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Gulmi: Locals are flocking to play ‘Charkhe Ping’, which has started to disappear. Malika Rural Municipality-6, Khadak Chhatra Temple has seen the attraction of locals in the ‘Charkhe Ping’ installed in the Mahanawami fare. Lately the ‘pings’ made of wood have started disappearing. Iron ‘pings’ are often used in fairs and festivals. Tika Khatri, a local youth of Malika, said that wooden ‘Charke Ping’ has been kept at this place continuously for 6 years. Khatri said that 50 rupees per person will be charged for ‘ping’.

Bishal KC, executive director, Career Point Education Services Pvt Ltd, believes youngsters need to be nurtured to live up to their potential. Nepal Teen Leaders (NTL), an exclusive student-centric year-long program designed for teenage students, aims to hone them into smart, talented, and creative individuals. The goal of the program is to ensure the students have bright futures. KC says fostering young people’s development helps build future leaders and the nation, which is why he is so keen on it. Career Point Education Services Pvt Ltd is basically an educational consultancy for higher studies. NTL, an initiation of the consultancy, was started in 2018 and is currently in its fourth year. From choosing the right career to developing their personalities and improving their social skills, NTL focuses on many different aspects of career-building. KC believes good communication skills help people make better decisions and develop an analytical viewpoint. Thus, working on public speaking and communication skills is an important part of the program. Additionally, the program brings in experts from different fields under whose mentorship or guidance the students get to learn. To be eligible for the program, the candidates must have cleared grade 11 or equivalent level and should show an avid interest in working on pressing social issues. [caption id="attachment_32179" align="alignnone" width="300"] Bishal KC[/caption] The program, which is KC’s brainchild, came out of his desire to work towards a better tomorrow. This, he says, can only happen if the new generation is exposed to new things and opportunities and are able to compete in this fast-paced world. For that, one needs to be focused and confident and that’s where NTL comes in. “I did my schooling in Nuwakot and I didn’t have a lot of opportunities and facilities. I realize the importance of them now, of how it can shape one’s life,” he says. He moved to Kathmandu to pursue higher education and later on got involved in politics. He became a member of the US Embassy Youth Council and that’s when he felt driven by the need to start his own project that could help other students like him. “I thought even if I could impact the lives of say 10 students, I would have done something good,” he says. But nothing of consequence can be done overnight. KC’s goal was to establish a platform that would help shape students' futures but a lot of things needed to be worked out for that. KC faced a lot of challenges. From sponsorship to branding issues, it was a struggle to give form to NTL. The initial budget, of Rs 500,000, was a meager amount but KC persevered and NTL is where it is today. Educative director of Career Point Shiva Danai says they are committed to contributing to the society by preparing teenagers to be the best versions of themselves. Danai feels there’s a gap between what we are taught in classrooms and its practical application in daily life. NTL aspires to bridge that gap. Besides training students, NTL also holds various awareness programs. They did the ‘No Tax on Pad’ and ‘No, Not Again’ (a campaign asking not to repeat old faces in politics). [caption id="attachment_32180" align="alignnone" width="300"] Shiva Danai[/caption] The good thing is that it’s the students who organize these campaigns. They also do career fests, set up libraries in schools that need them, and plan other similar events. This, KC says, allows them to learn through practice as well as work on their networking skills. Sahil Das Kushwaha, a member of NTL’s first batch, says NTL gave him the opportunity to do things he wouldn’t normally get to do. It also made him confident and gave him a chance to meet people from different walks of life. Similarly, Chetana Shrestha, who was a part of the second batch, says it was a great experience, one that helped her enhance her skills and discover some hidden talents as well. Shishir Marasaini, NTL third batch member, agrees with her. He says he has realized being creative fuels confidence. It also makes you curious and thus knowledgeable, he adds. Students today generally follow trends. They are largely driven by peer-pressure. This makes them unable to form solid opinions and ideas. Their minds are always changing. KC believes the right guidance can help them be true to who they are and thus able to make better decisions. “Parents and teachers only focus on academics. Good scores are all that matters for them. But along with academic success, creativity and skills are equally important in life. The sooner we all realize this the better,” says KC.

