Today, FinePrint has established itself one of the leading private imprints in Nepal and been a catalyst to the rise of reading culture in the country. Since their first book, titled Vatsyayana and his Barbs, the publication has put out around 100 books so far. The team behind the publication also organizes regular book tours, recitals and a literary festival. The enterprise has come of age.

In now way has it been smooth sailing, however. Baral recounts an early setback: “We were clueless about how the business of the publication house would become our source of bread and butter. The business started with very little capital, so little that it went to zero after putting out the first publication.”

But their first book did good business and helped the publication stay afloat. Bhari’s sense of the graphic helped the book to become popular, Baral says. Many readers appreciated the book for its layout and designs.

“We wanted to stand out from other publications, so we equally gave priority to the cover page, layout, and graphic of the books,” says Baral. “Back then, publication houses did not pay attention to the graphic and layout design of the books.”

Before starting FinePrint, Baral had done an internship at LeftWord, an India-based publication house that seeks to reflect the views of leftist politics in India and South Asia. This significantly helped him to run a publication house.

“Similarly, we also made an extra effort on editing,” added Baral.

Likewise, FinePrint also brought an innovation in the book’s marketing strategy. For instance, they published a volume of “Karnali Blues” and distributed it at the book fair. Most probably, it happened for the first time in Nepal. The idea to distribute the volume of “Karnali Blues” created a hype for the book among the readers before its full version was released. 

Another new practice was introduced in book launching events.

“Earlier, writers used to organize book launches at their own expense but we changed the trend and began holding the expenses of the book launch,” said Baral. “We started doing book tours in different parts of the country. Similarly, we also made a music video for the promotion of books and started advertising books in media outlets.”

All of these were new practices in the book industry of Nepal. It helped to make their books popular in the market. Likewise, FinePrint is also the pioneer to print books on lightweight paper.

“The printing of books in lightweight paper has made it easy for the readers to carry the book wherever they travel,” says Baral.

When FinePrint was starting out, there was no reading culture and it compelled them to print books in fewer numbers. But now the condition is different; the number of book readers has swelled. Some of the reasons behind it could be the changing promotional strategy of books and wide coverage of books in the media, Baral says.

“The media just does not only advertise the books but it also reviews them and recommends them to the readers. The media can make a celebrity out of an author.”

Social media has equally helped the books to reach out to larger audiences. But on the other hand, it has also become a challenge for reading culture. “People spend a huge amount of time scrolling social media and do not make time for reading books.”

When FinePrint was starting out, there was no reading culture and it compelled them to print books in fewer numbers. But now the condition is different; the number of book readers has swelled.

Another challenge is the education system. 

Baral says, “Our education system does not promote the culture of reading non-text books.  There are no proper libraries in many schools.” He adds, “The government also does not take any initiative that promotes the culture of reading and writing.”

Current book scene of Nepal

“A while back, I used to say that this is the best time to get involved in the Nepali book industry. At that time there used to be larger discussions on Nepali books, the number of readers and books was increasing,” said Baral. “The trend was very encouraging. But now I feel like the reading trend of Nepali books is declining.”

While Baral is saying that the business of Nepali books at recent times is not up to the mark, on the other hand, he has learned that English books are doing good business. “Our studies have shown that the Nepali readers are switching to English books.”

As most of the students study in private schools, they mainly focus on reading only the English content. Similarly, English books are also easily available on internet platforms. This is the reason, Baral believes, that the readership of English books is increasing and Nepali is decreasing.

Preference of Nepali readers

In Nepal, a large number of audiences prefer self-help books. “Books that discuss how to be happy, satisfied, and rich garner a good number of audience.”

Likewise, biographies and autobiographies of successful and celebrated figures are also read on a large scale. Nonfiction is much more preferred by the readers. With that, romance and speculative fiction are also read widely.

Impact of Covid in publication house 

The first couple of months after the pandemic struck, no movement took place in the book industry. Book stores and publications, everything was closed. This made them financially weak. Even after things were back to normalcy they had a problem. 

“We could not recover the loss made during the lockdown. This made it difficult to pay the rent of the office and the salary of staff,” said Baral. 

Digitalization of Nepali books

Although it is almost certain that the future of books is e-books, Nepal is backward in digitizing books. 

“We have a very small market and we are still not adequately developed in technology. Just a few years back we started paying the money digitally,” said Baral.

“The investment in E-book is expensive. As our book industry is small we can’t afford to invest in the digitization of books. It is hard to get the profitable return shortly from the investment in digitizing Nepali books.”

Future project

From this year FinePrint is planning to publish around 25 books annually. 

We already have some quality books for the coming days, we are preparing to publish those books very soon, said Baral.

Likewise, FinePrint is also focusing on translation.

“Our books also need to go global, so we are also working on translations of some of the best Nepali books,” he said. “Few of them are about to hit the market.”

In 2013 pop star Sugam Pokharel was also busted in a similar case. Rapper Sudeep Bhandari popularly known as G Bob, who shot to fame overnight with a clip from his rap battle going viral, has also recently been admitted to a rehabilitation center to recover from drug addiction.

Laure, Karki, G Bob and Pokharel are not only the celebrities who are or were in the drugs. Many celebrities from around the world are found abusing drugs. Eminem, one of the highest-selling rap artists of all time, nearly died from a methadone overdose in 2007. Likewise, other renowned celebs such as Britney Spears, Johnny Deep, Keith Urban and Steven Tyler were also into drugs. The situation is the same with the Bollywood industry. Kangana Ranaut, the controversial Bollywood actor who was also a drug addict once, claims that 99 percent of Bollywood celebs indulge in drugs.

