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Parliament member and Nagarik Unmukti Party whip Arun Chaudhary has been released from jail on Sunday. President Bidya Devi Bhandari on the recommendation of the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers waived the remaining jail sentence of Chaudhary on the occasion of Democracy Day. According to Lilakant Paudel, assistant spokesperson at the President’s Office, 381 persons, who were doing time in various prisons, were released this morning. Party Chairperson Ranjita Shrestha among others had reached the prison to welcome Chaudhary. He was apprehended from Kohalpur of Banke on February 2. Following his arrest, he was suspended as a lawmaker. He was produced before the court on February 3. Around 12 years ago, the Kailali District Court had sentenced Chaudhary to six months in jail for torching a tractor. He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives from Kailali-2 by securing 21, 871 votes. Police had said that Chaudhary was nabbed as he has yet to serve the jail term associated with a 12-year-old arson case.

‘The Woman in the Purple Skirt’ by Natsuko Imamura was the first book I picked up this year. It was a slim volume. I thought I would finish it in a day or two and be able to tick a book off my GoodReads reading challenge very early into the new year. But the content is heavy, requiring time to mull over. It took me a week to finally finish the book. It wasn’t a great story but it was fascinating. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a story about a woman who stalks someone, in hopes of striking up a friendship with her. At the heart of the novel is the desire for connection. Narrated in the first person by a person who calls herself the woman in the yellow cardigan, she reveals little about herself until the end of the story. It lends an element of mystery to the novel. The woman in the yellow cardigan lives close to the woman in the purple skirt and notices everything about her—from the fact that she doesn’t seem to hold down a job for too long or that she regularly enjoys eating a cream bun at the park. The story starts innocently enough but soon takes on a more ominous tone. As the narrator talks about waiting for the ‘woman in the purple skirt’ at the bus stop and in dark alleys, you stop empathizing with the character and become scared of her. The narrator’s intentions aren’t very clear, one moment she seems harmless and the other moment you are unsure if she is just lonely or if her motives are driven by something far more sinister. As the book progresses, you realize the narrator is someone the woman in the purple skirt knows, and that sends a chill down your spine. You wonder how often someone doesn’t realize he or she is being watched. The novel is reminiscent of Sayaka Murata’s ‘Convenience Store Woman’, a story about a woman who is comfortable working at a convenience store and has no society-fed ambitions in life. But Murata’s protagonist is far more likable than Imamura’s main character. However, Imamura has crafted a unique story, steering clear of all clichés and tropes. The Woman in the Purple Skirt is a bizarre story that will have you wondering what just happened more than a couple of times. But the chapters are short so that makes the story easy to follow. It’s largely a story about obsession and how it can lead to one’s unraveling in the worst possible way. And though it’s an apolitical novel, there are references to Japan’s culture and economy that add another layer to the story. Three stars Fiction The Woman in the Purple Skirt Natsuko Imamura Translated by Lucy North Published: 2021 Publisher: Penguin Books Pages: 224, Paperback    

A good movie can be a great stress buster. It can lift your spirits when you are feeling sad. At the very least, it will help you get your mind off whatever is troubling you. But we realize choosing what to watch on Netflix can be an ordeal. Here are our top three favorite lighthearted movies that we recommend you watch when you need a break from all the craziness that life throws your way. Your Place or Mine This recently released movie on Netflix is about two best friends, who live in different cities, swapping houses for a week, and what eventually happens when they meddle in each other’s lives like that. Reese Witherspoon and Aston Kutcher star in this romantic comedy that is trope-heavy and cliché but still manages to keep you enraptured. It’s a light movie that doesn’t require much brain muscle, which is just what you might need after a busy week. Debbie and Peter are polar opposites. And they live in two different cities. But they talk every day and there’s nothing they don’t know about each other. Or so they think. When they swap houses for a week so that Debbie can join a program to further her career and Peter volunteers to look after her 13-year-old son during that time, they discover they might have had feelings for each other all along. Your Place or Mine is a fun watch. There are other side characters, like a hot publisher Debbie meets, and Peter’s ex-flame, who add some spunk to the story. Though the story is predictable, it’s enjoyable to watch it unfold. Witherspoon and Kutcher are great actors, who have done as much as possible within the limits of the characters they have been given.  Matilda the Musical Matilda is a children’s book written by Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It’s the story of Matilda Wormwood, an extraordinary child who lives with her uncaring parents and an indifferent elder brother. Armed with a sharp mind and some powers, she takes a stand against her bully of a headmistress Miss Trunchbull to change her story. The book has been adapted in various media—there’s an audio reading by Kate Winslet, a 1996 feature film directed by Danny DeVito, and a two-part BBC Radio 4 program. From 2010 to 2011, a musical ran on the West End in London, Broadway in New York, and other places around the world. The movie adaptation of the musical was released last year. Emma Thompson plays the terrifying Trunchbull in heavy prosthetics. And she shines in her role as the former Olympic hammer-thrower who hates children. The musical, like DeVito’s film adaptation, sticks pretty much to the original storyline. But there’s an additional new dimension as well. Here, Matilda has a talent for composition and storytelling. And the story she invents magically mimics her homeroom teacher Miss Honey’s past. Enola Holmes 2 Mille Bobby Brown is back as the cheeky and smart Enola Holmes in this sequel to the Harry Bradbeer’s 2020 Netflix hit. The movie opens with a speedy chase sequence across the grimy lanes of Victorian London, the context of which is provided through a flashback. We find out that Enola has started her own detective agency in London and has taken up a case—to find a missing woman. Enola, who is shadowed by her famous brother, Sherlock Holmes, quickly realizes strong, professional women are treated more like criminals rather than trusted investigators. Sherlock is working on a case of his own about stolen government funds and the brother-sister duo soon get the inkling that their cases might be interlinked. Though it’s a sequel, you needn’t have watched the first part to make sense of what’s happening in Enola Holmes 2. The movie is just the right bit sentimental while giving out the message that sometimes you just have to ask for help, no matter how strong and courageous you might be.

