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 Dashain is an occasion for Hin­dus to celebrate power (Shakti) and the triumph of good over evil, marking the legendary killing of demon Mahishasur by Goddess Durga. During the 10 days of Dashain people flock to different temples dedicated to Goddess Durga. Here is a list of six that are especially popular among Kathmandu residents during Dashain. Naxal Bhagwati Temple

The temple of Naxal Bhagwati stands proudly at the center of Naxal as a traditional three-tiered pagoda structure. Dedicated to the ninth incarnation of Goddess Durga, the temple sees a large number devotees during Dashain.

They come especially during ‘Asht­ami’ (eighth day) and ‘Nawami’ (ninth day) to have their wishes fulfilled, which is something the shrine is famous for. Legend has it that when Queen Navasagar in the year 1050 of Kaligat Sambat founded the tem­ple, the priests laid the foundation, saying that anyone performing a rit­ual exactly as prescribed would have their wish fulfilled.

Guhyeshwari Temple

Located about a kilometer east of the Pashupatinath Temple on the banks of Bagmati River, the Guhye­shwari is recognized as a ‘Shakti Peeth’: it is believed that a body part of Sati Devi fell on this site after the grief-stricken Lord Shiva wandered the earth carrying her deceased body. The temple itself was built by King Pratap Malla in the 17th century. During all 10 days of Dashain, Hindu devotees from all around the city visit to worship ‘Shakti’ in this shrine. Fol­lowers believe the goddess radiates a powerful positive energy.

Sankata Temple

Tucked in a quiet neighborhood of Te bahal, alongside the busy New Road, Sankata is believed to be an avatar of Goddess Durga. For all 10 days of Dashain, devotees from all walks of life swarm the temple to worship nine incarnations of God­dess Durga. It is believed that God­dess Sankata, as the name suggests, frees her followers from all kinds of troubles. So apart from Dashain the temple also sees throngs of worship­pers every Saturday and hence it is also known as ‘Sani Sankata’.

Shova Bhagwati Temple

This is another temple dedicated to Goddess Durga located on the banks of a river. The pagoda-style temple with three-tiered roof has statues of various incarnations of Goddess Durga in its complex at Chamati by the Bishnumati River. Devotees visit the temple on all 10 days of Dashain. On the ninth day, ‘Nawami’, there is a tradition of performing five ani­mal sacrifices (water buffalos, goats, ducks, hens and mountain goats), also known as ‘panchabali’, at Shova Bhagwati. Believed to be the god­dess of perfection, Shova Bhagwati is revered as a powerful energy that can grant people's wishes. It is a particu­lar favorite of married women.

Shree Bhadrakali Temple

Located on the east side of Tud­hikhel near Shahid Gate, the tem­ple is dedicated to Goddess Kali, an angry manifestation of Goddess Durga. The temple sees a significant number of devotees during Dashain, as the goddess is a representative of strength and power. People pay tribute to the goddess as it is widely believed that, when she is pleased, the goddess can fulfil their wishes. Bhadrakali is also the patron deity of Nepal Army.

Taleju Bhawani Temple

The Taleju Bhawani Temple, one of the most distinguished structures in Kathmandu Durbar Square, is dedicated to Goddess Taleju, anoth­er wrathful incarnation of Goddess Durga, who was also the patron deity of the erstwhile Malla kings. The temple has a special place in Dashain celebrations in Kathmandu as the devotees are allowed to visit the tem­ple only one day of the year: the ninth day of Dashain or ‘Nawami’. So every year from 5 pm to 7 pm on this day devotees patiently queue to pay their respect to and get the blessing of the goddess. Kumari, the living goddess who is believed to be the human form of Goddess Taleju, also visits the tem­ple on this day.

Following a recent wave of rapes and murders, mostly of minors, a section of the society is clam­oring for death penalty for the cul­prits. The public anger at state inac­tion is perhaps justified and it is not hard to empathize with those who would like to see the perpe­trators of this heinous crime given the ultimate punishment.

