WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 300 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in , , Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 24.5 C -4.3 C Monday, December 28, 2020 | 13-09-2077 Bhairahawa Jumla Chinese team gets The KP Sharma Oli down to business as it arrives caretaker government The delegation led by Guo question Yezhou, a vice-minister of Communist Party of , As Oli ceases to be a member of the House of holds talks with President Representatives, which he dissolved, he can only be and prime minister. a caretaker prime minister, experts say. But he

ANIL GIRI did not resign despite calling snap polls. KATHMANDU, DEC 27 TIKA R PRADHAN scribed by Article 77 (1), one is when A Chinese delegation that made a hur- KATHMANDU, DEC 27 the prime minister ceases to be a ried dash for after the Nepal member of the House of the Communist Party split last week wast- Amid the wide-ranging constitutional Representatives. ed no time and got down to business as debates after Prime Minister KP “Article 77 (1) (c) clearly states soon as it arrived in Kathmandu on Sharma Oli’s decision to dissolve the that the office of the prime minister Sunday afternoon. House of the Representatives, one will be vacant if he or she ceases to be The four-member delegation led by point that has yet to be extensively a member of the House of Guo Yezhou, vice-minister of the discussed is the status of Oli and his Representatives,” Gyawali told the International Department of the government. Post. “The moment the letter from the Communist Party of China, held talks If Oli is governing and taking deci- Office of the President about approv- with President sions with the authority arising from ing Oli’s House dissolution recom- and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on the confidence of the House, then he mendation reached the Parliament Sunday evening. himself has dissolved that entity, and Secretariat, Oli ceased to be a member The Chinese team is in Kathmandu if he is just a caretaker prime minis- of the lower house.” to, it is believed, assess the situation ter, then there has been no declaration Article 77 (3) says if the office of in Nepal that has arisen after Prime to that effect. Nor did he resign after prime minister falls vacant, the same Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved the dissolving the House to be appointed Council of Ministers shall continue to House of Representatives on as a caretaker prime minister. act until another Council of Ministers December 20. Lawyers and experts on constitu- is constituted. Bhesh Raj Adhikari, a personal aide tional affairs say there is no doubt “As per Article 77(3), Oli has to the President, confirmed the meet- that the moment Oli dissolved the automatically become a caretaker ing between President Bhandari and House, he reduced himself to a care- prime minister,” said Gyawali. “The the visiting Chinese delegation. POST PHOTO: KESHAV THAPA taker prime minister. power of the prime minister comes The Office of the President, Janata Samajbadi Party supporters protest in Kathmandu on Sunday against Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s move to dissolve the House of “As soon as he dissolved the House from the people–the representatives however, refused to divulge Representatives. The rally passed through Putalisadak, Bhadrakali and Sundhara before ending at Shantivatika, Ratnapark, where it had started. of Representatives, the government elected by them who sit in the hal- details, including who participated turned into a caretaker one,” said lowed chambers of the House. If Oli from the Nepali side and what tran- Bipin Adhikari, former dean of thinks he has got power from some- spired during the about an hour-long School of Law. where else, we need to ask the source meeting. Even though there have been prece- of his power.” “I cannot share more on the meet- dents of prime ministers dissolving Oli’s House dissolution recommen- ing,” Adhikari told the Post. Ordinance and constitutional body After meeting with President Bhandari, the Chinese delegation had Article 77 (1) (c) says that reached Baluwatar at around 7:30pm, the office of the prime according to a senior police official. recommendations challenged in court Finance Minister and party general minister will be vacant if secretary Bishnu Poudel was also in he or she ceases to be a the meeting between Oli and the visit- Writ petitioners argue that the ordinance over functioning of Constitutional Council was member of the House of ing Chinese delegation. Representatives. Sources said the delegation held ‘unconstitutional’ while defenders say there was no choice but to amend the law. talks with Oli for over two hours. Article 77 (3) says if the Foreign Ministry officials, however, PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA tional provision and the existing law, I of deputy Speaker in the dissolved office of prime minister failed to shed light on the meetings KATHMANDU, DEC 27 registered the writ at the Supreme House of Representatives had been saying that ministry representatives Court,” said advocate Om Praskash vacant since Shiva Maya falls vacant, the same were not present in either of the meet- With the writ petitions against the Aryal, who petitioned against the Tumbahangphe resigned on January Council of Ministers shall ings. dissolution of the House of ordinance and the decision. 20 as deputy Speaker. continue to act until It was not immediately known what Representatives getting priority in the On December 15, President Bidya This amendment effectively allowed another Council of transpired between Oli and the Supreme Court, two writ petitions Devi Bhandari issued an ordinance to just three members of the council to Ministers is constituted. Chinese delegation. against the controversial ordinance amend the Constitutional Council recommend the names for constitu- The Post’s repeated attempts to on the working procedure of the (Functions, Duties, Power and tional appointments. reach Rajan Bhattarai, Oli’s foreign Constitutional Council, which recom- Procedure) Act-2010 such that, as per Based on the ordinance, the council relations adviser, went unanswered. mends candidates for appointment to the amendment the necessary quorum recommended 38 names for 45 vacan- the House, one startling difference dation and President Bidya Devi >> Continued on page 2 constitutional commissions, and for holding a meeting of the council cies in several constitutional bodies, between them and Oli is all of them Bhandari’s stamp to it have already against the recommendations would be a simple majority of the including the Commission for had tendered their resignations after been described by constitutional based on the ordinance, have existing members changing the earli- Investigation of Abuse of Authority, recommending such moves, but the experts as a move not allowed by the taken a back seat and are now er provision that five of the six mem- the same day the law was amended. current prime minister has not. constitution. scheduled to be heard on Friday, bers needed to be present including The names were sent to the Whether Oli, as a majority prime The Constitutional Bench of the January 1. the prime minister, the chair of the Parliamentary Secretariat for hearing minister, was allowed to dissolve the Supreme Court has already begun a In the writs filed on December council. on December 18, two days before the House is currently being tested by the hearing on as many as 13 writs filed 16 and December 21, the petition- The prime minister, the chief jus- lower house was dissolved. Supreme Court. against Oli’s move. ers have argued that since both tice, the Speaker of the House of Article 292 of the constitution Senior advocate Chandra Kanta In the past, prime ministers Girija the ordinance and the subse- Representatives, the chair of the provisions parliamentary hearing of Gyawali, who specialises on constitu- Prasad Koirala (1994), Manmohan quent decision of the constitu- National Assembly, the deputy the judges to be appointed by the judi- tional law, says the constitution has Adhikari, (1995), Surya Bahadur tional council based on it are Speaker of the House of cial council and those to be appointed clearly laid out on what conditions the Thapa (1998) and unconstitutional and illegal, Representatives and the leader of the to constitutional bodies by the office of the prime minister goes (2002) had also attempted to dissolve both must be scrapped. “As the main opposition in Parliament are the Constitutional Council. vacant and what happens in that situ- the House of Representatives. ordinance violated the constitu- members of the council. The position >> Continued on page 2 ation. Of the four conditions pre- >> Continued on page 2

C M Y K MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 | 02 NATIONAL Bhotekoshi residents demand complete opening of Tatopani border point The partial opening of the border point has hampered local businesses and the transportation sector.

ANISH TIWARI But the Chinese authority closed the SINDHUPALCHOK, DEC 27 border point a few days later after three Nepali workers tested positive The local residents of Bhotekoshi, for Covid-19. local traders, transportation workers The authorities of Nepal and China and other concerned stakeholders on again reopened the Tatopani border Saturday took out a protest rally in point on October 28 by managing Liping Bazaar demanding authorities health security modality. An isolation to resume complete operation of the area has also been established in the Tatopani border point, a major cus- border area amid fear of Covid-19 out- toms point along the Nepal-China bor- break. der. According to Lal Bahadur Khatri, The concerned parties have been chief at Tatopani Dry Port and organising various rallies and mass Customs Office, before the pandemic, meetings urging authorities of both 50 containers used to enter Nepal the countries to fully operate the bor- through the border point on a daily der point. basis but now, the number has dwin- “Tatopani border point remained dled down to five. POST PHOTO: DEEPAK KC closed for a long time owing to fears of “We had collected Rs 1.59 billion as Rows of motorcycles parked at Ratnapark, Kathmandu on Sunday. Parking is a major problem in the core areas of the Capital. Covid-19 and outburst of a glacial lake revenue in the last fiscal year. This on the Chinese side. The border point year, we have collected only Rs 174.8 finally opened from October last week million revenue,” said Khatri. but only limited goods are being Hundreds of container drivers and imported to Nepal. We have urged the their assistants have been jobless, as authorities to fully open the border the border point is yet to come in full Chinese team gets down to business as it arrives but our requests have gone unheard,” operation. said Raj Kumar Paudel, the chairman “Many container drivers working of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality. in the area for years have been jobless >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 President Bhandari. She has since meetings with the Nepal Communist not communicated to us any other According to him, the local traders, since the start of the pandemic. The The visit from the north comes on met with Dahal, Nepal, Krishna Party leaders when they were squab- thing,” the leader told the Post transportation workers and the con- containers of Chinese transporters the heels of a vertical split in the Bahadur Mahara and Barshaman bling. requesting anonymity. cerned stakeholders have been greatly are being used to import goods to which is Pun. Leaders said the Chinese delegation Apart from the goings-on in both affected due to the ‘partial’ resump- Nepal these days,” said Arjun Sapkota, believed to have been formed with a According to sources in the Nepal led by Gou is in Kathmandu to assess the factions of the Nepal Communist tion of the border point. chairman of Nepal Truck Container lot of efforts by the Chinese in May Communist Party, the Chinese have the situation and encourage Nepal Party, the Chinese delegation will The Tatopani border point was reo- Service Limited. “We will launch 2018. but one stated position—a unified Communist Party leaders to seek a also try to assess the overall political pened on October 5 after three months more protests if the concerned author- Months before Oli’s CPN-UML and party and stability in Nepal. common ground for party unity. situation in Nepal, according to the of closure due to Covid-19 restrictions. ities do not pay heed to our demands.” ’s CPN (Maoist Sources say the Chinese were taken According to a Standing Committee leader. Centre) announced the formation of by surprise when Oli dissolved the member who spoke on condition of “Since the Dahal-Nepal faction and the Nepal Communist Party (NCP), a House, thereby effecting a split in the anonymity, since Guo personally other parties, including the Nepali Chinese delegation led by Gou had party. Their concerns, however, had knows all senior Nepal Communist Congress and Janata Samajbadi Party, visited Kathmandu in February 2018. started to grow after a flurry of visits Party leaders, Beijing has carefully are opposing the House dissolution, Both parties had fought the 2017 from with which Oli had taken a chosen and sent him, as it fears the the Chinese may also want to know elections under a communist alliance hostile approach over border issues. investment it made in bringing the what happens if the House is not and secured a thumping victory. Bilateral dialogue between two communist forces together could restored and whether elections will Over the years, there had been Kathmandu and Delhi did not take go down the drain. happen,” said the leader. increased engagements between the place for almost a year after India in The split in the Nepal Communist After dissolving the House, Oli Nepal Communist Party and the November last year published a new Party comes on the heels of a series of called snap polls for April 30 and May Chinese Communist Party, with many political map placing the Kalapani visits from India, which in October 10. of the Nepali communist leaders fly- area, which Nepal claims as its own, played host to senior US officials aim- The legality of the House dissolu- ing to China for “training pro- within India’s borders. Then in May ing at strengthening “strategic ties in tion is currently being tested by the grammes”. this year, India opened a road link via the face of growing Chinese influence Supreme Court. In September last year, the Nepal Lipulekh, which Nepal too claims as in the region”. All the members of the Chinese Communist Party even held a two-day its own, to Kailash Mansarovar in the Analysts told the Post on Saturday delegation, who emerged from the symposium, where Chinese Tibet Autonomous Region of China. that the Chinese have their own secu- Kathmandu airport wearing personal Communist Party leaders were invit- The Oli government then published rity concerns and they believe politi- protective equipment, had headed ed, on Xi Jinping Thought. Nepal’s new map depicting Kalapani, cal turmoil in Nepal may not serve straight for the Chinese Embassy at Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi’s Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as parts them well, especially amid geopoliti- Baluwatar. engagements with Nepal Communist of the Nepali territory. This move by cal shifts. Security sources said the delegation Party leaders, especially when the Oli and some of his statements had led A Nepal Communist Party leader did not accept security provided by party was in crisis due to the infight- to further souring of relations who has been in communication with Nepal Police. ing, over the years were also widely between Kathmandu and Delhi. the Chinese said the Guo-led delega- Police had detained a group of dem- reported. Even though the infighting contin- tion is in Kathmandu to convey the onstrators protesting against the visit On Tuesday evening, hours after the ued in the Nepal Communist Party, it message of the Chinese leadership, from China on Sunday afternoon. POST PHOTO: ANISH TIWARI Nepal Communist Party virtually had not reached the stage of a split. including President Xi, to the party “We arrested 27 people from outside The residents of Bhotekoshi, local traders, transportation workers and stakeholders took out split between Oli and Dahal-Madhav In May and July this year, Chinese leadership. the Chinese Embassy,” said a senior a rally on Saturday demanding border opening. Nepal factions, Hou had called on Ambassador Hou had held a series of “Besides this, the Chinese side has police official. Ordinance and constitutional body ... The KP Sharma Oli caretaker

