Katha Corona

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in print or by photostatic means, or in any other manner without the express written permission of the Katha Corona Team. This Book is not for SALE Edition March 2022 Copyright ©KathaCorona Designed by Creatu Developers [email protected]

This is not a BOOK. It’s an EMOTION. This pandemic has been tough on everyone. It has affected each and every one of us, in every corner of the world. The virus first appeared on a small scale in November 2019, with the largest cluster appearing in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and subsequently spreading globally to become the fifth documented pandemic since the 1918 flu. Until today, March 30th, 2022, the total number of Covid-19 infected cases was 485,618,602, with a total of 6,157,237 deaths. Nepal is the 60th most hit country in the world with a total of 978,377 cases and a total death toll of 11,951. Katha Corona started in the midst of this pandemic. Initially, we started as an online platform on Facebook on June 4th, 2021, where two Covid-19 related stories were shared every day. We never thought that the idea would be appreciated from around the globe and people would be keen to join the group and share their stories as well as emotions. It was overwhelming to realize that we had regular readers on our page. In a short span of time, members started growing from 100 to 1000. The post shared was real and emotional so we thought it needed to be protected and documented accurately. Since then, a beautiful roller coaster journey for the “Katha Corona” team kicked off. We are aware that Covid-19 didn’t spare any race, religion, or community and it brought all human races under one roof. We thought documenting and collecting stories of emotions, experiences, struggles, and hope for life from different walks was important. The team collected local and international stories as well as the experiences of influencers and daily workers. The whole team gave their best finding stories from different ages, professions, and communities. We tried to include stories from different corners of the world as well. We feel proud to share that within 3 months more than 100 stories were accumulated capturing all possible emotions we humans went through during this pandemic. These stories are personal experiences of the writer. We have just made simple grammatical corrections and tried our best to convey the writer’s voice and emotions as it is. So, when you read the book, please do not look for perfection in the language, but experience the feelings and empathize with the emotions they went through. Once we collected the stories, the hurdle was figuring out a way to print and publish them. We had an option of accumulating funds and repaying after selling books but the team was not happy keeping a price tag on someone’s emotions. So, we decided to find contributors who would help cover the cost of publications and designs. Soon, we had people providing us with funds. We received the book cover as a gift. Language editors worked day and night for free. On top of that, we also received big discounts from the design and printing teams, who worked for months with full heart and soul. This journey of 11 months was not easy, it was a lot of hard work, dedication, commitment, and discussion. Yet, it was a very satisfying journey to see everyone coming together as one community and supporting each other. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the online Katha Corona book writers, 100 story-tellers, contributors, and the media team. Our dream of giving a book to our community for the historical record was possible with the love, support, and encouragement of each and every one of you. We appreciate your time and effort. We are here today because of you all and your contributions. Thank you for believing and bringing it to fruition!

Katha Corona Team Local Stories (English) ...26 ...27 Katha Corona, The Beginning ...14 My 102 Years Journey ...28 - Luna Shrestha Thakur - Satya Mohan Joshi ...29 ...30 100 Chronicles ...15 Online Student ...31 - Jyotsna Sainju - Deebisha Shrestha ...32 ...33 My Tool to Battle with Covid ...16 A Call for Empathy ...34 - Soni Joshi - Prasiddhi Shrestha ...35 Finding Strength to Overcome Loss ...17 My Social Work Continues ...36 - Anuza Rajbhadari Shrestha - Mahabir Pun ...37 A Collective Journey ...18 Solace in my Garden - Julia Chitrakar - Kalpana Devi Piya Shrestha Ah Stories! The Essence of Life ...19 Not all Heroes Wear Capes - Sadiksha Scarlet Thapa - Ambika Maskey Never Lose Hope ...20 First Covid-19 Dead Body - Suzana Kansakar - Rabi Kumar Poudel Going with the Flow ...21 Health Comes First - Rebati Ram ( Rafael ) Poudel - Anjali Lama Our Story ...22 Positive Ray of Hope - Creatu Developers - Chiran Poudel Advisor’s Message ...23 A Covid Lesson: Turning Fear - Sarojani Sherchan into Faith - Dr. Niti Rana Shattered “Bride-to-be” Dreams - Nagma Karmacharya Policeman on Duty - Sitaram Hachhetheu

Life of a Housewife is Always a ...38 Getting Infected Twice Working ...50 “Lockdown” as a Doctor ..51 ...52 - Sharmila Kayastha - Priyesh Shrestha ...53 The Birth of a Counselling App ...39 ePharmacy Story ...54 - Nishma Dhungana Chaudhary - Nishit Rajbhandari ...55 Covid Got Free Ticket ...40 Powerful Lessons - Madan Krishna Shrestha - Charu Chadha The Art of Living ...41 Bir Hospital Ward - Neeva Pradhan - Kushal Man Shrestha Playing Tournaments ...42 Our Duty in this Time - Pranav Manandhar - Ashok Chandra Dhunju Traveling in Covid ...43 Reminiscing Ujwal Thapa Dai - Rita Bhandary - Aalok Subedi Love for Animals ...44 - Kathmandu Locals Uncertain Life ...45 Local Stories (Nepali) - Susmita Bista tLg k:' t] sf]/f]gf ...58 - efjgf xnjfO{ My Silent Revolution as an ...46 sf/] f]gfsfndf hd' af6 >f4 ...59 Amateur Artist - gj Lg /fhfk] fWofo - Yasodha Shrestha A Story of a Frontliner ...47 wgL sf]/fg] f, ul/a sf/] fg] f ...60 - Rimsha Shrestha - jL/G] › dx/f Starting Free Meal Distribution Jofofdzfnf dgf/] ~hg:yn xg} ...61 for Homeless People - sjL/ eut k|wfgfª ...48 - Kusum Tamang c? k|f0fLsf] AffFRg] clwsf/ vfl] ;/x]sf 5f+} ...62 Effect on Event Management Business ...49 - ;z' Lnf sfsL{ - Faija Parween sf/] fg] fsf] ;Gb]z - czi] f dNn ...63

sf]/fgfsf] an] f 6\\ofS;L rfns ...64 Local Stories (English) - /fhs'df/ tfdfª Let’s Call it Karuna, not Corona gs/fTdstfdf klg ;s/fTdstf ...65 - Karna Shakya ...78 - ;l/tf nfld5fg ] Working Together for Betterment ...79 d/] f] gfªn] Jofkf/ ...66 of Women ...80 - a;'Gw/f l3ld/] ...81 - Lily Thapa ...82 b/\" ePsf] ;b\\efj ...67 ...83 - nId L /fO{ Online Delivery ...84 - KHETI ...85 sf]le8sf] a]nf c:ktfndf ;]jf ...68 ...86 - 8f= lgl/z jB} Pregnancy and Delivery ...87 - Meghna Rana ...88 sf]/f]gfsf] sf/0f blntsf ;d:of ...69 ...89 - ;/:jt L gk] fn L Learning Skill Amidst Pandemic ...90 - Aarav Rajbhandari sf/] f]gfsfndf ;Gtfg e]6g\\ gkfpbF fsf] kL8f ...70 - k|bLk hfz] L So Shall We - Baba Sarkar Shrestha ld7f] g} nfu]sf] lyof] efs] sf] /Gsf]df ...71 - :dl[ t cfrfo{ Bihani Social Venture - Ritchie Sampson h'daf6 ljBfyL{ k9fO ...72 - /v] f l3ld/ ] Music Medicine - Deepak Bajracharya nfz klv{/x]sf] cfo3{ f6 / sf/] fg] faf6 dT[ o' x'g]x¿sf] bfx;+:sf/ ...73 My Love for Mountains - Kalpana Maharjan - 8f= dfnf v/n] Getting Infected dxfdf/Ldf efF8f dfem\\g]sf] hLjg ...74 - Sunaina Shakya - kd|] axfb'/ clwsf/L Painting in Lockdown sf]le8–!( nfO{ lr7\\7L ...75 - Saanvi Shrestha - nId L du/ Not Giving Up ;fg' g]kfnsf] sf]/fgfsf] syf ...76 - Leela Gurung - ;fg' gk] fn Every Sector is Impacted - Haribansha Acharya

