Knockin' at Heaven's Door- Visit to Sworgadwari

The word Sworgadwari is formed by two words Sworga = Heaven, Dwar = Gate or Door, so the popular song came to my mind 'Knock knock.. Knocking at Heaven's Door'. Ofcouse, as you go to the temple with some expectation you must always be knocking at the doors of heaven where gods reside.

Sworgadwari located at Pyuthan district in Western Region of Nepal at the height of 6960 is an  important pilgrimage site for the Hindus. Swargadwari is particularly famous for the Vedic Yagyan set up by Swami Shree Hansananda Giri Sworgadwari Mahaprabhu. Legend has it that the king of all deities; Indra had also performed a Yagyan in Satya Yuga at this place. It is a must see destination for Hindu pilgrims. There is the Swargadwari temple. Many believe that the Swargadwari Guru Maharaj was an incarnation of God. (http://www.sharmatravelsnepal.com/sworgadwari.html; Apr 9, 2014)

It was my privilege to visit Sworgadwari on April 9th Tuesday on the holy day of Ram Nawami. The purpose of our visit was to stud y the feasibility of cable car at the temple. Our team consisted of three consultants from Deloitte, India, Mr. Asutosh Bhandari, Mr. Kapil Chaudhary, Mrs. Pryatithi Chokraburty and me.

On the first day we set out from TIA, Kathmandu at the first Buddha flight to Bhairahawa.  At Bhairahawa we met Mr. Bhawani who was ready with a cab to take us to Sworgawari. We had our lunch at Hotel Pawan and set out for Bhringi via Bhalubang. It took us nearly 5 hours drive to reach Bhringi where we stayed at Hotel Sworgadwari Darsan. The hotel was pleasant with free wifi, AC, attached bathroom. We looked for few possible sites for the cable car and discussed with the locals about the possibility there. 

Second day was the ospecious day of Ram Navami where we set out for Sworgadwari from Bhringi at 7AM at the morning. The road was good except at some places where it could invite landslide during monsoon. The traffic was not as heavy as we assumed. On our way to temple we looked at the possible route of the cable car and made ourselves familiar with the previous studies done there. The last station was Dhamastali which was a small market place some 100m far from the base of the temple entrance gate. Here we interacted with the bus staffs and locals. Locals said that they had to pay some rent to the guti for using the land and the temple attracted a lot of pilgrims during peak season on July-Aug and Dec-Jan. After a brief interaction, we ascended from the main entrance . It took us nealy 30 minutes to reach the top of the hill. The trail looked under construction with stairs and railings being built. One could also take horse to go to the top which charged Rs 200. There was a few temples and a hindu school at the top. We interacted with the management of the temple who insisted us to stay for the special hawan for the day. We saw plenty of cows grazing at the temple premises. We had lunch at the canteen of the asharm which offered mediocre  vegetarian lunch with curd. After lunch, we went to see the nearby cave. Interestingly, on the way to the cave we saw the students of the ashram playing cricket with their dhoti folded. It was a completely holy day with us staying for puja and hawan. We left the temple at about 2pm, stopped for some time at the hotel and then left for Butwal. We had our dinner at Nanglo Bakery Cafe, Butwal and stayed at Hotel Pradeep. 

On the third day we visited 'Fulbari Park' at Butwal, had breakfast at Kasturi and had meetings at Butwal Municipality. We then interacted with 'Butwal Chamber of Commerce' and visited the site proposed for the exhibition center. We had lunch at a Thakali restaurant and returned back Kathmandu at the evening. 

Unlike what many might imagine, Sworgadwari is accessible and the facilities are excellent. Indeed Sworgadwari is a must visit place.

AYON AGM- election a lesson learn

“Harder I try to forget, more vividly the memory provokes and I realize that I have missed a big opportunity, it is all over.”

 Annual general meeting (AGM) of the Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON) was held on August 19, 2012 (Sunday) at Pokhara. AYON is a national network of 86 youth-led organizations in Nepal. It aims to bring youth organizations together to provide a common platform for collaboration, cooperation, joint actions and collective endeavors between youth organizations in Nepal. I am highly obliged to my organization, Creative Youth Society (CYS) for recommending me to participate in the AGM on behalf of CYS. I always wanted to make my participation a worthy one and this year having an agenda of formation of new AYON executive board I was much excited and committed.

I was determined to take one of the major five positions and contribute to AYON and the overall Nepalese youth movement. I had a profound liking to the post of General Secretary and looking upon myself I thought it suited me the most. My campaign was not so long nor had I announced my candidacy in a particular position or asked for votes. Apparently, my candidacy was weak due to the above-mentioned reasons but it was intentional on my part as I was ready to step down for better candidate or for unanimous consensus. Importantly, I was not just trying my luck but was much serious, mentally prepared, and had adjusted time and everything accordingly.

As I made up my mind to take the leadership at AYON, I consulted with close friends, occasionally visited the AYON office, understood the existing leadership, got involved in AYON projects/campaigns, and read the mentality of each other. I didn’t talk with the member organizations personally except in some programs and gatherings. Two days before the election I volunteered to arrange a bus for the members who were going to Pokhara from Kathmandu. It served two purposes, one, it was fun going together; two, it was a better opportunity to interact with friends. I never said a word regarding my nomination at the bus nor did I ask for votes. After reaching Pokhara, I tried to interact with as many people as possible, saved their number, and memorized their names, organization, interests, etc. I also made my presence felt by asking genuine questions in the leader’s forum and the close session. After I registered my nomination I tried a few new things, I wrote my name and designation in a sheet of paper and gave it to everyone, also sent an SMS to everyone I knew.

