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This week we saw Dibesh Pokharel come runner-up in American Idol. So hands up who had heard of him before Monday, May 18?

I’ve been following American Idol this season but I forget the first time I saw Pokharel, or Arthur Gunn as he calls himself. I think I saw something on YouTube before the event aired here. That was a video of his first audition with the judges. They were blown away! I was also so blown away I made damn sure my TV was tuned to Star World at 9.15 pm every night. Meantime, I widely advertised Arthur Gunn on my FB page but no one responded really. I was quite surprised that none of my Nepali musician friends seemed interested or aware that there was a Nepali guy taking part in American Idol. 

I got replies like “I don’t watch reality shows” and “must be a cover singer”. Actually he is a singer songwriter but at the age of 22, how many songs could he have written? Anyway, only one friend, Abhishek S Mishra, of ASM and Spirit X fame, had anything to say. Mishra is also host of a radio show that features musicians from all genres. He had interviewed Arthur Gunn long before American Idol got hold of him. So yes, he knew him. Later I learned I had ‘missed’ gigs in past years when Pokharel returned to Nepal for a visit. I’m usually up to date with the music scene here, so obviously, no one had ‘talked’ about this amazing artist to alert me at that time either.

Meantime, Star World, in its—several times a night—promotion of American Idol was using over and over again the clip of Arthur Gunn walking into his first audition where he Namastes the judges. Was India more excited then than we were? I could not turn on the TV without seeing his face. And yet no one I knew was interested. With Covid-19 the format for the show changed and there was a lack of episodes to fill the time slots. So the same episodes were repeated maybe for three weeks. Still only one local friend, currently stranded in India, showed any interest. She is now a firm fan.

Then, according to much of what I’m reading this week, Arthur Gunn came from nowhere and reached runner up position in American Idol. Suddenly every Nepali media is writing about him. Where were they when he was beginning his journey?

I have seen this before. Take Prabal Gurung. This, now American, fashion designer, attended St Xavier’s School and other institutes here before moving to New York, via Delhi.  Today we know him as fashion designer to those such as Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton. I attended an event a couple of years ago where Gurung was a guest speaker.  He acknowledged his Nepali roots, but did Nepal ever acknowledge him before he became successful?

I’ve also seen this ‘leg pulling’ throughout society.  Let’s clarify: leg pulling in the UK means you are playing a joke on someone—such as saying they have a ink mark on their face, where there is none. In Nepal, it seems to mean pulling someone down, holding them back, or ridiculing them in their attempt to achieve something positive. I’m not entirely sure why this is so—jealousy? 

So, anyway, yes celebrate the fact that a Nepali is runner up in American Idol and will probably go on to be rich and famous. But do not pretend you wished him well earlier.

APEX continues its dialogue with members of the general public to get a sense of how the Covid-19 lockdown is changing their lives. This week, we talk to nine working professionals to find out how they are adapting in their work. 

Unaware people grave risk

Ashika Maleku Shrestha, 32 

Quality Assurance Officer, HLE Nepal 

I see many people are still unaware about Covid-19 and are not following preventive measures. Thus I will prefer to work from home even if the lockdown is lifted. If I must go to the office, I would make changes such as using online logs instead of thumb logs, ordering online, keeping social distance among colleagues, and using sanitizer or hand wash from time to time. 

Not meeting, calling 

Pankaj Gyawali, 29 

Banker, NIC ASIA 

Though the whole country is under lockdown, as a banking professional, I need to go to my office regularly. But things are not the same anymore. Interaction with customers and other staffers rarely happens now. All conversations are done via the phone. I used to visit branch offices to learn about what they were doing, or if they needed support. Now I make phone calls and suggest they maintain social distance. Even if the lockdown is lifted, there will be significant changes in how we work and provide banking services. 

Internet the way out

Mamata Manandhar, 36

Assistant Manager, ACE Institute of Management

Even if my office opens right away, I would still prefer working from home until the corona crisis is completely over. I work in administration. That means I have to work closely with both students and other faculties, which in turn puts my health at risk. As all students and associates have internet at home, there would be no difficulty in conducting classes or in regular work. However, if I have to go to office, I would try to maintain social distance and take other precautions. 

