On Saturday afternoon, as storm clouds built up over Central Nepal, three international flights performed Go-arounds at Kathmandu airport.
A Qatar Airways Airbus A330 from Doha, a Boeing 737 Max of FlyDubai and an Indigo Airbus 320 from Delhi. All three reported tail wind and wind shear at the threshold of runway 02.
Nepal’s media characterised these as ‘near-misses’ – as if the planes were almost having a mishap. Actually, a Go-around is very common at airports around the world and shows that the pilots take safety seriously and abort a landing if the approach is not stabilised.
A Go-around is when an aircraft on final approach suddenly climbs again on full power instead of landing and circles around for another attempt. This is a standard safety procedure in aviation, even though it may alarm some passengers. Go-arounds are also called ‘missed approach’ or ‘overshoots’.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) notes that go-arounds are an important part of flight safety, allowing pilots to avoid potential hazards on the runway, the surrounding airspace, or if there is high wind or poor visibility.
Globally, 3% of all landings by commercial aircraft are Go-arounds, showing how they are common and preventive measures rather than emergency responses.
Pilots usually initiate a Go-around if the approach is unstable due to wind or turbulence. A stable approach means maintaining the correct speed, altitude, and descent rate for a landing. If these factors are not optimal, pilots may opt to go around as a precaution.
Sometimes pilots decide to go around if there is a runway obstruction, which can be another aircraft, vehicle, debris or bird activity on the runway. But the most common reason for planes to go around is weather-related: sudden changes in weather, such as strong crosswinds, heavy rain, or poor visibility.
Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport is surrounded by high terrain that requires a steeper than usual approach for landing. This time of year, there are high winds especially in the afternoons with cloud-build up and turbulence.
Heavy aircraft like the Airbus 330 or Boeing 777 or 787 that operate in Kathmandu cannot land when the tailwind is more than 12knots, and this has been the case most afternoons in the past month. However, a Qatar Airways Boeing 787 performed the first ever satellite GPS-based RNP approach to runway 20 from the north earlier this month.
During rush hour at Kathmandu airport, Air Traffic Controllers are under pressure to handle a large volume of arrivals and departures. Earlier this year the airport handled over 600 international and domestic flights in one day, and because the airport is closed for 8 hours a day due to runway grading work there are delays.
ATC sometimes instructs pilots to go around due to congestion or delays in clearing the runway from a previous landing. However, with the completion of the parallel congestion is expected to reduce after 1 April when the airport will be opened again for 20 hours a day.
Go-arounds can also happen if the pilots detect a last-minute technical issue, such as an indicator light malfunction or landing gear irregularity. They will go around and troubleshoot before another approach.
Nepal’s unique topography makes flying challenging, especially in high-altitude airports. Pilots operating in Nepal frequently undergo specialised simulator training for terrain-based approaches and learn to execute go-arounds safely in difficult conditions.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has continuously worked to improve navigational aids and approach procedures to enhance safety. <a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/">Buddha Air</a>, Nepal’s leading domestic airline, for example ensures that all its pilots are well-trained in go-around procedures.
As aviation technology continues to advance, automated systems assist pilots in making more precise go-around decisions, further ensuring safe landings. Whether due to weather, air traffic, or technical reasons, they are always executed with the passengers’ best interests in mind.

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Why do planes ‘Go-around’?

There was a time 40 years ago when most of Nepal was still roadless, and aviation became a lifeline for many districts, even in the plains.&nbsp; After the DC-3s of Royal Nepal Airlines started being replaced with short takeoff and landing (STOL) de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters, many airfields with grass runways came into operation from Bajhang in the west to Taplejung in the east. At that time, the national airline had 10 Twin Otters, and even though they flew mostly on loss-making routes, the state subsidised them to ensure connectivity.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241108041144_5b2ba7e52b649bd53256ad1dee30b5eeb615eb2bfed6d9f73894fce09872eeec.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241108041144_5b2ba7e52b649bd53256ad1dee30b5eeb615eb2bfed6d9f73894fce09872eeec" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1042" loading="lazy" alt="Airfields without airplanes NT"> <figcaption>Jomsom, Mustang. Photos: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  The decline of Royal Nepal Airlines began, like most other parastatal corporations, with post-1990 political interference and corruption. A flock of new private airlines took off, and despite a government regulation that they also serve STOL airfields, air services to many remote areas were scrapped. Of the 49 airports in the country, 37 are STOL airfields and more than 20 of them have not seen flights for years, if not decades. Despite this, the government used an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to black top the runways and aprons of even disused airfields in the hope that some private airline would start flights.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241108041144_1fb1970d4e08476b5a6475dd5f7a3b5fef05c2ff83d05bec274c99bf82746206.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241108041144_1fb1970d4e08476b5a6475dd5f7a3b5fef05c2ff83d05bec274c99bf82746206" data-rendition-name="original" width="1778" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Airfields without airplanes NT"> <figcaption>Dipayal, Doti Photo: BASANT PRATAP SINGH/CIJ</figcaption> </figure>  Yet, more airfields are being built in Arghakhanchi, and Kamal Bazar of Achham under political pressure. Now that bulldozers have defaced Nepal’s mountains with badly engineered roads, local governments are on an airfield building spree without necessary homework on feasibility. Nepal Airlines has only two airworthy Twin Otters left, and private STOL airlines focus on tourist airfields like Lukla, Jomsom or Jufal for ‘dollar passengers’, and do not want to fly loss-making ‘rupee routes’. &nbsp; On the other hand, domestic air travel volume has shot up this year because the heavy monsoon damaged many highways. But most of the traffic increase has been on trunk routes between Kathmandu and Pokhara, Surkhet, and Tarai cities. This Dasain, Kathmandu airport saw a record 560 flights in one day, most of them by domestic carriers. The total domestic passenger volume in 2024 is expected to surpass 4 million. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241108041144_52512428a4516d344c6e0ef94e2c9e2c7491a38103646cf90d40efac6ea0add3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241108041144_52512428a4516d344c6e0ef94e2c9e2c7491a38103646cf90d40efac6ea0add3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Airfields without airplanes NT"> <figcaption>Jufal, Dolpo</figcaption> </figure>  Yet, many of the derelict airports have returned to being grazing grounds for goats and cattle. There is housing encroachment into some airfields like Palungtar in Gorkha, and roads slice across what used to be runways at other unused airfields. Yet, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) still allocated a budget for many of these airfields, including for air traffic controllers who have little to do. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Auditor General’s Report last year found that the state was losing Rs1 billion a year in the upkeep of abandoned airfields, or airports that were built recently but where there have been no flights after the fanfare of an inaugural landing. Yet there is public pressure on elected officials to build airfields just so they do not have to make long and tiring journeys by road. New airfields are therefore built without a proper business plan, and in the absence of guarantees from private airlines that they will fly there. A further incentive is the kickback local officials get from construction companies. A case in point is Dharan where mayor Harka Sampang is pushing for an airport for his city even though Biratnagar airport is only an hour drive away. He is quoted in the media as saying that airports are like toilets because “every home must have its own toilet … one can’t use a neighbour’s toilet”.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241108041148_806f0eede4834603b46969d28eef7f17bf59270796e880dca203ede2a42ccab6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20241108041148_806f0eede4834603b46969d28eef7f17bf59270796e880dca203ede2a42ccab6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="723" loading="lazy" alt="Airfields without airplanes NT"> <figcaption>Simikot, Humla</figcaption> </figure>  New airports like Kotbada in Achham and Phalgundanda in Ilam, or upgraded ones like Baglung, Baitadi, Manang are inaugurated by ministers who fly in from Kathmandu to be garlanded on the tarmac, and then all is forgotten. The runway reverts to becoming a site for TikTok videos. Airport construction is becoming an epidemic. There are now seven old and new airfields in a 40km radius around Rumjatar: in Ramechhap, Khiji, Phaplu, Kangel, Lamidanda, Khanidanda and Bhojpur. Similarly, although Baitadi’s airfield has been blacktopped, a new airport is being proposed 12km away for Dadeldhura, the constituency of former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. A new airfield is being built at Kamal Bazar of Achham, even though it is only 20km from a functioning airport at Sanfe. Doti, which was an important airfield serving roadless neighbouring districts, was upgraded in 2016. But has never been used.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241108041144_5e4f2c8de2e5f1cb8cf68779349e8e98b34c1aa5c1cdb5fa3ad9b2eb8a533dde.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241108041144_5e4f2c8de2e5f1cb8cf68779349e8e98b34c1aa5c1cdb5fa3ad9b2eb8a533dde" data-rendition-name="original" width="2932" height="1368" loading="lazy" alt="Airfields without airplanes NT"> <figcaption>Rara, Mugu</figcaption> </figure>  A probe by the Centre for Investigative Journalism found that former Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Prem Ale allocated over Rs1.3 billion to blacktop grass runways and build new airports at 10 sites in the far west. Despite more and more new airports seeing no flights at all, there are at least 20 more in the pipeline: in Dang, Dhankuta, Humla, Piuthan, Tehrathum, Udaypur, Sindhuli, Kalikot and Mustang. It looks like every district now wants an airport as a status symbol, even if it has a non-functioning one already. Private airlines do not want to fly loss-making routes, but surprisingly they do not even serve airfields with vast tourism potential like Rara or Manang – especially when roads to those trekking destinations are so poor and dangerous.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241108041148_002b1612380bf8b17d9056c3e262ecce19fe39963a7b8ba5d9b20356dc4c9853.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20241108041148_002b1612380bf8b17d9056c3e262ecce19fe39963a7b8ba5d9b20356dc4c9853" data-rendition-name="original" width="750" height="931" loading="lazy" alt="Airfields without airplanes NT"> <figcaption>Humde, Manang. Photo: SOCIAL MEDIA</figcaption> </figure>  Underused mountain airfields in Nepal are just an extension of the new international airports in Bhairawa and Pokhara which together cost more than $300 million to build with international loans, but have not seen regular international flights for nearly three years. The severely congested Kathmandu airport is the only one that actually makes money, but that is because it also has some of the highest landing and ground handling charges in the region. To summarise: passengers enduring shoddy service and delays at Kathmandu are paying to build airfields across Nepal that may never be used.

