Arts
Wonders of Nepalbhasha Literature Festival (Nepalbhasha Sahi ...
It must be around two years and a half I was in Nepal (that is, Khas language) Literary Festival, and I was not only overwhelmed by the craze of the youngsters to their mother language literature but I was jealous also. I was thinking why people of my community were not interested to preserve their language and read literature in their mother language? Helpless and restless, I jotted ...
Bringing Shankhadhar to Life
Though not without fault, The Lengend of Shankhadhar—Nepal’s first animated movie—is a veritable breakthrough.Languages: Nepali, Nepal Bhasha | Subtitles: English | Running Length: 45 minutes (plus 10 minutes of extras)
Date: Saturday 31st December 2016 | Time: 1pm (in Nepali) | 2:30pm & 4pm (in Nepal ...
World’s Longest Dance Performance : Kāttīk Dance
As someone who started as a dancer in her childhood and went on to become an actor/director of Nepalbhasha movies, cultural performances keep pulling me back to my roots. In particular, Kāttīk Pyākhå is one among many treasures from the Newar culture, which actually puts ...
Stories in Motion
Sampada Malla is ...
Manakamana: Filming the banal
Manakamana (2013) is the meditative yet humorous outcome of filmmaker Stephanie Spray’s reflections on the ethics of cross-cultural documentary. Within the structure of the cable car ride to the temple, we are confronted face to face with people who are often depicted merely as anthropological ...
Dolakha Album: The Gairimudi canvas
The Dolakha Album Exhibition was held in the Artudio Center for Visual Arts; a series of rooms in an unassuming crayola building on Chhauni Hospital Road, Swoyambhu. From the outside, the structure holds few hints of the nature of the exhibition within; a Banksy-esque ...
Behind the Scenes: Nepali Music Festival
For the first time, heavyweights ...
Art is a basic right, not an afterthought
When artists from the group ‘imaginative virus’ walked into Harisiddhi after the earthquake, they had little imagined that they would be building a boat out of a broken old cycle. But that is exactly what they ended up doing, eventually. And in the process, also ...
The Skin Canvas
Shradha Maskey is a self-taught makeup artist creating bold and beautiful works of art on the human face. Not one to shy away from globs of glitter or even UV neon makeup, her experiments with surreal beauty has led to collaborations with famed contemporary fashion ...
Fabric and Fashion : The man behind Nepali boutique business
Rajesh Dhakhwa has been capturing the imagination of fashion lovers in Nepal since 1997 when he established the famous RD Chaahat Boutique and won Best Designer of the Year at the Kathmandu Fashion Parade. After acting as official designer for Miss World Nepal (1997/2000), the ...
BARTIKA EAM RAI : Airspace to Allegory
Bartika Eam Rai a writer, a radio jockey, a teacher and also a pageant winner but currently, she is mostly known for her singing/ song writing for the emerging album "Bimbaakash". DREAMS caught up with versatile Rai to talk about her new album, love for ...
THE ABANDONED : Sindhupalchowk After A Year
One year on, survivors of earthquake struggle with reconstruction in Sindhupalchowk as the signs of government grants is nowhere to be seen. Photojournalist Arpan Shrestha brings back a few images from his trip that voices the issues of the abandoned.
The Rath Makers
The three days long festival of Seto Matsyendranath (also known as Janabaha Dyo, Aryavalokitesvara, Karunamaya) is taking place, this year, on the first week of Baisakh, starting from 2nd baisakh (14th April). But before this yearly festival starts, Newar Community come together to create the ...
An Artsy Taste of Nepal
India’s capital Delhi was an art sketchbook or rather a playground while hosting the seventh edition of India Art Fair in 2015. The aura of art was spilling out of the exhibition grounds to the whole capital city through artworks displayed from dozens of prominent ...
Chaos and Beauty: Kathmandu in Digital Rendition
Ashim Shakya is an artist, art director and a music composer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. His artworks reflect the chaos and beauty of his surroundings and time; his works mainly influenced by the current events. His primary form of expression is through the medium of ...
Kohee Gurung: The 10 Years Old Poet
Born and raised in the UK, Kohee Gurung travelled to Hong Kong with her family in her early age of 2 in 2007. She went back to UK with her mother at 3 to pursue her study. She joined Valley Road Primary School, Henley on ...
