Rain… Aah!! Brings out the child in you. Those days when I was just a kid, I used to get soaked in rain. I never refrained from going out and getting soaked. As I grew up, it sadly got stopped. I started looking myself from adult’s perspective, society’s perspective and so on. In other words, I matured. And no one needs telling what maturity brings. There was no honest and simplest eyeing of the things. The innocence was long gone and you always keep in mind what the negatives are. Fun never comes with 100% fun. There is always a certain amount of risk/negatives in fun. Always. Your way of thinking as a child vanishes. You start to think like an adult. And that’s when you lose the essence of life.

What will you think when a man of around 40 runs wild in rain, happily/willingly? I bet most of us think that he is a crackhead. Not your fault. That’s society’s fault. That’s how we grew up, that’s what we are taught and heard of, that’s how we will react. No society/person should ever have any objection on what you do unless it affects/disturbs them negatively.

I ran like a child in the rain happily today. At first, unwillingly. Later, willingly. Where was my will previously? It was well buried under ‘what will society or he/she/they will think’ rock. I ran because I was close to my home. I thought I could make it on time. But later on, the child in me got sprinkled into life. And what did I do? I took the longer road to my home. While I ran, I never thought of myself or the society or anything. I ran like a child. Every step was filled with ecstasy. Every drop of rain, made me feel more alive. Whatever tensions/problems or the troubles (big or small) I had, were out of the picture. The 24 year old Bhaskar was 10 again. I imagined myself as a child, laughing/shouting, joyous and spirited child with no front teeth. The big bump of my stomach was gone, beard, moustache and whatever made me feel adult were all gone. I saw people watching me. That did not stop me from being who I am or doing what I want.

Whenever I dance or perform silly acts like a retarded seal in my home in front of my mom, she usually says, ‘how will you live your life? Grow up.’ And then I sing to her, ‘यसै गरी बिताई दिन्छु दुई दिनको जिन्दगी’ (I will live my short life like this) sung by Narayan Gopal. ‘Most people die at 25 and aren’t buried until they are 75.’ -Benjamin Franklin. How true is that from Mr. Franklin? What’s the use of existing when you already stop living your life. Of course, living your life does not mean doing silly acts every time. But why should you refrain yourself from doing what you love or what you like?

I loved the run in the rain today. I loved bringing the child in me to life. I enjoyed this rain. I hope whenever I start to die before I live, these kind of things remind me of who I really am. That way, every cell gets rejuvenated and energizes you. Don’t let society decide who you are. You are in charge of your life. You are your own architect. You can live in a cage or refuse to believe that the cage is your home.

Pic courtesy: lifehacker.com

Rain, rain. Come again.

             तिमी आदरणीय र प्रिय दुवै छौ, कुनै एक मात्र लेख्न सकिन | ‘ढोग’ गर्या देखेर चाहिं दङ्ग पर्यौ होला, जेठमै दशैँ आएको जस्तो भान भयो होला कसो? आदरणीय लेखे पछी ढोग झुण्डाउंदा अलि मीठो सुनियो के | खैर, छोडौं यो कुरा | ‘Digital age’ मा किन चिठ्ठी लेख्यो भनेर हैरान भएको होलाऊ, हुन्देउ नहोऊ | यो इ-मेल सी-मेल लाई लोप्पा खुवाई दिएको आज | यसरी लेख्दा मायाँ नि उम्लिने रहेछ, मिठास नि बढ्ने रहेछ | मौलिकता कायम रहोस् न, कसो?

जे होस्, हामी यहाँ सन्चै छौं | भूकम्पले हल्लायो, अहिले थाक्यो जस्तो छ | हामी नेपाली नि सार्है ज्याद्रा, मर्न पर्ला बरु घुंडा नटेक्ने | त्यसै बहादुर भनेर कहलिएका होइन रहेछौं हामी | यिनलाई नसक्ने भैयो भनेर सुस्तायो जस्तो छ भूकम्प | अर्को ६०-७० वर्ष पछी आउने योजना बुन्न थाल्यो जस्तो छ | बुनोस्, सक्दो गरोस् | गोर्खालीका सन्तान गोर्खाली नै हुने हुन् क्यारे |

