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Mukam Ranamaidan

Mohan Mainali

History

Journalist and writer Mohan Mainali, who travels around the country and writes about the people he meets, has this time written about the fierce battle between Nepal and the British 209 years ago. For this, he has relied on the statements of people who fought, experienced, and witnessed that battle. He relies only on the wisdom of the people who hear and know things. He has not written accounts narrated by those who spoil the facts by getting carried away by emotions.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop

Satoshi Yagisawa

Contemporary

When 25-year-old Takako’s boyfriend reveals he’s marrying someone else, she reluctantly accepts her eccentric uncle Satoru’s offer to live rent-free in the tiny room above his shop.

Hidden in Jimbocho, Tokyo, the Morisaki Bookshop is a booklover’s paradise. On a quiet corner in an old wooden building, the shop is filled with hundreds of second-hand books. It’s Satoru’s pride and joy, and he has devoted his life to the bookshop since his wife left him five years earlier. Hoping to nurse her broken heart in peace, Takako is surprised to encounter new worlds within the stacks of books lining the shop. As summer fades to autumn, Satoru and Takako discover they have more in common than they first thought. The Morisaki bookshop has something to teach them both about life, love, and the healing power of books.

The Compound Effect

Darren Hardy

Business/Self-help

This book reveals the core principles that drive success and presents the fundamental principles that have guided the most phenomenal successes in business, relationships, and beyond. This is an easy-to-use, step-by-step, no gimmicks, no hyperbole, no magic bullet operating system that allows you to multiply your success, chart your progress, and achieve anything you desire. It’s based on the principle that decisions shape your destiny and how little, everyday decisions will, by default, either take you to the life you desire or to disaster. If you’re serious about living an extraordinary life, use the power of The Compound Effect to create the success you want. This book will teach you how to win every time, eradicate your bad habits, and how to get yourself to do things you don’t feel like doing. 

All these titles and more are available at Bookverse, Civil Mall, 4th floor, Sundhara, Kathmandu.

You will get 10% off when you buy four or more books and 15% off on Nepali books.

We all want our homes to look beautiful and stylish. But we might not always have the time or the resources to opt for a complete makeover. Figuring out how to spruce up your home can sometimes be overwhelming. If your home is due a makeover, we are here to break things down for you. Focus on one area at a time. Details matter when doing up a home. Even if it’s wallpapering an area to give it a facelift or adding throw pillows on the couch, little things, done tastefully, can over time elevate your space. Here is a list of some great ideas that can get the ball rolling.

Use throw pillows

Adding some throw pillows or cushions can instantly change the mood of a space, making it feel more relaxed. Try playing with different colors and patterns. Whenever you get bored, you can simply swap the pillows or use different covers and change the look and feel of a space. Choose soft-to-touch fabrics like velvet if you want a classy touch.

Create a bar

It doesn’t have to be elaborate and lavish. A small table with a couple of bottles of good liquor or wine and a few glasses with a small decorative item or a flower vase can serve as an area of interest in your living room. Or you can also repurpose an old cabinet to create a proper bar area.

Add a floating shelf

Not only do floating shelves look great but they are easily one of the best home decor ideas that create more space on your walls and serve as easy ways to display your favorite things. Find a spot that could use one and create a small art and books gallery wall. You can rotate the items on display to change things up.

Decorate your coffee table

The coffee table is generally the focus of your living space. It’s, after all, mostly placed at the center of the seating area. So do it up and make it pretty. Use a table runner or a pretty tray and decorate it with books, vases, and flowers to give it a Pinterest-worthy look. Play around with scale for a great visual effect. Like throw pillows, you can occasionally change the items to refresh the look.

Wallpaper a small space

You don’t have to wallpaper an entire room. Just a small wall or a corner will do. There are many patterns and prints available these days so you can pick one to match your style. It’s fast, easy, and makes a world of difference. Go for just a hint of shine with a semi-gloss or luster sheen to keep it classy.

Hang art

You don’t have to go out and buy art. You can simply frame some of your favorite pictures or postcards from your travels and display them on your walls. Buy some matching, sleek frames and create a gallery wall that will make you smile while adding a nice personal touch to your space. For a cohesive look, choose frames that work together. Picking two or three colors like black and gold or silver and white will help the display look coordinated.

Bring in the old

We tend to toss out the old and bring in new stuff but antique pieces can be great conversation starters. A black and white portrait of your grandparents, that vinyl record player that has been gathering dust in your parent’s store room, or the old teapot set—sometimes adding an old item into your space can make it charming. Just make sure it means something to you.

