Although death is certain for anyone who has been born, the passing away of Bangmaya Shatabdi Purush, or Litterateur of the Century, Satya Mohan Joshi Sunday morning is sure to leave a void in the field of Nepali literature, culture and history. He had been suffering from prostrate, heart and respiratory ailments for quite some time, and lately had also tested positive for dengue, requiring hospitalisation. He breathed his last after 24 days of treatment. The man of letters was an encyclopedia on Nepali art, culture and history, who enthralled both academics and commoners with his extensive knowledge of these subjects gained through wide research and observation. That he lived over a century – 103 years – and stayed not only healthy but active and committed to his work until his last days is in itself an achievement and a great inspiration.

Joshi has penned 71 books – 33 in Nepali, 37 in Nepal bhasa (Newari) and one in English. His books include stories, plays, essays and poems, among other genres. Joshi is the only person in Nepal to receive the prestigious Madan Puraskar thrice for his books Hamro Lok Sanskriti in 1956, which depicted the daily life of the people of Tanahun and Lamjung; Nepal Rastriya Mudra in 1960, which documented the coins used in Nepal since the Licchavi period; and Karnali Lok Sanskriti in 1971, a research collection based on his study of the Khas civilisation in the Sinja which was on the verge of becoming extinct. His other notable publications, namely plays, include Charumati, Sunkeshari, Majipa Lakhe and Bagh Bhairab. Joshi studied in Durbar High School, making him the privileged few to get a formal education in English during the Rana period. It was while studying in Tri-Chandra College that he came across Nepal's noted litterateurs of the time. It was Joshi who first translated the works of French short story writer, Maupassant.

Despite his many achievements, Joshi was a very humble man, who lived a simple life that he believed in. Always dressed in typical daura suruwal attire, he preferred to walk and seldom took a vehicle. His neighbours saw him walking for more than an hour each day and buying vegetables. That perhaps explains why he kept himself physically fit for more than a century. He strongly believed that simple living and keeping oneself free from mental tensions are the secret to a long life. However, it's not the long years of his life that he will be remembered for but the immense contributions he has made to the enhancement of Nepal's art, culture and history. Joshi was an activist who loved his mother tongue, Nepal Bhasa, and Newari culture dearly, but he did so by not demonstrating in the streets but by enriching them through research and writing. While in China, his research on the famous Nepali sculptor, Arniko, who built the White Stupa at the Miao Ying Temple in Beijing, during the Malla period, helped give Arniko the recognition of Nepal's national hero while cementing Nepal-China ties. Joshi has left behind a rich collection of books, manuscripts, ancient coins and rare postage stamps. It is the duty of the government and the youth to preserve and maintain them.

Extend deadline

The tourism and hospitality sector is slowly returning to normalcy after a gap of two years following the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 that restricted the movement of people across the globe. Nepal's tourism, which is a major foreign currency earner, has been hit hardest. Tourism activities have faced yet another blow due to the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia. The Hotel Association of Nepal (HAN) has said the tourism industry is still facing hardships in sustaining itself and is operating at a loss on a daily basis.

Taking into account its plight, HAN has urged the government to extend the deadline for the repayment of principal and interest taken by the hoteliers from the banks. Many businesses related to hotel and tourism are running at less than half their capacity, and they are not in a position to repay them on time. To add insult to injury, the spread of dengue has inflicted fear among foreign tourists, who want to visit different parts of the country during the autumn season. Increasing interest rates of the banks and their urgent notice to payback the loans disbursed have created panic in the hoteliers. Hence, the government must come up with some plan to address their problems.

A version of this article appears in the print on October 18, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.