I have encountared death from near, as near as you about to kiss your partner. And, many times. The only difference; the closeness with death is cold and chilling whereas that with your partner, I bet would be warm and appealing. Every death encounter is thrilling to me. However, the aftermath is always sweet. At gloomy times, such death meetings have played a positive role in my life. At the moment, when life seemed complicated, if the earth shook, I would definitely run out to save my life. There would be a contrast before and after the shock. Later, I have often realised life is beautiful.

When I was five, I lived with my grand parents in a countryside. I was as greedy and stubborn as I am today. I wanted to drive the oxen while ploughing the field. Though I was praised by fupa, grandpa that I turn the oxen dextrously, he denied to let me work as the dusk was near and the field-ploughing was yet to be completed. Then I burst into anger and left the field. A maternal uncle who was of 13, followed me maintaining at least five meters. I went down to the river and sat on a medium sized stone with my hands on my chins, wrinkled forehead and burning cheeks. That uncle of mine, undressed, looked into my face and into the waterfall, and he vanished. After few minutes of silence (not complete silence as the waterfall and the river were howling), I heard a human yell! I looked at the direction of the yellings, I saw that uncle of mine, completely naked, jumping down the waterfall!!! Splash! on the pool beneath. I got angrier as the water splashed wet me. I wanted to beat him. So, even without undressing, I jumped into the pool. Ops! I did not know swiming. I got drowned for few seconds, but the uncle of mine rescued me. I did not fall unconcious, but I had drank the cold sandy water which I puked later.

The moment before drowning, while drowning and after drowning were important phases to me. Before, I was furious, drowning was the moment my mind went blank, no feeling besides fear of loosing breathe. Aftermath, was dramatic. I huged my uncle. I felt guilt for loosing my mind. I felt thankful to my uncle who later taught me to jump down the waterfall naked and fearlessly!

Introduction

Social Inclusion has become one of the challenges for Sustainable Development in many parts of the world. To have sustainable development in a locality where social exclusion and injustice exist is near to impossible. In recent decades a central theme of many countries’ government policy has been a commitment to promote social inclusion and bring indigenously, geographically, ethnically, culturally and traditionally disadvantaged groups back into mainstream society. Efforts have also been made to integrate social progress objectives into the country’s approach to sustainable development.

Terminology

‘Sustainable Development’ is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future to meet its needs. (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

‘Social integration’ is one of a constellation of “social” terms that is being used widely in contemporary policy development to describe concepts whose aim (as stated by the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action) is to foster societies that are stable, safe, just and tolerant, and respect diversity, equality of opportunity and participation of all people.  Other terms that often invoked in support of this goal are “social inclusion”, “social cohesion” and “social capital”.  (Jeannotte, 2008)

In other words, ‘social inclusion’ is the provision of certain rights to all individuals and groups in society, such as employment, adequate housing, health care, education and training, etc.

Global Concern

‘Social inclusion’ is one of the seven key challenges of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS). The strategy sets out the objective of creating a socially inclusive society by taking into account solidarity between and within generations and to secure and increase the quality of life of citizens as a precondition for lasting individual well-being.

In a briefing paper prepared in 1994 for the World Summit for Social Development, the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) noted that “In each context, there is a pattern of social integration, or network of social relations and institutions, regulated by specific ideas concerning what is right and wrong, which bind people to one another under certain conditions.” (UNRISD, 1994: n.p.)

Even MDGs targets are closely linked with EU’s Social Inclusion Agenda.

Local Concern

Social inclusion aims social justice of socially excluded groups. Social exclusion is the structural problem in terms of access to public services and the development opportunities and the others. Government of Nepal has been making various efforts to solve it. Some policies, strategies and guidelines are prepared.

The Tenth Development Plan of Nepal (2002-2007) identified dimension of social exclusion by caste and ethnicity, gender, and geographical location and lays out inclusive policy in order to address social exclusion. It gives particular attention to mainstream very poor and deprived communities and backward regions into development. But there is big gap in implementation.

