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Anjana Rana Magar was only 11 when she came home crying one day, walking stiffly on her bruised feet. That day, she had played football barefoot for four hours as part of her training. She decided to give up football; she didn’t have enough money even to buy a pair of boots. But then her mother borrowed some from her relatives, bought her football gears, and pushed her back into training. Nine years later, 20-year-old Magar is the youngest member of Nepal’s national women football team.

She grew up in Rautahat, a place where women’s football is valued and many women national footballers have emerged. Rana Magar’s mother had a dream of watching her daughter play in national and international stadiums as well. She had seen other women footballers make history abroad and had similar dreams for her daughter. “Even though I wasn’t too enthusiastic about playing football in the beginning, my mother used to encourage me and push me to train,” Rana Magar recalls.

Carrying her mother’s dream, Magar started playing football young. Every day after school, her mother sent her off to training, and on days when the 11-year-old was bored or tired, her mother used to take her to training on a bicycle to ensure she didn’t miss a session. “What started as my mother’s dream gradually became my own,” the footballer shares, “and I started taking it seriously.”

When she was 13, Rana Magar was selected to come to Kathmandu with the girl’s team from Sarlahi. She was now trying to get into the national under-14 girl's team. “The moment I was selected to play for U-14, it felt I could do something with football,” she says. At first, Rana Magar used to play as a striker but later, at her coach’s advice, started guarding the goal.

In 2016, her team triumphed in the Coca-Cola Cup, a school-level game in ANFA. She played representing the girl's football team of Jana Jyoti Higher Secondary School in Kathmandu and won the title of ‘best goalkeeper’. That was when she discovered goalkeeping had been her calling all along. Representing Rautahat, she then got to play against the Nepal Army team at the Pradhan Senapati Cup in 2016. With three great saves in the semifinal, she had caught the attention of the Army football coach.

Also read: Sugam Pokharel: The ideal Nepali pop culture Idol 

To her surprise, when she returned to Rautahat with her family, the same coach, impressed by her performance, showed up at her house with an offer to join the Army team. She readily accepted the offer and came to Kathmandu.The same year, aged 14, Magar was picked for the U-19 national team after a rigorous selection process. “I remember coming to the All Nepal Football Association office for the first time and running straight to the roof to look at how big the houses here were compared to Rautahat,” she says with a laugh. In her heart, she knew this was a life-changing opportunity.

The more she played, the more she loved herself on the field. Her deep desire to make her mother proud kept her going and she started understanding that a Nepali girl can also dream of a career in football.

At 15, she was the youngest player in the national U-19 team. “I was loved by everyone in the team and they took care of me like a young sister,” she now shares.

While playing for the country at such a young age, Magar also made sure she did enough to clear her exams and ultimately managed to finish +2 level.

After years of experience in national and international tournaments, Rana Magar captained the national U-19 team at the 2021 SAFF U-19 Women’s Championship in Bangladesh.

Leading the national team was an experience she will always cherish. “I held the responsibility for the team and it was fun and challenging at the same time,” Rana Magar shares. Under her leadership, Nepal won against Sri Lanka and Bhutan and drew with Bangladesh, with their sole loss coming at the hands of India. Although the team couldn’t make it to the finals, they brought home the ‘Fair Play’ trophy.

Then the 11-year-old had never imagined football would one day be such a big part of her life. Sky's the limit for “Kanchi”, her nickname, who has already achieved so much in such a short time.

Situated inside the premises of the serene Palange Monastery at Boudhanath, Hotel Dolmaling offers a peaceful getaway in a modern, luxurious accommodation. This hotel with a spiritual touch was opened to serve a greater social cause.

In 2016, Anjeen Lama Rinpoche himself drew up a plan to convert the monastery premises into a luxury hotel to bankroll the religious sanctuary. Though the current building of Palnge Monastery was built in 1989, its history goes back to over a hundred years in Tibet.

The hotel building was completed in early 2020 but the pandemic had delayed its opening, until it finally threw open its doors for guests in November 2021. 

“From the beginning, the idea was to do something that had never been done in Nepal before, which was to build a hotel inside a monastery,” says Prajowal Bhattarai, Manager of Hotel Dolmaling. With a lobby that looks out to the monastery, you can conveniently step out, explore and experience the monastery. It is open for all and guests are allowed to attend daily prayers and rituals performed by the monks there. 

