Yet another dawn arrives in Kathmandu valley, yet another day to fulfill the daily obligations of excreting, scrubbing, bathing, travelling to work, yet another scheduled traffic jam at the Bagmati bridge, yet another clogged set of organs breathing in the suffocating air. Just as you begin to resign to the dreary and mundane reality of your existence, Kathmandu offers its dose of the theatre of the absurd in the form of the most ridiculous piece of news and absolutely makes life worthwhile.

If you haven’t already heard about the flying Nepali mouse, then let me just explain the context. Passengers were shocked to find Chi Chi (and I am fervent in my belief that a mouse with a celebrity status such as his deserves a name, and a diva name at that) travelling with them on a Nepal Airlines carrier bound to Bangkok. The flight got cancelled, a “team” was sent out to deal with the “issue” and it was discovered that Chi Chi had actually built a nest in a catering box.

Now, you may think that safety and hygiene are priority issues in this incident, but in our egalitarian Naya Nepal, to uproot an underprivileged, marginalized and perhaps minor individual from their home could have serious political ramifications. If Chi Chi had made the effort to build a dulo within the cabin, then he really must not have been kidding about the whole venture. This is serious business.

But, it is also not. And I’ve really enjoyed the media’s representation of this piece of news. The newspapers have fully embraced the comic relief apparent in this absurd news that many will claim is a quality distinct to Nepal – “Nepal ma ta yestai fantoos kura matrai hunchha.” The media has highlighted the event in the front page, as the main piece of news. Yesterday’s Kantipur had the headline “Jahaj chadera musale ghumyo Malaysia ra Hongkong” which immediately got me thinking about Stuart Little – in this case our very own localized version. While the news is enough mockery of our state and its state of affairs, the fact that the media has prioritized this piece of news over others also implies mockery towards the regular frontrunners in the media. Baburam Bhattari and Prachanda have literally been sidelined. Gentlemen, it seems like your time in the spotlight is over.

It seems like overnight, a national hero was born in a country desperate for any kind of heroism. While there has been an offense strategy adopted by the Nepal Airlines officials to spook out our beloved Chi Chi from his abode, there is still controversy as to whether this “problem” has been solved entirely. It seems like our hero has a bit of a knack for being persistent and standing for this rights. Keep persevering, Chi Chi. I’ll be rooting for you!

Ms. Sumi teaches English to high school students. When she isn’t in the classroom, she likes to read novels, write poems, and spend time in the kitchen. She is also a great appreciator of wildlife and considers spiders, cockroaches and leeches as some of her favorite insects.

http://www.parakhi.com/blogs/2011/09/08/news-from-nepal-courtesy-musa-samachar/