“Every person shall have the right to live with dignity,” says Article 16 of the new constitution. Rapes most certainly violate this fundamental right of each and every Nepali. But, again, the same Article also stipulates that “No law shall be made providing for the death penalty to any one”. This brings us to an important question: Is death penalty justified, both ethically and legally?

People who speak in the favor of capital punishment for rapists strongly believe in its capacity to act as a deterrent; the laws must be so strong that they instill a strong fear in the minds of poten­tial criminals. “When you know taking this poison will kill you, you will avoid it at all costs,” says Sabitri Subedi, a native of Bara district who has become perhaps the most vocal advocate of death penalty for rap­ists. “I do not see any other alterna­tive. A person committing a heinous crime like rape does not deserve the safety from public stigma and scruti­ny that a prison sentence provides.” Subedi says she has closely known countless rape victims and has inter­nalized their trauma. It was the rape and murder of six-year-old Puja Saha of Bara in 2015 that inspired her to take up their cause, she adds.

The other reason the advocates of death penalty cite is lack of trust in the existing justice-delivery sys­tem. Nepali Congress federal law­maker Uma Regmi has also been asking for capital punishment for murder after rape. She says traditionally anti-rape laws have been poorly implemented. A new law states that anyone found guilty of murdering an individual after rape will get life imprisonment, and even jail term for rapes has been increased from 15 years to 20 years. But implementation is again questionable. “If there was faith in the existing justice-delivery mech­anism, we would not be pushing for harsher punishment,” she says. “When the authorities cannot find the culprits, or they try to cover up for those in positions of power and deny justice to the victims, it is only natural that the demand for capital punishment gets stronger and stronger.”

The case against

Nepal is one of 106 countries that has abolished death penalty and one of 142 countries that have not sent anyone to death in the past 10 years. Today only a small num­ber of countries continue with the practice, and even some of them are now are working towards a moratorium on death penalty.

Moreover, a 2007 United Nations resolution on moratori­um on death penalty, of which Nepal is a signatory, calls upon all countries to put temporary prohibition on death penal­ty while working for its aboli­tion. It also urges states which have abolished death penal­ty not to reintroduce it. But like all the UN resolutions it is not binding.

Those against capital punish­ment in Nepal are also in favor of rule of law but, at the same time, they believe even more in every individual’s inalienable right to life. Manju Khatiwada, head of the ‘Gen­der and Inclusion’ division of the National Human Rights Commis­sion, says that instead of demanding capital punishment, existing laws should be implemented to bring justice to the victims.

There is no credible evidence that death penalty deters crime more effectively than a lengthy prison term, she adds. After working closely with the victims of rape in different parts of the country, she says sentencing the culprits to death will not bring any consolation to the victims’ family. “The focus should instead be on the victims’ social rehabilita­tion and reintegration”.

There are practical hurdles to the implementation of capital punish­ment as well. While asking for capi­tal punishment for rapists, lawmak­er Regmi said “right culprits” should be found and sentenced to death. But according to constitutional law­yer Bipin Adhikari, to arrive at the “right culprit” the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. “But as our investigate system is flawed there are high chances that the provision of death sentence might be abused,” he cautions. Death penalty is irre­versible, adds Khatiwada, so if there is a mistake in identifying the cul­prit, someone else might have to pay for it with their life, as has happened in many other countries.

Adhikari and Khatiwada both agree that there are underlying reasons behind increasing cases of rapes which cannot be solved by sentencing culprits to death. They demand that the society look into these reasons and come up with solutions accordingly. There are for instance problems related to dis­crimination, the stigma associated with reporting these crimes, flawed justice system and corruption in investigation. The pro-death Subedi pointed out lack of proper toilets in the rural areas as a reason; Regmi, the lawmaker, cited the problem of alcoholism and drug abuse as also responsible for increasing rapes.

