<figure><img width="1675" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191112/636bed924b0ad905ca02eef2jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Judges of MasterChef last month were so impressed with Nepali chef <a href="https://www.chefsantoshshah.com/inthepress" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.chefsantoshshah.com/inthepress&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607316980153000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHWDqd1ersnecLNrRPvTt5jAwdM6g">Santosh Shah</a>’s performance in the quarterfinals that he is now shortlisted in the semis for the title of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mtf0" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mtf0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607316980153000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHARuhIB5jOe-BWdZVOVpiZTwvcnQ">Masterchef: The Professionals 2020</a> on BBC One. Episodes are broadcast from Tuesday to Thursday every week until the final later this month.Nepali Times caught up with Santosh Shah in London to talk about his life and career so far:Nepali Times: From Siraha to Cinnamon Kitchen! Quite a journey. How did it begin?Santosh Shah: I come from a very humble background. I was born in Siraha, the youngest of seven children. My father passed away when I was five years old. I started to work when I was around 9-10, engaging in petty trade, like selling farm produce (we share-cropped), fruits or bread in the market. Ours was a story of struggle, and school never got prioritised. I failed SLC but did not have the patience to wait for another year to re-appear for the exams because what was I going to do with an education given my circumstances? So I followed what others in my village did -- go to India. When I was told that I will work at a hotel in Ahmedabad, I imagined it would be like one of those small hotels in Siraha. I was shocked to see a five star hotel. Even those of us who washed dishes had to wear uniform and we had a superviser in suit and tie who used to manage seven of us dishwashers. I used to wash the skewer of a chef who worked in the tandoor section. I told him that I wanted to be a chef as well, and wanted to help him. He advised me to talk to the executive chef. One day, when I was serving tea to the executive chef, I requested him to give me a shot, and he did. Perhaps he saw that I was eager to work and was committed, so he placed his bet on me. I started helping the chef in the tandoor section who had originally recommended me. From there I transferred to another hotel. I started taking a hotel management course, learnt English and computers on the side. I kept strengthening my CV -- the salary discrepancy among chefs was huge. When I started, I was earning Rs900 per month whereas the executive chef was earning Rs17,000 a month so there was value in good credentials and experience. Within seven years of hard work, I became an executive chef. I then went to Montenegro via an agent, but I wasn’t happy and did not see my future there so I returned.  <figure><img width="1506" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191112/636bed944b0ad905ca02eef3jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>In India, I organised a food festival and this was picked up by media including The Times of India, Aaj Tak and India TV. I got an unexpected call from someone who was two hours away from me -- he apparently had read the media piece and asked that I meet him that night itself. I went to meet him at midnight because his flight to the UK was the next morning. At midnight, we talked – he ran a restaurant in the UK and wanted someone like me. I of course agreed and my paperwork came through soon after with all costs borne by the employer. In London, the original restaurant was very small -- for someone who was used to working with large teams in five star hotels, it felt very odd to work in a restaurant with 3-4 employees. I have switched jobs multiple times since then. I think there are two things that describe my journey. One is, I always ask what is next. I am very happy with where I am because I have made it so far, but I am also always looking at the next step. I never stop learning and keep trying to do better. I could have easily settled with a comfortable job as an executive chef, but I never did. The other is, I am a risk-taker. In London, one of the job changes was to a French restaurant that was run by a celebrity chef where the salary was half of what I was earning, but given the learning opportunity and mentorship under a famous chef, I took it. Taking chances may not always work in my favour, but I can always take satisfaction on how far I have come because I took the risk. How does it feel to be in MasterChef? What has the experience been like?In many ways, it feels the same. I am the same person experimenting with recipes and enjoying my job to the fullest. But in many ways, things have changed as well.  I used to get a few messages and now I get thousands from people who are cheering me on. It also feels great to have the platform to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/exploring-nepals-culinary-diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">introduce Nepali food to the world</a>. I have always worked hard but now it feels like my cause got a lot bigger given the platform and I am thrilled about that.I also think I now have added responsibility with people looking up to me, especially Nepalis in the hospitality sector. A message that has stuck with me was from another London-based chef also from Siraha after he saw one of my interviews in Maithili that was widely shared in my community. He told me that he never shared with his family that he is a chef because it is not seen as such a respectful job back home. But after he saw me sharing my journey including my rough beginnings