How Anthropology changed me

I grew up in a small town of Rajbiraj in Saptari. Growing up in a neighborhood that had a mix of Bahun, Newar and Madheshi, I was fortunate to witness the diverse cultural practices since my childhood. Since each caste/ethnic group has its own set of rituals and music, I was fascinated by the varieties that there were and curious about how people living so close to each other could be so different.

Being born into a traditional Bahun family, I also witnessed firsthand the discriminatory practices based on caste and gender. I always questioned my elders regarding various practices that there were and was what anyone would call a 'rebellious' child. I would always question my parents why I was supposed to do certain chores while my brothers remained seated. I would be easily annoyed when someone said girls are not supposed to do certain things or should act certain ways. I would ask my grandfather why rice cooked in milk was okay to be accepted from other caste/ethnic groups while the same thing cooked in water wasn’t. And I asked these questions when I was not even a teenager.

My fascination and curiosity of cultural difference and discrimination stayed with me when I left Rajbiraj to come to Kathmandu after completing my SLC. I accept that being raised in a traditional Bahun household had ingrained judgment towards other cultural practices and many a times, I felt like my cultural practices were right and others were doing it wrong. Let's say, for example, the practice of serving meat during funerary /mortuary rituals or making offering of eggs at temples. That was a cultural shock I experienced after coming to Kathmandu. Although these practices were done by other ethnic groups back home, I had never had a chance to experience them closely.

I am talking about these experiences just to give a picture of what my childhood was like and how it influenced my choice of subject and career.

I started my higher secondary education in Kathmandu and have stayed here ever since. It was during my Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and Journalism that I became familiar with Anthropology although it was only introduction, its scope and relations with sociology. Because of my childhood interest in the diversity of culture and rituals and Anthropology being the study of culture, I enrolled into Central Department of Anthropology at Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Sociology/Anthropology back then, in the year 2014 for my Master's Degree. I received Suman Rijal Padak for being the highest scorer in Master's Degree in Anthropology although I had failed in one subject in Bachelor's and was not what you would call a 'regular' student. I had a star mark on my BA transcript and then I received a medal in shape of a star for my Master's degree.

The courses like Kinship Studies, Anthropology of Religion, Linguistic Anthropology, Anthropology of Nepal and the Himalayas and Caste and Ethnicity in Nepal, among others, helped me understand better and respect the rich cultural and ethnic diversity and heritages of my country. Through Medical Anthropology, I was able to understand how our cultural practices shapes our health seeking behavior and how important it is to give consideration to one's culture in every aspect of life whether it is health behavior, education, development, business or social relationships.

I believe that studying anthropology for two years have changed me into a different person, one who is more humble and respectful towards other culture and critical of one's own. It has made me understand the richness of cultural diversity, changed my perspective of looking at things and therefore, helped me grow into a better person. Now, I do not just look at what happened but also ask why it happened or why someone is acting the way they are.

On the occasion of World Anthropology Day, I wanted to share my experiences and how I am grateful towards my discipline for making me the person I am today. I strongly believe that it is a subject that everyone should study because it is not just one's career that Anthropology could change but also their thoughts and perception and make them into a better, more tolerant and humble human being as I became, with few exceptions, of course.

मलाई एउटा श्रीमती चाहियो

म त्यो वर्गमा पर्छु जसलाई श्रीमती भनिन्छ | म एउटी श्रीमती हुँ | र, संयोगवस् होइन, म एउटी आमा हुँ |

हालसालै मेरो एक पुरुष साथी भेट भयो जसको भर्खरै डिभोर्स भएको छ | उनको एउटा बच्चा थियो जो पक्कै उनकी पूर्वश्रीमती सँग छ | उनी स्वाभाविकै अर्की श्रीमतीको खोजीमा छन् | एक साँझ आइरन गरिरहेको बेला उनलाई सम्झिए र अचानक मेरो पनि एउटा श्रीमती भए हुन्थियो भन्ने मलाई लाग्यो | मलाई किन श्रीमती चाहियो?

म फेरी स्कूल जान चाहन्छु जसले गर्दा म आर्थिक रुपमा आत्मनिर्भर भई, आफू र परेको खण्डमा आफूमाथि निर्भर हुनेहरुलाई हेर्न सकूँ | मलाई यस्ती श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले कमाएर मलाई स्कूल पाठाओस् | र जब म स्कूल जान थाल्छु, मेरी श्रीमतीले मेरो छोराछोरीको हेरचाह गरोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले बच्चाहरुलाई डाक्टर र डेन्टिस्टकोमा लाने समयको ख्याल राखोस् अनि, मेरो पनि | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरा छोराछोरीहरुको खानपिन र सरसफाईको ध्यान राखोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले छोराछोरीको लुगा धोएर राम्ररी राखोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो छोराछोरीको राम्रो पालनपोषण गरोस्, उनीहरुको स्कूल जाने व्यवस्था, उनीहरुको साथीभाईहरुसंग सामाजिक जीवनको व्यवस्था, उनीहरुलाई पार्क, चिडियाखाना लैजाने गरोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले बच्चाहरु बिरामी हुँदा उनीहरुको हेरचाह गरोस्, एउटी श्रीमती जसले बच्चाहरुलाई विशेष हेरचाह चाहिएको बेला उनीहरु सँगै हुने व्यवस्था मिलाओस् किनभने मैले स्कूलमा क्लास छोड्न मिल्दैन नि | मेरी श्रीमतीले आफ्नो जागिर नगुमाई केहि समय बिदा बस्ने छोड्न सक्ने व्यवस्था मिलाउनु पर्छ | त्यसले मेरी श्रीमतीको कमाईमा बेलाबेलामा केहि कटौती होला तर म त्यति सहन सक्छु जस्तो लाग्छ | भनिरहनु नपर्ला कि मेरी श्रीमतीले आफू काम गर्न जाँदा बच्चाहरुको रेखदेखको व्यवस्था र खर्च मिलाउने छ |

मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो शारीरिक आवश्यकताहरुको ध्यान राखोस् | मलाई एउटी  श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो घर सफा राखोस् | एउटी श्रीमती जसले मैले जथाभावी छोडेका कुराहरु ठेगानमा राखोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो लुगाहरु सफा, आईरन गरेर, मिलाएर, परेको खण्डमा बदलेर राखोस् र जसले मेरो सबै व्यक्तिगत समानहरु तिनीहरुको यथास्थानमा रखिदियोस् जसले गर्दा मलाई चाहिने कुरा चाहिने बित्तिकै मैले भेटौँ | मलाई श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले खाना पकाओस्, एउटी श्रीमती जो राम्रो कुक होस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले खानको मेन्यु बनाओस्, चाहिने सरसमान किनोस्, खान तयार गरोस्, खुशीसाथ पस्कियोस् र त्यसपछि सफाई गरोस् त्यतिबेला म पढ्न बस्नेछु | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ  जसले म बिरामी हुँदा मेरो हेरचाह गरोस् र मेरो पीडा र स्कुलको छुटेको समयप्रति सहानुभूति राखोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जो हाम्रो पारिवारले छुट्टी मनाउदा सँगै जाओस् जसले गर्दा मलाई आराम र ठाँऊ परिवर्तन चाहिएको बेला कसैले मेरो र मेरो बच्चाहरुको निरन्तर हेरचाह गर्न सकोस् |

मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मलाई श्रीमतीको कर्तव्यबारे गनगन गरेर दिक्क नलगाओस् | तर मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो पढाईको क्रममा मैले अनुभव गरेको गाह्रो कुरा व्यक्त गर्न मन लागेको बेला मेरो कुरा सुनोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मैले लेखिसकेपछि मेरा पेपरहरु मेरा लागी टाईप गरोस् |

मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो सामाजिक जीवनको ध्यान राखोस् | जब म र मेरी श्रीमती मेरो साथीहरुद्वारा बाहिर आमन्त्रित हुन्छौँ, म चाहन्छु एउटी श्रीमती जसले बच्चाहरुलाई हेर्ने मान्छेको व्यवस्था गरोस् | जब म स्कूलमा मलाई मान्न पर्ने मान्छेहरु भेट्छु र उनीहरुलाई मनोरन्जन गराउन चाहन्छु, म चाहन्छु एउटी श्रीमती जसले घर सफा राखोस्, विशेष परिकार बनाओस्, म र मेरो साथीहरुलाई पस्कियोस् र मेरो र मेरो साथीहरुको रुचिको विषयहरुमा मैले कुरा गर्दा मलाई बीचमा नरोकोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले बच्चाहरुलाई मेरो पाहुना आउनु अगाडी नै ख्वाईओरी सुताओस् जसले गर्दा बच्चाहरुले हामीलाई दुख नदिउन् |

र मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसलाई थाहा होस् कि कहिलेकाहीं मलाई एक्लै एक रात बाहिर बस्न पनि आवश्यक छ |  

मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जो मेरो यौन आवश्यकता प्रति संवेदनशील होस्, एउटी श्रीमती जसले मलाई मन लागेको बेला जोश र उत्सुकताका साथ मलाई माया गरोस्, एउटी श्रीमती जसले मलाई सन्तुष्ट बनाओस् | र स्वाभाविकै, मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले मेरो मुड नभएको बेला मसँग शारीरिक सम्बन्धको माग नराखोस् | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले गर्भ निरोध सम्बन्धी सम्पूर्ण जिम्मेवारी लियोस् किनभने मलाई धेरै बच्चाहरु चाहिन्दैन | मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जो मसँग यौनिक रुपमा इमान्दार रहोस् जसले गर्दा मैले मेरो बौद्धिक जीवनलाई इर्ष्याले अव्यवस्थित गर्नु नपरोस् | र मलाई एउटी श्रीमती चाहिएको छ जसले यो बुझोस् कि मेरो यौन आवश्यकताहरु एकपत्नी नियमको कडा पालना भन्दा अलि बाहिर जान्छ | म, जे भएपनि, मान्छेहरुसँग सक्दो सम्पूर्ण रुपमा घुलमिल हुन सक्नुपर्छ |

यदि, सम्भवत, मैले अर्को मान्छे, जो मेरी श्रीमती हुन मेरी अहिलेकि श्रीमती भन्दा अझै लायककि छ, भेट्टाएँ भने मेरी अहिलेकि श्रीमतीलाई अर्की सँग बदलिने म स्वतन्त्रता चाहन्छु | स्वाभाविकै म एउटा नयाँ जीवनको अपेक्षा राख्छु; मेरी श्रीमतीले छोराछोरी लगोस् र उनीहरुकोलागी नितांत एकलै जिम्मेवार होस् ताकी म स्वतन्त्र रहन सकूँ |

जब म स्कूल सकेर जागिर खान थाल्छु, म चाहन्छु कि मेरी श्रीमतीले काम छोडेर घरमै बसोस् जसले गर्दा मेरी श्रीमतीले अझै पूर्ण र सम्पूर्ण रुपमा एउटी श्रीमतीको कर्तव्य पुरा गर्न सकोस् |

हे भगवान्, श्रीमती कसलाई चाहिन्दैन होला?

