<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237b29c7e80680e0c7345jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2304" height="1536"/><figcaption>Photos: SUMAN NEPALI</figcaption></figure>‘Colors of Shared Dreams’ at Nepal Art Council is an act of transference, most notably of the millennia-old traditions of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/vibrant-mithila-art-thrives-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mithila art and artists</a>, their heritage, to paper.The key theme here is the dreaming, and 51 women artists give voice to the vision of their lives, trials and tribulations, and dreams.Mithila art is most recognisable by its traditionally drawn, two-dimensional figures adorning the walls of homes in the ancient Mithila kingdom that spans present day southern Nepal and northern India.The origin of this singular art form is rooted in the legend of King Janak who had his subjects paint the walls of their homes to welcome Lord Ram when he came to ask for his daughter Sita’s hand in marriage.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237b59c7e80680e0c7346jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2304" height="1536"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237b99c7e80680e0c7347jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2304" height="1536"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Mithila paintings then were done at weddings, festivals and feasts using flour, clay and cowdung. The artists were mostly the women of the family, and as the art evolved, the paintings became more than a way to beautify homes — they provided women a creative outlet to tell stories of their lives.Then, 30 years ago, the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/colour-play-mithila-art-janakpur,796" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Janakpur Women’s Development Center</a> helped to introduce a new medium for this art — paper — in a drive to keep this tradition alive and also encourage women to gain financial independence through Mithila art.Now, ‘Colors of Shared Dreams’ traces this movement in history and form, keeping intact the core values, style and aesthetics of Mithila art, to also include ceramics, mirrors and woolen figures.In sections, ‘Colors of Shared Dreams’ showcases the personal stories of the artists with the dance of the natural life, elephants, bulls, fish and peacocks, adorning the geometric frames. It also serves as a commentary on society, like its reflection were mirrored on a canvas.Read also: <a style="font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 0.15px; background-color: #ffffff; outline: 0px;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597">Bhaktapur’s Mithila influence</a>, Bhaskar Koirala<a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8294#.YxLqIc9BxpS">Mythic Mithila</a>, CK Lal<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237bc9c7e80680e0c7348jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2304" height="1536"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237c09c7e80680e0c7349jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Photo: ARIA SHREE PARASAI</figcaption></figure>This transition, or progress, is perhaps more conspicuous in contemporary and experimental feel of the later pieces that still stay true to the unique style and technique of Mithila art: characters facing sideways, elongated almond eyes, expressive hands and the tiered canvas.By depicting the many aspects of daily life, from taking care of children to cooking, cleaning, looking after older family members, the paintings bear the hallmark of the heavy workloads imposed on women — work that is often neglected and undervalued by men.For instance, the ghumto in one artwork seems to represent the restriction on a woman to only perform her household duties. Another painfully highlights the abuse in relationships. How may a caged bird still sing?However, dreams are boundless and in the art one finds comfort, inspiration, drive, and the promise for a better future — both for the artist and viewer.The artists see themselves not just as being confined to the house but in powerful positions, women <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/modern-mithila-art-that-bares-injustice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">taking control of their lives</a> and destinies.One painting depicts a woman raising her children independently, another shows a working professional. Migration has led all the men out of their homes to the Gulf or elsewhere, and in one painting, women break out of the domestic drudgery to learn and express their skills.They drive tractors and are literal breadwinners now, while others pilot airplanes and spaceships. The sky is no longer the limit.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237c39c7e80680e0c734ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2304" height="1536"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114131140/637237c69c7e80680e0c734bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2304" height="1536"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Yet, there is still that haunting voice lingering, one that pauses and reminds us that while it is not all gloom and dark, it is not all sunshine and rainbows either.What makes the artworks distinct is that very voice trying to bridge the vast realm of possibilities with the much harsher reality. Where does tradition fit in the belief systems of today? Can we be truly modern and progressive unless we ditch all that tethers us to the past? The voice prods and ponders.In their frank depictions of the struggles in a patriarchal society, the paintings are relatable and striking. Here is the struggle shared collectively by the artists, women and dreamers trying to break the mould. The art highlights the problems, but it also shows the resilience to fight.Says Sheelasha Rajbhandari, coordinator of the exhibition: “It is very empowering to see all these <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/how-art-empowers-nepals-women/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">women coming together and working together</a>. Mithila artists do not get the acknowledgement they deserve, especially individual contributions by women.”Colours of Shared DreamsNepal Art Council, Babar Mahal2 – 5 September 202210AM – 6PM

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The dreamscape of Mithila art

<figure><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203409c7e80680e0b27fajpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photo: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>S C Suman’s 18th solo exhibition Mithila Cosmos: The Cycles of Time is the sixth in a series that juxtaposes traditional form and aesthetics with contemporary issues in Nepal.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Suman</a> was the first Mithila artist to do a solo exhibition of this traditional artform of Nepal’s Madhes in 1991, and was recently awarded the International Lifetime Achievement Award by the 2021 Madhubani Literature Festival held at Darbhanga in India’s Bihar state.“An artist is a social creature,” he tells us, “informed by the time and place around them.”Indeed, since 2007, Suman has depicted the aftermath of the Maoist insurgency, the promulgation of the new Constitution, and the 2015 Earthquake in <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/mithila-avatar,2861" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">detailed paintings</a> simultaneously rooted in Mithila traditions and style.His latest is equally timely. Like a liminal deity, his brush looks both ways – at the ancient past and the anxious future – as the artist seeks to explore the tales of creation and analyse the effects of the Covid pandemic in a finesse of colours and intricate lines. <figure><img width="640" height="678" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203439c7e80680e0b27fbjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The Cycles of Time is first and foremost a story seeking balance, where the paintings are replete with familiar images of nature and Hindu deities. Snakes coil around branches as fish swim below. Vishnu and Laxmi sit atop the Seshnag as Brahma looks from above. Deer frolic behind leaves and kites take to the textured sky as gods and their creations try to co-exist in the great cosmic sphere.The wide expressive eyes and delicate lattice-like line work flow, curve and bend at sharp angles to lead the viewer in the odyssey of Suman’s inspiration which begins at the footsteps of creation itself (Male female union and creation) and charts the progression of life through the four yug. “I as an artist wonder about how we got to this state,” says Suman. “And to answer this, I turn to look at where we used to be before.” <figure><img width="628" height="900" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203459c7e80680e0b27fcjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img width="1052" height="1500" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/637203499c7e80680e0b27fdjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>The cyclical four yug in Hindu cosmology – Satya Yug, Treta Yug, Dwapar Yug and Kali Yug­ – are described not just as the passages of time but of human morality and physical states as well, and SC Suman creates his own interpretations through changing colours and iconography. The use of warm golden hue is overwhelmed by cooler blue as we move from one age to the next, and harmony gives way to disorder.By the time we come to the Kali Yug, the big fish gobble up the little ones as nature is decimated indiscriminately, and houses, people and cars try to climb on top of each other. Elsewhere, bats are scapegoated for the pandemic and oxygen cylinders hanging by parachutes try to make up for deforestation. <figure><img width="487" height="750" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/6372034b9c7e80680e0b27fejpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>When he was a child in Lahan, SC Suman recalls, the East-West highway was just being built and forests were being cut to make room for the bitumen roads. “We would see sap coming from the cut trees and we would say that the trees are bleeding,” he recalls.But not all is dark and foreboding. Progress and possibility for change is offered by the vibrant Ecological Balance and Love Rasa in Nature that call for stability and love that makes all things beautiful. Dashami Mela and Chhath Puja are joyous panoramas that capture the deep link between life, environment and the divine. Meanwhile, subtle sensuality and eroticism permeate Kobhar Painting and Naturally Intoxicated for Each Other in expressions of unity and duality. <figure><img width="1000" height="667" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114091156/6372034d9c7e80680e0b27ffjpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Mithila Cosmos: The Cycles of Time is a uniquely introspective meditation on flux and the Anthropocene that asks the important question: What’s next? Any sense of nihilism is nullified by the underlying sense of eternal return, while these powerful images reflect our own intrinsic human proclivity to love, care and aspiration – offering us a second look at ourselves: perhaps we ourselves are the redeemer we seek to help us through the dark times. Mithila Cosmos: The Cycles of Time Siddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited Till 15 January 11:00am – 5:00pm Special Talk ‘Mithila Gaze’: 7 December 3:00pm at the Gallery with Ramawatar Yadav, C K Lal, Sangeeta Thapa and S C Suman. Moderated by Devendra Thumkeli. Read Also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/vibrant-mithila-art-thrives-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vibrant Mithila art thrives in Nepal</a>, Anita Bhetwal

