Saturday, October 27, 2007

Quiet Kathmandu!

Of course, we had to celebrate this Dashain too with no water, no gas and no petrol as usual. But this time there was more to it. Something new got added. Good or bad? Hard to say anything yet but the festive season made Kathmandu very quiet!

So quiet that it felt like an ancient Kathmandu has revealed itself once again to make us see what a beautiful city it is…quiet, calm and far from the maddening crowd. With half of the population of the city gone to celebrate Dashain in their own countryside home it was hard to find any shops opened, had to walk miles to find another soul walking in the road and with very few vehicles running, no traffic, no horns and no pollution, Kathmandu felt like not-Kathmandu.

Usually our capital city Kathmandu means centralized economy, centralized population and centralized government of the country. It is the most crowded place, talk about pollution and you end up finding every kind of pollution discovered in the world and something more on it. There is shortage of everything in all seasons of the year. And yet we are so used to the life in it that it feels weird when it is quiet, calm and less polluted.

But who knows, quietness could have different faces!

At the time when I was being frightened with its quietness and the loneliness; and when every Nepali were busy with their celebration mood for the festival our government had the flashback. As history proves, from the takeover of Bhaktapur city by Prithvi Narayan Shah that in festive mood, Nepali can accept things that are not usually accepted in the usual times without a rage shown in streets. The idea was re-discovered six years ago by then King Gyanendra by declaring his son Paras as a Crown Prince during this same festive season. As expected, people did not protest it much as it would have been if it was in other usual times. So, the present government which is said to be formed out of the great people's movement in 2006 but in actual was born out of ruined womb of monarchism (more conformed after the Prime Minister's shown love towards King in very diplomatic words clearly declaring his views of Nepalese public as IDIOTS!) followed the same idea what Gyanendra had re-discovered and made full use of it.

The result - price hiking of petrol, lubricants and gas!

Of course this was done very quietly when Kathmandu is still very quiet.

My salutations to our Government! Though it can not come up with own ideas it very smartly follows other's ideas. All of my appreciations! But, as the good and loyal citizen I must say though the idea of using the quietness and celebration mood of the festival is highly appreciable, Quietness and Calmness is NOT always good. Every one of us has heard about the calmness felt in air before storm comes. If anybody does not agree with this saying; don't go too far for example, just look at the fate of Monarchism in our country.

It is still quiet here in Kathmandu so the finale result has not come yet. Wait till festive season is over and also let every youths come back to Kathmandu valley. Then the finale result of this quietness we are feeling right now will erupt, in what form it is hard to say.

But, mark my words, please! Finale result is yet to come and frighteningly it seems it is not going to be very good sight!!!

Mushroom hunters

foraging mushrooms with my dad in Jhumlawang It was a good day. Sun and cloud were playing hide and seek creating a  komorebi  (sunbeam)effe...