Brand and quality

With growing modernization, the Nepalese are becoming equally brand conscious. One particular reason for being attracted towards brand probably might be the strength of these brand products. They last long
and retain the quality for a really long time. Moreover, there exists a separate prestige among today's Nepalese in the use of branded goods. No matter what and when, we are gradually turning 'brand conscious'.

Becoming brand conscious can be an issue of debate. If we are attracted towards international brands, who will purchase the domestic products? The quality of the product is also a matter of concern. It is for sure that Indonesian made All Star Converse lasts longer than any Khasa made Zing Xhung—the former costs Rs. 2500 while the latter can be had for Rs. 400. Now, based on the attitude of the people, friend circle, and the environmental factor, one has to decide whether to a branded product or not. It is odd if all your friends wear T-shirts by John Players, Peter England or Addidas, while you go with them wearing an
ordinary one. For that matter, a Nokia makes more prestige than any of the Chinese mobile set. For sure, your choice becomes Apple for Ipod.

There exists quality-oriented café KFC in the valley, so let's go there and I personally have felt that the smell of original Axe lasts longer than the fake ones. Cost acts as the major disadvantages of branded products, but quality plays an important role when the question comes to advantage. Red Label possesses its unique taste, but the local tongba gives you its own distnctive flavour. Hence, we cannot ignore local products as well. We still go for Wai Wai when Maggie is also kept in front of us.

Rado or any other brank of watch shows the same time, so it is never a compulsion that you must choose only branded stuffs. There might be some qualitative products without any brand. But, the trick is to know which one. It is good to be loyal to a specific brand, but you must have the capacity of being flexible when the time demands. I have been drinking this local coffee which never gave me the opportunity to get my mind diverted to international brands. Find out the local brands that do well, and weigh the contents of your wallet.

PUBLISHED IN THE HIMALAYAN TIMES AUG 08, 2011

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Widows vista

It is our right to live our life as per our wish, and we live our life as per our wish. We don’t care if other people scold us when we drink alcohol, since it becomes our right. We enjoy our rights freely and openly to some extent. Social factors sometimes create obstacles at the time of utilising our right. Like society may criticise sex before marriage, but people still do it saying it is their right.

I saw a young lady who seemed as if she had just completed her teens in a white sari. Now, when we can even go against social norms in the name of our rights, what is her right? Is staying a widow throughout her life her right? I could not utter a word in front of her, and instead decided to write about it. Yes, socially she is correct! But how correct is she when we look at it from a broader perspective? How wise are her parents, parents-in-law and society for her?


Truly, we still lack social provisions for widow marriage. When a wife dies, no husband goes through such an idiotic process. But when a husband dies, it’s like the wife is getting punished as if she has killed him. Why should she wear a white dress throughout her life?

People have made drinking, which is completely against social norms, an accepted practice. Isn’t that enough to prove that people have the power to change social norms? It is we human beings who make society and create the social norms in our society. When we human beings are able to modify our cultural norms, why are we lagging behind on this issue?

Every widow should be allowed to marry again as per her wish. Immense criticism will follow even if she talks to some young man! And we are proud of our society! It is we who have to design our society. There are still various stupid provisions like that in our society. It may take time, for sure, but let’s make an attempt to remove such irritating provisions. Let our society be good, and let our upcoming generations praise us for the decisions we make. Let’s at least talk with their parents if she is a widow! Let us pressurise her parents to get her married! Let us make a contribution through our voice and make use of our right to speech!


PUBLISHED IN THE KATHMANDU POST JULY 18, 2011

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Legalizing Prostitution

Legalizing Prostitution
I dont criticize if you are against prostitution. Personally, even I am against it. It's certainly not a good thing to have sex with some other people and basically when you are in relation. It's all through prostitution you gift disease to your spouse. No matter if you use the contraceptives, it's not at all respectable thing to go motels and hotels for your physical satisfaction. You are not a good person if you go there. But even smoking is bad, it is risky too. Still you smoke. So no matter how much the explanation, criticisms or persuasion is done, people go there and the business continues.
Despite the fact prostitution is cursed specially the girl there exists a behind. Let me trace one that I heard on one of the FM station. She came from poor family, both her father and mother died. She had no option than suicide and then her sister's face stops her from it. Being elder it was her responsibility to look after her two sisters. She then got job first in the dance bar and then in prostitution. Today her both sisters are studying in good school. Now do you call this girl good or bad? If you are human, you salute her and if not you would call her good only if she had committed suicide. We never care for such hidden stories thereby. She sold her body and let her sisters learn. Now do you call prostitute bad? Prostitution bad? Take it from economical view, legalizing prostitute will definitely help the country's economy prosper. There are points like corruption that will create obstacle but strict tender system can work out. There are countries that developed after legalizing prostitution. So why are we lagging behind? Now the question comes should Government allow it? Oh! Come on! Government should not allow smoking by closing the factory, but why don't they do? Because they receive heavy tax out for it! Similar is the case of it. Legalizing it will let the Government earn a lot for sure. And even when Government is not allowing, the business is on. Now, I don't mean to open it everywhere for everyone. Let certain area be separated for it with the restrictions in factors like contraceptives, age etc. It' will definitely give direct and indirect job to a lot. Foreign dollars will be welcomed openly then. If Government is that tough, it has to be able to close all alcoholic factories of the country else has to provide full employment and when it can't do both, it not any injustice to launch open sex in Nepal.
It is something really stupid to expect the Government providing employment services to all. So legalizing free sex can really be beneficial from economical vision. Instead Government can warn the prostitutes regarding the misuse that can destroy their life and can provide condoms to them so that they can advise their clients or customers strictly to put it on. More than that Government can also provide a good source of earning to them. People go to the prostitutes even when it is termed illegal, and this has proved something impossible to stop this business basically in towns and cities. It's not bad idea either or the prostitute to live their life selling their body rather than selling kidneys. So why are we still backward in it? The fear can be within Government regarding over all protests, so let's stay prepared to Welcome if Government decides to legalize sex. Have a safe Sex!

