The Criterion, an International Journal of English has published my poem on "Being an Ideal Teacher: What I should DO and BE" in its Volume 9 Issue 1 (February 2018). It is available in the following link: http://www.the-criterion.com
Friday, October 5, 2018
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
My Travel Memoir
Backwarded Mentality, Human Progress,
and Dashain
-Krishna Kumar
Yogi
For Dashain and
Tihar celebration, I headed towards my home village Gamaudi, Dailekh from
capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu as I have been lecturing at different colleges
from PCL to master levels English. During my visit, I saw different things,
different happenings, and different people with different mentality of
innumerable nature. These were all about people’s behavior, happiness,
progress, mentality and their ways of dealing and being.
Our travelling tale began from Gangabhu bus stand, Kathmandu. We, two Mukundra Bikram Shah and I myself
got up the bus heading towards Nepalgunj as we set our journey with plannings
for shopping, meeting with relatives, visiting places (Desh Darshan) and observing the pains and perils of people in and
around area as common people.
I especially was vigilant
towards innumerable incidents during my visit which were connected to many
different dimensions of society, its problems and prospects and the adjacent
issues. These phenomena made us to think a lot for the human peace, progress,
prosperity, and pleasure to attain and the consequent reasons behind. I
interrogated myself for different causes and consequences where we can(n’t) do
something for the upliftment of life standard of people.
I encountered people with
different mentality, viewpoints and beliefs which were one way or other linked
with people’s earning of their livelihood. People shared with various
profession, vocation, occupation, background and upbringing so as they have
different mentality. Up to Nepalgunj, I was not that much aware about. During
Nepalgunj visit, I noticed people with backwarded mentality. The deep rooted,
such mentality is the product of what they see, do and perform. Some of the
instances were, people retuning back from India working as labourers. I talked
to some of those who earned their livelihood anyway on the Nepalgunj-Surkhet
and Surkhet-Dandimadi bus. Most of them were drinking alcohol more than what
their body resists. One of them shared, “We finished off our money that we
earned in different parts of India such as Simla, Chandigadh and Almoda. Those
who came from Qatar and Malaysia seemed to be happy.” These people whom I
talked were during my Bardiya visit. I guessed they could have gone with loans
and came with the same or multiplied loan on their head.
Economically, they are
just spending the money. They have done nothing. Neither they have saved nor
invested their money anywhere for the productive work. Even there is no drastic
change in their life style except the time they could have drunk. What to say
it about??? It is what their minds say, they have been doing. They keep
themselves fed and were coming for Dashain festival. It may be taken as one of
the positives among multiple negatives.
One of the incidents at
Tallo Dungeshwore touched me a lot. A woman with bare feet in the scorching sun
waiting for the customers for the selling of her cucumbers, this pathetic
situation made me think about those great planners at National Planning
Commission, the Chamber and Commerce, local NGOs and INGOs who could have
facilitate in her in selling. She was just waiting as if someone is “Waiting
for Goddot.” What she could have done, nobody bought her cucumbers? How she
could have managed to celebrate Dashain?
After encountering all
these, I came to realize that it is the mentality that charatcterizes who you
are. It is the mentality who you will be identified by. It is the mentality
that caused what you are performing. So,
the mentality makes man. Mentality makes a man successful. Mentality makes man
unsuccessful. The success and unsuccess of people, in fact depends wholly on
how people think and how they act or react over things in and around them. The
poverty and richness of an individual greatly relies on the mentality. How s/he
acts is greatly caused by what and how they think, and feel. Those, who work
outside Nepal have to think at least about their family, family’s peace, and
pleasure to achieve and problems to solve. No problem, if they don’t think
about their nation and its development.
Human development
indicators depend on they think and how they act i.e. mentality. How people
think is guided by what is there in mind. Mind is the destiny of man. How one
utilizes or mobilizes the mind characterizes people civilized or barbarous. It
is unfortunate that those working manpower in foreign land as laboueres have
been too much overloaded by their servitude mentality. Most of them were
noticed to be over-drunk. I think there have been lots of hidden realties
behind. Where is the change in their
social behavior? Why are not people aware of their own? Why can’t they think in a positive manner?
Why can’t they think saying, “I can?” Most importantly why can’t they change
their mentality?
