It
was Tuesday. We had Rotary Meeting in the evening and I was wearing a
Rotary tie. I had to take internal exam starting 9:00 AM and my question
paper was yet to be prepared. I thought of gaining some time and took a
Public bus bound for Dhulikhel in Koteshwor one hour prior to my
regular staff bus. I took a seat just close to the exit and thought that
I would would enjoy reading the The Economist bought a day before. It
was really a chilled morning and we were endowed with thick fog in
Kathmandu Valley. The seat was right next to the door and chilled air
stroked my face. The bus had hardly moved a kilometer, a lady with a
child at her back got in and now the bus was really crowded. I took a
decision, got up from the seat, and hinted the lady to take that seat.
The Rotarian now spoke in a loud voice.
" I am offering this seat to you meant for your child. But I do have one condition. You have to teach your child that he would offer his seat to elderly, pregnant mothers and mothers with a child when he would grow up and travels like me."
She was well perturbed and a smile propped-up at her face. The individuals who heard me saying that looked at me surprisingly. I moved towards the back side. To my surprise, I found two of Kathmandu University students, a boy and a girl seated together, roughly at the middle of the bus. Good, they were also part of my audience. When I moved further behind, the KU boy got up and offered me his seat. How wonderful ! it was. I was already in the role of a Guru as the seat was offered to me. I said to my heart.
" I am a Rotarian today, my Hero student !! I should be the most happiest person if I serve others. Good to see how much you care me. You were even ready to sacrifice such a lovingly company of a girl-friend. We still have a culture of respecting a Professor, who says we have lost that !"
And I said to him.
" Thank you so much. I move to back. I would like to have an experience of not-seating comfortably in the bus today. "
It was just an answer for answer. I pushed myself almost at the end of the walk-way. It was not comfortable to stand. Luckily, the bus had the hand rails and I could balanced myself with some difficulty.
I again said to myself, "If I can also enjoy this trip and even could read an article, I can think of utilizing my time on all other slightly better situations." I opened up my back pack. It was not so easy to do even that as there was no place to keep my approx. 7 kg luggage for a while. I opened up the bag, took out the magazine and started to read the article. It was on the Current Politics of Bangladesh. This is really a wonderful magazine. I appreciate the sense of humor it brings. Sometimes I smile reading. I had to repeat that today also.
More passengers were poured in the bus. The two bus staff were struggling hard to push more. I finished about a third of the article. Suddenly, the girl who was on her mother's lap sitting on the last row started to vomit. She was a lovely and healthy girl wearing red dress and colorful shoes. It was a bad news to all of us particularly for me as the dirty-liquid even touched my shoes. It happens to many children but we are yet to establish a culture of planning well and be strategic while travelling. With the changing technology and availability of modern things, the 'ways and means of caring infants and children wonderfully' should be taught to mothers. Luckily one of the ladies had a plastic bag which was offered to the girl for further unexpected spill-over, if any. She looked panicked. I stopped reading. I was, in fact, thinking very deep now. As an environmental engineer, I must do something to contain the waste, filthy one in fact. Otherwise the work of the ubiquitous bacteria would further deteriorate the environment. I knew that the newspaper which was with me was not there as I cleaned my bag a few days back. But I needed to do something. The waste on the floor was a challenge to me, a teacher of waste management. I looked at my back pack and decided to use one of the envelopes, moved the papers to other compartment of the bag and tore the envelope from one side. The envelope was simply a paper now but with larger area. The functionality of the envelope was converted to that of a waste containment material.
We crossed the ridge point which separates the two watershed. One side, the water flows towards east and one side to the west. My country, my pride is really wonderful. What a sunshine we have ! What a weather pattern we have ! Whenever I see this sort of ridge point, I become emotional and think of putting a tunnel down of it to connect the two Valleys. The girl closed her eyes. Another even younger one sitting next was also sleeping on her mother's lap. I was looking at them and started to think.
"The future Nepal is sleeping now. It will wake up very soon. I will become an old person by then. These young individuals would work like anything. Our politics has already started to stabilized. This magazine 'The Economist' would write one day 'what a miracle Nepal has done !' We will have a high speed Metro linking Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Dhulikhel. I can read a magazine seating comfortably in the train. No children will vomit on the train. Like they have in Tokyo, like in Singapore and recently in New Delhi. Why not ! we will certainly have a Department of Railways in Kathmandu University which will deliver a course on Tunnel Technology. These two girls will study there, they will become the chief executives of the Railway Companies. Why not ! Do you think ! This is mission impossible ! I am asking you 'The Economist'. Answer my question ! No way out, we can do it and we are going to do it. We will get help from the countries like Japan. We have wonderful friends there. Look at the face of these two girls ! Can't you see that future in them ! Yes, I can ! If someone says " this is not possible in Nepal' We would resonate the slogan together 'a big no to no'. Because together we can."
The girl was bound for Banepa. She had to wake-up. She looked fresh now. While she was moving towards the exit, I drew her attention and waved my hand. Wow ! she responded wonderfully and smiling. Again my heart said to her.
