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Famous businessman, media personality and pilot Captain Rameshwar Thapa has come out with a simple yet riveting account of his involvement as a chopper pilot in the decade-long Mao­ist insurgency. Because the war ended over a decade ago, its viciousness has faded from our memory. But we cannot afford to forget an era that has massively shaped contempo­rary Nepali polity and society. Barud Mathi Uddaa (‘Flying over explosives’) is a note­worthy addition to Nepal’s insurgency-related literature.

The book provides glimpses of the various battles fought between the then Maoist rebels and the state security forces. Although Thapa was a commercial pilot, he was sought after by the security forces to mount rescue oper­ations and send in reinforce­ments. Despite the danger inherent in the work, Thapa was ever ready to fly.

The book also traces Tha­pa’s journey from a poor rural family in Kavre to Rus­sia where he trained to be a helicopter pilot. Thapa then went on to become one of the most successful businessmen in the country. He even had a role to play in bringing top leaders together to reach the 16-point agreement in June 2015, which paved the way for the constitution’s prom­ulgation.

The book will be of inter­est to academics and to gen­eral readers alike. An English translation of the book is also set to hit the shelves within a year.

Rickshaws and motorbikes, temples and ultra-modern buildings, ancient statues and mod­ern graffiti, all come together in a collective display of pop-art at the Bikalpa Art Centre (BAC), Pulcho­wk. Digital images of collapsing houses supported by beams, mixed-media installation of children smiling on the back of a rickshaw, a panoramic collage of the chaotic life in Makhan Tole with the Taleju Bhawani temple in the backdrop reflect the voices of the people who live in the city.

“Kathmandu, My Fascination” by artist Prabod Shrestha is the result of his post-earthquake wan­derings around the city. The exhibition displays the lifestyle of modern Kathmandu, often con­necting the old and the new: the juxtaposition of ultra-modern buildings and pottery shops around Asan; the emerging coffee culture compared to the local tea shops; the chaotic life around Maru Ganesh in contrast to a woman sitting calmly in a corner smoking and selling vegetables.

The photos were a way to work through the earthquake trauma, and to reconnect with his childhood. After losing his gallery in the 2015 earthquake, Shrestha started wandering the streets of Kathmandu, taking pictures from his phone. “Despite the big changes I still recognized the old city that shaped me when I grew up. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by the pollution and the busy life of Kathmandu but sooner or later we recon­nect with its core and its vibrancy,” says Shrestha. “Earthquake was the main inspiration behind these pictures. I wanted to capture people’s lives after such a big disaster.”

The artist uses silk screen to transfer the pictures to the paper. Silk screen painting is an ancient tech­nique that is these days mainly used for printing images and designs on t-shirts, tote bags and other materials. It is rarely used for photographs.

He has worked as a freelancer with different advertising agencies and film producers to create award-winning (motion) graphics and designs. He plays with different graphic styles but mainly wants to show what makes the city so timeless and vibrant. Curator Saroj Mahato from the BAC calls the work “subtle and contemporary”.

The exhibition at the BAC runs from Dec 8 to Jan 15.

Solo Woman Travel Challenge or Swo-Yatra, a competition which gives women a chance to win a grant for their solo travel anywhere in Nepal, gets between 400 and 500 applications every year. An initiative of NepaliTravellers, an NGO, 42 women have both won grants and traveled solo through this four-year-old competition. It lets women come up with their own itinerary and gives them short self-defense and first-aid training before they embark on their trip. With so many applicants, it is clear that more and more Nepali women want to travel alone. APEX tried to find out what else these women are looking for. In 2018, 417 women applied for this competition, 28 of whom spoke to us. As many as 16 viewed this competition as a way to convince their guardians to let them travel on their own. “My parents never let me go anywhere alone. Even though Nepali society has progressed on many fronts, it still has not changed much in terms of giving women more freedom. In a way, this competition was a chal­lenge to myself and the society I live in,” says Prasamsa Shrestha, 23, an applicant this year.

Menuka Gurung, 24, is one of the Swo-Yatra 2018 winners. She recently returned home after completing her Bachelor’s in Thailand, but is finding it difficult to adjust in Kathmandu. “My parents would not let me travel alone anywhere. I did not need anyone’s per­mission to travel around when I was in Thailand. It’s been a year and a half since I am back in Kathmandu. Only through this competition was I allowed to travel solo,” she says. And now that she has finally traveled alone in Nepal, she hopes her parents would give her more freedom in making future travel decisions.

 Definitely not crazy

Asmita Rijal, 20, who participated in the competition this year, says apply­ing to this competition helped change her parents’ perspective on women solo travelers. “The sheer number of women applying convinced them that I’m not the only ‘crazy woman’ who wants to go around the country alone.”

Jason Shah, co-founder of NepaliTrav­ellers, says that this was not meant to be a woman-empowerment project. “We do not teach women how to travel solo. We only help those who already want to do so.”

Shah says he wanted to create a big impact with the small resource at his dis­posal. “There are many women who have later traveled alone with their own funds after they won the competition. Each year, videos of women traveling solo are uploaded and parents watch those inspir­ing videos and learn about travelers. Such videos let them know that their daughter is not the only one traveling solo and that there is a support system in place.”

