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 Remember the time CD/DVD parlors and cassette rental outlets used to be flooded with youths thronging to rent Hindi and English movies? Bollywood stars like Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi, Govinda, Mithun Chakroborty and Rajnikanth were household names back then. Yet there were few if any followers of South Indian cinema.

 But with time the South Indian fare is gradually gaining in popularity in Nepal, so much so that they may have slightly reduced the trend of exclusively watching Bollywood flicks. We found many urban and suburban youths hooked to South Indian cinema. Want instant proof? Just check the trending list on YouTube and you’ll find at least one, if not many, South India movies in the ‘Top 10’.

  In Nepal, South Indian cinemas have gained in viewership largely thanks to popular YouTube channels like Goldmines and Aditya Movies. Although we couldn’t find the exact timeline for when the South Indian movies emerged as a movie culture in Nepal, most viewers we talked to believe the big budget Telugu fantasy film “Magadheera” (2010) spelled the start.

 South Indian cinema seems to offer Nepali audiences unique contents, action scenes, and plots, along with a good dose of comedy by veteran comedian Bramhanandam, without whose cameo a South India film feels incomplete.

“I recall a time six or seven years ago when people started asking for the DVDs of South Indian movies, alongside Korean dramas that were popular at the time,” says Kedar Maharjan, 40, a DVD retailer at Lagankhel.

 Countless Nepalis have become fans of popular South Indian actors such as Allu Arjun, Dhanush, Ravi Teja, Ram Charan, Mahesh Babu, Jr. NTR, Prabhas, Kajal Aggarwal, Samantha Akkineni, and Anushka Shetty.

 Atit Chaurel, 17, a BBA student at Caspian Valley College, was recently busy chatting with his friends about Allu Arjun’s latest movie “Naa Peru Surya” in a microbus. “I love Allu Arjun’s movies as they have excellent characterization, smooth storyline and good dance steps compared to more monotonous Bollywood films,” says Chaurel.

 Popular Nepali director Milan Chams also thinks South Indian movies are successful because of their original storylines, characterization, acting and dynamic comedy and unique dance styles. “They offer something different to typical Bollywood and Kollywood fares,” he says.

 Says Nisha Chapagain, a student at the women-only PK campus: “South Indian movies have taught me a lot about love, friendship and family.”

 Robin Neupane, 21, a student from Kapan, says: “After watching ‘Arya’ and other south movies, I have learned humorous and fun ways to propose and confess my love to my crush. I have even styled my hair to match that of Allu Arjun in ‘Naa Peru Surya’.”

 Popular Nepali dance troupe ‘The Cartoonz Crew’ have acknowledged the brilliant prowess and choreography of dancers in South Indian cinema. Sangita Adhikari, a student at United Academy, says she has learned many interesting dance steps from South Indian actresses like Sai Pallavi, Kiara Advani and Kajal Aggarwal.

 Nepali distributors seem enamored of South Indian films as well. Films like “KGF,” “Naa Peru Surya,” and “Bahubali-2” were instant hits among the Nepali theater going audiences. Niraj Poudel, managing director of film distributors Gopi Krishna Movies, mentions how the Bahubali series in 2015 and 2017 and then KGF in 2018 were a rage in the theaters too. “For Bahubali-2, we invested around Rs 50 million on distribution rights across Nepal and were able to recoup Rs 70 million in earnings,” says Poudel.

 Plastic eating plates are a big environmental hazard, yet in much vogue. In comparison, plates made out of plant leaves are perfectly safe for the environment, and yet very few of us use them. Leaf Plus wants to change that. This company started by three young entrepreneurs in 2017 man­ufactures plates made of the Areca plant leaves, using locally sourced material and indigenous talent. (Leaf Plus also makes some second­ary leaf products.)

As things stand, the company is the sole manufacturer of Areca leaf plates in Nepal, and has been able to create quiet a buzz for its innovative design and top-notch products. Its tagline of “Sustainable solution to plastic pollution” is revelatory.

