The story of the Nepali Chelis, the women’s national football team, is a tale of fiery underdogs. It’s time we pay attention to the heroines of the field.
The CHELIS Are Here
Newsfeed
k ckstart !POST US: Email event details to [email protected] or
call 5011571/ 5011639/ 5011730/ 5011731 for listings. Listings are free but inclusion is not guaranteed due to limited space.
With events to the left and right, Fr!day makes it a little bit easier for you to choose events to check out this week and the next. Here are our top three picks.
2DYING OUT FLAME ALBUM RELEASE GIG
Nepali Vedic death metal outfit Dying Out Flame will be releasing their debut full-length album Shiva Rudrastakam on 12 July. Supporting the band will be Binaash,
Vomiting Snake, Aakrosh, Calamitian, Zombie X Incest, Disorder, and Defleshed.
Date: 12 July (Saturday), Time: 12:00 pm onwards, Venue: Club 25 Hours (Old Tone Music Store), Tangal, Kathmandu, Ticket: Rs. 300 (includes the album and entry pass), Rs. 1,000 (includes the
album, entry pass and a Dying Out Flame t-shirt)
WRITE OUT LOUD II
Write Out Loud is a one-day writing workshop targeted at young and aspiring writers. Conducted by Bichar Dabali, an online platform for aspiring writers, journalists, and opinion makers, the workshop will cover sessions on how to develop writing habits, tips, and experience sharing by a well-known journalist/media person, along with the use of various software tools to assist in writing.
Tip: All you have to do is call one of the people on the contact list and mail your sample write up to [email protected]. Do bring your laptop along if you want to work on your article during the workshop.
Date: 5 July (Saturday), Venue: Thames International College, Price: Rs 300 (includes participant’s kit and lunch), Contact: Surath Giri (9851077430), Kanchan Kharel (9851148129), Govinda Siwakoti (9841842878), Participants (max 20)
SATURDAY BRUNCH
If you’re hoping to spend a relaxing Saturday with your family, look no further than Hotel Yak and Yeti’s Saturday Brunch,presented in association with Pepsi. Enjoy a cool dip in the pool and partake in the international buffet, along with a whole roast lamb,at the hotel’s Sunrise Restaurant. What more could you ask for?
Date: 5 July (Saturday), Time: 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Venue: The Sunrise Restaurant, Yak& Yeti, Price: Rs 1800 including taxes for brunch (unlimited soft beverages included), Contact:01-4248999
CG Electronics introduces the new LG Curved OLED TV to Nepal. The first ever curved screen TV signals the beginning of the transition from the flat to the curved. With LG’s proprietary WRGB OLED technology, the 55” Curved OLED TV produces the most life-like colors, and its paper slim design makes the set incredibly light. The curved screen provides the perfect immersion; the images feel like they are really there instead of being in a flat two-dimensional plane. Shaped after human sight and vision, it is a dream only now realized thanks to the groundbreaking technology of LG.
THE NEW LGTo give viewers a perfect stadium like quality for the World Cup, Sony has introduced its new smart TV. Priced at Rs. 80, 000, the KDL32W700B produces entertainment with high definition picture quality and clear audio. Made specially for watching football matches, it has a Live Football Mode that automatically adjusts sound settings for an authentic stadium experience. Sony has hooked up additional features to the new smart TV, making it not just smart but genius. X-Reality Pro is designed to stun people with the detail,
13
providing remarkable picture quality from any source no matter what they are watching. Viewers can also browse channels, photos, videos, and even Internet content with flick of a finger.
The Bass Reflex Box Speakers and Clear Audio+ enhance audio clarity to deliver a better sound for all kinds of shows. Just lie back and enjoy the show, that’s what Sony wants its customers to do.
SONY’S WORLD CUP SMART TV
NEWLY LAUNCHEDNEWLY LAUNCHED
TOP 3 EVENTS
6
FOODOUT ABOUTKickstart//Events//Out and About
ART CLASS FOR VISUAL COMMUNICATORSDate: 28 June onwards (every Saturday)Time: 7 am-10 am, Venue: Artree Nepal, TripureshworContact: 977-9803983325, 977-9841527591 Have you ever wanted to be a visual communicator? If yes, Artree Nepal will be hosting art classes for visual communicators every Saturday from 28 June. Visual communicating is all about communicating through 2D visual images such as signs, typography, drawings, illustrations, industrial designs, advertising, animation, and other electronic means. It explores the idea of how visual messages can impact and inform the audience instead of texts. Anyone can attend the classes and the basic art materials will be provided by Artree. The class will be taught by visual artists such as Hit Man Gurung, Mekh Limbu, and Sheelasha Rajbhandari.
ART AND THEATRE
LIVE BBQDate: 4 July (Every Friday)Time: 6:00 pm onwardsVenue: Nepal House, BaluwatarContact: 9803573260
Nepal House might just be establishing its niche in the restaurant and eatery market but the cuisines they serve have already left a mark on people’s taste buds. Every Friday, Nepal House will be hosting a live BBQ set. You can simply walk in (there’s no entry fee) and take in the soothing ambience of the restaurant. And, of course, drinks that complement the barbecued meat are also available at the eatery, making the visit even better.
SATURDAY BRUNCHDate: 5 July (Saturday)Time: 12:00 noon to 4:00 pmVenue: The Sunrise Restaurant, Yak & YetiPrice: Rs 1800 including taxes for brunch (unlimited soft beverages included)Contact: 01-4248999
If you’re hoping to spend a relaxing Saturday with your family, look no further than Hotel Yak and Yeti’s Saturday Brunch, presented in association with Pepsi. Enjoy a cool dip in the pool and partake in the international buffet, along with a whole roast lamb, at the hotel’s Sunrise Restaurant. What more could you ask for?
LATE NIGHTS @ THE COFFEE SHOPDate: From 28rd May, 2014 (Every Wednesday to Sunday)Time: 7pm onwardsVenue: The Coffee Shop, Hotel de L› Annapurna, Durbar MargContact: 4221711
Too busy during the day? Hotel de L› Annapurna›s Coffee Shop is now open late for your convenience. Along with a new late night menu, the cafe has an ideal setting and great atmosphere, with superior service and live music setting the mood just right. To make your evenings even more happening, The Coffee Shop has not just deducted prices but also features four different bands - Rudra, Adripta, Cantasta, and April Rush - performing live. Additionally, you can also watch the 10 pm game of the FIFA World Cup every single night.
WEEKEND BRUNCH AT HYATTDate: 5 July (Every Saturday) & 6 July (Every Sunday)Time: 12:30 pm to 4 pm (Every Saturday) and 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm (Every Sunday)Venue: The Café, Hyatt Regency KathmanduPrice: Rs 1800 plus taxes and service charge per person (including swimming)Contact: 01-4491234
Enjoy the perfect weekend brunch with family and friends while you splash around in the swimming pool or simply laze around in the outdoor Jacuzzi. The weekend brunch menu is special as you not only get to partake in the buffet, which has a wide variety of options, but you also get to take a dip in the pool for Rs 1800 (and taxes). On normal days, the brunch alone costs Rs 1600 (and taxes), with an additional Rs 1200 for the pool.
&
SUSHI MAKING WORKSHOPDate: 12 July, Time: 2:30-4:30 pmVenue: Tamura Restaurant, ThapathaliContact: SAMRIDHI/ 9803226840, ANJALI/9808541461Price: Rs1500(includes welcome drink and buffet lunch at Tamura Restaurant)
Do you like Japanese food, especially sushi? Have you ever wanted to make the dish on your own? If yes, Tamura Restaurant is organizing a beginner’s guide to sushi making. The workshop will be conducted by Tamura’s chef who will teach cooking enthusiasts the art of making six types of sushi, namely salmon, mackerel, egg, asparagus, norimati, kappamati, along with Miso soup.
FOUNDATION WORKSHOP ON PHOTOGRAPHYDate: 3 July- 12 July (Last registration date: 30 June)Time: 7 am-9amVenue: The Image Park, New Road, KathmanduDetails and Registration: TYPE your name and SMS us at 9841279544 / 9841240341
The Image Park and Rotaract Club of Jawalakhel are organizing an eight-day foundation workshop on photography. The workshop, Practical Approach to the Basics of Photography, will teach participants the fundamentals of sports, outdoor, day and night photography. Additionally, participants will also be taught Adobe Lightroom, and photography ethics. The workshop will also have special lectures, along with seven mentors with a wide experience in the field.
Anyone with a camera can join the workshop.
BRZ
CHI
COL
URU
FRA
NGR
GER
ALG
MEX
NED
CRCCRC
GRE
ARG
SUI
BELBEL
USA
NED
ROUND 16 ROUND 16QUATERFINAL QUATERFINALSEMIFINAL THIRD PLACE SEMIFINAL
FINAL
GER
FRA
COL
BRZ
01:45 am 01:45 am
01:45 am 01:45 am
00:45 am
00:45 am
09:45 pm 09:45 pm
04 July 05 July
08 July 09 July
13 July
13 July
04 July 05 July
ARG
7
TANTRIC BUDDHIST DANCE WITH PRAJWALRATNAVAJRACHARYADate: 1 -14 SeptemberTime: 12:15 pmVenue:Vajra Hotel, Kathmandu Tickets available at: www.inneradventuretravel.comPrice: Rs, 1600.
CharyaNritya, a dance medita-tion form that originated in Kathmandu Valley, explores and embodies the energies of nature, consciousness, and compassion as depicted by the deities of Himalayan Buddhism. Experi-ence Charya Ntritya under Prajwal Ratna Vajracharya- who will offer daily meditation and guidance through the techniques of Chary-aNritya. The immersion will start from Kathmandu, where the par-ticipants will stay at Vajra Hotel, followed by a visit to the statue making center in Patan and the Vajrayogini shrine in Pharp-ing, apart from trips to many important Vajrajyogini Buddhist places. After visits to Bhaktapur, BoudhanathStupa, and a retreat at Nagarkot, the immersion will end in Kathmandu.