According to 21st
century prominent philosopher, Gayatri Chakravarti Spivak, people have to be
trained their imagination. The training to the imagination is a difficult
enterprise. It needs decades to change
their mentality with the campaigns of literacy and such. Until they change
their mentality, they cannot have any progress. Though progress and regress are
not directly related to the mind but it has a lot to do in connection to
people’s peace and progress, pleasure and prosperity. In fact, human prosperity
lies at the heart of their mentality. One must be trained to his/her
imagination to improve the life style one has been earning. Mentality makes the
progress. Mentality derives us towards regress. Problems begin with mentality,
upbringing, social status, intuition, assumptions, beliefs, and viewpoints. Let’s
train our imagination. Let’s change our mentality. Let’s change in our
behavior. Let’s learn the courteous way how we behave. Let’s learn the
socialized way to talk and walk, act and react.
The writer can be reached at: yogijikrishna@gmail.com Or yogi_krishna06@yahoo.co.uk Please follow the blog: www.digitaldisk.blogspot.com where you can find his
creations.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Acquiring Wisdom and Our Education
By Krishna Kumar
Yogi
Acquiring
wisdom is a difficult enterprise where one needs to have critical minds and
critical eyes. Does our education facilitate to acquire wisdom? Does our
education aim for that? Does our education focus on quality or quantity? These are
some of the Yakshya questions prevailing in the education system of Nepal. We
need to evaluate whether our education proves to be useful in this light.
Wisdom
keeps us in freedom and helps us to live free life where there are the seeds of
peace, pleasure, prosperity and progress. It is always upright in
direction. In this sense, acquiring
knowledge is different than that of acquiring wisdom. In this connection, we
have two words to analyze namely, study and observation. Study and observation
should go hand in hand as a part of teaching learning activities. Our context,
circumstances, mentality, orientation, situationalities are often found to be
adversary in teaching learning enterprise. Most importantly, we need to take
into account thinking deeply if we are able to distinguish between study and
observation. Problems lie there as well. Study is limited to how to know or
process of gaining knowledge which lacks the strong foundation for preparation
of life. Wisdom lies perhaps on the top most level of hierarchy of teaching
learning activities that provide more than the essentialities for life.
Education
depends solely on teaching learning activities. It is said that education has
to liberalize an individual. Have we ever evaluated or sought answers, why our
education hasn’t been successful to liberate people? This is the foremost
question everyone has to ponder into. It seems bitter the stark reality to
everyone, i.e. students are neither found to be acquiring some basic skills to
run life nor are they prepared in life regarding what is to be done further. In
difficult juncture of life they lack the life skills to save, secure and
protect their future.
Instead,
unfortunately our education has enslaved us. We are one way or other the slaves
of education, educational system because it is guided by conventional culture
and customs, religions and priory knowledge. Sometimes we are the slaves of
emotionality, sentiments and sometimes the social codes and conducts and the society
itself through which students are enslaved. There are many instances be noticed
where educated individuals are the victims of enslavement, servitude, narrow-mindedness
and the like. This enslavement is a true enemy of education and wisdom. The new
ways of servitude are introduced nowadays such as slavery of technology,
political ideology, philosophy, bookish knowledge, old knowledge, culture,
religion, stereotypes, profession, vocation, occupation and so on.
We have ever been chained. We are chained in
every respect whoever we are, whatever we do and so on. The difference is
somebody could be chained by iron or somebody by gold handcuff. Whatever sorts of chain it is, chain is
chain.
Students
are enslaved themselves with the prescribed books, they can’t go beyond them. Students
of technology are chained by technology. Even science students can’t go beyond
their syllabus. The same thing happens for everyone else though they are the
exceptions. Teachers are enslaved by their old knowledge because they are not
free from “the known”. This tendency is
a true enemy to their attainment of wisdom. Parents are enslaved by their
ancestry, their heritages, their culture, their languages and their
legacies. These demarcating lines are
obstacles. We are unfortunate, and coward in this case. We never dare to know
and observe. What is the value of our education, then? What is the function of
education?
In
the name of knowledge, we are knowingly or unknowingly appreciating the
illusory face of knowledge which is terrible and horrible in nature. If we are
not able to distinguish and appreciate the true knowledge, we are no more
successful in our mission. Here Stephen Hawking’s saying is commendable. “The
greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”
I think it is better to check ourselves on those very lenses. How much we have
learnt throughout our life is to be testified whether we are still living in
the illusionary face of knowledge. Have we realized the true nature of
knowledge? Have we been able to differentiate between ‘what is true to reality’
or ‘the mirage of knowledge’? Have we ever been able to see the things in and
around us as they are? What about our skills of observing, detecting, seeing
and noticing and analyzing?
