Cartoonist Writer Child-rights activist

Dheeraj Joshi धिरज जोशी

who signs his cartoons as Bhaappa

From the child-club movement of Kanchanpur to the Mayor’s Secretariat of Kathmandu, Dheeraj Joshi has spent more than a decade turning conviction into public work — on the street, on stage, in print and on the page.

Latest roleAfter the 2025 Gen-Z protests, he served in the secretariat of Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal.

Explore My Work About Me

The drawing board

Selected Cartoons

Drawn and published as Bhaappa, earlier under the hashtag #dheerubhaicartoons; several carry the masthead of Paschim Press. Select a work to view it at full size.

Follow Bhaappa on Facebook

  • Bhaappa

    बजेट त कारागार थप्नमै सक्यो!

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    A minister at a desk marked “अर्थ मन्त्रालय” (Ministry of Finance) exclaims that the budget went on building more prisons.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    किन जनता बेच्न लागेको?

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    A police officer at a desk asks why people are being sold; from a crowded cell comes the reply that nothing else is left to sell.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    मिसन ८४, क-मिसन

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    A split panel: “मिसन ८४” (Mission 84) on one side, “क-मिसन” (commission) on the other.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    Conflict And Interest

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    Politicians hold up a green cloth labelled “सरकार” (government) under the words “Conflict of Interest”, with “of” struck out for “And”.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    नि:शुल्क पार्किङ

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    A contractor’s hand (“ठेकेदार”) wields a pipe marked “free parking” beneath Dharahara tower.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    मेरो टाढा पुग्यो!

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    Two bull-headed politicians compete on a barren field beside abandoned farm tools.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    बिकास

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    A leader under an umbrella sits on sacks spelling “भ्रम” and “सपना”, carried by struggling men, dangling a bag marked “बिकास” (development) out of reach.

    See the original post

  • Bhaappa

    कसै कसैका २ वर्ष

    Bhaappa, Facebook

    Hands hammer a pen into a steel plate of holes above the words “कसै कसैका २ वर्ष”.

    See the original post

See all 90 cartoons

Words on record

Literature & Published Works

Fragment

Sometimes, somewhere, silence becomes the real means of communication.

— Dheeraj Joshi Facebook, c. 2015

Posted on Facebook and signed “Dheeraj”; spelling lightly corrected.

Reportage

३८औं प्रधानमन्त्रीका लागि आज मतदान, कोइराला र ओलीबीच भिडन्त

Farwest Times · 24 Asoj 2072 (October 2015)

Filed as correspondent (“सम्बदत फार्वेष्ट टाईम्स”); byline reproduced on his Facebook. Full text not yet archived.

Fragment

Loud minds

Facebook · c. 2015

Silent people have loud minds; talkative people have butter hearts.

Posted on Facebook and signed “Dheeraj”; spelling lightly corrected.

Essays, notes and archive pieces — in English and Nepali — are collected in the journal.

Explore All Writings

In the press

15 reports & interviews, newest first. Quoted passages are reproduced verbatim from each outlet.

  1. 18 Sep 2025

    Republica

    ‘We did not compromise democracy’

    “Our movement was never against democracy. Those driving it were wrong; we wanted to correct, not replace, the system.”

  2. —

    Onlinekhabar (YouTube) Video interview

    ‘प्रधानमन्त्रीज्यू जेनजी फ्रेन्ड्ली हुनुहुन्छ, माग सम्बोधन हुन्छ’

  3. 12 Mar 2025

    Nepal Views

    बुवा र दाजुबाट यौन शोषणको शिकार भएकी बालिका काठमाडौं महानगरको संरक्षणमा

    “ऐनले स्थानीय तह र बाल कल्याण अधिकारीलाई दिएको अधिकार कार्यान्वयन गर्न महानगरपालिकाले बाल संरक्षण तथा बाल अधिकार सम्बन्धी कार्यविधि, २०८० जारी गरेर कार्यान्वयनमा ल्याएको छ ।”

  4. Feb 2025

    Kendrabindu

    नाबालिका दास प्रकरणमा महानगरले आयोगलाई बुझायो १२० पृष्ठ लामो अनुसन्धान अभिलेख

    “आयोगको अनुरोधपछि तीन दिनभित्रै १२० पृष्ठ लामो अभिलेख संकलन गरी महानगरपालिकाले आयोगलाई बुझाएको हो ।”

  5. Feb 2025

    Khabarhub (English)

    KMC submits report on minor held against her will to NHRC

    “In response, the NHRC requested documents from KMC, which compiled and submitted the report within three days.”

