Yours truly got it in a mail. Hopes you would like it too…
How many Maoists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
1) The light bulb cannot be changed — it has to be smashed.
Yours truly got it in a mail. Hopes you would like it too…
How many Maoists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
1) The light bulb cannot be changed — it has to be smashed.
Yours truly had heard of a joke some years back, which goes:
Q – Why did God create Economists?
A – To make weathermen look good.
Of course, forecasts were the key to understand the joke.
But having known about Paul Krugman winning the Nobel for Economics, it was imperative that yours truly would google him. And salute him all the way, for his analysis of trade patterns and where economic activity takes place.
Some people just have it, they possess it and they know how to deliver it. They can spot a paintbrush and do a da Vinci out of it, while people like us, would not imagine beyond whitewashing the backyard with it.
Kudos to Krugman, for he has a sense of satire too (something this weblog tries to achieve)…
Not because he can analyze trade patterns, but he can spot what has to be spotted. For they know they can visit the past, to learn something that should be averted in future. Yours truly found this post by Krugman, and would like to share it…
Please have a look at how he looks at the present global crisis, through something that happened in 1979. It's just not economics, it's the way you see things, and try to make a difference.
Paul Krugman writes:
In the long run we are all dead
But in the short run some of us can’t get buried because of the credit crunch:
The spectre of the Winter of Discontent threatened to return to haunt Labour last night after funeral directors revealed that the burial of ‘hundreds’ of bodies is being delayed for financial reasons.
In a bleak new sign of the growing economic crisis, hard-up families are having to wait more than two months before receiving Government money for funerals.
Organisations representing undertakers accused the Government of putting them in an ‘impossible’ position by dragging their feet over burial costs for poor families.
Previously, undertakers would pay for the cost of funerals and wait to be reimbursed by the State, but the lack of credit in the banking system means many firms can no longer afford to do so.
HT my wife, who lived in England for a while and still enjoys reading the tabloids.
Thank you Mr. Krugman, for making the weathermen still look bad…
Yours truly is amazed. In the midst of animal sacrifices, and recent backdrop of a riot, that ensued when the capital dwellers refused government saying – No free meat, fellas! – somebody reminded him that Nepal was secular. Goodness me, how come? Did we not take pride just a few years ago for being the only Hindu state in the world (mention of Kingdom is not hip these days)?
But it was forced on yours truly that we indeed are in a secular state and from a Hindu Kingdom we became a Himalayan Federal Democratic Republic (you can add People's, if you wish to). And just like so many others in the nation, yours truly had to give in, accepting what was already accepted by those considered lesser humans (no wonder, Nepalis have always been called nimukha janata).
Then began the search of the meaning of secularism.
The term 'secularism' was first used by the British writer George Holyoake in 1846. Holyoake invented the term to describe his views of promoting a social order separate from religion, without actively dismissing or criticizing religious belief. Later, it grew into meaning that people belonging to different faiths and sections of society are equal before the law, the Constitution and government policy.
We became a secular nation, due to certain parties' pressure and of course without even taking the trouble of asking people for their view. For us, it is okay if so many countries remain Muslim and some remain Jewish state. In their defence, we would always say that people of other faith also live in such and such countries, without problems.
Alas! As if people of other faith had difficulty to survive here, just because they had other faiths, which the state did not endorse.
And then came Dashain, the mother of all festivals in our country, in our secular state. And we relished, in animal sacrifice, in gambling, in guzzling the holy potion, remaining intoxicated yet again. It's amazing how the entire national wisdom goes to sleep for a fortnight every year. Maybe even wisdom goes out boozing. For we, more often than not, take in Dashain as a time 'not to think' but 'drink'. (Not so long ago, this was the time of year, when now deposed monarch imposed crown on his infamous son, making him crown prince)
But this time around, the monarch had already been given a ticket to bungalow in a jungle, and his prince took time out for Singapore. What about Dashain? Dashain would come the way it has done, for centuries. For festivals and seasons do not care who is in power; but maybe festivals do. So it was time that we found a monarch. Otherwise, who would offer tika to people? And in our efforts to find a monarch, we did hit the right button (at least we hit the buttons).
Even in a country where the Prime Minister – given his people oriented orientation – swears by the people, and not god, while taking oath of the office, it was not difficult to find someone gullible.
How could we forget that we had a President? A President that was a product of 'coalitional' compromise; A President who has a clean image (at least cleaner than the rest); A President who would not say no to avoid confrontation; A President, who was not elected by popular vote, but was adopted by the nation without much complain; A President who has a genuine smile; A President who is a genuine people's person.
So the new Head of the State offered tika to everyone interested. And the people attended, right from the Chief Justice to the public (who wanted to have a glimpse of People's son as head of the state) to the Home Minister, who was more worried about cameras not being at his residence. Reminded yours truly of the glory days of the monarch, who would do the same, calm and collected, without talking too much with the people…
At the same time, the deposed monarch was also busy, offering tika to his loyalists, at a private function, at his private residence (and not the one provided by the government), celebrating Bijaya Dashami, the victory of good over evil. Only, the crowd at his celebrations was bigger.
Some say Dashain is cultural and not religious now. Agreed, but yours truly always thought Jamara and tika have religious significance too. Some say the Head of the State was carrying out a cultural tradition (though TVs showed him saying he was carrying out constitutional duties). Agreed, but yours truly always thought the King offered tika because he was considered reincarnation of a Hindu deity.
Philip Pullman, English writer and staunch secularist wrote:
“Religion grants its adherents malign, intoxicating and morally corrosive sensations. Destroying intellectual freedom is always evil, but only religion makes doing evil feel quite so good”.
