Appreciate beauty.

I do not know who this girl called Coco is. I like her, not because she is a girl, but because she is damn beautiful. She is curvaceous, sexy and what not. She may have attracted thousands of eyeballs of men – young or old – by now and given them heartache, headache and made them feel mad for her.

In what turns out to be an overt statement, I just say that everyone likes to see photos of beautiful things and appreciate them. The things include beautiful girls, as well. But, wanting to see such photos, especially those of girls or women, does not mean that we are lecherous and have a lust for them or ogle at girls. Well, there may be some. But, most are not. They just want to have a look at such girls.  Taking a fancy for them and craving just for a glimpse again does not mean that we are used to such a ‘dare-devilry’.  Anyway, everyone of us wish we could see them live in front of us.

When it comes to appreciating beauty, I love beauty and like to see it. Words come out spontaneously in appreciation; “Wow, how beautiful!”  Beautiful, sexy, curvaceous, tall, svelte girls are an eye treat. They sort of provide succor for eye. They are turns-on, to be very frank.

Girls apart, green forests covering barren mountains, ice-covered mountains, rivers, flowers, terrains, rivulets, cities, monuments, historical towers, heritages, cars – to name the list – are among other things that are beautiful. Beauty to me again means that it must have the capability to bring smile to your face, the capability to make you feel happy at time of sorrow, the capability to make you feel relaxed, the capability to make you talk openly about

its quality, the capability to make you appreciate in front of your boy friends or girl friends, the capability to bring you closer to it, the capability to lure you into singing a song in its appreciation, and the capability to push you into a war, feud, face-off or envy.

I like rose; not because it is soft, but because it symbolizes love, peace and friendship.  Its petals are soft and throws hypnotic aroma. Its beauty is as much hypnotic as its colour. It is sort of magnetic, so to say.

Somebody has said; “Beauty is skin deep.” It may be true in relation to human beings and the nature of skin. Well, the skin – tan, white, black, wheatish or whatever – and its color vary from girl to girl, woman to woman and man to man. But, it can never be true in terms of things that are stable, immobile or mobile. Anyway, beauty is inexplicable. Beauty can’t be defined. It does not need mention. It is supernatural and super powerful. It is my thinking and I’ve experienced it.

Well, there are poets who have described this quality in their own lyrical language. They have described beauty based on each and every detail of body parts and have painted it flawlessly in their lyrics. Anyway, beauty – like many other things – differs from person to person and should be held in high esteem.

To me, beauty is what food is to body. Just as food is essential for a man to live, exactly in the same manner, beauty is as much necessary for a man to live.

The girls in the photos – no matter whether they are semi-nude or fully dressed - are beautiful enough to attract anyone’s eyeballs and rave reviews. There is no denying that we look at the girls in a quite different perspective.

The sea and the bridge over it, the tree with its reflection in the river and the stream that is cascading down the rocky terrain are soothing and give us a sort of what touches our hearts.

The girl in the picture is equally beautiful, but receives cat-calls instead of much-sought-after appreciation. The reason is that she looks seductive and is looked at in a different perspective. Her dress, gesture and posture are all what add to vulgarity.

Replicas of monuments built over many years ago in memory of their fond beloved are brilliant testimony of pure and immaculate love or something else. They are beautiful because of arts, carvings and many other details that have been finished with surgical precision.

Just let's have a look at the rose. How beautiful they are! They just captivate us and embrace us in their beauty. And, we unconsciously or subconsciously express our happiness and wonder and say; "Wow ! How beautiful!"  This sort of expression that comes out suddenly is actually a signature in appreciation of real, natural and immaculate beauty.

Likewise, we nearly jump in excitement when we see beautiful stream serenading down narrow and rocky terrain whistling a beautiful song. Old - vestige, so to speak - castles surrounded all over by beautiful flowers sort of mesmerize or hypnotize us and utter unconsciously: "Wow! What a beautiful/" These are the wonders of wonders. Girls, castles, monuments, seas, trees all are equally beautiful.  

The world is beautiful and so are human beings. In one word, everything that is available on earth is beautiful and so should be appreciated with open heart. At least, no less ! ! !

Let's us distinguish between 'Like' and 'Comment'

Don’t worry if I do not ‘LIKE’ the photos you paste on your wall. I’ll definitely tick ‘Like’, provided that they are nice, beautiful and charming to look at. I would instead comment on such photos as are mind-boggling and heart-rending. What does it mean if I like the photos that show butchering, street fights, violence, et cetera? Why should I tick ‘Like’ for such photos? Do you ‘Like’ violence? Of course, not. Then, it will be wiser if we comment rather than send ‘likes’ for the photos.

I’m still at a fix whether users of the social networking site, Facebook, are in the 17-21 age group. It must be so. Most users are seen pasting photos just to receive ‘Like’ for their photos, thinking that it will bring them closer to one another. This is enough to conclude that they are in that age bracket.

