The nationwide lockdown followed by trade restrictions severely impacted small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) like handcraft that accounted for a larger share of Nepal’s foreign exchange earnings.

According to the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal, the country’s handicraft exports are expected to drop by 70% next year as orders plunged significantly due to the pandemic.

“Handicraft products whose shipments were put on hold during the lockdown are being dispatched to their destinations gradually. But new orders are not coming from major buyers,” said Dharma Raj Shakya, former president of the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal.

Over 70% of the handicraft products that were put on hold have been exported in the last three months.

“But it will be difficult to maintain the same pace in the coming months with the decline in new orders from the international market. The slowdown in orders will impact the export trade next year, and it is expected that 70% of the handicraft export business will be lost,” said Shakya.

According to the Federation, Nepali handicraft exports dropped by 32% to NPR 3.64 billion in the last fiscal 2019-20 from NPR 5.37 billion in the previous fiscal year.

Even the domestic handicraft market has witnessed low demand as tourist arrivals in the country dropped significantly due to the pandemic.

Local handicraft shops in tourist locations like Thamel, the Durbar Squares in Patan, Bhaktapur, and Kathmandu have been closed.

Also Read| Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination!

“As the pandemic has caused the domestic consumption of Nepali handicraft to plunge by more than 80 percent, the handicraft shops are not able to re-start their operations as there are no sales like before,” said Surendra Bhai Shakya, President of the Federation.

Stay Tuned to NepaliSanar for Latest Business News!

More News:

• Nepal’s 13th Handicraft Trade Fair Promotes Local Talent
• New SAARC Center To Boost Nepali Handicrafts
• Nepali Handicraft Fair and Craft Competition Conclude Successfully
• ‘Online SuperKids Dance and Singing 2020’ 
• Nepal Celebrates Fulpati Festival !
• Nepal Celebrates Bada Dashain Festival !

The post Nepal’s Handicraft Shipments to Plunge by 70% Amid Pandemic! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepal observed the fourth anniversary of its 2015 earthquake on April 25, 2019, recalling the disaster that caused huge damage for the nation, killing more than 9000 public and made millions homeless.

Marking the day, Prime Minister Oli joined the gathering of locals and civil servants at a memorial in Kathmandu’s Durbar Square.

“I would like to offer my condolences to those all who lost their lives. We are here remembering the pain of that day… and it is also important to examine how much work we have been able to do in the last four years to restore and rebuild what we lost,” Oli said in a statement.

PM Oli writes his remarks in front of the Kasthamandap temple that collapsed in the 2015 earthquake

Durbar Square is also one of the important structures hit by the earthquake and is being rebuilt.

Portraits of the earthquake victims who lost their lives were put on display at the reconstruction site of Durbar Square.

The gathering observed a minute silence at around 11:56 am, the same time the 7.8 magnitude earthquake had hit the country in 2015.

Earthquake Reconstruction on Pace

On the occasion, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) said that half of the earthquakes who lost their houses in the disaster have already built their new ones. While another 30 percent are in the process of reconstruction.

As per the reports, the government has already sanctioned USD 3,000 in aid over three installments for the victims to rebuild their houses.

“We still have a lot to do and we will complete it in the next 20 months,” says Sushil Gyawali, NA Chief.

Meanwhile, more than USD 9 billion fund has already been plagued by the political issues, and the government is also facing USD 4 billion shortfall in the overall reconstruction fund.

Reconstructed school building in Nepal

“We are now sharing a three-roomed flat. Even this was built with a loan. Quake victims need more support from the government,” says Sri Ram Shrestha (48), one of the earthquake victims who lost his two-story house.

Surprisingly, three new tremors touched the country’s landscape on the fourth anniversary day!

May the old lessons help the nation assess its readiness to unexpected disasters and take necessary steps to avoid such incidents in the future!

Also Read | April 2015 Earthquake: Restoration of Nepal Heritage Sites Begin!

Also Read | Earthquake Tremors Continue to Terrorize Nepal

The post Four Years for Nepal’s April 2015 Earthquake! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Famous as one of the biggest religious, cultural and historic festivals in Nepal, Yenya (Kathmandu festival) or Indra Jatra is specially celebrated in Kathmandu and mainly by the Newari community.

An eight-day long celebration, Indra Jatra is divided into two events and is characterized by masked dancers who represent deities and demons. The dances are known as Lakhe Naach, Mahakali Naach, Lusiki Naach and Dash Avatar. Kumari Jatra is the other event celebrated during Indra Jatra.

