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We knew an earthquake was due when a whopper of 7.6 magnitude struck in April 2015, followed by more than 300 aftershocks. The new constitution that was promulgated soon after had provisions for building an earthquake-resilient society. Various parties in the 2017 local elections made grandiose promises to do the same. With the wounds still fresh, national level policies were drafted. But as our memories faded and new priorities surfaced, most of these plans never materialized, and those that did were half-heartedly implemented. 

In the 2022 local elections, though disasters and climate change have made it into party manifestos, the potentially more devastating earthquakes seem to be missing. As we live in a seismically vulnerable zone, not prioritizing earthquake risk reduction could have devastating consequences, says experts ApEx spoke to. “We have seen the damage an earthquake can inflict, how it causes so much trauma and pushes back years of progress,” says Khadga Sen Oli, advocacy and outreach manager at National Society for Earthquake Technology, Nepal (NSET). 

Before the 2015 earthquakes, natural disasters were dealt with after the event, our efforts limited to management of its effects. But now the emphasis is on disaster risk reduction with action being taken before a calamity to mitigate loss of lives and infrastructure. Our approach to disaster has changed because the Gorkha earthquake that killed 9,000 people and injured over 100,000 more made us realize the importance of being prepared for tragedies. However, in a disaster-prone nation where floods, landslides, and forest fires have routinely claimed hundreds, if not thousands, of lives every year, earthquakes have slipped under the radar. 

Monika Jha, joint secretary at the National Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center under the Department of Mines and Geology, says nature was kind to us in 2015. There could have been a lot more damage, given how underprepared and ill-equipped we were to handle a disaster of that scale. Though people are more aware and knowledgeable about earthquakes now, it still isn’t enough to ensure we will be able to deal with another disaster. 

Jha blames lack of studies and research. Nepal just hasn’t invested enough in collecting data for earthquake hazard risk assessment. “There also aren’t many experts in the field. Moreover, our education system doesn’t have seismology in its curriculum,” she says.

“We need better strategies at the national level and, more importantly, for the local authorities to implement them,” says Jha. The work currently being done feels like an afterthought, carried out just for the heck of it. Raju Thapa, acting chairperson at Disaster Preparedness Network-Nepal, says government guidelines stipulate that earthquakes have to be the number one priority for those working in disaster-related sectors. But we are short sighted and only focus on immediate threats. “In western Nepal, it’s been 500 years since the last earthquake. That’s unnatural. We are, as scary as that sounds, sitting on a ticking time-bomb,” he says.

That doesn’t mean we should panic, even though Thapa wishes people would act like an earthquake could happen anytime, rather than [wrongly] believe we are safe as we recently had one. He says we shouldn’t forget that we live in an earthquake prone zone and that there is still no preparation whatsoever. “We didn’t learn from the past. We made commitments but once the initial shock wore off, we were back to our old ways,” he adds. Experts say that as a nation we have relegated the horrors of the 2015 earthquakes to the back of our minds. Not that we should be reliving it every minute but it’s unwise (even outright stupid) to forget its harsh lessons.   

Many homes that were battered in 2015 are still supported by beams. There are structures in narrow alleys of Ason, Kathmandu and Patan, Lalitpur that are on the verge of collapse. Old buildings have had facelifts in the form of additional floors. Building codes are still not followed owing to weak monitoring. People compromise on labor and construction material for short-term benefits. There is a general sense of indifference over earthquakes because ‘the worst is behind us.’ Some random middle-aged people ApEx questioned on the streets of Jawalakhel, Lalitpur, said they are sure there won’t be another earthquake for next 50 years or so and the country shouldn’t waste valuable resources preparing for one. 

But predicting an earthquake a few minutes or even seconds before can save lives. And that’s not something to be taken lightly, says Thapa. The primary wave in an earthquake comes a few seconds before the secondary wave and early warning gives you a better chance of survival. In Banke, the local communities have invested in an early warning system. It will arm them to take shelter during earthquakes, crucial seconds before the event. We need more such initiatives, including but not limited to better infrastructure to build a more resilient society that can withstand future shocks.

The constitution makes local bodies accountable for disaster prevention and management. The local government operation act has directives to prepare for future earthquakes. NSET’s Oli believes the onus lies on local governments to take concrete actions. Apart from launching awareness programs, they must also implement national level policies to build capacity in their communities. Training a few teams of volunteers to create emergency responders should, according to Oli, be another priority. “In an emergency, unskilled help can make the problem worse. So local government bodies must teach and train people to respond.” 

Ramesh Guragain, deputy executive director at NSET, says the biggest post-2015 earthquake achievement was the formation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The focus shifted to studying risks in advance and working to reduce them. In many villages, as laborers worked on rebuilding damaged homes, they acquired the skill and understanding of how to build better, earthquake-resistant structures. “That awareness and knowledge need to be taken to other parts of the country, but that’s not happening. The soon-to-be elected local authorities must facilitate that kind of networking,” he says.

