<figure><img width="800" height="464" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d184e9c7e80680e0ac7bajpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photos: ACHYUTRAJ BHANDARI</figcaption></figure>The death toll in a bus plunge in Mugu has reached 32. Twenty-four people died on the spot and eight more during rescue and treatment. The rest, 11 passengers airlifted by helicopters for <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/its-an-emergency-nepal-needs-to-improve-trauma-care/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">treatment</a> in Nepalganj, are in critical condition.The overloaded bus lost control and plunged down a steep slope near Rara Lake at about 12:30PM on Tuesday. Initial investigation points to brake failure as the cause of the accident. Most of the 43 passengers were travelling from Nepalganj to Mugu’s Gamgadhi to celebrate Dasain with their families.Also on Tuesday, a passenger bus from Dhangadi to Bajura also fell off the highway, injuring 16. On Monday, another jeep careened off the road and fell off a cliff killing at least eight. It was carrying passengers from Kathmandu travelling to Ghandruk to celebrate Dasain holidays.Nearly 50 people have died on <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/lack-of-trauma-centres-along-nepal’s-highways-worsened-fatality-rate,1383" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nepal’s highways</a> in the last two days. The causes range from overloading because of the festival, negligence of drivers, mechanical failure, over-speeding, poor road condition because of a very wet monsoon, and an increasing number of unregulated private vehicles.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/traffic-accidents-continue-to-increase-worryingly-in-Nepal,2799" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Road Traffic Accidents</a> (RTA) in Nepal’s highways are so commonplace that most Nepalis are desensitied by the numbers. An average of seven individuals die in road accidents a day in Nepal and 40 are injured. In fact, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-other-pandemic-road-fatalities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more people die on Nepal's highways every year </a>than in all natural disasters combined.In 2019, there were nearly 13,000 highway and road accidents in which 2,736 people lost their lives and 10,731 were seriously injured. Those who survive more often than not have traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, requiring long-term or life-long rehabilitative care.The total accidents had come down in 2020-2021 because of the pandemic and lockdowns, but is rising again as things get back to normal. <img width="1205" height="741" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18509c7e80680e0ac7bbjpeg.jpg" alt="">According to the <a href="https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565684">WHO Global Status on Road Safety 2018</a>, only 8 in 100,000 people die of highway and road accidents in developed countries, but the ratio is 27.5 in low-income nations like Nepal.Most of the accidents in Nepal can be prevented by just maintaining the roads and avoiding reckless driving. According to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport study, 76% of highway accidents are caused by drivers who do not follow traffic rules or are speeding.To control over-speeding and reckless driving, traffic police at the accident-prone Satdobato-Gwarko road have now deployed speed guns. They penalise up to 100 commuters a day, many of them in motorcycles that are going at 90km/hour on the road with a speed limit of 50km/hour.   <img width="1040" height="556" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18539c7e80680e0ac7bcjpeg.jpg" alt="">A parliamentary committee that had studied RTAs in Nepal two years ago and concluded it as the ninth biggest killer in the country has also given directives to mitigate the problem. But the state of Nepal’s accident-prone roads remains the same. Adding to the challenge are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/monsoon-hits-nepal-with-a-bang/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">floods and landslides during monsoon</a>,  made more frequent and destructive by <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-doubles-its-carbon-footprint/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">climate change</a>. Sections of major highways have been washed off, cutting off parts of remote Nepal from the rest of the country. Several accidents here don’t even make it to the news or after many days.From July 2014-July 2019, there were a total of 54,000 road accidents in Nepal resulting in 12,000 deaths of people mostly in the age group 15-40 years. <figure><img width="1001" height="546" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18559c7e80680e0ac7bdjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Relatives of those injured or casualties at the Mugu District Hospital in Gamgadi on Wednesday. Photo: NRIPENDRA MALLA </figcaption></figure><a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/maps-showing-increase-in-road-accident-fatality-rates" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Available studies</a> reveal that in the last decade, the death rate due to traffic accidents has increased by a whopping 142% and accidents by 178%. Nepal is far from meeting the target set by the United Nations General Assembly to halve the number of<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-other-global-pandemic-road-fatalities/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> road fatalities and injuries </a>by 2030.Last year’s annual report by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) found that road traffic accidents in Nepal have increased by an annual average of 7% in 2017-18, 22% in 2018-19 and 17% in 2019-20.  <img width="1636" height="942" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110161124/636d18589c7e80680e0ac7bejpeg.jpg" alt="">The<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/how-covid-19-saves-lives-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> slight dip in 2019-20</a> is attributed to five months of Covid-19 lockdown when road fatalities declined by half to less than 700 in March-August 2020, compared to the same period last year. Ironically, hundreds of lives may have been saved by the pandemic.But by the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/this-years-dangerous-dasain/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Dasain-Tihar festival in November 2020</a>, with restrictions removed, the number of deaths on the roads again spiked to 242 after falling to 52 in May, much like this year.For a country where roads are synonymous with development, more people lose their lives on the highways than by infectious diseases. The reason is the focus on quantity over quality, bad engineering and lack of maintenance.