During the Kumari Jatra, a chariot procession of the Living Goddess Kumari along with Lord Ganesh and Lord Bhairava is conducted throughout the route around Durbar Square. The procession is accompanied by classical dancers, masked dancers and musicians.

The procession that starts around 3 pm commemorates the ‘Visitation of Rain God’, Indra.

According to the legend, the young Indra dressed up a farmer comes to the earth in search of Parijat, a flower that his mother Dakini requires to conduct a ritual. However, the young boy gets caught in the act and is captured by the meadow’s owner.

After some time, Lord Indra’s troubled mother comes to the earth to search for her long-gone child. When the citizens find out who the child is, they quickly release and let him go only on the basis of some conditions. They ask him to visit the earth every year during that time & be displayed a prisoner for 7 days and to provide them good rain for the crops.

Dakini also promises to send enough dew throughout winter for good crops and take with her to heaven all the recently departed persons in the past year.

Following the legend, people display the image of Lord Indra in captivity for seven days. The festival is used to worship Lord Indra and Dakini for the harvest and commemorate the dead people.

Indra Jatra Celebrations in Nepal

Also Read:

• Newari Community Observes ‘Lord Bhimsen Jatra’
• Week-long ‘Gaijatra’ All the Way in Nepal!
• A Glance at Nepal’s New Year Festivals: Bisket Jatra and Sindhur Festival

The post Kathmandu Observes ‘Indra Jatra’ Amidst Colorful, Musical Celebrations appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Surrounded by the mighty Himalayan ranges, landlocked Nepal has been enjoying the status as the world’s only full-Hindu nation standing among the top three countries with the largest Hindu population, followed by India and Mauritius.

Another integral part of Nepal is ‘Buddhism’. As a home to the birthplace of Lord Buddha, the Lumbini, Nepal is majorly known for wide-spread Buddhist culture and tradition that can be seen in every part of the country.

Nepal also has many age-old communities living across its mountainous regions as a symbol of culture and tradition.

Such diverse communities with different cultural backgrounds make Nepal the ‘world’s paradise for culture & tradition’, primarily because of the festivals they celebrate all through the year grabbing world attention.

Nepal has its own Hindu Vedic calendar called ‘Bikram Samvat’ based on which the country celebrates all its festivals.

Let’s look at some of the most important festivals of Nepal month-wise, celebrated every year:

• January
• February
• March
• April
• May and June
• August
• September
• October
• November

The post Major Nepali Festivals – A Mixture of Culture & Rich Heritage appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Within the Valley lies a city with the same name, the Kathmandu City, powered by a rich cultural and historical background.

Kathmandu City – History and Geography

The inception of Kathmandu dates back to the ancient times and is older than 185 A.D.

The metropolis got its name from a temple known as Kasthamandap built in 1596 at the Durbar Square.As per legends and the contents of the Swayambhu Purana, Kathmandu was once a huge, deep lake filled with snakes and was called ‘Nagdaha’.

Bodhisathwa Manjusri traveled to Nepal from the west and cut the rim of the valley with his sword to release the water from it, resulting in the formation of the ‘Kathmandu’ we know today.

Going forward, the city of Kathmandu experienced two golden ancient eras Licchavi & Malla before touching the modern era which includes the Early Shah and Rana rules.

During the Licchavi period, Kathmandu witnessed the establishment of the most ancient sacred sites for both Hinduism and Buddhism.

Kathmandu is the center of Nepal’s history, art, culture & economy hosting people from different ethnicities with a majority of Hindus and Buddhists. As the largest metropolitan in Nepal, Kathmandu city has a population of over 5 million and is made up of Lalitpur, Kirtipur, Madhyapur, Thimi, Bhaktapur, and a cluster of municipalities across the valley.

Kathmandu is part of Nepal Province 3 and also has international recognition as the SAARC headquarters since 1985.

Kathmandu experiences a mix of two temperature zones: Warm and Cool  Temperate Zones which differs across the city. The metropolis generally has a climate with warm days followed by cool nights and mornings.

Tourism and Some Interesting Places

Nepal opened to the world in 1950 after its long isolation. Following this, air transport was started between Kathmandu and Raxaul in 1956 paving the way for tourism in the city.

