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Oasis Tea Industries that was established last year in Suryodaya Municipality, Ilam, has now been closed. The Covid-19 pandemic has not spared even this small tea producer in eastern Nepal.

 The famous tea gardens of the district are lush with new tea leaves. But there is nobody to pick them or package them. Factories are shut. There is no one to take orders or deliver them to the market. Nor is any cargo company operating to take orders and ship the stock abroad.

 “Our importers from abroad are not placing orders. They seem to be in a wait and see mode,” says Jyoti Adhikari, owner of the company.

 The company exported 1,300 kg of tea to France last year. But Adhikari cannot even contact the French importer this year. “They don’t reply to our emails. So how can we start processing tea for this season?” he asks. His company buys fresh leaves from the gardens and processes them for exports.

 “Since we haven’t even cleared last year’s stocks, we cannot buy new leaves this year,” Adhikari adds. “We are short of funds to keep the factory running.” 

 Not only Oasis, most tea factories in Nepal’s 14 districts where tea is grown have been closed due to the corona crisis. Ilam and Jhapa are Nepal’s two biggest tea-producing districts.

 Nepal exports 90 percent of its tea to India. But the Indian tea dealers have already stopped imports due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. Nepal had exported 14.5 million kg tea to India last year, according to National Tea and Coffee Development Board, earning Rs 2.88 billion in the process.

 “Under current circumstances, the first batch of tea leaves will go to waste. This will affect the quality of tea we produce for the rest of the year,” Adhikari says.

Tea producers are worried that they will lose a lot of money with the stoppage of exports. They export the finest and most expensive products. “The leaves we would pick this season would be of the best quality, the ones to attract third-country importers,” says Udaya Chapagain, proprietor of Gorkha Tea Estate.

Nepal’s tea goes to 30 countries including to Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the UAE, and the US. Nepal had altogether exported 498,596 kg tea to those countries last year, according to the board records.

“If we can’t sell tea, we will be bankrupt. The factories can’t pay back bank loans or bear other expenses,” adds Chapagain.   

Adhikari estimates that the closure will directly affect over 29,000 people across the country whose livelihood depends on the tea industry. 

Factories in Ilam have over 100,000 kilos of tea left over from last year’s stock. “If the corona crisis continues, both the farmers and traders face a very uncertain future,” says Gopal Kattel, secretary of Suryodaya Tea Producers’ Association.

One activity you’re doing the most in the lockdown?

Cleaning/ eating

The best film/series you suggest for the lockdown?

Andaz Apna Apna

Have you read anything lately? Would you recommend it?

Newspapers. Only news for now.

Best music to listen to?

John Mayer

How do you work out during the lockdown?

Actually, I stopped working out because of the lockdown. Sad.

How long do you think the lockdown will last?

21 days

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

Band practice

If not home, where would you prefer to be during the lockdown?

Trekking to the mountains

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

Madan Krishna Shrestha dai

One dish you wouldn’t mind eating everyday in the lockdown?

Chatpate

One activity you’re doing the most in the lockdown?

Watering the flowers

The best film/series you suggest for the lockdown?

“The Next Outbreak? We are not ready” – Bill Gates (TED Talks) 

Have you read anything good lately?

‘Handbook of Public Pedagogy’ by J.A Sandlin, B.D Schultz, J. Burdick.

I would suggest this to all the teachers, students, journalists, and artists. 

Best music to listen to? 

Lately, Montreaux Jazz Festival has offered over 50 Festival concerts available to stream for free, including performances by Ray Charles, Wu-Tang Clan, Johnny Cash, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Deep Purple, Carlos Santana, and many more.

How do you workout during lockdown?

Watching Chinese Kung Fu movies and imagining imitating them while walking up and down the stairs to get beers from Curilo Cafe downstairs.

How long do you think the lockdown will last?

At least two more weeks.

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

Get together with my band members, play some music, then head down to the nearest pub and have some beer with my friends.

If not at home, where would you prefer being locked down?

I would not prefer being locked down ANYWHERE. 

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

Does not matter. Keep social distance. KEEP DISTANCE!

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

It’s not about minding or not when you have Dal Bhat everyday, lockdown or no lockdown!!  

The homeless people in Biratnagar Metropolitan City are struggling to ­­make their ends meet during the novel coronavirus lockdown. For the people in the Musahar settlement at Bakhari, Biratnagar-12, the lockdown has been tantamount to a famine. They survive on daily wages, which has stopped since March 24.

A few lucky ones are borrowing from friends and relatives to buy rations. But most of the others do not have anyone who would lend them money or rations.

Bedananda Rishidev, a resident of Bakhari, says his family is trying hard just to survive. “There is no food at home. I don’t know whom should I ask for help,” he says. He used to work as a mason and earned Rs 600 in daily wages. He and his wife have to look after three children. “I don’t have any saving. Nobody will even trust me with a loan.”