As Nandita Rao, an Indian law­yer, writes about the demand for death penalty for rapists in India: “It is not the severity of the pun­ishment but the certainty and uniformity of it which will reduce crime.” Perhaps fewer voices in Nepal would be in favor of death penalty if we could only imple­ment existing laws and reduce the stigma attached to rape victims coming out

 “My mom keeps nagging me to go and play outside when she sees me watch­ing television,” says 12-year-old Santosh Gurung of Gairigaun. “She forgets there is construction going on in the open land near our house. Where do I go?” The kid has a point.

In 2007, for the first time in the history of mankind, more than half the world’s population lived in cit­ies. This urban population is expect­ed to rise by 1.5 billion over the next two decades. As the cities grow, preserving open spaces within them becomes an imperative, for a city is more than buildings and people.

Sometimes, an open space can be neatly tied to a city’s culture. The Central Park in New York, the Hyde Park in London, the Stanley Park in Vancouver, the Hibiya Park in Tokyo and the Phoenix Park in Dublin are a few such parks. In oth­er words, these cities have cleverly embedded open spaces. According to WHO, a person needs nine square meters of space. But Kathmandu has only 0.25 meters per person. Why the shortfall?

Bhai Kaji Tiwari, the Development Commissioner at the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, attri­butes “the perceived lack of open spaces” to centralization of services (See interview here). He says that although only 17 percent of land in the valley is occupied by build­ings, the city is considered congest­ed because of the concentration of population in parts where most ser­vices and amenities are centralized.

Urban planner Suman Maharjan for his part characterizes open areas as “the lungs of a city” as they pro­vide place for people to breathe and relax. He says besides help­ing in times of emergencies like earthquakes, green spaces also help reduce air pollution.

Dust dangers

With an Environment Perfor­mance Index (EPI) of 31.44, Nepal ranks among the countries with worst air quality. “The case of dust pollution is worse than pollution caused by vehicles in Kathmandu,” says Yogendra Chitrakar, an environ­mentalist. “Green spaces in the val­ley will help mitigate the problem of both dust and vehicle-induced pol­lution by filtering the air naturally.”

According to a research by Ana Virtudes of University of Beira Inte­rior in Portugal, not only does veg­etation add to the aesthetic appeal of cities, it also helps reduce urban heat by releasing moisture.

Moreover, there are numerous health benefits associated with pub­lic parks and green spaces. Access to them have been associated with reduced stress and anxiety. A study by researchers at University of Tam­pere, Finland found that spend­ing as little as 10 minutes in a park or urban woodland could tangibly reduce stress.

Additionally, “lack of public parks in Kathmandu is also a major cause of inactive lifestyle as people have no place to jog and exercise,” says Dr Om Murti Anil, senior interven­tional cardiologist at Grande Inter­national Hospital.

He argues improving access to public open space can increase the level of physical activity. “Walking is the cheapest exercise,” he says. “Lack of public parks not only push­es people to spend more money on physical activity, it also makes them more prone to road accidents.” With public parks, physical activity will not weigh heavy on low income families’ pockets, Dr Anil explains, nor do they have to contend with reckless drivers.

Improve parks, improve life

“The lesser the number of open spaces, the more likely we are to remain bound to our gadgets and shun social engagement,” says Chi­trakar, the environmentalist. Parks provide space for neighborhood residents to interact and meet new people. “They are also great spaces for events and recreational activi­ties, allowing people to develop a sense of community”.

In the reckoning of Dr Anil, such increased social engagement is cor­related with psychological health as well. Highlighting the urgent need for the authorities to acknowledge the necessity of green open spaces in the valley, Chitrakar adds, “the government should prioritize devel­opment of open spaces and parks rather than erect concrete towers. Better to plan green pockets at cer­tain distances, and seek the help of locals to manage them.”