Hotel Dolmaling is a profit-making business for a non-profit organization, founded by Palnge Monastery with the objective of providing for the monks. The profit is spent for the upkeep of the monks in the form of shelter, clothes and medical treatment, among other necessities. It is also designed to cater to basic education and teaching-learning of Buddha Dharma (Buddhism). At present, the monastery houses around 170 monks aged 9-65.

Lama Rinpoche wanted to incorporate Buddhist values in the details of the hotel. Guests can not only learn about Buddhism and the lifestyle of monks but also experience it first-hand. “The architecture was a vision of Lama Rinpoche,” says Bhattarai. “Every design on the walls, the wood carvings, the furniture, is a reflection of his artistic vision to beautifully complement the monastery.”

As you enter the hotel, you are welcomed by a large mandala, a work of art made by a group of monks living there. “Some of our guests report feeling like they have stepped into a Bhutanese monastery every time they come here,” he adds. There is a library filled with books about Buddhism, ancient Tibetan literature, and anthologies, all of which are accessible to guests. The restaurant menu has Tibetan foods too.

Along with that, Dolmaling is a full-fledged hotel that provides the amenities of a five-star hotel in its rooms. Among the hotel’s fully-furnished 38 rooms, there are standard rooms, deluxe rooms, junior suites, and senior suites. Pricing starts at Rs 6,000. 

It also provides a pre-designed two-days-one-night package where the guests can explore the monastery while spending a peaceful weekend at the hotel. Events and religious ceremonies with the convenience of stay-in at the hotel are the other available options. 

Birth: 1939, Kathmandu
Death: 7 January 2022, Kathmandu

Prof. Dr. Chabi Lal Gajurel dedicated his life to building a strong foundation for the field of chemistry in Nepal.

He began his teaching career in 1963. Soon after, he went to the United States to pursue his doctorate in organic chemistry. His studies completed, Gajurel came back to Nepal in 1972 to see what he could do back in his own country. 

Once back home, he started spending his days in rigorous research to make the traditional Nepali teaching-learning skills accessible to more people.

In 1980, ‘Nepalma Paramparagat Prabidhi’, his first book, won Madan Puraskar, Nepal’s most prestigious literary award. The book helped spread traditional teaching-learning skills to the rural areas of Nepal as well as to other parts of the world. 

From 1974, Professor Gajurel started teaching at the newly established Central Department of Chemistry at Tribhuvan University, where he was department head from 1984 to 1985, and again in 1987. He retired from the department in 2002. 

From 1987 to 1991, he served as Member Secretary of the National Education Committee, then Nepal’s highest policy-making body. He was then instrumental in raising awareness on the importance of higher education and implementing relevant policies. It was his idea to take the ‘Plus Two’ level education to villages under the slogan ‘Higher education in the courtyard as if at home’. He was also involved with a number of scientific and academic organizations at the time. 

In 1989, King Birendra tasked Gajurel with the responsibility to open a science academy in Nepal during the inauguration of the ‘Physical Summer Classes’ conducted by Nobel Prize-winning Physicists Abdus Salam and Philip Anderson.

Also read: Roller X obituary: Virtuoso hip-hop record producer

He then worked for the establishment of specialized research laboratories in his home country. 

Gajurel believed research could never succeed without academic honesty. While fighting for the implementation of his research papers, he knew in his heart that it was a progressive path for science in Nepal. 

Two of his most famous research reports were ‘Establishment of Polytechnic Institute of Nepal, 1986’ and ‘Distance Education in Nepal, 1989’. In all, he wrote more than two dozen research papers as the lead author for both national and international journals. 

After his retirement, every year, the Central Department of Chemistry has been giving out the ‘Prof. Dr. Chabi Lal Gajurel Chemistry Award’ to a Nepali researcher who has published original work in an international journal. Gajurel set up the fund for the same. 

He has also published 17 books, including popular ones like ‘Nepalko Paramparagat Prabidhi’, ‘Nepalma Payine Dhatuharu’, ‘Rasayansastrako Bhasa’. His most recent book was ‘Immortal Stories’.

Professor Gajurel also contributed to the establishment of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST).

In the final 20 years of his life, Gajurel had immersed himself in learning. Studying, researching, and writing had become his daily routine. 

