Trip to Gosainkunda

Gosainkunda for me was more of an adventure than a pilgrimage. And, it turned out to be really worthwhile. I met some people who have been there more than 10 times for religious reasons (I honestly and amazingly respect that feat) but for me it was exploring your own country and just enjoying the nature that I remember the most. Talking about how I reached there.

After staying in Dhunche for two days, we set off on Tuesday morning at exactly 6 in the morning. With a short descent to Ghattekulathan, it was seriously uphill all along the way with never ending hills that kept on showing up with every turn and ascent The trail was simply magnificent with its panoramic view and jaw dropping scenery and that sometimes helped to keep the mind off of the gradual pain creeping up the leg with every step. Gosainkunda is more than 2000 meters higher than Dhunche and the walking distance is much more than that. Slowly, we made our way past the various so called villages, Deuarali (2625M), Dhimsa (3007M), Chandanbari (3512M) and Laurivinayak (3900M) before finally reaching Gosainkunda (4300M). After climbing, limping, struggling and nearly to the point of crawling for 12 hours Gosainkunda stood in front of us. Luckily, I didn’t get altitude sickness but can’t say that for everyone who was there. After staying a night there we headed back to Dhunche the next morning, after admiring the scenic beauty, bathing and feeling VERY VERY cold. On my way down met up with a very interesting Frenchman Baptiste (pronounced Ba-Tist) who among other things helped me play a Gambian instrument called the Mugambo. And with him and another Nepali guy, Sambala, reached Dhunche in just 6 hours and didn’t (couldn’t) leave the bed the whole day.

It’s hard putting down in words about the trip. What I could write is about how I ended up crushing my knee with the speedy descent or how I nearly fell off of a cliff and that sort of things. Im just not coming to terms with what to write, there are so many things and im just that much lazy. So instead, enjoy some of the pictures that might put some things in perspective.

What you knew or don’t know about Gosainkunda:

• There are two other lakes on the way to Gosainkunda, one is just adjacent to Gosainkunda. (I forgot their names)
• Gosainkunda is religiously important to both Hindus and Buddhists.
• Gosainkunda can also be considered as the source of the river Trishuli.
• For many Hindus, a place just above the lake called the Trisulthan is more religiously important than the lake itself, as that place is supposed to have been the place where lord Shiva jammed his Trishul in ancient time.
• No one has died of falling while going to Gosainkunda but deaths occur mostly due to altitude sickness.
• The water of Gosainkunda is very very cold, almost all the time.
• If you’re planning on going, go during Baisakh month, the Laliguras (Rhododendrons) bloom all over the hills (there are 12 different colored/species found) and the climate is also very suitable.
• While ascending, go slow, you don’t want to get altitude sickness and while descending also go slow you don’t want to crush your knee bones or fall off of a hill either.

Today Rasuwa, Tomorrow Gosainkunda !

Ok, it took just 20 minutes for me to openthis page to post something. The thing is i arrived at Dhunche (Rasuwa) today. A small place 120 km away from Kathmandu near the Chinese border. Although the destination isin't here, actually hope to go to Gosainkunda from here. It will be the highest that ive travelled so far, a sweet 4500 meter above sea level. Will update on that after i reach Kathmandu most probably next week. See you Soon.

On the road to Dhunche

Im Happy Today.

Put forth your voice through Television !!!

As i had mentioned earlier in my post about the new youth-friendly political show on Kantipur Television. Here, are the details about how you can be part of the show and make your voice and voices of youth heard throughout the country। (Participation is limited to people living in Nepal only). I dont know how well this program will do. There is still some hesitant attitude towards politics mainly in Youth. If this program can help in making Youth (people in general) more politically aware that will be the most important step. After that, if it can generate curiosity regarding politics among people and polish its image then more kudos for that. lets see, what happens. Will update on it more (only if it is interesting and worth watching, नत्र भने म पनी का हेर्छु र !! Malvika Subba and the guest celebrities should'nt be the only attraction. )
p.s. was able to post this because of the new auto recovery feature of blogspot. had written all this yesterday and my comp crashed. धन्यबाद बल्गसप्ट !!!

Iraq War: (Mission Accomplished?) Just not yet...

