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A good cup of coffee, soothing music, comfortable chairs, and loads of books summarize the experience at Bodhi Books and Bakes in Tangal, Kathmandu. The cafe is pretty to look at and will make you feel welcome with its laid-back ambiance. Potted plants, beautifully arranged books on the floor-to-ceiling shelves, artful photo frames on the wall, and the combination of blue, yellow, and white colors make the place look lively and vibrant. 

Once you step in, you will see that the place has a good number of seating spaces for both small and large groups. You will find people lost in their world or chatting away with a friend. Some will be busy working on their laptops, some reading, and some just enjoying a good cup of coffee or tea. This is where you can just be yourself, do your thing, and have a nice time.

One thing that most people enjoy at Bodhi is the variety of tea they serve. And they have mentioned the benefits of each tea on their menu as well. The one we liked is Clarity Tea. It’s a herbal mix of Chamomile, Laliguras, Green Tea, and Mint. A pot will give you around four cups of tea. 

Another good one is Blue Lavender Latte. It’s a shot of butterfly pea tea topped with foamed milk. It’s pretty to look at and tastes equally good. If not tea, you can easily opt for a cup of coffee or other drinks like hot chocolate and lemonade. You will have no complaints.

They have improved a lot in terms of food as well. Most of their food items look good and are delicious, from snacks to a decent meal. For snacks, we usually go for Loaded Nachos, available in veg and non-veg options. If you’re looking to have a good meal, there are burgers, sandwiches, wraps, or their signature I Love NY Pizza. No matter what you choose, you will not be disappointed. 

Their specials: 

• Signature I Love NY Pizza
• Loaded Nachos
• ‘Twakka Tareko’ Nepali Chicken 

Opening hours: 8:00 am to 9:00 pm

Meal for two: Rs 1,500

Online payment: Accepted

Parking: Available

The parliamentary hearing of proposed Chief Justice Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha has been scheduled for Monday.

The complaints against the proposed Chief Justice Shrestha have been discussed in the Parliamentary Hearing Committee on Sunday.

A general discussion was held among the members of the committee about the complaints filed against Shrestha in the meeting held at Singha Durbar this morning.

Committee member Jeevan Pariyar said that three complaints have been registered against Shrestha and the complainants have been called for discussion tomorrow.

“Three complaints have been lodged against proposed Chief Justice Shrestha. A decision has been made to call the complainants at 10: 30 am tomorrow for discussion,” he said.

According to the Parliament Secretariat, two complaints have been filed through email and SP Timilsina lodged the complaint physically.

Earlier on August 8, the meeting of the committee had called to register complaints against Shrestha.

The Constitutional Council meeting held on August 3 had decided to recommend senior Justice Shrestha as the Chief Justice.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 100 per tola in the domestic market on Sunday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 110, 300 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 110, 400 per tola on Friday.

Meanwhile, tejabi gold is being traded at Rs 109, 850 per tola. It was traded at Rs 109, 750 per tola.

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1,390 per tola today.

Two persons died and a child sustained injuries when a bus hit a motorbike in Dhungedhara, Kathmandu on Sunday.

The deceased have been identified as Anita Thapa (32) of Sangachokgadi Municipality, Sindhupalchok and Ram Kumari Bharati (32), SP Kumod Dhungel said.

Both succumbed to their injuries at the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital during treatment.

The fatal incident occurred when the bus (Na 5 Kha 5092) belonging to the Gorkha Daraudi Transport Company Pvt. Ltd hit a motorbike (Province 2- 037 Pa 0755) coming from the opposition direction this morning.

Nine-year-old Anisha Thapa was injured in the accident and is undergoing treatment at Manmohan Hospital, Kalanki.

Police said that they have impounded the bus and arrested its driver for investigation.

In 2009, when Rumi Rajbhandari joined Burn Violence Survivors–Nepal (BVS-Nepal), an organization working for the rehabilitation of burn survivors, she thought of it as her first step in the world of social work. She thought she would eventually move on to other ‘more lucrative’ jobs. But fast forward 15 years later, she now runs her own organization, Astitwa, that helps burn survivors find their footing back in society.

“I never planned this. But working at BVS-Nepal made me realize how neglected the issue of gender-based violence was in our country and I wanted to do something to change that,” says Rajbhandari. When she met burn victims and heard their stories, during the course of their treatments, an intense rage, fueled by the injustice of it all, would take over. Most women were set on fire by their husbands and in-laws. Others by scorned lovers. “There weren’t strict laws for the crime and most of the time the incidents were swept under the carpet as ‘domestic’ issues,” she says, adding even the police would try to get the victims to compromise and go back home.

The women were more often than not financially dependent on the men, and this compelled them to live with their abusers. The more Rajbhandari saw, the more she realized how dire the situation was. As the program coordinator for BVS-Nepal, she had to work closely with the victims and their families and that also made her bond with them. “Eventually, it became unthinkable that I could or would ever do anything else,” she says.

Now, through Astitwa which was established in 2018, she is determined to provide burn survivors first the medical aid they need and then empower them through vocational and skills training. Astitwa runs a project called Sakchyam which provides jewelry-making training to survivors. The stunning pieces of jewelry made by the didis have found markets in the UK, US, Germany, Australia, and India.