To his last days, he was concerned about the lack of quality in Nepal’s theory-based education and its inability to focus on experimental and practical learning. 

Gajurel passed away on 7 January 2022 at his home in Tinkune, Kathmandu at the age of 82. 

Today’s Telegram is a young lifestyle brand that brings out leather and eco-friendly fabrics, among other creative products, all the while essentially being a ‘writing’ brand. It has already reached around 10,000 consumers in and outside Nepal with its 101 different product lines based on pure leather and recycled fabric products.

Arsalan Akhter, the founder of Today’s Telegram, wanted to revive the 163-year-old telegram, one of the oldest and fastest methods of communication. “I realized that what we carry in our bags—from laptops and phones to notebooks and pens—are the modern day Telegram,” he says. “That essentially became ‘Today’s Telegram’ which can never get outdated.”

Akhter’s family business, United Tannery, has been producing pure leather in Nepal for more than 40 years now, and is one of the major exporters of leather products. 

Following in his family’s footsteps, he created Today’s Telegram in 2017 to cater to the young people with an artistic bent. The company started with a dark-room photo exhibit named ‘Nepal in 60s’ to showcase their vintage designs. 

Starting with bags, jackets, and belts at first, by the end of 2018, Telegram had started manufacturing Nepal’s first pure leather bean bags.  

Arsalan Akhter, founder of Today’s Telegram

Then, they launched recycled and sustainable Nepali fabric products, making body wear using varieties of made-in-Nepal bamboo fabric, hemp fabric, and Allo fabric. They later transitioned to different styled bags, which are mostly exported. “As we know international customers are very much into it, we are intent on experimenting more on this theme,” Akhter says. 

They also brought out a collection of local craftsmanship, represented through handmade leather wallets, purses, and key pouches. One reason for Telegram’s continued growth has been their ever-adapting catalog of designs and segments. 

As manufactures, control over design and aesthetic is a huge plus for the brand. The leather by nature is artistic, Akhter says. Given that leather also gives maximum utility and functionality, they get the leverage to work more creatively on their designs. 

“Leather is one of the most premium and playful natural fabrics to craft with,” he says, adding, “No two leather skins are the same and each has natural markings and blemishes that make the designs more exclusive—giving the product a vintage identity”. 

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In the Nepali market, 70 percent of Telegram’s customers are reportedly repetitive or referenced. As a manufacturer, leather quality is in their hands and the price is low as they don’t have to buy leather. “If someone buys a product, s/he keeps coming back,” Akhter adds. 

Nepalis living outside the country are also attracted to these products. “Coming across Nepal-made products in a foreign land ignites a certain emotion,” says Akhter. “Nepali leather is quite famous and people tend to choose Nepali products due to their artistic and cultural value as well”. 

Today’s Telegram have already exhibited and sold products in their first international stall at the Spring Fair in Birmingham, UK in February 2020, and are currently preparing for an International fair in the US. Moreover, they supply bulk orders to the UK, New Zealand, and Australia.

The company is also preparing for a release of their writing products through a pocketbook in the flash fiction genre. With an in-person shop at Pulchowk, Lalitpur, they have recently launched an e-commerce website too. 

You must have noticed Namuna Giri stopping by your Instagram feed once in a while, her heartwarming poetry videos with calming music at once grabbing your attention. In fact, the now 22-year-old had fallen in love with writing with her thoughts at a young age. 

Growing up, Giri and her family moved around a lot and she never found herself getting attached to a place. Yet, she says, she carries in herself every place she has lived in.

Over the years, on the outside, she taught herself to express only the good and obedient side of her. “I tried my best not to let people around me know if I am sad or angry,” she shares with ApEx. “That way, I bottled up a lot of emotions.”  

Again, writing was one thing that naturally came to her. Her friends and teachers noticed early that she had a knack for framing her words. “I never intended to write poems, yet somehow my writing turned out to be poetic,” she says with a bright smile. “I wouldn’t even realize my words rhymed.”

But Giri was not the kind of person who would naturally jot down her thoughts. Instead, she found comfort in talking to herself without even realizing it, and sharing whatever she thought as though she were writing with her own thoughts. She figured she could make sense out of this side of her by making videos of herself speaking out loud. “I made a record, and the words started flowing like magic,” says Giri. From then, she started uploading short 15-second videos on her Instagram to her small group of followers. 

