Tips to remain sane in crazy times like these

Free as a bird: Keeping off political matters is one sure way to maintain your sanity.  

These days, I try not to think too deep, especially over the conduct of the nearly two-third majority government, for deep thoughts are like an abyss from which returning won't be easy. These days, I fear that thinking long and hard about this country, about the ways this government is functioning, may make me mad. What's the use of thinking over matters over which you have no control at all? You may choose to write/talk about it, only to provoke the greyhounds in human form. 

So, let it be........ Let it go, for nothing lasts..... 

What's the use of thinking about the Guthi Bill, which, according to dissenting voices on the streets and on TV channels, is meant to finish off our centres of faith like temples and Gumbas by attacking our traditions, by attacking our way of life existing for ages, by handing over land and other properties belonging to the Guthi (religious-spiritual trusts) to some mafias? What's the use of thinking that while some influential figures may somehow be able to save heritages in Kathmandu by shouting out loud on and off the streets, who will come to the rescue of the famous Swargadwari and other shrines, which are barely surviving because of the same old Guthi system?

Here, I do not mean the existing Guthi system is perfectly fine. There's room for its reform, so it would be better to make changes in a homegrown system and make it compatible with changing times rather than finishing it off to make way for conversion to some alien religion. 

These green hills help me, an inhabitant of the concrete jungle, remain sane.

Neither do I want to think about the Citizenship Bill, which, scholars say, is meant to make Nepalis a minority in their own country by making it easy for foreigners to get Nepali citizenship. Already,  people from more than a dozen countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar and Bangladesh, are taking refuge in Nepal, not to mention lakhs of people from the neighbouring India and a significant number of Tibetans, while our very own people are working abroad, most of them doing 3D (dirty, difficult, dangerous) jobs in some of the most inhospitable climes. 

The opposition party has never bothered to protest against this Bill and that's perfectly normal. After all, this party cannot remain in the opposition bench forever. But there's a hurdle to its ascension to power: The existing electorate, wary of this party's performance when in power and out of power, may not vote for it. In such a case, this party has every right to bank on the new electorate. What say you, guys? 

Nor do I want to think and/or talk about the Lalita Niwas land grab involving a very prominent figure of the ruling party. Ditto about the wide-body scandal, for these things are quite normal in this free country, where anything abnormal is the new normal. 

Gazing at the Swayambhunath Temple, instead of thinking politics, helps you maintain the peace of mind. 

Ah the new normal! A few days after imposing a ban on the import of chemicals-laced fruits and vegetables (from where else but across the southern border), this illustrious government revoked the ban, letting us all feast on the poison-laced stuffs. See how serious this government is about protecting citizens' rights. 

I, for one, stand against the revolutionary move to allow Nepali citizens to eat poison-laced greens and fruits. That's why I am in favour of taking Gundruk soup, some greens grown on the rooftop and things like that.

Homegrown greens and Gundruk soup are good for your health, not pesticides-laced imports that cost you a fortune. 

Who knows? I may even return to my ancestral home in the Hills to learn some farming, for the fields there have remained barren for far too long with a huge section of the population migrating either to the plains or to the Kathmandu Valley. Until then, for fulfilling the daily requirement of the greens, I can of course turn my gaze to the hills nearby and supplement it by consuming some locally-grown vegetables! Not only they don't cost a penny, they also keep me off political matters and help me remain sane, for as long as I want. 

Text and pictures: Devendra Gautam