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I’ve lived in Nepal for over a decade now, and I’m still astonished to see where, and what, Nepalis worship. Temples and shrines are mostly obvious—sometimes because roads or sidewalks will curve sharply to avoid them—but as I’m walking through my neighbourhood I might spot a smudge of auspicious vermillion powder on a tree trunk, a tiny niche in a cement wall, or even on a sidewalk.

That is why I was not surprised when today’s guest, Roshan Mishra of Taragaon Museum and the Global Nepali Museum, stressed that Nepal’s is a living culture. And that is one of the main reasons he is among a group of dedicated culture activists who have just launched a new campaign to repatriate idols and other works of art that were stolen from Nepal after it opened to tourism in the 1950s.

One estimate is that 70-80 percent of ‘gods and goddesses’ were spirited from the country until the 1990s. Activists have been trying for years to get them back, with some success. Mishra says the strength of the new Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign is that it adopted a process to work with the Nepal department of archaeology and other institutions, inside and outside the country. Since it launched informally in January of this year, more than 25 possibly stolen objects have been identified, a “huge achievement”, he says.

Just one note: when describing the launch of the new campaign Roshan refers a couple of times to the DG. That is the director general of Nepal’s department of archaeology.

I’m happy to be posting this episode in the middle of one of Nepal’s biggest festivals—Dasain. To everyone listening who is celebrating, Happy Dasain!

Resources

Nepal Heritage Recovery Campaign

Global Nepali Museum

Lost Arts of Nepal

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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In less than a month COP26 will have begun. Because of the shocking and destructive fires, floods, droughts and other climate disasters worldwide in the past year, it’s a good guess that more people than ever will focus on the global climate meeting in the UK.  How much will the leaders of the richest and most polluting countries promise to cut greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, and how much money will they pledge to poorer countries to adapt to the new, dangerous climate realities? Those are the questions that everyone will want answered.

Meanwhile, every day, people on the ground have no choice but to adapt in order to survive in a new world of intense rainfall, heat and cold. In Nepal, women are especially affected: they must walk further to fetch the day’s water, tend to family members who become ill from previously unknown diseases borne by mosquitoes flying ever higher in the hills and, as they increasingly lead household farms, women must find alternatives when water becomes too scarce to grow traditional crops.

Thanks to one initiative, women are also taking the lead to approach local governments for money to fund projects to adapt to climate change. Today we’ll hear about three efforts in Bardiya and Ilam districts, spearheaded by women trained to identify community needs and develop plans and budgets necessary to respond to them.

Speaking of money, our guest today, Anuja Shrestha from TEWA, will mention lakhs of Nepali rupees. If you don’t know this term, one lakh equals 100,000 rupees.

If you haven't already, don't forget to like, follow or favourite Nepal Now in your usual podcast app. Leave a review in Apple podcasts if you think more people should know about the show. Thanks!

Resources

TEWA

Prakriti Resources Center

COP26

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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Vaccines, vaccines, vaccines. This is what I’m talking and reading about these days when the subject is Covid-19. I’ve had my jab, and so has my wife, but my daughter, who’s under 18, has not, because Nepal hasn’t offered them to that age group yet, but she still has to go to school this week to take exams. My parents in Canada, who are over 80, have had two jabs, and now they’re talking about a booster shot. And on it goes.

But here in Nepal only 20% of people are fully vaccinated and 22% partly vaccinated. More doses are reportedly on the way, and this week’s news that neighbouring India will start exporting vaccines in October is encouraging, but it’s going to be months, at least, before the population approaches a vaccination rate where we can start to relax. 

In the meantime, masks are the answer. Today we’re speaking with Preeti Adhikary of the NORMmask project. You may have heard about its work in Bangladesh, where it was launched in 2020. The project is now also rolling out in Pakistan, India and Latin America. 

One note: in one of my questions today you’ll hear me refer to the results from Bangladesh as a 300% increase in mask wearing. In fact, the rise was three-fold, which I assumed was the same as 300% but is actually 200%. Now you know why I chose to study liberal arts after graduating high school….

Thank you for downloading this episode — we’d really like to hear what you thought of it, so once you’re done, please leave a review at Apple Podcasts.

Resources

NORM website
Covid-19 Rapid Action Taskforce Nepal

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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Unfortunately, Nepal’s universities do not, in general, enjoy good reputations. Politicization is a main reason for that. But a new institution, University of Nepal, plans to avoid that pitfall by establishing itself as a public university, governed by a board of trustees.

More importantly, says today’s guest and member of the development board, Dovan Rai, UoN will offer a liberal arts education. Graduates will be equipped to deal with a broad range of future challenges, not only those contained within their field of specialization.

To be located in Nawalparasi district, in south-central Nepal, UoN could be opening its doors as soon as two years from now.