But they said Nepal is a secular state!!!
The closing down of dance bars just when the night is still young for so many Kathmandu dwellers, the busy bees during the day, has made a lot of people go crazy. While many blame it on the Home Minister's love for ultra communistic ethics, some say it will clean Nepal (Maybe, just the way Plague cleaned Europe during 14th century) and the Nepali habits of extra indulgence in what they term as vulgar activities.
At the same time, many people, including yours truly, have started wondering why. The reasons could be many. Right from simple lunacy to hatred for the so-called nudity to the realization that Nepali culture is going topsy turvy have been cited as the reasons for what has now been heralded as the boldest, if not stupidest, move in a democratic country.
But the recent reason that yours truly heard, the reason why our unelected Home Minister – who also happens to wear the hat of Prime Minister when 'the fierce one' is out of station (meaning, most of the times) – could have done probably the undoable, is what transpired between a few friends (involving the scribe too), at a chiya-guff (translated in English means 'the intellectual discussion'). Plausible reason?? You are the judge…
The excerpts of the story:
It so happened that our Home Minister, whose name translates to mean communist god in English, went to a dance bar on an evening, just to enjoy the music (and along with it, the scene), after hectic day at work (you know he gets busy wearing too many hats during the day).
After drinking a beer – apparently the beer was brewed from the grains in Nepal, removing any doubts of foreign imperialistic influence – he faced the music. It so happened that the bar-wallah produced a bill. Smarting the humiliation of actually being faced with the bill, he was left aghast by the fact that the bar-wallah had charged him of three beers and some glasses of wine, that he failed to offer the girls taking orders from him (regular stuff that the dance bar-wallahs do to customers, considering they are too intoxicated to know the difference).
Not expecting the unexpected, the Minister was furious, and a fight ensued between his Youth-ful Force and the bar bouncers, who claimed to be from the rival YCL (pronounced Why-See… Yell). And eventually, being from the junior partner in the ruling coalition, his team was left in tatters. The minister was not only forced to pay, but also was blacklisted at the bar, for talking politics during the show, disturbing the air-clad dancers.
It is then that the Minister swore, on his past ability to topple the party leadership, that the bar-wallahs would have to pay for it.
And now, the bar-wallahs are crying foul. At the same time, the Kathmandu people, who believe in 'Night is still young' adage, and the Police, who made the dancers sing to their tunes, are paying for it.
I finished reading 'Microsoft Dekhi Bahundanda Samma' last week. It is Nepali translation of John Wood's 'Leaving Microsoft to Change the World ' (just the anti-thesis of closing schools and burning tires to change the world).
My friend Bisnu offered me a program to go to Bahundanda (what an irony, it has large Gurung population). I agreed immediately to go.
I told it to Somesh. He offered (offers after offers) me to write about the tour in his blog and gave the title 'Kantipur Dekhi Bahundanda Samma' but asked to write a satire.
Satire! My heavy body on the hilly trek was itself a satire for me (probably not for others).
Satire! Our political leadership have been satire on us till date (of course, because we made them the leaders). In this mess around us, everything is a satire and I just don't know why he is forcing me to write satire. Just Mix the headlines of daily Papers, they will create a good satire.
Koshi broke its embankment and swallowed 3 villages of Sunsari, Prime minister was on official visit to China.
Deputy Commander of then militants is appointed Peace Minister (heard of Nepali proverb 'chor ka hat ma tala chabi').
But, this is about my tour.
While leaving Kathmandu in a reserved Microbus, I asked our driver 'are you sure there is no road blocked on our route?' He just laughed and we moved ahead.
We were lucky enough there were no blocks until we reached Besisahar. But, People in this small town were busy celebrating Teej festival, not in their houses or open ground but on the road. Yes, you got it right… ON THE ROAD…
Roads are the place we Nepalis use to celebrate and protest everything (unique culture??). Nepal Tourism Board should promote this and we should invite tourists to witness this cultural uniqueness. Let's not be negative about it, let's not complain about road blocked, let's think big and start selling this. All the Gurus of this culture are in power positions now and surely they'll approve this plan as NTB pushes for it.
There were many tourists in Lamjung, when we reached. They were trekking in
We were moving forward in the opposite direction of
Construction of Road in the opposite side of trekking route is going on. After the completion of the Road, tourist will reach Manang directly. Then, these trekking routes will lose the business. Till date government has no plan, what will the people benefitting from trekking route do after the completion of the road? Damn, we are building Twenty first century Nepal. What a planning, superb!
When we reached Bahundanda, we got people's hearty welcome. The local club named Young Star Club has created (it actually was a creation) a small football ground and was organizing football tournament. They have done a miracle in that hill. Somewhere, my heart says, 'bravo!' But I stop the thought. Political people give big talks at the opening ceremony of the tournaments. They gave long speech about the political condition of
What a political culture. Political leaders, be it local or national, can deliver speech on any subject and anywhere. They can't create anything but can use the platform others have created very well.
Poor club members, still happy and hope those leaders will help them.
And somewhere, deep within, despite the negativity that I learnt, I'm also like those young club members… still optimistic. I can not add more lines to this…
It is all reality Somesh!
Sorry, I couldn't write satire for your blog.
PS: Somesh: "Nabin, of course, is a walkie talkie satire... but since he has admitted of not being able to write one, we have decided to send him on another trip, where he can unload the political baggage, and of course, the cost will be all his... and for his ease, we have invited ourselves to be his guest..."