Herne Katha

A day inside the restricted walls of a girls only Madarsa (muslim school) in southern Nepal.

When winter begins, whole village of Dhorpatan in Western Nepal migrates to another warmer place called Bowang. Only few women called 'Chaukini' are left in the village who guard the whole village during 5 cold months in the mountain.

A family of Bhutanese Refugees re-settled in Canada since last 9 years revisit their old shelter camps in Eastern Nepal where they had spent two decades after fleeing Bhutan in the 1990s.

A day in the life of an ethnic community called Sonaha in Western Nepal. People from this community find gold on the bank of river with their bare hand using few traditional wooden tools.

Story of 72 year old Chandrabir Oli from Dang in Western Nepal. Who for 2 years, alone carved a road through forest and mountain to his home, so that his blind family members could walk.

Rat hunting is a traditional profession of Satar (Santhal) community in Eastern Nepal. They hunt rats for food and fun.

Story of people in a village in Western Nepal, who earn livelihood from horses.

Zubaida Khatun, like most of her friends got married at the age of 14 when she was studying at grade 7. Zubaida's struggling journey from a girl married at early age to an aspiring politician in her area.

Some heart wrenching stories from the past and present from the Baadi women in western Nepal, whose primary profession is sex workers since ages.

Lives of people from Kinghariyan (Muslim) community in Nepalgunj of Western Nepal

Lives of people living at the India-Nepal border in Jhapa in Eastern Nepal.

Story of a 12 year old boy who lives alone in a house.

Life of the shepherds of Babanpur.

Zindagiko Katha (Story of Life) tells some painful stories of ups and downs of old people living in Bishranti Ashram in Mulghat in Dhankuta.

Story of a father and daughter from Eastern Nepal who make living from singing. Gandharbas (Gaine) are travelling musician with their instrument called Sarangi. We followed their musical journey all the way to Kurseong, Darjeeling in India.

A physically disabled boy from a poor family in Achham district has strong desire to read and write.

Jana Samyukta Primary School in Dhodeni Gumi was in the verge of merging with another school. One day, Gajendra Rana Magar arrived.

Story of a village in Dailekh district in western Nepal, where all male members of family go to India to find work. It is difficult to find men in the village - Bhurti Gaunko Katha

Story of people in a village near Narayani River in Chitwan National Park, who make living from river and jungle.

Stories of the last group of a nomad community in Nepal known as 'Raute'

Stories inside a small Muslim village called 'Chudeli Gaun' in Achham district in Western Nepal.

Story of courage and struggle of Kamala Chaudhari, a former Kamlari (bonded labour) from Dang, western Nepal.

Story of a young boy seeking his identity, struggling with poverty, trying to win life.

Story of a Tharu woman from Dang, who happened to be a leader of her village.

Story of a 'Jogi' who walks out at night to make rounds of other's houses hymning mantras using their blowing horn to make conch like sound. It is believed that the mantras and the blowing horn scares away evil spirit and restores good luck. A long dated tradition in many communities in Nepal.

Duita Katha (Two Stories) shows lives of two different Nepali women in their own world, both from Western Nepal. Jhupri Kumari Bhandari from Achham and Himani Tharu from Bardiya.

Padahari village in Palhinandan Gaupalika in Southern Nawalparasi is home to many Pahalwan (wrestler). Some of them are hobbyist and some of them are professional. The tradition of playing 'kusti' (wrestling) dates back to ancient age.

A long dated tradition of buying and selling whole village in Dom community in Southern plain of Nepal.

Stories of girls from Rolpa and Dang, working at a brick factory in Kathmandu.

A dog lover family in Kathmandu who have devoted everything they have for stray dogs and cats.

We followed the life of Sehenaj Khatun from Kathmandu to her village in southern Nepal. Sehenaj has given birth to 8 child at the age of 22.

Stories of three paragliding pilots from Pokhara.

The changed life story of Dushad community from southern Nepal, who were famous for robbery and thievery, some 40 years ago.

Stories of different characters who were involved in Maoist insurgency in Nepal.

