Nepalis are proud to proclaim that the Buddha was born in Nepal, but the over-development of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/telling-the-story-of-buddha-s-lumbini">Lumbini</a> may mean that the nativity site could be struck off the World Heritage Sites listing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Nepal is internationally recognised for its cultural landmarks and their protection, but &nbsp;corruption, commercialisation and over-development are endangering sites like Lumbini and Pashupatinath Temple.&nbsp; World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for their historical, cultural or natural significance, and Nepal has four landmarks in the listing: Kathmandu Valley, Sagarmatha National Park, Chitwan National Park and Lumbini.&nbsp; It is difficult to be struck off the list, but UNESCO can put some landmarks in the List of World Heritage in danger. The spotlight is now on Lumbini and Pashupati because of recent construction. U Thant, the United Nations Secretary-General from Burma who <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/u-thant-kenzo-tange-and-the-buddhas-birthplace">visited Lumbini in 1977</a>, hired famous Japanese architect Kenzō Tange to devise a masterplan for the site. It has taken nearly 40 years for Tange’s scheme to more or less be put together, but the Lumbini Development Trust (LDT) has been flouting the Tange design. For example, a concrete and glass structure is coming up right next to Mayadevi Temple, an area of unexcavated archaeological significance. More recently, LDT announced that it was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/lharkyal-lama-s-lumbini-inc">leasing out to a private company</a> for 99 years the sacred Ramgram Stupa, 35km east of Lumbini, one of eight sites in the Subcontinent with corporeal remains of the Buddha. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The plan was cancelled in January by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee which also demanded a corruption probe into the Rs7 billion deal to lease 81 hectares around Ramgram for 99 years. The deal was to the Singapore-based Moksha Foundation and its Nepali counterpart The Promised Land, owned by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal’s landlord’s son.&nbsp; LDT is now headed by political broker and shady former lawmaker Lharkyal Lama, who was appointed by Prime Minister Dahal despite knowledge about his murky past. &nbsp; Neither the Ministry of Culture nor the Department of Archaeology had prior knowledge of the Ramgram proposal, and this lack of oversight and accountability has further eroded the LDT’s credibility, increasing concern about conflict of interest and political patronage.After the controversy erupted, an LDT executive committee meeting shelved the Ramgram agreement. &nbsp;&nbsp; The Heritage Site listing doubts come just as another ancient Buddha-era settlement of Tilaurakot near Lumbini is about to be added to the UNESCO Heritage List.&nbsp; Meanwhile, in Kathmandu, the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) also faces the risk of having one of Hinduism’s holiest shrines delisted from the World Heritage Sites.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032213038_4d830080d521db354a577a999e97d850282dab6cbf6795b04cab76535d1300cc.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024032213038_4d830080d521db354a577a999e97d850282dab6cbf6795b04cab76535d1300cc" data-rendition-name="original" width="1574" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Pashupati NT"> </figure>  The reason is similar to what has tainted Lumbini: political interference. LDT and PADT are chaired by the Minister of Civil Aviation and Culture, but are supposed to operate autonomously from the government. The minister has just been replaced by another Maoist confidante of Dahal, Hit Man Tamang. PADT’s director Laxmi Pun was suspended soon after her appointment because she did not meet qualifications for the job. There is also a brewing controversy involving the Digital Copyright Act about the right to film the Ganga Arati evening prayer ritual at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-healer-of-pashupati">Pashupati</a> by the entertainment company Budha Subba Digital.&nbsp; The company says it signed a deal with PADT, but this is denied by spokesperson Rewati Raman Adhikari whose signature is on the agreement between Budha Subba Digital and PADT. Now, both PADT and Adhikari vehemently deny any ownership or knowledge of such an agreement.&nbsp; “We don’t know how they got the stamp, this is nonsense,” Adhikari told Nepali Times. He added that PADT is working on crowd management at the evening prayers after several near stampedes. &nbsp; Adhikari says the Ganga Arati is not under the jurisdiction of PADT, but organised by a separate entity. He notes that the prayer ritual adopted more than a decade ago is not inherently a part of Nepali culture.&nbsp; Our investigation shows that on 15 June, 2023 former Minister of Tourism and Culture Sudan Kirati signed an agreement permitting the Kirat ethnic group to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/life-after-death">bury their dead</a> within the sacred Shleshmantak forest until a permanent burial site was found in three months.&nbsp; Six months have passed but no alternative site has been designated. Nabin Manandhar of Kathmandu Metropolitan Office had no idea about the agreement Kirati signed. Rewati Raman Adhikari also had no idea about an agreement. PADT has already been wracked by a corruption scandal over missing gold used to make a new necklace for the main Pashupati deity. Thapa is facing charges related to corruption in that case which goes back to when K P Oli was Prime Minister in 2021. &nbsp;

Unholy developments at holy sites

Bottom

As of 28 March, Turkish Airlines resumed flights to Tripoli, the capital of Libya. There will be two flights on Thursdays and one each on Tuesdays and Sundays. Flights will cost $379 to Tripoli, and $299 back. With this resumption, the carrier now flies to 62 destinations in Africa, and 346 worldwide, connecting 130 countries.

Turkish back in Tripoli

The Indian Embassy has donated Rs40.29 million to Diding Elementary School in Sankhuwasabha to build two storey buildings with rooms for educational and administrative purposes as part of India’s contribution to Nepal’s education and health care sectors. In the past, India has been helping establish hospitals, and donated ambulances and school buses to Nepal.&nbsp;

Indian school aid

Glocal After School organised the 5th edition of Skill Week 2024 in Kathmandu. Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya were recognised for their achievements in Arts and Culture. King’s College director Narottam Aryal was awarded for Entrepreneurship. Chhaya Sharma, founder of Nepal College of Travel and Tourism Management, was recognised for her work in Tourism and Hospitality. Cardiothoracic surgeon Bhagawan Koirala was awarded for his work in medicine. &nbsp;

Glocal After School

Your direction is more important than your speed. -Richard L. Evans  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024041213040_eb9aac90577bc486d76b913a1e411257073f47ae1e47fee0da21a942f338cf28.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024041213040_eb9aac90577bc486d76b913a1e411257073f47ae1e47fee0da21a942f338cf28" data-rendition-name="original" width="2700" height="2700" loading="lazy" alt="miss moti"> </figure>

Your direction is more important

While Nepal’s calendar enters the eighties on Saturday 13 April, this is a good time to pause and think about what might lie ahead for Nepal and the world in Gregorian year 2081.
The world is too late to limit the global average temperature to 1.5°C. By 2081, ocean expansion and heat stress will lead to mass migration to higher latitudes and altitudes. Multi-disasters, conflicts and food shortages will stalk the planet.
At the present rate of birth rate declines, China’s population will have shrunk to 850 million. By 2081, there will only be half as many Koreans as there are today. Nepal’s population pyramid will have inverted by then, and total inhabitants will decline to 22 million.
The outmigration of Nepalis from the mountains to the plains will likely start reversing in the next few decades. The Gulf states will be too hot to work in. Half the remaining Himalayan glaciers will have melted off, reducing the dry season flow of our rivers.&nbsp;
These are changes we know are coming, so we might as well prepare for them. Alas, the world is still in business as usual mode. Most politicians do not recognise the urgency of the crisis, and are haggling over who gets to sit in the best chair on the tilting deck of the Titanic.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/year-of-reckoning">Year of reckoning</a>, Editorial
India, China, US
Meanwhile, 2081 BS will see elections in the two biggest democracies, India and the United States, that will have a bearing on the region and the world. Proximity means Nepal will be impacted more immediately by the outcome in India, where a third term as Prime Minister for Narendra Modi seems to be a foregone conclusion in marathon elections from 19 April to 1 June.
Nepal is already feeling the spillover of India’s election fever as shown by Hindu-Muslim riots in Sunsari last week, and the anti-secular pro-monarchist rally in Kathmandu on Tuesday.&nbsp;
Under the Hindu-supremacist BJP since 2014, India has slid into dangerous authoritarianism, intolerance and systematic persecution of minorities. There is now not even a modicum of decency as opposition leaders are thrown into jail on trumped up charges, and their vilification amplified by a pliant mass media.
The West looks away as the BJP tightens control and squelches the media and democratic values, since India’s 8% growth is important for trade. New Delhi is even excused for breaking sanctions against Russia. India’s economic engine will pull Nepal along, but its politics could tear the intricate ethnic fabric of our society.&nbsp;
Over on the other side of the planet, Joe Biden and Donald Trump are readying for a second face-off. Much like in Nepal, US politics also seems to be populated by tired old men reluctant to let go.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-f-word-9yauh6kl">The F word</a>, Editorial
Much like how photographs from Vietnam swayed domestic public opinion against the war, the daily bombardment of images of children maimed and killed in Gaza has turned US public opinion against Biden. His administration parachutes food into Gaza, while shipping more bombs to Israel.
The war may prolong Benjamin Netanyahu’s hold on power in Israel, but it may cost Biden a second presidential term. Trump will be no better on Palestinian independence, and his threat to pull out of NATO is already ringing alarm bells in Europe.&nbsp;
Trump is campaigning on an anti-immigrant platform, and exaggerating the threat on the Mexican border. He wants immigrants only from ‘nice’ countries, and not from ‘shitholes’ like Nepal.
America’s domestic polarisation, Trump’s rejection of multilateralism, Biden’s unpopularity on the world stage because of Gaza, and panic in Europe over losing the American security umbrella to confront Putin’s Russia has geopolitically weakened the West. This means that for Nepal, the looming presence of next door India and China will be felt even more than before.
It was the West that traditionally pushed for human rights, transitional justice, democracy and the free press in Nepal. Now, we have to contend with two giant neighbours who do not believe in those concepts, and have in fact undermined them within their own societies.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/at-home-and-abroad">At home and abroad</a>, Editorial
Here and now
Back in Nepal, the government has selected more than 400 Nepalis to work in Israel as caregivers. Nepalis continue to enlist in the Russian Army even as the Labour Ministry prepares to lift the ban on work permits in Russia.
The new UML-Maoist-led coalition has reaffirmed the transient nature of Nepali politics. Political allies become rivals overnight, and the RSP on whom many Nepalis had pinned their hopes is behaving like the mainstream parties it once vowed to hold to account.&nbsp;
Public disillusionment with Nepal’s party politics has emboldened populist and nationalist forces that are set on dismantling the 2015 secular, federal republic constitution.
Such political disarray will not help us in Nepal face the challenges wrought by the climate crisis in the decades ahead.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/nepal-s-corruption-carousel">Nepal’s corruption carousel</a>, Editorial

New year, same difference

Through the intricate lattice window on the western facade of the palace must have been from where the Malla kings of Patan looked down at the square below.&nbsp; Today, visitors to Patan Museum can sit at the exact corner and see the same square which, several centuries later, remains largely unchanged. Except for the tourists and devotees at Krishna Mandir and other temples.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_31791a3a564ecaf85ad9e9ee52488bff034a5336f6561a0df2cb6d8e740cacea.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240329060316_31791a3a564ecaf85ad9e9ee52488bff034a5336f6561a0df2cb6d8e740cacea" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> <figcaption>Keshav Narayan Chok. All photos: SUMAN NEPALI(Photo: suman)</figcaption> </figure>  Inside is the best-designed museum in Nepal, the work of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Back-to-Basics-in-Bhaktapur,1377">Götz Hagmüller</a> and his team of architects, who had made Bhaktapur his home and who died in February. Hagmüller did not just restore the old palace, but also designed the museum interior and curated the exhibits. But most importantly, the team ensured that the museum would have an independent governing body that would use revenue from fees and events for the museum’s upkeep. This has given the museum a rare longevity for an institution in Nepal. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/kathmandu-s-legacy-is-goetz-hagmueller-s-legacy">Kathmandu’s legacy is Götz Hagmüller’s legacy</a>, Kunda Dixit  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_460c6ade80ae4064d3f761de57b7a004f9b755645db3185366754b1d2ffe82e4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240329060316_460c6ade80ae4064d3f761de57b7a004f9b755645db3185366754b1d2ffe82e4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> </figure>  The result is more than one of Kathmandu’s most popular destinations for visitors, but a museum that serves an educational function for Nepali students, supplementing what they learn in social studies and history classes in school. The carefully curated bronze, stone and wooden figures span Nepal’s religious faiths, historical periods and geographical zones, providing a striking experience of exploration and learning. Hagmüller led the restoration project of the Keshav Narayan Chok and the dilapidated palace structure, preserving the traditional architecture of the palace while modernising it to suit modern museum necessities. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/learning-from-nepals-past-to-rebuild-its-future/" target="_blank">Learning from Nepal's past to rebuilt its future</a>, Prakriti Kandel  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_bfc89739080a1339c9db8a83c7bc332aea37893f6cd9cb506b1a369ac9a68d00.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240329060316_bfc89739080a1339c9db8a83c7bc332aea37893f6cd9cb506b1a369ac9a68d00" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> </figure>  At a time when technology has taken over, and patience to learn through real experiences has decreased, Patan Museum is a space for young students and visitors to learn about Nepal’s glorious past, its culture, and observe intricate Nepali craftsmanship. “Patan Museum is a place of learning regarding two major aspects: heritage and art, specifically relating to Hinduism and Buddhism,” explains Suresh Man Lakhe of Patan Museum. “Students may learn about Buddha’s life in their textbooks, but the museum supplements that learning by letting them visualise his legacy.” &nbsp; Only 200 of the Museum’s expansive collection of 1,100 objects are currently on view, and they are spread across eight themed galleries. Images range from major gods of the Hindu pantheon such as Vishnu, Shiva and Ganesh to benign or fierce representations of Bodhisattvas.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/preserving-patan-post-earthquake">Preserving Patan post-earthquake</a>, Claire Burket  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_40b0b223afe15566e200ac14f69a527eacc736b040f5b5d982930aa601c51b41.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240329060316_40b0b223afe15566e200ac14f69a527eacc736b040f5b5d982930aa601c51b41" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> <figcaption>Dipankara Buddha</figcaption> </figure>  The section on Buddhist chaityas has clear explanatory notes about the significance of their design. No student will look at Swayambhu or Boudha after learning why the spire and cupola look the way they do. Indeed, all the exhibits have bilingual captions with comprehensive backgrounds about the myths and symbols present in the art pieces and their approximate age. This helps answer frequently asked questions from students such as the reason behind the multiple heads and hands of deities, the symbolic ornaments of Shiva and Vishnu, and the significance of the stupa design.&nbsp; The composition, medium, symbols, and expressions of bronze gilt copper repoussé are explained in detail, including the craftsmanship of the lost wax process. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/bedrock-of-buddhism">Bedrock of Buddhism</a>, Kunda Dixit  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_8e1bcf9bace65f4b7ba2c8b05cf92337b1f54d12776ebc0841bd179b56faf7a9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20240329060316_8e1bcf9bace65f4b7ba2c8b05cf92337b1f54d12776ebc0841bd179b56faf7a9" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> <figcaption>Students can learn in detail the process of creating a repoussé mask at the Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  Gallery B has explanations of Ganesh in a military avatar, ablaze with a flaming backdrop, and another of the elephantine god with six heads and six arms. He rests on snakes in one sculpture and is part of an oil lamp in another. There are nuanced variations in the depiction of Ganesh’s eyes and trunks in each of the objects. "Patan Museum, and indeed the whole Darbar Square, is a living heritage where our students learn history through the architecture, art, culture, and festivals,” says Rekha Pandey, a social studies teacher and educator at Rato Bangala Foundation. “It is ideal learning as the museum exhibits provide a multi-sensory experience that cannot be found in textbooks or lectures.” Museum staff are planning interactive worksheets and cards as learning devices with colourful and interactive worksheets ‘Let’s Discover Patan Darbar’ that allow students to navigate the historic square.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/itumbahas-living-museum">Itumbaha's living museum</a>, Sahina Shrestha  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_1d6a101fa7f8c593070171abbf2866b73497ac3a10f5660bb716f1aa85da9aa6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20240329060316_1d6a101fa7f8c593070171abbf2866b73497ac3a10f5660bb716f1aa85da9aa6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> <figcaption>A 12th-century limestone sculpture of Uma-Maheswar depicting Shiva’s family on Mount Kailash.</figcaption> </figure>  Lakhe says the museum can expand its instructional function with a separate education department. “With additional resources devoted to education, we can focus on creating much more learning opportunities for students,” he adds. &nbsp; There is a story behind every exhibit at the Museum. Gallery B, for example, hosts a 12th-century limestone sculpture of Uma-Maheswar depicting Shiva’s divine family on Mount Kailash. This statue was stolen in 1982 and then returned by a museum in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-did-a-nepali-ritual-altar-end-up-in-berlin">Berlin</a> in 1990. Another piece shows Vishnu carried by the Sunbird, a copper alloy sculpture dating back to the 17th century, adorned with metallic Garuda wings. Students can learn in detail the process of creating a repoussé mask, from an initial pencil design to the feeling of the hammer hitting the bronze sheet. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/remembering-nepals-lost-and-the-found">Remembering Nepal's lost and the found</a>, Ashish Dhakal  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240329060316_4431f200938cef4be6b390dbde827c0973d85c2ab36dcc1669e6b9dc92319f3e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20240329060316_4431f200938cef4be6b390dbde827c0973d85c2ab36dcc1669e6b9dc92319f3e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="A portal into Patan’s past and present Page 6-7 #1025 NT"> <figcaption>Tusha Hiti where King Siddhi Narsingh Malla used to pray and meditate in the 1640s.</figcaption> </figure>  Patan Museum provides an open-air experience, it is not limited to a building but has access to multiple courtyards including the Mul Chok and Sundari Chok with the exquisite Tusha Hiti step well, and the Bhandarkhal Tank. One of the treasures of the Patan Museum is Tusha Hiti step well where King Siddhi Narsingh Malla used to pray and meditate in the 1640s overlooking a gilded copper spout depicting a Garuda and Laxmi Narayan, and embellished by over 50 carved stone deities in thrones of carved foliage. Visitors can retrace the steps of past royals and their court treading the same stone steps that have been polished by the passage of feet and time.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/patan-heritage-in-fantasy-fiction">Patan heritage in fantasy fiction</a>, Trishagni Sakya

