DAY 7 :: Photo Kathmandu

DAY #7

6 November, 2015

My place of duty was Chyaasal for today as well. As soon as I reached Chyasal, I saw a queue of students in their school uniform having a look at the photographs hung in the wall. It reminded me of my school days but we never had such exhibition visits in my schooldays. An old uncle came to me and asked me if the photos were on sale. I didn’t know what to answer. There was a guy from Finland, yesterday, who wanted to buy the photographs. But I was not in the position to answer them. I could only say them to go to Swotha and ask the organizers there. It is good that people are willing to but the photographs. It would a great encouragement to the photographers.

Later in the day I met Shilo and her team Fabrice and Heather. She was having the “Fearless” workshop themed ‘Inheritance’ for local women. Shilo had done the workshop earlier in San Francisco, Delhi and Mumbai. I met Pooja Panta Shresta dd, Preeti Prajapati, Saroj and Utsav in the workshop. I was glad to interpret what Shilo said to the women participants. They felt easier to understand in Newari and Shreeti volunteered. The workshop was amazing. All the women participated actively. It was great to listen to their stories and experiences.

They were separated into 5 groups and given different topics to speak about. Shilo and the women had interesting conversations where I acted as interpreter. Women participated better when they were separated in smaller groups rather than a single group as a whole. It was only after the workshop was over that I was introduced to Heather and Fabrice the videographer.

After the workshop we went to have a cup of coffee. There I learnt that Shilo Shiv Suleman is from Banglore and a daughter of a Rajasthani Hindu Banjaran mother and Malayalam Muslim father (that explained her last names!). She had been into street art since 2012 naming it as “Fearless Collective”. Fabrice Boullegas was born in UK to an Indian father and French mother! They were about to go to Lebanon couldn’t due to visa issues. So, here they were, in Kathmanadu for the very first time.

I went to Chyaasal and finished things there to leave. I envied Shilo’s life as an artist; being free and travelling and painting walls, raising awareness and touching life of people everywhere they went!