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We roped in Kunda Dixit to help us to put the issues together, and decided to include interviews with people who have inspired us: Dr. Ram Shrestha, the man behind Dhulikhel Hospital and Tashi Sherpa, who has taken a Nepali brand global. We included profiles and interviews of diverse Nepalis that are not covered by mainstream media.

Our belief in South-South learning is echoed through our articles on Liberia and Rwanda, which shows that there are so many common issues they share with Nepal. The beed life of trying to understand trends is illustrated by the article on the Korean Wave in music and culture.

Books and food, the two key ingredients of a beed have also been reviewed.

celebrating 5 years We were wondering what to do for our fifth anniversary. A big party? A retreat? A picnic?

But what would really be the most memorable, we decided, was to do a commemorative issue in line of the beed theme of positive transformation.

Global Nepalis inspire us as beed continuously strives to be a Nepal-based global firm. We have recently started working in Bhutan and Rwanda, and we would like to add more countries as we grow. This issue of beedlife would not have been complete without sharing the beed journey of the beed people over the last five years.

We would like to thank all our interviewees as well as beeds Chandni and Shayasta, who worked tirelessly to make this commemorative issue possible. And, last but not least, a big thank you to all our contributors.

Sujeev Shakya CEO beed management private limited

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beedlife team: sujeev shakya, chandni singh karki, shayasta tuladhar not for sale. distributed exclusively under sole discretion of beed management private limited. views and opinions expressed in this magazine are personal and not necessarily that of beed management private limited or its associate companies. for permissions to copy or reuse material from this book, please write to: shayasta.tuladhar@beed.com.np beed management private limited p.o. box 7025 krishna galli, lalitpur 3, nepal +977 1 5548400 info@beed.com.np www.beed.com.np published by: beed management private limited editorial and production support: himalmedia pvt ltd design by kiran maharjan printed in nepal at jagadamba press

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contributors

BLAIR GLENCORSE IS FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ACCOUNTABILITY LAB, WHICH WORKS IN NEPAL AND LIBERIA.

CHANDNI SINGH KARKI DABBLES ACROSS MANY WORLDS INCLUDING MANAGING THE BEEDS.

SHRISTI SINGH CRUNCHES NUMBERS AND WAS PART OF THE TEAM WORKING IN RWANDA. SUJEEV SHAKYA IS THE BEED.

ROJESH BHAKTA SHRESTHA LOVES CRICKET AS MUCH AS HE LOVES TO MANAGE INVESTMENTS.

SHAYASTA TULADHAR ENJOYS READING AND HER CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS FUNCTION.

SUDIP BHAJU IS A MAVERICK WHO WORKS ON ASSIGNMENTS THAT REQUIRE A LOT OF TRAVEL.

SUVASH THAPA LEVERAGES TECHNOLOGY FOR EVERYTHING.

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beed@5 the beed journey SUJEEV SHAKYA beed people: the third pillar CHANDNI SINGH “our past is my future” TASHI SHERPA amakuru rwanda SHRISTI SINGH improbable prabal PRABAL GURUNG diverse contexts, shared lessons BLAIR GLENCORSE “push from behind, not pull from front” RAM K M SHRESTHA korea in nepal SHAYASTA TULADHAR “nepal has a feel-good factor” KIRAN JOSHI

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8 14 18 24 28 32 38 44 50

the untold story of nepal’s far west SUDIP BHAJU the melody of the nepali soul AMRIT GURUNG “i’d be bored doing anything else” SUMNIMA UDAS nepal’s new innings ROJESH BHAKTA SHRESTHA “discipline, hard work, determination” PARAS KHADKA read. write. dream. PRAJWAL PARAJULY cleaning up our act ARNICO PANDAY the glass is more than half-full AJAY SHRESTHA leapfrogging the digital divide SUVASH THAPA building global knowledge ADITI SHRESTHA “representing my country” MUDITA BAJRACHARYA “my stories lead me straight to nepal” MANJUSHREE THAPA beed reads 5 beed hangouts

56 62 68 72 78 80 84 90 94 100 105 108 113 120

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the beed journey SUJEEV SHAKYA

Five years ago in September 2008, beed management had just been registered and Mahendra Mainali, our lawyer friend, had handed over the registration documents.

To start out, we planned a retreat at Park Village with the first eight members of beed to develop a strategic plan for the company, wherein we adapted brand visioning tools and emerged with a brand positioning statement and a series of strategies. All the brand attributes were in place and subsequently the logo emerged. Excitement levels were high, and the beeds were ready to rock.

Little did it matter that there was no client at hand, or in sight.

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The iconic beed logo emerged with the letters in small case to reflect humility and subtlety, and the letters joined together to reflect a tight-knit group, team spirit and bonding. The word beed was adapted from the vedic word ‘vid’ (‘the expert’ or ‘one possessed with the knowledge of the Veda’).

I wrote a column under the nom de plume Arthabeed for eight years in Nepali Times, and the brand beed had some recognition in the market. The iconic tika represents the three lines of sandalwood worn on the forehead by many Hindu priests in South India, and was the final icon to our brand. We used the tika in presentations, to substitute the star in ratings and it remains the guiding image of what we do. In many instances it was heartening to hear investors asking each other, “How many tika did beed give the company?”

The beed brand was used extensively, not only in naming our offices and products, but to express ourselves. In a country where people carry fan type business cards, with multiple designations, we chose to refer to all our people as beeds so that each is able to create an identity without being

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stereotyped into a particular designation.

Our management trainee program was named aspiring beed, and the internship program beedtern. We rated blue chips companies as beed chips and we called our eco-system planet beed. Our obsession with the word kept people reminiscing on the high-school prankster days where belonging was so important. We therefore fitted every definition of the Tribe as defined by Seth Godin in his book.

The consulting business is often viewed with skepticism, and knowledge is not really respected as a resource that needs to be compensated for.

In addition, the Nepali habit of not keeping a promise of payment is something we don’t need to elaborate upon. beed learnt this the hard way, we lost money. We did not get paid by friends we trusted, and even a multinational known to bully service providers. People in Nepal were willing to spend good money on dinners after a presentation but not on the presentation. This did not deter us, we worked hard, telling potential clients that we were like a cab, you get in and the meter starts ticking, so its not free. We also drew

parallels with branches of medicine like oncology and neurology where you go to the doctors knowing very well that they will give their best, but the cost is premium. The costs are high because of the high quality resources that are deployed and the high cost of tools.

In a country where the value of consulting is determined by daily Nepali rates that are pathetically low, beed kept fighting for approval as exceptions. Once again we had to draw parallels with the medical industry where patients get a consolidated package bill after surgery that is not broken down into the hourly rates of surgeon or nurses.

When surgeons operate, they don’t care how long it takes, they ensure delivery. We had to compete with retired people who had decades of experience, and whose consulting earnings would be a top up to their pensions and not their full time commitment. We survived, and we will still survive. Our endeavour is to positively transform the consulting marketplace, pushing people to output related delivery rather than getting lost in the accounting of daily rates and person days. beed’s journey has been full of innovation and advancement. beed invest was the

first operational portfolio management company in Nepal and introduced the very concept to the country. We brought in international practices of stock analysis and investments, and the market looked up to us with credibility as did the regulators.

After the stock market crash, our guarantee portfolios sunk, but we paid off each one of our investors. In a country where running away with money and not keeping promises is common, we stood by our values of integrity. We have always believed that if we are to compete in the global market place, then credibility is not on a scale of one to ten, it is binary: either you have it or you don’t.

The Nepal Economic Forum (NEF) provided us an important platform to pursue our interest and for outreach. Unlike the practice of using a not-for-profit: for managing statutory issues, we openly talked about how NEF was a beed promoted not-for-profit. beeds proudly contribute to providing in-depth analysis in research for its publications. We are always flattered when people carry hard copies of nefport and nefsearch at meetings and cite data from them, and when we see references to them in research papers on Nepal. With neftalk we changed the way discussions are held,

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moving away from mascot inaugurated, formality driven functions that just deliver lengthy speeches. Our public service in providing all these for free continues.

We have been tested, and have needed to show patience and perseverance. It was in early 2009, just a few months after we started, that we submitted a joint bid with Bank of Kathmandu (BOK) to the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to manage the USD 14 million Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) venture fund.

We won the global bid and it took us four years to pull it off the ground going through interesting phases of structuring within Nepal’s archaic laws and seeking approvals.

At global forums people were astonished to hear our stories of endurance and now Business Oxygen, a Bank of Kathmandu beed joint venture is poised to positively transform access to finance in Nepal.

We remained a Swiss Knife in a 7-11 Store.

People started asking us: W hat don’t you do? In the past five years we have covered practically all important sectors in Nepal: agriculture, tourism, hospitality, hydropower, retail, financial services, educational services, medical services, apparels or Information Technology

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and Communication (ITC). We have worked across financing , marketing , Human Resources, branding, strategy, corporate compliances, administration and corporate communication. When we look at the impressive list of over 70 clients we have worked for in the past five years, we often wonder how we accomplished it all.

In 2012 we also started the beed leadership centre to provide end-to-end solutions to clients. From coaching entrepreneurs and senior management teams to providing interventions through leadership thinkshops, the quest to provide total solutions to clients continued. For organisations to maintain a healthy sustainable growth, we identified soft skill interventions and managing leadership roles as the most important.

The journey at beed has been fun. People joined beed to take on challenges not for money or getting fancy designations.

A flat structure that promoted open communication and a relationship based on trust became the beed’s backbone. The pressure to deliver was immense and people grew fast at beed, as they started realising the potential they had. Some left as they wanted to take on bigger challenges in life that

suited their own choices. The activity on the Facebook page of beed Alumni demonstrates the sense of belonging people had during their stint at beed, and continue to have. “Fun� has always been the keyword at beed, and when it ceases to be fun it becomes difficult. The culture of participatory discourse was the centre of everything.

Retreats, parties, knowledge series and town halls promoted the sense of fun and camaraderie. However, when it came to fundamentals of discipline the no-tolerance policy was continuously in force as a reminder of the accepted norms of human behaviour.

Crossing international boundaries was something everyone in beed looked forward to. The big news was when we could contribute to a pre-feasibility of a cable car project in Rwanda. The beed inspired vision of building an eco-tourism corridor finally won over thinkers in Rwanda and an international bid was floated. beed won the bid and embarked upon it on May 2013, its first overseas assignment. In August 2013 another assignment in Bhutan was started, and beed continues to be on the search of countries and territories where large firms are not interested due to the size of assignments,

and where a people-centric solution is wararnted.

A journey of positive transformation requires bandwidth. One needs to be able to oscillate between a 30,000ft Mount Everest perspective of strategy and big picture, to the Google Earth street view of operations. From negotiating deals in board rooms in Washington DC to implementing them in Nepal in government offices. We need to be able to articulate the vernacular discourses of the villages in English to a global audience, and also to bring global discourses to rural audiences in a language and form they understand. In feasibilities for global companies, raising funds, conducting private public dialogue, or working on strategy, bandwidth becomes the key.

The beed journey has been challenging.

But when we look back, we feel that we have been able to create an oasis of positive thinking, where we approach an issue collectively to get to solutions rather than being part of the problem. Congratulations to each beed who has put in so much in collectively bringing about a positive transformation in so many individuals and organisations. We look forward to many more anniversaries.

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beed people: the third pillar CHANDNI SINGH

My first introduction to beed was when I came to the office to drop a wedding card for a friend who worked here. What a unique office setting, I remember thinking. People were sitting not in cubicles, but around a long L-shaped shared space amidst tasteful blue and red minimalist furniture.

My friend explained that everyone sat around the same room, including the CEO. It was hard to get used to, I expected at least he would have a corner room with an oversized mahogany table, perhaps, and a slew of certificates hanging on the wall.

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To my amazement, my friend pointed to a section of the room that shared the running table with the rest of the team.

I still remember thinking I might have misunderstood, and the connecting room (that is actually the pantry) must be the CEO’s room. It was only on joining beed that I realised that the CEO actually sits with the rest of the team in the beed Lab. In fact, during the first recruitment phase, otherwise strong promising candidates had to be turned down because they insisted on a separate cubicle.

Another interesting thing about beed was that everything seemed to have a name.

The beed OT (Open Thoughts meeting room), beed baithak (reception), beed mint (accounts), beed lab (working area for everyone) and even beed smokes (smoking zone). It was all a bit too overwhelming at first, but the impact of the brand was indisputable. Over the four years that I have spent at beed, various pieces of the brand unfolded themselves to reveal the nugget: how the culture and team members are aligned with the brand. Some aspects of the beed brand stand out: beedlife / 15

1

dream, achieve, celebrate

If the DNA of human beings determine their personality, it is not surprising that an organisation’s culture is also based on its DNA. At beed, our DNA is ‘Dream, Achieve, Celebrate’. These three words sum up the beed culture: Dream: setting goals. Sometimes so big that some of us have a hard time believing it is practical, but it is the big dreams that undoubtedly motivate us.

Achieve: working hard. Our hard work aims at the sky and it is amazing how some of the seemingly far-fetched strategies are actually implemented.

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working in teams

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Consulting is a business that warrants working in teams, and being a team player is a highly valuable skill set, this is not something new. beed is no different in emphasising teamwork but what sets beed apart is the fluid nature of teams. It is not that the most senior person (in age, experience or number of years at beed) in the team who is team leader. Different members of the team are expected and encouraged to lead in different assignments. When I was first asked to lead an assignment, not only taking ownership but delegating tasks and being responsible for it, I was initially taken aback. How can I, the newest member of the beed team, tell everyone what I wanted them to do and how the assignment is to be implemented?

But at beed, this is the norm. Being thrown

Celebrate: celebrating achievements. It is the celebration that brings the team together because even if each person is not directly involved in working on a particular assignment or goal, the whole team shares in the celebration, sharing and rejoicing in each other’s hard work, taking ownership of the team work .

For newcomers, the word ‘celebration’ evokes a puzzled smile. They wonder how this is going to play out, and are amazed as the number of get-togethers. For example, the day I joined beed there was a party going on, and most staff have taken part in at least one celebration within a month of joining.

into the deep end has its benefits: everyone at beed has been through it, and has learnt to handle assignments. Everyone develops multiple skill sets: research, writing, client coordination and strategy.

Having a square organisation structure is imperative for this approach to work.

Without designations, there are no strict lines or responsibilities, which means the danger of stepping on each others’ toes is negligible, and no one shies away from taking responsibility. Further, an open office means that help is practically always at hand when we need it. Everyone goes by their first names, reflecting the informal relationship and a renouncement of hierarchies. Using “dai” or “sir” is penalised, as I myself learnt the hard way.

3

My first mentoring session was nerve wracking, and I nearly choked on my sandwich. The expectations were so high I could barely look up, let alone match them. Although I had a tough assignment, what I did not expect was the growth, both personal and professional that would ensue from living up to these expectations. Every time I let a sigh of relief, having achieved a certain milestone, a new one quickly emerged. It was taxing at first but since has become a way of life and pushed me on the way to reaching my potential and create my identity. I know I am not alone in this experience, many beeds and beedterns have similar feedback, that their growth in through the beed experience has been tremendous.

Mentoring also happens collectively through the beed Knowledge Series which not only facilitates bonding, but is a great tool to share knowledge. In some sessions we share our experiences by, say, writing.

My very useful take-away was to start my writing with the end in mind, to ensure that my writing is aware of the audience and stays focused. In other sessions, we hear stories from notable personalities such as Tashi Sherpa, from Sherpa Adventure Gear, whose experiences and achievements are truly inspirational. Still other sessions are used to share stories from trips beeds have taken. These sessions have given me a glimpse into new places, and possibly even plan a trip to explore them for myself.

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I had always heard about the various projects and products for beed people, and the institutionalisation of the beed culture.

This was an area that I found interesting, and waited eagerly to work on. My chance came when we developed the Unleashing Nepal - Unleashing You, leadership thinkshop, a proprietary product and a unique name to go along with it. As with the other beed brands, brainstorming a name for the product, juxtaposing seemingly different words to arrive at an identity was inevitable.

about themselves and their goals. Although the impact was not tangible at the moment, the organisations felt that it was able to motivate the participants in ways that they had never imagined. Targets that used to be hard to get buy-in from the team were soon being considered, and even taken up as challenges.

mentoring

beed leadership center

Watching the product unfold itself through the unique group coaching technique called ‘thinkshops’ was an exciting and proud moment for all of us. People came with varied expectations, but left feeling like they had never spent so much time to think

Through its strong brand personality, inherent culture and unique products, beed has been able to institutionalise beed people, the third pillar of the beed eco-system and one that is dedicated to working for positive transformations of individuals. This positive transformation clearly starts at home, with the beeds and the beedterns, who are its brand ambassadors and the backbone of the brand. beedlife / 17

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Sherpa has built its five-storey flagship store in Naxal that houses a research and development unit, two floors of a one-stop shop for down jackets, sleeping bags, tents and trekking gear, and a top floor with bed and breakfast lodgings.

“our past is my future” At a time when many investors have shied away from Nepal because of security concerns, the power shortage and labour militancy, Tashi Sherpa has not just returned to Nepal but decided to set up the world headquarters of his Sherpa Adventure Gear company in Kathmandu.

Tashi says he is not a fool, and didn’t come back to Nepal because he felt a need “to score karma points”. Despite problems, he saw a good opportunity for business, the prospect of a high return on investment. He did the calculations and took a calculated risk.

Tashi, 56, ran his garment-export business in Nepal till 1989. When he saw the writing on the wall with the WTO, he sold everything to move to the US. He found himself a niche in the adventure gear market and decided to take on the big boys, offering the same quality at a slightly more affordable price tag.

He was working out of a garage, outsourcing his manufacturing to Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan before deciding to scale up. Noted American adventure clothing designers helped him, and he launched the Sherpa brand and its distinctive ‘endless knot’ logo.