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Deadly Dasain on Nepal’s highways

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf359c7e80680e078039jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1491" height="608"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Tourist guidebooks do not recommend visiting Nepal in the monsoon. Even if visitors come, they are strongly dissuaded from going to western Nepal in the rainy season because the flights are even more irregular than usual.This year, there were no tourists at Rara Lake in remote Mugu district even during the spring trekking season. So, at the height of the monsoon this week, a few Nepali visitors had the place all to themselves.At 2,999m, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/raras-rare-beauty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/raras-rare-beauty/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHqL4qoZq_enWNY9ygK6LBNvGE-IA">Rara in winter</a> is a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/snowbound-rara/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/snowbound-rara/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGiszAhvkTF5Zwpl2XGN-daLyGgTw">snowy wonderland</a>. In spring it is a <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18102#.Xx-1VdIza70" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18102%23.Xx-1VdIza70&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHUSzY-kEJ6hukYCDr47Z1kfr6FXQ">birder’s paradise</a>. But it is now in the rainy season that the shores of Nepal’s largest lake burst into flowers. Multi-coloured blossoms carpet the vast clearing below thick pine forests on southern reaches of the lake at Mili Chaur.This is where Mahendra, Nepal’s poet-king, sat under a lone juniper tree in 1964 and penned his famous ode to the lake: ‘Rara ki Apsara’. On the king’s order, the 10sq km lake and its surroundings mountains that soar to 4,500m, was declared Rara National Park in 1976. Mahendra’s juniper tree is still standing at the middle of Mili Chaur.At this time of year, the surrounding forests are deep green as veils of monsoon clouds glide down the slopes to the lake. The pine, juniper and spruce with rhododendron and oak are draped in lichen and orchids, and the forest teems with musk deer, red panda, and in the higher reaches, ghoral mountain goats. The lake is home to 270 of Nepal’s 867 bird species.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf389c7e80680e07803ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="334"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf3a9c7e80680e07803bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1489" height="614"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf3d9c7e80680e07803cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1488" height="593"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf409c7e80680e07803djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="376" height="576"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109141144/636baf429c7e80680e07803ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="376" height="576">Even though foreign tourists have stopped coming, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18102#.Xx-jxdIza70" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D18102%23.Xx-jxdIza70&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1596003243007000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGvY3X63wB_PxHcCO-B55EZmRWHHA">better road access to Rara</a> and an upgraded airfield at Talcha means that locals from Jumla and Gamgadi walk up to the lake to take selfies amidst the flowers.

