Nepali Times ePaper
Dear Nepali Times Reader,
In Chitwan and Tanahun, citizens disenchanted with old men in old parties came in droves to vote for RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane and Swarnim Wagle. JSP Chair Upendra Yadav was the only coalition candidate to win. The by-elections were a barometer of the public mood, and could alter the dynamics in the coalition led by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
Read page 1 story by Santa Gaha Magar and the Editorial.
Other highlights from this week's issue:
Religiously Following Politics
There is a long history of Hindu-Muslim clashes in India and as religion and politics mix, the two communities are more polarised than ever. Despite Nepal's open border with India, these communal conflagrations did not use to affect Nepal much in the past. But Chandra Kishore warns that Nepal's traditional communal harmony could be disturbed by imported intolerance.
Thakur Das Shrestha, originally from Nepal, established the famous Das Studio in Darjeeling in 1927. Since then, his descendants have been documenting the changes of their home country through photography. Their work will be displayed in Postcards from Kathmandu’s Past, an exhibition of photographs by three generations of the Das family. The exhibition opens on 28 April and will go on till 4 May at Wind Horse Gallery, Jhamsikhel.
Nabaraj Shrestha joined the Armed Police Force during the Maoist era when it got impossible to travel for his job as a social worker. He quit after training so that his mother would not worry and went to UAE to work as a security guard. Now back home in Chitwan, he runs a small production and supply outfit of cleaning products.
Sunil Bhujel was sold the Afghan dream by an agent. Instead he was taken to UAE. After various stints in the middle east, he came home during the pandemic to start a business of his own.
Reviews
Kunda Dixt reviews 'Between the Mountain and the Sky' by Maggie Doyne that is being launched in Kathmandu on 29 April.
Tayama Rai reviews the new docudrama 'Pasang: In the Shadow of Everest', about Nepal’s first woman to climb Mt Everest, screening at selected locations from 28 April.
Ashish Dhakal writes about Sofiya Maharjan’s exhibition Absence Unbothered, currently showing at Dalai La Art Space, Thamel till 6 May.
Video: Bad air gets worse
Nepalis breathe some of the dirtiest air in the world. Last week, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Kathmandu hit 400 due to smoke, emissions and imported pollution. Even the HEPA filter lungs put up by the Ministry of Health started going dark in five days. When air quality plummets, there are immediate side effects. Even healthy individuals get irritation in the nose and throat, tearing of the eyes, skin rashes and coughs.
This and more at nepalitimes.com.
Have a great weekend!
Nepali Times