so publicly, he said he felt inspired to disclose his profession to his family. The MasterChef competition is very tight and we are judged for creativity. As the competition advances further, the margin for error is very small and they seek perfection. We have to be mentally strong -- my experience participating in cooking competitions on a smaller scale in the past has helped. We are timed, and put under immense pressure. One dish is per our liking, and I practice that numerous times in advance so by the time I make the dish on the show, everything is intuitive and I don’t have to think about anything as I get grilled by the judges, the pressure of the camera and the short time. But the other dish is as per the judge’s wish in which case it is easy to falter and mess up. I score lower in the latter, but it averages out in my favour. But the competition is getting tighter and more demanding as two chefs get eliminated in each round. Ten are remaining out of the original 32 and these are some of the best chefs around. I am glad to have made it this far. Even if I don’t win, I am glad I was able to put the spotlight on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali cuisine</a>. <img width="1032" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191112/636bed974b0ad905ca02eef4jpeg.jpg" alt="">Just like it is difficult to say what “Indian” food is, must to be difficult to describe what “Nepali” cuisine is, when it is so diverse? How do you answer that when your international audience asks you the question? I am an Indian chef – even in London, if you ask who the ten best Indian chefs are, my name will come up. But I have been experimenting with Nepali food for the last two years. It’s hard to come up with a good way to describe Nepali food. Nepali food is described by others as “similar to Indian food, only slightly different”. But that is not true. Our food, especially along our borders are influenced by Tibetan and Indian cuisine, but that is not the entirety of our diverse dishes. That is what I want the world to know. There is no yomari, choila, kachila, tama, gundruk outside Nepal. Our food is unique and diverse and varies by castes or geography, we have different techniques and ingredients. Two years into experimenting with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/food-of-the-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali food</a>, I have realised how little I know and how much there is to learn and do. I could spend a lifetime just researching and experimenting with Nepali recipes. Personally what are the best aspects of Nepali cuisine for you ? How much do you experiment, or do you try to keep to traditional ingredients and preparations? I experiment a lot because palates differ geographically. Let me share an example. I know sukuti growing up in Nepal. It is a familiar, nostalgic food, and I am fond of sukuti dishes. But to outsiders unfamiliar with the texture, the hardness of the meat may not be palatable. So I experiment with it and try to dehydrate it for different periods of time to soften it while making sure the original taste is not lost. The challenge is to garner wider appreciation for these unique tastes that our rich culinary landscape offers. Food trends are dynamic. The Indian food trend has been there for long while in the last few years, I have seen an increase in the trend for Sri Lankan food. These come in waves, and I want a trend for Nepali food as well, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/much-more-than-dal-bhat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">beyond just momo and dal-bhat</a>, so people actively seek out Nepali food and appreciate it for its diversity and richness. <img width="1592" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109191112/636bed9a4b0ad905ca02eef5jpeg.jpg" alt="">In one of your shows you prepared an octopus dish Nepali style. How did it go down? There were negative comments on social media on how my spiced chargrilled octopus dish isn’t our food. But we need to understand that this is a global competition for a global audience. Octopus is very popular in Europe and South America. When I was working in an Indian kitchen, I had experimented with octopus recipes with Indian flavor as it is my favourite seafood (in fact I was the first chef to introduce octopus to Indian cuisine here) and the dish had turned out to be amazing. Having made that a few hundred times, I had the urge and confidence to try it with Nepali ingredients and it worked great. So, I went with it in the show. It was described by the judges as, “The most beautiful plate of food I have ever been served seen in Masterchef.” All four judges were generous with their praises for the octopus dish without a single negative feedback. When you went to India you had no idea you would land up where you did. What advice do you have for other Nepalis who are also going abroad to make a future for themselves?My advice to young Nepalis is to never stop learning, you are never too old to learn new things and to improve your craft. Asking what is next is important. There is always room to improve, tweaking my recipes a bit often makes a big difference to the meal. Keep learning and be a positive force to others, not by teaching. Sikayera haina sikera inspire garnu parcha. (You inspire others by learning, not teaching.)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgVoaH_c9cYSo, what is next?I am now set to start a high-end fine dining Nepali restaurant in London. The tentative name is ‘Ayla’ by Santosh Shah. I am hopeful that this will help create a separate identity for Nepali cuisine. Being in MasterChef will definitely help, regardless of the outcomes of the competition. My ultimate goal is the Michelin Star for Ayla, which is the Oscar equivalent for Chefs. That would further help elevate the profile of Nepali cuisine globally.