For many celebrities, it seems, fame doesn’t come with no strings attached. The “high” one gets from fame and being in the spotlight is somehow not enough. One aspires for a higher high, a more shattering ecstasy. As singer Sugam Pokharel has said in a television interview, “After attaining one certain level of success, I thought, ‘What’s next?’ and this pushed me towards drugs.”

Similarly, another reason for him to do drugs was the influence of high-profile celebrities from the West who were involved in drugs. He wanted to experience the lifestyle they had, he said.

Brandon Novak, an American author and a drug addict turned drug interventionist, outlines various possible reasons behind the connection between celebrities and drug or alcohol addiction.

“Addiction to the “high” that they get from being in the spotlight and searching for other ways to get that same feeling,” he lists among other reasons.

‘Many people consider celebrities as their idol, and they tend to follow their lifestyle. If the celebrities are found doing drugs, then there is a higher probability that their many followers would also want to do it.’

According to him, some other reasons are involvement in “highly competitive and stressful industries, frequent harsh criticism, constantly being in the spotlight and having limited privacy, peer pressure,” and so on.  

So how do celebrities get drugs? This is another big concern. 

“Celebrities usually purchase drugs from their friend’s circle who are involved in its trade,” says SP Jeevan Kumar Shrestha, spokesperson at Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB). “There are no separate parties that are dedicated to selling drugs just for celebrities.”

Psychologist Gopal Dhakal says he is afraid that the involvement of celebrities in drugs can cause their fans and supporters to use it.

“Many people consider celebrities as their idol, and they tend to follow their lifestyle,” Dhakal says. “If the celebrities are found doing drugs, then there is a higher probability that their many followers would also want to do it.”

Here are three of the best Nepali music videos released in January that you should check out.

Pencil – A Nostalgia by Ujjwal Sagar 

How does it feel to meet someone you have loved since childhood after ages? Ujjwal Sagar’s ‘Pencil – A Nostalgia’ portrays that feeling.

The music video and the lyrics of the song might probably take you back to your school days. It may remind you of your childhood love, with whom you failed to express your feelings. The music video of this song, directed by Nirmal Poudel, has two different segments—one of the past, back to the school days, and another of the present. In the present, the protagonists meet each other after ages but even now they can’t express their feelings for each other.

In the first segment of the music video, child artists Aastik Poudel and Sukriti Bartaula have been featured as the protagonists whereas the second features Kiran Chand and Ujjwal Pokhrel. 

The lyrics of the song, written by Sagar himself and Roshan Adhikari, provokes nostalgia. It shows how their school life was, and their inarticulate feelings.

“Eutai school thiyo hamro / Mero seat hunthyo timro pachadi,” the song goes. “Chahincha ki timilai bhani / basirahanthey pencil tikhari” [We were in the same school / My seat was behind yours / Thinking if you would need it / I would keep sharpening the pencil.]

“Pencil- A Nostalgia’ is the portrayal of a poised past,” reads the description of the music video. “The clouds of future uncertainty, but an unapologetic present due to her presence.”

Risaune Bhaye by Sushant KC 

The song ‘Risauney Bhaye’ by singer/songwriter Sushant KC is his father’s favorite song. And the music video of it, which was released in the third week of January, is an anniversary gift to his parents. 

Directed by Anup Sapkota, the music video for Risauney Bhaye shows the ups and downs of a relationship. The couple can’t stay in the same flow. Every couple in the relationship has to go through various ups and downs and they even have conflicts. Sometimes they do not talk for long. But at the end of the day, both of them settle the conflict and give a fresh start to their relationship.

The music video features couples in relationships of various ages ranging from young ones to middle-aged and senior ones. All of those couples are going through some kind of issue. And each one is trying to convince their partner to end the fight. At the end of the music video, they are convinced and get back to a healthy relationship. The music video is also trying to show that communication is very important to enrich relationships. Without proper communication, relationships won’t work.

Ukali Orali by Sushant Ghimire 

Thousands of youth in our country are compelled to go for foreign employment to overcome struggles created by poverty. Those youths decide to go to foreign land with high hopes and dreams. But among those youths, not all can meet their dreams and hope. They are swindled by the agents or manpower agencies and could not go to the country where they dreamt of overcoming their financial sufferings. This music video of the song ‘Ukali Orali’ by Sushant Ghimire can relate to thousands of youths who went through similar situations. 

The protagonists of the music videos, Aashant Sharma and Chakra Bista, represent all those youths. Their acting skills in the music video have made the whole thing very realistic. 

Director Robin Sharma has set up two different phases in this music video that feature two different protagonists. The first phase showcases the situation when the protagonist leaves his house and comes to the city to visit the manpower office. In this phase, he gets to know that the manpower to whom he paid money turns out to be a fraud. The second phase shows his changed lifestyle.

After being deceived, he is broken emotionally and financially. Now he spends his entire day in the street. He watches the flying plane and gets desperate to travel on it.

This has surprised all the band members. Earlier the band had a very limited number of listeners; with this new music video, they have earned many new listeners and fans. After this popular music video, many of the new listeners have even labeled Phosphenes as a new band in the music scene. But that’s not true, at least for the band, which was formed in 2016 and already has 18 songs so far.

“We are not new in the scene, it’s just that they discovered us late,” said Aman Karna, guitarist at Phosphenes. Similarly, those new listeners even compare the band with the other bands that are not a little bit close to them. “Do we sound like Radiohead?” 