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Rara in the rainy season

https://youtu.be/-9rP1yNydLs<h2>Beat the crowd to Khayer Lake</h2>Sewa Bhattarai in MyagdiThe Ghorepani-Poon Hill Trek? That is so last century. Now that road access makes the scenic viewpoint easily reachable with a night stop, more and more trekkers venture on up the ridge to Tadapani, Khopra and the hidden holy Khayer Lake.This extension to the traditional Poon Hill hike is worth it even for those who have done Ghorepani-Ghandruk Ridge before. Strike off the path through rhododendron forest at Tadapani to Mulde Peak for a overnight stop, and then it is another day’s walk to <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=15474" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Khopra.</a> An alternative route from Ghorepani is to descend to Swanta and up again to gain the ridge.The only warning to trekkers is to make sure there is a tea house as night falls, and to keep your eyes on the narrow trail because the views of Annapurna, Machapuchre and Dhaulagiri are so dramatic. <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/mulde-peak,1759" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mulde Peak</a> itself is about 700m higher than Poon Hill and beats the view from there by leaps and bounds. The view of a full moon rise from behind Machapuchre is an out of this world sight.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29d59c7e80680e0458ebjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050"/><figcaption>Photos: SEWA BHATTARAI</figcaption></figure>Khayer Lake with Annapurna I peering over the ridge (pictured above) is a further 5-6 hours walk away with a small temple of Khayera Bharani sacred to the local Magar community. Hindu pilgrims from down valley also walk up to the lake on Janai Purnima festival in July-August.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/go-take-a-hike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Go take a hike</a>, Sewa BhattaraiDuring the monsoon, the slopes are ablaze with fresh flowers and you do not want to step on them and spoil the beauty. Shepherds graze herds of sheep on the fresh young grass, and people buy sheep from them to sacrifice at the Khayer Bharani shrine.At this time of year, the lake is partially frozen and the ground is still brown and barren. The trekking season has not started yet, so the trails are deserted.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29da9c7e80680e0458ecjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050">“About twenty years ago when this area was uninhabited, we used to see big groups of foreigners trek up to the lake to camp and bring their own food and we saw the potential for a lodge here,” says Bhakta Tilija, who operates the lodge at Khopra Ridge. Word about the ethereal beauty of Khayer Lake is now spreading and in the trekking season the dozen rooms at Khopra are full, and so are the outhouses made for porters and unsuspecting Nepali guests.Social entrepreneur and rural internet pioneer <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2013/02/19/innovating-a-new-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mahabir Pun</a> founded the lodge in 2007 with prize money from his Ramon Magsaysay award. The proceeds from the lodge go to a school in the nearby Paudwar village. He has set up a string of eight other lodges in the area, including in <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Wonders-of-Nepal,1240" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mohare Danda.</a>“We know that we need to expand the facilities, and we are looking for funds to build another lodge,” Pun told us. “Mostly, tourism does not benefit the local community so much. We try to get the community to run the lodges and plough the profits locally.”<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29dd9c7e80680e0458edjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="1050">Proceeds from the lodges have been invested in building a 50KW micro hydropower plant, which supplies electricity to the lodges for lighting, heating and wifi routers. “Eventually we intend to make the lodges smoke-less zero carbon,” says Pun.As the better travelled destinations become passé and remote ones become more attractive, Khopra Ridge (pictured, above) is poised to rival the more popular ABC Trek this spring.And with the road access now making the Annapurna Circuit less pristine, Khopra and the neighbouring Mardi Ridge to the east will be attracting more visitors. The question is how soon the facility will manage to <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/GUEST-COLUMN/nepal-trekking-needs-a-quality-upgrade,383" target="_blank" rel="noopener">keep up with the influx</a>.<h2>Gosain Kunda's Six Lakes in Spring</h2>Sikuma Rai in Rasuwa<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29e19c7e80680e0458eejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"><figcaption>DIVINE REFLECTIONS: Many people do not know that besides the main Gosain Kunda (pictured) there are six sacred lakes in the vicinity. They are Nilkantha, Barda Kunda, Rakta Kunda, Chandra Kunda, Ama Kunda and Surya Kunda.