Gone are the days where a television set was a hefty cathode ray tube apparatus in the living room hooked up to an antenna on the roof: a sign of prosperity, a cherished investment to outlast youngsters watching cartoons.&nbsp; TVs today are thinner, sleeker, bigger, and smarter. And although Nepalis are buying more of them, their screen time is also being increasingly shared with mobile phones.&nbsp; “A decade ago our best sellers were 24 or 32-inch TVs, but there was a drastic change around the 2018 Football World Cup,” recalls Alok K Gupta, General Manager at Samsung Electronics in Nepal. “Nepalis are buying more 43 or 55-inch models right now.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240927140944_0f90f94ab5904ab37191a3b1d2880a29b951cccbc3df3b9515b8476941396403.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20240927140944_0f90f94ab5904ab37191a3b1d2880a29b951cccbc3df3b9515b8476941396403" data-rendition-name="original" width="3500" height="1969" loading="lazy" alt="TV or not TV"> </figure>  Gupta notes that big sporting events like the World Cup, the recent T20 World Cup and the Euros, cause up to 30% spikes in TV sales in Nepal. There is also a surge in demand during the festive season like the upcoming Dasain, with sales almost doubling because of salary bonuses.&nbsp; New TVs do not just have larger, sharper screens but also have more intelligent software, and can connect to the internet making it possible to watch streaming videos on YouTube or Netflix.&nbsp; With more than 3 million Nepalis working overseas, and sending money home, there is more exposure to bigger television sets, and an increased ability to afford them. Returning Nepalis are also bringing TVs back with them, a trend that might increase after the current budget removed duty on tellys regardless of screen size.&nbsp; “People are now more savvy about the tech they buy,” explains Gupta. “They want new things faster. In the past, people bought a TV to last a generation, but now much of our sales are people looking to replace or upgrade their sets.” &nbsp; But are buyers doing their homework, or are TV companies getting better at advertising? From consumer habits it looks like middle class Nepalis are buying a new set just to shift the TV they already have into the bedroom.&nbsp; Consumer electronics is also about planned obsolescence, with companies intentionally making products with short life cycles that need software upgrades, or that are superseded by sets that have better picture quality and other features.&nbsp; Samsung’s CE-Biz first tapped into the replacement market by building arkostore.com for customers who were curious about how much money they could get back for returning their current set. CE also runs its own financing on all Samsung devices, allowing monthly payment at 0% interest.&nbsp; Samsung has a killswitch that will turn off a customer’s TV or smartphone if they fail to make their instalment payment, although the company has not put a similar feature (out of mercy?) on its washing machines or fridges. The popularity of home theatres with wide flat screens indicates that Nepalis who can afford it are tired of watching videos on tiny mobile screens. &nbsp;­­ <h2>Content is king</h2> With TV sets now capable of streaming, and the spread of broadband internet, Nepalis are watching more international programs on their tellies than domestically-produced fare. &nbsp; “The content of Nepali TV has always been pretty weak,” admits Prashant Aryal, formerly with Kantipur TV. “Nepal started late to begin with in 1984 and did not reach maturity before social media took over. Nepali TV never evolved from he-said, she-said content.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240927140944_024fa251d0973b28a1abd964f00dae7e06c84ba13c37be0e6bcb84a027d163aa.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20240927140944_024fa251d0973b28a1abd964f00dae7e06c84ba13c37be0e6bcb84a027d163aa" data-rendition-name="original" width="3000" height="2250" loading="lazy" alt="TV or not TV"> <figcaption>Photo: SURESH PAUDYAL</figcaption> </figure>  NTV and Kantipur TV still have the highest ratings for news and current affairs, but for entertainment most Nepalis used TVs to tune into Indian channels with entertainment serials. And although Nepali films have started being accepted into international festivals and even winning awards, non-news domestic TV content has always been mediocre. One reason for the poor quality of TV programs is that there were relatively few people with TV skills. Television channels have had to bring in journalists from print, and plunk them in front of a camera. Since entertainment content costs money, &nbsp;journalists all ended up doing studio talk shows.&nbsp; No wonder, the content that has thrived and become a Nepali TV trend are fiery talk shows like Rishi Dhamala's Janata Janna Chahanchha or Rabi Lamichhane’s populist Sida Kura Janata Sanga before he established the RSP as an alternative political party in 2022.&nbsp; Other established TV channel talk show hosts like Bhusan Dahal, Dil Bhusan Pathak, Vijay Kumar Pandey, or Tika Ram Yatri have all moved to YouTube. A particularly good TV show may be approached by sponsors just on the quality of the content. Sometimes producers tie up with sponsors to make shows. Sometimes the company might do it out of its own pocket. The main source of revenue is advertising, which has largely moved to the net.&nbsp; “When I was at Kantipur TV, it was three years before we broke even,” recalls Suresh Paudyal at AP1 TV and 28 years in the television sector. Paudyal adds,“Everybody wants to put three chairs in a studio and do a talk show, while Nepal is brimming with stories that could make great documentaries.”