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“Where do I start?” asks Bhumika Thapa [name changed] as she reminisces about her pre-marriage days when she got to work, travel abroad and enjoyed considerable financial independence.   

Thapa came to Kathmandu after completing her secondary education, started working when she was 19, and got married at 25. 

Thapa, now 47, says she was worn down by the marriage. “It was one-sided love from my husband’s side. I was compelled to marry him after he threatened to take his own life,” she adds. 

The society didn’t help her at the time either. Thapa was emotionally coerced by the people around her into marrying the man she had no feelings for whatsoever. She was told that she would soon be past her marriage age, and she relented under duress.  

“It was the worst decision of my life, which I realized the day before my marriage,” Thapa says. But she could not walk away from her marriage. “That would put my family’s reputation on the line.” 

And so Thapa chose to submit to patriarchy, to silently suffer.   

What’s worse, her professional success in the development sector became her worst enemy. “I earned more than my husband and that hurt his ego,” she says. 

She had her daughter at 27 and a son at 35. Thapa says she had to give up her career because of the pressures she faced in her personal life. “I alone had to look after the household and the needs of my in-laws,” she says. 

This gave her little time to focus on her career and spend time with her children. Her health also deteriorated because of the stress and workload. Giving up on her career was the only way she could look after her children. 

Thapa feels trapped. But she still hasn’t lost hope. “I will soon be working remotely for a company to make some money for myself,” she says. She also talks of her plans to live separately once her children grow up. 

But not every woman is as headstrong as Thapa. Kalpana Prasai [name changed] is a 55-years-old homemaker who has spent most of her post-marriage days cooped up in the kitchen. 

“With the amount of time I have spent in the kitchen, I should have probably opened a restaurant. At least, I would then be financially independent,” she says with a wry smile. 

She wakes up at five every morning so she can have at least a couple of hours a day to herself. At seven o’ clock, she enters the kitchen and after that she has no idea when the work will end. 

Prasai has to cook at least five meals a day to satisfy her exacting husband and then separate dishes for her two sons.  

I spent a considerable amount of time with Prasai, interviewing her while she worked in the kitchen. She only got to sit down to have lunch at around 1 pm, after preparing meals and feeding the entire family. Every now and again, her husband would show up in the kitchen to either complain that the food was not to his liking or to get an update on his meal. 

“In 30 years of our marriage, not once has he cooked a meal for himself,” she says of her husband. 

Even when they are invited to their relatives’, Prasai says, she needs to cook at least one food item for her husband. “Otherwise, there would be a scene,” she adds. 

Prasai’s sister-in-law, who was present at one point in this interview, confirms the food habits of her brother. “The whole family has gotten used to his behavior, even though it can sometimes be disrespectful,” she tells me. “But there is lots of love between the two,” she quickly adds. 

Prasai regrets not having a proper career and choosing to become a stay-at-home wife and mother. 

“I had the qualities of a leader, but it’s too late now,” she says in a diffident tone.   

The experiences of Prasai and Thapa illustrate how our societal structures deprive women of a say, be it in their work, household, or way of life. 

“A woman is rarely given a position of authority and even if she is, her role is seldom acknowledged,” says Shraddha Verma, a 26-year-old who also works in the development sector. 

Her work requires her to make several field visits outside Kathmandu, and she tells me she has to work twice as hard just to get the same respect people give to her male colleagues. 

“Even when I am supervising a certain project, people are reluctant to come to me with their concerns. They want a male officer,” she says. “Our society is yet to come to terms with the fact that women can lead, become figures of authority.” 

Verma says she too has internalized some patriarchal beliefs. “Sometimes I put a certain restriction on myself, just because of my gender,” she says. 

Sewa Bhattarai, a freelance writer and a new mother, also admits to having moments of realization of her patriarchy-influenced actions and decisions. 

“I am well-educated and come from an understanding household. So people assume I haven’t been influenced by patriarchal beliefs. But nothing could be further from the truth,” she says. 

The 37-year-old has faced her own share of struggles living in a society where men set the norms. 

