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The unique thing about the year old Nepal Housing Reconstruction Project (NHRP), supported by the government of India, is that it ensures women’s involvement at every level, staring from policy making to construction. The project, implemented by UNDP, has been supporting post-quake rebuilding in Gorkha district. This International Women’s Day, we bring you some stories of the women involved in rebuilding in Gorkha. 

Sita Devi Bhattarai (38), local trained mobile mason, Palungtar

“My family is unique because I work outside from 10-5 and my husband stays home taking care of our sons and tending to a farm. Sometimes I am so tired I cannot wake up early to prepare breakfast. My husband doesn’t say anything and prepares breakfast himself. My sons, 14 and 11, also surprise me sometimes by cooking dinner when I reach home late.”

Bimala Kumari Shrestha (35), beneficiary, Palungtar

 “I was in a dilemma whether to give back the first installment of Rs 50,000 that I had taken to build the house. My husband is away in India and I have to take care of my children and the livestock. There is so much to do to build a house: carry building materials, hire people, get the map passed. But once I decided I’ll do it, things started falling into place!”

Sukmaya B.K (60), beneficiary, Gorkha Municipality

“I used to work as a mason when I was young but as I grew old, I could not carry building materials so I left my job. I used to miss working. Even though I have three sons and a daughter, not one of them live with me. So I started rebuilding my house on my own a year and a half ago. I thought I would not be able to do it, but I did it.” 

Krishna Maya B.K (28), trained mason, Gorkha Municipality

 “Even though my husband and I do same work from 8-6, I get paid Rs 700 a day whereas he gets Rs 800. Maybe because he is a man. It’s okay, I manage. I wake up at 5:30 am, cook food, get my two children ready for school, work here, and then head home to prepare dinner.”

Bishnu Maya Naharchi (67), beneficiary, Palungtar

 “My daughter and two sons left me. They do not keep in touch. I took the initiative to build the house under NHRP and my neighbors helped me too. I hope I can spend my days sunbathing in my house when it is done.”

Chandra Maya Srimal (35), trained mason, Gorkha-Kaflebhanjyang

“In the nine years that I worked as a mason, it never occurred to me that I could make more money by learning how to lay bricks. I had only seen men do that job in Gorkha so I never questioned the norm. But now it’s been two months that I learnt how to lay bricks and I earn Rs 1,000 a day compared to Rs 750 I used to earn.”

Kushma Thapa, architect, Gorkha Municipality

“Some people in Gorkha look confused when I tell them I am an architect. They question my knowledge. Construction is a male-dominated business. When someone enters our office, I am the first person they are supposed to meet. I sit near the front door but people usually bypass me to talk to other males in the office. But I am glad to see more female presence in the business in the past four years that I have worked as an architect.”

Tikamaya B.K (57), beneficiary, Gorkha Municipality

 “After my husband passed away last year, construction of our house stopped. Neighbors commented we couldn’t finish construction but I told them that I would do whatever I could to build my house. Even though my son and I don’t have any stable income source, I believe money is not enough to build a house. The courage to start doing it is as important. So I took the leadership and our house is done.”

Bina Kumari Shrestha, Deputy Mayor, Gorkha Municipality

 “As most men in Gorkha left for foreign employment, women’s participation is high in reconstruction. Under NHRP, men and women are getting equal wages for same work. I think our society needs to change its perception on women’s potential. Women here are doing construction work from morning to evening and going home to cook food and take care of their family. For women to move ahead, women need to support each other.”

Shanta Adhikari (32), beneficiary, Palungtar

 “My husband went to Dubai five years ago, leaving behind three little children and my mother. He was unreachable by phone after a year. In the 2015 earthquake, after our house was destroyed, I took my home apart stone by stone. I then arranged for us to live in a small tin house. I do whatever work I find. On days when we had nothing to eat, I borrowed money. But now I am involved in the construction of my own house, which is nearly done. All my children attend school. Life is good”

Film director and photographer Aneel Neupane’s journey in the world of visual arts began when, in 2010, he borrowed a digital camera from a friend to learn photography. Now the CEO of Jazz Productions, Neupane, 26, has over the past five years been directing local as well as international music videos and commercials. He is also writing his first feature film and assisting in the writing of acclaimed Nepali director Min Bahadur Bham’s second movie “A Cold Year”.

 The self-taught photographer, who credits the internet for his skills, prefers digital compositing in photography. His miniature photos have gone viral on the internet for their artistic presentation. For Neupane, “Miniature photography is a sub-genre in digital compositing where I imagine the subjects (usually myself ) as tiny beings interacting with regular stuff. I have always been fascinated with the tiny world of insects. As a kid I used to spend hours staring at ants and bugs, wondering what it’s like to see the world through their eyes. After I learnt photography and Photoshop, I could finally explore their world on my own.”

 Neupane believes having a different perspective can make the most mundane thing come alive. He has been approached by clients from as far afield as Singapore and Japan who want him to do their miniature pre-wedding photoshoots. “Besides this, miniature photography can play a vital role in Nepali advertising industry,” he adds.

‘The Steel Kiss’ is the twelfth book in the series by Jeffery Deaver featuring quadriplegic detective and forensic expert Lincoln Rhyme. Here, Rhyme and his partner (and lover) Amelia Sachs, New York police detective, try to hunt down a serial killer who uses smart technology to kill from afar. The enthralling tale begins with an exciting chase and what follows is a lot of twists and turns. You will never be able to guess the ending, even if you read a lot of murder mysteries and can sense a perpetrator halfway through the plot.