This too Shall Pass ...91 A Theatre Artist’s Emotional Distress ...104 - Rachana Thapa ...92 - Archana Panthi ...93 QR 652 ...94 Start-ups Amidst Covid ...105 - Bipin Kayastha ...95 - Anushka Shrestha Go Green, Ride Cycle Music of Monsoon ...106 - Kunal Shrestha - Sajan Maharjan Finding Calm Amidst the Chaos In Remembrance of my Mother-in-law ...107 - Mimansha Joshi - Sunita Vaidya Shrestha A Visitor’s Agony ...96 International Stories (English) - Sudin Bajracharya ...97 ...98 Obituary to Captain Gopal Tamang: How Covid-19 Made me Grow ...99 An Officer, War Hero, and a Gentleman...110 - Indira Ranamagar ...100 ...101 - Gopal Tamang My Entrepreneur’s Journey ...102 - Sushama Sharma A Lesson in Learning ...111 ...103 - Tazrian Rahman Cricket Team Spirit - Gyanendra Malla Me and my Family ...112 - Dhushan Pamunuwa Traveller’s Life - Renu Bajracharya My Covid Story ...113 - Dorothy Moss Athlete Amidst Covid-19 - Sabba Rani Maharjan Building Trust ...114 - Sun Min Camilla Park Fashion During Pandemic - Aastha Pokharel We Were More Like Best Friends ...115 - Kamla Bajracharya Flying in Uncertainty - Prada Karki It Has Been a Blessing in Many Ways ...116 - Karla Refoxo Finding a New Beginning Amidst Crisis It Made me Feel More Appreciative ...117 - Karolin Hestness - Nimesh Shrestha

My Covid Experience ...118 - Jane Pearce Contributors Covid-19 – Kahani ...119 Thames International College ...132 - Lawrence Hartnett Erina Tamrakar ...133 ...134 Love and Art in the Time of Corona ...120 sf]le8n] lbPsf] c;xgLo kL8f ...135 - Erik van der Schaft ...135 Prema Rajyalaxmi Singh ...136 Waste Management in Bhutan ...121 Beenu Mathema ...136 - Chogyal Lhamo Prof. Dr. Laxmi Shrestha Thakur ...137 Indira Sainju ...137 Coming Together ...122 Raj Bhai Suwal ...138 - Maria Hogh Heilmann Magne Jorgensen ...138 ...138 Covid-19 and the Mandala of ...123 rG›sd' f/ lrqsf/ / h'gj' tL lrqsf/ ...139 Lifelong Learning Hof]tL k|sfz ;}h+ 'sf] ;Demgfdf ...139 lx/0odfg hfz] Lsf] ;Demgfdf ...139 - Roshan Chitrakar z}n]z >]i7 ...139 ...140 Finding Hope and Happiness ...124 Riya Shrestha ...140 - Dr. Mona Shrestha Adhikari Nawant Sharma ...140 MD Saif ...140 Covid-19 in Australia ..125 Suruchi Travels ...141 - Jenny Smith Welcome Event Management ...141 SCWEC ...141 Wake Up Call ...126 Yala Mandala ...141 - Catrin Fröhlich Salt Trading Corporation, Limited ...142 Sanjay Textile Udhyog ...142 Hoping for the Best ...127 Alpine Cargo Pvt. Ltd. ...142 - Coty Jeronimu Tara Oriental ...142 Greetings from Italy ...128 dgsflGt z/] rg - Liria Trielli The Solitaire Getting Stuck in a Foreign Country Turkish Airlines Classy Printing During Covid ...129 - MD Saif A Young Girl Inside a Woman ...130 - Thananya Shrestha

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dfsd Once demi last b write ries. I My love for stories is one of the major drivers in creating this memorabilia. Stories have been a big part of my life and I always felt a special connection with books. Even my first book, “A journey to the self”, was about stories of different people, places, and experiences. Therefore, storytelling comes to me naturally. I still reflect back to the time when Nepal underwent a major earthquake in 2015. During that time, I always felt “If only I could have been able to document the emotions and stories from a very painful time for everyone in Nepal”. I still look back and feel very little was captured of what could have been better documentation. Nevertheless, when Covid-19 a worldwide pandemic was going on, I just didn’t think much and started collecting these stories. The inner urge to write about this was stronger and everyone on this whole planet was going through it together. I asked my Sakar bhai to create a logo for it. I loved what he came up with, and that has been the logo for Katha Corona. I shared this idea with a few of my colleagues and asked “Would you be willing to be part of this storytelling initiative?” To my surprise, whoever I shared the idea with, they jumped right into volunteering and being part of this amazing journey. A simple idea that started as an online platform has now grown into a book. It feels very surreal that an idea of a single mind can blossom into a beautifvul outcome. The most awe-inspiring aspect is that this book brought so many people together. Now, the book just does not belong to one individual, it belongs to a community. Today, we are all here publishing this book because ten team members worked non-stop to make the dream a reality. We are not just a ten-member team anymore, we have fifteen hundred members on our online platform, each contributing in their own way. We have hundreds of writers sending stories for the book and we have contributors who supported us to achieve this success together. Nonetheless, I am extremely grateful to you all. 1144 14

Once again, a blanket of Delta variant is swirling above us as I write this story. I will write down things I am grateful for in this pan- demic - they are the little things, like the dinner I had or the bigger things, like the doctors and nurses who are working so hard and last but not the least one is joining Katha-Corona. When I was going through their stories, I felt like I got to live the lives of all the writers; I felt their love, pain, joy, sacrifices and love for their family. I’m very happy to be part of the team documenting all these sto- ries. It might not feel that important now, it will be for our future generations and community While Mother Earth was taking rest and everyone was stagnant in their life of lockdown, we as Katha-Corona team started 100-chronicles of a 100 different lives because everybody has a story to tell in life, because there is no lockdown to our life’s story and because people are dying every day. So, joining Katha-Corona is like a ground reality which will document 100-stories of sorrow, happiness and all the feelings in between. My journey here in Katha-Corona started with asking for stories of 350-words and my journey today is ending with myself writing a story in 350 words. Honestly, I even dreamt of writing a story for Katha-Corona; that was the level of passion I was having for 100-chronicles. Having said that, I love every day of my work. I still remember the day, Luna didi called me at 7am on 4th June 2020, and said, we have to go public with our online platform as many storytellers requested for online share options. My life has been non-stop since then, either taking care of online platforms, writing, bringing stories, editing or taking interviews for Katha-Corona story tellers. Being an editor is like Covid-19, you laugh at it and then you start coughing and then you have a sudden urge to travel the world. Once again, a blanket of Delta variant is swirling above us as I write this story. I will write down things I am grateful for in this pandemic. They are the little things, like the dinner I had or the bigger things, like the doctors and nurses who are working so hard and last but not the least one is joining Katha- Corona. When I was going through their stories, I felt like I got to live the lives of all the writers; I felt their love, pain, joy, sacrifices and love for their family. I’m very happy to be part of the team documenting all these stories. It might not feel that important now, it will be for our future generations and community. 15

sdfsdf sdfsd When the idea of Katha Corona first emerged out of my group of friends, I knew immediately that this was a game- changer. Having suffered and recovered from Covid myself, I not only had experiences to share, but also had the motivation to contribute to make this platform a successful one. While it is proven that Covid has taken a toll in humanity and caused suffering to all, capturing the ground realities, the challenges and the changes were hardly documented. Hence, I decided to take on this journey by listening and providing a space for those who had stories to share. I’m pleased that this initiative has been a force to be reckoned with. What started as a small platform to share Covid experiences, Katha Corona gathered attention of many. I’m pleased that we have been able to capture the challenges, life-changing stories, struggles and lessons of about 200 friends on facebook. This motivated us further to publish selected stories in an e-book and a book to beautifully portray the voices, as well as, to pay greater appreciation to all the contributions. It brings me joy that we are creating a meaningful impact by engraving these stories for all to read and share. On a personal level, this journey has taught me a lot. Thanks to the inspiring, motivational and heart wrenching stories, my perception on life, importance of health, mental health well-being have changed and I appreciate that Covid has given me the opportunity to look at the world in a new light. I am particularly grateful to have had the chance to meet with personalities like Madan Krishna Shrestha, Hari Bansha Acharya, Satya Mohan Joshi, Sitaram Hachhethhu & Karna Shakya, the role models, who I’ve always wished to meet. I’m hopeful that this platform and book that has encapsulated stories, big or small, hopeful or despairing, can eventually contribute to some realization and awareness to generations of present and future to understand the ground realities of this pandemic. 16 5

