Verse

Author: Verse

  • Nepal Cine Symposium

    The Nepal Cine Symposium event was held at Gurukul’s ‘Rimal Theatre’ on 18th November 2011. And it wasn’t just any ordinary film festival. The Symposium was actually a concept formed in 2008. It was an idea that gave audiences a glimpse into the reality of Nepali Cinema. It started as a realistic idea and also proved to be fruitful. The symposium encouraged the birth of new independent movies against the age old tradition of monotonous mainstream Nepali movies.
    The first day of the festival was made special by the presence of some of the most recognized faces in Nepalese Cinema like Namrata Shrestha, Karma Shakya, Nisha Adhikari, Richa Sharma, Vinay Shrestha and more. The event also presented a short movie ‘Lalteen’ which was a delight to watch. It was 85 minutes long and the theatre was crowded. The four day long fest included presentations of different short movies, theatre pieces and documentaries, in the different theatres of Gurukul and Nepal Tourism Board (Auditorium). The tickets for the films were priced at Rs. 100. However, participation at some of the access discussions and special presentations were available only by invitation and registration. Overall, it was a successful event with a strong base to begin with. It was a big step toward the much-needed improvement of Nepali Cinema’s different sectors. online casino money

  • Reaching New Heights with Space Cake Break

    ‘Space Cake Break’ is one of the newest bands to emerge on Kathmandu’s flourishing music scene with a relative bang. With no desire to be particularly commercial or to make an immense impact, these four rockers thrive in an environment where they can pacify their musical soul and produce innovative musical ideas.  Members are seasoned musicians in their own right, making the ‘Space Cake Break’ collaboration something of a natural progression. Sitting down with band members, Raajib Sayami (Baking Space Cake), Jarvis Khare (11th Avenue, India/ Elysium), Kiran Shahi (currently also in Jindabaad) and Sunny Manandhar (currently also in Albatross), Verse discusses the process of releasing Space Cake Break’s first EP, their next steps and the possibility of an upcoming album

    So what is the story behind ‘Space Cake Break’ ‘the name and the formation of such a unique band?

    Raajib: Having taken a few years break from playing music to concentrate on riding bikes, I felt that there was an element missing from my life. I knew that it was definitely music. So, I started to rather trip in music than on bike. In order to break the bars and get out of my comfort zone of being greasy, I decided to form another band. Struck by the very fact, I called up some people who played ‘Gaurab Pandey (Keyboardist), Binay Shrestha (Drummer), Bhavin Pradhan (Guitarist) and Pooja Shrestha (Vocalist) ‘to start out what I always wanted to do. But some had to pursue their careers and some had to go. As part of the transition, Jarvis and Kiran came in. Still, we were going through a tough phase and that is when Sunny came and changed everything. We got to know the tune of the band and we then started to enjoy ourselves.  I never officially asked Sunny into this band. He just played in and brought the soul.

    As for the name, ‘Space Cake Break’, it was suggested by German journalist, Gadd (Ganesh). ‘Space Cake Break’ is the bake of celestial enthusiasm and material innuendos, inspired by the pop culture of sound-scapes and the theatrical decadence of a humanity driven to self-destruction.

    Jarvis: ‘Space Cake Break’ is just a playful name depicting how we enjoy ourselves while playing.

    Having known the tune of the band, what kind of genres do you play?

    SCB: In this modern world of music, genre is a vague issue. We do not want to be a genre specific bend; we do not want to be biased in terms of genres. We play music for the love of music and we’re trying to create noise from the resources we have. We call this ‘Space Rock’.

    Lyrically, what do you guys write about?

    Jarvis:  Well, I write about homosexuality, degradation of humanity, the hot chick who lives next door and I’m absolutely obsessed with pornography and literature. But we are ‘non-anti’ people. We are not against or for anything. We are just reflecting what we see around.

    Raajib:  There is no concrete label to define what I write about; I write the lyrics as they come to me. For example, ‘This box’ is a song about a guy who is trapped inside a box and how he sees his life inside it. It is reflective of every youth who is plagued by tunnel vision. ‘Do it in Mars’ is an illusion of meeting aliens; it is an escape from this world. ‘Facing west’ is a love-song based on how we are divided geographically in this world and how we perceive things in different time zones. So you see, I cannot say specifically what I write about.

    For the band as a whole, are there any influences in the music you create?

    SCB: Individually, each of us has his own musical afflatus. But, a band as a whole, we don’t think there are any other bands that influence our music. Rather, we are inspired by each other ‘the lives, the musical journey and especially the environment when we are playing together. That is what influences us the most.

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    Let’s talk about your upcoming album. How’s the process going?

