Nepali Education System

Nepali education system goes beyond my head and I am sure many people agree with me.

Nepali education system mostly focuses on the theoretical part and that too, not just for higher level but also for the preschool level. I agree that we need to have theoretical knowledge along with practical skills but what I don’t understand is the reason for torturing the young mind that are just beginning to evolve.

My question is to those authorities who are responsible for approving and also designing the course structure for preschool (pre-primary) education system. Why should the children be tortured in the name of providing education? Getting an education is a matter of choice, well, maybe not for those kids but mostly it is a matter of choice rather than compulsion. What is compulsory is to be literate and at least have knowledge of the basics.

As Einstein had wonderfully said, “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”

Education is not about going to school every day carrying bulky books and ten kilogram bags. It’s about learning skills and gaining knowledge which would help you in future. Einstein was a genius and there is no doubt about that. In fact, his brilliance still remains unchallenged. But did he become such a genius by going to school every day and reading bulky books and doing series of exercises on notebooks? The answer is NO! He was curious and his genius lies in this interest in learning more about anything and everything he saw.

The highest level of education can be received with interest and curiosity. One must be interested and curious about things and only then could they be able to learn more. There is no use making someone repeat few pages of the books every day for a year and evaluating their talents on the basis of what they write on a piece of paper. Some people are brilliant in speaking while they suck at writing and some people express themselves well with their writings while they suck at speaking with others.

Everyone has a different talent and their talents could not be judged by one method alone. You cannot call a fish dumb because he cannot climb a tree and you cannot call a monkey genius because he flies from tree to tree with excellence. These are the kinds of talents they are born with and both of these are totally different from one another. Same goes with the children. Not all of them have same talent and so, not all of them could be judged in the same way.

But that alone is not the point. The point is, they should also be able to hone their skills and talents. Why is it that a child who scores 90% in board exams but sucks in sports or any other activities considered a genius and a child who is excellent in all extracurricular activities but scores only 40% in board exams considered a failure? Why do we tend to run so much after the numbers? Be it percentage, marks or ranks? The only thing people find worth appreciating is the number and not the skill or talent a child have.

I have seen parents putting pressure on their children for excelling in exams and the children haven’t even completed their primary level education, yet. They have their whole life to carry the burden of exams and scores and marks and percentage. Why not let them enjoy their childhood as a normal child? Of course you should make them understand the value of education and excelling since childhood but not at the cost of their childhood. They will never get it back!

If your child does not fall in top five category in class, don’t panic. Your child is doing fine. It is NOT compulsion to top the monthly tests all the time. Give them a break. Make them study an hour for whole year, not five hours a day for a whole week before exams. Prepare them from the very start. It will teach them the value of time and also help them excel the exams (that you value the most) and also live their childhood as a normal child should live. 

The democratic version of the Rana reign

Recently, I have had a lot of time for myself and I spent most of this time doing one thing that I enjoy the most - reading novels!

My recent read Satprayas left me thinking and making comparisons between the Rana rule and present Republic rule in the country. This book by Diamond Sumsher Rana, as most of his other works, tells the story of the Rana reign in Nepal. It mostly revolves around Dev Sumsher Rana, the reformist and probably the only democratic Rana ruler in the country whose democratic and people-oriented ideologies didn't let him stay on power for more than few months. 

Dev continuously tries to work for the betterment of the common people and development of the country which is not liked by the selfish Rana rulers who are more interested in their own personal development and entertainment. Long before he becomes the Prime Minister of Nepal, he approaches the then PMs with the proposals of starting development works in the country. The proposals are postponed with false assurances by the rulers, which Dev happens to believe. When he comes to power, he starts to work seriously on his dream projects, of opening schools, educating the common people, starting hydro power plants in the country, etc. His brothers, naturally doesn't like it and take over the power from him. 

This reminded me how such things still happen in our country. Whoever wants to do good are only given false hopes and assurances by others. Power and wealth are still being misused by those in power to support their personal development rather than the national development.

The book is considered as a historic novel so naturally, many things written there are true. I learned many things from it which made me think and compare the two political eras of our country. Here are some comparisons that I have made:

1.     The Rana rulers claimed to be powerful and strong. They were tyrant. But no matter how strong they presented themselves to be, they were in constant fear. They did not have to fear the common people like the politicians (if they do) have to now, but their own brothers. They are known for killing and overthrowing each other for power. Killing of their own kin was what brought them to power in the first place and it didn't quite stop. Well, even if the killing did, the mistrust remained. They did not trust each other and even a slight misunderstanding between one another lead them into plotting and taking over the control for themselves. This practice still exists in our political world. The leaders don't trust each other and if someone (outside of their political party) is in power, they start plotting to overthrow them and take the power for themselves. No wonder, we don't have a stable political leadership in the country.