Our
goal of education should not be limited to just knowing. It should focus on
understanding and observing. Einstein’s ideas can be meaningful to cite over
here as he states, ‘Every fool knows but the question is to understand.’
Understanding counts much more than anything else in life. The social,
cultural, national, international, spiritual, and emotional and many other
issues have been connected in life which is the parts of understanding. Perhaps
he could have thought understanding means to be practical where one explores
him/herself, discovers him/herself realizing their potentialities. Why these aspects disregarded? With the
passage of time, there are more challenges are added to our education. Since
everywhere the waves of change occur. Our education and education system should
clear the Illusion. Every stockholder should be responsible for that where
students of today should be good man and useful citizens for tomorrow. Education
in general should help making us better, greater, creative and responsible.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Dailekh: Our Identity Our Pride
-Krishna Kumar Yogi
As Patricia Briggs stated in her Cry Wolf, ‘Identity was partly heritages,
partly upbringing, but mostly the choices you can make in life.’ Of course, there is the role of every petty
thing in the formation of an individual’s identity. What we inherit makes our
identity, how we have been brought up has a share for our identity and our ‘will
to power ‘also has a much to do in an integrated process of identity formation.
Identity formation is simple and complex both. Writers create their
identities devoting their entire life, dancers amuse the audience, and singers
touch the heart and minds of people and remain in the process of identity
formation. Through their performance they create their identity.
Preserving identity is preserving dignity. So, if we intend to preserve
the dignity let’s preserve our identity and history and heritages that we are
with. Our district history is no more written/documented/inscribed in a history
book. Therefore remembering a saying by one of the writers before I can say I
am, I was. Why not to keep our history intact? Why not to focus the past? Past
heralds the future. If we prioritize the past and protect it, and do
accordingly the future generations will learn and thank us for our wonderful
deeds. Otherwise, they will curse us always.
The identity and (un)success of the upcoming generation go hand in hand.
On time, let’s activate ourselves and preserve, promote, conserve and disclose
our heritages, history, archeology and religiosity along with sacred pilgrimages
amazing fire blazing temples available in Dailekh district. Our district is to
be shown to others. Our present outstanding task introduces our district. We
must show ‘who we are’ and ‘how we perform’ and so on.
The questions like ‘who we are,’ ‘how are we indentified’ among people in
and around us and ‘how we work is’ make our identity. Everyone struggles for
identity making in one or other way. The whole or sole objective of people’s
life is directed towards the formation of identity. Why not to initiate? It is
one of the realities of life among the infinite ones in our surrounding. Our delay
doing is decay doing in this mission. Let’s change our mentality on time.
The dynamic and changing nature of life teaches us to perceive life as a
process of attainment, achievement and affection as psychologists say. Through
these all, we are trying to form the garland of identity which introduces us
among many unfamiliar faces, heterogeneous heads. Whatsoever the hardships come
on the highway of life, we combat or leave them and learn the lesson from these
difficult circumstances. Therefore, life is more than what we think rather it
is how we live, learn, enjoy and entertain. Along with amusing aspects of life,
suffering, pains and perils can be met on the highway of life.
To ensure for better highway of Dailekhi people’s life, through this
article, I would like to appeal to everyone let’s (re)make our identity because
it is our pride. It is our dignity. It is our history and heritage. It is our
soul and life both and what not? Thinking the history of Dailekh inextricably
linked to identity of Dailekh district and Dailekhi people. Our identity is
mostly the choices that we make in life. As Mary Pipher envisions further- If
you don’t know your history, if you don’t know your family, who are you? It
sounds not that much good for politicians, intellectuals, businesspersons and
everyone who share this land of Dailekh not knowing their own origin, history,
heritage and ancestry. For that cause, let’s do something concrete and positive
to protect and promote our history, heritages and to enlarge and disseminate
about them as much as possible nationally and internationally.
Published on: Dhamaka Daily Dailekh, 2067-05-23.
It is also available on: http://dhamakadaily.com/news/?cat=8
It is also available on: http://dhamakadaily.com/news/?cat=8
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Perils of Humanity
Recent Picture of Humanity
Humanity is a special feature qualifying
someone as human. Humanity is not anything far away from mankind, it is what
within them. The definition of humanity given in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
is: “Human beings collectively; the human race; people or being humane;
kind-heartedness” (Hornby 608). So, this definition emphasizes on the
collectiveness of becoming human or becoming mankind. It also envisions
'humans' as merciful creatures that kind-heartedness is the characteristics
trait of human beings which most of the animals lack. According to the
Dictionary of Philosophy humanity is, “The quality of being human or the
quality of being humane, kindness, benevolence; beneficence” (Mautner194).
