<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151112/636d07449c7e80680e0a5fafjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1611"/>It took me months to adjust to lockdown life. Being cooped up in my tiny studio apartment caused a lot of anger and frustration. But as an essential worker at a health centre, I had the freedom to leave the apartment to walk back and forth from work, which helped my mental sanity.This was followed by six weeks of working from home. Being a social person with a wide network of friends, having to stay locked within the four walls was difficult. Living alone, I had to do everything in my power not to lose my mind.I started daily yoga and rode my bike to keep myself physically active and mentally sound. I attempted to meditate several times, but it did not work for me. I Face-timed with people, and though it felt good for the hour that it lasted, once the call was done the emptiness returned.Being an anxious person by nature, spending time alone all day made it worse. You can only watch so much Netflix and exercise to kill the hours. I started to clean more obsessively, but there is a limit to that too. The only respite was the grocery trips, and the chance to get out and breathe fresh air.As a mental health professional, people started asking me how they could take care of themselves in this difficult time. I gave them the best advice I could. But I did not realise that listening to others experiencing the same frustration and anger would only add to my own.Struggling with my inability to stay strong, I started to absorb other people’s negativity and feel weaker by the day. My work recommended we talk to other therapists to help ourselves, and I did. My therapist told me to separate other people’s problems from my own and not take them in, but I could not.I continued to listen to my family and friends about how low they felt. I made sure to be everyone’s cheerleader by checking in on them and encouraging them to try every technique that was proven to work. But while helping others, I did not notice that I needed help myself.I could not share this with others because this was my field of work. How could I, someone trained in helping others with their mental health issues, admit that I was losing my mind?Embarrassed and feeling inadequate, I could not understand how despite following every piece of advice in the book, I could not uplift my spirit. I exercised, ate healthy, cleaned and kept in touch with loved ones, but I kept sinking deeper and deeper into this hole.I kept telling myself that this will pass, and everything will be okay again. I started working with a kind and understanding therapist, and I finally started to feel validated and comfortable in admitting that even mental health professionals need help.Eventually, I got used to the lockdown and staying indoors. I tried gardening, but I could never get myself into it. I moved to another place, and I began to spend time walking in the backyard and looking at the trees and the birds.As the lockdown eased, people were so excited to get back to their everyday lives. I thought I would feel the same. After all, I had been waiting for this and I was fully vaccinated, so I felt safe and responsible about going out.But it had taken me so long to acclimate to being inside that being out in the world again caused me more anxiety. It felt wrong to be outdoors, and I could not enjoy it. I pushed myself to go out and see people, but I would always come home feeling uncomfortable and guilty, thinking of people still struggling at home.A widespread technique practised by mental health professionals is to write down one thing they appreciate in their lives, I started to do that. I am grateful for many things in my life, but the fluctuation between suddenly being stuck indoors and then having the freedom to run around was harder for me than many others that I know of.I find it challenging to go out and enjoy myself also because I got so used to being on my own. Last year in July, one of the psychologists I interviewed for an article had told me that people would have a difficult time readjusting to ‘everyday life’. I could not understand why at the time, but I do now.I have lived in many cities and adjusted to different lifestyles over the years, but by far, this has been the hardest. There is a constant battle between my rational mind, which tells me that we must adjust to changes to live everyday life and move on and my emotional mind that is stubborn and reluctant to change.I am envious of people who can reacclimate when I feel completely stuck. The truth is that, it does not matter what others say, the most important thing is to try and keep trying till you achieve the desired goal.My biggest fear is having to go back to the lockdown days again. See-sawing between a life of freedom and being comfortable on my own is one concern that I never imagined I would have. I did not think it would be this hard.While some people can adapt to changes more quickly, others like me are cautious about adjusting to the new normal because Covid is not over. I yearn for the day when I no longer live in fear. But getting back to my life before the pandemic will not happen overnight. All I can do is be responsible and take care of myself while giving myself time.Anjana Rajbhandary lives and works in Chicago. She writes this fortnightly Nepali Times column Life Time about mental health, physical health and socio-cultural issues.

Anjana Rajbhandary

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Readjusting to life post-Covid

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131144/636cf29e9c7e80680e09d91cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/>Nepal will open its 2021 lockdown long before the country <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/aid-pours-into-nepal-but-where-be-vaccines/">has enough vaccines</a> to protect its citizens -- our aunts, uncles, and neighbours. We will not have substantial vaccine coverage for many months, if not longer.We will <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-an-emergency/">need more oxygen,</a> more testing, and better tracking and isolation procedures. Crucially, we will also have to maintain and strengthen our only effective tools: physical distancing and masks.Unfortunately, too many Nepalis are wearing low-quality masks, taking them off too often, touching them, and not washing them or replacing them often enough. More people should be wearing three-layer surgical masks, which, for only a few more rupees, offer greater protective power.The key problem Nepal faces has not changed: infected people do not know they have the virus and spread it around. And new variants make the virus even more easily transmissible. We need to behave not as if only a small number of people could have the virus, but as if everyone we encounter already has it. That includes the friendly neighbourhood fruit seller. That includes family members. That includes you.“Vaccinations will take a long time to arrive in South Asia to create a wall of immunity. Till then, masks are most essential,” says <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/3-pronged-strategy-to-save-nepal-from-covid-19/">Mushfiq Mobarak</a>, a Yale university professor who recently led a huge study of<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMJkyBBtK74lqSsHZnx_8qb0_sJ0WaR7A7XA8IQHAobrBEQA/viewform"> mask-wearing in Bangladesh.</a>Many Nepalis wear cloth masks or one-layer surgical masks. These help, no question. But the 3-layer surgical masks and N95s offer more filtration efficiency and more protection, although they cost just a few rupees more. That is an investment well worth it to protect individuals, institutions, and governments.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131144/636cf2a19c7e80680e09d91djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2370" height="950"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>I asked Biraj Vajracharya, an epidemiologist at Dhulikhel hospital, what kind of mask people should be buying and wearing. "Surgical mask, or if possible, N95 mask," he replied.The Yale researchers recommend high quality 3-layer masks because they filter more efficiently. They can be washed and reused without losing much efficiency. For more on the study's recommendations about masks, see this excellent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifiR_5DuyfA">video</a>."We need to change mask-wearing norms amongst hundreds of millions of South Asians to mitigate the spread of COVID," Mushfiq Mobarak told me via email. "High-quality washable, reusable surgical masks are much more cost-effective, and offer a feasible path to scalability across the region."The <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/covid-19-crisis-india-draws-lessons-from-bangladesh-s-mask-study-121051401341_1.html">Yale study in Bangladesh</a>, involving over 300,000 people in 600 villages, identified simple policies that led to much greater mask wearing. They found that when <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EUhdri6CST9uzw_myffNmyUVPt8_UMsM75NOt5Q-54o/edit">authorities do four things together</a>, mask wearing more than tripled:<ol><li>Offer free masks</li> <li>Provide clear information about mask wearing in videos and brochures</li> <li>Find community leaders to speak in support of mask wearing</li> <li>Reinforce the message with gentle questioning for those not wearing</li></ol>The fourth policy was the most important: special monitors to verbally poke people who were not wearing masks. Those monitors, the Yale study explains, ‘walk around and if somebody is not wearing a mask, they intercept them and politely say, “We distributed masks here—why aren’t you wearing one?” If the person didn’t have a mask or couldn’t get one, the monitor gives them one.’What this combo of four actions does is establish a community expectation, a clear norm or standard for the community to follow. The norm shows everybody that the community expects them to wear the masks, that it takes masks seriously. That makes a big difference.The researchers call their recommended program NORM:No-Cost masksOffering InformationReinforcement in public places by intercepting non-mask wearersModelling and endorsement by trusted leadersHere's some useful mask info:<ol><li>All masks help, but 3-layer surgical masks and N95 masks offer greater protection.</li> <li>Double masking is good, especially with low-quality surgical or cloth masks.</li> <li>Masks should cover the mouth and nose. A tight fit on all four sides is good.</li> <li>If you touch the mask, you should wash your hands.</li> <li>Masks should be washed and replaced regularly.</li> <li>In general, you should wash your hands with soap several times a day.</li></ol>A historical reminder might be relevant here: when we think about the Covid-19 vaccine, we often recall the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/how-nepal-eradicated-the-smallpox-virus/">big health breakthroughs of the past</a>, such as the discovery of the polio vaccine in the 1950s, and penicillin in the 1940s.But long before these headline-stealing medical heroes arrived to save the day, death rates had already dropped dramatically in Western Europe and North America. This health revolution came because of much less glamorous innovations: clean drinking water, efficient waste disposal, increased bathing, and expanded soap use.These basic sanitary measures saved millions and millions of lives. In Nepal in 2021, basic preventative measures such as physical<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-covid-19-impact-worse-than-official-figures/">l distancing and careful mask wearing </a>can save lives as well.One other reminder: last year, after we were released from Lockdown I in July, Covid-19 <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-its-no-time-to-let-your-guard-down/">infections spiked</a>. After Lockdown II was lifted in September, infections spiked again, reaching their highest level yet. The end of Lockdown III will <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/learning-to-live-with-covid/">likely bring new risks.</a><a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/how-chitwan-was-opened,4159">Tom Robertson</a>, PhD, is researching the environmental history of the Kathmandu Valley.

