The Kurākāni Kollective

What if the most important thing you gain from a program isn't the certificate, but the perspective that changes your life's trajectory? Last night, Aditi Upadhyaya didn't just talk about career paths; she talked about the soul of professional growth. We heard her powerful story of a day in her life that literally and figuratively, took a 180 turn, starting with a literal road accident while waiting for graduate school funding decisions and ending with a life-changing fellowship offer from the University of Pittsburgh. Sometimes, it takes a total upheaval to finally land exactly where you belong. The word Fellow traces back to a "shared vision" or "associate in wealth." Today, that wealth isn't just money, it’s about improving Access, Responsibility, and forming Habit-loops. Aditi spoke about the three pillars explored for anyone looking to bridge the gap between academia and the real world: 🔓 Access Beyond the Classroom: Whether it’s the Daayitwa Fellowship or other international fellowships, these programs open doors to spaces and people that a 9-to-5 job or a textbook inside the four walls of a classroom simply cannot reach. ⚖️ The Weight of Responsibility: Fellowships push you to be accountable. It’s the difference between writing a 75-page academic report that sits on a shelf and distilling it into a 2-page brief that actually shapes decisions. 🌱 Cultivating the Habit loop Mindset: Creating free-flowing spaces to discuss important and burning issues. It’s about forming the habit of asking questions, It's about the habit of challenging, or seeking and showcasing transparency and accountability. From 7 fellows in 2013 to influencing 30 different federal parliament areas today, the impact of the Daayitwa fellowship programs is visible. For those interested in finding out more about these fellowships and how to be a part of them, please do reach out to Aditi. ------ Don’t miss the next conversation! 👇 Drop a "Interested" in the comments or DM us with your email address to be notified about our next session!

The Kurākāni Kollective #7 Beyond Just A CV Credential: A Kurakani On 'Fellowships' In this session, Aditi Upadhyaya, will speak about how fellowship experiences can shape perspectives on governance and public service, and how thoughtfully designed public policy fellowships can cultivate confident, civically engaged leaders committed to strengthening institutions beyond the program itself. * We request you to register to confirm your participation via the link: https://luma.com/3zmoxra1 Aditi works as Governance Coordinator at Daayitwa and currently leads the Daayitwa Nepal Public Policy Fellowship program. Her journey through governance research and public policy has been shaped by several fellowships in different contexts that have offered not just exposure, but perspective; shifting how she thinks about power, public service, and one’s role in building institutions. Having experienced fellowships at different stages of her own journey, she cares deeply about what they leave behind: not just completed projects, but the confidence, civic curiosity, and a sense of responsibility. At Daayitwa, she currently helps design fellowship experiences that promote close engagement with policymakers, and cultivate lasting civic values that endure long after and beyond the program.  ------------------- *TKK requests a contribution of Rs. 200 per person to help cover event costs. Location: Watering Hole Gastro Pub (Jhamshikhel Road, In front of Mantra Thakali) Lalitpur, Nepal Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM (Registration opens at 5:30 PM) Hosted by: Governance Lab and Impact447 Aradhana Gurung || Nisha Onta || Shreeti Kc || Pratisha Joshi || Suyog Raj Chalise

What happens when a lawyer steps out of the courtroom and into the quiet alleyways of Patan after dark? Last night Prajwal Gyawali took us on a thinking tour from the courtrooms to the Patan courtyards talking to us about law, history and governance. PG is a lawyer by day and a wanderer of the Patan alleyways by night. By profession, PG lives in intensity. Courtrooms filled with conflict. Clients in turmoil. Bitter and emotional conversations. High-stakes litigation where lawyers are trained to anticipate the worst and mitigate risk at every turn. It’s adversarial, emotional, and relentless. But somewhere amidst that labyrinth, PG began asking himself - "How do I find stillness? Perspective? Peace?" The answer, unexpectedly, came through walking. What began as reflective night walks with close friends, has, over the past three months, evolved into walking tours of Patan at night which are slow, intentional journeys through courtyards, bahals, ponds, temples, and forgotten inscriptions. These are not “heritage walks” in the usual sense. They are walks where law meets history, where governance is read through stone, ritual, and folklore. As PG walks, he connects the dots of the stories he works with in today’s courts with centuries-old stories of queens, trapped in cruel marriages and immortalized in shadow plays. Contemporary debates on foreign investment and citizenship with the legacy of Emperors and Princesses, whose stupa still stands quietly at Pimbahal Pokhari. Modern day cases over perceived obscenity with the unapologetic erotic symbolism carved into temples over a hundred years ago. Today’s policy failures with a haunting truth that Nepal’s near-total lack of institutional memory and archival culture. Each stop raises questions - Who owned this land? How did the Guthi system enable this diversity? Why were trees near water bodies once fined for being cut, centuries before “environmental law” existed? and many more. For PG, these walks are a counterbalance to legal life and also a continuation of it. After 12 years living and working across India, Uganda, Israel, the Netherlands, and Germany, returning home helped him see Patan differently. Distance taught him appreciation. Walking taught him curiosity and perhaps most powerfully, PG posed a challenge to the audience, which we share with you - How can we expect young people to stay in Nepal if we’ve never taught them to love its history? You cannot love a country without knowing its stories. Through his night walks, PG is quietly attempting something that some might consider radical, bringing law, tourism, heritage, and governance into the same conversation. From courts to courtyards, this is not just a walk through Patan. It’s a walk through who we were, who we are, and who we might still become. Connect with PG directly to go on one of his Patan by Night walks, through https://lnkd.in/ghzgc88d or patan.by.night@gmail.com

