To be Nepali, you need nepalipan. But what constitutes nepalipan? What is this thing? Talking over this with friends one evening we agreed that, in this age of globalisation, cuisine, lifestyle, and even dress codes are becoming uniform, and so cannot hold the essence of nepalipan.

We concluded the following: nepalipan is a set of unique characteristics that cannot be found in others. These are typical ways of being that do not change. These are some of the behaviours that we see as constituting nepalipan:

. Hawking: Nepalis will noisily clear their throats at all times-while brushing, washing up, after a meal, any old time. No one can work their phlegm like a Nepali.
. Spitting: Everyone spits. But unlike all the rest, Nepalis do it in all places and at all times.
. Smoking and riding: Lighting a cigarette and then zooming off on your motorcycle is definitely an indicator of nepalipan. But pedalling a bicycle and synchronously puffing away is an even more fundamental part of nepalipan.
. Honking: Every vehicle has a horn that has to be used at times. But a Nepali hand works a horn near-incessantly.
. Queue-jumping: The English taught the world how to wait in line. But Nepal has never been colonised and we refuse to follow what the English teach. To cut in line is not rudeness here, it's a cunning move.
. Overtaking: The free Nepali spirit does not care whether this is done from left or right.
. Hurrying: Who isn't rushing about these days? But while others dash around with purpose, Nepalis, uniquely, do it with none. We shove other people while walking, for example, and don't even talk about motorbikes-ever seen one that can idle for a minute?