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As Nepal marks its 13^th Republic Day, the anniversary of the overthrow of the nearly 250-year-old institution of monarchy, the country’s patchy progress as a republic is worth noting. The country has made some gains. The ultimate state power has been transferred from hereditary monarchs to people’s chosen representatives. For the first time in the country’s history, Nepalis are fully sovereign. The state is more inclusive, too, with more representation of women and traditionally marginalized ethnicities.

There is a new constitution, and the country is being remodeled accordingly. The desired devolution of power from Kathmandu has begun. But as we have seen, transfer of power from monarchs to elected leaders is not enough. People’s representatives who replaced the monarchs are feeling entitled. They have little to show for the great resources they are extracting from the state. Corruption is pervasive, as is nepotism. Nor has the kind of dirty politicking seen back in the 1990s stopped, as the ruling and opposition parties continue to be consumed with sorting out internal power rivalries rather than in thinking about the country’s pressing problems.

The Covid-19 crisis is about the perfect illustration of the ills that beset the new Nepali state: poverty, mismanagement, confusion about responsibility, lack of accountability, and continuity of old discriminations. The major political parties act more like forces that dispense favors to interest groups rather than those who work for the people. We often get to hear that little has changed. A single ruler has been replaced by a multitude of rulers, whose mindsets are still attuned to ‘ruling’ than ‘governing’. That is being too cynical. The country has made actual progress too in this time. But much-much more could have been done, for instance, in strengthening the public health and education sectors, in adequately empowering backward regions and minorities, in reducing corruption and instituting rule of law, and in ensuring equitable economic growth.     

Republicanism is a work in progress and a dozen years is nearly not enough to judge a political system’s worth. Yet that is no excuse for the incompetence and status quoist mindset our political leadership have displayed, thwarting the country’s socio-economic progress every step of the way. If the state cannot address the concerns of its people, it does not make much difference whether it is a feudal monarchy or a democratic republic, does it? 

The nationwide lockdown means you can’t physically be near your friends. But don’t let that keep you from staying close to them in this day and age. Online games are the perfect way to do. Bring your clan together during this time of social distancing and enjoy the boon that is technology.

Words With Friends 2

“Words-with-friends.” Any more explanation needed? Rally your gang of friends, colleagues, or even your family members, and challenge them into taking you on as you scramble to create words out of the letters you are given. Whoever gets the most points wins.

Best Fiends Stars

This is a game that challenges you to “match and blast your way” through a series of “explosive” puzzles, collecting adorable characters, and teaming up with your friends along the way. Challenge your friends to a race and face the various obstacles within the game for an edge-of-your-seat experience.

Fortnite

Fortnite is a family-friendly battle royale shooter game with millions of daily active users. It offers dozens of challenges for gamers to take on and overcome. Some zealous ones will want to win the Victory Royale but those in there just for fun will definitely enjoy any bit of Fortnite.

What is the first thing you’ll do when the lockdown is over?

I’ll go to my office.

Do you think the pandemic changed your life?

It has changed each one of our lives. We have to live with this.

Something you’ve been doing the most during the lockdown? 

Sleeping a lot, and eating a lot.

A movie/series you would suggest for the lockdown?

The Blacklist, Fargo, Better Call Saul, You. (And to remain a part of this society, I have to name “Money Heist” too.)

Have you read anything lately? Would you suggest it?

I can fake it by naming some, but honestly I’ve not read anything for quite sometime now.

Best music to listen to during the lockdown?

Old Nepali film songs are the best.

How do you work out during the lockdown? 

Negative.

If not at home, where would you preferably be locked down?

In my office, for sure.

If you were to be locked down with a Nepali celebrity for 21 days, who would it be?

No one. And why would I want to get locked down with a Nepali celebrity, or for that matter with any celebrity?

One dish you wouldn’t mind eating every day during the lockdown?

I love chiura. I can eat it anytime.

The judicial committees at local bodies that used to be bustling with cases of domestic violence don’t have any new case these days. Not that all domestic violence has stopped. The problem is that most of them are never reported due to the lockdown, municipal officials suspect. 