>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 constitution. hearing committee if they are to assume office With the President dissolving the House on “The prime minister has not only committed automatically after 45 days,” said Gyawali. government question December 20 as per the recommendation of the a fraud on the constitution by introducing “Automatic appointment of them can only Cabinet, parliamentary hearing cannot take the ordinance but also attempted to take abso- happen where there is no regard for the consti- >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 office pursuant to Clause (7), the same place now. lute control of constitutional bodies by appoint- tution and the law and only in an authoritarian The Supreme Court upheld Koirala’s Council of Ministers shall continue to A 15-member joint committee representing ing the people of his choice,” the petitioner political system.” decision to dissolve the Parliament, function until a new Council of Ministers both Houses of the federal parliament is formed argues. “This could ultimately invite questions But advocate Ramesh Badal said the ordi- saying it was the prerogative of the is constituted. to conduct the hearing as per the Article 292 (2) over the legitimacy of the constitutional sys- nance was introduced to ensure implementation prime minister. It, however, overturned Bhimarjun Acharya, a constitutional of the constitution. tem.” of the constitution as two members of the Adhikari’s move, saying he could not lawyer, said there are no ifs and buts when As per Rule 26 (2) of the Joint Parliamentary Detractors claim that the recommended Constitutional Council failed to attend the meet- dissolve the Parliament skipping the it comes to Oli and his government’s Meeting Regulation, there would be no names are mostly in the interest of Prime ing “repeatedly” and the council failed to take a no-confidence motion, as there were status. obstruction for the recommended people to Minister KP Sharma Oli, such as Prem Kumar decision. options to form a new government. “Oli no doubt is a caretaker prime minis- assume office in the constitutional bodies if the Rai for the post of chief commissioner at the Speaker did not attend In Thapa’s case, the then king had ter as he has already dissolved the House,” hearing committee fails to take any decision anti-graft body. the council’s meeting on December 15. On sought the Supreme Court’s opinion. The Acharya, who calls Oli’s move a “constitu- within 45 days of receiving the letter from the Senior advocate Chandra Kanta Gyawali, an December 13, the meeting of the council was court upheld Deuba’s decision but he was tional coup”, told the Post. “It’s implied in council. expert on constitutional law, said the “imma- postponed after main opposition leader Sher sacked by then king branding him “incom- the parliamentary system that when the “I have argued that the provision of automat- ture” ordinance seeks to indirectly amend the Bahadur Deuba refused to attend it citing a pro- petent”. prime minister dissolves Parliament, he or ic appointment is against the spirit of the con- constitution by revising the existing law. test programme of his party All those attempts, however, were made she is no longer a Member of Parliament stitution,” Samrit Kharel, a student of law who against the government the next day. under the , 1990, and automatically turns into a caretaker filed the second writ at the Supreme Court, told “The ordinance does not bar the leader of the which authorised the prime minister to prime minister.” the Post. With parliamentary opposition and any other member from dissolve the House. And all of them had According to Acharya, the President Most of the constitutional commissions have participating in the meeting. Therefore, the tendered their resignations after dissolving should have told the prime minister that he long been without all office bearers. For exam- hearing not possible, those ordinance is fully constitutional,” said Badal. the House and called elections. is a caretaker prime minister. ple, the National Human Rights Commission “If a person refuses to fulfil his or her constitu- Oli too has, through the President, called “But even if the President did not, Oli is has been without any commissioners after their recommended for the tional duty, such a move is necessary to make snap polls for April 30 and May 10, but he a caretaker prime minister until the people term ended on October 18. the institutions provisioned by the constitution has not resigned. vote a new government to power,” said The anti-corruption commission has been positions could assume functional and it is very much a constitutional Constitutional experts say Oli has been Acharya. without the chief commissioner since Nabin office after 45 days. move.” making unconstitutional moves one after According to constitutional lawyers, as Ghimire retired in mid-September. Badal also claimed that those recommended another—first by dissolving the House per Article 77 (3) of the constitution, induc- There are 11 other constitutional commis- to fill the vacant posts in constitutional bodies despite the law of the land not allowing tion of ministers by Oli on Friday was also sions, most of them mandated to protect the would be automatically appointed after 45 days him to do so and then by expanding his unconstitutional. rights of minorities as well as women. “Nowhere in the world can an ordinance since the recommendation has reached the Council of Ministers as if he were a full- “A caretaker prime minister cannot Most of them have not had all five office bearers amend the existing law,” he told the Post. “The Parliament Secretariat for hearing. fledged prime minister. expand or change the Council of Ministers since the promulgation of the constitution in ordinance is introduced only when there is the “Unless the court scraps the recommenda- According to them, since Oli ceased to be as the constitutional provision does not 2015. lack of any law.” tions or potential revival of the House of a member of the House, the President allow him to do so,” said Adhikari. “The With parliamentary hearing not possible, According to him, the same ordinance Representatives paves the way for parliamenta- should have invoked Article 77 (3) to provisions and practices that are in those who have been recommended for various being introduced time and again to bypass ry hearing, they will be automatically appointed ask the same Council of Ministers place mean a caretaker government needs positions could assume office automatically Parliament is considered fraud on the constitu- after 45 days,” he said. led by him to continue, thereby declaring to oversee elections and help constitute a after 45 days. tion. The three members who were present at the him, in effect, a caretaker prime minister, new Council of Ministers through But this provision has been challenged. In April, the government had introduced the Constitutional Council meeting that nominated until a new Council of Ministers is consti- elections.” Aryal states in his writ that section 2 (1) of the ordinance with the same provision but it was the candidates were the prime minister, Chief tuted. A caretaker government may retain full ordinance, which redefines the quorum to hold withdrawn after a strong protest within the rul- Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and National A new Council of Ministers is possible legal powers, but it, in principle, is con- a meeting of the Constitutional Council as a ing Nepal Communist Party and by the opposi- Assembly Chairman Ganesh Timilsina, an Oli only after the elections. strained by convention in its functions, simple majority of the existing council mem- tion parties. ally. The 2015 constitution inherited the pro- because it is not—or cannot be—held bers, violates the basic principle of the constitu- Both Aryal and Gyawali argue that the According to senior advocate Shambhu visions regarding the caretaker prime min- accountable to Parliament. tion as envisioned by Article 284 (1), basic recommendation made by the council based on Thapa, the involvement of the chief ister from the past constitutions of 1990 A caretaker government, hence, has norms of constitutionalism, constitutional con- the ordinance would turn void because of, first, justice in the decision made by the council fol- and 2007. legitimacy but not political authority. trol and balance, and principle of constitutional the ‘unconstitutionality’ of the ordinance and, lowing the ordinance has raised Article 36(7) of the 1990 constitution According to Adhikari, a caretaker gov- governance, fairness, transparency and account- second, non-possibility of parliamentary hear- concerns whether the court would be able to said: If the prime minister is relieved of ernment, at most, can give continuity to ability. ing. take an independent decision on the writ against his office pursuant to Clause (5), the exist- ongoing projects. Aryal argues that Article 284 (1) of the consti- The 45-day deadline for the hearing commit- the ordinance and the subsequent decision of ing Council of Ministers shall continue to “New programmes and projects will give tution does not make the vote of the prime min- tee to decide applies only when there is the the council. function until a new Council of Ministers rise to the possibility of misuse of state ister indispensable for the decision. But Section presence of the parliamentary hearing commit- “If you go to the court against the decision of is constituted.” coffers,” said Adhikari. “With elections 2 (2) of the ordinance approved on December 15 tee, they argue. the council made in the presence of the chief Article 38 (9) of the Interim Constitution already declared, such new projects and makes the vote of the prime minister mandato- “At least the process of parliamentary hear- justice, can the court ensure that it is independ- 2007 similarly stated that even though the programmes can be used by those in power ry in decision-making and that is against the ing should have begun after the formation of a ent?” he asked, talking to the Post. prime minister is relieved of his or her to influence voters.”

