Category: Monthly Feature

A post every month on music, art and literature that has inspired me.

Monthly Feature: Maleficent- Really?

On June 2, 2016

In Blogging, Love, Monthly Feature, Movies

I talk about the art, music and movies that I have adored in the Monthly Feature. For the month of June, I present my views on a movie quite differently than I have done before.

What’s true love? Disney Animations and Pictures seem to change the notion that true love is always a romantic orientation. That’s what we saw in Brave, Frozen and Maleficent.

Maleficent: Meaning
The Dictionary.com defines maleficent as “doing evil or harm”. The dark fairy from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty (1959) is named and meant so. She is the villain who curses the beautiful princess Aurora to an infinite sleep only to be broken by “a true love’s kiss”.

Maleficent Revived

The same Maleficent was revived in the 2014 Disney live action movie of the same name. I had watched both the versions in the same year, unintentionally and I had felt that 1959 movie was more about the villainous Maleficent than the heroine Aurora. Yet, the movie seemed incomplete. I had not been able to understand why the fairy had to be angry at all.

Linda Wolverton, the script writer of the 2014 movie seemed to have noticed the same. So she added a back story where Maleficent’s wings are cut stolen by Stefan to gain powers for himself. The story adds details to why the fairy was angry with King Stefan.

The Villain

The king had stolen her wings- her pride and her fun. She even rescued a raven and named him Diaval. “You will become my wings,” she says something like that. She, however goes to the name-giving ceremony of the king’s daughter and curses that the girl would fall asleep on her sixteenth birthday after being pricked by the spindle of a spinning wheel. The curse could be broken only by a true love’s kiss. (She gives the condition of the breaking of the curse believing that true love does not exist.)

Wait! What was the little girl’s mistake? I don’t understand why Maleficent curses the little girl. Maybe she had psychological problems. (We do not know!) She has magical powers and all. She could have defeated Stefan then and there. Yet she chooses to curse the daughter. Maybe they wanted to show her association with the Princess who slept, which we see later. Maybe she did not like that particular child, we do not understand why. Thereby, Maleficent makes herself a villain.

But the land Stefan ruled must have suffered a lot. All the spinning wheels are thrown, dumped or burnt. Imagine the amount of clothes they could have produced in sixteen years. Forget Aurora and through the curse, Maleficent handicaps their economy.

Villain- Is She Yet?
To prevent the curse, the king sends his daughter with three pixies without even testing their competence. (What kind of father is he?) The dark fairy learns from Diaval that the little girl is not being taken care of. For her interest of bringing the curse true, she takes care of the child. But she also loves the child as her own as time passes.

Maleficent, when she understands that she loves the child, tries to break the curse. But she herself had told that it was unbreakable. Aurora, the Princess sleeps. The fairy brings up a Prince and tells him to kiss the girl. But it goes in vain. How could an attraction of some moments be true love? She knows she made a mistake. She asks for forgiveness and kissing her goddaughter’s forehead. Turns out Maleficent’s motherly love was true even if she had a selfish interest in the beginning.

So, is she yet a villain? Maybe Disney Pictures still say she is. Maybe Wolverton still believes in the villainous Maleficent. But the truth is that at the end of the movie, she does not remain a villain anymore. She has been transformed by the love she developed for Aurora. And she even regrets from having cursed her as a child.

That was the best thing about the movie for me. The transformation was the only reason I was able to forgive her act of cursing a child. Her name might suggest that she is still malicious. But she is not one dimensional word whose meaning cannot be changed. Maleficent is a fairy, cheated by a human. If her anger is justified, why not the change she undergoes? Wolverton still calling Maleficent a villain after a change of heart does not give her any justice.

Good Bye, Hero of Dolpa!

By Sandeept

On May 1, 2016

In Blogging, Monthly Feature, Nepal, Nepali

On the fifth installment of the Monthly Feature, I have the story of an extraordinary gentleman whose life was a caravan, just like the movie he had acted on in the 1990s.

Photo Source: http://kamzangjourneys.blogspot.com

The life of the people living in the Himalayas is difficult. These people do not have proper educational, administrative and medical facilities, because they lack motorable roads. The hardship faced by the caravans in Dolpa was realistically transformed into a movie, Himalaya Caravan (aka Caravan). The movie starts with the death of the son of Thinle, the chief of the village, by falling off a cliff. Who would have thought Thinle would die two decades later, in a similar manner on the banks of Shey-Phoksundo.

