The Fall (Part III)

Dama Kant Jayshi

It was just last week that Mrs. Singhal, while explaining Haldighati Mein had given such a wrong explanation. Even the weakest student had understood the true meaning of Sardar of Salubaran wearing the armlet of Maharana Pratap. She said he had worn it for luck whereas it was to impersonate the Rana and fool the Mughals so that Rana could slip away. When Avichal tried to point it out, he was rewarded by being sent out with ‘You know more than me’ statement. That day had really gone bad for him. When RBT asked him to solve a sum, he could not do it. He was sent out.

‘You don’t know this, then you don’t know anything. You need tuition immediately. After 2 months you are taking the exams. A crash course will help you. Ask your father to see me tomorrow.’

It was their fovourite, Mr. Puri, their history teacher who allowed him inside the class. History was so interesting now unlike two years back. Even the usually boring British history was made so interesting.

But is was in OR’s period that he was taken to the Pricipal’s room. He was thinking of how to tell RBT that his father was not there and it was not possible for his mother to take leave when OR had posed him a question and he could not hear it. Besides, what he could not tell was that he did not need any crash course. It was the last week in school. He was just waiting for it to end. And now this.

Why does it always happen like this? Just when something unpleasant seemed to be over, it came back with a vehemence. He had been dreading of course, that something terrible would happen and here it was - he had already landed in a soup. In fact, the other night Reddy uncle had explained the sum. He had not paid much attention. He was comparing his father with Reddy uncle.

Citing the ICSE exam, Mr. Pandey had taken leave for 3 weeks. A week before 1st March he arrived.

ICSE exam came and went and his father went too. While others enjoyed the post exam relief, Avichal had to grapple with the thick books on Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. His father did not want him to waste any time.

It was May 28. During the breakfast, Mr. Pandey who had returned a couple of days back was extraordinarily quiet. Unlike other result days in the past when he would tell Avichal to bring a good marksheet, as if some changes could be made in it. Last night, both father and son had experienced their nightmares.

On the school notice board, Avichal searched for Roll No 052 with trembling fingers. For a moment, he closed his eyes seeing his name against the number. His heart suddenly started pounding. With a trembling forefinger, he touched the mark-sheet pasted on the notice board.

English - 92 percent, his finger steadied a bit; he offered one silent prayer of gratitude to God; Hindi - 91 percent, his spirit lifted, trembling almost stopped; History, Civics, Geography 95 percent, he was jubilant, trembling stopped altogether and it was a different sort of pounding now, his heart was on cloud nine; but oh, oh. What was there, just above his stretched finger? Maths 49 percent, Science 58 percent. He didn’t bother to see his account marks.

It was a fall from the sky. What a difference! What could he tell his father? Would he believe that he had tried his best? Would he understand that it was not intentional? It was not, as his father had once alleged, that he was deliberately trying to neglect the science group. He too wanted to see his father happy. He had understood why his father would often wake up shouting at night. Mother had told him about his past dream and the present nightmare. Avichal had decided to try becoming an architect. Maybe after becoming that, he could take up his hobby of acting like Jaspal Bhatti, his inspiration and idol. Surely, father would not have opposed. But his results destroyed all such hope. He was not going to get admission in St. Xaviers, where his father had wanted him to be.

With a heavy heart, Avichal trudged his way home. There were shouts of triumph and cries of despair in the school compound. He quietly slipped out.

Once on the main road, he tried to think about his father and mother. Vehicles were moving thick and fast. People were as usual in a hurry. There was a sense of urgency in them. Only he seemed to be the odd-man out with his slow walk. He didn’t care to board the mini.

When he reached B Garden, he automatically turned to the river front as if a magnet was pulling him towards it. He sat on the fifth step from the river. Avichal tried to stare at the spot where the puppy had drowned. Then he heard the barks.

Just before he collapsed and slipped into the river, Avichal saw his father reaching out to him with his right hand, with his marksheet in the other.

POEM

My Country’s History’s a Sham

Whenever I
sit down and look around
for a day maybe two
at these squares drowning in hunger
at these alleys like choked flower buds
then I feel
my country’s history’s a sham.

These idols that sit entrenched
in the middle of the road
and even though they know why
these people who play dumb
and sit idle in the middle of the road;
these earthquake prone temples
and leaning towers
and these statues of dead men
that lord it over the crossroads—
Whenever I see them
always the same
always unchanged, all alike
then I feel
the history of my inner rage is a sham.

