Category: Writing Page 2 of 3

A Month in Palpa: Some of the Things I Learnt

On December 31, 2016

In Family, Gratitude, Happiness, Humans and Humanity, Love, Writing

I spent about a month (26 days to be precise) at Palpa with my friends and teachers for field-work on Geology. It’s a matter of 100 marks after all. But life is not only about university lessons and exams. There are a lot more things to learn.

A view from Tundikhel, Tansen

1. Life’s uncertain

The day we left for Palpa, we were happy. Though we were in the cabin, 7-8 of us could gossip freely and we did not complain. The uncertainty of life showed up after we reached Siddhababa as it got dark on the way. To our dismay, the bus had a damaged dynamo. To state it straight, the bus lacked headlight. We searched for torch lights to help the driver, which was in vain. When the bus took sharp turns, my heart leaped out to my mouth. We prayed, we sought ideas. Another vehicle from behind helped the driver see the road. When the bus stopped at Dumre, Palpa, we shook hands with the driver, cheered and thanked God. The next day, when I saw the road and the gorge of Tinau River, I felt that it is a miracle that I’m alive.

Gorge formed by Tinau River

2. Schedule cannot always be followed

We began with a schedule. We had to follow it but we did not. What should have been done on the seventh day was completed on the first day. It created a lot of confusion. It was difficult to understand what we did but as time passed, we understood what we had done. Learning under a schedule is easier but there is no need to panic if the schedule is disturbed.
3. We can’t observe nature well from inside a bus

Three buses were reserved for daily travel (traverse is the word geologists use) along the Siddhartha Highway. While we were in the bus, we had difficulty in observing geological features. There is problem in connecting things with places when we try to recall. When we walked along towards the end of the exursion because of protests against Federal Model, we understood things really well.
4. There’s always a way to discover fun

When there are so many people around you, you never have to feel low. Even when there is a lot of work to do, you get support from them. Your mind is more inclined to fun in those times. I also found that we look for fun when we are under restrictions. Sometimes, noticing small movements and chats can also give immense pleasures. Enjoying things in the present can help a lot in overcoming troubles.

Boys find fun on the last day of field

5. Togetherness

Most of us have lived in closely-knit families. A lot of problems arise while we are away from family. Homesickness is a problem to many. With the support of friends, this is no big deal. Together we celebrated successes and soothed failures. Together we solved the financial problems we could get into. Together we worked and together we succeeded. Together we bacame family of a sort.
6. Thankfulness

Spending a month at an entirely new place is difficult. Without the help of local people, the school we stayed and all the stakeholders, it would have been impossible. We thank them for their support. We thank our chefs without whom we would not have got food in time. We thank our teachers for the knowledge they imparted. We thank each other for tolerating and cooperating. We also thank our families who have undergone several challenges before and during our excursion.
7. That feeling when you’re leaving

I don’t get a perfect word for this. I was happy that I was returning home but I was also sad that I was leaving the place that had sheltered us for about a month. I still remember the faces of people who bade us farewell. Was it a kind of attachment, a kind of bond I had made with the place and it’s people? Maybe I left a part of my soul there so that I can remember them everyday.
I heard someone say, “You may get a lot of chances to earn money. To earn memories though, you have a very few chances.” Memories of the camp, friends, people and places have formed this article. I proudly share my priceless article for all forever.

पाल्पा

By Sandeept

On December 24, 2016

In Nepal, Poetry, Writing

१.

प्रकृतिको पाएर शृङ्गार नन्दन वाग झैं

आह्लाद मधुर सुन्दर राग झैं

स्मृतिको कन्दरामा बस्यो पाल्पा

मस्तिष्कमा लेखियो नमेटिने याद भै
२.

दक्षिणमा चुरे, महाभारत उत्तर

हवामा छ उडेको गुलाबी अत्तर

मन हर्ने चन्चलता खोलाहरूमा

सिन्दुरे लाली हर प्रहर

३.

तानसेन हाम्रो अहा ! राम्रो दख्खिन मुखमा

घामले सधैं उज्यालो पारी बसेको सुखमा

पहाडी रानी झलल्ल बनी बिहान साँझमा

बसेका छन् अमिट छाप मुटुकाे माझमा

Speechless

By Sandeept

On November 18, 2016

In Love, Poetry, Writing

[A poem I started out of a random thought some months ago. I hadn’t completed it then. When I saw it today, I completed it. The last part differs from what I had planned the day I created it.]

