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Nepal is the land of breathtaking landscapes in the heart of the Himalayas along with its vibrant culture and profound spirituality. The country does not only have a diverse geography but also a heritage of diverse cultures and existence, where various ethnic and religious groups practice different feasts and celebrations. Mahashivaratri is one of the festivals celebrated in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the principal deities in Hinduism, on the 13th night and 14th day of the lunar month of Falgun (February/March). The festival holds significant spiritual and cultural importance among Hindus around the world, particularly in Nepal and India. Mahashivaratri is a cultural and spiritual occasion that brings millions of worshippers together in their quest for divine blessings and inner serenity. Nepali Army also celebrates Shivaratri as the Army Day, to commemorate its founding day. It is an occasion for the nation to honor the bravery and service of its national army, fostering a sense of unity, patriotism and pride among Nepali citizens. 

Shivaratri stands as one of Hinduism's most significant festivals, marked by the worship of Lord Shiva, the deity of destruction and regeneration. Devotees observe rigorous fasting, perform rituals and engage in night-long prayers to seek blessings, enlightenment and purification. Legends surrounding Shivaratri, including the marriage of Shiva and Parvati or the cosmic dance of Tandav, infuse the festival with mythological depth and symbolism. It serves as a time for introspection, spiritual renewal and devotion, uniting millions in reverence and celebration across the Hindu world, fostering a sense of community, devotion and connection to the divine.

The Nepali Army used to mark the Army Day on the fifth of Magh to commemorate the founding of the Gorkhali Army by King Prithvi Narayan Shah on 5 Magh 1818 BS, which later developed into the Nepali Army. This historic event marks the genesis of Nepal’s military prowess and its role in shaping the nation’s destiny. However, from 2005, the tradition of celebrating the Army Day was shifted to the day of Shivaratri to coincide with this auspicious festival, aligning the celebration with cultural and religious sentiments while still honoring the legacy of the Nepali Army. Army Day is a significant national observance in Nepal, commemorating the establishment of the Nepali Army and celebrating its pivotal contributions to the nation. The day honors the bravery, sacrifice, and dedication of the army personnel who have served and continue to serve the country. It serves as a reminder of the Nepali Army’s role in safeguarding the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and peace of the nation. Through various ceremonies, military parades, and cultural events, Nepali Army Day not only pays homage to the soldiers but also reaffirms the nation’s commitment to the defense and security of Nepal. This occasion fosters a sense of national pride, unity, and gratitude among Nepali citizens towards their national army, highlighting their vital role in the country’s progress and prosperity.

The Army, formed by King Prithvi Narayan Shah in the mid-18th century to unify the fragmented kingdoms and principalities into modern-day Nepal, boasts a rich and storied legacy dating back centuries. Nepali soldiers, renowned for their bravery, loyalty and martial prowess, have served in numerous conflicts and wars worldwide, earning a formidable reputation. Domestically, the Nepali Army has played a crucial role in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly during times of internal conflict and insurgency. Its commitment to peacekeeping missions, disaster relief efforts, development works and nature conservation underscores its dedication to solidifying its position as a pillar of national progress along with Nepal's security. 

If we relate the eternal cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution of Hindu mythology, the Nepali Army has played a vital role in the creation of modern Nepal and maintenance of national unity.  

Shivaratri and Nepali Army Day, while distinct in their observance, share profound symbolism and values that resonate deeply within Nepali culture. The spiritual ethos of Shivaratri, with its emphasis on devotion, self-discipline and the triumph of good over evil, finds resonance in the discipline and honor upheld by the Nepali Army. Just as devotees of Lord Shiva engage in rigorous fasting, prayers and meditation to attain spiritual enlightenment and purity, soldiers of the Nepali Army undergo intensive training, adhere to strict codes of conduct and make personal sacrifices in service to their nation. Both Shivaratri and the Nepali Army prioritize self-discipline, perseverance and a sense of duty toward a higher cause. Moreover, the symbolism of Shivaratri, which represents the cosmic balance, mirrors the Nepali Army’s role in safeguarding the nation's sovereignty and protecting its citizens from external threats and internal unrest. In this way, the spiritual values embodied by Shivaratri serve as a source of inspiration for the discipline, honor and dedication demonstrated by the Nepali Army in fulfilling its duty to the nation. 

Shivaratri and Nepali Army Day serve as powerful occasions to reinforce a sense of national pride and unity among the Nepali people, transcending religious and cultural differences. Both events highlight the importance of courage, unity and service to others, whether in the pursuit of spiritual growth or in defense of the nation. They serve as reminders of the values that bind Nepali society together, fostering a sense of pride, community and resilience among its people.

