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We strongly believe that when it comes to home décor, there are no rules. The key is to have fun and experiment. And what better time could there be to play around and spruce up your décor than Dashain and Tihar? This is that time of the year when you will be home and you will also have guests over so it’s important you make your living space a well-loved and cared for one. We bring to you some easy tips and tricks that can help elevate your lifestyle this festive season.

Have fun with lights

Lights are the easiest way to revamp your space. You can consider switching out the light fixtures at home to more elaborate ones. Or even swap the ones you have to change the look of a room. For a more non-fuss, easy-on-the-pocket option, invest in some string lights and hang them in strategic locations, like the entryway of your home or over bookshelves and such. You can use them to accentuate specific areas of your home or create an overall festive atmosphere. The choice is yours. 

Candles, too, can be another cheap alternative. Buy some chunky ones and spread them throughout your home. Floating candles, paired with some flower petals, can add charm to your space without making it look over the top. You can also add some stick candles on the dining table. The good thing about candles is that they come in many colors and sizes and can be placed in holders or on stands. They can create a warm and inviting ambiance without clashing with any kind of décor style.

Flower power

Flowers instantly brighten up a home. But they can be a tad on the expensive side, especially during festivals. A good idea would be to purchase a few long stems of roses, gerberas, and sunflowers, stick one or two in small vases or glass jars, and spread them around the house. You can repurpose old liquor bottles for this or even use tall cocktail glasses. Flower petals in small bowls also look great. Make sure to use transparent glass bowls for this though. 

While we don’t really advocate the use of artificial flowers, used sparingly they can add a certain charm to your space without you having to take care of them. Find some to match your décor and create an arrangement but don’t go overboard with them. Look for ones that aren’t too loud and are as close to the real ones. Lilies and sunflowers can be good options. The idea is to have them blend in with the real ones.

Bring out the brass

Brass can be a really good way to add a touch of oomph to your space. So, bring out your puja items, like that bell, incense holders, diyas, and thaalis, and get creative with them. You can use them in various ways around the house. Use your puja thaali to create a coffee table centerpiece. Add a candle, some incense sticks, and maybe a flower or two to decorate the tray. Use brass diyas in place of candles or place tea lights on them and use them together. Brass light fixtures, the ones that are used as oil lamps in pujas, make for an interesting dining table décor.

Original style with origami

Origami can be great fun. There are many YouTube tutorials on how to make different shapes and designs. Buy a bunch of colored paper. They are available at stationery stores around town. You can also get special origami paper at many of these places. Pick a design you like—we recommend cranes, butterflies, or flowers—and make a bunch of them first and then string them together. You can use this in place of garlands against the wall or in an archway. Origami in blues, yellows, and pinks make up a beautiful ensemble and can also be used as decorative items throughout the house. 

Another really cool option would be to hang different colored kites from your balcony to give your home a festive look. They add a fun element to your home. So, buy a bunch or make some miniature ones yourself.

After 15 years of experience working in the Nepali film industry, Satyaraj Chaulagain, 33, is finally embarking on a new journey: He is ready to make his movies. His successful stint as director and/or lyricist for movies like ‘Kohinoor’ and ‘Ma Yesto Geet Gauchu’ among others has given him the confidence to take this bold step. Apart from being a filmmaker, he is also the managing director of the advertising agency Simple Ad Media.

As a child, Chaulagain loved Tulshi Ghimire’s movies. It was watching them that made him want to become an actor. Fueled by a passion for filmmaking, he established ‘Cinema Sanchar’ in 2006. The idea behind it was to bring in experts to provide dancing, singing, and acting classes to those looking to make their mark in the movie business.  

It was during that time that he met Dayaram Dahal, a well-known director. Dahal lived close to Cinema Sanchar’s office. Dahal saw how passionate Chaulagain was about the movies and offered him work as an assistant director in one of his projects. This was how, 12 years ago, Chaulagain took his first hesitant step into the world of directing movies. Under Dahal’s mentorship, he directed ‘Maya ko Barima’ produced by Gopi Krishna Movies. 

