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According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, homelessness is the state of having no home. Unlike the common perception, it is also true that not all homeless people need help with food, clothes, and shelter. “We for our part help those struggling to meet their basic needs and who are living on streets and public places,” says Suman Bartaula, Secretary, Manab Sewa Ashram, the preeminent NGO working for the rehabilitation of the homeless in Nepal.

The ashram, established in 2012 in Hetauda, currently serves 15 districts across all seven provinces. Its Samakhusi branch in Kathmandu has, according to Bartaula, tried to rescue as many people living in streets and public places of the national capital as it can. Yet not all of them want to be ‘rescued’ or to lead a confined existence.

The people who actually need institutional help are those who have no homes, no ones to look after them, and those who suffer from various mental and physical ailments. “They are our primary concern. We rescue them as soon as we hear of them and find them,” adds Bartaula.

Another group is comprised of those who have been homeless for long and even enjoy their status. They are mostly men aged 16-40 and they mainly engage in begging or menial work picking plastic. Some are addicted to drugs and alcohol. “We try to rescue them too, but in most cases, they don’t want to be looked after. They often run away. That is why we are now focusing on the truly needy ones,” he informs.

Bartaula’s claim was verified by two people found in the Pashupatinath Temple area on a recent day. Rabindra Karki, 45, doesn’t know where he was born. He has been living in Pashupati area collecting garbage for 24 years. He sleeps anywhere he likes, mostly in the open with little to keep him warm. The ashram had tried to shelter him too. But Karki didn’t like it there. “That life was suffocating,” he says.

Similarly, sleeping under the open sky in the Pashupati area is Krishna Bahadur Karki, 36. Born in Kavre, he came to Pashupati after his father and siblings died and his mother abandoned him. He too had been taken in by an organization. “What I need is not rescue but a job. I don’t want to depend on anyone,” he says. Karki hopes to land a job when the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic die down.

Bartaula of the ashram says, eventually, everyone needs help. The people who are willingly homeless are not living healthy lives, and their physical and mental health deteriorate with time. They need help thereafter. “Of course, we are always there if they ever need our help,” Bartaula says.

Among those the Kathmandu branch of the ashram caters to are mostly women, the elderly, those with mental problems, orphans, and children abandoned by their parents.

“Homelessness is a vicious cycle,” argues Ishwor Man Dangol, Spokesperson, of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. “You rescue one person and another homeless person has already come to the street. So you can only manage homelessness, not do away with it entirely.”

Kathmandu Metropolitan City in 2017 came up with a plan to relocate the willing homeless of Kathmandu to the ashram and started a campaign to make Kathmandu “homeless-free”. “Of the 1,400 homeless people identified by the campaign in the previous fiscal year, we reunited 300 with their families,” informs Dangol.

The ashram currently shelters 1,068 people of the 4,907 it has rescued thus far. Out of those rescued, 1,513 were reunited with the families, 1,950 were re-established in their communities, while 376 died. Of those currently in its Kathmandu shelter, 357 are women (age 16-40), 352 are men, 271 are senior citizens, and 98 are children.

Bartaula claims that currently there must be only 1,000-1,500 homeless people in the entire country who need help but have not received it. And the ashram is making a renewed effort to reach even these few left behind.

“Presently our National Rescue Program team is on a Mechi-Mahakali tour and it has already rescued 350 people,” he informs.  

The ashram rents five houses in Kathmandu to look after the homeless and is planning to add more with government help. The KMC is helping the ashram on this.

Most Kathmanduites complained of having strange sensations on January 4, Monday. On the unusually dark and foggy day, social media was filled with people’s woes about a burning sensation in their eyes. Some also reported breathing difficulties and experienced symptoms typical of dust allergies even though they had never left their homes that day.

It was only 4:45 in the evening and this scribe had to drive home with his lights on. The visibility was abysmal.

That evening, Laxmi Maharjan, a septuagenarian, was sitting at his grocery store in Dhapasi with a concerned look on his face. The usually busy store was completely empty and under layers of clothing and sporting a big mask, its owner looked like he was prepared to climb a mountain. “I have seen many winters and experienced all kinds of fogs, mists and storms. But this is nothing like them. This is scary,” he says.

Like Maharjan, most people in the area had an agitated countenance as they looked around, trying to find the source of the thick smog that was creeping into their homes. The vegetable stands and street hawkers in inner roads had deserted their posts early, adding to the gloominess of the environment. The few people who remained on the street speculated that the smoke could be coming from a wildfire in the jungles on the valley’s outskirts while others complained of people burning garbage somewhere in the neighborhood.

Kathmandu saw a record level of air pollution on the day, with some places crossing the Air Quality Index (AQI) of 600 at one point. In the process, it became the most polluted city in the world, beating New Delhi and Dhaka for the top spot.