We took a challenging journey to Gobargada village in Eastern Nepal, a small island created by the Koshi river.

Stories of three different lives from Eastern Nepal who have befriended music. We met them at a music school run by Sunita Katwal in Itahari.

Chandranigahapur in southern Nepal is famous for it's women football team. Despite coming from poor families how the girls chased their dreams.

Eighteen years ago, a young Maoist boy disappeared from a battlefield.

Story of a Shepherd and a Cowboy from Eastern Nepal who live nomadic life for the sake of food for their cattle.

A group of women from 33 to 72 years old, dream about performing a theater play. With no previous knowledge and experience on acting and theater, these women work hard for months. Finally they perform a play named ‘Ruwa (Cotton)'

Stories of hearing impaired people from Eastern Nepal.

Story of Thaggu Chaudhary and his 3 year old daughter in Buwako Katha (A Father's Story)

Men from 'Damai' community in Rukum, Western Nepal played a set of instruments called 'Panche Baja' (Five Instruments)

Story of Marpha village in Mustang, Nepal - exploring its unique historical traditions.

Story of a shepherd family from the mountains of the western Nepal.

Story of porters from Pathibhara temple in Taplejung, Nepal who carry pilgrims on their back to make living.

Two families from different parts of Nepal, unknown to each other, are connected by a fatal road accident in Saudi Arabia. 'Marisakeko Manchhe' (The Man Who Died Once) is a story of life and death, unimaginable sorrows, surprises and some measure of comfort and happiness.

Story of Senmikha, a young shepherd from Chakhewa, Bhojpur.

Story of Manjuliyadevi from Morang in Eastern Nepal, who inherited her husband's profession of traditional barber after his death.

Stories of people and villages in the mountains of Eastern Nepal bordering India.

Story of a abandoned village near Pokhara in Western Nepal.

Stories of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal who want to go back to their country.

Extreme scarcity of drinking water in a small village in western Nepal. The story of water. Paaniko Katha.

Stories inside the tunnels of coal mines in the mountains bordering Dang and Rolpa district in the mid west Nepal. Koila Khaniko Katha - Story of Coal Mine.

Story of folk musician from Eastern Nepal.

By the age of 20, Abadesh didn't just dropped out of his college, he left his family life too. Nowadays, he is seen in a Geru dress far away from his home. His friends don't call him as Abadesh, brother anymore. He has become 'Bhikkhu Metteyya' now. Story of a Bhante from Lumbini.

Story of a beautiful Tharu village, Bhada in Kailali district of western Nepal.

Story of a shepherd from Taplejung in Eastern Nepal.

Colorful story from Western plain of Nepal bordering India, where a boy named Ishwar dresses as a woman and dances in parties to make a living for his poor family.

Story of traditional Laathi Khel (Stick fighting) from Narainapur a small town bordering India in western plains of Nepal.

Stories of old Limbu people from East Nepal who are prepared to die and celebrate death.

Story of a challenging journey to meet a couple who are herding buffaloes in the middle of an isolated forest on top of a hill near Pokhara, Kaski.

Story of a 'Fish Village' in Bara, Bodhban. The villagers are switching to fish farming as it provides higher return compared to other traditional farming.

Most of the villagers in this part of Baglung (western hills), stay in hilly areas to feed their cattle for around 6 months. As the weather gets cold, they return to their village with their cattle's and belongings on the last week of September, to be exact, on 'Asoj 5.' This is the tradition that the villagers are following from decades. In this episode of Herne Katha, we have followed the villager's journey back to the village.

Story of a cricketer's journey with some ups and downs.

Story of a dedicated teacher who has transformed a government school in his village to an exemplary school in the area.

Story of a happy family built of love, passion and struggle, from southern Nepal.

We followed a traditional wedding ceremony in a remote village in Jumla district, Karnali Province, in Western Nepal.

Story of an aspiring musician who left Kathmandu and started farming in his own village with likeminded friends.

We followed a mountain village to it's journey to collect medicinal herb called Seto Chini, also known as Khiranglo and Hidde in local language.

