Selfless Compassion - Story of Ram Bahadur Neupane

It is not easy being selfless. Even more so in the current age of materialistic competition, envy and ambition to move ahead of others. Altruism and self-less service are equally elusive for the same reason. As so vividly dealt with by Gurcharan Das in his famous book (Difficulty of Being Good), it is very difficult to be good in the true sense. Goodness is in deep scarcity. 

Still, time and again, some stories emerge and tell us that goodness and compassion are not entirely dead. Such is the story of one Ram Bahadur Neupane. I came across the story today on OnlineKhabar.com. His is a story of compassion and love, for animals. In the current age when even people do not get rightful attention and compassion, Ram Bahadur showed exquisite compassion for stray bovines abandoned by people in different locations in the city. 

A city where even human beings are being abandoned, ignored and left to die destitutes, no wonders that cows, the national animals, are left unprotected and exposed to abuse, starvation and disease. Even infant calves are abandoned by people to save their share of the milk. Old cows beyond the age of milk production are also similarly abandoned. While they are protected against deliberate slaughter for meat, their abandoned lives are sometimes worse and death. Stray on busy roads, left to scavenge on the roadside rubbish dumps, forced to forage in garbage and drink out of dirty drains, the cows have a miserable life. 

It is in this context that Mr. Neupane toiled day and night to give he cows protection and shelter. While he himself was ridiculed and even called a madman by people including his own family, he toiled on and established two protection homes for cows at Pashupati and Kavre. He left his job and devoted his time for the service of the cows. Collected them from across town, reared them, fed them, healed them and made them an integral part of his daily life. 

It needs special guts, courage and compassion to do such deeds. Deeds without any benefit for the doer. Deeds deemed ridiculous, callous and thoughtless by the general society. Deeds ignored and dismissed by authorities. Deeds plagued by dearth of resources and funds. Still, people like Ram Bahadur Neupane overcome all these odds and show that such deeds are possible if you have compassion and will to do good. Hats off to Ram Bahadur. Society needs people like him to remind itself that goodness is not dead. 

Thursday 31 October 2019

Thriving in Adversity

In the story 'the Betz by Anton Chekhov, the lawyer thrived in his own self-imposed  solitary confinement. He had all he the time in the world to story, contemplate and widen his horizon of knowledge. He learned so much that by the time he finished his term of fifteen years and was entitled to a huge sum from the banker, he found the idea of wealth trivial against his immense acquired knowledge. He decided not to claim his reward.

From the outset, it seems foolish of the lawyer, first to have entered the bet and then to have declined the reward. But the point Chekhov wanted to make was that the lawyer was a changed man now. He had transcended the worldly desire of wealth and opted for spiritual assets. In other words, he thrived in his adversity of total solitary confinement for fifteen long years. He opted to enrich his soul during the time in which he could not care about the world and his worldly worries. He used his adversity to attain higher purpose.

Not all adversities are same. Some have financial woes, others have bodily deficiencies and anomalies while others have cultural, social or relational turmoil. It is not the adversities that are special. It is the way we handle them. 

Take trans model and author Casey legler who was born a girl, had almost masculine physique and height and could not feel comfortable doing what was expected of her, swimming. In a candid interview for the hardtalk program of BBC, she described how she felt challenged, deprived and even contemplated ending her own life many times. Despite all odds, she regrouped, fought back and coached herself out of misery to become a model, author and campaigner. She did that with her grit nad the important help from her sister. She also thrived amid adversities.

Many artists, writers and other creators create their best in prisons, amidst wars, under severe duress or in great poverty. Somehow, the extraordinary tenacitynof human spirit finds it's best resources when pushed to the corner. It's like gold being purified under the heat of fire. The human spirit seems similar in its capacity to shine under the scorching heat of adversities. So, better not to panic in distress. May be it is there to show us what we are capable of. 

Wednesday 30 October 2019

Prison of Mind

How would a person in prison feel? Limited? Bound? Restricted? Not free? May be all of these. May be all these mean the same thing. A prison is a condition that limits the natural freedom of the person. But a prison can be a real prison with cells, bars and guards. A prison can also be a prison of someone's own body. There are numerous people trapped inside their own body that is either disabled, incomplete or worn out with disease or ageing. Mind wants to wander free and do various things but the body does not allow. 