&nbsp; Paudyal is currently also director of the singing franchise show Nepal Idol, which is in its fifth edition. The show is a rare instance in which investors did decide to chip in big time, even paying a heavy franchise fee.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20240927140940_a5cdb632efad0a68e2efb3697c572f224d3bb855c0476ed64fe5f9243c6c3e3f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20240927140940_a5cdb632efad0a68e2efb3697c572f224d3bb855c0476ed64fe5f9243c6c3e3f" data-rendition-name="original" width="3500" height="2625" loading="lazy" alt="TV or not TV"> <figcaption>Photo: SURESH PAUDYAL </figcaption> </figure>  “I even went to see an episode of Indian Idol and they had such a big production that it seemed impossible to execute a Nepali version,” he says. “But even the Maldives were doing it, so we went ahead.” Nepal Idol was able to secure a good title sponsorship, and ratings have held, although what Paudyal really wants is the show to grow bigger every year.&nbsp; All in all, the content side of linear Nepali TV channels is bleak. But, Nepali entrepreneurs are starting up streaming services like Paradygm TV, and there are producers with better video skills both home and abroad. Perhaps the lack of quality is the perfect starting place for young, talented, and driven professionals who are passionate about TV. There is nowhere to go but up. &nbsp;

Vishad Raj Onta

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TV or not TV

Television technology has vastly improved image quality in the 4 years after the last world cup. It may be time to upgrade. <img width="640" height="707" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d75d9c7e80680e0314dajpeg.jpg" alt=""/>The world’s biggest sporting event FIFA World Cup was first broadcast on television in 1954, when its viewers exceeded even that of the Olympic Games. As the 2018 World Cup opening nears, the excitement is building up for an exhilarating experience for those who will travel to Russia, as well as those who will spend the summer watching the games on home television. The technology has improved vastly in the last four years, with better image quality, higher definition and better sound systems.Sales of TVs grow exponentially during every international sports event. “Though the championship happens only every four years, the World Cup is the biggest festival for TV companies,” says Nabin Pokhrel at Skyworth in Kathmandu. “We do not want to miss out on this opportunity to present our latest models.”TV was invented only 90 years ago, and the technology is advancing at an accelerated pace. It has gone from large cathode ray tubes to wallpaper-thin QLED TVs now. With the convergence of internet with TV, the demand today is for smart TVs with bigger screens. Global market leaders such as Samsung, LG, Skyworth and Sony all incorporate these latest features like 43-55 inch screens, 4K or full HD resolution, smart features, fine sound system and LED backlights.Many companies are offering discounts up to 27% and gift vouchers this season. Some high-end brands are also offering limited editions: Skyworth’s thinnest Wallpaper OLED, Samsung’s 100% burn-in resistant QLED, Sony’s slanted Bravia OLED. They will surely blow a hole in your wallets, but you won't mind when the games kick off. <img width="534" height="1024" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d75f9c7e80680e0314dbjpeg.jpg" alt="">“Go beyond your initial budget and purchase a higher inch TV with internet and the option to upgrade, so that you won’t regret the decision for at least 5-6 years,” advises Alok Gupta at Samsung in Kathmandu. Or, you may want to forego monitors and invest in a high-end digital projector with a surround sound system to watch the action on your wall's virtual stadium.With TV companies going all out to cash in on the football fever, this might be a good time to go for that flat-screen 4K you have been eyeing. These gadgets will outlast FIFA, adding to your home entertainment system, and will be around for the 2022 games in Qatar.Samsung Model: UA55M5500 ARSHE Screen: 55 inch LED Operating system: Tizen HD Technology: Full HD Smart TV Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels Features: PurColor, Smart HUB, USB connection, one remote control, Evolution kit for software update, color and contrast enhancer, TV to mobile mirroring, sports mode, Dolby Digital Plus, Smart View, Bluetooth audio, and more. Offers: 11-27% cash back, 2 years warranty, 0% EMI on purchase, gift vouchers from Turkish Airlines, KGH hotels, Vayodha Hospital and a lucky draw for gift hampers. Offer price: Rs133,300 <img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7629c7e80680e0314dcjpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="412" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7649c7e80680e0314ddjpeg.jpg" alt="">Skyworth Model: 55G6 Big Screen Android Screen: 55 inch LED Operating system: Android 6.0 HD Technology: 4K UHD Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels Features: Powerful front soundbar, Dolby Digital and DTS TruSurround, metal frame design, Bluetooth connectivity, voice search, cinema and sports mode, Google Play Store, Google Cast Offers: Up to 25% cash back Offer price: Rs97,356Sony Model: KD-49X7000E Bravia Screen: 49 inch Edge LED Operating system: Linux HD Technology: 4K UHD Internet TV Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Pixel Features: 4K picture processor X1, 4K X-Reality PRO, Bluetooth and Smartphone connectivity, TRILUMINOS display, dynamic contrast enhancer, live football sound mode, Open Baffle Speaker, 3 