My World

Something had changed that morning, Something different, yet similar again. The sun felt brighter, her heart filled with joy Spring is finally here after the rain. She rushed to the window to see the first hint of colors; The colors that she thought she had long forgotten. But it all came back to her now,  She counted the colors spring had brought in She breathed in the air, It gave off a different kind of fresh; The grass had that vibrant green For her to reach out and caress. Cold days were behind her now; she was ready to embrace The warmth that the sunshine brought She’d been sleeping for so long in the cold darkness Spring is finally bringing what she sought. A color stood abroad on solitary fields But now, it seemed close enough to touch It seemed as if it is every kind of bright She has ever dreamed of. The season of hope, they call it Her patient waiting was coming to an end It had been a long long wait,  Now sp...

Dhana Kumari Bajracharya resides amidst the hustle and bustle in Gabahal, Patan. She is a 70 year old woman, who you would think is much younger at age, if you look at her. Age seems to have done justice to this beautiful woman. What makes this wise old woman different than other wise old women in Patan? She is the oldest Kumari of Patan. Kumari, the living goddess is a tradition or a practice that has been around for many years and that has been celebrated widely in the Kathmandu Valley. The very first Kumari goes back to 17 th Century. The process to choose the Kumari is divine and a girl must go through several tests to get chosen as the Kumari. Dhana Kumari Bajracharya is the longest serving Kumari of Patan having been established as the Kumari from 2010 B.S to 2042 B.S. A whooping 32 years. Perhaps her case is the most rare that we might come across. A girl serves as a Kumari until she reaches puberty, or she has her first menstruation. After that, it is believed that th...

She was your typical girl next door, maybe more. Those wire rimmed glasses, hair tucked behind ears, always scurrying off to somewhere, you get it. You’d catch her lost somewhere dazing off in her own world, sometimes, tucking her nose behind a book. She observed more than she discussed. She’ll give you a smile and a wave and perhaps small talk if she knows you; you’d be lucky if you could have that. She’ll blush if you compliment her and break away the eye contact that you guys barely had. Yeah, that’s the way she is. People called her an introvert; shy; quiet; it went back to her school days. She was one of the good students in class. Teachers always praised her. Her mother wouldn’t hear the end of it. “She’s an excellent student, listens very attentively in class. If only we could hear her talk more! Please tell her to interact in class. We’d love to hear her talk more!” She tried many a times, but she was asked to speak up, told that her voice was too small, and couldn...

It is funny how the world goes, isn’t it? There is this old saying: what goes around comes around, of course it was said in the context of karma, but I see another way this phrase can be used. Remember how in the old days, our families were all about eating the healthy stuff; probably growing your own things to eat? And then hit the processed food, junk food and medicine phase. Well, brace yourselves because the healthy stuff is back again and the world has realized it again, or maybe embraced it more. People are realizing that we had it right all along; organic food is good, veggies are better for you, fruits could do wonders for you. Hence, what goes around, comes around in a whole other context. On such an instance, the farmer’s market here in Kathmandu is widely becoming popular. You’d think that the farmer’s market would be limited to organic fruits and veggies, but farmer’s market at Le Sherpa is so much more. Eat your heart out at the farmer’s market every Saturday fr...