Modern governments have a primary duty and obligation of providing social protection to their citizens.  Governments around the globe make budgetary allocations for this purpose every year. 

There is a huge gap across regions and countries with respect to budgetary allocations and coverage of population. Europe has the highest level of social security expenditure (nearly 25  percent of its GDP), followed by 21 percent in OECD, 16.6 percent in North America, seven percent in the Asia-Pacific and 4.3 percent in Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, social security coverage ranges from five percent to 10 percent of the population. Middle-income countries have social security coverage ranging from 20 percent to 60 percent of their respective populations, whereas in developed countries the coverage is nearly 100 percent. In the Asia-Pacific, social security schemes cover 44.1 percent of the total population of the region. 

Neighboring countries are ahead of Nepal with respect to coverage of people under social security. China has medical insurance coverage for 95 percent of its population whereas India and Bangladesh have 24.4 percent and 28.4 percent of their populations under their social security nets. But Nepal has a paltry 17 percent of its population under different kinds of social security programs. 

It is important to note here that the expenditure on social security exceeds capital expenditure in Nepal because of a low coverage of its population under social security. A trend over the years shows that the government expenditure on social security exceeds capital expenditure. This was evident in the fiscal 2021-22 and 2022-23, for example. Expenditure on social security in 2021-22 was Rs 252bn whereas capital expenditure was Rs 216bn. Fiscal 2022-23 saw a similar trend whereas in the fiscal 2023-24, Rs 253bn and Rs 234bn have already been spent under the topics of social security and capital expenditure, respectively. 

Both expenditure on social security and capital expenditure are important for Nepal’s entry into the club of middle-income countries, which is easier said than done. If Nepal desires to join the grouping of middle-income countries, its capital expenditure should exceed expenditure on social security. 

This is because capital expenditure helps increase production and productivity of the whole population, which are crucial for achieving targeted economic growth and creating employment opportunities for the masses, thereby driving the country toward prosperity and sustainability. 

Capital expenditure in Nepal leaves much to be desired as most of our rural and urban roads, which are muddy and dusty, show. Air pollution is high in the Kathmandu valley not because of the presence of industries but because of unmanaged traffic movement along highly-congested and dusty roads. Blacktopping these roads means spending capital. 

But funds for such works are hard to come by  with an increased focus on social security for targeted sections. 

Capital expenditure helps create employment opportunities for the masses, including the poor, the downtrodden, unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled youths, among others. 

Whereas expenditure on social security helps increase the consumption of targeted people such as the poor and the downtrodden, elderly citizens, malnourished children and single women. Of course, both capital expenditure and expenditure on social protection are primary duties of a modern government. 

While social protection is a must, it cannot be a substitute for capital expenditure. Thus, it is necessary to maintain discipline while spending money. Transfer of funds from one purpose to another is a common practice of the government of Nepal. 

Summing up, a government committed to social welfare and conducting development activities for sustainable economic growth must make rational decisions when it comes to spending its hard-earned capital.

Nepal is aspiring for a stable government and prosperous developmental initiation and progress. When we start the confab about development, environment appears simultaneously. However, more often than not, environment and development are mistaken as two sides of the same coin, which cannot come together. This is contrary to the global understanding.

Global development discourse, through a series of adaptive learning, has reached the general consensus that the achievements made on the development arena cannot be sustainable without proper integration of environmental aspects. The same has been the central idea behind Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is the blueprint for peace and prosperity across the globe. Nepal must make some serious efforts to join hands on this global development discourse. The question is not about written commitments, as Nepal is party to a majority of multilateral environmental agreement, it is about implementation.

Environment and development

Environment Protection Act and Environmental Protection Rules (EPR) of Nepal mandate the proponent of development activities to conduct an Environmental Assessment (EA) before initiating development works. The proposals (policies, programs or projects) can have both positive and negative impacts on the physical, social or economic environment. EA was originally initiated to minimize or avoid negative consequences of development projects and their alternatives while amplifying the positive impacts. However, some of the factors have undermined the potentiality of EA in meeting stipulated objectives in the case of our country. 

First, development activists take the investment in environmental sectors as unnecessary liabilities. However, we need to take that investment to be analogous to insurance. Investing three to five percent of the total budget of the project in environmental issues can assure that your investment will provide a sustainable benefit. This means the cost-benefit ratio of investment in the environmental sector can be greater than 20. 

