The Kathmandu Project

Even with three days left, Surendra Lawoti who is a Nepali photographer based in Toronto has already managed to reach his goal of raising $4,500 through the website indiegogo. The current raised total stands at $4,625 and there is still time for you guys to contribute towards the project.


By following the link on to his fundraiser page you will see a detailed budget plan of where exactly the money will be spent. From buying camera equipments to plane fares, the money will all be utilised in completing Surendra's Kathmandu Project which highlights the landscape in transformation. Below is an excerpt from the page regarding what the project is about.

Project Description
According to a recent census, Kathmandu Valley’s population has almost doubled in the last ten years. Kathmandu does not have the supporting infrastructures to support this influx. What once used to be fertile agricultural land is now covered with boxed houses. Gated housing developments like in American suburbs are being built. In fact Kathmandu saw its own housing bubble. Banks heavily invested in real estate lending easily available loans. On the other hand, the poor and the landless live in one of many squatter settlements in the city. On the streets, there are traffic jams. There is pollution. And there are severe environmental concerns. What once used to be beautiful Baghmati River now is stagnant with stink, plastic bottles and garbage.

Kathmandu is an orgy of visual chaos. I want to spend five weeks in July and August of 2012 photographing Kathmandu. I plan to be on top of people’s houses, on office buildings, on the streets and in the squatter settlements photographing the urban landscape. For a photographer like me, who revels in visual pandemonium, Kathmandu is heavenly. I want to make striking and formally intricate images that distil the truth of modern Kathmandu.

source lexlimbu.com

Paplu Song From HIGHWAY

Due to the current political uncertainty in Nepal the release date of HIGHWAY has been postponed till the 20th of July. The film which has repeatedly made news all over has already generated a lot of interest and expectations. With the film showcased at the recent Berlin International Film Festival, it's not surprising why people wouldn't be so hopeful from Highway. It feels like Kagbeni and Sano Sansar, all over again.


To ease the wait for the viewers, the makers have published the video for the song PAPLU on their official youtube channel. Paplu is an energetic track composed by the famed musician Manoj Kumar KC. I was quite surprised to know Subani Moktan was the woman behind the vocals. Loved it. She's definitely showing her versatility in terms of vocal. I like the song... quite catchy! The video works for the reason that we get to see glimpses of the stories that HIGHWAY brings, however I sense something lacking with the dance performance given by actress Reecha Sharma. It might be the choreography or her level of energy shown. Do share your views readers. 


Highway is shaping up to be a delightful watch. Once again, lets not let our expectations kill the movie (has happened many times before). It's better to expect little and be overwhelmed.

Source Lexlimbu.com

NT to introduce cheaper broadband service by August

Nepal Telecom (NT) is preparing to offer broadband internet service at a cheaper rate across the country through its Internet Protocol-based Code Division Multiple Access (IP CDMA) project. The state-owned telecom company has said it will start making the service, bundled with the voice service, available to customers by August.
IP CDMA is the next generation telephony service that offers simultaneous operation of voice and data services. NT has been promoting the service as ‘Sky Pro’, which it defines as the upgradation of the existing Sky Phone/CDMA mobile service.
The speed of the internet under this service will be up to 3.1 Mbps. Initially, NT will launch this service in the Eastern and Central regions. Under the IP CDMA project, NT aims to distribute two million lines across the country.
“This will be a high-speed internet service at lower price, having wide coverage,” said Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, deputy managing director at NT.
He added that NT’s already installed microwave links in 72 districts will help it maintain the cheaper rate.
Generally, the use of microwave links for service expansion is less costly for service providers compared to satellite links. NT officials said they have begun testing the service.
Based on the Evolution Data Optimised (EV-DO) technology, NT has targeted to provide voice and data services with a single Removable User Identity Module (RUIM) card to customers from urban, semi-urban and rural areas. NT said the IP CDMA project would help it accomplish its target of taking the broadband internet service to all village development committees.
In wireless data service, NT is far behind its rival Ncell. “This project will help increase our market share in both voice and data service,” said Bhattarai, who is also the director at NT’s Wireless Telephony Directorate.
The IP CDMA data service will enable users to send and receive large files, high resolution pictures, videos, watch videos and make video calls through their mobile handsets. However, customers will have to buy a different mobile set compatible with EV-DO technology.
According to Bhattarai, the RUIM card price has been set at Rs 600 and NT is preparing to make available the compatible handsets under the service bundling agreement with Samsung and Alkatel’s local dealers.
In August 2011, Chinese vendor Huawei Technologies had signed a $30 million contract with NT for the implementation the IP CDMA project in two phases. In the first phase, NT will distribute 1 million lines in the Eastern and Central Development regions.
The remaining 1 million lines have been set aside for the Western, Mid-Western and Far Western regions.
NT plans to complete the project within the next fiscal year. Originally, the service was supposed to come into operation by December last year, but the intervention by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority, suspecting irregularities, and other procedural redtape had delayed the project.

