Isha Bista

The contributor for Republica.
news@myrepublica.com

Kathmandu isn’t dirty, we are!

Published On: December 13, 2019 09:23 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

If you think Kathmandu is dirty, you should blame yourself. After all, it’s us who are responsible for the filthy streets and stinking alleys. Do you think for a moment before you spit that chewing gum on the road? Do you hold on to that scrap paper looking for a trashcan or stuff it into your jeans pocket instead of just tossing it and letting the wind blow it away? We are all guilty of littering our streets.

The need to speak up

Published On: October 25, 2019 09:37 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

There are a million things that make me angry. People spitting on the road, children throwing chocolate wrappers on the sidewalk, their parents not saying anything, buses stopping randomly in the middle of the road or driving in the wrong lane, and judgmental people who comment on everything you do and behave like their word and opinion is final. And all that is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a great many things that infuriate me.

It’s a circus out there

Published On: September 13, 2019 10:09 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

Anyone who drives a car or rides a bike knows the frustrations of the road. Never mind the perpetual traffic jams and the chaos that ensues, it’s the general sense of indiscipline and lack of respect for one another that makes being out there on the road such a strenuous affair.

Retraining your mind

Published On: September 6, 2019 07:25 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

My father-in-law smoked for 30 years until one day he decided to quit cold turkey. He hasn’t touched a cigarette for two years now. A friend of mine loves Indian sweets but it’s been six months that she hasn’t had a gulab jamun. She wants to eventually give up sugar and that’s how she has decided to start. My mother has been exercising without a break for over 20 years. It doesn’t matter if she’s not feeling well, she will do something or the other to stretch her muscles, even if she can’t do a rigorous workout.

Home alone and loving it

Published On: August 9, 2019 07:57 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

I love staying at home on Saturday. This is that one glorious day of the week when I don’t have to meet ten different people and sometimes, if I’m lucky, don’t even have to talk to a single person. I simply love it.

10 things I want to tell my daughter

Published On: March 8, 2019 09:45 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

There are many things I want my daughter to know so that she grows up to be a fearless, confident, and grounded woman. But these are especially those things I wish my mother had told me when I was growing up. I want to teach her these important lessons before she is told otherwise.

Compare & compete

Published On: August 25, 2017 12:44 PM NPT By: Isha Bista

In the age of social media, nothing is private anymore. Many of us actually can’t seem to do anything without posting a photo on Facebook.

Horrible bosses

Published On: June 2, 2017 11:46 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

There was a time when I hated going to work. I would get up in the morning, have a relaxing cup of tea and as I flipped through the newspapers that feeling of anticipation and dread would slowly start creeping in. I often found myself wondering what my immediate supervisor would say or do that day that would make me miserable and how I would deal with it. The littlest of things I did or didn’t do would set him off on a tirade. I had no idea what I was doing wrong.

The right of the reader

Published On: April 14, 2017 11:53 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

I have a friend who seems to be reading all the time. Her husband says that not only will she read if she gets up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back to sleep, but she will read while walking, stirring the milk, and brushing her teeth. Name a book and she will have read it. And there is not a genre that she doesn’t like. She loves the classics, reads a lot of contemporary fiction, and is currently fascinated by historical fiction.

Discovering my own country

Published On: January 6, 2017 10:19 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

One of my goals this year is to travel more within Nepal. I have a foreigner colleague who knows more about Nepal than I do and sometimes I feel ashamed at how easily I say I want to go to Greece and Rome and plan for it while having no idea about the beautiful getaways in my own country.

Wondrous world

Published On: December 16, 2016 02:27 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

A traveler’s soul is a funny thing. No matter where you go, and what you see you will never have your fill. The end of one trip is when you plan another. Yes, logistics like holiday dates and savings do need to be factored in but that doesn’t stop a wanderer from exploring the world. And those filled with wanderlust know, seeing the world’s glorious sights can be a deeply moving and life-changing experience.

Musical morning

Published On: December 9, 2016 10:04 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

I wasn’t a morning person, not unless you consider someone who wakes up at 10 am to be a morning person. But then, a few years ago, I got married which says a lot about why I wake up at the ungodly hour of 6 am these days. No, I didn’t have to do household chores but waking up early was crucial to create a good impression.

Mind your manners

Published On: September 30, 2016 02:00 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

It’s amazing how people don’t think their behaviors affect others especially when they are out in public and continue being their obnoxious selves. Saying sorry doesn’t even occur to them because apologies are for the low life.

The happiness project

Published On: August 19, 2016 01:00 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

Achieving happiness and maintaining that state is a never-ending process that requires a lot of effort. Cultivating a positive mindset and acting on those things that make you happy while letting go of things that drag you down don’t come easy but there are many things you can do to build on it.

The angry mob

Published On: August 12, 2016 02:30 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

Most people wouldn’t think of me as an angry person. In public, I’m jovial, light-hearted, and extroverted. But at home, I’m a different person. My wife says so sometimes. And though I respond to it with anger, often passing hurtful remarks in retaliation, I know I have a problem managing anger.

Confessions of a spendthrift

Published On: August 5, 2016 02:00 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

A colleague recently confessed that she finishes her salary in two weeks time, and that her savings account currently has Rs 700 and that’s because Rs 500 is the minimum balance required to maintain that account.

Confessions of a dieter

Published On: July 15, 2016 03:00 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

Last summer I reached my goal weight and celebrated by treating myself to a vacation. During the vacation, I ate and drank without restraint, and went everywhere in tubes and taxis. Ten days later, I was back home, looking like my old self, and ready to go on a diet to lose all the kilos I had put on in Bangkok. I had lost four kilos and put on six.

Confessions of a workaholic

Published On: July 8, 2016 10:23 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

A few months ago I suffered from chronic headache, backache, and was always exhausted. My family said that I worked too hard and my body was rebelling but my reaction to it was ‘everybody works hard’.

Not a woman’s world

Published On: June 24, 2016 04:00 AM NPT By: Isha Bista

We tend to blame the men for women’s plight not realizing that more often than not women make it easy for the men to act up. Our culture, tradition, and society teach women to be subservient and many don’t know that there’s a way of life based on partnership, and even if they do know, rebelling is not that easy.

Strength of a woman

Published On: June 10, 2016 02:17 PM NPT By: Isha Bista

A while ago I came across some very disturbing news on TV. The leader of Pakistan’s Council of Islamic Ideology proposed a bill regarding how men were allowed to deal with ‘their’ women. The proposal was to make it legal for husbands to “lightly beat” their wives if needed and prohibit the mixing of genders in schools, hospitals, and offices.