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 His eyes are moist as he looks at his new ‘model’ house. Ram Bahadur Ghaley, 77, has bitter memories of the 25 April 2015 earthquake in which he lost many of his relatives as well as his ancestral home. The Barpak village in Gorkha district was the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

 All the homes of the small village were destroyed, with 70 of its residents dying. It has been exactly four years since the devastating earthquake and the villagers of Barpak are still in the process of rebuilding their homes with the help of the Rs 300,000 in compensation from the government.

 Having spent many nights under the open sky, Ghaley has just finished building his new home. Even if he cannot get back the loved ones he lost in the earthquake, says Ghaley, he nonetheless wants to bring some happiness to those who remain.

 In the Dharche rural municipality in Barpak, 6,149 families have already rebuilt their homes while 1,033 families are still homeless. Their traditional abodes have been replaced by modern, earthquake resistant houses. One storied, quaint little houses with blue tin roofs are in fact the new signature feature of Barpak. The Barpak residents, who do not want to remember April 25, are forcefully reminded of the catastrophic day by the recurring aftershocks. But Barpak is slowly regaining its vitality, one blue tin roof at a time  

 A bunch of metalheads, all prolific in their respective instruments, got together in 2006 to form a Nepali ‘folk-metal’ band. They wanted to mix their favorite genre, metal, with ethnic musical instruments. But finding musicians to play those instruments to the rhythm and tempo of metal music was almost impossible. Thus they learned to play the instruments themselves.

 As their skills in the folk instruments grew, the band decided they would continue composing music with only ethnic instruments. Thus started the evolution of Night—a new-age Nepali folk band. Today, Night is a oneof- a-kind musical ensemble of young, determined and talented musicians who have set out to redefine Nepal’s folk genre and recover lost and endangered tunes of its farflung corners. An example of mature artistry and profound understanding of music, Night’s compositions are manifestation of the unexplored or understated contemplations of the unheard communities in the country, all captured as they are, and served organically to the aural satisfaction of its listeners.

 Night’s debut album “Ani Ukali Sangai Orali” (2014) gave us absolute tearjerkers like “Kathor” and “Sunko Jutta” while “Jhalka Raya Buka” (2017) introduced the audience to the authentic sounds of deuda from far-western Nepal. The band’s subaltern folk music challenges the very roots of heavily-synthesized commercial Nepali folk, with the madal and sarangi dominating the plasticized music (read : lok-dohoris).

‘We have been in this for over a decade because of the immense satisfaction we get and the freedom we have in creating our music’

Jason Kunwar, Night

 The success of Night and their global acceptance show there is more to Nepali folk music than lamentations of one’s failed life, mistimed political jibes, and running away with other people’s children. Night’s music come not just from superficial absorption of a single regional or communal music, but from deep research and extensive travel to some of the remotest parts of the country, in search of local dialects and melodies that are being lost.

 “If you evaluate our success in terms of album sales, we’re not doing so well. Night is definitely not a profitable band,” says Jason Kunwar, a founding member who writes most of its lyrics, composes music, sings, and is also a multi-instrumentalist playing ethnic instruments like the sarangi, piwachha, Nepali banjo, tungna, nyakhin and bamboo flute. “But we have been doing this project for more than a decade because of the immense satisfaction we get from it and because of the freedom we have in creating our music.” Like any other band in the country, Night has seen its share of differences among its members resulting in some line-up changes. But Jason along with another founding member Niraj Shakya (backing vocals and tungna) have been the anchors of the ensemble which has seen up to 14 members sharing the stage together.

 The current line-up has, besides Jason and Niraj, Sudhir Acharya in the rhythm section playing the nagara, dhime, nyakhin, madal and doing backing vocals; Sugama Gautam on vocals; and Shiva Kumar Khatri playing paluwa ( just leaves) and vocals. The Schima leaves Khatri plays, called chilaune in Nepali, have traditionally been used as musical instruments. This art is on the verge of extinction, band members inform.

