DAY 4 :: Photo Kathmandu

DAY #4

I called Ajay (drilling) dai and Shikhar dai but could not contact them. I went direct to the Swotha Info Center. There I met Nishant and asked him if I could be of any help. He asked me to put up the map in the wall adjacent to the one where we put Kevin’s photographs. Sara was coordinating it. We carried the map from there to the site. I carried double sided tape and took a handlet-map along.

We put the double sided tape in the back of the map instead for waiting for dendrite. The sun was bright and we all were sweaty. We had no ‘leveler’ with us and we tried our best to put on the map in the correct level. We put on the two maps and a description along with it. Sara had worked till 2 am last night and was feeling too tired but she was the most active there. She wanted it to be the task right and was doing her best to make it so. She and I rubbed the front side of the map with clothes. She then put another description after Ronish (the dendrite-spreading guru) put on dendrite on the back of it.

We headed to the Swotha Center. I met Nayan Tara dd on the way and she asked if I could take in-charge of putting 50 maps all over the Patan area so that visitors would be easily navigated. Prakash dai handed me 40 maps (remaining 10 were set aside for special purposes) and two guys who were to put on the maps. I had to wait for the guys to come and then we three carried 12 maps with us. I met Rijan Mulmi, my high school senior after two years. I answered his queries about the event and he helped me to fix a route to go through in order to put on the maps. He was a nearby residential. It was in my bucket-list to wander through the gallis and chowks of Patan: to see the beauty of Patan at the best level. I was happy that I got this task to do!

We three started our job. I choose the location, asked permission and requested my teammates to put on the map. I was not permitted to hammer nails on the wall. We had to tie the map most of the times. People would stop by and gaze at the map and even ask us what it is about and I would answer them.

We walked until 4 pm and after we were finished with the maps, I called Sagar dai to sent someone with the maps. My mobile balance was finishes and the recharge process would not succeed. I borrowed a phone and called and knew that no one was there. So we went to Swotha to take the maps by ourselves. We were tired after the day’s walk. We had snacks and went for the second round of hanging the maps. This time we worked real quick! We placed 6 other maps in just half an hour!

At 5pm the inauguration started in Patan Museum. There were like 400 people there. I could feel the aura of the artists and photographers. The event had photographs from Nepalese and foreign photographers form 31 countries from India, Bangladesh to USA, Swatziland. Mani Lama dai was awarded by the Embassador of Switzerland for his contribution to Nepali Photography. Nrs 12 Lakh collected from Limted Edition Sale contributed for the reconstruction of Lampati in Chyassal was handed to Mr. Awale of Chyassal.

Swotha, Gaudhal, Kulimha, Kontibahi, Nakabahil, Nagbahal and many more; I did not know Patan has these many places and today I got to go through all of them! I have not been able to post photos of the “Photo Kathmandu” (how ironic!) The photos will be posted soon!