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After lockdown, we will need masks more than ever

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91c69c7e80680e06f10djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/>Nepal will open its 2021 lockdown long before the country <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/aid-pours-into-nepal-but-where-be-vaccines/">has enough vaccines</a> to protect its citizens -- our aunts, uncles, and neighbours. We will not have substantial vaccine coverage for many months, if not longer.We will <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-an-emergency/">need more oxygen,</a> more testing, and better tracking and isolation procedures. Crucially, we will also have to maintain and strengthen our only effective tools: physical distancing and masks.Unfortunately, too many Nepalis are wearing low-quality masks, taking them off too often, touching them, and not washing them or replacing them often enough. More people should be wearing three-layer surgical masks, which, for only a few more rupees, offer greater protective power.The key problem Nepal faces has not changed: infected people do not know they have the virus and spread it around. And new variants make the virus even more easily transmissible. We need to behave not as if only a small number of people could have the virus, but as if everyone we encounter already has it. That includes the friendly neighbourhood fruit seller. That includes family members. That includes you.“Vaccinations will take a long time to arrive in South Asia to create a wall of immunity. Till then, masks are most essential,” says <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/3-pronged-strategy-to-save-nepal-from-covid-19/">Mushfiq Mobarak</a>, a Yale university professor who recently led a huge study of<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMJkyBBtK74lqSsHZnx_8qb0_sJ0WaR7A7XA8IQHAobrBEQA/viewform"> mask-wearing in Bangladesh.</a>Many Nepalis wear cloth masks or one-layer surgical masks. These help, no question. But the 3-layer surgical masks and N95s offer more filtration efficiency and more protection, although they cost just a few rupees more. That is an investment well worth it to protect individuals, institutions, and governments.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121140/636b91c99c7e80680e06f10ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2370" height="950"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>I asked Biraj Vajracharya, an epidemiologist at Dhulikhel hospital, what kind of mask people should be buying and wearing. "Surgical mask, or if possible, N95 mask," he replied.The Yale researchers recommend high quality 3-layer masks because they filter more efficiently. They can be washed and reused without losing much efficiency. For more on the study's recommendations about masks, see this excellent <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifiR_5DuyfA">video</a>."We need to change mask-wearing norms amongst hundreds of millions of South Asians to mitigate the spread of COVID," Mushfiq Mobarak told me via email. "High-quality washable, reusable surgical masks are much more cost-effective, and offer a feasible path to scalability across the region."The <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/covid-19-crisis-india-draws-lessons-from-bangladesh-s-mask-study-121051401341_1.html">Yale study in Bangladesh</a>, involving over 300,000 people in 600 villages, identified simple policies that led to much greater mask wearing. They found that when <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EUhdri6CST9uzw_myffNmyUVPt8_UMsM75NOt5Q-54o/edit">authorities do four things together</a>, mask wearing more than tripled:<ol><li>Offer free masks</li> <li>Provide clear information about mask wearing in videos and brochures</li> <li>Find community leaders to speak in support of mask wearing</li> <li>Reinforce the message with gentle questioning for those not wearing</li></ol>The fourth policy was the most important: special monitors to verbally poke people who were not wearing masks. Those monitors, the Yale study explains, ‘walk around and if somebody is not wearing a mask, they intercept them and politely say, “We distributed masks here—why aren’t you wearing one?” If the person didn’t have a mask or couldn’t get one, the monitor gives them one.’What this combo of four actions does is establish a community expectation, a clear norm or standard for the community to follow. The norm shows everybody that the community expects them to wear the masks, that it takes masks seriously. That makes a big difference.The researchers call their recommended program NORM:No-Cost masksOffering InformationReinforcement in public places by intercepting non-mask wearersModelling and endorsement by trusted leadersHere's some useful mask info:<ol><li>All masks help, but 3-layer surgical masks and N95 masks offer greater protection.</li> <li>Double masking is good, especially with low-quality surgical or cloth masks.</li> <li>Masks should cover the mouth and nose. A tight fit on all four sides is good.</li> <li>If you touch the mask, you should wash your hands.</li> <li>Masks should be washed and replaced regularly.</li> <li>In general, you should wash your hands with soap several times a day.</li></ol>A historical reminder might be relevant here: when we think about the Covid-19 vaccine, we often recall the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/how-nepal-eradicated-the-smallpox-virus/">big health breakthroughs of the past</a>, such as the discovery of the polio vaccine in the 1950s, and penicillin in the 1940s.But long before these headline-stealing medical heroes arrived to save the day, death rates had already dropped dramatically in Western Europe and North America. This health revolution came because of much less glamorous innovations: clean drinking water, efficient waste disposal, increased bathing, and expanded soap use.These basic sanitary measures saved millions and millions of lives. In Nepal in 2021, basic preventative measures such as physical<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-covid-19-impact-worse-than-official-figures/">l distancing and careful mask wearing </a>can save lives as well.One other reminder: last year, after we were released from Lockdown I in July, Covid-19 <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-its-no-time-to-let-your-guard-down/">infections spiked</a>. After Lockdown II was lifted in September, infections spiked again, reaching their highest level yet. The end of Lockdown III will <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/learning-to-live-with-covid/">likely bring new risks.</a><a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/how-chitwan-was-opened,4159">Tom Robertson</a>, PhD, is researching the environmental history of the Kathmandu Valley.

<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b917d9c7e80680e06f0f1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"/>It is crucial to stay connected with loved ones during times like this to keep our morale up. We must eat well and exercise to keep our minds and bodies healthy. What else can we do to keep our spirits from being dragged down?Turn to nature.As we continue on month two of the second lockdown in Nepal, when the rest of the world seems to be moving on, it can be difficult to stay upbeat. Some find it difficult to keep spirits up because of the lack of social interaction, others are frustrated with spending too much time with the same people.It is natural to feel ill-tempered and irritated with family members when you spend much time with them. Our routines have been disrupted, and some of us will take the frustration out on the closest people.Many of us are not aware of the positive impact nature has on us. Living in busy cities, we tend to overlook the benefits of regular exposure to nature on our mental wellbeing. We  have heard of the benefits of gardening, and if you have not shown interest in plants before, this can be a time for you to start a new hobby that will be good for your soul.Last year was challenging for the world with the global pandemic and lockdown. We were hopeful that vaccines would put an end to the isolation and mask-wearing, and looked forward to 2021 because we thought life would start to become more normal, but that has not been the case for Nepal.It can feel suffocating to be locked inside the walls all day, so this is a time to remind yourself of the calming effects nature can have on your mind. It is important to spend time in the roof garden or the lawn to reduce stress and mental exhaustion.Our busy pre-Covid lives disconnected us from the beauty of nature around us. It is not possible to go on a hill hike or visit a park, but just walking barefoot on the grass and watching the seeds you plant grow in a pot can be therapeutic. Looking up at the trees and listening to the birds can lift the spirit.Even this can reduce anxiety and depression, which in turn strengthens the immune system.  If you do not have a garden, get some houseplants, give it time, nurture it and watch it grow.Being outside and looking at the world will promote mindfulness and feelings of gratitude. It will make you realise that miracles do happen. Taking a break from the monitor and sitting outside, listening to the rustle of wind in the leaves, the sound of rain or just watching the clouds go by will help clear your mind and reduce feelings of irritability and frustration.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109121136/636b91809c7e80680e06f0f2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="535" height="279">Many therapists encourage people with depression to spend time outdoors because it increases their energy levels, and makes them happier. It helps the body produce endorphins that have mood-boosting effects. Spending time with the trees and plants can help address your emotional, mental and physical needs.The increased stress and concern about Covid have resulted in sleeping issues and insomnia for many. Spending time outside in your garden or terrace can expose you to natural light, thus resetting your circadian rhythm, improving sleeping patterns and rejuvenating body and mind. We may not have had the time before, but use this time at home to connect with nature and appreciate it.Growing plants or vegetables can positively impact your mood because nurturing something else in life helps you take care of yourself more. It will strengthen you mentally so that you can support others. Gardening has been considered one of the most de-stressing activities because it lets you form a deep connection with the earth. It helps you bond with this intricate web of life.It is hard to explain the calming powers of nature till you experience it for yourself. But the quiet calm around you will help you calm your mind if you give it a chance. Our mental health influences our overall wellbeing.You may have noticed that people who spend time outdoors or garden regularly are calmer and more relaxed than those who do not. They also tend to be in better physical health. The healing power of nature can reduce feelings of anger and fear and promote happiness. You owe it to yourself to take care of your health during a time like this.Stress and anxiety can affect your physical health with high blood pressure, muscle tension and excess release of cortisol. Being in nature reduces those symptoms, nature can soothe and has healing powers.Nature can restore your sense of being because looking at greenery improves your ability to pay attention to details. It provides comfort to hyperactive minds constantly worried about yourself, and the wellbeing of your relatives and friends.The lockdown makes many spend too much time in front of TV, PC or mobile monitors. Even before Covid, too much screen time was associated with depression. Disconnecting from these distractions can increase your sense of altruism and make you want to help others. We tend to compare ourselves with others who have more when hooked to the internet and social media, which leaves most of us feeling down. The news feeds are also full of news of the scourge, which keeps us down.Reconnecting with nature allows us to rise above all this, and appreciate life. It makes us want to do more for others. It gives us a sense of purpose. It teaches us patience. We have been disconnected from society for too long, so it is necessary to bond with the natural powers of the world around us.Start small and notice the mental, emotional and physical benefits you begin to experience. We are all in this together, and we need to help those who have less than us. If we can take care of our minds, we will be able to change our surroundings.

