Nepal’s Musician Caste Adapts to Changing Times

December 25, 2014

Ramchandra Gandharba plays his sarangi at a temple at the foot of the Himalayas (Photo Victoria Nechodomu/Nechodomu Media) Ramchandra Gandharba is one of a dozen instrument salesmen who can found wandering the streets of Pokhara, a lakeside tourist hotspot in Nepal. They all sell the same instrument: a four-stringed traditional Nepali violin called a sarangi. To the unknowing tourist, this instrument may serve as a simple wall decoration, or to...

Tibetans in Nepal Seek Economic and Cultural Stability

December 15, 2014

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Thousands of Tibetans have fled their homeland over the past several decades, and sought out life in settlements abroad. Of these 140,000 refugees, it is estimated that 20,000 currently live in Nepal, where they have limited legal status. With no land to call home, Tibetans in Nepal struggle daily for economic stability, while still trying to maintain and preserve their cultural identities. Refugees in a Foreign Land In 1959, Tibetans began fleeing their…

Temple Visitors fall Victim to Monkey Business

December 8, 2014

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Visitors to temples throughout Nepal may find themselves overwhelmed by dramatic, ancient architecture, drifting curls of incense, and the ticking of prayer wheels spinning. However, no Nepali temple experience would be complete without yet one more element: monkeys. Accustomed to free handouts from temple visitors, these monkeys have free reign of many temples throughout Nepal. Their role in ancient Hindu mythology has earned them the title of "holy," and therefore...

Gadhimai Festival: Thousands of Animal Sacrifices Raise Concerns about Cultural Practices

December 2, 2014

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Hundreds of designated butchers work into the evening after a full day of buffalo sacrifices at the Gadhimai Festival on Friday, November 28, 2014. BARIYARPUR, NEPAL (NOV. 28, 2014) A crowd of 2.5 million assembled in the remote, bordertown of Bariyarpur, Nepal leading up to the sacrificial days of Gadhimai Festival on November 28. Known as the largest ritualistic sacrifice of animals in the world, Gadhimai has attracted a fair share of media attention, protest,...

Phedi Woman Sews to Secure her Future

November 9, 2014

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PHEDI, NEPAL (Nov. 3, 2014) Sabita Lamichhane measures out the fabric for a traditional Nepali dress in her tailoring shop. (Victoria Nechodomu/Nechodomu Media) Sabita Lamichhane is one of the few entrepreneurs in the small village of Phedi, Nepal. She owns a tailoring shop, while also juggling her roles and responsibilities at home and in her family’s fields. Listen to the story above to learn about her journey towards her place as…

From Guns to Meditation: Retired Gurkha soldier reflects on his personal journey

November 2, 2014

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Deo Kumar Gurung, most often called by his ashram name, Jagannath, is a 66-year-old retired Gurkha soldier and security guard who now lives a life of meditation in the jungle-covered hills of Nagarjun, Nepal. The son of a Tibetan woman and a Nepali hill tribesman of Eastern Nepal, Gurung lied about his age to join the prestigious military group, The British Gorka Brigade, at the age of 17. According to the BBC,…

Agricultural Cooperative Empowers Nepali Women

October 26, 2014

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The United Nations recognizes that, in many regions of the world, women live a life of limited opportunities, inequalities, and oppression. “Gender inequalities remain deeply entrenched in every society. Women lack access to decent work and face occupational segregation and gender wage gaps. They are too often denied access to basic education and health care. Women in all parts of the world suffer violence and discrimination. They are under-represented in…

Local Cuisine Meets Locals’ Needs

October 19, 2014

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Over 80% of Nepal’s population live in rural areas, and 70% of the population works in the agricultural field. With hard-working days that often exceed 12 hours of manual work, it seems fitting that that Nepali population rely on a diet of protein rich lentils and beans, filling rice, and vegetables straight off the vine. Sakuntala Rokka is a chef at Social Tours, Nepal, and has a lifetime of cooking experience, as well as…

A Nation Pauses to Celebrate with their Families and Honor the Mother Goddess

October 10, 2014

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Kites soar above the houses of the sprawling city of Kathmandu and its surrounding hillside villages. Children form lines at the base of towering traditional bamboo swings. Local buses, bearing the weight of hundreds of passengers, baskets of produce, and live goats, run back and forth to local communities, brining families together. City market spaces and squares display hundreds of goats for sale, and butchers busily chop apart blocks of...

People of Nepal Confront Sanitation and Hygiene Issues

October 5, 2014

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Nepal is considered a trekker’s paradise by well-known travel resources such as Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor, and National Geographic. “Wedged between the high wall of the Himalaya and the steamy jungles of the Indian plains, Nepal is a land of snow peaks and Sherpas, yaks and yetis, monasteries and mantras,” describes the Lonely Planet. Yet, this country, so well renown for its stunning, natural beauty, faces a number of challenges that…