Submit your Article

If you have read the review of Baber Mahal Revisited in the main issue this week, you might be interested in finding out a bit more about Rana architecture, sometimes referred to as ‘white elephants’. First of all, who were the Ranas? The name ‘Rana’ came about when Bir Narsingh Kun­war was given the name Shree Teen Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur Kunwar Rana by the then prime minister, his uncle. The uncle whom Jung Baha­dur then assassinated at what turned out to be the bloody Kot Massacre. Yes, there is a bit of controversy sur­rounding the Rana dynasty! In fact many people believe it had a negative impact on the country—its founding being the Kot Massacre in 1846; the reduction of the Shah monarchy to a figurehead, and the making of the position of prime min­ister and other government posts hereditary. But others believe there are benefits—the establishment of Durbar High School and Bir Hospital for example. The Ranas ruled Nepal from 1846 until 1951, so the history is still within living memory of many.

Meantime, during the Rana reign a number of grand residencies were built by high-ranking dignitaries. These palaces stood in the middle of large landscaped grounds, and are still easily recognizable as they are commonly plastered white and built in the Neoclassical or Baroque European architectural style: four wings with French windows, Gre­cian columns and large courtyards. Things from the West were becom­ing synonymous with ‘modern’ and the grandeur of palaces in Europe caught this ruling classes’ eye.

Sadly, out of the 38 or so palaces built during the Rana dynasty, a large number have fallen into dis­repair. After the fall of the Ranas, many palaces were taken over by the government or came into pri­vate ownership. Today some palaces have been restored, or converted for other uses. The rest have been destroyed or lie in ruins.

Rana architects

So who exactly built these palac­es? In fact, the majority of the Rana palaces were built (more correctly, commissioned) by the same people. Here are just a few of them to be getting on with:

Jung Bahadur Rana (1817-1877): The founder of the Rana dynas­ty himself commissioned several palaces, including the Thapathali Durbar, Singha Mahal, and Char­burja Durbar, all found within the (earlier) Thapathali complex. The designer/engineer he employed was Ranasur Bista, who was among the pioneer master masons in introduc­ing European building style with tra­ditional Vastu Shastra (Hindu style of architecture).

Bir Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (1852-1901): The 11th prime minister of Nepal, as well as starting a new line of succession prime min­isters, made reforms and infrastruc­ture improvements, such as estab­lishing Bir Hospital and Bir Tower, among other famous institutions. As for the Rana palaces, at the end of the 1800s he commissioned 12, including Narayanhiti Durbar, the home to the Royal Family until the current Narayanhiti Durbar was built by King Mahendra in 1963.

Among others he built, Lal Durbar, which is today the Yak and Yeti Hotel; Pani Pokhari Durbar; Pho­hora Durbar, and Lazimpat Durbar (which was demolished and rebuilt, later becoming the Shankar Hotel). His engineer/ designer was Jogbir Sthapit, a renowned Nepalese archi­tect, master of both Western and traditional Nepali styles. And best known as the designer of (the ear­lier) Narayanhiti Royal Palace, and renovator of Swayambhunath Stupa.

Chandra Shumsher Jung Baha­dur Rana (1863 -1929): He is cred­ited with commissioning seven Rana palaces, including the original Baber Mahal. Other notable palaces are Singha Durbar, home to the seat of the government, and Kaiser Mahal, housing the Garden of Dreams. Kumar Narsingh Rana, the first Nepali to qualify as a civil engineer, and his brother Kishor Narsingh Rana, were the architects/engineers.

Want to know more? I am certainly no expert on Rana architecture, and cannot vouch 100 percent for the accuracy of the information here. However, there are several books on the Rana dynasty, if you wish to know more. Among them is ‘Singha Durbar: The Rise and Fall of the Rana Regime of Nepal’, by Sagar S.J.B Rana, published by Rupa, New Delhi in 2017.

 Facebook has been full of the lat­est challenge. From people, to cityscapes and landscapes. Some poignant—the polar bear, gaunt from lack of food; forests after the loggers have passed through. Some encour­aging—cities that have taken to install­ing vertical gardens; empowerment movements for females finally making strides (in some countries). Some fun­ny—a picture of a mud road in rural Nepal, still a mud road 10 years on. Thinking I might join the challenge I looked through pictures of me 10 years ago. Not sure whether they fall under poignant, encouraging, or fun­ny… so moving quickly on… In the past 10 years there has been a lot of physical changes in Kathmandu that are clear to all of us. The most obvious being the amount of traffic now on the road and the correspond­ing amount of pollution in the air. If someone dropped in from Mars they would believe Kathmanduites’ faces were made up of cloth or paper appliances. Ten years ago only a few foreigners wore masks and even they were most likely those who suffered from allergies.

