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The price of chyangra goats whose meat is considered a delicacy, especially during Dashain, has gone up in Mustang due to the closure of the Nepal-China border.

According to locals, the price of goats that have been brought to Mustang district headquarters this year from Upper Mustang and Dolpa is around 25 percent over the quoted price in the past few years.

During the pre-corona days, around 25,000 chyangra goats were brought to Josmsom to be sent to different parts of the country for their meat. But now only 13,000 goats have come to Jomsom, locals say.

“We couldn’t bring goats from Tibet due to Covid-19,” says Lopsang Chhomphel Bista, chair of Lo-ghekar Damodar Kunda Rural Municipality. Bista says that around 7,000 goats came from his area, and 2,000 from Baragung Muktichhetra Rural Municipality. Likewise, around 3,000 goats came from Dolpa.

With the price hike, the price of chyangra goat meat is expected to go up in cities like Kathmandu.

A research project that was to excavate some areas in Mustang district to look for human remains has been halted due to protests from residents.

The research team has decided to halt the excavation, mapping, photography, and documentation work in Lomanthang for now, says Subhadra Bhattarai, undersecretary at the Department of Archaeology.

The decision comes after a meeting between the officials, local representatives and the residents of the area failed to make headway on the issue, says Bhattarai. The residents believe that their gods will get angry if the area is excavated and for this reason, they don’t want us to continue the project, she adds. The official says whatever materials were recovered from the area have been handed over to the local government and all the dug pits have been refilled.

During the meeting, local residents said that the mound that was being excavated was home to their gods and if the gods became angry, the area could face hailstorms that in turn could damage crops.

A team of local and international experts arrived in Lomanthang earlier this month after receiving the necessary permits from the department, the Ministry of Home Affairs and local police. They dug the area for 10 days.

But the local government representatives say that they weren’t informed about the excavation work.

Nepal Teen Leaders, a group of teenagers, has performed a flash mob—‘Mahinawariko Mulya’—against the ‘luxury tax’ on mensturational products at Basantapur, Kathmandu on October 6. The street show included theme-related songs, dances, and drama.

“The one-hour program was successfully conducted as there were more spectators than we expected”, says Bishal KC, coordinator of the event.

Also read: What if… sanitary pads were made free?

Since the Nepali market has unofficially hiked the price of sanitary pads, different groups and activists are requesting the government to waive off the taxes on mensturational products.

Different other organizations—Career Point Education Pvt. Ltd., We Newars, Little Sisters Fund, Lions Club of Kathmandu Matribhumi, and Leo Club of Kathmandu Matribhum supported the event.

Four years ago, when the poster of the ‘Rudane: Bidroha ko Nepali nam’ was made public, it was highly appreciated, not only because it would be a movie based on the life of Rup Chandra Bista, the promoter of the Thaha movement, but also because of actor Divyadev’s looks.

But the film got stuck for various reasons and could not start its shooting on time. Meanwhile, there were rumors that film production would not be completed. After four years, the film’s teaser has been made public, and like the poster, it has gotten a lot of attention. 

The movie is co-written and directed by Amit Kishor Subedi and Vikas Dhakal. Alongside Divyadev, Namrata Shrestha, Ravi Giri, Subhash Gajurel and Amar Subedi are in the lead roles.