Stories

Voltaire’s Science Fiction ‘Micromégas’
18th Century Story that Satirizes Self-Conceit of Mankind.

We talk about the world moving ‘fast’ today but Europe in the 18th century must have been faster. Yes, these express technological developments are blinding and who knows how long it will take for us to finally understand what has been happening for the last 20 years or so, but Europe in the 18th century must have been at a different level purely due to the amount of ideas being thrown around — new ideas about ourselves, our world, new ideas about ideas!

It was the time after the Renaissance and giant thinkers such as Descartes, Locke, Leibniz; time of men of science such as Kepler, Hooke and Newton. New interpretations of classic ideas were happening, art was developing, science was emerging and philosophy was changing — humanity was becoming something new!

It was in this mood that one of the definers of that space-time, the most popular interpreter of those years and people emerged: Voltaire and it was in this mood that his classic Micromégas appeared.

I had read on Wikipedia that this particular work of fiction was science fiction but my preconception got the better of me and it told me it was an exaggeration— after all what kind of science fiction could an 18th century philosopher write when science wasn’t even SCIENCE yet!

But I was surprised (and angry at myself at this habit of preconception).

This short story is about an inhabitant of a planet that revolves around Sirius — which is 24,000 times bigger than the Earth. His name is Mr. Micromégas. He is big (24000 geometrical paces of five feet each), he is old (600 years of age). He is a philosopher!

After being trialled for heretical observations he decides to travel the universe:

…sometimes by the help of a sunbeam, and sometimes by the convenience of a comet, he and his retinue glided from sphere to sphere, as the bird hops from one bough to another. He in a very little time posted through the milky way…

He reaches to the planet Saturn and notices that the inhabitants there were mere dwarfs compared to him (about a thousand fathoms high.) There he befiends the secretary of the Academy and they begin travelling together.

They slip from moon to moon and spring upon passing comets and they reach Jupiter. There they learn some secrets and leave. They traverse about one hundred million leagues and see two moons on Mars. They do not stay on Mars because they think it would be too small to accommodate them. So they continue on. Until…they are tired and want to rest. This is where they notice the Earth. There they resolve to land. They move toward the tail of a comet and finding an Aurora Borealis they embark. They arrive on the northern coast of the Baltic on the fifth day of July in the year 1737.

On Earth they encounter whales and think it to be the ruling animals. Finally, they encounter humans who are obviously visible to them only through microscopes and audible to them only through certain creative mechanisms. They do not believe that such small creatures could possess intelligence. They talk to humans and ask questions like — if they were happy, if they were inspired with souls, etc.

A human mathematician, astounded by the questions, measures them which makes them realize that one should not judge things by its external magnitude.

Then they begin conversing with philosophers and learn from them that the Earth-humans fight with each other a lot for leaders who never go to the place of conflict by wretches who possibly never behold the leaders who tell them to sacrifice.

Hearing about the barabarians who rule from their palaces, give orders for murdering millions the Sirian is fillied with compassion for the human race. He then recognizing that there are only few who are wise in the entire species, he asks questions about mathematics and science. Hearing the answers, he is impressed. And then he asks them about soul:

Tell me what is the soul, and how do your ideas originate?

What follows after this question is bombardment of ideas from the philosophers. Some quote Aristotle and some Descartes, some Mallebranche and some Leibniz and Locke. But all present different opinions.

A person tells them he can answer all the secrets (which was contained in the abridgment of St. Thomas) and after he surveys them from top to toe, he says that they too were made for the use of man!

When leaving, the Sirian presents a book to the humans which he says will demonstrates the very essence of things.

What he writes in that book, I will not write here. I suggest you read, or rather experience the work yourself.

All in all I think this book manages to beautifully illustrate the speed of that age in Europe — the variety, the hope and the excitement from all the intellectual developments happening. We humans tend to get carried away a lot. It is happening today as well, with our scientific and technological progress.

After reading this book I have realized that this is nothing new. I consider 18th century Europe to be crazier and more full of doubts and imaginations than today. It was a dangerous time, for it was a time where ideas and idea-generators were popular. Anything could have been thought, imagined and envisioned. Things could have gone anywhere, but it has reached here. Voltaire surely was influential in all this.

June 9, 2022 by Articles Life Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories Technology

Nepali Folk Tales – Do As They Do

Be careful on how you act around your children. 

Once in a hilly area, there lived an old man. His wife was dead so all he had was his only son. He took great care of him and pampered him in every way feasible. More than anything, he ensured his son was smart in practical things – especially money and property. As soon as the son married a girl from the same village, the old man retreated from his practical duties and started to live totally dependent on his son and daughter-in-law.

As years passed, the old man’s health deteriorated. Soon he couldn’t even go up and down the stairs without support. Around the same time, his daughter-in-law gave birth to a son. The old man’s condition however continued to deteriorate. He couldn’t even go to the toilet by himself.

A few more years passed.

One day the old man’s son had a thought, ‘All this old man does now is eat. He can’t even walk. What’s the point of him being alive if he can’t even do the toilet stuff himself! How long will he live? Why hasn’t death taken him yet?’

This thought of death gave him an idea –

‘What if I pushed him off a cliff? We will have a good time and this old man will get to Swarga quicker’.

He went to his wife and shared this idea. She was sick of looking after the old man so she agreed without hesitation.

The next day, he placed his father in a doko (Nepali basket made from bamboo) and went to a cliff nearby. The old man’s grandson followed his father. The old man could neither hear nor see properly so he had no idea what his son was about to do to him. He thought he was being taken to a temple, so he remained quiet. 

When they reached the cliff and the son was just about to push the doko, the young boy yelled- 

‘Father! Father! Hold on!’

The father looked behind to see his son running towards him. He wasn’t amused. 

‘What the hell are you doing here? Get back,’ said the father, angered. 

‘Are you supposed to throw the doko away too?’ he asked. 

‘Why?’

‘I just wanted to make sure you weren’t making a mistake. If you throw the doko, how am I supposed to throw you away?’

‘What do you mean throw me away?’ the young boy’s father asked, surprised. 

‘You throw your father, I throw mine. Isn’t this how it works?’ the young boy replied with innocence. 

This made his father realize the mistake. He brought the old man home and treated him with great respect thenon. His young son treated him similarly. 

 

February 18, 2022 by Books Life Nepali Folk Tales Society and Humanity Stories 27

Nepali Folk Tales – Wise vs Intelligent vs Smart

It is not about being fast. It is about doing what’s appropriate. 

Once there lived a tortoise, a frog, and a snake nearby a river. They were good friends. Their life was normal and good. They crossed the river together early in the morning, ate their respective foods, and returned back in the evenings.

One day while they were on the other side of the river, loud thunder and lightning together with deadly black clouds filled the skies. Realizing that it would soon rain heavily, the wise tortoise said – 

‘Hey, guys. Look at the skies. I think it will rain heavily. We should return back. It will get worse if it floods.’

‘Don’t panic. Nothing is wrong. We can cross when it starts raining. There’s no point worrying now. I am innovative enough to figure out tens of solutions even if it floods,’ the frog, who was intelligent, said. 

‘Exactly! It hasn’t rained yet. We shouldn’t bother about things that haven’t yet happened. Live in the present, son. Even if it floods I think I am smart enough to figure out hundreds of solutions for us,’ the snake added. 

The tortoise wasn’t amused with their way of thinking. 

‘See. I am neither fast nor intelligent and smart as you guys! All I know is that it will soon rain heavily and it’s better we cross the river. Else we may not be able to return at all. There’s nothing to lose if we get going now. Let’s go. I am going.’ the tortoise said and started to cross the river. 

The frog and the snake smirked and went about their business. But just as the tortoise had anticipated, it soon rained heavily. They were finally alarmed and decided it was time to cross the river. The rain got heavier and heavier until the river started flooding. 

First, the snake jumped but he got badly hit on his head by a large piece of floating log. This got him giddy. He lost control of himself. The river violently took him away and he soon died. 

The frog, not seeing the snake, thought he had crossed the river. He jumped too.  But the torrential river was too much for him to handle. The water kicked him around like a pinball. He couldn’t handle the force and died. 

The tortoise saw all this from the other end. There was nothing he could do except wonder why his friends didn’t listen to him in time. 

He moved on with his life. 

The wise go slow.

 

December 28, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales – The Path To Wisdom

Wisdom is difficult to acquire. You have got to be patient and must continue to learn and persevere.

Once there lived a king who loved to hunt. While on one such expedition, he reached deep into a forest. The forest was nothing special in that the king had hunted in its fringes numerous times. He hadn’t reached so deep, however.

When he reached to one particular area, he was suddenly filled with great calmness and peace. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. While he was a spiritual person, he had done nothing special to make him feel that way. So he realized it was not his own doing but of something special that lurked there.

He looked around until he discovered a small hut. He went inside and there he saw an old man who didn’t seem to be bothered with the arrival of the king. He stayed calm and smiled. The king was impressed. He knew why that place had such a vibe. He decided to leave everything he had and stay with that old man to learn the wisdom of calmness and peace.