“I know, it was a huge leap of faith to return to Nepal,” Tashi Sherpa once told Nepali Times. “But it’s not about me, I’m just the custodian of the brand. Our past is my future.”

INTERVIEW WITH TASHI SHERPA beedlife / 19

years into the late eighties and by then, some far-sighted Nepali entrepreneurs took matters into their own hands and invested in modern line production system and started independent merchandising. But this was more the exception than the norm.

As someone with long experience in Nepal's apparel export industry, how do you remember the early days when there was so much promise that it would drive the economy and create jobs in Nepal?

If we look at the very short history of the textile and garment industry in Nepal, we can pretty much tie it to the quota regime in the United States. Quotas on cotton garments were imposed on India, and so overnight, around 1982, we started seeing Indian exporters, brokers all parachuting into Kathmandu to circumvent this.

Unfortunately, and much as I would like to deny it, the apparel industry in Nepal started on a very tentative premise of being nothing more than a transit conduit for cheap cotton tops and pants. People who had no idea of what a buttonhole was became overnight garment factory owners and worked on a simple commission basis for India-based garmentos. It continued for a number of 20 \ beedlife

What went wrong, and how did the rot set in?

In retrospect, there was a singular lack of vision within the industry as well as in the government’s approach because nobody was prepared to invest for the long term. The government never saw this as a legitimate industry, the public perspective, too, tended to be biased into thinking that all of this was fly by night. Also the garment factories never took the initiative to create substantive credibility for themselves. It was all cut and sew for most with a very low barrier of entry. A nascent industry that held much promise never really took off. There was no concerted effort nor a strategy to create a future base of trained middle management and technical skills on the floor level. Sure, there were jobs created and during the boom years we probably had every second corner of the city buzzing with machines but a carpetbagger approach only looks at what is best for the moment, so an eventual decline of the industry was inevitable.

Around the middle of the eighties, I got a wake-up call and realised that if we were to survive and grow, we would have to develop our own merchandising and product development skills and one would have to take a leap of faith by marketing directly to retail chains and brands. That was a steep learning curve, very expensive, but worth

every penny and I am grateful for that period of painful self discovery now. Had I not endured through that, I doubt if I would be here today.

So, neither the government nor the businesses saw what was coming?

W hen you build a house of cards, the collapse comes sooner than later and even though all the warning signs were visible from the late eighties, nobody bothered to take heed of GATT or the WTO moves.

Everyone lived in denial. Orders from middlemen dried up, owners refused to acknowledge their own hand in this decline and kept blaming it on government apathy.

This trend continues even today. Look at the Garment Association: none of its executive members own factories any longer and yet keep banging on the doors of government looking for handouts such as duty free access, incentives to exports etc. It reminds me of the classic “who moved my cheese” syndrome. All this, of course, got worse when labour became a strident force. Profit margins in the cut and sew space is nominal at best, and there was no way that ownership could afford to pay for all those increased costs, once increased wages and worker’s rights became the new reality. It did not help that militant unions took this to the other extreme and started making unreasonable demands. That was the last straw.

Yet you did not abandon this sector, and carved out a niche for yourself. How challenging has that been?

Actually I did abandon it for a brief period.

As I said, I’d seen the collapse coming for some time and managed to sell off my earlier

manufacturing business when there was still some demand in the market, before it all hit the fan. That was a very fortuitous decision because it allowed me to be objective about my next move. I’d moved to the US by then in 1989, and when I started examining my own future career move, I realised that I’d spent more than one third of my life in the apparel space. I also appreciated that there was an amazing pool of talent that we’d built here in Nepal, and that it would be a shame to let it all go to waste.

I came back to Nepal, re-hired some of my old trusted hands, set up a very small base from an apartment, shuttling back and forth between the US and Nepal. I bootstrapped my way, literally surviving month by month, but gradually I grew my private label business and we outsourced with local makers, building the sourcing business into eight countries. That was the foundation for what would later be Sherpa. As for challenges, I think one needs to realise that these are inherent to any enterprise. Logistical bottlenecks, power cuts, labor issues: one has to develop a correct perspective to this. It’s all relative when we consider that the biggest challenge actually is how does one keep the business viable day in and day out. Every single country in the world presents its own obstacles, but right behind that wall lies opportunities for the intrepid entrepreneur. Success is never guaranteed, but if you begin to look for guarantees the only thing sure is failure because you’re never going to commit.

It must have had its rewards, though?

Of course. These are hard to quantify beedlife / 21

because, strangely enough, even though all business schools tell you that revenues and profits are supposedly the primary drivers of any enterprise, the greatest rewards actually come from seeing the faces and hearing the voices of people for whom we’ve made the biggest difference. Whether its having built a global fan base for Sherpa Adventure Gear, developing a world class production team in two continents, knowing that every single product we sell helps to make the lives of so many Nepalis better, evidencing the respect for ‘Made In Nepal’, the fact that we are now talked of in the same breath as other famous peer brands, seeing the potential to make this go much further, helping to steer local companies to improve their operations and quality of products and seeing their pride when we put the Sherpa label on what they have helped create, the every day testimonials we receive from our wonderful customers…these make the endless nights and occasional rants every bit worth it.

How important was your use of the two brands, 'Sherpa' and 'Made in Nepal', in your strategy to penetrate the international market in adventure gear?

This was something that came about instinctively. The first part of branding ourselves as Sherpa was because of my own childhood awe for those unsung heroes. It was my own heartfelt tribute, and in that I recognised the immediate resonance of the word “Sherpa” as natural for our market audience. Everything we make, every action we undertake and decision we make revolves around what is true to this core: the integrity and authenticity of the brand

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has to be protected at all levels every day.

Initially, Made in Nepal was something that came about more through the circumstance of having our products made here rather than anything deliberate. It was a strategic sourcing move because early on due to our size, we had no choice but to depend on our own limited resources here. Where else could we have full control of our quality, our look, and authenticity. Later on, we started to appreciate the value behind this more and more because people across the world have a soft corner for Nepal. Some of it, of course, is imbued with the typical patronising view of poor mountain people, brave and simple natives interspersed with a bit of the Shangrila mystique of ancient wisdom in fluttering prayer flags, etc. As a marketing ideal all brands have this one ultimate goal to be a global and cultural icon (think Coke, Starbucks, Nike) that transcends cultures.

I think we’ve been lucky, very lucky that Sherpa has been able to achieve this iconic image right off because we have not had to create too much of a story. In fact, we are the story, and it rings true. That is the challenge all other brands face, and we’ve been able to do that from day one.

What steps could the Nepal government take immediately to make the country more investor friendly?

That’s a question that opens up a whole pandora’s box of past failures. As long as you have bureaucrats and uneducated politicians with limited bandwidth trying to formulate investment strategies, we will keep getting policies that address the symptoms only.

It has to start from recognising first and

foremost that “it IS the economy, stupid” and that creating a one window system is useless if you burden that window with seventeen locks.

An ecosystem that encourages small and middle enterprises is a first, allowing overseas investors to come in for retail (currently under negative listing) establishing clear and concrete procedures, and implementing earlier policies to show commitment, creating a secondary investment board that focuses on SME and leaving the big flagship, showcase hydro projects to the Nepal Investment Board (NIB).

Having a thousand investors come in at a $250,000 floor level means we would have $250 million of foreign investment while NIB is still waiting for its big hydro projects to come to fruition. More digital and online formalities, the fewer the roadblocks in our “licence” and clearance formalities the less chances for corruption and graft, ergo leading to great first experiences, and of course first stop would be to w e l c o m e p o te n t i a l i nv e s to r s i n to Nepal smoothly at the airport and giving them a good impression. If a visa line can take you one hour, you can imagine what visitors feel about their chances of investment applications.

Yet, you have persevered where many others would have thrown up their hands and given up. What is your secret?

Very easy: my inherent maverick nature to always try something new and go at it with

a passion that is sometimes detrimental to my health. (Laughs) My roots are Nepal, I come from a family of entrepreneurs, I am a second generation Sherpa, and when I think that my own Dad was herding yaks in his early teens and ran off to seek his future and on the very first day he arrived in Calcutta, he saw Japanese planes bombing the city, you can imagine what it must have taken for him to do what he did with nothing more than his own drive and faith. He later established a very successful business outpost and the stories he told us of his early days have always been my inspiration.

Sher pa has now become a wellrecognised brand for adventure gear.

Where next for you?

We still have a long way to go, and until we are globally recognised and respected for the words “We are Sherpa” as our Vision Statement, we will keep striving. Whether it be in creating an experience of the ultimate quality through our management, manufacturing and customer service philosophies, developing and nurturing local talent for our future and always constantly learning on how to become better. We’ve only just begun, and in mountaineering analogy we are just on Camp One of our expedition. I believe we have a lot of potential for the brand that goes beyond just offering gear. I do see that we could move into hospitality, more retail presence worldwide, but always ensuring that we stay true to our core and never getting too big for our crampons.

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amakuru rwanda (hello rwanda)

SHRISTI SINGH beeds think big. This was evident to me from my first interview with Suman, cofounder of beed, who talked about the company’s mission to go global after just two years in the business of business. It was when we won the global bid to work on a consulting contract with the Government of Rwanda that the goal became a reality. beed was to help in the formulation of a business plan for a cable car project on Mount Karisimbi, along with undertaking a visioning and planning exercise for an Ecotourism Project. An international assignment in Rwanda meant travelling there to conduct ground research and interviews. I was part of the consulting team that was going to be involved in beeds’ exciting first international mission.

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On the first leg of the journey to Doha, my travel companions were mostly migrant workers. Their sweat stained shirts were emblems of their capacity for hard work, but as many of us know, their real ordeal was just beginning. It is their toil and earnings that is keeping the Nepali economy afloat.

After another 7 hour flight, we land at Kigali which has an airport the size of Pokhara, but is much more systematised.

Rwanda used to be synonymous with conflict and genocide, but today it is a small and peaceful country in the throes of growth and reconstruction. With a population of 11 million crammed in a country the size of Bhutan, the country has bounced back from the war 20 years ago in which 20% of the population was wiped out. The road from the airport was clean and well-maintained, giving a good first impression.

Rwanda is a model for successful post-war rehabilitation and reconciliation, it is now ranked 52 out of 185 countries on the World Banks Doing Business Report, 2013. Nepal is at 108.

Surprisingly, communication was a problem with staff, as they were fluent in only Kinyarwanda, and we in English. French is to them what Hindi is to Nepalis, but we didn’t speak that either. That is when I realised the power of communication, without which even if you have all the resources and ideas, you cannot get what you want. From making sounds of chicken or goat to buy meat in

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the supermarket to sign language, we did whatever it took to get the message across.

At the gym where we enrolled, we noticed staff clad in orange jumpsuits. Upon enquiry we found out that inmates convicted of involvement in the genocide were allowed to work at community centres. Such initiatives are proof that Rwanda is well on its path to reconciliation, and is leaving its brutal past behind.

Since our project was related to tourism, we were required to visit tourist destinations in Rwanda. Our first destination was the Akagera National Park where we sighted zebras and giraffes in their natural habitat.

The park has two lodges, the Akagera Game Lodge and the newly constructed Ruzizi Tented Lodge which have been designed to be eco-friendly. The entire facility operates completely on solar power with an installation cost of $120,000, and is completely off the national power grid.

Unlike the noise and pollution from big generators within the Chitwan National Park, at the Ruzizi Tented Lodge you are greeted by the sounds of the jungle.

Our visit to the park coincided with an excursion of a group of local students, where I noticed that they all had clean shaven heads leading me to assume that all of them were boys. But once they started coming out of their minivan I noticed that half of them were wearing skirts. This is apparently because managing curly hair is a costly affair,

with braiding starting at 10 dollars. The only other option for parents, therefore, is to shave off their hair. Rwanda has a young population with 70% of the people below 30 years. Government officials are also young, including the Rwanda Air Force Chief, General Demali of who is only 37.

At the Genocide Museum in Kigali we saw the background of the war, and the aftermath. The testimonies, pictures, videos and accounts of the survivors of the civil war were hauntingly powerful. The museum has a section where family members can donate pictures of the victims of the war, with a section of the museum filled with images, and projecting stories of the survivors from the war. The most heart-wrenching part of the museum, however, was the section dedicated to children who were butchered.

One child survivor had written: “I didn’t know why my neighbor who would come help my father with gardening almost every day attacked me. I begged for mercy and asked him to spare me. After a while he stopped and went on to find more people to kill.”

Just like the tiger is the iconic wildlife selling point for Nepal, for Rwanda it is the mountain gorilla. Rwanda is home to twothird of the total 800 mountain gorillas in the world and it is a valuable tourism asset for the country. The Rwandans have therefore learnt how to market it to gain maximum tourism revenues. Every year, the Rwanda Development Board organises a gorilla naming ceremony called ‘Qwita Izina’, where gorillas born throughout the year get named.

We were lucky enough to get invited to be a part the event, which is a grand affair with performances by local and regional artists, and includes traditional dance performances. A mix of local and international celebrities, ambassadors and conservationists were chosen to name the gorillas. While we are at the ceremony, we were just wondering how such an event would work in Nepal where we would name tiger and rhino cubs.

Despite a dark past, Rwanda has been able to come out of the trauma, transform the country, and the transformation is visible everywhere. Due to the perception of Nepalis as facilitators of peace-keeping, the general attitude towards us among the Rwandese is friendly. This country in the heart of Africa was a pleasant surprise, and gave us hope that with hard work and perseverance a country can lift itself out of its tormented past.

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improbable prabal After being born in Singapore in 1974 Prabal Gurung moved to Kathmandu with his parents, and was educated in Nepal.

Growing up with his mother, he was inspired by her Yves Saint Lauren perfumes and showed an early interest in fashion.

At high school in St Xavier’s in Jawalakhel, Prabal remembers drawing dresses in his homework copybook, but luckily he had a class teacher who saw his talent and encouraged him.

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After graduating, he followed his dream to study at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, but longed to benefit from the exposure of a wider world.

He found himself in the world’s fashion capital, New York, where he enrolled at the famous Parson’s School of Design. Even as a first-year student, Prabal Gurung was already showing promise and being noticed.

He was nominated as the Best Designer in the college’s annual contest, and after that there was no looking back. He interned at famous designer houses, and got jobs with Cynthia Rowley and Bill Blass. By 2008 he had amassed enough experience with design, fabrics and his distinctive “lady cool” look to launch his own studio in New York’s East Village. The very next year he had the first show of his designer line, and Hollywood actress Demi Moore who visited it tweeted herself in one of Prabal’s dresses.

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With the power of early social networking sites, Prabal’s designs were suddenly the talk of the town, the country, and the wide world. His creations were put up at Bloomingdale’s and then came the big break when Oprah Winfrey wore the famous red dress that Prabal designed for a cover shoot for her magazine, O. In 2010, Prabal got the EccoDomani Fashion Foundation Award and made his first appearance in the New York Fashion Week runway. Celebrities had by then discovered Prabal, and started wearing his dresses to high profile events, and this got a boost when Michelle Obama wore his silk dress at a function at the Smithsonian, and again another of his stunning dresses at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. More good news was to follow: Prabal came second in the Vogue Fashion Fund prize, winning $100,000 for his business and the magazine features his reimagined vintage dresses. In 2011, Prabal won CFDA Swarovski Award for his women’s design. And it wasn’t just dresses, Prabal was designing shoes, shades and nail art as well. By this time he was being featured regularly in top fashion magazines like Vogue , including Scarlett Johansson wearing his dress on the magazine’s cover in 2012.

With his career taking off, and despite his growing international celebrity status, PrabalGurung remains modest about his success, often telling interviewers that with a clear goal, determination and hard work anyone could have achieved what he did. He has been down-to-earth about his

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success, never letting it get into his head, and has never forgotten his roots. In fact, Nepalis may have forgotten him, but Prabal Gurung has never forgotten Nepal.

He visits Nepal at least once a year for a family reunion, and makes it a point to talk to young Nepali students. He has been speaking out forcefully against school bullying because of his own experience at school, asking Nepali schools to take a “zero tolerance” attitude.

But by far the most meaningful work for him has been his support for Maiti Nepal and its campaign to stop the trafficking of Nepali girls and to rehabilitate them when they are rescued. He has also set up the Shikshya Foundation Nepal to support young girls through school. In 2011, Vogue magazine recognised his contribution to the welfare of young Nepali women.

More than all this, Prabal Gurung also serves as a de facto brand ambassador for Nepal, referring to his country often in his many tweets and encouraging his followers to visit Nepal. It is clear that Prabal’s success is Nepal’s success, and it is fortunate that he is one of those Nepalis who wants to keep close links to the land of his ancestors.

And Prabal Gurung is happy that Nepalis are happy about his success. During a recent visit to Kathmandu he told the Nepali Times: “What I’ve noticed is how people are genuinely happy for me. Not many people celebrate other people’s success in Kathmandu, maybe it makes them feel smaller. But the younger generation is different … it’s very encouraging.”

4 questions for prabal gurung:

1

What advice do you have for young Nepalis who want to emulate you?

First and foremost, you need to be inspired. It’s inspiration that drives you to carve your own path. But more than anything, don’t be afraid to take a leap and aim high. Have strength, passion, humility and drive along the way and read, read and read some more.

2

What gives you true satisfaction?

For me, it is being able to educate the young girls from my Foundation and seeing them prosper.

3

How do you explain the tug that Nepal has on you, being so far away?

My years in Nepal were such formidable ones, and it is a place that helped mould me as a designer and of course on a personal level. Every year I go back I take some of it back with me, incredible place.

4

How do you think Nepalis abroad can help Nepal in a meaningful way?

