Gift from mother; younger brother

One fine morning, when I was being ready for my school, my dad came rushing towards me and said me not to go school today as we were going to leave for Biratnagar. I was not in a condition to understand why? But I was happy as my mom was also joining us as per him. I thought we were going for a visit at our maternal uncle's house as his house was also there at Biratnagar; what else can a four year child think about?

 I was just putting my bags inside and was asking the reason with my mom; my dad came hurried and supported her to walk and took her to the ambulance which was waiting outside our house. What has happened to her? Then I became nervous. I too sat nearby her where she was lying. I could feel her pain.

My mom was taken inside a room at the hospital, my dad was rushing here and there and I, in my school dress was sitting outside the room where she was kept. I was eager to go inside the room with my mom but my dad said that I had to stay there. He warned me not to go here and there and sit there as a good child. After sometime my mom will be giving a wonderful gift to me. Gift? At hospital? May be if I was a child at this time, I would have surely guessed what would be that gift. But, then I was really very innocent and was really waiting a precious gift from my mom being a good girl. I was alone there outside the room just obeying my dad. He used to frequently come and check.

I didn't have a watch then, so I don't know the exact time. But after a long wait. Finally my dad took me inside where my mother was lying on the bed and beside her was my small gift.  He was in a deep sleep. My mother told me to touch him, but was afraid. He was so cute and adorable. My mom asked me what I would like to call him by. I don't know why, but I loved calling him Sujan; which I had heard somewhere around people saying that the meaning of which was 'ramro manche' (Good man). And, yes all the other people know him by the same name today.

Really he was so so and so cute. My eyes were stuck on his chubby cheeks. I wanted to hold him around my arms but my mother said me not to as I was too young to hold him. But after few months when my mom wasn't around I held him and made him fall from the bed. He cried in a loud noise and I promised with myself I will never dare to do that.

It was nice growing up with someone like him-someone I got to lean on, someone to count on and someone to tell all the secrets.

What else can be more precious in my life?

Obviously it's the gift from mother

And  it's even incalculable as the gift is a younger brother. 

Never turn your back

Michael Bassey Johnson, a Nigerian author quoted, "Think twice before you pull your trouser and rape a woman; she may be your mother, sister or friend, and you know the consequences that follows." Yes, I agree with Johnson but along with it, I have the opinion that not only the rapist but even the other individuals should think that if you see any one misbehaving with a female or if your instinct says something is wrong, place the victim in your mother's, sister's or your friend's place and try to help her because she may be alone, or may need help and may be not being able to ask your help.

Most of the time, we turn a blind eye on these petty issues thinking the girl is not our mother, sister or a friend and later read in a big headline with the sip of our morning tea and warn the females around us. Remember, you will not be always around her to warn her and misfortune never comes with jingle bells  So if you become little bit conscious over the incident and help her then may be someone next time other person will save your mother, sister or a friend in a similar context.

The incident that I am going to talk is a gang rape case of an 18 year old girl who was raped in a parked bus at Nepalgunj a few days back. The victim had boarded the bus from Rukum to Shamshergunj in Banke to visit her maternal family members when the incident occurred. According to the description of police, the girl boarded a bus at 3 pm on Tuesday and when the girl tried to get at her destination area, the transport worker seized her mobile phone and belongings and forced her to go with him. After all passengers got out of the bus, the same transport workers along with their other friends raped her repeatedly at But Park in Nepalgunj. The description has given birth to questions in my mind which is whirling on and on to get the proper answer.

 Was there no one to see the act of harassment inside the bus before the big incident actually happened? There may be at least 10 to 15 people in a bus and the girl has reported that she was continuously trying to get off from the bus but wasn't being allowed. What were the other passengers thinking at that moment? Were all of them thinking that those boys may be her over protective brothers and were forcing their sister to drop by themselves in the concerned place? Why didn't anyone speak for her and let her off? The victim herself reported that one of the passengers dared to speak but was scolded, who later got off leaving the girl alone in the hands of those goons. Why didn't he sense a crime there and informed police before the incident actually happened as he had already got off from the bus and then had no any fear from them?

