Near Pimbahal Pokhari in Patan is a vast courtyard lined with historic Newa houses. At the centre is the two-tiered pagoda of Ratneswar Mahadev.&nbsp; The original carvings on the windows, doors, cornices date back at least to the 14th century. However, radio-carbon analysis of a sample taken from the western doorframe of the temple suggests a date somewhere between 1020 and 1210 CE, making the 8m-tall temple one of the oldest tiered structures in Kathmandu Valley. Sixteen beautifully carved wooden struts support the temple roofs, and most of these were stolen in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the other wooden carvings of the temple. The struts depicted the distinctively stylised and elongated figures of Salabhanjika: standing full breasted slender figures, with wide hips and crossed legs, holding a tree branch with one hand. They stood above the yaksas, their male counterparts, who are by contrast stout and unrefined.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_8367e31a8ae034d0f61889f1cb360d696f2c0229b98f4c2ddda0e4423eca6c1b.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2023051714054_8367e31a8ae034d0f61889f1cb360d696f2c0229b98f4c2ddda0e4423eca6c1b" data-rendition-name="original" width="3259" height="4888" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  By the 1980s, the temple had further deteriorated, the roof had collapsed and all but two of the temple’s original primary struts had been stolen. Those only survived because one was buried in debris inside and another was taken by a sympathetic neighbour for safekeeping, and both are currently on display at the Patan Museum. One of the stolen struts was finally returned to Patan this week from Australia’s Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) where it was located in 2001, almost 50 years after it was stolen.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_1229837934f7f8770a9da7281b640b5172b35912cedfddf20be3bfecf3869bdd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2023051714054_1229837934f7f8770a9da7281b640b5172b35912cedfddf20be3bfecf3869bdd" data-rendition-name="original" width="3259" height="4888" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  AGNSW Director Michael Brand formally handed over the strut to Heramba Raj Rajopadhyay, the head priest of the Ratneswar Temple on 16 May 2023. In attendance were Australia’s Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts (see interview, below) and Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City Chiri Babu Maharjan. Watts said at the ceremony: “In 1975, thieves took it, illegally removed it. A collector acquired it, treasured it. When he died, he donated it. It sat in an Australian art gallery, which exhibited it, honoured it. People came to see it, were moved by its elegance and craft. But it didn’t belong there either – that wasn’t its home.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_8e1507cca47cdba601fa25db3cfd484c6f0cc6a0436094d36dbc8adccf335d2a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="2023051714054_8e1507cca47cdba601fa25db3cfd484c6f0cc6a0436094d36dbc8adccf335d2a" data-rendition-name="original" width="2859" height="4288" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  Thousands of stone, metal and wooden heritage have been stolen from the Kathmandu Valley since the 1970s and, as with many of these artefacts, how this particular strut was smuggled out of the country remains a mystery.&nbsp; What is known is that in the intervening years, the strut changed hands until it reached Alex Biancardi, an Australian-British collector of Asian art. Coming from an old family from Alexandria in Egypt, Biancardi arrived in Australia in 1947 after a stint in the air force, where he became a textile trader. He returned to France in 1962 but would frequently revisited Australia. He died in November 1998, bequeathing much of his collections to the AGNSW, including the Ratneswar strut in 2000. In 2001, scholar Mary Slusser informed the gallery that she had taken photographs of the struts in 1969 before they were stolen. The gallery began its own research to find out more about where it came from, but because of the turmoil in Nepal after the royal massacre could not return it.&nbsp; Brand first visited Nepal with his brother in 1973 when he was only 15 and met architectural conservator John Sanday who was then leading restoration work on the Hanuman Dhoka.&nbsp; Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/remembering-nepals-lost-and-the-found">Remembering Nepal's lost and the found</a>, Ashish Dhakal He told Nepali Times: “Nepal changed my life, and ultimately led to me studying the art of South Asia before becoming a curator, and then an art museum director.”&nbsp; Brand would then later join the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles in 2005 as its director. In 2010, the Getty was under extreme pressure from the Italian and Greek governments to return Italian, Greek and Etruscan antiquities.&nbsp; Getty returned 45 artefacts to Italy, signing an agreement for cultural exchange, which allowed for the museum to borrow on long-term loan other objects.&nbsp; So, when heard about the Ratneswar strut at the AGNSW, Brand was already experienced in working through these issues and realising what the best approach would be. “The number one goal for me to protect artefacts from looting no matter where it stays,” he says.&nbsp; Back in Nepal, restoration of the temple began in earnest in 1992 by the KVPT and World Monuments Fund (WMF). Replicas of the stolen struts were designed based on Slusser's photographs and the caretaker's memories by Indra Kaji Shilpakar in 1998.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_1179ac406a52a64d07796476b00bc0310ae9522cd11ab9cb6f8c2cae1a123c32.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2023051714054_1179ac406a52a64d07796476b00bc0310ae9522cd11ab9cb6f8c2cae1a123c32" data-rendition-name="original" width="2933" height="4399" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  But immediately after the first restoration, one of the strut reproductions and the toran were stolen, with the most recent theft 10 years ago. Slusser then wrote: ‘Attempts to steal the modern reproductions from the temple made it clear that the (AGNSW) strut had best be left on loan to Australia.’&nbsp; Between 2001 and 2006, the Gallery and the KVPT investigated options for returning the sculpture and agreed that, for safekeeping, the Gallery would retain custody of the strut. Roshan Mishra of Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign notes that Slusser however did not have the authority on where the strut should stay, that say belonged to the community of Sulima. On a visit to the AGNSW in 2019, Mishra found that the gallery displayed the strut, specifying that it was originally from the Ratneswar temple in Patan, which he says was unusual for galleries and museums to do.