Airfields without airplanes

Nepal’s only international aviation gateway, at Kathmandu airport, will cut night-time operation hours to allow construction of taxiways, and airlines have been told to curtail flights. This is expected to lead to more than normal chaos during the height of peak autumn and spring tourist seasons at an airport that is congested even at the best of times. The airport will close from 10PM to 8AM from 8 November-31 March 2025. The taxiways will now connect to the thresholds at both ends of the runway, making the airport more efficient in handling higher frequencies of landings and takeoffs. The parallel taxiway extension will allow international flights to land every 4 minutes instead of the current every 7 minutes. At present planes have to wait to land until a plane taking off backtracks along the runway.&nbsp; Kathmandu is Nepal’s only airport with international operations, and it has only one runway that is only one way in from the south over the mountains. With the taxiway improvement, the airport will be able to handle 42 aircraft landings and takeoffs per hour — double the current capacity.&nbsp; The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) has been trying to entice international airlines to also start flying to and from the other two international airports at Pokhara and Bhairawa (Lumbini) by slashing landing and handling charges. But so far only Nepal Airlines operates a weekly flight to Bhairawa from Kuala Lumpur.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241018161016_046569e53d1d66cd445cc66c697c0ef724810aec9f54bdf827481e3cd6b80c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2356" height="1134" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport expansion"> <figcaption>Kathmandu Airport Expansion plan with extension of taxiways to the thresholds of runways 02 and 20 that will limit airport operations from 8 November 2024 - 31 March 2025. Areas in blue are existing structures, including the international terminal which in future will be the domestic airport, and the new international terminal near the north end of the runway,</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241018121028_6e17cc2ee87c1b02d78cb54905825b7aa15299b7a00f5eddb01a59579ab85c1a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1353" height="1328" loading="lazy" alt="Kathmandu airport NT"> </figure>  CAAN has reportedly told international airlines to cut their flight frequency to Kathmandu citing the shorter operation hours and has told budget airlines to shift some of their flights to Pokhara or Bhairawa, or face cuts. Many airlines currently operate regular flights to and from Kathmandu between 10PM and 8AM: Air Arabia to Sharjah, Fly Dubai to Dubai, Jazeera Airways to Kuwait, Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong, Singapore Airlines, several Nepal Airlines flights, and one of four daily flights by Qatar Airways to Doha. Jazeera Airways, FlyDubai, and Thai AirAsia have applied and got permission from CAAN to begin regular flights to Bhairawa’s Gautam Buddha International Airport. Starting 9 November, FlyDubai will start making a stopover in Bhairawa before flying on to Kathmandu. Immigration, customs and security are all fully functional in Bhairawa. In Kathmandu, the next phase of the airport upgrade includes converting the current international terminal for domestic operations, the construction of a new international terminal where the domestic departure area is now, as well as moving the hangars and the Nepal Army Air Wing to the eastern side of the runway. The apron area will also double its parking space for widebody jets. This is part of a Airport Capacity Enhancement Project that was initially funded through a $80 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the entire masterplan is expected to cost $800 million. This project is the latest upgrade to Nepal’s only international airport since it saw its first flight in 1949. The current international and domestic terminals are too small to handle the current annual traffic volume of 8.5 million passengers a year that is growing at 20% a year.