A portal into Patan’s past and present

Formal education in schools and universities became available to ordinary Nepalis only 70 years ago. But even then women were not encouraged to get an education.&nbsp; The 1971 Education Plan laid out a strategy to raise literacy levels, and encouraged girls’ enrollment in schools. Over the decades, female teachers were added to school faculties, girls were given scholarships and free basic education and women’s rights were enshrined in the Constitution.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070340_f88f873c913f8f2462393927e5e05021cf1f9819eab883262f3e000895765dec.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240317070340_f88f873c913f8f2462393927e5e05021cf1f9819eab883262f3e000895765dec" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="age no bar"> <figcaption>ALL PHOTOS: GOPEN RAI</figcaption> </figure>  The progress is undeniable: Nepal now boasts near-equal enrollment rates for both boys and girls at primary level. However, dropout rates for young women is still high in secondary and higher education. The female literacy rate is 69.4% compared to 83.6% for males. Socio-cultural norms, poverty, child marriage and lack of proper sanitation facilities in schools are factors hindering equal access to education.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070340_9d99549d1480caacc3aa9ced49dc83cdea6148a5df4a3e53d3297f95e9bf2ff9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240317070340_9d99549d1480caacc3aa9ced49dc83cdea6148a5df4a3e53d3297f95e9bf2ff9" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="age no bar"> </figure>  But in a case of better late than never, older women who were denied education when young are enrolling in formal education. “We have studied that men and women are wheels of the same chariot. How can the chariot move forward when one wheel is well oiled and the other is not,” asks Anjana Maharjan, Principal of Shradha Mahila Alternative Secondary School in Swayambhu that offers classes from Grade 1 through 10 for girls 12 years and above.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070328_b4438e12d33f45dda5b8f285735c0ffc66230fc2f4e3f27267f4e88da7c1b24d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240317070328_b4438e12d33f45dda5b8f285735c0ffc66230fc2f4e3f27267f4e88da7c1b24d" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="Age no bar"> </figure>  “When a man is educated, the house prospers, whereas when a woman is educated, the family prospers. When a family is capable, the village becomes capable. When a village becomes capable, the country develops,” she adds. But the road back to the classroom is not always smooth. Household chores for women often leave little time for studies. The social stigma of starting school later in life or the fear of being judged can be deterrents for some. Many lack of support from their families, and have to lie about going to school.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070340_f10385968c6fd0a31856b9e6da39648857c9e039a40265cad19301bbc0cd9a5e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240317070340_f10385968c6fd0a31856b9e6da39648857c9e039a40265cad19301bbc0cd9a5e" data-rendition-name="original" width="5719" height="3812" loading="lazy" alt="age no bar"> </figure>  “There are students here who come here while telling their family that they are going to work,” says Prabha Chalise, Principal at Prerana Mahila Secondary School in Satdobato that provides classes for young women 14 years and older.&nbsp; Some women stay on after class to finish their assignments and leave their books in school so that no one back home finds out.&nbsp; “Society and family should encourage women, they must inspire them and push them to get an education, not judge them for it,” says Chalise. Meet some of the women achieving their lifelong dream of attending school: Indra Kumari Ale, 71  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070320_6074a2419e92ce4ac3d3bf285dd8dcfd6a07121b2622920c64f9acb65919d738.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240317070320_6074a2419e92ce4ac3d3bf285dd8dcfd6a07121b2622920c64f9acb65919d738" data-rendition-name="original" width="3840" height="2416" loading="lazy" alt="Indra Kumari Ale"> </figure>  Every morning, Indra Kumari Ale takes a half an hour walk from her home in Kusunti to Prerana Mahila Secondary School in Satdobato, carrying a blue and purple backpack. Once inside the brown gates, she makes her way to the second floor and takes her place inside the classroom. Growing up in Syangja, Ale got basic education, but her father thought girls did not need education and married her off at the age of 18. Her husband was in the Indian army, and Ale took care of her in-laws while he was away serving.&nbsp; For 25 years, the two maintained a long-distance relationship and her husband would only be home during holidays. Because she herself could not go to school, Ale made sure all her children did. Her two older daughters were married off after completing high school, and her youngest daughter has completed medical school. &nbsp;&nbsp; During all the time she was home looking after the family, Ale yearned to go to school but that dream never materialised until 2015 when her youngest daughter, convinced her to join the school for women. &nbsp; She started in Grade 1, and excelled in studies, got the highest scores in class skipped grades. “It was easy in the lower classes, even till class 7/8, but it is more difficult now more so because of my age, my eyes and ears have started to fail,” she says.&nbsp; Last year, Ale sat for her SEE exams, which she says was “fun”, giving the test with other students who were her grandchildren’s age.&nbsp; “The students as well as the teachers there showed me love and respect as I was sitting for exams at my age. I did not think I would pass, but I did,” she says.&nbsp; Until then not many outside Ale’s family knew she was going to school. When the results were announced, people from her locality came to know that she had passed the SEE exams, and they came together to honour her for her achievement.&nbsp; Now in Grade 11, she is proud of her decision to go to school. “In the past when my neighbours asked where I was going carrying a backpack, I would say I’m going for a walk,” says Ale. “These days everyone in my community knows I go to school and they love and respect me for continuing my education.” Education has not only given Ale recognition in her family and society but has also helped her become more independent. “From reading signboards to hailing buses, I can do all that by myself now,” she says. “Now, I understand English even if I can’t speak it properly yet, I did not think I’d be able to do all this at this age.” Prem Kumari Rajkoti Magar, 55  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070320_2f9f1b34ba9ec0f43524398cea9ef85d1f0864310e2434e522d80c0367278885.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240317070320_2f9f1b34ba9ec0f43524398cea9ef85d1f0864310e2434e522d80c0367278885" data-rendition-name="original" width="5880" height="3892" loading="lazy" alt="Prem Kumari Rajkoti Magar"> <figcaption>Prem Kumari Rajkoti Magar, 55</figcaption> </figure>  In the mountains of Palpa, Prem Kumari Rajkoti Magar was known for her dulcet voice and an interest in singing. Villagers would invite her to perform in rodhi, dohori and other programs. She happily obliged. Over the years, she published two albums and played small roles in Nepali tele serials but she was troubled by the fact that she did not know how to read or write. She came to Kathmandu 25 years ago, where her husband landed a job. She also looked for jobs in offices, but they said the most she was capable of was cleaning and mopping floors.&nbsp; “I faced a lot of humiliation because I could not read or write,” recalls Magar. Once, while auditioning for a role in a Nepali movie, she was handed her lines. A younger woman read them out for her so she could memorise them, but not before remarking, “Why would a person who cannot even read the lines apply?” &nbsp; She was embarrassed, and the comment damaged her confidence. She fumbled through the audition and was not surprised when she did not get the role. “Even when singing, I kept thinking that if I knew how to read, I wouldn’t have to struggle to memorise all the words, I could even write my own songs,” says Magar. “All of these life experiences taught me the importance of education.” Magar always wanted to study but growing up she never had the chance to because “education was never a priority in the village” and for her parents. Once she was married, she was too busy taking care of the household.&nbsp; Magar had given up on ever learning to read when she learnt of Shraddha Mahila Alternative Secondary School in Swayambhu, and made up her mind to enroll. Her husband and sons supported her decision, and she got enrolled in Grade 1.&nbsp; “I did not feel embarrassed to study with students who were younger than me, plus there were others who were similar to me in age and older learning their alphabets too,” she says.&nbsp; For nearly two years, she has been taking care of household chores and rushing to school every morning. &nbsp;This year she had to take two months off from school when her daughter-in-law gave birth but is now back in class. Now in Grade 2, Magar diligently attends school from 11am to 3pm every weekday and says she can now confidently sign her name in both English and Nepali, and use her mobile phone. She wants to study as long as she is healthy and can move around. “I am happy that I get to study at this age,” says Magar. “Women should study so that they can be financially and socially independent. When they are educated they will know the ways of the world, they won't get cheated, they can maintain their privacy and more importantly they can voice their opinion.” Shobha Thapa, 60  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070324_9e63b29002a8c8a3a5b9409716fba9e810ada69adbf6a3e055f50181b1f76553.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240317070324_9e63b29002a8c8a3a5b9409716fba9e810ada69adbf6a3e055f50181b1f76553" data-rendition-name="original" width="4627" height="3084" loading="lazy" alt="Shobha Thapa"> <figcaption>Shobha Thapa, 60</figcaption> </figure>  When she was young, Shobha Thapa learned to recognise the Nepali alphabets by peeking and eavesdropping on her siblings' lessons. She never got to go to school, and once married got too busy raising children. But she made sure her children would get the best education and enrolled them in English medium schools. “The teachers would talk to me in English,” recalls Thapa. “I couldn’t understand anything but I was too embarrassed to admit it or ask what they meant.” At home, she would often feel excluded when people said she would not understand the issue because she was uneducated. “There are simply too many humiliations for me to recount now. But what they all taught me was that education is important,” says Thapa. She could not muster up the courage to tell her husband about her desire to go to school. But one day he himself brought home a newspaper featuring a story of Prerana Mahila Secondary School. She told him she wanted to enroll, and he agreed.&nbsp; Her youngest son had just come home after graduating from an engineering college, so she asked him to take her to the school for admissions. Thapa finally started school at age 50.&nbsp; “I cannot describe the feeling of happiness on that first day,” says Thapa who is now in Grade 11. “I felt that I had already achieved a lot.” Her zeal was so strong she would have her books open when she was cooking or doing laundry.&nbsp; Thapa was the top performing student till the pandemic hit. “I did not know how to use a laptop, but managed to take online classes,” says Thapa who was much happier when physical classes resumed. She says she still needs to work on her English.&nbsp; After passing her SEE exams last year, she has felt a shift in people’s attitude towards her. “People who called me hariyo kakro (why eat green cucumbers when it’s time to die) now show respect and ask me for help,” she says.&nbsp; Thapa wants to continue in her path and is proud of what she has achieved. She doesn’t hesitate to tell everyone that she is in school or encourage other women to start studying. She adds, “Education opens up the world. It is what makes us human beings and it is especially important for women because she needs to be strong to face the world.” Surya Kumari Shrestha, 67  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070344_315fbecadb75acba0c8abd602bcc3d53d5bc0bb98e60ec378e942022b3a9d447.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240317070344_315fbecadb75acba0c8abd602bcc3d53d5bc0bb98e60ec378e942022b3a9d447" data-rendition-name="original" width="4344" height="2866" loading="lazy" alt="Surya Kumari Shrestha"> </figure>  As a child, Surya Kumari Shrestha never went to school even though there was one in her village. She did attend kindergarten, writing on slates with chalk. But she never continued in school. Later when her contemporaries went on to hold jobs and some worked as teachers, she regretted not studying, and spent most of her life thinking ‘what if’. 20 years ago, she moved to Kathmandu. In her new home, there was a telephone that her family members used often. “Everyone dialed different numbers to talk to different people and I wondered how they did that,” remembers Shrestha. “I had no idea how it worked.” Today, she comfortably uses her mobile and talks to her daughters and video calls her son in Japan. “I dial the numbers myself and call whoever I want to call,” she says. “Maybe I cannot do everything, but I can do more now than when I did not go to school.” A student of Grade 8 at Shraddha Mahila Alternative Secondary School, for Shrestha the decision to join the school was not just to study but also for companionship.&nbsp; With her son abroad and her daughters married, Shrestha lives alone with her dog Pinki. “If I don’t come to school, I don’t have anyone to talk to. Here I have friends and I get to learn new things,” she says.&nbsp; Her children, relatives and neighbours all know that she is attending school and support her decision. On days when she is at home, her neighbours ask why she is missing class.&nbsp; Education has given her the confidence to face the world as a single woman. Recently when she was asked for her thumbprints on a document, she replied that she could sign her own name.&nbsp; Says Shrestha, “I want to sit for SEE exams and then go to college. Education has brought about many positive changes in my life.” Nirmala Chhetri, 56  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240317070324_0335aab1fa79e1f2a4bd421c12538054a5c571d9fec53b1d199c281882781a12.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240317070324_0335aab1fa79e1f2a4bd421c12538054a5c571d9fec53b1d199c281882781a12" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="Nirmala Chhetri"> <figcaption>Nirmala Chhetri, 56</figcaption> </figure>  Nirmala Chhetri is a social activist and an entrepreneur. Over the years, she worked at various hotels, opened and operated a women’s cooperative, ran her own tailoring business and is now with the Godavari Chamber of Commerce and Industry.&nbsp; On the outside, her life looked good, but Chhetri secretly yearned to continue her education. After her high school exams, she had learned to type. Her accuracy and speed brought in an offer for a government job, but she had to turn it because her family’s disapproval.&nbsp; In 1985, she passed her SLC exams and joined Namuna Machhindra College for her IA, but she had to put her studies on hold and get married. Her home life took precedence as she brought up her children. Because she could not study to her heart’s content, she made sure all three of her children, especially her daughter went to school. Two of her children are now in Australia and her son works with Nepal Airlines. “I always wanted to continue my studies,” says Chhetri. “But when I joined the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the men there were much more educated than me. This made me feel a bit inferior, but it also made me more determined.”&nbsp; She joined Prerana Mahila Secondary School in Grade 11 and plans to continue on to do a bachelor’s in law.&nbsp; “I feel happy. I feel proud of myself and have regained my confidence,” says Chhetri. “I now think I can do much more in life.” Chhetri's family is fully supportive, and with her children all grown up, she feels this is the time to invest in her own personal growth. &nbsp; “We women have reached this point by sacrificing a lot, so our family and children had opportunities,” says Chhetri. “Why should we give up opportunities at this point in our lives too? Women are now free, we should make the most of it.”