Such is also the story of Ashok Rishidev. “I used to work at a few places. But nobody will lend me any money. How am I supposed to look after my family?” He is the sole earner in the family of eight. “I asked for some rice at one place I worked. But they just ignored me,” he says.

Kamali Risidev, a single woman, tried getting help from the ward chairman and local leaders. “But they refused even to meet me. They gave masks to some people,” says Kamali. “I’ve heard we need to wash hands. But there is no soap. And no rice to eat. I fear I will die just like this.”

Another woman in the settlement, Rajkumari, complained that the police come and force them to stay indoors. “But how can I stay indoors? I am hungry,” she says. “We don't have a farm either. How do we feed our children?”

“Some leaders came and met the landowners. But they don’t come to this area,” she adds.

The Musahar people have never seen any elected representative visit their settlement. The last time they met party leaders was when they campaigned for elections. “Before elections, they had promised us they would solve the problems of the homeless and give us lalpurja [land-ownership certificates]. Forget that, they don’t even listen to us when we ask for food during the lockdown,” says Saraswati Rishidev. “Neither the winning nor the losing party leaders have come to our home after elections.”

The Musahars have been living on public land for four generations without land ownership certificates. They live under constant fear that authorities will come to remove them from the place.

“The one who promised us lalpurja has become a minister. But he has never set his foot in this area after elections,” says Bhagalu Rishidev. “They sat on our beds and listened to us before elections. But now we know they are big liars.” There are four Musahar settlements at Bakhari with 260 families. Drinking water pipes don’t go their houses. Nor do they have any toilet in the settlement.

Spending the lockdown at home and also have a guitar, but never have had the time to learn anything handy? Here is your chance to channel the inner musician in you. Social distancing won’t let you hire a real tutor and you may also not want to splurge on expensive online lessons. But good-old YouTube has got you covered. There are many channels offering beginners to advanced guitar lessons on the famous video platform. For your convenience, we compile a list of some of the very best guitar lesson channels.

JamPlay 

Channel link: https://www.youtube.com/user/JamPlayDotCom

Youtube subscriber count: 270,553

JamPlay is actually a website that offers paid, structured lessons for students of all levels. But its YouTube channel also has free lessons. It’s surprising how a channel with such good lessons has only 270k subscribers. JamPlay covers all levels of guitar lessons, including guitar guides for beginners to follow along with, as well as challenge lessons for expert guitarists, mixed in with song tutorials and playing styles broken down into simple steps.

GuitarJamz 

Channel link: https://www.youtube.com/user/martyzsongs

Youtube subscriber count: 2,103,760

GuitarJamz on YouTube is where you get to see Marty, the guitar tutor adored by more than two million subscribers and many more visitors. Marty is one of the most patient and thorough guitar teachers on YouTube and runs all of his lessons at the perfect pace for beginners. There are also guest videos, where famous guitarists explain various techniques for players of all levels.

Ben Eller Guitars  

YouTube Channel link: https://www.youtube.com/user/BenEllerGuitars

YouTube subscriber count: 183,259

Now this channel is for the more experienced or for beginners who’re at least acquainted with the basics. Ben Eller Guitars will not teach you another chord progression chart or a guitar cover of a pop song; it’ll give you an idea of what you’re doing wrong with the instrument and how you can make it right.

The channel has a series called ‘This Is Why You Suck at Guitar’, which covers the basics to help you improve your guitar skills and correct the bad habits that are slowing down your progress.

The Taiwan-based multinational brand Asus is here in Nepal, offering with a wide range of products. A company that started with manufacturing motherboards for computers, Asus now has among the most technologically advanced products in the computing world.

Here’s a list of three most attractive Asus products available in Nepal.

Asus ZenBook Flip UM462 (Price: Rs 89,000) 

The ZenBook Flip is a two-in-one beast that runs on the powerful AMD Ryzen 5 3,500U processor and has 8 GB RAM to speed up your computing. You can use it as a laptop or a tablet as per your convenience. Asus is offering a dedicated pen with the unit, which also has the unique feature called NumberPad—generic number pad characters embedded on the touchpad.

ZenBook Duo UX481 (Price: Rs 195,000) 

With the ZenBook Duo UX481, Asus brings the innovation to another level. Running on Intel Core i7-10510U processor with 16 GB RAM and 1TB PCle SSD hard drive, this sophisticated beast comes with the fortified version of the ScreenPad—the ScreenPad Plus—which gives you not only the most convenient typing experience, but helps with the cooling and enhancement of the audio quality of the unit.

ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 (Price: Rs 359,000) 

Your search for the ultimate super machine ends here. Driven by the powerful i7-9750H processor and a dedicated gaming-grade NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics card, the ZenBook Pro Duo has lightening fast storage with its 32 GB RAM and 1TB PCle SSD. With the ScreenPad Plus working like magic, the ZenBook Pro Duo is the ultimate tool for photographers, video editors, professional gamers, and programmers.