Story of Deu Kumar Rai, an ex British Gurkha, now following some dreams back in his home village in Eastern Nepal.

For many years, people in eastern Nepal are risking their lives to transport bamboo through Koshi (one of the largest rivers) and sell them in southern plains. One fine morning, Herne Katha team joined this adventurous river trip of villagers from Udaypur and witnessed the hardships, struggles and smiles of the bamboo rafters.

Story of friendship, family and love: Bauwa- a tailor from Birgunj, Nepal.

A small Yadav settlement in Morang district in Eastern Nepal has produced nearly 30 doctors. How the village of farmers did this?

Kulalbada, a small Dalit settlement near Jumla Bazar is changing slowly. The story of Kulalbada tells more.

We have been telling the stories of people for a long time. Let's watch the stories of birds and animals too. In this episode, we are going to tell the story of vultures. Searching for the stories of vultures, we have travelled all around Pokhara. We, sometimes, travelled to the Seti river bank and sometimes, we waited for vultures at the vulture restaurant situated at Ghachowk.

Story of an amazing relationship between Durga Paudel and Mala Tamang which started more than 30 years ago in a small village in Eastern Nepal.

We took an adventurous and difficult journey from Jumla to Dolpa in the Karnali region. Met people who have to walk for 2 days to reach Jumla from Dolpa.

Life in small islands (Srilanka Tapu, Jampani Tapu) made by Koshi river in Eastern Nepal.

We have tried to explore the abandoned walking routes to Jomsom, Mustang. The trails used by trekkers, mules, and pilgrims have been replaced by motorable roads these days.

Rubber farming in Jhapa district in Eastern Nepal.

We humans are driven by stories. It is stories that connect us, and stories that drift us apart. There is a group of people who have arrived in Pokhara with their own tales. There is a difference in what they do to survive and what they do to live a life. To survive, some of these people run a pharmacy, some sing folk lore, some paint the walls of houses, and some are artists. However, in order to live, they all sing songs; Songs of People.

People from 12 villages in northern Mugu have migrated to Jumla in search of a better life. After all, how long can one live walking the trails of snow? But when they moved their homes, they didn’t just leave behind the memories of cold sorrows; they lost their language, they lost their identity.

The wrinkles of her smile hide the signs of her age. The children playing around her look like butterflies in a garden, swarming around their favorite flower. She then transforms into a little child herself, running after them.

No matter where life wanders, it is the memories that follow you. Julabi Chowk of Sundarharaicha, Morang reminisces the shadows and colors of the hills it left behind.

Mitho Katha, directly translates as "A Sweet Story". A story about a mother and her son, who, despite their bitter past experiences have rewritten their life story, filling it with infinite sweetness.

Godpasara village of Parsa district did not receive enough rainfall this monsoon. The paddy in the fields have withered. The soil is parched. Six years ago, they faced a similar drought in the village. When it happened again this year, the villagers decided to pray for water.

During the British Colonization, indigenous people from Jharkhand, India were transported in trucks and tractors to work in the tea plantations of Assam and West Bengal in North-East India. They, who left their soil, cultivated treasures in these gardens. Generations passed.

Before reaching Thori of Parsa district through the Hulaki highway, a narrow unpaved road leads us towards a dense forest. After passing through the thick forest, we reach a village. It is surrounded by Chitwan on one side and Parsa National Park on the other. This village in the forest is called the 'home of hunters'.

There is a small family in Ladiya village of Danabaari, Ilam. A family of three siblings, Anisha, Anish and Anup. After losing both their parents, they have had to learn how to be each other’s guardians.

Bagwana village is located at the edge of the forest, approximately 27 km from Birgunj metropolis. Every morning, two buses leave from the village to the city. One belongs to Asiya Devi and the other to Sadhana Devi. Asiya and Sadhana are the owners, and the conductors of their buses.

Story of years long conflict between humans and elephants in Bahundangi, Jhapa.

