Page 24 - C.A.L.L. #31 - Spring 2009

Nepalis choose to live in a commune

by Kushal Regmi December 20, 2008
GroundReport

“I will not make a private house,” declares Anil Nepal, a consultant engineer, who has
spent ten years of his life living in a commune.

Joint families have become a thing of the past and nuclear families are the accepted
way to go as far as families are concerned in today’s Nepal, but few individuals, like
Anil, are opting for alternative ways of living that suit their own lifestyle.

Anil tired of a variety of lifestyles before deciding that commune was the best form
of family for him. After finding that he was a misfit in the joint family where he
grew up, he opted to live alone in a flat. But staying alone wasn’t the solution either.
He realized that a human being needs a social support system to lead a healthy life.

Staying alone in Kathmandu as a young professional meant that his circle of friends
had a great influence in his lifestyle. Thus smoking and drinking on a regular basis
became his way of life even if he hadn’t consciously desired it. This is when he
encountered meditation and a commune lifestyle in the form of Osho Tapoban.

“I knew I had had enough
of that way of life when my
body started becoming
allergic to drinking and
smoking. I needed a more
natural lifestyle, which I
had found in Tapoban, but I
still wasn’t ready to commit
to actually staying there

because my habits
demanded a different
lifestyle,” as he recounts a
phase in his life which he
has left far behind.

Anil finally had to decide which way to take, whether he wanted to continue the
lifestyle of his peers or completely change his way of life.

“I moved to Tapoban, because the milieu there was what was required for my
spiritual growth. I was possessed with the quest to realize who I was. Slowly I began
to realize that I needed to purify my body, mind and emotions to go deeper into
meditation and it was not possible without a spiritual commune and at that time,
Tapoban was my only option,” Says Anil, who looks like he is very much at ease with
himself.

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