putting Chulman on the map!

In our efforts to bridge the gap between us and our Nepali peers Alana and I have gone back to basics...

When you were a child what were the things you remember most about going to parties?  For me it had to be the following:

• fairy bread
• cordial (purely because I wasn't allowed any - the word 'hyperactive' comes to mind)
• 'pass the parcel'
• cake
• and...'pin the tale on the donkey'

Last year I had a kids party for my little friend Miki and was elated to find out that kids are still getting a considerable kick out of these rather simple activities...So when we found out our friend Chulman was being assigned as a special pioneer to the Terai in the far west of Nepal, we thought a farewell party was in order...And what better way to party, than to 'pin Chulman on the Terai'...

How?

What you will need:

• two large pieces of cardboard
• sticky-tape*
• thick markers
• a good drawer (enter Angena and Alana)
• a map of Nepal
• various cuts-out of tigers, elephants, rhinos and other Nepal related items
• scissors (to cut out the little 'Chulmans')

a Chulman

Owing to the efforts and skill of Angena, Alana, Anishradda and Anamika we finally had ourselves a giant map of Nepal (not to scale - Sagarmatha^ apparently isn't the highest mountain?!) and were ready to 'rock the party'...Fearing that it might be a massive flop, we had a sneaky 'pass the parcel' parcel on hand in case of an emergency...

the real slim shady...

The first player was 'Dillu', Baneshwor's tallest and perhaps quirkiest bhai.  He seemed confused when I tied my scarf around his head and started to spin him around, but he managed to 'pin' or rather to 'stick' Chulman fairly accurately on his assignment....'hmmm how are we going to keep this game going?????'  After a couple of close encounters, it became apparent that these thoughts were not ours alone when our guests decided to intervene and get creative!...When I say I creative, perhaps, rough is the more appropriate word!...

When Chulman's little brother Mukhti almost ended the game early, the brothers decided to make a human barricade between the next player, Yuvraj, and the wall, then, to completely disorientate him, they decided slapping him from all different directions would be a good idea...This tactic merely prolonged the process...So when our service overseer, Simon (as in 'de Beauvoir'), next appeared in the ring, Yuvraj got his own back.  This time the bhaiharu ('brothers') led Simon (glasses atop his blindfold) into another room, pushing him in every direction except that guarded by the human barricade...After running into a table, the window and Yuvraj several times, Simon came close to throwing in the towel, or should I say, the scarf...but was not permitted.  Finally, Simon, (perhaps prompted by childhood memories) rose against his nemesis and penetrated through 'the great wall' to the map...only to land Chulman in a neighbouring province...bichaarai ('poor thing')...

Yuvraj

Simon

not the Terai

diversion tactics

With a sort of poetic justice, Chulman, despite having the map relocated, rallied forth, and pinned - I mean, stuck - his Chulman perfectly on Mahendranagar...good to see Nepali kids these days know their geography...

'there's no place like home
there's no place like home'

So the night was success.  Alas, we fear we have set the bar too high and cannot top 'pin Chulman on the Terai'.  We may have to turn in our party-gloves....unless there are some other tricks of the trade you might care to share...

* AKA: botch, scotch tape, sellotape

^ Local name for Mt Everest