Buildings are another obvious change. I am surprised at how many tall buildings are suddenly appear­ing, almost overnight, around town. Partly surprised at how things can get down quickly when there is a mind to do so, and partly surprised because have we forgotten April 2015 already? Cafes and restaurants are opening at a rate I cannot keep up with! Last night I had dinner with an old friend in the Radisson Hotel. The number one reason for going there was for the central heating, but I reminisced that the last time I was there for dinner was with her mother many years ago. In the days when there really wasn’t many restaurants around Lazimpat. Now this area is overflowing with places to eat. Some good, some bad, and how do they all get enough cus­tomers to make ends meet? (And that’s another story.)

But some things never seem to change. Public transport for instance. The physical look of the buses might improve but the idea of cramming as many passengers in as possible has not. Nor has the mentality of a few who see this as an opportunity for petty theft or not-so-petty sexual abuse. I remember a time, more than 10 years ago, when people travelling on buses were friendly, and respectful of women (and foreigners!).

And also a more recent (correct me if I am wrong) belief that trees and greenery are a bad thing. This one I really don’t understand. This has not happened within the past 10 years, but definitely within the past two decades. It is natural spaces within this small city will close up as the population grows. But shouldn’t there be a gov­ernment and public will to preserve or create areas of greenery as both a method of fighting pollution and as a place for the general public to relax and enjoy nature? The view from my apartment has changed (See photos). Ten years (9 actually) ago I overlooked small but green fields, alternating rice and vegetables with the changing sea­sons. Post 2015 the landowners seem to have become disheartened. Having decided it is more lucrative to rent the land out as home to temporary construction workers, they have also let the rest of the land grow brown and tired, with every appearance of turning into a rubbish tip.

To end on a more positive note, I have noticed in the past few years, young people (ie under 35) are chang­ing as their world has opened up with internet access. They are taking up the baton for the environment, safer roads, and simple respect of others. So here’s to the next 10 years, when we hope there will be more positive changes as today’s youth become tomorrow’s change makers.

Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masamichi Saigo has opened an exciting exhibition on “Contemporary Netsuke Wood-Carved Craft”. On display until the end of the month, these beautiful, miniature art pieces trace their history back to the Edo period (1603-1868). Initially these miniature pieces were more functional than aesthetic: used by men who, wearing traditional, pocket-less, Japanese attire, suspended their tobacco pouches, purses, writing implements, etc on a silk cord. This cord would pass behind the obe or sash.

The netsuke was then attached to the other end of the cord to prevent the cord from slipping. Somewhat like a toggle in modern clothing. Over time the netsuke developed from plain, functional items made of gourd or slices of ivory into elaborately worked miniature objects of great artistic value. Predominantly representing nature—plants and animals— and legendary heroes and mythical beasts, netsuke are also created to represent gods and religion as well as daily activities. Ambassador Saigo explained that at their height, netsuke became not just functional, but worn as we might wear jewellery today.

Invited to speak at the opening of the exhibition was award-winning Nepali artist Gopal Kalapremi. Having been sculpting since he was a child, Kalapremi today writes about ceramic and sculpture techniques, exhibits, and runs workshops and residencies in Nepal and abroad. He is also a lecturer at Kathmandu University’s Center for Art and Design as well as lecturing in universities in Pakistan. With this background Kalapremi was able to bring a touch of lighthearted understanding to the audience in his assessment of netsuke and in comparing it to Nepali items in their practicality.

 “Nepal has similar miniature art and both these and netsuke require four things: a high level of patience, dedication, skill and clear vision. A large piece of work makes us stand away from it in order to really see it as it is, and from here the art dominates us. On the other hand, miniature art draws us in, making us go inside it. I found these beautiful netsuke pieces like children. Each coming to me like a small child, inviting itself in due to its tiny size. These works, by drawing on nature and the environment, create a meditative and inspirational feeling,” Kalapremi said.