For a band that follows the Indie genre which is still new for many Nepali audiences, it is hard to reach among large listeners.

The music video for “Yestai Nai Hola ” shows how the government officers procrastinate, indifferent to the work of service seekers. It is divided into three sections—past, present and future. It begins in the 70s when marijuana used to be traded freely in Kathmandu; then it shows the present time, and lastly, it ends in the future when the universe comes to an end. The music video appears to underscore the ephemerality of it all, and that with the span of time everything changes but, cheekily, the working mechanism of government offices does not. They keep creating hassles for service seekers.

“Music video of this song is very situational and relatable to Nepali people. That is also one of the reasons why this music video is getting popular,” said vocalist Abhishekh Pokharel.

Another notable thing in the video is the protagonist, played by Dipendra Shahi. He appears in classic attire, walks and dances in the street joyously, every time his work is unheeded by the government officials. One could not put eyes off his acting and expressions. Shahi, primarily a theater actor, came all the way from his native Kalikot, over 12 hours drive from the capital, just for this music video.

Pokharel and Prajwal Aryal, the drummer of the band, wrote this song and its music video is directed by Nibhal Bajracharya. 

The concept of music video developed when one day the band and Bajracharya were at one of the parties. Karna asked Bajracharya, “Dai, do you want to listen to a new song?” The moment he finished listening to the song, he told Karna, this song gave me a vibe of the 70s but somehow also of the present.

“Most often Nepali music videos lack storytelling and originality. But this one has both the elements and that are relevant as well,” said Aryal. The band members appreciated Bajracharya and his works while talking to Nepal Live Today.

They believe he can take the Nepali film industry to “the next level”.

Besides “Yestai Nai Hola”, the band’s other songs are also beautiful and worth listening to. But they aren’t as popular. For a band that follows the Indie genre which is still new for many Nepali audiences, it is hard to reach among large listeners.

“It is hard to promote a kind of music that is new to the audience. People are reluctant to listen to them as well,” said Karna. “Experimental stuff is hard to promote.”

“Many things in Nepal come late. These days, acoustic songs are getting very popular but in the western countries those songs were already popular a decade ago.” 

Phosphenes plans to come up with a new album very soon. Likewise, they also aspire to represent Nepal in the global music scene.

“Indie music has a very good charm in other countries and we want to spread our music over there,” said Pokharel.

Earlier, in October, the government sacked Ramesh Kumar Silwa from the position of member secretary of the National Sports Council. Tank Lal Ghising was appointed in Silwal’s place in November.  

Ghising actively started doing his jobs. He even received a memorandum submitted by the Nepal National and International Players Association (NIPA), an umbrella organization of players. And pledged to fulfill the majority of their demands. But in December, the supreme court issued an interim stay order to reinstate Silwal.

If the Supreme Court continues the interim order, Silwal will remain in his position until the final hearing. However, if the Supreme Court upholds the Council of Ministers’ dismissal, he will be relieved of his duties.  

This decision by the SC vacated the position of NSC’s member secretary.

Officials from NSC say that a lot of work is pending. Unless there is a member secretary in the office, those works can’t be done.

All the works related to infrastructure, officials’ salary, rent and electricity charges that are needed to pay on district offices have been affected due to the current situation, said Madhusudan Basnet, spokesperson at NSC. 

All the works related to infrastructure, official’s salary, rent and electricity charges that are needed to pay on district offices have been affected due to the current situation, said Madhusudan Basnet, spokesperson at NSC. 

The officials at NSC haven’t received salaries for the last two months, according to Basnet.

Likewise, the current fix has also affected the preparation of Asian Games and other national and international tournaments.

“We have already informed the Ministry of Youths and Sports about the difficulties that NSC and the sports sector has faced due to the absence of a member secretary,” said Basnet. “The ministry has said the issue will be resolved shortly.”

Likewise, the Nepal Olympians Association, an umbrella organization of Nepali Olympians, has also shown concern over the situation. Issuing a press release on Sunday, it urged concerned authorities to end the long-standing deadlock.

“The current situation at the National Sports Council is hampering the preparations for the ninth National Games, Asian Games, and 14th South Asian Games among others,” said Deepak Bista, President of NOA, in a release. 

The release has requested the government and Ministry of Youth and Sports to find an alternative way until the final verdict is delivered.

“As the court is delaying to decide on the legitimacy of the Member Secretary,” the release states, “sporting activities and regular work at the sports governing body have been greatly affected.”

On the same day,  there was also a final match of the 20th Aaha Rara Gold Cup, one of Nepal’s most anticipated footballing events, in Pokhara Stadium. The final took place between Manang Marshyangdi and APF. It was one of the most happening final matches of the Aaha Rara Gold Cup. The departmental team defeated ‘A’ Division giants Manang Marshyangdi Club 5-4 in the penalty shootout. But the intense final also missed many live football fans as the Pokhara Stadium had only one-third of the audience. Prior to the semi-final and final of the cup, all the matches were held without the audience. This time, the Gold Cup was bereft of the vibrant atmosphere of yesteryears.

The pandemic has also affected the ongoing Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ Division League. One of its matches, in the 9th round, between Nepal Police Club and Chyasal Youth Club was postponed after 19 players of Chyasal were tested positive before the match. Currently, the league is in the FIFA break. ANFA has announced the postponed match will be held on Saturday.