The healing power of nature

<img width="1574" height="948" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636ceda29c7e80680e09add9jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Bhabindra Ghimire was admitted to Teku Hospital when his oxygen levels dropped after testing positive for Covid-19 in April. With nothing to do in isolation, Ghimire took to Facebook to pass the time. But his social media feed was inundated with news of people dying from the virus, photos of bodies being cremated, and posts paying tributes to loved ones lost to the contagion. Ghimire’s anxiety level rose, and his recovery suffered. “The death notices pouring in on social media and the terrifying pictures of cremations were making me really anxious,” says Ghimire. “I tried and failed to stop myself from looking at my phone, and there were no friends or relatives allowed to visit. I started getting a panic attack, and was certain my days were also numbered.” Ghimire did finally recover, but he has a word of advice to others who have tested positive, are in isolation at home or hospital: “I wished I had come across more stories about how patients were spending their time in isolation, and how people had overcome the disease. But such stories are few and far between.” Till 17 May, Nepal had recorded 464,218 confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 2.7 million PCR tests, and 345,523 have recovered from the virus. With the number of dead crossing 5,000, the fatality rate among infected people is a little above 1.3%.  Of the active cases, 94% are in home isolation. And with almost all of Nepal under full or partial lockdown, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/coronavirus-and-the-world-wide-web/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social media has become a way to spend their time</a> for not just people who are infected, but for most Nepalis as they stay indoors.  <a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-aids-nepals-net-spread/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recent surveys</a> have shown that up to 96% have mobile phones, of which more than 60% are smartphones, and a quarter of all Nepalis say they <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-internet-use-increases-by-35-during-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">use the Internet </a>every day. Of those with smartphones, nearly 90% are on Facebook, and the number of Nepalis with Facebook accounts is now about 9 million.  <img width="1092" height="586" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131124/636ceda59c7e80680e09addajpeg.jpg" alt=""><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mobile-nepal-is-hooked-on-youtube/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mobile Nepal is hooked on YouTube</a>, Kunda DixitMany Covid-19 patients interviewed for this report say that they have been adversely impacted by the overwhelmingly negative Covid-related content on mainstream and social media.Indeed, psychologists and physicians have said that keeping a positive mental attitude is important in recovery, and they prescribe lowering the diet of media consumption. Covid-related content on social media is harmful not only to those infected but also to families, loved ones, and caretakers. A woman taking care of her father and grandmother in Kathmandu who were hospitalised with Covid-19 used social media to occupy her time in hospital. However, the Covid-related posts shared on her timeline made her anxious and fearful. “It is in our nature to be more drawn to negative news,” she says, “but when you find yourself in the middle of the very crisis everyone is talking about, you realise how harrowing it really is.”Ramu Ghimire of Butwal has not been on social media since he tested positive for the virus, and has been seeking out positive content available on the internet. “Your first priority has to be your own recovery. Why pay attention to what is happening in the rest of the world?” Rinan Pokhrel is in isolation with his entire family in Bhaktapur after becoming infected. “Everyone in the family has tested positive, so we spend our time together, talking to each other,” he says. “More than 98 percent of those who become infected recover from the disease, but the media only chooses to focus on those who die and keep showing funeral pyres.” Psychiatrist Ritesh Thapa has been counselling people via tele-consultations during the pandemic, and says: “I have seen patients who are well on the road to recovery who become anxious and think they are going to die after seeing news of other Covid patients dying. They expressed fears of dying from the virus after they saw pictures of mass cremations in India circulating on social media.”Thapa suggests that all Nepalis limit their social media consumption, and patients in isolation not seek Covid-related updates constantly. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tackling-nepals-mental-health-pandemic/">Tackling Nepal’s mental health pandemic</a>, Matrika DevkotaHe notes that mainstream media, especially television, also needs to be more responsible and careful about the kind of news it puts out during this crisis. He adds that publishing disturbing news and images of the dead to increase their ratings and circulation will only exacerbate the anxiety that people are already experiencing. Jagannath Lamichhane, activist and presenter of the interactive YouTube Channel ‘Juggernaut Mindset’, emphasises the need to stay away from fake news and misinformation during the pandemic. “It is important to get only necessary updates from a few trusted news sources, and stay away from social media altogether.”Indeed, the worst affected are Covid-19 patients in hospital who cannot see visitors, and turn to social media on their phones only to see posts on Facebook about their own friends and relatives dying.Cheena Thapa, a journalist in Biratnagar, took a break from social media after testing positive for the virus at the end of April, only going online a week later to update those close to her about her health. Thapa says she wished she had found more positive stories to see and read as she recovered.Butuwal-based journalist D R Ghimire has been isolating at home after he tested positive for Covid. Ghimire understood when in isolation how negative news added to an already stressful environment. “After having been a journalist for three decades, I now realise how feel-good stories add value and positive energy to our lives at times like this,” he added.“It is natural for people to panic at times like this, but all this negative news just spread more fear,” the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) notes in its <a href="http://www.fnjnepal.org/np/notice/करन-covid-19-क-दसर-लहरक-बरम-समचर-समपरषण-गरद-धयन-दनपरन-करहर" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">publication</a> ‘Things to be considered while disseminating news regarding the second wave of Covid-19’. “Let us try to understand the facts about the infection, spread awareness about prevention measures, and let everyone know that early diagnosis and treatment can save lives.”Mukesh Pokhrel is a reporter for Himal Khabarpatrika and Nepali Times, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/staying-positive-to-become-negative/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote last year</a> about how negative news in the media affected him during his recovery.

The social media contagion

<img width="1574" height="948" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b858b9c7e80680e0677fcjpeg.jpg" alt=""/>Bhabindra Ghimire was admitted to Teku Hospital when his oxygen levels dropped after testing positive for Covid-19 in April. With nothing to do in isolation, Ghimire took to Facebook to pass the time. But his social media feed was inundated with news of people dying from the virus, photos of bodies being cremated, and posts paying tributes to loved ones lost to the contagion. Ghimire’s anxiety level rose, and his recovery suffered. “The death notices pouring in on social media and the terrifying pictures of cremations were making me really anxious,” says Ghimire. “I tried and failed to stop myself from looking at my phone, and there were no friends or relatives allowed to visit. I started getting a panic attack, and was certain my days were also numbered.” Ghimire did finally recover, but he has a word of advice to others who have tested positive, are in isolation at home or hospital: “I wished I had come across more stories about how patients were spending their time in isolation, and how people had overcome the disease. But such stories are few and far between.” Till 17 May, Nepal had recorded 464,218 confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 2.7 million PCR tests, and 345,523 have recovered from the virus. With the number of dead crossing 5,000, the fatality rate among infected people is a little above 1.3%.  Of the active cases, 94% are in home isolation. And with almost all of Nepal under full or partial lockdown, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/coronavirus-and-the-world-wide-web/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social media has become a way to spend their time</a> for not just people who are infected, but for most Nepalis as they stay indoors.  <a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/covid-19-aids-nepals-net-spread/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Recent surveys</a> have shown that up to 96% have mobile phones, of which more than 60% are smartphones, and a quarter of all Nepalis say they <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-internet-use-increases-by-35-during-lockdown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">use the Internet </a>every day. Of those with smartphones, nearly 90% are on Facebook, and the number of Nepalis with Facebook accounts is now about 9 million.  <img width="1092" height="586" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111148/636b858e9c7e80680e0677fdjpeg.jpg" alt=""><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mobile-nepal-is-hooked-on-youtube/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mobile Nepal is hooked on YouTube</a>, Kunda DixitMany Covid-19 patients interviewed for this report say that they have been adversely impacted by the overwhelmingly negative Covid-related content on mainstream and social media.Indeed, psychologists and physicians have said that keeping a positive mental attitude is important in recovery, and they prescribe lowering the diet of media consumption. Covid-related content on social media is harmful not only to those infected but also to families, loved ones, and caretakers. A woman taking care of her father and grandmother in Kathmandu who were hospitalised with Covid-19 used social media to occupy her time in hospital. However, the Covid-related posts shared on her timeline made her anxious and fearful. “It is in our nature to be more drawn to negative news,” she says, “but when you find yourself in the middle of the very crisis everyone is talking about, you realise how harrowing it really is.”Ramu Ghimire of Butwal has not been on social media since he tested positive for the virus, and has been seeking out positive content available on the internet. “Your first priority has to be your own recovery. Why pay attention to what is happening in the rest of the world?” Rinan Pokhrel is in isolation with his entire family in Bhaktapur after becoming infected. “Everyone in the family has tested positive, so we spend our time together, talking to each other,” he says. “More than 98 percent of those who become infected recover from the disease, but the media only chooses to focus on those who die and keep showing funeral pyres.” Psychiatrist Ritesh Thapa has been counselling people via tele-consultations during the pandemic, and says: “I have seen patients who are well on the road to recovery who become anxious and think they are going to die after seeing news of other Covid patients dying. They expressed fears of dying from the virus after they saw pictures of mass cremations in India circulating on social media.”Thapa suggests that all Nepalis limit their social media consumption, and patients in isolation not seek Covid-related updates constantly. <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/tackling-nepals-mental-health-pandemic/">Tackling Nepal’s mental health pandemic</a>, Matrika DevkotaHe notes that mainstream media, especially television, also needs to be more responsible and careful about the kind of news it puts out during this crisis. He adds that publishing disturbing news and images of the dead to increase their ratings and circulation will only exacerbate the anxiety that people are already experiencing. Jagannath Lamichhane, activist and presenter of the interactive YouTube Channel ‘Juggernaut Mindset’, emphasises the need to stay away from fake news and misinformation during the pandemic. “It is important to get only necessary updates from a few trusted news sources, and stay away from social media altogether.”Indeed, the worst affected are Covid-19 patients in hospital who cannot see visitors, and turn to social media on their phones only to see posts on Facebook about their own friends and relatives dying.Cheena Thapa, a journalist in Biratnagar, took a break from social media after testing positive for the virus at the end of April, only going online a week later to update those close to her about her health. Thapa says she wished she had found more positive stories to see and read as she recovered.Butuwal-based journalist D R Ghimire has been isolating at home after he tested positive for Covid. Ghimire understood when in isolation how negative news added to an already stressful environment. “After having been a journalist for three decades, I now realise how feel-good stories add value and positive energy to our lives at times like this,” he added.“It is natural for people to panic at times like this, but all this negative news just spread more fear,” the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) notes in its <a href="http://www.fnjnepal.org/np/notice/करन-covid-19-क-दसर-लहरक-बरम-समचर-समपरषण-गरद-धयन-दनपरन-करहर" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">publication</a> ‘Things to be considered while disseminating news regarding the second wave of Covid-19’. “Let us try to understand the facts about the infection, spread awareness about prevention measures, and let everyone know that early diagnosis and treatment can save lives.”Mukesh Pokhrel is a reporter for Himal Khabarpatrika and Nepali Times, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/staying-positive-to-become-negative/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">wrote last year</a> about how negative news in the media affected him during his recovery.

