एउटा अंमुर्त चिट्ठी जस्मा केही लेखिएको छैन.
जुन भावना को भेल हुन सक्छ
माया को रेल हुन सक्छ
प्रिरती को जेल हुन सक्छ
तिमीले के देख्यौ
तिमीले के लेख्यौ
खाली पाना भरी
मैले माया मात्रै देखे माया मात्रै पढे
शब्दहरुको स्पर्शले
तरङ्गीत मन
कुनै संगीत लहरीमा
मीरा को मात नाच्छ…
शब्द केवल शब्द हो
अर्थ जे हुन पनि सक्छ,
जे नहुन पनि सक्छ
शब्द पढ्ने मात्र हो भने ……
शब्दहरु जब आँखाबाट हृयदको शान्ति खल्बल्याउँदै
हृदयसम्मै राज गर्न पुग्छन्
अनि शब्द केवल शब्दमात्र रहदैनन् ….
शब्दहरुको स्पर्शले
सुतेका वसन्तहरु बिउझाइ दिदा रहेछन्
भावनाका झङ्कारहरु फैलाई दिदा रहेछन्
नसा नसामा नशा लगाइदिदा रहेछन् ….
शब्दहरु आगो बनेर
रगतसँगै बल्दा रहेछन् ,
शब्दहरु सागर बनेर
मनसँगै बग्दा रहेछन् ।
The images of Greek gods and goddess are synonyms to beauty; however, the beauty for Greeks was a virtue, and a kind of excellence. Greeks assumed people to be whole persons. They expected the ‘inner’ beauty to be matched by ‘outside’ or beauty of any other kind. But, several thousand years later, we are cautious about the enchantments of beauty. We have not only splited off the ‘inside’ (character, intellect) from the ‘outside’(looks): but we often are astonished to see a beautiful person who is beautiful is also intelligent, talented, and good.
To be called beautiful is thought to name something essential to women’s character and concerns, (In contrast to men-whose essence is to be strong, or effective, or competent). It because of the concept that considers women as bodies, almost like nature; men are the minds, thinking, rational, acting beings that work on nature and transform “it” into culture. According to Janet Price and Margrit Shildrick, men are therefore superior, over and above nature; they can do with nature what they please. And, the way in which the body, far from being given once and for all, is endlessly subject to alteration by an array of circumstances both organic and inorganic- including congenital and acquired illness, technology, terror and the processes of ageing determines the ways of her subjectivity costumed.
Women are taught to see their bodies in parts, and to evaluate each part separately. Breasts, feet, hips, waistline, neck, eyes, nose, complexion, hair and so on- each in turn are submitted to an anxious, fretful, often despairing scrutiny. This has forced women to alter the familiar forms of their body with the help of advance technologies, in the form that men would love to see or have, had not only pressurized women to undergo the change, but also forces them to undergo the trauma caused by and in the process of the altering. Alice Walker explains her concerns in “Interview from Warrior Marks” that, cultures like her, now wants women who are very thin, very white, very blond, with very big breasts; a lot of women have breast implants, they have bleached skin, they have bleached hair. They try to be the ideal woman for some nonspecific but very powerful men. So it’s really about shaping a woman in the image that men think they want. And every country in the world is busily doing that. In the contrary in men, a good look is a whole, something taken in at a glance. It does not need to be confirmed by giving measurements of different regions of the body, nobody encourages a man to dissect his appearance, feature by feature.
Standers of beauty describe in precise terms the relationship that an individual will have to her own body. They prescribe her motility, spontaneity, posture, gait, and the uses to which she can put her body. They define precisely the dimensions of her physical freedom. And of course, the relationship between physical freedom and psychological development, intellectual possibility, and creative potential is an umbilical one. In most of the cultures, not one part of a women’s body is left untouched, unaltered. No feature or extremity is spared the art, or pain, of improvement. From head to toe, every feature of a woman’s face, every section of her body, is subject to modification, alteration. This alteration is an ongoing, repetitive process…. From the age of 11 or 12 until she dies, a woman will spend a large part of her time, money, and energy on binding, plucking, painting and deodorizing herself.
As we know for centuries the Chinese broke the feet of women and forced their toes back underneath the feet so they would only be three inches long, and you had to hobble along on these little feet. Soon this became an aphrodisiac. The small feet were the symbol of beauty to attract men, and the quality on a woman that men loved. But essentially it was about preventing a woman from getting away. It was about enslaving someone. That is what all this is about. It’s why they have bras that make it impossible for the women to breather freely, high-heeled shoes that destroy the feet of the women. Some Burmese women wear fifteen or twenty necklaces, designed solely to make it impossible for them to hold up their necks, without the support of these necklaces. So it they are ever ‘disobedient’, all someone needs to do is taking away a couple of necklaces, and the excruciation pain of trying to keep their head up makes them long for this necklace again. And there are cultures where they put heavy weights on the woman’s legs, which destroy the muscles of the leg. Over centuries, women begin to think that these things are beautiful, because the mind needs to rationalize what is happening, when in fact it is about enslavement.