ME:

Saw her again, passing by the street;

Had opportunity to meet

Graceful she; radiance on her face

All of a sudden, fear made me retreat.

If you had helped me a little more,

O God!

I would have felt blessed!

But you helped me less;

If not, I would not have been speechless!

GOD:

Don’t blame me, kid

For the mistake you did.

The rain had passed, the sun was bright

I did everything to help you with my might.

ME:

If you had helped me no less

Tell me, my Lord! Why was I speechless?

GOD:

I can’t answer that

When in doubt,

Ask your heart.

ME:

Tell me, O Heart!

Why do I crave

To be with her

But fear

Whenever she is near?

HEART:

Lub-dub-lub-dub-lub-lub-dub-dub-lub-dub

ME:

And the heart goes on

Beating.

I can’t understand

What it’s saying!

O God! Teach me

The language of the heart.

Where are you, O God?

Where have you gone

Leaving your child alone?

I know you left.

I know I should do it myself.

I’ve the problem;

I’ve the solution.

However, I’m distressed,

Stressed

But well dressed!

So that I can hide

My inabilities

And my problems

That are not getting less.

I stare at a wall alone

And speechless!

Prometheus and Democracy

By Sandeept

On November 4, 2016

In Blogging, Humans and Humanity, Politics, Writing

I saw the names of Prometheus and Epimetheus for the first time in the story Pandora and the Box of Troubles. The story did not say much about Prometheus except when his brother Epimetheus says that Prometheus would be angry if the box of troubles was opened. Pandora opens the box and releases the troubles despite the warning. I don’t know what Prometheus did later. Nobody has told me.

Some years later, I saw these brothers named as Titans in a B.A. level textbook. (I don’t remember the book. I was in Grade Seven, probably.) Titans had a war with the Olympians–not those who participate in Olympics –but Prometheus and Epimetheus supported the Olympians. I found that particularly strange but there was no answer. I, myself was not much interested at that age.

When I had intense desire to recall the Greek Mythologies, I used to look up the Wikipedia. There, for the first time, I saw that Prometheus did one rebellious thing against the Olympians–stealing the fire. I got interested but could not go through all the article.

This October, I found a Grade Nine English textbook (not the Government prescribed) where I found the story of Prometheus again. This was the same story in which he stole the fire. This time, however, I could make sense of the story. What a rebel he was!

Prometheus was a life-long rebel. When Cronus and his other brothers (the Titans) were busy “ruling” the world, and not taking care of the people they ruled upon, he and Epimetheus helped Zeus and his siblings (the Olympians) fight other Titans. I forgot the details but I think I read that they enlightened the Olympians on the strengths and the weaknesses of the Titans. The Olympians won.

When in power, they did not take care of the people they ruled. In other words, they turned into tyrants just like the Titans. Prometheus saw humans suffering and he decided to rebel against the Olympians. The best way he found was to steal fire from Olympia and give it to humans. And also to train in how to use it. He succeeded in his goal but not without Zeus’ knowledge.

Zeus did not like what Prometheus did. So, he was punished. I won’t go through all the punishments he went through but the introduction of Pandora was one episode in it.

What can we learn from the story of Prometheus?

I see a trend of repeating history in this story. The ways both the Titans and the Olympians when they gained power are similar. Throwing the Titans and establishing the Olympians seems like a dictator being replaced by another. When that happens, people suffer even more. They think the second dictator is better but it is not the case. That’s when rebels like Prometheus come up. They teach people to fight the dictators and established a system of ruling. The result is democracy.

The story of Prometheus, thus is in one way, a way to understand the foundation of collective wisdom–democracy.

UN Day: What We Expect from the UN

By Sandeept

On October 24, 2016

In Blogging, Humans and Humanity, Politics, Writing

We don’t want the United Nations’ Organization (abbreviated UN or UNO) to become another League of Nations. We don’t want it to fail in it’s objectives. Because we know, without the UN, the world is certainly going to face a nuclear war.

