Time has now finally come for the Nepali government to conserve guthis, instead of capturing them to just replace them once and for all (‘With Guthi Bill, government wants to exploit ancient customs for money, locals say’, June 12, TKP online). It has been clearly known that certain mafia elements have been active in this regard, and the government had been turning both a blind eye and a deaf ear. Of course protests regarding conservation of guthis have been held recently because they hold not just national but even cultural and historical importance. Though the government has backed off for now, it is more important to press the state to conserve our heritage instead of attempting to usurp it. Hence it's high time the government’s attitude change in order to make effective the conservation of guthis, which hold great importance to many people in the country, and to the culture and history of the country itself.

Pratik Shrestha, Buddhanagar, Kathmandu