादविवाद चलिरहेकै बेला परीक्षार्थी मध्येकी एक महिलाले ती बालिकाहरूतिर हेरेर हात हल्लाइन् । जवाफमा सुरुमा झ्यालबाहिर हेर्ने अग्ली केटीले हात हल्लाई । म अनायास मुस्कुराएँ । उनीहरूले भने मलाई याद गरेनन् । केही बेर पछि तिनै साना नानीहरू म उभिएको ठाउँमा हेर्न  थाले । मैले हात हल्लाएँ । उनीहरू लजाए । अघि एक अपरिचित महिलालाई सजिलै हात हल्लाएका नानीहरू अहिले एक अपरिचित पुरुषसँग भने लजाए । त्यसमा सायद डर पनि मिसिएको थियो कि ?

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इन्टु मिन्टु लण्डनमा

हाम्रो बाबा पल्टनमा

स्कुलको पाले दाइ

पहिलो घण्टी बजाइदेऊ

टिनिनिनिनी… झ्याप्प

एकछिनपछि बच्चाहरूले गीत गाउँदै खेलेको सुनियो । नोस्टाल्जिक भइयो । यो गीतिखेल कति पुरानो हो थाहा छैन तर सानामा खेलेको याद अझै ताजा छ । सुगम पोखरेलको एउटा गीतमा पनि यो अट्यो । धेरै अघि नै बालबोलीमा बसिसकेको यो गीत अहिलेका केटाकेटी पनि यही गीत गाइरहेका छन् । केही वर्षपछि सायद मेरी छोरी पनि यो खेलमा सहभागी हुनेछिन् र सायद उनीपछिको पुस्ता पनि।

यति शक्तिशाली यो गीतिखेल कसले सुरु गर्यो होला ? कसरी फैलियो होला ? मन कल्पिन थाल्यो । कतिपय कुराहरु जीवनमा यसरी धुलिएका हुन्छन् कि तिनको सुरुवात कसरी भयो भन्ने कुरा कल्पना समेत गरिँदो रहेनछ । तर अब भने यो बालखेलको रचयिताबारे जान्न मन भयो । जान्न मन भयो इन्दु र मिन्टु को थिए ? कसरी लण्डन पुगे ? गीत गाउने बच्चाका बाबु पल्टनमा कसरी पुगे ? कुन पल्टनमा छन् अनि कहाँ लडाई गर्दैछन ? फर्किएर आउलान् कि नाउलान् ? जिउँदै आउलान् कि बाकसमा ?

मनमा आएका यी प्रश्नहरूको उत्तर भेटिएन । तर जवाफको अभावमा मन कहाँ शान्त भयो र ? यो त झनै छट्पटियो । अरू प्रश्नलाई थाती राखेर इन्दु र मिन्टु कस्ता थिए होलान् र कसरी लण्डन पुगे होलान् भनी कल्पिन थाल्यो । इन्टु मिन्टु सम्भ्रान्त वा लाहुरे परिवारमा जन्मिएका थिए कि ? कम्तीमा ४० वर्ष अघि गीत रचिएको थियो भने त्यो कालखण्डमा लण्डन जाने ल्याकत धनीमनी र बेलायती गोर्खा रेजिमेन्टमा सैनिक सेवामा भर्ती हुनेसँग मात्रै थियो । धेरै सम्पत्ति भएका तर ठूला व्यापार नभएका धेरै नेपाली परिवार बेलयात मात्रै होइन, अमेरिका, अस्ट्रेलिया र युरोपेली देशहरूप्रति आकर्षित हुने गरेको धेरै समय भइसकेको छ । उनीहरू यहाँ अवसर देख्दैनन् । अवसर भए पनि विदेशी मुद्रा साटेर आउने रकम र उताको जीवनशैलीको लालसाले गर्दा नेपालमा अडिन सक्दैनन् । पछि केही मध्यम वर्गीय परिवारका सदस्यहरू पनि यही सिको गर्दै उता पुगे । अहिले रहरले देश बस्नेको सङ्ख्या नगण्य छ ।

गीतिखेलका पात्रहरूका बाबाहरू पल्टनमा छन् । कुन पल्टनमा होलान् बाबा ? बेलायती गोर्खा पल्टनमा कि भारतको गोर्खा पल्टनमा ? सिंगापुरमा कि हङकङमा ? खाडीमा पसिना चुहाउँदै छन् कि ? कतै कुल्ली र दरबानको काम गर्दै मुस्किलले कमाइरहेका छन् कि ? गाउँघरमा पल्टने हुँ भन्दा मान बढ्ने भएकाले पल्टनमा छु भनेर ढाँटेका पो हुन् कि ? इन्टु मिन्टु जति सुरक्षित र सम्पन्न छैनन् कि ? सम्पन्न हुन पनि सक्छन् तर यी बाबाहरू सुन्दर भविष्य लागि ज्यान हत्केलामा राखेर श्रम बेच्न पुगेका पक्कै हुन् ।