&nbsp; The discussions between the gallery and Nepal government were once again hampered by the 2015. But the strut was formally deaccessioned by the gallery in 2022, and the governor of New South Wales signed off on the return.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714054_0e8bd039620dfb76662ed1dc1d9ef189cbe47aa278fdbb58544c22bb035369ff.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="2023051714054_0e8bd039620dfb76662ed1dc1d9ef189cbe47aa278fdbb58544c22bb035369ff" data-rendition-name="original" width="3071" height="4606" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  Brand adds that the return and his trip to Nepal are important to build a relation with curators, scholars, the Department of Archaeology, the ministries, the community in Nepal and Australia. “Nepal is fortunate to have such fantastic culture that people are interested in,” he says. Two other struts from the Ratneswar Temple have since been located by Lost Arts of Nepal: one in the collection of Chino Roncoroni, and other with Theresa McCullough in London. The return of the strut is among the many stolen cultural heritage returned in recent years from museums, galleries and collections abroad. On 11 May 2023, the American Homeland Security Investigations handed over to the Embassy of Nepal in DC 40 artefacts, including 39 engraved and painted wooden panels and a carved wooden shrine dated to the 19th-20th century. Earlier, stone statues of Uma Mahesvara, Chaturmukh Shivlinga, Nagaraja, Padmanpani and Shakyamuni Buddha were repatriated and wooden statues of Nritya Devi and standing stone statue of Lord Buddha. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Read on: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/faith-stolen-lost-in-nepal-found-in-america?fbclid=IwAR339kc1dVacPz-FtNvJMdX7wBCk68KWkYD9EYasJsPphlbsQdwG-cfMkSg">Faith Stolen: Lost in Nepal, found in America</a> <h2>"The joy of returning it to the place it belongs"</h2> Australia’s Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts attended the historic handing over of the stolen strut from Patan’s Sulima Ratneswar temple on 16 May. He spoke to Nepali Times after the ceremony. Excerpts:  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2023051714058_031d022cf7263778751f47e9e3fdee9583729390136a17354b103d83df40f521.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="2023051714058_031d022cf7263778751f47e9e3fdee9583729390136a17354b103d83df40f521" data-rendition-name="original" width="1600" height="1066" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> <figcaption>The Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affiars Hon Tim Watts, MP, in conversation with Mayor of Lalitpur Chiri Babu Maharjan at the handing over ceremony for the Ratneshwar Mahadev strut on Tuesday. Photo: TIM WATTS MP/FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  Nepali Times: How did you come to find out about the strut and why did you want to visit Nepal for its return?&nbsp; Tim Watts: As the Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign affairs, we often say that Australia’s foreign policy begins with our identity. Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world: half of Australians are either born overseas or have a parent born overseas. This connects us with every corner of the world which can look at Australia and see it reflected. We can look into ourselves and understand the world better. The Nepali Australian community is the fastest growing in Australia, with about 130,000 Australians having Nepali ancestry. I was interested in the Australia-Nepal relations in that context. I understand the deep importance of faith and culture for our diaspora community, and maintaining that connection with their country of origin. I became aware through the Embassy of Nepal of the discussions between the AGNSW, the Department of Archaeology in Nepal (DoA), and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation about the investigation into the provenance of this tudal (strut) from the Ratneswar temple, and its potential repatriation. And I thought this was enormously praiseworthy of the gallery and this was a model of the ethical practice in international obligations and wanted to show my support. The credit here goes to the AGNSW because they were the ones, when made aware of the potential problematic provenance of the tudal, engaged in the investigation, worked with the authorities in Nepal, and arranged for the repatriation. And my presence here is to throw the spotlight on [the repatriation] as the best practice and saying that the Australian government supports and endorses it. What can be the process for this best practice? Each artefact will have its own cultural context, its own history and present-day circumstance that will impact what the best practice is for it. Its safety is an important consideration, the changing cultural contexts of governments on both sides matter as well. There is not only one appropriate response. The momentum we have been seeing around the world for governments recognising where it is best to repatriate is a really positive thing that we want to show our support for.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20230517140516_f801b6b3dc2661f380f13fa6b23c378cf737753d0f5956c5206b31689e4b1f8e.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20230517140516_f801b6b3dc2661f380f13fa6b23c378cf737753d0f5956c5206b31689e4b1f8e" data-rendition-name="original" width="4888" height="3259" loading="lazy" alt="Australian galley returns stolen strut to Nepal"> </figure>  Like Australia, Nepal is also a multilingual and multicultural country. How does it feel to witness the handing over? I found it to be enormously meaningful and a moving celebration, for a number of reasons. Firstly, being there on the ground, it was really clear how much this tudal meant to the local community, to see the joy of returning it to the place it belongs to them. It was not just a historical artefact but a living expression of culture. It was also meaningful to me as a representative of the Australian government that puts our identity at the heart of our foreign policy. I know how meaningful acts like this are to our Australian Nepalis. I had a number of meetings with the Nepali communities in Australia before I came here. The word that this happening had gone around, and people were really proud that Australia was the kind of country that returned cultural artefacts and didn’t unjustly hold on to them. Obviously, there are many cultural contexts of removal, et cetera, and it’s difficult to generalise. But in this particular instance, the best practice was to return it and I was proud to have been part