Busking for Nepal: Young Nepalis in the streets of London
In the midst of the busiest tourist areas in Central London, Nepali youngsters and their non-Nepali friends started singing and dancing every weekend, collecting small change from passers by. It really was a time of realization for all, of the importance of community and the ...
Voice Your Musings
Expanding the Spoken Word Poetry scene through Write to Speak.
Prophecy for Future Politics?
Singha Durbar is the palace complex used as the house for ministries and government offices ...
Theatre of the Oppressed: Madalenas Nepal
Reading The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler left me in tears, that I had lived the 23 years of my life ignoring my ...
The Subtle Path
Untitled Document Hereafter, I follow the path to self; the journey of revelation. ...
The Happy Kind of Sad Songs
It’s been a long time since Bipul Chhetri first exploded into the Nepali music scene, with a fresh take on Nepali folk music. His music had elements of every genre that you have ever heard, and yet, seemed to be authentically Nepali. In no time, ...
The Art of Burning Art
In one of the most peculiar displays of art on October 4, 2015, artist Govinda Sah 'Azad' staged a radical performance at the Bikalpa Arts Centre in Lalitpur burning his treasured collection of paintings. Azad's paintings were created 15 years ago through a series of ...
UNEXPLORED & EXCEPTIONAL – Nepali YouTubers
Dreaming is easy, believing is not and that is precisely what these inspiring people have done, believed despite having to deal with multiple curves life hurls at them and other responsibilities. Not everything beautiful is appreciated by everyone, not everything that deserves humongous praise earns ...
DHUNGEDHARA: A Nepali Technology to Supply Water
I was born to a household opposite a big marshy pond. When I was about six, local people dug it up to reveal a beautiful water conduit with hundreds of ancient sculptures lying around. I then realised ...
ARTquake
ARTS FOR EARTHQUAKE NEPAL is an impromptu collective of Nepalese artists based in London formed to achieve the common goal to help and serve the people affected by the earthquake. With funds collected so far, the group is already facilitating artists and friends on the ...
Peter McDonough: Nepali Tunes of a White Man
As I scrolled through my Facebook news feed mindlessly, a YouTube video shared by a friend drew all the attention. It read, “Euta Manchhe Ko Mayale – Narayan Gopal," but the video preview had a white man on it. Curiosity got the best of me ...
THE NEPALI DOOR
If you have been to Kathmandu, you must have asked yourself, “Why these paintings of parrots and eyes around the front doors?” Well, I did that too. But then, I needed my answers, really!
Night: Reflections on Debut Album
Night's debut album is a solution to many contradictions that trouble folk music today. It opens up the ways to preserve endangered musical traditions without compromising artistic integrity and individual innovation, the survival of folk music under the combined pressure of the regional cultural hegemony ...
Delhi Diaries
“I don’t have hobbies. I do everything passionately.” 28-year old photographer Bikkil Sthapit says proudly when asked about his hobbies. Passion can never be overstated as he started photographing from a borrowed camera. He also identifies as a filmmaker, editor and sound designer. Many might ...
Aneel Neupane’s Miniature World
“My friend had lent me this point and shoot camera. I loved the little thing! When I had to return it, I knew that I absolutely needed a camera. I knew I was in love with ...
Kaluram Tamang: Painting Nepal in London
Kaluram Tamang, an artist from a rural village in Dolakha, Charikot made his first attempt at this solo exhibition in east London. In this interview, Dreams explores the artist’s early stages of his career and his journey to London. Having struggled with financial shortcomings, limited ...
Marty – The Misunderstood Zombie
If you happen to walk into Tenzing Samdup’s room, you will be told, “Please be careful when you touch them - they are fragile.” One might think that there are all sorts of antiques ...
Stories of Nepal
At a time when we are engulfed in chasing the materialistic luxuries, occupied by our own problems that die down sooner or later, Jay Paudyal is immortalising the stories of a world that we have lost the connection with. Jay has been a wire that ...
EkaDeshma: Screening Nepal
On November 8, Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre (KCAC) organized a Nepali film festival in the heart of the art hub, Camden in London. In collaboration with EkaDeshma and Subsonic Routes, the event sparked a lively discussion on the possibilities of Nepali film in the international ...
