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An Armed Police Force Constable has been sentenced to life in prison for murdering an Assistant Sub-Inspector. A single bench of District Judge Nabin Kumar Joshi sentenced APF Police Constable Home Bahadur Khatri (39) to life imprisonment on Monday. He had murdered ASI Satya Narayan Yadav (45) working at the Border Outpost (BOP) of the Armed Police Force in Mohanpur, Chinnamasta Rural Municipality-3. A single bench of District Judge Shyam Bihari Morya on November 8 passed the order to send him to jail. The Court on Monday sentenced the convict to life in prison and slapped a fine of Rs 300,000. The Court also issued the verdict to deposit Rs 200, 000 in the Relief Fund. ASI Yadav of Naraha, Bhagwanpur Rural Municipality-2, Siraha District and Khatri of Khijidemba Rural Municipality-2, Okhaldhunga were stationed at the Border Outpost in Mohanpur, Chinnamasta Rural Municipality-3. During the interrogation, Khatri admitted that he killed Yadav on October 5. Khatri said that he attacked Yadav with a stick on his head under the influence of alcohol. The body was Yadav was found in a river at Jiroga Punarbas in Madhubani district, India. The deceased family members said that others are also involved in the murder. Khatri was nabbed on October 12, a week after the body was recovered.    

Neelam Karki Niharika is a well-known Nepali novelist whose books mostly reflect on feminism and the reality of women in Nepali society. She wrote her first book ‘Maun Jeevan’ in 1994. Some of her other notable works are ‘Beli’, ‘Hawaan’, ‘Yogmaya’, and ‘Cheerharan’, for which she won the Padmashree Sahitya Puraskar in 2016. Anushka Nepal from ApEx talked to Karki to know more about her journey in the field of Nepali literature. How has your experience as a writer been so far? Although I have been a writer for a long time, I think I still have a lot to learn. If I were to talk about my experience, I would like to mention the day of my first book launch in 1994. Back then, I had no idea what a book launch would be like. So the first ever book launch I experienced was my own. It was a surreal moment for me. Since then, I have been trying to live up to the name (and fame) I have earned as a writer. What inspires you to write? If you have read a few of my writings, you will notice that most of my books portray the reality of women in Nepali society. Being a woman, I draw inspiration from the struggles, hardships, and discrimination most women are facing in our society. It was never intentional though. While trying to write something that I could feel connected to, I ended up writing books that are mostly related to feminism. So, to sum it up, women and their experiences, including my own, are what inspire me to write. Are there any authors or novels that mean a lot to you?  I have been inspired by every Nepali writer to be very honest, because reading others’ writings is always a good way to motivate myself to work on my own books. If I have to be specific, I think the first thing I ever read, which was ‘Muna Madan’ by Laxmi Prasad Devkota, was something that made me interested in the field of writing. Some credit also goes to the works of Parijat, BP Koirala, Bhanwani Bhikchu, Bhupi Sherchan, and Dhurba Chandra Gautam as well. Their writings are exceptional and I aspire to follow in their footsteps. Do you have a list of favorite books you will never get tired of reading?  There are a few actually, and the first one is definitely ‘Sumnima’ by BP Koirala. I have always been a fan of his works, but Sumnima will always be on top. Similarly, there are few other works in the list of my all-time favorites. They are ‘Madhabi’ by Madan Mani Dixit, ‘Shirish Ko Phool’ by Parijat, ‘Jyoti Jyoti Mahajyoti’ by Daulat Bikram Bista, and ‘Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manche’ by Bhupi Sherchan. I would recommend these writings to anyone who is thinking of starting their reading (or writing) journey in Nepali literature. Is there a particular book of yours that you are more attached to? More than the book, I’m attached to the characters. As a woman, I can relate to the pain and trauma that most of the characters in the book go through. For instance, even after finishing my book ‘Draupadi Avashesh’, I would still feel like I was carrying a part of Draupadi within me. It is the same with other books like ‘Cheerharan’ and ‘Yogmaya’. It takes me some time to let go of those characters and move on. What advice would you like to give to someone who wants to become a published author?  Never be in a hurry to become a published author. Share your work with friends, or someone who will be able to give you feedback on what you’ve written. It’s so easy to share your work through email these days. Getting feedback will help you become a better writer.  It’s easy to take those feedbacks and criticism negatively, but it’s important to analyze what the criticism is about, learn to accept your weaknesses, and work on improving them. I would also suggest that you stick to topics you are most comfortable writing about, and read as much as you can on those topics.  

A 60-year-old man died after being attacked by a rhino in Ratnanagar Municipality-9, Chitwan on Tuesday. Information Officer at the Chitwan National Park Ganesh Prasad Tiwari said that the deceased has been identified as Chandra Bahadur Tamang. The rhino attacked Tamang near Lalparsa area of Ratnanagar at around 6 this morning. So far, five persons lost their lives in wild animals’ attacks in the current fiscal year in Chitwan district.

The Gyalpo Lhosar, the cultural festival of the Sherpa community, that falls on the Shukla Pratipada in the Nepali month of Falgun is being marked today by organizing different programs. The festival is observed as the New Year by the Sherpa community who primarily reside in the mountainous region of Nepal. But the festival is marked in 22 districts in the country. The festival is celebrated with gaiety and much fun from the Shukla Pratipada to Purnima. This festival is also celebrated by Mahayan Buddhists as their New Year. This festival has been observed since the time of the ninth king of Bhot Uday Gungyal. The festival is also termed as Gyalbo Lhosar, according to researcher Tika Sherpa. On this occasion, people of the Sherpa community clean up their houses and villages, sources of water and flutter new prayer flags on the roof of their houses. They cook delicacies such as Guthuk and Khapse and exchange best wishes with each other to welcome the New Year. The Gurung community marks its New Year on Paush 15 as the Tamu Lhosar while the Tamang community observes it as Sonam Lhosar on the day of Magh Shukla Pratipada.