Submit your Article

‘Jalini’, directed by the popular Nepali actor Dayahang Rai, tells the story of the eponymous Jalini, a princess. Set in prehistoric times, it is a dramatization of a folk­tale written by Dhruba Satya Pariyar. (Jalini is one of the stories from Pari­yar’s short story anthology ‘Kairan’.) This 1 hour 15 minutes-long play revolves around the issue of the ori­gins of various superstitious beliefs, and how they are still being prac­ticed. Witnessing the constricted role of women in the society of the time makes you think about the social status of contemporary wom­en. But it is as much a story about love and sacrifice.

To watch this play, make sure you reach on time. If you are even a minute late, you will not be allowed into the theater hall. This is also important because you may be unable to understand the complex story if you are not there right from the beginning.

The play is staged at 5:30 pm every day, and will run through October 7 (except on Mondays). On Wednes­days and Thursdays, the general tick­et price is Rs 300 and for students, it is Rs 200. If you go on other days, general ticket price is Rs 500 and for students, Rs 200. People who love folktales and are in a mood to see some good acting should make time. Mandala Theater at Anamnagar has over the years churned out many talented artists, a fact that is well reflected in Jalini.

Jagdamba Motors launches TVS NTORQ 125  

 Jagdamba Motors, the authorized distributors of TVS two-wheelers and three-wheelers in Nepal, has launched its 125cc ‘connected scooter’ TVSN­TORQ 125 at the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) Auto Show 2018 being held in Kathmandu. The introductory price of the TVSN­TORQ is Rs 224,900.

Designed for the youth, TVS NTORQ 125 has been developed based on the TVS Racing pedigree and comes with the state-of-the-art CVTi-REVV 3 Valve engine. The scooter also marks the launch of an exclusive technology platform—TVS SmartXon­nect*—making it a connected scooter.

Khalti, Tootle partner for bike hailing service in Nepal  

Nepal’s two homegrown startups, Khalti Digital Wallet and Tootle, have signed an agreement to make the bike hailing service easier. This partner­ship will enable Tootle customers to top-up their Tootle balance via Khalti Digital Wallet and make payment for Tootle ride even more convenient. Amit Agrawal, Director of Khalti, and Sixit Bhatta, Co-founder and CEO of Tootle, signed the MoU to this effect on September 11.

There are two ways of looking at the post-2006 political journey of Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’. In one reading, he has matured as a political leader and is more aware of the opportunities and risks of competitive demo­cratic politics. He now regrets his decision as prime minister to fire the then army chief Rookmangud Katawal in 2009. Another cardinal sin was to make China instead of India his first foreign stop as prime minister. As a result of these two decisions, he had to resign after only nine months in office. Come September 2018, Dahal is a changed person. As the co-chairman of the all-powerful Nepal Communist Party this time he made sure he went to India first, and during his over an hour-long chat with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assured the latter that should he be the prime minister again, he would be more mindful of India’s interests. During his four-day India sojourn (Sept 15-18), he also dropped plenty of hints that he expected KP Sharma Oli to in time vacate either of the two posts: the prime min­ister or the party chairman.

But as PM Oli makes one after another blunder, Dahal has been rather cau­tious about coming to the defense of his own gov­ernment, something that has miffed the prime minister. In this reading, Dahal seems to have matured as a politician as he now looks to avoid the kind of impetuousness that marred his early entry into mainstream politician.

But there is also an alternative reading. In this, Dahal has betrayed the cause for which he waged a long and bloody insurgency that led to the death of over 17,000 Nepalis. From a firebrand revolutionary he has turned into yet another Nepali politician who will do everything to ascend the ladder of power. While he was once capable of openly excoriating the ‘hegemonic and imperialistic’ India, consequences be damned, these days he is ultra-careful not to antagonize the southern neighbor, whose help is mandatory to get back to the top of Nepali politics. In the process he has also abandoned marginalized groups like Madhesis and Janajatis, whose collective cause he once championed.

As he heads to China after completing his India tour, power equations will be top on his mind. Operating under the shadow of a powerful prime minister, and biding his time, Dahal’s political legacy, meanwhile, hangs by a thread.

Located at Lainchaur (right opposite the British Embassy), Curilo is one restaurant that was repeatedly recommended to APEX food sleuths. Owners and managers of popular restaurants sang its praise and suggested we try it because the food there is—unique, organic and hygienic. Curilo’s self-explaining menu offers breakfast, lunch, dinners and in-between snacks, all created carefully by its 5-star experienced chef. Focusing more on quality than quantity, the dishes Curilo’s kitchen belt out are freshly made, with a touch of organic and exotic garnish. Curilo makes its own pastas, bagels, buns and multi-grain breads and also serves an exclusive array of desserts.

Probably the only place in Kathmandu where one can try the “Involtini of mango chicken and pancetta, sage butter, soft polenta,” Curilo is popular among local foodies and expats alike. As one of its regular patrons told us at the restaurant, this is a place where many celebrities and socialites “meet, eat and date.”

 THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Quinoa and Goat Cheese Salad

- Lamb ravioli, oyster mushroom cream, truffle essence

- Crème Brulee

Opening hours:

- 8:30 am to 10 pm

Location:

   - Lainchaur, Ktm

Cards:

- Accepted

Meal for 2:

- Rs 2,000

Reservations:

    - 014005079

E-Arts Nepal is organizing its second Himalayan Art Festival at Nepal Art Council, Babar Mahal, on the eve of Dashain and Tihar. This festival that kicked off on September 11 ends September 15. Showcasing their works will be amazing artists who have been acclaimed at home and abroad.

The focus is on artworks of Nepali living masters and tra­ditional/contemporary artists with their paubha arts, paint­ings, sculptures, prints, installa­tions, photographs and ceram­ics. What’s more, this festival also features marvelous theater and musical performances. For children, there are art talk and creative activities. On the last day of the festival, i.e. Saturday, there will be creative activities for children (10-11 am), followed by exclusive performance by actors from Actor’s Studio (3 pm).

You can go see the exhibit any time between 11 am-7 pm. Be sure to look at the schedule by E-arts Nepal for program itiner­ary for the day. If you are an art lover, you should definitely be a part of it.

It wouldn’t be a spoiler to say ‘Lullaby’ by Leila Slimani, a French-Moroccan journalist and novelist, is basically a murder story. The book cover gives that away and you will also find out on the very first page that the nanny kills the children. But what you will really be waiting for is the motive behind the murders and Slimani slowly builds the tension in the story while giving you a clue here and there. It all makes for a riveting read, one that will leave you with a chill in your bones.

The set-up is simple and straight­forward: Paul, a music producer, and Myriam, a lawyer, with two young children, look for a nanny so that Myriam can take up a job that her friend has offered her at his law firm. This is how Louise enters their life. With her prim Peter Pan collar, meticulously painted nails, an age­less face, and an apparent way with children, she is just the nanny they had in mind.

Actually, she is even better than what they had in mind. Louise is not only great with their two kids but keeps the house clean and even cooks dinner. It’s like Mary Poppins has come into their lives and solved all their problems. Lou­ise, thus, becomes indispensible for the family, so much so that Paul and Myriam even take her along during a family vacation.

But things quickly unravel and how! Louise’s façade starts crum­bling as she tells the children cruel tales, takes a simple game of hide-and-seek so seriously that the chil­dren get scared, and starts making herself at home at her employer’s house, sometimes even insisting she sleep over in the children’s bed­room. Paul and Myriam start feel­ing unsettled by her ways and, as a reader, you get spooked too. But the slow unspooling of Louise’s own family life—there’s a daughter who deserts her—makes you sympathize with her despite the horrifying act you know she is guilty of.

Lullaby will feel familiar and you will get a sense of déjà vu because the issues it deals with—class, race, gender and above all parenting—are ones we see, hear of, deal with, and read about ever so often. But what works for Lullaby is how bril­liantly Slimani has crafted the story. If at one point you are seeing things entirely from Louise’s perspectives, the very next page will have you firmly on the parents’ side.

Also, a translated work can be a so-so experience but Sam Taylor’s translation is so graceful and con­trolled that it gives nothing away of all the deranged unraveling to come even a second before it’s due. You will read Lullaby with a mounting sense of dread and, at just a little over 200 pages long, you will wish it were longer.

Jerk Chicken, Jerk Pork, Caribbean Pepper Pot Soup, Cabbage and Salt Fish, Jamai­can Juicy Patties, Potato and Mango Pick-a-Peppa are some of the exotic Jamaican dishes being served at the Sunrise Restaurant in Hotel Yak & Yeti, Durbarmarg from September 5 to 15.

The hotel is hosting the Jamaican food promotions “to take the guests on a gas­tronomical journey to experi­ence the diverse flavors of the tropical Caribbean Island.”

The Piano Bar alongside is also serving all-day special snacks and cocktail menu for the period. Some of the exciting snacks on the menu are Calamari and Shrimp Fritters with Tartar Sauce, Jerk Buffalo Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip, Mini Burgers with Crispy Fried Onion, along with drinks and cocktails such as Mojito Royal, Bacardi Rum Carrot Colada, Jamaican Fever, CaribbeanLicious and many more

 Your Pokhara trip will be incomplete without at least one Thakali meal. Trust us on this. Our APEX food sleuths have found just the place to fill your soul with the best of the Nepali rice platter. Jetho Budho at Lakeside, Pokhara (first floor of the famous Oxygen Lounge building) is one of the newest eateries in the lake-city which is getting popular for its mouth-watering rice offerings.

Named after a rice called ‘jetho budho’ (the ‘king of rice’ that is locally grown in the Fewa Taal region of Pokhara), Jetho Budho is an upscale ver­sion of the many set-meal restaurants in the area. With a typical Thakali ambience created by its wooden floors and ceilings, Nepali handicrafts and paintings as well as traditional Nepali crockery, the food at Jetho Budho is gorgeously served and a treat to any connoisseur of rice, which, we guess, applies to most Nepalis.

 THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Chicken Khana Set

- Mutton Khana Set

- Fish Khana Set

Opening hours: 10 am-10 pm

Location: Lakeside, Pokhara

Cards:  Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 1,000

Reservations: 9806717273