Submit your Article

Kathmandu Flea Market (Holi Edition)

12 pm, March 15-17

Chhaya Center

Thamel, Kathmandu

 Kathmandu Flea Market is a three-day festival which will feature flea stalls from local producers, food and drinks, live music, fun games and other activities.

Places Jazz Night

7 pm, Friday, March 15

Places Restaurant & Bar, Thamel, Kathmandu

 The veg and vegan Places is organizing yet another jazz night, promising joyful music and delicious meals.

Book Talk | Aditya Adhikari in conversation with Tom Bell

6:30 pm, Friday. March 15

HUB Thamel, Kathmandu

 Listen to Tom Bell, as he talks about his critically acclaimed book, Kathmandu, with Aditya Adhikari

11 am, March 15-April 10

Chhaya Center

Bhagwanbahal, Thamel

 Our Songs from the Forest is photographer Uma Bista’s tender forage into the hills of Achham, where we meet a chorus of young women who are coming of age in a fast-changing society.

The Embassy of Japan and Japan Founda­tion, in cooperation with the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association Nepal ( JALTAN), are organizing a Japanese Film Festival in Pokhara and Kathmandu this March. The festival will be held at the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industries premises on March 15-16. In Kath­mandu, the movies will be shown at the Tribhuvan Army officer’s Club, Tundikhel on March 22-23.

“It is hoped that the film fes­tival will contribute to greater understanding of Japanese culture among the Nepali people, and in turn lead to the continued expansion of our ever-friendly and coop­erative relations,” a press release from the Embassy of Japan reads.

Nine Japanese films includ­ing animated movies with English subtitles will be screened. Among the notable movies being screened are ‘Survival Family’, ‘Ninja Kids’, ‘Pop in Q’ and ‘Hana no Ato’.

Entry in Pokhara is open to all for free on first-come-first-serve basis, while entry passes are mandatory for Kathmandu shows, which are available for free at the Embassy of Japan, Panipokhari and the JALTAN Office, Bishwo Bhasa Campus, Exhibition Road, also on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Dockyard Restaurant at New Baneshwor is conve­niently located inside the PC Complex (50 meters towards the Everest Hotel from the New Banesh­wor bus stand). A multi-cuisine restaurant, Dockyard offers a variety of sea food, something difficult to find in the area.

The warm lighting and cozy ambience provides cus­tomers a relief from the busy and bustling New Baneswor. Dockyard has exquisitely lavish interiors with a variety of seating options and is available for group parties and private events as well. The full-fledged bar is packed with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks while the coffee section is also fully equipped.

Open from breakfast time till dinner time, Dockyard is the perfect place for singles, dating couples, corporate lunches, family dinner parties and social gatherings.

 THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Honey Glazed Chicken

- Grilled Tiger Prawns

- Grilled Fish with Mashed Potatoes

Opening hours: 8 am-9:30 pm

Location: New Baneshwor

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2200

Reservations: 9849093538

In what was a turning point for Nepali tourism, for the very first time, Nepal in 2018 welcomed over a million tourists by air (1.1 million to be exact). The government had long been trying to cross the magical million-mark. Perhaps Nepal could have got­ten there earlier if not for the devastating 2015 earth­quakes and the border blockade later in the year. Bet­ter late than never. Tourist arrivals ticked up again as the country entered a phase of political stability and post-quake rebuilding of destroyed heritage sites and tourist attractions.

This year has brought more good news. In the first two months of 2019, tourist arrivals via air were up 33 percent from the same period last year. Interesting­ly, in February, China (16,205) and Sri Lanka (14,831) sent more tourists to Nepal than did India (14,547). But this may be explained by the fact that more and more Indians are travelling to Nepal by road. In the broader picture, in 2019, the country is set to easily surpass last year’s tally of 1.1 million, and seems well on its way to meeting the new target of over two million tourists in 2020.

Stable politics helps. But the Nepal Tourism Board must also be congratulated for being able to better market Nepal abroad, especially in China. The NTB and the Nepali private sector are also making a new push into European markets. Popular tourist guides like Lonely Planet advising their readers to make ‘exotic Nepal’ one of their new travel destinations was an add­ed boost. Crucially, more foreign tourists are coming at a time when earnings from remittance have stagnat­ed and the broader economy appears wobbly. Steady growth of tourism could at least partially compensate for a slowdown in other sectors.

Nepal earned over $600 million from tourism in 2018. Economists say this figure could easily double if we can improve our air and road transport infra­structures (perhaps starting with timely completion of regional international airports in Pokhara and Bhair­ahawa). Sorting out the perennial labor disputes in hotels and restaurants with more practical and flexible labor laws should be another priority. This is no time to relax. Nepal still ranks far down international tour­ism competitiveness indices, for instance, and it faces greater competition for tourists even within South Asia. There is still much room for improvement.

 A border row triggered two years ago by the construction of a cul­vert in Ananda Bazar in the south-western district of Kan­chanpur remains unresolved. Although a government sur­vey team has been to the area a number of times, the dispute is far from over. As a result, locals have not been able to farm the land.

Hari Adhikari, a local, says that even though they have knocked on the doors of various government bod­ies—local, provincial and federal—there has been no initiative to resolve the dispute. Moreover, India has closed the road, claiming that the area is disputed. So locals are compelled to use an alternate road.

A local says that India wrongly considers a Simal tree near the culvert to be a border pillar

Disputed territory

Govinda Gautam lost his life when he was struck by the bul­lets fired by the Indian Sashas­tra Seema Bal (Armed Border Force) in Ananda Bazar on 10 March 2017.

Lok Bahadur Khadka, a local, says that India wrongly considers a Simal tree near the culvert to be a bor­der pillar. “Nepali territory extends 500 meters to the south from that Simal tree,” he claims. Temporary police camps were set up by both Nepal and India after the bor­der row broke out.

Promise not fulfilled

It has been two years since the government expressed a commitment to take action against the Indian security personnel accused of shooting Gautam. But it hasn’t even fulfilled various promises it made to Gautam’s family, let alone taken steps to punish the guilty.

Gautam’s family has received Rs 1 million from the government but other promises remain unfulfilled. The government had prom­ised free education for Gau­tam’s daughters and a job for his wife, and various other bodies had promised sundry other things for the family, but none of them have been kept. “All we have received is promises and flowers,” laments Gautam’s father Khem Lal Gautam.

Memorial service

A memorial service was held on Sunday, March 10 in Ananda Bazar to mark the third anniversary of Gau­tam’s death. On the occa­sion, Krishna Raj Subedi, Minister for Social Develop­ment in the Far-western pro­vincial government, made an announcement that a statue of Gautam will be con­structed in his memory. Sub­edi remarked that the provin­cial government is ever ready to protect border residents, whom he called “ununiformed border troops”.

Similarly, Tara Lama Tamang, a provincial assembly member and Nepal Commu­nist Party leader, demanded that a martyr park be built in Gautam’s memory.

Jeevan Raj Thapa, the head of the municipality, presented Gautam’s parents with cash and shawls as a token of appreciation. He also pledged an annual sum of Rs 10,000 for each of Gautam’s three daughters.