<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceeb59c7e80680e09ae47jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1001"/><figcaption>Photo: ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY</figcaption></figure>We do not know the exact details of Tenzing Norgay's early life, since the records are poor.  Despite this, the stories of his struggles as a youth and adult are incredibly touching.He was born in a very humble family, and endured much hardship, moving across South Asia just to make a living. However, through his own hard work and personal initiative, Tenzing managed to lift himself out of poverty, misery and injustice, becoming one of the 100 most well-known personalities of 2020.When a person becomes famous, whether it is Tenzing Sherpa or Gautam Buddha, we have a tendency to crave for their ownership, instead of sharing their qualities with the rest of the world.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceeb89c7e80680e09ae48jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="473" height="500"><figcaption>Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa</figcaption></figure>As in the case of the Buddha, the birthplace, nationalities and identities of Tenzin are often debated and contested. Where was he born? Was Tenzing a Tibetan, a Nepali, or an Indian?We can find the correct answer only from his perspective, and the geopolitical situation of the time. When Tenzing was born and growing up in the present day physical boundaries did not exist between Tibet, Nepal or India. Passports and national identity cards were not needed to cross over.People could move freely throughout the Subcontinent in search of livelihood and spiritualism. They settled anywhere conditions were right. And that is what Tenzing did, becoming a true South Asian.Therefore, whether he was Tibetan, Nepali or Indian was a question he probably dreaded the most because he was connected to all three places. In these complex matters, the choice should be left to the individual. Our job is to listen to them, honour their decision and celebrate the achievement.Tenzing's Tibetan language interview by Tshultrim Chophel (below) was aired on All India Radio Kurseong on 3 July, 1985, a year before he passed away. The audio provides us an opportunity to listen to Tenzin in his own voice, and words.  The interview is transcribed and published to celebrate the 68th Anniversary of the climbing of Jomolangma/Sagarmatha/Mt Everest on 29 May.Very happy to meet you Mr Tenzing Norgay. We like to thank you for this great opportunity to have you speak on Radio Kurseong. Among many questions, I would like to begin by asking you about your childhood before mountaineering and also how you received the inspiration to climb mountains? Tenzing Norgay Sherpa: Sure. Jomolangma is the world's tallest mountain. Therefore, the British were determined to climb it. The Germans wanted to climb Kangchenjunga. There are many mountains around the world, but compared to others, these two were particularly well known.I am Tibetan by descent because my parents came from Tibet. They lived in Khumbu in Nepal, and I was born there. In the old days our Sherpa people from Khumbu went to Darjeeling quite a lot. On returning, they used to talk about mountain climbing a lot, including Jomolangma.I was a young boy but used to listen to them intently. Besides, they also talked about Darjeeling and the Gundri Bazar here. I thought mountaineering is some kind of respectable and holy activity, and so I too ran away from Nepal to Darjeeling. I may have been 13 or 14 then. I knew nobody in Darjeeling, no relatives and not even a Sherpa acquaintance. I came alone, and took three weeks to reach Darjeeling from Khumbu. It was quite hard because I did not speak the lowland languages well.  I spoke only Sherpa and Tibetan which are very similar. If you know Tibetan, you will be able to understand Sherpa, Drenjongke and Dzonkha languages. The differences are small.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceeba9c7e80680e09ae49jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="638" height="1000"><figcaption>Photo: DAS STUDIO</figcaption></figure>In 1935, a well-known British mountaineer, Eric Shipton, arrived here (Darjeeling) and wanted to recruit 20-25 Sherpas for an Everest expedition from Tibet. He found most of them very strong and experienced men with good reference letters. I was young and had no references. I was there just for fun and had no expectation of being recruited. I was 18 or 19 ... but the British recruiter selected me. In those days Nepal was not open for foreigners, especially white men. We had to travel via Sikkim to reach Everest.I got hired for Everest expeditions continuously for three consecutive years in 1935, 1936 and 1937.In 1937, we reached the highest point of 27,108 ft. We did not have good oxygen, clothing or boots but made it there somehow. Earlier (in 1924) two English climbers, Irvine and Mallory, climbed Everest but got lost and never came down. So, our English team members were quite pleased that we reached quite high, and managed to come down. During the World War, mountaineering activity stopped. I went to Chitral (now in Pakistan) helping  train local Muslim soldiers.  After the war mountaineers began to return slowly.In 1952, King Tribhuvan opened Nepal to foreigners including mountaineers. The Swiss received permission to climb Mt. Everest that year and I joined them. This expedition was quite tough but food supplies were very inexpensive along the trail compared to now.Kathmandu did not have many motor vehicles and airplanes. It looked very rural. Our achievement in that year was quite remarkable. We reached an elevation of 28,215 ft without oxygen. We only had one set of clothing and a small tent. The Swiss French climber Raymond Lambert and I shared a tent. It was extremely cold. We tried to keep each other warm by rubbing hands and bodies. He was so big and fat that my hands hardly covered anything. He spoke no English and I had no French. So, we used gestures of the hands, eyes, and mouth to communicate, and managed.He said let’s go down in French. So, we descended. I felt really bad for my friend because he would not get another chance. I was not worried about myself so much because I was booked to return the following year with the British. I was sad for him (Raymond) because we worked so hard.In comparison, I faced no difficulty with the 1953 British expedition the following year. I knew the route, the people and food and drink were plentiful along the way.