It's better not to put my brains on as the answer may be short and simple.  

The girl wasn't his relative and all the other passengers were only thinking of their safe destinations. Its human nature that we never realize the pain until it befalls on us.

Yes, the world has started thinking and praying for the victims. From the united efforts of the UN Women fighting against women violence and sexual abuse to the Women Commission of Nepal, different NGOs and INGOs working in the field; every day we have to read one or the other story of a woman being obliterated of her respect and dignity.

The act of rape not only inflicts wounds physically but it prolongs a potential effect on the psychological state of the victim which is very hard to cure. The criminal mind filled with lust may not remember the consequence of the crime written in the Muluki Ain; the social activist may not be in the scene to warn him but of course you may be there.  So, never turn your back when you notice a girl being harassed. Your small attempt may save her from leading an empty and despised life with oneself where there is no end of pain and suffering.

Published on Republica 29th November, 2014
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=87595

Attraction of Similar Poles

I was waiting for a bus back my room and nearby me there was a girl standing near a street vendor who was selling 'chatpate' and 'pani puri'. The girl seemed that she was eagerly waiting for someone. She seemed so desperate that she was frequently looking at her watch and even dialing (may be the same person she was waiting for). Her eagerness didn't stop me from guessing that she was waiting for her boyfriend. After few minutes, she smiled looking someone across the road. My eyes too followed where she was glancing at. I was imagining someone tall and handsome guy as she was tall, slim and beautiful girl. But to my surprise, across the road, I noticed a short, plump but cute girl, who was waving her hands with a beautiful smile on her face. As soon as they met, they asked chatpate for them and started chatting. The chat was so fast and random that no one could even think about that. They were talking about Modi's visit to their sudden weight gain. They were talking about their school days and about their other friends. All of a sudden there started a huge laughter. And beside them I was being interested in their chat which had no importance in my life. 

After some few minutes the bus arrived and I got into it, but my whole mind was there in their chat. At that point I realized how our thinking drives us. How negative we are? We always think that girls can never be good friends like boys are. When we see a girl waiting for some one, our mind gives the first option that she is probably waiting her boyfriend. But being a girl also most of the time we forget that the friendship between girls is grander and more dramatic than any other romance (by Hannah). 

Most of us have the opinion that women have trouble getting along with one other but I think this is not applicable in friendship as I too have experienced it and I think I shouldn't go in any lab as there is no better experimental lab than our own lives. 

Yes, it's true that so many people come into and go from our lives. We make so many friends as well and it's difficult to say whom we are more linked to and close. People who come into our lives are always not only of same sex and some of us also have the opinion linked with that the universal law of attraction that just like the negative poles attract, we only get attracted with different sex people and we tend to say that girls can never get attracted to each other or if they get attracted they are lesbians. But in my opinion the friendship goes only when there is attraction and affection. And every time the attraction never grows. But if we find the similar poles in the another girl too, along with time the attraction grows. 

The attraction between girls is so unique that even the boys cannot beat. Everyone has their  own life but each time whenever her friend needs she is there to help her. All of the best friends have their boyfriends or husbands but they manage their time to share their small things with their girl friends. They do every thing together. I don't know about boys but we girls take turns even for pointing out each other's worst qualities and what do we expect from each other. We know immediately when our other friend has a crush or when she is in a deep pain. Umm! of course, we are competitive but more than that the competition is healthy and we learn a lot from each other. 

Our friendship is bold but it doesn't mean that we overlook the male figure in our life. Our relationship with our male friends (not only boyfriend) are also unique. We respect them, care them, support them and even guide them on how they can make their girl friend happy. We hangout with our male friends also but going out with our best girl friends has it's own importance. It's awesome. 

It’s tr