Dashain wish

 May the Desire bloom
May the Moment be beautiful
May all your Wish come true
on this very occasion of Happy Vijaya Dashami-2068

working in periphery

What comes in your mind when you find yourself where there is no telecommunication, no electricity and no internet-you will completely paralysed; something you will feel breathlessness.
Well guys, it was same for me when I was posted in Sallibazar, a town on the bank of Veri river in Salyan district on its western border with Surkhet. When I started my journey from Kohalpur to this place, I was playing with the aggression of Veri river's flood. The road sometimes touches it and sometimes goes far away from it. There is no way when vehicles get accident, it will be swallowed by Veri river. I have blurring recall of Babai, Harre, Chhinchu,Mehelkuna, Botechaur, Pokhre, Reikar, Baluwa sangrahi, Amra and finally Sallibazar.
When I got gradually accustomed to this place, it was heavenly touchy completely different from internet world. I found it as a real world and beautiful than the prototype virtual lifestyle in urban areas.
I got up at 7 AM and do some light exercise and take breakfast. I sit here in cottage built by hospital for canteen purpose. It is awesome here. When I sit here I feel as if I was in sweet sangri-la where nobody disturbs but patients....!!! this locality is typical prototype area of remote places. People are less educated and have less access to the world. They know their village and Nepalgunj, Rupadiya and Lucknow. Many of the people go to Lucknow for their treatment and many of the people lost money for no sake and still they have a passion to get treatment in Lucknow.
Usually I ask the question to these people who had gone to Lucknow,
'Can you explain your problem in Hindi language to the Indian doctor?'
those dumb uneducated people just smile for their reply.
We can guess what kind of treatment they get there. They usually go to the clinic not proper hospital there in Lucknow. These clinic quacks kill them financially. One patient of depression described how he was looted there. Within three days' interval without any intervention, he was obliged to pay Rs. 45000 there in Lucknow. He returned home without any treatment. They don't know what disease they have and there is no chance to know the prognosis of the disease they have but  the same people when they come to me, they want assurance of guaranty. This rises my mercury and tell those people to got the place where they can get guaranty. There are lots of people who come for treatment with genuine reason but some are rats.The challenge to work in periphery is people's ignorance and their craziness. The ignorance does not have idea about surrounding and the craziness does not intend to read the surrounding. Sometimes I am obliged to refer the simple viral fever to the higher center 'coz of people's crazy activities. Some people call me inside the ambulance and ask, 'hunchha bhane jharne natra laijane...'(if you can treat, it's OK otherwise...) they simply oblige to not treat the patients. Just simply inspecting the patient how a doctor can assure that he can treat the patient.
These are negative aspects that usually happened to my hospital. Lets talk about positive things too.
One guy greeted from distant with smiley face,
' Namskar doc sa'ab, I never seen such a talented one like you doc sa'ab in my life. I have been to many places but never met like you doc sa'ab! 'coz of you, my wife's life is saved otherwise she would have died. Thank you so much doc sa'ab.'
I was so excited but I just controlled myself and replied him normal way, 'well, great to know about..! it was my duty to save patients'
He was continuing his speech without any interruption, 'Everything what you mentioned has been explained by that doctor in Kohalpur. You are genius doc 'sa'ab, you are genius.. ek patak hajurlai dekhauna lyaeko( just to check up my wife..)
I examined the incised wound on right iliac fossa for appendectomy. It was healing withiout any discharge or pus. I just assured him, ' The wound is getting healed, no need to worry but do not allow to do anything that strains her abdomen, just put her on rest.'
he returned home with smiley face.
Another patient, I treat his chronic duodenal ulcer with triple therapy, his response was same what earlier one has. When I excised big sebaceous cyst on the mastoid region, many people came with hernia and abdominal mass to get excised. I counseled about their problem and limitation of my skill and hospital set up. They were content with my counseling and were ready to go to Kohalpur. Two hernias were undergone surgery. One female found to have ovarian serous cyst in Kohalpur. One patient with chronic allergic dermatitis have been cured by me. She brought lots of vegetables and one cock(kukhurako bhale) with happiness but we bought her cock in optimum price ( she refused to accept money but we simply oblige her to take the money).
This story I will continue in  the days coming.............!