Similarly, the practice of female genital mutilation in the African countries too is a process of altering the female body into a desirable body. The genital mutilation is done to the girls as young as eight years old without anesthetics or antiseptics, and this practice in some of the countries is over six thousand years.
In fact, what is accepted by most women as a flattering idealization of their sex is a way of making women feel inferior to what they actually are-or normally grow to be. For the ideal of beauty is administered as a form of self oppression. To look beautiful for a woman, can never be just a pleasure. It is also a duty and a work for women. If a woman does real work- and even if she has clambered up to a leading position in politics, law, medicine, business or whatever- she is always under pressure to confess that she still works at being attractive, and beautiful.
Be it genital mutilation of women, foot binding, or altering the familiar forms of their body with the help of advance technologies and cosmetics, these are really just a part of the global mutilation of women and the terrorization of women. These in fact are one of the numerous things done to keep women under foot of the dominant patriarchal culture, making them beautifool in the beautiful.
1. Exploring Trauma in The Good Earth
The Good Earth has earned the worldwide attention for the universalization of the peasants, but it depicts women’s trauma more than any other aspect of the Chinese society. The novel presents women’s trauma through the practices of foot binding, female infanticide, and selling daughters as slaves. The fiction constantly draws attention to the circumstances that impel a woman to commit such actions. Pearl S. Buck presents the husbands who take concubines and use their wives like slaves as normal and legitimate actions in the culture. Her criticism is directed less toward particular customs or acts committed by individual characters than towards the larger cultural values that produce and allow those acts to occur.
It would be fair to claim that in The Good Earth, primarily through the character of O-lan, Buck explores the position and trauma of women in traditional Chinese culture, focusing on the hardships and limitations faced by women, from abuse in childhood to servitude in adulthood.
The present research aims at providing the standpoint that The Good Earth presents women’s trauma, by studying and analyzing the text in the light of Feminist Perspectives and Trauma Theory. The second chapter of the current thesis discusses the women’s status as presented in The Good Earth. Oppression of women is analyzed by comparing Chinese culture to other South Asian cultures and women’s status in the history of civilization. The third chapter “Body and Trauma” presents the women as body, and the trauma caused by this perception. The fourth chapter presents critical analysis of women’s trauma in The Good Earth, with special insight to Chinese practices to foot binding, concubine, and women’s status in Chinese culture, followed by the fifth chapter as conclusion.
The Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature in 1938 and a previous winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. She piles stereotype on stereotype while describing women’s trauma in the Chinese society. Buck had written over 70 books in her career, first eight novels deal with China and the Chinese people, often about peasants who for the first time became “real men and women” to her less than worldly western readers (Frederic A., 141). The 1938 Nobel Prize was awarded to her not merely for The Good Earth but “For rich and genuine epic portrayal of Chinese peasant life, and for masterpieces of biography” (Frederic A., 141). Buck was a lifelong feminist, and she takes a feminine tone towards the oppression of women in China, focusing on individual experiences of the oppression, without making large-scale political or social claims.
Author of more than eighty published books and innumerable shorter pieces; the most translated author in all of American Literature, with some ninety publishers abroad, Buck was most prolific and popular American interpreter of China. Her unique insight on China and her commitment and effectiveness as a physicist enabled her to transform the personal vision of an unchanging earthbound China, which she had shaped in the 1920’s into a national vision during the following two decades. Buck’s influence rested essentially on the success of The Good Earth, which more than any other single contemporary work shaped an American image of China.
Her parents, Absolom and Caroline (“Carie”) Sydenstrickers, were Southern Presbyterian missionaries who were on temporary leave from China, when she was born as the fourth of their seven children. Three months after her birth, the Sydenstrickers returned to Chinkiang (Zhenjiang), a port city on the Yangtze River in Kiangsu (Jiangsu) province of China. There she was raised by her mother and a Chinese nurse, taught by a Confucian scholar, and had Chinese playmates. As would later be evident in her writing, these childhood experiences indelibly shaped her personality and philosophical approach to life. During Buck’s hey day The Good Earth sold more than a million and half copies, a very impressive figure in those days before the economical paperback version of the book translated into more than 30 foreign languages, it was known worldwide.
Buck was successful as a writer but the traumatic fact about her daughter always bothered her. The bothering fact has proved her stimulation to write commercially. Buck would later lament to her friend Polly Small: “I would gladly have written nothing if I could have just and average child in Carol. Average children seem such a wonderful joy to me- I wouldn’t ask for a clever, bright child if I could have had her just average” (Buck, A Letter to Polly Small, 132).