Watching plays has always been a soothing experience for me. I enjoy them. It’s a good way to relax and recharge, especially after a hectic week. Naturally, it’s good for my anxiety too. But this time, my experience was quite the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, the actors carried out the drama phenomenally. But the storyline for ‘God of Carnage’, a play by Yasmina Reza, adapted in Nepali language by Absurd Icons Nepal in association with Mala Arts Academy, was just not my cup of tea. The dark comedy is based on the talk between two sets of parents, who have gotten together to sort out the problem between their children. One of the couples’ son was hit by the other in a public park, and is now suffering from two broken teeth and an exposed vein. So, his parents, Vanshita (Reema Midhun Magar) and Mohan (Saroj Shrestha), have set up a meeting with the other child’s parents, Anuja (Sabina Gopali) and Anmol (Bimba Adhikari), to discuss the incident. While watching the first 10 minutes of the play, the audience could get a faint idea on the personalities of all the four characters involved in the drama. Vanshita, a writer by profession who is also fond of artworks, likes to consider herself as a “progressive” woman who values a civilized conversation and is strictly against violence, while her husband Mohan, is a people-pleaser who has been dragged into this meeting because of his inability to disagree with anyone. Their house is filled with paintings and artworks, which shows that Vanshita makes most of the decisions in the household. On the other hand, Anuja has a bit of a pretentious personality, which is clearly seen from her choice of wardrobe and an elaborate pair of sunglasses. She is trying her best to seem interested in the conversation, while constantly getting angry at her husband Anmol, a lawyer, who is frequently on calls with his clients, and seems to like nothing but his work. He looks sophisticated, but turns out to be the exact opposite once you get to know him. All their views and personalities clash terribly with one another, making the entire play as chaotic as it could get. The drama starts with a calm conversation between the four characters. But they start showing their true colors once the disagreements begin. The arguments slowly escalate, and gets worse once the drink is poured when Mohan admits to being an alcoholic and grabs a bottle of rum for himself. The characters even get violent at some point. The play ends with four of them getting drunk, with no conclusion whatsoever on the matter this meeting was held for in the first place. Everyone in the audience, including me, felt like we knew just how to put a stop to those arguments. But seeing the characters not get to that conclusion was frustrating (and a trigger for my anxiety). Hence, I wouldn’t say it’s an ideal play for those with anxiety, or so I think. But that also says a lot about the actors. They had to show how obnoxious their characters were, and they did so brilliantly. The play, however, did run into some technical issues with the lights going off every now and then. Yet, the actors were able to carry out the sequence from where they left off. They made it flow, without making the play seem jarring. Although I have to admit, the frequent blackouts did ruin the mood and it took a minute or two for the audience to get in the zone once the play resumed. But, there were some moments I thoroughly enjoyed during the play. Some of the dialogues were downright funny, especially the nickname ‘Meow-meow’ Anmol had for his wife Anuja. The little arguments between the couples reminded me of my own parents, who still like to bicker about things that make no sense. Once you watch this play, you will find a lot of relatable instances, making you chuckle time and again. I, personally, would not recommend this play for anyone who is not a big fan of family dramas, and someone like me who gets easily startled by plays that involve a lot of arguments. But if you don’t mind all that, this theatrical adaptation is beautifully executed, with exceptional actors who infuse a lot of life to the story.