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceebc9c7e80680e09ae4ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="610" height="1000"><figcaption>Photo courtesy: JAMLING SHERPA</figcaption></figure>When you made it to the summit of Jomolangma, what went through your mind? In the 1953 expedition, we had 14 people in the team including two medical doctors. The expedition took approximately four months. If we did not finish climbing by the end of May, it would have been too difficult because of melting and collapsing ice that would make paths difficult to find. So, we were under a bit of pressure. On 14 or 15 of May, we made a firm plan for the attempt. A decision was made to send two British climbers to the top first. The rest of the British climbers decided not to try but play a supporting role. That left Hillary who was a New Zealander and me, a Nepali. So, I said "I support the selection of the two British climbers to lead. Those of you who decided not to try, the decision is yours. But I can't afford not to climb this time. I tried six times and turned back six times before. This is my 7th attempt and I must somehow make it to the top. I welcome anyone who wants to join me." Hillary spoke up, and said he would join me. This is how the two of us came to climb together.How big was the summit? What was the view like towards Tibet and Nepal? At the top, there was space for 8-9 people. The top was not like a needle. It was a gentle slope. I saw quite a bit of Tibet, the areas that I have been to before. Tibet is very dry, very little greenery, but still pretty. The Nepal side looked very green and pleasant.We did not stay too long at the top, maybe 15 minutes. He (Hillary) took my picture, and also of the view. I could see Kangchenjunga looking very small. The weather that day was very clear. It was fantastic.  The wind was also not too strong. The sky was sunny and clear blue...<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110131128/636ceebe9c7e80680e09ae4bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="1000"><figcaption>Photo: ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY</figcaption></figure>Tell us about unfurling the flags on top?It was like this. We had camped in a vacant part of Kathmandu airport to repack the baggage. I saw a number of British flags in their luggage. Their small day packs also had English flags on them. I thought that there must be some good reason. One day, when we were in the Kathmandu market, I bought an Indian and a Nepali flag.When Hillary and I were making the final preparation for our ascent, expedition leader John Hunt handed us a British flag. Charles Evens produced a UN flag, not sure how he got it. I produced the Nepali and Indian flags…. John Hunt asked me to take all the flags and unfurl them when we reached the summit.After returning from the mountain, you became world famous and received many gifts and honors. Tell us about that.Now, Nepal went out of its way to honor me. They gave me one of the highest-ranking medals, Nepal Tara. In addition, the Queen of England awarded me the George Medal. There were also many honors and awards from different countries.  But, after the climb, I have to find some kind of work. I did not have much of an opportunity to think it through. But Pandit Nehru and Dr V C Roy already had a plan to open a mountaineering school in Darjeeling and for me to work there as a trainer. This has been good for me and beneficial for Indian government as well. The idea was to train Indians in mountaineering and benefitting them. They really thought it through carefully.So, after climbing you worked as an instructor at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. What inspiration can you provide to the young people of our country?Yes, Pandit Nehru once said to me "Tenzing, you have to become a trainer and send at least 100 Tenzings to the top of Everest". I was unsure about the 100 people but I said "I will become an instructor and do my best". So, I tried my best and so far 15 of our trainees have summited Everest, including a female climber, Ms Bachendri Pal. We started with only 15 students and nowadays it has increased to 75-80 people. Mountain climbing is becoming very popular these days, and young climbers are also very good.Do you have any advice to aspiring young mountaineers of the future?Mountains remain the same. In our days we lacked good equipment, shoes and oxygen to climb. Nowadays, the technical aspects have improved greatly. Also, young Indians, including women, are becoming interested in mountain climbing. I think the future of mountaineering is good. It is not so much about generating income but good for physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Also, you will get to know people. It is good and must be encouraged.Listen to the <a href="https://youtu.be/GbTgL6xpQuE" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/GbTgL6xpQuE&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622308455703000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGFNzTabWNUCmgPOWVhlQd5RVM0vw">voice of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa</a>, speaking in Tibetan in a rare recording of a radio interview over All India Radio Kurseong in 1985, a year before he died.        Watch Tenzing Norgay on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00QkmnzvQdU" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3D00QkmnzvQdU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622308455703000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGcmyAXtKizbNxKXKAJc5naZLKjkQ">‘To Tell the Truth’ tv program.</a>Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa (PhD) specialises in environmental and cultural conservation.

