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Biru Lama, who participated in the 1973 hijack of an airliner in Biratnagar as part of rebellion against the partyless Panchayat regime, died on March 3.

A lifelong Nepali Congress supporter and a close confidant of late Nepali Congress leader and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Lama, despite being a key actor in one of the most pivotal moments in Nepal’s political history, was never given the credit he deserved.

Those who knew Lama closely, including former minister JP Gupta, describe him as an unsung democratic hero.

Born in Nepalgunj, Banke, Lama moved to Biratnagar, Morang, with his sister and her husband in his early teens soon got involved with the Congress. He was exiled in India at a young age after being implicated in a bombing in Rani, Biratnagar. His political schooling started in India, too, where he lived with underground Congress politicians and cadres.

On 1 June 1973, a 19-seater Twin Otter passenger aircraft, bound for Kathmandu from Biratnagar, was hijacked and taken to Farbisganj, India. The hijackers were NC activists Durga Prasad Subedi, Basanta Bhattarai and Nagendra Dhungel. The whole incident was orchestrated by Girija Prasad Koirala. The other accomplices were Sushil Koirala, also a former NC president and prime minister, Binod Aryal, Manahari Baral, Rajendra Dahal and Biru Lama. 

The aircraft, which was transporting the Nepal Rastra Bank’s Rs 3 million, was forced to land on a grass field in Forbesganj of Bihar, India. The goal was to steal the money to fund the armed revolution against the Panchayat regime.

As the plane landed in Forbesganj, a car was waiting there to collect the money. Lama was the driver. It was his job to transport the looted money as well as the Congress leaders, from Bihar and all the way to West Bengal. There, late NC president and Prime Minister BP Koirala and other party leaders were in hiding.  

The incident has been well documented in Subedi’s book ‘Biman Bidroha’. 

Lama, who was arrested and jailed in India after the incident, returned to Nepal alone with other exiled NC leaders in 1979-80. He remained close to the Koirala family and worked as a driver for Girija Prasad.

 Gupta, in a tribute piece to his old friend, wrote that Lama never resented being identified by others as the driver of Girija Prasad. He remembered Lama as ever so humble and a man of few words.

Lama is survived by his wife Sushma Sharma and two children. He was previously married to Armina Gurung.

Women’s rights activist Lily Thapa is a member of the National Human Rights Commission, the constitutional human rights watchdog. In this interview with Stuti Mittal of ApEx ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8, she discusses the current status of Nepali women.

How do you evaluate Nepali women’s participation in key sectors?

Compared to 10 years ago, after the heralding of federalism, women’s participation has already exceeded 40 percent at the local level and 30 percent at the central level. Quantitatively, the target for women’s inclusion has been met. However, there is yet to be meaningful participation. Women’s voices are still being ignored despite their greater representation in key sectors.  

What is the government doing to lift the status of women?

The government has taken many steps to lift the status of Nepali women. Following the Beijing Conference of 1995, a study on gender status evaluation was conducted from 1995 to 2015. It showed progress on indicators such as a higher level of women’s participation, inclusiveness, and diversity.

The fact that women’s rights are enshrined as fundamental rights in the constitution is a major step towards improving women’s status in Nepal. Not just that. There are separate points on reproductive rights, mobility and gender equality in the constitution, which too is a milestone.

Between 1995 and 2015, over 167 policies were amended and legal reforms enacted in terms of gender equality. There has been a decline in maternal mortality from 600 per 100,000 live births to 140 per 100,000 births, a rise in women’s life expectancy from 50 to 70, and an increase in their access to land and property.

Since the implementation of affirmative policies over the past two decades, about 20 percent Nepali women own land and over 13 percent have a house registered in their names. 

Why are Nepali women still not entrusted with leadership roles?

The biggest culprit is expected gender roles. Women who are professionals and in leadership roles are still expected to fulfill their household duties. Though women are considered equal by the law, the stereotypes have not changed. During past elections, women were unable to lead electoral campaigns as they had to be home by the time their children came back from school. While much progress has been made in the past two decades, gender discrimination is still rampant. 

How do you compare Nepal to other South Asian countries in terms of women’s rights?

In comparison to other South Asian countries, Nepal has the best women’s rights policies after Sri Lanka. Gender policies, laws and national action plans are women friendly too. Nepal may not be ahead of other countries on women literacy and economic empowerment, but progress is being made. 