HDMI inputs, DTS Digital Surround and more. Offer: 20% cash back Offer price: Rs124,000 <img width="640" height="407" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7679c7e80680e0314dejpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="414" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d76a9c7e80680e0314dfjpeg.jpg" alt="">LG Model: 55UJ652T Smart TV Screen: 55 inch LED Operating system: WebOS HD Technology: 4K UHD Resolution: 3840 x 2160 Pixel Features: USB connectivity, 4 HDMI inputs, ultra slim, magic zoom, magic remote and mobile connection, single click access, Tellybean (video calling), unlimited content from LG store, expandable memory, 4 years warranty, and more. Price: Rs217,590Rowa Model: 65D1800A Smart Android Screen: 65 inch LED Operating system: Android 5.1 HD Technology: 4K UHD Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels Features: Black crystal panel, dual core A53 1.5HZ, Quad core, memory flash 1.5 GBDDR3/8GB flash, wireless WiFi default, multimedia video, 4000:1 contrast ratio, 178*178 view angle, 3 HDMI inputs, 1 year warranty, and more. Price: Rs162,075 <img width="640" height="479" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d76d9c7e80680e0314e0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><img width="640" height="424" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7709c7e80680e0314e1jpeg.jpg" alt="">Hisense Model: HX55N3000UWT Smart TV Screen: 55 Inch LED Operating system: VIDAA Lite 2.0 HD Technology: 4K UHD Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels Features: 3 HDMI inputs and 2 USB ports, Dolby Digital audio, Internet features, preloaded Opera store, screen mirroring, easy user interface and smart view, 178 degree viewing angle, two built in speakers, and more. Price: Rs145,000Read also:<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/skyworth-world-cup-offer/">Skyworth world cup offer</a><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/business/road-to-russia-win-a-ticket-to-world-cup-2018/">Road to Russia: win a ticket to World Cup 2018</a>

Kicking off

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110711110/6368d7459c7e80680e0314d1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="667"/><figcaption>Sudeep Acharya, CEO of Dish Home</figcaption></figure>There used to be a time when <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nepali-radio-nepali-awaj,3728">listening to the radio was against the law</a> in Nepal. And today, anyone who travels to rural Nepal can see how the media landscape has changed - there are satellite dishes on the roofs of each household, and people easily tune in to Nepali and Indian TV channels.Today 43% of (sampled) population consumes TV content daily, (<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-nepals-media-landscape-is-being-transformed/">Sharecast Initiatives Survey 2018</a>) but behind the journey of the country’s transformation is a decade-long story of struggle.<a href="https://www.dishhome.com.np/">Dish Media Limited</a>, a broadcast and transmission company with 30% market share in Nepal, otherwise known as Dish Home, was a pioneer in this area.  “Indian direct-to-home (DTH) providers in Nepal created a hype in the early 2000s, attracting many media companies with the promise of a growing market,” says Sudeep Acharya, CEO of Dish Home. “Companies believed they would soon double their investments, but instead everyone realized the need for proper homework.”In <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=17184#.Ww-2be6FPIU">2010 the government granted authority</a> to six companies to operate direct-to-home Dish TV. Within a few months, Marigold Entertainment,  M Vision, and Home TV by Satellite Channel merged to form Dish Home. The reason was simple: growth of the business called for more content purchase and updated satellite—meaning a large investment that would not provide quick return, because growing the number of subscribers took time. Such risks were better shared with a team.In 2011, Dish Home invested 360 million in the business with loans from 14 different banks and financial companies, but it still did not turn a profit. The company approached the market continuously and aggressively, guided by the right to information and a missionto make TV a household necessity. Acharya says, “After years of hard work, by 2018 we can finally say that we have become a profitable media company reaching all corners of Nepal.”Dish Home also operates many subsidiary channels such as Channel DH Showcase, DH Showcase 2, Preview Channel, Plus Movie, Ramailo TV and DH Action Sports. It also broadcasts Indian serials and cartoons dubbed in Nepali, believing it could lead to the possibility of creating such content locally.The main challenge for Dish Home is going fully digital to comply with the regulations of <a href="https://www.itu.int/en/Pages/default.aspx">ITU</a>, an international governing body of communication technologies. Unlike in India or the U.S. where government provides subsidy on set up box, adapters or other technologies to go digital, in Nepal customers get no such facilities. As a result, 65% of the company’s total subscription, mostly outside Kathmandu, is still analogue. Another challenge is the open border with India, which allows for easy entry of illegal dishes in Southern Nepal.Despite the challenges, Acharya is upbeat about the future: Dish Home has planned exciting things for the upcoming the World Cup fever, broadcasting the games on DH Action Sports with live commentary in Nepali language. "At the moment, we are keeping the identity of the commentator in wraps, it you surely don't want to miss it!" says Acharya.

