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class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Langtang after 10 years</h3><p>Nepal's oldest cheese plant destroyed and rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake, now at risk from state neglect</p><span class="list__author">Sonia Awale</span></div></article></a><a href="/here-now/in-limbo-in-lisbon"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">In limbo in Lisbon</h3><p>Surge of Portugal's anti-immigrant party worries Nepalis waiting for residence permits</p><span class="list__author">Aseem Banstola in Porto</span></div></article></a><article class="hero"><a href="/news/11-56-25-april-2015-wkc9q2an"><figure class="hero__img"><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.5%"></div></figure><div 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Times</span></div></article></a><a href="/news/a-tale-of-two-deaths"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">A Tale of Two Deaths</h3><p>The pro-monarchy unrest last week claimed two lives and injured many</p><span class="list__author">Dhanu Bishwakarma and Anita Bhetwal</span></div></article></a><a href="/here-now/money-is-not-the-problem-governance-is"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">"Money is not the problem, governance is"</h3><p>International public transport expert from Nepal has tips for Kathmandu’s mismanaged system</p><span class="list__author">Sonia Awale</span></div></article></a><a href="/opinion/transforming-transport-in-nepal"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Transforming transport in Nepal</h3><p>Decarbonisation targets include phasing out fossil vehicles to reduce urban air pollution and improve energy security</p><span class="list__author">Prashant Khanal</span></div></article></a><a href="/here-now/she-is-the-story"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">She is the story</h3><p>How the portrayal of women has evolved (or not) in Nepali cinema</p><span class="list__author">Sangya Lamsal</span></div></article></a><a href="/news/nepal-s-deja-vu-on-black-friday"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Nepal’s déjà vu on Black Friday</h3><p>Attacks on media by pro-monarchy protesters reminiscent of absolute monarchy days</p><span class="list__author">Sonia Awale</span></div></article></a></div><div class="ad marginBottom20 ad--center"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1624457159363-0"></div></div><div class="adsGroup"><div class="ad marginBottom20"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1624012596205-0"></div></div><div class="ad marginBottom20"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1624013128324-0"></div></div></div><section class="topic"><figure class="topic__img"><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.5%"></div></figure><div class="topic__wrap"><span class="topic__text">Latest news for</span><h2 class="topic__hdl">Climate</h2><a href="/here-now/saving-what-is-left-of-himalayan-rivers"><article class="list"><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Saving what is left of Himalayan rivers</h3><p>Not all mountain rivers need to be monetised, saving them will save us from climate breakdown</p><span class="list__author">Kunda Dixit</span></div></article></a><a href="/here-now/versatile-bamboo-reduces-climate-risk"><article class="list"><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Versatile bamboo reduces climate risk</h3><p>Nepal’s villages use fast-growing bamboo groves to protect them from more frequent floods</p><span class="list__author">Pinki Sris Rana in Chitwan</span></div></article></a><a href="/editorial/thinking-the-thinkable"><article class="list"><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Thinking the thinkable</h3><p>Two entwined global threats in 2025: climate breakdown and nuclear catastrophe.</p><span class="list__author">Editorial</span></div></article></a><a href="/tag/climate"><a class="btnLink">> More about Climate</a></a></div></section><div class="ad marginBottom20 ad--center"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1624457283890-0"></div></div><div class="adsGroup"><div class="ad marginBottom20"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1624271650176-0"></div></div><div class="ad marginBottom20"><div id="div-gpt-ad-1624284090061-0"></div></div></div></div><div class="main--right"><iframe src="https://nepalitimes.substack.com/embed" width="100%" height="320" style="border:1px solid #EEE;background:white" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><div class="print marginBottom90"><h2 class="section__hdl section__hdl--small">THIS WEEK ON E-PAPER</h2><span class="archive__kic">Click cover to download</span><div><a href="https://archivenepal.s3.amazonaws.com/nepalitimes/book/Nepali_Times_1254/index.html"><figure class="print__img"><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:150%"></div></figure></a></div><a href="https://www.archivenepal.org/nepalitimes" class="btnLink" target="_blank">> ePaper Archives</a></div><div class="tabs marginBottom90"><ul class="tabs__nav"><li>Most read</li></ul><div class="tabs__content"><article 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class="section--small marginBottom90"><h2 class="section__hdl section__hdl--small">Opinions</h2><article class="hero hero--small"><a href="/editorial/hydrocarbon-to-hydropower"><figure class="hero__img"><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:100%"></div></figure><div class="hero__text hero__text--small"><span class="editorial__kicker">Editorial</span><h2 class="hero__hdl hero__hdl--small">Hydrocarbon to hydropower</h2></div></a></article><article class="briefList"><span class="briefList__kicker"><span> Prashant Khanal</span></span><h3 class="briefList__hdl"><a href="/opinion/transforming-transport-in-nepal">Transforming transport in Nepal</a></h3></article><article class="briefList"><span class="briefList__kicker"><span> Jeevan R Sharma and David Seddon</span></span><h3 class="briefList__hdl"><a href="/opinion/the-end-of-aid">The end of aid</a></h3></article><article class="briefList"><span class="briefList__kicker"><span> Upasana Khadka</span></span><h3 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class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Kathmandu’s liquid landscape</h3><p>Research maps network of ancient water canals that still function despite urban pressure</p><span class="list__author">Sudiksha Tuladhar</span></div></article></a><a href="/review/powerful-movie-upacks-questions-of-identity"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Powerful movie upacks questions of identity</h3><p>Deepak Rauniyar's new film is a sharp commentary on race relations in Nepal that is not overly didactic</p><span class="list__author">Sophia L. 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The city of Ohrid is popular with tourists and...</p></div></article></a><a href="/business/nepal-army-in-burma"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Nepal Army in Burma</h3><p class="list__lead">Nepal Army sent its CASA aircraft to Nay Pyi Taw this week with relief material and a medical team to treat survivors...</p></div></article></a><a href="/business/thailand-nepal-pact"><article class="list"><div class="list__img"><figure><div class="Image_adaptiveImage__2pihe" style="padding-bottom:66.44518272425249%"></div></figure></div><div class="list__text"><h3 class="list__hdl">Thailand-Nepal pact</h3><p class="list__lead">Thailand and Nepal signed eight agreements during Prime Minister K P Oli's visit to the country this week in the presence of...</p></div></article></a></section><div class="ad marginBottom20 ad--center"><div 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panicked. Her house had started shaking. My instinct told me it was an \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/deadly-earthquake-hits-w-nepal\"\u003eearthquake\u003c/a\u003e so I told her to get out of the house as soon as possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs she ran outside, the line got disconnected. It was my turn to panic. A few moments later, she called again to tell me she was safe, but got disconnected again. Since then, I have not heard from her and all my efforts to reach her have been in vain.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven after a decade, I do not even know if she is alive. After her call, I was worried about my family as news of the mega earthquake had already started spreading. I could not get in touch with my father in Rasuwa, but was relieved to know my brother and other family members were okay and camping outdoors. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy father, who had gone to the market, was missing and I was worried. My brother finally called to say he was all right. I was somewhat relieved that my family back home had survived the earthquake, unlike thousands of others. That our house was destroyed mattered less, but I was concerned about the frequent \u003ca href=\"about:blank\"\u003eaftershocks\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeing away at such a time is difficult. I am sure most \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/50-diaspora-diaries-in-nepali-times\"\u003eNepalis in the diaspora\u003c/a\u003e were in a similar situation: restless, sleepless and desperate to be back home as we refreshed our phones for updates or tried to call relatives. Some replied, others did not. My heart was in a constant state of worry: about my family, my village and my country.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI was desperate to come home. My family was safe and alive, but maybe I could at least save one person from under the rubble if I went back to Nepal. But I was in the middle of my employment contract in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/uae-warning-to-send-back-workers-including-nepalis\"\u003ethe UAE \u003c/a\u003eand could not just leave.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter around two weeks, the desperate urge to return started subsiding and I became more practical. If I returned to Nepal, I would once again be unemployed and hard up. My family was living in a temporary shelter, and the best thing I could do was to earn as much as possible so we could \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/quake-survivors-migrate-for-work\"\u003erebuild our house\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250405080412_80b55004bc3a3fd19b9c95339a24f5f22d2a74b4fc61ba07deb46955d1df2674.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"20250405080412_80b55004bc3a3fd19b9c95339a24f5f22d2a74b4fc61ba07deb46955d1df2674\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"DD 62\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eAman Eakal back in Kathmandu, showing a photo of his home destoryed in the earthquake, and trying to build a singing career. \u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy heart was aching not just for my family but also for my country. I transferred my first month’s salary of Rs80,000 to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. As my family was safe, I thought it was more important to contribute to the nation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI had served seven years in the Armed Police Force (APF), and perhaps that is why I felt a sense of responsibility. I also started remitting as much as I could to my family. Even before the earthquake, I was most careful about my spending habits, some might even consider me a कन्जुस miser.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe value every paisa because we are aware of the pain of our families \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bringing-korea-s-prosperity-to-nepal\"\u003eback home\u003c/a\u003e, and our own sacrifices: eating the previous day’s rice with cold veggies or dal in a plastic bag on the roadside during lunch breaks.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe earthquake made me even more cautious. I wanted to send home every extra Dirham I could. I took on more overtime hours and even stopped spending on fruit and meat in the market on my days off.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI was in the APF’s communication department, so I knew people in the Nepal government and I stayed in touch with them for earthquake updates. Nepalis in Dubai also asked me about the latest from home.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven today, when I think of that time during the earthquake, my heart feels heavy. It was poverty that kept me far from my family and country. I had migrated to work so I could invest my savings in my younger brother and children.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy childhood memories are of scarcity and challenges. I did not even know what it meant to eat खाजा snacks in school. Till Grade 5, all I had was a pair of shorts, we could not even afford trousers. My family could buy me a school uniform only after Grade 7, and I wore it right through my school life.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt was only after my father went to work in Kathmandu that we stopped worrying about eating two meals a day. But poverty is relative. There were fellow students who got to eat lunch in school and focus on homework, whereas I had to finish household chores that left no time for assignments. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250405080412_21b47d56f3941ca53b9faa933de900b8eb0c7564f687d0f18d16a800bc58522b.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_7\" data-image-id=\"20250405080412_21b47d56f3941ca53b9faa933de900b8eb0c7564f687d0f18d16a800bc58522b\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1287\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"DD 62\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eA page of lyrics Aman Eakal wrote during the earthquake that evokaes longing for the motherland, worry about home and family, and a commitment to rebuild the country.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnd there were those who were even worse off, and did not go to school at all, or dropped out. \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/latest/14-years-after-conflict-no-closure-in-nepal\"\u003eThe Maoist conflict\u003c/a\u003e made it impossible for me to stay in the village because the guerrillas tried to force me to join their militia.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy older brother was in the Army and refused. To avoid them, I even used to ask my mother to lock my room from the outside. But one day, they dragged me out and warned that my brother or I had to join the Maoists within one month.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThey even fired shots to scare me. My brother was posted in Itahari and told me to run away to Kathmandu. I quit my studies and joined the APF but the salary was low and my mentor from the force, a deputy inspector who treated me like a son, died in an accident.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI lost interest and decided to \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/making-overseas-migration-better\"\u003emigrate overseas\u003c/a\u003e. My APF salary was Rs10,200 a month at the time, and in the UAE I would earn over Rs72,000. I had loans of over Rs850,000 mainly because of my mother’s health expenses. With my Nepal salary, it would take me a lifetime to pay off these loans so I had to migrate.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI worked as a security guard and later refilled cash in ATM machines in the UAE, and it was all to support my family. I focused a lot on my younger brother and parents as I was unmarried for the first few years. My own studies had been affected by poverty, but I could not let my brother face the same fate.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI enrolled him in a private school and asked him to focus on his studies. I would fulfil all my personal dreams through him. He is now doing a PhD in China and this could not make me prouder. I think it is my life’s biggest achievement.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/quake-survivors-migrate-for-work\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eQuake survivors migrate for work\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMy father sacrificed his life for us. I was told that he used to bleed from his mouth from overwork as he crushed stones or cut wood. I wanted to make sure my parents would not have to worry about work or money anymore.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI gave up all my dreams and passions in life except one — a deep desire to one day record my own songs. After returning to Nepal, I recorded three songs, including one that I had written some 20 years ago.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eI do not know what the future holds. I do not have the money to start my own business in Nepal, although it is constantly on my mind. I am a new father and my responsibilities are growing. If I am unable to start a business soon, I may very well have to migrate again to the UAE or to Europe. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Video {id: \"editor_11\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cvideo controls src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250405080416_306fcaa9702389af66c5c9476c6cffb792ebcc298a544e5c080e3e220faed8ec.mp4\" alt=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"\u003e\u003c/video\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eAway from home when Nepal shook | Aman Ekal (Diaspora Diaries 62)\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Video {id: \"editor_11\"} --\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eA migrant worker remembers the worry when being so far away during the 2015 earthquake\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_c5392acf7036c38ba6c87e214d04c7997494d4850179f0801d872aee7ade6ae9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_dcfc855bdd676c24b85d136516bf7d313fc99935e21f4e16a8c6fdec063c19f5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_e4604e69ace9450f3d664ad12feb84578e66c05ffc5aebd885225d8e05bf73cc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_fd6f27b5203e6c0af2376bc4912de759ea284b16e1f9a7662beeb2d9ba2afab3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_456c1f0c1549679f373c31c838e966fb969129dfb22c8555f8133d932125ac0f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_9d518d57be15813e089dbb602ee01c5911e2350abe93209f792258e89964bab0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_cb35d9783b1bb131b612000f78f96c276b2335cec5a970980bbdc59a92646ae2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_8dd0d46b86ffb517d300d9d7a2b6ad86521345124574a6d8b318e7b62a23a8e5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_c1674abe0f93c0bcc30647b6d818f0c933ede014b0006d74ac5bc3f7c6feea7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_39c6bd511d0fbbd73cf0580e0ff4378556f0589613f0a02e431349d13a61c6fd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_c5392acf7036c38ba6c87e214d04c7997494d4850179f0801d872aee7ade6ae9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405080412_c5392acf7036c38ba6c87e214d04c7997494d4850179f0801d872aee7ade6ae9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Aman Eakal"}},{"id":8075,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-04-05T02:39:24","title":"Langtang after 10 years","slug":"langtang-after-10-years","body":"\u003cp\u003eGyalbu Tamang had spent the night in \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/langtang-before-after-earthquake-nepal\"\u003eLangtang village\u003c/a\u003e for a prayer vigil, and was on his way back to his home in Kyanjin, three hours up the valley.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt started drizzling, and he took shelter at a friend’s place. Just before noon as tea was being served, the ground shook violently. It was strangely dark, large lumps of snow started falling like in a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya\"\u003eblizzard\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTamang knew it was a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/deadly-earthquake-hits-w-nepal?fbclid=IwAR3P8YkAGim9rZo5oPMMDTfsUD29TVo9heuh378KH5Lo-TVA6YjotithQg8\"\u003ebig earthquake\u003c/a\u003e, and rushed on to Kyanjin to see if his two daughters were safe. His heart sank when he looked down from a bluff overlooking the village. His house and much of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-buddha-was-born-in-lumbini\"\u003emonastic town\u003c/a\u003e were piles of rubble and ice.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHis daughters had been taught in school to take cover in an earthquake, and this saved them when it hit. Tamang's sister Sumjo was outside and blown off by the blast. When she came to, she could not move because of a broken leg and her baby daughter had been thrown away but safe.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250405030444_dd47ceaf71a505e075f4a3628baf70161a40ebd21bcec1b1a2ebe03b28da4293.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_4\" data-image-id=\"20250405030444_dd47ceaf71a505e075f4a3628baf70161a40ebd21bcec1b1a2ebe03b28da4293\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"960\" height=\"720\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Langtang Valley\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eAs a boy, Gyalbu Tamang learnt cheesemaking from his father who was trained by the Swiss in the 1950s.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eTamang then ran back down to Langtang where the rest of his extended family lived. He passed people fleeing in the opposite direction who said \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-courage-and-endurance-of-the-langtangpa\"\u003ethere was nothing left of Langtang\u003c/a\u003e. His parents, sisters and their families were all buried by the avalanche.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“If I had not left that morning, I would have been dead too,” says Tamang, now 49.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/lost-in-reconstruction\"\u003e7.8 magnitude earthquake\u003c/a\u003e unleashed an avalanche from Mt Langtang Lirung (7,234m) that bulldozed a glacier, burying the village below in debris 100m deep.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/five-years-after-avalanche-langtang-is-locked-down\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFive years after avalanche, Langtang is locked down\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt least 310 people were killed, 80 of them \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/trekkers-welcome-in-nepal-but-conditions-apply\"\u003einternational trekkers\u003c/a\u003e. Most were never found, some were blown off by the shock wave to the other side of the valley. \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/langtang-before-after-earthquake-nepal\"\u003eLangtang village was wiped off the map\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025040504048_d8c71171ea5b41fb9fb5d919f671567ea4e326590b4a2ff340951e1c1713f9b0.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_10\" data-image-id=\"2025040504048_d8c71171ea5b41fb9fb5d919f671567ea4e326590b4a2ff340951e1c1713f9b0\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"834\" height=\"447\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Langtang Valley map\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eTamang returned to the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/langtang-revives-its-cheese-heritage\"\u003eLangtang Cheese Production Centre\u003c/a\u003e which he heads. It was set up in the 1950s by the Swiss, and now run by the government’s\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/land-of-milk-and-money\"\u003e Dairy Development Cooperation (DDC)\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe factory was flattened by the earthquake. What was left of the equipment, raw material and 150kg of cheese in the storeroom were destroyed. Of the yak herders who supplied milk to the plant, 22 had been killed and 700 of their yaks.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLangtang's survivors, including Tamang’s family, were evacuated to Phuntsok Choeling Monastery in Kathmandu for safety as aftershocks rattled Langtang.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_13\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025040504044_e44f7d2697ff5b49528b44792dab75efa34ecf549555ce4b6a589833e54b0df8.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_13\" data-image-id=\"2025040504044_e44f7d2697ff5b49528b44792dab75efa34ecf549555ce4b6a589833e54b0df8\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"5312\" height=\"2988\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Langtang Valley\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_13\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThat was where Tamang reconnected with film-maker Kesang Tseten, who was so moved by the tales of survivors who had lost family members, that he made his award-winning documentary Trembling Mountain.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“I wasn’t initially thinking of making a film, however, the story started unfolding itself,” recalls Tseten.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrembling Mountain became not just the story of the rebirth of Langtang but also about its \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-yak-cheese-is-on-world-map\"\u003eyak herders and cheese makers\u003c/a\u003e who had lost their livelihood.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/those-who-stay\"\u003eMountain people\u003c/a\u003e struck by disaster with the tangible goal of rebuilding a cheese factory was a metaphor for the community getting back on its feet,” Tseten explains.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe film crew visited Langtang five times over the next year, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/off-the-beaten-trek-in-nepal\"\u003etrekking across trails \u003c/a\u003emade treacherous by landslides and rockfalls. The Nepal Army was still recovering bodies, and Kesang filmed a masked Gyalbu Tamang chanting with prayer beads as he identified the decomposed bodies of relatives.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter watching the film, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Kathmandu helped rebuild the cheese plant. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGyalbu Tamang’s father was one of the first cheese makers trained by the Swiss 70 years ago, and he grew up milking yaks in high pasture and learning the art of cheese-making which he is now passing on to a younger generation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrembling Mountain also prompted the DDC to raise the buying rate of yak milk from Rs70 per litre to Rs100.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Langtang cheese factory survived a catastrophic earthquake and was rebuilt, but ten years later its very existence is in doubt again because the herders are getting older and the youth have migrated. It is also too expensive to rear yaks.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/langtang-revives-its-cheese-heritage\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLangtang revives its cheese heritage\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Gyalbu Tamang\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_18\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250405030456_916e23555795fd3e5f618ad328192e486fe1bc08c40edb1a038d3827123a0402.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_18\" data-image-id=\"20250405030456_916e23555795fd3e5f618ad328192e486fe1bc08c40edb1a038d3827123a0402\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2485\" height=\"800\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Langtang Valley\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eLangtang Cheese Production Centre was set up by the Swiss 70 years ago, and was destroyed in the 2015 disaster (left). It was rebuilt after the earthquake (right) but has been impacted by dwindling yak herders.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_18\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Even a cup of black tea costs Rs120, so why would yak herders do such hard work?” asks Tamang, who was in Kathmandu this week to lobby with the DDC to increase the price of milk.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe number of herders \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/so-far-so-good/nepal-s-milk-heartland-rebounds\"\u003esupplying milk \u003c/a\u003eto the cheese plant has come down from 36 to five. Some of the yaks are already being bought by other cheese factories down the valley or in Gatlang.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLangtang cheese has strong brand value, and Tamang hopes that a private investor will be interested. This would not just revive the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/a-family-that-works-together-stays-together\"\u003edairy business\u003c/a\u003e, but also the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/culture-cannot-be-an-afterthought\"\u003ecultural heritage\u003c/a\u003e associated with \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-salt-of-the-earth\"\u003eyak herding\u003c/a\u003e that is in decline. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-climate-crisis-is-a-water-crisis-in-the-himalaya\"\u003eclimate crisis\u003c/a\u003e has added to the problem. \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-suffers-another-winter-drought\"\u003eLess snow in winter \u003c/a\u003eaffects grass in spring, leading to lower nutrition levels in yaks and less fat content in their milk.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_25\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025040504044_3c6e268b1704f7803fbe6ff1a070fc490afe437bed6adbf9c3dbaeeded5dda4a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_25\" data-image-id=\"2025040504044_3c6e268b1704f7803fbe6ff1a070fc490afe437bed6adbf9c3dbaeeded5dda4a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1692\" height=\"1232\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Langtang Valley\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_25\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis has a direct impact on cheese production at the factory, which has fallen to 2,300kg per season from a high of 7,000kg when Tamang’s father Pasang Norbu used to head the plant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“My father had 15 yaks himself, and he bought more with his retirement money so that his children would continue to be in the dairy business,” says Tamang. “My son is in Grade 6 in Kathmandu, and I hope he grows up to be a cheese maker too.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the 10 years after the earthquake and avalanche, Kyanjin has become the new tourism hub with 46 lodges and has been dubbed ‘Thamel on the Mountain’. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKarma Tamang, a lodge owner in Kyanjin whose relatives also perished, told us in 2021 that perhaps the earthquake was punishment to people of the valley for becoming too money-minded and greedy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Back then immediately after the earthquake, many of us said that we have to fall back on religion again. After all, we cannot take anything with us when we die.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-reincarnation-of-a-holy-valley\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe reincarnation of a holy valley\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBesides cheesemaking, Gyalbu Tamang owns a small lodge in Kyanjin. He says, “That feeling is long gone, people are back to their old ways. Trekkers have returned, it is business as usual, and there is envy and competition.” \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCheesemaking for beginners\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTechnically, yak cheese is a misnomer. Yaks are male, and the female is a nak. There are also specialised names like zopkyo or dzom depending on whether they are male or female crossbred with cattle.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepalis, even\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/The-way-%20we-were,968\"\u003e in the highlands\u003c/a\u003e, do not traditionally eat cheese, but do turn surplus yak milk into churpi, a hard cheese with a long shelf life. It was the Swiss 70 years ago who wished to make Nepal in their image and introduce cheese making to places like Langtang and Jiri.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe yak cheese production window is between March to November. Langtang Cheese Production Centre staff travel to high pastures up to 5,000m with their yaks. Yala has the highest quality milk as yaks graze on lush grass, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/giving-yarsagumba-a-chance-for-regrowth\"\u003eyarsagumba \u003c/a\u003eand panchaunle in the spring season. When they have grazed on one slope, they move on to the next. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_29\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025040504040_8515e2f307c674d811da80e0c05e8d3afc0b9c8376ac39a360f9a5b5830ec464.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_29\" data-image-id=\"2025040504040_8515e2f307c674d811da80e0c05e8d3afc0b9c8376ac39a360f9a5b5830ec464\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1750\" height=\"1313\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Langtang Valley\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_29\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt camp, the milk is boiled to 65°C using firewood already stacked up during the off-season. The milk is then cooled to 35°C and the fat content brought down to 3.5-3.6% from 6.5-7%.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnce the mixture attains the required fat content, an enzyme is added at about 32°C and left for five minutes after which the milk turns jelly-like. For the next 15 minutes, the smaller pieces are stirred in the vat by slowly increasing the temperature up to 52°C. At this point, the fire is stopped, but manual stirring continues for the next hour.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNext, the curd is separated using cheesecloth every few minutes throughout the night, and filled into circular moulds. The whey byproduct is traditionally used as a home remedy for gastritis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe cheese disks are transported down to the factory in Kyanjin and dipped in salt water for 48 hours and then stored in racks for three months. They are moistened with salt water every once in a while before the cheese disks ripen.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eToday, churpi has become popular in Europe and the US as dog chew, and last year Nepal exported nearly 1,000 tonnes of dog chew worth $90 million to the United States.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/churpi-lifecycle-in-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Churpi Lifecycle: An Infographic\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eNepal's oldest cheese plant destroyed and rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake, now at risk from state neglect\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Sonia Awale","role":"writer","avatar_url":null,"slug":"sonia-awale","biography":"Sonia Awale is the Editor of Nepali Times where she also serves as the health, science and environment correspondent. She has extensively covered the climate crisis, disaster preparedness, development and public health -- looking at their political and economic interlinkages. Sonia is a graduate of public health, and has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong."}}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_ecf872af279790a82e1097cd5d1c9e480a10f4b580038b3febb495e6b954ba14","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_61758dd194cb4102874a3f867a12ed9fed734bda538c5132ae9b326b45ce8763","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_47d8148e88a55ff3d102557a4f56dfb5d42ac5d389cb240fcec1c1d9227ee7d9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_af55446947156d3b644a6135d06fae1c9d2d4c65b72aadfd1f5ea69ee463c346","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_f8a091abb72f1e52b5062111b23b509c056f043841ad21d30f3092281217f3d2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_f6a2d5d51c46cf98daa717bebe11d694bacede84aea5fc4dd41340b0302fa6b7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_04e967af714072703221cb6c5f8a2d91d75f08074984c1367778d43b43d45632","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_545bdc1c330e0940ba907aadba0d034bd33d09d00de60a0b46da1664e73df484","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_bfe1894d6675d4eef47443fd29642fcb068273e26c62cb425298a4a1dd678ddf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_90088af95b8087ddac9070c797d0ef7fc5947bbbb7be29ed7d24d23a727e02ee","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_ecf872af279790a82e1097cd5d1c9e480a10f4b580038b3febb495e6b954ba14","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250405030452_ecf872af279790a82e1097cd5d1c9e480a10f4b580038b3febb495e6b954ba14","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8074,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-04-04T13:23:08","title":"In limbo in Lisbon","slug":"in-limbo-in-lisbon","body":"\u003cp\u003eIncreasing numbers of Nepalis have been flocking to Europe as students and workers, or paying traffickers to sneak in through the back door.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnd no other country in Europe seems to be as popular a destination as Portugal for them to seek a better life.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to Gabinete de Estratégia e Estudos (GEE) in Lisbon, the number of Nepalis in Portugal had crossed 21,000 even by 2022, and it is expected to be much higher now. This year, Nepal established a resident embassy in Lisbon.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePortugal was the most appealing destination for Nepalis and other immigrants because of its immigration-friendly policy that allowed them to ultimately obtain European permanent residence or passport.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven Nepalis from other parts of Europe, like Malta, Cyprus, and the UK used to flock to Portugal. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and foreigners were allowed to pass into Poland, many of the 7,000 Nepalis in Ukraine ended up in Portugal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNon-Europeans could directly move to Portugal without a job contract and later request residency after paying social security for a year. But everything changed in June 2024 after Portugal repealed a key migration policy, requiring migrants including those from Nepal to have an employee contract before arriving.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost Nepalis here work in hospitality, agriculture, or manufacturing. But at their salary levels, they can barely afford soaring house rentals. Nepalis interviewed for this article and pictured here said they hardly had any savings to send home after paying for immigration lawyers or middlemen.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThousands of immigrants are applying for residency permits but it takes years to get them, and without legal documents they cannot even go back to Nepal without jeopardising their chance of finally getting Portuguese citizenship. Back home they have family, friends and hefty loans.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eVision Gurung, 29, from Pokhara came to Portugal in 2023 from Croatia after working there in construction. He started as a farm worker, but soon quit because it was too physically taxing.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250404150412_43274129da8532006b9a575f0639a2afeffe52a6269ab200d483c59973535c0a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_0\" data-image-id=\"20250404150412_43274129da8532006b9a575f0639a2afeffe52a6269ab200d483c59973535c0a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"4403\" height=\"3145\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Vision Gurung\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eVision Gurung\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eNow he works at a sushi restaurant and earns €1,100 a month and gets free food and accommodation. Gurung’s temporary residence permit is on its way, and he wants to go home after his it is issued.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAmos Tamang, 30, is worried that he has not yet found a Portuguese person to go with him as a witness to the local government office, a requirement to process his temporary residence permit. He came to Portugal last year from Romania just after the new immigration policy was announced and remembers sleeping hungry in the streets.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250404150416_8b444a7f02d0e6093da83dd01c643d2f4dec33e62f98f1af037f8b7524586e57.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_1\" data-image-id=\"20250404150416_8b444a7f02d0e6093da83dd01c643d2f4dec33e62f98f1af037f8b7524586e57\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"5369\" height=\"3835\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Amos Tamang\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eAmos Tamang\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eTamang has two children and a wife back home, and has now found a restaurant job earning €1,000 a month. At Namaste Porto restaurant he looks pensive as he tells a visiting Nepali: “There’s still a long way to go, If I can’t make it here I will go to Spain, I may have better luck there.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBikas Saud, 31, shares a rented room with six others in Porto, on the Atlantic coast north of Lisbon. Three are from Nepal and the other three are from Indian Punjab. Saud came to Portugal last year from Cyprus and struggled for months before finally finding a job at a Chinese company. But he was fired without notice after 15 days.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNow he works at a restaurant and says: “I want to go to Nepal and get married, that is the first thing I will do after getting a residence permit.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRajani Garbuja, 28, came from Nepal just three months ago and started working at Namaste Porto. She arrived on a dependent visa through her husband, who lives near the Spanish border and works on a farm.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250404150416_694feab456b4d667ef1aebd6323d6e0cd9d73c5434c931e7f78cdd7b63800982.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_2\" data-image-id=\"20250404150416_694feab456b4d667ef1aebd6323d6e0cd9d73c5434c931e7f78cdd7b63800982\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"4240\" height=\"3029\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rajani Garbuja\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eRajani Garbuja\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“I am finally together with my husband after two years, but it looks like the paperwork will take time,” says Garbuja, whose husband comes to visit once a month. She only earns €500 a month working 12 hours a day for six days a week at the restaurant.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs immigration becomes an election issue in Portugal (left), Nepalis here fear that the policies will become stricter and they may never get their residence permits. The conservative populist Chega party saw a surge of support in last year’s elections, and hopes to win bigger next time.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eSurge of Portugal's anti-immigrant party worries Nepalis waiting for residence permits\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1072,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_f0a9238fee0be0b89d6bd0b7b807e223851244b304a1cdfa7ce1db6e0e57f12e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_0e28b041339fcb9390d40e331d160450532228720b64319632853e62359c3761","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_976257e7d6ed158046c35f7197e3b1795409947ea85177bf0459e3d1d708c0bc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_8b0f7448adb6c81d59b56013824e11922cdb654de45353652685c93ea2b4158c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_4219ea199be61ab6d56839dd01294ccbed4f9d835dddac1d11111e1cd734a2c7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_92f9590b95693569823901ab5534ef75719dda6212f778b7a2c8fade4359e1cf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_bbfed4d92c045c8bdd069485b6a8833b5810e0d1dc6cf7a6c4100007c4c6ff7c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_503d7a05afd67d7265fce134779ddf5f261729ccda3a4fc62f56f0226204f1ec","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_0dfe085307f92cb5dd4d889302f9a3f3c5de7d3e73419d123c0ac594a35346b0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_e43c0125cdb9e32811f2cc656ba53a1b840925638e0250836bf5c473fab95257","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1072,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_f0a9238fee0be0b89d6bd0b7b807e223851244b304a1cdfa7ce1db6e0e57f12e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1072,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404150416_f0a9238fee0be0b89d6bd0b7b807e223851244b304a1cdfa7ce1db6e0e57f12e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Aseem Banstola in Porto"}},{"id":8072,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-04-04T03:51:16","title":"11:56 25 April 2015","slug":"11-56-25-april-2015-wkc9q2an","body":"\u003cp\u003eOn 15 January 2015 on National Earthquake Safety Day, an Editorial in Nepali Times titled ‘\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/preparing-for-the-next-big-earthquake-in-nepal\"\u003ePreparing To Be Prepared\u003c/a\u003e’ warned: ‘When (not if) the next earthquake strikes Nepal, don’t ask what the government can do for you, ask what your community can do for itself.’\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust over three months later, Kathmandu was struck at 11:56AM on 25 April by a 7.8M earthquake epicentred in Gorkha. Nearly 9,000 people were killed, tens of thousands wounded, and entire neighbourhoods were destroyed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere were tragic scenes in the immediate aftermath, followed by days of uncertainty, rumours and disinformation. But it was the same community spirit cited in the Editorial that helped Nepalis pull together to get through the calamity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelief groups sprang up spontaneously through the Internet to rush relief and help survivors to rebuild. Government agencies that were initially slow to respond ultimately stepped in.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Nepal Army, APF, and Police pulled out most people from the ruins, even though international search and rescue teams got most high profile media coverage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was clear from the outset that despite the loss of life and the destruction, things could have been much worse. Had it not been a Saturday, schools would be open and filled with children. Nearly 35,000 class rooms in 7,000 schools in 14 districts were destroyed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lessons-not-learned-from-2015-o2etq6zu\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLessons not learned from 2015\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sonia Awale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven if there were only 10 children per class, a mind boggling number of students and teachers would have been killed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough there was network congestion, mobile phones worked, most national highways were serviceable, and Kathmandu airport was back in operation by 1PM. Electricity was restored in most places by nightfall. None of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/danger-nepal-s-glacial-lakes-are-filling-up\"\u003eglacial lakes in Nepal\u003c/a\u003e and China, including those close to the epicentre, burst. No major landslides blocked any rivers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe unique characteristic of the rupture meant the earthquake was felt mostly eastwards from the epicentre, concentrated in and around Kathmandu Valley. The frequency of the earthquake waves and its duration damaged or destroyed older brick and clay buildings, but most cement-built structures survived.