Likewise, ANFA has also postponed the National Women’s league indefinitely. Eight teams are fixed to compete in the league. The postponement has automatically affected ‘B’ Division and ‘C’ Division leagues, which were supposed to take place only after the end of the women’s league.

Moreover, football matches that were scheduled outside the valley are also affected. Martyr’s Memorial Gold Cup in Hetauda and Khaptad Gold Cup in Dhangadhi have already been canceled. 

There are various other sports that are affected due to the ongoing pandemic. Many national and international events were about to take place but they were postponed. Likewise, the sports persons and officials were also infected by the virus.

Currently, the men’s cricket team of Nepal is preparing for the global qualifier of the T20 World Cup taking place in Oman in February. But as some players are in isolation due to Covid, they are unable to attend the training.  

Nepal was all set to participate in the South Asian Cross Country Championships, slated from January 15  in Nagaland, India but the organizers postponed it until further notice.  

Likewise, Nepal also missed a chance to participate in ASBC Asian Under-22 Boxing Championships, held from January 20 in Uzbekistan. Sushma Tamang of Nepal was selected for the championship but as she tested positive for coronavirus, she could not participate and Nepal missed a chance to represent itself.

Similarly, various other national sports events are also postponed due to the pandemic.  

The 10km KTM Run, announced for January, has been postponed until February 26. 

Likewise, Jhiltung Cross Country Race, an annual sports event, scheduled for January 22, in Nuwakot, has also been postponed until further notice by the organizers. The 11th Purnaman Bajracharya Memorial Table Tennis Competition that was supposed to take place from January 15 has also been postponed. 

The new variant’s impact on the country’s sports scene stretches far and wide, and there appears to be no end in sight.

Online classes, however, haven’t been reckoned as an effective mode of pedagogy. Teachers, students, and guardians all are dissatisfied with the way online classes run.

Even educationalists agree that online classes in Nepal have not turned out to be as productive as they could have. Because it was a new practice, teachers and students both were in want of training, and the digital divide denied a significant chunk of students from attending virtual classes.

“Nobody has taken initiative for its improvement, neither schools and universities, nor the government,” said educationalist Balchandra Luitel, Professor and Dean at School of Education, Kathmandu University. “They ignored its possibilities, considering it as an uneasy and impractical educational practice. There must be consistency, especially if it is a new practice.”

To make online classes effective, there should be a well-functioning internet service all over the country and teachers should be trained on online pedagogy.

But online classes are not going to stop anytime soon, as the third wave shows no sign of subsiding yet. So, in this regard, online classes must be made effective, otherwise, it will greatly affect the entire education system, Luitel warned.

He has some recommendations. To make online classes effective, the curriculum should be revised while developing materials designed for online classes.

“The Ministry of Education could have already developed a material for online education,” Luitel lamented. “But they might have thought that the online classes will not resume in the future and so they did not work on it.”

To make online classes effective, there should be a well-functioning internet service all over the country and teachers should be trained on online pedagogy. “It could take time, but there must be consistency from everyone in the academic sector, government, and other concerned bodies,” Luitel said.

Laxman Gnawali, another educationist who is a professor and chairperson of the School Management Committee, Kathmandu University, also agrees with Luitel regarding requisites needed to make online classes further effective. 

“Many developed countries have already revised curriculum focusing on making online classes productive,” Gnawali noted, adding that academic institutions should limit the screen time of the students. 

“An online class should not go for long hours and in the middle, it also needs a break. If the classes are conducted online, then the teachers should avoid giving homework that needs to be done on computer devices,” Gnawali said. “Moreover, parents should also monitor the class and their child to examine whether online classes are effective or not.”

While the recent rapid surge of cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 has shaken the whole country leading the government to force shutdowns of educational institutions nationwide in a bid to curb the virus spread, the universities in the country are holding board exams of undergraduate and graduate-level students affiliated to various faculties. Hundreds of students are appearing for the exam.

The way in which the universities are conducting those exams, however, has left many students deeply worried about their health.   

The students say that the universities have been indifferent towards their safety protocols putting the health of the students in risk. The students say that the exam centers are not even following the basic safety protocols to keep the students safe from Omicron. 

Social distancing is not followed–with many students put inside the room. And there are no dedicated rooms for those who are infected  or have the symptoms of the coronavirus. 

Nepal Live Today talked to a number of students regarding the matter and all of them expressed their anger, disappointment and anxiety about the utter negligence the universities have shown regarding Covid safety. 

“Infected, non-infected and those with symptoms have been put together in the same hall. There is no separate room for the infected and those with Omicron symptoms,” said a BA LLB student of Purbanchal University requesting not to be named. “I haven’t been able to concentrate properly on my studies, the poor situation in the exam center has disturbed me mentally.” 

“Likewise, the exam center also does not provide sanitizer and other necessary health kits for the students,” the student added.

The worst thing, complain the students, is that the universities have not introduced any provision of chance exams for those who are infected. “This is why even if we are sneezing, coughing, running down with high fever and have Covid, we have to sit for the exams.  Who can afford to lose one academic year?” another student said.

If the students cannot appear for the exams due to Covid infection the only option they have is to wait for next year and attend ‘back papers.’  

“The exam center is also not well managed. There is no social distancing.  They keep two students on one small bench,” said another law student of PU in a condition of anonymity. “This has increased Covid risk not only in me but the whole family of mine,” the student said. 

The students have requested their respective colleges to address their concerns but to no avail.  According to the students, the college responded by saying “we can’t do anything about it,  the exam is conducted by the university, it is all upon them.”