Soon after the local elections, NSET is launching a training program it plans on taking to all 753 rural municipalities and municipalities across Nepal. Guragain explains the point of doing this after the elections is so that the newly elected officials know what needs to be done and how, and so that they factor in earthquakes in their planning. It’s the local authorities’ responsibility to keep reminding people about the devastation earthquakes can cause. 

As they will be in office for the next five years, they can do a lot even if they take small steps—but they need to act fast. “In the past we weren’t able to effectively lobby at the political level. The participation of local authorities has also been unsatisfactory. But going forward, we are hoping for better understanding and cooperation from them,” he says. 

Kamal Pokhari in Kathmandu, named after the lotus flower that bloomed there, was once an unkempt pond with thick mossy green waters. After the Kathmandu Metropolitan City came up with a plan to restore it and turn it into a park of sorts in late 2020, today, it’s a breathtakingly beautiful open space in one of the most congested areas of the city. But just a few weeks after it was opened, the area has been peppered with empty water bottles, noodle and chocolate wrappers, and scrunched up balls of post-chatpate newspaper bits.

Kathmandu’s streets are the same. A common sight around town is people throwing things on the road, while walking, and from windows of buses, tempos, and fancy imported cars. Any given stretch of road is littered with paper, plastic, orange peels, peanuts shells and randomly tossed polythene bags of household waste. Things will only get worse with local elections around the corner. Placards, posters and ballot papers will only add more litter. 

Mithu Nepali, who has been sweeping Kathmandu’s streets early in the morning for over a decade, says people throw trash on the road even when they see cleaners at work. It’s a horrid and unconscious behavior, she says. They would rather toss a plastic bottle or a tissue the second they are done with it instead of holding on to it till they see a trash can. 

Our littering habit has been ruining the city aesthetics as well as costing us money as both private companies and the municipality have had to regularly employ sweepers to clean up the mess. Kiran Shrestha, of Action Waste Pvt. Ltd., says people know they shouldn’t litter but do it anyway. That’s what makes things worse. 

“If lack of awareness was the culprit, we could work on changing that. But what can we do when people are stubborn?” he says. Shrestha explains that when he and his staff tell people not to litter, they usually start arguing and say everybody is dumping waste on the road anyway. Only one or two in 10 will look embarrassed and scuttle away but even they won’t pick up their trash. 

Littering is generally considered inconsequential because “it’s just a small piece of waste”. But it has a ripple effect and adds up. When you throw something on the roadside, it won’t be long before a small mound of garbage will collect there. Think back to a time you may have tossed a tissue or a receipt on a trash pile that was already there. 

Dr Binjwala Shrestha, assistant professor at the department of community medicine at the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, says the cost of littering and improper waste management on public health is immense, especially during the rainy season when pollutants can leach into the soil and water, thus contaminating our food sources.

“People want their pockets, purses, cars and homes to be clean but have no qualms about littering their surroundings,” says Dr Shrestha. But we will have to pay the price for a dirty city as ours is a place where food is mostly sold out in the open, she adds. An unhygienic environment will breed disease-causing flies and insects. Diarrheal infections are common and when your immune system is already weak it can have a disastrous effect. However, Dr Shrestha says, people fail to see the connection between an unclean environment and their health. “As long as their homes are clean, they think they are safe but this attitude is detrimental to public health. A case in point is the recent pandemic.”

Laxmi Prasad Ghimire of Nepsemyak, a company that works in waste management, says large scale campaigns and awareness programs are needed to change people’s behaviors. But that, he admits, is a slow process and can take years. So, the government must be aggressive in its approach. According to him, urgent action whereby anybody who is caught littering is fined and punished immediately can prevent the problem from escalating. Dhurba Acharya, chairperson of Solid Waste Management Association Nepal (SWMAN), says there also needs to be more dustbins and other drop points for waste around the city. 

“People throw rubbish randomly on the road because they know there will be no consequences,” says Acharya. But there are rules in place against those caught littering. The problem is their weak implementation. The Solid Waste Management Act 2011 states those who throw trash in public places, which include but are not limited to roadside, can be fined between Rs 500 to Rs 100,000 as well as be jailed for up to three months. Years ago, the KMC had developed an app people could use to anonymously report anyone they saw throwing trash. The municipal police would show up within half an hour to take action against the offender. Unfortunately, the ambitious plan fizzled out in a few months. 

“But now the local authorities can and must come up with a similar course of action,” says Acharya. Dr Shrestha says every individual can do their bit in this regard. “Speak up when someone walking ahead of you on the footpath tosses a toffee wrapper. Post a photo on social media if you can. Insulting people who don’t value public property can teach them a little lesson,” she says. Ghimire of Nepsemyak says private waste management companies can step up and run cleanup campaigns with community participation. When people start picking up trash, they are less likely to litter.  