“My dream was to see the dreams of each of the organizations dream come true” My vision was clear and I was communicating it. It was getting better and better and I could sense the overwhelming response coming my way. My resolution was to build the capacity of the AYON member organization. Having worked in youth issues for more than seven years, I had a better understanding of the youth issues and I always felt that the youth issues are multidimensional and cross-cutting. I carried the point that the member organizations should lead in their field of interest and AYON should help them by all means. I knew that I could contribute by lifting the organizational capacities and bridging them with donor agencies as believed on my personal competence and diplomacy. At the time, I found myself like a politician at an election giving cheap smile and greeting everyone with high expectations. I was the second last person to cast the vote.

 The Vote Counting was a real drama. Each member organization had one voting right and altogether 79 votes were cast. Six representatives were selected for the counting of votes together with the Election Committee. The results came out for every 20 vote counts. At the count of 21 votes, I was 3 votes behind (I was on 9 and my contender on 12), which made me a bit tensed. I made the calculation in my mind if the situation continues I will loose by a good margin of 15 votes which I could never believe. The situation changed at the count of 40 votes in which I was leading by 4 votes and again at the count of 60 votes, my lead narrowed to 3 votes. Having the lead of 3 votes and only 19 votes remaining to count I was not only excited but could sense the gravity of the responsibility coming on my shoulders. The situation changed dramatically after the counting finished. All the voters and the candidates were asked to come in and the Election Committee announced their results in which I was 1 vote behind. First I could not believe it though I controlled myself, congratulated the winners, and returned to the room.

 It was tantalizing as I was so close to being the General Secretary of AYON. It was 1 vote that separated me from the triumph and shattered all my vision, mission, goals, and promises. I try to comfort myself by thinking this must be the divine message for me to go higher and spend more time on my professional career and family commitments.

 I talked with plenty of friends after the result. Most of them said, though separated by a vote I had won the hearts of many and it was not a loss. Some blamed it was due to some treacherous friends I lost, some said it was rejected vote, while others referred to bad luck. I was asked not to feel bad but I thought I am myself to be blamed for the failure. My preparation was not very long. Had I known before that I would regret it like this I would have worked much harder. My performance at cocas was not up to my expectation. I could have communicated my idea more lucidly and eloquently. Besides there were plenty of friends eager to campaign me in the election but I didn’t ask them for spreading favor. I also didn’t like to consult the seniors just in the time of need and moreover, my bad habit is that I try to do my things on my own.

 Back biting of the opponent was an easy option for me as a rumor regarding his mismanagement and political affiliation was wide spread but I didn’t like to capitalize on it. Yes, I rather thought that having already worked for two years he has already given his best inputs so a suitable candidate having the zeal and prior knowledge on youth issues should be chosen as General Secretary.

The worst thing was the backbiting that went behind me. Some spread the rumors that our organization big, some said Brabim form CYS had already worked as General Secretary on the last tenure; some said GS Brabim left AYON before his tenure while worst of all some friends campaigned not to let the position for the organization from Kathmandu Valley. Despite all these, I am happy that it was only the difference of 1 vote and I was so close to winning the election. Though it is a huge setback for me, I reckon failure greatest teacher and I have learned a big lesson in life.

2068 BS: A year to remember

With plenty of moments to cheer 2068 has been a year to remember. I completed my tenure at Rotaract Club of Kathmandu; worked as a government officer at Janakpur, for at least couple of months; visited south India and different places within Nepal; most importantly, finished my master’s dissertation, pending since long; spent more time with family and had plenty of moments to rejoice. Besides, there are plenty of things worth sharing.

Though New Years day was not much special, the month of Baisakh was fruitful having accomplished pending programs at Rotaract Club like Public Speaking training and others. During the same month, I went to Hetauda twice in bike which was memorable. I and the whole family attended the weeding of Pravin dai, and also in the very day was the bratabandha of Amog and Shaswat at Bhaisipati, both of which was not lesser than having a program within our own family. Most importantly, Pramod, beloved brother and friend, also managed to come from Noway for the function and together we had very nice time. My birthday this year was memorable one having celebrated week long at home, mamaghar and Rotaract club.



Having got the opportunity to work as government officer at Local Peace Committee, Dhanusha during Jesth-Asar was perhaps the best part of the year. Though I had a very busy schedule, I was more than happy to prove myself at the office. It was no exception to other government agencies as all the programs were to be done on the last two months of the fiscal year. My experience working at Rotaract Club helped me a lot where I coordinated all nine programs successfully, thanks to the painstaking labor offered by all concerned. Apart from this, I also made the office more functional, purchased stationeries, mend computer, connected internet, reviewed pending task, cleared dues at telephone, electricity and water offices and so forth. Special thanks to the Office Associate Binod Mahara and the members of LPC for we were able to accomplish all the programs before the deadline. On Asar 19, LPC Dhanusha had a four days tour to Western Development Region in which we had programs with LPC Baglung and LPC Parbat. During the ephemeral service, not only did I contribute at the office but also I didn’t miss the engagement and weeding of my beloved brother Ajay for which I traveled back home twice in between. At one of the visits, I handed over the presidentship at the Rotaract Club to Rtr Sushil on July during 16 installation program.