Age no bar to go to school

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For decades, water scarcity, subsistence farming and debt had been driving farmers away from the village of Aathrai in this district of eastern Nepal. The elderly here tell the true story of one lot of people who decades ago were on their seasonal migration down to Jhapa in the plains. In their four-day trek south, they were spending the first night under a tree by the banks of the Tamor River. As night fell, they heard a crowd of people with their livestock, coming down the path. They held flaming torches, talked loudly and their laughter carried across the river. The travellers thought they were seeing ghosts, and watched warily. The people on the opposite side filled their brass jars with water, the cows drank their fill, then they climbed slowly back up the steep path along which they had descended. &nbsp; The migrants watched the torches until they reached the top of the ridge and disappeared into Terathum district. The next morning they found out those were villagers who came down every night with their cattle to collect water because springs up the mountain had gone dry. That is when the people from Terathum realised that their home villages had it much better because the villagers of their district did not have to make nightly water ferry trips up and down the mountain.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412100444_18f42bb370b81af9e0d8b06c433b77e7e4986dd1aabb3fc8403ff42570051668.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240412100444_18f42bb370b81af9e0d8b06c433b77e7e4986dd1aabb3fc8403ff42570051668" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="795" loading="lazy" alt="people and mountains are thirsty in eastern Nepal"> <figcaption>Photos: GIRIRAJ BANSKOTA</figcaption> </figure>  More, but still not enough Till recently, wards in Chhathar village in Terathum used to have such a severe water shortage that families had to borrow water like they borrowed money. The nearest spring was two hours walk away, and there would already be up to 60 jars in the queue. It was the job of women to fetch water, and they would trudge home with two jars in baskets on their backs and two plastic containers in their hands. “This added to the drudgery of women, would delay the preparation of meals for the family and sending children to school, there was no time to clean the house, the livestock were always thirsty and would give less milk,” explains Tara Kharel Dhakal, deputy chair of Chhathar Rural Municipality.&nbsp; She adds: “There are settlements where water shortage is still acute, but we have managed to pipe drinking water to 90% of the households.” Ward 3 Chair Deuman Limbu agrees that drinking water is less of an issue now, but says lack of water is still affecting dairy and vegetable farming which would have improved nutrition and increased cash income of villagers. Chhathar’s water shortage was alleviated by building a channel from a stream 14km away. There are cliffs along the way where pipes have been laid, but these are often damaged by landslides, wildfires, and maintenance is difficult. In large parts of Nepal, including here in the east, the main reason people &nbsp;migrate out is because of the lack of drinking water. And although most people here remember the water crisis being much more serious in the past, there is still not enough in the dry season. There used to be a tradition in Nepal’s mountains that travellers could get free food and lodging for the night from villagers along the way, and this would be reciprocated when they themselves needed to stop for the night. It was the same with water: those walking along foot trails would be offered water for free since people believed it would earn them merit in heaven.&nbsp; But not in villages like Thoklung today, where travellers know how precious water is, and offer to pay for a drink. Springs are going dry across Nepal’s mid-mountains from east to west, partly due to erratic rainfall caused by the climate crisis but also because of over-extraction. Spring water used to be mainly for household use and the extra water would flow down the mountain, seep into the soil and recharge groundwater. These days, farmers pipe water to their homes from nearby springs to irrigate cash crops like cardamom or vegetables.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412100444_d9353b6fc297e5b547ac683814801bd57d460f2481be475c60c4f6d7e8f5c8d9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240412100444_d9353b6fc297e5b547ac683814801bd57d460f2481be475c60c4f6d7e8f5c8d9" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="900" loading="lazy" alt="people and mountains are thirsty in eastern Nepal"> </figure>  “New roads drain water away, preventing recharge,” explains watershed expert Madhukar Upadhyay. “Paddy terraces used to store water that slowly seeped into the slopes, but with outmigration there is less rice being planted which in turn has affected the water table.” Read Also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/climate-crisis-drought-food-deficit-migration">Climate crisis → drought → food deficit → migration</a>, Mohan Mainali Power to pump water Necessity is the mother of invention, so desperate villages in eastern Nepal have adopted innovative new ways to ensure water supply. Thirsty families in the parched Kummayak village of Panchthar used to look down longingly at the blue-green waters of the glacier-fed Tamor River. They decided that instead of migrating to the Tarai, they might as well try to pump the water to their village. Nine years ago, they launched a project to dig a well near the river and pump the water up the mountain and distribute drinking water to 2,000 of the 3,200 households in Kummayak. &nbsp; But chronic drought has reduced the dry season flow in the Tamor, and villagers had to divert the river’s channel closer to the well to maintain water supply. The Tamor Drinking Water Pumping Project is now digging another well at a cost of Rs10 million to augment supply.&nbsp; Learning from Kummayak, 11 other projects are planned to pump Tamor water up to mountain villages. Some villages that would have benefited, like Aathrai, have just heard the bad news that the federal government does not have the budget to fund their Rs20 million well and pumping station.&nbsp; Part of the reason there is not enough money is because budgets are also being misused. For example, the central and provincial government are working at cross-purposes and duplicating drinking water schemes. The federal government has a Rs3.5 million pump project in the same place where the Kosi Province has set aside Rs2 million also to lift drinking water. &nbsp;&nbsp; The water shortage is even more severe in Dhankuta district, where in Chaubise village Ward 3, a Rs80 million project is underway to pump water up from a spring down the mountain.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412100444_d0f87ea50060253998ef932e5c6f30f20912d8733c40014cef4cc8c16e8270ae.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240412100444_d0f87ea50060253998ef932e5c6f30f20912d8733c40014cef4cc8c16e8270ae" data-rendition-name="original" width="1200" height="795" loading="lazy" alt="people and mountains are thirsty in eastern Nepal"> <figcaption>Before lift pumped water was distributed in Syabrumba of Panchthar district, villages had to wait for their quota of water. Today 60% of the household has piped drinking water. Photo: GIRIRAJ BANSKOTA</figcaption> </figure>  All these districts of eastern Nepal have lost more than a third of their population in the past 20 years, and local governments see improved water supply as a way to bring their people back. The population of Thoklung village of Terathum was 40% less in 2021 than what it was in 2001, so its municipality is working on a pumping scheme to lift water from the Tamor to distribute every household in Ward 7. Ward Chair Rohit Kandengwa, however, is worried that the project’s electricity bill would mean that the household water tariff will be too high.&nbsp; Indeed, spring water can flow down to a village by gravity. But pumping water from a river to a ridgetop village can be expensive. The Kummayak project, for example, has an electricity bill of Rs600,000 per month.&nbsp; “Water has value. We charge 10 paisa per litre of water and that could be expensive to those who are used to free water, but it is better than no water at all, and it is cheaper than water from tankers,” says Nirmal Ghimire, chair of Kummayak Ward 5.&nbsp; But there are other non-monetary benefits from water pumps, like in curbing outmigration. For the past two years, no families have migrated out of Kummayak village since it got regular water supply. To be sure, ensuring water supply alone will not stop people since there are other push factors at play: difficulty to access medical care, low quality of public schools, lack of jobs, the government’s low priority for agriculture driving people away from farming. “Farmers here used to sell milk, but they have not been paid for their milk since nine months,” says Chhathar Ward 4 Chair Pushpa Karki. “They cannot sell their goats, middle men fix the price for cardamom and ginger.” The chhurpi and ghee industries have dried up, and dairy farmers have no place to sell milk. It is also a seller’s market, and farmers have to buy everything, without credit, and cannot determine the price of their produce.&nbsp; Lack of connectivity is another reason people migrate from these remote districts. It has been 12 years since construction began on the bridge at Lumughat across the Tamor River that would have linked Terathum and Panchthar, making it easier to take produce to market towns. &nbsp; Better roads would also improve the quality of instruction – the other reason many families move to Dharan or Kathmandu. Accessibility would motivate teachers to stay in villages. There is also a herd mentality that drives migration. If one household moves out, the entire neighbourhood ups and moves. Ten of former school principal Hari Narayan Bhattarai’s neigbours locked up their homes and moved down to the Tarai partly due to lack of water. Bhattarai lost the support of next door families that he used to rely on, so he also moved to Birtamod of Jhapa in the plains. Households in the mountains need each other to survive. Neighbours help neighbours to plough, plant and harvest.&nbsp; And then there is the litany of woes that all Nepalis face: the delays in getting driving licenses, work permits, and other services. People move to where life is easier. &nbsp; Outmigration also makes pre-existing problems of the mountains worse. Where forests are growing out of fallow terrace fields, with no one to forage for dried undergrowth fire risk has increased, crops are damaged by wildlife, and the decline in livestock has reduced soil fertility. &nbsp; “The main reason for outmigration is lack of water and low productivity,” says Chhathar Deputy Chair Dhakal whose village announced grants of up to Rs500,000 to start up agrobusinesses. Thirty families did return. However, there were no takers for Dhakal’s offer of Rs10,000 to households farming their fallow fields again.&nbsp; Even if rural municipalities find the money to install well and pumps for water supply, paying for maintenance or repairs of broken pipes or pumps can be a problem due to lack of budget. Watershed expert Madhukar Upadhyay concedes that pumping water from a river to villages in the mountains is only a short-term fix, but not a sustainable solution. “Over the long-term we must think of reviving traditional system of ponds near springs where water can collect and re-charge groundwater,” he explains. “That way we address the thirst of both the people and the mountains.” &nbsp; This is the second of a 3-part series supported by Barbara Foundation.The third and last instalment will appear on the 26 April edition.&nbsp;

People and mountains are thirsty in eastern Nepal

Rainfall data from eastern Nepal collected over the past 70 years point to a strong <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-waste-land">correlation between chronic drought and outmigration</a>. Repeated and more frequent monsoon failures forced more and more people to abandon villages.&nbsp; Terathum, Dhankuta, Panchthar and Taplejung districts lost more than 40% of their population between 2001 and 2021. Archival data of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology shows that rainfall was below the annual national average for almost every year since the 1960s in what is supposed to be the wettest part of the country.&nbsp; In Panchakanya village of Terathum 40% of residents left in those 20 years. A nearby village, Thoklung, lost 42% of its population. Across the Tamor River, 44% of the people left the village of Kurule. A third of the inhabitants of Symbarumba in Panchthar left for the plains or cities.&nbsp; “People are still leaving. Those who have not migrated are also thinking about going down to Dharan or Damak,” says Chathar Ward 4 Chair Pushpa Karki, who says there were 2,500 votes cast in this ward in 2017 and in the 2022 local election there were only 1,125 ballots.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-climate-crisis-is-a-water-crisis-in-the-himalaya">The climate crisis is a water crisis in the Himalaya</a>, Sonia Awale To be sure, there are other factors behind this exodus which is happening right across Nepal’s mountains, such as a dearth of well-paying jobs, poor health care, and few opportunities for higher education. But the main reason is that <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/high-and-dry">droughts</a> destroy crops.&nbsp; “There was a severe drought in the summer of 2018, the maize plants dried in their stalks and turned to straw,” remembers Tara Kharel Dhakal, Deputy Mayor of Chathar in Terathum. “People ran out of food and were desperate. We declared an emergency.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020432_abeec2acd7e0b1986c5a101109365ea57f70e81925fb522a5e2edf191eefbd98.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240406020432_abeec2acd7e0b1986c5a101109365ea57f70e81925fb522a5e2edf191eefbd98" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate → crisis → drought → food → deficit → migration"> <figcaption>HIGH AND DRY, LOW AND WET: Parched fields above the Tamor River in Panchakanya village in eastern Nepal in March (above) and irrigated bamboo-fringed terrace farms in Taplejung.</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020432_d56cdd7be3761fac279a5add402d766cceef89bf1a535066acd30576e81b8613.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240406020432_d56cdd7be3761fac279a5add402d766cceef89bf1a535066acd30576e81b8613" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate → crisis → drought → food → deficit → migration"> </figure>  Rainfall data for Terathum in 2018 corroborates that there was almost no rain in winter, and to make things worse, the district only saw half of its usual rain that monsoon.&nbsp; The rainfall gauges are located near the tops of mountains, where there is usually more precipitation. So the slopes below likely got even less rain than was recorded.&nbsp; Farmers had no irrigation systems to fall back on. <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Recharging-the-mountains,3465#google_vignette">Springs are rare and have gone dry,</a> and the Tamor River is too far down the mountain.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020444_9d23945324a19dfcecf26cafe19a9ac9cc4a11abfde5bde9e4bbbea9c64ca916.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240406020444_9d23945324a19dfcecf26cafe19a9ac9cc4a11abfde5bde9e4bbbea9c64ca916" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate → crisis → drought → food → deficit → migration"> <figcaption>BROWN AND GREEN: Constrasting colours of fields in Terathum between those without irrigation (foreground, above), and with irrigation from a side stream. The glacier-fed Tamor River has plenty of water in the dry season (below) but it is too far down to be pumped up the mountain.</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020444_d31629e168b47eb330543f3f3ac992778bccea52fe32446a776580194b143214.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240406020444_d31629e168b47eb330543f3f3ac992778bccea52fe32446a776580194b143214" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1018" loading="lazy" alt="Climate → crisis → drought → food → deficit → migration"> </figure>  Prevailing wisdom suggests that Nepal is drier the more west you go, and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/how-the-climate-crisis-adds-to-child-marriage-in-nepal">the Karnali and Sudur Paschim regions are most drought prone</a>. Outmigration due to water scarcity in Mustang district has emptied villages. But it looks like the climate crisis is causing dry spells even in the usually wet mountains of eastern Nepal.&nbsp; Only a quarter of arable land in Nepal is irrigated, and most of that is in the Tarai. Subsistence farmers in the mountains depend on rain-fed agriculture, so when it does not rain their only option is to migrate for work. Rainfall data from measuring stations over the past 50 years or more across the eastern mountains shows that winter rain and monsoon failures have become more frequent.&nbsp; y nly 80% of the normal annual rain fell in 2018 in Mulghat, and the corn and buckwheat harvests were reduced in nearby Kurule. The local government gave cash handouts to farmers, but this did not convince people to stay. <div class="embed-block"><iframe title="Tamor river discharge at Mulghat" aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-8t8ts" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/8t8ts/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="396" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}(); </script></div> In an average year, Jhapa and Ilam in the east get about 3,300mm of rain. Kathmandu Valley sees about 1,400mm, and Darchula in the far-west receives 700mm. The least precipitation is in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/mustang-forced-to-adapt-to-climate-crisis">Mustang</a> and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-change-is-a-disaster-in-the-nepal-himalaya">Dolpo in the trans-Himalayan rainshadow</a>, although even these districts have seen some freak rainfall of late.&nbsp; Even though the total annual precipitation may still be the same, often the quality of rain is different: there are damaging torrential downpours and then weeks of no rain at all.&nbsp; Watershed expert Madhukar Upadhya describes eastern Nepal’s micro-climates, where wide variations exist even within small geographical areas: “The clouds tend to drop most of their moisture on the southern slopes of the Mahabharat Range, so there is less rain on the other side.”&nbsp; Dharan, for instance, gets 1,700mm of rain, but 15km to the north in Mulghat, the annual precipitation is half that.&nbsp; Elderly farmers can recite from memory the years in which rains have failed: 1961, 1965, 1972, 1975, 1982, 1994. Their recollections tally with archival precipitation data for the region. For example, there was a downpour that dumped 385mm of rain on 23-24 June 1961, but for the next two months there was only 180mm. “I was young in 1961 and there was always either too much rain or too little, the fields were fallow and we had no food,” remembers Dikura Devi Thapaliya in Terathum. “Only those who had springs and could irrigate their fields had harvests that year.”&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/first-drought-then-downpour">First drought, then downpour</a>, Smita Magar Four years later, there was another drought that caused a famine, forcing families to forage for wild roots. In Iwa, the town council asked households that had extra grain to sell it to neighbours, but no one was willing. The villagers did not have food for the 10-day trek down to Dharan to collect government rations, so food was air dropped by the state.&nbsp; Even worse was the nationwide drought of 1972, when the British Royal Air Force helped Nepal with Hercules aircraft to drop grain by parachute in what it called Operation Khana Cascade. Some 52 tons were dropped on Taplejung and Terathum alone.&nbsp; This was the Panchayat era, and even the usually-understated government controlled news agency, RSS, filed a report from eastern Nepal about the terrible conditions: ‘The harvest of corn and buckwheat has failed in villages around Dhankuta. Rice harvests are one-third of normal. There is starvation in Terathum. Many have migrated to the Tarai or elsewhere, or are working as coolies along the Dharan-Dhankuta road.’ <div class="embed-block"><iframe title="The Rain in Dhankuta" aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-gKSl5" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/gKSl5/2/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="423" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}(); </script></div> The next serious drought was in 1982, with Terathum getting a record low of only 254mm of rain – only 38% of normal monsoon precipitation.&nbsp; The Tamor had never been so dry before that, nor has it since. Hydrological data acquired by Nepali Times show that in September 1982 river flow was only 15% of mean for that month. Ninety percent of the maize crop in the east was destroyed, paddy wilted before it could be transplanted. The rice terraces were barren.&nbsp; Nepal’s two neighbours donated grain so that villagers would not starve. More than 2,500 farmers from Terathum made the four-day trek down to Dhankuta to collect 100kg sacks of wheat from India, or maize from China. Even the desert kingdom of Saudi Arabia donated 5,000 tons of rice and 2,500 tons of wheat.&nbsp; Not much has changed in the villages of Terathum and along the banks of the Tamor since – except that there are fewer people. Farmers who remain still depend on timely and adequate rain to keep their soil watered.&nbsp; “If the gods send rain, we get to eat. Otherwise we starve,” Naramaya Tamang in Terathum puts it simply. Her farm grows enough food to feed the family for only half the year.&nbsp; Those who have property have sold it to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/unthinkable-in-the-current-climate">move to the plains</a>. The government has stopped food aid, citing new roads and letting market forces ensure supply. However, there are many like Naramaya who have fallen through the social safety net. The other thing that has changed in these mountains is that people are migrating not just to the plains, but overseas to the Gulf or Malaysia. The villages on both sides of the Tamor River are devoid of young men, and increasingly, young women. Every family has a member abroad. It is the money they send back that helps the elderly relatives survive.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020436_9619e4536523960ebe2edf86de43c389ba054b3dd32c5752e5bcc7d9fac9d83f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="20240406020436_9619e4536523960ebe2edf86de43c389ba054b3dd32c5752e5bcc7d9fac9d83f" data-rendition-name="original" width="640" height="713" loading="lazy" alt="Climate → crisis → drought → food → deficit → migration"> </figure>  Over the last 20 years, Panchthar saw the second highest number of permits to work overseas in proportion to the district’s population. Terathum ranks third on this metric and Dhankuta is sixth. The adjoining district to the west, Khotang, is number one.&nbsp; Dhanusha in the Tarai has the highest numbers of people migrating out, but most of those workers return. Here in Dhankuta, Terathum, Panchthar and Taplejung, when young people leave, most leave for good.&nbsp; The main result of the climate breakdown is the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/grain-drain">lack of water</a>. Deficient rain and springs going dry are the main reasons why farmers are migrating, explains the Chair of Ward 3 of Chaubise village, Madan Tumsa.&nbsp; He says: “These are climate migrants. The soil is too dry to farm, and there is nothing to eat. People are not leaving to earn more, up to 80% are leaving because they cannot grow food due to the lack of water.”&nbsp; Research for this three-part series was supported by the Barbara Foundation. This is the first of a three-part series in Nepali Times analysing meteorological, hydrological and demographic data from eastern Nepal, showing the impact of the climate crisis on rainfall, farming and outmigration. The second and third installments will appear on 12 and 26 April respectively.