But those working in waste management say the city needs to manage its household and industrial wastes properly before it looks for help from its citizens. The landfill site at Sisdol, around 27km southwest of Kathmandu, has reached its capacity. The nearby settlements complain of health issues, mainly respiratory diseases, besides a drop in the quality of their agricultural produce. According to SWMAN, almost 70 percent of the 1,200 tons of garbage collected daily is compostable.

Segregation of waste at home would largely reduce the volume of trash that needs to be disposed. The larger a city, the more waste it will generate, and unless there is an effective system to dispose it, garbage will end up on the roadside. “When there is garbage on the road, nobody will keep trash in their pockets or cars and search for a dustbin and they become more prone to littering,” says chairperson Acharya. 

Dr Shrestha adds that the government has never prioritized waste management. For instance, she says, when the local authorities build a park, they should factor in how they will maintain it in the long run. A strategy to keep it clean should be developed alongside its construction plan. But that’s not the case here. 

Our government doesn’t take preventive measures, only trying to fix problems when they arise. The government and the public need to work in tandem to prevent waste from becoming a social burden, she says. “What’s needed are plans and policies from the government’s side and, on the public’s part, a little consciousness.” 

What did my parents do during the Covid-19 lockdowns? They watched TikTok videos and shared them with half of their contact list on Viber. The endless loop of videos of people dancing and lip-syncing to Hindi movie songs and dialogues kept them entertained, engaged, and out of each other’s hair. The popularity of the free-for-all app for making and sharing short videos that was launched in 2016 has snowballed—and how. 

It became the most popular global app in 2019 and 2020 with 693m and 850m downloads respectively. As of 2021, TikTok had 1.1bn users worldwide. In Nepal, too, TikTok is a household name with people of all ages either watching or making content. Quite a few Nepali TikTok makers have a steadily increasing fan base and celebrity-like status. 

Shubham Shukla, founder of AS Dance Academy in Bhairahawa who has 4.2m followers on TikTok, says there was a time when he too didn’t understand the craze. His friend convinced him to make funny videos during the Covid-19 lockdown in April 2020. He did, posted the content on TikTok, and got an overwhelming response. “I got messages telling me to keep making these fun and light videos as they cheered people up during the lockdown. Some said it even helped them cope with the grim situation. It was very encouraging,” says Shubham who had 100 followers then. He gave himself a target of 10,000 followers within a month. At the end of the month, he had 100,000.

“I was motivated by the following I was getting and I made all kinds of videos—dance numbers, comedy skits, and other personal acts,” he says. He started by posting at least two videos a day (he still does) but during the lockdown, with so much time on his hands, he would post 10 to 15 videos in a day. With things returning to normal, it’s becoming difficult for Shubham to make regular content as he has other businesses to manage. Besides the dance studio, he also runs an advertising agency. But TikTok is his claim to fame and he’s not giving up easily. His strategy now is to film 14 videos on Saturdays and then ration them throughout the week.

But all’s not hunky-dory for TikTokers as they receive a fair amount of hate too. Asmi Bhandari, 19, from Parbat district, who got 50,000 views in 24 hours when she posted her first video on TikTok and currently has 2.5m followers, recalls the time India first banned the video sharing app in June 2020 and her relatives and friends rejoiced. They said it was over for her, that all she could do now was reminisce her short-lived glory. “It was heartbreaking to see people be so mean. They would write ‘RIP’ below my posts and photos,” she says. For a while, she was even afraid of stepping out of her home. The hate was palpable.

Manjil Basnet from Udayapur says it’s normal for people to judge and diss you on social media. Everyone will have an opinion, especially if you are doing well. The 24-year-old with 236,000 followers on TikTok says he saw his friend being bullied and trolled on Musical.ly and fear of negative comments made him put off posting content himself. But, over time, he has realized that people will judge you, no matter what. “What’s important is not to let it affect you. Brush it off as just another experience,” he says. 

Dmon Chhetri, 27, from Pokhara, with over 300,000 followers on TikTok, says Nepal has a lot of talent and TikTok has made it possible for them to showcase it with ease. Public acceptance and approval aren’t easy to get and those who want to make a name for themselves have to work hard, he says. “People are quick to pull you down. You have to ignore the negativity. There’s no way you’ll survive otherwise,” says Dmon. Also, if you don’t like something, don’t watch it. Selective content consumption is your right and you can train the AI on TikTok to only show you the kind of videos you like, adds Manjil. But to blame social media for the “ills it is perpetuating” by “making celebrities of millennials” is simply inane. 