Ashish Dhakal

Between an ancient past and anxious future

<figure><img width="1597" height="1064" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d144c9c7e80680e0a996ejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>All photos: MONIKA DEUPALA</figcaption></figure>Manjula Thakur was married at age 12. By the time she was 20, she had three children. At 32, she still did not know how to read or write. Her world was limited to the four walls of her house. Instead of taking care of the family, her husband spent the little they had on alcohol.What kept Manjula going was her love of art. Like generations of Maithili women before, her mother had taught her how to make traditional clay murals and <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Return-of-the-past,907" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">paint the walls</a> of their home. Even after getting married, she spent hours painting the walls and floors of her home. What she did not know was that the art she learnt as a child would help her gain fame and independence now in her 50s.“<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/vibrant-mithila-art-thrives-in-nepal/">Mithila paintings</a> have taken me not only around the country but also around the world,” says Thakur, who has been to the United States and Spain to exhibit her paintings.https://youtu.be/jnok2HD37VMIn 1988, when American visual artist <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/journey-to-the-mountain-of-the-spirit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Claire Burkert</a> came to Nepal to document <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mithila wall paintings</a>, she asked Thakur to paint something for her. She was paid Rs50. That was the first time Thakur realised that despite being illiterate, she could still earn money.She was then offered a job at the newly established <a href="https://jwdcnepal.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Janakpur Women’s Development Centre (JWDC)</a> which was set up by Burkert, and is still run by women artists. “I went from living for my family to contributing towards their livelihood,” says Thakur, who now supports her household with earnings from her art. She has now bought a plot of land in her village and supports her children’s education.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places/">Nepali art going places</a>, Kunda Dixit<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/">Mithila representations of Kathmandu’s metamorphosis</a>, Sewa Bhattarai <img width="1529" height="1019" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d144f9c7e80680e0a996fjpeg.jpg" alt="">This economic empowerment has also meant that her role in the household has changed. These days, she makes most of the family decisions, her husband playing a supportive role.Living in a society where women are usually relegated to household chores and confined within the walls of their homes, it was not always smooth sailing for Thakur. It took her 25 years to change the perception of the society. “Although it was difficult initially, I am more confident now and have gained a lot of respect and love because of this art,” she says. <img width="1411" height="941" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d14539c7e80680e0a9970jpeg.jpg" alt="">Thakur is in Kathmandu this week with three other women from JWDC to prepare a mural for the <a href="https://kathmandutriennale.org">Kathmandu Triennale 2077 festival</a>. Just off the busy streets of Boudha, up the entrance of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TaragaonMuseum" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Taragaon Museum</a>, the four women clad in colourful saris and traditional silver jewellery are busy painting and creating murals using a mixture of clay, husk, and flour. “When we paint, we forget everything. When we travel to new places, we gain more confidence,” says Madhumala Mandal, a part of the art troupe. Mandal’s earnings help pay for care for her son who suffers from spinal chord injury.  <img width="2249" height="1499" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d14569c7e80680e0a9971jpeg.jpg" alt="">When Sudhira Karn’s husband died 20 years ago, she struggled to raise her only son. She remembers people gossiping when she went to train at JWDC. Today, her son is a graduate and works at a bank. These days, Karn spends time with books, some of her favourites being Prem Sagar, Ramayana, Sukha Sagar, Bhagwat Gita, Madhavi and Sitaram. “I get more ideas for painting after reading books,” says Karn. In Kathmandu this time, she wants to spend a part of her earnings to buy more books to take back home to Dhanusa.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/modern-mithila-art-that-bares-injustice/">Modern Mithila art that bares injustice</a>, Nunuta Rai<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597">Bhaktapur's Mithila influence</a>, Bhaskar KoiralaAnother artist, 53-year-old Rewati Mandal, is also happy to have pursued Mithila art as a profession. “I earn more through painting than toiling the fields night and day,” says Mandal, who is the sole breadwinner in her family. Her sons live separately, but because of her skill, Mandal does not have to ask them for money. “I earn my own keep. I earn up to Rs10,000 per job. That is enough for me to buy groceries for an entire year,” she adds. <img width="1680" height="1120" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111016118/636d145b9c7e80680e0a9972jpeg.jpg" alt="">All four women believe that <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/sisterhoods-empowering-education-in-nepal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">opportunities</a> trump luck, and given a break a woman can do as well as, or better than, menfolk in every sphere of life.Sheelasha Rajbhandary, the curator of Kathmandu Triennale 2077 says that the event will set an example by highlighting traditional women artists. She says: “Traditional art done by women is still not counted as art. That is why we need to highlight art forms like Mithila art. After all, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/the-goal-is-empowerment-and-independence-of-women/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">women empowerment</a> begins at home.”Translated from <a href="https://www.himalkhabar.com/news/126792" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the original</a> by Sahina Shrestha.