Coming back from Janakpur, I soon joined Nepal Development Research Institute(NDRI). I was involved in Monitoring and Evaluation of Rainwater Harvesting at Makwanpur, a program of PLAN Nepal being executed by NDRI during Shrawan-Bhadra. I could witness the positive impact of the Rain Water Harvesting ponds and jars to the rural residents of Makwanpur district. My partner during the survey was beloved brother Peshal Wagle, a cool and smart fellow. I can never forget the first day when we were hit hard with rain as we crossed Kathmandu, loved by leeches and tainted by mud before we reached my relative’s place at around 9PM; interestingly it was my first visit there. The rest of the days went nice and smooth at Chitlang, Fakhel and Markhu. Though I lost my mobile on the way to Hetauda, we joined Dr Nawa Raj Khaiwada and other friends, enjoyed the company, had yoga class next morning and finished our work at Churiya Mai VDC during the day. We stayed at Manahari that day and the next day we set off for Raksirang, walked whole day, crossed flooded river, crawled through the rocks and reached there at the twilight. Having completed the survey at Raksirang we went to Sarikhet stayed and finished things off and finally headed back to Kathmandu. The task was not complete till we helped entering the data and preparing the final report.



During September I along with Harka, Pragya, Priya and Abishek participated in Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), four day training program at Kodaikanbal, South India. Kodaikanal is a lovely hill side with healthful weather and the training was worthy one. After the training we went to Dendigal and stayed with Arjun and his family, visited Water Park nearby and had fun. Following that were the biggest festivals of Nepalese Dasain and Tihar on Asoj-Kartik. Also this year we had Dewali, biennial worshiping of the gods of our family. Dasain –tihar cultural program at Rotract Club was worth remembering, besides there were also other interesting programs at the club as well.







At winter (December-January), I was engaged in a survey on Vulnerably Assessment and Climate Adaptation (VACA) a program under Himalayan Climate Adaptation Program (HICAP) of ICIMOD during Mangshr and Poush. Six day long training and village practice at ICIMOD was interesting, following that was a small break then I left for Dolakha with Mr Sahabir BK. The first place we went wes Jiri, often called as Switzerland of Nepal was a beautiful cool valley. Other three program VDCs, Shyama, Suri and Khare being inside Gaurishankar Conservation Area we visited the protected area as well. It is worth mentioning that we also visited Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project at Gagar in which massive construction was underway. Finally, with the program at Khopachangu we finished our program and it was time to head back.



The month of Magh started with Magesankranti and luckily we had just returned from the field visit. My sister, brother in law and their newborn niece Khushi had come from USA and we had a pleasant gathering. We had Annaprsan Ceremony of Khushi, niece on Magh 8 and Bratabandha of Ashutosh, cousin on Magh 1. Also during the month I was busy at NDRI. Also during the month I celebrated holi, shivaratri and many other programs and festivals.







Celebration of Ram Navami and Chaite Dasain was a grand one this year, the day also marked 50th birthday of my beloved mother and we celebrated it at Dhobighat, many thannks to Ajay da, Avay, Madhusudahan mama, miju, dijjuz and vanja vanji for making it a memorable one.



Finally I presented my Masters dissertation at Central Department of Environmental Science (CDES), TU on March 8 on the presence of supervisor Dr Dinesh Bhuju, Co-supervisor Dr Netra Chhetri, HOD Dr Kedar Rijal, Narayan dai, faculty members and beloved friends. It was an august gathering particularly with the presence of foreign professors making the program a grand one. I cannot forget the words of Dr Chhetri who said this is the not the end but the start of Academic life and he again added that thesis writing is more like writing a story. Internal examiner Mr Suman Aryal and external examiner Dr Jagadish Chandra Baral pointed out the areas for improvement. Supervisor Dr Dinesh Bhuju congratulated and thanked for bridging with Professors from USA, and even for leaving places for experts to comment.

At the later part of the year, I was named the president of Creative Youth Society. With the combined effort of friends we renewed and revived the organization, the progress is still underway. The vision that we had shared before half a decade with the establishment of the organization is being more likely these days.



During May-June, I joined Collins for GRE exam preparation, though I never dared to take the exam. I also had plenty of setbacks this year which forms a good memory, some of them are; failing in Rotary GSE program, missing out at various opportunities, discontinuing morning walks and most importantly losing some of my best friends. Moreover, some of my precious dreams are not yet fulfilled be it getting anchored at better job or being enrolled in further studies program. I reckon that, I will finish my pending task and keep on hunting and pursuing my dreams.

जनकपुर डायरी

जनकपुर डायरी

– राजिव घिमिरे
कार्यालय सचिव (शा.अ.)
स्थानीय शान्ति समिति, धनुषा

स्थानीय शान्ति समितिमा कार्यालय सचिवको नियुक्ति पाएपछि ऐतिहासिक मिथिला राज्यमा बसेर काम गर्न पाउँदा एकातिर खुशी लागिरहेको थियो भने यदाकदा मधेशका छिटफुट घटनाले केही असजिलो पनि बनाइरहेको थियो । जनकपुर प्रवेश गर्नुभन्दा पहिले मलाई विद्यालयको शैक्षिक भ्रमणको क्रममा करिव १२ वर्ष पहिले आएको जनकपुरको झझल्को आइरहेको थियो । नढाँटी भन्नुपर्दा म त्यतिखेर कहालिएको थिएँ । लुम्बिनी र चितवन घुमेर आउँदाको थकान एकातिर थियो भने दिनभरी कोठे कार्यक्रममा थुनिनुपर्दाको छट्पटी अर्कोतिर । जनकपुरको बारेमा अर्को नबिर्सिने कुरा थियो भिडभाड सडक, फोहोरमैला र कोठाभरी माउरीको गोलाझैं लामखुट्टे यद्यपी भव्य जानकी मन्दिर र तालहरुले मन लोभ्याएकै थियो ।

