How 10 youngsters in Kathmandu are spending their shutdown days

Sajjan Sapkota, 24 

Initially, I slept for the whole afternoon and wake up in an unknown planet and an unknown time zone. So I decided to look around my house, searching for some productive work: had had enough of Yesko kaam khani sutni matrai ho (“all he does is eat and sleep”) from my parents. That made me think of painting my stairs. It took me two days, top to bottom. I then sandpapered the rust out of all iron stuff around the house. Then I started to remodel my room. I felt good, to be honest. I was able to do something for the house. I have been taking online classes from my university in Germany in the evenings.

 

Aastha Sthapit, 21

I’m binge watching TV series most of the time (‘The Big Bang Theory’, ‘How I Met Your Mother’, and ‘Doctor House’). My brother and I are cooking food, learning stuff from YouTube channels. We made donuts, pasta, pancakes, banana cakes, and butter chicken. We are also playing indoor games like carom-board, ludo, etc. Just the fact that the virus is coming closer home, kinda scares me.

 

Bibha Shakya, 22

I’m spending my time watching movies and series. I also watched Ramayan on YouTube. Though I am a reader, I don’t find e-books effective, as reading on the screen kinda takes the essence away.

 

Shristi Adhikari, 22

Doing a bit of work. We are doing international online meetings, exchanging information on what is happening in each country. By the way, I am now also reading Chetan Bhagat’s Three Mistakes of My life.

 

Kristina Maharjan, 20

I am spending my time working at home, cooking, and cleaning. I’ve been doing graphic designing as well as learning makeup. Also, I watched various movies and series like ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’. In addition to the movie, I am also reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

 

Suraj Adhikari, 15

This lockdown has been really beneficial for me as I get more time to focus on my music. I’ve been writing lyrics and composing music and raw beats. I wrote poems at first but as my friends suggested I should rap, I’ve been plan on building a career on it. Though my parents don’t like it much, I’ve been learning to make beats and music from YouTube tutorials. And I help my parents with household chores.

 

Sushan Shrestha, 21

This lockdown has given me the opportunity to spend quality time with my family. We are recollecting old memories. I see old photos of my parents and my own when I was younger. We play indoor games like ludo, carom-board, etc and eagerly waiting for new season of ‘Money Heist’. This lockdown has given me ample time to prepare for my board exams as well.

 

Sajja Singh, 23

If you own a box of colors that you had bought months ago and that is now resting in the corner of your table, then it is time to unbox it! You can paint a section of your room or even a single pillar, which I have done during the lockdown. Apart from painting I am also taking a mental note of how I feel during the lockdown. This lockdown makes me feel blessed just to be alive. I am grateful to the ones risking their lives to save ours. I am also spending time with my family and beloved plants.

 

Priyanshu Shah, 21

Since Day One of the lockdown, I have been doing 3-4 hours of physical workout. This has helped me stay energetic for the whole day. I also watch a movie a day. I have already seen ‘Jumanji’, ‘Venom’, ‘Dr Dolittle’, ‘Knives Out’ etc. I am going through the Handbook of Exercises for Actors by Stanislavski.

 

Ujjwal Duwal, 19

My sister just got back from India due to the pandemic. I am having a good time with her. As an engineering student, I had to focus a lot on my studies. I couldn’t spend time with my family but now I can. One of my friends suggested watching ‘The Twilight Saga’. I am doing so, and I plan to watch more movies and series.