The novel begins on the marriage day of Wang Lung, who is a poor young farmer in rural, turn-of-the-century China. During the time in which the story takes place, Chinese society was showing signs of modernization while remaining deeply connected to ancient traditions and customs. When Wang Lung reaches a marriageable age, his father approaches the powerful local Hwang family to ask if they have a spare slave who could marry his son. The Hwangs agree to sell Wang Lung a 20-year-old slave named O-lan, a plain looking, and dull and slow but hard working, thrifty and resourceful woman. O-Lan and Wang are pleased with each other, although they exchange few words,Wang Lung is initially disappointed that O-lan does not have bound feet.
Together, Wang Lung and O-lan cultivate a bountiful and profitable harvest from their land. O-lan becomes pregnant, and Wang Lung is overjoyed when O-lan gives birth to a son as their first child. Meanwhile the powerful Hwang family lives decadently. The husband is obsessed with his wife, and the wife is an opium addict. Because of their costly habits, the Hwang’s fall on hard times and Wang Lung is able to purchase a piece of their fertile rice land. He enjoys another profitable harvest, and O-lan gives birth to another son. Wang Lung’s new wealth catches attention of his greedy lazy uncle. Custom dictates that Wang Lung must show the utmost respect to members of the older generation, especially relatives, so he is forced to loan his uncle a lot of money despite knowing the fact that the money will be wasted on drinking and gambling. The Hwang family’s finances continue to falter, and Hwangs sell another tract of land to Wang Lung.
After O-lan gives birth to a daughter, a terrible famine settles on the land. In the midst of this crisis, O-lan gives birth to another daughter. She strangles the second girl because there is not enough food to feed the baby and the rest of the family. Wang Lung is forced to take his family to a southern city for the winter. There, O Lan and the children beg while Wang Lung earns money by transporting people in a rented rickshaw. They earn just enough money to eat. Wang Lung begins to despair of even making enough money to return to his land. He and O-lan briefly consider selling their surviving daughter as a slave. Eventually, a group of poor and desperate people ransack a rich man’s home, and Wang Lung and O-lan join them. Wang Lung steals a pile of gold coins. With this new wealth, he moves the family back home and purchases a new ox and some seeds. O-lan had stolen some jewels during the looting. Wang Lung allows her to keep two small pearls, but takes the rest and hurries to buy three hundred acres of Old Master Hwang’s land. O-lan gives birth to twins shortly thereafter. The couple realizes their oldest daughter is severely retarded, but Wang Lung loves the child dearly.
Wang Lung hires laborers to plant and harvest his land. He enjoys several years of profitable harvests and becomes a rich man. When a flood forces him to be idle, he begins to feel restless and bored. He finds fault with O-lan’s appearance and cruelly criticizes her for having big feet. He becomes obsessed with Lotus, a beautiful, delicate prostitute with bound feet. Eventually, he purchases Lotus to be his concubine. When O-lan becomes terminally ill, Wang Lung regrets his cruel words and comes to appreciate everything his wife has done for him. Meanwhile, to lessen the demands of his uncle and his uncle’s wife, who have moved their family into his house and continued to exploit his wealth, he tricks them into becoming opium addicts. Eventually, Wang Ling buys Hwang’s house and moves into it with his family, leaves his own house to his uncle’s family.
After O-lan’s death, Wang lung’s sons begin to rebel against his plans for their life. They do not want to work as farmers and do not have his devotion to the land. Furthermore, his first and second sons often argue over money, and their wives develop an intense animosity toward one another. In his old age, Wang Lung begins to feel a secret yearning for one of the slaves Pear Blossom, who is a pale, delicate girl. Pear Blossom reciprocates this love by saying that she likes older men. Wang Lung takes her as a concubine. She promises to take care of his retarded daughter after his death. In time, grandchildren surround Wang Lung, but he is also surrounded by petty family disagreements. When Wang Lung hears his sons making plans to sell the land, he becomes hysterical, crying that the selling of the land will be the end of the family. Although the sons assure their father that they will not sell the land, they look over his head and secretly smile at one another. By the end of the novel, despite Wang’s passionate dissent, his sons agree to sell the family land and divide the money among them, signaling their final break with the land that made them wealthy.
In the novel, women are perched as a commodity, and one is supposed to “use” them as an object bought from the market. The old mistress hands over the “slave” O-lan to Wang Lung with a remarkable order, “ Take her and use her well (Buck13)”. The similar sense of male superiority extends to Wang Lung’s being embarrassed when he is wondering whether or not he satisfied O-lan, “…he was ashamed of his own curiosity and his interest in her. She was after all, only a woman” (21).