जनकपुरमा पहिलो दिन-

२०६८-०२-२२ गते – मन्त्रालयको दुईदिन तालिम सकेर आइयो जनकपुर । यहाँ आउँदा मैले सर्वप्रथम चिनेको व्यक्ति हुनुहुन्थ्यो श्री पुष्पा कुमारी यादव, उहाँ स्थानीय शान्ति समिति, सर्लाहीको कार्यालय सचिवको लागि नियुक्त हुनुभएको थियो । आÇनो माइती ठाउँमा आएकोमा स्वागत गर्नुका साथै आवश्यक सहयोग गर्ने वचनबद्धता समेत उहाँले गर्नुभयो । विमानस्थलबाट झरेपछि जनकपुरको न्यानो हावाले स्वागत ग¥यो भने मैले कार्यालय सहायक विनोदजीको प्रतिक्षा गरे । हतारमा आएका विनोदजीसँग कुदेर कार्यालय गइयो । भानुचोकस्थित एक ३ तल्ले घरको माथिल्लो तल्लामा कार्यालय रहेछ । मेरो कोठामा एउटा टेवल र कुर्सीबाहेक मैले केही देखिन । विस्तारै सबै कागजपत्र देखिदै आयो, मानिसहरु चिनिदैँ गइयो । कामको बोझले यसरी च्यप्दै ल्यायो कि क्रमवद्ध रुपमा शब्दमा बयान गर्न सकिन्न । पहिलो दिनमै म जिल्ला प्रशासन कार्यालय गएँ र प्रमुख जिल्ला अधिकारी श्री कमलेश्वर सिन्हा र लेखा अधिकृत श्री शम्भुनाथ मिश्रसँग परिचयपात भयो । बडो प्रशन्न भएर प्रजिअले मलाई आदरभावसाथ हात मिलाएर स्वागत गरेको अझै स्मृतिमा ताजा छ । त्यहीँ दिन पत्रकारहरुमाथि प्रहरीले हातपात गरेको विरोधमा प्रदर्शन रहेछ र दुईजना पत्रकारहरु आमरण अनसन पनि बसेको जानकारी भयो । यसरी जनकपुरमा पहिलो दिन अविस्मरणीय रह्यो र प्र.जि.अ.सँगको भेटले मलाई आÇनो जिम्मेवारीप्रति अझै उत्साहित बनायो ।

जनकपुरको विशेषता-

राष्ट्रिय विभुति राजा जनक र सीता (जानकी) को जन्मस्थल जनकपुर पवित्र ऐतिहासिक स्थल मानिन्छ । सीताको स्वयंवरमा अयोध्याका राजा श्री रामचन्द्र जनकपुरमा आएका थिए । सो स्वयंवरमा जनकको साथमा रहेको शिवधनुमा ताँदो हाल्न सक्ने वीर पुरुषसँग सीताको विवाह हुने सर्त राखिएको थियो । श्रीरामचन्द्रले सो धनुषमा ताँदो हाल्न खोज्दा अत्याधिक वजनका कारण धनुष भाँचिएको किम्वदन्ती छ । सोही धनुषको एक टुक्रा भएको ठाउँलाई हाल धनुषाधाम भनिन्छ जो धार्मिक पर्यटनको लागि प्रसिद्ध छ । जनकपुरको मध्य भागमा अवस्थित जानकी मन्दिर आकर्षणको केन्द्रविन्दूझैं छ । विगतमा नौलखा मन्दिर पनि भनिने सो मन्दिर विशाल छ र यसमा प्रयोग भएको कलाकारिता पनि अनुपम छ । जानकी मन्दिर, जानकी विवाह मण्डप लगायत अन्य थुप्रै प्रसिद्ध धार्मिक स्थलहरु जनकपुर परिसरमा छन् । प्राकृतिक रुपमा पनि जनकपुर साह्रै सुन्दर छ । विभिन्न ताल तलैयाहरुले नगरको शोभा बढाएका छन्, सहरलाई व्यवस्थित तुल्याउने थुप्रै प्रयासहरु भएका देखिन्छन् । जनकपुर पुग्ने सडक चौडा पारिएको छ भने सवारी साधनको उचित व्यवस्थापन गरिएको छ । जनकपुरको व्यस्त भित्री सहरमा सायदै कुनै गाडीहरु देखिन्छ भने, रिक्साहरुले यातायात सुगम बनाएका छन् । प्रत्येक चोकमा प्रहरी निगरानी राखिएको छ र शान्ति सुरक्षाको भरपर्दो व्यवस्था मिलाइएको छ ।

जनकपुर–जयनगर रेल सेवा नेपालकै पहिलो र एक मात्र रेल सेवा हो जो अहिले पनि चालु अवस्थामा छ । यद्यपी यसलाई समयानुकूल व्यवस्थित गर्न र अन्य ठाउँमा समेत रेल विकास गर्न नसक्नु विडम्वना हो तर जनकपुर रेल जनकपुरको एउटा ऐतिहासिक परिचयझैं भएको छ । रेलजस्तै हाल बन्द अवस्थामा रहेको जनकपुर चुरोट कारखाना लिमिटेडले पनि जनकपुरवासीलाई रोजगारी दिएको र समग्र जनकपुरलाई परिचित बनाएको छ ।

