Vox pop: The delightfulness of Dashain
Rijan Maharjan, music producer
Dashain, the most prominent festival in Nepal, is deeply rooted in tradition and family values. It involves family reunions, feasts, and the exchange of new clothes and gifts. The Nakhtyaa feast, popular among the Newar community, brings families closer through card games, kite-flying, and quality time. Cleaning and decorating homes are essential customs, along with the worship of Goddess Durga. Swinging on decorated swings and temple visits add to the festive spirit. Preserving these traditions is crucial for younger generations to maintain their cultural identity. I believe it’s important to celebrate Dashain responsibly while cherishing its rich heritage.
Bibek Waiba Lama, singer
Dashain is a time of great cultural significance, and it’s wonderful to be a part of the celebrations through music. I enjoy doing household chores, and helping my family with things that need to be done around the house. Dashain is also the time when I get to connect with my audience on a deeper level, invoking emotions and nostalgia through the power of music. I get to narrate the festival’s deeper meanings, emphasizing the victory of good over evil, through my songs. My role as a singer during Dashain celebrations is not just about singing songs; it’s about being a cultural ambassador. I aim to evoke emotions and nostalgia, educate the audience about our cultural heritage, and create an immersive experience that brings the essence of Dashain to life. It’s a privilege and a responsibility that I love.
Shakshi Singh Bhandari, actress
The festival begins with a collective effort to clean and decorate our home, creating an atmosphere of purity and festivity. I actively engage in the ritual of preparing Jamara, meticulously caring for the barley seeds, and ensuring their growth during the festival. The most cherished moment is the tika ceremony. I also love singing traditional songs and dancing with friends during this time of the year. The essence of Dashain lies in family gatherings, where I bond with my loved ones, and relish in stories, laughter, and the scrumptious traditional meals that are an integral part of the celebration. Throughout these festivities, I keenly observe and participate in various rituals, respecting their significance. Whether it’s the solemnity of worship or the joy of community gatherings, Dashain is a time when I can wholeheartedly embrace my cultural roots and showcase the diversity of our traditions.
Satya Raj Chaulagain: Making movies that matter
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.
Good Reads
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin
Fiction | Contemporary
In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.
Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love. Yes, it is a love story, but it is not one you have read before.
The Chalk Man
CJ Tudor
Thriller | Mystery
In 1986, Eddie and his friends spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.
In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he’s put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank... until one of them turns up dead.
That’s when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.
On Writing
Stephen King
Writing | Memoir
“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon the publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is grounded in his vivid memories from childhood through his emergence as a writer, from his struggling early career to his widely reported near-fatal accident in 1999—and how the inextricable link between writing and living spurred his recovery. Brilliantly structured, friendly and inspiring, On Writing will empower and entertain everyone who reads it—fans, writers, and anyone who loves a great story well told.
How to get things done
Are there any specific challenges you face in accomplishing your daily activities, and how do you overcome them? Everyone has a preferred method for handling challenges in their daily life. Evana Manandhar of ApEx interviewed three professionals to find out how they get things done.
Sichu Manandhar, Assistant-Operation Standards Department, Himalaya Airlines
In my daily activities, whenever I encounter difficulties or impediments, I view them as chances for growth and knowledge acquisition. One specific challenge I encounter is balancing multiple priorities effectively. To overcome this, I meticulously plan my tasks, set clear goals, and prioritize based on deadlines and importance. In order to facilitate effective teamwork and mutual support, I also keep open lines to interact with my coworkers. I also actively seek feedback so that I may improve my strategy and increase my effectiveness. Accepting challenges has improved my problem-solving abilities while also developing a proactive and adaptable mindset that has helped me complete a variety of activities successfully.
Prasanna Dhungel, Founder at Digital Everest Pvt Ltd
Effective time management is a key component of my daily routine as the founder of an IT firm who also works part-time as an A-level computer science teacher. It can be difficult to strike a balance between the rigors of running a business, which can sometimes feel like an endless sprint, and the accuracy necessary for fostering young brains through education. I’ve learnt how to use time and mind management strategies like being in the right mindset for a particular task. I am able to maximize productivity and have a loose sense of work-life balance because of this disciplined method.
A constant challenge for me is to keep up with technical advancements. As an IT startup founder and a tech enthusiast, I always remain updated with current information by taking online courses, going to conferences, and networking with others in the sector.
Though the daily challenges are formidable, the rewards of entrepreneurship and education are equally enriching. Effective time management, continuous learning, stress management, and personalized support are the cornerstones that enable me to thrive in these dual roles, making each day a journey of growth and achievement.
Saksham Shrestha, MCC Trainee Engineer, Himalaya Airlines
I often used to find myself procrastinating over either a personal or professional goal and would struggle to achieve them. Learning to manage time has led me to overcome this habit resulting in drastic changes in my daily activities.
I usually spend my morning time preparing my schedule for the day and try my best to stick to it. This not only helps me to realize the amount of time I spend on accomplishing a certain goal, but also to prioritize the tasks. With this practice, simple tasks like completing a report at work or grocery shopping can be easily accomplished. Similarly, I have also learnt not to multitask at the same time. I focus on one task at a time and don’t jump into another one unless I complete it. This has also helped me achieve my daily goals in an unimaginable way. Therefore, time management has become a part of my daily routine that has helped me accomplish my daily activities.
