Plane Crash : Heading towards statelessness

After almost three hours of the plane crash I'm still flipping from one news channel to another to get the Real News. The media is giving all kind of details and don't know which one to believe. Some say all are Indian nationals but others say there are few European. I don't understand why they can't talk to the airlines and give the details of the deceased and their nationalities. The government channel Nepal Television is running PM's address at the UN General Assembly!!!!!!!!

According to the people out there in Kotdanda, Lamatar, the police were keen on looking at the incident rather than saving the person who was still alive. They said "the guy was still talking and could have been alive if he had reached hospital on time." According to them he said "I can be alive please save me and take me to the hospital". The villagers themselves brought the injured in stretcher but the police van didn't stop to help him rather they asked to wait for the ambulance to arrive. I don't know what is the most important task for the police? Is it to save the injured or to go for inspection of the incident? I think people from Lamatar did whatever they could to help which is really commendable.

Last week when the earthquake shook us with 6.8 Richter scale, we didn't hear anything from our government and now with the behaviour of the police. I have now come to realize the absence of state and our country is heading towards statelessness.

Those Green Bangles

The day before I left Dar Es Salaam, me and Kodili, my friend from Uganda, finally bought them in the price that we offered after bargaining for so long with the shopkeeper in Mwenge. I loved them so much that I wore them the moment I bought until I left Tanzania and landed in Nepal. But the moment I landed in Nepal took them out and I haven’t worn them yet and I am happy that I can freely wear them them from today.You might be wondering what made me take them off and why suddenly from today I can wear them.

When I left Nepal it was still Ashad and women here had not gone crazy for green bangles. As most of you might not know that in Nepal we have two major working calendars, so the months are obviously going to be different. So from mid July, the month of Shrawan starts where woman wear green bangles, put on Henna tattoo and fast every Monday for the well being of their husbands and unmarried woman fast to get a good husband. I don’t know how good is defined as these fasting are also said for Lord Shiva, who is often associated with the one who smokes marijuana and addicted to opium.

Till date I have never seen a guy who would fast in the hope to get a better wife or for well being of his wife. So why husband is made so important in woman's life and wife doesn’t have any importance in his. Isn't it the way of making men important and women useless and aren’t these things make men feel they are important and are to be treated in a special way. Aren't these practices leading us more towards inequality or making women feel inferior to men?

I can wear them freely now as month of Bhadra is starting . And of course I don’t want people to speculate that I was wearing them to get a better husband. It is not that I think too much about what people would think but I don't want people to believe that few green bangles can change the person we will be marrying into a good human being.As I believe there is no relation between green bangles and the nature of the people and I don't think it can have any impact either positive or negative on people's persona. Please correct me if I am wrong.

If I retaliate I will be characterless If I voice out I will be a slut

I wore my family's honour
and walked hurriedly
trying to be on time
got into the public transportation
where
the uncomfortable gaze follows
me everywhere
and also the lewd remarks
the strange hands
trying to touch me
the strange eyes
judging me
If I retaliate
I will be characterless
If I voice out
I will be a slut
I get down & again
known try to get
cozy & unknown gaze
the same process
continues each day
& I struggle
Amidst managing
home, children and work

Where I belong to

I stop and stare
at the dark sky
to see if the
moon and stars are out

the twinkling light
lightens up the sky
the evening breeze
pushes a bit
and takes me
to where I belong
into the arms of
the loved ones
into the warm embrace
of the closed ones
to the earth
that identifies me
to the sky
that protects me
I still stop and stare
to see if these
stars still belong to me
to see if these
breeze still brings
the fragrance of my wind
I still stop and stare
at the sky
I still stop
to feel the breeze
in the hope to be pushed
back to where I belong to
In the hope to be pushed
back to where I belong to

Exploring

I am here in Tanzania thousands of miles away from where I actually belong to. It's been a week that I have been away and not speaking Nepali. It never occurred to me that someday I would be craving to speak Nepali. It also let me wonder that the thousands of people who migrate everyday in search for better livelihood options know only one language.

Here people speak Swahili, have a loud voice and greet everyone they meet, I guess this is the part of their culture. People are very lively and friendly here in Tanzania. The perspectives and perceptions that we come with changes drastically when we get exposed to the real reality. But often times reality is blurred because we want to see them through our lens and try to see what we actually want to see.

I haven't travelled much here and can't tell you about the places to visit or to eat or drink. The Global Platform is where I am most of the time and I can't give you the details of it either except for the training hall, which sounds quite boring.

Now I am outside my room as it is only 5.00 am here and don’t want to disturb my roommates who work really hard during the entire day. It is pleasant here outside my room except for the crows and my best friends who love me very much as they come along wherever I go and the cream that I use to scare them doesn’t quite work for a long time.

As the morning light and the darkness of night is blending people are getting ready for another day and I'm getting ready for a day filled with exploration, exploring Tanzania and myself.