Nepalis abroad can set an example by being the best in their fields and to not just help Nepal in a meaningful way but also make a positive impact globally.

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nepal and liberia

diverse contexts, shared lessons BLAIR GLENCORSE

In June 2007, I took a trip to Nepalgunj to meet representatives of the Madhesi community. I wanted to try and understand more about political dynamics in the Tarai.

While sipping chia, the groups I chatted with explained vociferously, often for hours at a time, the difficulties they faced on a daily basis, which ranged from issues of exclusion, to poverty, to inequality.

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I have two enduring memories of that visit.

First, Nepalgunj is very, very hot. Second, it was driven home to me that societies cannot function effectively if people with power are not accountable. Unless citizens have the tools to ensure that decision-makers are responsible, a sense of frustration develops, illegitimate practices emerge and democracy withers.

Nearly five years later, in early 2012, I had the opportunity to set up the Accountability Lab to try and address some of these issues and catalyse new kinds of accountability tools. The organisation hopes to respond to the resounding call from citizens -- which I had heard in Nepalgunj, but which seems universal -- for increased transparency and equity. My colleagues and I realised that the world is full of change-makers who want to do something to fi x their societies: we just need to know where to look and how to support them most effectively. The Accountability Lab identifies those leaders that are interested in accountability and unleashes their creativity. We call them “accountapreneurs”.

We decided to pilot the Lab’s programs in two countries: Nepal, of course, and Liberia which at first glance may seem so diverse that it might be difficult to identify where the commonalities lie. The West African coast is a long way from the Himalaya after all. Sitting in a Monrovia cafe eating banana bread, listening to the rain come down the zinc roof, it is hard to imagine sipping tea and watching cows wander by in Kathmandu.

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For the Lab, however, these two countries make a great deal of sense. Both have incredible human, intellectual, institutional and natural resources, both are countries in transition working to overcome the legacies of their pasts, and both are places in which citizens are developing plenty of useful networks and ideas.

The diversity of these countries is exactly the point. We’ve been asking : what elements of accountability are universally desired by citizens, and which are unique?

What is it that ensures that some tools for change work in one context but not another? What on earth can a country like Liberia learn from Nepal, and is there anything at all Nepal can learn from a place like Liberia?

This journey has been incredible. We’ve talked to citizens on rubber plantations in the rainforests of Southern Liberia and conducted trainings in very low-income urban neighborhoods in Monrovia. We’ve examined local politics in the mid-West of Nepal and discussed accountability with youth groups in the Tarai. We’ve been drenched in downpours, stuck in broken-down vehicles, and bitten by more mosquitos than I knew existed. But everywhere we’ve benefitted from amazing hospitality from the people we’ve been lucky enough to interact with. And while it is foolish to generalise too much, I’ve come to realise some common trends emerging through our work in both Nepal and Liberia.

First, start by listening. It is amazing how much you can learn about how people feel, what their challenges are and where the possible solutions might lie when you ask a pertinent question and then listen.

We’ve been doing this in universities in Liberia for example, and what we heard was that students and professors wanted a confidential, anonymous system to report problems on campus. So we worked with a university administration and student government to develop an SMS based tool to gather information, connected to an operator who calls back users to verify the issues. Now we’re working with the relevant decision-makers to fix the problems that arise.

In Nepal, we’ve taken a different approach.

We conducted hundreds of formal and informal meetings over the past year with student leaders, professors, administrators, and political parties at Tribhuvan University, and we heard that what is needed is a trusted forum for dialogue to resolve problems on campus, beginning with the issue of the academic calendar. So we are now working with these groups to form a dialogue center through which issues can be discussed peacefully and constructively.

Second, trust building takes time. We’ve come to understand that turning good ideas into realities is about more than the ideas themselves. It is about the relationships that underpin those ideas, which allow them to move from conception to implementation.

And relationships, of all sorts, are based on trust, which in turn takes time to evolve.

It is a function of repeated interactions, demonstration of commitment and delivery on promises.

In Nepal and Liberia we have been building trust with “accountapreneurs” through engaging them consistently in accountability programs, trainings and networking opportunities. We’ve provided catalytic funds for their activities, organized “accountability collectives” and “friendraisers”, and helped them build support from other organizations in the field. This has allowed us to develop longterm relationships which avoid the patronclient dynamics which can poison aidbased projects. And the accountapreneurs are doing brilliant things, from creating a network of film-makers pushing for integrity to using mobile chalk billboards to disseminate information to citizens.

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Third, creativity is essential. Too much of what happens in international development lacks imagination and repeats the same ineffective approaches of the past. Reports are written (and used as doorstops), workshops are held (and quickly forgotten), and results matrices are completed (but real change on the ground is absent). The incentive within many organisations is to spend money quickly to show they are doing something, rather than spend it effectively, this inherently prevents changes in approaches and inevitably precludes experimentation.

At the Lab, we take the opposite approach.

We focus on tools that work over time, we aim to make sure that every single dollar is used to maximum effect, and we try to build relationships that are directed towards shared goals.

In Liberia, for example, we are beginning to work with the religious networks, senior Bishops and Imams who are interested in integrity, to develop an “accountability accord”. This will be used as an advocacy tool to engage officials and decision-makers on accountability, it builds on learnings in

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the Bible and the Koran, it has the ability to reach a significant proportion of the population, and it is highly cost effective.

In Nepal, we’re working with Right To Information (RTI) advocates to help citizens use the RTI law. We’ve written an RTI toolkit that journalists are now using to gather information through legal channels; and we’re planning on driving a colorful information bus around the country to engage Nepalis in creative ways on what information they should expect and demand from the government. In this way we are bolstering existing legal frameworks and making accountability more tangible and more fun.

Fourth, collaboration is better than competition. The international aid model tends to pit organizations against each other because too often it becomes a competition for funding- this turns real civil society organizations into contractors, and sucks the voluntarism out of non-governmental groups. There is something seriously wrong when more money can be made in the nonprofit sector than in for-profit businesses, which is often the case in Nepal and Liberia.

At the Lab, where we are not bidding on international contracts, we welcome collaboration with all organisations that hope to push the accountability agenda. In Nepal for example, the Nepal Economic Forum has been an incredible partner and supporter in terms of ideas, resources and connections. We’ve also partnered with GalliGalli to crowd-source information on higher education across the country.

In Liberia, the Business Start-Up Center has provided us with office space, staff and logistical support, and an organisation called the Citizens’ Bureau is working with us to roll-out alternative dispute resolution programs in low-income neighborhoods.

These are just a few examples, but demonstrate the larger point: collective efforts help to solve shared problems.

Finally, mistakes are the key to success. We hope we are beginning to make progress on accountability in both Nepal and Liberia, although we’ve definitely made mistakes along the way (it turns out that the middle of the rainy season is not the best time to plan important meetings in rural Liberia, for example, because it rains so hard that roads are often washed away).

But failure is a learning process, and mistakes are wasted if they are not embraced and used as a way to improve in the future.

Too often, organisations are scared to admit that their programs are not as effective as they had hoped, which means that problems are ignored, results are fudged and the same problems persist. It is only when we can accept failure and build upon it that we will truly be able to improve development outcomes.

It turns out that Nepal and Liberia have more in common than it might seem at firstdespite differences in levels of development, political dynamics and cultural norms. Both countries are full of brilliant people who are trying to harness creative energies for positive change. We’re recruiting them one at a time behind the accountability agenda.

Isn’t it about time you got involved?

Blair Glencorse is Executive Director of the Accountability Lab which works in Nepal and Liberia. You can learn more about the Lab at www.accountabilitylab.org and follow him on Twitter @blairglencorse

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“a true leader has to push from behind, not pull from front” Dr Ram Kantha Makaju Shrestha returned to Nepal from Austria 20 years ago and made the Dhulikhel Hospital into what it is today: turning a community health facility into a model university hospital that provides affordable and quality health care to the poor. After being appointed vicechancellor of Kathmandu University, Dr Shrestha is replicating the success at Nepal’s premier institute of higher learning.

INTERVIEW WITH DR RAM KANTHA MAKAJU SHRESTHA

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At a time when Nepalis were leaving Nepal in droves, you decided to come back. Why? Nepal is full of opportunities, possibilities and abundant in resources. Not only natural resources, there are plenty of potential and qualified human resources as well. It is how one analyses a situation. I came back to Nepal as there was a need for a medical doctor like me, and I had a strong belief that I could do something better in my country.

I always wanted to work in a place where I was needed, and where my presence could make a difference.

What is the secret of your phenomenal success at Dhulikhel hospital?

We have shown that it is possible to have affordable and accessible health care in Nepal. Our entire operational cost is met completely by the minimal fees we charge our patients, which is Rs 25 per patient for the first visit, Rs 15 per day for a second visit onwards. We charge only Rs 250 a day for patients who need hospitalisation which includes doctor’s visits, nurse’s care and four meals a day, and the maximum cost of an operation is not more than Rs 25,000. For our larger infrastructure and equipment, we depend on many small grants. I prefer 10 people giving Rs 1 than one person giving Rs 10. The more people you involve, the greater the partnership. We have proved that quality doesn’t have to be costly. We charge

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Rs 45 for lunch here and prepare 3,500 meals a day.

Our mission is clear: quality health care for the poor. The reason we have to be affordable is that our catchment areas are the six districts to the east of Kathmandu.

In this hospital we treat the patients first, irrespective of their financial status. Yes, they deposit money in advance during admission, and we clear out all the bills during discharge but no patient is denied treatment, even if they can’t pay the bill.

Why hasn’t this model worked elsewhere in Nepal?

People have either limited access to government health care services or have to rely on expensive hospitals. In such a situation, people need affordable and quality health care service which this hospital has been providing. We have shown that there is a middle way. We are confident that the team working in this hospital feels like all are part of this hospital, there is a feeling of ownership which drives them to work hard to provide the best service. This model probably has not worked elsewhere either due to the lack of this feeling of ownership, or due to the profit motive in the private sector. If there was a feeling of service and ownership present in the government healthcare sector that is prevalent in the private healthcare sector, then there would

have been a significant improvement. If this is replicated in other institutions, I am sure it will have a significant impact. Another important factor is transparency, and a dynamic leadership.

Would you still define Dhulikhel Hospital as a community hospital?

Yes, Dhulikhel is a community hospital in the true sense of the word. This hospital has been established with the support of local community, municipality and local colleagues and staff. We have 15 health posts across the country with residents and specialist doctors visiting once a week, and where students go for rural experience. In the mean time we transformed this into a university hospital as well. We have also been providing a variety of health services to people in different districts in collaboration with the government from the grassroots level to tertiary levels, from health service training to actual health care.

What is the secret of the high motivation of your medical and support staff ?

Health is the fundamental right of every individual and is the most sensitive issue of life. Health professionals must therefore be very humble and professional. High ethics is very important to deliver the best services along with competent knowledge and skills.

This hospital has been established with

this principle in mind, and every member of this hospital is aware of it. If there is a clear principle in the working environment, we believe there will be honest practice as well. The secret is that we work as a team, we respect each other, there is transparent and participatory management, and all the members are dedicated and hardworking.

We provide 500,000 services a year. There are 3,000 babies born in this hospital and more than 20,000 surgeries are performed in a year. All of these services are provided by the nearly 900 team members currently working in this hospital. If you want to serve the poorest of the poor, you have to give them the best quality service you can, and that will sustain you. No doctors in this hospital practice privately outside.

The whole idea is to bring top notch treatment and care to a developing country setting, we treat patients whether they are rich or poor, and no one is rejected. It is the faith and the trust of the people that has made us who we are. This is a not-for-profit, community based hospital and our mission is to provide affordable health care to all.

When setting the price for any service, we add just the cost price, maintenance cost and slight overhead, we don’t have a profit margin. After all, the affordability of the individual is the cornerstone of health care.

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Dhulikhel hospital meets its operational costs from fees. We know exactly how much we spend and exactly how much we earn, and we can set a number that is affordable to the people and yet not a loss for the hospital.

What is your management philosophy?

We learnt that we need to have trust in the system, we have to know how to use the capability of our staff, find out their individual strengths and let them work on those. Then we give a target, devolve authority and tap everyone’s potential to bring out the best in them so they can work in a team. We also have to be straightforward, transparent and set an example. Our principle is to be able to comfort our staff so that they can comfort the patients in their care. We have never learnt modern management techniques, but management is all about empowering the end consumer. At Kathmandu University, it is the students, at Dhulikhel it is the patients.

Compassionate care is a must. Toilets are always the most-neglected in Nepali culture, and we have made them bright and clean.

But to be a true leader, one has to push from behind, not pull from the front. Maybe it is common sense, we need to use those and also use our conscience to tell us what is right and what is wrong. We do small things but with total love, and with attention to detail.

How will you divide your energy to also head Kathmandu University now?

After being appointed vice-chancellor of Kathmandu University, I have learnt more in the last six months than I have learnt in the last six years. Many Nepalis like to play down our own people and say that Nepalis are lazy. It’s not true at all. I have been to many parts of the world, but Nepalis are the hardest working people I know. Just because you are from a third world country does not mean you are third class. When I come up with an idea, people say that this is not possible in Nepal. I reply by saying that everything is possible is Nepal. Today within the 3km radius around Kathmandu University and Dhulikhel Hospital is the highest density of qualified academics and professionals in Nepal, and this was built within the last 20 years.

In future, we would like to expand Dhulikhel Hospital and its ties with the Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences, establish a trauma centre here since it will be a strategic point on the new highway to the Tarai. There are many more challenges and problems that need to be solved to bring quality healthcare for all Nepalis. Dhulikhel hospital and Kathmandu University are dedicated to face these challenges and seek modern advances to enhance basic healthcare for all.

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korea in nepal SHAYASTA TULADHAR

The Korean Wave, or Hallyu as the Chinese call it, has taken Asia and the world by storm. Over the past decade it has been spreading across China, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam and Philippines. Nepal like its Asian counterparts has also been engulfed by it. More and more young adults are emulating South Korean fashion and hairstyles, following Korean movies and drama, and using Korean cosmetics, cars or phones. Simultaneously there has also been an increase in the number of ‘Study in Korea’ consultancies and Korean Language Institutes within the country.

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SITCOM MANIA The explosion of Korean soft power around the world and in Nepal began with the introduction of television channels such as Arirang by Nepali cable companies.

The popularity of Korean culture has spread with the release of movies like Sassy Girl in 2001, dramas like Boys over Flowers in 2009, and other popular romantic serials. Video rentals shops started stocking up on Korean DVD’s which was rivaled only by Hindi movies.

Despite English subtitles in the movies and drama, the popularity of Korean entertainment has been phenomenal.

Video piracy makes the CDs affordable and accessible to the middle class. Part of the popularity of Korean films is that Nepalis identify with the looks of the characters, and with the story line and its strong emphasis on culture, relationships, society, and values.

The impact of Korean cinema can now also be seen in Nepali cinema with its simpler storylines and strong plots that showcase sensitivity towards life, something that all audiences can relate to. Nepali movies, too, have started to tread across traditional storylines to more modern renditions that attract a younger target audience. The Nepali

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film industry that previously benchmarked Bollywood has now moved to Korean movies and drama.

This is evident through the release of movies such as Sano Sansar (2008) which is heavily influenced by My Sassy Girl, and Mero Euta Sathi Cha (2009) which is similar to A Millionaire’s First Love. This trend of drawing inspiration from Korean cinema is seen across Asia, and the Korean government has been riding this popularity of Korean cultural exports. Even the Korean embassy in Kathmandu holds an annual Korean Film Festival.

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GLOBALISING GANGNAM And it’s not just the movies, Korean Pop (K-Pop) has also become increasingly popular in Nepal with the spread of the Internet which has transformed the way music is distributed and shared around the world. The popularity of the K-Pop genre has emerged as a side effect to the explosion of the Korean drama and movie industry in Nepal, and like the movies the music is also affecting Nepali music. For instance karaoke bars can be seen in certain parts of Thamel, and Korean videos are often used as accompaniment to Nepali music in YouTube videos.

The popularity of Korean music and videos can also be attributed to the rapid distribution on the internet. Social networking sites and v ideo sharing platforms such as Facebook and YouTube have been instrumental in widening the reach of K-Pop music, therefore allowing it to tap into a sizeable chunk of overseas audience leading to the global proliferation of the genre. Korean music videos often feature band members in fashionable getups and performing synchronized dance moves.

This in combination with a dedicated fan base catapults the popularity of these videos in social media.

For instance Korean pop artists like PSY have gone on to become global stars after garnering the highest videos watched on YouTube through singles such as Gangnam Style which garnered 1.66 billion views in 2012, and Gentleman which recorded 430 million views in the first half of 2013. K-Pop has gone viral.

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RECREATING SEOUL Besides music and movies, Korean fashion trends are now also sweeping Asia. The Korean Wave in clothing , hairstyles or cosmetics are now alternatives to global trends that used to be Western-

dominated. The Nepali market also has been influenced, and there are growing numbers of stores selling Korean fashion and cosmetics. Oversized coats, knitwear and jackets, colourful woolen scarves, and knee high boots are the hallmarks of Korean fashion. Hairstyles also play a big role in this new trend, and Koreans and Korean culture fans can usually be spotted with coloured, sleek and sharp haircuts, and bright attention-grabbing accessories Youngsters in Nepal looking to stand out in a crowd and express their individuality can be found emulating Korean fashion, stocking up on Korean accessories and sporting unique hairstyles. A large number of teenagers, especially girls can be seen on social media wearing large colourful glasses adorned with ‘hello kitty’ symbols or pink bows, and flashing a peace sign. Korean fashion therefore ranges from the very whimsical and catering to young adults, to very sophisticated and appealing to a more mature target audience. Korean stores in Kathmandu cater to both age groups with their product line up.