Kathmandu is the gateway to Nepal’s Himalayan range and thus, serves as an important tourist destination. World’s renowned travel advisor Trip Advisor placed Kathmandu at ‘third’ among the top ten upcoming travel destinations in the world and first rank in Asia, in its 2013 ranking.

Kathmandu has some iconic sites and structures that draw innumerable tourists from around the world. Unfortunately, the 2015 earthquake shook Nepal and robbed Kathmandu of most of its remarkable heritage sites.

Here are some of the iconic places that add to the city’s charm:

Kumari Bahal:
Situated at the junction of Durbar and Basantapur squares, this three-storey structure was built by Jaya Prakash Malla in 1757. Styled like a Buddhist Vihara, the building has courtyard and a small stupa with symbols of Goddess Saraswati. This historic site houses the Kumari, a girl selected to be the country’s living goddess and a symbol of Devi.

Swayambhunath:

This Buddhist stupa is one of the classics of Kathmandu Valley’s architecture. The perfectly-proportioned Swayambhunath rises out of a white dome to from a glided steeple from where, four iconic faces of Buddha look at the entire valley in their respective directions.

Hanuman Dhoka:
Kathmandu’s royal palace or Hanuman Dhoka was also constructed during the Licchavi period. The palace is a masterpiece and still maintains a charming beauty even after witnessing the devastating effects of the April 2015 earthquake. The place is a fond remembrance of the epic Ramayana and has a Hanuman statue cloaked in red and covered by an umbrella.

Garden of Dreams:
Also known as Swapna Bagaicha, this splendid enclave takes you to a different place in your mind. Built by Field Marshal Kaiser Shamsher in 1920, the Garden of Dreams was made after taking inspiration from several estates in England. It is characterized by innumerable gorgeous detailing, including a marble inscription from Omar Khan’s Rubaiyat and a quirky ‘hidden garden’ to the south.

Seto Machendranath:

Freak Street:
A famous street in Kathmandu, Freak Street earned its name due to a large number of hippies who lived here during the 1960s and 70s. The main attraction of this street was its government-run hashish shops.

Asan Tole:

Thamel Chowk: 

Thamel in Kathmandu is known as the Shopping Mecca in Nepal. It has a plenty of bookstores, outdoor outfitters, banks and shops selling glass pipes, Tibetan Singing bowls, incense, prayer flags, kukri swords and innumerable eaeries.

Top 13 Specialties about Kathmandu

1. People in Kathmandu greet each other with a handshake. They touch their palms and bow saying ‘Namaste’, which means ‘I salute the God in you’
2. Once upon a time, Kathmandu was known as ‘Kantipur’, which means the ‘City of Glory’. The name was inspired by the many monasteries and temples in the city
3. Kathmandu is the gateway to the Himalayas. Landing in Kathmandu increases your access to explore the rest of the country.
4. In ancient times, Kathmandu Valley was a huge lake filled with floating lotuses.
5. Kathmandu Valley is home to the Newari community of Nepal, which is considered as the direct descendant of the ethnic and racial groups who resided for two millenniums in the valley
6. Kathmandu Valley was honored as the ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO in 1979. Prior to the 2015 earthquake, Kathmandu Valley had 130 important monuments and pilgrimage sites.
7. Kathmandu was a part of the link that connected India and Tibet. This gave birth to a mix of artists, architecture and traditions in Kathmandu leading to the creation of some masterpieces
8. Owing to its scenic beauty, Kathmandu is chosen as the backdrop for many movies and TV series.
9. There are three Durbar Squares in Kathmandu Valley: Kathmandu Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square and Patan Durbar Square, all of which are interestingly UNESCO’s ‘World Heritage Sites’.
10. In 1975, Bob Seger wanted to escape the world of record business and media and so he wrote a song called Kathmandu. This song represented Kathmandu’s mystic nature- “a land so far away that no one will be able to find you”.
11. Due to its 4593 M-elevation above sea level, Kathmandu stands 17^th in the world ranking for ‘capitals with highest altitude’
12. Kathmandu is sister-city to Mumbai Miami, Johannesburg, Edinburgh and many more, owing to its socio-economic relationship with these cities
13. Nepal’s oldest modern school Durbar High School and the oldest college Tri Chandra College are from Kathmandu

