We do not change as we grow older; 

We just become more clearly 

ourselves.

Colors!

Just some pictures I took on the Delhi Streets! =)

The Never Melting Snowman!

Like any other after- work day, I walked past Freak Street after meeting friends at our junction in Basantapur and stopped at Snowman. The plain glass wall that showcased the cakes got my mouth melted. Without a second thought, through the old wooden door that has been there forever- by forever I mean since the time I entered the “Teen hood” and since the time I started to frequent Snowman, I went into Snowman café (Snowman, the place that serves the best cakes ever- well to me, it sure does).  The place was crowded and lit by candles (the lights were out) making it look homely and warm.

I looked around for a seat and it was amazing how foreigners overshadowed the number of locals there. In spite of being a small place with plain décor and walls smeared with murals that must have been at least ten years old, the place is always crowded! I grabbed a seat right next to the counter and looked at the cakes for not less than 3 minutes and ordered for a Chocolate Cake. It’s funny, but I always do that, look at the menu for a long time and order the same thing every time!

It had been quite some time that I had been there! As soon as I was done with my SLC, this place was my junction with friends and we played cards all day long, sang songs, bullied each other, made noise, got scolded for making too much noise and what not. Snowman had so many memories from my past; it was a part of who I was. As a teenager. Times when we thought we knew about everything- like a typics teen! God knows what we talked when it came to politics, but we did! Not only Politics but Love, life, religion and all the serious things. There were days when we didn’t have anything to talk about and enjoyed just being on mute mode. We got there as soon as it opened, i.e. at 8: 30 just for the sake of passing time and amazingly, the bill never got over 500 for 7 people. Making us want to go there the next day!

All of those friends were lost! They are now in different corners of the world but we do have wonderful memories of Snowman to hold on to. The c music selection was just so good! Listening to Beatles and John Lennon sing songs through the old speakers there and the hippies walking shoe-less made us feel like we were in the 1950’s! There were so many friends we made in Snowman! Every time we passed, we exchanged smiles, added each other on Hi5 (that was the trend back then). Just as my thoughts meandered all over the place, Raju dai caught my eyes and we exchanged a smile. I had heard about Raju Dai, the vendor of the café from many of my friends before and since I was alone and he was doing nothing, I started a conversation.

I told him how much I loved Snowman’s Chocolate cake and Cappuccino. And what he said next, surprised me! His mother made all of the cakes every day. That was something amazing and wow! I popped up more questions and he told me that his father, Ram Prasad Manandhar opened up Snowman in 1965A.D. as a small bakery where his wife made German influenced cakes! With passing time, the number of customers grew in an alarming rate. He told me that Chocolate Cake sells the most and then Juice/ Lassi. And he got a phone call and our conversation ended but it was an interesting chat.

After having been here for so long, I never knew what it was all about! Then, the clock struck 8 and I had to be home! So, I payed my bill which was merely Rs. 100 and walked through the swinging doors yet again! And I thought to myself, “I’m coming here again tomorrow!”



Thankyou Sudeshana, Raju Dai and Aman for posing for the pictures! =)

Prayer Flags.

"Wind is the natural element of the horse. As it gallops across the plain the wind arises to meet it, its long tail and mane flowing freely as it speeds through the stillness of the air, creating wind. Both the wind and the horse are natural vehicles of movement, the horse carrying material form and the wind ethereal form. Prayers are carried on the wind, and in Tibet the prayer flag is known as the Windhorse, Lung Ta, in Tibetan."

- from The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs by Robert Beer

Shambhala Press, 1999

I remember going to Swaymbhunath Stupa when small and being fascinated by the long chain of  rainbow colored perfectly shaped rectangles hanging down from a piece of thread. It was just so beautiful and pleasant to watch- as a child and till date. For some people it might just be a colorful Mala and to some just something to decorate the temple with. They are called Prayer Flags, Healing Flags or Peace Flags. 

It has a set of five colored rectangular shaped cloth and are inscribed with auspicious symbols, invocations, prayers, and mantras. The five colors represent the elements and the Five Pure Lights and are arranged from left to right in specific order: blue, white, red, green, and then yellow. Different elements are associated with different colors for specific traditions, purposes and sadhana. Blue symbolizes sky/space, white symbolizes air/wind, red symbolizes fire, green symbolizes water, and yellow symbolizes earth. According to Traditional Tibetan medicine, health and harmony are produced through the balance of the five elements.

And as far as I have heard, it is believed that every time the wind passes through the Flag, the mantras are spread out in open letting the environment be peaceful and wonderful. In fact I brought back all of my friends in India the Prayer Flags and its strange they didn’t know about it. So they just called it the Rainbow colored long- long Mala from Nepal. I have one too in my room. For good spirits and well being along with a great way to pump up the look of the dull old boring room!
Place one in yours too!
Easily available in the Buddhist temple areas or Thamel/ Basantapur!

Source: Wikipedia.
Photos: Kundan Tamrakar/ Nischal Oli.
P.S. The background for my Blog shall remain so for a while from now! :)
Spreading Peace and Prosperity!

roadhouse café, Kathmandu, Nepal

Probably the best available Pizza in Kathmandu, Roadhouse Café is somewhere that is in your must-visits list! Spread out in three different outlets- Thamel, Pulchowk and Bhatbhateni has the crowd- and most importantly, the food!