2.     The Rana rulers lived extravagantly. They loved to show that they had enormous amounts of wealth (which of course wasn't theirs but belonged to the people of Nepal). They raised the taxes if their Dukutis were running low on wealth. They took people's money and spend them for their personal interest and entertainment. Looking at how our top leaders and country heads live and travel, we can rest assure that the practice of using people's money for personal benefit still exists. The only difference now is that the people are educated enough to know that their hard earned money is being wasted but yet, they do not seem to complain. The taxes still continues to rise. I wonder how poor our late Kings must have been because even after nationalizing all their wealth, our government has not been able to cover the loans and are in deep debt which results as price hike that only seems to affect the common people and not the ones riding the expensive air-conditioned vehicles around the clean roads of the capital.

3.     The newly appointed Shree 3 Maharaj (The title given to the Prime Minister then) would transfer all the national treasure into his palace. Few lakhs (One lakh of that time was more or less equivalent to one crore of today) were given to the second and third-in-command like Mukhtiyars and Hajuria. I fear the practice still exists, although not openly and not in the same way (you need to show some respect to those guys at Income Tax office, don't you?). The Prime Ministers and other Ministers in power still likes to live the same way and spend millions on their unnecessary travels to the foreign countries (apart from Sushil Koirala of course). I don't understand why discussions on state matters require the PMs and Ministers visit foreign country with their family (PLEASE let me know if this is necessary as my understanding of politics is limited). 

4.     Many development projects are still 'under construction' or limited to papers just like it was more than a hundred years ago. We are given assurances and hopes but not results. We only hear promises but do not see the actions. Dev Sumsher dreamed of starting hydro power plants in Karnali and Koshi, which to date, has not been completed (I wonder if it has been started at all).

There are many practices today which would remind us of the Rana reign if only we had enough time to sit, think and compare. We barely get enough time to spend with our family let alone compare the political eras. Our everyday struggle to provide a better life for our family does not give us any time to think about our country. We let everything happen around us without frowning and which is why the political leaders have so much control over our lives. They could easily turn our lives upside down if they want because we have forgotten how much power we have over them. We let them rule us when they are there only to serve us. If only we had enough time to think and take some action.

Well, I did have enough time to think after I left my job and waited for my college to begin. There was nothing else to do, thanks to the hours of load-shedding, which made me grab a book and then think about these issues over and over again.

The conclusion I came to often terrifies me. We abolished the Rana rule decades ago but did we actually do it? Are those days really over? Because from what I can see and feel, the system still exists. I fear that the Republican system in the country is only the modified, refined and so-called 'democratic' version of the Rana rule.

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.

Cherishing the women in our lives

Women, regarded worldwide as ‘The Second Sex’, are indeed a vital part of this society. Although the world, kind of, depend on them for almost everything, they are usually the ones who are not acknowledged by the world for what they do.

Woman has to play the role of a daughter, sister, wife, daughter-in-law, sister-in-law, mother, mother-in-law and many more. She is also a good friend people can count on. She plays her roles honestly and wholeheartedly. She puts so much effort in being the best that she often forgets who she really is.

She always tries to find herself in others, her identity in others. Being a daughter, she finds her world in her parents, trying to make them happy all the time and trying her best to be the good daughter. But what she forgets is that when you try to live for others’ sake, you don’t live for yourself. Her life as a daughter is what her parents want her to be which might not always be what she wants.

She might also be a sister to her siblings and if she happens to be the eldest ones, there are many sacrifices she needs to make. It starts with giving away her toys to her younger siblings and gradually as she grows, so does her responsibilities as a sister. She not only becomes a sister but she also needs to act as a mother to her siblings. Understanding them, taking care of them, etc. comes along the way. As she goes into taking up other roles, the countless responsibilities follow.

Every time before doing something, a girl thinks about what her parents would feel if she did this? Will it affect her siblings in any way? Will it hurt her in-laws? Will her friends approve of it? Will her husband be happy with it? Will it hurt anyone? These are usually the questions she asks herself before doing something while the real questions should be Would I be happy doing it? Is this good for me? Would it hurt me in the long run? Is this what I really want?

Each time, it is about others that she thinks. She tries to find her would, her happiness in keeping others happy. And while doing all of it, she forgets who she is and what she wanted with life.

I have seen my mother sacrificing many things for the sake of her family, as a daughter, as a sister, as a wife, as a daughter-in-law and as a mother. And I am sure that many of you have the same story like hers.

Every day, a woman sacrifices something just so someone she cares about is happy. Giving up the love of your life, your career, your dreams are not new for the women in our society. These are the great sacrifices that they had to make to perform their roles as daughters, daughter-in-laws and mothers. And yet, they are happy because their family is happy, their loved ones are happy. All it takes for a woman to be happy is to know that the people she cares about are happy.

It is not just about making sacrifices because not only our mothers but our fathers, brothers and husbands also make many sacrifices that go unnoticed. It is about cherishing the women in our lives, acknowledging their works, their efforts for bringing happiness in our lives. The little things they do for us every day.

Take a moment and call the women in your life and let them know how you feel about them. It could be your mother, your sister, your friend, your wife or anyone else who finds her happiness in yours. Just give them few minutes of your day and you would be surprised how happy that can make her.

I think I have written enough and now it’s time for me to call my mamu! :-)

Great Expectations!