Vishad Raj Onta

Kathmandu airport to cut flight hours

A Saurya Airlines aircraft crashed immediately after it took off from Kathmandu airport this morning at 11:11AM. 18 of the 19 people on board died, all of them Saurya Airlines engineers and staff. There was a Yemen national among the dead, as well as the wife and child of an employee of the Airlines.&nbsp; The flight, with call sign 9N-AME, was undergoing a C Check, which is a comprehensive test that a plane has to pass on a regular basis. The plane was headed to a hangar in the Pokhara International Airport for a part check-up.&nbsp; It is unclear why a test flight was carrying so many passengers.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_f2a35a9b1d7f37e675f9b9f0b70508fb5cdaff06cbcb02c6c7d9a776e11f9dbc.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240724100712_f2a35a9b1d7f37e675f9b9f0b70508fb5cdaff06cbcb02c6c7d9a776e11f9dbc" data-rendition-name="original" width="1029" height="1600" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_533614914a383fb4659fe1ae09e617a6301fcdb3e37b05ad40a04fb78508bac5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240724100712_533614914a383fb4659fe1ae09e617a6301fcdb3e37b05ad40a04fb78508bac5" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="1267" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>  Footage shows the plane making it about 30 metres high before violently veering right and crashing east of the runway. It plummeted into the ground and burst into flames, skidding ablaze into a container. The plane body was incinerated.&nbsp; According to a press release by Nepal Police, 18 bodies were recovered and taken to Teaching Hospital for post-mortem. Captain Manish Ratna Shakya is the only survivor of the crash. Shakya sustained injuries to his eye and will survive. He is being treated at Kathmandu Medical College in Sinamangal, near the airport.&nbsp; Prime Minister K P Oli got to the accident site for further investigation. Domestic and International flights have since resumed.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_f97a09e697a4a64f4b9ddbe27d40383125e9c567ff2f901cafa2adf5bee8c553.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240724100712_f97a09e697a4a64f4b9ddbe27d40383125e9c567ff2f901cafa2adf5bee8c553" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_b99f25e7685804697067edef6a70198e87db6d92854e963e166a43bc4b529754.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20240724100712_b99f25e7685804697067edef6a70198e87db6d92854e963e166a43bc4b529754" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_0ac6451e92c640559eba138e8cb795da97c6b7cb6dab911d89427966d8801ddb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20240724100712_0ac6451e92c640559eba138e8cb795da97c6b7cb6dab911d89427966d8801ddb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1728" height="1152" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_fee5bb0729632e6a1559eb4ef4a01edf5b2fae8bc764b817a1f635d6a333aed0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20240724100712_fee5bb0729632e6a1559eb4ef4a01edf5b2fae8bc764b817a1f635d6a333aed0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1728" height="1152" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_736c2572364c614da34dea93efc076f003f43a353cf37177ca40c4221980605e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20240724100712_736c2572364c614da34dea93efc076f003f43a353cf37177ca40c4221980605e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1728" height="1152" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_e0115c81cd29196e6650360be19061a222a598883366b165d1ecc8f41967bbfe.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20240724100712_e0115c81cd29196e6650360be19061a222a598883366b165d1ecc8f41967bbfe" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100712_5813c761b37a734a84dda64b9212f39f2a6cf29e04f98575c0656ead300fb1df.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20240724100712_5813c761b37a734a84dda64b9212f39f2a6cf29e04f98575c0656ead300fb1df" data-rendition-name="original" width="1728" height="1152" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT 1"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240724100752_c8e1494aa39d5b0df5c2620fbc1c341ee0e0202b4f1328ea3f644882e5119e73.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20240724100752_c8e1494aa39d5b0df5c2620fbc1c341ee0e0202b4f1328ea3f644882e5119e73" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Saurya Airlines Nepal crash NT "> </figure>  &nbsp;

18 dead in Nepal aircraft crash

In Buddha Air’s cavernous hangar at Kathmandu airport, where the scent of aviation fuel mixes with the hum of turboprop engines, Samjhana Sidale straddles the fuselage of an ATR-72 fixing a dorsal panel with a cordless screwdriver. Nepal’s aviation sector has more and more women pilots and ground crew, but Sidale is one of few female aircraft technicians. She defies stereotypes and navigates the male-dominated profession with unwavering determination. Sidale’s journey from the hills to hangar began in a tiny village in Sindhuli, where she was raised by a strong and resilient single mother who taught her to aim for the sky with single-minded determination.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024062813060_bebfd75f433fdbdc769f88dcecc9c1138df5dc9a847a3d6a8d2f2e2267f9dccd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024062813060_bebfd75f433fdbdc769f88dcecc9c1138df5dc9a847a3d6a8d2f2e2267f9dccd" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="1059" loading="lazy" alt="Samjhana Sidale"> </figure>  Growing up watching her mother face endless challenges in life was not easy for the young Sidale, but it seared in her a fierce determination to do well in life and take care of her elderly mother. “My ultimate wish,” she confides, “was to see my mother happy in her old age. I am proud that I have made her proud.” Sidale has been with Buddha Air’s engineering team for six years now. Her workspace is an array of tools: torque wrenches, winches, clamps and maintenance manuals. She meticulously inspects every aspect of an aircraft’s cabin, ensuring that seats, seatbelts, and safety mechanisms are all in impeccable order. <div class="embed-block"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5eQKPtwit1M?si=bYaQVj2o105xfSo1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> Although fellow engineers have got used to seeing her in the hangar, &nbsp;Sidale still encounters raised eyebrows and curious glances when she tells them she maintains aeroplanes for living. But she does not work to prove anyone wrong, or to be a token woman. She is building an identity. “Normalising women in technology shouldn't require extra effort to change mindsets,” she asserts. Sidale says she dreams of a day when women in unconventional fields will not be treated as anomalies, but as trailblazers. And with her quiet persistence, Sidale is already rewriting the script.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240617060616_eb0005fe403c0526ecf2669e9f782948d527b4048abc14be3596d213d13445ed.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240617060616_eb0005fe403c0526ecf2669e9f782948d527b4048abc14be3596d213d13445ed" data-rendition-name="original" width="960" height="1280" loading="lazy" alt="Samjhana Sidale"> </figure>  As dawn broke this week at Kathmandu airport, Sidale was in her beige overalls, already at her job on the other side of the runway. It is precarious work, balancing herself on top of the plane to peer through an open panel to inspect the spars joining the plane’s wings to the fuselage. The work demands concentration, and Sidale is focused on carrying out her part of the C-check of an ATR-72, one of 17 in the Buddha Air fleet. Aircraft maintenance involves meticulous attention to every detail, following safety protocols, teamwork, and adherence to manuals. “I am an essential part of this team, and everyone has to strive for perfection because my work holds great value,” she says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024062813060_11a334b6f1dda1eb23b8e953718273546e136030746d8e1410bf48f8dc560ca1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="2024062813060_11a334b6f1dda1eb23b8e953718273546e136030746d8e1410bf48f8dc560ca1" data-rendition-name="original" width="2000" height="956" loading="lazy" alt="Samjhana Sidale"> </figure>  Sidale’s journey is one of transformation and empowerment that is no longer extraordinary, since Nepal’s workplace is increasingly feminised as qualified men seek employment overseas. As a living example for young girls, Sidale shatters stereotypes and shows that women can excel in traditionally male-dominated fields. Her aspiration is clear: to inspire others and prove that barriers can be broken. Determination and skill know no gender boundaries, and anyone can soar to new heights.