Climate crisis → drought → food deficit → migration

Five-time Everest summiter and climate activist David Breashears died on 14 March at his home in Massachusetts in the United States, aged 68. Breashears shot the IMAX film Everest about the 1996 tragedy when eight climbers were killed, and also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z01ve9gV4y8" target="_blank">co-produced the movie Everest</a> in 2015 starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin about the 1996 deaths. While shooting another documentary in 2015, he had to be rescued by helicopter from Camp I when an avalanche triggered by the earthquake killed 19 people at Base Camp. <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z01ve9gV4y8?si=MvVVH0MERMdK_qia" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Breashears specialised in repeat photography of old images of the Alps and the Himalaya to visually document the impact of climate breakdown, and through his group GlacierWorks took part in the multimedia <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/living-through-the-himalayan-thaw" target="_blank">Climate+Change exhibition</a> in Kathmandu in 2014. The exhibition had Breashear’s before and after photography of Himalayan glaciers, comparing pictures taken in 1921 by George Mallory of the Rongbuk Glacier on the north side of Mt Everest to show how much it had shrunk by 2009.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240316030312_6d5b0461ee77deda302ea6f97ed3da6ab23f94cfdc326c863a2a59c894139a2d.png" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240316030312_6d5b0461ee77deda302ea6f97ed3da6ab23f94cfdc326c863a2a59c894139a2d" data-rendition-name="original" width="998" height="976" loading="lazy" alt="david bearshears"> </figure>  Breashears was worried what the Himalaya would look like in 100 years, and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/interview/What-will,423" target="_blank">told Nepali Times in an interview</a> ten years ago: ‘Those of us who have climbed Everest for the past 33 years have seen the changes taking place under our own feet. Now our crampons scrape and scratch across hundreds of feet of exposed rock and the snow arête that Hillary climbed no longer exists. The route is entirely on rock.’&nbsp; Himalayan glaciers are <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/here-today-gone-tomorrow" target="_blank">retreating and shrinking</a> much faster than what was forecast ten years ago, and just as Breashears predicted garbage and bodies of dead climbers are being <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nepali-times-buzz/climbing,424" target="_blank">exposed by thawing ice</a> high on the mountains. In the spring climbing season, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMKRC7oZhpY&amp;t=51s" target="_blank">a river now runs through Everest Base Camp</a>. <div class="embed-block"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iMKRC7oZhpY?si=qi36WvBaA8Texx1U" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nepali-times-buzz/climate-change-exhibition-icimod,1248" target="_blank">Reviewing the Climate+Change</a> exhibition at the Nepal Art Council in 2014, Nepali Times wrote: ‘It was the top floor, with <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/page/living-through-the-himalayan-thaw" target="_blank">GlacierWorks</a>’ sweeping Himalayan vistas … which really brought home the reality of climate change in Nepal – a veritable Damocles’ Sword if there was one.’ In a brief statement to <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/everest/david-breashears-dies/" target="_blank">Outside Magazine</a>, Breashear’s family said: ‘It is with tremendous sadness that we share the news of David Breashears’ untimely passing. David was a beloved brother, uncle, father, friend, and colleague and a caring, impassioned advocate of adventure, exploration, and the health of our planet.’ The statement added: ‘What fulfilled him the most – where he’d want his legacy to lie – is his non-profit organization, GlacierWorks, which he founded in 2007 to highlight the Himalayan glaciers through art, science, and adventure. He used his climbing and photography experience to create unique records revealing the dramatic effects of climate change on the mountain range.’ Breashears once said in a Reddit interview: "Nepal is my favourite place on earth."

Climber-activist David Breashears, 68

Frontpage topic

The relentless <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/business/solidarity-with-gaza" target="_blank">siege on Gaza</a> is a dark reflection on humanity. Well over <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/100th-day-gaza-genocide-100000-palestinians-killed-missing-or-wounded-enar" target="_blank">100,000</a> Palestinians have been declared killed, injured, or missing over the past six months, and the overwhelming majority are innocent civilians who bear no responsibility for Hamas’ <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepalis-confirmed-killed-in-hamas-attack" target="_blank">7 October attack.</a>&nbsp;
The United Nations Security Council has finally <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2024/sc15641.doc.htm" target="_blank">passed</a> a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas. Now, all UN member states, particularly Israel’s political and military allies, must do everything in their power to ensure that the resolution is implemented in full as soon as possible.
For Gazans who survive Israel’s military assaults, a lethal combination of displacement, hunger, and disease awaits. Israel’s blockade of humanitarian supplies, food, and clean water has made life in the enclave a nightmare.&nbsp;
Aid agencies <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/women-gaza-birth-pregnancies-1.7143489#:~:text=Aid%20agencies%20and%20doctors%20say,and%20food%20for%20the%20infants." target="_blank">report</a> mothers giving birth without anaesthetics, babies dying from dehydration and malnutrition, and sickness ravaging entire communities. With no one in Gaza safe from massacre, we have reached the threshold of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/22/unicef-official-utter-annihilation-gaza" target="_blank">population-scale annihilation</a>.
The trauma is now reverberating across the whole region. Gazans are haunted by post-traumatic stress disorder and grief, and more than one million children are in dire need of <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements/2024/02/child-rights-committee-statement-children-gaza" target="_blank">psycho-social support</a>. The latest devastation adds to the suffering inflicted by Israel’s 18-year-old <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/10/18/israel-unlawful-gaza-blockade-deadly-children" target="_blank">blockade of Gaza</a>.&nbsp;
And in the West Bank, Palestinians face multiple threats, from unconstrained settler violence and forced displacement to the constant threat of arbitrary detention.&nbsp;
At the same time, more than 100 Israelis and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/a-nepali-s-lucky-escape-from-hamas" target="_blank">many foreigners</a> are still held <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/hamas-hostages-israel-gaza-41432124" target="_blank">hostage</a> by Hamas, in contravention of international humanitarian law, prolonging the pain felt by their families and those of the civilians killed on 7 October.
Worse may come if Israel <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/guest-editorial/the-international-order-is-dying-in-gaza" target="_blank">defies warnings</a> from its closest allies and moves ahead with its plans for an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68591487" target="_blank">assault on Rafah</a>, which is currently host to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/gaza-rafah-israel-hamas-war-photo-gallery-2a93ded7d44b9720d941f7e53c5bf45e" target="_blank">1.5 million people</a>, including over 600,000 children.&nbsp;
Many of those seeking refuge in this border city have already endured the trauma of multiple displacements over the past half-year. A full-scale Israeli military incursion must not be allowed to happen.
I write these words as someone who looked into the eyes of young Palestinians while preparing the 1996 UN report <a href="https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/about/the-mandate/mandate/the-machel-reports/" target="_blank">The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children</a>. Speaking to children in refugee camps, we promised that their suffering would end.&nbsp;
Not only have we failed to make good on that promise, we have left an even more hostile world for children who happen to be born Palestinian. I carry this haunting failure with me.
I also write these words as a member of The Elders, the group of independent global leaders that I co-founded with my late husband, Nelson Mandela, and which was chaired in its early years by Archbishop <a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/columnist/desmond-tutu" target="_blank">Desmond Tutu</a> and former UN Secretary-General <a href="https://www.project-syndicate.org/columnist/kofi-a-annan" target="_blank">Kofi Annan</a>.&nbsp;
Madiba (Mandela) gave us a mandate to work for peace, justice, and human rights worldwide, and he always considered <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2023/12/5/unpack-the-past-mandela-the-keffiyeh-and-south-africas-palestine-embrace" target="_blank">Palestinian liberation</a> to be key to achieving a just and free world for all.&nbsp;
How can any of us speak credibly of universal human rights and the international rule of law when we permit brutality and occupation to continue for decades?
Amid such despair and lack of moral courage by those with the power to stop the current carnage in Gaza, I am proud of the exceptional leadership that South Africa has shown in bringing a <a href="https://www.icj-cij.org/node/203454" target="_blank">complaint against Israel</a> for violating the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice.&nbsp;
The ICJ’s preliminary ruling, on January 26, and the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillgoldenziel/2024/04/01/why-the-international-court-of-justice-gave-israel-a-new-order/#:~:text=On%20March%2028%2C%20the%20International,what%20South%20Africa%20had%20requested." target="_blank">additional measures</a> ordered on March 28, explicitly condemn the atrocities taking place in Gaza and are unambiguous about the steps Israel must take to protect innocent Palestinians, including unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance at scale.
Israel and the countries providing it with military and financial assistance must heed the court’s findings and adhere to their obligations under international law. But we are not helpless in the face of this monumental suffering.&nbsp;
As members of one human family, we have an ethical duty to speak out against these injustices in our own circles of influence. We can wield power through our own individual and community activism. With our votes and protests, we can – and must – demand accountability from our political leaders.
Here is what we must demand. First, additional humanitarian land routes urgently need to be opened to meet the overwhelming need for life-saving aid. The safety of aid deliveries must be guaranteed at all times.&nbsp;
Air drops and the recently proposed <a href="https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240327-the-new-maritime-aid-corridor-poses-a-major-threat-to-gaza-and-egypt/" target="_blank">maritime corridor</a> are insufficient, and must not be allowed to absolve Israel of its own responsibility to civilians in Gaza.
Second, world leaders must use military and financial leverage to compel Israel to cease its violations of international law and comply with the ICJ’s orders. All countries providing military assistance to Israel should immediately put these shipments under review and set new conditions for future provision. Those that continue supplying arms are enabling the carnage and may be complicit in war crimes.
Third, decision-makers must provide full financial and political support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees. Many donors have rushed to <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/middle-east/20240205-as-donors-suspend-critical-funding-to-unrwa-allegations-against-staff-remain-murky" target="_blank">suspend funding</a> for the organization, pending the outcome of investigations into Israel’s allegations that some UNRWA staff participated in the October 7 attack.&nbsp;
This premature, disproportionate response is now irresponsibly endangering the rights and well-being of millions of Palestinian refugees. The Israeli government has made no secret of its desire to dismantle UNRWA once and for all. Will we allow it to become yet another casualty of the war?
The situation cries out for concerted action by a broad coalition of countries committed to a just and permanent peace that enables Israelis and Palestinians to co-exist under conditions of mutual respect, self-determination, dignity, and security. Palestinian and Israeli lives and security are of equal worth. If this fundamental truth does not prevail on political leaders and ordinary citizens, we will continue to forsake generations of innocent children.
Graça Machel is a Mozambican politician, Deputy Chair of The Elders and founder of the <a href="http://gracamacheltrust.org/new/" target="_blank">Graça Machel Trust</a>. She is the widow of former President of Mozambique Samora Machel and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela. &nbsp;

The world’s moral failure in Gaza

"Why march to the beat of your own drummer when you can skip?" - Dave May  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406030424_97a2b4c93304d625dd2a83945f78752160eddffd1b77f3b62410b4ccaf8e3e02.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240406030424_97a2b4c93304d625dd2a83945f78752160eddffd1b77f3b62410b4ccaf8e3e02" data-rendition-name="original" width="2700" height="2700" loading="lazy" alt="Miss Moti"> </figure>

Why march to the beat?

Thick-framed glasses, a wide nose, and a bushy salt-and-pepper mustache. A front curl peeked out of his cap if he missed his haircut. He wore a full-sleeved shirt and cotton trousers.
His appearance was unremarkable, lacking the fashion sense of the stylish Dharan people of the day. He seemed like a tired, middle-aged man by the end of class, covered in chalk dust. He was easily overlooked until he spoke English because his English was impossible to ignore.
This man was dealing with a significant issue. He wanted to teach English in English, while we students preferred learning English in Nepali. His pronunciation was different from other English teachers, causing students to struggle to understand him. They started calling him Thoo Sir because they heard ‘to’ (/tu:/) as ‘thoo’ (ठू), but no one knows who first started this nickname or when it began. No one knew where he acquired his accent from, either.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/class-differences">Class differences</a>, Rabin Giri
Every morning, the bus would drop him off at Ghopali Tol from Dharan around 9AM, and he would walk 12 minutes to school from there. Students would have to interact with him in English or listen to a kind of English they could not understand.
I had heard his infamous nickname long before I attended Thulo School, the only secondary school in the village, after passing out from the primary Sano School.
He never inflicted any physical punishment on us, however his frustration was harder to handle. He would say things that friends could use to mock and tease fellow classmates.
Students would dread his presence in the classroom because unlike other teachers who would read slowly and explain in Nepali, he insisted on speaking English correctly and would not let us off the hook until we did so as well.
I only had him as a teacher in my Grade 10 class, and I remember being late on the very first day. "Mai commin, Sir?" I asked from the door.
"Ask properly," he replied, without even looking at me.
I asked again, but he continued cleaning the blackboard without paying any attention to me.
"Sir, Mai commin?" I changed the word order.
"Repeat after me," he instructed. That day, I learnt for the first time that 'Mai commin' was actually 'May I come in?'
"You don't even know basic English? Silly girl!" he said, and of course, my friends teased me for a long time about that.
His dissatisfaction with a student’s pronunciation silenced the class. While I was usually vocal and asked questions in other subjects, I could not utter a word in his class for fear of being ridiculed again.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/lowest-common-denominator">Lowest common denominator</a>, Editorial
I would formulate questions in my mind but struggle to voice them. Sometimes, I would start in English and end up speaking in Nepali, which would upset him even more.
He would not engage in conversations in Nepali, preferring to explain things in English. His excessive use of English gave us all chronic headache.
One day, in the middle of class, I asked in Nepali, "Thoo Sir, my pad is leaking. I will go home, change, and come back in five minutes."
"What did you just say?" he asked in English, lowering his reading glasses, revealing a pair of tired eyes, and a bruise on the bridge of his nose caused by the weight of the frame.
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/that-time-of-the-month">Sanitary napkins</a> were not yet available, so we sisters would have to run to my nearby home to use one of our mother's old cotton saris as pads. But these were not absorbent enough for heavy bleeding. There was no door or roof in the school toilet, making it impossible to change at school.
I never felt embarrassed about asking to be excused, and neither the teachers nor students used to make a big deal out of it. Since he had responded to my Nepali, I assumed his 'WHAT?' was in response to my request to go home to change my pad.
I repeated my request, this time to assure him that I would return in exactly five minutes. But his "What did you just call me?" was actually about my publicly addressing him as “Thoo Sir”.&nbsp;
My bench-mate Bishal tried to warn me to keep quiet. But I continued, "Thoo sir. Everyone calls you Thoo sir behind your back. Don't you know?"
"I know but no one said it to my face before."
Quickly correcting myself, I said, "BB Sir, please allow me to go home. I won't address you as Thoo Sir anymore."
"Thoo Sir again," he chuckled, lightly tapping my head with the book in his hand. "Go on, run!"
All these years later, I realised that it took a lot of effort for him to respond the way he did. Unlike other teachers who only focused on the top students, he would treat all students equally, change the seating arrangement, shifting students from the front to the back.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/learning-rubbish-memorising-gibberish">Learning rubbish, memorising gibberish</a>, Yugottam Koirala and yugeshwor Koirala
After leaving school and moving to Kathmandu, I began learning English and found the language fascinating. It took years to overcome my hesitation, but I eventually understood why Thoo Sir insisted on teaching English in English. I wished he had been more creative in making us appreciate the language and understand its importance.
We used to believe that Thoo Sir had the best English in the world and was forcing fluency on us when all we needed was 32 marks to pass. There was not much interest in learning English in those days.
Thoo Sir was ahead of his time in grasping the importance of a global language. He knew there was a world beyond our village of Madhesha and the SLC exams. He was not interested in our exam marks, he only wished us to understand English in English. And today, I am glad we had Thoo Sir as our English teacher.
Anbika Giri is a novelist and author of children’s books in Nepali. Angrezi is her monthly column in Nepali Times about learning English in Nepal. Her previous column was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/angrezi/the-thappad">Thappad.</a>
&nbsp;

"Mai commin, Sir?"