The UN was established on October 24, 1945. As the world celebrates the establishment of this world organization, I present my views on the UN based on my recent observations. First, my comment on my friend Roshan Bhandari’s post on Write, Share and Discuss:

The UN had big challenges when it was established. Its charter promises a war-free world. But wars have not come to an end. The UN failed to stop the Kuwait-Iraq war, the American attacks on Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. The Israel-Palestine conflict never seems to resolve under the UN. The underdeveloped countries are still suffering. The organizations under the UN such as FAO, UNDP are affected by corruption. You heard the case of rotten cereals and pulses distributed in the remote areas of Nepal and also during the earthquake last year, didn’t you?

The UN looks like a puppet organization to me. Well, it’s almost true that the veto-nations rule it. Especially, the US, Russia and China. If avoiding conflict with Syria didn’t serve Russia a purpose, the nation would have been churned and the UN would not have said anything. The Americans and Europeans have already marched to fight “Islam” in the name of fighting the terrorism, though, and the UN cannot overrule it. The UN is in a state of coma. It does not seem to come out of it anytime sooner.

Criticisms of the UN

I had not thought about my views until last month. I wanted to know if other people also thought that the UN has problems. I googled “Has the UN failed?” and discovered several articles on the internet that represent my thoughts above. There is a Wikipedia article on the criticisms of the UN, infographics that show the failures the organization has met and several other articles related to its problems.

I don’t understand most of the things the Wikipedia article says but I think the biggest problems in the effectiveness of the UN are the five permanent member nations of the Security Council. These five nations- the USA, the UK, France, Russia and China have veto power by the use of which they can force the SC to make certain decisions. Veto must have been suggested as a way to stop wars but it is not effective. The USA and the USSR (now Russia) have used the power indiscriminately to overrule policies that are against their interests. No permanent nation, like I’ve said above, is going to use veto or stop war if they don’t have their own interests. The USA, the UK and France are also the members of NATO. As the UN cannot stop military activities of the NATO, these nations can participate in war through the latter thus making the decisions of the former useless.

Another problem with the permanent members is that they are top fives among the major arms exporting countries. There is no use of arms in the absence of war. If these arms exporting nations have continued to supply arms and gaining profit, it means wars are continuously going on around the world. The UN seems to check these wars. An even more frightening scenario is the one in which the arms producing and exporting countries are backing up wars in various parts of the globe. If wars help them improve their economy, why wouldn’t they do so?

The another big problem is bureaucracy. Anthony Banbury says in an article on the New York Times:

The world faces a range of terrifying crises, from the threat of climate change to terrorist breeding grounds in places like Syria, Iraq and Somalia. The United Nations is uniquely placed to meet these challenges, and it is doing invaluable work, like protecting civilians and delivering humanitarian aid in South Sudan and elsewhere. But in terms of its overall mission, thanks to colossal mismanagement, the United Nations is failing.

The article says that the UN bureaucracy is slow. As a result, immediate response to a particular situation is difficult. Banbury also criticizes the role of peace-keeping forces in countries like, Haiti, Sudan and Mali. Peace-keeping forces have not been able to bring peace in these countries. If they have, it’s been temporary. And in some countries such as Haiti, where there is not much need for the peace force, they are still there.

Nepal and the UN

In Nepal, the UN and its different agencies have been working in providing basic needs of food, shelter, health services, and in activities related to human rights. United Nations’ Mission In Nepal (UNMIN) helped in the peace-process of Nepal. The WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF have helped in health sector, the WFP is working to provide food in the rural areas, the UNDP on development works, and so on.

Last year, the WFP got into a controversy*. Most Nepalese media and parliamentarians criticized the distribution of rotten food products in the earthquake affected areas. Such claims had also been heard earlier. We don’t know if the WFP is actually providing anything bad, but if such things come up regularly, we’ll be inclined to think that something is wrong. It also questions the effectiveness of the UN agencies.

What we Want

We want the UN to work democratically, and don’t want some nations decide the future of the world. We want the members, especially the permanent members of the Security Council UN to support peace and humanity, not wars. We want all the nations to work together selflessly. We want the developed nations to invest in uplifting the economic status of the poverty-stricken people over the globe, not just on nuclear weapon research and space travel. We want the UN to take these initiatives to bring eternal peace and happiness.

* The title of the article in this link might be misleading.

Scribophile: Irony of Critiquing

By Sandeept

On September 13, 2016

In Blogging, Review, Words, Writing

I have been busy on Scribophile these days. It is a writer’s forum where one can read and critique others’ works. After one has 5 karma points, they can publish their works so that others can comment and critique. That’s exactly where the irony lies.