Before Leaf Plus happened, three engineering graduates—Kobit Singh Baniya, Swaviman Acharya and Bidhan Pokharel—had each been running individual busi­ness ventures. They then met Ramesh Silwal, CEO and founder of the Golden Gate International College, who encouraged them to come up with a youth start-up that would create a positive impact on the society.

 Leaf Nepal makes durable and bio-degradable single-use plates and spoons that are also chemical-free, microwavable and light

Silwal pointed out the ineffec­tive quality and design of plain sal taparis used to serve momos to customers outside his college, and urged the trio to try to improve upon the quality of the ‘natural’ utensils. After some research, they discovered that if they could make utensils from Areca leaves, these utensils would be both strong and leak-proof.

The three young entrepreneurs explored various parts of South India with a fourth colleague, Hari Dahal, to get an idea of how various kinds of leaves were being used there. After extensive research in Tamil Nadu, the group settled on Areca plants.

They were astounded to learn that around 38 million Areca leaves were going to waste every year in eastern Nepal. What if they could collect, clean, process and build something new with the leaves and barks of Areca plants?

With this idea, they pooled around Rs 2,500,000 and built their first research center and production facility at Hetauda, before starting another state-of-the-art manufactur­ing facility in Jhapa.

“We currently produce 13 variants of utensils such as cutleries, bowls, partition plates, square plates, regular round plates, heart plates, sauce bowls, shallow round plates and round bowls,” says Bidhan, a co-founder. But for whom?

The majority of its customers are individuals organizing picnics, BBQ parties, backyard parties, as well as catering services, department stores, hotels and restaurant chains. “Salesberry, Express Mart and One- Stop Mart are some popular depart­ment stores that sell our products. We will also soon deliver to various outlets of the Bhatbhateni super­market,” says Bidhan excitedly.

According to Baniya, another founder, Leaf Nepal makes durable and bio-degradable single-use plates and spoons that are also chemi­cal-free, microwavable and light. The goal, he says, is to make the company number one eco-friendly startup venture in Nepal.

Apart from selling in 12 districts of Nepal, the company also caters to customers from Australia, the US, Thailand, Hong Kong, Estonia, Mauritius, Spain and Portugal.

“We now have a yearly turnover of around Rs 3 to 4 million,” says Bhanu Bhakta Aryal, 27, the chief financial officer at Leaf Nepal.

He reveals that the company sells its products between Rs 2.20 (for a single spoon) and Rs 16 (for a sin­gle partition plate). On an average, products worth Rs 330,000 are shifted every month.

Pressed for time? The company also delivers right at your doorstep, for a charge of Rs 50 to 100, depend­ing on your location.

Not many people may be aware that international-standard chocolates are being manufac­tured in Nepal, that too by a group of young entrepreneurs. ‘Ecstasy—Handmade with Love’ chocolates are the brainchild of a group of eager youths brought together by their common love of chocolate and entrepreneurship. Besides producing handmade and home-made chocolates, the com­pany, which was officially launched in 2018, also allows for customiza­tion.

Besides their online marketplace, Ecstasy chocolates are mainly sold in local tourist hotspots like Thamel and Durbarmarg. The chocolates sell well beyond our borders though. The company delivers chocolates as gifts with heartwarming inscribed messages for its clients in countries as diverse as India, Bangladesh, Bel­gium, Oman, Japan, Australia, China and Germany.

Ecstasy’s international standard flavors, hand-crafted packaging and glocal focus make it stand out from similar Nepali companies while its customized delivery across South Asia and Europe give it another competitive edge.

Inspired by her aunt’s delicious homemade baking, Shristi Adhikari (24) joined hands with her friend Celeste Pokharel (22) to lay the com­pany’s foundation. They were later joined by other same-age friends who also wanted to be entrepre­neurs. With Rs 250,000 as seed money and nothing to lose, the group began with a series of tri­al-and-error.

According to recent media reports, Nepal in the last fiscal imported lux­ury chocolates worth Rs 1.28 billion from various international brands such as Lindt, Nestle, Dairy Milk, Mars, Snickers and Toblerone. Choc­olates are among the most sought after gift products in Nepal, and Ecstasy wants to capitalize on it. “We just have to prove that Nepali products are on par with such global brands,” says Shristi about the pos­sibility of Ecstasy competing against imported products.

