Disclaimer: The contents of this blog are the first-hand experiences on my part and are narrated not to insult or derogate anybody, but in case if somebody is hurt, it's inadvertently, and not intentionally and I am profoundly sorry at the outset for said in-appropriation on my part.
I am not confirmed 'Nepalologist ' neither I am a profound traveller who is well informed than the Royal King of Nepal [ in this case] before stepping in an aeroplane. My slate was absolutely clean.
It so happened that my wife's cousin works at Pokhra Manipal Medical college as HOD and she invited us for the holidays in Nepal. She had drawn out the itinerary to the last T, so we were supposed to just go along. And I simply did it and enjoyed to the fullest !. As nothing was known beforehand, everything was a huge surprise of the greatest kind.
Nepal: Full of surprises of both kind. My idea of going to Nepal was very simple. Just cut a ticket to Kathmandu, hop on a plane to Nepal, get down at Kathmandu and that's it, at least for Indian nationals. Not so any more. The sequence started from the T2 itself. So far [ till 1st Oct'17] you could travel to Nepal on your PAN/AAdhaar whatever, maybe even Driving license [? exaggerating, Maybe ] but now they insist on valid Passport. A girl next in the line was asked to go home to get the passport when the flight was just a few hours away. The immigration officer too appeared extra cautious. For the first time in my life, I was asked to remove my shoes. As the terrain was going to be hilly with long walks I was wearing heavy hunter shoes. The explanation,[ unasked for, you don't question man in uniform at the airport] given was, the soles of my shoes were big enough, he meant roomy, to store drugs or contraband. Me? drugs? contraband. Maybe over the years, I must have started looking like one good thug! It did not end there. Passport officer went through mine. from front to back, then from back to front 3 to 4 times searching for something. Maybe it was the last immigration stamp. At last, he got it, and as if finding out the hidden treasure he said; ' It means you travelled abroad last on so and so date!' Was there any other alternative than to say 'Yes'? I did. and he cleared me. Rest of my chums were cleared in a jiffy !
Royal Nepal Airlines, now only Nepal Airlines, after the political upheaval, was just adequate. The courteous, efficient, good looking staff which was warm too !. But the food was below Air travel standards. The rice served was so dry, that I had to pour water in it to make it gulp-able!
The first impression of Kathmandu was average, so-so, but over the days, it sank! I am not going in to, 'Kantipur, it's the original name, the present name derived from Kashtha Mandap, that is Canopy made out of wood and all that blah blah but it does not fit to be THE capital city of any nation.
I am very well aware that Nepal is a poor country, but being used to affluent foreign travel, This foreign jaunt was a surprise, no, shock! In the suburbs of Kathmandu, there are still no roads, whatever dust-laden, stone pebbled path is used for traffic is/may be called as a road !
Though Nepal at present is Federal republic that has gone secular, Hinduism in public as well as in private life dominates beyond even Indian mind's expectations. We were in Kathmandu when Diwali was going on. It's the biggest festival in Nepal [ Known as Tihar] and is celebrated in full regalia. The entire city was decorated with Marigold flowers in the day time and illuminated lights in the night. The city is overfull with temples Hindu as well as Buddhist. The amalgamation of two religions in Nepal is so complete that at times it becomes difficult to separate them. Out of Swayabhunath Bodhnath and Pashupatinath, the first two are Buddhist stupas while the last one is Shiva shrine! Surprisingly disciples of both the religions throng all the shrines to offer their services!
Diwali tough celebrated in Nepal just like India, the references are different. It starts with the name,'Tihar', may be derived from Tyouhar in Hindi.1st day is dedicated to 'Crow.' Sweets are left on the rooftops for the crows to devour. It is thought that it prevents calamities. We reached Nepal on the second day of Diwali and it turned out to be a day for 'Dog Worship' or 'Kukur Puja'. We saw a few Dogs garlanded with flowers and red vermilion applied between the eyes, 'Tika'! They were fed goodies and all this is done to please the god of death 'Yam' as the dog is supposed to herald his arrival and is supposed to warn, being a good friend of the humans! The third is the day for 'Cow' worship, they too are similarly worshipped. On the same day in the evening, there is 'Laxmi Pujan' just like Indian Hindus. The entire premises are lit with oil lamps,[now 'Chinese' electric bulb strings too],[ But sky lanterns were nowhere to be seen] decorated with Marigold flowers. In the same evening entire Nepal goes into singing and dancing spree where women too, do not lag behind. We came across many families, communities enjoying Diwali, where merrymaking was is full swing! One dance at the centre and others encircling him/her, clap to the rhythm all along! Forth is for the bulls while the fifth or the last one is a big, big event in Nepal. It's celebrated to honour the relationship between the brother and the sister, and is known as 'Bhai-tika'. Sister applies seven coloured 'Tika' on brother's forehead. Garland him with flower wreaths and, feeds the sweets But unlike Indian Hindus, BOTH exchange the gifts and not only the sisters, who get the ones! All the shops are closed as it's a public holiday, so we were given the notice that 'Orders for the dinner would be taken only before seven' as everybody would be in rush to reach the homes. Conspicuous by their absence were firecrackers! Maybe not from the point of view of pollution but they're just not the part of Diwali in Nepal!