When the mind wants and the body cant obey, the mind or the soul within it feels trapped. There is a nice metaphor of it in literature, from Metamorphosis to the Kite Runner and so many others. A lively and energetic mind & soul inside a limited body is like someone put in a cell with very limited mobility and freedom. 

While prison of body can limit the practical realization of the musings of the mind, there are cases when even the mind seems like a prison. One feels such when one studies about or sees geniuses doing great thinking or creating miracles. Miracles can be in arts, literature, science or any other human trade. But a genius is defined by the mind and its creativity. A normal person, when observing the consequences of such high-caliber of thinking, feels timid and belittled. A normal person feels the limitation of his own mind. Why do not I have the same sparkling mind that can think deep, solve complex problems, theorize new ideas, create art, write mesmerizing music or visualize timeless pieces of artistry. 

The prison of mind is even more prominently felt when the mind is almost idle, empty and cannot think anything deep. Sometimes, even the normal mind sparkles and amazing thoughts cross it. If those are not recorded promptly, they vanish like a passing rain and then there is the customary emptiness. It is the same bunch of grey cells inside the same shell of skull but the thinking is different or much curtailed. In such situations, the mind rues the loss of that passing rain of ideas. It laments the emptiness and craves for the same spark of mindful activity. 

But may be it is the nature of the human brain that it cannot be at the same level of activity all the time. It has its crests and troughs. It has its ebbs and flows. When the sun is shining, it is better to dry the grain for the night. For the day does not last forever and the day has to provide for the night as well. Hence, whenever the brain is at its peak of activity, it is better to record the wonderful thoughts. Hence the painted canvases, sculpted stones, written operas, scripted literature and discovered magic of science. Hence the books, parchments, paintings, sculptures, musical notes, scientific theories, engineering marvels. All the evidence of recording of the creation of the mind's genius when it is at its peak. May be these lines are a tiny, infinitesimal example of such. 

Tuesday 29 October 2019

Extraordinary Positivity in Extreme Adversity

Sometimes stories surprise and energize at the same time. The Internet is a treasure trove of a myriad different kinds of stories. Some mundane. Some shocking. Some depressing. Others inspiring and enlightening. Stories of despair and demise. Stories of triumph and courage. Stories of positivity and optimism. Stories of extreme pessimism and gloom. 

As any other good thing, finding really good stories online is also difficult and time-taking. But such stories there are. In different corners of cyberspace. Tonight, I was idling online and happened to visit time.com. The online portal of the world's premier news magazine had an amazing story. The story is that of an African American man named Robert Chelsea who suffered 80% burn during a severe accident in 2013. His face was severely disfigured and had almost no lips. No lips meant he could not speak well, chew, spit, kiss his daughter and had to tilt his head backwards while eating to avoid dropping his food and drink. He came out alive after four months in hospital and countless surgeries. But he was severely disfigured. 

Despite being in a nightmarish situation, Robert had an amazingly positive outlook of life. He had full compassion at people staring at his face. He said it was natural for them to be shocked and curious at his extremely disfigured face. Still, he had positive outlook of life and would even joke about his appearance. 

The miracle of medical science meant Robert had a possibility of restoring his face through transplant. He was first offered a white man's face but he rejected as it would mean he would lose his African American identity. Finally, in 2019, he was offered a face of an African American and he accepted the transplant. After another round of complex surgery, Robert was released with the new face in August 2019. He now could chew, spit, kiss his grown up daughter and would not have to worry about dropping his food while eating. 

I found the story special because a small pimple or a tiny acne or a small scratch or a minor spot on my face makes me anxious. The modern age of accentuated beauty, social media exposure and selfie-centric self-image means we all are over-conscious and over-anxious about our appearance. I also have part of that feeling. While I am extremely lucky to have a decent face, I still am anxious about those petty challenges. On the other hand, Robert much have been shocked by his own face after the burns but he literally kept a 'brave face' and positive outlook that kept him going and ultimately gave him the courage to accept another man's face on his head. 

