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 There are flocks of people walk­ing in and around Bir Hospital, one of the busiest in the coun­try. These are not just patients and their visitors, but also those looking for a palmist, in the hope of getting a peek into their future.

As a child, I was fascinated by palmistry. The idea of someone looking at my palm and somehow foretelling my future was too good to be true. But I took it seriously. I clearly remember two things a palmist had told me in 2010: I would soon be leaving Nepal for my higher studies and I would get married at 25. The thought of getting mar­ried at 25 was exciting then, but now that I am 23, I don’t see myself getting married in two years. But the palmist’s first prophesy was fulfilled. It seemed impossible at the time that I would leave Nepal soon, but two years down the line, I did end up in Bangladesh for an undergraduate degree.

Now that I am older, I am skeptical about palmistry. My first thought is, “Why do palmists sit around pre­dicting others’ future when they could have looked into their own future and changed it for the bet­ter?” Additionally, even though the palmist foretold those two specific things, other things he said were vague: “You will always be there for your family”, “You have a great future”, and “You should not trust people easily”. Unsure about his predictive power, I once again hit the streets to find out more about palmistry.

Under the overhead bridge in front of Bir Hospital is a small room with two palmists—Keshav Prasad Poudel, 79, and Dilliram Koirala, 71. They claim to have read numer­ous palms under that bridge in the past 15 years. Currently, they charge between Rs 150 to Rs 250 for reading a palm. They say they learned palm­istry from family members.

I ask Poudel what he can predict. “Everything,” he replies. I then ask him when I will die. “That’s an easy one,” he says, and explains that if he says I will die within a year, I might come back to question his knowledge after a year, but if he says I will die in the next 20 years, I will probably forget what he said by then. I nod.

I want to talk to other palmists before going back to him. So I approach Bharat Subedi, 75, who is sitting on the sidewalk in front of the hospital. He claims to have learned palmistry at the age of sev­en, when a palmist took him to a dark place in Sundarijal and taught him for seven months. When I ask him how I can believe what he says, he shows me a newspaper cutting. It’s an article about him from April 2015, entitled ‘Ma doctor ko doctor hoon’ (“I am the doctor of doctors”). He charges Rs 330 for a session, for which he uses rice. (I did not see oth­er palmists doing so.) Subedi divides the rice into three parts, each of which requires Rs 100 on top. (Another Rs 30 goes straight into his pocket.) Subedi claims the number of his “customers” has grown over the years.

As I head toward Shahid Gate, I see around eight palmists, all sitting close to each other. I approach one and he tells me they all came to Kathmandu 23 years ago from South India, where they learned palmistry. Tripadi baba, 38, accepts the money I hand him.

I show him my palm. He speaks hastily as if he is reciting a man­tra. And although he talks to me in Nepali, he has a strong accent, which makes it hard for me to understand. He asks my age and predicts I would get married at 25! He goes on to say things like I have a bright career and a future of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. As I am about to leave, he warns me not to go to other palm­ists, as they might make false predic­tions (like I have a bad future), which would upset me.

Finally, I go back to Poudel. He asks the date and time of my birth, and does some calculation with the numbers. Then he looks at my palm and says I am going to get married soon. I wonder why they have to start with my marriage! I tell him I have no intention of get­ting married before 30. He hesitates slightly but tells me he sees a sign that I would get married earlier. When I ask him for a specific age, he says 28. He predicts I would go abroad within the next eight months and advises me to worship Saturn on Saturdays to placate him. He adds that I have a bright career and I will live a healthy life until I die at 75.

Poudel says people who are in deep trouble and looking for some solace usually get their palms read. Earlier, Subedi had said, “Even doc­tors can’t cure a troubled heart. There are many people who have problems related to life, relation­ships, money, etc. and I am here to guide them.” And Bir Hospital seems to be the right place for it, as there are countless people visiting it from all over the country.

