New year is all about new beginnings, now is a good time to revisit them and set things right, again
PURUSHOTTAM SHAMSHER RANA'S COLLECTION
MEMORY LANE: This almost 100 year old photo taken from Bhadrakali shows a small gravel road lined with pine trees leading towards Singha Darbar.
With half a dozen different new years, we Nepalis have an excuse to eat, drink, and be merry every few months. This year, the planets have conspired to let us party for 48 hours straight as we welcome Bikram Sambat 2070 on Sunday. So book those weekend getaways, send out Facebook invites for your wild house party, or get hold of concert tickets of the band you have been dying to hear. Short on ideas? Let us help (
Page 8-9).
New year is all about new beginnings and if you haven’t lived up to the resolutions you made in January 2013, now is a good time to revisit them and set things right, again. But even as we move forward into 2070, we take a look back at Nepal and Nepalis over the last 100 years. Old places, old faces tell us how we have journeyed far.
Meet three (great) grandparents as they reminisce about experiences that although oddly familiar, seem straight out of history books. They have lived through the devastating earthquake of 1990 BS, witnessed the rise, fall, and extinction of dynasties and several political systems, and seen Nepal take baby steps towards democracy. But they also remind us of things worth hanging onto: green trees, open spaces, and the occasional jeri swari at the local mithai pasal.
Find out the history behind the Bikram Sambat calendar. And discover how our neighbours around the region celebrate the big day.
With elections, a constituent assembly, and a new constitution on the horizon, here’s hoping for naya Nepal (version 2.0) this naya saal.