Wang Lung is disappointed and repulsed when he realizes that O-lan’s feet are not bound. O-lan was sold to the great house as a child, and thus, her mother did not have the time to bind her feet. Later, O-lan insists on tightly binding the feet of their second daughter so that she may have small feet. The girl cries every night because of the pain caused by the binding of her feet. The physical torture given to women for the transformation of their feet is an example of women’s trauma in the novel.
The belief that the birth of a female child in a family is a misfortune reverberates throughout the novel. The existence of a woman is not accepted as that of a man. Her existence and her arrival are not even worth mentioning. When O-lan has her first daughter, she tells Wang Lung, “ It is only a slave this time, not worth mentioning (46)”.
Wang Lung, in a dilemma to sell his daughter “Poor Fool”, inquires O-lan a former slave herself, if pretty slaves were treated any different or better in comparison to the ugly ones. Since he considers his daughter to be a beautiful one, he assumes that she might escape the beatings, if sold as a slave. O-lan travels through her memory lane and quenches Wang Lung’s query by saying:
Aye, beaten or carried to a man’s bed, as the whim was, and not to one man’s only but to any that might desire her that night, and the young lords bickered and bartered with each other for this slave or that and said, “ then if you tonight, I tomorrow”, and when they were all alike wearied of a slave the men servants bickered and bartered for what the young lords left, and this before a slave was out of childhood-if she were pretty (96).
O-lan’s statement is one of the many examples of the state of women and women’s trauma presented in The Good Earth. Alive or dead, the women in The Good Earth exist only to let others benefit by being available at the disposal for men- to get sold, killed or to be used as commodity.
Deadlock of Multiparty Democracy in Nepal
His Majesty the King, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev took an unexpected step on Feb.1st 2005, throwing all the political parties aside. King has justified his action as an obligation to bring the country in its track. The historical royal proclamation is a postmortem of the 15 years of multiparty democracy and his verdict is that multiparty system proved failure to promote peace process in Nepal.
At the present moment, Nepal is in a state of great chaos. Most of the fundamental rights of the citizen are expelled and an emergency has been imposed since Feb. 1st 2005.The political forces and political observers are trying to retrospect past fifteen years. Is multiparty political system, which is considered to be the best political system in the world does not suit Nepal? If not, what kind of fact and factors are responsible for the present deadlock? What forced the King to step outside the constitutional premises? Will the King restore multiparty democracy after 3 years as promised? Questions like this hover around the sky of the beautiful Himalayan Kingdom at the present and the answers would take time to come to any concrete shape.
Along with the conscious countrymen, this paper tries to see the possible causes for the deadlock of multiparty democracy in Nepal.
Social cause: Despite the cultural diversity, Nepal has a profound history of cultural harmony. Social composition of Nepal is formed as semi-feudalist, especially after 1950.Though it is noticeable fact that the silent conflicts between people, in the basis of class, creed, culture, region, gender, and economic backdrop existed under the surface.
These were the dominating factors, often used or often misused by the political parties. The king has been the leading figure for feudal elements. The middle class of the society was led by the political parties, but the lower class was left without any leading idol. Political systems were subjects of change but change in system couldn’t reinforce the change in the ruling character. It remained unchangeable, exploiting the marginal and lower class.
The remarkable presence of women, tribal youths and the lower and (so called) back warded class in the Maoist militant group signifies the fact that Maoist were successful to address the problems and penetrate in the lower class of the marginal groups in a promising manner. Whereas, the governments of multi party democratic system were not sensitive enough to do so. And the mainstream ultimately compelled the lower class to find its voice under an alternative political party. It’s not true that the exploited class is ardent supporter of Maoist but it was their anger against the ruling elite which was released through this channel. The social imbalance forced the kingdom towards a civil war.
Economical Cause:
Nepal is one of the most economically challenged countries in the world, with the per capita income of $200. Half of the population lives beyond the poverty line. About 80% of the population depends upon traditional agriculture. The huge bulk of arable land is under the ownership of few people who are not the actual owner .This has often caused the issues like redistribution of land to enter the arena of discussion for a long time. Some of the political parties used it as their lucrative slogan and some the governments were seen committed to distribute lands to the tenants but the feudal elements were active forces to fail such commitments. The economical gap divided the population in haves and haves not. After the restoration of multiparty system in 1990, remarkable development of the country and better performance of the leaders were expected .In the contrary, the incompetent leadership fostered an economically failure country. On the other hand common people’s frustration with the political parties and political leaders resulted in the reluctant attraction towards the system itself.
