<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd98b9c7e80680e08021cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Someone has invented a mask through which one can sip a beverage without taking it off. We may be seeing such contraptions this season as connoisseurs of fine wine attend free socially distanced tasting events in Patan.Nepalis are used to celebrating Dasain with khasiko pakku, rangako choila and meaty items all washed down with beer, local raksi or scotch. But Vesper House in Jhamsikhel is looking to change all that with wines that do not just taste good on their own, but enhance the flavour of traditional Dasain dishes.This month till the 23 October Vesper is hosting free wine tasting in its retail store. Customers can walk into its unique cellar, or book appointments to get a taste of different varieties of wine from different parts of the world.“The whole idea about wine tasting is intelligent drinking,” says Ashank Rana of Vesper House, “Customers can create personal preference, compare notes and it is a great way to socialise.”For the uninitiated, wines can be as daunting to pronounce as to keep track of: Pinot Noir, Bordeaux, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Merlot. Vesper hopes to demystify wine, make it a less snobbish and intimidating affair.One staff member will be personally on call to attend and explain the available labels to customers, point out the subtle aroma and tastes as they roll the fluid in their mouths.Customers can choose from a range of wines, from Vesper’s own house label, which is produced by regional wineries in Italy, to more premium Pinot Noir, which has cultivated a massive following of hardcore wine enthusiasts worldwide, to the most popular among white wines, the Sauvignon Blanc.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd98e9c7e80680e08021djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9919c7e80680e08021ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="419"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9959c7e80680e08021fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427">Keeping the current Covid-19 situation in mind, less than seven people will be allowed inside the tasting area at a time. After the tasting, customers can choose to purchase their favourite bottles at a special price and take it home to share with families during the festive season.“Wine is a kind of different product. Each wine has a story to tell and people can have a conversation around it, which makes it a good choice of drinks,” says Rana.Vesper, is also one of the major importers of fine wines in Nepal, specialising in wines from Spain, France, Italy, Australia and Germany. “We keep in mind the palette of Nepalis when importing wines while some are chosen because they are in trend at the moment,” says Rana.Tasting wine is a very different experience from drinking it but Vesper House has made a concerted effort to educate Nepalis when it comes to wine. Before the pandemic hit, Vesper routinely brought in sommeliers from around the world for events. It regularly trains staff both in-house and in other hotels and restaurants about the nuances of wine.Those interested can also sign-up for a wine workshop (this is on-hold due to the pandemic), where the team guides them in how to identify the appearance, taste and smell of the wines. Each client is poured three different wines: one each of sparkling, white and red (this can be customised to the client’s liking) and provided a tasting mat to take notes in along with some hors d’oeuvre to cleanse the palate in between drinks.The team then explains the details: name, year, region of origin, grape variety(ies) before moving on to discuss the appearance: the colours, clarity, intensity, smell: intensity, aroma, palate: flavours, alcohol content, body, finish etc. At the end of this session even first timers will come out appreciating wines a little more.For those who want to take a deep dive in the world of wines, Vesper House also offers a wine club subscription, where enthusiasts can get a well-chosen selection of wine delivered to their doorsteps every month. The subscription ranges from Rs30,000 per year for Gold Curiosity plan to an annual Rs100,000 for the Platinum option. This option may actually be a safe shopping habit during the pandemic restrictions.In the past years, Vesper has seen a change in its clientele. While it used to be more expats and foreigners coming in, they note that more Nepalis are drinking wine now. Says Rana, “More young Nepalis have developed a taste for good wine.”