The videos, film and music all complement the branding of Korean products. With most Koreans being showcased in the media having flawless skin, the Korean

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cosmetic industry has achieved an informal credibility within Nepal. Korean cosmetics, such as the Blemish Balm (BB) creams in particular have been accepted globally with western cosmetic companies such as MAC, Revlon, Garnier, Clinique, Estee Lauder and Maybelline launching their versions of BB creams. In addition, with the rise in online shopping and shipping, Korean fashion has reached new heights with Asians all over the world opting to shop online as they provide cheaper options.

4

KIMCHI AND MORE As Korean culture becomes more popular, it has also triggered the spread of Korean cuisine. Japanese, Korean and Thai restaurants are now replacing Chinese,

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Italian, and Indian in Kathmandu’s trendy streets. Despite Korean cuisine being available in Kathmandu since the 1990s through restaurants like Villa Everest in Thamel, its popularity has surged following the Korean Wave. The popularity of Villa Everest has created a market for Korean cuisine allowing other restaurants to mushroom such as Picnic in 2002, Hankook Sarang in 2003 and Seoul Arirang in 2007.

The most popular item on the Korean menu for Nepalis is the Bulgogi, Kimbab and Kimchi all washed down with soju, a drink that many find similar to Newari aila.

Another noticeable impact is on the noodle industry of Nepal which has been dominated by Wai Wai and Rara. Shin Ramyun a spicy brand of ramen (instant noodles) produced by the Korean company Nong Shim has become increasingly popular not only in Nepal but also across the globe. Korean food products such as different ramen brands, dried sea weed, ginseng tea and kimchi are available in supermarkets such as Bhatbhateni. In fact ramen and in particular shin ramyun has become so popular that small convenience stores across Kathmandu have also started stocking it.

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BRAND SOUTH KOREA South Korea is among the world’s 13 largest economies, however it was unable to establish a clear and unique brand in previous decades as it was focused on building the country and not marketing it.

Subsequently, attempts to establish a clear brand faced unique challenges, especially because of the confusion with North Korea. There was a time when most people associated the name Korea to Kim Jong-il of North Korea, which proved to be a huge barrier for South Korea in its attempt to establish its own unique identity.

However, over the past decade South Korea has managed to facilitate a major image shift in terms of its brand personification, and the export of Korean culture has been at the forefront of this. Through movies, drama, music, fashion, technology and automobiles Korea as a countr y has achieved a remarkable new positioning brand equity. Korean brands like Samsung, Hyundai, LG, Kia, and Daewoo have now got global recognition. Today, South Korea is best known and associated with strides in technology as evident through its ability to stay in the cutting edge of fast changing industries. Samsung, in particular, is a brand

which has managed to grab a substantial market share internationally through its various products.

In Nepal, Samsung is one of the most popular brands in terms of mobile phones that has penetrated the Nepali market and is probably the only brand that releases mobile phones simultaneously to the international release date. In addition, its range of lower priced android phones provides the middle class in Nepal with cheaper options, which has allowed individuals to keep abreast with technological advancements worldwide.

Similarly, brands like Hyundai and Kia have captured a significant market share in SUVS and sedans. The Hyundai Santro in particular is probably the most preferred automobile brand for the middle class in Nepal, as it has great resale value and lower maintenance costs.

In combination with Korea being a choice destination for Nepali migrant workers, the popularity of the Korean Wave in Nepal and the draw of Himalayan trekking and mountaineering in Korea, means a two-way cultural flow between Nepal and Korea are bound to flourish

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“nepal has a feel-good factor�

Kiran Joshi, a former Disney visual effects superviser, decided to return to Nepal to set up Incessant Rain Animation Studio (IRAS) ten years ago. Since then, Nepal has made a name for itself in world class animations. Incessant Rain has played an important role in this, and its studio in Naxal makes state-of-the-art animation segments for Hollywood producers, and other clients in Nepal and around the world.

INTERVIEW WITH KIRAN JOSHI

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Incessant Rain has played an important role in promoting the animation industry in Nepal, where did it all start?

We started with nothing but a vision of the future. There were no academies that produced the kind of animators we needed. Despite some schools dabbling in animation, the level of skill sets required for the international market is unlike anything that the institutes can offer by way of training. There was no one really technically and artistically well trained. The artists that did exist were limited in their experience and capabilities. There was no one that had actual experience with high quality projects.

There was no one that could step in and handle Hollywood project requirements.

Access to a professional labor pool in general was miniscule, at best. Concepts such as personal accountability, collaborative thinking, deadlines, team work, leadership, and professional work place conduct are nebulous ideas to most. The mostly untapped, underdeveloped human capital was and still is a huge challenge.

The first two IRAS projects were Disney Diwali shor ts produced as the first project for Disney Studios and Ace Rhino commercial for Ace Development Bank for the local market. Both projects proved that high-quality animation can be created and produced in Nepal starting from concepts/ designs to final product.

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Why Nepal, though? You could have gone to the Philippines or Taiwan with their long experience in computer animation?

Three equally important reasons: First, the cost of doing business with Asian companies has seen an uptick. Nepal, however, is uncharted territory, and we are still able to be very competitive in the global market.

Second, outsourcing and content creation are the goals of IRAS. To outsource, yes the studio could be anywhere. However, to create content, different people are inspired in different ways. My inspiration always stems from my Nepali heritage and childhood.

I have always seen immense potential for great stories with universal appeal in the art, culture, and folklores of Nepal. To bring quintessential Nepali stories to life, it had to be done by Nepali people in Nepal. And thirdly, the infrastructure needed to create a state of the art animation studio is quite huge. In Nepal, I had the opportunity to team with Sanjib Raj Bhandari, the CEO of Mercantile, which enabled us to set up the studio infrastructure very quickly.

How much did you have to invest in training and upgrading skills?

A significant portion of our time and resources was and is spent on training and upgrading skills. Animation is one of the few disciplines where both art and technology meet. Teaching the technical aspects such as learning the tools and tricks of animation software is not too difficult. After all, rapid

advancement of technology has made computer animation available to the masses.

We just push a little harder.

Ultimately, animation is just a medium of storytelling. Telling a story that evokes emotions via moving pictures can be a challenging task. This type of creativity is achieved via processes of collaborative thinking and free flow of ideas. Training people on creativ ity is always more challenging but it is the fuel that drives a company like IRAS. We are constantly training and upgrading the skills of our artists. Our training consists of not only animation techniques and tricks but acting, painting, sculpting, etc. We want to expand their skills such that they are able to flex their thinking and be the ultimate story tellers.

What has been the feedback from people like Mike Merell and Vaughn Wright?

All of them express their desire to work with us. It is the general consensus that as people, Nepalis are easy-going and talented. They also realise that investment in human capital is one of the single most important things for Nepal. So when they see a company that literally creates talent, it is exciting, enchanting, and worthwhile. For this reason people like Mike and Vaughn are interested in coming back on assignment to IRAS.

What have been the biggest challenges, besides load shedding? Do you face problems with staff retention?

We share a common challenge faced by most companies in Nepal. There is a lack of qualified talent pool in most sectors. As I mentioned earlier, we are training our own artists. This is actually a significant portion of our investment.

Animation is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. Many countries like Canada and China have fueled their animation industries by investing in animation studios as well as giving up to 40% tax rebate incentives. For IRAS, the burden of developing animation talent in Nepal falls solely on the private sector.

I am not too worried about retention. I focus on creating skilled, talented professionals. I am aware that IRAS employees are highly marketable in the work force. I focus on creating a company culture that produces professionals that can go toe-to-toe with professionals in developed countries. Our people and products are world class, there is no compromise on quality.

What are the big projects you are working on now?

I cannot discuss current projects due to non-disclosure agreements with our clients. I can, however, say that our projects

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Also, for the first time in history, Nepali animators are getting screen credits in major Hollywood movies. IRAS is the only company in Nepal that offers such incredible opportunities to local talent who have not had to travel abroad to learn a skill or pay for training.

are high profile Hollywood productions.

Their completion requires collaboration, communication, timely follow up to meet the standards required. Cohesive team work and leadership are crucial to the success of projects like the Race Track game for Disney Theme Park in Orlando, Motorcity TV episodes for Disney TV, Mutant Chronicles pilot for Pressman Films, Looper, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II, After Earth that we completed in the past year.

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What would your advice be to other potential investors looking to establish their business in Nepal?

Investors should be aware that managing political instability and infrastructure challenges are a necessity in doing business in Nepal. Innovation not only in technology but also business processes are extremely important. Anyone seeking to establish a business in Nepal should be fully aware that there is a void when it comes to qualified mid- and top management skills here.

IRA S in essence trains not only artists and technical employees, but also managers.

Business in Nepal is one of those things that instantly makes social impact. I personally feel gratified to be employing the youth of Nepal. In fact, my personal opinion is that a sense of global citizenship is a must for foreign investors. When that happens, starting a business in Nepal that generates jobs is instant ROI. This is the “feel good� part of doing business in Nepal.

What makes IRAS a unique animation company?

Being in Nepal is a very unique thing. One of the reasons that international artists like Mike and Vaughn are interested in working with the studio is the fact that they get to live and breathe a culture unlike anything they have ever known. Soaking up a culture like ours is an educational and enthralling experience to our visitors from abroad. This helps us attract renowned trainers to come on assignments to Nepal.

The second reason IRA S is unique is what I have mentioned above: a culture replete with interesting and colourful folk tales along with activities steeped in tradition.

The prospect of presenting these in stories in an animated context is fantastic. The biggest challenge is to tap into the great stories Nepal has to offer, and translate them into universally appealing stories.

With the mainstreaming of eastern culture and philosophy, we have opportunities like never before.

You said you don’t want to let us in on your business secrets, but broadly speaking what are your future plans?

Outsourcing services and IP creation are the two legs of IRA S. As far as outsourcing

is concerned, it has been a valuable learning experience so far. Now that we have more or less worked out the kinks of doing business in Nepal, we will focus on doing outsourcing better. This involves continued training of our artists and mid-level managers and team leaders.

Over the past year, we have piloted an effort to create and develop our own IP. This has generated a lot of excitement within the circles of our close film partners. Going forward, we will be doing more content development and IP creation. There is a lot of interest in creating home grown IP in the investment community. IRAS as a company has matured enough to pursue this going forward.

In order to develop homegrown IP, we have a two pronged strategy. One involves technical and artistic training of our artists. The other involves the actual creative aspect of IP development. For this, IRAS established a brain trust group like the one at Pixar. All films Pixar has created to date have originated from their brain trust group. IRAS hopes to license and partner with the big studios to bring these to the international market.

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the untold story of nepal’s far west SUDIP BHAJU

Understanding the past is always important to derive lessons for the future, and gain a holistic perspective. To understand a country, you need to place it within the coordinates of space and time, of geography and history.

Nepal’s strategic position between two global economic powers has always been a huge advantage, but as a nation we never leveraged our location. As neighbors and supporters, India and China have provided various benefits to Nepal which our country has not been able to fully exploit.

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districts, communities and individuals. One area of the country that has always suffered from the capital’s neglect is the Far West, and this region that bore the brunt of the conflict fell between the cracks even when it came to reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The trans-Karnali region of Nepal and its people have been neglected for centuries by faraway Kathmandu. The people of the Far West were left to fend for themselves, suffering poverty, food shortages, entrenched gender and caste discrimination, and underdevelopment. However, the nine districts of this isolated region have vast natural resources: scenic beauty, hydropower, biodiversity and other attributes.

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CIVIL WAR, I SOLATION AND UNDER DEVELOPMENT It was due to the combined efforts of our neighbours that peace was finally restored to Nepal in 2006. The Maoist rebels joined the mainstream, their fighting force was integrated into the national army, and Nepal became the world’s youngest republic. We received support from the international co m m u n i t y f o r reco n c i l i at i o n a n d rehabilitation. However, the government itself has been selective in its support for the

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Being the smal lest among the f ive development regions (13% of the total area) and one of the most sparsely populated regions of Nepal (9.5 % of total population), the Far West has trailed behind due to its geographical isolation and rugged terrain.

Some 44% of people in the Far West hills and 49% in the mountain districts live beneath the poverty line. The region has limited access to basic services, and delivery is a challenge due to topography and remoteness. Development is relatively higher in the district capitals and highway settlements, but many villages are still very remote and inaccessible. The region’s overall development is also greatly impacted by conservative social mores, culture and customs.

Because of the prevalence of social injustice and discrimination, the fires of conflict quickly spread in the Far West when the war started in 1996. The ten-year conflict cost the region decades in development.

Thousands were killed, tens of thousands were injured and displaced. Infrastructure projects were delayed, and existing bridges and power plants were destroyed. Most development agencies pulled out and basic service delivery was hampered. Those who stayed behind depended even more on food aid than before.

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UNEXPLORED OPPORTUNITIES According to the Finance Ministry’s Development Cooperation Report 201011, the Mid- and Far Western regions of Nepal are the largest recipients of foreign aid . These two regions received donor aid of more than USD 120 million and USD 104 million respectively in fiscal year 201011. The Far West region tops the chart in terms of per capita disbursement of foreign aid followed by the Mid-Western region.

Likewise these two regions are also the ones suffering from the highest poverty ratio with a population of 46% in the Far West, and 32% in the Mid-West region being under poverty line.

The level of local par ticipation in development is less in the Far West than in other parts of the country. There is a

tradition of migrating to work rather than staying behind and contributing to local development. Today, several years after the conflict has ended, the Far West is still lagging behind in rehabilitation.

The Far Western Region, however, is endowed with rich human and natural resources. It has enormous tourism and infrastructure potential, especially in hydropower. The region’s resources, if properly exploited, hold the potential to lift the Far West out of the poverty and neglect of the past centuries. The region has an opportunity to emerge from its image as Nepal’s basket case and become Nepal’s bread basket. Migrant workers returning to their homes in the Far West could be the catalysts in the development of the region.

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CLEAN SLATE The insurgency period caused many entrepreneurs, businessmen and traders to migrate for security, and many of them have stayed away, which is why the Far West has lagged behind in postconflict reconstruction. The tourist sites such as Khaptad and Rara are pristine, and provide opportunities for biodiversity conservation through responsible tourism, which can start on a clean slate so that it pumps income directly into the village economy, and helps lift local people out of poverty.

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The Far West is renowned for its herbs and rare plants that are found in the national parks and wild areas, from the Tarai to the high Himalayan districts. There is a vast potential for the exploration of non-timber forestry products to be manufactured into finished goods rather than the raw or semifinished products that are currently harvested unsustainably and exported to India.

T h e Fa r We s t r e p r e s e n t s Ne p a l ’s topographical diversity in a microcosm, with the Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve, Bardiya National Park in the southern Plains to the Khaptad and Rara National Park in the north. There is also the scenic beauty of the Api-Saipal range, Nepal’s westernmost mountains. The northern part of the region also falls in the Himalayan rainshadow and is similar to the Tibetan plateau in terrain, culture, ethnicity, language and religion.

Humla and Simkot are gateways for pilgrims to Mansarovar and Mount Kailash in Tibet.

If there is one area of Nepal where tourism can be a factor in poverty alleviation then it is in the Far West with its combination of stupendous natural beauty and extreme poverty. Learning from experiences in national park management elsewhere in the world, private sector involvement in conservation could turn Rara and Khaptad into profitable destinations that would also benefit local people.

Adventure sports like river rafting in the wild Karnali Tiver, trekking at to the Base Camp of Mt. Api and Mt. Saipal, and the mountains around Rara will inject tourism 60 \ beedlife

income directly into local economies.

The Government of Nepal has waived mountaineering fees on mountains situated in the Mid- and Far West.

The Far West districts of Nepal border India and the proximity to Lucknow, Nainital and New Delhi provide a unique advantage for pilgrimage and tourism. The bordering states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in recent times have witnessed a sharp growth in disposable income. This has encouraged people to travel and explore new destinations and cultures. The Indian–Nepali currency conversion rate, the facility for passport-free travel for Indian nationals, the closeness, and pride in visiting another country could be a motivating factor in luring Indian tourists to visit Far West Nepal.

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NEPAL’S LAS VEGAS The Far West town of Dhangadi has become an economic and tourist hub of Nepal in recent years. There has been a sharp increase in the number of hotels, restaurants, markets, banks, grocery stores, and other economic activities.

Dhangadi

has seen a significant growth in hotels, with 80% of the occupancy from businessmen and INGOs and NGOs. Tourists make up only 5% of visitors.

Dhangadi

has seen a spurt in bank branches, with most national banks having offices here.

Dhangadi

airport has been recently upgraded with a new terminal building, but it has the potential to serve as a regional airport with connections to Delhi and Lucknow.

Road

connectivity has improved, but hotels and stopover points at scenic spots have not been developed.

Dhangadi already has four casinos, which are attracting tourists from India. With the right management and promotion, the casino visitors could easily be expanded and diversified to make the Far West a family destination.

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CHALLENGES TO DEVELOPMENT Bringing in tourism-related opportunities and services is one of the most important tools to socio-economic development. With proper training, the hospitality industry can generate jobs, and open up downstream benefits in the supply of food, raw materials and other services.

socio-economic status of the people. The Far Western region has four fair weather STOL airstrips, with limited and uncertain flights where runways have been recently upgraded. Once there is reliable access, the local economies of other districts in Nepal will take off.

One of the key roles of development is the development of physical infrastructure including good road networks, clear policies and incentives, and the participation of the people.

Nepalis need to look beyond the dependence on remittance, and increase the willingness to take up developmental roles. Transportation is the key to lifting the Far West from the neglect and underdevelopment of the past.

The Far West needs highways, bridges and airfields, not air-lifted rice.