On Sunday, I critiqued a work inline (one can point out errors and suggest modifications word by word in this format). When I completed and looked back at the homepage, I had received an inline critique on a story I had submitted. I am grateful to everyone who critiqued the story. They showed me the errors and suggested some of the things I had never in my mind. When I ended reading the critiques, one thing became clear: We tend to turn a blind eye to our errors, while we tend to point out other people’s mistakes.*

I think it is our inherent nature that makes us able to show other people’s errors. Scribophile has helped utilize that inherent capacity for the growth of authors. And I am loving the irony in it.

*In Nepali we have a proverb:

आफ्नो आङको भैंसी नदेख्ने, अर्काको आङको चैँ जुम्रा पनि देखाउने !

Transliteration: Aafno aang ko bhaisi na dekhne, arka ko aang ko chai jumra pani dekhaaune.
Translation (literal):

One does not see a buffalo on their body but shows lice on other’s bodies. (Excuse my translation!)

The Faults in our God

By Sandeept

On August 29, 2016

In Blogging, Philosophical, Writing

It is said sinful to put a debate on God. May I be punished for the sins I will be doing here!

The question I think of often, “Did God create us or did We create gods?” There are ample evidences for the latter while there is a huge amount of speculation for the former. Yet people seem to believe in some supreme force that governs them. There are also people who dare to challenge the Divine Authority. I find myself in the middle.

How can someone be in the middle of believing and not believing God? You might be thinking. Well, that’s where I am. Sometimes I believe in God so much that every inexplicable/unexplained thing becomes Divinity. Take the origin of life (not evolution), for example. Sometimes I doubt God so much that every progress in human-induced. For example, the technological progress is the best thing humans (especially the Western World) have done. I am really confused about the existence of God.

But in the Geeta, God is said to “exist and not exist” at the same time, that God is “as small as microbes and as huge as universe”, that God is both “the creator and the destroyer Himself”. If God preaches duality, maybe I am following his path of duality at the moment. Maybe it is that fault I am unwilling to accept.

God is said to balance both Good and Evil within Himself. He is said to possess both physicality as well as spirituality and he is said to create everything visible and invisible (let’s not get into destruction right now). So, we should possess both the Good and Evil within us. We should have similar physicality and spirituality as that of God; that we should be able to tell right from wrong. And we should be able to tell differences between God and god.

You might have recognized that I have been writing “God” and “god” in different senses. If not; by God, I am talking about the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent and the Omniscient Being: the “Creator”. By gods, I mean the ones created by Humans. To God, death is “soul changing its body” like we change our clothes. (Hence, no emotions!) To a god, death is emotional. Shiva mourning for Sati is an example. A god is driven by passion, like Indra seducing Ahilya. And God is not jealous as Indra envies kings.

But I am confused again. If God created us and if We have created gods; and if we have all qualities of God and god have all our features, aren’t gods the same as God? Shouldn’t God be as emotional, as passionate and as jealous (if not more) as us and our gods? Are the faults in me (or those in God) confusing me?

Hold My Hand

By Sandeept

On July 9, 2016

In Love, Poetry, Writing

Boy:

An enormous mountain stands before my eyes

But it can not hold me back

Neither can I be bound by the ties

My life has made to yours.

I’ve crossed thousands of rivers;

I’ve passed through mountains;

I’ve climbed over them

To behold the beauty on the other side.

I’ve done them all alone.

Always, I’ve been on myself.

Don’t you be sad

That you have to stay back;

I’ll return

Before fate turns bad.

Girl:

I can’t let you go alone!

Your steps have been hindered

By this mountain once.

A lone traveller you were then;

You lost your bearings,

And when you finally came

To a clearing,

You were half-alive.

My father and I brought you here

And you got back half your life.

Through ceremonious ties,

We’ve been bound.

Don’t say you want to leave me alone;

Don’t climb that mountain without me;

Don’t cross rivers on yourself.

For we’ve sworn:

“Through all places and times

We shall never be apart.”

Boy:

You’re true, dear.

And you’ve made it clear

That I can’t forever travel alone.

I need a partner

With whom I can climb the mountains;

With whom I can cross the streams;

With whom I can share my pains,

Dreams.

Hold my hand,

Come with me.

I can confidently face anything

When you’re beside me.