Almost every Nepali who is interested in movies and music, know Thinle (Full Name: Thinle Lhendup Lama) as the powerful actor of the movie Himalaya Caravan. The lives of the Himalayan people had been pictured by it’s director. When the movie was nominated under the category of Best Movie in Foreign Language for the 72nd Academy Awards, Thinle became a superstar. The unsung hero of Sallang, Dolpa had stepped on to the spotlight.

Early Life

Thinle was born in the year 2001 B.S. in the Upper Dolpa region in the village of Sallang. His family was traditionally yak-herds. It was a lifestyle for the people in his village.

But he was a star that could not be hidden by the clouds. He insisted on gaining education and his family agreed. They sent him to study in Tibet. When he returned, his perception of the world had changed. His people would not just be limited to Dolpa but would shine all around. He soon became the chief of the caravan the villagers used to move between Dunai, headquarters of Dolpa, and to Tibet. He carried an aura of charm and intelligence, which was shown to the world by a Frenchman, Eric Valli.

Valli and Thinle

What would have happened if Eric Valli had not come to Kathmandu? What would have happened if he did not have the spirit to visit Dolpa, still remote to Kathmandu? What would have happened if he hadn’t met Thinle? Maybe the movie would not have been made. We might never have a chance to acknowledge Thinle, Nepal’s first Global Superstar.

Eric Valli loves trekking in the Himalayas. It is also his passion to bring up the real lives of people on screen. While he came to Dolpa in 1981, he met Thinle who was leading a caravan that had brought in salt and rations from Tibet. After he returned France, he published a travelogue. The travelogue became famous. When he told this to Thinle later, the man from Dolpa asked, “Why don’t you make a film on us?” Sparked by the idea, the movie Himalaya Caravan was made in 1999. The simple yet realistic lives of people in the movie caught the attention of the world. Valli and Thinle rose to fame as their movie was nominated for the Oscars.

Thinle and Nepathya

The lovers of Nepali music praise Nepathya for their folk-pop songs, which focus on the actual setting on which they are sung. ‘Sa Karnali‘ is one such song about the Karnali zone and the lives of people there. Amrit Gurung, the band’s lead vocalist, who is also an adventurer, and a photographer, was called on by the director Bhusan Dahal and they shot the music video around the Shey-Phoksundo with Thinle. The song and the video left in the minds of many teenagers (including myself) the images of beautiful Dolpa.

Thinle and Gurung in particular were forged into a strong relationship. Gurung called him ‘Kaka’ (uncle) and was among the first to publish an obituary in the name of the Dolpali hero.

Thinle and Politics

During the years of his stardom in the 90s, Thinle was also involved in politics. (I was shocked to know this!) Thinle, who always kept his Dharma above anything else, helped bring some changes in the villages of Upper Dolpa. With his influences, he was able to provide the villages with drinking water and electricity. The Dolpalis revere him for the great man that he was. Even last month, he had come to Kathmandu to seek help from the government in resolving problems of Dolpa.

Thinle, the Caravan

Thinle left the material world last Sunday. He had fought cancer. The will of seeing a good transportation facility had kept him alive. The prayers of his people had kept him surviving in the harsh mountain life. But on that fateful day, death had come to him in the form of a mule. He could not escape.

He was returning Sallang from Dunai on a horse. As he was going up on a cliff above Shey-Phoksundo, a herd of mule came from opposite direction. He gave way to them, himself at the edge of the cliff. All the mules passed but the one which was his death pushed him. The hero of Dolpa fell from the cliff down on the bank of Shey-Phoksundo. Thinle thrived with caravan. He died with it. He himself was a caravan, a traveller who traded his life of hardships with a life of heroism- both on-screen and off-screen.

References
1. http://kantipur.ekantipur.com/news/2016-04-24/20160424192121.html

2. http://nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=13437#.Vx15wjNw31Y

3.Amrit Gurung’s post on Facebook

4. http://setopati.com/samaj/45713/

5. http://www.pahilopost.com/content/-15863.html

6. http://kantipur.ekantipur.com/news/2016-04-30/20160430094026.html

7. Himalaya Caravan (IMDb)

The Magic of Art and Music

By Sandeept

On April 2, 2016

In Blogging, Monthly Feature

Art and language are languages on their own. They can give wonderful messages without words and they are so powerful that they touch not just the mind but the Soul.

Last Friday, 25th of March, I visited a wonderful exhibition, thanks to my friend Bimal, at the Nepal Academy. The exhibition had been held on the occasion of World Wood Day. It was a units experience as I had been on such a huge international exhibition for the first time with my friends and also because I had never heard of such a festival as World Wood Day before. (I’m still not sure which day is the Wood Day, but I’m guessing it was on 21st March!)