</figcaption></figure>Gosain Kunda is a place to avoid in July-August when tens of thousands ascend to the holy waters at 4,380m for the Janai Purnima festival. But now is the time to go as the winter snow starts melting, the rhododendrons start coming out in full bloom, and the trails are relatively deserted. You will have the mountains, and the lakes, all to yourself.Being so close to the city, the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/buzz-gosainkunda,639" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gosain Kunda</a> trek is a quick getaway for trekkers and pilgrims. The forest path may look easy at first, but it can be a grueling two-day climb from Dhunche at 2,090m on the highway.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29e49c7e80680e0458efjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800"><figcaption>Nilkantha. Photo: AVIV ADHIKARI</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29e79c7e80680e0458f0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1200" height="800"><figcaption>Barda Kunda. Photo: RAVI RAUT</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29eb9c7e80680e0458f1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"><figcaption>Rakta Kunda. Photo: RAVI RAUT</figcaption></figure>Gosain Kunda can be either a destination, a stopover, or a traverse. As a destination, it can be done in a relaxed way in five days, giving oneself enough time to acclimatise and take in the views. It is better not to rush it.Trekkers can also just stopover in Gosain Kunda and continue along a narrow path around a steep spur and descend to <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-reincarnation-of-a-holy-valley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Langtang Valley</a> two days away. As a traverse, hikers from Dhunche can cross the pass and descend to Helambu and back to Kathmandu. Or, if you really want to punish yourself, you can do that route counter-clockwise. The trails are now much more stable after the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/aint-seen-nothing-yet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earthquake</a> four years ago.The simplest itinerary is to take a 5-7 hour bumpy jeep ride to Dhunche, and if you want to get away from the sound of trucks, head off immediately to Deurali for the night. Those relatively more fit can climb on to Sing Gompa at 3,250m, a smallish settlement with tea houses and a monastery. It also has a government dairy outlet run by Chatra Bahadur Tamang where you can stock up on yak cheese.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/the-tamu-trek-trail/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Tamu Trek Trail</a>, Jit Gurung<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29ee9c7e80680e0458f2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="933"><figcaption>ChandraKunda. Photo: RAVI RAUT</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29f19c7e80680e0458f3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1400" height="934"><figcaption>Ama Kunda. Photo: SIKUMA RAI</figcaption></figure>After morning breakfast in Sing Gompa the trail goes up and up to Lauri Binayak (3,700m). More and more of the mesmerising vista of Ganesh Himal, Langtang Lirung, and Manaslu become visible as you gain altitude, and the scenery energises exhausted walkers. This time of year, rhododendron buds are popping open all over the forest.The really steep bit comes after Lauri Binayak, and this is where the pace will get slower on the endless uphill. The tea shops at Gosain Kunda look deceptively close, and it is still another few hours of hard slog to reach the ridge to look down at Saraswati Kunda.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110811114/636a29f59c7e80680e0458f4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="693" height="417">When you get there, you find that Gosain Kunda is not one but a series of lakes at over 4,380m. The air is thin and crystalline, and the mirror surface of the lakes reflect the sunset in all its hues. The stunning views, the sacred energy of the spot, and the exhilaration of the climb will make even the most non-religious person slightly spiritual. For true Hindu, Buddhist or Animistic believers, however, this is a <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-power-and-pull-of-pathibhara/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pilgrimage</a> of a lifetime.Those still not sated by the view can <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/trekking-in-Nepal-turns-50,2658" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trek</a> on to Lauribina La (4,610m) to inspect six other lakes, and the trip is rewarding and therapeutic as the lakes hidden behind ridges glisten like jewels in the sun.There are 108 lakes in the Langtang National Park region but more are popping up due to global warming, and many do not even have names yet.

