Nepal

Have you heard of sand thieves? It’s a reality in many places.

Illegal sand mining from Nepal’s riverbanks affects nature, villages, and humans. Sand is highly valued and sought after now as then. 

Nepalese legend says an astrologer long ago saw that sand taken at a specific time from a specific place would turn into gold. A king located the right sand and time, but the sand ended up with a humble merchant. When the sand indeed turned to gold, the merchant shared his newfound wealth to get the nation and all in it debt-free.

Today, he’s seen as one of the founding fathers of Nepal. Thanks to sand?!