He came back after a few days to live as a pupil of that old man. However, the king didn’t find life there as convenient and easy as he had thought it would be. The old man never spoke a word apart from commanding the king to do certain works. This way he didn’t let the king sit idly even for a moment.  Worst of all, the old man never lectured nor taught anything. The king didn’t dare to make queries.

In a few days, the king found it intolerable. It was worse than his royal duties. He couldn’t take it anymore. So one day he amassed courage and went to the old man and asked –

‘Why don’t you teach me the secrets to wisdom?’

‘You are not ready yet,’ the old man replied.

The King quietly went about his tasks.

After a few days, the king asked again. But the old man replied that same –

‘You are not ready.’

And this continued until the king lost patience. One day while he was out on the spring to fetch water, he decided to walk away. Not had he walked a few steps, he heard a voice say –

‘Oh, look the king is running away from his duties.’

The king was surprised to hear this. He looked around but saw no one. Assuming it to be his illusion he continued to walk.

‘You are running away! The mighty king is fleeing,’ the voice said again

The king was now convinced that it was not his illusion. He looked around carefully and guessed it must have been coming from the pot. He went near and monitored the pot.

‘Where are you going?’ the pot asked.

The king was startled. He had seen nothing like this before. He looked around once again wondering if anyone played tricks on him.

‘Don’t be surprised. It’s me, the pot. Answer my question – Where are you going?’

The king nervously replied –

‘Back to my kingdom.’

‘Why?’

‘I came here hoping to learn wisdom on how to be calm and peaceful from the old man. But he keeps telling me I am not ready. I no longer think he is special. Even the little calmness and peace I had is gone now. There’s no point,’ the king said.

‘To learn even a small thing is difficult my friend. Much more difficult than to rule, you may have observed. You may suffer your entire life yet learn nothing.  Look at me as an example, I have suffered much but have remained ignorant.’

‘Really? Can you tell me more about yourself? How can you speak? Why didn’t you speak before?’ the king asked. He now seemed interested.

‘It’s a long story,’ replied the pot. ‘Once a  man came up to me with his spade and dug me out of my home. He then took me to his house and poured a lot of dirty water on me. He kneaded me into a dough. Oh, how much I suffered then!

‘But that was not it. He then took me to a shed and made small balls of my parts and placed me on a potter’s wheel until I got lightheaded. When he finally took me out of it, I thought the suffering was over. But far from it. He bear me with a wooden mallet and put me in a burning furnace. He then took me to a shop and left me there. Just like that!

‘There were many like me in that shop. I looked at them and realized that all of them had gone through the same suffering and agony like me. So that gave me some solace. I realized that I was not alone in this suffering. That’s when I was full of pity for other pots too.

‘But tell you what – that was not the end of my suffering. People came and thumped me to see if there was anything wrong with me. I was surprised that an intelligent creature like man would be so indifferent to the suffering of others. I began abhorring humans. After a few days of thumps and lumps, a fellow came and bought me. He then gave me to the old man. Thankfully, I haven’t suffered since then. The old man takes good care of me.

‘You have to understand this, oh mighty king. Wisdom is difficult to acquire. You have got to be patient and must continue to think, learn and persevere. Do not despair and return to your life of power and glory. They are nothing compared to wisdom. In fact, kingship is easy. You have people to do the smallest of things for you. On top of that, you won’t get the chance to contemplate and improve. Such is the grip of power. I have seen you desire and try. I think you have a chance. Very few people get this chance. Count for yourself how many kings there are in this world and how many wise people. I don’t think you will find it difficult to see that there aren’t much around with wisdom. Don’t let go of this opportunity that very few get.’

The pot said and sighed.

The king carefully lifted the pot, filled it with water, and took it back to the hut.

The pot hasn’t spoken nor has the king returned to his palace ever since.

 

 

 

December 27, 2021 by Life Mind Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales – Four Fools

Vanity, Stupidity, Greed and Cunnigness: The FOUR Deadly Poisons.

Once a poisonous snake intentionally rested in the middle of a forest road blocking the path to its only river. The animals heading to the river saw her and retreated. Although that meant they had to walk all the way around the forest to quench their thirst, they didn’t dare lock horns with her. Such was her reputation! She enjoyed every moment of all this.

When it was the turn of a thirsty elephant, he was in such haste that he didn’t notice the snake until his feet almost stepped on her. She reacted with a terrifying hiss. The sight of a vicious snake in front of him frightened the elephant off his feet. A few seconds later, he felt humiliated. He fumed –

‘Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing in the middle of the road? Get out. Can’t you see that you are on my way!’

‘I won’t. Get lost,’ the snake replied and looked away.

‘I will stamp on you,’ the elephant threatened.

‘I will bite you to death if you dare come near me,’ the snake said.

The elephant thought the snake would be intimidated by his size. But that obviously wasn’t the case! While it may have been wise of him to either move on or at least try to lure the dangerous snake in some way, he decided to brawl. He lifted that giant heavy leg of his and threatened to stamp her without realizing that one bite of hers would be enough to send him to permanent sleep. His actions angered the snake. She turned around and ferociously hissed. This yet again scared the elephant off his feet. He was so embarrassed that without thinking, he harshly stamped the snake to pieces. The snake died, but not before injecting her lethal poison inside the elephant’s body. The elephant was badly hurt. He couldn’t stand on his feet any longer. He collapsed to the ground. After a while, he died.

A hunter was walking around the forest when he noticed a dead elephant with a shiny tusk. He got excited at the sight of a free tusk. But he was so blinded that he didn’t even bother to be careful. He placed his quiver on the body of the elephant and used a knife to make an incision. After a while, he pulled the tusk with his bare hands. He pulled it with all his might. The tusk came off but such great force was applied that it pierced into his head. He died on the spot.

A few hours passed. A jackal sniffed his way to the three carcasses. He was over the moon at the sight of months worth of free meals. He didn’t want to share these with anyone else. He came up with a plan to erect the man vertically to make it seem like he was alive. Anyone who came sniffing would run off scared at the sight of a hunter. He would then get to enjoy all three for months!

To erect the man’s body, he decided to use the elephant for support. He held the man’s hair with his teeth and climbed up the elephant. He did that until he needed further elevation to make the man stand on his feet.  He could then push the man in a way that he would be balanced in between the elephant’s legs. So he stepped on the quiver placed on the elephant’s body. But… he slipped and fell inside – and the arrows pierced him mercilessly. He bled and died within a few minutes.

All four: dead!

After a few days, When local villagers saw this sight, they were stunned. How could this have even happened, they wondered and discussed among themselves.

They couldn’t find an explanation. If anyone else had killed them all, why didn’t that anyone take anything at all! This became a huge riddle for the villagers.

Everyone, every single moment tried to find an explanation. But one thing or the other always didn’t connect. Finally, it reached the king. It was a huge deal after all!

The king too couldn’t think of any explanation so he asked a wise minister of his to figure out how all this may have happened. The minister went to the site and observed all the carcasses closely. He had solved it. He came back and said to the king –

The snake died of vanity

The elephant of stupidity

The man was blinded by his greed

The jackal by his cunningness.

All four were equal fools. No more no less!

It wasn’t difficult for people to guess what may have happened after this brilliant explanation!

 

December 24, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales – The Doubts Of A Chameleon

We look at others and think they have it all. We wish we did what they did. But, what we forget is: There is a reason why we are the way we are!  It’s for us to figure out what we really are. 

Once there lived a chameleon who could not just change his color, he was a shapeshifter. He could turn into any creature he desired – however he desired – whenever he desired. But the issue with him was, he didn’t know what to become!  

One day while roaming around in confusion, he reached a shed where a milker was milking a buffalo. As he watched the scene wondering what kind of life was best, a drop of milk entered his mouth. He loved the taste! And then he thought to himself – This is so good! If a drop tastes like this, imagine what a hundred drops might taste like! How lucky must this buffalo’s calf be! I think I should be a calf.   

And then he had his first transformation – he turned into a newly born calf and sat near a buffalo who had just given birth. The next day, the owner of the shed saw this and was glad that one of his buffalos had given birth to a twin. He happily accepted it.

But life as a calf was not as wonderful as the chameleon had imagined.  The milker hardly left any milk for him. All he got to drink was a few drops left behind in the udder. He starved badly.

Then one day he thought – This is not good! Life of a calf is miserable. I think I should become a milker. He is the one who takes all the milk. 

And so he did. He transformed himself into the same milker, tied and shut the original at a corner of the shed and took his place.

But life as a milker too was not as wonderful as he had imagined. He had to work tremendously hard – day and night without getting to drink even a drop of milk. It was then that he realized that the milker doesn’t get to drink anything. Everything went to the owner.

Then he decided to transform into the owner of the shed. He transformed and untied the milker. He locked the original owner in the storeroom of his own house and started taking care of business. But hardly a day had passed and he began freaking out. He had to take care of the house, manage workers and other people, listen to harsh words from others, manage loans and credit – And all this gave him no rest. All he did was worry day and night. There was nothing else. Only a constant fear, threat and thoughts of profit!

While he got to drink the milk, the miserable thoughts he had to deal with made the milk irrelevant and tasteless. It was no different from the water he drank as a chameleon – just some liquid entering into his body. He ceased wanting to drink milk after a couple of days.