EVEREST CREW ANNIVERSARYDate: 10 AugustVenue: St. Xavier School, JawlakhelTicket price: Rs 250
The Everest Crew Anniversary Jam is an annual event meant to promote B-boying culture in Nepal. It also hopes to take Nepal’s B-boying to an international level. This year’s Jam has participants from outside Kathmandu Valley, along with B-boys from Indian cities like New Delhi and Mumbai, as well as from Dubai. The event will have music from DJ Black, while battles between
EXCLUSIVE FRIDAY RETREATDate: 4 July (Friday)Time: 2:30 pm (pick up point at Sorakhutte)Contact: Cell: 9801136111, [email protected]
Borderlands Eco Adventure Resort offers a peaceful and serene rafting event every Friday, a retreat for people who want to get away from the hassles of modern day life. The package helps you find your own space, to read a book,
MUSIC & PARTIES
OUTDOORS
MISCELLANEOUSFOUNDATION WORKSHOP ON PHOTOGRAPHYDate: Tuesday, 15th - 21st Time: 7 am-9amVenue: Dhalko, KathmanduFee: Rs. 7000/- only (Offers Membership card from Photo Concern and Free Gifts from Folio Magazine to early participants.) Contact: Type your name and SMS us at 9841279544 / 9841240341
FashionHolic and Folio.Magazine, in association with The Image Park, presents the seventh edi-tion of the seven-day Fashion Photography Workshop., which caters to people who own a DSLR. The workshop will have hands-on practice on various lighting setups, beyond lighting techniques, and special interac-tions with fashion stylists, along with field visits to showrooms of international fashion design-ers. Participants will also get to meet professional models and witness hair, makeup, and styling sessions. There will be a special portraiture lighting session at Photo Concern as well.
DYING OUT FLAME ALBUM RELEASE GIGDate: 12 July (Saturday)Time: 12:00 pm onwardsVenue: Club 25 Hours (Old Tone Music Store), Tangal, Kathmandu(For more information go to page 4)
POOL BBQDate: 5 July (Every Saturday),Time: 11:00 am onwardsVenue: Hotel de L’ Annapurna, Contact: 4221711
Summer is here and so is the season of swimming. Keeping that in mind, Hotel de L’ Annapurna recently unveiled its large new pool, which will be hosting a barbecue every Saturday. Special meal packages will be made every week exclusively for the event.
LIVE WIRE
TRAINING ON MANAGING CHANGEDate: 30 June- 4 July, Time: 7:30 am to 9:30 amVenue: King’s College (Max 16 participants)Price: Rs 10,000 (corporate rates available)Contact: 4485391, [email protected]
From 30 June to 4 July, Lead International Nepal, in association with King’s College, will be putting together training session for manage-ment practitioners such as business owners, managers, management students, organizational leaders, etc. The training is based on Busi-ness Edge, an innovation of the International Finance Corporation and The World Bank Group, with Lead International Nepal being the official training providers for Nepal. It aims to provide management practitioners the ability to understand change, the role of manag-ers in planning and implementing change, how to plan for a change project, how to run a persuasion campaign to implement a change project successfully, practice skills, and techniques essential in implementing change.
WRITE OUT LOUD IIDate: 5 July (Saturday)Venue: Thames International CollegePrice: Rs 300 (includes participant’s kit and lunch)Contact: Surath Giri (9851077430), Kanchan Kharel (9851148129), Govinda Siwakoti (9841842878)Participants (max 20)
Write Out Loud is a one-day writ-ing workshop targeted at young and aspiring writers with very little or no previous writing experience. Conducted by Bichar Dabali, an online platform for aspiring
writers, journalists, and opinion makers, the workshop will cover sessions on how to develop writing habits, tips, and experience shar-ing by a well-known journalist/me-dia person, along with the use of various software tools to assist in writing. The participants will start the workshop with an idea/topic and will return home with the first draft of the article. All you have to do is call one of the people on the contact list and mail your sample write up to [email protected]. Do bring your laptop along if you want to work on your article during the workshop.
KATHMANDU KORADate: 18 &19 July, Time: Jul 18 at 6:15pm to Jul 19 at 4:15amVenue: PatanDhoka (Starting point)Registration: http://kathmandukora.net/2m4pyutar/
The Kathmandu Kora Cycling Challenge 2014 will start from the third Saturday of July with riders undertaking a personal challenge of 50 km, 75 km, and 100 km around Kathmandu Valley. Each edition of the challenge has seen riders pledging to raise certain amounts of money for a cause. This year, the participants aim to raise Rs 2 million to build an eco-designed birthing facility in Pyutar, South Lalitpur.
indulge in fun activities, and quench your thirst for adventure. The retreat takes you on a 97 km drive from Kathmandu (3.5 hours) to Sindhupalchowk. Look forward to a fun filled evening after you reach the destination. In the morning, you have the option of hiking to Gati village, visiting the Borderland falls, or enjoying the local hospitality in a nearby village. You can also go rafting in the lower Bhotekoshi River.
crews promise dynamic flips and acrobatic moves. The winning crew will receive a Rs. 25,000 cash prize. Besides music and dance, the Jam will also have a recycling stand and stalls selling Hip-Hop streetwear to support the event.
MANNY’S EATERY & TAPAS BAREvery Fridays, Shabnam Gurung and Dinesh Neupane (Live Ghazals)
Time: 7pm onwards Location: Jawalakhel, Shaligram Hotel Complex, 015536919
MOKSHEvery Tuesday, Rohit John ChhetriTime: 7pm onwardsLocation: Jhamsikhel, 5528362
EMBASSY RESTRO & BARThursday: 3 July, Salsa workshop with Riyaz and his crew
Friday: 4 July,Unplugged show by ‘Prayas Band’Every Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and WednesdayPiano night by Pema
Saturday: 5 July, Live acoustic show by Dharmender and Bittu
Time: 6:30pm onwardsLocation: Lazimpat, 4424040
TAMARIND RESTRO AND BARThursday, Sunday and Monday Live piano by Sunil Singh
Wednesday: 9 July, Prayas (band)
Saturday: 5 July, Supersonic (band)
Time: 7:00pm to 10:00pm Location: JhamsikhelContact: 5522626
JAZZ UPSTAIRSWednesday: 9 JulyMonsix (Gypsy Jazz)
Time: 7:00pm onwardsLocation: Lazimpat, 4416983
MADHUSALAEvery Friday till WednesdayUday & Manila Sotang live with Jeewan Kalapremi and Nava Ratna (band)
Time: 7:15-11:30 pmLocation: Durbar MargContact: 4223613
TAMAS LAYAWednesday: 9 JulyOpen Night with Jovan
Friday: 4 July (Naxal)Accoustix
Time: 7:00-10:00pmLocation: Naxal, 4414395
8 DEGREESFriday: 4 July, Loadshedding (band)
Time: 7:00pm onwardsLocation: JhamsikhelContact: 5543740
BOURBON LOUNGEFriday: 4 July, Soultease
Tuesday: 8 July, Sign
Wednesday: 9 JuneLadies night with Accoustix
Time: 7:30pm onwardsLocation: Lal Durbar MargContact: 4441703
Hall of FrameTop Left to Bottom Right : Judy Oglethorpe, Gordon Cumming, Dr. Megh Bahadur Pandey, Dr. Ghana S. Gurung, Dr. Hemanta Mishra
Clockwise From Top Right : Sahana Vajracharya, Prashamsa Shrestha, Srijana Josee, Archita Agrawal, Romi RL Shah and Rachit Agrawal, Alina Basnet, Geetanjali Bastakoti, Subarna Chettri
Clockwise: Nirvana Chaudary, Nagma Shrestha, Soon Seop Jung, Mahesh Raj Pant
WHY IS LIFE GOOD? 26 June, Yak and Yeti
CG Electronics, in the presence of Weon Dae Kim, Regional CEO, Asia Region; Soon Seop Jung, MD, LG Electronics Singapore; and Nirvana K. Chaudhary, MD, Chaudhary Group, introduced the Curved OLED TV, the 4K Ultra HDTV, the Smart+ TV, and normal LED TVs. LG has been continuously coming up with various LED televisions, from normal 2D to revolutionary 3D technologies.
GOSH, WHAT AN IMPRESSION!27 June, Hotel Annapurna
PK Impex, one of the most recognized trading organizations in Nepal, launched Gosh Cosmetics - a Denmark-based bath, body, and fragrance company - in the country. The event, hosted by singer Prashamsa Shrestha, saw make-up enthusiasts, models, media personalities, and businesspeople try out and purchase the products. With development, production, and distribution to 82 counties taking place from the head office in Denmark, and with eight outlets around the capital, Gosh promises to update itself and accommodate the evolving needs of the modern customer. Pawan Kumar Agrawal, Managing Director of PK Impex, added: “Gosh was a pharmaceutical company before it dived into cosmetics, hence, you can be assured of its quality.”
“My mum loves it. I am a fan
too.” – Sahana Vajracharya,
on Gosh products.
Vajracharya, wearing Bebe, at the launch.
FOR THE LOVE OF CHIMPS26 June, Hotel Shangrila
Dr. Jane Goodall, the world-renowned British primatologist, ethnologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace was in Kathmandu as part of her world tour on her 80th birthday. The Jane Goodall Institute Nepal organized An evening with Jane Goodall, where she shared her experiences, her thoughts on creating a better world, and inspired people to work towards creating a brighter future.
“She is the princess of peace, of
compassion to humans and animals
alike”- Hemanta Mishra.
Clockwise: Milan Rai, Sunil Thapa, Ranjit Rae, Kailash K. Shrestha and Prithvi Shrestha, Shraddha Shrestha, Jasmine Rajbhandari, Tiffany Singh,Subash Thebe.
WINNERS FOR EONS26 June, Thapathali
Laxmi Intercontinental Pvt. Ltd, the sole distributer of Hyundai vehicles in Nepal, distributed two Hyundai EONs and 50 tolas of gold (five tolas each for 10 winners) to the lucky draw winners of the Hyundai Dashain Tihar Offer, Super Dumper Bumper. The prizes were jointly distributed by the Chairman of Laxmi Intercontinental Pvt. Ltd, Ganesh Bahadur Shrestha and Miss Nepal 2014, Subin Limbu. Besides the prizes, Laxmi Intercontinental had also provided discounts of up to Rs. 5 lakh on the purchase of every Hyundai vehicle while the offer was valid.