प्रस्तुत लेख सन् १९७१ को निऊ योर्क पत्रिकामा प्रकाशित जुडी (साईफर्स) ब्राडीको "आई वान्ट अ वाईफ' को अनौपचारिक अनुवाद हो | ४९ वर्षपछि पनि उत्तिकै सान्दर्भिक महसुस भएकोले यसको अनुवाद गरेको हुँ | हामीले वास्तवमै कति परिवर्तन ल्याएछौँ भन्ने कुरा यो लेख पढेर मनन् गर्नुहोला | 

To read original article in English, go to: 

https://www.thecut.com/2017/11/i-want-a-wife-by-judy-brady-syfers-new-york-mag-1971.html

आमा तिमी देवी नबन

मान्छेलाई पृथ्वीमा जन्म भगवानले दिए भनेर होला आमा तिमीलाई भगवान माने

तर आमा तिमी भगवान नबन, तिमी देवी नबन

तिमी पनि मान्छे नै हौ, तिमी मान्छे नै बन |

तिमीलाई सबैले मिलेर देवी बनाए, पुज्य बनाए, तिमीलाई स्तम्भ माथि लगेर राखे

यति माथि राखे कि तिमी तल हेर्न पनि डरायौ, ओर्लिन पनि सकेनौ

तिमीलाई त्याग र बलिदानको उदाहरण बनाए, निस्वार्थ र अविरल प्रेमको सगर बनाए

तिमीलाई ममताकी खानी र वंशकी जननी बनाए

तिम्रालागि कथा, कविता र श्लोक रचना गरे

तिमीलाई यिनै रचनामा रम्न सिकाए

यसमै रुमल्याए |

आमा तिमी कति सोझी छौ

तिमीले यिनीहरुको चलाखी नै बुझिनौ

तिमीलाई महान बनाएर आमा, यिनीहरु मान्छे बनिरहे

तिमीलाई त्याग र बलिदानमा अल्झाएर आफु सपना र रहर पुरा गरिरहे

तिमी मेरै सेरोफेरो घुमीरहँदा उनीहरु संसार घुमे

तिमी मलाई पछ्याई रहेऊ, उनीहरु आफ्नो लक्ष्य पछ्याईरहे

तिमीलाई आमा बनाएर महान, पुज्य बनाए |

तर आमा तिमी कति सोझी

तिमी आमा बन्न व्यस्त हुँदा तिमीलाई मान्छे बन्नै दिएनन्

तिम्रो सपना, इच्छा, लक्ष्य तिमीलाई छोड्न बाध्य बनाए

आमा तिमीलाई देवीको नामको मिठाई दिएर तिमीसँग तिम्रो जीवन जिउनुको मिठास नै खोसिदिए

तिमीलाई सबै दुख हाँसेर सहन सिकाए

तिमीलाई जननी भनेर अल्मल्याएर आमा, तिम्रो पालनहार आफु बनिदिए

तिमीलाई पुज्य बनाएर आमा आफु शक्तिशालि बनिदिए

तिमीलाई देवी बनाएर आमा तिम्रो सबै मानव अधिकार खोसिदिए

त्यसैले आमा तिमी देवी नबन

तिमी पनि आम मान्छे जस्तै आफ्नो सपना, इच्छा र लक्ष्यको पछि लाग

तिमीले मेरा लागि आफ्नो रहर, सपनाहरु मरेको देखेर म खुशी हुन्न आमा

मलाई यो भारा नबोकाऊ आमा !

आमा, तिमीलाई देवी बनाए

तर आमा तिमी देवी नबन

तिमी पनि मान्छे हौ, मान्छे नै बन

तिमी त्याग र बलिदानको उदाहरण नबन,

आफ्नो इच्छा, चाहना, सपना नमार,

मेरा लागी त नमार !

यसको अडियो सुन्नका लागी यो लिंकमा जानुहोस्: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_A7Icb433A

एक लघुकथा

बिहान उठेर मुख धोएर यसो कोठामा पसेको चिया त खाट छेउको टेबुलमा आएर बसिरहेको रछ | फोन चलाउदै थिए भोक लागे जस्तो भयो, टाईम हेरेको १० बजेछ अनि भान्सामा पसे, त्यहाँ पनि टेबुलमा तात्तातो खानाले मलाई नै पर्खीराखेको रछ | मैले भात खाईसकेर हात हुने उठेको मात्र के थिए, त्यो मैले खाना खाको थाल पनि पछिपछि लागेर आयो |  साबुन हामफालेर थालमा गयो अनि नाच्न थाल्यो  | आँफै धारा खुल्यो अनि थाल धारा मुनि नुहाउन थाल्यो | मैले खासै वास्ता नगरी आफ्नो कोठातिर पसे त्यहाँ पनि अचम्म तालले मेरो खाटको तन्ना तन्किदै रछ अनि ओड्ने पनि पट्टीएर आफ्नो ठाउँमा बस्दै रैछ | म दङ्ग पर्दै त्यो मिलेको खाटमा लडे | त्यतिबेलै कुच्चो नाच्दै मेरो कोठा आइपुग्यो अनि कुनाकाप्चा चिहाउदै धुलो निकाल्न थाल्यो | मैले धुलो उडायो भनेर गाली पनि गरें त्यसलाई | धुलो र मैले खाएको चकलेटको खोललाई लखेट्दै खै कता पो पुर्यायो होला मैले खासै चासो देखाईन, मेरो कोठाबाट चाहिं बाहिर निकाल्यो, मलाई त्यति भए पुग्यो |