Shattering stereotypes in a hangar

Nepalis are giving up on the country and flying out of Tribhuvan International Airport by the thousands every day. One recent morning, Birendra Basnet was on seat 17A of an ATR-72 flight to Biratnagar.&nbsp; In these cynical times, Basnet is a shining example that individual persistence, ingenuity and vision can contribute to the nation’s economic growth. He employs 1,500.&nbsp; He was flying on <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14200">Buddha Air</a>, which he established 26 years ago, and has today grown to become Nepal’s biggest airline. The carrier is now cruising on autopilot, leaving Birendra Basnet time to focus on his other passion: agriculture.&nbsp; It is not a small backyard garden that Basnet is interested in, but large-scale mechanised agro-industry. His goal is to dramatically raise farm productivity and to serve as a model for the rest of Nepali agricultural enterprise.&nbsp; Basnet's Arju Rice Mill, in Morang, buys rice from local farms -- including his own -- to process and produce 80,000 tonnes of rice a year.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024032509030_c08f0daa3cd2166fae64e7eeb3e983b9199e146beff23458e86330ff21a86b45.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024032509030_c08f0daa3cd2166fae64e7eeb3e983b9199e146beff23458e86330ff21a86b45" data-rendition-name="original" width="1912" height="971" loading="lazy" alt="Arzoo Rice Mill"> <figcaption>Basnet's Arju Rice Mill in Morang.</figcaption> </figure>  “There are big obstacles to doing business in Nepal, but that is a given,” Basnet explains, gesturing animatedly. “Everyone faces the same challenges, the question is what are you doing to get past those hurdles?”&nbsp; Indeed, after his success in the airline business, Birendra Basnet feels he can transform agriculture to make Nepal self-sufficient in rice again. Every year, Nepalis consume 140kg of rice per capita.&nbsp; Basnet has so far ploughed Rs500 million of his money into his agriculture enterprise, and hopes Arju will go into profit starting next year. Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/productivity-empowerment-and%20job-with-mechanization-and-cooperative-in-agriculture,2378">"Nepal’s quiet green revolution"</a>, Sonia Awale “I could have done anything with that money, why did I take the risk to invest in agriculture?” Basnet asks, rhetorically. “To show that it works. Our community enterprise model buys directly from farmers and not from middlemen. This has helped subsistence farmers of the eastern Tarai make a profit for the first time. Every rural municipality in Nepal could adopt this formula.” &nbsp; Eighty percent of Nepalis depend on farming, and if they could get fair prices for their produce it would help them out of poverty. Basnet asserts that Nepal has to move away from its current crony-capitalism, with its winner-takes-all system. What is ideal is a culture where social entrepreneurs look not at a bigger slice of the pie for themselves, but to make the pie bigger.&nbsp; Basnet now wants to expand the community enterprise model to other agricultural products like oranges from Bhojpur, apples from Jumla, and ginger from Salyan. He also envisions developing a network of cold storage centres, solar powered, that preserve products so farmers are not forced to sell when prices are low. While Basnet is frustrated with the bureaucratic hurdles that put off entrepreneurs wanting to take a chance in Nepal, he says there are many little-known success stories of those who have persevered and realised their dreams.&nbsp; “The reason I am optimistic about Nepal is that public outrage will find outlets in alternative politics and spawn leaders who are passionate about genuine change and action, instead of just talking,” he says. “For that, people like us have to be more involved.” Meanwhile, back at Buddha Air, Basnet has decided to give up his plans to expand to remote areas through short takeoff and landing (STOL) fields. The carrier is also retiring two ATR-42s models from its fleet, replacing them with the newer ATR-72 600s.&nbsp; Last week, Buddha Air got top credit ratings from the credit agency ICRA Nepal for its strategy of ‘controlled business performance’ rather than risky expansion post-Covid. Buddha has 67% of the domestic market share, up from 56% last year, and has benefited from the poor state of inter-city highways in Nepal.&nbsp; The airline’s provisional revenue was Rs3.83 billion last year, flying 7.1 million passengers within Nepal, &nbsp;on 150 daily flights.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/pokhara-will-be-a-game-changer">"Pokhara will be a game changer"</a>

Flying and farming

Air disasters in Nepal have become so commonplace they only make fleeting headlines. &nbsp;
The <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/final-moments-of-yt691">Yeti Airlines ATR-72 crash on 15 January</a> was the deadliest domestic air disaster in Nepal. Three helicopters have gone down since then, and the Manang Air tragedy on 11 July was the fourth.
The reasons are the same: a reckless disregard for safety, regulators not enforcing protocols, and lack of navigation aids.&nbsp;
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-to-make-nepals-skies-safer">How to make Nepal's skies safer</a>, Kunda Dixit
Even at the best of times, Nepal’s terrain and weather make flying risky. But neglect, apathy and carelessness add to the danger.&nbsp;
Five members of a Mexican family on a sightseeing trip and their Nepali pilot were killed in Solu Khumbu on Tuesday. They had taken off from Surke, an alternative to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/more-than-luck-in-lukla">Lukla</a> in bad weather. Visibility was already marginal in the narrow Dudh Kosi gorge.
The chopper would have had to climb to 4,200m to clear Lamjura Pass which was covered in cloud. Nepal’s civil aviation regulations require pilots on mountain routes to always be on Visual Flight Rules (VFR).&nbsp;
A commission of inquiry has been formed, as happens after every crash. But we can already say that the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/chopper-hits-mountain-near-everest">helicopter was not flying VFR</a>.&nbsp;
The helicopter that crashed was one of two bought brand new by Manang Air, it is designed for high altitude rescues. One of the same model landed on the summit of Mt Everest in 2005.
Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/crash-course">Crash course</a>, Kunda Dixit
Helicopters are inherently more tricky to fly because of vertical takeoff and landing in built-up areas or rugged terrain, and because they cannot glide in case of engine malfunction. The AS350 Ecureuil family of choppers has had 1,244 incidents since it went into operation in 1991, and there have been fatalities in many of them.
In Nepal alone, there have been at least 18 chopper crashes killing 98 people in the past 60 years (map). About half of them have been due to CFIT (Controlled Flight into Terrain) in which a helicopter impacts high terrain in poor visibility.&nbsp;
In fact, nearly all of the 73 air crashes in Nepal (of fixed wing and helicopters) in the past 70 years in which nearly 1,000 people have been killed, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/60-years-of-living-dangerously">have been classified as CFIT</a>. Most have occurred in the monsoon, or in seasons when mountains en route or on approach are covered by clouds.
The deadliest helicopter crash in Nepal was also a CFIT. Twenty-four passengers, including renowned conservationists were killed in 2006 when <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/remembering-nepal-s-conservation-heroes">a MI17 flew into a mountain above Ghunsa</a> in the monsoon. Nepal Tourism Minister Rabindra Adhikari and aviation entrepreneur Ang Tshiring Sherpa were among <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-last-journey">six killed in Taplejung in 2019</a> when their helicopter flew into a mountainside in a blizzard.
In the past 8 years alone, there have been seven chopper crashes, including three non-fatal ones on hospital helipads in Kathmandu.&nbsp;
Crashes like the one this week where foreigners are involved garner international headlines. It further damages Nepal's reputation and impacts on tourism, and therefore the economy.
Nepal is already on the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/news/eu-blacklist-limits-nepal-airlines-ferry-flights">European Union's safety list</a> because of repeated crashes in the past in which tourists have been killed. The EU has insisted that the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) be unbundled with separate entities for regulatory and operational functions.&nbsp;
However, we are not sure that will necessarily <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19695">make flying safer</a> since the causes have more to do with lackadaisical mindsets and a fatalistic culture. Not much will change if the bureaucrats are the same. &nbsp;&nbsp;
VFR protocols by air traffic control and airlines should be enforced. Weather webcams must be installed along dangerous sections like Lamjura and the Kali Gandaki Valley near Jomsom. Pilots should ignore company or passenger pressure to fly in bad weather.
Cockpit hierarchy and complacency on the part of experienced pilots flying frequented routes are also factors. There is a tendency to underestimate enroute weather conditions, and over-reliance on terrain visualisation maps in aircraft with glass cockpits.&nbsp;
Given that we know why most crashes happen in Nepal, they should not happen. The important <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/taking-air-safety-seriously-in-nepal">rule for pilots in Nepal</a> must be: do not fly into clouds, they have rocks in them.

