The Anarchy of BANDA

The seemingly endless series of bandas have crippled life all across the nation. With the time of the promulgation of a new constitution inching closer, and the parties preparing to make the final negotiations on the issue of federalism, many different groups and factions have taken to the streets in order to pressurize the parties to ensure their place reserved in the upcoming constitution. Almost no part in the country remains untouched by Banda called by one or the other group or caucus. First it was Far Western Development Region, which witnessed twenty consecutive days of strike over the issue of undivided Far West. Finally, the agitators were ready to lift the on going Banda after the government agreed to address their demand. All the five districts in Karnali have yet again been shut down demanding an autonomous Karnali state. The entire Mid Terai is shut due to the indefinite strike called by Broader Madhesi Front demanding a single and autonomous Madhesh in the new constitution. Same is the fate in many other parts of the nation.

As the entire nation is preparing to enter a new historical era with the introduction of a new federal republic constitution, some amount of unrest and disorder at this point of time is natural. It can’t be taken as unforeseen. Moreover, in a democratic and sovereign state, everyone reserves an unalienable right to put forward their concerns and grievances provided they do it abiding by the law of the state. And it becomes the duty of the state authority to listen to and address these concerns in the best possible way. This is a part of a democratic practice.

However, most of the practices followed in our country so far are utterly undemocratic. It has been like an established culture for anyone to come to the street even when there are minor discerns and resentments. General strikes have been the most common ways of protesting these days. Whenever there are issues to be addressed, the agitators call for banda and come to the street. The bandas bring everything to a standstill throwing the normal life of people completely out of gear. Even though the protesters repeatedly assert their commitment to a peaceful protest, most of these strikes turn violent. Such bandas at times unleash an unspeakable terror among the general public as there is an unbridled chaos everywhere. The banda enforcers roam around in the streets freely with sticks and rods in their hands force-closing all the shops and obstructing vehicular movement. Amidst the panic and terror, shopkeepers pull their shutters down and shut their doors immediately. At times, the shops and stores are vandalized, and owners are misbehaved and even manhandled simply for keeping their shops open. Bikers and motorists are tortured, and their vehicles torched. Even the cyclists aren’t spared. They are made to pull their bicycles, and those who don’t obey have to see the tires deflated. Within no time, everything comes to a standstill and there is a deadly silence everywhere.  It looks as if the invading army has recently taken over the rival camps leaving behind all the rummages as the footmarks of their invasion. This is highly condemnable.  

In a democratic nation, the fundamental rights of people are safeguarded, and it’s the prime responsibility of the state authority to guarantee these unalienable rights of people except in the state of emergency. The state must ascertain this by maintaining a proper law and order in the society. No one, in any circumstances, has any right to tamper with the fundamental rights of others, and any breech of such kind is punishable by law. But our case is just the opposite. In the name of Banda, there is a sheer chaos and a kind of monstrous fear everywhere, and sadly it goes unchecked and unrestrained. People are deprived of their right to free movement. Hundreds of thousands of students are forced to stay away from schools and colleges, and sometimes it continues for days and months. Factories and industries are closed. Even a single day closure of industries triggers the loss of millions of rupees in the nation’s economy, let alone the continuous shutdown. Moreover, the continuous strike forces hundreds of daily laborers in these factories sleep with hungry stomach at the end of the day. The continuous and unsolicited Bandas have their greatest effects on the health sector. Many people have to lose their lives due to the lack of timely treatment when they fail to reach the doctors in time because of the obstruction in the vehicular movement caused by the strike. This is utterly pathetic and heart-rending.

Despite such anarchy rampant everywhere, the government seems absolutely indifferent to the plight of its citizens. It has failed even in fulfilling its primary obligation towards them. It feels as if there is no presence of state anywhere.  While the Banda enforcers unhesitatingly and mercilessly vandalize the private property and inflict an inexplicable pain to people, the security forces deployed by the state for maintaining law and order remain as the mute spectators to this unbridled lawlessness. This has been a regular practice in our country. The three day general strike called by Nepal Federation of indigenous Nationalities on Jestha 7, 8 and 9 proved to be even more chaotic. Nefin activists and their cadres terrorized people all across the nation. Even ambulances, media people, human rights activists, Red Cross staffs and the vehicles of diplomatic missions weren’t spared. Journalists were thrashed and their cameras smashed. Vans carrying newspapers were stopped and torched. Some of the journalists are still in hospital struggling between life and death. The general secretary of Nefin Aang kaaji Sherpa issued an open death threat against the chairman of Reporters Club. However, to this date no offenders and perpetrators of these cases have been brought to book. This is the indication of absolute anarchy in the nation.

