Daily life pictures from a remote rural area in Rasuwa region of Nepal.
Photos by Artem Zhushman and Milana Nikolaeva
Category Archives: Stories
Nepalese craft paper factory
The Peacock Shop Bhaktapur traditional nepalese “lokta” paper factory is a not-for-profit organization aiming at heritage preservation through the promotion of medieval craftsmanship and the spread of Buddhist ideals.
This traditional paper made from the fibrous inner bark of Daphne (plant): Daphne bholua and Daphne papyracea, known as lokta bushes. The plant is poisonous by itself. And the paper said to be resistant to humidity and bookworms. That’s why in the past it was used for government and religious documents.
Ram Narayan Prajapati – owner and founder of the Peacock Shop, enthusiast, scientist, collector.
Tihar (Diwali) festival in Nepal
Tihar (Nepali: तिहार), also known as Deepawali and Yamapanchak, is a regional variant of Diwali celebrated in Nepal and by the Nepali-speaking population living elsewhere in Darjeeling, the Indian states of Assam and Sikkim, etc. It is a five-day-long festival that comes soon after Dashain. It is popularly known as Swanti among the Newars. Set in the Vikram Samvatcalendar system, the festival begins with Kaag Tihar in Trayodashi of Kartik Krishna Paksha and ends with Bhai Tika in Dwitiya of Kartik Sukla Paksha every year. Tihar, in general, signifies the festival of lights, where diyas are lit inside and outside the houses to make it illuminate at night.
Tihar is the second biggest Nepalese festival following Dashain. It is considered to be of great importance as it shows reverence to not just the humans and the gods, but also to the animals like crows, cows and dogs that maintain an intimate relationship with humans. People make patterns on the floor of living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals outside of their house, called Rangoli, which is meant to be a sacred welcoming area for the gods and Goddesses of Hinduism mainly Goddess Laxmi. (from Wikipedia)
Casting gods on the street
Gypsy-metallurgist making and selling statues on the street in Kathmandu suburbs.
To build a school for Nepal
…we are not the organisation which is trying to look good, we are just a small group of people who care about. We build a school, a simple school in Nepal, and this is our mission.
Roman Gek, school-for-nepal founder
How to build in two years a school in a remote nepalese village without any government support.
The city of Devotees
A dozen or so snaps are certainly not enough to tell a story about Bhaktapur. Neither is just a few days enough to explore this ancient city. So I keep coming back to Nepal, to delve deeper into this special place.
Bhaktapur has its own rhythm. Well, to be honest, it’s very slow compared to our modern city lives. But it’s a great chance to experience the rhythm of life from centuries ago.
Protected as a Unesco World Heritage site, the old part of Bhaktapur has retained a beautiful, medieval charm; not only as a monument, but as a home for many locals. They do their daily living there – worshiping at shrines, sifting rice on narrow streets, washing clothes at public water wells, making crafts or just chatting in the city’s squares.
Don’t rush. Take time to wander down the narrow streets surrounding the more famous sites in Bhaktapur, peep into backyards and doorways, be respectful of local life and you’ll be benefited with an unbelievable experience.
Bhaktapur, Nepal.
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Home of hope
Paropakar orphanage is the first non-government organisation in Nepal. It was established in Kathmandu in 1953 by Daya Bir Singh Kansakar, a renowned social work pioneer.
“Paropakar” the word derived from Sanskrit language means “Doing good to others”. Doing good to others is the basic spirit of oriental philosophy, culture and civilisation. Continue reading
Documenting the world 