हाम्रो पुस्ता केही हदसम्म “पल्टने” बाबाहरूले पालेका हुन् । तिनका छोराछोरीले पनि त्यही बाटो अँगालेका छन्। जुन सङ्ख्यामा देश छोड्नेको लर्को छ, त्यसले हामीलाई सङ्कटमा लाने निश्चित छ । तर पनि राज्य गम्भीर बनेको छैन। हुन त उसले जनतालाई विदेशमा बेच्ने नीति लिएको छ । उसका कान बन्द छन् । सुन्न तयार छैन युवा पुस्ताको क्रन्दन । युवा पुस्ता सरकारी सेवा प्रति पनि आक्रोशित छन् अनि निजी संस्थामा हुने श्रम शोषणले गलेका छन् । केही युवाहरू सरकारी जागिरको चौतारीमा आराम खोजिरहेका छन् । म आफैँ पनि त्यस्तो चौतारी खोज्दैछु । खोज सफल हुन्छ हुँदैन थाहा छैन तर यसले पनि सन्तुष्ट बनाउला जस्तो लाग्दैन । राजनीति र प्रशासनमा युवाहरूको दह्रो हस्तक्षेप नभई अहिलेको अवस्था परिवर्तन हुन सक्दैन । यद्यपि, नवपुस्तामा भरिएको निराशा समाधान नहुने हो कि भन्ने डर छ । यो अन्तत: देशका लागि नै घातक हुन सक्छ । यो अन्धकारको अवस्थाबाट उज्यालोतर्फ लाने शक्ति युवाहरूमै छ । हामीहरू संयमित, इमान्दार र लगनशील हुन चाहिँ आवश्यक छ ।

२०८०/०१/२५

पुस्तक समीक्षा : बहत्तर सालको भूकम्प

यूरेसियन र इन्डियन टेक्टोनिक प्लेटहरूको टकराव पछि बनेको हिमालय पर्वतमा अवस्थित नेपाल भूकम्पीय दृष्टिकोणले जोखिममा रहेको क्षेत्र हो । भूकम्पको विषयमा ऐतिहासिक दस्तावेज चाहिं सन् १२५५ देखि भेटिएको छ । त्यस भूकम्पका कारण काठमाडौं उपत्यका (तत्कालीन नेपाल) राजा अभय मल्ल सहित एक तिहाइ जनसंख्याको मृत्यु भएको थियो । हाल सन् १३४४, १५०५, १८३३ का भूकम्पका विषयमा केही जानकारी हात लागेको छ । वि. सं. १९९२ मा मेजर जनरल ब्रह्म शमशेरले लेखेको “नेपालको महाभूकम्प १९९०” त्यस सम्बन्धी महत्त्वपूर्ण पुस्तक हो । उनले नेपालमा सिस्मोग्राफ नभएका कारण वैज्ञानिक अध्ययन हुन नसकेको र त्यस बिहारलाई केन्द्रविन्दु मानिए पनि अरू ठाउँमा हुन सक्ने अनुमान गरेका थिए । पछिल्ला अध्ययनले नेपालको पूर्वी पहाड (सगरमाथाबाट करीब १० कि. मि. दक्षिण) लाई केन्द्रविन्दुका रूपमा स्थापित गरेका छन् । त्यसैगरी वि. सं. २०४५ मा उदयपुर केन्द्रविन्दु बनाई गएको भूकम्पपश्चात् गरिएका उद्दार र पुनर्निर्माणका विषयमा सरकारी दस्तावेजहरू पाउन सकिन्छ । त्यही भूकम्पपछि नेपलमा भवन निर्माण संहिताको समेत निर्माण भएको रहेछ ।

नेपालमा ठूलो भूकम्प जाने र त्यसले जिउधनको धेरै क्षति गर्ने पूर्वानुमानहरू आइरहेकै थिए । खासगरी काठमाडौं पश्चिममा उद्गम हुने महाभूकम्पको सम्भावनाका विषयमा अध्ययन भइरहेकै समयमा २०७२ वैशाख १२ गते बिहान ११ : ५६ मा गोरखाको बारपाकलाई केन्द्रविन्दू बनाई ७.६ लोकल म्यागनिट्युड (७.८ मोमेन्ट म्यागनिट्युड) को भूकम्प गयो । भूकम्पका कारण ८,९७० को मृत्यु भयो भने २२,३०२ जना घाइते भए । भूकम्प ठ्याक्कै यही मिति र समयमा जान्छ भन्ने पूर्वानुमान गर्न नसकिने भएकाले यसको पूर्वतयारी गर्दा जुनसुकै समयमा जान सक्छ भनेर तयार रहनुपर्छ । तर तत्कालीन प्रधानमन्त्री सुशील कोइराला विदेशमा भएका कारण देखाउँदै उद्धार कार्यमा केही ढिलाई भयो । कुन संयन्त्रले के गर्ने भन्ने कुरा पहिल्यै व्यवस्थित भएको भए अन्योल हुने थिएन ।