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The burden of education

The burden of education
Can't you even carry this thin book?" I remember my teacher scolding me with this line. I wanted to reply, "Ma'am,can you carry ten books and ten notebooks every day? I am sure you would call for someone if
you had to carry three kilos of vegetables. Now compare our size!" but I always stopped myself. I really had a tough time going to and from school carrying a bag that weighed not less than five kilos. These days, I see students carrying similar loads outside my window, and I remember my childhood days.

The education system of Nepal has been admired all around, but it is becoming more and more expensive. The boarding school system divided by various examinations and extra activities are the best parts of boarding schools in Nepal. Providing good and solid English tuition is another great advantage. These probably are the reasons why parents send their children to boarding schools, no matter how expensive it is. However, the monetary cost, physical punishment and sometimes poor teachers are problems, but they can be experienced in many other schools too. My least favourite thing, however, was the weight of my schoolbag.

It's nothing amazing to see an eight year old child carrying a bag that weights more than three kilos everyday while going to school. It is a common thing for students studying in Class Eight to carry something like five kilos. Parents are powerless to change this. A student needs to carry at least eight textbooks every day. Similarly, eight notebooks, which can be further divided; like science gets
divided into biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy; English into literature and grammar; social studies into history, geography etc.

Students hardly realise that the weight is troubling them, but later on in life, symptom like back pain appear. It's difficult carrying weighty bags and walking. There is a lack of school bags designed for
such heavyweight purposes, so bags tear often. Educational institutions need to take this issue seriously. It might be difficult and expensive to launch e-schooling in the present situation, but they can still bring certain changes. Minimising subdivision of subjects enables students to carry less. A good library
with all sorts of required reading will discourage pupils from carrying such large quantities of books. A trusted drinking water service will mean they needn't carry water. Similarly, there is the role of book publishers too. Publishers can bind the books into one to make it perfect. Unnecessary materials from books can be removed by the concerned authority. Good, proper quality reduces the weight of books and notebooks. Why let the students carry such burdens when it troubles them in the end?

{PUBLISHED IN THE KATHMANDU POST JUNE 02, 2011}

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Lizard vs. Fly (Fiction Based Story)

Lizard vs. Fly
The clock was moving really late, it was nine and the he was waiting
for the time to be eleven so that he could talk to his sister through
skype. He also had to watch one of the DVDs that he brought at the day
when his schools got closed for vacation. He already had his meal, and
had nothing to do with. He could not sleep either as he had slept
entire day. Vacations were getting boring day after the day, and nor
did he want the vacations to end up soon. Swaroop was staring at the
candle, when all of sudden he saw the same injured fly that he saw
yesterday. Yesterday's evening was really memorable one for him. He
was doing his home work when the fly was moving around him. Giving it
a damn, he was busy at his home works when the fly sat before his
notebook. He was trying to threaten the fly and let it go, but all of
sudden a lizard came in front and the anxiety reached his mark. He was
simply staring at the fly and lizard, where the lizard was acting as
if to be dead, and fly was resting with its own dream.

Probably the fly had the responsibility to feed its young children,
and was the father of his family. It was probably on its duty to
gather foods for the family. Or maybe the flies are not sensitive
enough to have cute families like we do so maybe it was the mother,
who probably had her children some where and was searching for the
food so that she could keep her children away from hunger. But where
could it store the food; maybe some where in the mouth itself or the
wings, or the legs. If this was the case the fly was tired and was
making the rest in front of my note book. The lizard seems cunning,
the belly shows that it was not hungry, but how can I judge if it was
or not? Why is it acting so numb? Is it dead? Oh! It is making my
table dirty; let me throw it away…but…Oh!! What a terrible attack! Fly
Vs. Lizard! Sounds like Elephant vs. Dog, but let me watch it. The
lizard jumped over the fly, and fly fell down the table of mine. The
lizard was trying to go down, but there were other flies that carried
her some where away. My vision towards lizard made me realize that
lizard probably was hungry or was there to hunt for the food so that
it could feed its family members. Then the lizard probably had no any
options besides returning back with the same old cunning face. It was
already mid night, and there were still a lot of days for the holidays
to end. So I stopped my home assignments and kept aside the note books
and my pen. I could not see the fly, but the lizard was there near the
bulb itself. I lied down on the bed then to wait for another new day.