sdfsdf “Katha Corona” is a concept as a book of storytelling. This book would not only be a compilation of stories of the pandemic. But it would be documentations of the effects of the world’s 2020 pandemic and also be learning, sharing, healing, and inspiration for historical records. I am always motivated by the work that impacts our communities and “Katha Corona” is one of them. The contribution towards the book is the reflection of pandemics unfold over time and how societies and people dealt with them. I had to bear a tremendous irreplaceable loss, the loss which no one would ever be ready for. I lost my beloved Daddy because of Corona. The phase that I have had and my family had been through was rough and will always be tough to cope with. I was able to connect with so many people, hear their stories. It made me realize it’s just not with me, this experience has not only been tremendously overwhelming, but it had also made me understand and accept the reality of nature and life. I understood the power of storytelling and the burden it can lift for those who have something to get off their chest. Working for a book was a new experience but it didn’t make us stop anywhere. The dedication, hard work, and support for each other’s effort to give everyone’s best are commendable. I am grateful for Luna di and team for the idea of book and this initiation. Our team is thrilled to launch the book, I am proud and privileged to be a part of it. We were able to collect more than 200 stories in a few months. Connecting people to my networks and be able to collect and portray their feelings and emotions as stories for a book keeping its real essence was an amazing experience. In future years, people would read “Katha Corona” and what 2020 was like, and how people dealt with it. They will also find useful tips for non-traditional learning, finding new hobbies and instilling healthy habits. I hope it will leave a light and positivity to everyone, the way we received it while making it happen. 17

sdfsdf sdfsd When the idea of collating individual stories and experiences around Covid- 19 first came up with my colleagues, I was immediately drawn towards it. We are all still processing the reality of this pandemic, but it’s clear that we are living through a significant historic moment in all of our lifetimes. Every news media platform is dominated by Covid- 19 statistics and updates. However, outside of social media updates from friends, personal reflections and stories seemed to be missing in all this. Realistically speaking, as optimistic as one can hope to be, the pandemic has been tough for so many people. A lot of rethinking and rebuilding is required for a better post-Covid world. However, in every tough situation where we witness so much dukha, a resilience is found - I have had the fortune of being able to take strength and inspiration from such stories around me of overcoming challenges during this pandemic. The opportunity to contribute towards platforming these perspectives of both sukha and dukha not only seemed exciting but important to take on. I felt like a collection of honest and personal reflections during this time would be an amazing resource for the future. Being a part of the Katha Corona team has involved a lot of organizing over zoom meetings, WhatsApp conversations, emails, and phone calls. I don’t think we realized the scope of how quickly this project would grow, but I have felt extremely proud of all of our efforts - the result has been a collection of some amazing perspectives and I have learnt so much in the process of interviewing our wonderful contributors and publishing their stories. The biggest takeaway from all this is that we must continue organizing and connecting on a human level and take advantage of all the resources and platforms available to us in this digital age. The fact that we have stories from not only across Nepal but from select contributors even halfway across the world has only been possible with these digital realities. This is not just a book, but truly reflections of a collective journey we have all been taking. 18

sdfsdf I’m a person of abyssal thinking. I’ve always been in love with people sharing their stories of what made them wake up every morning, what made them go through their day when they were facing a tough luck, what regrets do they have or what are they grateful for. As Robin Williams says in the movie Dead Poets Society, “Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.” Stories is what I stay alive for. So, when Luna di offered me to join the team as a contributor for Katha Corona, I agreed without giving it a second thought. I was going to be a part of this iconic project filled with honest stories, human emotions and ardors. I’d never imagined the intensity of this project until I realized how many stories were just swirling around us. We were surrounded by stories of every genre- happiness, love and romance, misery, endings and some new beginnings. I found stories of selfless acts of kindness, uncertainty that brought two people together, distance that caused heartbreaks, adversity that tested perseverance, death that tear loved ones apart, sacrifices, responsibilities and morals. It has come to my understanding that no matter what I do for a living, these are the things that make me alive, closer to my roots. Books, dramas and movies were my talebearers- I watched them, I read them and I lived through these stories in my imagination. But with this experience, I’ve lived through the stories of actual, breathing real life human beings. I’m blessed that I get to watch these stories right in front of my eyes and I get to interact with them and maybe, also play a part in them. So, thank you to everyone who’ve shared your stories with us, you’ve made me wonder, ponder and guided me to my introspection. Also, thank you to everyone who’s reading them. We hope we have touched your lives as well. 19

sdfsdf sdfsd Working at Katha Corona has been such a wonderful experience for me. Especially, being a freelancer in areas such as Gender and feminism. I was really intrigued with the stories flooding in on the Katha Corana page.This opportunity helped me in boosting my confidence that I can do something for the betterment of society and also document the historical moments we all are facing. Being a social worker and a hardcore feminist, My motto in life is to help others but, I just could not help this time due to constant fear. One fine day, Luna asked me “ if I would like to volunteer”. As she explained the goals and objectives of the project, I fell in love with the idea of it. And it was the right time as well because I was searching for stories for my individual research with Gyanbodh Research and Development Services. The more stories I read, the more I could broaden my perspective and at the same time empathize with it. This helped me understand that every experience is unique to us. My work for the team was of an editor. After reading countless stories, making sure the essence and the experience is not lost while editing was of priority. But I came out victorious. Even though it took me long hours, re-reading and re-reading the same paragraphs, I tried my best to capture the soul of these stories when editing them. I hope I managed to redefine the stories which are already rich with experiences. Even if I worked late hours, sometimes through midnight, I thoroughly enjoyed this experience and hope that we as a team can create more editions of these memories. Finally, and importantly, all we can do is hope for the best in future. Hope everyone stays safe as Covid is still making rounds. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear hardship today.” – Thich Nhat Hanh 20

sdfsdf It was a normal day but with a great vision in place when Luna di called and shared an idea, in an ever-passionate expression she has. She talked in length on how she has been touched by the story of Corona. I had just witnessed my aunt’s fight against Covid-19, which eventually claimed her life. My encounter of number of lives while working with Covid Alliance (Alliance for Relief) also had affected me greatly. But it was Luna di who believed these stories are the reflection of resilience, and a ray of hope. However, if we do not document right now, we will lose this opportunity, just like how a number of other natural calamities and pandemics mankind witnessed were forgotten. After few days, in Luna di initiation along with women alliance she is working at, believed we could start with a story telling platform for every individual who wished to vent out in various art forms such as audio, video, songs, poems or stories. I was very convinced because of the engagement of people in the platform, Katha Corona, it would evolve into something else; as destiny would have it, Katha Corona book was planned. My role, though was limited to documenting the stories shared and selected in this platform. I also got an opportunity to collect few stories on my own. It’s my honor to help in transcribing stories from videos collected by friends who were in the field and also translating stories from English to Nepali and vice-versa. No wonder, the tireless effort that each and every member is investing will surely bring forth a great document in the form of a book that every household would love to have in their homes, as well as in public or private spaces. It is very thoughtful of collectors to bring stories of people from diverse fields; which will represent stories from all over Nepal. Some may only keep complaining, while there will be some who silently produce something worthwhile through blood and sweat. Katha Corona is a gem worth sharing to whole world today and in days ahead. OM 21

sdfsdf sdfsd The entire journey of Katha Corona started with a phone call. It was the 31st of May 2021, and I was all prepared to go to bed after a tiring day. The phone rang and it was Luna didi. She wanted me to design a logo, and her concept was very clear. The concept was about a book, a book that would be a voice to everyone who is affected by Corona. The main idea for the logo was to keep it as minimalist as possible. The logo design was completed overnight. Luckily it was approved on the first attempt. After the approval of the logo, it was time to start with designing stories. As designing stories is a lot of work, my team Creatu Developers joined in this project to help out. Now we had a team of four, Shakar Shrestha, Raju Shrestha, Sandeep Balla, Mohan Thagunna, and this was enough for us to take the designing process smoothly. We started with designing a template in the first phase. The idea was to design a template for stories with 1, 2, and 3 pictures. We were trying to see how the pages would look in different formats so as to ask writers for pictures accordingly. After the approval of the template, we started designing the real stories. The process was fun and challenging at the same time. As the template was designed keeping 350 words in mind, we received few stories that were over 500 words as well. Also, sometimes the images were of really low resolution, and sometimes of irregular size causing a lot of difficulties in the designing process. Sometimes, the design for the same story had to be done over many times. But the energy remained the same. Corona has affected us all, but reading stories of different people and designing them at the same time was inspiring. The stories reflected a fight and a learning everyone went through during the time of this pandemic. The book has been big learning to me and my team of Creatu Developers. This pandemic could be temporary but the opportunities are permanent, and life is all about taking them. 22

