The flow of times has landed us in the midst of the upheavals that are very difficult to comprehend. Maybe the politically minded or the criminal bent of mind can do justice to the so many incidents that drop in to disturb the tranquility that an overburdened Nepali yearns all the while. But, there’s no line-up of the elements that can make his/her pain or mental strain any less.

The whole idea of having your sleep come in bits and pieces is too much when the bread and butter part is what your perennial quest is for. To get the rejoinder to the umpteen news of someone kidnapped and the so and so much ransom demanded has become the forte of even those papers that do not believe in sensationalism. But, there it is. The tag of the human interest makes it receive top priority or rather the headlines. And, yes, the readers lap it up to brace themselves up for the turn of events which could be anything from a heated discussion with your pals over the backdrop to the story or a bandh that may turn up from nowhere to land on your town or city the next day.

The human settlements are expanding in every part of the country leave aside the ones in the Kathmandu Valley. More people means diverse natures and financial status. When impunity can be seen to be rife, it might suit the crooks to try their luck through holding hostage and demanding ransom. Most of them end up probably with “mission accomplished” grins. This assumption is based so because only a few of the cases seem to touch the ‘happy end’ talk.

This provides the scare to everyone, whether in the rural setting or the urban surroundings. The belief of the society and its mechanism for the safety of those in the fold has become a myth. It’s all talks like the ones recited out to pacify the public. The people listen to it and feel comforted but walking back home turns out to be more scary.

Maybe fear rests in the mind but the reality cannot be denied. The philosophy of the more the merrier goes awry at times. More news through more newspapers, TV channels and radio stations make you more surrounded by the fear of the unknown as can be visualised through the specific news on “the kidnapped and the ransom demand”.