What are the areas Nepal needs to improve on for greater gender equality?

The first and foremost thing that needs to change is people’s perception of women who are still considered second-class citizens. This is something deeply rooted in our culture. It’s vital to change people’s mindset in order for women to be treated equally. The policies and plans are there of course, but their implementation remains weak. Progress has been made over the past two decades. This process takes time and there should be constant advocacy. Slowly but surely, Nepal will one day achieve the desired level of gender equality.

After working in the IT field for more than 17 years, Swoyambar Khadka decided he had had enough. He had burned out completely, lost all passion for his job.

He wanted to enter an entirely new line of work.

“After much pondering, I decided to get into farming. It was a tough call,” Khadka says. His family immediately shot down his decision. His friends thought he was squandering his budding IT career.

Khadka was determined to take a break from IT, but the disapproval of his friends and family was not helping. “I really needed a break from it all. So I went to Dubai, where I stayed for two years,” he says.

After returning from Dubai, Khadka got into organic farming. He started growing crops without using chemical fertilizers, at a time the organic food market was still in its infancy in Nepal.

Khadka’s venture took off. His niche market strategy was right on the money.

“The customers came because the produce I sold looked and tasted different. More important, they were healthy,” he says.

But Khadka found organic farming a demanding task, requiring lots of time and commitment. He wanted to grow something that was less taxing and had quick turnover. He did some research, which led him to shiitake mushrooms

“I studied papers and journals written on shiitake mushrooms,” Khadka says. “I learned these mushrooms were fairly easy to grow, low maintenance and the fruiting period lasted for nearly five years.’

Khadka started growing shiitake mushrooms on 150 logs. He began to scale up as the demand started growing. From 150 logs, it was 1,000, then 5,000 and 20,000 logs.

These days a kilogram of shiitake mushrooms goes for around Rs 1,000. A bit pricey, one might argue, but Khadka insists the price is worth it.

“I’ve had this argument in the past, people telling me that they can get 1kg of mutton for the price. I tell them that unlike mutton, a kg of shiitake curry can serve a family of six for two meals,” he says. “Then there are also the health benefits of eating shiitake.”

Khadka has become an expert on shiitake mushrooms after years of farming and self-study. He now shares his knowledge with those who want to get into the business.

In fact, he is currently on a year-long mission to teach people about shiitake mushroom farming. In order to do so, Khadka has deployed his army of students—he now also teaches IT-related courses as a side job—to popularize shiitake farming through social media and other digital marketing tools.

It is Khadka’s dream to take the shiitake mushroom farming to the remotest parts of the country so that some of the hundreds of thousands of Nepali youths who now have to head abroad for menial labor jobs can be persuaded to try their luck in their own country.

“I have been teaching people how to grow, harvest and market this thing,” he says. “If even some of them use my teaching to start their own businesses, my efforts would have been worth it.”

We all know how it is to visit the doctor. Dragging your sickly self or your loved ones to the hospital, filling out the forms and waiting for a turn to enter the doctor’s clinic is not a pleasant experience.

Apparently, these three doctors felt the same way and decided to start a house call and online consultancy service.

Meet Dr. Suyeh Karki, Dr. Suman Neupane and Dr. Mohan Bhandari, the co-founders of Doctors on Call Nepal, which offers home-based and digital healthcare services to the public.

The idea germinated when the trio were working at Himal Hospital. They would be contacted by patients who required treatment but were unable to visit the hospital for many reasons. 

“The patients wanted us to visit them at their homes but we could not do that at the time,” says Dr. Karki, who is also the CEO of Doctors on Call. “We wanted to provide affordable health care service to the people in the comfort of their home.” 

The three friends and colleagues started Doctors on Call in 2018. It offers facilities like doctor consultation, physiotherapy, nursing care and lab tests. Currently, the house call service is only available in Kathmandu.

Patients outside Kathmandu can, however, have doctor consultation service online and through phone.  

Doctors on Call also offers generative and palliative care to terminally ill patients in their homes. 

“We currently provide 24-hour nursing service to more than 30 patients,” says Dr Karki. “Over the years we have built a large medical  team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics.”

In 2021, Nepaliese Young Entrepreneurs’ Forum recognised the contribution of Doctors on Call to the healthcare sector with the NYEF Startup Award.  

Dr Karki says every doctor and medical professional has a responsibility towards their community.

