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It is human nature to explore and overcome the challenges presented by nature: from diving into the deepest oceans to climbing the world’s highest peaks. As Nepal consists of eight of the world’s ten tallest mountains, we have witnessed countless mountaineering expeditions, records, and valiant attempts.

The 2026 spring climbing season was no exception. This year, the Himalayas once again became the stage for remarkable feats of endurance and determination, as several climbers broke historic records. Initially, this climbing season was delayed due to the risk posed by a massive serac above the Khumbu Icefall, which hung over the route to the summit, delaying the Sagarmatha expedition by around two weeks.

Despite the difficult start, this season soon transformed into one of the most eventful climbing seasons. The government issued 494 permits to climb Sagarmatha this year, breaking the all time high of 479 permits in 2023. Due to the pushback the climbing society faced due to the serac in early climbing seasons, the push for the summit intensified during the latter half (especially during mid-May). This caused an unprecedented 274 climbers summiting Sagarmatha from Nepali side in a single day. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of Sagarmatha ascents in a single day was 354 on 23 May 2019: 223 from the Nepal side and 113 from the Tibet side. Since the Chinese authorities have closed their route this year, this was the highest summits from a single route ever.

These records have caused a problem of their own. It has raised concerns regarding the overcrowding in high altitude. “It was very crowded this year compared to last year. The authorities need to control this number,” Kami Rita Sherpa told reporters at Kathmandu airport after returning from his summit. After the death toll this season increased to five, Kenton Cool, who summited 20 times—the highest non-Sherpa assent—told Reuters, “It is the operators who should be more diligent with who they ​allow to be with the team (of guides) that goes to the summit. People should not die on Sagarmatha ​if they have good ​enough experience.”

Yet despite concerns surrounding overcrowding and safety, the 2026 season also stood out for a series of historic achievements by Nepali climbers. Kami Rita Sherpa extended his own world record for the most Everest summits by climbing Sagarmatha once again this season, bringing his total to 32 ascents. Closely following him is Pasang Dawa Sherpa, who is currently on 31 summits after he summited twice this season. 

Lhakpa Sherpa also broke her own record, achieving her 11th Sagarmatha summit (the highest number of ascents by a woman). “These records show the strength of Nepali Sherpas in the Himalayas,” explained Utsav Pathak, the managing director of Himalayan Mountaineering.

Beyond individual climbing records, the 2026 Everest season also highlighted Nepal’s representation through national institutions and public service personnel. 

In a milestone for mountaineering and diplomacy, US Embassy Nepal’s Public Affairs Chief Mike Harker summited Sagarmatha on May 20, becoming the first serving American Foreign Service Officer to scale Mt Everest.

Just the previous year, Nepal also witnessed a historic achievement from its security forces. According to the Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Abi Narayan Kafle, Kunjang Chhopel Sherpa became the first female police officer to summit Sagarmatha on 19 May 2025. At the summit, she hoisted banners with the national flag of Nepal, Nepal Police, and messages against gender based violence.

Representing Nepal Police, Senior Sub-Inspector Purushottam Nepali had previously climbed the Sagarmatha in 2023, being the first male police officer to summit Sagarmatha. Similarly, the Nepali Army has played a major role in mountaineering expeditions over the decades. 

According to the Nepali Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Raja Ram Basnet, then Warrant Officer 2 Padam Bahadur Tamang became the first enlisted personnel from the institution to summit Sagarmatha in 1988, later retiring with the rank of Major. Among officers, Captain Sunil Singh Rathore became the first to successfully climb Sagarmatha in 2003, and currently serves as a Brigadier General.

“We generally view mountaineering as a matter of national pride, International recognition and our utmost discipline,” the Army Spokesperson stated. Beyond Sagarmatha expeditions, the institution has contributed through high-altitude rescue operations, military-to-military joint expeditions promoting military diplomacy, and providing security during the 2008 Olympic torch ascent to Sagarmatha. The Army has also actively participated in the “Safa Himal Campaign” from 2019 to 2024, collecting over 108 tons of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste from the mountains.

As the 2026 climbing season comes to an end, Sagarmatha has once again proved why it remains the symbol of human endurance and ambition. This season witnessed countless records along with institutional achievements. However, along with these accomplishments, concerns regarding overcrowding and safety were also highlighted, which need to be solved for sustained mountaineering.

I once asked Nepal’s first president, Ram Baran Yadav, why he often described himself as “a buffalo-herding person who became president.” He explained that it symbolized the republic’s promise: that any ordinary Nepali could rise to leadership and participate in government.

His presidency carried its own symbolic importance as Nepal’s first Madhesi president. Today, with Balendra Shah as the Prime Minister, many young people see another symbol of change — one shaped by frustration with traditional political leadership and old political practices.