“I was interested in acting but I became enthralled by the challenge of directing movies after working under Dayaram sir,” he says. Since then, Chaulagain has worked as the assistant director in more than a dozen films, including notable movies like ‘Kohinoor’, ‘Naike’, ‘Ko Afno’, ‘K Ma Timro Hoina Ra’, ‘Bhaag Saani Bhaag’ and ‘Ma Yesto Geet Gauchu.’ ‘Anuraag’ marks his directorial debut. His second film, ‘Bichhed’ is set for a November release. 

His debut film didn’t get the response he expected. But he says it was a learning experience. He could identify the gaps and limitations and work on them. He is, however, optimistic about Bicched, which is a love story. He intends to take it to international film festivals as well. 

Before diving into the world of directing movies, he was also a lyricist. He was even nominated for different music awards including Second Jeevanta Award 2023. He was awarded the ‘Best Modern Song Lyricist’  for ‘Maya Timi Sangai’ and ‘Best Modern Pop Video Director’ for ‘Sapana Banera’. He also was honored with the National Inclusive Music Awards and Golden Horse Bishes Samman in 2023.

Chalagain believes his taste in music helps refine his directorial abilities, particularly in terms of incorporating music into films. Even now when he is busy with his projects, he is up for writing lyrics. He has penned popular songs like ‘Timro Sworma Swor’, ‘Aama’, ‘Yesto Sathi Timro Banchu Ma’, ‘Maya Timi Sangai’ and ‘Mero Desh Nepal’.

Life seems to be on track but it wasn’t always that way, he says. He started his career at a young age and though much of what he learned was through experience on sets, he realized there was sometimes no substitute for theoretical knowledge. So, he got enrolled in a six-month online course conducted by renowned Hollywood director, Peter D. Marshall. He considers this to be a solid foundation upon which he can build his filmmaking career. 

“A director is the captain of the team, you could say. There is nothing s/he isn’t responsible for,” he says. From handling financial issues when and if they arise to managing different people’s working sensibilities, a director has a lot on his plate. “It’s important to learn to manage people as well.”

Filmmaking, he says, has become significantly easier over the years. Digital media has made it possible for people to pick up new skills should they so wish to. There are a lot of resources available online. You no longer have to shadow senior directors to learn and enter the industry, he says. But he feels collaborations are important. As a stickler for quality, Chaulagain believes in letting experts do their jobs rather than dabbling in everything yourself.  “A movie is the result of teamwork and good movies require great teams,” he says. 

A director is only as good as his actors. But the beauty of direction lies in being able to bring out the essence of the characters through them. Which is why, he says, casting the right actor for a role is so important. Movies should entertain you as well as make you think, says Chaulagain, and good acting and a solid script are key elements for that. 

Talking about the current status of the Nepali film industry, he says, “Around two decades ago, Nepali and Bollywood movies were on par. But the Nepali film industry hasn’t been able to maintain that status.” To address this, he highlights the importance of both the audience and the government lending support to Nepali cinema. 

“The government should support film education programs and film schools, fund film courses as well as provide scholarships to aspiring filmmakers,” he says. 

Canberra: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he will visit China in early November, making the announcement Sunday hours before he was to fly to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden.

Albanese also said China agreed late Saturday to review the crippling tariffs it levied on Australian wine that have effectively blocked trade with the winemakers’ biggest export market since 2020.

Albanese will become the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years when he travels to Beijing and Shanghai on Nov 4-7.

“It’s in Australia’s interest to have good relations with China, and certainly my focus in the coming days will be very much on the visit to the United States,” Albanese told reporters at Australian Parliament House.