The Glitzy Colours of Topi
'Topi' in simple words is a pop/rock band with their debut album Mitho Bihani touching souls of many worldwide. The band is one of the new generation musicians who have been making impact with the words and music. DREAMS talked with the lead singer of ...
Yuvak’s Artistic Comeback
Yuvak Tuladhar isn’t an artist who likes to stay restricted to a specific genre as he believes that the spheres of artistic genre are permeable allowing a single artist to experience multiple spheres. This tells a lot about Yuvak as an artist and as a ...
The Maker and Saver of Paubha
Making Paubha the only profession of his life has not been easy for Lok Man Chitrakar. When he started painting professionally, it wasn’t possible for an artist to earn a living solely through paintings. Perhaps that is the reason why many of his contemporaries left ...
The K-Town’s Midas
For quite a long time, Nepali cinema had needed a shift. A shift to get rid of exchange of sophisticated dialogues that makes one awkward, a shift to make us believe we are veering off from a mundane plot that bears no resemblance to the ...
Bandana Tulachan : The Illustrator
There are many different graphically illustrated novels available throughout. The illustrated version of The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is bright, colorful and vivid. It has complex ideas presented with the help of simple forms and images which is easier for a layman to understand. Dwelling into ...
KGB: A Small Dot Shaping Future
A dot with immense potential is what she actually is. The potential she discovered after hanging around as an ordinary management student. Back in 2007, Kanchan G Burathoki was just among the millions as an Economics student with routine life until one day she decided ...
Composing a Bridge Between Eras
Bajracharya stands out from his contemporaries as his individual style spans the tastes of several generation of Nepalese. In over 25 years of his musical career, the prolific composer has never been deterred by the limitations of time and society, nor a generation gap. As ...
Rajkumar Shakya: Filling in the Shoes of Arniko
At the remote village of Takela, Lhuntse in Bhutan, a gigantic statue of Guru Padhmasambhav gracefully meditates with a faint grin as if it has just landed from the heaven itself. The sight of the Padmasambhav not only entices people but also forces to gaze ...
Subash Thebe: Art Versus Thoughts Control
In this interview, we talk to Subash Thebe, a contemporary artist who deals with the abuse of authority in today’s politics and media. We explore his background, influences and his artistic process which has led to several exhibitions in London and Kathmandu and recently a ...
Bhurtel: An Artist in Oblivion
At the stroke of being a septuagenarian, Yadav Chandra Bhurtel is closed to becoming an artist who perished in an oblivion, simply for a fact that he has not hit the mainstream or denied to plunge into a tiny modern-day art culture which capital ...
Lochan Rijal: The Other Sides of An Experimentalist
Lochan's idea was the application of scientific knowledge by scholars and musician. An application which he believes will help Nepali music gain international recognition and inclusion in the global academia. "We live in a world where we are very much interested in Elvis Presley, Bob ...
A People’s History of Nepalese Photography: Kiran M Chitrakar
Kiran Man Chitrakar’s lineage pretty much personifies the history of Nepalese photography with three generations involved. His awe and respect is palpable when he talks about his grandfather, Dirgha Man, who was the royal painter and the first court photographer. And his father, Ganesh Man, ...
Tank Girl: Anarcha-feminist Nepali Punk
Tank Girl had been representing the true spirit of punk before most of us even knew the word. This DIY punk band was formed by two wildly talented musicians: Sareena Rai (of Rai ko Ris) and Sampreety Gurung, with drummer Olivier Bertin (also from Rai ...
Create your own musical future: Astha T Maskey & Rohit Shakya
Astha and Rohit need no elaborated introduction at this point. Their three albums have raised the bar for Nepal’s pop scene and garnered enough appreciation from a wide array of audiences, from general listeners to keen musicians. This in itself is a praiseworthy feat: balancing ...
Therapeutic Dance: Charan Pradhan
Charan Pradhan celebrated his 50th birthday last year. When asked how he wanted to mark this special milestone, he said he wanted to perform a dance. The choreography was a story of Charan’s growth as a dancer. It is hard to describe in words a ...
The Guardian Of The Traditional Roots
With the uprising modernization, a dilemma has sprouted. People invest more time and energy to gain competence in the areas that are more demanded by the global market that can provide us a tangible return. While doing so, they forget to cling to their traditional ...