A woman —educated or illiterate, rich or poor, modern or traditional—is constantly judged and questioned by our society. Again, Bhattarai’s current lifestyle can be an emblematic case here. She and her husband decided to stay with each other’s parents a month at a time. And there were people who had problems with this arrangement.  

Bhattarai would hear comments like: “This is not your home anymore,” “You should not be living with your parents after marriage”. 

“If it is normal for me to live with my husband’s family, why is it so hard for this society to accept that the husband may also choose to live with his in-laws?” Bhattarai asks. 

She shares a recent incident at the local ward office where she had gone to make the birth certificate of her daughter. Bhattarai wants her daughter to have both her and her husband’s surnames, but her request was refused outright. 

“They told me only the father’s surname can be used,” she says. “It is infuriating that I live in a society that doesn’t allow a woman to pass on her name to her child.” 

Prasai faces a similar predicament. Her husband is an Indian citizen, but her sons identify as Nepali citizens. 

“I have a Nepali citizenship, so I tried to refer my sons for Nepali citizenship from my side. But I was told that that would work only if the father of my sons is unknown or has passed away,” she says. 

From homes to neighborhoods to government offices, Nepali women are treated as second- class citizens. Women are still seen as subservient figures everywhere they go, and this has become normal for many of us. 

“What’s scarier is that our society has failed to hold people accountable when a woman is wronged,” says Meena Uprety, a sociologist. “If a woman gathers the courage to speak up against her abuser, more often than not it is the woman who is questioned by the society.” 

Even in cases of rape and sexual harassment, the survivors are the ones who get dragged through the mud for daring to share their story and demanding justice. Actor Paul Shah was accused of raping a minor girl and still rallies were held in his support. 

“When people rally on behalf of a rape-accused, it says a lot about our society,” Uprety says.

With the government's decision to waive 90 percent customs duty on the import of sanitary pads, domestic manufacturers are worried their sales will be hit. They fear that their customers will gravitate towards foreign brands. Anushka Nepal of ApEx talks to Punit Sarda, the CEO of Jasmine Hygiene, which has been manufacturing sanitary pads, baby diapers, and face masks for the past 15 years, about the effect of this import duty waiver. 

How will this waiver affect the domestic production of sanitary pads? 

One thing we can be sure of is that our market will be flooded with imported goods. People are already reluctant to buy domestic products. With this reduction on import duty, there is a chance that the customers we already had might also shift towards foreign products because of the reduced price. This causes a ripple effect in the production of sanitary pads. When we are not given space in the market, there is no way we will be able to profit, let alone break even. This will make it impossible for the domestic manufacturers like us to sustain. 

Why do you think people are reluctant to buy Nepali products? 

I would pin it down to three things. First is the lack of branding. While multinational companies already have well-established brands, domestic companies are not given the space to place their products. This disparity makes it difficult for domestic companies to stay in the game. Secondly, it is the ‘imported goods are always better’ mentality that all Nepalis grew up with. We blindly believe that the quality of all Nepali products is inferior, without even giving them a try. Yes, I do admit that sometimes the quality of domestic products might not be up to the standard of imported products. Then again, how will domestic manufacturers improve their products if they are forced to bankruptcy? And lastly, I believe that the government itself is not being supportive enough to uplift local businesses. 

What should be done to convince people? 

Local manufacturers should be given a proper space to sell their products in the market. Right now, they don’t even get a properly space to keep their items in stores. And even if they do, it will be because of the profit percent they have increased for the storeowners. This shows how domestic companies are already at loss from the start. Not many of us know the sanitary pads that come from India are not certified, whereas ours are. But this fact gets ignored since branding has played a major role to push the sales number of imported products. Meanwhile, domestic companies are simply not given a proper platform to advertise their products. Customers should be given the opportunity to try both Nepali and foreign products and decide for themselves. But this is not the case in our country. 

What should government do to help local businesses?