Switch out a light fixture

Light fixtures are often referred to as the ‘jewelry’ of a home. They can add a wow factor in the most serious of spaces. Wicker shades are in trend. Paper lampshades, especially large round or oval ones, can work beautifully in small spaces. Alternatively, you can also add a floor lamp to a room to give it a regal touch.

Move things around

Sometimes the easiest way to spruce up your space is to just move things around the house. You don’t have to buy anything new. Change the placements of the things you already have. It doesn’t sound like much but it works wonders in making a space look and feel different. Try it, you will be surprised.

Pick pretty towels

There might not be much you can do to revamp a bathroom on a low-budget but pretty towels or an area rug under the sink can work their magic. Ditch boring towels in favor of interestingly patterned ones. Add a small jute rug under the sink and top it with a pair of lush bathroom slippers for a relaxed feel to the space.

Keep your space clean

Follow the rule of threes (objects look best when organized in odd numbers, especially threes) and leave a generous amount of white space on your walls and surfaces. When it comes to looking elegant, less is always more. File paperwork out of sight, stow away cables when not in use, find a home for everything, and get rid of clutter.

Is it a common experience for individuals to undergo negative emotions in a relationship when apart from their partner, potentially influenced by past relationship issues? Furthermore, can feelings of insecurity and overthinking, stemming from past relationships, contribute to arguments with one’s current partner?

Answered by Rishav Koirala, researcher and physiatrist 

Occasional occurrence of negative emotions when separated from one’s partner may be a common feeling in many people.  But when it’s associated with overthinking even small things leading to anger and argument, we have to explore psychosocial issues.

Everyone’s current experience is influenced by past experiences and in a few it may lead to imprinted emotions which might have a negative influence on current situations. The first step to deal with it is by engaging in a thoughtful exploration of these emotions by yourself. Start by reflecting on the specific aspects of your past relationship that might be impacting your current one. Identify any negative experiences or unresolved issues that could be contributing to these feelings. Self-reflection can be a valuable first step in understanding the root causes of your emotional responses.

Following self-reflection, consider addressing these identified issues. Open communication with your current partner is key. Sharing your concerns and feelings fosters understanding and support. Be transparent about the impact of your past experiences and work together to create an environment of trust. Discussing these matters openly can contribute to a healthier and more empathetic connection.

Recognize the potential role of personality traits, such as attachment styles, in influencing your emotional responses. Individuals with anxious attachment styles, for instance, may experience heightened concerns about separation. Another aspect could be Borderline Personality Traits that have a substantial impact on the relationship of the sufferer. Insecurity, increased emotional sensitivity, and impulsive behaviors may lead to arguments and relationship issues if one has these traits.

Understanding these traits, both in yourself and your partner, provides valuable insights into the dynamics of your relationship. If your past relationships have had a big impact on you, it might have led to anxiety issues. People with anxiety issues tend to misinterpret things and have negative thoughts that can lead to negative emotions such as anger and irritability. This might also be one of the reasons why you jump into arguments by overthinking minor things.

If you are not able to resolve the issues by yourself or with the help of your partner, seeking the guidance of a mental health professional is highly advisable. They can help you to delve deeper into these emotional complexities and develop effective coping strategies. A psychiatrist or therapist can assist in identifying and addressing specific concerns related to your past experiences, attachment styles, and any anxiety you might be experiencing. This professional support can contribute to personal and relational growth, providing tools to manage and overcome these challenges. Simple modalities such as meditation, and relaxing exercises such as yoga can also help you achieve these goals to some extent.

Birth: March 14, 1942

Death: November 19, 2023

Krishna Bikram Nembang, who spearheaded an armed revolution against the 1960 royal coup, has died. He was 82. 

At the heart of the tumultuous events of December 1960, Nembang, then studying in Darjeeling, stood against King Mahendra's coup and protested the incarceration of Nepali Congress leader BP Koirala. After returning to Nepal, he became an unwavering force, writing leaflets to enlighten the public about the injustices and advocating passionately for democracy.

Born in Panchthar district, Nembang was involved in politics from his school days. During his teens, he had stood up against the Rana regime.

Though a committed member of the Nepali Congress, Nembang chose a life of service over power. He made his name as a historian and researcher. He used to say that he had lived three lives: of a student, a revolutionary and a historian.

He penned his experience and the situation of the 1960 revolution in his book ‘Satra Saalko Krantiko Samjhana,’ vividly detailing how the revolutionary fighters under his leadership confiscated the weapons from the police who were traveling via the Sukiya jungle. He also wrote about the culture and history of the Kirat people.

Nembang also possessed an extensive knowledge on human development, social development and geography. His writings delved into the depths of history, exploring Indus and Ganges civilizations, and offering detailed insights into Rigveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, and Samaveda.