यही भूकम्पको वैज्ञानिक पक्ष, राहत र उद्दार एवम् पुनर्निर्माणका विषयमा लेखिएको पुस्तक हो–“बहत्तर सालको भूकम्प” । राष्ट्रिय पुनर्निर्माण प्राधिकरणको निर्देशक समितिका सदस्य रहिसक्नु भएका प्रा. डा. तारानिधि भट्टराई, प्रा. डा. निमानन्द रिजाल, र डा. किशोर थापाले लेख्नुभएको पुस्तकलाई एक आधिकारिक दस्तावेजका रूपमा लिन सकिन्छ ।

पुस्तकको सुरुका तीन अध्याय भूगर्भ र भूकम्पका विद्यार्थीका लागि उपयोगी छन् । यो खण्ड पढ्दा प्रा. डा. तारानिधि भट्टराईले कक्षामा पढाउनुभएका कुराहरू सम्झँदै उहाँकै बोल्ने शैलीमा पढेँ । विश्वविद्यालयमा अंग्रेजीमा पढेका कुरा नेपालीमा पढ्दा अनौठो लागेपनि अंग्रेजीमा पढ्दा भन्दा अझै प्रष्टसँग बुझियो । विश्वविद्यालयको परीक्षा नेपालीमा हुनुपर्छ भन्ने मेरो विचार झनै दरिलो भयो । भूगर्भ र भूकम्पशास्त्र नपढेका पाठकलाई भने केही समस्या हुन सक्छ । जस्तो कि, प्राइमरी वेभ, सेकेण्डरी वेभ र टाइम सिरिज (पृष्ठ ५४) को बारेमा थाहा नभएका पाठकको सहजताका लागि तिनलाई चिनाउने गरी चित्रहरू राखिएको भए हुन्थ्यो । त्यसैगरी, Modified Mercalli र EMS-98 intensity scale का बारेमा नाम मात्र दिइएको छ । ती तालिकाहरू अनुसूचीमा समेटिएको भए अझै प्रष्ट बुझिन्थ्यो ।

नेपालमा भूकम्पपछि गरिएका उद्धार र राहत एवम् पुनर्निर्माणका विषय पुस्तकमा समेटिएको छ । पुनर्निर्माणका क्रममा आएका समस्या र तिनलाई कसरी समाधान गरियो भन्ने कुराहरू यसमा आएका छन् । तथापि सबै समस्याका समाधान नभइसकेको अवस्था छ । राष्ट्रिय विपद जोखिम न्यूनीकरण तथा व्यवस्थापन प्राधिकरण गठन भएपश्चात् विपद व्यवस्थापन चक्र अन्तर्गत पर्ने विपदअघिको पूर्वानुमान र पूर्वतयारी तथा विपदपछिको उद्धार, राहत र पुनर्निर्माणलाई समेट्ने प्रयास भएको छ । यस सन्दर्भमा “बहत्तर सालको भूकम्प” विषय विज्ञद्वारा लेखिएको विपद व्यवस्थापनसँग सरोकार राख्ने वैज्ञानिक, प्रशासक र तीनै तहका सरकारका प्रतिनिधिहरूले पढ्ने पर्ने किताब हो ।

पुस्तक: बहत्तर सालको भूकम्प

लेखक: प्रा. डा. तारानिधि भट्टराई, प्रा. डा. निमानन्द रिजाल, डा. किशोर थापा

पृष्ठ: ४०६

प्रकाशक: नेपा~लय

Good Bye, Dear 70s!

Nepal was in turmoil when the 70s began. The first constituent assembly (CA) had died at the hands of our “visionary leaders” and the chances of getting a constitution that would “transform everything” were bleak. The election for the second CA took place on Mangsir 4, 2070, but it could not deliver on its promise.

The work on constitution only took place after the Gorkha earthquake of Baishakh 12, 2072. The 7.8 moment magnitude disaster killed 8,964 and injured 21,952 people. Thousands of people were displaced from their homes. The government had to take help from the international community to look for the lost, rehabilitate the homeless, and reconstruct the damaged structures. The need for financial aid was probably one of the factors that made our leaders work quicker on the constitution.