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“You inspire others by learning, not teaching,” Santosh Shah

<figure><img width="1675" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181140/636be67d9c7e80680e0877a9jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Judges of MasterChef last month were so impressed with Nepali chef <a href="https://www.chefsantoshshah.com/inthepress" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.chefsantoshshah.com/inthepress&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607316980153000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHWDqd1ersnecLNrRPvTt5jAwdM6g">Santosh Shah</a>’s performance in the quarterfinals that he is now shortlisted in the semis for the title of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mtf0" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007mtf0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1607316980153000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHARuhIB5jOe-BWdZVOVpiZTwvcnQ">Masterchef: The Professionals 2020</a> on BBC One. Episodes are broadcast from Tuesday to Thursday every week until the final later this month.Nepali Times caught up with Santosh Shah in London to talk about his life and career so far:Nepali Times: From Siraha to Cinnamon Kitchen! Quite a journey. How did it begin?Santosh Shah: I come from a very humble background. I was born in Siraha, the youngest of seven children. My father passed away when I was five years old. I started to work when I was around 9-10, engaging in petty trade, like selling farm produce (we share-cropped), fruits or bread in the market. Ours was a story of struggle, and school never got prioritised. I failed SLC but did not have the patience to wait for another year to re-appear for the exams because what was I going to do with an education given my circumstances? So I followed what others in my village did -- go to India. When I was told that I will work at a hotel in Ahmedabad, I imagined it would be like one of those small hotels in Siraha. I was shocked to see a five star hotel. Even those of us who washed dishes had to wear uniform and we had a superviser in suit and tie who used to manage seven of us dishwashers. I used to wash the skewer of a chef who worked in the tandoor section. I told him that I wanted to be a chef as well, and wanted to help him. He advised me to talk to the executive chef. One day, when I was serving tea to the executive chef, I requested him to give me a shot, and he did. Perhaps he saw that I was eager to work and was committed, so he placed his bet on me. I started helping the chef in the tandoor section who had originally recommended me. From there I transferred to another hotel. I started taking a hotel management course, learnt English and computers on the side. I kept strengthening my CV -- the salary discrepancy among chefs was huge. When I started, I was earning Rs900 per month whereas the executive chef was earning Rs17,000 a month so there was value in good credentials and experience. Within seven years of hard work, I became an executive chef. I then went to Montenegro via an agent, but I wasn’t happy and did not see my future there so I returned.  <figure><img width="1506" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181140/636be6819c7e80680e0877aajpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>In India, I organised a food festival and this was picked up by media including The Times of India, Aaj Tak and India TV. I got an unexpected call from someone who was two hours away from me -- he apparently had read the media piece and asked that I meet him that night itself. I went to meet him at midnight because his flight to the UK was the next morning. At midnight, we talked – he ran a restaurant in the UK and wanted someone like me. I of course agreed and my paperwork came through soon after with all costs borne by the employer. In London, the original restaurant was very small -- for someone who was used to working with large teams in five star hotels, it felt very odd to work in a restaurant with 3-4 employees. I have switched jobs multiple times since then. I think there are two things that describe my journey. One is, I always ask what is next. I am very happy with where I am because I have made it so far, but I am also always looking at the next step. I never stop learning and keep trying to do better. I could have easily settled with a comfortable job as an executive chef, but I never did. The other is, I am a risk-taker. In London, one of the job changes was to a French restaurant that was run by a celebrity chef where the salary was half of what I was earning, but given the learning opportunity and mentorship under a famous chef, I took it. Taking chances may not always work in my favour, but I can always take satisfaction on how far I have come because I took the risk. How does it feel to be in MasterChef? What has the experience been like?In many ways, it feels the same. I am the same person experimenting with recipes and enjoying my job to the fullest. But in many ways, things have changed as well.  I used to get a few messages and now I get thousands from people who are cheering me on. It also feels great to have the platform to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/exploring-nepals-culinary-diversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">introduce Nepali food to the world</a>. I have always worked hard but now it feels like my cause got a lot bigger given the platform and I am thrilled about that.I also think I now have added responsibility with people looking up to me, especially Nepalis in the hospitality sector. A message that has stuck with me was from another London-based chef also from Siraha after he saw one of my interviews in Maithili that was widely shared in my community. He told me that he never shared with his family that he is a chef because it is not seen as such a respectful job back home. But after he saw me sharing my journey including my rough