Sunday, December 30, 2007

Lhosar

Gurung community, the people of ethnic in Nepal celebrate the Lhosar — the New Year on Sunday.

The government has announced a public holiday today, for the first time in the country’s history, to celebrate one of the greatest festivals of the Gurung community.

The Gurung communities across the country are celebrating the Lhosar with great fervor. Gurungs are found mainly in the districts such as Kaski, Lamjung, Mustang, Manang, Gorkha, Parbat and Syangja. They are also found in various parts of the country and in India.
The Gurung have their own language, which is called ‘Tamukwi’, which belongs to the Khamer Tibeto-Burman language group.

Posted by Myself at 11:41:11 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Id-ul-Zuha

Id-ul-Zuha was celebrated on December 28.
The festival commemorates the spirit of supreme sacrifice of Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim. The selfless sacrifice is an inspiring example of subordinating self-interest to the greater good of humanity. Such festival of sacrifice would strengthen cultural bonds and usher in joy and prosperity for all.

Id-ul-Zuha, being is celebrated on Friday, commemorating the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim, who willingly agreed to kill his son at the behest of god.
This festival coincides with the Haj pilgrimage in Makkah.

Posted by Myself at 11:32:20 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Memoirs of a Doctor

My 2 Innings, a memoir of a paediatrician-cum-author who writes under a pen name Mani Dixit, has some pleasant and some not so pleasant memories over the years from his life.

Dixit takes us back to the Nepal of 40s and 50s that is more pleasant and forth, the stark realities of present that is not so pleasant. However, My 2 Innings is a pleasant read because it not only tells us about the author and his growing years in serene Kathmandu, but also gives us the vivid picture of the then Kathmandu, its people and practises.

The septuagenarian author, in his book, recalls his childhood and planting of a copper coin so that it will grow into a money plant one day; the then Kathmandu and the snow fall in Kathmandu, a rare phenomenon that has again occurred after 62 years on February 7 this year. He also recalls many of his friends, seniors and juniors like Pashupati SJB Rana and Ruskin Bond during his school days.

The author, who gave life to many as a practising doctor, survived a murder attempt on himself in Kathmandu, the capital city in 2006. The readers will definitely be compelled to ask, after going through the last chapters, why were KMC — a professional organisation and its board members hunted and what was their fault. Though sad these chapters tell us a lot about our corrupt system and its ineffectiveness that is counting its last days. It should be an eye-opener for the state mechanism, if it wants to boost its citizens’ confidence.

The book also has some of the rare pictures like snow-covered lawns of Singh Durbar some 62 years back, car being brought to Kathmandu in the forties and many more.

It seems that the author in his second innings will score a century.

IN SET

Book: My 2 Innings

Author: Dr Hemang Dixit

Publisher: Makalu Publication House

Pages: 169

Price: Rs 150

Posted by Myself at 11:20:35 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Bibaha Panchami

Hindu scripture are sources of inspiration for the mankind. Be it Ramkatha or Krishnacharitra, the Lord has always praised the human life when born on earth as an incarnation to defeat the evil. They have followed the worldly rituals and the customary tradition either to prove the superiority of human life or to give the message of obedience dutifulness and importance of kinship that shows humanity,which has some beautiful aspects in life.
There are stories about marriage of gods and goddess and their marriages have symbolic and cosmic meanings. Such is the heavenly marriage between Ram and Sita on this day widely known as the Bibaha Panchami among the Hindus.
Among all the incarnations described in the Hindu Scriptures, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, in Treta Yuga as Ram, the son of King Dasharatha and Queen Kaushalya Of Ayodhya, now a small province in India, is more like the Kings of those days. Ram, among all the incarnations of Vishnu, is more earthly than heavenly. He is described as a dutiful and obedient son, loving brother and a noble king, who ruled the people according to their wish. Ramarajya is still considered the wisest and the democratic rule of those days. The great sages like Balmiki and Bishwamitra have praised his kingship and his love for people.
According to the Ramayana, a holy scripture written by the great sage Balmike, on the fifth day of the bright half of Mangisir known as sukla panchami according to the lunar calander, Lord Ram Chandra was married to Sita the incarnation of Godess Laxmi, born as a daughter of King Janak the king of Mithila that now is the famous Janakpur in Nepal.
Bibaha Panchami is celebrated to memorize ceremony of Lord Ram with Sita though the ceremony took place Hindu devotees celebrate this day visiting the nerest Sitasram temple.
Dasrath, the king of ayodhya had no children and to have an heir to his throne he performed many yagyas. At last he was blessed with four sons namely Ram, Laxman, Satrughan and Bharat.
King Janak while ploughing the fild to inaugurate the harvesting season in Mithila found a girl – child and named her sita . When Sita was grown up, King Janak invited all noble and brave kings for swoyambara, a ceremony in which the girl chooses her idea husband as per tradition in those days.
The fomous and the most powerful kings from different kingdoms arrived for the event. King Janak had a Shiva Dhanu – a bow given to him by Lord Shiva. He announced that the king who would be able to lift the Shiva Dhanu will be his son-in-law. All the Kings present at the ceremony agreed to it. But nobody could lift the Shiva dhanu.
Ram and Laxman with their guru Bishwamitra were their also present on the occasion. By the order of his Guru, Ram lifted the bow. King Janak and his court were pleased and as promised by King Janak, Ram married Sita on the fifth day of Mangsir – sulka panchami. To commemorate the day, in the Mithila region or presest day Janakpurdham, Bibaha Panchami is celebrated with great pomp and honour.
Janakpur being the birth place of Sita honours its daughter by marking this day with a special ceremony. Devotees from various parts of Nepal and India gather at Janakpur to celebrate the day. The fomous Ram and Janaki temples here are decoprated and from the morning Ram bhaktas - the  devotees throng these temples.
On this day the chariot of Sitaram is pulled through the streets of Barabigha ground, Gangasagar and Jhulaghar, the sacred shrines in Janakpur, which follows a huge procession of devotees. Before the procession a sacred performance called Matkor is also performed at the holy pond of Matihani.
Thus the marriage anniversary of Lord Ram and Sita is celebrated as Bibaha Panchami.
Hindus celebratre each and every occasion of their life and give the religious meaning to it. Bibaha Panchami is one among them.
Posted by Myself at 10:38:07 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Bala Chturdashi: A day to remember dead ones