Kathmandu in News

• India-Nepal Bilateral Talks: Kathmandu city hosted the recent Sixth India-Nepal Oversight Mechanism Meet, which discussed the issues of all pending bilateral projects and looked at solutions to overcome them.
• Urbanization Concerns in Kathmandu: Rapid urbanization is shifting attention to concerns over building constructions in accordance with compliance, the disappearance of chowks promoting social interaction, improper road construction and more in this city.
• Raxaul-Kathmandu Rail Project: Nepal and India decided to sign an agreement to conduct initial engineering and traffic survey for the Raxaul-Kathmandu railway line. The two neighboring countries had come to make the decision during Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli Sharma’s visit to India, recently.
• 4^th BIMSTEC Summit: Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the 4^th BIMSTEC summit will be held in Kathmandu on August 30, 2018. “It is an important regional gathering in Kathmandu after the promulgation of the new Nepalese Constitution and formation of the new government in the Himalayan nation. The government attaches high importance to the summit, for which we have formed several committees,” says Nepal Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali
• Yogi Adityanath Flags Off Air Services: Ending June 2018, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi flagged off air service between Varanasi and Kathmandu from Lal Bahadur International Airport at Babatpur. Nepal airlines operator Buddha Air Pvt. Ltd. will be operating flights between the two cities.
• 5th Kathmandu Post Edu Con: Kathmandu city hosted the fifth edition of the most prestigious education fair ‘The Kathmandu Post Edu Con’ on July 7, 2018. Over 100 Nepali and international academic institutions exhibited their programs and courses at the event. Students also received career guidance during the fair.
• Malaysia Education Fair 2018: Kathmandu city hosted the two-day Malaysia Education Fair between July 20-21, 2018. During the event, experienced Malaysian career counsellors and representatives provided career counselling to students and parents
• 13^th South Asian Games: Kathmandu along with Pokhara has been chosen as the venue for the 13^th South Asian Games. Cricket will be added to the list of games in this tournament that will be played at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.
• 12^th Mega Education Fair: The Education Consultancies’ Association of Nepal (ECAN) organized the 12^th Mega Education Fair from July 19-22, 2018. ECAN President Bishnuhari Pandey told media that the fair was being organized for provisioning information and advice regarding pursuing education abroad. The fair had over 100 stalls that provided visitors with education policies of various countries.
• 9^th EPG Meeting On India-Nepal Relations: The most prestigious meeting Eminent Persons Group was held in Kathmandu on June 30, 2018. This meeting discussed India-Nepal bilateral issues including the 1950 Peace & Friendship Treaty and other issues related to trade, transit and border during the two-day meeting. The EPG is a collaboration of experts and intellectuals from both countries.

Despite the challenging the earthquake that rocked its very foundations, Kathmandu manages to attract tourists with remnants of its heritage and a sense of warmth that will always linger in their hearts.

The capital city of Nepal with all its grandeur and activity will always surprise its visitors while also keeping them in touch with nature.

Read Also:

• Pokhara – Tourism Capital of Nepal
• Nepal, The Perfect Tourism Destination
• Sarangkot- The Adventure Lover’s Paradise
• Biratnagar – Industrial Capital of Nepal
• Nepal’s Lumbini Among ‘Best in Asia 2018’
• Birgunj – Trade Gateway to Nepal
• Places to Visit in Ilam, Nepal

The post Kathmandu: Nepal’s City of Glory! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

As part of its quake reconstruction efforts, Nepal has successfully restored the iconic historical monument at Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli inaugurated the restored historic structure amid a special function in Kathmandu on June 28, 2018.

Speaking at the inaugural function, Oli reiterated his government’s commitment towards quake recovery activity.

Gaddi Baithak – The Royal Seat

Gaddi Baithak, meaning ‘Royal Seat’, is Nepal’s one of the most important historical structures built in 1908.

This was the place where many Nepali kings were crowned and the royalty used to welcome the Heads of State and other high-ranking foreign guests their visit to the country.

Over the years, the site gained popularity from the world tourists and eventually got listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Retaining the Glory

The historical monument faced a severe damage during the April 2015 massive earthquake that shook the country’s landscape leaving millions homeless.

Three after the damage, the building was rebuilt with traditional materials like timber wood, mud mortar and bricks, among others. The reconstruction involved engineers and architects with expertise in earthquake resilience and preservation & restoration of heritage sites.

Besides Gaddi Baithak, the day also saw the inauguration of four other ethnic Newari-style architectural monuments in and around the historical Durbar Square.

Nepali Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari expressed hope that the government would complete the reconstruction of majority of the quake-hit historical structures and monuments before Visit Nepal Year 2020.

