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I’m a 20-year-old student, desperately trying to fit in with my peers. Whether it’s following the latest fashion trends, listening to the same music, or participating in the same activities, I’ve often found myself doing things just because my friends are doing it. It’s exhausting, and I feel like losing my identity. But it’s hard to resist the urge to fit in. What should I do?—A confused guy Answered by Tashi Gurung, counseling psychologist, Happy Minds I think we have all been through a point in life where we do whatever it takes to fit in with a group, be it in school, college, or the workplace. And it mostly happens when we are still in our adolescence. So, the pressure you are feeling right now is natural. We all want to fit in somewhere, be a part of a group, and enjoy the fun experiences that come with it. But, as you said, losing ourselves in the mix becomes easier, which isn’t a good thing for anyone.  So, first of all, it’s important for you to find a balance between fitting in and being true to yourself. It’s not like you can have only one or the other. You can still have friends while not having to follow every trend, hum to every popular song, or be with them all the time. One thing you can do is find a common ground and pursue activities that both you and your friends can genuinely enjoy.  It’s not a bad thing to differ from your peers. Not everyone is the same. After all, it’s your uniqueness that makes you stand out in a crowd. It’s this diversity that makes the world an exciting and vibrant place. So having different interests and hobbies isn’t something you need to hide. Rather, have the courage to be vocal about it. If you want your peers to accept you for who you are, you need to show them your true side. I understand what you mean when you say that keeping up with the latest trends, music, and activities makes you feel exhausted. The pressure to fit in has created a lot of stress. But you need to focus on your mental health before anything else. The stress can even turn into anxiety or depression if it goes on for a long time. So, make your well-being the first priority. The rest comes later.  Since you are struggling to fit in, I think it’s time you analyze if the company you hang out with right now is good for you. A friendship is healthy only when you are able to be yourself with each other. If that’s not the case, you need to surround yourself with people who love and adore you for who you are.  To feel more comfortable among your peers, I suggest you seek out individuals who share your interests and values. Join clubs or groups that cater to your passion and hobbies. This will not only help you make meaningful connections but also stay true to yourself. Lastly, it’s important to remember that fitting in is not a one-time thing. As you grow and evolve, your interests and passions might change. Embrace those changes, and don’t be afraid to move away from your peers’ expectations. Remember that you are the only one who knows what truly makes you happy. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and his primary coalition partner KP Sharma Oli have fallen out after just two months. To the surprise of many, the two political rivals had joined hands to form a coalition government on December 25 last year. However, the premature end of their relationship was not at all surprising. Political analysts and media including this paper had anticipated the discord between Dahal and Oli. It was a matter of when, not if. This coalition government was formed on a weak foundation and fraught relationship between its two major partners, CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN-UML. Dahal, who became the prime minister despite his party coming third in the November 20 parliamentary election, was never comfortable working with the second-place UML, whose leader Oli was effectively pulling the strings of the government. Dahal’s ambition to lead the government had driven him toward Oli on December 25 when his pre-election coalition partner and electoral ally, Nepali Congress, refused him the prime minister’s seat. Before the parliamentary polls, the Maoist and Congress had agreed to share premiership, where each party would hold the post for 2.5 years. As per the agreement, Dahal was supposed to become the prime minister first. But the NC leader and former prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, reneged on the deal after the party secured the most number of seats—albeit short of majority—in the House of Representatives. When Deuba insisted that as the leader of the largest party he was the natural claimant to the post of prime minister, Dahal did the unexpected and entered a power-sharing deal with Oli, who until then was considered his staunch rival. It was clear that Dahal reached out to Oli out of sheer desperation because he agreed to a power-sharing deal that largely favored the UML in the long