चाेखाे माया डट कम: जन्मभूमि नेपाल र नेपालीहरूमा समर्पित

Writing comes so naturally to them. 'Wish I could write like them.  Have no clear idea of what I am talking about? Well, I am talking about the hands that write those beautiful, catchy, funny, witty, immortal and lyrical (at this point, I have run out of adjectives to describe them adequately) lines on public vehicles.  'Read somewhere that a well-known Nepali literary figure, fascinated by Shayaris written on the back of trucks, has coined the term Truck Sahitya (truck literature) and produced a body of such Sahitya. If I am not mistaken, he is none other than Ramesh Khakurel. While journeying through Kathmandu roads and beyond, I have seen numerous pieces written on the back of public vehicles. Pity is, I can remember just a handful of them, not word by word but the essence in many cases. Sample some of them. Just a few days ago, I came across this line written on a mini-bus: Lead me, follow me or get out of my way. What a witty line! Is it a famous quote from s...

Yours truly feels truly that Kathmandu or any other city looks far more beautiful at night than at any other time of the day. Also, a city looks more beautiful from high above, from some vantage point like the top of a hill or from the airplane than from up close for obvious reasons.  When one looks at a city from too close a distance, its ugly realities seem to be more visible. From afar, you just see the panoramic beauty. Yours truly captured some fleeting glimpses while rushing to Satungal from Thapathali to attend a wedding reception.    While on the way, he felt our own metropolis looks like a bride, what with the night lights and all. Gone are the days when Kathmandu used to look like one dark spot from the space at night because of load-shedding, with rest of the world illuminated. So, with a happy heart, yours truly captured some fleeting glimpses of the city and here they are, for you to savor. 

Kalinchok and the road not taken Someone high above wanted it not to happen, I guess. Otherwise, I would surely have made it to the goddess' abode after journeying miles and miles and miles along the rough and tumble road.  Not that the journey was not beautiful. It was indeed one of the most beautiful and memorable journeys I have embarked on recently. Rhododendron blooms of various hues like red, pink, white and yellow were unforgettable and so were glimpses of majestic peaks from lush-green forests, though the sight of the Everest Brown Haze made me a bit sad. Even travelling on the back of a roaring, groaning jeep along treacherous stretches by holding one hand firmly on the steel railing and capturing the panorama of the Himalayas, the pastures and the far-off mountains with the other was an unforgettable experience.  The very muddy stretch of Deurali did not seem to be an ordeal for a travel buff.  And who can forget the last ...

No, the sleepy pine forest of Chobhar has not woken up yet. It’s a bit unkempt and certainly not ready yet for a huge footfall. But then who cares, who bothers about forests’ rights?    After all, there's whole lot of workout to do every morning. Bird songs to listen to, poems to write, carbs to discard, friends to meet, lungs to fill with fragrance-filled air (that's more than what you get at oxygen parlours) and bless yourself with good health so you don't lag behind in your respective rat races. The advantages of workout in the forest are endless. There's surely more to these woods than all these things. But one thing’s very clear: The state cannot leave the woods to their own devices, for that is akin to courting danger. Who knows what fire these woods are hiding in their bosom? And who will be responsible if the pine forest starts behaving like the Great Birnam Woods? What if they start breeding monsters and become a launchpad for attacks against humanity? ...

Of late, initiatives aimed at increasing connectivity with our dear neighbor are going on in full swing. As per media reports, work is on to develop a broad-gauge rail link connecting Jayanagar of India with Janakpur of Nepal. There are also plans to connect Biratnagar with Jogbani, Jalpaiguri with Kakarbhitta, Nautanwa with Bhairawa, Nepalgunj with the bordering Indian territory and Kathmandu with Raxaul via rail links.  This much for the rail links, for now.  Clearly, increased land links do not seem to be enough for this powerful government. Preparatory works are also afoot to connect the two countries via waterways. Our ruling dispensation seems damn serious about connecting the two countries via the Koshi river system, with the prime minister showing willingness to literally ‘lift’ the Koshi barrage for the development of transnational waterways. Some study is also going on to bring ships up to Bagaha of Bihar to Dashdhunga via the Gandak river system.  ...