beginnings so publicly, he said he felt inspired to disclose his profession to his family. The MasterChef competition is very tight and we are judged for creativity. As the competition advances further, the margin for error is very small and they seek perfection. We have to be mentally strong -- my experience participating in cooking competitions on a smaller scale in the past has helped. We are timed, and put under immense pressure. One dish is per our liking, and I practice that numerous times in advance so by the time I make the dish on the show, everything is intuitive and I don’t have to think about anything as I get grilled by the judges, the pressure of the camera and the short time. But the other dish is as per the judge’s wish in which case it is easy to falter and mess up. I score lower in the latter, but it averages out in my favour. But the competition is getting tighter and more demanding as two chefs get eliminated in each round. Ten are remaining out of the original 32 and these are some of the best chefs around. I am glad to have made it this far. Even if I don’t win, I am glad I was able to put the spotlight on <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/could-nepali-cuisine-go-global/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali cuisine</a>. <img width="1032" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181140/636be6849c7e80680e0877abjpeg.jpg" alt="">Just like it is difficult to say what “Indian” food is, must to be difficult to describe what “Nepali” cuisine is, when it is so diverse? How do you answer that when your international audience asks you the question? I am an Indian chef – even in London, if you ask who the ten best Indian chefs are, my name will come up. But I have been experimenting with Nepali food for the last two years. It’s hard to come up with a good way to describe Nepali food. Nepali food is described by others as “similar to Indian food, only slightly different”. But that is not true. Our food, especially along our borders are influenced by Tibetan and Indian cuisine, but that is not the entirety of our diverse dishes. That is what I want the world to know. There is no yomari, choila, kachila, tama, gundruk outside Nepal. Our food is unique and diverse and varies by castes or geography, we have different techniques and ingredients. Two years into experimenting with <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/food-of-the-royals/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepali food</a>, I have realised how little I know and how much there is to learn and do. I could spend a lifetime just researching and experimenting with Nepali recipes. Personally what are the best aspects of Nepali cuisine for you ? How much do you experiment, or do you try to keep to traditional ingredients and preparations? I experiment a lot because palates differ geographically. Let me share an example. I know sukuti growing up in Nepal. It is a familiar, nostalgic food, and I am fond of sukuti dishes. But to outsiders unfamiliar with the texture, the hardness of the meat may not be palatable. So I experiment with it and try to dehydrate it for different periods of time to soften it while making sure the original taste is not lost. The challenge is to garner wider appreciation for these unique tastes that our rich culinary landscape offers. Food trends are dynamic. The Indian food trend has been there for long while in the last few years, I have seen an increase in the trend for Sri Lankan food. These come in waves, and I want a trend for Nepali food as well, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/much-more-than-dal-bhat/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">beyond just momo and dal-bhat</a>, so people actively seek out Nepali food and appreciate it for its diversity and richness. <img width="1592" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109181140/636be6879c7e80680e0877acjpeg.jpg" alt="">In one of your shows you prepared an octopus dish Nepali style. How did it go down? There were negative comments on social media on how my spiced chargrilled octopus dish isn’t our food. But we need to understand that this is a global competition for a global audience. Octopus is very popular in Europe and South America. When I was working in an Indian kitchen, I had experimented with octopus recipes with Indian flavor as it is my favourite seafood (in fact I was the first chef to introduce octopus to Indian cuisine here) and the dish had turned out to be amazing. Having made that a few hundred times, I had the urge and confidence to try it with Nepali ingredients and it worked great. So, I went with it in the show. It was described by the judges as, “The most beautiful plate of food I have ever been served seen in Masterchef.” All four judges were generous with their praises for the octopus dish without a single negative feedback. When you went to India you had no idea you would land up where you did. What advice do you have for other Nepalis who are also going abroad to make a future for themselves?My advice to young Nepalis is to never stop learning, you are never too old to learn new things and to improve your craft. Asking what is next is important. There is always room to improve, tweaking my recipes a bit often makes a big difference to the meal. Keep learning and be a positive force to others, not by teaching. Sikayera haina sikera inspire garnu parcha. (You inspire others by learning, not teaching.)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgVoaH_c9cYSo, what is next?I am now set to start a high-end fine dining Nepali restaurant in London. The tentative name is ‘Ayla’ by Santosh Shah. I am hopeful that this will help create a separate identity for Nepali cuisine. Being in MasterChef will definitely help, regardless of the outcomes of the competition. My ultimate goal is the Michelin Star for Ayla, which is the Oscar equivalent for Chefs. That would further help elevate the profile of Nepali cuisine globally.