This is not fun. Not fun at all, he thought one night.

He immediately went downstairs, freed the original owner, turned into a chameleon and ran off the house. He didn’t transform into anything else ever again.

 

December 23, 2021 by Life Mind Nepali Folk Tales Stories Uncategorized 0

An Effective Movie Watching Formula

I absolutely hate these kinds of writings:

Who the hell do I think I am to be writing about methods of my movie watching!

Am I a producer? No. Am I a director/editor? No. Am I a professional screenwriter or any other movie business professional? No. Am I an actor? No. Am I a critic? No.

Then why should you care about my methods of movie watching?

Let me modify one Rousseau from the 18th century:

I am not a — producer, director, editor, screenwriter, actor or critic. I am none. This is why I make this kind of list. If I was either of them, I would be too busy making movies, not these stupid how’s.

Okay with that aside, let’s begin.

What I mean to do here actually is share a formula of movie watching that I had devised a while back for my personal convenience. This formula has really helped me interpret and understand movies in context, their meanings and purposes — without which my movie watching would have otherwise slipped by as a mere one/two/three-hour pasttime-entertainment.

This formula contains multiple components and each have distinct parameters which add up for overall movie-quality.

I am sharing this for two reasons, firstly, so that it may be useful for someone and secondly, so that I may be suggested and critiqued in this so I can improve on it, hence, improving my movie watching experiences.

Before sharing the formula and briefly discussing the components, I would like to define movies in this context as:

Any fictional-moving-visual-entertainment.

It must be clear that documentaries don’t have anything to do here. But there is a problem, what about theatres and shows like WWE which has both live and TV audiences. For convenience sake, let’s include them as well!

But the main focus is on those 90+ minutes things which we all call — movies.

And there are no equipment and temporal boundaries. A fictional short shot with a cheap phone by a Nepali kid is as good as one by Christopher Nolan.

Here is the formula I use for movie watching —

ARFE-HT

Yes, it’s an acronym.

Each alphabet stands for one component and I mark them on the scale of 10. That is the parameter. Now let me describe the components one by one.

A — Aesthetics:

Technically, aesthetics is a philosophical study and examination of beauty and taste. But how I try to use it in movie-watching is by studying, examining and marking the ‘beautiful’ in a movie as per my taste. I don’t try to use ‘schools’ derived standards of beauty.

What I find beautiful is based on:

  • The color
  • The brightness
  • The set or location and costumes.
  • The music/soundtrack
  • The flow of transitions and cuts
  • The flow of shots and scenes
  • Synchrony between various components.
  • The Overall Story (not plots/subplots)

I think all these are self-explanatory.

I try to look at all these sub-components and then try to mark the overall aesthetics on the scale of 10, with 10 being the best and 0 being the worst.

Luc Besson’s Le Grand Bleu is a 10/10 for me.

I don’t remember giving zero to any. But few Nepali movies must have gotten a 1.

R — Reality factor:

While I prefer realism in movies, it is not at all necessary for all movies to be realistic. Yet it is difficult to define realism.

Which one would be more realistic: A movie based on a fantasy setting like say, Star Wars which manages to talk about human social issues and realpolitik or some types of Bollywood movies which deal with real life settings but go so astray from life that it has no resemblance with any part of our lives at all.

So, how I try to determine the Reality factor is by checking whether the movie has managed to show any kind of truth or not, by dealing with important subjects of our lives. Irrespective of the settings and characters. Star Wars gets higher point than this:

Gunda (1998) Full Hindi Movie | Mithun Chakraborty, Mukesh Rishi, Shakti Kapoor, Mohan Joshi — YouTube

I do think that the purpose of movies is to illustrate or show either the realities of life or the world. That is why I tend to mark movies with wisdom – highly. Whether it teaches me something important about our lives and the world or not, whether it challenges my opinions and perspectives or not – is what I try to determine.

Here too I try to look at all these sub-components and then try to mark the overall reality factor on the scale of 10, with 10 being the best and 0 being the worst.

Abbas Kiarostami’s The Taste of Cherry is a 10/10 for me,

The Bollywood movie mentioned above gets zero.

F — Feelings:

Feelings imply the ability of the movie to generate/trigger feelings and emotions in me. While a lot of movies intend to provide some kind of feeling but fail due to various factors, the ability of a movie — through its various players — to do things to me, is how I judge.

I have been using an ancient Hindustani theatre-use-evaluation method for the judgement of feelings. It is called Navarasa, or nine feelings to be played with by contents.

Those nine entities are:

  • Śṛṅgāraḥ : Romance, Love, attractiveness.
  • Hāsyam : Laughter, mirth, comedy.
  • Raudram: Fury.
  • Kāruṇyam : Compassion, mercy.
  • Bībhatsam : Disgust, aversion.
  • Bhayānakam : Horror, terror.
  • Veeram : Heroism.
  • Adbhutam : Wonder, amazement.
  • Śāntam: Peace or tranquility

I do not have a preference for this or that feeling. If a movie manages to hit me hard, I don’t care where I have been hit.

Let me provide my 10/10 movies for each (respective to the list above):

Mute (2018), Borat, (not being able to think of one), Where is my friend’s house?, The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), Moon/Climax (2018), One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, 2001:A Space Odyssey, Stalker (Tarkovsky).

E — Entertainment:

Because entertainment and fun are very very subjective and relative things, I have put my own margin into them. Plot-flow and performance have a great hand in this.

Photo by Laura Tancredi from Pexels

However, there is a limit as to how extreme one movie can go. Too much don’t-cares for the sake of making it artsy won’t do for me. Neither will mundane-repetitive-formulaic stuff nor pure comedy. I do have a guilty inclination — I find suspense/mystery pretty amusing.

The experience for me has to be tolerable. While a movie may have boring parts, every other factor mentioned here should work towards keeping me hooked. If it doesn’t manage to do it. It gets a low point on my scale.

Death at a Funeral (2007) is 10/10 for me, while any Bollywood blockbuster with a megastar is a 0.

H — Heroism:

This particular judgement of heroism differs from the one included in feelings. The heroism feeling mentioned under feelings is one where I appreciate the thought/deeds of character(s) in adverse situations. The toughness, the grit, the suffering, the act, etc.

But this heroism applies to movies where too much emphasis is provided to a character(s), such that they eclipse the story. In other words, heroism is where the actor or the character becomes more important than the movie and its story.

This is why it’s marking is done in reverse order. 0 is for movies with too much heroism such as Hollywood superhero flicks or Bollywood megastar ones. 10 is where the characters behave as characters and fit in perfectly with the story like in Rashomon.

T — Technicality:

This is where I look at the various technical aspects of movies which equally contribute to the overall performance and experience.

I have managed to find following important aspects:

  • Cinematography or Animation
  • Direction
  • Editing
  • Acting
  • Screenplay
  • Soundtrack and Music tightness
  • Plot/Subplot
  • Story

Here, the soundtrack differs from the ones in aesthetics in that this is whether or not the sound fits in with the cinema. Vangelis’ work in Blade Runner is absolutely beautiful, I do not find it apt in the movie. I felt Vangelis was more powerful than the narrative. So, it will get a high point in aesthetics but will not here.

All Coen Brother movies are 10/10 for me in terms of technicality.

So, this is how I watch my movies. I observe, analyze, mark and then add all of them up.

It may be a tedious, boring and inappropriate way for a proper experience but I found that it was the only way I could give context to my movie watching and make them relevant.

As mentioned earlier, I wrote this so that I could share the way I do it and also so that I could learn about my correctness and absurdities.

December 23, 2021 by Content Industry Life Stories Technology 28

Thought Experiment of an Alternative Existence

thought experiment

It’s greed, isn’t it?

 

December 23, 2021 by Earth and Space Life Mind Philosophy Science Society and Humanity Stories Technology World 0

Rahul Sankrityayan — The Birth of Brahman and Reincarnation

December 23, 2021 by Books Life Mind Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories World 0

Nepali Folk Tales – Integrity of A Woman

Live a life of Integrity and Intelligence.

Once there lived a Pandit who had a beautiful wife. In fact, so beautiful that every man who ever laid eyes on her desired her. The prince, the minister’s son, the merchant’s son, and even the barber’s son were among the few that constantly drooled over her. But the Pandit was strict, so no one ever dared to go near and approach.

One day the Pandit had to urgently visit another country. He didn’t have any money so he went to the merchant and loaned 200 Rupees. He told him that his wife would manage some money by tomorrow and pay him back the day after. He went home and told his wife about the loan. She assured him that she would think of some way. The Pandit left in the evening.

The wife had a habit of bathing at the river at the earliest dawn. While she was coming back from her bath the next morning, thinking of ways to pay the merchant back, the king’s son blocked her way and said –

‘I am really enchanted by your looks. I want to take you to the palace tonight. How long will you keep up with that pathetic brahmin? I will give you whatever you want.’

The woman thought for a while and said –

‘Oh, Prince! Why don’t you come to my house at 10 PM tonight? I will fulfill all your needs.’

The prince said he would and they parted ways.

After a while, she met the minister’s son.

‘I am in love with your body. I want to make you the princess of my heart tonight,’ he said.