At the same time, she had just finished her plus-two and had to decide what she wanted to pursue as a career. As a student of science, medical school was her first choice. But then she would spend more time lost in the ocean of novels rather than studying her course-books. She had a rethink.

As a lover of words, she dove right into every storyline she read. Coincidentally, nearly every protagonist of the books she read was a lawyer. “I took it as a sign and decided to also apply to a law school after researching some more,” she shares. “Strangely enough, it turned out to be the right subject for me, like it was meant to be”. 

Giri is currently doing her BA LLB from National Law College. Meanwhile, she has been making short poetry and storytelling videos of her writings on social media—her Insta fan-base has now grown to over 17,000 followers. She also shares her poetry and snippets of her life on her YouTube channel.

Giri finds inspiration in the people she encounters. All her life, she has been fascinated by little things happening around her. “When I’m walking on the street and I see someone, I can’t help but wonder about their life,” she says, her eyes lighting up. “I imagine myself in their shoes and try to channel their emotions through writing. That's how most of my poems come to life.”

Looking back, the little Namuna never thought sharing poetry on Instagram would take her anywhere. Yet she says that a part of her always knew. Poetry has helped her make sense of and understand herself better.

In the beginning, she wasn’t as confident as she is today. With the comments, criticisms, and judgments her words brought along with the growing number of views, there were times she didn’t feel good enough to do it. 

Also read: Biswas Timshina: Bye-bye engineering, hellow stand-up 

An overload of assumptions, expectations, and criticism dissuaded her. It was hard to come to terms with the things said about her words, and about the way she spoke. Once, she was so daunted she stopped posting. “The most challenging part of showing the raw and emotional side of me on social media was finding a space to fit in all the negatives with the positives,” she shares. With time, though, Giri has learned that when it comes to poetry, she needs to listen to her own criticism. 

She is at her happiest when she speaks to the camera about her thoughts, edits the shots, adds right music, and posts. It all seems effortless, and she plans on doing it for as long as she can.

Pursuing a career in law and writing poetry, Giri feels she has found the perfect combination to balance her real-world responsibilities and the endless world of her imagination. “I want to prosper academically, putting in all that it takes,” she says. “And I trust that poetry is something that can never be taken away from me”.

Giri also aims to write a book one day. “There is not much I can fit in one-to-four minute videos when I have so much to share,” she says. “I want to build a path through my book and explore where it takes me.” 

Birth: 18 July 1994, Kathmandu
Death: 26 December 2021, Kathmandu

Kshitiz Shrestha, best known as Roller X, made a mark in the Nepali hip-hop scene as one of the finest beat producers.

Growing up around music, even as a kid Shrestha was admired for his melodious voice. He had taken home the first prize in a singing competition while in the fourth grade, and since, music became a part of him. He also learned to play piano young. 

By 16, Shrestha found himself wholly immersed in music. In 2013, and only 19, Shrestha, his producer and rapper friends made a home studio in Kathmandu. At the start, he contributed photography and videography but soon learned to create beats. He also started his association with FL studio. 

He used to spend hours in the studio, watching other artists’ work, and learn from them. Simultaneously, he taught himself to play with sound mixing software like Logic and to experiment with beats. In 2014, the now 20-year-old, along with his circle of producers and rappers, opened their own record label ‘CassX Presentation’. Together, they worked to bridge the gap between emerging artists and the market. Honing his vocals alongside learning beats, Shrestha later worked as a full-time producer at ClassX Presentation.

With time, his stage name ‘Roller X’ became popular among Nepali hip-hop artists. Shrestha started uploading his creations onto YouTube in 2017, with hip-hop artist Mahesh Dong known as ‘Don Pablo’ debuting his beats. 

Also read: Prachanda Malla obituary: Born for the stage 

Ever since, Shrestha has been uploading his beats, cover songs, and collaborations with other artists on his YouTube channel ‘Roller X’. He soon became a household name among Nepali hip-hop aficionados. Through the years, he has produced a number of songs for hip-hop artists like Manas Ghale, Mahesh Dong, 5:55, and many more. 

He started off with hip-hop and gradually moved to producing R&B songs as well. He had a love for the beats and was fascinated by the art of making them, putting them together into a rhythm. As a beat producer, he fell in love with the sounds of every instrument he used.