Political Cause:
The result of political instability is one of the major factors for the present situation of Nepal. There was a grave crisis of far sightedness. Submission was seen in the political parties in past fifteen years. The country experienced 12 governments in 15 years and not a single government could complete the five years tenure. Instability was magnified along with Maoist insurgency in the past years.
Nepalese politics was divided in bi-polarity from the constitutional point of view. Maoist party was functioning as the anti constitutional sect. Whereas, the king and other political parties were in the pro-constitutional school. The pro-constitutional camp never felt the need to be united against the Maoist on time. The king and political parties not only responded each other but were found unaware about the effects of their misunderstandings. After the controversy in the pro-constitutional camp the power equation was changed from bi-polarity to tri-polarity. Disintegration in the pro-constitutional parties led the country to a wrong direction.
Maoist problem was not dealt tactfully by the government. Common forces were not in consent to deal the common Maoist problem. It won’t be an exaggeration to state that the governments were not functioning in the right order to deal with the problem. Political parties would often define Maoist problem as a political one, but would always try to solve it militarily. Some parties were involved to use Maoist in the game of power for some vested interest, time and again. But Maoist strategy successfully broke the chain and the unity between the king and the political parties. The constitution mandate provided to the governments confined their role to address Maoist demands. Maoists have been demanding constitutional assembly’s election for a new constitution, all parties’ round table conference for immediate exit and interim government for interim management. These demands of the Maoist were impossible to be landed down to the problem solving ground for any government without political consent. That is why talks between government and Maoist failed twice.
Maoist threat forced to vacate most of the rural part of the country. The political and administrative existence of the government was restricted to the district headquarters and the capital. With out the government’s representation and multiparty practice the rural part of the country was paralyzed, which was a syndrome that yields the present state of Nepal.
Media and multiparty democracy:
Media is the bedrock of democracy. Democracy flourishes only when and where people can freely express their opinions and point out the pitfalls of their leaders. Coexistence between media and multiparty system is a must to consolidate democracy through wider participation of people. However, the actual power of media was acknowledged for the first time in the history of Nepal after 1990. The role of media is equally vital to make democracy, more people oriented and sustainable. Definition of democracy could vary from one country to another depending upon the size, economic strength, military strength and economic growth. Perhaps the definition of democracy could be more stringent for poor nations in the world. But media can always be considered as the vanguard of democracy.
As far as the media’s role in consolidation of democracy in Nepal is concerned, it has always played a dominant role in institutionalizing democracy since the reinstatement of multiparty system (not democracy) in 1990. If there is/was anything that has flourished since that period, it is/was the only media. A dynamic, professional and fresh youth emerged in media in this era.
Publication of more than eight broadsheet dailies(except the state owned dailies that have been in existence for a long time) in private sector, five TV stations and 47 FM radio stations are the glaring examples as how media has been prospering like profitable industry in Nepal since 1990.
Of course, media (both print and electronic) have made a tremendous progress in informing people in the recent years. Media has generated awareness to a large extent.
But there arises a question whether these media have been playing a constructive role in consolidating democracy.
There could be a number of answers in this regard. In reality, there are many instances that the Nepalese media have not been playing a matured role in safeguarding democracy. On the one hand the governments in the post 1990 movement were not serious enough to make media competent. As a result of which media sector has been inundated with unemployed, semi-literate people to a large extent. On the other hand government media and media in the private sector could not play a role of a free media. Almost all the newspapers, TV and FM radio stations have had their own parties, government or political leaders. Some publishing houses (private) have had their monopoly in advertisement and news sources, whereas some others have not been aware about their ethics. Perhaps this could be a problem of media people in many poor nations I suppose.
Despite many positive impacts of media it provoked the anarchism in people against some established values. However, Maoist rebellion was popularized by newly developing media because the rebellion was backed by social, political and economic reasons. The impatience and intolerance towards the presence of media from both the Maoist rebels and the government took a height when both the sides tried to limit media to support their own interest. Media had to suffer in the hands of rebels as well as the government, which contributed to increase the graph of killings, detention and disappearance of journalists.
Impartiality, honesty and dedication are the most important components that media persons should possess. However, media people in majority of the cases have been found to be careless and inefficient. Nepali media has to perform to an ultimate level to consolidate itself against the unfavorable situation. The mainstream is not free form political biases. The various differences in media has created a state of center and margin, like old and new generation, strong and weak, politically trained/motivated (mission journalism) and professional media men, government and private sector media. The culture to recognize media as the forth column of the state is yet be developed.
The state of democracy is at brink of death. If media has been competent and conscious about the sovereignty of the nation, we would not have had such a dire situation today.