Deputy Chief of Kechana Kaval Rural Municipality Nimsari Rajvamshi says: “We don’t have any new complaint related to domestic violence. Perhaps people are unsure how to go to report it during the lockdown.” She adds that though the males can go out of the house under various pretexts, women can’t. “And we can’t even go from house to house asking what is happening inside,” Rajvamshi says.

The judicial committee of Mechinagar Municipality used to have about five daily cases of domestic violence, mostly related to foreign employment. There were more cases of domestic violence than neighborly disputes.  

Says Meena Upreti, deputy chief of the municipality, “Women used to come here with physical wounds. Some complained of not being given anything to eat for days.” Due to the lockdown, people don’t even go to the ward-level arbitration units, according to Upreti. They instead try to settle cases at home, and often neighbors get involved. “But neighbors often add fuel to the fire in cases of family quarrels, which makes women more vulnerable to violence,” she adds.

Deputy Chief of Bhadrapur Municipality, Chandramaya Shrestha, also thinks domestic violence has increased. “I am sure there are more incidents. But they can’t come to complain.” Sometimes victims call the judicial committee at the municipality. In such a case, they get help. “But as people can’t come to complain, they may even go into depression,” she adds. 

The municipality plans to conduct local arbitrations complying with safety measures such as social distancing. “We are preparing to hold some arbitrations involving one person from each side, the complainant and the defendant. We visit the victims’ houses along with the police and hold a local arbitration to settle the issue,” Shrestha adds. More than 200 complaints of domestic violence are pending at the municipality. 

In Gauradaha Municipality, Deputy Chief Gita Bhetwal reckons the type of violence has changed. “Earlier, women used to come to us with physical wounds. Nowadays, they are holed up in their houses. Many are suffering from depression.” A couple of complaints the municipality got over the phone after the lockdown started were settled through family-level arbitration with police support. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of Jhapa District Coordination Committee Meena Parajuli too thinks domestic violence has increased with the lockdown. Food stock has nearly run out. “In low-income families, competition for food can be a reason for violence.” 

The Constitution of Nepal provides for a judicial committee at each municipality and rural municipality. Article 217 of the constitution states: “There shall be a three-member judicial committee to be coordinated by its vice-chairperson in the case of a rural municipality and by its deputy mayor in the case of a municipality, in order to settle disputes under their respective jurisdictions in accordance with the law.” 

Besides the judicial committee, victims can always lodge a complaint with the police. But this provision too has come to a naught after the imposition of the lockdown. At Area Police Office Damak, on average, five complaints relating to husband-wife violence used to be lodged daily before the lockdown. Now, the daily reported cases have plummeted to zero

This week we bring to you invaluable life lessons, again. We know how the Covid-19 lockdown, which is now nearing two-whole-months in Nepal, can take a toll on your physical and mental health. And the doctors do prescribe healthy eating and a whole lot of exercise. But if you’re not too keen on sweating it out doing cardio in this hot and humid weather, you might want to try some yoga.

It can be tricky for a beginner to try yoga unguided but as we’re letting technology rule our lives, here’s how we can learn some yoga poses for all levels over on YouTube.

Yoga with Adriene 

This channel is not only good for beginners new to yoga but also for the more experienced ones. With a large and diverse selection of video tutorials and sequences for practitioners at all levels, you can watch the cheerful Adriene guide you through sequences to learn yoga for weight loss, digestion, yoga for runners, bedtime yoga, and much more.

Yoga with Tim 

Yoga with Tim is for all enthusiasts who want to deepen their practice and develop total body strength. Taught by instructor Tim Senesi, Yoga with Tim features videos shot both in the studio and outdoors. From 30-day challenges to yoga for strength and balance, or even a series on inversions or arm balances, the channel has multiple videos for novices and experts alike.

