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For many of us, Diego Armando Maradona was a once-in-life phenomenon. Some of us were lucky to see him live on TV; for others, he was a stuff of legend, unlike any other who had ever set a foot on a football field. His death on November 25 saddened millions—perhaps billions—of his fans the world over. In 1986, watching the World Cup for the very first time on TV, Nepalis were instantly mesmerized by this diminutive magician. And they continue to be.  

Indra Khadka, 45, from Pathari Shanishchare, Morang first saw Maradona live during the 1990 World Cup. Later, he didn’t miss a single match featuring the little Argentinian. “Maradona’s skills with the ball and overall match-awareness remain unmatched in football,” he says. “His slick slicing movements through the opponent’s defense and his dribbling skills were works of pure art.”

Ganesh Karki, 34, a blogger from Morang who is currently living in Kathmandu, says he vaguely remembers people gathering in the courtyard of his ancestral house to watch Maradona play in the 1990 World Cup. It was only many-many years later that he would actually get to see Maradona in action, this time on YouTube. “I find his ball-control skills out of the world. No other footballer has as good a control while running with the ball,” he says.

Aakriti Singh, a Kathmandu based sports journalist, sees Maradona as the greatest football player of all time. “For every football lover, he is an idol,” she says. She adds her dad still fondly recalls the 1986 World Cup. Argentina won the contest under Maradona’s leadership. This is one reason, says Singh, Nepalis came to adore Argentina and its most-beloved son.

Aakriti Singh

For Singh, seeing the legendary footballer transition from a strapping athlete to an over-weight teary cocaine addict, was heartbreaking. “And it is even more heartbreaking now that he is no more with us,” she adds. 

Ram Subedi, 20, from Bhaktapur, says Maradona became his idol after he watched him on YouTube. “He has brilliant dribbling skills and his spin move drill is perfect,” Subedi adds. 

Ram Subedi

Bicky Jack, 30, an IT professional from Kathmandu, remembers listening to his father praise Maradona. Fondly recalling his father’s stories told all those years ago, Bicky still watches Maradona’s clips on the internet time and again.

Bicky Jack

Likewise, Mukesh Raj Ranjitkar, 49, a businessman in Nawalparasi, says he remembers only a little football from his childhood but the images of Maradona still come back crystal-clear. “I remember his bicycle kick inspired many contemporary players. We used to call it Coca Cola style—I don’t know why exactly,” he recalls. 

Mukesh Raj Ranjitkar

Ranjitkar says Maradona, while playing, used to run fast with great ball control. Ranjitkar’s admiration for the Napoli forward only increased on learning that, following the 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and United Kingdom, the footballer became a great admirer of the valor of Gurkha soldiers. 

Nishan Baral, 26, a forestry student from Lalitpur, says he wasn’t even born when Maradona was playing and yet he has come to associate the name with football itself. “There are a few players who transcend their generation, and Maradona was one of them,” he adds. For Baral, Maradona became a cool legend who was fun to watch on social media, and now that he is no more his presence will be greatly missed.

Nishan Baral

Deepak Raj Giree, 51, a famous actor in the Nepali movie industry, writes on his Facebook profile page, that people of his generation started supporting Argentina only because of Maradona. In fact, Nepali football fans to this day support Argentina because Maradona was once a part of it.

Prakriti Lamichhane, 23, an MBBS student in Kathmandu, who also loves playing football, says, as a little kid, the only memory of Diego Maradona was his ‘Hand of God’ goal. She could not watch him live but later was awestruck when her coach played back videos of the maestro. 

Prakriti Lamichhane

“His brilliant ball control, dribbling, and agility are peerless,” she adds. She says she tried to copy some of his on-field moves—mostly unsuccessfully. “For someone who plays football herself, he is an absolute legend, and a true inspiration.”

The University of Pennsylvania asked 840 American adults in late March and then in mid-July about their beliefs about the origins of the novel coronavirus. In March, 28 percent of the respondents said the coronavirus was a Chinese bio-weapon unleashed on the US. By July, 37 percent of the same respondents espoused the bio-weapon theory.

US President Donald Trump has time and again accused China of concocting the ‘China virus’. He had also downplayed the dangers of Covid-19 and made bogus claims about it.