Shrestha started working in ClassX Presentation as a part-timer, and gradually built his associations with other record labels. He also contributed to producing songs for American singer and songwriter of Nepali origin, Arthur Gunn.

Moreover, Shrestha had created a group called Working Mafia early in 2014, and had recently revived it as a platform for young artists. Most recently, Shrestha was working to establish his own record studio ‘Xitiz Studio’ and on releasing his debut album ‘Ghattekulo blood’.

Shrestha breathed his last at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu, on 26 December 2021. He was 27. The reason for his death was unclear at the time of this writing. Roller X’s passing away represents a “heartbreaking moment for Nepali hip-hop community,” hiphopzone.net wrote on its website.

Visiting a wellness retreat has never been on my weekend bucket list. So, to my surprise, I found myself riding to the other corner of the Valley, from Chohar to Buddhanilkantha, to experience one, at the Meraki Holistic Wellness Retreat.

Even after a long week of assignments and article deadlines, I still didn’t feel like I deserved a breather. The bustling traffic only added to my stress and my mood was already cranky when I reached Meraki.

As I entered and looked around, I felt I’d stepped into a nostalgic country-side movie setting. From the stone steps to the green grass, light bushes, and trees circling the cozy seating areas, to the vibey veranda space leading to the cottage-like house, it felt like a scene straight out of a fairy tale.

I got to explore the services before choosing what I wanted to experience. After juggling with my indecisive self, I finally decided to start with ‘Salt Halotherapy’.

A salty moment of relief

The room is built with illuminating Himalayan salt bricks and the air mixed with salt from a halo generator. I’d never heard of anything like it. Although at first I didn’t quite understand it, I decided to try it anyway. It would be 30 minutes of sitting in the room, breathing in salt, and doing nothing. As I sat, the cold air made me nervous and anxious in the beginning. I was far from home, and alone in that room. But I decided to close my eyes and take deep breaths as I was instructed. I soon realized how much I needed this moment of silence and relief. 

The thought of having some time to myself made me weirdly happy. The salt mixed with the air was refreshing and I just rested my head trying not to think about the things that stressed me out. And of course, the glowing pretty pink bricks were beautiful to watch. It felt peaceful, and I enjoyed the silence around and inside me. It was worth the experience and a much-needed break, I thought as I walked out a little bummed that it was over so soon.

The power of reiki

On the tour, I was told about one of their new services, Reiki Healing. At first, I had no plan to experience it, honestly, because I had no idea what it was. But when I heard that it is healing using hands, something in me wanted to try it. Without knowing what to expect, I met the reiki master and followed him to the attic room where they do yoga and meditation. Let me tell you, the triangular room was beautiful, framed with wooden beamlines and shelves on either side, and overlooking the city’s breathtaking view. The master sat me down and told me what he was going to do. 

I lay down and closed my eyes trying to focus on my breathing as the reiki master put his palms on my eyes, then ears, then the back of my head, neck, shoulders and legs. The temperature change with his hands helped me meditate. It was a 45-minute-long peaceful session.

The atmosphere and the healing with hands, surprisingly, gave me a chance to bring in an ocean of thoughts in my head. It was relieving in a sense, but more than that, it was making me question my own body. The entire time I was wondering how this worked. I did not know, yet I somehow felt connected to that world. For a thick moment, I had forgotten where I was and what I was doing. As I opened my eyes and got up, it was like getting out of a trance after a meditation session, stepping out from a world of my thoughts.

Also read: Sonam Subba Limbu: Design with conscience 

I asked the master how it worked and we had a wonderful conversation about cosmic energy and how all of us are also made of energy. It is these energies that connect us with the universe and with each other, he said. There is a world of knowledge and proven science on this subject, and it is used to heal many health conditions. He told me about the history of reiki as well. I was amazed and had already planned to go home and research more about this online.

I talked about my struggles with anxiety and how I often have anxiety and panic attacks. And even if it wasn’t what I had signed up for, we sat down again for a good 20 minutes and he taught me different breathing exercises to help me take control of my breath better the next time I have an attack. I was more than grateful and my heart felt comfortable being able to just close my eyes to listen to myself breathe. As we walked out, we had a chat about, again, cosmic energy. I told him how I looked forward to learning more about this.