Nepal’s Gurkha soldiers have a well-deserved reputation worldwide for uncommon valour and loyalty. However, what happened in Hawaii in 1986 and the long struggle for fair pay and pension shows that the formidable fighters from Nepal also do not tolerate injustice. The Hong Kong-based 1st Battalion of the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles was in Hawaii for jungle warfare training exercises at the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center when they beat up their commanding officer, Major Corin Pearce. &nbsp;&nbsp; The Gurkhas said Pearce had insulted them, and 111 soldiers were dismissed. Pearce suffered broken ribs and a head injury, and was himself also discharged. The incident got worldwide publicity and enforced the belief that the Nepalis were not treated fairly in the British Army. It also led some retired soldiers to begin a decades-long struggle for compensation at par with their British peers.&nbsp; Retired British Gurkha soldier Shankar Rai in his book Triumph and Tears revisits the Hawaii incident which he witnessed, and also his experience in the Falkland Islands/Malvinas war in 1982.&nbsp; He has lots of grievances: unequal treatment and injustice from the British Army towards himself and his comrades. This is an indignant and disillusioned account of the good, the bad and the ugly of being a British Gurkha, which he says let him down despite his service and belief in it.&nbsp; The book could also be a cautionary tale of how one person on a power-trip can tarnish two centuries of the shared history of Nepal and the UK, as well as ruin the lives of those involved. It also is proof that loyalty should never be taken for granted. Four years after defeating the Argentinians in the Falklands, several companies and platoons of Gurkha rifles were stationed in Hawaii in 1986 for joint US-UK ‘Exercise Union Pacific’ military exercises. The goal was to ‘perfect the art of marine warfare in collaboration with the US Marine Force’. The rules were that a British Gurkha company commander needed to have the rank of major and pass a Nepali language test. Captain Pearce was the son-in-law of a British Brigadier on extra-regiment employment, and this rule was waived. He was appointed Acting Major. Pearce didn’t bother to learn Nepali language or culture, and from Rai’s account took every chance to belittle and embarrass the Gurkhas as poor, stupid, rude, backward, and lucky to be there. He writes: ‘After Captain Pearce reached Hawaii, he began to project himself as a master and the Gurkhas as servants, to show off to the Americans.’ The author also recounts other slights, such as only receiving a fourth of the rations they were due during hard training, being forced to train even when some of the soldiers had high fever, and claims to have ‘civilised’ the Nepalis.&nbsp; Pearce had been to eastern Nepal before the training and seen the grinding poverty. He kept telling the Gurkhas how lucky they were to be in the job, and that they were making ‘more money than Nepal’s prime minister’. During the final farewell party in Hawaii, Pearce set up tables to form a saluting platform, and asked the Gurkha pipe and drum band to march around him while playing. The enraged soldiers could not take it anymore, and after the party an inebriated group ran Captains Pearce and Chandra Kumar Pradhan out of their tents and beat them up. Both officers broke ribs, and the major needed 15 stitches on his head. ‘This sorry and unseemly episode is considered to have been entirely at odds with the Brigade of Gurkhas’ tradition of loyalty and gallant service in the British Army. It is regarded as an isolated and untypical event, which will not be permitted to detract from the high esteem in which the Brigade is held,’ reads the report of an investigation. Most of the 1/7 company soldiers were dismissed whether they had been involved in the assault or not. The author describes the shame that followed, with dismissed soldiers returning to Nepal with lost face.&nbsp; ‘I burned with humiliation, and life scared me,’ writes the author, whose father told him that he was ashamed to call him his son. ‘Many of my friends’ girlfriends left them and married other people. Rifleman Khem Gurung (21162015) of Itahari committed suicide,’ writes Rai, adding that those dismissed were blacklisted, and could not get other jobs.&nbsp; They tried to pursue legal action against the British Government, but backed down when they could not afford expensive hotshot lawyers, and would not have the money to cover the British government’s legal fees in the likely case of a loss in court. Gurkhas who had served for four years in the UK were allowed to move there, an option that many of those dismissed in the Hawaii incident took, including the author, who now lives in Oxford. Rai pours out his hurt and emotion in the book. Towards the end, he writes: ‘I depend on small jobs for livelihood. In the remaining time, I actively raise the issue of the victims of the Hawaii incident. We are burdened with insults, hatred, and contempt for a lifetime. It was harsher than a court martial, too heavy to bear.’ The is a slim book, and is a quick, engaging read of an incident 30 years ago, and Rai writes with a soldier’s precision. Even though the anger shows even after all these years, there is no over-dramatisation in the narrative.&nbsp; The first part of the book is about sailing across the South Atlantic in the QEII, which had been converted into a troop ship to take the Gurkhas to war. The soldiers from landlocked Nepal were mostly sea-sick, but were happy to get two cans of beer a day. Barclays Bank even had a branch on board. Rai’s descriptions of the friendships he developed in the Company and on the battlefield are poignant. They braved Argentinian bombs, dug trenches and fought through the rain in the Southern Hemisphere winter. There are vignettes of sharing tea with fellow Nepalis, seeing comrades fall, and finding pictures of wives and children in the pockets of dead young Argentine soldiers. Behind the prestige, honour and myths of being a Gurkha soldier, it seems this is just another job with nepotism, horrible bosses and bad pay. But such is the desperation that up to 20,000 young Nepalis still apply for 300 openings in the British Army every year. &nbsp;&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251227041256_694a253e782c83b0bf89fc1b9840b0ade3f7beca2d0b01dbc4fcd3e63c207f50.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20251227041256_694a253e782c83b0bf89fc1b9840b0ade3f7beca2d0b01dbc4fcd3e63c207f50" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="Triumph and tears book details NT"> </figure>