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll these factors ensured a relatively low loss of life, although 10 years later, 2015 is also a stark reminder that we may not be so lucky in the future. It is not panic-mongering to remind ourselves that there will be next times. \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/past-disasters-foretold\"\u003eNepal sits on one of the most seismically active parts of the Himalaya\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 7.7 magnitude quake in Burma last week serves as a reminder that \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/lessons-still-not-learnt\"\u003eearthquakes are a regular phenomenon\u003c/a\u003e along the Himalayan arc, and there is a seismic gap in western Nepal where a mega quake is long overdue. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is also important to keep the 8,900 earthquake fatalities in 2015 in perspective. Nearly 40,000 children in Nepal die every year before their first birthday due to preventable diseases -- that is 109 every day.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut that does not get as much international media attention.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eThe 7.7M quake in Burma is a reminder that earthquakes are a regular phenomenon along the Himalayan arc, and there is a seismic gap in western Nepal where a mega quake is long overdue.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Kunda Dixit","role":"writer","avatar_url":null,"slug":"kunda-dixit","biography":"Kunda Dixit is the former editor and publisher of Nepali Times. He is the author of 'Dateline Earth: Journalism As If the Planet Mattered' and 'A People War' trilogy of the Nepal conflict. He has a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University and is Visiting Faculty at New York University (Abu Dhabi Campus)."}}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_7b4099abc40f1f1953fddb2627473c624829e8d97e708c389bb5f9448ca986ea","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_6bc4e5359d9d4a6af80497b7b2ce4cd5d997915ba41c40ae3c1138ce4cf936fb","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_8eb5bce64cf7d1830bad7a2e75a0604148d27f32af89b057c238dcf52982a3a4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_7b9c3f4e84846d71e1b665d7168211be8a00f80a87f59b1eb4eb3c8d1e32171f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_b650b4a9539468dcf63bfd23c7cd6b6416a838144828e9d92045b62991d405ce","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_4efdbb0d2654995acea54c987aa45564fa1c007fea01045d345636aec9e7c516","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_729f4511e44bf2c518b6f11d766f16a5e0bbe8123a7715f4127e65919230a649","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_8e2f22ab2731d8e9b2fdf556bddfc01231c9d323cd2ca424671c91ed39f700a9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_be0f5343ab8c4da7f6f2eda4bac329859c35d9e4183261162b68783208b03106","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_a4ebde319e97619363d2acc330d2f87f748b99b6d61cc6071be635d568022747","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_7b4099abc40f1f1953fddb2627473c624829e8d97e708c389bb5f9448ca986ea","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250404050432_7b4099abc40f1f1953fddb2627473c624829e8d97e708c389bb5f9448ca986ea","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8071,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-04-03T13:37:46","title":"Nepali building bridges in Tasmania","slug":"nepali-building-bridges-in-tasmania","body":"\u003cp\u003eEver since leaving his home village in Syangja, Purna Gurung has been crossing bridges when he comes to them. And here he is at age 55, supervising the pile-driving for a new bridge in Tasmania, 10,000km away from home.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGurung has built \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/how-safe-are-nepals-suspension-bridges\"\u003ebridges\u003c/a\u003e in Africa, worked on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-first-and-forgotten-tunnel\"\u003etunnels\u003c/a\u003e in Hong Kong, and moved up the ranks in teams building complex infrastructure projects \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/flying-home-in-a-pandemic\"\u003eacross the world\u003c/a\u003e. All that experience is standing him in good stead in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/australian-galley-returns-stolen-strut-to-nepal\"\u003eAustralia\u003c/a\u003e, where he came 15 years ago.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePurna Gurung has brought other Nepali engineers to join him in the bridge project here. He got his former co-worker Mansuba Gurung to come from New Zealand, and other Nepali engineers from the Australian mainland.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250403140440_4437eca5b584ca91ac43516c3961760fdc1b956d6dcb13da3b7a6fe4c20a9d4a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_4\" data-image-id=\"20250403140440_4437eca5b584ca91ac43516c3961760fdc1b956d6dcb13da3b7a6fe4c20a9d4a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1285\" height=\"723\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Tasmania\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eHobart, the capital city of Tasmania with Mount Wellington in background.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“We are a professional and energetic team, born in the high \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-mountains-are-melting\"\u003emountains of Nepal \u003c/a\u003eand now working on this historic bridge in Tasmania,” says Gurung, as he drives a recent visitor to the construction site, and points out the piers and girders from the window. “My role is to maintain professional integrity and motivate my team, especially the Nepalis here.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe feeling appears to be mutual. Gurung is regarded as a sort of guru by the other Nepalis at the site, and he is respected for his expertise in \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/This/building-bridges-in-nepal-to-combat-poverty,308\"\u003ebridge-building\u003c/a\u003e, his capacity for taking on difficult tasks and teamwork.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt the site itself, one could easily imagine oneself on a construction site in Nepal: workers in hard hats are shouting instructions to each other in Nepali. Indeed, Nepali is said to be the most spoken language in Tasmania after English, and there are at least five Nepali restaurants in Hobart alone.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite its bucolic setting with neat, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-can-lead-in-zero-carbon\"\u003eclean and green environment\u003c/a\u003e, many Tasmanians migrate to the mainland or abroad to seek new opportunities. Which is why the Australian government provides higher wages and encourages immigrants from Nepal and elsewhere a fast-track to permanent residence if they move to the island.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNearly half of Tasmania is protected \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-wellbeing-of-the-wilderness\"\u003ewilderness\u003c/a\u003e which has many species found nowhere else in the world. \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-other-attraction-the-night-sky\"\u003eNature-based tourism\u003c/a\u003e is becoming the mainstay of Tasmania’s economy, Australia’s smallest state.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is also a new infrastructure drive, and this includes the Tasmania’s longest bridge over the River Derwentin which Purna Gurung and his team are working on. The Derwent flows down from Lake St Clair in Tasmania's Central Plateau and 182km later discharges into Storm Bay.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250403140440_b69911289a50c7d4d6dcd77d9884cbe97946afd553ae5da194c68735478e51c6.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_10\" data-image-id=\"20250403140440_b69911289a50c7d4d6dcd77d9884cbe97946afd553ae5da194c68735478e51c6\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1391\" height=\"783\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Tasmania\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eLow Bridgewater Bridge will be demolished after completion of the new project.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eCompared to delayed bridge-building which is the norm in Nepal, construction here is progressing on schedule, and was preceded by an environmental assessment and measures to ensure that aboriginal and cultural sensitivities were addressed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/10-000-bridges\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e10,000 bridges\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite criticism about high cost of the $786 million Bridgewater Bridge, it appears to be worth it because cyclists and pedestrians have been given high priority with a safe three-metre-wide shared path on the upstream side of the bridge. A temporary bridge has also been built to streamline work, and will be dismantled later.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePurna Gurung is popular with his team members, especially his colleagues from Nepal. After completion of the Tasmania bridge later this year, he has already got a commitment to work on a tunnel project in Adelaide.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHe has not thought about retirement, and tells us: “I have spent over three decades of my life building bridges and tunnels, and all that experience is very useful as I take on more challenging work.”\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eEngineer is taking a big leap Down Under building bridges and tunnels\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_3765f7a84f43b6a6a4848237182b9abd89c4d0c8512573fa95ec6b2a22b4524a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_34a69e9c0756295bcdb4f6fbcd6d7695be341d0c773b208f199b7787f2e1f2d9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_11ccbf2279f47d54c9c112bf96c5f2a213690ade8721fdc2e9e31de017ba1412","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_b49932f4125cac2936e5a4d7b468466fc12b142047dbe162952e2d4a57b0c5ca","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_b2daaa7d5d5f2fbe61a025a28e055dc83057902220b3f95064dbaf0e92f9bd7a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_f8ddf4cd539c086081b47f22c3e0b79cf48f58af6474355606e511aac37f65f7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_2ca43ecb14130ce8647a5767aee547dc62fafdeb657f9cbae51da74d8032f2ca","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_aaae592339703207d99dda97eb57bed55340b32895914381e67ea90d96d73719","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_d93c3c4e8fa788e0e1c71af83497751e0e683d3eda72fc483a8b3ecc14d9601d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_b02f332ad50c67c02fa781e12b0105672ab6263bf922d974bb0de022c94d9de7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_3765f7a84f43b6a6a4848237182b9abd89c4d0c8512573fa95ec6b2a22b4524a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403140432_3765f7a84f43b6a6a4848237182b9abd89c4d0c8512573fa95ec6b2a22b4524a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Hum Gurung in Tasmania"}},{"id":8057,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-03-31T10:26:56","title":"No smoke without fire","slug":"no-smoke-without-fire-p7vb9dcj","body":"\u003cp\u003eUsually in winter, air quality in Kathmandu is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. But \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/wildfire-season-starts-early-in-nepal\"\u003ewildfires raging\u003c/a\u003e across central Nepal for the past weeks may have increased that to four packs a day.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@86.3,28.9,7.0z\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNASA’s Fire Information and Resource Management System (FIRMS)\u003c/a\u003e uses infrared heat detecting satellites to map the world for fires. While central India and Burma are the worst affected, forests along the central Tarai and the mountains south of Kathmandu have hundreds of red dots — each representing a forest fire.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKathmandu Valley had the worst air quality of any city in the world on Monday afternoon, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.iqair.com/world-air-quality\"\u003eSwiss-based air quality tracker IQ Air\u003c/a\u003e. Air Quality Index (AQI) which measures the concentration of tiny suspended particles in the air smaller than 2.5 microns hit 250 because of soot particles from smoke combined with pre-existing pollution from vehicular and industrial emissions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250331110320_6ea6ed9ab5fceefd0b46e5ba59222eefe6f838b475a75a5ec2c12598ffccb6eb.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_3\" data-image-id=\"20250331110320_6ea6ed9ab5fceefd0b46e5ba59222eefe6f838b475a75a5ec2c12598ffccb6eb\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1896\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"NASA FIRMS 29 March\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eMore than 200 forest fires are burning in central Nepal with prevailing winds blowing it up the valleys to Pokhara and Kathmandu, worsening air quality. This NASA FIRMS satellite image was taken on Sunday afternoon.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis was ten times higher than what the World Health Organization (WHO) has set as the threshold for healthy air. The microscopic particles cannot be seen by the naked eye and can jump the blood-air divide in capillaries in the lungs causing not just lung infections but also heart disease and cancer.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe immediate effects of air pollution are felt in dry and burning eyes, itchy throats, difficulty breathing, headaches, and dizziness. In the longer term, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major cause of death in Nepal, with the average life expectancy of Kathmandu’s residents has been reduced by 3.5 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite studies, Nepal’s leaders are preoccupied with coalition politics, and little action has been taken to control vehicular emissions with green stickers, curb open garbage burning and industrial pollution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudies have shown that in winter 60% of the air pollution over Kathmandu is transboundary from the south, and in November it is compounded by crop residue burning by farmers in India and Pakistan which prevailing winds blow up the Himalayan mountains.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eForest fires are common in Nepal in the pre-monsoon months as farmers and herders set fire to slopes hoping for green shoots when the rains arrive for their livestock. But successive years of winter drought have meant that the wildfires have been starting earlier, and they spread fast because of high afternoon winds this time of year.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn 29 March, there were at least 200 fires burning across central Nepal. The FIRMS satellite image also shows thick blue smoke blanketing the river valleys, reducing visibility and affecting flights. On Monday morning three flights attempting to land at Kathmandu airport had to divert due to runway visibility being below minimum.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis level of pollution is classified as ‘extremely unhealthy, and \u0026nbsp;has serious health impact not only on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/poisoning-children-at-school\"\u003evulnerable groups\u003c/a\u003e like children, the elderly, and those who live with health conditions, but across Kathmandu’s population.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250331110324_b0f149ef5fc3f2657e883c311520b87d45e9636a7464ab418c691dd2bb6f6c7a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"20250331110324_b0f149ef5fc3f2657e883c311520b87d45e9636a7464ab418c691dd2bb6f6c7a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1778\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pokhara Wildfire NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eA fiery sunset over Phewa Lake in Pokhara on Sunday afternoon was caused by thick smoke from forest fires. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter the\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-revenge-of-the-rivers\"\u003e devastating September floods last year,\u003c/a\u003e Kathmandu Valley and much of the country experienced a prolonged drought with little to no winter rain. Such prolonged dry spells raises fire risk, and with Kathmandu’s bowl-shaped topography concentrates pollutants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are indications that high pollution levels do not just harm human health, but are also beginning to affect tourism. Operators in Pokhara said that there were many negative online posts by visitors unable to see the famous panorama of Machapuchre and the Annapurnas even from Sarangkot.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAviation is also affected, as planes have to circle sometimes for hours burning fuel for visibility to get better at Kathmandu airport. The higher fuel cost is just passed down to customers, making air tickets in and out of Kathmandu some of the highest in the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKathmandu’s toxic air quality is not a temporary phenomenon, it has consistently gotten worse. IQ Air places Kathmandu eighth out of 121 capital cities with the worst air quality in 2024, and Nepal is seventh among countries with the highest air pollution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe State of Global Air (SOGA) Report published last June \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bad-air-and-polluted-politics\"\u003erevealed \u003c/a\u003emore than 50,000 Nepalis died from air pollution in 2021, accounting for 19% of all mortality, just behind high blood pressure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKathmandu, with a population of four million, has not implemented a concrete policy to curb toxic air despite having formulated various action plans and repeated commitments by the government to protect the environment and control air pollution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Department of Environment’s \u0026nbsp;2017 Air Quality Management Action Plan for Kathmandu put forward a policy to reduce air pollution caused by vehicles which was approved by the Cabinet, but has yet to be put to practice.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe action included the immediate implementation of the Euro 5 emission standard to reduce pollution emitted by vehicles. But Nepal has not even been able to implement Euro 4 standards so far. India, meanwhile, has already moved forward with the implementation of the Euro 6 standards.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eDue to smoke from wildfires, Kathmandu once more holds the dubious distinction of the capital with worst air quality\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3c0ca5bd583bd0f14b7baaecbfe0fcc4b1e6e3d94a338959b64bf2d4d1a103b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_0208e92f357f63a2b5c629ad77b63537bd24322865504d1615da1d45b7dcae63","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_4669767861efa57ae4d133751d37cbc6ce3fcde9f75644e7b492c398fbcee0ae","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_cc29482267a4544c816429107622a79ff9fe1e51670e3a5de92fec59567cf036","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_a96c8c8232cf731f70da1910af85f72f72138e38f0f8cf6721c1921ad515a637","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3849126daaecc662ef8671c7e679d8ea57f7a474ff3d5fe39d89aa6bb230b58","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_a7fe533b7e35a8371922b525c560e112a814423ff08b4362321e68be51e32f0a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_aafdea6b09a60622303f3703014eaf0518a546c4042f76636ff193da0ed22cdc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_6c5583d81ebc8ecc7a9737580b45e599ab40e29f5ac57486af184a05862f226e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_3913769ace0efc6b8ebb124501b5ba2605294141005017a0a888c2da00074aff","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3c0ca5bd583bd0f14b7baaecbfe0fcc4b1e6e3d94a338959b64bf2d4d1a103b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3c0ca5bd583bd0f14b7baaecbfe0fcc4b1e6e3d94a338959b64bf2d4d1a103b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Nepali Times"}},{"id":8058,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-04-01T10:26:11","title":"A Tale of Two Deaths","slug":"a-tale-of-two-deaths","body":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003e“My brother died right in front of my eyes”\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e- Dhanu Bishwakarma\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250401110456_de4a04720790ed70067d7ad74a16b72cee179e99e85fb78a093edadd592be5a0.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_0\" data-image-id=\"20250401110456_de4a04720790ed70067d7ad74a16b72cee179e99e85fb78a093edadd592be5a0\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Suresh Rajak\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eAvenues TV journalist Suresh Rajak, who died last Friday as he was filming the pro-monarchy protests from a building that was eventually set on fire by royalist rioters.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eSujani Magiya was busy preparing for a family gathering that \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/republicans-and-royalists-on-nepal-s-streets\"\u003efateful Friday\u003c/a\u003e at her home in Chandragiri as her husband, television journalist Suresh Rajak, got ready to head to work.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSujani reminded him to be home early for the get-together. “I’ll come back early,” Suresh promised and left to cover the royalist rally at Tinkune.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs confrontation between riot police and demonstrators unfolded, he had climbed up an office building for a vantage point to film the events below. Just then, some in the crowd shouted that there were police on the roof of the building and started stoning the green glass façade.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSuresh was last photographed filming through the broken windows, and kept on filming even as the rioters set fire to the building after blocking the front door. Suresh was either asphyxiated or was burned to death. His body was discovered hours later.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBack in Kirtipur, Sujani was too busy preparing dinner for the family gathering to check her phone, and was unaware of what was happening across town.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250401120416_60a4b7e5ceb0cd6879f6682013f365f26562154025821ec29a8e9322f448e29b.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_2\" data-image-id=\"20250401120416_60a4b7e5ceb0cd6879f6682013f365f26562154025821ec29a8e9322f448e29b\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Suresh Rajak Family\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eRamesh Rajak (left) and Dinesh Rajak, older brothers of Suresh Rajak. Dinesh and Suresh, both video journalists, were covering the protests for their respective media outlets. Photo: SUMAN NEPALI\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen she finally saw the news, she dialled her husband’s number but his phone was switched off. The rest of the family had already heard that Suresh was dead, but did not have the heart to break the news to his wife.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“My brother-in-law told me around 6PM that my husband had met with an accident and had been taken to hospital,” Sujani recalled. “They stopped me from going to the hospital.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eShe feared the worst, and prayed fervently. It was on Saturday evening that she finally got confirmation that her husband had lost his life. Her tears have not stopped since. “I have lost everything,” she told us, weeping.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSuresh was the youngest of four siblings, and the family could not afford to send him to college. The eldest brother Ramesh took care of the brothers, but his police job did not pay enough.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSuresh migrated to Malaysia to work for two years to supplement the family income. He came back after his mother died, and his other brother Dinesh, who is a video journalist with Lokpath, suggested that he also get a job as a reporter. He had been a video journalist at Avenues TV for the past seven years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250401110452_22ab2d4c9652aeb5007db4b69d07b15e24d5b70a6b0b7e60c07141c1b3f537c2.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_3\" data-image-id=\"20250401110452_22ab2d4c9652aeb5007db4b69d07b15e24d5b70a6b0b7e60c07141c1b3f537c2\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"800\" height=\"579\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Building set on fire by protestors in Tinkune\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eSuresh Rajak was seen filming the protests from this building shortly before it was set on fire. His body was found hours later. Photo: SUMAN NEPALI\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eDinesh and Suresh left home together on 28 March to cover the pro- and anti- monarchy rallies and had agreed to be home early for dinner. Dinesh reached Tinkune as the royalists were gathering, but was too busy to look for his brother.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAt around 4PM, when he was filming the building that had been set alight, a colleague informed that there was a reporter trapped inside. Dinesh immediately dialled his brother’s phone, but could not reach him.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDinesh stood frozen as the rioters swirled and shouted around him, unable to get ahold of his brother. No one, including Suresh’s film crew knew where he was. He called hospitals with no avail, and that was when Dinesh felt the journalist in the burning building could be his brother.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“I had been filming the very house that my brother was burned to death in,” he said, weeping. “I will never be able to forget that.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDinesh has not been able to face his sister-in-law because he has no answers to the questions she might have. Suresh and Sujani had got married seven years ago after a long-term relationship. She had been with him through much of his journalism career, and was increasingly frustrated that he was often required to work overtime. Suresh dismissed her worries.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250401110452_a74962b765a26e9046ddd4a9fa920a5d02d9cf43cf4fd6df361ba4723ec4c97d.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_4\" data-image-id=\"20250401110452_a74962b765a26e9046ddd4a9fa920a5d02d9cf43cf4fd6df361ba4723ec4c97d\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Suresh Rajak receiving award\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eSuresh Rajak was the 2022 recipient of the Hem-Sunil Risky Journalism award.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eHe had been injured once before while filming anti-MCC protests in Baneswor three years ago. “I had asked him to quit his job back then, but he would not listen,” Sujani recalls.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDinesh says that his brother would often take risks to take exclusive photos and videos. He was well regarded by colleagues for his passion for reporting, and was the 2022 recipient of the Hem-Sunil Risky Journalism award.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHis body is still at Teaching Hospital, and his family met the prime minister on Monday and demanded that he be eligible for a martyr’s compensation, and to punish those who set fire to the building.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has organised memorials nationwide for Suresh and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-deja-vu-on-black-friday\"\u003econdemned the various attacks on Nepal’s media and press institutions\u003c/a\u003e during Friday’s protests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDinesh says that while the rioters were guilty of setting fire to the building, he faulted the police for not helping rescue his brother even when repeatedly told that there was a reporter inside. He says, “Had they gone to that building, my brother’s life could have been saved.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe last time Sabin left home\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e- Anita Bhetwal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250401120416_12ba007525d427fb9136ad20da45c28e71e397089efc23c1a70ed66d022240d6.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_6\" data-image-id=\"20250401120416_12ba007525d427fb9136ad20da45c28e71e397089efc23c1a70ed66d022240d6\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1343\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sabin Maharjan\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eSabin Maharjan had left his house on Friday telling his wife he was going to pick up his vehicle from the garage. His family does not know how he ended up at the pro-monarchy demonstration in Tinkune, where he was shot to death after police fired live rounds to disperse protestors.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere may have been a few thousand pro-monarchist demonstrators at Tinkune on 28 March. But many of those caught up in the melee were either bystanders, or walking past to get to their destinations because there was no public transport.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are at least a dozen people in hospitals across Kathmandu being treated for bullet wounds who were not protesters, but were hit when the police resorted to live rounds to disperse the angry crowds on an arson rampage.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne of them was Sabin Maharjan, 29, from Kirtipur who drove a public van on the Hetauda-Kathmandu route. He left home that morning telling his wife Bhavisha Thakuri Malla that he was going to pick up his vehicle from a garage.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSabin was passionate about driving, and had learnt to drive at the age of 14. He met Bhavisha in Hetauda and got married in 2016. He would often stay nights in Hetauda unless his vehicle needed repairs, in which case he drove back to Kathmandu.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLast Wednesday, Sabin had come back to Kathmandu in the evening after spending a week in Hetauda, leaving his Tata Sumo at a garage in Balkhu for repairs before heading home to Kirtipur.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250401120420_52efc283b4578b8e951fb695d81d8967e5cdf52e39326db82854c76d1e97cdc1.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_7\" data-image-id=\"20250401120420_52efc283b4578b8e951fb695d81d8967e5cdf52e39326db82854c76d1e97cdc1\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1125\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Bhavisha, Sabin's wife\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eSabin's wife Bhavisha Thakuri Malla. The couple have a seven-year-old daughter. Photos: ANITA BHETWAL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelatives and co-workers say they have no idea why a man who had said he was going to pick up his van from the garage had ended up across town at a violent protest.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Maybe someone took him to Tinkune from the garage, or he could have gone there for some other work,” Bhavisha says, her voice breaking.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBhavisha was doing her chores with her daughter when she got a call from TU Teaching Hospital. She rushed to Maharajganj, but was informed that Sabin had died.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBhavisha stares listlessly at her daughter Subisa beside her, as mourners file into the room to offer words of consolation. “The bullet wound was on the left side of his chest, he must have died instantly, without knowing what hit him,” she says. “Those here ask what they can do for me. Can they bring my husband back?”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelatives say Sabin had no interest in politics, and had never joined any political rally. The only time he left home was to drive his van.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025040112040_be268599be04b0738465410af93f93938c6ac5206355edd7c3938b7b7c610abf.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_8\" data-image-id=\"2025040112040_be268599be04b0738465410af93f93938c6ac5206355edd7c3938b7b7c610abf\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1280\" height=\"894\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Sabin Maharjan\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eMourners have gathered for the last few days to pay respects at Sabin Maharjan's house in Kirtipur.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eBikash Maharjan raised his nephew, Sabin, since he was five after his mother’s death and father’s remarriage. He says: “Sabin was not the least bit interested in politics. We just cannot understand what took him to Tinkune.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily and neighbours were not the only ones at Sabin’s house in Kirtipur to offer condolences. There were some participants from the pro-monarchy protests, as well as government representatives.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut Bhavisha has no interest in meeting them. “I do not know what this protest was for. All I know is that if it had been peaceful, this would never have happened.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBikash Maharjan, Sabin's uncle, says his death should not be exploited by any political side for propaganda purposes. “We are ordinary people, we do not want anyone to use the name of the son we have lost for any political purpose.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Since Sabin cannot take care of his family now, it is up to the government to support them,” he adds.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eThe pro-monarchy unrest last week claimed two lives and injured many\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_01f20d9f1bf502a821fd7c6da3c6ee4cdaafb0c3e9c31b53bdd038e614fdb489","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_f7cbac251a7f357f890ec8d20c82dfb3588baa0c33f6caadf578ee1b22df564e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_90319d0bcc6ba1ed79c0e5fd0a53083ac875f2f6d38e0127caa1324078a4d44f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_fb51963fb6ef74f0d8e0c85675d72e03e8601b9f128c20970265e0364ccc8ce8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_1ab73086f4add4216352d434ee70e5de0f1037c63d8e42cede4fba1cb01b2ef4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_d57dee03779cc3d4544ae795de7822a7318286a4930d2af4f7a750c8dd6df292","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_eda57ae34e9bb062a37d9e50eb4512d0b1b529a6447feb69c974a91e25c26e86","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_0c802aefc269e0100e6bad72636e73e6d0a2f0f1ad0aed45f2c54ed7827ba5e6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_ef6fc1133fdc06a2ae9438c1205e83c82753fd568f473d3d341e3b05a19c3165","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_20d25120ac8e1186d12a8ac84eafd39134519d1db0eee63d48cc8f6a7e59a53d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_01f20d9f1bf502a821fd7c6da3c6ee4cdaafb0c3e9c31b53bdd038e614fdb489","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250401120416_01f20d9f1bf502a821fd7c6da3c6ee4cdaafb0c3e9c31b53bdd038e614fdb489","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Dhanu Bishwakarma and Anita Bhetwal"}},{"id":8056,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-03-31T01:47:22","title":"\"Money is not the problem, governance is\"","slug":"money-is-not-the-problem-governance-is","body":"\u003cp\u003e“I was brave enough to take a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/e-2-wheelers\"\u003emotorcycle taxi\u003c/a\u003e around Kathmandu yesterday, I probably died five times during that journey,” says Alok Jain, an international expert on\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-public-in-public-transport\"\u003e public transport\u003c/a\u003e operations and management. “The Kathmandu of my memory from 30 years ago is all gone, I don’t like what it is now.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJain was in Kathmandu this week for a symposium on public transport organised by Sajha Yatayat. Originally from Rajbiraj he remembers a time when there were no buses, everyone bicycled or walked.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter getting a degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Jain worked for the irrigation department in Nepal. He got fed up with \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepal-s-corruption-carousel\"\u003echronic corruption\u003c/a\u003e. “I wanted no part in it, so I left,” he recalls. “I was fresh out of college and idealistic, and wanted to change the world.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJain then got a scholarship to pursue a master's at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok and as a gold medallist, he was offered international jobs but he returned to Nepal to give his country one more try.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“I told my father that if I stayed in Nepal I would remember to only calculate the percentage at this rate,” recalls Jain, now 57.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor the next 15 years Jain worked in Hong Kong’s public transport system, and shifted his career from engineering to strategy and planning, to finance and then to operations and marketing. “I was restless at this point, I wanted to learn new things as well as take on challenges, I was still young,” he says.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter Hong Kong, Jain worked as a freelancer and during this time he commissioned a number of metro projects including Delhi Airport Express, Dubai Metro, Hyderabad Metro Rail, Chennai Metro and Mumbai Metro.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen in 2011, the Singapore government hired him to revamp contract modelling to move from net cost contract to gross cost contract. The government would buy back all public transport assets and create a centralised body to retain all revenue collected while operators are paid a fixed sum.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen he went back to Hong Kong where he was hired to turn around the Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB). Till this point he had not worked with buses, but managed to put the loss-making bus system into profit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKMB is the world’s largest private bus operator with 4,000 buses, 11,000 drivers on 400 routes. It was not easy because of the management culture and rival driver unions. So he became a driver himself, started talking with other drivers to understand the business from the bottom up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We didn't do anything big but tried to improve things gradually and organically such as\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/from-a-fossil-past-to-an-electric-future\"\u003e saving fuel\u003c/a\u003e on every trip, we used a lot of data to improve efficiency and focus on quality, not quantity because running too many \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/sajha-s-green-buses-go-greener\"\u003ebuses\u003c/a\u003e is not the solution but running them where they are needed,” explains Jain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA big part of Jain’s campaign was to add dignity to driving, and “make buses sexy”. He organised Thank the Drivers Day, named them captains instead of drivers, and held Driver of the Year competitions. His drivers went on to become celebrities with Instagram and YouTube fan clubs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJain has some pointers for Nepal where public transport is run by the private sector with little government engagement and investment. Sajha Yatayat is the only semi-government cooperative. The regulation of public transport is nearly absent but the government still fixes fares, even as it doesn’t subsidise the sector, leading to affordable but low-quality service.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/transforming-transport-in-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTransforming transport in Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Prashant Khanal\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“If the government doesn’t want to pay, it is perfectly okay but let the market decide, they must understand that private operators need to make money to survive, otherwise if the government is stealing from you, you steal from the government,” says Jain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Next, we need uniformity of rules and a good example of this is the \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/backside/trafficking-in-kathmandu,337\"\u003ehonking ban \u003c/a\u003ein Kathmandu which was successful because there was a clear rule and it applied to everyone,” he adds.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut in a country where it has become a modus operandi to slip in a few thousand while renewing a vehicle permit or getting a green sticker and drivers’ license, anything goes, or nothing at all.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMultiple government agencies are working on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/public-transport-back-on-kathmandu-roads\"\u003etransport and roads\u003c/a\u003e in all three levels of the government but there is no clarity regarding their jurisdiction. There is mismanagement, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-building-a-highway-to-everest\"\u003ebuilding roads\u003c/a\u003e without proper engineering, adding to the congestion and\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/highway-accidents-are-no-accident-in-nepal\"\u003e accidents\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Money isn’t the problem, governance is,” says Jain, “The government could very well take over public transport and pay for it because it is the ultimate beneficiary. A \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/On-the-way-up/public-transport-for-service-not-profitability,1034\"\u003egood transport system will improve salaries\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/half-of-nepalis-lost-jobs-in-past-month\"\u003eaccess to jobs\u003c/a\u003e, and sales from retail, it will recapture taxation and other benefits, including political dividends.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCEO and Managing Director of Trans-Consult Ltd In Hong Kong, Jain also teaches at the University of Hong Kong, and is in the Council for Decarbonising Asia as well as Hong Kong’s Transport Policy Committee.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Kathmandu he is going to Kolkata, where the government is trying to do away with its British-era tram system. Citizen groups have opposed the decision and the case is now in the courts. Jain is making a case for keeping the tram.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe world is an oyster for Jain, who travels 200 days a year. The idea of returning to Nepal he finds rather restrictive: “I’m a serendipitous guy, don’t like barriers, I don’t want to be boxed into anything.”\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eInternational public transport expert from Nepal has tips for Kathmandu’s mismanaged system\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Sonia Awale","role":"writer","avatar_url":null,"slug":"sonia-awale","biography":"Sonia Awale is the Editor of Nepali Times where she also serves as the health, science and environment correspondent. She has extensively covered the climate crisis, disaster preparedness, development and public health -- looking at their political and economic interlinkages. Sonia is a graduate of public health, and has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong."}}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1125,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_23a230dfb3b6442ae3d8d9b0d25b4f5daeb28be36d10f9828155c616508eb2bd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_00a02dc527bc3e77b85263586b443861563a6fb9a1cc56fb9db5cfe696ab62b5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_88997e07c6c9997aba42c72a960cee301a127b5f771466d5373a20855a1f039c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_7a7a4c927c1110d9d3b334d54e0d79a0efb03d88a762c63be460f88645c32d72","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_e70a5eb84403b055dd1ee2dde69ac0fb655f667240fa23f13acc37794dafec99","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_31922b53c840e835c05359c89db256f5375fb7e0e6cf996171547834f621757d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_c4844b4e241b34969866024990e7e2fc8e2a78185d3e1413c9a564b402882e81","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_dc5893461ccc44a24134fef1e14466a41ca25dae76caaa615e0ebca4a70eaf6d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_b8bb4b8ebf5b7e80d6abbabe1815ca94c6a94704d9dedf38d5df4324cd6d60dc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_85aad11d32063b6833346882081c8da1bdb3040c1a048e57d0f146f519d4ebf8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1125,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_23a230dfb3b6442ae3d8d9b0d25b4f5daeb28be36d10f9828155c616508eb2bd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1125,"image":{"asset_id":"20250331030336_23a230dfb3b6442ae3d8d9b0d25b4f5daeb28be36d10f9828155c616508eb2bd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8055,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-03-30T13:30:23","title":"Transforming transport in Nepal","slug":"transforming-transport-in-nepal","body":"\u003cp\u003eTransport is one of the biggest and fastest-growing sources of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-doubles-its-carbon-footprint\"\u003ecarbon emissions \u003c/a\u003ein Nepal where private cars and motorcycles make up 87% of the registered vehicles and 37% of the total emissions.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, freight and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/public-transport-back-on-kathmandu-roads\"\u003epublic transport \u003c/a\u003emake up a small share of registered vehicles, but contribute 36% and 27% respectively to Nepal’s emissions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/green-sticker-green-light-to-pollute\"\u003eTransport emissions \u003c/a\u003ehave risen six-fold in the last two decades after the end of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/14-years-after-conflict-no-closure-in-nepal\"\u003ethe Maoist conflict\u003c/a\u003e.\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/from-a-fossil-past-to-an-electric-future\"\u003e Petroleum and vehicle imports \u003c/a\u003ehave widened the country’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/balance-of-power\"\u003etrade deficit with India\u003c/a\u003e. Ambient\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/air-pollution-is-more-dangerous-than-smoking\"\u003e air pollution\u003c/a\u003e is a major \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-tb-cases-grossly-underestimated\"\u003epublic health risk\u003c/a\u003e directly causing the deaths of 12,700 Nepalis in 2021, according to the State of Global Air.