“We even found that students said they were infected and when we asked for the report, they had none,” said a university official.   

The story is common with most examination centers where universities are holding their board exams.

A BSC CSIT student of Tribhuvan University said his exam center is also not following the safety protocols. 

“A number of students with the symptoms of Covid 19 are appearing for exams,” said the student. “Some of them cough and sneeze throughout the whole exam hours, sending panic and fear to the rest of others in the exam hall.” 

More than 25 students are placed inside one examination room while the government has already issued the directive that gatherings of more than 25 people should be prohibited. 

Even though the students have already sent letters to universities demanding alternative exam methods and safety in the exam centers they haven’t received any replies. 

The officials of the universities, however, insist that they have followed the safety protocols. “All of our exam centers are well managed and have followed all the safety protocols,” said Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Exam Controller at Purbanchal University. 

“We have managed dedicated exam halls for the infected and those with symptoms. Examinees are also provided hot water and sanitizers,” he said.   

Regarding the chance exam for those who cannot appear for the exam due to the virus, the university is holding a meeting on Wednesday, informed Basnet. 

Pushpa Raj Joshi, Controller of Examinations at TU, also claimed that the exam centers have followed the safety protocols. “There are no issues with the exam centers,” he told Nepal Live Today.  “We found that some students said they had been infected but when we asked them for the reports they had none. They think they will get a chance to cheat if they are kept in a separate room.”

“If some students cannot attend the exam due to the virus then they need to present a valid report to us and we will allow them to attend a chance exam in their favorable time, ” Joshi explained. 

Public health experts have also shown concerns over the ongoing university exams.  “If the exams are being conducted without following safety protocols as claimed by the students,” said Dr Sameer Mani Dixit, a public health expert, “then it is totally wrong.” “This virus spreads rapidly,  and everyone sitting in one single class for three long hours can increase the risk of being infected.”

According to Dixit, it is best to do an antigen test on the students with symptoms before they enter the exam halls. “If anyone is tested positive then they should be kept in a separate class,” he said.

Directed and written by Sulakshyan Bharati, the play is an adaptation of Shyam Shah’s story “Abba” from his collection “Lati ko Chhora.”

The play revolves around a woman called Lati (played by Sarita Bhujel); lati is a slur word in Nepali referring to a person who cannot speak.

The powerful people of Sundar Bajar exploit Lati’s inability to speak and hear. They rape Lati and then she gets pregnant. The perpetrators are Bishnath (played by Arun Poudel), Sahi (Subrat Raj Silwal), Master Saheb (Shishir Giri), Agrawal Saheb (Jayaram), and Chandrakant Jha (Ritesh Karki). They make plans to clear their hands off Lati’s pregnancy and save their reputation. They go on to wrongly accuse Dom (Prakash Thapa), an innocent character who belongs to a minority group, of raping Lati.

Bishnath, the perpetrator who is also head of Panchayat, announces the verdict that Dom committed rape against Lati and now he should marry her and move away from the Sundar Bazar. Dom reacts to the verdict with painful aggression. He screams and says that Lati is his sister but his cry goes unheeded. This is how the real perpetrator settles the case in his favor.

This play depicts the story of minorities and their sufferings. It shows how powerful people misuse their power and taunt people from minorities. It shows how collectively the powerful people of Sundar Bajar exploit Lati’s inability to speak and hear and manage to escape from the crime they committed.

All of the characters in the play have done a remarkable job. Despite many of them being new to the theater, they have delivered appreciative acting skills. Bhujel has done a marvelous job as the protagonist. Her body language, attitude, and expressions all feel natural. She has acted as if that’s her real personality.

All of the characters in the play have done a remarkable job. Despite many of them being new to the theater, they have delivered appreciative acting skills.

The characters in the play deliver dialogues in a Madhesi accent. And they sounded very natural. Otherwise, most of the time when anyone attempts a Madhesi accent they exaggerate the tone and make it sound unnatural and irritating but things are different with this play.

There is one character in the play whom we should not forget to mention. He is Lato (Govind Sunar), a middle-aged man with a long beard and eyes with an intense look. Like Lati, he can not speak and hear.  Lato represents the kind of person who knows about all the wrongdoings of society but is compelled to not speak about it. Even if he speaks, nobody will listen to him or believe him.

The play features live music. The musicians, Samyak Shrestha and Rajkamal Farkir, play various instruments such as guitar, ukulele, flute, floor tom, and others. They are beautifully played and arranged and have made the play vibrant and natural.

The play comes to an end ten years after the events it tells of. And it has an interesting twist for a climax, which you’d better go find out yourself.

“Lati ko Chhora” will run through January 23 at 4:45 pm everyday at Purano Ghar Theater, in Sinamangal. There will be an additional show on Saturday at 1:00 pm.

“I came to know about this almost at the eleventh hour and I don’t know what to do,” Kapali tweeted on Friday. “I am so mentally disturbed right now! I don’t think I am able to focus on preparing for the exam!”

Kapali, a first-year BA LLB student at Chakrabarti Habi Education Academy, a college of law affiliated with Purbanchal University, is a transgender woman. And she believes it is her gender that is obstructing her way to sit in exams.

Kapali was brought up as a male but after the tenth grade, she came out as a transgender woman. Her legal documents, including her birth certificate and educational certificates for grade eight and ten, marked her as male and had her deadname. In 2015, she applied for a citizenship certificate and was denied to choose a female gender marker. She could convince authorities to have her preferred name on the citizenship certificate, but her gender was labeled “Others”.

