२०७२ साल बैशाख १२ गतेको भुकम्पमा धेरै धनजनको क्षति भए पनि काठमाडौंवासीलाई त्यस दिन एउटा कुराले पनि अलि बढी पीडा दिएको थियो- धरहरा भत्किएको खबरले । त्यसैले त नेपाल सरकारको कार्यपालिकाले भुकम्पले क्षति पुर्याएका संरचना पुन:निर्माणको पहिलाे नम्बरमा धरहरा पर्न पुग्यो । यसलाई साैभाग्य भन्नु कि दुर्भाग्य ? यस प्रश्नकाे बारेमा अन्त्यमा चर्चा गर्ने छु । त्याे भन्दा पहिले केही गहन सवालहरू जसका जवाफ हामीलाई सरकारले बताएकाे छैन-
प्रश्न नं १. धरहराको पुनःनिर्माण नै सबैभन्दा पहिला किन ? धरहरा नजिकैको बसन्तपुर दरबार क्षेत्र, पाटन र भक्तपुरकाे दरबार स्क्वायर र चाँगु नारायण मन्दिर युनेस्को (UNESCO) को विश्व सम्पदा सूचिमा पर्छन् । समयमा फेरि नबने सूचिबाट हटाइन सक्छन् । तिनलाई पाखा लगाएर अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय महत्व कम भएको धरहरा किन सबैभन्दा अगाडि बनाइँदैछ ?
प्रश्न नं २. नेपाली जनताले धरहरा बनाउन किन अार्थिक सहयाेग गर्ने ? काठमाडाैं महानगरपालिका र साइड वर्कर्स नाम गरेको कम्पनीकाे सम्झाैता अनुसार सर्वसाधारणले एक पैसा पनि खर्च गर्नुपर्दैन । धरहराको पुन:निर्माण साेही कम्पनीले गर्नुपर्ने हाे । जनतासँग पैसा उठाएर साइड वर्कर्सलाई किन पाल्न खाेजिँदैछ ? करिब २० लाख रूपैयाँ उठिसक्याे रे । सदुपयाेग हाेला ? शंकै छ ।
प्रश्न नं. ३. भुकम्पले पीडित जनताभन्दा धरहरा कसरी महत्वपूर्ण भयाे ? धरहरा फेरि नबनाेस् भनेर सायद कमैले साेचे हाेलान् । म तिनमा पर्छु जाे धरहराको ठाउँमा स्मारक बनाेस् भन्ने चाहन्छन् । म त अझ भन्छु- धरहराको अवशेषलाई संरक्षण गरियाेस् । नजिकै एउटा ग्यालरीमा धरहराका पुराना फाेटा राखिउन् । त्याे ग्यालरीले सन्देश दिओस्- हामी प्रकृतिलाई जित्न सक्दैनाैं तर प्रकृति सुहाउँदाे परिवर्तन गर्न सक्छाैं ।
मेराे परिकल्पना साकार नहाेला, धरहरा नै बन्ला तर जुन देशका जनता कठ्याङ्ग्रिदाे जाडाेमा भाेकै नाङ्गै मरिरहेका छन्, त्यस्ताे देशमा धरहराजस्ता संरचनाको कुनै अर्थ छ र ? के त्यस्ता संरचनाले ती आहत जनतालाई मलम लगाउन सक्छ ? सक्दैन भने अहिले धरहरा बनाइहाल्नु पर्ने केका लागि ?
माथिका प्रश्नहरू बाँकी रहुन्जेल धरहरा फेरि बन्नु सायद हाम्राे लागि अभिशाप नै हुनेछ । सभ्यता र संस्कार खाेक्रा अाडम्बर हुनेछन् । हामी इतिहासमा मानवीय संवेदना नभएका मानिसका रूपमा चिनिने छाैँ । हाम्राे संस्कृतिको धरहरा भत्किने छ, जति नै अग्लाे संरचना बने पनि ।
Art and language are languages on their own. They can give wonderful messages without words and they are so powerful that they touch not just the mind but the Soul.