Massaging my stresses away

Next, I was called for my massage session, a much-awaited one should I say. I struggle with a really bad pain on my shoulders and the back of my neck because of my heavy laptop bag and because I have to ride long distances. And so I chose to get my head and shoulders massaged. Entering the massage room, again, a new place and new people made me anxious. It would be my first-ever massage session. The next 30 minutes was all about forgetting the world and just feeling my shoulders relieve all the stresses they were holding on to. I didn’t even realize the time passing by as it was all so relaxing. A perfect way to end the day. 

There was still so much left to try out, but I walked out satisfied with everything I got to experience. It was a much-needed self-care day before going back to reality. I said goodbye to the place a bit sad but I was already starting to think about the next time I’ll be coming with a friend to spend an entire weekend at Meraki.

About Meraki 

Services:

Holistic health and wellness consultation
Massage therapy
Sound healing therapy
Fir sauna and aroma steam
Yoga
Hydrotherapy
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Live blood analysis
Physiotherapy
Pranic healing 

Location:

Buddhanilkantha 

Website: 

Merakiwellness.life

Contact: 

980-1234900

Biswas Timshina set a safe and straight career path for himself early in his childhood: finish school, study engineering, graduate, land a decent job and build a family home.

When he finished school, he started studying engineering as well, hoping to follow through on his plan. But the plan quickly began to unravel.

Born in Gangtok, Sikkim, Timshina grew up in a joyful and loud Nepali-speaking household. “If any teacher asked who tells the best jokes in my class, I would be the one everyone would point to,” says Timshina. “At home too, I was the one to crack jokes.”

In his first year of college, Timshina found himself more involved in writing scripts for mini-college documentaries rather than meeting assignment-deadlines. “I was enjoying the entire process of writing scripts, capturing videos, and putting them all together,” he shares. By the time he reached his final year, he realized he wanted to work with cameras and comedy rather than computers and calculators.

“My joyful and loud upbringing must be the source of my love for making people laugh,” shares Timshina, now popular in the Nepali-speaking world as BT Kancha.

His YouTube channel with the same name now has 170,000 subscribers, most of them from Nepal. Timshina, who has consistently been posting videos since 2017, explores ideas that resonate with Nepali-speaking communities around the world. Starting with parodies, some of which reached more than two million views, he moved to funny film reviews and even stand-up comedy.

Regardless of the genre, the foundation of his creative process lies in writing. “Everything starts with a blank piece of paper, and then comes the creative process of channeling the voice inside me,” he shares. “I think that’s what inspires me to create something on my terms.”

Offline, he started by performing stand-up comedy at open mics in Mumbai and, later in 2018, at home in Sikkim. In his journey as a stand-up, from one stage to the other, he taught himself to adapt and improve and hone his craft. He fell in love with the uncertainty: would people laugh at his jokes? He found the entire process of writing, practicing and performing both challenging and exciting.

Also read: Shilpa Maskey: Dancing out her dream 

Timishina decided to make videos in Nepali as it was the language that felt most natural. “Making funny videos in Hindi would have helped me grow my fanbase and number of views much faster,” he confesses. “But I never wanted to chase fame, I just wanted to make people laugh in my way, in the language I connect to the most.”

He posts two videos a month on his YouTube channel, taking around 10 days for the production. Alongside, he is also doing screenplays by writing scripts for different movies—he co-wrote the script for the Priyanka Chopra-produced Nepali movie ‘Pahuna’.

He also recently performed his first stand-up comedy show in Kathmandu, overwhelming the organizers who had expected around 20 people but had to accommodate over 200. Most of them were seated for the entire event as his was the final act of the night.

Timshina now plans to continue writing screenplays and posting funny review videos on his channel. He is also working on a mini-series and looking for sponsors.

For him, the most challenging part of writing scripts is coming up with an idea that clicks with him and his audiences. Writing screenplays, producing YouTube videos and performing stand-up become a hassle at times, but as all three involve pen and paper, he enjoys himself doing what he does best.

The little boy who once had his entire life planned out is now on unchartered territory, without a safety net. “Funnily, even after completing my degree, I never actually went to college to get that certificate,” he laughs. “I had come to know that engineering is not something I wanted to do in life, and when choosing film-making, I wanted to give it my all with no safety net to fall back to,” says Timshina.

Having no backup plans and deadlines make him remember why he decided to take the untrodden path: to have fun and enjoy the process