of that. I was aware of an increasing number of artefacts returning to Nepal in particular, largely from the US, and I think that the momentum behind the returns is a really positive thing. That is part of why we were very keen on holding a public celebration of this repatriation, to draw attention to this as a model of the best ethical practice and international cooperation. It is important to us Australians to see that we not just repatriate the artefact but we model to the world on how we do this. A reason behind this is that many Australian cultural artefacts are held in institutions away from Australia, and more egregiously the remains of Indigenous Australians held in academic and cultural institutions. We have often sought the return of these to Australia because they are incredibly meaningful to Indigenous Australians who have a profound connection with the place and country they come from and it is enormously distressing for them when they are removed from the country. What does the repatriation of this strut from Ratneswar mean to the Australia-Nepal relations? There was intense cooperation between the Nepali and Australian governments, the embassy, and the DoA. I think that as a multicultural country, Australia has a lot of experience in the importance of cultural heritage to our diaspora communities. There is this phenomenon where the further you are from your mother country, the more intensely you value, celebrate and want to preserve that culture. As such, this is doubly meaningful for the Nepali-Australian community because it validates and supports their cultural practices and connects them to Nepal, and also gives them pride in their Australian identity – that they are a member of the country that does the right thing with respect to cultural artefacts. There is nothing more Australian than celebrating our multicultural identity. Read more: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-nepali-antiquities-got-to-chicago-museum">How Nepali antiquities got to Chicago museum</a>, Alisha Sijapati

Ashish Dhakal

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Australian gallery returns stolen strut to Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723cbc9c7e80680e0c9634jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="1422"/><figcaption>Interior of I-Baha Bahi. All photos: LOST ARTS OF NEPAL.</figcaption></figure>One of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in Patan is I-Baha Bahi. Official records date it to 1418 CE, but its history goes back millennia.The two-storey structure with a finial on top is located along the holy route of the annual Machindranath chariot procession, and is also known also as Rajashri Mahavihar or Singha Varna Mahavihar.Guarded by two large stone lions at the entrance, the vihar retains much of its original mud, brick and wood structure, which was renovated in 1995 with support from the Nippon Institute of Technology of Japan.Daily rituals are performed in the mornings and evenings by initiated members of the sangha who take turns every month. Rajashri Mahavihar also used to host the grand Bahidyo Bwoyego festival every year when sacred paintings, artefacts and statues of the gods used to be brought out for display during the holy month of Gunla in August.The whole community, and devotees from further afield, used to attend this parade of the gods, making offerings, chanting stotra and singing hymns.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414110/63723cbf9c7e80680e0c9635jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="1422"><figcaption>Amoghapasa Lokeswar and Dipankar Buddhas on display in I-Baha Bahi.</figcaption></figure>But one day in 1970 when sangha members were busy preparing for the ritual, they discovered that the sacred treasury above the main shrine had been broken into the night before, and the gods had been stolen. No written record existed of what was lost: there were only the memories of elders and caretakers.The Jesuit scholar John K Locke in his 1985 book <a href="https://archive.org/details/BuddhistMonasteriesOfNepalSurveyOfBahasAndBahisOfKathmanduValleyByJohnK.Locke">Buddhist Monasteries of Nepal: Survey of Bahas and Bahis of Kathmandu Valley</a> writes: ‘The bahi originally had quite a collection of old wood and terracotta images but most of these have disappeared in the last ten years and what remains is thrown in a corner near the entrance, damaged and unattended.’Then in 2015, almost as though the gods themselves ordained it, a colour photograph was discovered. It was taken in 1969 by scholar Mary Slusser and published in her article <a href="https://www.asianart.com/articles/paubhas/index.html#23">Conservation Notes on Some Nepalese Paintings</a> published in 2003.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723cc39c7e80680e0c9636jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="1422">In the picture, five large wooden sculptures can be seen, along with four empty pedestals. Two other pedestals that had small miniature sculptures which did not belong there originally were also in the photo.This image was the starting point in our long saga of tracking down the sacred objects stolen from the Rajashri Mahavihar in 1970: three Nrityadevi images, one Chintamani Lokeswar, and one standing Tara.We showed Slusser’s photo to 84-year-old Saraswati Tamrakar who lives just behind the vihar in Patan (pictured above). She told us: “The deities used to be displayed on the ground floor during Gunla and the corridors would be filled with different gods. It was a sight to see.”Using Slusser’s in situ photograph, we at Lost Arts of Nepal began our investigation, scouring auction sales, private collections and museums across the globe.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723cc69c7e80680e0c9637jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2160" height="2652"><figcaption>Colour in situ photograph by Slusser of the three Nrityadevi, one Chintamani Lokeshwar and standing Tara with their matches in the collections of several US museums.