Anita Bhetwal

How art empowers Nepal’s women

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05c49c7e80680e0a5f27jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1142" height="640"/><figcaption>Photos: SAGLO SAMAJ</figcaption></figure>Janakpur, the birthplace of Sita and the cradle of the Mithila civilisation, is seeing a revival of its heritage, culture and traditional art.The origin of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8294#.YN_dOy8w3u1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mithila art</a> is rooted in the legend of King Janak ordering his subjects to paint walls of homes to welcome Lord Ram when he came to ask for his daughter Sita’s hand in marriage.Mithila paintings then were done at weddings, festivals and feasts using flour, clay, and cowdung. The artists were mostly the women of the family, who bore the decorative responsibility in their homes. As the art evolved, the paintings became more than a way to beautify homes — they provided women with a creative outlet to tell the stories of their lives.This centuries-old art form has now gone commercial, enabling <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/colour-play-mithila-art-janakpur,796" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">female artists</a> to hone skills passed down from one generation of mothers to the next generation of their daughters. This now gives them financial independence, recognition and respect within Nepal and, increasingly, across the world.<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597">Bhaktapur’s Mithila influence</a>, Bhaskar Koirala<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05c69c7e80680e0a5f28jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="807">Madhumala Mandal was born and raised in Kuwa village near here, where Mithila culture is as ingrained into young girls as household duties and responsibilities. Guided by her grandmother and mother, Mandal would paint pictures of deities to decorate the doors and walls of her house.But her interest in the traditional draughtsmanship soon stretched beyond the walls of her home, she would make shapes out of clay and paint idols on trips to the village mela. <figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05c99c7e80680e0a5f29jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“Even while I was out herding cattle and doing farm work, I was always drawing idols and shapes on the ground,” she recalls.Mandal would eventually have a family of her own, but she retained her passion for Mithila art. She now works at the Women's Development Centre in Janakpur where she creates Mithila paintings on canvas.“It took many years for me to convince family and friends that I was doing the right thing,” she explains.Mandal’s four brothers went to school, but as the sole daughter in the family, she was excluded. Having learnt to be independent from a young age and now with income of her own, she supports her own daughter’s education."The income and respect I earned through my artwork gave me the courage and the means to support my daughter,” she says. “This is the greatest achievement of my life.”Her days of drawing shapes in the mud long behind her, Mandal’s art now stays with traditional motifs but is almost impressionistic. Her work has been exhibited in the US and Hong Kong, and accent the walls of many homes across the world.The ancient Mithila kingdom spanned territory that now lies on both sides of the India Nepal border. Recently, there has been a renaissance of Mithila literature, dance forms and art.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05cc9c7e80680e0a5f2ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="804"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Acclaimed Mithila artist Mithileshwari Devi Karna was born and raised in Bihar’s Madhubani district and settled in Janakpur after marriage, grew up learning the Mithila art form from her mother in India.Karna used to train artists at the Women's Development Centre and faced similar experiences of societal pressure as many other women like Mandal in the Tarai who have chosen to become artists.Her community expressed disapproval when she prepared to travel overseas for an exhibition of her art. “People are always going to judge and make comments,” she says dismissively, “but I stood my ground, and went to Japan.”The steadfast pursuit of her art has earned her respect, financial security, and most importantly, self-satisfaction. Now, the 65, Karna was recently honoured by the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts and now only paints as a hobby. Even so, she is never without a paintbrush and canvas within reach.The popularity of Mithila art and handicrafts spread across the world after the 1980s due to Professor Rajendra Bimal and American artist Claire Burkert, who meticulously documented all the existing Mithila murals in Janakpur.Together, they established the Women's Development Center here in 1992 and trained women in Mithila art for the first time in Nepal, making sure that artists were financially independent through their art, and the techniques were preserved.As a result, the women who have received training and worked in the Centre have played a role in making Mithila art famous not only within Nepal but all over the world.<a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/modern-mithila-art-that-bares-injustice/">Modern Mithila art that bares injustice</a>, Nunuta RaiSunaina Thakur is among those who institutionalised and promoted Mithila art internationally. Thakur organised Mithila art exhibitions in India, Japan, and the US, and now runs her own art gallery in Janakpur where she employs and trains 30 female artists in the techniques as well as in running an art business.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05cf9c7e80680e0a5f2bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1440" height="800"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05d29c7e80680e0a5f2cjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“I have been constantly trying to mobilise unrecognised talent to empower artists and encourage gender equality, both through recruitment efforts and through the art itself,” says Thakur, “I now want to pass on what I know to the next generation of women.”<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05d59c7e80680e0a5f2djpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Among the artists employed at Thakur’s gallery is Binita Devi Sah, who recently earned her first-ever paycheque through her own Mithila paintings. Family obligations and responsibilities towards her children had confined Sah at home for almost three decades, but when her sons completed their education. It opened the door for her to finally pursue her own interests.“I stepped out of my house 26 years after getting married and earned Rs12,000 through my work. I have not stopped sharing my happiness with other people even as my sons continue to tease me about it,” smiles a proud Sah. “We never thought that this art, which we learned to make as children, could be a means for earning a livelihood.”The Mithila museum at the Janaki temple has also played an important role in documenting and conserving Mithila art. The museum, established under the leadership of Mahant Ramat Peshwar Das, houses Mithila paintings, sculptures, murals, decorative items as well as Maithili music and hymns that showcase the rich history of the art form.Satish Shah, director of the Women's Development Centre, agrees that Mithila art in Nepal has not been able to evolve as much as it has in India where there are more well-equipped institutions. Moreover, the is Center is not as influential as it once was, and has become a cause for concern about the future of Mithila art and artists. The pandemic has made working conditions worse in the last two years, and it is difficult to pay the 40 artists employed.Yet, even as they hope for support from the local and state governments, Shah and Karna both acknowledge that elected officials in Janakpur and Kathmandu do not understand the importance of Mithila art and culture."The government must invest in preserving this institution as well as Mithila art,” says Shah, adding that leaders could start by displaying the paintings in their offices.Mithila art featured heavily during weddings, festivals and celebrations, and even in items of daily use in Janakpur city until two decades ago. The artwork decorating the streets of the city included depictions of ancient earthen houses, artistic interpretations of the traditional jhizhiya dance, daily household items, and vibrantly painted birds. But with modern life, the practice is slowly fading.<a style="font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">S C Suman</a>, former head of the Department of the Folk Arts at the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts, says the reason is that cement houses have replaced the clay walls where the paintings were done. Nepali galleries now import Indian Mithila paintings and pass them off as originals.“While commercialisation to a certain extent is necessary, hyper-commercialisation can also make it difficult to preserve Mithila art,” he says. “Nepali art is incomplete without Mithila art.”_________________<h2>Crossborder Mithila civilisation</h2><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05d89c7e80680e0a5f2ejpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720">Mithila art is the cultural heritage of the entire Mithila region, which was a single kingdom before being divided after the 1816 Sugauli Treaty. And while Colonial India got a bigger chunk of the state, Nepal retained 25% of the territory, including the capital of Mithila in Janakpur where the art form originated.When the state of Mithila was divided, the art form began to be referred to as Madhubani art in India. But Mithila and Madhubani art are one and the same, explains Sunaina Thakur.“As in Mithila art, Madhubani art, too, depicts the marriage of Sita and Ram, and the two art forms have the same style,” she adds. “The difference is that Madhubani art is more well known internationally than Mithila art.”Mithila art conservationist and campaigner Sudarshan Lal Karna says that the art form has not developed, or been promoted in Nepal to the extent that it has been in India, where it was first propagated in 1966.The then Union Minister of Bihar, Lalit Narayan Mishra, who was familiar with the art form, introduced his foreign guests to Mithila paintings. They in turn were amazed how similar they were to Picasso’s paintings.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022111015118/636d05db9c7e80680e0a5f2fjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>“That marked the beginning of the institutional development of Madhubani art in India,” says Karna, while there was no progress in Janakpur. The Women's Development Centre is one of very ew Nepali organisations that actively works to promote and nurture Mithila art.“But although the evolution of the art in Nepal is slower, the quality of the talent with the two nations are at par with each other,” notes Karna, who would like Mithila art to be included in the school curriculum, and not just in Province 2.