मिथिला भाषा र संस्कृति-

जनकपुर रहँदासम्म यहाँको रहनसहन र भाषा संस्कृतिमा रमाउने र बढीभन्दा बढी भिज्ने मेरो प्रयास छ । स्थानीय एफ.एम.हरुको मैथली भाषाको कार्यक्रमहरु मैले नित्य रुपमा सुन्ने बानी बसालेको छु । सँगै बस्ने विनोदजी र भाइहरुलाई समेत मैथली सिकाइदिन आग्रह गरेँ र मैथली भाषाको पत्रिका समेत सकिनसकि पढ्न थाले, केही समयमै मैथली राम्रो बुझ्न थालेको आभाष भएको छ । स्थानीय शान्ति समितिको संयोजक श्री फूलकुमारी महतो र सदस्य श्री तारा महतो मैले मैथली बोल्न सिकेकोमा खुशी हुनुहुन्छ र थप सिकाउने प्रयास गर्नुहुन्छ । उहाँहरु दुईजना र विशेषतः मनोजभाइ मैले मैथली बोलेको सुुन्न औधि रुचाउँछन् । मेरो मैथली भाषासँग प्रेम पनि विस्तारै बढ्दै गइरहेको छ । पहिले समितिमा नेपालीमा बोलौं भन्ने सबैको कुरा हुन्थ्यो भने अहिले मैथलीमै बोल्दा मलाई आपत्ति भएन । स्थानीय शान्ति समितिमा पनि उमाशंकरजी र विजयजी आÇनो भाषाको विशेष माया गर्नुहुन्छ भन्ने मलाई लागिरह्यो किनकी उहाँहरु विशेषतः मैथलीमै बोल्न रुचाउनुहुन्छ । स्थानीय मातृभाषाको संरक्षण र सम्वर्धन गर्नुपर्छ र भाषासंग राष्ट्रियताको प्रसंग जोडिनुहुन्न भन्ने पक्षमा म सधैं उभिन्थेँ ।

जनकपुरकै बसाइमा मित्र श्री धिरेन्द्र यादवको विवाहमा सामेल हुने अवसर समेत मिल्यो । बेलुका ढिला गरेर गइने वरियात साह्रै रमाइलो हुँदो रहेछ । नाचगान गर्दै, लामो बत्तीसहितको लस्करमा दुलाहालाई रथमा राखेर दुलहीकोमा लगिँदो रहेछ । रातभरी बसेर विभिन्न रीतिरिवाज पूरा गरी बिहान विवाह समापन भएपछि बेहुलीलाई घर लगिने रहेछ । एउटा सानो किशोरले मेलामा रमिता हेरेझैं म यताउता कुदेछु, पछि सुरेशजीले भनेपछि पो अचम्म लाग्यो । विवाहको बेलामा बेहुलाले बेहुलीको परिवारसँग प्रशस्त दाइजो माग्ने प्रथा विद्यमान रहेता पनि कुनै दाइजो नलिइ गरिएको यो आदर्श विवाह थियो ।

जनकपुरकै अर्को अविस्मरणीय प्रसंग कोट्याउँदा मित्र सुरेश यादवको छोरीको जन्म भएपछि म तुरुन्त हस्पिटल गई भेटेको थिएँ । मधेशमा छोराको बढि चाहना गरिने संस्कार भएता पनि सुरेश दुई छोरी भएपछि खुशि र सन्तुष्ट भएको देख्ता युवा पुस्ताले परिवर्तनलाई आत्मसाथ गरेकै छ भनेर खुशी लाग्यो । पछि तिनै सुरेशजीले छोरीको छठीयारको दिन भोजनको निम्तो दिए । सन्तान जन्मिएको छैठौ दिन भाविले भविष्य लेख्छ भन्ने सुनेको त थिएँ तर मधेशमा यसरी छठियार मनाइदो रहेछ भनेर खुशि लाग्यो । फेरी हाम्रो संस्कारमा सुत्केरीलाई छुन हुन्न भनेर छुट्टै राखिनेमा यहाँसँगै राखी उत्सव मनाइनेमा साह्रै हर्षित थिएँ ।

मिथिलावासी एक परिचय-

जनकपुरवासीहरु साधा जीवन उच्च विचारलाई सहि अर्थमा आत्मसात गर्ने मैले पाएँ । धनी–गरिव सबैको रहनसहन र आहार विहार एकै किसिमको मैले देखेँ । झट्ट हेदाँ यहाँ वर्गीय खाडल त्यति ठूलो देखिएन, कारण मैले समितिमा सबैले साधारण लाएको खाएको देखेको छु । त्यस्तै यहाँ ‘अतिथि देवो भवः’ भनेझैं अतिथिलाई उच्च सम्मान र आदर्श व्यवहार गरिन्छ । धेरैजनाले मलाई आÇनो घरमा जाने निम्तो दिनुभएको छ । यद्यपी हाल कार्यव्यस्तताले गर्दा मैले उहाँहरुको निमन्त्रणा स्वीकार गर्न सकेको छैन । सुरेशजी, प्रेमकिशोरजी, विनोदजी, विजयजी, उमाशंकरजी आदिको घरमै पुगेर मैले मिथिला सत्कार अनुभव गरेको छु ।

मिथिलावासीको स्वर ठूलो छ भने छाती निकै फराक छ । परमेश्वरजीले ठट्टा गर्दै भनेको म सम्झन्छु ‘मधेशीको सल्लाह र पहाडीको हल्लामा उस्तै आवाज आउँछ ।’ एकैछिनमा चर्काचर्की भएझैं देखिए पनि यहाँका मानिसहरु सजिलै मिल्न सक्ने र सामूहिक हितको लागि सहकार्य गर्न तत्पर रहने विशेषता मैले पाएँ ।

काठमाण्डौंझैं एकाड्ढी जीवनशैली यहाँ छैन । जनकपुरको विशेषता भनेझैं सामूहिक जीवनशैली हो । यहाँ सबैले सबैलाई चिने जानेझैं मलाई लाग्यो । बेलुकी बाह्रविघामा गएर साथीभाइहरुसँग कुराकानी गरेर बस्न साह्रै रमाइलो हुनेरहेछ । फेरी बिहान सबेरै उठेर ज.चु.का.ली को चउरमा फुटबल खेल्न कति मजा ।