With communities on fitness, fashion, literature (think BookTok where creators review and discuss books they have read), TikTok is also becoming a dominant source of news and networking. During the pandemic, US President Joe Biden’s administration recruited TikTok influencers to encourage people to get vaccinated. The same strategy was replicated in the White House’s attempt to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion: 30 influential TikTok stars were asked to help the government ‘oppose misinformation’, thus preventing the possibility of a deadlier war. In December 2020, then Prime Minister of Nepal KP Sharma Oli created an official TikTok account and posted a video talking about government work. 

But content creators agree that TikTok has gotten a bad rap because of the kind of trends it seems to promote. There’s also a repetitiveness that can be frustrating. Monasteries in Lumbini and many other places now have signs prohibiting people from making TikTok content there. Manjil, who was once consumed by TikTok and used to stay up till three in the morning making videos, says TikTokers must work on making their own content too. Else, the charm will soon be lost. “You can only do the same thing for so long and expect people to still love you,” he says.

But TikTok definitely gives a leg up to good content. Manjil, whose music video ‘Chunumunu’ has over two million views on YouTube, credits TikTok for promoting the song. Many people have discovered new artists and music because they were on TikTok. The same is true for books and authors and various other businesses. “I love music but I only listened to the likes of Nabin K Bhattarai and Sugam Pokharel. Snippets of songs on TikTok made me discover more Nepali music and there’s a lot of good stuff out there,” he says. 

Yet there is also no denying that TikTok thrives on trends and whether it will survive as the current audience outgrows the content depends on how it is used in the future. But, for now, it’s proving to be a boon for many. For Shubham, it just might be his ticket to Bollywood. Manjil makes TikTok for his own pleasure and it fuels his creative side. Dmon considers it a job of sorts with offers of paid promotions and opportunities for music videos coming his way. 

As for Asmi, being able to help some people in her village with their medical bills with her own money at a young age feels like the biggest blessing. And for many others like my parents, it’s bite-sized entertainment when they have a lot to do as well as something they can binge watch when they have absolutely nothing going on.

Despite the constitutional provisions guaranteeing the rights of the LGBTIQA+ community and despite the country’s pro-queer global image, members of the community still have to face all kinds of discriminations. This was also evident during a recent ApEx roundtable organized to bring the community’s issues out in the open.

Community members feel the government doesn’t care about them. Otherwise they would be better counted in the national census and there would be more jobs for them. They complain of still being judged based on their looks even as few people want to discuss their issues openly. Part of the problem is also their problematic portrayal in the movies and popular media where transgenders are mostly shown as sleazy and comic characters.

Then there are problems with their identification. Not everyone in the LGBTIQA+ community wants to be identified as ‘others’. But if a transwoman has to be identified as a woman, she first has to present a sex-change certificate, and not everyone can afford that.

These were some of the issues the LGBTIQA+ representatives flagged in the roundtable. They showed that while the country is progressive on paper, it has to do a lot more to make the community feel at home.

Full story here.

The constitution of Nepal has addressed the rights of LGBTIQA+ community in Articles 12, 18, and 42. Third gender has been legally recognized with its inclusion in voter rolls, immigration forms and the census. As the first South Asian country to recognize transgenders, Nepal has a progressive image. But the reality is different as the LGBTIQA+ community is still marginalized and faces discrimination of all kinds on a daily basis. ApEx organized a roundtable with a few representatives of the community to discuss how they are still victimized and what can (and should) be done about it. 

The government doesn’t care about us

Pinky Gurung, President, Blue Diamond Society

Everybody wants a dignified life. Nobody wants to be disrespected and humiliated. But the LGBTIQA+ community is treated as an outlier and has to deal with constant discrimination and mental abuse. We have been raising our voice and campaigning for equal rights for 22 years and though we have made some progress, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure even our basic rights. The government hasn’t addressed our issues because it doesn’t care about us. We are also under-represented data-wise and that puts us at a disadvantage. We had a lot of hopes pinned on the 2021 census but it has let us down.

Apart from identity crisis and societal acceptance, one of our main concerns is lack of work opportunities. This forces many people from our community into sex-work. Then again, sex-work is illegal in Nepal and we land up in problems frequently. So, what do we do to survive? Another issue is that there isn’t an understanding of the different kinds of sexual orientation and gender identities within our own community. When we are unable to understand ourselves, how can we expect other people to do so?

I believe the media has an important role and responsibility in bringing out our issues. Media can be a watchdog and make the government and other sectors accountable for their actions (and inactions). 

Transgenders are portrayed as sleazy or comic characters

Neelam Poudel, model, make-up artist and activist

We are never judged by our skills but on how we look and what we wear. It doesn’t matter how much hard work I put in, the moment someone finds out I’m a transwoman they will look down on me and think of me as a sex worker. There is this underlying bias that a transgender can only be a sex worker and nothing else. A doctor has let go of my hand and walked out the moment he realized I was a transgender, denying me a consultation. That incident still makes me nervous about going to the hospital.