Social Exclusion

To understand the essence of social inclusion for sustainable development we ought to first understand the limitations created by social exclusion. Social exclusion can be referred as social perception and economic, social and political structures related to gender, caste, ethnicity and religion put their limits to the participation and opportunities in development. People from so called untouchable community (eg. Pode, Kami) are treated as impure in the ritual functions by so called higher caste people (eg. Brahmin, Chhettri).  Women from Muslim community are not allowed to open their veil in front of outsiders and take part in public meetings. People from vulnerable topographic location like Karnali, Humla, Jumla are deprived of food, education, health facilities and other needs. News like “Diarrhoea death toll in Jajarkot reaches 153” had been shameful headlines of Newspapers in 2009 in Nepal.

Thus, social exclusion is a state where individuals, groups or society as a whole are fully or partially excluded from their participation in the community where they live. It prevents them from voicing for their legitimate rights. It keeps certain individual, group or people far from the development mainstream.

Conclusion

Although social inclusion for sustainable development is regarded as a boon, a society may experience conflicts. Will Kymlicka, a Canadian scholar, has suggested that a too-rapid introduction of liberal multiculturalism policies (or “interculturalism” or “diversity policies” as others prefer to call them) may carry the risk of destabilization.  He notes that “… liberal multiculturalism is easier to adopt where liberal democracy is already well established, and where the rule of law and human rights are well protected.  In countries where these basic foundations of liberal democracy are not yet present or consolidated, some level of democratization and liberalization may be needed before it makes sense to push for the full implementation of liberal multiculturalism.” According to him, international organizations must sometimes strike a delicate balance between justice for ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples and security fears about the destabilizing effects of ethnic politics on democracy and development. (Kymlicka, 2007:19)

A British researcher, Jake Chapman has described social integration falls into a class of policy problems as “messes”. In his book, System Failure: Why governments must learn to think differently, he characterizes policy “messes” this way: messes are characterised by no clear agreement about exactly what the problem is and by uncertainty and ambiguity as to how improvements might be made, and they are unbounded in terms of the time and resources they could absorb, the scope of enquiry needed to understand and resolve them and the number of people that may need to be involved. (Chapman, 2002: 27)

In Nepal as well, policy makers are facing a huge problem in implementation of social inclusion of Madhesis, Dalits, Janajatis, Adibasis, Kamaiyas, Badis and other deprived groups in developmental endeavours. Socially excluded groups are raising their voices for special provisions and privileges for them. Social inclusion for development has become a ‘political’ agenda more than ‘social’ one because it is an Ace for politicians to grab attention of voters. Nevertheless, liberal multiculturalism policies can contribute to freedom, equality and democracy if policy makers understand the context where they are being introduced. Like Kymlicka says, “… the underlying conditions, the nature of the ethnic groups involved, and the types of policies being considered.”

References

Eames, M., & Adebowale, M. (2002). Sustainable development and social inclusion. York, UK: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

GeMSIP. (2009). Gender mainstreaming and social inclusion. Kathmandu: GeMSIP.

Jeannotte, M. S. (2008). Promoting social integration – A brief examination of concepts. Helsinki, Finland.

Kabeer, N. (2006, March). Social exclusion and the MDGs:the challenge of ‘durable inequalities’ in the Asian context. Brighton: Institute of Development Studies.

Kymlicka, Will. (2007).  Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International

Politics of Diversity.  Oxford University Press.

Chapman, Jake. (2002). System Failure: Why governments must learn to think differently.  London

these anxieties
drive us crazy
crazy and insane
but,
to be a wet blanket
and sink in the fathomless
fathomless turbid of anxiety
is tht a justice
justice to ourselves?

That I haven’t sang a love song

Baby when things go wrong

you pop in my head like TING TONG!

When every hour get sour

You stand beside me like a flower

You never let me feel sad

You rescue me from being mad

Darling I love you

These feelings of mine are so true

In your absence and silence

I sense cold loneliness

In your arrival

I only find time as my rival

24/7 I wanna hold your hand

And Stand on the bank’s sand…

The couple moved earlier from their house. The time mentioned in the invitation card was 5:30 pm. But, who would go on time in  a party? Generally the party would not have started by then. So, they hung around. Atimsa insisted Murkha Bahadur to stop their car near Thapathali. It was a no parking region. But, Murkha Bahadur could not deny. So, he parked. Atimsa asked him to get “mitha paan”. Atimsa adored the smell of Paan. Murkha Bahadur, had a clue that she had cold. But, he could not deny again. Hesitating for not being able to say NO, he ran to a ‘Paan Pasal’ and asked the keeper to prepare a ‘mitho mitha paan’.