The current wave of anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States has been building for years. It started in the early 2000s, when US policymakers first raised national-security concerns about Huawei.&nbsp;
China’s national technology champion, the market leader in developing new 5G telecommunications equipment, was accused of deploying digital backdoors that could enable Chinese espionage and cyber-attacks. US-led sanctions in 2019 stopped Huawei dead in its tracks.
But Huawei was just the start. The US has since spiraled into a full-blown outbreak of Sinophobia – a strong word that I don’t use lightly. Phobia is the extreme or irrational fear or dread aroused by a particular object or circumstance.
Indeed, China threats now seem to be popping up everywhere. The US government has imposed export controls to cut off China’s access to advanced semiconductors – part of its concerted effort to stymie the country’s <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/artificial-intelligence-vs-human-stupidity">artificial-intelligence</a> ambitions.&nbsp;
The Department of Justice has just indicted a state-sponsored Chinese hacking group for allegedly taking aim at critical American infrastructure. Much has also been made of the purported risks of Chinese EVs, construction and dock-loading cranes and now TikTok.&nbsp;
Nor are the fears confined to technology. Several years ago, I wrote about America’s trade-deficit disorder, whereby the US government misdiagnosed a multilateral problem – a trade deficit with more than 100 countries – as a bilateral problem and punished China with tariffs.&nbsp;
Others have warned that Washington’s exaggerated claims of the Chinese military threat have, at times, bordered on hysteria as tensions mount in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait.
Of course, all this is only half the story. China is equally guilty of its own strain of Ameriphobia – demonising the US for its accusations of Chinese economic espionage, unfair trading practices, and human-rights violations.&nbsp;
Both phobias are related to the profusion of false narratives that I address in my most recent book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Conflict-America-China-Narratives/dp/0300259646">Accidental Conflict</a>. Notwithstanding this tit-for-tat blame game, my point now is different:&nbsp;
There is good reason to worry about an increasingly virulent strain of this phobia spinning out of control in the US. Not since the red-baiting in the 1950s, has America so vilified a foreign power.&nbsp;
Back then, a two-pronged congressional approach, led by US Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin and the House Un-American Activities <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/the-destroyer-of-worlds">spearheaded an assault on alleged Communist sympathisers</a> under the guise of protecting Americans from Soviet espionage and influence.
Today, another politician from Wisconsin, Representative Mike Gallagher, has led the charge as chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party which, in an eerie parallel to the McCarthy era, has leveled a series of unsubstantiated charges against China. While Gallagher will retire from Congress in April, his legacy will live on, not just as co-sponsor of a bill that could lead to an outright <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/rattled-by-criticism-nepal-bans-tiktok">ban of TikTok</a>, but also as the leader of a congressional effort that has cast a long shadow over those who support almost any form of engagement with China.
The litany of US allegations is a manifestation of unproven fears wrapped in the impenetrable cloak of national security. Yet there is no “smoking gun” in any of these cases. Instead, it is all about circumstantial evidence of an increasingly aggressive China. At work is an unmistakable bipartisan politicisation of deductive reasoning.
For example, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, a leading Democrat, <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/china-cars-national-security-threat-investigation/" target="_blank">asks us</a> to “imagine” what could happen if Chinese EVs were weaponised on American highways.&nbsp;
FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Donald Trump appointee and member of the conservative Federalist Society, warns that Chinese malware could disable critical US infrastructure “if or when China decides the time has come to strike” (emphasis added).&nbsp;
And a former US counterintelligence officer has compared sensors in Chinese-made cranes to a Trojan horse. There are many what ifs and mythical parallels, but no hard evidence on intent or verifiable action.
What is it about China that has generated this virulent US reaction? In Accidental Conflict, I stressed that the US has long been intolerant of competing ideologies and alternative systems of governance. The claim of &nbsp;American exceptionalism seemingly compels us to impose our views and values on others. That was true in the Cold War, and it is true again today.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/staying-neutral-in-a-us-china-confrontation">Staying neutral in a US-China confrontation</a>, Project Syndicate
I also argued that excessive fear of China conveniently masks many of America’s own self-inflicted problems. Bilateral trade deficits may well reflect the unfair trading practices of individual countries – China today, Japan 35 years ago – but broad multilateral trade deficits stem more from chronic US budget deficits that lead to a deficiency of domestic savings.&nbsp;
Similarly, the technology threat is not only an outgrowth of the alleged Chinese theft of US intellectual property, it also represents, as I stressed in Accidental Conflict, America’s underinvestment in research and development and shortfalls in STEM-based higher education. Rather than taking a long, hard look in the mirror, it is politically expedient for US politicians to blame China.
As Sinophobia feeds on itself, fear starts to take on the aura of fact, and the dangers of accidental conflict with China intensify. By acting on these anxieties, America risks inciting the very outcome it wants to deter. Fears over Chinese aggression &nbsp;in Taiwan are a case in point.
The US can and must do better. Rather than excusing the excesses of Sinophobia as justifiable reactions to the China threat, US leaders need to avoid the low road and think more in terms of being the adult in the room. Global leadership requires nothing less.
In his first inaugural address in 1933, US President Franklin Roosevelt underscored the ultimate risk of this dangerous pathology with the memorable line, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”&nbsp;
Amid today’s Sinophobic frenzy, that message is well worth remembering. © <a href="http://www.project-syndicate.org/" target="_blank">Project Syndicate</a>&nbsp;
Stephen S Roach is a faculty member at Yale University and the author of the forthcoming Accidental Conflict: America, China, and the Clash of False Narratives (Yale University Press, November 2022).&nbsp;

US afflicted with full-blown Sinophobia

The tingling sensation hits my cheeks, then it gradually begins to burn. It’s a little bit like the time I was a teenager and someone said something embarrassing and my face responded in a blush. Only, it isn’t. It’s much more complex.
The tingling spreads to my forehead, it starts to itch a little, as though a stray strand of hair was irritating it. I touch it, there’s nothing. It’s just my forehead. The heat then rises from my cheeks and starts to spread across my face and then it’s a full furnace. My face burns, stings.
The first few times it happened, I assumed it was just the heat in the room.&nbsp;
For as long as I can remember, I always blush when embarrassed. My face has always turned red in packed spaces. One time, on a train, I was this close to leaning on the chest of a boy I liked, holding the handrail, my face turned towards him. Just then, I started to blush and was too distracted by it to focus on the romance.
But romance isn’t supposed to be like that. In films, scenes like that usually progress to sweeter things. In real time, there’s always reality check kicking in. I quickly become conscious of my face and the next attempt is to hide it amidst the crowd of passengers. I look away. And then mixed messages. Boy is confused.
If I were the creator of the moments in my life’s canvas, I’d draw only the pretty bits and leave out the rest. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work-- there will always be riddles and hurdles to overcome. The latest for me, has been rosacea.
The name sounds exotic, my editor said. It does. It sounds like the description of a dream of a meadow strewn with rose petals. Or something close to it. Only, it isn’t. Therefore, the lengthy lead, before I arrive at my nutgraf.
Rosacea is a skin condition. A complex one, but a common one. It causes the skin to flare-up, causing long-term redness and irritation. It can lead to enlarged blood vessels and acne-like bumps.&nbsp;
The flare-ups can be triggered by heat, sun, cold, certain foods and hot drinks, as well as stress and heightened emotions. (And there goes your chance of romance in any form! If I were writing this as a chat, I’d be using the emoji of a woman raising both her hands in the air to emote a shrug in frustration.)
I went through Covid again last month. This time, the symptoms felt more like the time I had caught the Delta strain. And at the heels of it, my face had started to flare-up, triggered by steaming. I was diagnosed with rosacea.
Reading about it online and finding out there’s no cure for it hasn’t helped. Not even celebrities can afford a cure, because there isn't one.&nbsp;
There are days when my face starts to burn and sting and goes from red to purple. Crying turns it purple. I could give Thanos a good competition!&nbsp;
I cry because there are days when I no longer know how to live with a face for a furnace. Everything fries my face, mostly, the sun.&nbsp;
I get on Zoom calls and during them, my face starts to change colour, startling my students and colleagues. No, it isn't the wrong lighting in my room-- it’s just my system rejecting certain kinds of light and mostly heat. And since the diagnosis, I’ve been walking on eggshells.&nbsp;
A friend kindly sent me a handheld fan. Occasionally, I fling it open and fan my now-red, now-bronze face, in imitation of the women I’ve only read about in the books or seen in films. While it cools my face, the activity also draws people’s attention. What’s wrong? What’s wrong?&nbsp;
Can you just not look at me? Please.
So, I’ve been to a number of dermatologists now and it all comes down to these: acceptance, gentle skin care, and avoiding triggers. Fragrance-free products (which are often more expensive than other cosmetics), broad-brimmed hats and umbrellas are my best friends. Sauna, hot baths and blow dryers are off limits.&nbsp;
Keeping my temper at bay, meditation, and a stress-free life have been recommended. But I find that I’m furious every time I see a tree being cut down, and my stream of consciousness takes over all attempts to meditate. And, I stress, therefore I am.
Recommendations are barely working.
I am a lover of light and now I must look away from the sun, incidentally, also the guy I was married to as an 11-year-old, in a bara ritual, observed by the Newa community. A friend pointed out I’m now a vampire and we tried to laugh about it. I had always thought I was a witch, where did the potions go wrong?
I’m thrilled any day I wake up and it’s cloudy. A gloomy day is gentler on my face and rain is bliss. While I’ve now accepted my condition, there’s never a time I’m not anxious about when something might trigger and cause a flare-up.&nbsp;
I’m constantly worried it will creep people out, the way it did my parents a couple of weeks ago when I had a major episode. And mostly, that it will get to the level where I have a swollen nose and constant breakouts.
When I first mentioned my new-found condition on Instagram, my friend Carla Tello, a broadcast celebrity in Peru, sent me several voice notes to help calm me down.&nbsp;
She has been following a skincare regime religiously to keep her face calm. She tries not to stress and if you look her up, she’s always smiling and making the best of all moments. And so I bear my messenger’s wisdom -- a reminder to self-care. Amen.
Suburban Tales is a monthly column in Nepali Times based on real people (with some names changed) in Pratibha’s life.

What’s not to say about rosacea?

Nepali Times

When one thinks about South Indian food in Kathmandu, the image that comes to mind is the usual vegetarian fare: dosa, idli, vada served with sambhar and coconut chutney. But what if we told you that even non-vegetarians can get their fill of South Indian chicken, mutton or fish dishes? Named after the Arabian Sea coast region of Kerala, Malabar Groove on the ground floor of Chhaya Centre in the heart of Thamel is serving this South Indian cuisine known for its rich and unique flavours.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240403080424_1f45a52bc7256c33d03fbd3109734384b572650b8949cdf530d32fde058bbdf8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240403080424_1f45a52bc7256c33d03fbd3109734384b572650b8949cdf530d32fde058bbdf8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1467" height="882" loading="lazy" alt="malabar groove"> </figure>  The space is cosy and the decor is minimal with vibrant wall art featuring Pacha, a character from the popular dance drama Kathakali. The staff guides you through the menu, explaining the specialities. At Malabar Groove the menu is all about flavour and textures featuring a selection of South Indian specialities that are both familiar and exciting, like the range of dosa, light and crispy fermented rice and lentil crepe and vada, savoury fried snack made of lentils or sooji as well as a variety of curry including Malabari Prawn Curry, Kottayam Coconut Chicken, Mutton Coconut fry and Kerala Fish Moille.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240403080424_22769f3875bd0cc6e5751f7d267c1dccee308a4ff8a3b32d74210e094d5489d9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240403080424_22769f3875bd0cc6e5751f7d267c1dccee308a4ff8a3b32d74210e094d5489d9" data-rendition-name="original" width="3234" height="2074" loading="lazy" alt="malabar groove"> <figcaption>Chef J Ekambaram</figcaption> </figure>  Stewarded by chef J Ekamabaram, who has been working in kitchens all over India since 1997, dining at Malabar Groove is a taste extravaganza and culinary experience.&nbsp; Dive into the chicken dosa, crispy and filled with spiced minced meat, it is ideal for dipping into the coconut chutney and tangy tomato pickle that accompanies it. The sambhar here is a good balance of savory and sweet making it a good accompaniment to the main meal. For a lighter appetiser opt for fried idli that comes with the chef’s special podi masala, a combination of lentils, spices and chilli.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240403080424_3e7aac4ded3ea7268ab8859f14d49e77116170e9b95cd0135bdd9d0bab93c65b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240403080424_3e7aac4ded3ea7268ab8859f14d49e77116170e9b95cd0135bdd9d0bab93c65b" data-rendition-name="original" width="5388" height="3616" loading="lazy" alt="malabar groove"> <figcaption>Chicken Thali set</figcaption> </figure>  Malabar cuisine is influenced by many cultures, the incorporation of which is clearly visible in the range of preparations. Popular amongst guests at Malabar Grove seems to be the Thali set, options include vegetable, chicken, mutton, fish and prawn and diners can choose between rice, chapati and Malabar paratha. The chicken thali comes with chicken cashew curry, rasam, sambhar, beetroots, coconut chutney, achar, papad, salad, dahi and rava halwa.&nbsp; The standout in the thali set apart from the creamy chicken is the beetroot, diced and tossed in spices, it eliminates the earthy taste of the vegetable so much so that a guest who ordered a vegetable set confused it for chicken. Wash it all down with a glass of chaas, spiced buttermilk made of yogurt, spices and herbs, to cleanse the palate before the next course  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240403080424_a3bf24ff96e112dc700e46494656be9071f7c3e03141728fecea984f52ceca6c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240403080424_a3bf24ff96e112dc700e46494656be9071f7c3e03141728fecea984f52ceca6c" data-rendition-name="original" width="5232" height="3460" loading="lazy" alt="malabar groove"> <figcaption>Glimpse of a tiffin box combo and filter coffee.</figcaption> </figure>  .For those looking to sample multiple favourites, a tiffin box combo would be the best option with four different combos to choose from.&nbsp; No South Indian meal is complete without a cup of strong and creamy filter coffee. What makes the coffee at Malabar Groove unique is that the restaurant imports the beans from South India itself, making it a must-try for coffee enthusiasts looking for something different from the usual cuppa.&nbsp; With accessible locations in Thamel and now also at Bagaicha in Naxal, Malabar Groove is a must-visit for anyone looking to be transported from the Himalaya to the Nilgiri.&nbsp;

Kerala to Kathmandu

Patan Museum is a repository of Kathmandu Valley heritage, but in its gallery wing is a temporary multimedia exhibition devoted to the indigenous Tharu people of Nepal’s southern plains.&nbsp; As the largest ethnic group in the Tarai, and because of their connection to US-funded malaria eradication in the 1960s, trans-migration of mountain dwellers to their forests in the Rapti Valley, as well as the Maoist conflict, the impact on the Tharu has been extensively analysed. But most of this research has come from non-Tharu academics. Now, the exhibition Daule Daule aims to highlight the history, culture and inter-generational knowledge and skills of the Tharu people by the Tharu themselves. “Exhibitions about the Tharu community were mostly from other people and sometimes they gave <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/5-myths-about-the-tharu">wrong information</a>,” says Birendra Mahato, one of the curators. “We thought it was important to tell our stories on our own.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032709034_e78efaffd168f3d150ed3afdc0c41d7429f09f9d4a26687e9a9559bb36058dbe.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024032709034_e78efaffd168f3d150ed3afdc0c41d7429f09f9d4a26687e9a9559bb36058dbe" data-rendition-name="original" width="5435" height="3623" loading="lazy" alt="Daule daule"> </figure>  The exhibition starts with a section dedicated to the Tharu women because it is the women who carry forward the culture. Says another curator Lavkant Chaudhary: “When you enter a Tharu village women are the first people you see and even inside the house from cooking to medicine, they are the ones who have the responsibility.” Indeed, the very first photograph by Vivek Chaudhary is of Tharu women walking on a foggy morning in Dang with firewood balanced on their heads. Other images play with the same theme: women carrying a water pitcher, grass, baskets.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032709034_f398e9467dfd175f507f34cd5e6bfbfff923f74a467e021ebb8529ca3b9ae5c8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2024032709034_f398e9467dfd175f507f34cd5e6bfbfff923f74a467e021ebb8529ca3b9ae5c8" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="Daule Daule"> </figure>  Tharu women are perceived to be freer and more empowered because they do not face gender restrictions prevalent among Nepal’s other ethnic groups. Researchers have even called Tharu society matriarchal.&nbsp; Indu Tharu in her note accompanying the photographs begs to disagree. She writes that Tharu women are not so much free as ‘persistent’. They &nbsp;women still need a husband's permission to decide matters, and the Tharu are not matriarchal unless matriarchy means ‘leaving parent’s house and staying at the husband's house after marriage … or giving birth to as many babies as the family wishes … or until a son is born’.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032709030_05c859c3ed5461b358647a8cc0630a96e9d0da7c6ad15f2517cdda1be4c0feb1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024032709030_05c859c3ed5461b358647a8cc0630a96e9d0da7c6ad15f2517cdda1be4c0feb1" data-rendition-name="original" width="5113" height="3409" loading="lazy" alt="daule daule"> </figure>  Tharu women are often photographed in full traditional regalia of ornaments. But the exhibition has pictures of Tharu women working at home, in fields and participating in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-karjahi-movement">political movements</a> from the abolishment of the Kamaiya and Kamlari system to the Tharuhat movement, showing their resistance.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032709030_b55a2b2c289871e199e1eed2f95293fc01ab7d3c71c049d496e8a20a46613cc9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2024032709030_b55a2b2c289871e199e1eed2f95293fc01ab7d3c71c049d496e8a20a46613cc9" data-rendition-name="original" width="5911" height="3941" loading="lazy" alt="daule daule"> </figure>  In the corner of the exhibition hangs a painting of a Tharu woman, Parbati Chaudhary with her baby on her back. During the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/tikapur-s-protracted-trauma">Tikapur riots</a>, Parbati’s husband, who has a disability, was also apprehended by the police. Parbati then joined the movement carrying her baby with her. The photos from the movements and the painting serve as a reminder of the historical injustices in the hands of the state.&nbsp; Tharu women are now venturing into fields that were once male-dominated. There are photos of female mahouts bathing elephants, showing the continuity of the human-animal relationship that the Tharus traditionally practiced.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032709030_4fd80ef1e2f427c02bb83a614234c3be7ddb0b23bf775bb117f2453f885733bf.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="2024032709030_4fd80ef1e2f427c02bb83a614234c3be7ddb0b23bf775bb117f2453f885733bf" data-rendition-name="original" width="4917" height="3278" loading="lazy" alt="Daule Daule"> </figure>  Also included in the exhibition are photos of body art that adorns the back, hands and legs of the Tharu women. In the community, tattooing is a skill passed to daughter by their mothers and is not only an art form but is also used as therapy, the belief that it eases pain.&nbsp; “Tattoos are not only an important way of sharing inter-generational knowledge but there is also a belief that when one dies, the tattoo travels into the afterlife,” explains Lavkant Chaudhary.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032709030_95fb44a92c69e6d87cf7014afaa25a05755390dd9608b39cb3c52bb2a770d862.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="2024032709030_95fb44a92c69e6d87cf7014afaa25a05755390dd9608b39cb3c52bb2a770d862" data-rendition-name="original" width="6000" height="4000" loading="lazy" alt="Daule daule"> </figure>  One wall of the gallery is festooned with fishing nets and tools, providing a glimpse of the Tharu lifestyle in forests, grasslands and rivers. With changing times, traditional Tharu fishing areas are protected, threatening a way of life and the skills and knowledge amassed through generations. Most of Tharu activities are collective, and are sustainable. They do not fish alone, the women go to the forests in groups to collect clay which they beat into pottery. This skill is dying which is why photographic documentation is so important.&nbsp; The curatorial team is later planning on taking the exhibition to other parts of Nepal as well. Younger generations of Tharus who grew up in the capital and non-Tharus not able to visit the Tharu museum in Chitwan will learn a lot from this show. Daule Daule&nbsp; Curated by Birendra Mahato, Indu Tharu, Sanjib Chaudhary, Lavkant Chaudhary, Arnab Chaudhary, Maria Bossert and Tom Robertson&nbsp; Patan Museum, Until 31 March

