Friday, September 12, 2008

Jangling changes

My hostel's routine felt monotonous, like I was living in an aquarium swimming round and round, the same scenery swirling before me. My class was five minutes' walk from my room, the kitchen a little further away. I felt claustrophobic, I wanted to break free. I prayed for change but what happened next turned my world upside down.
One evening, I had a severe stomach cramp. The excruciating pain lasted for two days. The doctor at the local hospital said I had appendicitis, and had to have my appendix removed immediately. The surgery could have been carried out there but I was rushed to Kathmandu instead.
Everything after that is a blur. I woke up in the post-operation ward and was later discharged. The doctors said I needed a two weeks' rest, which meant no hostel. Maybe this was the change I'd been praying for.
I was wrong. I missed the routine: classes, friends, music festivals, walking from my room to the classroom. I was recovering slowly and longed to rejoin college. My friends called me asking "Feel better?" But things took another unexpected turn.
The pain returned, and this time it was worse. I was rushed to the hospital again. The doctors said any post-operation pain, at least after an appendectomy, was abnormal. Appendicitis involves a minor operation and complications are rare. I fell in that 'rare' percent.
I was rushed to the emergency room yet again. This is my third time in the hospital, for the same reason. Apparently, my appendix was removed later than considered safe; as a result it had burst. Particles that should have been removed in the operation had been left untouched. My body was fighting them with antibiotics. It took the doctors two weeks to understand that my new pain was a side-effect of the antibiotic I had been given. As soon as they changed my prescribed medicine, I recovered.
I have been in bed for a month now, more change than I had bargained for. I sit here in the general surgical ward, trying to keep track of them. The saline water flowing into my arm changes from NS to D5. Patients in neighbouring beds change every two days, my daily dose of medicines change, the nurses change with every shift. Outside the window, the colours of the cars whizzing by, the pedestrians, and the light of day change. I think of my friends preparing for exams in what I once considered an aquarium. Only, now I'm on the outside longingly looking in.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

“Arresting God in Kathmandu”(A Myth)

King of heaven Lord Indra was content with his beautiful kingdom and he was a great admirer of beauty and so he had collection of many attractive things in his kingdom, may it be angels or liquors or flourishes. He always thought that no other beautiful things existed that he had not observed but one fine day as Lord Indra laid his eyes below his kingdom and saw a beautiful flower on the kingdom of mortals. He desired to get a hold of the flower and bring it to heaven and so he decided to set off to the earth. He transformed himself to a mortal and searched for the flower. He traveled through green mountains and beautiful landscapes then he reached a beautiful valley. He found the valley so beautiful that he compared it with his kingdom. he had never seen before any land of mortals that was as striking as this, he saw girls walking along him whom he thought were more beautiful that those angels in the heaven. The striking beauty nearly had made lord Indra forget about the flower but finally he ended his search in a beautiful garden. But unfortunately as he was going to pick the flower, a guard came and arrested him for entering the garden of the King of the Kathmandu and trying to steal the flower ‘Parijat’ from the King’s garden.
Up in the heaven that Lord Indra had been arrested in the kingdom of mortals was breaking news. Confusion filled the atmosphere of heaven and all the gods were panicking. There were many assumptions on the particular situation, some gods were furious, some were scared and some were annoyed with the Lord Indra. When this news reached to the mother of Lord Indra, she was shocked. Indra had always wanted what he liked but it never had been this big issue. To control the sitation in the Kingdom of heaven she determined that she herself would go to the Kingdom of mortals called Kathmandu and release her son. She decided that she would take two packets of fog and morning dew each to gift the King of Kathmandu and ask for his permission to release her son. And as her plan she along with some other gods reached Kathmandu and met the King of Kathmandu. She patiently explained the situation and revealed that the man he has arrested is not a normal man, in fact he is not even a man, and he is King of heaven Lord Indra and so forgive him for his mistake and accept the gift of fog and morning dew she had brought along with her. Knowing the truth, the King of Kathmandu immediately ordered his men to release Lord Indra and asked for his apologies. He also accepted the gift of fog and morning dew. Embarrassed by the great confusion the King of Kathmandu announced that from that day on ‘Indrajatra’ would be celebrated every year on the occasion of Lord Indra’s visit to Kathmandu.
After Lord Indra and his mother along with other gods left, the King of Kathmandu opened the packets that Lord Indra’s mother gifted him. As the packets were opened slowly cool breeze started to flow in Kathmandu and thi cloud like thing started to glide around the city and the clear view of the mountains was blocked. Thus, it is believed that winter starts after Indrajatra as the King of Kathmandu accepted fog and morning dew which is a sign of the beginning of winter.

Monday, September 8, 2008

FREEDOM


The boundries are drawn

to divide the earth

but this weak line

does not overtake our hearts

Distance isn't

powerful enough to set us apart

Because,

our eyes are no more timid

They are wide and

running through the sky

And the sky has no limit....


(dedicated to SAU-fest)