Vibrant Mithila art thrives in Nepal

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9799c7e80680e080216jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1298" height="956"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzXhBe09gq1Bzvn7tX9ABeTznuIA">Ranju Yadav’s</a> modern take on traditional art injects progressive messaging into <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-representations-of-kathmandus-metamorphosis/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG6G0QglI_y52O-zS5JPE6Brdxv3g">Mithila art</a> adorning households in the Nepal Tarai as she transfers heritage from walls to canvas and easel.Touching on issues of patriarchy such as women’s empowerment, dowry and foeticide, Yadav’s work stays true to the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=8294#.X3vnSS8RoWp" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D8294%23.X3vnSS8RoWp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGHuEXrpT4CHCMllfEINKFs4zO32w">techniques of Mithila art</a> while communicating the need for reform and social justice.The folk art uses the traditional sideway faces, elongated almond eyes and traditional attire for her figures — all hallmarks of Mithila art. Geometric borders and vibrant colours also add to the traditional look and feel as well as techniques like Mokh Chitra and Arpan that pay homage to her roots.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd97d9c7e80680e080217jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1470" height="962"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Despite the organic style, Yadav does not shy from social commentary. Her piece ‘Disaster Tourism’ makes light of the government’s ineffective response to floods in the Tarai, using satire and irony to show feckless politicians ‘inspecting’ the damage from afar.Communicating injustice and societal wrongs through art has always been Yadav’s motivation, and she is an advocate of the real-world benefits of <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=6697#.X3vnbS8RoWp" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id%3D6697%23.X3vnbS8RoWp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF4aSsZ473_06fEJYziL_aFh9vPMw">Mithila art in a conservative society</a> skewed by gender imbalance. Many of her painting depict emancipation: women flying helicopters, driving cars, being set free from cages.She says, “I am satisfied if my art manages to enlighten even just one person. Most Mithila women are skilled in traditional art, and if those skills can be applied to canvas, income can be generated, heritage preserved at the same time. The bonus is that they also get to spread message about the need for change.”Her work has catapulted traditional Mithila art onto the international stage, gathering acclaim for preserving cultural values with a painstaking attention to detail. Just one of her pieces, which can take up to a month-and-half to complete, sell for as high as Rs100,000.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9809c7e80680e080218jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="311">Ranju Yadav was born in Paterawa in Saptari, and was brought up learning to paint scenes from the Ramayana and Krishna-Lila on the walls of her home from her mother, aunts and grandmother – just like the art form has been passed down from one generation of Maithil women to the next in the region of an <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/nation-bhaktapur,597&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGUYnSUtf-sOAm3jBVH36Cp-Kmjaw">ancient empire</a> that once spanned today’s India and Nepal and once even included Kathmandu Valley.Despite personal difficulties like losing her father and failing to clear the Civil Service examinations, Yadav persevered and honed her craft after she moved to Rajbiraj to live with her extended family. There, she was called upon to paint walls during festivals.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9839c7e80680e080219jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1298" height="918">But her big break came when Milthila artist Ajit Sah came across her embroidery and artwork. He encouraged Yadav to move to canvas as a medium. “It was then I realised Mithila art can also be a profession. But I struggled initially to adjust from painting walls to painting on canvas. I used a lot of sketch books before finishing my first piece,” she recalls.Now, her work have been displayed in international and national exhibitions. Her first solo exhibition, Colors of Change, ran <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1602043178873000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGzXhBe09gq1Bzvn7tX9ABeTznuIA">last year at the Nepal Art Council</a>, during which she caught the attention of the Swiss Ambassador to Nepal Elisabeth von Capeller. Yadav held her second exhibition in August 2019 in conjunction with the Swiss embassy.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9869c7e80680e08021ajpeg.jpg" alt="" width="622" height="866"><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221109171144/636bd9889c7e80680e08021bjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="478">She has also been awarded for her work, winning a national artwork exhibition organised by the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts from the traditional artwork category in April 2019. Yadav’s plans to broaden her artistic horizon have been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.A weeklong exhibition planned for 7-14 June was postponed indefinitely, while a trip to Europe planned for April was cancelled. Plans to open a Mithila art training workshop in Jhamsikhel in Patan have also been thrown into disarray.Despite this, Yadav is making the best of the time she has during the lockdowns. She recently welcomed a son to the family, with whom she has got to spend time. She says: “There is no point in distressing about cancelled projects. It is a time for reflection, rebirth and spending quality time with my baby.”

Modern Mithila art that bares injustice

<figure><img width="1500" height="1222" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35719c7e80680e0482aejpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photos: SEWA BHATTARAI</figcaption></figure>Printmaking is as old as Nepal's history itself, and printmakers have brought fame to the country by winning many  international competitions. For all that, little is known about printmaking here. An exhibition at Siddhartha Art Gallery titled Seduction of Printmaking, organised by Print Making Nepal Artists’ Collective seeks to change that.The exhibition features prints by more than 30 artists, reflecting various genres: from traditional arts like Paubha and Mithila art to contemporary pieces on nature and urban life, and fusion works as well. While the pieces are a delight to see, the exhibition is also an opportunity to understand the complex arts of printmaking. The pieces may look like paintings, but in fact, prints are created through a variety of complicated processes.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/etched-in-our-memory/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Etched in our memory</a>, Prakriti KandelSome methods require carving the basic shape on wood, painting it in colours, and stamping it on paper. In others, motifs are etched on metal and the art emerges by applying acid to the metal which erodes it into different patterns. Still others require the use of a printmaking machine. Prints started out in China and Japan and were used to illustrate Buddhist texts, but now have spread all over the world. <img width="1500" height="1848" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35759c7e80680e0482afjpeg.jpg" alt="">Printmaking is quite difficult and expensive too, as it requires equipment and tools. Until recently, there were only a few private printmakers in Nepal, but now the Printmaking Association has acquired a machine that can be used by all printmakers.“Our aim is make printmaking more known in Nepal, and also to make it easier for future printmakers to work,” says the Association President Uma Shankar Shah, lamenting that the government has neglected the genre. “No printmaker has ever been awarded by the government, and it has conducted no printmaking workshop till date. We hope to work for more recognition.”Set up in 2017, the Association seems to have succeeded in pumping some fresh blood into the printmaking community. Senior printmaker Birendra Pratap Singh, who was the first person to own a printmaking machine in Nepal, had not made a print for 18 years. But he was energised to make one for this exhibition. The exhibition has also managed to rope in renowned non-printmaker into making prints, like the Paubha artist Lok Chitrakar and Mithila artist SC Suman.Read also:<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The art of the gods</a>, Tsering Dolker Gurung<a style="background-color: #ffffff; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.01em;" href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/review/mithila-art-with-a-message/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mithila art with a message</a>, Prakriti Kandel <img width="1500" height="1749" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a35789c7e80680e0482b0jpeg.jpg" alt="">Inaugurating the exhibition this week, French Ambassador Francois-Xavier Leger said: “Printmaking artists are dynamic and creative. It confirms what I always thought, that the new generation is active.”The Seduction of Print MakingTill 24th AprilSiddhartha Art Gallery, Baber Mahal Revisited