Keeps happening

Turkish Airlines which flies to more countries than any other airlines in the world, has added two new destinations to its network this week. The airlines will now fly to Palermo, the capital of Sicily in southern Italy, increasing its number of destinations in the country to nine following its routes to Rome, Milan, Venice, Naples, Bergamo, Bologna, Catania, and Bari. The Turkish flag carrier will operate the Palermo flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays on a reciprocal basis on a Boeing 737-800 type aircraft from Istanbul Airport to Punta Raisi Airport at $259 including tax. Palermo is Turkish Airlines’ 344th destination. “As we strengthen our bonds with Italy with the new route, our guests from Palermo will be able to enjoy the unparalleled flight network of our flag carrier on their travels while our guests from all around the world will have the chance to experience Palermo’s wonders with Turkish Airlines privilege,” says Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Ekşi.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023050514058_a1d60669a4a17656ccd51f7f99616f72eda74d9250ba1f0549460f0e0051a6c2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2023050514058_a1d60669a4a17656ccd51f7f99616f72eda74d9250ba1f0549460f0e0051a6c2" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1348" loading="lazy" alt="Turkish Airlines Krakow flight"> </figure>  Earlier this week, the airlines also launched flights to the historic city of Krakow in Poland as its second destination in the country after Warsaw. It will operate Krakow flights with narrow-body aircraft three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, on a reciprocal basis. Passengers can travel from Istanbul to Krakow and back with prices starting from $255 (tax included). Says Turkish Airlines Chief Investment &amp; Technology Officer Levent Konukçu: “As the airline flying to more countries than any other in the world, we are glad to add Krakow, our second destination in Poland after Warsaw, to our flight network. We are connecting Krakow to the world with Turkish Airlines' unique flight experience.”

Turkish Airlines starts Palermo and Krakow flights

Most frequent fliers within Nepal will have noticed that aviation also serves as a medical evacuation service for passengers travelling for hospital treatment in the cities.
This is especially the case in flights from remote area airports in western Nepal. But often, domestic flights on trunk routes also have patients or expectant mothers flying to or from Kathmandu. Aside from this, there are also many passengers with special needs who may find airports, ramp buses and getting in and out of planes not wheelchair friendly.&nbsp;
Getting on planes requires waiting in numerous lines, check-in, and security procedures. This creates a challenge for persons with disabilities, pregnant women, seniors or minors.&nbsp;
Now, domestic carriers like Buddha Air provide special assistance to passengers needing medical equipment and support while traveling such as wheelchairs, seniors with movement difficulties, pregnant women.&nbsp;
“Special assistance in airlines is necessary so travel is convenient to all passengers regardless of their age, medical condition and or mobility impairments,” says Dipendra Karn of Buddha Air. “Providing special assistance promotes inclusive and accessible air travel to all passengers and &nbsp;prevents discrimination.”
Buddha Air is the first airline in Nepal to replace steps with ramps so wheelchair passengers can board planes without having to be physically carried on and off the cabin. Passengers have to make a request with necessary documents laying out their mobility restrictions. The carrier also requires a personal attendant to accompany such passengers and an Indemnity Bond from next of kin.
Passengers also have to fill out a Medical Information Form (MEDIF) so that the airline can determine whether the passenger is fit to fly. Special seating arrangements can also be made for passengers requiring stretchers or Portable Oxygen Cylinders (POC). The captain is notified if there is a passenger carrying POC onboard, as well as the nature of the passenger's oxygen needs.
Passenger stretchers are placed in the last three rows of the ATR-72 or -42 aircraft and are required to be escorted by qualified medical personnel as per the doctor’s recommendation.
Pregnant women can get special assistance if they are from 29-36 weeks and must present a medical certificate stating that she is fit to fly. Women less than 28 weeks pregnant do not need to submit any documents. Women are not allowed to fly if they are more than 37 weeks pregnant.&nbsp;
Infants less than 7 days are not allowed to fly. Babies between 7 days to below 2 years are charged 10% of fare, child passengers between 2 to under 12 years pay 33% of normal fare, and young passengers between 12 to 16 years can travel unaccompanied. Children between 5-12 can be unaccompanied minors and will get help in check-in and disembarkation.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.buddhaair.com/special-assistance">Buddha Air's Special Assistance</a> can be requested through the website and mobile app.

Flying with special needs

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230228150236/63fe11c49c7e80680e0da4f6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="770"/><figcaption>Source: Preliminary Accident Investigation Report MoCTCA, 13 February 2023.</figcaption></figure>A preliminary accident investigation into the crash of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-to-make-nepal-skies-safer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">flight Yeti 691 in Pokhara</a> on 15 January has confirmed that both the plane’s propellers were feathered just before the plane dived to the ground.But what remains unanswered is how and why one of the two captains in the cockpit feathered the engines.With the propeller pitch in a feathered position, the engines do not provide any thrust. The plane was therefore going too slow to maintain lift, stalled and crashed while making the final turn to the runway. (See map)The ATR-72 212A / 500 turboprop was making its third flight of the day between Kathmandu and Pokhara with the same crew. Captain Kamal KC was a veteran with 22,000 hours of flight experience, while Captain Anju Khatiwada had logged 6,500 hours, and was on a final familiarisation flight to Pokhara’s new international airport that had come into operation only two weeks previously.There were 68 passengers and four crew on the plane with tail number 9N-ANC which was just about to complete the 26 minute flight from Kathmandu.The investigation committee included members from CAAN, Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) France’s BEA, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the engine manufacturer Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada. They analysed the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR) in Singapore.The report says that further investigation will be needed to determine why the propellers on both engines went into feathered condition.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230228150236/63fe11c89c7e80680e0da4f7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="797" height="512"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>An ATR cockpit (pictured) has the engine throttle levers, the condition (feather) levers and the flap selection lever in a panel between the two pilots. The feather lever is rarely used in flight, unless there is engine failure, in which case the propeller pitch is changed (‘feathered’) to reduce drag.One ATR pilot who has seen the preliminary investigation report said it was unthinkable that either captain would deliberately feather both engines on finals.Khatiwada was sitting on the left (captain’s) seat because she was being certified, and KC was sitting on the right seat. There is speculation that KC was not as familiar sitting on the right side, and may have inadvertently feathered the propellers, mistaking the levers for the flap selection lever.Even that is unimaginable because the flap selector is white and has an airfoil shape, while the condition levers and the throttle levers are so different to the touch that pilots are supposed to tell them apart even without looking.On their second flight into Pokhara that Saturday morning, the pilots who had already been cleared for a straight-in approach to runway 30 requested runway 12 from the west. It is not clear why that request was made because the wind was only 3 knots from the south.From five miles from the threshold of runway 30, the plane broke right and went downwind parallel to the runway. Landing gears were lowered and flaps were down to 15 degrees.Just before the turn into base leg, the CVR indicates Khatiwada requesting KC for 30 degree flaps. KC immediately acknowledges, saying “Flaps 30, descending”. The crew does the final landing checklist.However, the FDR did not detect any flap movement, and they were finally lowered 30 second later. However, the FDR showed that at that exact moment, the rotation speed of the propellers dropped to 25% and the torque went down to zero – which means the engines were not providing any thrust.Neither pilot seemed not to be aware of this until much later, by which time it was too late. Twenty-five second before impact, Khatiwada is heard on the CVR saying twice there is no power from the engines.Five second later, the thrust levers are pushed to full power. But since the propellers were feathered, they were still not providing any thrust. KC then takes control of the plane, and Khatiwada repeats there is no power from engines.The stick shaker warns that the plane is stalling while it is flying 311ft above ground level. There is a 200ft radio altimeter voice alert as the plane goes into a banking dive, with the sound of impact on the CVR four second later.Investigators will now need to figure out who feathered both propellers, and why. Experts said it was impossible for both propellers to feather simultaneously due to a malfunction, and the CVR does not reveal any conversation about a mechanical issue with the engines.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20230228150236/63fe11cd9c7e80680e0da4f8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1017"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Following is a timeline of flight YT691 based on the Aircraft Accident Investigation Commission of the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation released on 13 February:10:32:00 Takeoff from Kathmandu10:51:36 Descent to FL65 (6,500ft) at 5DME (5 miles from airport)10:56:12 Plane downwind, landing gear lowered, flaps extended to 15o10:56:27 Autopilot disengaged at 721ft AGL (above ground level)10:56:32 Pilot Flying (Khatiwada) calls for “Flaps 30”, Pilot Monitoring (KC) confirms “Flaps 30 and descending”10:56:33 Flight Data Recorder (FDR) does not detect any flap movement, but propeller rotation speed (Np) on both engines decreases to 25%, and Torque (Tq) falls to 0%10:56:33 Master Caution alarm sounds in cockpit10:56:50 Radio altimeter sound alert “500” AGL and plane is on a bank angle of 30o10:56:54 Flaps are finally set to 30o. Khatiwada asks if she should continue the left turn, KC answers in the affirmative. She asks if she should descend, he replies no need but to increase power.10:57:07 ATC: “Cleared to land runway 12”. Khatiwada says twice that engines are not giving any power. Throttles are then advanced to maximum power.10:57:18 Khatiwada hands over controls to KC10:57:20 Khatiwada again repeats that engines are not delivering power10:57:24 Stick shaker stall warning activated at 311ft AGL10:57:26 “200” Radio altitude sound alert10:57:32 Sound of impact on CVRFull report <a href="https://www.tourism.gov.np/files/publication_files/343.pdf">here.</a>

