Year 2050
Posted: April 10, 2007 Filed under: Scratch of my head 11 Comments »I am sipping Marfa (Apple Brandy) while sitting in my rocking chair, facing towards the ‘Ganesh Himal’ (mountain) in Dhulikhel (town in Nepal, about 15,00 m high from mean sea level). I always wanted to spend my retired life in Dhulikhel, so I am very happy to be here despite my several other shortcomings. My wife brings a chair near me, and starts knitting a sweater for me, a sweater that I’m unsure if I ever will get a chance to wear.
“Things have really changed” says my wife, I look at her and give my silent nod and we both stare at Ganesh Himal. The same Ganesh Himal that we both had seen together during our high school days at Kathmandu University. But it’s so different now, all the snow has been melted from the peak and it’s simply an ugly looking rock hill.
I remember last weekend, I wanted to visit my ancient home at Putalisadak (a street in Kathmandu). My wife, understanding my emotional attachments didn’t deny me in going despite the risk and my age, so I drove till Sanga (the highest point after which it’s all downhill to Kathmandu Valley). From Sanga I took a private boat and set off towards where Putalisadak used to be, I had the coordinates of my home so navigating with a hand held GPS unit helped a lot. Biggest threat was bumping into Telecom Towers, which sometimes can tear your boat apart. For a moment I felt like I am in Venice, people from 8th floor of the house were taking boat directly to their work, below that every thing is submerged. The global warming has melted all the mountains and the glaciers, Kathmandu now looks like what it used to be centuries ago, a big lake before Manjushree made the river outlet in Chovar (place near Kirtipur) to drain it (a folklore). I saw the peak of ‘Dharahara’, tallest tower in Kathmandu, so I knew I am closing in. Finally I got to my destination, too bad my house was not tall enough to be seen. As I stood in my boat, all the memories of my childhood comes pouring into my eyes.
My son has started a shipping company, he supplies food and resources from highlands to submerged areas, and he is really doing well. Last year when we got together for Dashain (major Nepalese festival), he was telling me that he will expand his business and make it multinational. With complete submergence of Bangladesh, ships from submerged Terai (Southern low land of Nepal) can directly go to Europe and America. He is bound to succeed, no wonder he used to love Kevin Costner movie ‘Water World’. I don’t really get to see my grandchildren; they are in some boarding school ship in Pacific Ocean. Sometimes I even compare my life with a song by Ugly Kid Joe: Cats in a cradle. I and my wife kill our time teaching in local school; it’s really amazing to see the faces of kids when we tell them how things were before.
It’s not that it is hot all the time; the weather has become so unpredictable that you never know what it will be like the next day. I was reading the news other day; ‘Northface’ filed for bankruptcy as there were zero demands for winter clothes. Couple of years ago, during all summer it had winter’s temperature, absolutely freezing, Lake Kathmandu was all frozen. I couldn’t even take my boat to visit my old house; however there was huge sale for summer clothes.
I remember the movie ‘Titanic’ where an old couple just hold each other in the bed when the ship was sinking, helpless. I think I am in that situation now, unknown to what’s in store for me tomorrow. As I lay down in my bed, clasping my wife’s hand, I begin to think of all the things that I could have done to avoid this:
• Shouldn’t have forced my dad to buy me a new Pulsar Bike because it had more power than my fuel efficient Hero Honda.
• Shouldn’t have bought a six cylinder Toyota Camry, simply because it had more power.
• Should have car pooled with my roommates when all four of us were going to same school, but liked to take our vehicle individually.
• Should have collected all the plastics that come in with my groceries and taken it to recycling center rather than dumping it to the trash.
• Should have used less heat and air conditioning.
• Should have put more energy efficient bulbs at my home
• Should have used my expertise in practice rather than in producing research reports.
• …………………………………………..and so on………………………
Will KTM be flooded or dry as a desert, I wonder…:)
I am not sure about that. Though I think whatever gets evaporated has to come back down as a precipitation, so there will be no loss of water, no matter how hot it gets. However, there will be significant changes in weather pattern and climate as a whole.
Good piece.
The science of warming has been proved and it seems that the effects of climate change are now inevitable. I am however, not a doomsday theorist and I believe that there are things we can do to minimize the consequences. I don’t want to see a day when you have to paddle through the ‘streets’ of Putalisadak.
Another aspect that cannot be denied is the possibility of social strife and violent conflict. When there are people fighting for food and land where there is very little, chances are high that they will not like each other to the point where they are willing to take up arms to feed their children. Social scientists are finding links between environmental scarcity and violent conflict.
My only criticism: You constantly blend in your emotions and reminiscence from the past with the science. If I were you, I would have left the science out to give more strength to the piece and make it thought provoking.
Well, prajwal bro very nice, emotional and hypthetical dream. Hope that ur dream comes true and the future of our beloved country will be as like ur dream.
But, thinking on the base of reality, our country may be the poorest, least developed and nothing more than a empty desert if the trend of unemployment, deforestation, political instability and like things will be the same.
But, we have to be optimistic always and i too dream like u. OUR DREAM COMES TRUE DEFINITELY.
HOPE OUR DREAMS COME TRUE
Great piece of fiction… It reminded me of one article in Pioneer: Ma Mahasachib Sanyukta Rastra sangh Ko. Are you the same one who wrote that piece? My bad, I do not have that issue of pioneer…
But your fiction is more than anyone had ever thought… Did you have chance to see “The Inconvenient Truth”, the award winning documentary? Al Gore has cleared many issues in the film about submergence of land around the world, when north pole will melt down.
I liked the way you have listed our current habits that we should not have developed..
Few list from my side too..
- Should have got the US citizenship to vote for Al Gore and fire Bush from the job.
- Should have given preference to hydro, wind or solar companies rather than Shell, BP or Exxonmobil.
- Should have put every US citizen on trial for climate crime and Bush on top..
Why is it just every US citizen that should be put on trial? This is a global problem, not just an American one. China’s rapid, uncontrolled industrialization and Brazil’s rabid destruction and burning of the Amazon are just a couple of examples of greenhouse gas contributions caused by other countries. I agree that we’re a major cause but we’re not the only one.
is this fiction, Prajwol jee?
I liked it.
thank you
I wud too want to be near KU in my old days..may b around 2050
. Nice to find your blog. I am not sure you are same prajwol or not which I knew, but some one from KU too writes blog. Its nice
yup…i joined in 2001. SO might know you. I think i have seen u in your last sports week. you were with that Mithun bista or sth else.
Well my Team had won Gold Medal in Cricket in 2002 (or 2001, I forgot),anyways that was my last Sports Week in KU. If you were around the Cricket field, I must certainly know you.