Leaving an imprint

<figure><img width="1883" height="1439" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a34fb9c7e80680e048286jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption>Photos: PRAKRITI KANDEL</figcaption></figure>Artist Ranju Yadav grew up in a village of Rajbiraj of Saptari, and learned Mithila art from her mother, grandmother and aunts who painted the walls and floors of their traditional mud houses. In her first solo exhibition, Colours of Change, Yadav transfers her heritage from walls to paper, creating a collection which represents Mithila art that are a commentary on society.Yadav stays true to the techniques of Mithila art: her human characters face sideways, have elongated almond eyes, and all wear traditional clothing, women in saris and men in kurtas. The paintings feature intricate borders, as well as animals and birds. "Peacock, fish, lotus, elephants, and the detailed borders are defining elements of Mithila art," explains Yadav, whose takes pains on the fine details of her work. The borders and geometries have a consistency that soothes the viewer.Yadav also presents a balanced variety in patterns that the viewer is drawn into the diverse intricacies of the painting. Her paintings are a burst of colour and the red, green, blue, and yellows all combine harmoniously to convey the vibrancy of Mithila art.But the artist is also conveying a message: women’s empowerment is a prominent theme. In Education is Power, Yadav has a woman at the centre, reading and four sections fan out, each showing a woman flying a plane, typing on a laptop, peering through a telescope, and giving a speech. Women can do anything with education. What makes this paining even more powerful is that the women are in traditional Mithila attire: women are carrying on their traditions, but are empowered.  In Equality, Yadav shows a couple handling  household work together, indicating what equality should look like. In another, Yadav shows a woman fighting a bull, and there are many other symbolisms of a woman’s inner strength. While her art highlights the problem, it simultaneously provides solutions and Yadav says that this is her objective. <img width="2592" height="1936" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221108111152/636a34fe9c7e80680e048287jpeg.jpg" alt="">Mokh Chitra and Aripan are tributes to her heritage, featuring intricate patterns. In The World of Fish, Yadav paints six fish with detailed work in design and colour. In Celebration of Beauty, magnificent peacocks interact with women. Disaster Tourism is Yadav's sarcastic portrayal of the government's inability to efficiently handle citizens suffering in disaster, and is poignantly timely with this week’s tornado disaster in Bara.Through her art, Yadav aims to raise awareness about issues of injustice. She says: "There are many themes I have yet to tackle, like the rape cases earlier this year. I hope to paint them all.”Colours of ChangeUntil 5 April, 11am-5pmNepal Art Council, Baber Mahal ranju.painting@gmail.com

Mithila art with a message

The daily 10-hour curfew at Tribhuvan International Airport from 8 November that will last five months has affected tourism during Nepal’s peak season, with some hotels and trekking agencies here reporting cancellations into spring next year. The reduced hours at Nepal’s main aviation gateway till 31 March means that a third of all flights have been cut. This has also caused ticket prices to surge by up to eight times of normal fares. For example a Kathmandu-Delhi ticket that used to cost Rs12,000 is now listed at Rs50,000, and even then seats are not available.&nbsp; “Especially if they are here to trek, change in flight dates can cause tourists to miss their connections,” says Jagan Timilsina, who runs a trail running and outdoor education business. &nbsp; Pokhara is feeling the brunt as hotels report last-minute cancellations for November because of flight disorders. Some hoteliers also say although there have been some cancelled trips, most itineraries have been rescheduled.&nbsp; Hari Prasad Sharma Gaire of the local chapter of the Hotel Association of Nepal says the Kathmandu airport closure should have been timed for the off-season. He told us: “Starting construction during the peak tourist season was a mistake and will cause the tourism industry to lose a lot of business. The upgrade could have been spread out over a longer time but closed for fewer hours at night so that disruption was minimal.”&nbsp; Nearly a third of the 1.2 million tourists who visit Nepal annually come to Pokhara, which is also the gateway to Mustang, the Annapurna treks and pilgrimage tourism to Muktinath. Located by scenic lakes with a range of adventure sports like hot air ballooning, paragliding, canyoning, bungee and ziplines, Pokhara is also popular among diaspora Nepalis. “Besides its own attractions, Pokhara is really the hub for central Nepal, and we have been trying to get visitors to extend their stay here,” says Timilsina, who started out as a trekking porter and rose up the ranks to be an expedition guide and entrepreneur. &nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024111603114_0e071ce63ea9b0a9a7ee76f8c3cea0ff08c6767c41dd09f6bc4413d2db067a60.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024111603114_0e071ce63ea9b0a9a7ee76f8c3cea0ff08c6767c41dd09f6bc4413d2db067a60" data-rendition-name="original" width="3500" height="2333" loading="lazy" alt="Pokhara's tourism woes NT"> <figcaption>Tourist arrivals in Pokhara have slumped since the disruptions at Kathmandu airport due to upgrading work. Photo: KRISHNA MANI BARAL/NEPALI TIMES ARCHIVE</figcaption> </figure>  Even without the Kathmandu airport closure affecting tourist arrivals, Pokhara was already suffering from a decline due to many factors like the poor state of the Prithvi Highway, the shortage of luxury accommodation for high-end tourists, and the reluctance of international airlines to start direct flights to Pokhara despite an expensive new airport that was inaugurated two years ago.&nbsp; “There was a lot of initial excitement on the construction of the international airport,” says Timilsina, “but it hasn’t delivered as expected due to politics. People have invested in nearby businesses, and have faced losses.” India has blocked direct flights from its cities to Pokhara because the facility was built by a Chinese company. Although tourists and pilgrims from India hit record levels this year, the poor state of the highways and the Indian bus accident on the highway to Kathmandu in July that killed 27 pilgrims from Maharashtra state dampened arrival figures. Gaire says, “While tourist arrivals to Pokhara are now approaching pre-Covid levels, we haven’t seen the improvement we were expecting. We need a better marketing strategy. What are our embassies abroad doing?”&nbsp; Indeed, Pokhara used to be a favourite destination for Chinese tourists. There was a boom in arrivals from China before Covid, especially after a popular Chinese tv serial was shot on location here. But arrivals from China have not really recovered since the pandemic because of the economic slowdown there. Promoting Pokhara airport to handle direct flights from Chengdu or Kunming could revive Chinese arrivals.&nbsp; Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAN) has used the Kathmandu airport closure as an excuse to arm-twist international airlines to start flying to Bhairawa, which has barely been in operation for two years since it was inaugurated. So far, Fly Dubai, Thai AirAsia, Jazeera and Qatar are flying to Bhairawa, but most use it as a hop before flying on to Kathmandu, which does not reduce congestion at Kathmandu.&nbsp; An ideal situation could have been to get Pokhara to run to full capacity while Kathmandu is partially out of action. Pokhara entrepreneurs are puzzled why the CAAN and the national government have not taken more interest in promoting Pokhara as an alternative to reduce the congestion in Kathmandu. Nepal’s football team that was flying to Dushanbe this week couldn’t get tickets via Delhi, and took a domestic flight to Bhadrapur, crossed over to Bagdogra and flew on to Delhi to catch their flight to Tajikistan.

