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I hope you all had a wonderful, peaceful, light, and musical Tihar. For me, during Tihar, the Kathmandu Valley somehow reverts to an earlier time. With oil lamps and orange marigold garlands, juxtaposed with electrical lights over tall buildings, the crisp evening air is almost glowing. While the youngsters now coming round singing deusi-bhailo may be equipped with speakers, guitars and the latest rock numbers, to me Tihar is a time of music which also reflects times gone by. Which brings me to a band that blends Nepali and world music into a fusion of unique compositions, Trikaal.

Trikaal started out with three members back in 2002. This was the time I was first introduced to their music and to one of the founding members, Santosh Bhakta Shrestha, who plays the israj. At that time Trikaal, Sur Sudha and Vajra were the big three names in classical fusion music. And their music seemed to permeate the air and bring the spirit of the Kathmandu Valley to life. Disappearing from the scene around 2013, I was pleasantly surprised to see Trikaal back together and performing last month. Having kept in touch with Shrestha over the years through other musical contexts I ask him to explain why the reappearance now.

“In the early days we played mainly for tourists and a select audience who appreciated our music. In order to widen the audience base to include more Nepalis we created a space for other musicians to come and join us, the original three members,” says Shrestha. He goes on to explain that with a total nine band members of equal standing and who also worked with other bands/sectors it became difficult to manage rehearsal time. So despite them opening up their music to a wider Nepali audience and with three albums under their belt, the band dissolved in 2013. 

Stating a lack of motivation as well as other commitments as the main reasons behind the disbanding, Navaraj Gurung (tabala) says there was a lack of continuity in those days, but which is now a key element in the band’s revival. And the revival comes not a moment too soon: I was talking to a young, ‘fusion’ musician just before Tihar and mentioned Trikaal. “Who?” he asked.  When I played one of their tracks he did recognize it from his teenage days, but was unaware of the band’s name.  

So what motivated Trikaal to reform in 2019? A recent CD and book launch by Aman Shahi (CD) and Salil Subedi (book, relating to singing bowl sound healing as performed by Shahi) brought the current five members together. “Aman insisted Trikaal perform at his launch,” says Nikhil Tuladhar (percussion).  The band’s performance, blending perfectly with the melodious, soothing sounds of the singing bowls, was received so well by the audience and press, Tuladhar thought ‘why not continue together and relaunch Trikaal?’ So this is exactly what they did: Shrestha and Gurung from the original band and both Eastern classical music trained, were joined by Tuladhar, Nagendra Rai (flute) and Suren Lama (guitar).  

With a wide range of experience between them from blues, rock and folk to studio work these five members have come up with a unique sound that incorporates the classical fusion of the original Trikaal (and the spirit of the Kathmandu Valley) with a fresh and modern approach to Nepali classical music. To quote the band, “Trikaal blends each member’s background to create soulful themes and improvised musicality.”  Further, Shrestha describes the current line-up as a ‘balanced team’. Indeed with a potential Pokhara tour coming up and plans underway to record one or two original tracks this ‘team’ seems set to create a new audience of listeners as well as bringing nostalgia to the older crowd.

Keep an eye on Trikaal’s Facebook (Trikaal Tantriks) page for upcoming events, gigs and music tracks. 
 

Nitin Cerebral Palsy Society at Nayabasti (about 5km from Mitrapark, Chabahil) has since 2014 been providing a homely environment for special-needs children. It is an initiative of Urmila Maharjan in memory of her son Nitin, who suffered from severe cerebral palsy and died young at 14. Maharjan, now 55, had worked as a special education teacher for 25 years at ‘Mastiska Pakshyaghat Swawalamban Samuha’ during which time she also trained at the Greenmead Special School London. 

Cerebral palsy is a collective name for a number of permanent movement disorders caused by brain damage in early childhood. The Nitin CP Society opened with seven children but is now providing care for 16 of them, who suffer either from cerebral palsy or mild autism. Since its establishment, the school has been a second home to 36 children, and the 16 children currently there are between four and 19. “They remind me of my son. I would like to be devoted to their care for the rest of my life,” says Maharjan. 

Tough but rewarding

It’s not easy to take care of children affected by cerebral palsy. They are usually stubborn and angry, and some families consider them a nuisance. But they have to be treated with more affection than children with other mental disabilities. It is particularly challenging taking care of teenage girls during their monthly periods. 

The school has a checklist to keep record of each child’s behavior and ailments. When a new child is admitted, a six-month plan is drafted to cater to his or her needs. The goal is to make children able to complete basic tasks on their own and maximize their physical and mental well-being. Those above 14 are also involved in various vocabulary-building activities. The school also provides them with transport services and two meals a day. 

Maharjan says she does not want these children to be a burden on their parents and a hindrance to their career paths. Taking care of their children throughout the day, she adds, frees up time for parents to focus on their work or to attend to other matters.      

She gives the example of a seven-year-old who has shown remarkable improvement. He was three when he was admitted to the school and could not even crawl. But now he walks independently, interacts with people, solves jigsaw puzzles, plays computer games, and is even making progress interpreting numbers. 

Fund crunch

Lack of adequate resources means the organization can afford only four staff members, each working for a nominal salary. They are responsible for the entirety of the children’s activities—from feeding them to taking care of their hygiene and sanitation. The school also has a professional physiotherapist. 