  6. 14 Nov 2024

    Sidhakura

    काठमाडाैँ महानगरले गर्याे जोखिमपूर्ण श्रमबाट १ जना बालक र असुरक्षित बाल गृहबाट ११ जना बालबालिकाको उद्धार

    “काठमाडौँ महानगरपालिकाले मंगलबार र बुधबार २ दिनमा १२ जना बालबालिकालाई श्रम र असुरक्षित बाल गृहबाट उद्धार गरेको छ ।”

Case studies

Campaigns & Initiatives

Initiatives Dheeraj organised or helped lead — documented through his own records, photographs and local press.

With a Top-10 finalist of Classic Speaking Idol 2018, Kavrepalanchok.

Classic Speaking Idol

Year
2017 – 2018
Place
Kanchanpur · Kavrepalanchok
Role
Organiser of audition rounds, Leo Club of Mahakali Classic

ObjectiveTo build a culture of public speaking among teenagers.

A speaking competition for teenagers that travelled through municipal audition rounds across Kanchanpur in 2017, followed by a 2018 edition in Kavrepalanchok.

Documented outcomeDocumented audition rounds: 41 teen speakers in Shuklaphanta and Krishnapur (6 advanced), 32 in Laljhadi and Punarbas, 20 in Belauri–Beldandi (4 advanced). The 2018 Kavrepalanchok edition lists 7 auditions and 466 participants.

Read the case study
Rally on the International Day Against Child Labour, Mahendranagar — “Child Labour Restricted Nation: Our Mission”.

Child Labour Restricted Nation

Year
2016
Place
Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur
Role
With the District Child Club Network, Kanchanpur

ObjectiveTo mark the International Day Against Child Labour by declaring local hotels free of child labour.

On the International Day Against Child Labour, a children’s rally in Mahendranagar and a hotel-by-hotel declaration campaign carried the message “Child Labour Restricted Nation — Our Mission”.

Documented outcome103 hotels in Bhimdattanagar were declared child-labour-restricted and given stickers; the Chief District Officer put up the first one.

Read the case study
“Children leading for earthquake-affected children” — care and treatment camp, Gorkha, Baisakh 2072.

Children for Children: Gorkha, 2015

Year
2015
Place
Kattel Danda, Gorkha
Role
Camp volunteer with the Kanchanpur child-club team

ObjectiveCare and treatment for children affected by the 2015 earthquake.

Days after the April 2015 earthquake, child clubs from Kanchanpur ran a care and treatment camp for affected children in Gorkha district.

Read the case study
Manaskhand daily, 25 September 2017: “महेन्द्रनगरमा रामलिला हुने समय परिवर्तन गर्न माग”.

A Safer Ramlila

Year
2017
Place
Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur
Role
Part of the club delegation that submitted the memorandum

ObjectiveTo have Ramlila performances end by 9 pm for public safety.

Kanchanpur’s clubs asked the Chief District Officer to end Mahendranagar’s Ramlila performances by 9 pm, citing the risks of late-night crowds.

Read the case study

A documentary record

Activism

बालबालिकाका अधिकारहरु INGO NGO का प्रोजेक्ट भन्दा माथी उठ्न सकुन्…

“May children’s rights rise above the projects of INGOs and NGOs.” Dheeraj Joshi on National Children’s Day, Facebook, 14 September 2017. English translation by the editors.

  1. 2025

    1. September 2025 · Kathmandu

      Gen-Z: “We did not compromise democracy”

      Republica named Dheeraj and Raksha Bam as Gen-Z leaders who walked out of talks when others were proposed for inclusion. “Our movement was never against democracy,” he said.

      Loads YouTube when played.

    2. March 2025 · Patan

      Court upholds protection for a survivor

      The High Court in Patan found no grounds to return a girl from the city’s protection; Dheeraj set out the legal provision for temporary protection of child victims.

    3. February 2025 · Kathmandu

      A 120-page record for the human rights commission

      When the state declined to prosecute in the case of a minor allegedly held in servitude, the city compiled a 120-page investigation record for the National Human Rights Commission in three days. Dheeraj publicly questioned the decision not to prosecute.

  2. 2024

    1. November 2024 · Kathmandu

      Twelve children rescued in two days

      The metropolis rescued one child from hazardous work and eleven from an unsafe children’s home; Dheeraj led the team that monitored the organisation running it.