The woman told him to come to hers at 11 PM. Likewise, she met the merchant’s son and told him to meet her at 12 PM at her house when he too expressed his feelings for her. A little later, she met the barber’s son and told him to come at 1 AM. After this, she reached her home.

She thought for a long time after which she called and asked four of her close friends to come to hers immediately.

‘Friends, taking advantage of my husband’s absence, the prince, the minister’s son, the merchant’s son, and the barber’s son – all tried to seduce me today. I have cleverly called all of them – one at a time –  at my home tonight. I want you to come and help me. I want you guys to tell them I like surprises and then I want you to ask them to hide in the black boxes I have in the other room. Once they enter, I want you to shut it and lock it.’

The friends agreed.

That night, after supper they all got ready and waited. At 10 PM, the prince arrived. The woman hid and the friends cleverly made him enter the box. After which they shut it, locked it and placed it in the garden. The prince yelled from inside.

Likewise, at 11 PM the minister’s son came and they did the same. They managed to lock all four men by 1 PM.

The next morning the merchant came to take his money back.

‘What 200 Rupees? I don’t know of any such loan.’ the wife told him.

The merchant was in shock.

‘What are you talking about! Your husband took 200 Rupees from me the day before yesterday. He said you would pay me back today. You are deceiving me. This is not good,’ he said.

‘I don’t know of such commitments,’ she said.

This terrified the merchant. He swore at her and straight away headed to the King’s court. He explained everything to him. Since the merchant was the king’s close ally, he asked one of his guards to go and bring the woman to the court immediately. The guard did so.

‘Did you or your husband take the merchant’s money?’ the king asked.

‘No your highness. We haven’t taken anything from anyone. We are simple people with simple ways.’ she pleaded.

There was a heated discussion after that. The merchant insisted that they had taken money from him while the woman kept denying it. The king listened to all of it. He was slowly losing his patience. The woman understood that the king would support the merchant and not her if everything failed. So she made a move –

‘Okay! You guys may not believe me, but you surely believe in God. What if I called upon my goddess? If she asks me to pay the money back in front of you, I will pay it.’

Everyone was surprised. The merchant scolded her. But the king was a man of faith and spirituality. He wanted to see if that could really happen.

‘You can bring your goddess here, is that what you mean?’ the king asked.

‘Yes, your highness. I can bring her here in front of all of you,’ she replied.

‘Then do it,’ the king ordered.

‘But she is too heavy. I cannot carry her myself. I need a few strong men to come with me to my house,’ she said.

The king asked four soldiers to go with her.

When they reached her home, she asked the four men to wait outside for a while and entered.

She went to each of the black boxes and said –

‘Listen! If you do as I say, I will set you free at my home with dignity. Otherwise, I will take you to court and expose you in front of hundreds of people.’

Each agreed to assist her.

‘If so then I will take you guys to the court now and when the king asks whether I have taken money from the merchant, you guys should deny. Am I clear?’, she said.

All of them agreed. She asked the four men to come in and take the boxes away.

At the court, the boxes were kept in front of the woman. The King went near and asked –

‘Has this woman taken money from the merchant?’

‘No-No-No, she hasn’t,’ came voices from each box.

This amazed the King. He couldn’t hold himself any longer. He had to see the goddess! For the first time in his life!

He wanted that divine experience. So, he ordered his men to open the box immediately. They did so.

Four men stepped out one after another. It wasn’t difficult for anyone to recognize them. The King although disappointed, was amazed at the sight. He asked why they were shut like that. The woman explained everything. The four confessed.

The king was impressed with the woman’s wisdom and heavily rewarded her. He was sad that he couldn’t see the goddess though!

The men apologized. The woman went home pleased.

 

December 22, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Stories 30

Nepali Folk Tales – Presence of Mind

When in crisis, always remember to stay calm. Try to understand the situation instead of reacting. Make things happen with what you have. 

Once there lived an old woman. Her husband had died when she was young. She didn’t marry again. She had neither children nor relatives. She was wealthy, however, and lived in a nice two-storeyed house and had lots of valuable items.  

One night when the old woman was deep asleep in her room on the upper floor, four thieves broke into her house. They saw extremely valuable items and grabbed everything they could possibly take. This turned into a noisy affair that woke the old woman. Instead of reacting, however, she carefully paid attention to what was going on downstairs. She correctly observed that there were four thieves and all were young men.  

This made her think. It surely wasn’t a good idea for a single old lady to go after four young thieves. One, they could hurt her. Two, even if they ran, they could come back later knowing it was only an old lady. Three, they could divide into multiple groups, where one could come back and steal while she was after another. 

But hardships in life had strengthened the old woman. She was tough and wise. She didn’t panic. Instead, she calmly thought of a solution. A few minutes later, she got it!

She had multiple items in her house: Maana, Pathi, Supaa, Daala, Bancharo, etc. (all Nepali utility items.) What she did was modify their names and pretended she was calling her sons aloud –

‘Maanyau, Paathyau, Supaau, Daalau, Bancharau, wake up quick! Four thieves have broken into our house. Hurry up! Bring your weapons.’

She then created a lot of noise on that floor: She rapidly opened and shut the doors. She dropped and smashed things. 

The thieves heard all this. They immediately paused and tried to look at each other in the darkness of night. While they couldn’t see each other, they all understood the severity of the situation. They understood that they couldn’t afford to wait even for a minute. Each dropped whatever he was taking, including his bag, and ran empty-handed from the house as fast he possibly could. All were gone in a jiffy. 

The old woman went downstairs and saw that the thieves had managed to collect  almost every valuable item. The old woman checked their bags: There were valuable items stolen from others as well. 

Instead of panicking in the time of crisis, the old woman had shown great resolve and presence of mind. She made use of whatever was at her disposal.

(Translated from NEPALI LOKKATHA, TULASI DIWAS)

SHARE THIS TALE WITH YOUR FRIENDS IF YOU LIKED IT. THEY MIGHT FIND IT USEFUL TOO.

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER TO HAVE THE STORIES DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

 

December 21, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 0

The Burden of Inevitability
December 19, 2021 by Life Mind Philosophy Stories 28

Nepali Folk Tales – Revenge of The Sparrow

If you have suffered injustice – exploit and expose the rat and the flawed system. There is nothing wrong with that!

Once there lived a pair of sparrows. They loved and cared for each other until the female got pregnant. The male left her and fled. The female’s life was miserable after that. She gave birth to a chick and raised it in great hardship.

After a few months, the male realized that his child had now grown up and could be of great assistance to him. He came back and demanded the chick. This angered the female. She yelled –

‘What makes you think you can come back and take my child? You left me stranded in time of hardship, what makes you think you can take my child!’

The male wasn’t going to give up. They fought. The male said the chick was rightfully his while the female said there was no such right. They went to the king’s court to settle the issue.

They explained everything to the King.

‘Whose is the chick, your highness?’ asked the female.

‘The chick belongs to the father,’ the King decreed.

‘Then you should write this on an inscription,’ the female said.

The King ordered – ‘A child belongs to the father more than the mother,’ to be written in the inscription. After this, the male took the chick away.

The female was badly hurt. She yelled and cried. She vowed to take revenge on the King.

A few weeks later, she died.

There was a carpenter who worked in the King’s palace. His wife was pregnant. The spirit of the female sparrow transmigrated into his wife’s womb. A daughter was born to them after 10 months.

She grew up endowed with great virtue and talents.

One day, there was a meeting in the palace between kings and the ministers. They were discussing who could grow a pumpkin inside a Gagri (Nepali Water Pitcher). No one thought anyone could.

A Gagri

After a while, one of the ministers spoke –

‘The carpenter is quite wise. He might!’

The King asked the carpenter to be brought to the court immediately and ordered him to do so. The carpenter couldn’t deny so he returned home dejected. He looked disappointed as he entered. His daughter saw this and came running at him. He shared everything with her. She thought for a while and told him to stay calm and go to bed. The father was not convinced but his daughter’s support did manage to calm him. The daughter meanwhile had a plan. (And some special abilities!)

The next day she bought some pumpkin seeds and a clay gagri. She planted the seeds in her garden. It sprang the next day and within a few days, some sprouts emerged in it. She took them and placed them inside the gagri. She took good care of the pumpkin and on the seventh day: The gargri had a pumpkin inside it. She took the gagri to her father and told him to go to the palace and ask the king to take the pumpkin out without breaking it into pieces. The father was pleased. He went to the palace and did as she had asked.

The king was astonished to see this but was nevertheless pleased with the carpenter. He gave some reward and the carpenter returned home.

There was another meeting in the palace after a few days. This time they discussed who could build a house in reverse order. Everyone thought the intelligent carpenter could do it, if anyone. The King summoned the carpenter and asked him to build a house in reverse. This time too, the carpenter couldn’t deny so he returned home dejected. He had the same look of disappointment as he entered. His daughter saw this and asked what was wrong. He shared everything. She thought for a while and told him to stay calm and go to bed. The father was not convinced but his daughter’s support meant a lot to him. The daughter had a plan.