The Tharu story by the Tharu

A dedicated exploration of natural dyes in artwork. Reusing discarded items to produce art. The Kala Salon in Chhaya Centre in Thamel is the newest haven for art lovers with green hearts.&nbsp; On a lower level is Foraging Chroma by Nepali fashion designer Meena Gurung. The exhibit reminds one of a home décor store with the walls adorned in intricately artful fabric, only much more vibrant. Meena Gurung has woven each fabric from natural materials such as plants, leaves, and barks of trees.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130332_551179ef18cd10564eaf3494c266a476a050d528c0246db9d98ae58171e98a9a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240313130332_551179ef18cd10564eaf3494c266a476a050d528c0246db9d98ae58171e98a9a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130332_3230c3fdd554c738005845b7c50477d6a538e4016388860cd82e37ff28019611.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240313130332_3230c3fdd554c738005845b7c50477d6a538e4016388860cd82e37ff28019611" data-rendition-name="original" width="1280" height="1920" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>  Founder of Bora Studio, Gurung studied fashion design in Ireland and was set to follow in her chosen path. But when the Rana Plaza garment factory in Dhaka that was supplying apparel to Louis Vuitton and Zara collapsed in 2013, killing 1,134 mainly women workers, everything changed. Wracked with guilt, Gurung realised she was part of an industry that promoted wasteful and exploitative fast fashion, contributing to a superficial lifestyle and to environmental degradation and climate breakdown.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130332_8d25202f8e710866a100698106daf5055bfe878eb87071bf3baad0a4dc35bdd9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240313130332_8d25202f8e710866a100698106daf5055bfe878eb87071bf3baad0a4dc35bdd9" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130336_bd7bf478a859d6f341f63173dae68fb6f888ca389ba8ae40258e4444a0eafab4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240313130336_bd7bf478a859d6f341f63173dae68fb6f888ca389ba8ae40258e4444a0eafab4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1280" height="1920" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>  Upon returning to Nepal, Gurung started experimenting with natural dyes. Through trial and error, she mastered the techniques to produce vibrant organic colours and textures. She uses naturally dyed cotton sheets made via an iron bath process as her canvas. Eucalyptus and guava leaves and invasive species are then used as printing tools. Over the past seven years, Gurung has moved through Dolakha, Nuwakot, Tanahu, and Chitwan collecting materials and inspiration.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130336_5076ef43a3401f0246f95198a04d80be869c1e3686e65cb682e3383381c40b17.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240313130336_5076ef43a3401f0246f95198a04d80be869c1e3686e65cb682e3383381c40b17" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130332_3a1b407b27102ca63c0c9d9a5cb95cbb252191c120bf5e78bd58f2d9c908a2a6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240313130332_3a1b407b27102ca63c0c9d9a5cb95cbb252191c120bf5e78bd58f2d9c908a2a6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>  Fallen leaves of invasive species are a prominent theme in her work: collected from paths inside Nepal’s community forests. The dyes are also on display at the exhibition, and Gurung is on hand to explain her techniques.&nbsp; “In today's world, we need to think critically about what we're leaving behind for future generations. How are we shaping the world, and how can we live more consciously,” says Gurung. “There are always alternative solutions available. By being more mindful of our behaviour and attitudes towards living, we can make a positive difference.” Gurung credits Sophia L Pandé, a fan of her work on Instagram, for encouraging her with the exhibition. Pandé who is also the founding director of The Kala Salon recognised the artistry in Gurung's creations.&nbsp; Says Pandé: “Meena’s work transcends fashion, it's art. People need to see this.” Gurung herself hopes that seeing the work firsthand will spark lifestyle changes that are required for human beings to have smaller ecological footprints. On top of the airy expanse of the Salon, Italian artist Cinzia (pictured below) awaits with her exhibit Zero to Sunya, a mixed-media exhibit using photography, paperwork and copper. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130336_debb223c76b896d38be0bc20db59e5f8191a40a342ca0a0299714a3af0764444.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240313130336_debb223c76b896d38be0bc20db59e5f8191a40a342ca0a0299714a3af0764444" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>  Cinzia, a globetrotter originally from a now-deserted village in Italy, finds herself constantly drawn back to Nepal. Her travels fuel her artistic spirit, she collects unique items and transforms them into captivating creations. The copper jewelry she crafted in Italy has journeyed with her across the world and now finds a home in this exhibition. Cinzia defies categorisation as a mere jewelry designer or artist, embracing all art forms. A standout piece is a surprising combination of hard paper, a face mask, and cable wires found on a busy road in Kathmandu. These transformed elements create a captivating figure with "hair" fashioned from the wires, resembling a tree with leaves (top photo).  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130336_eaca6a2dcc5ab617b21b2dd861ecc8b4e273864550850cd3bb9ebd02693ec293.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240313130336_eaca6a2dcc5ab617b21b2dd861ecc8b4e273864550850cd3bb9ebd02693ec293" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130340_c896522d4b48ce53dac516b20770d069d627c00b0d49f49c6e072b5563c717d1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240313130340_c896522d4b48ce53dac516b20770d069d627c00b0d49f49c6e072b5563c717d1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>  &nbsp;“Wherever I travel, I carry a piece of myself. And I seek out kindred spirits, people who share my passion for creation,” Cinzia explains. “This exhibition isn't just a showcase of my efforts, but a testament to the collaboration with my friends who have refined my work and introduced me to new techniques.” Another installation here titled Purusha-Prakriti is crafted from salvaged cardboard and metal mesh from a construction site, showcasing beauty in unexpected places.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130336_0fc2dd72680fc89e6a9c453f0cb5ecaa36a3afb549eef8e015e9a78978c0d0d8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20240313130336_0fc2dd72680fc89e6a9c453f0cb5ecaa36a3afb549eef8e015e9a78978c0d0d8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1920" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240313130336_d6b364dce649d425f0caf9d56f093981352ac554096f33fcc00353a7e9a2e460.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20240313130336_d6b364dce649d425f0caf9d56f093981352ac554096f33fcc00353a7e9a2e460" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Alternative lifestyle, alternative art"> </figure>  Both exhibitions at the Chhaya Centre leave a lasting impression and invite open interpretation, prompting viewers to question wasteful and energy-intensive modern lifestyles, demonstrating the potential for artistic expression to inspire positive change. Says Sophia Pandé: “Cinzia's exquisite jewelry and Meena's hand-dyed shawls transcend mere function. These wearable artworks hold a value equal to that of a traditional canvas, serving as powerful reminders of the transformative power of artistic expression.” Foraging Chroma by Meena Gurung Zero to Sunya by Cinzia Everyday 11am to 6pm Until 24 March The Kala Salon, Chhaya Centre

Alternative lifestyle, alternative art

A year-and-a-half after the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/can-nepal-go-from-hydro-to-hydrogen">Nepal Green Hydrogen Summit</a>, Kathmandu University (KU) last week successfully tested a hydrogen fuel cell car for the first time in Nepal.&nbsp; KU’s Green Hydrogen Lab used 10kg of water and 45 units of electricity costing $5 to produce 1kg of hydrogen to give a Hyundai SUV a range of 100km. Using petrol to drive the same distance would cost Rs1,400 at the gas station.&nbsp; At present, running an EV is even cheaper, because a battery-powered car needs Rs106 of electricity to go 100km.&nbsp; The technology is not new—industries and factories have been using hydrogen for over 100 years to manufacture chemicals and fertilisers, refine oil, and process food, among others. But earlier processes used fossil energy for the electrolysis to separate hydrogen and oxygen in water molecules. Called Grey Hydrogen, it had a large carbon footprint. There was also Blue Hydrogen produced from methane in natural gas. Green Hydrogen from electrolysis of water uses renewable energy sources like hydropower or geothermal. Carbon dioxide is not released or involved at any stage, and the clean hydrogen in fuel cells can be used to heat homes and offices and power transportation. “We in Nepal have an opportunity to use our abundant hydroelectricity to produce hydrogen which can replace imported petroleum,” says Biraj Singh Thapa, who heads the university’s Green Hydrogen Lab. Nepal’s existing generation capacity is 2,800MW and the government’s target is to reach 30,000MW by 2035. Monsoon hydropower surplus is going waste because of lack of demand at present, while electricity production falls in the dry season. But with more hydropower plants coming online, Nepal will soon have a winter surplus and new demand has to be created so electricity does not go to waste. Export is one option but it is more beneficial to use the excess electricity within the country to replace petroleum.&nbsp; If diesel, petrol and gas consumption is reduced by even 10%, Nepal can slash Rs30 billion from its import bill. But even if we sell all of our electricity to India, we will earn just half that amount.&nbsp; Energy experts say hydrogen is the fuel of the future. Battery-powered cars are replacing petrol cars, and ultimately hydrogen will replace EVs. “Hydrogen will complement EVs,” says Thapa. “For short distances, electric vehicles are the ideal mode of transport, hydrogen is better suited for long-distance buses and trucks that carry heavy loads.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110436_d3ecda1715bd55a3b3c7c33d9b868cdc2352f52c091f22d769057dab2db4dad5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240411110436_d3ecda1715bd55a3b3c7c33d9b868cdc2352f52c091f22d769057dab2db4dad5" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Fuel of the future is here Page 12-13 NT #1207"> <figcaption>Photo: GREEN HYDROGEN LAB</figcaption> </figure>  After the successful test, KU’s Green Hydrogen Lab is working on policies to operationalise and ultimately commercialise hydrogen fuel production. The government has a Green Hydrogen Policy, but it does not yet have working guidelines and directives to move things along. “There is still a lot to do. How do we tax hydrogen vehicles, number plates, blue plates, and then there is standardisation of refuelling stations,” explains Thapa. “We can have hydrogen refuelling stations ready in six months or less, but need policymakers and leaders to make the move.” This scenario seems too optimistic to some experts who see many hurdles before hydrogen can replace petrol and diesel — most important will be the cost.&nbsp; “Unless electricity tariffs come down to $0.4 cents and the electrolysis process down to $500/kW, it won’t be commercially viable to produce hydrogen in Nepal,” maintains Hitendra Dev Shakya, former Managing Director at Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). He adds: “At current prices, hydrogen as transport fuel will be very expensive and does not make much sense. Maybe a couple of years down the line when the technology has further evolved. But not now.” Hydrogen has also been discussed as a way for Nepal to store spilled energy during monsoon for use in the dry season. But experts say there is too much efficiency loss, making it commercially not viable. Besides transportation, hydrogen from electrolysis of water may have other applications. It can be combined with nitrogen in the atmosphere to produce ammonia, which can be further combined with carbon dioxide to manufacture fertilisers like urea and Diammonium Phosphate (DAP). “The real application of hydrogen in Nepal is in the production of ammonia and fertilisers, so Nepal can be self-sufficient,” adds Shakya. “Furthermore, ammonia can be liquefied and stored for weeks whereas hydrogen can be stored just for a few days at most, and converting it back to electricity loses much of its efficiency.” Nepal suffers from a chronic shortage of chemical fertilisers every year, affecting agricultural production. Farmers across the country need at least 700,000 tonnes of urea worth Rs20 billion, which has to be imported and heavily subsidised. Ammonia production using hydrogen from water and nitrogen from the air is fairly energy-intensive, but using hydropower and channelling carbon dioxide from the cement industry can bring down costs. Capturing CO2 from cement factories would also reduce Nepal’s carbon footprint. Ammonia is also a refrigerant gas and can purify water. It can also be used in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes and other chemicals. The Nepal Army imports Rs13 billion worth of ammonia for explosives every year.