Unfortunately that was the last day of the event and there were very few artworks on display on the ground of the Academy. The Chinese wooden letters, symbols, monasteries and pictures were the first things I saw. Then there were Nepalese ethnic communities- Chepangs, Newars, and Tharus exhibiting their art by the effective use of wood. The Mouse Killer of Chepangs and Tharus, the wooden puppets (kath putali) and the Masks of Newars attracted me the most. Then there were huge flutes, an educational stall of the Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Botany. Then there were artistic tables and chairs designed by carpenters from different parts of the world. One Arab carpenter told us to sit on his carpentery and then rate the work. We were not experts, but then we rated it as a good work. Then we went inside the building where the actual exhibition seemed to be running.

The first thing I noticed was the carved head of the Buddha and a woman with rosy hair. They just looked beautiful. Some Arabs were showing their work, and I looked up around at the Laughing Buddha and some other trunk carvings by Nepali and foreign artists. It was turning into an amazing experience and the music coming out from the Academy Hall was turning it into a charming one. As soon as we heard the music coming up, I rushed to the hall with Prafulla, Khumendra, Sanjeev and Romi.

The wood carving of Shiva Parbati by a Russian artist

The Nepal Academy Hall is historical. It is the very stage upon which the Great Poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota recited his poems. It is the stage that has hosted itself for most of the writers, theatre artists, musicians and poets. On the stage, that day were Spanish(?) and Nepali musicians playing instruments made of wood such as flute, saarangi, maadal, guitar, and some instruments I do not know the manes of. The music went through the air and then touched my heart and soul. The Spanish group even sang a song and though I did not understand the language of words, I could clearly feel the beauty of the unspoken language. Four musical performances later, four of the Nepali musicians left on the stage presented the music of the Himalaya. That was the moment I was most overwhelmed and the one I don’t think I will ever forget.

We went upstairs to see other artworks. There were works of various designs and themes. One of them included a look-alike puppet of the puppeteer himself. The representation of the Greek art of wood was amazing. But then there was one simple work by Palestinian artists in the shape of question mark. The note on its side read:

We have come from around the world and have worked together to create art. If we can do this together, why do we have to fight in the names of religions and all?

The ending ceremony of the event was due when I had to go back to my home. I came mesmerized, peace in my heart and Soul.

This World is an Art!

By Sandeept

On March 1, 2016

In Blogging, Monthly Feature, Philosophical, Words

March marks the beginning of Spring here in Nepal. Plants that shed their leaves during Winter have are already beginning to come up with new leaflets and flowers. As I look up my surrounding, I am inspired by an Art, of which Nature is the artist.

“Life is an art,” some philosophers say. Life is an art because the world we live in is an art itself. Everything here has been thought of by Someone so that we can live here. I realized this one recent day while reading the properties of water. The pH, boiling temperature, freezing temperatures, and specific capacities of water are unique to support life. Water also has lower density while it is in a solid form (ice). Because solid ice floats over liquid water, life can go under the ice capped water bodies. Water is a wonderful artistic creation of Nature.

“All the world is a stage,” Shakespeare once wrote. We are enacting everything that Someone wants us to do. We don’t realize, but everything seems to be written by Someone’s Hands. “Maktub,” the Arabians of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist would say. The guidance is an art an we are following it so that we ourselves can be involved in artistic creation.

“Imagine if our lives were the dreams of Someone, that when They wake up we die and They start living,” I had read in Mistika- the most bizarre book I have read till date. I would say- Imagine we are the characters of a mega novel. The Writer would add fine details to every second of our activities and would move us as They would want. When the Writer feels it’s enough, They would kill us. There would be no option. We ourselves do that many times. We love our characters as we develop them but there comes a time when the story does not move ahead without their death or we don’t feel free unless they die. Sir Doyle did that to Sherlock Holmes only to reincarnate him sometime later.

The Art of the Nature is the magnificent of all. There is everything for us to live. Nature nurtures us with Love. Nature Herself destroys us, but that’s only the transformation of the body made up of the Nature’s five elements- Earth, Water, Fire, Air and Metal. No life sustains without these. Who created them? Who created the Nature? I believe on a Supreme Being, the imperfect Artist of the artists- the first Author of the Universe and of this World. The flawed Writer who aims at crafting a beautiful story every time They set to write one. The One who teaches us to live and learns from us at the same time.