We do not seem even least bothered about whether the photos that show man-slaughters, street violence, disastrous accidents, natural disasters or any other things that send shivers down our spine are meant for ‘Like’. I think they may be thinking like what I’m thinking. But, without taking even a second, they just tick ‘Like’ disregarding the message that photos are intended to convey.

This is a spine-chilling accident in which people may have died leaving far behind their relatives, sibling, families, friends or colleagues, husbands or wives, boy friends or girl friends. If this sort of pasted on wall, this is not even remotely related to the fact that this is to be liked. Why to like the photo, instead of mourning the deaths or praying for eternal peace for the deceased.

Well, photos of beautiful places, cities, cars, buses, dresses or any other material things and couples or girls or boys have always been succor to eyes. They attract eyeballs and we just tick ‘Like’. This does bring happiness and smiles to our friends and makes them feel appreciated for their effort to search and paste such photos.

So, friends, we should not like everything that does not taste good. We can only comment on them.

Let's us distinguish between 'Like' and 'Comment'

Don’t worry if I do not ‘LIKE’ the photos you paste on your wall. I’ll definitely tick ‘Like’, provided that they are nice, beautiful and charming to look at. I would instead comment on such photos as are mind-boggling and heart-rending. What does it mean if I like the photos that show butchering, street fights, violence, et cetera? Why should I tick ‘Like’ for such photos? Do you ‘Like’ violence? Of course, not. Then, it will be wiser if we comment rather than send ‘likes’ for the photos.

I’m still at a fix whether users of the social networking site, Facebook, are in the 17-21 age group. It must be so. Most users are seen pasting photos just to receive ‘Like’ for their photos, thinking that it will bring them closer to one another. This is enough to conclude that they are in that age bracket.

We do not seem even least bothered about whether the photos that show man-slaughters, street violence, disastrous accidents, natural disasters or any other things that send shivers down our spine are meant for ‘Like’. I think they may be thinking like what I’m thinking. But, without taking even a second, they just tick ‘Like’ disregarding the message that photos are intended to convey.

This is a spine-chilling accident in which people may have died leaving far behind their relatives, sibling, families, friends or colleagues, husbands or wives, boy friends or girl friends. If this sort of pasted on wall, this is not even remotely related to the fact that this is to be liked. Why to like the photo, instead of mourning the deaths or praying for eternal peace for the deceased.

Well, photos of beautiful places, cities, cars, buses, dresses or any other material things and couples or girls or boys have always been succor to eyes. They attract eyeballs and we just tick ‘Like’. This does bring happiness and smiles to our friends and makes them feel appreciated for their effort to search and paste such photos.

So, friends, we should not like everything that does not taste good. We can only comment on them.

The above photo shows a jetliner crashing into a sea. You can imagine how many passengers may have lost their lives. If this sort of photo is pasted on wall and if someone asks you, can you tick 'Like'? No. Definitely no. Whereas sending 'Like' for photo, the second photo is the best example of liking.

Save Wildlife

Poaching of wild animals like tigers, lions and rhinos is on the rising trend worldwide. Government alone can’t do anything about it.  Under such a circumstance, conscious and educated people should come forward to make uneducated people and those who hunt down such animals just for fast buck aware of the importance of these animals in conservation of environment.

I’m skeptical whether our next generations will ever hear the names of these animals, let alone see. Of course, there will be only mention of such animals in books. Like we read in school the story of a king and a queen, it is likely that our children will only read about the animals, their habitat, their nature, their modus operandi, modus Vivendi and whether they are carnivorous and gregarious. They will be limited only to books. And students will read; “Once upon a time, there were tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos ………..“

Save wildlife

Poaching of wild animals like tigers, lions and rhinos is on the rising trend worldwide. Government alone can’t do anything about it.  Under such a circumstance, conscious and educated people should come forward to make uneducated people and those who hunt down such animals just for fast buck aware of the importance of these animals in conservation of environment.  

I’m skeptical whether our next generations will ever hear the names of these animals, let alone see. Of course, there will be only mention of such animals in books. Like we read in school the story of a king and a queen, it is likely that our children will only read about the animals, their habitat, their nature, their modus operandi, modus Vivendi and whether they are carnivorous and gregarious. They will be limited only to books. And students will read; “Once upon a time, there were tigers, lions, elephants, rhinos ………..“

Let them be where they are. Let them feel free where they feel. They are our friends in our efforts to save our environment.

Solitarysoul: Post-result frustration

It is more than a fortnight since school board result was declared. Students were seen waiting for their result with bated breath. Despair was writ large on their faces. They were excited as well. They were dead sure that the result would be out that day, as they had already come to know about it. They were excited and restless. Excitement began to evaporate by the evening, with the failed students becoming sad and the students scoring marks less than their expectation becoming even sadder.