Kino Yoga  

Kino MacGregor—a yoga teacher, author of three books, founder of Miami Yoga Magazine, co-founder of Miami Life Center, star of six yoga DVDs, and a practicing yogi for almost 20 years—teaches ‘yogis’ who want to delve deeper into their yoga practice and expand their posture knowledge. With scores of instructional videos, the Kino Yoga YouTube channel is no less than an encyclopedia for yoga practitioners.

As Dibesh Pokharel aka Arthur Gunn made history by becoming the first Nepali-origin singer to reach the finals—and end up as the first runner-up—of the American Idol franchise’s 18^th edition, Nepali social media was full of praises for the 22-year-old. Musicians, actors, entertainers, media personalities and common people alike devoted their social media posts to the young singer originally from Kathmandu who moved to Kansas, US five years ago.

Not that Pokharel’s journey in the American Idol had gone unnoticed by thousands of his fans around the world. He had caught the eyes of Nepali audiences right from the auditions held in February this year, when he impressed the judges with his unique vocal texture and performance skills. As he continued dishing out best performances week after week, his fan following grew to more than just Nepalis. By the time of the finale, Pokharel had become among the favorite contestants of people around the world.

Performing the renditions of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” and Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be” for the finale, Pokharel lost the coveted title to former subway singer Just Sam from New York. In the unprecedented times caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the reality show this year had changed its format and started telecasting from the homes of the top 20 contestants, making this season the most challenging in American Idol history.

The burden was also on his fans in Nepal to vote for him. As the American Idol website did not allow voting from Nepal, Nepali fans had to resort to using VPNs to vote for Pokharel. But this did not stop the dedicated ones from making sure Pokharel passed through every episode with the highest votes. Social media posts on how to download the VPN and trick the website made rounds in the Nepali user circuit to ensure that there would be no dearth of voters for the ‘Nepali boy’.

A Facebook group named “Arthur Gunn (Debesh Pokharel) OFFICIAL Fan Club” emerged in February with the purpose of campaigning for Pokharel. By now it has more than 56,000 members comprising not only Nepalis but fans from around the world, now all celebrating his victory.

“You have won for me. I’m sorry this one was stolen from you. Not fair but America knows this one was yours! You’ll make it so far my friend. Can’t wait to go to your concerts!” an American fan writes on the Facebook group.

Biswaz Gurung, a resident of Michigan, US is one of the seven admins of the Facebook group. A fan of Pokharel for his ‘simplicity and unique voice’, Gurung dismisses conspiracy theories Pokharel’s fans have come up with—the most insidious one being that he couldn’t come first due to his race. “We definitely feel bad. We wanted him to win. But we have to accept the results and be proud that he became a runner up,” Gurung says. “We need to learn to accept the verdict of the fans.”

APEX’s very own columnist Jackie Taylor was one of the ardent supporters of Pokharel from the beginning. Her favorites made it to the top two. “I’m just happy Just Sam came first and Arthur came second,” she says. “Just Sam is an amazing busker and I like Arthur for his voice and the whole bluegrass thing and for the obvious fact that he’s a Nepali.”

Musician and media person Abhishek Mishra, who had interviewed Pokharel for his “Rock Show” on YouTube before he went to American Idol, is also all praise for the singer. “The guy can sing at the drop of a hat. He has no stage fright at all,” Mishra recalls watching him perform live. “He is generally soulful and soft spoken in person but lets himself loose on the stage.”

With so much support from musicians and non-musicians alike, Pokharel promises to be different from the previous reality show contestants of Nepali origin whom the people supported just because of their nationality. Pokharel is not only a singer but also a songwriter who has recorded original material and mixed and mastered most of them himself. The hope for his Nepali as well as non-Nepali fans is that he will justify the enormous support they have heaped on him.

A country’s borders have a certain sanctity. Boundary disputes are thus tricky, more so in the age of social media, and online news outlets on a constantly chasing eyeballs. These disputes become trickier still when they involve more than two countries, as with the dispute over the Lipulekh Pass, the purported tri-junction point between Nepal, India, and China. Then there is the older bilateral dispute between Nepal and India over Lipulekh’s abutting region of Kalapani.