The election season is nigh and as in any elections political parties and independent candidates are expected to unveil their election manifestos to the public. Election manifestos help voters make informed choices about which candidates to pick. In this context, Anushka Nepal from ApEx asked 10 voters what they would like to see in the manifestos. Syed Aman Ahmed, 21 One thing that Nepal really needs right now is specialists and experts working with the government, be it on environmental issues, road safety, health sector, or managing stray street animals, particularly in the context of a city like Kathmandu.  Political parties as well as independent candidates should collaborate with people specializing in different areas of work to fix the problems concerning governance, to make the public service smooth. Imagine, our leaders taking suggestions from the experts to move forward with their development plan and vision for Nepal. Now that would be a real good progress.  Sarita Dev, 35 There are three things I really want the manifestos to include: resolving the problem of water scarcity, job opportunities, and youth participation in development works.  I would like to vote for the side that has a clear plan about dealing with these issues.   We all know that water supply is a big issue in Kathmandu and many households are struggling because of it.  Secondly, there should be job opportunities at home so that our youths will not have to move out of the country. How will the country develop if the entire working force is leaving the country?  We need more job opportunities to keep our youth population, engage them in development works.  Muna Uprety, 48 What I would really like to see is candidates willing to make our society women friendly. Everyday, we come across a lot of cases where women are still discriminated against in our society. We as a society are to blame for treating women unfairly.  We need leaders who actually are serious about making our society women friendly. We have had enough lip service.  I know a gender-equal society cannot be achieved overnight, but we need to at least start somewhere.  I also want to see the inclusion of animal rights and their preservation in election manifestos. No one should tolerate animal cruelty and mistreatment. So it would be nice to see the parties and candidates who intend to create an animal-friendly society.  Pradip Dahal, 37 Since I come from a legal background, one thing I would really like to see is a candidate willing to make amendments to some of our laws that are vague. I feel like these laws issued in the name of protecting people’s rights are instead meant for controlling human behavior.  We lag far behind when it comes to progressive laws, rules and regulations, from cyber to environmental protection laws.  What I am mainly looking for in a manifesto for the upcoming election is the promise to enact more progressive laws. I also expect the manifesto to include ways to improve the current economy of Nepal. One way to do that is by promoting local production and export.  Shraddha Verma, 26 I have seen that many leaders and candidates talk about infrastructure development. But there is hardly anyone who has focused on human development.  We really need someone who is willing to work to improve the life of women and children. There have been some parties and candidates who have promised to work for the betterment of women in the past. But in the case of children, there are none.  There are many cases that need urgent attention. You can see children in a pathetic state in city streets and child labor is rampant everywhere..  Having a candidate or a party willing to work in that sector is something I am looking forward to in this election.   Sita Ghimire, 45 I am hoping to see candidates who are willing to increase women’s participation in state agencies.  What I personally feel is that corruption is way less in places where there are more women working. There may not have been any research on this matter, but this is my opinion based on many years of observation.  Increasing women participation is also a way to empower them. We really need that right now.  The other problem I see in Nepal currently is the practice of vague laws that have nothing to do with law and order. It is high time such laws were amended.  Ranbir Poddar, 37 Historically, election manifestos have been mainly about promises of road and bridges networks and water pipelines. But I believe there are other aspects that parties and candidates need to look into as well.  For instance, we need a manifesto outlining the ways to create a safer business environment. Right now, every businessperson in Nepal is hanging by a thread. This is the result of the current taxation system and constrained export opportunities.  We need someone who is willing to make necessary tax and customs adjustments, so that the businesses in Nepal can flourish.  We also need ways to increase our export capacity to support our failing economy. Sneha Pandey, 21 I am a voter from Gulmi and one of the major issues in my district is the underdeveloped health sector and lack of employment opportunity.  We need someone who is willing to improve the health sector. There are very few health posts in Gulmi and people are suffering. I want to see at least one candidate mention about improving the health sector in my district. Lack of job opportunities is another big issue. Many people are moving to urban areas for employment. We need the elected representatives to work on creating local job opportunities. Doing so will help the economy of the district as well.  We need a candidate who really knows and cares for Gulmi.  Bhadra Kumari Bastakoti, 53 One thing that hurts me the most is the children and beggars I see on the street. I work in a restaurant in Boudha and outside I can see many people just asking for money from passersby so that they can buy food. This is because they are unemployed and need to survive one way or the other.  We need someone who sees this as an issue and creates job opportunities for them. Yes, some of them are people with disabilities and might not be able to do certain types of work. But it is the responsibility of the state to help them.  Jaya Pratap Ale Magar, 45 There are a lot of promises we hear from political parties and candidates during election time. We vote for them but they rarely deliver on those promises. This election, I want to see the parties and candidates including only those promises in their manifestos that can actually be achieved.  The candidates need to know what their area needs. For this, they have to know about their communities and neighborhoods to get a transparent picture of the place of their candidacy.  They need to put their efforts into creating a manifesto with issues that can actually be built or fixed. People are fed up with false assurances from their candidates. Maybe this time, only mention those works that they can execute. 