" Goodbye my wonderful future Ms. CEO of Nepal Railway Company ! I look forward to meet you in Kathmandu Univesity after fifteen years."
4:00 AM January 15, 2014
126 Janakalyan Galli, Koteshwor
Kathmandu
The Rotarian now spoke in a loud voice.
" I am offering this seat to you meant for your child. But I do have one condition. You have to teach your child that he would offer his seat to elderly, pregnant mothers and mothers with a child when he would grow up and travels like me."
She was well perturbed and a smile propped-up at her face. The individuals who heard me saying that looked at me surprisingly. I moved towards the back side. To my surprise, I found two of Kathmandu University students, a boy and a girl seated together, roughly at the middle of the bus. Good, they were also part of my audience. When I moved further behind, the KU boy got up and offered me his seat. How wonderful ! it was. I was already in the role of a Guru as the seat was offered to me. I said to my heart.
" I am a Rotarian today, my Hero student !! I should be the most happiest person if I serve others. Good to see how much you care me. You were even ready to sacrifice such a lovingly company of a girl-friend. We still have a culture of respecting a Professor, who says we have lost that !"
And I said to him.
" Thank you so much. I move to back. I would like to have an experience of not-seating comfortably in the bus today. "
It was just an answer for answer. I pushed myself almost at the end of the walk-way. It was not comfortable to stand. Luckily, the bus had the hand rails and I could balanced myself with some difficulty.
I again said to myself, "If I can also enjoy this trip and even could read an article, I can think of utilizing my time on all other slightly better situations." I opened up my back pack. It was not so easy to do even that as there was no place to keep my approx. 7 kg luggage for a while. I opened up the bag, took out the magazine and started to read the article. It was on the Current Politics of Bangladesh. This is really a wonderful magazine. I appreciate the sense of humor it brings. Sometimes I smile reading. I had to repeat that today also.
More passengers were poured in the bus. The two bus staff were struggling hard to push more. I finished about a third of the article. Suddenly, the girl who was on her mother's lap sitting on the last row started to vomit. She was a lovely and healthy girl wearing red dress and colorful shoes. It was a bad news to all of us particularly for me as the dirty-liquid even touched my shoes. It happens to many children but we are yet to establish a culture of planning well and be strategic while travelling. With the changing technology and availability of modern things, the 'ways and means of caring infants and children wonderfully' should be taught to mothers. Luckily one of the ladies had a plastic bag which was offered to the girl for further unexpected spill-over, if any. She looked panicked. I stopped reading. I was, in fact, thinking very deep now. As an environmental engineer, I must do something to contain the waste, filthy one in fact. Otherwise the work of the ubiquitous bacteria would further deteriorate the environment. I knew that the newspaper which was with me was not there as I cleaned my bag a few days back. But I needed to do something. The waste on the floor was a challenge to me, a teacher of waste management. I looked at my back pack and decided to use one of the envelopes, moved the papers to other compartment of the bag and tore the envelope from one side. The envelope was simply a paper now but with larger area. The functionality of the envelope was converted to that of a waste containment material.
We crossed the ridge point which separates the two watershed. One side, the water flows towards east and one side to the west. My country, my pride is really wonderful. What a sunshine we have ! What a weather pattern we have ! Whenever I see this sort of ridge point, I become emotional and think of putting a tunnel down of it to connect the two Valleys. The girl closed her eyes. Another even younger one sitting next was also sleeping on her mother's lap. I was looking at them and started to think.
"The future Nepal is sleeping now. It will wake up very soon. I will become an old person by then. These young individuals would work like anything. Our politics has already started to stabilized. This magazine 'The Economist' would write one day 'what a miracle Nepal has done !' We will have a high speed Metro linking Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Dhulikhel. I can read a magazine seating comfortably in the train. No children will vomit on the train. Like they have in Tokyo, like in Singapore and recently in New Delhi. Why not ! we will certainly have a Department of Railways in Kathmandu University which will deliver a course on Tunnel Technology. These two girls will study there, they will become the chief executives of the Railway Companies. Why not ! Do you think ! This is mission impossible ! I am asking you 'The Economist'. Answer my question ! No way out, we can do it and we are going to do it. We will get help from the countries like Japan. We have wonderful friends there. Look at the face of these two girls ! Can't you see that future in them ! Yes, I can ! If someone says " this is not possible in Nepal' We would resonate the slogan together 'a big no to no'. Because together we can."
The girl was bound for Banepa. She had to wake-up. She looked fresh now. While she was moving towards the exit, I drew her attention and waved my hand. Wow ! she responded wonderfully and smiling. Again my heart said to her.
" Goodbye my wonderful future Ms. CEO of Nepal Railway Company ! I look forward to meet you in Kathmandu Univesity after fifteen years."
4:00 AM January 15, 2014
126 Janakalyan Galli, Koteshwor
Kathmandu
