The Chhaupadi System of Nepal and International Women’s Day

The Chhaupadi System of Nepal and International Women’s Day By Sagun Basnet Recently, International women’s day bid adieu to us sloganeering “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all”. The juncture in the slogan where “equal rights and equal opportunities” precede “progress for all” intrigued me, albeit I found myself standing at a questioning, if not [...]

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Sangeeta’s Graduation: A Journey into My Mind

Sangeeta’s Graduation: A Journey into My Mind By Sagun Basnet “Yoo-hoo! Bravo!” I was screaming hard when Sangeeta received her graduation certificate for Master’s in Public Health degree at Johs Hopkins University. The feeling of attending a graduation ceremony to applaud for someone was brand new to me. Being present to cheer for her attainment [...]

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Women and politics Is voting enough?

Women and politics Is voting enough? By Sagun Basnet The euphoria over the larger participation of women voters in the recent CA poll has pervaded dailies for quite some time. No doubt, women’s participation as voters or candidates bolsters politics with a myriad of alternative perspectives. However, is counting the participation in quantitative terms and [...]

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Some Thoughts on Rashomon, the movie and/or In the Grove

Some Thoughts on Rashomon, the movie and/or In the Grove Sagun Basnet The different narratives on the same event so wisely depicted in Rashomon make me think of how in all the narratives the perception of being a woman is similar if not same. Let us first look at the narratives when it comes to [...]

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Symbolism in Shawl.

Symbolism in Shawl. Sagun Basnet During our discussions on Shawl, Shireen said that trauma is a referent that is difficult to pin down and representation is not a secondary description, it is how we live. This very statement made me think of the various ways trauma has been described in the story even when the [...]

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Levi, Levinas and Glissant

Levi, Levinas and Glissant Sagun Basnet  Our discussions in the class made me think of the profound philosophical thought, “I think therefore, I am”. I remember this claim of Descartes being the matter of discussion in philosophy classes while I was doing my Masters in Nepal. Years later, I now see this statement not in [...]

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“ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL”?

“ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL”?By sagun Basnet The words echoing, “All men are created equal” are more than a buzzing word today with the mushrooming and schooling of various enlightening principles of gender equality. But somewhere, I feel – NO, all men are not created equal. If I restrict my claim to the only feeling, [...]

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Post-ceasefire responsibility

Post-ceasefire responsibility By SAGUN BASNET For quite some time, I’ve been planning to write this, and now, surprisingly, the time is right, especially when everywhere I go, I hear people talking about the cease-fire. The cease-fire topic has become inexhaustible today, as the insurgency and violence are.It is soothing to ears to hear, at least, [...]

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UNREQUITED LOVE

UNREQUITED LOVE By sagun basnet Sakschi checked the cell phone to see if it worked well. It was working. Today Nikhil was arriving from abroad. He didn’t tell her the exact date of his arrival to Sakschi, the day they met online. Still she found it out by inquiring at the international terminal. As expected, [...]

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