Places | Our Planet's Many Faces

Paper Mache Artist Finds Success in the Evolving Craft Market

January 28, 2015

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] It is an overcast Saturday morning at the National Crafts Museum in Delhi, India. The tinkering of metal work, the rhythm of drums, and the singing of folk songs set the backdrop for a creative atmosphere, where over a dozen artists in residence demonstrate their crafts. Mohd Shafi Nagoo is one craftsman among them, a paper mache artist by trade. With thin, homemade bushes, he paints hundreds of…

Fishermen take Chances Fishing in God’s Own Country

January 18, 2015

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The morning has just giving way to afternoon in Kochi, a small coastal town in the southwestern India state of Kerala. The sun is already unbearably intense, making the tropical air heavy and muggy. The beach here is a working beach, cluttered with nets, plastic tubs, scraps of wood, and sandbags. The massive, looming structures of Chinese fishing nets faintly creek as they are raised and lowered into the current….

Survival of the Sacred: Monkeys and Cows Struggle in Urban India

January 12, 2015

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Jaipur, the “pink city,” is the hustling capital of Rajasthan, the desert state of India known as the land of kings and gypsies, palaces, forts, and temples. With a population of 6.6 million, this city is a mix of old and new, the famed ancient terra cotta colored homes lying at the core of the city. The streets are in constant motion with cars, overcrowded city buses, auto rickshaws, motorbikes, bicycles, foot…

Nepal’s Musician Caste Adapts to Changing Times

December 25, 2014

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Ramchandra Gandharba is one of a dozen instrument salesmen who can found wandering the streets of Pokhara, a lakeside tourist hotspot in Nepal. They all sell the same instrument: a four-stringed traditional Nepali violin called a sarangi. To the unknowing tourist, this instrument may serve as a simple wall decoration, or to remind them of an evening they spent in a tourist restaurant enjoying a cultural performance. However,…

Tibetans in Nepal Seek Economic and Cultural Stability

December 15, 2014

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Thousands of Tibetans have fled their homeland over the past several decades, and sought out life in settlements abroad. Of these 140,000 refugees, it is estimated that 20,000 currently live in Nepal, where they have limited legal status. With no land to call home, Tibetans in Nepal struggle daily for economic stability, while still trying to maintain and preserve their cultural identities. Refugees in a Foreign Land In 1959, Tibetans began fleeing their…

Temple Visitors fall Victim to Monkey Business

December 8, 2014

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] Visitors to temples throughout Nepal may find themselves overwhelmed by dramatic, ancient architecture, drifting curls of incense, and the ticking of prayer wheels spinning. However, no Nepali temple experience would be complete without yet one more element: monkeys. Accustomed to free handouts from temple visitors, these monkeys have free reign of many temples throughout Nepal. Their role in ancient Hindu mythology has earned them the title of “holy,”…

Gadhimai Festival: Thousands of Animal Sacrifices Raise Concerns about Cultural Practices

December 2, 2014

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text] BARIYARPUR, NEPAL (NOV. 28, 2014) A crowd of 2.5 million assembled in the remote, bordertown of Bariyarpur, Nepal leading up to the sacrificial days of Gadhimai Festival on November 28. Known as the largest ritualistic sacrifice of animals in the world, Gadhimai has attracted a fair share of media attention, protest, and animal rights activism in recent days. Gadhimai is a month-long festival held once every 5 years in Bariyarpur, Nepal, located…

Musicians from Eastern Nepal find Growth and Success in Kathmandu

November 23, 2014

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Subarna Limbu is a well-known Nepali musician and a bit of a legend, recognized for his 40 years of experience in some of the earliest modern rock bands in India and Nepal. He is said to have introduced the bass guitar to contemporary Nepali music. He has performed with early bands such as Diamond from Darjeeling and Brotherhood. Currently, he plays and sings with Prism at various 5 Star hotels. Thomas Thulung Rai…

Phedi Woman Sews to Secure her Future

November 9, 2014

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PHEDI, NEPAL (Nov. 3, 2014) Sabita Lamichhane measures out the fabric for a traditional Nepali dress in her tailoring shop. (Victoria Nechodomu/Nechodomu Media) Sabita Lamichhane is one of the few entrepreneurs in the small village of Phedi, Nepal. She owns a tailoring shop, while also juggling her roles and responsibilities at home and in her family’s fields. Listen to the story above to learn about her journey towards her place as…

From Guns to Meditation: Retired Gurkha soldier reflects on his personal journey

November 2, 2014

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Deo Kumar Gurung, most often called by his ashram name, Jagannath, is a 66-year-old retired Gurkha soldier and security guard who now lives a life of meditation in the jungle-covered hills of Nagarjun, Nepal. The son of a Tibetan woman and a Nepali hill tribesman of Eastern Nepal, Gurung lied about his age to join the prestigious military group, The British Gorka Brigade, at the age of 17. According to the BBC,…

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