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Was Tenzing a Tibetan, Nepali, or Indian? It does not matter.

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86ad9c7e80680e06786ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1001"/><figcaption>Photo: ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY</figcaption></figure>We do not know the exact details of Tenzing Norgay's early life, since the records are poor.  Despite this, the stories of his struggles as a youth and adult are incredibly touching.He was born in a very humble family, and endured much hardship, moving across South Asia just to make a living. However, through his own hard work and personal initiative, Tenzing managed to lift himself out of poverty, misery and injustice, becoming one of the 100 most well-known personalities of 2020.When a person becomes famous, whether it is Tenzing Sherpa or Gautam Buddha, we have a tendency to crave for their ownership, instead of sharing their qualities with the rest of the world.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86b09c7e80680e06786bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="473" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>As in the case of the Buddha, the birthplace, nationalities and identities of Tenzin are often debated and contested. Where was he born? Was Tenzing a Tibetan, a Nepali, or an Indian?We can find the correct answer only from his perspective, and the geopolitical situation of the time. When Tenzing was born and growing up in the present day physical boundaries did not exist between Tibet, Nepal or India. Passports and national identity cards were not needed to cross over.People could move freely throughout the Subcontinent in search of livelihood and spiritualism. They settled anywhere conditions were right. And that is what Tenzing did, becoming a true South Asian.Therefore, whether he was Tibetan, Nepali or Indian was a question he probably dreaded the most because he was connected to all three places. In these complex matters, the choice should be left to the individual. Our job is to listen to them, honour their decision and celebrate the achievement.Tenzing's Tibetan language interview by Tshultrim Chophel (below) was aired on All India Radio Kurseong on 3 July, 1985, a year before he passed away. The audio provides us an opportunity to listen to Tenzin in his own voice, and words.  The interview is transcribed and published to celebrate the 68th Anniversary of the climbing of Jomolangma/Sagarmatha/Mt Everest on 29 May.Very happy to meet you Mr Tenzing Norgay. We like to thank you for this great opportunity to have you speak on Radio Kurseong. Among many questions, I would like to begin by asking you about your childhood before mountaineering and also how you received the inspiration to climb mountains? Tenzing Norgay Sherpa: Sure. Jomolangma is the world's tallest mountain. Therefore, the British were determined to climb it. The Germans wanted to climb Kangchenjunga. There are many mountains around the world, but compared to others, these two were particularly well known.I am Tibetan by descent because my parents came from Tibet. They lived in Khumbu in Nepal, and I was born there. In the old days our Sherpa people from Khumbu went to Darjeeling quite a lot. On returning, they used to talk about mountain climbing a lot, including Jomolangma.I was a young boy but used to listen to them intently. Besides, they also talked about Darjeeling and the Gundri Bazar here. I thought mountaineering is some kind of respectable and holy activity, and so I too ran away from Nepal to Darjeeling. I may have been 13 or 14 then. I knew nobody in Darjeeling, no relatives and not even a Sherpa acquaintance. I came alone, and took three weeks to reach Darjeeling from Khumbu. It was quite hard because I did not speak the lowland languages well.  I spoke only Sherpa and Tibetan which are very similar. If you know Tibetan, you will be able to understand Sherpa, Drenjongke and Dzonkha languages. The differences are small.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86b19c7e80680e06786cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="638" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>In 1935, a well-known British mountaineer, Eric Shipton, arrived here (Darjeeling) and wanted to recruit 20-25 Sherpas for an Everest expedition from Tibet. He found most of them very strong and experienced men with good reference letters. I was young and had no references. I was there just for fun and had no expectation of being recruited. I was 18 or 19 ... but the British recruiter selected me. In those days Nepal was not open for foreigners, especially white men. We had to travel via Sikkim to reach Everest.I got hired for Everest expeditions continuously for three consecutive years in 1935, 1936 and 1937.In 1937, we reached the highest point of 27,108 ft. We did not have good oxygen, clothing or boots but made it there somehow. Earlier (in 1924) two English climbers, Irvine and Mallory, climbed Everest but got lost and never came down. So, our English team members were quite pleased that we reached quite high, and managed to come down. During the World War, mountaineering activity stopped. I went to Chitral (now in Pakistan) helping  train local Muslim soldiers.  After the war mountaineers began to return slowly.In 1952, King Tribhuvan opened Nepal to foreigners including mountaineers. The Swiss received permission to climb Mt. Everest that year and I joined them. This expedition was quite tough but food supplies were very inexpensive along the trail compared to now.Kathmandu did not have many motor vehicles and airplanes. It looked very rural. Our achievement in that year was quite remarkable. We reached an elevation of 28,215 ft without oxygen. We only had one set of clothing and a small tent. The Swiss French climber Raymond Lambert and I shared a tent. It was extremely cold. We tried to keep each other warm by rubbing hands and bodies. He was so big and fat that my hands hardly covered anything. He spoke no English and I had no French. So, we used gestures of the hands, eyes, and mouth to communicate, and managed.He said let’s go down in French. So, we descended. I felt really bad for my friend because he would not get another chance. I was not worried about myself so much because I was booked to return the following year with the British. I was sad for him (Raymond) because we worked so hard.In comparison, I faced no difficulty with the 1953 British expedition the following year. I knew the route, the people and food and drink were plentiful along the way.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86b49c7e80680e06786djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="610" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>When you made it to the summit of Jomolangma, what went through your mind? In the 1953 expedition, we had 14 people in the team including two medical doctors. The expedition took approximately four months. If we did not finish climbing by the end of May, it would have been too difficult because of melting and collapsing ice that would make paths difficult to find. So, we were under a bit of pressure. On 14 or 15 of May, we made a firm plan for the attempt. A decision was made to send two British climbers to the top first. The rest of the British climbers decided not to try but play a supporting role. That left Hillary who was a New Zealander and me, a Nepali. So, I said "I support the selection of the two British climbers to lead. Those of you who decided not to try, the decision is yours. But I can't afford not to climb this time. I tried six times and turned back six times before. This is my 7th attempt and I must somehow make it to the top. I welcome anyone who wants to join me." Hillary spoke up, and said he would join me. This is how the two of us came to climb together.How big was the summit? What was the view like towards Tibet and Nepal? At the top, there was space for 8-9 people. The top was not like a needle. It was a gentle slope. I saw quite a bit of Tibet, the areas that I have been to before. Tibet is very dry, very little greenery, but still pretty. The Nepal side looked very green and pleasant.We did not stay too long at the top, maybe 15 minutes. He (Hillary) took my picture, and also of the view. I could see Kangchenjunga looking very small. The weather that day was very clear. It was fantastic.  The wind was also not too strong. The sky was sunny and clear blue...<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109111152/636b86b69c7e80680e06786ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="679" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Tell us about unfurling the flags on top?It was like this. We had camped in a vacant part of Kathmandu airport to repack the baggage. I saw a number of British flags in their luggage. Their small day packs also had English flags on them. I thought that there must be some good reason. One day, when we were in the Kathmandu market, I bought an Indian and a Nepali flag.When Hillary and I were making the final preparation for our ascent, expedition leader John Hunt handed us a British flag. Charles Evens produced a UN flag, not sure how he got it. I produced the Nepali and Indian flags…. John Hunt asked me to take all the flags and unfurl them when we reached the summit.After returning from the mountain, you became world famous and received many gifts and honors. Tell us about that.Now, Nepal went out of its way to honor me. They gave me one of the highest-ranking medals, Nepal Tara. In addition, the Queen of England awarded me the George Medal. There were also many honors and awards from different countries.  But, after the climb, I have to find some kind of work. I did not have much of an opportunity to think it through. But Pandit Nehru and Dr V C Roy already had a plan to open a mountaineering school in Darjeeling and for me to work there as a trainer. This has been good for me and beneficial for Indian government as well. The idea was to train Indians in mountaineering and benefitting them. They really thought it through carefully.So, after climbing you worked as an instructor at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. What inspiration can you provide to the young people of our country?Yes, Pandit Nehru once said to me "Tenzing, you have to become a trainer and send at least 100 Tenzings to the top of Everest". I was unsure about the 100 people but I said "I will become an instructor and do my best". So, I tried my best and so far 15 of our trainees have summited Everest, including a female climber, Ms Bachendri Pal. We started with only 15 students and nowadays it has increased to 75-80 people. Mountain climbing is becoming very popular these days, and young climbers are also very good.Do you have any advice to aspiring young mountaineers of the future?Mountains remain the same. In our days we lacked good equipment, shoes and oxygen to climb. Nowadays, the technical aspects have improved greatly. Also, young Indians, including women, are becoming interested in mountain climbing. I think the future of mountaineering is good. It is not so much about generating income but good for physical fitness and mental wellbeing. Also, you will get to know people. It is good and must be encouraged.Listen to the <a href="https://youtu.be/GbTgL6xpQuE" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/GbTgL6xpQuE&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622308455703000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGFNzTabWNUCmgPOWVhlQd5RVM0vw">voice of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa</a>, speaking in Tibetan in a rare recording of a radio interview over All India Radio Kurseong in 1985, a year before he died.        Watch Tenzing Norgay on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00QkmnzvQdU" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3D00QkmnzvQdU&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1622308455703000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGcmyAXtKizbNxKXKAJc5naZLKjkQ">‘To Tell the Truth’ tv program.</a>Lhakpa Norbu Sherpa (PhD) specialises in environmental and cultural conservation.