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepal is preparing the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) as required by the Paris Agreement, and must set ambitious and robust targets to \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/decarbonisation-needs-to-begin-today\"\u003edecarbonise\u003c/a\u003e transportation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is not so much to save the planet, given the country’s negligible carbon footprint, but to reduce our dependence on imported petroleum, increase consumption of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/right-climate-for-nepal-s-energy-transition\"\u003eclean hydropower\u003c/a\u003e, and improve \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/why-is-the-air-in-bhaktapur-so-bad\"\u003eair quality\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe government needs to phase out vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE), starting with a ban on their import and sale by 2030. Heavy commercial vehicles can be exempted for now.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe federal budget of 2021/22 did include a policy to phase out fossil fuel vehicles by 2031, and by 2028 from the urban centres of Bagmati Province. The government banned the registration of new ICE taxis in the capital, showing that regulatory measures can be cost-effective, sustainable, and transformative.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/blueprint-for-a-net-zero-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlueprint for a net-zero Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNorway has an even more ambitious target to ban ICE vehicle sales by end-2025. The EU adopted legislation to reduce 100% of carbon emissions from 2035 for new cars and vans. Over 20 vehicle manufacturers, representing over 90% of car sales in 2023, have set targets for EV production, with many setting a goal to achieve 50–100% of electric vehicle production or sales by 2030–2035.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEV sales in Nepal will likely increase even without government effort. Already, battery powered vehicles make up 75% of all new car sales in Nepal. But our focus should now shift to the\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/rev-your-car-and-charge-it-too\"\u003e electrification of public transport\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransforming the transport system requires it to be inclusive and equitable. Electric public transport such as buses provide the greatest emission reduction potential and wider social and economic benefits from equitable access to mobility to meet Nepal’s energy security.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-public-in-public-transport\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe public in public transport\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sonia Awale\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250327100316_de83a26005595b4d20f9a32bb4243ed53097ae413de0aa2788e287c195e51fbb.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_14\" data-image-id=\"20250327100316_de83a26005595b4d20f9a32bb4243ed53097ae413de0aa2788e287c195e51fbb\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"877\" height=\"613\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Transforming transport in Nepal NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis means \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/why-invest-in-nepal\"\u003einvestment \u003c/a\u003eand financial incentives from the government, and not just tax rebates, to be extended to other electric or \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/net-zero-is-not-zero\"\u003ezero-emission \u003c/a\u003epublic service vehicles, such as taxis and cargo trucks. Enabling more people to walk and cycle safely is also a quick, affordable, and reliable way to help reduce transport emissions by as much as 50%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic transport is a public service, and the onus lies squarely with the government. It cannot be left entirely to the private sector as is the case at the moment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo be sure, Nepal has some policies on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/green-bond-option-for-climate-finance\"\u003esustainable\u003c/a\u003e transportation on paper but government agencies are working at cross purposes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor example: no federal budget has been allocated for a public bus system and pedestrian and cycling infrastructures this year.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlmost the entire transport budget goes into \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-building-a-highway-to-everest\"\u003ebuilding roads \u003c/a\u003eand widening \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-needs-wildlife-friendly-highways\"\u003ehighways\u003c/a\u003e. There is little hope of transformation unless the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport sets new priorities.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Department of Roads has not moved beyond its focus on roads and highway construction, while continuously failing on \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/traffic-accidents-continue-to-increase-worryingly-in-Nepal,2799\"\u003eroad safety\u003c/a\u003e. The Department of Transport Management on the other hand acts solely as a vehicle registration and licensing agency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese departments need to be overhauled with a mandate for sustainable public transportation. The jurisdiction over all roads, other than \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/roadkill\"\u003enational highways\u003c/a\u003e, should be devolved to local governments. The federal government can then ensure that the biggest slice of the transport budget flows to sustainable public transport projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDecarbonising and transforming transport require a whole-of-government approach with a strong commitment to reforming the sector, and not just paying lip service to it.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut while one arm of the government plans to increase \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/right-climate-for-nepal-s-energy-transition\"\u003eclean energy generation \u003c/a\u003eand achieve\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/charging-nepal\"\u003e net-zero\u003c/a\u003e, the other is drilling for oil and building petroleum pipelines. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrashanta Khanal is an independent climate and transport policy researcher.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eDecarbonisation targets include phasing out fossil vehicles to reduce urban air pollution and improve energy security\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":2048,"height":1366,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_0306fbef4051a0e3c2f3e5103a45fe1d6f0ec89714fef6d8a107218c5e95627e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_75dcdf579991166313ed89c294c55c8ef61a4482189ef66891929d23f8dbed27","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_96889b1d976e5cda18de633ce87e82ea119089ea5bff8bc6ff8c32fe3f58ea69","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_7edc4f30233b01276b2ab8f861c921b255cb353fe53fd7d50887c934cf46c3f8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_c51cb7e17a069f34a7cbed47273731679bbf7cf4f92dd23dabb1d75a837ad7fa","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_1a73e78c07cc6513fedde0e61eb8a9bc5e6e0709092d93abeb311149aad5470d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_b19ce8e474c139a812e25da616aefce48c1a279acc54d3b6c7ee4150ddac55cd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_b8ee16e921794ec0fb9468ec912116137ca130f661f086980caf2f784a0f66f3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_e6d1af34a9f70771c9fbea42d76cddf3e597c1ca43710edb8fcfb108b8b2d1c6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_2fd3ff3a53a8e9909dacbd1c8ad663e0927a186cd384d3b1efee66d4ac947b2e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":2048,"height":1366,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_0306fbef4051a0e3c2f3e5103a45fe1d6f0ec89714fef6d8a107218c5e95627e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":2048,"height":1366,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_0306fbef4051a0e3c2f3e5103a45fe1d6f0ec89714fef6d8a107218c5e95627e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":12,"staticprefix":"/opinion"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Prashant Khanal"}},{"id":8054,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-03-29T13:40:51","title":"She is the story","slug":"she-is-the-story","body":"\u003cp\u003eNepali films have in the past often portrayed women in limited, one-dimensional roles: selfless mothers, obedient wives, or victims of abuse.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepal’s very first feature film, Ama was a pioneering drama portraying the socio-political landscape of the 1960s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/mob-movement-and-mayhem\"\u003ePanchayat era Nepal\u003c/a\u003e. But it reinforced traditional \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hop-over-the-gender-gap\"\u003egender roles\u003c/a\u003e where women are caregivers, who silently bear emotional labour, while men are protectors and providers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe mother’s strength is portrayed in her endurance in separation from her soldier son, but she still exists largely just there to support the male protagonist’s journey.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“A man was always the hero, that was the norm. Women are either victimised or their struggles are over sensitised,” says\u003ca href=\"https://www.shantanepaliproductions.com/\"\u003e Shanta Nepali\u003c/a\u003e, director and cinematographer. “Many have raised awareness through their films, but when it comes to true representation of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/quality-of-equality-for-women\"\u003ewomen’s issues\u003c/a\u003e, we are still far behind.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlan International Nepal in a \u003ca href=\"https://plan-international.org/uploads/sites/79/2022/02/womenincinema_3.pdf\"\u003eresearch paper \u003c/a\u003ebreaks down Matighar directed by BS Thapa and starring Bollywood star Mala Sinha into three acts: first where Maya is a romantic lead who is soon widowed and abandoned, she is then forced to flee with her young son and work in a brothel, and finally she seeks a better future for her son.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the end, Maya is accepted back into society but essentially through mercy, highlighting the film’s theme of domesticity as a woman’s rightful place. Not much has changed since the early days of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-qfx-cinema-needs-a-happy-ending\"\u003eNepali cinema\u003c/a\u003e, although there have been some recent attempts to alter the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/uncategorized/stereotyping-women-as-victims\"\u003estereotype\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Women are still largely seen as eye candy, sidekicks, or an element of glamour rather than a central character driving the story. Their portrayal remains superficial, lacking depth and complexity,” says theatre director and actor Akanchha Karki of \u003ca href=\"http://kathaghera.com//\"\u003eKatha Ghera\u003c/a\u003e. “There has been some progress in recent years, but not nearly enough.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMore recent movies like Shambhala and Rajagunj have tried to break through the mould. \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/min-bahadur-bham-s-cinematic-quest\"\u003eMin Bahadur Bham\u003c/a\u003e’s Shambhala is centred around a complex female character defined not just by men around her but her own ambitions and struggles. Pema played by \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-star-shines-in-locarno\"\u003eThinley Lhamo \u003c/a\u003eis an active agent of her own story of self-discovery in the face of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/perpetuating-patriarchy-in-nepal\"\u003epatriarchy\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRajagunj directed by Deepak Rauniyar follows inspector Pooja Thapa who is sent to a Madhes town to investigate the kidnapping of two boys amidst \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Comment/southern-nepal-in-middle-of-a-humanitarian-crisis,579\"\u003epolitical unrest and violent protests\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_12\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250329140320_22bd4b6cb901014afb3d166dc4d9e56217f049f3a024d6cd11025fc9c981986f.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_12\" data-image-id=\"20250329140320_22bd4b6cb901014afb3d166dc4d9e56217f049f3a024d6cd11025fc9c981986f\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"5796\" height=\"3870\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Rajagunj\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eStill from Rajagunj \u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_12\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also:\u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/powerful-movie-upacks-questions-of-identity\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e Powerful movie upacks questions of identity\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sophia L. Pandé\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven the 2001 film Numafung by Nabin Subba stands out for an empowering portrayal of women, and a rare glimpse of Limbu customs. After being widowed early, Numafung is expected to marry her late husband’s younger brother but defies tradition in the pursuit of her own independence.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough the 2019 film Xira directed by Ashutosh Raj Shrestha was critically panned, it did introduce an action-oriented, assertive, revenge-driven female protagonist played by Namrata Sharma.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepali cinema often takes\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Lights-camera-copy-paste,1146\"\u003e inspiration from Bollywood\u003c/a\u003e which has also seen a shift in how women are portrayed. Older films like Pink directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury critiqued societal prejudices against independent women as well as emphasised the importance of consent.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLast year’s Laapata Ladies directed by Kiran Rao was a critical and commercial success. Through slice-of-life storytelling, the satirical drama set in rural India advocates \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-goal-is-empowerment-and-independence-of-women\"\u003ewomen’s empowerment\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/latest/sisterhoods-empowering-education-in-nepal?fb_comment_id=4994256443922836_5028381260510354\"\u003eeducation\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/placing-nepali-women-first-past-the-post\"\u003eequality\u003c/a\u003e. Meanwhile, Mrs, a Hindi adaptation of The Great Indian Kitchen, follows a young woman after an arranged marriage in which she finds her aspirations suppressed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA big part of the reason behind often stereotypical portrayals of women on screen is the lack of female filmmakers, directors, writers, and producers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Many women who started alongside me are no longer in the field, people try to break you mentally,” says Shanta Nepali. “I also faced caste discrimination, so it is even more difficult for women from marginalised communities.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepali is creating platforms such as the Nepali Female Filmmakers’ Community for women to actively engage in the field. She adds: “Even men struggle in this industry but when a woman says she wants to direct, the discouragement outweighs the support. It feels like going to war.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnjila is a recent biopic based on the real-life journey of Anjila Tumbapo Subba, the captain and goalkeeper of national women’s football team. Subba plays herself, and the movie depicts her struggles and achievements in a male-dominated field.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAkanchha Karki says that women-centric films often struggle at the box office. Audience preference for action-packed, masala drama discourages \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/taking-nepali-literature-to-the-world\"\u003enuanced narrative\u003c/a\u003e as well as reinforces the traditional beauty standards, perpetuating unrealistic ideals.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Producers and directors don’t invest in them because they don’t do as well, making it harder to break the cycle,” explains Karki. “Even current women filmmakers in the field often feel compelled to prioritise commercial viability over authentic \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/they-have-stories-to-yell\"\u003estorytelling\u003c/a\u003e.”\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eHow the portrayal of women has evolved (or not) in Nepali cinema\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_dbb7f7157ebcea3ef411830a4efc9249b7cef65f8ee35a64b2ff1df78e2c7691","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_bd61736d90055f24e00b5e51bc8f97acd14450bb165135e0a693fa62d028ba08","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_17bd704088f13825089d6de09184a5b07eec354424d0c08dcad4ad9307642d30","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_8c16269aef3c64aa0cf0e4484327cabe6015281af82d978d3db65b85b7adfa7a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_e7794a18cc0cde6ffbe2976992df248e743d84c19815fe0401b5a18187065957","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_499e49e897cef83c3da71580a9b94933f3171f7919fd7a7755463d6e2b4b4756","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_4cdcce187a696693dd21505913cdce5950524a6a4d32be154da8a04380e47e34","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_044ca1be0c1ca74d2b6671d69bb797ae5d8f1bd07bbe5487de6ca08e0006deaf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_7309ce5285b3bada581aa91314ecefdbf8e69f8479ffbdd18034fd35fc129671","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_1ae88b67bf6397c6d4bcdc7ae884c03493fc492127ec0b6fc909cc7f02abddf4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_dbb7f7157ebcea3ef411830a4efc9249b7cef65f8ee35a64b2ff1df78e2c7691","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250329100352_dbb7f7157ebcea3ef411830a4efc9249b7cef65f8ee35a64b2ff1df78e2c7691","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Sangya Lamsal"}},{"id":8053,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-03-29T11:23:21","title":"Nepal’s déjà vu on Black Friday","slug":"nepal-s-deja-vu-on-black-friday","body":"\u003cp\u003eOne video on social media shows Avenues tv videographer Suresh Rajak filming \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/republicans-and-royalists-on-nepal-s-streets\"\u003eFriday's pro-monarchy protests\u003c/a\u003e in Kathmandu through windows shattered by stone-throwing crowds on the street below. The steel sliding door has been padlocked from the outside.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMinutes later, the rioters set fire to the building and stoned a fire truck trying to douse the flames. Rajak’s body was found two hours later after colleagues started searching for him.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnlinekhabar journalist Dinesh Gautam was taking pictures of protesters snatching a tear gas gun from a policeman, when they attacked him, fracturing his leg. Across the Tinkune intersection, protesters attempted to set fire to the office of Annapurna Post and pelted stones at the Kantipur Television building. A Himalayan TV van was set alight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKathmandu woke up on Saturday to watch videos of the violence on their devices, or buy dailies at the newstands. The front pages carried special editorials and publisher’s notes that accused the royalists of deliberately targetting the media.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.fnjnepal.org/np\"\u003eFederation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ)\u003c/a\u003e organised memorials nationwide for Rajak and called the royalist attacks “a black day for press freedom”, comparing it to the days of the absolute monarchy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The attacks on the press and activists prove that protesters had no intention of peaceful gathering, they were itching for violence,” former FNJ chair Taranath Dahal said at the event in Kathmandu attended by hundreds of journalists.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNepal’s public sphere appears to be polarised by former king Gyanendra Shah’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-ghost-of-monarchy-returns-to-haunt-nepal\"\u003eattempt to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu kingdom\u003c/a\u003e. While the mainstream press is vocally critical of the arson and looting unleashed by his supporters on Friday, on social media the picture is more mixed with many accusing the security forces of provoking the protesters.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe posts say riot police used the roof of the building that was torched to fire tear gas shells at the stage prepared for pro-monarchy figures. Police denied doing this. The owner of Avenues tv, Bhaskar Rajkarnikar, who is on a pro-monarchy committee led by Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, had one of his own journalists burnt to death by royalist protesters. He has since accused the police of not doing enough to douse the fire and rescue Suresh Rajak.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe other fatality on Friday was 29-year-old Sabin Maharjan who got a police bullet in his neck. At least 112 people were injured, including 77 security officials. Apart from newspaper buildings, protestors vandalised private property, party buildings as well as ransacked a Bhatbhateni department store and a pharmaceutical factory.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLate Friday night, pro-monarchy leaders Rabindra Mishra and MP Dhawal Shumsher Rana of the royalist RPP were arrested for instigating demonstrators to engage in violence. The leader of Friday’s protest, business tycoon and alleged bank defaulter\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/street-politics\"\u003e Durga Prasai\u003c/a\u003e, who rammed his pickup through police cordons, has eluded the police dragnet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany have said that the final responsibility for Friday’s violence lies with Gyanendra Shah, who reportedly instructed Prasai directly on Thursday on plans for the rally. The government is reportedly planning to strip Shah of state facilities granted to him since the monarchy was abolished in 2008, and to cancel his passport because of fears he may flee the country.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEx-king Gyanendra has not yet spoken out about the protests. The RPP under Rajendra Lingden gave moral support to the protest but he had disagreements with Prasai, Mishra and Rana about how and when to hold it. The party meeting on Saturday is said to have decided to continue with “peaceful protests” to restore Nepal’s monarchy. Strategically, it helps Lingden's position within the party that a more radical faction is being blamed for Friday’s violence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormer prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of the NC on Saturday warned: “If this is what Gyanendra is doing now, what will he do if he is a king? He has never been a constitutional monarch, and he never will be.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn its Special Editorial titled ‘\u003ca href=\"https://ekantipur.com/opinion/2025/03/29/special-editorial-make-gyanendra-shah-accountable-16-58.html\"\u003eHold Gyanendra Shah Accountable\u003c/a\u003e’ on Saturday, Kantipur wrote: ‘Instead of presenting ideological, political, and practical arguments for monarchy the royalists have engaged in vandalism, arson, and looting, proving that frenzy and chaos is inherent in their identity and character.’\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost editorials and analyses emphasised that Friday’s protest was an indication of public dissatisfaction with Nepal’s three main party leaders who have been prime minister multiple times — their corruption, lack of accountability and impunity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/sacking-of-nea-chief-exposes-cronyism\"\u003ePublic anger is bubbling away\u003c/a\u003e, and Friday’s mayhem in Tinkune was a manifestation of this. This should be a final wake-up call to political parties to clean up their act, and for ageing leadership to hand the reins to younger untainted figures before the next elections in 2027.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the reason leaders like Balen Shah and Rabi Lamichhane were elected in 2022, and is proof that at least democracy allows citizens to choose their next leaders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut for democracy to function, it needs checks and balances in place, and this is where the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/media-matters\"\u003erole of the media as a watchdog \u003c/a\u003ebecomes crucial. It is when critical voices are silenced and suppressed, dictators are born.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing an emergency central committee meeting, the FNJ has announced protests demanding action against those involved in the killing of Rajak. “Protesters might have attacked and killed journalists, vandalised equipment and media outlets, but you will lose,” FNJ’s Deepak Acharya said at Saturday’s memorial. “Nepal’s press has always fought authoritarian control and it will keep fighting.”\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eAttacks on media by pro-monarchy protesters reminiscent of absolute monarchy days\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Sonia Awale","role":"writer","avatar_url":null,"slug":"sonia-awale","biography":"Sonia Awale is the Editor of Nepali Times where she also serves as the health, science and environment correspondent. She has extensively covered the climate crisis, disaster preparedness, development and public health -- looking at their political and economic interlinkages. Sonia is a graduate of public health, and has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong."}}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_984d74c61cc9f9fde3ce43ad062b345ca27f75ee628188e5635a5912a8256f7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_17185b0a68742042619b9089c304e82c70f2709052d856f239ea34e00aaa7097","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_a90d2a4c7cf052645f14b6063d7b9555bc23f95668b53f11d0b6fa33c5884fc2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_09581e6761b23dba8a219b3e6ae95aca7e6d5ad046a67f135771b09241b24d2e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_404e973b68f8871e40773539fb0e9a5d83f49c08db24c1b8842f1d6f1e23c1db","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_b02cf2861b1c8c3ad3a30c9479ea1b1b0b1e99620e72e71958c35062f5f4c390","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_22e6e1999cc0afc1c48a3012aea3400edb384564135b06abf3f42654eb05e3f5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_979167eddd68718dccfe42242f6263a9c044570277c15335ae9ac4bc76690f0a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_523ad856b3c67617bb3d3447f470be1815341cc3852d5b71b88427be5c1f920d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_e3ced3f804876ae625d86f5e7ca280bab678d2f22d689a4b498d5916550deb07","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_984d74c61cc9f9fde3ce43ad062b345ca27f75ee628188e5635a5912a8256f7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_984d74c61cc9f9fde3ce43ad062b345ca27f75ee628188e5635a5912a8256f7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}}],"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":11,"currentPage":1,"perPage":11,"pagesCount":1}}},"frontpageTopic":{"name":"Frontpage topic","description":"Climate","items":[{"id":7923,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-02-22T02:41:44","title":"Saving what is left of Himalayan rivers","slug":"saving-what-is-left-of-himalayan-rivers","body":"\u003cp\u003eThroughout human history, civilisations have been named after the rivers along which they flourished: Indus Valley, Nile, Tigris-Euphrates. Many of these cultures later collapsed, partly because they could not manage their water needs properly.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThree recent books about Himalayan rivers look at their history and geography, and how they nourished civilisations downstream. The rivers gave birth to the world’s major religions, their waters and the mountains from which they sprang were revered.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMythology and geology converge in High Asia. Mt Kailash is holy to the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Bon faiths as the centre of the world and the abode of the gods. Indeed, from its vicinity emerge Asia’s great rivers: the Indus and Sutlej, Ganga and the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) and Karnali (Mapcha Tsangpo).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLegend has it that Kathmandu Valley was once a primordial lake drained by Manjushree who cut a mountain with his flaming sword. There is scientific evidence that the paleo lake was indeed emptied in stages starting 40,000 years ago after a tsunami unleashed by a major earthquake epicentred in Langtang.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Bon faith describes the Tibetan Plateau being pushed up from a roiling primeval sea, confirming current evidence about the orogenesis of the Himalaya. In local lore, supernatural lha (animal deities) and lu (serpents, naga) moved from sea to land, just as the theory of evolution explains the emergence of early amphibians and land creatures.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn \u003ca href=\"https://www.routledge.com/Rivers-of-the-Asian-Highlands-From-Deep-Time-to-the-Climate-Crisis/Gamble-Tan-Xu-Beavis-Maurer-Pittock-Powers-Wasson/p/book/9781032490595?srsltid=AfmBOopjkpgcN1_7t1jTI_Z1_27yRthBTbdHA15OWcE9Ge3S409jhUX3\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eRivers of the Asian Highlands: From Deep Time to the Climate Crisis\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, Himalayan historian \u003ca href=\"https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/rgamble\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eRuth Gamble\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e and co-authors begin by tracing the genesis of the Himalaya, citing evidence that the Tibetan Plateau pre-dated the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates 50 million years ago. Asia’s main rivers co-emerged with the mountains, their waters cutting canyons through rocks as they were uplifted.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe gigantic pileup acted as a moisture trap for the proto-monsoon, the rain and ice sculpting peaks as they rose. But so strong were tectonic forces that the uplift outpaced erosion on the Tibetan Plateau. These dynamic processes are still at work, but in many places across High Asia there is a new factor at play: modern infrastructure (like haphazard road-building in Nepal) is increasing erosion faster than the uplift rate.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘This is an example of human action overcoming tectonics,’ write the authors in Rivers of the Asian Highlands, in which the chapters look at Himalayan rivers from a planetary scale, their socio-cultural histories, to present-day engineering to regulate them. An ongoing dam-building spree and anthropogenic climate breakdown combine to bring about the most rapid change the Himalaya and their rivers have seen for millions of years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne example is the Medog Hydropower Station being built on the Yarlung Tsangpo at a bend on the Brahmaputra before it enters India. The river drops 2,000m within a 50km stretch, the gradient allowing it to generate 60,000MW — the biggest single hydroelectric plant in the world.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGamble and the authors of Rivers of the Asian Highlands highlight the Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) of the Himalaya that allows falling water to be converted into electricity. But GPE also unleashes landslides, rockfalls, avalanches, Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs) and Landslide Lake Outburst Floods (LLOFs), the risks posed by them magnified by climate change and seismicity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cblockquote\u003eThe Asian Highlands’ abundance of Gravitational Potential Energy (GPE) can support the region’s energy transition, but it needs to be produced in much less hazardous and less environmentally and socially impactful ways. The best means of doing this is through off-river, pumped-storage hydropower stations that back up solar and wind energy generators. Smaller projects such as this would also involve less risky tunneling and displacement.\u003c/blockquote\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRivers of the Asian Highlands: From Deep Time to the Climate Crisis by Ruth Gamble\u003c/b\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003e,\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/u\u003e\u003cb\u003e et al.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is geological evidence that megafloods on Himalayan rivers are more responsible than mass wasting in weathering down the mountains. One big LLOF, for example, could ‘move 1,000 times more sediment than would otherwise be transported over millions of years’.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePermafrost melting in the Tibetan Plateau and inside moraines caused recent back-to-back GLOFs in Chamoli in the Indian Himalaya, Melamchi in Nepal, and the South Lhonak in Sikkim — all deadly disasters that together destroyed billions of dollars worth of infrastructure downstream.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRivers of the Asian Highlands travels from deep time to the present climate crisis, taking readers through neatly divided chapters titled Mountain Rivers, Climatic Rivers, Frozen Rivers, Living Rivers, Human Rivers, Territorializing Rivers, Agricultural and Pastoral Rivers, even NGOs and Rivers.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough the book’s title is about the ‘Asian highlands’, it \u003ca href=\"https://www.himalmag.com/comment/eastern-himalaya-cradle-ethnogenesis\"\u003e\u003cu\u003efocuses mainly on the Dri Chu (Yangtse)\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e and Yarlung Tso (Brahmaputra). Readers looking for references to Nepal’s rivers will be disappointed, although there is quite a bit about Bhutan.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is surprising because 70% of the annual flow in the Ganga is from tributaries in Nepal, some of them rivers like Karnali, Arun or Bhote Kosi that traverse the Tibetan rimlands. As demand for water and energy grows in the large and increasingly affluent population of north India, and climate breakdown melts Himalayan glaciers, storing monsoon runoff on reservoirs in Nepal is going to be the geopolitical issue of the next decades.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe chapter on NGOs and Rivers also fails to cite the work of Nepal’s civil society groups like the Alliance for Energy that built international solidarity in 1995 against the Arun III project on a river that starts in Tibet and flows into Nepal. Ultimately, the World Bank pulled out of the project and the Nepal government invested in smaller decentralised plants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eToday, a cascade of power plants are being built by Indian companies on the Arun which do not seem to have taken into account the \u003ca href=\"https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ads2659\"\u003e\u003cu\u003e2023 Sikkim GLOF\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e that swept away the $1 billion dollar Teesta III and destroyed other infrastructure. The World Bank itself is back with the Upper Arun project located directly below expanding glacial lakes in Tibet.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250222020256_f2b33e60e6b386308bdf59b58b59e116e90e2e4466a06200faf76fd851f53505.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_4\" data-image-id=\"20250222020256_f2b33e60e6b386308bdf59b58b59e116e90e2e4466a06200faf76fd851f53505\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"5712\" height=\"3213\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Teesta\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eThe Super Trisuli project in Nepal has ruined the most scenic and ecologically sensitive part of the river to generate just 100MW of power. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite geographical gaps, Rivers of the Asian Highlands reads like an encyclopedia of Himalayan rivers. The authors look at them not in isolation but as interconnected systems which need a multidisciplinary approach to study the geological, religio-cultural, infrastructure, climate and ecosystem services aspects of catchments.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMt Kailash (Kang Rinpoche) is a case in point. It is fascinating to think that it was part of a mountain range even before the collision of the continents that formed the Himalaya, and was probably buried in ice 3km thick till 15,000 years ago during the Last Glacial Maximum.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025022203020_23c02ec4671f5c3c561fa6b450c1f209720a25794e067b9bb5db0f4649b1b6dc.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"2025022203020_23c02ec4671f5c3c561fa6b450c1f209720a25794e067b9bb5db0f4649b1b6dc\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Mt Kailash\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eMt Kailash. Photo: NABIN BARAL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eLake Mansarovar and Mt Kailash are also the subject of the new Nepali language book छालबाटो (Road by the Waves) by environmental journalist \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-and-china-to-study-trans-himalayan-railway\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eRamesh Bhushal\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e in which he walked, rafted and drove from the source of the Karnali in Tibet, right through 500km of western Nepal, and on to India \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/dancing-with-the-river\"\u003e\u003cu\u003ewhere the river meets the Ganga\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn his entourage is activist, \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Comment/rivers-fighting-back,993\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eMegh Ale\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, who is on a campaign to stop dams and infrastructure on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/dams-and-dreams-a-journey-down-the-karnali\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eNepal’s longest and only free-flowing river\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e. The book profiles his lonely upstream struggle to conserve the country’s rivers. “We worship rivers, but we don’t love them,” laments Ale.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBhushal’s book is as much about the landscape of this transboundary river as it is about the people he meets along the way, and their relationship with \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-denial-in-the-himalaya\"\u003e\u003cu\u003ea river that most regard as a curse \u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003ekeeping them poor because they believe it flows out of Rakshas Tal (Lagngar Tso) in Tibet, regarded as a lake of demons, unlike the sacred Mansarovar nearby.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe expedition is out to prove that the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/a-karnali-portrait\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eKarnali River\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e actually starts in the mountains 50km southwest of the Mansarovar (Mapamyu Tso) at the \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ9Za5QDkvY\"\u003e\u003cu\u003ePeacock Falls (Mapchu Khambap)\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e. The Indus is called Sengge (Lion), Sutlej is Langchen (elephant) and the Brahmaputra is Tamchok (horse), all starting within 60km of Mansarovar but flowing out in different directions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cblockquote\u003e“I have visited hundreds of rivers around the world, but for some reason I have never seen a river as beautiful as the Karnali. One day I would like to visit its source.”\u003c/blockquote\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRiver conservation activist Megh Ale quoted in छालबाटो by Ramesh Bhusal.\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut all this reverence for the mountains and rivers may not be enough to save the region from the impact of climate breakdown. Heat stress in the Subcontinent will coincide with a shortage of water in the coming decades.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/01/opinion/himalayas-mountains-dams.html\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eSunil Amrith\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e in his 2019 book, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-monsoon-and-nature-s-arithmetic\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eUnruly Waters: How Mountain Rivers and Monsoons Have Shaped South Asia’s History\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e takes a broader look at how geotectonics, geopolitics, colonialism and nationalism have determined the relations between human beings and rivers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Himalayan water cycle starts from monsoon moisture that precipitates with orographic uplift along the mountains, atmospheric rivers unleash cloudbursts, ground water emerges from springs that join up to flow down to rivers and the ocean. The Third Pole is the biggest repository of fresh water stored as ice after the polar regions. But it is a hotspot both because of the climate crisis and geopolitical tensions, which impacts on river basin cooperation, early warning data sharing, and ultimately in mitigation of greenhouse gas emission and planning for new risks faced by infrastructure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter independence, India adopted the colonial extraction model for rivers. Inaugurating the Bhakra-Nangal Dam in 1953, Jawaharlal Nehru called it “a temple of \u0026nbsp;modern India … worthy of worship’. Gamble also alludes to this in her book about the European attitude about rivers as a resource to be ‘enclosed, extracted, scrutinised, commodified’.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://dialogue.earth/en/water/review-unrully-waters/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eAmrith\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e profiles the work of Sir Arthur Cotton who was building canals linking rivers in British India at about the same time his contemporaries like botanist \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/republic-of-nepal-s-animal-kingdom\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eJoseph Dalton-Hooker \u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003ewere exploring the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-kangchenjunga\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cu\u003eTeesta and other rivers\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e in the Himalaya to catalogue new plant species. India's current National River Linking Project that would join 37 rivers with 9,000km of canals builds on Cotton’s early work.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cblockquote\u003eIf there is one consistent lesson in Unruly Waters, it is that water management never has been, and can never be, a purely technical or a scientific question; neither can it be addressed on a purely national scale … the battle continues to understand the monsoons and mountain rivers that shape Asia.\u003c/blockquote\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnruly Waters: How Mountain Rivers and Monsoons Have Shaped South Asia’s History by Sunil Amrith\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnd in Nepal, hydropower has become the holy grail as the government unveiled an Energy Development Roadmap to generate 28,500MW by 2035 at a cumulative cost of nearly $50billion. This means no river in Nepal will be left free-flowing. The Trisuli along the Prithvi Highway is being dammed for only 100MW of power, destroying the most scenic part of a river that has rapids famous internationally for white water rafters. Even before it was completed, the dam site suffered Rs200 million in damage in last September’s flood.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_18\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025022203020_d9610a11bccb593d32bf4d214479caa17dfbdd6cdfe5e8c38fdcb8eb752fc0ec.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_18\" data-image-id=\"2025022203020_d9610a11bccb593d32bf4d214479caa17dfbdd6cdfe5e8c38fdcb8eb752fc0ec\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"4032\" height=\"2268\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Trisuli\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eBoulders and sediment 80m deep were brought down by the Teesta after a GLOF destroyed the $1 billion Teesta III plant in Sikkim in 2023. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_18\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Sikkim, there is strong \u003ca href=\"https://india.mongabay.com/2025/02/political-stir-follows-expert-panels-approval-to-rebuild-teesta-dam-in-sikkim/\"\u003e\u003cu\u003elocal opposition to rebuild Teesta III\u003c/u\u003e\u003c/a\u003e but investors are looking at the huge economic windfall from the river as it drops from 5,000m below Kangchenjunga to 300m within 80km — one of the highest Gravitational Potential Energy of any river in the world.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBesides Nepal and Bhutan, the ‘watersheds’ of the Himalaya are turning into ‘powersheds’ as India and China compete for hydro-hegemony. India is said to be planning to dam the Brahmaputra to offset the disruption caused by China’s Medog Dam upstream (see map, below).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_20\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025022203024_37c60bd2a45a32cd23928c900615b6c7045b2e0265050c4761c3749361181999.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_20\" data-image-id=\"2025022203024_37c60bd2a45a32cd23928c900615b6c7045b2e0265050c4761c3749361181999\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1918\" height=\"668\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Himalayan rivers map\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_20\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe thread running through all three books is the need to recognise the ecosystem services that the inhabitants of High Asia provide by protecting our rivers. Not all rivers need to be monetised, conserving rivers and the cultures they retain protects a nation’s natural wealth into the future as the humans of High Asia try to survive climate breakdown.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe highlands will be under even more pressure in the coming decades as people in the plains migrate en masse to higher latitudes or higher altitudes to escape deadly heat and ocean expansion.