From luxury to necessity

Recent outrage in Sikkim over an Indian Army expedition climbing <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/saving-kangchenjunga">Kangchenjunga</a>, the world’s third-highest peak, has spiked attention to the need to balance mountaineering jobs with indigenous reverence for sacred landmarks. Kangchenjunga (8,586m) is not a peak as much as it is a mountain range with 16 peaks above 7,000m on the border between India and Nepal -- the word itself means ‘five treasures of the snows’ in Tibetan. Some of the highest prominences like Kangchenjunga West and Kangbachen are in Nepal, while the Main, Central and South Peaks are on the border. Climbing the peak from the Indian side has been banned since 2001 because the indigenous Lepcha community there regard the mountain as the abode of Dzoe-nga, the patron deity of Sikkim, which was an independent Himalayan Kingdom until it was annexed by India in 1975.&nbsp; Buddhists in Sikkim say their saint, Padmasambhava, recognised the mountain as a protective spirit. The state has declared the base of the mountain Kangchenjunga National Park, which covers an area one-third of Sikkim. ‘The act of scaling this sacred peak is not only a matter of serious concern but also a violation of both the prevailing legal provisions and the deeply held religious beliefs of the people of Sikkim,’ read a letter from Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang (Golay) to Amit Shah, India’s Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation.&nbsp; Tamang continued: ‘We further request Your Honour to take up the issue with the Government of Nepal to ensure that no future expeditions are permitted on the sacred mountain, in deference to the deeply held beliefs and cultural values of the people of Sikkim.’ Kangchenjunga was climbed for the first time exactly 70 years ago by a British team who told King Tashi Namgyal, the Choegyal of Sikkim, that they would not set foot on the summit. Since then, there have been about 532 successful climbs of the peaks and 52 have died while trying.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628060616_5c268e08cf49f36b79ef9b31933fc2d9bf9a6f65414e7ca06dd028bf04e7ccc1.png" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20250628060616_5c268e08cf49f36b79ef9b31933fc2d9bf9a6f65414e7ca06dd028bf04e7ccc1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1782" height="1178" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb NT"> <figcaption>Indigenous communities in Sikkim held purification ceremonies following the Indian expedition to Kangchenjunga. Photo: THE VOICE OF SIKKIM / FACEBOOK</figcaption> </figure>  <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/peak-climbing-season-2025-s4abrxny">This spring climbing season</a> alone, there were 70 climbing permits for foreigners issued for Kangchenjunga by the Nepal government, and made it to the top while one French climber died.&nbsp; One of the expeditions this year was an Indian Army team led by Col Ranveer Jamwal, who has summited the highest peaks on all seven continents, and Mt Everest thrice. Jamwal’s team was on the final leg of a ‘<a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/nimas-summits-mt-kangchenjunga-concludes-historic-har-shikhar-tiranga-mission-successfully/articleshow/121341315.cms?from=mdr">Har Shikhar Tiranga</a>’ (The Tricolour on Every Peak) mission to plant the Indian flag at the highest points of each of India’s 28 states. Kanchenjunga was the last peak they had left, and the hardest, but the expedition put five climbers on the summit. What seems to have incensed the Sikkimese is that while it has banned climbing the mountain from its side, it was an Indian military expedition that went to Nepal to climb the mountain. After news broke of the climb in May, the Sikkim Indigenous Lepcha Tribal Association asked people to observe purification ceremonies in temples across the state. Mayalmit Lepcha of the association acknowledged that the Sikkim government was also partly at fault: “I don’t think such an expedition could have gone forward without the state government being informed, so it could have done something to intervene. It shows weakness. What’s done is done, all we can do is carry out these sanctification ceremonies.”&nbsp; In 2000, one year before Sikkim’s ban, the state allowed an Austrian team to attempt Kanchenjunga’s northeast face for a fee of $20,000, on agreement that they would stop 10m before the summit. Despite this, there was outrage over the expedition on the grounds that it violated Indian laws regarding the defiling of religious sites and Sikkim’s rights to maintain its culture after merging with India. The Indian Army expedition was also seen to have circumvented Sikkim’s law and violated religious sensibilities by going through Nepal. While the team may have thought they were respecting Sikkim’s beliefs by finding a way to complete the mission, the people of Sikkim saw it as defilement.&nbsp; The somber mood of the Sikkim people at the ritual contrasts sharply with Jamwal’s sense of accomplishment. “Without a doubt, the most difficult summit of my life,” he told reporters after the climb. “It tested every ounce of our will.”&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628060616_ccfe079c78dab788d19fe2080ee8a5d5dcb11de4157316f6d94e5964da097157.