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Written in 1900 and first debuting in 1901 at the Moscow Art Theatre, Three Sisters has since been performed in various coun­tries with local adaptations. Penned by the renowned Rus­sian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, Three Sis­ters is among his most famous plays along with the likes of The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Uncle Vanya. ‘Tin Bahini’, the Nepali adaptation of the play, is scripted by Meghraj Adhikari and directed by Ghanshyam Shrestha.

Maya, Aabha and Rina are three sisters who leave the capital when their father, a military personnel, gets trans­ferred. The three sisters lead quiet, seemingly purpose­less lives. But their lives are thrown into disarray when their only brother Dipak Jung marries Nikita, a rural girl. Nitika, whose lifestyle and worldview are completely different from those of the sisters, disrupts the family dynamics with her bossy and manipulative character.

Although there are no dras­tic events in this play, the char­acters do have to endure many of the life’s more familiar vicis­situdes, making the play both poignant and relatable.

The cast includes Shanti Giri, Shushma Koirala, Sunisa Bajgai, Shyam Khadka, Shree Om Rodan, Ghimire Yuvaraj, Jiban Baral, Bikash Joshi, Arjun Neupane, Anna Deuja, Suresh GC, Asmita Khanal, Amul Shrestha and Shulabh Pandey.

The play is being staged at Shilpi Theater in Battisputali till May 26. The showtime is 5:30 pm every day of the week except on Tuesdays. There is an extra show on Saturdays at 1 pm. APEX BUREAU  

Nepal’s first international franchise singing reality show—Nepal Idol Sea­son 1—was a rollercoaster ride, from being everyone’s favorite one moment to being a topic of controversy in another. Nepal Idol is gearing up for the second season of its musi­cal journey. In fact, the audi­tion for Season 2 was com­pleted this month.

“Fewer people came to the audition this year compared to last year,” says Suresh Pau­del, the director and project head of Nepal Idol. “But those who did come were genuine singers,” he added. Suresh Paudel took up the direction of Season 2 after Laxman Pau­del decided to part ways with AP1 HD television.

Overall, various changes were made in this season of Nepal Idol.

“This season we decided to award talented signers a Golden Microphone during the audition itself. The con­testants the judges deemed competent enough to appear directly in the gala round were given the green light. Four contestants received the Golden Microphone in the audition round. Each of them is fantastic,” he shared.

Further, the judges’ author­ity was also changed. Last sea­son, only the voters had the right to decide a contestant’s fate, but from this season, there is an equal distribution of authority between the judges and the voters.

In the first season, a lawsuit was filed against Nepal Idol for airing a ‘No elimination’ episode in which the elimina­tion of a particular contestant was postponed for a week. Paudel attributes the error to many people not knowing the format, but he believes that the situation has changed now. As Freemantle Media has given various rights to Nepal Idol this year, the viewers will get to see new twists and turns such as ‘Double Elimination’, ‘No Elimination’ and a sur­prise wild card entry.

Talking about the contro­versy on social media last year when Nepal Idol failed to broadcast the live telecast of the Grand Finale in Qatar, Paudel accepts the mistake.

“We had planned every­thing but perhaps we weren’t professional enough,” says Paudel. Explaining the prob­lem, he says that the plan was to bring DSMG—Satellite broadcasting device for live transmission—via Dubai. But due to the Saudi-led blockade on Qatar, the Dubai authori­ties didn’t cooperate.

“So we decided to broadcast the event via the internet. But on the day, thousands of peo­ple came, and the signal of the tower was divided. It weak­ened the internet strength and caused a failure in live trans­mission.”

“We failed to anticipate the problem. Everything seemed to falling apart at the same time,” says Paudel. “The venue was miles away from the city. We tried getting a dedicated signal, but it just wasn’t possible in the short time we had.”

The Season 2 of Nepal Idol is set to air on July 26 with hosts Reema Bishwokarma and Asif Shah. The judge trio are Indira Joshi, Kali Prasad Baskota and Nhyoo Bajracharya.

“We will from now on hold the Grand Finale right here in Nepal,” says Paudel  

If you don’t like the food there, you can always marvel the exquisite motorbikes Genesis Café displays inside its premises (Yes, INSIDE its prem­ises) or in the parking lot. But it’s a rare chance you won’t like the food there either, because the owners at Genesis, some of whom are experi­enced chefs with international exposure, make sure that the bites at are as tasty as the stunning bikes on display.

Although its location is a little obscure, (the first left turn from Pani Pokhari petrol pump if you’re coming from Maharajgunj), Genesis café has a regular group of patrons, mostly bikers and biking enthusiasts. The café opens for breakfast, lunch, dinner and quick in-between bites and is also popular for its “Cheap Friday” events—a one-night offering of exclusive imported drinks at below average prices.  