The only solution that I see government can do is increase the customs duty, not just on sanitary pads but all simple daily use products. We as a country have become reliant on other countries for everything, even for a product as simple as toothpastes and soaps. These products are simple enough to manufacture within the country and there are companies that have been manufacturing them. But these companies are not getting the platform to sell their goods. Government should create that platform, so that these locally manufactured products can find customers. 

Will this waiver also affect other domestic products other than sanitary pads? 

If a chain has a weak link, there is definitely going to be some sorts of trouble. It causes a ripple effect. While we are continuously being weaker in one part of our production, multinational companies are benefiting from this loss. While we are struggling to sustain our industry, they are getting a chance to improve on their other products. For them, selling their products won’t be a problem since they are already well-established brands. Domestic companies like ours have been put at a disadvantage by this waiver. We might one day lose our customers for baby diapers and face masks as well. 

“Life finds a way to connect one with their passion,” says Suresh Badal, a writer and translator. 

From a very young age, Badal was interested in books and literature. He collected books, even discarded and dog-eared ones, and gave them bespoke hand-crafted covers if necessary.

Even though he loved literature, he studied science to become a microbiologist. “I grew up in a society that believed science to be the superior subject,” he says.

Badal did sometimes have the urge to leave the field of science and study humanities, but he never took the step. He got a master's degree in microbiology and started working as a teacher.

By this time, his literary dream was long behind him. But this changed after he was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2012.

Badal fractured his leg in the crash and never quite recovered fully. He was unable to stand for a long period to teach his class. 

“My work became a hindrance to my health,” he says.

Four years after the accident, Badal's condition deteriorated and he was completely bedridden. It was a difficult situation, but also a blessing in disguise.

“My illness gave me the opportunity to connect with my passion,” he says. 

Everyday, Badal spent his time on his laptop, reading and writing. He kept a positive outlook where others might have suffered a mental breakdown. Literature saved him.

“Physically, I was incapacitated; but I was traveling the world through literature,” he says. 

Badal read a lot during those days and also posted his writings on his social media. 

“Cooped up inside my room, I wrote about the outside world,” he says.

Most of his writings were autobiographical in nature to which many people related to. Unbeknownst to him, his work was getting recognized, and soon he got a call from a publisher. 

Badal’s first book Rahar was published in February 2021. It was a compilation of the works that he produced while he was bedridden. Most of the writings were about his childhood experiences. 

The book was well-received by the readers. Badal was then approached by a publisher to translate Hippie, a novel by Brazilian author Paulo Coehlo, into Nepali. The book came out in October 2021. 

“For me, it was an amazing opportunity to share my understanding of the book with other people,” Badal says. “More than work, it was a fun experience.”

Translation, he adds, is “portraying the essence of the book” in a different language. 

Badal enjoys writing and translating with equal measure. He feels lucky that he is getting to follow his passion. 

“Do you have any frustrations about not being able to follow your passion sooner?” I ask him. 

“I would not call it a frustration,” he replies. "I never resented the fact that I studied science. But I do wonder that if I studied humanities, I would also be writing in English.”

Badal writes in Nepali but he is heavily influenced by western literature. 

“I mostly read English books, but I express in Nepali,” he says. "Maybe, this is also one of the reasons why I am fond of translation."

Badal wishes more books from around the world should be translated into Nepali. “Language should not be a barrier to literature,” he says. "There aren’t many genres to explore within Nepali literature. We need literature from around the world and translation can make this possible."

Badal is currently working on a romance novel titled Maya Ka Masina Akshar, which will be out this year.

He plans to continue writing, translating and reading, but he also believes that life and career can change anytime. The motorcycle accident that made him a writer out of a microbiology teacher taught him this  

“I am a believer of destiny. Let’s see what it has prepared for my future,” he says.

The Padma Shri-award winning Birkha Bahadur Muringla, who was a promoter of Yakthung Limbu language and Sirijunga script, passed away on June 8. He was 79. 

Born in Lingchom village in the Indian state of Sikkim, Muringla’s ancestors were natives of Taplejung in eastern Nepal. As a young boy, he attended a school established by his father, Lal Man Nugo, and later Tashi Namgyal Higher Secondary School in Gangtok, before moving to Darjeeling for further studies in 1959.

