Nomad at the desk!

How would a 11 year boy react who suddenly becomes the “man of the house” after his father abandons the family in the middle of a civil war? How would a 11 year boy would react when he would be forcibly recruited in army?

Based on the true story of screenwriter Oscar Torres’s embattled childhood, Luis Mandoki’s Innocent Voices is the poignant tale of eleven-year-old Chava who lives in a makeshift village with his mother Kella and two siblings. Each night gun fire rips more holes in their cardboard walls. But soon, Chava will be 12, the age at which boys are conscripted into the brutal Government army. Chava’s life becomes a game of survival, not only from the bullets of the escalating war, but also from the dispiriting effects of daily violence. As he hustles to find work to help his single mother pay the bills, and experiences the pangs of first love for a beautiful classmate, Chava’s tiny home village becomes both playground and battlefield. Armed only with the love of his mother and a small radio that broadcasts a forbidden anthem of love and peace, and faced with the impossible choice of joining either the army or the rebels, Chava finds the courage to keep his heart open, and his spirit alive, in his race against time. But when he escapes his village – and certain conscription – by joining his passionate, radical Uncle Beto at a guerrilla safehold, his childhood is at a premature end.

This is a deeply moving portrait of courage amid hopelessness, and innocence amid evil. In El Salvador in the 1980s, the civil war broke out after army seized power and started military rule. Their controversial decision on land lead to peasant’s uprising which led to civil war. In 1980′s government’s armed forces recruited twelve year olds, rousting them out of their classes at the local middle school or their homes. After seeing movie, one couldn’t wonder can human be so evil?
While watching movie, it constantly reminded me of our Maoists’ uprise and more than 10 year long war. Comparing Salvador and Nepal, situations are same, terror is same only difference is language and geography. Many villages like Chava’s village are burnt and children were forcibly taken to military camps either by guerrilla or state. Many innocent voices were silenced. I am silently recounting many of my army uncles’ descriptions. They describe how an entire VDC of Rukum was rout out by Army after villagers supported Maoists’ attack on them. I am remembering pains of many people who were displaced by Maoists’ threat. They describe how Maoists tried to flush out their families merely because they are government servants or are opposed to their ideologies. Many children like Chava were forced to join militia, are killed or are forced live in terror or are forced to displace. Many houses were burnt, many women were raped and many were injured.
The nightmare is finally over for now. Maoists and Government are in process of sustaining peace. Maoists are now part of Parliament as third largest parties. Yesterday was first anniversary of historic peace accord. People are debating on structuring power and making inclusive Nepal.
But still a boy doesn’t know why his house is bombed, a girl doesn’t know why her brother or father disappeared, a father doesn’t know why his son or daughter is killed. Many children lost their adolescence in their early age. Now 1000′s of questions and fingers are raised, but there’s no one to answer them.

All I wonder is may be those innocent voices would never be heard. Never!!!

Ok flocks,
At last some good news is there. A popular radio show “Saathi Sanga Manka Kura” or SSMK was recently featured by CNN.com in it’s London edition. This might be first instance where leading international media featured nepali media.
SSMK has also just won Global Junior Challenge Award under 29 years category held in Rome, Italy beating 102 projects from 80 countries that reached the final. Along with the award, SSMK also won Euro 25,000. So here’s the link of CNN’s report on SSMK.
http://edition.cnn.com/

You know about it, Big Brother knows about it and everyone knows about it. Who doesn’t know about sex? If someone claims “I have know idea about sex” that means either s/he is child (I doubt it, i knew about it when i was 7 lol) or insane. But why don’t we want to discuss about it.
If i say a word on condom in public, my moral values would be questioned. Why we act as if it doesn’t exist? Nepali society never admits about sex, but if we see our old temples, it’s full of sexual positions or say Kamasutra (May be many learns from there, who knows!).
Nepali society is rapidly changing. Our youngsters are a step ahead than us. My brother has started dating though he’s just 13. It would be big deal during my time though i am just 6 years older than him. My generation also ridicule friends if they haven’t kissed a girl, let alone other things. All these indications show that we have learned western lifestyles, but are we ready?
Our school text book has topic called sexual reproductive health, but ask students, most of them would shy away to answer your question. So what’s taught in class. I asked my cousin brother, and he replied that teacher asks them to study home. Many youngsters have heard about HIV/AIDS but have limited knowledge about it. They don’t know how to use condoms properly. And they can’t ask their elders because we have silence charm hovering on this topic.
During adolescence age, hormones reacts very quickly. Physical and mental changes occurs, but there’s no one to make young people understand it’s very simple and natural process. How many of us have told our brother/sisters, “Look, i also faced same situations like u are in.” How many of us have actual conversation with our brother/sisters on relations, sex and other stuffs. The answer would be very minimum. Its not that people don’t talk, they do but on wrong information. They don’t have guide to inform right information. We used to talk about stupid things on masturbation or sex. Now i am realizing how wrong were we on so many things.
So lets start talking with our youngsters or our friends on this taboo called sex. Lets make habit of being informed and sharing information. If we don’t make our brothers/sisters aware, who would? This would help to strengthen your relationship with siblings. But it’s hard to break ice. Start with small topic like school text books, relationship. You need to share your informations also. I have started it, won’t you?

It has been really really monotonous month. Or shall i say worthless month which yielded nothing for me. I saw my blog after many days… full of spams and of course few encouraging comments.
I had stopped writing right after Dashain because let’s say i was in my mid-life crisis. Mid-life crisis in a sense, time made me feel, “I have written enough and i can’t write anymore because i am bored of writing.”
So i didn’t post any of my blogs. I was kinda bored with my studies/job and all. Just wanted to be free of all these. In mean time, i went away from valley for almost 10 days. Got refreshed. But still wasn’t feeling good to write. There were some projects in pipeline, but still wasn’t so excited about them. Raju must have been wondering why i stopped mailing him. So at last, after reading your encouraging comments and seeing my blog, i couldn’t stop writing anymore. I will write. and yeah of course, such explanations won’t make way to yours.
Why i am saying these? Just to thank you for your support and encouragement for me to continue. Hats Off to all of you.