 Production materials are mostly sourced locally while the cocoa comes from Malaysia and packaging wrappers from India

What explains the company’s name? “The name is self-explana­tory. Ecstatic is what you get when you eat our chocolates. One bite and a person gets transported to a world of bliss and euphoria,” says Nikesh Adhikari (20), another co-founder.

Ecstasy gets most of its orders during festivals and celebrations. The fact that it offers custom­ized delivery in specially crafted boxes with special messages for its clients keeps it busy all year, the owners inform.

It currently takes orders via Ins­tagram and Facebook pages and is partnering with local marts, conve­nience stores and hotels to market its products. “We prefer to use social media as most of our customers are young and digitally active,” says Nikesh.

With prices ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 600 a packet, the company sells around 80 to 100 packets a week. Production materials are mostly sourced locally while the cocoa comes from Malaysia and packaging wrappers from India.

Ecstasy is currently planning to open sales outlets in Thamel, Pokhara (preferably in Lakeside area), Chitwan and the Tribhuvan International Airport. The com­pany is also preparing a deal to import packaging material from China, which will further reduce the cost. Its delivery is being upgraded too, both in and outside the Kathmandu valley.

KELME Nepal is the first com­pany to officially and fully sponsor any of the national sports teams in the country. Besides sponsoring both men and women’s national football teams, the com­pany also prepares kits and gears for the Manang Marsyangdi Club and the Tribhuvan Army Club. With a cat paw as its emblem, which is supplemented by its motto of ‘Leave Your Mark’, KELME is a prominent European sport mer­chandise company created by Diego and José Quiles of Spain in 1963. KELME products have been sold around the world since 1977.

After wooing sports enthusiasts in over 100 countries, KELME made its official entry into Nepal last year.

Kamaru Trading Pvt. Ltd. acts as the sole authorized KELME dealer and supplier in Nepal. It was in Jan­uary 2018 that Kamaru launched KELME NEPAL as official merchan­dise suppliers for Nepali men and women national football teams.

Says Uttam Neupane, head of operations at Kamaru Trading, Kamaru Trading’s tie-up with KELME is aimed at “taking Nepali sports to a new height.”

“We outcompeted bids from seven sports goods suppliers from Nepal to win the trust of KELME headquar­ters in Elche, Spain,” he says.

KELME Nepal caters to customers from all walks of life, ranging from professional and amateur sportsper­sons, tourists, students, and youths. The company sells unisex products and claims to have ‘everything for everyone’. “The company holds its customers in highest regard and strives to provide high-quality mer­chandises at affordable rates,” says Aastha Sharma, director of KELME’s Durbarmarg outlet.

This is reflected in their product pricing as well. The company sells the official jersey of Nepali national football team for Rs 1,950 apiece and a jersey set for Rs 2,750 each. Meanwhile, the price of their shoes range from Rs 3,000 to Rs 8,000. On an average, the Durbarmarg outlet sells around 80 to 100 jersey sets a week, reveals Neupane. He further says that in a day, products worth Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 are sold from their main store in Ranjana Galli, New Road. (He declined to reveal the earnings of all outlets.)

The company has made it man­datory to incorporate QR code or bar code in its products so that gen­uine products can be easily identi­fied. KELME products in Nepal are brought from China, which is the sole supplier for the Asia-Pacific region. KELME products are sold via five major outlets in Durbar­marg, Boudha, Pokhara, Dharan and Damak, with expansions planned in Surkhet, Birtamode, Taplejung, Ilam and Biratnagar by the next fiscal. According to Neupane, the youths prefer KELME products for their comfort, durability, color, pleasing aesthetics and style statement.

Rohit Raj, 21, a business stu­dent and amateur footballer, was found checking out KELME prod­ucts in the Durbarmarg outlet. He says he is an avid fan of KELME products as his sporting idol Luis Figo is its official ambassador.

