My friend was getting married in a few months. It was an arranged marriage, something I had not heard about for a couple of years. I could feel the excitement in her voice when she told me about the preparations that were going on in her house. “I was confused in the beginning.

She gradually opened up and shared her feelings. “I stopped going to work. After all, the family is more important, isn’t it?” she said with an inquisitive look. I remained silent. She continued.

One day, I was riding my scooter down New Road and saw that the police officers stationed there to direct traffic seemed to be acting just like ordinary people.

Since the start of the holy month of Gunla on July 25 this year, hundreds of pairs of feet in Kathmandu Valley have got up early in the morning to walk to Swayambhu Maha Chaitya.