Holy Waters

There has been heavy snowfall on the mountainous district of Mugu on Thursday. Though daily life has been severely affected, people are happy that the snow will be good for the crops.The popular tourist destination Rara Lake, which is Nepal’s biggest lake, looks beautiful after the snowfall. Over two feet of snow has accumulated around the lake. Tourists are unable to access the lake due to snow.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23209c7e80680e0417ccjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1137" height="640"/><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23239c7e80680e0417cdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23269c7e80680e0417cejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1110" height="540"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23289c7e80680e0417cfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a232b9c7e80680e0417d0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1050" height="740"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a232d9c7e80680e0417d1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23309c7e80680e0417d2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="720"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108101136/636a23329c7e80680e0417d3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="495">

Snowbound Rara

<figure><img width="640" height="426" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107111152/6368e3e79c7e80680e0333abjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Girls football team from the mountainous and remote district of Mugu. Photos: Bhojraj Bhat</figcaption></figure>Prakash Kandel in Naya PatrikaAt a time when football frenzy has gripped the entire world, a group of Nepali teenagers from remote Mugu have been invited to Spain to participate in the <a href="http://www.donosticup.com/english.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donosti Cup</a>, a tournament for youth sports. The girls from the mountainous district, who do not even have a football ground to practice on, are going to get their first experience of international sports.The girls will leave for San Sebastian in Spain on 28 June for the tournament which will be held from 1-7 July and they will play four games. Their own struggle and love for football has led them to this tournament where 33 teams from 30 countries will be competing."Apart from the competition, the journey from Nepal's remote hills to Europe itself is a great experience," says coach Bhagwati Rana. After the game, the players will also get to visit world famous football clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.In 2015, filmmaker Bhojraj Bhat made a documentary <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunakali" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sunakali</a> based on the story of Mugu teenagers who struggled to play football in the snow. The documentary was shown in 137 film festivals across Europe, and it also won 23 awards. <img width="640" height="426" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107111152/6368e3ea9c7e80680e0333acjpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107111152/6368e3ec9c7e80680e0333adjpeg.jpg" alt="">After that, <a href="https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FIFA</a> shot a 12 minute documentary called Meet the Himalayan Messi which also attracted notice and led to Mugu teenagers getting international opportunities. The organisers of Donosti cup in Spain invited Sunakali's team to participate, paying for their costs. Though the original characters of the documentary are not in the team anymore, another team was created with younger players.Last January, 17 players were selected from more than 135 teenagers and they have been rehearsing in the <a href="http://the-anfa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All Nepal Football Association (ANFA)</a> complex at Satdobato in Kathmandu. ANFA does not even have a district association in Mugu because the mountain district does not have a standard football ground. <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107111152/6368e3ef9c7e80680e0333aejpeg.jpg" alt="">“Their journey from Bama of Mugu to Spain is nothing less than a dream,” says Bhojraj Bhat, who worked on the final selection of players.In an area where girls get married off early, parents were not really happy that their daughters wanted to play football instead."It was a challenge to make the parents agree to let their daughters go for this international opportunity," Bhat says.The girls have found even the journey to Kathmandu challenging, and were surprised by the artificial turf at Satdobato. "We had never been outside Mugu, and the heat of Nepalganj and Kathmandu's crowds really shocked us," says captain Rita Rokaya. "Still, it feels like a dream." <figure><img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107111152/6368e3f39c7e80680e0333afjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Read also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=19748#.WyuQs1UzbIV" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Best foot forward</a>, Bhrikuti Rai<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/nepali-mens-and-womens-football-hasnt-kicked-off,1812" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why Nepali football hasn't kicked off</a>, Elvin L Shrestha<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/from-nepali-press/turning-the-tide-in-Nepali-football,2879" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Turning the tide</a>, Santa Gaha Magar

