Red sari on, Starbucks cup,
Boss asks lunch? I’m fasting up!
From Walmart aisle to Uber seat,
We dance Teej beats on every street!
Red sari on, Starbucks cup,
Boss asks lunch? I’m fasting up!
From Walmart aisle to Uber seat,
We dance Teej beats on every street!
Poor: Bro, I’m broke. My wallet is so empty it echoes.
Rich: Echoes? Mine has Wi-Fi.
Poor: …Wi-Fi?
Rich: Yeah, so it can connect to my other wallets.
Poor: I hate you.
Rich: Nah, you love me. That’s why you hang out with me.
Poor: No, I hang out with you because you buy the fries.
Rich: And you eat 90% of them.
Poor: Sharing is caring.
Rich: You “share” my fries the way pirates “share” treasure.
Poor: At least I don’t have your rich-people problems.
Rich: Like what?
Poor: Like having to choose which sports car to drive. My “choice” is bus or walking.
Rich: That’s exercise! Free gym!
Poor: And free rain shower when it rains.
Rich: Fine, I’ll drive you next time.
Poor: In which car?
Rich: The gold one.
Poor: You have a gold car?!
Rich: No, it’s just yellow. But it feels gold when I drive it.
Poor: …You’re lucky I like free rides.
Rich: And fries.
Poor: And your air-conditioned life.
Rich: And my Wi-Fi wallet.
Poor: I swear one day I’m stealing that thing.
Once in a small village, a Brahmin bought a fine goat for a feast. He slung it over his shoulder and started walking home, humming a mantra.
On the way, three mischievous brothers spotted him. They decided to play a trick.
The first brother approached and said, “Oh holy sir, why are you carrying a pig on your shoulders?”
The Brahmin frowned. “Pig? This is a goat. Are you blind?”
He walked on.
A little farther, the second brother bowed respectfully and said, “Respected one, I am surprised to see a learned man carrying a pig like this.”
The Brahmin’s step slowed. “Pig again? Hmm… perhaps this man is also blind.”
When he had nearly reached the village, the third brother stopped him and whispered, “Oh noble Brahmin, why in the world are you carrying a pig on your shoulders? It is unclean!”
Now the Brahmin’s confidence began to crumble. Could it be…? Have my eyes deceived me?
Terrified that he might be carrying an unholy pig instead of a goat, he dropped the animal to the ground and ran off chanting purification verses.
The three brothers laughed, picked up their brand-new goat, and disappeared into the forest.
The festival is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology, with stories such as the legend of Vamana and Bali, where Lord Vishnu, in his Vamana avatar, sent King Bali to the underworld but promised to protect him, symbolizing divine guardianship. Similarly, in the Mahabharata, Lord Krishna tied a protective thread to Yudhishthira before the great war, ensuring his safety. These narratives highlight the themes of protection, duty, and spiritual discipline. Culturally, Janai Purnima is a time for strengthening family bonds, as sisters tie a thread on their brothers’ wrists to express love and pray for their well-being. The festival is also marked by community gatherings and the preparation of special foods like Kwati, a soup made from nine kinds of sprouted beans, which is enjoyed to celebrate the seasonal change and promote health and nourishment.
In conclusion, Janai Purnima is a festival that weaves together religious, mythological, and cultural traditions, emphasizing the values of protection, purity, and familial love. Through its rituals and stories, it reinforces the importance of spiritual discipline and the bonds that unite people, making it a cherished occasion in the Hindu calendar.
Threads Across Oceans
In the quiet hum of an August morning,
the sun rises over two worlds at once—
Himalayan peaks,
and city skylines that gleam like steel prayer wheels.
A cotton thread, sacred and white,
rests in my palm like a soft river of memory.
Father’s voice recalls the old village temple,
where priests chant in the incense-thick air,
tying janai to shoulders like promises—
to truth, to compassion,
to the weight of vows carried through lifetimes.
Here, halfway across the world,
I wear mine too.
Not by a rushing Nepali stream,
but by a kitchen sink,
the turmeric bowl glowing gold like Kathmandu dawn.
Mother murmurs mantras she learned from her own mother,
while the thread circles my arm—
a bridge spun from devotion and diaspora.
Somewhere in that thin strand,
my heritage hums.
It knots the mountains to the prairies,
rice fields to asphalt streets,
the Ganga’s myth to the Hudson’s flow.
I walk into the day,
the janai warm against my skin,
a quiet tether reminding me—
I am carried by the prayers of many,
and I carry them forward,
thread by shining thread.
The chain of corruption is a systemic cycle where unethical practices become normalized and self-perpetuating within institutions. It often begins with those in power—politicians, bureaucrats, or business elites—who misuse their authority for personal gain. This creates a trickle-down effect: junior officials, contractors, and even ordinary citizens may feel compelled to engage in bribery, favoritism, or fraud just to survive or compete. As accountability weakens and corrupt actors protect one another through networks of loyalty or blackmail, the entire system becomes resistant to reform. Public resources are siphoned off, services deteriorate, and trust in governance collapses, trapping society in a vicious loop where corruption feeds on itself.
Not just a little—I let them cry.
I act all spoiled, shout with flair,
Crash my bike just to make you stare.
They mock my words, they don’t understand,
So I reply with a twist, a sleight of hand.
At home or on the street, my heart won’t rest,
I strike back gently, a quiet protest.
Your memory pulls, while laughter bites,
When it gets too much, I rattle knives at night.
Kathmandu, September 8, 2025 — At least 19 people were killed and hundreds injured in Nepal on Monday after security forces opened fire...