THEY’VE GOT BALLS!28 June, FC Sports Bar
Managed by Project A, the Nepal Telecom 2nd Corporate Futsal League 2014 held from 7 - 8 June concluded with a corporate dinner. The event kicked off with a few words from the Managing Director of NTC, Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, who said: “The growing number of futsal arenas across Kathmandu benefits the community because people can come together and play a much-loved game.” This was followed by a prize distribution ceremony where the participating teams received tokens of appreciation and the winner of the tournament, Sunny Distillery, lifted the champion’s trophy.
IMAGINATIONS COME ALIVE29 June, Siddhartha Art Gallery
It’s overwhelming seeing works of art flaunt a great deal of precision and detail. The stunning visual imaginations of 26 artists in the exhibition Amalgam, organized by Siddhartha Art Gallery to promote young contemporary artists, pulled the attendees into the world of the creators. A few of the works on display that will make observers think are Narayan Bohaju’s The story of water, Hitman Gurung’s The blank frame, Sudeep Balla’s Beatles - All we need is love, Ram Maharjan’s Gajyang Gujung, and Muna Bhadel’s Bikalpa decentralization. Amalgam is endearing, powerful, and truly an experience.
Clockwise: Alisha Kunwar, Ravindra Mishra, Arun Basnet, Laxman Adhikari, Sajeev Deu, Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, Rajendra Nakarmi, Arun Shrestha.
Subin Limbu
Uttam Acharya and Ganesh Chhetri
Janardan Bastola and Govinda Bhattarai
“Though all these artists have different
styles, today their artworks are speaking
together.” - Milan Rai.
10
FATHER-DAUGHTER DUETSKathmandu, June 27
With the aim of showing respect to musicians involved in the Modern Nepali Classical genre, Nepa-laya organized the second appearance of composer Prakash Gurung at the famous ‘Paleti’ performance series that was held at the organization’s R-Sala hall in Kalikasthan. The event also featured the composers’ daughter Reema Gurung Hoda, a renowned singer herself.
The composer and his daughter sang songs that were composed by Gurung for famous singers such as Om Bikram Bista, Deep Shrestha, and Sukmit Gurung. Gurung also gave credit to lyricists Shiva Shanker, Kali Prasad Rijal, Shanker Thapa, and Krishna Joshi. Additionally, the father and daughter duo sang several songs from their recent music albums.
One of the most interesting things that popped up during the show was Gurung singing of a few lines of a song that he could hardly recall: one that he had composed for Aruna Lama, which was eventually cancelled due to the singer’s ill health. Another one of such revelations came forth when Reema sang Kun Batoko, the only song that Gurung managed to record with his childhood friend, the legendary Arun Thapa.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM HIS FRIENDSBasantapur, June 24
On a mildly chilly Tuesday, the eclectic sounds of percussions, the splendor of the flute, and the majesty of the keyboard was in full bloom as Upendra & Friends performed a very exclusive fusion set at Ti Amo Pizzeria. The sheer volume and thunderclasp-like playing of drummer Nikhil Tuladhar was a joy and below that thumped the bass of Roshan Kansakar, who later added, “It was great to finally perform here and it is a great send off for us as we are heading to the Fuji Rock Festival in the coming days.” Indeed, their staple showing at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival beckons but the performance at Ti Amo spoke for itself. One of those in attendance spoke of his admiration for the band, saying, “It’s something else seeing them in such a closed setting. The volume and sound were just right too, not too loud.”
IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWNAITM College, June 27
The esteemed institutions under the umbrella organization, Nepal Education Foundation-Consortium Colleges Nepal, converged under one roof at the promotional event - NEF-CCN Live 2014 - which was held to guide students towards the infrastructures and facilities present at the institutions. Departments showcased their skills in a milieu where visitors got to update themselves with the current curriculum, scholarships and grants, and interact with the alumni and staff. With a musical concert, food festival, student bank loan offers, Karbonn phone deals, health camp, BMX bike show, skateboard stunt show, World Cup face painting, and a special Paras Khadka speech to move the students, the event fired up
Geared towards improving the lives of the visually impaired, the Blind Rocks Club, initiated by Blind Rocks Organization, was officially inaugurated at an event attended by several social activists working towards the betterment of the physically challenged community, including actor/comedian Madan Krishna Shrestha,
and the General Secretary of Aapanga Mahasangh, Tika Dahal. The event started with a welcoming ceremony and a speech by Shristi K.C., Founder President of Blind Rocks, where she talked about battling the prejudices she faces as a visually impaired person, which was followed by an entertaining Blind Race.
RACE TO RAISE.Lalitpur, June 28
In order to raise funds to promote the initiatives of young entrepreneurs, Nepal’s Youth Business Foundation (NYBF) organized the fourth installment of the Corporate Go-Kart Competition, which took place at Sanepa Go-Kart Racing. A total of 20 corporate teams, with over 60 participants, took part in the daylong event. Sharadh Golchha from the Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs’ Forum (NYEF) secured the first place while Hemant Golchha from Go Ford and Ritesh Lamichhane from NYEF were the first and second runners-up respectively.
PRESENT YOUR IDEA IN A REALITY SHOWKathmandu, June 26
Idea Studio, a joint initiative of UNICEF, Kathmandu University, Childreach Nepal, private sectors, and the media is a competition calling for innovative and creative ideas to solve today’s problems. The contest was launched with five powerful video messages from various Nepali celebrities, including the singing nun and national ambassador of UNICEF Nepal, Ani Choying Dolma; captain of the national cricket team, Paras Khadka; and legendary actors and social activists, Madan Krishna Shrestha and Hari Bansha Acharya. Idea Studio aims to provide hope to young and motivated Nepalis to come forward with creative ideas that can help solve social issues at the community level. The call for ideas is open until 31 July. Shortlisted candidates will then be selected for membership at Kathmandu University School of Management Idea Studio where business leaders and university professors will work with the innovators to transform their ideas into a business proposal. The participants will partner with business leaders and present their ideas on a nationally televised reality show.
WEEK WASTHATKickstart//Week That Was
thousands of visitors, especially prospective students.Khadka, representing Karbonn as a brand ambassador, gave a rousing speech to the enthusiastic students, besides the ones by Bhupa Das Rajbhandari, Executive Director, who was also known as the “Batman of the Institution” and Basant P. Joshi, Director and Head of School. In an immersive Q&A later on, Khadka held his own against grueling questions, and talked about his past studies, his dreams, and future plans. He also discussed the launch of a new reality show organized by UNICEF. “The two months of preparation have paid off,” concluded Rajbhandari. The annual event will be held on a rotation basis among the institutions of NEF-CCN.
BLIND ROCKS!Thames College, June 28
11
A DREAM FOR EVERYONENepal Art Council, June 29
Artudio, a center for visual art, organized a group photo exhibition titled Euta Sapana, consisting of pictures taken by 78 graduates of a photography workshop that had been conducted over a span of four years. Realizing that a person cannot be a complete photographer until his/her photos are exhibited, the same way a writer needs to have a book published to be recognized, the exhibition was a way to provide exposure to the budding photographers. Before the exhibition commenced, there was a brief speech by Gopal Sarkar, among other personalities, along with dance performances. As the title suggests, the theme of the exhibition was ‘dreams’. Euta Sapana consists of 144 photographs and will continue till 5 July.
GO HERBAL WITH DABUR!Dabur Nepal recently launched the Dabur Herbal Gel Toothpaste, which has a blend of mint, lemon, and other trusted herbs. Dabur’s new gel toothpaste uses lemon, a natural cleanser that removes plaque, and mint, a natural mouth freshener. The toothpaste is available in 40 gm, 80 gm, and 150 gm packs priced at NRs 22, 38, and 70 respectively. The product is endorsed by actress Priyanka Karki.
DONEAR ROLLS!Donear, a well-established fashion fabric brand, recently announced its presence in the Nepali market. Donear specializes in glamorous suiting, trousers, and shirting fabrics. The company’s innovative designs and fashion brand in their ready-to-stitch segment mostly caters to the middle and premium segments with high quality apparel fabrics, woven
BAZAAR
Glenfiddich, an award winning single malt whiskey enjoyed in over 180 countries, was launched in Nepal this month. T Glenfiddich has introduced three of its most treasured variants - 12 Year Old, 15 Year Old and 18 Year Old - into the country. The nose of the Glenfiddich 12 Year Old has a balanced fragrance, with fresh fruity notes and a hint of pears, married and mellowed in oak tuns. The 15 Year Old’s fragrance includes sweet heather honey and vanilla fudge combined with rick dark fruits. Its flavor reveals layers of sherry oak, marzipan, cinnamon, and ginger. The whiskey is aged in European, American, and new American oak, then mellowed in a Sloera vat before being married in Portuguese oak tuns.The nose of the 18 Year Old includes ripe orchard fruit, spiced apple, and a robust oakiness. Its taste reveals layers of dried fruit, candy peels, and dates overlaid with oak notes. Ranging from the signature 12 Year Old expression to rare, vintage and limited edition bottles, Glenfiddich is renowned for its quality and consistency. The exclusive authorized dealer of Glenfiddich in Nepal, Shiraj Trading Concern Pvt. Ltd., will be making the whiskey available in all key areas of the country including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Biratnagar, Birgunj, Ithari, and Jhapa.
GLENFIDDICH IN NEPAL!
