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What is one of your weird quirks?
Monisha: I keep touching my hair.

Monika: I’d keep breaking my nails and could never grow them long enough.

Describe yourself in three words.

Monisha: Sweet, naïve, caring.

Monika: Optimistic, spontaneous, chill.

One fashion faux pas you have been guilty of committing?

Monisha: Wearing too much of everything.

Monika: Over-accessorizing, trying out everything at once.

Would you rather speak every language in the world or talk to animals?

Monisha: I would rather talk to animals and birds, especially marine creatures. It would be awesome to get to know more about them.

Monika: Both options are equally cool but talking to animals would be an amazing experience.

Who would you want to be stranded with on a deserted island?

Monisha: I’d enjoy strolling on the beach under the open sky, watching stars at night. I’d definitely like spending time in nature by myself, a free soul.

Monika: Chris Hemsworth.

If money was not a problem, what would you do all day?

Monisha: I think a world without money would be amazing.

Monika: See all the wonders of the world.

Have you ever tried something you are bad at?

Monisha: Singing. I am bad at it but I love singing.

Monika: Maybe acting.
If you could change one thing about your looks, what would it be?

Monisha: I love the way I am and I’ve never liked the idea of physical change through plastic surgery or the like.

Monika: I love every part of myself, but I sure want to be taller.

Online shopping or shopping at a store?

Monisha: Being a shopaholic, it’s definitely shopping in stores. There were times when we were broke but went window shopping and regretted when we found something we couldn’t buy.

Monika: Shopping in stores but during this pandemic, online shopping is better.

What is one styling advice you would give to others? 

Monisha: Following a trend isn’t a must. What you feel good while wearing defines your personality. You can still explore fashion and styling to find out what’s your thing.

Monika: Follow trends but at the same time being yourself is never out of style and way cooler.

In 2019 the Town of Oyster Bay in New York State honored Arjun Prasad Mainali, a Nepali-American, recognizing his contribution as a serial blood donor. It even established December 22—the anniversary of the first successful transfusion of human blood—as the World Blood Donor Arjun Mainali Day.

The 52-year-old Mainali has donated blood in rich and poor countries alike after first spending many years in Nepal encouraging blood donation.

Altogether, as of this writing, he has donated blood 186 times (whole blood 126 times and platelets 60 times) and volunteered and helped organize countless blood donation programs in past 33 years. “The volume of blood I have donated amounts to 93 liters, which can save 558 lives,” he says. Mainali has already visited 17 countries across six continents to donate blood and promote blood donation.

In 2014, he donated whole blood six times and platelets 13 times, in what was a world record for the year.

Mainali’s blood-donation journey started on 20 August 1987, when he donated for the first time at Bishal Bazaar, Kathmandu. While he was in college in 1986, there was a chapter in his course book named ‘The Blood Donor’ featuring an American who saved lives by donating his blood. “I was inspired, and when I learned of an ongoing blood donation program organized by Lions Club, I too donated blood for the first time,” he explains.

After that, he became a regular donor, and a blood-donation activist. At first, his immediate family and relatives tried to dissuade him from donating, because they feared he would get physically weak (which was a bogus fear, as he later discovered). Yet he was undeterred.

He felt it necessary to encourage blood donation in Nepal when he saw a person fearing to donate blood even to his wife. “I then started spreading awareness on blood donation all over Nepal with the help of other donors. And it is something I have been doing for over three decades,” he says.

“We formed the Nepal Blood Donors Club in 1990, which is now known as the Blood Donors Association of Nepal,” Mainali remembers. On 5 December 1990, the association even conducted an all-Nepal cycle tour to spread awareness.

In the same year, recognizing his contribution to blood donation, Leo Club’s central office gave him the responsibility of leading its Blood Donation Committee. The rest, as they say, is history.

In the first phase of the Covid-19 lockdown in Nepal, he coordinated with Nepali blood donors to meet blood scarcity and sent Rs 50,000 for the cause. “We managed to collect around 7,000 pints of blood at the time,” he recalls. These days, he even gives prize money for well-known and dedicated blood donors across Nepal.