Jhola-An Epic Movie

By Sandeept

On February 1, 2016

In Humans and Humanity, Monthly Feature, Nepali, Review

Introduction

Sati, the first wife of Lord Shiva had jumped into the sacrificial fire in protest of the abuse her parents had done to her husband. Commemorating it, an inhumane tradition continued for thousands of years in which a woman burnt herself alive on the pyre of her dead husband. Women who were saved from the practice were rare. Only Mandev’s mother has been mentioned in the ancient history saved from the tradition. And then there was Rajendra Laxmi, the daughter-in-law of Prithvi Narayan Shah. Thirty one Satis burnt themselves at the death of king of Patan Yog Narendra Malla. During the reign of Laxmi Narsingh Malla, Kaji Bhim Malla was persecuted for a crime he did not commit. His wife, while sacrificing herself on the pyre of her husband, cursed: May the rulers of this country lose their rationality!

Jhola (English: Bag) is a movie based on the story of the same name by Krishna Dharavasi (Dharavasi literally translates to- one who lives in the Earth) was the most anticipated movie of 2014. Speaking on the evil practice of Sati, the story of Dharavasi had gained immense popularity- credit to the radio programme Shruti Sambeg and genuine lovers of Nepali literature. What was the custom? What were the pains? Yadav Kumar Bhattarai has shown well as the director of the movie.

As soon as the production declared the making of the movie, everyone was eager to know the development. The movie’s shooting was given utmost importance by the national level magazines and TV shows. The actress, Garima Panta rose to fame. The post-production was keenly watched over. Content, everyone knew. How would it be presented? Major curiosity lied on the presentation of nudity. Complete nudity was mentioned in the story. How it be shown in a movie that had audience of conservative mindset? This curiosity had also made up a newspaper article.

The Movie

The movie opens with a song by Sumnima Singh of Night- the same band I had featured in January. Krishna Dharavasi and his family make a special appearance in the present (2058 B.S.). He discovers a paper (letter) inside a bag left by an elderly man earlier that day and reads it.

The story opens in the year 1971 B.S. at an Eastern Hilly Village of Nepal. The writer of the letter is about 9 or 10 years old while his father is more than seventy years old. Shockingly, his mother is just twenty-seven. As his father lies on deathbed, his mother undergoes many troubles to take care of her son and household.

One day, the old man dies. The boy is then under the care of his uncle and aunt (both older than his mother). His mother is declared a Sati and she is made to perform several rituals before she offers herself to the burning pyre. However, she escapes without the notice of the processors. The boy finds her and takes her away to Manipur, India.

Social Evils and their Eradication

The movie presents some other social evils along with the tradition of Sati. Unequal marriage, treatment by witch-doctors and slavery are the evils of the era movie is based on.

Sati Pratha and Slavery were abolished by the Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher in the years 1977 and 1981 B.S. respectively. But as the movie says- Evils in our society still linger. Widows were burnt once then. Now, they are burnt several times by the society. Unequal marriage, child marriage still prevail. Dowry system is growing up as another evil. Everyone should be united to fight against these evils.

Personal View
The movie has been well presented. Such a presentation is rarely seen in low-budgeted movies of Nepal. Village life in the hills of Nepal has been well depicted. The story is supported by the acting. The illness of the old man seems real. The rituals after his death are well-shown (although there could have been finer details of the procession). The background music is catchy and melodious. The cinematography and the lighting is good, although there is need of improvement at some points. The only thing I felt bad about was the transition between the scenes and the scenes that occur rapidly after the death of the boy’s father.
Overall, the movie is the best literary adaptation in Nepal.

Movie facts:
Director: Yadav Kumar Bhattarai
Story: Krishna Dharavasi
Screenplay: Krishna Dharavasi / Deepak Alok
Music/ Lyrics: Jason Kunwar
Singer: Sumnima Singh
Actors:
Garima Panta
Deepak Chhetri
Deshbhakta Khanal
Laxmi Giri
Sujal Nepal (Lead Child Actor)
Producers:

IMDb Rating: 8.8/10

References
1. Jhola at Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
2. variety.com/2014/film/asia/nepal-picks-jhola-for-foreign-language-oscar-race-1201290740/

You can watch the movie at: https://youtube.com/watch?v=tvSSDYsOHxw

Night : From Darkness to Light

By Sandeept

On January 1, 2016

In Blogging, Monthly Feature, Nepal

(Beginning from January 1, 2016, I am publishing a blog post every month on music, art or literature that have inspired or influenced me.)

The Band

Night is a folk musical group from Nepal. They have produced some extremely beautiful works based on Nepali folk music. Not only they have collected wonderful folk tunes, they have also been working on promoting and preserving instruments that are now on the verge of extinction.