Around three months ago, BJP leader Imarti Devi said the coronavirus could not infect her as she was literally born on cow-dung.

Nepal too is fertile ground for such conspiracy theories. The most common corona-related conspiracy theories people here believe in: it’s a ‘plandemic’ rather than a pandemic, the fear is greatly exaggerated, Covid-19 is no more than common cold, and it’s a Chinese ploy.

Shamsher Shah, 45, a Kathmandu-based businessman, is sure that Covid-19 is a plandemic (being peddled by those with vested interests). He also says the fear surrounding Covid-19 are exaggerated.

Shamsher Shah

“I, along with some others, even visited the Ministry of Health and Population to see those who had died from corona infection. But they wouldn’t allow us,” he says. He says the relatives of those who have supposedly died of the virus are not allowed to cremate them even though there is no proof the virus can be transmitted from dead bodies. “Surely, something is amiss,” Shah suspects.

Shah says people are dying of fear and not getting treated for other diseases. “If it is so dangerous, why is the death rate so low? How is it possible that over 90 percent get well without any treatment?” he asks. 

Shreeram Gautam, 38, from Gulmi, says Covid-19 is no more than seasonal flu, and its dangers have been greatly exaggerated. 

He questions how a beggar who comes in contact with thousands of people everyone does not get it yet a prisoner locked inside a room does. Moreover, “infections spiked during the strict lockdown, not when things started opening up.” He says these things make him skeptical if the Covid-19 is even a real virus.  

Shreeram Gautam

Pawan Sharma, 23, a student from Rupandehi, thinks Covid-19 is part of China’s game to maintain its political and economic dominance. “How is it that it started in China but the whole of China did not suffer? In fact, China has already controlled it even as other countries struggle to do so.”

Dipak Bhattarai, 33, a taxi driver in Kathmandu, offers a similar logic. “The death rate is too low to be afraid and whoever has died mostly had other diseases,” he says. Bhattarai doubts the virus is spread from person to person even if they sit side by side.

Dipak Bhattarai

He says people are needlessly getting depressed out of the fear of catching the virus. “Weren’t there other diseases that were killing people before Covid-19?”

Rakesh Jha, 31, an IT officer in Janakpur, for his part, believes Covid-19 is a man-made virus. “Covid-19 has traveled from Wuhan to all parts of the globe but not to Beijing, how come?” he asks. He too says it’s all part of Chinese ploy to undercut its chief geopolitical rivals.

Rakesh Jha

Likewise, Khom Kumari Khatiwada, 75, from Sunsari district offers a religious perspective. “There are so many sinners in the world these days. They have lost their dharma and greatly angered God and hence deadly viruses like this ensue,” she says.

Kripa Sigdel, a psychologist and faculty member at Padma Kanya Campus, says people learn by imitating and observing their role models. “Some influencers and public figures are publicly citing these conspiracy theories. People are greatly influenced by their ideas,” she adds. 

She gives the example of Prime Minister KP Oli who has said that Covid-19 is no different to common flu and can be cured by consuming hot water and turmeric. “Now those who consider him credible are likely to believe his Covid-19 theory as well.” 

Kripa Sigdel

Gautam from Gulmi says his opinions are self-made, “based on what I saw, experienced, and felt.” Bhattarai, Sharma, and Shah too claim to have come to their conclusions on their own. “For example,” says Bhattarai, “why did my close friend get infected but nothing happened to me?”

Sigdel, the psychologist, suspects most conspiracy-theory peddlers are suffering from confirmation bias. “People like to justify their beliefs. If we believe in something we only seek information that confirms that belief.”

Sitaram Dahal, 25, a cloth-store owner in Kathmandu, traveled to Pokhara and Kushma for paragliding and swing this Dashain. The lure was apparent. The cost of paragliding had plummeted, from Rs 7,000 to Rs 3,000. And airfare was also cheaper by 10 percent. What more could he ask for?

Sitaram Dahal

The purpose of his travel was “refreshment”. He thinks this is not the time to fear but to lead a normal life by adopting safety measures. “We stayed in, for almost six months. Now it is time for some refreshment.”