    SCB: The new album is called ‘Space’ and it is basically an EP album. We’ve already done the recordings with King10 Record Labels and it will be out in November. Having been just 3 months into this band and to record 6 songs, I think is a great accomplishment. We’re even planning to record a video for the song ‘Donna’ by the end of November.

    Are there any messages you are trying to send out with your songs or possibly with your new album?

    Jarvis: Like I said, we are not for or against anything. With the songs and the new album, we are trying to break-up the monotony of self-imposed society and bring freshness for rock-music listeners.

    With 3 months into the band, how have your gigs progressed?

    Raajib: Basically, I don’t believe much in playing music for others. I play music as I smoke cigarettes or ride my motorcycle. So, it is more like my personal thing. But as a band, we have to do gigs so that people can listen to our music. If people love our music, we would love to play for them, but if not, we don’t care much about doing gigs.

    However, we’ve done 3 gigs till date. Out first gig was at House of Music and had a balanced crowd ‘girls and boys chilling out to music. The videos of the songs we performed there have been uploaded on YouTube as well. Apart from that, we performed at Infoshop and Upper Crust.

    Any upcoming gigs?

    Raajib: Well, there are few gigs we’re planning to do. Sunny and I actually started out with a goal of playing a tribute to Incubus. But because of certain reasons, the heat just went cold. However, we are going to do it someday soon. Nevertheless, we already have 7 songs in mind. So, we are planning for 3 months of gigs and then recording another EP by the end of March.

    Any message you want to send out to others?

    SCB: We love everybody who loves us. We don’t give a f*@# about people who don’t give a f*@# about us.

  • There are numerous reasons why a State becomes the State it is. Important basic infrastructural fundamentals are key contingents for the standards of a functioning system. When the very principles of this procedure are neglected, it is then that one begins to see chinks in the armor. Case and point, Kathmandu, Nepal, a city with an ever-changing government, slack implementation strategies, growing negligence and lack of civic sense amongst citizens.

    It is understandably difficult to take responsibility for situations that seem endless and continually ballooning. Yet, if we bring our attention to these very problems individual citizens and communities face alike , we may find the very ground from where to lay the foundations for change. It is high time people start to show awareness and concern toward their surrounding environment and situation. For this reason, we want to bring some of Kathmandu’s worst setbacks into the spotlight.

    We are choking up the very life source from which we were given somuch. We pass our rivers everyday without as much as a second glance toward the plummeting amount of waste that is taking their lives. We close our eyes and our nostrils to the overpowering sights and stench , yet have we ever really tried to remove the disheartening smell of indifference? Why is there such a monumental capacity for disregard? We need to clean the holy rivers and revive their spirit.

    When there is a limited amount of space, people tend to fail to recall the possibility of there being alternatives. We do not have to overload every vehicle till there is no room to breathe. We have the right to travel at ease. Why do passengers and operators not realize this? The chaos that surrounds public transportation is not doing commuters a favor.  Why not establish a system that allows a 15-minute ride to feel like 15 minutes instead of an eternity in hell.

    Nepal has a huge hydropower potential. The perennial nature of Nepali rivers and the steep gradient of the country’s topography,  provide ideal conditions for the development of some of the world’s largest hydroelectric projects.  Current estimates are that Nepal has approximately 40,000 MW of economically feasible hydropower potential, however the present situation is that Nepal has developed only approximately 600 MW of hydropower. Load-shedding is on a daily basis, most of the country is left in the dark for hours at a time, yet the government has plans on building an electric railway system What are the priorities?

    Street Children because they have not reached the age of majority, have no representation in the governing process. They have no vote themselves nor by proxy through their parents, from whom they are likely alienated, nor do street children have any economic leverage. Governments, consequently, pay little attention to them. Help speak up for the innocent.  The solution isn’t giving them money and encouraging them to beg.

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    Some of the major roads in Kathmandu city, very closely resemble dry riverbeds. Yes, the government has allocated a budget towards repairs. Yes, everyone uses the roads everyday.  Yes, as soon as the road is paved (by miraculous chance) someone digs it up to fix that leaking pipe or sewage tank and then isn’t bothered in the least to FIX IT!!! There is no excuse.

    Did I already mention that Nepal has a huge hydropower potential? That means Nepal has the water in other words. It is just unable to get from the mountains to the city on it’s own. It would require paperwork and management and actual effort on the government’s part. Clean water is a necessity of life.

    Traffic lights? Speed limits?  Traffic management? A ‘V.I.P’ official on his way to tea? Need we say more?

    Kathmandu is at the top of the list in terms of being earthquake prone. Yet, there are no building regulations and there is no space. Think twice about where and how you are situated in terms of safety, and make an effort to do something about it for you, your family and your neighbors. When it does hit, the fault will be our own.