According to measurements at the US Embassy measuring station at Phohara Durbar, that day, the index was above 500 from 10pm to 5am; it had fallen to 480 at 7 am the next day. Internationally, an AQI between 101-150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. AQI of 301 or higher is considered hazardous, which puts everyone at risk, and the state is generally held responsible of enforcing a public health emergency. (Reference: The US Environmental Protection Agency.)

A provision in Kathmandu Valley’s Air Pollution Management Action Plan allows the authorities to declare a public health emergency when AQI readings exceed 300. But, in this case, the government decided to do sit idle, even as the health and wellbeing of millions were on the line. The city’s air quality got better in the following days, yet environmentalists and health professionals continued to warn of severe consequences.

Health hazards

Dr. Anup Bastola, chief consultant for tropical medicine at the Ministry of Health and Population, is concerned about the adverse impact of low-quality air on general population. “The chemicals in the polluted air could harm everyone, especially children, elderly and those with pre-existing respiratory conditions,” Bastola says. “This can induce allergies and asthma in children and will badly affect those recovering from pneumonia or similar respiratory diseases.”

As for Covid-19 patients, Bastola says that although vigilance is required, the polluted air is unlikely to have a major effect on those with the coronavirus but without respiratory problems. Things could be more complicated for patients suffering from Covid-induced pneumonia.

ENT surgeon Dr Samyam Parajuli has similar fears. The polluted air is causing various kinds of allergy-induced pharyngitis and sinusitis. In the long run, this could result in asthma, tuberculosis and even lung cancer. “Polluted air also creates occupational hazards for certain professions,” Parajuli adds. “In these situations, to mitigate the dangers, we have to avoid outdoor activities as much as possible, use masks, take steam, and do warm-water gargles.”

Bad evenings, worse mornings

Environmentalist Bhushan Tuladhar lays out possible reasons behind record-breaking air pollution in Kathmandu. “Kathmandu’s bowl-shaped geography when capped by dense clouds makes for a noxious atmosphere,” Tuladhar says. Normally, either the polluted air rises high in atmosphere and gets replaced by fresher air. Or the air’s west-to-east movement cleans Kathmandu’s air. “But as dense clouds covered Kathmandu on January 4, the polluted air could not be replaced, resulting in record levels of pollution.”

What concerns Tuladhar more is that the pollutants floating in the air that day were from Kathmandu itself. The air in the densely-populated city was already polluted, and was made truly unbreathable on the day by a few other factors. “As its peak winter, people are lighting up fires to stay warm. There is also a lot of garbage-burning happening in Kathmandu. These are new sources of air pollution,” Tuladhar says. “Along with that, I think we were also affected by wildfires in Kaski, Dhading and Langtang regions.”

The weather appears clearer at present and the AQI has been reduced to 185 (10:45, Jan 7, IQAir), yet the problem of air pollution in Kathmandu persists. A reading of 185 is still unhealthy and if the government does not intervene, the problem will get worse. Even now, the mornings are marked by heavy mist and fog, as the air thickens with pollutants. “The air is cleaner around 12- or 1 pm in the afternoon. But when the temperature drops in the evening, the unhealthy smog is back,” Tuladhar says. He also attributes this winter’s high air pollution to lack of rain.

“There are certain short term measures the government can take,” Tuladhar says. “If the government wants, it can start with a crack-down on garbage-burning. Every ward has a mechanism to do so.” Also, he adds, the vehicles that emit large amounts of toxic gases can be identified and removed from the roads immediately.

For the long run, the government has plans awaiting implementation, Tuladhar informs. “Only a month ago, the cabinet passed a work-plan on cleaning Kathmandu’s air. That plan incorporates everything from transport-related air pollution to waste management,” he says. “If it’s implemented well, Kathmandu’s air will definitely be cleaner.”

Flight risk

A pilot with a local airline, who refused to reveal his identity for professional reasons, says flying in this weather is a big risk. “Kathmandu’s airport does not have a proper device to measure visibility,” he says. “The required visibility is 1,600 meters. The control tower uses a building as a landmark to measure this. When they see the building clearly, the visibility is considered high. When they don’t it, visibility is considered low. That’s how it is being done here and that’s risky.”

Recalling a January 4 flight, the pilot narrates how his flight had to face a dense layer of smog as he tried to enter Kathmandu from above. Visibility was almost zero, he says. In these weather conditions, flying in Nepal is a big risk. But the pilots and air traffic controllers are under pressure from airline companies to keep working even in the most trying circumstances.