After the lifting of the lockdown, Hriday Regmi, 25, a Kanchanpur native who works at a bank in Kathmandu, visited Kakani, Sauraha, and Chandragiri for night stays. He rued not getting a chance to travel since he had joined university and a new job at the same time. “So, I did not want to waste the little leisure time I had, bolted inside my home,” he adds. Regmi also feels the festive season is the right time to contribute to internal tourism.

Hriday Regmi

He agrees that the fear of covid is pervasive. “But I see no alternative to living with the pandemic by taking precautions.” Regmi says that the hotels and resorts he stayed in were low-fare. “The packages were available at almost 35 percent discount.”

Suruchi Thapa, 21, a student in Kathmandu, traveled to Baraha Pokhari, Lamjung on October 29 with her family, for “religious and refreshment purposes”. “In Baraha Pokhari, people take bath on the full moon day. We went there as pilgrims,” she adds. Thapa says the natural beauty there was worth watching as well, with vistas of beautiful snow-capped mountains all around. 

Likewise, Sabin Adhikari, 30, a businessman from Dhading, went to Rara Lake along with his friends before Dashain. He wanted to explore nature there and learn about locals’ lifestyles. “I am ready to live with covid. My motto is: Live a normal life, travel and be as safe as you can. I don’t need to be stuck at home,” he says. He didn’t factor in travel costs but says the experience was worth all the money he spent.

Sabin Adhikari

Gita Chimoriya, a 27-year-old Lalitpur-based journalist, traveled to Mardi with her friends this Dashain. She visited Pokhara on her way back home. “We traveled during the festival because that is the only time I get some time away from my study and job,” she says. Mardi was open for trekking and she needed a break.

Gita Chimoriya

Safety first

All these travelers claim to have considered safety. They say that though they traveled, they did so carefully, by adopting proper safety measures. 

Dahal had to return to Kathmandu on bus. He was relieved when he saw safety measures being adopted in the bus too. “Masks and sanitizers were compulsory and there was social distancing inside the bus,” he says. Apart from personally using masks and sanitizers and avoiding contact, for safety, Dahal also did not stay at a hotel but at a friend’s.

Regmi for one did not find safety measures in hotels and resorts he stayed at different places in adequate. “We have to take care of ourselves while we have fun,” he says.

Thapa, the Baraha Pokhari visitor, says the travel, done in their own vehicle, was completely safe too. “We did not stay in any hotel or resort but camped in jungle and avoided contact.”

Suruchi Thapa

According to Adhikari, his group avoided direct contact with other people at Rara and always had masks and sanitizers handy. They had done proper research, too, including on hotels. “I won’t say they were completely safe but the hotels we visited were doing their bit to give the travelers some sense of security.”

Chimoriya, who went to Mardi, says she didn’t find folks in Pokhara careful with covid restrictions. “But the staff of the hotels on our trekking route were trained in safety protocols. That made us feel safer,” she adds.

Matter of survival

 Hotel owners at tourist destinations say not enough tourists are coming for the sustainability of their business.

Arjun Chhetri, owner at Hotel Devis Fall View, Pokhara says the number of his guests was just 30 percent this festive season, compared to the same time previous years. “We used to house students on school tours and religious pilgrims. They are not coming now,” he adds. 

Arjun Chhteri

As his hotel was always cheap, Chhetri did not lower costs during the pandemic. He further adds that current guests are mostly regular visitors and well acquainted with room rates.

At Devis Fall View, guests have to wash their hands with soap and water during their entry. But the guests have to bring their own masks and sanitizers, and Chhetri does not sanitize his rooms. He says the fear of covid is greatly exaggerated, and in any case he would not be able to afford more safety measures. “Right now I don’t even make enough to pay my rent,” he says.

Surendra Poudel, owner of Hotel Mirage at Sauraha, Chitwan, says his hotel is 40-60 percent full, even in this peak season. His hotel has some covid protocols. “We try to keep a recently vacated room empty for a day,” he says. He claims to regularly clean and sanitize rooms and to take cleaning staffs’ safety into serious consideration.

Surendra Poudel

Besides the compulsory temperature check and sanitization at entry, “guests also apply their own safety measures.” 

