Interpreting maladies of the mind

Having worked as a coun­selor for over 11 years, Ajay Karki has seen it all, even though he is only 33. From young drug users breaking down into tears as they narrate their seemingly insurmountable addictions, to adults choking on their words as they describe their terrible relationships. But what was it that initially piqued his interest in psy­chology and counselling? “I had always been interested in other peoples’ lives, and how thoughts brew inside the human brain and how they shape our personality,” Karki says. He first wanted to pur­sue a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Tribhuvan University. But as soon as he heard of psychology—a subject which not only granted an opportunity to investigate the human mind, he found out, but also to directly help peo­ple—Karki changed his mind. His passion for psychology has not faded since.

As a counselor and hypno­therapist, Karki has worked with hundreds of patients at his clinic, Healing Rain­bow, Nepal, “a platform for psycho-spiritual coun­seling, energy healing, personal growth and col­lective evolution”.

"I will never offer free counseling, as making someone pay is also a way to make them accountable for their outcome" Ajay Karki counselor and hypnotherapist

Karki charges a patient between Rs 1,500 to 2,000 a session

Most of Karki’s patients are young and typically struggling with anxiety and depres­sion, and thus unable to realize their full poten­tial. But as the young are more open-minded, “what I find is that they are able to overcome their mental problems sooner compared to the adults,” Karki says.

He also works with school students, and the most common prob­lem there is performance anxiety, which stems from huge expectations regarding grades and per­formance. But he also gets cases whereby someone from a rural area has been brought to him after all else has failed, including a trip to the local dhami. At this latter stage of mental illness, Karki can do little.

Is there any other notewor­thy commonality among his patients besides them being mostly young? “One common problem is that by the time someone comes to my coun­selling session, that person would have already gotten countless suggestions from people with limited knowl­edge of how the human mind works,” Karki says. “Casual advice like reminding the sufferer how strong he or she is right now can actually backfire as the person could then start comparing their troubled present to a trou­ble-free past.”

Then there are the chal­lenges of working as a coun­sellor in a poor country. “With less than 1,000 mental health personnel in Nepal, we often have to advise patients in areas that are not our spe­cialization,” Karki says. He says that such a situation was bound to come as the oldest institution of higher learning in Nepal, Tribhuvan Univer­sity, did not offer specializa­tions in Master’s degrees in Psychology until 2017.

The pay is also dismal, with a counsellor making any­where between Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 a month. Karki say that he charges a patient between Rs 1,500 to 2,000 a session. Those from impover­ished families get a discount.

“But I will never offer free counseling, as making some­one pay is also a way to make them accountable for their outcome,” he says.

“Only individuals who are extremely patient and who have problem-solving skills are suited for this profession,” Karki says. However, he also says that, seeing people come out of their mental anguish is highly rewarding. “The smile that accompanies their ‘thank you!’ when they get better is almost heavenly,” he says.

(To contact Karki search for ‘Healing Rainbow Nepal’ on Facebook

Plush dining in Bansbari

The Odaan Restaurant & Lounge is a new addi­tion to the burgeoning restaurant scene on the Bansbari road (the road from Narayangopal Chowk that leads to Budhanilkantha). They cater to the growing populations of the otherwise quiet neighborhood of Bansbari, Golfutar, Chapali, Bud­hanilkantha and other areas in proximity.

Coming back to Odaan, it is a multi-cuisine restau­rant and lounge that serves breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner and drinks. Chinese, Continental, Tibetan, American, Indian and Nepali dishes are offered on the extended menu that includes everything an empty tummy would want—from “Aaloo Choyela” to “Thai Chicken with Basil”; “Pork Thukpa” to “American Chopsuey”; and “Maharaja Non-Vege­tarian Thali” to “Pepper Chicken Sizzler”—all under one artistic roof.

 THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Dhido Thakali Thali Set

- Tibetan Cuisine

- Pepper Chicken Sizzler

Opening hours: 11 am - 9:30 pm

Location: Bansbari Road, Ktm

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 3,000

Reservations: 01-4374939

Celebrating women and girls

This Saturday female-headed bands including Nattu with 11.11 NST, Mental Radio, Space, Faithom, and Somiya Baraily are coming together to celebrate women. The Butterfly Effect, organized by Sangeet Pathshala in association with Dristi Nepal, is bringing together musi­cians, celebrities, key personnel, and the general public to celebrate women and raise awareness to end gender-based violence. “With so much press about violence against women and children and with the #MeToo and #HearMeToo campaigns we felt the time was right to hold such an event,” explains Bijay Khadka, founder of Sangeet Pathshala. “We do this out of respect for women and children,” he says.