We finally got our seventh constitution on Ashoj 3, 2072. Although it wasn’t accepted in all the parts of the country, it gave hopes that it would change lives. It positively changed the lives of some marginalized people. But it did not bring the transformations the leaders said it would bring. Except on their lives, of course!

Federalism became a way to manage leaders, and it has failed to ignite any hope on youths. Decades of political instability has killed our hopes of economic change and political revolution, and more youths are fleeing the country. Despite having a large number of youth, we are turning into a country of the elderly. This issue will be even more serious in the 80s.

The 80s is arriving at a time of economic regression. The revenues have decreased, and we are spending more that we can earn. The NRB is seeking investment on bonds, economic activities are dying, and the government has decided to cut off social security. However, the government, economists and mainstream media are lying on our faces. Although we are losing trust on our institutions, we neither have courage not interest in fighting them. We are running from our problems, instead.

I think the 80s will be the last decade to “make or break” for Nepal. It’s high time we address the real issues and start solving them instead of denying or turning away.

के हामी स्वतन्त्र छौँ ? (जर्ज बर्नाड शअको सन्दर्भमा)

[प्रस्तुत लेख मोहन मैनालीद्वारा अनुदित आकाशमुखी संग्रहको जर्ज बर्नाड शअको स्वन्त्रता शीर्षकको निबन्धमा आधारित छ ।]

जर्ज बर्नाड शअ (फोटो स्रोत: NPG)

आफूलाई मन लागेका कुरा बिना कुनै रोकटोक गर्न पाउनुलाई हामी स्वतन्त्र भएको मान्दछौँ । तर स्वतन्त्रताका पनि सीमा हुन्छन् । समाज र कानूनले बर्जित गरेका क्रियाकलाप गर्न हामीलाई छुट छैन । त्यस्ता क्रियाकलाप गरेमा सामाजिक बहिष्करण देखि कानूनी कारबाहीसम्म हुन सक्छ । यसर्थ मानिस पूर्ण रूपमा स्वतन्त्र छैन ।

रुसो भन्छन्, “मानिस स्वतन्त्र जन्मिन्छ तर सर्वत्र बाँधिएको हुन्छ ।” जन्मसिद्ध स्वतन्त्रताको हकमाथि राज्यले अङ्कुश लगाउँछ भन्ने आशय उनी व्यक्त गर्छन् । जर्ज बर्नाड शअ “स्वतन्त्रता” शीर्षकको निबन्ध वाचन गर्ने क्रममा भन्छन्, “प्रकृतिले पनि मानिसलाई बाँधेको छ” । दैनिक क्रियाकलाप जस्तै सुत्ने, उठ्ने, दिसापिसाब गर्ने, खाना खाने लगायतका कुराहरूलाई प्रकृतिले नियन्त्रण गरेको हुन्छ । तर यस्ता गर्नै पर्ने अत्यावश्यक क्रियाकलापलाई हामी बोझ ठान्दैनौँ, उनी भन्छन्, किनकी प्रकृतिको नियन्त्रणले गर्दा नै जीवन सम्भव छ ।

मानिसले मानिसलाई गर्ने नियन्त्रण चैं हामीलाई बोझिलो लाग्छ । केही महीनाअघि लेखेको What’s the Point? कथामा वाचक (म पात्र) नोकरी (जब) गर्न मन गर्दैन । ऊ भन्छ, “नोकरी अभिशाप हो । यसले मानिसलाई पैसा र रोजगारदाताको दास बनाउँछ । पैसाकै लागि तपाईं काम गर्नुहुन्छ । बोसले पैसा दिन छाड्यो भने तपाईं काम नै छाडिदिनुहुन्छ । नोकरीले तपाईंको स्वतन्त्रता खोस्छ ।”

यो नितान्त व्यक्तिगत अनुभवबाट प्रेरित भएर लेखेको कुरा थियो । शअको निबन्धमा लगभग यस्तै तर अझ कडा शब्दमा रोजगारदाताप्रती रोष छ:

“तपाईंको रोजगारदाताले कपाल यसरी काट् भन्न सक्छ । यस्तो रङको, यस्तो खालक लुगा लगा भन्न सक्छ र यति बेलादेखी यति बेलासम्म काम गर् भन्न सक्छ । उसको आदेश टेर्नुभएन भने उसले जुनसुकै बेला पनि तपाईंलाई सडकमा पुर्‍याइदिन सक्छ . . . छोटकरीमा, राजनीतिक तानाशाहले तपाईंलाई जति नियन्त्रण गर्न सक्छ, रोजगारीदाताले त्योभन्दा बढी नियन्त्रण गर्न सक्छ ।”