बा-आमा न्यास्रिनु भएको छ | आखिर तिमीले परदेश टेकेको नि ३ वर्ष लागेछ | आफ्नो मुटुको टुक्रा टाढा हुँदा, के मानोस् त मनले? तिमीले नि बुझेकै छौ त्यो कुरा त | बा-आमालाई थाहा छैन मैले चिठ्ठी लेख्या, फेरी पूरा बलिवूड पारा ल्याइदिनु हुन्छ | मैले खुसुक्क चिठ्ठी लेख्नुको कारण चाहिँ अर्कै छ फेरी |

अघिल्लो वर्ष, तिमी १ महिनालाई नेपाल आउँदा त्यहाँको स्टिभले फलाएको चौंथो संस्करणको स्याउ ल्याएका थियौ नि | हो अहिले बजारमा नयाँ स्याउ आ’छ रे, स्टिभ बा त बितिगए तर उनका अनुयायीहरु मिलेर गजबको स्याउ फला’का छन् रे | छैंटौ संस्करणको अझ ‘प्लस’ भनेर निकाल्या छन् रे | हो त्यहि स्याउ तिमीले उताबाट पठाएर मैले यता खाएर म त टन्न मोटाएको सपना देखियो हिजो | हुन त मैले तिम्रो विदेशको दुख नबुझेको कहाँ छु र? सपनाको कुरा पो गरेको त | नराम्रो सपना बिहानै ‘थाप्रेगोठ’मा बस्दा भन्नु भन्छन् | आफ्नो त राम्रो सपना सिधै तिमीलाई सुनाएको | बा-आमालाई नभन ल? मार्नु हुन्छ फेरी |

अब एक वर्ष सम्म एउटै स्याउ खाँदा खाँदा वाक्क भैयो | पोषण नि सक्यो होला भन्छु म त, नहुने कुरा सपनामा देखी हालियो, अब मीठो ताजा स्याउ खाने रहर कता नजागोस् त? पहिलाको स्याउ पाउँदा नि सपनामै देख्या थियो नि | आश त ह्वात्तै बढ्यो त्यहि भएर |  फेरी दाजु तिमी सार्है दयालु सानै देखी | आफुँ घुटुक्क थुक निलेर भए पनि मलाई सानोमा सिंगै चकलेट दिन्थ्यौ | कहाँ बिर्सेको छु र त्यो मैले? किर्तिपुरको भिनाजुले क्याडबरी ल्याईदिंदा, मैले म सिंगै खान्छु भनेर रोए पछी तिमीले घुटुक्क थुक निलेर, ‘ला भाई, नरो.. तँ नै खा’ भन्या थियौ | तिमीले थुक निलेको त मैले त्यो उमेरमा के जान्नु र? तिम्रो रुद्रघन्टी माथि तल गएको याद गरेको थिएँ | के डल्लो होला त्यो भनेर | अहिले आएर पो थाहा भयो त, भान्जा-भान्जी लाई आफुले नखाई चकलेट दिंदा, मेरो नि डल्लो माथि-तल दौडिन्छ | औडाहा भएर होला |

त्यति मात्र कहाँ हो र? नैकापको दिदीले ल्याउनु भएको चिजबल नि म तिमीलाई देखाई-देखाई खान्थे | बडो सन्तोकी थियौ तिमी, गोमाको छोरा नवराज जस्तो | तिम्रो नाम नवराज भएको-भए काइदा हुन्थ्यो | तर ठिकै भो, नत्र बिष्णुको भाई नवराजसंग नाम जुध्थ्यो | एउटै घरमा दुई नवराज के काम? लावण्य देशमा त एउटा मात्र नवराज थियो, रानी चाहिँ दुइटा थिए है | भाउजुलाई नभन नि, मार्नु होला | तर नधाटि भन्नु पर्दा, नवराज जस्तै नै थियौ तिमी | मीठो मसिनो जे थियो खान्थ्यो भन्नु हुन्थ्यो आमा | ढिडोचाहिँ पकाएकै भाडोमा हाल्दिन्थ्यो भनेर हाँस्नु हुन्थ्यो आमा, अझ हाम्रो बा-को भागमै पो झुठो ढिडो फाल्दिएको भनेर आगनमा बसेर कुरा झिक्नु हुन्थ्यो | बित्नु भएको नि ८ वर्ष भएछ | आज त्यो भुक्के मोरा भुक्के छोरो पाएर अम्रिकामा छ भन्न पाएको भए दङ्ग पर्नु हुन्थ्यो होला | भाष्करेको बिहे खाएर मर्न पाए हुन्थ्यो भन्नु हुन्थ्यो | बरा, तिम्रो नि देख्न पाउनु भएन दाजु | संसार निस्ठुरी नै छ |