The main factor contributing to the growth of any economy or region is the presence of a good road network and physical infrastructure. Roads increase connectivity, access to markets and the overal l

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the rhythm and melody of the nepali soul AMRIT GURUNG

In Grade 7 in school in Pokhara, I wasn’t particularly into music. Actually, I wanted to be a painter. Then in college in Kathmandu I got into drumming and strumming guitars with friends. It was by chance, and I didn’t even know I had a talent in music.

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Nepathya. I never got attracted to living abroad, either in Japan or Hong Kong like many of my friends from Pokhara. I never planned out my life, I was sure I wanted to live simply and happy but I went where destiny took me.

I get most of my inspiration when I walk up and down the trails in Nepal. I speak to people, I listen to the music of their voices, learn the lyrics of their folk songs, let the rhythm and melody of the Nepali soul wash over me. I was happiest when I am walking in rural Nepal. I learnt a lot from fellow-Nepalis, from the experience of my travels. It wasn’t just the scenery, it was also the generosity and compassion of Nepalis everywhere.

We were quite surprised by the popularity of our first three albums in the 90s because we recorded it only as a lark. But there were some strong hits in that one, including Agani Bhari Hiun Nai Jhari, Barsat ko Mausam Rimjhim Rimjhim, Himal Chuchure, Chhekyo Chhekyo Deurali Danda, Binti Chha Mero. The reason they were hits, I think, was because they were Nepali songs with Nepali words mixed with pop. They are evergreen because these tunes have a Nepali heartbeat, and weren’t copies of anything from outside.

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But during the conflict period, I saw that the people I met were scared of strangers and weren’t as friendly to travellers as before.

Once in Ilam, I saw a group of Grade 9 children who were crying because they were being prevented from giving their SLC exams. Another time, while walking in upper Rukum days away from the nearest road, I came across villages that haven’t changed in centuries. The only difference was that people were dressed in T-shirts and eating instant noodles, but otherwise there was no change in their lives. Amidst the mud and thatch houses was a new cement building, I was told it was the local health post. But there were no health workers, or medicines.

People were still dying because they didn’t have a cetamol pill.

That is when my friend Kiran Krishna Shrestha and I decided that we had to use

the power of music to spread the message of peace and education. We were especially worried about how the war was affecting education, and we wanted to declare schools free from conflict.

We revived Nepathya in 2002, but by then the conflict had started, and I found it important to use the power of music to further the cause of peace, education and justice. We criss-crossed the country while the violence raged, taking peace concerts from town to town. We passed scenes of ambushes and battles, but everywhere we witnessed an overwhelming response from people suffering war fatigue and clinging on to hope for peace.

The war may have ended but the poverty, inequality and exclusion that gave rise to the conflict still remain. The guns are gone, but the ideology of violence hasn’t. Some politicians are trying to cover up their failures by stoking ethnic passions, and by promoting identity-based federalism.

This may be a subject of debate, but in my personal opinion I am a Nepali first, and only then a Gurung. It is only the Nepali language that weaves the nation together, and when you sing in Nepali it is even more effective in spreading the message of harmony and unity. Artists, singers, journalists should not be chasing any –isms.

They should not be partisan to their political affiliation or ethnicity.

At the Wembley Arena concert in London in August, I again took the message of unity and the preservation of the Nepali language to the diaspora. Nepalis from UK, Europe, and

even America had come for the Nepathya concert and from the response of the crowd it was evident that the message went down very well. However, it seems Nepalis living outside are sometimes even more disunited than those at home, and tend to look for differences among themselves than what unites them. My message to Nepalis abroad is: have personal integrity, work to preserve your language and culture, live together as Nepalis and respect your host population and they will respect you.

Once after a concert in Adelaide, a young man came to me and said that my message about Nepali language and unity touched him so deeply that he promised to himself that he would work to make sure that Nepali language and culture was preserved by starting Nepali language classrooms.

Wherever I perform concerts, I introduce my band members to enormous applause.

And as a matter of principle I do not use their surnames. We are all Nepali even though some are trying to divide us by ethnicity, that is why I only use their first names. Look at the six of us on stage, we are Nepal in a microcosm. Some of us have flat noses, others have pointy ones. Some have slit eyes, others have round ones. But that does not stop us from working together as a team. In fact, it helps us create better music. Whenever I say that before I start a concert, the entire hall bursts into sustained applause.

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gives me confidence that the silent majority of Nepalis feel the same way. It’s just that these voices have been sidelined by divisive slogans magnified by the media. All Nepalis I have met, irrespective of their place of domicile, have one thing in common: their common Nepali identity and the pride in being a Nepali first.

My friend Nabin Subba became a filmmaker because Nepalis everywhere appreciate his craft, not just because he was liked only by his ethnic group. Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Ambar Gurung, Gopal Yonzon, Bairagi Kainla and Narayan Gopal did not become national figures because they were Bahun, Gurung, Tamang, Limbu or Newar. My appeal to fellow Nepalis is: don’t confine me to a narrow Nepal. I do not want to be a first class citizen of just one province, and feel second class in the rest of the country.

Where I am in Nepal, I want to feel I am standing on our own Nepali soil.

Among my more recent songs is Mero Desh written by Bikram Subba, and it is the title song of Nepathya’s eighth album.

Mero Desh was later turned into a music video by Bhusan Dahal and featured artist David Douglas painting a flag of Nepal in his studio. His name may sound European, but David is a Nepali through and through.

In the studio, poet Bikram Subba’s poetry came alive with the music and the artist’s brush that accompanied it. It was also an amalgam of the melting pot that is Nepal: a Limbu, a Gurung and a Chhetri working with a Nepali with a western name.

In my two decades of being the leader of the folk rock band, Nepathya, I have composed and sung songs written by a Gaine, a Damai, a Lepcha, a Rai, a Brahmin, a Magar, a Chhetri, a Newar, a Tamang, a Gurung and many more. No one discriminated against me because of my ethnicity, and I didn’t say I only wanted to sing songs from my particular ethnic group.

If Bikram Subba had written his poem in Limbu, I would not have been able to sing it. What brings us, binds us, and give us identity is the Nepali language.

We can communicate across Nepal’s incredible diversity because of this language. This is not to undermine the importance of our rich linguistic and cultural heritages, but to celebrate both our motherland’s tongue as well as our mother tongues.

There are two types of nationalistic songs in Nepal. The first in which we celebrate the bravery and sacrifices of our ancestors and extol the virtues of the land of the danphe and monal, Everest and Lumbini. Then there are the songs that evoke a deep emotional attachment to our roots, and the land of our birth.

I tend to sing the second type of songs.

Ones in which up on stage I do not have to prove I am Nepali, and I do not need to drape myself in the flag. I am singing for my motherland, and my mother sings with me.

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“i would be bored doing anything else” INTERVIEW WITH SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN’S NEW DELHI BASED PRODUCER.

When did you realise you wanted to be a jouranlist?

I never planned to be a journalist, but my fascination with news and world affairs developed at an early age and I suspect my upbringing had a role to play in this.

I grew up in Italy in the late eighties when options for television viewing included Italian game shows or CNN. Trying to 68 \ beedlife

understand long-legged beauties banter in Italian, a language I did not understand at the time, was tiresome for a young child and unbeknownst to me, I was slowly getting hooked to the phenomenon of 24 hour news broadcasting live from Baghdad during the first Gulf War. I didn’t realise watching CNN all day throughout my adolescent years would change my perspective on life.

I was suddenly curious about everything and developed a desire to do something meaningful.

A decade later, I went to university in the US wanting to major in politics but I was always interested in so many other things: philosophy, art history, religion, literature.

I must have taken every elective in college.

Finally, in my junior year, I discovered that with journalism I could learn and write a little bit about everything. It was the most interdisciplinary of subjects and till this day this is what I enjoy most. I can go from reporting on the mid-day meal scheme tragedy in Bihar to a new car launch in Delhi, to cricket to the country’s fiscal deficit. As a reporter you may not always have detailed prior knowledge about every subject, but everyday I’m learning something new and this is intellectually fulfilling.

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Did you always want to be an international television reporter?

No and I never thought I could actually be one. I’ve always been shy. I was the one hiding in the corner at every school play and I could never speak up in class. Put me in front of any camera and I would start getting palpitations. It is mind-boggling to think I now have to communicate to millions of people all over the world on a daily basis.

There is no chance of retakes when you’re live. Making mistakes is not an option, and as stories break, you often have to report on air with very little time to prepare. My heart still beats twice as fast as it should before a live shot.

What are the most challenging parts of your current job with CNN? The most challenging part of my job is to be constantly on top of everything that’s going on in your region (ie, South Asia) everyday.

Then taking that information and making it relevant to an international audience and making them care about a region or country they may otherwise not know anything about. News is a 24-hours business and you’re not just reporting for tv anymore, you’re reporting for various platforms including digital, mobile and affiliates.

But aren’t there limitations on how deep you can go into a story because of time and other constraints?

The amount of information you can

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provide in a two-minute live shot or news package is limited. We also have to highlight information keeping in mind the needs of a diverse global audience. However, at CNN we never leave a story, and we follow it through till the end.

What is your advice for others who want to pursue a career in media?

It’s clichéd to say this but it’s the truth. You have to love it to be able to do this day in and day out. It can take over your life but I also know I would be bored doing anything else. I see things, places I would otherwise never see, I meet people I would otherwise never meet and most importantly I do feel we can make a difference in our own small way.

Is one of the perks of tv journalism the “celebrityhood”? Is that a distraction?

I c e r t a i n l y h a v e n’ t e x p e r i e n c e d “celebrityhood”. I’ve been producing for CNN for years behind the camera doing documentaries, news shows and talk shows and I’ve only recently started reporting on air.

Do you keep in touch with Nepal, and would you like to do more in your home country?

I keep in touch as much as I can but I would like to do more. Even though I left Nepal when I was six months old, I’ve never really lived anywhere else long enough to call it

home. Nepal has always been home. I’ve tried to cover as many Nepal stories as I can, including the plight of Nepali migrant workers, China’s growing influence in Nepal and I’ve produced profiles on CNN Heroes including Pushpa Basnet.

And finally, some examples of particularly interesting and fulfilling story you have done recently?

The Delhi Gangrape. The public outpouring we saw immediately after that horrific incident was like nothing I’d seen before.

It may not have been India’s Tahir Square, as some dubbed it, but it did strike a chord nationally and internationally and the image of Delhi in the eyes of many changed forever.

The victim represented the aspirations of so many young middle-class Indian women who’ve worked hard to dream of a better future. I remember meeting her parents and her brothers soon after the incident. She really was the one they were relying on to lift the entire family out of poverty. The alleged rapists represented the other India where poverty forces people to move and work in cities where they’re suddenly surrounded by wealth and modernity they’ve perhaps never witnessed before. It was a turning point for women in India. In a city on the throes of social change, real change will not come easily. But I was glad to be covering this story and putting it into context for the international audience.

The other one was Bihar’s mid-day meal scheme tragedy. As part of my job I have seen extreme poverty, despair and sadness , but the school food poisoning in Bihar is one story I will never forget. In the village where 23 children had just died and more than two dozen others hospitalised after eating their free school lunch, there was unbearable agony. The shrieking cries of desperate mothers could be heard from the main road. Fathers fainted from shock. Some of the children had been buried right in front of the school as a form of protest. Its still unclear if the school lunch was accidentally or deliberately poisoned but because of the Bihar tragedy one of India’s most ambitious and successful development programs was now being questioned.

I had covered India’s midday meal scheme before, I’d visited the Akshaya Patra Kitchen which is one of the most amazing projects I’ve seen. You could call it a culinary revolution. It looked like a factory for food where fresh warm meals were being mass produced for millions of children every day.

Its not often that we get to cover positive stories which have a significant impact, and I remember our entire team was thrilled to be highlighting some of the incredibly innovative work happening in India. In my reporting of the Bihar tragedy, I kept emphasising the point that this one incident should not taint what is otherwise one of India’s biggest success stories.

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nepal’s new innings ROJESH BHAKTA SHRESTHA Amidst the daily dose of never-ending and frustrating news of Nepal’s political and economic woes, once in a while Nepal’s young cricketers bring positive news and show that all is not lost. Indeed, the hope of Nepal’s cricket team is in strong contradiction to the general mood of despondency in the country.

Recently, Nepal’s senior cricket team qualified for the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2015 qualifiers and ICC Twenty 20 World Cup 2014 qualifiers. In a country where success stories abound but are often ignored by the media, the achievement of Nepal’s cricketers offer hope and fills us with a sense of national pride. Never has any sports team ever made the country more proud than the current cricket squad.

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Despite domestic limitations and challenges, Nepal has got a foothold in world cricket through hard work and determination. It is a lesson that if we set goals, have a sense of passion and train hard, there is nothing that is not within our grasp.

Cricket was first popularised in Nepal by Madan Sumshere Rana in the 1920s. The youngest son of Prime Minister Chandra Sumshere was so passionate about the game that he had a cricket field in his palace, and used to travel to Lahore, Delhi and Lucknow to watch and play in cricket tournaments. It was only after the 1950s that cricket broke out of its elite circle, and the Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) subsequently tried to spread the game’s popularity. CAN became a member of the National Sports Council in 1961 and it was only after 1980 that the game started being played outside Kathmandu. CAN got ICC affiliate membership in 1988, and by 1996 it had acquired associate membership.

NEPAL CURRENT RANKING First in ACC ranking for 2011 and 2012 seasons First in ACC ranking for 2009 and 2010 seasons 24th in ICC Global Rankings

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Analysing the new success of Nepal’s national cricket team, we can see that there are five factors that have been the key ingredients for success:

1

STRONG YOUTH CRICKET FOUNDATION The foundation of the current senior national team is quite balanced and is brimming with talent and experience. Most of the players have represented Nepal in various age group levels such as Under 15, 17 and 19, and have had a taste of success.

The Nepali youth cricket team is ranked one of the best in Asia after India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It has won all the major Asian Cricket Council (ACC) competitions, and have taken part in five Under 19 ICC cricket world cup finals. Credit goes to the players as well as the contribution of CAN and ACC coaches.

The success of the youth teams at international events have proved to be milestones in enhancing the popularity of game in Nepal. This has led to interested youth getting involved in cricket, entry of much needed sponsors for the game, increased fan following and a sense of national pride and unity. Our Under 19 youth team has already won cricket matches against cricketing powerhouses such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and South Africa. The biggest win came in the 2006 ICC Under 19

World Cup, held in Sri Lanka, where Nepal won the plate championship by beating New Zealand in the finals.

2

POSITIVE ENERGY AND WINNING ATTITUDE Despite the youth team’s dominance at every level in international competitions, the national side has failed to replicate the success. This is mainly due to the lack of an adequate pool of senior players due to which an increased reliance is placed on younger players.

The seniors have come a long way, however, and the youth cricketers have graduated to become senior players. Nepal also has a separate pool of players for the youth teams which proves that we are maturing as a cricketing nation. The senior side has been performing consistently well since 2010, reaching the finals of the ACC trophy that year (this is the Asia Cup for non-test playing cricketing nations) after a long drought of six years. Similarly, the team won the ICC World Cricket league Division 5 in 2010 keeping the dream alive for the ICC world cup 2015 qualifiers. The Nepali team started off 2012 finishing 7th at the ICC world Twenty20 Qualifier, which boosted the morale of the players. The team then went on to win the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 convincingly showing that the team does belong to a higher level.

The biggest win came at the end of the year where it won the ACC trophy 2012 with strong and mature performance.

The national team performed even better in 2013 going on to the final of the ACC Twenty 20 cup for the first time in history, and qualifying for the ICC world Twenty 20 World Cup 2014 qualifiers. Moreover,

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the team was able to prove its strength at the newer version of the game. The biggest win came at Bermuda, where Nepal went on to win the ICC World Cricket League Division 3 and qualified to play the ICC world cup 2015 qualifiers to be held in New Zealand next year.

3

RIGHT LEADERSHIP Nepal has been lucky in having the right coaches at the right time. The

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role played by two ex-Sri Lankan national cricket players and former coach Roy Dias and the current coach Pubudu Dassanayake has been phenomenal. Dias coached Nepal for almost a decade, and was responsible for shaping the team by harnessing youth talent with emphasis on strict discipline.

On the other hand, the current coach who was in the Canadian national cricket team in the 2011 World Cup, has been an aggressive risk-taker, and this approach has yielded results. Since his arrival in 2011 the national side has already won three major tournaments. The current coach has unleashed the full potential of our players, arranging and creating opportunities for them to be trained at world class facilities and play for various international clubs. He has also helped set up the National Cricket Academy (NCA) to provide a platform for upcoming cricketers.

In addition, Paras Khadka has had the experience of being a captain from a young age, and has played a formidable role in grooming the team into professionals of the highest quality. The zeal and hunger to win games, a positive and winning

attitude has made him the driving force.

Good leadership, team spirit and strong bonding among players have been the key elements for success. Khadka is now the face of cricket in Nepal, and has inspired many young players to pick up the bat and ball.

4

INCREASED FAN FOLLOWING AND MEDIA SUPPORT One of the biggest assets of Nepal’s national team has been its fan following, and wall-to-wall coverage in the media.

From a simple Facebook page with 11,000+ followers to a blog exclusively dedicated to cricket, and numerous websites, Nepali cricket fans are always there to cheer their team on. Cricket fans keep awake all night to follow live text commentary from the other side of the world, a phenomenon so far restricted to football World Cups. In the 2013 ACC Twenty 20 cup tournament, CAN initiated a ticket system for the first time in history and a record 20,000 fans showed up for the match against Afghanistan.

Cricket has become the second most popular sport in Nepal, and is swiftly catching up

with football. We may not have Tendulkar or Malinga but we now have our very own Paras Khadka and Shakti Gauchan.

The fans may not be as obsessed as fans in other countries, but when the team comes home it is a festive parade all over the capital.

