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Dysfunctional traffic lights are one of the main reasons for bad traffic of Kathmandu. “If only the lights at the main junctions were working,” says Sumesh Gautam, a 33-year-old micro-bus driver, “there would be much better traffic flow.”

Especially during rush hours, there is a lot of jam. If a traffic police is absent at a junction even for 10 minutes, a chaos quickly ensues. “So why are traffic-lights not being fixed?” Gautam asks. Other drivers, and even traffic police personnel, pose similar questions.

“If there were working traffic lights, first, our human resources could be better utilized,” says DSP Krishna Dutta Bhatta of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division (MPTD). “Second, it would be easier for the general public to follow traffic rules.” Around 1,450 traffic police personnel are deployed to control the traffic of Kathmandu alone, he adds. “An average of four traffic officers are required to handle traffic at a single junction.”

A normal shift of a traffic officer at a post is of around four hours, and some may stand at a junction for over 12 hours a day in various shifts. In case of conferences and special escorts where VIPs are involved, they have to spend up to 18 hours a day on the streets. “We still lack enough human resources to be able to change shifts. Thus during special programs a traffic officer has to continuously be on duty for 15 hours,” Bhatta says.

The MPTD has been pushing the Department of Roads (DoR) to install traffic lights around the city, according to Bhatta. Around eight months ago, they submitted proposals and sent written letters to DoR, as well as to Lalitpur and Kathmandu municipalities, for the same.

Dip Barahi, a senior divisional officer at the DoR, says there were plans to install 35 smart traffic lights around Kathmandu at an estimated cost of Rs 750 million. (In a smart system, traffic lights at different junctions are synchronized to ease traffic flow.) But later the department found out that actually it would cost a lot more. Bahari informs that the software that analyses traffic at different junctions and set timings for smart traffic lights alone would cost Rs 10 million. There were other problems too.

“There are no Intelligent Transport System (ITS) experts in Nepal,” says Barahi. “In fact there are just 14 ITS experts in the whole world. So installation of smart traffic lights in Nepal will take time. But we are still consulting some foreign experts.” Instead, the department is now planning to install eight regular traffic lights at the main junctions of Kathmandu, the tender for which has already been given.

“Within a year traffic lights at Singha Durbar, Bagbazar, Kalimati, Tinkune, New Baneshwor, Mitrapark, Thapathali and Gaushala junctions will be in operation,” Barahi assures. “Also, we are slowly starting to repair old traffic lights,” says Barahi. hatta of the traffic police hopes the traffic lights are being installed strategically. “There will continue to be traffic jams so long as lights at all main junctions are not working,” he warns.

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.

The tradition of endless partying and incomparable hospitality of the lake city of Pokhara was continued this New Year’s eve, as the favorite destination of locals and foreigners alike celebrated the 20^th Pokhara Street Festival. Organized by the Restaurant and Bar Association of Nepal (REBAN) Pokhara chapter, with the support of Nepal Tourism Board, the 2-km stretch of the lakeside was cordoned off for vehicles and turned into a walking street for thousands of tourists from Dec 28 to Jan 1.

Restaurants, bars, hotels and other establishments joined hands to make the event a success, with the visitors getting to enjoy delicious food, discounted hospitality and live cultural programs. From folk concerts to bhajans and traditional lakhe dancers to rap and rock artists, the event had it all. One of the highlights was the performance of the popular band Mongolian Heart, which was celebrating its 25^th anniversary.

Proceeds from the event have been pledged for community development in Pokhara and also to support natural disasters affected communities all over the country. The Annapurna Media Network was an event partner.

Tsechu Dolma

 Changing lives in the mountains

“I am a Himalayan American,” says Tsechu Dolma when asked about her nationality. At only 25, Dolma’s work and achievements are mountainously high, just like the terrains she loves to work in. A graduate of Columbia University, Dolma was recently listed among the ‘Forbes 30 under 30: Social Entrepreneurs’ for her pioneering work with farmers of the mountainous regions of Nepal.

Jan Salter

The passing of a Nepali legend

Jan Salter, 82, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home in Lyme Regis, UK on April 29. To many, Jan Salter was both a marvelous and sensitive artist and the founder of the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT). Her paintings of different ethnic groups and peoples of Nepal, aptly entitled, “Faces of Nepal”, were taken from drawings she did while trekking around the country in the 1970s and ’80s.

Manohar Basnet

The lone pugilist

Manohar “Max” Basnet has lost count of how many tournaments he has won and how many times he has become the National Champion but, unfortunately, his dream of carrying the Nepali flag in international tourna­ments remained unfulfilled for a long time. The reason: his stubborn stand against corruption and his fight against the bureaucracy in Nepali sports. I took part in my first amateur bout at the age of 16,” recalls Basnet, now 32.

Deeya Maskey

What you see is what you get

Deeya Maskey is a popular name in Nepali film, theater and, recently, on the small screen. Right with her debut on the big screen with Bhusan Dahal’s ‘Kagbeni’, Maskey was able to establish herself as a potent movie actor. Today Maskey is one of the most successful Nepali actresses and also popular as a judge of the inaugural edition of Himalaya Roadies.

Sampada Malla

On Nepali media industry

Sampada Malla is an established name in Nepali media and entertainment industry. She is the creator of “Drishyansha” nationwide mobile filmmaking com­petition, as well as a journalist, writer, filmmaker and a board member of Sarwanam Theater. She is as well known in India as she is in Nepal. Most notably, she wrote the screen¬play for the popular Hindi tv serial ‘Ishq Ka Rang Safed’ that was broadcast in Colors TV.

Peter John Karthak

In his own words

Peter John Karthak, 75, a musician, writer and jour­nalist, has indeed had an eventful life. He was born in Shillong on December 12, 1943. In 1965, Karthak came to Kathmandu, where he spent the next 25 years as a copy editor, feature writer and columnist. ‘Kathmandruids’, launched in March 2018, is Karthak’s latest and the first original novel in English which was shortly followed by “Nepali Musicmakers” in November.

Senu Ranjit

Cracking open a male domain

A female chef is someone you rarely find behind the kitchen doors of your favorite cafes and restau­rants in Kathmandu. Senu Ranjit, the chef at The Yard (restaurant) by Oasis Garden Homes in Sanepa, is a welcome exception. Ranjit trained for six months in culinary arts in Lagankhel, Patan and then worked in New Zealand as a cook for a couple of years.

Bipin Karki

The ace actor in Kollywood

Bipin Karki is one the most versatile actors in modern Nepali cinema. Karki, who has acted in over a dozen Nepali movies, is best known for his role as the local goon “Bhasmey don” in the acclaimed movie “Pash­upati Prasad”. It also earned him his first National Film Award. It was Karki’s love of literature that inspired him to act. A hard-worker who never compromises with his work, Karki has a special way of preparing for his roles.

Indira Joshi

Never fear of failure

Indira Joshi is best known mostly for her peppy numbers like “Udhreko Choli” and “Relimai,” and her electrifying stage performance. The singer, who rose to fame as a reality show contestant, is also known for her role as a judge in the popular Nepali reality show ‘Nepal Idol,’ in which she has been featured in 2 consecutive seasons.

Kanta Dab Dab

Distilling the sound of the valley

To confine Kanta Dab Dab to a restrictive genre like “fusion” or “classical” or any other broad term would be to undermine the vast talent of this trio of versa­tile musicians. For Kanta Dab Dab’s music encapsu­lates no less than the tradition, culture and musical­ity of the livelihood of the Kathmandu valley. Sunit Kansakar on sitar, Rizu Tuladhar on bass and Nikhil Tuladhar on drums/percussions form Kanta Dab Dab.