Final moments of YT691

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

Digital protection for Nepal’s art

India and Pakistan are twins separated at birth. Tensions between them have been at a hair trigger ever since independence and has erupted into full scale conflict at least four times in the past 80 years.
The 22 April terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 25 Indian tourists and a Nepali citizen, threatens to escalate tension between the two nuclear-armed nations. India has squarely blamed Pakistan for the attacks, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given his military “operational freedom” to respond. Pakistan has said it has credible intelligence of an Indian military strike and its officials have promised a “full spectrum” response — a code for a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/thinking-the-thinkable">nuclear retaliation</a>.
For Nepal, the killing of its national in the Pahalgam attack comes as another stark reminder that in conflicts from Afghanistan to Iraq, from <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/how-to-agree-an-armistice-in-ukraine">Ukraine</a> to Israel, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/10-nepalis-from-one-town-fighting-in-ukraine">Nepalis are getting caught in the crossfire</a>. The last time full-scale fighting broke out between <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/peacemongers-at-india-pakistan-border">India and Pakistan</a> on Kargil in 1999, at least 22<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/india-s-trial-by-fire-for-soldiers-from-nepal?%27%5C%22="> Nepalis fighting for the Indian Army</a> were killed in action.
Three of Nepal’s immediate neighbours (China, India, Pakistan) have nuclear weapons, and they do not have good relations. With China supplying weapons, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/war-and-warming">missile technology</a> and other support to Pakistan, this triangular friction could set off a regional conflagration.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00573-0" target="_blank">Research at Rutgers University</a> has calculated that even a week-long tactical nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would throw up so much smoke and debris into the atmosphere that it would block out the sun for years, and lead to a collapse of the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/grow-nourish-sustain-together-world-food-day">global food system</a>. This does not take into account the radioactive fallout that prevailing winds would blow up to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/lives-on-the-line-in-the-himalaya">the Himalaya</a>, contaminating glaciers that are the sources of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-what-is-left-of-himalayan-rivers">Asia’s main rivers</a>.
The impact of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood">climate breakdown </a>on High Asia was already ringing alarm bells about its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/himalayan-icecap-melting-faster-than-thought">shrinking ice cap</a> reducing the dry season flow of water downstream. Water was going to be the next strategic commodity, geopolitical experts warned, and the next wars in Asia would be over water.
That water war is already happening. India retaliated to the Kashmir attack by suspending the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/world/asia/india-pakistan-indus-waters-treaty.html" target="_blank">Indus Waters Treaty</a> of 1960 mediated by the World Bank that has withstood at least three wars between India and Pakistan. The treaty gives India control over the three eastern tributaries of the Indus (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beas_River" target="_blank">Beas</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_River" target="_blank">Ravi</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutlej" target="_blank">Sutlej</a>), while Pakistan got water from the Indus and two of its western tributaries (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_River" target="_blank">Indus</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenab_River" target="_blank">Chenab</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhelum_River" target="_blank">Jhelum</a>.
Pakistan was assured of 70% of the annual flow, and India could use a reasonable amount of water for<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15231"> irrigation and hydropower</a>. &nbsp;Within days of its threat, India stopped water flowing down to Pakistan from the Chenab river and is reportedly preparing to do the same on the Jhelum.
The sabre-rattling has reached a crescendo. Besides threats and counter-threats there are also symbolic drills, with the Indian Air Force practicing landing on an expressway in Uttar Pradesh by its Rafale, Su-30 and Jaguar fighter jets to demonstrate ‘operational readiness’. In response Pakistan test-fired its Abdali ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead and has a range of 450km.&nbsp;
The danger is that with ultra-nationalist rhetoric and the beating the war drums by both sides, India’s government and Pakistan’s military may have to ‘do something’ to appease domestic public opinion. But any tactical strike, an artillery exchange, or territorial incursion could quickly escalate out of control.
Expecting an Indian retaliation for the Pahalgam killings, Pakistan is using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/interfaith-collaboration-for-nuclear-disarmament"> nuclear deterrence </a>and warning of “catastrophic consequences”. The two neighbours came close to a nuclear exchange in 2019 after an attack on the Indian military in Kashmir, and prompt international intervention led by the United States cooled tensions.&nbsp;
This time, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/trump-shock-wave-hits-nepal">Trump administration</a> is too distracted and not as engaged. Pakistan has denied it was responsible for the terrorist attack and called on Washington to stop a possible Indian retaliation. India and Pakistan have stopped overflights by each other’s airlines, and some international carriers have even stopped flying over Pakistan fearing an air war.
Washington, Beijing, the UN and the EU have all urged restraint. Iran, which has good relations with both India and Pakistan has sent its foreign minister to urge both countries not to go into a tit-for-tat war. Iran has its own nuclear flashpoint to worry about with tensions in Israel, &nbsp;Yemen and Syria.
India and Pakistan both share similar problems of joblessness, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/why-nepal-s-poverty-rate-is-stuck">poverty </a>and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/climate-change-new-threat-to-nepal-s-rhinos">environmental threats</a>. Neither side needs the threat of a senseless war, and we in the neighbourhood do not need it either.&nbsp;
Kunda Dixit
This Editorial is brought to you by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/" target="_blank">Nepali Times</a>, in collaboration with <a href="https://inpsjapan.com/en/" target="_blank">INPS Japan</a> and <a href="https://sgi-peace.org/" target="_blank">Soka Gakkai International</a>, in consultative status with UN ECOSOC.

