The First Dip - Remembering My First Swim

Humans doing butterflies, men practicing breaststrokes and scantily clad and wet people doing freestyle, it is a funny act. Swimming is. At least for me, it is a non-human act which should be the reserve of aquatic creatures only. 

I am jealous of Phelps. Not because he has done anything to me but because he swims like a fish and I swim like a ball of solid iron. Not sure how he does what he does but I know how I do what I do. Just enter the water, try not to move anything and go straight down. How I wish I had gills instead of lungs. So that I would not have to leave this world just to be in water for some time. 

Till I was 42, I never entered a pool, except that roadside muddy puddle my bicycle threw me into when I was trying my luck with the wheels 30 years earlier. Lucky for me the poodle was not very deep. I would not even dare look at people doing butterflies, breaststrokes and everything in between in water. Even photos of people swimming would create a lump in my throat. Lump of sheer, raw fear. I would never ever venture into the pool again till that fateful week in the Philippines in 2016. 

July 2016, I was in Manila, a city that never game any money despite its name. Tucked into a room on the 12th floor, my poor self had to walk up the stairs time and again due to the elevator being packed with a long queue waiting outside or it being broken altogether. Even worse, the pool was on the top of the 35 storey building. I thought I would be swimming among the clouds. 

I knew everything about swimming. It was just Archimede’s principle. Displace more water than your own weight and you are afloat. Simple. I thought I was a light man and could easily displace enough water. If not, I thought I would draw in full breath, swell my stomach to the full and float like a styrofoam. With this thought in mind and with added motivation from my swimmer friends, I made the big decision. To swim. Problem was that I did not have the costume. Neither myself nor my wife thought that i would swim anywhere other than the hotel bathtub before packing the bags. I was devastated. It took me two days of scouring the market to get my piece, a hefty 700 peso piece. A hefty sum for a costume that I used only 4 times in 26 months. Business people reading this would envy my investment skills. 

I am a shy guy. I do not go out in shorts or quarters. Let alone be in the swimming costume. Over-exposed. And no one would love to see this hairy, scary and emaciated stick of a body with little on. But thinking it would be even worse to swim with my clothes on, I mustered herculean courage to come out in my costume, nervously pulling at the ends and rims time and again. While my younger colleagues were navigating water like sharks, I timidly walked into the pool, repeating the Archimede’s principle to myself as an insurance policy. I went lower and lower, drew full breath to inflate myself, pushed my stomach outward and did every trick possible to displace enough water but still I did not float. May be my thin bones were too dense with my mother’s good care or may be my muscles were heavy with my rigorous workout 25 years earlier in my village. Whatever the reason, I was a heavyweight. Some consolation there. 

With my friend’s instruction, I grasped the edge of the pool, let my feet loose, lowered by head and kicked franticly at water to be afloat. Harder I tried, quicker I drowned. I gasped for breath, I might even have gulped a few mouthfuls of pool water in the process. Despite my hefty attempts and sacrifices, I could not stay afloat. Everyone else said it was easy but pushing the rock of Sisyphus up mount everest would be easier for me. After 4 days of exposure and exasperation, I called it quits. I never ventured up those 25 stories again during my 4 week stay. My costume still waits to get wet again. I am so heavy that only dead sea can probably make me float. Waiting for my trip there, no idea if and when. 

30 September 2018

((((The base script of my speech for the Humorous Speech Contest at Everest Toastmasters, held on Sunday, 30 September 2018. This is dedicated to the ever supportive members of the club.))))

Friendship

In his amazing book 'The Prophet', Khalil Gibran says "Your friend is your needs answered.

He is your field which you sow with love and reap with thanksgiving." Indeed, friendship is the perhaps the biggest gift for humankind and the most important aspect of life beyond immediate family (parents and children). 

There are many things that are shared between close friends. Some thoughts and activities that even parents or spouses do not know are known to close friends. habits good & bad, opinions positive & negative, attitudes, viewpoints, strengths, weaknesses, feelings, mistakes, achievements and many other physical and non-physical aspects of life are shared to close friends. 