Nobody wants to talk about our issues as we make people uncomfortable. The society, unfortunately, is still only used to male and female. There isn’t any room for anything that doesn’t fit those two boxes. The police give us a lot of suggestions but they won’t support us when we need them to. Our stories make it to the papers and television but we aren’t given important positions in those newsrooms. The LGBTIQA+ community is sidelined because we are thought of as incapable and inept.

I think a large part of the problem lies in how we are presented and how people thus perceive us. Transgenders are portrayed as sleazy or comic characters or shown as sex workers lined up on the streets of Thamel in Nepali movies. We need normal, if not positive, representation in stories which can be crucial in changing people’s mindset about us. 

Starting a family is next to impossible

Bhakti Shah, activist, Blue Diamond Society

The government doesn’t allocate a budget for our community. Even when it has a couple of times in the past, it hasn’t been dispensed. Where did it go? Why wasn’t it used to uplift our condition, to make life easier for us?

The constitution has granted our rights but there’s no practical implementation of that. As a transman, I should be able to get a citizenship identifying as a male. A transwoman should be able to get it as a female. Not everybody within the LGBTIQA+ community wants to be identified as ‘others’. But that’s the only provision available to us, unless we have a sex change certificate. The thing is not everybody can afford sex-change surgeries. They are expensive. They might not want one either since it’s risky.

Then there’s the issue of child adoption by couples within the LGBTIQA+ community. Starting a family is next to impossible. The government has a provision whereby a man and a woman who have been married for 10 years and don’t have children can adopt. It clearly says a man and a woman. So, two people of the same sex or unmarried couples can’t adopt. Many couples in our community go through a lot of mental turmoil because of that. There are legal loopholes preventing us from enjoying constitutionally guaranteed rights. 

People still don’t understand what LGBTIQA+ means

Swastika Nepali, province coordinator, Mitini Nepal

The LGBTIQA+ community is ostracized and harassed on a daily basis. People think we are different, a deviation, and we are discriminated on that basis. It doesn’t help that ours is largely a patriarchal society that values men above all else. We are also limited by our rigid mindsets. Many of us are unable to share our problems with our families and not having anybody to turn to is the main reason for mental health issues in the LGBTIQA+ community.  

When I came out as a lesbian, people started wondering if I was faking my periods. Many people thought gays and lesbians don’t have any sex organs. It’s appalling how people still don’t understand what LGBTIQA+ means. Unawareness and misunderstanding promote violence, abuse, and even suicide. A lesbian was raped by her father after she disclosed her sexual orientation. He thought she felt the way she did because she didn’t know what it was like to be with a man.  

There are many issues that need to be addressed by the government to ensure our desires and rights aren’t sidelined. One of the main ones is our right to have families of our own. Legal recognition of LGBTIQA+ relationships, including but not limited to same-sex marriages, could be the start of establishing a more gender-neutral society as well as guaranteeing those of the community their basic rights. 

Self-acceptance a huge issue in our community

Elyn Bhandari, activist, Blue Diamond Society

I look like a man but I have a uterus. I dread hospital visits. There have been times when I’ve visited gynecologists and they have outright refused to treat me, judging me by my appearance. I’ve received an ultrasound report with the size of the prostate gland, an organ I obviously don’t have, clearly written on it. The registration forms at hospitals only have the option of male and female and that in itself feels like harassment.

Many of us are undergoing hormone therapy but there are very few professionals who understand and are empathetic towards us. The health system should access our needs and create facilities according to our requirements. Health policies and plans aren’t LGBTIQA+ community friendly at the moment.

Self-acceptance is also a huge issue in our community and that stems from having nowhere to go. This leads to a lot of stress and we need counseling. But, again, there aren’t good counselors. We are always in a quandary about where to seek help and usually find all doors shut. Many people say they don’t know what LGBTIQA+ means but I don’t think in this day and age that should be used as an excuse for poor, discriminatory behavior anymore.

At the 21 license trial centers across Nepal, approximately 5,000 people appear for their driving test every single day. The Department of Transport Management, under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, introduced a new system last year whereby those applying for their licenses had to score 80 out of 100 points to be eligible for one. Before this, you would be failed for a single error. The new rules were made to ensure more people passed the test as only 25 percent got through in the previous system. This, driving school operators in Kathmandu valley say, has made it easier for people to get a license with minimal effort. So much so that they come to driving centers to prep themselves for the trial and not to learn how to drive.

Deepak Tamang, proprietor of Creation Driving School in Tinkune, Kathmandu and in Lokanthali, Bhaktapur, says 75 percent of the 100-plus people who come to them every month want a license. Learning to drive is secondary, something they will get around to after acquiring a license and driving on the roads for a few months. This kind of reckless attitude towards driving, he says, puts both the drivers and those around them at risk. As it is, there are already enough factors—bad roads, faulty engineering, flood and landslides—contributing to road accidents.

