Nepali Times ePaper
Dear Nepali Times Reader,
Exactly 90 years ago this week, Nepal was struck by the Great Earthquake of 1934 that killed over 8,500 people across the country. Nepal remains vulnerable to seismic risk.
The faults in Central Nepal are still collecting energy that could be set off at any time. The seismic gap in the West also poses risks.
Despite this and the recent earthquakes, preparedness is lacking, with non-compliance to building codes in Kathmandu. Sonia Awale reports on page 1 this week.
Also, read the stories of four individuals who remember the absolute terror that was the 1934 earthquake.
Other highlights from this week's issue:
While Nepali mothers can confer citizenship to their children, the process is not equivalent to that of men. The Nepal Citizenship (First Amendment) Act 2023 and subsequent regulations improved gender equality, allowing a single mother's child to acquire citizenship by descent under certain conditions. But gender-specific conditions like the requirement for the father to be 'unidentified' perpetuates a patriarchal bias in the country's nationality law, suggesting that descent can only be inherited through men. In this Guest Editorial, Neha Gurung calls for the recognition of women's independent legal identity to be on par with that of men.
Cousins Pranidhi Tuladhar and Aabhushan Man Singh Tuladhar run a page on Instagram called The Last of Kathmandu Valley, where they capture and share the slowly disappearing old architecture of Kathmandu Valley. Read the story by Sahina Shrestha and watch video:
Poverty Killed a Mother, Not the Quake
Initially thought to have succumbed to the cold after the Jajarkot earthquake, Sharmila Chadara's demise resulted from complications during childbirth and subsequent pneumonia. While Sharmila's baby survived, her husband is burdened with debt, contemplating a return to work in India.
Two months post-earthquake, survivors in Jajarkot and Rukum West still endure harsh conditions. Marty Logan's story from Jajarkot.
Once a leading Nepali export, pashmina faced a decline in past decades. But the Chyangra Pashmina brand has aided in recovery, with Nepal now exporting $27 million annually. Nature Knit, a Kathmandu-based company, exports 90% of its handcrafted products globally, prioritising traditional practices and women's employment. Aïsha MacDougall writes about the pashmina industry in Nepal.
Watch video:
This and more at nepalitimes.com.
Have a great weekend.
Nepali Times