राजनीतिक स्वतन्त्रताको सन्दर्भमा जर्ज बर्नाड शअ भन्छन्,

सरकारहरूले नागरिकमाथि दासता थोपर्छन् र त्यसलाई स्वतन्त्रता भन्छन् । सरकारहरूले मालिकको लालचलाई निश्चित सीमाभित्र राखेर नागरिकको दासताको हदलाई भने नियन्त्रण गर्छन् । मानिसलाई आफ्नो सम्पत्तिका रूपमा बेचबिखन गर्न पाउने दासप्रथा ज्यालामजदूरी प्रथाभन्दा महँगो भएपछि उनीहरूले दासप्रथा उन्मूलन गरे । यसले गर्दा कुन मालिकको कुन काम गर्ने भन्ने छनोट गर्न कामदार स्वतन्त्र भए । यसलाई उनीहरूले स्वतन्त्रताको विजय भनी जयगान गाए । जति स्वतन्त्र भए पनि कामदार त बेघरबार नै हुन्छन् ।

त्यस्तै चुनावका विषयमा उनी भन्छन् :

. . . उनीहरू कामदारलाई चुनावमा भोट हाल्ने अधिकार दिन्छन्, हरेक पाँच वर्ष जस्तोमा आमचुनाव हुने व्यवस्था मिलाउँछन् । चुनावमा धनी दुई जना उम्मेदवारले तपाईंसँग भोट माग्छन् । तपाईले यी दुई धनीमध्ये जसलाई पनि छान्ने स्वतन्त्रता पाउनुभएको हुन्छ । हो, तपाईंले यस्तो कुराको छनोट गर्न पाउनुहुन्छ, जसले तपाईलाई पहिलेभन्दा अलिकति पनि बढी स्वतन्त्र बनाउँदैन किनभने यसो गर्दा तपाईंको कामको बोझ कत्ति पनि घट्दैन । अनि समाचारपत्रले तपाईलाई के कुरामा विश्वास दिलाउँछन् भने तपाईंको मतले निर्वाचनको परिणाम निर्धारण गयो । यति हुनेबित्तिकै तपाईं प्रजातान्त्रिक मुलुकको स्वतन्त्र नागरिक हुनुभयो । छक्क लाग्छ, तपाई कति मूर्ख हुनुहुन्छ भने यस्तो कुरा पत्याइहाल्नुहुन्छ ।

उनी थप्छन्, “१० मध्ये ९ मतदाता साधारण कामदार भए पनि उनीहरूमध्ये थोरैलाई मात्र आफ्नै वर्गका मानिसलाई भोट दिऊँ भनेर मनाउन सकिन्छ ।” यसको कारण के हो भने शासक भनेको रवाफिलो, चट्ट परेका लुगा लगाउने र विशेष अदब भएको मान्छे हो भन्ने मानसिकता हो ।

यी हरफहरू पढ्दै गर्दा ८ वर्षअघि आफूले लेखेको “Democracy or Aristodemocracy?” शीर्षकको ब्लग पो याद आयो । त्यसमा लेखेको थिएँ, “लोकतन्त्र भएका देशहरूमा जोकोही उम्मेदवार सजिलै बन्न पाउँछ तर विजेता प्राय: उही हुन्छ, जसले पैसाको खोला बगाउन सक्छ ।”

माथि नै भनियो, मानिसलाई समाज र कानूनको बाँधेको हुन्छ । शअ पनि कानूनले स्वतन्त्रता संकुचित गर्छ भन्छन् अनि थप्छन्,

कानून विवेकसम्मत छन् र तिनलाई निष्पक्ष ढङ्गले लागू गरिएको छ भने तपाईंले कानूनविरुद्ध गुनासो गर्ने कारण हुँदैन किनभने कानूनले सामान्यतया तपाईंमाथि हातपात, डकैती र अराजकता हुन नदिएर तपाईंको स्वतन्त्रताको मात्रा बढाउँछ ।

यहाँ रमाइलो विरोधाभाष छ । कानूनले स्वतन्त्रतालाई सीमित पनि गर्दो रहेछ अनि स्वतन्त्रताको रक्षा पनि गर्दो रहेछ । आफ्नो स्वतन्त्रताको प्रयोग गर्दा अर्काको स्वतन्त्रता हनन हुनुहुँदैन भन्नु पनि त स्वतन्त्रताको सीमितता नै त हो नि, हैन र ?

What’s the Point? (Part Two)

Bishwas and I

I was in a long queue for college admission. It had been two hours and nobody moved an inch. The small window from which “service was being delivered” was nowhere in sight. The student leaders were coming now and then and saying they were sorting the issue. But we were still at the same spot, irritated by the sun up on our heads and the state of administration. Then somebody behind me thought they had to take action and went ahead making sure their spot won’t be taken.