“You can learn to drive properly in a month or two with regular classes. But most people who come to us just want to pass the trial. They ask us to stick to the test format and teach them tricks to ace it,” says Tamang, who has been running a driving school for over a decade. Sanu Adhikari, who runs Adhikari Driving Training Center and has been driving for 30 years, says he recently got a group from Kalanki, Kathmandu, who wanted to learn how to pass the driving test. They didn’t know how to drive at all, he says.

Pushpa Maharjan, owner of Dev Driving Institute, says people often fill the license exams forms first and then come to the training center. They have 15 days or a month at the most to pass the exam and want to practice as much as they can in an open area, he says. When the instructors want to take them to the road to practice, they say they shouldn’t be wasting time on that now. “License aaucha ni? (‘Will I get a license?’) is a common question we get when people come to enroll in our driving classes,” says Maharjan.

Government data reveals that 2,500 people die every year in road accidents while thousands more are injured. A study by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport found that 76 percent of highway accidents are caused by drivers not following traffic rules, or speeding. According to the WHO Global Status on Road Safety 2018, eight in 100,000 people die in highway and road accidents in developed countries, whereas in low-income countries like Nepal the number jumps to 27.5. In 2019, there were roughly 13,000 accidents in which 2,736 people lost their lives and 10,731 were injured. The numbers were slightly down in 2020 and 2021 due the Covid-19 lockdowns.

According to Suman Giri of Samyukta Driving School, driving in Kathmandu is a subjective thing. People simply aren’t aware of the rules as well as their blatant disregard for them. Everyone, he says, is doing his/her own thing on the road without a care for the repercussions of their actions. A taxi-driver ApEx questioned in Pulchowk, Lalitpur, said if he were to follow traffic rules he would never get anywhere. Another motorcyclist said it has never taken him more than 25 minutes in rush hour to reach his workplace in Sanepa, Lalitpur from Bansbari, Kathmandu as he is “quite talented in maneuvering his way through jams”.

Motor vehicle sales have been growing at an average annual rate of 32.1 percent from 2006 to 2019, according to CEIC. Every year, more and more people are taking to the roads. Without proper knowledge of traffic rules and driving skills, there will be even more chaos and accidents. Giri says traffic education should start at schools as knowledge of traffic rules and how you must behave on the roads whether you are walking or driving, should be ingrained early on. “Until that happens, we can start by getting driving schools to emphasize theoretical classes before letting anyone get behind the wheel. Even those who have a license don’t know the meaning of traffic signs or how to change a flat tire or check their vehicles’ engine oil. That kind of half-knowledge can be dangerous,” he says.

Agreeing with Giri, Tamang of Creation Driving School says driving instructors should also be trained. Currently, anyone who knows how to drive can open a driving school. But knowing how to drive and teaching the skill are two different things, he argues. A competent trainer, he says, will explain the concepts and techniques without getting frustrated, unlike what generally happens when your friend or relative tries to teach you.

Giri adds that a study they conducted found that 95 percent of road accidents were caused by those without any formal training. What mostly happens is one person in a family knows how to drive and he teaches another and the cycle continues. But just because someone knows how to drive doesn’t necessarily mean he will be able to teach well.

Raj Shah of Shah Motor Driving School thinks keeping a record of the driving certificates—mandatory while applying for a license—can instill a sense of obligation in those running driving schools. They are then likely to teach real driving as opposed to arming people with tricks to pass the trial. When you certify someone can drive and that certificate is considered a legal document you won’t give it to anybody, says Shah. “It’s not unusual for driving institutes to issue certificates for a couple of thousand rupees. This has to stop,” he adds.

Maharjan, on the other hand, thinks the government needs to come up with stricter rules for driving institutes. There should be a fixed learning system and proper monitoring to ensure the system is being implemented, he says. Giri says concerned government bodies, police, driving schools and media need to work together to shift the focus from getting a license to learning how to drive.   

Bishnu KC, spokesperson of Nepal Police, says there needs to be more studies to figure out a way to make license trials more effective so that by the time people sit for the exam, they have a good understanding of traffic rules and control over their vehicles. Apart from that, KC believes people need to be more aware of their road behavior. They are not only in a hurry but many think they do anything they want on the road.  “The problem isn’t that people don’t know how to drive properly. It is that they couldn’t care less,” he says.

‘Mari laijanu ke cha ra, euta tattoo ta ho!’ (“What will we take with us when we die, except our tattoos!”) is apparently the guiding mantra behind people getting inked these days. Many are choosing to get tattoos as they want a piece of something they hold dear (like their parents or children) or things that have meaning in their lives (mantras or symbols) to be an intrinsic part of them, say the artists ApEx spoke to. Whatever the reasons, tattoos, once controversial and a niche pursuit, are now a booming business with tattooists charging upward of Rs 4,000 an hour and a tattoo taking anywhere between a couple of hours to 10 hours to complete, with some even requiring multiple sessions.

