“Relationship of Business with Society and Culture”

By – Group 6

Name – Reewaz Baniya “207011”

Khushi Gurung “207040”

Sanju Gharti Magar “207037”

Prawesh Belbase “207016”

Abhilekh Thapa Magar “207115”

A report submitted to Prof. Lal Bahadur Pun

Kathmandu University School of Management

Balkumari, Lalitpur

Date – 30th April, 2021

 Acknowledgement

This report was assigned to our group for our Politics class.
Firstly, I would like to express my thankfulness to Kathmandu
University School of Management for providing me such an
opportunity to present this report on Relation of Business with
Society and Culture which has helped us to develop conceptual
knowledge and learning skills in the bachelor level. We are mostly
grateful to the Faculty of Society and Culture Prof. Lal Bahadur
Pun for his valuable guidance for the preparation of this report.
We would also like to thank Mr. Ravi Shrestha for letting us giving
your interview and providing us valuable information about
Basantapur Durbar Square and about Thangka business. We have
tried our best to minimize error to the extent possible
Thank you.
 Table of Contents

S.no Title Page No.

1.1 Introduction/ Background 1

1.2 Research Problem 1-2

1.3 Rationale / Justification 2

1.4 Research and Methodology 2-3

1.4.1 Primary Method 2
1.4.2 Secondary Method 3
1.5 Research Findings / Conclusion 3-4

1.6 Conclusion 4-5

1.1 Introduction / Background
Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square is one of the ancient and cultural centre of Kathmandu
Valley. Located at the heart of the ancient city Kathmandu, It is a compiles of beautiful
temples and shrines, both Hindu and Buddhist. Several buildings in the Square collapsed
due to a major earthquake on 25 April 2015. Durbar Square was surrounded with
spectacular architecture and vividly showcases the skills of the Newar artists and
craftsmen over several centuries. The Royal Palace was originally at Dattaraya square
and was later moved to the Durbar square. The Kathmandu Durbar Square held the
palaces of the Malla and Shah Kings who ruled over the city. Along with these palaces,
the square surrounds quadrangles, revealing courtyards and temples. It is known as
Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, a name derived from a statue of Hanuman, the monkey
devotee of Lord Ram, at the entrance of the palace.

On 26th of April at around 1:00 p.m. our group members had gone to observe the durbar
square area where we observed different kind of things that were connected to society,
culture and business. We chose to make a report on Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square
because this area is a centre of business for the local people as well as local level
government. Likewise, Basantapur area widely showcases the history of our country,
magnificent temples and shrines; other interesting aspects are various festivals and
cultural activities followed from centuries like Indra Jatra, Seto Machhindranath Jatra,
Gai Jatra , Dashain etc. We saw a proper connection of business with society and
culture as there well lots of restaurants, jewellery shops, Thangka shops etc being
operated inside the Durbar square area that was fully dependent upon the internal and
external tourists.

1.2 Research Problem

The specific problem that we saw in the community is the child labour. We saw
underage small kids selling water bottles to the visitors and asking money which was a
major problem out there. Moreover, we saw beggars disturbing the visitors out there by
continuously asking money. During the night time, the durbar square was very much
crowded and we could see people polluting the area by throwing plastic bottles in the
. 1
area, smoking cigarettes and throwing wherever they like which was a disturbing scene.
Moreover, we saw the dust pollution in the heritage site as there were constructions
going on of damaged temples and durbars.

1.3 Rationale / Justification

We have tried to connect the relation between the Basantapur Durbar Square with
businesses operating out there. To support this statement we had interviewed a
business owner who owned a Thangka Shop in Basantapur which had been operating
for 6 years now. The given report is focused on providing the knowledge to the people
regarding connection between business, society and culture.

The importance of this study of the report is;

 Highlighting the relation with Business and Society of Basantapur Area.

 Showing the problems faced by businesses during the 2015 Earthquake and
COVID- 19
 Signifying the present status of business operating in Basantapur Area
 Illustrating the importance of culture and tradition in business

1.4 Research and Methodology

The following report presented is based upon both the primary source/data and
secondary source/data. We have collected primary data through observation, interview,
focus group, survey and secondary data through the records left by people of their
activities in order to analyze the data.

But generally our report is based upon the both primary and secondary data’s.

1.4.1 Primary Data

We have conducted surveys, interview and direct observations. We have collected

many valuable primary data like brochures, journals, government data, taking interview
of business owner, government records. In addition to we also have collected
photographs, audio and video recordings regarding the interviews etc.

