The disappearing photo studios of Kathmandu
How have you been taking your photos this festive season? Let me guess: On your phone. But have you then printed them, or posted them directly on your Facebook?
Just six years ago, on festivals like Teej and Dashain, Lawa Kusa Photo Studio in Chikamugal, Kathmandu used to be jam packed. Studio owner Rajendra Joshi’s father had opened the studio in 1975 after studying photography in Banaras, India. Rajendra remembers a time when on the day of Teej women would start flocking to their studio from early morning.
“Even though phones had arrived by then, not everybody owned a good camera phone. People wanted good snaps and relied on photo studios for them,” says Rajendra. He remembers taking about 180-200 photos just on the day of Teej. During Gai Jatra, when the crowd passed by his studio, people used to shout loudly, “Rajendra dai, please come out and take a photo of us.” But now, people rarely come for a photo, ever.
Such is also the experience of Ravi Muni Bajracharya, the owner of Muni’s Studio, which is just 4-5 houses away from Lawa Kusa. It was also Ravi Muni’s father who opened the studio in 1966 when he was just a little kid. He recalls coming back from school when he was in class 2 and doing home-work in that little studio, which still exists in Chikamugal.
“After clicking photos, people had to wait for about 15 days to get their color photos,” Ravi Muni fondly recalls. Back then, his father sent the reel to Bangkok for development. “Before 1983, this was how people got their photographs. A 10*8 colored photograph cost you Rs 20 to Rs 45 each; it costs Rs 150 to Rs 200 now.” Sometimes, photos destined for Kathmandu would reach Patan after they came back from Bangkok. The studio owners somehow had to find a way to make sure their customers got their photos.
“Before, there was a sense of anticipation as people waited for the development of their photos, and that got me excited too. But now you can immediately see the result, which kind of spoils the fun,” says Rajendra.
Siddhi Ratna Bajracharya liked photography so much he started visiting libraries and reading photography books. In 1978 he opened his own Scenario Studio in Bagbazar. Back then people usually came for passport-size photos or family photos. “The first Miss Nepal 1994 Ruby Rana had visited my studio for a photoshoot for ‘Kamana’ magazine,” Siddhi Ratna says excitedly. Good cam-eras were expensive, costing anywhere between Rs 50,000-Rs 100,000—a big amount at the time. Even though the rich people of Kathmandu owned cameras, they would still summon professional photographers to their homes to take photos, he adds. Business was great and there was compara-tively less competition. Rajendra remembers big studios like Photo Con-cern, Hicola and Fuji Studios each doing roaring business. People had to visit studios for photos for their citizenship card, license, or for submissions to educational institutions. “Now, there is smart license, and even for citizenship, one does not need a photo,” says Rajendra, whose business has taken a hard knock. Many of Hicola’s branches have closed down while Photo Concern’s studios have shrunk in size. Sensing the inevitable changes, Siddhi Ratna closed his studio 14 years ago. His friends who also owned studios at the time said that he would regret closing a popular studio. He replied that it is they who would suffer if they refused to change with the business climate. “Soon enough, all my friends had closed their studios,” he says. “People do not even print their photos now,” says Rajendra. “They just take photos and upload them on Facebook, or store them on their comput-er.” Some still visit to get a few photos from their mobile phones printed in fear of losing important photos to viruses. “But selecting 1-2 photos from thousands in their phones is time consuming,” says Rajendra.Some studios have adapted too. Ravi Muni’s son Rishav and Siddhi Ratna’s son Sijal are now involved in event photography and digital marketing respectively. “The business now depends largely on my son,” says Ravi Muni. He believes that even though it is easier to work now, with more and more people owing good cameras, “competition has also increased exponentially.”
Done and Dusted?
Dashain is not a very exciting festival. For us without Nepali families that is. While the majority of the country is feasting on goat and raksi, well deserved after a perhaps harrowing bus journey to their village home, what are the rest of us doing? Many expats head off trekking at this time as most international offices are closed. Others, like me, enjoy the peace and quiet of a Kathmandu sans traffic. Finding one of the few restaurants open is part of the enjoyment, as is walking everywhere as little public transport is available. And walking around town at this time is pleasant; taking us back to an earlier time when there were less motorbikes and cars on the roads. Thankfully there is a good sprinkling of large hotels in town now. So no need to go hungry if you don’t want to cook at home!
If I look back, there was a time when you couldn’t even get bread during the Dashain period, never mind finding a coffee shop open! But now, I must admit, I spent a couple of nights propping up the bar in a 5-star hotel. I also saw that the food delivery people were fully occupied as local tastes have changed over the years too. But I’m sure the most fun was still had by those sitting round reminiscing and playing cards with their family in the countryside.
And no one needed to rush back to town as this year we got an extended public holiday with the arrival of the President of a neighbouring country. We also got a good sprinkling of potted plants, freshly painted railings, and a reduction in the tangle of electric wires we all know and love.