Muringla developed an interest in Yakthung script at a young age when he met historian and linguist Iman Singh Chemjong in 1952. He read Tum Yakthung Ningwaphu Sapla and Tum Yakthung Nisshigek Sapla, books related to the Limbu script, co-authored by Chemjong, Padam Singh Subba and Bahadur Limbu. 

His passion for the language of his people was evident, as he used to write letters to his brothers and parents in Sirijunga script. When he was in grade 11, Muringla finally got to reconnect with Chemjong by way of a letter. What started as a letter to a literary hero from his admirer soon evolved into a lifelong friendship.   

In 1975, Muringla was appointed as a manuscript writer of Limbu language. He later joined the Sikkim government’s Department of Education, where he would revise and fine-tune the Limbu script.  

Muringla’s interest was not limited to researching and revising the language. He was also passionate about teaching the Limbu language to the people. While working at the department, he wrote a book to teach Limbu script to children. As there was no printing press at the time, he crafted hand-written books for the children of primary and secondary levels. 

In 1979, Muringla was promoted as textbook officer, a post that he held for more than a decade during which time he developed courses in Limbu language from primary up to college level. He retired as the joint director of the Department of Education in 2005.

Muringla also developed the Limbu comic series based on the stories of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Chandra Shekhar Azad, and Deshbandu Chittaranjan Das. Plus, he contributed to the writing of a Limbu-Nepali-English dictionary, and designing Limbu script for letterpress as well as for computers.

In 2017, the Indian government awarded Muringla with the Padma Shri for his contribution to the development and promotion of Limbu language and script. 

He died following a brain hemorrhage at New Sir Thutob Namgyal Memorial Hospital in Gangtok, Sikkim.

Birth: 13 April 1943, Lingchom, Sikkim

Death: 8 June 2022, Gangtok, Sikkim 

For the past seven years, the Malla Incorporate has been supplying modern medical equipment to hospitals in more than 25 districts across Nepal. 

It is one of the subsidiaries of Malla Group with Dharatee Meditech as its parent company, which itself has been providing medical devices and surgical instruments to health facilities in Nepal for more than two decades now. 

Sajal Malla, the founder and managing director of the Malla Incorporate, says the company was established with the objective of introducing new technology-driven medical equipment in Nepali health institutions. 

She says her time at Dharatee Meditech as well as a student in India gave her the idea to supply modern medical devices in Nepal. 

“I had many opportunities to attend medical expos and study the market for modern medical devices in India as well,” she says. “These devices were revolutionizing the Indian health sector. So I thought this success could be replicated in Nepal too.”

Before the Malla Incorporate was established in 2015, Sajal says Nepal’s health sector was lagging behind on several new technologies.

“As the Indian market is similar to Nepal, their ideas were achievable,” she says. 

In India, Sajal consulted with several experts in the field of medical technology as well as businesspeople who imported medical equipment before starting the company.

The Malla Incorporate started out small, importing simple but essential equipment for Nepal’s hospitals.  

In the early days, there were issues concerning maintenance of the products that the company was supplying.

“We started getting a lot of complaints regarding our products. So we decided to focus on importing quality products that did not require frequent maintenance,” says Sajal. 

With the focus on importing only high quality equipment, the number of complaints dropped and so did the maintenance cost. 

Dermatology equipment is in high demand of late. So the Malla Incorporation has been supplying various dermatological treatment apparatuses in recent years. Its parent company, Dharatee Meditech, handles the import of other medical equipment.  

“We are solely focused on the import of quality dermatological treatment equipment these days,” say Sajal. “Before importing any device, we go through a meticulous process of picking the right one.” 

The Malla Incorporate, besides its own research, also consults doctors and experts before importing any medical device.

Sajal has also been working in the capacity of chief operating officer at Dharatee Meditech for the past two years.