In the late 1980s, donating blood was a new idea in Nepal. “We tried to spread awareness and persuade people to give blood. Gradually, the number of donors increased,” he says. Mainali is thus one of the pioneers of blood donation in Nepal.

After his initiation on blood donation in Nepal, Mainali’s dedication to donation continued after he reached America in 2000. “We have conducted blood donation programs in 14 American states under my initiative,” he says. In 2009, Mainali established the Blood Donors of America and, in 2014, the International Nepalese Blood Donors.

Traveling to different countries is both costly (he bears the cost out of his own pocket) and tiresome, yet the cause is worth it, he says.

He remembers the days he traveled to Africa to educate people there about blood donation. He had to borrow $2000 from his office as he was short of money at the time. Even today, Mainali says he spends all his income from an insurance company on blood donation-related activities and it is his wife who runs the family.

Mainali has run blood-donation campaigns around the world, “having spent over Rs 10 million for the cause”.

For his contribution, Mainali has gotten numerous awards in Nepal, Africa, and America. Mainali estimates his efforts have contributed to educating over 200,000 people on the importance of blood donation, among whom 15,000 ended up donating blood.

Though he has founded some organizations, he says there is no self-interest involved. “I am not directly involved in running any of them,” he asserts.

He urges people to donate blood at least once a year. “What better day to do it than on your birthday?” he asks.

Texting or talking?

Definitely talking. The emotions that are attached to our voices are important for proper communication.

Would you trade intelligence for looks or looks for intelligence?

- Without a doubt, looks for intelligence. Looks are temporary and subjective and can never surpass the power of intelligence.

Does your family have a spoken or unspoken “motto”?

- Unspoken but definitely: “Fortune favors the brave and the diligent.”

If you were ruler of your own country what would be the first law you would introduce?

Free education for all. I am a strong proponent of meritocracy and believe all children should have equal opportunities to learn and grow through a well-planned, non-reiterative, and practical educational system.

If you could join any past or present music group, which would it be?

I was a big fan of Guns N’ Roses during my high school days. I used to play guitar in high school bands. So I definitely would love to have been a part of this legendary group.

Who is the most intelligent person you know?

For me, intelligence is not just about business acumen. For me, an intelligent person is one with balanced life, in terms of family, ambition, and self. Many everyday people fall in this category and I aspire to be one as well.

If you had to describe yourself as an animal, which animal would you pick?

The lion has been my spirit animal from a very young age (Borderline obsession… haha). So definitely the majestic and powerful lion.

What's the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love?

I must have done many crazy things in the name of love, but some things are better kept for yourself. 

What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?

I’m a practical guy, so I would have: A desalination device for water, a khukuri, and a flint.

If everyone in the world had to get married when they reached a certain age, what would that age be?

Marriage should always be a conscious and free-willed choice of the two individuals. So I think putting a number to it is futile as long as the couple are willing and have freely decided to tie the knot.

In the early 1920s, young Asta Narayan Manandhar got to ride a bicycle that belonged to a Rana aristocrat, for the very first time. Bicycles were very rare at the time and only a handful of them were seen on the streets of Kathmandu, almost all belonging to the ruling class. In his excitement, Asta Narayan crashed the bicycle and broke his leg.

The accident did not quash Asta Narayan’s enthusiasm for bicycles though. They would definitely sell in Nepal, he thought and began exploring their import. When he learned that he could buy bicycles in Calcutta (now Kolkata), he left immediately, and returned with six units of British-made Hercules bicycles. Hence in 1925 began the “Pancha Narayan Asta Narayan” store on the ground floor of his own home at Ason Kamalachhi, making it the first-ever cycle shop in Nepal.

At around Rs 100 a piece, the bicycles he brought were quite expensive for the time. But Kathmandu’s government officials and merchant class soon took to riding, sparking a bicycle culture in Nepal. As business became brisk and imports more frequent, in 1934 the firm also started selling Raleigh bicycles. And bicycles became a family business for the Manandhars.

Asta Narayan’s son Tirtha Manandhar took over the firm in the 1950s, by which time bicycles had become an important mode of conveyance in the city. There was a major shift in ownership as commoners also started getting bicycles for regular use.