Shah adds that if the applicants had everything they needed to travel alone, they would not have applied. “I think most of them are looking for money. But even those who do not win become inspired after going through the application process and meeting like-minded women.”

He says that parents, after seeing the month-long application process involving multiple rounds of interviews, understand that their daughters are not acting on a whim but have a well-thought-out plan.

 An initiative of NepaliTravellers, 42 women have both won grants and traveled solo through this competition

Will she be safe?

Menuka Devkota, 23, another applicant this year, agrees. “If I had won, I would have been allowed to travel alone. The competition allowed me to convince my parents to let me travel alone. Seeing my dedication to the application process and my willingness to go through any hardship impressed them a lot.” She says she feels lost at times and by traveling alone, she wanted to learn to be more independent, know about herself, build self-confidence and relieve stress. When asked why she was not allowed to travel solo, she says that parents were worried about her safety.

Preety Kulung, 19, agrees. “Had it not been for this competition, I wouldn’t have traveled solo, because the idea of women traveling alone is indeed new for us. News of so many rape cases has created fear among women and parents.”

There have been instances when Nepal­iTravellers has faced difficulty in sending women for solo travel. “In our second year, two winners couldn’t travel because they were not allowed to by their guard­ians,” says Shah.

“It is not a big deal for men to travel alone. It should be the same for women, but our society has not reached there yet. We want more women travelers—traveling solo or in group. It makes travel more inclusive.” Shah believes that if travel is safe for women, it would be safer for everyone else.

Other women we spoke to stated ‘money’, ‘training’, and ‘an opportu­nity to explore oneself’ and ‘to gain self-confidence’ as top reasons for applying. We also spoke with wom­en who have traveled alone with their own money. Faija Parween, who recent­ly went on a solo trip to Europe, says, “I think solo travel is empowering. It is an opportunity to go and see the world with your own eyes and without anyone else to color your views. It makes people, particularly women, more deci­sive and stronger.” She says that compe­titions like Swo-Yatra are just one way for women to travel solo.

A young boy who writes songs on his guitar and plays them while loll­ing about in his living room is encouraged by his mother to record and release his homespun songs. He does. Then, he uploads his music on YouTube and becomes an overnight singing sensation. Well, not overnight. That only happens in the movies. But the metamorphosis of a boy-next-door to a singing celeb­rity in just over two years would be no less dramatic. And this is exactly what hap­pened to him, says 22-year-old Sushant KC.

Interested in singing and song-writing from his child­hood, Sushant, motivated by his mother, released a few songs on YouTube, which eventually led to a 2016 album called “Blue Figments”. A song in the album, “Aama”, caught fire online (it currently has over six million views on YouTube). Sushant then left for Australia for further stud­ies. The year 2017 was quiet as he took time to settle in a for­eign land and he was under­ground the whole time.

It was after he got back to Nepal, when he took up sing­ing and YouTubing again, that his stardom soared. All his releases started becoming instant YouTube hits, most of them crossing the cov­eted “1 million” mark. His songs “Aama”, “Satayera”, “Mayama” and “Muskuray­era” have been trending on social media and has earned him more than 166,000 sub­scribers on YouTube alone.

“I made music just for myself. Never thought it would become so famous,” says Sushant, who is in Nepal till February and has been performing in sold-out shows across the country. “I uploaded a few songs on You­Tube and suddenly, I started getting subscribers by the hundreds and then thousands. Right now, my subscribers are increasing by 1,000 a day.” He beams with pride.

Sushant’s music is heavily influenced by the modern Electronic Dance Music and R&B (rhythm and blues ini­tially but now a mixed genre that combines elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop and electronic). His lyrics are usu­ally based on others’ lives and experiences that he listens to and puts in simple Nepali, which is one reason his songs are so popular among young­sters. Without elaborate and expensive videos needed to support his music, Sushant’s YouTube channel rather has simple lyrics videos that above all highlight his musicality. The time and effort he puts into every creation is another recipe for his success.

Working from a home stu­dio, Sushant writes, arranges, sings and does the mixing and mastering of his own songs, something that otherwise calls for a whole team of profes­sionals. And he is a self-taught musician who learnt to do everything on his own.

“It has basically been trial and error for me so far. I am still learning and after I complete my bachelors [in commerce], I plan to take up music as an academic field,” he says.

Although his musical career has spanned over three years, Sushant is new to the art of performing live and when asked how difficult it is, com­pared to recording in his home studio, he says there is essen­tially no difference. “As I have always been playing guitar and singing, I found the tran­sition to playing live easy,” he says. “I use my guitar and loops for playing live, which I need some getting used to. Otherwise it’s just like singing at home.”

Sushant is flattered that most attendees of his live shows sing along, almost word for word. For him there is no better energy-booster. “Most of my listeners are very young and the follow­ing from my female fans is overwhelming. They recog­nize me even on the streets and public places and come talk to me or to take selfies. This love and support makes me want to continue making music—forever”.