Says Spanish tourist Javier Cruz, 19, who was also spotted in the Durbarmarg outlet, “I love KELME products for their simplistic design, catchy colors and amazing texture.” He says he was surprised that a Spanish company had become so popular in Nepal. Apart from selling football kits and gears, other KELME products such as cycling equipment, volleyballs, footballs, futsal gear and kits, shoes, windcheaters, vests, bags, training kits, track pants and training suits are gaining in pop­ularity among Nepali customers. Out-of-valley customers who want KELME products can place an order via phone, e-mail or social media.

Do you sometimes wonder where our national cricket stars like Paras Khadka, Subhash Khakurel, Sharad Veswakar and Sarita Magar first learned the tricks of the trade? It was at the Baluwatar Cricket Club and Training Center, Nepal’s oldest cricket club that was established in 1973.

 With a legacy of grooming cricketers for the past 46 years, the club has contributed a lot for the development of Nepali cricket, producing over 2,000 cricketers who have gone on to play at various regional, national and international tournaments.

 The Ranas are believed to have introduced cricket in Nepal as their “exclusive luxury entertainment” in the 1920s. Some say it was Rana Prime Minister Padma Shumsher who introduced cricket in Nepal, while others argue it was rather Lt. General Madan Shumsher, one of the sons of Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher. Historian Daniel Wright believes the Ranas introduced the “gentleman’s game” as an indulgence, after witnessing the sport during their stays in British India and England. It would be another two decades before the sport was open for the general public.

 Upendra Bhattarai, 68, the club head and founder, says Ranas used to play cricket at secluded locations, hidden from the public. “My grandpa used to say that the Ranas used to have private tournaments, among teams comprised exclusively of members of the Rana family.”

 In order to spread the appeal of the game, Bhattarai established the Baluwatar Cricket Club in 1973 with his personal investment at the prompting of his cricket-loving friends. In the initial days it was difficult to finance the club. It was almost shut down soon after its establishment due to the dearth of training infrastructure, budget and coaches. Even as recently as 1991, the club had to pull out of a national level tournament in Dhanagadhi as they were unable to pay the Rs 700 in registration fee.

The club has groomed star players such as Nepal national cricket team skipper Paras Khadka

 “Currently, the club finances itself through the personal investment of its founder, charity, donations, and earning from the founder’s petrol pumps,” says Rikesh Lama, a coach at the club. “Compared to our early days, we have been able to provide many more opportunities and resources to our students,” adds Lama.

 “During the 1970s and 80s, the club had a hard time training cricketers as there was a shortage of experienced coaches,” says Bhattarai, the founder. Early batches of students basically groomed themselves and grasped the basics through trial-and-error. Things changed dramatically when the ICC, the global cricket governing body, formally recognized the club in 1996. Good coaches and finances followed in its wake.

 “The ICC recognition came after we did well in a local tournament, the erstwhile Rameswar Bhattarai Cup,” says the club founder. “The ICC had given us international recognition by bypassing other applicants from Sweden, Thailand and France.” And in 2001 the club was finally able to establish itself as an international-standard training center.

 In its storied history, the club has groomed national players such as Nepal national cricket team skipper Paras Khadka, Subhash Khakurel, Sharad Veswakar and Prithu Baskota. Nepal’s Under-19 Captain Rohit Paudel is also its product. National level women cricketer Sarita Magar was groomed at the club too.

 The club is currently training 100 students (35 girls and 65 boys) at its facility in Baluwatar with the help of two coaches: Surendra Lama and Rikesh Lama.

 “The Baluwatar Cricket Club has accumulated not just trophies and accolades, but also won the hearts of cricket enthusiasts around the country,” says coach Rikesh Lama.

 Bhattarai is also incredibly proud of what he and his club have been able to achieve so far. A former deputy head of the Cricket Association of Nepal, the sport governing body in the country, he sees great future for the club and for national cricket provided there is a “clear separation between politics and cricket”.

 With its famous star insignia and signature rubber soles, Converse is easily one of the most recognizable shoe brands in the world. First created in 1908, Converse has for decades been ruling the sneakers section of the global shoe market. Originally designed and made for American basketball players, these durable and comfortable shoes are now as popular among sportspersons as they are among hip urbanites.

 Converse sneakers first entered Nepal in 1979. Not much is known about their early Nepali customers except that most of them perhaps came from rich and elite families of the yore.

