Submit your Article

The play Kora brings sev­eral stories together to portray the lives of Tibetan refugees living in exile in Nepal and India. The emotional hour-long drama depicts the struggles of the refugees and their hopes to return to Tibet someday. In one scene, the happiness of a refugee’s family with the birth of a son suddenly turns into gloom upon the realiza­tion that the newborn was yet another person the world would label as a refugee.

Kora is based on four poems—Horizon, Refugee, The Tibetan in Mumbai and Exile House—in an anthology of short stories and poems by Tibetan author Tenzin Tsundue. Tsundue is a poet, writer and activist, who won the Outlook-Picador Award in 2001.

The four poems were translated into Nepali by Che Shankar. Loonibha Tuladhar directs the play while Shreeti Pradhan and Rubin Kumar Shrestha give the background music. In 2008, Tuladhar had directed a version of the play which featured, among other actors, Dayahang Rai and Aashant Sharma.

The current version has Bipin KC, Suraj KC, Anish Thakuri, Bipul Thapa, Sami Rai, Sharmila Shres­tha and Sudharshan Khatri in leading roles.

The play is being staged at Shilpee Theatre in Battisputali every day at 5:30 pm except on Tuesday. The last show is on June 14.

Prashant Rasaily is not a household name in Nepal, not yet. But to a connoisseur of Nepali films, Rasaily has made enormous creative contribution to the industry; he provides a breath of fresh air to the mundane, formulaic portrayal of the Nepali society in mainstream Nepali cinema. From writing screenplay for the ground-breaking “Kaagbeni” (2008) to directing the tell-tale “Acharya” (2011) and then writing, directing, producing and giving music to the critically acclaimed “Katha” (2013), Rasaily has done it all. And he has done so with critical acclaim, a rarity in Nepali cinema.

Hailing from Sikkim, Rasaily has tried his hands in Bolly­wood too, assisting the famous filmmaker Anurag Basu in his Hritik Roshan-starrer “Kites.” The multi-talented filmmaker is currently in Nepal, taking an artistic retreat in the peaceful Pokhara and planning his next venture.

Sunny Mahat for APEX talks to Rasaily about his current work and future plans.

Excerpts:

So is it a total retreat from work for you right now?

I recently returned to Pokhara from Kathmandu after working on an indie film called “Cheeso Ashtray.” I’m providing technical and creative support to a fea­ture-length film being directed by Dinesh Palpali.

You come from Sikkim and probably had better oppor­tunities in India. So why did you choose Nepal and specially Pokhara as your work/rest destination?

I’ve been coming to Nepal regularly since the making of Kagbeni. Nepal is my second home. I hadn’t been here for a few years so I thought I’d come and stay for a while. As for Pokhara, I like this city for its calm and peaceful ambi­ence. I’ve been here for the past four or five months and I have found peace.

Any projects that you’re working on in near future?

A filmmaker’s work is never fixed. I’ll work for whatever project suits me and with whichever team I fancy. I have not committed anywhere yet and I’m keeping my options open. For now, I’m just find­ing peace here in Pokhara and I’m happy to do whatever I can when the time is right.

How important is formal learning in filmmaking, especially for aspiring Nepali filmmakers?

Learning is important no matter what we do. We film­makers either learn in school or on set. But formal learn­ing is still necessary, I think. These days, due to the readily available technology, anyone can make a movie and every­one is becoming a filmmaker. But film-making is not just only about grabbing a cam­era and shooting. It has many technical aspects and you also need to understand life. It’s about your ability to skillfully project your experiences in your work.

I am meeting a lot of young people who’re coming out of the few film schools here, and I see a good future for them. As for myself, even though I am not actually a trainer or a teacher, I want to share whatever I’ve learnt by experience with the new generation of filmmakers.

How much do you follow the Nepali film industry? Do you think it is making progress?

The progress is slow but there is progress. Compared to the number of movies released in Nepal every year, the number of exceptional movies is not that high. I can see some really good work in a few movies and I think that number has to increase to call it progress.

You have experience of working in Bollywood as well. The Bombay-based film industry has gone global lately. Why can’t we produce such global movies?

I think it’s about the thoughts in the first place. So long as you don’t have the right thoughts, you won’t be professional or dedicated. You will not have what it takes to go global. It is our thought patterns that need to change. Some people are already on their way though and doing amazingly. The number of these people has to increase in the industry. Some recent films are really nice and original, like “Kabaddi” and “Pashupati Prasad.” We can see the change coming in the Nepali film industry, but like I’ve said, the change is rather slow.

Boutique hotels seem to be all the rage in Kathmandu, with many of them sprouting up in the capital city within a relatively short time. The tourist hotspot of Thamel has been shunned by most new entrants who have opened new outlets in more residential areas to provide a “boutique” experience to their clients. So what exactly makes a hotel ‘boutique’? The term is believed to have been coined by American hotelier Steve Rubell in 1984 as he was comparing the Morgans Hotel, the first hotel he co-owned, to a boutique. Since then boutique hotels have sprung up around the world, each advertising their unique features. Petite, classy, personalized and expen­sive (mostly) are some adjectives that define a boutique hotel, even though there are no hard and fast definitions.