run. In order to become a half-term prime minister, Dahal agreed to hand over the speakership, the presidency and the second-half term of premiership to the UML. As expected, Prime Minister Dahal started feeling the pressure from Oli from day one. Oli had greater control over which party got which ministry, and he even took charge of designing the government’s common minimum program. It was the Congress that came to Dahal’s rescue when the party, despite sitting in the opposition aisle, gave him the vote of confidence in January. That trust vote was a lifeline for Dahal who, having voted the UML candidate to the post of House speaker, was now under pressure to back the UML presidential candidate. Now, Dahal is back with the NC in a bid to revive the pre-election coalition—and curb the growing UML strength. For some, Dahal has served revenge against Oli by dishonoring the gentleman’s agreement on the presidential election slated for March 9. Dahal has done exactly what Oli did to him in 2019, when the latter refused to honor the agreement to hand over the reins of the erstwhile Nepal Communist Party (NCP), of which they were co-chairs, and the government leadership. There was already a severe trust deficit between Dahal and Oli. It started after 2019 with Oli trying to run the erstwhile NCP and the government without taking Dahal into confidence and trying to dissolve the parliament twice. Oli’s wayward attitude while running the party and the government led to the bitter break-up of the NCP. Soon after the Maoist and UML agreed to work together for the second time after the November election, Oli once again tried to exert pressure on Dahal. A senior Maoist leader says there was never an environment of trust between Dahal and Oli, which became even more apparent during the government formation process. Prime Minister Dahal was unhappy with the way two coalition partners, Rastriya Swatantra Party and Rastriya Prajatantra Party, were close to the UML, adds the leader. RSP leader Rabi Lamichhane was appointed the home minister at Oli’s insistence. And when Lamichhane was forced to resign over invalid citizenship, Oli had tried to reinstate him against Dahal’s wishes. The RPP, meanwhile, was creating trouble for the Dahal government by making statements against secular state and federalism. Another Maoist leader says Prime Minister Dahal was deeply regretful of having to lead a coalition with right-wing nationalist parties who were attacking and discrediting the constitution. Dahal himself has described the coalition of the past two months as a “bitter political experience”, which showed suspicion against the constitution. In recent weeks, Dahal has been deliberately keeping distance with RPP and RSP. He didn’t even consult the parties in power while forging an alliance with NC on the presidential election. The UML, meanwhile, has termed Dahal’s decision to back Congress’s presidential candidate a betrayal. Oli has called Dahal an opportunist who would go to any length to be in power. Political analysts say Dahal would have had no choice but to toe the UML’s line had it not been for the NC. They say the vote of confidence from the Congress was a turning point for Dahal, because it ensured the security of his government. The NC on its part also tried to convince Dahal to revive the pre-election coalition by agreeing to uphold his premiership, provided the party gets the presidency. With the largest party behind him, Dahal has also made efforts to get closer with his old allies such as CPN (Unified Socialist), Janata Samajbadi Party, Loktantrik Samajbadi Party and other fringe parties. Analysts say Dahal will be better off with parties that share common ideologies, unlike RSP and RPP. There were external concerns too. Ever since Dahal came to power, there has been a flurry of high-level visits from foreign powers, like the US, India and European countries. It is said the visiting high-level officials were concerned that the same party should not get the vital positions of the country. Prime Minister Dahal and his party, as well as the NC, were aware of the danger of the UML taking control of all vital institutions. For Dahal, it would have been a political suicide. He suspected that his government be paralyzed by the UML-nominated president, or worse, Oli could remove him. At this point, Dahal’s key priority is concluding the transitional justice process, and to do so, he believes that the NC’s democratic credential can play a vital role. It is also the only way out for Dahal’s Maoist party, which has been losing its political relevance and popularity since 2017. Political analysts say the prime minister seems to have weathered the storm for now. He will have to go through another round of vote of confidence in parliament and he will most likely hold his premiership. Then comes the hard part of striking the right kind of power-sharing deal at the center and provincial level among eight political parties.    