The next day she told her father to go ask for money with the King to build the house. She told him to take a paathi (an archaic nepali cup) and to tell the King to fill the paathi from the opposite end when he is about to give it. The carpenter went to the palace and did what she said. The King yelled at him –

‘Fool! How can a paathi be filled in reverse!’

The carpenter told him that he would require money that has been filled in reverse order to build a house in that order. The King realized the error and pardoned him. The carpenter went home and shared this with his daughter. She was pleased.

During the next meeting at the palace, they discussed who could bring the things of ultimate quality, character, and taste. Once again, they all agreed that only the carpenter could do it. The carpenter was called and was asked to bring them. The carpenter couldn’t deny so he returned home dejected. He looked disappointed when he entered. His daughter saw him and asked what was wrong. He told her everything. She thought for a while and told him to stay calm and go to bed.

The next day she asked him to bring a piece of new cloth. She tore the cloth into three pieces and filled them with salt, chilly, and rice. She gave those to his father and told him to take this to the King and say –

‘The ultimate quality is rice, the ultimate character is chilly, and the ultimate taste is salt.’

The carpenter went to the court and did what his daughter told. The King opened the clothes and was impressed with what the carpenter had done. He rewarded him with two thousand rupees. The carpenter gleefully accepted it and returned home. He gave it to his daughter. She, however, asked him to buy her a horse with it. The daughter began riding the horse around.

The carpenter’s house wasn’t too far from the palace and its stable. There were only female horses there. The daughter sneakily left her horse at that stable every night. After a few months, one of the king’s horses was pregnant. In due time, she gave birth. The daughter then went to the stable, took the foal and brought it with her. When the guards interrupted, she said the foal was hers and didn’t give it back. When this issue couldn’t be resolved by the soldiers, the King had to intervene. He came up to her and said –

‘The foal born of my horse is mine.’

‘Who does a child belong to : the father or the mother, your highness?’ The little girl asked.

‘The mother,’ the King replied.

‘Why don’t you confirm this in one old inscription of yours,’ the girl suggested.

The king asked one of his men to go check. The man returned with the information that a child belonged to the father more than the mother. 

And so the little girl took the little foal with her and the King remembered the sparrows.

The female sparrow took her revenge!

DISCUSSION

This is a mystical tale about a character wronged by both her loved-one and the system. The only thing of meaning and comfort is taken away for her. The character vows to take revenge, not just for personal satisfaction but also to expose the fallacy of a thought and a system. The character ends up taking revenge. But it required a great plan from her.

If we remove the mystical element from the tale then it becomes a tale of a woman’s struggle – which frequently occurs in society and people’s lives.

What we can learn from this is – 

If you have suffered injustice – exploit and expose the rat and the flawed system. There is nothing wrong with that!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER TO HAVE THESE STORIES DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

 

December 17, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 0

The Summit of Success!

One willing to go to the summit, should not give a damn about shame, disgust, sin, etc.

Nepal may not be among the strongest and the most powerful nations — but that doesn’t mean it has lacked the occasional thinker with words-of-wisdom. Today I am going to share a metaphorical story written by one such writer: Bhairav Aryal.

Hearing his uncle always say, ‘We all have to make it to the summit of success, anyhow!’

— a young schoolboy one day asks, ‘How tall is the summit of success? Can I reach there someday?’

In reply, the uncle says it was possible and would even take him there — if he could manage some money.

The same day the boy steals cash and jewellery from home. They leave in a Mercedes. On the way, the uncle first teaches that — one willing to go to the summit should not give a damn about shame, disgust, sin, etc.

Reaching a huge red pond, the uncle explains —

‘This is the sea of success. See how fun and romantic is this sea formed by the blood of the poor and the stupid. This is the route to the summit.’

The uncle takes him nearer and presses a switch. This takes them to a checkpoint. The boy hands his bag to uncle after which the latter disappears. He waits for four hours ! That’s when he remembers what the uncle had taught:

One willing to go to the summit, should not give a damn about shame, disgust, sin, etc.

He then — letting go of his shame, enters.

In a room, he sees self rotating chairs. Nervously he says —

‘I am here to see the summit of success but my uncle betrayed me. Can I get an entry-pass?’

The chairs laugh. A serious-looking chair asks whose guy he was. The boy is unable to answer. Meanwhile, a new person enters with a bag and all the chairs get into a tussle to get hold of that person. The boy sneakily leaves the room and heads upstairs.

After a floor with automated vessels that fight, he climbs further up.

A sweet voice welcomes him there. He looks around. He sees lots of thighs and legs. One thigh comes near him. And the lights go off. He hears chaotic sounds of those organs fighting with each other. He leaves to go further upstairs.

He sees nobody there. While he looks around, his back presses a switch that opens a door. There he sees a room with a disgusting smell. He sees human heads and bodily organs. He gets scared. He looks to run when he stumbles upon a corpse. Unable to bear the suffering, he closes his eyes and screams —

‘Uncle…Is this the summit of success?’

When he opens his eyes, he sees his uncle in front with a pistol pointed at him. The angry uncle tells him to leave. The boy joins his hands and tells him —

‘I will leave uncle! I saw the way to the summit of success you showed, but this wasn’t the summit of success I wanted to see’

Please Subscribe to my Medium newsletter.

https://fradesh.medium.com/subscribe

December 17, 2021 by Life Mind Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 25

Nepali Folk Tales – The Dog, The Jackal and The Lion

Once a dog was strolling near a forest when he saw a jackal sitting with her cubs. The dog sensed a resemblance with them. He went near and said –

‘We look the same. We must be from the same family. I think we should live together as one.’

The jackal too didn’t see much difference between herself and the dog, so she agreed to the proposal.

They went together until they reached a warm-looking den. They sniffed around and knew it was a den of a lion. The lion was apparently away, so the dog, the jackal, and her cubs went inside and made themselves comfortable.

In the evening, they sensed the lion approaching. The cubs got scared and began to cry.

‘Why are they making such a distressing noise?’ the dog asked the jackal.

‘They are asking for the lion’s heart,’ said the jackal loudly. She wanted the lion to hear.

The dog was smart so he understood what the jackal was up to.

‘Why don’t you give them the heart I brought the other day,’ said the dog loudly.

‘They are not gonna eat stale heart! They want it fresh,’ the jackal replied.

‘Tell them to be quiet for a while. I can sense a lion coming this way, I will kill it and bring a fresh heart,’ the dog said.

The lion heard all this. He believed a stronger creature than him was inside his den. He ran away in a jiffy. The dog and the jackal made that den their home after that.

(Taken from Folk Tales from Nepal: The Origin of Alcohol and Other Stories, Keshar Lall, Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 2009) 

Discussion:

This tale is about characters of similar nature coming together to fight opposition and adversity. This tale doesn’t give a good message as it is about occupying what belongs to others and deceiving the rightful owner with trickery and teamwork.

What we can learn from this is –

There are lots of dogs and jackals in this world. Be alert and discover the truth before giving up!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTER TO HAVE THESE STORIES DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX!

[contact-form-7 id=”332″ title=”Contact form 1″]

December 16, 2021 by Life Mind Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales – The Old Man and His Daughter

There once lived an old man who had four sons and one daughter. All were married.

The sons, their wives, and the old man lived in the same house while the daughter lived in a different village with her husband.

The sons and their wives didn’t care much for the old man. He struggled to even eat and drink in good taste. They hardly spoke with him and were rude – unless they wanted a favor.

One day while his daughter had come to visit him, she asked –

‘Are your daughters-in-law taking good care of you, father?’

‘I am old. I cannot do anything on my own. They only bother to be nice to me when they want something in return,’ the father said with tears in his eyes.

The daughter was sad hearing this.

‘Oh, father! I would stay with you if I could. But a daughter has to be at her own house with her husband’s family. I can’t even take me with you,’ she said.

Her words touched him deep. The contrasting nature of his children flashed in front of his eyes. But he couldn’t speak a word.

‘I have an idea,’ the daughter said in excitement. The father paid attention.

She took off a gold chain from her neck and gave it to him.

‘I have a solution to this problem, but you have to do as I say,’ she said.

The father nodded.

‘This is my chain. Take it. You can return it to me later. The plan is for you to wear this and indirectly tell your daughters-in-law that whoever takes the best care of you will get it,’

He wasn’t willing to take the chain but the daughter insisted. He finally agreed to go ahead with the plan and wore it on his neck.

It didn’t take long for his daughters-in-law to notice the new shiny gold. Each of them came to him when no one else was around and asked –

‘Father, where did you get it?’

‘It is of my deceased wife. I have decided to wear it,’ he said to each.

‘What will you plan to do with the chain? It looks like it could be of great use to younger women,’ each said.

‘Ah, I plan to give it to the person who takes the best care of me,’ he replied.

Now the daughters-in-law competed with each other. Each wanted to give him the best care possible. They took good care of the old man’s drinks, food, clothes, and they behaved well. Even their husbands changed. All this resulted in the old man having a good life.

After a couple of years, the old man got ill. He knew he wouldn’t live long. He tried to contact his daughter but failed to do so. And as he had assumed, he died within a few days.

The daughter came and the family finished the last rites together.

In the morning of the day she was to leave, she went to her sisters-in-law and asked –

‘Did father leave me a parting message?’