ट्वाइलेट जान खोजेको थिए, मेरा लुगाहरुले त बाटो पो छेकेर पालैसँग नुहाउदै रछन् | रिसले मुर्मुरिदै बाहिर निस्किन लगाए, मलाई ट्वाइलेट जो जानुथियो, उनीहरुको के काम छ र एकछिनमा नुहाए पनि त हुन्छ ! म टिभी हेर्न अर्को कोठामा गएँ, त्यहाँ बाट कुच्चो खुरुरु कुदेर बाहिर गयो, फेरी मेरो गाली खान्छु भनेर होला | टिभीमा पनि केहि राम्रो लागेन र फेरी आफ्नै कोठामा पसे | पानी पिउन मनलग्यो मात्र के भनेको थिए, एउटा गिलास खुरुरु कुदेर छेउमा टक्क अडियो | मैले पानी पिएपछि फेरी फर्केर गयो |

मैले ल्यापटप खोले र फिल्म हेर्न थालेँ | एकछिन पछि भोक लागे जस्तो भयो र म रिसले कराउन के लागेको थिए, मलाई मनपर्ने खाजा अनि चिया बोकेर एउटा किस्ती आतिन्दै आइपुग्यो | आज खाजा ढिलो ल्यायो नि त त्यसैले डराको होला बिचरो | मैले खाजा खाईसकेपछि फेरी त्यो किस्ती भाँडा बोकेर बाहिर निस्कियो | म फेरी फिल्म हेर्न थाले, मलाई अरुले के गर्दैछन्, के गर्न लागेका छन् भनेर चासो दिने फुर्सद कहाँ छ र?

तातो घिऊको मिठो बास्नाले भान्सा तिर जाऊँजाऊँ भएर भान्सा पसेको, टेबुलमा तात्तातो भात मलाई नै कुर्दै रछ | भात खाएर कोठामा पसेर गेम खेल्दै थिए कसैले ढोका ढकढकाए जस्तो लग्यो | ढोका खुल्लै भको थाहापाएर होला बिहान नुहाएका एक थाक लुगाहरु सरक्क पट्टिएर कोठामा आए अनि थपक्क दराज खोलेर भित्र पसे अनि ढोका लगाए | मैले खासै ध्यान दिईन किनभने मलाई अरुको चासो छैन |

आज त फेसबुक नै चलाको छैन भनेर सम्झे र खोले | सब साथीहरु कोहि खाने, कोहि फिल्म हेर्ने, कोहि किताब पढ्ने भनेर बसेका रछन् | केटासाथीहरु अल्छी लाग्यो कहिले लकडाउन सकिन्छ भनेर लेख्दैथिए, केटिहरु मिठो-मिठो परिकारको फोटो हाल्दै थिए | कसरी फुर्सद पाउँदाहुन्? मेरा घरका महिलाहरु त दिनभरी केहि काम नगरी बस्छन् र पनि यस्तो केहि पकाउने बनाउने जाँगर चलाउदैनन् | एकछिन सम्झेर रिसाए अनि रिसको सुरमा कतिबेला निदाएँछु थाहै पाईन |

लकडाउन भएदेखि पितृसत्ताको दिनचर्या यसरी नै बितिरहेको छ |

Living with Menstruation

The coverage of menstruation in national dailies today is a little different compared to other days since today being Menstrual Hygiene Day, the write ups are more like features rather than news on deaths as a result of staying in menstrual hut. Although this is a respite, the discussions on existence and continuation of taboos and stigma are no less frustrating.

My Facebook page is no different with my female friends sharing information about awareness on menstrual health and hygiene and how we should break the taboo or how menstruation is special and should be treated like that. Even though I agree that the taboo and stigma attached with menstruation should be ended, I am not so sure about calling it special. It is natural, biological and yes it is normal and I strongly believe that it should be left at being just that. NORMAL. Anything else might get us back to fighting again just under a different circumstance (I will get to this part later).

The restrictions that are imposed may vary across person, family, ethnicity, religion and place although some sort of restrictions may seem to be present in all, for instance, restriction on cooking and/or communal dining or participating in religious rituals. I, for one, am no exception and have been living under most of these restrictions (refraining from cooking, sitting together on the dining table with entire family, going to a temple and participating in religious events) since the day I first bled. However, there are times when I have breached a majority of these restrictions, unfortunately without the knowledge of most of my family members at the time. I did, however, tell them about some of these breaches which the elder generation did not approve.