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025022203028_524a74bf65111db3826bfd246576329c45cd4bd0a48b15024b6a520582bbf05a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_21\" data-image-id=\"2025022203028_524a74bf65111db3826bfd246576329c45cd4bd0a48b15024b6a520582bbf05a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1136\" height=\"702\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"River of Asian Highlands cover\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_22\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025022203028_20c17a9b92b11c8bb33df5f2fc2781498464288533c310ccd61e1245e709d99c.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_22\" data-image-id=\"2025022203028_20c17a9b92b11c8bb33df5f2fc2781498464288533c310ccd61e1245e709d99c\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1136\" height=\"702\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Unruly waters cover\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_22\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_23\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250222030212_649cc2ba02e806da2b128fccaf5de2e5c830e10646ba0b43d56da39f65a70f9f.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_23\" data-image-id=\"20250222030212_649cc2ba02e806da2b128fccaf5de2e5c830e10646ba0b43d56da39f65a70f9f\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1136\" height=\"702\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Chaalbato cover\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_23\"} --\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eNot all mountain rivers need to be monetised, saving them will save us from climate breakdown\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Kunda Dixit","role":"writer","avatar_url":null,"slug":"kunda-dixit","biography":"Kunda Dixit is the former editor and publisher of Nepali Times. He is the author of 'Dateline Earth: Journalism As If the Planet Mattered' and 'A People War' trilogy of the Nepal conflict. He has a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University and is Visiting Faculty at New York University (Abu Dhabi Campus)."}}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":3264,"height":2448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_1a8659fd39ab22f0b288c184c4affdbe49ccff840e78016e2e8cd7e40ca48584","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_98f3b24993f035254aab3883a3e122b18021d1151a5a5fa12ef4404adcdd9946","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_9458db91e23dbfacb44c2e539ab081af711efa9d795c4e957d64aecced354280","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_b0737ddae1ee61ffcdf48549a99421b6ca17cc339b4d857255fa43a31e936ff1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_e1eb069ae6b7ff57c98abd50a7906ced111e23e55486385743a6865d296ae31a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_43fc8e892e5692ff7c4d81fc9b51bf4d8c19a0fee0d542169dff1c4cd1b41d1d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_8ef3981a09e7528812ae469aac7f0c93c57959edb03fa2cbdbd8fe2a4009eb8e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_63887a0d6484791ecffd59a83d06c15bef69c98397fe086dd76cd0c541d0c3a7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_fd2006f90ca1e4e747a0f7307b532d87b79a66c700e6cda886d9ef2a3e8e4488","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_2e2b70a077225e9daaa0fb6c1286d713fcae0b7817a44376993be63f3c068c7f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":3264,"height":2448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_1a8659fd39ab22f0b288c184c4affdbe49ccff840e78016e2e8cd7e40ca48584","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":3264,"height":2448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250222020252_1a8659fd39ab22f0b288c184c4affdbe49ccff840e78016e2e8cd7e40ca48584","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":7855,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-01-31T07:48:33","title":"Versatile bamboo reduces climate risk","slug":"versatile-bamboo-reduces-climate-risk","body":"\u003cp\u003eNepal’s diverse culture uses the bamboo plant for birth, death and all rituals in between. The \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4149\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eversatile plant\u003c/a\u003e is also used for construction, to make musical instruments, to carry things, to write with, even to eat.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNow, bamboo groves are being used to protect villages near Chitwan National Park that are prone to frequent flooding due to climate breakdown.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt is the smaller streams that are dry in winter that are the most destructive during the monsoon. So, farmers in the village of Madi are planting bamboo forests along the banks of streams that block floods and stop soil erosion.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Once the rainy season starts, we are afraid to close our eyes at night,” says Shanti Chapai, 58, who lives near the Patare Khola stream that burst its banks last year.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250131050140_921fabc56d34ec46d63c9e2c959ae6c8e0fb8f713c817263bba23b8167d31331.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_1\" data-image-id=\"20250131050140_921fabc56d34ec46d63c9e2c959ae6c8e0fb8f713c817263bba23b8167d31331\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2237\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Versatile bamboo reduces climate risk NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eGoogle Earth images show the greening the floodplain of the Patare Khola over 15 years. Photos courtesy: ABARI\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn a recent visit, the Patare Khola was just a small stream, it is hard to imagine that it would become a raging river in the rainy season, bursting its banks and threatening farms and settlements.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite bamboo having everyday use for \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/basket-case-pahari-badikhel,3340\" target=\"_blank\"\u003efencing, furniture and an important cash crop\u003c/a\u003e, farmers here were initially opposed to the idea of using it for flood control. They thought bamboo was an invasive species, and sucked up all the groundwater.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut for the past 15 years, the architects at ABARI (Adobe and Bamboo Research Institute) have been experimenting with a thorny bamboo species like \u003ci\u003eBambusa bluemeana and Bambusa balcooa\u003c/i\u003e to\u003ci\u003e \u003c/i\u003erestore degraded land and control floods. The area is now a dense bamboo grove greening the floodplain of the Patare Khola.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250131050140_5be5c23532b33a9b6edceabc91dbac03eb9009d6d50a271fccc5854cdce337a4.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_3\" data-image-id=\"20250131050140_5be5c23532b33a9b6edceabc91dbac03eb9009d6d50a271fccc5854cdce337a4\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1787\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Versatile bamboo reduces climate risk NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eThorny bamboo species planted in Madi. Photos: PINKI SRIS RANA\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eSediment from last monsoon’s floods are deposited at the foot of the bamboo trees, proving that the plants stabilised the banks, protecting the surroundings by reducing the velocity of flood waters.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMadi’s villagers are now convinced that this is an effective bioengineering solution to floods. Bamboo is also fast-growing, and is ideal for reclaiming the eroded banks of rivers. Nepal has more than 50 species of bamboo, most of them found in the wetter eastern plains and foothills. But some species grow at altitudes of up to 4,000.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Bamboo is a misunderstood plant in our culture because it is used for funeral rites and has a negative connotation,” says Nripal Adhikary ABARI, which builds bamboo and rammed earth buildings in Nepal. “It took a while to convince locals of its benefits.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMonsoons in Nepal have always been synonymous with disasters, but extreme weather events caused by climate breakdown have made landslides and floods worse. Poor construction of roads, unregulated quarrying of sensitive watersheds, and encroachment along floodplains increase the risk.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250131050140_348bd5586ddfa1444699535bcbeb98420c42645e796fb896d609bbb3d2e82ee3.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_4\" data-image-id=\"20250131050140_348bd5586ddfa1444699535bcbeb98420c42645e796fb896d609bbb3d2e82ee3\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1793\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Versatile bamboo reduces climate risk NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePorcupine structured embankments provide protection in flood prone areas. \u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut here in Madi, villagers have seen with their own eyes the direct benefit of bamboo for flood protection. Says farmer Phadendra Bhattarai: “Even though there was heavy rainfall, the extent of flood damage this monsoon was considerably less. The bamboo acted as a barrier and did not let the floods destroy our crops.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis tried and tested bamboo plantation can be replicated and upscaled across Nepal, and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/nepal-villages-cope-with-climate-induced-floods\" target=\"_blank\"\u003efarmers in Kanchanpur\u003c/a\u003e in the western plains have also planted bamboo, napier and elephant grass along the banks of a river that unleashed destructive floods in 2018.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA thick strategic bamboo plantation can be made into a fence of porcupine structured embankment to provide protection in flood prone areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFloods in September in central Nepal killed\u003ca href=\"https://www.bipad.gov.np/uploads/publication_pdf/SitRep_2_-_2024_September_Floods_and_Landslides.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e 224 people\u003c/a\u003e with southern Lalitpur and Kavre being hardest hit. The\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-flood-of-tears-on-the-rosi\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e Rosi Valley\u003c/a\u003e in Kavre was devastated, and settlements swept away entire slopes. But an area in the vicinity with bamboo plantation remained intact (pictured below).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250131050140_edad071950f688ab95ff67450168a147f0f5f6d902cc8f468fc5bc540a912951.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_8\" data-image-id=\"20250131050140_edad071950f688ab95ff67450168a147f0f5f6d902cc8f468fc5bc540a912951\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1784\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Versatile bamboo reduces climate risk NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhoto: SAILESH RC\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eDhaneswar Baikiya Community Forest in Kavre is half a hectare of plot bamboo planted by the government in a pilot project in 2007 to study and research the moso bamboo \u003ci\u003ePhyllostachys pubescens\u003c/i\u003e. It has been 17 years and the Ministry of Forests and Environment’s Forest Research and Training Center had long forgotten about it.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Although no research has not been done here specifically in the plot, it is precisely this bamboo forest that saved villages down the mountains from major destruction,” says Badri Adhikari, custodian of the Community Forest. “Their expansive and entangled roots hold the soil firmly, protecting the slope’s stability.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis plot may have been overlooked but there have been other efforts. All 12 districts of Lumbini province\u003ca href=\"https://kathmandupost.com/province-no-5/2021/07/01/lumbini-turns-to-bamboo-to-tame-rivers\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e have initiated a bamboo plantation campaign\u003c/a\u003e to prevent erosion and flooding.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTraditionally, too, bamboo is believed to control landslides, and it is not uncommon to see villagers along the mountains reviving depleted bamboo groves once they see its benefits. Bsides landslide protection, the bamboo also has many other uses.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSays Badri Adhikari: “The bamboo tree grows upwards in height during the summer and its roots expand in the winter. So, winter is the right time to prepare for the next monsoon of damaging floods.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis article is brought to you by \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eNepali Times\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e, in collaboration with \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://inpsjapan.com/en/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eINPS Japan\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e and \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://sgi-peace.org/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSoka Gakkai International\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_13\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250131060116_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_13\" data-image-id=\"20250131060116_30c3782f9c09219bf1c249b51483a3cfb7a53a06d117d2aebd23ca7080d12758\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"680\" height=\"103\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"SDG logo\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_13\"} --\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eNepal’s villages use fast-growing bamboo groves to protect them from more frequent floods\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1537,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_c77463ce02ba7dd9eb8fcee264877f40e61987bae7f3d142cec1b9996e3e963f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_42be93ce4caf7727e5d2eeaed39cf3e8ac44bec97e524e5e7b333c25dc4e9b61","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_4b6ee8a728c397a04f86dd204d89361950c702e6fdbc6ba555d688b720379ce4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_f0b054513d032ca80d0d43c13ff4866518ea504bddc4d565df03a7f02b24f60f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_9470c5af7d3b112b8aa9555ea51f70992a7852deff7f9c045fd6ff93304269c1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_d100366f7c67655db0395041250a5502f40b207d55a96d4a99f3a2e18e754ae2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_bdea67286756842ba21169a01d86fa0e58163d351e6e88ea3615e5e1c0d9d85b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_082a73f4634c6fb4b0e037d8a44241de7287637127a6c825ce5554db7b0fca62","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_b02e775f0acecae6b8fb6996754dc09dfd75f9557bbc2e8f4ebf6293fd282529","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_6b72aa867baa7d067535613e7829f70033154a7f9fa732345ff111a3c4dc025e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1537,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_c77463ce02ba7dd9eb8fcee264877f40e61987bae7f3d142cec1b9996e3e963f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1537,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250131050140_c77463ce02ba7dd9eb8fcee264877f40e61987bae7f3d142cec1b9996e3e963f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Pinki Sris Rana in Chitwan"}},{"id":7739,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2024-12-26T11:55:01","title":"Thinking the thinkable","slug":"thinking-the-thinkable","body":"\u003cp\u003eDespite countries amassing huge atomic arsenals, one reason deterrence has worked since the end of World War II, according to proponents, is that all-out nuclear war is so unthinkable.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eYet, with no end in sight to fighting in Ukraine and West Asia, a new Cold War that pits US vs Russia and China, and the second coming of an erratic American president, have all made nuclear conflict thinkable in 2025 and beyond.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRussia has repeatedly threatened the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and last month fired a new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Dnipro. And it has put into orbit a new \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/12/05/opinion/nuclear-weapons-space.html\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eprototype satellite\u003c/a\u003e that can knock out other satellites with a nuclear explosion in space.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDonald Trump and Benjamin Netyanyahu have reportedly spoken about a joint strike on Iranian nuclear installations. North Korea has been testing long range missiles for its nuclear warheads. Tensions remain high between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese dangers come on top of signs of accelerated climate breakdown with weather extremes, record-breaking heat, and rapid melting of polar icecaps and Himalayan glaciers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘The world-ending potential of nuclear weapons looms over populations around the world,’ writes Cameron Vega in \u003ca href=\"https://thebulletin.org/2023/11/the-climate-blind-spot-in-nuclear-weapons-policy/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eBulletin of the Atomic Scientists\u003c/a\u003e. ‘Climate change is a slower-moving catastrophe, but it openly threatens every community.’\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241226081236_8ebdd11d4d252d449b0347548372e1649de3637e1947f75609909bbf26d00555.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_2\" data-image-id=\"20241226081236_8ebdd11d4d252d449b0347548372e1649de3637e1947f75609909bbf26d00555\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Thinking the thinkable NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Bulletin’s \u003ca href=\"https://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eDoomsday Clock\u003c/a\u003e was reset to 90 seconds before midnight (from 100 seconds) in January this year due to ‘ominous trends that continue to point the world toward global catastrophe’. The minute hand on the Doomsday Clock has been reset 25 times since 1947, and it is most likely be brought forward to less than a minute in 2025. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth climate breakdown and nuclear war are human induced, but while one is heating up the planet the smoke and dust from explosions of the other will cool it. Either way, both threats are inextricably linked.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven the tactical use of battlefield nuclear weapons would have a climate impact. And climate-induced disasters, crop failures, water shortage, mass migration and ensuing socio-political unrest could spark wars that go nuclear. This is without even considering the long term effect of radioactive fallout on land, water and sea.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00573-0\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eResearch at Rutgers University\u003c/a\u003e recently projected that even a one-week nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would cause the collapse of food systems worldwide, killing 2 billion people from starvation. Prevailing winds would carry the fallout to the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau, irradiating glaciers that feed into all of Asia’s main rivers.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn all-out nuclear war between the United States and Russia would cause a nuclear winter lasting more than 15 years, the study showed, unleashing a global famine that would kill 5 billion people.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnti-nuclear activists now challenge the security paradigm based on nuclear deterrence, and have instead pushed for a ban on nuclear weapons. At a meeting on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations in New York last December, members declared that the doctrine of deterrence used by nuclear-armed states and their allies was a threat to human security and an obstacle to nuclear disarmament.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241226081236_407d70a5620963d36f53e2c5718e0e12aad446374f358fb4b574701ee1f03e14.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"20241226081236_407d70a5620963d36f53e2c5718e0e12aad446374f358fb4b574701ee1f03e14\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"667\" height=\"726\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Thinking the thinkable NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe meeting heard that deterrence is an unproven gamble and based on the implicit threat to use nuclear weapons which itself is playing brinkmanship with nuclear annihilation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Deterrence is unacceptable,” stated Melissa Parke of \u003ca href=\"https://www.icanw.org/people_and_structure\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eICAN ((International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)\u003c/a\u003e. “It is based on the threat to wage nuclear war which would kill millions outright and lead to a nuclear winter and mass starvation that would kill billions of people.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eICAN was awarded the \u003ca href=\"https://www.icanw.org/nobel_prize\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNobel Peace Prize in 2017\u003c/a\u003e for its activism against the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of atomic weapons, and its work to push the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt has been 50 years since the discussions on a draft of the \u003ca href=\"http://www.un.org/disarmament/WMD/Nuclear/NPTtext.shtml\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)\u003c/a\u003e was first held in Geneva. The NPT entered into force in 1970, and has the membership of \u003ca href=\"http://disarmament.un.org/treaties/t/npt\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e191 States\u003c/a\u003e, with mandatory obligations on disarmament and non-proliferation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, these commitments are now threatened by a new Cold War and increased global tensions. Nine nuclear weapon states have total stockpiles of 14,500 warheads, many of them on missiles ready to be launched. Three countries in Nepal’s immediate neighbourhood (China, India, Pakistan) have nuclear weapons, and they do not share good relations.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241226081236_cb12ff19e7ad0691773a0cc4a74b4f2b699832495aa90e5dc21462a287f11dcb.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_10\" data-image-id=\"20241226081236_cb12ff19e7ad0691773a0cc4a74b4f2b699832495aa90e5dc21462a287f11dcb\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1232\" height=\"513\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Doomsday clock\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eOf the five regions around the world that have declared themselves nuclear weapons free, three are in Asia: Central Asia, Mongolia and the South Pacific. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.unrcpd.org/about/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eUnited Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD)\u003c/a\u003e is located in Kathmandu and helps countries to meet disarmament goals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA report titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.ippnw.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/ENGLISH-Nuclear-Famine-Report-Final-bleed-marks.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNuclear Famine\u003c/a\u003e by the group \u003ca href=\"https://www.ippnw.org/programs/nuclear-weapons-abolition/nuclear-famine-climate-effects-of-regional-nuclear-war\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eInternational Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War\u003c/a\u003e sounds a sobering alarm: even a limited nuclear war using only 100 weapons anywhere in the world would disrupt the global climate and agricultural production, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89_d9AFmk9Y\u0026amp;t=83s\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eput 2 billion people at risk of starvation\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCoincidentally, 2 billion is also the number of people who would be affected by the melting of glaciers in the mountains of High Asia, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://hkh.icimod.org/hi-wise/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eInternational Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGiven the twin global threats, climate activism now has to go hand-in-hand with the campaign to abolish nuclear weapons.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKunda Dixit\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThis Editorial is brought to you by \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eNepali Times\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e, in collaboration with \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://inpsjapan.com/en/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eINPS Japan\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e and \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://sgi-peace.org/\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eSoka Gakkai International\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eTwo entwined global threats in 2025: climate breakdown and nuclear catastrophe.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":2560,"height":1708,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_eaf06f800e4d812e0afc9fed525ddfc3f7819cbf0ffe290b55572cdc44c58b67","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_0524f5a55fb51c2efdc94efd35faa791c2f906c4eb49c63f9d951e9ad007415f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_c8dcddf6dc0d73a75d98e5e51574813eded39e4a3d9a3314090899f529404691","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_ba96964eb62c9f4aa12db1b5382710ca91f2a9f5b09312a9196bce02a14ba16d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_1a2cffc86162a94491d2633ebec481ec3b8b1737534de8b4a3c13485bfab729c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_97077291afc22c1f46f99a8e2682b5579c8e60fb25f8b75c73808900a013c018","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_b8b4da1770473d86f730a46f4c6db3c83a6ed81564f56469470ad089bcbc243e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_aba7a2db57c79ecad9cd5fea687269b2e47c7bb81988ef4553ef1790a64442b6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_55c0bf20d2a3fd097647770a91dbd7bbba355f7027b97140f3055b140f154b4b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_cda26e676253b5b62ee807a57032255b2ba925fee5fd8220b89eba8e63856dc8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":2560,"height":1708,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_eaf06f800e4d812e0afc9fed525ddfc3f7819cbf0ffe290b55572cdc44c58b67","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":2560,"height":1708,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081232_eaf06f800e4d812e0afc9fed525ddfc3f7819cbf0ffe290b55572cdc44c58b67","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":43,"staticprefix":"/editorial"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Editorial"}}],"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":4,"currentPage":1,"perPage":3,"pagesCount":2}}},"featuredVideos":{"name":"Featured videos","description":null,"items":[{"id":7953,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-03-02T12:58:25","title":"Happy to just potter around Bhaktapur","slug":"happy-to-just-potter-around-bhaktapur","body":"\u003cp\u003ePottery has deep history in the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/bringing-silicon-valley-to-kathmandu-valley\"\u003eKathmandu Valley\u003c/a\u003e civilisation, the clay soil of the former lake bed perfectly suited for terracotta ware, bricks and tiles. It is a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/life-and-livelihood-in-remote-nepal\"\u003elivelihood\u003c/a\u003e that builds on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-s-soft-power-is-its-heritage\"\u003eheritage\u003c/a\u003e, especially in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/clash-of-cultures-in-bhaktapur\"\u003eBhaktapur\u003c/a\u003e and Thimi where \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/a-time-to-every-purpose-occupation,3023\"\u003etraditional potters\u003c/a\u003e (कुमाल) have been moulding and firing \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6805\"\u003eclay vessels\u003c/a\u003e for centuries.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeyond its role in daily life and rituals, pottery blends functionality with the cultural and spiritual, and continues to thrive in new ways. Moulding clay on a potter’s wheel has become a tourist attraction and therapeutic escape for those stressed by the pressures of \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3362\"\u003emodern life\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrafting objects from clay is a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/reviving-nepal-s-craft\"\u003etradition passed down through generations\u003c/a\u003e for the Newa people of Bhaktapur, particularly the Prajapati and Awal clans. Modern machinery has allowed the craft to develop new products and practices.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_df489d3cafa6b737050a38644eab62af1af367fedd9007767c8fd34c17b002e4.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_8\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_df489d3cafa6b737050a38644eab62af1af367fedd9007767c8fd34c17b002e4\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1499\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhotos: SUMAN NEPALI\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost have broadened their product range by including glazed ceramic and refined clay products, opened showrooms and conducted classes for enthusiasts. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/nepali-artist-at-miami-art-week\"\u003eCeramics\u003c/a\u003e are more in demand since they have longer life and alternatives to plastic,” says Ratna Prajapati of Cera Nepal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCeramic products are used in crockery, while clay cookware is regaining popularity. Once solely a \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10000\"\u003etraditional craft\u003c/a\u003e, pottery is now a \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Economic-Class/waiting-for-an-industrial-revolution,784#google_vignette\"\u003emodern business \u003c/a\u003eoffering people a hobby, a pastime and even \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/a-life-devoted-to-healing\"\u003ehealing\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-art-of-healing\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe art of healing\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sewa Bhattarai\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_efddfb64dc1a876788ad234b74da680cc0e45f0534db53a984c8e1dd9669c78b.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_14\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_efddfb64dc1a876788ad234b74da680cc0e45f0534db53a984c8e1dd9669c78b\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_15\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_478dd00a2163d974151a3708fff18e845717441d43d2eb96b626e031995937e5.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_15\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_478dd00a2163d974151a3708fff18e845717441d43d2eb96b626e031995937e5\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_15\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“People prefer to use ceramics for cookware rather than plastic and other products,” says Riya Prajapati of Prajapati Ceramic in Boudha. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pottery industry faced hurdles during \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-they-kept-nepal-in-the-dark-ages\"\u003etimes of prolonged power cuts\u003c/a\u003e, and the 2015 earthquake in which Bhaktapur was particularly badly hit. However, the Covid-19 pandemic was a turnaround, as \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/take-to-pottery-during-the-pandemic\"\u003emany people picked it up as a pandemic hobby\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRatna Prajapati recalls many students and Kathmandu-based expats started reaching out for pottery classes at the time.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_18\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_b05fa054431b7bcc28c793c27d1b16e73b30eab6b5b6d5700e6710318cc3080b.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_18\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_b05fa054431b7bcc28c793c27d1b16e73b30eab6b5b6d5700e6710318cc3080b\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_18\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_19\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030210030_07c7c65d53473b8a8e5fbd2ca2a1060847b0a10278498d989cba925fc40a9e71.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_19\" data-image-id=\"2025030210030_07c7c65d53473b8a8e5fbd2ca2a1060847b0a10278498d989cba925fc40a9e71\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_19\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003ePreviously, it was mostly foreigners who were interested in pottery classes, but more and more Nepalis are enrolling for hobby or \u0026nbsp;relaxation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Pottery Training Centre at Bhaktapur currently has the capacity to train 10 people at a time, but is enlarging its studio to accommodate 30-40 students. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“I started pottery when I was 9. Initially, we used to make पाला (ceremonial clay cups for oil lamps), but we have expanded to mugs and other ceramics,” says Sajan Prajapati of the Pottery Training Centre. “Age is not a barrier to learn the craft and art of pottery.” \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_20\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030210030_fa35e24803163de8034d8df079b9b11f1a8b6b17f8f9a6d9729912baf3299e7d.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_20\" data-image-id=\"2025030210030_fa35e24803163de8034d8df079b9b11f1a8b6b17f8f9a6d9729912baf3299e7d\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_20\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030210030_3931e2274e14478244531089480b026453296f09850a96f57be8873ecb22448d.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_21\" data-image-id=\"2025030210030_3931e2274e14478244531089480b026453296f09850a96f57be8873ecb22448d\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003ePottery is a blend of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/making-nepal-tranquil\"\u003erelaxation\u003c/a\u003e, self-expression, and ultimately delivers a sense of achievement. It has been proven to offer solace to those facing emotional challenges, while also boosting self-confidence and a sense of self-worth, as individuals create something from shapeless clay.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also:\u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/practicing-mindfulness-in-schools\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e Practicing mindfulness in schools\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Basu Gautam\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt also provides a nonverbal way for people to process their feelings, giving them a sense of control and a creative outlet.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“A student with a disability once visited our studio with a group, and she made better shapes from clay than others,” recalls Ganesh Hari Prajapati, Riya’s father. “Children are naturally restless and always on the move, and pottery helps them concentrate. Even while they wait for their turn, they play with lumps of clay.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_24\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_9ec7c5a022b1c61b454748ddc50dde0622e3cfe3f1b9d9c924395e7e2a827960.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_24\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_9ec7c5a022b1c61b454748ddc50dde0622e3cfe3f1b9d9c924395e7e2a827960\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_24\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_25\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_c1b905546aacf51f0db4ba9d3a064c49e4d300eadfe0fa87456181640bf6c968.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_25\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_c1b905546aacf51f0db4ba9d3a064c49e4d300eadfe0fa87456181640bf6c968\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_25\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition to regular product sales, Bhaktapur’s new clay entrepreneurs now process bulk orders from hotels and restaurants looking for more \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19006\"\u003eeco-friendly solutions\u003c/a\u003e. A traditional terracotta water jar, for example is naturally cooled by evaporation as water seeps through the porous clay.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubin Suwal, 28, is also with the Pottery Training Centre in Bhaktapur and conducts regular classes for individuals and groups of Nepalis and expats.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHe says, “Nepalis typically join shorter classes, while tourists opt for longer, more detailed sessions to immerse themselves in the craft. Interest is growing because it can be a stress reliever, and participants get a sense of satisfaction seeing the end product.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_27\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250302090356_1eca5da35c0408db4a20ec86dae3149110670a84c1ae07f9fc26389b169a613a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_27\" data-image-id=\"20250302090356_1eca5da35c0408db4a20ec86dae3149110670a84c1ae07f9fc26389b169a613a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_27\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_28\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030210030_1a2f55669492355a35794f84cd2d598899e2f3034dc3f2b674769c886254ddb7.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_28\" data-image-id=\"2025030210030_1a2f55669492355a35794f84cd2d598899e2f3034dc3f2b674769c886254ddb7\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_28\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eSome of Ratna Prajapati’s student customers have bought their own wheels and now make products at home, and even sell \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-art-of-living\"\u003ehandmade ceramic products\u003c/a\u003e to augment their cash income.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePottery helps improve focus and can calm the mind. Ratna Prajapati says he notices this among some of his customers who initially look like they are going through tough times because they are distracted and uninterested. But after watching their friends enjoy moulding clay at the wheel, they are drawn to give it a try themselves.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“We see their moods instantly uplifted, they brighten up and suddenly take an interest in their surroundings,” he adds. “Pottery as a hobby helps people when they feel a disconnect with life.” This becomes more important with mental health becoming a major priority, and the spread of mobile phone use among younger people.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_30\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030210030_314c46f42440f86b0bb2ac6fce6553469e5690c974b678c2259e196337f74d47.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_30\" data-image-id=\"2025030210030_314c46f42440f86b0bb2ac6fce6553469e5690c974b678c2259e196337f74d47\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1440\" height=\"894\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eThe Pottery Training Centre at Bhaktapur currently has the capacity to train 10 people at a time, but is enlarging its studio to accommodate 30-40 students. Photo: POTTERY TRAINING CENTRE\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_30\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrajapati Ceramic, for example, takes pottery to the next level by offering \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/raising-children-can-be-therapy\"\u003etherapy \u003c/a\u003eusing the GEM Method, (Guide, Engage, and Motivate) to improve mental health and restore focus in younger visitors. The Studio combines pottery making with music and counselling conversations with customers. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile pottery classes can be a respite from \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/so-you-want-to-quit-facebook\"\u003esocial media addiction\u003c/a\u003e, pottery business owners themselves are taking to mobiles and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/surveying-nepal-s-digital-landscape\"\u003edigital media\u003c/a\u003e to grow their businesses through networking and collecting online reviews.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRiya at Prajapati Ceramics adds that most customers these days come to her studio after seeing online reviews and videos that she puts up on Instagram and other platforms.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eShe says, “I feel digital outreach is important, we get out to a large number of people, and sharing the positive impacts of pottery is just a \u0026nbsp;click away.” \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003ch2\u003ePottery History\u0026nbsp;\u003c/h2\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_34\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025030210030_a928e8aa67cfe641f624efc2f4cf576cb94071a739a5bde7a1735a43e00e1282.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_34\" data-image-id=\"2025030210030_a928e8aa67cfe641f624efc2f4cf576cb94071a739a5bde7a1735a43e00e1282\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Happy to just potter around in Bhaktapur NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_34\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003ePottery making is nearly as old as human civilisation, with the first terracotta objects found in archaeological sites dating back at least 10,000 years. Potters fired moulded clay into objects for everyday household use.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eLater, terracotta was used as building material for bricks, tiles and even sewers. A different type of clay was then developed to shape porcelain objects, either as utensils or art. Some of the earliest porcelain was fired in China 1,500 years ago.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePottery arrived in Kathmandu Valley probably from both the Indus Valley Civilisation and China about 5,000 years ago. The fine clay found in the lake deposits was an ideal raw material for household objects, and most early buildings in the Valley were made from bricks and tiles by firing clay in kilns.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePottery flourished as an art form and reached its most creative peak during the Malla Period (12-18th century CE) when all the kingdoms in the Valley competed to build grand temples and monasteries. Pottery also took on an artistic function in rituals and continues to have deep cultural significance. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/hari-the-potter\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHari the Potter\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Aayusha Pokharel\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003ePottery is a transformative craft that now goes beyond commerce to creativity and therapeutic healing\u003c/p\u003e"},{"embed":"\u003cdiv style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/W-y-CQ5S3pU?rel=0\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\u003c/div\u003e","field_name":"feature_video","value":null}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1499,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_df489d3cafa6b737050a38644eab62af1af367fedd9007767c8fd34c17b002e4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_d8fffe777334c39f7b3b2edfb02ee388774befbb1b9cfbb98d31a742f9528a5f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_2fe33b049f09486601867c1b1cec128fc22f2c70e9bd6cf67637ea09465404ce","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_d645288b0b8e9b7a2d18c29e4c5429c2ee23cd6f9651f03f417c7c0ee13d6b86","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_2ab450aa65f4d751903e3300d44767269ba348473389898688d218a1f3fc9e9a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_e774f455342cd0da5f21c798ee139cb6667f5fcd7d186897d7bfa743b2667755","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_3d8cee9c3057cd4246c2d66ddf190a4a06b2ecd345393c9985c000053368491a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_7c571b339fdaa7ede3e24d26c3ba558e50d435a90ff89575cde888d61f8ab895","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_f1b7fccecbcb90de297ec985e3c4be915813ae2b69f18e0160ae68f66b892ee9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_558eb57b006e6a135aef081230e52c80323eb724afb43e05b8aa7988b1ff24b5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1499,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_df489d3cafa6b737050a38644eab62af1af367fedd9007767c8fd34c17b002e4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1499,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250302090356_df489d3cafa6b737050a38644eab62af1af367fedd9007767c8fd34c17b002e4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":40,"staticprefix":"/multimedia"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Sudiksha Tuladhar"}},{"id":7817,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-01-20T10:15:12","title":"Reviving Nepal’s craft","slug":"reviving-nepal-s-craft","body":"\u003cp\u003eWhat began as a joint effort to research Nepal’s natural resources has now become a global representation of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-making-of-kathmandu-valley-style\"\u003eindigenous craftsmanship\u003c/a\u003e, and empowering women.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eArati Subba and Samriddhi Gurung were raised in the UK, had years of experience in the fashion industry, and found themselves in Nepal during the Covid-19 pandemic.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“I always wanted to explore what Nepal naturally offers,” says Gurung. “After a lot of research, we discovered that beeswax is a biowaste that lasts three times longer than soy or paraffin wax.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eShe researched the local market for lifestyle products, and found only paraffin candles for sale. So, they thought, why not create beeswax candles?\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025012011018_dbdf64ffc6c18c926717a2214e902c4e6600e95aa2f2670e614647fe70d6d984.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_1\" data-image-id=\"2025012011018_dbdf64ffc6c18c926717a2214e902c4e6600e95aa2f2670e614647fe70d6d984\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"5472\" height=\"3648\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Reviving Nepal's craft NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eArati Subba and Samriddhi Gurung, founders of Riti Studio. Photo: RITI STUDIO\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eTogether, they set up Riti Studio and have now diversified from candles to grow into a business in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/seams-sustainable\"\u003esustainable lifestyle\u003c/a\u003e products.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased in Nepal and Hong Kong, Riti's all-women team now also handcrafts candles, incense sticks, and ceramics. It strives to preserve Nepal’s craft traditions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Do you know how to hand-roll incense sticks by yourself?” Gurung asks. “My grandmother still does it, but neither my mother nor I know how to do that. So, this is an effort to preserve our generational craft, and take it further.