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Cheers to Dasain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dIV0ykIN3MThe moment Kelsang Dolker, 25, enters a liquor store, she feels overwhelmed by the varieties of imported wines displayed on the wall-to-wall shelves. All the different names and locations listed on the bottles can leave an amateur flummoxed.  “Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah, what are these, even?” she asks.Dolker used to just decide on red or white, pick something not too pricey and grab the bottle. But she started developing a taste for Merlots with their dry and smooth finish, and came back repeatedly to buy more of the same.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/wine-charity-whatever-it-takes,821" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Let's drink to that</a>, Lawrence Miller<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=11086#.XmonOHIzbIU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vino nirvana in Kathmandu</a>, Bruce Owens<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78cd9c7e80680e0646bfjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"/><figcaption>Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>Ashank SJB Rana also knew little about the vast variety of wines before deciding to study it. It was because of the potential he saw for wine promotion in Nepal that he graduated in wine management from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is now director of marketing at Vesper House, a wine cellar and restaurant in Jhamsikhel. Rana has seen a gradual shift in Vesper’s clientele, with more Nepali buyers nowadays than expats.“It is natural for customers to be baffled, as wines are still a slow bloomer in the country. But consumers are catching up because they travel abroad and have exposure,” says Rana.Vesper House currently imports hundreds of wines, including from Australia, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. The Nepali company also has its own wine label appealing to a wide variety of pallets, from Chardonnay to Syrah to Cabernet Sauvignon. Nepali customers typically prefer Merlot and Chardonnay.Read also: <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Wine-wave-in-kathmandu,3366" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wine wave</a>, Smriti BasnetVesper works with restaurants to advise them on their wine menus, and trains their waiters.We asked Rana to list his ten most popular wine brands.<h2>The 10 most popular wines</h2><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d09c7e80680e0646c0jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.wine.com/product/gaja-costa-russi-2014/389594" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Costa Russi Barbaresco D.O.P, Gaja 2014</a>The 2014 Costa Russi is an amalgamation of berry fruits -- strawberry, raspberry, mulberry and black cherry. It also holds floral and spicy notes of rose, green tea, chestnut honey and fresh hay. This wine is said to be precise and well balanced. It pairs well with red meat and pasta.<a href="https://www.wine.com/product/tenuta-sette-ponti-oreno-2014/160954" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oreno Toscana IGT, Tenuta Sette Ponti 2014</a>Orena Toscana is a Bordeaux blend. This 2014 wine is Tuscan red and passes a flavour of flowers, citrus fruit and currants. It has a polished aftertaste. This wine compliments full-flavoured meats, game and roasts.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d19c7e80680e0646c1jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d29c7e80680e0646c2jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.wine.com/product/bruno-paillard-premiere-cuvee/5908" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Champagne Premiere Cuvee, Bruno Paillard Champagne</a>A combination of three grapes – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier – this French champagne opens with fresh brioche and toast flavours along with sweet cherries and strawberries. It has a bright straw-gold colour. It is slightly salty and any fish will go well with this drink.<a href="https://www.wine.com/product/tedeschi-amarone-della-valpolicella-2014/500627" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amarone della Valpolicella D.O.C.G, Tedeschi 2014</a>Strong ruby-red in colour and clear and transparent, with notes of vanilla and an ethereal air, depending on the ageing period of the barrel. It leaves behind notes of sweet fruits. The wine is well balanced, with an enduring flavour. It is best served with red meat and cheese.