Atimsa opened the pack of paan with a big smile on her face. Murkha Bahadur got so happy inside to see his woman at that state of happiness. He felt his woman could be happy by a ‘paan’ unlike other women who needed a Diamond Necklace! Atimsa took her first bite of paan and said,  ”It smells so good, do you also want to have?”

“No thank you”

Murkha Bahadur didn’t like paan before he met Atimsa. He had a nausea with it. He hated some of his co-workers who took paan and spitted it all over the staircase and corners of the elevator. But, he didn’t dislike Atimsa taking paan. She took it so deliciously and she never spitted so untidily.

They parked their car in a mall nearby to the party venue. Murkha Bahadur asked Atimsa if he called their friends and confirmed for their arrival. But, Atimsa said, “Lets walk for a while”. Murkha Bahadur, agreed as he always loved walking with Atimsa. Three years back, when they first met. Murkha Bahadur offered a dinner for Atimsa. But, she politely denied. They had walked for a couple of hours in the evening street.

Atimsa had told Murkha Bahadur that she was not much familiar to that place. But, she was leading him on the street. They were walking hand on hand. After a five minutes walk, Murkha Bahadur realized why Atimsa was willing to walk that part of the street!

(to be continued…)

Gracias Amiga
For all those ‘magnifico’ moments
Lo Siento Amiga
For all those scars I gave in return
Te Amo Amiga
Though I don’t know how to ‘Amor’

Yesterday, I had a lousy day. A little bit of revision of Ecology for the exam on coming Sunday, there after playing with cell phone; expecting some calls and sms. Finally Narayan called and went to meet him. We were planning to see a friend’s father who was hospitalized for cardiac operation. On the way we entered to the Naan restaurant at Gairidhara; that used to be our usual place to eat during A levels some eight years down the line. We used to grab Nepal Yatayat from Maharajgunj and go to that Naan place in Gairidhara. As usual it was crowded. We ordered Keema Naan and Sekuwa. After a long time we were having Naan and Sekuwa there. That used to be one of my favourite places to eat. But, today I disliked the food quality there. I could not eat well. I felt puking the oily Naan. Yes, time is dynamic. Our perceptions change with time. That is what I realized. We also vowed not to eat there again!

We entered the hospital, Saheed Gangalal Hridaya Kendra, Bansbari is one of the well managed hospital that I’ve seen in Nepal. The water sprinkled out of the huge fountain, the trees around, the clean road are really praise worthy. As we entered the Surgical General Ward, we saw patients sprawled on their beds. They looked so pale. I felt a chilling cold running down my veins. I feel sick inside hospitals. As I started estimating the surgical cost, the ward cost, my head got heavy. I began asking to myself, what if I fall sick, so sick that I need to be admitted? I do not have bank balance. Perhaps, I will sell my motorbike, I thought and smiled to myself. Since, then I started thinking and thinking and THINKING! How long it will take for me to be established? To start earning handsome money? To get married and have two sweet children? To own a small house and a car; may be a REVA electric car?

But while thinking, I realized one thing. Why am I worried a lot about future? Why am I already gathering wools for my retired life in 60s? Aren’t I being impractical and superficial? Then and there the monologue does not end. It continues, so what should I do? Plan for my thesis? plan events? plan for Book Club? Plan plan plan…. NO a final conclusion comes hereby. I gotta sleep NOW and wake up tomorrow and revise for EXAMS on Sunday!

Good Night (in this early morning?)!!!

This New Year’s Resolutions : be productive! study more! be more proactive! be pragmatic!

To bring a change in ones habit is complicated. But, I tried to change mine. I woke up early in the morning. Although, it was facebook which I first logged on to to see if someone had emailed me or written on my wall or commented in  my latest pictures…I didn’t hang up for long. I got up from my bed, stretched the bed-sheet, folded the quilts, wore trousers, jacket, socks, shoes and climbed down the stairs of my house.