Long before we are born, our parents have their mind set on what we need to do and how we should behave depending upon what we are (male or female child). It is only after they plan out our future for next five to ten years that the parents actually think about bringing us into this world. They expect us to fulfill their dreams, behave accordingly throughout our lives and do what they always dreamed but never got around to do. It's like they want to fill that void through us, they want us to have the life that they could not, which is good but only when we want to live that way.
What if our dreams are different then theirs? What if we want different things from life? What if we don't want to live the way our parents wants us to live?
Then there comes ideological clashes and other issues that might result in ruining the heavenly relation of parents and offspring unless one of them backs off. But its not always the parents who expect us to do things. It is understandable for parents wanting their kids to have the life they dreamed of but never had because they want their kids to be happy. And they surprisingly believe that kind of life will make their children happy and satisfied.
But its not just the parents who expect things from us. The list is too big!
Since the moment we are brought into this world, we are expected to do things. As soon as we are born, we are expected to cry or even laugh, show some kind of signal that indicates we are alive and normal. Hence, begins the series of great expectations.
When we start growing up, our parents expect us to learn to speak good things, walk, run, etc. In short, they expect us to behave as a normal and healthy child. When we join school, the teachers expect us to be disciplined and hard working. We are expected to know all the alphabets by heart. It doesn't matter if we are two and half years old or five, we need to learn all of it along with new words formed by the letter. I am sure you all realize how hard it was for you to learn A for Apple and Kapuri Ka for the first time. Moreover, they expect us to be able to write them down on our own rather than copying from the books. Of course they teach us to do so for a whole year, but what they forget is that, not all of us have the same memory power or talent that helps us learn things faster.
As soon as we pass through Nursery or LKG, we are expected to learn more and more subjects that include English, Nepali, Maths and Science. Even before we learn to pronounce these words, we are expected to carry those heavy books and learn everything, solve every questions that are inside the book on our own. What I don't understand is why does these children have to carry those books when you can simply give them worksheets and ask them to carry it in a file, just the ones that are needed? Why carry all those books in a bag that are larger than the children themselves when you have other simpler options?
When we start making friends, our friends, too, start expecting things from us. They expect us to help them in whatever they are doing, understand their situation and keep their secrets safe with us, share our lunch with them and help them do their homework. Sometimes, they even expect us to do all their homework for them while they enjoy the latest video games or watch their favorite cartoon show. They expect us to help them pass exams, meet their girlfriend/boyfriends, buy gifts for them, loan them money when they run out of their pocket money, take them out on lunch just because they feel like eating something at the nearby restaurant/food stalls. But above all, they expect us to stand by their side whenever they need us, whether it is after a difficult breakup, fight with their parents, fight with the neighboring kids, shopping, bunking classes or losing someone. They expect us to be there for everything, whether they are doing something good or bad.
It is a great responsibility and for someone like me, who don't know how to handle many situations like that, it is pretty difficult to meet their expectations.
When we get into relationship, more expectations come our way. We are expected to be loving, caring and understanding towards them and their feelings. We are expected to call them at least twice a day (as soon as we wake up and just before we go to sleep). It is sort of compulsion and it is expected of your partner to call you at least twice and text you as many times as you can count. You are expected to behave, that is, you are expected not to flirt with others, tease others, make them feel alone or even jealous. You are expected to give your full attention to them when they are talking even if they are talking about something you have no interest in or something you know nothing about. You are expected to keep them happy and make them feel special and loved all the time. You are expected to make their family happy and comfortable around you so they could bond with you. And when you get married, the expectation increases.
With every passing phase of life, expectations of others increases. Your parents expect you to behave in one way, your friends expect you to behave in someway and your partner or spouse expect you to behave in some other way. There are always the expectation of your parents and your spouse's parents and later in life, your children's expectations. Even at your office, your boss expects something from you. They expect you to work well and finish as many work as you can. However, they never expect you to ask for raise in salary or ask for an early leave today because there is something important you need to do outside office. When you enter your office gate, your boss expect you to become a robot who could be controlled and who could work twice as hard and fast as a normal human being.
The series of expectations never ends, even after death. Because even after you die, your offspring might expect you to leave a huge among of money and property behind for them to enjoy. Seriously, throughout the life, you live for others and they never realize the value of it.
When you are old and grey, one day, you would sit back and reflect upon your life, the life you wanted and the life you lived. There will be certain difference between how you wanted to live and how you lived, but it is up to you to decide which one to make better. Do you want the life you dreamed to be better than the life you lived? or do you want to live a better life than the one your dreamed? The decision is yours and with every passing minute, you will be losing one precious moment of the life you want which will bring smile on your face when you will think about it many years from now.
Someone always tells me, don't live for others, live for yourself and now I think he is right. Living up to meet other's expectations and dreams could never make me happy because no matter what I do, I could never satisfy everyone. The most important thing is for me to be satisfied with the life I live and I guess I am learning to appreciate my life with all its rights and wrongs. It doesn't matter where I live or how I live or if I meet other's expectations, at the end of the day, all that matters is the smile that comes to my lips and the satisfaction that warms my heart while I think about how I cherished my life and how happy I am.