Nukes in the neighbourhood

Most Nepalis thought they had seen the last of it after <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/11-56-25-april-2015-wkc9q2an">the 25 April 7.8 magnitude </a>earthquake ten years ago. But the Himalaya had more surprises in store. On 12 May, another 7.3 magnitude tremor that some said was an aftershock, but was strong enough to itself be a major earthquake, struck Dolakha.&nbsp; Not many people had heard of Singati till then — a cluster of houses by the Tama Kosi River along a narrow gorge that is the roadhead to Rolwaling Valley.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_57b6e316656851f71eca56ca6f98d9bbcc820c1a00d62af3c990725b4361244d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250508110520_57b6e316656851f71eca56ca6f98d9bbcc820c1a00d62af3c990725b4361244d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_016534fb2b6a79957402281cda768efb83a146786377e39e11df3e251d37159e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250508110520_016534fb2b6a79957402281cda768efb83a146786377e39e11df3e251d37159e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>  It was here that dozens were killed on 25 April in the first earthquake. Hundreds of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Singati-rising-from-rubble-rebuilding,3703">Singati survivors</a> had lined up for food and relief supplies in the morning of 12 May when the second earthquake triggered a rock slide that buried a nearby camp. At least 50 people were killed. &nbsp; Three hours later, a US Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom helicopter landed in a nearby cornfield to pick up the wounded, and flew off. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control in Kathmandu and its wreckage was located high on Kalinchok four days later. Six American servicemen, two Nepal Army soldiers, and five wounded civilians from Singati were killed. Today, Singati bears little physical scar of the multiple tragedies that struck the town ten years ago. Most <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/bungamati-builds-back">houses have been rebuilt</a> as urban-style concrete structures, and Singati has become an economic hub on the road leading up to several hydropower plants and a<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/off-the-beaten-trek-in-nepal"> popular trekking destination</a>.&nbsp; The town looks less like a village and more like a suburb of the Dolakha district headquarter of Charikot, 47km away.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_196f341d1df1403ba133e5dfeb837eec20d7cbcb4c8c56b17cc5598810de5df2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250508110520_196f341d1df1403ba133e5dfeb837eec20d7cbcb4c8c56b17cc5598810de5df2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110524_ae66c4a92430f67db51b5e11e017059eedfbac4cb18c8e073f2a50cca1fe904e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20250508110524_ae66c4a92430f67db51b5e11e017059eedfbac4cb18c8e073f2a50cca1fe904e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> </figure>  “The demand for construction material, cement, iron rods and bricks peaked after the earthquakes,” says Suresh Khadka, who owns a hardware business here and now supplies material to the 456MW Upper Tama Kosi hydropower project that is undergoing repairs after it was damaged by a landslide last year. The demand for cement boomed since most residents believe, not necessarily correctly, that <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/in-a-disastrous-state">cement houses are safer</a>. Although Khadka did well selling construction material after the earthquake, he worries that most new structures do not follow seismic-resistant building codes.&nbsp; The construction boom financed by bank loans has in turn forced many from Singati to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/making-overseas-migration-better">migrate overseas for work</a> so they can service their debt.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110524_50caa4530bd5ff9120cf7ab70a62173846d337ef448ff8bac339f3faa375a9e2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20250508110524_50caa4530bd5ff9120cf7ab70a62173846d337ef448ff8bac339f3faa375a9e2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> <figcaption>Suresh Khadka</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_ef8b7d3993fc3b5df852bbf952feb3fbabc96d6883b0d5eb74ee5c60f4123b83.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20250508110520_ef8b7d3993fc3b5df852bbf952feb3fbabc96d6883b0d5eb74ee5c60f4123b83" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> <figcaption>Phu Doma Sherpa (right)</figcaption> </figure>  “My family had no choice but to borrow money to rebuild our home since the government compensation was not enough, and ten years later we are still paying off the loan,” says Phu Doma Sherpa, 60. Because of the shortage of qualified masons and proper seismic engineering, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/structural-problems">many of the buildings are of questionable building standards </a>and the traditional architecture has been abandoned, admits Kul Bahadur Budathoki, deputy chair of the municipality. “But these buildings were more expensive than what the government grants could cover, many people here are heavily in debt and the men have <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/every-day-is-closer-to-pay-day">migrated to the Gulf to pay their loans</a>,” Budathoki says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250508110520_32f89e97b7e757fc9286c0bbb671f48ea8d4468e9634fa646d7247c650ad8480.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20250508110520_32f89e97b7e757fc9286c0bbb671f48ea8d4468e9634fa646d7247c650ad8480" data-rendition-name="original" width="1501" height="1079" loading="lazy" alt="Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village NT"> <figcaption>Kul Bahadur Budathoki</figcaption> </figure>  Singati is in a multi-hazard zone. The <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Singati,3091">12 May 2015 earthquake </a>could have led to the collapse of Nepal’s largest glacial lake, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/stairway-to-heaven">Tso Rolpa</a>, upstream. Due to global warming, the glacier has turned into an expanding lake 3.5km long, and its collapse would have unleashed a catastrophic Himalayan tsunami down the Tama Kosi Valley, with Singati directly in its path. Singati has literally risen from the ashes of 2015, with its residents beginning to recover from the trauma and financial toll. But it is not out of danger as <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-breakdown-linked-to-thame-flood">climate breakdown </a>magnifies the risk from future earthquakes.