Kapali, a first-year BA LLB student at Chakrabarti Habi Education Academy, a college of law affiliated with Purbanchal University, is a transgender woman. And she believes it is her gender that is obstructing her way to sit in exams.

That same year, she enrolled in 11th grade, then known as +2, but the discrepancy between her citizenship certificate and school documents brought issues in her registration. She had to seek an alternative method, of receiving a certificate of recommendation from her local ward office that stated that Rukshana and her deadname are the names of the same person. Only then was she able to register for her +2. She passed her +2 degree without any other hassle. In the +2, not only was she able to register with her preferred name but she could also list her gender as female.

In 2017, she enrolled in Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Kathmandu (affiliated with Tribhuvan University) for Bachelor in Arts (BA) majoring in Linguistics and Sociology. However, her application for registration at the University was denied due to a discrepancy in her educational certificates (+2 documents and SLC documents). She made multiple written and oral applications to the university, but her request was not met with any decision.

She attempted to amend name and gender details in her SLC documents, registered an application in 2019 May, but the National Examinations Board rejected her request and handed over a letter of rejection in 2020 January. 

She tried to access multiple academic courses, while the administrative procedure was ongoing, such as learning a foreign language at Campus of International Languages, Kathmandu, Sanskrit language classes by Sanskrit University, or programs by Council For Technical Education and Vocational Training–each of these courses required submission of a copy of SLC certificate–which was incongruent with her gender identity, and she was met with barriers as well as rejection, a “humiliating experience,” she says.

“I tried a lot to change my name and gender on the SLC certificate but failed to do so,” Kapali told Nepal Live Today. “Its case is also running in the Supreme Court but no decision has been made so far, as the case is still in the queue. The difference in information between the certificate of +2   and SLC is the only thing that is making all this happen.” 

Kapali has demanded interim orders with SC that could let her attend and enroll in any programs where she needs to submit her SLC certificate. But the demand was denied by the court. The court decided not to issue an interim order and send for full hearing.

“Not to deny the petitioner from accessing or enrolling to any programs where she is expected to submit her SLC certificate, and allowing her to use her preferred name as well as a gender marker,” the demanded interim order reads.

But her demands haven’t been addressed yet. The delay in legal procedure is creating hassles for her, she said.

While Kapali is anxious about her exam, an official from Purbanchal University told Nepal Live Today that she has all the rights to appear in the exam.  

“Kapali can appear in all the exams,” said Yubraj Dhital, deputy controller of law and Management faculty, PU. “There is nothing wrong that would obstruct her from appearing in the exam.”

While on the other side, Kapali hasn’t received any message so far stating that she can attend the exams. Kapali’s attempts to reach out to college officials went in vain, she said.

Her registration was pending “because one of her documents is insufficient,” Dhital told Nepal Live Today. “We have already informed the college about it. Once the college will send the document to us, she will be able to appear in the exam.” But Dhital said he is unaware of what the document is about.

Following Kapali’s tweets, people on social media are showing solidarity with her right to education.

“We study under the same university yet, I’m revising for my exams while Rukshana ji is fighting to simply appear in the exam,” a Twitter user going by the name Nikki G writes. “This is beyond cruel and absolutely outrageous.”

Queer Youth Group, an organization working towards queer rights, issued a press release to condemn the University for its apparently exclusionary treatment against Kapali. The Group urged the university to immediately resolve Kapali’s problem.

“Kapali is just a representational character,” the group said. “There are thousands of other transgender people like her who are deprived of basic rights…The whole nation has been unable to take such issues seriously.”

Update: Kapali gets her admit card just before her exams kicked off, on Monday, she informed through her Twitter account.

“Got an admit card at the final hours,” she tweeted. “No issues with gender and name in the admit card. I am literally shaking. #JusticeForTransPeopleInNepal Thank you all for your support.”

Pokharel, who has spitted bars in all-time hit numbers like ‘Ma Yesto Chu’, ‘Pahilo Maya’, and ‘Ma Prem Ma (She is the bomb)’, among others, is in the second innings of his musical career and his consistency in it for the last three years proves that he is playing well.

Before making a comeback, he did an experiment. One fine day, he just sang a line from ‘Ma Prem Ma (She is the bomb)’ and uploaded it on his social media. The responses he received surprised him.

His experience in this current music scene is different. The music scene today is different in many ways, lyrically, musically, and technologically.

“Unlike in the past there is no pressure whether my song will be a hit or not,” said Pokharel.  “Back then, there used to be pressure  and competition to sell the albums, but now the matter is about garnering views.”

His latest music videos have a good number of views—‘Mirtyu’, the most viewed, has over 1,42,000 views. For him the comment in those music videos carries much more value. He reads all of them.  

Those comments are not only about his music but they also made him realize that the people still remember his voice, and they are really happy and excited about his comeback. While on the other side, he has also noticed that the younger generation is oblivious to him.  

“Some of them even write, ‘Who is this guy?’ in the comment box,” Pokharel said. It’s one of the challenges for the second innings—to take his music among the newer generations—he is working on it, he said.

The hip-hop scene of Nepal is thriving. Pokharel admires many newcomers and believes that those MCs are better than him in many ways. Some of the rappers Pokharel follows are Balen, Uniq Poet, V-ten, and Laure. “These artists are literate about music and have a dope sense for it,” said Pokharel.

