READ 2B HAPPY

Due to the constant abuse of nature, we are experiencing the wrath of nature in the form of natural disasters. Photo: Alamy  By LB THAPA Perhaps due to the constant abuse of nature to such an extent that now we are experiencing the wrath of nature in the form of natural disasters. The increasing rate of deforestation, belching smoke from ever-increasing numbers of vehicles, digging out the length and breadth of the mountains to make motorable roads, water pollution, mismanagement of garbage, and many more have only aggravated the environment and made it worse.  Many reports have duly confirmed that Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. However, none of the governments in the past or present has ever taken this warning seriously. Instead, they have just confined their activities to the periphery of rescue and rehabilitation. They never thought of developing the necessary infrastructure to mitigate recurring problems like floods and landslides. Every ye...

Rara Lake at the backdrop. All photos by Diwas Gurung By LB THAPA Diwas Gurung is a 28-year-old young man, and he calls himself a solo traveler. He has already paddled with his mountain bike the entire length and breadth of the country in 42 days. Among others, he has also paddled Ghale Gaon, Sirubari, Lwang Ghalel, Bandipur, Gorkha, Lumbini, Sauraha Chitwan, Dharan, and Ilam, and the list is long. Moreover, Diwas has also paddled from Pokhara to Sikkim with a message to donate blood to save lives.   As far as trekking is concerned, he has walked through the entire area of the Annapurna Circuit in 42 days, Annapurna Base Camp in 9 days, and the Guerrilla Trek in 35 days. Perhaps his toughest trek was from Kagbeni, Mustang, to Rara Lake and Jumla in 52 days. During all this trekking, he was all alone.   Upper Sera village, East Rukum " Until 2015, even remotely, I had not thought that one day I would spend so much time paddling my mountain bike and trekking all of the popula...

Nepali Taekwondo players display their medals won in the 1st Tirak & K.T. M International Taekwondo Championship-2023 held in Bangkok, Thailand.    By LB Thapa Nepali taekwondo players have won medals in the 1 st Tirak & K.T. M International Taekwondo Championship-2023 held in Bangkok, Thailand.   Niru Magar’s dazzling performance in the Poomsae category brought her two gold medals. Her powerful steps and aerial movements left spectators glued to their seats until the end of her performance. Senior taekwondo players have opined that Niru’s Bangkok performance was one of the best ones.   Similarly, Prem Darnal and Bikram Lamichhane have both won one gold and one silver medal, respectively, in the Poomsae category. Rekh Maya Gurung, the head coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, registered a thumping victory and brought home one gold and one silver medal.   Adding more medals to the medal tally, Karun Khand won one gold medal. Similarly, Prabin Bayam and R...

  Students of Absolute Taekwondo Dojang flash their medals and certificates. Photo: courtesy.  By LB THAPA for READ 2B HAPPY In a recently concluded 1 st NTA Taekwondo Poomsae League Championship , Rekhmaya Gurung, a senior taekwondo coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang and most of her students have come out winning medals in the championship.   In the 12-14 age category, the pair of Apil Gurung and Gun Maya Gurung managed to win silver medals. In the group, Poomsae Arik Rana, Arush Nepali, and Bishow BK won silver medals.   Rekhmaya Gurung wins a silver medal. In the individual contest under the 12-14 age category, Pratikshya Rana and Apil Gurung won silver medals whereas Gun Maya Gurung had to satisfy with a bronze medal.       In the individual contest under the 12-14 age category, Liza Pun and Arik Rana won bronze medals. Under the 30-40 age category, Rekhmaya Gurung, senior coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, and Rejin Rimal of Nepal Army won...

  Nepal Taekwondo Team finishes runner-up in the international Taekwondo championship held in Hong Kong. Kaski taekwondo players won medals in the 27th Asian Cities Taekwondo Championship held in Hong Kong. Photo: Read 2b Happy. By LB THAPA for Read 2b Happy   The Nepal Taekwondo team has stunned everyone with its scintillating performance in the 27 th Asian Cities Taekwondo Championship and finished the tournament as the runner-up. Four members of Kaski Taekwondo players had also been part of the Nepali team. The two days championship was held from March 4 to 5. The championship was participated by 9 countries.    The championship was concluded on 5 th March 2023 amid a colorful program to show a thankful gesture for all the participants from different countries.   In the Poomsae category, Pokhareli taekwondo player Rekhmaya Gurung, head coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, won a bronze medal under the 31-40 years age category. Similarly, Arik Rana did also b...

Four Pokhareli taekwondo players Rekhmaya Gurung, Pratikshya Gurung, Deepisha Gurung, and Arik Rana are leaving today for Hong Kong to participate in the 27th Asian Cities Taekwondo Championship to be held from March 4 to March 5, 2023.    By LB THAPA Four taekwondo players of Absolute Taekwondo Dojang will participate in the 27 th Asian Cities Taekwondo Championship. The championship will be held from March 4 to March 5 in Jordan city, Hong Kong.  The group of four Taekwondo players is led by Rekhmaya Gurung who is also the head coach at Absolute Taekwondo Dojang, Pokhara. Rekhmaya Gurung will participate in Poomsae in the 30-40 years age category. And Deepisha Gurung will participate in Poomsae in the 19-30 age category. Similarly, Arik Rana will participate in Poomsae under 12 years age category.  However, Pratikshya Rana, under 12 years of weight category, will be the only taekwondo contestant in the team who will participate in both of the categories: Poomsae a...

Indian bikers traveling to Nepal with a message of cementing Indo-Nepal friendship. Photo: Read 2b Happy.  By LB THAPA for Read 2B Happy Three bike riders from India have just arrived in Pokhara. Led by Ajay Tiwari from Bhopal and two other friends Jasbinder Singh aka Kaku Bhai from Amritsar and Karan Sodhi from Dehradun have covered over 1102km distance by their ostensibly impressive motorbikes.     Speaking with this scribe Ajay Tiwari, who is from Bhopal said: “Over the last decade or so I have been regularly going for long distance traveling by motorbike. In the beginning, I used to bike alone but later two of my soul mates joined me and now we are three on the road. We are intimate friends and we have a wonderful understanding of each other. Most of the time we travel with our wives but this time we decided to travel without them”.       From left, Ajay Tiwari, Bhopal, Jasbinder Singh, Amritsar and Karan Sodhi, Dehradun.  Ajay Tiwari who hai...

Forcing a woman to practice Chhaupadi is a crime. The guilty can receive a three-month jail sentence or a 3,000 rupee fine or both. Photo credit: womennepal.org; bianet.org; spotlight Nepal   By LB THAPA The practice of Chhaupadi tradition is rampant in many rural areas of the country. Nepal’s Supreme Court banned Chhaupadi tradition in 2005, describing it as a human rights violation. However, the government has completely failed to stop this tradition in many rural parts of the country.  Forcing a woman to practice Chhaupadi is a crime. The guilty can receive a three-month jail sentence or a 3,000 rupee fine or both. Although Nepal has made so much progress in the last two decades or so, some traditions like Chhaupadi are still rampant in some parts of the country. According to research conducted by a non-government organization, about 67 percent of women from Dailekh and Surkhet districts in Karnali province are found to strictly follow Chhaupadi tradition. The other da...