sdfsdf Dear Team, Congratulations upon the successful completion of “Katha Corona”. An experience has a sad or happy memory to it, yet I looked at the silver linings even at the darkest of clouds. While the whole world was engaged with Covid 19, a group of young minds looked beyond to capture this moment in the form of “Katha Corona”. The idea just touched me and I was delighted to be a part of this project because the sentiment of the theme touched me deep within. To pen down the emotions and sentiments with Covid 19 is not easy. I personally struggled to share my experience when my entire family tested positive. The terrible experience, of not being able to physically take care of your loved ones when they needed you most, is not very easy to share with others. It was the most horrifying experience for many that they would never want to remember again. Yet with time we as humans tend to forget all these. So, the decision to document these realities we encouraged people to share their experiences in the form of stories and poems to everyone who faced these tough times would not feel alone. Convincing someone to write was a challenge in itself. Although most of the stories came from the authors, the team’s desire to incorporate diverse people and their experiences had its difficulties. In the process the team had to reach out to people physically to interview and write the stories based on it. These were moments where the team had put their lives at risk although eventually the result was worth it. The project was made possible with the persevering and conscientious minds behind it. The commendation goes to Ms. Luna Thakur Shrestha, Ms. Jyotsna Shrestha, Ms. Soni Joshi, Ms. Julia Chitrakar, Ms. Anuza Rajbhansari, Ms. Sadikshya, Mr. Rafael Poudel, Ms. Sadiskha Thapa, Ms. Suzana Kansakar and Mr. Shakar Shrestha and his design team, who have put their heart and soul selflessly in this project. They have contributed their time and completely voluntary effort and inputs for over three months. I express my compliments to the team, the editors, the story contributors and the contributors or the collective support in bringing out this book. I would like to conclude by saying that the book Katha Corona, has many sentiments and emotions attached with it. The Team has done their best to portray the stories simply from the author’s view. Cheers and Congratulations!!! Stay Safe Healthy Happy. 23





My 102 Years Journey - Satya Mohan Joshi Living for 102 years is a blessing; I have experienced and seen a century of adversities on this earth including Covid-19. I am lucky that I haven’t been infected with the virus yet. I maintain a disciplined lifestyle of eating local food and going for walks to keep myself healthy. Having lived a century, I have seen deadly epidemics come and go, such as cholera, the plague and black fever. These diseases also took thousands of lives internationally and in Nepal from 1945 to 1965 AD. During the Rana regime, the epidemic called black fever known as “Bifar” and cholera caused many suffering for families who contracted these diseases. They were exiled from the capital city in the name of controlling the disease. In 1946 AD, I went to Palpa for government work, I got sick and was hospitalized. During that time, the plague epidemic was sweeping all over the Terai region. In Palpa, the region was very vacant, like the first lockdown, not one person came out of their houses due to the fear of the plague. Another epidemic, cholera, was also going rampant at that period. People were unaware about cleanliness and safe health practices. People were not even aware about it being a communicable disease. They believed that “Lord Bhimsen” was angry and instead offered Samaybaji (Newari Cuisine) as to reside his anger on earth. This year, with such a deadly pandemic running rampant, the issue on whether to celebrate Macchindranath Jatra was a big question. This is one of the biggest festivals in our country, where our president would be visiting. So the Guthi responsible known as “Manka Guthi” head came to me, asking whether to celebrate the Jatra or not. Being as sensible and experienced, I advised them to not celebrate as the outcome from celebrating will get worse than expected, so they performed only the necessary rituals. Since this Jatra has been going on for thousands of years and is part of our identity, we just didn’t celebrate but did the needful to ensure everyone’s safety. 26

Online Student - Deebisha Shrestha People are getting sick and being hospitalized everyday. Doctors and leaders are doing their best to keep everyone safe. But due to Coronavirus, our schools are closed. We have been having our online classes for one year now. Online classes are the only way right now through which we can study being safe and from the safety of our own houses but, I miss the feeling of going to school and meeting my friends. I personally feel that nothing beats the feeling of having physical classes then online classes. It is difficult, especially the “Network problem”. I have seen my friends struggling during online classes. Students even miss out attending classes, submitting assignments therefore get bad grades due to bad internet connection. It is seriously causing several body aches and eye strains for students and it is bad for health. I get irritated and stressed but it is the only medium we have now. Another major disadvantage of online classes, we students are less focused and easily distracted with the environment we are in. We play games while in classes sometimes so, I feel online classes are not so effective. But having said this, it is a very good platform to be productive as we learn to use the multimedias through online platforms. It also reduced the workload for students and teachers as there is no need for physical activity and travelling to school. It prevents us from having physical communications with each other. Despite that, online classes have helped students become more independent and create bonds with their family members. We really got to relax more as well. Lastly, I hope that Corona says “BYE” to us and I can say “HI” to my friends and go back to school. 27

A Call for Empathy - Prasiddhi Shrestha If there is one thing that my experience as the second diagnosed Covid-19 patient in Nepal has taught me, it is that information is mostly consumed in a two-dimensional manner. You may read it and see it, but to feel and empathize with it is completely different. When news fell upon the Nepali public that I, a 19-year-old girl returning home from France, had tested positive for Covid-19, several people were quick to make assumptions about me and tell my story to the world. Regardless of my precautionary behavior, my actions had been altered to fit the narrative that others had set for me. News about me had created a dangerous backlash that blamed me for being a ‘super spreader’, labeled me irresponsible and unaware, with many even wishing for my death. It was during these times that I realized how my story played a part in justifying one’s anger and quite honestly despair for the world. I had been scapegoated and made the sole reason for the tragedy that my country would soon face. Amidst the hate and antipathy, somewhere along the line, I too began questioning the validity of my experience: Had I done the right thing by returning to my own home? Was I to blame if my parents were to contract the virus from me? All of my emotions were exacerbated having known that each outcome in this story was put out for the world to see. Any move would be perceived by the larger public. Thankfully, soon enough I found out that neither my family members nor anyone from my flights to Kathmandu had contracted the virus from me. During this moment of relief, I could see more clearly that there was, in fact, no reason to put the blame on myself completely. The problem was not me; it was Covid-19 - a force that had swept the whole world by force. This is something I hope everyone understands. As long as someone is taking precautions, it is never their fault that they contracted Covid-19. Instead of ostracizing and out-casting Covid-19 patients, empathizing with them would go a much longer way. It is the only right thing to do. 28

My Social Work Continues - Mahabir Pun Having spent most of my childhood grazing cattle and attending village school without paper, pencil and textbook, I have come a long way and managed to create the National Innovation Centre to foster research and development, which was one of the first organizations which took on such projects. Facing various ups and downs in life, I graduated from the University of Nebraska (USA) and came back to Nepal. I wanted to teach computers despite my village not even having its own telephone lines. During the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic, we were the first ones to make PPE (Personal Protection equipment) as the demands were not being fulfilled. China stopped exporting any Covid related materials as they were also facing difficulties. The doctors and hospitals requested us to build these materials and we were successful in creating supplies such as swab collection boxes, aerosols and PPE. At the moment, we thought the lockdown will be extended for a few months and everything will go back to normal. Instead, it continued and we were short on money and supplies. Eventually, hearing our good deeds, people supported and donated. We collected a total of Nrs. Eight million in cash and Nrs. Seventy million in goods from all over the world. We supplied the needed material for free. Big lines of doctors, nurses and policemen formed; they came to collect PPE, masks and visors. The situation was getting worse, to the point, there was no spare PPE left for the health workers. Even though I have not contracted the virus till date, I have been in contact with those who work in Covid related cases like doctors, nurses, students, volunteers or scientists. Day and night, they worked and supported me. I came back from the USA recently after receiving recognition for my work from 29 states. I received immense love and support from citizens of the USA and American Nepalese as well. I am still working with Stanford University for Research & Development of ventilator and will see to that, these innovations will be worked on till my last breath. 29

