Parcha Productions: What Are They Up To Now?

July 17, 2014 , by Jerusha Rai, Leave your thoughts

After the roaring success of Parcha’s ambitious Wembley Arena concert featuring the legendary folk-rock giant, Nepathya, they have brought forth a string of exciting events without missing a beat. Next in line, as many of you must already know, is a UK Tour of well known pop singer Naren Limbu and indie singer/songwriter Astha Tamang Maskey featuring Rohit Shakya. I sat down with Nawal Rai and Sameer Gurung, founder-directors of Parcha Productions to chat about the ongoing preparations as well as their journey so far as experienced event organizers.

The Parcha Guys

Nawal Rai and Sameer Gurung, mid-twenties, with friendly, goofy mannerisms seem to be just two normal lads. Only when they start talking about their work do they sound like the seasoned event organizers that they are. Indeed, the “Parcha guys” have become household names in the Nepali diaspora in the UK and continue to make waves among Nepalis around the world. They are behind exceptional annual events in the UK-Nepali calendar such as the Jitnai Parcha football tournament, Parcha Fashion show and art exhibition, massive parties and concerts.

We take a step back from their ambitious, yet successful ventures to consider where it all started.

Modest beginnings of a dream

Sameer, who is also a student of International Relations and a seriously gifted dancer, says, “We hadn’t actually seriously thought about starting this company. Our first project was Aaunai Parcha Nepali New year in 2010 and we had done it just for fun. There weren’t many major Nepali parties or events at that time. I think we were one of the first leading companies. And we wanted to put up a big celebration where many Nepalis could gather together and be entertained. Only when we saw that the event was a success and friends who had not seen each other in years met each other at the event, it was a very joyful experience. We also realized that if we continued to bring together Nepali youth, our community in the UK could be more connected and vibrant as well.

Also in our everyday lives, we used to meet many talented Nepalis scattered around the UK. We started getting ideas to promote them. We wondered if they had lost sight of their dreams and we wanted to show them it was possible to achieve success with their particular talents. So in order to motivate Nepali youth, we have promoted their talents in our concerts, art exhibitions, fashion shows and football tournaments. We also organize regular parties for social gatherings.

It has been four years now that we have been doing all this, but we still think we have a lot to learn as we continue with our work”

Preparing for the next big thing

Parcha’s upcoming offering is a UK tour featuring the musicians Naren Limbu, Astha Tamang Maskey and Rohit Shakya. Nawal, who also studied art and is a keen photographer/cinematographer, tells us about the ongoing preparations, giving us insights into all the background work that goes into our beloved concerts and shows.

“We carrying out our planned strategy and we have been meeting targets in tickets sales and marketing. The arrangement for artists’ visas and accommodations are also progressing. We have also done our research for the artist‘s rehearsals. We think everything should go well on the day.

The artist are arriving soon too. Naren Limbu will be the first one to arrive on the 18th and Astha Tamang Maskey and Rohit Shakya will be here on the 21st. Then we will have a week before the show to rehearse with the supporting bands”

The Parcha guys tell us that the artists are also really excited about the tour in the UK. “Especially as Naren has family here, he is excited to perform before them. We are looking forward to it too, but we are not sure what our expectations are. Its always a bit difficult to predict how the show will play out. A big portion of the Nepali audience usually buy tickets in the last minute. Even if you have high expectations, things may not turn out the way you planned and you need to be prepared for it. In any case, instead of expectations, we are focusing more on how to put up a good, quality show. We are trying to provide maximum entertainment. That is why we have an after-party in London that will last till 6 am.

We are seeing an increasing trend of Nepali artists touring the UK. How do event organizers, Parcha in particular, choose which artists to feature?

Nawal explains, “we usually try to bring those artists who have not been here before or can present something new. Naren was already on our list for a long time and back in 2011 we had done a concert with him as well. And Astha Tamang Maskey is on the rise so we thought it would be a good combination. We also have a very big surprise for the day! Those that will be there on the day will be able to know what the surprise is on the day itself.” They are just two lads again, grinning mischievously over their big surprise.

Lessons learnt

Though their work revolves around revolves around entertainment, parties and festivities, Nawal and Sameer have a rather solemn lesson to offer.