2
1.4.2 Secondary Data

These data synthesize, summarize, and interpret the primary sources of the report. Not
only primary data we have also utilized the secondary data for finalizing the report. We
have used monographs, databases, indexes and abstracts, reviews directories,
handbooks, magazine articles, yearbooks, business articles etc in order to find out the
necessary details of Basantapur Durbar Square.

1.6 Research Findings / Conclusion

Basically, we interviewed a Thangka shop owner Mr. Ravi Shrestha who had been
operating his business in Basantapur for more than 5 years now. He is a local resident
of the area too. He mentioned current situation of Thangka Business and how Covid- 19
has impacted his business. He chose Thangka business because it reflected the
Buddhist and Hinduism culture of Nepal and has high demand on foreign nations like
China. He mentioned why he opened his Thangka Shop in Basantapur and why did not
he opted for others. He said that Basantapur Durbar Square is the major attraction for
tourists and since his customers are 90 % foreigners it was the best option for him. He
said that mostly Newar or Buddhist Nepalese customers also buy Thangkas as
Thangkas highlights the culture of these communities. Moreover, he said that since
past 13 months he is suffering huge lost due to COVID – 19 but he is hoping that the
situation will get better and his business will operate successfully.

Moreover, we observed that during Monday’s in the Shiva Temple there were lots of
stalls in front of temple who were selling puja items like flowers, rudrarakhsa, milk,
Belpatra. We talked to them about their business and their present situation. They said
that they had suffered a huge loss past 12 months as very limited people visited the
temple due to the pandemic.

Likewise, we saw various restaurants operating like Layaku Café, Bota momo, Narayan
Dai ko Momo, Himalayan Java Café etc. The restaurants were not crowded during the
day time but the employees working there said that it gets crowded during the night
time due to flow of visitors. The restaurant owners said that due to the current
pandemic they had faced a lot of difficulties as they had to pay the expensive rent and p
. 3
pay their loans to bank.

Basantapur Durbar Square is a Newar Centric place as it was built by Malla Kings. The
architectural designs of temples built there is fully in pagoda style however Gaddi
Baithak was built by Ranas on European Style as they were highly influenced by
European culture.

Likewise, Basantapur Durbar Square is very near to the market area like New Road,
Indrachowk, Ason, Makhan etc. People who come to market area to buy and sell goods
also visit the Basantapur Durbar Square and spend their time.

In addition too, we saw small handicraft showcase shops, tattoo shops etc. in the
Basantapur area. The durbar Square was not as crowded as it used to be like before and
police officials were arresting people for not wearing masks.

1.7 Conclusion
Basantapur Durbar Square is a living example which reflects our culture, tradition and
ancient history. Kathmandu's Durbar Square is the site of the Hanuman Dhoka Palace
Complex, which was the royal Nepalese residence until the 19th century and where
important ceremonies, such as the coronation of the Nepalese monarch, took place. The
palace is decorated with elaborately-carved wooden windows and panels and houses
the King Tribhuwan Memorial Museum and the Mahendra Museum. It is possible to visit
the state rooms inside the palace.

Time and again the temples and the palaces in the square have gone through
reconstruction after being damaged by natural causes or neglect. Presently there are
less than ten quadrangles in the square. The temples are being preserved as national
heritage sites and the palace is being used as a museum. Only a few parts of the palace
are open for visitors and the Taleju temples are only open for people of Hindu and
Buddhist faiths. A short trip to Basantapur Durbar Square and finding its connection
with the business sector was a memorable day for us. Basantapur Durbar Square is a
wonderful example of Nepalese Society and Culture and the area is directly and
indirectly connected with the livelihood of many people operating their small or big

4
business. A short trip to Basantapur Durbar Square and finding its connection with the
business sector was a memorable day for us. Basantapur Durbar Square is a wonderful
example of Nepalese Society and Culture and the area is directly and indirectly
connected with the livelihood of many people operating their small or big business.

In Basantapur we can see small vendors like handicraft sellers, puja items seller to big
vendors like hotels, restaurants, Thangka paintings etc. We can see how people are
properly utilizing the heritage resources to operate their business. Moreover, while
making these report we circulated information from governmental organizations like
Hanumandhoka Durbar Museum and Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square Conservation
Programme know more about the Basantapur Durbar Square.

It is not only a source of livelihood for the local people but Basantapur Durbar Square
also contributes to the revenue of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The local level
government collects the entrance fee from external tourists whereas they also have
rented some parts of the ancient building to the local people for establishing shops.

Hence, in this report we have tried to present the connection of business with society
and culture through the example of Basantapur Durbar square. We have used both
primary and secondary data methods to collect vital information of Basantapur Durbar
Square. Moreover, we also found some serious social problems like child labour where
small children were selling things to the visitors which reflected a urban poor image in
our minds.