They returned and started arguing with a student leader. A huge boy was growling, “What’s the point in lining us up when the actual work is being done from the backdoor?”

*

“That’s Bishwas, isn’t he?” the lady exclaimed.

“Yeah, but don’t interrupt me. What’s up with people these days? No patience at all!”

“Sorry, my bad. Please continue.”

*

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Bishwas and others argued with the student leaders for a while. Every one surrounded the student leaders. “Admit us from the backdoor,” we demanded. To save themselves from the wrath of the young guns, the student leaders finally helped in getting the work done in the right way. Before leaving, I talked with Bishwas, took his number and thanked him for what he did. “Oh, it’s nothing,” he said. “I was helping myself. You were lucky to be in the queue.”

We were sitting under a tree in the college premises one day when Bishwas said, “These leaders… These are the ones who create problems out of the blue and now everyone thinks they will solve existing ones.”

Within a month since we got admission in the college, Bishwas and I turned into best friends. We used to in sit the same desk in the classroom, we used to have lunch together, and we used to talk on various things that interested us both. Elections for Students’ Union was coming up, and Bishwas was infuriated that the leaders who had not helped us were now presenting themselves as the saviours.

“Why don’t you run for the election?” I said.

“What’s the point?”

“Remove them from their position of power.”

“Who knows me? Nobody!”

“You should’ve taken the credit that day, you know. Every new student would have loved you.”

“Maybe, but you flatter me. Don’t do it.”

“You should have let everyone know what you did.”

“Should I have held a mic and shouted from the top of the roof?”

“Yep. That’s exactly what you had to do.”

“Nonsense,” Bishwas laughs out loud.

“But a loud nonsense is the common sense.”

“Does not mean those with common sense give in to the nonsense.”

“Yes,” I jumped. “This is exactly why you should run in the election.”

“I won’t. Politics, elections… I’m not made for such things.”

I failed to convince him. And, despite having common sense, and despite the big talks, we gave in to the nonsense and never thought about it again.

***

After the first year exams, Bishwas stopped coming to the college. He stopped answering my calls. I had no idea where he lived. I still don’t know where he lives. What an awful “friend” I was! If I had been even a good friend, I would have known about his family, I would have gone to his house, I would have shared my secrets with him, like he did. But I did nothing that should call me a good friend. Yet, when he came to my house to hand over the invitation to this party, he said, “You’re my best friend from college. I don’t want you to miss it.”

Surprised, I asked, “But I never tried to contact you after you left college. I don’t know why you left. And I didn’t bother to find it out.”

“You only knew my number and you called me. But I didn’t want to connect with anyone. I had distanced myself from everyone, even my family and old friends. What’s the point in being sad for things you were not responsible? Cheer up, buddy!”

“But why did you go away from everyone? What problems did you have?”

“Let it be a secret, buddy. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“So, something bitter happened. Tell me what happened.”

“What’s the point?”

“Perhaps, to unload the burden off your heart.”

“There is no load to unload, but because you insist, I will tell you what happened.”

He then told that he had joined the college only because of the pressure from his parents. He was a bright kid and his parents had huge expectations. But he could not find joy in the college activities. “Everything felt forced,” he said. He was doing things without any passion. That’s why he devised a plan to run away to the Himalayas. That’s where the rishis and santas have gone to find knowledge and peace. He stole a few thousand rupees, and threw his phone in the Kali Gandaki a few days later. Then he heard about a monk in the wilds beyond the Himalayas and went to meet him. There he found some peace but he could not forget his parents and friends so he came back to invite me to this party.

Two South Korean Movies I watched this Week

I watched two South Korean movies this week: Train to Busan (2016) and Silenced (2011). Both of them coincidentally starred Gong Yoo and Yu-mi Jung as the leads. I had heard of Train to Busan as one of the best horror movies showing zombie apocalypse, but it felt like a drama for the most part. Silenced, on the other hand is categorized as drama but it shows the horror of being under-privileged in the society. In this blog, I am presenting short reviews of both the movies.

1. Train to Busan (2016)

In this movie, Seok-Woo (Gong Yoo) is taking his daughter, Soo-an (Su-an Kim) to her mother from Seoul to Busan during a zombie apocalypse. The zombie virus originates through a leak in a biochemical factory. The virus is spreading on the scales of a pandemic. People are getting crazy and cannibalistic. But the apocalypse is only a set-up to show the horrors of society.