Hunger deadlier than virus

Hari Prasad Gautam, 45 

Teacher, Swarnim School 

I have to go to work if the school opens. Most people in Nepal cannot survive without work. Hunger will kill more people than the virus. The decisions of my family members, school administration, students and their guardians determine what I do. However, even if I go to work, I would take preventive measures such as maintaining social distance, using masks and hand sanitizers, and taking along homemade tiffin.  

Going only when necessary 

Sneha Tamrakar, 23  

Communication and Documentation Officer, YUWA 

If I have to go to work, I’d be careful about distancing between coworkers, hand washing, food sources, and contact. I would prefer online meetings to physical ones. I would work from home and maybe go to office only when necessary. One thing the lockdown has taught us is that a lot of our work can be done from home. 

Restructuring work 

Jahn Shrestha, 31 

Data Analyst, Dibyajyoti Groups 

I would rather stay and work from home, as my work is not hampered that way. Companies should learn from this crisis that work should be project-based. They should change their HR policies and try innovative ways. Working from home is beneficial for the office as well, as it reduces the burden on them to manage resources. I work in a closed group, which involves a lot of human interaction. If I have go to the office, I will try to restructure my work. 

Honing my skills 

Abhisekh Shakya, 23 

Chef 

In this lockdown, I am home making various dishes and honing my culinary skills. But I have to go back to work after the lockdown. As I am in the hospitality sector, my job is service-oriented. This exposes me to many people. However, due to the pandemic, I must be cautious as this virus spreads quickly. Therefore I will take necessary precautions.

Avoiding public vehicles

Anish Shakha, 24 

Sports Photographer 

My work is out on the field, and I have to be back on the field when the lockdown is lifted. But I will avoid crowded areas. I will take preventive measures before going out, and I will ride my own bike instead of using a public vehicle. I will also make sure I use disposable gloves and masks. Another important thing, every time I get home from work, I will wash my hands and face. Each time, I will also clean my camera and its accessories. 

Productive even during crisis

Radha Shakya, 33 

Senior Loan Assistant, Shree Laligurans Multipurpose Co-operative Ltd 

I’ve been going to office even during the lockdown. I am taking various precautionary measures at work such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and using sanitizers. I also maintain social distance with other staffers. I’m glad that even at a time of crisis like this I can work and be productive. 

Last week as Europe commemorated VE Day (Victory in Europe, the end of WWII) there were comparisons made between then and now. The one we have all read being: parents and grandparents were asked to go to war to save the country, whereas we are asked to stay at home to achieve the same.

This has turned my mind back to the days of the conflict in Nepal and how folks coped everyday. I spent the first half of the conflict years in Bardia. I first met Maoists while on a shopping trip to Nepalganj in 1998. At that time they were posing as police and collecting money, supposedly for police widows and orphans. I saw them again a few days later when they came door-to-door for collections and revealed who they were. I know tourist groups rafting the Karnali also came into contact with Maoists and no doubt had to make a donation also. But really, at that point, the conflict didn’t interfere with day-to-day life in Bardia too much.

I moved to Kathmandu in 2000 and fell into a crowd of folk well known in their fields and who knew much more about what was happening in the hinterland than I did. And so I personally became more aware, but still there was little impact in Kathmandu. The June 1 massacre was the turning point for many. It was after then that Kathmandu saw curfews and more tension. I remember in those days I had an old-fashioned large black umbrella and was conscious walking past army checkpoints that they might mistake it for a rifle!  

But overall, those of us in Kathmandu took everything in our stride. Curfew?  No problem. Long load-shedding? No problem. Maoists bussing in cadets from outside the Valley? An interesting turn of events, but no problem. Yes, things were tense but we didn’t complain too much. In those days we did not have Facebook or other social media. We had Nepal Television and Nepal Radio!

News travelled more slowly, or not at all. We just kind of got on with it, yet were aware that when we opened the newspaper there would be news of battles and death between the two sides in the conflict.   

So why is it so hard for us to stay at home during this pandemic? Is it because the virus is something we cannot see? But then we in Kathmandu did not see fighting in the streets during the conflict years. Is it because we have access to news and reports and feel ‘this doesn’t apply to me’? Or is it that life has changed so much in the past 15 years that we are no longer as connected as we once were to a more fundamental way of life?