The old-school rapper is now in a course of coping up with the changing landscape of rap music. These days there are many platforms for artists to promote their work. Pokharel is also learning to make those platforms fruitive for his works. Likewise, he is also surprised looking at the ease that technology has made in creating the music. He recalls the time when it used to take more than a day to produce a beat for a single song.

In this new beginning, Pokharel discerns changes in his writing style. According to him, it has become more mature now.  At this point, he feels uneasy to write fancy lyrics that are meant to impress girls. These days he writes more about life and struggles.

“Now if I just record my vocal and send it to the producers they send me back varieties of beats, it feels tough to choose one among them.”

In this new beginning, Pokharel discerns changes in his writing style. According to him, his lyrics have become more mature now. At this point, he feels uneasy to write fancy lyrics that are meant to impress girls. These days he writes more about life and struggles.

A snippet of lyrics from his song ‘Josh’ goes: “Jindagi ko paribhasa bujdai thiye /  Pariwar ko aakanshyalai pura gardai thiye / Jiudai thiye jindagi mokshya ko khojima /  Maagka suchiharu bhariyeko gojima. [Was understanding the meaning of life /  fulfilling the family’s desire/living life in search of salvation/pocket filled with demands’ list].

Pokharel is also worried about those artists who, despite their formidable talent, are still lurking in the shadows.

“There are many artists with genuine work in our music sector, but they are living under the shadows,” said Pokharel. “Their works are authentic but are being dominated by something that lacks originality and is worthless to listen to.”

The new version of DA 69 is struggling against the music companies. They are not allowing him to upload his older songs on his personal YouTube channel. He says, “According to the contract, signed then, now I can upload those songs.” He is in the process to sort out the issue.

There are many other artists like Pokharel who are struggling against music companies in this matter. 

With that, Pokharel wants to see rap music becoming mainstream. He believes rap music should also be commercialized. Rap songs should be played everywhere from parties to weddings and other events. The artist needs to make money out of their music. They should now be able to sustain their life by devoting their time to it.

While Pokharel is making a notable comeback in the music scene, his other contemporary artists are still lost somewhere. He wants them to come back or collaborate. For that, he is frequently messaging many of them.

Back then, Pokharel also had another identity. He was a popular media person who used to present sports news and host Scoreboard, a weekly sports show. 

For him, the sports show could not progress as expected. It was the time when a lot of political events were taking place in the country and people were much more concerned about that rather than how a footballer performed in the match. Pokharel said he is sad that there is still no proper show that is dedicated to sports because of the stereotypical mindset of the media that does not consider sports as a major sector to date.

Besides many other musical projects, Pokharel is resuming the reloaded version of Scoreboard from February. This might be probably one of the best news for many Nepali sports lovers.

Pokharel ended the conversation with two big and good pieces of news. Firstly, he is going to release the song ‘Kheladi’ which is his dream project. And second, The Unity, his band, is reviving soon.

Cricket

Conflict in national Cricket team; Lamichane appointed as a new captain

Nepal’s cricket sector was dragged into controversy after the Cricket Association of Nepal, the governing body decided to take action against four national team players, including Captain Gyanendra Malla, Vice Captain Dipendra Airee, Sompal Kami, and Kamal Singh Airee. This incident took place in December and shocked many.

Captain Malla and Vice Captain Airee were stripped from their duties, and Sandeep Lamichane was appointed as a new captain for the team. Along with Malla and Airee, Sompal Kami and Kamal Singh Airee would not be offered central contracts for the first six months of 2022. The row between players and the governing body started after the four cricketers opened up to the media about their dissatisfaction over the CAN’s decision to grade and allow central contracts to national players in September 2020. 

The four players organized a press meet and urged the CAN to rethink their decision. But their demand has not been addressed yet. 

Winless performance at ACC U-19

The Nepali national cricket team was knocked out from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Under-19 Asia Cup as the team could not win any of the matches. They lost against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the first two matches and the last one against Kuwait at ICC Academy Ground No 2 in Dubai on Tuesday.

Lost a chance to play global qualifier 

Nepal’s women’s team failed to secure a place in the global qualifier of the world T-20 after their defeat against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Regional Qualifier on November 28.

Six teams including hosts UAE, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Bhutan, and Hong Kong competed in the qualifier. Among them, only the table topper could proceed for the global qualifier.

Dassanayake reappointed as Nepal’s cricket coach

On December 11, the former national coach of national men’s cricket, Pubudu Dassanayake, considered one of the most successful coaches for Nepal, was reappointed by CAN for a two-year tenure.

Dassanayake, a 51-year old Sri Lanka-born Canadian, had previously worked as the coach of the Nepali national team from 2011-15.

EPL returns back after three years

Everest Premier League, one of Nepal’s top cricketing leagues, was hosted in September, at Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground. The 2021 iteration of the league, which took place after three years, featured six teams.

Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi also played in the league, representing Kathmandu Kings XI. Chitwan Tigers, under the captainship of Sompal Kami, won the title.

Football

Victory in Three Nations Cup, international title on home soil in 37 years

In March, Nepal won the Three Nations Cup, held in Dashrath Rangasala. This was one of the most remarkable victories, the first international title on home soil for Nepal in 37 years. In the final match, Nepal defeated Bangladesh 2-1.

Similarly, in the group stage of the Cup, Nepal played a goalless draw with both teams, securing a place in the final.

Almutairi’s vacillation

The entire football sector was shaken when Nepal football coach Abdullah Almutairi announced his resignation from his post of national team’s coach through his social media account, in July.