 The musicians from Night are all involved in various other projects for their livelihood. Night is just an outlet for them to create music that differs from commercial norms. “We’re together because we play for pleasure,” says Niraj. “We love the feedback our audience gives us and we have been blessed with positive responses so far.” Night has performed at prestigious world music festivals like Shambala Music Festival in the UK, Sommarscen Malmö festival in Sweden, and Womex festival in Germany.

 The band has also traveled to other European and Asian countries including the exotic Uzbekistan with their music and are all set to tour Italy, Spain, Germany, France and Macau with their new album “Ramite-The Music, Volume 1”. The album, launched on April 13 this year, is inspired by Jason’s upcoming novel ‘Ramite-Daam’ translated as “The Spectator: Scar”, and finds Night at its peak of artistic confluence with the rhyme and rhythm of the Nepali folk music. “Our songs have in the past been about communities, places and natural disasters. But this album is based on a fictional alternate world and the struggles its people have to go through,” says Jason. Night has released some new songs from the album on Youtube. The physical copies are on sale at Ekta Books, while the digital copies can be found on the band’s iTunes and Spotify pages.

 Until Bal Mandir (Nepal Children’s Organization) found Promise, an abandoned child with umbilical hernia, three months ago, no one had thought about breast-feeding babies of Bal Mandir in its 55-year-long history. Promise was found, deserted, in Imadol, Lalitpur by a local woman who took him to Patan Hospital immediately. He was around 20-day-old then.

 When Promise drank milk, it came right out of his nose. He kept getting fever, looked malnourished and he was not even three kilograms when he was two months, informs Bal Krishna Dangol, director of Bal Mandir. He adds, “When we discussed how we could improve his condition, breast-feeding came up as a potential solution as breast milk consists of all the nutrients a child needs. We thought this may also contribute to better physical and mental health of children here.”

 After the discussion on March 4 this year, Bal Mandir started its breast-feeding program under which 15 under-two children at the center in Kathmandu were to be breast-fed. “I consider it a child’s right,” says Dangol. There have since been problems.

'Nothing can substitute breast-milk, which increases child’s immunity and is easy to digest'

Pashupati Mahat, Senior psychologist

 “When I told my friend from Bhaktapur, he was shocked. ‘How can I send someone from my home to breast-feed someone else’s baby?’ he asked. He was concerned that women would feel shy and uncomfortable.” Dangol says that among Newars in particular there is a belief that if a small child touches another, even via the mother, then they will have the tendency to cry more, also known as ‘runchey lagney’. So some mothers don’t want to come. Others question why they should feed another child when they have their own. Some said transportation was a problem.

 “We are thinking of giving at least taxi fare and one full-meal to whoever comes to nourish the kids. A separate room has been set aside to ensure privacy,” informs Dangol. Only mother and child would be allowed in that room, which is equipped with all the necessary breastfeeding tools such as a portable gas heater, sanitizer, diapers, and a cot. The mother can bring her own child along if she so wishes.

 Right now, it has not been possible for Bal Mandir to feed breast milk to all the babies. Most of them still get Lactogen Formula-I and II.

 Dangol is now preparing a PowerPoint presentation for new mothers in other maternity centers and hospitals in order to convince them to breast-feed a child at Bal Mandir. Breast pumps may also be given to new mothers so that they can pump excess milk and store it for later use in Bal Mandir. “Ideally, we would have a new mother breast-feed a child here three times a week.”

 He expresses happiness that three such mothers have already been found. Anita Kumpakh, a mother of a 7-month-old, has been breast-feeding Promise at Bal Mandir since the start of the breastfeeding program. She shares, “My neighbors told me that my child might get sick if I breastfeed another child but I wanted to do it anyway. I am happy I can contribute to the healthy development of a child. My family has been supportive about it as well.”

 She usually visits Bal Mandir at around 12 pm and stays till 3 pm. She tries to go 2-3 times a week. “I have personally seen Promise grow healthier. When I started, he looked very frail.” She says that she would encourage other new mothers to follow suit.