THE NAME IS JAMESON Durbar Marg, June 24
Green Line Durbarmarg hosted the tasting and launch of Jameson Irish Whiskey, marketed by Chivas. The tasting was conducted by Mathieu Bentin, brand ambassador of Jameson in India, who took the audience through a step-by-step process on how Jameson is produced and how it differs from American whiskey and Scotch. The tasting class introduced the different flavors of Jameson. Jameson’s taste boasts of exceptional balance with spicy flavors combined with nutty flavors of vanilla with a hint of sweet sherry. The triple distilled Jameson Whiskey promises a smooth, mellow, and smooth finish.
with natural and synthetic fibers and its various blends. Donear has an expanded sales network consisting of 44 agents, 290 wholesalers, and 12,000 retailers that are spread across all 29 states and seven Union territories of India. It also exports to over 28 different countries and has a processing capacity of 4.5 million meters per month. Paras Khadka, the captain of the national cricket
team, has been chosen to endorse the brand in Nepal.
SHARED, TAGGED, AND WONSpringwood, a men’s wear brand from Surya Nepal Pvt. Ltd., has been organizing the Share, Tag & Win contest on its Facebook page since 1 June. To participate, all one needs to do is visit Springwood’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/springwoodworld) and
start sharing and tagging the brand’s new graphic t-shirts. Ami Lakhemaru was declared the winner of the fourth week. Springwood has been organizing such contests on Facebook for the last couple of years and the response has been overwhelming. The brand’s page now has over 22,000 followers. The contest is slated to last till 15 July.
111 YEARS OF FORDFord Motor Company recently celebrated 111 years of operation with their annual Heritage Month in Nepal. To celebrate the occasion, Ford offered its customers special deals and promotions such as a Monsoon Exchange Camp with mega exchange bonus, special gifts for every valuation, as well as test drives. The company has
also organized a special movie and music night to showcase their place in silver screen and pop culture. The event is open to all and attendees will also be provided with complimentary popcorn and soft drinks. Ford Motor Company has been in operation in Nepal since 2010
WORLD CUP AT RADISSONExperience the biggest sporting extravaganza - the 2014 FIFA World Cup - live at the Radisson Hotel’s Corner Bar. With a high definition screen and Digital Dolby surround sound, watch the tournament with your family and friends. The Corner Bar has introduced a cover charge is Rs 500 net inclusive of a drink exclusively for the occasion. There are also special offers on snacks and drinks for you while you watch your favorite team play.
12
PARTYLINESCHITTER - CHATTER HEARD AT EVENTS
- Shristi K.C., Founder/President of Blind Rocks, at the launch of Blind Rocks Club, an initiative by Blind Rocks Organization, held at Thames College.
“The year I lost my eyesight was the year I started to see the world clearly.”
– Sneha Shrestha, Founder/President of Nepal Children’s Art Museum, to children at a recent workshop held at their newly launched space in Hattisar.
- Roshan Kansakar, bassist of Upendra & Friends, during their recent gig at Ti Amo. The band will be heading to the Fuji Rock Festival in Tokyo soon.
“This was a great send off!”
- Madan Krishna Shrestha, actor, at the launch of Blind Rocks Club, an initiative by Blind Rocks Organization, held at Thames College.
“In our everyday life, we unknowingly use words that hurt (the disabled).”
– Neha Shrestha, proprietor of ‘One Ugly Mug’, on why she chose the name of her café.
“I don’t want pretty names.”
“Make your own monsters!”
Sneha Shrestha Madan Krishna Shrestha
Kickstart//Partylines
READ
EVERY THURSDAYThe Smarter Entertainment Weekly
CLASSIFIED
For Classified and advertisements call Nirbheek K. Subedi; 9849034998, 01-5011571
13
enterta nment!Issue 228 | 10 July 2014
Your weekend too short for a trip to that destination of your dreams? Don’t have the budget for it? Don’t flop down on the couch or sit in
front of the computer perusing photos of that dream destination. Instead, hit the road and head east on the Arniko Highway to Dhulikhel, the village-town where you can sip morning tea on your verandah gazing
at mountains and while away your evenings listening to white-haired men speak of the days when caravans passed through their town.
Kapil Bisht
and EscapeHop, Step,
continues on the next page >>
14
Activities Galore Dhulikhel is the place to be for lovers of the outdoors. Walking is a great way to explore the villages and forests around the town. The undulating trail from Dhulikhel to Namo Buddha is excellent for mountain biking. Birders and butterfly watchers will have a field day in the lush surroundings of Dhulikhel and the forests in its vicinity.
Must HavesTake a good flashlight. Dhulikhel, like Kathmandu, is hit with scheduled power cuts. Insect repellent ointment and leech repellent (during monsoon) are
necessary. The closeness to the forest and greenery that give the town an added charm also make it an insect haven.
Special Things to RememberDhulikhel is one of the most popular getaways for Kathmanduites and almost every tourist goes there. Due to this fact even the dozens of hotels and resorts can be filled to capacity during the tourist season and finding accommodation can be difficult. If you’re visiting during the tourist season (February-April and October-November), it is wise to make advance bookings.
To Get There Buses leave throughout the day for Dhulikhel from the Old Bus Park in Kathmandu.
Where to StayFor mountain views and seclusion the Dhulikhel Village Resort (), which is located on a hillock, is ideal. Langtang View Resort is away from the main town, almost in the countryside.
Where to EatThe old town has ample Newar eateries. Enter the low doorway under the signboard saying “Café Behind the House” for a taste of Newari delicacies, especially meat dishes. Dhulikhel’s dairy products, made from milk brought in from the outlying areas, are not to be missed. The best of the lot are milk tea and sweet yogurt.
Old Town SquareA vestige of old Dhulikhel, this is the haunt of old-timers and children. True to Newar town squares, it is crammed with temples and shrines, the most notable of these the Hari Siddhi and Vishnu Temples. Ask the old folks in daura-suruwal, who gather under the temples in the evenings to smoke and chat, about the yesteryears and you will be regaled with wonderful tales, some of which are memorable because of the extent of their fallacy. (“You are too young to know this, but Tibet was once part of Nepal.”) A short climb to the northwest of the square is the three-storied, pagoda-style Bhagwati Shiva Temple.
Shiva TempleThe Gaukhureshwor Mahadev, or Shiva Temple, is two kilometers southeast of the old town center. Located at the bottom of a small gorge, this small temple houses a four-faced Shiva lingam (chaturlinga).
The Giant BuddhaReached by climbing a quarter of the way up the thousand steps that lead to the Kali Temple, the huge golden Buddha statue sits in an opening in the forest. The place is known as Shanti Ban.
Kali TempleA short climb from the Buddha statue is the Kali Temple. The temple’s location atop the hill, and the panoramic view of Dhulikhel and the surrounding valleys and mountains from it, make it an attractive place for believers, agnostics, and atheists alike.
Around and Beyond Dhulikhel Did Dhulikhel spark a desire to see more? From Dhulikhel you can take several day trips to nearby locations. Since all of these places are also connected by road to Kathmandu, you can head directly to Kathmandu from there instead of returning to Dhulikhel. One of these places is the sacred monastery of Namo Buddha, to which you can drive, cycle, or walk. The latter two offer an excellent opportunity to experience the cultural diversity and rural life of the area. From Namo Buddha you can walk down into Panauti, a medieval Newar town of quaint squares and numerous temples. Another famous place of worship is the Palanchowk Bhagwati temple, which is located 22 kms northeast of Dhulikhel. A long walk (driving or cycling also possible) southeast of Dhulikhel is Patlekhet, where you can get a taste of the revival of organic farming in many of its little farms. Notable among these are Everything Organic Nursery (www.everythingorganicnursery.com) and Hasera Farm (www.organichasera.org). Many of the farms also have homestay facilities.
In & Around Dhulikhel
N ajik ko devta hela. A god that is in your vicinity is not venerated. This is an old Nepali saying. It also applies to traveling in Nepal.
All of us want to go to Lo Manthang or do the Annapurna Circuit. Many of us dream of sauntering along Rara’s shores or standing on Everest Base Camp. And we wait – for months, years – for the right time to go to these places. The right time, in many cases, never comes. It has to do, I feel, with not going to the ordinary places, destinations that are close and thus considered banal. It is these less romantic and ordinary destinations that sometimes create unforgettable experiences, and these in turn ignite in us the desire to hit the roads and trails to the more fabled places.
One such destination for Kathmanduites to whet their traveling
or trekking appetites is Dhulikhel. Located 30 kilometers east of the city, Dhulikhel is an ancient trading town situated on the old trade route to Tibet. This legacy is almost lost today behind the concrete façade of modern houses. But old Newar houses survive, secluded and hidden behind the new buildings. And this is what makes Dhulikhel appealing—the discovery of old houses and temples at the end of alleys. Enter the characteristic low doorways of some of the old houses and you pass through a small dark tunnel before emerging into bahals, or small courtyards, filled with shrines and statues. It is like arriving in the medieval era. Bumping your head on the frame of these traditional doorways, which is common, can also make you lose sense of time for a few seconds.
If passing through a dark tunnel and spending time admiring the sculptures in a courtyard does not appeal to you, Dhulikhel also has sweeping views from its many vantage points. Mountain views are the most attractive feature of Dhulikhel, as most
resorts and hotels in town tirelessly tell you. If the weather is clear, on most mornings you will rise to a view of a valley brimming with fog and above it, as if hanging in the sky, the Himalayas. Over twenty peaks stretch from east to west, among them Langtang Lirung (7,234 m), Ganesh Himal (7,406 m), Dorje Lakpa (6,966 m), Gauri Shankar (7146 m), and Melungtse (7181 m).
There is so much variety in Dhulikhel, so much to do and see that it can often feel like an exhibit rigged to save visitors time and effort. Wake up in the morning, part the curtains, and there in front of you are mountains. Walk a few hundred meters from your hotel, and you arrive in a medieval Newar town. Climb a few stairs, and you are in a forest filled with bird songs. Walk a little more to the bus station, or hop into your car, and drive to Kathmandu. There is almost everything in Dhulikhel to engage your senses. You only need to take that first step towards it.