Whenever I always see
so many Sitas
in the roads and crossroads
in the alleys and valleys
in the markets and towns
in the country, overseas
stripped naked like eucalyptus trees
and whenever I see
so many Bhimsen Thapas
standing chill, inert, silent and still
giving up the song of the soul
throwing down their hands
drooping like limbs of a cherry tree
then I honestly feel
like laughing
at my own sense of valour and bravery.

I hear: the stale story of Amarsingh advancing to Kangra
I hear: the spent news of Tenzing climbing Mt. Everest
I hear: about Buddha scattering the seeds of peace
I hear: the old story of Arniko’s craft astounding the world
I merely hear all this
I just listen to this all the time
but I derive nothing, no faith from it.

Whenever I
sit down and look around
for a day maybe two
at these squares drowning in hunger
at these alleys like choked flower buds
then I feel
my country’s history’s a sham.
This my real history.

By Bhupi Sherchan
Translated by Suman Subba

Of Water and Soda

Soda water symbolises sobriety. "Let us have wine and women, mirth and laughter," sang Byron’s Don
Juan, "Sermons and soda water the day after." These must be sober times. Never have we had such variety of words to denote water with bubbles in it.

Remember seltzer? It was the sole ingredient of a two cents plain, which is what residents of the Bronx called a glass of soda that sold for 5 cents in the 1940s. The German word comes from mineral water from Neider Selters, Prussia, called Selterser Waser.

But seated in an elegant restaurant at a power lunch, how does one order a calorie-free , fat-free, alcohol-free, custom-slavish drink? One tried two dollars plain but drew a blank stare from the waitron. Seltzer is declasse because it reminds late night television viewers of wild attacks by the Three Stooges, who often brandished seltzer bottles. The word applies to the water given its bubbles by the process of carbonation invented in 1767 and not from the natural bubbliness of underground springs.

You could say soda, or to add emphasis, plain soda (which also differentiates it from bicarbonate of soda). But somehow plain soda sounds plebeian or apologetic or cheap, recalling soda pop. The pop was the sound of the bubbles as they released their gas at the surface.

But how about the Byronic soda water? That’s a little more upscale, for almost three centuries meaning "water charged under pressure with carbonic acid gas."

Much more impressive to flight attendants pushing fat carts down narrow aisles is sparkling water.

The most recent term, however, encompassing all unflavoured effervescent beverages, sparkling or club, mineral-enriched or seltzer, is fizzy water.

And if you prefer the bubbles, the with-it term is fizzy water, an adaptation of British slang for Champagne. With or without minerals, unbruised by ice, its age is not yet done!

- DEEPS

Throwing Bricks at foreigners

Sara Shneiderman

A few days ago I was assaulted in broad daylight in a residential area in central Kathmandu. Not with

words, as is the case most often, but with bricks. It seems that teenage boys in this once friendly and pleasant city are turning to random violence against foreign women to vent their frustrations.

I had left my apartment in Haadigaun and was walking towards Bhat Bhateni to attend a wake for the recently deceased brother of a close friend. Two minutes later, as I walked up the hill towards the Krishna Mandir Chowk, a brick crashed into my back. Luckily, I was wearing a backpack, so I wasn’t hurt. But I was stunned, and turned around to catch the culprit. I saw three teenage boys giggling on the steps in front of a closed shop. I approached them, fuming. "Ke gareko, timile?" I shouted. "What have you done?"

"Kehi haina " "Nothing," came the muffled reply as the boy responsible tried to stifle a laugh.

"Kehi haina?" I repeated, "Nothing? You call throwing a brick at your didi nothing? Who taught you such bad manners?"

"Eh, sorry didi" said the boy with a sheepish grin.

I turned away, thinking that I had triumphed, and continued up the hill. Seconds later another brick hit my neck. Then as I reeled from the shock, the boy ran up and tugged violently at the ends of the shawl wrapped around my neck, strangling me for a moment. Before I could recover, he ran away around a corner. I gasped for breath and turned towards the small group of shopkeepers and passers-by that had gathered around us. No one said anything or made any attempt to pursue the culprits or help whatsoever.

"Did you see that?" I said. "Who is that boy?"

"Kuni? Ke garne?" came the all too familiar response. I realized that there was no help at hand, so I gathered my wits about me and continued on my way.

Later in the day, I went with my partner to make a police report at the ward office in Kamal Pokhari. To their credit, the police were friendly and helpful. We made a trip together to interview the shop-owners who were witness to the attack, but found only that they were unwilling to admit to knowing the culprit. The police promised to keep an eye on the area, and apologized that nothing else could be done.