Prashanna Man Pradhan, proprietor of Thamel Babu’s Tattoo and School, Nepal’s first tattoo studio opened in 1994, says earlier tattoos were limited to tribal prints and patterns but now the designs are elaborate, requiring hours of preparation. In 2017, when Donald Trump became the 45th US president, Pradhan drew his face on a Nepali man’s lower back. The man had lost a bet. But these kinds of random, impulsive tattoos are rare, he says. Most of his customers understand the implications of having a tattoo and are clear about what they want—and why.

“This change in how people see tattoos has been a boon to the artists,” says Abhishek Shakya of Tattoo Heritage in Thamel, Kathmandu. When customers know what they want, tattoo-artists can use their creativity to improve on that vision and create something meaningful and timeless. A student of fine arts specializing in Thangka painting and metal-carving, Shakya enjoys carving tattoos of traditional Nepali prints that have historical and cultural significance. “It’s not unusual for people to want a tattoo to mark a memory or keep a loved one close to their heart. Often, they are also reminders or amulets of sorts,” he says.

Tattooing has been practiced by different cultures for centuries. The oldest proof is a 5,300-year-old body of a man who remained frozen in a glacier in Italy, where it was discovered by two hikers in 1991. He had 61 geometric designs on his wrist, torso, lower back and legs. Ancient body art, dating back at least 3,000 years, has also been found in human remains in Chile, Egypt, China, and Russia. The ancient Greeks used tattoos to communicate among spies. The Romans marked criminals and slaves with tattoos. In Japan, too, a line was tattooed across criminals’ foreheads, with arches for each offense thereafter. The totality of three tattoos made the Japanese symbol for ‘dog’. Before going to war, some Europeans inked a cross on their hands or arms, which meant they wanted a Christian burial should they be killed.

In Nepal, too, tattooing has been a part of many communities, especially the Tharus. Their women have traditionally marked their bodies with lines, dots and crosses to enhance their beauty, like a permanent form of jewelry. Tattoos also had a protective purpose. In the bygone eras, it saved Tharu women from being kidnapped and kept as sex slaves by royals who apparently disliked tattoos of tribal and indigenous origin. Despite its cultural ties, tattoos get a bad rap as people associate them with drug addicts, goons, and prisoners. Shakya says one reason could be that previously tattoos were sloppily done and thus gave a ‘dirty’ impression. 

However, Kshitiz Shrestha of Tattoo Pasal in Jyatha, Thamel, says tattoos are widely accepted as art today. People use body art as a way to express themselves and to assert ownership of their bodies in a world that mandates conformity. It’s more or less an extension of their personalities. Shrestha says, as surprising as it might sound, youngsters are getting tattoos of gods and goddesses (albeit with a few tweaks). Older, god-fearing parents apparently find these images harder to object to. “You can say a tattoo is a talisman. I have seen it increase people’s confidence and foster body positivity,” he says.

But getting a tattoo is a major decision and the artists advise caution. Though tattoo removal is available, it’s a lengthy and painful process. Samyak Shakya, who runs a tattoo studio in Balkumari, Lalitpur, says youngsters often get tattooed on a whim. It’s also the artists’ job to counsel such clients and make them aware of what they are getting into. “You shouldn’t go by aesthetics alone. A tattoo has to look nice but that shouldn’t be the only reason you want one,” he says.

Even if you are sure about the kind of tattoo you want, it would be best to ensure the artist you go to gets your concept and will be able to execute it properly. “For that, you need to know what kind of art the tattooist or the studio you are going to specializes in. Some are good with traditional designs while others are good at modern art,” says Shrestha.

Anil Tamrakar, founder of Traditional Tattoo Nepal in Mangal Bazaar, Patan, says tattoos aren’t for everyone. Though it’s a personal choice, you shouldn’t get one because it’s trendy or you feel like it. In these fast-paced digital times where memories can be made and erased with ease, body art can be an indelible illustration of what’s important. But it’s also a lifelong commitment. “If you get a tattoo because the design symbolizes something you believe in or marks an occasion, you are less likely to regret it 10 years down the line when the novelty wears off,” Tamrakar says.

Juju Tamang, artist at Freak Street Tattoo in Basantapur, Kathmandu, who has made over 300 designs in his seven years in the business, says tattoo-placement is vital as well.

“Tattoos on the neck, wrist, and ribs are challenging for the artists as we have to be extremely careful in these delicate areas. But often these are the very places people want tattooed,” says Tamang. Shakya of Tattoo Heritage adds that he suggests his clients make tattoos in less noticeable places but inspired by their favorite Bollywood and Hollywood actors, people still want to tattoo their forearms and necks.

There have been instances of people having been asked to remove visible tattoos prior to medical tests that they had to undergo to be eligible to work in places like Qatar and the UAE. Although the stigma around tattoos has certainly gone down, most workplaces still frown on their open display. So making tattoos in easy-to-conceal places might be a better idea, counsel tattooists.  