So, humanity embodies the underlying
features that meet the requirements as human. Probably, it may focus and
differentiate human with animals available in our surrounding. Humans characterize
themselves with politeness, sympathy, love and affection that are called human virtues.
Obviously, this definition could term human as somebody with a loving heart,
and who is full of virtues. Lacking the demon
and animalistic instinct is another quality of human.
A clearly distinguishing feature that separates
humans from other species is their orientation to others. It means humans
necessarily do not live for them rather they live for others where humanity
echoes. People like Buddha, Socrates have
compassion, tenderness and feelings for others. Their sharing and caring nature
pushes the cycle of the mankind world wheels ahead. It means humans are
philanthropic in their life activities. In this regard, we can say that living
for others is humanity. Living in its own is not humanity, it’s mere animality
which portrays the present picture of humanity in the entire world. It is a theoretical
glass on humanity. In this essay, I will try to explain the present situation
of humanity, its diverse understanding and practice in the life of today’s man.
What is the real face of humanity then? Let
us pragmatically goggle at the changing face of humanity in Nepal
In the name of humanity, bad attitudes like cruelty,
disloyalty, injustice, falsity are dominating human beings. Human beings are
found to be killers, murderers, and criminals which never suit them. This
reflects the lack of values, better culture with sense of responsibility and
discipline in life. As a result, humanity is going through trauma and troublesome,
ignorance and ineducation, disease and depression, storms and stress. In this
way, struggling with deprivations humanity transfers vices and bad attitudes to
the upcoming generation.
Generations and generations will suffer as humanity
shifts its genuine ground and woefully departs
from us. Looking at present scenario, to be human is to have no sympathy
and kindness in people. It is all negative for the progress and prosperity of
human development. The time defines humanity is to be more self-centered,
self-seeking, egoistic, ego-centric, individualistic, unhelpful, unsympathetic
and so on. Can humanity get regarded then? Insanity humanity embodies is: war. Paradoxically, humanity is war
creator, a violent raiser. It is generating the clashes and conflicts,
confrontation and riots. It is how no peace is felt neither in the North and no
humanity is safe in South, the complete West is wasting its time and money in
wars and no any pacifism practiced in the
East. In the name of First world and Third world we are fighting within
ourselves. We are further fighting in the name of superiority and inferiority,
religion and race, modernization and industrialization, ideology and politics
The road to humanity is hazy, where humanity means
wrong-doing, it means to involve in arson, to vandalize the public properties
and become the miscreants. Day by day we are adding new adjectives to refer to
humanity. Furthermore now in reality, humanity
means full of injustice, inequalities, malpractices, horrors, deep anxiety,
political oppression, suppression, lack of values, culture, feelings, social
disintegration, sentiments, etc. The problem may have come as “ ...that humanity is not an
object. It is nothing but a fiction” (53 Tolstoy). Maybe people are not that
much aware about the degrading state of humanity because they could not notice
any significant changes with the ever lowering rung of humanity.
The emerging dimension of humanity is non-law abiding
nature in humans which is also an anarchical condition. To some extent, the
present state of humanity is something like the total absence of humanity where
nobody regards nobody, just take an instance of father and son. So degradingly,
humanity is to have and get a non-justifiable practice that leads the whole world
as the hell. Inferring on the down-fall of humanity, Gandhi claims “The
things that will destroy us are: politics without principle; pleasure without
conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without
morality; science without humanity; and worship without sacrifice” (Gandhi 2). Gandhi could have thought that
there is not a proper balance maintained between science and humanity. One
thing greatly visible is: human progress has given unnecessarily importance to
science and scientific innovations even taking humanity at risk. In Gandhian
view, political leaders without principles, money making tendency through any
means, are liable for the bitter picture of humanity, a few to indicate. So, it is the consequence: the degrading state
of humanity.
As a recent form
of humanity, war comes itself as a killer. Either religious, political,
cultural or social wars or wars such as national, international, local whatever
sort of do nothing good to nobody. Only the benefit goes to arms and ammunition
factories of developed countries. Thus, wars causing a huge number of deaths
and massive loss of property should be stopped soon to keep the further road of
humanity intact. Philosophers like Kant claims, it is only possible if humanity
is treated as “kingdom of ends.” They believe humanity as a supreme goal for
everyone lifting ourselves from excessive nationalism, extreme
self-centeredness, self-seeking behaviour, egoistic nature, ego-centric
individualism, unhelpful, heartless or unsympathetic tendency.