Solace in my Garden - Kalpana Devi Piya Shrestha New York City became the center of Covid-19 in Chaitra. My youngest child lived in Queens, New York, so I panicked. I could not focus on anything. The more I tried to console myself the more I got triggered. I could not share this with my husband as he was going through the same feeling. I often cried alone, but I knew that it was not the solution. A mother is always worried about their children. It pained me to see my kids in such a helpless state. I tried meditation but couldn’t concentrate. I used to spend hours in the prayer room praying, sometimes challenging the god, but my anxiety and panic did not reside. I realized slowly that sitting on the terrace helped me a lot. I started to notice my surroundings, the fresh air, flowers and vegetables growing. I was glad my gardener planted these before he left. I always enjoyed having plants but never had time to take care of them. But spending so much time on my terrace, I started getting interested in taking care of my plants. I started by picking some of the browned leaves off of the plants. I spent hours upstairs every morning. I nurtured my plants like they were my own babies. The vegetables that grew started to wither, and I planted more. I started collecting old pots and plastic containers to sow more seeds. I started enjoying gardening, and over zoom, my daughters and I would talk about our plant projects. We even made our own planters using the old jute ropes. Before I knew it, my terrace turned into a beautiful garden- with lettuce, bok choy, cauliflower and so much more. Getting busy in my garden made me forget about my fibromyalgia; I forgot about my constant body aches. I am excited to harvest more cucumber or lettuce and eat fresh salads. My daily routine is still intact to this day. I go see my garden as it gives me joy and strength to start my day. Taking care of my plants has been a wonderful distraction. This hobby has been healing me slowly and helping me deal with the uncertain times we continue to live in. My garden is my place of solace. 30

Not all Heroes Wear Capes - Ambika Maskey My tussle with Covid-19 started when my husband tested positive on 29th April, 2021. To fan the flames of my scuffle with this deadly virus, after a few days, I too got tested positive along with my 9-year-old daughter and my mother-in-law who had just undergone a surgery for a fractured collarbone. This pernicious virus had mercifully spared my 11-year-old son and my father-in-law. During this 14-day period, I experienced the most unpleasant phase of my life. I suffered from fever, chills, severe body aches, vomiting and diarrhea. I literally could not eat anything and my body movement was very limited due to severe body aches. There were days when I used to burst into tears due to the aches and chills. After seeing me in so much pain, my 9-year-old daughter would switch on the Sudarshana Ashtakam mantra which is the mantra to cure one’s illness. So, you can envision the mental well being of my child. On the other hand, I was losing all my sanity thinking about my son’s mental well being after seeing four of us ailing with the virus. Now, the big question at this hour was who is going to prepare our meals and feed us to get ourselves back in shape. We did try getting our hands on a few of the restaurants that we knew but they too declined as the lockdown had started. During this difficult chapter in our lives, entered our neighbors, our Arunima family. As we live in a close-knit community of 21 houses, they spread out their helping hands and put on a superhero cape by providing us a 4-time meal each day for the next 2 to 3 weeks. And mind you they did not just provide a meal. They made sure that our meals were enriched with protein, kwati and meat products; salads and achaars for vitamin C; and jaulo as our digestive system had become so weak with the virus. Hence while sharing my story, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the entire Arunima family who stood by us during the most challenging times in our lives. It was only because of them that we all came out victorious after the 14-day home isolation. Therefore, not all heroes wear capes! 31

First Covid-19 Dead Body - Rabi Kumar Poudel Namaste, I am Superintendent of Nepal Police and in 26 years of my civil duty, I have tackled 1000s of crimes and problems of society, homicide, and been through era of Maoist insurgency and demonstration of 2062/63 for Democracy. I have never seen anything like Covid-19 and related challenges. When Covid first started, it was so challenging to control and manage the situation as it was so unprecedented. The first woman from Sindhupalchok died of Covid-19 in Dhulikhel Hospital, she had just delivered her baby from Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, and had gotten discharged. At that time, I was in charge of Kavre District. As it was the first death case of Nepal, no one knew what the next logical step would be. We had been discussing rigorously in a DCCMC meeting to work it out about the first death caused by Covid-19. After the meeting, we were all in dilemma about who will carry her first, which vehicle to use and where to cremate her. Being a civil servant, I am always ready for challenges, I came ahead to touch the body as all the public servants and hospital workers were not ready in any case to handle the first Covid-19 death. Even her family and husband were not ready to pick her up, so I mustered all the courage and wore PPE. Her husband came forward after seeing my courage to pick her up to the van. We prepared all the crematory functions to be fulfilled in Pashupathi electric crematory center with the utmost respect to the deceased. After the cremation, we prepared a guideline for the funeral process. WHO recorded her cremation and methods we followed and they have mentioned that this is the cremation where full respect and justice is given to the Covid-19 patient and her family. DEATH IS INEVITABLE. I received honors for my work in this period for addressing such unknown challenges. 32

Health Comes First - Anjali Lama I first heard about Covid-19 in December 2019. It was only in February 2020 while working during Fashion Week in Mumbai that the pandemic started to become visible. A few of my friends turned up to events wearing masks, this was such a big shock! Those who wore masks were even teased at the time because no one understood how devastating the pandemic would be. Pretty soon, India went into lockdown from March 2020. This was supposed to be one of the busiest periods in the fashion industry. However, so many projects started getting cancelled one by one. The initial one-month lockdown kept getting extended every week as cases continued to grow. India became one of the countries most affected by Covid-19. The anxiety I experienced during this pandemic peaked for me when cases appeared within my neighbourhood. I was staying indoors desperately wanting to return back to Nepal but it seemed impossible as all my calls to the Nepali embassy brought no results. When the family next-door tested positive for the virus, I truly felt alone and afraid—I wanted to be with my family, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the worst possible scenarios. Even if the worst were to happen, all I wished for was to be back home for it. They say that strength and resilience comes from facing adversity. Throughout my life, I have faced so many challenges and have overcome so much just to establish my own identity. With no other choice, I came to a point of acceptance. I told myself whatever happens will happen—I can only focus on things within my control. I found myself reflecting on the most valuable part of our lives: personal health. I found comfort in a new disciplined routine starting with morning yoga, eating healthy, thinking positive, and adopting a journaling habit. The pandemic proved how fast the world was moving, I rarely felt like I had time to stop and reflect on the life I was living every day. With the pandemic, we suddenly had so much time to think. It’s made me realize that no matter what, our health comes first. As we start to move towards normalcy with vaccines, I still hold on-to my journaling habit and prioritize my health, this crucial learning is what I will pass on to anyone as we move beyond the pandemic. 33

Positive Ray of Hope - Chiran Poudel Coronavirus has swept through the entire world, causing suffering for many people. Similarly, in Nepal the situation is not good; the tourism industry has been effected the most. I am here sharing my experience as a person living with visual disability. Despite my disability, I have always been into social enterprise. My dream of helping and creating employment opportunities for visually impaired people, helped in founding the “Seeing Hands Clinic’’. This clinic was opened with the purpose of providing training and employment opportunities in massage therapy for visually impaired people. With four branches opened, three in Kathmandu and one in Pokhara, my enterprise was doing very well. Since we usually do not receive much support from the government and the community, we often fall short in creating good income based work for ourselves, therefore, I was doing my best to ensure that others got this opportunity. I ensured that the training I received was transferred to others. Everything was going well, we had more than 10000 client base both nationally and internationally. We were number one on trip advisor and a globally renowned massage clinic in Nepal. Alas, things took a drastic turn during the lockdown. Our only source of income was the fund we had from the clinic. Our training programs for four new visually impaired students were halted. Our staff had to be let go as we were unable to pay them properly. They even started searching for opportunities abroad. It got worse when our branch clinic in Boudha shutdown. We are at the brink of closing down our patan clinic and thamel as we cannot afford to pay rent as well. However, we are still managing somehow. The feeling of insecurity is looming over us and our livelihood has been affected very badly. But all hope is not lost. This pandemic is not an individual problem, the whole world is badly effected. Our first priority for now should be to save ourselves from the pandemic because health is wealth. If we are able to save ourselves, one day the positive ray of hope will certainly come back with extra energy and devotion. 34