C M K 03 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 NATIONAL BRIEFING Quarantine centres are being Koshi Tappu ‘killer’ elephant Police, Chand party cadres exchange fire has calmed down: Officials SANKHUWASABHA: Police personnel closed as pandemic rages on and cadres of the Netra Bikram There were calls to put down the elephant, an idea that Chand-led Communist Party of Public health experts say the importance of quarantine facilities has increased in the Nepal exchanged fire at Maidane in was widely condemned by wildlife conservationists. Chainpur Municipality Ward No 4, Sankhuwasabha on Sunday after- wake of the emergence of new coronavirus strains said to be more contagious and lethal. CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL in the last few months. Officials say noon. “The firing started at around ARJUN POUDEL KATHMANDU, DEC 27 several measures have been adopted 3 pm,” said Chief District Officer KATHMANDU, DEC 27 to minimise interactions between the Jiwan Prasad Acharya. Police An elephant which the authorities locals and wild animals when they opened fire after three cadres of After the government enforced the were considering putting it down, for come out of the park. the party, including Yubraj Rai, in nationwide lockdown to contain the killing people and causing property As a measure to control possible charge of the outfit’s district unit, coronavirus spread on March 24, the damage appears to be safe, for now. interaction between locals and wild attacked the police personnel international airport as well as all The male wild elephant from Koshi elephants, which walk out of the park patrolling the area, according to international borders were shut down. Tappu Wildlife Reserve, which recent- looking for a mate, park authorities the District Police Office. “The The lockdown went on for four ly killed a man in Sunsari, seems to have shifted domesticated elephant cadres fired six shots at police months and hundreds of thousands of have averted its death as it has not stables to the core area of the park. personnel,” said Acharya, adding migrant workers, especially those caused any havoc lately. According to Chaudhary, the domes- the attackers disappeared in the returning home from India and the “The elephant has not caused any ticated elephants belonging to the forest shortly afterwards. Police Persian Gulf, were barred from enter- damage recently,” said Jhaulai park have been shifted across the also confiscated explosives from ing the country. The government had Chaudhary, information officer at the Koshi, so that wild elephants don’t them. Security personnel have said at the time that there weren’t reserve. “The elephant has been sight- enter settlements while looking for been mobilised in the area to enough quarantine and isolation POST FILE PHOTO ed in Haripur area, but there haven’t partners—one of the main reasons search for them, police said. facilities to keep the people returning Most quarantine centres in the country had become breeding grounds for the coronavirus been any reports of damage. It seems behind interactions between locals from abroad. because they were poorly managed. the elephant has calmed down.” and elephants. Solar energy to power Hilsa After July 21, the authorities finally On December 14, the elephant killed “The elephants have been shifted allowed people to enter the country strain is more contagious than that not subsided and new strains of the 28-year-old Pramod Yadav of Koshi deep inside the core area of the park. and Yari in Humla after the government lifted its four seen in the UK and may affect young virus are emerging. Rural Municipality. The incident led The new location, which is in Saptari HUMLA: Authorities have decided to months long lockdown. But the man- people more, and is maybe slightly “A lot of countries have enforced to calls from his kin and local resi- district, is several kilometres away generate 100 KW electricity by install- agement of the quarantine and isola- more resistant to vaccines. There are new lockdowns and restrictions after dents to execute the animal. from the park headquarters,” said ing solar panels in Namkha, a remote tion facilities was so poor that these also concerns that the South African the second wave started there,” added Under growing pressure to take Chaudhary. “The new stable for ele- rural municipality in Humla that bor- facilities themselves became “breed- variant of the virus could “re-infect” Marasini. “If another round of lock- action against the elephant, the phants is near the Badgama Post ders China. According to Bishnu ing grounds for coronavirus.” people who have already recovered down happens in India, Nepali Sunsari District Administration had where some senior park officials are Lama, the chairman of Namkha Instead of improving the condition after being infected. migrant workers, who went there considered killing the pachyderm posted, and there aren’t any human Rural Municipality, the solar power of such facilities, people arriving “Even if we halt direct flight and recently will return again and we do as one of the options to control its settlements around.” will be generated at Hilsa and Yari at from abroad were allowed to go home ban entry from countries where the not have any facilities to quarantine menace. The measure was one of the many a total cost of Rs 50 million. without spending a day in quarantine new variant of the coronavirus has them.” The issue had met with severe criti- suggested by elephant researchers Preparation is underway to invite holding facilities. Most of the quaran- spread, there are still chances of the Doctors say infected people cannot cism from wildlife conservationists such as Dinesh Neupane, who tender to develop the power project, tine facilities throughout the country new variant coming to Nepal, since it be placed in home quarantine if the and officials at the centre who pointed have conducted several studies on he added. “Seventy-five percent of the have mostly been closed today, is impossible to close the border with new strains of virus emerge in the out several other measures to tame elephants. According to Neupane, budget will be funded by Rural although the risk of coronavirus India,” Pun added. “One single case of country. the elephant. relocating the elephant breeding Village Water Resource Management spread is not over. infection from the new strain of the Even the Ministry of Health and They also suggested the “makhna” centre from the park headquarters Project while the local unit and the “The coronavirus risk has not gone virus will be sufficient to spread Population has said that the risk of elephant, a lone male tuskless ele- premises to inside the core area local residents will bear 15 and 10 per- down and the emergence of new throughout the country.” infection has not subsided and phant, had gone on a rampage, mostly reduces the chances of elephants cent respectively,” said Lama. strains of the virus in the United A lot of people, who were stuck on quarantine and isolation facilities are because it was disturbed by locals coming out of the park for mating, Kingdom and South Africa show that the Nepal-India land crossings for still important. during the musth period when ele- subsequently, minimising chances of we still need such facilities,” Dr Sher months, had entered the country dur- “Yes, time has not come to shut phants go aggressive while looking for conflict between humans and ele- Oli, Dahal-Nepal factions Bahadur Pun, chief of the Clinical ing the nights hiding from the author- down quarantine and isolation facili- mating partners. phants. agree not to use party office Research Unit at Sukraraj Tropical ities. Those people had gone to their ties,” Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, Local authorities then called in a However, there is a need for long- and Infectious Disease Hospital, told villages and transmitted the virus to chief specialist at the ministry, told team of wildlife technicians from term solutions, said Neupane, pro- in Myagdi and Sindhuli the Post. “The new strain of coronavi- their family members and other mem- the Post. “The ministry has deployed Chitwan to take care of the animal. gramme director at Resources MYAGDI/SINDHULI: Both the Oli and rus detected in the UK and South bers of their community. us (two chief specialists) to the prov- “The park was never in favour of Himalaya Foundation. Dahal-Nepal factions of the Nepal Africa are said to be more infectious “Instead of learning lessons from inces to ask agencies concerned to killing the elephant,” said Chaudhary. “Installation of an early warning Communist Party have agreed not to and more lethal.” the mistakes and weaknesses and cor- reopen the quarantines and isolation “The team of wildlife technicians system creates a win-win situation for use the district party office in Myagdi Many countries have closed their recting them, we have dismantled the facilities.” darted the elephant twice. Despite locals and also for wild elephants. For and Sindhuli districts to avoid possi- borders with the United Kingdom and quarantine and isolation facilities,” The Covid-19 Crisis Management demands to kill the elephant, it was this, radio-collaring to track the move- ble confrontation between the activ- South Africa and cancelled direct Dr Baburam Marasini, former direc- Centre on Tuesday decided to ban never an option for the park authority. ment of elephants will not be enough ists of the rival groups. According to flights to and from the countries. tor at the Epidemiology and Disease flights from the UK. Following the We only wanted to tranquillise the and effective,” said Neupane. “People Harikrishna Shrestha, the NCP dis- According to the BBC, the new vari- Control Division, told the Post. “We ban, the Health Ministry had issued animal. It seems to have been also need to be assigned to oversee the trict secretary of Myagdi, both the ant of the virus detected in the UK have now reached a pre-lockdown an advisory asking returnees from the pacified.” elephant’s movement.” groups reached a gentleman’s agree- could be 70 percent more infectious state, which is very unfortunate.” UK to observe compulsory quarantine Wild elephants from Koshi Tappu Neupane suggested forming a net- ment not to use the party offices for than other variants circulating across A lot of people placed in quarantine for10 days. Wildlife Reserve, which spans Sunsari, work of locals to keep watch over the the time being. With the new the world. South Africa is also strug- became infected, and some fled and Public health experts say that Udayapur and Saptari districts, have elephants that can cause menace. political factionalism in the centre, gling to contain a new wave of corona- went to their villages. ad-hoc decisions like these have long been causing mayhem in sur- “Informants should be appointed for the Oli and Dahal-Nepal factions are virus infections, possibly linked to a According to Dr Marasini, perma- marred the Oli administration’s rounding areas. monitoring elephants movement having serious disputes in several genetic mutation of the virus. nent structures for quarantine and response to the pandemic right from The death in Sunsari is one of the which can also be tracked simultane- districts over the use of the Scientists studying the new variant isolation facilities are still needed, as the beginning could be costly for the most recent human-wildlife conflict ously through radio-collaring,” said party office. of the virus believe that South Africa’s the risk of the coronavirus spread has people and the country. incidents the country has witnessed Neupane. Conservationists are not so keen about Kamal Pokhari restoration project Kathmandu Metropolitan City is developing the centuries-old pond as a recreation centre complete with small artificial ponds at four corners and a fountain at the centre.

PHOTOS: SIRZU BAJRACHARYA & PREM B SHRESTHA Kamal Pokhari, which was once spread over 40 ropanis of land, has lost its area to encroachment over the years. (Right) An artistic rendering of the restored pond which boasts a lotus shaped fountain, a children’s playground and a sports arena. The project is set to be completed by May 2021.

SRIZU BAJRACHARYA ject disregards these purposes and have tried to ensure that the water When the Post pointed out to him the whole of the capital town of pond because it will all be commercial KATHMANDU, DEC 27 focuses only on the beautification to level does not deplete in the pond com- how the boring system would go Maneswor or Bishalnagar during the and that will change the milieu of the develop it as a recreational space.” pletely, and for that we will be using against the idea of the natural Lichhavi period,” he said. place,” said Shrestha. As Rajendra Singh takes a walk Kamal Pokhari, an unkempt natu- mechanisms that can hold water in recharging of the pond’s water, Singh “Historically, rulers used to build big Besides the forsaken purpose of the around Kamal Pokhari, where resto- ral pond at the centre of Hattisar, some points of the pond,” said pointed out that tall buildings in the ponds around their royal residence pond, Kamal Pokhari over the years ration of the pond is underway, he named for the lotus flower that Priyanka Pradhan, the designer with surrounding areas were already bor- and Kamal Pokhari is next to Naxal.” has also suffered with encroachment looks content. Singh believes in a few bloomed in its waters, in recent years, the City Planning Commission. ing for groundwater. Naxal is adjacent to Bishalnagar, of its areas. Years back Kamal Pokhari years time Kamal Pokhari’s face will has become the prime host for Chhath Kathmandu Metropolitan City Since the 1990s households and the capital of Licchavi kings. was spread over 40 ropanis, said the be changed—it will be a place for peo- celebrations in the Capital with even hopes to complete the restoration by businesses across the Kathmandu The wetland of Kamal Pokhari once people the Post talked with. But with ple to enjoy leisure time in the heart the President of the country joining May 2021 next year. Valley have been accessing groundwa- brimmed with water from rain and years, the size of the pond has shrunk. of Kathmandu. the ceremony here. However, environmentalists and ter for water through boring systems. drainage pipelines from around “I remember in 1977 when we had “The pond is going to be developed Over the years, many projects have heritage activists remain unconvinced “The water here will be cleaner the area. mapped the area of the pond, it was as a recreation park. We will have a tried to manage and beautify the pond. with the approach of the restoration. after the restoration as we have also “The area is closer to Natu and over 30 ropanis,” said Shrestha, who space for a children’s playground and But none were successful. But neither They fear that Kamal Pokhari is ensured an outlet system which Rani Kwatu tole (Dhobidhara area) where at the time used to be the chief survey an area for people to play sports in the was any as ambitious as the current going the Rani Pokhari way. Pokhari does not have,” said Singh. there were wells and dhunge officer at the Technical Planning southwest area of the park. Kamal plan by Kathmandu Metropolitan City. “The Rani Pokhari we now see only Many locals also believe that since dharas [stone spouts] in the late Malla Survey Department. “And at the time Pokhari will be cleaner, beautiful According to authorities of the res- serves the purpose of beauty, it does Kamal Pokhari does not have a histor- period and these could have been the itself the area was already encroached and full of life,” said Singh, chair of toration project, the ongoing first not serve the large purpose it once ical and archaeological value like water sources to the pond,” said upon from the south and now they Kamal Pokhari Chhath Puja Samaj, phase of the project focuses primarily used to, of mitigating floods and main- Rani Pokhari, making it a recreation- Tiwari. have also built a road and therefore who is also currently overseeing the on the beautification of Kamal taining the water cycle of the area,” al park is not an issue. Buddhi Narayan Shrestha, another the area of the pond has contracted restoration. Pokhari. said Amatya. “If we don’t raise our “Kamal Pokhari is not a historical researcher, also believes that the visibly over the years.” Like Singh, many local residents of “We are working to beautify Kamal voices now, Kamal Pokhari is going to pond like Rani Pokhari. It is just an Malla kings made use of the pond. As Kathmandu continues to urban- the area are happy with the ongoing Pokhari and we have not used any be next. A pond’s function goes beyond open area where water from around “When I had researched about ise rapidly, open spaces like Kamal restoration work. For years the pond concrete,” said Prem B Shrestha, engi- its social aspect, it serves for the bal- the area gets collected,” said Singh. Kamal Pokhari about 40 years back, Pokhari will be integral to keep nature had looked unkempt. The project also neer and project coordinator of the ance of nature.” But the authorities of the project one of the elders at the time had said in balance, conservationists say. hopes to have the pond filled with Kamal Pokhari restoration project. For long, environmentalists have have not conducted any detailed study that the lotus flower of this pond was “It’s frustrating how people and the clean water throughout the year. Amatya, however, refutes this claim been challenging the government’s of the area to address its historicity; used by the Malla kings for their authorities can’t see how they are However, hydrology experts say the saying concrete has been used below way of restoring ponds in the country. rather they have been approaching the pujas, which show that Kamal ruining their own environment by plan noticeably fails in understanding the water. When a boring system was placed in pond only as a mere development pro- Pokhari’s history goes further back opting for beauty over nature,” said the purpose of a pond and that the The City’s design on the site boasts Rani Pokhari to replenish the pond, ject to appease the locals of the area, than what is assumed by the locals Amatya. general public is unaware of the loss a lotus shaped fountain in the middle heritage activists and water experts say experts and researchers. now,” says Shrestha, who has studied Others like Tiwari are more the ambitious beautification project and smaller ponds in the four corners demanded the authorities remove the According to Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, Kamal Pokhari. circumspect. will cost: ecological imbalance. of the pond that will grow lotuses. deep wells from the pond for months. a conservation architect and former Both Tiwari and Shrestha believe “It’s not that the pond cannot be “The main purpose of a pond is to Besides these inputs, the design also And now Kamal Pokhari’s restora- dean of the Institute of Engineering, that the pond should look to retain its rebuilt as a recreation centre but we recharge groundwater; it is to main- draws plans to build an outlet in the tion is set to make the same mistakes. Kamal Pokhari could be older than naturalness and ecological functions. need to see that the pond serves its tain the temperature of the surround- southwest of the pond. “We are bringing water from Rani Pokhari going back to the “Since it is Kamal Pokhari, nothing ecological function,” said Tiwari. “For ing and to mitigate urban floods in the “Our design assures that the water Melamchi, but we are also going to dig Licchavi era. should take the centre stage than the example, we can ensure that with the area,” says Prakash Amatya, a water remains clean with the fountain at the a boring well of about four inches,” “Kamal Pokhari could have been a lotus itself and ideas of eateries, and traditional methods of bricklining conservationist. “But this whole pro- centre for water aeration. We also said Singh. sukhaparikha, a pleasure pond, for recreation should not be part of the and using black cotton soil.”