Born and raised in a traditional Bahun family, I have experienced living in isolation for over a week during my first menstruation to not being allowed into the kitchen and puja room (the later two lasts until today). The family I am married to is no different when it comes to following these 'traditions' and both my families take pride in preserving and practicing our 'sanskar'. Although I do not believe in the consequences that may result from not following menstrual taboos, I oblige by them, like most of my female counterparts, to avoid the conflict in the family. 

Over the years, the breaches I had made assured me that there are no serious or evil consequences that befalls on my family if I do not obey the 'rules of menstruation' and yet I fail, time and again, to convince my family of leaving behind these age old practices. I fall flat in even convincing myself to break a couple of these restrictions which involves the worship of the unseen, the ancestors and the gods. Even though I have entered a temple whilst I bled, I have never been to a puja or an ancestral ritual. There is the years of teaching that my subconscious mind have registered so well that it pulls back my hand when I move forward to touch the 'god'. 

When it comes to menstruation and its rules, most logic do not seem to play. I do not get answers for why I cannot do this or that, rather my queries are brushed aside in the name of practiced tradition or what we call chaliaaeko parampara. At times when it takes a while for me to convince myself of doing something or breaking one rule or another, it is no way possible for me to expect others to leave the practice behind. It will take time, a long time indeed and we have to be patient with them. One thing that I have learned in past few years is that sometimes quietly disobeying is far better and effective than arguing, however, that does not mean we should stop speaking up for ourselves or putting forth our ideas. It is just that we should learn when to speak up and when to stay quiet but not give-in.  

Coming back to the idea of whether menstruation should be left at being normal or should be celebrated for being special, I strongly believe leaving it normal could be a better choice, considering it special or celebrating it may risk bringing it back into the discussion of sacred and profane, pure and impure that we have spent years fighting against though the position may be different. But would not it be better if menstruation was just a natural process, nothing more, nothing less?

Will to fly

I, 

a lively soul, 

full of light and desire to take a flight, 

to aim high and fly up above, above the boundaries, the walls that's set up around me, 

walls to hold me, to restrain me, to hold me down to stop me from flying, 

boundaries, seen boundaries, unseen boundaries, boundaries set for me, a girl, a daughter, a woman, a lover, 

I was born free or so I thought and what a fool I was to think I could ever be free, 

free of these unseen boundaries, 

the boundaries of culture, of traditions and life, of life of a daughter, a sister, a lover, a wife, a mother and million other person that I had to be. 

My wings are tied and nearly clipped, 

I see the feathers lying around me of my wings, my lovely wings that I was born with or so I thought, 

I see it spread all over the place, feathers, white lovely feathers, now covered in red, 

red, the color of passion, of rage and anger but is it anger that I feel or is it pain that I see, 

in those feathers, the lovely white feathers which now bleed, just like me 

and I cry, I cry and scream and try to break free 

but the chains get tighter and tighter holding me. 

Will I ever be free the way I thought I was born to be?

Understanding Hygiene

The practice of open defecation is still prevalent in many parts of the country despite efforts to raise awareness about health and sanitation practices and the creation of open defecation free (ODF) areas. The government has not been able to meet the target of achieving 100 percent ODF status, and at the same time, there are many challenges involved in the task. According to the 2016 report of the National WASH Coordination Committee, 38 of the country’s 75 districts remain to be declared as ODF areas; but the figure could have decreased as we approach the end of the National Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan 2011-17. The problem, however, lies not in the delay in meeting the target but the way the project is being implemented.

Alien concepts

The government has built public and private toilets in many villages and municipalities across the country with the help of donor agencies and non-governmental organisations, but it has yet to make people aware of the importance of healthy sanitation practices. Most of the public toilets are in a sorry state—some have broken doors, others are missing taps, some have broken sinks and some lack a water supply. One of the most common problems is the stink that pervades the public toilets and nearby areas. And apart from the lack of water, lack of knowledge among the people about using the available resources properly is another hitch. 

For those who have never seen a toilet before, the facility is not only alien, the concept too is equally strange. During my stay in different villages in both the Eastern and Western regions of Nepal, I came across many people who did not have toilets and but also came across many who did have them in their houses. Most of the toilets had been built less than five to six years ago with the aid of external agents and government and non-governmental organisations working for the improvement of sanitation and health. People in the Tarai who did not have toilets in their houses practiced open defecation in the fields and grasslands. When asked whether there were toilets around, they would casually say no. If anyone in the village had a toilet, they would point in the direction of the house.

People who had recently constructed toilets, whether in the Tarai or in the hills, would rattle off their importance the way NGOs had taught them. It is similar to what we call ‘suga-ratai’ in Nepal. They say, “You should not defecate in open spaces because that will spread diseases and you should also wash your hands after going to the toilet.” However, this is limited to words and not seen in practice. The people have built toilets because it was made compulsory and because they were given money to build them, not because they understood their importance. I am not trying to belittle the efforts of those who have constructed toilets after understanding their need and importance on their own. What I am trying to say is that in order to ensure that the project is implemented properly, it is essential for the people at whom it is targeted to understand its importance and to convince them to use the facilities.