“With Australia’s closest partner, talking about the future of our alliance, the future which has been upgraded by the AUKUS arrangements, a future based upon our common values, our commitment to democracy, and our commitment to the international rule of law and stable order throughout the globe,” Albanese added, using the acronym for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Under the trilateral pact, the US and Britain will cooperate to provide Australia with a fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology to counter a more assertive China.

Albanese said he will meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang in Beijing and then attend the China International Import Expo in Shanghai.

The visit to China and a potential breakthrough in the wine dispute mark a further repair in relations since Albanese’s center-left Labor Party won elections last year after nine years of conservative government in Australia.

China has agreed to review its tariffs on Australian wine over five months, Albanese's office said. In return, Australia has suspended its complaint against its free trade partner to the World Trade Organization.

A similar dispute resolution plan led to China removing tariffs from Australian barley.

Albanese said reopening the Chinese wine market would be worth more than $631m to exporters.

“We’re very confident that this will result in once again Australian wine, a great product, being able to go to China free of the tariffs which have been imposed by China,” Albanese said.

“It is important that we stabilize our relationship with China. That is in the interests of Australia and China, and it is indeed in the interests of the world that we have stable relations and that is what this visit will represent,” he added.

The visit will come near the 50th anniversary of Labor Party leader Gough Whitlam becoming the first Australian prime minister to visit the People's Republic of China in 1973.

Albanese accepted an invitation weeks ago to visit China this year, but finding suitable dates had been challenging.

Albanese is visiting Washington to meet with Biden this week and will return to the United States after his China trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ forum in San Francisco on Nov 15-17.

It will be the ninth time Biden has met with Albanese as prime minister. The first meeting was in Tokyo hours after Albanese was sworn in as government leader in May last year for a leaders' summit of the Quad strategic partnership that also includes Japan and India.

As well as the AUKUS deal, the leaders will also seek more cooperation on clean energy, critical minerals and climate change.

Albanese’s department announced Friday that it decided after an investigation not to cancel a Chinese company’s 99-year lease on the strategically important Darwin Port despite US concerns that foreign control could be used to spy on its military forces.

Some security analysts interpreted the decision to let Shandong Landbridge Group keep the lease signed in 2015 and long criticized Albanese as a concession to China ahead of his visit.

China’s release of Australian journalist Cheng Lei this month after she spent three years in detention in Beijing on espionage allegations was widely seen as a concession to Australia.

Albanese said the breakthrough on wine “has not been transactional,” meaning Australia did not make any corresponding concessions to Chinese demands.

“We’ll continue to put our case on matters that are in Australia’s national interest,” he said.

“I’ve said very consistently: We’ll cooperate with China where we can, we’ll disagree where we must, and we’ll engage in our national interest, and that’s precisely what we’re doing,” he added.

AP

When I was a teenager, I visited my relatives in the hilly region of Kaski during the festive season of Tihar. For brunch, I was served a special dish called pakku meat with rice. I was quite surprised and couldn’t help but ask my aunt, “Did someone in the village make the dish for Tihar?” My aunt explained that the pakku meat had been prepared during the Dashain festival and saved for the occasion of Tihar. I felt privileged to be enjoying the delicious flavors of pakku that had been made about 20 days earlier.

In the past, many middle-class families would traditionally sacrifice a goat during Dashain, but they often couldn’t consume all of it within a few days. Meat was a rare and valuable commodity back then, so they came up with a way to cook the goat meat in fat and preserve it. This culinary tradition was born out of necessity, allowing Nepali families to make their meat last and savor its succulent taste for an extended period. The cold climate of the Nepali hills was also ideal for preserving meat, especially when it was cooked in a mixture of fat, mustard oil, and ghee. The generous use of fat, in my opinion, was the main ingredient that helped preserve the meat until winter.

In contrast to the Indian tradition, our celebration of Navaratri, the nine days of worshiping Shakti or the goddess, involves a lot of meat, alcohol, and food. We celebrate it for more than 10 days, and the most authentic food of Dashain is pakku, the slow-cooked meat in fat.

