After viewing 'KHARIKO GHERO'

Today I viewed the drama, 'KHARIKO GHERO', a translated Nepali drama at Gurukul Theatre.

I found the drama seriously meaningful as well as extremely entertaining. The play offers both understanding and pleasure in greater degree.

For me, the themes of the play were about motherhood, courage, love and justice. Geeta, a servant in the King's palace, is the real Hero of the play. She saves and bring sup Manohar, the prince who was approached by the army men with for some conspiracy. The basic plot is all about her struggles to hide and protect Manohar and herself from army men of the force. Akkal Bahadur, is the secondly most important character, who appears only in the second half of the play. With many weakness and stupidities, though, he has proved himself a good judge at the end of the play. He is corrupt regarding economic matters, abuses people (especially women) with harsh words. He is unknown to any legal provision; neither has he wanted to know them. He thinks   himself a full court and makes verdicts according to his own random instincts. Yet, his final verdict - regarding whom the child should be given - seems absolutely just and appropriate.

The drama ends with a melodious song with a greater message, "Vehicle - of who drives, child - of who brings up, land - of who ploughs…" This is straightforward, plain but appropriate and objective formula of justice, as presented in the play.

In many scenes, audiences can not stop their laughter, especially in the actions and dialogues of King's brother, Geeta's husband and mother-in-law, Akkal Bahadur and some army men.

However, the drama contains some such dialogues and scenes, which can be found "semi-obscene" for family environment in Nepali society. The army men's treatment over Geeta, Geeta's husband's bath scene and army men's general use of verbal and bahavioural codes to refer sexual matters can be found indigestive to some Nepali people. On the other hand, the drama has shown the Queen "unlike mother", who is far more concerned with make-ups and apparels, than her own child.

The drama is more than two hours and 10 minutes long with a 10-minute interval. The drama begins after 5:30pm, therefore ends at nearly 8pm. The organizer should realize that many people who are eager to enjoy the performance, have not become able to attend it, because of this time factor. If it would begin quite earlier of it would be quite shorter, more people would get chance to enjoy it.

Welcome and Farewell program

Diwakar Pyakurel

Kathmandu, 15 April

Sagarmatha Multiple College (SMC) and Sagarmatha College for Higher Studies (SCHS) have jointly organized Welcome and Farewell program on Thursday (15 April) in Kathmandu.

The college family has bid farewell to BBS and BA 3^rd year passed students with souvenirs. Also the college expressed good bye to grade twelfth students who are going to appear in the final examinations next week.

Speaking at the program, Principal of SCHS, Chandra Prasad Dhakal expressed his commitment to make education more practical and qualitative. Ganga Prasad Uprety, Chairperson of the college and Vice Chancellor (VC) of Nepal Academy, thanked all hands, who helped to make the program a success. The formal section of the program was chaired by Uprety.

The college also awarded winners of sports activities, held a month ago.

After the formal section was concluded, the students have performed many cultural and talent shows, especially songs and dances. The college had formed an organizing team some weeks ago comprising of some students to conduct the program. About three dozens students had contributed the program as volunteers.

Dream Centre succeeds second session

Diwakar Pyakurel,

Chandol, 14 April

Altogether 24 schoolgirls have been graduated from Dream Centres, functioned by Mitrataa Foundation.

Organizing a special program, on 14^th April (Wednesday), the Foundation bid farewell to its students with certificates. Among the graduated girls, 17 are from Panchakanya Lower Secondary School, Chandol and seven from Bhimsengola Lower Secondary School, Baneshwor.

The Foundation also awarded some of the excellent students, who have shown outstanding performance on specific aspects of learning, like speaking power, creativity, and cooperation.

Dream Centre is a six-month long project, which helps the schoolgirls with weak academic performance improve in the skills for learning and skills for life. They attend the classes daily after their schools. In Dream Centres, especially trained facilitators facilitate them for learning and life skills.

Speaking in the program, the students said that they have found easier to study with alternative methods after they attended the centres. “Besides, we can learn many things like importance of goal setting and cooperation here, which are not taught in our schools”, said Ramila Majhi, a fifth-grader student from Panchakanya School. Similarly, Sushma Ghale and Pramila Bhetawal also had shared their experiences.

