Reminiscing Kathmandu

One of the things I am going to miss the most of my time in Nepal is my walks though the city of Kathmandu .There is so much one can learn about a place by just walking around, preferably off the tourist trail.

I will always remember the feeling of coming back to civilization and the various comforts and facilities we so often take for granted as the tiny plane bringing me from the far west of the country worked its way though the mountains which surround the rim of Kathmandu valley. Associating the city with ‘facilities and comfort ‘may seem strange to people who live in Nepal but have not ventured out of the Kathmandu – Pokhara – Chitwan and Trekking routes bubble. I guess everyone else can relate to the feeling.

It is a city of contradictions; you can walk down the mansions in Jawalakhel and Jamsikhel to the slums on the banks of Bhagmati in just a few minutes. The city is plagued by power cuts , water shortage and pollution but walk a couple of kilometres on the other side of the ring road which surrounds  the main build city area and you will find yourself refreshed and invigorated by the fresh air flowing down the mountains and the  lush green surroundings .

Temples , shrines , open sewers , stupas , friendly and warm people , persistent beggars, overflowing public transport vans , modern shopping malls , perpetual traffic clogged roads , quiet residential neighbourhoods , strikes ,demonstrations, people with barely enough cloth to cover themselves on the street sides , people behind the wheels of range rovers and land cruisers ,chaotic and narrow streets of ancient newari neighbourhoods  …it all comes together to overwhelm your senses .

I often feel that Nepal is like a point of confluence where two colossal rivers meet. Though  cultural and traditional practices and people reminds one of India and China , Nepal in all its amazingly rich diversity in a surprisingly small geographical area has an essence which is distinctly its own.

The people are remarkable; Warm, friendly and hopeful in spite of emerging of a long period of civil unrest, violence and political instability. Political instability continues, exacerbated by shortages and raising ethnic tensions. I hope the country gets the kind of visionary and selfless political leadership that it so desperately needs.  I hope that India reflects on the need for a just and equitable relationship with its Himalayan neighbor and  plays a constructive role in facilitating the growth of the fledgling democracy here .

It’s been just a few days back home in New Delhi and I already miss the city.