<h6>As the 65th year of the first ascent approaches, the mystery of a specially blended Chivas Regal is solved</h6> <figure><img width="1400" height="1062" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6f49c7e80680e0314b5jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>YO HO HO: Lord Hunt, Lisa Choegyal, Sir Chris Bonington and Elizabeth Hawley at 40th anniversary of the Everest ascent in 1993 in Kathmandu.</figcaption></figure>"I know he’s an imposter.” The short wiry man with weasel eyes hissed loudly in the row behind me, his voice husky with vehemence. “That can’t possibly be the real Duke of Argyll.”I smiled as the wail of bagpipes reverberated off the walls and the Duke sashayed his way down the length of the Hyatt ballroom in full highland dress – tight green jacket, bone buttons, clan tartan kilt and silver-mounted fur sporran swaying jauntily in time to the beat. Escorted by uniformed pipers, he bore aloft the elaborate gold-embossed bottle containing the rare 50-year-old Chivas Regal that was specially blended in a limited edition to celebrate the occasion, distilled the same year as the historic first ascent of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Top,425" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mount Everest</a> in 1953.During the golden jubilee rehearsal, his whisky colleague Peter Prentice had told me with glee: “Torquhil Argyll is wearing only his second best gear this evening -- his main outfit is listed as a national treasure and cannot leave Inveraray Castle in Scotland.”Responding to the rousing music and drama of the moment, the audience rose to their feet in spontaneous applause as the bottle, along with a large cheque for the Himalayan Trust, was presented to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14421#.Wwl37zSFN0y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sir Edmund Hillary</a> waiting on stage flanked by <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3247#.Wwl7pjSFN0x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tenzing Norgay’s</a> relatives and members of the Sherpa community. <figure><img width="1500" height="1000" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6f89c7e80680e0314b6jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The festivities continued with Sherpa singing and dancing, feet sliding and stomping in celebration of the 50th anniversary in 2003. The men wore identical pale felt hats with their dark chubas, the women glowing in bright striped aprons, multi-coloured ribbons and intricate gold headdresses.June Hillary, resplendent in red velvet, leaned over to whisper with concern: “Seems like an awful lot of people here.” The huge room was filled with mountaineers, ambassadors, filmmakers, media, family and friends. So many had turned up that the Hyatt had to raid their freezers to ensure enough dinner for everyone.Heaps of cream silk khadas adorned the dignitaries, and guests wore distinctive turquoise sashes emblazoned with ‘Triumph on Everest’ and the date 29 May 2003, exactly 50 years after the highest mountain in the world had been scaled. Mine is still draped over a picture in my office, slightly faded but vivid with memories of that distant day that I had helped organise.Ed arrived at the Hyatt in a helicopter showering flower petals from a felicitation event with the Prime Minister, and the morning had been spent in the British Embassy garden – broadcast in real time by Television New Zealand with Nepal TV technicians.Presenting the show was New Zealand’s star host Mark Sainsbury, always genial with a quick wit lurking behind his luxuriant trademark moustache. <figure><img width="1400" height="1050" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107101156/6368d6fb9c7e80680e0314b7jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Amidst the rose beds and yellow Ambassadorial residence, with a decorated elephant for added glamour, a dazzling array of Everesters rotated in front of Mark’s live microphone – multi-summiting Sherpas, veterans from the 1953 expedition, legends such as Messner, Habeler and Breashears. And of course Sir Ed, elderly and warm in the humid May sunshine. The Ambassador’s stylish French wife had set aside their study as a sanctuary for Ed and June, and I asked if they needed a shower to cool off. “Not necessary, Lisa. We’re not fussy like that!” June retorted.It was of course a British expedition in 1953, even though the first to summit were a Kiwi and Tenzing Norgay from Darjeeling. The Brits have been gracious in hosting the Everest-Sagarmatha-Chomolungma anniversaries ever since. Elizabeth Hawley and Chris Bonington took me to the 1993 40th celebration in the Ambassador’s drawing room where I met the original expedition’s fearsome leader Lord John Hunt, mellowed into a charming old man. In 2013 the 60th took place in the Defence Attache’s house as the Residence was undergoing timely earthquake strengthening.The then-Chief Secretary (now Nepal Ambassador to China) and Everest leader Leela Mani Paudyal did the honours, with Reinhold Messner and New Zealand’s Lydia Bradey jointly cutting an anniversary cake, their speeches lost to a faulty microphone. And next week the 65th will again be marked by Nepal, Britain and New Zealand.It was three years after the Kathmandu golden jubilee that Torquhil and Peter asked me to arrange another Chivas ceremony, this time close to the Hillary home in a classy Auckland restaurant full of showy begonias and New Zealand wine masters, hosted by their Paris-based boss.The plan was to present Sir Ed with another large cheque for the Himalayan Trust and in return to retrieve the most expensive bottle of whisky of all time for the Chivas Brothers Archive in Speyside, Scotland’s oldest distillery, where it now resides.There was some confusion and red faces when it came to finding the precious bottle – for safekeeping it had been carried back from Nepal to UK, but a search of Torquhil’s rambling Scottish castle drew a blank. To widespread relief it was eventually tracked down in the bottom left-hand drawer of the brand manager’s desk in the London office.That balmy summer evening in New Zealand, Sir Ed had as usual prepared notes for his speech. On the back of an old envelope in spidery handwriting, he muddled up whom he was thanking for what bottle and for which cheque. I gently put him right, but I do regret not having kept that envelope.Read also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/interview/Interview-with-Amelia-Hillary-grand-daughter-of-Sir-Edmund-Hillary,2443" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Third generation Hilary</a><a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3170#.Wwl5VjSFN0x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sherpa Hillary</a><a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/hillary-clinton-meets-edmund-hillary,994" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hillary meets Hillary</a><a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/funeral-of-Sir-Edmund-Hillary,1100" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sir Ed's funeral</a>