Avinash Narayanaswamy, founder of the start-up Green Law, is an environmentalist, philanthropist, former assistant professor, and social volunteer. He was selected as one of 172 people to participate in the 2041 Climate Force Antarctica Expedition dedicated to climate change and sustainability leadership. At present, Narayanaswamy is on a quest to promote the concept of a sustainable lifestyle with ‘Bio-diesel Odyssey 2022’. He is on a car journey to promote sustainable practices using fuel that is eco-friendly. The trip is sponsored by Aris Bioenergy, a company that provides renewable solutions and helps generate biodiesel from used cooking oil. Accompanying him is 23-year-old Aakankash NM who is a product designer by profession, besides being a student and a social volunteer as well. NM is on the same mission as Narayanaswamy. During the expedition they will cover three countries (India, Nepal and Bhutan) traversing approximately 10,000 kms in 30 days. They started the expedition on August 24 from Bangalore, flagged off by a member of the Indian parliament, Tejasvi Surya. Kathmandu was one of the many stop points. This isn’t his first expedition. He has previously traveled across Europe and South India as well. “This time, we crossed international borders with a car running on self-made fuel. This fuel is supposed to be eco-friendly,” says Narayanaswamy. The main objective of the mission is to promote a sustainable lifestyle and it’s mainly targeted towards youth so they don’t repeat the many mistakes (like deforestation, burning of fossil fuels, etc.) the generation before them made. The purpose of the expedition is to show you can have as little impact as possible on the planet if you are conscious of your actions. Narayanaswamy tries to live as sustainable a life as possible. Besides operating his car with self-made biodiesel, he’s into rainwater harvesting, has rooftop solar setups at his home, composts kitchen waste, rides an electric two-wheeler charged by the rooftop solar, and is involved in tree plantation drives, and solid waste management practices. “Nobody can live a completely sustainable life with zero impact. But you have to start somewhere. Reducing consumption, I believe, is a great way to begin your journey towards a sustainable lifestyle. And it’s very doable,” he says. He gives an example of his own vegetarian to vegan transition journey. He slowly cut dairy products from his diet to become vegan until it felt like the most natural thing to do. “You can’t make big changes overnight. But taking small, easy steps and working on one thing at a time can ultimately bring about the change you want,” he adds. Narayanaswamy’s fascination and dedication with leading an eco-friendly lifestyle goes way back. He got a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering, Bengaluru in 2004. In 2006, he started working for a multinational company that produces paints. Paint industry creates a lot of pollution and Narayanaswamy witnessed that when working for one. That’s when he realized he wanted to do something that didn’t negatively impact the environment. “I thought that it was the correct time to switch to doing something closer to my heart,” he says. Rampant cutting of trees in Bangalore was also another trigger point for him. So, he went to The Netherlands to do his masters in Sustainable Energy Technology in 2009 which he followed up with a second masters in Environmental and Energy Management from the University of Twente in 2015. He has been working in the field of biodiesel for a decade. Transesterification is a chemical reaction used for the conversion of triglycerides (fats) contained in oils (feedstocks) into usable biodiesel. Biodiesel produced by transesterification has a much lower viscosity, making it capable of replacing diesel in diesel engines. “What I have done is nothing innovative but there is a modification in the technique,” he says. Whatever waste he generates in the process of making biodiesel, he converts it into other products like herbal floor cleaners and soaps. Green Law, thus, strongly emphasizes the concept of circular economy. “Climate change isn’t a myth as people would like to believe. It’s a reality and I experienced it when I was in Antarctica,” says Narayanaswamy. He witnessed animal migration, warmer waters, and also rainfall. It almost never rains in Antarctica but it happened for the first time when Narayanaswamy was there. “Climate change is going to cause havoc on our planet unless we do something about it. Our mission highlights how you can live sustainably to help save the planet,” he says.