Last Friday, 25th of March, I visited a wonderful exhibition, thanks to my friend Bimal, at the Nepal Academy. The exhibition had been held on the occasion of World Wood Day. It was a units experience as I had been on such a huge international exhibition for the first time with my friends and also because I had never heard of such a festival as World Wood Day before. (I’m still not sure which day is the Wood Day, but I’m guessing it was on 21st March!)
Unfortunately that was the last day of the event and there were very few artworks on display on the ground of the Academy. The Chinese wooden letters, symbols, monasteries and pictures were the first things I saw. Then there were Nepalese ethnic communities- Chepangs, Newars, and Tharus exhibiting their art by the effective use of wood. The Mouse Killer of Chepangs and Tharus, the wooden puppets (kath putali) and the Masks of Newars attracted me the most. Then there were huge flutes, an educational stall of the Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Botany. Then there were artistic tables and chairs designed by carpenters from different parts of the world. One Arab carpenter told us to sit on his carpentery and then rate the work. We were not experts, but then we rated it as a good work. Then we went inside the building where the actual exhibition seemed to be running.
The first thing I noticed was the carved head of the Buddha and a woman with rosy hair. They just looked beautiful. Some Arabs were showing their work, and I looked up around at the Laughing Buddha and some other trunk carvings by Nepali and foreign artists. It was turning into an amazing experience and the music coming out from the Academy Hall was turning it into a charming one. As soon as we heard the music coming up, I rushed to the hall with Prafulla, Khumendra, Sanjeev and Romi.
The wood carving of Shiva Parbati by a Russian artist
The Nepal Academy Hall is historical. It is the very stage upon which the Great Poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota recited his poems. It is the stage that has hosted itself for most of the writers, theatre artists, musicians and poets. On the stage, that day were Spanish(?) and Nepali musicians playing instruments made of wood such as flute, saarangi, maadal, guitar, and some instruments I do not know the manes of. The music went through the air and then touched my heart and soul. The Spanish group even sang a song and though I did not understand the language of words, I could clearly feel the beauty of the unspoken language. Four musical performances later, four of the Nepali musicians left on the stage presented the music of the Himalaya. That was the moment I was most overwhelmed and the one I don’t think I will ever forget.
We went upstairs to see other artworks. There were works of various designs and themes. One of them included a look-alike puppet of the puppeteer himself. The representation of the Greek art of wood was amazing. But then there was one simple work by Palestinian artists in the shape of question mark. The note on its side read:
We have come from around the world and have worked together to create art. If we can do this together, why do we have to fight in the names of religions and all?
The ending ceremony of the event was due when I had to go back to my home. I came mesmerized, peace in my heart and Soul.
The Government of Nepal proclaimed the rebuilding of Dharahara one day. The Dharahara that had been crushed to pieces by the last year’s earthquake. It was bound to happen. Most of us had been too emotional when the nine storeyed tower fell. The first thing that clicked on my mind was- it fell without me reaching to its top. For some weeks since the major quake on April, we shared and posted photos of the remaining tower with caption, “Nepal will rise again.”
The call of the government, though would raise the tower(if worked upon) before any Nepali would. The Dharahara has been given on lease by the Kathmandu Metropolis to a “company” called Side Walkers(or workers?). The company was supposed to rebuild and repair the tower according to the agreement on the lease. The call of the government, however would keep the company out of the equation (not of the agreement) in the reconstruction. We were so emotional that without understanding the truth, we appreciated the task.
Did we really appreciate? Yes, we did. If we didn’t, we kept it to ourselves. We were inclined not to publicly bash the government that has been constantly failing in fulfilling its basic duties. Somewhere in our hearts, we had a soft corner for the government in bringing the matter of reconstruction, even if it did not make any significant impact upon the citizen struggling yet due to the earthquake.
We wanted the tower to be built, but not before the basic needs of the quake victims were sorted out. While a little child was dying on a snowy area of Sindhupalchok, our government was busy finding out ways to emotionally blackmail us. While an elderly person was shivering with cold, the government declared the reconstruction of the tower from people’s fund. While a mother was dying because of malnourishment, we were feeding ourselves with the thoughts of an imaginary tower. We lost common sense in exchange of an emotion towards an abstract tower. We failed as humans.