Our destination was Mugu. But the weather had the last word. We changed our route after the rain washed away parts of the Karnali Highway. Barekot, the northern part of Jajarkot, became our new destination.

A person is a person as long as they are alive. After death, one becomes a dead body. “Where does one’s soul go after death?” Vishwanath Harijan does not have time for these questions. All he knows is that a person is taken to the morgue after death. However, he himself goes to the morgue alive.

A group of technicians are gearing up to enter the forests of Bardiya National Park. Their job is to count tigers.

Half a century ago, Taranath Sharma walked from Jhulaghat, Baitadi to Dadeldhura. His account of this difficult journey, "Ghanaghasya ko Ukalo Katda" was also included in the older Nepali textbook. Now, 55 years later, we decided to take the same journey up the steep hills of Ghanaghasya.

It has been generations since people left the mountains of sorrow in Nepal to find happiness in the mountains of India.

High above the steep hills of Jajarkot, Nepal, four lives are tied together in the rugged cliffs of Khal Taakuri . Along the extreme topography of Nepal, and across the mental and emotional geographies of the tenacious human spirit, this documentary witnesses the perilous journey into the tiger’s jaw.

Krishna Lawad from Dehimandu, Baitadi has an interesting but a tough profession. He goes deep into the forest to find sticks. With his inherited craftsmanship, he turns them into strong and beautiful walking sticks and sells them in the market.

It takes two days of walking to reach the Pulu village of Karmarong; a remote village situated under the shadow of the lonely mountains in Mugu. Tulasi Shahi walked up these lonely mountains years ago, with a single purpose - to heal.

A few years ago, while travelling through Dailekh, we were surrounded by little children from a nearby Badi community singing on the road. This time we could not find them on our way, so we headed towards their settlement - "The New Settlement". But, the old wounds still hurt the same.

A motor road barely takes you from Mugu headquarters to a place called Chhayla. Even that is not possible in monsoon. The rations for 12 villages in Mugum Karmarong are then carried by either mules or humans. Lifesaving medicines also ride the mules.

Story of the horse riders at Rara Lake.

Villages in Nepal are disappearing due to out-migration. While some people have left to chase their dreams, the others are driven away by compulsion. Villages near the Baitadi headquarters however, have been chased away by monkeys.

It's only fictional heroes in movies that are always successful. The life of a common person is sometimes a bed of roses, and sometimes full of thorns. Stories of success are often told, but who will tell the stories of failure?

Nestled between Ganesh Himal and Manaslu is a hidden valley, which until about 15 years ago, was closed off to foreigners. Tsum Valley is known for its mixture of Tibetan and Nepali ways of life. Our journey to Tsum Valley begins from Chhekong.

It snowed all night at Nile - the last human settlement in Tsum Valley. If you go a little further, you will find a monastery and then yak pastures and hills for harvesting Yarsagumba. If you keep going, you will stumble upon Tibetan villages that have become isolated by the snow.

We spent three days on the road before we reached Darchula's headquarters Khalanga from Kathmandu. From here, we still needed to go north - to Changru and Tinkar, villages at the border of China and India. However, there is no way to reach these villages through Nepal. One has to go through India. That is, if you are permitted by the Government of India.

In our previous episode, we travelled from Darchula’s headquarters to Chhangru village (elevation 3200 meters) near Kalapani. The villagers from Chhangru had one request for the country’s leaders: a trail road. Today, we are journeying even further - to the Tinkar village which sits at 3,800 meters, and then to the Nepal-China border at 5,300m.

Story of a 17 year old girl from Kushbandhiya community in western Nepal.

We traveled for 4 days from Bhojpur to Bange Bazar in Sunsari with buyers who collect cattle from the eastern hills of Nepal to sell them in the southern markets.

You do not know of Joge Lohar. Nobody knows him. Not even our country. Joge Lohar is one of the thousands of people in the Far West of Nepal who are forced to spend their entire youth in India just to make ends meet.

This is a story of Gajendra, a bit about a cow, and a bit about dreams.