He went on to demonstrate a draw-string bag, available widely today in Nepal and used also in the past, to highlight how the netsuke and associated beads and cords worked. On the theme of the original, practical use of netsuke, Kalapremi reminded us that Nepali items such as the topi, today used more as a decorative or festive piece, was originally used, not only to keep off the sun, but also as a vessel to scoop up drinking water while travelling. With the Meiji Restoration (1868), and the age of ‘civilization and enlightenment’, Japanese clothing gradually was replaced by Western clothing, which had pockets. Netsuke was no longer a necessity. At that time also, the love of Japanese culture was waning in the country while everything Western was being embraced. This resulted in much art work, including netsuke, ending up with foreign collectors. In recent times, however, there has been a revival of interest in both traditional culture and art and this exhibition demonstrated this.

The exhibition contains 65 netsuke masterpieces from 46 artists and is currently on tour from the Japan Foundation. Prior to coming to Nepal the exhibition was staged in Mongolia and will head to Kazakhstan next. This is one in a series of exhibitions, theater, and music performances that the Embassy of Japan regularly brings to Nepal as part of the deepening of friendly relations and introducing Japanese culture to Nepali people. The exhibition is open to the public until January 31 at the Embassy of Japan, Panipokhari. Opening times: 9.30am-4.30pm. Admission free.

 I’m pretty much an intro­vert and it took me decades to speak up for myself and against injustice. But a cou­ple of weeks ago I really had enough. In my regular haunt in Lazimpat, where I eat at least twice a week, mainly break­fast but also lunch, a woman came in, wrapped up in a down jacket, hood up, sunglasses on, carrying two huge bags of shop­ping. She sat by the window so I didn’t hear what she ordered but I did heard her ask for water, then a spoon, then the wifi password—okay so far; pretty basic stuff. She continued to ask for a whole list of other, pretty unnecessary, items from the busy staff. When her food arrived my attention was drawn again by her loud voice. The food was just ‘not right’! This was ‘not the way to make pizza at all’. The pizza had too much cheese on it! Well, first, who says this? Ever? Second, why order pizza if you don’t like cheese? The waitress offered to get her something else. In reply to her question, the waitress said, no, she would not have to pay for the second dish, only the pizza. When the second dish arrived, again she was shouting loudly across the room that she didn’t like it.

She suggested the chef be sacked to let ‘one of the many unemployed in Nepal take his job’. One of the many, who ‘could make much better food than him’! The young waiter and waitress were looking quite helpless now and this was all I could take. I marched over to her table and told her, “if you don’t like the food, fine, it’s down to personal taste, but there is no need to announce loudly across the restaurant. You could go and discuss with the chef; why blame the waiters?” I also pointed out that the food was fabulous, as the many regu­lar customers would agree. Quietly she paid up and left the restaurant still muttering that the food was not good. I later asked the waitress if she had paid. Yes, but only for the cheaper second dish.

While it was easy for me to challenge one woman, it is harder to stand up to the big bullies in this world

Somehow she was the epit­ome of what is wrong with the world at the moment. Those who shout loudest and who assume a mantel of control and confidence often get away with a lot of nonsense, while the rest of us look helplessly on. The world is watching the unfolding (or perhaps crumbling) of the latest nonsense coming out of the White House. One man is shouting louder than others, taking control of things he is not qualified for other than by ceremonial office. There is very little anyone else can do except quietly down-tools, and make what is probably no more than a symbolic gesture.

Across the Atlantic in the UK we watch while the politicians fight among themselves as to who has the best ability to take over the playground, aka Brexit, negotiations. Of course, I could go on to list many more examples of bullies flexing their muscles while we regular folks are in despair wondering what the outcome will be. It does seem that the only person who may benefit from all this mayhem is another larger than life playground bully looking on from afar, but seeing ample potential to step in once the other kids exhaust themselves with all their infighting. Isn’t this the way con­flict starts?

While it was easy for me to challenge one woman and stand up for those who were, momentarily, unable to speak for themselves, it is harder to stand up to the big bullies in this world. Especially if they have the power and abil­ity to take away our liberty through muzzling the press, imprisoning us, or replacing us with their cronies.