His notable literary works include ‘Diaryma Belayat,’ ‘Aakshep ra Pathak Pratikriya,’ ‘Smiritima BP Andolan,’ and ‘Limbu Itihas: Tibatti, Lepcha, Koch, Sen ra Roy Sambandha.’

Writer Hari Gautam aptly remembers Nembang as a man of morals, a practitioner of non-violence, and a devoted soul who found his life and happiness in the Nepali Congress. For the past decade, he embraced a hermit's life, devoid of anger or hatred.

Nembang breathed his last at the Nepal Cancer Hospital on November 19.

Survived by three sons and four daughters, Nembang's legacy extends beyond the pages of history.

Seven years after the first Constituent Assembly election, Nepal promulgated a new constitution in 2015, formally transitioning the nation into a republican federal state. This significant milestone could be achieved only by reaching a compromise among major political actors. The major political parties demonstrated considerable flexibility in their party positions to reach a consensus on contentious issues of the constitution. While all parties had reservations about the constitution, there was a sort of realization that a constitution dominated by a single party was untenable within the existing political landscape. Nevertheless, Madhes-based parties initially refrained from taking ownership of the constitution stating that their demands were not addressed. 

Later, after the first amendment in the constitution, Madhes-based parties too, in a way, took the ownership by participating in elections under the new constitutional framework and also joined the government. Despite some shortcomings, the international community has commended Nepal's constitution, hailing it as one of the most progressive in South Asia. Notably, in terms of securing the inclusion of women and marginalized communities, the 2015 constitution surpasses those of many advanced democratic nations.Of late, the constitution is facing increasing attacks,  primarily from royalist and Hindu fundamentalist forces. These forces, who are unhappy with the removal of monarchy, want to revive the constitution of 1990. Despite the promulgation of a good constitution, major political parties have faltered in delivering good governance and initiating the long-awaited journey toward economic prosperity. Similarly, the major parties have failed to ensure government stability and they seem reluctant to mend their ways. This has created a deep frustration among the populace toward these parties. And some regressive forces are trying to exploit this discontent to advance their agenda, trying to portray the 2015 constitution in a bad light.

It is imperative for major political parties to rectify their course. The emergence of new political entities in national elections and the increasing public dissent should serve as a wake-up call for the political parties. Any flaws in the 2015 constitution can be addressed by reaching consensus among political parties. However, its fundamental tenets such as secularism, federalism, and inclusion should remain intact, at least for now. Attempts to alter these foundational principles  would be like opening Pandora's Box and pushing the country into another cycle of conflict and instability. All parties that played pivotal roles in drafting the 2015 constitution must unite once again to protect the constitution. If the 2015 constitution is dismantled, it is not sure the new constitution will be drafted and that it will be a better replacement. Therefore, now is the time to stand up in favor of the 2015 constitution. Reversing the current course is not a solution to our current ills.

Nearly 66 percent of airline companies licensed by the government in over seven decades of Nepal’s aviation history have failed.

Experts say financial risks are the major reasons behind the high rate of airline failures in Nepal.

Nepal Airlines Corporation started operations as the national flag carrier on 1 July 1958. Many private companies came up in the Nepali sky after the government adopted a liberal market policy in the 1990s. But many of them couldn’t stay airborne for a long time. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), 21 airline companies are currently in operation. An airline must have at least three aircraft to start commercial flights in Nepal.

Air service is considered an attractive business. CAAN officials say that having more attraction and competition in this business is good. However, they add that airline companies are shutting down as their financial situation weakens. Gyanendra Bhul, information officer of CAAN, says many airline companies are shutting down due to air accidents and a lack of financial stability. “People find the airline business attractive and pour their money in, but after one or two accidents, they don’t have financial backup to sustain their business. As a result, the businesses fold,” he added.

Some say some airline businesses are failing due to a lack of market study and necessary preparation. Aviation expert Achyut Raj Pahadi says sufficient resources and a qualified workforce are needed for airlines to succeed. “Many companies have shut down because the promoters didn't have good financial backing. Even companies doing well have failed. This is a failure in financial management,” Pahadi added.

Former Senior Captain KB Limbu said many people are starting a business feeling that they would earn good money in a short time. “The aviation sector is not a business; it's an industry in itself. One needs to have strong financial backing, as well as a qualified workforce and necessary parts in stock,” he said, adding: “A lack of long-term planning and a business plan is one of the reasons behind the increasing failure of airline companies in Nepal.”