Seok-Woo is a workaholic, who thinks only about himself. Soo-an, the daughter, is polite and selfless. She is the heart and soul of the movie. Her interactions with the other passengers show to her father that one should never be selfish, even in worse of times. However, the world has mean people, too. The acts of one selfish person can jeopardize the lives of other people. The movie also shows that good people can follow bad people out of fear and can make irrational decisions. Thus, this movie is an excellent commentary on the society.

The zombies in this did not scare me but thought that I might act selfishly in times of apocalypse or pandemic scared me. We saw how some selfish people created the global pandemic of COVID-19. Those memories made Train to Busan even more scarier. Is a selfish society more dangerous than a pandemic or apocalypse? Yes, I think it is.

2. Silenced (2011)

Silenced is based on real events that happened at a school for the hearing-impaired in 2005. I had watched a review (before watching the movie) on the YouTube channel Accented Cinema and had not been able to stop my tears. It took me a couple of weeks to gain courage to watch this movie.

Kang In-ho is a new art teacher at a school for disabled in Mujin. He loves art but cannot pursue his passion his wife died, his daughter is sick. To end his financial problems, he steps into the school thinking it might help his career. But the teachers, including the principal, are repeatedly sexually assaulting students. Despite all odds against him, In-ho decides to fight for justice with the help of an activist Seo Yoo-jin.

The school administration, however, has been bribing the police, education office, and “doing charities”. In-ho and Yoo-jin are helpless against the priviledged criminals. I was expecting them to succeed but the movie shows their failure. For the under-priviledged, the lack of justice is not only a tragedy, it is also a horror.

Nations were built in the past so that everyone could get security and justice. But over time, the fight for justice has been huge struggle for common people, even in prosperous nations. Silenced exposed the flaws in judiciary system of South Korea. The movie became such a strong voice that the existing laws were amended and the culprits were given harsher punishment.

This movie shows how powerful a cinema can be. A movie was able to change the laws of the nation. This is what movies or any art form should strive to do–change the society for good.

75 Years After the Atomic Bombings

Atomic bombings on August 6, 1945 in Hiroshima and three days later in Nagasaki are among the cruelest acts humans did. In 2014, when I wrote a blog on the bombings, I had written:

Humans proved that day [the days of bombings] that they could do anything against anyone to gain power.

I had also written:

As for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they have been recovered as major cities but no crops, no grass has grown yet and it’s unknown until when.

I did not know that a red canna flower (Canna sp.) had bloomed in the rubble some months later giving hope to the survivors. Gingko trees that survived have another story to tell. Look for the links below to know their stories.

Stories of the red canna trees that survived the Hiroshima bombing:

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/stories-52459140/the-trees-that-survived-the-bombing-of-hiroshima

http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/kids/KPSH_E/hiroshima_e/sadako_e/subcontents_e/12yomigaeru_1_e.html

http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13175243

Stories of the Gingko trees:

https://www.inverse.com/article/47833-hiroshima-gingko-trees-atomic-bomb

These are amazing stories of survival, rebirth and restoration. Some humans had stooped very low, destroying humans, cities and the nature, with their pride. Some humans had lost hope. Nature challenged their pride. She told them, “Your pride, your wars cannot destroy me.” And gave hope to the victims, “Not everything is destroyed.”

The Deserted Landscape

Down below is a river valley that widens in the southwest as it mixes with the Sunkoshi. This terrace is fertile, as evident from the cultivated farms. Less than 50 metres higher, where we stand, there is a different scenario. The soil is red, hard, and clayey. Trees, here are rare. Bushes are scanty and prickly. Cacti have reached heights of more than 3 metres.

A view from Ratmate

Are we walking on a desert?

When I say “desert”, the first image you usually come up is that of arid, sandy land with little to no vegetation, no water, mirages, and camels. You are not wrong. Your mind has what popular culture has engraved in it. The popular culture shows just one picture of desert that is actually a rare phenomenon. Only one of the things that you thought of is common in deserts: scarcity of water.

Does this area lack water?

We survey this area close to Ratmate[1] Bazaar, Sindhuli. The surface has been scoured by running water. These rills imply the relative impermeability of the soil. (We also confirmed the very low permeability by a simple infiltration test). This almost impermeable soil does not allow water to infiltrate (and so the rills form!). Thus, there is no possibility for occurrence of spring or well.

The redness suggested otherwise. We theorized, “Some time back in the past, the area could have been a lake, providing water required for oxidation of iron present in the soil.” Can we find iron here?

On examining the origin of the soil, we find allochthonous granite boulders. These boulders apparently settled here during a landslide event. When we produced “fresh” samples, we saw that the boulders themselves were stained in red. Only one of ten samples was unstained. A little further, we found quartzite, and saw similar scene. The red soil, the granite, and quartzite samples, all had high specific gravity. We could conclude: “The iron comes from both the granite and quartzite. This iron reacted with oxygen and produced haematite, a red and heavy iron oxide.