It is just nine, and I need to spend two more hours to get the
electricity line, and I will talk to my sister then. This time I will
request her to send me a new I pod that could be more attractive than
Gaurav. Oh! I also need to watch the movie 'social network'; I don't
know what is there so special, and why all my friends have been
talking about it in face book since so long. Let me watch it tonight,
so that I can participate in their comments as well. But two more
hours, and I have to be with this candle for that time. I am not
sleepy at all, as I have slept through out this day. Let me bring the
candle near by me...Oh! This one is the same cunning lizard of
yesterday! What is it doing here? Oh.again it is making another fly
its victim? No! No, it seems like it is yesterday's fly itself. Oh,
the fly is injured, it lacks its one wing, and the walking style
clearly shows how difficult are it for it to walk. And is the lizard
again trying to make the fly its food? Let me make this fly go
away...but lizard probably is not wrong either, it is living its life
like it is used to. Attack! Another attack made by lizard, but failed,
the fly is running. This time lizard seems aggressive; it is running
back as well. Fly speeds up, tries to fly, but No! Again another
attack! Again another wing seems to get victimized this time as well.
Now the fly is trying it's best to run, but it is getting really slow,
but still is trying to run away. Oh! Dead End! There is no way to go
ahead! Window glass! It tries to run to left. And again right and
finally it turned out to be food of lizard! Yes, lizard swallowed the
fly within no time.

Lizard was so rude! It killed an creature below it's power for the
food. Poor fly! Where were her companies today? And when it was
injured, why had it to come there again? Maybe, there were no one to
look after her children and could not see her children hungry. Who
will look after her family now? So will the children die of hunger
again? How could lizard be so rude? But…but...even we human beings
kill animals for our food...so it was the same thing probably! Are we
human beings rude too? Lizard should not be blamed because it was on
the way for having its own food. At least it was responsible and could
live his life on its own. Independent life! Like the sir said, maybe
this is the ecology system. That goes on! But is there any necessity
of having food for us killing those animals? Are not we criminal?
There exists so much love and support among those insects as well, but
we have been acting like terrorists, killing each other. At least the
lizard don't kill lizard, but we humans kill humans! Why are we...Oh!
Electricity came!

Swaroop opened his computer, his sister was online, and he could not
speak anything all he wrote to his sister was I love you didi...

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Taking Advice

Taking Advice
We are social creatures, and we seek freedom. It’s really irritating if someone tries to treat you like a captive. Maybe freedom is one major reason why youngsters fly abroad as there is no one to scold them and they get to live their life in the way they want. Truly, when it’s our life, we should get the freedom to live as we wish.

But this does not happen here. There are thousands of actors who turn out to be a villain in our life. Every senior we meet tries to give us advice on how we must live.

One says, if you don’t study science, that’s stupid, while others will claim there is no scope in science. I am sure such advice is not new. I don’t call such advisors bad, as they mean well. But it’s the advice receiver who needs to tolerate them. Since they are our seniors, there is no point in arguing with them.

Probably, they are exposing their feelings in the advice they give. Or else, why should the advice vary from one person to another? One suggests you go abroad after completing high school, while another will claim there will be much trouble earning and studying there. Now what do you call this? Advice? I call it a feeling. Such varying advice causes irritation in you. The feeling of irritation will then be followed by confusion, frustration and anger.

In Nepal, it is difficult to avoid the advice of others. Even a person sitting next to you in a bus is ever ready to give you expert advice. The advice receiver must, therefore, grow wise and properly analyse all the advice he is receiving.

One says drinking is necessary as one needs to socialise while another will say drinking is not good for you. Now don’t get confused. Mix the two pieces of advice and arrive at the conclusion that drinking in limits is okay.

There really is nothing wrong in lending your ears to people’s advice. Take in all the advice they give for free and then give them a thought. Know the benefits and effects of studying science from the advisors and then you decide for yourself what to do in the end.

Your grandfather may say, do not listen to AC-DC’s songs as they will make the hearing or listening power weak. Now your cousin may claim that AC-DC is the best band in the entire universe and praise its style. Now it’s up to you, will you listen to AC-DC just because your cousin likes it or will you avoid stop listening to it simply because your grandfather hates it?



Both of them are right. So listen to AC-DC, Enrique and Beatles once. If you like any of them, that’s perfect. You can listen to AC-DC in low volume. Or you may not like any of them, instead you may settle for Taylor Swift’s songs. So listen to her songs. But whatever decision you take in the end has to be meaningful. And let that be the unspoken advice to others.

(PUBLISHED IN THE RISING NEPAL APR 25 2011)

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