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe entrepreneur duo define their approach as ‘slow luxury of artisanal quality’ and collaborate with local artisans. Each ceramic piece, for example, is hand-crafted, reflecting the skill and dedication of those involved.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025012011018_db44619728c2f031c8412a86206b6166cff7258796d170df73b8db3b85736ebd.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_3\" data-image-id=\"2025012011018_db44619728c2f031c8412a86206b6166cff7258796d170df73b8db3b85736ebd\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1600\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Reviving Nepal's craft NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhotos: SANGYA LAMSAL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Every piece is unique in itself,” says Subba. “The design is the same, but the actual printwork, texture, it is all different.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSustainability remains a key priority, but financial viability is also important. In the early days, the two scoured nearly every \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/honey-money?s=08\"\u003ehoney shop\u003c/a\u003e they could find.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost honey sellers in Nepal also have their own farms where they source raw materials. Their search extended beyond honey, as they also sought local suppliers for ceramics and packaging.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter finding the right materials, they sampled to ensure quality. Only then did they move to production and marketing, for which Nepali language was a must.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025012011018_55c551fd62ed7dd91c2d511ab1561b76ad3805f7772cfb005bc6eeb133c479ae.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"2025012011018_55c551fd62ed7dd91c2d511ab1561b76ad3805f7772cfb005bc6eeb133c479ae\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1200\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Reviving Nepal's craft NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“It was really hard to communicate and try to sound smart in Nepali while meeting with the suppliers at first,” she recalls. The language barrier meant some suppliers did not take her seriously in a largely male-dominated society.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThings changed when the men started noticing their professionalism. “Now, the men are much more appreciative of who we are, and we are taken more seriously,” adds Gurung.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe name Riti comes from the idea of having one’s own little ritual, focusing on self-care and self-love and the Nepali term रीती रिवाज, meaning rituals.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen asked if they had any advice for other entrepreneurs just starting out, Gurung says, “You have to put your head down and get to work. Stop listening to the noise outside and stay focused.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubba pipes in: “Find what interests you, and make something beautiful out of it.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/return-to-nature\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReturn to nature\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eWomen united by their roots and vision return to Nepal to set up a sustainable lifestyle business\u003c/p\u003e"},{"embed":"\u003cdiv style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/tQBYoKiyq1k?rel=0\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\u003c/div\u003e","field_name":"feature_video","value":null}],"swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":5472,"height":3648,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_dbdf64ffc6c18c926717a2214e902c4e6600e95aa2f2670e614647fe70d6d984","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_42d890d287acf2d7dd4d7267af2bd8dc986f2f6a91e68e969905bc3e3b178dd0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_aed2865789dda43c20dcc435fdf240e8f5387488ed3b2ff9310bf627aca5a4bc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_1fe6f47c970a0c47fb17ddcdb9b040b8abda9c9e0e9b00aafedc3f45253ead72","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_6a94a8f165e2d5bfcf6b8090f71810505ea4a0ac326f69edffe452fbc9b7981d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_b69440d401a6f6741edb056512d930e1c5db562345bec01057b97803713b31b1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_0e4572840eaf93b44675033f97188fa2f7de6b26be3227eac2918837f85f4068","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_8420329cd539dc127074933f410427ce71705492e2f2d1ecc66665310213c066","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_82e90ecbd7c08371f45470a3d9001fcf621f4963dfa674ce87849f543f6ff785","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_5306ba8fe249d12137742b140bca56f5aa776cbd86bb33c8c92396e7806f7bcf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":5472,"height":3648,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_dbdf64ffc6c18c926717a2214e902c4e6600e95aa2f2670e614647fe70d6d984","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":5472,"height":3648,"image":{"asset_id":"2025012011018_dbdf64ffc6c18c926717a2214e902c4e6600e95aa2f2670e614647fe70d6d984","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":40,"staticprefix":"/multimedia"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Sangya Lamsal"}}],"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":2,"currentPage":1,"perPage":3,"pagesCount":1}}},"bottom":{"name":"Bottom","description":null,"items":[{"id":7902,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"published_at":"2025-02-15T02:46:43","title":"India’s border trains that connected Nepal","slug":"india-s-border-trains-that-connected-nepal","body":"\u003cp\u003eIndia has the British to thank for its extensive nationwide rail network. China is now foremost in the world for fast trains. In between, Nepal is stuck in the slow track, and has let its historical railway lines in the Tarai rust away.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn interesting subject for research by students of history can reveal how railway lines linking Nepal to British India shaped the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepals-political-economy\"\u003epolitical economy\u003c/a\u003e and social life of the day. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe British built tracks to log \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-tarai-s-shrinking-forests\"\u003eNepal’s Tarai forests\u003c/a\u003e for teak sleepers needed for new railway lines across India. But the train tracks also opened up Nepal to the world. And to itself.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250214070240_ea9e5986631d43d82b60fcfb8631f08fcc9c1f18d5087f8d98850857ac60cb15.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_2\" data-image-id=\"20250214070240_ea9e5986631d43d82b60fcfb8631f08fcc9c1f18d5087f8d98850857ac60cb15\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Luxury carriage\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eA luxury carriage that brought British hunting royalty at Bhikhna-Thori station in the early 1900s. Photo: MADAN PURASKAR PUSTAKALAYA\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-nepal-rail-diplomacy\"\u003eNepal helped build India’s rail network\u003c/a\u003e with raw material, but only built two short lines of its own. Railways were introduced to India in 1886 by the British, not long after the invention of the steam locomotive. The rail network spread rapidly till 1914, a time when the demand for railway sleepers soared and the Tarai forests were mined for logs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe border town of Raxaul inaugurated its railway station on 1 March 1899. Once Raxaul was connected, it became easier for people from Kathmandu travelling to various parts of India, or even to other parts of Nepal, to take trains. India’s railways therefore also connected Nepal.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the Rana regime finally built train tracks, they were limited to the Raxaul-Birganj-Amlekhganj and Jayanagar-Janakpur-Bijulpura tracks for goods and passengers. Much later, train tracks were also built to ferry stones and logs during the construction of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kosi-s-sorrow-and-scope\"\u003eKosi Barrage\u003c/a\u003e in 1958-1962.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250214070244_9f32a67c6443031b9e1535bb0c39ccd4007e66cdd3169bd8420ef32cf5ce96b2.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"20250214070244_9f32a67c6443031b9e1535bb0c39ccd4007e66cdd3169bd8420ef32cf5ce96b2\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1432\" height=\"896\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Nepal Government Railway\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eNepal Government Railway in Amlekhganj in 1927. Photo: DIRGHA MAN CHITRAKAR\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250214070248_720e22e1707010b91d5554d39dcc2586941557919e22ef0d266d77a9f75db928.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_6\" data-image-id=\"20250214070248_720e22e1707010b91d5554d39dcc2586941557919e22ef0d266d77a9f75db928\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"736\" height=\"490\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Janakpur railway\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eThe steam engine of the Janakpur Railway that was commissioned in 1929.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-railways-janakpur-test-drive?fb_comment_id=3554227181262227_4263866616964943\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eNepal Railways Janakpur test drive\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIt was only after the completion of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/on-the-fast-lane-to-expressways\"\u003eEast-West Highway\u003c/a\u003e in the 1980s that the reliance of Nepalis on Indian trains was reduced. Until as recently as a decade ago, there was no alternative to taking an Indian train to get from one Tarai district to a neighbouring one, or even to travel within a district in Nepal.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndian narrow gauge train stations near the border became everyday names in Nepali conversation because of their importance to domestic connectivity: Galgaliya, Jogbani, Katihar, Nirmali, Kunaili, Bairgania, Dheng, Ghodasahan, Thutibari, Nautanwa, Badhani, Gorakhpur, Sunauli, Gonda, Bharaich, Murtiya, Tiukunia, Gauriphanta...\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven today, as feeder roads join Tarai towns, some of these stations are still used extensively by Nepalis. One of them is the border village of Thori on the west of Parsa district.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeople in Thori used to take an Indian railway train at the Bhikhna-Thori to travel to the district capital of Birganj via Raxaul. In fact, the station catered almost exclusively to passengers from Nepal, and once the road joined Thori with Birganj, Bhikhna-Thori railway station fell into ruin.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_9\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250214070236_3180dfc6b2f7740674c84f99f5a25b1bc8b0395ae93093569320c533132b9861.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_9\" data-image-id=\"20250214070236_3180dfc6b2f7740674c84f99f5a25b1bc8b0395ae93093569320c533132b9861\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2234\" height=\"1536\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Bhikhna-Thori\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eBhikhna-Thori station today is a desolate place with the fare board still stuck to the wall. Photo: CHANDRA KISHORE\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_9\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Bhikhna-Thori station was built in 1906, and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-duke-of-edinburgh-in-nepal\"\u003eBritish royalty\u003c/a\u003e and the Governor General from Calcutta used to take it for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/centennial-of-hunting-diplomacy-in-nepal\"\u003ehunting expeditions organised by Nepal’s Rana rulers\u003c/a\u003e in their honour.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilar rail links joining the Nepal border to the Indian rail network were built in Gauriphanta to connect Dhangadi (1914) and Kanchanpur to Tanakpur (1912). Gauriphanta was closed because Dudhwa became an Indian national park, and Tanakpur was converted to broad gauge.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe importance of Nepali travelers to Indian railways can be gleaned from the name of Rupediya station, which is still officially called ‘Nepalganj Road’ Station.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSimilarly, there is a ‘Janakpur Road’ Station along the Samastipur-Narkatiaganj line in Bihar state, even though the name of the town itself is Pupari. The reason for this could be so Indian pilgrims headed to Janakpur would know where to get off.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_12\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250215030236_f232e817ef8fadcc7663360a2086b45f96e4bb72598336eab8072a4ff85ce3e9.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_12\" data-image-id=\"20250215030236_f232e817ef8fadcc7663360a2086b45f96e4bb72598336eab8072a4ff85ce3e9\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"487\" height=\"410\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Close up map\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eCloseup map showing how Nepalis travelling from Chitwan to Birganj had to go via Indian railway before the road through Nepali territory.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_12\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_13\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025021607024_0819ee002685375d1d6485c2ff3cadc3937f77257fb479024482ad8f115b5ef5.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_13\" data-image-id=\"2025021607024_0819ee002685375d1d6485c2ff3cadc3937f77257fb479024482ad8f115b5ef5\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1328\" height=\"914\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Nepal India railway\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_13\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe crossborder railway was essential not just for passengers but also Nepal government administrative work. Not only were the mountains roadless, but even Tarai towns were not connected by motorable roads.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal became the first to climb an 8,000m peak when they summited Annapurna in 1950, they walked from Base Camp for weeks to the Indian border at Sunauli, took the Indian trail to Raxaul, connected to the Amlekhganj train and then trekked up the mountains to Kathmandu to meet Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher \u0026nbsp;Rana.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHerzog made the journey in the heat of the Indian summer. His frostbitten toes and fingers were turning gangrenous and had to be amputated in the train.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-train-project-struggles-to-stay-on-track\"\u003eLack of connectivity in Nepal\u003c/a\u003e and the presence of Indian train stations at the border meant that Nepal’s socio-economic life and political orientation was to the south. It was only after connectivity within Nepal improved starting in the 1970s that the periphery could go directly to Kathmandu without routing via India.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis change had a profound impact on education, health, trade, and even in the mindset of Nepalis. In his book, Regionalism and National Unity in Nepal, American scholar Frederick H Gaige says that the basis of the early industrialisation of the Nepal Tarai towns was that they were connected to the Indian rail network.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/putting-nepal-on-the-right-track\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePutting Nepal on the right track\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Arnico Pandey\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGaige argues that the expansion of its railway network to the Nepal border was also linked to India’s own economic growth trajectory northwards in the 19th century as markets for agriculture surplus from the Nepal Tarai. Traders from the Madhesi community prospered because of the presence of these stations, and some invested their profits in property there. It was a sign of great prestige for traders from Nepal to own assets in Indian railheads.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndia’s railways even influenced Nepal’s political awakening, starting with the 1950 anti-Rana movement. Being able to coordinate protests across Nepal was only possible because of the ease of travel by rail via India. Even during the 1980 referendum, anti-Panchayat reformists found refuge in rail stations across the border.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinally, there was also the social impact. Connecting various parts of Nepal, even the mountain districts, with each other made it possible for families from eastern Nepal to marry their children to those from the west – something that would have been difficult, if not impossible, had they not been able to travel on Indian trains.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepal was a closed kingdom in those days, but Indian trains also opened the eyes of Nepalis to the world outside: Calcutta, Banaras, Bombay and beyond. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/india-china-rail-race\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndia-China rail race\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Shristi Karki\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eOnce upon a time, Nepalis had to travel through India by railway to reach another part of Nepal\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Chandra Kishore","role":"writer","avatar_url":"chandra-kishore_69866f53df7a6c01ffd4df38217f53058181ceaf.jpg","slug":"chandra-kishore","biography":""}}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1540,"height":1258,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_980967fd9118a26203da49964732af15bfd7590cde15869a4fbc875d87f60fe8","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_3416e6b144cb37ed58d613a0bc60240cc958bcf5ecb1cac7006f4bdee8d22e4b","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_b05221fed988f88d530e4cf151d41155ef009c3e7ca9ea5fd81cfdfdf811b51b","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_52846f1e9e2718bb133aa5c2147077d97444cf98794f9964b335db3f804cc390","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_3e7597edb7e39a3e38b3dcc7f4f2cbad268549a811a4563cdd4d79e7e97076df","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_6af173937a30daf0c7eca7153713f67b2f1384d0819a4c674510e673b731396f","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_61f78acd1aa24aa43cb974a0a28b1d6daa73b2687e6454928ebae80101b0c08c","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_b5256327c38de15b5252cb341a8c299a745c89e8cca11239cba4ac9f54fec622","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_f2fc7616a1b1f01e3e9f78a34c7f0af1f9d7317bda050b5236ec3ad31d612044","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_a8b726906f7cae55e6ef6a013223e255b5a2e19cd476955324ace9195a8f20c5","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1540,"height":1258,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_980967fd9118a26203da49964732af15bfd7590cde15869a4fbc875d87f60fe8","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1540,"height":1258,"image":{"asset_id":"20250214070232_980967fd9118a26203da49964732af15bfd7590cde15869a4fbc875d87f60fe8","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":41,"staticprefix":"/here-now"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}}],"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":1,"currentPage":1,"perPage":1,"pagesCount":1}}},"review":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":321,"currentPage":1,"perPage":3,"pagesCount":107}},"items":[{"id":8032,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-27T04:43:11","slug":"kathmandu-s-liquid-landscape","title":"Kathmandu’s liquid landscape","body":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/time-capsule-of-kathmandu\"\u003eKathmandu Valley civilisation\u003c/a\u003e can also be called a hydrological culture where sophisticated\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-needs-to-plan-for-plenty-and-scarcity-of-water\"\u003e water management\u003c/a\u003e allowed densely-packed settlements to co-exist with intense \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/back-to-the-future-of-farming\"\u003eagriculture\u003c/a\u003e on the fertile soil of the former lake-bed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth needed plenty of water, but \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/geopolitics-of-nepal-s-rivers\"\u003ethe Valley’s rivers \u003c/a\u003eare not snowfed. So, the rulers of the kingdoms sourced them from the surrounding hills in an elaborate \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-ancient-water-spouts-still-functioning\"\u003enetwork of canals \u003c/a\u003ethat did not just provide water for irrigation and fill ponds that recharged ground water, but also ensured urban supply through sunken spouts called hiti.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032705030_4e0cf8c700f36086c3ea12917b03f2ae1f5224db3c9eac61c02b9a2a0d3ba91a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"2025032705030_4e0cf8c700f36086c3ea12917b03f2ae1f5224db3c9eac61c02b9a2a0d3ba91a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1227\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hiti \"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhoto: HAYLEY SAUL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fact that the hiti system is still a vital source of water for the residents of inner city \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-green-city-is-a-smart-city\"\u003eKathmandu\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/patan-for-beginners\"\u003ePatan\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/clash-of-cultures-in-bhaktapur\"\u003eBhaktapur \u003c/a\u003edespite rapid urbanisation is a testament to the engineering and planning expertise of our ancestors dating back to the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/losing-loose-change-in-nepal\"\u003eLichhavi period\u003c/a\u003e (400–750 CE) and later expanded during the Malla era (10th–18th century CE).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘The Liquid Landscape of Kathmandu Valley: Hiti Pranali Water Heritage’ is a new exhibition at\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/patans-museum-piece\"\u003e Patan Museum\u003c/a\u003e to pay tribute to this \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/culture-cannot-be-an-afterthought\"\u003ecultural heritage\u003c/a\u003e and explores recent archaeological research that offers solutions to not just their preservation but also to maintain them to supplement modern systems.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/saving-nepal-s-hiti-heritage\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSaving Nepal’s hiti heritage\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research by Hayley Saul of Heritage for Global Challenges Research Centre and PhD scholar Anoj Khanal at the University of York in the UK entailed using Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) to generate electromagnetic waves to map underground water conduits. Collaborating in the research was engineer and author of the seminal book Hiti Pranali, Padma Sunder Joshi of the Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“We used GPR to explore if we can find filtration systems or functions that allow for the flow and control of water and its distribution,” Saul explained.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough many of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/in-with-the-old-in-nepal\"\u003ehistorical monuments of the Valley\u003c/a\u003e that were destroyed in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lessons-not-learned-from-2015-o2etq6zu\"\u003ethe 2015 earthquake \u003c/a\u003ehave now been rebuilt, there has been minimal work in finding out about underground water conduits that may have been damaged, and in their restitution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA portal into Patan’s past and present\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Prakriti Kandel\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGPR technology can be used to map the main canals (raj kulo) and their branches, explore how they were designed and built in the first place, without having to carry out expensive excavation -- which would be difficult anyway because much of the Valley floor is now built up.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_16\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032705038_c51c4e9e1a59d413f652d10f78b1ea7ee49a6c02e4ca01dff29c1ed79df10796.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_16\" data-image-id=\"2025032705038_c51c4e9e1a59d413f652d10f78b1ea7ee49a6c02e4ca01dff29c1ed79df10796\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"14888\" height=\"10627\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hiti GPR results\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhoto: HAYLEY SAUL and ANOJ KHANAL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_16\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocal governments can now use the data collected by the researchers to map out the network canals, enforce building restrictions if needed and to maintain them.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hiti of Kathmandu were not just functional, but sacred and served as social and spiritual hubs. They provided water for drinking, laundry, household use, rituals, while also serving as gathering places for communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith the\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/water-for-the-ages\"\u003e introduction of modern water mains \u003c/a\u003efrom the late 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e century onwards and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/cost-of-living-in-a-big-city\"\u003erapid urban growth\u003c/a\u003e, many hiti have fallen into disrepair or dried up. Of the at least 573 stone spouts once counted in Kathmandu Valley, many are lost, damaged, or no longer functional due to neglect, pollution, and encroachment of ponds and canals that feed them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJoshi explains that\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/thimi-s-urban-tissue\"\u003e Kathmandu’s ancient urban planners \u003c/a\u003edeveloped the hiti network after the kingdoms located to higher ground to leave the lower areas for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/aid-rarely-aids-agriculture-in-nepal\"\u003eagriculture\u003c/a\u003e. It forced them to devise ways to bring water through a network of canals fed by aquifiers, and use the gradient to sunken hiti stone spouts for distribution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032705034_ae12c7503ea6717c4a727a1c14a500f964e0e86668f9f923950cfb8a6c907d81.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_21\" data-image-id=\"2025032705034_ae12c7503ea6717c4a727a1c14a500f964e0e86668f9f923950cfb8a6c907d81\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"890\" height=\"677\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hiti map\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe exhibition at Patan Museum also demonstrates that the hiti system incorporates space for living beings, making it a self-functioning \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/people-tigers-trees-and-rivers\"\u003eecosystem \u003c/a\u003ein itself. The existence of plants such as ferns and algae, and snakes and frogs indicate a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/orchids-of-godavari-phulchoki\"\u003ehealthy ecosystem \u003c/a\u003ein the sunken spouts. Absence of such biodiversity today indicates that the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-the-waters-of-life\"\u003ewater systems\u003c/a\u003e have been degraded or \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/too-little-too-much-or-too-polluted\"\u003epolluted\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“The\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-must-keep-water-on-its-land\"\u003e ponds \u003c/a\u003ewere used to collect water and recharge groundwater and aquifers,” explains Joshi. “They were primarily used for farming ducks which needed the algae in the ponds as food.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery June just before \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/managing-the-monsoon\"\u003ethe monsoon\u003c/a\u003e, Kathmandu Valley’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/kathmandu-marks-ihi-with-a-difference\"\u003eNewa community \u003c/a\u003eritually cleans wells and other sources of water to maintain drainage and ensure that they serve as effective storage systems. Which is why Kathmandu’s hydrological culture is such an important part of its civilisation to this day.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_29\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250327100320_02d01e05c3f8aa3cde1f5af1569e8e09bf84dee88ebda76bb68ee0e0df669c80.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_29\" data-image-id=\"20250327100320_02d01e05c3f8aa3cde1f5af1569e8e09bf84dee88ebda76bb68ee0e0df669c80\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1339\" height=\"634\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kathmandu hiti NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_29\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-water-emergency\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Water Emergency\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Ajaya Dixit\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe underground network of water canals also showed advanced engineering skills, and the system was so well built that it has lasted centuries, even though local communities may have lost the skills needed to build and maintain them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSays Anoj Khanal, “The wisdom from the past must be preserve and used. The technique and knowledge must be adapted to the modern times.” The York University team used the GPR technology at 33 hiti sites in Patan, and now hope to do similar research in Kathmandu.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hiti system thrived because it worked in balance with nature which has been disrupted with modern pressures as over-extraction of ground water and the disappearance of recharge ponds. Pollution from septic tanks and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/blueprint-for-a-net-zero-nepal\"\u003eindustrial waste\u003c/a\u003e contaminate aquifers, while \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood\"\u003eclimate breakdown\u003c/a\u003e alter rainfall patterns. Many hiti that once flowed year-round are now dry even during \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/soon-monsoon\"\u003ethe monsoon\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hiti exhibition showcases the intricate \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage\"\u003eheritage of Kathmandu Valley\u003c/a\u003e’s water supply network and how \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/tech-and-transition-in-nepal\"\u003emodern technology\u003c/a\u003e can help restore them. It is also a call to action to preserve the canals, spouts, ponds and the catchment areas on the Valley’s rim.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSays Khanal, “It is possible to revive the hiti using the maps of water conduits underground to figure out alternate routes where water can flow. It is better late than never.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Liquid Landscape of Kathmandu Valley: Hiti Pranali Water Heritage\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUntil 30 March\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatan Museum\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eResearch maps network of ancient water canals that still function despite urban pressure\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":3500,"height":2219,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_b589e897fc0e54fbff99556629fdc59dfc4bd31f744c080ba8c8a014752293f0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_dd5f65864a87613f9cd1aeb902fb7731af7c8417da47fe56e02710495a138a77","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_fe033c41d6a6f821a02c15fe531fa6256d7a2d578ee1abdd49277b0542518212","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_06d8ee21d3ed43ecc2fea9b8597d055bcffb93871c16d174131a2b634b44524a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_944d24d7423370fb8b5844e532be7a1f8c9ceaca1eab852e451d58ca2bc3807a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_d7a521252f8ae96c455c20c2d995e3fa5a173f7b50057f7b92010700154f8ab3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_ce7142f6e2f4dda46a3a25fb30b95797b6f51121dfb1de50fbe05c1095b1e5dd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_d5b9488a0fa0210bdde50f5da7dcfc801c749a9d1d099cf5d7cb22abfe7da23e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_27f72f0a5500b0814b64778cd4b40ee9bdf88196acc371a9e8921d2a86e6fbd4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_dd05974e72c961229f0f3a1a78256de368fc8e24022365121f40927418895992","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":3500,"height":2219,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_b589e897fc0e54fbff99556629fdc59dfc4bd31f744c080ba8c8a014752293f0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":3500,"height":2219,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328090312_b589e897fc0e54fbff99556629fdc59dfc4bd31f744c080ba8c8a014752293f0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":11,"staticprefix":"/review"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Sudiksha Tuladhar"}},{"id":8027,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-23T12:59:29","slug":"powerful-movie-upacks-questions-of-identity","title":"Powerful movie upacks questions of identity","body":"\u003cp\u003eDeepak Rauniyar’s third feature Rajagunj is currently in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-qfx-cinema-needs-a-happy-ending\"\u003ecinemas\u003c/a\u003e, and should be seen for many reasons: it is a solid nail biter, a kidnapping whodunnit, a political thriller with two unconventional, heart wrenching, love stories.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is also a sharply observed commentary on\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/race-against-time\"\u003e race relations\u003c/a\u003e that refrains from being overly didactic — a common fault in many political films that alienate the viewer instead of enlightening them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInternationally aired as Pooja, Sir, the film premiered in 2024 at the Orizzonti section which runs parallel to the main competition at the Venice Film Festival. It has since made its way through the festival circuit to finally open in Nepali cinemas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, it suffered a glitch at the hands of the Censor Board which has a history of choosing conservatism over wisdom in what they want to edit out, treating viewers like juveniles and attempting to subvert reality by demanding that real events be redacted.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThankfully, the film is not hurt much from this interference, though concentration is required to follow the twists and turns of the plot. Without giving too much away, the story involves the seemingly cold-blooded kidnapping of two young boys in the eponymous Rajagunj.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt plays out against the volatile backdrop of the deadly real life protests in 2015 that killed dozens in the Madhes over fury regarding the inadequacies of the new \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-contentious-constitution-day\"\u003eConstitution\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePooja Thapa (played by the formidable Asha Magrati), a detective inspector from Kathmandu, is sent to \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-tarai-s-shrinking-forests\"\u003ethe Tarai\u003c/a\u003e in the blistering heat to investigate. One of the young boys is the son of a prominent, local Madhesi politician, the other child is his friend and the offspring of the house-help. One can guess which victim necessitated the dispatch of a high ranking police officer from Kathmandu.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the beginning Pooja is a compelling enigma, she is forthright and committed, keenly intelligent and a force of nature. She is also stubborn, and occasionally not very sympathetic to her fellow Madhesi colleagues.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is little humour in the way she is written, the nuances appear thanks to Magrati’s calibrated performance. Pooja is also a lesbian which is hinted at from the very first scene with a shot of her from the back that emphasises her short boy-cut.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHer sexual orientation is further underscored by a slight but intimate scene in the kitchen with Rama, her partner, before she has to leave for Rajagunj.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRauniyar’s social conscience and investment in the woes of Nepali society has been evident from his first film, Highway (2012) which, while messy, showed he had both heart and brains as he grappled with multiple characters, each conveying a particularly complicated aspect of the everyman’s struggles.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHis second feature White Sun or Seto Surya \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/must-see/White-sun-seto-surya-movie-review-2016,3420\"\u003e(previously reviewed in this paper\u003c/a\u003e) came out in 2016, cementing his place as an independent filmmaker and a politically conscious auteur.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/min-bahadur-bham-s-cinematic-quest\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMin Bahadur Bham’s cinematic quest\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Abishek Budhathoki\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRajagunj shows how far this director has come with a story of a woman who finds herself in an alien city and culture, racing against time to locate two helpless kids, even as she navigates the intensely charged protests in the Madhes as a Pahadi herself, with prejudices further compounded by her own queerness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is much that happens in this gritty, urban film that for once does not romanticise or exotify \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/expressing-culture-and-nature-in-eco-art\"\u003eNepal’s culture and natural landscape\u003c/a\u003e for viewers internally or abroad. There are no rose-tinted lenses or filters here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cinematography is matter of fact, precise, brutal when it needs to be, hewing to a script with excellent, natural dialogue that was written by Rauniyar, Magrati (Rauniyar’s partner in life), and David Barker.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCertainly, there are moments when the film seems to have jumped a scene or failed to impart a crucial piece of information, but the acting is moving, and the subject matter so affecting that it is easy to forgive these occasional, technical lapses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile Magrati’s brave performance anchors the film there are several other substantial performances. Reecha Sharma, plays Sabita Koirala the fair, Pahadi, upper caste wife of the Madhesi politician, and mother of one of the kidnapped boys.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe is also the headmistress of the local, but now suspiciously shuttered, school. Veteran actor Dayahang Rai, also an executive producer of the film, does a fine job portraying Madan, the seemingly mild mannered police captain who oversees Rajagunj.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNikita Chandak is completely engrossing in her portrayal of Mamata Gupta, a complicated junior Madhesi police officer who slowly comes into her own under Pooja’s rough but wise tutelage.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePolitics is ever at work behind and infront of the scenes in Rajagunj, and not everyone is as they initially seem. \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/untold-stories-of-unsung-heroes\"\u003eWomen are heroes\u003c/a\u003e, anti-heroes, villains, mothers, lovers, and fighters.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMultiple personal and\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Political-theory-versus-reality-federalism,4061\"\u003e political realities\u003c/a\u003e are portrayed, sometimes simultaneously, and while there are some bizarre leaps of logic, Rauniyar’s virtuoso gift is evident throughout, particularly in set pieces like the one where Pooja and her other trusty sidekick, Inspector Amar, are following Mamata who is forced to stand in for Sabita’s timorous maid as she bravely delivers the shockingly high ransom.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the people from the region protest their frustration over the inadequacy of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/share-rule-and-self-rule\"\u003ethe new Constitution\u003c/a\u003e that was supposed to enshrine the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-chance-on-transitional-justice\"\u003erights of all Nepalis\u003c/a\u003e, not just the fairer skinned ones, Pooja and Amar struggle against the tide of shouting protestors, desperately trying to keep track of Mamata.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePooja has to do an animal mask to hide her Pahadi origin, Mamata is dressed in a red sari (to imitate the maid) that drapes around her head to hide her face. The atmosphere is tense, pregnant with violence, and our dread is further keyed up by Pooja’s mask, which renders her figure ghoulish, lending the scene a nightmarish quality which is entirely appropriate given the hellish subject matter.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNepali cinema has evolved over the years, but from the trailers that plied us before Rajagunj and during the intermission, that evolution is still flailing somewhere in-between \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Lights-camera-copy-paste,1146\"\u003eBollywood\u003c/a\u003e melodrama and skilled, thoughtful verisimilitude, erring mostly toward the former.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRajagunj is not a perfect film, but it is an admirable one, and will stay with you long after it finishes. It is an important stepstone, one could go so far as to say a vital one, in the journey towards better, more \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/kimff-2019-p8070ipt\"\u003emeaningful filmmaking\u003c/a\u003e in this country.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile this reviewer firmly believes in the power of cinema for pure, unaffected, even silly, mainstream entertainment, cinema is also an \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/a-flowering-artform\"\u003eart form\u003c/a\u003e, and Rauniyar’s film has moments of pure art, motivated by an undaunted spirit, and bolstered by the filmmaker’s own humanity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSophia L Pandé is a writer, art historian and filmmaker. She is Director of Development at the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust and Founding Director of The Kalā Salon.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eDeepak Rauniyar's new film is a sharp commentary on race relations in Nepal that is not overly didactic\u003c/p\u003e"},{"embed":"\u003cdiv style=\"left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;\"\u003e\u003ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/5yPNAGuMK1Y?rel=0\" style=\"top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;\" allowfullscreen scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;\"\u003e\u003c/iframe\u003e\u003c/div\u003e","field_name":"feature_video","value":null}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1119,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_89f2052ac0bb4a638f9c48d779e662efc235cc245292960f62b7b444e3155a6d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_725e63817145003bda0698d4acffbdb4e3d21e72e1d01ab5513c5f5fcc6477ca","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_8f12f59c4b7e37bc670c80e01c01a00bf611693a0f23e4cae44bea8c2949d33e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_c4321b5059ca48bbbe768b3d3fb11bb0a87e6ee22dbce3f0aee263c11cb204b1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_3a0c0667c03b7b1efc983015a2167e5548af8c8f4453506f0a180f14f6dd8a65","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_38acc985c93ed6fe599d84acf57b180222390b4f033f31c6578515a0fc60d18b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_27f24b5df580fa429cbd119911d9f75bb4c2ebec82d8beadf36dffe420fcc5e3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_8a1a1f0ee6949f1842cdc88f52aab54ea406f64ed8272471c1e0304fcbe6c0f2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_20ceb01667070304da4dde26a07a83ec4199f8c24e5fb005bb07f825cd8d7e96","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_fbd27f8a3b1608659002060b9c342ba2a27af929cfb698f55a9650e4044ee05e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1119,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_89f2052ac0bb4a638f9c48d779e662efc235cc245292960f62b7b444e3155a6d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1119,"image":{"asset_id":"20250323130324_89f2052ac0bb4a638f9c48d779e662efc235cc245292960f62b7b444e3155a6d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":11,"staticprefix":"/review"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Sophia L. Pandé"}},{"id":7934,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-02-27T13:11:52","slug":"with-love-labour-and-writing","title":"With love, labour and writing","body":"\u003cp\u003eIf there is no one way to live life, there is no one way to be a writer. And if \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/writing-about-nepal-from-afar\"\u003ewriting \u003c/a\u003eadvice could be summed up into a book written specifically for the South Asian writer and reader, How I Write would be just the one.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEdited by Sonia Faleiro, founder of the literary mentorship program South Asia Speaks, the book is a collection of conversations that began as masterclasses at the program. Once exclusive to the fellows in the program, the book makes the invaluable knowledge and experience of 30 writers open to all.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeatured writers have deep connections with \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/south-asia-2040-qxr16oup\"\u003eSouth Asia\u003c/a\u003e and write about the region’s life through \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/novelist-returns-to-non-fiction\"\u003efiction and non-fiction\u003c/a\u003e, prose and poetry. A conversation between two writers, the interviews are candid, thoughtful, and poignant, even funny.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn one light-hearted moment, Mira Kamdar asks Suketu Mehta how writing and life relate to each other, and before diving into the details of the answer, Mehta mentions, “I’ve been cooking a lot.