Valley denizens happy about relaxed prohibitory order

The District Administration Offices of the three districts of Kathmandu Valley have further relaxed the prohibitory order, lifting the restrictions on the opening of non-essential businesses, removing the odd-even rule on vehicles and allowing public transport to operate with safety measures in place. This has made denizens of the valley happy.

Floods and landslides continue to claim lives across country

Landslides and floods continue to wreak havoc all across Nepal. Areas across the plains have been inundated by swollen rivers while hilly settlements face an increasing risk of landslides. As per the update provided by the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDDRMA) for Saturday, four people lost their lives to monsoon-triggered calamities while nine people were injured.

Nepali children go missing in thousands

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The Myth Of Merit

Civil service is the most sought-after employment in Nepal. Good wages, job security and guaranteed retirement benefits attract hundreds of thousands of aspirants to sit for the Public Service Commission (PSC) exams every year. People study day and night, buy dozens of books and join coaching classes as steps to pass those few exams that they believe stands between them and a successful life. But the seats are limited and, naturally, not everyone can make it. This breeds sadn

Yoga adds to one’s well-being, say experts

Pragati Sigdel does yoga every morning for an hour and has been doing so for the past eight years. The 48-year-old says that yoga helps her relax and exercise. “I don’t have time to go to the gym for heavy exercise. So, I do yoga to stretch my body,” she said, adding, “It also helps refresh my mind.”

The Bhairavs Of Kathmandu

A majority of Nepalis are Hindus. Perhaps this is why foreigners and even some Nepalis put us in the same category as Indians. But this is unfair because while we do share a lot of religious similarities, we also have a few distinctions that are unique to Nepali Hinduism. For example, the concept of Kumar, Ganesh, Bhairav and Kumari as living gods does not exist anywhere outside Nepal. Another example is Bhimsen, who, in India, is first and foremost remembered as one of the Pandavs while in Nepal,...

These ritual drums may see their last beating

Every morning exactly at 9 o’clock, the Hanumandhoka Durbar Square echoes with the sound of beating drums. Dum…Dum…Dum… two kettle drums beat while the morning rituals are performed in the Degu Taleju Temple. The two ‘Nagaras’ in the open-faced building next to the Hanumandhoka Police Station, are beaten 108 times each.

Waning Influence Of Influencers

The era of “influencers” may soon be coming to an end – at least on the international stage – with data showing that Gen Z prefers people with established talent and substantiated authority or those taking actions on the ground over people brandishing their lifestyle on social media.

Need For Medical Literacy

Earlier this week, social media was abuzz with a viral video of a woman claiming to have broken into the ICU of a hospital to find the doctor doing push-ups over her sick relative’s body. The video gained thousands of views and attracted hundreds of comments of people lauding the woman for storming into an area as sensitive as a hospital’s ICU and calling medical professionals careless, apathetic and inhumane. Now, among other things, that video

A Valley Of Misnomers

“Once upon a time, there were three water pitchers at Indra Chowk,” 63-year-old Narendra Shrestha recounts the story he used to hear from his grandmother. “This led to the place being called Swongha:, Swon meaning three in Nepal Bhasa and Gha: meaning pitchers,” he continues. “Over time, the ‘S’ disappeared and the place got named Wongha.” There is also another fable associated with the name, as Shrestha shares. “Wonta means east and Gha: means pitcher so pitchers placed in the...