Even while writing this, the divine aroma of the amazing pizza I had a week back is coming back making my mouth water. Like I have already mentioned many times already, The Roadhouse Café is famous for the pizza. The specialty of the house is wood-fired pizza. The almost 25-30cm(Diameter) Pizza is pleasantly delicious with the crisp crust making you want to say, “Heaven”- out loud the whole while you eat. However, for people who would like to try more than the mere Pizzas have an option of exploring the rich menu that includes Pastas, Soups, Salads, Nepali/Italian cuisines and plenty of desserts along with a fine drink by your side.

Running successively since the year 1996, over a decade and its never been this popular not only amongst Foreigners but also among the Local crowd. The bill might burn holes into some pockets but since the food is worth the expenses, it is always crowded. Almost all of the three outlets are located in or around the main road. The interior is warm and welcoming and all the while your cheese is melting in the oven, you will be busy pondering around the interiors or using the free wi-fi service they provide. Not to forget the great taste of music they have,-all the outlets. I wish I could just run away with their chef and the playlist. But of course leaving behind the sinful thoughts, the restaurant has Take away service and a phone call a while ago will keep your seat reserved.

After having tried possibly everything from the unique menu made out of Nepali Lokta paper, my personal favorites are the chicken Tandoori Pizza, A Caipirinha coupled with cheese-covered potato skins, Margarita and the yummy Sizzling Brownie with Vanilla ice-cream that makes my tummy happy.

Be it a sunny day or a Rainy day, Roadhouse Café has and always will feed your appetite for the best Pizzas and Italian cuisines- made outside Italy. Along with the B&K Ice cream! And trust me, this is no exaggeration.  Go there to know it for yourself! =)

Photo source: tripadvisor.com/ flickr.com(Pranay)

Just writing about it because I miss PIZZAS!
Although, I love the Indian Pizzas, i.e. Dosas! :)

DeviantART

Good morning Sleepyheads! :)

This would just be a simple Thankyou note.

Thankyou all the artists who put in their works at DeviantART.

A lot of pictures you see in this Blog are extracted from the site. It would not be possible to go back to every post and mention it but I will do so starting today.

I love  http://www.deviantart.com/!

=)

Never Ending Peace And Love= NEPAL

"नेपाली हु, नेपाली भै सदा सदा रहू. "-----I am a Nepali, and I shall remain so forever.

Going back to exactly a year back, I was probably running around the streets of Kathmandu fooling around living young; wild and free!  I was leaving for India in a few months' time for my UnderGraduate program and back then, I had zero clue that I would turn into a patriotic person in a short period of time.

I headed out of Nepal for the first time on July 17^th, via Air India that left the Kathmandu runway at 10:30AM. I will probably never forget that day- Filling up 3 years in the blank space that asked Time to be spent abroad in the Departure form. My heart churned, but there was no going back. As soon as I got to India, the Airport taxi driver spanked my ass. There it was, “Welcome abroad”.  But amidst all the dangerous stories my mother had filled my ears with while trying to convince me to stay back in Nepal, it was an expected act. And the self-proclaimed "Strong and Mature, Nivida" was feeble and scared thinking of all the things I would have to witness. Later I found out that that crazy prick was one of a kind and someone who harasses you could be put up in jail. The idea sounded like a relief.

However, getting back to the topic. After meeting a few people and telling them I am from Nepal in the hopeless Hindi I spoke back then, “Nepal is a part of India” crossed my way many times. I tried to stay calm and tell them that they were wrong. And actually during the start, I was so and there was no need for me to act to be so. But with each passing day, when people went on calling Nepalese “Chinki”, addressed them as “Sallam Sabji” claimed it to be a part of India, said Gautam Buddha was born in India, unaware of the fact that 8 of the world's top mountains are in Nepal including the highest, Mount Everest AKA Sagarmatha.

Some of them thought I overacted when I was pissed at them for saying so. Well, the truth was, I did over act. Because I was not used to being bullied about where I came from. My identity. Not everyone went around pulling my leg but a handful of hooligans did. I love my country. And yes, I have zero shame in stating that Nepal is a third world country. It is a Developing country. It has a filthy scene in Politics. Also that Nepal has not done anything more than the already placed Mount Everest and Gautam Buddha's birthplace but it will, in some time. And India is developed, very much and seeing it developed makes my heart want more for where I come from. But all the nations did not develop overnight. It is a slow process. Like we learn something new every day, the country grows in the same manner.

Well, as time passed, the number of people who went around teasing me about being a Nepali didn’t decrease but now, I don’t freak out like I did before. I pity them for their lack of General Knowledge and stay shut and smile at whatever they have to say. My Indian friends have shown interest in Nepal and they pop up questions which I answer delihtfully. It makes me happy knowing that they are interested in Nepal and the history. Not to forget their efforts to learn Nepali.

I would like to thank them here. Thankyou for making me feel home!:)

The Nepali friends society here is just amazing. Knowing that there are friends dying to eat Sukuti and AluTama just like me and someone to turn to when you miss home is amazing!