I jugged uphill, beside the ring road, by the basketball court, the church, the schools, the temples, the soccer ground, the residential areas, the park and the department stores. I ran for one hour and walked for another one hour fifteen minutes. I did it after a long time. So, I felt the pressure on my ankles. Instead of running I started walking because my right feet started paining.

Today, a lot of flashbacks came. First, I missed my childhood when we used to go running in early morning around Tahachal, Chauni, Swayambhu and return home in a group of eight to ten. Second, when I saw five guys playing basketball, I missed my hostel days. The Guru used to bang our door “Oee kta ho uth, yeti bela samma suth chas, uth uth uth, ma Rangasala bata daudera aisake, alchi haru…chito uthera ready hu…” we used to hate him for waking up that early, in the middle of our dreams he arrived like nightmare; that is what we thought. Lazily we used to come out, wash faces and wore tracksuit. Thereafter jog or atleast act like jogging around the basketball courts. It was not easy, we weren’t allowed to touch the ball, we had to warm up, do PTs. Lastly, he would let us play for fifteen minutes after forty five minutes exercise! I had met him five years back at Bhotahiti. He was on a bike, drunk, he introduced me to a national athlete and flattered me; “Bijay was my favourite boy”. Thereafter, I have not seen him.

As, I kept running I remembered the movie Foreste Gump for a while. A Roman Catholic Church was on my left. I gave a glance and remembered the first and the last time I had entered in there. It was with my classmate Raja, who was in the brotherhood. May be he is serving in one of the schools of St. Xaviers. He was a spiritual guy but ground-based at the same time. I also missed him.

Thereafter I reached by a pipal, banyan tree. I saw a milkman selling DDC milk packets standing by the roadside. This reminded me of small Vijay every morning at 7 running from Kalimati, going around a Ganesh temple for three times, running again till he reached infront the gate of Mahendra Ratna Campus, Tahachal where a milk man selling DDC milk packets standing by the roadside with about ten crates of milk gave him a packet for seven rupees. Now, due to the inflation, the price has increased by 100 % or even more. I went to fish my wallet, because I wanted to buy a packet of milk, but I realized, I had not carried my wallet and my cell phone!

After few minutes of standing and observing the man, I resumed my walk. I was missing something. Something besides my wallet and cell phone, I tried harder to remember… EUREKA!!! SHADOWS. The sun was not so bright so I could not see any shadows. I missed the shadows which I enjoyed walking down the street…

...the shadows which I missed while walking down the street...

What is facebook doing? Or what are we doing in facebook? Are we limiting our own world? Do we have real friends (although we might have hundreds of people in our friends list)? Aren’t we making our personal life public? One of the girls in my faceb had ‘relationship status’ ‘single’ till December 25, after the Christmas, it became ‘complicated’, on December 30 it became ‘in relationship with’ and on the new year day it was ‘complicated’, now it is ‘Single’

Facebook is awesome!

Who would visit my blog? Would anyone read my blog and comment on it? This thought had come while launching this blog and sometimes it does while I am blogging. But, I blog for myself. No matter others visit my blog or not, I surely will!

I do not know why I wake up in midnights like this. I hate to wake up. Dreaming is better than scratching head like this. However, if I tried sleeping I would end up turning my ass from one side to another, so I prefer typing here to turning my butts.

Besides blogging here, I am also facebooking. Facebook has become an important virtual world of mine. It is fun to change status, comment on others’ status, photos, notes, etc… Mark Zuckerberg is an innovative guy to develop such social network.

Initially I reckoned facebook as similar to hi5 or myspace, but we can do a lot in facebook. Its privacy maintainance, games, social interview, profile uploads, pictures, etc.. are  cool features.

I have a hectic day tomorrow, tomorrow is deadline to submit piles of assignment. I do not know, how I gonna write about 8-9 thousand words; TWO TERM PAPERS, ONE REPORT-300o words.

It is already late, no matter what, I gotta try sleeping. If I could not; BLOGGING is always there.

Good Night till then!