1. Jason Kunwar

The male lead singer of the band. Setopati.com had mentioned him as a ‘guerrilla explorer’ of Nepali folk music. He is the composer of the band and its heart and soul. Along with singing, he also plays ‘bansuri‘ (flute) and ‘sarangi‘.

2. Sumnima (Mina) Singh

The female vocalist of the band. Her voice has been featured exclusively in the song ‘Kathor’ and the theme song for the epic historical movie ‘Jhola’. She has also sung for the band along with Jason Kunwar in most of the songs.

3. Shiva Kumar Khatri

An expert on ‘Paluwa’ or leaf used as a musical instrument. He has been recently interviewed on the BBC Nepali Service.

4. Niraj Shakya

The band manager and recordist who also plays guitar and Tungna.

Works

The band has produced various songs which are gaining popularity on YouTube. The band’s debut album ‘Ani Ukali, Sangai Orali’ has made them much popular. They have also composed music for the Nepali movies ‘Chhadke’, ‘Jhola’ and ‘Suntali’.

Almost all the independent songs they have produced are folk-based and represent the pains of the economically poor people. The band explores various parts of Nepal, collects folk tunes and instruments. It is also promoting rare musical instruments through short documentary series ‘Know your Instruments’ on their YouTube channel and Live Concerts.

They have also recently represented Nepal at Shambhala Music Festival in August of 2015.

Before the festival, they were featured on an episode of Kripa Unplugged, a musical show on Terai TV. It was on this channel that I had first heard the band’s ‘Basai Bagayo’.

They also collaborated with A.R. Rahman on the occasion of International Peace Day to produce a musical tribute ‘Ot’.

Songs that have touched my heart

Basai Bagayo (aka Koshi)

This song is based on the floods of Sapta Koshi (“Sapta” means seven. There are seven main tributaries of the river- Arun, Tamor, Dudh Koshi, Sun Koshi, Tama Koshi, Indrawati and Likhu all flowing on the Eastern Nepal.) river in the year 2063 B.S. (2006 A.D.). The eastern dam of the river broke up in the night drowning hundreds of people, and their properties. Night captured the emotions of a victim and presented a beautiful song. The song begins with the sound of water artistically produced from a half-filled bucket. Words ‘hajur’ (in a sense of respect and hope) and ‘bara’ (in sense of helplessness) have been used eloquently to convey pain in the song. These lines in the latter part of the song, represent the anger towards the government who agreed to let India control the Barrage at Koshi River:

‘Baarud kini lyam na hajur, Chabi chorna jaam na hajur’

Tuina ko chha hai bhara

Tuin(a) is a manually operated ropeway. You can see its structure and operation on the first part of this video:

It is one of my favourite songs of all times. The song by Night is an artistic presentation of the current situation of our country. With the catchy ‘Jaam Jaam Kanchhi Jaam Jaam, Jaam Jaam Kanchhi Jaam Jaam’, the song is an urge for change, not just political but economical as well. The change in political scenario is presented as ‘Sakiyechaa bana bhoja, aba sahar’aa mana moja’ after the Maoists who confronted the government remaining in the forest and underground for ten years Later, when they came up on the government, leaders enjoyed themselves while those who fought for their lives were forgotten. Politicians call for ‘Naya (New) Nepal’ but our problems are still the same. The song and the music video inspires to come together for economic development although the overall lyrics is about the troubles Nepalese have faced.

Sun ko jutta / Golden Boots

‘Chhaina topi siraima,
Bhokai Marlan Dheraima

Raat lai Maya, Ujyalo Chhaya

Mutu tinko dhungako,
Dar chha tinalai bhokako
Sun ko jutta jo lagauchhan
Ragat ko Butta banauchhan.’

This short and powerful song with a meaningful music video brings tears on my eyes every time. The death of a youth who goes to the Gulf to earn money leaves his parents hungry. The rulers on the other hand are keen on using the situation to rule longer. They have stoned hearts and they fear hunger. They wear boots of gold but play with the lives of the poor.
The music video presents the real picture of the helpless people of our country.

Future

Within a short period of time, Night has gained popularity through it’s beautiful music combined with exceptionally powerful lyrics. These songs are not the ones that can be easily forgotten. That is the strength of Night and that can take our music from darkness to the light.

References
1. Night’s Official Facebook page, https://facebook.com/untothenight

2. Night – YouTube

3. Kripa Unplugged and its YouTube Channel.

4. Night’s official website: http://wearenight.com

[Note: The English translation of their songs are available on the blog of Night’s website.
Due to lack of ample data, I was unable to fetch the information on all the band members.]