Skip to main content

A Falcha Is Not A Bus Stop

I recently saw several falchas in Baneshwor and around Singha Durbar being used as bus stops. I disliked them, not because of the falchas themselves, but because they were being used as a bus stop. To me, they misrepresent what a falcha actually is, or rather, what it once was.

First, let's understand what a falcha is. In the days before hotels and guest houses, falchas provided free shelter for visitors and travellers. They also served as venues for social, cultural, and religious activities. Although I am not old enough to experience them being used as lodging for travellers, I grew up seeing pujas and bhojs organised there. Neighbours and relatives gathered in falchas to meet, talk, and spend time together. They carried deep social and cultural significance.

In Tamogalli, Nardevi, Kathmandu, there is a falcha built by my ancestors. It stands at a road junction in a narrow alley. When I was a child, it was our small playground and community assembly point. For the elders, it was a place to rest, exchange news, and enjoy conversation. It hosted religious ceremonies and cultural functions. It was a landmark that helped people navigate the maze-like streets of the old city. It was a rendezvous point, a lively place, always full of activity and human connection.

This is an old pic. The Falcha has been renovated.

I came across a news article about glorious falcha preservation. It is nonsense.

https://kathmandupost.com/art-culture/2026/01/29/revisiting-falcha-in-modern-day-kathmandu  

The concept involves building falcha-like structures at road corners and intersections to serve as bus stops. In my view, this is not appropriate for two reasons.

First, when a falcha is no longer used as a falcha, it loses its meaning. Heritage is not only about preserving a structure's appearance; it is also about preserving its purpose and cultural context.

Second, when falchas are repurposed as bus stops, a new generation will grow up understanding them primarily as transport infrastructure. Over time, the original meaning of the falcha may fade. My children might look at an old falcha and simply see a bus shelter. Somewhere in the back of their minds, they may even assume that buses once travelled through the narrow lanes of my neighbourhood.

A bus stop should look like a bus stop. A falcha should remain a falcha.

Preserving heritage is not merely about copying architectural forms; it is about preserving the stories, functions, and social values that give those forms meaning.
Labels:

Comments

  1. BishwaJune 11, 2026 at 2:29 AM

    Absolutely right, "Heritage is not only about preserving a structure's appearance; it is also about preserving its purpose and cultural context"

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Weekend Expedition

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." — Saint Augustine "One must travel to learn." — Mark Twain "To travel is to live." — Hans Christian Andersen Travel quotes are beautiful. They make me want to quit my job, buy a backpack, and disappear into the mountains with nothing but a notebook and an unreasonable amount of optimism. Then I remember I have bills. I also admire the people who wrote these famous travel quotes. They all lived before commercial airlines, budget airlines, baggage fees, airport security, visa applications, and the invention of the middle seat. Back then, travel was a genuine adventure. You packed your belongings, mounted a horse, boarded a ship, or simply started walking. If you returned, you wrote a book. If you didn't, someone else wrote your biography. There was no climate guilt attached to every journey. Nobody calculated the carbon footprint of a camel. There were no traffic jams stretching for fi...
1 comment
Read more

My Morning, Their Midnight

Time is relative. I am not bragging about Einstein's Theory of Relativity. This is about several time zones within Kathmandu city. Five o’clock is not universally “early morning.” This morning, it was a usual morning for me. But the empty roads suggested that for many others, it was still midnight. Near the temples, devotees were already walking back from their prayers. Their day had clearly begun long before mine. I imagine they must be thinking, "Ah, the late risers are out." And the vegetable vendors? For them, 5 a.m. is practically late morning. Shops open, scales ready, transactions underway. Their workday was already in full swing while it was still dark. Then comes Thamel, lights still glowing, people spilling out of pubs, laughing, smoking. For them, the night was young. It appears Nepal’s little Las Vegas, blinking through a hangover. “Early” and “late” are not absolute words. They are relative to what we make with our own lifestyles. Time is less a clock and mor...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Pursuit of 3:59

I registered for my next marathon. The 18th Kathmandu Marathon is scheduled for Saturday, 10 October 2026, just one day before Ghatasthapana. The following morning, Dashain will begin. Families will gather, kites will appear in the sky, Dashain dhuun and smells of the festival. And for me, if all goes according to plan, it will also mark the end of a three-month break from alcohol. What a day to resume a glass of whiskey. I am giving myself three months to prepare properly. No shortcuts. No excuses. Clean eating. Consistent running. Adequate rest. I am breaking my last year's marathon record of 4 hours and 28 minutes. This year, the target is clear: sub-four hours. The difference between 4:28 and 3:59 is not only twenty-nine minutes, but it is also going to be what I do in these three months. My run, my food, my sleep and many more, all my small decisions will definitely make a difference. In many ways, the marathon itself is the easy part. The race lasts a few hours. The preparati...
Post a Comment
Read more

When a Job title becomes an identity

"Hello, my name is Bond, James Bond, and I am a marketing assistant." A 9-to-5 job holder, James Bond would be proudly selling a product. But James chose the right job: to become an assassin.  he is still a government employee, and much of his identity as 007 is as an MI6 agent. Our surnames are based on profession. My surname is Maharjan, which means a farmer. I no more do farming; nonetheless, the surname remains deeply embedded in social identity. My surname says what my parents and ancestors used to do for a living. Many government quota systems are still based on surnames. For me, I have a profession, and I have my Business cards, LinkedIn profiles, office door nameplate, email signatures, and my elevator pitch; all reinforce my profession as the centre of my identity. Have I blurred the line between my profession and personality? I have been a job holder for more than 25 years now. A job title is useful for me. It tells people what I do. It is comforting. It provides pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

The book Thief

I finished The Book Thief this week. The first thing that stands out about the novel is its narrator. The story is told from the perspective of Death. Rather than appearing as a terrifying force, Death becomes an observer, a collector of souls, and ultimately a storyteller. Out of the millions of lives that pass before him, he keeps returning to one ordinary yet remarkable girl: Liesel Meminger. Liesel is a foster child growing up on Himmel Street, a modest working-class street in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. Through Death's narration, we witness her life, her struggles, her friendships, and the quiet moments that unfold beneath the shadow of a devastating conflict. What impressed me most was the simplicity with which the story is told. There are no grand military campaigns or dramatic political speeches. Instead, we see football games in the street, the loyalty of her friend Rudy, the kindness of the Hubermann family, and the small routines of everyday life. Most war ...
1 comment
Read more