The truth is like the sun covered by the clouds. It came out, although after the declaration. Most of us, including me did not know about it. From the beginning, I had been thinking about the Dharahara area being turned into a Memorial Park- a park that says, “Hey Humans, be careful of the structures you build. Even the tallest tower of the city can turn into dust within seconds. Be warned.” The Government had other plans, though.
Corruption prevails and we watch. Someone among us cheats us and we let it go. We lose common sense while giving priority to emotions over artificial structures. More than twenty lakh rupees have been raised on the fund for reconstruction of Dharahara. A new tower will be built that will resemble nothing with the past. It will fall some day. We will fall some day. Our descendants will cry looking at it. They too will lose their common sense as we have done. Another structure would rise. The cycle would go on.
Not long ago, we used to sing the glory of King as our National Anthem. The words were difficult even for adults. As children we could not understand its meaning, so we could not sing it. A revolution changed everything. Even if it was led by a man who went antimonarchist at his old age, we got a National Anthem that truly reflects our feelings. Watch players singing the Anthem after they defeated India in the South Asian Games, you’ll understand what I mean.
Six days ago, Prince Henry of the UK, popular as Prince Harry landed in Kathmandu. Holiday, the Spring festival of colours had already begun. In the Kathmandu, Holi is a week long festival with the actual colourful celebration on the seventh day. He added colours on our faces this Holi. He actually participated in the celebration of the festival at Pokhara.
There was a time when the British Empire ruled the world. “The sun never set in the British Empire,” I had been taught. Most countries attained freedom from the Empire during the rule of George VI, the great grandfather of Prince Harry. The Prince got much attention in the media. After all, the British Royal Family is still one of the most influential institutions. A member of that institution had made his first official landing that day. The Prince got the attention he deserved. But he also grabbed a fair amount of respect during his official visit to Nepal
His plain clothing, indulgence in the acts of wood-carving and visits to the camps of the earthquake victims added glory to his charm. People (including me) have already started posting pics, memes and blogs praising the Prince. He is staying a week longer than his official visit and he has not demanded security or anything but has been willingly participated in healing the wounds of last year’s earthquake victims.
We are what I believe in a nostalgia the Prince created this week. Most people of my father’s age might have remembered King Birendra, when he was a Prince and his sons Dipendra and Nirajan. The course of history changed after their assassination and Gyanendra Shah became the King. I bet that we were insecure because the throne would eventually go to his son Paras, who has a bad reputation among the public as a drug abuser. There was one way the civic right activists and politicians knew that would certainly abolish the fear- remove the Monarch. We could not let our fates be decided by an incompetent heir to the throne. Our fates had to be decided by ourselves. No system could do that better than the Republican system.
Once the civic right activists and the politicians convinced people to throw off Monarchy, people came down to the streets. They threatened to capture the Royal Palace, albeit peacefully. Each and every part of the nation saw the surge of people who had finally decided that they needed someone among themselves to rule and not someone who would automatically handover his powers to his son- no matter how incompetent or disliked he is. For the first time, we wanted to be our own masters.
Some days prior to the British Prince’s visit, I saw this article on Facebook. The article proves that Monarchy still exists among us as its ghost. The ghost will not move out unless we seek better ways of ruling ourselves. We have the keys but we keep losing them, sometimes because we listen to our neighbours and sometimes because we can not choose among ourselves the brightest and the ablest. I still believe that democracy is the only way to go forward. No dictator or monarch is going to save us- that’s the path we had chosen when we had become a part of the antimonarchist movement. That’s the way we sing the National Anthem in its true sense.
[Note to the politicians: Just look at the way the British Prince acted this week. Most of you came from poor families, you struggled for a penny in your childhood, you spent the most productive years of your lives fighting the Monarchs including the King I mentioned above. Now that you have become lavish-rich, you have forgotten your grounds. If a Prince can be down-to-earth, why can’t you?
Note to the Common Nepalese: By choosing Republican system over Monarchy, we have given ourselves the upper hand. If that means something, its time we wake up. We are our own masters. Those bureaucrats, parliamentarians and ministers are those who we selected or are responsible for our well being. We can bring the individual crooks down. Bringing down the system will be a disaster.]
March marks the beginning of Spring here in Nepal. Plants that shed their leaves during Winter have are already beginning to come up with new leaflets and flowers. As I look up my surrounding, I am inspired by an Art, of which Nature is the artist.