A close and true friendship is based not on position, power or personality but on a spiritual level where the attitudes, interests and opinions match or can accommodate each other. Friendship is not based on long calculation and contemplation but on an instinctive connection between the two persons that develops automatically after a few interactions. Some great friendships develop much more quickly than others but however they develop, these are long-lasting relationships that can overcome various travails and tests of life. 

Friendship is based on understanding and not on prejudice. Like true love, true friendship is also something that cannot happen between any two persons. It happens between only special pair of persons. However, it is not necessarily between persons of same gender. Inter-gender friendships are often expected to evolve into love relationships but not necessarily so. True friendship can easily evolve between persons of opposite gender. After all, gender is not a criteria for friendship. It is something else. 

Since true friendship is based on non-calculative, non-prejudiced, clear-spirited connection between persons, such relationship generally develop in early age - at childhood, school or college days. This is because in those times human minds are free of many stresses, challenges and complexities of an adult life. 

A true friendship is not just having a good, frank and close relationship. As the saying goes 'a friend in need is a friend indeed', true friendship is tested in difficult times. A true friend is the first person to empathize and come forward to help a friend in distress or difficulty. This is beyond superficial expression of compassion and sympathy but involves a heartfelt emotional connection and a readiness to do the needful to help the friend out. 

Friendship is an spiritual asset to make every person's life richer. The more true friend one has, the fuller one's life is. 

27 September 2018

Internet of Things - Technology, Opportunities and Risks.

Internet is supposed to be enabling digital communication from people to people. Though it is computers that enable the communication, the information is created and consumed by humans in traditional Internet.

Now that it changing. A CCTV camera continuously streams its video online, a car engine sensor gets regular statistics of the health of the engine and uploads the data to cloud. That data is used by the car company and the car owner to view reports on-demand.  An arm band continuously monitors the vital statistics and creates an online database. Automated sensors, surveillance devices, tracking devices, weather sensors, traffic monitors and every other smart equipment are connected to the global network so that they can create, upload, process and interpret the data to produce useful information. This is the network of things. This is so called Internet of Things (IOT) that is hailed as the new face of Internet.

Billions of devices are being added every year, trillions of bytes of data are being added to the ever growing cloud and scores of new applications are coming up regularly has caused unprecedented explosion in the size, scope and versatility of Internet.

IoT is largely fueled by development in software, evolution of cheap devices, creation of smart services and enhancement in data analytics capabilities. It is also enabled by the new technologies such as IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6), Semantic Web, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning etc.

IoT is the bedrock on which modern technological phenomena such as smart cities, industrial automation & surveillance, home surveillance, remote assistance, tele-medicine etc are based.

The IoT devices or sensors (basically the Things in the IoT) are typically low-power, low-storage devices that specializing sensing a specific data and uploading that. They do not have the power or storage capability to carry out sophisticated calculations or retain data for long. They just sense and upload the data. That is why the cloud infrastructure and big data analytics are important for IoT. They enable storage and processing of the vast amount of data generated by millions of Things and help create meaningful information for consumers. Distributed cloud storage, distributed computing and on-demand access are thus the major technologies that help make IoT meaningful and fruitful.

As the applications and services grow more sophisticated and advanced, the overall intelligence and capability of the IoT ecosystem also shall grow. It shall also lead to more automation, data analytics and more tangible results of artificial intelligence.

However, once dozens of devices on our bodies, homes, offices and cities start monitoring every aspects of our lives and activities, the risk of breach of privacy also grows exponentially. It also creates opportunities for unscrupulous businesses and individuals to compromise our personal data and use that for business gains. Such business gain can be reaped by the party directly or can also be sold over to a different party for money. Something similar but probably much more sinister than the incident related to Cambridge Analytica in 2017.

So, as technology becomes more prevalent in our lives, we also need to be more aware, careful and prudent in our use of the facilities.