Mugu footballers to go to Spain

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7389c7e80680e0314cdjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="996"/><figcaption>Novelty: In Karnali's first ever performance of conceptual minimal art, performers moved from one end of the town to another with painted faces and bodies, writing with chalk on the asphalt and rolling on it so the writing transferred to their bodies. They expressed their experience of Karnali and spread awareness about the hazards of junk food and plastic.</figcaption></figure>It is no secret that Nepal is one of the photogenic countries in the world. Picturesque Nepal is also reflected in paintings, and  Phewa and Machapuchre make it to many canvases in Thamel.However, despite its <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=18102#.Ww5pP-6FPIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pristine beauty,</a> Rara never makes it to any oil-on-canvas work. That is because Rara is in Mugu, in Nepal’s most remote districts. It takes <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/rara-lake-nepal,1358" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least two days just to get to the lake from Kathmandu</a> — and that is by plane. Surprisingly, <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2011/03/30/trans-karnali-blues/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it takes about the same time</a> by long-distance night bus.Which is why artists never really go there. However, 14 fine art students and their teachers braved the precarious journey to hold a five-day workshop and Karnali’s first-ever modern art exhibition in Gamgadhi of Mugu.The paintings captured a wide range of natural and cultural aspects of Karnali, including Rara lake, Chhayanath temple in Chaina village, and lifestyle of the surrounding villages. Local residents looked on with amazement as the artists staged a performance representing their experience of Karnali: they moved from one end of the town to another with painted faces and bodies, writing with chalk on the asphalt and rolling on it so the writing transferred to their bodies.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d73b9c7e80680e0314cejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="482"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d73e9c7e80680e0314cfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="501"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“Initially we were hesitant about the performance, wondering if anyone would understand it,” recalls Koshal Hamal, the only known fine-arts graduate and teacher from Karnali. “But as we spread awareness about junk food and the health and environmental hazards they pose, we heard murmurs of understanding from the crowd.”Hamal and the Karnali Arts Center (KAC), which organised the event, also intended to get children interested in art, inviting over 2,000 students from 5 schools to the exhibition. Not only did children watch the paintings and performances with curiosity, but their parents also understood art as a career.Mugu has been a hub of modern art in Karnali of late, starting a decade ago when youngsters from the district entered Sunil Pokhrel’s Aarohan Gurukul to learn theatre, and created memorable dramas including Karnali Dakkhin Bagdo Chha.Local artists credit Min Bham, a member of that generation, for opening the doors to modern art for Mugu. While Bham went on to gain international success with his first movie Kalo Pothi, very little of Mugu’s engagement with modern arts has gone back to Mugu itself, with local residents unaware of modern styles of painting.Read Also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=9048#.Ww5pp-6FPIU​" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karnali's Salt Caravans</a>, Chhakka Bahadur Lama<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7419c7e80680e0314d0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“Painting is the beginning of all forms of visual arts,” says Hira Bijuli Nepali, president of KAC. “Other art forms like film and sculpture draw from colour, composition and design of paintings. So it is important to start making children aware of painting. We hope eventually to develop their creativity by encouraging painting in schools.”KAC hopes to also engage with the rest of Nepal through modern art. KAC has always been focused on traditional art, facilitating documentation and enactment of folk tales, songs and dances in the past. Karnali’s visually rich traditional arts including clothing, jewelry, dances, sculpture, and architecture remain isolated, and this is what KAC intends to change through painting.“We want to showcase our traditional arts and make Karnali visible in the mainstream. To connect with the world and build a niche for Karnali’s artwork, we have to use modern means,” says Nepali. “Also, our way of life is fast disappearing, and painting is a way to archive it, too.”With two paintings already sold in Gamgadhi, the artists are positive about the scope for modern art in Mugu itself. KAC is exhibiting the paintings in Kathmandu soon.Read Also: <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=723#.Ww5pqe6FPIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Don't kill Karnali with your aid</a>, Jivan Bahadur Shahi<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=3046#.Ww5pqu6FPIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Karnali gives up waiting for Kathmandu,</a> Hemlata Rai

mugu

Deadly Dasain on Nepal’s highways

Rara in the rainy season

Holy Waters

Snowbound Rara

Mugu footballers to go to Spain

The Karnali on canvas