Godawari marble factory (Godavari, Lalitpur) and Himal cement factory (Chobhar, Kathmandu), among others, were terminated because of their failure to acknowledge environmental impact. 

The situation could have been different with identification of environmental aspects and adoption of mitigation measures from the first phase itself.

Secondly, EAs in Nepal are generally ill-timed. In case of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), the study is initiated after preparation and approval of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The scenario is worse in the case of Initial Environmental Examination (IEE). A majority of IEEs are carried out after the start of project works, restricting the ability of environmental assessment studies to properly explore the alternatives, which is very crucial for EA, to assist in the decision-making process. 

Third, EA requires an interdisciplinary approach. So, after initiating EA in Nepal to fulfill the commitment made on the global agenda, especially at the Rio convention (Earth Summit 1992), the government introduced Environmental Science at the Tribhuvan University (TU). The main motive was to produce skillful human capital for conducting EAs. The subject was designed focusing on the need of EA as it requires an interdisciplinary approach. Absurdly, even when there are sufficient environmental science graduates, untrained persons with backgrounds other than environmental science are getting the opportunity to conduct EAs in most of the cases. This makes the EA study liability instead of insurance. 

Fourth, even the students of environmental science lack adequate training. Most of the environmental graduates in Nepal are from TU. The Department of Environmental Science of constituent colleges of TU itself does not have adequate academic resources. The facilities are not adequate. The situation is even worse for other universities. 

The government has to make investments for raising the capacity of human resources. Furthermore, training the human resources through real field experiences in monitoring and evaluation work as a third-party monitoring body could provide the students with the real field experience of EA.  

Fifth, a majority of decision-making bodies lack the human resources with understanding of EIA. Most of the comments made to experts during the defense of the assessment report are either related to social aspects of the proposal or are related to the forest. Other aspects are often overlooked as support staff with administrative backgrounds and a scant understanding of technical issues often get to comment on EIAs prepared by subject experts. In the past, when the report was prepared in English, they used to make comments only on the executive summary section. As the reports are drafted in Nepali these days, a majority of comments are on grammatical errors, often at the expense of other critical issues. 

Sixth, the report cannot ensure sustainable development on its own. Environmental monitoring and auditing is the heart of an effective EA. If proper monitoring is done while undertaking development projects as stipulated in the assessment report, we can customize and address the issues that are often overlooked during the report preparation phase. In fact, the responsibility of monitoring has not been adequately assigned in the existing laws. Government has hired some Environmental Graduates as Environmental Inspectors. However, most of them have been posted in the Environment Division. Relevant ministries tasked with approving IEE reports lack human resources capable of understanding the interdisciplinary nature of the subject. 

Seventh, the Department of Environment (DoEnv) is often bypassed during the EA approval process. Though some of the officers get involved in the process, the department itself is bypassed. The Biodiversity Section approves the EIA while MoFE shows reluctance to pass on the authority to DoEnv, which is hard to understand. 

Finally, policy documents related to EA in Nepal focus only on project level assessment. Other tools such as cumulative impact assessment, sectoral impact assessment and strategic impact assessment need to be introduced to expand the horizon of impact assessment beyond the project level. Among other things, strategic environmental assessment is the utmost urgent need for Nepal. 

What next?

Government should prioritize the environmental sector, as they are crucial for national prosperity. Strengthening environmental issues by creating a platform for environmental science graduates at each level of the government will be a tactful decision. Those graduates can assist local bodies in devising and executing the plan based on local contexts. This will also enable local bodies to properly monitor environmental impact of developmental activities carried out within their jurisdiction. Currently, some local and provincial authorities have the authority to evaluate and approve IEE and brief environmental study (BES) reports. However, as they do not have qualified human resources, the government should think about appointing at least one environment expert for each local body. At the central level, strengthening the Department of Environment and allocating authorities related to environmental assessment should be a priority action. We also need to start discussing and implementing cumulative impact assessment, sectoral environmental assessment and strategic environmental impact assessment. 

Beside these, restructuring the course of Environmental Science at the Bachelor level as a stand-alone subject (BSc CSIT model), establishment of well-functioning governing bodies (Equivalent to that of Medical Council/Engineering Council) to take examination and issue licenses for EA and compulsion of license for passing assessment reports are also equally vital. 

The author is an assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Science, Padma Kanya Multiple Campus

When the South Korean film “Parasite” made history by winning four Academy Awards, including the award for the Best Picture, people started wondering if they have been missing out on some good foreign films that would undeniably enrich their cinematic experience.