A lot of this is due to the media’s coverage of the games, and the advent of satellite tv. Cricket has brought a sense of national pride and a boost to Nepali self-esteem.

During an ACC trophy final played at Sharjah UAE in 2012, there were more than 5,000 people from the Nepali diaspora in the stands supporting the team waving the Nepali double triangle flag.

Even at the ICC Division 3 tournament in Bermuda, the national team was surprised to see die-hard Nepali cricket fans with national flags in the stadium. “If we have supporters in Bermuda, we will have supporters anywhere in the world,” Khadka said then.

With the current success, Nepal can now confidently aim to take part in future One Day Internationals.

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“discipline, hard work, determination” INTERVIEW WITH PARAS KHADKA

What do you think are the major reasons behind the national team’s success so far?

For me and the team we give most of the credit to the coach who has trained us to become the players that we are today.

He understands each and every player’s style and personality, which he uses to his advantage and strategises accordingly.

He has made us work harder, too. First we used to train 3-4 hours a day, now we train 7-8 hours. It is difficult, but it is worth it.

Second, I would say that with exposure to professional level cricket, all the players have matured and with more experience we have improved our game tremendously.

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W hat d o you t h i n k a re t h e key characteristics of being a good captain to lead the team from the front?

Well, I don’t think that I have achieved everything that I want to, at least not until the Nepal cricket team achieve One Day International status. Anyway, I am a good captain because I have a good team. I would like to give credit to the entire team for all that we have achieved. In matters of characteristics I would say discipline, hard work, determination and most important of all – luck.

In your experience, can cricket be taken up as a profession in Nepal now?

Currently, I won’t say we are professionals but amateurs. Till the time we don’t get ODI status we will remain amateurs. Right now, we play the sport because we love it.

The team is not very stable because of high turnover, and we require a bigger pool of players than we currently have.

Do you believe Nepal has the potential to play in the World Cup or at least get One Day status in the near future?

Well, the qualifiers are a big thing and we need to start preparing from now, and develop a good strategy. I think we can qualify for the World Cup but finishing in the Top 2 is a must to make a name for the country. Now that we have a name for ourselves in the cricketing world, we would not like to lower the standards that we have worked so hard to achieve.

Nepali corporates have started to endorse local cricketers, however, the scale is very minimal. How do you see it going in the future?

First I would request the corporates to endorse domestic cricket in Nepal. Though the national team is enjoying a lot of success, domestic cricket is not able to sustain the quality. With an improved domestic structure, we would be able to improve the standard of cricket in Nepal and would also be able to attract more players into the game.

Also, we need more sponsors to invest in the infrastructure of the game, and a better strategy for domestic development of the game and a more proactive approach from the government. If that happens Nepali cricket can go a long way.

What is your opinion about the growing fan base of the Nepali Cricket team, any message you would like to give fans?

The support that we get from fans is unbelievable. When we go outside there is always a contingent of fans showing up to cheer us on. Though most of the supporters do not know the team’s history, they come to see the match even if they are not interested in cricket at all because they feel proud of their nation. It’s more of a patriotic thing rather than an interest in the sport.

Thank you for all the support that you have given us. Your love to us makes us more determined and stronger in every game.

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read. write. dream.

While working in the advertising section of The Village Voice in New York, it suddenly struck Prajwal Parajuly that his grasp of Nepali language was slipping away from him. It was then that he decided to at least start writing in English about his people. He toured Nepal and his native Sikkim and collected material for a book of short stories. The Gurkha’s Daughter won immediate critical acclaim and shot Prajwal Parajuly into prominence. He got a Masters in creative writing from Oxford, and now has two more books he is working on. At 27, he was the youngest Indian to be signed up by international publishers.

Interview with Prajwal Parajuly

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Was it a lucky break that you became a writer, or did you have to work hard at it?

I come across a lot of people who knew they were born to write, who thought they’d have no other profession but writing. I wasn’t one of them. I always thought I was a decent writer, but writing as a career didn’t happen until after I quit my job. Even then, I was naïve. When I started writing my collection of short stories, I knew nothing about the step-daughterly treatment short stories received in the publishing world.

While writing the book was hard work, getting published, thankfully, wasn’t. I’ve been lucky.

And have you been surprised by the acclaim that The Gurkha’s Daughter has received in South Asia and elsewhere?

I am grateful. I knew the book would do well but not this well. I wasn’t expecting flattering reviews in places such as Ireland and South Africa. I think it took my publishers by surprise when the book went into reprint within a month of its publication in India and within three weeks of its publication in the UK. I was definitely astounded. Critical acclaim is wonderful, but it means nothing – at least to me – if only ten copies of my book sell. I have bills to pay, so, yes, sales matter.

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Many first-time novelists drift into nonfiction. Do you plan any non-fiction books?

I have thought of it. I just arrived in India and have decided to stick around for the next six months. There are a lot of ideas germinating right now. A travelogue would be a fun book to write, as would a children’s book. The Nepali translation of The Gurkha’s Daughter is finally done, and I need to have a look at that. See, these plans keep on changing: one moment I am excited about writing a sequel, the next moment I am thinking of an

American-campus-based novel, far removed from the Nepali-speaking world, and then before I know it, I am wondering if I should put together a proposal for a non-fiction book.

We wanted to ask you about that. Do you also feel comfortable with non-Nepali non-diaspora themes?

I once tried writing a story based in Ireland.

It was difficult. I think I will be comfortable with non-Nepali themes provided these are places with which I have a level of familiarity. England and America shouldn’t be so hard, but Nigeria will entail a great deal of research.

Does it matter where you are to the flow of writing? What determines inspiration most for you?

More than the location, it’s where I am mentally. I need to be well rested, well fed and shouldn’t have too many unfinished businesses to distract me. I have realised that when there are distractions, e-mails to respond to and people to see, the progress in writing dwindles. Because I am one of those people who can’t write every day, I make it a point to cut down on distractions when inspiration strikes me, I know better than to let go of the burst of creative energy because god knows when it’s going to make an appearance next.

What can you tell us about your next work?

It is a novel, a family saga. Four siblings living in various parts of the world convene in Gangtok for their grandmother’s 84th birthday, and things happen.

Are South Asian writers finding it easier or harder to get published in the west?

There’s a great deal of interest in the region, which is wonderful for us. But one could also argue that we’ve reached a saturation point, and that South Asians are finding it a lot harder to get published in the West than they did 10 years ago. Which leads me to the next point: if it’s a good story and resonates with at least one editor somewhere, the book will probably get published irrespective of where in the world it is based.

What advice would you give young Nepali writers?

Read. Write. Dream. Read. Write. Dream.

A lot. Re-read. Re-write. Also, if you can, find a mentor or a group of serious writers. Exchange work with friends whose opinions you trust. But start with the basics: revisit grammar, learn how to punctuate correctly. If you think you have a story to share, write it. Work toward getting it published. Start with newspapers, magazines and journals.

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cleaning up our act ARNICO PANDAY My interest in geography began when I was three, when my mother showed me a red dot on a map of an airline inflight magazine, and said “this is where your grandmother is.�

We had just moved from Switzerland, where my mother is from, to Nepal, where my father is from, and I was missing my maternal grandmother terribly. Maps and airplanes, I learned, could connect me to far away people and places, and I grew up falling asleep looking at maps and pictures of planes on the wall above my bed.

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My interest in science started much later. By the time I was completing high school I had developed a deep concern about pollution and landscape deterioration. On a trek to Annapurna Base Camp, I remember looking at the 360 degree mountain panorama, wishing that I could remain there forever.

But then I realised that if I did not go back down and do something the pollution would just end up following me to where I was.

By the time I arrived on campus at Harvard I had so thoroughly memorised the campus map that it did not feel like I was there for the first time, and I became the instant tour guide for many of my friends. In my second week, in a class about the atmosphere that I initially just took to fulfill a science requirement, I found a small error in the photocopied book manuscript that Mike McElroy, a senior professor had handed out. I hesitantly went to point it out to him because, after all, he was spending weekends tutoring Al Gore about climate science. His reaction was to take me on as his advisee, and later on to also hire me to help prepare the book for publication.

range of other interests, from philosophy to geology to ecotourism, as was possible in my Environmental Science and Public Policy program. I wrote an undergraduate thesis about transportation planning options for Kathmandu Valley. I graduated from college thinking that everything was important, and that I had to continue studying everything.

So I enrolled in a similarly broad Master’s degree, w here I soon reali sed the importance of specialising. I considered environmental policy and urban planning, before deciding that I would pursue a quantitative subject whose literature was not written in simple prose that I could read up any time. I brushed up on physics and chemistry, and joined the atmospheric science doctoral program at MIT. Within atmospheric science, I decided early on that I would do both field measurements (in Nepal) and computer simulations.

In my third year I met the woman I would end up marrying. Actually I was trying to call her roommate, but she picked up the phone and we talked for an hour. We met the next morning, and have been together ever since.

In my PhD research back in 2004-2005 I made my first attempt to understand when and how air pollution accumulates in and ventilates out of the Kathmandu Valley. I found huge differences in air quality impacts depending on the time and place of pollutants emissions: what time rush hour takes place, and where brick kilns are located. However, I did not have enough data and modeling results to make confident policy recommendations.

After the atmospheric science class in my first semester in college I explored a broad

In the Spring of 2013 I had the good fortune of collaborating with my friend

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Maheswar Rupakheti at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies in Potsdam in Germany to organise a major air pollution field measurement campaign around Kathmandu Valley involving more than a dozen research groups from around the world. We now have more detailed data than exists for any other city in South Asia, and are eagerly trying to figure out what it means. We hope to be able to start making clear science-based recommendations about the most effective ways to improve a i r q u a l i t y i n K at h m a n d u Va l l e y.

Since I joined the University of Virginia in 2009, my students and I have been working on improving scientific understanding of when and how air pollutants are transported into Nepal from south of the border, how they move around within Nepal and across the Himalaya, and what kind of impacts they have. Since joining ICIMOD in March 2012, and leading the establishment of its Atmosphere Initiative, I have additional opportunities to further science research, as well as to get involved directly in evaluating mitigation options and contributing to policy development.

The Himalaya, the poles, and small island nations are most vulnerable to climate change. We know that temperatures have been increasing fastest at high altitudes and high latitudes. Glaciers in Nepal are retreating, affecting dry season water availability in our rivers. Rainfall patterns

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are changing. A big fraction of the change is due to the global increase in greenhouse gases, something we have little control over excepting making a big fuss at international fora.

However, there is also a big contribution to climate change in the Himalaya from short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) including black carbon: the dark soot particles that are emitted by diesel engines, brick kilns, and cooking fires, and forest fires within Nepal and its neighbours.

Reducing SLCPs has direct benefits for air quality and health, can be done quickly, and has immediate impacts.

The threat to the Himalaya is bad, but some of it is in our hands. It is true that Nepal only contributes a tiny fraction of the carbon dioxide that ends up in the atmosphere, and reducing Nepal’s emissions will not have a direct effect on global climate unless it is able to set an example for other nations to follow.

However, Nepal also emits short-lived climate pollutants such as black carbon.

Because these stay in the atmosphere for a short time, their biggest impact is close to their sources. The black carbon that is contributing to melting Himalayan glaciers is not from North America or Europe but from Nepal and India. The black carbon that creates the tuwalo haze that blocks our mountain views is local and regional. We do have control over what is emitted within Nepal. The Alternative

Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) in Kathmandu is making a big push to clean up indoor air pollution in Nepal by distributing improved cookstoves. If we can make sure that the cookstoves that are distributed are ones that emit less black carbon we can make a big difference. If we can substitute current brick kilns with cleaner ones, and make sure our diesel vehicles are well maintained we can reduce black carbon emissions within Nepal significantly, and thereby address not just air quality but also some of the climate change we are facing.

The challenge for scientists comes from a tension between their training to be ultra-aware of the uncertainties and potential flaws in scientific knowledge, and the need for the public and policy makers to have immediate solutions.

Science is driven by focusing on the questions, the unknowns, the uncertainties.

What I try to do is to step back and ask myself “What do we know already? What do we know with sufficient confidence to make recommendations, and which uncertainties form real bottlenecks to effective action?”

I tr y to focus my science work on overcoming those crucial uncertainties.

My work involves a lot of travel. In 2012, I passed through Kathmandu airport immigration 21 times. During my travels I am almost universally treated well as a citizen of the world where my citizenship does not matter. It was only twice that I

felt discrimination. The first time was while applying for a visa at the Taiwanese consulate in New York. I was told that citizens of Nigeria and Nepal needed additional clearance “ because of passpor t fraud in your countries”. The second time was at Delhi airport, connecting to Lufthansa to the US, where I had to wait an additional two hours for my connecting boarding pass “because for Nepali passports we have to follow additional procedures”.

The place where I have had the most positive experience has been Rwanda: Since early 2010 I have been advising its government on a climate observatory project on a mountain peak where a cable car will be built. Early on, I recognised the similarities between Rwanda today and the Nepal I grew up in, and the potential for lessons from Nepal that may be relevant to Rwanda. It was conversations about such topics that initiated Sujeev’s and beed’s involvement in Rwanda.

Arnico Panday is currently Research Assistant Professor at the University of Virginia, and Senior Atmospheric Scientist and Program Coordinator, Atmosphere Initiative, at ICIMOD in Kathmandu. He is also Visiting Assistant Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

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the glass is more than half-full Ajay Shrestha has been a veteran of Nepal’s banking industry for 25 years, and has always looked at the sector as being a public service that lubricates the economy. He is currently CEO of Bank of Kathmandu (BOK).

In a country where bankers compete in media space not backed by real performance, Ajay Shrestha has practiced leading from the back to take BOK from strength to strength.

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What helps you get over moments of doubt in the banking sector in Nepal?

You see, although banking is recognised as a separate sector, it does not function independently. Its growth and diversity largely depends on the versatility of the entire economy. Therefore, being an active participant of the sector, it allows me to be acquainted with all major facets of the economy. This has been the primary motivation factor for me.

The point that whether banking is the principal driver of the economy or it simply provides financial lubrication is debatable. I believe that it can be a mix of both in a startup country like ours. Slow economic growth in Nepal raises doubt as to the viability of the sector. However, the country still has a long way to go in terms of development, and I do not believe that banking will be outpaced by other sectors at least for some time. We can therefore be optimistic about its future.

There seems to be a lot of turnover among senior bank executives in Nepal. You yourself have moved through many banks, why is this?

It is driven by simple economic fundamentals.

Correlation between human resource development and market opportunities largely determines HR stability. The banking sector has witnessed significant growth between 1990-2008 both in terms of business volume, number of institutions and their networks. On the other hand, barring a few public sector banks, the industry does not have a long history.

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It is therefore natural to be short in supply of experienced people to manage the growth.

Movement of executives can hence be considered a natural market phenomenon. I do not think negative conclusions should be drawn from the turnover itself. However, the industry should draw a long-term strategy to increase supply of quality human resource and have succession plans in order to mitigate against risks emanating from high turnover.

Nothing much seems to change in Nepal: the power crisis, stagnant investment, political uncertainty, joblessness. What do you do to keep your spirits up?

There are ways to look at these things, I guess. Yes, it is true that the phase of political transition is being stretched. This has weakened the investment environment and dampened employment opportunities.

But as a result of growing globalisation surplus labour is being absorbed by some of the fastest growing economies in the region.

There are strong views that this situation is not sustainable and is leading Nepal towards difficulties in the coming days. Yet, foreign employment is one of the mainstays of the current economy. It is not only increasing the wealth of individuals that can be converted into productive capital but is also developing them by getting exposed to some active economies of the world. Learning from these can be beneficial, and the country’s economy will profit from it as well.

I could be perceptually biased in saying this, but I feel that many of us are brought up to be

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casual and believe in the proverb "Don’t fix it if it ain't broke". We also like to work with plenty of cushion that can be the source of inefficiency. Therefore, dealing with issues with more positive intent and determination can be a successful tool to correct the situation. The country has many untapped zones. Only a positive mental attitude can enable us to seize the advantage.

Does your optimism include the service sector?

I have come across literature citing the jolly attitude of Nepalis, and this being the greatest asset the country has. I am not sure if this is a stereotype. Yet, it can be exploited and built upon for developing service sector opportunities in education, health, tourism.

I consider human resource development will be the key success factor because the activities require highly skilled human resources. In other words, only jolliness of people will not be sufficient for us to compete. They also need to be trained to be professionals in their respective fields.

And hydropower?

This is a natural advantage that the country has. However, the pace of its development has been very slow till date. Efforts are being made both by the private sector and the government to develop projects related to power generation. However they are facing issues of capital, inflation, infrastructure, geolog y, technolog y, social, power evacuation etc. The future and stability of the sector will also depend on the performance of the sole buyer of hydro-energy in Nepal :

the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The distribution is controlled by NEA. Smooth export of power is still a distant dream due to short supply in the local market and lack of infrastructure to export. Passing on the cost to consumers is also a major constraint for NEA which acts as a speed breaker in the development of new projects.

These factors could continue to undermine the entire ecosystem of Nepal’s hydropower sector.

the process, than price. On the depository activity the penetration of banking sector seems to be relatively better. It is because of the increasing number of branches and products. The rise in the flow of remittance through banking channels is also helping them in this regard.

Is the real estate bubble finally over? Can we expect a more realistic exposure from banks towards lending in this sector?

The spurt of speculative investment in the realty sector seems to have subsided during the last few years. However, I feel that the value is yet to be fully corrected. The impact may be seen for some time, I guess. Banks have already started lending to finance the real demand by way of extending house loan to consumers and some commercial constructions.

The public's perception, not just in Nepal but around the world, is that bank CEOs are overpaid and underworked. Is this justified?

People may perceive my views to be biased.

Yet, I feel that each market will have its own dynamics and therefore they should be evaluated independently. I am sure the job market also functions the same way.