Adjusting The Lens: Shifting Paradigms
Creative artists from Nepal have been widening their horizon, sharpening their skills and in the years to come will be ready for the commercially feasible fields of photography. DREAMS talks to a few photographers from eclectic fields—toy photography, landscape and people photography, image manipulation—to find ...
Recreating Indigenous Sounds
In the 1970s, when Nepal was still in the process of creating a national identity, programming policy inhibited foreign music on Radio Nepal and the only record publishing firm of the time, Shree Ratna Recording Corporation. There were a few short programs featuring English or American ...
Nepal Children’s Art Museum
Perhaps the arts are considered less important in societies of necessity, where the functional is prized over the aesthetic. Paradoxically, it is extreme need that pushes the mind to imagine beyond immediate reality, the urge to fill that lack with something concrete. And if you're ...
How Far Have Butterflies Flown?
Milan Rai’s white butterflies bring hope and happiness.
Anup Baral : The Misfit
It’s been a long rehearsal. Anup Baral sat on the benches keeping a keen eye on the actors performing on stage. “Find the light…”, “Pause here…”, “Project your voice more…” are just a few of the instructions he’s shouting out to his cast at periodic ...
Bimala Shrestha: The Temptress of Rangamunch
A figure veiled in barko ran barefoot towards a waiting van. As soon as the doors shut, the vehicle sped off taking its passenger through the streets of Kathmandu to her obligated destination. Travelling in the van was the lead star of Himkanya, the acclaimed ...
Dr. Dina Bangdel : The Prodigal Daughter
Dr. Dina Bangdel is the daughter of Lain Singh Bangdel, a prominent Nepali artist, but her identity as an art historian is her own. Beginning with her undergraduate at Bryn Mawr College in the US, she went on to do her PhD from Ohio State ...
Reeling In A New Direction: Alternative Film-Making
Nepali cinephiles have long been offended by Kollywood's formulaic 3-hour farragos of drama plus romance plus action plus comedy with characters breaking into random singing and dancing in between. I can think of a few films that keep me from elaborating on these generalizations.
My Online Playlist
The internet, on most days, is an information wasteland for potty-trained cat videos and daring Facebook pictures of gregarious school mates. But sometimes you thank the cosmos for the series of events that brought you to a webpage, to the very moment you clicked on ...
The Oncoming Math Rock Wave: Haami
Ever since their first performance at a little local club over a year ago, I have been excited about this four-piece math-rockesque band among a predominantly metal and hard rock scene. While the heavier side of rock has its gravitative force, Haami’s performances have been ...
In Place of War with Kiran Nepali
Musicians seemed to respond to war in different ways. Some were passionately angry while others wanted to create something beautiful out of the rubble left by war. Sometimes they expressed revolutionary ideas and at other instances used music simply to cope with the changes around ...
The Paubha Crusader
Renuka Gurung’s story of undeterred determination and dedication to Paubha is truly inspirational. Her absolute devotion to this art form she stumbled across 13 yrs ago, has made her an unlikely crusader of Paubha today.
Speaking through art
Namuma Shahi lost her ability to speak and hear at the age of five. But she found a way to communicate through art. Shahi is one of those enormously talented and genuinely nice people you can’t help but like.
New kid in town
Mumbai-based Nepalese singer-songwriter brings a fresh musical taste coupling his songs with the six-strings. An MBA graduate turned independent artist, Ayush Shrestha boasts the potential to make it big.
Ukus-mukus over Kathmandu’s art
Kanchan G Burathoki has been mostly behind the scene when it came to Kathmandu's art scene. Now with her first exhibition on display she’s establishing herself not only as an art writer but also as an artist.
The Ganga of music
Most Nepalese in Britain are either looking for a job or working too long hours to enjoy their life. But there are rare ones like Ganga Thapa who decided to live life in his own terms making music his career choice. Is that the only ...
Rendezvous with rising tabla players
Dheeraj Shrestha and Sanskriti Shrestha represent Nepal through the beats of their tabla.
Pieces of Poetry
Within the past few years a handful but hopeful number of young slam poets have emerged in Kathmandu. They are using the power of poetry to make themselves seen and heard – through their performances and their striking words.
Breaking Barriers
She is an unlikely protagonist. She defies the stereotypes. In the crowd of “perfect-figured” female comic characters, Miss Moti leads and creates her own identity.