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20250628060616_ccfe079c78dab788d19fe2080ee8a5d5dcb11de4157316f6d94e5964da097157" data-rendition-name="original" width="787" height="377" loading="lazy" alt="Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb NT"> <figcaption>Prayer flags along the Sikkim-Kangchenjunga trekking route. Photo: TREKKINGININDIA.COM</figcaption> </figure>  The <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-rise-and-fall-of-nims-purja">controversial Nepali-British mountaineer Nirmal Purja</a> was also on Kangchenjunga this spring the mountain, on a mission to summit all 14 8,000m peaks for a third time. He echoed Jamwal about the tough conditions: “The conditions above camp were extremely tough, with deep snow and challenging terrain—more crevasses than usual.” Nepal’s government has not said anything publicly, but it is unlikely that it will ban climbing on Kangchenjunga, since it is becoming popular with expeditions because of its technical challenges, and overcrowding on Mt Everest. Nepal does have bans in place for some of its mountains out of respect for local beliefs. <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/to-open-machapuchre-for-mountaineering-or-not">Mt Machapuchre</a> (6,990m) the imposing pyramid that looms over Pokhara, for example, is seen as an icon of purity by the Gurung people and a symbol of Vishnu by the Hindu communities who live at its base. A strict climbing ban has been in place since 1957, when a British expedition led by Col Jimmy Roberts stopped 45m short of the summit – either because the last bit was too difficult or out of deference to local sentiments.&nbsp; Khumbila that stands above Namche Bazar is only 5,761m high, but like Kanchenjunga is considered the protector deity of the Sherpa people. Gauri Shankar on the Nepal-China border, called Chomo Tseringma by the local community, was off-limits between 1965 and 1979 due to its association with Lord Shiva and Gauri, his consort. Although expeditions are now allowed, there are not too many takers. In Tibet, climbing Mount Kailash is prohibited by the Chinese government because it revered by the Hindus, Buddhists and followers of the Bon faith. Even Mt Everest is regarded as sacred, and its Sherpa name is Chomolungma, Goddess Mother of the Earth.&nbsp; Economically, climbs on Kanchenjunga bring in decent revenue. This climbing season, the 41 permits, at $1,800 each, brought in $73,800. This is somewhat comparable to Makalu, Lhotse, and Annapurna I, but these numbers are dwarfed by the $4 million in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-everest-industry">Everest permits</a>. Revenue from Kanchenjunga climbing permits is something Nepal could potentially forgo if necessary, but the expeditions also provide jobs to hundreds of high altitude guides, porters, base camp support staff and other logistical costs.&nbsp; As the third highest mountain in the world and the tallest in India, there will always be significant motivation to climb it from the Nepal side, especially as climbers are drawn by the technical climbing at high altitude.

Kangchenjunga: too sacred to climb?

The monsoon this year arrived on time, and brought life-giving rain — irrigating paddy terraces, recharging groundwater, reviving springs, and increasing electricity generation.
But Nepal has to deal with either too much water or too little. On a clear April day before the monsoon, the hills of Sindhuli district were parched, and there were wildfires burning out of control. There had been no rain for the past six months.
And that has been the perennial crisis for Nepal’s farmers: that 85% of the rainfall occurs during just four months of the monsoon with little rain for the other eight months.&nbsp;
The water crisis is related to the powerful changes sweeping the mid-hill region of Nepal. With better roads, higher incomes and more exposure, many residents now aspire to have the kind of water supply seen in urban homes. They want hot or cold water at the turn of a tap, showers and flush tank toilets.&nbsp;
To meet this rising demand, many local and provincial governments are investing in large water supply projects often by lifting water from rivers hundreds of metres down the mountain. But these new systems may not be sustainable in the long run.
Many villages in Sindhuli are switching from local springs to piped systems, and even in rural homes, overhead tanks are becoming common.
But this new convenience comes with big challenges. Lifting water from rivers far below requires long pipes, electric pumps, and constant maintenance. These systems are costly, and the streams themselves often shrink to a trickle in the dry months. Big water-lifting schemes look impressive, but there is doubt if they can meet growing water demand.
A much more sustainable solution would be what some communities are doing: restoring old ponds or build new recharge systems. But those villages are exceptions, in most places traditional ponds and wallows are being filled up to be turned into sports fields, or make way for buildings.
Where there are new ponds, they are sometimes in the wrong places or without proper design. Roads and drains are not engineered properly and have increased landslides and erosion. Water management in hilly areas is not just about building things, it is about building in the right way, in the right place.
Traditional water systems were based on nature. They were not perfect, but they used the land wisely. Ponds used to hold rainwater and slowly refill springs which supported families, farms, and forests.&nbsp;
Not everything worked well in the past, but we can learn from traditional water management practices. Across Nepal, some rural municipalities have launched campaigns to store monsoon runoff — either in tanks, ponds or by recharging the aquifers.
