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There is no doubt Gulab Rao’s physical condition is deteriorating rapidly. His condition is so serious that he should be under intense medical care. Lying on the street and begging for some coins will only exacerbate his condition. Photo: LB Thapa By LB THAPA Gulab Rao, once a rich businessman had never thought one day time would turn so cruel against him that he would find himself bagging on the same street, where once he would walk as a proud businessman. Now he is helpless and there is no one to commiserate with his pain and agony.     However, there was a time when his business thrived and he had a happy family. Once his business was firmly established in Butwal, he also tried his luck in Pokhara. His crockery business was well established in Pokhara. This encouraged him to shift from Butwal to Pokhara permanently.  During his heyday, Gulab Rao had never had an iota of doubt that one day he would stoop so low that he had to beg on the street of Pokhara. So that he can buy som

Photo credit: Anil Blon The Baba at the Pashupatinath told me "If you take 'Shiva Buty' during the Shiva Ratri, all the sins you have committed in the past and present will be purged. Take one shot my boy and you will feel as if heaven has come on earth" Oh, really. Is it possible, I said. By LB THAPA In the last Shiva Ratri, I was in Kathmandu. Well, my intention was not to go to the Pashupatinath temple, but the hotel owner where I was staying advised me to visit the temple as I could meet some incredible sadhus there. Being a freelance writer and journalist, I am always hungry for a story or two.  I was really thrilled by the idea of seeing those naked naga babas and holy babas together.   Every year Hindu believers and sadhus from across the country thronged over the premises of lord Pashupatinath temple to mark auspicious Shiva Ratri with agog and excitement. Sadhus, tangled hair and ash smeared on their forehead, made their magnificent presence to witness the ho

Dr. Bhabha remained a bachelor all his life, he was so engrossed in his work that he did not have time to think about marriage. He knew very well that after marriage he would not be able to spend much time on his wife and decided to remain a bachelor. Dr. Bhabha devoted all his life to the cause of science. India is much indebted to Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhaba for his contribution to Indian atomic development.  Dr. HOMI JEHANGIR BHABHA is called the father of Indian Nuclear Science. Dr. Bhabha founded the TATA Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai in 1945. Under the aegis of Dr. Bhabha the first Indian Atomic Research Center (IARC) was established at Trombay, Bombay. Likewise, India's first atomic reactor, named APSARA was also commissioned in 1956.   In 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, had formed the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) where Dr. Bhabha was appointed its first chairman. By the tireless efforts of Dr. Bhabha India became t

But to my astonishment, all of a sudden some four or five small boys, who held glue-sniffing pouches in their hands, surrounded me and forced me to give them money. I shouted at them and threatened them to run away or get a nice beating from me. Photo credit: A Kumar By SAJJAN PRASAI It was Saturday and I was at my friend’s home at Ram Bazaar. We studied together for some time after then we went to a restaurant to have lunch. The restaurant was not very far from my friend’s house. We sat on the balcony of the restaurant and gave orders for lunch. Very soon, a delicious Nepali meal was served and we began eating immediately. In the meantime, I saw a boy huddled in a corner of the street, he severed with cold. I felt it odd because the day was hot and why this boy was severing in cold. My friend asked me to ignore but I could not resist myself. I reached to him and when I touched the boy his whole body was burning like a fire. Without further delay, I took him to a nearby clinic and show

Fighting against an unseen enemy. Photo: Dhaya Eddine Bentaleb-Unsplash By LB THAPA At a trying time when the world is passing through a difficult phase of time, social media is flooded with the news of several possible cures of corona virus (COVID-19). Most of these information on social media are not only misleading but also life threatening. Unfortunately, because of such concocted information, many people have become severely ill or even lost their lives. In recent times, there is a video post on social media that claimed that garlic has medical properties that can kill corona virus. Its impact was immediate on people. Many people rushed to market and began purchasing garlic---leading to increase the price of garlic that was already expensive. Without doubt, garlic is an excellent spice that is loaded with several medicinal properties. Therefore, garlic consumption can be beneficial for human health. However, scientifically there is no evidence to confirm that consum

Ayurveda has amazing power to heal chronic diseases. Photo: Annie Spratt, Unsplash Can Ayurveda cure coronavirus? By LB THAPA Ayurveda is an ancient method of treatment. It is believed that the science of Ayurveda was composed between 500-1000 BCE. Essentially the Vedas glorify the essence of life in fire, wind, earth, plants and animals.   However, traditional medical system of Nepal dates back to at least 500 AD. Ever since then Ayurvedic medicines are regularly used in Nepal to fight against several diseases.    At present time, most of the people are attracted to ayurvedic treatment, as it has been successful to alleviate various types of ailments without side effects. However, despite the fact that ayurvedic treatment can cure many chronic diseases, regrettably very little or no effort has been done to promote ayurvedic therapy in the country. Loss of Ayurvedic treasure Since no adequate initiative has ever been made to promote ayurvedic treatment in the countr

Different state governments of India regularly arrest fake education certificate rackets across India. Why does not Nepal government take action against those people who hold fake education certificates in Nepal? Photo credit: dnaindia.com     By LB THAPA Many governments have come and gone but none of them has ever shown enough courage to take action against the people who are serving in government jobs with fake educational certificates.    The past governments had shown tough attitudes and formed various committees to investigate the case, but the zeal of the government soon evaporated. Until now, except for a few cases, otherwise, no severe legal action has ever been taken against the people who have produced fake educational certificates. The fear of the government's hollow rhetoric for taking severe action against the fake education certificate holders seems to have gone.   When asked the headmaster of a government high school about the possible legal action against the teach

A short story by Menaka Malla. Photo: Patrick-Tomasso-Unsplash   By MENAKA MALLA It was the day before Christmas, 2016 in the evening. Like every other girl, I was eagerly waiting for tomorrow. After all, it was going to be my first Christmas with my close friends as mom had finally allowed me to spend the day with them. In such a blissful moment, who would have even envisaged that something horrifying was waiting for them at the end of the day? I also did not. Nevertheless, guess what? Something did really happen to ruin my following day.   “Dinner is ready”, called a familiar voice from downstairs.  “Coming mom”, I shouted.  Rushing down to the kitchen, I saw dinner was all set on the dining table and everyone was already seated. Taking my set beside dad, we all started to enjoy the food.   “So, when will you be leaving tomorrow?” dad asked in between the dinner. “We haven’t decided that yet. Maybe I will around nine in the morning. Well, we all will be meeting at Anna’s first, so it