Kathmandu shopping bonanza

I do not claim to have travelled much, but I have heard about Walmart and Lotus megastores around the world. The biggest mall I have been to is MBK in Bangkok, and it was a revelation indeed. Having seen the workings of an anthill on some nature channel, it was quite an experience to be in one, bigger though, but no less busy and crowded.

Many admit to being impulsive shoppers – addicted to the fine art of splurge. I haven’t had enough to ‘splurge’ in the real sense, but I would love to, at least once, just to get the feel of what it feels like. Anyway, I am now moving away from what I set out to write.

Nepal is in the news for all the wrong reasons – tourism, the staple industry, is at a record low, and tourists down to a trickle. But, big constructions go on unabated in Kathmandu. The Sundhara Mall opened recently, and a few more are on the way. Thamel maybe be bare but New Road is still a hub of intense activity. Business goes on as usual, or is it?

The finance minister dishes out stats that indicate a sustaining economy, if not one that is growing. Well, shopping is still a delight in Kathmandu. In fact, it just got better – given the resources to splurge, one can buy not just the ware, but entire shops. And you got quite a choice: from cybercafés to restaurants, everything is up for sale in the alleys.

Malls are going up fast, but shutters are coming down faster.

Drink Dunk

Not very long ago, while trying to contact some South Asian rock bands for a concert in Kathmandu, we came in contact with some really cool rockers who readily agreed to come and perform for free, but expected a nice time, including a plentiful supply of booze. Having grown up in Gangtok, where liquor is almost an essential ingredient of the local culture, I am used to seeing alcohol being sold in the open market. But coming to Kathmandu, it took even me some while to get used its ‘open’ sale in the market. Open here seemed to take a different meaning altogether: from the neighbourhood kirana pasaal to the pan dokan, everyone appeared to have a bottle or two of rum of whiskey among their fare.

The administration seems pretty lenient on the sale of alcohol, and why not? Prohibition has failed in most places so why not reap the benefits of keeping liquor in the open market by way of tax and excise revenues. I really admire open policies when it comes to substances deemed addictive and derogatory for general health and the society. Curbs and bans only tend to increase the ‘wow’ factor, leading to more serious implications.

Anyway, after my pro-administration banter, I have one question to raise. Why arrest a person who consumes the liquor, over the sale of which the administration has no qualms about?

Why penalize consumption when the sale of the same is no violation?