C M Y K MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 | 04 OPINION EDITORIAL How the virus changed The plot thickens consumer behaviour The way they have taken the fight to the provinces is an affront to political culture. More people adopted digital technology after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli couldn’t be more honest about his intent to jeopardise the political system if it is not to his the pandemic limited liking when he said, last week, that if he were to be cornered physical movement. more, he would use his hatchet skills on the provinces as well. The dissolution of Parliament on Sunday, December 20, Oli ROSHEE LAMICHHANE hinted, was just a dress rehearsal, and that the full show of political brinkmanship was yet to come. But Oli isn’t the only politician with a hatchet, is he? The domino effect of Oli’s political misadventures and the Nepal Communist Party’s fragmentation is now unravelling in the provinces, with no-confidence motions on the cards. On Sunday, The Covid-19 pandemic has had the 37 members of Province 1 who have aligned with the Pushpa most pervasive global impact in the last Kamal Dahal faction of the ruling party signed a no-confidence 100 years. It brought a transformation motion against Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai. They have pro- of human livelihood assisted by tech- nology, connectivity, gadgets and posed Bhim Acharya to be the next chief minister of the prov- human interactions contingent on ince. them to the fore like never before. The The 93-member provincial assembly has 67 members from onslaught of Covid-19 brought a para- digm shift in consumer behaviour in a the ruling Nepal Communist Party—51 from the erstwhile very short span of time. If there was no (UML) and 16 from the erstwhile pandemic, and consumers had to be Maoist Centre. The chief minister has said he is confident educated to wear masks as a preventive measure to avoid regular airborne dis- enough to face the no-confidence motion and come out the win- eases, the rate of adoption would cer- ner with a majority, but the way out of this impasse may not be tainly have taken place ploddingly. But that easy. due to the ferocity and magnitude of the pandemic, the rate of adoption took Rai is not the only chief minister facing rough waters ahead. place in a geometric progression. We A no-confidence motion was filed against can observe similar behavioural pat- Chief Minister Dormani Poudel on Friday. It seems to be just a terns with regard to hand washing and sanitising, too. matter of time and political calculations—and miscalcula- A plausible reason for the unusual tions—before the chief ministers’ legitimacy is put to test even behaviour of avoiding masks can be SHUTTERSTOCK as the opposition party, the Nepali Congress, is set to become an explained with the help of a typical psychological trait of humans known the dwindling tourism industry and Another sector that has witnessed a queues of service seekers at various unlikely kingmaker. Chief Minister Prithvi as perceptual defence. This behaviour provide much-needed psychological massive escalation in terms of the government establishments. Subba Gurung has already called for a truce, all too aware that is akin to smokers who would not stop relief, especially to those who were impact of technology on consumers is his legitimacy is certain to be put to the test as well in the near smoking despite understanding the locked up in their homes for almost education. Against a backdrop of a Structural bottlenecks risk of continuing to smoke. Despite eight months. Contrary to the general continuous rise in digital technology Likewise, the government through its future. the gravity of the matter, most consum- expectation that people will avoid or long before Covid-19, online teach- Information and Communication While the making and breaking of governments—federal as ers are found to be ignoring the funda- postpone vacationing or other recrea- ing-learning had started gaining prom- Technology Policy 2015 aims to impart well as provincial—is part of the political process, the way the mentals of hand hygiene and wearing tional events or even organising big inence in other parts of the world. digital literacy skills to at least 75 per- masks or barely following them with- gatherings such as marriages during However, such a phenomenon couldn’t cent of the population by 2020. Contrary two hostile factions of the ruling Nepal Communist Party have out due attention to the right method of the pandemic, reality has always been be seen in our context given the inade- to this policy narrative, nothing sub- taken their fight to the provinces following the mess-up in the doing so. different. Nonchalant consumers have quacy of digital infrastructure and stantial has materialised so far. This is started behaving callously as there is a other bottlenecks. Teachers and stu- because, most often, the internet has federal government is an affront to political culture. It is as if Right framing spike in the number of Covid-19 cases. dents alike were not conversant with been found to be used more for unpro- they have taken the idea of decentralisation more seriously Generally, people are more likely to These instances explain the fact that using digital platforms, and they were ductive purposes like accessing social than necessary, to the extent of pushing federalism off the wear masks if the message is conveyed human beings will generally act care- found to be hesitant to adopt online media rather than for productive pur- to them using the right framing, that is, lessly not realising that some of their teaching-learning as their pedagogical poses. In addition to structural bottle- track. telling them about the increased risk of activities can turn hazardous. tool and technology. However, Covid necks, consumer resistance has proven It is not so much a question of constitutional validity as it is not wearing them rather than telling There have been some favourable made it mandatory for both users (stu- to be a daunting task and major chal- of political culture. The question that is of utmost importance them about the reduced risk if they put and positive impacts on consumer dents) and providers (teachers) to lenge to service providers. But now, them on properly. Of course, the gov- behaviour in the context of the adop- quickly adapt to some of the new ways given the altered priorities and changed today is whether they will show any concern for federalism if ernment and the authorities concerned tion of digital technology after the pan- of teaching-learning. This highlights attitudes of consumers, both private they don’t care to uphold the constitution on which it is based, can work to build the right kind of demic limited physical movement and the fact that when faced with a Hobson’s and public service providers can or, whether they will find a way in which they can undo the choice architecture in terms of sug- contact. During more normal times, choice, consumers are likely to learn become optimistic. gesting what course of action can be the majority of customers were found and adapt to technology better and Conceptualising, designing and undoing of democracy in the provinces and make one last ditch taken as preventive measures. One sim- to be averse to technology. Security has quicker. delivering creatively innovative solu- attempt to uphold the spirit of federalism that some of them ple initiative would be ensuring the always been a concern for a large num- The role of the government and pri- tions by service providers can undoubt- fought for. availability of masks in every possible ber of cautious consumers in trying vate service providers remains critical edly provide a lot of impetus. It’s high nook and corner in all local groceries, out innovative products. But post-Cov- for continuing with and sustaining time that service providers started The parties that forced the last monarch of the country out parlours, roadside eateries and such id-19, consumers were found to be these changed behavioural patterns mulling over creating such initiatives of Narayanhiti Palace are intent upon committing the same other establishments. much more open to experimentation, even after the novel coronavirus is sub- through e-commerce platforms, and political crimes he was accused of—disregarding the life, liber- That human behaviour is not always resulting in a growth in transactions dued. In our context, where the divide regulatory authorities started thinking rational even during the pandemic was through e-payment gateways and other is massive, digitisation has always been about how they can facilitate such initi- ty and happiness of citizens, choking democracy and wrecking shown by the spectacle of people flock- financial services. Just as demonetisa- a challenge. Despite the claim made by atives, especially in the digital plat- the political culture. It’s high time the political parties and ing to the newly found selfie-point at tion produced desirable results in India the finance minister at a recent Digital form. their leaders remembered that the game of political brinkman- Manhunkot, Tanahun. Similarly, we in terms of accelerating a consumer Economy Conclave that 70 percent of have witnessed a surge in the number switch to online transactions, Covid-19 the government offices are working Lamichhane is an assistant professor at ship they are so eager to play is not on the agenda in the mani- of domestic tourists. Recreational generated a similar outcome in Nepal online, it doesn’t seem to be based on the Kathmandu University School of festos they handed out to the people in the last elections. activities will definitely help bolster by speeding up the change. reality; we continue to see serpentine Management, Lalitpur. Who is America?

drag it down to his own level. President-elect Biden One of Obama’s verbal tics was to declare that the baser instincts lurk- is the anti-Trump who ing in the darkened corners of American life were ‘not who we are’ as promises to restore dignity Americans. Torturing prisoners in ‘black sites’ all over the world was ‘not to American politics. who we are’. Racist killings in black churches were ‘not who we are’. And so on. IAN BURUMA Obama was nothing if not an aspi- rational leader. He expressed in his books and his speeches a high ideal of the United States. In this respect, he followed the example of Martin Luther King, Jr. Both men were fully aware of America’s coarse, violent, racist side. Both tried hard to appeal Why would a US president in the last to people’s better nature. They hoped weeks of his administration want to that their country would one day live start executing federal prisoners at a up to their vision of it. furious pace, even as he pardons four That is exactly what provoked the American mercenaries who murdered aggression of Trump and his devoted 14 Iraqi civilians in cold blood? The supporters. Being crass, prejudiced, federal government has killed 10 men and extolling violence was the key to already this year—more judicial kill- Trump’s success. The coarser his lan- ings than in all of America’s states guage, the cruder his behaviour, the combined. Three more executions more his supporters cheered him on. remain to come before Donald Trump It was their revenge on Obama, and leaves office next month—one for a everything he stood for. murder committed when the con- Biden’s popularity has been based demned man was barely 18 years old, on the exact opposite. He is the anti- and one the first woman put to death Trump who promises to restore digni- by the federal government in 70 years. ty to American politics. Like Obama, The Trump administration’s killing he expresses faith in reason and patri- spree goes against all recent norms EVAN EL-AMIN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM otic bipartisanship, and promises that and trends, which have reduced execu- told by the late great Belgian sinolo- miracle, the programme changed and cancel it. Mozart had made him feel Racists hated the very idea of being his administration will put an end to tions to almost none. And the frenetic gist and essayist Simon Leys. He was Leys heard the glorious sound of a small, insignificant, uncouth. He had governed by a black man. But the fact an era of social and political vandal- activity on death row is going on even responding to the British journalist Mozart quintet. After a moment of to drag the music down to his own that he was such a well-educated and ism. as the lame duck administration is Christopher Hitchens, who had writ- silence in the room, a man abruptly level. cultivated black man made his ascent We don’t know whether he will suc- doing very little else, aside from angri- ten a scathing book about Mother rose to his feet and, as though in a fit A similar type of aggression has to the highest office even more intoler- ceed. It is far easier to destroy than it ly contesting the election results. It is Teresa, entitled, in a typical Hitchens of anger, switched the radio back to marked the four years of Trump’s able. is to rebuild, as Trump’s presidency President-elect Joe Biden who is try- provocation, The Missionary Position. musical pap. The relief in the café was presidency. Barack Obama had his Many commentators in the past demonstrated time and again. And no ing to talk sensibly about the Covid-19 Leys, a devout Catholic, believed that palpable. flaws as a president, but he always four years have pointed out that matter how much Biden wishes to crisis in America, not Donald Trump. Hitchens was so overawed by the Leys reflected on this peevish ges- exuded an air of dignity and refine- Trump was driven by an obsessive pursue Obama’s aspiration of a more Is Trump’s bloodlust due to a fit of spiritual superiority of Mother Teresa ture. Did the man hate classical ment. Few presidents in history have desire to tear down everything his civilised society, there are millions of pique because he lost the election? Is it that he wanted to drag her down to his music? Did he have a peculiar loath- his gift for English prose. Obama is predecessor had built. Various rea- Americans who still think that is not just a matter of personal malice? Or is own base level. ing of Mozart? Or perhaps his lack of not only a stylish writer, but a discern- sons were given: Trump’s deep insecu- at all ‘who we are’. it symbolic, a brutal gesture toward Whether or not Leys was right cultivation made it impossible for him ing reader. His behaviour in office was rity; his playing to his base; or his own ‘law and order’, setting up Biden as a about Hitchens, the anecdote bears to appreciate the beauty of this music. always impeccable, and he and his racial prejudices. I think Leys’ anec- Buruma is the author, most recently, of softie if he carries out his promise to repeating. One day, Leys was working Leys concluded that it was none of wife, Michelle, are the model of a dote about the Australian café offers The Churchill Complex: The Curse of abolish the death penalty? in a noisy café somewhere in those things. It was, on the contrary, highly civilised couple. the best explanation. Trump had to Being Special, from Winston and FDR Thinking about a possible explana- Australia. The radio was playing rub- precisely because the man sensed the And that is precisely what some of erase the image of high civilisation to Trump and Brexit. tion, I was reminded of an anecdote bishy pop music. Then, as though by a quality of the music that he had to his opponents could never abide. that Obama represented. He had to —Project Syndicate

C M Y K 05 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 MONEY Traders shift to exporting soybean oil as Next Growth Conclave palm oil loses lustre after India’s restriction 2020 pitches post-Covid Soybean oil shipments increased four and a half times to Rs13.5 billion in the first five months of the fiscal year. growth strategies