    2. 2024 · Kathmandu

      Licences for bus conductors

      Dheeraj argued that enforcing the government’s own decision to license co-drivers — with a minimum age — would bring child labour in public transport down to zero.

    3. July 2024 · Kathmandu

      Supreme Court backs the city’s child protection

      The Supreme Court quashed a habeas corpus writ filed against the metropolis and issued an order in its name. Dheeraj explained how the city verifies information before rescuing children at risk.

    4. 12 June 2024 · Kathmandu

      Child labour inside Singha Durbar

      As coordinator of the city’s rescue team, Dheeraj led an operation that rescued four children working in canteens inside Singha Durbar, the seat of government — three of them without citizenship.

  3. 2023

    1. 6 November 2023 · Mahendranagar

      “Bring Bipin Home”

      A rally in Mahendranagar demanded the rescue of Bipin, the Nepali student abducted in Israel; Dheeraj joined the call under #savebipin.

      • eKantipur (shared on Facebook, 6 November 2023)

    2. 27 September 2023 · Kathmandu

      Ending a standing protest by agreement

      For the Mayor’s Secretariat, Dheeraj co-signed the four-point agreement under which activist E: called off a standing protest over street vending.

  4. 2019

    1. July – August 2019 · Kathmandu

      Against selling children through adoption

      A press conference demanded the repeal of the directive on inter-country adoption; Dheeraj appealed for support under #StopSellingNepaliChildren. In August a parliamentary committee directed a high-level probe into child selling — proof, he wrote, that integrity and persistence can make Parliament listen.

      • Facebook posts, 22 July and 27 August 2019

  5. 2018

    1. December 2018 · Bhaktapur

      Detained for eight hours after an INGO protest

      Dheeraj and fellow activist Prabin Silwal were arrested after objecting to the women and children minister’s presence at an “Alternative Care” programme organised by INGOs at SOS Children’s Village, and held for about eight hours.

    2. 1 October 2018 · Kathmandu

      Tearing the Bill on Children at the National Girls’ Conference

      At the 2nd National Girls’ Conference, attended by the acting Prime Minister, child-rights activists including Dheeraj tore copies of the Bill on Children, 2075, objecting that it did not treat child labour as an offence. Police held them for a time.

  6. 2014

    1. 16 August 2014 · Kanchanpur

      Narmada Child Club rescues a working child

      During its monitoring, Narmada Child Club rescued a child working in a hotel and returned him home — with notebooks, a school bag, a full school uniform, pens, a geometry set and calculator, and a bus ticket, as Dheeraj itemised at the time.

      • Facebook post, 16 August 2014

Roles, platforms & collaborations

Contributions

The organisations and platforms through which the work above was carried — from a district child-club network to a metropolitan city office.

  1. 2025

    Secretariat of the Home Minister

    Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, Ministry of Home Affairs

    Joined the secretariat of Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal after the September 2025 Gen-Z protests.

  2. 2023 – 2025

    Member, Mayor’s Secretariat

    Kathmandu Metropolitan City

    Served on the city’s child rescue task force and coordinated rescue teams.

  3. 2018 – 2020

    Central coordination activist

    National Campaign for Child Rights (NCCR-Nepal)

    Joined the campaign’s staff in February 2020.

  4. January 2019

    District Ambassador & Coordinator

    Leo District Council 325 B2 Nepal

    6th District Award Ceremony and 2nd Council Meeting, Kanchanpur, 4–5 January.

    • Event poster (see Gallery)

  5. From 2017

    Programme organiser

    Leo Club of Mahakali Classic

    Classic Speaking Idol, Classic Academy Fest and the 2017 Ramlila memorandum.

    • Facebook profile (life event, 2 July 2017)

  6. June 2017

    Speaker

    2nd District Children’s Assembly, Bhojpur

    • Facebook post, 11 June 2017

  7. 2015

    Correspondent

    Farwest Times

    Reported on the October 2015 election of the prime minister.

    • Byline reproduced on Facebook, October 2015

  8. 2015 →

    Executive member, later Chairperson

    District Child Network (जिल्ला बाल संजाल), Kanchanpur

    • Facebook post, 21 February 2015
    • Office nameplate (see Gallery)

  9. 2014 – 2017

    Child-club member & organiser

    Narmada Child Club and child clubs of Kanchanpur

    Child-labour rescue (2014), club formation with JM Child Club (2015), Children’s Day with Janjyoti and Narmada child clubs (2017).

    • Facebook posts, 2014 – 2017