WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW AND HAVE YOU ALWAYS LIVED THERE?
I am currently living in Kathmandu, with my family. Yes, born and brought up in the valley itself. I lived in China for a short time (from fall 2015 till spring of 2020). I completed my undergrad in Beijing.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND BROUGHT UP?
Born and brought in Kathmandu itself. My ancestral home is in Tyauda, in the inner city.
WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR PRESENT CITY OR HOMETOWN?
I feel the city has regained its vibrancy and liveliness to a great extent recently. The 2015 earthquake and two years long Covid-19 adversely affected many social activities/festivals here. But it is good to see it all coming back and in better state. There is always new things to look forward, the creativity and positivity in people really keeps the place alive.
WHAT WERE YOUR ASPIRATIONS GROWING UP?
I did not have any out of the blue dreams and aspirations as a kid. Growing up in a middle class family always keeps one more on a practical side of life, very rarely have dreams of going up and beyond. But my family has been very encouraging and supportive of any decisions I made in life.
HOW DID YOU STUMBLE UPON YOUR CURRENT VOCATION AS A MUSEUM MANAGER?
It is rather an interesting story, and I would say a complete strike of faith and destiny. I had been following the museum and its updates religiously on social media, also had a chance to meet the founding director, now my boss, Mr. Rajan Sakya, in China where he had come for a seminar. This was back in 2018/19 AD. I had no plans of working for the museum.
Then I came back to Nepal after completing my undergrad program, started working in a startup soon. One day, I saw a vacancy post from the museum of an on-call museum guide. I immediately submitted my resume. I said to myself, that I will learn anything that the job would require me to do, I just wanted to work for the museum since it was such a unique concept in context of Nepal. Luckily I got a call back, got interviewed and was offered to be the office secretary. This was in late 2021 AD.
Since then, I have been with the Museum of Nepali Art (MoNA), and have not looked back!
WHAT'S YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I completed my high school from United Academy, Lalitpur in computer science. I then joined a university in Kathmandu for undergrad but dropped out and moved to China in 2015. I completed my studies from Beijing Technology and Business University, majored in Human Resource Management in 2020 AD.
WHAT'S THE ART SCENE IN NEPAL LIKE?
The art community in Nepal has catapulted in the past decade. In all genres, we see a skyrocketing involvement of young people, as artists and as spectators. We see many art galleries and art spaces mushrooming in the capital city, groups coming together with many innovative activities to engage the crowd.
While all this is hopeful, we still lack such involvement and exposure outside the capital city. Other cities are yet to get the deserved limelight, especially in context of artists and art.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FACED BY NEPALI ARTISTS?
Nepali artists are mostly self-taught. They have an unmatched level of skill and creativity. Having worked in the industry for some time, I believe that the biggest challenge is language barrier. Artists here are bit shy to communicate as they are very conscious of their English, they struggle to articulate their emotions in words, and even more in a foreign language.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE STYLE OF ART?
I do not have a favorite style per sé. However, I could look at a Gustav Klimt, Edward Munch for hours.
WHAT OR WHO HAS HAD THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR LIFE?
I would say my parents have been the biggest influence for me. I have, however, experienced a whole new dynamic and gained newer perspective on life and approaches while living in China. That was the first time I could be my own person, make any small/big decisions, didn’t matter if they were always correct. I reached a new level of self-dependency which was not possible while I lived a sheltered life. Dropping out and taking a leap of faith to pursue my life in China turned out to be the best decision for me.
WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL AESTHETIC?
I don’t have anything specific as such in terms of fashion, literature, food. I am open to a lot of things, there is so much to learn and experience in the world, I wouldn’t want to confine myself to a specific style or tradition. In fact, one of the reasons for me choosing to move to China was the uniqueness of the food, places, people, language that I had not had the chance to experience while in Kathmandu, again, one of the best decisions of my life so far!
WHAT BEAUTY ROUTINE DO YOU SWEAR BY?
SUNCREEN, MOISTURISER daily! Other things come and go. Haha.
WHAT DO YOU GET UP TO WHEN YOU'RE NOT WORKING?
I mostly go around the valley with my mum and/or alone. Sit in a café and just be.
Other days, there are so many art exhibitions going on around, that’s where I usually am.
HOW DO YOU UNWIND?
Lying down. Eating good food (not necessarily healthy, but good food).
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