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The Department of Immigration, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, has recently issued a 13-point travel advisory along with a six-point procedure for individuals traveling abroad on visit and tourist visas. The issuance of the travel advisory was prompted by increasing reports of Nepali citizens falling prey to fraudulent activities while traveling on visit visas.

According to the Director and Information Officer of the Department, Prem Prasad Dahal, the newly introduced advisory and procedures are effective from today. The advisory explicitly states that seeking employment abroad while holding a visit or tourist visa is illegal. Engaging in such activities may lead to legal repercussions in the host country and cause various complications.

The advisory also clarifies that individuals are personally accountable for any consequences resulting from the submission of forged documents, providing false information, visiting a country not permitted by the visa, entering conflict zones, or joining foreign armed or military forces while abroad on a tourist or visit visa.

Likewise, the department has issued a cautionary note regarding the susceptibility of women to be tempted by intermediaries into traveling to labor destination countries such as Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain on visit visa, persuading them to convert their visas into working ones, charging exorbitant fees and coercing them into precarious and indent labor conditions in collaboration with employers.

The Department has urged one and all to not pursue a foreign travel on the visit visa with the aim of working as it may push once into unorganized and precarious jobs, depriving social security. It has encouraged citizens to seek a foreign job on just a working visa after obtaining a labor permit from the government.

Those Nepalis going to various countries on these visas have been urged to return to their home country within the visa expiry date in other circumstances except for unusual conditions, as some Nepali travelers going to several countries on visit and tourist visas are found not returning on the stipulated date.

They have been asked to depart for foreign countries by making a self-declaration that they will return home on the stipulated date since the person concerned would be responsible for any situation resulting from overstaying the visa.  They have also been urged to set out on the visit after keeping general information regarding the language, culture and laws of the destination country.

"You might land in trouble if you work illegally in a foreign country after enrolling in a university listed with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, but not studying in the university. Adopt additional precaution if you are visiting with the intention of enrolling in foreign university and working there through various middle persons even when carrying a study visa in recent days, as study and work are separate matters," reads the travel advisory.

Those carrying visit and tourist visas have been requested to travel only via Nepal's airports, to do so only by taking the NOC Letter and, in the case of women, to adopt additional precaution and alert while travelling to third countries through airports in India.

People have been urged to ask for the authentic papers of the licensed institution before making the payment if any institution has sought money with the assurance of sending them to foreign country by taking a labour permit. Similarly, people are advised to not give money if any education consultancy, travel agency or any person has asked for money with the assurance of sending on foreign employment.

People have been urged to inform the Department of Foreign Employment or the nearest police station or dial Nepal Police at 100, if they suspect that they are being conned.

People have been urged to only pay the minimum amount fixed by the government to the licensed institution sending them on foreign employment and take the receipt of the same, and not to believe in false assurances as there is no provision for agents.

The travel advisory states that getting recruited in the army or armed groups of any country is completely illegal and against the national interest, except in the case of the Indian Army and the British Army by taking approval from the Government of Nepal. People have been urged to not be involved in such activities under any circumstances as it is difficult to also rescue the people carrying out such acts.

There were days when Chepangs used to hunt bats, and it was a tradition in winter for all Chepang relatives to gather around and feast on tasty barbecued bats. I can romanticize the feast with flowery words. Sadly, many bat species around the world are vulnerable or endangered due to the loss of habitat, food, or roosts, pollution, disease, hunting, and killing.

The Chepangs, the most marginalized indigenous community of Nepal, have a special connection with bats (known as Chamero in Nepali) and Chiuri trees. According to their traditional stories, each of these three—Chepangs, bats, and Chiuri trees—depends on the other for survival.

Firstly, Chiuri trees are important for Chepangs because they provide things like butter, timber (wood for building), and fuelwood (for cooking and heating). The Chepangs take care of these trees, ensuring they thrive. On the other hand, bats play a crucial role in this ecosystem. They help Chiuri trees by pollinating their flowers, which is necessary for the trees to produce more Chiuri fruits.

Besides that, bats are also a part of Chepangs’ diet, serving as a traditional delicacy. It’s like a circle of dependency. Chiuri trees support the Chepangs, Chepangs take care of the trees, and bats contribute to the health of the Chiuri trees while also being a source of food for the Chepangs. This interdependence has likely developed over generations and is deeply rooted in the cultural and ecological practices of the Chepang community.

The Chepangs have a meaningful tradition where they gift a Chiuri tree during their daughter’s marriage, symbolizing their strong connection with the forests and a commitment to conservation. This tradition reflects their view of the Chiuri trees as vital resources, and they care for these trees like they take care of their children. Every part of the Chiuri tree is valuable to them, from its fruit and wood to its leaves and seeds.

They use the leaves ingeniously, turning them into makeshift bowls and plates. The forest of Chiuri trees also creates a suitable environment for beekeeping, leading to honey production that contributes to their income diversification.