Former General Manager of Nepal Airlines Corporation, Dim Prasad Poudel, said a lack of a business plan is one of the reasons why Nepali airline companies aren’t sustainable. “Airline companies are failing also because of the involvement of inexperienced people in this business, a decrease in tourist footfall, and inexperienced management,” he added.

He said the government should conduct a study on the number of passengers, how many aircraft can be added in the next five years, how many companies will be sustainable, etc. “We have the tendency of providing a license whenever people apply,” he added.

Former Tourism Secretary Kedar Bahadur Adhikari said the ministry evaluates the business plan, financial statement, type of aircraft, and other technical aspects before issuing a license.

Experts, however, say the ministry doesn’t study whether the company will be viable and how far it can go financially, or whether it can bear the financial risk.

“It is difficult for the companies to survive due to the short runways in the airports. Big aircraft can’t land in many remote airstrips. As a result, they have to operate small aircraft with fewer seats. It hits their profitability,” Adhikari said. Aviation expert Pahadi said CAAN should pay attention as airline companies are failing because of financial risks. “Only the companies that have resources to finance operations for at least a year should be awarded a license,” he added. However, Bhul said CAAN doesn't have any information about the financial aspects of the company. “Our duty is to look after safety and technical aspects only,” he added.

According to CAAN, 21 airline companies have 104 aircraft, including helicopters at present. However, out of 13 aircraft of Nepal Airlines, only six - two Twin Otters, two Airbus A320s, and two Airbus A330s—are in operation. Private carrier Buddha Air has the highest number of aircraft in Nepal. Buddha is a dominant player in the domestic market. Guna Airlines has been grounded by CAAN.

Airline licensing process

Companies interested in starting an aviation business will have to submit their business plan as well as a technical and administration report to the ministry for a permit. After receiving the application, the ministry forms an evaluation committee led by a joint secretary. After evaluating the documents, the committee provides a provisional permit. Then the company will have to apply to the CAAN for an Air Operator Certificate (AOC).

The application process includes five stages - pre-application phase, formal application phase, document evaluation phase, demonstration and inspection phase, and certification phase.

Washington: Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100.

With his gruff yet commanding presence and behind-the-scenes manipulation of power, Kissinger exerted uncommon influence on global affairs under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, earning both vilification and the Nobel Peace Prize. Decades later, his name still provoked impassioned debate over foreign policy landmarks long past.

Kissinger’s power grew during the turmoil of Watergate, when the politically attuned diplomat assumed a role akin to co-president to the weakened Nixon.

“No doubt my vanity was piqued,” Kissinger later wrote of his expanding influence. “But the dominant emotion was a premonition of catastrophe.”

A Jew who fled Nazi Germany with his family in his teens, Kissinger in his later years cultivated the reputation of respected statesman, giving speeches, offering advice to Republicans and Democrats alike and managing a global consulting business. He turned up in President Donald Trump’s White House on multiple occasions. But Nixon-era documents and tapes, as they trickled out over the years, brought revelations — many in Kissinger’s own words — that sometimes cast him in a harsh light.

Never without his detractors, Kissinger after he left government was dogged by critics who argued that he should be called to account for his policies on Southeast Asia and support of repressive regimes in Latin America.

For eight restless years—first as national security adviser, later as secretary of state, and for a time in the middle holding both titles—Kissinger ranged across the breadth of major foreign policy issues. He conducted the first “shuttle diplomacy” in the quest for Middle East peace. He used secret channels to pursue ties between the United States and China, ending decades of isolation and mutual hostility.

He initiated the Paris negotiations that ultimately provided a face-saving means — a “decent interval,” he called it — to get the United States out of a costly war in Vietnam. Two years later, Saigon fell to the communists.

And he pursued a policy of detente with the Soviet Union that led to arms control agreements and raised the possibility that the tensions of the Cold War and its nuclear threat did not have to last forever.

At age 99, he was still out on tour for his book on leadership. Asked in July 2022 interview with ABC whether he wished he could take back any of his decisions, Kissinger demurred, saying: “I’ve been thinking about these problems all my life. It’s my hobby as well as my occupation. And so the recommendations I made were the best of which I was then capable.”

Even then, he had mixed thoughts on Nixon’s record, saying “his foreign policy has held up and he was quite effective in domestic policy” while allowing that the disgraced president had “permitted himself to be involved in a number of steps that were inappropriate for a president.”

As Kissinger turned 100 in May 2023, his son David wrote in The Washington Post that his father’s centenary “might have an air of inevitability for anyone familiar with his force of character and love of historical symbolism. Not only has he outlived most of his peers, eminent detractors and students, but he has also remained indefatigably active throughout his 90s.”