“Life is an art,” some philosophers say. Life is an art because the world we live in is an art itself. Everything here has been thought of by Someone so that we can live here. I realized this one recent day while reading the properties of water. The pH, boiling temperature, freezing temperatures, and specific capacities of water are unique to support life. Water also has lower density while it is in a solid form (ice). Because solid ice floats over liquid water, life can go under the ice capped water bodies. Water is a wonderful artistic creation of Nature.
“All the world is a stage,” Shakespeare once wrote. We are enacting everything that Someone wants us to do. We don’t realize, but everything seems to be written by Someone’s Hands. “Maktub,” the Arabians of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist would say. The guidance is an art an we are following it so that we ourselves can be involved in artistic creation.
“Imagine if our lives were the dreams of Someone, that when They wake up we die and They start living,” I had read in Mistika- the most bizarre book I have read till date. I would say- Imagine we are the characters of a mega novel. The Writer would add fine details to every second of our activities and would move us as They would want. When the Writer feels it’s enough, They would kill us. There would be no option. We ourselves do that many times. We love our characters as we develop them but there comes a time when the story does not move ahead without their death or we don’t feel free unless they die. Sir Doyle did that to Sherlock Holmes only to reincarnate him sometime later.
The Art of the Nature is the magnificent of all. There is everything for us to live. Nature nurtures us with Love. Nature Herself destroys us, but that’s only the transformation of the body made up of the Nature’s five elements- Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Metal. No life sustains without these. Who created them? Who created the Nature? I believe on a Supreme Being, the imperfect Artist of the artists- the first Author of the Universe and of this World. The flawed Writer who aims at crafting a beautiful story every time They set to write one. The One who teaches us to live and learns from us at the same time.
When you have one thing to tell, you can speak it out easily. When you have two things to share, it might not be difficult to do so. What if you had hundreds of things to say? Your mind will be jammed. No words flow free. That’s when you’re clogged up.
It’s more than twenty days since my last post. One blog post changed the traffic to my blog site and I was excited for a few days. As the traffic increased, I had no idea what I should do next. Not that I had nothing in my mind. I just had too many things to say. And it ended in me not being able to say / write anything.
Now that I’ve opened the gates, it might not be difficult to get back into the flow. I might be able to tell those stories again. If I don’t, those stories will add up to a novel.
This morning I woke up to hear sounds of water falling to the grounds. I ignored, for I thought it was not unusual to listen to the waterfall falling from the water tanks. Ten minutes later, my sister said, “It’s raining outside.”
“What? February rain!” I reacted.
“It rained until a few minutes ago.”
“How can there be a rainfall? There were no clouds yesterday.”
“Clouds came up all of a sudden.” She simply said.
The latter part of the month of January had been ruined by the cold brought about by the clouds. They neither fell to the ground nor did they fly off. How can there be a rainfall without a hint of clouds?
I had to check. I went to the verandah and felt the cold rainy air. Clouds were lurking dark in the sky. The ground was wet. Yes, it’s raining in February, not for the first time, but after quite a long time. It’s still raining and songs on rain are being played on the radio as I am writing this and I’m feeling good.
I happened to see a photo on Facebook today. It says:
“Romeo died for love, Valentine died for love, Jack of Titanic, Samson from the Bible, Hercules, Achilles, and even Jesus died for love.”
And then it goes on to say that there is not a single woman who died for love. It challenges women to come with at least five names of women who died for love. I had a strange feeling towards this post. First I felt that it was a challenge to women. A few minutes later, I thought, “This post (most certainly made and circulated by men) is an example of stupidity. It was probably made by an arrogant teenager, who does not care the contributions of women in the world history and even in his life or an ignorant adult, who does not know anything.”
But if it was intended to be a challenge, I said to myself, that it is indeed a good question. It checks the intelligence of his girl. This article, thus is an information to those who do not know the answers (or pretend not to know) and a help from my side who would like to get answers.
I have limits, though. I can’t tell anything from the Bible or the Iliad, whose characters appear above. And I am unable to provide answers related to the history and literature I do not know. I’ll try my best in providing information of the five women who died for love I have known from the history of Nepal, and Nepali, English and Sanskrit literatures.