Some previous package programs like group Tharu cultural dance is unavailable now. And the cost of the package has been reduced. “Though our earnings have nosedived, we are still offering packages at 20 percent discount,” Poudel says. “Right now, it’s a matter of survival.”

The charm of e-commerce is increasing by the day. These days, people can explore and buy almost everything online, from items of day-to-day use to heavy machines, and get them delivered to their doorsteps. So why not books? 

Book Hill, a reputed publisher, went online for selling seven months ago. Says Bhupendra Khadka, its founder, Book Hill’s main strength is its fast delivery. At Book Hill, the demand for non-fiction books is higher compared to fiction books. The reason for this, he speculates, maybe that customers who visit his online platforms are mostly the intellectual kind.   

Bhupendra Khadka

“We deliver books within the valley on the same day we get the order,” he says. The orders themselves are received via Facebook, Instagram and its website.

Having gotten encouraging feedback, Book Hill even plans to sell audiobooks and e-books online. But Khadka does not believe online buying will replace traditional bookstore visits. “It’s a good alternative though, especially in these precarious times,” he says.

Bikesh Bhattarai, CEO at Kitab Yatra that started in 2017, says his company’s larger goal is to promote reading culture but it also sells books online. Within the valley, Kitab Yatra delivers with its own staff. For other places, it has tied up with various courier services. Customers can order online through Facebook or its website.

Bikesh Bhattarai

Regarding the customers’ book choice, Bhattarai says, “Mostly, Nepalis read fiction, but more and more people are also reading non-fiction.” Bhattarai says he gets plenty of recommendation requests from prospective book buyers. “Many of them are looking for a reliable guide.”

MBSH Nepal, an online shopping platform, started three years ago. Says Satya Bahadur Shrestha, chairman at MBSH Nepal, low prices are the platform’s main strength. MBSH Nepal is planning to open branches to ease book delivery.  

Satya Bahadur Shrestha

He also thinks it will take a long time for people to abandon traditional bookstores for online platforms. “Older folks generally tend to visit the store while younger ones buy online. Only when these youngsters mature will the old way of book-buying be gradually replaced.”

Anurag Paudel, CEO of Wonder Books Nepal, has been selling books online since 2018. It delivers both in and outside the valley.

“This year, I find most people are ordering self-help and motivational books online,” Paudel says. Wonder Books has also seen an increase in demand for books related to the share market. The bestsellers in recent months have been titles like ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’, ‘Think and Grow Rich’, and ‘Power of Sub-conscious Mind’.

Anurag Paudel

Paudel is sure that online bookstores will completely displace brick-and-mortar bookshops if the current craze of online buying continues unabated.

Lekha Ram Sapkota, owner at Sampurna Kitab (Chitwan), has long been operating bookstores in Kathmandu, Chitwan, Sandhikharka, Biratnagar, and Birtamod and selling books online for the past two years.

According to Sapkota, customers can put their orders via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Lekha Ram Sapkota

Sapkota says most books sold online are novels. He has no idea why. He says online delivery is especially helpful for the readers who are determined to read particular books. “But, those unsure about what to read want to personally feel and select the books. So online buying won’t replace traditional buying soon,” he concludes. 

Nepal Mandala Book Shop, at lakeside Pokhara, has been running for past 25 years. At first, they were selling from the store. “But in 2017 we went online with the name BooksMandala through Instagram. After a positive response, we became active on other social media sites as well and also started our own website,” says Saurab Sharma, co-founder at BooksMandala. 

Saurab Sharma

BooksMandala sells and delivers books all over Nepal. Regarding the choice of books, Sharma adds, “People prefer to buy self-development books online.”

Sharma says his platform’s strength is that it has books that are not easily available elsewhere.

More and more people are buying books online in this pandemic and the business is booming. “Sales have increased as people are taking to book to relieve their covid stress,” Shrestha adds. “Even those who never read for recreation started doing so during the pandemic.”

All online booksellers APEX talked to accept payments from e-Sewa, Khalti, bank transfer, or take cash on delivery.

Book buyers are satisfied too as online platforms have increased their access to books even when they can’t venture out freely.

Saguna Shah, founder of Bookaholics, a well-known Facebook group, and a writer, says online buying is convenient. Though she loves picking books from the stores, there are times she has bought books online. “Especially in the pandemic, online book delivery has been a blessing,” she says.