A Covid Lesson: Turning Fear into Faith - Dr. Niti Rana Covid hit us hard, immobilized us, worried us plenty. This virus turned our worlds upside down - it shocked us, shook us, scared us! It introduced us to the stark reality of lockdowns and denied us even the most basic of human interaction - a hug, a kiss or even sitting close together to share a meal! “Was Mother Earth striking back?” At the same time, however, did we not notice that the air suddenly became clearer, the roads cleaner and the trees more colorful? Did our gardens not burst into bloom and the bees not work overtime? Was Mother Earth just asking for a break or were we being forced to slow down? The past one year rendered us anxious, frustrated, bored and restless but at the same time, many of us utilized the time and opportunity to pursue a few neglected or overlooked activities like gardening, cooking, reading, de-cluttering, calling up long lost friends and spending quality time with family members! As we battle the second wave and face the possibility of more deadly variants, let us reflect on how we have abused Nature and her abundant gifts. We have destroyed our forests, dirtied our rivers and damaged our eco-systems, totally disregarding our responsibility to leave a cleaner, greener environment for future generations. Despite all the havoc we have wreaked, Nature has not stopped showing us signs of reassurance and rejuvenation. All we need to do is look around and also deep within ourselves. Although death and disease still surround us, we need to express gratitude for all that we have and for all that we can give others. I have seen creative people turning tyres into flower pots, thoughts into books and kindness into food packet, in other words, turning fear into faith. Faith in our ability to find positive reinforcement and faith in the power of Nature to bring back normalcy, beauty and balance. So, instead of cursing the virus that fills us with fear, let us keep the faith and continue to: Create Our Visions, Ideas, Dreams! 35

Shattered “Bride-to-be” Dreams - Nagma Karmacharya Marriage is one of the best highlights of any girl’s life. It’s not surprising for someone to fantasize about their wedding. I too had this specific wedding theme in mind. Everything was as per plan until few cases of Covid-19 second variant were confirmed. My dreams were plunged down when the government decided to do a lockdown, one week prior to my wedding. To begin with, I first had to restrict the number of guests. After that, when I went for “mehendi”, I got scolded by the police for going outside. I could not wear my dream jewelry as they were with my cousin, and they couldn’t visit me. I crashed to the ground in agony when I received a call from the makeup studio cancelling a day before my wedding. The makeup artists were infected with Covid-19. I had no hairpins; my previous makeup studio had all the accessories. I was crying and wondering how to do my hair with no tiaras and pins. I had to lend one of my friend’s tiaras at 10:30 pm, the night before my wedding. I somehow booked another makeup artist but was saddened to know that she wasn’t a hair-stylist. On my wedding day, as soon as the makeup artist arrived, I got watery eyes. All the flashes of my dream makeover drained away. I, my sister and the makeup artist slowly tried every possible way to hook my hair to the tiara. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw fragments of shattered “bride-to-be’’ goals. I took a deep breath; I was a bride of the pandemic. My heart skipped a beat again when I got a call from the photographer. Numerous thoughts went flooding through my head, did he get prohibited? or did he test positive? Luckily, he had called me just to inform me that he had reached the venue. Again, the police came to the venue to check, I was so scared, I hid in the toilet. With just few intimate family members, I completed my wedding. This way, my best moment in life came in simple, sample package. 36

Policeman on Duty - Sitaram Hachhetheu I am an ex-traffic officer and I am currently working as Municipal Police head of Lalitpur Metropolitan. I am originally from Bhaktapur District. As an inspector, I worked as a civil servant for 29 years and retired. I am now working to make Lalitpur a beautiful heritage site. My Covid-19 story began with being really anxious about the unprecedented situation that at the beginning of this pandemic, we had sealed the whole area of the Lalitpur region when there was a single case in the area. Later, more and more cases were found and we got used to the situation and learned to live with it. As of now, when we have the third wave of Delta variant. I think it will be going on for quite some time and we still need to take precautions because one small carelessness from us might lead to the death of our beloved family members. So, I wanted to request everyone to wear masks and keep distance as the waves are repeating. Specially, if you live with your grandparents, we need to be extra careful. In the beginning, we had provided masks and sanitizers with the help of police. We conducted rallies, raising banners for awareness because at the beginning no-one knew how to tackle the Covid-19. As an officer, I have sacrificed everything and carried out my duty 24/7 and suffered from Covid-19 just two days before Bhaitika ceremony. I was suffering emotionally for few days but the news of death of someone near to me shattered me mentally. I started thinking that I will now die due to segregation because there was no knowledge of the disease. I used to have so much energy in my life but Covid-19 scared me. There was even a time when I had to give orders to a policeman who just had a baby and his wife was so scared of him coming home that we asked him to sleep in office and perform his duty forgetting the newborn. So, this is the life of Police during the pandemic. 37

Life of a Housewife is Always a “Lock-down” - Sharmila Kayastha I am Sharmila Kayastha and I am a homemaker. I have a son named Sayun and he is my lifeline. My day is mostly balancing finance, cooking, cleaning and taking care of my son. Somehow our work is not appreciated much in comparison with other working women. But today, because of Covid-19 when even the working women had to be home and do what we have been doing for years, they have started appreciating our hard work. Now I hear my family members or friends saying, it is not easy to run a household and they have now understood all the hard work and patience required. They ask me now “How have you been doing it for years?”. But I have no answer to it. The strength and joy to do it comes naturally. I was smiling at the post when few ladies were cooking one dish and posting it on the social media. We cook three full course meals every day but never boast about it anywhere. We are always thinking what to cook next. Which kind of the food makes my husband and son happy? At least this pandemic made people realize the hard work of being a housewife and their tough life. For us, family comes first, home comes first, our kids come first. Sometimes, we have no time for ourselves. Sometimes, I also feel we have been in “lock-down”, for years, as we are moving from the kitchen to other rooms and back and hardly have time to go out. We do not go out to earn, but that does not mean that we are stupid, or we are not capable. But still our work is not valued much, until now. So, this story is more of my appreciation to all of you for understanding how much work we do. We do not need an award or reward, just a simple thank you and equal respect for homemaker and office worker. For us, our life has always been a “lock-down” and we enjoy it in our own way. 38

The Birth of a Counselling App - Nishma Dhungana Chaudhary “Government of Nepal allocates less than 1% of the health budget for mental health” I read this somewhere and my heart sank with fear and rage. As a student of Psychology, I have always seen mental health issues as real issues. As a patient myself, I have deep empathy for these problems. However, the scene of professional mental health help is different from how it must be. In 2020, when the pandemic hit Nepal, the news of suicide rates increasing surfaced. Many people don’t know that the rates have always been as high, and it was a minimal increase. As I mentioned earlier, I am a patient myself and on the 8th day of lockdown, I started my counselling session. It helped me a great deal. As I started getting better, I knew somewhere many people were feeling the same way. So, I started an Instagram page to help people connect with the counsellors. The initiative was called “The Missing Counsellor”. Through this page, we helped 60 people in just two months and 100 people in four months. This made me realize the need for online counselling platforms. I got in contact with my partner, Ajay Pandey, to develop an app and website, which would not only feature counsellors but also have in-built video call and chat features. The fact that I didn’t want a third-party app for video calls was for confidentiality purposes, but this was very difficult to deliver. As I was out of work myself, there were financial crunches as well. The plan we made in the first lockdown in March 2020, came on the floor in May 2021. We have officially launched the app, “My Sirani”, and right now we are testing the market. Since this is one of it’s kind, we are trying to find our way. But we are happy because we know this was needed and eventually this will make an impact. 39

Covid Got Free Ticket - Madan Krishna Shrestha Introducing myself first, I am an actor, singer, artist and a comedian. I am a patient of parkinson and heart disease. Having a weak immune system, Covid-19 got a free ticket to enter my body. It really affected me mentally and physically as I was under 15 different medications. I got infected after attending a singing program, being a media personality, sometimes I couldnot avoid and couldn’t refuse to attend some important events. Along with my five family members, we were tested positive for Covid-19. I was hospitalized for 8 days. On the third day of being discharged, I was again symptomatic, therefore I was hospitalized for 14 days more. It was unfortunate to be diagnosed with a heart problem and had to keep two stents in my heart. It was very painful not being able to pay tribute to my late wife on “Tithi anniversary”. Lying in bed at the hospital I could not stop my tears rolling down my cheeks, remembering every memory I shared with my better half and will cherish all my lifetime. Loneliness is very cruel feeling after all this turmoil, I felt that. There was no one to console me and I was inconsolable. One nurse saw me sobbing, she promised to light a lamp in her name. I was feeling low and emotional, even after defeating the virus, I kept wondering why I was feeling that way. Nevertheless, I felt that life is very short to hold grudges and regrets. I started looking for a way to cheer up sending love to people around me. Despite being Isolated and heart broken, I managed to send birthday wishes to our ex-King Gyanendra Shah as well. He was also suffering from Covid-19 like me, so I messaged him to boost his morale. Sadly, people misunderstood the gesture and started commenting negatively. I wished for him because of humanity. I just hope people will be able to differentiate their own self from hatred and love. I didn’t mind the negativity they threw in social media. I simply forgive and pitied them for politicizing everything in this country. Lastly, I want to thank my entire fans, colleagues, family, relatives and friends who continuously showered me love and support. I make sure I went through all of your messages during my quarantine. I really appreciate all your love blessings and support that made me stronger enough to win three battles this time Covid-19, Parkinson and Cardiac Stent. 40