Therefore it’s high time we thought of strong legal measures to end such anarchical bandas, and encourage people to find more effective but peaceful ways of expressing their discerns and resentments.

Durga Gautam

Published in The New Paper of May27, 2012

Middle Class Woes

The middle class makes up more than 60% of the population of Nepal. There has been a significant rise of this class in the recent years, and it is still in the increasing trend. There are many factors contributing to the trend and the gradual reduction of poverty is one of them. The gradual uprising of the middle class has had many positive impacts on the nation’s economy. This class, however, is the greatest sufferer of the nation’s plight. The nation being at the transition has cost more to the middle class people.

Life is obviously difficult for the lower class, but it is even tougher when it comes to the middle class people. They have a prestige kind of thing to maintain, as it counts more on the middle class folks. Those from the lower class are rarely concerned about prestige and social dignity because these things don’t come under even the least of priorities in their life. They can afford too meager a living, and earning for just two meals a day is what they have to die for. Their social horizon is small and limited.

On the other hand, life for a handful of high class is always the same. The fear of having to maintain the social status least bothers them because they take it just for granted. They have been carrying it all through the generations. They carry the tag of their family name or the clan wherever they go. No matter whatever wrong they do, everything slips under the social tag they carry with them. The tension of the petty chores of everyday life doesn’t worry them so much.

The middle class folks, however, are sandwiched between the two tensions of life. On one hand, they have the tension of fulfilling the daily needs of the family, and in times when everyday a fresh problem is propping up, a smooth running of the family is still a challenge. On the other hand, they are desperately trying to climb the social ladder. They are always running after the success kind of thing. But it is really tough to achieve the desired success in times when every sector in the country suffers a gloomy stagnation. This sort of career hunt doesn’t worry the high class honks. They don’t make the career but inherit it.

Life is even worse when one belongs to lower middle class and stays away from home in a rented room or flat. They are often at odds with their landlord because a humanitarian behavior from the landlords is still a far cry for majority of the people who live in rented rooms. There are only very few who are helpful and cooperative.

And life is further terrible when the month is nearing its end. The landlord frequents his visit to the room. The grocer round the corner of the street, who was too busy even to smile back, asks about their well being every time they pass by. They can clearly read the message lying beneath these behaviors but are simply helpless. They can’t act out quickly because they have to wait for the bank accounts to be refilled by their office.

Life for the middle class is, thus, a hard nut to crack and it is getting harder with the growing uncertainties in the country.

Durga Gautam

   

In Thy Waiting

We are desperate to see thy majestic arrival

Into this virtual world,

Eyes are wide open and excitement is running wild

Just to have a glimpse of thee.

Thy arrival shall unleash joys in abundance

And unearth the mystery of life

Thou shall complete our life

And we shall live just for thee.

Just to fancy about thee

Arouses in us the most intimate feeling,

And Compassion ever dear and cozy

Overwhelms our hearts

Thou art the elixir of our life

And shall add colors to our dreams

Thou shall unfold hundreds of paths

And inspire us to live and cheer

With our arms extended and hearts filled with immense love,

We just wait for thee………………..
Durga Gautam

My Dreams

Frozen, coiled, estranged and deserted

Lie my creamy dreams

Fearing to unveil.

An unknown, remote and yet

A recent image lightens up

A faint memory and

A haunting nostalgia.

Emotions unexpressed

Sneak out of the dark chamber and yet

Daren't jump over the barricade.

The faint light of hope fleets away

And the memories, sweet and pleasant

Sink down for ever into the ashes of time.

Time scratches the same scratch

Painting scars upon scars;

With an ugly face,

I stand still and stare at the void.

 With a meaningless dream,

And the desires nipped in bud,

The sunless horizon

And a deserted heart;

Wallowing up in the labyrinth of confusions

I wail at the dictates of destiny.

With no destination, right and clear,

Here stand I questioning my existence.

Waiting.......