The fourteenth night of the dark half of Mangsir, Chaturdashi is celebrated as Bala Chaturdashi. On this day devotees visit Pashupatinath — the Lord of the animals — temple and worship him. In the night they keep vigil. Satbeej, the purified mixture of hundred different grains like maize, paddy is scattered.
Devotees throng to the different Shiva temples throughout the country on this day like Gupteshwor Mahadev of Panchthar, Haleshi Mahadev of Khotang, Narmadeshwor Mahadev of Okhaldunga, Dolakha Mahadev of Dolakha and Galeshwor Mahadev of Myagdi to scatter .
Those, whose relatives have died a years before perform Hom - a sacrificial worship to the fire God - for the peaceful departure of the dead ones.
In Kathmandu devotees throng Kailash, by the side of Pashupatinath temple, Budhanilkantha, Swoyambhu and Nagarjun hill and keep vigil throughout the night lighting the oil-lamp in the memory of the dead ones.
Nepal Mahatmya describes Gokarneshwor Mahadav as one of the shrine of Lord Mahadev. It states that once Lord Shiva got bored in the companionship of his regular battalion of ghosts and spirits in Kailash – his holy abode in the Himalayas, he wanted to roam around freely. He even wanted to decieve Parvati, his consort. So, he came to Mrigasthali in Shleshmantak Ban – a forest near Pashupatinath Temple. There he enjoyed his free life as a deer.
For a long time, when Gods could not find the Lord they were worried and set to find him. Gods sent Brahma, Vishnu and Indra to search for the Lord.
The Gods after searching the whole universe came to the Shlesmantak Ban where to there utter surprise they saw the Lord enjoying his freedom as a deer.
They prayed to the Lord and asked to return to Kailash. But the Lord, who in no mood to return did not pay any attention to them. So, instead they decided to catch the Lord – the deer and caught his horn.
All of a sudden the Lord disappeared and only the three broken pieces of his Deer horn remained in their hand. Lord Shiva then told them to establish those three pieces of horn in his remembrance: in three places. Indra installed his piece in Swarge - the heaven, Lord Vishnu in Patal -the lower planets and Lord Brahma in Martya - the earth at Gokarna as Gokarneshwor Mahadav.
The people till today visit this temple, where according to the scriptures, once Ravana also prayed the almighty and pleased him.
Posted by Myself at 10:22:34 | Permalink | Comments (1) »

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Sangraula’s memoirs

Samjhanaka Kuenetaharu is a collection of memoirs — of Khagendra Sangraula, one of the most read columnists — which are written in different time and spaced during the last decade.

In the book, a reader can encounter different people — from Bhawani Ghimire to Basant Thapa to Nirmal Lama to even earlier British envoy Bloomfield, to contemporary literary figures. Some of them are the author’s teachers, some are his friends, philosophers and guides, and yet others are the common characters from among us. But they are not redundant as the readers get to know them more, of course from the author’s eye. In some of his memoirs, the central character is even a radio, a cap or a telephone. But they are some of the metaphors of his life and our society at present.

There are 26 memoirs in Samjhanaka Kuenetaharu that helps us peep into not only the author’s life but also into the time he has lived and we have lived as well. A lot of people love him and equal number of people hate him, at the same time. The reason: his aggressive writing style. “He is a daring writer,” Narayan Wagle, writes of him. But sometimes, somewhere he seems childish in arguments, not daring rather a stubborn child. But it’s a difficult thing to be a child also. That’s why his literary work is the most controversial and at the same time contemporary.

As it happens though rarely, memoirs are always not true and authors are famous for lying to the readers. But his love-hate relationship with Nirmal Lama, honour and respect for Bhawani Ghimire seem true to his heart.

In many ways, Samjhanaka Kuenetaharu is a collection of contemporary essays that brings some rich and some poor memoirs of the author’s life. In many ways the essays seem familiar, at least to the readers of his column.

=============

Book: Samjhanaka Kuenetaharu

Author: Khagendra Sangraula

Publisher: FinePrint

Price: Rs 250

Pages: 209

Posted by Myself at 04:04:24 | Permalink | Comments (1) »