Adam Ordish, Executive Director of Mitrataa Foundation, requested the graduated girls to study hard further and apply the learnt skills into their daily lives. “Study hard, your dreams will come true”, he said. Deepak Kumar Sharma, Chairperson of Bishal Milan Kendra, one of the community organization supporting for the centres, expressed his wishes that may many girls find the same opportunities for their brilliant future. Gopal Shreshtha, a teacher from Panchakanya School, reported that the Dream Centre-attending students have really improved on their academic level. He also appreciated the centres’ attempt to teach life skills, which are not incorporated into formal school curriculum yet.

With this, Dream Centre has completed two sessions. The first batch has already been graduated in November, last year.

The day of freedom…

"Saturday is the day of freedom, because it is weekend to us Nepalese." I told one of my classmates when she asked about my presence at the exam hall without proper uniform.

Yes, the day turned into the day of freedom. If not for me, for our girls of Dream Centre. (Please read my previous post to know the context).

I have been involving to Dream Centre since last year March. It is a project of an Australian NGO, helping Nepalese girls to do better in their education. You can further know about it on http://www.mitrataa.org/projects/dream_centres.htm.

Totally, 32 girls were participated in the picnic. We were just to facilitate them. However, it was also extremely joyful for us. We accompanied the girls to sing, dance and play. The girls were accompanied by some girls of an Australian school. The Australian girls shared their talents. Our girls were also not less, a couple of our girls taught them on how to dance in the popular Nepali Child's song, "Leka ka hami ketaketi…" Then, the girls visited the Botanical Garden, took many of photographs and chatted this and that. I think, this is their   expression of freedom. The girls, compared to the boys, feel in their home s and school, that they are not, granted freedom much. Therefore, they don't find proper environment to enjoy in this settings. This program particularly for the Dream Centre girls provided an excellent opportunity to express themselves.  

Really, Saturday was the day of freedom for me in the past, it is now and it will be the same in the future. However, I am not sure about their past, but it made today The Day of Freedom to those girls, and also motivated them to make the same in the future.

(When I get some photographs, I will add to it.)

Tired in the model VDC

Today, I enjoyed the full day with Dream Centre girls at Godavari, for a picnic. Really, it was a great fun. It was UNEXPLANABLY joyful. So, I am not going to describe it. Rather, I am here sharing an experience, which might make you negative toward such a beautiful village.

(If time allows me, I will post another piece to describe joy of it.)

I had an exam this morning so that I was left by other friends and I had to go alone later. It was not problem for me, so did I. When I was near to the venue, one of our friends called me, who was already on the venue and asked me to bring some medicines. I thought that I can get them after I take off the microbus. After, I took of the microbus and asked the local people about where the medical shop is there. I was surprised to hear from them that the place does not have any medical shop unless we return to TAUKHEL, some one and half kilometer far from that. I had no option, except to go there and bring those medicines.

During my visit back, I saw a board which told that Godavari is a "MODEL" VDC (Namuna GABISA). This information surprised me. How can Godavari be a model VDC, where we have to walk nearly 3o minutes (or more than that) for a single piece of medicine?

Yes, Godavari is extremely beautiful naturally and also developed a lot on other sectors, comparing to other VDCs of Nepal. But, why is it so in the case of health?

Now also I am remembering the same tiredness I felt when I was on the way to search medical shop. Oh, it made me tired again… I can't write more…Good night…

Hope and fear

Today, at a same venue, I met two journalists – of two different journalistic backgrounds.

The one was the man, who had run a weekly paper for twelve years, from Birtamod, Jhapa. Another was the man, who had just begun a fortnightly paper some months ago, but couldn't continue it after two issues because of various reasons. obviously, one was so veteran who had already experienced seven years since he left twelve-year long journey in journalism. Another was one, who had just initiated the journey; or let's say he has not begun to walk yet.

However, there were some commonalities between them. Both opined that journalism in Nepal can't be professional unless they are backed up by some specific political parties. The veteran opined that his paper would not be closed if he was ready to become "Jhole Patrakar" of a party. The youth opined that he couldn't continue his paper well, because his team aimed to do "independent journalism".

Though they were pessimist about political influence on media, they both agreed on growing strength of media in Nepal. The veteran told that Kantipur began some years after his paper, but now the paper rules the state! He further told his experience of visiting Delhi for some training on journalism with today's well-known journalists.

So, as a student of journalism, today I got optimist as well as pessimist views about my would-be career from experienced persons. I experience hope and fear simultaneously.  This will help, I believe, to guide me in future.