She adds that her translation of Sheeba Shah’s ‘The Other Queen’, published as Kanchha Maharani during the pandemic, could reach a wider audience because of the ubiquity of online platforms.

Aneekarma, a social activist based in Pokhara, says buying books online now makes her feel safe during the pandemic.

Whenever you are driving to a crowded destination or a particularly popular shopping center in Kathmandu, one of your first concerns is whether the place has parking. If space isn’t available, you end up parking by the road—only to later find that traffic police has ‘locked’ your vehicle. Nor are many of the available pay-parking spaces well managed.

But a solution may be at hand. China’s Lutaida Company is coordinating with We Build, a Nepali construction-based company, to bring to you ‘Park Easy’. This is a vertical, rotating parking system in which the space normally taken up by two cars can accommodate around 12-20 cars. 

When a vehicle enters the system on the ground floor, it is immediately assigned a particular height for parking. The vehicle is then lifted up to that spot through by rotatory motion. And, when you have to take out your car, it is just a matter of flipping a switch again. The machine rotates and brings the car to the ground level. 

We Build Construction Service, Kathmandu is the sole authorized dealer for Park Easy in Nepal. Before Nepal, Park Easy has been installed in countries like China, Thailand, Singapore, Poland, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

The system is durable, too. The system’s service life is 50 years, according to Sukirti Sharma, Managing Director, who has played an instrumental role in bringing Park Easy to Nepal. It is the most space-efficient parking system, she claims, as a system can be set up in just 1.5-2 annas of land.

The other exciting feature of the system is that it can be easily dismantled and reinstalled somewhere else. And the installation happens instantaneously as well.

Sharma informs that Kathmandu would already have had three or four such installed systems where it not for the pandemic.

But how did the idea come to her? The civil engineer says she wanted to do something innovative in Nepal and started looking for inspiration abroad. It was then that she discovered Park Easy. “I think an innovative system like this can greatly reduce Kathmandu valley’s worsening congestion and parking problems,” she says.

Thus, in the first phase, We Build is targeting the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. Sharma claims that compared to what we normally pay for parking in Kathmandu, it will be 50-75 percent cheaper to park at the company’s installation.

The enterprising engineer is confident about her business model. As the initial investment can be recouped in 3-4 years, “it’s all profit for the rest of the system’s 50-year-life.”

In 2019 the Town of Oyster Bay in New York State honored Arjun Prasad Mainali, a Nepali-American, recognizing his contribution as a serial blood donor. It even established December 22—the anniversary of the first successful transfusion of human blood—as the World Blood Donor Arjun Mainali Day.

The 52-year-old Mainali has donated blood in rich and poor countries alike after first spending many years in Nepal encouraging blood donation.

Altogether, as of this writing, he has donated blood 186 times (whole blood 126 times and platelets 60 times) and volunteered and helped organize countless blood donation programs in past 33 years. “The volume of blood I have donated amounts to 93 liters, which can save 558 lives,” he says. Mainali has already visited 17 countries across six continents to donate blood and promote blood donation.

In 2014, he donated whole blood six times and platelets 13 times, in what was a world record for the year.

Mainali’s blood-donation journey started on 20 August 1987, when he donated for the first time at Bishal Bazaar, Kathmandu. While he was in college in 1986, there was a chapter in his course book named ‘The Blood Donor’ featuring an American who saved lives by donating his blood. “I was inspired, and when I learned of an ongoing blood donation program organized by Lions Club, I too donated blood for the first time,” he explains.

After that, he became a regular donor, and a blood-donation activist. At first, his immediate family and relatives tried to dissuade him from donating, because they feared he would get physically weak (which was a bogus fear, as he later discovered). Yet he was undeterred.

He felt it necessary to encourage blood donation in Nepal when he saw a person fearing to donate blood even to his wife. “I then started spreading awareness on blood donation all over Nepal with the help of other donors. And it is something I have been doing for over three decades,” he says.

“We formed the Nepal Blood Donors Club in 1990, which is now known as the Blood Donors Association of Nepal,” Mainali remembers. On 5 December 1990, the association even conducted an all-Nepal cycle tour to spread awareness.