जनकपुरवासीलाई आÇनो राष्ट्र र राष्ट्रियता निकै प्यारो रहेको समेत मैले प्रत्यक्ष अनुभव गरेँ । यहाँका मानिसहरुले भारतिय हस्तक्षेप र सिमावर्ती प्रान्तको गलत रबैयाको खुला रुपमा भर्त्सना गर्ने र राष्ट्रिय राजनीतिमा विशेष चासो राख्ने गरेको मैले पाएँ ।

राजनैतिक सामाजिक परिवेश-

राष्ट्रद्वारा उपेक्षा गरिएको र मधेशीहरुको हक अधिकार कुण्ठित रहेको भनेर चरणबद्ध आन्दोलनहरु भएकोे मधेशमा विद्यमान व्यवस्थाप्रति असन्तोष स्पष्ट देखिन्छ । पछिल्ला आन्दोलन र सम्झौताहरुले केही आशा पलाए पनि प्राप्त उपलब्धीहरु संस्थागत गर्न नसकिने पो हो की भन्ने आशंका व्याप्त छ ।

मधेशी महिलाहरुको स्थिति अन्य ठाउँका महिलाहरुकोभन्दा भिन्न छ । अधिकांश महिलाहरुको शिक्षामा राम्रो उपस्थिति देखिएन भने घरभित्रको काममा भ्याइनभ्याइ छ ।

मधेशमा देखिएको अर्को समस्या भनेको छुवाछुत र भेदभाव पनि रहेछ । मधेशी दलितहरुको हालत पहाडिया दलितको भन्दा पनि दर्दनाक भएको मैले पाएँ । दलितहरुको कार्यक्रममा पनि म बारम्बार गइरहन्थे । साथै मेरा दुई सहकर्मी कर्मचारीहरु पनि त्यहीँ समुदायलाई प्रतिनिधित्व गर्दछन् । कार्यालय सहयोगी हरिनाथले मलाई पहिलो दिन नै यसरी भनेका थिए – ‘सर पासवान भनेको मधेशी दलित हो । हाम्रो थरका मानिसलाई त्यति अरुले मनपराउनन् तर धन्दा मान्नू पर्दैन, म मिहिनेत गरेर खान्छु र तपाईंले भनेको सबै मान्छु ।’ यस्तो लाग्थ्यो कि ऊ मसँगै सपथ खाँदै थियो । यद्यपी दलितहरुलाई कार्यालय कर्मचारीको रुपमा राखेर समितिको नयाँ नेपालको परिचय दिएझैं मलाई लाग्यो ।

अब केही कुरा गरौं मधेश आन्दोलन र १० वर्षे जनयुद्धको । मैले शान्ति समितिमा बसेर विगतको युद्धलाई नजिकैबाट बुझ्न र पीडितहरुलाई जान्ने मौका पाएको छु । १० वर्षे जनयुद्धमा पनि विद्रोहको विगुल फुक्ने र संघर्षलाई तीव्र बनाउने ठाउँ यहीँ धनुषा जिल्ला रहेछ ।

युद्धको आँधिवेहरीले अहिल्यै नमेटिने घाउ असङ्ख्य परिवारमा परेको छ । यी परिवारहरु र अन्य छुटेफुटेका सबैलाई न्याय दिलाउन सके मात्र सहिदप्रतिको सच्चा सम्मान हुन जान्छ भन्ने मैले ठानेको छु ।

स्थानीय शान्ति समितिको कार्यालय सचिवको पदमा रहिरहँदा मलाई द्वन्द्व पीडितले कतिको न्याय पाए भन्ने प्रश्नले सताइरहन्छ । धनुषा जिल्लामा द्वन्द्व पीडितहरुको सही र तथ्यपरक तथ्याड्ढ छैन कि वा कोही छुटेका पो छन् कि भन्ने मलाई सधैं लागिरह्यो । त्यसैगरी युद्धको क्रममा मृत्यु भएका मृतकका विधवाले पाउने रकम र भत्ताबाट पनि धेरैजना छुटेजस्तो मलाई लागेको छ । त्यसैगरी मृतकका सन्तानले पाउनुपर्ने छात्रवृत्ति रकम समेत कमैले पाएका छन् । स्वयं स्थानीय शान्ति समितिका संयोजकका सन्तानले समेत आÇनो हकको छात्रवृत्ति नपाएको देख्दा अन्य सर्वसाधारणको गति के होला कल्पना समेत मैले गर्न सकिन । छात्रवृत्ति दिलाउने काममा जिल्ला शिक्षा कार्यालयले पनि ध्यान नदिएको र स्थानीय शान्ति समितिले समेत खबरदारी गर्न नसकेको मैले पाएँ । अझै दुःखलाग्दो कुरा त के छ भने विस्थापित र सम्पत्ति÷घरजग्गा कब्जा र क्षतिको राहत त मानौ कसैले पाएकै छैन । जिल्ला प्रशासन कार्यालयमा विचाराधिन भनिएको स्थापितहरुको निवेदन फाइल एकमुष्ठ रुपमा स्थानीय शान्ति समितिमा फिर्ता आउँदा म स्तब्ध नै भएको छु । यसैगरी घाइतेहरुले समेत उचित औषधी उपचार खर्च पाए भन्ने कुरामा समेत मलाई शंका लाग्छ । अन्य जिल्लाको स्थानीय शान्ति समितिसँग कुरा गर्दा र भ्रमण गर्दा मलाई जनकपुरमा आएर धनुषा जिल्लाको द्वन्द्व पीडितहरुको निम्ति समर्पित रहने प्रेरणा जागेको छ ।