THE MENU

Chef’s Special: Nepali Thali By Genesis

                           Fresh Baked Chicken and Mushroom Pie,

                           Chilli Frittata (Italian Omelette)

Opening hours: 9 am-10 pm

Location : Panipokhari, Ktm

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2,200  

He informed that the Lalitpur Met­ropolitan City would collaborate with Sajha Yatayat to provide the bus service. The city is also plan­ning to rope in private companies and increase the number of elec­tric buses. So far it has received three proposals.

Lower operational cost

Studies show that China has increased production of electric buses in recent years. In particular, BYD, the Chinese battery and electric vehicle maker, has been producing large electric buses. The Lalitpur Metropolitan City decided to col­laborate with the company after it announced that it would produce buses of lengths 9.5m and 12m.

Apart from the trolley bus service, which is no longer in operation, the electric buses are a new experi­ment for Nepal although the country has been importing electric cars in recent years. These buses will cost between Rs 20 to 30 million each. Despite the high initial cost, the electric buses will have lower oper­ational costs and be more durable and environmentally-friendly than petroleum buses.

Data from the Department of Transport Management show that there are over three million petroleum vehicles in the coun­try, of which 1.2 million ply in Kathmandu Valley.

EV for the mayor too

While the Kathmandu Metropoli­tan City has already bought a petro­leum vehicle worth Rs 12 million for its mayor, the Lalitpur Metropoli­tan City is planning to purchase an electric vehicle for its mayor in the upcoming fiscal year. Environmen­talist Bhushan Tuladhar argues that the state needs to subsidize electric vehicles, since they are far better for the environment. “Private compa­nies should also be encouraged to operate electric vehicles,” he says.

Many environmentalists accuse government officials of having a vested interest in the petroleum trade and therefore being uninter­ested in electric vehicles. Apparently they also receive petroleum vehicles as gifts from private companies.  

By CHHETU SHERPA

KFC, a world-renowned fast-food chain, has launched its spe­cial Wednesday offer in Nepal. With 10 pieces of Hot and Crispy Chicken now available for only Rs 990, KFC just made mid-week Wednesdays “finger lickin’ good.”

Commenting on the offer launch, Samir Menon, Manag­ing Director, KFC India and Area countries said, “With this offer, we aim to get closer to our con­sumers across the region and introduce them to KFC’s world of crave-able and unique food and beverage options at an all-new value.”

KFC opened its first restau­rant in Nepal in 2009 and cur­rently has five restaurants in Kathmandu and one in Pokhara. The brand has also renovated its store at Durbar Marg to give its consumers an environment that allows them to relax and enjoy their meals even more.  

Alibaba, the Chinese internet giant, has expanded its e-com­merce empire into South Asia after acquiring Daraz in an undisclosed deal. Daraz Group, a leading e-commerce company in Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myan­mar and Bangladesh, was fully acquired by Alibaba to become a member of Alibaba Group.

Daraz was founded in 2012 by Rocket Internet, and it is the sec­ond time Alibaba has bought a Rocket company, the first being Lazada in Southeast Asia two years ago. The deal is part of Ali­baba’s second wave of interna­tional expansions into South Asia.

With the acquisition, Daraz will be able to leverage Alibaba’s lead­ership and experience in tech­nology, online commerce and operation to drive further growth in the five South Asian markets that have a combined population of over 460 million, 60 percent of which is under the age of 35. Daraz will continue to operate under the same brand name.

Advanced Automobiles, the authorized distributor of Renault vehicles in Nepal, has opened pre-book­ings of the Renault CAPTUR, a premium SUV with class leading features. According to the company, the upcoming CAPTUR embodies their new global design language with exclusive fashion-inspired dual tone body colors. Renault Captur is loaded with pre­mium features—innovative lighting systems (ILS), ergo design, leather seats and one integration concept.

Renault’s design approach seamlessly connects car and driver through a plethora of innovations. The premium SUV also comes fully loaded with projec­tor headlamps, C-shaped sapphire LED DRLs, fully automatic temperature control with rear cooling vents, integrated audio system with USB and aux-in with Bluetooth, steering wheel controls and push button start with remote central locking as well as dual airbags.

Learn how to start your own business at the RSTCA Global Entrepreneurs Boot-camp 2018. Entrepreneurship can be a myth. Break down the myth from management and entrepreneur­ship consultants from RSTCA. Learn from your favorite mentors and connect with RSTCA club of around 15,000 members. Mentors from across the globe will attend. You will get to tie up with major funders, think tanks, business houses, gurus and others. The boot-camp will cover vari­ous topics like Legal Aspects, Financial Planning, Fund Raising, Product Development, Marketing, Branding, Business Development, Scalability and Various other things that will make you a perfect entrepreneur.

The competition winner will be eligible for three-month-long Accelerator and Mini MBA in CEO Skills Program. Charges: Rs 25,000 for seven days including food, lodging, travel, materials, template, training and other accessories

For registration: Visit at https://rstca.com.np/ funding-request-form-entrepreneurs/