‘Yes,’ they said. ‘He asked us to tell you that the firewood from last time was very good.’

She then covertly went to the courtyard and removed the pile of firewood. There it shined: Her golden chain! She took it and left for her home.

DISCUSSION

This tale is about a man who has worked very hard to ensure he and his children have a good life. But when he is old and unable to take care of himself anymore, his children brush him aside. (These kinds of incidents frequently occur). But the old man is lucky to have a caring and thoughtful daughter who understands his situation and comes up with a genius solution. The result: the old man is treated well. He lives in good care and attention until he dies.

What we can learn from this is –

Most humans are terrible. Yet, we all are forced to live together in this world. The cunning, the evil, the petty will try to make our lives miserable. To survive with them, we better beat them at their own game! 

 

December 16, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales – A Brave Boy

There once was an orphan boy. He lived in a small house with a relative who didn’t care much about him. There was a coconut tree near his house. The boy went there daily, climbed it, and enjoyed the coconuts. That’s all there was to his life.

One day while he was on the top of the tree, a rakshasi (female man-eating being) came and shouted –

‘Hey, kid! Give me a coconut.’

The boy was angry at her rude demand.

‘Why do you want other people’s stuff? Is it yours?’ he yelled back.

‘If you don’t give me a coconut I will eat that soft meat of yours,’ she threatened.

The boy looked at her carefully. Seeing her body and teeth, he got scared. He said he would give some and dropped one in the ground. The rakshasi wasn’t amused at the behavior.

‘Give it to me in my hands,’ she shouted.

The boy decided to do as she said. He came down and was about to hand a coconut over to her when… She grabbed him and put him in a sack. She took him with her to her home.

‘Help, help,’ the boy cried from inside.

‘Hold on, it’s momentary. The pain will vanish once you get into my belly,’ she said with an evil laugh and walked on.

On the way, however, the rakshasi had to poop. She kept the boy nearby and went into the forest. Seizing the opportunity, the boy carefully got out of the sack, filled it with rocks, and returned to the coconut tree. The rakshasi came back and lifted the sack. Surprised at it being heavier, she opened it – to find only rocks!

Fuming with anger, she decided to return back to the coconut tree. Just as she was about to reach there, she spotted the boy. So, she went back to her home and returned the next day in a different attire. Appearing as a different person.

She asked for a coconut just like before. The boy replied –

‘I won’t give anything to anyone! How can I afford to give everyone a coconut!’

This triggered the rakshasi. She climbed the tree, forcefully grabbed the boy, placed him in her sack, and took him.

On the way, she had to pee. She kept the sack just like the other day and went nearby. The boy seized this opportunity and carefully got out of the sack. This time around, however, he filled the sack with some wet mud and returned to the coconut tree. The rakshasi returned, carried the sack, and walked towards her home.

As she was about to get there, she noticed that her back was wet.

‘This rascal has urinated,’ she said and opened the sack. She was surprised to find nothing but wet mud there.

‘Next time I won’t stop anywhere,’ she said.

The boy climbed the tree early the next morning. A few hours later, he spotted the rakshasi coming towards him. He got scared and hurried down. In doing so, he fell badly and couldn’t get up in time. The rakshasi took this opportunity to put him in her sack. This time she successfully brought him home.

There was rakshasi’s daughter in the house too.

‘Fry him,’ the rakshasi said and instructed her on how to cook a human properly. She then went outside for another catch.

The young rakshasi took the boy out of the sack and prepared to cut him to pieces. The boy was scared but didn’t lose his calm. He could sense that the girl was stupid. He took this opportunity to lure her into giving him her clothes. He wore them and forcefully placed the girl inside a dhinki and beat her to small pieces. He prepared her just as the rakshasi had taught earlier.

In the evening the rakshasi returned.

‘Is the meat ready?’ she asked the girl.

The boy imitated the girl’s voice and said – ‘Yes, it’s ready mother.’

‘Bring it, I wanna taste it,’ she said.

The boy covered his face and brought the meat. The rakshasi was pleased with the sight.

‘Finally, after so many days of struggle! This boy seemed so tasty,’ she said and began eating.

Just as she was done, the boy took off the clothes and shouted –

‘How was your daughter’s meat?’

He ran out of the house in a jiffy. The rakshasi looked on.

The rakshasi hasn’t come out of her house since… 

DISCUSSION: 

This tale is about a boy who has had to face a lot of hardships in life. His only solace too is intruded. His life is threatened, yet he somehow manages to save himself. Every single time. He doesn’t give up. He keeps on trying. Finally, he uses his intelligence to deal with the solution once and for all.

The thing to learn from this is – 

Be brave. Don’t give up. Don’t lose hope and your awareness. It usually requires only one intelligent move – at the right time in the right place – to deal with a problem and ward it off forever.  

 

December 15, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales – A Hunter and a Tiger

A man was out in the forest hunting birds when he came across a tiger. Excited at the sight of a muscular adult, the tiger prepared to pounce on him. The hunter noticed this in time and began pleading –

‘Please don’t kill me. Let’s be friends. I can manage better prey for you and will help you in a lot of things.’

The tiger liked the idea and said –

‘Sounds good! Go and kill my enemy – the porcupine’

The hunter agreed and asked where the porcupine was.

The tiger led the hunter to the hole where it lived. He pointed his gun at the face of the hole and waited for the porcupine. As soon as it came out, the man shot it – dead on the spot!

It impressed the tiger. But he didn’t want others to know about it as it would hurt his reputation.

‘Please don’t tell anyone about all this. I do not want others to know that you killed the porcupine,’ he requested.

The hunter agreed. He took the porcupine home and ate it for dinner.

The next morning, the hunter’s wife went to fetch water in a local tap. She picked her teeth with a bamboo splinter as she walked. Two of her neighbors observed this and asked what she had eaten.

‘My husband brought a porcupine last night, he had killed it himself,’ she boasted.

The news spread like wildfire around the village. It was only a matter of time before it reached the tiger. Fuming with anger, he went around the jungle searching for the hunter. When he finally spotted him, he questioned the hunter’s commitment.

‘I said nothing,’ the hunter argued.

‘I don’t know. Now, I will prey on you,’ the tiger said.

This frightened the man and it showed in his body. He trembled.

The tiger noticed this and asked –

‘Why do you tremble?’

The hunter thought for a while. He realized that the only thing the tiger was afraid of was the porcupine. So, he decided to cash in on this opportunity.

‘The porcupine I ate yesterday is mad at you. It wants to come out of my body to hurt you,’ he said.

The tiger sprinted out of sight in a jiffy!

DISCUSSION:

A person is in threat. Scared out of mind, that person requests the threatening person to pardon him by promising to help in return. He helps the threat get rid of its biggest weakness. But the threat asks for a commitment to that secret. Although the man adheres to his words, the nature of things is such that the secret is out. The threat is mad at the person for revealing it and goes to destroy him. The man realizes the threat’s weakness and uses it to chase it off!

What we can learn from this tale is –

  1. Be careful with sensitive information
  2. Stay true to your words – but if someone doesn’t understand your situation and comes to hurt you, use your intelligence to exploit their weakness for your safety. 

 

December 14, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 30

Nepali Folk Tales – Eight Children

There once lived a haughty boy. His name was Bunachha. He spoke like an old man.

One day, he went to his mother and said-

‘Mother! Now that I am clever and I can correctly pronounce tough words, I am thinking about going to Calcutta to make good money. Is it okay with you?’

‘Sure. Why not! But do you realize that there are wild rivers on the way?’ she said.

‘Am I a coward! I will go. Send me as soon as possible. I will bring great money and we will build a new house,’ Bunachha replied.

‘Who will you go with?’ the mother asked.

‘Why are you worrying. I have six-seven friends. We will go together.’

As soon as the mother agreed, Bunachha ran out. He went to his friends and spoke-

‘Look, friends! I am leaving for Calcutta. Whoever wants to go, can join me. We are now capable enough to correctly pronounce tough words. What’s the issue? We will earn well and build new houses here after we come back. What say?’

The friends agreed.

The next day, the friends took permission from their respective homes and gathered at the same place. Eight kids were now set to leave.

‘Okay, then! Tomorrow, all of you bring the necessary things and take leave from your home,’ Bunachha ordered. They all agreed and left.

Bunachha carried his belongings, took leave from his mother, and arrived at the designated place early the next morning. Slowly the friends gathered too.

‘Okay, friends. Are we ready to leave?’, Bunachha asked.

They cheered.

‘Okay then, let’s go.’, he said and they left.

On their way, they talked about all kinds of stuff and easily crossed the roads, until they reached a river.

‘See my friends! My mother had warned me of these rivers. So we all have to cross it as a unit. Else the river will take us with it. So…Hold your hands and let’s go!‘ Bunachha ordered.

They successfully crossed.

Immediately, Bunachha said –

‘Wait, now we will count if all eight of us are here.’

He began counting:

‘One, Two, Three…Seven’

‘Where’s one,’ he wondered. Another friend came forward.

‘Should I recount? You may have missed,’ he requested.

Bunachha agreed.

‘One, Two, Three, Four…Seven.’