The years 2022 and 2023 are opening a new chapter in Nepal's hydropower sector with some encouraging developments and breakthroughs taking place. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) started exporting surplus power to India, the much-debated Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)-Nepal Compact moved toward the implementation phase, Nepal and India agreed to construct two more cross-border transmission lines, and Bangladesh and China formally proposed to buy electricity from Nepal. The biggest breakthrough during this period is power export to India. Nepal earned over Rs 11bn by selling excess power to India from June-December 2022. There has been a huge surge in domestic electricity generation. A total of 735 MW of electricity was added to the national grid in FY 2021/22. NEA has projected that 808 MW of electricity will be added to the national system by the end of FY 2022/23. The latest data shows 300 MW of electricity has already been connected to the national grid in the first seven months of the current fiscal year. Nepal’s installed electricity production capacity has reached 2,400 MW. Government officials estimate that Nepal will become self-sufficient in electricity even in winter in the next two years given that all the under-construction projects start power generation. As the electricity supply will be more than the domestic demand, the country can aim for more power export. The Department of Electricity Development (DoED) has issued construction licenses to 17 hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 519.24 MW till mid-February, 2023. Similarly, the department has issued survey licenses to 14 hydropower companies with a combined capacity of 1412.07 MW. DoED also issued survey licenses to 12 companies that have proposed to generate 236.9 MW of solar electricity. There was renewed Indian interest in Nepali hydropower with NHPC Limited signing an MoU to study and develop two hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 1200 MW. The 750 MW West Seti Hydropower Project and 450-megawatt Seti River (SR-6) are worth a combined USD 2.4 billion. In May 2022, Nepal and India signed an agreement to develop the 490-megawatt Arun-IV Hydropower Project which will be developed as a joint venture between India’s state-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), with SJVN having a majority share in the company that will operate the proposed project. Two more cross-border transmission lines between Nepal and India The recently concluded 10th joint secretary-level Joint Working Group and the secretary-level Joint Steering Committee meeting between Nepal and India agreed to increase power trade between the two countries and develop more cross-border transmission lines. Currently, the southern neighbor has allowed Nepal to sell 452.6 MW of electricity generated by 10 hydropower projects in the Indian power market. But the approvals given to the 10 hydropower projects need to be renewed every year. India has agreed to review the existing mechanism following a request from Nepal of giving such approvals for at least five years. Nepal and India also agreed to develop two more 400kV cross-border transmission lines--Inaruwa (Duhabi- Purnia (Bihar) and New Lamki (Dodhara)-Bareli. According to the press statement of the ministry, the first one will be completed by 2027-28 and the next one will be completed by 2028-29. Likewise, the two sides also agreed that the 400kv Butwal-Gorkhapur Cross-border Transmission Line would be completed by March 2025. For this, the two countries agreed to sign an implementation and transmission service agreement very soon. China officially proposes to buy electricity from Nepal China has proposed to purchase electricity from Nepal. The northern neighbor wants to purchase power for its autonomous state Tibet which borders Nepal. The Chinese side formally made a proposal to Nepal in the first meeting of the Joint Working Group formed for energy cooperation between Nepal and China held in Kathmandu last Tuesday. According to Nepali government officials close to the matter, China wants to import electricity from Nepal, especially for the winter season. But, both sides are yet to reach any understanding in this regard. "This is the first time China has officially proposed to purchase electricity from Nepal," said an official who took part in the meeting. The meeting of the Joint Technical Group also discussed the proposed Ratamate-Rasuwagadhi-Kerung Transmission Line Project. NEA has already completed a feasibility study of the 400 KV transmission line connecting Nepal and China. Currently, an environmental study of the transmission line is being carried out. NEA Engineering Company, a subsidiary of NEA, is taking charge of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the project.   Construction licenses issued for hydropower project in 2022/23 (First seven months)

Several years back, I read ‘Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal. Though it was Jaswal’s third novel it was my first time reading her. I was a little hesitant about picking it up at first since I tend to carry around the book I’m reading, often taking it to work as well. But I loved it. It wasn’t a light, fluffy read as you might assume by the title. It was a moving story of desire and female friendships. So naturally, when I came across ‘The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters’ I didn’t have to even read the blurb before deciding to buy it. I must say I was slightly disappointed by this one, given I had such high expectations going into it. It’s a story about three sisters—Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina—who are on a pilgrimage in India following the death of their mother. The British-born Punjabi sisters are carrying out their mother’s last wish. The sisters have never been close but the trip forces them to be together in a way they have never been before. Every sister, however, is running away from or towards something when agreeing to go on a trip to India. Rajni’s teenage son has dropped a bombshell on her and she doesn’t know how to handle it. Jezmeen, the middle child, is a struggling actress whom everyone has been mocking after an incident at a restaurant went viral. Shirina, the youngest one, is having problems in her marriage. A meddling mother-in-law is making matters worse. The story explores the messy dynamics of relationships and family life. It examines the lengths we are willing to go to for our loved ones and to protect what means a lot to us—whether it be our name or family. There’s a lot to unpack in this book but the only problem is that it feels like a Bollywood movie that you’ve watched countless times already. There are some laugh-out-loud moments and overall, the book is a nice escape from the humdrum of daily life. Trigger warnings though, there are a lot of mentions of forced abortion, violence against women, assisted suicide, and overbearing mothers-in-law. On a lighter note, don’t read it when you are hungry because all the talk about food will make it even worse and you’ll be left craving for things you have no way of getting your hands on, especially if you are reading the book late at night. Three-and-a-half stars Fiction The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters Balli Kaur Jaswal Published: 2019 Publisher: Harper Collins Pages: 320, Paperback