KRISHANA PRASAIN intention of promoting industrialisa- KATHMANDU, DEC 27 tion and export of value-added goods. “The goods can be re-exported by add- Soybean oil has shot up to the top of ing value to it. But products like soy- the list of Nepal’s largest exports, bean oil do not seem to add value in knocking palm oil from the num- terms of generating revenue and ber-one spot, as traders changed tack employment,” said the former com- to keep exploiting trade preferential merce secretary. loopholes after the Indian government This kind of product is called a squeezed palm oil imports. ‘rootless’ product, he added. “The According to the Department of export of such products should Customs, soybean oil shipments not be encouraged as it will benefit increased four and a half times year- the traders only as they play on duty on-year to Rs13.5 billion from Rs3 bil- arbitrage.” lion in the five-month period from In the last fiscal year, palm oil mid-July to mid-December in the cur- became Nepal’s top export product rent fiscal year. In the whole of the although the country does not produce last fiscal year 2019-20, Nepal’s soy- a drop. The southern neighbour bean oil exports amounted to Rs12.69 imposed strict measures by allowing billion, the statistics show. licence holders to import palm oil Nepal produces very little soybean from Nepal in a bid to check cheap PHOTO COURTESY: NEXT GROWTH CONCLAVE 2020 oil of its own, and the heady growth is imports and protect its domestic achieved by importing raw oil and industry. POST REPORT Nepalis will soon be able to make re-exporting it after processing. According to Ojha, in the early KATHMANDU, DEC 27 payment for local government servic- 2000s, the export of vegetable ghee to es, bills, taxes through an online wal- India had increased exponentially like The 5th edition of Next Growth let and payment gateway as the gov- Palm oil exports is happening with palm and soybean Conclave 2020 took place on Sunday ernment has taken a leap on financial oils. The then Indian government with a theme ‘Decoding the post-pan- technology adoption, he said. For the to India plunged to amended the export policy by adding demic growth strategy’ bringing economy to bounce back quickly, the quotas and allowing only State together several successful and aspir- use of digital technology is key as it Rs443,000, a 99.99 Trading Corporation to import it. ing speakers from various sectors who offers greater transparency. “As a result, exports of vegetable presented their views on surviving, Similarly, Dhananjay Regmi, CEO percent drop year ghee plunged,” said Ojha. In 2009-10, reviving and growing a business in of Nepal Tourism Board, said that Nepali traders exploited the trade the post-pandemic period. tourism in Nepal moving forward on year. preferential treatment offered on a Next Growth Conclave is Nepal’s should be focused on democratization number of agricultural goods like largest entrepreneur conference that (benefit for everyone from workers to betel nuts. Later, exploitation was also started in 2016. investors), decentralization (local Tariff exemptions on Nepali seen on lentils. Trade experts said that Kavi Raj Joshi, founder and manag- tourism promotion) and digitization exports to India under the South domestic products are directly impact- ing director of Next Venture Crop, (using digital technology for tourism Asian Free Trade Area agreement ed if such arbitrage trade systems are said that entrepreneurs have an promotion). give domestic traders an advantage. not stopped. important role to play in the current All individuals should be able to Countries outside of South Asia are Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of situation to contribute towards the capitalise the tourism potential and slapped with tariffs of 54 percent on the Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil economy that has been badly hit by the board is ready to take a leadership palm oil and 45 percent on soybean oil. and Pulses Industry, said that the pro- the pandemic and at the same time position, he said.Sudeep Acharya, According to the Nepal Development duction of soybean is low in the coun- entrepreneurs need to be supported managing director of Dish Home, said Update released by the World Bank in try, and more than 90 percent of the for the economy to thrive. cable operators suffered from both December last year, Nepal capitalised raw materials are imported. Speakers said that Nepal should use the pandemic and policy changes on this arbitrage opportunity and sig- SHUTTERSTOCK Compared to mustard oil, the con- information technology (ICT) to ease regarding clean feed and streaming nificantly increased exports of the Nepal produces very little soybean oil of its own, and the heady growth is achieved by sumption of sunflower and soybean communications, collaboration and digital content. two products—palm oil and soybean importing raw oil and re-exporting it after processing. oils has increased tremendously. coordination of work. This will not Shashwat Dhakal, managing direc- oil. “However, it might not be a sus- “There are very few factories manu- only help businesses continue their tor and CEO of Bigmart, said it was tainable option in the long run,” the imported and re-exported with lower Indian government restricted its facturing sunflower oil and soybean operations for now but also help difficult to scale up the business in report said. duty rates or at zero rates if the export by allowing only licence hold- oil in the country.” Nepali firms become globally compet- Nepal due to several factors such as The figures show that Nepali trad- requirements are met. ers to trade the product, shipments Gupta did not comment on the bal- itive and future-ready. government policies, trade union, tax- ers imported crude soybean oil worth For Nepali exports to India to be went into a vertical dive. looning exports of soybean oil, but Using ICT, anyone could work from ation and a small domestic market. Rs14.67 billion in the review period— eligible for tariff exemptions under Trade statistics show that palm oil said that was because of trade prefer- anywhere, anytime which means local During the conclave, a handful of mostly from Argentina, Brazil and this treaty, imported goods need to exports to India plunged to Rs443,000 ential privilege. businesses could also hire remote tal- challenges were identified which busi- Paraguay. An examination of the have at least a 30 percent value in the first five months of the current “We should focus on the competi- ent when required. Amit Agrawal, nesses face from a poorly educated import and export values shows that addition. Nepali trade experts have fiscal year, a 99.99 percent drop year- tiveness of the industry, the export of co-founder and director of Khalti, said workforce and the unsatisfactory ser- the overall value addition of the prod- been saying that Nepali traders do not on-year. Palm oil exports had reached soybean oil that is produced in mini- that financial technology has gar- vices offered by the banking and uct is just over Rs1 billion. meet the 30 percent value addition Rs11.52 billion in the first five months mal quantities does not have a compet- nered popularity in Nepal through financial sectors. The South Asian Free Trade Area requirement. of 2019-20. Trade expert Purushottam itive advantage for the country,” Ojha e-wallets and QR codes. It has According to the organiser, all par- agreement, to which Nepal is a Before soybean oil, palm oil exports Ojha said that goods that go under the told the Post. “We need to think of increased the adoption of digital com- ticipants followed Covid-19 safety party, stipulates that goods with pref- reached a record Rs18.31 billion in the Nepal India Treaty of Trade are pro- sustainable trade. Not arbitrage trade merce not only in e-commerce but also measures and protocols before enter- erential origin are eligible to be last fiscal year. But as soon as the vided duty-free market access with the for short-term profit.” among small merchants. ing the conclave.

FOREX to cut duty Laptops, desktop sales see ‘renaissance;’ US Dollar 117.98 Euro 144.01 Pound Sterling 159.86 on rice imports to cool shortages won’t ease until 2022 Japanese Yen 11.40 Chinese Yuan 18.03 REUTERS absorbing the cost to fly laptops direct- CALIFORNIA, DEC 27 ly to its education customers, ditching Qatari Riyal 32.40 record local prices boats and trains to cut a month off Australian Dollar 89.66 REUTERS don’t suffer from the soaring costs of The world stocked up on laptop and shipping. Yet with assembly lines Malaysian Ringit 29.06 DHAKA, DEC 27 the rice,” Majumdar said. desktop computers in 2020 at a level behind, some customers must wait “Importers will have to seek per- not seen since the iPhone debuted in four months to get shipments. Saudi Arab Riyal 31.44 Bangladesh will slash the duty on rice mission from the Food Ministry by 2007, and manufacturers still are Components including screens and Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank imports in an effort to bolster reserves Jan. 10. Then the ministry will decide months away from fulfilling outstand- processors are hard to get even with and cool record prices of the staple how much they can import,” he said. ing orders, hardware industry execu- many factories long past virus shut- grain in the country, the food minister The government is rushing to build tives and analysts said. downs, analysts said. They added 2021 Shares said on Sunday. buffer stocks as it aims to import as Remote learning and working has sales forecasts would be higher if not The import duty on rice will be low- much as 500,000 tonnes of rice in the upturned the computer market during for the supply issues. 1,998.65pts Nepse -1.96% ered to 25 percent from 62.5 percent, year to June. It is finalising the pur- the coronavirus pandemic, zapping REUTERS Ishan Dutt, a Canalys analyst, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra chase of 150,000 tonnes of rice from sales of smartphones while boosting A person types on a laptop in New York City. recalled a customer telling a vendor in HIGHEST LOSERS Majumdar told reporters. India, officials told Reuters, in what interest in bigger devices, which had April that any device with a keyboard BBC SHL NLIC OHL NHDL MPFL -5.54% -5.37% -4.96% -4.7% -4.64% -4.46% Bangladesh, traditionally the would be the first such bilateral deal become afterthoughts to iPhones and year ago. Tablets are experiencing would suffice as long as shipments world’s third-biggest rice producer, in three years. Androids over the last decade. even faster growth. arrived in a week. That urgent need MODERATE LOSERS has emerged as a big importer of the The government is also issuing a “The whole supply chain has been By the end of 2021, installed PCs has subsided, but people now want to NRIC UNL PPCL LICN NCCB NLICL -4.43% -4.35% -3.85% -3.83% -3.76% -3.73% grain lately due to depleted stocks and series of tenders to purchase rice in strained like never before,” said Gregg and tablets will reach 1.77 billion, up upgrade, maintaining pressure on the record local prices after repeated recent weeks. The rain-fed rice output, Prendergast, Pan-America president from 1.64 billion in 2019, according to industry, Dutt said. MODERATE GAINERS NICAD8283 SAEF EBLCP JOSHI NMB50 SBIBD86 flooding ravaged its crop. or Aman crop, is expected to fall as at hardware maker Acer Inc.Annual research company Canalys. The virus Additional government stimulus 1.74% 1.82% 1.84% 1.85% 1.93% 2% The country produces around 35 much as 15 percent this year, due to global shipments of PCs, the indus- pressed families into expanding from money for schools and businesses in

HIGHEST GAINERS million tonnes of rice annually but repeated floods and excessive rainfall, try’s collective term for laptops and one PC for the house to one for each several countries may add to the SINDU SLBS SMFDB SABSL ALBSL NABBC uses almost all its production to feed a senior official at the Agriculture desktops, topped out at about 300 mil- student, video gamer or homebound crunch until 2022, said Ryan Reith, 2.01% 2.1% 2.25% 4.89% 5.06% 9.81% its population of more than 160 mil- Ministry said. lion in 2008 and recently were sinking worker. To meet the sudden demand, vice president at analyst firm IDC. lion. It often requires imports to cope With shortfalls, the government’s toward 250 million. Few expected a the world’s handful of big PC vendors Some computers coming to market with shortages caused by floods or domestic rice procurement in this resurgence. added suppliers, sped up shipping and in the next few months address new droughts. “We are allowing the harvesting season could see a setback But some analysts now expect 2020 teased better models launching next needs. They feature better cameras imports in a regulated manner to after an earlier drive to shore up sup- will close at about 300 million ship- year. It has not been enough. and speakers for video conferencing, PRICE PER TOLA BULLION ensure that consumers and farmers plies fell short of targets. ments, up roughly 15 percent from a Prendergast said Acer has been analysts said. Fine Gold Rs 94,200 Silver Rs 1,280 SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA Logistics firms reap ‘vaccine economy’ benefits amid EU rollout

REUTERS The company, which has secured Saxony and Baden-Wuerttemberg GASOLINE WATCH ZURICH, DEC 27 other, undisclosed government con- states to store and deliver part of the tracts, will manage the rollout of mil- first tranche of the 300 million poten- Joern Schneemann thought he would lions of vaccines including Pfizer and tial doses Germany has ordered. be helping manage logistics for the German partner BioNTech’s, which “It’s more urgent and complex, Tokyo 2020 Olympics this year. Then, won European approval on Monday. certainly,” said John Pearson, chief the Covid-19 crisis intervened, push- It must coordinate deliveries to executive officer of DHL Express. ing the event back to 2021. halls filled with refrigerated contain- “But we’re accustomed to handling Instead, the head of Swiss logistics ers that can handle the vaccine’s these kind of deliveries. We do this company Kuehne + Nagel’s European minus 70 degrees Celsius storage everyday.” Expo & Events unit has been setting requirement at 53 sites around the In general, the shippers have sur- up vaccination centres in convention state. Europe is due to get 12.5 million vived the pandemic in good shape and sporting venues in Germany’s doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine after online sales soared during lock- North Rhine-Westphalia state, the by December 31, with Germany downs.Kuehne + Nagel’s third-quarter nation’s most-populous with 18 mil- expecting up to 4 million doses profit easily beat expectations, DSV lion residents. through January, enough to inoculate called market conditions “better than Schneemann’s pandemic pivot illus- 2 million people with the two-shot anticipated”, and Deutsche Post DHL, trates how logistics firms like Kuehne REUTERS treatment. which is also delivering Covid-19 vac- + Nagel, Germany’s Deutsche Post An employee checks a container capable to be conditioned to be used for the transport of “The temperature will also be elec- cines to Israel, is benefiting from a DHL, Denmark’s DSV Panalpina and Covid-19 vaccines, in Machelen, Belgium. tronically monitored and recorded fresh surge in ecommerce in the run Spain’s Grupo Logista have turned during transport,” said Axel up to Christmas. Covid-19 disruption into opportunity, things turned out quite differently which kicks off its vaccination pro- Birkenkaemper, a spokesman for Billions of doses are needed to inoc- grabbing a share of the burgeoning than we had planned,” Schneemann gramme in nursing homes on Sunday North Rhine-Westphalia’s health ulate the world over the next 12-24 “vaccine economy” while managing told Reuters from his German offices. in line with the rest of Germany, nor ministry. months but Covid-19 shots will still record demand in traditional busi- “And it turned out well.” Kuehne + Nagel disclosed the con- Rival Deutsche Post DHL has make up only a fraction of global ship- nesses.“Because of the pandemic, Neither North Rhine-Westphalia, tract’s value. secured similar contracts in Lower pers’ volumes in 2021.