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131120/636ced0a9c7e80680e09ad9fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="658"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Nepal’s Covid-19 crisis has figured in a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday, where members heard USAID officials, and urged a more urgent response.Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he was concerned that the situation in Nepal was even more serious, after India stopped the export of vaccines.Meanwhile the first US legislator of Nepali-origin Harry Bhandari from Maryland has started a signature campaign calling on President Joe Biden to rush urgent medical aid to Nepal.Responding to the queries from senators at the hearing, Jeremy Konyndyk of USAID admitted the situation in Nepal was serious, that the high positivity rate meant there was an urgent need for more testing.Last week, the group <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vaccines-are-the-only-solution/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vaccines-are-the-only-solution/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621001079983000&amp;usg=AFQjCNExp09ZvwY7OX2ArKmLNmcLJlnyLw">The Covid Alliance for Nepal</a> wrote to the US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry to urge him to help secure the AstraZeneca vaccine from the US stockpile. Nearly 1.3 million people in Nepal who have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine are waiting for the second dose, amidst uncertainty after India banned its export.Meanwhile, US Indo-Pacific Command announced on Thursday that it is giving Nepal $2.85 million to acquire oxygen plants, cylinders and storage tanks, as well as PPE, isolation centre equipment and other gear. USAID also announced that it had given various agencies of the Nepal government nearly $51 million to fight the pandemic.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131120/636ced0e9c7e80680e09ada0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1176" height="1080">Also on Thursday, deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel called US Ambassador Berry asking for urgent help with AstraZeneca vaccines. Pokhrel said Berry had assured him that he was also urging Washington about the need for vaccines, and that he would keep the Nepal government informed.In return Berry also requested Pokhrel, who heads the Covid-19 Control and Management Committee (CCMC) to restore two flights a week from Kathmandu to evacuate its nationals stuck in Nepal to return to the United States. All international and domestic flights in Nepal have been grounded till 31 May, and the lockdown in Kathmandu has been extended till 27 May.In a separate development, the European Union is also extending €2 million in humanitarian funding to Nepal that will be used to monitor home isolated cases through tele-medicine services and rapid referral to hospitals, national emergency medical teams deployment and international emergency medical teams mobilisation facilitation as well as procurement of oxygen equipment including oxygen concentrators, cylinders, home care kits, diagnostics including antigen test kits and PPE.Nepal has also activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and Finland is the first member to offer more than 2 million surgical masks, 350,000 FFP2 masks, 52,500 pairs of vinyl gloves and 30,000 isolation gowns."We stand in full solidarity with Nepal in its fight against the pandemic and are quickly mobilising emergency support with initial €2 million funding, and we stand ready to provide further assistance,”  said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.

International help for Nepal picks up

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84ec9c7e80680e0677c2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="658"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Nepal’s Covid-19 crisis has figured in a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington on Wednesday, where members heard USAID officials, and urged a more urgent response.Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said he was concerned that the situation in Nepal was even more serious, after India stopped the export of vaccines.Meanwhile the first US legislator of Nepali-origin Harry Bhandari from Maryland has started a signature campaign calling on President Joe Biden to rush urgent medical aid to Nepal.Responding to the queries from senators at the hearing, Jeremy Konyndyk of USAID admitted the situation in Nepal was serious, that the high positivity rate meant there was an urgent need for more testing.Last week, the group <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vaccines-are-the-only-solution/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/vaccines-are-the-only-solution/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1621001079983000&amp;usg=AFQjCNExp09ZvwY7OX2ArKmLNmcLJlnyLw">The Covid Alliance for Nepal</a> wrote to the US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry to urge him to help secure the AstraZeneca vaccine from the US stockpile. Nearly 1.3 million people in Nepal who have received the first dose of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine are waiting for the second dose, amidst uncertainty after India banned its export.Meanwhile, US Indo-Pacific Command announced on Thursday that it is giving Nepal $2.85 million to acquire oxygen plants, cylinders and storage tanks, as well as PPE, isolation centre equipment and other gear. USAID also announced that it had given various agencies of the Nepal government nearly $51 million to fight the pandemic.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111144/636b84ef9c7e80680e0677c3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1176" height="1080">Also on Thursday, deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel called US Ambassador Berry asking for urgent help with AstraZeneca vaccines. Pokhrel said Berry had assured him that he was also urging Washington about the need for vaccines, and that he would keep the Nepal government informed.In return Berry also requested Pokhrel, who heads the Covid-19 Control and Management Committee (CCMC) to restore two flights a week from Kathmandu to evacuate its nationals stuck in Nepal to return to the United States. All international and domestic flights in Nepal have been grounded till 31 May, and the lockdown in Kathmandu has been extended till 27 May.In a separate development, the European Union is also extending €2 million in humanitarian funding to Nepal that will be used to monitor home isolated cases through tele-medicine services and rapid referral to hospitals, national emergency medical teams deployment and international emergency medical teams mobilisation facilitation as well as procurement of oxygen equipment including oxygen concentrators, cylinders, home care kits, diagnostics including antigen test kits and PPE.Nepal has also activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, and Finland is the first member to offer more than 2 million surgical masks, 350,000 FFP2 masks, 52,500 pairs of vinyl gloves and 30,000 isolation gowns."We stand in full solidarity with Nepal in its fight against the pandemic and are quickly mobilising emergency support with initial €2 million funding, and we stand ready to provide further assistance,”  said EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič.

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce76f9c7e80680e0967c2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500"/><figcaption>All photos: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>With a deadlier <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-covid-tsunami/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">second wave</a> taking root, Kathmandu Valley has enforced a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kathmandu-locks-down-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a two-week long lockdown</a> effective today. The city, slowly returning to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/preparing-for-a-no-normal/">pre-Covid</a> levels of activity and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/biska-celebrations-begin-in-bhaktapur/">festivity</a>, has once again ground to a halt with empty streets and centers in scenes similar to those of last year’s shutdown.All public and private cars will be off the roads for a week. Exceptions will be vehicles for food, water supply, ambulances and other essential services, medical personnel, journalists with press passes.  Everyone entering Kathmandu by air or road will have to go into mandatory quarantine.Restaurants, bars, pubs and public functions are suspended. Marriage ceremonies cannot have more than 15 guests. Food shops will be allowed to open till 10AM and 5-7pm only.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7729c7e80680e0967c3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7759c7e80680e0967c4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="638"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7779c7e80680e0967c5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce77a9c7e80680e0967c6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="726" height="484"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce77d9c7e80680e0967c7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce77f9c7e80680e0967c8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7829c7e80680e0967c9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="500"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7849c7e80680e0967cajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7879c7e80680e0967cbjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640">Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/new-nepal-lockdown-may-cancel-gains/">New Nepal lockdown may cancel gains</a>, Nepali Times