9:18 PM, 20 September 2018

Kathmandu 

Destitute

Expectant face
Moist eyes, lips quivering
Slightly raised, shaking
Listless hands, half begging

Squatting on the side
Eyeing every passing soul
With hope, hesitation
Fear & timidity playing foul

Or just sitting there
Outstretched hands
Downcast, avoiding eyes
Forlorn countenance

Stirring now and again
To make self visible
Showing the clinging life
Still alive, though unlivable

People come and go
Few side-glances, left, right
Others frustrated, annoyed
Moving on, ignoring outright

Now and then, cling cling
Odd coin flung into the bowl
Pieces thrust into the hand
Mumblings, curses, growls

Hot and cold, smoke & dust
Tired muscles, jammed bones
Anguished, hopeless mind
Quashed, smashed expectations

Forlorn figures on the road
Perhaps contemplating fate
Recounting days gone by
Wondering at their own state

Seeing world pass by
Happy, jolly, careless, light
Then coming back to senses
Wondering at one's own plight

There is an ordinary human soul
Condemned to sub-ordinary by time
Or by fate or by fault of whom?
Still, in essence, alike everyone else

A reflection of time present
A sign of time to come
A reminder of time gone by
A poor on the street, a destitute.

धोको

सबै जस्तै म, मेरो मन पनि सबैको जस्तै ।
सीमा फरक, शैली फरक, चाहना उस्तै ।।

भीडै भीडको बीचमा पनि तृष्णा साथी  ।
दबिएको एक्लो ज्यान अभिलाषा सबै माथी ।।

पल बराबरको परिधीभित्र युग समान आशा ।
चार हरफमा जीवनको तीक्ष्ण परिभाषा  ।।

घाम पानी, फूल काँढा, निशा प्रभात ।
झेल्दा झेल्दै कहिले पर्छ चोलामा रात ।।

अब त होला भन्दै छाया पछि पछिको दौड ।
अनबरत मरुमा भौंतारिएको मनको निचोड ।।

प्रतिपल बदलिंदो छ आफ्नै छबि, को देख्छ? ।
आजको 'म' ले हिजोको मैलाई 'को?' भनी लेख्छ ।।

आफ्नो अघि पछि कति आए, गए, उदाए होलान् ।
तैपनि शंका लाग्छ समयका छालले छोलान्? ।।

प्रेमको गीत गाउदा गाउदै झ्याउकिरी हठात् ।
चरीको मुखमा क्वाप्प पर्छ चट् हुन्छ अकस्मात् ।।

एक पछि अर्को कडी जोड्दै जीवनको मालामा ।
निमेषभरमा परिजान्छ जीव समयको ज्वालामा ।।

ज्वारभाटाहरूका वीचमा डगमगाउंदै बढ्ने नाऊ ।
विराम पर्यन्त चल्नुमै रहेको जीवनको अमूल्य भाऊ ।।

जे हुनु छ, जति पाउनु छ, जहाँ पुग्नुछ बोकी जीवनको पोको ।
पछि फर्कि हेर्दा ग्लानी र हीनता नहोस् यही एक धोको ।।


शुक्रबार २९ भाद्र २०७५

Citizenship in Mother's Name - A question of equality

New political wave. New government. New scandals. New ideologies. New debates. These are some of the defining indicators of contemporary Nepal in terms of policy discussions and direction of society. Among all the issues being debated or pondered upon, the issue of citizenship in the name of mother is a widely discussed one. It is also very important for the shaping of the future social fabric of the country. Some talk about equality and self-respect for women. Others talk about status quo and culture. Some say it will be a disruptive force while others argue it shall be an important positive change.

The issues of inheritance for daughters and citizenship in the name of mother are indeed very important ones that have far reaching consequences on the social structure and familial relationships. However the bigger half of humanity needs to be treated equally. Not in terms of behavior and respect but in terms of formal statutes, legal provisions and personal rights. Women are the fulcrum on which the whole humanity rests. Women do not discriminate between their brothers vs sisters, sons vs daughters, fathers vs mothers. Women nurture the entire gamut of family members, male or female, young or old. As the saying goes, behind every successful man, there is a woman. In fact there are more than one. There is the divine, loving and protective presence of mother. There is constant support and love from the spouse. There is continuous flow of constructive energy from sisters. Looking at the daily comings and goings of average family, daughters seem to be more caring, considerate and kind towards their parents than sons.