Therefore, it is the market that should determine remuneration. If people are overpaid against their output the market is expected to correct it. Developed countries have formed their view mainly due to failure of some organisations in their system, and the social impact following such failures.

There is still a large proportion of Nepalis who have never had a bank account. What can be done to bring them into the fold?

In my opinion, a large portion of the people may be out of the formal banking system, but they are not deprived from access to finance. Obtaining finance from informal channels and trade credit is a regular feature. Therefore, the primary challenge for banks will be to replace such activities. Competition will be mainly on

The point of whether we have also reached the same stage is debatable. But, being proactive may invite demotivation and dent career aspirations of people involved in the sector. There are not many sectors that provide employment opportunities to high skilled human resource in the country. On the other hand, the job market of such people is globalised. Competent people get opportunities anywhere in the world and remunerations are not based on nationality.

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leapfrogging the digital divide SUVASH THAPA

The Industruial Revolution saw a dramatic advancement of technology, but that development has been left way behind by the speed and spread of the Information Revolution.

Especial ly since the Second World War, the advancement of information and communication technologies has transformed human society like nothing before. The convergence of computers, telephony and television have combined to impact business, politics and socio-cultural mores.

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Ever y f ield of human development has witnessed a transformation. At the individual level, it has completely changed the way we communicate with each other.

Our relationships are now social networks completely unrecognisable from 20 years ago. From landline telephone sets at home and later handheld phones the size of bricks to the sleek, small smart phones these days, technology has changed not only the way we communicate but also what we communicate.

1.11

+ BILLION NUMBER OF FACEBOOK USERS

SOCIAL MEDIA STATISTICS WORLDWIDE

6

+ BILLION HOURS OF YOUTUBE VIDEO WATCHED EACH MONTH ON YOUTUBE - ALMOST AN HOUR FOR EVERY PERSON ON EARTH 100 HOURS OF VIDEOS UPLOADED ON YOUTUBE EVERY HOUR

555

+ MILLION NUMBER OF TWITTER USERS

58

+ MILLION NUMBER OF TWEETS PER DAY NEPAL 96 \ beedlife

We not only talk to people across the world but we can also communicate face to face at the same time while accessing their pictures and videos in small pocket devices so popular these days. The development of information and communication technologies have made life BG (before Google) unimaginable.

Technology growth has enabled us to access information on anything, from anywhere at any time. Armed with a smartphone and high speed Internet, today’s students and professionals have any information they need at their fingertips. From 1,000 internet users in 1984 to a million in 1992 over 1 billion in 2008, and now over 2 billion in 2012, the Internet has grown exponentially.

The spread of the Net slowed temporarily because of the digital divide, and the problems of affordability and accessibility.

But net-capable smart phones have allowed us to take a leap over the divide.

The area that technology has made the most impact on is our social lives and how we interact. With Whatsapp, Skype, Viber we

communicate with anyone anywhere in the world, usually for free. Google’s Hangout even allows ten people to video chat free of cost. This ease of communication has in some ways brought friends and families closer than ever.

In the corporate world, products such as Dropbox and Google Drive have helped keep teams in different parts of the world as well as within the office, updated with documents and ongoing projects. The advent of social media from Myspace to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, have fundamentally altered human inter-relationships. From wishing birthdays to celebrating a promotion, we use social media to announce to the world every development in our lives.

It is near impossible to find someone not on some form of social media these days.

One out of 8 couples in the US met online, and that number will grow as more and more people log on. We don’t have to wait to meet someone physically to get to know them or ask what they have been up. Social networking is now the global nervous system that links individuals not just to other individuals but to the rest of the human race.

Social networking sites now have huge impact on street movements and revolutions.

From Syria to Iran, Twitter and Facebook sent thousands to the streets during and after the Arab Spring. Demonstrations such as Occupy Wall Street became the new way to spread the reform message for activists.

Twitter may still not be the primary source of news for people around the world, but it

TOTAL FACEBOOK USERS

1,890,820

FACEBOOK GLOBAL RANKING

66

PENTRATION OF POPULATION

6.53% PENETRATION OF ONLINE POPULATION

79.59% LARGEST AGE GROUP

18-25

MALE FEMALE USER RATIO

69% MALE

31% FEMALE

SOCIAL MEDIA STATISTICS NEPAL

ESTIMATED TWITTER USERS

100,000

MOST FOLLOWED: BABURAM BHATTARAI

25,000 FOLLOWERS 10,000

ESTIMATED ACTIVE BLOGGERS

SOURCE: SOCIAL BAKERS, MARCH 2013

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Closer to home, the Occupy Baluwatar and the White Butterfly movements are great examples of what the social media can help activists achieve. Gone are the days of writing small articles in hardcopy newspapers. It is not just activism, Internet technology now allows social workers to reach remote areas more effectively too.

In areas affected by natural hazards, social media and technology have played their part to ensure proper aid reaches where it is needed the most. Regular weather reports help farmers in remote areas to plan their activities better.

already is for journalists who then feed and filter that information into the mainstream press. Try as they might, authoritarian governments have a hard time keeping ahead of the decentralised nature of the Net and the way it finds a way to be free.

To be sure, the Internet also allows sensational and false information to be spread. Defamation and smear campaigns are easy in the anonymity of cyberspace, the Net also tends to fragment society and divides it up into thought ghettos. But social networking sites also have a self-correcting mechanism where truth ultimately triumphs over falsehood.

Activists everywhere use social media to create awareness about their causes, and allow like-minded people to join in.

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Medicine has benefitted by developments in information technology, making telemedicine possible in remote areas of the world, including the mountains of Nepal.

There are many examples of lives that have been saved because health workers can consult with experts and perform emergency surgery via video conferencing, or in some cases even SMS. The definition of literacy has now changed. It is not enough anymore to be able to read or write, the new yardstick is whether children can use search engines and navigate the Net. They access Google and Wikipedia through smartphones more than books or teachers.

Technology has enabled smart classrooms which allow students from all over the world to access lectures from the best universities in the world without the need to attend physical classrooms. Online students fare better in exams and job placements than

those that receive face-to-face instruction.

More than 80% of employers in the US now hire through social media, and a staggering 95% of those through Linkedin.

The advantages of technological evolution are many and show obvious benefits.

Social media definitely allows us to keep in touch with our loved and not-so-loved ones with ease.

There are problems of the individual’s loss of privacy, easy access to x-rated content, or using the Net to incite hatred, intolerance and violence. The increasing reliance on technology and social media has also led to growing incidence of identity theft and credit card fraud. The Net allows us to bypass government control on information, but even democratic states are now acting like Big Brother in monitoring messages and calls of citizens.

We are at an age where technology is set to make yet another leap. GPS systems are used widely to direct people to places. It is harder than ever to get lost these days with the use of software like Google’s Earth and Street View. Google’s development of driverless car could be the answer to public transportation in the future. Motorola has developed electric tattoos and pills that can carry personal information under one’s skin.

So, what did we do BG? How did we stay in touch with other people before the days

of mobile phones and Facebook, or stay abreast of world news before Twitter?

From activists and revolutionaries to the rise of hit singers like Justin Bieber and Susan Boyle social media provides the platform. In our daily lives we check the latest football or cricket scores on our phones or go straight to our camera and then Facebook on the birth of a child, to share with the world.

One of the indicators of massive use of social networking sites is that social media has unseated porn in web activity in the US. Social media is here not just to stay, but to grow and spread and change society in ways that are even more dramatic than what it has done already. What you use it for, how you use it, is all up to you.

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building global knowledge Aditi Shrestha anchors and manages the Access to Finance South Asia Advisory Services projects of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank Group in Nepal. Before that she was one of the initial members of the beed team.

She has an MA in International Finance and an MBA (Finance).

Aditi’s work entails increasing the availability and affordability of financial services for individuals and micro- small- and medium enterprises. She also works with a range of stakeholders, including regulators.

INTERVIEW WITH ADITI SHRESTHA

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Can you tell us more about the team you work with?

The Access to Finance team is fairly small in Nepal, but I work with a geographically dispersed team of specialists based in South Asia, East Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa and IFC’s headquarters in Washington DC as I work on a diverse range of products.

What is it like working in the development field in Nepal?

I am not the typical “development aid worker” as I mostly work with private sector institutions. It is very demanding, but also very fulfilling, and being able to work with global experts has been a steep and exhilarating learning curve.

What are the most interesting and challenging aspects of working in the development field?

I count myself very lucky to be able to make a living doing work that is personally and professionally rewarding, and aligned with things that I believe in. In addition, it is incredibly inspiring to be able to work with

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highly competent, motivated people who bring ingenuity and passion to the work we do. I have the opportunity to derive knowledge sharing from specialists and different counterparts who work on similar projects to bring value addition to the projects.

The downside is the long hours, the daunting tasks and challenges that come with exploring new business models and innovations, and the amount of travel involved, which admittedly is a double edged sword.

What inspired you to join IFC? Where do you derive your inspiration for your work?

I joined IFC for personal and professional reasons, because I believe in the work IFC does, and for the global exposure that I would receive. I derive my inspiration from the work we do, and by the competence and passion of the people around me.

How do you balance work and life?

I’ve been accused of being a raging workaholic so I would be lying if I said I have

achieved the proverbial work life balance. I go out with friends, try to stay active, read fiction to unwind, spend quality time with my parents on weekends, and spend a lot of my time on the phone talking to my husband, who is in the USA doing his PhD and who keeps me sane. And when things get too stressful, I go on a holiday.

What are your five passions?

Working like a maniac Reading dystopian novels Exploring new places Road tripping Getting endorphin rushes from physical activities (like kickboxing, insanity workout programs, cycling, playing football etc.)

What is it like for a woman to work in the development field?

I don’t believe in gender stereotyping at the workplace and think it is to some extent up to you to dispel such notions. So, no, and I don’t think it is much different for me than my male colleagues.

Where do you think Nepal is lacking in terms of human resources? What can be done to overcome this?

Our education system is more geared towards churning out degree holders than producing innovators and critical thinkers, which reflects on the available workforce.

That and a lack of soft skills, the importance of which cannot be overemphasised. On an organisational level, too, you often see organisations that focus on qualifications over skills, and are more process oriented than results oriented. The key is to invest in personal and professional development of employees, and encourage innovative thinking.

What kind of exposure does working at IFC offer?

Learning from and working with highly qualified and culturally diverse professionals, and seasoned sector specialists, and building global knowledge.

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the adventure of representing my country Mudita Bajracharya is one of a new breed of smart young Nepali women who have chosen a career in the diplomatic service. After a gruelling selection process, the native of Patan has been rising up the ranks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Narayanhiti.

INTERVIEW WITH MUDITA BAJRACHARYA

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Why the Foreign Service? Was that your interest all along?

Actually when I first decided to pursue a career in Nepal’s Foreign Service, I took it as an adventure. The idea of representing my country, meeting new people from diverse backgrounds, learning new cultures and languages, and travelling to places excited me. But now that I am in the system, I have become aware of my responsibilities and challenges attached to the glamour of working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

I find the challenges very stimulating, and I really feel I can contribute a lot.

because it undermines the credibility of the media and its essential role in safeguarding democracy. Editors should encourage reporters to go beyond the headlines and see how their coverage helps rather than hinders the public good.

You started out dabbling in the media for a bit, what were your impressions, and would you have stayed on in journalism if you hadn’t got this career opening in Nepal’s diplomatic service?

There are many experienced journalists with in-depth knowledge and specialisations in various fields. The press is full of analytical w ritings, investigative repor ts, and commentaries in newspapers, televisions channels, radio stations, and news portals.

Despite the progress, I found that the media business is overwhelmed by superficial, sensational headline-grabbing issues and even gossip. I think both reporters and media owners need to look at this seriously

And what has been the reaction of your family and friends to your decision to join the diplomatic service?

My family and friends have always been supportive of my decisions. They encouraged me to prepare for the Public Service Commission examination. I must say, though, that my mother was a little sceptical about the nature of the job as it requires moving from one station to another frequently.

I left journalism and was exploring other avenues where I could discover my potential when a friend serving in the Foreign Service, who also happens to be a former journalist suggested that I might find diplomatic service the right fit. So here I am.

It must have been challenging at first in what is still largely a male-dominated system?

My ex per ience in jour nali sm gave

me confidence to carry out my work independently whatever the conditions.

It gave me experience in working under pressure, working late hours, and being a team player. It also provded me with exposure to a wide range of social, economic and development issues in Nepal.

Nepal still has a very good brand equity globally, people have positive impressions of the country. But lately that brand has taken a knock. How difficult is the job of a Nepali diplomat?

Nepal is undergoing one of the most challenging phases in its history. The prolonged political stalemate has taken a huge toll in all dimensions of national life.

The job of a Nepali diplomat is challenging in the sense that we have to reconcile the growing demands for national aspirations with limited state capacity for delivery, and lack of clear strategic vision where we would like to see ourselves in the future.

Speaking of which, where do you see yourself personally, say, ten years from now?

I see myself at the policy making level.

From your first few years in the Ministry, do you think there is more of a need for

Nepal to engage in economic and trade diplomacy?

After the end of the Cold War, political and strategic considerations have been less important in relations between and among countries compared to new trade and economic issues. For instance, development aid can no longer guarantee the economic development of Nepal. We have to think strategically and plan to augment it with greater trade and inward Foreign Direct Investment. These will play a vitally important function once we get the politics sorted out, and it is here that diplomacy can play a vital role.

What motivates you in your work, which aspects of it do you find most fulfilling and most challenging?

Lately, Nepal’s bureaucracy has been much more inclusive than before with women and other marginalised communities at all levels of the civil service. The influx of women and a younger generation form diverse backgrounds in the Foreign Service will, I am sure, bring positive changes in the days to come. The idea of being part of this change is my main motivating factor. The lack of leadership and clear vision to formulate policies in Nepal’s Foreign Service, however is the challenging aspect.

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that led to the Maoist revolution. Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy was published just before the royal coup in February 2005.

“no matter where I am, my stories lead me straight to nepal” With a diplomat for a father, Manjushree Thapa got early exposure to the world, but her heart has always been in Nepal. After studying photography at the Rhode Island School of Design, she returned to Nepal to work with the Annapurna project in Mustang. Her first book in 1992 was a personal memoir of her stay in this arid trans-Himalayan district of Nepal, Mustang Bhot in Fragments. In 2001, she published her first novel, Tutor of History set in Tanahu and in which we get a hint of the social conditions in rural Nepal

Her other books include Tilled Earth (2009) and a biography of Chandra Gurung, A Boy from Siklis. In 2011 she published another novel, Seasons of Flight, which plots the trajectory of a Nepali woman, and one wonders how much of the life of protagonist, Prema, is Manjushree’s own. In her latest work, Lives We Have Lost: Essays and Opinions About Nepal, we get a glimpse of Manjushree’s own attempt to walk the highwire between being an activist and a writer.

Manjushree also wrote Suma’s story in the CNN documentary, Girl Rising in 2013. She cried when she heard Suma sing a song of suffering and longing at the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2011, and she translated it for the film:

Selfish were my mother and father They gave birth to a daughter Did you want to see me suffer, Mother?

Did you want to see me suffer, Father?

Why did you give birth to a daughter?

My brothers get to go to school Unfortunate I slave at a master’s house.

INTERVIEW WITH MANJUSHREE THAPA

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for short fiction was small at the time, he asked me about a novel I was working on, The Tutor of History. Only when he made an offer on it did I feel I should take a go at being a writer. Before that I was a complete outsider to the world of publishing. I had no clue how to get a foothold. This took a long time: it didn’t come easily at all.

What do you remember of the first time you felt that you were going to be a writer?

Sometime before the new millennium, I’d completed a collection of short stories and had submitted it to Penguin India in Delhi, but it had got lost in the slush pile.

Six months later I contacted Penguin’s Ravi Singh directly, on Khushwant Singh’s advice.

He read the collection, but as the market

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Except for Seasons of Flight, Tilled Earth, and The Tutor of History all your other books have been non-fiction. Do you find it easier to write non-fiction?

My books are about half-and-half fiction and non-fiction. I do find non-fiction quite a bit easier, in that the subject imposes clear limits. In fiction you’re free to write anything at all, so you spend a lot of time deciding what limits to set. There’s a lot of introspection, and also doubt. You’re constantly questioning the limits of your imagination. After working on a story or novel, it’s always a huge relief for me to write non-fiction.

How important is the setting for you, in your case Nepal?

My choice of subject is tied to Nepal. Even when I set my stories or novels outside of

Nepal, they revolve around the Nepali experience. I can’t explain why this is so.

I follow my subconscious on this: and no matter where I am, it leads me straight to Nepal.

Has it therefore been difficult being away from Nepal?

Writing in Nepal is more satisfying, for me, than writing outside of Nepal. There’s constant agitation, and inspiration, in Nepal. There’s constant chatter in the air.

And though this also makes it harder to carve out the kind of quiet time needed to write a novel, I’m not, in general, one of those expatriate writers who finds distance helpful. My decision to live in Canada for a few years is not to do with my writing.

What can you tell us about your next work?

I’m working on a novel set in the aid world in Nepal. It’s not about aid, that is just the backdrop. The story revolves around the personal dilemmas of four protagonists, whose lives intersect on a single day. The

novel is called All of Us in Our Own Lives, and it’s due for publication by Aleph Book Company in 2014.

South Asian writers seem to be finding it easier to get published in the west. Does that also include Nepali writers? How are Nepali writers in English perceived?

Nepali writers in English aren’t perceived at all, certainly not as a group. Individual writers have found their audiences in South Asia and elsewhere, but nothing collective comes to mind when you hear the term ‘Nepali writing in English.’ We just don’t have a critical mass, the way Indian writers in English, and Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan writers do. This will take time.