Not taking loyalty for granted

After a week of to-and-fro that culminated in all-night bargaining, two populist young figures in Nepali politics agreed at 4AM on Sunday to join forces ahead of elections in March. Rabi Lamichhane of the RSP, who came out of jail a week ago, has forged an alliance with Kathmandu mayor Balen Shah. Both are keen to ride on the GenZ wave that radically changed the direction of Nepal’s politics that has been dominated by three mainstream parties for the past three decades. Under the 7-point deal, Lamichhane will still head the RSP, while Shah has been promised prime ministership if the party wins a majority in the federal elections. Shah will also be the parliamentary party leader. The RSP will keep its name and election symbol. “Agreements must be made not on the basis of what leaders want, but on what the country needs,” Lamichhane wrote on social media announcing the alliance. The RSP chair is said to have put his own prime ministerial aspirations on hold to ensure the Kathmandu Mayor's support for the March polls. This is an alliance of convenience. Lamichhane requires the backing from Shah’s youth voters to face the legacy parties, while the mayor needs a political platform. Ultimately the prospect of leading not just Kathmandu but Nepal itself appears to have been the deciding factor for Balen Shah. The Kathmandu mayor is reportedly keen to contest the election from Jhapa against former prime minister K P Oli in his constituency.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251228041212_1b26fd7f14e418a9bdb827a7b733914c08183c36b4a93694fc1aefda9f45d85a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20251228041212_1b26fd7f14e418a9bdb827a7b733914c08183c36b4a93694fc1aefda9f45d85a" data-rendition-name="original" width="900" height="900" loading="lazy" alt="Balen-Rabi alliance"> <figcaption>Photo: BALEN SHAH, RABI LAMICHHANE / FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  The two have much in common. Lamichhane, a former tv anchor, returned from the United States and launched the RSP as an alternative party four months before elections in 2022. He served as Home Minister twice in Pushpa Kamal Dahal's coalition government before being jailed for defrauding cooperatives depositers. He made a jail break during the September protests, returned to prison voluntarily, and was released on bail last week. Balen Shah stood as an independent candidate for mayor of Kathmandu in local elections in 2022, and was catapulted to victory because of anti-incumbent protest votes among urban youth.&nbsp; Both campaigned on social media, pushing a populist anti-corruption agenda and against the governance failure of the three establishment parties — the same logic that drove the GenZ protests in September that escalated into violence and brought down the UML-NC coalition. Even as government buildings smouldered on 10 September, GenZ members were strongly urging Balen Shah to be the interim prime minister, but when he declined they voted on Discord for former chief justice Sushila Karki.&nbsp; With just over two months to go for elections on 5 March, Prime Minister Karki has been trying desperately to get the mainstream parties on board. She has met twice with the top leaders of the UML, NC and the NCP. All three parties have been dealing with internal power struggles, and the UML appears to be the most reluctant to face elections.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251228051212_d42944e014b278d6864270b74f924ac842d6f7a68d5bd6817148d120522ba60b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20251228051212_d42944e014b278d6864270b74f924ac842d6f7a68d5bd6817148d120522ba60b" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="Sushila Karki with political leaders"> <figcaption>Prime Minister Sushila Karki has been meeting with leaders of the mainstream parties to get them on board for the election. Photo: PMO</figcaption> </figure>  The UML’s former prime minister K P Oli has refused summons by the Judicial Inquiry Commission charged with investigating the massacre of protesters on 8 September and the arson and vandalism the next day. Then home minister Ramesh Lekhak is scheduled to give his deposition to the Commission this week. The legacy parties appear to be taking the threat from the Rabi-Balen partnership strongly, and have been trying to forge an electoral alliance so they do not compete against each other.&nbsp; They are relying on traditional vote banks among the rural electorate, and calculate that alternative forces will cancel themselves out. They could also be hoping that Balen Shah’s erratic behaviour and Rabi Lamichhane’s prison conviction will put voters off. A total of 837,094 first-time voters have been registered in Nepal ahead of the elections.&nbsp; The Kathmandu mayor is an engineer and rap artist, and had till now been reclusive, preferring to post on social media rather than face the press. His late-night online posts have been impulsive: like the one urging that Singha Darbar be burnt down, or another one recently in which he used the f-word against the US, China, India and the mainstream parties. He later deleted both posts.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251228041212_a2f87881e36fb40b82bf77e1b07003aaf36b91e2a9eb5da096f1e562654c31e3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20251228041212_a2f87881e36fb40b82bf77e1b07003aaf36b91e2a9eb5da096f1e562654c31e3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1112" height="1440" loading="lazy" alt="Balen Rabi agreement NT"> <figcaption>The seven-point agreement between Shah and Lamichhane. </figcaption> </figure>  Lamichane and Shah had also been negotiating with Energy Minister Kulman Ghising’s newly-forced Ujyalo Nepal Party, but the bargaining did not go well because Ghising refused to fight elections under the RSP banner. If the three had been successful in coming together, it would have been a formidable alliance. There are misgivings about the RSP-Balen Shah deal, even among some GenZ who see the two prominent men dividing up the power structure as just the kind of political culture they wanted to reform. Many are already predicting exactly the kind of clash of egos between the two alpha males that characterised Nepali politics since the restoration of democracy in 1990. In the coming days, as with most political change in Nepal, there will be much speculation about the geopolitics behind the Rabi-Balen deal. Balen Shah’s angry post against India-US-China as well as his past nationalistic pronouncements on Nepal’s territorial dispute with India over Kalapani will be recalled, while Beijing has misgivings about the antecedents of some GenZ figures. Dharan-mayor Harka Sampang, who has also formed his own political party, has already pronounced the Rabi-Balen deal as being “foreign backed”.