 Ballet, as a dance form, is attributed to Ita­ly around 1500; soon after adopted into the French (royal) court. The Paris Opera, founded in 1669, went on to include classical ballet, and became known as the Paris Opera Ballet. Sometime later, ballet made its way across the Channel to Britain, with the Royal Ballet (Lon­don) only being established in 1931. However, this does not detract from the fact today that the Royal Ballet is globally among the most renowned troupes, along with the Paris Opera and the Bol­shoi Ballet in Russia. Recently I met Alizé Biannic, Managing Direc­tor of One World Theater and the Director/ Founder of Solis Performing Arts, in Kathmandu. Although I have known Biannic for a few years I never sat down to talk about her life or her work in Nepal until now…

Born in France, Biannic joined the Paris Opera at the age of 10 to study ballet. Such was her talent that at the age of 12 she was awarded a scholarship in Berlin to study the Nureyev tech­nique. Gaining her first job as a ballet dancer in Barcelona aged 14, Biannic went on to join the Royal Ballet in London, where she remained for four years. However, ballet is tough on the body and Biannic developed a knee problem which meant she had to retire from this prestigious troupe. With great spirit, she went on to study drama which lead her into the theater and mov­ie world in the UK. Appearing in ‘Skyfall’, a Bond movie with Daniel Craig, was a positive outcome of this transition into films. A negative outcome was the realization that the movie world requires (for women) more than talent to get ahead (#metoo). Somewhat disillusioned, Biannic arrived in Nepal in 2013.

Gaining her first job as a ballet dancer in Barcelona aged 14, Biannic went on to join the Royal Ballet in London, where she stayed for four years

Naturally someone with such a background does not sit still for long and soon she was integrating herself into the art scene in Kath­mandu. You may have seen Biannic in Gross Indecency, The Diary of Anne Frank, Arjuna’s Dilemma, or Café de Flore, to name just a few productions. Her desire for perfection, her ded­ication to the art of dance, and her love of Nepal led her to open Solis Performing Arts which runs dance classes, from ballet, and contemporary to jazz and hip hop, from Bollywood to Klaphirati. In addi­tion, Solis offers classes in acting techniques, physical theater, and singing.

Open to current and aspiring actors and dancers, and those who are more enthusiasts than stars, Bian­nic explains that “I want to increase and improve the standard of art in Nepal. There are several barriers in the way of achieving this: financial insecurity—per­formers do not earn a living wage here—and their ego—performers often do not understand the depth their art demands, nor are they dedicated to improving and growing through hard work. With Solis offering dance and theater together, I want to increase their drive, teach the basics of dance and of anatomy to improve their body awareness and decrease incidents of injury. My main aim is to bring the talent in Nepal up to international standard. My dance company and students know this can only be done with hard work. And Pilates,” Biannic says with a laugh.

Biannic is currently working on bringing three pro­ductions to Nepali audience: a dance extravaganza called Hip Hop Coppelia taking place from Jan 17-20 in the Russian Culture Center; an adaptation of The Little School (true stories of political conflict in Colum­bia circa 1960), and The Plight, about trafficking in Nepal. Not content with confining her talents to the stage, Biannic is also working on a television series set in Nepal. Collaborating with writers from Nepal, Australia and the UK, and talent such as actor Namrata Shrestha, production on this will start in early 2019.

For further information, facebook.com/ solisperformingarts

I’m sure you have all heard the song Despacito by Luis Fonsi. Over and over again! The last time I heard it was in the taxi last night, sandwiched between Nepali songs. And that was after listening to yet another version played live. What was different about the live version is that the artists performed on guitar and sarangi. And, their version has over 3.5 million hits on YouTube!

Comprising full-time musicians, Manice Gandharva on sarangi and Tunna Bell Thapa on guitar, Skin and Bones was formed in early 2018 with the idea to promote Nepali traditional music and instruments. To do so in a folk style, they thought, would mean it may be difficult to catch the attention of people. So they tried doing something different; blending traditional with modern, guitar with sarangi.  

I have added a fifth string to another sarangi which gives me 3.5 octaves and increases the range of sounds

Manice Gandharva

There has been quite a revival of the sarangi over the past few years but even so, I was a little surprised at how enthusiastic a young guy like Gandharva (23) is about such a traditional instrument. I wanted to find out more. “I am from a Gandharva family (traditional wandering minstrels in India and Nepal), but out of the 50 members still at home in Kathmandu, only one plays sarangi. Watching him and YouTube videos I basically taught myself how to play from the age of 14,” explains Gandharva. On hearing Shyam Nepali (internationally acclaimed sarangi player) and Kiran Nepali (Project Sarangi), were relatives of his, I felt they must have been an inspiration. 

“Shyam is my uncle but he lived in Kirtipur so I couldn’t learn from him and the Project Sarangi came up only very recently.” Despite that, Gandharva’s aim —and that of Project Sarangi—appear pretty much the same: to gather those interested in preventing the death of this seemingly simple yet very complex musical instrument and age-old tradition.  