Entertainment//Getaway
15
As of now, Himalayan Java has a total of 12 outlets. One is housed in Washington DC, three are located outside the valley, and the rest,
eight in total, can be found in and around Kathmandu. It amazes me to think that there are actually four Himalayan Javas in the same vicinity, and all of them draw crowds like kids to a candy store. A sure cause for this effect is their world-class coffee. A board at the Tridevi Marg outlet reads, „We roast coffee everyday!“ and according to Harish Bahadur Chand, the Manager of Himalayan Java, every bit of it is true.
When Himalayan Java opened in the year 1999, becoming the first joint to specialize in coffee in Nepal, a lack of machineries meant that they had to use pre-roasted and grinded organic coffee. But with the rapid growth in the coffee culture of Nepal, they‘ve upgraded themselves technically and haven‘t looked back since. Its proof is in the rich aroma of coffee that fills up your nostrils every time you walk into the place. My favorite
drink at Java during summer has to be the Blended Mocha. The perfect match between coffee and chocolate is topped up with a mountain of whipped cream and a chocolate wafer stick. The feeling of biting into a wafer covered in luscious, sweet cream is divine. Follow it with a long slurp of the icy cold drink and you are transported far away from the warm, sticky atmosphere. Do be careful too, a
brain freeze is a high possibility most of the time. During the chilly winter or a pouring
monsoon day, however, Honey Latte is a comforting friend. The warm, golden honey and coffee combo is blissful. Pair it with some biscotti and cookies from the pastry counter while you chat away with a companion, or read a book from the shelf. I find the small library, with books
One of my biggest concerns while visiting Himalayan Java is the seating. Much of the time, the otherwise spacious joint is littered with people, making staying there impossible. So, it is a good thing that they have been expanding. In a few years, we just might see a Java in every neighborhood of Kathmandu.Akriti Shilpakar
on sale, to be a very welcoming gesture. I don‘t mind spending a lazy day at Java,
sipping on one of their 30 coffee variants, and neither does the staff.
Himalayan Java is a special place, a must visit for not only coffee connoisseurs but also for
folks who enjoy a cup of coffee once in a while. And although people
primarily visit the place for the coffee, their decadent pastries do deserve a mention as well. Java‘s Black Forest definitely compliments their beverages and their cheesecake has been winning hearts all around. Then again, nothing says „save room for dessert“ like a counter flaunting an assortment of dipped-in-chocolate goodies and jars filled with buttery cookies, and Java sure has one.
“All the bakery goods are made in our very own kitchen. They are then transported to the different outlets around town.” - Harish Bahadur
Chand, Manager.
Tenzin Gonsar, co-proprietor
Java, Java,Everywhere
• Washington DC, USA
• Civil Mall, Sundhara• Mandala Street,
Thamel• Basantapur Durbar
Square, Kathmandu• The Rising Mall,
Kamaladi• Woodland Complex,
Durbarmarg• Lakeside, Pokhara• Lukla• Jomsom• Tridevi Marg• Bhaktapur• Bluebird Mall,
Tripureshwor
Contact: 4422519, Tridevi Marg, Thamel. Opening Time : 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. Take away available.
CHEF‘S RECOMMENDATION• Blended Mocha• Java Brownicchino• Seasonal Smoothie• Iced Tea• Black Forest
HoneyMilk
EspressoCream
CinnamonSprinkle
Entertainment//Timeoff
Save Room For This
Blended Mocha Honey Latte
16
I used to bring earthworms to my room when I was a child. My mum, after seeing what I had brought in, would just say, “Jane, we all love the earth but earthworms love it a lot more. You should take it back to the garden.” I’ve loved animals since I was a child and had a mother who always encouraged me to find the answers to the things I was curious about.
We used to live on a farm and my duty was to collect eggs from the henhouse. I was curious about where the eggs came from because I couldn’t see holes in the hen house, so I went up to the barn and patiently waited to see how the hen laid her eggs. I was there for nearly five hours and, by then, my family had been worried sick.
We grow by finding answers to our curiosities, by making mistakes, and learning patience.
Having a kind and inspiring mother helped a lot. She bought me books that I liked, such as Dr. Dolittle and Tarzan, which further assisted me in learning about animals.
When I read Tarzan I would complain that he had the wrong Jane. I was his Jane not the one in the book.
When I was a child I dreamt of going to Africa to work with animals.
Growing up during war time, we didn’t have much money and my dreams of travelling to Africa sounded silly but my mother always told me to work hard if I really wanted something. So, I went ahead and finished a secretarial course. We need to learn to recognize opportunities even in harsher times.
I only had my binoculars and my dreams when I left home. My friend Clo had invited me to visit her family’s new farm in Kenya while I was working in London. In order to save money for my
trip to Africa, I went back home to work as a waitress.
I met Louis S.B Leakey, the famed archaeologist and paleontologist, in Africa. He noticed that I had a zeal for working with animals and, hence, hired me as his assistant. He later asked me if I wanted to assist and undertake a study of a group of wild chimpanzees living on a lakeshore in Gombe, Tanzania. I was happy because I got to study about a species of animals that people knew little of, and also because they could help us understand our evolutionary past.
We had difficulty financing the project but one businessman
Dame Jane Goodall, the renowned British primatologist, known all around the globe for her studies on chimpanzees, was in Nepal for her 80th Birthday Tour, her fifth visit to this country. The inspirational lady has been encouraging a younger generation of future Janes to make the world a kinder place to live in - for humans and animals.Astha Joshi
Tarzan’s True Jane
decided to help us. He gave us money for six months and said, “If you can find something significant, we can get more funds.” Second, it was unheard of for a young woman to be living alone in the jungle and the British authorities would not allow me to do that unless I had someone with me. The person who stepped in was my mother who agreed to stay with me for the first four of the six months.
I was made to get a Ph.D., which I am thankful for because I love studying and thinking logically, but I never wanted to go to university. When Louis Leakey first selected me, he told me that he wanted someone who’s mind was uncluttered by the reductionist theories of animal behavior that people studied at the time.
I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have hope. Every individual matters, every individual has a role to play, every individual can make a difference. That’s what I believe and I regularly come across people who live by this principle.
I still have, Jubilee, the toy chimpanzee that my mother gave me when I was a child.
Mr. H, the toy monkey I’m carrying, was a gift from a wonderful person called Gary Horn. Gary Horn, who became blind when he was 21, wanted to be a magician. He didn’t let his blindness stop him from becoming one. I find hope in people like him who never give up. Mr. H is now 78 years old and he’s been touched by nearly four million people.
Never let others tell you what’s right and what’s wrong. When I first went to university, I was told that I had learnt everything incorrectly. They told me that I should have numbered my animals instead of giving them names because, according to them, it wasn’t possible for animals to create emotional bonds with humans. But then I remembered my oldest teacher who had taught me that such bonds were possible. That teacher was my first pet, Rusty.
A kinder society is achievable. We have a Roots & Shoots project in Dar es Salam in Tanzania that is focused on doing just that. We have to let everyone understand that animals feel pain just like we do.
Roots & Shoots was founded by Dr. Jane Goodall in the year 1991 with 12 Tanzanian students who wanted to do something about the deteriorating state of the nature around them. Today, the organization has local chapters in 132 countries, including Nepal. Established in January 2002, Roots & Shoots Nepal is actively engaged in campaigns and school level activities for animal conservation. The organization has been promoting vulture conservation, stopping wildlife trade, providing environmental education, and acting against the practice of snake charming in the region.
Roots & Shoots Nepal: Contact info - +977-1-5522228, [email protected]
Entertainment//Buzzmaker
18
Cachaça from Brazil, tequila from Mexico, Jägermeister from Germany, or, if you prefer wines, Belgian.
The best thing about these drinks is that they help you stay awake which, considering the odd hours of the games, is of utmost importance.
Jägermeister is made with 56 herbs and is famous as an after dinner drink. It is known to help digestion. Since all the games start after dinner, the drink couldn’t be more perfect. In case you’re new to Jägermeister, try a Jägerbomb. No need be alarmed, it won’t explode in your belly: a Jägerbomb is simply Jägermeister mixed with Red Bull.
Similarly, what better way to start off the match proceedings than with a shot of tequila! For Mexico supporters, tequila can be consumed in numerous ways, including in the form of various cocktails - Margarita, Tequila Sunrise, Paloma, Brave Bull (kahlua and tequila), and Bloody Maria (tomato juice, tequila, crushed pepper, salt, lime juice, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce) to name a few.
For Brazil supporters, there’s the country’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage, cachaça (sagatiba). And there’s no better way to enjoy it than in the form of Brazil’s national cocktail, capirinha, a mixture of cachaça, sugar, and lime. There are also other drinks you may want to try in case you get a hang of cachaça - raspberry capirinha, pineapple mint capirinha (pineapple, cachaça, mint leaves, pineapple juice), Greenline (cachaça, cointreau, basil leaves, brown sugar, apple juice), or cachaça with coke.
And for supporters of teams that are already out of the running, there’s no reason to feel left out. A British man who visited the store I work in yesterday was still supporting England. Even though his team was out of the World Cup, he bought a Gordon’s London Dry Gin for the final game. Now that’s what I call a true fan. No matter what the outcome of the game is, you keep faith in the team you support. For him, gin and tonic was the best way of showing support for England.
A few weeks with nail biting matches still remain, enough time to relish the classic drinks. For me, it’s cachaça all the way.
Since, the World Cup started, I have been living it up almost daily with late night matches in the company of friends and bottles of booze. And, of
course, there’s been a considerable lack of sleep. As can be ascertained, heading off to work has been tough. However, I have realized that there are better ways of enjoying the game without having to drag myself to work the next day.
Beer is the drink of choice for most of us when to comes to enjoying the games. But life is all about changes, and I feel beer tends to get monotonous. Keeping them chilled
during the load shedding hours is a bit of a problem as well. Therefore, I have moved on from my love of beer and switched to an alternative that’s more refreshing and easier to gulp as well.