However, Sakchyam, Rajbhandari says, will now focus on the local markets as well. “We see a lot of scope for it as our pieces are well-made with good quality materials. And they are beautiful. Oftentimes, the team doesn’t want to sell the pieces. We would rather keep them for ourselves,” she says, with a laugh that lights up her eyes.

Archana Ranjit, sister in-charge, burn ward, at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharjgunj, Kathmandu, says Rajbhandari is a dedicated social worker. Ranjit has known Rajbhandari since her BVS-Nepal days and says she is compassionate and driven by the need to make a difference. She says Rajbhandari is able to connect with the survivors and they open up to her.

Rajbhandari’s colleagues at Astitwa agree that she has a presence that puts people at ease. The office environment isn’t formal and overwhelming because Rajbhandari isn’t strict despite being a go-getter. She knows what she wants but she doesn’t impose her ideas on others. This gives people the mental freedom and the clarity that comes with it to come up with their own ideas and solutions to problems. The team can regularly be seen discussing work over chatpate and chiya.

This has made it possible for Astitwa to achieve quite a lot of its goals in the six years it has been in operation. All their Kathmandu-based survivors have jobs, which is a big feat. When Rajbhandari first started working, no one would give jobs to burn survivors. One look at their scars and they would be rejected. But now, people are coming around and taking it upon themselves to help burn survivors by giving them the opportunities they desperately need.

“Many survivors are working as housemaids and are able to fend for themselves. This gives them an immense morale boost, and they can live free of their abusers,” says Rajbhandari.

Additionally, Astitwa has been able to fund the education of 24 students. These are all survivors or children of survivors. Rajbhandari considers this a major achievement as education will empower them and they will be able to break from the vicious cycle of poverty and the abuse that seems to be linked to it. “We have some kind sponsors who have made it possible for many of these students to stay in school,” she says, adding interested people can contact Astitwa and sponsor a child’s education. They would be making a huge impact, she says.

Rajbhandari is happy with all that Astitwa has been able to accomplish but the work sure does have its pitfalls. She recalls not being able to eat or sleep after seeing women suffering from severe third-degree burns. One would assume it would get easier with time and experience but that’s not true for her. It’s a traumatic line of work. Rajbhandari still shudders while talking about some cases. Her eyes welled up. Despite most of these women having recovered, what they had to go through continues to haunt her.

“Many perpetrators are still walking free. The survivors live in fear of their abusers. They also can’t move on because they never got justice so there is no sense of closure,” she says. There need to be stricter laws to lessen, if not put an end to, gender-based violence. Rajbhandari laments the government hasn’t given as much attention as it should to the matter. The media too doesn’t write about burn violence unless there is a new incident to report.

“Through Astitwa, I hope to bring change in our society’s attitude towards burn violence survivors and empower victims of violence. And I’m determined to do everything I can for it,” says Rajbhandari. 

There is a possibility of cloudy weather and rain for the next three days.

According to the Weather Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, light to moderate rains are currently occurring in a few places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

In the afternoon, there is a chance of light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some parts of the hilly areas of the country including Lumbini.

Later during the night, light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is possible at some places of Koshi, Bagmati, Gandaki and Sudurpaschim Provinces and few places in the rest of the provinces. There is also a possibility of heavy rain with thunder and lightning at one or two places in Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki provinces.

On Monday, heavy rain with thunder and lightning is likely in one or two places in Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

Likewise, on Tuesday, there is a possibility of heavy to very heavy rain with thunder and lightning at one or two places in Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces and heavy rain at one or two places in Koshi and Karnali Provinces.

Two persons died in a road accident in Rupa Rural Municipality of Kaski district on Saturday.

The deceased have been identified as Krishna Gurung (29) and Ashok Gurung (24) of Dudhpokhari Rural Municipality-6, Lamjung.

The District Police Office, Kaski said that they were heading towards Rupataal from Pokhara Metropolitan City-32 on a bike (Pra 3 02 009Pa 5205) when the incident occurred yesterday.

Critically injured in the incident, they were rescued by the police and taken to the Western Regional Hospital for treatment but doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.

Meanwhile, the police are investigating the cause of the fatal accident.

The Light We Carry

Michelle Obama

Memoir | Self-Help

Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” 

Plains of Discontent: A Political History of Nepal’s Tarai

Maximillian Morch

History | Politics

Plains of Discontent sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of the flatlands of the Tarai, where over 50 percent of the country’s population resides. It is in the Tarai that bitter political movements and battles have taken place, raising fundamental questions about Nepali identity and the structure of Nepal as both a nation and a state. To fully comprehend the anger, resentment, and discontent in the Tarai, the book argues, we must delve into its political history. This is a deeply insightful book to gain some perspective on what shapes Nepal. 

The Top Five Regrets of The Dying

Bronnie Ware

Self Help | Psychology

Bronnie has had a colorful and diverse past, but by applying the lessons of those nearing their death to her own life, she developed an understanding that it is possible for people, if they make the right choices, to die with peace of mind. In this book, she expresses in a heartfelt retelling how significant these regrets are and how we can positively address these issues while we still have the time. The book gives hope for a better world. It will leave you feeling kinder towards yourself and others, and more determined to live the life you are truly here to live.