The school collects a token fee from the parents, which they give willingly. (The highest amount it gets is Rs 7,000 a month a child.) The parents of three children do not pay, given their poor financial status. As the amount the school raises every month varies, it is difficult to plan ahead. Maharjan says many big organizations and renowned personalities have made promises to visit the school and contribute financially, but little of the promise has materialized thus far. 

The school pays a monthly rent of Rs 35,000 and Rs 45,000 for transport services. It is struggling to meet these expenses and may have to shut down if it continues to fail to secure steady income. 

Nitin Cerebral Palsy Society is not a huge organization providing service to hundreds of clients. It is a small but noble initiative—one that requires tremendous dedication. Surely, endeavors like these deserve our support.

If you would like to donate, contact the society at [email protected] or call them at +977 9861098189

Kuntal Joisher, a mountaineer, has been part of over 25 Himalayan climbing expeditions. He has been a vegan for the past 17 years. This year, he used a completely ‘vegan gear’ to summit Mt Everest on 23 May.

After two failed attempts in 2014 and 2015, he finally reached the top of Everest for the first time in May 2016 in a down suit. But he felt guilty using a down suit and mittens with leather palms. It was then that he decided that he would thenceforth climb only in vegan gear.

Joisher grew up as a vegetarian in India. But it was when he went to the United States in 2001 to pursue his Master’s degree that his roommate exposed him to the horrors of the eggs, dairy and leather industries. “After meeting him, I connected the dots that a piece of meat, a cake made with eggs, a glass of milk, a block of cheese, a leather belt, or the down jacket I was wearing all came from abused animals,” he says. When he realized that even as a vegetarian he had contributed to animal abuse and slaughter, he decided to turn vegan.

Going vegan is the bare minimum people can do for animals and the planet, he contends. However, when news spread about his expedition to Everest as a vegan, there was a lot of pushback from his friend and family circles. Joisher says, “They kept telling me that the vegan diet is nutritionally deficient as it lacks protein.” He wanted to dispel that myth, and climb Everest to show vegan products are not only compassionately made but also of the highest quality, for both nutrition and clothing uses.

The difficult part was finding vegan climbing gear, meaning gear without leather, down, and wool. When his climbing journey started, he could find replacements for down, leather and wool while climbing smaller mountains up to 6,500 meters. However, there were two pieces of gear that were a problem for bigger mountains: a one-piece climbing suit, and high-altitude mittens. Every single suit in the market was made from down feathers, he reveals. The mittens that protect fingers from frostbite were made of both down and feather.

In 2014, he had written to several companies including North Face, Mountain Hardwear and Rab, requesting them to create a synthetic vegan one-piece suit for his Everest expedition. All of them said it’s pretty much impossible. “I was dejected. I decided to make my own synthetic suit using synthetic Primaloft material. But I quickly realized that the end product would be so bulky and heavy I would look like a Michelin man. At the end of this exercise, I gave up. Doesn’t happen often, but I did,” he says.

When he was back from Everest in 2016, he again started his search for an animal-free suit because he was “not going to wear a dead animal” on his body again. He wrote to a company in Italy called ‘Save the Duck’. They didn’t have mountaineering gear in their catalog, but agreed to work on one for him, for they shared his vision. After eight months, they came up with the world’s first ever one-piece down-free suit for above 8,000m mountains. Around 50 per cent of the suit is made from recycled materials. For the mittens, he collaborated with Holyland Hiking, a trekking shop in Thamel. Biden Rai, the shop owner, is a climber too and he understood Joisher’s needs, and his animal-free mittens were ready in quick time.

Joisher knew he was risking his life as the suit and the mittens had never been tested in extreme conditions. But he felt ready. He went on to summit Lhotse in May 2018 using his animal-free gear. When he succeeded, he became the first human to summit any of the above-8,000m mountains as a 100 percent vegan.

Then, this year, he decided to climb Everest from the Chinese side, a harsher and tougher challenge than climbing from the Nepali side. He says he took up the challenge to show the world that vegan diets and gear are just as good, if not superior, to the non-vegan options. On 23 May, after 46 days of climbing, he made it to the top of Everest. This time he proudly flew the vegan flag knowing that no animal had to suffer for his dream to come true.

Talking about his gear, he says that the warmth and function are the two most important aspects for him. From his research, he has found that synthetic gear is cheaper than animal gear. As making synthetic vegan gear is more efficient in terms of used resources compared to non-synthetic non-vegan gear, there is significant cost saving.
“I definitely recommend climbers to switch to synthetic gear as it is warm, keeps you safe, and above all is good for the animals and the planet,” says Joisher.

   Q. Who inspires you the most?

A. Shiva Lamichhane.

Q. What is the most important thing in your life?

A. My passion and my dream to sing, which I am doing right now.

Q. What is music to you?

A. My best friend, which supports me in every phase of life.

Q. What is one thing you want your fans to know?

A. Song making is an experiment. No one can predict its success or failure during its making.

Q. How would someone get your special attention?

A. By being humble.

Q. An opinion you hold that most people would disagree with?

A. Money is everything.

Q. What is your favorite childhood memory?

A. Time spent with my family.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure?

     A. Reading books and imagining myself in place of the main character.