Pokhara’s tourism woes

An excerpt of a conversation between an anthropologist and linguist Mark Turin, PhD and Lava Deo Awasthi, PhD, the first Chairperson of the Language Commission of Nepal. Nepali Times: What is the role of Nepal’s Language Commission and when was it formed? Lava Deo Awasthi: The Constitution of Nepal (2015) created a Language Commission (LC) with the following four core mandates: (a) to develop eligibility criteria for gaining status as an official language and offer recommendations to the Government of Nepal about the official language(s) in each province; (b) to offer recommendations to the Government about measures to be taken for the conservation, promotion, and development of languages; (c) to suggest possible ways of using mother tongues in education by assessing their stage of development; and, (d) to conduct studies, carry out research and perform monitoring functions about the response to the constitutional provisions for the federalisation of languages in Nepal. The Commission was founded in 2016 and I was appointed as the Chairperson of the Commission in September of the same year by the Cabinet of Ministers. What in your own professional and educational background helped to prepare you for the role? I have worked with the Government of Nepal for about 30 years, alongside holding teaching appointments at universities in Nepal. Prior to assuming the role of the Chairperson of the Commission, I served as permanent Secretary to the Government of Nepal and worked as the Chief Administrator of the Central Development Region. I was appointed as Director General of the Department of Education and completed my assignments as Joint Secretary at the Planning, Monitoring and Educational Administration Divisions of the Ministry of Education.&nbsp; In addition, I have taught courses as a visiting professor at Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University for more than three decades. Later, I also started supervising MPhil and PhD students at the Far Western University in Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur. My PhD project from the Danish University of Education was dedicated to making sense of Nepal’s social construct and commitment to multilingualism, exploring the persistence of monolingual school practices in the face of constitutional promises and state commitments to multilingualism. I conducted a survey of Nepal’s languages and carried out a qualitative study of the Tharu language in the district of Bardia. I analysed language policy statements and explored classroom pedagogies in schools. I documented how teachers showed a tendency to resist change and maintain the status quo because they were not consulted when new educational language policies were introduced. Teachers also exhibited a deeply-held adherence to the Gurukul education system which appears to have been harnessed as a way to resist newer pedagogical ideologies imported from the West. Recognising how engrained these rich traditions of knowledge transmission are, I wanted to know how students’ engagement in the learning process appeared to have dwindled, creating a gap between children’s home languages and the language(s) of the school. Whilst statutory provisions for education in the mother tongue were oriented towards promotion, classroom pedagogies remained resolutely monolingual and exclusionary. The result was that multilingual education policies that had been introduced in Nepal did not result in meaningful changes in classroom practices. My research was also a reflection of childhood traumas I had experienced at the earliest stage of formal education. My home language, Baitadeli, has a strong oral tradition and no written literature. English is my fifth language in terms of exposure and competence, and my home district of Baitadi is well-known for its loyalty to the local language. I had to drop out of school after completing my sixth grade. Staying at home, I received much attention from my family and had much greater exposure to my native language, culture and environment. My overall impression is that dropping out of school had a surprisingly positive impact on my life. The opportunity offered a surprising dividend for me as I gained mastery in my mother tongue and received extensive exposure to folk literature and Indigenous knowledge and survival skills, cultivating my interest in language, culture, literature and local cosmologies.&nbsp; Now that I reflect on it, I appreciate how language has always played a key role in my life. I grew up in a multilingual environment: brought up with Baitadeli, Hindi, Sanskrit, Nepali and English. Language played a major part in my decision to leave school and my later success is closely linked to my competence in several languages. It was rewarding to be at home with my family as I deepened my understanding of native language and culture, which in turn helped me to harness and refine my art of living. Languages matter so much to me because they are both software and hardware. Later, when I was in secondary school, I realised that my command of my home language contributed significantly to enhancing my Nepali and English. I used my mother tongue as a form of linguistic capital to strengthen my competence in both English and Nepali.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024111811110_5400ba54792bf9e4854e1c1effde8bf09804e99647f23513700b450cc49adc4a.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="2024111811110_5400ba54792bf9e4854e1c1effde8bf09804e99647f23513700b450cc49adc4a" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1500" loading="lazy" alt="Dr Lava Deo Awasthi"> </figure>  In your term as the Commission’s first Chairperson, what were your strategic goals and objectives? My first strategic goal was to create an environment conducive to implementing the provisions of the Constitution of Nepal in relation to language. My priority was to prepare a detailed action plan for my six-year tenure in consultation with language stakeholders, including language experts, professionals, activists, Indigenous community members and representatives of relevant national and local-level institutions. The Commission formed a body of high-level advisors to ensure that the Chairperson’s work was well-informed and credible. The advisors to the committee had highly visible professional and social reputations in Nepal and had much experience in the field of language conservation, promotion, research and development. Another strategy we adopted was to establish close institutional linkages with federal, provincial, and local level governments for collecting opinions and disseminating information widely.&nbsp; What critical issues did you have to consider while discharging your duty? When Nepal’s new Constitution was drafted, a number of concerns could not be adequately addressed. These related to the conservation of languages, the recognition of official languages at the provincial level, and the use of mother tongues at federal, provincial, and local levels. These unresolved issues and matters pertaining to the federalizsation of Nepal’s languages were passed on to the Language Commission to address and resolve.&nbsp; Regarding the recommendations for official languages, a five-year timeline had been set by the Constitution. With great effort, we succeeded in having all provinces agree to recognise their official languages as per the recommendations of the Commission.&nbsp; What were your greatest achievements during your term? One of the greatest achievements was that we succeeded in setting a language agenda at all levels. Nepal’s language communities and other stakeholders expressed the view that this was the first time their languages were recognised and their voices heard by the state. People participated in debates and discussed issues relating to language that in all likelihood had never before happened in their lifetimes, at least not in ways that were supported by the state. We encouraged people to speak in their own language(s) and provided translators during plenary sessions and group discussions. Another major achievement was developing criteria for the status planning of languages at federal, provincial, and local levels, and to recommend 11 province-level official languages, in addition to the Nepali language. Similarly, a notable achievement was recognising Indigenous languages spoken by smaller communities, all of whom faced ongoing marginalisation and high levels of endangerment. The Commission identified 9 new languages that had not been reported in the 2011 census, and provided a framework for recognising official languages within a municipality. The commission emphasised the need for documentation and digitisation of languages for developing corpora and archives at national and sub-national levels.&nbsp; Languages of historical importance as well as classical languages were given recognition for their protection, growth, and development. Recommendations were made for the conservation, promotion and development of Nepal’s marginalised languages that are threatened by majority languages and for those languages that hold particular power at local and global levels. Recommendations were also made for how best to safeguard Nepal’s languages from the ever-growing spread of English and other powerful, globalising languages.&nbsp; A further important aspect of the Commission’s work was to emphasise mother tongue medium instruction in schools across the nation. Recognising the role of language in children’s cognitive, socio-emotional and academic development, the Commission suggested strategies for linking schools with ward-level language clusters for use in the classroom. The importance of nurturing and respecting a child’s first language was reiterated in the Commission’s recommendations for children’s learning and all-round development. By the end of my term, a remarkable change could be observed in terms of building trust within and across Nepal’s diverse language communities. A network of language groups and stakeholders across the country proved to be a powerful way of bringing all language communities under one roof for a collective review of and response to the process of federalising language policy. The many language stakeholders across Nepal appreciated the opportunity to work within a coordinated framework, and—feeling empowered by this—seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the initiatives taken by the Commission.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2024111811114_b45297fdd2fedf17bdb6313e495a1062c0d87f1a19fa5349f871f220b75f93ab.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="2024111811114_b45297fdd2fedf17bdb6313e495a1062c0d87f1a19fa5349f871f220b75f93ab" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Dr Lava Deo Awasthi NT"> </figure>  What were the most significant challenges for you as Chairperson? One of the major challenges was winning people’s trust in advocating for the mission of the Language Commission. I faced considerable resistance as I sought to emphasise the use of native languages in families and communities. While the Commission advocated for multilingualism and promoted linguistic diversity, the prevailing policy circles and central level institutions had been deeply influenced by a one-language discourse and ideology of Nepali only. The spread of English also poses a huge threat to Nepal’s languages. However, people in power do not seem to see this as a problem. They tend to abandon their own languages in preference for English. The way that Nepal’s municipalities are increasingly introducing English as a medium of instruction at the earliest stage of a child’s school-based education has proven to be detrimental to their cognitive development, socio-emotional wellbeing and academic success. Most of Nepal’s elites have been heavily influenced by the spread of English and remain unaware about its impact on their home languages as well as on the inter-generational transmission of Indigenous languages in the country. I wish that we could have produced more compelling evidence to show the consequences of making poor policy choices for our children’s education. Demystification calls for a collective response. To make change happen across this entire, complex and federalising country was daunting work and left like a race against time. I feel that I could have done more to offer concrete examples in favour of using the mother tongue as a medium of children’s education at the earliest stages of a child’s education. What do you see the Language Commission achieving in the next 5-10 years? The Language Commission will have to ensure that all of its key recommendations are implemented at all levels of government. In 10 years’ time, all seven of Nepal’s provinces will have their official languages in place. These languages will also be recognised as languages of federal business, alongside Nepali. I anticipate that all official languages in the federal and provincial systems will have a national portal for inter-language corpora using machine translation to fulfil their federal, provincial and local level language functions, and that all languages spoken in Nepal will be represented through a digital database in the national archive. The Office of Statistics will monitor the status of Nepal’s languages over time. By the end of the next decade, each municipality in the country will have recognised one or two official languages at the local level, based on speech populations. Other local languages will have received community-level legal recognition and official status to fulfil their functional roles. Languages that are highly endangered or at risk will be entitled to receive state grants for enhancing local level capabilities to encourage families and young learners to speak the language. Incentive schemes will be introduced in municipalities that promote language within the family and at home. Inter-generational transmission of languages will have received welcome and timely attention across Nepal. It is my hope that all schools—public and private—will have introduced mother tongue medium instruction at the earliest stage of school education, at least up to class five. Nepali, English and other national as well as classical and foreign languages will be taught as subjects. The existing policy of English medium education at the early stage of education will be abolished. The Government of Nepal will be held accountable if the number of speakers of any language decreases or if local communities face language loss and greater endangerment. Under the aegis of the Language Commission, a Centre for Language Research and Innovation will be created with world-class facilities for language documentation and archiving in collaboration with Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Linguistics and other relevant institutions. Harnessing the vastness of Nepal’s linguistic diversity, the Language Commission will morph into a centre of excellence for national and international communities to engage in collaborative language research, to share experiences and document best practices at in service of global linguistic diversity and Nepal’s many Indigenous languages.