I think nothing is as difficult and lengthy as to wait, especially when something pleasant is on the way. You feel as if time has suddenly geared down, and you are well aware of every unit of it..seconds, minutes, hours, days and months....you desperately want the whole lot of it slip just in the blink of your eye but oh God, nothing seems to work in your favour..everyday turns into a marathon of miles and miles...you often wonder why it,s  not the same in the exam hall...

Waiting waiting...and desperately waiting with the time stuck on the snail shell......  

The Hound of Music

Every evening, when I come back home from work, I put everything else aside and sit in front of the computer with the headphones put onto my ears. Nothing gives me as much pleasure as it does when I listen to the soft music:  whether it be the evergreen Bollywood oldies of the 70’s and 80’s, and the immortal gazals of Jagajit Singh and Ghulam Ali or the ever soothing melodies of Bhakta Raj Acharya. It relieves my fatigued body and mind. For about a couple of hours, I close my eyes and sail along in the musical world. I feel as if the boundary of time and space has vanished, and I have been elevated into the world where the petty realities of life don’t exist. It has now been developed as a regular habit of mine, and if I can’t manage my time for it any day, I don’t feel fresh and lively.

There can be hardly anyone who doesn’t like music. But, the degree to which one takes to liking it differs from person to person. Some take listening to music as an innocent pastime while some others consider it one of the integral parts of their life.  The undiluted power of music, however, attracts everyone to take a dive into the magical world of it, once when one develops it as a habit. It is perhaps the best medicine for the lonely heart and the tormented soul. It has got the power to soothe the fatigued body and the stressed mind. It gives you company when you sometimes have to walk alone in life, if you learn to admire it. Music is, in fact, a healing power.

Music has no language. May be therefore, it is called a universal language. It knows no political or cultural boundary. Anything that is enchanting and melodious is pleasing to all the ears. It doesn’t appeal to the cognitive faculty of our mind. It has its direct path to our heart. Music drives us to that realm, where we can get sublime experience. We feel an amazing energy and freshness flow all over our body and mind.

Different kinds of music appeal to different kinds of mood and emotional aspects and situations. Strong and fast music appeals to the romantic side of our emotions and arouses in us the desire to rock and roll. It activates the wild instincts in us and drives us crazy, giving us some tantalizing sensations. Melodies and soft music, on the other hand, drive us away from the earthly feelings.

 It is generally said that those people who desperately love music are kind, considerate and more human than others. Thus, music may act as magic in anybody’s life and change the course of all that follows if s/he has realized that life hasn’t been exciting enough despite the availability all the good things one aspires to have.  If it is so, why not give it a try?   

-:Durga Gautam

Life and Death

A lot of vigour, enthusiasm, valour

And the angst for a meaningful existence,

A great deal of eagerness, curiosity

And a high spirited aspiration;

Lots of rush, tumults, ups and downs

And a combination of joys and sorrows, hopes and betrayals

And darkness and light;

Like a tale full of sound and fury,

All the gloom and excitement, success and failure, lack and abundance

And affluence and penury

Is this what life is?

Much walked; panting and gasping

And trudging all the way up hill

But a little covered

And yet the destination but

Like a faint light still blinking afar.

With hands ever outstretched

As if up to infinity

Is this what the meaning of existence is?

If it is so,

Let death come;

So cold and yet so sure

So fearful and yet so concrete

So unwanted and yet so inevitable

So dull and yet so promising;

The cessation of everything

And an everlasting rest

An eternal sleep and the end of being

And yet the beginning…….

             Durga Gautam  'Lunatic'

Positive Thinking

Few years back, a friend of mine tried his luck in teaching in a community school in his hometown after he had completed his bachelor’s degree. He sat for the written test appeared the interview and was there for every other formality to be observed for the selection process. He was very hopeful of getting selected since he was the best possible candidate for it, owing to his good academic record and previous experiences. However things were just the otherwise and, to everyone’s surprise, a close relative of the head teacher made into it. My friend was utterly disappointed and frustrated for some period of time. However, he managed to come to Kathmandu later, completed his master’s degree and got a good job. Now, he makes a modest living, enjoys a good social status and is a happy man. He was able to bring about all these positive changes in his life because of his optimism.