Why was “Parasite” an achievement?

Bong Joon Ho, the director of  “Parasite” drew further attention to this matter by cleverly stating: “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

The general consensus is that people have an aversion to subtitles because they draw the attention to the wrong part of the screen and are generally distracting and take away from the visual storytelling and experience. Therein lies that barrier.

But the issue goes even deeper. One could argue that the concept of subtitles couldn’t possibly be associated with politics. This would be wrong. The underlying issues such as racism, omnipresent prejudice and cultural differences are key aspects that fuel the general public’s dislike towards foreign films and, by default, subtitles. Despite winning numerous accolades, “Parasite” still struggled to make a complete breakthrough and earn recognition among the English-speaking audience. People argued that they enjoy watching a movie, not reading it. Some even wondered why the director chose an all Korean cast and why the director did the film in Korean instead of English.

It wasn’t until “Parasite” won the Academy Award for the Best Picture, when people had no choice but to give it the recognition it deserved. It can be concluded that, in order to get recognition in the entertainment business, a movie should be made in English.

Foreign films vs Hollywood

Foreign films often have smaller budgets than their Hollywood counterparts; therefore, the quality of production, costumes, special effects, marketing, etc. is not as mega costly as it’s often the case with Hollywood movies. The former simply can’t compete with the latter—production wise. But that is not to say that great budget equals great quality.

Certainly there are expectations the audience has from Hollywood productions and when a foreign movie falls short of the same expectations, the audience often generalizes the quality of all foreign cinemas. Some foreign movies are far superior and engaging than their Hollywood counterparts, but they are rarely watched due to the preconceived bias that foreign cinemas are bad. Such an attitude perpetuates prejudice towards foreign films, categorizing them as sub-par or low quality and therein lies an even greater barrier.

In fact, foreign films show and teach us obscure aspects of life and culture, making up for budget shortcomings in an innovative and creative way. Therefore, one could argue that the role of subtitles is necessary and a vital part of cinematic experience, enhancing understanding, not only of a language but of culture as well. That is why, for the people who don’t speak the language, subtitles don’t represent a barrier, but a tool, a form of aid that allows them to understand the dialogue and actually get a chance to fully experience the film.

The issue with subtitles

The mechanism of subtitles is a complex one. It requires the accuracy of a translation that successfully and effortlessly shifts from source language to target language, without losing or omitting the original idea and, as such, are crucial in delivering the nuances and hidden, as well as obvious, meanings that a director wishes to convey to foreign audience.

What role can the subtitles play?

Subtitles are crucial in the success of a movie, because badly translated or inaccurate subtitles limit and hamper the message a movie is trying to deliver. To further illustrate the importance of subtitles, we can have as an example of the persons who are deaf or hard-of hearing. For them, subtitles are a tool that removes whatever limitations they may have and that may hinder their enjoyment and are of vital significance in making movie content accessible and inclusive.

On a more technical note, subtitles also serve as visual cues that allow a viewer to focus on what’s being said, if we take into account background noise, a variety of accents and voice levels or even ambient dialogue, without missing visual information. They are a physical manifestation of auditory information, which constitutes a rather important part of a film. Furthermore, subtitles aid in learning language and improve reading abilities, which is often an underrated effect. 

Are subtitles necessary?

It’s always useful to be reminded that movies are not limited or exclusive to Hollywood. Keeping an open mind is necessary in every aspect of life and having an open mind makes a foreign movie more enjoyable. This exposes a person to a myriad of different styles of cinematography and talented directors and actors. It is inspiring as it is useful.

Pleasing everybody all the time is not possible but we must strive to understand one another, without jumping to conclusions and relying on prejudice when we are met with something that is unfamiliar. When “Parasite” won the Academy Award for the Best Picture, it broke the barriers and erased the boundaries imposed on motion pictures. It made the audience strive to understand the foreign culture. It truly made history. The cinema won that night, and cinema is not exclusive to a country, language or culture.

There are a lot of gifted filmmakers in so many countries, presenting us with outstanding films. It would be a waste to miss out on those amazing films just because they come with subtitles.

Subtitles have the ability to transcend, by means of making a part of a culture that is embodied in a visual storytelling accessible to everyone, therefore broadening the experience, which certainly demonstrates the resonance and power of that “one-inch-tall barrier.”

The writer is a Nepali subtitle translator and runs a Nepali translation company, Wordinvent