Languages are both software and hardware

Nearly 750,000 Nepalis went abroad for employment in the past year, and more than 100,000 left on student visas. Most of them were young Nepali men and women, and the number has been increasing every year. As with other sections of society, Nepal’s security agencies also face a recruitment crisis. Nepal Police opened recruitment for 64 inspectors in September, and received 2,239 applications, compared to 2,718 candidates last year. Police also invited candidates for 256 assistant sub-inspectors this year for which it received 17,756 applications – down from 19,932 last year. It is the same story in the Nepal Army, the number of applicants for the post of Officer Cadet (Second Lieutenant) went down from 6,144 for 400 open seats in 2019 to 4,390 in 2020. Meanwhile, applicants in the paramilitary Armed Police Force went down from 857 applications for 75 posts in 2021 to 536 applicants for 99 posts last year. While the number of applicants appears higher than the demand, the data shows a significant decrease in applications for vacancies in Nepal’s law enforcement agencies. Security personnel are recruited on the basis of rank and age in Nepal, and the age cutoff for entry into Nepal’s security agencies is typically 25 years. Sociologist and migration expert Ganesh Gurung says that the demographic of young, physically fit Nepalis emigrating abroad in search of better opportunities has impacted recruitment into law enforcement and the military here at home. “The returns from working in Nepal’s police and army are minimal, whereas overseas job opportunities are more attractive,” Gurung says. “The work may be physically demanding abroad, but the pay is a lot higher.”  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241116041148_a7e477e0ee2f56acf16c2559fdb24d8f0377f7bc1f9e56138bc40108fc4fa33f.jpg" data-media-id="editor_0" data-image-id="20241116041148_a7e477e0ee2f56acf16c2559fdb24d8f0377f7bc1f9e56138bc40108fc4fa33f" data-rendition-name="original" width="800" height="534" loading="lazy" alt="Nepal Police"><figcaption>Nepal Police</figcaption></figure>  Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Dan Bahadur Karki agrees that the physical and mental demands of a law enforcement job is incomparable to the income that security personnel earn. “A young Nepali who works in Dubai earns enough to build a home in the village within four years, while a Nepali with the same qualifications and physical ability in a security agency here barely makes enough to survive,” says Karki. “Obviously the youth prefer foreign employment.” Security agencies are now worried about the quality of inducted manpower. “There is a difference in work ethic between an applicant chosen from a competitive pool of 50 candidates versus one chosen from a pool of three candidates,” explains Gurung. “Unmotivated employees hamper the overall performance of the state apparatus.” Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier General Gaurab Kumar KC says recruitment has not been hampered by outmigration: “We have still been getting more than three times the applicants than there are open posts, so we are not yet worried.” Even so, the passing rates of aspirants have gone down for security forces after the Public Service Commission began examinations for military recruitment in 2015. In fact, the Nepal Army complained about the Commission’s involvement in recruitment. Still, the number of vacant military posts tends to exceed the number of passing candidates. Nepal Army’s KC says that the military will not compromise on intake criteria even if there are fewer passing applicants. “Unqualified persons will not be admitted even if there are less-than-required passing candidates. We will re-advertise if that is the case.” But Nepal’s security forces now also have to worry about retention of existing personnel. About 900 Nepal Army, 600 Nepal Police, and 300 Armed police personnel resign every year before the completion of their tenure.  <figure><img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241116041148_b8cd62f70eea3aac7d3d3778615a5b70b1e20550c9bd76321f051f9c766fd2a9.jpg" data-media-id="editor_1" data-image-id="20241116041148_b8cd62f70eea3aac7d3d3778615a5b70b1e20550c9bd76321f051f9c766fd2a9" data-rendition-name="original" width="750" height="378" loading="lazy" alt="Armed police forces"><figcaption>Armed Police Force</figcaption></figure>  In 2020, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa recalled almost 1,000 police personnel who had been deployed for the security of VIPs after long-standing criticism that security forces were being misused to cater to political and bureaucratic leadership. However, security personnel have continued to be assigned to high-ranking officials as glorified housekeepers. In December 2022, Rabi Lamichhane’s Home Ministry had instructed its offices to recall unauthorised security personnel assigned to high-ranking officials, following which 500 officers from Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were withdrawn from their details. But the Nepal Army does not have to follow such rules, and the practice of army personnel serving high-ranking active-duty and retired military personnel remains. Conditions here are dire enough that many active duty officers in Nepal’s military and police forces have chosen to leave their jobs to serve in the Russian Army to fight in the Ukraine war. The hierarchical culture and chain of command of politics, bureaucracy, law enforcement and military has also meant that abuse and mistreatment of subordinates is rife in Nepal’s security forces. “Feudalism is alive and well within our security institutions,” says Gurung. “When soldiers and security forces who swore to protect and serve the nation are made to be at the beck and call of politicians and bureaucrats, it is easy to understand why they are disillusioned with their jobs and why they choose to quit and find jobs abroad.”

