I don't honk, do you?

Stuck in an immovable traffic jam, just when your legs fight to find some legroom on the streets, pungent smoke irritates your two important sense organs—the ears and the nostrils. You adjust your scarf/mask to check the amount of what-not gases and then another sense organ gets terribly affected—your ears—by the incessant honking of the horn by (I would say) 'insensitive' people.

Already our capital badly suffers from bad traffic system—with narrow roads, abundant street vendors and scarce sidewalks--on top of that people pretending to be blind and not realizing the vehicles ahead cannot move until the vehicles before them don't move, adds woe to it. They, no matter whether there is space for the vehicles to move forward or not, blow horn, assuming as if the 'noise' they/their vehicles make petrifies the rider/driver ahead to clear the road.

Why have a 'don't-care' attitude? Lets respect such signs.

Now here, think for a while and lets be honest, haven't we done that before? Haven't we seen no-horn signs/zones before? How often have we paid respect to it? Haven't we, ourselves, been irritated by the ear-piercing pressure horns? You must have heard the two popular pressure horns that have the tunes of the Bollywood hits—Kajra Re and Dhoom Macha Le?

And one more thing—have we (let's be real honest) ever thought whether people were carrying babies on their rides/drives? Did we then think, those fragile ear-drums could be affected by the high-decibel sound that our horns produce? If you were really honest, you must have an answer by now. I don't want to sound preachy, but I really think we, the 21st-century civilized people should be enough thoughtful and wise to not irritate others and play with others' audibility. I am on a campaign—"I don't honk", are you with me too?

Hope such a situation does not come!

Too soon, too radical!

Who's more??

The people in Basantapur and New Road have a reason to get angry. They are being deprived of what is needed to keep their "faith" alive. The culture that they have been celebrating since thousands of years is now challenged by radicals, who do not want to believe in anything called God.

A certain group is forgetting that Nepal is known to the international community by its rich culture. Otherwise, why would UNESCO keep our places under its 'heritage list'? Even we Nepalis ourselves, regardless of our caste and culture, proudly introduce our capital as 'city of temples' and our country as the birthplace of Lord Buddha.

A scene in front of RB Complex.

Why doesn't 'that group' keep this in mind and understand that trying to disregard somebody's faith could be extremely dangerous. And anyway, if they had all the money in the world to bring a hefty budget of Rs 236 billion, then it's a stupid idea to justify the 'fund reduction' for 'economical reasons'. I personally feel that their radical/revolutionary approach towards anything won't materialize until and unless they realize what 'sensitive issues' are!!

Sad but true--religious funds have been slashed.

A rebel-turned-Prime Minister

Among the rows of histories created this year (2008), former rebel leader, Pushpa Kamal Dahal made one, by being elected the first Prime Minister of the kingdom that turned into the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal.

Indeed it is a good thing that a leader who waged a decade-long bloody war in the country, that took lives of nearly Fourteen Thousand Nepalis ended the war and joined mainstream politics to be eventually elected as the Prime Minister. But there are quite a few things, that I, personally am not happy about. You might consider these petty things, but I take it seriously.

Instead of wearing a national dress, the former rebel wore a Western Suit and tie while taking the oath of office and secrecy. If that he thinks is okay, then why does not the party, he heads think it's okay to allow the Miss Nepal event?? What's wrong with that one? Unlike the Maoist Supreme Leader, the girls there promote their nationality and ethnic values.

Congress Prez adminsters oath to Maoist PM

They wear their ethnic/national dressess. Is that diagonal-stripes tie Nepali? Are those meticulously ironed coat and pant Nepali too? Then, why be a hypocrite?

Another thing--Not taking the oath "in the name of God" but "in the name of the people"......FINE, as long as you truly prove that you don't believe in God or any religion. It is expected that a Communist leader does not believe in God, but why then do you attend religious functions? Why then do you accept blessings from religious leaders? Why, of all the things, do you put tika? Well, you might say, Red symbolises power, but in our society, the vermillion stands as Deuta ko Prasad also, and you very well know it.

Another thing we should be concerned about Mr Prime Minister is that of the extra security. Earlier, PMs used to be satisfied with 80 army men, but for Mr Dahal, that's not enough. He will have more than double of it--150 army men, along with a couple dozens of Armed Police Force, and his own People's Liberation Army that fought the bloody battle with civilians and security forces of the country for a decade.......

Rastriyata bokna gaaro naparos!

CHALLENGES

With reservations, people have accepted Mr Dahal as a Prime Minister because they want peace, lasting peace. He has certainly taken Nepal to a new direction but if the government that he is going to lead, misleads the people and disregards the people's aspirations to live in a violence-free country that ensures their basic rights and needs, then something unfortunate won't be undeniable.

Mr and Mrs Dahal at the oath taking ceremony

For Communal Harmony

He is a man who understands national identity is more important

Born to a farmer's family in Dhanusha district, he never dreamt that he would become the head of the state of his country. Firstly, he comes from terai region and is a Madhesi. No one from the terai region has had bigger chance than Doctor Yadav. Thanks to the Maoist because of who this gentleman has become the first president of the country. And look at his nobleness, he wore Nepal's national dress—daura suruwal and took the oath in Nepali language.

His junior, vice president, who is also a Madhesi was dressed in 'dhoti' and took the oath in Hindi language. To Paramananda Jha, his community was more important, but Mr Yadav believed Nepaliness is above his ethnic identity. On Tuesday, when he visited Swoyambhunath temple and Kumari temple, I was assured that this man is trying to bring communal as well as religious harmony.