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d39c7e80680e0646c3jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d49c7e80680e0646c4jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.wine.com/product/bellavista-franciacorta-alma-cuvee-brut/8662" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bellavista Alma Cuvée Brut, Franciacorta D.O.C.G</a>Alma Cuvée has a white, bubbly and persistent mousse with bright yellow colour and luminous glints of green. The taste carries hints of sweet ripe fruit, meringue, pastries and candied citrus peel. Highly recommended with fish.<a href="https://framingham.co.nz/products/2016-framingham-pinot-noir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pinot Noir, Framingham 2016</a>New Zealand's Pinot Noir is bright and displays a mid-garnet colour. The flavour of this Pinot Noir leaves a lasting taste of cherries and herbs. It pairs well with duck, salmon or other fatty fish, roasted chicken or pastas.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d59c7e80680e0646c5jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d69c7e80680e0646c6jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><a href="https://framingham.co.nz/collections/framingham/products/2019-framingham-sauvignon-blanc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sauvignon Blanc, Framingham 2017</a>The 2017, Sauvignon Blanc has a smoky, flinty aroma, notes of bitter lemon and grapefruit and suggestions of tropical fruit salad. It has a rich, slightly chewy palate with good mouthfeel. Goat cheese, green vegetables, fresh herbs, and delicate fish with citrus dressing are best suited for this pallet of wine.<a href="https://www.folladorprosecco.com/?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prosecco Treviso Silver D.O.C, Follador</a>This wine has a bright yellow straw colour and leaves bubbles with delicate foam. The aromas are fruity and flowery, leaving a fresh, well structured and pleasant aftertaste. Best paired with starters, aperitifs and cocktails, fish and shellfish.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d69c7e80680e0646c7jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d89c7e80680e0646c8jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="128" height="500"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.vesperhouse.com/product/vesper-cabernet-sauvignon-2015/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vesper Cabernet Sauvignon, La Carraia</a>Vesper Cabernet Sauvignon is produced by La Carraia winery, located near Bachi in central Italy. Brilliant ruby-red in colour with slight berry fruit on the nose. Full and ripe on the palate with balanced tannins. Recommended with a first course and with lightly grilled meat dishes.<h2>Which wine with momos?</h2><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109101152/636b78d89c7e80680e0646c9jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="978">French sommelier Antoine Garet has been based in Kathmandu for over a decade. Fluent in Nepali, he currently runs Lazimpat-based restaurant Vino Bistro, where he sells and offers over 300 varieties of wine. Although his restaurant does not serve Nepali cuisine, Garet has some ideas about pairing wine with Nepali food.He maintains that pairing food and wine is all about pleasure, and how one does it will depend on the diner’s pallet. “If the dal bhat you are eating is spicy, you would go for two glasses of cold water. It’s similar with wine. You would want something fresh and light.”With momos, too, Garet generally prefers a light wine, maybe a Chardonnay, because it leaves a light and refreshing taste that will help dissolve the momo’s strong flavours in between bites. He has a different take, however, on sekuwas and seafood. “If you want to drink wine with your sekuwa, opt for a thick wine. It’s all about balance, and why waste a good rich taste on something that doesn’t complement it?” He also advises that prawn should not be eaten with red wine, as the chemicals don’t work well together.Read also: <a style="background-color: #ffffff; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=10410#.XmonNnIzbIU">In vino veritas</a>, Bruce Owens