This time last year, we were busy drawing up a resolutions list—things we wanted to do, goals we wanted to accomplish, places we wanted to go, and changes we would like to make in our lives—determined to make 2020 better than 2019 and not let the latter bleed into the former. As desperate as we are to cut ties with 2020, pretend like it never happened, many of us have allowed it to set the theme for 2021. The lessons it has taught us are crucial.

Nayana Amatya Rajbhandari, chief operating officer at Knowledge Holding International Pvt. Ltd., says her action word for 2021 is ‘try’.

She will ‘try’ to be more flexible—with her plans, how she deals with family, and her daily work schedule. She will ‘try’ to cook more of what her family likes but also ‘try’ to spend less time doing so. She will ‘try’ to be more in the present. She will ‘try’ to be less stressed.

The past year has made her realize that while she can juggle multiple things simultaneously—home, work, children—there’s no way she can stay on top of her responsibilities all the time. The best she can do is cut herself (and others) some slack and try to be a better version of herself. 

2020 seems to have brought about a drastic shift in perspective. It has changed how we view ourselves, our lives, and the world around us. For many, resolutions this year come from lessons learnt in the past 10 months or so. And for many of these are inward-focused rather than goal or ambition driven.

There’s always a bright side

For Sunaina Saraf, co-owner at Innovations, an interior designer firm, 2020 was a year of incredible inner strength and positive energy. Most people, she says, might remember 2020 for the losses they have incurred but she’d like to think of it as a year that showed her many strengths.

“The past year has taught me to be kinder to people I work with and show more empathy,” she says adding that her one-to-one dealings with people, compared to group meetings earlier, have changed interpersonal dynamics.  

Saraf has also started seeing life a little differently. Today, she strongly believes something good can come out of every situation and she is learning to harness this powerful energy. She isn’t denying that there will definitely be fear and uncertainty in 2021 but she is ready to handle whatever new challenges the year might bring.

Ankeet Rajbhandari, who works at a life insurance company, says despite all the negativity of 2020, he too would like to focus on the positive aspects. In hindsight, the year taught him the importance of being disciplined, focusing only on what’s necessary thus letting go of little things, and the value that’s in being surrounded by family.

Don’t dwell on what you can’t change

Some people APEX contacted for this story were hesitant to talk about their 2020 experience. They felt their views and stories didn’t matter when the world was reeling under such catastrophe—with many people losing their loved ones, jobs, and simply struggling to survive. Having had the luxury to stay at home and not having to worry whether the lockdown would take away their livelihoods, they felt their issues were trivial and thus not worthy of being talked about.

But life has indeed been difficult, for all of us. In our own ways, we have suffered and felt lost as we grappled with the circumstances. Mental health issues have reared their ugly heads. Most of us have had to contemplate and rethink our priorities and goals as well.

Smriti Nepal, who lives in Sydney, Australia and has a doctoral degree, was supposed to get married in 2020. She was to spend three months hosting her beloved niece during her holidays. And her family were to be together to ring in the new year. None of these things happened. Each cancelled plan, she says, was accompanied by crushing disappointment.

“My biggest learning has been to not dwell on what I can’t change. Of course, I always knew this but 2020 gave me the opportunity to practice it. This mantra also keeps anxiety at bay,” she says.

Sneha Koirala, founder of the lifestyle brand Studio Sarcastic, says 2020 put life on hold but she also got the chance to reorganize her plans. She could finally do things she had wanted to for a long time but kept putting off for one reason or another. Turns out, all she needed was some time to gather her thoughts and courage.

Embrace change and live in the moment

What’s amazing is that despite all that 2020 has thrown our way, quite a few have managed to keep their faces to the sunshine. As trying as the year was, 2020 has taught us some invaluable lessons.

One of the biggest has been staying focused in the present and learning to take things one day at a time—which, many confessed, they didn’t do prior to the pandemic in their haste to accomplish one task or goal after another.

Pavitra Rana, program officer, FAITH, a non-profit organization working for socially marginalized and vulnerable populations, says Covid-19 might have put a halt to many of her plans but she has come to the realization that sometimes it’s okay to sit back and see how things unfold in your life rather than rushing into things just so you do them at the ‘right’ time (or as per the status quo). Keeping that in mind, she intends to let life take its course and be flexible in her approach to living in 2021.

“This year, I’d like to not be attached to anything—be it plans, dreams, or other materialistic pursuits,” she says. If there is one thing 2020 has made clear, she says, it’s that things will not always go according to your plan and you need to be okay with that.

Rajbhandari also feels 2020 has taught us to embrace change and learn to adapt to it and do so swiftly. This mentality, he believes, will help him tackle challenges more easily and efficiently this year.

One of our intrinsic flaws has been our inability to go with the flow. We plan and we expect everything to fall into place accordingly. It rarely does. And it’s never been more apparent than in 2020.