She envisions hospitals all over Nepal to have the necessary health equipment so that no one is deprived of proper treatment and diagnosis. 

“I want to see the day when no Nepali will have to travel abroad for treatment. This starts with having quality medical equipment.” she says.

Under the hot afternoon sun, Devkumari Thapa Magar walks among the crowd at Kathmandu’s Basantapur, carrying a thermos and disposable cups. Every now and then, she stops in front of strangers, and asks them if they want tea. 

This has been Magar’s life for a decade now. Her day starts at five in the morning, when she leaves her home with four thermoses filled with tea to serve the people visiting Basantapur, most of them on their morning walks. She continues her work until ten and returns home. By four in the afternoon, she is back at Basantapur with her thermoses. Her work ends at nine, and it’s the same routine the day after.

Born and raised in Nuwakot district, Magar got married at the age of 15, and by 18, she was already a mother of two. 

She tells me she never went to school. “Girls were never really encouraged to study. It was not common in my village for a girl to go to school. So it never occurred to me that education was important,” says the 50-year-old.

With no education background and already a mother at a young age, Magar depended on the income of her husband to raise the family. Her life changed when her husband remarried. Magar decided to leave and lead her own life. 

“I wanted to take my children with me, but they didn’t want to live with me,” she says. 

It was painful for the young mother to see her children turn their mother down.

Magar started farming to eke out a living. She says no one turned up to help her, not even her own parents. As a single woman, she says, she had to deal with inappropriate behavior from many men.

After years of struggle in Nuwakot, Magar finally decided to take a huge leap in her life and came to Kathmandu in 2012. 

She rented a room at Basantapur, where she has been living ever since.

“It’s never easy for a single woman to make a living without facing abuse and harassment,” Magar says of her experience working as a tea seller.

She says many men come to her with ill intentions knowing that she is a single woman.

 “Some men would come ask for a cup of tea, and then something more,” she says. 

How does she deal with such men, I ask her. “It’s never easy,” she says. “But over the years I have learned to avoid them. I don’t even sell them tea.”

As we talked, I was following her everywhere she went in search of customers. She politely asks people if they want to drink some tea. Some people ignore her without so much as acknowledging her presence, some decline her politely and a few agree to buy tea from her.

Magar smiles at all her customers, even if they are rude. “It’s part of my job,” she says.

I follow her for about 15 minutes, observing her, before we finally sit down to resume our conversation.

“One thing I am happy about is that my children are settled now,” she tells me. “I never got to spend time with them when they were growing up. But they have finally accepted me.”

Her daughter is married with kids, and her son is working in Dubai. Knowing that her children are doing well puts her at ease. She also feels that she is finally getting to bond with her children. 

“My elder daughter comes to visit me often. Maybe after becoming a mother herself, she understands my struggle,” she says. 

Magar has struggled for most part of her life, but she feels proud of where she has come.

“I’m still struggling but I'm also happy,” she says 

Sometimes, Magar tells me,  she wonders how her life would have turned out had she been educated. 

“They used to say girls would elope if they went to school,” she scoffs. 

“If only I was allowed to go to school, my life would have been different than this.”

But Magar has made peace with the way her life turned out. She is proud of the fact that she made it this far without anyone’s help.

She is not sure for how long she will continue to sell tea. Her sales number has dropped over the years. There was a time when she used to sell up to ten thermoses of tea in a day. 

“I hardly sell four thermoses these days. It’s getting difficult, but I don’t know what to do,” Magar says.

She takes her life one day at a time.

“I will continue working as long as I can. Beyond that, I have no idea,”  she says.

In the fiscal year 2020-21, Nepal Police recorded 2,532 cases of rape, 735 of attempt to rape and 281 of child sexual abuse. But there are many incidents of sexual crime and violence that go unreported. This became amply evident when a former teenage beauty pageant participant shared her harrowing experience of being repeatedly raped by the contest organizer eight years ago. Her alleged rapist is currently in police custody. But his arrest came only after a widespread street protest that impelled the House of Representatives to direct the police authority to investigate the case. The incident has also raised a crucial question about reviewing the one-year statute of limitations in rape incidents. Anushka Nepal of ApEx interviews 10 experts on this issue. 