On cloud wine

https://youtu.be/1jdbg4DVyecPeer pressure drove Sudip to start drinking at a young age. Soon, he was an addict and lost his job at a travel agency. His personal relationships soured and health deteriorated. He dabbled in various trades, but was often inebriated from early morning. He did sober up. When the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/blogs/kundadixit/2015/05/27/a-month-that-felt-like-a-year/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earthquake struck in 2015</a>, he was travelling with his infant son. The shock drove him to drink again. Sudip has been in and out of rehab, but nothing worked until he was tasked with organising <a href="http://www.aanepal.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings</a> in Kathmandu. The challenge finally made it possible to overcome his own addiction.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/editorial/octoberfest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Octoberfest</a>, Editorial“I used to find solution in drinking. Now, I know that not drinking is the solution,” says Sudip, now in his mid 40s and 15-months sober. We caught up with Sudip during one of his meeting with AA in Patan this week where 23 men from their 20s to 60s were seated in rows. While the oldest member spoke about how he had not had a drink for 10 years, a newly-sober member talked about how difficult it had been for him. Each was met with applause. <a href="http://www.who.int/news-room/detail/21-09-2018-harmful-use-of-alcohol-kills-more-than-3-million-people-each-year--most-of-them-men" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alcohol kills more than three million people every year around the world</a>, mostly men. <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31571-X/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A recent paper in the journal Lancet</a> reported that no level of alcohol improves health, challenging the notion that moderate drinking is good for the heart.  <figure><img width="1400" height="1050" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171116/63692f8b9c7e80680e03c0afjpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Binge drinking during Dasain causes many cured alcoholics to suffer relapses. Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption></figure>Some <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31310-2/fulltext" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21% of men in Nepal are regular drinkers</a>, but only 1.5% of women. The annual per capita alcohol consumption among Nepalis is 2.2 litres, but increases to 28.8 litres among drinkers (36.2 litres in men). Nearly 1% of Nepalis suffer from alcohol dependence, according to WHO, but this seems to be an underestimate as it does not count <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14913#.W8CRk3szaUl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">homemade alcohol</a>. “There has been an increase in alcohol consumption in Nepal and it is a bigger risk factor than <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-scientist-returns-to-pinpoint-hazards-of-dirty-air/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">smoking</a>, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/nepali-scientist-returns-to-pinpoint-hazards-of-dirty-air/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">air pollution</a> or adulterated food. Plus it leads to an increase in crime rate,” says psychiatrist Rabi Shakya at Patan Hospital. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/festivals-of-sisterhood/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Festivals of sisterhood</a>, Sewa Bhattarai and Sabina DevkotaThe challenge is that cultural drinking is accepted, people use it as self-medication, and social drinking has become the norm. Sale of alcohol shoots up during festivals like Dasain and Tihar.“Alcohol-related problems are a common cause of hospital admissions, and it is rising with liver cirrhosis and mouth cancer and infectious diseases,” says Buddha Basnyat, a physician at the Patan Academy of Health Sciences. Binge drinking during festivals like Dasain are worrisome because that is when cured alcoholics are most susceptible to suffer relapse. “Dasain is a trigger, a temptation for all the recovering alcoholics like us,” admits Samir Timilisina, Chair of Alcoholics Anonymous in Kathmandu. AA began in Nepal in 1970s and holds meetings six days a week at Patan Hospital, Teaching Hospital and Lazimpat. There are currently 60 regular members. Timilsina himself struggled with addiction for 25 years and has been sober for the past 14 months. “AA meetings are for those who have realised their problem, want to quit but are unable to do so. We share each other’s stories and draw inspiration from that,” he explains. Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-sacrifice-of-animal-sacrifices/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The sacrifice of animal sacrifices</a>, Aashish MishraSenior cardiologist Prakash Regmi at Bir Hospital is busiest this time of the year. Patients with Holiday Heart Syndrome, a condition with abnormal and high heartbeat due to excessive drinking, crowd his clinic. They need immediate treatment, or may die due to heart failure or stroke.“Our mentality that festivals cannot be celebrated without booze needs to be wiped out,” says Regmi.Mark Zimmerman has been practicing medicine in Nepal for 32 years, and has found alcoholism to be common, but difficult to treat. “<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4584#.W8CL2HszaUk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It is a disease</a>, but excessive drinking is considered a habit, a coping mechanism to deal with stress, and therein lies the biggest problem,” explains Zimmerman, who has noticed a rise in female alcoholics among his patients. “At any given time, up to 10% of patients here are alcohol related, and most have damaged 3-4 organs due to excessive drinking. But this is just a tip of the iceberg because those are only who come to hospital,” he adds.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/no-dasain-in-kalikot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">No Dasain in Kalikot</a>, Seetashma ThapaAlcoholism is especially prevalent in impoverished western Nepal, where rice sent by the government to tide over food insecurity is often distilled into bootleg alcohol. Until six years ago, Accham was a dry district, but that led to the sale of spurious liquor, leading to a huge disease burden.“Alcohol is a major source of revenue generation. But we have not thought about the much higher price we are paying for treatment,” says Bikash Gauchan of Bayalpata Hospital in Achham.The government adopted a stricter policy for alcohol sales last year, making it mandatory for manufacturers to put pictorial warnings covering at least 75% of the bottle like in cigarette packs, and to ban liquor advertising. People under 21 are not allowed to buy alcoholic products, and retailers cannot sell alcohol from 5AM to 7PM. While some rules have come into effect, the alcohol industry has fought back. Increasing the tax on alcohol has worked in most countries, but here it could force users to turn to unsafe moonshine. A complete ban in Bihar has actually resulted in massive smuggling of Nepal-made beer and spirits across the border. Says psychiatrist Raju Shakya: “Alcoholism should be the number one public health agenda. If we can reduce alcohol consumption, it will remove many health issues.”Read also:<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=4584#.W8CSDXszaUl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nepal's anonymous alcoholism</a>, Hemlata Rai<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=14913#.W8CRk3szaUl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sobering thought</a>, Tom-Owen Smith <figure><img width="463" height="768" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171116/63692f909c7e80680e03c0b0jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>

