No Kidding

A bunch of kids. A lazy Saturday afternoon. Janabahaa. Perfect ingredients to make Janabahaa abuzz with an hour of hectic activity, fun and educational not only for the energetic kids but also for the lethargic locals.

First, divide the kids into two groups – one group with the younger kids and the other with the older ones. Ask the smaller kids to draw something on the tiled flooring with some sidewalk chalk, and they will not only come up with a big, bright rainbow in no time, but will also manage to pen down a message for the residents and store owners of Janabahaa: “Say No to Poly(thene) Bags.”

Ask the older kids to draw something, and immediately they will come up with an imaginary creature.

And then ask the older kids to find answers to three questions with the help of local people: what are the three names of Janabahaa, what are the three names of the deity who resides in the main temple in Janabahaa, and in which king’s reign was the main temple in Janabahaa built. They will immediately run around the complex, talking to every adult they bump into, and easily find answers to the first two questions.

But even after a good twenty minutes, they cannot come up with the answer to the third question, because none of the locals knew the answer.

Do you?

Photos by Alok Tuladhar.

Divine Light Rids Janabahaa of Darkness

A pair of panels of photo voltaic cells is the latest addition in Janabahaa. The solar panels charge a truck battery which powers an inverter which in turn powers half a dozen compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) installed inside the Janabahaa complex. Thanks to the addition of a little bit of technology, residents of Janabahaa, and Karunamya Aryavalokiteshwor himself, are shielded from the notorious power cuts that the rest of the country suffers from during the dry months.

Photo by Alok Tuladhar.