Pakku meat is a beloved dish that graces Nepali dinner tables during this special season. It’s not just a meal; it represents the heart of Nepali culinary heritage and the skill of preserving flavors.

Pakku meat, a slow-cooked goat dish, plays a pivotal role during Dashain. The preparation of this delectable treat is a labor of love, blending time-tested methods with a unique selection of spices. At the heart of pakku meat’s distinctive flavor lies the secret ingredient: pakku masala. This special spice blend is more than just a seasoning; it’s the soul of the dish, composed of a variety of spices like coriander, bay leaves, fenugreek seeds, dry ginger, garlic, cardamom, cumin, cloves, long pepper, and many more. Each spice contributes to the rich and authentic Nepali flavor that defines pakku masu.

To create pakku meat, one must start with the right ingredients, particularly goat leg pieces, preferably from a young goat. The meat is then marinated with mustard oil, a blend of spices, and aromatic ginger and garlic. The slow-cooking process, often executed in a heavy-bottomed pot or a pressure cooker, allows the flavors to blend. No water is added to the pot, and onions or tomatoes are conspicuously absent during the cooking process. This extended cooking time yields tender, flavorful meat, eagerly anticipated by Nepali people during Dashain.

One notable aspect of pakku meat is the quantity in which it is prepared. This generous serving size is perfect for hosting extended family and guests who come together to celebrate Dashain. As the dish is reheated and served, its flavors deepen, creating a taste that evolves. The more you reheat it, the darker, richer, and more tender it becomes.

For many Nepali individuals living far from their homeland during Dashain, preparing pakku meat is a way to reconnect with their roots. It’s a journey back home, a method to honor cherished traditions, and a means of sharing a piece of Nepal with their loved ones, no matter where they are in the world.

Pakku meat, with its rich flavors and cultural significance, exemplifies how food can be a source of celebration, connection, and nostalgia. If you’ve never had the pleasure of savoring goat meat or are interested in exploring the diverse facets of Nepali cuisine, don’t hesitate to give pakku meat a try. It’s not just a dish; it’s a part of Nepali tradition and a flavorful celebration of Dashain. It’s worth noting that every family has its unique way of preparing Pakku, and the following is one particular recipe that I hold dear.

Ingredients

Two kg goat meat

Five gm (two tsp) cumin powder

Three gm (1.5 tsp) chili powder

Four gm (two tsp) turmeric powder

Four gm (1.5 tsp) garam masala

16 gm (one tbsp) garlic paste

12 gm (one tbsp) ginger paste

Four bay leaves

Four cloves

Two gm black peppercorns

Two cinnamon sticks

Four black cardamoms

120 ml (eight tbsp) pure mustard oil

120 ml (eight tbsp) ghee (brown butter)

20 gm salt

Method

Begin by marinating the larger pieces of goat meat with mustard oil, garlic, ginger, salt, garam masala powder, cumin powder, chili powder, turmeric powder, and ghee. Allow the meat to marinate for at least four to five hours

Once the marination is complete, place all the marinated meat in a clay pot, ensuring that the lid is tightly sealed. Some cooks add a layer of flour dough around the top to seal it and ensure an airtight vessel. Let the pot simmer over low heat for another four hours.

This recipe is incredibly straightforward, emphasizing the importance of good-quality meat and the use of high-quality ingredients. However, the true magic lies in the cooking technique employed.

Pakku meat is at its best when cooked over an open-fire stove, though this may prove challenging in a city setting. For urban dwellers, a kasaudi (a traditional wood-burning stove) is your best bet to achieve the perfect result. In the lack of these options, a pressure cooker or even a rice cooker can be used. In the case of the latter, simply place all the ingredients in the rice cooker and switch it on. Keep in mind that you may need to use a bit more oil and ghee for the rice cooker preparation.

The author is a UK-based R&D chef​​​​​​​