Some days back, while waiting to watch the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on CNN, i happened to catch a riveting CNN special called, "On Assignment: Month of Mayhem". The show is a documentary by Michael Holmes telling his account and stories when he was assigned to cover the Iraq War for a month from January 9. On arriving there in 10 minutes he would do a special report of an ongoing battle on the streets. That really, tells what the whole thing is about.
"The situation in Iraq is starting to get better", that's what is being said nowadays. But the condition is still far from positive. The statistics till now are very much disturbing. With an average of 2000 people being killed every month,the picture is yet from being rosy. And among all the fighting that is already taking place in the country, instances of Sectarian violence does not help at all. The war was not supposed to last this long or inflict damages of this magnitude both to the country and the people fighting for it. It seems everyone is involved in this war now, someway or the other.
"On Assignment: Month of Mayhem", showed the war from the perspective of the reporters working in really morbid condition just to give us some idea what is really happening there. And what we see is far from pleasing. I could tell of all the horrific details that has now become a daily part of the Iraqis. Tortured and mutilated bodies thrown in the streets have become normal and grieving widows and family members identifying the sometimes unrecognizable cadavers is the truth every Iraqi hopes they dont have to be a part of. It may sound macabre of all the details but thats the undeniable truth. The only thing that we could actually do is understand the seriousness of the situation and raise our voices against the atrocities. With body counts rising every day, the people there are getting something they never bargained for.
While i was mentioning the gruesome situation in Iraq, a friend of mine could not take it anymore and remarked that, "sometimes indifference is happiness". I just wonder, how much of that statement holds true?? Is ignorance really bliss ?

Music: gets me through!!

On my quest of new musical adventures, among others, recently I have stumbled upon one or more equally gripping music. Music, I believe, speaks to a large number of people without worrying about nationality, religion or even languages. I think many bands and artists I like the most speak in languages I have almost no clue of (no, not English!). But still, the music and the experience a whole serves a greater purpose. You just know a great song even though it’s in Slovenian, French or any other language for that. Sometimes, people give me the crazy eye when I confess about my love for songs which I have no understanding of (language wise) or when I forcefully make them listen to them one way or the other. But regardless of the language or genre I love music as a whole and just cant seem to get enough of it.

My play list seems to change more than often and when it does, I don’t mind listening to that over and over and over again until I find something else and the cycle continues. Currently speaking; there is some folk german metal, with Subway to Sally, their vocals might catch you off guard nonetheless still a decent listen. Siddharta a Slovenian band with its blend of hard rock and ballad-type songs just gets off on the right foot every time. Also, the OST for Kill Bill will just refresh you with tracks by Nancy Sinatra, Bernard Herrman, Tomoyasu Hotei and Santa Esmeralda, to name a few, catching your attention right away. A visually impaired pair of Amadou & Mariam, with their bluesy yet soothing French sound is also something worth a listen.

Like, science subject (which I don’t fancy as much) music requires some basic experimenting. Let yourself free from the definite genre grasp, be open and try out new sounds even though you might not have heard or even though would hear. Feel free to browse around and you might just stumble upon something that will captivate you and delight you beyond words.

Hangover Sucks...

Yes, its true…..hangover sucks…and im not just talking about the getting-stone-cold-drunk-one-night-and-the-next-day-someone’s pounding-your-head kind of hangover, but hangover in a more general case. If you are kind of not getting where im heading, well the story so far is. Last three days was kind of a major blast or something like that, maybe due to the fact that it was my birthday. Yes, I am implying that I celebrated three days of birthday. How? You ask. Well, one of the perks of being a Nepali is that you get to celebrate everything more than the rest of the world. We have more than 1 New Year which is celebrated at full blast. And we don’t miss out on celebrating as much as we can. Although im not a big fan of celebrating birthday and such; I find it very trivial and overrated. But still due to unforeseen circumstances I celebrated my birthday according to the Gregorian Calendar (May 9), Bikram Sambat(Nepali Calendar)(May 10) and some religious calendar which I have no idea of (May 11). I know that might sound a bit stupid, over the top but what can I say. As said by some hip hop guy, “Don’t hate the playa, hate the game.”

So, the party started at different places with different people at a different time but it all came down to yesterday and today morning being the time everything finally ended (whew!). If I start to write about every detail it will get a bit long so ill try to make it short and to the point. Full details maybe next time. I have to thank the guys and gals of YTC for throwing the bit of surprise (I mean it, I was surprised, really bhaneko…..not shocked or very surprised but still taken aback). The company was nice even though most of the people got drenched in the rain (eventually, including me).Also I must mention that the Psycho was par excellenceJ. All in all it was a great time. Dhanyabad, Thank You and Vielen Herzlichen Dank!!!