 The Culture Studies Group Nepal (CSGN) was established in the late 1990s as a platform to share knowledge on the culture, heritage and arts of Nepal. Although the group attracts a good number of expats, it also has many Nepali members who can learn and share more about their heritage. I am a member of this group. But as there is increasingly so much to do in Kathmandu and some things get ‘lost in the pile’, I thought I would alert those who don’t know about CSGN to its existence.

CSGN is run by a committee of like-minded people who want to share their combined knowledge, and/or learn (and share) more about the different facets of Nepal. Concentrating mainly on the rich artistic environment of the Kathmandu Valley, the group also brings in interesting guest speakers from around the country and the world. Talk programs take place once a month, on a Friday morning, in the Shanker Hotel, Lazimpat. The topics can be as diverse as restoring heritage after the earthquake and taking a look at the unique of murals in Lo Manthang, to climbing Everest and the plight of the under-privileged in Nepal. These talks are open to the public and enjoy a patronage from students, lecturers, and lay people alike.

Once a month CSGN also hosts studio visits. These are member-only events which take place around the Valley. Some of the past visits include to stone carvers in Patan; vertical shaft brick kilns on the outskirts of Kathmandu; an architectural heritage walk to Sankhu; a visit to the Himalayan Cheese Factory near Dhulikhel; a trip to a silver jewellery workshop; and a trip to see restoration work in old Panauti town. Free to members (with a small charge for transport, if required) these studio trips offer a good insight into various aspects of the history, art and every-day life of the Kathmandu Valley.

Mainly attracting expats, these studio visits also see a smattering of Nepali members who wish to find out more about their own cultural past and present. Like the talks, the studio visits are guided by an expert from the ‘studio’ being visited, providing a good deal of knowledge we might never gain from visiting, say, Panauti, alone.

Having been a long-term member, I have seen some of the visits come round again. For example, to lokta paper or pashmina factories, or to thanka painting workshop in Patan. But for the newcomers it is invaluable to have some visits repeated every three or four years so everyone can benefit from the experience.

Naturally, not everyone is interested in every visit—probably just as well. Otherwise, studio visits would be overflowing! But when talking to members, I can honestly say that in the 10 months of the year that the group runs (September- June) there is usually around 7 or 8 studio visits that the average member is interested in. As well as many talks.

In December there is also a lunch for members so that they can relax and really get to know each other without distractions. On the topic of socializing, there are normally some refreshments during the studio visits, depending on the venue. For example, at a recent visit to a new hotel, members were treated to pastries, donuts and coffee. Not to mention the wine and cheese flowing liberally on the cheese factory tour! Overall I can say this is an excellent way to learn much about what we see around us in a very informative but also fun and relaxed way.

Membership is open to all and the group has a membership tea in September. This event allows for old, new and potential members to gather and discover mutual interests. With an annual membership of Rs 3,000 allowing free access to programs twice a month, it’s not outlandishly expensive. Students and senior citizens are half price.

For further information please see Culture Studies Group Nepal’s FB page or contact them on csgninkathmandu@ gmail.com

 Bikalpa Art Center’s first pop-up exhibit titled ‘Pop-up Summer Art Exhibition’ cherishes the onset of summer. The exhibi­tion brings together art pieces of six renowned Nepali artists: Chirag Bangdel, Rajan Pant, Umesh Shah, Uma Shanker Shah, Seema Sharma Shah and Sushma Shakya. Each art­work narrates a distinct story. According to curator/director Saroj Mahato, the objective is to highlight the significance of local art and bring it to the common people.

The goal is also to create a platform to celebrate Nepali contemporary art and to pro­mote Nepali art and culture. The art pieces differ in their styles, patterns and techniques used such as etch­ing, oil on canvas and acrylic on canvas. The contents cover a wide range of sub­jects, from phases of human life to mythological aspects from “The Ramayana” and “The Mahabharata” to human nature.

The exhibition is also great opportunity for art admirers and art collectors to enrich their personal collections.

Artist Umesh Shah’s acrylic on canvas paintings, “Hid­den reality” and “Behind the mask” impersonate the emotions of the people, each of whom is wearing a mask and concealing his genuine feelings. Says Shah, “My artwork is highly influ­enced by Mithila and Ancient Egyptian Art. I try to show the everyday life of ordinary people in the 21st century in my work.”