Asked during a CBS interview in the leadup to his 100th birthday about those who view his conduct of foreign policy over the years as a kind of “criminality,” Kissinger was nothing but dismissive.

“That’s a reflection of their ignorance,” Kissinger said. “It wasn’t conceived that way. It wasn’t conducted that way.”

Kissinger continued his involvement in global affairs even in his last months. He met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in July, as bilateral relations were at a low point. And 50 years after his shuttle diplomacy helped end the 1973 Mideast war, when Israel fended off a surprise attack from Egypt and Syria, Kissinger warned of the risks of that conflict repeating itself after Israel faced a surprise assault by Hamas on Oct 7.

Tributes for Kissinger from prominent USofficials poured in immediately upon word of his death. Former President George W Bush said the US “lost one of the most dependable and distinctive voices on foreign affairs” and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Kissinger was “endlessly generous with the wisdom gained over the course of an extraordinary life.”

Kissinger’s consulting firm said he died at his home in Connecticut.

Kissinger was a practitioner of realpolitik — using diplomacy to achieve practical objectives rather than advance lofty ideals. Supporters said his pragmatic bent served U.S. interests; critics saw a Machiavellian approach that ran counter to democratic ideals.

He was castigated for authorizing telephone wiretaps of reporters and his own National Security Council staff to plug news leaks in Nixon’s White House. He was denounced on college campuses for the bombing and allied invasion of Cambodia in April 1970, intended to destroy North Vietnamese supply lines to communist forces in South Vietnam.

That “incursion,” as Nixon and Kissinger called it, was blamed by some for contributing to Cambodia’s fall into the hands of Khmer Rouge insurgents who later slaughtered some 2 million Cambodians.

Kissinger, for his part, made it his mission to debunk what he referred to in 2007 as a “prevalent myth”—that he and Nixon had settled in 1972 for peace terms that had been available in 1969 and thus had needlessly prolonged the Vietnam War at the cost of tens of thousands of American lives.

He insisted that the only way to speed up the withdrawal would have been to agree to Hanoi’s demands that the U.S. overthrow the South Vietnamese government and replace it with communist-dominated leadership.

Pudgy and messy, Kissinger incongruously acquired a reputation as a ladies’ man in the staid Nixon administration. Kissinger, who had divorced his first wife in 1964, called women “a diversion, a hobby.” Jill St. John was a frequent companion. But it turned out his real love interest was Nancy Maginnes, a researcher for Nelson Rockefeller whom he married in 1974.

In a 1972 poll of Playboy Club Bunnies, the man dubbed “Super-K” by Newsweek finished first as “the man I would most like to go out on a date with.”

Kissinger’s explanation: “Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”

Yet Kissinger was reviled by many Americans for his conduct of wartime diplomacy. He was still a lightning rod decades later: In 2015, an appearance by the 91-year-old Kissinger before the Senate Armed Services Committee was disrupted by protesters demanding his arrest for war crimes and calling out his actions in Southeast Asia, Chile and beyond.

Heinz Alfred Kissinger was born in the Bavarian city of Fuerth on May 27, 1923, the son of a schoolteacher. His family left Nazi Germany in 1938 and settled in Manhattan, where Heinz changed his name to Henry.

Kissinger had two children, Elizabeth and David, from his first marriage.

AP

A gay couple in Nepal on Wednesday became the first in the nation to receive official same-sex marriage status. The Himalayan nation is one of the first in Asia to allow it.

“After 23 years of struggle we got this historic achievement, and finally Maya and Surendra got their marriage registered at the local administration office,” said Sunil Babu Pant, an openly gay former parliamentarian and leading LGBTQ+ rights activist.

Pant was present with Surendra Pandey and Maya Gurung when they registered their marriage at the Dorje village council office, located in the mountains west of the capital, Kathmandu.

Earlier this year, Nepal's supreme court issued an interim order enabling the registration of same-sex marriages for the first time.

Officials had initially refused to register the marriage. The couple and Pant filed cases with the Kathmandu District Court and High Court, but their pleas were rejected.

According to Pant, the Home Ministry this week made changes in the process enabling all local administration offices to register same-sex marriages.

“It was quite unexpected and it was a positive breeze for us,” Pant said by phone from the village where the couple were expected to celebrate later Wednesday.

The couple married six years ago at a temple following Hindu tradition, with a priest conducting the rituals among friends and family. But they had no certificate showing their marriage was legal.

Nepal has undergone a transformation since a court decision in 2007 asked the government to make changes in favor of LGBTQ+ people. People who do not identify as female or male are now able to choose “third gender” on their passports and other government documents. The constitution adopted in 2015 also explicitly states there can be no discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 

AP