</figcaption></figure>Eventually, the Chintamani Lokeswar (No4) was traced to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), but the picture in the database of the collection did not match the one in Slusser's photograph. The Lokeswar in her picture held a tree branch with the proper-left hand while the deity in the museum's catalogue held it in its proper-right hand. The statue had been donated to LACMA by Anna Bing Arnold in 1984.We thought the Lokeswar in the photograph in Slusser’s book and LACMA could have been part of a pair. We posted the photograph online, titled 'Lost Twins' in March 2018 to get some response from the museum.Photographs from the University of Michigan Archives taken in 1988 of the LACMA collection were then discovered. Among these was another picture of the same Lokeswar which matched perfectly with Slusser's picture. The photograph on the museum website turned out to be a mirror image, and LACMA later corrected it on its website.Meanwhile, the search for the three Nrityadevi took us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York. This is a rare and unique subject in Nepal’s religious iconography, so it was easy to identify. One of the three from Slusser's photo was a perfect match for an image in The Met catalogue, complete with a broken proper-left hand (No5). The statue came to The Met collection from the Zimmerman family in 2016.Another Nrityadevi (No3) was discovered in 2019 when it was announced as an item for sale at the Bonham's Auction in New York. It had been acquired in New York in 1982 and was part of a private collection in Florida of an individual who had once served as a diplomat to Nepal. Their identity has been kept anonymous as they are willing to repatriate the statue to Nepal.The standing Tara (No1) was then located at the Art Institute of Chicago. This was a tough one to match, since in Slusser’s photograph it was wrapped in ceremonial garb with only its head and unique facial expression visible. The statue was gifted by the prominent collector of Himalayan art, Marilynn B Alsdorf, to the Institute in 2014.The Alsdorf collection had other stolen Nepali artefacts, and many of them still remain at the Art Institute, including the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/how-nepali-antiquities-got-to-chicago-museum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taleju necklace dating back to the 17th century</a> CE from Hanuman Dhoka, stolen 46 years ago.The last remaining Nrityadevi (No2) was tracked to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It had been purchased by the museum with the Stella Kramrisch Fund – named after another prominent scholar of Nepali art – in 2000.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723cc99c7e80680e0c9638jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="1422"><figcaption>Interior of I-Baha Bahi</figcaption></figure>Ever since the deities were stolen 52 years ago, Gunla at the I-Baha Bahi has been a forlorn affair, and sangha members feel orphaned. Chaturatna Shakya of Patan remembers another instance in the 1980s when a large gilt copper image of the main deity of the vihar, Ashobhya, was stolen from the sanctum sanctorum at midnight.Another witness, Kanchha Shakya remembers, “There must have been more than 10 people. It was a heavy object, and the thieves had to drag it across the floor and down the steps to a waiting vehicle, leaving behind marks all along the way.”A police report was filed in the morning, but the culprits were never found. Instead, police interrogated sangha members, suspecting them of foul play, and to deter them from pursuing the matter. Many first-hand witnesses from the time have now died. Only stories and rumours remain, but a new generation is eager to know the whereabouts of the gods of their ancestors, and want them returned.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723ccc9c7e80680e0c9639jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2880" height="2880"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723ccf9c7e80680e0c963ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2880" height="2880"><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723cd39c7e80680e0c963bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3000" height="1420"><figcaption>Wooden fragments in the vihar. On top, match made by Lost Arts with the two photographs taken by Mary Slusser at the vihar which she wrongfully attributed to Yampi Mahavihar near the northern Ashok Stupa in Patan.</figcaption></figure>Besides the photograph of the five statues from I-Baha Bahi, Slusser took two more photographs around the same period, wrongly attributing them to Yampi Mahavihar near the northern Ashok Stupa in Patan. The wooden fragments, multiple wooden pedestals and broken limbs in the photos are actually from I-Baha Bahi.When Nepal opened up to the outside world, and the first visitors started arriving, observation and curiosity about Kathmandu’s ‘exotic’ culture eventually led to the objectification of spirituality. Statues of deities and sacred items that were still being actively worshipped, were reduced to objets d’art on their shopping lists.It signified a sense of superiority, a status symbol for Western museums and individuals to hold stolen cultural relics from the far ends of the world.In those days, people in Kathmandu Valley neighbourhoods would often wake up to the news of yet another god which had vanished in the night. They would go to temples for morning worship, and the deity would be gone. The gods that were supposed to protect communities, needed protection themselves.Over three decades, Kathmandu Valley was plundered, often with the connivance of local authorities, to meet the demand of art connoisseurs in the West. The gods that remain are still being stolen to this day. But unlike Grecian or Roman antiquities, these were not museum pieces, but represented the faith, identity and way of life of a vibrant culture that lives today.Many of the stolen objects were too big to be smuggled out in a suitcase. How could they have crossed borders, passed through customs and ended up in museums in America, Europe or Australia? It would not have been possible without the involvement of an organised art trafficking ring.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111414114/63723cd69c7e80680e0c963cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="3264" height="2184"><figcaption>The exterior of I-Baha Bahi in Patan, more popularly known as Rajashri Mahavihar.</figcaption></figure>It was pure luck that Mary Slusser's photograph was found. All five artefacts in it have been now identified and tracked to museums in America. According to the Department of Archaeology, 93 stolen gods have been returned so far, but the work does not end there: the gods need to be returned to Nepal and reinstated to their original shrines and purpose.Many stolen deities have been replaced with replicas, but for the communities it is not the same. They were a consecrated part of a much larger culture that lives and breathes, and their return can help us understand the legacy left by our ancestors.One day, at I-Baha Bahi the gods will all be on display again for the Bahidyo Bwoyego during the holy month of Gunla.Lost Arts of Nepal is an anonymously-run social media campaign dedicated to locating and assisting in repatriation of stolen gods of Nepal from museums and collection abroad. Begun formally in August 2015 as an awareness initiative, Lost Arts have succeeded in locating over 50 stolen artefacts.