Due to our growing fasci­nation with western culture we are inadvertently aban­doning our roots. This exhi­bition is a reminder of what we are losing out in the pro­cess. The show runs through till 21 June 2019, from 10 am to 6 pm.

 They’re fast and they’re furious. Ridiculously fast and tremendously furious. Oblivious to what is going on in the mainstream of music, these young guitarists, or shredders as we’d like to call them for their lightning speed and brutal strength, are the underdogs of Nepali music.

 Picking, tapping and sweeping across the fretboard of their guitars, this batch of young guitarists is extremely talented, technically perfect and musically astute. Some make music from their bedrooms and share it with the world on social media, while others for the time hide themselves behind cover bands, always wishing to break the shackles and go solo with their original music. Despite limited recognition and opportunities, these young guitarists have been thriving thanks to the access created by technology. This week, APEX brings you a selection of five young guitarists who’ve shredded their way to fame and who deserve to be even more recognized for their prowess.

Rupesh Pariyar (23)

 Rupesh is an aspiring musician who started playing guitar at 11, inspired by his uncles and their friends who he grew up listening to. Although he loves playing across different genres, Rupesh’s favorite is progressive metal. His life goal is to keep updating his skills, learning from others while sharing what he’s learnt, on his way to becoming a successful musician. “There is scope for a working musician in Nepal if you know how to balance things,” Rupesh says. “There is a lot of potential in music production, teaching and performance.”

Nishant Acharya (25)

 Working full time as a digital marketing manager in an IT company, Nishant is also popular among young musicians for his impressive guitar skills and for his stylish beard and moustache! “Playing guitar feels like an extension of my conscience. It is a form of expressing myself in a way I may not be comfortable doing in words,” says Nishant, who started playing guitar at the age of 13. Nishant has a unique finger-style guitar playing skill, a rarity among guitarists, and his strength lies in his immaculate transcription skills and the ability to dial a clean and pristine tone while playing live or recording. He plans to release his debut instrumental album in the near future and has already started writing songs for it.

Ridesh Tamang (22)

 Ridesh has an interesting story on how he got into guitars. Turns out, he was influenced by the 2008 Bollywood musical “Rock On” and learning the songs from the movie made him take up guitar. “I even thought actor Arjun Rampal who is a guitarist in the movie was actually playing the instrument,” he laughs sheepishly. But as time progressed, his taste changed. As he got into listening to heavier stuff, Ridesh developed a style for himself which he likes to call “modern progressive Djenty rock/metal.” How deep is that? Ridesh plays in a cover band in Thamel and teaches guitar to make a living. He is also planning to come out with a solo album which will be inspired by different styles of music, he informs.

Kshitiz Singh Pariyar (17)

 Last but not the least is Kshitiz, or Musichead Kshitiz as he’s popularly known in social media. Still in high school, Kshitiz started playing guitar at the age of 11 and within just six years has been able to create a following for himself. Currently a member of an ‘experimental core’ band, Kshitiz cannot name a particular style he’d like to be associated with but looks up to local heroes Sunny ST, Sunny Manadhar and Ridesh Tamang as well as international guitarists Guthrie Govan, Dimebag Darrel and Andy James for inspiration. PS: The boys have really worked hard to create backing tracks for their instrumentals and record it in a video for our audience. Make sure you follow the QR code in the article or search for “The Annapurna Express” on Youtube to witness them in action.

Apurva Chaudhary (23)

Attracted to music after attending numerous bhajan sessions in his childhood, Apurva not only plays guitar but is also a prolific singer. “I actually started as a singer in a band. I later got into guitar as it served as a guiding point for my vocal practice,” he says. “But now this instrument is a part of me. I look forward to getting the most out of this relationship between me and my music.” A listener of all genres of music, Apurva’s ultimate goal is to make a living doing something he is passionate about. “I was always an average student while I was in school/college,” he says. “I may not be the greatest guitar player but it still motivates me to get better each day. I never got this feeling while studying.”