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Former winners of the Miss Nepal pageant, in association with DM Foundation, a non-profit, are introducing a scholarship program under which students who have lost their parents or guardians to Covid-19 will get grants to continue their studies. Those who wish to apply for the scholarship can do so online (ims-np.com/fmnw-scholarship-form).

A promotional video for this initiative has also been made in collaboration with YouTuber Sisan Baniya, photojournalist Sulav Shrestha, and photo company Creative D Studio.

Former pageant winners Shrinkhala Khatiwada, Malina Joshi, Evana Manandhar, Nikita Chandak, Usha Khadgi, Sadichha Shrestha, Sugarika KC and Anuskha Shrestha are among those promoting the cause.

Antee Gurung didn’t know fashion would be her calling. Sure, she always found comfort in drawing croquis and dresses of her own. But Gurung was a shy, introverted kid. Never did she imagine becoming one of the most celebrated fashion designers in the country.

“I always knew my way around clothes,” Gurung tells ApEx. “Garment colors pulled me and made me more interested in their forms and functions whereas the construction and fluidity of apparels fascinated me.” But even with an instinct for design and a passion for clothing, she didn’t know fashion designing was a career option.

Instead, she initially opted for fashion blogging. At a time it was still an alien concept in Nepal, Gurung enjoyed creating content about fashion online while she was still a high school student. Upon graduating from school, she became convinced fashion designing was a passion worth pursuing.

That was more than a decade ago. Today, Inspire Studio, Gurung’s clothing brand, is one of the biggest Nepali brands selling bridal and traditional wear and boasting over 23,000 followers on Instagram. Her designs have made it to countless stages and special ceremonies. Launched in 2014, the label took off after consumers started noticing her attention to detail.

With the brand’s growth Gurung also developed as a person. She feels like she’s learned more while working on her brand than she did in design school. “A lot has changed in the past decade,” she says. “As a young designer, I was more interested in media coverage and audience appreciation. But once I got that, I realized personal and artistic growth was way more valuable than momentary gains.” This understanding also made Gurung focus on details.

Inspire Studio has become a go-to brand for those seeking formidable stage presence. Many celebrities have reached out to the brand for clothing items, including winners of the Miss Nepal beauty pageant. Gurung designed the gown that won Asmi Shrestha—Miss Nepal 2016—the best evening-wear award, in what is among Gurung’s most memorable accomplishments. Her designs have also been showcased in London, Hong Kong, and Bangladesh.

But Gurung isn’t the only one that demands perfectionism at every turn. Her clients expect quality clothing that fulfill their needs, and much of Gurung’s working days are spent catering to them. “Most of my clients say the brand’s essence, the feminine and elegant touch my collections exude, is what makes it stand out,” she says.

While much of the label’s focus has been on women’s ethnic and cultural clothing, as the designer wanted to cater more to occasion and bridal wear, Gurung can design any kind of attire as long as it makes people happy. This is why she’s also officially launching Antee Gurung. Co, an everyday fashion brand that focuses on modern wear for contemporary women. “The idea came to fruition during the Covid-19 pandemic,” she says. “It was a saving grace to be able to work on new things during these otherwise trying times.”

As all of her products are made from scratch in Nepal—something she takes a lot of pride in—and her responsibilities go beyond making designs. Aside from meeting her clients, she is also busy managing her business.

“The biggest misconception is that designing is an easy, fancy job, but there is much more to it than what they see on the runway and ads. Beyond the glossy images, you need to put in both physical and creative effort to run a fashion business,” she says. “As a self-made designer, I have struggled to make a name for myself. But my struggles have made me stronger and more perceptive too.”

Birth: 18 May, 1943, Bangemudha
Death: 20 July, 2021, Tokha

When Professor Dr Yog Ratna Sthapit’s children were growing up, they often saw their house filled with students reaching out to him for letters of recommendation or asking for revision classes.

Sthapit happily helped students who came. Their success brought him great joy. His children often heard him say that being able to do his job well was his biggest source of happiness.

Born in 1943, Sthapit got his school-level education at Juddho Daya School and studied in Nepal until he earned his Master’s degree. He was decorated with the Mahendra Vidya Bhusan award after he topped his class in MSc. He then completed his PhD in Mathematics from Lucknow, India.

After returning home, he authored a handful of books with his colleagues and students. Some of the more popular ones are ‘Basic Mathematics’ (Vol I and Vol II), included in grades XI and XII syllabi, ‘Algebra and Geometry’ for Proficiency Certificate Level, and ‘Three Dimensional Geometry’ for BSc and BA courses.

At the age of 25, he tied the knot with Roopsova Sthapit, and together they had three children. They remember him as a loving father and a strict disciplinarian, but empathetic to their feelings. Sthapit supported his children’s choices, especially over their careers.

At the Central Department of Mathematics, Tribhuvan University, where he worked, he was loved for his devotion to teaching. To this day, he is known for his patience and hard work as he was always willing to go the distance to help his students. Sthapit’s consistency and dedication didn’t go unnoticed; he was soon named the department head.

Sthapit’s other source of joy was reading. A morning person and a bookworm, he also loved good food. His friends say that he could never say no to momos, fish, and mangoes.

Sthapit had been diagnosed with hypertension and heart ailments. A few of his students remember him teaching in class with sweat dotting his forehead and him panting. But he would still continue with his class.

As the years went on, his health deteriorated. In 2017, he had an open-heart surgery. He retired thereafter and started spending more time at home.

Soon, he was bound to a wheelchair. Nepal Mathematical Society organized a program to honor Sthapit’s contribution to the field and his efforts to popularize Mathematics in higher education.

A few weeks ago, he was admitted to Grande Hospital following a stroke. He had recovered a little after a few days at the hospital. But then his condition suddenly deteriorated. He passed away on July 20, at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife, two daughters, and one son.

Amita Suman, a Nepal-born British actress, recently gave a critically acclaimed performance in the hit Netflix series ‘Shadow and Bone’. Suman, born in Bedhihari, Parsa, had moved to England at the age of seven. Since graduating from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts in 2018, she’s starred in popular shows such as ‘The Outpost’ and ‘Doctor Who’.

In ‘Shadow and Bone’—based on a bestselling trilogy with the same title set in a fictional universe called Grishaverse—Suman plays Inej Ghafa, a child acrobat kidnapped and sold into sex slavery but who works as a spy for a gang called The Dregs. She portrays one of the six main protagonists in the book.

The series has already been renewed for a second season and Suman is set to return. Fans of the character have praised Inej’s casting and the actress’s performance. Suman’s role in the show will grow more significant with each season as the story progresses. The 24-year-old actress has been using her Instagram page—with more than 434k followers—to raise global awareness about the effects of Covid-19 in Nepal.