The “Pancha Narayan Asta Narayan” firm saw yet another generation at the helm of the business in the 1970s when Asta’s grandson, Tri Ratna Manandhar, took over the family business. He would see it flourish as in the capital as well as other parts of Nepal.

Tri Ratna, who had a degree in mechanical engineering from Poland, set about changing the business model. He first renamed the firm “Pancha Asta Narayan Cycle” as the previous name was too long. Tri Ratna was collaborating with India’s largest-selling Hero Bicycles and planned on setting up a factory to produce bicycles in Nepal. Unfortunately, his plans had to be shelved when he died in a motorbike accident in 1982. Other members of the family continued the business, but not with the same vision and enthusiasm of Tri Ratna.

Bikes to motorbikes

Then came the 1990s when the change in the political system also brought changes to the country’s socio-economic environment. With rapid infrastructure development and people’s growing need for faster mobility, bicycles gave way to motorbikes, cars, and public vehicles. The demand for bicycles started dwindling and Kathmandu’s streets were soon filled with motor-vehicles instead.

“The business was hit really hard then,” recalls Tirek Manandhar (37), the fourth-generation owner of the original “Pancha Narayan Asta Narayan” store who got into the business from 2000 and shortened the name to “Panc Bikes.” Tirek, also a mechanical engineering graduate from IOE, Pulchowk, was about to leave the country to pursue his career abroad before he decided to give the family business a chance.

“First, I thought of diversifying our imports,” Tirek says. “There are generally seven categories of bicycles and from 1925 to 1990, we were only importing category one, and had just about started importing category two.” The categories, Tirek explains, are city road bikes (Rs 7,000-20,000), hybrid offroad bikes (Rs 12,000-30,000), casual mountain bikes (Rs 25,000-30,000), cross-country bikes (Rs 50,000+), trail bikes (Rs 100,000+), enduro bikes (Rs 250,000+), and downhill bikes (Rs 350,000 and above.)

“Back then, only tourists bought a bike above category two. I started importing category three and four and that changed our market altogether,” Tirek says. From people using bicycles only to commute, the Panc Bikes had penetrated the market for recreational and fitness enthusiasts. Now the demand for casual mountain bikes, cross-country and trail bikes are extremely high, with many users also upgrading to higher categories.

The reformed store not only sold bicycles in wholesale and retail markets, but also started organizing bicycle tours around the city to promote bike culture. Tirek himself is a cycling activist and is associated with many organizations promoting it in Kathmandu. With many international cities now becoming more and more bicycle-friendly, Tirek and his fellow enthusiasts believe a strong bike culture in Kathmandu will greatly reduce the city’s traffic and pollution. Also, if bicycling is promoted all over the country, the country’s dependence on imported fuel will decrease.

Tirek understood changing customer demands and market dynamics, which he addressed by introducing new services besides import and sell. “We now have exchange schemes that let people upgrade their bicycles. They can bring their old bikes to us and go home with a brand new one,” he says. The exchange scheme has attracted a great number of customers already, he informs. Also, commercial banks have started issuing easy loans to purchase bicycles, payable through EMI, which in turn is motivating people to opt for higher-end bicycles.

Not just business

But even as bicycle culture tries to gain a foothold in Kathmandu, lack of infrastructure and policies hinder its growth, Tirek complains. “It’s not only about my business but about people and society as a whole. A city that cycles is healthy. Our government, as well as private organizations, need to address this.” Apart from infrastructure development, organizations can motivate more people to cycle to work by giving them incentives, Tirek suggests.

Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to maintain social distance and avoid public vehicles, as well as to exercise for greater immunity, resulting in a rocketing demand for bicycles. The same is true in Nepal, Tirek explains. “Many people have bought bicycles in this period to exercise, for recreational purposes, and to avoid public transport,” he says. “We are already in short supply, especially of categories three and four bikes. Our suppliers have put us on a waiting list of six to seven months.”

Despite the surge in demand, Tirek fears this might be a temporary phenomenon. “When full traffic resumes, the roads will be too crowded and people might have other things to do. But I sincerely hope that more and more people take up cycling, be it for commuting or recreation,” he says. He adds that the growth of his business is inextricably tied to the growth of a healthy Nepali society.