In the same year, recognizing his contribution to blood donation, Leo Club’s central office gave him the responsibility of leading its Blood Donation Committee. The rest, as they say, is history.

In the first phase of the Covid-19 lockdown in Nepal, he coordinated with Nepali blood donors to meet blood scarcity and sent Rs 50,000 for the cause. “We managed to collect around 7,000 pints of blood at the time,” he recalls. These days, he even gives prize money for well-known and dedicated blood donors across Nepal.

In the late 1980s, donating blood was a new idea in Nepal. “We tried to spread awareness and persuade people to give blood. Gradually, the number of donors increased,” he says. Mainali is thus one of the pioneers of blood donation in Nepal.

After his initiation on blood donation in Nepal, Mainali’s dedication to donation continued after he reached America in 2000. “We have conducted blood donation programs in 14 American states under my initiative,” he says. In 2009, Mainali established the Blood Donors of America and, in 2014, the International Nepalese Blood Donors.

Traveling to different countries is both costly (he bears the cost out of his own pocket) and tiresome, yet the cause is worth it, he says.

He remembers the days he traveled to Africa to educate people there about blood donation. He had to borrow $2000 from his office as he was short of money at the time. Even today, Mainali says he spends all his income from an insurance company on blood donation-related activities and it is his wife who runs the family.

Mainali has run blood-donation campaigns around the world, “having spent over Rs 10 million for the cause”.

For his contribution, Mainali has gotten numerous awards in Nepal, Africa, and America. Mainali estimates his efforts have contributed to educating over 200,000 people on the importance of blood donation, among whom 15,000 ended up donating blood.

Though he has founded some organizations, he says there is no self-interest involved. “I am not directly involved in running any of them,” he asserts.

He urges people to donate blood at least once a year. “What better day to do it than on your birthday?” he asks.

The pandemic-hit Nepal is on the verge of another Dashain, and the fear is that the greatest festival of Hindus may lose some of its charm this year.

Rikesh Acharya, 30, an accountant from Sunsari currently living in a rented house in Kathmandu, is in no mood to return to his hometown this Dashain. Even in the national capital, he plans on putting Tika only in one or two places. “Social distancing and other anti-corona safety measures will take away much fun,” he says.

Laxmi Subedi, 56, a social worker who runs an orphanage home in Kathmandu, also plans to stay put in her house. But she has a bigger worry. “Alas! There will be no shopping,” she rues.

Nabin Bhandari, a 21-year-old student in Kathmandu, is a native of Gulmi district. He does plan to go back to his ancestral village, yet he too feels jaded at the prospect of a Dashain without the regular Melas and Saraya Naach.

For Shantiraj Rai, 27, a Kathmandu-based journalist from Okhaldhunga, Dashain this time will be a simple affair. He plans to travel to Okhaldhunga on his own bike. “I surely won’t take a public vehicle this year,” he says.

A native of Bhaktapur, Ritu Shrestha, 22, a lab technician, is not travelling at all. Nor does she have any plans. “How can I plan anything when the number of Covid-positive cases are increasing by the day?” she asks. 

Many Nepalis living abroad return home during Dashain. But not many are coming this year.

Manisha Dulal, 26, a student in Australia, says she feels for her parents who won’t get to bless their children this Dashain. “All my brothers and sisters are here in Australia. This is not going to be a happy occasion for my parents in Nepal,” she rues. Taking chartered flights is an option. But Dulal is against chartered flights, which she says are both uncertain and expensive.  

For its part, the Department of Transportation Management hopes to open bookings for long-route buses starting mid-October. The department estimates only a fourth of the normal Dashain traffic will leave for their ancestral homes this year. In the previous years, over two million people did. Nor do people plan on travelling abroad for fun.

Saroj Baral, 53, a teacher from Inaruwa, Sunsari, says this time will be ‘an economic Dashain’ as he hasn’t gotten his salary for the past six months. “In previous years, my brothers and relatives used to come visit us on the day of Fulpati and we used to celebrate together. This time I have no such plans,” he adds. He suspects that unlike in the previous years when relatives expected others to come visit them, this year they may be hoping that no one comes to spread the virus.  