Nepal has made its position crystal clear with the publication of a new national map that includes all 372 square kilometers of the ‘disputed territories’. To be fair, the Nepali government was forced into it by Indian Army Chief M.M. Naravane’s statement that Nepal had protested over India’s construction of the new road at Lipulekh ‘at China’s behest’. His statement came even as Nepal was requesting formal talks to resolve the dispute. In fact, just like it did with India, Nepal had also sought clarification with China over the issue, asking Beijing why it was mum even as India was ‘unilaterally’ building a road at Lipulekh.

Following the uproar in Nepal, officials in Beijing have replied, according to PM KP Oli that “…the India-China agreement was about expanding an old trade route for pilgrimage purposes, and it won’t affect the position of the tri-juncture and issue of borders.” Separately, Zhao Lijian, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that Kalapani was a ‘bilateral’ issue between Nepal and India, and China hoped “the two countries will resolve their differences properly through friendly consultations and refrain from taking any unilateral action that may complicate the situation.”

This suggests that Beijing still thinks Lipulekh is a ‘tri-junction’ point and it will look to accommodate Nepal in the current India-China bilateral arrangement. As far as Kalapani goes, it is completely up to Nepal and India to settle it between them. But with the publication of Nepal’s new map, the trilateral point, if there is to be one, has to perforce shift to Limpiadhura, at the origin of Kali River. In this sense, Nepal has upped the ante. 

The good news is that India has not shut the door for dialogue. Nor has Nepal. Ultimately, there is no option but for the two countries to engage at the highest level. There is no reason Nepal cannot address India’s security concerns over Kalapani, perhaps with the deployment of Nepal's own military or paramilitary forces. Or perhaps a joint India-Nepal mechanism is a better way out. Likewise, everyone benefits if the region can be opened for trilateral trade. But that is for later. To start, Nepal and India must agree to unconditional talks at the highest level. Further delays and proxy battles could do irreparable damage to India-Nepal relations.

1) What is the first thing you’ll do when the lockdown is over?

I will go to eat Basantapur's famous jhol momo and then go for a long drive with my friends.

2) Do you think the pandemic has changed or will significantly change your life?

Yes it has changed our lives. Apart from teaching us to be humble, it has also taught us how important saving money is. It has taught me not to be over-ambitious and stressful about work all the time, and to enjoy the little things in life.

3) Something you’ve been doing the most often during the lockdown? 

Ironically, I have been busier. I have started my own talk show called, “Lockdown Rendezvous with Sampada” where I interview famous Nepali personalities. I am regularly writing articles for various national dailies, and am also working on a film script. This lockdown has given me an opportunity to explore the power of digitalization.

4) A movie/series you would suggest for the lockdown?

Up in the Air, Parasite, Joker, Gilmore Girls, Virgin River, Money Heist.

5) Have you read anything lately? Would you suggest it?

I have in fact re-read a lot of books during this lockdown, like Prajwol Parajuli's “Gurkha's Daughter” and “Land Where I Flee,” Amar Neupane's “Seto Dharti,” Paulo Cohelo's “Alchemist” and “Aleph.” And also lots of Enid Blyton's books that I used to read as a child, which I have kept safely over the years.

6) Best music to listen to during the lockdown?

AR Rahman’s songs. And calming Buddhist meditation music.

7) How do you workout during the lockdown? 

- I do yoga: ‘Suryanamaskar’ and ‘pranayams-kapalbhati,’ ‘anulom vilom’ and ‘bhramari,’ which are very important to keep your mind relaxed and calm, and also to keep you immune from the corona virus.

8) If not at home, where would you preferably be locked down?

In a cottage full of books and film DVDs, near a beautiful beach.

9) If you were to be locked down with a Nepali celebrity for 21 days, who would it be?

Actress Gauri Malla didi. I really admire her, and I have so much to learn from her that even 21 days would not be enough.

10) One dish you wouldn’t mind eating everyday during the lockdown?

Dal, Bhat, Tarkari.