Almutairi wrote, “Dear Nepali Fans … I’m going to ANFA to resign and my resign because of the senior vice president, in the last 3 weeks every day he makes drama to me. I hope you feel happy now Pankaj Nembang [SIC].”

But the coach did not submit a resignation letter to the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

Almutairi is beloved among Nepali football fans. Those football fans criticized ANFA, alleging that the association was involved in politicking to oust the coach.

The story did not end here. In October, the coach announced that he will step down after the SAFF championship final. In a post-match conference of the SAFF Championship, after a 1-1 draw against Bangladesh, he announced that he’d resign from the post and would never come back to Nepal.

According to the coach, some media were constantly attacking him. “They were putting the kind of misleading information that would make people angry about me,” he said.

However, the coach could not stick with his decision. In the same month when he decided to resign as head coach of Nepal, he also extended the contract. As per the renewed contract, Almutairi will coach the national team till 2024 end.

“People of Nepal and their true love made me change my mind. Then, I agreed to extend my contract instead of putting in papers,” he said, speaking at a press meet, organized after extending the contract.

‘A’ Division League back in action 

The nation’s biggest league Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ division league was held after a break of two years. Altogether 14 clubs are competing in the league and among them, Satdobato Youth Club is the only promoted one. 

For the first time in history, the match of Martyr’s Memorial ‘A’ division league was played outside the valley, in Pokhara Football Stadium. Similarly, the league also organized the match for the first time in floodlight.

Six rounds of the league have already been completed.

National sports council

Silwal on and off

The government in October sacked Ramesh Kumar Silwal from the position of member secretary of the National Sports Council. And in November, the government appointed Tanka Lal Ghising in the vacant position.

Ghising actively started doing his jobs. He even received a memorandum submitted by the Nepal National and International Players Association (NIPA), an umbrella organization of players. But in December things went unexpectedly as the supreme court issued an interim stay order to reinstate Silwal.

If the Supreme Court continues the interim order, Silwal will remain in his position until the final hearing. However, if the Supreme Court upholds the Council of Ministers’ dismissal, he will be relieved of his duties.

Volleyball

Defending champions continue the legacy

The national women’s volleyball team came back home from Bangladesh with joyous news at the end of the year. The defending champions clinched the title of Asian Central Zone Women’s Volleyball Championship by defeating Uzbekistan on Tuesday, December 28.

Six countries—host Bangladesh, Nepal, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Uzbekistan—had participated under the women’s category in the championship held from December 23.

On the other hand, the men’s team also performed relatively better than the earlier time. They stood at the fourth position in the championship.

“As of 2021, the Government of Nepal has ensured a minimum wage of NRs.15,000. 

The recently reformed Labour Act (2017) and Social Security Act (2018) have also taken strides in ensuring welfare and wellbeing of both workers and employers,” states the report. “However, these reforms fundamentally target workers in the formal sector and have made little to no impact for informal sector workers.”

CSC prepared the report by conducting research for 15 months in different places, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Morang and Sunsari. Altogether 98 persons were chosen for the research study. Out of which 80 were informal workers and the rest 18 were stakeholders and experts who were informal sector-specific. Out of 80 respondents, 46 were female and 34 were men.

The report highlights the vulnerabilities of informal workers in economic, occupational and social, and political facets. The informal workers who were the respondents of the research were selected from five different sectors, including street vending, domestic work, construction, transportation and agriculture.

The study found that all informal workers from various sectors have different kinds of risks and vulnerabilities, specific to the nature of their work. Street vendors, for instance, lack safe and sanitary workplaces, which in turn increases their vulnerabilities to harassment and discrimination by regulatory bodies. Moreover, they face adverse effects of poor sanitation and extreme environmental conditions like harsh weather, and pollution, among others.

‘As the informal sector is easily accessible and needs less skill for enrollment, a huge number of people are involved in it. This creates unbalanced competition in the market. A bottle of water that costs Rs 10 could be sold for Rs 5 by the informal workers.’

Domestic workers, on the other hand, face different sets of risks and vulnerabilities. The lack of legal employment contracts has made them susceptible to being overworked and underpaid. Informal workers in the construction sector lack health or life insurance and that has increased their vulnerabilities to workplace injuries and even death.

“As the informal sector is easily accessible and needs less skill for enrollment, a huge number of people are involved in it,” said Prakash Sharma, national project coordinator at the International Labor Organization. “The informal sector creates unbalanced competition in the market. For instance, a bottle of water that costs Rs 10 could be sold for Rs 5 by the informal workers.”

Similarly, the informal workers also do not pay tax to the government. In this regard, Sharma urges the government to build a mechanism that would register the informal workers.  

The government of Nepal hasn’t defined the informal sector yet. But the widely accepted definition of the informal sector includes “units engaged in the production of goods and services with the primary objectives of generating employment and incomes for the persons concerned. These units typically operate at a low level of organization, with little or no division between labor and capital as factors of production and on a small scale.”

According to the report, the informal sector includes unpaid workers in family enterprises, casual wage employment, home-based workers or service providers and street vending.

“The issues of informal workers are not addressed yet because the government has not defined them in the constitution and any of the country’s law,” said Keshav Bashyal, a faculty member at the Department of International Relations and Diplomacy and Labor Studies, Tribhuvan University. Bashyal was recently appointed as the advisor to the minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security. “Most probably very soon the government will work on defining the informal sector.”

Neetu Pokharel, program officer at Alliance for Social Dialogue, said that the report helps shape a new perspective about informal workers and their rights. “It adds value to the debate about workers’ rights,” she said.