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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.

They huddle by the front door, with big bags on their backs and cracking jokes, as they get ready to rush on their bikes. They are preparing to deliver food loaded onto their large bags, often unaware of the barrage of difficulties that await them. This is the view at the Naxal central office of Foodmandu, an online food delivery service, at 5 pm on a recent evening.

The recent surge in online activity means that deliverymen—and right now they are all men—are more occupied than ever. But the work lives of these people, who deliver everything from cooked pizzas to raw potatoes, have gotten little attention.

The life of a deliveryman is by no means easy, especially with the unpredictable weather, terrible traffic and bad mapping of Kathmandu. And some customers can be downright nasty.

Ramesh Lama, who works at Foodmandu from 5 pm to 9 pm, constantly deals with these issues and yet he has learned to enjoy them as challenges to be overcome. “Figuring out the right location is half the battle won,” he says. “Often, the location may not be accessible on a vehicle, or it may be a confusing road, or worst, the customer may have changed the location and not updated.”

Unpredictable traffic and foul air of Kathmandu are other daily difficulties. Om Prakash Karki, who works for Daraz Nepal, an online retailer, says traffic sometimes delays deliveries. “Even though everyone is aware of these challenges, both our employers as well as our customers hold us responsible if we cannot sometimes deliver on time,” he says.

Talking about the customers, the experience of dealing with them can be immensely gratifying to very unpleasant.

Abishek Suwal, who also works for Daraz Nepal, speaks of the gratification that comes with feeling valued and respected, when a customer recognizes their effort. But, says Sagun Thapa, another deliveryman associated with Foodmandu, “At times customers treat us condescendingly. They try to demean our jobs and mock our financial status.”

“Some customers treat us as if we are their household helpers or somehow inferior to them,” he says.

There are also instances when customers have argued with Thapa for a little change. “One time, the bill was Rs 3,113, and the customer refused to pay Rs 13. It is sad that we have to squabble over the billed amount.”

These deliverymen like to have a smile on their face, even as they are aware that every new assignment is a new challenge. According to those this correspondent talked to, all they seek from their customers is a little respect for their work, for “no work is big or small”. 

 Around 300 bikers and pillion riders, all dressed and deked out, gathered at the Tangalwood premises on September 29 for The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride’s Nepal edition. A global event to combat the stereotype of men on motorcycles, and to connect the global motor­cycle communities, the ride which started in 2012 is now helping raise funds for men’s mental health programs and for prostate cancer research through its new official charity partner—The Movember Foundation.

Founded in Sydney, Australia by Mark Hawwa, The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride this year was conducted a day later on Sept 30 in over 650 cities worldwide. Taking part were 120,000 distinguished gentlefolk donning their dapper clothes and riding their vintage motorcycles.

The Nepal chapter of the DGR was hosted jointly by Tangalwood Events and RS Moto and saw men and women, both locals as well as expats, take part with great zeal.

 It’s not often Nepal sees interna­tional bands coming specifically for a small, one-day festival. It’s even less often we see a woman on bass who literally rocks the stage. This is what happened last Satur­day, Sept 29, during the Kathmandu Blues & Roots Festival.A psychedelic/rock/blues band from Austin, Texas, The Well were the only band of the day that got the crowd on its feet. Performing their own originals, they describe their influences as early metal, the likes of Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and 90’s bands such as Nirvana, The Melvins and Sleep. Jason Sullivan, drums, and Ian Graham, guitar and vocals, shared “Our music genre is in the seed stage. When we started it was incredible small, with mainly older, and only a handful of younger, bands. And then it just took off and we are kind of popular within the genre now because we have been there forever.”

I asked them how a band from Austin ended up at a Blues festival in Kathmandu. “We were playing in Chicago with a band called Midnight Wolf from Dallas. Kiran Byanjankar, who has an entertainment company in Chicago, came to see Wolf, saw us and asked if we would like to come to Nepal. We spoke to him just that one time and a year later it went into motion,” says Sullivan.

With only a few days in Nepal, The Well was keen to see as much as possible of the country and cul­ture. Just as well, (no pun intended!) as prior to playing at the Blues & Roots Festival, The Well were thrown headfirst into the Nepali music scene when they took the stage in Butwal along with Kathmandu’s Shree 3 and local Butwal band, Rock Gene. “They had a really cool setup there, the sound was crazy awesome,” says Lisa Alley, bass and vocals. “Every­one was stoked and wanted to take photos with us, and the environment was really comfortable for the audi­ence and us.”

So, aside from Butwal, have they managed to see anything else of the country? “This is our first time to Asia and we have seen Butwal and every little place in between there and Kathmandu! We have also seen the Indra Jatra festival, the chariot, which was impressive, and masked dancers. This is what I came for,” says Sullivan. “Aesthetically Nepal is beautiful everywhere you look. They have an eye for shape and colour and architecture… even the way the trucks are decorated. It’s like a car­nival,” says Sullivan.

“We visited Lumbini. It is awesome that Buddha was born there. We also eat a lot of local food, learned how to eat with our hands, and saw buf­falo brains being served at Satish’s house,” says Alley. (Satish Sthapit, Newaz, is a founder of the Blues & Roots Festival.)

Why such a short time in Nepal? “We are going straight from Kath­mandu to Rome for the start of a month-long European tour from October 3 to 28. We are hitting it hard right now as we have our third album coming out with Riding Easy Records. We just finished record­ing and mixing right before we left (for Nepal),” says Alley. “It's always nice to get out there and remind people you exist before releasing another album. In February we will tour the US to coincide with the album launch.” Back at the Blues & Roots Festival, I caught up with Kiran Byanjankar whose company Tarang Entertainment both hosted The Well and sponsored the Blues & Roots festival this year. “We are based in Chicago and showcase events for the Nepali diaspora.

Our motto is “let’s have fun”. If our involvement in the Blues and Roots Festival goes well this year, we will continue to be involved and help the festival grow,” he says. The crowd at this year’s festival certainly had fun so here’s to seeing Kiran, Satish and the rest of the gang bringing us more cool music in the future !