In Aldershot, United Kingdom, British war veterans and widows from Nepal have created a warm and resilient community after years of fighting for recognition. As they build new lives in a foreign land, they weave stories of joy, nostalgia, pride, friendship, and love. "Belayat ka Ghaam Joon Haru" is a heartfelt tribute to the courage of the Gurkhas and their brave wives.

Can a fallen person get up? Can a person who is defeated by life, embrace that same life? Can a person who is choked by despair, dream again? This is a story of hope.

Stories of people behind a very popular Maithili YouTube Comedy show Kalkatiywali.

When Ben first arrived in Nepal in 1976, he was an 18-year-old teenager. He was interested in archaeology. After Iraq refused him a visa, he followed the hippies to Nepal. The memories of that time are like the flickering light of a candle. Since then, Ben has been to Nepal many times. He did his PhD by studying the economic and social aspects of a Tamang village in Rasuwa. In Todmorden, UK, around 17 miles north of Manchester, Ben shares his story with us in his backyard garden, which his Nepali 'Mit' family had helped build 26 years ago.

We followed the Postal Highway of Nepal along the southern plains of the country witnessing the stories of people and villages that are changed and unchanged by the road.

Visiting Budu village feels as though we have travelled back in time.

Mugu village is inside Mugu district. The last village. From Pulu, the village headquarter of Mugum Karmarong, we started our journey towards Mugu village.

On a sunny day in July, a quiet corner in the east side of London feels empty. You can't hear the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Here, dreams from different parts of Nepal come together under the same roof.

Stories about Nepali/Gurkha in Assam, India.

About 50 kilometers from Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, is a market called Kirkcaldy. Near the market is the estate village of Coaltown of Wemyss. In the fields nearby that stretch for miles and miles, sometimes you get to see wheat swaying in the wind, sometimes mustard blooming and turning the hills yellow. Here and there, cattle are seen grazing in the green pastures.

This is Meghalya, home of the clouds. 10 years ago, when the coal mines got shut down, the Nepali workers moved away in search of other opportunities. Some returned back to Nepal. Some, who stayed behind, can be found guarding the dry hills of Meghalaya.

What connects the remote villages of Rukum to the United States of America that lies beyond the Atlantic Ocean? Dreams.

Almost 6 years ago we met 13-year-old Juntara in the shed of a brick kiln in Kathmandu. When we reached Rolpa 6 years later, we wanted to find Juntara.

In the heart of Perth, Scotland, there is a hotel called Grampian. Outside the hotel, along with the flags of England and Scotland, the Nepali flag is also flying. The hotel, named after the Grampian mountain range in Scotland, is owned by Kashiram Bhandari.

Those who went to raise cattles in Assam probably chose water and forest. Some people came down from Bhutan following the Sarbang River. Some arrived from Nepal. In a place called Khalasi in Kokrajhar district, people who raise cattles are still found in the middle of the forest.

Before the climbing season begins in the spring, Mount Everest and its foothills have already endured a season of rain and winter. The paths traveled the previous year have disappeared. The journey to the summit has become uncertain. In that uncertainty, the icefall doctor takes the first step.

"The Wild Flowers" tells the poignant story of two elderly sisters, Bhimala and Lalima, who live a quiet, self-sufficient life deep in the hills of Nepal. Isolated from modern society, they embody resilience, simplicity, and a deep bond with nature, symbolizing how beauty and strength can bloom even in the remotest corners—like wildflowers in the forest.

Three different stories from Rolpa about the Maoist insurgency.

This time we decided to travel to Upper Dolpa, via the Mustang route.

About 65 kilometers east of Guwahati, the capital of Assam, a Nepali settlement is found along the highway. The name of the place is Amlighat. Amlighat is famous for its cowherds. The Kapili River is not far from here. But nowadays, cows do not disappear beyond the Kapili River as in Bhupen Hazarika's song. It has been years since the people here stopped raising cows by living in the forests.

Stories from Chharka Bhot in Dolpo region, one of the highest human settlements in the world.