Samikshya Baskota, Advocate 

A lot of reformations are needed in our judicial system when it comes to handling the cases of sexual harassment and violence. We should be able to support the survivor whenever she chooses to come out, instead of having a statute of limitations to file the case. 

For cases so sensitive like sexual assault, survivors are asked to talk or listen about the incidend they faced over and over. They are made to relive the moment every time in the court, which is very traumatizing for the survivors. I believe it is time to move towards silent hearing for cases of sexual assault for the wellbeing of the survivors.

Nirvana Bhandari, Feminist and digital activist

It is a good sign that people were out on the street demanding justice for the survivor. We need this unity in times like this. But there are many cases that have not come out. There are various reasons behind this; one of them is our society, which has not created an environment for survivors to speak up. 

These incidents happen in many sectors, but they seem to be more prevalent in the entertainment industry. I believe that many survivors have chosen to remain silent out of fear that calling out their abusers could hamper their career.

I hope that the courage shown by the girl in this latest case will lead to a bigger #MeToo movement in Nepal. The media should not stop covering these issues. We need to keep the conversation going. 

Mohna Ansari, Advocate

The first step needed from the government is to provide safety to the survivors who have reached out to the authorities for justice. It is also necessary to stop putting the burden of proof on the survivor. It should instead be placed on the alleged perpetrator. In many countries, the system of placing the burden of proof on the survivors has changed. It can also be seen in many verdicts of our own Supreme Court, which has concluded that the voice of the survivor is the ultimate evidence. 

But some part of it still exists. For instance, the medical examination of the survivor is one of the proofs that the authority looks for in these cases. Also, our society is quick to blame the survivors. So, this shift in the burden of proof is important to change the perception of the society towards rape and sexual abuse survivors. 

Bhawana Raut, Social activist

I believe that we as a society have failed to show that support. If our government and our society had stood alongside the survivors, assured them they had a place to go in search for justice, then many of them would have had the courage to hold the perpetrators accountable. 

But we, as a society, failed to take that responsibility. In this latest case, the survivor tried to seek help, only to be turned down by someone she considered her guardian. So I see this as the failure of our society to create a proper environment for survivors to come forward. 

Instead, it has made every place so unsafe that we have to think twice to even order a drink in a well-known hotel. That says a lot about how unsafe our society has become for women. I think we need to question our society as a whole, rather than just the enablers, as they themselves are the representatives of our society. 

Dr Meena Uprety, Sociologist

One of the reasons why survivors aren’t able to come out is the failure of our society to hold perpetrators to account. While boys enjoy the privilege to be outspoken, girls are forced to remain silent. Men can get away without being questioned or being held accountable. 

Another problem is the general attitude of disrespect our society has towards women. Nepali society has been leeching on the phrase “boys will be boys” for decades. Such an attitude has given men the free pass to act as they please towards women. This has to stop. 

Durga Ghimire, Women’s right’s activist and the founder of ABC Nepal

There are many people who aren’t aware of their rights. Not just rights, many people, especially in rural areas, don’t even know that they are being harassed. 

I believe it is necessary to make them aware about their rights as well as the injustice that they are facing or might have faced in the past. We cannot expect them to seek help if they are not clear on what might be considered harassment. 

Survivors who are unaware about their rights will not go to the authorities for justice. 

I believe it is important to spread this awareness in every corner of the country and help the ones that come forward. 

Charimaya Tamang, Founder of Shakti Samuha 

Our society has become unsafe for women and children. And when someone speaks up about their story or tries to hold someone accountable, the survivor gets questioned instead of the perpetrator. The incident does not even reach the court since the survivor is questioned even by her family. This only discourages them from bringing their perpetrator to justice. The perpetrator, meanwhile, is emboldened by this silence and goes on to commit more heinous acts. I see this as a lack of moral education that our society has failed to provide to the people.