From now on, Rupam Shrestha, who works at Sipradi Trading, intends to have long term projections as well as short term goals. This, he believes, will help you to maintain focus and direction when things aren’t going as you expected them to.

Isha Karki, assistant brand manager at Rohto-Mentholatum Nepal, swears she will always have a plan B—because you never know when you might need it.

Connections and kindness

For Alok Thapa, senior radio program producer and presenter at Hits FM 91.2, the year 2020 was of prioritizing what mattered. Thapa is glad he got to spend quality time with his parents, listening to their stories of ‘old’ Kathmandu. He also connected with his neighbors—something he wishes he had done sooner.

“I think 2021 isn’t going to be any less challenging. It will still require a lot of prioritizing and patience. But after a year like 2020, I feel nothing is off limits,” says Thapa.

2020 has forced us to slow down. And in doing so, we have had the opportunity to realign our lifestyles with our values. So, taking care of one’s mental wellbeing, learning to live with less, and finding balance between home and work seemed to be the top three resolutions for the new year. The focus is more on ‘being’ than ‘having’.

A US-based Nepali medical doctor, who saw Covid-19 claim many lives, says that 2020 has made it evident that life can change in the blink of an eye and that sometimes there is nothing you can do about it. Faced with the fragility of life, you are bound to reconsider all that you believe to be true and let go of grudges. Be a little kinder than necessary, if you may, she says.

According to Nepal, the Sydney-resident who works in drug prevention/mental health research, 2020 has shed light on the importance of connection and resilience. In 2021, she hopes to be a better daughter, partner, sister, and friend. This, she says, comes from the fact that she couldn’t see many of her family and friends in the past year.

Prita Malla, mother, wife, and business analyst at Spire Energy, a public utility holding company based in Missouri, US, wants to be more mindful of her actions and live each day to the fullest while making self-care her number one priority.

“I think we have to accept that this coronavirus is here to stay and tweak our perspective of what’s ‘normal’. We must also let go of what’s not in our control and focus on things we can change. That’s the best way to move into the new year,” she concludes.

Nepal’s hotel industry, badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, is trying to recuperate and is getting ready to welcome tourists with the arrival of the Gregorian New Year. In the previous years, a big mass of tourists entered Nepal from India and other countries to celebrate New Year, making December-January one of the busiest periods for Nepali tourism.

Nepali hoteliers have adopted elaborate physical distancing and other health protocols in the hope of attracting more tourists to New Year celebration events. Hotel entrepreneurs from Pokhara, Chitwan and Kathmandu have unveiled attractive packages targeting the New Year. The star hotels Soaltee, Hyatt, Yak & Yeti and Shangri-La in Kathmandu valley are all preparing for an increased number of guests. The recent closure of Hotel Annapurna—one of the oldest five stars in the country—highlighted the vulnerability of Nepal’s hotel industry.

“Until last year, the number of foreign tourists coming to Nepal to celebrate New Year was very high,” says Vinayak Shah, senior vice-president of the Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN). Shah informs that this year hotels plan on welcoming mostly domestic tourists, with international arrivals not expected in the immediate future. Hoteliers had made similar preparations for Christmas, but the returns were not satisfactory, Shah adds.

Despite the failure of Christmas to boost their businesses much, hotel entrepreneurs are still pumped up for New Year. They have introduced multiple discount packages to cater to all types of domestic tourists. Shah hopes people who have stayed at home all through the year will come out to celebrate—on the New Year day, and weeks thereafter.

Of late, the Gregorian New Year is celebrated like a festival in all major cities of Nepal. Families have made it a custom to go out to celebrate at hotels, restaurants and picnic spots. Hence New Year is considered a lucrative time for hotels and restaurants. So despite Covid-19 destroying most business opportunities this year, the New Year is still expected to bring some respite.

“The young generation no longer fears Covid. They have started going around and they have also added to the vibrancy of night life,” says Araniko Rajbhandari, president of the Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN). Rajbhandari adds that the hotel and restaurant businesses have greatly benefitted from the withdrawal of odd/even vehicle rule. There is also more hope with almost all private and government offices coming back into operation. For restaurants, Christmas-time sales were satisfactory, Rajbhandari says, hoping the same is the case for New Year.

Rajbhandari also informs that entrepreneurs expect around 60 percent occupancy in the New Year. However, the Thamel area—the main tourist attraction in Kathmandu—remained quite deserted on Christmas Eve, making otherwise hopeful entrepreneurs a little skeptic. So REBAN has requested police administration to be more lenient to late night businesses with New Year celebrations in mind. On New Year Eve, most events and activities are conducted till late night or early next morning.