Mathura Dhakal, 41, a housewife and shopkeeper in Kavre, does not think the pandemic will much alter Dashain celebration in her village. What she will miss though is travelling to Kathmandu for shopping.

Tanka Prasad Naral, a 44-year-old businessman, is relieved he has his own house in Kathmandu where he can celebrate instead of having to travel to his native Kavre. “When we travel, all family members travel together, which is risky during the pandemic,” he says. Meanwhile, drastic decrease in income will make this Dashain less expensive, he adds.

If you are a regular on TikTok, you probably know it is by and large a medium for entertainment. But you would also have come across a few educational and instructional posts. Indeed, as the social media platform matures, it is increasingly seen as an eclectic mix of education and entertainment.

Saunak Bhatta, 29, a motivational speaker from Kathmandu, uploads motivational videos and even talks on contemporary social issues on his TikTok account (@saunakbhatta). He has 144.5k followers.

“As TikTok became popular, I started uploading videos by cutting and pasting images and clips from other platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. After the lockdown, I started making videos exclusively for this platform,” he claims. Soon, viewership surged.

Bhatta finds TikTok a challenging platform. “I am more used to motivational speeches spanning 2-3 hours. So it was a challenge to cram everything into a minute-long video. That, I think, made me more creative,” he adds. For some videos, he claims, he took around 60 takes just to fit within the given timeframe. TikTok, Bhatta says, taught him to be courageous, creative, and share his knowledge.

Another user thinking out of the box and using the platform to share skills, knowledge, and ideas is Lila Nath Ghimire, an advocate and freelancer from Sindhuli. He opened a TikTok account (@advocate_ln) back in August during the lockdown. He did so to share his knowledge on law, and he is happy with the response.

“I started giving legal advice through TikTok, and in no time gained 20.8k followers,” he says. His basic premise was that everyone should be acquainted with law.

Similarly, Mamta Shiwakoti, 24, from Kathmandu, also disseminates legal information through her account (@lawwithmamta). She has 45.7k followers.

When Shiwakoti was randomly scrolling TikTok earlier this year she came across a video in which a doctor was giving health advice. That in turn motivated her to do something similar. At the end of June, she too started making videos on law.

“I find TikTok is a good medium to share knowledge,” she says. She claims she is getting positive feedback and feels proud to be helping people. “I seem to inspire many people, females especially, to take up law, which is highly motivating,” she says.

Likewise, Dinesh Bajgain, 25, a teacher from Kailali, uploads videos with math and GK tricks on his Tiktok account (@dineshbajgain1) that has 122.8k followers. He joined TikTok around two years ago but started making educational trick videos only after the lockdown. “At first, I used to upload comedy videos. But then, my friends started mocking me for my frivolity even though I was a teacher,” he recalls. He then changed his course.

Another TikTok user Jyotish Sudeep Dhakal, 29, who is an astrologer from Bara, has 39.4k followers (@astrologer_sudeep_dhakal). He says he started making videos back in April when he says the paucity of astrological services online. “You would be surprised how many TikTok users are curious to know more about their future,” he says.

He says the “direct and immediate” feedback he gets has been the most helpful. Inspired by his TikTok videos, some even call him for astrological services.

Subash KC, 34, an English language instructor in Kathmandu, teaches English language through his account (@mercy_education) that has 133.6k followers. He joined TikTok three months ago. “After the lockdown started, students started approaching me to make TikTok videos to help them fill the education void. It was a hit right from the start.”

Even TikTok messaged him a short time after he opened the account with a request to display ads in his fast-growing account. “This motivated me even more to tailor my content to audience taste,” he says.

He claims to have worldwide audience and says regularly updating videos encourages him to keep himself updated and learn more.

Sushma Karki, 25, a make-up artist from Kathmandu, started using TikTok two years ago. She shares make-up and beauty tips via her account @ksuskalology that has 16.6k followers.

Karki points out some loopholes in TikTok even though it is by and large a great platform. “I think a minute is too short a time and I also feel that there could be a bit more monitoring of the content,” she says.

As most users like to watch entertaining videos on TikTok, adds Bhatta, the motivational speaker: “Whatever we make, it should be creative and entertaining.” He says if a trend of educating people with entertaining videos can be established, it could even revolutionize the traditional teaching-learning process.