“The main thing we have learned is the value of consistency. Some of the events we have done have been a success, some not so much; but we have kept on doing it at a steady pace. We haven’t given up just because an event didn’t go as planned or wasn’t attended by many people. Neither have we taken a break after successful ones. We want to keep moving forward. Also, our motivating factor has always been to help Nepali artists gain some recognition and in this way contribute to the Nepali community. So our advice to start-ups in event organizing is to always keep your goal in mind and don’t stop just because your first event failed,” says Sameer.

Nawal adds, “It is often easy to forget or neglect minor details while you’re taking care of the major aspects of the event. What I have seen when Nepali organize concerts is that artists are given less priority and attention. Yes, there is a big show to plan, and you’re overseeing a number of important issues, but you forget to provide the artists with a bottle of water. So as event organizers you have to be more detail-oriented. My advice is not to forget even the little details because they might very well affect the whole show”.

Support Team

With these lessons in mind, and the innumerable tasks at hand, Parcha’s events count on their team of volunteers, mostly friends and family. “There are hardly strangers coming and asking if they can volunteer. We do have opportunities, though, for those that are interested in helping us out, or learning from us, or for enhancing their CVs. We welcome them. But so far it has just been our friends and family whom we can rely on at every event.”

As event organizing can be a huge financial risk that takes up a lot of time and commitment, it is natural to wonder if families and friends were always that supportive of them or it took a bit of convincing. Sameer answers, “Well at first our families didn’t know much about what we were doing. Gradually as more people started to recognize our events and our role as organizers, our parents would hear about it from their peers. There would be a buzz about any of the events we organized and it would be a proud moment for our parents.

The turning point, especially was the Nepathya concert. Most people now recognize us as the guys who put up the Nepathya concert.”

Future plans

There have been a number of event companies who have come and gone since Parcha Productions started, but Parcha seems to be growing steadily, becoming major players in the diasporic culture. “Yes we plan to continue doing what we do”, they say. “We want to play a role in developing the Nepali community in every stream; be it art, music, film, fashion or sports. If we feel that we have the ability then why limit ourselves?”

“Also, as we have been running the Jitnai Parcha football tournament and Parcha Exhibition for three years, people expect us to hold these annual events. This year we started the Parcha Film Evening and we are planning to do that every year. We want to put up at least one event a year in every field and keep adding new events to the yearly calendar. The people who participate in these events also keep growing as the years pass, so its a win-win situation.

The word on the street

Parcha Productions, it can be safely said, have gained the public trust through their delightful events. They have over 20,000 followers just on their Facebook page and keep constant interaction with them. But now it is not just through social media presence and marketing strategies that the word on the street concerning Parcha Productions is wide-spread and positive. It is through delivering well-organized, high-quality, tasteful events.

They muse, “Perhaps its because of our consistency, people now have more confidence in us. We have made some name for ourselves and the response is good so far. We continue to present new kinds of events and experiences for them.

Sometimes it is a risk and a struggle to ask people to try new things. Many a times, people don’t show much interest. We can’t make out their response because they have limited knowledge about it. So for example, we have been putting up art exhibitions but it has been difficult to attract people who don’t know much about art. However if they do come, they might share their experiences with their friends and ask them to attend as well. And in this way, knowledge of art can spread. That is why we are working on this slow and gradual process, trying to improve our events at the same time.

At times we get criticized as well. For example, we are also organizing a show featuring Lucky Ali, the Indian indie-singer. People have asked why we are bringing an Indian musician instead of a Nepali one. Yes, our main focus is to promote Nepali talents and we all come from Nepali backgrounds. But as business we want to explore the international market as well. If we have a scope and opportunity to work with different people, it would be silly to limit ourselves to the Nepali community.”

Beyond business

Besides the business savvy-ness required to keep a company afloat, Nawal and Sameer also share their astute observations on the deeper role of an event organizer.

Nawal explains, “Event organizers have a big part to play in a society where it is difficult to bond and make connections. Our own attempts, like the Nepathya concert, was significant in strengthening the unity of Nepalis in the UK. Similarly, many incredible Nepali talents are too modest to approach event companies, or might feel out of place to do so in a foreign country. As event organizers, we have the power and the responsibility to give them that little push to bring forth their talents to the people.”

Insights like these show Nawal and Sameer’s deep respect for the job. They have followed their own dream and have carved out a career, a company and a role in society. More admirably, they have made it their mission to help others with their dreams as well.

Find out all about their upcoming events at their Facebook page.

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Text by: Jerusha Rai
Images: Parcha Events