Next Jimi Sir?

Wow! Quite a video!

As I was watching the video, I was thinking about some of the experiences I have had in rural Nepal. The one that I can remember is when I went to Gorkha to visit my aunt’s place. My Fupu and her family gave me a ride on their way to Lamjung, must’ve been in 1993, if I’m not mistaken. They left me at Dumre Bazaar from where the walk to my aunt’s house was about an hour. Not at all far by Nepali standards. Anyways, one of the flashbacks I get is of bathing in the river. My cousin, who is apparently just nine days older to me (now a businessman, married with two kids) would take me to the river to fetch drinking water for the house. But we would be gone…usually for hours. Playing in the river, running along the terraces, collecting firewood in the nearby woods, eating fresh “ghiu” (refined butter) and milk and above all the warmth of the fire is what I remember the most. It has been 14 long years since then. During these splendid 14 years of my life I have met hundreds of new people, earned college degrees, gotten new nephews and nieces, owned a car, traveled halfway across the globe, seen the Empire State and interacted with hundreds of people from around the world. Now I want to go back. I want to experience the chill of the river, the freshness of the mountains and the warmth of that fire. If things were my way, I would go back to the same place, live there for a week and come back for my class in Room 3204 of the Science Building next Tuesday. Too bad I am a mere human with little control over my life and my fate…

Going back to the video…one of the things that intrigued me is the choice of a MIT computer science student to go half way across the globe and his willingness to spend a part of his life building a “charpi” (toilet) in the community. I couldn’t tell you if that choice of his is noble or divine or a mere experimentation. All I can do is admire his great desire to make a difference in a community of 10,000 people. Now I am starting to think…really think…Do I, as someone who was born and raised in the same country, have an obligation to give back? Do the people in such a deprived area of the world need me? Can I make a difference and if I can should I make an attempt? After thinking for over two hours I still can’t come to a conclusion. I have been involved in various community activities here in the US. I have talked to ConocoPhillips executives about giving back to the community, I have canvassed in the streets of Minnesota about protecting forests and I have talked to campus authorities (at Luther) about removing Styrofoam from the cafeteria and establishing a composting facility. I believe I am doing whatever little part I can play, but is that enough? If I try to help a community here, is that enough? Do I have an obligation, family, social, ethical or otherwise, to go back to my country? Is helping one segment of population more satisfying than helping another segment of the human population? Is one human life more significant than the other? I don’t know. And… I am still seeking for answers? I am thinking this is my fight against my self, my character and possibly my destiny.

Can I be the next Jimi Sir? Should I be the next Jimi Sir? If I should, how can I be the next Jimi Sir?

Anyone?