The modern fast-paced life came late to Kathmandu. The advent of cable television and widely available internet have shown just how far behind we were to some other countries. City folks have stepped away from their agricultural past, wanting something more financially fulfilling. I saw a similar phenomena in Singapore. I lived there less than 30 years after its founding and those in their 20s and 30s wanted to put any connection with their parents’ or grandparents’ kampong (village) as far from them as possible. Has that happened in Kathmandu? Do we now want to forget our roots and concentrate on building higher apartment blocks, glamorous nightclubs, more luxurious hotels, etc? And at what price? We saw how during this lockdown air pollution reduced and the mountains rose again.

While other countries are making plans for coming out of the lockdown to include a more environment friendly approach to city life, we saw what happened on Day One of a reduced lockdown in Kathmandu! Are our memories that short? Are we no longer able to take any hardship? Not going to war but simply having to stay home—has this now become a major suffering for us?

Please note I am not talking about daily wage earners here, who are subject to extreme hardship at the moment. I’m talking about us sitting in our comfortable homes, ordering food and drinks online and bitterly complaining that this is going on ‘too long’. WWII went on for six years, the conflict in Nepal for 10.  Surely we can manage a month or three at home. Then build business and towns back up. With priority to the environment and social equity.

Two weeks into the lockdown I was looking around for a reliable produce delivery service.  Sure, one of the larger supermarket chains was delivering but judging by the comments I read online, it was pretty hard to get a delivery slot with them. And this was before some of the other chains started their delivery programs. I stumbled across Kathmandu Organics by accident but when I asked around, a few friends said they had used them pre-lockdown and found them pretty good. Sorted!

So far I have had three deliveries of organic vegetables, fruits, and some other hard-to-get things such as flaxseed oil, Moringa powder, chuk amilo, and real strawberry jam. More recently Kathmandu Organics have gone into cooperation with Bro Bakery so have added croissants and multigrain bread to their product list. And did I mention they also sell Himalayan cow and yak cheese? And of course a great selection of rice, pulses, seeds and nuts from around the country. So impressed have I been with their organic-based product list and quick services I decided to find out a bit more.

Kathmandu Organics was established by Bhuwan and Nisha KC in early 2017 as a trendsetting online food store. Providing a marketplace for local, organic, and handmade products from Nepal, they collaborate with cooperatives, farmers, and entrepreneurs in 30 districts to create a sustainable value-change for their products. So successful is their online store that in February 2020 they opened a shop in front of the Police Headquarters in Naxal. 

Naturally, when lockdown came into force Kathmandu Organics was well placed with its online system to start delivering. “We stared delivering from the third day of the lockdown,” says Bhuwan, “but it wasn’t easy.”  Between the opening of their shop in February and the lockdown they were selling fresh vegetables on a trial basis. With the lockdown came unprecedented demand for these fresh, organic veggies. “Lockdown has been a learning curve. Perishable items were new for us but now we understand these items and our preparation system is much better than it was a few weeks ago,” says Bhuwan. New items added since the lockdown have been bakery items, and herbs and plants. And the list keeps growing.

What I like most are the apples from different mountain districts, always a bit tricky to get at the best of times. Beetroot and carrots are another favorite of mine! Along with their range of dried items—dal, rice, pulses, millet etc, there is Himalayan pink salt, different types of honey, including Cliff Honey (which they also export to Dubai), homemade achaars, ghee, Rainbow Trout, free range (frozen) chicken, and the basic vegetables such as tomatoes, cabbage, onions, and so on. 

You just have to take a look at their list of products! Naturally the list changes week by week since it is now harder to get products from further afield, but they also work with farmers around the Kathmandu Valley, so there is always something fresh in stock. I asked what was the most popular item and was told Ilam cow ghee, which is from their own dairy in Illam. Also very popular, particularly at the moment, is homemade frozen momos made from atta flour with a special recipe of Nepali spice.

Do remember that organic fruit and vegetables may not have the glossy, symmetrical appearance of non-organic produce. But neither do they have the chemicals that keep those apples rosy looking for weeks. In actual fact, now in supermarkets in the UK they offer a range of ‘wonky’ fruit and vegetables. These fruits and veggies are normally tossed aside because they don’t conform to our standards of beauty. The ‘wonky’ (and yes they are given that name) produce looks exactly as fruit and vegetables looked when I was young, and how it looks coming from Nepali farms. And if you find an insect or two in your Nepali produce, its proof it really is organic. 

Visit the Kathmandu Organic website at https://www.kathmanduorganics.com/ to see what is available.  For prompt services, order on Messenger.  Deliveries 24 to 48 hours later.