The World Cup has entered the knockout phases with only a few teams remaining. Thankfully, many of our favorites are still in the running - Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium to be precise. If you’re following any of these teams then these drinks should make the games even more interesting:
PRICESPatron xo tequila- Rs. 4355Patron anejo- Rs. 6580Patron silver- Rs. 6920Coralejjo Reposado- Rs. 4130Corallejo bianco- Rs. 3975Jägermeister- 1 ltr- Rs. 3705Cachaça (sagatiba)- Rs. 3615Ventisquero Carmenere reserva- Rs. 1355 (chilean wine)Ventisquero sauvignon blanc- Rs. 1355 (Chilean wine)
With late night matches being the bane of our sleep, it’s time to move on from beers and switch on to drinks that are more refreshing, easy to gulp, and in vogue, like the FIFA World Cup itself.Nitesh Sharma
The native tasteof World Cup
Nitesh Sharma is the Business Development Manager at Green Line Centre, Durbar Marg. He handles events, explores new areas of business development, and educates people about liquors and wines. He has also worked at Taj Hotels and Accor in Delhi, India.
Loca
tion
& P
rop
Cour
tesy
: Gre
en L
ine
Cent
re, D
urba
r Mar
g.
Jägermeister
Tequila
Sagatiba
London Dry Gin
Entertainment//High Spirits
20
Total number of tweets that had hashflags #USA. Brazil is trailing behind with less than 2 million
hashflags.
If you are a social media user, you probably know first hand how hard it is to ignore the updates of the World Cup on your newsfeed. The buzz that the 2014 FIFA World Cup has been generating online has been nothing short of phenomenal. Sunnivh Subba
Heartbeat of Millions
The odd timings of the World Cup matches have been a common complaint for viewers in this part of the globe, but that hasn’t stopped football fanatics, who
have waited for years for this spectacular show to commence, from forsaking their sleep. For those unable to stay up late, the online community has come as a blessing. If you are a social media user, you are never too far from the action. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are abuzz with updates on the FIFA World Cup.
Not long ago, the key moments of the World Cup were discussed when people met up with each other. Today, times have changed. Thanks to the Internet, online communities have made it possible to discuss the game in real time. Social media has given its users an outlet to voice their opinions and to display their loyalties.
Facebook has been flooded with team colors for the past few weeks. On Twitter, users have been retweeting tweets by famous footballers and national squads, while Team Selfies have proven to be very popular this tournament. Millions of people have been sharing the ups and downs of the matches. Here’s a look at the most popular social media sites where talk of the 2014 FIFA World Cup has been dominant.
Facebook, the most widely used social networking site, has introduced features that are exclusive to the tournament. There is a World Cup Hub that tracks posts (related to the tournament) by friends as well as teams and players. The site also has a page called The Ref, which shows commentaries and updates on the matches. And, of course, the hilarious memes doing the rounds are always worth a chuckle.
Twitter has been the best way to get updates on the 2014 FIFA World Cup. There has already been more World Cup related tweets in the group stages this year than there were during the entire tournament in 2010. All 32 participating World Cup teams have Twitter accounts, with Brazil having the largest number of followers. When it comes to the players, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed, trailed by Brazil’s Neymar and England’s Wayne Rooney. With the use of hashtags (#), users can
join global conversations on Twitter. The official hashtags for the 2014 World Cup are “#WorldCup” and “#Brazil2014” and the official Twitter accounts are @FifaWorldCup and @Fifacom.
With so much taking place on the field, funny tweets regarding the actions of the teams and players have, unsurprisingly, followed.
TOP TWEETSJon Cotterill @Pitacodogringo: Messi carrying Argentina. Neymar carrying
Brazil. British Airways carrying England. (England had to pack their bags early after
a dismal exit from the group stages)Jeremy Clarkson @JeremyClarkson:
Well done Liverpool. You beat England. (After England crashed out of the World
Cup with six Liverpool players in the starting 11)
Tony Robson @TonyRobbo86: Suarez needs to get the @JustEatUK app. Then
he can bite into an Italian, an Indian and a Chinese. All at the same time
lol @luis16suarez (After Luis Suarez’s infamous biting incident)
There’s also a FIFAWorldCup account on Instagram that promises to provide exclusive images from Brazil. In order to be noticed, fans have already posted numerous pictures supporting their nations using the related hashtags.
Social media is all about engagement and interaction, and with the popularity
and easy availability of smartphones, fans have been able to be a part of the global discussion not only through popular social networking sites but through mobile apps as well. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association has developed an app for the World Cup that has been simply named FIFA. It gives users detailed information regarding the tournament, including statistics, scores, team line-ups, etc. The app also has a section called Social that allows users to discuss the World Cup with people around the world. Google has tracked more than 641 million World Cup related searches.
On Twitter, the opening game between Brazil and Croatia alone accumulated 12.3 million tweets. As for Facebook, 10 million people have generated 15 million “interactions,” which includes posts, comments, likes, and shares.
FIFA’s Facebook page has over 280 million likes while the World Cup page now has over 20 million fans.
Similarly, FIFA has more than seven million followers on Twitter.
These stats reveal that the World Cup has taken the online community by storm, just like the rest of the “real” world. Whether you are a football fan or not, there’s really no escaping the World Cup.
World Cup related tweets.
Total number of goals scored in the group stages, an all time
record.
Total number of goals scored by substitute players in the group stages, a World Cup
record.
Total number of retweets for Italian star Mario Balotelli’s tweet where he jokingly demanded a kiss from the Queen if Italy beat Costa Rica, which would have kept England in the World Cup.
Total number of tweets per minute during the game between Brazil and Crotia regarding Marcello’s own goal.
300
136
24
17,185,016
378,085
million
6.02million
Entertainment//Sports
th nk
The Nepali women’s national football team, also known as Nepali Chelis (Nepalese Sisters), has been in existence for longer than most of us realize. Formed in 1986, the squad had a humble showing at its first international outing at the AFC Women’s Championship the same year. Still, the groundwork had been laid for a big and bright future for women pursuing their dreams of playing football. Bigger plans were being envisioned for women’s football when it was all cut short due to the democracy movement of 1990, which resulted in the dissolution of the team for eight years. When the squad returned, they had to start from scratch. “It has been a steady progress since then and we have had to make amends over the years,” says Sanjeev Mishra, Development Manager of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).
The goalkeeper of the women’s national football team, Chandra Devi Dahal’s entry into the squad was the culmination of a lifelong goal. “I did not make it through the youth setup and Under-19 ranks, I was
introduced into the team straightaway,” she says. Dahal hasn’t looked back since. “I don’t have to manage jobs to keep up with my dream of playing professional football. In
that way, I think we have reached a level where football can be a
means of sustenance.” Dahal is proud of her role in the team and is excited
that the football setup in Nepal is slowly but surely evolving.
The one complaint though is the dearth of matches: the last time the women’s team played a game was 10 months ago.
The world of football has always been a breeding ground for underdogs to achieve and realize their dreams. The
story of the Nepali Chelis follows the same.Abhishek Mishra
The ChelisAre Here
continues on the next page >>
Issue 228 | 10 July 2014
24
NAME CLUB
Lila Lamgade ANFA
Namita Dali ANFA
Chandra Devi Dahal ANFA
Chandra Bhandari NPWC
Bhagwati Thapa ANFA
Usha Bhandari ANFA
Ghim Kumari Gurung ANFA
Sajana Rana APF Women’s Club
Niru Thapa ANFA
Laxmi Poudel ANFA
Jamuna Gurung APF Women’s Club
Anu Lama APF Women’s Club
Dipa Adhikari APF Women’s Club
Pramila Rai APF Women’s Club
shape. International matches are so few and far between that sometimes laxness can creep in. However, Bhandari reiterates, “International football doesn’t happen every month for anyone. Not for the Nepali men’s team, not for the Brazilian team, not for any European team. International friendlies take place only every six months or so because most of the players are busy with their clubs. There is no negligence on the part of ANFA, let’s be clear about that.”
On being asked how the Nepali Chelis can better their 92nd ranking, Bhandari believes it’s a matter of time. “No team can go straight to the top,” she says. “We are all working on it, we have a great bunch of players and a very helpful coaching staff. With time, we believe that we can do something on a grand scale.”
Perhaps the biggest voice of reason and jubilation comes from the skipper herself, the captain of the Nepali women’s national team, Chandra Bhandari. There were no youth setups during Bhandari’s time, and her journey to the top is a source of inspiration for those who share a love for football, or just sports in general. The team has started to prosper under her captaincy. Bhandari explains the evolution of women’s football during her time as a step-by-step process. “It has always been gradual but steady,” she says. Last year, Bhandari was honored by the Dashrath Chand Memorial Trust at Dashrath Rangashala, where she was feted as the Best Player from the Far Western Region. “Accolades and prizes are always encouraging but they all have to lead to the betterment of the team and sport,” she says. The captain echoes the words of her goalkeeper and coach when she stresses on the importance of playing more frequently in order to remain sharp and prepared.
From an early inception to being dissolved for nearly 10 years, Nepali women’s football has had its fair share of ups and downs. But the team has made it this far, and has been going forward, through sheer commitment. Even after the fervor of the current World Cup is over and the Nepali Chelis take to the field to compete at the SAFF Championships, let there be support and outpouring and opinion and interest. Who knows, theirs could be the greatest underdog story ever told.
“It would be great if we could get out there more,” says Dahal. Currently ranked 92 in the world, the Nepali Chelis would certainly benefit from more game time. They have been consecutive runners up at the SAFF Championships and last played a slew of exhibition matches in Qatar and Kuwait. The next tournament they are to take part in is the 2014 SAFF Women’s Championship that is set to take place in Pakistan this November. The entire team is looking forward to it.
The one man who is looking forward to it the most is Kumar Katuwal, the coach of the Nepali women’s national football team, who is very confident about his squad’s abilities. “I believe that the women’s national team can reach the FIFA World Cup faster than their male counterparts,” he boldly declares. Katuwal also trained the women’s under-14 team that defeated India not too long ago. “Females have more will power with a greater desire to
perform,” says the coach, who wants other coaches and trainers to realize that training regimens have to be different for women. “Preparations should be shaped according to the female physique,” he explains. Along with training, Katuwal wants more fixtures in the sporting calendar for the Nepali Chelis. “We have been talking to ANFA about playing more games before we head off to the SAFF Championships. The governing body has been very receptive to the idea as well.”