But not all efforts have been successful. Some ponds are built without any hydrological study. Some are rushed to meet deadlines rather than real needs.&nbsp;
Now, the Muhan initiative hopes to revive springs to make households more resilient and help farmings. With the financial support of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, research is being done to understand how springs work and how they are affected by changes in rainfall, land use, and development.&nbsp;
Instead of just building pipes and tanks, the project maps the entire springshed so we can understand the root cause of water shortage. In Sindhuli, the problem is not the amount of rain, but the loss of natural systems that store it and the social systems that manage water.&nbsp;
Nepal’s towns and villages now face a major challenge: how to manage water all year round as demand rises with people’s living standards. Depending only on river-lift systems is not a sustainable solution.&nbsp;
We need a mix of approaches that help store water from the rainy season to make it available for the rest of the year, whether by directly harvesting rainwater, restoring ponds, managing springsheds, or smart management of demand.
Rural Nepal is also seeing dramatic depopulation. Much of the outmigration can be stemmed if there is easier water supply for agriculture and household use. Across the mid hills, villages are emptying because springs are going dry. Government policy needs to catch up with the reality on the ground, and support solutions that work for people and nature. Every water supply plan should include recharge structures. Every road or building project should consider water flow and erosion. Local governments need more than budgets: they need training, tools, and data.
Ngamindra Dahal is with the Nepal Water Conservation Foundation, Kathmandu. Hemant Ojha collaborated in this piece and is associated with the Australian National University.

Water for Life

The debate about who is less accountable to the public: politicians or bureaucrats is as old as Nepal’s democracy itself.
Some blame politicians for being beholden to the businessmen who finance their electoral campaigns, and are forced to return the favour with contracts and kickbacks when in power.&nbsp;
Others say it is civil servants who are neither civil nor servants, and know the inner workings of the system to exploit loopholes – they then teach ministers, MPs, mayors, or ward chairs which juicy projects can be squeezed. And everyone gets their share.
In reality, it is probably not a case of either, or. Both have their hands deep in the honey pot. Corruption is now such a given that yet another exposé in the mainstream press, like the latest visit-visa scam, does not raise eyebrows anymore.
We may have to edit Lord Acton’s famous quote to say that in Nepal we do not even need absolute power to corrupt absolutely. The ruling cartel has divvied up the spoils, so that no one ever faces charges. The three parties all know about the skeletons rattling in each other’s closets, and they cancel each other out.
Politicians and bureaucrats get all the blame for taking bribes, but what of the givers of bribes? In this crony capitalism, businesses invariably need political patrons in an elaborate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-only-growth-industry-private-sector-corruption" target="_blank">national network of give-and-take</a>.
<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepals-only-growth-industry-private-sector-corruption" target="_blank">Politicians and businesses work hand-in-glove</a> so that conflict of interest in contracts, insider trading, cartelling, and non-performing assets of banks become the norm. Our survey after the 2017 local election showed that out of the 753 newly-elected local government chairs, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/elected-contractors" target="_blank">nearly 300 were contractors</a> involved in sand-mining, quarrying, or transportation syndicates.
Nepal’s tycoons have discovered that instead of donating to election war chests of politicians, it is a much surer return on investment to spend the money to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/the-business-of-politics-in-nepal" target="_blank">become legislators and politicians themselves</a>.
In democracies, there are checks and balances to control corruption when it becomes endemic. The Nepal Police and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are supposed to do the detective work without political interference. The courts are required to be independent in dispensing justice and punishing crooks.
But the less said about the judiciary the better. A writ petition in the Supreme Court last week accused our sister magazine <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/" target="_blank">HimalKhabar</a> of contempt of court for two stories: one about how high courts have been overturning a majority of verdicts of district courts in cases of rape, and another about the Biratnagar High Court clearing a self-proclaimed holy man, Krishna Bahadur Giri, of rape despite police presenting physical evidence.
The doctrine of the separation of powers stipulates that it is when the other three pillars in a democracy are compromised that the role of the free press becomes even more vital. The world over, as soon as populist autocrats are elected to the executive, their first order of business is to co-opt the legislature and the judiciary. Then they buy off, intimidate, or neutralise the media with Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
Nepal’s officialdom seems to be taking midnight Zoom lessons from other despots on how to gag the media. Last month, popular talk show host Dil Bhushan Pathak was served an arrest warrant by the Kathmandu District Court for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CntsnTrtG8" target="_blank">a YouTube explainer</a> about the alleged involvement of the son of Foreign Minister Arzu Deuba Rana in a reported purchase of Kathmandu’s Hilton Hotel.