An inspiring story of positive thought, optimistic outlook of life and easy acceptance of one's circumstances. Awesome story of an ordinary man's courage and positivity. 

Thursday 24 October 2019 (7 Kartik 2076)

यी चाड कस्ता आए होलान् ?

चाडबाड फेरि आ‍ए भन्छन्, खोइ कस्ता  आ‍ए होलान् ?

मेरो देश, मेरो गाउँ, मेरो ठाउँको चाडबाड कस्ता होलान् 

मलाई मेराको र मेरालाई मेरो निरन्तरकै साथ होला 

मेरो बाटो हेर्ने र मैले बाटो हेर्नेको बाटो एउटै होला 

आफ्नो सद्‍भाग्यलाई गर्दै मेरो चाड उल्लासमय होला 

तैपनि मनको कुनामा प्रश्न, सबैको चाड मेरै जस्तो होला ?

जेठा बाकी साहिली छोरी मुग्लानबाट आउन पाउँदिन होली

कान्छी आमैको माहिलो छोराले अरबबाट छुट्टी पाउँदैन होला 

अनगिन्ती जेठाबा र अनेकन साहिली आमै देशभरी होलान् 

आशै आशमा कल्पिन विवश तिनको चाडबाट कस्ता होलान् ।

नानीका नानामा बाटाको धुलोले सेताम्मे भयो होला
बाबुको टल्किने जुत्ता महानगरको हिलोले पोतियो होला
चिचि र पापाको भोक खुर्सानी र चिउराले मेटियो होला

बाबुका सपना र नानीका तिर्सनाको यो चाड कस्तो होला 

कसैका आफन्त बाकसभरी कोसेली लिएर आए होलान्
अरु कतिका आफैँ बाकसमा बन्द भएर पठाइए होलान्
कतिका अङ्गालो भरिँदा कैयनका जीवन टुक्रिए होलान्
कोसेली र बज्रपात मिसिएका यी चाडबाड कस्ता होलान्

कति छोराछोरीले लामो पर्खाइपछि न्यानो काख पाए होलान्
अनगिन्ती अरुले सामाजिक सञ्जालबाटै चित्त बुझाए होलान्
कति साच्चै रमाए कतिले रमाएको झुठो बहाना गरेहोलान्

उडेका चङ्गा र चुडिएका धागा यो चाडमा कति होलान् 

निधामा हत्केलाले छेक्दै कति आँखा बाटामा ओच्छिए होलान्
रातो टीका टल्किने निधारमा बिछोडका रेखा तन्किए होलान्
अर्को वर्षको सान्त्वनामा कतिले यो वर्ष चित्त बुझाएहोलान्

नसकिने पर्खाइ र नओभाउने आँखाका यी चाड कस्ता होलान् 

भेटको झीनो आशलाई सास दिन कतिले चिनो पठाए होलान्
मिलनको कल्पनाको त्यान्द्रो समातेर कति मुटु कल्पिए होलान्
रोएको मनलाई नक्कली हाँसोले ढाकेर जगतलाई झुक्याए होलान्

पेटभरि मनको लड्डु घिउसित खाँदै चाड मान्ने कति होलान्  

सहरका सडक झैं कतिका हृदयमा खाल्टै खाल्टा परे होलान्
बर्खे पहाड झैं सयौं जीवनका जगहरू पहिरोमा बगे होलान्
निराश र हताश सपनाहरु मिलन र प्रेमको राहत खोज्दै होलान्

टुक्रिएका सपनामा दु:स्वप्न थप्न यी चाड किन आए होलान्

 

बिहिवार ३० असोज २०७६ (१७ अक्टोबर २०१९)  