Chandra Bhandari also emphasizes on her training regime and how the players work to stay in shape.
“Running is a must, of course. Without stamina, staying for 90 minutes on the field would be impossible. We practice everyday for three hours at the Maharajganj Taalim Kendra. That is the backbone of our regimen.”
The schedule they follow is rigorous but it’s also one that keeps them in fighting
Nepali Cheli Football Captain: Chandra Bhandari
Think//Feature
Nickname(s)Nepali Cheli’s
AssociationAll Nepal Football Association
Sub-confederationSAFF (South Asia)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Head coachKumar Katuwal
FIFA codeNEP
FIFA ranking94
Highest FIFA ranking92 (December 2009)
First International Nepal0 – 1 Hong Kong
Biggest win Nepal13 – 0 Afghanistan
QUICK TRIVIA
25 Think//Feature
The impact of sports in galvanizing a nation has never been clearer than it was this year in Nepal.The recently held 2070 Pulsar Sports Awardsnot only showed appreciation for the sporting heroes, it also proved that awards are necessary for the future of sports in the country. Abhishek Mishra
Hailing the Future
THE WINNERS’ CIRCLELifetime Achievement AwardBaikuntha Manandhar is a name that was a source of pride for Nepal for many years. Manandhar completed a hat-trick of gold medals in marathon at the South Asian Games. He clinched his first title in 1984 at the games in Kathmandu and defended it successfully in 1985 in Bangladesh. In 1987, Manandhar clocked 2 hours, 15 minutes and three seconds for his third gold at the games in Kolkata. That record is still unbroken at the South Asian Games after almost 27 years. He also competed in four consecutive Olympic Games. Manandhar, who made his international debut in 1973 in the Philippines, represented Nepal at the Montreal (1976), Moscow (1980), Los Angeles (1984), and Seoul (1988) Olympics.
The man himself is very happy with the honor. “This is a once in a lifetime award,” he said with a laugh.”I am glad not only because of the award I received but also because of the encouragement it gives the young athletes and how it drives them to do better every year.”The legendary marathon runner also has high hopes for the young athletes:”There’s a lot of untapped potential among the youth. The surface has barely been scratched. I hope they will fulfil their potential and showcase Nepali talent internationally.”
Popular Player of the YearIn a year that saw total cricket domination, Saraswoti Chaudhary, adiminutive volleyball player, bagged the Pulsar Popular Player of the Year award, which was judged through text messages and Facebook votes. “My hard work has finally paid off,” said Chaudhary.”This award
Future Award Show GoalAccording to Manish Acharya, General Secretary and Chairman of the Sponsor Committee of the Pulsar Sports Awards, one of their biggest dreams is to host the show at Dasarath Rangashala, under floodlights filled to the brim with sports fan.
There is a buzz in the air with the FIFA World Cup in full swing. The ungodly hours at which the matches take place haven’t deterred people from watching the games. Such is their dedication. It
does make you wonder: what is it about football, or sports in general, that brings out so much passion in people? We laud and garland winners; we treat them like celebrities and a few even as demi-gods. Celebrating the heroes of sports is not a bad thing; rather, it can be something that unites people. A sportsperson at that point becomes more than a mere athlete, and the awards and rewards seem justified.
“We have always strived to award those who have done well,” said Manish Acharya, the General Secretary and Chairman of the Sponsor Committee of the Pulsar Sports
Awards, after yet another successful ceremony. “There is no need to balance the equation. Those who have done well receive what is due to them,” he replied, addressing the question of how they judge a myriad of sports when giving outawards.
In a way, the Pulsar Sports Awards has become Nepal’s answer to the Laureus World Sports Awards, the international award ceremony that celebrates different sports and athletes. The Pulsar Sports Awards are a step in the right direction.For years, players have been representing the nation and then fading into obscurity, but with the Pulsar Sports Lifetime Achievement Award, figures, like Baikuntha Manadhar,are receiving the applause and love that they so rightfully deserves.
is very encouraging and I am indebted to all the people who voted for me.”
Coach of the YearThe Nepali national cricket team’s Sri Lankan coach, Pubudu Dassanayake, worked wonders with his squad the last calendar year. Under his coaching, the Nepali team reached new heights.While Dassanayake was the calm in the storm when the Cricket AssociationNepal and the players didn’t see eye to eye, his biggest achievement was in keeping the team focused for the great run at the T20 World Cup. Sharad Vesawkar, a prominent member of the squad, paid tribute to the man calling him a big reason why the team did so well. Vesawkar also credited Dassanayake for raising the state of Nepali cricket immensely.
Special AwardThis year’s special award was conferred to Sharad Vesawkar for his role in the dream run the Nepali cricket team had, firstly in making it to the T20 World Cup and then in the tournament itself. “It was a great moment and something we live for as cricketers,” he said. “I hope this is all a springboard to bigger and better things in the future for Nepali cricket.”
Youth Player of the YearBimal Gharti Magar’s goal against Pakistan at the SAF games in 2013, when he was just 16, proved to be his golden ticket to a bright future as he recently signed a one-year contract with Anderlecht’s U-19 team. For those unaware, Anderlecht is one of the top clubs in Belgium and their last star, Romelu Lukaku, is currently turning heads in the English Premier League.
Para Athlete of The Year“This is a responsibility,” said Yadav Kunwar after receiving the Para Athlete of the Year award. “I feel like I have been chosen as a representative and it is an honor as well.” In May 2013, the 41-year old Kunwar won the men’s U-48kg bronze medal in the fourth WTF World Para Taekwondo Championships that took place in Switzerland. He confirmed the medal after defeating his Brazilian opponent 5-3 in his maiden international tournament. Kunwar also received the Fighting Spirit Award at the championships.
Male Player Of The YearParas Khadka was a respected name before the T20 World Cup but post that, he has risen in stature to become a figure that represents Nepali pride and achievement. It was not just his leadership skills but alsohis stand against bureaucratic nonsense in the cricketing sector that impressed the public. Khadka receiving the Pulsar Male Sportsman Of The Year award further stresses his importance in the sports sector and his impact on the current generation of youngsters.
Female Player Of The YearSunita Bohara has become synonymous with judo in Nepal. In the process, she has overtaken her male counterparts as its most recognizable face, and for good reason too. Bohara was the only gold medal winner for Nepal at the South Asian Games in April this year. “This was completely unexpected,” stated Bohara, who has been in stellar form for the past year. ”I was honored just to be nominated but to win was unbelievable. This award is proof that sporting dreams are achieveable.”
26
Phot
o Co
urte
sy: K
urch
i Das
gupt
a
Travers Nash (b. 1986), an Australian, is currently pursuing his PhD in visual arts and yet at BAC he explored the non-visual through a lilting sound performance. Between Us was the specific product of his stay in Kathmandu and created in direct response
to his immediate environment. Nash has been working with the aural for some time now, as his performance piece at Inside Out Museum in Beijing in April earlier in the year shows. There Nash explored the “contemporary relationship between the technological object and our human body” by subverting the hierarchy of the visual over the aural through a presentation in which the visitor’s body completed the artwork – an electronic circuit set up by him could be completed only through the corporeal presence of visiting participants and the human body’s physical resistance and natural electricity content. Nash supplanted The Body is Present to Kathmandu by using a pair of indigenous, woven baskets connected to incomplete circuitry. When the negative and positive points are touched by human skin, the circuits are completed by resistance and a buzz is produced, which Nash broadcast over megaphones attached to a pole. In retrospect from the future, humankind might just remain a buzz on the universal
radar after all -- apart from the more pressing comment on humanity’s role on planet earth despite the technological tidal wave that seems to be overriding us in every sphere. We had goosebumps emitting that ET-esque sound for sure as we felt tiny shivers shoot up our arms holding the circuit ends!
Bikalpa Art Centre (BAC) hosted a very unlikely evening at their new premises in Pulchowk. Unlikely as a space for the arts, where the cafe environment merged seamlessly with a makeshift gallery-cum-performance space. Unlikely also because of the open-ended and extra-lingual quality of the content on display created specifically for the evening by two BAC artists in residence. Kurchi Dasgupta
Intermingling
repressive China says a lot bout the relevance and efficacy of the artist under socially detrimental conditions.
Like stanzas in performance, Yang led us through a visual poem enacted with the help of Nash’s connecting apparatus. In between she sat on a mat, performed with a candle, an LED torch and a number of high wooden stools as Nash’s pixellated images of Swayambhunath or Kathmandu’s street corners lit up the screen interspersed with stanzas from Auden and Borges. What sustained it was the rhythm of her movements and an experiential questioning, which became irrevocably conjoined with the viewers/audience. Sheer poetry was created that evening in Pulchowk, poetry that somehow managed to step into the visual world. Ironic, because Nash’s work was a conscious confrontation of the same. However, soon Nash’s interactive installation was introduced into the play and Yang used it to interact with members of the audience to create a layered comment on the possibility and impossibility of communication in our multicultural, informatics driven world.
Between the two of them, Yang and Nash helped subvert our received notions of visual and aural beauty with an uncanny highlighting of the human condition. And a reminder that boundaries are there only to be stretched. We look forward to further and equally exciting experiments at BAC in future.
Kurchi Dasgupta is an India-based writer and
photographer.
About suffering they were never wrong,The old Masters; how well they understoodIts human position; how it takes placeWhile someone else is eating or opening a windowOr just walking dully along...
Soon afterwards, Zhang Yue Yang’s play was performed. It was less a play than poetry enacted. She took off from Auden’s,
... and turned her performance rather than play into a celebration of the human spirit, especially the spirit of irrational, unfathomable emotions. A major in business management, Yang has just begun her journey in artistic experimentation as she weaves language into crystals that express the inexpressible. “In my poetry I try to write about ideas that have not been named yet,” Yang clarified. Naming is an appropriation by the social system of language and her defiance of such stands as a direct correlate to the artist’s autonomy. The fact that she hails from ostensibly
Think//Canvas Conversation
28
Expressions - a way of showing emotions and a medium of communication - are very strong actions that require effort, contemplation, and a lot of thinking.