Lockdown 3.0

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7109c7e80680e09679fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="641"/><figcaption>All photos: AMIT MACHAMASI</figcaption></figure>In a scene reminiscent of last year, tens of thousands of people thronged Kathmandu's main bus terminals to get out of the capital ahead of<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/kathmandu-locks-down-again/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> Thursday's Covid-19 lockdown</a>.Most are leaving for their home districts in whatever trasport they can find: riding on top of buses, on the back of pickups or in taxis. The three district administrations in Kathmandu Valley announced a two week-long prohibitory order from 29 April as the country confronts a rising trajectory of Covid-19 cases and deaths. However, domestic flights will not be affected by the restrictions.A similar <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepal-goes-into-lockdown-for-a-week/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announcement of a lockdown on 24 March 2020</a> saw an exodus of an estimated one-third of Kathmandu Valley's population. Many who could not find transport walked for weeks from Kathmandu to remote districts.Nepal recorded 4,364 new Covid-19 cases from 14,672 PCR tests on Tuesday, of which 1966 were in Kathmandu Valley--with 1,602 in Kathmandu, 240 in Lalitpur, and 124 in Bhaktapur. There were 18 additional deaths, bringing the official total to 3,194. Meanwhile, the positivity rate has risen more steeply in the second wave to more than 30%, compared to less than 4% in February, while there are more than 25,000 active cases.These photos taken at the Bus Park in Gongabu on Tuesday afternoon show people not caring about keeping physical distance to crowd around ticket counters, potentially risking a community spread of the virus. In the past month, hundreds of thousands of Nepalis have also returned from India, and tests at the border have shown that up to 10-15% of those tested were positive, or had been infected with Covid-19.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7139c7e80680e0967a0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="912" height="610"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7159c7e80680e0967a1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7189c7e80680e0967a2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="721" height="481"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce71a9c7e80680e0967a3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce71c9c7e80680e0967a4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce71f9c7e80680e0967a5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="641"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7219c7e80680e0967a6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7249c7e80680e0967a7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="720" height="480"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7279c7e80680e0967a8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110121156/636ce7299c7e80680e0967a9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640">Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/the-covid-tsunami/">The Covid tsunami</a>, Editorial

Another Kathmandu exodus

One smoggy winter morning in February 2019, Ekta regretted coming to her sculpture class. It was the first day of her period, and the 19-year-old wished she was home, curled up in bed with a hot water bag to soothe her cramps.
Her class was at Kalapremi Ceramic Studio, a dark room on the ground floor of a house in Maharajganj, and Ekta’s teacher was the artist Gopal Das Shrestha ‘Kalapremi’, a noted sculptor.
Two other students were already there, using all their muscle strength to knead the sculpting clay. Ekta, now 24, recalls how Kalapremi asked her if she was feeling all right. She avoided him, as she did not want everyone to know she was menstruating.
Kalapremi repeatedly asked Ekta what was wrong. She finally muttered that she was having her period, after which he grabbed her hand and led her to a partitioned corner of the studio and sat her on a chair. Before she could stop him, he slid his hand under her dress, and started massaging her abdomen.
“I was horrified,” Ekta recalls. “I told him to stop, but he didn’t listen, asking me not to be shy, saying he knew how to relieve my pain. He stopped only after I protested furiously.”&nbsp;
The art tutor then said, “You’re like my daughter. I’m doing it out of love to make you feel better, but you’re so stubborn.”&nbsp;
“Instead of saying sorry he acted like I was the one having crazy thoughts,” remembers Ekta, adding that from April 2016 to August 2020 beginning the time she was 16, the artist sexually abused and harassed her on several occasions. &nbsp;
Now, Ekta and the artist’s other former students are finally sharing their experiences and some are pressing legal charges against him, hoping that others do not have to endure what they did.&nbsp;
Award-winning artist and teacher Gopal Das Shrestha ‘Kalapremi’ (the name means ‘Art Lover’) is known for his ceramic art, sculpture, and contemporary pottery. He was <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/the-house-of-kalapremi">profiled in Nepali Times after a collaborative exhibition</a>, ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ at the Siddhartha Art Gallery three years ago.&nbsp;
His pieces, titled Gaalis, featured sculpted female figures with the heads of dogs, sheep, and donkeys (pictured) to depict derogatory terms for women. Some critics said the collection was a satire on feminists.
Kalapremi started his artistic and teaching career in 1983 and over the years taught at Bhanubhakta School, Kathmandu University School of Arts, Lalitkala Campus and at his private Kalapremi Ceramic Studio. He has also lectured at Jeonju University in South Korea and recently at Tabor Academy in the United States.
Seven of Kalapremi’s former students were interviewed for this story. Five female students said he touched them inappropriately in his studio or at Kathmandu University. Two male students said they witnessed him abuse and harass the women. In all cases, the students struggled to recognise the abuse when it occurred, and the lack of reporting systems left them to cope on their own for years.&nbsp;
Earlier this year, students shared a social media post hinting at Kalapremi’s history of abusive behaviour following which more students of the artist reached out sharing similar experiences. Some students spoke of abuse that happened as long as 20 years ago.
Kalapremi, 60, has denied the allegations. He told Nepali Times: “Some years ago, there was a movement encouraging people to hug and kiss. I used to do it purely out of friendship and love. But after seeing posts on social media last year calling out my behaviour, I realised my actions may have hurt some people. I understand now that I should have been more mindful.”
He added: “I am also an auxiliary health worker, so I know the exact points to massage to relieve menstrual pain. It’s not just menstruation, I take anyone who is ill to the hospital.”
Sexual abuse is much more rampant than reported given how difficult it is to prove it in court. The law defines sexual abuse as occuring when someone touches another’s private parts, coerces them into touching theirs, uses vulgar language, shows degrading images, or behaves indecently towards them without consent.&nbsp;
Ekta and her fellow students are consulting lawyer Suneeta Regmi Pokhrel, who says they know that even if the court decides in their favour, it is difficult to survive after speaking up, and influential men defend themselves saying they are being framed.&nbsp;
“They are in a lot of pain and weep when recalling how he abused them,” Regmi Pokhrel told us. “They are angry and have filed a case against him, but they are also terrified. They know he is a powerful man and they have seen how our society treats women who speak up against abusers. Unless people speak up, perpetrators will be emboldened.”
Art and academia in Nepal simply reflect the power imbalances in society where people with intersecting identities experience worse forms of abuse. Theatre actors Raj Kumar Pudasaini, Rajan Khatiwada, and Sunil Pokhrel were called out during the #MeToo movement in the Nepali theatre scene in 2019. Even after the allegations Pokhrel went on to receive national awards, while others continued to work without repercussions.
“If you speak up against abusers, you gradually get sidelined from projects,” explained a theatre artist who wished anonymity fearing professional setbacks. “The theatre scene in Nepal is quite small, you just have to make peace with the perpetrators and work with them if you want to sustain yourself.”&nbsp;
In academia there is a history of faculty members sexually harassing students and getting away with it. After Tribhuvan University (TU) lecturer Krishna Bhattachan was accused of harassing women students, the university said it would follow Nepal’s sexual harassment law and set up a reporting mechanism. But nothing happened to the professor, who had already retired. Instead, he counter-accused the students of 'attacking the indigenous people’s movement with baseless allegations' as <a href="https://kathmandupost.com/letters/2019/01/29/bhattachan-responds">he told the Kathmandu Post in 2019</a>. He continues to be featured as a prominent speaker including at TU.
