For Kathmandu..the place I stayed long enough to Belong..

I carry these big bags they call tote. And more often than not, they get filled with stuffs both necessary and unnecessary. It happens so that whenever I'm packing before going out (and it's almost like I'm going out for at least a couple of days), I go through an episode of uncertainty, always being unsure about whether what I'm carrying is useful or whether I am missing anything out. This is the reason why I have to rush back home at least once, once I leave the house, and that pisses my Mom off more than anything(not as if she doesn't forget her glasses, like, almost every time). I have to carry the basic stuffs like my wallet, earphone, a lip balm, a wad of tissues, a rubber band, a hair pin or two, umbrella, a flashy raincoat (which is totally unnecessary with that umbrella but I kind of like it and the umbrella is mostly for when it's scorching hot) and a bottle of moisturizer, given my dry skin. I also carry a bunch of key chains (my lovely collection), though hardly a key that goes with it. But what I carry mostly is the garbage. I detest (with a capital D) throwing garbage just about anywhere. I've always hated those people who contribute shamelessly in making Kathmandu the way it is today, those slimeballs who spit, piss and shit anywhere they like as if the streets of Kathmandu was more like a public bathroom for them. I'm not saying that I pick up garbage like the street urchins, but I do carry my share of garbage. I throw my garbage in waste bins and if I don't find one, I carry them in my bag and throw it back at my place where like a responsible citizen, I wait for the Nagarpalika to come pick up the timely garbage.

The other time, I was enjoying my time out with a colleague after work. We had nothing to buy but like a pair of normal girls we were just window shopping. She is a connoisseur of sorts in accessories so she took me to Makhan Galli to buy some hair pins. She ended up buying a whole packet of hair pins after half an hour of bargaining. She was carrying a small purse where the packet wouldn't fit so she took out all of them and put them in and as was expected she threw the plastic pack away. It just didn't feel right. I couldn't just let it all happen in front of my eyes. I don't love Kathmandu like crazy but I try to do my part in keeping the city clean and dirt free. I said, "Don't throw it on the street like that". She went like, where am I supposed to keep it then? It doesn't fit in my bag. And like I always do I offered to keep the "garbage" in my bag. So that's why my bag is normally filled with packets of juice, chewing gum wrappers, water bottle, the paper cones they fill chana-chatpate in, the pamphlets they give away in streets, Kurkure-wrappers….(you get the idea) other than what's absolutely necessary to me.

I think those who don't care about the well being of the place they call home are the most uncivilized of all. I don't mind the task of fishing through my bag to find the smallest of the items so long as I keep Kathmandu slightly less polluted. I wish people would understand the need to have a clean city to live in. I wish Kathmanduits weren't so stone-hearted about the cleanliness of the most beautiful city on Earth. I wish there were many more of tote-carriers like me.