It is not always that you see a monk bag the top honors for filmmaking, but that was the sight at the recently held 5th Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival 2017. After four days of the festival showcasing films from 38 different countries, Shelnang Wamjo Tamang’s short movie Jhalo was picked as the winner in the Best Fiction in National Panorama Award category.

It was around 20 years ago that he came up with an idea for a business but it has just been five years that his dreams turned into a reality. It took 63-year-old Swayambhu Dhakwa 15 years to get his store Art Decor up and running at Kupondole. Now, he sells artworks based on Tibetan, Newari and Nepali traditional and religious themes.

Gentle and graceful, the deer is a mystical animal. Personifying the spirit of the tranquil deer, Sarang Wildlife Sanctuary rests peacefully amidst the thick jungle in Meghauli, in Narayani. A beautiful and quite escape from the hustle of the city, this resort allows you to be one with nature.

Nepali Travelers started funding solo women travelers to instill confidence in them as well as encourage them to become independent. The project started when Pemba Sherpa, an avid traveler himself, sat down with his friends and came up with the concept. “Our aim is to build a travel culture in the country. We have a lot of mountains and other beautiful places, but nobody wants to go camping,” he said, revealing that that’s exactly the kind of thing he wants to change.

What was once thought to be ailments of the elderly and old people, of late, seems to be quite common in young and adults alike. According to Dr Bimal Pandey, general secretary of Nepal Orthopedic Association and surgeon at Kathmandu Medical College, Vayodha Hospital, and Himal Hospital, people today have orthopedic problems regardless of their age and one has to know how to take care of their bones and muscles to keep them strong and thus prevent recurrent problems. Here, Dr Pandey shares his expertise and tells us how we can take care of our bone health as well as arms us with information on what to do in case of injury.

All those of you who enjoy a hot cup of tea or coffee or a chilled mug of beer while playing some scrabble or monopoly with your friends and family when you have some time off during the week or on the weekends, it’s time to consider doing something different. There are many gaming options to choose from in Kathmandu that you don’t have to stay cooped up inside the four walls of your living room anymore. Board games don’t just cut it when you can actually be out playing in real time yourself.

Dieting doesn’t mean you have to starve yourself. Knowing how many calories you consume everyday goes a long way in helping you reduce your daily intake. It doesn’t have to be as restrictive and confusing as most people deem it to be. The Week talked to Binita Pant, dietician at Alka Hospital, to guide you through the process of staring a diet and leading a healthier life.

You don’t need to go to the Middle East to experience their dust storm. Just visit our Ring Road area, especially Balkhu or Gwarko, and take a selfie and post it on Facebook telling the rest of the world that you are enjoying one of those dust storms. Nobody needs to know you are not somewhere in the Middle East.

We, as a nation, are quite the happy bunch, or so it would seem. That is if you believe the World Happiness Report, 2017 released on the International Day of Happiness (Yes, there is such a day in case any of you were wondering) that falls on March 20th.

Fashion means different things to different people but one thing is for sure, it is an important part of everybody’s life. More so in the recent times because social media and glossy magazines have changed how we want ourselves to be seen. The act of dressing up isn’t simple anymore. Republica talked to some people to find out ‘fashion’ means to them, whether they think it’s necessary to keep up with the trends, and what fashion trend they would or wouldn’t follow.