Other faculty members previously accused of sexual harassment include Jagadish Murti Koirala from TU, Bishnu Prasad Acharya from Ratna Rajya Campus, and Bodha Raj Tripathee from Lalitpur Madhyamik Vidhyalaya. A woman staff member from TU also filed a sexual abuse complaint against Dambar Chemjong from TU.
Prominent figures like <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-nims-purja">mountaineer Nims Purja</a> have been <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/31/sports/mountaineering-sexual-harassment-abuse-nims-purja.html">accused of sexual assault</a>, and cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane, actor <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/celebrity-rape-case-spotlights-nepal-laws">Paul Shah</a>, and former speaker of Parliament <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/mahara-arrested">Krishna Bahadur Mahara</a> have been accused of rape, but society-at-large has let off the alleged perpetrators amdist a larger debate about justice for survivors and punishment of perpetrators.&nbsp;
‘Gaushala-26’ is the court name given to the 18-year-old who accused Sandeep Lamichhane, former captain of Nepal’s national cricket team and skipper of Biratnagar Kings in the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/here-comes-the-nepal-premier-league">ongoing Nepal Premier League</a>, of rape. She left the country citing society questioning her character affecting her mental health while Lamichhane got an outpouring of support. In May, the Patan High Court overturned a prior verdict that found Lamichhane guilty of rape and had sentenced him to eight years in prison. During the 23-month legal battle to pursue justice, Gaushala-26 faced threats of gang rape and acid attacks.&nbsp;
Exhausted by the struggle, Gaushala-26 sought to “move to a new world” where she could live free without hiding her identity.
Actress Samragyee Rajya Laxmi Shah in an Instagram video now deleted detailed the harassment she faced from a filmmaker during a movie shoot. She did not name any name but veteran actor Bhuwan KC filed a defamation case against Rana, but the court ruled that the charge lacked sufficient evidence.&nbsp;
Former Kathmandu mayor <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/theytoo">Keshav Sthapit also mocked the #MeToo movement</a>, calling accusations against him by journalists Rashmila Prajapati and Ujjwala Maharjan “a rape of men’s rights”.
Serial Abuse
Back at the Kalapremi Ceramics studio, another former student, 24-year-old Rajiv, says he felt the need to speak out after seeing his female classmates being abused.&nbsp;
“He frequently kissed them on their cheeks,” he told Nepali Times. “Whenever they walked into the studio he flailed his arms like a child asking for a hug. They awkwardly hugged him from the side, but he pulled them closer, held their chin, and kissed their cheeks.”&nbsp;
Rajiv says he also saw Kalapremi pull the women’s bra straps, touch their breasts, and slap their buttocks. The young students would freeze, not knowing how to react, and if they protested, he would say it was “normal in art”. Rajiv, 19 at the time like his classmates, remembers thinking perhaps the well-respected artist was right after all.
Another student, Luna, who took lessons at Kalapremi’s studio from 2020 to 2022 did try to confront the tutor after he made an obscene proposal to her. She recalls: “One day when the other students had left the studio and it was just the two of us, he told me that God had given him special artistic talent and he could transfer those powers to me. But to do that both of us will have to be naked, inside a dark room, and have sex.”
Luna, who was 18 then, was livid and told him she did not want any of his powers, but she says he laughed at her as if he was joking. She did not tell her family about the incident because she thought no one would believe her.&nbsp;
“They were all in awe of this famous artist and felt I should be grateful that to be learning sculpting from him,” she says. “I was scared to be alone with him in case he talked about sex again. My coping mechanism was to be rude so he wouldn’t try to come close to me.”
Seeing how some classmates were standing up to Kalapremi, Ekta too tried to push back against his advances, but she said he found ways to coerce her. Since Ekta, Rajiv, and Luna could not afford Kalapremi’s Rs30,000 monthly fee for lessons, he had offered them all a stipend to assist him in the studio.
“He had spondylosis and took me to his therapy sessions to learn massage techniques, then he often made me and other students massage him,” says Ekta. Whenever she refused, he would feign pain to make her feel sorry for him. “He would insist that I put my hands under his shirt so that I could massage him better,” she adds.
The art tutor often tried to “seduce sympathy” from Ekta by sharing how he had never been loved as a child and was “sexually frustrated” as an adult.&nbsp;
“At 7PM, he would pour himself Signature whiskey and immediately go off again about how he was sex-starved. I didn’t know how to respond. It took me time to realise alcohol was just an excuse to talk about sex,” Ekta says.
If convicted, Kalapremi could face financial penalty and/or a prison sentence of up to three years according to Section 224 of National Penal (Code) Act 2017.&nbsp;
Data suggests that victims of child sexual abuse on average take nearly 24 years to tell someone about their trauma, and some may never disclose it at all.&nbsp;
“In our culture, children are rarely taught about boundaries. They often react, show anger when adults pinch their cheeks. But adults insist they did it out of love, and force the children to accept it,” says Sita Lama, a psychotherapist at Manka Kura. “And even when someone touches them inappropriately they struggle to identify and verbalise it.”
When perpetrators claim to be “acting out of love”, Lama says survivors are likely to perceive it as something safe, rather than recognising it as abuse.&nbsp;
“It may take years for them to realise they were abused,” she explains. "And even when they become aware, the power imbalance with the abuser and the associated shame often prevents survivors from speaking up."
Other former students from the School of Art at Kathmandu University have also come forward years later, saying Kalapremi sexually abused them. As young adults, they felt his behaviour was off but were uncertain if it was inappropriate, illegal, or they did not know how to respond. After having understood that it was indeed abuse, they say they are speaking out now to protect others.&nbsp;
Amina Singh, a visiting faculty member at Kathmandu University, says there is no clause against sexual abuse in contracts of teachers, and there is no formal grievance handling mechanism for the students.&nbsp;
“So the only way students can to deal with sexual abuse is approach someone they trust,” she says.
Eight other former art students of Lalit Kala Campus and Srijana College of Fine Arts of Tribhuvan University and other private art studios in Kathmandu say they were also sexually abused by their art teachers. Three faculty members interviewed from these institutions said they saw the abuse, but felt it was futile to report it given how powerful the teachers were.
In the absence of a formal system, some longtime women artists warned each other about “problematic” artists. They shared &nbsp;a “heads-up” to be more cautious when collaborating with them, and avoided responding to their calls and texts after work hours.
To ensure art institutions are safe for all, galleries, museums, artist studios, and smaller art spaces need to develop policies on sexual harassment. This would include a code of conduct or studio policies that hold the leadership accountable and outline the principles of professional ethics.&nbsp;
Students and employees should inquire about accountability mechanisms for raising concerns, both formally and informally, advocates say.
Three years after Ekta left the ceramics studio, she learnt that Kalapremi had harassed many other women. Still trying to get a footing in the art industry, she attended a workshop in Kathmandu where women artists discussed ways to stay safe in the art sector.&nbsp;
Since it was a close-knit group Ekta opened up about how she felt violated and realised she was not alone, he had been abusing underprivileged students for years, and this was common knowledge among artists in Nepal.
Ekta says that even after she quit, Kalapremi continued sending her text messages like ‘I am thinking of you’, ‘Why have you stopped speaking with me’, or ‘I am waiting for your call’.&nbsp;
But what really forced her to act was when Ekta found out that he was sending similar texts to her younger sister.&nbsp;
“I’ve had enough,” she told us. “He abused me all these years but I won’t let him abuse my sister.” &nbsp;
Ekta, Rajiv and Luna are not the real names of the students.&nbsp;