Lisa Choegyal

Past Everest anniversaries

We often see ourselves reflected in the other. For someone who grew up in Kathmandu Valley in the eighties and nineties, this maxim comes alive with an even greater force. Nepal’s media ecosystem was dismal, the school curriculum was narrow and did not provide opportunities for creative expression. Perhaps that is why I became obsessed with MTV videos and Bollywood films. I saw my developing self reflected in these story-lines and razzmatazz. When the media and education system do not engage the public and reflect myriad interests, aspirations and lifestyles of the population, citizens get detached and disconnected from their roots. I left for America for further studies, and was somewhat determined to never return to Nepal. It was a country full of potholes and black-outs. But foreigners have been fascinated with our country for decades. In the early 19th century, Francis Buchanan-Hamilton led a pioneering expedition and documented more than a thousand species of plants native to the region. Almost a century later, in 1905, Frenchman Sylvan Levi published ‘the first attempt to produce a comprehensive study of Nepal’, drawing on not just indigenous but available Chinese and European sources as well. After Nepal opened up in the 1950s, different kinds of foreigners have traveled here -- most notably, cold-war era spies disguised as diplomats, and later came the hippies. I returned to Nepal in 2013 and was primarily struck by two major demographics - the artists and the expats. Energised by the recent revolution, the creatives were making vibrant, powerful works. The expats, on the other hand, demonstrated a different way to navigate life in Kathmandu Valley. These two groups of people re-introduced Nepal to me and I began seeing my country and my hometown with a renewed perspective. Which is why one particular image from Giovanna Caruso’s ongoing show at the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thekalasalon/?hl=en" target="_blank">Kalā</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thekalasalon/?hl=en" target="_blank"> Salon</a> curated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/facades-and-flowers-from-nepal-to-italy" target="_blank">Sophia L Pandé</a> instantly caught my attention -- rather, it called out to me, as if it was composed for me, framing a key moment from my own life. Its title is, coincidentally, 2013. Like most of her other works, the pen-and-ink drawing is punctuated by an explosion of watercolour: a woman standing confidently in front of a Newa-style house, a leg arched up, as if she is fixing a strap around an ankle before stepping out on an adventure. The watercolour depicts a rainbow streaming out of a pot through a second-floor window. The rest of the details are rendered in realism – clusters of garlic and onion hanging to dry from the rafters, and further down a stack of corn. There are towels drying, even an old water pump.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251201121216_f440de5b5402fe0877dc46d94f41647bd46b00035b61241d46fc9f7ffbd87d0f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20251201121216_f440de5b5402fe0877dc46d94f41647bd46b00035b61241d46fc9f7ffbd87d0f" data-rendition-name="original" width="4032" height="3024" loading="lazy" alt="art review Kala Salon"> </figure>  When I walked over to this artwork with Caruso, she chuckled, “Ah, this work is a celebration of my 30 years in Nepal.” It was while trying to calm a restless group of students during her teaching days in Italy that Caruso first came across an iconic image of Kathmandu Darbar Square. She had found an old box of slides and while projecting images from the Himalaya to engage her students, the artist was determined to travel to Nepal. The first flat she rented was close to the square and the view from her rooftop was the same as the one she had encountered inside her classroom. She has been traveling to Nepal every year since. Some of her favourite drawings depict Khokana in morning fog. From 1993-2006, she drew murals at Ram Mandir and Pashupatinath, asking sadhus to guide her and correct her depictions. Caruso received a classical education, which means she was trained to focus on perspective and geometry while capturing mainly portraits and still lives. She is influenced by M C Escher and his explorations of mathematics and symmetry. No wonder she finds the Darbar Square architecture so compelling. She also names as inspiration Gustave Dore, whose style is different from Escher’s and I can see how she has fused these influences in her body of work: Escher’s austerity complimented and slightly dislodged by Dore’s comics and caricatures. “Before starting, the painting needs to be complete in my mind,” she explains as we pass a series of portraits titled Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kali Dancing, and Durga dominated by a roaring tiger. “These are all real people, I ask my friends and family members to sit for me.” The Kali in the drawing has the artist’s fiery copper red hair and she is dancing, surrounded by various men with flowing hair. The artist seems to have experimented here, drawing the revelers from above, and indulging in playful abandon. Depictions of Nepal are often in danger of being exoticised. But Caruso is familiar with her subjects, knows our alleys and temples intimately. Her colours and compositions are passionate and dense. In an essay, Anirudh S Chari writes the artist’s work is splashed with rapturous energy and most drawings have a carnivalesque element. ‘Kali Dancing’ illustrates this idea perfectly in that she has turned Kali’s usual fearsome portrayal on its head by depicting and embracing another feminine principle - the capacity to celebrate and create joy. Apart from drawing inspiration from Hindu goddesses and Nepal’s multi-colored rituals, Caruso has also drawn the Sumerian Ianna and Lillith and the Egyptian Nut. She enjoys drawing Nataraja, and says it is because “Shiva is a good husband”. We stand another painting titled 100 Days a Lion. “There is a saying in Italian, Better one day as a lion than a hundred days as a sheep, but I thought why not 100 Days a Lion?” This sentiment captures this nomadic artist’s spirit spanning four decades, in which she has captured urban energy as well as the sacred imagery of ‘life diaries on canvas’. From Venezia to Kathmandu and Journeys In Between Giovanna Caruso The Kalā Salon Chhaya Centre Mall, Thamel Till 12 December 10am- 8pm