Faith Stolen: Lost in Nepal, found in America

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410110/637203cb9c7e80680e0b2828jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707"/><figcaption>A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Bishnu Prasad Gautam, the Acting Consul General (left), and Dr Jorrit Britschgi, the Execute Director of Rubin Museum (right) for the return two wooden art works to Nepal. Photo: CONSULATE GENERAL OF NEPAL.</figcaption></figure>After increased international spotlight on stolen antiquities, the <a href="https://rubinmuseum.org/">Rubin Museum in New York</a> is returning two wooden carvings stolen in the 1980s from Kathmandu Valley temples that were in its permanent collection.Activists had been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/2-more-nepali-antiquities-traced-to-us-museum/">lobbying for the return</a> of the 14th century flying Apsara/Gandharva stolen from Itum Bahal, and the upper section of the 17th century torana wrenched out of the main doorway of Yampi Mahabihara/I-Bahi in Patan.‘As custodians of the art in our collection, the Rubin recognises that we have an ongoing duty to carefully research the art and objects we collect and exhibit … the Rubin’s collecting activities adhere to the highest standards of ethical and professional practice related to provenance,’ said Jorrit Britschgi, Executive Director of Rubin Museum.<a href="https://nyc.nepalconsulate.gov.np/press-release-the-rubin-museum-of-art-to-return-two-wooden-art-works-to-nepal/">Britschgi signed an MoU with Bishnu Prasad Gautam</a>, Acting Consul General of Nepal in New York on 10 January.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410110/637203ce9c7e80680e0b2829jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="1440"><figcaption>The 17th-century wooden Torana Stolen (left) and the 14th-century Flying Gandharva (right) was tracked by the Lost Arts of Nepal in Spetember 2021. Photo: LOST ARTS OF NEPAL.</figcaption></figure>Gautam said the Consulate and the Rubin Museum will “work closely in the promotion of art and culture” from the Himalaya.The Rubin has agreed to bear the cost for returning both the objects to Nepal, possibly by the third week of May. Until then the objects will remain in the custody of the museum.The Apsara, originally from Keshchandra Mahabihara, was added to the museum’s collection in 2003, while the torana in 2010. The online group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lostartsofnepal/photos/2995487014105084" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lost Arts of Nepal</a> had tracked the objects to the museum’s collection and the <a href="https://nepalheritagerecoverycampaign.org/news/rubin-museum-to-return-nepalese-relics-thought-to-have-been-stolen/">Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign</a> had alerted the Nepali consulate and the museum in September 2021 about the provenance of the two objects, after which Rubin had promptly withdrawn them from public display.Rubin said in a statement that the two objects – both extraordinary examples of traditional Newa devotional art – were the first in its collection found to have been unlawfully obtained.The Consulate General and the Rubin collaborated to verify the origins of the artefacts, and the museum engaged two scholars of Nepali art to examine and research their known provenance. The scholars found that the Gandharva went missing from Itum Bahal in 1999 and was purchased by the Shelley and Donald Rubin Cultural Trust four years later.According to Sandrine Millet, a spokesperson for the museum, the two artefacts were purchased in private sales, but she declined to name the dealers.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111410110/637203d29c7e80680e0b282ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="2560"><figcaption>The Consulate General and the Rubin Museum officials standing next to the Gandharva and the Torana on Monday. Photo: CONSULATE GENERAL OF NEPAL.</figcaption></figure>Speaking with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/10/arts/design/rubin-museum-returning-nepalese-relics.html">the New York Times</a>, Roshan Mishra, the director of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TaragaonMuseum">Taragaon Museum</a> said, “If museums like the Rubin are actively repatriating their artefacts, I think it will be easier for other museums to follow their lead.”Once in Nepal, the Department of Archaeology will determine whether the objects will return to their original shrines, or to the National Museum. The Gandharva and the torana are among <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/who-looted-nepals-gods/">the 55 artefacts</a> currently in the list of antiquities that the Department is negotiating with museums and collections for repatriation.In the past year, six stolen stone and bronze sculptures have been <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-gods-return-from-exile/">handed back to Nepal</a>, including a 800-year-old <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-enigma-of-arrival-of-nepals-gods/">Laxmi-Narayan statue from Patko Tole</a> in Patan by the Dallas Museum of Art and returned to its original site last month.The 10th century stone figure of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/us-returns-another-antiquity-to-nepal/">Uma Maheswar, stolen from Gaa Hiti</a> in Patan 50 years ago, was also handed over to the Nepal Embassy in Washington DC by the Denver Art Museum in September 2021.Similarly, a 15th century Ganesh was returned by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and a 13th century Shivalinga stolen from Kathmandu was returned to the Nepal Embassy in DC by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Rubin to return Nepal antiquities

Who is accountable for teacher-student relationships?

Of the nearly 19 million eligible voters in next week’s election in Nepal, an estimated 5 million are abroad and cannot cast their ballots. Many others within Nepal must travel to their home districts, and might decide not to because of the cost.
Flights into Kathmandu these days are full of global Nepalis returning just to vote, but almost as many are leaving for overseas jobs. Most of those coming or going are in the 20-40 age group, and a majority want Nepal to see a change in leadership.
Bangladesh held an election this month in which citizens overseas could vote by mail.&nbsp;
“Bangladesh made maximum use of technology not just for campaigning but also for polling itself. We could have also managed this, so people within Nepal did not have to travel to their home districts to vote,” says Mohna Ansari, former head of Nepal’s National Human Rights Commission who was an election observer in Bangladesh.
A 3-day holiday has been declared so people can travel to their home constituencies to cast ballots. Even if there was not enough time to manage ballots for overseas Nepalis, it could have been done for Nepalis within Nepal.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Bhojraj Pokharel reckons that physical voting in countries with a large Nepali diaspora would have been a logistical nightmare, but in the PR system, using electronic voting machines or paper ballot could have been piloted in some places. It is not possible to manage the entire voting process until we introduce the internet voting system.
“First of all, there needs to be political will to bring the policy and be ready to undertake that level of investment and it is not a one-time cost,” Pokharel says. “A government formed by the GenZ could have atr least issed an ordinance ensuring this right, piloted out-of-country voting where possible, which could have built pressure for the future Parliament and the government. It would have given people hope. It is a lost opportunity.”
All major political parties called for voting rights for global Nepalis in their manifestos, but these very leaders blocked legislation allowing it despite a 2017 Supreme Court ruling out of fear that it would be anti-incumbent.&nbsp;
<h2>Why so late?</h2>
Bangladesh delivered election results in just one day, but the final results of Nepal's last local polls in 2022 including that of Kathmandu constituencies took nearly a month.
Acting Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari said this week that the results of the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) ballot counting would “likely” be published within 24 hours of the poll closing at 5PM on 5 March. But many are skeptical.
“I wonder if we lack the capacity or know-how to announce results as quickly as possible,” says Mohna Ansari.
Former Chief Election Commissioner Pokharel says manual ballot paper counting in Nepal is inherently slow because of the large numner of political parties and/or candidates on the ballot, the counting mechanism, the political behaviour of the candidates/parties and some managerial issues during counting.