The concert will also feature Samriddhi Rai, Didi Bahini, and Superfuzz, and is the celebration phase of a bigger project to raise awareness through the contribu­tions of celebrated figures from different sectors, and, post-event, to bring skills development to women in need through the management of Dristi Nepal, an NGO working with women affected by the use of drugs and HIV/AIDS.

Aside from great music, the whole event will be inclusive and fun! The audi­ence can participate by dropping their suggestions for anti-violence against women slogans (via Sangeet Pathsha­la’s FB page). The winners will have their slogans printed on tote bags and receive gift hampers. Hampers will also be distributed on the day to lucky mem­bers of the audience. But you have to be there to win! Other souvenirs to take home include a photo booth set up to take selfies. And if you want something more permanent, Inkasm will be offering small, female-power inspired tattoos at the event, and for a few days after, for Rs 3,000. Profits from the tattoos will be given to Dristi Nepal.

The event at Tangalwood, Kathmandu, from from 3 pm onward, is free. Sup­ported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF Nepal), The Annapurna Express is the media partner for the event and proudly supports gen­der equality and equity.

Grow your own greens using hydroponics

Are you one of those folks who like gardening but do not have enough time to tend to your plants? Or someone who is not home often and have to ask someone to water them? Then you would per­haps be interested in hydroponics, which lets you tend to your plant just once a fortnight. Using this technol­ogy you can easily grow fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and cucumber. Hydroponics is a method of grow­ing plants without soil, using only mineral nutrient solutions in water. Terrestrial plants are grown in high-tech tunnels or pipes with only their roots exposed to the mineral solu­tion, or the roots may be supported by an inert medium such as coco peat (coconut powder) or gravel.

 Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, using only mineral nutrient solutions in water

Ganesh Kumar Pandey, who start­ed hydroponics (‘soil-less farming’) in Nepal with his Hydroponics Nepal Private Limited, hopes that “the new generation can use this technology to grow their own vegetables on their rooftops.”

With rapid urbanization of Kathmandu and with land getting increasingly scarcer and expensive, hydroponics assures best use of gar­dening space. “Using hydroponics you can get the same yield in 5,400 square feet of land that you would get in 27,000 square feet of agricul­tural land,” Pandey says.

The initial investment may seem a touch high for some. For example, to install the system over a 400 square feet of land, Rs 50,000-75,000 has to be spent on pump, timer, sub­mersible pump, high-tech tunnel, containers and nutrients. But small hydroponics systems can be installed with initial investment of as little as Rs 20,000. If you plan on installing the system yourself, a knowledge­able technician would cost you Rs 1,500 a day. Pandey argues that this is good investment in long term because once installed, you only pay for nutrients and electricity (to keep the water running) for the next 15 years. Also, 400 square feet of land, if used strategically, “can easily feed a family of six round the year”.

There are other benefits too. The plants do not contract soil-borne dis­eases. In more traditional farming, a great deal of human and non-human resources as well as time are used up nurturing plants. Hydroponics, in addition to requiring less time from you, also ensures no bugs or dirt. Pandey says that vegetables grown this way taste better and stay fresh for longer, compared to those available in the market. As the plants do not have to compete for nutrients with other plants and can get nutri­ents as and when they want, they are healthier as well.

But there are some downsides too. This automatic system requires electricity for the water to run and with the power-cuts that Nepalis (still) experience, one has to have a generator to ensure smooth growth of plants. “Due to the presence of some chemicals in the nutrients, it is also only 80 percent organic,” Pan­dey informs. Moreover, the plants require controlled lights and tem­perature. Pandey assures that they are still developing the technology and in due course the system would be made even more efficient.

Pandey says that despite the gov­ernment showing some interest in the beginning, there has been no initiative to promote hydroponics in Nepal. As the nutrients for hydro­ponics have to be imported, their cost is as high as Rs 400 a kg. “If only the government made the nutrients tax-free, it would be of great help for our cause!” he says. Not everyone who is interested can afford it, thus if a banking system were available where one could pay for the system in installments, Pandey adds, per­haps more would be encouraged to take up hydroponics.

Despite all these challenges, Pandey says the company gets around 50 requests a day from people who want to learn about hydroponics. He plans on starting a training program for them in the next two months.