Reasons behind the weak performance of media:
Lack of competent people in the media
Lack of incentive to the competent people in the media
Lack of incentive to the working journalists
Absence of government policy to attract competent role of the media
Lack of study/skills, ethics, commitment and honesty
Lack of opportunity for career development
Lack of government policy to buttress efficient publishing houses
Lack of clear policy of the government on media person’s formal academic qualifications
Performance of Civil Society:
Civil society was badly divided on Political basis after 1990. The dawn of insurgency highlighted their activities. They especially were involved in negotiation for peace. But the pressure affected their activities. The result of their effort and negotiation for peace had brought the rebels on table twice, but it proved fruitless .After the Royal take over, the civil society is in the state of ‘wait and see’ because the King has time and again expressed his commitment for the restoration of peace and multiparty democracy and has asked for 3 years. Common Nepali citizens are yet to react properly; though some processions in the support and some in against has become a normal scene in the Kingdom.
“Happy weekend”!
I wished a friend of mine. She amazed me with her reply,
“There is nothing to be happy about weekend. I would be working more, and would get tired, more than in workdays.”
Her sharp reply made me recall some of my friends who share similar attitude towards off days and holidays. Most of them agree on the fact that off days generally leaves them with out any leisure and they get busier in their leisure, since the leisure is comparatively more action packed than their workdays. This stroked me and forced me to think
“Are we taking leisure as leisure or making ourselves busier and more tired in leisure?”
Some eminent anthropologists surprise us with their claim that our pre historic ancestors spent only small percentages of their working hours on the necessities of life. Getting involved in the search for food and shelter would take the larger part of their work days. Though their search would at times take longer than expected, their leisure used to be longer than their work hours. The most important fact is, for them leisure meant leisure in a true sense, it could be time for a short nap, story telling, painting, pictogram on cave walls and dreaming up the wheel. On the other hand, despite the advantages of modern science and the proliferation and of ‘labor saving ‘ devices regaining from microwave ovens, washing machines, vegetable cutter to mixture grinder and blender, vacuum cleaner, dishwasher et cetera et cetera, we seem to have less leisure time than our ancestor. Generally speaking it is true that our identity often is measured by the work that we do in our office, or the office that we work for, rather than what we do in our leisure time. But what we do in our spare time more often defines our personalities than what we do in our ten to five routine work hours. And, it is this tiny fraction of ‘true leisure’ time that plays most important role in defining us as unique individuals.
The postmodern society suffers from the phenomenon of business therefore; leisure never means leisure in true sense. Paradoxically, school teachers are given some leisure periods to check the home assignments prepared by their students. Students are given load of home works to be completed during leisure called vacations. Working women, gifted with twin responsibilities of balancing the management of office work and home simultaneously, get to do piles of works in their leisure. Their leisure is filled with the range of households like, washing, cleaning, socializing, and cooking something special for the family and guests, during their off days. Some of my friends capture the pleasure of outing during off days, only to return with tired body and mind. From the preparation and planning for the trip to the safe return back home on the holiday would make them busier and more tired than in workdays.
On one hand busyness has become a cult and an important insignia of modern day lifestyle. The success is measured by the degree of busyness; hence one has to have as less leisure as one could manage to prove ones success. On the other hand however, one must show that one is busy, to prove successful. According to the capitalist equation, time equals money, the more busy you are, the richer you grow. A friend of mine, lecturer by profession, always checked her notebook when she is offered with some extra period. She tells the management,
“I’ll have to manage time, can’t give you confirmation right now”.
My eyebrows raised in astonishment gets her pacifying confession,
“If I present myself available anytime, I might get stamped with a failure ticket; so even if I’m not actually as busy as I claim to be, I must show that I’ve no time.”
We look forward and wait anxiously to have leisure, and some peaceful moments far away form madding crowd of the work, but we can’t have such a thing like ‘true leisure’. In fact we are forced to prove ourselves a rational being of and keeping pace with the society, so our weekends are occupied with parties, spiritual activity, productive creativity and recreation.
If this is the case, then the pressure of the work is sure to overpower our off days or holidays, then leisure becomes hectic and tiring and anything but it can’t be leisure in a true sense. Eventually, I agree with my friend, “There is really nothing to be happy about weekend if at the end of the day we are to get a day that is as busy as workdays.”