Learning to be optimistic is much more difficult done than said, but once adopted, it makes life far easier and happier. Most part of our sadness comes not because we fail to capitalize our efforts but because of the fear of the possible failure we begin to cultivate before we really venture into our project. This kind of fear in us discourages us from making any attempts, and even if we make few, they lack our sincerity and dedication. Positive thinking is, therefore, necessary for us to keep the spirit and enthusiasm alive because it helps us hope for something better even in the hard times. It teaches us to see beyond the things and envision the good days awaiting us. An optimistic outlook of life acquaints us with the multiple aspects of life, and we learn to accept every happening of life calmly.

A positive attitude makes us explore ourselves and try out the limitless possibilities that lie within us. It kindles the light of hope even in the pool of sadness caused by a series of failures. Every failure, in fact, underlies an important clue to success but what one needs is a careful eye to identify it. That we fail to accomplish a mission is also the indication that we weren’t meant for it and something much better is on the way. After all, the most important point is we should have a faith in ourselves and should believe that whatever happens always happens for good. If we adopt this principle and move ahead in life, we never have to grumble at what life has to offer.

Most of us, however, fail to realize it and live with pessimism. A single failure kills our spirit, and we give up all the hopes. We rather choose to quit than to try a few more ways out, and find a recluse in the sorrows of life. My friend often recalls the incident now. Had he been selected then, he would probably have been living just an ordinary life there, not even being able to gain a masters degree. His failure had a cause, and, in fact, that was not where he belonged to. The best way of living a life, therefore, is to change our direction and harbor a positive thinking, and it’s never too late. 

                Durga Gautam(Lunatic)

Now or Never

                                                 Durga Gautam(Lunatic

Finally, with the formation of the national consensus government under Baburam Bhattarai’s leadership, the much awaited peace and statute seem to be in sight. Though late, the political leaders appear to have woken up to realize their historic responsibilities, which, indeed, should have happened quite long ago.

 Earlier, with the Constituent Assembly deadline inching closer and most of the contentious issues still unresolved, confusions and uncertainties had begun to grow up, and this climate of confusion lay not only among the general public but also among the Nepali polity and intelligentsia. Given that Supreme Court had already put a cap on the CA term extension, there had been different speculations about what would happen if the CA failed to promulgate a federal democratic constitution by May 27. The working schedule of the CA had time and again been affected by the failure of the major political parties to reach a consensus over various crucial issues including the PLA integration into the Nepal army, and this delay in army integration had consequently delayed the constitution writing process. But there was a dawn of hope after the parties were finally able to strike a deal over the issues related to the long staled army integration process last month. This eventually paved a way for the parties to accelerate on the long pending tasks of statute drafting.

The final awakening of the political masters, though much late, has regenerated hopes among the general public. In the later days, the lead political parties are in the tireless marathon race in their attempts to resolve the differences on many contentious issues.  Starting from the two day long residential meeting at Hattiban Resort on the first week of Baishakh, there have been series of meetings over the month. Even though the Hattiban gathering couldn’t give an expected outcome, it largely contributed in narrowing down the differences, thus setting up a dependable base for the future meetings.  And most of the meetings held after that, have been proved to be fruitful and effective. Unlike those in the past, the present meetings have witnessed intensive and in depth discussions on the conflicting issues. As a result, the parties have already reached an understanding on most of the significant issues like the formation of Constitutional court, electoral system and also issues related to citizenship, while the other remaining issues are due to be resolved very soon, as claimed by these parties. This is a good symptom of the fact that the long awaited constitution is not very far from us now.

Our politicos wasted more than three crucial years of CA without even a single achievement. The CA term scheduled for two years in the interim constitution was extended time and again, when the leaders repeatedly failed to meet the deadline. There are various reasons deemed responsible for this continued failure. Political insincerity among the leaders and their hunger for power, have often surfaced as the key factors causing this prolonged political deadlock. However, to consider it the truth will mean only a perfunctory analysis of the present Nepali polity. We need to delve much deeper in to the current political spectrum in order to be able to figure out the main factor that deliberately caused this delay. The long and frustrating spells of political stagnation were caused primarily due to the latent conflict existing between the bi-polar political forces i.e. the status quoists and the extremists. It was this intolerance of each other’s existence and ideologies existing on both the sides that, for a long time, pushed the country into the labyrinths of indecision. The status quoist faction, represented by the long time ruling elites, those from old and mainstream political parties like Nepali congress and even CPN (UML), was inherently reluctant to adopt change. Although they repeatedly asserted their commitment to peace and statute, it was only a manifest reality.  They deliberately deferred it hoping that they could make the opposition ultimately yield to their pressure. The controversial statement made by one of the senior leaders of Nepali congress Sher Bahadur Deuba regarding the constitution and the federal structure of the nation stands as the solid example of this faction’s reluctance to  adopt and institutionalize the changes achieved so far. Deuba, while addressing the gathering of his party cadres a few months ago, had talked about the possibility of reviving the constitution of 1990, and converting all the seventy five districts of Nepal into the federal states.