Established as a relatively unknown Facebook group in February 2016, the Daari Gang has now won many hearts through its social welfare works via the digital platform.

The Facebook group initially posted photos of men with beards and shared tips on beard grooming. One day, in the company of some of his friends Jagdish Bhandari, who is a student of history, was visiting historian and culture expert Satyamohan Joshi. Soon as he saw the group enter his house, Joshi blurted out: ‘Daari Gang.’

“The name was catchy and we decided to start a Facebook group with it,” says Bhandari, one of the Daari Gang founders.

After its establishment, the network has steadily widened and other daariwals and non-daariwals have embraced it with enthusiasm. The group first met in Pokhara in June 2016. The outcome of that meeting was the “Itahari Jaau Paani Puri Khaau” initiative, which was organized to help children suffering from cancer. After that the Daari Gang has been engaged in many other social initiatives.

It volunteered in the finale of Nepal Idol season 1 as well as in the Voice of Nepal season 1. It distributed relief materials in the tornado-hit Bara district.

The gang supports the Dhurmus Suntali Foundation, and always steps whether in organizing cleanliness programs, charity shows, or in medical treatment of the poor. 

“We have a presence in 30 districts and we do welfare works outside the country as well,” says Bhandari. With over 100,000 members, Daari Gang is open not just to the bearded ones; anyone who loves beard and wants to contribute to the society can join.

But how does the group arrange funds for its social causes? Each district chapter conducts a regular monthly meeting that not only discusses current and future programs but also collects money, mostly by selling the group’s t-shirts and badges. If larger funds are needed, charity shows are organized.

“Funds are no hindrance to do good work. We are supported by countless kind-hearted people,” says Bhandari. Recently the group registered with the government, making it easier to manage funds and other requisites.

The group is determined to change the bad social perception of bearded people. Many gang members now say they no longer face pressure from their family members and relatives to trim their beards, all thanks to the activities of the Daari Gang.

It is fascinating to hear the many tales connected with the Daari Gang. At Bhandari’s engagement, a relative couldn’t recognize his son-in-law as all men present there were bearded. On a more serious note, many have also lost their jobs because of their beard. Others report feeling annoyed at being called ‘big brothers’ and ‘uncles’ even by those who are much older than them. But that, as Daari Gang members say, is part of the gang job description.

Even though its government has announced an all-out effort to stop the spread of Covid-19, the Karnali Province is facing an acute shortage of doctors and medicines. People in the province are going back to villages from urban centers, hoping to save themselves from infection. But they get more worried when they get to the villages and find that even basic medical facilities are missing.

Historically, even a simple disease routinely becomes an epidemic in far-flung regions of Nepal. In 2014, almost 200 people died from diarrhea in Jajarkot of western Nepal as its villages lacked even basic medicines and health workers. Last year, flu killed 12 in two weeks in Humla district.

Forget specialist doctors, even general practitioners are not available in the remote mountainous districts of Karnali. While the district headquarters has some medicinal supplies, remote villages are without even basic drugs such as paracetamol. The provincial government has centered its anti-coronavirus efforts in the provincial capital Birendranagar. Although there are plenty of awareness programs, both the provincial and local governments have failed in arranging medicines and doctors. 

Even the district hospitals—the biggest in the districts—don’t have doctors to fill the vacant positions. Dolpa District Hospital has positions for four specialist doctors and five nurses. But only one doctor (under temporary contract) and two nurses are currently serving there. 

Such is also the case of Mugu District Hospital where 10 doctors including four specialists have been provisioned. But all four specialist positions are vacant. “There are some medicines in the drugstore, but we don’t have a single specialist doctor. What little medicines we have will not be enough if the pandemic spreads here,” says Dr. Nirmal Nagarkoti, chief of the District Public Health Office. 

The situation in Kalikot and Jajarkot is no better. People in remote areas of these districts do not get paracetamol if they get a fever. “As many as 200 people come for treatment for seasonal ailments every day. But treating them is a single doctor, instead of the eight provided on paper,” says Dr. Bhisma Pokharel, chief of Kalikot District Hospital. Jajarkot, which has time and again hit by epidemics, also lacks doctors. Most health institutions in the province are run by employees under temporary contracts. 

The Provincial Hospital in Birendranagar is no better. “Of the 50 positions for specialist doctors, only seven have been filled,” says Binod Adhikari, information officer of the hospital. “Of the 25 positions for resident doctors, there is only one.” 

Likewise, Dailekh District Hospital employs one doctor while there are seven positions for specialist doctors. All five resident doctors’ positions lay vacant. 

Although the district hospitals have set aside isolation rooms, they lack basic equipment to identify and treat Covid-19 patients. However, the provincial government keeps promising it will arrange for necessary drugs and doctors. “We are serious about sending medicines and doctors to rural areas. We have asked for medicines from Kathmandu also,” says Rita Bhandari, chief of the Provincial Health Directorate.