आकर्षणको क्षय भएपछि विकर्षण प्रतिस्थापन हुन्छ। आकर्षण र विकर्षण भन्ने शब्द संरचनाबाट नै स्पष्ट हुन्छ, आकर्षणको परिणति विकर्षण निश्चित छ। तर, प्रेमको परिणति अप्रेम हुन सक्दैन। प्रेम ने प्रेमको शाश्वत यथार्थ हो। अप्रेम, नप्रेम जस्ता शब्दको अस्तित्व नै नहुनुले पनि प्रेमको सनातन परम्परालाई प्रष्ट पार्दछ। प्रेम हरेक रुपमा, हरेक युगमा, हरेक कालखण्डमा प्रेम नै रहन्छ।
भौतिकताको धर्म अनुसार जीवन बाँच्न सजिलो ठान्नेहरुले प्रेमको आदर्श स्वरुपलाई सगरमाथाको टुप्पोमा राखिदिएर भने,
“आदर्श प्रेम अथवा प्रेमको आदर्श रुप दैनिन्दिनी जीवन पद्धतिमा संभव छैन।”
व्यवहारिक जीवनको व्यवहारिक कठोरतामा आदर्श प्रेमको अस्तित्वलाई अंगिकार गर्नुभन्दा, आदर्श प्रेमलाई दैनिक, व्यवहारिक जीवनबाट तडीपार गराएर सरमाथाको टुप्पोमा राखिदिनु सजिलो छ प्रेम गर्नु भन्दा।
मानवीय कमजोरीको आडमा, ईर्ष्या, द्वेश र स्वार्थको घेरा तोड्न नचाहनेहरुले यस्ता नकरात्मक र मानवीय भावनाहरुमध्ये निम्नकोटिका प्रमाणित भइसकेका भावनाहरुलाई नै अपनाउन सजिलो ठाने। त्यसैले ईर्ष्या, द्वेश र स्वार्थलाई मानवले गौरवका साथ अपनायो, तर प्रेम, यस्तो संकुचित घेरामा अटाउँदैन । त्यसैले मानिसले प्रेमलाई, छुनै नसकिने ठाउँमा राखिदिए। हत्केलाको रेखाहरुमा अतीत, वर्तमान र भविष्य खोज्ने मान्छे वास्तवमा कहिले वर्तमानमा बाँच्छ त कहिले भविष्यको कल्पनामा। बर्तमान त्यसै बितिरहेको हुन्छ।
ढुंगाको भाग्य, मूर्तिकारको छेनी र हथौडामा हुन्छ। तर आफैले बनाएको मूर्तिमा ईश्वर देख्ने मानवका आँखा मानव हृदयको ईश्वर देख्न सक्दैन। निर्जीव ढुंगाको अगाडि मान अभिमान र सम्मान को त्याग गरी निहुरिने टाउको मानव हृदयको अगाडि झुक्न सक्दैन, किन? ढुंगाको अगाडि झुक्न सजिलो छ। किनभने ढुंगासँग कुनै प्रतिस्पर्धा हुँदैन। शायद ईश्वरसंग प्रतिस्पर्धा गर्ने क्षमता पनि हुँदैन, यदि ढुंगामा ईश्वर देख्ने हो भने।
एउटा मानिसको एउटा ढुंगा प्रतिको विश्वास, आस्था र प्रेमले त्यो ढुंगालाई ईश्वर बनाउन सक्छ भने, एउटा मानिसको एउटा मानिसप्रतिको प्रेम विश्वास र आस्थाले त्यो अर्को मानिसलाई पनि त ईश्वर बनाउन सक्छ। ईश्वरको अस्तित्व नै मानवको विश्वासमा अडेको हुन्छ, मानवको विश्वासले नै ईश्वरको कल्पनाले मूर्तरुप लिन सक्छ।
Does Nepal belong to men only? Well it seemed so. The country was waiting to see the first ever prime minister of republic Nepal taking oath, and the historical moment was about to take place. The dice the president’s ground was honored with the presence of president, vice president, chief justice, speaker of the constitutional assembly and the newly elected prime minister. It was disappointing and frustrating to see no female representation, except for a lady guard in front of them, as a decoration piece. The announcer of one live television show was roaring on top of his voice that it was a history to see the sons of ordinary Nepali, representing Nepal that way. Even the lyrists and musician of the national anthem, played at the moment were the sons of ordinary Nepali. Great!! But what about the female representation? The data reveals the fact that the female population is equal if not more than the male population of this country. However, the reality tells us that Nepal belongs to men only. And perhaps this is just the beginning of a new Nepal that belong to men only.