स्वयं कार्यालय सचिव भएर पनि मैले यी सबै कुरा गर्नु लाचारी र विडम्बना मात्र होइन, आÇनो जिम्मेवारीबोध र पारर्शिता पनि हो भन्ने मलाई लाग्छ । मेरो नियुक्तिदेखि हालसम्म मन्त्रालयबाट स्वीकृत अन्य कार्यक्रमहरुमा व्यस्त रहनुपरेकाले द्वन्द्व पीडितहरुका राहतका कार्य गर्न नसकिएकोमा दुःख व्यक्त गर्दै आगामी दिनमा सबै द्वन्द्व पीडितहरुलाई राहत दिलाउनको लागि म स्वयं समर्पित भएर लाग्नेछु भन्ने कुरा म सबैलाई विश्वास दिलाउन चाहान्छु । साथै पीडित र सरोकारवालाहरु सबैले यसमा सहयोग गरिदिनुहुन पनि यसै लेखमार्फत अपिल गर्दछु । अन्त्यमा कवि भूपि शेरचनका ‘सहिदहरुको सम्झनामा’ कविताबाट एउटा पंक्ति साभार गर्दै मनन गर्न यहाँहरुलाई नै छोड्दैछु ।

हामीले हाम्रो कर्तव्य बिर्से इतिहासले धिक्कार्ला
गोली निलेका सहिदका प्यारा लासले धिक्कार्ला ।

Nisarg RYLA 2011

NISARG it was, the word I was curious to reveal the meaning of. Ever since I heard about NISARG, an RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) at South India being organized by Rotary Club of Sivakasi Town (RI District 3212), I was very much excited about it. As I entered inside the program hall at JC Residency, Kodaikanal, in the afternoon of September 22, 2011, I could feel the eyes of organizers unwearyingly waiting for us. Though we were not lucky enough to witness the whole of the opening ceremony of the four-day event, we were there before the opening ceremony ended. We were introduced with the familiar names of Rtn Selvaa and Rtn YR Baksi with whom I corresponded beforehand. Five of us from Nepal were provided with RYLA kit and informed that we all were divided into five different groups named after 5 basic constituents of life (according to Hindu Mythology); jal (Aqua), Prithivi (Earth), Aagni (Fire), Vayu (Air) and Aakash (space) and I was now Aqua wearing a “C” shaped nametag with my photo and nickname on it.

“Shivana” the program hall- Shivana was big enough to accommodate 60 participants. We were asked to stay with the respective groups. I was very happy as I looked at the front wall written “WELCOME DARLING RYLARIAN”. We could forget all the tiredness of the travel but instead felt enthusiastic seeing the arrangement. I could see again the word “Nisarg” below it was written UNLEARN LEARN with an inverted cup and at the bottom of the same banner was a portrait of Buddha. This made me more curious to reveal the meaning of the word. I could again see another banner on the wall displaying an ice-cream cone with 8 different flavors of ice-creams superimposed, the banner not only watered my mouth but questioned me what it means. Later on, I realized it was the cream of faculty members we were to taste during RYLA. The whole hall was decorated with meaningful quotes and beautiful pictures all around.

Warm welcome! - Selvaa introduced us to the Rotarians and friends and soon after we introduced ourselves to the mass. The members of the Aqua group warmly welcomed me. I was thankful to Sam as he left his chair for me and the first person I knew then after was Kritika Iyer team leader of Aqua, who approached me for registration. The mentor of our group was Rtn Shyam Sundar a very pragmatic genius who took very good care of all of us.

Rules of the Game- I was surprised as the organizers tried to create a learning ambiance, unlike school or college. Whenever the participants addressed the facilitator Rtn Selvaa with sir, as a rule, he/she had to go to the front, stand on a chair, promise “I won’t repeat it again”, thank the chair and return to his place.
As seen in most of the training programs we had a small board on the back wall of the hall. Anyone could hang a joke, poem, or anything interesting on the board and share it with all the friends.
We were given small gifts whenever we attempted or answered the facilitator or the faculties.
Each group was assigned some work for the day. When one group made morning wake up calls for everyone, the next group took care of the hall, the other helped in serving food, and so on.
Facilitator Rtn Selvaa presented a Coin to one of the participants and asked to give the coin to the friend who entertains everyone. I could find that the rylarinas were more interested and enthusiastic about the proceedings and plenty of them deserved that.

Lodging and Fooding- The food was very nice and timely yet I regret taking very little as I was not sure if the change suites my belly. I should thank a person of my grandfather's age who always showed himself with food and ensured that all of us have eaten well. We used to have a morning tea/ coffee at 6 AM. After a short morning session, we would stop for breakfast at around 9 AM. Again we were served Lunch at around 1 AM. We had a small break for tea and snacks in the evening at around 5 PM. After a small session, we then had our dinner somewhere around 9 PM. The south Indian dishes were very tasty. So concerned were the organizers, that they had arranged a glass of milk at midnight before we went to bed. I shared my room with two other participants, both of them were very nice to me.

Surprise Birthday Celebration- Surprise birthday was celebrated by facilitator Smita and friends on the first day of RYLA who had the birthdays near. Again next day a surprise birthday was celebrated that of Mr. Hafeej, one of the faculty members.

Games- There were plenty of games we played. One of them was to identify the murderer, in which all the participants formed a circle and closed their eyes. A murderer, a policeman was selected and the villagers had to open the eyes and identify the murderer. It was interesting but it was the late-night we played it so it was not as expected.
A game of Donor and Receptor was played for which 12 volunteers were selected. Among the 12 participants, a pair of 2 persons each were made, consisting of a donor and a receptor. The donor had to give the detailed information about him/her and the receptor had to note them all and present the same to the mass. I did not participate in it, but it was very nice to listen to them. Later on, the receptors provided a token of love to the donors.
One of the games I can't forget is the volley ball game. It was very interesting as our breakfast was on a bet. We had to throw the ball in the air at least 100 times with the group effort of all participants. Seemingly easily it was, but it took several trails to get to the mark.
I can recall a game with balloons and toothpicks which was very interesting and meaningful. Everyone was provided with two balloons and a toothpicks as all attempted to burst each other's balloon, everyone lost his/her balloon.