“Medical profession is all about service. Doctors on Call was conceived to improve healthcare access and in the  process it has also created jobs for many health workers,” he adds. 

The services of Doctors on Call can be availed through phone, the company’s website and its official Facebook page.
Dr Karki says they are planning to improve their service as well as digital presence.     

“We are presently working on an app where patients can enter their medical details so that health professionals can track their condition,” he says. “Besides, we are also planning to start house call service in other parts of the country.”

Doctors on Call

Establishment: 2018
Founder: Dr. Suman Neupane, Dr. Mohan Bhandari, and Dr. Suyesh Karki
Service location: Online doctor consultation all over Nepal; house call service available only in Kathmandu
Price: Doctor visit- Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000 (depending on location); Online consultancy- Rs 300 to Rs 400 (depending on the doctor)
Contact: 014102547, 9801345345
Website link: https://doctorsoncall.com.np/

For many of us, pearl farming is a practice unheard of in Nepal. But it happens to be one of the thriving aquaculture businesses in neighboring India.  

Kamala Rai of Sundar Haraicha, Morang, also had zero knowledge of it until she came across a YouTube video on freshwater pearl farming in India. Her interest was instantly piqued. She then went on to watch several instructional videos on pearl farming and realized that she could start her own business. 

“For most of us, the term pearl farming conjures up images of big bodies of water like seas and oceans. I thought the same until a few years ago,” says Rai. “But, in reality, it can be done in a small pond with a small investment and a bit of knowledge.”

She founded Shree Mahakali Pearl Farm and Training Center in 2018, in what is still Nepal’s first and only commercial pearl farm. 

“At our farm, we use freshwater mussels to grow cultured pearls,” says Rai. “Once the pearls are extracted, the mussel shells can be used to make jewelry, handicraft items and fish feed.” 

Mussel pearl farming is a unique business with a lot of potential. As one of the most popular gems, pearls have a high demand in the country. Nepal imported pearls and other precious stones and metals worth $376.24 million in 2019, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. 

Rai says most folks doubted her when she started the business. 

“I was doing what had never been done before. So, naturally, people were doubtful. But these days, they are more curious,” she says. 

Rai also wants others to enter the business. To this end, her farm offers a three-month training that promises knowledge on all aspects of freshwater pearl farming, including surgery, preoperative and postoperative mussel care. 

As a self-taught pearl farmer, Rai had to undertake many trials. She says she opened the training center so that aspiring pearl farmers have a basic foundation before starting their own farms.      

Currently, the Shree Mahakali Pearl Farm only sells individual pearls, whose price range from Rs 300 to Rs 600 apiece depending on their size, quality, and shine. 

“We will soon start selling our pearls in jewelry form as well,” says Rai. 

Shree Mahakali Pearl Farm and Training Center

Establishment year: 2018

Founder: Kamala Rai

Service location: Sundar Haraicha, Morang

Price of the product: Rs 300 to Rs 600 (depending on the size, quality, and shine of the pearls)

Contact: 9842234064

Social media link: https://www.facebook.com/273093550209357/posts/shree-mahakali-new-business-pearl-farming-in-nepal/591747631677279/

Veda started as an educational communication app designed to connect schools and parents in 2016. 

“Back in 2015, school teachers used to send notes to the parents via students as phone calls were rarely answered. So we built the app to bridge the communication gap between teachers and parents,” says Nirdesh Dwa, co-founder and CEO of Veda.

Five years down the line, Veda app has evolved drastically. Today, the platform aids over 800 schools across Nepal and a few top schools in Brunei and Bangladesh not just as a communication tool, but also as an all-in-one digital platform for school management.  

The app also integrated Zoom to facilitate virtual learning following the covid pandemic.  

“Originally, Veda was not envisioned to be an app that students use for virtual classes, but with schools going digital, we had to adapt,” says Dwa. The user-base of Veda grew exponentially–by almost 175 percent–after the pandemic’s onset.

“We had approximately 300 clients before, but after the pandemic, we gained an additional 500 clients in a matter of a few months,” says Dwa.

When the app first exploded in popularity, its creators thought that it was just a temporary thing, that its growth would slow when the pandemic petered out. 

But the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and the lockdowns was so high at the time that more and more schools began adopting the Veda app for  virtual learning.  

There are more than 24,000 public and over 60,000 private schools in Nepal. A large majority of these schools and their students lack resources and technical knowledge required to run virtual classes. During the covid lockdowns, barring the schools in city areas that were mostly private, thousands of schools could not teach their students.    