Old vs New in Nepal in 2026

Everyone in the world is running some kind of race. Some chase recognition. Some chase money. Others run simply to stay ahead of others. But there are some who run for others. They are not trying to overtake anyone, they do not do it for fame, they are not getting paid to do it. But they run to pay for the upliftment of those less privileged. Bal Joshi, 41, is originally from Surkhet. His father was involved in the democratic movement during the days of absolute monarchy and he remembers frequent police searches of the house. And with his father in hiding, the young Joshi had to take care of the family. When the family’s small shop failed, his mother took the young Bal and his brother back to the village, and that is where he completed his education, walking four hours roundtrip every day between home and school. He ran most of the way, and without realising it he has been running ever since. Life was hard. Rent, food, education. His mother struggled constantly. There were days when there was no money even to buy kerosene for the stove. At one point, he sold his calculator, worth Rs 300, for just Rs 80 to get by.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251229031252_edb16b64a3d362a8dc86870bfa5deaad03a84e67d47f37cfd0bb5a8e584691fe.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20251229031252_edb16b64a3d362a8dc86870bfa5deaad03a84e67d47f37cfd0bb5a8e584691fe" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Running for dear life NT"> </figure>  At 15, Joshi moved to Nepalganj to continue his education. He initially stayed with his uncles, but eventually began living on his own. The transition to city life was difficult, and he experienced significant economic hardship while trying to pursue his studies. There were times when he struggled to meet basic needs, and at one point he sold his calculator just to get by. When he was 17, after hearing that his father was seriously ill, Joshi travelled to Gujarat to bring him back home. His father died soon after, and Joshi took on responsibility for supporting his family. It was his mother who taught him that despite scarcity, life had to be lived with dignity. Joshi started working at a newspaper at the age of 16 as a proofreader, and later became a journalist. During the Maoist war when children were being orphaned as a result of violence by both sides, he became active in the Sahara Group, and at 19, he began managing an orphanage that took in conflict-affected children. In Bajhang, after the army killed a man on suspicion of being a Maoist, his wife jumped into the Seti River and ended her life. Their two children were taken into army custody. During the rescue process, Joshi met Sunaina Adhikari of the ICRC and back in Nepalganj they decided to get married. The conflict was still raging in western Nepal in 2005, when Joshi went to the United States. In Maryland, he initially worked at a Bengali-owned Subway outlet, spending long hours on his feet behind the counter. He changed jobs frequently, financing his education along the way, and ultimately graduated with a degree in finance in 2008. He joined Hancock Whitney Bank in Texas, and has risen up the ranks to be Senior Vice President. A colleague inspired him to run as a way to stay healthy. But it soon turned into something more meaningful — running more than a dozen 50km marathons for charity.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251229031252_165a6d935860cf6707178aa2ac7395733883158f425bbe0ebed125529d601f61.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20251229031252_165a6d935860cf6707178aa2ac7395733883158f425bbe0ebed125529d601f61" data-rendition-name="original" width="999" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Running for dear life NT"> </figure>  Last year, Joshi returned to Nepal to run the Everest Marathon, and raised $42,000 which he donated to <a href="https://onestepfoundation.org/" target="_blank">One Step Foundation</a> which works on health care, child welfare and cultural preservation in Nepal and around the world. In June this year, Joshi and his family climbed Kilimanjaro, raising $19,000 for 80 HIV-affected orphaned children in Tanzania. During the Diwali festival he ran 220km in Nevada’s Red Canyon and raised $25,000 for cataract surgeries through the the <a href="https://www.theruitfoundation.org/" target="_blank">Ruit Foundation</a> in Nepal for cataract surgeries.&nbsp; Joshi does not run competitions, and is not trying to break any records. His motto is: “My race, my pace.”&nbsp; Turning his childhood scarcity into helping others, he says: “We all share sunlight, rain, air, and soil, nothing is truly just your own. I grew up without shoes, and I am fortunate to be able to distribute shoes to those who walk barefoot.” We ask Bal Joshi what (and where) next? His answer: the <a href="https://www.worldmarathonchallenge.com/" target="_blank">World Marathon Challenge</a> that will go around the world to run seven marathons in seven continents in seven days beginning in Antarctica at end-January.&nbsp; Joshi aims to run wearing the daura suruwal and Nepal’s flag as to show where he comes from, and how far in life he has come.