 Pashupati Mahat, a senior psychologist who specializes in child and adolescent mental health, supports this program: “Mother’s milk is important not just for the physical development but also for the emotional wellbeing of a child.”

 Mahat claims that even when an alternate mother feeds a baby, the child feels attached to her. Studies show that this attachment in early years is critical and breastfeeding is one activity that helps with it. There are downsides if new mothers coming to Bal Mandir are in it only to make some money or get benefits. “Then they may feed in a hurry. The baby too gets irritated and starts crying and that can prove to be detrimental for the baby’s development.”

 Mahat adds that even though companies may claim their milk can substitute breast milk, it is not true. “Nothing can substitute breast-milk,” which increases child’s immunity and is easy to digest. “It has all the necessary nutrients a baby needs; plus, it is not contaminated”.

 Mahat says the alternate mother should spend with the baby at least three hours at a time, and at least three days a week. “Do it less frequently and the efficiency of the breast-feeding program may be compromised,” he cautions. If this program is successful in Kathmandu, Bal Mandir hopes to run it in all its 10 branches across Nepal.  

I talk often enough about fourwheel vehicles. Or more specifically, taxis. Even more specifically, their drivers. But what about bikes? First off, I still get confused when I hear the word bike. Where I come from, a bike is what children get for Christmas. Yes, what is termed a ‘cycle’ here in Nepal. To me then, a motorised ‘bike’ is a motorbike. And, while on the topic, a scooter is a scooter, not a scooty (however it is spelt). Who came up with that word anyway, it’s hardly an abbreviation worth bothering about?

Anyway, back to bikes (of the motor persuasion). They are everywhere. Parked on the pavement, triple parked in designated spots, driving on the pavement, suddenly appearing from narrow lanes not big enough to swing a cat; you know it! But in case you don’t know—bikes are supposed to follow the same rules as cars. That is, not being two abreast so you can chat to your friend. Not four abreast just because you can. And definitely not weaving in and out, and tearing around the wrong side of a vehicle making it a real danger for pedestrians.

I still get confused when I hear the word bike. Where I come from, a bike is what children get for Christmas

 I realize, monetary constraints aside, the majority of people have bikes as they are easier to handle and faster to navigate through the congestion. That said, what is not on is bikes making the congestion worse by not waiting their turn at a junction and by filling every available gap. Really no one is going any faster if you act in this haphazard manner. A few months ago I wrote about the art of shopping in Nepal. Where the shop keeper serves six people at one time. He gets through the customers equally as quickly on his clock but the least pushy customer may find himself taking five times as long while others are served ahead of him. That’s how it is with bikes. The more bikes that push and squeeze their way to the top of the queue the more time every other vehicle takes to get across the junction. So you Mr Macho get home 30 seconds quicker but the rest of us have to spend another five minutes in the line while 20 bikes sail ahead.

 And it’s not just the men. Female bike riders (or ‘scooty’ riders), if not equally as aggressive, are equally as dangerous. Probably more so. Like the college-aged bike riders who are extremely gung-ho with their devilmay- care attitude, female riders seem oblivious to other road users. Is it because they ride less frequently or is it because they feel they have an ‘Equal Right’ to the road? Or is it just because they are more bitchy to other road users, especially female pedestrians? I often get the feeling it is the latter. Because whereas there are a few gentlemen on the road, there are not any gentle-women! There are just hard-core feminists making their point.

Getting back to bad road habits— why do cars and bikes heading the same direction across a junction go two different ways? I mean when there is a police box in the middle of the junction or some other obstacle, the traffic streams to both the left and the right. I’m from Britain where we have an excellent system to control the flow of traffic at a junction. A round-about. Similar to those round police boxes in the middle of the chowk, but bigger. Sometimes the size of Maitighar. Or as small as my desk (if it was round). These ensure the flow of traffic runs smoothly, one way around the crossing. Even if you are riding a bike. Imagine— traffic running smoothly and predictably. And we all get home so much sooner!