Engineers with Hamsters an acem story of Subin and Alish
*Why hamsters? ‘Unlike Jerry, they are safe pets’
It’s could be your birthday, anniversary, Valentine’s Day, or any other special day! What if just a few inches away, a shiny parcel waits to be unwrapped? Once in a while, the gift shivers as if a gentle breeze just passed by. Perhaps a pleasant surprise is chewing up inside, a living present; appears vivid brown, white, or both. ‘Yes. A Hamster!’
“Hamster is a small burrowing rodent with a short tail and large cheeks pouches for carrying food,” one of the students of acem explained, a furry little hamster began to move defiantly towards his shoulder as he said. “She is Bob. It’s her bedtime, they are nocturnal creatures, you see!’ Mr. Subin Shrestha added.
“I still remember my parent's furious reaction at the sight of them in my room,” Subin suppressed his laughter. Alongside Mr. Alish Shreshtha, another student at acem, he had begun the small-scale business of hamster. “I was nervous they would make me abandon the hamsters, mainly because we already had real Jerries camping the nook and corners of our house. The rage, however, subsided once we stopped asking for pocket money.” He sniggered without taking his eyes off the tiny rodent.
“People often ask ‘why hamster?’ Well, as most of our time and energy is focused on the projects, exams, and studies for engineering. We chose these self-caring creatures that do not require much attention and investment from the owners. Once one of them chewed a borrowed book; my friend seems still unaware. Or things would be different if that was not the case. Anyway, sometimes the tiny teeth can devour the words of wisdom. Even so, the knowledge does not taste good for all, especially for these pets.” Subin recollected, his eyes twinkling in mischief.
“But not all the memories are happy. We lost one of the hamsters right after we bought the two in Basantapur. Our downtrodden spirit searched all the way back to the Indrachowk where we actually got them from the breeder. To dampen our mood more, a grey cat was wandering around the suspected area. We left, shoulders hunched and sad, to buy one again. Later we began breeding them in our place itself.” Alish exhaled in an unusually calm voice.
“The business is booming now, we sell one for 3000 Nepali rupees. Yet by now, we have learned some important lessons of what ‘to-do’ and ‘not-to-do's. One of such crucial learning on hamster is not to caress or stroke the pregnant hamster. Apparently, most mothers are threatened to the point of consuming the newly born babies to protect them from the supposed danger.” Their warning voice rang in the silence followed by the almost inaudible munching of an apple.