Prakriti Bhattarai Basnet, Founder and chairperson of Political Literacy for Women

When we dig deeper on women's issues, it all comes down to patriarchy. There are many countries that still carry patriarchy as a belief system. But, in Nepal, patriarchy is not just a belief system; it has become the way of living for many of us. If it was just a belief system, it could be eradicated through speech, rally, and activism, or by changing the law–a top-down approach. But since it has become the way of living for many of us, it is essential to take both top-down and bottom-to-top simultaneously. This starts from minimizing the influence of patriarchy from each and every household. 

If the changes do not come from the core of society, the laws will keep on changing while the situation remains the same. 

Binod Deuba Thakuri, Youth leader (Central Committee Member at Youth Congress Nepal) 

It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of its citizens through the existing laws. The main focus of the government should be towards prosecuting the perpetrators, and not to have the statute of limitations for the survivors of rape and sexual violence. 

But what scares me is how our society has generalized these heinous acts. Our society as a whole has not been able to accept the existence of women. These factors are the result of the environment that every child grows up in, within the patriarchal belief system that our society holds. That is why I believe that change is needed in every household and not just the government and laws. 

Mamta Siwakoti, Digital lawyer

The first thing I think we need to address is the statute of limitations. Many survivors in our society do not have the legal literacy to understand their rights. And the statute of limitations gives them very little time to address the issue and reach to the authority. Secondly, because of psychological and societal reasons, it is impractical to expect a survivor to report the case within one year. So, I believe that the statute of limitations should be eradicated completely. 

It is also necessary to educate people from their childhood on what is considered as sexual assault. It must be included in school curriculum so that children are aware of the good touch and bad touch. There is also a deeply rooted stigma attached to incidents like rape. It questions the honor of the survivor, which has stopped many from speaking up. It is necessary to bring changes from the grassroots level, only then can we expect our society to be better and safer for every individual. 

There was a time Nepal saw up to 16 hours of daily power cuts. Enter Hydro Village Pvt. Ltd. 

The company, which came into being in 2015, was established with the intent of converting the country’s untapped water resources into electricity to power up communities. 

Myagdi Khola Hydropower Project is one of the company’s major projects. Set to be developed at Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-4 in Myagdi district, the run-of-river hydel project aims to generate 500MW of electricity by 2035.

“The company’s goal is to increase the country’s electricity production and contribute to its economy,” says Sushil Pokharel, managing director of Hydro Village. 

Starting a hydropower project is no joke, Pokharel says. It calls for intensive study and research. Almost five years went into research before the project development work actually started. 

“This study includes monitoring of environmental factors like weather of the proposed project site, assessment of disasters like landslides, geotechnical investigation, as well as evaluation of the power generation capacity and revenues,” he adds. 

Myagdi Khola Hydropower Project is a long-term undertaking. Even mid-range projects with 50-100MW capacity take at least seven to 10 years to complete. Pokharel says it will take much longer for them to develop a 500MW project.  

Project work has been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. But now, with the study and other preliminary works over, construction is set to start in September 2022. 

“We are currently in the first phase of this project that starts with producing 57MW,” says Pokharel. Hydro Village is also planning electricity projects in other parts of the country.

“We are trying to enhance hydropower development in Nepal, as well as contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” says Pokharel. “To that end, we are also committed to clean and sustainable energy.” 

Moreover, almost every project the company is developing or planning is based in rural areas. 

“Developing hydropower projects in rural areas means development of proper roadways, which is the key to economic growth,” says Pokharel. “Rural communities will have access to more opportunities, especially new businesses. Local economic growth will in turn benefit the country’s economy.” 

Many rural areas of Nepal lack good health facilities. With proper road access brought by hydropower projects, Pokharel says many people can at least travel to health facilities outside their areas during medical emergencies. 

“Besides, we hope rural areas get their own health facilities once they have proper roads,” Pokharel says. There is also the chance of more schools being built or at least more children getting access to education. 

Hydro Village is developing not just hydropower projects and power stations. It is developing the whole country—one village at a time.