They can be made in various ways, most commonly, through facial expressions.
Artists tirelessly express their emotions or other subjects of their interest and concern on to canvases, sculptures, and other appropriate mediums. The recent sculpture exhibition by Bishnu Prasad Shrestha at Nepal Art Council, Babarmahal also depicts various human expressions, but in a unique way. Shrestha uses hands as a powerful medium of expression. “We use our hands to eat, to work, to perform various activities, we even use our hand to make sculptures,” he explains. This emphasis is clearly visible in his sculptures, where he magnifies and exaggerates the hands, which are larger in proportion to the head. An earlier awarded work of his shows only a hand with a begging bowl. A very strong emotion of desperation and dejection can be felt in this work, despite its lack of facial expressions. He later added the head to make his sculptures more expressive and emotive. However, the focus is still on the magnified hands and the head is used merely to balance the compositions, and his exhibition, titled Hidden Truths Revealed, aims to disclose the reality behind the physical structures created by man, the truth behind the deceitful appearances.
The uniqueness of Shrestha’s sculptures is that he manages to balance his figures, which only show magnified hands and heads, without letting a feeling of incompleteness creep in. The head and the hands, in different positions expressing various emotions, are so well composed or placed together that one does not notice the absence of the body.
The hand is Bishnu Prasad Shrestha’s muse; he spends endless hours observing the different expressions revealed by hands in various postures. He often plays with his hands and heads, imagining and positioning them to achieve a balanced composition to express various
The uniqueness of Bishnu Prasad Shrestha’s work is that he manages to balance his sculptures, which show only magnified hands and heads, without letting a feeling of incompleteness set in.Swosti Rajbhandari
Sculpting Expressions
emotions. He has been doing so since childhood. Hailing from Ilam, he completed his basic education and started to work in the handicraft sector as his interest lay in the modelling and creation of different forms
from various materials. This brought him to Kathmandu where he realized that he needed a formal education in Fine Arts. And so, he joined the related field and completed his Master of Fine Arts from Lalit Kala Campus, Kirtipur in 2013. He has been working in the field since then, and we can see the maturity in his creations. To maintain a balance of disproportionate forms, whether in a painting or in a sculpture is a very difficult thing to achieve, but Shrestha has done just that.
Shrestha doesn’t put up boundaries around his art and talent. He has not limited his knowledge and skills to the field of Fine Arts; he also works at Acme Engineering College, Sitapaila, where he teaches future engineers free hand drawing and model making. “Engineering students are required to make miniature models of buildings and landscapes, so a knowledge of sculpture is very benificial for them,” he says.
Every piece exhibited in the show made me look twice, to understand the ease with which the sculptures were balanced, and the exaggerated proportions of the hands fit very well with the other parts that were not magnified. The emotions were expressed with so much ease that I guessed most of the titles before actually reading them. Looking deeper at them brought about an attachment because they were simple emotions that we experience in our daily lives, nothing complex or
beyond the understanding of the common man. Bishnu Prasad
Shrestha’s sculptures appeal to everyone: from those who only view the physical structure of the beautifully composed artworks to those who look critically at the proportions, the emotions, and the hidden truths that keep one thinking.
Shrestha concludes that everyone has a dual personality, which is well expressed in ‘Rainbow’, one of the displayed pieces. This piece of art shows seven heads in the colors of the rainbow hanging from a circle representing the multiple personalities of man. The meaning of this work is easily understood and well expressed.
‘Thirsty’ was challenging work for him because it was cast in bronze in a single piece. To do that definitely required some skill!
‘Silence’ The chin resting between the thumb and the index finger is a position we adopt when we want to remain silent. Once again, proportions, which otherwise is a subject difficult to maintain, is negligable here.
Think//Canvas Conversation
Shrestha regards ‘Confusion’ as one of his best works, a piece that he can relate to. The artwork depicts a pregnant mother in red and the child inside her womb in black. The artist touches the issues of gender and unwanted pregnancies by coloring the child in black, which is viewed as a negative shade. These are the confusions faced by many women in our society.
SHRESTHA DISCUSSES HIS SCULPTURESRAINBOW CONFUSION CONFUSIONCONFUSION
30
Mohit Suri’s Ek Villain – allegedly plagiarized from the Korean film I Saw the Devil (2010) – surprises with its deft navigation of spaces and emotions uniquely
Bollywood and broadly Indian. It starts as a well-done thriller, progresses to the mushy, touchy-feely surfeit of cute that is a mainstay of Bollywood films, and boldly makes a few claims about the Indian middleclass and masculinity that ring chillingly true. What stays is not the clockwork behind the manufactured cute, but the statements on class and gender, and in a roundabout way, about Bollywood aesthetics. Its deliberate ignorance is a lot more interesting than its attempts to impress.
Shraddha Kapoor’s chirpy Aisha is suffering from a mysterious disease that will finish her off soon. Therefore, Aisha must keep an awkwardly large scrapbook of a bucket list of sorts. She goes around taking pictures with a Polaroid camera, and she arranges group weddings for inmates of various old age homes and sanitariums. Soon, Bollywood enters the scene in a grating exchange – when Aisha’s father talks of how his daughter will arrange for the kanyadan of all the elderly brides in the church. Or when a character says – “Rakshyas toh jehennum
REVIEWMOVIE Think//Fr!day Films
“Tum sab ke dard se mujhe khushi nahin milta – shukoon milta hai.”Prawin Adhikari
mein milte hain,” making a mélange of the religions that drive Bollywood and its internal moral compass: Ganesh and farishtey, votive offerings to Jesus – who gets called bhagvan, although the word is very closely related to bhag, and therefore an abomination to Christ’s non-vaginal origins. Here, like shoes are left outside a temple, real world differences that drive communities apart are left outside, in service of the saccharine and affected.
There is no eponymous villain here, but rather a whole bunch of characters have a villainous aspect to them – except, of course, Aisha, who is annoyingly mirthful and oozing with good intentions. Siddarth Malhotra’s Guru is the protégé of a gangster named Caesar – played by Remo Fernandez. He kills indiscriminately if his boss demands it of him. But, he is also a tortured soul, with a back story that seeks to forgive his violent ways. After the mother of his victim refuses to identify him in court, Aisha adopts him as her ultimate bucket list project – he is to be the man she will save. Indeed, apart from the meek father, there is no male figure in Ek Villain who isn’t in need of saving, one way or another, from himself. The villainy is internal, Suri seems to be hinting for a while. Then he comes right out and puts it in the mouth of a minor character – Kamal R Khan’s Brijesh
Yadav – who explains to his meek mouse of a friend – Riteish Deshmukh’s Rakesh – the mystery of the Indian middleclass male psyche.
“We are sandwiched between the upper class and the lower class,” he explains. The upper class and the lower class put constant pressure on the middleclass. The dominant narrative requires them to try and gain entry into the former class while staving off the peril of falling into the latter. Bureaucracy and the market put their weight the most on the middleclass. The women can either be subjugated through repeated beatings, or their affection can be bought with gifts. Sometimes, in order to bring home a necklace for his wife, a lowly employee of a telephone company must kill another woman.
That killer is played by Deshmukh. Humshakl, reviewed here last week, saw him play three different characters in a most trite film. In Ek Villain, he plays a serial killer who is henpecked, and deeply in love with his wife who berates him for his lack of charisma and
inability to provide for the family. There is, at the heart of the movie, an
affirmation of middleclass aspirations, alongside an aversion to it. This is the quintessential struggle that bifurcates the middleclass mind, in turn putting it in awe of itself, and driving it to self-loathing. Aisha’s bucket list is driven not so much by the yearning of the spirit as it is by catalogues for glamorous but affordable vacations: to beaches and reefs and waterfalls not too far away. Her desire to serve and salvage seems to extend only to people of her own class. Her biggest dream – which, of course, we can’t allow to come to fruition – is a falsity, like the Valentine’s Day and full moon and whistling stranger hogwash in Dil toh Pagal Hai. Her desire to start a family with an ex-murderer is also a similarly fantastical idea that can infect only the minds of the overtly moral: it believes in God’s forgiveness of any sin, although it’ll quickly condemn tight jeans and girls with multiple mobile phones.
On the other hand is Rakesh’s nightmare that is his middleclass existence. His wife exists solely to scream at him and humiliate him before their son. He is jostled, jolted, jam-packed, jeered through his everyday life. He has no great aspiration: the middleclass, after all, is also a class in morass, so congealed in the stew of its prejudices that it cannot move forward or backward; so lost in the pettiness of everyday needs and desires that it can’t conceive of revolting against itself.
Ek Villain is doing superb business in the theaters. It is, in parts, a gripping thriller. But what is much more attractive about it is its commentary about its audience. It may not be signaled with eerie music and flashy edits, but it is there, the comment as sinister as Deshmukh’s serial killer, and anticipating the audience’s ambivalence, just as their response to the villainy or heroism in Malhotra’s character. It makes for a fascinating watch.
The Villainy in Us
At the heart of the movie is an affirmation of middleclass aspirations, alongside an aversion to it. This is the struggle that bifurcates the middleclass mind, in turn putting it in awe of itself, and driving it to self-loathing .
Prawin Adhikari writes fiction and screen-plays, and teaches. He is an assistant editor with La.Lit, the literary magazine, accessible online at www.lalitmag.com His collection of short stories The Vanishing Act was pub-lished in March, 2014, by Rupa Publications.
DIRECTED BYMohit Suri
PRODUCED BYEkta KapoorShobha Kapoor
WRITTEN BYMilap ZaveriTushar Hiranandani
STARRINGSidharth MalhotraRiteish DeshmukhShraddha Kapoor
MUSIC BYAnkit TiwariMithoonSoch (Band)
CINEMATOGRAPHYVishnu Rao
EDITED BYDeven Murudeshwar
PRODUCTION COMPANYBalaji Motion Pictures
DISTRIBUTED BYALT Entertainment
RUNNING TIME130 minutes