Pursing this dream further, Gandharva founded the Strings Ensemble Nepal a few months ago, by bringing together 11 sarangi players (whom he taught the instrument personally), and others who play the guitar, drums, tabla and flute. “My motive with the Strings Ensemble is to inspire and create more sarangi players.” The Strings Ensemble, following up on an idea by Thapa, are in collaboration with Skin and Bones, playing at various festive events around town including, the  Boudha Fest, Jazzmandu and Jamarko Jatra, held recently in Patan Museum.

Having heard them play, and also being a fan of Shyam Nepali I wondered just how versatile the sarangi really is. I was fascinated by the answer. “The sarangi has one octave only, so to increase the range I have taken the two basic strings and made four, giving me 2.5 octaves. I have added a fifth string to another sarangi which gives me 3.5 octaves and increases the range of sounds,” says Gandharva. “I also use gut from Switzerland. Traditionally sarangis would have used gut as strings but now it is hard to find and is expensive in Nepal, so steel guitar strings are used. By using gut on my large [around 3 feet] sarangi I can get bass line low notes, much like on a cello.”

Going back to their YouTube sensation, Despacito, I asked if they were surprised at its success. “We had only 1k subscribers on our channel. Next day it was 10k and we were texting each other, ‘how is this possible?’ A couple of days later it reached 50K and now it is at 3.8 million. We are truly amazed. Yes, we have other songs in the pipeline which we hope will be as successful”, smiled Thapa.

I couldn’t let the guys leave before asking where the name Skin and Bones comes from.  Thapa explained that it comes from a Switchfoot song ‘This skin and bones is a rental.” Laughingly he adds, “He is skin [Gandharva] and I am bones.” To find out more about up-and-coming events, check out their FB page.

“That’s it for another year,” is what my father used to say every Christmas night. With still another 10 days of school holiday and Boxing Day and New Year to come, this really annoyed his teenage daughter! But this is the way I feel now, in Kathmandu, in mid-December: that’s it for another year.  Christmas Day has not even begun, but for expats who do not have family here, after the Christmas bazaars, Christmas lunches, and the rounds of the embassy events and parties, we find the Christmas spirit waning. Those who are heading to their home country or to warmer holiday spots such as Goa or Thailand leave well before the day itself. 

Christmas in Kathmandu has become a copy and paste of another culture onto the local calendar

So yes, that’s it for another year. Looking back, I’ve had a variety of Christmases in my 28 years in Asia. My very first (and most vivid) was here in Kathmandu. On Christmas Eve I made my way to Mikes Breakfast, run by the late Mike Warren Frame. At that time it was located near the Yak and Yeti Hotel, and Mike then was young and slim, and very welcoming. He ensured all single guests were sat with others so that no one was alone that Christmas Eve. After dinner I took a rickshaw back into Thamel. It was very foggy and, wrapped in a large blanket of a shawl, the journey was extremely atmospheric, dreamlike and yes, Christmassy. There was no traffic as the rickshaw moved silently through the fog on the evening on December 24, 1990.

The following Christmas found me in Hong Kong where I spent perhaps my loneliest one, sitting on Victoria Peak looking down on Victoria Harbor, a my small box of chocolates being the only concession to Christmas. Moving on a couple of years, I once celebrated Christmas in November! I was living in Singapore and my mother came to visit me. My very obliging house-mate put up a Christmas tree and cooked a chicken dinner so that my mother and I could enjoy Christmas together, in Singapore, in the heat, in November.

Fast forward… I enjoyed celebrating Christmas for several years in the far-west of  Nepal, where again the weather would obligingly provide fog to create a white Christmas-like mood, and the oxen and goats next door could almost (almost) be construed as a nativity. Moving to Kathmandu in 2000, Christmas was shaped depending on which friends were in town, as friends came and went, as expats tend to do. For five or six years we celebrated around the open fire at Kilroys Restaurant, until the expat owner left. I’ve sampled a few Christmas Day buffets at the Yak and Yeti Hotel. I’ve even spend a Christmas or two on my own, but they were never as hard as that Christmas in Hong Kong.  One of my favorite Christmases was driving up to Nagarkot with a friend for breakfast. There was such a feeling of indulgence going there just for a couple of hours to stare at the mountains over hot tea!

Over the years the Christmas vibe has grown in Kathmandu among the local crowd. But this is merely a copy and paste of another culture onto the local calendar. Not that there is anything wrong in that; it is just not the way I have celebrated or perceive Christmas. As a teenager, I loved going to the midnight service on Christmas Eve where the congregation would fall silent to listen to the church bells strike midnight. This took place after the disco in the church hall next door spat out happy, sober, yet excited, youngsters. Paying money to get into a bar in Thamel (normally free) just because it is Christmas does not give the same warm glow!