Prajwal Gyawali (PG) is Lawyer by day, Patan wanderer by night. In this session, PG will share the story behind starting Patan’s night walking tours and how walking the city after dark has fundamentally reshaped his understanding of society, history, and the principles of good governance. These quiet, reflective walks through Patan’s alleyways and courtyards have offered him perspectives that go beyond textbooks and courtrooms, insights that continue to inform his work as a lawyer. * We request you to register to confirm your participation via the link: https://lnkd.in/gixAK9AX PG is a Patan local who spent over 12 years living and working across continents before returning to Nepal. He is the Managing Partner of Law Lab Nepal, where he works on litigation to advance justice for vulnerable and marginalized communities, collaborates with government authorities to strengthen public policy, and teaches as a legal faculty member at law colleges across Kathmandu, mentoring the next generation of lawyers. As a counterbalance to the intensity of Nepal’s legal sector, PG has recently begun experimenting with night walking tours of Patan, slow, intentional walks where he shares snippets of folklore, history, and culture while inviting participants to see the city, and its governance, through a different lens. *TKK requests a contribution of Rs. 200 per person to help cover event costs that can be paid at the door. Location Watering Hole Gastro Pub (Jhamshikhel Road, In front of Mantra Thakali) Lalitpur, Nepal Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Hosted by: Governance Lab and Impact447 Aradhana Gurung || Nisha Onta || Shreeti Kc || Pratisha Joshi || Suyog Raj Chalise

This evening we had the final Kurākāni Kollective conversation for 2025 and we spent it with Aakriti Ghimire, by questioning one of the most common explanations in public systems: “The Lack of implementation.” What emerged was a clearer truth, implementation often exists to fill gaps left by policy, law, and accountability. Across multiple cases shared, the same patterns surfaced, laws that pass but stall, reforms delayed through process and hierarchy, incentives that reward inaction, and systems that quietly protect power rather than performance. Technology, data, and transparency are resisted not because they fail, but because they disrupt established norms. The takeaway was uncomfortable but hopeful. Many systems function exactly as they are designed to and that means they can be redesigned. Despite the fatigue, there was also hope. Proof that change can happen, when persistence, coalition-building, and a willingness to challenge norms converge. We closed the session with more sharper questions than neat answers, How do we make institutions accountable? How do we redesign incentives inside the system? How do we prepare the next generation to engage with democracy beyond performative participation? Grateful for an end to a year of thoughtful, uncomfortable but necessary conversations. We'll see you all next year. Aradhana Gurung | Suyog Raj Chalise | Pratisha Joshi | Nisha Onta | Shreeti Kafle

The Kurākāni Kollective #5 - The myth of “lack of implementation”: what we never fix Aakriti Ghimire will explore why progress often stalls at “the lack of implementation” The discussion will highlight the challenges of navigating bureaucracy, including the impact of election-related work, and the critical gap in making bureaucratic knowledge and information accessible. It’s a look at what’s needed to move from policy to practice effectively. Aakriti Ghimire is the initiator of "howtodeshbikas", a collective that makes politics and policies accessible to young people through social media and technology. Reserve your spot here: https://luma.com/eij364k2 Aakriti previously served as the Chief of Staff to a Member of Parliament and as Personal Under Secretary to the Minister of Education, where she contributed to participatory lawmaking, transparency reforms, and digital governance initiatives. Her experiences in journalism, lawmaking, and bureaucracy laid the foundation for her work with the Gen Z movement, which mobilizes youth for democratic accountability in Nepal. Recently, she was also a member of Prime Minister Sushila Karki's secretariat, where she played a pivotal role in integrating the NID database with the voter roll and kickstarting an inclusive communications strategy. Co-Produced by: Governance Lab and Impact447 Date: December 18, 2025 (Thursday) Time: 5.30 pm - 9.00 pm (Doors open at 5) Location: Watering Hole Gastro Pub, Pulchowk - Jhamsikhel Road (In front of Mantra Thakali) 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 - 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. *We request a contribution of Rs. 200 per person at the door to help us cover event expenses.