(P.S.: The concept for this poem came through a dream and my upcoming novel “Quest”.)

Translation Fun: What is Diuri in English?

By Sandeept

On June 20, 2016

In Blogging, Nepali, Words, Writing

One question bothered me recently: What do we call diuri in English?

When we want some words, phrases and sentences translated, Google Translate is a useful tool. I had discovered its virtues while I was learning French last year and had tried to understand some German sentences a little earlier. It had helped me clear some doubts on the initial stages of French-studies.

An image showing a diuri — *Source :* *www.beka-cookware.com*

In Nepal, we often use a diuri to prepare tea, to boil water milk, pulse, and so on. A diuri is a utensil with its height little less than its diameter and a single handle. I was writing a story in English, and it was essential to include the utensil in the plot. So, I went to the Google Translate website and typed in the Nepali name. I was shocked by the translation.

It said “wetted“. And I knew it was wrong. No utensil could have been named wetted in English. So, I left the website and googled the names of utensils used for cooking. I redirected myself to Wikipedia. The list of utensils was surprising; and I went through the list and found two possible solutions. I had to confirm them.

Before I had entered Wikipedia, I had tweeted the question. Because my Tweets are linked to my Facebook, I expected to get answers on Facebook as well. I did get the answer from Suraj Nepal, who was a batch senior in my school. His answer confirmed what I had guessed.

Diuri (दिउरी) in English is called saucepan.

It’s not that the utensil cannot be used to prepare sauce and pickles but if you have to prepare tea, what word for the utensil would be the most suitable? A tea-pot!

[P.S.: I have joined the Google Translate Community and I’m contributing the words I can translate. It’s fun and challenging at the same time.
But I am still wondering if there is just a single word in English for “diuri”.
Also, this post has not been sponsored either by Google Translate or any cookware company.]

Looking at the Negative Side of Things

By Sandeept

On June 2, 2016

In Blogging, Humans and Humanity, Inspirational, Writing

Nothing in this world is perfect, including us. If we were perfect, we did would be so. Sometimes, I doubt even in the perfection of God. That story will be shared soon. However, this story is on the imperfection of humans, their creations and creativity.

I was brought into the reality of imperfection by an e-mail. Well, it was a regular notifying mail from Quora, a fantastic site where you can ask, pass and answer questions. That day, the question I was notified of was, “What do you think are the weakest points of the Harry Potter series?” (Something like that. I don’t exactly remember.)

I ignored at first. Though I believed that the Harry Potter series could have flaws, I thought knowing the weaknesses would just take the fun away. But there is another thing that makes one do something, even when you do not want it to push you. Yeah, I am talking about curiosity. Curiosity made me dive into the ocean of imperfection.

From the connection between the Muggles and the Magical Worlds to the mathematical mistakes, from absurd Quidditch scoring to clumsy and witches and wizards all were included in the flaws of the series. One answer even pointed out that the horcruxes which become the central theme, aren’t introduced until the sixth book. “Looks like the series evolved on the go,” some had said.

By the end of that session on flaws of the Harry Potter series, I didn’t find myself being drained out of fun. Instead, I was looking at the negative side of the world’s best selling series and was saying to myself, “If I ever write a fantasy fiction, I will be careful not to make mistakes Rowling made.”

What more, I surfed the web searching the real negative criticisms on the Harry Potter series. Not only that, I came to know that even Tolkien was criticized for the Lord of the Rings. The last in the list of criticism was Amish Tripathi, whose Shiva Trilogy I had recently read.

I have also been reading negative book reviews on Goodreads recently (as eagerly as the positive ones). I have learnt that nothing is 100% perfect. That there is still some flaw even in the best of things humans do. So, why do I need to worry if I make some mistake? A mistake can be an opportunity for correction. A chance to make things better. (Even if not absolutely perfect.)

I have also understood that in life, perfection is not achievable but passion is. The passionate artists I mentioned above are the role models of those who want to do something new. They are the epitome of success. But they are also humans and they also make mistakes. Embrace their imperfections. It will make you happy. And next time you read anything or do anything, look at their negative sides. Next time you rate something (a book, a movie, music, an app, or anything), do not rate them to perfection. (Also, never rate them below average. There could be some positive in the worst work you believe. The creator might be discouraged by low ratings because it is their work that allows you to rate them.) You might have overlooked the flaws and the creator may not get an opportunity to improve.