On the other hand, the extremist faction represented by Maoists wasn’t ready to accept any remains of the hitherto existing system. The zero tolerance exhibited by this faction even to some popular names and terms linked up directly or indirectly with monarchy or monarchical system immediately after the monarchy was overthrown has clearly proved their irritation with the old system. They wanted to institutionalize change along the line of their so-called people’s war.

The country was, thus, entangled in the tug of war between these opposing forces, and they continuously tried to obliterate each other’s mission and establish the supremacy of their principles. Finally, with both the sides ready to step out of the rigidity of their ideological frontiers, the deadlock is nearing its end.

While the leaders strive for the final negotiations, different groups and caucuses including the Janajatis, Madhesis, among many others, have begun mounting pressures on the parties, voicing their concerns for the last time. As the entire nation stands at the threshold of a new era, this is the most appropriate time for everyone to make themselves heard in order to ensure their place reserved in the new constitution, lest they should be excluded from the nation building campaign forever. Therefore, the parties should take this as a natural occurrence and should be patient and cautious enough to try to address all the issues in the best of the nation’s interest. Now is the time for leaders to do all this and set an example for the future generations to follow. Now is the time for them to write a golden history. If not now, such a conducive time may never come back again.  

[Published in The New Paper on May7, 2012]

Growing Indiscipline in Roads

We are said to be living in a modern and civilized world. However, in reality, we are erroneous to label ourselves as civilized people.  The materialistic advancement of life has accelerated along with time, but the humanitarian aspect of it seems to have suffered a huge setback. Today, being civilized seems to have been associated with people’s flashy appearance. In fact, we seem to have grown meaner in our attitudes, behaviour and become self-centered, and sometimes don’t even seem to have a little consideration for others. The welfare of one’s own has been the primary concern for every individual, because of which we are intolerant of others’ behaviour, and have become rebellious. As a result, the acts of indiscipline among people are rampant everywhere.

Indiscipline is gradually becoming a serious problem in Kathmandu these days. Even though it has turned to be quite costly for some people at times, the others don’t seem to have learnt any lessons from them. It seems that more than half of the people on the road are found to be breaking traffic rules. Lane encroachment by bikers and jaywalking is common in the crowded city. Moreover, bikers are even found riding along the footpath sometimes, making it difficult for the pedestrians to walk freely. Majority of such bikers are youths, and especially teenagers, who ride bikes mainly to show off rather than for travelling purpose.

The high speeding sports bikes and the strangely modified ones ridden by the unruly aggressive teenagers cutting through the heavy traffic, showcasing their rather awkward stunts terrorize people in the road. Even the pedestrians turn out to be a nuisance for the bikers and motorists many times. They cross the road wherever and whenever they like due to compulsion and habit, and don’t care about the speedy vehicles. Some other times, we find them walking in a group in front of us quite carelessly and irresponsibly, almost blocking our way, and even when we keep honking, they simply ignore us. Trying to remind them of their folly will simply mean getting unintentionally involved in the exchange of words, which may invite more unwanted problems in the future. This means, we have no option but to ignore the pedestrians and move ahead.

Similar is the case of public vehicles. They don’t stop only at the specified stops, but pick up or drop passengers wherever they like. Some of the public vehicles, especially the micro buses, don’t seem to acknowledge the right of two wheelers to ply on the road. So bikers and the cyclists often have to fear them for their reckless speed and overtaking.

With such chaos growing rampant on the road, city roads are becoming more and more unsafe everyday. Therefore, it is high time we became perspective about our own behaviour rather than pointing our fingers at others for the present state of affairs.

Durga Gautam(Lunatic)


[Published in The Kathmandu Post]

Chasing Metro Dreams

One of the other days, I was caught up in a traffic jam at Ratna Park, resulting from the same usual youth business of demonstrating on the road. With all the vehicular movement coming to a complete halt, the road was deadlock, and I was glued to the same spot for about half an hour. With no options left, I decided to give my bike engine a rest and take a look around to watch people and their activities.