Sonia Awale

Go easy on the booze this holiday season

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

In the black and white photograph, General Wangdu smiles broadly in front of the dusty cactus garden in Kathmandu’s Annapurna Hotel. With an ill-fitting jacket and shaggy hair he looks benign enough, but this was the last leader of the Tibetan freedom fighters who led the resistance against the Chinese from their remote mountain hideouts in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Mustang</a>. Five months later, Wangdu was dead. Snapped in March 1974, I had only recently arrived in Nepal. How did I meet this legendary fighter? Possibly with his devoted camp follower, Lynne Klapecki, and probably in the Om Restaurant near Freak Street which was the preferred <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hippie-trail-nostalgia-in-kathmandu">hippie hang-out</a>. Om Lobsang and his brother Yeshe were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/earthquake-brings-back-memories-of-camps-for-tibetan-refugees">refugees from East Tibet </a>whose cafe offered a friendly welcome and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/momo-loco"> the best momos</a> - they became my in-laws after I married their eldest brother Tenzin, but that was a decade later.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1583" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Photo: LISA CHOEGYAL</figcaption> </figure>  Wangdu’s English was enthusiastically rudimentary, but even riding around town with him on the back of an aging <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-new-motorbike-museum">motorbike</a>, he was a commanding presence. Always flanked by armed outriders, impressive scars marked his forearms and a pistol hung from the cord around his neck. A charismatic guerrilla leader, Wangdu was celebrated by his followers for his tough commitment and respected for his measured pragmatism. He seemed so young to have shouldered such a responsibility of command, leading hundreds of hardened <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/50-years-after-the%20raid-into-Tibet,1012#google_vignette">Khampa combatants </a>through what had been a particularly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya">brutal winter in Mustang</a>, the last bastion to hold out against the Chinese invasion of their Tibetan homeland.&nbsp; The freedom fighters of Tibet, known as the Chushi-Gangdruk, had emerged to resist the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Chinese takeover</a> of Tibet during the 1950s. Estimated to be 80,000-strong at the time of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-or-who-after-the-dalai-lama">the Dalai Lama</a>’s final escape to India in 1959, the sheer number of Chinese deployed into Tibet eventually forced the Chushi-Gangdruk to retreat to Mustang, From this high Himalayan stronghold, they continued cross-border raids on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout the 1960s.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="676" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Guerrillas known as the Chushi-Gangdruk emerged to resist the Chinese annexation of Tibet during the 1950s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>  Their Kathmandu base was a small discreet lodge in a back lane near Rani Pokhari. Sipping sweet tea from a blue mug with a chipped lid, I sat bemused in a corner of the Mustang Hotel room whilst Wangdu and his cohorts received a battered brown suitcase from their CIA connection, a tousle-haired American in a leather jacket. Heaved onto the dingy bedspread that covered the thin mattress, it was clicked open to reveal piles of neatly stacked dollar bills.&nbsp; I cannot think why Wangdu allowed me to witness this handover but I was clearly no threat, a newly arrived world traveller with no understanding of the stakes nor any Nepali or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/tibetan-music-in-nepals-sacred-valley">Tibetan language</a>. Despite armed guards in the corridor,Wangdu radiated confidence and bravado, and there was a practiced familiarity to the tense transaction. This deadly dance for many years had been funded by the Americans, tolerated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kingdom-within-a-republic">Mustang’s residents</a>, and permitted by King Mahendra and the Nepali authorities who it suited to turn a blind eye.&nbsp; But Mahendra died in 1972, and times were changing. Richard Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy thawed the cold war and signalled a fresh entente with China. Nepal’s yet-to-be-crowned <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-could-still-be-a-monarchy">King Birendra </a>was under pressure to curb the irritating incursions against the PLA launched from the Nepali territory of Mustang. Keen to appease his northern neighbour, on several occasions the King summoned Wangdu for peace talks but, despite increasingly overwhelming odds, Wangdu refused to surrender.