‘Art Lover’ accused of sexual abuse

It was 8:15 in the evening of 25 March 1968 when everyone in the village of Batulechaur near Pokhara heard a deafening sound like thunder as a bright flashing object hurtled down to land in a field.&nbsp; That field belonged to Kul Timilsina, and the next morning he retrieved a sheet of metal about 2m by 1m and carried it home with the help of a few others, thinking it would be useful for his buffalo shed.&nbsp; Before he died at age 83 three years ago, Timilsina had told photo archivist Sunil Ulak that the black metal sheet was not rectangular and had rounded corners. There are a few witnesses still alive who have a clear recollection of the object that fell from the sky that night.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024120707128_75cc85aac56b9cc4a77366471f058d7b3eb6868776811b0923845c2d0a61f014.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024120707128_75cc85aac56b9cc4a77366471f058d7b3eb6868776811b0923845c2d0a61f014" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="601" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>The field in Batulechaur belonging to Kul Timilsina where fragments of a flying object fell from the sky in 1968.</figcaption> </figure>  One of them is Timilsina’s wife Gyanu, who was 22 at the time. She had been at home, and remembers hearing the big bang and the sky becoming very bright. “We saw the thing in the field in the morning,” she told us. “It looked like a lid, a covering of some sort. The way it was stuck in the ground, it must have fallen from the sky. We thought we could use it to dry clothes on, and took it home.”&nbsp; Another witness is Kul Narayan Paudel. “I was only eight then. We ran to the field to see what had fallen. It was a four-sided metal sheet. The elders took it away, and I don't know what happened to it.” &nbsp; Ram Bahadur Baniya, a teacher at the local school, says he had heard the sheet had been brought to the school, and later handed over to the Zonal Commissioner at the time, Nanda Prasad Malla. “But that is all hearsay,” he says.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024120707128_0bf207a12063fb8155b3c8d9a00a94887b126380c9e0627527c84cf5e1101f54.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024120707128_0bf207a12063fb8155b3c8d9a00a94887b126380c9e0627527c84cf5e1101f54" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="610" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>Gyanu Timilsina, wife of Kul Timilsina.</figcaption> </figure>  There are two versions of what happened to Kul Timilsina’s metal sheet. One is that an American Peace Corp Volunteer teaching at the nearby Bindyabasini School took it, and another is that it was handed over to the government. Recently declassified Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and US State Department documents from the time say that the US Embassy in Kathmandu tracked down the object two years later and had it shipped back to the US. A telegram from the Department of State and Department of Defense tagged as ‘MOON DUST / Space Fragments’ dated 1 March 1972 stated: ‘1. Restored space fragment will be on board Embassy support flight 115 arriving Kathmandu on or about March 10. Fragment is packed in shipping crate (cargo no. 72-33365) marked in care of DAO.&nbsp; 2. State and Defense representatives examined fragments prior to shipment finding restoration acceptable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071212_929d903ee06d41baa4f6040e981cd7c7d7bd75cc9c37c9b617d307fc8538d2df.png" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20241207071212_929d903ee06d41baa4f6040e981cd7c7d7bd75cc9c37c9b617d307fc8538d2df" data-rendition-name="original" width="856" height="568" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> <figcaption>Declassified CIA documents about the investigation into the object sighted in Pokhara. </figcaption> </figure>  The documents show that the US government, military and intelligence agencies investigated this incident thoroughly when it occurred, and have continued to revisit it ever since, as recently as five years ago. What is even more intriguing is that the object that fell in Pokhara was not the only unidentified space object that fell to earth that year. There were similar sightings of objects falling from the sky in Ladakh, Sikkim and Bhutan between 19 February and 25 March 1968.&nbsp; These mysteries were the subject of a CIA investigation in 1968 titled ‘<a href="https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP81R00560R000100070007-8.pdf">Sighting of Unidentified Flying Objects in Ladakh, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan</a>’, and the report is part of the recent online declassification of 800,000 top-secret documents from the period.&nbsp; &nbsp;Although unidentified flying objects (UFOs) have a connotation now of being alien craft, it could be pieces of satellite, missile, rocket or even aircraft. The CIA report documents six sightings in 1968 and quotes local sources as describing all of them having similar characteristics: bright blue or red streaks in the sky accompanied by loud sounds like lightning and thunder and objects falling to the ground. Aside from the metallic object that was found in Batlechaur, there were other items also found nearby in Tallakot, Tureypasal, Armalakot and Maidan. Whatever the object was, it seems to have disintegrated even before it hit the ground.&nbsp; The CIA report records the first sighting on 19 February 1968 in various parts of Sikkim and Olangchung Gola and Ghunsa in eastern Nepal. The light was said to be ‘long and thin’ and giving out ‘green and red light’. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071212_c3c825027d966a2aedc846970390eebe063957503c7eacc8e01e0517843f9bbb.png" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241207071212_c3c825027d966a2aedc846970390eebe063957503c7eacc8e01e0517843f9bbb" data-rendition-name="original" width="892" height="596" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara "> </figure>  Two days later on 21 February, a soundless blue object was seen traveling fast across the sky above Thimphu in Bhutan. Then on 4 March there were multiple daytime sightings or white streaks in the sky at Chang La Pass, Fukche and Koyul in Ladakh. There were more sightings in Ladakh on the very day fragments fell near Pokhara on 25 March 1968.&nbsp; After the sightings in Pokhara, rumours started flying in Kathmandu that these were aliens trying to land on Earth, it could be Russian or Chinese spy planes or satellites, and some even say it as a sign from heaven that the end of the world was near. This was at the height of the Cold War. The Russians and Americans were testing their thermonuclear devices as well as intercontinental ballistic missile delivery systems. The Washington-Beijing rapprochement had not yet happened, and China was making quick progress testing atomic bombs. Within two years after its first atomic test, in 1966 China exploded its first hydrogen bomb at the Lop Nur site in Xinjiang, 3,000km to the north from Nepal. After neary six decades, what is still intriguing is that all the sightings within a few months of each other in 1968 were along the Himalayan arc bordering Tibet: from Bhutan, Sikkim Nepal, to Ladakh. The US military intelligence seems to have concluded that this was not a coincidence and there were frequent research trips to the site in Pokhara by American officials in the months after the incident. With the help of the Royal Nepal Army, the region north of Pokhara was thoroughly searched.&nbsp; A confidential memo dated 25 June 1968 by Jerry C Trippy to a ‘Mr Farley’ mentions that the US Air Force’s Foreign Technology Division had decided that the debris could be important because it may be related to a Chinese missile test or a Soviet ‘Vehicle Venik’ rocket.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071216_feb5425692dc36b20187de4e4fcc2ce9fd12b6d9e1b8724398e50bcdbf9032fe.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20241207071216_feb5425692dc36b20187de4e4fcc2ce9fd12b6d9e1b8724398e50bcdbf9032fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> </figure>  On 28 August 1968 the US Embassy in Kathmandu sent a letter to Washington DC saying that the object could be of Soviet origin, possibly from when the rocket carrying the ‘Kosmos 208’ satellite re-entered the atmosphere. But why were the fragments falling to earth several weeks apart, and in the same region? No one knows where the metal sheet that Kul Timilsina recovered is now. It was definitely packed in a crate and taken to the US, and although it is rumoured that it was returned that is not very likely. Archivist Sunil Ulak heard from the Timilsina family that CIA officials had returned to the site five years ago. &nbsp; Interest in UFOs peaked in the US in the 1950s, with the Cold War space race and tests of atomic weapons and delivery rockets. CIA and scientists were being sent to investigate sightings, both publicly and privately. Could the Pokhara fragments as well as the sightings in Ladakh and Bhutan actually be alien craft falling to earth? The renewal in interest in space travel in large part due to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, UFOs and sightings are again subjects of public interest.&nbsp; Even 57 years later, even if there was definitive proof about whether the Batlechaur fragment was from a Chinese missile or a soviet rocket, it has not been made public in documents declassified so far. We may never know.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241207071216_b6938795f40731e7657fd6dcbb3cf460a326186a15eb11d4f832f602201ff598.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20241207071216_b6938795f40731e7657fd6dcbb3cf460a326186a15eb11d4f832f602201ff598" data-rendition-name="original" width="642" height="320" loading="lazy" alt="UFO over Pokhara"> </figure>  Sunil Ulak speculates if the debris actually came from an American aircraft, perhaps on an intel mission upon China. “Which could explain why they were so thorough in collecting the fragments in Pokhara,” he says. But that still does not explain the multiple sightings weeks apart in 1968.&nbsp; Indeed, US military aircraft were at that time flying frequent night-time missions from air force bases in India to supply weapons to Khampa guerrilla camps in Nepal located north of Pokhara in Mustang. It could very well be that the Chinese shot down one such aircraft. The other sightings could have been contrails of US spy planes, or Chinese anti-aircraft missiles.&nbsp; There were quite a few developments regarding UFOs in 2024. In a US congressional hearing in July, former intelligence officer David Grusch claimed that the government had long been involved in a program to investigate and retrieve non-human craft crashes, and then try to reverse engineer them. However Grusch did not show any evidence.&nbsp; The UAP Disclosure Act of 2024 was signed into law by Joe Biden in December 2023. It plans to oversee the public disclosure of UFO information. However, there is a clause in it that prevents disclosure if it would cause threats to military defense, intelligence operations or foreign relations.&nbsp; It is unlikely that the declassified documents about sightings in the Himalayan will cause any real surprise about definite evidence of alien life even if it was found. It seems humanity will continue, at least for now, to wonder about curious lights in the sky and whether there is anybody out there.&nbsp;