We’re hosting Rupesh Sah right now for a powerful and provocative conversation on “Inequality, Non-Inclusive Institutions, and the Next Wave of Change.” Rupesh is shedding light on something many of us in Nepal feel every day but rarely unpack openly: When institutions aren’t inclusive, inequality isn’t just a symptom, it’s the outcome. High entry barriers push young people out of the system, out of opportunities and ultimately out of the country. We’re watching talent, innovation, and hope migrate because the cost of participating at home is simply too high. Prices have the semblance of falling because inflation is being redistributed, so Youth unemployment rises and inequality deepens. Rupesh points out that in countries where youth-led revolutions ignite, the pattern is similar: The real trigger isn’t just unemployment, it’s the lack of economic freedom.Most countries where we've witnessed young people rise there we see that they are low on the Economic Freedom Index, usually dipping below 0.7, the entry barriers become so steep that entire generations feel locked out of progress. Rupesh isn’t here to lecture, he’s here to co-create. We need to come alive with ideas on how Nepal can build institutions that are inclusive, transparent, and future-ready, where young people don’t have to leave to thrive. So come down to the Watering Hole for a drink and to engage in this conversation. More soon. But for now, we’ll leave you with this thought from the room: “Young Nepali talent isn’t leaving because it wants to. It’s leaving because it has had to.” Impact447 | Governance Lab

TKK is back after an extended break!! Reserve your spot here: https://luma.com/ivi3a5iq The Kurākāni Kollective #4 YOUTH LED MOVEMENTS: Inequality, Non-Inclusive Institutions, and the Next Wave of Change Join Rupesh Sah in an engaging and interactive session, “Inequality, Non-Inclusive Institutions, and the Next Wave of Change,” where he explores how inequality and exclusion are fueling a global wave of youth-led movements demanding fairness and opportunity. Drawing from his first-hand experience as an entrepreneur who has faced the barriers of monopolistic systems in his own ventures, Rupesh connects these personal insights to the broader need for economic and institutional reform in developing nations. Rather than a one-way talk, this session invites active participation and open dialogue, encouraging attendees to share ideas and co-create actionable reform agendas that can help build a more inclusive, transparent, and future-ready economy. Rupesh Sah is the founder of Bodhi Naturals and Better World Initiative, working to bring sustainability into every thought and every home. Passionate about creating meaningful impact, he strives to make eco-conscious living practical and accessible for all. Beyond entrepreneurship, Rupesh is an aspiring social researcher, dedicated to connecting with people through pragmatism, hope, and a shared vision of a prosperous Nepal. Co-Produced by: Governance Lab and Impact447 Date: November 20, 2025 Time: 6.30 - 8.30 pm (Doors open at 6) Location: Watering Hole Gastro Pub, Pulchowk - Jhamsikhel Road (In front of Mantra Thakali) 𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤 - 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. *We request a contribution of Rs. 200 per person at the door to help us cover event expenses. Governance Lab || Nisha Onta || Shreeti Kc || Pratisha Joshi Impact447 || Aradhana Gurung || Suyog Raj Chalise

For many, last night wasn’t just a talk, it was a mirror and what we saw wasn’t always easy to look at. Seira Tamang, in her characteristically unfiltered and thought provoking way, held up a lens to us, the Nepalis working in the development sector, not to critique outcomes or impact metrics, but to ask a far more uncomfortable question: Why are we, the “helpers,” so often blind to our own positioning within the very hierarchies we claim to dismantle? As someone who has straddled both academia and development, Seira spoke from experience, observing a deep absence of critical self-awareness among Nepalis in the sector. In a country structured by caste, class, patriarchy, and donor hierarchies, how is it that we don’t interrogate the power we hold or the systems we replicate in the name of change? We talked about bias, not just unconscious, but institutionalized. We talked about “help”, who defines it, who receives it, and who controls the narrative. We talked about unlearning, and how slow, generational, and necessary that process is. In this moment of funding uncertainty and sectoral reckoning, Seira’s provocation lands hard: If we don’t learn to reflect, how can we truly transform? This conversation was a call to pause the performance and start doing the harder, inner work to stop outsourcing change and start embodying it. Because if development is to mean anything at all, it must start with those who claim to practice it. Governance Lab | Impact447 Pratisha Joshi | Shreeti Kc | Nisha Onta | Suyog Raj Chalise | Aradhana Gurung

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘂𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀? 𝗛𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻 '𝗕𝗶𝗸𝗮𝗮𝘀𝗲' 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱. Let’s talk power, ego, and the stories we pretend not to see in The Kurākāni Kollective #3 !! with Seira Tamang Event Details: https://lnkd.in/dMNtvibw Co Produced by: Governance Lab and Impact447