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1055" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>General Wangdu flanked by two Tibetan resistance fighters in Mustang in the 1970s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31" data-rendition-name="original" width="1044" height="792" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>King Birendra with General Wangdu (right in dark glasses) taken in 1974 possibly in Mustang after one of their few attempts at negotiation. Photo courtesy: RAJRNDRA KUNWAR</figcaption> </figure>  While I naively rode pillion around Kathmandu in the spring sunshine, Wangdu was in the midst of what turned out to be his final round of negotiations with the Nepal government. Refusing to cease hostilities with the Chinese, Wangdu must have suspected the cost of his decision, making his cheerful smile in the photograph all the more poignant and brave. It was only much later that I appreciated the significance of the moment. Wangdu had been sent to replace the first resistance leader in Mustang, Baba Gen Yeshe, a much derided corrupt character who stole money meant for his troops and exploited fleeing refugees by seizing their treasures. Baba Gen Yeshe never forgave Wangdu,and sought revenge in May 1974 by betraying him and his commanders to the Nepal authorities. Renewed Chinese incursions from the north, active PLA collusion with the Nepali forces under the new King, and treachery from within the Chushi-Gangdrukranks combined to seal their fate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="769" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>British television journalists George Patterson and Adrian Cowell embedded themselves with Khampa guerrillas and accompanied them from Tsum Valley on a cross border raid on a Chinese Army convoy in 1964. Photo: ESSAYS ON NEPAL / SAM COWAN</figcaption> </figure>  Mikel Dunham, renowned author of Buddha’s Warriors, writes: ‘It is possible that Wangdu was waiting for some cue from the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. It is equally possible – during that last, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-human-cost-of-nepal-s-yarsa-gold-rush?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31-Cqw8oyIwMPzf_35e4Skr0ululJvLf3_vDkzHn-AYG2h8uPw2rqqErg_aem_tGVn5coY1-jA7fze_xqhew">desolate winter </a>– that he made the decision to go out in glory rather than admit defeat. Over the last fifteen years, Wangdu had experienced Tibet’s organized resistance being squeezed and shoved around by every conceivable outside force.&nbsp; First they had been pushed out of their own country by the PLA; then they had been refused sanction while on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds?fbclid=IwAR0PpJ5zUEbwdug3g_U3ar6FUugngRY0S8Tl2v_7wqzrsHmXWcXsKjvL4t4">Indian soil</a>; then they were abandoned by the Americans because, apparently, Nixon wanted to make friends with Wangdu’s mortal enemies, the communists; then they had been betrayed by the vampiric Baba Gen Yeshe – a Tibetan and, even worse, a fellow Khampa; and now, finally Wangdu’s army was being evicted by the Nepalis. One thing was certain: Wangdu was a warrior. To imagine Wangdu simply giving up and settling down in the pacific squalor of a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/elderly-left-in-bhutan-refugee-camp">refugee camp </a>was unthinkable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="746" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>The much derided Baba Gen Yeshe, the first Tibetan resistance leader in Mustang, who betrayed Wangdu for personal gain. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="656" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Aditya SJB Rana of the Royal Nepal Army whose team ambushed Wangdu and his cohorts at the top of Tinker Pass in Darchula, West Nepal. Photo courtesy: GAUTAM SJB RANA</figcaption> </figure>  By August 1974 the game was up. Wangdu and six of his exhausted party were killed on their horses by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7270">the Royal Nepal Army</a> on the brink of escape. The officer in charge, Aditya SJB Rana, cleverly predicted their route into India after they failed to silence a police radio in Yari. A carefully laid ambush trapped them near the summit of the Tinker Pass in Darchula,at 5,000 meters the highest military operation of its time. Wangdu’s body was helicoptered to Kathmandu, and a big show made of the royal Nepal victory.&nbsp; The Tibetan armed insurgency against China had reached its end.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_23" data-image-id="20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> </figure>

The Last Days of the Khampa

Starting 17 September Turkish Airlines will fly daily to Seville, one of Spain’s major tourist draws. This is Turkish’s sixth destination in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, and Bilbao. Seville is in the Andalusia region on Spain’s south coast with a rich Moor history. There are approximately 30,000 Nepalis living in Spain.&nbsp;

Turkish to Seville

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum