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Last month, we wrote about hydroponics, a method of growing plants without soil and by using only mineral nutrient solutions in water. There is another farming technology, developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the early 1990s, which has now made its way to Nepal. Aeroponics is a process of growing plants in an airy or misty environment without the use of an aggregate medium or soil. This farming technology was introduced in Nepal by AeroRoots, a hi-tech agriculture company, a year and half ago and it has been customized for Kathmandu’s market.

The produce is healthy. Tests done on the aeroponics products in Kathmandu found them to be fully organic

Sandhya Bajracharya, manager at AeroRoots, says the idea was born out of the desire to fight the massive brain drain from Nepal and to encourage youths to contribute to the country’s agricultural development. And so research on aeroponics started 28 months ago with a vision of ‘Pesticides- free tomorrow.’

Business development officer Salina Upreti says the produce grown in a single 5 ft by 5 ft system (drum) is enough to feed a family of two. “It is possible because the drum has 60 holes with protruding pipes. The suspended plants are grown in a closed or semiclosed environment. Mist nozzles automatically spray a nutrient-rich water solution inside the drum so that the dangling roots inside receive proper nutrition. A timer makes sure that the nutrient is sprayed at proper intervals,” says Upreti. She claims that the company has successfully grown 21 varieties of vegetables and that it lets clients—mostly nuclear families— select the kind of vegetables they want to grow.

Aeroponics offers many benefits over traditional farming, says Upreti. First, it requires little space; the drum can easily fit in a balcony or a small garden. Compared with the land required to grow 60 saplings in soil, the aeroponic system needs very little space. And the drum can be moved easily.

Second, it requires less effort. A lot of time has to be invested in traditional farming; however, once the aeroponic system is installed, it is pretty automatic and requires minimal care.

 Third, the yield is higher. “Something that takes 90 days to produce with traditional farming can be produced in 45 days with aeroponics,” says Upreti. Fourth, water usage is lower. Upreti claims that aeroponics only requires 1 percent of the water used in traditional farming.

Fifth, the produce is healthier. Tests done on the aeroponics products in Kathmandu found them to be fully organic. Sixth, one can easily grow off-season vegetables too, since NASA originally designed this system for use in space exploration. Seventh, the plants do not contract soil-borne diseases.

But despite such benefits, the initial investment may be a bit expensive for some. The whole package—consisting of a year’s supply of saplings and nutrient, a 5 ft by 5 ft drum, a nutrient pump, mist nozzles, a timer and the installation fee—costs Rs 75,000. But once the system is installed, it can last for over four years. And AeroRoots staff also visit their clients once every two weeks and give free consultation for a year. “The client needs to make sure that the electricity supply is uninterrupted,” says Upreti. “But not much electricity is required. The amount of electricity needed to fully charge a mobile phone is enough to run the system for a whole day.”

Anil Khadka, a professor at Premier College in Kathmandu, has been a client of AeroRoots since August 2018. He has two “aerogardens”, that is eight drums, for which he paid Rs 300,000. He says that the produce is more than enough for his family of four and he sells the extra produce. In the beginning, it was hard to adapt to the system and the production was less because there was some problem with the nutrients, he adds. “I was told that one needs to check on the system once every few days, but I feel one needs to do so at least once a day to make sure the nozzles have not jammed and the electricity is running. I am satisfied with the production for now.” When he tells people about aeroponics, many think that they can do it themselves. “An uncle of mine is going to experiment with this himself, and he has ordered the necessary materials from China.”

AeroRoots has received various awards. So far, it has sold 40 drums to 10 clients and won a grant of Rs 1.6 million from Nepal government. It also received an interest free loan of Rs 500,000 from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. “We are thinking of scaling up production and making aeroponics affordable for more Nepalis,” says Bajracharya

At present, there are 31 one-way roads in Kathmandu, such as the ones from Mahendra Salik to Jamal in Durbarmarg, Chabahil to Ganeshthan in Gaushala, Kumari­mode to Kumari Hall in Singha Durbar, and Thamel chowk to Nars­ingh chowk in Thamel. When a road is made one-way, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MTPD) gets lots of complaints from the public about having to waste time and pet­rol in taking a longer route. So why are one-way roads necessary and how does the MTPD decide which roads to convert into them? Basant Kumar Pant, a senior superintendent of traffic police, says the main goal is to make traffic more manageable and reduce acci­dents. “On two-way roads, vehicles are more likely to disturb the flow of traffic. And more traffic police need to be deployed at junctions. In developed countries, making U-turns and right turns is not always permitted. It’s only allowed at cer­tain junctions,” he informs.

Earlier, the street from Krishna Pauroti to Gyaneshwor chowk was one-way. “But after the road was expanded, it was made two-way. Now, we are thinking of making it one-way again. There is not much traffic on the Gyaneshwor-Krish­na Pauroti route and vehicles have other options to reach their destina­tion,” says Pant.

Before making any traffic-re­lated decisions, the MTPD holds discussions with the main stake­holders, namely the Department of Roads (DoR), the Department of Transport Management (DoTM) and the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Office (KMCO). The DoR is responsi­ble for marking roads, maintaining dividers, etc.

The DoTM is authorized to issue vehicle- and route- permits, register public vehicles, make traffic rules and conduct fitness test of vehicles. And the city office is responsible for managing parking, clearing side­walks and maintaining street lights. “All these things have to be consid­ered before making a road one-way. Also, the impact of making a road one-way and the problems it may create have to be well thought-out in advance,” says Pant.

“Since the number of vehicles in Kathmandu is fast increasing, with­out appropriate measures, there is a high chance of gridlock, a situation where a road become so blocked that vehicular movement becomes impossible,” says Pant. He cites an example of a junction in Koteshwor where the chances of vehicles not being able to move for half an hour are very high.

On January 11, the DoR and the MTPD commenced a study to iden­tify roads in Kathmandu that can be made one-way. “We want to main­tain one-way roads that are already there and introduce more of them in the city,” says Pant. The metropoli­tan traffic will coordinate with traffic engineers, traffic police and DoR officials for this study. “We aren’t sure when the study will conclude as we are going to inspect all the roads inside the Ring Road,” he says.

“Once we decide to make a road one-way, the traffic police post var­ious signs and signals to inform the public about the change. We also disseminate information through the media and our website, as well as by conducting a public hearing. For one week, people are made aware of the new rule. After that, whoever breaks the rule is fined,” informs Pant.

Whenever a one-way rule is intro­duced, Pant says that complaints always pour in as people only think about their own convenience. But there are collective benefits to mak­ing a road one-way. “You have to either waste time being trapped in a traffic jam or spend some time and petrol to take a longer route. We are still a long way from understanding these developments,” he says.

Until and unless the drivers understand the rules and their benefits, the traffic will not flow properly. “Traffic rules are not to be followed only in the presence of a traffic police but at all times,” says Pant.

Solo Woman Travel Challenge or Swo-Yatra, a competition which gives women a chance to win a grant for their solo travel anywhere in Nepal, gets between 400 and 500 applications every year. An initiative of NepaliTravellers, an NGO, 42 women have both won grants and traveled solo through this four-year-old competition. It lets women come up with their own itinerary and gives them short self-defense and first-aid training before they embark on their trip. With so many applicants, it is clear that more and more Nepali women want to travel alone. APEX tried to find out what else these women are looking for. In 2018, 417 women applied for this competition, 28 of whom spoke to us. As many as 16 viewed this competition as a way to convince their guardians to let them travel on their own. “My parents never let me go anywhere alone. Even though Nepali society has progressed on many fronts, it still has not changed much in terms of giving women more freedom. In a way, this competition was a chal­lenge to myself and the society I live in,” says Prasamsa Shrestha, 23, an applicant this year.

Menuka Gurung, 24, is one of the Swo-Yatra 2018 winners. She recently returned home after completing her Bachelor’s in Thailand, but is finding it difficult to adjust in Kathmandu. “My parents would not let me travel alone anywhere. I did not need anyone’s per­mission to travel around when I was in Thailand. It’s been a year and a half since I am back in Kathmandu. Only through this competition was I allowed to travel solo,” she says. And now that she has finally traveled alone in Nepal, she hopes her parents would give her more freedom in making future travel decisions.

 Definitely not crazy

Asmita Rijal, 20, who participated in the competition this year, says apply­ing to this competition helped change her parents’ perspective on women solo travelers. “The sheer number of women applying convinced them that I’m not the only ‘crazy woman’ who wants to go around the country alone.”

Jason Shah, co-founder of NepaliTrav­ellers, says that this was not meant to be a woman-empowerment project. “We do not teach women how to travel solo. We only help those who already want to do so.”

Shah says he wanted to create a big impact with the small resource at his dis­posal. “There are many women who have later traveled alone with their own funds after they won the competition. Each year, videos of women traveling solo are uploaded and parents watch those inspir­ing videos and learn about travelers. Such videos let them know that their daughter is not the only one traveling solo and that there is a support system in place.”

Shah adds that if the applicants had everything they needed to travel alone, they would not have applied. “I think most of them are looking for money. But even those who do not win become inspired after going through the application process and meeting like-minded women.”

He says that parents, after seeing the month-long application process involving multiple rounds of interviews, understand that their daughters are not acting on a whim but have a well-thought-out plan.

 An initiative of NepaliTravellers, 42 women have both won grants and traveled solo through this competition

Will she be safe?

Menuka Devkota, 23, another applicant this year, agrees. “If I had won, I would have been allowed to travel alone. The competition allowed me to convince my parents to let me travel alone. Seeing my dedication to the application process and my willingness to go through any hardship impressed them a lot.” She says she feels lost at times and by traveling alone, she wanted to learn to be more independent, know about herself, build self-confidence and relieve stress. When asked why she was not allowed to travel solo, she says that parents were worried about her safety.

Preety Kulung, 19, agrees. “Had it not been for this competition, I wouldn’t have traveled solo, because the idea of women traveling alone is indeed new for us. News of so many rape cases has created fear among women and parents.”

There have been instances when Nepal­iTravellers has faced difficulty in sending women for solo travel. “In our second year, two winners couldn’t travel because they were not allowed to by their guard­ians,” says Shah.

“It is not a big deal for men to travel alone. It should be the same for women, but our society has not reached there yet. We want more women travelers—traveling solo or in group. It makes travel more inclusive.” Shah believes that if travel is safe for women, it would be safer for everyone else.

Other women we spoke to stated ‘money’, ‘training’, and ‘an opportu­nity to explore oneself’ and ‘to gain self-confidence’ as top reasons for applying. We also spoke with wom­en who have traveled alone with their own money. Faija Parween, who recent­ly went on a solo trip to Europe, says, “I think solo travel is empowering. It is an opportunity to go and see the world with your own eyes and without anyone else to color your views. It makes people, particularly women, more deci­sive and stronger.” She says that compe­titions like Swo-Yatra are just one way for women to travel solo.

Dysfunctional traffic lights are one of the main reasons for bad traffic of Kathmandu. “If only the lights at the main junctions were working,” says Sumesh Gautam, a 33-year-old micro-bus driver, “there would be much better traffic flow.”

Especially during rush hours, there is a lot of jam. If a traffic police is absent at a junction even for 10 minutes, a chaos quickly ensues. “So why are traffic-lights not being fixed?” Gautam asks. Other drivers, and even traffic police personnel, pose similar questions.

“If there were working traffic lights, first, our human resources could be better utilized,” says DSP Krishna Dutta Bhatta of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MPTD). “Second, it would be easier for the general public to follow traffic rules.” Around 1,450 traffic police personnel are deployed to control the traffic of Kathmandu alone, he adds. “An average of four traffic officers are required to handle traffic at a single junction.”

A normal shift of a traffic officer at a post is of around four hours, and some may stand at a junction for over 12 hours a day in various shifts. In case of conferences and special escorts where VIPs are involved, they have to spend up to 18 hours a day on the streets. “We still lack enough human resources to be able to change shifts. Thus during special programs a traffic officer has to continuously be on duty for 15 hours,” Bhatta says.

The MPTD has been pushing the Department of Roads (DoR) to install traffic lights around the city, according to Bhatta. Around eight months ago, they submitted proposals and sent written letters to DoR, as well as to Lalitpur and Kathmandu municipalities, for the same.

Dip Barahi, a senior divisional officer at the DoR, says there were plans to install 35 smart traffic lights around Kathmandu at an estimated cost of Rs 750 million. (In a smart system, traffic lights at different junctions are synchronized to ease traffic flow.) But later the department found out that actually it would cost a lot more. Bahari informs that the software that analyses traffic at different junctions and set timings for smart traffic lights alone would cost Rs 10 million. There were other problems too.

“There are no Intelligent Transport System (ITS) experts in Nepal,” says Barahi. “In fact there are just 14 ITS experts in the whole world. So installation of smart traffic lights in Nepal will take time. But we are still consulting some foreign experts.” Instead, the department is now planning to install eight regular traffic lights at the main junctions of Kathmandu, the tender for which has already been given.

“Within a year traffic lights at Singha Durbar, Bagbazar, Kalimati, Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Mitrapark, Thapathali and Gaushala junctions will be in operation,” Barahi assures. “Also, we are slowly starting to repair old traffic lights,” says Barahi. hatta of the traffic police hopes the traffic lights are being installed strategically. “There will continue to be traffic jams so long as lights at all main junctions are not working,” he warns.

Cultural dimension

Many in the Newari com­munity are worried the proposed alcohol regulations might affect their traditions. In Newari culture, alcohol is considered a neces­sity for rituals and social gath­erings. It is also considered a shagun (auspicious) and is so engraved in the culture that there are utensils such as anti (a brass vessel with a long narrow snout) and salincha (small clay bowl) that are especially designed to hold alcohol. Kashinath Tamot, a his­torian and script specialist, says that such regulations are useful if judiciously implemented. “These new regulations might be suit­able for certain parts of our country. But in those areas where alcohol is considered an integral part of local commu­nities, the government has to think carefully,” he says.

He adds that irresponsible drinking may be a problem in some villages and remote areas. “But I have not heard of many drunken fights in the Newar community of Kathmandu,” Tamot says.

Moti Raj Bajracharya, Chakreshwor (high priest) of Raj Kriti Mahabihar and a Guruju (one with great knowl­edge on Newari poojas), agrees. “In Newar commu­nity, alcohol is used mainly for pujas and not necessarily con­sumed to get drunk,” he says.

But when asked if the new regulations might affect Newari culture and rituals, Bajra­charya says they would not. “Since aila [homemade fiery liquor made from barley or rice] and chyang [made from fermented rice] are produced inside most Newari homes, the rituals won’t be disturbed,” he says. As the alcohol prepared at home is considered “pure” by Newars, if only distribu­tion and sales are regulated, it would not be a problem.

Bajracharya supports the proposed regulations. “Per­haps alcoholics will now drink less and make less noise in our locality,” he says.

But Tamot cautions against such ill-thought out plans. “During the 2008 Indra Jatra, the then prime minister Babu­ram Bhattarai issued an order to stop sacrifice of animals. People immediately rose up in revolt.”

Tamot suggests a phase-wise implementation. “They should start with a municipality or a province where alcohol consumption is linked with various kinds of violence. On the basis of the lessons learned there, they should then try to implement the regulations in the rest of the country,” he says. “If alco­hol is not being misused in an area, why create unnec­essary problems?”

Suruchi Shahi, 23, of Bungamati, Lalitpur says, “Selling alcohol from only two stores in a ward, as is being proposed, could be problem­atic, especially during festi­vals”. But regulating alcohol may also reduce “violence, fights and even vandalism”.

What about the culture? “I don’t think it will much affect our culture much. Culture is so much more than alcohol consumption,” she says.

Gender violence & crimes

The government hopes to reduce gender-based violence through new curbs on alcohol products. Sub-inspector Gita Thapa of Women and Children Service Center (WCSC) of Nepal Police says she fully sup­ports the proposed regulations. For one, her cell is yet to get any complaints about wives who drink and beat their husbands. “Perhaps men feel ashamed to report such crimes,” says Thapa, although she doubts there are many such unre­ported cases. On the other hand, the number of women who report physical abuse from their drunk husbands has been steadily rising.

In each of the past three fiscals, WCSC reports show, alcohol con­sumption is one of the two major reasons cited for domestic violence in Kathmandu. In 2015-2016, for instance, 338 of reported 1,482 domestic violence cases were related to alcohol. A year later, 513 out of 1,839 such cases were alcohol related. Most recently, in 2017-2018, alcohol was cited as a reason for domestic violence in 506 out of 1,968 cases. Nonetheless there are mixed views over whether the pro­posed rules on manufacture, sale, consumption and advertisement of alcohol products will in fact reduce domestic violence. "Alcohol alone does not result in domestic violence. Alcohol consumption plus intense patriarchy can, " Diwas Raja KC researcher.

Diwas Raja KC, a researcher who has closely studied the temperance movement in the US, is against such moral policing. “Alcohol alone does not result in domestic violence. Alcohol consumption plus intense patriarchy can. If you remove patri­archy, alcohol is pretty harmless. The new regulations are inadequate response to such a complex issue.”

Pema Lhaki, executive director of Nepal Fertility Care Center and a woman’s rights activist, sits on the fence. “I think domestic violence is also about power relations. Alcohol allows men to channel their power in a patriarchal society. So while I do not think alcohol directly leads to domestic violence, by compro­mising your thinking, it does create a fertile ground for such violence.”

Lhaki talks about her time in Doti district where she had gone to talk about menstrual hygiene with local Kamaiya women. But besides hygiene tips these women wanted something else. “They wanted a medicine that would make their hus­bands stop drinking. They said their husbands drank and beat them and finished all their money on alcohol and this why they were poor.”

Anil Kumar Thakur, a Secretary at the National Women Commission Nepal, says that the new regulations are not cure-all but they are helpful. “In many districts of Karnali zone, drunk husbands still routinely beat up their wives,” he says. But Thakur also says that in many cases these husbands may have bashed their wives whether or not alcohol was involved. In these instances “alcohol just becomes an excuse.”

Sub-inspector Thapa agrees. “There are prob­lems in every marriage. But that does not give men license to drink, lose control and beat their wives. Afterwards, they blame it all on alcohol,” she says, reflecting on her own experience of dealing with these crimes for the past four years.

Some hope the new rules will create more awareness. “In Rolpa district it was the local anti-alcohol movement that brought women into politics. Perhaps the new rules will push more women into such pub­lic roles,” says KC, the researcher. Lhaki, the activist, believes the reg­ulations “create room for dialogue”.

Not enough

Sub-inspector Thapa goes fur­ther, arguing her women’s cell should be allowed “to jail those who commit gender based violence after consuming alcohol.” Right now, in such cases, the cops can only coun­sel the couple.

“Before this August, we could jail people for 24 hours for inquiry without a warrant. But now we have to take the court’s permission to do that,” Thapa says. Only if the vic­tim of domestic violence is severely injured or on the verge of death can the victim file an ‘attempt to mur­der’ case against the offending male.

In his research titled “Alcohol and drug use in Nepal” Dr Nirakar Man Shrestha, a senior consultant psychi­atrist and former health secretary, finds strong links between alcohol and crimes in general, not just gen­der-based violence.

“Much violence both outside and inside the home has taken place under its influence, and it has been the root cause or precipitant in many antisocial and criminal acts,” says the 2004 WHO Global Status Record on alcohol for Nepal. Studies in India also link alcohol and crimes. For instance one study suggests 57 to 69 percent of the crimes in the state of Kerala are alcohol-related.

But unless the contribution of lopsided gender roles on the scale of violence in patriarchal societies like Nepal and India can be better calculated, alcohol will, rightly or wrongly, continue to be blamed for many of their social ills.

“Like I said, our government is looking for a quick fix. But without addressing other root causes like patriarchy, better laws alone are unlikely to work,” says KC, the researcher on the US tem­perance movement.

Are you one of those folks who like gardening but do not have enough time to tend to your plants? Or someone who is not home often and have to ask someone to water them? Then you would per­haps be interested in hydroponics, which lets you tend to your plant just once a fortnight. Using this technol­ogy you can easily grow fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, spinach and cucumber. Hydroponics is a method of grow­ing plants without soil, using only mineral nutrient solutions in water. Terrestrial plants are grown in high-tech tunnels or pipes with only their roots exposed to the mineral solu­tion, or the roots may be supported by an inert medium such as coco peat (coconut powder) or gravel.

 Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil, using only mineral nutrient solutions in water

Ganesh Kumar Pandey, who start­ed hydroponics (‘soil-less farming’) in Nepal with his Hydroponics Nepal Private Limited, hopes that “the new generation can use this technology to grow their own vegetables on their rooftops.”

With rapid urbanization of Kathmandu and with land getting increasingly scarcer and expensive, hydroponics assures best use of gar­dening space. “Using hydroponics you can get the same yield in 5,400 square feet of land that you would get in 27,000 square feet of agricul­tural land,” Pandey says.

The initial investment may seem a touch high for some. For example, to install the system over a 400 square feet of land, Rs 50,000-75,000 has to be spent on pump, timer, sub­mersible pump, high-tech tunnel, containers and nutrients. But small hydroponics systems can be installed with initial investment of as little as Rs 20,000. If you plan on installing the system yourself, a knowledge­able technician would cost you Rs 1,500 a day. Pandey argues that this is good investment in long term because once installed, you only pay for nutrients and electricity (to keep the water running) for the next 15 years. Also, 400 square feet of land, if used strategically, “can easily feed a family of six round the year”.

There are other benefits too. The plants do not contract soil-borne dis­eases. In more traditional farming, a great deal of human and non-human resources as well as time are used up nurturing plants. Hydroponics, in addition to requiring less time from you, also ensures no bugs or dirt. Pandey says that vegetables grown this way taste better and stay fresh for longer, compared to those available in the market. As the plants do not have to compete for nutrients with other plants and can get nutri­ents as and when they want, they are healthier as well.

But there are some downsides too. This automatic system requires electricity for the water to run and with the power-cuts that Nepalis (still) experience, one has to have a generator to ensure smooth growth of plants. “Due to the presence of some chemicals in the nutrients, it is also only 80 percent organic,” Pan­dey informs. Moreover, the plants require controlled lights and tem­perature. Pandey assures that they are still developing the technology and in due course the system would be made even more efficient.

Pandey says that despite the gov­ernment showing some interest in the beginning, there has been no initiative to promote hydroponics in Nepal. As the nutrients for hydro­ponics have to be imported, their cost is as high as Rs 400 a kg. “If only the government made the nutrients tax-free, it would be of great help for our cause!” he says. Not everyone who is interested can afford it, thus if a banking system were available where one could pay for the system in installments, Pandey adds, per­haps more would be encouraged to take up hydroponics.

Despite all these challenges, Pandey says the company gets around 50 requests a day from people who want to learn about hydroponics. He plans on starting a training program for them in the next two months.

Sex toys were a novelty in Nepal just a decade back. And you could buy only two or three types of them. Now, you will be able to choose from over 500 varieties, ranging from fake male and female sex organs to vibrators and bondage toys. “With more people becoming aware about the benefits of using sex toys for healthy sexual satisfac­tion, stress relief and better mental health, the Nepali sex toy market is steadily growing,” says Bhisma Bhandari, proprietor of Nepal Con­dom House, a sex-toy shop that oper­ates four stores in Kathmandu valley. According to him, as well as a few other sex toy sellers APEX con­tacted, around Rs 5.5 million worth of sex toys are now sold in Nepal in a year.

 Rs 5.5 million worth are sold in Nepal in a year. Kantipur Condom House and Nepal Condom House were the first shops to sell these toys in the country

Kantipur Condom House and Nepal Condom House were the first shops to sell sex toys in Nepal. Sameer Bohora, who owns Kanti­pur Condom House at the old bus park near Tundikhel, says, “In 2008, we sold one piece of sex toy in six months. We basically kept them as showpieces in the shop.” Now around 60 varieties of sex toys are available in his store and he sells around 500 sex toys a year.

Prabin Dhakal, who started his own ‘Nice n Naughty’ store at New Road six years ago, informs that he sells around 3,000 sex toys a year.

Store owners tell us that though fake male sex organs are in biggest demand, the buyers who visit the stores are mostly male. “According to our conversations with buyers, most women send their close male friends or husbands to buy sex toys for them, or women have the toys delivered to their homes. A woman might be afraid of what others would think of her if they saw her enter the store. This mentality needs to change,” says Bohora.

As women are reluctant to talk about their sex toy preferences, store owners are confused about the mar­ket demand. “Once I got an order from a woman for a pair of hand­cuffs, and we did not have them. Only later did I come to know what they were used for.” Bhandari informs that among women, divorced, single women over 40, women whose hus­bands are out of Nepal or whose hus­bands have chronic diseases are the main buyers.

Most sex toys that are sold cost between Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000, and most of them are sold in Kathmandu, probably because of its high pop­ulation density and greater sexual awareness. People from other dis­tricts order online.

“We package them as gifts and sent them via courier or by air,” says Bohora. Demand from Pokhara is high in these Kathmandu-based stores even though Pokhara itself has many sex toy shops. “This may be because the prospective buyers there are scared of going to a store in their locality,” says Bhandari.

Sex toys sold in Nepal are mostly imported from China. Ram Nepal, who stays in China and exports sex toys for Kathmandu Condom House, goes to Chinese wholesale markets and checks the prices of the ordered items. If his client back in Nepal agrees to these prices, he buys the sex toys and exports them to Nepal.

Condoms are tax-free but sex toys are heavily taxed. By the time it reaches the store, around 45 percent tax is levied on them, including lux­ury tax, value added tax and munic­ipality tax. When transport costs and profit are added, the selling price of these products when they reach the consumers in Nepal is almost double the cost price. When asked if they think sex toys will soon be produced in Nepal, all three store-owners reply with a definite “No!”. “Even con­doms are not made in Nepal,” says Bohora.

“Despite these toys being ben­eficial for sexual health, they are not promoted like condoms are in Nepal,” complains Bhandari of Nepal Condom House. He adds that it was only around 2011 that people came to know about sex toys and curiosity drove them to these stores. “We first called journalists and celeb­rities to the store and when the word got out, more people got interested,” he informs.

Buying these sex toys online is an option but selling them online is not as straightforward. “If Face­book, which is popular among our target audiences, detects the word ‘condom’ or ‘sex toy’ in a post, then that post cannot be boosted,” says Bohora.

Nonetheless, store owners reveal that most of their orders and related queries originate online. Even if they get online order, they encourage buyers to visit the stores in person. “Only when you touch and see the products will you really know if they will be to your satis­faction,” says Dhakal, the owner of Nice n Naughty.