The Lalitpur District Court ruled that Pathak could not be arrested without fair trial, but this week the Kathmandu District Court filed another case against the journalist based on a complaint by the Cyber Bureau, and put him on a fugitive list.&nbsp;
Without going into the veracity of Pathak’s explainer, it is deeply problematic that the Electronic Transaction Act has been invoked – proof that politicians are getting the courts and investigating agencies to make an example of a high profile journalist.&nbsp;
The intention is to silence media investigations into the fake refugee scandal in which the main partner in the ruling coalition is implicated, and in which one of its former home ministers was jailed last year.
The Kathmandu High Court has been mysteriously active in targeting journalists these days. <a href="https://bizmandu.com/" target="_blank">Bizmandu</a> and <a href="https://nepalkhabar.com/" target="_blank">Nepalkhabar</a> were served a notice last month <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/no-freedom-after-expression-y4inku06" target="_blank">to withdraw a story they did</a> on the Chair of the <a href="https://www.sebon.gov.np/" target="_blank">Security and Exchange Board of Nepal (SEBON</a>) Santosh Narayan Shrestha allegedly demanding kickbacks from hydropower investors.&nbsp;
Incredibly, the court even asked the two portals not to report on the subject anymore – a ruling so absurd that the Patan High Court overturned it a week later.&nbsp;
The allegations against Shrestha were made in a public meeting of the <a href="https://www.ippan.org.np/members/3060/bungal-hydro-ltd" target="_blank">Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN)</a>, and MPs demanded a <a href="https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/parliament-demands-probe-into-sebon-chairman-over-alleged-commission-demand-40-32.html" target="_blank">Parliament inquiry</a> into the regulator. <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/144523/santosh-narayan-shrestha" target="_blank">HimalKhabar</a> reported this week that while Shrestha was reportedly demanding commissions from private investors for IPOs, he cleared primary share sales in Bajhang’s 10.75MW <a href="https://www.ippan.org.np/members/3060/bungal-hydro-ltd" target="_blank">Bungal Hydro</a> in which his family members have investments, company records show.
And then just on Monday, bureaucrats hoodwinked MPs by deleting references in a bill requiring a two-year ‘cooling off’ period under which retiring civil servants could be barred from holding constitutional positions for two years.
The contest for who is more corrupt: bureauacrats, politicians, or the private sector is on.
Kunda Dixit

SLAPPing Democracy

<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-last-of-the-kusunda">The Kusunda</a> are among the last remaining hunter-gatherer communities left in Nepal, and it has only one fluent speaker left of a language that is not related to any other language group in South Asia.&nbsp; The Kusunda call themselves the King of the Forests ((गेम्येहाक़ in Kusunda,वन राजा in Nepali) and used to have a nomadic lifestyle till recently. But decades of exclusion from mainstream society and modernity have forced the Kusunda to assimilate. &nbsp; Today, most Kusunda live across Nepal’s mid-hills and western plains, choosing to identify themselves as Thakuri and adopting names like Sen, Shahi, and Khan to avoid ostracisation. Over time, inter-ethnic marriages between the Kusunda and other communities became increasingly common.&nbsp; However, the assimilation with other communities also meant that almost no one from the Kusunda community can speak their mother tongue – considered by linguists to be a ‘language isolate’ not related to any other language group in the world, and lacking set rules of grammar that are foundational to other languages. There are no words for ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in Kusunda, nor are there words to signify direction. There are 23 languages with less than 1,000 speakers listed in Nepal's 2021 census, with Kusunda being the language with the least number of speakers. The number of people who identified as Kusunda has decreased with each subsequent census. Only 253 individuals identified themselves as Kusunda in the last National Census of 2021, down from 273 in 2011.&nbsp; <div class="embed-block"><iframe src="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/raithane-bhakha/embed/episodes/Kusundas---the-last-of-the-forest-kings-e23ge6p/a-a9peei1" height="102px" width="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> The government’s decision to provide a social security stipend to the community for the past few years has prompted many from the Kusunda community to reclaim their identity and in the process, explore their culture and language. Kamala Sen Kusunda, who lives in Dang, is the only fluent native Kusunda speaker alive, although there are now other Kusunda and non-Kusunda people learning how to speak the language. By the time Kamala Sen Kusunda was born in 1975, her family had settled in a village in Rolpa. Although she did not experience the nomadic life of her forebears, she still roamed the forests freely as a child and many of the values and socio-cultural practices of her community were instilled in her and her siblings.&nbsp; This meant that Kamala grew up speaking Kusunda with her family. But by then, the Kusunda had increasingly begun to interact with people beyond their community, and inter-ethnic marriages had become a norm.&nbsp; Kamala herself married at 18 to a 52-year-old man from the Chhetri community. She would go on to have four children, but they were brought up with her husband’s culture and community rather than her own, and teaching them her mother tongue seemed impractical.