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Babu Ram Neupane

The contributor for Republica.
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Confessions of a lousy reader

Published On: August 3, 2019 02:00 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

My disinterest in fiction is deeply rooted in my past when we were compelled to read 17 fictions during MA first year at Central Department of English in Kirtipur

Think global, act local

Published On: July 21, 2019 08:38 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

All problems are global but their solutions are local. Believe it or not, most of the problems we are facing today are caused by various phenomena for which we are responsible including haphazard use of insecticides that is very hazardous to public health. It becomes more concerning when vegetables that enter our kitchen on a daily basis are infested with insecticides that pose serious challenge to our physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

Changing storytellers

Published On: July 8, 2019 01:30 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Nepali people are tired of self-declared great storytellers of mainstream political parties and actors who are already past their prime

Rituals over results

Published On: June 23, 2019 02:05 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Summer is the harbinger of monsoon rains with an abundance of splash of water and mud in the fields. The plough and spade artists carve a beautiful landscape mixing love, sweat and faith in the terraced rice fields. They work from dawn to dusk to embellish the earth around them. Still, their greatness largely goes unnoticed and unappreciated.

Clash of elites

Published On: June 9, 2019 02:05 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Elitism has an inverse relationship with the underprivileged and marginalized. However, many people often rise to the ranks of elitism championing the cause of the underserved and downtrodden. But most of them transform into defenders of elites or establishments in no time. Power and influence play hide and seek with them. This mostly coincides with the rise and fall of political establishments and cultural and social forces of the day.

Doctors and development

Published On: May 26, 2019 01:00 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Some doctors are not sympathetic to their patients. They launch their stethoscopes at private clinics and hospitals against their patients to make quick bucks

Whistle and hum

Published On: May 12, 2019 02:00 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Life in the hills can be hell if it were not for the whistles and hums. Whistle gives strength to people who are out of breathe while traversing a steep trail with a heavy load on their backs

My carnival night out

Published On: April 28, 2019 02:00 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

It is heartening that most Nepali Americans are doing their part in keeping the American economy vibrant by contributing to the booze industry

Cooking is cool

Published On: April 13, 2019 01:05 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

How people think and behave is largely determined by what they eat and how they eat. We can simply surmise the nature and behavior of people by observing their food behavior. The filthier their trash bins the unhealthier the people. The greater the food waste, more the chances that family is irresponsible. The most successful people are those who are the most responsible about food. Therefore, I believe a close study of kitchen is crucial in unearthing the basic tenets and secrets of any cultures.

Democracy’s discontents

Published On: March 31, 2019 02:05 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Dichotomy dictates Nepal’s democracy. The mainstream news media is dominated by journalists, who hold an unwavering faith in democracy. However, a large majority of opinionators, freelancers, and wordsmiths hail from political ideologies that are hostile to democracy. The national narratives and political discourses seem to be titling toward favoring authoritarianism. Hence, the unwarranted desire for a ‘soft tyrant’ gets currency among the general public.

Reading Nepali minds

Published On: March 17, 2019 01:00 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Nepali national psyche seems to be deceitfully democratic. Many hide behind façade of freedom

Songs and servitude

Published On: March 2, 2019 03:32 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Curb corruption, not creativity. Art survives even in the most adverse contours, climes and conditions.

Identity and nationalism

Published On: February 16, 2019 04:58 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Patriotism transforms nations into beautiful democracies with peace and open societies.

Living in two worlds

Published On: January 26, 2019 12:10 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

The cashier scanned a frozen pepperoni pizza along with other grocery items, checked them out, and the family dashed out of the store.

My tryst with social media

Published On: January 12, 2019 12:10 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

An urge to connect, communicate and share is inherently human. There is nothing queer about using social media in today’s virtual world. However, motivations to use them diverge vastly based on the worldviews and choices of statements we want to make.

Of farmers and fields

Published On: December 29, 2018 12:25 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Every winter, an escapist and idealist inside me gets transported to those fields of eternal bliss, beauty and bounty of yesteryears

Keep children away from politics

Published On: December 15, 2018 01:30 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Politics is the most powerful divider and unifier in societies of all hues. It can not only turn people off, but also work wonders in split seconds. Nonetheless, its fallout differs from one society to other. It is largely determined by the degrees of its denizens’ inclination toward the dominant narratives of the times in corresponding countries or societies.

Recollections of love

Published On: December 1, 2018 12:15 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Talking of love soothes hearts and embalms the scorched earth. And the precondition is that it happens where love is expressed by blowing into tree leaves and whistling. It is where love still flows down the streams with roaring falls and faint murmurs. It is where love is still pure, polite, puerile, and undefiled.

Musings of occasional drinker

Published On: November 17, 2018 12:15 AM NPT By: Babu Ram Neupane

Drinking is universally accepted as a normal practice across cultures and societies notwithstanding its perilous implications on health. The world may never have seen the drinking habit of one guy (read Bret Ka vanaugh, recently installed the United States Supreme Court Justice) until it triggered such an impassioned discourse.