An activity that I had initially opted out merely as an innocent pastime later engaged me to muse on the multiple colors of city life that the sight offered me.  It seemed as if the place was a conglomeration of people from many different walks of life, each carrying a different story, a different expression and harboring a different dream. Everyone was in haste and too busy to have any concerns for the others. Working ladies, with their tired look, desperately waited for buses and tempos to head home, where their kitchens must be waiting for them.  School children, too tired even to chat with each other, continued their lethargic walk on their way home. An elderly woman, seemingly an octogenarian, sat on the footpath round the corner with a few limes in front of her looking at every passer by with appealing eyes. A middle aged woman at the far end of another corner fried something in a pan on a kerosene stove, while a small baby of one or two played jocularly beside her. Up in the garden, popularly known as Shanti Vatika, gathered a small crowd with a few flags raised in the midst, where a local leader of possibly one of the fringe political parties spat out his opinion on state restructuring model. Not very far from the crowd was a group of young men enjoying their leisurely time sunbathing and eating groundnuts. At the mean time a middle aged couple jostled through the crowd towards Bir Hospital possibly because some one of their kith and kin might have breathed his/her last in the hospital bed.  This was the typical picture of the life in metro in miniature.

Kathmandu, the only metropolis in the country, shelters about five million people belonging to different levels and strata of society.  Every day, hundreds of both youths and adults alike, land in this city from different parts of the country. Some of them choose to stay here and pursue their dreams while many others use it only as a stepping stone to find their destiny somewhere else. For those who choose to stay in the city, Kathmandu is the land of dreams. It is where they can see their dreams materialize. It is a vast ocean of opportunities, where one can make the best choice of his career goal from among the tremendous possibilities available. It is the place where one can carve his identity and status. Everyone enters this metropolis with such utopian expectations.

However, this utopian world begins to turn otherwise not long after they have entered here. They begin to encounter a number of problems, and the first to come is that of adaptation. Very soon, they realize that they need to modify their ways of life in order to ensure their survival in the fast forward world of this metropolis. They find everything different here: the people and their behavior, the language, the so called etiquette and many more. Even civilization seems to have a different attribute. It is associated more with people’s flashy appearance. It seems as if the people here have been too tired of the old stereotypes, and have, therefore, discovered new meanings in everything.

There are more problems that hit them hard on the head in course of their stay in the metro. Water shortage, fuel crisis, inflation and black-marketing, rallies and bandhs, traffic jams and many others begin to suffocate them, and coping up with all these absurdities seems a hard nut to crack. As a result, many of them begin to cultivate fear long before they have learnt to make aspirations.

Gradually, they find themselves lost in the city crowd. The city continues to turn colder, and at length they realize that it’s not only weather that is cold but also a number of things, which appear as cold as the city weather. The people are cold. Despite living under the same roof, they hardly meet or even get to know each other. They are too busy even to smile at others, let alone help or cooperate. One who ventures to do so is often thought to be intervening or being unnecessarily concerned about the personal life of others. Similarly most of the landlords seem cold. People are often at odds with their landlords for the latter hardly seem to acknowledge the former’s identity as individuals. They seem to take pride in considering their tenants as ‘The Other’, and treating them as some kind of inferior race. Even the acquaintances, at times, turn to be cold. They don’t respond well when people encounter or sometimes visit them, but seem to find ways to avoid them.

This way, the metro way of life gradually belittles people’s ego and dreams. And eventually there is a shift of focus from the pursuit of dreams to struggle for existence. The rat race of metro life brings about a complete transformation in people, and a majority of them sacrifice their ideologies to discover a new meaning in life. The long years of disillusionment, confusion and frustration harden them, ultimately making them the perfect metropolitan citizens. They have many new things to live with: new friends, new relations, and new dreams to chase. They have left behind almost everything that was so much theirs in the past: the old friends, acquaintances, and sadly, even the family, which had so much of hope in their dreams.  For this reason, there are many stories of the city still popular in many rural households. The story of a peasant father ill-treated by his city dweller son and referred to as his servant among his colleagues is still widely shared in the rural communities. The anecdote of a modern urban daughter- in- law being unable to greet her mother- in-law in that rural fashion is still a popular tale among the rural women folks.   And, this vicious trend continues on.

-        Durga Gautam(Lunatic)
[Published in The New Paper]