starting to be

I see dead people - NHOOJAW TULADHAR Mar 27 -kathmandu post

Mar 27 - Hum Tum Aur Ghost stars Arshad Warsi as Armaan Suri, a London based fashion photographer who is an alcoholic and often ends up spending nights on the benches of railway stations. As the film progresses, though, it is revealed Suri’s alcoholism and weird bed taste is due to him hearing voices in his head that he cannot ignore. Suri claims that he can see and communicate with the dead, but much to his dismay, the love of his life, Gehena (Dia Mirza), does not believe him, and decides to break up. He tries to explain how these spirits have been tormented by their deeds left unfulfilled while they were living, and how he needs to help them out, but Gehena sees it as schizophrenia. Armaan has to face the challenge of his life: help these ghosts, as well as convince Gehena, that he is not insane and is not in need of treatment.

Hum Tum Aur Ghost, directed by Kabeer Kaushik, actually reminded me of a famous TV show, The Ghost Whisperer. The similarities are obvious: protagonist sees ghosts; no one else believes him; he is constantly trying to help them out; while simultaneously trying to make a sceptical public (or person) aware of their needs. Warsi, Mirza and Boman Irani have done good justice to the film though. The rich cinematography ensures that viewers, even if they may find the story line boring, remain engrossed with the screen. The film gets quite predictable at times though, and the happy ending is rather clichéd—Hum Tum Aur Ghost could use a different ending. But, for an afternoon out, the film is not bad value for its money.

girija prasad koirala

20th march, 2010, politician girija prasad koirala is no more. the congress man had been sick for some time and he passed away today afternoon. yeah… a lotta people always wished he’d die. the nepali phrase “marna nasakeko (sumone who just doesnt die)” was more applicable to koirala than anyone else…no matter how many times he was addmitted to the hospital, he just wouldnt die…  but.. since hes dead… what now? 

a lot of people i know always wished koirala would die. i should ask them if they’re happy now… hate is only human nature and everyone was just being human. koirala has always been accused of being a parasitic politician who’d do nothing good for the country. does that even matter though? how many people get national holidays by their name anyway? he just got a day of his own. a day every year when nepali people will take his name atleast once and enjoy one day off from work. who says its good to do good and bad to do bad? the very thought of good and bad never fails to confuse me and get me thinking. its as though good and bad are synonymous. just some random stream of thoughts in my head that fails to conclude any sense.

A revolution through heavy metal POST REPORT

a band feature i did for kathmandu post

MAR 15 -
Kaal Bhairav, the mythical Hindu deity, is a symbol of aggression. He feeds on blood, and is regarded as a reincarnation of Shiva, the god of destruction. Kaal Bhairav, the progressive thrash metal band, similarly sees themselves as a purveyor of social movement. 

There is a dank room in a small house with a drum-set and a couple of amplifiers in Lagan tole of the Kathmandu Durbar square. Electric guitars rest against a wall with a painting of the deity. This is where Kaal Bhairav creates their music, feeding on the wrath of a nation plagued by troubles, under the image of a fearsome god they’ve chosen as their idol.

Kaal Bhairav was formed in 2007, with Bipul Maharjan and Mijesh Shrestha on guitars, Bipin Prajapati on drums, Bivek Maharjan on bass, and Safal Manandhar on vocals. Mrigesh Shrestha, the band manager, is responsible for the band’s PR, and arranges for them to perform. The band has been active in Nepal’s underground music scene, though they have recently participated in music competitions as well, in an attempt to introduce their genre in the country. Kaal Bhairav hopes to make a name for themselves in the Nepali rock scenario.

“We used to go to the same college, and we formed this band with the intention of expressing ourselves with the musical skills we have,” explains Manandhar. The group, in turn, primarily saw the band as a catharsis wherein they could explain the angst and frustrations that beset them. And no, it’s not just teenage angst. Instead, their lyrics deal with subjects like war, violence and the political situation of the country and how the government has been able to do nothing about it. In a way, they could be termed the Nepali answer to Rage Against the Machine, the American band that brought political music to the metal genre, and a band that Kaal Bhairav themselves regularly covered earlier. And, like RATM, the group of five wants to use their music as a political tool for the youth in the country.

When the band started out, besides covering other legends, their original music had a gothic touch to it. Keyboards were used for a deep, intense sound. The first two songs they did were entitled Screaming Angels and Ko cha Hamro respectively. Screaming Angels is a melodic death metal track with dark lyrics and fast tempo—voicing the troubles of the angel that resides in each one of us. Ko cha hamro has a more black metal feeling to it with a lot of distorted guitar riffs, bringing to light the situation of the country, and the pains of a new republic. The band’s new tracks, though, are more dependent on the lead guitar, with more effects and complex timings.

Since then, the band has been covering international metal bands and creating their own music as well. And a look at their resume can testify to that. The band was first runners-up at the Kathmandu College of Management-organised music competition last year and was a finalist in the Global Battle of The Bands competition. Now, the band’s music combines extensive use of the bass with progressive guitar pieces. Rapid drums most appropriate for head-banging to quick insertions of mild-toned guitar solos and plucking give their music a sense of intensity with variations at the same time. They have already released another single titled Republic War, which is more about the current situation of the country, and how it’s fighting a war within.

Kaal Bhairav hopes to release an album by the end of this year, but for now, they have been at the vanguard of the metal movement in Nepal.

Photography period

dear bunny,

Its 12 and i still have a rectangular piece of French cartridge on top of my right hand which has been pierced through the middle by a sketch pen that i have firmly clutched between my fingers. Im doing a contour still life but im not supposed to look down at the paper and im not supposed to lift my pen. Strict orders from Bijaya sir, our drawing instructor, funny-moody guy. Good guy though. He likes to call himself ramro fatta or good punk.. i don’t know if thats correct though. Yeah. So back to what i was talking about- it’s time for me to walk to the next class but im not looking forward to it very much. Its been about a month or so since i joined KUArt school and ive been having a lot of fun, even thought its hectic at times, well, most of the times. The past two classes of photography have been a fairly-okay experience, strictly “fairly-okay”. The teacher, Mr Rai is one specific person. He gives you an assignment with fixed secifications and you take the  awesomest photo ever and do much more than he expected you to, he’ll just give you back your photograph and tell you “dont do things that i dont tell you to”.

So, im inside his class which seems more of a science labaratory. Not that the room has jars with reptiles and complex looking microscopes, just that he’ll go on about how lenses and view finders work forever. It just kills my want to get out and get some really cool pictures. I know… i know… knowledge is extremely important, but why so much of detail? And at the end of the day, i get a B and a B is so not good enough for me. I might be wrong but im a teenager whos allowed to speak his mind. Thats just my way of getting it all out of my head, as soon as im done with this, ill have Mr Rai out of my head + ill have my first blog post. Cool yeah!!?