पेड के हर पत्तों पर
लिख दिया था तेरा नाम
जो पेड से टकराती पत्ते
तो शोर में तुम्हे
सुनाइ देता अपना ही नाम
बादल के हर हिस्से पर
लिख दिया था तेरा नाम
जो वारिश में भीगते तुम
तो हर बूँद में लिपटी
अपने ही नाम से
खुद ही भीग जाते तुम
फूलों की हर पंखुडी पर
लिख दिया था तेरा नाम
तितलियां खुश्वू ले कर उडती
और फिर चुपके से
तुम्हारे कांधे पे बैठ जाती
तो अपने ही खुश्वू से
महक उठते तुम
*** *** *** ***
उम्मीद ना की तुम से
ना उम्मीदी भी नहीं है
दोस्ती की आजकल
मतलब भी यही है
कोई और थे जो
वादा निभाया करते थे
वादा करने की आदत
ही तुम्हारी नहीं है
लगी है तो क्या हुवा
दिल में आग
बुझाने को आँखो मे
पानी की कमी नहीं है
क्यों धुँधला करें हम
इस आसमां की नमी
आँखों में खयालों के
वादल ही नहीं है
*** *** *** ***
आगोमा बल्नलाई
आगोमा बल्दाबल्दै
अन्त्यमा आगोमै
डढेर सकिने जीवन
एउटा आगोमा बल्नलाई
एउटा आगोमा जल्दाजल्दै
एउटा आगोमा भष्म हुने
मानिसको छोटो जीवन
*** *** *** ***
तिम्रो माया मनभरि
मुटुभरि पनि
तिम्रो लागि बाँडिदिन्छु
मेरै उमेर पनि
भन्छन् जीवन छोटो छ रे
खुसी झनै छोटो
माया हिंड्ने गोरेटो त
त्यो भन्दा नि छोटो
छोटो हुन्छ सम्झना रे
लामो तिर्सनाको
कसै गरि मर्ने छैन
माया मनमा भाको
मनभित्र कोरेको छु
तिम्रो एउटा फोटो
कुनै फरक छैन जीवन
लामो होस् कि छोटो
*** *** *** ***
दिल्लगी दिल की लगी बन गइ
तो मुश्कील होगी
तुमको मुझ से मोहब्बत हो गयी
तो मुश्कील होगी
इश्क दिल ही नहीं
जान भी लिया करती है
यह रोग तुम को लग गयी
तो मुश्कील होगी
फूल के धोखे में न आना तुम
काँटों से भरी डाली हूँ मै
काँटे तुम को चुभ गयी
तो मुश्कील होगी
एक बदनसीव साया के सिवा
कुछ नहीं हूँ मैं
तुम पर पड गयी
तो मुश्कील होगी
मौत तक ने नहीं अपनाया मुझ को
गर मुझ से हुइ दोस्ती
तो मुश्कील होगी
*** *** *** ***
कभी शाम बन के कभी बन के सहर
काफिले पलों के गुजरते हैं बन के कभी कहर
कभी धूप बन के कभी बन के छाँव
वक्त की लहरें मचलते हैं डूबो जाती है नाव
कभी मात बन के कभी बन के जिन्दगी
खुदा अपने बन्दों से करवाता है बन्दगी
*** *** *** ***
बिखरा कर हवा में खुद को
जहां को महका सके जो
वो खुश्वू है फूल का
जहाँ तक ले सको लो
फूल जब छोड दे दामन
लपक कर थाम ले जो
वो काँटा है चमन का
रख सको गर याद रखो
मिटा कर खुद को रोशनी में
रोशन करती है जहाँ को
वो कालिख है अंधेरी रात की
सुवह दे देती है वो
पोंछ कर यादों के धूल को चमकाये
मुस्कुराहट के फूल जो
वो अश्क है आँखो से बहने वाला
गर बहा सको तो
जख्म सारे भर दे छु कर
रुह मे ताजगी भर दे
एक नजर है वो प्यार भरी
अगर दे सको तो
एक नदी
चुपचाप बहती रही
किनारों के भाग्य पर
खामोशी से रोती रही
किनारे,
जो पास पास है
लेकिन करीव नहीं
साथ साथ है
लेकिन रफ्ता नहीं
*** *** ***
वैशाखिंया धोखा देने लगे
और लाठिंया दगा देने लगे
इन्सान आखिर इन्सान है
भरोसा करें तो किस पर करें
पराया करता नहीं, कोई
अपना ही दे जाता है फरेव
चाँदनी बन जाये गर बेवफा
चाँद शिकायत किस से करे
जख्म दुनियां ने इतने दिये
हँस कर सीने मे सी लिये
ढुलक पडे पलकों पे आंशु
तो आंखे बेचारे क्या करे
*** *** ***
खञ्जर भोंका करते हैं गले मिलने के बाद
सरे आम रुसवा करते हैं मोहव्वत करने के बाद
गम नहीं कि आप ने अपना समझा नहीं
रोया करेंगे आप भी हमारे जाने के बाद
सरे आम रुसवा करते हैं मोहव्वत करने के बाद
गम नहीं कि आप ने अपना समझा नहीं
रोया करेंगे आप भी हमारे जाने के बाद
यूं तो जिन्दगी में बहुत दोस्त मिलेंगे
फिर होगी चाँदनी फिर गुल खिलेंगे
जिस फूलको तोड कर फेंका है आप ने
उस से महरुम रहेगा आप का अपना बाग
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