Fuel of the future is here

Nepalis looking to splurge on a new car for the new year might want to think about electric or hybrid options. Gone are the days of small, claustrophobic EVs, there are now battery-powered cars that are as green as they are cool.&nbsp; If you have been out on Kathmandu’s roads these days, and with the air quality being what it is this week we understand if you have not, there seems to be a lot more battery-operated vehicles on the streets. As range improves, there are a lot more EVs even on the highways, negotiating the mud and dust.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120436_ff293ae4da0a697a030334ccb1f9d723ef20b4d902a5153e9f95c8252d95afa5.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240412120436_ff293ae4da0a697a030334ccb1f9d723ef20b4d902a5153e9f95c8252d95afa5" data-rendition-name="original" width="956" height="726" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  The numbers back this up. By March, nearly 6,500 electric vehicles had been imported into Nepal in the six months of the fiscal year. During the same period last year, this number was only 2,198.&nbsp; The battery-powered cars in Nepal are imported from China, India, Indonesia, the United States, South Korea, and now from Germany. Import numbers of electric three-wheel taxis also show an increase of 54% from 5,380 to 8,303.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120436_de4ba3e82f7af336a34d5c590b28a109eef625441b88b164c8a0a09ec46e3ee7.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240412120436_de4ba3e82f7af336a34d5c590b28a109eef625441b88b164c8a0a09ec46e3ee7" data-rendition-name="original" width="857" height="551" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  This means the contribution of vehicular emissions to air pollution levels in Kathmandu Valley is going down, although the other sources (wildfire smoke, roadside dust, and transboundary pollution) are getting worse. The bigger change can be in Nepal’s petroleum import bill, which makes up nearly a quarter of total imports. Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) reports that petrol and diesel demand has gone down slightly, but there will have to be a lot more electric public transport and private cars to make a dent on the trade deficit.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120436_d9b2c5e2ad232d224065605813ea6c1558dcaac5c1ed7513493f4ed0f6270080.png" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240412120436_d9b2c5e2ad232d224065605813ea6c1558dcaac5c1ed7513493f4ed0f6270080" data-rendition-name="original" width="833" height="654" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  Besides fully battery-powered cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrids are also available, although the numbers so far are tiny. Only 17 hybrids were imported in February-March, and 21 in March-April.&nbsp; Hybrids tend to be more expensive than fully electric cars, and they also need more specialised maintenance backup since they have both a gasoline engine and an electric motor.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120436_0d7f8b2559c78646a518c09a1faa7231216d502fb988e91a8b27ba40ee4e04cf.png" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240412120436_0d7f8b2559c78646a518c09a1faa7231216d502fb988e91a8b27ba40ee4e04cf" data-rendition-name="original" width="1282" height="675" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120432_057a1a2ba625c116b47cfca4e50fbb18dcd985b29763cc62dcd8492d786e071b.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240412120432_057a1a2ba625c116b47cfca4e50fbb18dcd985b29763cc62dcd8492d786e071b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1012" height="782" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  The difference between regular hybrids and the plug-in hybrids is in how the battery is charged to power the electric motor. Regular hybrids charge their batteries while driving, and there is regenerative braking which means the motor turns into a generator to charge the battery. Also, when the petrol engine is producing more power than the car needs, the car’s computer routes the extra energy to the battery.&nbsp; Plug-in hybrids have these capabilities as well, but can also be plugged in to wall sockets for charging. While the electric motors in regular hybrids only assist the gasoline engine, plug-in hybrids can run entirely on the charged battery just like in EVs, and switch to gas when it runs out.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120436_4230544724483b7898da0d610247ecb439e199c116fcbdab4c876654823e7593.png" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240412120436_4230544724483b7898da0d610247ecb439e199c116fcbdab4c876654823e7593" data-rendition-name="original" width="1099" height="829" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120436_8d674ca57678d7f707970a8c900883e60a811a0c86b78f4e58c52eb8c3cf405e.png" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240412120436_8d674ca57678d7f707970a8c900883e60a811a0c86b78f4e58c52eb8c3cf405e" data-rendition-name="original" width="852" height="751" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  Regular hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles all save fuel and are better for the ecology and economy than petrol or diesel cars. There are, however, trade offs in choosing any one kind. &nbsp; A fully electric vehicle will use no fossil fuels at all, so it is the best in reducing emissions. But they can be expensive up front, and are limited by range because of the lack of charging infrastructure. Charging is slow, which is not ideal during long trips.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240415090428_d7345578eb15e0834e03f0fa50a14ad7256a1f23c60a82fd8f7b9f6afb279703.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240415090428_d7345578eb15e0834e03f0fa50a14ad7256a1f23c60a82fd8f7b9f6afb279703" data-rendition-name="original" width="674" height="356" loading="lazy" alt="Audi electric"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120432_539206ecb44998657426ef1b0cdc54774c5c6e1a61cd6053a1da4c731e3a275c.png" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240412120432_539206ecb44998657426ef1b0cdc54774c5c6e1a61cd6053a1da4c731e3a275c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1049" height="857" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  Electric cars have not been around as long as regular ones, so maintenance experts and replacement parts are harder to come by. &nbsp; A regular hybrid does not need to be plugged in at all, so there is no range anxiety. However, it is going to use more fuel, leading to a higher running cost and some emissions. There are more components, so there are more things that can go wrong.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120432_4efd199719ebc37050c7b4d8ccc6711d64fe8cd0c508e6bee8e30f48a416f9e3.png" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20240412120432_4efd199719ebc37050c7b4d8ccc6711d64fe8cd0c508e6bee8e30f48a416f9e3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1093" height="554" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240415090428_f650e2834b231ec2550e3862dd3804791367fad4e6f6133e1fcd093e1e24bd62.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20240415090428_f650e2834b231ec2550e3862dd3804791367fad4e6f6133e1fcd093e1e24bd62" data-rendition-name="original" width="640" height="507" loading="lazy" alt="Tata Nexon"> </figure>  A plug-in hybrid offers the most flexibility as it can run on either electricity or fuel. However, the battery capacity is limited and fuel is the option on longer drives. The price tags of these cars are much higher. &nbsp; There is some debate about battery-powered cars not being as climate friendly as claimed because of the lithium, cadmium and other raw materials needed for batteries and electrodes have to be extracted through energy-intensive methods.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240415090428_8cefbd01237b1e3803588125c79412233460b3056290610a6a9a157ce0f50b32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20240415090428_8cefbd01237b1e3803588125c79412233460b3056290610a6a9a157ce0f50b32" data-rendition-name="original" width="701" height="503" loading="lazy" alt="Subaru hybrid"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240412120432_c6fedf87a122a94bce272b1f5d98165a945851171ff060d30e00800d9ece334e.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20240412120432_c6fedf87a122a94bce272b1f5d98165a945851171ff060d30e00800d9ece334e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1036" height="840" loading="lazy" alt="EV"> </figure>  A lot more lithium and other resources goes into making fully electric cars simply because they need higher capacity batteries. The same lithium could be used to make many more gas-electric hybrids or plug-ins, leading to a lower carbon footprint over the lifetime of the cars. A Toyota document states that 90 hybrids can be made with the resources to make one fully electric vehicle, reducing carbon emission by 37 times over their lifetime, compared to the electric car.&nbsp; Whatever you choose to buy, there is a range of choices of models and propulsion systems. BYD, Tata, Hyundai, Tesla, and Audi all offer fully electric vehicles. Toyota and Subaru have popular hybrid options.

EVs, Hybrids, and Plug-ins

A trip to Bhadgaon is a commitment. You need to get on that Arniko Highway, and race Enfields and micros zooming eastwards at 80kmph. Bhaktapur is only 11km from the Ring Road, and 20 minutes away at night. But at rush hour, there are bottlenecks that make it seem farther than it is.&nbsp; This is the week of Bhaktapur’s biggest chariot festival, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/biska-celebrations-begin-in-bhaktapur">the Bisket Jatra</a>, the first day of which is known locally as Dhwo kwabijyaigu or ‘the god carried downwards’. It might be a good idea to extend the day trip to see the festival and stay overnight to really get to know the city of devotees. By evening, most of the tourists and visitors will have left, and <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/bhaktapur-world-heritage-site-nyatapola,1376">Bhaktapur</a> once more belongs to its residents. A good place to hang out to watch the goings-on in the Darbar Square is from one of the window seats at the Temple View Restaurant, popular for its Newari menu but also Chicken Thali complete with masala tea and juju dhau at Rs795.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110444_63cf46c7dff59414109d5f44b2fe7802dfa0c133d9c0fdf7545b7168fe6585c2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240411110444_63cf46c7dff59414109d5f44b2fe7802dfa0c133d9c0fdf7545b7168fe6585c2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110448_d0644ce851a3a0a5aa76543b23c4799b35b98a6d490041e65f8bda0abdfc5441.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240411110448_d0644ce851a3a0a5aa76543b23c4799b35b98a6d490041e65f8bda0abdfc5441" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>  &nbsp;Nearby is Taumadhi Square, dominated by Nepal’s highest temple Nyatapola. This sturdy five-roofed temple withstood the 1934 and 2015 earthquakes, perhaps because it is guarded by five pairs of stone bodyguards. It is in the evening that <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nyatapola-alight">Nyatapola</a> looks even more impressive, glowing in the light of the square and standing out against the darkening sky. Climbing the long stairs, one gains a vantage point overlooking the square and the town beyond the surrounding rooftops.&nbsp; There is usually an evening puja going on in the Bhairavnath temple to the east of Nyatapola, with chanting and cymbals, a great soundtrack to the bustling, busy square as well as a reminder that temples are not only selfie spots for tourists, but also places of worship.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110444_08df42b25422fa41b0c2c3757986eb3fef7d25dc7c16091c31781ce72cf982a8.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240411110444_08df42b25422fa41b0c2c3757986eb3fef7d25dc7c16091c31781ce72cf982a8" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110444_64988e88c264361d9e4138a8af7187590030b9c251d669cd5c497526379c0bfa.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240411110444_64988e88c264361d9e4138a8af7187590030b9c251d669cd5c497526379c0bfa" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>  Despite it being night, motorbikes race diagonally across Taumadhi, so be prepared to dodge these easy riders as you make your way to our next night-time attraction: Dattatreya Square.&nbsp; The street there is lined with curious passages that must be stooped through into courtyards. Down a narrow lane off to the side of the square is the famous peacock window, and the first floor of a house opposite offers the best eye-level view. The light and shadows of the night make the carved wooden window look even more delicate and exquisite. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-tug-of-tradition">Bhaktapur is loyal to traditional ways of life</a> and architecture. The styles of buildings are consistent and well preserved. The restaurants and shops, at least the ones in the main squares, are housed in centuries old heritage buildings.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110448_71e8993546835129c90df4187e8d060a4059eff7e75988e9045567b0048cb45b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240411110448_71e8993546835129c90df4187e8d060a4059eff7e75988e9045567b0048cb45b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110452_4f8b7bfdac926e47eb36d7d9bbf7075c1c5298016edd515688a39cc1fa845b01.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20240411110452_4f8b7bfdac926e47eb36d7d9bbf7075c1c5298016edd515688a39cc1fa845b01" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>  &nbsp;It is at night that Bhaktapur brings out the best of itself, radiating art and culture. Many new cafes have opened, and shops that sell souvenirs and intricate thangkas. The red brick roads give the town elegance and character different from the tourist haunts in other parts of the Valley.&nbsp; Many businesses on the streets play music, prayer hymns, and burn fragrant incense. There is always a procession going past, giving night time <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-traditional-seismic-resistant-designs">Bhaktapur</a> a spiritual ambience.&nbsp; By late evening, there are fewer motorcycles and the pedestrians start shuffling home. Community dogs take over, guarding the guardians of the gods on Nyatapola’s steps. In a neighbourhood falcha, some elderly devotees are still chanting hymns to the gods. Clouds towering over the mountains to the north are lit up by the pink neon of silent lightning.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110448_79e373b228c194410dd6a7c02a97185a83fee28a6d2dce152b9c86e2f2ba586a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20240411110448_79e373b228c194410dd6a7c02a97185a83fee28a6d2dce152b9c86e2f2ba586a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110448_71d51751230e8769bcbcdb5730d9b1246d127c082c0b9b4265056b8277f50ce4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20240411110448_71d51751230e8769bcbcdb5730d9b1246d127c082c0b9b4265056b8277f50ce4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110448_4481a5fae6b464df1355cc7f223fd3eb08d511360f555118c8e1c7033ce9699d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_13" data-image-id="20240411110448_4481a5fae6b464df1355cc7f223fd3eb08d511360f555118c8e1c7033ce9699d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>  &nbsp;Bhaktapur is not just a town, it is a way of life.&nbsp; ---- Places to Stay Peacock Guest House Located near the Dattatreya Square, this guest house is simultaneously a hotel, café and handicraft shop all rolled into one. The café is what you walk into, with seating extending into a courtyard. It is all very compact and tasteful. A man who appears to be the owner sits at one of the tables and is drawing.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411130412_3d539ef65ad9559abcf8163f0567e13039b88dc0df2ce5f6a5db021e05277b54.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20240411130412_3d539ef65ad9559abcf8163f0567e13039b88dc0df2ce5f6a5db021e05277b54" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="Peakcock guesthouse Bhaktapur"> <figcaption>Breakfast at Peacock Guest House.</figcaption> </figure>  Peacock Guest House is Bhaktapur in a microcosm in the way it incorporates heritage. It has narrow wooden staircases and doors, intricate windows, and a copper water jar. The rooms are cosy, and come with a bookshelf featuring interesting titles. There is a traditional carved window in each room that must make guests feel like the Kumari. The second floor has a large showroom with many statuettes and carvings. On the roof terrace, the evenings are cool and quiet. Rs7,000&nbsp; Dattatreya Square&nbsp; (01) 6611829 Milla Guest House&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411110448_a41255ab6bca5a2d96a5a0211b1e0f88f8663e80fea85243c25c673cdc4b0ba6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="20240411110448_a41255ab6bca5a2d96a5a0211b1e0f88f8663e80fea85243c25c673cdc4b0ba6" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="454" loading="lazy" alt="One night in Bhadgaon NT 1"> </figure>  A five minute walk away from Dattatraya Square, Milla Guest House is a bed-and-breakfast designed by<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/kathmandu-s-legacy-is-goetz-hagmueller-s-legacy"> Götz Hagmüller</a>, architect of the Patan Museum and the Garden of Dreams in Kathmandu. The hotel uses brick, wood, and terracotta tiles and balances modern with traditional designs. Rooms have attached bathrooms, and two of them come with balconies. On the top floor is a terrace and kitchen, and breakfast is complimentary.&nbsp; Rs12,000&nbsp; Dattatreya 9817849759 The Nanee  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240411130416_1b729a528446d5ad6249f593b4a284531ffc5ef2ba9e2fcecf1fdb6f78e1ff28.jpg" data-media-id="editor_17" data-image-id="20240411130416_1b729a528446d5ad6249f593b4a284531ffc5ef2ba9e2fcecf1fdb6f78e1ff28" data-rendition-name="original" width="680" height="453" loading="lazy" alt="The Nanee"> </figure>  A luxury boutique hotel located just before you get to the Darbar Square, The Nanee is an ‘immersive lodging experience,’ with detailed tours of Bhaktapur led by local experts, as well as food tours of traditional dishes and restaurants. The rooms and lobbies are expertly designed with fusion pieces of traditional art with modern twists. There are suites on offer as well.&nbsp; Rs21,000 onwards Itachhen (01) 5915110

One night in Bhadgaon

On World Health Day on 7 April this week, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Kathmandu exceeded 300 – one of the dirtiest in any city in the world. Breathing was literally <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/breathing-is-hazardous-to-health">lethal</a>.
Although the main source of pollution this week was smoke from brushfires raging across the country, emissions from diesel and petrol vehicles are a bigger year-round source of hazardous suspended particles and toxic gases.&nbsp;
The good news is that the sale of electric four-wheelers is growing rapidly, and battery-powered vehicles now account for one-third of Nepal’s total car imports. Outside Kathmandu, vans, microbuses and three-wheelers are switching to electric as never before
All this has happened even though there is still a hefty <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/1-step-forward-2-steps-back-in-nepal">tax on battery-powered vehicles</a>. In last year’s budget ex-Finance Minister Prakash Mahat increased the tax on smaller EVs and electric vans while inexplicably reducing the tax on luxury SUVs.
This year, all eyes are on the new Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun, who is under pressure to raise government revenue that has fallen drastically due to a slowdown in imports. Instead of lowering taxes and even announcing subsidies on electric cars and appliances, he may actually increase them. He could also do it selectively to favour certain EV brands imported by cronies.
“The government should be more careful in how it taxes electric vehicles,” says air pollution activist Bhushan Tuladhar who is also the director of Sajha Yatayat, the public transport company that is operating 40 electric buses. “It should be consistent, predictable and guided by science, it can’t be a kneejerk reaction with no real planning.”
One large electric bus can replace at least 10 cars, easing road congestion, improving air pollution and reducing petroleum imports. But existing excise and import taxes make battery-powered buses up to five times more expensive than a diesel bus of similar capacity.&nbsp;
On Tuesday, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/sajha-s-green-buses-go-greener">Sajha Yatayat inaugurated Nepal’s largest charging station</a> with 24 charging points where it will charge its 40 e-buses. Speaking at the event, Kulman Ghising of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) acknowledged that Nepal was undergoing a “massive transport transition”.&nbsp;
“We will soon have surplus power even in winter, and private EVs can only use so much of our electricity, what we really need is to electrify our mass transport,” he said. “On one hand, by increasing our consumption of electricity, it will reduce our petroleum imports and subsequently our trade deficit. It will also help us meet our net zero target. This is also very feasible as a business model.”
Petroleum imports account for one-fourth of Nepal’s total imports and is more than all of our exports combined. Reducing petroleum consumption by just 10% would save the country over Rs30 billion whereas even exporting all of our current power generation of 3,000MW would earn us just half that amount.
It is simple maths: prioritising <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/missing-pieces-of-the-hydropower-jigsaw">domestic electricity consumption</a> is a win-win-win for the country. Electrification of industries, tourism and agriculture would also mean tens of thousands of new green jobs and help stem the mass exodus of youth.&nbsp;
A policy decision is also urgently needed for electric taxis. Bagmati Province does not register new battery-powered cabs, but they are still being imported as private cars which then buy number plates of the older taxis. This means the electric taxis have to pay higher road taxes, keeping their fares high.
A battery-powered taxi can be fully charged for just Rs106, and will have a range of 180km. A petrol taxi would need Rs3,500 worth of petrol to cover that distance.&nbsp;
Climate expert Manjeet Dhakal says that budget fluctuations make people and investors lose confidence, and this is especially important ahead of the Nepal Investment Summit later this month.
“At a time when the whole world is moving towards clean energy, Nepal’s contradictory policy regarding EV sends out the wrong message to the business community,” he adds. “But at the next &nbsp;budget, we must incentivise electric buses. Even within the EV bracket, this is the segment we have to hit had if we are to make a real difference.”
Without state subsidy and support, the private sector is unlikely to expand on electric facilities. Pollution tax can very well come in handy here if there is a political will.
Even then EVs are just a part of an ecosystem, we need charging infrastructure, skilled human resources for the new technology, and policies that promote them.
Similarly, two-wheelers make up nearly 80% of total vehicles in Nepal. But there are electric bikes and scooters, government and the private sector have much to do to increase consumer and market confidence in them.
Consecutive governments have been flip-flopping tax rates on electric vehicles in recent years. In 2020, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/nepal-reduces-tax-on-electric-cars">the government reduced the taxes on battery-powered vehicles</a>. A year later, it re-imposed tax for electric SUVs while cheaper vehicles were still taxed less. Last year, the tax on smaller EVs and electric vans was increased while that on luxury SUVs was slashed.
Not long ago a former finance minister was caught questioning how the government would earn its revenue if it didn’t tax electric vehicles. Such is our policymaking that we rely on imports to generate income for the government when in fact revenue should be based on local industries and goods.
“Financial policy is based on politics and that is the sad reality, more so now with coalition governments,” says Tuladhar. “But even then, taxation should not be a long-term policy. But unfortunately, people who are making policies aren't riding buses &nbsp;so they have no interest in public transport or don’t even know what to do with it.”