I have never experienced anything like this in my five years living and working in various parts of Nepal. Verbal attacks, bottom pinches and breast grabs are unfortunately commonplace experiences for both foreign and Nepali women, but violent attacks such as the one I experienced represent a frightening new level of aggression towards women. No one can say that I was wearing provocative clothes or acting inappropriately, as I happened to be wearing a kurta suruwal like every other woman on the street and was doing nothing more offensive than walking during the day in the neighborhood in which I live. Thankfully, my attacker had bad a aim, and I was left with little more than a nasty bruise on the shoulder. More troubling, however, was the sense of despair that set in afterwards about the future of Kathmandu, and in particular my role in it as a foreign woman.

Apparently, this was not an isolated attack. The US Embassy reports that incidents like this directed at foreigners, particularly women, are on the rise throughout the city. While the government has come to understand that Maoist attacks outside of Kathmandu constitute a formidable threat to foreign sectors such as aid and tourism, a parallel, and arguably more personally threatening form of violence towards foreigners is developing right under their noses in Kathmandu. At least the Maoists have a clear ideological framework within which their dislike of foreign interests can be understood. Even so, they have usually stopped short of attacks directed at foreign individuals. However, I suspect that the motivations of violent urban youth are not so articulate, and for that reason perhaps more insidious. Why then? Where does this deep-seated anger and aggression come from? And what can be done to defuse it?

10 glasses of water

Yojana Pokharel Dhakal

The one "health food" that doesn’t get the credit it deserves is water!Burst in for some wondrous facts
about this low-calorie drink.

If you count yourself among the health conscious, you probably put in some exercise everyday. Perhaps you also live on "health foods", avoid smoking and never forget to brush your teeth. But is there something missing from your health routine? Do you remember to drink enough water?

Well many of us don’t. In doing so, we unknowingly forego the wide-ranging benefits of one of the cheapest and most usable aids to good health. Because water - just plain water — is what helps our bodies tick along smoothly, keeps our systems going and even decrease minor diseases.

We all know that, without water, we’d die of thirst. But not many realise that water does much more than wet a dry mouth! That’s why we need around two to three litres (8-10 glasses) of fluids everyday. If you are currently getting by with a few sips here and there, you might wonder why such large-scale amounts are needed. Here are answers to some questions that might strike your mind.

Why must I drink plenty of water, though I don’t feel very thirsty?

Water does more than quench your thirst. On a minute-to-minute basis, it works inside your body. Water has a role to play in every vital function of the body.

We may be in the jet-age, but inside our body everything still works on water-transport. Vital supplies of food, oxygen and infection — fighting cells flow around the body through the blood, which is 83 percent water. Digesting food and absorbing it also needs some water too, as digestive juices work better in a semi-fluid environment. Even breathing air in and out needs moisture. In fact, it is possible to use up to the equivalent of two glassfuls of water a day, just exhaling.

Again, many of the body’s waste products can be thrown out only if they are well-dissolved in water (as sweat and urine). If there is insufficient water to carry out this function, the body may retain toxins and end up being poisoned by its own wastes . If you forget to drink enough water you may soon be suffering from constipation and other diseases.

What happens if you don’t drink enough water?

If you drink insufficient water only occasionally, your body will atomatically adjust: it will secrete less urine and otherwise manage to function normally. But those who habitually drink little water, develop problems. Dehydration may get the better of you leaving your skin dry and problems of indigestion and constipation are also common.

A certain amount of water should pass through the kidneys everyday, otherwise bacteria which should be flushed out of the kidney, bladder and urethra will lodge there. This gives rise to urinary tract infections, with symptoms of burning while urinating and backaches.

Insufficient water can also cause kidney stones. Regularly drinking plenty of water actually helps prevent kidney stones and infections, provided the water is clean, of course.

We do consume many other fluids like tea, coffee, juices, soups, milk etc which do contribute to our fluid intake. We even can derive some water even from solid food, especially fruits and vegetables.

Why is it necessary to drink plain water?

Water is not entirely replaceable, and has its own advantages. Unlike soft drinks, which are often used to put down thirst, plain water has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. The kidneys use 5 glasses of water daily. And the human body loses 10 glasses of water daily. Extremely sweet drinks, which are considered energy-giving, can draw out water from our muscles into the intestinal tract causing internal dehydration. The best thirst quencher is plain water. So if you’re in normal health, drink as much water as you can. It's zero-fat and calorie-free!

How much water does one need?

Depending on your size, diet, activity an the climate you live in, the need of water varies. A 60-kg, moderately active man would need about 10 glasses of fluid a day, ideally much of it water. Slightly more or less is okay. The colour of the urine is a good indicator; dark - coloured urine suggests that you may need more water. While this casual check is good enough for most, there are also categories of people for whom it is vital to consume plenty of water. There are also some people who may be asked to avoid drinking too much water by their doctor. Persons with congestive heart failure and some cases of liver failure may not be permitted to overload their system with water. This is either because the kidney is not eliminating water efficiently or because the heart is not strong enough to pump too much fluid.The human body can go for 5 weeks without food, however, it can not go without water for 5 days.

