Blog
To Belong
I was on my way to Birgunj in the Tata Sumo which was crammed with 10 people including me and excluding the driver. There were all sorts of people in the car and they talked about all sorts of things that kept me entertained. I know that the alternative route from Kathmandu to Birgunj that passes through Pharping, Bhimphedi, and Kulekani is not the best one, but still, I choose it every time because I have grown into an excessively impatient person. The fact that it gets me to my hometown in 5 hours instead of 8 is too alluring to ignore.
Anyway, as I look outside the window I think of my life, about how it oscillates between Birgunj and Kathmandu, and how I cannot decide to which city I feel closer. Birgunj is my birthplace; it is the place where I got the first lessons of my life, where I made my first friends, where I grew up, and where my parents live. It gives me a profound sense of satisfaction to be there and soak myself in the tender love of my family, to rejuvenate my childhood, and relive my memories. On the other hand, Kathmandu is the land that molded me into the person I am, where I got my first degree, my first job, first vehicle, and my learning that will stay with me for life. It is the land where I had to prove myself as an individual after persuading my father to allow me to pursue further education in the capital.
Both these cities are beautiful to me—they embody a home, a life, a world in themselves. In Birgunj, we have the perfect clear, blue sky, the most amazing sub-tropical plants including banana trees, bamboo, palm trees, bogonvilla, brilliant sunshine, and much more. The narrow lanes, the cluttered market, the cows in the streets, the rickshaws, and everything else of this place remind me of my roots. While Birgunj is a paradise for me, Kathmandu’s butterflies, monkeys, gushing rivers, chirping birds, gorgeous flowers and foliage, and rainbows reminds me how lucky I am to be a member of this heavenly land. I love the fall mornings around Dashain when I wake up to the sounds of birds chirping, I love the big morning orange sun that greets me, I love the misty mornings when the air is fresh—it is the time when Katmandu becomes pristine, the prayer flags fluttering on the rooftops of every house, and the ancient temples that have stood the test of time.
St. Augustine of Hippo suggested that man does not belong to his/her individual cities and kingdoms on earth but to the city of god. While I may belong to the city of god, I belong no less to both these cities. In both these places, I can walk barefoot, hum to myself, grin at the world and feel perfectly at home.
Khushbu Agrawal
Khushbu Agrawal is a writer for V.E.N.T.! Additionally, she does everything else that no one else in V.E.N.T.! does; for example, preparing financial reports of the little financial transactions of the magazine. Her motivation to stay in the team is the team itself, which inspires her and brings out her hidden crazy side. Contact her at khushbu AT ventzine DOT com.
( Feb 8th 2011, 12:24 PM ) says:
It is definitely one bumpy, dusty ride. You roll on like the dice throughout the entire journey. It sure in uncomfortable ride, but still people make that journey. The allure of reaching to your destination within 5 hours is something that propels people to withstand everything. I also have on uncle there. and, more often than I'd like, I find myself staring at the potholes the size of moon's crater.
and, yet when I read Khusbu's writing, somehow, strange enough, I think the words have given me the strength to endure that road again. Thank you for such warm words.
( Feb 9th 2011, 03:43 PM ) says:
replace Birgunj with Biratnagar (except the 5/8hrs ride) and there you have my version of "To Belong" hehe :) .. nice write up dee!
( Mar 1st 2011, 09:21 AM ) says:
:) it's a beautiful piece!
( Mar 1st 2011, 02:46 PM ) says:
nice! :)
( Apr 30th 2011, 09:25 AM ) says:
Not trying to be condescending but you sugarcoated the two most awful place I know. When I was in Birgunj I just couldn't stop sweating. The pollution was worse than that in Kathmandu, clouds of smoke disfigured the air. I just couldn't sleep that one day because of the heat and the mosquitoes. And Kathmandu the insanely overcrowded place where people from all 75 districts of Nepal come to own a piece of it. I don't know from where to begin. The insane traffic, the smell of Bagmati or the lack of water. Except for the monkeys you can find all the mentioned 'good' qualities of Kathmandu in any place in Nepal. Apart from the buildings that holds historical significance (lets face it no Nepali gives 2 shits about), Kathmandu is only special because its overcrowded. I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing. Sadly, we are all part of it and there is very little that can be done to make Kathmandu a little more tolerable.
( May 2nd 2011, 12:01 AM ) says:
Gopal bhai,
Why not give write a decent story about why you don't like those places, instead of trying to patronize the writer's feeling? If you believe you can prove a better case, I'd love to hear it. Why not start a dialogue about why you don't like those two cities?
And, if you start to hate cities and towns just because you sweat profusely when you are in those cities, then, My friend, you are a lost case. You Will sweat everywhere. That is indeed a weak argument. Very weak indeed. Has the heat, the dust, the pollution and everything that "no Nepali cares to give shits about" robbed your ability to reason and your otherwise (I assume) excellent logic?
I implore you to prove otherwise.
i love this blog especially because it seems like Khushbu has taken something out of her experience and then contemplated over it and then written something out of that reflection...blogs aren't just doodling and simple...i love the title of the blog as well...to belong...makes me wonder as well :)