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMansi Choksi shares a vulnerable side of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/1-000-weeks-of-nepali-times\"\u003epublishing world\u003c/a\u003e, when she felt like a failure because The New York Times did not review her book. Moments like these remind us that an aspiring writer must eventually graduate from the label of ‘genius’ or ‘artist’, to a life with real responsibilities and expectations, and write within the joys and pains of that very life.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRead Kamila Shamsie with Sanam Maher when it is difficult to let go of the words. Shamsie is stoic about chopping off 30,000 words if her writing calls for it. Read V V Ganeshananthan with Sonia Faleiro when the writing process takes forever. It took Ganeshananthan 18 years to write Brotherless Nights.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/so-far-so-good/writing-about-writing\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWriting about writing\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Lisa Choegyal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEach conversation is a stand-alone piece and does not require to be read in chronological order. But the conversations themselves are inevitably in conversation with each other.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe book also introduces writers with South Asian roots to readers. Many of their works, while accomplished in their own right, are not readily available in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-story-of-books-in-nepal\"\u003ebookstores in Kathmandu\u003c/a\u003e. What How I Write does is give the reader reasons to come across the writers when and where possible.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe conversations in the book do not shy away from critiques, like the West-dominated publishing industry and its repercussions on the reader and the writer, a theme explored throughout many interviews. Vauhini Vara shares, ‘….it must be really frustrating to be a writer in South Asia interested in writing for a global audience, say the US, because there’s this very restricting idea in the US about what’s interesting and what’s going to sell.’\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMany agree on the need to stay true to one’s story and to fight through what the industry might at times force on the writer. Adding on to what the industry refers to as a marketable writer, Manjushree Thapa says, ‘It’s been important for me to step back and say, “Look, I need to keep evolving as a writer, and I need to be honest to my writing desires. I don’t want to be just a writer from Nepal who did this in the past. I’m going to write in the future.”’\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/finding-a-permanent-home-in-poetry\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFinding a permanent home in poetry\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Pinki Sris Rana\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe lived experiences of the writers are stories in themselves. Some have gone and done their MFAs, some stumbled into writing, some are journalists who are writers, some are writers who have never studied journalism but teach journalism, and some host podcasts.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere is no one way to be a writer, there is no one designated path. But if there is one common overlapping idea, is it this: there is no easy way to write, no quick fix. With every book, the writers are lost. They experiment, they learn. They toil through doubt and continue to write for the love and labour of it all.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025022714028_fed6ec52e80a23d8a3fa181149403c96ce6f890b54077d7a13612267189a7f7c.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_7\" data-image-id=\"2025022714028_fed6ec52e80a23d8a3fa181149403c96ce6f890b54077d7a13612267189a7f7c\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"640\" height=\"395\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Book details \"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eSouth Asian writers write about their craft in new book\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_f12c811ec0b9df776accf49df372fa7f8bb0bba29c7261a57820d355f20ccb94","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_6c5250ce3f55d0804bcb1880b6ec74209a8204032486694ffeba88460e481d84","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_ff82d2a9907040fe1818895342c3019e783e96712d0d4c1a460acc06a0b0c825","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_7d35a2d2f156b3e2cf18c5716aca350006b7ffb7b94c3ffd343fad89278cad46","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_ec28b22ac85971a7b15ab3913bebed92820ac33a5256724810d9fb4ff270125d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_521692e4675d1a31018f5643c97b0c739503731777d349b0455272b6b2151dbf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_c1d1699f1ae7dbcee67de97bd3ce56c02b26ace996c0703aeb9838a2feacd2c1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_1e07dfadfc961fbaf6e6ac7d997c6b26f8254f84395dd0a485c692796f70b441","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_efa15cc67a63942b6565f61376b50a6b43b9c43c0e76cf55113a081605a2a2cf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_eb4f9ad00d5be139b838f4d5cd78604a88472c6a6d8d47170af1cd06c273bf72","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_f12c811ec0b9df776accf49df372fa7f8bb0bba29c7261a57820d355f20ccb94","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250227150228_f12c811ec0b9df776accf49df372fa7f8bb0bba29c7261a57820d355f20ccb94","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":11,"staticprefix":"/review"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Alfa M Shakya"}}]},"business":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":2285,"currentPage":1,"perPage":3,"pagesCount":762}},"items":[{"id":8070,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-04-03T08:25:39","slug":"turkish-to-ohrid","title":"Turkish to Ohrid","body":"\u003cp\u003eTurkish Airlines is now flying to Ohrid, its second destination in North Macedonia. The city of Ohrid is popular with tourists and recognised by UNESCO for its historical, cultural, and natural significance. It is also home to the richly biodiverse Lake Ohrid. The carrier will operate four flights a week between Istanbul and Ohrid St Paul the Apostle Airport, with tickets starting at $139. This is Turkish’s 123rd destination in Europe, and its 353rd worldwide.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_fbee0de99ac68f48fbaa5dd18fca99bb7296776ee58c1484867a37e94b43262f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_ce162b629f033d6eca9abbf53a469e35937b5a5000b95b4dcc86135d9dffc38b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_cfc82c24b1f7aea82ea0899583858adaf7dcd1b5564f9e600ce78fe4f312fe29","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_9b040284d56de61a48e7dd1a1309bf76b2167c42e083cb1f9f840b0cb4a82443","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_1d93d3a3d46d9939392a2a234e1513df4d7749e97175635420279225dbef1943","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_24d2c50b95ee575c7aa735e2a17a1d79b8886e594b0beba012ade2d6e078b747","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_7087dfa4bbb0efe35cd0605404446e7a2c19e518512b5a0184548b0fa0011b09","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_addb415d08a3f86bd7eafe5a3352980df558c30e4b82c1e6b0a5f37cdfd71532","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_bdc457e0b59ee4e646a381bc309a081e66763c09353f4a6d262585756254f53f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_3cd4e798c5eea02c8f3a4a1dfb4892f650a677e354a24371ac730ac7639e9feb","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_fbee0de99ac68f48fbaa5dd18fca99bb7296776ee58c1484867a37e94b43262f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_fbee0de99ac68f48fbaa5dd18fca99bb7296776ee58c1484867a37e94b43262f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":9,"staticprefix":"/business"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8069,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-04-03T08:25:07","slug":"nepal-army-in-burma","title":"Nepal Army in Burma","body":"\u003cp\u003eNepal Army sent its CASA aircraft to Nay Pyi Taw this week with relief material and a medical team to treat survivors of the 7.7 earthquake that struck central Burma on 28 March.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_ea140cb8cdf07767ae75ecc18c54ec40a2024976d42582ddb7830a934da7470f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_ccd934528b139b3b8ad4688cf7f1631a3b1884b13a4ef18f57950adeaa6fd963","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_6d846aae92abd0976c0845f76d9c5346572e2f263d8b8f7bbc9ea8754323fef2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_68d5ba8587e7f9c3a470929eaf5f1c4ba3ed43bff492e4333d967e6df082d53b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_6b332df703cd20171e1e75f276b9efd27b5c99911d8d0811c7b784f865e5d0d5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_06aa5711817d8e993103e7c298c93f2b6c9c770fcf514e555fc46518cfaf9e81","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_1621cf85467bb192f72ca60752c7b9e8b05fa5e646e37a7c13698f2c620c38bf","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_e70bacc260c0db911277acba9745dbdded51795b32f2ec7a8c0bdd6cc0bd476c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_b7459b0e720178d7c3637f5af1407bca74073e57e2a52d5d2b87b7b404dbba78","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_635c934289315d74f6ba92d3cd292b1cb7f1aefbcb3c0c3ac01094528e34834c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_ea140cb8cdf07767ae75ecc18c54ec40a2024976d42582ddb7830a934da7470f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403080456_ea140cb8cdf07767ae75ecc18c54ec40a2024976d42582ddb7830a934da7470f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":9,"staticprefix":"/business"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8068,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-04-03T08:24:36","slug":"thailand-nepal-pact","title":"Thailand-Nepal pact","body":"\u003cp\u003eThailand and Nepal signed eight agreements during Prime Minister K P Oli's visit to the country this week in the presence of Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra involving tourism, agriculture and Thai investment in Nepal.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_0b84e1658f81f9eb5b806f506f183cba31192a9423e681962b13dde2fe406ca3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_6b419468ef0b2877222f705acb2ba3d628d5ec6bdf7fd29d57a29aac8e205f86","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_2730ccc50c0c8c5fa71e12e97ba61dd7a16c2a28764dda1734074a21e4cf4e61","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_d4278b6e82d57408e6394b81f0417af066eba593698e7aee921be82d400b58c6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_10f10e1fa9c690117ec8842240e5eb7fe565c13562f63ea106b902c6d5efb673","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_979b55812286fdcf7e00dfd8d6dd6f10f987f59941f5954f84be25c829f79212","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_8c490325ac186910e3c4ff9ce2e83eff0345d98f619b006e8c127afcdb643af8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_5d253eece40494699cb2eb5ba2a89ae6f6d7d63b7bdb11bd9f8165642531595e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_cad259b04d10723e06f4a96e9e346fcec664da5c728dd3d61c68dc7439abac2d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_901004f51cabb1c07a4dbf72ad3648abf3fdd08b3b8e8f59aa254a1cb22c2643","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_0b84e1658f81f9eb5b806f506f183cba31192a9423e681962b13dde2fe406ca3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"2025040309040_0b84e1658f81f9eb5b806f506f183cba31192a9423e681962b13dde2fe406ca3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":9,"staticprefix":"/business"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}}]},"editorial":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":320,"currentPage":1,"perPage":1,"pagesCount":320}},"items":[{"id":8048,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-28T01:46:56","slug":"hydrocarbon-to-hydropower","title":"Hydrocarbon to hydropower","body":"\u003cp\u003eA high-level meeting between the energy secretaries of Nepal and India last month agreed to build six high-voltage cross-border transmission lines to facilitate the export of up to 18,000MW of electricity by 2035.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe government’s recently-approved Energy Development Roadmap and Action Plan envisages exporting 15,000MW to India and Bangladesh within the decade, and generating 28,500MW by 2035. At present Nepal has agreements to export 941MW to India and 40MW to Bangladesh.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/blueprint-for-nepal-india-electricity-trade\"\u003eExports to India \u003c/a\u003ehappen only during \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/monsoon-deluge-in-nepal\"\u003ethe monsoon \u003c/a\u003ewhen there is \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/an-energy-windfall-for-nepal\"\u003esurplus energy\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/more-than-half-of-nepal-s-electricity-imported-from-india\"\u003eNepal imports power\u003c/a\u003e during the dry season. This month, Nepal is generating only one-third of its installed capacity of 3,400MW because of low river flows.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGeneration will exceed 4,000MW by year-end, and another 3,906MW of projects are under construction with more projects worth 3,899MW in the pipeline after \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10871\"\u003epower purchase agreements\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThat Nepal is now capable of generating and exporting \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-precious-electricity-going-waste\"\u003esurplus electricity\u003c/a\u003e has been seen as a significant development for a country that was \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-they-kept-nepal-in-the-dark-ages\"\u003eplagued by power cuts\u003c/a\u003e for up to 18 hours daily until just eight years ago.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the past 20 years, many energy strategies were formed to power growth through exports. As regional countries look for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/right-climate-for-nepal-s-energy-transition\"\u003eclean energy to meet climate targets\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-first-hydropower-from-a-glacial-lake\"\u003eNepal’s hydropower\u003c/a\u003e could be in high demand. Electricity exports can also help offset the country’s huge \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/balance-of-power\"\u003etrade deficit\u003c/a\u003e with India.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/balance-of-power\"\u003eInvestment\u003c/a\u003e, or the lack of it, stands as the biggest hurdle in achieving Nepal’s ambitious energy export targets. Generating 28,500MW of electricity would cost Nepal $46.5 billion — four times the annual budget.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eCapital investment could come from \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/home-is-where-the-heart-is-yqkvf5vx\"\u003eoverseas Nepalis\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/sacking-of-nea-chief-exposes-cronyism\"\u003ethe Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)\u003c/a\u003e, the private sector or from\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/green-bond-option-for-climate-finance\"\u003e ‘green bonds’\u003c/a\u003e. But even if investment is forthcoming, there is no guarantee that the energy will find a market at an acceptable price.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndia has increased its quota every year to allow the NEA to sell 941MW of electricity produced by 28 projects under the competitive market and medium-term power sales agreements. It does not buy power from projects with Chinese involvement, and has a strategic monopsony status.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032710034_ac849c5d570b132afcdb2e4ba432a423dc40bb80ad9f900e0d1a26eed1a5dbec.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_14\" data-image-id=\"2025032710034_ac849c5d570b132afcdb2e4ba432a423dc40bb80ad9f900e0d1a26eed1a5dbec\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"997\" height=\"784\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hydrocarbon to hydropower NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe country exported more electricity than it imported for the first time in 2023/24 fiscal year, selling electricity worth Rs17.06 billion to India. But this is a drop in the bucket in comparison to the country’s total trade deficit. Nepal imported goods worth Rs1.59 trillion, while exports were only Rs152 billion in the same fiscal year.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe amount earned from exporting electricity was just 1.2% of Nepal’s trade deficit. While this could increase in future, it will not go up by much. As it stands, Nepal buys electricity from India at almost the same rate as it sells.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndian state-owned companies are \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/decentralising-hydro-power\"\u003edeveloping hydropower projects\u003c/a\u003e with a combined capacity of 8,000MW, mostly on the Arun basin. The agreements give 21.9% of the electricity from these plants for free for 25 years before they revert to Nepal.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHydropower experts have long argued that Nepal should increase domestic consumption for value added manufacturing rather than exporting raw power. This means \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/securing-nepal-s-electric-future?%3D\"\u003emaking electricity affordable and accessible\u003c/a\u003e for household appliances, transport and industries.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo be sure, proactive government policies on tax rebates for electric vehicles have seen remarkable results. Until January of this fiscal year, Nepal imported 6,256 electric four-wheeled vehicles in comparison to 2,662 petroleum ones. Nearly 70% of all EVs sold were from China.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/blueprint-for-a-net-zero-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlueprint for a net-zero Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sonia Awale\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eContinuous \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/ev-year\"\u003eincrease of EV imports \u003c/a\u003ewill eventually reduce Nepal’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-s-energy-policy-in-2023-and-beyond\"\u003edependence on India for fossil fuel\u003c/a\u003e, which currently makes up 18% of all imports and the largest item. Promoting \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/charging-nepal\"\u003eelectrical appliances \u003c/a\u003eand manufacturing them in the country would reduce the increasing \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-s-cooking-in-nepal-besides-politics\"\u003edependency\u003c/a\u003e on LPG, which is heavily subsidised.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnly 0.5% of Nepali households use\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/people-power/nepal-turns-on-the-electric-switch\"\u003e electric stoves\u003c/a\u003e, if 5.6 million households were to use induction stoves for three hours every day, the country would use 825MW of electricity, displacing LPG consumption entirely, also reducing \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-doubles-its-carbon-footprint\"\u003eNepal’s carbon footprint\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut all this requires a better transmission and distribution system in the grid so that they reach the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/life-and-livelihood-in-remote-nepal\"\u003eremotest areas\u003c/a\u003e to double \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/power-to-the-people\"\u003eelectricity consumption\u003c/a\u003e. Scaling up fast charging stations for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-journey-to-electric-public-transport\"\u003ebattery-powered transportation\u003c/a\u003e would meet the growing demand for EVs. Extending tax rebates to also include large electric buses would reduce \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17315\"\u003ediesel demand\u003c/a\u003e, which has also been growing.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepal also has to look beyond conventional hydropower to solar-powered \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/pump-water-store-energy\"\u003epump storage to generate electricity\u003c/a\u003e, which would be cheaper and faster to build. Such schemes would also be less destructive to the ecology of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/geopolitics-of-nepal-s-rivers\"\u003ethe country’s rivers\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-climate-crisis-is-a-water-crisis-in-the-himalaya\"\u003eThe climate crisis is a water crisis\u003c/a\u003e, and Nepal must plan for a future in which the Himalayan icecap will be further depleted. Rivers are not just a source of energy but ensure equitable \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-needs-to-plan-for-plenty-and-scarcity-of-water\"\u003ewater supply for irrigation\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/aid-rarely-aids-agriculture-in-nepal\"\u003eagriculture\u003c/a\u003e, and household use. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eRamesh Kumar\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eExporting power will not reduce the trade deficit by much, Nepal must increase domestic electricity use.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1125,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_e0b7635664bb7782352138092ded499367729c9c2c20c02d74caf4d9b4bd8b19","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_f45a219752b47e4c641b62a1ffe8ee7056ff8c46dd1879a747242a4503e10180","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_66496f5711a48fbefb47a1d03030454a1700abadd6e143989ecc624589cc2837","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_e6986a07c34eda10681946b9c60857e2c7d568a72db823ac2935a30eab9941a9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_849142f1872a5a8a03bd43876d2de19ac19cfc1a8ef0186705d1c3699ace611b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_ce7a1f0453028e900a57cbfdff1b68ad213c17c0860be1ef8995cab368d2f649","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_c7dd58e86234fd272da5a3791741b90e1f95eb6dd03e0407f7244d78a06cac9a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_38db4039e389fbf668d0a695b633997becaf07175377249c3c88b5352b4a4b10","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_f30f3be14bad15d2296b10bfa7cf3f15cf4c85a659f850436a763f03f9336850","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_77179345a16a33b773b550eb61f5a17cc80595b6f5d9bc737d8908e462e9da30","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1125,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_e0b7635664bb7782352138092ded499367729c9c2c20c02d74caf4d9b4bd8b19","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1125,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032710038_e0b7635664bb7782352138092ded499367729c9c2c20c02d74caf4d9b4bd8b19","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":43,"staticprefix":"/editorial"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Editorial"}}]},"opinion":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":992,"currentPage":1,"perPage":6,"pagesCount":166}},"items":[{"id":8055,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-30T13:30:23","slug":"transforming-transport-in-nepal","title":"Transforming transport in Nepal","body":"\u003cp\u003eTransport is one of the biggest and fastest-growing sources of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-doubles-its-carbon-footprint\"\u003ecarbon emissions \u003c/a\u003ein Nepal where private cars and motorcycles make up 87% of the registered vehicles and 37% of the total emissions.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, freight and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/public-transport-back-on-kathmandu-roads\"\u003epublic transport \u003c/a\u003emake up a small share of registered vehicles, but contribute 36% and 27% respectively to Nepal’s emissions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/green-sticker-green-light-to-pollute\"\u003eTransport emissions \u003c/a\u003ehave risen six-fold in the last two decades after the end of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/14-years-after-conflict-no-closure-in-nepal\"\u003ethe Maoist conflict\u003c/a\u003e.\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/from-a-fossil-past-to-an-electric-future\"\u003e Petroleum and vehicle imports \u003c/a\u003ehave widened the country’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/balance-of-power\"\u003etrade deficit with India\u003c/a\u003e. Ambient\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/air-pollution-is-more-dangerous-than-smoking\"\u003e air pollution\u003c/a\u003e is a major \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-tb-cases-grossly-underestimated\"\u003epublic health risk\u003c/a\u003e directly causing the deaths of 12,700 Nepalis in 2021, according to the State of Global Air.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNepal is preparing the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC 3.0) as required by the Paris Agreement, and must set ambitious and robust targets to \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/decarbonisation-needs-to-begin-today\"\u003edecarbonise\u003c/a\u003e transportation.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis is not so much to save the planet, given the country’s negligible carbon footprint, but to reduce our dependence on imported petroleum, increase consumption of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/right-climate-for-nepal-s-energy-transition\"\u003eclean hydropower\u003c/a\u003e, and improve \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/why-is-the-air-in-bhaktapur-so-bad\"\u003eair quality\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe government needs to phase out vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE), starting with a ban on their import and sale by 2030. Heavy commercial vehicles can be exempted for now.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe federal budget of 2021/22 did include a policy to phase out fossil fuel vehicles by 2031, and by 2028 from the urban centres of Bagmati Province. The government banned the registration of new ICE taxis in the capital, showing that regulatory measures can be cost-effective, sustainable, and transformative.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/blueprint-for-a-net-zero-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBlueprint for a net-zero Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNorway has an even more ambitious target to ban ICE vehicle sales by end-2025. The EU adopted legislation to reduce 100% of carbon emissions from 2035 for new cars and vans. Over 20 vehicle manufacturers, representing over 90% of car sales in 2023, have set targets for EV production, with many setting a goal to achieve 50–100% of electric vehicle production or sales by 2030–2035.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEV sales in Nepal will likely increase even without government effort. Already, battery powered vehicles make up 75% of all new car sales in Nepal. But our focus should now shift to the\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/rev-your-car-and-charge-it-too\"\u003e electrification of public transport\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransforming the transport system requires it to be inclusive and equitable. Electric public transport such as buses provide the greatest emission reduction potential and wider social and economic benefits from equitable access to mobility to meet Nepal’s energy security.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-public-in-public-transport\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe public in public transport\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sonia Awale\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250327100316_de83a26005595b4d20f9a32bb4243ed53097ae413de0aa2788e287c195e51fbb.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_14\" data-image-id=\"20250327100316_de83a26005595b4d20f9a32bb4243ed53097ae413de0aa2788e287c195e51fbb\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"877\" height=\"613\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Transforming transport in Nepal NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_14\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis means \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/why-invest-in-nepal\"\u003einvestment \u003c/a\u003eand financial incentives from the government, and not just tax rebates, to be extended to other electric or \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/net-zero-is-not-zero\"\u003ezero-emission \u003c/a\u003epublic service vehicles, such as taxis and cargo trucks. Enabling more people to walk and cycle safely is also a quick, affordable, and reliable way to help reduce transport emissions by as much as 50%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePublic transport is a public service, and the onus lies squarely with the government. It cannot be left entirely to the private sector as is the case at the moment.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo be sure, Nepal has some policies on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/green-bond-option-for-climate-finance\"\u003esustainable\u003c/a\u003e transportation on paper but government agencies are working at cross purposes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor example: no federal budget has been allocated for a public bus system and pedestrian and cycling infrastructures this year.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlmost the entire transport budget goes into \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-building-a-highway-to-everest\"\u003ebuilding roads \u003c/a\u003eand widening \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-needs-wildlife-friendly-highways\"\u003ehighways\u003c/a\u003e. There is little hope of transformation unless the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport sets new priorities.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Department of Roads has not moved beyond its focus on roads and highway construction, while continuously failing on \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/traffic-accidents-continue-to-increase-worryingly-in-Nepal,2799\"\u003eroad safety\u003c/a\u003e. The Department of Transport Management on the other hand acts solely as a vehicle registration and licensing agency.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThese departments need to be overhauled with a mandate for sustainable public transportation. The jurisdiction over all roads, other than \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/roadkill\"\u003enational highways\u003c/a\u003e, should be devolved to local governments. The federal government can then ensure that the biggest slice of the transport budget flows to sustainable public transport projects.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDecarbonising and transforming transport require a whole-of-government approach with a strong commitment to reforming the sector, and not just paying lip service to it.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBut while one arm of the government plans to increase \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/right-climate-for-nepal-s-energy-transition\"\u003eclean energy generation \u003c/a\u003eand achieve\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/charging-nepal\"\u003e net-zero\u003c/a\u003e, the other is drilling for oil and building petroleum pipelines. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePrashanta Khanal is an independent climate and transport policy researcher.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eDecarbonisation targets include phasing out fossil vehicles to reduce urban air pollution and improve energy security\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":2048,"height":1366,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_0306fbef4051a0e3c2f3e5103a45fe1d6f0ec89714fef6d8a107218c5e95627e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_75dcdf579991166313ed89c294c55c8ef61a4482189ef66891929d23f8dbed27","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_96889b1d976e5cda18de633ce87e82ea119089ea5bff8bc6ff8c32fe3f58ea69","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_7edc4f30233b01276b2ab8f861c921b255cb353fe53fd7d50887c934cf46c3f8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_c51cb7e17a069f34a7cbed47273731679bbf7cf4f92dd23dabb1d75a837ad7fa","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_1a73e78c07cc6513fedde0e61eb8a9bc5e6e0709092d93abeb311149aad5470d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_b19ce8e474c139a812e25da616aefce48c1a279acc54d3b6c7ee4150ddac55cd","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_b8ee16e921794ec0fb9468ec912116137ca130f661f086980caf2f784a0f66f3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_e6d1af34a9f70771c9fbea42d76cddf3e597c1ca43710edb8fcfb108b8b2d1c6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_2fd3ff3a53a8e9909dacbd1c8ad663e0927a186cd384d3b1efee66d4ac947b2e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":2048,"height":1366,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_0306fbef4051a0e3c2f3e5103a45fe1d6f0ec89714fef6d8a107218c5e95627e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":2048,"height":1366,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032810034_0306fbef4051a0e3c2f3e5103a45fe1d6f0ec89714fef6d8a107218c5e95627e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":12,"staticprefix":"/opinion","name":"Opinion"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Prashant Khanal"}},{"id":8028,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-24T12:37:18","slug":"the-end-of-aid","title":"The end of aid","body":"\u003cp\u003eUS President \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/trump-s-second-coming\"\u003eDonald Trump\u003c/a\u003e’s decision to\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/how-usaid-cut-affects-nepal\"\u003e dissolve USAID and effectively cut American assistance\u003c/a\u003e to countries across the world, including Nepal, has forced many aid-supported programmes and projects to shut down, directly impacting Nepalis across the country who benefit from \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/aid-rarely-aids-agriculture-in-nepal\"\u003eaid-funded services\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUSAID-funded projects have provided direct budgetary support to projects in key sectors including health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, economic growth, humanitarian aid and women and children empowerment.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe aid cuts have meant that people directly or indirectly employed in USAID-funded projects have found themselves without jobs, while its impact has reverberated across those that have indirectly benefitted from spillovers of American aid, such as the hospitality business operators,\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-unreal-real-estate-prices\"\u003e real estate\u003c/a\u003e owners, transport providers, and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-airlines-privatisation-still-stuck\"\u003eairlines\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe abrupt shutdown of the largest bilateral aid agency in the world has significant impact and far-reaching consequences.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHistorically,\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Connecting-dots/aid-back-basics,929\"\u003e foreign aid \u003c/a\u003ehas been the focus of intensive public debate both globally and in Nepal. Critics in donor countries—particularly those from the political right—view it as antithetical to their \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/national-interest-or-nationalism\"\u003enational interests\u003c/a\u003e and a waste of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-taxman-looteth\"\u003etaxpayer resources\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMeanwhile, those in the ideological left in recipient countries view it as help that comes with strings attached, a tool of neo-colonialism. Many are of the opinion that such assistance enriches people associated with the aid system rather than intended beneficiaries. So much so that Nepalis cynically refer to the aid-NGO complex as ‘डलरको खेती’ ( dollar farming).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNepal’s leadership across the political spectrum have not pulled any punches in their criticism of aid institutions— \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/14-years-after-conflict-no-closure-in-nepal\"\u003ethe Maoists\u003c/a\u003e have called them ‘agencies of imperialism’, while nationalist discourses from the political right draw connections between foreign aid and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-britain-mark-centenary-of-1923-treaty\"\u003eNepal’s sovereignty\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAid is, of course, essentially political—not just in terms of how it has been instrumentalised by donors, but also how it has been appropriated and used by the beneficiaries— governments, employees, consultants, NGOs, the private sector, and communities. However, viewing aid solely from its imputed political intentions is as naïve as it is counterproductive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/missing-links-in-nepal-s-mcc-debate\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMissing links in Nepal’s MCC debate\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile there is no denying that foreign aid is an instrument of soft power that comes with conditions, it has facilitated access to public services, generated direct and indirect\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/foreign-employment-revival\"\u003e employment \u003c/a\u003eand livelihood opportunities and empowered \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-marginalised-on-the-margins\"\u003emarginalised communities\u003c/a\u003e that have fallen through the cracks of the establishment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndeed, foreign aid has contributed significantly to the Nepal’s rapid socio-economic change over the last seven decades, such that the country has arguably become accustomed to and dependent on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/e75-million-eu-aid-to-nepal-for-covid-19-ckmyfbkq\"\u003einternational funding\u003c/a\u003e. USAID was by no means the only source of grants and loans that provided Nepal with resources for numerous government and non-government programmes, projects and personnel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut while the volume of aid has varied historically, Nepal had so far been immune to such ‘aid-shocks’ that compelled the government and people to imagine and work in a context with little or no international assistance. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it is not just the US that is pulling up stakes, other donor countries are similarly reconsidering their positions on bilateral aid. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a reduction in foreign aid from 0.5% of its GDP to 0.3%—primarily to accommodate an increase in the country’s defence spending.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-great-game-2nd-half\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Great Game, 2nd Half\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sonia Awale\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore donor countries will follow suit as their taxpayers—particularly those on the populist right—demand their government increasing spending on their own domestic public services, the military, and the private sector. The shrinking pot will directly impact multilateral agencies that rely heavily on funding provided by western donors to support their programmes across the world.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome see the western world’s retreat from foreign assistance as an opportunity for emerging powers like China to fill the vacuum and expand their sphere of influence regionally and beyond. Nepal has been receiving aid and development assistance from \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/stemming-asia-s-democratic-decay\"\u003eAsian regional and global powers\u003c/a\u003e like India, China and Japan over the past decades.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, the nature, priorities, and the modality of aid from Asian powers has been notably different to that of western donors. It is therefore unlikely that China or India will offer aid to Nepal using western liberal frameworks, or be able to displace Western donors completely.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf nations in the region are successful in completely replacing western donors in Nepal, this will denigrate possibilities for the country to either bargain better and ‘forum-shop’ for aid that aligns with its national interests, or diversify sources of aid.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs such, it might be time for Nepal to reevaluate its reliance on foreign aid, not just from the US, but from global and regional powers. So, the ‘end of aid’— if it comes to that— need not be end of development in Nepal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/trump-shock-wave-hits-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrump shock wave hits Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Sudiksha Tuladhar\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData from the government of Nepal shows that foreign aid’s relative share in the national budget has been declining over the decades. In comparison, Nepal earns overs $30 million in remittances a day. Much of Nepal’s development is directly supported by \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-new-equaliser\"\u003emigrant remittances\u003c/a\u003e, which remains under-acknowledged.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecreasing its reliance on foreign aid could mean that Nepal’s leadership is obligated to rethink its development priorities. \u0026nbsp;The government could increase its fiscal capacity to fund development programmes that are critical to its development objectives, demonstrably cost-effective and meet the real needs of communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, there could be increased efforts to raise revenue from wealth and income taxes, attract foreign direct investment, and cut back on ‘white elephant’ projects—symbolic gestures designed to feed the egos of political leadership but serving little purpose or public good.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of this would ultimately be to the benefit of the Nepali people, reducing waste and corruption, encouraging a more responsible approach to government expenditure, and promoting a more careful husbandry of the country's own resources.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo be sure, this change will not happen immediately. \u0026nbsp;It will be a slow and deliberative process, one that is likely to reset the development contract between Nepali state and citizens.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome have likened the flow of aid to the rush of heroin— something that provides a high and a momentary sense of extraordinary well-being but it is addictive and damaging. And like any debilitating dependency— being made to quit its reliance on foreign funding cold turkey will be challenging for Nepal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs things stand, it remains to be seen if as a result of President Trump’s cost-cutting rampage, Nepal might emerge as a leaner but fitter state after recovering from a painful period of withdrawal from its reliance on foreign aid.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eJeevan R Sharma is a Professor of South Asia and International Development at the University of Edinburgh, and has authored publications on migration, development and social change in Nepal. David Seddon is Director of Critical Faculty, and is author and co-author of various publications on Nepal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eAbrupt USAID cuts have impacted development assistance in Nepal. But could this be a blessing in disguise?\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1800,"height":1367,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_a2cbb280d63936970b9e38ba1f4193c96c258a586158967397a50224cbdde451","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_33f4ac4bc50e1912ce999a1fb35cb224958ee0c1899f612db87ffedb51664b12","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_b11eed0299829a8c9282499ba2d9924e720fc3b740a9b91bcf30463451f229c2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_b61cbef6c2f6536bf02d62bafd04b5009928d0f0e01c25029c2ba28a40b5f7a7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_5af1331262317b9d17802b6f6892217f6660ae5ab8f0a4c136277657aa1678c3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_9a18b031cdc2210bb19cbf1aa96ed7dbf344791f6e6c5f8712dd49a23c47e7fb","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_f4510e71927cabbc272bce53bcc03669a27abde78e6f0bd1dbeedf6e13bb0592","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_a4afa78652dba2105d03c3c5c139ac776e9240da11086ae53f9b541c676974e2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_4857a9963e96af4ad279fe7448b7909cd9cbe8802f749053e56523c596d3b5ac","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_65cc41b6f6f420417209ddeea3e79039b26f033eeef3aa0be827ba4571f7c85f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1800,"height":1367,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_a2cbb280d63936970b9e38ba1f4193c96c258a586158967397a50224cbdde451","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1800,"height":1367,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032413038_a2cbb280d63936970b9e38ba1f4193c96c258a586158967397a50224cbdde451","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":12,"staticprefix":"/opinion","name":"Opinion"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Jeevan R Sharma and David Seddon"}},{"id":8023,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-22T12:15:50","slug":"social-remittance","title":"Social remittance","body":"\u003cp\u003eThe Korea Employment Permit Scheme (\u003ca href=\"https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/684731537420880821/pdf/130020-P156586-Korea-report-F-singles-web.pdf\"\u003eEPS\u003c/a\u003e) is one of the most sought-after bilateral labour mobility programs for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-long-way-to-europe\"\u003eNepali workers\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany prospective workers prepare hard for the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/business/ielts-on-screen\"\u003elanguage tests \u003c/a\u003elike their “life depended on it” or “like studying for the civil service exam”. EPS is not just \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/On-the-way-up/Still-silently-crying,1060\"\u003esurvival migration\u003c/a\u003e, but one that is financially rewarding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne worker said migrants \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/speaking-the-language-of-overseas-work\"\u003ereferred\u003c/a\u003e to the Korean Dream as दुई गुणा अन्ठाउन्न — referring to the Rs200,000 monthly salary over a 58-month period, a transformative amount.