Makwanpur, Dec. 12 -- Despite major political changes in the country over the decades, there's been little that has changed for the indigenous, semi-nomadic Chepang communities in Makwanpur. A majority of the Chepangs still subsist on root vegetables that they collect from the forests. And for the lack of a decent habitat, they are compelled to endure the biting cold that winter brings.

Makwanpur, the hilly district that shares its border with the Capital, has the second-highest population of Chepang people, with around 19,000 people, out of about 70,000 across the country, according to 2011 census.

Dhirang at Raksirang Rural Municipality in the district's western belt is a predominantly Chepang settlement. Chepangs here have to depend ...