Looking at Nepal from Venice

The COP30 climate summit in Brazil ended this week <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/cop30-to-cop31">without tangible commitment</a> from countries to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Its impact will be felt halfway around the planet here in Mustang which is already seeing weather extremes.&nbsp; Geographically, Mustang is on the Tibetan Plateau, north of the main Himalayan chain. It is in the rainshadow, and a high altitude desert. Winter snow has failed for eight of the past ten years, unseasonal blizzards, and frequent glacial collapse leading to floods. The Kali Gandaki Corridor follows one of the deepest gorges in the world between Annapurna and Dhaulagiri, the world’s seventh and tenth highest peaks. Lush pine forests cover the southern flanks of these mountains, but within a few kilometers the vegetation undergoes a dramatic change to a landscape of red, brown and grey cliffs.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_c66ade5e32d20530003abba893869426d75b42d10e4725c28361d738b402721f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20251129021144_c66ade5e32d20530003abba893869426d75b42d10e4725c28361d738b402721f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  It gets more arid the more north you go. Snow and rain in Upper Mustang used to fall mostly in winter, but now there are cloudbursts and blizzards at other times of the year.&nbsp; In the ancient walled city of Lo Manthang, elderly men have gathered at a local tea shop to drink the salted butter tea. Some sip home-made liquor infused with medicinal herbs.&nbsp; The sun has set, the temperature plummets, and the wind howls outside. Everyone agrees it does not snow like it used to any more. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Comings and goings in Mustang</a>, Shrijan Pandey  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_ffaabf00a533984cadf160b2e56734cddb6f64d1a660401417d2982a3818f161.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20251129021144_ffaabf00a533984cadf160b2e56734cddb6f64d1a660401417d2982a3818f161" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> <figcaption>The flat mud roofs are leaking because rain is now falling where there used to be snow.</figcaption> </figure>  “The weather has changed drastically over the years,” says Lopsang Tsomfel Bista, Chair of the Lo Dekhar Municipality. “It doesn’t snow in winter, and it falls when it is not supposed to.”&nbsp; Lack of snow means that in spring, the pastures where nomadic herders graze their yaks and goats do not have enough grass. Previously, winter snow on the meadows would seep slowly into the soil with the spring thaw, bringing out fresh grass shoots. &nbsp; In recent years, even if there is winter precipitation, it falls as rain. The soil is not able to soak in rain as efficiently, and torrential downpours increase the risk of soil erosion and floods.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_93ca69bec63577c5f6cbff8db809c11bce2d8fe01469d3374c20a6f20a7c93f1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20251129021144_93ca69bec63577c5f6cbff8db809c11bce2d8fe01469d3374c20a6f20a7c93f1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  “There used to be up to 1,500 mountain goats in every village, but now they have stopped keeping livestock,” says Bista. This is due to lack of grass and new lowland diseases moving up the mountains. Mustang has lost 28% of its population between the census in 2011 and 2021, and outmigration also means there are fewer people left to carry on a pastoral lifestyle.&nbsp; “Herders have asked for vet services in their communities because there are new insect-borne diseases,” says Yangchen Dolker Gurung of the Lo Gyalpo Jigme Foundation. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/winds-of-change-sweep-mustang">Winds of change sweep Mustang</a>, Jagannath Adhikari  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_902593732af83db5792128be5a3bd87c00e0c62ff894afa4c98bffde64e96d26.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20251129021144_902593732af83db5792128be5a3bd87c00e0c62ff894afa4c98bffde64e96d26" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> <figcaption>The mud walls of monasteries and homes are crumbling because of unseasonal rainfall. </figcaption> </figure>  Mustang is flanked to the east and west by mountains that rise up to 6,000m, and glaciers on their slopes are melting fast, turning into lakes. With the rising temperature, the risk of Glacier Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOFs) has also risen.&nbsp; At the rate global average temperatures are rising, scientists say that the Himalaya will lose up to two-thirds of the remaining ice caps. When glaciers melt, it not just raises the risk from GLOFs but also affects water supply downstream.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025112903114_1a6af68965ded5f23897a623bec2e2bed0da4c6663f0af5b5bf79883f2a11c9f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="2025112903114_1a6af68965ded5f23897a623bec2e2bed0da4c6663f0af5b5bf79883f2a11c9f" data-rendition-name="original" width="1022" height="767" loading="lazy" alt="Mustang map NT"> </figure>  FLOODS Ringzin Sangbo Gurung in Chumjung village recalls the devastation caused by a GLOF on 8 July this year that swept away a newly inaugurated bridge. The floodplain is now strewn with boulders and sand brought down by the flood which caused damage worth Rs28 million. The flood also damaged the irrigation canals that feed riverside farms where locals grew potato, buckwheat, millet and spinach. Nyima Wangmo Gurung runs a homestay in Nyamdok village, and says: “We don’t have water when we need it. And there is too much when we don’t need it.”&nbsp; Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mustang-forced-to-adapt-to-climate-crisis">Mustang forced to adapt to climate c</a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mustang-forced-to-adapt-to-climate-crisis">risis</a>, Ronan Wallace and Yungdrung Tsewang Gurung  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_7ae98274ea20e910311ec4431ba0aa3ecd9fe92caaed029a33c185198b33d0d2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="20251129021144_7ae98274ea20e910311ec4431ba0aa3ecd9fe92caaed029a33c185198b33d0d2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  With warming temperatures, farmers in Mustang are growing lowland vegetables which was not possible before in plastic greenhouses. The farms depended on snowmelt in spring to irrigate their fields, but there is less snow to melt in past years. “The last heavy snowfall in winter was about eight years ago, since then we have got little or no snow,” says Tashi Norbu Gurung, Chair of Lo Manthang Rural Municipality. “This affects farmers during the April planting season.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_010e09f4e9335f39c62f4d6027489c86423b3d10ddfb83558820f6a7a56a477b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_11" data-image-id="20251129021144_010e09f4e9335f39c62f4d6027489c86423b3d10ddfb83558820f6a7a56a477b" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  It is not just lack of snowfall that is a problem. Springs have gone dry, and some villages like Dhey have been forced to relocate because life became &nbsp;impossible without water.&nbsp; Villagers of Samjung also <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/climate-migration-is-already-happening">migrated</a> to Namashung, near a river when water sources dried up. But now the new settlements are threatened by GLOFs. Karma Gurung, who runs a lodge in Choser, remembers the big flood of 35 years ago which swept away farms and covered them with debris. There have been more frequent, but destructive floods since then in Kagbeni, Lubra and other valleys. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/mixed-blessings-in-mustang">Mixed blessings in Mustang</a>, Mukesh Pokhrel  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_da2212bc1ad49c17d126e24bbd92d3fca18e3e6bdd58ac61df14c962deb2edcd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="20251129021144_da2212bc1ad49c17d126e24bbd92d3fca18e3e6bdd58ac61df14c962deb2edcd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  MUD WALLS Because snowfall has been replaced by rain, Mustang’s traditional mud-wall architecture is now in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/leaky-roofs-on-the-roof-of-the-world">danger of collapsing</a>. The homes here are closely packed, have flat roofs stacked with juniper branches for firewood. With rain in place of snow, the roofs now leak.&nbsp; Women in Thinkar village say their walls are falling apart. Some homes have collapsed, and families forced to move out. Yangchen Dolker Gurung of the Lo Gyalpo Jigme Foundation says locals need plastic sheets, cement walls and corrugated roofs to cope with the rain.&nbsp; But this would mean that Mustang’s villages would lose their traditional architecture style.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_59c475cdde3bee8d03ed05e9038c0cf36f1acd31e3d3596f145469e5b4404d9d.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="20251129021144_59c475cdde3bee8d03ed05e9038c0cf36f1acd31e3d3596f145469e5b4404d9d" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  The ancient 1.5m thick mud walls around Lo Manthang built 600 years ago, the king’s palace, and monasteries are also at risk. “Changes in precipitation patterns, altering the intensity, frequency, and timing of rainfall and snowfall, have damaged traditional and cultural infrastructure, particularly mud-built private and public buildings as well as religious and heritage sites,” explains Bhawani Pandey at the Lo Gyalpo Jigme Foundation. “With the rain, and because the monuments and stupas are made from mud, they have eroded. There is leakage, and the monuments are in a dilapidated condition.” Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/climate-smarter-himalayan-infrastructure/" target="_blank">Climate-smarter Himalayan infrastructure</a>, Sonia Awale  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251129021144_dfc8c93a0a8619893f0d97076d1f9cbba3818e1cc716a903ff9908dbb8939ef6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_18" data-image-id="20251129021144_dfc8c93a0a8619893f0d97076d1f9cbba3818e1cc716a903ff9908dbb8939ef6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Too little snow, too much rain NT"> </figure>  The Lo Manthang Rural Municipality along with Lo Gyalpo Jigme Foundation, are working on a Local Adaptation Plan of Action and the Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan, which the Nepal government has made mandatory for every municipality. “We took a bottom-up approach and collected data from each village, they know best the impact of climate change and what their needs are,” says Yangchen Gurung. To address the hazards of climate change, local communities and municipalities are adapting through their own resources, without waiting for outside help to improve water conservation, control soil erosion and protect from flood.&nbsp; Says Pandey, “We are returning to conserving traditional drought-resistant crop varieties, organic pest and disease control, cultivating high-value crops and fruits, and practicing sustainable pasture management through rotational grazing. We have also developed new building codes for homes that incorporate water-resistant coating for mud roofs and walls.” &nbsp; Additional Reporting by Tashi Wangyal. &nbsp;