The Art of Living - Neeva Pradhan “The most difficult time for me as a health care worker was when I had to break the sad news to the mother recuperating from Covid at Grande hospital, her young son had been brought in from another hospital to the ICU and had died from the disease”. Archana Pradhan, Assistant General Manager, mentioned how difficult it was for their team to come up with a gentle way to break this harsh news to the mother. “This is what has caused the biggest stress for us - to see the patients suffering and the fact that families cannot meet their loved ones while being isolated”, she explained. As an international trainer on stress management with the Art of Living, I have heard many such stories from participants, especially, the front-line workers. The kind of stress they face on a day-to-day basis is unimaginable. At a personal level and in the professional field, I worked in the banking industry. That is when I also experienced stress simply from trying to bring a work-life balance and manage stress. I was fortunate to participate in this workshop a few years back to apply it in my own life and bring better balance and handle life’s challenges. If the current situation has given rise to fear, anxiety, panic and helplessness, it has also definitely brought a sense of connection, compassion, caring among the human race. More than ever before, we have come to realize the interdependent nature of life, a sense of belonging even with strangers. It is heartwarming to see individuals and institutions re-adjust their priorities, re-evaluate values in order to expand their reach out to help those in need. To combat the stress levels and to build better health well-being and enhanced immunity, this program has been offered widely to around 300 organizations and 3000 participants in Nepal during the pandemic. It has been truly satisfying to offer this training to the front-line health care workers who have been most vulnerable. Participants have shared their experiences of less stress in the mind, better clarity, more calmness, centeredness, greater energy level, and a positive attitude to deal with their daily challenges. It has been a humbling experience to witness individual transformations and to make a difference in our community. This pandemic has fortified our belief in the goodness of people, compassion, care, boldness of spirit, a feeling of togetherness, and that we are there for each other. 41

Playing Tournaments - Pranav Manandhar My name is Pranav Manandhar, I am 14 years old and a junior national tennis player. I have been playing tennis for the past 7 years and currently ranked #2 in under 14 juniors in Nepal. I have represented Nepal in ITF Asian 12 & under team championships held in Kazakhstan in 2018 & 2019, & World Junior Tennis Competition, 14 & under Asia/ Oceana pre-qualifying event held in Indonesia, in 2020. We won the tournament, securing birth to the next round of qualifiers to be held in Gold Coast, Australia in April 2020. Once everything started to close down due to the Coronavirus outbreak, all junior tournaments and events started getting cancelled or postponed, all training facilities and tennis courts also started shutting down. Not knowing when things would get back to normal, I still had to train and stay fit until competitive sports resumed again. My father has been coaching me since I started playing, he is the one who basically plans everything for me and sets up my training program and routine. With all training facilities shut, we had to come up with creative ways to work out at home making full use of limited space. Since I could not play tennis, it was a chance for me to work on and improve on other aspects of my game and body. We used to train twice a day for 2 hours each session, once in the morning and once in the evening, taking a rest day once a week. I spent a lot of time working on strength & conditioning, speed & agility, improving skills and technique and spent a lot of time watching old tennis matches and training videos to help me in my mental and tactical aspects of the game. My mother took care of my diet and schoolwork, making sure I was getting the necessary nutrients for good growth and recovery. Traveling and playing tournaments is a big part of the tennis journey. Missing out on playing World juniors and ITF Division 1, has definitely been a big loss for my development. 2020/21 has been really difficult and frustrating for all of us, staying focused and motivated at this time was really difficult, but definitely has made me stronger and more resilient for the coming days. Stay safe, stay positive & stay fit! 42

Traveling in Covid - Rita Bhandary When the Corona pandemic was spreading fast, we had to go to Delhi for my checkup. Delhi airport was virtually empty. Nepal Airlines was one of the few planes flying in and out of Delhi. After surgery, getting stuck in Gurugram for three months was an experience in itself. We saw the massive migrants march, Modi’s candlelight vigil against Corona, his “Thali” beating to drive it out totally, but nothing worked. We could empathize with our Nepalese counterparts, students, and migrant workers trying to get back home; those reaching the border yet being denied entry in one’s own country. The Nepal Embassy at Delhi adopted a ‘no access’ approach much to the frustration and anger of stranded people looking for a way to return home. Eventually, all gave up and followed their instinct. I have experienced traveling in bullock carts, ‘Khatauli’, trucks, etc., but nothing beats traveling in an ambulance for 22 long hours from Gurugram, Delhi to get back home. The ambulance that we took from Bhairahawa to Kathmandu was hilarious to reflect upon; we would not have been surprised if the parts had fallen out on the rough highway. Everything along the highway was closed even the toilets! Recuperating from my surgery during our first lockdown was not bad, with everyone’s love and support. The feeling that eventually, all would be fine if we kept ourselves active and creative was there. However, we too caught Covid despite staying safe. As there was no one at home to look after us, we stayed three days at HAM’s hospital much to the relief of our family and friends. This second round of lockdown has taken its toll; creativity and enthusiasm have diminished considerably; a business rebound is on the far horizon. Yet I know I am one of the lucky ones who can pull up no matter what. Life is wonderful and I believe we have been sent here for a purpose, to offer love, hope, and assistance wherever needed. So like the rattling ambulance that got us home, I will shake myself to stay optimistic..... 43

Love for Animals - Kathmandu Locals Our Team- “Kathmandu locals” planned to feed the local street animals and provide free food, clothes, masks and sanitizers to the needy people during the first lockdown. Having understood the situation during the devastating earthquake in 2015, we decided to run this campaign, keeping in mind the imbalance that lockdown will cause for many people. In March 2020, despite the fear, we started contributing some amount of money and provided free food, water and Covid awareness services to people. We provided food and water to the street dogs and birds as well. We named this campaign, “Let’s live and help others live”. We provided these services on a regular basis and posted pictures on our Facebook page. Many people showed concern but many commended our work. Even though our families were afraid, being social workers, we believed we carried social responsibility, therefore, we took the utmost precaution and frequent PCR tests to keep ourselves and others protected. We received a lot of support from our friends, families and community for our campaign. Soon, as the lockdown extended, other organizations also started providing food and supplies. We usually supplied in New road and Hanumandhoka areas but we understood that enough food supplies were being received from various organizations in these areas. We also saw that due to the high amount of food supply, the marginalized people started choosing and throwing food. This broke our hearts and it didn’t meet the essence of our campaign. Therefore, we decided to provide food to street dogs only. Our aim was to feed every voiceless hungry soul; therefore, it makes us happy that we were the pioneers of running this campaign. We collaborated with various organizations to cover many grounds at the same time to feed the street dogs. We fed about 500-600 dogs on a daily basis. Our major focus was Teku Dumping site as more than 400 dogs were found there. We learned a lot and faced challenges as well. But we wish to carry on this campaign and hope people around their area can help feed the street dogs. Your food can help them survive another day. 44

Uncertain Life - Susmita Bista It is difficult to share my story but I hope no one has to experience what I went through. My husband, Ridesh, was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Nepal Army and was posted in Sudan for a UN peacekeeping mission. Therefore, we used to have our conversation through phone calls every day before he went to work. To my dismay, on Chaitra 13th, 2076, after finishing our conversation, I was shocked to hear that my husband had suffered cardiac arrest just five minutes after our call in the afternoon. I received the news through my relatives at six pm. It broke my heart as I couldn’t accept his untimely demise. The doctors were unable to save him despite being taken to the hospital urgently. Coincidently, this all happened at the same time during the first Covid-19 induced national lockdown in Nepal. Despite the grief, I was unable to mourn the death. The real struggle started when I started the process to repatriate the body for his final rites. I spent my time managing the logistics, despite having the support of the diplomats and UN general. On the 18th day, I was able to bring him home and cremate him properly. It was difficult due to Covid-19 and aviation shutdown but thankfully we were able to hold his final rites. Another hurdle was sharing news to my daughter, who was excited about her fathers’ surprise for her birthday. I shared the news on the 14th day, we both held each other and cried. I feel saddened by the fact that my 18-month- old son will never get to cuddle his father or experience having a fatherly figure. Till this day, my son calls “Pappu” when he sees the picture of his father. My husband was a disciplined officer and a physically fit person. I am still in the process to get the proper recognition from the Nepalese government for my husband’s contributions. He has yet to receive honor and the deserved recognition for his service. I just hope that I can raise my children with dignity and without having to face much difficulties being a single mother. 45