EV year २०८१

Sajha Yatayat formally inducted 40 new electric buses to its fleet and inaugurated Nepal’s biggest simultaneous charging station for them in Patan on Tuesday. The 1.1 MW charging station shows that Nepal’s energy transition to renewables is not just environmentally beneficial but also economically viable. The green buses seen on Kathmandu Valley routes are now fully green — running on hydroelectricity that Nepal itself produces and not on imported diesel. The 40 new e-buses are made by CHTC company in Nanjing and the entire fleet can now be charged at the new charging station. Kulman Ghising of the Nepal Electricity Authority was on hand at the inauguration and extolled the virtues of going electric, mainly that it is 33 times cheaper to run. However, the capital cost for an electric bus is much higher than diesel and the outlay has to be recovered over a decade of operation. Government tax subsidies for electric public transport would help.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240410040436_57e25a3338995639178d953009e76d39c8fb0fc42714042eda77bf286bf9d33b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240410040436_57e25a3338995639178d953009e76d39c8fb0fc42714042eda77bf286bf9d33b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Sajha Yatayat charging depot NT 1"> <figcaption>Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Kulman Ghising. Photo: SUMAN NEPALI</figcaption> </figure>  “Focusing on public transport yields a much bigger impact on reducing emissions,” Ghising said. “While the number of private vehicles may be higher, public vehicles run all day.” Kathmandu’s air quality further plummeted this week with AQI reading 300 and higher. While wildfire smoke was mostly responsible for this instance, petrol and diesel emissions make Kathmandu one of the most polluted cities in the world.&nbsp; Replacing them with battery-operated vehicles would help clean up the air. &nbsp;Electric vehicles are already saving Nepal Rs20 million a day with reduced petroleum consumption. Further reduction in petroleum use by 60-70% would help reduce Nepal’s trade deficit with India.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240410040436_5b761590e2fadebfac56ced0c780b71035dc635d13c6ade5f863c050b9c072e9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240410040436_5b761590e2fadebfac56ced0c780b71035dc635d13c6ade5f863c050b9c072e9" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1063" loading="lazy" alt="Sajha Yatayat charging depot NT 1"> <figcaption>Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth inaugurated the new charging station at Sajha Yataya. Photo: GOPEN RAI</figcaption> </figure>  Electric buses, however, are expensive up front even though they are cheaper to operate over time. Sajha bought the 40 buses with Rs3 billion investment from the government. “The government must promote financial packages as it is too expensive for private companies to go electric at a massive scale on their own,” said Sajha Yatayat chair Kanak Mani Dixit at Tuesday’s event. “Buses charge at night when there is an electricity surplus. We are blessed with &nbsp;renewable hydro, while most countries have coal-powered electricity.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240410040436_8d3cb73fd6bdc47e5a6f811120d3098ae28984ae687b965905cf7adc5abaf854.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240410040436_8d3cb73fd6bdc47e5a6f811120d3098ae28984ae687b965905cf7adc5abaf854" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Sajha Yatayat charging depot NT 1"> <figcaption>Sajha Yatayat Chair Kanak Mani Dixit. Photo: GOPEN RAI</figcaption> </figure>  Night routes and implementation of digital travel cards for commuters would spur Kathmandu’s economy. Electric buses may need to be charged for one hour on longer trips, but solutions exist: a relay system for passengers to swap buses at charging points.&nbsp; The inaugural event also showcased a Sajha diesel bus that has been converted to electric. For the moment, the model is only a prototype, made for research and learning purposes.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240410040436_4c2680b476cc141815b0b2fb61202333d173211bac7512c72541c98be5c3bf89.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240410040436_4c2680b476cc141815b0b2fb61202333d173211bac7512c72541c98be5c3bf89" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Sajha Yatayat charging depot NT 1"> <figcaption>A Sajha diesel bus that has been converted to electric. Photo: SUMAN NEPALI</figcaption> </figure>  “It is a lot more than just a straight engine swap -- we have also implemented a cooling system,” says engineer Janak Risal who workd on the conversion. “We ran simulations of digital models to see whether having the components in the back made the bus move around too much.” Sajha worked with the EU-supported SOLUTIONSplus which made prototypes of remodelled Safa-tempos for passengers and cargo. The building team and Sajha are holding a workshop on 25 April to discuss conversion, as well as the viability of manufacturing battery-powered cars in Nepal.

Sajha’s green buses go greener

Like many Nepalis, Surendra Dhami left his home village in Darchula for Malaysia in the hope of improving his family’s quality of life.&nbsp; He returned in a few months because the work and pay were not what he had been promised by the recruiter. But there were no jobs in Darchula, and farming in the rugged arid mountains would not feed his family. So, like many other mountain farmers Dhami, 36, migrated with his family down to the Tarai to settle in the village of Gharkheda in Kailali’s Chure Rural Municipality. It was a good move. He sold 10,000kg of oranges last year, and Surendra and his wife Bhaka have diversified into vegetables.&nbsp; “So far, we can make a living with our farming. At least, it is better than in Darchula,” says 30-year-old Bhaka Dhami.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240404110448_465a967ef1604772e7cc00f1decb97323b77f28d10834d785ac472a1fdb1359f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240404110448_465a967ef1604772e7cc00f1decb97323b77f28d10834d785ac472a1fdb1359f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Families that farm together stay together Page 9 NT #1206"> <figcaption>Surendra and Bhaka Dhami</figcaption> </figure>  Neighbour Krishna Devi Kandel and her husband Devendra have involved all five of their children in their farm. The orange trees are not doing well because of infestation, and the failure of winter rains affected crops.&nbsp; “We do not have irrigation and do not get as much rain as we used to,” says Devendra. Chure village is full of families who have moved down from Darchula, Baitadi and other mountain districts to the north. But even here, erratic rains due to the climate crisis have impacted farming.&nbsp; Diversifying crops is the best way to cope, which is what Pabitra Sapkota has also done. After her orange trees died, she has moved to vegetables.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240404110448_938c7c0c69d85899ecbd2a77e1acaa9b318eba2d0072f2f033e1dda057e21ab5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240404110448_938c7c0c69d85899ecbd2a77e1acaa9b318eba2d0072f2f033e1dda057e21ab5" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Families that farm together stay together Page 9 NT #1206"> <figcaption>Pabitra Sapkota</figcaption> </figure>  “The tomatoes that my son planted in this greenhouse are nearly ripe,” she says, clutching a lush bunch of mustard greens. &nbsp; The Chure range in western Nepal rises to elevations of 2,500m, unlike in the east where it is less than 500m. It is the youngest, lowest and weakest of the folds that form the Himalayan range, and the first ridges to rise up from the plains. The Chure covers nearly 13% of Nepal’s area, and runs through 37 of the 77 districts from Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west. It is a fragile range, where deforestation has led to frequent landslides and floods.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240404110448_5e15ae431ab995109fdeac871bae4e769d0c979bc67a02fc2785d6098229fe53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240404110448_5e15ae431ab995109fdeac871bae4e769d0c979bc67a02fc2785d6098229fe53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1777" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Families that farm together stay together Page 9 NT #1206"> <figcaption>Aftermath of a flood</figcaption> </figure>  “The Chure watershed is deteriorating and there are frequent droughts, further declining farm productivity,” explains Sushmita Dhakal of the President Chure Terai-Madhes Conservation Development Board set up in 2014.&nbsp; One way recent migrants from the mountains to Chure are adapting to the crisis is through family farming, without hired labour for better food security, nutrition and to protect the environment. The United Nations declared 2019-2028 a Decade of Family Farming to preserve traditional agriculture, increase the involvement of youth, recognise women’s leadership, promote sustainable agriculture and improve livelihoods. In doing so, family farming also protects households from the climate crisis by &nbsp;diversifying crops. It is also an antidote to water-intensive commercial farming with its use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. &nbsp;&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240404110448_94b4e92d15a772e0f6e538221aba1f60a610d95e2580daf26fffda20fc8aef9c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240404110448_94b4e92d15a772e0f6e538221aba1f60a610d95e2580daf26fffda20fc8aef9c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Families that farm together stay together Page 9 NT #1206"> <figcaption>Devendra and Krishna Devi Kandel</figcaption> </figure>  At one point, more than 80% of Nepal’s population depended on agriculture, and most were family farms. But the figure has come down to 62%. Agriculture now contributes only 25% to the GDP. Agronomists say that family farming can reverse the decline by making agriculture profitable again. Vegetable farmers of Lisbeli village prove that: their products have a ready market in the towns of western Nepal.&nbsp; Dammari Bhatta works on her vegetable patch with her family and does not hire anyone else. The cabbages, cauliflowers and tomatoes are enough to feed her family all year around, and she sells the surplus to pay for the education of her children.&nbsp; Her husband Madanraj Bhatta leads the Lisbeli Farmers’ Group which sold 1,700kgs of cabbage and 700kgs of tomato this winter.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240404110448_a74b7748e4f0ede7eb6f8a76c5fe786d9801738c70325a3aaae84ba1c5cd1c00.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240404110448_a74b7748e4f0ede7eb6f8a76c5fe786d9801738c70325a3aaae84ba1c5cd1c00" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Families that farm together stay together Page 9 NT #1206"> <figcaption>Dammari and Madanraj Bhatta</figcaption> </figure>  None of the 30 families here in Lisbeli use chemical fertilisers, and apply organic manure instead. This in turn has reduced pest infestation and diseases in the crops all the while restoring soil quality. &nbsp; “Home fertiliser has increased harvest, and made the soil more fertile,” says Manju Jagriti, an ex-teacher, now a full time farmer. “The whole family farms, and we do everything together,” says Manju proudly. Family farming is nothing new in Nepal, it has been the traditional method of agriculture. But many families moved away as commercial farming using agrochemicals took over. Now, families are moving back to the old method of growing food.&nbsp; Says agriculture scientist Binayak Bhandari: “We need to go back to our old sustainable farming ways, protect the environment and find the fine balance between nature and livelihood, especially to adapt to the climate crisis.”

Families that farm together stay together

There are certain activities that demand absolute focus. The surroundings blur as vision narrows, tension rings in the ears. The closer to danger, the more exciting it gets.&nbsp; Thrill is what adventure sports like mountaineering, canyoning and white water rafting are all about. Now, a new kind of outdoor activity is taking advantage of Nepal’s vertical terrain and scenery: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/wheeling-in-the-woods">mountain biking</a>. The sport is going viral as passionate, trailblazing Nepalis turn what used to be trekking paths into biking trails, and post GoPro videos of their adventures. Now, the sport is going international and at the forefront is Phaplu Mountain Bike Club that held its second <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/yak-attack-single-track-edition">Enduro</a> Ratnange Race in March. “Last year was all about proving the viability of the event. We worked hard to figure out every single detail,” says club founder Ang Tsering Lama, who this year got support from the local government and sponsors.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020452_bbe3d7448ec3463a0bffa747ca008bdfbecad75d0b5361e5aeabf4a24975ea91.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240406020452_bbe3d7448ec3463a0bffa747ca008bdfbecad75d0b5361e5aeabf4a24975ea91" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal pushes mountain bike tourism NT 1"> </figure>  Some of the best mountain bikers in the world attended, among them acclaimed French rider Rémy Absalon, who told us: “Ratnange trails are some of the best in the world, the mixture of loam and dust is just awesome to ride on. I have travelled a lot, but never seen a country like Nepal where we are so well received.”&nbsp; The Ratnange Trail Center is a network of 13 routes spanning 60km used solely for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/bicycling-in-waling">mountain biking</a> with a selection of narrow, technical, wide, or single tracks that need the complete concentration of riders. The rest stops offer stunning views of the Everest region. Lama designed the route on existing foot trails, and works with the local community to maintain them. He raises funds by renting out paths to private companies, who name trails after their brand for Rs20,000 a year.&nbsp; Explains Lama: “The trails roll through the forests and the route is designed based on what you want it to be. Do you want it to flow? Do you want switchbacks? Drops? Jumps?”&nbsp; Flowy trails have kind curves that allow bikers to maintain momentum and a smooth speed, while switchbacks are zig zags built into a steep trail to reduce speed on descent. Drops are where the trail falls away. Jumps consist of takeoffs and landings, and vary in the time the rider is airborne. &nbsp; When blazing a new trail, a good road must always be close by for urgent medical attention. The risk of serious injury is ever present. Safety precautions include helmets, knee and elbow pads, and chest and back guards. Even then, concussions, fractures, discolations, and broken wrists are common.&nbsp; Lama advises matching ability to the choice of trail, but riders always want to push their limits. One way they train, is at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/kathmandu-gets-first-pump-track">pump tracks</a>, which are artificial dirt circuits. The bike club built one of these in Phaplu where young ‘rippers’ learn to control bikes.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020456_fdee77cb19a67c56aa8e9e6aaef197f57e1d53c00b056ae8477d843fc253320c.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240406020456_fdee77cb19a67c56aa8e9e6aaef197f57e1d53c00b056ae8477d843fc253320c" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal pushes mountain bike tourism NT 1"> </figure>  Another way to train for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/downhill-all-the-way">the downhill</a> is actually the uphill. “The uphill builds the mental endurance needed for the downhill,” explains Lama. It also builds physical strength. Riders need strong, endurable legs, a sturdy core, and a solid grip. “But on the downhills, a state of complete focus and presence washes over you, and all of your sensations and abilities are heightened. It is taxing on the body, but still meditative.”&nbsp; Lama runs The Happy House in Phaplu, a family lodge where Edmund Hillary used to stay and call his “happy place”. When he formed Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, Lama wrote to bike shops and friends, who donated two-wheelers. Before long, local young children started coming in after school to zoom around the track.&nbsp; Club members did well at <a href="https://enduroratnange.com/">Enduro Ratnange</a>, inspiring a new generation of young riders to dream of careers as mountain bike athletes or biking guides, who make $25 an hour to a trekking guide’s $15.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020456_d083b2b6b2f8632e5befa8ec775dcbebdaf5b38e28c9a7b1293f13f37191055f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240406020456_d083b2b6b2f8632e5befa8ec775dcbebdaf5b38e28c9a7b1293f13f37191055f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1125" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal pushes mountain bike tourism NT 1"> </figure>  Despite the popularity of the sport and possibilities to compete at higher levels, the bureaucracy, government ignorance, and a lack of infrastructure are setbacks. &nbsp; The club makes sure that it is inclusive: there is no membership fee, and bikes are set aside exclusively for girls. The main trainer, Mingma Yangzi Sherpa, is a woman.&nbsp; <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/pedalling-for-life">Mountain biking is also good for the soul</a>, says Lama. “Getting good at this sport requires discipline, and a sense of camaraderie. Bikers seem to develop a deep respect for the environment.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240406020456_a61ba3ac33c2daba9f8f516f4e1652051ef4a31788af290397779a67d0780fbf.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20240406020456_a61ba3ac33c2daba9f8f516f4e1652051ef4a31788af290397779a67d0780fbf" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1125" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal pushes mountain bike tourism NT 1"> </figure>  Mountain biking tourists are great for Phaplu’s economy as well. Trekkers who pass through Phaplu stay for a day, while bikers may stay for four or five. Mountain biking destinations in Wales, Canada, and the Alps see millions of tourists every year. Nepal already has the terrain, the trails, the hospitality and unsurpassed views.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.facebook.com/phaplumtbclub/">Phaplu Club</a> is already looking forward to next year and hopes to organise Asia-wide events with top talents. There is also potential to stage Ratnange-like projects in Makalu and Ilam.&nbsp; Kathmandu to <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/going-to-phaplu-in-winter,1107">Phaplu</a> is a now a nine hour drive on the Sindhuli Highway via Okhaldhunga, or a 30 minute flight to Phaplu. Riders can then pedal up to the start of the trail or take a shuttle for themselves and their wheels. Just so you’re not, you know, two tyred.

Nepal pushes mountain bike tourism

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20 years ago this week as we were celebrating the Nepali New Year 2061, everyone in the country had one wish: for peace to prevail and for the conflict to end. It took two more years for that wish to come true. But in all these years after the war we’ve realised that peace is not the absence of war.
Ordinary Nepalis are still fighting for a just society, they still face class and caste discrimination, they still need to work the system. But above all, it is the lack of governance, accountability and corruption at high places that is forcing thousands of Nepalis to abandon hope and leave.
Excerpt from the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3527">editorial</a> published on <a href="http://himalaya.socanth.cam.ac.uk/collections/journals/nepalitimes/pdf/Nepali_Times_191.pdf">issue #191 9-15 April 2004</a>: 
 
Peace is in everyone’s lips-from the war victims thronging to greet King Gyanendra during his walkabouts, the wounded policemen who survived the Beni attack and the villagers in the Maoist heartland whom the state regards as rebel sympathisers.
The king, the political parties and the Maoists are engaged in a mortal combat for power. They all say they are doing it for the people, but none of them are listening to what the people have to say: “Put a stop to this madness, figure out a way to share power and improve our lives.” By now the palace should realise that the tide of public opinion is beginning to turn. It needs to be less obsessed with symbolism, and launch a concrete conflict resolution drive.
One new year gesture next week would be for both sides to declare an unconditional and indefinite ceasefire in the new year. The government needs to respond, and a ceasefire would not be seen as a weakness. It not just provide much-needed relief to Nepalis, it would also be a forceful confidence-building gesture for further de-escalation, a return to elections and the constitutional process. What could be a more auspicious time for that than Baisakh Ek? 
 
For archived material of Nepali Times of the past 20 years, site search: <a href="http://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">nepalitimes.com</a>

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