My childhood friend’s youngest son was sad and pensive, even though he had passed the examination in first division and scored more than 74 per cent in aggregate. He was sad because the result was not up to his expectation. His result was not as impressive as to bring smile to his face and excitement to him. He had expected that he would pass the examination with distinction – well – with flying colours.

I dropped at his place just to know how he had fared in the examination and what the result of his year-long hard work was like. I was stunned for a while and lacked of words to express my surprise. It was like he had not worked hard, it was like he hadn’t burnt the mid night oil, it was like he had not paid heed to studies. It was like he had taken the examination lightly, instead. It was as if he had not prepared himself for the final battle of his school life to break through the iron-gate. It was natural for him to become sad; and if he had worn a deserted look and shed tears in isolation wailing that he could not pass the exam with flying colours, it was like he was trying to remember with which papers he had not done due justification.

Fearing that he might be frustrated like hundreds of students, I sort of motivated him and said that he could do even much better in future. I joined with his parents in their chorus that he would succeed and obtain marks enough to get admitted at a premium engineering, provided that he worked a little bit hard for another two years.

I often wonder what it will be like if students - hopeful of excelling in the examinations – fail or score much less than what fails to meet their expectation. They should be motivated and encouraged: failure and success are two sides to a coin. Failure and success come to life alternately. Failure should, however, not be attributed to their mental inability to catch up with their class mates or keep pace with what is taught in class. Failure to succeed to score marks can’t be taken as students’ weakness or inability to succeed in examinations.

My friend’s son has, over time, somehow or other managed to adjust to the post-result situation and is prepared to enroll in a local college. He has gained confidence over time and learnt how to preempt his post-result pain. This is an example of how he has coped up with the post-result confusion, tension and situation. Mom, dad and siblings did their best in restoring confidence in him and making him believe that he can do even better in years to come.

What are the students who failed or who have scored marks less than their expectation did post-result? How did they manage or cope with the situation, especially with the trauma that they had to undergo after their dream of quality results got shattered. What might their parents or siblings have done to console them? What idea might they have devised to pacify them? What steps might they have taken to encourage – not discourage – them? These are few questions, among others, that we, as responsible persons, should seek answers.  

And tear streams down spontaneously .......

It was nearly ten years ago, when I was a college student. I made friends with a girl almost my age. She was suave and svelte, yet simple. We would sit together in class and spend time together gossiping during leisure time and exchanging notes.  I cottoned to her. In fact, I had no iota of when it all began. It dawned on me only after she had gone home after the final exam.

My love, Sulochana – Sulu in short – one day said to me over phone; “My parents are marrying me off to a boy of their choice.” And, she stopped talking. The news jolted me and blanked me out for a moment. And shattered my dreams of continuing life with her and living together. Initially, it was difficult, though. I somehow controlled myself. I sort of negotiated with time.

Time ran – rather elapsed – into oblivion. It was only five years ago. I heard from some one I knew that the bottom had fallen out of her world. Her husband died in a road accident leaving her midway through the journey they had sworn to travel together. Starry-eyed they were, they had woven a dread. A dream of having their own home and children.

I came across her in the local market on one Sunday afternoon. On seeing me, she tried to snub me. But, I paced fast to her and held her hand. A word or two in her ear, I gave her a light pat on her hand and motioned her to a restaurant nearby. Face deserted. White skin had turned pale. Eyes had lost twinkle of college days. Hair plaited into a knot behind. She looked like groping for words. Her teeth rattled, lips wavered. Motionless. She sat on a bench beside me. She spoke nothing. As if words had run out of stock. On my persistence; however, she reluctantly narrated her story; a story of trials and tribulations.

Tear wells up in my eyes. “Would you mind if I propose to you?”, said I. “Well, I would rather you didn’t,: she said in reply in a husked voice wiping out tears at the same time. Thirty minutes spiraled out in eerie silence so soon, that we couldn’t ask much about each other. As it was getting darker outside, she readied herself and walked out promising that she would meet up in Kathmandu. We parted with heavy heart.

I felt like being flattened by the sky, when I heard one fine morning that Sulu was no more in this mortal land. My head reeled. The more I vividly called her image to my mind, the more I wept. Where was the promise that we had made together to meet up in Kathmandu? It was like the smoke that spirals out and disappears into air high up in the sky. The news came like a thunderbolt over me. I had sort of incarcerated myself for days.

Months passed and years, too. As the solitude evoked nostalgia, I somehow began to divert my attention and focus on studies. She died a second death. First, when her husband died. In her death, she could get what she had not while alive: salvation. This patriarchal society had perpetrated atrocities on her.

The minute her picture appears in my mind, I try to speak to her. And, immediately then I realize that this is only an illusion. And, I begin to pray to God for her eternal peace and weep in her memory. And tear streams down spontaneously …………