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Anyhow, कोरिया जौँ,” was a popular slogan while cramming for the language exams (Read Diaspora Diaries, across). South Korea has also benefited from foreign workers, and the rapidly aging nation will continue to rely on expanding its foreign worker intake to offset its \u003ca href=\"https://www.piie.com/publications/working-papers/2024/migration-or-stagnation-aging-and-economic-growth-korea-today\"\u003edemographic drag\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA recent entrepreneurship \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15VemgEV6W/\"\u003einitiative\u003c/a\u003e targeting current and former \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/in-the-minds-of-nepal-s-migrant-workers\"\u003eNepali migrants \u003c/a\u003ein Korea funded by \u003ca href=\"https://www.koica.go.kr/sites/nepal_en/index.do\"\u003eKOICA\u003c/a\u003e and implemented by the group \u003ca href=\"https://en.thebridgeint.com/en/\"\u003eBridge International\u003c/a\u003e, demonstrates how the Returnee Innovator for Nepal (RIN) program can be made even more rewarding by maximising not just financial, but also \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/not-just-financial-but-social-remittances\"\u003esocial remittances\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe program is unique because the support begins not once workers arrive in Nepal, but in Korea itself. Selected candidates attend classes on basic \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepali-entrepreneur-turns-trash-into-cash\"\u003eentrepreneurship\u003c/a\u003e while in Korea and to work on their\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/hurdles-come-with-the-terrain-in-nepal-s-fashion-industry\"\u003e business ideas \u003c/a\u003ewhich they can further 'localise' once back in Nepal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey also get linked to mentors from Korea-based companies from their area of interest to brainstorm, refine ideas, and get practical real-world guidance. In some cases, these can grow into business ties.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSantosh Timalsina runs a successful coffee machine repair business Jumli Cafe in Pokhara, and was connected by Bridge International with a Korea-based coffee entrepreneur who trained him. Even though his EPS jobs entailed making golf balls or car parts, he took advantage of whatever free time he had to prepare for return by taking up coffee machine repair.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Even now I rely on my Korean trainer for guidance and to access spare parts that are not available in Nepal,” says Timalsina.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCEO of Bridge International Jinsol Hwang says the next cohorts will also be provided the option of using business plans that Korean entrepreneurs may have for those workers who are unsure about what to invest in once they are back.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-plans-to-reintegrate-returning-workers\"\u003ereturnee program\u003c/a\u003e is in its early phases, and has just called for the second cohort, but demonstrates that labour mobility programs can be made more impactful. The return stage also merits as much attention, including from host country agencies like KOICA, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-moves-from-aid-to-enterprise\"\u003esocial enterprises \u003c/a\u003eand even employers.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJinsol says migration was part of Korea’s growth story in the 1970s with workers headed to West Germany as miners and nurses and to the Middle East as construction workers. The \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/nepal-s-remittance-villages\"\u003eremittances \u003c/a\u003eand skills acquired abroad were critical in Korea's transformation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe role of returnees as entrepreneurs in creating jobs and contributing to the economy was a way to level the playing field. It provided access to capital, networks and skills they may not have otherwise had.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe second winning team at the recent Returnee Innovators Showcase of the RIN program was Hankook Meat Mart. It is a profitable effort by three Korea returnees to provide high quality meat products that they source from another Korean returnee who runs a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/pigs-fly-and-fish-climb-trees\"\u003epig farm\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bringing-korea-s-prosperity-to-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBringing Korea’s prosperity to Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe approach is to build a supply chain using high quality \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/meat-money-and-the-middle-class\"\u003emeat production\u003c/a\u003e, and diversifying to small complementary businesses such as a tiny but profitable Korean restaurant, and small factories making Kimchi and rice-cakes.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDil Bahadur Tamang from Hankook successfully pitched his business, saying programs like RIN are useful to learn formal business management practices, for networking and exposure. The financial award it won was helpful for business expansion as it launches a second branch.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Those of us who go to work in Korea are not from a business background, so the switch from an employee to becoming self-employed is difficult especially in a country like ours,” Tamang says. “Start-up failure rates are high globally, if we don’t understand the market and launch businesses without proper preparation, the chances of failure will be high and we lose our hard-earned money.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are returnees who rush to businesses and subsequently fail. In the \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uR6pzwfR91KAezRODgDIz2FWI6m2xjPL/view\"\u003eDiaspora Diaries series\u003c/a\u003e in this newspaper, one consistent advice, based on their \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/diaspora-diaries/finding-a-niche-in-nepal\"\u003eown failures\u003c/a\u003e in some cases, has always been to take time just to understand Nepal's market before rushing into a business even if it is a sector they have years of overseas experience in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/overseas-job-seeker-now-creates-jobs-in-nepal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOverseas job-seeker now creates jobs in Nepal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Mahesh Sah\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe decision ‘to return to Nepal or remain overseas’ for current migrants is perhaps tougher than the decision youth face to ‘migrate or stay in Nepal’. Migrants with the intention to return, whether by choice as they have stayed overseas enough, or because their contracts are ending, need more support with developing their plans back home.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis includes workers from the Middle East and Malaysia who inevitably return, not just EPS workers from Korea. In the Philippines, the Technical Education and Skills Development (\u003ca href=\"https://www.tesda.gov.ph/\"\u003eTESDA\u003c/a\u003e), offers an \u003ca href=\"https://e-tesda.gov.ph/course/index.php?categoryid=467\"\u003eonline\u003c/a\u003e self-based business entrepreneurship program targeting current overseas Filipinos.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuch resources would also be useful for\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/50-diaspora-diaries-in-nepali-times\"\u003e Nepali migrants\u003c/a\u003e who are trying to decide whether to return and what to do after returning. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUpasana Khadka heads \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.migration-lab.com/\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eMigration Lab\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e, a social enterprise aimed at making migration outcomes better for workers and their families. Labour Mobility is a regular column in Nepali Times.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Upasana Khadka","role":"writer","avatar_url":"upasana-khadka_ce47bbe9ee498cd408552592bed949c226a1e872.jpg","slug":"upasana-khadka","biography":""}}],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eIncoming Nepali migrant workers merit as much attention as outgoing ones\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_a9c36154b0e383ba3e84a7a30fd85a2f4f896ce55a2c9d5b34c348efd72ae2e1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_627438e9cef3f79be77ed78d0c2f6e926782e6b688ad60792d5615c1da8df46e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_7646d9cfcbedb0b1b2b2c4d05a4814063faa734533705b32165db61be545fc2a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_b562bde54dde379350ad772dea77ec2571dc0162c0f781c0e25c1c936dc723b0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_14a81c7d504566731289448fe4241e540a2032b24a622b470a1765668434a07c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_9a56ac3ba59f786f5735e8b9a93bace8d1ff1c90292f38a7344d50248d524ed3","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_a930b8e5b5d374e2ceca3e9f1c29cbdc96b02a47724fd43fedde8b0bae398ae7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_ac0ea02c9a4be17dbbd34fe6043c7146165f647b48b6a9d962a0e0da130f4572","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_9cacbb0cd79dc6eafdbea61818d8e26f547fee07dfd6870d2c52b57d47ac2198","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_d357dc557aab4ea55c18951d48d884b3653f7a919928588e10deb4d637cfa3e7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_a9c36154b0e383ba3e84a7a30fd85a2f4f896ce55a2c9d5b34c348efd72ae2e1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250321040316_a9c36154b0e383ba3e84a7a30fd85a2f4f896ce55a2c9d5b34c348efd72ae2e1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":12,"staticprefix":"/opinion","name":"Opinion"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8001,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-17T10:24:52","slug":"india-has-arrived","title":"India has arrived","body":"\u003cp\u003eLast month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the first official \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/reaction-to-wang-yi-s-nepal-visit-in-chinese-media\"\u003eforeign visit \u003c/a\u003eof the commission in her second term would be to India. On the same day, Marco Rubio held his first bilateral meeting as US Secretary of State with India’s minister of external affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Washington last month confirmed his country’s rising international profile. The visit ended with the promise of what Modi called a US-India “mega partnership.” He has committed to double trade with the US by 2030, increase \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/half-full/A-carbon-neutral-Nepal-is-possible-clean-Nepal,1064\"\u003eoil and gas imports\u003c/a\u003e, and expand US military sales to India.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia is now the fastest-growing major \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/how-nepal-can-avert-an-economic-crunch\"\u003eeconomy\u003c/a\u003e, with the IMF forecasting a 6.5% increase in GDP this year. India is expected to overtake Japan and Germany to become the world’s third-largest economy by 2030.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/india-s-election-and-its-economic-future\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIndia’s election and its economic future\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Raghuram G Rajan\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite its \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/missing-out-on-nepal-s-tourism-potential\"\u003evast potential\u003c/a\u003e, India has long been overlooked by the West, both \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/ukraine-crisis-hits-nepal-economy-hard\"\u003eeconomically\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-geopolitics-of-nepal-s-politics\"\u003egeopolitically\u003c/a\u003e. But a fundamental global realignment is now underway. America’s ‘unipolar moment’ has given way to an era of great-power competition that, unlike during the Cold War, features demands by emerging and developing economies for a more \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/making-nepal-accessible-to-all\"\u003einclusive \u003c/a\u003eand representative multilateral system.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this multipolar age, both the US and Europe see India, a neutral \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/no-binary-foreign-policy?fb_comment_id=3583384368393672_3586424038089705\"\u003eforeign-policy \u003c/a\u003eactor and dynamic\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18861\"\u003e emerging economy\u003c/a\u003e, as vital to the future of their strategic priorities.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA founder of the Non-Aligned Movement, India has plenty of experience navigating precarious moments in \u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4896\"\u003eworld affairs\u003c/a\u003e. During the Cold War, it skillfully balanced its policies toward \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/america-nepal-and-the-royal-coup-qedzifz9\"\u003ethe US and the Soviet Union\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen it engaged with \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/so-far-so-good/the-vagaries-of-fate\"\u003ethe Soviet Union\u003c/a\u003e, from which it received considerable \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/civil-military-synergy-in-disaster-management\"\u003emilitary assistance\u003c/a\u003e, it calibrated its approach to offset US support of Pakistan, without taking sides in the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-rich-get-richer-and-more-powerful\"\u003egreat-power competition\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia has since maintained this pragmatic balancing act, adapting its foreign policy to a shifting geopolitical landscape. Today, that means recognising its potential to shape global affairs, including by playing a leading role in building an efficient, realistic, and inclusive multilateralism.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is reflected in Modi’s pursuit of a more assertive, internationalist foreign policy. Beyond building new partnerships and strengthening old ones, Modi has sought to increase \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/india-s-hindutva-politics-influencing-nepal\"\u003eIndia’s influence \u003c/a\u003ein traditional and emerging multilateral fora. In 2023 alone, India held the presidency of both the G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (a Chinese creation, comprising nine Middle Eastern and Asian countries).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia plays a leading role in the BRICS, and is characteristically nuanced: whereas Russia and, to a significant extent, China see themselves as disruptors of the existing order, India views itself as a reformer. This enables it to maintain strategic flexibility as it advances its interests.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/india-china-rail-race\"\u003eIndia’s relationship with China\u003c/a\u003e is complicated by other factors. While the countries work together in some fora, they are also locked in protracted\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/india-bangladesh-border-talks-have-lessons-for-nepal\"\u003e territorial disputes\u003c/a\u003e and a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-race-for-shital-nibas\"\u003ecompetition for leadership\u003c/a\u003e in the so-called Global South.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia’s growing global clout, including its appeal to Western powers, stems in large part from its ability to act as a counterweight to China. It is indispensable to the Quad alliance with Australia, Japan, and the US, a grouping that is officially focused on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-quad-maritime-security-and-climate-change\"\u003emaritime security\u003c/a\u003e and economic cooperation, though its members clearly seek to provide a buffer against China in the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/between-two-oceans\"\u003eIndo-Pacific region\u003c/a\u003e. It is thanks to India that the Quad is not viewed as just another Western vehicle.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModi has sought to bolster India’s Southern credentials, including by highlighting its status as the “mother of democracy”. By framing \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/is-democracy-too-expensive-for-nepal\"\u003edemocracy\u003c/a\u003e as intrinsic to Indian civilisation, rather than a colonial legacy, he aligned India with ‘middle powers’ seeking to redefine global governance on their own terms.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo be sure, Modi has moved India away from the secular and pluralistic values that had flourished after \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-goal-is-empowerment-and-independence-of-women\"\u003eindependence\u003c/a\u003e, in favour of assertive \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/unconventional-convention\"\u003eHindu nationalism\u003c/a\u003e. So many international indices have downgraded India’s democratic status that he is now seeking to create his own.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/demodification-of-india\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDemodification of India\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Chandrakishore\u0026nbsp;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModi is the second leader of independent India (after Jawaharlal Nehru) to be elected to three consecutive terms, and remains a dominant force in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-s-faith-in-politics\"\u003eIndian politics\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd at a time of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-geopolitics-of-nepal-s-water-and-electricity\"\u003erapid geopolitical change\u003c/a\u003e, he is committed to leveraging his position, and India’s profound strengths, to turn it into a global player. India has long had the potential to be an active shaper of international affairs. It has now arrived. \u0026nbsp;\u003ci\u003e\u0026nbsp;© Project Syndicate\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAna Palacio, a former minister of foreign affairs of Spain and former senior vice president and general counsel of the World Bank Group, is a visiting lecturer at Georgetown University.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eDespite its vast potential, India was long overlooked by the West, both economically and geopolitically. No more.\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1143,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_9e3d343c453b61fe1fdc09f37cdccf460991cba8e82f56f034c9e568d86a94c8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_589e65bf68f089ce6d9efe829fe067f8af2b18b9753880d576fdf5523efe3ccc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_e418b7db19cf121be480aa90ba4500081017bdd6f5a33d8f5ea23a1792ebea39","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_a8e53e4607649e0e378bc098b83aa03d5ee81b9ac066016bf2f9969c8404bb0c","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_8fa63e2765945ec9d15254a7c7ed47b045f16dc8e9987e5b58257c8bf7f82467","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_340f4c92ca6c4fc434465b54c6baa10fa51936d1ee016c3252059472b23863b7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_3ca69d6406595e3b47b3992ab6998796e97566a5a4984fdfecf2806474c425ed","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_c1f53c3f4a9f096512080bc2740d7b1dde8797454471aa3502534b080950c3f9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_e6b0403448cea7cdda04d1e491710be603f1dae7de67e9a8e363b799e7cfb82b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_b148a462f76a7aef8c0a60db0e9ee97ec14f2f6af55d0c049458f3b83dd87a05","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1143,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_9e3d343c453b61fe1fdc09f37cdccf460991cba8e82f56f034c9e568d86a94c8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1143,"image":{"asset_id":"20250317070336_9e3d343c453b61fe1fdc09f37cdccf460991cba8e82f56f034c9e568d86a94c8","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":12,"staticprefix":"/opinion","name":"Opinion"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Ana Palacio in Madrid"}},{"id":7998,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-16T10:48:47","slug":"the-man-who-came-bearing-letters","title":"The man who came bearing letters","body":"\u003cp\u003eRameshwor Bhaiya was a mailman and a chowkidar rolled into one. He was stationed at Southfield Loreto College in Darjeeling for many many years, until he retired.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI learned the other day from a WhatsApp group that he recently passed away at a hospital in Siliguri after battling throat \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-other-pandemic-cancer\"\u003ecancer\u003c/a\u003e for a long time. I had forgotten all about him until I saw the message.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRameshwor Bhaiya was a petite, agile man, always taking mails to the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/is-nepal-entering-the-post-post-office-era\"\u003epost office \u003c/a\u003eand fetching them back. He was always busy, walking with brisk, soft steps, sometimes stopping in the lunchroom for a glass of water, the last one sitting down to eat because the mail had to be done in the first hour.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor his physical stature, I cannot recall how he managed his guard work, but he must have been good at that too, because he kept some 500 girls safe everyday.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRameshwor Bhaiya always wore his hair oiled and combed back with a side parting, neatly. His postal bag slung over his shoulder, the strap falling across his chest was bulky on some days and some days it would be shriveled up and swinging in the air with the lack of weight.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe wore gray or khaki sweaters mostly and a jacket the same tint. His trousers were in the same shades too, and once in a while, he would spot a colourful shirt -- there was a maroon one with a fading collar. The V of one of his V-neck sweaters had come undone and looked like a Y with a short tail instead and I don’t remember that he ever fixed it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI do not even remember his full name. But we all understood from a way of understanding caste and religion in South Asia that he was a Hindu, North Indian man who had moved to\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/Connecting-dots/Darjeeling-and-the-idea-of-Nepal,944\"\u003e Darjeeling\u003c/a\u003e for work. We never understood where his family was because he lived on campus.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Southfield building was known to have once been the summer palace of a Maharaja of Burdwan, and by then had become Rameshwor Bhaiya’s home. He lived in a small room on the ground floor of the building, close to the lift. Sometimes, he would point at the lift and explain how the pulley worked. It had to be pulled by men to move the lift users up and down the two-storey durbar. But as chowkidar, Rameshwor Bhaiya was the sole nighttime occupant of that house.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the morning, he woke up to the nuisance of monkeys from the Mahakal temple right above Southfield. And the morning would get noisier as the cleaners came in and then the girls and the teacher would start to trickle in, first slowly and then in quick steps and in full numbers as the bell for the first class went off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy roommate Meenu and I were sincere letter writers. We wrote to parents, to friends, to admirers sometimes. Sometimes, to boys we crushed on. (I mean, I did.) Meenu was always more careful about how she put her feelings out there. But she was the one always doing couriers home. Her mother would send her parathas and achar and ladoo by courier, all the way from Phuentsholing, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/small-bhutan-dreams-big\"\u003eBhutan\u003c/a\u003e, our midnight snack. So, Meenu maintained a cordial relationship with Rameshwor Bhaiya.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur hostel was in Springfield and we were only allowed outings on weekends, which meant mails had to often wait a whole week until Saturday. On Sundays we couldn’t mail. That was when Rameshwor Bhaiya would come to our rescue. If we needed to send a mail to the post office or courier something on weekdays, we would give it to him and he would make sure it was done. For us, the Indian postal service’s efficiency thrived on Rameshwor Bhaiya’s existence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we returned to hostel life from our holidays, some of us would bring little gifts to the staff. I used to bring pustakari from Nepal for Rameshwor Bhaiya. He said once that it hurt his mouth to suck on them but he still enjoyed it. He was more of a connoisseur of paan, but he appreciated the gesture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe campus was always bustling with staff, but when I think of Rameshwor Bhaiya letters instantly come to mind. There was the post office and the smell of mail and the feeling of rippling open an envelope and thrusting the fingers into it to reveal its content to the self.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce or twice, I had surprise letters from a secret admirer and I was worried they would be discovered. No, having a boyfriend was not encouraged. In fact, we were often pre-emtively reminded of the student who went on a walk to the mall road with her boyfriend and was gang-raped by strangers, an incident Late Peter J Karthak records in one of his novels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, we led sheltered lives. Mama’s girls and Daddy’s girls, all huddled together in classrooms, heads buried in textbooks, but our minds wondering who to borrow the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/14-books-to-read-gift-love-this-valentine-s\"\u003enext romance novel\u003c/a\u003e from. Cloistered, free of the world’s strings, we bubbled with hope for all kinds of things. Mostly, for what our \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/scoring-a-better-future-for-nepals-soccer-girls\"\u003efuture as women\u003c/a\u003e in the real world would be like.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd in his own little way, Rameshwor Bhaiya made lives possible for us because he brought us letters, documents, exam results, notices from the University of West Bengal.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Is there a letter for me, Rameshwor Bahiya?” Sometimes he would joke and say no even if there was one. Usually there was no mail for me at Southfield. But there was always Rameshwor Bhaiya with his postal bag -- the bag of hope.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eSuburban Tales is a monthly column in Nepali Times based on real people (with some names changed) in Pratibha’s life.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Pratibha Tuladhar","role":"writer","avatar_url":"pratibha-tuladhar_4a2d01d1c8dc931079979251a85ae7c3f8a089da.jpg","slug":"pratibha-tuladhar","biography":""}}],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eTribute to a school mailman, the vital link to the world for our young selves\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_2eca729644df3e571338401da1e12229432df81251be95fdccc359e183419990","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_5fe02464bfca0aede53223a6a232c7d4c895409e5576dfad171a8f5878dc0716","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_f5665e13fe92d195c0332d205be3ec1ef05bc586de0cdb494922974dff1df893","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_95ef03f9763045c9ffca80af85bc127f37a7382289f1d9a33df02004809ed599","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_84e55fecaa3489b0bd32e0a1f5c7ab33b00f7ff1592b45fb7c4069aa433215db","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_360887a1cbccd126261b2c5ef491a415bcd3088cd786b37bf40a57fa4e80313e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_5aa9624e18a6581a38d1667dad3575aa6fc8d56799cb30ad5725969565d674e1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_414f522efbf076b89ef39fdc2995003624bb84d550256e3e208d9be5966d71c6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_a53c6a80952a09ffd286d4d7b47dbf7c688948cac65786e6c853fe974914e1bb","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_8653f91e8901c774909a593dd4d90f9ec5d3b48e278d9c9aeb2df2ce951cd787","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_2eca729644df3e571338401da1e12229432df81251be95fdccc359e183419990","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1777,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250316090340_2eca729644df3e571338401da1e12229432df81251be95fdccc359e183419990","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":13,"staticprefix":"/opinion/suburban-tales","name":"Suburban Tales"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":7977,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-12T04:03:36","slug":"holi-days-along-the-border","title":"Holi days along the border","body":"\u003cp\u003eThe fact that the festival of Holi is celebrated on two different days in Nepal this week is itself an indication of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepalis-moving-from-mountains-to-plains\"\u003ehow the mountains and plains of Nepal\u003c/a\u003e are culturally united.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe full moon day of Fagu Purnima is marked with much merriment in the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/knowing-our-mountains-43v4iyvo\"\u003emountains\u003c/a\u003e on Thursday, while the festival of colours is celebrated on Friday in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-tarai-s-shrinking-forests\"\u003ethe Tarai\u003c/a\u003e. And it would be fair to say that the passion with which \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/holi-in-birganj\"\u003eHoli in the plains \u003c/a\u003eis several times more intense. In fact, along the Nepal Tarai, holi is celebrated on both days.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn many places in Birganj, Janakpur and Rajbiraj, young Hindu or Muslim, Madhesi or Pahadi, celebrate each other’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/festivals-of-sisterhood\"\u003efestivals\u003c/a\u003e together. The 2021 census shows that more than half the country’s population now lives \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-tarai-learns-from-past-floods\"\u003ein the Tarai\u003c/a\u003e, and this coexistence has made the Holi mosaic in the Tarai even more colourful.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250312040356_6026f407093ac0acaf39542e71a72279fc67226e50e0f3b2a3e10dc436f58d40.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_6\" data-image-id=\"20250312040356_6026f407093ac0acaf39542e71a72279fc67226e50e0f3b2a3e10dc436f58d40\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Holi story 2\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe festival proves that as long as the rulers on either side of these borderlands do not mix \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/volatile-mix-of-politics-and-religion\"\u003epolitics with religion\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/decoding-diversity\"\u003eNepalis of all faiths and ethnicities\u003c/a\u003e can get along as they have for centuries. And example of this are the tradition of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-folk-songs-move-beyond-love-and-loss\"\u003efolk songs\u003c/a\u003e in the Bhojpuri language sung during the Holi festival by people in India and Nepal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15948\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMany tongues, one voice\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Amar Kanta Jha\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne such song actually prays for the prosperity of Nepal: ‘Blessed be Nepal,\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/a-thousand-sadhus-and-a-hanuman\"\u003e the land of Pashupati \u003c/a\u003ewhich I will decorate with gold and sprinkle Nepal with silver.’ The lyrics of this song are contained in a 1948 Hindi book, Bhojpuri Folk Songs shows that reverence for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-healer-of-pashupati\"\u003ePashupati \u003c/a\u003eand its role as Nepal’s patron deity is part of the culture on both sides of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-s-border-trains-that-connected-nepal\"\u003eNepal-India border\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/languages-are-both-software-and-hardware\"\u003elanguage\u003c/a\u003e is a bond that ties the people of these borderlands together, but it is also the festival of Holi that cements the people-to-people relations. The \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/margins/songs-from-chomolungma\"\u003efolk songs\u003c/a\u003e sung during the festival have been passed down for generations, highlighting the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/barbwire-borders\"\u003eage-old ties\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHoli is celebrated all week this week in Nepal as well as in India with communities gathering in the evenings to sing the ‘Hori’ folk songs. With \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-road-out-of-nepal\"\u003eoutmigration\u003c/a\u003e, it is mostly older people who take part in these rituals and there are fewer and fewer people every year who can sing the songs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“The cultural erosion had been happening, but it is accelerating in recent years,” says Harinder Himkar, a historian from the neighbouring Indian state of Bihar. “Because of this, mutual closeness of people \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds\"\u003ein the border regions of India and Nepal\u003c/a\u003e have also diminished.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_19\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025031205030_a0fecd32df939e0a3f642585d9f3133683e7cf332511d20c34b78534a6fdd4bf.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_19\" data-image-id=\"2025031205030_a0fecd32df939e0a3f642585d9f3133683e7cf332511d20c34b78534a6fdd4bf\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Holi 3\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_19\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eHoli is a festival of love, intimacy and celebration of \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/kathmandus-silent-spring\"\u003espring\u003c/a\u003e. It is flirtatious, and represents the changing of the seasons and new beginnings. Which is why the songs sung are happy and optimistic despite the daily grind that the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/strength-in-numbers-for-female-farmers\"\u003efarming communities\u003c/a\u003e here are engaged in. It is believed that\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-deities-in-transit\"\u003e the deities \u003c/a\u003eKrishna, Shiva, Ram and Sita all splashed colours on each other, and humans are just emulating their merrymaking.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/eastern-melodies-in-kathmandu\"\u003eFolk songs\u003c/a\u003e are by definition old. They are moulded by centuries of experience and knowledge that makes them relevant to this day. No one knows who wrote these songs, or who gave them music, and yet they are immortal.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis particular Bhojpuri folk song sung at Holi, reminds us that Nepal is an ancient country, and it is Pashupati that is the holy bond. Says cultural historian Ramsharan Agrawal from Sitamarhi, just across the border in Bihar state: “The folk song proves that the ties that bind our civilisations together are ancient, and the fact that there are references to Pashupati and wishing prosperity on the people of Nepal shows just how interconnected we were, and are.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHoli may be celebrated differently on different dates in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/to-save-the-tarai-save-the-siwalik\"\u003ethe Tarai\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/conserving-mountains-for-people-and-nature\"\u003ethe mountains\u003c/a\u003e, but it is a festival of solidarity between \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-is-turning-into-a-nation-of-hybrid-identities\"\u003edifferent ethnicities \u003c/a\u003eand geographies of Nepal. ‘Holi Friendship Ceremonies’ are held in just about every town along the border.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJust like the song itself says: “May you be happy all year round, like today.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"आरे धन्य नगर नयपाल हो लाला,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eधन्य नगर नयपाल हो ।\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eआरे जाहवां विराजे पशुपति बाबा,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eधन्य नगर नयपाल हो।\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eआहो कथिये छवइबो में बाबा के मन्दिलवा,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eआहो लाला,कथिये छवइबो नयपाल हो\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eसोनवे छविइबो में बाबा के मन्दिलवा\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eरूपवे छवइबो नयपाल हो।\"\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eChandrakishore is a Birganj-based commentator who writes this monthly column Borderlines for Nepali Times.\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/un-holi-colours\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eUn-Holi Colours\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Ashish Dhakal\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Chandra Kishore","role":"writer","avatar_url":"chandra-kishore_69866f53df7a6c01ffd4df38217f53058181ceaf.jpg","slug":"chandra-kishore","biography":""}}],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eThis week’s festival binds Nepal’s ethnicities and geographies together in a celebration of coexistence\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1920,"height":1281,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_658891c5868c9002030972f4afb50e784b989cb07d62b8a955c84db921b30bb6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_7dd823308a4625d44cfd48c316d976fd0021b0b24fbb4e4a4ae767ad56630bfb","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_235faa083f6c6757c37e499b406c90471290691d1e26b00debafad079af4e11d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_2ffd3fe381c89c9fdf5f3b52ff714fdc4cbf571a1c6b02d06f52151e228577f1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_87de1e243466a6640a0c069b29086fd1c266e02fe43c6243c5d88b21b00c3565","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_79d3580af1bc6eea07549f7d3a79cff2e5095fdee934f3838b839a17167014e0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_9ecef4a6a8a9a3edfc8a21d92962b96a56ec8b7cd931c5eafacb7e98b9d42ade","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_cee61a0f4f7d637c10bc456297ff7d1d5633bbc5307dca01fd7afb70136fe4f7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_e79dea852c607f0fdb3bb77862124b04d82599265ef7dfa974354b12b435320d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_88c83b4aeb22c935efe0409c1e612d2b311baa52ff5654077677472d8e2e0095","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1920,"height":1281,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_658891c5868c9002030972f4afb50e784b989cb07d62b8a955c84db921b30bb6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1920,"height":1281,"image":{"asset_id":"20250312040352_658891c5868c9002030972f4afb50e784b989cb07d62b8a955c84db921b30bb6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":64,"staticprefix":"/opinion/borderlines","name":"Borderlines"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}}]},"announcement":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":0,"currentPage":1,"perPage":1,"pagesCount":0}},"items":[]},"print":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":101,"currentPage":1,"perPage":1,"pagesCount":101}},"items":[{"id":8052,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-29T11:10:27","slug":"nepali-times-1254-28-march-3-april-2025-i85sitb0","title":"Nepali Times #1254 (28 March-3 April 2025)","body":"","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"epaper","value":"https://archivenepal.s3.amazonaws.com/nepalitimes/book/Nepali_Times_1254/index.html"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":580,"height":876,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_254741ffd3b1dab78095fead2cd3979bd6ce678de35d8dd4089afaca7f86c789","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_fc546a9ac27802e0efe73c7da003ca4b301a5b582b2542d32430e32efb221059","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_d09b3d66daf253ec66226ea054ad717603719b2cede4faaa71472654e0564f8b","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_5feb79ce32e8b3379a3fd795b5cfdc895f198cfcf8a1a63cd97bda4aceb5cbc5","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_57719fcfae6bb4d2d187b3d2c73ac1133a3008eeaedd71ea6a95f77b3388488e","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_654e48ca1355d7a96f46f4f5b4e3c9c4ff6a588bd337cae36698074346036f52","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":580,"height":876,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_254741ffd3b1dab78095fead2cd3979bd6ce678de35d8dd4089afaca7f86c789","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":580,"height":876,"image":{"asset_id":"2025032912038_254741ffd3b1dab78095fead2cd3979bd6ce678de35d8dd4089afaca7f86c789","file_extension":"png","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":54,"staticprefix":"/epaper"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"EPaper","byline":null}}]},"twentyYearsAgo":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":105,"currentPage":1,"perPage":1,"pagesCount":105}},"items":[{"id":8073,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-04-04T06:27:38","slug":"who-ll-blink-first","title":"Who’ll Blink First?","body":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eTwo decades after Gyanendra’s 1 February 2005 coup that was the beginning of the end of the monarchy in Nepal, royalists want to reinstate a Hindu monarchy. A pro-monarchy protest last week in Kathmandu turned violent as rioters resorted to arson and looting, leading to the death of a journalist and another civilian.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMeanwhile, a collective of leftist opposition parties led by the Maoists gathered across town on the same day in a peaceful demonstration against the reestablishment of the monarchy.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLet's look back 20 years ago this week to our\u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=663\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e main story\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e from \u003c/i\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://d1i1jdw69xsqx0.cloudfront.net/digitalhimalaya/collections/journals/nepalitimes/pdf/Nepali_Times_241.pdf\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eissue #241 1-7 April 2005\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ci\u003e:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo months after King Gyanendra seized power on 1 February everyone is in a fix:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eKing Gyanendra\u003c/b\u003e gave the international community and his subjects a choice: me or the Maoists. He needs to show foreign powers that the Maoists are a real threat to the state, while simultaneously proving to the people that things are returning to normal after he took over.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePolitical parties\u003c/b\u003e still believe in a constitutional monarchy, they want to give the king a face-saving way out, but they aren't in a position to be of any help.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cb\u003eMaoists \u003c/b\u003eare in a fix, too. A serious rift in the ranks threatens to undermine the revolution, a soft landing is out of the question and there is no immediate prospect of gaining the upper hand militarily.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe\u003cb\u003e Nepali people\u003c/b\u003e are confused. The security forces were supposed to be chasing Maoists, but if there have been any major victories the army is not boasting about them. In fact, security forces had their hands full in the past two months putting down pro-democracy rallies, keeping politicians in detention, enforcing censorship and intimidating the media. The people may want to give the king a chance, but the longer this drags on the more they will see February First for what it really was.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFor archived material of Nepali Times of the past 20 years, site search:\u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e nepalitimes.com\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"20yearsago","value":"https://archive.nepalitimes.com/issue_page.php/241"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_dbcede81d9e1b3fec1d8784c50f4de41ca20e6623b0f5f8481bacb81f7f66117","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_f492ad21b147d461e849ab3bd19daad8d714fec5acd21c87c34dd1bf51c8bc33","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_3d3c9e60a70e589f6d427b479004bf404b76352008ffca16a48b55e770285fc7","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_4c02d7c8994c9c47a04df9322cd4a0f0066a73395a1fe6187bd48b01461afa77","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_27d488fe241d6183bcb923a34a399cd1835dbc1f67896788cd60d2f2eacdbc0b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_9a8353918e18352774718d6cfd7c3fea84215e675d20501b25d4d6db31235380","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_dbb98b48d936c1680e76be2e392404f19b2a5d8b372179e3c4c73278334b9f18","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_f3c2a1caad02da781bd0c9e0aca5eace525aebcbe580d476b154f503b0bc7b99","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_a25cf8f68ae312f717aa6e6627907d4786e83d481e0716fc9b710d5e6a53af7b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_a0e311fba26ca38152efc60289d7e7ed127166ad3dc2f7eb07eccc7658b612c1","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_dbcede81d9e1b3fec1d8784c50f4de41ca20e6623b0f5f8481bacb81f7f66117","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250403090432_dbcede81d9e1b3fec1d8784c50f4de41ca20e6623b0f5f8481bacb81f7f66117","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":53,"staticprefix":"/20-years-ago-this-week"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"20yearsago","byline":null}}]},"cartoon":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":63,"currentPage":1,"perPage":1,"pagesCount":63}},"items":[{"id":7755,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2024-12-28T02:37:28","slug":"the-past-the-present-and-the-future-are-really-one","title":"The past, the present, and the future are really one","body":"\u003cp\u003eThe past, the present, and the future are really one: they are today.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e-Harriet Beecher Stowe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024122609120_5c63a3201a7231b9334f98a3a1af867acfc1264e29fc3081810a565a270bde6f.