In the meantime, it’s important to focus on the quality, and not just the quantity, of writing coming out of Nepal. All of South Asia, but mainly India, suffers from an overemphasis on quantity over quality in book publishing. We mustn’t make that mistake.

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beed reads Tribes Seth Godin CHANDNI SINGH

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ribes, written by the maverick author Seth Godin, could have been written for beed, which believes in the business of positive transformations of individuals and organisations. The fact that both beed and Tribes were ‘launched’ and published in 2008 is more than just a mere coincidence. Admittedly a little far-fetched, still there seems to be a strong affinity between the two. If nothing else, Godin might be pleasantly surprised to see how the

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philosophy advocated by his book is being played out at beed.

Tribes inspires the leader in you and argues for constructive challenges to the status quo. In addition to the more popular examples of leaders like Steve Jobs in Apple, Godin showcases individuals like Percy Spencer, whose experiments in trying to improve radar technology ‘accidentally’ led him to invent the microwave. Or Jim Delligatti, who broke the rules of what a sandwich is, to create the Big Mac. He presents these individuals as people who took risks that did not necessarily come with their jobs, but their willingness to question the way things were usually done allowed them to excel. With a flat structure and elimination of

positions, beed presents a platform that facilitates creative thinking much like what Godin advocates.

A flat organisation which facilitates independent thought and creates a culture of innovation and thinking outside the box.

A striking idea that Godin puts for th is that leaders do not control, rather they set the stage and facilitate the process. There is no leader supreme with sheeplike followers waiting for things to happen. It is the leader who initiates the process, but requires active participation from each and every member to make the tribe thrive. An interesting example is the private Facebook group that Godin set up for applications for a paid internship. Godin the Leader facilitated a platform for the members. ‘No tribes existed yet -- just sixty strangers in an online forum,’ he states. About half the people joined the page while the rest did nothing. Those who took the initiative to join started discussions, posted topics, and led within Godin’s leadership and as such Godin had innovatively conducted his first round of screening because, as he rightly states, who would want to hire people who are not self starters.

Here at beed, too, members are expected to lead within their framework and be the driving

forces behind the growth of the company. As beed works within the structure of teams, the team leader is generally the facilitator while the team members drive the agenda and push performances, leading in each case.

The book is clearly a motivational speech on paper that rejects the notion that puts leaders on a pedestal and drags away fear and apprehension to those who might aspire to lead. Tribes inspires leaders within all frameworks and advocates creative thinking.

Breakout Nations Ruchir Sharma SUJEEV SHAKYA t has been a long time since Thomas Friedman’s World Is Flat that we get to read something that analyses changes in the trends of economic growth for a spot of crystal gazing. Ruchir Sharma provides a fresh set of lenses to look at the globalised world. He delves into how the emerging markets

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that investors flocked to in the last decade may not be the ones that would still be hot destinations in the coming decades.

Sharma is head of Emerging Market Equities at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and brings his experience of working in many countries and meeting policy makers across these countries.

When you manage assets around $25 billion, you need an immense depth of knowledge.

He argues how the BRICS countries

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(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are slowly losing steam and there are many others that are vying for attention. What he calls the new ‘Breakout Nations’ may emerge from anywhere: Turkey, Czech Republic, Poland, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Nigeria.

He compares Brazil with India explaining how both ‘high-context’ societies, full of colour, noise, chaos and confusion, are completely different from command-andcontrol driven China, and therefore have different growth stories. He gives you a very cogent analysis of the oligarch-driven Mexico and Russia that we in Nepal can relate to so well in terms of letting cartels run the economies with substandard goods, bad service but good profits.

The book makes a relevant read as it helps us ponder the development saga of various countries. It is surprising to discover, for example, that Lee Kuan Yew actually visited Sri Lanka to learn about how to go about developing Singapore, how South Korea and Ghana in

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1960 had the same GDP, and how 60 years ago the Philippines was touted to be the next Japan of Asia.

While it helps us to put the past into perspective, Sharma argues how after the ‘First Coming’ from 1994 to 2002, when emerging market stock lost half its value, and ‘Second Coming’ that began with the global boom of 2003 and the bust of 2008, it is now the era of the ‘Third Coming’. This is an era defined by moderate growth, the return of the boom-bust cycle and the break up herd behavior. Lacking the easy money and blue-sky optimism that has fueled investment, the stock markets of developing countries are set to deliver more measured and uneven returns.

The key takeaway from the book is about how not all emerging markets will do well and there are breakout nations that will emerge from the pool of emerging markets. Also, there are Frontier markets that in the quest of becoming emerging markets will become breakout nations. For the establi shed BRICS, it will be how they can steer themselves out of the current

quagmire, be it the appreciation of currency in China, the politicians linked scams in India, or whether Russia will be able to attract Russian money back to its economy. For Thailand, it will be how the gap between Bangkok and the rest of the country is bridged. For Turkey, it will be how the country can emerge out of the societal divide of radicals and liberals.

Ruchir Sharma sees the next decade as one where ‘investors will become increasingly discerning, not only in their choice of companies but also in their choice of countries, and will treat emerging markets as individual stories, not a homogeneous class.

No nation can hope to grow as a free rider on the tailwind of fortuitous global circumstance, as so many have in the last decade.’

Will Nepal break apart, or be a breakout nation is the question that will come to your mind as you turn the last page of Sharma’s gripping book.

End of Power Moises Naim SUJEEV SHAKYA

hen I saw The End of Power in the bestseller section of a bookstore at an airport recently, I never imagined what a great journey I was embarking on by buying it.

But a chance meeting with the writer at a book signing function in Washington DC, where he said he had visited Nepal, intrigued me even more.

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It is rare to f ind a versatile, globetrotting scholar who was minister at 36, worked at the World Bank, and served as editor-in-chief for a foreign policy magazine. He provides the 3-D perspective of an academic, practitioner and thinker on how the world has unfolded, and how events around the world will unfold.

In End of Power, Naim discusses how the world will be shaped by three revolutions that are happening. The More revolution means everything is increasing: the number of countries, population, literacy, markets, quality of products a n d s e r v i ce s. Th e Mobilit y revolution which has taken one thing on one side of the planet to the other side be it people, goods or money which was not even remotely possible a decade ago. The Mentality revolution which Naim says reflects on the major changes in mindsets, expectations and aspirations that have accompanied these shifts.

When you look at the world using the 3-M lens of more, mobility and mentality it will not be the same again. Let’s zoom in on Nepal with that perspective to see where the country will be in 2030: Nepal will have 40 million people with greater Kathmandu having extended from Dhading to Dhulikhel with 10 million population. What will be the challenges of a country that will, of course, be more mobile and the changes in mentality? How will Nepali society adapt and change?

This book helps you crystal gaze on the transformations we may see in our lifetime.

Naim argues that political power will diminish as it has over the past 50 years, and it will be devolved to different groups. These could be social media groups that will never meet physically due to which size will also lose its relevance. For Nepalis who love the world of power, this book helps to understand a well dissected treatise on the nature of power. Naim takes you through a journey that will ‘aim to understand what it takes to get power, keep it and to lose it’. It is to be able to see power in a ‘practical way’ and how it is a ‘social function’. The events in Egypt and what is going on in Syria or Turkey can therefore be better understood using the lenses provided in the book.

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The fall of barriers to power is opening the door to new players, he writes, be it in chess or other forms of human competition that links power to innovation and initiative.

The book is backed up with data on the diminishing age of chess grandmasters and breaking the monopoly of the erstwhile Soviet Union on chess, to talking about how private foundations in the US contribute more than the World Bank, or how Sudan’s diaspora changed the fate of the referendum leading to the creation of South Sudan. Naim writes about how in 1977, 81 countries were ruled by autocrats and how that number is now down to 22. Half of the world’s population live in democracies.

From the Nepali perspective the most important message in Naim’s book is that ‘the decay of power creates fertile soil for demagogic challengers to exploit disappointments with incumbents, promise change, and take advantage of the bewildering noise created by the proliferation of actors, voices and proposals’. This, Naim says, will ‘offer great opportunities for leaders with bad ideas’.

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The Gurkha’s Daughter Prajwal Parajuly SHAYASTA TULADHAR ooks are like portals that take you into another world, and sometimes help you escape reality.

Fiction, in particular, transports you to another time and place.

The Gurkha’s Daughter by Prajwal Parajuly, however, feels really real.

You feel what the characters feel, and experience events together.

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Parajuly’s stories are hauntingly true, and very relatable to Nepalis.

There is a constant underlying theme of ethnicity, identity and nationalism which have become such important facets of Nepal’s transformation at present. Among the short stories, a favourite was A Father’s Journey, which documents

how the relationship between a father and daughter changes as the two grow up, and apart. The plot triggers one’s own memory of childhood, and evokes emotions and a nostalgia in the reader.

By far the most emotionally moving story is The Cleft, the tale of a servant girl with a physical deformity in her lip. Trafficking is a major issue in Nepal with many young girls being tricked into leaving the country with dreams of luxury and riches.

One reads reports of trafficking in newspapers and magazines, sees them being rescued in television programs, but none of that is as heart-wrenching as the sad story

of Kaali and the conversation she has with the man who tries to trick her. This is where fiction allows us a closer glimpse of the truth than journalistic facts. One wonders about how many tens of thousands of other Kaalis there must be enduring real-life sexual slavery.

How many must have suffered a similar fate either in the hands of their employers where their spirits are broken down, or being betrayed by relatives and recruiters.

The short story with the fastest pace is The Immigrant and demonstrates Prajuly’s deft writing skills. Despite all the stories revolving around identity issues, some of them are hard-hitting and beautiful while others just miss the mark. The story that gives the book its title, The Gurkha’s Daughter, in particular was a bit disappointing, lacked punch and the plot was below my expectation.

During his book launch recently, on being asked how he managed to be signed by Quercus, Parajuly stated: “Steig Larrson did for Quercus what JK Rowling did for Bloomsbury.”

This gave the publishers more space to take risks. Parajuly is

likeable in person, with witty repartee, and some of his distinctive colloquialism is also visible in the book. The stories are mostly fiction, he says, but they are based on what happened around his immediate vicinity. The characters are also not entirely fictional, he says, but a mish mash of over exaggerated personalities of friends, relatives and acquaintances.

The book initially started off with stories based in and around Sikkim, however it slowly expanded to bring Kalimpong, Darjeeling, and Jhapa in Nepal into the fold. These are stories of the Nepali-speaking world, telling the stories of a culture and way-of-life that transcends boundaries as it grapples with modern-day challenges.

Rich Dad Poor Dad Robert Kiyosaki SHAYASTA TULADHAR iyosaki’s book Rich Dad Poor Dad completely changes the way one thinks about money and will inspire you to run out and immediately start investing. It subtly touches upon the consumerist culture that defines everyday living in the world, where people are trapped in a globalised rat race.

W hile the content of the book makes perfect sense on paper, the average reader might face much difficulty when it comes to the implementation part of it. However, despite heavy criticism regarding the actual practicality of this book, it may provide the necessary first step in the process of self-realisation, which in itself is a great feat.

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Kiyosaki showcases two perspectives in his book, one of his rich dad, and the other of his poor dad. With the differing perspectives provided by

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the respective dads, the book is able to help the reader understand how the core reason behind why people are unable to get out of the rat race, is lack of financial literacy. Kiyosaki brings up this thought over and over again in his book and identifies how despite spending so much time studying, individuals are unable to obtain financial independence as they are still financially illiterate, as is the case with his poor dad. On the other hand, despite his rich dad having no college degree, he is able to do well financially because he has spent time in educating himself about finances.

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According to Kiyosaki, the education system is partially to blame as it only teaches people how to work for money rather than teaching them on how money can work for them. The key points Kiyosaki makes are that the rich don’t work for money, they make the money they earn work for them, financial literacy is as important if not more than education, knowledge on taxes and corporations will help investors maximise tax savings, minding your own business wherein a business will only prosper if the entrepreneur is personally involved, and the need to work to learn and not to work for money.

The secret to getting rich is acquiring assets, states Kiyosaki.

But the meaning of assets while investing differs from the accounting meaning. Real assets are not just something that have value, but that add money into your account, like stocks, bonds, mutual funds or income generating real estate. Therefore while many people consider a car or a house an asset, it is actually a liability as it takes money out of your account.

Most people do not understand

how despite increases in income, they still struggle financially. This is because when income increases, so does expense. One of the reasons that Kiyosaki provides for the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer is that the rich understand that ‘money works for you’ while the poor are unaware of this and continue to ’work for money’. With the money generated from assets, the rich cater to their luxury needs, whereas the poor and middle class instead of investing in assets that could generate money, cater to their luxury needs first leaving their asset column empty. The point is therefore to understand the concept of money generating more money.

As Kiyosaki says: ‘It is not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, and how many generations you keep it’.

Kiyosaki’s ideas are original and simple, and make you stop while turning the page to think about what he is saying. You think about the whole culture of keeping up with technological fads and mull over whether the money you earn can be put to better use, i.e. generate more money, and make the money you make work for you.

5 beed hangouts

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DHOKAIMA CAFÉ

hen beed began in a small bootcamp below the Himal Southasian office in Patan Dhoka, Dhokaima Café became the natural extension of the office. Many beeds were interviewed and hired here. Often, when visiting the cafe, people can pinpoint the exact table they were interviewed and

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hired at. Located right next to the iconic Patan Dhoka, the café is impossible to miss, and is also a good reference point for directions. The days at Dhokaima at times started with breakfast in the morning, and ended with a night cap in the evening. The adjacent Yala Maya Kendra continues to serve as a place for townhall meetings, trainings, orientations and celebratory events. The choice of open and closed settings, allows it to shift from a professional work-like environment to a relaxed informal setting, making it even more popular.

Cucooned in greenery, it is the ideal location for a quick meeting over lunch starting with a bel fruit soda and ending with a nice hot cappuccino. There is a variety of cuisines available from a soup and sandwich to an extended three course meal. The chocolate brownie and the chocolate cake in particular are all time favorites with the beeds.

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2

DAN RAN

un by Junko Naito and Makoto Suga, Dan R an is a Japanese restaurant that continues to attract customers for its home-like food and environment after its initial opening in 2003. Many a time this restaurant has been a beed’s first introduction to Japanese food in Nepal.

These individuals more often than not went on to become became die-hard fans of the restaurant and continue to patronise it.

A meal typically starts with the signature Gomai Ai - spinach with sesame paste. The lunch boxes are wholesome and simple with a wide selection of items. The trout continues to be a favorite, as is the cold pork and barbeque dishes. There are also a wide range of selections available for vegetarians, such as the avocado roll and the wholesome bowls of freshly made udon noodles.

Winter afternoons can turn drowsy as you know your tummy says enough, but your taste buds don’t. During the plum season, Dan Ran does a wonderful plum soda that can refresh your afternoon. Consistency in quality food has been the hallmark of this restaurant.

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LHAKPA’S CHULO

estaurants don’t become popular because of the décor and furniture, but because of two basics: food and service.

Lhakpa’s Chulo has understood this concept very well and provides an oasis for foodies, serving a limited menu with consistency in terms of quality and service.

The Newari starter sampler can be a good way to introduce non-Nepalis to Newari cuisine, without having to go the full hog.

The mains are mouthwatering, the steaks succlent and so are the Rostis. Fish lovers will relish the fresh trout, and vegeterians swear by the spinach and cheese momos, and the mushroom ravioli. Lhakpa’s offers a good selection of wines which just might tempt you into ordering a bottle to enjoy in the garden area amongst the potted plants and greenery. The clean restrooms and the sparkling clean cutlery is a welcome change from other eateries. That hygiene and cleanliness can never be compromised is a big lesson for many people in the business.

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DECHENLING GARDEN

ocated just next to bustling Thamel, Dechenling Garden provides a peaceful atmosphere amidst the chaos of the city.

With options to sit inside and out, you can opt for an airy lunch out in the sun, or go for a more formal dinner setting inside.

The restaurant has a diverse menu, and specialises in Bhutanese and Tibetan cuisine and is one of the few places in the city offering Bhutanese cuisine. With a sampling of Tibetan appetisers for starters followed by the signature Bhutanese dishes Emma Datshi and Kewa Datshi (cheese, potato and chilli based curry a la fondue) are especially yummy in winter when taken with rice or Tibetan bread. Wine from the well-stocked bar never fails to hit the spot. If they don’t have something that you’re looking for, the staff is more than ready to get it for you in a jiffy. One of the key ingredients to a successful restaurant is to have a dedicated staff that knows their customers well, and Dechenling has staff that have been with the restaurant since it started two decades ago.

Our advice would be for Decenling to open a branch in Patan pronto, so beeds could go more often.

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IMAGO DEI

ituated in Nagpokari, Imago Dei has been a cosy haven for Kathmandu’s literati, professionals and expats. Located on a quiet, leafy bamboo-lined street along the eastern wall of the former royal palace, Imago Dei set new standards in consistency, quality of food and service when it opened.

The staff doesn’t mind if you linger over coffee for hours, working on your laptop, and it is indeed a great place to work, have a working meal, or have fun get togethers. If you were to meet a beed on the other side of the city, Imago Dei is probably where you would end up. From beed’s inception Imago Dei has become a secondary Kathmandu Office of sorts. The café is well equipped with newspapers and magazines if you’re looking to while away the time waiting for someone, and not to forget to browse the amazing art exhibitions at the cafe.

The cheese cake and hash browns are the specialities of the house and will make you keep coming back for more.

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An international management consulting and financial advisory services firm.

Nepal’s first operational portfolio management company

A not for profit foundation initiated by beed and aimed at becoming an interface to development

A USD 14 million International Finance Corporation (IFC) Small and Medium Enterprises (SME Venture Fund).

Institutionalzes leadership development including coaching

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