C M Y K MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 | 06 WORLD Biden warns of ‘devastating ‘The beginning of the end’: Europe rolls consequences’ of Trump out vaccines to see off pandemic block on pandemic relief The vaccination drive is more urgent because of the concern around a new variant of the virus linked to Britain.

REUTERS MADRID/ROME, DEC 27

Europe launched a massive Covid-19 vaccination drive on Sunday with pen- sioners and medics lining up to get the first shots to see off a pandemic that has crippled economies and claimed more than 1.7 million lives worldwide. “Thank God,” 96-year-old Araceli Hidalgo said as she became the first person in Spain to have a vaccine. She told staff at her care home in Guadalajara near Madrid she hadn’t felt a thing. “Let’s see if we can make this virus go away.” In Italy, the first country in Europe to record significant numbers of AFP infections, 29-year-old nurse Claudia House Democrats failed in a bid to increase relief payments to people struggling to survive. Alivernini was one of three medical staff at the head of the queue for the AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE ity after months of negotiation. shot developed by Pfizer and WASHINGTON, DEC 27 The legislation was designed to BioNTech. throw a lifeline to businesses and peo- “It is the beginning of the end ... it US President-elect Joe Biden warned ple struggling to keep their heads was an exciting, historical moment,” on Saturday of “devastating conse- above water. she said at Rome’s Spallanzani quences” if President Donald Trump But in a pre-recorded statement hospital. continues to delay signing a Covid-19 made in the White House, Trump said The region of 450 million people has economic relief bill. he would refuse to accept the bill with- secured contracts with a range of sup- Biden spoke out as millions out changes increasing the checks to pliers for more than two billion vac- REUTERS of Americans saw their jobless bene- taxpayers to $2,000. cine doses and has set a goal for all Hungarian soldiers carry the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines at the Del-Pest Central Hospital in Budapest, Hungary, on December 26. fits expire after Trump threw a “I simply want to get our great peo- adults to be inoculated during 2021. long-awaited pandemic aid package ple $2000, rather than the measly $600 While Europe has some of the But even then, Hungary on Saturday In Italy, temporary solar-powered Melilla. Portugal is establishing into doubt—demanding lawmakers that is now in the bill,” Trump reiter- best-resourced healthcare systems in jumped the gun on the official roll-out healthcare pavilions designed to separate cold storage units for its more than triple the $600 direct pay- ated on Saturday on Twitter. the world, the sheer scale of the effort by starting to administer shots to look like five-petalled primrose flow- Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and ments to US taxpayers. The move puts the Republican pres- means some countries are calling on frontline workers at hospitals in the ers - a symbol of spring - sprung up in the Azores. “This abdication of responsibility ident at odds with his party’s Senate retired medics to help while others capital Budapest. Slovakia also went town squares. In France, a 78-year-old former has devastating consequences. Today, majority leader Mitch McConnell and have loosened rules for who is allowed ahead with some inoculations of Pedro Pires waited for a shot with domestic worker, who gave her name about 10 million Americans will lose House minority leader Kevin to give the injections. healthcare staff on Saturday and in other nurses at Lisbon’s Santa Maria as Mauricette, said she was moved unemployment insurance benefits,” McCarthy, who have ruled out any With surveys pointing to high levels Germany, a small number of people at hospital at the end of a 10-hour over- when she received the first vaccina- Biden said in a statement. larger stimulus measures. of hesitancy towards the vaccine in a care home for the elderly were inoc- night shift. “It has been tiring ... a lot tion outside tests in the country. Staff The stimulus measure is wrapped Republicans on Thursday blocked a countries from France to Poland, lead- ulated a day early too. of work,” he told Reuters. around her in the Rene-Muret hospital up with a $1.4 trillion funding bill, Democratic effort to increase the pay- ers of the 27-country European Union “We don’t want to waste that one “I’m happy I will now be able to see in the Parisian suburb of Sevran without which the government will be ments that would go to all taxpayers are promoting it as the best chance of day that the vaccine loses shelf life. my great-grandchildren,” said Branka broke into applause. forced to shut down at midnight earning up to $75,000 a year, with getting back to something like normal We want to use it right away,” Karsten Anicic, a resident of a care home in In the Czech Republic, Prime Monday. smaller amounts for those making up life next year. Fischer, from the pandemic staff of Zagreb and the first person to get a Minister Andrej Babis was at the head “In just a few days, government to $99,000. “We are starting to turn the page on the Harz district in the German shot in Croatia. The vaccination drive of the queue. In Austria, three women funding will expire, putting vital ser- “Delay means more small business- a difficult year,” Ursula von der Leyen, state of Saxony-Anhalt told local is all the more urgent because of the and two men over 80 got the vaccine at vices and paychecks for military per- es won’t survive this dark winter president of the European broadcaster MDR. concern around a new variant of the the Medical University of Vienna, as sonnel at risk,” Biden added. because they lack access to the lifeline Commission which is coordinating The distribution of the Pfizer/ virus linked to a rapid expansion of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz looked on. “In less than a week, a moratorium they need, and Americans face further the programme, said in a tweet. BioNTech shot presents tough chal- cases in Britain. In recent days, “We are at war, but our weapon has on evictions expires, putting millions delays in getting the direct payments “Vaccination is the lasting way out lenges. The vaccine uses new mRNA Sweden and France have also detected arrived and it is in these small vials,” at risk of being forced from their they deserve as quickly as possible to of the pandemic.” technology and must be stored at cases of the variant. the head of Bulgaria’s anti-virus task- homes over the holidays.” help deal with the economic devasta- After European governments were ultra-low temperatures of about -70 So far, scientists say there is no evi- force, General Ventsislav Mutafchiiski In a video late Tuesday, Trump, who tion caused by Covid-19,” Biden added. criticised for failing to work together degrees Celsius (-112°F). dence to suggest vaccines will be any said after getting his vaccination is due to leave office in less than a It is almost unprecedented for to counter the spread of the virus in Beyond hospitals and care homes, less effective against it. in Sofia. month, called the $900 million bill “a a president to veto a bill that early 2020, the goal this time is to sports halls and convention centres In Spain, doses were being delivered Outside the EU, Britain, Switzerland disgrace”—despite it being passed on received such overwhelming biparti- ensure that there is equal access to the emptied by lockdown measures will by air to its island territories and the and Serbia have already started vacci- Monday with a large bipartisan major- san support. vaccines across the region. become venues for mass inoculations. North African enclaves of Ceuta and nating their citizens in recent weeks.

BRIEFING Bangladesh set to move Militants attack checkpoint second batch of Rohingya in Pakistan, killing at least 7 PAKISTAN: At least seven Pakistani security men were killed when a refugees to remote island group of militants attacked a para- military checkpoint early on Sunday REUTERS not be sent against their will.” in a province rocked for years by an DHAKA, DEC 27 The United Nations has said it has insurgency, a statement from not been allowed to carry out a techni- Pakistan’s army said. Officials say Bangladesh is set to move a second cal and safety assessment of Bhasan gunmen attacked the Frontier Corps batch of Rohingya refugees from Char, a flood-prone island in the Bay post in the district of Harnai in neighbouring to the of Bengal, and was not involved in the Baluchistan province. Senior police remote island of Bhasan Char in the transfer of refugees there. officer Shawli Tareen gave a slightly Bay of Bengal this month, officials Bangladesh says it is transferring higher death toll than the army, say- said on Sunday, despite calls by only people who are willing to go and ing that during the exchange of gun- rights groups not to carry out further the move will ease chronic overcrowd- fire on early Sunday morning, six relocations. ing in camps that are home to more paramilitary troops and two private Around 1,000 Rohingya refugees, than 1 million Rohingya. guards were killed. He said six other members of a Muslim minority who But refugees and humanitarian troops were critically wounded in the have fled Myanmar, will be moved to workers say some of the Rohingya attack. The attackers fled the scene the island in the next few days have been coerced into going to the and made their way into the moun- after Bangladesh relocated more than island, which emerged from the sea 20 tainous terrain before other security 1,600 early this month, two officials years ago. teams could arrive to assist. with the direct knowledge of the Bangladesh Foreign Minister matter said. Abdul Momen told Reuters earlier “They will be moved to Chittagong this month the United Nations should Central African Republic votes first and then to Bhasan Char, depend- first assess and verify how conducive under threat of violence ing on the high tide,” one of the offi- the environment in Myanmar’s BANGUI: Central African Republic on cials said. Rakhine state was for repatriating the Sunday voted in presidential and leg- The officials declined to be refugees, before carrying out an islative elections being held under a named as the issue had not been made assessment of Bhasan Char. cloud of violence as the government, public. Several attempts to kickstart repa- international partners and United Mohammed Shamsud Douza, the triation of Rohingya to Myanmar Nations peacekeepers seek to hold off AP/RSS deputy Bangladesh government offi- have failed after refugees said they a rebel advance. Militias hostile to Children play at a crowded Juhu beach in Mumbai, India, on Saturday. India’s confirmed coronavirus cases have crossed 10 million with new cial in charge of refugees, said the were too fearful of further violence President Faustin-Archange infections dipping to their lowest levels in three months, as the country prepares for a massive Covid-19 vaccination in the new year. relocation was voluntary. “They will to return. Touadera, who is seeking a second term, have stepped up attacks since the constitutional court this month rejected several candidates, including former President Francois Bozize. Touadera is considered the favourite Mallard to go? Dig of Pompeii fast-food place reveals tastes in the field of 17 candidates. The elec- tion will go to a second round if no candidate receives more than 50 per- ASSOCIATED PRESS and a rooster, whose plumage was One surprise find was the complete Amoretti said, to find remains from tainer. Successful restaurateurs know cent of the vote. Some polling sta- ROME, DEC 27 painted with the typical vivid colour skeleton of a dog. The discovery ancient times of such small dogs, that a good location can be crucial, tions in the capital Bangui opened known as Pompeiian red, also bright- intrigued the excavators, since it discoveries that “attest to selective and the operator of this ancient fast- with a slight delay amid heavy securi- A fast-food eatery at Pompeii has been ened the eatery and likely served to wasn’t a “large, muscular dog like that breeding in the Roman epoch to obtain food seemed to have found a good spot. ty, following sporadic gunfire heard excavated, helping to reveal dishes advertise the menu. Another fresco painted on the counter but of an this result.” Osanna noted that right outside the during the night. that were popular for the citizens of depicted a dog on a leash, perhaps not extremely small example” of an adult Also unearthed were a bronze ladle, eatery was a small square with a foun- the ancient Roman city who were par- unlike modern reminders to leash dog, whose height at shoulder level nine amphorae, which were popular tain, with another thermopolium in tial to eating out. pets. Vulgar graffiti were inscribed on was 20-to-25 centimetres (8-to-10 inch- food containers in Roman times, a the vicinity. At least 7 killed in knife Pompeii Archaeological Park’s the painting’s frame. es), Amoretti said. It’s rather rare, couple of flasks and a ceramic oil con- Pompeii was destroyed by the vol- longtime chief, Massimo Osanna said Valeria Amoretti, a Pompeii staff canic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, attack in northeastern China Saturday that while some 80 such fast- anthropologist, said “initial analyses which is near present-day Naples. BEIJING: At least seven people were foods have been found at Pompeii, it is confirm how the painted images rep- Much of the ancient city still lies killed and another seven injured the first time such a hot-food-drink resent, at least in part, the foods and unexcavated. The site is one of Italy’s in a knife attack in northeastern eatery—known as a thermopolium— beverages effectively sold inside.” Her most popular tourist attractions. China, state media reported on was completely unearthed. statement noted that duck bone frag- Human remains were also discov- Sunday. The attack in the city of A segment of the fast-food counter ment was found in one of the contain- ered in the excavation of the eatery. Kaiyuan in Liaoning province was was partially dug up in 2019 during ers, along with remains from goats, Those bones were apparently dis- carried out outside a sauna and work to shore up Pompeii’s oft-crum- pigs, fish and snails. At the bottom of turbed in the 17th century during bathhouse. The suspect, identified bling ruins. Since then, archaeologists a wine container were traces of clandestine excavations by thieves by the media by his surname Yang, kept digging, revealing a multi-sid- ground fava beans, which in ancient looking for valuables, Pompeii author- was arrested while the motive for ed-counter, with typical wide holes times were added to wine for flavour ities said. Some of the bones belonged the attack remains unknown. inserted into its top. The countertop and to lighten its color, Amoretti said. to a man, who, when the Vesuvius Chinese law restricts the sale and held deep vessels for hot foods, not “We know what they were eating volcano erupted, appeared to have possession of firearms, and mass unlike soup containers nestled into that day,” said Osanna, referring to been lying on a bed or a cot, since attacks are generally carried out modern-day salad bars. the day of Pompeii’s destruction in 79 nails and pieces of wood were found with knives or homemade explosives. Plant and animal specialists are A.D. The food remains indicated under his body, authorities said. Other Perpetra-tors of similar attacks in still analysing remains from the site, “what’s popular with the common human remains were found inside one the past have been described as with its counter frescoed with a figure folk,” Osanna told Rai state TV, noting AP/RSS of the counter’s vessels, possibly mentally ill or bearing grudges of an undersea nymph astride a horse. that street-food places weren’t fre- An undated photo made available by the Pompeii Archaeological park press office shows the placed there by those excavators cen- against society. (AGENCIES) Images of two upside-down mallards quented by the Roman elite. thermopolium in the Pompeii archaeological park, near Naples, Italy. turies ago.