Last year, Nepal’s Immigration Department proposed a rule that women under 40 needed written consent from a guardian or local government to travel abroad. Behind this absolutely brilliant idea was a board composed entirely of men. The proposal was shelved after a public outcry. This week, another such proposal emerged, with the same requirements. Additionally, traveling women now need to have a relative residing at the destination country. These regressive moves to restrict women’s rights are reminiscent of a culture that’s always been misogynist, where men have taken it upon themselves to make decisions for women.

Dr Aruna Uprety, public health specialist and women rights activist, says Nepali women are always under men. As a child, your father dictates your life. As an adult, your husband calls the shots. And when you are older, your son becomes the head of the family. A man can do as he pleases but a woman will need permission or ‘to consult’ the elders in her family. For women, free will is an alien concept.

“The worst thing is this sort of mental abuse comes in the guise of care and protection,” says Dr Uprety. You are always made to feel that you aren’t enough—not smart enough to make the right decisions for yourself, not strong enough to face life’s challenges, and definitely not capable enough to live on your own terms. An unmarried woman over the age of 30 or a divorced woman is considered a cultural deviation.

In his book ‘Sati’, historian Sujit Mainali shows how women have been oppressed through the ages and how the impact is still being felt. Apparently, we were only told half the story when they said there was a time women used to get on the funeral pyre when their husbands died. It was made to sound like a love story, a tale of devotion. But many women who were burnt alive with their husbands were beaten or sedated beforehand. Those who ‘willingly’ embraced Sati knew, without their husbands, the society would torment them, and chose the ‘easier way out’. 

“Women have faced centuries of cultural abuse for religious reasons. Women have always been devout and have given much importance to religion but religion is perhaps their biggest enemy,” says Mainali. There are no mentions of menstruation being impure in the Vedas (the only reference to it is related to the cursing of Lord Indra when he killed Vritrasur and part of the curse flowing as menstrual blood). But oppression continues to be justified in the name of religion. Chhaupadi, a tradition that confines young girls to mud huts or cow-sheds for the duration of their periods, routinely takes lives in western Nepal. Our society is still obsessed with having a male child. Dr Uprety brings up a recent case of a pregnant woman whose baby was breech, meaning the baby was lying bottom- or feet-first in the womb instead of the usual head-first position. In this case, she says, a cesarean is recommended to avoid complications. But, unknown to the woman, her family insisted on a normal delivery. They said they knew the child in the womb was a girl and were blinded by the myth that if the mother had a surgery the next child would also be a girl.

“The family didn’t want to ‘jeopardize’ their chances of having a son. They didn’t even care if the baby or the mother died during childbirth,” says Dr Uprety, adding that female feticide is still rampant in rural areas. Anuradha Koirala, CNN Hero and recipient of the Padma Shree, the fourth highest civilian award in India, says Nepali society largely favors men over women. Its consequences, she says, can be seen and felt in everyday life but they are often ignored as small things. Women let things slide to maintain peace but over time it has a cumulative effect on their mental health, she says.

From making household chores women’s sole preserve to buying and selling women into prostitution, there are covert and overt ways in which women are being exploited and treated as inferior to men, for men’s benefit, says Koirala, the founder of Maiti Nepal, an organization that rescues trafficked women. According to her, our upbringing is at fault. Parents don’t raise their sons and daughters in the same way. As much as many would like to pretend otherwise, there is a hidden bias.

Why else would there be thousands of supporters of Paul Shah, the actor accused of raping a 17-year-old girl? Many have raised questions about the girl’s character and even pointed fingers at her parents. The argument is that they should have been more protective. “When a woman is raped, we question her character. It’s not the rapist who faces societal scorn and stigma. It’s the victim. This goes to show our society’s predatory mindset towards women,” says Dr Uprety. 

Lily Thapa, social worker and founder of Women for Human Rights, which brings Nepalis widows together, says there have been a lot of policy-level changes, with women being granted fundamental rights and such. But the implementation of those laws is a different matter altogether. The fact is that those with decision-making authority are still beholden to patriarchal values. That’s the reason discriminatory policies aimed at limiting women’s agency are proposed now and then.

In her book, ‘The Second Sex’, French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir argues that man is considered the default while the woman is the ‘other’. She writes: “Humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being. She is the incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential.” While one might argue that women have come a long way since the book was first published in 1949, the ‘progress’ is shameful if statistics on women employment, equal pay, and political representation are any indications. Women are still relegated to, at best, a sub-type of men, says Carolina Criado Perez, author of ‘Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men’.

“In Nepal, there’s still a culture of kanyadaan. The Hindu ritual of the bride’s father giving her away during marriage signifies her place in society. She is always someone’s [almost always a man’s] ‘property’,” says Dr Uprety.