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Today, the Tamang people live mostly along the Nepal-Tibetan border. They still suffer from a legacy of decades of marginal­ization from Kathmandu. To make matters worse, the Tamang people of Langtang Valley were among the hardest hit by the April 2015 earthquake. Apart from losing many loved ones, the Tamang people of Langtang Valley do not even have proper homes to live in. Life is made more difficult due to inadequate access to healthcare, work, tech­nology and schools. The young ones are moving to Kathmandu for work, leaving an aged population behind. The Tamangs of Langtang are truly a dying breed.

In late February, I set out with my colleague, Victoria Garcia, to the town of Mundu in Langtang Valley to talk to the Tamang people to better understand their hardships.

When we got there, we realized that the biggest problem was not any one of the issues previously mentioned, but rather what all these issues together produced: a loss of hope.

As we came to understand their issues and culture better, we thought of some action that can be taken to revive their lives again. First, we must reinforce these mod­ern buildings with their traditional architecture, and in return, con­tribute to preserving the Tamang culture. We must also teach them the skills necessary to build back their communities and find gainful employment.

Further, we must encourage the younger generation to return from Kathmandu to help, as the elders of villages like Mundu cannot do this alone. Moreover, one major aspect of rebuilding the resilience of this area and culture is the development of tourism. Before the earthquake, Langtang Valley was considered Nepal’s third main trekking site; now the industry is suffering in this area. Proper shel­ters must be built to house trekkers and awareness raised to revitalize this area and open it back to Nepal and to the world.

The Tamangs are as much a part of Nepal as any other people. They have a shared history and have con­tributed to the identity of Nepal as we know it. Nepal needs them as much as they need Nepal. The preservation of Tamang culture can begin with Mundu’s revitalization.

by Sudin KC

Washington, D.C. : Two stone sculptures dating back around 800 years that were sto­len from Nepal and taken to the United States will be repatriated, according to an agreement between officials of the two countries. An agree­ment to this effect was sighed between Daniel H. Weiss, Pres­ident of the New York-based Metropolitan Museum of Art and Consul General of Nepal in New York Madhu Marasini, amid a program in New York. Handing over stolen sculptures to their original owner follows the museum policy of not exhib­iting stolen arts. RSS

Kathmandu: Veteran Indian writer of Nepali descent Indra Bahadur Rai passed away in his home town of Darjeeling on Tuesday. He was 90. Rais is considered one of the most erudite and acclaimed writers in the Nepali language. In a career spanning almost seven decades, Rai authored over a dozen books in sev­eral genres including novels, short stories, essays and literary criticism.

There’s a Carnival Today, a trans­lation of Rai’s novel Aaja Ramita Chha, was launched in Kathmandu last year. Long Night of Storm, a translation of 16 stories picked from Rai’s two short story collections—Bipana Katipaya and Kathastha—was launched here last week. The novel and the short story collection were translated by writers Manjushree Thapa and Prawin Adhikari respec­tively.

Kathmandu College of Management hosted its 14th annual Intercollege Music Competition (ICMC) at the Jawlakhel grounds last week. Organized and managed by the students of KCM, ICMC opens doors to all music enthu­siasts in Nepal. The event is primarily aimed at providing young and energetic music enthusiasts a platform to exhibit their musical talent and enhancing inter­action among educational institutions in Nepal.The Grand Finale of the ICM held on March 24 saw 10 bands of different genres (selected from preliminary rounds) per­forming for the judges as well as a huge audience. Popular Nepali bands Jind­abaad, Tumbleweed, Screaming Mari­onette and Underside also performed as guest bands to enthrall the audience while the scores and votes of the partici­pants were being calculated.

Blue Skin, Famous Last Wishes and Chihaan won the first, second and third prizes, respectively, while the surprising entry Shree Kali—a Nepali folk ensem­ble—won the Crowds’ Favorite award. Similarly, the talented metal outfit Of Quite Echoes (whom we feature in a story) took home the Judges’ favorite award. APEX BUREAU