 The good thing is that not much has changed in Deaver’s writing style since Rhyme made his first appearance in ‘The Bone Collector’ in 1997. He still delivers the same fast paced narrative that has come to be the trademark of the Lincoln Rhyme series. The plot of The Steel Kiss begins with Sachs chasing a suspect through a busy mall when an escalator malfunctions and a mall employee is mangled to death. Though initially it seems the incident has no connection with the serial killer, it soon becomes apparent that he is hacking into home appliances and other gadgets to kill people, and used the escalator as a distraction to escape when he feared getting caught.

 A psychopathic hacker intent on turning ordinary things like a car, table saw, or microwave oven into lethal weapons is the stuff of nightmares but, besides this main storyline, there are many sub-plots in the book as well. There’s the relationship tension between Rhyme and Sachs, and Sach’s ex-boyfriend is also in the picture. He asks for her help in clearing his name after being released from prison. Then there’s officer Ron Pulaski who goes undercover to prove Rhyme wasn’t responsible for someone’s death during a case. Deaver also introduces a new character, Juliette Archer, who is a quadriplegic too. She lightens everyone’s mood with her humor and riddles.

Any other thriller writer and the labyrinth of plots and sub-plots would have made for one heck of a confusing read. But Deaver knows what he is doing and ties the different plot lines together brilliantly to come up with one engaging and engrossing story. He also manages to deliver a subtle warning about the dangers of letting electronic gadgets control our lives. Deaver is best known for complex plots and unpredictable endings and, in this cleverly crafted novel, he proves, yet again, that he is perhaps one of the very best thriller writers out there.

The Steel Kiss

Author: Jeffery Deaver

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Published: 2016

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 632, Paperback

Amar Nyaupane is a wellknown name in modern Nepali literature. The author of three path-breaking novels—‘Pani ko Ghaam’ (2009), ‘Seto Dharti’ (2012), and ‘Karodau Kasturi’ (2015)—Nyaupane has also penned poems, stories and memoirs. He had shot to fame after ‘Seto Dharti’ in 2012 got the prestigious Madan Purashkar. Nyaupane has been able to create a niche for himself due to his unique plots, characterizations and experimentation.

Aside from catapulting him to popularity, ‘Seto Dharti’ stayed atop the bestseller list in Nepal for weeks, and earned him acclaim from readers and critics alike for what was described as a unique portrayal of human suffering.

‘Literature has helped me express my inner voices and thoughts’

“Literature has helped me express my inner voices, thoughts and opinions easily through emotive storytelling,” says Nyaupane, 41. “My life, surroundings and mother nature inspire me to dabble in literature. Especially the evolution of plants with the change of season is something magical,” explains Nyaupane.

Born and raised in Parvatipur village, Chitwan, Nyaupane never dreamt of becoming a full-time writer. Instead he was interested in arts and crafts. It was his parents, father Eknath Nyaupane and mother Harimaya Nyaupane, who used to encourage him to take up creative writing since his schooldays. But even though he wrote a lot, he was too shy to show his writing to anyone else. He was so shy he never asked any of his teachers any questions right through his schooldays. Even now, he feels shy to ask questions.

He is delighted with the interest of the young generation in Nepali literature. “More and more of them are reading books and offering their invaluable feedback,” says Nyaupane.

For Nyaupane, literature is an outlet for the expression of one’s suppressed emotions, thoughts and opinions, which one cannot otherwise reveal in earnest. “Literature often connects the internal and external worlds, as well as opens portals to otherwise unimagined world,” asserts Nyaupane.

Who were his inspirations? “Diamond Shumsher Junga Bahadur Rana, Bisheswor Prasad Koirala, Guru Prasad Mainali, and Govinda Bahadur Malla ‘Gothaale’, among others,” he answers.

Nyaupane believes Nepali literature can attain even greater heights by including more voices, opinions and issues from the Mechi in the east to the Mahakali in the west. “Our literature can indirectly help raise public awareness and morals and nudge people into socio-cultural changes,” he adds.

stayed atop the best-seller list for weeks, earning him great acclaim

Nyaupane thinks Nepali literature has already undergone a metamorphosis, in terms of writing approaches, wordplay, characterization and connecting readers with literary works. He points out how there has been a massive overhaul in terms of audience segmentation, production, promotion and marketing of Nepali literature. Major publishers such as Fine Print, Book Hill, Shangri-La launch books amid much fanfare and extensive media coverage. Nyaupane believes youth-centric promotional tactics such as use of jacket ads, banner ads, expos, book tours, meetand- greet with acclaimed authors and interactive book discussions have been “major plus points” for all authors.

And what about the impact of social media on literature? “On the one hand, it has boosted awareness and sales of literary works among our youths. On the other, it has also helped reduce the circulation and readership of literature in urban areas,” Nyaupane says.

 Asked about the place of Nepali literature in the international arena, Nyaupane replies: “Nepal still lags in the international arena, as reading of Nepali literature is still limited among Non-Resident Nepalese (NRNs). Only a handful of literary works such as ‘Palpasa Café’, ‘Muna Madan’, ‘Radha’, ‘Seto Bagh’ and ‘Aaj Ramita Chha’ have been translated into other languages for non-native audiences.”

Nyaupane hopes the trend of translation gathers speed and more Nepali literature will be available for the global audience.

In the end, what is next for the acclaimed author? “I have finalized a draft of my next novel. But I am yet to get a launch date from my publishers”.