But perhaps no one puts it better than Gil Penalosa, an advocate for ‘active cities’: “We need to think of parks more as outdoor community centers where we need to invest in uses and activities so they can fulfill their potential. When we improve parks, we’re really improving qual­ity of life”

The danger of lack of public spaces was painfully brought home to the residents of Kathmandu valley during the 2015 earthquakes. People rushed out of their  homes in panic only to find there was no safe place nearby. But this is not the only danger. Lack of public parks dissuades people from physical activity, contributing to an ever-expanding number of people with non-communicable diseases. Some can afford expensive exercise gear, not so everyone. If there was a green park nearby, they could all have gotten some exercise without paying anything.

Kathmandu valley is a badly planned area. Houses continue to go up haphazardly in every little open space. Community parks, a salient feature of the Indian capital New Delhi for instance, are non-existent in Kathmandu. Nor is there the equivalent of the Central Park in New York, around which a whole city has sprung up. Government authorities say they are now working on establishing satellite cities around Kathmandu so that some folks can be relocated from core and congested areas. Other ideas include relocating Tri-Chandra Campus and the Chhauni barracks of Nepal Army and building massive green parks in their place.

They won’t do it too soon. Kathmandu is already among the cities with worst air pollution in the world. The incidents of diabetes and heart disease have rocketed. Seismologists fear another big earthquake. The national capital is a botch-job in urban planning. Yet some corrective measures can still be taken.

(See full article here)

 With a pair of joggers eas­ily costing above Rs 4,000, our determination to stay fit also weighs heavy on our pockets. To make it relatively cheap to stay healthy two Ace alumni, Yonten Yonjan and Umeed Sherpa, came up with the idea of Gorkha Aesthetics. Established in 2016, Gorkha Aesthetics, better known as GA, is Nepal’s first athletic and lifestyle apparel clothing line. “We are at the forefront of athleisure, a com­bination of athletics and leisure in Nepal,” says Sherpa, a co-founder of GA. The apparels are designed not only for athletic activities but also for casual wear, hence the slogan: WORK | PLAY | WORKOUT.

Even though it is a young com­pany, GA has roped in a textile engi­neer who has worked 20 years in the garment industry. The engineer sources the fabrics for the clothes from South Korea and Taiwan. GA is the only company in Nepal that uses N9® fabric, which uses an antibac­terial technology and proprietary fabric blend. Silver is embedded in fiber to fight odor. This unique fab­ric structure also enhances ‘sweat wicking’ and ‘quick-dry’, helping to regulate body temperature and keeping you odor-free during and after training sessions.

With t-shirts priced at around Rs 1,000 and jackets and joggers around Rs 2,500, GA is in a way invit­ing everyone to stay fit. “We spent months testing variations of every product to get to the final versions. So when you buy a product from us you know every detail has been accounted for,” says Sherpa.

Although the makers agree that innovation is the culture at GA, they also say you don’t have to buy the newest version of each product. Sherpa adds, “We will continue to innovate and keep up with current trends to constantly provide prod­ucts you want to wear. Everything we make is built to last so once you’ve bought a product, it will be your favorite for years to come.”

The company’s motto is that since adding features to a garment can increase cost, the value of the func­tion must outweigh the added cost. “Our products have to either save time or money or both compared to the old products you were using. Otherwise they are not worth invest­ing in,” Sherpa says. Also, you don’t have to choose between three dif­ferent joggers depending on the activity, “as you can just buy a pair of GA joggers that are both durable and multifunctional.”

GA apparels are sold through four stores across the valley: The Local Project in Jamshikhel, One Tree Stop in Dubarmarg, Diet Nepal in Nagpokhari and Lalitpur Bike Station in Pulchowk. The products are also available through social media networks. It also does busi­ness B2B, so the clientele includes a few corporate companies. GA is also a sponsor of the first-ever the calisthenics competition in Nepal and has funded athletes in the first Nepal Professional Boxing Commission (NPBC).

With most of the customers being returning clients, GA believes its business has been built on mutual trust. “We prioritize providing value that leads to a trusting relationship,” Sherpa says. By integrating its pro­prietary and existing performance technologies into the products, GA is working to create the next gen­eration of sportswear and make “Athleisure” wears accessible and affordable