UFO over Pokhara

When Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Rabi Lamichhane was arrested in October on charges of defrauding depositors of cooperatives, the party’s vice president Swarnim Wagle gifted him Fareed Zakaria’s book, Age of Revolutions.
Since then, Lamichhane has been shunted around from Kathmandu to Pokhara to Chitwan and back to Pokhara to attend police investigations and court proceedings. He was being flown to Birganj via Kathmandu on Buddha Air on Monday. There is another pending case in Janakpur.
Human rights groups and civil society have criticised the government for hounding Lamichhane with inhumane treatment that borders on physical torture. The two parties in the coalition, Nepali Congress (NC) and the UML, see Lamichhane’s RSP as a potentially formidable challenge to their power.
Even if the fraud charges against Lamichhane are true, the Nepali public is increasingly looking at the government’s actions through the police and courts as political vendetta.
Despite all the travelling, sometimes by plane and often by road at night, Lamichhane appears to be in high spirits, waving to supporters who often gather if they know he is going to be driven around. A social media video shows him giving high fives to fellow passengers on a recent flight to Pokhara.&nbsp;
In the past weeks, streets in Pokhara have erupted with parallel protests by Lamichhane’s supporters as well as depositors of cooperatives who lost their savings to the scam.&nbsp;
Although family visits are allowed, prison officials in Pokhara told Nepali Times that not many people visit Lamichhane these days. He added, “When he does get visitors, he asks them to bring him books.”
Lamichhane is currently Nepal’s most high-profile public figure in custody, and highlights the stark difference between how influential prisoners are treated compared to ordinary inmates.
There are six prison cells at Kaski District Police Office’s two-story detention centre, three on each floor. And while authorities pack prisoners into already overcrowded cells, Lamichhane has an entire room on the second floor to himself.&nbsp;
He has also been allowed to call his family every few days. Other prisoners are not permitted phone calls except for emergencies.
Meanwhile, Lamichhane’s former business partner Chhabilal Joshi, an ex-Deputy Inspector General of Police with whom he established his Gorkha Media Network, is in custody under the same charges in the prison cell next to him.
Lamichhane is accused of siphoning off depositors' money to the tv network in which he was part-owner and anchor. &nbsp;
Both Lamichhane and Joshi are able to buy food from the police canteen instead of being served the regular meal like other prisoners. Joshi has also given his statement to authorities in Rupandehi and Kathmandu for his alleged role in the scam. Lamichhane is yet to be presented in Kathmandu for questioning.
While he was in custody at the Kathmandu District Police Complex, Joshi expressed his desire to sleep in a police officer’s office, reportedly assuring authorities that he would not run away and he was entitled to certain facilities as a former officer of the law.
“He seemed to be under the impression that he is still a police officer,” says a source at the Kathmandu District Police. “We made it clear to him that as someone accused of a crime, he was not entitled to special treatment.”
Former ministers Balkrishna Khand and Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, and ex-home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey, who were arrested in connection with the fake refugee scam last year, were similarly housed in the offices of law enforcement officials instead of prison cells. Khand has since been released after six months in jail.
While there is no legal provision to keep high-ranking officials in separate detention centres when they are arrested, authorities granting them special facilities is not uncommon. Law enforcement officials say VIP detainees expect preferential treatment while in police custody.
Among those is former Kosi Province minister Lila Ballav Adhikari, who was arrested from Biratnagar on 10 November over his alleged involvement in human trafficking and brought to Kathmandu. Adhikari had flown to Japan without government approval with three individuals on 29 October to attend a cultural conference, but had been sent back to Nepal from Narita.&nbsp;
His three companions were arrested at Kathmandu airport upon their arrival, but Adhikari was able to exit unscathed from the VIP lounge. Adhikari had resigned as the Kosi Province Minister for Internal Affairs and Law when it became public that his companions had been taken into custody, and was himself arrested shortly after. He has since been cleared by the courts.
Throughout his detention, Adhikari was kept separately from other inmates. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Basant Rajouri, head of the Bhadrakali complex, says that while there is no separate detention area for VIPs, some detainees are kept separately depending on the nature of their crime.
However, sources say that arrangements were made for retired judges and others to visit Adhikari frequently worked at the office of a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) during his time in custody.&nbsp;
“He used to constantly pester the authorities to let him sit outside in the sun, and to be able to use the police officer’s shower area,” added an officer.
Adhikari was released on 25 November after the government prosecutor’s office decided not to charge him in a move that was seen to expose the government’s double standards.
Over at Kathmandu’s Dilli Bazar Prison, former Kist Bank CEO Kamal Gyawali emerges from his prison cell into the courtyard of the prison’s ‘Ka (क)’ block every morning with a thick book in his hands, ready to give his daily sermon.
With his long beard, Gyawali, who is serving a prison sentence for banking fraud, looks the part of a religious guru as he implores his rapt listeners to “walk the right path, abandon bad thoughts and turn to scripture and spirituality”.&nbsp;
Afterward, the attendees gather to discuss politics and current affairs. Inmates at his daily sermons at the prison include other high-profile detainees, including former MP Ichchha Raj Tamang, who is in jail for money laundering and cooperatives fraud, former joint secretary Chudamani Sharma, who was convicted of corruption, as well as NC leader Chandra Bahadur Lama and Krishna Bahadur Upreti of the UML both of whom are on trial for embezzling billions of rupees.
Victims of the cooperatives scam that former lawmaker Tamang was involved in have made trips to the prison and requested visits, but he has refused to meet with any of them.
“Tamang often complains that the state has prevented him from returning the money to the victims by locking him up,” says a police officer at the Dili Bazar jail.
“All you hear every day from the VIP prisoners is that they have been framed,” adds the officer. “No one admits that they were involved in misdeeds.”
But while most high-profile prisoners complain about prison conditions, one exception is former provincial lawmaker Deepak Manange, who is serving a sentence at Dilli Bazar Jail for attempted murder.
“He is the happiest prisoner here,” says a warden. “Unlike the others, he doesn’t claim to have been framed, in fact he doesn’t seem to care that he is in prison.”
Manange is detained in the ‘Kha (ख)’ block of the prison complex, which he renovated at his own expense. The block previously housed female prisoners, but Manange used his influence to transfer them elsewhere. He faces no shortage of visitors, who range from political leaders to people from the underworld.
Along with Manange, other well-known prisoners in this block include Nepal Telecom Managing Director Sunil Poudel, and former executive director of the Surakshan Printing Centre Bikal Poudel, who are serving time for corruption.
Former prisoners at Dilli Bazar prison include ex-ministers Khum Bahadur Khadka and Shyam Sundar Gupta, NC leader Ganesh Lama, Maoist MP Balkrishna Dhungel, Nagarik Unmukti Party leader Resham Chaudhary, as well as former IGs Ramesh Chand Thakuri, Om Bikram Rana, and Hem Bahadur Gurung.
Section 54 of Nepal’s Prison Act assigns each prison’s internal administration the
responsibility of governing its prisoners, which means the more favourable the jail management is, the more comfortable it is for prisoners.
Dilli Bazar prison has been the prison of choice for many high-ranking prisoners, especially those convicted of white collar crimes, due to its more accommodating administrators. The prison, which has the capacity to house 700 inmates, is also less crowded than other jails.
Anuj Bhattarai, spokesperson of the Department of Prison Management, says that there is no legal classification in Nepal for felons to be assigned prisons based on the nature of their crimes.
“That Dilli Bazar Jail has a higher number of prisoners convicted of crimes like corruption is most likely a coincidence,” says Bhattarai. “There is no provision for influential people to be able to choose where they will be incarcerated.”&nbsp;
Translated by Shristi Karki from the Nepali original published in himalkhabar.com

What Nepal’s VIP prisoners do in jail

If you were raised in Nepal, you must have picked up its unique set of vocabulary: आन्दोलन, चक्का जाम, बन्द, राँके जुलुस, आफ्नो मान्छे, हाम्रो दल, कर्फु and many more words connoting political protest.
We became familiar with the acrid smell of burning tyres, and eyes smarting from tear gas. And yet, everyone speaks of another revolution in the making. Not by desire, but by suffocation.
We heard speeches about नयाँ नेपाल, but the New Nepal never arrived. The governance system changed, but it did not reflect on people’s lives — except for those close to centres of power. The state is still unreachable and is not bothered about <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/matter-of-life-and-debt">victims of loan sharks</a>, cooperative scams and other injustices.
Politicians continue to speak in sound bites, but fail to deliver. They have mastered the game of pointing fingers towards an external enemy and convincing people that they are never at fault. The political narrative is so disconnected from the actual analysis of the problem that suffocation doesn’t go away after every revolution.
No genuine effort has been made to deliver at all, which is why there is a palpable sense of disillusionment in the air forcing us to seek another revolution, even if Nepal may not be able to afford it.
How has the current system successfully held power, even if the public is deeply frustrated? How is it that for three decades we continue to be led by the same faces, who have time and again, proved to us that they may be great politicians but not national leaders?
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/improving-internet-governance-in-nepal">My experience at the epicentre of politics</a> has led me to identify three cultures that have enabled political parties to keep a tight hold on power: acceptance, silence and dependency.
We accept things the way they are. We use fatalistic phrases like “नेपालमा यस्तै हो” or “नेपालको कानुन दैब जानुन”. While this resilience enables us to rise back up from devastating calamities, it is also a reason for our compliance with the status quo.
Despite so many ‘revolutions’ that have led to significant reforms, these phrases keep getting reinforced, to the point that the upcoming generations have made it their lingo.&nbsp;
This acceptance is not a symbol of law-abiding citizens, but citizens living in fear of those in power, unable to ask the whys and why-nots.
Innovation suffocates in this culture of acceptance of the status quo. This is manifested in remarks like “but we don’t have any laws for this,” or “we don’t have the capacity to implement this”. An innovator or entrepreneur therefore has to spend that energy to become a political lobbyist, often educating and convincing the bureaucracy.&nbsp;
Remember when locally assembled <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/designed-and-made-in-nepal">Yatri motorbikes</a>, despite having willing customers, had to suffer to secure license numbers because of a lack of regulations? Instead of creating new laws, the government kept chanting the “We will promote Nepal-made goods” mantra, leaving entrepreneurs in a labyrinth of bureaucracy. The weight of acceptance of the law lies heavily on innovators. Fatalism is a tactic used by those in power to generate mass fear in society.
When we accept, we become silent. This is a pervasive phenomenon. We are trained to keep quiet, lest we ruffle feathers, burn bridges, or not get the help we need in future. We know, yet we don’t speak.
Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bureaucratic-hurdles-in-researching-nepals-bureaucracy">Bureaucratic hurdles in researching Nepal's bureaucracy</a>, Daniel W Edwards
Here is one example: the 2021 census shows that the number of baby boys born for every 100 baby girls is 112. This is a clear indication of female foeticide because of boy preference in society.
Despite such horrifying realities, there is finger-pointing within the government between the Ministry of Health and Population with the Ministry of Home Affairs. At the citizen level, we know those who are involved in killing girls. Yet, we don’t speak up. The Nepal Medical Council reports state that despite this gender imbalance at birth, there is no indication of any action.
But why would anyone speak against one's own fraternity, no matter how vile the act is?
When we accept and keep quiet, we become dependent on those who yield power. From getting our government procedure completed on time to getting transfers, to accessing any of our legally protected rights as well, we are forced to depend on our networks of चिनेको मान्छे people we know by blood, village, relations, political affiliation.
The culture of dependency has been the established way in Nepal. If you drive a two-wheeler or four-wheeler, and you get into a small accident, you will be asked to sort it yourself, dialing up the most powerful person you know. It becomes a competition of who knows who.
Recently I was told that there were calls from the Ministry of Health and Population and another from the Prime Minister's Office for just one medical position in a private hospital. Each was pushing its own candidate. Guess which candidate got the position.&nbsp;
The dependency of people is not on the laws or the state, it is with people in power, a reliance on the network of somebody who knows somebody, including those not officially in power.
These cultures are deeply ingrained in our heads, and in society. Collectively they form a vicious circle that helps those in power to retain power. This is not the society we want to live in.
Then, what do we do as a collective to break away from this? How do we break away from the cultures of acceptance and silence that have created this dependency? What can we do to ensure that our children do not have to learn the jargon of आन्दोलन before they learn about the state?
These are the cultures political parties need to shed rather than use them to perpetuate their power. This is what <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/an-alternative-to-alternative-politics-in-nepal">alternative politics</a> needs to be about.
Sumana Shrestha is a member of Parliament’s Education, Health and Information Technology parliamentary committee and represents the Rastriya Swatantara Party.

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