So here we are, a few days before Christmas, and yes, for me, it’s all over for another year.

‘You cannot go out.’ ‘You cannot go there.’ ‘You must stay at home.’ ‘You are just a girl.’ But even the wings of a butterfly make a sound. Listen closely. Can you perceive a small change leading to a big difference? That’s the Butterfly Effect.

On Dec 8 at Tangalwood premises, Sangeet Pathshala, in association with NGO Dristi Nepal, joined the global #HearMeToo campaign, to advocate for dialogue and change with regards to gender based violence, sexuality, and human rights by bringing together female-headed bands in the Celebration Phase of the Butterfly Effect.

I ask Bijay Khadka, the founder of Sangeet Pathshala, why they chose to do this event now. “For a long time we had wanted to do an event featuring female-led groups to celebrate womanhood. With so much in the press about violence against women and children, we felt the time was right to celebrate women speaking out against gender violence and supporting other women,” says Khadka. 

This feeling—women speaking out for themselves—was shouted loudly over and over from the stage… “We are here to show how strong and determined we [females] can be and we think music is the best language to spread awareness,” affirmed Dikshya Tamang of from Faithom band at the event. The audience roared back in agreement.

With music from their first album I/Eye, Space rocked Tangalwood. I ask the band members why they participated in the Butterfly Effect. “We feel that since everybody is busy with their own lives, only a few people notice the prevalence of violence against women and girls in society and try to make a change. We feel happy that people are coming together for this cause and most of all, it is being done through music and not violent protests. This event is perfectly in line with the feelings we try to convey in our music.”

Naturally, men were on stage too and one of the organizers, Pranay Subba, bassist of Superfuzz, is walking the walk, being in a female headed band. Says Tenzing Hyolmo ‘Yang’, the vocalist with the band, “We are very positive but are aware one event cannot make it [gender violence] vanish.”  

Mental Radio are perhaps not a household name, but for those who support, or follow social causes, this band is synonymous with people using music to raise awareness of mental health issues and other causes. “What is commendable about this event is that it is being organized by dedicated male musicians who believe in empowering female musicians, and Dristi Nepal, which is run by dedicated female activists. When you recognize an issue, regardless of your gender, and work together, that’s when real change happens,” says Garima Gurung, vocalist, Mental Radio.

Newly back from their Nepal tour, Nattu with 11.11 NST brought the house down with their pop-rock originals. I ask them what inspired them to participate, and the band explains that “it is our duty not only as humans but also as humane individuals… to support the betterment and safety of the female gender in our country”.

Also on stage were Somiya Baraily; Didi Bahini (women kicking ass with traditional instruments!); Samriddhi Rai, and Dissonance. Dissonance consists of kids from Nawa Asha Griha, an organization for street kids and children from broken homes. Getting lessons from KJC, among others, Dissonance have played in Women in Concert and WOW. Nepal’s youth walking the walk! 

The final phase in the Butterfly Effect is to work with urban and rural communities throughout the country, raising awareness on GBV and orientating women and girls and their communities. This will take place under the management of Dristi Nepal.

“Women who use drugs and women living with HIV are judged because of their drug use and status and this stigma is one of the major hindrances preventing women receiving services and being reintegrated (in society). Women from this hidden group are violated by partners, families and even community members. However, these women are not the exception when it comes to gender based violence. Through this event I believe we have conveyed the message: end the gender based violence,” says Parina Subba Limbu, Executive Director, Dristi Nepal.  

But this is just the beginning. The musicians agree they are willing to further promote the cause of women and girls through their music. In fact, Mental Radio said, “we are open to a possible partnership regarding the correlation between gender based violence and mental health issues.” As for the Butterfly Effect, “this will be an annual event and we hope to expand it beyond Kathmandu, involving artists from other parts of the country and including different genres of music. We want to keep contributing to Dristi Nepal to ensure they can continue to raise awareness and find solutions to end violence against women,” says Khadka, Sangeet Pathshala. For further information and possible collaboration, contact Bijay Khadka on 9849181518. 

The event is supported by the Chaudhary Foundation, United Nations Office on Drugs & Crime (UNODC) and the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF Nepal).  The Annapurna Express is the media partner and proudly supports gender equality and equity.