“Our present policy is to count all the ballot papers at the returning officers' officies, located at the district headquarters. It requires collecting ballot boxes safetly first. This takes time, and there have been cases of ballot boxes being damaged or stolen during transport. In a few highly difficult, geographically remote polling centres, we use a helicopter or transport. But sometimes, accommodating the party and candidates' representatives remains challenging,” explains Pokharel. A solution could be counting ballots at the very booths where they are cast.
Another reason for the delay is simply the number of political parties, and the need for each ballot paper to be examined by booth representatives for consensus. In close races, the smallest difference can lead to tense situations, further delaying results, even though counting centres are protected by metal fencing so there is no disruption.
After this, then it is the turn of Proportional Representation (PR) ballots to be counted. Weeks pass by the time the results of candidates and parties are tallied and verified. But the most common delay is because election officers think ballot counting is a nine-to-five job.&nbsp;
“The efficiency of poll station officers is most important, and they are incentivised for this,” says Ansari, adding that counting can even start within an hour after voting closes.
In remote areas, local resources could be mobilised to make counting quicker, but there is a crisis of trust, adds Ansari.&nbsp;
That could be easily solved with electronic voting which the EC implemented in the 2008 polls but discontinued because political parties felt the machines could be hacked or manipulated.

Nepalis Select Who To Elect

On Saturday, Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar, a region where there are an estimated 2 million Nepalis working to send money home. In addition, thousands of Nepalis were preparing to board flights to Kathmandu from West Asian cities this weekend to vote in the 5 March election. Many are said to be stranded at various aviation hubs. A Qatar Airways flight from Doha took off just before the air space was closed, while Air Arabia and Kuwait Airways have diverted or cancelled flights. Nepalis in the West Asian region said things were relatively calm where they were, although some heard loud explosions at about noon local time. In Dubai, some thought they were Ramadan fireworks.&nbsp; In Kuwait, nearly 2,000 Nepalis working in the US military base as security guards and cleaners were evacuated before the strikes. In Bahrain where the US Fifth Fleet naval base is located and which was hit by two Iranian missiles, workers contacted by Nepali Times said the situation was under control and the authorities had told everyone to stay indoors and not use highways. The conflict also coincided with the beginning of Nepal’s trekking and mountaineering season, and tourists were either on their way or planning to leave European and North American cities for Himalayan hikes. Most of them transit through Doha, Dubai or Kuwait and all three airports are closed. Turkish Airlines flights via Istanbul are still operating.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260228130212_ab5e132d56da1df6a3fb1b6919648f845a168ad2c51d79f7587fb85a6e913b97.png" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20260228130212_ab5e132d56da1df6a3fb1b6919648f845a168ad2c51d79f7587fb85a6e913b97" data-rendition-name="original" width="1864" height="826" loading="lazy" alt="Qatar and UAE airspace closed"> <figcaption>Qatar and UAE airspace closed. Credit: Flightradar24</figcaption> </figure>  However, the main impact for the world could be a spike in the price of petroleum products if the strategic Strait of Hormuz is blocked. China relies on Iranian oil for their refineries, and Nepal could be affected indirectly if the economies of its neighbours are hit. Nepal imports all its diesel, petrol, LPG and aviation fuel from India which sources it mainly from the Gulf, and until recently from Russia. Petroleum makes up 25% of the value of all imports, and that is more than Nepal earns from all its exports. Saudi Arabia this year overtook the UAE as the main destination for Nepali workers, with the number now totalling 400,000. There are said to be as many in the UAE, and another 350,000 in Qatar. There are another 100,000 mostly women in Kuwait, and 50,000 each in Oman and Bahrain.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260228130220_d24ae633ff84f283835434becdb2f1351f84c415ce87ca34378bd4e2669661b3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260228130220_d24ae633ff84f283835434becdb2f1351f84c415ce87ca34378bd4e2669661b3" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="West Asia Iran conflict"> <figcaption>Iran retaliated with missile strikes on Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar on Saturday.</figcaption> </figure>  Nepal receives nearly $11 billion a year in remittances from overseas Nepalis (not counting India) through official channels, although the total is said to be much more. &nbsp;This makes up more than a quarter of Nepal’s GDP equivalent — one of the highest proportions in the world. More than half of the overseas remittances to Nepal comes from its workers in the Gulf, and it is the mainstay of the country’s economy. Nepalis in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE alone send home more than $3 billion a year, much of that helping support their families back home. An average Nepali worker in the Gulf sends home nearly $2,500 a year, and this is spent mainly for household supplies, children’s education and healthcare. There are also an estimated 7,000 Nepali caregivers and healthcare workers in Israel, and most of them are women. The Nepal Embassy has asked Nepalis in Israel to take caution and move to bomb shelters.

