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| A view of the "Himal" - Nepalese for the Himalayan mountain range |
Nepal happens to be
one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. With various tourist
attractions such as Mt.Everest, Lumbini ( the birthplace of gautam
Buddha ), various holy shrines and trekking ranges, it attracts millions of
tourists every year. Located between India and China, it is a land locked
country but comes under as ‘The Roof of the World’ due to its Himalayan
range containing the worlds tallest peak – Mount Everest at 8848 metres.
I
have not been in Nepal as a tourist, but as a medical student and have spent
several years there, the result of which I got to look at the people, their
customs and traditions, a lot closer than what tourists usually get to. I am a
resident of Kolkata, india and going over to Nepal initially was difficult, but
the country and its people grow on oneself as time goes by.
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| Nepali Villagers |
I studied
in a medical college located at the outskirts of Nepals capital city of
Kathmandu located at the ‘Shivapuri’ foothills. The area where it was located
was still being developed, hence it was dusty and living there was pretty much
a nightmare for me as well the localites. The presence of the hospital in that
area attracted a lot of people from nearby villages. Seeing these people was
probably the first glimpe of the ‘simple’ and ‘alienated’ life i had perhaps
never seen or experienced. They would come from villages far away located in
Shivapuri, by foot, traversing distances of over 8 hrs to reach the first
accessible medical facility, that was, our hospital.
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| Step Farming : A common sight |
People with
the slightest knowledge of the outside world, most of them being farmers, born
and raised in the hills itself, looking at the city down for years as just
bright lights, till they are forced to decend in the need for health. Taking
doctors as god and giving them their utter and complete faith and not questioning
any form of the treatment was new to me. Their way of life, so different to ours,
living in an era gone by.
The term “mysticism’
is not new to Nepal. Due to its vast population of Buddhism followers, one gets
to experience the peace and harmony with life which he would not otherwise
experience. There are various shrines for Buddhists eg Boudhanath stupa (near
our college ), Swayambhu etc. Visiting these place gives a sense of peace to a
person. The famous Buddhist chant “Om Mani Padmi Hum” is frequently heard. Monks
are seen taking rounds of the stupas holding rosaries in their hands or
sometimes during their prostrations. Candles are lit in hundreds by people
offering prayers to the gods above. The monasteries with their beautiful architecture
and paintings of the Great Buddha. Just by vising these places, a person feels
a connection to his inner self.
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| The Boudanath Stupa |
Me and my
friends used to frequent a monastery behind our college, approximately at an
hours hike. Just going there in itself, gave me a sense of peace and tranquillity
that I am willing to go back to Nepal for. Whenever I was there, i never wanted
to leave and come back to Kathmandu..for i would lose my soul connection again
in the chaos of daily life. It gave mysticism a new meaning for me, that I have not found since.