C M Y K 07 | MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 SPORTS | MEDLEY India take Arteta gets breathing space control of Footballer Samba hopes but pressure shifts to Lampard second Test to win popular award REUTERS MELBOURNE, DEC 27 The win is a sigh of relief for the Arsenal manager whose side had lost five of their last Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane seven league matches, but for the Chelsea boss, it’s three losses in the last three games. stepped out of Virat Kohli’s shadow with an inspiring century on Sunday ASSOCIATED PRESS as India’s batsmen banished their hor- LONDON, DEC 27 ror 36 in Adelaide to take control of the second Test against Australia on With his job increasingly on the line day two. after an alarming start to the season, Rahane, left to rally India after placed his faith in Kohli’s departure in the wake of the Arsenal’s kids to get the team out of Adelaide humiliation, stamped his trouble. They delivered for their authority with an unbeaten 104 at the under-pressure manager. Melbourne Cricket Ground, driving Powered by two 19-year-olds — the tourists to 277 for five before rain Gabriel Martinelli and brought stumps early. — and a 20-year-old in Emile Smith They have a lead of 82 runs in reply Rowe making his first start in the to Australia’s first innings 195 as they POST PHOTO this season, Arsenal look to level the four-Test series after Sabitra Bhandari has been nominated for the Peoples’ Choice Award for the second year. produced their best performance to defeat in the opener. beat Chelsea 3-1 and lift some of the Rahane was reprieved on 73 when SPORTS BUREAU to win international gold. Nepal host- gloom over the Emirates Stadium on dropped by Steve Smith in the slips, KATHMANDU, DEC 27 ed the football game of the 13th South Saturday. Arteta had billed the coming and again on 104 when Travis Head Asian Games (SAG) last year in week, starting with the visit of coughed up a diving chance on the National women football team star . Bhandari’s ambition was to Chelsea, as a “crucial” period that final ball of the day, but it was a cap- striker Sabitra Bhandari, who loves win first SAG football gold at the would determine which direction tain’s knock of the highest quality by her nickname Samba, has regularly home turf but they stumbled in the Arsenal were heading this season. the soft-spoken 32-year-old. He had featured in the past few years at the finals. It is not that Nepal have never There was even some mischievous pulled India from early peril and with annual NSJF Pulsar Sports Award. ever defeated India, but they have talk by Arsenal’s rivals and critics Ravindra Jadeja (40 not out) built a Her regular entry in the country’s been losing against the arch-rivals at of Arteta’s team being in a 104-run partnership that spanned the most prestigious sports award is a decisive games. relegation fight, given that they had AP/RSS final session. Standing firm against a reflection of her impressive perfor- Bhandari arguably is No 1 woman lost five of the last seven league games Arsenal’s (left) scored a goal in a 3-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday. belligerent pace attack when the sec- mance on the ground. striker of the South Asian region. — drawing the other two — to slip to ond new ball arrived, Rahane cut The 24-year old is one of the five Apart from Nepali coaches, 15th in the league. “We needed that. Tierney, and a stunning free kick by out particularly impressing. A routine paceman Pat Cummins to backward nominees for the Peoples’ Choice cate- Bangladesh women’s football team We needed to give the fans some- Granit Xhaka put Arsenal 2-0 ahead at 2-0 victory over Newcastle at the point for four to bring up his 12th Test gory of the annual NSJF Pulsar coach Golam Robbani Choton has thing,” Arsenal defender Kieran halftime, before Smith Rowe and Saka Etihad Stadium was secured by goals century. Debutant opener Shubman Sports Award 2076 set to take place on heaped praise on Bhandari as the top Tierney said. combined for the latter to loft a shot from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Gill (45) and recalled wicketkeeper January 12. Bhandari, who fin- striker of the region. It took 90 minutes for the scrutiny off the far post and into the net. Rowe Torres either side of halftime. Rishabh Pant (29) also made telling ished runner up in the same She has also proved her that was hovering over Arteta to drift Smith was a sensation in central mid- Aston Villa had far too much for contributions. category of the award last quality and worth in Indian toward his Chelsea counterpart, field and Martinelli again impressed Crystal Palace in their 3-0 home win, Tim Paine’s Australia were left to season, is nominated Women’s League in the past two Frank Lampard. That’s three losses in with his energy on the left wing after despite playing the whole second half rue a poor day in the field, having let along with nation- seasons. She became the the last four league games for Chelsea, starting in place of Pierre-Emerick with 10 men after col- Rahane and India off the hook after al volleyball highest scorer of the whose identity — and best lineup — is Aubameyang. lected a second yellow card just before reducing the tourists to 64 for three captain league in the last sea- increasingly hard to decipher. In the day’s other match, Everton halftime. Villa striker early on. Cummins removed Gill and Aruna son when she Lampard oversaw a spending spree of moved to second after defeating played a part in all three goals, scored Cheteshwar Pujara (17) in a searing Shai, played for nearly $300 million in the summer Sheffield United. Gylfi Sigurdsson by Bertrand Traore, Kortney Hause five-ball salvo in the morning but basket- Gokulam transfer window and knows the pres- scored in the 80th minute to earn and . Elsewhere on Hanuma Vihari (21) and Pant warded ball captain Kerala sure is on to win trophies this season. Everton a 1-0 win. Sheffield remain at Saturday, Southampton had two sec- off a collapse in tandem with Rahane. Sadina FC. She “I’ll take responsibility on the out- the bottom and are still without a vic- ond-half goals ruled out by VAR in a Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc took Shrestha, swimmer also scored a side,” Lampard said, “but the players tory after 15 games. 0-0 draw at Fulham. his 250th Test wicket when he had Gaurika Singh and kara- decisive goal in also have to take responsibility.” Manchester City continue to toil On Sunday, Patrick Bamford con- Pant caught behind before tea but the teka Manday Kaji Shrestha. the final. In the A penalty by , away in the shadow of the top four, verted a spot kick in the fifth minute rangy left-armer finished the day tear- The winners among them will 2018/19 season too, she earned by a foul by Reece James on picking up wins and clean sheets with- as Leeds edged past Burnley 1-0. ing his hair out. be decided on the basis of eSewa played an influential role in votes, Facebook likes and votes from Sethu FC’s run to title in the same chief coaches of sports associations tournament. and the members of organiser Nepal In the domestic events, she played Sports Journalists Forum. The win- an influential role in Nepal APF ner will get a Pulsar motorbike in Club’s run to title at the eighth Lumbini, APF storm into semi-finals after second wins reward in addition to gift hampers. National Games and the Chief of Bhandari, the winner of the women Army Staff Cup, among others, last SPORTS BUREAU overcome by 204 reach double figures for Karnali who remained not out on nine runs. player of the year in the last edition year. She is also the highest scorer for KATHMANDU, DEC 27 runs on Saturday. The outcome means got 11 extra runs. APF skipper Rana Magar pock- (2075 BS) of the award, was among the Nepal with 38 goals under her kitty. APF and Lumbini move jointly on top Lumbini skipper Nary Thapa pock- eted two wickets of the provincial side nominees for the female player of the But despite her individual marks, and Nepal Armed of the standings with four points each. eted two wickets and also scored an and also shone with bat as the batting year for 2073 and 2074 award ceremo- Bhandari will not be satisfied until Police Force (APF) Club secured sec- The winner among them in the final unbeaten nine runs as they made 36-1 side reached the target in 13.1 over for nies. And it was all possible because her team wins major international ond wins in a row to storm into the group match set for Monday will pro- in 3.1 overs. Thapa’s score was the the loss of two wickets. Jyoti Pandey of her outstanding performance and silverware. As of now, the SAFF semi-finals of the Prime Minister Cup gress into the knockout as Group ‘A’ highest in Lumbini innings and she and Rana Magar, who came to open Samba style of play having Brazilian Women’s Championship and SAG are Women’s National twenty20 cricket winners. Province 2 and Karnali was declared the player-of-the-match. APF innings, shared 51-run stand for flavour. the only realistic stages where Nepal tournament on Sunday. already crashed out with a match in They were gifted with 20 extra runs. the first wicket. Rana Magar scored 18 After her nomination for the peo- seems close to title. But India has been Lumbini, who had defeated hand and the last match between them In the late fixture, Province 2 elect- runs before she was bowled by Kabita ples’ choice award, second year in a Nepal’s hurdle on almost all occa- Province 2 by nine wickets on Sunday, will determine the third and fourth ed to bat first and scored 72-8 in the Gautam. Pandey scored 30 runs facing row, was announced on December 19, sions. registered an identical victory over place finishers in the group. allotted 20 overs. Openers Shoba Ale 40 deliveries before she was trapped Bhandari exclaimed, “I got a second “We can’t be happy unless we beat Karnali to confirm the last four entry Electing to bat first, Karnali man- and Anuradha Chaudhary, who scored leg before by Saraswati Kumari. APF chance when people rarely get select- India in the final of sub-continental with a match in hand. In the late fix- aged just 34-6 in the match reduced to 13 and 18 runs respectively, were the were also gifted with additional 18 ed for the category of Sports Award.” events and we are capable of that. But ture, the departmental giants saw off 13-over per side owing to unfavourable only batters for the team to score in runs. Captain Rana Magar was The one thing that always pinches for this we need love, support and Province 2 by eight wickets. APF had weather. None of the batters could double figures. Santoshi Chaudhary declared the player-of-the-match. her as a footballer is Nepal’s inability motivation,” said Bhandari. HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) **** CANCER (June 22-July 22) *** LIBRA (September 23-October 22) *** CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) **** Give it all you’ve got and then some. You may not see Feeling just a touch on the crabby side lately? It’s To make a friend, you have to be a friend. So if you Change can be stressful, and that applies to changes results right away, but in putting forth a full effort, tempting to want to use those claws of yours to pinch feel like you and a certain someone have been drift- for the better too. It means leaving behind what was you’ll learn to appreciate the process, and that’s any inquiring noses, but hold off on that impulse. ing apart, ask yourself some hard questions too: familiar and embarking on a new way of life. And truly what’s most important. Life may never be per- People care about you, and they want to know how have you been there for this person the same way you you definitely have some changes for the better head- fect, but it can be a lot of fun if you let it. you’re doing. want them to be there for you? ing your way.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) *** LEO (July 23-August 22) *** SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) *** AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** The art of letting go isn’t hard to master, and not You’re simply irresistible now. Something in the Your body and mind are meant to work together, so if Don’t wait for life to happen to you. Make the life only that, you’ll find that it makes life a lot easier in way you move is drawing admirers from all corners one of them seems out of whack, it’s time to fix the you want happen. What are you waiting for? the long run. Besides, if you really did control the of the globe. It’s not just your overall beauty, problem. Maybe that means getting more sleep and Opportunities and possibilities abound if you know entire universe, there’d never be any surprises in although there is that, of course, but the entire pack- spending less time online. Maybe that means walk- where to look for them. It’s the life that you’ve always your life, and where would be the fun in that? age. ing sometimes instead of driving everywhere. wanted.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) **** VIRGO (August 23-September 22) **** SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) *** PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** Playing the field is all well and good. Heck, part of Some low blows may be coming down the pike, and if To find yourself, you might have to toss aside any Sometimes to get yourself together, you have to allow the joy of life is keeping your options open. Even so, you can’t duck, take the next best option and leap out preconceived notions you have about who you are in yourself to go to pieces first. Does that sound puz- you should make an effort to act honorably at all of the way. This may mean taking the moral high the first place. How can you really explore and dis- zling? It can be. If the solution or the root of a prob- times. So if you have a ton of choices, please remem- ground or maybe seeing what someone intends to do cover what you’re all about if you begin the journey lem has been eluding you, it’s time to dismantle ber that other folks are involved too. before they do it. with strict boundaries already in place? Who knows? everything and examine each of them separately. CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020 | 08 CULTURE & LIFESTYLE (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 How Night made its journey from metal to folk music In the past 14 years, the band has gone through many changes, in terms of its music and members, all the while creating its own niche in the Nepali music scene.