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250628030648_afaa298bf8ea3b7086e2ed086b11eab463ef2b20a82a4aad74df3dd2e922a4c3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_2" data-image-id="20250628030648_afaa298bf8ea3b7086e2ed086b11eab463ef2b20a82a4aad74df3dd2e922a4c3" data-rendition-name="original" width="855" height="641" loading="lazy" alt="Kusunda NT"> <figcaption>Gyani Maiya Kusunda with Kusunda youth in 2015.</figcaption> </figure>  “If I had spoken my language to them when they were children, they would have learned,” she tells us ruefully. “But they were growing up in a different community, so I never pushed, and they never expressed interest.” At the time, she had other things to worry about, such as earning a livelihood and sustaining her family. To find work, Kamala and her family moved to Shimla in India, where she worked at an apple orchard for six years.&nbsp; Over the next years, Kamala and her family moved back and forth between India and Nepal for work, and Kamala was not actively conversing in the language of her people or being able to connect with members of her community now scattered across Nepal.&nbsp; Had she not forgotten her language after all those years? “How could I forget the language of my ancestors?” she replies. “Not speaking it did not mean that it ceased to be a part of me.”&nbsp; Kamala had been working at a brick kiln in Thimi seven years ago when the National Language Commission tracked her down, offered her a paid position as a Kusunda language consultant and source person for basic language training in Dang.&nbsp; It was there that Kamala met her cousin Gyani Maiya Sen Kusunda, the only other person able to speak Kusunda fluently, who had been working with the Commission to conserve Kusunda language and culture. It was also where Kamala met language researcher and lexicographer Uday Raj Ale. Ale had been in the middle of his research into the Tharu language and community 15 years ago when he met Gyani Maiya Kusunda’s son, who told him that his mother was one of the few people who spoke Kusunda, but that no one had shown an interest in studying and preserving the language and culture. Ale met Gyani Maiya, spending time with her learning and researching Kusunda. By 2017, Ale had collected enough words to put together a Kusunda dictionary. The Kusunda vocabulary currently comprises 2,000 words. His research into the Kusunda language and culture has taken him to every known Kusunda household in Nepal. Although the census puts the number of Kusunda at 253, Ale reckons there are only 158.&nbsp; “Kusunda language is endangered due to its lack of use in everyday life, literature, and religious and socio-cultural practices, as well as the prevalence of inter-ethnic marriages,” explains Ale. In 2019 the Language Commission began its language transfer programs for youth from indigenous communities. Since then, the Commission has completed multiple phases of Kusunda language classes in Dang facilitated by Uday Raj Ale. The classes have 20 students, not just from the Kusunda community, but also interested non-native students.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250626120632_c6c378bc00af450f2b7f0cf17af1c3b2b6f7b7226927c458c3e01ec389869d33.jpg" data-media-id="editor_3" data-image-id="20250626120632_c6c378bc00af450f2b7f0cf17af1c3b2b6f7b7226927c458c3e01ec389869d33" data-rendition-name="original" width="1485" height="1535" loading="lazy" alt="Kusunda NT"> <figcaption>Students learning Kusunda with instructor Uday Raj Ale (second row, left)</figcaption> </figure>  Khamba Rokaya, who worked as a caretaker for young Kusunda children in Dang, became interested in learning the language as she sat in with the children during their lessons, and for the last few years has been among the few non-native Kusunda language learners in Dang. “I am not from the Kusunda community, but now that I have learned the language, I hope to do my part to carry on the work and share my knowledge with as many people as possible,” she says. “One way to ensure that we preserve this language is to extend its speaker base, both within the Kusunda and non-native communities.” Ale and Kamala have continued to work together since Gyani Maya’s passing in 2020, expanding the Kusunda vocabulary and creating appropriate curricula to fit the needs of the students as their knowledge of Kusunda expands.&nbsp; But without any documentation of Kusunda history, the community’s traditions, stories, values and language were at risk of being lost to time. “The loss of an ethnicity, language or culture in a country is akin to losing a vital organ, and a unique perspective of looking at the world,” says Ale. Which is why Archive Nepal in collaboration with the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund and the UK’s Department of Culture, Media, and Sport in February launched a book of creative writings in the Kusunda language titled पिन्डा (meaning ‘The First’ in Kusunda): A Compilation of Kusunda Literature. The book is a collection of informative essays about the Kusunda language and culture, short stories that explore themes from nomadic life to universal Nepali experiences of poverty and migration, letters to loved ones, as well as conversational pieces by five Kusunda students ranging from ages 16 to 30. The works in the Kusunda language are also translated into Nepali and English.&nbsp; “Language is an important part of ethnic identity, and our indigenous languages cannot evolve or be conserved unless they are spoken or taught,” said Ale during the launch of the book earlier this year. “But most importantly, language exists as long as there exists literature in that language.” Kamala was in Kathmandu for the launch of the book, and smiled proudly as she looked at the young writers who had contributed to the collection. She said: “I’m glad the young people have chosen to learn and preserve Kusunda. Otherwise, our language would have died with me.” &nbsp;