Rara: A Shangri-La

Lifted up by chopper in Surkhet…..me getting excited boarding in chopper. Ohh ...but overwhelming sound almost ruptured the tympanic membrane ahhhah..!!! It lifted up and headed towards the northern direction of Midwestern region of Nepal to discover Mugu a land of RARA lake, the largest lake in Nepal.
I was quite excited getting into the chopper.  Eight people inside… nobody could talk since ‘bhatattttta…ta…’ sound and earpiece closing the ears. When I peeped through the window I could see the peaks of the mountains with white top due to piling of snow. Well I could feel the difficulties of geography but I was in air flying like a bird. There were so many rivers, brooks, falls and beautiful mountains I could see and they let me feel the beauty of nature in this adventure land moreover a wonderland.
After crossing the many mountains, we landed in Sorukot, a village where WFP supplies the rice, the food for road. We felt lil’ bit adventurous in that steep terrain. We took some snaps on the back ground of chopper, thereafter; we flew for the Talcha airport. On the way, we flew over the RARA Lake it was so charismatic that we were hypnotized by its gorgeous look and pilots were obliged to make a round over the lake. We finally dropped onto the Talcha airport. it was cold though it’s summer time.
We walked down the Gamgadhi, the headquarter of Mugu where district hospital situated. After two days stay there, we two people climbed up to the RARA leaving one friend behind the District hospital. While climbing, we enjoyed the panoramic views of Behulabehuli and Chhayakshetra series of Himalayas despite breath-holding steep road. The Chankheli Mountain was not less beautiful than those Himalayan series.
After five hours trekking, we heard the splashing sound of water. When I saw blue color through the crowd of bushes………I felt my breath stop………….it was RARA Lake that we were looking for. It was big and large ohh…. A kind of ocean… breathtaking..!!! We checked in army camp and there someone was waiting for us….the camp head….Major B. Chand. We were quite excited by the warm welcome by him. Why we were so excited? The one and only hotel in RARA was already occupied by other people and we were left behind. Thanks for CDO Saab in Mugu who helped us find accommodation in army camp.

Next day, we walked for our next destination, Shreekot, a VDC situated far from headquarter of Mugu. After two nights and one day stay there, we returned by the same road. While coming to RARA Lake, there was raining. I enjoyed raining a lot though my friend did not enjoy that much. My shoes were almost torn and they had already engulfed some mud inside disturbing my feet. Despite raining, we reached the RARA and felt it by heart again. I sat on the bench and just wondered watching the tides of water in lake. It was beautiful and heavenly feeling….no doubt…it was magnificent. This time I enjoyed a lot going three days back- boating, playing with water. I stay there just watching blue deep water. When I moved my head around ………I could see the Ghachchilek and Murmatop, Behulabehuli series and Chhayakshetra series.

Waiting for flight: Back to Surkhet from Jumla

Well it’s pretty excitement to visit Jumla, a heavenly place but the tedious thing is uncertainty of flight. When I tried to fly to Jumla, I went airport of Surkhet again and again. Many of the times, its flight postponed due to unavailability of passengers and bad weather. It’s really nice to visit Jumla but getting flight is really tedious. Going to airport and returning home- that seems to be regular awful activity.

Today I wake up early in the morning and check out immediately without any discount bargaining with hotel owner to catch the plane for Surkhet. With much more difficulty, I got the boarding pass and eagerly waited for the plane. Meanwhile I bought apples and put inside the bag. Everybody was there eagerly waiting for the plane with half hope because everyone knows the uncertainty of flight. Some are mumbling about not getting the flight. They were scolding the current political situation and some were accepting the fate.

Here weather is clean but we don’t know where the weather was gone wrong. Not a single plane is landing here in Jumla. Some people were full of apples in their baggage and some came with loads of apples to send down to Surkhet and Nepalgunj.

I am sitting on a bench in the shop nearby the airport with slight trace of hope of plane coming to Jumla. The shopkeeper is not telling anything to me. Occasionally the police guard at the gate of airport gives eye on me. Maybe he was thinking, ‘Why the hell is he here though flight is canceled.’ One or two people are here; rest went back to their hotel and home. I am just watching one pair of sparrows playing in front of me. Maybe they knew I am not going to hurt them. So they are not afraid of me. Sometimes they come nearby me and sometimes they go away. They are picking up their food spread in road. I am enjoying it. One sparrow found a piece of food which is large enough to kill its own appetite but it took it to its friend and shared it with the other. What a lovely relation they have, I am astonished.

The next day, I finally got the ticket with difficulty. People are around the ticket counter just like the group of bees around the honeycombs. It was so hotchpotch you can not even imagine the situation. People take money for the ticket but forget that they have already taken. You will get only boarding pass not the ticket. You will get the ticket only after frequent requests. I don’t know why there is no systematic way. It appears to be like riding a city bus.

Though it’s difficult to get the flight to Jumla and getting flight back to your home station, you have to visit Jumla. It is amazing. You will feel Jumla what really it is only after visiting this place.  You can get the mid level hotels here. You can enjoy apple brandy and sometimes grape brandy as well. Places to visit here are Jumla valley itself where Tila river is running down, Tatopani where you get the natural hot water, Karnali technical school, Pandugupha, Sinja valley and Birat palace. From Sinja, you can travel to Mugu to visit Rara Lake, the largest lake called ‘Nymph of heaven’.

On flight from Surkhet to Jumla, you will enjoy watching geographical terrains of Dailekh, Kalikot and Jumla and moreover you can see swirling pictures of Hema River, Tila River and Karnali River. They look really amazing.