If a child always looks up to the mother for support, guidance and protection, why can't that child get his or her identity from mother? Why is it always the father?

Some people argue that citizenship in the name of father is our tradition and it is safe not to change. But are these non-pragmatic traditions immune to change and improvement? If so, why change the barbaric Sati or ChauPadi or Witch Hunt or marginalization of widows or exploitation of child brides? If some custom is considered a tradition and culture, all these obsolete social processes can also be called so. If such traits are to be protected in the name of culture and tradition, where is the positive and progressive change the society has been striving for?

Being married for almost 18 years now and a father of two, I always turn to my wife for support and guidance at those tricky and tough moments. Let alone my kids and family, I cannot even manage my anger, frustrations, anxieties and uncertainties without her comforting words and energizing presence. My father always turns to my mom whenever he has to make some decisions, big or small, short term or long term. Whenever I look downcast or even slightly worried, I see double impact on my mom and wife. Every man must be feeling same. If our ladies are so important in our lives, why not acknowledge their value in formal ways?

Long time back, in a TV discussion, acclaimed author Shova De said a mother did not need any proof for her to be called mother of a child. But for father, it depends upon trust or needs proof if the trust factor is weak. Perhaps the social regime of marital relationship is designed to establish that trust in a non-biological way. And that regime has worked well since time immemorial. That is, until the recent wave of divorces, breakages, single parentages and so on. Still, a mother does not need proof to call herself a mom of the child. Biology and her care for the child obviates that, except in cases of surrogacy which are still very rare. A man needs a well-recognized relationship or medical proof (thanks to the new medical advances in this area) to support his parentage of the child. Still, the social fabric does not pay due respect to the obvious relationship of mother and child. Still the legal fabric bars mom from passing her name and identity to her own flesh and blood. Perhaps, society is missing a great change that needs to occur. It is not a matter of our society only. It is pervasive across the world.

More than relationships and role of women in the social and family fabric, it is also a question of equality. Sportswomen being paid less than sportsmen, female professionals and workers getting less than male counterparts, women and girls judged according to the physical appearance rather than their capabilities and talent. A bride having to relinquish her maiden name and adopt that of her groom. Family lineage associated only to males. Big and small, the list of inequalities is still a long one. A courageous leadership and vision is needed to change this. If entire political systems can change, if entire dynasties that ruled for centuries can be replaced, these traditions can too.

This will create some upheavals, disruptions and debates. This will create some divisions and disagreements. But any amount of debates, disagreements and disruptions do not justify the unequal treatment of the better, more kind and more loving half of humanity that the other half is so dependent upon.

10 September 2018

पाखुरीको बल

तनक्क तन्केको छाती
ठाडो शिर, हसिलो मुहार ।
गर्बिलो र रबाफिलो बोली
स्वाभीमानी चाल ढाल ।।

मेहनती तन, अन्वेषी मन
दरिलो मुटु, भरिलो जोस ।
शरिर भरि जांगर र परिश्रम
मश्तिष्क भरि योजनाका ताना बाना ।।

ब्रम्ह मुहूर्तदेखि आध रात सम्म
पुर्पुरो सेक्ने घाम देखि मुटु खाने सिरेटो सम्म ।
धुलोको होली देखि हिलोको स्नान
हरपल हरदम तल्लीन र समर्पित ।।

सिलौटोमा किचेको नुन खुर्सानी
पानीमा उमालेको सादा पिठो ।
छाती भिजुन्जेल चीसो पानी
सुकुल गुन्द्रीको मीठो निद्रा र सपना ।।

बिना डर भर, मालिक आफ्नो आफैं
सादा दैनिकी, फराकिलो क्षितिज र धरातल ।
काठे, पराले पर्णकुटी बराबर बासमा पनि
ढुक्क र शान्त जीवन दिने पाखुरीको बल ।।

२०७५ भाद्र २४ आइतबार
(गाउँका श्री राजु दाइले घरमै पुष्टकारी उत्पादनको व्यवसाय थालेकोमा उहाँमा र आफ्नो व्यवसायक गर्ने हरेक पौरखी हातहरूमा समर्पित ।)