We feature a few hotels being marketed as boutique and let our readers decide if they want to try the ‘boutique’ experience.

Royal Empire Boutique Hotel

The Royal Empire Bou­tique Hotel in Baluwatar is getting much attention these days, largely for its hospital­ity and top-notch service. A historic building that has been restored, Royal Empire advertises itself on its Face­book page as “a luxury hotel that blends royal her­itage and modern comfort”. Reading customer reviews, this certainly seems true.

“Our hotel is a renovated Juddha Sumsher palace dat­ing back 200 years,” says Rohit Shrestha, the General Manager. “And we’ve intro­duced some of the most lux­urious modern amenities to this vintage building.” The Royal Empire has tru­ly humongous rooms, each between 400 and 1500 sq. ft, which is almost the size of most apartments. Along with emperor-sized rooms and royal décor, the hotel also has spa facilities, a multi-cuisine restaurant, an event hall and other modern amenities.

Rates: $100-$350 per night

(There’s a promotional offer with around 30 percent dis­count for limited time)

Hotel Heranya

Located at Tej Bhawan, Uttar Dhoka, Hotel Heran­ya is a two-storey palatial building that has been taste­fully redone for the com­fort of well-heeled travelers. Its 17 rooms are beautiful­ly designed, reflecting the Newar Vajrayan, or Bud­dhist architecture of the Valley. The premises have a long history of attracting international agencies like the WHO and UNICEF in the 1980s and WECS and the Peace Corps in the 1990s.

Heranya is a family-run hotel, which defines itself as an ecological enterprise. Solar-powered water heat­ers, rain-water harvesting, organic vegetables and fruits, exotic garden, all add­ed with a touch of unique and personalized service, is what Heranya is all about.

The hotel has deluxe rooms as well as studios apartments for long-term guests with a Kitchenette and added living space.

“We have tried our best to preserve the historic build­ing and added a modern touch to it in terms of facili­ties and services,” says Ravi Manandhar, the manager.

Rates: $45-65 per night

Royal Penguin Boutique Hotel

The Royal Penguin Bou­tique Hotel & Spa, situat­ed on the quieter side of Thamel, is one of the first boutique hotels in Nepal, and is completely based on modern themes. The contemporarily designed building has 20 cozy rooms, an exquisitely designed restaurant and bar, and a full-fledged spa. The hotel is unique in terms of its design as well as its services—pro­viding customized services to its clients who can choose from its “Crazy menu”. They can even order dumbbells and soft toys into their room and book business trips to Hong Kong or South Korea.

Décor at the Royal Pen­guin is an exotic fusion of art and architecture. Outlandish teak root fur­niture is complemented by multi-genre paintings and installation arts in the rooms, lobby and restau­rant. The center of attrac­tion in the décor is a stump of a petrified wood import­ed from Madagascar dating back to the pre-historic time, all of 230 million years ago.

Rates: $50-$90 per night

Maya Manor Boutique Hotel

The Maya Manor Boutique Hotel is owned and operated by the KGH Hotels group, which is one of the most reputed enterprises in the Nepali hospitality industry for over 50 years. A histor­ic mansion turned into a hotel, the quaint building that hosts Maya Manor in Durbarmarg was built in 1935, in what was the hey­day of Rana aristocracy. The building was resurrected after the 2015 earthquake and now is home to the Maya Manor Boutique Hotel.

“We have turned a heri­tage site into a hotel to give a boutique experience to our guests,” says Niraj Bajra­charya, manager at Maya Manor. “This hotel in under the KGH brand so there is no compromising on quality.” Maya Manor overlooks the Narayanhiti Museum and most parts of Durbarmarg and Naxal. The characteris­tic building stands out amid concrete structures in the area and provides a refuge in antiquity to its select cli­ents. Historic artifacts and architecture adorn the hotel premises that also has a lush garden for its guests to spend some quiet time.

Rates: $100-$120 per night

Nepal: Then and Now juxta­poses historical and contem­porary photographs of Nepal to examine how the physi­cal and social landscape of Nepal has changed over time. The exhibit started on May 25 inside the premises of Bikalpa Art Center, Lalitpur. Bikalpa is a non-profit devoted to bring­ing art to the general public.

The photo exhibition shows the changes Nepal has under­gone in the past 100 years. The displayed photos repre­sent perspectives of eight dif­ferent photographers, each comparison representing dif­ferent interpretations of the theme of a Nepal in flux.

The participant pho­tographers were Shisang Khyungba Lama, Fritz Berger, Bipin Raj Tiwari, Katherine Cheng, Pablo Lopez, Shrijana Shrestha, Peter Gill and Ram Paudel. The exhibition ends on June 1.