Later when I searched for the properties of red soil on Google, I found some useful information: 1) The red soil is generally acidic; 2) It is low in nitrogen; 3) It is suitable for rice plantation (because of water holding capacity) and some beans; and 4) The soil is naturally infertile.

The land we studied hosted some bushes, as I have mentioned earlier, but the lack of water, acidic nature of the soil and general infertility helped us conclude: “We were on a desert or were seeing some sort of desertification.”

What can lack of water do to villages? We observed this two days later.

That day, we climbed a peak of about 1400 m in Ramechhap and came down a trail. We had thought it would lead us down safely. But that was not to be.

A small landslide had occurred near the main trail. From there we could see a path that went downhill. As we walked, it suddenly ended into what looked like a same baari[2]. There was nothing but colluvium, but it was definitely cultivated in the past. (We had seen a cultivated baari some 10 metres above). We looked around and saw a heap of stones. This, we assumed, where the house was. After the owners left, people nearby might have demolished the house, taken doors and windows for fuel and heaped up the stones in order to take them later.

As we roamed around in despair looking for the main trail, we found four more similar scenes. This, we concluded, was a nice settlement until something forced them out. In our topographic map (some 26 years old), there are some clusters of houses. This, we concluded, was one of those clusters.

Finally, we found the trail but instead of taking us down, it took us up! Sometime later, it disappeared. On observing, the trail was still there but the grasses had made it invisible and slippery. Helping each other, we went down and finally reached the trail we had used to climb up earlier that day.

A Trail that Vanished

What drove off people from that place? The immediate thought was: landslide. But the slide looked younger than the desertion. Lack of water was another reason we discussed about. In that hill and in most of the hills in that district, there is scarcity of water. But was there another reason?

It did not come to me at that time, but the whole of Ramechhap was important place for the Maoists during the 10 years of civil war in the last decade. Many people in the district undertook the ideology and carried guns in the name of revolution. Some families were involved in entirety. Some families were driven away. Some left to safer places to avoid the war. Did the village we walked through die because of nature or politics? While I feel that the nature pressured the desertion, politics could have also played some role. The definite history, however, cannot be drawn unless we find the people who left the place.

---

[1] Red-soiled.

[2] a small land usually cultivated for flowers, fruits and vegetables by a single household

आजकल मैले फेरि सपना देख्न थालेको छु

आफूले जन्माएर
आफैँले मारेँ भनेका सपनाहरू
चिच्याइरहन्थे,
“लाग्यो होला तँलाई हामी मर्यौँ
तर हामी त तँ भित्रै छौँ
हामी तेरै अंश त हौँ !
जबसम्म तँ जिउँदो छ्स्,
हाम्रो अन्त्य हुनेछैन ।

“तेरो मनले बनाएको पिँजडामा
हामी बसेका छौँ
तैले वास्तै नगरे पनि
झक्झकाएका छौँ
भनिरहेका छौँ,
ब्युँता फेरि हामीलाई
खुसी हुन्छस्, सुखी हुन्छस् ।
कति रोक्छस् अन्तरात्माको आवाज ?
तोड पिँजडा, मुक्त गर,
अनि हुर्का हामीलाई ।”

डरको झ्यालखाना तोडेर
बचेखुचेका रहर जोडेर
सपनाको लिलाम गर्नेहरूसँग जोगिएर
आजकल मैले फेरि सपना देख्न थालेको छु !
नीदमा र जागामा
आशाका मसिना धागामा
सपनाको माला उन्न थालेको छु !

(२०७५/०४/१९)

आजकल म सपना देख्दिनँ

आफ्नो नाफा हुन्जेल
बोलाउँछन्, उचाल्छन्
यो छ, त्यो छ
यो गर्छु, त्यो गर्छु
यस्तो हुन्छ, उस्तो हुन्छ
भन्दै, फकाउँदै, झुक्याउँदै
सपना देखाउँछन् ।

जब सत्यको पर्दा खुल्छ,
तब थाहा हुन्छ,
यहाँ त सपना देख्नै पाइन्न ।
यहाँ सपनाको कुनै अर्थ नै छैन
जति नै राम्रो भए पनि !
यहाँ सपनालाई रेटेर, अँठ्याएर मार्छन्
सपनाकै अभिभावकहरू ।

त्यसैले,
न त नीदमा हुँदा न त जागा
अचेल म सपना देख्दिनँ
आफूले जन्माएर, हुर्काएर
आफैँले सपनाको हत्या गर्न चाहन्नँ ।

(२०७५/०४/१९)