source ktm2day.com

Airlines from India account for the largest share of inbound tourism in Nepal

Airlines from India account for the largest share of inbound tourism in Nepal. According to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Indian carriers flew almost 48 percent of all the tourists visiting Nepal in 2011.
As per TIA stats, five Indian airlines—Spice Jet, Jet Airways, Air India, Jet Lite and Kingfisher—are among the top 10 carriers bringing tourists to Nepal. Arrivals of tourist via air amounted 544,985 in 2011. There are 28 international airlines connecting Nepal at present.
Indian budget airline Spice Jet was the largest carrier of tourists into Nepal in 2011, accounting for 15.28 percent of the arrivals. Spice Jet took the top spot 14 months after it entered the Nepali skies. The airline started flying to Nepal in October 2010.
Jet Airways and Air India are the second and third largest tourist carriers with shares of 12 percent and 8 percent respectively. Air India has slipped to the third position from its number one slot in 2010. Jet Airways was in second place last year too.
Two legacy carriers—Thai Airways and Qatar Airways—fell in the inbound tourism rankings in 2011. Thai’s market share shrunk to 8 percent from 11 percent while the share of Qatar Airways slipped to 7 percent. Two carriers from the Middle East, Etihad Airways and Gulf Air, have lost their slots in the top 10 list.
Among Indian carriers, Kingfisher’s market share shrank due to its deteriorating financial condition. Kingfisher has not been flying to Nepal for the last few months.
The market share of Indian carriers surged as tourists have a number of airlines to choose from while flying to Nepal from New Delhi, said Bhola Bikram Thapa, managing director of President Travels and Tours.
The progress made by Spice Jet illustrates how low cost airlines (LCCs) are expanding their share at a speedy rate and displacing legacy carriers. It also shows that tourists prefer LCCs to fly to Nepal. “The surprising business of Spice Jet can be attributed to the increased number of Indian visitors in Nepal last year,” said Shyam Raj Thapaliya, managing director of Osho World Travel Nepal. Indian travellers grew by 39 percent to 145,338 in 2011, a 26.7 percent share in total tourist arrivals in Nepal.
However, travel trade entrepreneurs said that LCCs like Spice Jet bringing more tourists would not make any significant impact on Nepal’s tourism as they have low connectivity outside Delhi.
“Travellers prefer LCCs for short-haul destinations due to the price factor,” said Madan Kharel, president of the Board of Airline Representatives in Nepal (BARN). “However, passenger preference for long-haul destinations will always be legacy carriers.”
Nepal Airlines slips to 10th place
KATHMANDU: The market share of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) shrank to an all-time low in 2011 in terms of tourist carriage. The national flag carrier held the 10th position with a mere 3.05 percent. In 2010, NAC had a market share of 4.87 percent. In 2001, NAC was a leading carrier accounting for 28 percent of inbound tourists. The eroding market share of NAC, according to travel trade entrepreneurs, is due to its inability to expand its fleet. “The limited number of aircraft has even compelled NAC to cut its regular flights on the Delhi sector,” said Madan Kharel, president of BARN. With more international airlines entering the Nepali skies and NAC’s track record of flight delays, travel agencies said the national flag carrier had become the last choice among visitors. Currently, NAC operates its international flights with two ageing Boeing 757s, one of which is usually offline due to technical glitches and periodic C-checks. The carrier now flies to only five international sectors, Dubai, Doha, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, down from around 14 in 2001. NAC has not added any new aircraft in the last two decades. “Without expanding the fleet, it is not possible to lead the market and expand flight connectivity,” he added.
Source ekantipur.com

Vootoo’d, Vootoo Turns A Year Old

Cobweb New Music Video Shoot “MERO LAGI”

A Hard Rock Band from Nepal, Cobweb is doing their jobs since early 90′s and still rocking it! The best part is, their music never gets old. Now they are coming with their new music video “MERO LAGI” from their latest album “Project Namaste“.