You can let us know what you thought of our chat on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. We’re Nepal Now or Nepal Now pod. You can also write to me directly at [email protected].

If you’re not already subscribed to Nepal Now, why don’t you like, follow or favourite the show now wherever you’re listening to this. And if you think more people should hear the show, help spread the word by reviewing us on Apple Podcasts.

Thank you to Suraya Logan for helping with Nepal Now’s social media. My name is Marty Logan. I produced this show and I’ll talk to you again soon.

Resources
University of Nepal
Fundraising contact — [email protected]

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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Hi. This is Marty Logan. I wanted to let you know that I’m hosting a new podcast for IPS News. It’s called Strive: Toward a more just, sustainable world. It’s about people everywhere who are taking action to address climate change, racism, inequality and many other challenges we all face today. One thing that I think makes Strive different is we’ll be discussing solutions, not just adding to your burden by detailing the problems. Our first episode looked at how civil society in South Asia is leading a Covid mask-up campaign. On the next one we hear how a community currency can invigorate poor communities in Kenya that are often sidelined by the national economy. Please, look for Strive on your podcast player, or click on the link in the notes to this episode. OK, on to Nepal Now:

From Oct 31st to Nov 12th this year the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, will meet in Glasgow, Scotland. The COP, which is short for the conference of the parties—basically the nearly 200 governments that have signed the UN climate change treaty—has been meeting since 1994 to try to agree on limiting the production of greenhouse gases that contribute to the global warming that results in climate change.

And still, after all those meetings, the best-case scenario for the eight Asian countries home to the Hindu-Kush Himalaya, including Nepal, is that one-third of the mountains’ glaciers will melt by the end of this century. The worst-case: 2/3 will disappear. This is not as simple as getting used to the absence of those massive rivers of ice: the glaciers are a key source of the water that nourishes 3 billion people, 1/3 of the world’s population, in Asia. And as we all know, water is essential for life.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, or ICIMOD, has been informing the world about the impacts of climate change on the Hindu-Kush Himalaya, or HKH, for years. And of the impact on the 240 million people who live in the mountains, and of those 3 billion who rely on them for water. Today we’re speaking with Nanki Kaur, Regional Programme Manager, Adaptation and Resilience Building, about ICIMOD’s campaign ahead of COP26. It makes the case that more attention, and resources, must go to fighting the impacts of climate change in the HKH.

If you enjoy what you heard, make sure that you follow, favourite or like Nepal Now on any podcast player so you don’t miss the next episode. We’re on Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Google and Apple podcasts, and more. Between shows keep up with what we’re doing and chat with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: we’re Nepal Now or Nepal Now pod.

Thank you to Suraya Logan for her work on Nepal Now’s social media. I’m Marty Logan. I produced this episode and I’ll talk to you again soon.

Resources

#HKH2Glasgow Campaign

COP26

Strive podcast

Nepal Now social links

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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Nepalis are online. Full stop. We can no longer say that Nepalis in cities are online, or that educated Nepalis are online. In a 2020 survey, 89% of Nepalis said that they used Facebook. 62% of the mobile phones that people carried around were smartphones, and the figure was growing. The Covid-19 pandemic has surely caused it to rise further. 

This has huge implications for many aspects of people’s lives. In this episode I talk about a number of those with Shubha Kayastha of Body & Data. Do people know who’s watching them when they’re online? Or who is able to watch them? Do they know what steps they can take to find out? Is Big Tech really trying to make it easier for you to protect your privacy online? What about the government?

We discuss how women, queer people and members of other marginalized groups are trolled and bullied. Hint: it’s got a lot to do with power distribution, and echoes what happens in the physical world. 

I really enjoyed this chat—it made me think about some pretty basic things in very different ways. I guess that’s why this episode is a bit longer than usual, but take the extra time if you can—it’s worth it. 

If you like what you heard, please give us a rating on Apple Podcasts. Or buy us a coffee, by clicking on the link under Resources. Keep up with the show between episodes on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. We’re Nepal Now or Nepal Now pod. You can send me your feedback, ideas or just say hi, at [email protected]. 

Thank you to Suraya Logan, for her work on the show’s social media. I’m Marty Logan. I produced this episode and will talk to you again soon. 

Resources

Body & Data

Buy Nepal Now a coffee

Nepal Now social links

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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Room to Read works with more than 4,400 high school-age girls in three districts in Nepal. During the Covid-19 lockdown from April to July 2020, 53% of those girls were unsure about returning to their school when it reopened. They were scared about the pandemic, their families were feeling the economic crunch, and they had already missed months of school in their final years of education so it would be easy to not return. 