Another custom of Nepali Hindus is very touching. While giving anything, not only money, even mundane things like water [mostly], keys, parcels or even grocery, they touch the Right hand, with the Left at the elbow, as if like, in 'Offering' and receive everything in the cup of both hands, as if receiving with dignity! I too started doing the same, when the occasion arose, it surprisingly is very pleasing!
Nepali Rupee is cheaper than the Indian one, and the first time in my 'Foreign' sojourn I enjoyed exchanging the money!
To Indian mind Nepalese means Gorkha [Gurkha in Mumbai parlance] or chick looking girl in a red light area. Gorkha is neither a caste, not a tribe and definitely not a profession [ A Watchman without fail ]. The region/province that lies between Kathmandu and Pokhara is known as Gorkha and people coming from the area, as Gorkha, means coming from the mountains or Pahadi areas. They may be Rais, Limbu, Gurung Chhetri Magar or others.
Girl trafficking in Southwest Nepal till a few years ago was rampant due to the custom of selling the young girls by their own relatives, parents at times, for social and religious reasons. Youth organizations in the area are fighting a hard battle and results are positive!
To be continued......
Royal Nepal Airlines, now only Nepal Airlines, after the political upheaval, was just adequate. The courteous, efficient, good looking staff which was warm too !. But the food was below Air travel standards. The rice served was so dry, that I had to pour water in it to make it gulp-able!
The first impression of Kathmandu was average, so-so, but over the days, it sank! I am not going in to, 'Kantipur, it's the original name, the present name derived from Kashtha Mandap, that is Canopy made out of wood and all that blah blah but it does not fit to be THE capital city of any nation.
I am very well aware that Nepal is a poor country, but being used to affluent foreign travel, This foreign jaunt was a surprise, no, shock! In the suburbs of Kathmandu, there are still no roads, whatever dust-laden, stone pebbled path is used for traffic is/may be called as a road !
Though Nepal at present is Federal republic that has gone secular, Hinduism in public as well as in private life dominates beyond even Indian mind's expectations. We were in Kathmandu when Diwali was going on. It's the biggest festival in Nepal [ Known as Tihar] and is celebrated in full regalia. The entire city was decorated with Marigold flowers in the day time and illuminated lights in the night. The city is overfull with temples Hindu as well as Buddhist. The amalgamation of two religions in Nepal is so complete that at times it becomes difficult to separate them. Out of Swayabhunath Bodhnath and Pashupatinath, the first two are Buddhist stupas while the last one is Shiva shrine! Surprisingly disciples of both the religions throng all the shrines to offer their services!
Diwali tough celebrated in Nepal just like India, the references are different. It starts with the name,'Tihar', may be derived from Tyouhar in Hindi.1st day is dedicated to 'Crow.' Sweets are left on the rooftops for the crows to devour. It is thought that it prevents calamities. We reached Nepal on the second day of Diwali and it turned out to be a day for 'Dog Worship' or 'Kukur Puja'. We saw a few Dogs garlanded with flowers and red vermilion applied between the eyes, 'Tika'! They were fed goodies and all this is done to please the god of death 'Yam' as the dog is supposed to herald his arrival and is supposed to warn, being a good friend of the humans! The third is the day for 'Cow' worship, they too are similarly worshipped. On the same day in the evening, there is 'Laxmi Pujan' just like Indian Hindus. The entire premises are lit with oil lamps,[now 'Chinese' electric bulb strings too],[ But sky lanterns were nowhere to be seen] decorated with Marigold flowers. In the same evening entire Nepal goes into singing and dancing spree where women too, do not lag behind. We came across many families, communities enjoying Diwali, where merrymaking was is full swing! One dance at the centre and others encircling him/her, clap to the rhythm all along! Forth is for the bulls while the fifth or the last one is a big, big event in Nepal. It's celebrated to honour the relationship between the brother and the sister, and is known as 'Bhai-tika'. Sister applies seven coloured 'Tika' on brother's forehead. Garland him with flower wreaths and, feeds the sweets But unlike Indian Hindus, BOTH exchange the gifts and not only the sisters, who get the ones! All the shops are closed as it's a public holiday, so we were given the notice that 'Orders for the dinner would be taken only before seven' as everybody would be in rush to reach the homes. Conspicuous by their absence were firecrackers! Maybe not from the point of view of pollution but they're just not the part of Diwali in Nepal!
Another custom of Nepali Hindus is very touching. While giving anything, not only money, even mundane things like water [mostly], keys, parcels or even grocery, they touch the Right hand, with the Left at the elbow, as if like, in 'Offering' and receive everything in the cup of both hands, as if receiving with dignity! I too started doing the same, when the occasion arose, it surprisingly is very pleasing!
Nepali Rupee is cheaper than the Indian one, and the first time in my 'Foreign' sojourn I enjoyed exchanging the money!
To Indian mind Nepalese means Gorkha [Gurkha in Mumbai parlance] or chick looking girl in a red light area. Gorkha is neither a caste, not a tribe and definitely not a profession [ A Watchman without fail ]. The region/province that lies between Kathmandu and Pokhara is known as Gorkha and people coming from the area, as Gorkha, means coming from the mountains or Pahadi areas. They may be Rais, Limbu, Gurung Chhetri Magar or others.
Girl trafficking in Southwest Nepal till a few years ago was rampant due to the custom of selling the young girls by their own relatives, parents at times, for social and religious reasons. Youth organizations in the area are fighting a hard battle and results are positive!
To be continued......
Good beginning, let's go ahead
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