Helen Keller’s
following lines matter a lot to us which are not mere suggestive in tone but also
picturizes the war raged society: Strike against war, for without you no
battles can be fought. ... Be not dumb, obedient slaves in an army of
destruction. Be heroes in an army of construction (Keller 5).
Helen probably
wants change in the presence of absence and absence of presence. She requests
and calls us humbly for standing ourselves against wars, murders, preparedness
and a destructive agent. Every human should be derived by the spirit of preserving
the seed of humanity. It can be done changing
ourselves the army of construction.
Those humans who involve in war or violence (war
supremo or violence maestro) should not forget the fact that it benefits no
one. The history is a witness of ancient wars in
between Greeks and Trojans, the World War I and II that had proved the futility
of war. Whoever is declared to be the winner or losers, no winner is a real
winner but he loses instead. War victors never win the heart of people whose
family members have been killed. Do we want to invite and enjoy or discard the
terrible war in human form? It is an option for all we humans either you follow Buddha or a bomb.
Let us direct ourselves for the welfare of humanity, “The
sole meaning of life is to serve humanity by contributing to the establishment
of the kingdom of
God God
Humanity though defined differently by different
philosophers and scholars as having
competency, courage, generosity, decency and humane qualities. Unfortunately,
the mankind has forgotten the virtues and learnt the qualities of other
extremes that have defamed greatness of so called civilized humanity.
Presently, humanity is changing its focus and locus and turning to be worse and
worse. But we should not forget
Einstein saying, we cannot despair of humanity, since we
ourselves are human beings. Thus,
we must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an
ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty
as optimistically Gandhi maintains.
Works
Cited
Famous Quotes of Gandhi. Web July 26. <http://www.snvoakland.org/gandhiquotes.pdf>.
Hornby, A. S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Ed. A.
P. Cowie. New York , Calcutta
Oxford University Press. 1989.
Keller, Helen. Strike Against War. New York
<http://thespeechsite.com/en/famous/HelenKeller-1.pdf>.
Mautner, Thomas. A Dictionary
of Philosophy. Blackwell Publishers Inc. Cambridge
Tolstoy, Leo. The Kingdom of God
<http://aren.org/prison/documents/religion/Misc/The%20Kingdom%20of%20God%20is%20Within%20You--Tolstoy.pdf>.
Perpetual Search for Interdependence
Interdependence
Independence keeps u(s) free and in progression
Dependence drives u(s) towards darkness and regression
Independence makes u(s) realize who we are much
But dependence locks u(s) up for slavery and servitude
Therefore, let u(s) search a way in-between
which is neither of the extremes... i.e. a middle way...
a Buddha's way... which is:
Interdependence where everyone finds with everyone,
Therefore, let u(s) search a way in-between
which is neither of the extremes... i.e. a middle way...
a Buddha's way... which is:
Interdependence where everyone finds with everyone,
where everyone identifies with everyone's presence....
Krishna Kumar Yogi
Kathmandu, Nepal
Krishna Kumar Yogi
Kathmandu, Nepal
Saturday, January 28, 2012
A Poem Dedicated to Goddess Sophia
Context: Basant Panchami, 2068
Goddess Saraswati
Children, we all ourselves are committed to You, Devi (Goddess of knowledge)
Unconditionally we pray You,
Shower us with an eternal knowledge !
Unconditionally we pray You,
Shower us with an eternal knowledge !
Lightening ourselves vibrantly
With ‘the light of love’
Without fraudulence in heart at all,
Bearing the sense of ‘Bhakti’ (devotion),
Now, unconditionally we pray You.
Children, we all ourselves are committed to You, Devi (Goddess of knowledge)………………
Sublimating our life
With the gems of truth, non-violence, service and love
Go, we forward singing,
On ‘the touchstone of discipline’,
Children, we all ourselves are committed to You, Devi (Goddess of knowledge)………………
Maintaining our pride
With our language, dress up and religion of our own
Serve, we tirelessly to our motherland,
Harmonizing among us: with the sense of oneness,
Children, we all ourselves are committed to You, Devi (Goddess of knowledge)………………
Flagging the commitment this includes
Focusing on Humanity, Spirituality, and culture of our own
Pray, we for tremendous power,
Offering ourselves whole heartedly into,
Children, we all ourselves are committed to You, Devi (Goddess of knowledge)………………
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