The organization knew it had to react, says Salina Tamang, Girls Education Senior Programme Manager, in today’s episode. First, they connected with the girls via mobile phones, and then they turned to one of the oldest media—radio. Their first goal was to provide factual information about Covid to reassure the students and their families. Next they worked to rekindle the learning spark, again among both the girls and their families. In the end, 100 of the girls ended up getting married instead of returning to studies but thanks to last year’s experience, fewer girls are at risk today, and Room to Read is planning to incorporate radio into its permanent programming.

Resources

Room to Read Nepal

Nepal Now social links

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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It’s monsoon season here in Nepal. And every time it pours rain, as it’s doing now, I start worrying about flooding. It can happen here in Kathmandu but usually the worst occurs in the southern Madhesh region, when swollen rivers spill over their banks and inundate villages, or in Nepal’s hill districts, when incessant rain dislodges fragile slopes and landslides demolish buildings and block roads. 

Climate change is reshaping the monsoon, resulting in greater numbers of extreme weather events, including more rainfall in shorter time spans. While we count the tragic victims of these events, we don’t often talk about the other health impacts of climate change. How will pregnant women or chronic disease patients go for health checkups when their road is blocked by mud? How many children will have to drink unsafe water when the usual source of clean water is submerged?

Today we’re speaking with Dibesh Karmacharya of the Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal. We discuss these short-term impacts of climate change-fuelled extreme weather as well as the so-called slow onset effects on health of warming temperatures. And there’s a bonus—Snow leopards and Bengal tigers also make their way into our talk. 

Resources

Study — Climate change and health vulnerability in Nepal: A systematic review of the literature since 2010

Centre for Molecular Dynamics Nepal

Nepal Now social links

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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Welcome to Nepal Now. My name is Marty Logan.

As we’re recording this, there is news that landslides and flooding have battered some of Nepal’s hill districts. Our hearts go out to the people who have suffered the loss of lives and their homes. This is a bad sign as the monsoon has just started and will continue for months.

Today’s episode is also about nature, and also concerns the people-environment link. A much more positive story, it is about Dev Narayan Mandal’s determination to stop the destruction of the forest that loomed over his childhood in the Madhesh region. And while that forest is healthier today, what is really remarkable is that the surrounding communities are also prospering, and that Mandal and his colleagues at the Mithila Wildlife Trust are receiving requests to branch out to other communities that depend on forests (pardon the pun). 

What also makes this story unique, I think, is that most nature news from southern Nepal focuses or the devastation caused by annual monsoon flooding, or on endangered tigers or one-horned rhinos. This is a story where local communities are the agents for positive change. 

If you enjoyed this episode make sure you like, follow or favourite the show on your usual podcast player: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts — you can find Nepal Now on all of them, and more. 

Stay in touch with us by following Nepal Now or Nepal Now Pod on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn (links below). You can write to me directly at [email protected]. 

Inspiration for today’s episode came from an article in a recent issue of Nepali Times newspaper. You can find a link below. 

Suraya Logan works on social media for Nepal Now. I’m Marty Logan. I produced this episode and I’ll talk to you again soon. 

Resources

Mithila Wildlife Trust

Nepali Times article about MWT

Nepal Now social links

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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As you've likely heard, Nepal is in the throes of a second wave of Covid-19. This has raised fears that, just like during and after the lockdown of 2020, women will be using reproductive, maternal and child health services much less than usual, or as necessary. One result is likely to be more births taking place in risky home settings.

Today, we’re going on the road to visit two such homes. We set out to track what seemed to be a magic pill used to protect pregnant women, but the trip morphed into a quest to understand why more than 1,000 Nepali women a year continue dying during what should be one of the best experiences of their lives — childbirth.

Please let us know if you’d like to hear more episodes in this format. We are on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as Nepal Now or Nepal Now Pod. You can also leave a voice message on our webpage — anchor.fm/nepalnow. If you’re really moved, you can leave a review of the show on Apple podcasts.

We’re posting photos from Chimling Village on our social media accounts. Please check them out.

We’d like to thank One Heart Worldwide for their cooperation, especially Surya Bhatta, for frankly sharing his passionate opinions on maternal health, and Babita Bindu, for leading the trip to Chimling Village and providing interpretation. We'd also like to thank Kutumba, for permission to use their song Pariwartan, or Change, which you're hearing now, in this episode. And to Suraya Logan, for her work on Nepal Now's social media.

I'm Marty Logan. I wrote and produced this episode and can be reached at [email protected]. I'll talk to you again soon.

(Listen to part 2 of this report)

Resources

Kutumba band's Facebok page

One Heart Worldwide 

Location of Chimling village, Mankha Municipality

Nepal's Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health Roadmap, 2020-2030

Assessment of Nepal's misoprostol programme

Nepal Now social links

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Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.

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