1. Sati
I guess I had given primary information about her on my previous article. She comes back to show that hers was one of the most painful sacrifices for her love.
Sati, according to the Hindu Puranas was the daughter of Prajapati (King) Daksha and Virani. She was married to Shiva, the Lord of the Lords.
For the reasons that Shiva wandered around Kailash (his abode) on improper clothes taking narcotics, Daksha disliked Shiva. On one Yagya (a sacrificial worship) he did not invite Sati and Shiva but invited all his son-in-laws. When Sati knew of this through Sage Narad, she goes to the Yagya and quarrels with her father. He keeps humiliating Shiva, though. Unable to listen to those words, she sacrifices herself on the burning pyre set up for the Yagya. She burns slowly to death until Shiva himself recovers her body after a huge war against the soldiers of Daksha.
Amish Tripathi alters this story in the last book of The Shiva Trilogy. Sati, the wife of Shiva, fights with Daksha, the King of Meluha because he had been using the love of her life in suppressing the poor people of other neighboring countries. When she comes to know that Daksha has planned to kill Shiva, she fights the Egyptian killers. At the end of extremely violent and gory fight, she dies. Shiva comes later to bring about the destruction of Daksha and his country.
2. Muna
Muna is a famous character from Muna Madan, an epic poem by Laxmi Prasad Devkota. The plot follows Madan going to Bhot (Tibet) while Muna awaits at home in Kantipur (old name for Kathmandu).
Madan gets ill on the way returning back home. A Bhote (resident of Bhot) finds him deserted and saves his life.
At home, however Madan’s friend tell Muna that he has died. Unable to suffer the pain of loss, though false, she dies before Madan comes home. Muna and Madan reunite in the heaven, after Madan dies a few days later.
3. Rajendra Laxmi
If you talk about love and leave away the love for motherland, you are misinterpreting love. Women have died for love of their countries. And this brave woman survived the custom of Sati (I have discussed it on my earlier article) because of her child to extend the territory of Nepal.
After the death of Pratap Singh Shah, the eldest son of king Prithvi Narayan Shah, she took over the responsibility of unifying the small states into a bigger Nepal. Initially, helped by Bahadur Shah- her brother-in-law, she united the eastern states and some of the western states as well. Fighting the unhelpful courtiers and family members, she continued the campaign. By the time she died, Nepal had its eastern territory up to Sikkim and western up to the Kali Gandaki river.
4. Julia Rana
It’s just been some days I have read about her. Born in the Rana family, she was the love of Martyr Dashrath Chand.
Dashrath Chand was a friend of Dharma Bhakta Mathema (another martyr) and was employed at the home of General Rudra Shumsher. There Julia and Dashrath met and both knew sometime later that they loved each other. Rudra Shumsher had agreed upon their marriage but the wedding was cancelled twice because of the deaths in the families. Later, the then Prime Minister, Juddha Shumsher got against Rudra Shumsher and he was exiled from Kathmandu. Almost a month after the exile, Julia died of TB. It was said in that article that Dashrath Chand did the rituals a husband does at the death of his wife and her death also ignited in him the anti-Rana views.
5. Juliet Capulet
My question to the creator of that challenge is- how can you separate Juliet from Romeo? If you have read this world famous work of Shakespeare, you will know that Juliet dies not once but twice- once in a pretence to bring Romeo back and in real when he dies. The pretence is made by the use of medicine (anaesthetic?) but Romeo gets a wrong message to find her dead. So, how could you dare to say that only Romeo died for love.
Final Reflection
I listed out some women who died for love. But as I write, I also ask a question- what is the definition of love in that Facebook post? It surely is not only the romantic love between a man or a woman. Jesus is an example for the love of humanity. If he can be included, why not include the names of Mother Teresa and her followers, Florence Nightingale, Eleanor Roosevelt, Benajir Bhutto and so many women who have spent their lives for the care of humanity?
If sacrifice is what you call love, almost all women would be included. Women have sacrificed their parent’s house and comfort, changed their surnames, given up their jobs and interests, have died everyday and yet, have smiled just for you and your family. So if your girl or wife adds her name in that list, don’t get surprised. She has given a lot of things just for your happiness.
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