For forty days of the monsoon, the dense forests beneath Machhapuchhre open their secret bounty—tender cane shoots. At the break of midnight, gatherers rise, braving leeches and bears, climbing into the steep thickets where the fragile shoots hide

Along the banks of the Brahmaputra in Assam, the Gorkhas carry memories of mountains and migration. Their past still lives in their hearts, but now, they are shaping their own present.

In Himalayan regions like the Tsum Valley, where cultivable land is scarce, brothers traditionally shared a single wife to avoid dividing their property. Although this practice was once common, it is now slowly disappearing with increasing contact with the outside world.

Once upon a time, the people of Tetang village used to lend money to the entire Mustang region. These days, people have slowly started migrating away. Like other Himalayan villages, snowfall has stopped here too, and the natural water springs are beginning to dry up.

After finishing our stay at Charka Bhot, we headed towards Tinje, another human settlement in Upper Dolpa.

While traveling along the postal highway, we saw large huts on the side of the road near Rangeli in Morang. When we looked closer, we realized that they were modern goat farms.

Perhaps the sighs and fatigue of the porters here are fading away amidst the beautiful photos of the mountains, the exciting stories of the Khumbu trek, and the dozens of names and records of climbing.

For generations, Dhankuta’s oranges have been worth their weight in gold. Today, this city of citrus is embracing a new identity — rising as the capital of avocados.

In a quiet corner of Hetauda, a blind motorcycle mechanic and his family keep life moving with love, labor, and resilience.

From Dunai, the district headquarters, it takes two days of tightly clinging to riverbeds and cliff-hugging trails to reach the Dho Valley. Perched at an altitude of 4,100 meters, Dho is regarded as the gateway to Upper Dolpo.

Locally, rudraksha is known as dana. In the months of Kartik and Mangsir, the hills of Bhojpur and Sankhuwasabha are filled with it. Dana in the fields, dana in sacks, dana laid out to dry, dana at doorsteps, dana in small bags—dana everywhere.

A remote rural corner of Dhanusha. On one side stretch the vast sandy banks and grasslands of the Kamala River; a little farther lies the Indian border. Far from towns, markets, and main roads — Kathal village of Janak Nandini Rural Municipality. In this distant village, Sanjay Yadav is slowly spreading a little light.

Some traditional ancestral occupations are slowly disappearing. There are growing voices saying they should be preserved. However, in Nepal, there exists a community that no longer wishes to continue its own ancestral profession. In a few villages around Nepalgunj, the Maganta community is known for an occupation passed down through generations — begging.

The Hetauda Textile Industry, established in 1976 (2033 BS) with Chinese assistance, once provided employment to around 1,200 people. Among the hundreds of hands that helped lay its foundation were those of Prakash Paudel. Having spent 23 years working there as a laborer, today we walk through the same Hetauda Textile Industry with him, revisiting its past and present.

Bishnu Bahadur Lama and Harkaman Lama lived in Toplang village near Chitlang. They came from a family of hunters. Both their grandfather and father were hunters for the royal palace. From time to time, they had to hunt birds and deliver them to the palace. Vishnu and Hark grew up watching their father and grandfather handle guns.

Perhaps beautiful souls are meant for difficult places. Just as the rhododendron blooms on rugged slopes and wildflowers thrive in the cold meadows, so do people like Tshiring Samdup and Sonam Bhuti—blossoming in the heart of the Himalayas.

Dr. Bhaneshwar Pokharel studied agriculture in Rampur before earning his Master’s and PhD in Denmark. He spent years working in agricultural research there. Driven by a desire to pour his skills and knowledge back into his own soil, he returned to Nepal six years ago. In Madi, Chitwan, Bhaneshwar has built a beautiful and inspiring farm — following the dreams he truly believes in. Come, let’s listen to the story of this PhD farmer.

Bhramarpura village in Mahottari. Not very far from Janakpur. In a Dalit settlement called Inda Tol, Rahul Raj Mandal — also known as Maniya — was born and raised. His father, Rajeshwar Mandal, wanted his youngest son to become a doctor. But Rahul chose the path of hip-hop music instead.