Out of sync, and it’s on purpose

Shilpakar, known as the ‘Flag Man’ of Nepal, waving the distinctive national pennant in Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu. — Hannah Reyes Morales/The New York Times

IF it’s 8.40pm in New York, what time is it in Kathmandu?

The answer is 6.25am the next day, just when Nepal’s capital is coming alive: market women laying out fresh greens, Hindu and Buddhist holy men lighting incense and lamps of clarified butter, the smog smothering the sibilance of street sweepers and the toll of temple bells.