But change brings both hope and criticism. Supporters of republican values criticize Balen for avoiding formal government procedures, from leaving policy discussions midway to missing regular briefings with the president. His supporters argue that results matter more than formalities, especially when past governments followed every procedure yet failed to deliver meaningful change. Those failures, in many ways, fueled last year’s Gen Z protests.

The protests were not a sudden outburst. They reflected years of frustration over political unaccountability, unemployment, and broken promises. At the same time, some protesters vandalized public property, attacked government offices, and engaged in violence — actions that cannot be justified. Violence against police officers and public officials weakened the legitimacy of peaceful protest.

Still, acknowledging this should not prevent difficult questions from being asked. Many students and young people lost their lives, while others were injured. Their families still await clear answers. Instead of accountability, public debate has often shifted toward conspiracy theories about foreign influence. Even if outside actors played a role, the government remained responsible for handling the situation without excessive violence.

At the same time, the suffering of police personnel must also be recognized. Many officers were seriously injured or killed while carrying out their duties. Their pain cannot be ignored, and those responsible for attacking them must also face accountability.

In any republic — especially one built on sacrifice — the deaths of students, civilians, and police officers should never become normal political events forgotten within weeks. A state that cannot answer for the deaths of its youth risks losing the trust of an entire generation.

The two commissions formed to investigate the protests have failed to build public confidence. The Gauri Bahadur Karki Commission was criticized for not adequately investigating the September 9 incidents, while the National Human Rights Commission report faced criticism for overlooking events from September 8 and for several technical shortcomings. When justice is delayed or unclear, trust in government slowly erodes.

A government succeeds only when institutions and public aspirations move together. Perhaps this Republic Day should not only remind us how Nepal became a republic, but also force us to ask whether the republic has fulfilled the promises it made to its people. 

Adapted from a Novel by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary is a science fiction film focused on survival, problem solving and human emotions. Written by the author of The Martian, the film follows his style of science and emotion driven narratives. The Martian, which was adapted into a film in 2016 starring Matt Damon, was nominated for 7 Oscars, setting a high standard for upcoming science fiction movies. Now, Project Hail Mary is on par with The Martian, if not surpassing it in certain aspects. 

It starts with the story of a man who wakes up in a space ship 11.9 light years away from earth with no memory of who he is and why he is there. The story progresses with him slowly remembering his memory over time, represented by shifting narrative between the past and present. The film is strong in its storytelling, direction, and setting, but there is one key decision in the plot that reduces its emotional impact.

The story is one of the best parts of the film. It feels fresh and interesting, even though it follows a basic idea of survival in space. The story slowly unfolds as we venture between the past and the present. Every new piece of information adds to the layer of world building. Ryan Gosling also gives a very convincing and layered performance as Ryland Grace. 

His way of delivering some of the lines is, in itself, one of the most uplifting aspects of the film. One of the mistakes actors get wrong all the time is using the same delivery of humour for all of the situations. However, Gosling avoids it. You feel the nervousness and uncertainty he carries as he jokes in space with Rocky, while you can feel the optimistic and purposeful feeling on Earth. The joke on Earth makes you laugh, whereas the joke in space makes you tear up. This was one of Ryan Gosling’s best movie performances.

The second half of the Project Hail Mary is just a cinematic highlight. The emotions and tension build over the course of 30 minutes, layering on top of each other. The intensity becomes so strong that you are completely still and can't help but be immersed in the movie. Every minute that goes by raises the stakes for the characters. But when it reaches the pinnacle, it fails to land swiftly.

This is where the film’s weakness appears. The shift back to the past, especially after major emotional buildup, reduced the overall impact. Instead of letting the audience fully feel the weight of the reveal, the film switches to the past. This broke the flow of emotion and diminished the moment. As a result, the emotional payoff does not feel as strong as expected.

In conclusion, Project Hail Mary is a great film with a strong story, great direction, and an impressive cast. The return to the past, at an important moment, reduced its full impact, but it is still an engaging, thoughtful, emotional and spectacular science fiction film that is worth watching. Dare I say: One of the best movies of 2026.

The release of Bully, alongside SoFi concerts, marks a new phase in Ye’s (formerly known as Kanye West) career. Bully is his twelfth studio album, following several delays from 2025 and early 2026, and his first after antisemitism controversy. Ye later apologized for his behavior by taking out a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal. “I am not a Nazi or an antisemite, I love Jewish people,” he wrote, while attributing his poor judgment to his Bipolar Disorder. 

Bully’s release was accompanied by Ye’s first major US performance in several years at SoFi Stadium. He sold out 70,000 seats in LA for two nights, and featured many guest artists including Don Toliver, Travis Scott, and North West (his daughter). Much of the show drew directly from Bully, making the album a central part of the direction on stage.

On the first listen, the album feels like a nostalgia fest. The opening tracks like King and Father resembles the beat, sample style and production of Yeezus. Whereas, the later tracks draw from his College Dropout era as well as 808’s and Heartbreak’s autotune style. One of Ye’s defining traits in his albums is that he isn’t hesitant to explore new production styles, samples and voices, even if it meant going against his fanbase. But this album doesn’t exude any special or new style. It seems like Ye, after all the backlash regarding his controversy, chose not to take risks for this album. His creative process and his production are still there—every sample on the album feels enjoyable—but ultimately, it fails to do something interesting.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that Bully is not a good album. It just feels like a nostalgia album that builds off his previous records, designed for every Ye fan to enjoy at least one of its songs. In doing so, the album seems unfinished and half baked as it lacks thematic progression. Having said that, if you look at each song individually instead of altogether as an album, you would probably enjoy it way more.

The reason that the album feels incomplete is due to his partnership with Gamma for the record production and sales. Bully was supposed to be a full AI album partnered with Gamma, but Ye later on decided against it and wanted to rerecord the entire project. So, it is speculated that, when the time came for releasing the album, even though Ye hadn’t completely finished working on the album, he had to release the album alongside the physical copies to maximize sales. So, the album is not technically the final product. Ye will revise and update it as time goes by. And this is not a new concept for Ye. This has happened frequently throughout his previous albums, such as Donda and The Life Of Pablo. So, to find out what Ye had in mind with this album concept. We will have to wait a few months.

Overall, Ye’s album Bully isn’t one of his best projects and does not explore Ye’s  new style, but it fulfills what it set out to do. It was meant to be a redemption album for his fans, and it succeeded in doing so. This is a type of album that has something in store for everyone: Whether you are an Ye enjoyer or not.

For many music fans, the music of Hiranya Bhojpure is instantly recognizable, even before his name is. A former band member of the nationally acclaimed ‘Lekali Band’, his creativity extends beyond music. He is known for using his platform to voice the problems of people whose basic rights have been violated. He has also published over a dozen books of poetry, short stories, essays, and children's literature. 

‘Aang Sherpa & The Ocean of Heights’ is his latest release. Set in the Himalayan base camp and Everest, the story is inspired by real events and real figures.

There are two ways to approach a book inspired by real incidents. You can dive into the story without prior research, or you can enrich your experience by familiarizing yourself with the events that fueled Bhojpure’s imagination. 

The first is the 1996 Sagarmatha disaster. Some sherpas believed that the 1996 climbing season was fated for doom after two climbers had sex in a tent, an act they believed had angered the goddess Chomolunga, revered in Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Drawing from this, the main protagonist, Aang Sherpa, is portrayed as someone who indulged in sexual activity at the highest altitude as part of a project by Director Moor—a member of the Australian Climbing Society. This act makes him a celebrated figure in the society, while simultaneously drawing fierce backlash from Nepali communities who view his behavior as a desecration of the sacred mountain. This leaves Aang with two choices: settle into a comfortable life in Australia or return to Nepal and face the consequences.  

Though the choice is predictable, it still feels meaningful in how it reflects his values and identity.

Not being able to live without climbing again, he returns to Nepal, knowing he will face a lot of challenges. From giving up his prize money to foregoing a secured future, he accepts everything for the chance of climbing again. Moments like these deepen our understanding the characters, and the tension between cultural values and ambition elevates the storytelling. 

One of the novel’s strengths is its information in regards to culture and traditions like the ‘Rakshi Dalle Laddu’. The novel succeeds in showing the hardships that sherpas face during treacherous climbs. Bhojpure’s background as a singer and a poet lends a lyrical rhythm to his prose. The imagery of the mountains and the scenery are vivid throughout.

As this book is Bhojpure’s first attempt at long-form fiction, there are a few problems. The non-linear narrative structure of the novel makes the opening and some middle sections difficult to follow. Outside of Aang Sherpa himself, most characters receive little development, making it hard to feel invested in their choices or the emotional weight of outcomes that involve them. 

The book’s ending, too, feels somewhat forced and unnatural. Despite its flaws, the story manages to create a moment of tension during Aang’s return to Nepal. It is also worth noting that since this is Bhuwan Thapaliya’s first attempt at translation, some of the issues with the novel may be associated with translation itself.

Altogether, this book has its own charm and disadvantages. Certain passages of this book are lyrical and beautiful, while others leave the reader confused and disoriented. The plot is creative and entertaining, but the execution feels lacking.