Centre of knowledge

Amod Bhattarai

On April 24, 1800, US President John Adams signed the transfer bill, the fifth section of which legislated the Library of Congress into being. It called for the purchase of $5,000

worth of books and the ‘fitting up of a suitable apartment for containing them.’ The purchase was to be made by the secretary of the Senate and the clerk of the House; the books were to be used by both houses of Congress. A joint committee on the Library was established to assist in the selection of volumes and the establishment of rules. With the support of President Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison, the Congress of United States of America established the ‘Library’ as soon as the Congress moved to the new capital city of Washington. Today the Library of Congress is a living monument to the remarkable wisdom of the Founding Father, who saw access to an ever-expanding body of knowledge as essential to a dynamic democracy. The Library now spans three buildings named after its founders - Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, the James Madison.

By 1812, the Library had 905 titles in 3,000 volumes. The books, covering all subjects, were arranged with history and biography as the largest group with 248 tiles. There were 33 dictionaries and one set of Diderit’s Encyclopedia in 35 volumes (Paris — 751). This one set costing the Librarian 216 dollars was the most expensive title in the collection. Jefferson’s ideals of a ‘universal’ collection and of sharing knowledge as widely as possible still guides the Library. But the library does not attempt to collect absolutely everything; it only collects important and substantive works on all subjects in all languages.

It is the world’s most varied collection of knowledge located in Washington and the hub of a growing electronic network of information that is rapidly becoming accessible almost everywhere. The core of the Library remains with its incomparable collections. The Library’s 111 million items cover more than 530 miles of shelf space and includes research materials in more than 450 languages and almost all media through which knowledge and creativity are preserved and communicated. The Library has more than 30 million volumes, including 5,700 volumes printed before the year 1500. It has 13 million prints, photographs, and posters; 4 million maps; 700,000 reels of film, including the earliest movies and television shows. It also has 4 million music pieces; 48 million pages of personal papers and manuscripts, including those of presidents from Washington through Coolidge; and hundreds of thousands of scientific and government documents.

Everyday, about 4 thousand Library staff adds over 7 thousands new items to its collections, organising, cataloguing and finding new and unique ways to share them with the world. Major library services include annually responding to some 500,000 requests from the US Congress, registering more than 560,000 copyright claims, cataloging some 300,000 books and serials, and circulating more than 23 million audio and braile brooks and magazine to blind and physically handicapped individuals all across America. More recently the Library of Congress has become a major provider of electronic information via the Internet. The Library now processes some one million electronic transactions everyday, which provide access to the Library’s on-line information files that contain more than 40 million bibliographical records. The Library of Congress serves the public through its twenty public reading rooms, wide range of cultural programmes, interlibrary loan, and its ever-growing digital collections.

Everyday the Library of Congress serves hundreds of individuals. Although the primary function of the Library of Congress is to serve the US Congress members and their staff, the Library provides service to government agencies, other libraries, and scholars.

Bicentennial Celebration — 200 year anniversary

The Library of Congress is using its Bicentennial Celebration to recognise its international role as the greatest collection centre of knowledge in an era of truly global information. The goal of the Library of Congress Bicentennial Celebration is "to inspire creativity in the century ahead by stimulating greater use of the Library of Congress and libraries everywhere" through the theme "Libraries Creativity Liberty". In honour of the occasion, library of congress will publish "The Library of Congress: 200 years’ and "The Encyclopedia of the Library of Congress".

South-Asian collection

In the year 1814, the Library of Congress acquired its first book by a South-Asian Kalidasa’s Sakuntala translated into English by Sir William Jones. In 1938, the Library inaugurated the Indic Project, which later became the present Southern Asia Section, to manage and service the collections it had previously acquired. In 1962, the Library of Congress opened its "field office" In New Delhi. The Library of Congress extended its separate programme to Nepal in October 1966, and opened its office from May 1998. The Library of Congress Nepal Office was established with the purpose of acquiring publications produced in Nepal in any language including English.

The Nepal office, like all regional offices, does not retain a collection of the materials; all copies are shipped to the Library of Congress and the other research libraries via New Delhi Overseas Office. After reaching New Delhi, the staff makes its final selections, assigns a profile, selects for bookbinding or microfilming. Cataloging staff assign a Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN) to every book as part of the cataloging process.

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