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KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 14
A nightmare from a not very distant past keeps resurfacing down our memory lane: those 18 hours of power outage engulfing us in the darkness, and making us grope around for a candle, a flashlight, a kuppi - a kerosene-fueled light, or even a diyalo, tiny pieces of pinewood laden with its resin and easily combustible - à la old times.
That 'groping' for electricity was not for luxury like, for instance, heating water in the chilly winter, cooling the rooms during dog days, setting the tumble dryer in motion or melting into the cushy sofa with a tablet fully recharged.
Rather, it was a search for Light in the darkness some flickering light enabling a sick person to find her medicines easily, enabling a student to finish her project smoothly, or the elderly using the restroom cozily - to cite a few quotidian imperatives.
Hence, while those brief moments of power supply cheered millions up, the long and dreary hours of power outage remained an outrage, wreaking havoc on their socio-economic activities.
Meanwhile, the Himalayan snow kept melting, generating the so-called hydropower potential flowing untapped, regardless of selfish human needs for power.
In cities, lifeless electrical lines and lightless utility poles stood witness to that plight, to that desperation of thousands of fingers impatiently waiting to flip on the lights, without losing a split second, as everyone knew the 'power schedule' by heart.
However, while craving for that 'light', we did a lot of injustice to the darkness by completely ignoring its advantages, the most important pertaining to our sleep, yes, deep sleep in the dark! One may always choose to sleep with the lights on, yet the sleep itself will feel more comfortable in the dark.
This serene state of rest generally makes us live carpe diem, and makes us feel refreshed, cheerful, composed, clearheaded and at peace - just to mention some soothing features.
The marriage of darkness and beauty is often fascinating.
The sky is starry only in the dark. As a child, you definitely remember chasing luminous and luminescent fireflies, in the dark. I noticed an intriguing scenario the other day (or night), when I was crossing a bridge over a 'river' in Kathmandu.
In daylight, no one lingers along a Kathmandu bridge to drink in the view below. I would not do it, either. However, in the dark, the multicolour city lights beautifully reflected in the waters.
The darkness had camouflaged everything: the dark sewage waters, colourful plastics floating on them, the dust, the smoke, the filth: nothing there.
Just a clean river in a clean city, yes, in the dark!
A version of this article appears in the print on February 15, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