Job insecurity in security forces

Earlier this month, Nepal received Rs1.6 billion from the World Bank as part of its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/will-nepal-ever-be-paid-for-saving-trees">Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF)</a>, rewarding the country for increasing its carbon sink capacity. Nepal is the first in South Asia to benefit from this facility, and it is specifically to recompense the country for increasing forest cover in 13 Tarai districts between 2018-2024. “We are also trying to get another Rs13 billion from the facility while also preparing for free market-based carbon trading in the international market,” says Nabaraj Pudasaini of the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries) Implementation Centre. Big emitters of greenhouse gases are under pressure to reduce their carbon emissions, and many have signed agreements to do so by investing in decarbonisation projects in developing countries. Countries that emit more than a specified amount of carbon would be able to buy emission rights from countries that emit less. Nepal is internationally known for its community forestry program which has been largely credited for <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/tree-mendous">increasing tree cover to over 45%</a> in less than three decades. But this achievement had not been adequately recognised or rewarded internationally before. Forests, especially in the tropics, absorb and store large amounts of carbon while releasing oxygen in a process known as photosynthesis. <a href="https://www.fao.org/forest-resources-assessment/en/">Preventing deforestation</a> and increasing canopy cover is considered a much more achievable goal than reducing emission in the scale necessary to limit global average temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. COP11 in Montreal in 2005 first proposed reducing carbon emissions by improving forest quality by halting degradation. By 2015, a new mechanism of financial assistance was created to help less developed countries with sustainable management of forests <a href="https://www.un-redd.org/">(called REDD+)</a>. Under this new mechanism, countries receive aid based on their efforts to prevent forest degradation and increase carbon sink, and in 2021 the World Bank was entrusted with implementing it. Nepal’s FCPF receipt this month was calculated on the basis of 2.4 million tons of carbon stored at a rate of $5 per ton. In the second phase, Nepal will receive more than Rs4 billion within the next year for storing an additional 7 million tons of carbon. Eighty per cent of this amount obtained from carbon trading needs to be spent on local beneficiaries and indigenous communities.&nbsp; But carbon trading is not easy, Nepal needs to prove that protected forests will not be destroyed in future.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20241121091132_c8a381c9a95aa86fec558951650d97bb87914741f01766982ba2b086af001f16.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="20241121091132_c8a381c9a95aa86fec558951650d97bb87914741f01766982ba2b086af001f16" data-rendition-name="original" width="1500" height="999" loading="lazy" alt="Greenbacks for greenery NT "> <figcaption>Photo: KUNDA DIXIT</figcaption> </figure>  Explains carbon trading expert Yugan Manandhar. “Forests should be handed over to the community and shown that they are managed sustainably. Proving this will be particularly challenging; forest encroachment and degradation is rife in the Tarai.” <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/nepal-is-going-up-in-smoke">Deliberate forest fires</a> have also added to the challenge because they increase carbon emissions and reduce the sink capacity of forests. The basis for the amount that Nepal received was set five years ago by calculating the carbon reserves of forests in the 13 Tarai districts. In the meantime, sustainable forest management, tree plantation, forest destruction and erosion control were prioritised to increase carbon reserves in those forests. Nepal is signing another carbon trading agreement during the ongoing Baku climate conference. The <a href="https://www.leafcoalition.org/">Lowering Emissions by Accelerating Forest finance (LEAF Coalition) </a>proposes to sell the carbon stored in the forests of Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. For this, Nepal signed the letter of intent three years ago at COP26 in Glasgow. The target is to store 70 million tons of carbon in 32 million hectares of forest in the three provinces per which Nepal will receive Rs13 billion in four years at $10 per ton with provisions to increase the rate if various conditions are met. However, the agreement in itself doesn’t guarantee the amount. According to the targets set by Nepal, forest degradation should be stopped and carbon reserves increased by protecting tree cover. Preparations are also underway for clean air carbon trade because it has offset fossil fuel use by introducing 30,000 electric vehicles. Nepal has been selected for the first round to receive $40 million within one and a half years through the Clean Air System of the World Bank. Given that most of Nepal’s energy mix is from biomass, replacing them with electric stoves can significantly improve health by reducing indoor pollution as well as strengthen the country’s capacity for carbon trade. “Nepal's goal now is to sell carbon in the free market where carbon credits are bought and sold based on supply and demand in an open and transparent manner,” adds Pudasaini of the REDD Implementation Centre. “Nepal can now set its own price and bargain with interested buyer countries and organisations.” Lately, India has been discussing setting up a carbon market. Nepal has exported Rs12.72 billion worth of electricity to India so far this fiscal year, which can be traded under Nepal’s carbon market. “Carbon trading can create significant economic benefits for Nepal, which will help reinvest in development and environmental protection projects,” says Manandhar. “But we must prioritise sustainable management of forests, cutting older trees and allowing regrowth as well as promoting electric stoves and electric vehicles.”