तर तिमी निस्ठुरी थिएनौ | यत्रो भएँ, अहिले सम्म मलाई पिटेको थाहा छैन | गाली त गर्न परि हाल्यो, म जस्तो चण्डाल भाई भए पछी | म तिम्रो ठाउँमा भए देखि, पड्काई दिन्थे होला | त्यहीं बाट थाहा हुन्छ कि आमाले भने जस्तै दयालु अनि नवराज जस्तै सन्तोकी छौ तिमी | सन्तोकी थियौ भनेर अहिले नि आफैंले प्रमाण भेट्ने गर्छु | तिमीले लाउने पाइन्ट आफुले ‘जडौरी’ लगाउँदा खल्ती जम्मै प्वाल | कसरी सहेर बसेछौ नि तिमीले दादा, अहिले मलाई पारो तात्छ त्यो पतलुन लाउँदा | मलाई गरेको तिम्रो व्यबहार अनि माया सम्झेर नै भन्न सक्थें उही बेला, कि तिमी एउटा राम्रो छोरा र राम्रो बाऊ बन्छौ भनेर | तिम्रो तारिफ गरेर यहाँ बा-आमा थाक्नु हुन्न र तिम्रो हँसिलो गोथे छोरा फोटो/विडियो बाटै देखेर नि थाहा हुन्छ कि मेरो भविष्यवाणी गलत गएन |

खैर, छैंटौ संस्करणको स्याउ आओस् या नआओस्, तिमी नेपाल आउनु भतिज, भाउजु लिएर | बा-आमा लाई नाति खेलाउन औधी रहर छ | तिमीले viberमा पठाएको भतिजको video पूरै गाउँलाई देखाउनु भैसक्यो होला, मेरो नाति भनेर | चांडै नाति काखमा लिने रहर पूरा गर्देउ | अहिलेलाई यत्ति |

ए ए मिठा चक्लेट चाहिँ ल्याउन नभुल है |

उही तिम्रो स्याउले गाला भएको भाई,
भाष्कर ||

WINTER.. I bet around half of us will shy away from this season. But I am not going to talk about any pros or cons about this season as everything has got negatives and positives. Of course, I hate certain things about winter like having to take off all my warm clothes to have a shower. Seriously? Those dear garments clinging to me and giving me such warmth are to be relinquished just to have a bath? Oh my poor knees, they tremble every time I do so. Nevertheless, the moment I start to let the warm water play with my body parts, I feel the winter is the epitome of bliss. Hence, the love-hate relation continues.

Now, coming back to the point. Why do I really love winter?

Winter is the time when one falls in love with his/her blankets. With a warm embrace of the blanket, it is heavenly to wander in the dreamland.No matter what, going away from blankets is one the hardest things to do in winter. And I am one of those who just loves to be in blanket be it day, night or morning. (Yeah, a wry smile was expected). But this is not the only reason I love winter. Being born in this wonderful land of Himalayas, the majestic views of snow covered mountains that come calling for you at this very season is nothing short of a magic.

And the most pleasing time of the winter has to be around sunset when the mother nature paints the sky with different colours. What’s more refreshing than to see the greatest artist herself creating a masterpiece? It seems that the whole sky is a canvas where day after day a new paragon is created. If one can manage the time to be home from his/her tiring work brushing aside the hustles and bustles of a city, then, the stunning beauty will just be waiting for you to be grasped. Forget the workload, forget the tensions, forget the ill feelings, just be home when the sun is still around and make yourself a cup of tasty ‘masala tea’ and drink it slowly with the dazzling beauty of nature.I feel short of words to describe how elegant the snow covered hills look when the colours of the setting sun strikes it and makes it even more lovelier than it already is. So, how does ‘the life’ taste at this very moment?