Running for dear life

A day after Rabi Lamichhane and Balen Shah <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/old-vs-new-in-nepal-in-2026-z6l4fgrd">came together to form an electoral alliance</a>, Kulman Ghising has also joined forces with the two leaders, merging his Ujyalo Nepal Party with the RSP.&nbsp; Following last-minute negotiations before Monday’s midnight deadline for parties to file their list of candidates for the Proportional Representation (PR) seats, Lamichhane and Ujyalo Nepal chair Anup Kumar Upadhyay signed a seven-point agreement to unify the two parties, with Balen Shah as witness.&nbsp; Per the deal, Ghising will be the vice-chair of the RSP, joining DP Aryal and Swarnim Wagle as the party’s seconds-in-command. The earlier agreement between Lamichhane and Shah retained Lamichhane as RSP chief, and promised Shah prime ministership if the party wins a majority in Parliament in March.&nbsp; Ghising’s team reportedly has a 17% share on the list of PR candidates filed by the RSP at the Election Commission. Balen has also fielded his own picks, and together the party has the likes of cricketer Gyandenra Malla, actress Reema Biswokarma, rights activist Mohna Ansari, climate activist Tashi Lhazom, and singer Prakash Saput as PR candidates. Ghising had held multiple rounds of talks with the RSP chair and the Kathmandu Mayor to discuss possible collaborations, but had failed to reach a power-sharing agreement. On Monday, Ghising had met with Lamichhane heeding a last-ditch effort from GenZ leaders, in particular Sudan Gurung, as they tried for the final time to get the interim Minister on board with Lamichhane and Shah before the PR list submission deadline.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025123004128_99e23ae7b6a042e71d271e3e74f7527086a7bb55779e6781bc9e7b711c8303e7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2025123004128_99e23ae7b6a042e71d271e3e74f7527086a7bb55779e6781bc9e7b711c8303e7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1595" height="1087" loading="lazy" alt="Sudan Kulman Balen"> <figcaption>Photo: SUDAN GURUNG / FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025123004128_d9f530704ab4c6e27eebf51f8e9fb55fed1d4281c99d089d06455cc7448bfda7.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2025123004128_d9f530704ab4c6e27eebf51f8e9fb55fed1d4281c99d089d06455cc7448bfda7" data-rendition-name="original" width="1026" height="1084" loading="lazy" alt="Balen and Sudan NT"> <figcaption>Photo: BALEN SHAH / FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  The three are now set to make a formidable team to challenge mainstream parties at the polls. News of this alliance has been welcome to Nepalis who are looking for any alternatives to break the stronghold of the Oli-Deuba-Dahal trio over Nepali politics in recent history.&nbsp; But they will also carry each other’s baggage.&nbsp; Lamichhane, who was jailed for defrauding cooperatives depositors last year, was welcomed back as RSP party chair with open arms after he was released on bail last week. And while he has maintained his base of loyal supporters, he was subject to widespread criticism after he walked out of detention amid the jailbreak during the September protests, prompting his eventual voluntary return to prison.&nbsp; His party’s silencing and expulsion of critics within the RSP has also drawn direct comparison with the leadership structure of Nepal’s mainstream parties. Prominent leaders like Sumana Shrestha have left the party over disagreements with leadership.&nbsp; Meanwhile, Balen’s impassioned campaign resonated with Nepalis disillusioned with establishment leaders during the 2022 election and made him mayor of Kathmandu. The mayor’s direct, no-holds-barred style of communication and commentary has attained him much support beyond his constituency.&nbsp; But his unyielding, often unempathetic leadership style and policies— like his dismissal of street vendors and informal businesses during his drive to free up Kathmandu’s footpaths— have also earned him detractors. His recent outburst on social media in November that included expletives against both of Nepal’s neighbours and the US, as well as Nepal’s three main parties and the RSP was also widely criticised.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251230041212_fc2088daf32bac93541ebf25ca07725d75a721ae83440749ac8fa09d8fe308f2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20251230041212_fc2088daf32bac93541ebf25ca07725d75a721ae83440749ac8fa09d8fe308f2" data-rendition-name="original" width="890" height="1255" loading="lazy" alt="Agreement NT"> <figcaption>The seven-point agreement between RSP and Ujyalo Nepal Party.</figcaption> </figure>  Ghising, credited with ending Nepal’s prolonged load-shedding during his tenure as the chief of Nepal Electricity Authority, has a reputation of getting the job done. His public goodwill earned him a seat on Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s interim Cabinet following the youth protest.&nbsp; But he has also been under scrutiny for funds misappropriation as well as controversial power purchase agreements during his tenure as NEA chief. Ghising had foregone the leadership position at his Ujyalo party, preferring to play the role of patron until closer to the election date, but was nonetheless criticised for his political and electoral aspirations while being a member of the transitional government. It now remains to be seen if and when Ghising will step away from his position in the interim Cabinet and begin campaigning with his new partners.&nbsp; As it stands, the involvement of prominent GenZ figures in bringing together Ghising, Shah, and Lamichhane has established youth leaders as major players in Nepal’s post-September political landscape. These leaders will have significant pull with young and first-time voters. But not all young leaders are impressed with this new triumvirate. Some have pointed out that the unity between these three leaders is no different from the political opportunism and quid-pro-quo power-sharing culture established and followed by Nepal’s mainstream leadership for the last three decades which culminated into the GenZ movement of September.

culinary-skills

“You inspire others by learning, not teaching,” Santosh Shah

“You inspire others by learning, not teaching,” Santosh Shah

Not taking loyalty for granted

Old vs New in Nepal in 2026

Running for dear life

Kulman follows Balen to RSP