ओइ, भन त, तँ किन जन्मेको?
I and one of my friends were returning from the workplace. Putting aside the burden of day long work and walking freely back home was really pleasing. As we were few blocks away he got the call. After getting off the phone he turned to me and said ‘we gotto go somewhere else’.
‘Why? What happened?’ I asked in a doldrums. I thought my plan of getting to room early and having a good early sleep was spoiled then.
‘A friend had bought something from my home, we have to receive it’
‘Ok, let’s go’ I was left without an option so I accepted his proposal.
After 20 minutes or so we were standing by the side of DhobiKhola waiting for the delivery boy. I was standing by the compound wall putting some of my load against it and scrutinizing the environment of this corner of the metropolis. The usual setting of Kathmandu; the street momo vender with his cart was busy dealing with the customer, the corn seller by the side of road was making fire, the fruit seller pulled his bicycle by me and started waiting.
The wait was already 10 minutes and there was still no sign of our delivery boy. So I was putting myself up with the typical ambiance of the Chowk. People rushing around the Chowk, the messed up traffic and the murky water filled pits all over the road was an orthodox outlook of the Chowk.
The group of teenagers appeared from the corner giggling and when they passed us I heard them talking. ‘ओइ, भन त, तँ किन जन्मेको?’ the first one asked.
The second guy was muted by the question.
‘I mean people studies, they becomes great, professor, scientist, doctor and many more but what about their life…………………’ the first one was trying to explain. But before hearing all of it they were far enough that my ears couldn’t perceive more than the above lines. Before thinking anything I turned to my companion. He was already staring at me. So we both smirked at each other.
‘ओइ, भन त, तँ किन जन्मेको?’ I laughed at him.
‘What kind of Question is that yaar?’ It was not only me who was moved by the question.
‘This is million dollars question man, can you answer it?’
‘No way, How would I know why was I born?’ He was deeply upset by the question.
How would I know why was I born? Was it to be some freaking programmer, was it to read some ridiculous novels, was it to watch 3 or 4 movies a day or was it to be a Chelsea fan. I don’t think god wasted his time in me for doing these mere tasks. As per my notion I was made to do something really great but what? I think I should ask my mom and dad, what? Because they were the one who get me into answering this troublesome question. I think my dad wanted me to debug human’s hardware and mom didn’t have the slightest idea but I’m here compiling some freaking computer software. But there is no harmony between our wish. The more I think the deeper it takes me. The depth of the question was like the unfathomable sea, the deeper you go the darker it becomes. And I am trying to find a clue about my something great.
When asked to young guys and girls they may not be able to answer the question because they might not have figured out why they were born? But what if we asked this to some veterans crossing half dozen decades or so? Can they answer it? Think about it.
Finally the delivery boy arrived with a plastic bag. When we received the parcel we had a look and no doubt the parcel had a jar of pickle, ghee and a kilo of Daal. Seeing the parcel big smile came to my face. And I tried to answer the question.
‘I don’t know why I was born but you are born to eat this pickle, ghee and daal’(‘म किन जन्मेको त थाहा छैन तर तँ चाँही यो अचार, घीय्ऊ र दाल खान जन्मेको होस् यार’), we both snickered and headed to the room.