While writing all the good stuff I forgot about what I was actually writing about. I had a very bad day today. Nearly got in a very big bike accident was nearly caught by the cops (didn’t know there was a one way, my bad). And not everybody remembered my birthday ( No, im not talking about her YTC folks), but still its cool, not a big deal. Just feeling a bit tired (right word?) after everything. I guess you cant have good times all the time. You enjoy some and then you’ll not enjoy some. But I enjoyed everything when I had the chance so will face this thing head on. I guess ill take a nap now. Ok, dann ein letztes mal fuer mich, Alles Gute zum Geburstag!!! Zwanzig jahre von spaß, nächstes mal!

Tatastha Tarka: नयाँ नेपाल.... नयाँ आवाज

Just came back from a group discussion regarding the launch of a new program that will be aired in Kantipur Television soon enough. The program titled Tatastha tarka:Naya Nepal...Naya Awaz will cater mostly to the youth and its objective will be Engaging Youth in peace Process Issues Through TV Talk process in Nepal.
Being part of the Youth community myself, i can clearly say that Politics does not really interests me as much as other things mostly because its very hard to understand. Forget about Youth even the so called "grown up people" have a hard time gripping Nepali politics. From what was discussed at today's agenda, the program not only aims to give youth(and everyone else) knowledge on various political issues but its will also provide a platform for youth having interest in politics and overall development of the country to speak their mind and talk on behalf of a whole demographic of people.
For its current 25 episode run, it will emphasize more on the Constituent Assembly(CA), since its the major talk of the town right now and many people(including me) still have very little or no clue as to what it really is.
There are some political shows presently airing on various Nepali channels but i guess this is the first attempt at incorporating youth at this level. It sounds really nice and if it delivers as to what it promises then it will of course do some good. Also, talking about the show itself it will be half an hour long, every Sunday at 9 pm on Kantipur Television. The show will comprise of two hosts, two political/constitutional/election experts, two celebrities and two youths who will be chosen through a prior essay competition every week. The hosts are Mr. Jay Nishaant and Ms. Malvika Subba.
So, look out for this program in coming weeks. For those wanting to find out about the political situation here in terms of youth, i think this program will serve its purpose. I think its time youth should be more politically aware if not politically active. Although, the latter would be best. Only after we comprehend the situation can we strive to make a change for the better.

Top 100 education related blogs!!

Published on Wednesday 20th of December, 2006
This link looks useful for those students like me........So check some of these out and you may find something useful.......im just learning how to handle the first year of college.........100 top education related blogs

World Press Freedom Day

So today is World Press Freedom Day...like all the ".isms" around, its hard remembering all the Days. There's most probably 365 similar Days or even more. But since blogging has become an influential press tool and since i blog and respect press freedom and i just found out about it watching the news and since i have nothing else to write (not that i dont consider this important, its important all right!!!) i dedicate this post to all the people in the world working towards creating a knowledge based society full of serious news and some light stuff along the way with other stuffs for everybody.
Unfortunately, as i found out, Nepal ranks about 7th in the list of countries with least degree of press freedom(might be some old data). The ranking created by Reporters Without Borders is based on surveys about direct attacks on journalists and the media as well as other indirect sources of pressure against the free press. I guess, the last time when this issue was raised to its height was during the royal takeover and the Janaandolan periods where i believe blogging was taken up widely for letting the people know the real truth. Not knowing the full extent of this issue i cannot comment much about it. But, from what i do know, Nepali journalism has still a long way to go before it reaches its maximum potential and that too without any hindrances that would prevent truthful and hard edged journalism.
With the various conflicts in the Middle East region, Journalist have become most prone to attacks and dangers in the recent years. Various kidnappings and even executions take place almost everyday. Right now the fate of BBC journalist Allan Johnston is still unknown for such a long time. The killing of Daniel Pearl some years back was a huge blow to Journalism and clearly showed the risks scribes are facing. The press has a huge value in our everyday lives. Although today is just another Days in our calendar, we should all work together for better press liberties and rights. Even though you may not be a journalist or even close to working in the line, it would be very nice of you to just acknowledge their works and responsibilities and maybe even help in any way possible.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights indicates: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers"
More about Press Freedom or Journalism