Changing minds

One way to do that would be by setting an example. Keeping the toilets in hospitals and private and public service offices clean could be a start. How will people know about proper maintenance of toilets if they only see stinking, dirty and messy toilets everywhere they go? After that comes regular monitoring of every toilet used by the public—both those in public stalls and in private hotels, restaurants, malls and shopping centres—by municipal and health offices to make sure that they are not violating any health and sanitation standards. This isn’t as difficult as it may sound, and also no additional department might be required since it falls under the work policy and responsibility of the Sanitation and Sewer Section of the Water Supply and Environment Division under the Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation. All that is needed is a little extra effort in monitoring and evaluating the sanitation condition in different places for which it can mobilise its local bodies.

In addition, open defecation should be completely stopped, and this has to be strictly implemented for passengers on long route vehicles too. As long as vehicles are allowed to stop in the jungle to allow the bus crew and passengers to relieve themselves in the open, the concept of an open defecation free Nepal may not be completely accepted. One hurdle to banning vehicles from stopping in the jungle or open spaces for that purpose is the lack of public toilets on the highways. However, if we are to achieve the goal of an ODF Nepal, we need to start working on constructing toilets along the highways, especially in places where there are no establishments like petrol pumps, hotels or shops. 

Finally, raising awareness is always useful and necessary because without understanding why one is doing something, it would be no different than ‘suga-ratai’. The only difference here would be doing something without understanding the reason instead of repeating words and sentences. Sanitation habits should be made a practice coming from awareness rather than through imitation.

Published: 03/11/2017, The Kathmandu Post

http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-11-03/understanding-hygeine.html

Shopping is fun

I hated shopping!

The crowd, tiring walks down the alleys, running from one shop to another and the long drives on microbuses or tempos gave me repulsive feelings towards shopping. When anyone asked me to accompany them for their trip to the market, I drove them off with an excuse or two. I hated the idea of what I call the ‘aftermath’ of shopping.

Tired eyes, swollen feet and the unbearable headache as the result of the day spent running around in the heat going over and over to the similar stores in search of one good tee shirt or a pair of jeans or that comfy shoe that your friend got for her. The whole idea of going round and round the same block looking for one thing or other has always gone beyond my head. I always wondered what motivates people to shop, especially those who go to each and every store in the market trying out each and every item and still at the end of the day finding nothing satisfactory to them. It is all too time consuming. The whole concept of going on shopping at the market seems pointless to me. These aftermaths made me hate shopping despite the fact that I love pampering myself by buying things. Well, not anymore!

Shopping has been made easy and I do not have to worry anymore about the ‘aftermath’ of shopping, all thanks to the online shopping portals established recently in Nepal. Shopping had never been so easy and effective and yet, time and money saving. Now I can get anything I want just with a click of a finger.

One of the major benefits of online shopping is that it saves time. Rather than going out from one shop to another, you can simply browse through pages looking for your desired product. Once you find it, order it online and wait for it to be home delivered. If you fear about losing your money, then no need to worry as they provide you ‘cash on delivery’ service by which you can pay for the product after you receive it. Moreover, if you do not like the product or think that it isn’t what you had ordered, you could also return it. As I said, shopping had never been so easy and convenient.

One of the most popular online shopping applications, popular not only in Nepal but also at global scale, Kaymu has been getting much attention of online shoppers like me who would love shopping without all the hassles it comes with. It is easy and efficient and of course time saving. With the varieties of product that it offers, it is like entering into a shopping mall that could fit on your palm.

Whatever you want to buy, clothes, shoes, accessories or electronics, Kaymu is your partner for shopping. You can find a large variety of products at reasonable prices here. Also, it gives you the facility of getting information on the seller of the product. Moreover, if you want to sell your product, Kaymu could be your platform to reach larger number of customers.

At time when things are going digital, the online shopping portals act as virtual shopping malls where you do not have to be physically present to buy things that you desire. You can browse through the products selecting your favorite by sitting at your home, office, college or anywhere with good internet connection.

What if you need to attend a party in the evening but are stuck at your office until late? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to buy your desired gift without having to go out? Indeed! Online shopping with services as ‘free home delivery’ and ‘cash on delivery’ has come as respite to people who could not afford to spend time on shopping in the markets. Moreover, it is also a relief to the people like me who hated shopping because of its ‘aftermath’. 

Shopping had never been a pleasurable act for me before but not anymore. All I needed to do was download Kaymu mobile app and shop as much as I wanted browsing through the products and  buying the desired one. Now that I do not have to worry about the 'aftermath' of shopping, I have started to love it. Shopping is fun!

My entry as a cricket fan!

I had never been a cricket fan. Not once in my life had I ever watched a cricket match, let alone understand it. (The ones I went to during my school days don’t count as we were forced to go there by our school!) I still don’t understand it except for the basics that even a child would know (wickets down, fours and sixes, you know it). However, for the first time in my life, I had watched a CRICKET match with such an interest and excitement.

I was there, in front of the screen cheering for my country, praying for winning wickets and that grand victory that our team would get against Afghanistan. History is written today, indeed. It was the first time that Nepal beat Afghanistan. And it was the first time I had watched a cricket match with such excitement. Our boys proved that they can beat anyone when they make up their mind.

I feel sad that I couldn’t see them batting but their fielding was mind blowing. The excitement, the fear, the happiness, the stopping of heart at the opponent’s flying balls, the sigh of relief when run wasn’t given, the shouting when the wickets went down, the mixed feelings of joy, fear, pride, all rushing through my veins. How could I have been away from it for this long? Why hadn’t I ever experienced it before?