Faculty members – Faculty members were introduced by the participants. The faculty members were Rotarians and the professional trainers. All the sessions were very interesting and informative. We had very close with the faculty members as they spent at least a couple of days with us.

YOGA- We practiced YOGA on the morning of the second day. This was a very refreshing way to start the day with. Vinod, a well-known yoga instructor handled the session.





Stories and Illustrations- Among many stories and jokes I can easily recall “An apple tree Story” the moral of which was to understand the painstaking effort of our parents raise us. We should really be thankful to them. There were several other short stories and illustrations in between teaching us good morals.


Nisarg T-shirt- The organizers provided each participant with a Nisarg T-shirt. The T-shirt colored in Black and grey was very attractive with the names and the emblem printed on it. This has been a souvenir for all of us to recollect the program.

Short Hiking- Short hiking at Kodaikanal was made. Though it looked similar to the hills here in Nepal but it was much special. The farming system was very nice and the pristine environment was preserved. Moreover, the settlement was concentrated in a place leaving the agricultural land unscathed. Furthermore, it felt better to walk in such a big group especially in the chill and inviting dawn. It was exciting to listen to the friends yell Tamil songs which provided an opportunity to learn a few words.

Outings at the lake- As a part of the program, we were taken to a lake where we were supposed to try our entrepreneurship and make some money. It was an individual assignment yet we tried to work on a group of four Diya, Shruti, Priya. We were very confused about what job to do as we had plenty of ideas but none looked practical. We were offered a job to clean the place which we did and were paid 20 rupees each. Then we tried to experiment with showing each of them how to put a cotton fireball on the mouth. We collected some medicated cotton, candle, and match stick. The crux was to invite people to do some daring act, by which they could feel great about them and happily contribute some money for a social cause. This was a very successful business as we collected a lot of money.

Discussion- There were plenty of topics to argue. One of them was what does it mean? “My love is like red red rose.” The other was “Who can be a better friend a boy or a girl?” and so on. I was reluctant to speak though I had plenty of things in mind. Yet, I could feel I was enjoying it.

Camp Fire- We had a campfire outside in a freezing evening. Divided into two groups we mocked at each other and competed in singing. Though I could not understand the dialect, I enjoyed a lot.

GROUP WORK- Each group was provided with half an hour to present their group performance. I was perplexed but later on, friends suggested me to take part in a chair dance. It was not easy for me as I had never before danced in steps. Our team presented a very good teamwork with a mimic of faculty members by Mano and Sam, classical Bharatnatyam by Kritika, a song, gymnastic performance by Tambo, chair dance by Tambo, Susi, Shruti and I. The other groups also had dance, songs, drama and many more. The team lead by … outwitted the rest.

Handwriting Analysis- A session was facilitated by Smita where she presented what does our handwriting speaks about our personality. The words t, d, and g were more significant to portray the attitude or the mood of the writer.

Chicken Dance- On the morning of the day, we departed Sept 25 we had a little session where everyone was put on their feet to dance. Each of us was provided with a mask and it was more fun dancing hidden inside the mask. This was a very nice dance tutorial that rejuvenated me and evoked interest to learn dance.

Mr. and Mrs. RYLA- Mr. and Mrs. RYLA were selected among the best performers during the entire program. All the participants were asked to vote and chose them. Mano was titled Mr. RYLA and Kittu was Mrs. RYLA both of them form team Aqua.

Grand Finish – Near to the end of the program, each of us was provided with a friendship band and had to tie it to the friend next to each of us. At the end of the day, everyone had the same red Band tied on their hands. All the lights were off and we were provided with a candle each and we made a promise, I don’t remember the exact words but it was some thing like “we will realize ourselves and change for betterment”.

IPDG’s session a grand wrap up- I was a bit amazed to see only three persons (IPDG Rtn.T.VALLIAPPAN, Rotary President Rtn J. Mahadev, and Ryla Chairperson J. Babu Senthikumar) in the dais during the closing ceremony. Last but not lest, the speech of IPDG Rtn.T.VALLIAPPAN, business acumen as very impressive and insightful. He asked participants to summarize the session of each faculty. He presented a video which had awareness about Polio. His style to bid goodbye was wonderful.

Ramp walk for certificate- The last thing that impressed me the most was the way the certificated were distributed. Everyone was called for his/her name and he/she had to make an interesting entry to the stage which was very delightful as it kept everyone guessing. Interestingly, with only two of them remaining for certification, Pragya and Kritika were escorted to the stage by IPDG himself.

Special affection to Nepali Rylarians - Five Rylarians from Nepal were offered special care and attention. Highlighting our presence the organizers not only thanked us for our participation time and again but also honored us with special gifts to be taken back home. Pragya ‘Kali’ was a very astute, outspoken, and enthusiastic as a result she showed her presence everywhere and bagged plenty of awards. Harka “Himal” was very funny. His art and cheerful presence delighted all, he was also awarded at the title “most friendly”. Abishek “Abhi” astonished everyone with his peccadilloes and daring acts. Priyanka “Priya” was gorgeous and she could not utter a word as she had a bad sore throat. I was taking care of all and preferred to be less noticed. Having served as a trainer on different occasions, I was more concentrated to learn the tact and tricks of training from the veterans.

After finishing NISARG, I discovered the meaning of it, which meant “Reconnect to Yourself”. All the figures looked meaningful and the friends so special. We were reluctant to leave the place, we aborted an idea to leave early but instead enjoyed at the lakeside with friends.

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