However, in the present, the bats are gone, and the Chiuri trees are disappearing. This loss leaves many Chepangs without the support system of Chiuri and Chamero. Now, the question arises, how are the 84,366 Chepangs across 26 districts (as per the 2021 Nepal census) surviving without these essential elements?

My first experience with Chepangs is not one I can glorify. On a chilly January morning, a half-naked man was fishing in the Trishuli River, near Sital Bazar in Malekhu. I inquired about him, and the answer was ‘poor little Chepang.’ After finishing my SLC exam, I was ordered to go to Sital Bazar of Dhading to develop some property, which later became our home. I have interacted with many Chepangs, poor and malnourished, who were exploited by the ‘civilized’ Sahujis of the ‘developed’ area. I have a huge sympathy for them not only because many Chepang men and women have helped my mother survive in Sital Bazar but also because I feel that they were and still are cheated by the ‘civilized’ Sahujis and the system.

Chepangs were originally nomads and, with no knowledge of the land registration system, were forced to become landless farmers or slash-and-burn farmers. Their original land in the Mahabharat sub-Himalayan belt is now either with the government or inside protected areas or community forests.

Tagging the Chepang people only with Chamero and Chiuri is not fair to their vast knowledge of the forest. They have depended enormously on forest resources for food, fodder, fiber, medicine, housing, and various other needs. A close look into the traditional food culture of Chepang communities shows that wild edible and underutilized plant species play a special and important role in their food security. Further, it shows their enormous dependency on rich natural resources, especially forests.

One noteworthy work I have seen about Chepang knowledge is ‘Chepang Food Culture: Contribution of Wild Edible and Neglected Plant Species’ by Prakash Limbu and Keshab Thapa of LI-BIRD. In that 12-year-old book, the writers describe their relationship with some 30 natural resources.

In one chapter, they describe the use of Bharlang (Intoxicating yam-Dioscorea hispida Dennst) as follows: Though the tubers are poisonous, they are used as vegetables after detoxification of the poisonous chemicals during food deficit times. The rind of the tuber is removed, cut into thin slices, and then boiled for one or two hours, changing the water three to four times. Then, they are kept for about 20-24 hours in a flowing stream to remove the poisonous chemicals.

The writers Prakash Limbu and Keshab Thapa further say that before consumption, a slice is tasted by an expert, and then they are consumed as a staple food or made into vegetables. Due to the poisonous effects, these tubers are mostly used for preparing the local alcoholic drink. The process shows their hardships.

So, we must stop romanticizing their hard life. Instead, we need to document their knowledge and make it intersect with ‘scientific’ knowledge. The federal, provincial, and municipal authorities need to invest in practical and business-oriented knowledge so that the future of Chepang children is good and secure. Romanticizing their hardships will lead to further marginalization of the Chepang people and their knowledge.

The author is a UK-based R&D chef

Martyrs Week celebrations have been kicked off from today in memory of those martyrs who died during various political movements in the country.

In this connection, a program was held at the memorial to Sukraraj Shashtri at Pachali of Teku in Kathmandu where Shastri was executed by hanging from a tree during the then Rana regime for his fight for democracy.

Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Sunita Dangol offered a garland and laid wreaths on the statue of Shashtri on the occasion.

Dangol said that Shastri, who was interested in literature along with political movements, had made unforgettable contributions for the liberty of people.

Recalling that many people had sacrificed their lives for political freedom from the Rana autocracy, she said many people attained martyrdom in political movements while striving for democracy.

Martyrs' Day is observed on the 16th of Magh every year in Nepal in commemoration of martyrs Shukraraj Shastri, Dharma Bhakta Mathema, Dashrath Chand and Ganga Lal Shestha who were executed by the Rana rulers on different dates in the month of Magh in 1997 BS for rebelling against the autocratic Rana oligarchy.

Various programs including memorial assemblies are organized weeklong to pay tributes to the freedom fighters.

The National Examinations Board this year has decided to conduct the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) and public its results in accordance with the Letter Grading Directive 2078 BS.

The Board has scheduled the SEE for the year 2080 BS from upcoming March 28 to April 9.

Board Chair Dr Mahashram Sharma said the grade 10 students this year will be sitting for the SEE as per the new curriculum and results will be published based on the Letter Grading Directives 2078 BS.

As per the new system, each SEE student is required to obtain 35 in theory in 100 full marks subject to be qualified for pursuing higher studies. Any student failing to secure above 35 in theory will not be eligible for getting enrolled in class 11 and will find the result under the non-Graded category.

In such a situation, the chance exams for two subjects will be allowed three times.

A total of 489,000 students, both regular and towards grade improvement, will be appearing for the SEE, according Nandalal Paudel, SEE Examinations Controller.

Grading system has been already implemented in the exams of grade 11 and 12. The Board has intensified the preparations for the SEE.

The printing of question papers, preparations of other logistics and fixations for examination centers are the parts of the preparations, it is said.