Well, I know the answer – our team had not played like this before! They hadn’t played World T20 before. They had not had such victory before! Nepali Cricket Team is what brought me into the world of Cricket. If it weren’t for Nepali Team, I might never have watched a cricket match! And I thank them for introducing me to this whole new world. The excitement and pride that I am feeling cannot be expressed in words. I don’t know what’s going on with me but I feel butterflies on my tummy. As silly as it may sound, I am actually feeling that!

So proud of Nepali Cricket Team! I wish for many more victories to come your way.

PS: If they can play this well without proper training and facilities, I can’t help but feel sorry for all those teams they could defeat if they are provided with similar training! Wishing for many more victories to come to their way! They deserve it all!

If only I was brave enough!

It was a lazy Saturday morning when I first saw her. A small beautiful thing, she touched my heart as soon as I saw her. She was not extraordinarily gorgeous but was beautiful indeed and surely very, very hungry as she ate a plate full of rice without stopping. Seeing her eat and lap up the water I gave her was a pleasure. I felt maybe I had found a small playmate for myself at this age, after all. However, my pleasure and happiness, like everything else, didn't last long.
Every morning before I went to office, I would feed her and every evening, when I returned back, she could come to our gate to receive me with curiosity and happiness. I could feel her excitement as she would come to me running hoping I would treat her with something different today. However, there wasn't much to give to her except different varieties of biscuits. It was a pleasure seeing her live such a carefree life. Eat, play and sleep. That was all she did and that was all she was required to do. She seemed happy and I was happy for her. I used to call her Chotu, until I realized her sex. So, I had just changed her name to Choti. Everything was fine for a week or so, until she did something that upset my landlady.

According to my landlady, she climbed up to her puja room on the third floor and messed it up. So this cold winter morning, my Choti had finished her meal and was comfortably sleeping under the warmth of the sun when the landlady came with a thick stick and starting beating her. Poor Choti cried so hard that made me jump. I heard her cry close to my room so I went towards my room to try to see her from there. But I couldn't see her. All I could hear was her cry for help, probably pleading me to come out and save her. When I finally got the courage to save her, I went outside. Only to see that the landlady was still waiting close to the open gate with a big stick on her hand to chase Choti out of there. As soon as the lady saw me, she started complaining about what Choti did. Her daughter-in-law added to it but all this time when they were complaining to me, my mind was thinking about Choti and how she must have felt. I went to see her and found her hiding in a corner where the landlady, probably fearing that Choti might attack, did not seem to go.
As soon as Choti saw me standing at the entrance, she started wagging her tail, as if to saw she was pleased to see me and that she trusted me to protect her. I signaled and she came running to me. She started to get all over my feet as if she was on the safest place on earth. I, however, did not know how to save her. I could not muster up the courage to fight for her. She was, after all, unpredictable and I could not assure our landlady that she would not cause any mess in any of her rooms anymore. With a heavy heart, I lifted her up and put her on the other side of the wall. She kept looking at me and all I could do was stare back at her with sad eyes and tousle her short furry body. I whispered her to run away and find a safe place somewhere. She was shivering in cold and I could not even provide her warmth. What right did I have to keep a pet if I couldn't even protect her?
As if sensing my sadness and understanding my word, my Choti ran away from me, the house and the landlady, who had now come closer to where Choti was. She went towards the back gate of the house and looked at me. At that moment, I felt I heard my heart break into pieces as I saw my Choti looking at me with sad eyes. I felt she was saying her final goodbye to me and then, just as she had come, she went away.

A walk down the memory lane - episode 2

When I see balloons, I go all childish. Even my friend comments me about my obsession with balloons. At the age of getting excited with new gadgets and latest fashion trends, I get excited by the sight of those lovely and colorful balloons. It is because those balloons touch a soft corner of my heart. They hold a special part of my life which is totally related to my childhood. It was my sister who, with HER obsession with balloons, instilled this feeling in me for those playful items. Balloons remind me of Dashain. As strange as it may seem, balloons were an integral part of our Dashain celebration. None of our Dashains were complete without balloons until my sister left the country. Ghatasthapana was the start of Dashain and balloons. The money we received from the ladies (mother, aunt and grandmother) of our house was all spent on the balloons of different color and structure. We were not allowed to keep money to ourselves and it was kind of a compulsion for us to buy a balloon with it. It was more like a tradition than compulsion and we wholeheartedly spent all those money on the colorful balloons. Even our parents were amazed at how many balloons we had at our home. There was this room, which was supposed to be filled with balloons by the end of the tenth day of Dashain. Round balloon, apple shaped balloon, heart shaped balloon, helium filled balloon, long stick like balloon, you name it and you would have found it in our room. It was like a balloon shop in itself. We were not to touch the balloon until the very last day. Whichever new shape/style balloon appeared on the mela was to be bought. It was the GOLDEN RULE. We were to buy the balloons of all styles, shapes, designs and possibly, all colors. All this was for one thing and only one: To take pictures with the balloons. As silly as it may sound, we actually did it and we did it every year for more than five years. It was an experience which I would like to relive. It might seem like craziness or even waste of money but it was a tradition which sadly, like many others, died along with time. There isn’t any room dedicated to balloons in our home anymore and neither do we buy balloons, except when it’s our kid sisters’ birthday or their demand. However, whenever I see a balloon, it becomes quite hard for me to resist the temptation of buying it and many times, I have ended up buying a balloon just for the sake of old times.