 “No one knows who introduced Converse in Nepal,” says Madhu Rai, the store in-charge of Converse New Road branch in Kathmandu. “Some say it was an Indian businessman, while others think the local Marwari community was responsible.”

 Right now, in Nepal, Converse shoes are sold from its five official outlets: at United World Trade Center (UWTC) Tripureshwor, New Road, Durbar Marg, and in Kathmandu Mall and Civil Mall. Customers from outside Kathmandu valley can order the shoes via phone, e-mail or social media.

A pair of original Converse will cost you anywhere between Rs 4,490 and Rs 9,000

 A pair of original Converse will cost you anywhere between Rs 4,490 and Rs 9,000. (Fake ones and copies, which are more ubiquitous than the originals, are available for as little as Rs 1,000.) “Most Converse shoes available in Nepal are brought from Singapore,” says Amrit Shrestha, the overall manager of Converse Nepal.

 Shrestha adds: “Just as Goldstar was once considered synonymous with rural populations, Converse has come to represent the modern, elite class of Kathmandu.”

 He says Converse shoes are popular among the capital’s brand-conscious youths who are looking to make a strong fashion statement with their preference for trendy brands.

 Ganesh Bhujel, 28, an IT Student found at Khichapokhari, loves the shoes for their tenderness, smooth surface, and unique color scheme.

 “Wearing a ‘Chuck Taylor Converse All Star’ makes me feel like I am marching in a mega-fashion parade,” adds Bhujel. A Converse fan for the past six years, Bhujel likes to flaunt his “few dozen Converses” on Instagram and Snapchat.

 Yet it is not just the urban teens and sports enthusiasts who wear Converse. Says Samir Shrestha, a hotel entrepreneur and another Converse fan, “Besides the urban youth, I also find that many entrepreneurs, bankers and industrialists also love this brand.”

 Samir Shrestha refers to the original Converse. The cheap fake versions from ‘Hong Kong bazaars’ and footpaths of Ratnapark are perhaps even more popular. Rare will be a longtime resident of Kathmandu who has never sported a pair.

 Or foreign tourists to Nepal, for that matter. “I have a collection of around 20 dozens Chuck Taylor Converse Shoes at my home in Alabama, USA,” says Nathan Morris, an American IT expert and tourist who was recently spotted in a pair of Converse in Jhochhen, Basantapur.

 But how different are the originals to their copies? “I have been wearing these shoes for a long time and I am still unable to differentiate between the original Converse and their good copies,” says Madhav Chhinal, a young design executive working for a media company. “In fact, I have never bought what you would call original Converse and yet nobody in my circle has been able to tell the difference.”

 Back in the Converse store in New Road, store in-charge Rai estimates that on average an official store in Kathmandu sells anywhere between Rs 60,000 to Rs 150,000 worth of original shoes a week. There is no telling how much the roadside vendors who are selling Converse copies by the NAC building not a kilometer away earn in the same time.

Nepali animation industry is getting better—and busier—as it gets commissions for more and more national and international projects. Not many are aware that Nepali firms are creating animated sequences and doing creatve stuff for popular international movies, animation works and television dramas. As it involves a lot of experimentation and innovation, the attraction of the Nepali youth towards animation is growing. “With the participation of more and more youths, animation in Nepal has taken off,” says veteran animator Suyogya Man Tuladhar.

He left his lucrative job in Silicon Valley to groom up-and-coming animators in Nepal in early 2000s and currently divides his time between Nepal and the US. Most notably, Suyogya co-founded Incessant Rain Animation Studio in 2008 and Black Box Animation Academy in 2010. Nepali animation is getting global recognition for its quality that is now on par with international standards. Our animators have come a long way from merely copying and modifying the works of foreign animators to creating their original masterpieces. Besides their work with entertainment outlets, they also produce works on social themes like health, environment, politics, election, pre-natal and post-natal care, trauma, education, and child psychology.