West Asia war and Nepalis

This is the 86th episode of Diaspora Diaries, a Nepali Times series in collaboration with Migration Lab providing a platform to share experiences of living, working and studying abroad. <h2>Thinking about the country</h2> Pappu Mahara, Malaysia  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_b8bbe881acfbe3eda31f8127bfad743cb672f8777ee145be68b60176bfffda45.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20260223120244_b8bbe881acfbe3eda31f8127bfad743cb672f8777ee145be68b60176bfffda45" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="2278" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  I came to Nepal on vacation and managed to time it around election. In Malaysia where I have been working for over two years, it is all about elections. In our rooms. Online. In fact, the discussions around elections felt more heated in Malaysia than back home in the village here in Mahottari.&nbsp; Even when you find out someone is going to Nepal, Nepalis who are unable to come home ask who we are voting for and remind us to tell everyone to vote for Balen. I gave my colleagues a thumbs up and assured them: only Balen. &nbsp;That is the message we come home with. And that is the reason I pasted Balen even in my suitcase as I came home. I wanted to show the world that those of us who are working hard overseas support him.&nbsp; In the past, my family voted for another party but they failed us. Even to get jobs we qualify for we need connections. Where are the jobs? The factories? Development?&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_5fd78fb1c7aae55b75f687d7e34d362854dc0b7167ee0755766401650fa05fb2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20260223120244_5fd78fb1c7aae55b75f687d7e34d362854dc0b7167ee0755766401650fa05fb2" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1002" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  Unemployment is high. Costs are rising. It is not just jobs in Nepal, even to get access to good overseas jobs, we need connections now. And money. There is corruption everywhere.&nbsp; Our expectation from the new government is to think beyond only their close networks and personal gain, to think about the country. What is the point of repeating mistakes from the past if those who are going to benefit are the sisters, nieces and nephews of those in power? It is good that some of us got to come home, even one vote can make a difference.&nbsp; Each ballot can create a mountain, that is why we have come home to vote.&nbsp; <h2>Coming home to support my son</h2> Rishiram Khanal कोही छन् विदेशमा, कोही यता शहरमा, जीवन उकास्न भोग्दै कहरै कहरमा। शून्य भयो गाउँघर, मान्छे लाखापाखा हुँदा, जुनकीरीको पिल्पिल् हरायो सुनसान डहरमा। Some are abroad, some here in the city,Enduring hardship just to lift life.Villages empty as people scatter far and wide,Fireflies don't flicker anymore over barren paths. I came home to Nawalpur from Bahrain to support my son, Manish Khanal, who is running in the election as an RSP candidate. I migrated to Bahrain 15 years ago where I work as a security guard. It was for my children’s education and future. That is the story of the majority of us, a compulsion.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_6e0cce852d3b0b1c2d3004952569386674fa5d08cbaa9d77effd1af6ad735dee.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20260223120244_6e0cce852d3b0b1c2d3004952569386674fa5d08cbaa9d77effd1af6ad735dee" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1778" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  It would have been better if we did not have to leave our families behind. But we migrate to secure a future for our children. Mine have done well for themselves, they are educated and disciplined. This motivated me to stay on overseas. And now my son’s achievement has further motivated me. From childhood, Manish was a hard-working student who did well throughout his school. He got into politics through Bibeksheel and has now made his way to RSP where he is contesting from Nawalpur. Everyone has their reason for joining politics. My son was drawn to it because the country was deteriorating and corruption is rife. Many youth are leaving. The Gen-Z revolution in which many young lives were lost made him even more committed to run for office. I come home every two years on vacation, but this time it was special when I arrived three days ago. I was overjoyed. Even on the plane, people recognised my son on videos. He is from an ordinary Nepali family, but is getting noticed globally. &nbsp;I had never imagined this reality is possible, such a life-changing opportunity has opened up for him at such a young age. He is the second youngest candidate running for office.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_b5a8fbc1a268445798a573e6f9e837a1ed620d494a2c06492a4a14d790a7a319.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20260223120244_b5a8fbc1a268445798a573e6f9e837a1ed620d494a2c06492a4a14d790a7a319" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1333" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> <figcaption>Rishiram Khanal (left) with his son Manish Khanal.</figcaption> </figure>  I want to see him run the country. I want him to ensure that the youth can get decent jobs in Nepal itself. I am encouraged by the feedback I have received from fellow workers in Bahrain. They support me and congratulate me for raising a son with such integrity. Here in Nawalpur, the environment is positive and I am also helping campaign for my son. The support for the RSP abroad is high. People are calling up family members back home to tell them to vote for घन्टी. We have long duty hours so don’t travel around much but from what I saw, there is a lot of support for the party. No matter who is running from whichever party, I hope that the priority will be Nepal’s prosperity, they should focus on building the nation. Nepalis should not have to leave in such large numbers.&nbsp; As for my son, I wish him the very best and hope he goes far. I want him win and become Nepal's son, not just mine. I want the world to know of him as an honest, selfless Nepali who will fulfil his duties for the nation earnestly.&nbsp; <h2>If not now, then when?</h2> Narendra baral, Oman  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_f8d421d93e8668b794e606198ee5b29d8e6b1af1640c91577b6f984c93d088f3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20260223120244_f8d421d93e8668b794e606198ee5b29d8e6b1af1640c91577b6f984c93d088f3" data-rendition-name="original" width="606" height="689" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  Just like elections have taken over Nepal, those of us abroad are equally excited and engaged. After the GenZ movement in particular, we Nepalis abroad have become even more involved. Friends are also keen to return to Nepal to vote. The mentality that no matter who wins it won’t matter and nothing will change has now been replaced by: if not now, when? There is a growing consensus that youth need to lead the nation. In that regard, the leadership change in the Nepali Congress (NC) has encouraged overseas Nepalis because we view Gagan Thapa, with his experience and sacrifices, as the right person to lead the nation. What he did recently to change the face of the NC has rejuvenated hope. For far too long, the musical chairs among the same old people had led to a sense of disgust with the state of the politics.&nbsp; Now, with new parties and new leadership in old parties, we feel emboldened to talk and engage positively and with hope. He has already won people’s confidence by allowing new faces to contest the elections, and even those who had started feeling skeptical or discouraged with Congress are now strongly supporting the party. I first migrated to Dubai in 2006 and returned five years later to start a poultry farm and fresh house in Nepal, but it did not go very far, so I decided to remigrate to Oman in 2016. It is a pity that overseas Nepalis could not vote in this election either. We saw Bangladeshis mail their votes just recently, while Filipino colleagues do so online.