Joy of Writing

I had written before in newspaper and magazine but this time, it is different. I have been writing letters to the editor and some write-ups in light issues but always as just another reader. However, this was the first time I wrote officially as a reporter for a newspaper.

My first assignment as a reporter was on Fashion. I had to cover the recent trends in Kathmandu, what the Kathmanduities prefer to wear? Moving from one mall to another with a notebook and pen in hand and a camera hanging through my neck, showering the salesperson and costumers with bunch of questions did feel like being a reporter. Though it was a for feature, it was for a well established paper rather than our school magazines and wall journals.

While the report I presented went through the editing process, my heart beat so loud I was afraid everyone else were listening. It was approved and my heart beat even faster and this time with happiness. After all the formalities ended, it finally was ready for publishing.

The paper, however, took longer than I excepted to come in Nepal, as it was published from Europe. Nevertheless, the online edition was all set for update. The moment I saw my name in the report, I was spell bound. It was the most wonderful moment of my life. I was so happy that as soon as my report was updated on the official site of the paper, I shared the link on my Facebook status and tagged my family and friends. I believed it was the fastest way to share my joy with my loved ones.

April 1st

April first is back and with it the trend of making fools, too. However, this year I thought I won't fool anyone and I'll try to be safe myself. I was and am safe but I fooled someone. In my neighboring flat there is this kid who always irritates me with two questions "batti kaile aucha?" and "batti kaile jancha?" so I just thought why not fool him today? He asked me the same question just a couple of minutes before the outage and I replied him there will be no outage today. He was happy because he could watch the cartoon. His sister also asked me the same thing and I gave the same reply. Just then the power went off and he came by asking me why. I just smiled and said "April Fool". All he could do was smile because early in the morning he had tried to fool me. The deal was even and I don't like keeping anyone's debt, whatever it is.

It was just a small joke which did not harm anyone but sometimes people play serious jokes on others which could cause a serious problem. I have heard about such jokes more than once, most of them from my relatives. I wonder why people do that? Its good to joke but it has to have certain limits. Everything should have a limit. Anyways, no more philosophical stuffs, its April 1st so happy April fool's day. Ha!!ha!!

VIP visits

The VIPs of our country cause trouble wherever n whenever they travel in and out of the country. The President, when he visited India, did not disturbed the traffic, however, during is return the whole airport- Baneshwor area was disturbed. The people traveling during that time had to wait until the VIP passed and reached SAFELY to his destination.These are the people elected by the people,for the people to solve their problems and create an easy environment for them but all they cause is trouble. Why do they have to so many security guards that could guard more than 20 people, for one or two person? Is there so much threat to their life? I know the VIPs has to deal with death threats but it doesn't mean they have to walk with the whole battalion. Cant they just visit and return wherever they like without causing any hype and problems to the people? They are there to serve people not to trouble them but they usually end up doing the exact opposite.

7th feb

This is the worst day of my life. Early in the morning, I heard a bad news. Then I had a row with my friend. I had to walk all the way to Maitighar from Dillibazaar and I was, too, weak to walk. Hungry and thirsty when I reached my house, I found the door locked from the inside. I called out for my brother for a while when he didn't response, I tried calling my landlords - no response. I tried their number number still, no response. I did all I could but all in vain. I just sat in front of the door for a while and then finally when I came to know my brother was inside, I called him. He answered the phone and opened the door. I gave him a good piece of my mind. I was too tired for anything so I just drank a cup of water and fell on bed. As soon as I hit my pillow, I felt asleep. I nearly had two accidents (nearly god hit by taxis) while returning from my college. All in all, it was the worst day of my life.

First day in kirtipur

It was my first night out in Kirtipur. The place caught my breathe. It is just like a countryside - beautiful, peaceful and clean, everything just so wonderful. I was fascinated by its cleanliness more than anything else. Amidst the chaos and pollution of the Valley, it was a nice break. The place is really beautiful and a 'must-see'. I think everyone should take a break and go there once. It will be best to visit the place with friends. I went to visit my stranger-relatives, I had never met or heard about them. They didn't know I was coming but still the people were so warm and welcoming I was overwhelmed by their hospitality. The place and the people are both just wonderful.

Fear in me

On 15th of Magh, I saw two women throwing garbage at roadside. There was already a pile of garbage and maybe the women confused it with the dumping site. Whatever be the reason, I knew what they were doing was wrong and I wanted to stop them but I didn't. I don't know why I hesitated, it surprised me. I wondered why I didn't stop them? Was it because I was getting late for college and didn't want to get into fight early in the morning? Or was it because I knew they wouldn't pay me any attention to me at all? Or maybe because I am not as conscious about protecting my environment as I like myself to think! Whatever be the reason, it was my duty as a civilized citizen to stop them from dumping garbage there but I didn't do it. I regretted it later. Maybe I would have regretted telling them as soon as I did but it would have been less than what I am feeling now. I think its high time we think about protecting the environment but we just think and don't act at all. I throw waste papers in dustbin but my friends and my brother keep teasing me on that. I wonder why they don't understand why I am doing so? I am trying to save and reduce the amount of pollution one person can cause. I think environment conservation should be a matter of national concern. If you want to change this world start from yourself. I believe "just a change in small habit can change the whole world" and believing is a must, to succeed.