See you Jumla next time.

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Jumla valley: Ah Heaven…!!!

I was wondering how Jumla is...?!! When I reached there I found a cool breeze just catching my heart as I passed by. When I looked around, I found it surrounded by mountains- it’s valley..!!! It's name is Jumla bazar or Jumla or Jumla khalanga bazar...has two VDCs Chandannath and Mahatgaon...unexpectedly I found Newari community living for many generations and most are Shrestha people..! Here people are furnished in coat and nobody is there with bare foot. The coat in Jumla is like a common dress and unique among the Nepali culture.

A contrast you can notice here is building structures...they are modern and look up-to-date. I visited Karnali Technical School (KTS) that is located towards North West direction. It was established 30 years back in 2037 BS. All the buildings it has is modern not traditional. I think the modern building that Jumla has now are followed from KTS buildings which were built by United Mission to Nepal. The graduates of KTS are in appreciable position in their sectors- health, engineering and agriculture. Besides formal courses like CMA, ANM, sub/overseer and JTA, it provides some vocational training as well- electrician, plumbing etc

A legend is there, it was a lake before in ancient time and there was no civilization. The Jumla valley was made habitable by sage Chandannath and planted paddy crops there.

Historically, Mediniverma, the King of Sinja adopted Baliraj who had fled from Chittorgarh to this inaccessible Himalayan region since he could not bear torture of Taimur’s invasion. King Mediniverma married his daughter with Baliraj and declared him as his crown prince to keep his progeny through his daughter on Malla throne for subsequent generations though Baliraj himself is Rajpoot from Chittorgarh. Later, Baliraj became the ruler of Jumla state. It appears king Mediniverma had no eligible heir. (Ram Nivas Pandey, MADP archael. (ASI)). There are many different chronicles about Baliraj but this seems near to fact. He ruled Jumla at around 14^th century.  The Sinja Valley was where the Nepali language originates from and the earliest examples of the Devanagari script from the 13th Century were found on the cliffs and in nearby Dullu (UNESCO).

Valley’s beauty is embroidered by the Tila River that passes across it from East to West side. This River is source of irrigation for fields in valley. Tila River is mixed with Hema River coming from Sinja valley in Nagmagad the border between Jumla and Kalikot. It eventually mixed with Karnali River in Hulma gaon in Kalikot.

The weather is cold even in last week of Chaitra and you can assume the degree of cold in Poush and Magh months. We can see the snow on the mountains surrounding Jumla even in summer.

a one hour far towards west of Jumla valley called Tatopani where we can bathe and feel the warmth in the midst of cold, cold and cold..!

A new update for Jumla is the establishment of Zonal hospital but previously it was District hospital. Road has been constructed from Kalikot to Jumla and a new road is on the way to construction from Dailekh district. Here airport was established in 2020, it seems costlier to Jumli people. They did not have alternative except for airway. Now they can travel by bus from Nepalgunj in cheap price.

Jumla is well known for Apple and Marsi paddy and definitely the alcohol made from Apple. The Marsi paddy is available at the height of 1700 meter and it’s the paddy that we find at the highest level in the world. The red rice of Marsi paddy tastes different and yummy…I tasted and I loved it…!

All in all, Jumla has potentiality for Tourism and it’s on the way to development and it need not government’s special attention because Jumla has capacity to develop itself.

For scholars or students, Karnali region has potential for research on archaeological, anthropological or historical point of view and it is virgin place to research on.

See you next time with ‘Road to Jumla’……………..coming soon…!

Jelwang, Rolpa visit, march 6, 2010

Today we reached Jelwang VDC to handover Jelwang SHP constructed by Merlin Nepal at 15hr. This is a beautiful place in Rolpa district. It took almost 6 hours on foot to reach there from Sulichaur, a business center in Rolpa. Damanji (logistic coordinator), Kumarji(suboverseer) and I were from Merlin's side but not a single staff was there from health facility despite the prior information we made. Not a single person was there to recieve hand over of SHP building. As popular fact in government service, 'no prize for good people and no punishment to bad people either.' people in government service hardly follow rules and regulations. This is happening 'coz of government's loose monitoing. Office helper seems more powerful than the office incharge. Every corner is influenced unusually by politics. Many of the SHPs I have visited where not a single monitoring has occured yet since the establishment of the SHP. We finally found a member of health facility office management committee- thank god, she was there to recieve handover. During formal program in handover. During formal program in handing over, it started raining. We were stuck there till 17:30hr and we walked down to guest house. The brook was flooded and had a high amount of flow. As Kumarji and I crossed the sanghu, we heard the sound bang, Damanji was down into the brook, the sanghu was broken. Luckily, nothing worse happened except for some minor injuries.
There is nothing definite in life; anything might happen, nobody knows about life.