&nbsp; We even submitted a petition to the embassy on this issue, and the ambassador was positive given that there are just 25,000 Nepalis in Oman. Let’s hope the next election will be different. I am glad that this issue has been addressed in recent manifestos shared by the parties. Other than allowing diaspora voting, the government should also create a platform for those of us abroad so we can channel our investment and skills back home. We are investing in Oman and would like to do the same back home and create jobs for youth. Those of us who can manage are coming to Nepal to vote. Some of us have timed our vacations that way. Others have taken a week’s leave. <h2>Every vote counts&nbsp;</h2> Prajwal Poudel, Saudi Arabia  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260224130228_0b2e9f6cbfc40a4fbd90ee93ede9bfe66dfb7011785376e6d290ce12578f69a6.jpg" data-media-id="editor_5" data-image-id="20260224130228_0b2e9f6cbfc40a4fbd90ee93ede9bfe66dfb7011785376e6d290ce12578f69a6" data-rendition-name="original" width="1170" height="878" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  I was not sure if I would come to Nepal from Saudi Arabia for this election. But as election came close I really wanted to come home, I thought every vote matters. It is a basic right of every Nepali citizen and this is the right time now in Nepal where things are building up for change.&nbsp; All five of us roommates are returning. We all came together to Saudi Arabia to work and are going back together to vote for RSP. Our contract was about to end a couple of weeks after the elections so my roommates decided to forfeit a few weeks of salary to come home to vote. My situation was a bit different because I had made up my mind to stay on. I can always migrate overseas, if I have to go again, I can arrange it but the GenZ movement is a once in a lifetime event and this positive environment for change might not come again. I have resigned from my job with the slogan: each vote counts. I also am hopeful that the same employer will bring me back if needed as I have built a good rapport with them and worked hard throughout my contract. I am supporting Ghanti this time but if they do not deliver I will again choose another party next time.&nbsp; For me it is about choosing the right leaders. Some of my colleagues are telling me I should not have made this decision to return. My father was telling me to remain overseas so I have not told him properly that I am coming home with no return plans. My mother knows the reality and seems excited and she brought my citizenship card to Jhapa.&nbsp; If things don’t pan out as I have planned and the same old faces win, I will again migrate. Perhaps that is why I am coming home to avoid that possibility. The stakes are high this time. <h2>I am coming home to vote</h2> Bimal Subedi, Qatar  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_8c0597047c2aa87a1dc8d3c062f46071107c16a3d8331df12627db9b14ce2756.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20260223120244_8c0597047c2aa87a1dc8d3c062f46071107c16a3d8331df12627db9b14ce2756" data-rendition-name="original" width="924" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  The political ups and downs in Nepal brought me to Qatar 21 years ago, but even from the diaspora, I have continued my engagement with the NC in various capacities. The democratic change of 1990, led by the NC opened Nepal to the world. &nbsp; From a country that did not even allow ordinary people to have passports, the government took steps to provide unemployed youth access to overseas jobs and the international market. This outmigration intensified after the Maoist conflict, and now there is a significant population overseas. Foreign employment has helped us send money back home, which has improved our living standards and helped us come out of poverty. Foreign employment can be beneficial if we make good use of it to maximise our skills and capabilities. I have been able to establish myself as a senior accountant in an international travel company and have also improved my family’s living standards. In the past two decades, I have come home 70 times, in fact, it is easier for me to travel to Kathmandu from Qatar than for someone from Dolpo.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120244_1f89301a33ee6ed0858d7047aeb7ad4c73289c7be58a451c6d1c98d6930d2bc2.jpg" data-media-id="editor_7" data-image-id="20260223120244_1f89301a33ee6ed0858d7047aeb7ad4c73289c7be58a451c6d1c98d6930d2bc2" data-rendition-name="original" width="924" height="2000" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  The recent GenZ movement was a fight for equal access to education and basic services. Someone in Dolpo should have access to the same opportunities as someone in Kathmandu. But inequality transcends borders. Someone working in the same five star hotel overseas versus in Nepal sees a large salary difference. Only the one abroad can make meaningful savings. How do we create a labour market in Nepal that provides quality jobs so people can afford a decent living? The narrative being painted, especially on social media, that only the new is good is misleading. We have long advocated for change that touches the grassroots level and provides equal access to opportunities and services. The latest changes within NC leadership and the manifesto have made it evident that reform is coming, and we are coming home to show our support. Some are returning just to vote, while others have arranged their vacations during election time. This time I am coming home with the hope that the new government will ensure everyone has equal access to healthcare and education. That Nepali diaspora overseas will be provided a platform to invest in Nepal and help create world class jobs.&nbsp; I am coming to vote for a Nepal that we can all be proud of. <h2>Possibility of real change&nbsp;</h2> Sachin Thakur, Malaysia  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260223120248_40a23a8aa46cc22999de1bfafe6e77a30c88253ea280473c7213d40d35d3acd5.jpg" data-media-id="editor_8" data-image-id="20260223120248_40a23a8aa46cc22999de1bfafe6e77a30c88253ea280473c7213d40d35d3acd5" data-rendition-name="original" width="1778" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Homecoming at election time NT"> </figure>  I am coming home for the first time after working 40 months in Malaysia. I came to vote for Balen. I went overseas looking for jobs, just like my father who had spent five years in Qatar as a construction worker and who returned prematurely from the UAE after a failed migration experience.&nbsp; Malaysia is filled with Balen supporters. We have a company canteen where ten of us met constantly to discuss politics. We talked about corruption and the need for better jobs back home. The non-RSP supporters are in the minority at our workplace and perhaps across Malaysia. I came home to vote. I was lucky to be able to time my vacation that way. I look forward to spending time with family but also have plans to get together with the boys to campaign for RSP.&nbsp; For those of us who are overseas, the expectation is that the government will negotiate better terms of employment including higher pay. And that we can eventually come home. I want to resume my business making gold jewelery.&nbsp; What Nepal needs is leaders who focus on improving the basics: education and health, and everything else would work out on its own. We are betting on Balen because he has made a difference in Kathmandu as mayor, and now it is time to think about the whole country. It is not guaranteed how much he will be able to accomplish, but there is an actual possibility for real change this time and that is what matters.&nbsp;