So now that Dashain is done and dusted we can look forward to other festivals, traditional and non-traditional, events, markets and parties right through to the middle of December. When many expats will be heading out of the country to their own villages around the world.
By the time you read this Jazzmandu will be underway. Long established, this is a major event on the music calendar of Kathmandu. A newcomer to the festival scene, following close on the heels of Jazzmandu, is ‘Seashells on the Mountains’. This festival will feature music from art pop and experimental rock to indie singer songwriters and everything in between. With food and market stalls, I’m excited about this two-day event.
With these music events under our belt we can then turn to the Festival of Lights. Tihar is the one Hindu festival I really enjoy. I can hang my own strands of marigolds around the house, light lamps and welcome Laxmi. Since my local family is Tibetan Buddhist they don’t do any of these things but the children just love to come with me to the Garden of Dreams to light the lamps there, play on the Ping and generally soak up the atmosphere. Followed by a now traditional feast of pizza and ice cream across the road!
November seems a little quieter on the festival front; but of course there is time to organise a few things between now and then! Then we are hurled straight into a round of Christmas bazaars, lunches and concerts which take place at the beginning of December. Everyone can enjoy these events—from children working on Santa’s shopping list, to parents enjoying a glass of mulled-wine. Then, for those who prefer something perhaps a little more stimulating, the Kathmandu International Film Festival (KIMFF) joins the celebrations around the middle of December.
Phew! Did I say ‘done and dusted’? No way! The festivities in Kathmandu have just begun!
Playing on an existential plane
“When we first selected the band’s name, it was a random decision. We were slotted to play a show together and didn’t know what to call ourselves,” says Deepak Pradhan, the bass player and leader of the band ‘Ko?’. “Then we realized that it was after all a good name as our music is all about questioning our identities.” ‘Ko?’ (literally ‘Who?’ in English) is a new band w i t h experienced musicians who have been active in Kathmandu’s live music scene for a quite a while. It was Pradhan (40), a popular figure in the musical hub of Thamel, who put together musicians aged 25 to 40 to form ‘Ko?’ With Pradhan on the bass, ‘Ko?’ also includes Manxil Shahi on vocals, Manoj Bhujel and Suzeen Nepami on guitars, and Dhiraj Jung Karki on drums— very inspired by ‘Puddle of Mudd’.
Self-identified as an alternative rock band, the band actually started by covering grunge, and the influence can be felt in their originals too. And with the Ameri can rock act Puddle of Mudd as their biggest inspiration, we get an idea of what ‘ K o ? ’ sound like. Their songs mostly speak of the existential angst in individuals as well as in our society. “All band members are searching for their soul and that’s what is reflected in our lyrics too,” says Pradhan.
Their latest video release “Paisa” predominantly defines the band’s sounds and what the audience can expect from them in the days ahead. “Paisa” is a hard-hitting number with a straight beat and heavy guitar riffs, topped with a varied range of vocals. The music video is an abstract representation of their music and is already creating waves on social media.
The journey thus far has not been smooth, the band members explain. Forming a completely new band was difficult as they’re not young boys getting together to make music, but mature artists who have their own temperaments. Then came the problems of personal commitment, creative balance, and all sort of other difficulties rock musicians in Nepal typically encounter.
Making new and original music and surviving solely through it is almost impossible here—and that is the big challenge for ‘Ko?’ as well. They have to carefully weigh their finances and support for their families, especially when their music is niche and results are unpredictable. The band members thus work full time to cover their cost of living while trying to eke out some extra time for the band.
One of the guitarists, Nepami, now works in Malaysia and all his inputs are now online. Such has been the story of ‘Ko?’. “We have to manage time for rehearsals and recording. We also have to collect funds for the expenses incurred in recording and making videos,” says Pradhan. “So everyone in the band has to work extra hard to fulfil their other commitments, and to be able to put together time and resources for ‘Ko?’.
Yet the band remains confident that their struggles will pay off, and plan on recording and releasing their debut album by mid-2020. With “Paisa” already getting the attention of music lovers across the country, the band plans to increase the frequency of their performances and continue writing and recording to get the album ready as soon as possible.
Quick questions with ANURAG KUNWAR
Q. Your personality in three words?
A. Straight-forward, emotional, logical.
Q. A common misconception about you?
A. That I have a humongous attitude.
Q. Your favorite fictional antagonist?
A. Ashutosh Rana’s iconic role in the Bollywood movie ‘Sangharsh’.
Q. An advice to your younger self?
A. Be real, don’t be plastic. The more you explore yourself, the more it will help you in life.
Q. Your spirit animal and why?
A. I can’t relate to any animal because they are too innocent to be compared with humans.
Q. Favorite Nepali movie so far?
A. Balidaan, especially Haribansha Acharya’s role that was a marked contrast to his comical stereotype. By far the best actor in Nepali cinema created a character that brought tears to my eyes.