डा. सन्दुक रुइतको चमत्कारिक जीवनी

डा. सन्दुक रुइत आधुनिक नेपालका सर्वाधिक उज्याला नक्षत्रहरूमध्ये पर्छन् भन्नु अतिशयोक्ति नहोला । ओखलढुङ्गाको दुर्गम गाउँमा जन्मिएर देश तथा विदैशमा अति विशिष्ट नेत्र शल्यचिकित्सकको रूपमा कालजयी छवी बनाउन सक्नु आफैंमा चमत्कारिक छ । हालसालै प्रकाशित डा. रुइतकको जीवनी पढ्दा उनले गरेको सङ्घर्ष र सामाजिक कार्यको वास्तविक स्तर र गहिराइ बारे जानकारी भयो । आफ्नो स्वार्थ, अर्थोपार्जनको लालसा, पारिवारिक सुख सुविधा लगायतका व्यक्तिगत महत्वाकाङ्क्षाको सट्टा जीवनभर गरीव, निमुखा र दुर्गम क्षेत्रका वासिन्दालाई अति सहज, सरल र सुपथ तथा कैयौं पटक नि:शुल्क सेवा प्रदान गरेका डा. रुइतमा उच्च कोटिको सेवा भावना र विनय रहेको पाइन्छ । 

साधारण शल्यक्रियाबाट मोतियाविन्दुको उपचार गरी लाखौं मानिसहरूलाई नेत्रज्योतिको नवजीवन प्रदान गर्ने डा. रुइतले नेपाल लगायत अन्य धेरै देशमा गरेको कामको शुरुमा व्यापक विरोध भएपनि क्रमिक रूपमा प्रशंसा र आदर भएको पाइयो । आफ्नो चरम आलोचना हुँदा होस् वा पुरस्कार र प्रशंसाको ओइरो लाग्दा होस्, डा. रुइतमा आफ्नो काम प्रतिको समर्पण तथा विनयशिलता कहिल्यै कम भएन । घण्टौंसम्म अनवरत रूपमा खाली खुट्टानै बसेर एक पछि अर्को विरामिको शल्यक्रिया गर्ने यी डाक्टरले हिमाल, पहाड, तराइ देखि देश र विदेशमा आफ्नो सरल र सस्तो विधिबाट मोतियाविन्दुको उपचार गरी लाखौं व्यक्तिलाई नेत्रज्योतिको उपचार मात्र गरेनन् देशकै अग्रणी आंखा अस्पताल, कृत्रिम लेन्स कारखाना तथा आँखा बैंकको पनि स्थापना गरे । मरणोपरान्त आँखा दानको कार्यलाई फैलाउन पनि उनले अनवरत काम गरेका छन् । 

अष्ट्रेलियन लेखिका अलि ग्रिपरले लेखेको मूल जीवनी The Barefoot Surgeon लाई नेपालीमा श्री खगेन्द्र सङ्ग्रौलाले अनुवाद गरेको यो जीवनी पढ्दा जीवनमा केही गर्ने र अरुको लागि पनि बाँच्ने प्रेरणा प्राप्त हुन्छ । घाँसीले भानुभक्तलाई कीर्ति राख्ने अर्ति दिए जस्तै डा. रुइतको जीवनीले पनि पाठकलाई केहि न केहि नि:स्वार्थ र समाजोपयोगि काम गरेर आफ्नो जीवन सार्थक पार्ने प्रेरणा दिन्छ । 

पुस्तक विमोचनमको क्रममा उनिसंग प्रत्यक्ष भेट गर्ने र पुस्तकमा हस्ताक्षर गराउने अवसर प्राप्त भयो । अचानक त्यति उँचो व्यक्तित्वको नगिच पुग्दा आफ्नो व्यक्तित्व र कृतित्वको लघुताभास त भयो नै, सो क्रममा डा. रुइतले देखाएको सहृदयता र विनयशिलताले कबिशिरोमणीको यो हरफको पनि स्मरण गरायो:

उपकारी गुणी व्यक्ति निहुरन्छ निरन्तर । 

फलेको वृक्षको हाँगो नझुकेको कहाँ छ र ।।

डा. रुइत वास्तमवै अलौकिक फल दिने कल्पवृक्ष हुन् । समाजले निरन्तर नेत्रज्योति र जनकल्याण रुपी ती दिव्य फल प्राप्त गरिरहुन । डा. रुइतको वृक्षमा चीरकाल सम्म हरियाली रहिरहोस् । नेत्र ज्योति र नव जीवनको दिव्य फल धराभरिका मानिसहरूले प्राप्त गरिरहुन् ।  

विहिबार ३० असोज २०७६ (१७ अक्टोबर २०१९)