‘You were right! Where’s one? Who is gone? Where did he go?’ he panicked.

All the boys panicked. They restlessly began screaming.

An old man who was bathing in the river nearby heard the noise. He rushed to them and asked –

‘What’s up boys? Who is lost?’

‘Eight of us left home to go abroad. All eight of us were here before we crossed this river, but now we are only seven,’ they explained.

The old man laughed.

‘Silly boys! Stay in line. I will count,’ he said and counted –

‘One, Two…Seven, Eight!’

‘The one who counted forgot to count himself. Silly boys!’ said the old man and went back to his bath. But on his way he thought –

Where might have they come from! Where might they be going! If I could keep them with me, I could make them work for me. This way, I could make some more money.

The old man went back to the boys and asked –

‘Tell me, where did you come from and where are you going?’

‘We came from our home and we are headed for Calcutta. We are going there to make some money to build houses for us here,’ the boys immediately answered.

The old man now was excited. He wanted to take them with him. He could take great advantage of them.

‘See boys – You guys are children as of now. It’s not easy to reach Calcutta. You won’t be able to do it. There’s a lot to do at my house. Why don’t you guys help me, I will pay you. You will become more mature in 2-4 years. By then, you will also have enough money. You can leave then. What say?’ he asked.

The boys looked at each other. They couldn’t give an answer. So they all went to the old man’s house. He fed them well. He didn’t make them work that day.

The next day he assigned them each a work. One had to carry water, one had to bring logs from wood, one had to graze the goats…

On the eighth day, they had to beat rice in a Dhinki (It is a traditional rice mill or husk lever used in Nepal). The old man gave each of them a bundle and said –

‘Boys, go and beat these rice in the dhinki.’

A Dhinki. Source: Krish, Wikicommons.

(In Newari it can be interpreted in two ways: either ‘Go beat the rice’ or ‘Throw the dhinki.’ The boys interpret the latter.)

For a while, the boys stared in amazement at the work assigned to them. Bunachha spoke –

‘Why are you guys staring? We have to do whatever grandfather has told us to do. Before he returns, we have to throw this away. Else it won’t be good for us.’

Everyone agreed and worked together to bring the dhinki out. But they were not sure where they were supposed to throw it. Again, the leader Bunachha stepped up –

‘Can’t you see? We will throw it off the cliff of that hill’.

Everyone did as he ordered and threw the dhinki off the cliff. By the time they were home, the old man was back.

‘Did you beat rice in the dhinki?‘ the old man rudely asked Bunachha.

Banuchha interpreted the other meaning.

‘Yes. It was tough. But I threw it out of the cliff,’ he proudly said.

‘What?!’ the old man exploded in rage –

‘Rascals, did I ask you to throw the dhinki? I told you to beat rice. Go, bring it back. Else you may have to starve.’

‘But how can we bring it back? We can’t bring it back from there!’ they said.

The old man felt bad for them.

How will they bring it back from such a height! he thought and told them to work carefully from now on.

One day they went goat-grazing. While the goats browsed the boys played.

At dusk, the weather deteriorated. Black clouds covered the sky. A cold and fierce wind blew. The poor kids brought the scattered goats together at a pati (A roofed resting place). The boys and the goats woefully shivered until the boys couldn’t take it anymore. They collected dry leaves, twigs and started a fire.

The fire, however, scared the goats. They moved away.

‘Why won’t these goats stay by the fire?’, Bunucha said – ‘Friends, we have got to bring them closer to the fire.’

The boys followed his command and forcefully brought the goats near. The goats retaliated and haphazardly jumped around. The further the goats went, the more the boys brought them closer – until they brought them too close. All of them burnt and died!

‘Look how things are! A little while ago they jumped and ran because it was too cold. Now that they are warm, they sleep calm,’ Bunuchha said.

After a while:

‘Now the rain has stopped. Let’s get back home. Let’s wake them up,’ Bunuchha ordered.

The boys made noise and tried to shoo away the goats. But they were dead! They didn’t move.

A frustrated Bunucha said –

‘How long do we wait! How long do we warm them! I am starving! Let us carry one each and leave.’

And so all the boys carried a goat on their back and walked.

The old man was already back home by the time the boys returned. He was astonished to see the boys carry one scorched goat each.

‘What did you do to them? Why did you kill them?’ the old man asked.

‘We didn’t kill them! These poor folks were shivering. It rained crazy and the wind was fierce. We collected dry leaves and started a fire. We allowed them to enjoy the fire too. They were silent once they were warm. But they didn’t seem to want to leave and were reluctant. We forcefully carried one each,’ Baluchha explained. The boys confirmed.

The old man couldn’t utter a word! He was shocked. Dumbfounded. Hopeless!

DISCUSSION:

This tale majorly shows the thought process and activities of young and bold characters. Our main guy, Bunachha, is innocent and haughty. He is in a hurry to mature so he wants to do things that older people do.

Luckily, he has friends who too are bold. But they are more simpleminded and are willing to do whatever Bunachha commands. So this tale can also be looked upon as a tale of leader and followers. The introduction of the old man brings in an opportunist character who is clever and knows how to manipulate others for his own advantage. We do not have a shortage of such people in our society! However, the old man himself suffers, thanks to Bunachha’s haughtiness and the innocence of the boys. This way, it also becomes a tale of innocence and boldness vs cleverness. At the end of it all, innocence and boldness prevail.

A major lesson to be learnt from this tale is this –

While it is great to be brave – watchfulness, humility and wisdom are equally important. Our society is full of opportunistic rogues, and the world is a tough place to be. Mix courage with knowledge and humility and no one can ever hurt you! 

HAVE THE CONTENT DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER.

(THE SUBSCRIPTION BOX IS NEAR THIS POST!)

December 13, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Stories 0

Nepali Folk Tales: 4 Instructions

Once there lived an old couple. They had five sons of which four moved out of the country at a young age. Only the youngest son, who was feeble-minded, stayed with them.

At the age of 55, the old man suffered from an illness. But luckily he recovered. The young son worked with responsibility after that. He loved his parents. The parents too, loved him equally. Soon he married.

Time passed and at the age of 85, the father suffered from a deadly disease. They tried a variety of solutions, but nothing worked this time around. The father finally lost hope, so he called his son and said-

‘Your brothers ran away early but due to God’s grace, you stayed with us. I am satisfied with you. I won’t live long now. Take care of your mother and your wife. I will give you four instructions which you have to follow if you don’t want to suffer in life. Now listen to those four instructions:

  1. Never run in a sesame field
  2. Never idly sit on walls and streets fidgeting your legs
  3. Never share your secrets with your wife
  4. Never befriend a Kami (A low order caste in Hindu System)

The father suffered in agony and didn’t last long after that.

This is after four years of his death. The son remembered the instructions. But he wondered how true they really were. So, he decided to test them himself.

First, he ran in a sesame field. The seeds stung his feet badly and the wounds didn’t heal for years. He realized that sesame seeds were actually rough and poisonous.

He then wanted to test the second instruction.

He went to the walls of his field and sat. A black snake bit his legs. The snake was venomous, so his feet didn’t heal at all. His toes rot and fell.

Realizing the truth of those two instructions, he decided to test the third.

He befriended a Kami. Nothing bad happened to him immediately, he went on to test his wife.

He went to the palace of the king and stole his peacock. He came home and told his wife about it. He then hid the peacock in a box without letting his wife know and killed and cooked a chicken. That night, they both enjoyed the meal.

‘Do not tell this to anyone, if the king finds out, I am dead,’ he told his wife.

The next morning his wife went to bring some water from a local tap. She uncomfortably moved her tongue around her mouth as she walked. The neighboring women noticed this. One came up and asked – ‘What’s wrong with your mouth?’

‘Nothing,’ the woman replied and walked on. After a while however, she couldn’t resist and whispered –

‘Okay I will tell you something. But make sure you won’t tell this to anyone. Yesterday my husband stole the king’s peacock. We ate it for dinner. That’s what has stuck in my teeth.’

The neighbor said she won’t tell anyone and left.

At the palace, the king searched for his lost peacock. Everyone was at it. Around the same time, the neighbor woman told her husband about the peacock. The husband told somebody else and in no time, the news spread like wildfire. It reached the king. He was told that someone stole and ate his peacock. The king immediately ordered two of his guards to bring the culprit to him. It didn’t take long for them to find the man and then they brought him to the palace.

‘Why did you steal the peacock?,’ they asked him.

He told the truth. So the king ordained to have him executed. The ministers took him to the riverside. At that time, a Kami was sharpening his Khukuri. The ministers called him. The man thought to himself-

‘This Kami is my friend but now he is helping them execute me. My father was correct.’

But just as he was about to be executed he plead-

‘Please don’t kill me because I haven’t killed the king’s peacock. I will bring it as it is. I did all this to test my father’s instruction.’

And he explained everything. He was then allowed to go home and bring the peacock.

He realized that it was wrong to befriend a Kami and reveal secrets to one’s wife. He found all his father’s instructions to be correct.

THE END. 

