A Human. Being!

I am inseminated. I am carrying the embryos of Dharhara and Ranipokhari. I have to give birth to new Dharhara and Ranipokhari and a new morning. I fear whether I would be able to reproduce, my innocent fetus might die fighting with the ugly environment and surroundings. Because everything around me is ensnared in indignity. Every Breath I take, I can get the whiff of pollution, pollution in the Name of Terai, hills, caste, religion and Federalism.

But I have a faith, reliance that Dharhara and Ranipokhari will be brought into life some day. The neoteric Ranipokhari won't be enclosed inside the iron pillars and bars, not compelled-not constrained. And it won't be a suicide spot for those who fight with their fate for one flock of land and handful of food. The Dharhara won't be standing forlorn, tired-frowzy and deserted-dejected, and it shouldn’t shed its unremitting tears in the form of Sundhara. I have to give Birth to a spick-and-span and welcome Ranipokhari and a smiling Dharhara.

(From Pravash lamichane’s blog)

(An Onion: Contemplating the Abstract)
Translated by Shikha Lamichhane-Mayer

I met Bangdelji last evening on New Road. “Shankarji”, he says, “I just read your essay, you know that essay ‘Shankar Lamichhane in Shankar Lamichhane’s opinion.’”

“Did you like it?”

“It was entertaining. But too realistic. Why don’t you make the next one a little more abstract”.

“But it is you who paints the abstract. How could I attempt painting at this point in my life.”

“No, …..but what I mean is, why can’t you adopt an abstract style for your ‘pen-picture’?”

I continued to smile.

(Indeed, to know how to smile is a great art in itself. As man matures, he begins to develop infinite shade and nuance in his smiles). So with a smile, I bid Bangdelji goodbye, and shrugged off his suggestion.

Vyatithji was holding the cover design for Himani. In the same way that the name Himani immediately evokes Vyatith’s penmanship, I instantly recognized Bangel’s brushwork. “You use your pen so skillfully”, he says, “you could finish writing something for me in just a day or two, in time to publish this issue for Dasain. You know I am going abroad to do it.”

I continued to smile. (It is an art to know how to smile. Indeed, if you don’t know which smile to employ at the right time, you would suffer as though you were in tears.) With a smile I bid Vyatithji goodbye, and tried to shrug off his suggestion too.

यौटा अनौठो यादमा,

जलिरहेछ मन आज,

खै कस्तो थियो सम्बन्ध हाम्रो;

कुनै शब्द खोज्न सकिन,

सोच्ने गर्थे-कुनै नाम-सर्बनाम चाहिन्न,

आज,

खै कता-कता कुतकुती लगाईराछ ।

न चिनाजानी आवश्यक भयो,

न त वार्तालाप नै,

बेलाबेला चियाएर हेर्ने गर्थे,

आक्कल-झुक्कल जुधे नयन पनि,

थाहै नपाइ कहाँ-कहाँ डेरा जमाइसकिछौ।

जब सम्म समिपमा थिएँ,

यो अल्छि मनले चिन्नै सकेन,

जब टाढा-छितिजपारि आइसके,

बिर्सनै सकिरहेको छैन।

थाह छैन किन हो,

जलिरहेको छ मन आज,

कोहि बिरानोको सम्झनामा ।

(the poem was written in very short time ie. just about 5-10 minutes so this is not all that sahityik.. my apologies to all who might have landed hoping for that.)

Do you Remember Jurassic park? How the All male Dinosaurs became able to reproduce? According to the movie, the Scientists used Amphibian DNA(of Frog or something) while ‘re-Producing’ New dinosaurs, And according to ‘all famous’ Darwin’s law of struggle for existence, the male converted themselves to female so that they could reproduce and continue the race. Was that that easy? A male converting itself to female isn’t that simple to occur itself is it? There are many Hermaphrodites which can act both as male and female but changing sex doesn’t mean being an hermaphrodite, its converting a male into female.

In fact its not just the movie, Sex change is common in many amphibians, commonly in toads. Even the toughest of known toads, the cane toad, Bufo marinus, which is famed for indestructibility has found to be prone to sex change. According to American scientists, the male toads in intensively farmed land are changing sex. This is probably  why the world’s amphibians are disappearing.