Mercy Development!

Suman Bhattarai

21 April, 2018

           To imitate something, there must be something. A parrot caged inside the cage also can create her own world but who dares to feel she is born for living such life? A man can stand even if there is nothing accessible around him but the walls walled all around where he learns to stand still imitating the erecting walls. But to stand still is not a true evaporation of life. Today’s human is similar to those standing walls that are totally artificial, voiceless, tasteless, and neither does that give any fragrance. And it has been indeed the choice of so called modern human who chooses to breathe through oxygen cylinder rather than the tranquil breeze hovering around the poplar field. First we give a touch to a pigeon, pluck its wings, and blame it later for its inability to fly. While defining development and musing modernisation, merciful misery has been manipulated which lead human beings might repent in coming era which I don’t think is so far away.

            Some days ago, while wandering through the street, I saw a girl walking with pride wearing a T-shirt printed ‘This Bitch Laying!’ in front. What should I understand and how should I react seeing such literature printed in T-shirt, I don’t know. But, yes, obviously I can speculate that the notion of shame of 20^th century women has been their glory these days. To be modern is to accept offensive manner normally; this is what I can establish in my mind finding such change around the city I dwell currently.

            I was born and grown up to 18 years in a remote village. I still have some reminiscence about my childhood of imitating dove which helps me being nostalgic too. We all the cousins used to gather in a particular place at dusk where the trees would dance with pleasing wind. The purpose behind get-together would be to play, ‘pretence of dove.’ The older brothers and sisters would climb the trees easily and construct the artistic nest of dove with their enthusiastic skills but we the small ones would remain at the ground because of incapability to climb the tree, we would dig the small holes in the ground and knit previously collected straw in the shape of dove’s nest. We all the cousins together would sing, “Kurle Dhukur Kur Kur Kur…!!!” Nowadays, children don’t play such games connected to nature. It is not surprising because to imitate dove, first one must see a dove and observe its living but there we see no dove around villages these days.

            Doves aren’t seen in the corn field. Sparrows don’t fly around the roof of our home these days. The grains scattered in the front yard get rotten but it is not swallowed by any swallow. Those cuckoos that would sing ‘cuckoo-cuckoo’ unseen under the trees aren’t heard and those hiding trees are also excavated. Only we hear is the sound of partridge. We are opportune to hear the partridge because we haven’t stopped planting the corn yet and they feel safe enough to chat in the corn field. The isolated and wild animals and birds are burned with the burning fire that is put by the human in the hope of getting new grazing field after destroying the eco-system of Jungle. The human-centered worldly benefit is hampering the animals, plants and also the humans day by day that seems to be unknown to human but in fact it isn’t.

            The place of Dandi-Biyo has been snatched by cricket, those collaborative marriage-games where the soil used to be dish of marriage-party have been overtaken by wrestling, and the video-games are in existence in place of making-house-of-sand game. Cow is imagined by a child watching documentary about cow, but she is never encouraged to visit the cow-ranch. Following occidental concept of modernization is creating the existential crisis in Eastern culture, I feel.

            Such a change in ten years duration wasn’t imagined even in 100 years by my brain. But it happened. This happens, I am sure, because we see fall of Icarus but we don’t see those intrinsic meanings that particular painting is flowering. Only the trees that are assumed and worshipped as representative of God are protected/untouched, remaining most of the trees even of the isolated places are cut down. The areas covered by dense forest are used for cultivation. First, the trees are chopped, then the land is plowed and the saplings of corn, banana or potatoes are grown there. Simultaneously, in some places, the lands which are owned by the landlords are left barren. The people of villages prefer buying rice from the market rather than growing it in the field. The organic food isn’t found and the organic vegetable is grown only in front of their house but not in their agricultural field which is not even partly sufficient for the family, the vegetable survived by the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is sold in market that is purchased in high price as it looks very attractive, fresh and without any touch of diseased insect.

            Last month with the purpose of writing this essay, I visited my original district Udayapur, where I had spent my childhood. Udayapur is popular for Sal-tree. Those iron-like strong Sal-trees are very few now because of its trafficking to India; I came to know after my visit. The road (Madhyapahadi Rajmarg) I go through to reach my village is constructed by Japanese government pulling nature into consideration of not destroying it. But the neighboring districts, such as Ramechhap, Dolakha, Okhaldhunga are connecting this road to their headquarters without any contemplation of preserving trees if possible. Only the goal of them is to dig a road which needs to be as short and straight as possible. Those districts are already desert-like due to less rain and only the leafless shrubs are seen mostly in almost all seasons. And now those shrubs are also excavated. I am confused where this development leads us up to!

            Calmly speaking, I don’t see any compassion between a mother and child even in my village. Each and every individual is busy indulging with internet and technology. A son goes closer to his father only when he needs money; in the same way a daughter goes closer of her mother only when the dinner is ready. While having meal also, everybody is busy liking the photos posted by their friends or relatives on Facebook or in Instagram. The medium of conversation and meeting is performed through Messenger, Skype, Viber or Whatsapp. I have a nephew of age 10 who normally doesn’t talk only for a single minute in a whole day with his dad or mom because he is mostly busy studying science fiction and watching those movies related to science fiction.

“Mercy to so-called Development!” I wish to yell that shrivels under my throat. Even if I do that I know I will be excluded from this modern world as I will be taken as a clown who can’t be fit in the developed world of today’s modernization.

21 April, 2018            To imitate something, there must be something. A parrot caged inside the cage also can create her own world but who dares to feel she is born for living such life? A man can stand even if there is nothing accessible around him but the walls walled all around where he …Continue readingMercy Development!