The birth of animation in Nepal can be traced back to late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1987, UNICEF had organized an animation workshop in Nepal, in collaboration with World View International. In the workshop, some Nepali animators were trained on creating simple animation with a Nepali character named ‘Shyam’. The animation feature was about dealing with common diseases and keeping the environment free of disease-carrying virus. In 2016, a studio named Yantrakala made a huge leap when it produced Nepal’s first stand-alone animated feature film ‘The Legend of Shankhadhar’ (Shankhadharko Katha). Later in the same year, the same firm began working on animating historian Satya Mohan Joshi’s work into an animation film titled as Majipa Lakhay.

Booming business

 Animation industry has seen a boom in Nepal with growing number of advertising agencies, film development firms, broadcasting channels, and VFX outlets. Nepali animators these days not only produce animation sequences for Hollywood blockbusters (‘Kung Fu Panda’, ‘The Lego Batman’, ‘The Lego Ninjago Movie’), they also cater to the needs of their domestic clients like banks, apps developers, Youtube channel owners, social media pages and reputed broadcasters.

“There has been good return on investment for producers of quality content. Another expansion of Nepali animation industry can be seen in collaborative creation of sequences in projects for global entities such as Disney, Amazon, Fox, Netflix, and NBC,” says Kiran Bhakta Joshi, another veteran animator who had worked for Disney for 17 years.

According to Tuladhar, on an average, an animator earns around US $1,000 to $5,000 for a minute-long animation video. Depending on client requirements and production aspects, the price can vary. For instance, around $8 million per minute was invested in animating sequence for the movie ‘Life of Pi’. “The price varies based on the expectations of clients and can go far up to $80 million to $100 million for a movie,” says Tuladhar.

Nepal is also getting good exposure in animation thanks to the start of animation courses in institutions such as Maya Animation Academy, iDream Animation, Incessant Rain, and Blackbox Animation Academy. Incessant Rain is considered the first full-fledged animation studio and academy in Nepal specializing in visual effects and 3D animation.

“I see a bright future for Nepali animation. I hope that in a not too distant future Nepal will be able to cater to each and every need of its prospective international clients,” says Joshi, the ex-Disney animator.

Nabina Khadka, 41, is a rare female taxi driver in Kathmandu. She has met a few other woman taxi drivers but most of them have either already dropped out of the profession or gone back to their village. Before being a cab driver, Khadka, who has been driv­ing for the past one and a half years, ran a liquor-cum-conve­nience store in Baluwatar. She still manages the store when she is not driving.

Born and raised in a village in Dolakha district, she came to Kathmandu to pursue an intermediate-level degree in 1996, when she was in her mid-20s. After getting the degree, she started her store in Baluwatar. Struggling to make her ends meet, it was in 2014 that she gave her first trial for a driving license, but failed. She passed on her second try in the same year. Nabina complains that because of male-bias at the Department of Transport, her licensing took “a lot longer than it would have taken my male counterparts”. Her hus­band, also a taxi driver, sup­ported her decision to drive a cab. Now Nabina supports her family via the income from her store, the taxi and some rooms she rents out.

Despite getting a driving license in 2014 it took her three more years to buy a cab and start driving. “In the beginning, some of my rela­tives objected, but my parents were supportive.” But what motivated her to take up this traditionally male-dominated profession to start with?

“I was inspired by the women of the Tarai who have been earning their livelihood by ferrying passengers in their electronic rickshaws,” explains Nabina. “I also love meeting people from various walks of life”.

She feels saddened by the paucity of women in her profession. Nabina believes women of the 21st century should prove they are as strong, hard-working and conscientious as their male counterparts, if not better than them. She thinks women should break free from their traditional role of home-maker. “Women can definitely do much better if they are given adequate opportunity and freedom,” says Nabina.

Perhaps because she is con­fident in her driving Nabina says her passengers have no qualms being driven around by a woman.

Don’t things sometimes get scary when she unknowingly admits unruly passengers? “I drive night and day. At night, I feel a little afraid of drunkards and criminal-minded passen­gers. But I am picky whom I let in and I avoid going to places I know little about.”

Emphasizing the need to bring taxi fares in line with the increased prices of commodities, she hopes the government creates an environment where “taxi driv­ers can viably support their families in an expensive city like Kathmandu”.