Wai Yan Hpone

FOR Westerners, Cupid, the Roman god of love, is the one who helps them open their hearts. For Myanmar Buddhists, naphuza , or the Brahma’s writing on the brows of every baby on the sixth day after birth, is the main factor that predetermines their future better-halves. Whether fixed by Cupid’s arrow, the Brahma’s brow writing or one’s kamma from a past life, marriage is seen by most Myanmar Buddhists as one of three enduring things in one’s life. Along with the other two, the building of a pagoda and tattooing, it is regarded as a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. So significant is marriage for Myanmar people that planning for and conducting the wedding day’s ceremonies and celebrations is one of the most important tasks of an entire lifetime. Modern lifestyles and needs, however, are beginning to change many of the traditional wedding practices that have held forth among Myanmar’s couples for generations. First among the changes is how a new marriage is recognised by the communi...

Mandalay royal moat and city wall (Pic: Tourism Myanmar) I wish you ever pay a visit to Shwe Man once It’s an enjoyable place, it’s our iconic city So beautiful with waters shimmering And emerald-green palace walls With turrets and banquettes Surrounded by the moat All bright in the sunlight reflecting HUMMING Shwe Man Si Tho [To Golden Mandalay], a famous song in praise of Mandalay, I set foot on the grounds of our former royal city. Surrounded by the dark Shan Plateau far to the east, Mandalay Hill to the north, and the Sagaing Hills across the Irrawaddy River to the west, enchanting Mandalay immediately captivated me, a Yangonite. My former doubts about the city’s reputation, expounded in many songs and poems, suddenly disappeared. I felt like a foreigner experiencing Myanmar for the first time. Women riding motorcycles; old, nearly empty reconstructed wooden-frame Chevrolet buses from World War II that moved slowly; beautifully designed buildings; clean streets intersecting at righ...

Martyrs' Mausoleum, Yangon (Pic: Wikipedia) ONLY when I heard a popular song coming from the cassette player of a lottery-ticket seller, who was pushing his trolley past my house, did I remember to look at my calendar and saw that the date “July 19” was in red – a public holiday. “Oh, Martyrs’ Day is coming up soon,” I thought. But how could I have forgotten? I felt so guilty to have forgotten such an important day, a day we have a special expression for in our language: sekko zulai mamenai (unforgettable July 19). I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn’t speak for a few moments. Pausing at the window, I gazed out at the drizzle that was falling. The day seemed even more gloomy to me. As I stood there, another morning came to my mind, one from many years ago: My primary school teacher was sitting on a desk and telling us a story. We gathered round her and listened without a blink. I don’t remember in which grade we started to learn about history, but I’m sure we ...

I came across a cane the other day while cleaning up my messy house. This cane, which once gave me pain, is now suffering from old age. Its appearance has changed. Its edges are frayed.   Finding it was like meeting an old man who was once strong, stout and manly. I remember that the cane used to be hung proudly in our living room. But that was more than a decade ago and it was now being kept in a box of rubbish. But I am sure I will still recognise it whenever and wherever I see it, for I have a grudge against it.   While I was holding and swinging the cane in my hands, some images came to mind: Mum had a stern face and I had heavy legs. I was walking hesitantly home, where mum, in her longyi wrapped high up to her breasts, ready to take bath and with arms akimbo, was waiting for me with flashing eyes. The sharp sound of the cane hit my eardrums and I felt a smart sensation on my calves.   Mum was very ambitious for me when I was young. Moreover, she always...

MR Alan Rabinowitz, an American wildlife biologist who has set many milestones in his two decades working for the preservation of tigers and other wild cats around the world, achieved yet another hard-won goal on his most recent visit to Myanmar last month. During an expedition to Kachin State that lasted from January 15 to 24, the 51-year-old conservationist helped the Myanmar government put the finishing touches on the establishment of the Northern Forest Complex, a 13,500-square-mile reserve that links four existing protected areas he helped create. Those areas are Hkakabo Razi National Park, Hponkan Razi National Park, Bumphabum Wildlife Sanctuary and Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve, all established in northern Kachin State to protect a wide range of wildlife but especially to preserve tigers from extinction. “Our best estimate is that there are about 150 tigers in the Hukawng Valley,” said Mr Rabinowitz, who is the director for science and exploration for the Bronx Zoo-based ...