Kathmandu Traffic Police's campaign against drunk driving: Nipping a problem in the bud

I was recently visiting Kathmandu, it was the height of the festive season (the time of Deepawali). One evening, I met old friends from school, the clock was getting closer to half past 8 and slowly the restaurant started to empty out, I guess it was a mix of the outdoor venue, the cold weather, and the famous "Ma Pa Se" that had this effect.

*Ma Pa Se stands for Madak Padartha Sewan, or consuming intoxicating substance. 

I had heard a lot of "Ma Pa Se" and read about it on myriad news websites, blogs and the morning radio stream from Nepal that I listened to.

Anyway, the clock ticked to 9 PM and instead of our customary "daaru" we decided to head back to our respective homes, I think it was a mix of the 6 years of wisdom (read getting old) since we had last had our "daaru" together, families and children waiting back home and the fact that it was getting cold, I don't know for my friends, but for me, traveling from 35 deg C to 5 deg C was surely making me feel cold.

While we were wrapping up, there wasn't even a mention of "Ma Pa Se" between us.

I dropped one of my friends at Koteshwor, and another at Lazimpat, and by the time I was heading back to my own abode, clock had ticked past 9:30 and the "Ma Pa Se (checking)" was in full swing. At a traffic police picket I could clearly see more than a dozen motor bikes stopped, with no riders on board, on the pavement sat 2 blokes, most likely in their late teens with their heads in the hand and another one p***ing behind them, I also saw a young lady, about the same age, or maybe a couple of years older arguing with the traffic police sergeant there. 

As I got closer, I was flagged to slow down and stop, I complied (remember I had drank no "daaru" at all), rolled down my window. The traffic cop looked at me, and respectfully asked me, "Sir kata bata aundai hununcha? [Sir - where are you coming from]" my response was I am heading back home after dropping off a few friends to their homes, what he asked me was, I suppose the routine question, "Sir le drink garnu bha ko ho? [Sir - have you had any drink?]" my response, with a simple smile was "No", he looked at me (I was thinking to my self, any cop who asks have you drank (alcohol) is bound to get 'No' for an answer), I guess he was satisfied with my response and also the fact that I had not drank any alcohol, he just flagged me on.

I had not even driven 10 meters ahead that another cop asked me to stop, I did so. And a senior official from the group came up to me, said he wanted to have a word with me, he looked into the car and asked me where was I headed, I told him New Baneshwor, and
then asked me something that just bewildered me "Could you drop this young lady (term used - sister) on your way, she lives in Tripureshwor" I was amazed at his request.

I asked him why, and he said that her boyfriend was completely drunk and has been puking for the past 15 minutes (the guy with his face in the drain I saw earlier), I couldn't help but ask him, why me? His response was I looked like a decent person, and that there were no taxis available. I said, OK...

She got into the car and I drove on, I could get a whiff of alcohol from her, in the empty streets, it took me less than 5 minutes to arrive in Tripureshwor and I asked here where does she stay, she said behind the Dashrath stadium I went that way and she asked me to stop at a dark blue gate, I stopped at the gate, she said "Thank you (still trying to act sober) and no sooner that she got out, the gate opened and perhaps it was her mother who came to receive her, at first her mother looked relieved, then looked at me with a very strange look, and I guess by then realized that her daughter was drunk I suppose she asked her if she was.

The gate closed, I turned my car around and headed home...



OK, now why am I writing this right now? The reason is I just read this piece of news: In fight against drunk driving, traffic police emerge as victor http://www.ekantipur.com/2012/12/04/capital/in-fight-against-drunk-driving-traffic-police-emerge-as-victor/363582.html; and this story just came back to me...

My comment: It is my firm belief that the traffic police in Nepal have for once, nipped a problem in the bud, and they are continuing to nip the problem every day. By stopping and removing an intoxicated person from behind a wheel, they are making the Kathmandu roads safer.

Good work Kathmandu Traffic Police!

Want sparkling white teeth? Use the bandhar chhap kaala danta manjan

For the non-Hindi readers, the "Bandar Chhap Kaala Danta Manjan" translates into "Monkey Brand Black Teeth (rubbing) Powder"

I will take the liberty and conclude that the Black Teeth (rubbing) Powder is nothing but good old charcoal.

Read at your own risk, practice what you read at your own peril!!!

You've been warned ;-)

Teeth

Nothing brightens or whitens teeth like Carbon.

In order to use Carbon on your teeth, place a small amount of toothpaste on the toothbrush and dip it in some Carbon. Then just add just a little bit of water and begin to brush. Don't be frightened by the black messy substance in your mouth, this process will result in clean and bright teeth.