Discussion:

This story is all about four instructions a father gives to his son:

  1. Never run in a sesame field
  2. Never idly sit on walls and streets fidgeting your legs
  3. Never share your secrets with your wife
  4. Never befriend a Kami (A low order caste in Hindu System)

The first instruction teaches this – If you do reckless activities in a dangerous environment, you can’t expect good things to happen to you. You will be hurt. Be careful and understand the environment before taking action on it. 

The second instruction teaches this – Sitting idly in public places or in life implies you are a careless and lazy person. The snake bite probably symbolizes someone saying harsh things to you.

The third instruction can be applied to any person who has a habit of gossiping and who doesn’t have control over the self. It doesn’t mean it has to be a wife or a woman. There are men who are worse. The message is this – Never share your secrets to stupid people!

The fourth instruction is caste-biased. But if we remove the character and caste, what we learn is – Never befriend and trust a person who is  unobliged to the friendship. Choose your companions and acquaintances wisely. Don’t depend on anyone unless you are sure of them.

The general message is to be careful in life. Choose companions and activities with great care, attention and wisdom.

 

 

December 12, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Philosophy Society and Humanity Stories 28

Nepali Folk Tales: An Envious Sister

Once there lived a farmer couple who yielded more than enough from their land. They always had spare after they consumed for themselves. They were content in every aspect – except: They didn’t have children.

They went to pilgrimages, fasted, gave to charity, etc. but to no avail: They couldn’t bear a child. Yet, they continued with their discipline.

The perseverance paid-off after a few years, as they finally gave birth – to a daughter. Although they were happy they finally had a child, they weren’t as satisfied as they might have been had it been a son. The daughter grew up while the couple remained patient and continued to try for a son. But even after a decade, it didn’t happen. Yet, they didn’t lose hope.

One day they called some astrologers and showed their horoscopes (china).

‘We will only tell you the truth if you believe us,’ they said.

The couple agreed.

‘What we can see in your horoscope is that you will only have a son once your daughter gets married. So send her away as soon as possible’

The couple got excited and after a few months, they selected a good man and married their daughter. After that, as the astrologers had said, the old couple gave birth to a son and named him Mohan. The couple exploded with happiness and gave a party to the entire village. The villagers came, enjoyed, and gave their blessings.

No one has control over the inevitable. The young boy couldn’t receive the care of his parents for long as both his parents died by the time he was five.

The villagers mourned the death and could see Mohan having a miserable life. So, they decided the village chief would be taking care of Mohan.

After a while, the daughter sniveled back home and said she would take Mohan with her. The villagers thought it was a good thing so they allowed her to leave with him.

Mohan lived well for a few months. But, his sister and brother-in-law were in fact after his inherited wealth. Now, all they did was discuss and weave plans to get hold of it.

One day, Mohan yearned to meet his parents. He went to his sister and asked:

‘Didi, where are our parents? Do you know?’

‘They are at the pond. Do you want to meet them?’ the sister swindled.

Since Mohan had been desperate to see his parents for a long time, he said:

‘If you can then please take me. I will go meet them’

The sinful sister took Mohan to a nearby pond and said, ‘There is a huge Kaalidaha at the center of this pond. In its bank is the Maligainthaan. Our parents are there.’

Mohan being the innocent child he was, asked – ‘Didi are there lands there?’

‘Yes. There are lands and goats. That’s how our parents survive’, she answered.

Hearing this, Mohan got excited and told his sister to take him there.

The gratified sister took him near the pond and said – ‘I am not feeling too well. I will remain here on this edge. You proceed’

Naive Mohan believed his sister and entered the pond. He headed towards the center. Even when the water reached up to his knees, he didn’t fluster. He went on.

Soon the water reached his hips. The sister thinking he might panic told him to go further – quicker.

Hearing this, a fearless Mohan went on. He couldn’t see the Kaalidaha and the Maaligaithaan even when the water reached up to his neck. He shouted-

‘They are giving us water up to the chin but no Kaalidaha and the Maaligaithaan’

The sister, worried he might come back, further encouraged him-

‘Go further my brother, there must be Kaalidaha and the Maaligaithaan’

Mohan, blinded by faith on his sister, moved further ahead. He was eager and restless to meet his parents. Not caring about the water, he kept moving. Until…he drowned! He tried to save himself but not being too good at swimming, he swallowed a lot of water until he could no longer persist.

Seeing this, the sister jumped in excitement and raced back home. She was over the moon with the thought of getting all that wealth. She told the whole story to her husband. He too danced in joy.

The couple stayed at home quietly till the evening. It was when the dusk set in, that they pretentiously went around the neighborhood searching for Mohan. After a few hours, they sat in their garden and screamed and cried.

All the neighbors gathered around them asking what had happened. The sister said-

‘I don’t know where my brother Mohan has gone. The only remaining memory of my parents is gone! How do I live now? There’s no one left for me in this world!’

The husband too imitated his wife. The neighbors empathized with them.

For a week or two, the couple continuously shed crocodile-tears. After that, the sister went to her original home, met the Village Chief and took the property from her deceased brother.

At the other end, after seven days of Mohan’s death, a bamboo sprang up at the center of the pond. It began growing ferociously.

Meanwhile, the sister’s dream of living a wonderful life was shattered as her husband brought in another wife. This meant she had to share everything with another woman.

She cried day and night after that. Soon, she found herself being treated as a servant in the house.

One day, as she was beating some rice, she heard her brother’s voice- The water is up to the hips…

She got scared yet listened carefully. The voice seemed to be coming closer. She fell and had a seizure. But there was no one around to bring her out of it.

After a while, her brother’s voice brought her back to sense. She got up and saw a flute-seller in the garden. The brother’s voice was in fact coming out from one of the flutes. She was taken aback by such a sight. She bought one by giving some rice in return.

Having done with the rice beating, the sister kept that flute underneath her pillow. At midnight, the same voice of her brother returned from inside the flute. The sister asked-

‘Where are you brother? Please forgive me. I didn’t know. I wasted your life because of my stupidity. I took myself to the whirlpool of suffering’

While she lamented as such, all of a sudden the flute began speaking like a beautiful wind blow –

‘Sister, you might find it amazing to see a flute talking. But listen to me. Don’t get too surprised. After I drowned, I became a bamboo and sprang up. The water in the pond dried in a few days.  One day the flute-maker came to drink water from the pond. He saw me and manufactured a flute out of me. I became a unique kind of flute. I begin without even having to play me. This helped the flute-seller sell well. The reason I spoke this way was to search for you’

Hearing this the sister lamented and said-

‘Will I be able to meet you or not? If yes, then how? Please give me an idea’

The brother responds –

‘Sister! What’s the use of meeting an envious person (Daahile) like you? After father and mother died, I was all that was left for you. I was everything: your brother, father, mother, all in one. Even if you were taken by greed, you could have asked with me. I would have given. You were everything to me- mother, sister! But, what did you eventually get? I can live but I won’t tell you how. I am upset with you’

The sister’s heart wept sternly. She began banging her head in the walls. She regretted what she had done. Hearing her wail in her room, her husband and his other wife came running. But she kept wailing. The husband tried talking with her, but not getting any response, he returned back to his room.

The lamentation continued for a long time. ‘Brother! Please forgive me for my previous misdeeds. Please don’t bury me in this maelstrom of worry and suffering.’

The brother after hearing all this said-

‘Sister! You have acknowledged your mistake. This is a wonderful thing. But a person who has made a mistake once will repeat it again. That’s why if you take a vow, I will tell you the way to be alive again or else I won’t’

‘Brother! I won’t repeat such a thing again. Consider me a fool and forgive me for my mistakes. I avow. I won’t do such a terrible deed ever again in my life,’ she said.

‘If so then I will tell you, listen – go to that pond and carefully dig the root of the tallest bamboo.  You will find a white thing that looks like a chicken egg. Bring that thing, rub some dung over it, place it in a bowel, and sprinkle some water on it. After that, cover it with a pure cloth, step outside the room and close the door. Don’t come inside and let nobody know all this,’ the brother instructed.

She got cheerful. She eagerly waited for the night to end.

Just as the dawn was setting in, she took a shovel and went to the pond. She started digging just as her brother had instructed. She soon found the egg thing. She took it home and did as he said. After a while, the siblings met.

They went to the village and the brother explained everything to the elders. They all went to Mohan’s brother-in-law. He was punished and fined. Everything went back to Mohan. The sister apologized. After all that, Mohan and his sister went back to their old home and lived happily ever after.

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO HAVE CONTENT DELIVERED AT YOUR INBOX.

December 8, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Stories 0

Story about life: A Rat’s Story
Understand Yourself, Be Yourself!

image showing rat's story. Nepali Folk Tale

Enjoy this Story about life which both entertains and provides valuable life lesson!

Our task is to understand our desires and go after them — all guns blazing. Mastering the skills in the process.

December 6, 2021 by Life Nepali Folk Tales Stories 0
Adesh Acharya
Hey, I am Adesh. Welcome to my world! I am a Life & Mind Explorer, Self-Explorer, Creator, Writer. Come take a journey of mind, life and the world with me through this website.

Subscribe to my newsletter below to have my thoughts delivered straight to your inbox

I can't be afraid or tremble, for I have to see what is to be seen!
My presence is metamorphosing you
Can't tell what lies. Should know no lies!