My Silent Revolution as an Amateur Artist - Yasodha Shrestha It was Ganesh Chaturdashi day in the August of 2018, my husband and I visited Kamaladi Ganesh mandir as usual and upon returning home, sight of a beautiful picture of Ganesh on Facebook caught my eyes. I picked up a pen and paper to sketch out the picture of Ganesh. The Covid invasion has been a turning point in the lives of all human beings across the globe. With the lock down our lifestyles have changed drastically. We are all under house arrest. Our lives have come to a standstill. For myself, this was an opportunity to reflect and rethink about all the things I had taken for granted. What could one do during such a crisis? My only survival kit was to continue experimenting with my skills as an amateur artist. Today I have around 60 to 70 pieces of art to my credit. It’s now my passion to produce one or two pieces of art every week. During the second phase of Covid, there were many incidences where I heard about colleagues and relatives succumbing to the virus. Life has never been so painful. Not all days are smooth, but my new hobby has been a means of my survival and healing during this difficult time. I, sometimes wonder how my life would be during this crisis without this precious gift. During the first phase of Covid-19, I was also able to share this gift of painting with the children in my community. The children wanted to learn dot painting and they produced beautiful art work through dot painting. One day we were also able to exhibit their paintings in the community. Life goes on, the Covid era continues, but I continue my journey as an amateur artist and every piece of art work that I make, is not only a reminder of my time spent during the Covid era, but it is also a promise to me from the universe that there will definitely be light at the end of the tunnel and a beautiful life ahead of us. 46

A Story of a Frontliner - Rimsha Shrestha I, along with my team, volunteered as the first medical team at KHARIPATI ISOLATION CENTER which was originally a training center. Under the supervision of the medical superintendent of Bhaktapur Hospital, Government of Nepal and allied with the military and Armed Police Force, we reached the place a day before for the orientation and organization. On the very first day, I encountered a bitter experience. After arranging all the dorms, I wanted to take a short walk nearby but as soon as I reached the gate, the security officer told me that we should stay away; we were the reason for the outbreak, and we had no right to roam around but to stay in the isolation ward. It broke my heart to see how health professionals and front-liners were being treated by society. Some of us had to leave our rented apartments and were outcast by the locality only because we were taking care of the Covid patients. Although I protested back then, it will always be an experience I will never forget. We all have left so much behind, just to take care of Covid patients who need us, but society has turned a blind-eye towards our sacrifice and treated us like a plague. We never considered ourselves as just a medical team. We always did what we could to people who came for help and shared our workload. Regardless of the endless phone calls, documentation, counselling, unreasonable visitors, admissions of more than 30-40 patients at once and our daily struggles, we shaped the system. During this journey, I realized that more than the Coronavirus, lack of awareness and empathy was outbreaking in society. Even when people wanted to stay in home isolation, landlords would not allow them, it was easier for people who had their own properties. One month of experience was enough for me to learn all about teamwork, leadership, and coordination. And this crisis also helped reflect our societal values. 47

Starting Free Meal Distribution for Homeless People - Kusum Tamang As soon as the lockdown was announced in 2020, I was relieved at first that I would get a break from my busy schedule and the bustles of the city. But when the second wave hit, and I had taken a good week rest, I started to get an uneasy nudge that something must be done now and I started thinking about people who wouldn’t have any access to good food due to the lockdown and their financial status. I started to inquire around and followed the news actively and started to see if there were daily wage workers, low-income families, migrants and students starting to suffer. At that time, I received a call from the community police in Lalitpur who requested meals for individuals around Mahalaxmisthan Temple as they were on the verge of starvation. Most of these people were homeless, in temporary dwellings and in rented accommodation working as daily wage, house help, small local hotels, etc. That is when we cooked our first hot meals at home for 30 people and distributed them at the temple vicinity in coordination with the community police. Little did we know that this would become a milestone for us in so many ways. By the end of the first month, we had served more than 100 people each day. We also started supporting individuals with basic health checkups and even helped deliver two babies during the time. After the 9th month of distributing meals and ration packs, I was bedridden for a month with Covid. My husband took over the work with the volunteers and continued the distribution while I was doing my best to recover. For me, it was a more difficult process because I have a chronic illness known as LUPUS SLE and we were very careful that the Covid didn’t trigger the flare which could complicate the situation. By July, 2021, we were still serving hot meals and ration packs. We have managed to provide more than 100,000 meals and ration packs to more than 25000 families which looks big in numbers but in fact is a fraction of what the actual need is out there. 48

Effect On Event Management Business - Faija Parween Ever since I had organized my last grand event in December 2019, I was in the quest of finding the right venue for my signature event, “Namaste Eid”. We had aimed to make 2020 Events even grander and more historic. In March 2020, Covid-19 hit Nepal and turned the event industry upside down. As all “Holi” events got canceled by the government and that’s when the downfall of our industry began. By the end of March, the world had shut down with only virtual events on the rise but as you can guess, virtual events didn’t have the same spark, and in no time, people were suffering from zoom fatigue. This phase went on for months and my business was on halt. I could not organize any physical events for a year. I felt like a part of me was lost, and I suffered from “imposter syndrome”. Every time I spoke to someone, they would tell me to do something productive and not to stay idle and it use to hit me hard as organizing events was not only my passion but also my bread and butter and it wasn’t there anymore. I felt helpless. Nevertheless, I chose to improve my health and started my weight loss journey. In a span of 3 months, I lost 15 kgs and that was life-changing. I started to think beyond events. My focus changed from professional growth to personal growth, leading me to try things I had not thought about before. Opting for a sustainable weight loss journey, learning makeup, trying new cooking recipes, I started keeping myself busy. In no time, it was the middle of 2021 and looking back, I took a risk in my venture of non- alcoholic perfumes. We are still in the test and trial phase, but, I am hopeful that this baby of mine will be successful. I am waiting for the day when meeting people and having gatherings will not be scary and I can organize events with a free heart. 49

Getting Infected Twice Working as a Doctor - Priyesh Shrestha As the pandemic began and I started my duty from the first day, I knew this wasn’t going to be business as usual. It was certain that this was something new, something unpredictable unfolding before us. Normally our job was to diagnose patients based on certain protocols, but there was no “typical patient” or “typical symptoms”. There was no telling of when things might go wrong. The pressure under which we work is overwhelming, we were all adapting to new skills, like having to take a managerial role, to utilize our minimal resources to their maximum potential, triaging the patients according to their severity. It’s true that healthcare workers are desensitized to a certain degree on concepts of disease and death, but not to this extent. After the second wave hit, the situation just kept spiraling downwards, seeing patients not be able to talk to their loved ones in their last moments was sobering, to say the least. There were times when I felt helpless, there would be nothing I could do than to sit by them in their last moments. I carried their bodies to the mortuary because no one else was allowed. Witnessing these extreme circumstances for 20 hours a day everyday till you crashed would get anyone burnt out. Yet, all of us got up every single day and went in for more. Sometimes I’d get irritated with my colleagues, not at them, but at the situation and the pressure we were under. But most days they were my support system, they felt like family, the little conversations we would have during breaks hold a special place in my heart. Even after getting infected with Corona two times myself, we’re still in the front-line working to save other’s lives. Because for me, work-life balance is almost nonexistent, it feels like I’m living a strange life of hospitals, patients, and my room and I’m completely detached from the rest of the world. Covid has left most of us feeling isolated from everyone else. Despite all the exhaustion and heartbreak, we were going through on a daily basis, when a patient recovered under our watch, I would feel the tiredness melt away and a rejuvenated sense of enthusiasm as to why we are doing this. Everything, for a moment, feels like it was worth all the trouble. I sincerely hope this pandemic brings us all close together and we can overcome it as soon as possible. 50