Carbon is an effective way to remove acidic plaque from the teeth. It will also remove stains, especially ones from drinking coffee.

Read more: http://dherbs.com/articles/carbon-activated-charcoal-177.html#ixzz2BgM0aZgX

Are you from NGC-5621 in the Cygnis III star system?

I like listening to old (or relatively old) songs when I drive, most of my drives are either to or from work. As I was driving to work today...

Before I bore you to death, this is not a post about driving, its about something much more interesting.

... three songs, one after the other played on the car deck, nor mind it that I play songs at the random setting and when I selected the songs to put on the disk, I followed no logical or illogical order these were just the songs I like, so there is my logic YIKES!

Anyway, the three songs, sung by different singers, written by different writers, coming from different times, and you might even say different sub-dialects of Nepali.

There was however, very curiously, one commonality between the three, the three songs talked about the beauty of the snow covered Himalayas and by some sheer conspiracy, the beauty in the eyes of a girl as she flutters her eyelashes...

That got a thought going in my head, the snow covered Himalayas are indeed beautiful and the eyelashes what can I say, who will dispute the fact that many a wars are fought over who gets to see them...

Coming back, three songs, three singers, three times, three languages, three writers all exalting the same "beauty"... I challenge you, you either agree or disagree, you cannot ignore Beauty is inherent, Beauty is timeless.

But then why is it said that Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder?

No matter where you come from, except NGC-5621 in the Cygnis III star system, the snow covered Himalayas will be beautiful, and so will the fluttering eyelashes... come to think of it, so will the moon, and also the waves as they hit the rocks... The bagpipe as it plays its own versions of our favorite songs will also be beautiful and so will the "undead" metal band as it blares at the top of their combined voices... The heartbeat of the 346cc engine as it goes one stroke after another driving along the city streets or through lush fields will also be beautiful and so will be the flap-flap sound of the printing machine as it churns out one printed sheet after another... The sparkle in the eye as you kneel down with a ring in your hand and propose to that one girl will score maybe at the top of the chart of beauty and the cry you hear of your one-year old child as he/she is frustrated at not being able to reach his/her favorite toy atop the table, will probably rival the eye sparkle by ring event...

There is immense and unexplainable beauty around us, as some wise person had said a long time ago, or didn't -- at times you need to slow down, kneel down and feel the ground under your feel, walk barefoot on the early morning dew-laden grass, just slow down and smell the flowers...

There is immense and unexplainable beauty around us, follow the wise person's advice...

Hardcoded

Like the geese that take flight every autumn and instinctively fly off in the right direction in their journey of thousands of kilometers. Like the salmon that continue swimming upstream, regardless of the strength of water pushing them down. Like the dog we often hear about who got lost when its family were at a picnic, returning back home, walking for weeks on end...

There is something inherently coded in us, something embedded and etched in our microprocessors that can never be erased, that makes us who we are and keeps us who we are...

I am reminded of my home, I am reminded of the cloudless azure skies, I am reminded of the cold water running through the taps, I am reminded of the gentle cool breeze, I am reminded of the bright mornings and the chilly evenings... I am far away from home, far away from my homeland... and yet sitting a stranger city, where I am myself a stranger to strangers, sitting a city which is so different... I look out the window and I see the traffic thinning down as it would in my home town around Phulpati... I look out the windows, and if I look hard enough I see the kites with the shiny tails fluttering in the skies

It is hard coded inside of us, it is hard coded inside of me... I don't need to close my eyes to see it, my home town, the streets I grew up on... I don't need to close my eyes to feel it, my home town, the streets I grew up on... 

Its a little difficult to feel the cool gentle breeze on my face, but I can feel it alright...

There is something hardcoded inside of us... And in an instant can take you back...

;-)

There is something that is hardcoded inside of us... And in an instant can take you back... 

;-)

And if I want to be really sneaky, I can taste the plate of momo with the achaar poured over it, I can taste the fried sausages and fried potatoes on a stick, I can even feel the warmth of the glass of black tea in my hands and burn my tongues with it...

;-)

There is something really hardcoded inside me... And in an instant it takes me back...

Indian restaurants in Bangkok (trailer)

Today makes it exactly three months that we arrived in Bangkok. So still by no means, that makes me qualified to offer directions, but I think I've helped out three people by now, the reason I say "I think" is because, I offered them directions, or mentioned the place they were in. Now that doesn't mean that I gave them correct directions or the correct place they were at. I don't think I made a mistake in that.

One of the first questions that I was asked, I think it was less than 2 weeks after our arrival, was "Do you know a good Indian restaurant nearby?" My answer was "Sorry, I just got here"

But now, I know a few...

... keep watching this space for their reviews.