The co-founders of Veda expect more schools across the country to invest in internet infrastructure so that children can have access to virtual learning.    

“This is the right time for schools to go digital. Schools benefit from this in many ways including the reduction of operating costs. More importantly, children will not miss their classes,” says Dwa. 

Veda has set the target of expanding its service to 1,200 schools in the country by the end of this fiscal. It is also working to introduce its service in several South Asian and African countries. 

Veda
Establishment year: 2016
Founder:  Nirdesh Dwa, Sujit Pathak, Sanjan Piya
Service location: All over Nepal
Contact: 9801856402, 9801856400
Website link here

Sanjog Koirala was brought up in a cinephile household. His father was a film producer and from an early age, he had a special connection with the silver screen. No wonder he wanted to be part of the movie industry.

Koirala dreamt of becoming an actor and he got an early taste of acting when he was cast as a child actor portraying a younger version of the character of Rajesh Hamal, the biggest movie star of the time. Koirala went on to act in several other movies before ending his career as a child actor in order to focus on his education. 

But the acting bug would not leave Koirala. His desire to become a proper actor also had partly to do with his mother’s ultimatum. “During my school days, my mom threatened me that if I didn’t become an actor after I graduated, she wouldn't allow me in the house,” Koirala recalls with a booming laugh.

Unlike Koirala’s father, his mother was not professionally attached to the film industry. She was a homemaker who loved movies and wanted her son to become an actor. Koirala would honor his mother’s dream but first he would complete his education—to live up to his father’s dream.

After completing high school in Kathmandu, Koirala left for India to study Chartered Accountancy. That done, he returned home with the goal of breaking into the Nepali movie industry.    

His 2014 debut ‘Utsav’ alongside Saugat Malla, Gaurav Pahari, Prakriti Shrestha, and Menuka Pradhan didn’t do well commercially. Then came ‘Baazigar’ (2016) and ‘Katha Kathmandu’ (2018), which also bombed at the box office.  

It was a sobering experience for Koirala. His passion for film and acting began to sap. “The careers of people around me were taking off while I was struggling in the film industry,” he says.

Koirala decided to reorient his career. He took the advice of his friend to put his film-career on hold and enter business, where his education and business know-how would come handy.

In a short time, Koirala was able to establish himself as a successful entrepreneur. He runs and owns multiple businesses from restaurants, ice-cream outlets to a furnishing company.    

“When money starts flowing in, one’s passion also starts evolving. New doors of opportunity open up,” Koirala says. “I see Nepal as a land of opportunity. Yes, there are many problems here, but for every problem, there is also an innovative solution waiting.”

Koirala also runs the YouTube channel, Ideapreneur Nepal, which aims to motivate Nepali youths into understanding the ins and outs of entrepreneurship.

“People here are open to experimentation and creative ideas. We have a wonderful environment for startups and new business ideas,” he says. “Ideapreneur Nepal gives me a chance to inspire and educate Nepali youths and create a positive impact. That is my way of giving back to society.”

Koirala thinks and acts like a businessman these days and sees creative business potentials everywhere. It is hard to imagine that film is his lifelong passion.  

He says when he decided to take a break from movies, he knew he had the privilege of coming back to acting whenever he wanted because of his family’s film-industry background.

“One thing I have learned in life is when things don’t work out, we should explore other avenues. Take the first step and the road ahead will open up,” he says. “You don’t have to figure out everything about your next project. You only need to take that first step.”

Everest Outfit is rapidly gaining popularity for the range of quality and affordable jackets it manufactures and sells to both professional mountaineers as well as to common folks looking to escape the winter blues. Besides jackets, it also sells vests, hoodies, caps, pants and bandanas. But that is not its only claim to fame.

Tenzing Sherpa and Pasang Geljen Sherpa, two IFMGA-certified mountaineering guides, always felt they were paying a bit too much for their mountaineering gear. They thus wanted to offer more affordable gears to other mountaineers.

With that objective, they registered a company in 2019 and after two years of extensive research on mountain wear, the two officially founded Everest Outfit on 22 December 2020.

Again, Everest Outfit is a Made-in-Nepal clothing brand that caters to mountaineers, trekkers, porters, and even regular folks looking for quality winter-gear at an affordable price.

Designing comfortable yet fashionable clothes without compromising quality is what sets it apart. Using high-grade and authentic raw material, the company aims to provide functional, safe, warm, and comfortable clothes, all at a reasonable price.