Climate magnifies earthquake risk in Nepal village

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prabalgurung/" target="_blank">Prabal Gurung</a> left Nepal for New York in 1999 to escape years of bullying, sexism and homophobia, and to pursue his dream of becoming a fashion designer. He <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqN0VaoAI5w" target="_blank">realised his dream</a>, but did not escape discrimination and racism in the new world. Propelled by passion for fashion, Gurung overcame everything America threw at him. He has attained <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/prabal-gurung-recalls-his-first-met-gala-when-zoe-saldana-was-at-his-side?srsltid=AfmBOooy-H0oGgxMit864FnW_Pmw8mUnV8rYrh-co-f6OyYK6m2ip5hP" target="_blank">fame and recognition</a> for his haute couture dress designs while remaining true to his Nepali roots, and is even more resolute in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSmNauyzACk" target="_blank">fighting prejudice</a> in all its forms. Prabal Gurung’s newly-released memoir <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Walk-Like-Girl-Memoir/dp/B0DG11HCDQ?fbclid=IwY2xjawKZfpxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuZcIJO2OXyXcRm1oq1iG6wzeoF7VJFrQ7GXOFI0YxuZZ4id_CNvSZSZZIna_aem_pG_mOKG73RTnYvN8JaC4fA">Walk Like a Girl</a> is a saga of harrowing abuse in boarding schools in Nepal and India, only finding himself facing a different kind of bullying in the US. He prevails over it all to be where he is today: an award-winning American fashion designer with his own label. Walk Like a Girl was launched last week in New York at a time when everything Gurung fought for — tolerance, inclusion and diversity — are in retreat in his adopted country because of a president who has espoused a culture of bullying. The book is a searing, raw exposé of how cruel and abusive people can be even at a young age in school. On the other hand, it also shows that there are generous, compassionate and open-minded souls out there. In his book, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4le_uWX7YE">Prabal Gurung</a> calls out those who tormented and tried to hold him back (some of their names have been altered). The moral of his story is: resist, never stop believing in yourself, do not let others define you, never lose sight of your dream, and help those who have been kept out. “Walk like a girl” was a slur used by bullies back in school in Nepal and India for Gurung’s effeminate ways. He fought back then, and he is still resisting by turning those words into something to be proud of.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170544_4ffc9c3f565dd2cfa754d10b224816897b82bb31ebaee91b6d79d469fc96f14e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250519170544_4ffc9c3f565dd2cfa754d10b224816897b82bb31ebaee91b6d79d469fc96f14e" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1253" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung NT"> <figcaption>Prabal Gurung at home in Kathmandu in the 1990s.</figcaption> </figure>  “Living through it all was one thing, but writing about it is one of the hardest things I have done in my life,” admitted Gurung during the launch. “I broke down constantly during the six-year writing process.” He continues: “I did not want this to be a victim’s book. I did not want to burden my readers with my emotions. I wanted my struggle to be an inspiration for others facing what I faced. I am grateful to those who bullied me in school, they made me a stronger person ready to face the world.” Indeed, this book is a departure from his earlier one titled simply, Prabal Gurung (Abrams, 2019), which was a lush pictorial autobiography of his career in fashion. Walk Like a Girl is not a typical fashion book, it is an intimate tale of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=16997">Gurung’s travails and triumphs</a>, and how he willed himself to succeed. Prabal pays a lavish tribute to his mother Durga Rana. We find out she is a descendant of the first wife of the eldest son of Jang Bahadur Rana who was banished to Palpa in the late 19th century. Prabal’s father served in the Singapore Police and that is where he was born before the family returned to Nepal when he was four. Gurung relates with brutal honesty about the violence his mother endured from his father. Durga raises three children as a single mother in Nepal, and Prabal credits her for his fierce determination to resist patriarchy and injustice, which in time manifests itself in his hyper-feminine and subversive dress designs. Writing the book has been a cathartic experience for Gurung, who says he is now relieved of the burdens of his past. It no longer haunts him, and he does not have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Walk Like a Girl has life lessons not just for the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DJmOcSgxdWz/" target="_blank">fashion industry</a>, but for every other profession. How can my job serve a greater cause? Gurung tells us his work is <a href="https://asiasociety.org/blog/asia/why-designer-prabal-gurung-doesnt-want-just-stick-fashion" target="_blank">bigger than just making clothes</a>, it is about making the world a better place because it could do with a lot of improvement.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170544_d75296ad8bfdc00d88935f40d23543c6fea3d4d6a10e61a99d6cfc6127f2ee5b.png" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20250519170544_d75296ad8bfdc00d88935f40d23543c6fea3d4d6a10e61a99d6cfc6127f2ee5b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1516" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung"> </figure>  This story of chasing the American dream may sound familiar to many immigrants: knocking on doors for jobs, rejections, trying to survive from day to day on expensive rent, and dealing with subtle racism in white America. Gurung finds racism is rife, and he is often mockingly called ‘gaysian’. He writes: ‘There was a strong hypocrisy — this idea of independence felt like a marketting ruse … and for all the talk of feminism in America, these high society women were trapped by the patriarchy just like in Nepal and India.’ After a trek to the Khumbu region in 2013, Gurung is inspired to use the colours, palette and textures of Nepal for his collection exhibited on Manhattan’s 8th Avenue. A major buyer tells him bluntly: “Stick to making pretty dresses … if I need to see a collection like this, I could buy a copy of National Geographic.” The New York Times was equally dismissive: ‘The designer tries to draw connections between blistered techo-fabric used to construct it and the topography of his homeland, Nepal. But, at the moment, he has lost his map.’ One potential investor tells Gurung he cannot design for Americana because “you do not look American”. Gurung wants to use expletives, but restrains himself. After a fundraiser in New York for the Nepal earthquake in 2015, some belittled his effort, saying: “Here comes the saviour."&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/prabal-gurung-by-prabal-gurung">Prabal Gurung by Prabal Gurung</a>, Kunda Dixit The Gurkha DNA must be dominant in Prabal Gurung’s genes because he does not take such mistreatment lying down. When asked by a fashion publicist why he was designing clothes for fat people, he snaps back: “Because of people like you.” He joins the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements, launches the Shikshya Foundation charity in Nepal, and has powerful allies among celebrities who wear clothes he designed: Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Sara Jessica Parker, Kamala Harris, Deepika Padukone … it is a long list.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519150556_48a5f4211991a23fa85b64bbd5377575ca7081d97309d7542035591dda5180fe.png" data-media-id="editor_12" data-image-id="20250519150556_48a5f4211991a23fa85b64bbd5377575ca7081d97309d7542035591dda5180fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="1534" loading="lazy" alt="Being Prabal Gurung by design"> <figcaption>Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wearing Atelier Prabal Gurung’s design for Met Gala 2025 in which the theme was ‘Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’. </figcaption> </figure>  “I don’t dress women to look beautiful, they already are,” Gurung says. “I try to bring out their innate strength and grace.” <a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17908766880140171/" target="_blank">Admirers</a> tell Gurung he makes it all look so easy, but he used to put up a strong facade to not show his own vulnerabilities in public. “I was closed because of my childhood experiences,” he says. “I was always on guard to defend myself because I never knew where the next punch would come from.” But in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVepzPA210" target="_blank">Walk Like a Girl,</a> Gurung comes to terms with his vulnerability, and bares his soul. It has not been easy, it took sustained will power and support from his mother, sister Kumudini and a circle of close friends. “I made unbelonging my power,” he says. “Nepal is where I still have my heart and soul. Nepal grounds you. It is where people go to find themselves. But I escaped.” Recently appointed vice-chair of the <a href="https://cfda.com/about-cfda" target="_blank">Council of American Fashion Designers</a>, Gurung says: “I can’t believe I am here, it feels like it is happening to someone else. Writing this book, the healing has finally begun.” <h2>‘Everything is better in color’</h2> The Met Gala was two weeks later, and my table was an example of everything I’d been fighting for all these years as my guests represented everything I believed in: dynamic, powerful, influential women who were unapologetically original and unabashedly graceful. I was grateful to Anna for inviting me to host and dress a table that reflected my ethos—and for her guidance in doing so. I was also aware of the privilege as one of the first-­ever Asian fashion designers—not just from Nepal, but from the entire continent— to get the opportunity to do so. That fact was not lost on me. I reached out beyond the expected Hollywood celebrities and well-­known socialites to curate a table of exceptional women who inspired me. I invited Deepika Padukone and Alia Bhatt for their first-­ever Met Galas, as well as Michelle Yeoh, Mindy Kaling, Camila Cabello, Ashley Park, Denée Benton, KiKi Layne, Quannah Chasinghorse, and Grace Elizabeth. Together we checked many boxes: Asian, Black, Latinx, and Indigenous, each woman undeniably chic and powerful, a dazzling array of skin tones and experiences that proved my decades‑in‑the-­making hypothesis: everything is better in color. Excerpt from Walk Like a Girl Viking © 2025 by Prabal Gurung  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170520_6b91d560e9f072c37d16876901058c073a51ffa05e7ad1b9461d19e1c9c28215.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20250519170520_6b91d560e9f072c37d16876901058c073a51ffa05e7ad1b9461d19e1c9c28215" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung book details NT"> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250519170520_345240c21be400e2ce2ec629b52bd82bb53890e5bd86fe95b48340d84b5f1748.jpg" data-media-id="editor_17" data-image-id="20250519170520_345240c21be400e2ce2ec629b52bd82bb53890e5bd86fe95b48340d84b5f1748" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Prabal Gurung book details NT"> </figure>  &nbsp;