The post Nepal’s Iconic Gaddi Baithi Restored appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Resultant is the evolution of concepts like Big Data, among others that primarily pitch for data usage and management as the key to modern world and in fact, the next big trend.

Following the line of other countries, Nepal is also bracing up to catch up this growing trend and that was evident on the World Open Data Day on March 03, 2018.

Open Data Day 2018 seemed so special for Nepal and was celebrated on a grand scale at the country’s Durbar Square, amidst the presence of many data experts, enthusiasts and all the related stakeholders from across the world.

This unique public event in Kathmandu saw the participation of a large number of Nepali students and representatives from the country’s Open Data community.

The program saw a wide range of discussions on topics related to Open Data such as the role of data-driven solutions in driving innovation, supporting policy decision-making and implementation measures, among others.

While different members of Nepal’s Open Data Community and Data for Development Program (DFDP) jointly organized this event, The Asia Foundation and Development Initiatives implemented it with the funding by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

DFID supports local partners in terms of guidance, funding and expertise that are required to drive progress in terms of sharing and data usage.

Significance of Data and Related Applications Highlighted

Marking the occasion, DFDP hosted a series of programs including a Data Poster Competition by local social innovation hub called Bikas Udhyami to promote different forms of data representations such as data visualization and infographics, among others.

DFDP also organized another event called Data-a-thon. The event organized by Open Knowledge Nepal and the Centre for Data Journalism brought together local journalists and technology students for a workshop on data-driven story telling.

Besides, a two-day exhibition was also held at Patan Durbar Square featuring infographics on a wide range of data visualizations by various organizations that explained the salient features and significance of open data.

Infographic presentation on know-how of Open Data by Open Knowledge Nepal, special graphical representations on news happenings by Center for Data Journalism, collaborative digital approach to ensure disaster resilience by Kathmandu Living Labs, presentations on the country’s socio-economic development and federalism by Nepal in Data were among key events organized.

Map-a-Thon, another program by Kathmandu Living Labs, introduced the Open Street Maps (OSM) to the public and also conducted training sessions on how can one contribute to the development and implementation of high-quality mapping services across the country beginning with the Kathmandu Valley.

A panel discussion was also held on the occasion, wherein, officials from the Central Bureau of Statistics, National Reconstruction Authority, Finance Comptroller General Office, Teach for Nepal and Gender & Adolescence: Global Evidence Program discussed importance and implementation of data in preparing the annual National Budget. As an outcome, panelists showcased recommendations by the civil societies and government agencies in implementing data applications in budget-making process.

Highlighting the implementation of citizen-generated data on solid waste management, Clean UP Nepal presented its Nepal Waste Map website and app that is focused on improving solid waste management services in Kathmandu.

Overall, the events drew an amazing response wherein the attendees reportedly said they had a unique and first-of-its-kind experience in Nepal.

“After coming here, and looking at all these pictures, I have ideas on things that have happened in Nepal, how data is produced and where data comes from in Nepal,” said one of the participants.

Open Data Trend in Nepal

Having witnessed rounds of socio-political transformations over the period, Nepal is on path to stand in line with the trend and positive moves towards Open Data is one significant step in that process.

Despite the positive response to the Open Data trend, Nepal still ranks 83^rd out of 114 countries on the Global Open Data Barometer, in the bottom 25 percent in terms of open data readiness, implementation and impact of related initiatives.

Nepal currently has the presence of some active online portals such as Nepal in Data, Open Nepal and various NGO portals offering effective open data services on indicators such as population change, expenditure, agriculture, and disaster recovery at times of earthquakes, among other calamities.

On the flip side, there are also issues pertaining to the accessibility of datasets available on public domain because of their technical limitations.

To address this, the country’s open data communities, students and all the concerned stakeholders are taking necessary measures towards promoting openness and easy accessibility of vital data and government reports on public domain, and Open Data Day appeared as a productive platform.

Former Vice Chair of National Planning Commission (NPC), Nepal Dr. Swarnim Wagle, who attended the event as its chair, highlighted the Government of Nepal’s efforts towards enhancing data availability. “Re-orientation of our society should be towards an open society based on facts,” adds Wagle.

The Head of DFID-Nepal Dr. Rurik Marsden also said, “Data is the currency of good decision-making,” while pitching for implementation of data and his organizational support to Open Data in Nepal.

The post Open Data Day 2018: Experts Pitch for Openness and Easy Data Access in Nepal appeared first on Nepali Sansar.