Tenzing claims that most jackets found in Thamel are extremely expensive and have no proof of authenticity. Their goal, as a company, is to provide quality products at an affordable price, breaking the line between price and authenticity.

Tenzing explains that the foundation of any high-quality product is its raw materials. From using high-quality fabric to branded zippers, Everest Outfit takes even minute things into consideration before putting out final products. “We import authentic raw materials from overseas and manufacture our products in Nepal with well-trained workers,” he says.

The company has given each product a unique name based on a mountain or location in Nepal, which adds local flavor that people can take with them anywhere. Additionally, these products serve as souvenirs, allowing tourists to take back home a piece of Nepal with them.

With over 70 cloth varieties, Everest Outfit provides a wide range. Currently, its products are mainly associated with mountain expeditions—with only 30 percent devoted to lifestyle wear. In the near future, however, it plans on reversing this ratio: with 30 percent of clothing designed for mountaineering enthusiasts and 70 percent for casual wearers.

Five years down the line, it hopes to go international, shipping products to various parts of the world. As of now, it has two outlets in Thamel and Lukla, with two more outlets in Pokhara and Namche in the works.

“We intend to make the best possible local wear for both indoors and outdoors, based on our experience gained in the Himalayas,” says Pasang.

Everest Outfit garments are testified by professional mountain athletes— in fact, only after their approval are the products ready for sale. Mountain-excursions are not for the faint-hearted and involve numerous risks. Consumer safety is thus its number one priority.

Everest Outfit is fast gaining in popularity for the range of quality and affordable jackets it manufactures and sells to both professional mountaineers as well as to common folks looking to escape the winter blues. Besides jackets, it also sells vests, hoodies, caps, pants and bandanas. But that is not its only claim to fame.

Tenzing Sherpa and Pasang Geljen Sherpa, two IFMGA-certified mountaineering guides, always felt they were paying a bit too much for their mountaineering gear. They thus wanted to offer more affordable gears to other mountaineers.

With that objective, they registered a company in 2019 and after two years of extensive research on mountain wear, the two officially founded Everest Outfit on 22 December 2020.

Again, Everest Outfit is a Made-in-Nepal clothing brand that caters to mountaineers, trekkers, porters, and even regular folks looking for quality winter-gear at an affordable price.

Designing comfortable yet fashionable clothes without compromising quality is what sets it apart. Using high-grade and authentic raw material, the company aims to provide functional, safe, warm, and comfortable clothes, all at a reasonable price.

Tenzing claims that most jackets found in Thamel are extremely expensive and have no proof of authenticity. Their goal, as a company, is to provide quality products at an affordable price, breaking the line between price and authenticity.

Tenzing explains that the foundation of any high-quality product is its raw materials. From using high-quality fabric to branded zippers, Everest Outfit takes even minute things into consideration before putting out final products. “We import authentic raw materials from overseas and manufacture our products in Nepal with well-trained workers,” he says.

The company has given each product a unique name based on a mountain or location in Nepal, which adds local flavor that people can take with them anywhere. Additionally, these products serve as souvenirs, allowing tourists to take back home a piece of Nepal with them.

With over 70 cloth varieties, Everest Outfit provides a wide range. Currently, its products are mainly associated with mountain expeditions—with only 30 percent devoted to lifestyle wear. In the near future, however, it plans on reversing this ratio: with 30 percent of clothing designed for mountaineering enthusiasts and 70 percent for casual wearers.

Five years down the line, it hopes to go international, shipping products to various parts of the world. As of now, it has two outlets in Thamel and Lukla, with two more outlets in Pokhara and Namche in the works.

“We intend to make the best possible local wear for both indoors and outdoors, based on our experience gained in the Himalayas,” says Pasang.

Everest Outfit garments are testified by professional mountain athletes— in fact, only after their approval are the products ready for sale. Mountain-excursions are not for the faint-hearted and involve numerous risks. Consumer safety is thus its number one priority.

Kama Rita Sherpa, Everest Outfit's brand ambassador, holds the Guinness record for most Everest expeditions: 26 to date.

This has been a memorable journey for the Everest Outfit founder duo. Working as mountaineering guides and running a clothing business are two different things, they say, and they learn something new every day. “Being able to use our knowledge gained from all these years of experience is something we are very proud of,” says Pasang.