ANKIT KHADGI and relive the real experience as they had to be KATHMANDU sung in a group setting rather than in a stu- dio,” says Kunwar. he allure of the paluwa is like no In these years of producing, reviving and other. A leaf instrument, the palu- performing folk music, Night has seen wa is like nature’s flute—captivat- everything. They have performed in big music ing listeners with its rhythmic festivals, like the Shambala Music Festival. beats. The fretless tungna reverber- Likewise, in 2016, they were also invited to ates a rustic melody that echoes the perform for BBC Radio 3. Tspirit of celebration whereas the nyakhin baja “Last year was a busy year for us. Along revitalises the mind of the listener. with the release of our third album, we also Fourteen years ago, no one could have ever performed in many countries including imagined seeing Night play such folk instru- Germany, Belgium, France, Macau, Poland, ments. The band was a hardcore metal band, and others,” says Sugama Gataum, a vocalist at belting out loud, intense, and powerful sound- the band. If they were not busy in composing, ing music whenever they were performed. recording or performing, they spent time Today their music has changed completely. exchanging and discussing various ideas relat- “When we started, we were a metal band, ed to their artistic pursuit, say, band members. driven by the philosophy and ethos of metal But there have been frequent changes in the music. We never planned to be different or pro- faces of the band over the years as many of duce music for shock value. Rather, we wanted them have joined and left Night. Kunwar is still to compose meaningful music—the kind we leading the band, while Shakya, who previous- liked or listened to,” says Jason Kunwar, vocal- ly played tungna and is also the founding mem- ist and founding member of the band. ber of the band, is currently its manager. Kunwar along with Ranav Adhikari and Meanwhile, Shiva Kumari Khatri, who plays Niraj Shakya, who were avid listeners of metal the paluwa, and Sudhir Acharya, who plays music, had formed the band in 2006 and named the percussion including instruments like it Night, as the word embodied the essence of , dhime, nyakhin baja, have been with the style of music they composed, says Kunwar. the band for years. Gautam joined Night two But over the years, there was a shift and an years ago, with the recent addition of Agrim evolution in their artistic expressions. The PHOTO COURTESY: BISHWO HARSHA BAJRACHARYA Lama, six months ago, who now plays tungna world of folk instruments appealed to them, and The band’s members were avid listeners of metal music, and had thus formed the band out of passion in 2006. But over the years, there was a shift and an evolution in their for the band. from a hardcore metal band, they swiftly became artistic expressions. “By joining the band, I have received a big interested in reviving and producing melodies opportunity of exploring, learning and that were deeply rooted in the Nepali soil. says Kunwar. And more than a decade later, unique yet universal stories of common men whereas ‘Basai Bagayo’ is based on the flood- relearning various folk instruments as well as “It wasn’t planned. Everything happened Night has somehow been able to achieve what and women, addressing their journey, their ings of Koshi river in 2006, where we hear the received a platform for my artistic expres- organically. When we started exploring different they wanted to do. They have till date released struggles, their plights, their glories and most plights and sufferings of the flood victims. sions,” says Lama. music instruments, the folk ones stood out for three albums, Ani Ukali Sangai Orali (2014), importantly their culture. “That’s the beauty of art. It transcends For the band and its members, since its us, because of their sensitivity,” says Kunwar. Jhalka Raya Buka (2017), and Ramite: The “We try to be as sincere as we can to our everything and can fall into any category of inception, nothing has come easy. They waited But learning or even thinking of incorporat- Music, Volume 1 (2019), which features dozens emotions and like to compose songs on those expression,” says Kunwar, when asked if he almost six years to release their albums, due to ing folk music wasn’t easy for the band. Making of folk songs, representing the country’s musi- issues that touch us on a personal level. believes that Night’s albums are political. insufficient funds as well as the fact that they a full-time career in music has always been cal culture. However, we never repeat an idea or composi- His words are true as not all the songs com- couldn’t find a sound engineer that could do risky for musicians in Nepal, and to make it in And this was only possible because of their tion. Similarly, we always prefer to experiment posed by Night deep-dives into pressing social justice to their songs, says Kunwar. folk music has been proven to be tougher, say hardcore determination, sincerity, and the and explore with musical instruments as well and political issues only. For instance, in ‘Jhalka Likewise, they also regularly spent time on band members. fact that they were passionate to maintain in each of our compositions,” says Kunwar. Raya Buka’, the title song of one of their collecting funds for their albums, which can There weren’t enough teachers or guides discipline in learning the craft of folk music, But their albums aren’t just soothing. They albums, they have recreated the deuda and occupy a lot their time, due to which they available, as most folk musicians belonged to says Kunwar. equally make people question and reflect the thadi style of dancing and singing of Western might not be as regular as other bands, so-called “lower” castes and they were slowly “The ethos of metal gave us discipline. We structures of society that adversely affects the Nepal, creating a celebratory atmosphere. But like a long starry night, Night’s luminos- leaving the profession because of the stigma kept learning and discovering folk instru- conditions of underprivileged people, who are Likewise, their ‘Putaliko Bhesha Barilai’ is ity hasn’t faded away, as it’s journey in produc- and discrimination attached to their work. ments by visiting remote areas, learning from deprived of happiness from all sources. based on the tunes performed in traditional ing folk music, with long-forgotten traditional There was also a lack of institutions as well those who had mastery in playing such instru- For instance, in ‘Tuina Ko Cha Hai Bhara’, a wedding ceremonies in the remote corners of instruments is still going on, with a joyous and that could formally make them understand the ments. Sometimes, we brought instruments popular song of their first album, one can find the nation, whereas their another song, a never-giving up energy that acts a catalyst in nuances of the instruments. and self-learned as well,” says Kunwar. the voices of frustrations and dissatisfaction ‘Chhokra Geet’ is rooted in the music culture their artistic pursuit, says Kunwar. But Night was determined in fulfilling their In the songs of their albums, one can listen against the never-changing hierarchy and sys- of Tharu community, which also includes vers- “All over these years of composing and per- mission. The drive and madness in doing what to the tunes of the , the piwancha, the tem of the country that is still fostering es of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. forming, right now the band is in its best state. they aspired to do—create music from folk dhimey, the tungna, the , the pilhru, the socio-cultural gaps between people of the lands. While the audience only hears the final prod- We have developed enough intellectual and instruments and singing songs that were deep- kastaar, the chatkauli and other endangered In the melancholic tune of ‘Sunko Jutta’, uct, a lot of effort is spent on learning and emotional maturity. The music we create ly rooted in Nepal’s musical culture—continu- folk instruments, which add a layer of depth through a three-minute long music video, they writing the dialect as they try to be as authen- through the folk instruments isn’t just for the ously motivated them. and melody to their composition, aided by depict stories of thousands of Nepali migrants, tic as possible. Likewise, there are many songs, advocacy of preservation of culture and tradi- “Financially it was difficult for us, as what heartfelt lyrics, which Kunwar himself writes. who only return to their home, to their families, which they recorded live on the field as well, tions, but it also has become our medium of we were aiming to do required a lot of research Each song is composed with the same in coffins. Meanwhile, in ‘Kathor’ we are shown says Kunwar. artistic expression,” says Kunwar, who’s gear- and field visits. But we as a group were driven amount of precision and dedication, where the world of street children, who navigate their “Some of our songs had to be recorded on ing for the release of his book, Ramite, a one of unapologetically, which helped us to go on,” they not only sing a melody but also depict life of scarcity and hope in the big urban cities; the field as we wanted to recreate their essence its kind fiction novel.

Pixar’s ‘Soul’ joins mid-life crisis, jazz fantasia The film is a grand metaphysical whatsit—a mid-life crisis movie, a New York jazz fantasia and a body-swap comedy, all in one.

AP/RSS A scene from the latest Pixar film ‘Soul’.

JAKE COYLE American co-director. The film is lush- Batiste, are brilliantly transportive, NEW YORK ly set in a sun-dappled Manhattan. part of the film’s rich musical life, as You will even hear, for a moment, A scored by Trent Reznor and Atticus ete Docter’s “Soul” features Tribe Called Quest playing in the Ross.) But even as “Soul” rhapsodises stairway-to-heaven visions of background of a barbershop. For an the beauty of artistic creation, it pon- the afterlife, a pre-birth animation world that has almost ders the value of life for souls of less “before” realm where souls always been coloured white, this bor- premeditated determination. “Soul,” a are glowing turquoise orbs ders on radical. It’s also joyous. celebration of those less certain of and an in-between spiritual Joe (Jamie Foxx) is a middle-school their path in life, is a kind of corollary Prealm trafficked by some kind of psy- music teacher who has long pined for to Pixar’s “Ratatouille,” a portrait of a chedelic pirate. And yet, kind of magi- his own career as a jazz pianist. On the very purposeful young artist. cally, it’s about “just regular old living.” day his big shot finally comes—a This comes through not just in 22’s Pixar may have started simple with chance to sit in with the revered saxo- journey but Joe’s too, as he tries des- talking toys, but their concepts have phonist Dorothea Williams (Angela perately to return to his life and real- grown increasingly elaborate over the Bassett) and her quartet—a stray step ise his long-held ambition. In the end, years, giving abstract shape to interi- into an open manhole robs him of his Joe may remind some of Burt or consciousness (“Inside Out”), dream. With his body laying comatose Lancaster’s Archibald “Moonlight” brightening a peopled world of the in a hospital, Joe’s soul lands in a neth- Graham in “Field of Dreams,” anoth- dead (“Coco”) and conjuring a mythi- erworld—and Pixar’s animating inge- er who returns from beyond to get cal suburban land with a father’s nuity goes into overdrive. another swing at an unrealised half-resurrected body (“Onward”). Faced with an escalator to The Great dream—and in doing so only realises “Soul” is a step further, again: a grand Beyond reminiscent of Powell and how good he had it, in the first place. metaphysical whatsit—a mid-life cri- Pressburger’s magnificent “A Matter But the meaning of “Soul” also sis movie, a New York jazz fantasia of Life and Death,” Joe runs the other comes through in the pointillist real- and a body-swap comedy, all in one. way and drops into The Great Before—a ism of Pixar. Part of the fun, of late, with Pixar’s soft, pastel-coloured purgatory where As delightful as its imagery of the more ambitious movies is following a nascent souls find their “spark” before afterlife is, the best stuff might be plate-spinning act that juggles anima- plunging to Earth. It’s a rolling, blue- back on Earth. It would spoil things to tion whimsy, kids-movie imperatives hued land of mentorship, overseen by say too much, but Joe and 22 land back and the meaning of life in some seem- benevolent figures elegantly outlined in New York in a body-swap twist that ingly impossible combination that nev- in Picasso-like two-dimension. includes a therapy cat. Not all of this ertheless in the end makes us cry. You Not everything is perfect in The works, in the end; “Soul” is seeking can imagine a Pixar Mad Libs coming Great Before. Some souls struggle to such a high plane of sublimity that it’s up with a movie about hamsters in find their spark. Joe, posing as a sometimes forcing Pixar-styled tran- space that’s really about graduating Swedish psychologist to elude capture, scendence a little too much. high school, or one with unicorn cous- is assigned to mentor number 22 (Tina But the landscapes of “Soul” are ins who learn to cope with trauma. Fey), a problem child who’s already full of life. City streets teem with it. But part of what’s refreshing about cycled through everyone from Mother This is, undoubtedly, the best the “Soul,” which debuted last Friday on Teresa to Muhammad Ali looking for Manhattan subway has ever looked. Disney+, is its uniqueness. It’s a delib- her spark, her purpose. Little joys—pepperoni pizza, lollipops, erate and overdue new direction for It’s the elusiveness of purpose that helicopter seeds spiralling to the Pixar. The animation giant’s 23rd film, “Soul” swirls around, tenderly exam- ground—steadily accumulate. And “Soul” is its first to feature a Black ining what gives life meaning. “Soul” turns out to be not an explora- protagonist. Kemp Powers, the screen- For some, it might come as easily as tion of the afterlife but a wondrous writer of the upcoming “One Night in the notes that pour out of Dorothea’s whirligig of daily life. Miami,” is also Pixar’s first African sax. (The jazz scenes, courtesy of Jon — Associated Press

Published and Printed by Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., Central Business Park, Thapathali, Kathmandu, Nepal, P. B. No. 8559, Phone: 5135000, Fax: 977-1-5135057, e-mail: [email protected], Regd. No. 32/049/050, Chairman & Managing Director: Kailash Sirohiya, Director: Swastika Sirohiya, Editor: Sanjeev Satgainya