Too little snow, too much rain

It is quite a feat for just two actors on a darkened stage to hold an audience spellbound for more than one hour. Yet, ‘के? Us.’ at Kausi Theatre does just that. It is a thought-provoking but baffling work that leaves the audience questioning reality, the recurring metaphors in this intriguing and powerful dark comedy haunting us for days afterwards.&nbsp; The unsettling sound of deep breathing mingles with percussive drumming and a driving guitar that pulsates amidst a red glow, dimly illuminating shadowy structures charred by fire. A door leads to what is later revealed to be the ancestral home of two brothers which is ‘under renovation’. One of the brothers Ashim (Bijaya Tamrakar) lives in Nepal caring for a supposedly comatose mother who is only depicted by a tree draped with red LED lights that circulate arterial blood corpuscles. Visiting him is a long-lost brother Aaryan (Eelum Dixit) who has returned (deported?) from America.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251202071248_d3050fcd38e1ba471ea48e18fde6a8393a086a5b3afeef71eda190f3e01366e2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20251202071248_d3050fcd38e1ba471ea48e18fde6a8393a086a5b3afeef71eda190f3e01366e2" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="Chaos play review"> </figure>  The stage is littered with scattered paper trash, a run-down motorcycle chassis, a tattered sofa, and beat-up table and chairs. The stage is set for a sinister plot. Are the characters to be punished in perdition?&nbsp; It does not take long for the audience to grasp that this is an apocalyptic Nepal that, following absurdist traditions, could exist at any time in the future or the present day <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/election-vs-escalation">post-GenZ protest state</a>. Ashim and Aaryan Adhikari have reunited after 15 years. Ashim, the younger brother, has been burdened with the responsibility of taking care of their brain-dead mother. Aaryan, returns after having migrated to the US, where he married, had children, divorced, and lost everything. He has been at “minus 20 and is now back to zero”.&nbsp; The brothers have intense back-and-forths that expose their cynicism, the conversation tangentially alluding to Nepal’s unstable political landscape, migration, an economy in shambles, aging population, alcoholism and other mental health issues. Even the sibling argument about the relative merits of momos and burgers seems metaphorical. The stagecraft uses lighting and sound effects brilliantly, transporting the audience to a surreal world in which Tamrakar and Dixit improvise their lines — no two shows are exactly the same, although the overall plotline has continuity.&nbsp; In the first scene, Aaryan approaches the house tentatively, creeping rodent-like, and carrying a briefcase and an old-fashioned lantern. And at the end, Ashim screams, “I am chaos.” Is this the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end?&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251202071252_a49af0960d3f6f61cd8e9d5ea9c5af64655b89865711f5566f3054b701840da1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20251202071252_a49af0960d3f6f61cd8e9d5ea9c5af64655b89865711f5566f3054b701840da1" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="Choas play review"> </figure>  At one point Aaryan seems perturbed by the sound of protest outside (the Gen Z movement?) and the taut atmosphere grips the audience with fear, shock, and apprehension of the recent death and destruction.&nbsp; Throughout the play there is the sound of breathing, as if through a ventilator, a thumping heartbeat, the morbid buzzing of flies and the glowing red LED veins -- signifying the presence of the comatose Aama. She is featured in a prologue-esque home video at the start of the play in which she reminisces about her two sons and rues her failing memory.&nbsp; The sound of breathing gets accentuated each time a brother gets closer to the tree, and it seems to fuel Ashim’s belief that Aama may be brain-dead but she is still among them. This play can go as deep as each individual in the audience wants it to go.&nbsp; The silenced, comatose mother could be Nepali Aama muted by an entrenched patriarchy. Or, she could be the symbol of a helpless country while her children fight over the ruins of what is left. The cake cutting is a delightfully Shakespearean subplot where we wonder if one of the brothers is going to poison, or knife, the other. The message is clear: how can we move forward if it is brother against brother? The stairs signify political transition (elections, constitutional change, new coalitions) promising upward movement, but eventually lead to falls, leaving the nation exactly where it started, or worse. The mother’s terminal illness evokes an ailing state apparatus, hollowed out by corruption and deep-seated social decay. Yet the brothers cling to an irrational hope — instead of confronting the harsh truth and pursuing radical solutions, suggesting a blind faith in the mother.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251202071252_e30df0ea03c2db1759a09e2e3e3111d9d238d5cd5595a68b8052bbbc8e9ec6b3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20251202071252_e30df0ea03c2db1759a09e2e3e3111d9d238d5cd5595a68b8052bbbc8e9ec6b3" data-rendition-name="original" width="2048" height="1365" loading="lazy" alt="Chaos play review"> </figure>  The brothers are lost. Aaryan climbs up stairs that lead nowhere, Ashim holds on to unrealistic hope that somehow Aama will get better. Tamrakar and Dixit deliver powerful performances, even more remarkable for the fact that they are improvising their lines as they go along. When Aaryan breaks a wall and directly addresses the audience, spectators turn from being passive observers to active participants (‘the society’). The audience then become oglers in this drama, suddenly made self-aware of our role as the scrutinising, cavilling voyeurs that society represents. There is some discomfort of being watched and judged.&nbsp; By asking his brother what he is afraid of while pointing at the audience, Aaryan suggests that the brother's (and perhaps the character's core) fear is not just of the house, or the mother's illness, but of external judgment and societal censure. After the stage goes dark, the applause takes some time. Audience members shuffle out in silence, minds reeling from the collective soul-searching they have just participated in.&nbsp; After ‘के? Us.’ the din at Teku intersection outside sounds different as we wait for our Pathao ride below the खरी tree where <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Shukra+Raj+Shastri&amp;client=safari&amp;sca_esv=75e8315709cd5118&amp;rls=en&amp;sxsrf=AE3TifMJhwukjdBBT0n4QcQWe8IYSaEVsw%3A1764648053799&amp;ei=dWQuaYbIMOy94-EPn4ygyAE&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiU1ciogp6RAxXq3TQHHeo9LBIQgK4QegQIARAB&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=nepal+tree+where+martyrs+were+hanged&amp;gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiJG5lcGFsIHRyZWUgd2hlcmUgbWFydHlycyB3ZXJlIGhhbmdlZDIIECEYoAEYwwRIug5QAFiNC3AAeAGQAQCYAc4BoAHrCKoBBTAuNS4xuAEDyAEA-AEBmAIDoALlBMICBRAAGO8FmAMA4gMFEgExIECSBwUwLjEuMqAHzw-yBwUwLjEuMrgH5QTCBwcwLjIuMC4xyAcM&amp;sclient=gws-wiz-serp&amp;mstk=AUtExfCLIneLVW3SFBzxBc964wFcTJ936tcAPSDcvNKljck0PIqDJddMZ_t8Pg610M98MCx14aNdnyLHs9QM0jWLhI7JYmkPhugX1ZHfSQvdCHZE9E5m2_ZQY5Jr893UcGjQfpabtA_C48NfB9Pg56uYMOmTtEBEcGuvz3d96Qaifyb86sI8mAkrRNo_367cv_xmFjLZ55iQkfHtORuOvZSUkIdMvAdpweuf4jPjjI4anbv9lc-uCImdP0JSvtvEGL8ePxwsWWOzYpIbjNP1zofjcWXK&amp;csui=3" target="_blank">Shukra Raj Shastri</a> was hanged in 1941 by the Rana regime. Language and Literature Students, 2026.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20251202071252_f2dc03a35cba33b382a66bbd43905206d9d3eb5ec3ebdcf973aeefbb4a50b6b2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20251202071252_f2dc03a35cba33b382a66bbd43905206d9d3eb5ec3ebdcf973aeefbb4a50b6b2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1080" height="1350" loading="lazy" alt="Chaos play review"> </figure>  ‘के? Us.’ Kausi Theatre, Teku Till 7 December (except 2 December) Bookings: +977 9842156109, 9842574607

