Dedicated to Nepal and the Nepalis

Drinking warm lemon water early in the morning appears to be an in thing these days, with many people taking it first thing in the morning for the sake of good health. This fad, naturally, gives rise to queries about the demographics of the drinkers, the amount of honey, lemon and water used in an average family per day and prevailing perceptions about the hot drink, etc.             Regrettably yet understandably, a cursory search for data on regular warm lemon water (hot lemon in colloquial terms) drinkers in the Kathmandu Valley yielded nothing quantifiable.  As for the health benefits of this early-morning drink, let qualified nutritionists/dietitians/public health experts initiate a long and engaging conversation with interested members of the public, including fitness freaks and wellness enthusiasts.  For now, let's look into the ingredients of warm lemon water and try to read deeper into the state of our economy. Let the lemon ...

The cornonavirus pandemic and the omicron waves have put frontline sanitary workers, mainly those working in public toilets in the Kathmandu Valley, under increased public gaze. This write-up aims to bring to the fore a typical workday of these workers tasked with both sanitary and managerial roles through a brief conversation with two workers stationed at the public loo. Sanitary staff of public loos, especially of those located at nerve centres like Ratnapark, are early birds. A typical workday starts at around 5 am and ends tentatively at 9 pm, says Rabin KC. The first of the users arrive quite early, but they are few and far between. The users may be cleaners of public buses, owners of tea stalls, drivers, etc. The first round of cleaning is over by 7 am, says KC. "There´s no question of doing the cleaning work without putting on safety gears like gloves, boots and mask." Apart from the public toilet at Ratnapark, his work stations include addresses like Pokhara Dohori Sa...

Things will fall into place.... Recite this a 108 times. Doesn't work? Keep reciting the magical mantra by the 108s. No effect? Keep on reciting the mantra, for it will start working from the next life onwards or several lives later. Work it will, for sure. As for when, it all depends on your accumulated karma, o mortals! One fine day, it will work just fine. Till then, meditate by reciting this mantra and do many other worldly things, leaving the recital sessions aside. You see, lesser mortals like you people have to do it lots and lots of times, given that you have whole lot of karma accumulated over the past several lives to get rid of. Meantime, take care of your worldly duties, earn a living, marry and make merry (funny, isn't it?), look after your families and friends.  That's quite a juggling act, no? Can't we just meditate in these lush woods, leaving the world behind as great saints like the Shakyamuni Buddha did? After all, that is the shortest way to ex...

- देवेन्द्र गौतम यो शनिबार तपाइँ के गर्दै हुनुहुन्छ? कतै घुम्न जाने योजना पो छ कि? घुमघामका लागि धेरै समय छैन भने पनि तपाइँ नागार्जुन नगरपालिकामा अवस्थित सिङ्गल ट्री अर्थात् एक्ले रूखसम्म चाहिँ अवश्य पुग्न सक्नुहुन्छ।   समुद्र सतहबाट करिब २८२५ मिटर उँचाइमा रहेको सिङ्गल ट्री खास गरी उपत्यकावासीहरूका लागि एउटा छोटो पदयात्रा गन्तव्यको रूपमा विकसित भइरहेको प्रत्यक्ष देख्न सकिन्छ।  केहि महिना अघिसम्म पंक्तिकारलाई पनि सिङ्गल ट्री साँच्चै 'सिङ्गल' नै लाग्थ्यो, कविशिरोमणि लेखनाथ पौडेलको तरूण तपसीजस्तो लाग्थ्यो। त्यस तपसी अर्थात् (शायद खरीको बोटका) अग्ला हाँगाहरूमा कागको गूँड देख्न सकिन्थ्यो।  बाठो कागले अग्ला रूखका अग्ला हाँगाहरूमा गूँड लगाउने गर्छ किनभने अग्लो ठाउँमा उसका बचेराहरूमाथि आक्रमण हुने संभावना कम हुन्छ।  त्यसो त काग भन्दा बाठो कोइली हुन्छ भनिन्छ। कोइलीले कागले पारेका अण्डा नष्ट गरी त्यहि गूँडमा अण्डा राखिदिन्छ रे।  कागले खुब स्याहारसुसार गर्छ तर बचेरा गूँड छाडेर उडेपछि मात्रै आफू ठगिएको थाहा पाउँछ कि? अँ साँच्चै, पाठकहरूलाई थाहा छ? खरीको बोट पवित्र मानि...

यो नेपाली शिर उचाली संसारमा लम्किन्छ। जुनकिरीझैँ ज्योति बाली अन्धकारमा चम्किन्छ।। राष्ट्रकवि माधव प्रसाद घिमिरे रचित देशप्रेम , नेपाली जातिप्रेम अनि राष्ट्रिय स्वाभिमानजस्ता उच्च आदर्शहरूले ओतप्रोत एक राष्ट्रगानका पंक्तिहरू हुन् यी। वर्तमान सन्दर्भमा यी पंक्तिहरू पढ्दा पाठकहरूलाई कस्तो लाग्छ कुन्नि ? पंक्तिकारलाई चाहिँ यी पंक्तिहरूले नेपाल र नेपालीहरूको अहिलेको दयनीय अवस्थाप्रति व्यंग्य गरेजस्तो लाग्छ।   होइन , यथार्थमा सब ठीकठाक पो छ कि ? अति गरिब देशवासीले पनि दुधभात त खान पाइरहेकै छन् कि महामारीग्रस्त यस समयमा पनि ? नकारात्मक समाचारहरूको बाढीबाट प्रभावित भइदिँदा , इन्फमेशन ओवरलोड भइदिँदा पंक्तिकार भ्रमित भएको हो कि ? पंक्तिकारको दृष्टिदोषको सिर्जना हो कि यो सबै ? देशमा ' रामराज्य ' चलिरहेको , आदिम साम्यवादमा जस्तै समानता र न्यायको शासन निर्वाध संचालन भइरहेको तर आफ्नै अन्तर्दृष्टिदोष र चर्मचक्षुजन्यदोषका कारण पंक्तिकारले गडबडै गडबड देखिरहेको रहेछ भने त परेन बित्याँस! त्यसो भएको रहेछ भने जनी गरी क्षमा गरिदिनुहोला है , सम्बन्धित निकायहरू , सचेत पाठकहरू। जे होस् , सूचन...