Director: Rojesh Shrestha, Sea Horse Production

Location: Aroma Club, Sanepa, Lalitpur Nepal

Coming soon… Stay tuned

Show Your EURO Passion with Carlsberg

As the UEFA EURO 2012™ approaches, Carlsberg has launched a digital campaign which challenges football fans in Nepal to show their passion towards football and Euro2012. The ‘Show Your EURO Passion’ contest will give football fans the opportunity to win tickets to the EURO parties in town and also Carlsberg UEFA EURO merchandise. The campaign is offered through Facebook application and will continue till 5 June 2012.
 

Over the coming days, Carlsberg, one of the longest serving UEFA EURO 2012™ sponsors, request the fans to visit www.facebook.com/carlsberg.com.np. The contest is open to all Nepali citizens who are of legal drinking age. There they will be asked to ‘Like’ the page which will take them to the application page. The contest will require fans to upload their pictures (can be with their friends too) where they have to show they are the true fans of Carlsberg and football, ultimately showing their passion for UEFA EURO 2012™. Photos when selected will be opened for public voting and those not accepted will again have the chance to upload their photos.  The more votes fans earn, the more chances they will have to win tickets to the EURO parties happening in town.

The Carlsberg ‘Show Your EURO Passion’ contest reflects the brand’s new positioning, unveiled in April 2011, which encourages people to ‘step up and do the right thing’ under the strap line of ‘That Calls for a Carlsberg.’ Carlsberg first sponsored the European Football Championships in 1988 and UEFA EURO 2012™ will be the Danish brand’s seventh consecutive tournament as Official Sponsor.

Nepalis Unite For Peace

Prabal Gurung Heading For Bollywood

Designer Prabal Gurung is heading back to Mumbai, the home of Bollywood. Prabal who will be visiting Mumbai after thirteen years has been invited to director Karan Johars birthday bash in Mumbai. The popular director will be turning 40 this Friday 25th May! 

Source Lexlimbu.com

It’s as clear as crystal that we’ve been hit by a new wave of Nepali movies lately which is definitely a great thing because let’s face it, exclamations like “Oh, I can’t wait for it to release!” and “Man, that was really good” were either meant for Hollywood or Bollywood cinemas.

Yes, we have witnessed a series of locally produced films with fresh concepts and unconventional style of directions but at the same time, we can’t say all of them have managed to impress the audience, although their effort is appreciable. After all, change is a steady process and we can’t expect things to be absolutely different overnight. Anyway, I recently happened to discover a trailer for one of the upcoming films and its title should definitely have you interested. It’s called Facebook.

Supposed to be based on the popular social networking site, Facebook has been produced by Sunil Kumar Thapa and directed by Suraj Subba. The film, which was shot partly in Kathmandu and partly in Singapore, features Rajesh Hamal, Jharana Thapa, Subash Thapa, Wilson Bikram Rai, and Anurag Man Singh Kunwar among others and is set for nationwide release on Shrawan 15. When I caught its poster for the first time, I was kind of very excited because it looked promising. So it got me really expectant and I couldn’t help but watch its trailer. And let’s just say, it didn’t quite meet my expectations.

From the video clip, you can figure out that there’s a bit of love story going on and then alongside it’s also an action/crime thriller which is a staple of almost every Nepali picture. However, I was left wondering to myself, “Where the hell does the FB part come in?” Yeah, there’s actually no sign of the FB thing in the trailer so we can only hope that they’ve saved it in the movie itself. But my main concern is the ditto logo of FB they’ve used. I hope they won’t get in any sort of trouble, even though there isn’t much chance of it.