Prakash Sayami’s poem collection ‘Ghalibko Chihaan Ra Aru Kabita’ was launched on July 6 at Academy Hall, Kamladi. The book consists of works from his 30 years poetic journey. It includes 30 poems and 22 songs written in Nepali, English, Nepal Bhasa and Hindi. The book was jointly launched by Rabindra Mishra, journalist, Bhimarjun Acharya, constitutional expert, and Ratna Lamichhane, wife of poet Shankar Lamichhane. Prakash Sayami, who is a filmmaker, poet and a radio broadcaster, declared to donate fifty percent of the money collected from the book sales on the event to Rakshya Nepal, an NGO working for the welfare of female sex workers and their children in Nepal. The book is distributed by Educational Book House and is priced at Rs. 175 each.
Tag: Issue 3
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Sayami’s Collection of Poem
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Save the Animals & Help the Children
Mike E Lilly’s solo art exhibition took off on June 8th 2011 to be continued until July 4th at Chai Chai Café and Gallery in Jawalakhel. An activist artist, Mike has worked as an art instructor, a service learning educator and also for Mother Teresa and Missionaries of Charity at the home of Dying and Destitute. Currently, he is involved in helping disadvantaged children through the NGO, Sangkalpa, which he runs with his wife. Inaugurated by Dr. Kevin Rushing, Mission Director of USAID, the exhibition infuses two of Mike’s passions- art and service for the cause: Save the Animals and Help the Children. All proceeds from the sale of the artwork will be split between Animal Nepal and Sangkalpa. Animal Nepal is an organization against cruelty towards animals as can be seen in most of the artworks that portray the plight of animals like ‘Water Buffalo and Buddha’ and ‘I know what you are doing’. Other artworks mostly included children like ‘Mother and Child’ and ‘Feed the children’. The artist and his wife received the visitors, buyers and the media, the response to the event seemed in sync with the positive vibe that could be felt throughout the exhibit. -
Tone Music Store Opening
Rock and metal music enthusiasts of Kathmandu were treated to a very special sight on Friday 10th June. The opening of Tone Music Store came amidst much cheer from local music goers as it opened up great options for buying high quality music equipment in Kathmandu. To mark the day, an open concert was organized leading to jam session where many known musicians of the underground scene performed. It was a lively scene in Tangal as bands played covers, originals, improvisations and some jaw-bending instrumental pieces. The show began with the performance of Morgoth and kept getting heavier until late in the evening. Some other bands to perform were Hatebook and Horny Monks, while acclaimed musicians like Sunny Tuladhar, Kiran Shahi, Bijay Shrestha, Anil Dhital came together in various combos to enrich the soft rock atmosphere. Following the concert, held on the steps of the store’s two storey building, shoppers got their first taste of purchasing good instruments and equipment in the city opine. The stores presences mark some changes; the concert was just one of its attractions.
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TOILET TAO : A review of toilets on the Langtang trail.
— Nashiu Zahir
There’s an old tale from neighbouring India that goes like this: a king summoned his advisor, Beerbal, who was immensely clever but very unorthodox, to court to ask him this question: what is the one thing that can make a man most content?
But before Beerbal could answer, several others responded with cries of ‘money’, ‘an obedient wife’, ‘healthy offspring’ and ‘devotion to the gods’.
‘And what do you think, Beerbal?’ his majesty asked.
‘If you will forgive my honesty sire, a good bowel movement when one truly needs to go.’
Maybe only the weak and uninitiated would ponder such trifles as the state of toilets en-route to Langtang Valley but I admit: toilets figured prominently in my mind when I hiked up those foothills the first day. Nevertheless it stands to reason, that the last thing you would want after a hard day’s walk is a crap toilet.
[quote_right]Hygiene: 4
Smell: 3
Comfort: 2
Accessibility: 5
Toilet Tao: 3.5
[/quote_right]At our first stop in Thulo Syabru, four hours from Dunche, the toilet took me by surprise; it was highly accessible ‘ just a few steps from my room and a squatter, but spotless. There were also several hooks for clothes (as it had a shower). The flush pail wasn’t grimy and the little jug inside was not coated with slime. And the moment I stood up I was graced with a view of a sloping, pine-studded hillside beyond in which Lirung stood, surrounded by a host of other snow-clad peaks, crimson in the early morning light. It would have been an exceptional sight anywhere, though the feeling was only intensified by my awareness of where I was.
[quote_right]Hygiene: 4
Smell: 5
Comfort: 2
Accessibility: 5
Toilet Tao: 4
[/quote_right]My initial misgivings had been dispelled somewhat, and I had certain expectations for our next stop, Lama Hotel. Lama Guest House had two out-houses which I overlooked, but the toilet upstairs was decent. It was closet sized and the toilet and bucket were both blue, which contrasted with the wood of the walls. The cracks in the wood allowed a draft and kept the place well ventilated. And the disposal bin was a hand woven basket; definitely the best of its kind as far as this trail is concerned.
[quote_right]Hygiene: 5
Smell: 4
Comfort: 5
Accessibility: 5
Toilet Tao: 4.5
[/quote_right]Perhaps the strangest thing found at high altitudes in a country as desperately poor as Nepal is a ‘western style’ toilet. And it’s even stranger when I struggle to find one thousands of feet below. But in Langtang Valley, 3475 metres up at Village View Guest House, the toilet was a wonderful, white, non-squatting affair with plenty of paper and a bin within easy reach. Sure, the flush tank took a while to fill up, but it did not have the smell that many toilets have which made waiting easier. And it was indoors so you were spared from having to brave the elements every time you needed to go.
[quote_right]Hygiene: 2
Smell: 1
Comfort: 2
Accessibility: 3
Toilet Tao: 2.5
[/quote_right]But five hours from the Valley, in beautiful Kyenjen Gompa, the toilet at Yala Peak Guest House was dark and smelled like the privates of a sadhu. And it was a squatter. But no skid marks. And no space to hang one’s pants either. It was part of the main building but in an open corridor, so a confrontation with the elements was necessary, if only for a moment. The flush pail was grubby and the disposal bin overflowed. Contact with any surface required an extra dollop of hand sanitizer, just to be safe. It was a funny coincidence, however, that the highest point on our trek was accompanied by the lowest toilet tao.
All in all, however, Langtang toilets are well maintained thus facilitating sound bodily functions. It does not take a lot to imagine Beerbal himself enjoying his early morning dump on the Langtang trail.