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_0\" data-image-id=\"2024122609120_5c63a3201a7231b9334f98a3a1af867acfc1264e29fc3081810a565a270bde6f\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2700\" height=\"2700\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Miss Moti #1241\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_de96626845147171a4222dec04030aa032c3606d9b7ed5bd43c5e3e50f9d9e5b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_457d8cdd5177a05fe25445a23fa8e751ed29358121c20ab5915891f9b2ce7935","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_954ae59f667f04501accf0342c93822db3633aad3a2c78ac6f5437a8054218b6","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_5dff1f315a8f935de9f3acbef776a10186f6d7257b708dc15ed4c521bfa189e4","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_18407e6d3de436a0216c08ba3308407d28f78426a3a4432129ee7654fe2825ca","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_1c0250009babaa7393256050b56b9108ed2fe53cc7c67bc052d2bcefe6e1cc0f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"2024122609120_16641fe62b330d282357763a95789d3404026ecc31f297c3ebf88598b63e7d15","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"2024122609120_d1b141f803382482e00a948af15caf49edb85355505fa39db8adf0b10ba546da","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"2024122609120_0c80d7673b91626a34ddf2626d5f544ac5093569b0f66c2fcaa12b260bc6eea0","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"2024122609120_532f5efd05ca48fdf4286e8e0529c7aa9d1e44a7abaa0fa120913a4c2b5b62cb","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_de96626845147171a4222dec04030aa032c3606d9b7ed5bd43c5e3e50f9d9e5b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20241226081256_de96626845147171a4222dec04030aa032c3606d9b7ed5bd43c5e3e50f9d9e5b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":65,"staticprefix":"/opinion/missmotivation"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Kripa Joshi"}}]}},"dataUpdateCount":1,"dataUpdatedAt":1743871483983,"error":null,"errorUpdateCount":0,"errorUpdatedAt":0,"fetchFailureCount":0,"fetchFailureReason":null,"fetchMeta":null,"isInvalidated":false,"status":"success","fetchStatus":"idle"},"queryKey":["homepageData"],"queryHash":"[\"homepageData\"]"},{"state":{"data":{"metadata":{"aggregate":{"totalCount":45,"currentPage":1,"perPage":4,"pagesCount":12}},"items":[{"id":8050,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-28T13:52:07","slug":"republicans-and-royalists-on-nepal-s-streets","title":"Republicans and royalists on Nepal’s streets","body":"\u003cp\u003eKathmandu ground to a halt on Friday as pro- and anti-monarchy protests rocked separate parts of the capital.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile the Socialist Front led by the Maoist Centre Party held a large rally in the centre of the city, a group agitating to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu kingdom gathered on the outskirts.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe two rallies were kept apart, but pro-monarchy protesters resorted to arson and looting, setting fire to buildings in the Tinkune neighbourhood and attacking newspaper offices, party buildings and ransacking a branch of the Bhatbhateni department store.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePolice fired tear gas and live rounds after stone pelting protesters tried to prevent fire trucks from trying to put out blazes. One protester and a reporter died and 22 people, including several riot policemen, were injured.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_10a340ec54625655b84320e9708349f32ae410ebd66dc2e9006d74c26e24e723.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_0\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_10a340ec54625655b84320e9708349f32ae410ebd66dc2e9006d74c26e24e723\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_0\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_4095596005d5c744222ed813ef2621c887fec3f3d8cb99b0580f9f4e241bdd55.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_1\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_4095596005d5c744222ed813ef2621c887fec3f3d8cb99b0580f9f4e241bdd55\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1810\" height=\"1207\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_1\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_b64ae8a70d36a7a2bbc4d9f4f51344a92531a735f653dd25f97700e170b7f12c.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_2\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_b64ae8a70d36a7a2bbc4d9f4f51344a92531a735f653dd25f97700e170b7f12c\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_2\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe pro-monarchy rally was organised by the United People’s Movement Committee for the Restoration of the Monarchy, which had the support of the royalist RPP party and was led by business tycoon Durga Prasai and the 86-year-old former Panchayat politician Nawaraj Subedi.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe government had assigned both the protesting groups separate parts of the city so as to minimise chances of confrontation. The pro-monarchy rally turned violent after Prasai broke through police cordons with his vehicle, with supporters following.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAcross town, a much larger flag-waving crowd marched through the streets and gathered to listen to speeches by leaders of the Socialist Front made up of Maoist Centre, the CPN- Unified Socialists, the Nepal Samajwadi Party and the Communist Party of Nepal led by a breakaway Maoist faction of Netra Bikram Chand.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Socialist Front is in the opposition and has blamed the rise of royalists to the non-performance of Prime Minister K P Oli’s governing coalition. The Maoists were till last year in their own coalition with the Nepali Congress, until it joined up with Oli’s UML.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_36c4b5cd97720a86d4cc65d680211644bbdd23ba9d872ca33ecde56cf7a83bd8.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_3\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_36c4b5cd97720a86d4cc65d680211644bbdd23ba9d872ca33ecde56cf7a83bd8\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1772\" height=\"1181\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_6598409e322e0680bb01e00306842343642ee662a6f95e0d097478c0517879c3.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_4\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_6598409e322e0680bb01e00306842343642ee662a6f95e0d097478c0517879c3\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1933\" height=\"1288\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_4\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;“This country cannot return to autocratic, dynastic rule that destroyed our nation,” said former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal of the UML-US. “The Nepali people have no interest in being servants to anybody.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpeakers accused the monarchists of getting support from elements of the Hindu-right in India. Former king Gyanendra had met Uttar Pradesh’s cleric Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath several times in the past year, and posters with the Yogi have been seen at previous royalist rallies.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eChronic corruption, impunity, poor service delivery and lack of jobs has fed public anger at the three established parties that have taken turns to rule Nepal for the past 20 years or more.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdding fuel to the fire was the sacking this week of the popular head of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Kulman Ghising, and his replacement by the prime minister’s brother-in-law, Hitendra Dev Shakya. \u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_340647eb1ac3e611a7fe9ea5cabe6bc280ec02fd9162e1fdce81a3c7101b6072.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_340647eb1ac3e611a7fe9ea5cabe6bc280ec02fd9162e1fdce81a3c7101b6072\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1872\" height=\"1179\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_b0e1012e17637ceebf2611db796ae745d274636583974f7595b4ab79670b5c37.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_6\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_b0e1012e17637ceebf2611db796ae745d274636583974f7595b4ab79670b5c37\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_6\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn his speech Maoist chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal seemed more introspective and moderated his criticism of the current government.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“Perhaps it is because we republicans were unable to live up to the expectations of the people that the forces that were buried in the rubble of history have dared raise their heads once again today,” Dahal told the crowd.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile these speeches were going on, tension was escalating in Tinkune as pro-monarchists trashed and set fire to an office block, the office of the CPN-Unified Socialists, vandalised the Annapurna Media building, and attempted to break into the offices of the Maoist Centre. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA curfew was imposed in Tinkune and surrounding areas, affecting travellers entering and leaving Kathmandu. Nearby Kathmandu airport was closed for two hours.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_b9d567d96a519dfdf7627ca9bf372a441b47a5f7dc709df94e2042274da1fe23.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_7\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_b9d567d96a519dfdf7627ca9bf372a441b47a5f7dc709df94e2042274da1fe23\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_7\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_277512a9bff76fd425e964f41854f7abd835ce3f38b68e95ec8a4cdd3d4e10c5.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_8\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_277512a9bff76fd425e964f41854f7abd835ce3f38b68e95ec8a4cdd3d4e10c5\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_8\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_9\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_aa52420cd50c238a9cbd7d49855fbd45586098a92dba14f1b5ef3dfad43293b0.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_9\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_aa52420cd50c238a9cbd7d49855fbd45586098a92dba14f1b5ef3dfad43293b0\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1722\" height=\"1144\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_9\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eRoyalist morale was boosted earlier this month to welcome former king Gyanendra to Kathmandu from a trip to western Nepal. Gyanendra has been king twice, and was ousted when an elected Constituent Assembly voted to abolish the monarchy in 2008. In 2015 Nepal’s new Constitution officially declared the country a secular federal republic.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRoyalists like former BBC journalist Rabindra Mishra have been exhorting the Nepal Army and Police to join the protests to reinstate the king, which many have described as provocative and dangerous rhetoric. Earlier this month Mishra told an Indian tv channel that New Delhi should support the reinstatement of a Hindu monarchy in Nepal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndian leaders including External Affairs Ministry S Jaishankar have reportedly told Nepal’s leaders that they do not want to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs tensions escalated on Friday, Mishra absolved himself and the pro-monarchy protesters of responsibility for the casualties and property damage.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_fef2e6aee4a59e2fbec96bba5814af5c18a9390b532fd6cb8d7cb62e86441cdf.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_10\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_fef2e6aee4a59e2fbec96bba5814af5c18a9390b532fd6cb8d7cb62e86441cdf\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_10\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_11\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_a70af2ece39b52108f32560e0a4c06a1ed7cd95e6f0c1c23121e8951b5525cdc.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_11\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_a70af2ece39b52108f32560e0a4c06a1ed7cd95e6f0c1c23121e8951b5525cdc\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_11\"} --\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_12\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250328130336_8d5ab4cbabb4d1ab9bc2fa94711168ea1dc854297b5a427a2030536bc87db75c.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_12\" data-image-id=\"20250328130336_8d5ab4cbabb4d1ab9bc2fa94711168ea1dc854297b5a427a2030536bc87db75c\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pro-monarchy protests 28 March NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_12\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e“No mass movements are under the control of its leaders,” said Mishra. “The government must take responsibility for the loss of life and property incurred today.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite the tough words, Nepal’s royalist bloc seems to lack a unified front. The RPP’s Rajendra Lingden and RPP-Nepal’s Kamal Thapa have distanced themselves from Prasai.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGyanendra himself appears to be content to ride what he thinks is a wave of public support, and leave the organising to his supporters. He has so far not spoken in public except occasional video appearances.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne thing the pro-monarchy protests have done is restore a semblance of unity among the fractious three main parties. Top leaders of the NC, UML and Maoists met earlier this week to chart a response to the royalists, indicating that they are aware of the public mood and are rattled by the scale of support for the former king.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFriday’s protests should serve as a stark reminder to Nepal’s serial prime ministers and their parties that if they do not step up and do their job, street protests could escalate.\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eSeparate pro- and anti-monarchy protests rock Kathmandu amidst arson and looting\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1900,"height":1267,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_835f38d0265352d8d541718331274bee7c1c45f242481c625254286a10ef7556","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_d5cff9ec8a9027ad8b7370e9bb9d500c73b9c56b099cb93c09457cfbd7062778","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_6edc5323c47172fea7a950691e01cc23b9e0bb314fd6cf3ee0f3c2d22a68edfc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_f56f9a4828a6a0f584d9e4011486eaf3950e80d65bb34885f3d7e4156434a4d5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_c3dedfb61f38de1eb93abf2cfc651f18a79a62eb8031b161ceacbeafe28749f9","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_02ea34668f5aa32ccc025be21d99c797d3b6fc3c4d42d697341c6988ddc4db74","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_a08fb4598153492c319d169bccf79b5a89ef0225851d0ba8e24ec50a30aa585a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_6cc91407bd908043d263c71df6976c008e71ad8dd780195fe3dbebaedfe93448","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_23a3192825141942f02b9a18277f8bf81aa33b65e73a23505c9558a29420a1da","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_7460818abd270d5c93099c476d24c40687ce17fa5e049bc991c943468624588f","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1900,"height":1267,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_835f38d0265352d8d541718331274bee7c1c45f242481c625254286a10ef7556","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1900,"height":1267,"image":{"asset_id":"20250328130336_835f38d0265352d8d541718331274bee7c1c45f242481c625254286a10ef7556","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Nepali Times"}},{"id":8057,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-31T10:26:56","slug":"no-smoke-without-fire-p7vb9dcj","title":"No smoke without fire","body":"\u003cp\u003eUsually in winter, air quality in Kathmandu is equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. But \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/wildfire-season-starts-early-in-nepal\"\u003ewildfires raging\u003c/a\u003e across central Nepal for the past weeks may have increased that to four packs a day.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#d:24hrs;@86.3,28.9,7.0z\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eNASA’s Fire Information and Resource Management System (FIRMS)\u003c/a\u003e uses infrared heat detecting satellites to map the world for fires. While central India and Burma are the worst affected, forests along the central Tarai and the mountains south of Kathmandu have hundreds of red dots — each representing a forest fire.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKathmandu Valley had the worst air quality of any city in the world on Monday afternoon, according to \u003ca href=\"https://www.iqair.com/world-air-quality\"\u003eSwiss-based air quality tracker IQ Air\u003c/a\u003e. Air Quality Index (AQI) which measures the concentration of tiny suspended particles in the air smaller than 2.5 microns hit 250 because of soot particles from smoke combined with pre-existing pollution from vehicular and industrial emissions.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250331110320_6ea6ed9ab5fceefd0b46e5ba59222eefe6f838b475a75a5ec2c12598ffccb6eb.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_3\" data-image-id=\"20250331110320_6ea6ed9ab5fceefd0b46e5ba59222eefe6f838b475a75a5ec2c12598ffccb6eb\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1896\" height=\"1000\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"NASA FIRMS 29 March\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eMore than 200 forest fires are burning in central Nepal with prevailing winds blowing it up the valleys to Pokhara and Kathmandu, worsening air quality. This NASA FIRMS satellite image was taken on Sunday afternoon.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_3\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis was ten times higher than what the World Health Organization (WHO) has set as the threshold for healthy air. The microscopic particles cannot be seen by the naked eye and can jump the blood-air divide in capillaries in the lungs causing not just lung infections but also heart disease and cancer.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe immediate effects of air pollution are felt in dry and burning eyes, itchy throats, difficulty breathing, headaches, and dizziness. In the longer term, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major cause of death in Nepal, with the average life expectancy of Kathmandu’s residents has been reduced by 3.5 years.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite studies, Nepal’s leaders are preoccupied with coalition politics, and little action has been taken to control vehicular emissions with green stickers, curb open garbage burning and industrial pollution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudies have shown that in winter 60% of the air pollution over Kathmandu is transboundary from the south, and in November it is compounded by crop residue burning by farmers in India and Pakistan which prevailing winds blow up the Himalayan mountains.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eForest fires are common in Nepal in the pre-monsoon months as farmers and herders set fire to slopes hoping for green shoots when the rains arrive for their livestock. But successive years of winter drought have meant that the wildfires have been starting earlier, and they spread fast because of high afternoon winds this time of year.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eOn 29 March, there were at least 200 fires burning across central Nepal. The FIRMS satellite image also shows thick blue smoke blanketing the river valleys, reducing visibility and affecting flights. On Monday morning three flights attempting to land at Kathmandu airport had to divert due to runway visibility being below minimum.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis level of pollution is classified as ‘extremely unhealthy, and \u0026nbsp;has serious health impact not only on \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/poisoning-children-at-school\"\u003evulnerable groups\u003c/a\u003e like children, the elderly, and those who live with health conditions, but across Kathmandu’s population.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250331110324_b0f149ef5fc3f2657e883c311520b87d45e9636a7464ab418c691dd2bb6f6c7a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"20250331110324_b0f149ef5fc3f2657e883c311520b87d45e9636a7464ab418c691dd2bb6f6c7a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1778\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Pokhara Wildfire NT\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003eA fiery sunset over Phewa Lake in Pokhara on Sunday afternoon was caused by thick smoke from forest fires. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter the\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-revenge-of-the-rivers\"\u003e devastating September floods last year,\u003c/a\u003e Kathmandu Valley and much of the country experienced a prolonged drought with little to no winter rain. Such prolonged dry spells raises fire risk, and with Kathmandu’s bowl-shaped topography concentrates pollutants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThere are indications that high pollution levels do not just harm human health, but are also beginning to affect tourism. Operators in Pokhara said that there were many negative online posts by visitors unable to see the famous panorama of Machapuchre and the Annapurnas even from Sarangkot.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAviation is also affected, as planes have to circle sometimes for hours burning fuel for visibility to get better at Kathmandu airport. The higher fuel cost is just passed down to customers, making air tickets in and out of Kathmandu some of the highest in the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKathmandu’s toxic air quality is not a temporary phenomenon, it has consistently gotten worse. IQ Air places Kathmandu eighth out of 121 capital cities with the worst air quality in 2024, and Nepal is seventh among countries with the highest air pollution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe State of Global Air (SOGA) Report published last June \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bad-air-and-polluted-politics\"\u003erevealed \u003c/a\u003emore than 50,000 Nepalis died from air pollution in 2021, accounting for 19% of all mortality, just behind high blood pressure.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKathmandu, with a population of four million, has not implemented a concrete policy to curb toxic air despite having formulated various action plans and repeated commitments by the government to protect the environment and control air pollution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Department of Environment’s \u0026nbsp;2017 Air Quality Management Action Plan for Kathmandu put forward a policy to reduce air pollution caused by vehicles which was approved by the Cabinet, but has yet to be put to practice.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe action included the immediate implementation of the Euro 5 emission standard to reduce pollution emitted by vehicles. But Nepal has not even been able to implement Euro 4 standards so far. India, meanwhile, has already moved forward with the implementation of the Euro 6 standards.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eDue to smoke from wildfires, Kathmandu once more holds the dubious distinction of the capital with worst air quality\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3c0ca5bd583bd0f14b7baaecbfe0fcc4b1e6e3d94a338959b64bf2d4d1a103b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_0208e92f357f63a2b5c629ad77b63537bd24322865504d1615da1d45b7dcae63","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_4669767861efa57ae4d133751d37cbc6ce3fcde9f75644e7b492c398fbcee0ae","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_cc29482267a4544c816429107622a79ff9fe1e51670e3a5de92fec59567cf036","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_a96c8c8232cf731f70da1910af85f72f72138e38f0f8cf6721c1921ad515a637","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3849126daaecc662ef8671c7e679d8ea57f7a474ff3d5fe39d89aa6bb230b58","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_a7fe533b7e35a8371922b525c560e112a814423ff08b4362321e68be51e32f0a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_aafdea6b09a60622303f3703014eaf0518a546c4042f76636ff193da0ed22cdc","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_6c5583d81ebc8ecc7a9737580b45e599ab40e29f5ac57486af184a05862f226e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_3913769ace0efc6b8ebb124501b5ba2605294141005017a0a888c2da00074aff","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3c0ca5bd583bd0f14b7baaecbfe0fcc4b1e6e3d94a338959b64bf2d4d1a103b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20230901060936_c3c0ca5bd583bd0f14b7baaecbfe0fcc4b1e6e3d94a338959b64bf2d4d1a103b","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":"Nepali Times"}},{"id":8053,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-29T11:23:21","slug":"nepal-s-deja-vu-on-black-friday","title":"Nepal’s déjà vu on Black Friday","body":"\u003cp\u003eOne video on social media shows Avenues tv videographer Suresh Rajak filming \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/republicans-and-royalists-on-nepal-s-streets\"\u003eFriday's pro-monarchy protests\u003c/a\u003e in Kathmandu through windows shattered by stone-throwing crowds on the street below. The steel sliding door has been padlocked from the outside.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMinutes later, the rioters set fire to the building and stoned a fire truck trying to douse the flames. Rajak’s body was found two hours later after colleagues started searching for him.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnlinekhabar journalist Dinesh Gautam was taking pictures of protesters snatching a tear gas gun from a policeman, when they attacked him, fracturing his leg. Across the Tinkune intersection, protesters attempted to set fire to the office of Annapurna Post and pelted stones at the Kantipur Television building. A Himalayan TV van was set alight.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKathmandu woke up on Saturday to watch videos of the violence on their devices, or buy dailies at the newstands. The front pages carried special editorials and publisher’s notes that accused the royalists of deliberately targetting the media.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"http://www.fnjnepal.org/np\"\u003eFederation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ)\u003c/a\u003e organised memorials nationwide for Rajak and called the royalist attacks “a black day for press freedom”, comparing it to the days of the absolute monarchy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The attacks on the press and activists prove that protesters had no intention of peaceful gathering, they were itching for violence,” former FNJ chair Taranath Dahal said at the event in Kathmandu attended by hundreds of journalists.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNepal’s public sphere appears to be polarised by former king Gyanendra Shah’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-ghost-of-monarchy-returns-to-haunt-nepal\"\u003eattempt to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu kingdom\u003c/a\u003e. While the mainstream press is vocally critical of the arson and looting unleashed by his supporters on Friday, on social media the picture is more mixed with many accusing the security forces of provoking the protesters.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe posts say riot police used the roof of the building that was torched to fire tear gas shells at the stage prepared for pro-monarchy figures. Police denied doing this. The owner of Avenues tv, Bhaskar Rajkarnikar, who is on a pro-monarchy committee led by Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala, had one of his own journalists burnt to death by royalist protesters. He has since accused the police of not doing enough to douse the fire and rescue Suresh Rajak.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe other fatality on Friday was 29-year-old Sabin Maharjan who got a police bullet in his neck. At least 112 people were injured, including 77 security officials. Apart from newspaper buildings, protestors vandalised private property, party buildings as well as ransacked a Bhatbhateni department store and a pharmaceutical factory.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLate Friday night, pro-monarchy leaders Rabindra Mishra and MP Dhawal Shumsher Rana of the royalist RPP were arrested for instigating demonstrators to engage in violence. The leader of Friday’s protest, business tycoon and alleged bank defaulter\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/street-politics\"\u003e Durga Prasai\u003c/a\u003e, who rammed his pickup through police cordons, has eluded the police dragnet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany have said that the final responsibility for Friday’s violence lies with Gyanendra Shah, who reportedly instructed Prasai directly on Thursday on plans for the rally. The government is reportedly planning to strip Shah of state facilities granted to him since the monarchy was abolished in 2008, and to cancel his passport because of fears he may flee the country.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEx-king Gyanendra has not yet spoken out about the protests. The RPP under Rajendra Lingden gave moral support to the protest but he had disagreements with Prasai, Mishra and Rana about how and when to hold it. The party meeting on Saturday is said to have decided to continue with “peaceful protests” to restore Nepal’s monarchy. Strategically, it helps Lingden's position within the party that a more radical faction is being blamed for Friday’s violence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFormer prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba of the NC on Saturday warned: “If this is what Gyanendra is doing now, what will he do if he is a king? He has never been a constitutional monarch, and he never will be.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn its Special Editorial titled ‘\u003ca href=\"https://ekantipur.com/opinion/2025/03/29/special-editorial-make-gyanendra-shah-accountable-16-58.html\"\u003eHold Gyanendra Shah Accountable\u003c/a\u003e’ on Saturday, Kantipur wrote: ‘Instead of presenting ideological, political, and practical arguments for monarchy the royalists have engaged in vandalism, arson, and looting, proving that frenzy and chaos is inherent in their identity and character.’\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost editorials and analyses emphasised that Friday’s protest was an indication of public dissatisfaction with Nepal’s three main party leaders who have been prime minister multiple times — their corruption, lack of accountability and impunity.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/sacking-of-nea-chief-exposes-cronyism\"\u003ePublic anger is bubbling away\u003c/a\u003e, and Friday’s mayhem in Tinkune was a manifestation of this. This should be a final wake-up call to political parties to clean up their act, and for ageing leadership to hand the reins to younger untainted figures before the next elections in 2027.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the reason leaders like Balen Shah and Rabi Lamichhane were elected in 2022, and is proof that at least democracy allows citizens to choose their next leaders.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut for democracy to function, it needs checks and balances in place, and this is where the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/media-matters\"\u003erole of the media as a watchdog \u003c/a\u003ebecomes crucial. It is when critical voices are silenced and suppressed, dictators are born.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing an emergency central committee meeting, the FNJ has announced protests demanding action against those involved in the killing of Rajak. “Protesters might have attacked and killed journalists, vandalised equipment and media outlets, but you will lose,” FNJ’s Deepak Acharya said at Saturday’s memorial. “Nepal’s press has always fought authoritarian control and it will keep fighting.”\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[{"swp_author":{"name":"Sonia Awale","role":"writer","avatar_url":null,"slug":"sonia-awale","biography":"Sonia Awale is the Editor of Nepali Times where she also serves as the health, science and environment correspondent. She has extensively covered the climate crisis, disaster preparedness, development and public health -- looking at their political and economic interlinkages. Sonia is a graduate of public health, and has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Hong Kong."}}],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eAttacks on media by pro-monarchy protesters reminiscent of absolute monarchy days\u003c/p\u003e"}],"swp_article_feature_media":{"renditions":[{"name":"original","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_984d74c61cc9f9fde3ce43ad062b345ca27f75ee628188e5635a5912a8256f7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"674x448","width":674,"height":448,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_17185b0a68742042619b9089c304e82c70f2709052d856f239ea34e00aaa7097","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"610x380","width":610,"height":380,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_a90d2a4c7cf052645f14b6063d7b9555bc23f95668b53f11d0b6fa33c5884fc2","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"500x500","width":500,"height":500,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_09581e6761b23dba8a219b3e6ae95aca7e6d5ad046a67f135771b09241b24d2e","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x266","width":400,"height":266,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_404e973b68f8871e40773539fb0e9a5d83f49c08db24c1b8842f1d6f1e23c1db","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x240","width":400,"height":240,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_b02cf2861b1c8c3ad3a30c9479ea1b1b0b1e99620e72e71958c35062f5f4c390","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"400x203","width":400,"height":203,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_22e6e1999cc0afc1c48a3012aea3400edb384564135b06abf3f42654eb05e3f5","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"301x200","width":301,"height":200,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_979167eddd68718dccfe42242f6263a9c044570277c15335ae9ac4bc76690f0a","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1250x600","width":1250,"height":600,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_523ad856b3c67617bb3d3447f470be1815341cc3852d5b71b88427be5c1f920d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"1084x550","width":1084,"height":550,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_e3ced3f804876ae625d86f5e7ca280bab678d2f22d689a4b498d5916550deb07","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"thumbnail","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_984d74c61cc9f9fde3ce43ad062b345ca27f75ee628188e5635a5912a8256f7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}},{"name":"viewImage","width":1500,"height":1000,"image":{"asset_id":"20250330120340_984d74c61cc9f9fde3ce43ad062b345ca27f75ee628188e5635a5912a8256f7d","file_extension":"jpg","variants":["webp"]}}]},"swp_slideshows":[],"swp_route":{"id":8,"staticprefix":"/news"},"swp_article_metadata":{"profile":"News","byline":null}},{"id":8032,"comments_count":0,"lead":null,"paywall_secured":false,"published_at":"2025-03-27T04:43:11","slug":"kathmandu-s-liquid-landscape","title":"Kathmandu’s liquid landscape","body":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/time-capsule-of-kathmandu\"\u003eKathmandu Valley civilisation\u003c/a\u003e can also be called a hydrological culture where sophisticated\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-needs-to-plan-for-plenty-and-scarcity-of-water\"\u003e water management\u003c/a\u003e allowed densely-packed settlements to co-exist with intense \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/back-to-the-future-of-farming\"\u003eagriculture\u003c/a\u003e on the fertile soil of the former lake-bed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth needed plenty of water, but \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/geopolitics-of-nepal-s-rivers\"\u003ethe Valley’s rivers \u003c/a\u003eare not snowfed. So, the rulers of the kingdoms sourced them from the surrounding hills in an elaborate \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-ancient-water-spouts-still-functioning\"\u003enetwork of canals \u003c/a\u003ethat did not just provide water for irrigation and fill ponds that recharged ground water, but also ensured urban supply through sunken spouts called hiti.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032705030_4e0cf8c700f36086c3ea12917b03f2ae1f5224db3c9eac61c02b9a2a0d3ba91a.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_5\" data-image-id=\"2025032705030_4e0cf8c700f36086c3ea12917b03f2ae1f5224db3c9eac61c02b9a2a0d3ba91a\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1500\" height=\"1227\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hiti \"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhoto: HAYLEY SAUL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_5\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe fact that the hiti system is still a vital source of water for the residents of inner city \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-green-city-is-a-smart-city\"\u003eKathmandu\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/patan-for-beginners\"\u003ePatan\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/clash-of-cultures-in-bhaktapur\"\u003eBhaktapur \u003c/a\u003edespite rapid urbanisation is a testament to the engineering and planning expertise of our ancestors dating back to the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/losing-loose-change-in-nepal\"\u003eLichhavi period\u003c/a\u003e (400–750 CE) and later expanded during the Malla era (10th–18th century CE).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘The Liquid Landscape of Kathmandu Valley: Hiti Pranali Water Heritage’ is a new exhibition at\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/patans-museum-piece\"\u003e Patan Museum\u003c/a\u003e to pay tribute to this \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/culture-cannot-be-an-afterthought\"\u003ecultural heritage\u003c/a\u003e and explores recent archaeological research that offers solutions to not just their preservation but also to maintain them to supplement modern systems.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/saving-nepal-s-hiti-heritage\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSaving Nepal’s hiti heritage\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research by Hayley Saul of Heritage for Global Challenges Research Centre and PhD scholar Anoj Khanal at the University of York in the UK entailed using Ground Penetration Radar (GPR) to generate electromagnetic waves to map underground water conduits. Collaborating in the research was engineer and author of the seminal book Hiti Pranali, Padma Sunder Joshi of the Madan Bhandari University of Science and Technology.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“We used GPR to explore if we can find filtration systems or functions that allow for the flow and control of water and its distribution,” Saul explained.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough many of the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/in-with-the-old-in-nepal\"\u003ehistorical monuments of the Valley\u003c/a\u003e that were destroyed in \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lessons-not-learned-from-2015-o2etq6zu\"\u003ethe 2015 earthquake \u003c/a\u003ehave now been rebuilt, there has been minimal work in finding out about underground water conduits that may have been damaged, and in their restitution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA portal into Patan’s past and present\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Prakriti Kandel\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGPR technology can be used to map the main canals (raj kulo) and their branches, explore how they were designed and built in the first place, without having to carry out expensive excavation -- which would be difficult anyway because much of the Valley floor is now built up.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_16\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032705038_c51c4e9e1a59d413f652d10f78b1ea7ee49a6c02e4ca01dff29c1ed79df10796.jpg\" data-media-id=\"editor_16\" data-image-id=\"2025032705038_c51c4e9e1a59d413f652d10f78b1ea7ee49a6c02e4ca01dff29c1ed79df10796\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"14888\" height=\"10627\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hiti GPR results\"\u003e \u003cfigcaption\u003ePhoto: HAYLEY SAUL and ANOJ KHANAL\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/figcaption\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_16\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eLocal governments can now use the data collected by the researchers to map out the network canals, enforce building restrictions if needed and to maintain them.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hiti of Kathmandu were not just functional, but sacred and served as social and spiritual hubs. They provided water for drinking, laundry, household use, rituals, while also serving as gathering places for communities.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith the\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/water-for-the-ages\"\u003e introduction of modern water mains \u003c/a\u003efrom the late 19\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e century onwards and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/cost-of-living-in-a-big-city\"\u003erapid urban growth\u003c/a\u003e, many hiti have fallen into disrepair or dried up. Of the at least 573 stone spouts once counted in Kathmandu Valley, many are lost, damaged, or no longer functional due to neglect, pollution, and encroachment of ponds and canals that feed them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJoshi explains that\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/review/thimi-s-urban-tissue\"\u003e Kathmandu’s ancient urban planners \u003c/a\u003edeveloped the hiti network after the kingdoms located to higher ground to leave the lower areas for \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/aid-rarely-aids-agriculture-in-nepal\"\u003eagriculture\u003c/a\u003e. It forced them to devise ways to bring water through a network of canals fed by aquifiers, and use the gradient to sunken hiti stone spouts for distribution.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025032705034_ae12c7503ea6717c4a727a1c14a500f964e0e86668f9f923950cfb8a6c907d81.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_21\" data-image-id=\"2025032705034_ae12c7503ea6717c4a727a1c14a500f964e0e86668f9f923950cfb8a6c907d81\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"890\" height=\"677\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Hiti map\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_21\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe exhibition at Patan Museum also demonstrates that the hiti system incorporates space for living beings, making it a self-functioning \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/people-tigers-trees-and-rivers\"\u003eecosystem \u003c/a\u003ein itself. The existence of plants such as ferns and algae, and snakes and frogs indicate a \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/orchids-of-godavari-phulchoki\"\u003ehealthy ecosystem \u003c/a\u003ein the sunken spouts. Absence of such biodiversity today indicates that the \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-the-waters-of-life\"\u003ewater systems\u003c/a\u003e have been degraded or \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/too-little-too-much-or-too-polluted\"\u003epolluted\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e“The\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/nepal-must-keep-water-on-its-land\"\u003e ponds \u003c/a\u003ewere used to collect water and recharge groundwater and aquifers,” explains Joshi. “They were primarily used for farming ducks which needed the algae in the ponds as food.”\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery June just before \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/managing-the-monsoon\"\u003ethe monsoon\u003c/a\u003e, Kathmandu Valley’s \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/kathmandu-marks-ihi-with-a-difference\"\u003eNewa community \u003c/a\u003eritually cleans wells and other sources of water to maintain drainage and ensure that they serve as effective storage systems. Which is why Kathmandu’s hydrological culture is such an important part of its civilisation to this day.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED START Image {id: \"editor_29\"} --\u003e \u003cfigure\u003e \u003cimg src=\"https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250327100320_02d01e05c3f8aa3cde1f5af1569e8e09bf84dee88ebda76bb68ee0e0df669c80.png\" data-media-id=\"editor_29\" data-image-id=\"20250327100320_02d01e05c3f8aa3cde1f5af1569e8e09bf84dee88ebda76bb68ee0e0df669c80\" data-rendition-name=\"original\" width=\"1339\" height=\"634\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Kathmandu hiti NT\"\u003e \u003c/figure\u003e \u003c!-- EMBED END Image {id: \"editor_29\"} --\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRead also: \u003c/b\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-water-emergency\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Water Emergency\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Ajaya Dixit\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe underground network of water canals also showed advanced engineering skills, and the system was so well built that it has lasted centuries, even though local communities may have lost the skills needed to build and maintain them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSays Anoj Khanal, “The wisdom from the past must be preserve and used. The technique and knowledge must be adapted to the modern times.” The York University team used the GPR technology at 33 hiti sites in Patan, and now hope to do similar research in Kathmandu.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hiti system thrived because it worked in balance with nature which has been disrupted with modern pressures as over-extraction of ground water and the disappearance of recharge ponds. Pollution from septic tanks and \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/blueprint-for-a-net-zero-nepal\"\u003eindustrial waste\u003c/a\u003e contaminate aquifers, while \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood\"\u003eclimate breakdown\u003c/a\u003e alter rainfall patterns. Many hiti that once flowed year-round are now dry even during \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/news/soon-monsoon\"\u003ethe monsoon\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe hiti exhibition showcases the intricate \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage\"\u003eheritage of Kathmandu Valley\u003c/a\u003e’s water supply network and how \u003ca href=\"https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/tech-and-transition-in-nepal\"\u003emodern technology\u003c/a\u003e can help restore them. It is also a call to action to preserve the canals, spouts, ponds and the catchment areas on the Valley’s rim.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSays Khanal, “It is possible to revive the hiti using the maps of water conduits underground to figure out alternate routes where water can flow. It is better late than never.”\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Liquid Landscape of Kathmandu Valley: Hiti Pranali Water Heritage\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eUntil 30 March\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatan Museum\u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","swp_article_authors":[],"swp_article_extra":[{"embed":null,"field_name":"subhead","value":"\u003cp\u003eResearch maps network of ancient water canals that still function despite urban 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