Staged chaos evokes state of Nepal

“गरि खान देउ” is a compelling collective call that resonates with most Nepalis. It reflects the suffocation of people wanting just to live and get by. In relation to foreign employment, it also means that because it is difficult to live, Nepalis leave.&nbsp;
The Nepal government should be evaluated more than on its ability to retain youth within Nepal. Its ability to ensure that those who choose to migrate have access to safe, transformative, well-managed migration pathways that provide high return opportunities without high costs and hassles.
In the context of foreign employment, “गरि खान देउ extends to “गरि जान देउ” which would mean ‘Let us leave to live’. This is particularly pertinent now because our international labour market is so shaky. Because access to Nepal’s biggest migrant destinations are in jeopardy, labour diplomacy that puts workers at the centre is now more important than ever.
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/labour-mobility/who-gets-to-recruit-for-malaysia-5ll4n3f6" target="_blank">Malaysia</a> had been closed for almost two years, and it recently issued a ten-point list for recruitment agencies that seems to favour the better endowed recruiters while displacing smaller ones that care about worker welfare and recruitment standards.
After the GenZ protests, the UAE stopped issuing visas to Nepali workers for almost two months, ostensibly because of jailbreaks and looted weapons. They have reportedly begun allowing it recently, pending attested police reports.
While the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/europe-now-favoured-destination-for-nepalis" target="_blank">preference</a> of Nepali youth may be shifting toward Europe, in terms of scale and accessibility especially for those with low education, limited English skills, or little work experience, traditional destinations in the Gulf and Malaysia are crucial and continue to make up a major share of overall migration.
Disturbances in these common destination markets can mean loss of livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Nepalis.&nbsp;
Nepali migrant workers want to live and just get by not only in Nepal but overseas as well.
But the way many leave for work abroad can be considered ‘compromised migration’. Sub-par outcomes that migrants are often compelled to settle for due to lack of alternate choices both within Nepal and overseas. The lack of choices abroad &nbsp;is not necessarily the absence of rewarding options globally, where there are severe worker shortages and unfulfilled vacancies, but rather our inability to seize those opportunities.
The Japan Specified Skilled Worker <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-japan-jobs-deal-still-stuck" target="_blank">scheme</a>, for example, is an underutilised migrant labour pathway due to lack of procedural clarity. Although the agreement was signed in 2019, it is only from October that verification of job demands has begun. Nepalis do not need to look for a backdoor as <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepal-s-hard-working-students-overseas" target="_blank">students</a> or trainees if they are interested to work in Japan, because Tokyo has literally opened the front door and designed a work scheme to address labor shortages. With the <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/can-japan-new-leader-afford-to-go-hard-immigration-10931515" target="_blank">new leadership</a> in Japan, there might be changes in how the intake of foreign workers is managed.
Where it has <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/bringing-korea-s-prosperity-to-nepal" target="_blank">worked</a>, like with the Employment Permit Scheme (<a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/645571537423013613/pdf/130024-WP-P156586-PUBLIC-2-Korea-Brief-Singles.pdf" target="_blank">EPS</a>) for South Korea, there have been stories of transformation. There are pilot <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/labour-mobility/helping-migrant-returnees-to-pivot-2urk8oo9" target="_blank">innovations</a> for Nepali workers in Korea, including for their reintegration back in Nepal. Would the Korea EPS have worked as well had Seoul not held its presence in Nepal to manage this scheme via the Human Resources Development Service of Korea?
When <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/i-felt-like-i-was-born-to-be-a-nurse" target="_blank">Alpana Adhikari migrated to the UK</a> , she knew exactly why. Her son was diagnosed with Williams Syndrome and she wanted better education facilities for him. In 20 months, she realised the dream. She migrated under a well-designed government-to-government (G2G) pilot initiative that did not require her to pay any fees and offered transparent terms of employment.&nbsp;
Imagine if she had migrated like a majority of other Nepali nurses do — paying exorbitant recruitment fees, expensive license tests, visa delays, unnecessary time and financial costs through ‘consultancies’ which may find ways to cheat.
Just like many migrants’ stories, hers too could have been a story of deferred dreams. She may still have been able to accomplish what she had desired, but perhaps not so soon or as easily.&nbsp;
The G2G pilot was for a quota of 100, but only 40 managed to meet the criteria. The 60 wasted opportunities did not raise eyebrows, not even when our reality is that many who failed to secure a seat through the G2G still managed to migrate through traditional ways, including to the UK.
With or without well-executed labour mobility schemes, people still migrate and gain from it. Because migrating, despite the costs, hassles and struggle, still allow for earnings that are relatively better and regular. People want to move to new places, learn new things, grow, see the world, and as many migrants say they want to “work within a system”.
But ‘better’ is a relative term, the outcomes may be better than what people leave behind in Nepal, but may not be as good as they could be in the global labour market if we had access to better implemented bilateral labor partnerships and a more competent and honest labor mobility industry. We are not making the most of overseas employment, not at an individual or a national level.
This is an area where our public narrative and how we evaluate the Government’s migration management also fall short. Both the Japan SSW scheme and the UK pilot show how wasted opportunities don’t raise alarm even when people seek similar jobs through alternate, more costly and time-consuming, routes.
Hundreds of thousands of workers migrate to Gulf countries and Malaysia but the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/50-diaspora-diaries-in-nepali-times" target="_blank">outcomes</a> can differ vastly depending on the employer. There are differences in recruitment fees, career growth, remittances sent, living and working conditions including safety standards, among others. Working in a multinational company is not the same as working in a supply company, so dismissing the Gulf countries as one homogenous experience overlooks these distinctions.
Nepalis are willing to invest in language training such as Korean for better schemes like EPS when there is trust in the benefits and process. Such investment in skills prior to departure can yield multifold returns.
<a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/287551468053374058/pdf/wps4231.pdf" target="_blank">Evidence</a> shows that a good share of Nepal’s poverty reduction can be attributed to remittances. And this is despite remittances coming from recruitment that involves high cost, skill mismatch, limited choice of good employers or decent jobs, weak labour diplomacy, and a failure to attract top employers.
Fixing the foreign employment sector need not be at odds with fixing the domestic labour market. When the Nepali <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/now-what" target="_blank">diaspora</a> does well, Nepal does well. When one member has access to a good overseas opportunity, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/jajrkot-to-johar" target="_blank">10 members fare well</a> back home. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/more-remittance-more-than-remittance" target="_blank">Remittances</a> far outperform other external financing like FDI and foreign aid, are more resilient and directly reach the pockets of families.&nbsp;
Inclusive jobs and employment as social protection via <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/missing-the-plot-in-nepals-job-scheme" target="_blank">public works</a> programs remain central to our domestic labour priorities. But we should be thinking about <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/fee-free-migration-is-possible" target="_blank">inclusive</a> labour mobility programs in a similar way to help the poorest pockets.
Nepal should be attracting the best of employers, diversifying to new destination countries and sectors with better worker protections and higher earnings. Broad, non-binding MOUs should be treated not as an end point, but as the start of further diplomacy and collaboration on skills and labour mobility schemes.
People leave and will continue to leave in the hundreds of thousands. But where to? How? For what kind of jobs? What are the returns of these jobs? At what cost? And what safety protections are in place?
Despite the possibilities for better life outcomes that migration offers, why are there no active demands from the public for good emigration? <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/the-truth-about-migration" target="_blank">Immigration</a> is a politically divisive topic in many migrant receiving countries. In Nepal the duress to leave (बाध्यता) has become part of our public narrative but the compulsion to choose less rewarding overseas opportunities by migrants has not.
Even the new faces, new voices that have emerged after the GenZ protests refer to migration largely as an outcome of state failure, a problem that needs to be solved. This is not surprising because people are leaving and villages are emptying. Such perceptions are not baseless, but are rooted in many <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepalis-abused-by-nepalis-in-luxembourg" target="_blank">stories</a> of abuse that migrants face overseas.
Without romanticising बिदेश or legitimizing the struggles workers face overseas, migration has enabled transformation for countless Nepalis who did not want to be confined by circumstances of birth.&nbsp;
Considering youth aspiration, the demographic shift that have expanded temporary labour programs globally, and the immense power of the Nepali diaspora waiting to be unlocked, “गरि खान देउ” should have a beyond border outlook. If not for more migration, certainly for better migration.
Upasana Khadka heads Migration Lab, a social enterprise aimed at making migration outcomes better for workers and their families. Labour Mobility is a regular column in Nepali Times.

first-ascent-of-mt-everest

Was Tenzing a Tibetan, Nepali, or Indian? It does not matter.

Was Tenzing a Tibetan, Nepali, or Indian? It does not matter.

Past Everest anniversaries

Looking at Nepal from Venice

Too little snow, too much rain

Staged chaos evokes state of Nepal

Living and leaving