Thursday, March 14, 2024

Spring walk

The Tika Vidyashram alley is redolent with the scent of jasmine. And plum blossoms everywhere, honeysuckle bright, avocado trees flowering. It is quite pretty in the evenings.

And cats, and dogs.
 








 

Friday, March 8, 2024

Ten years ago today...

 ...was 8 March, 2014. 

Bikram paid for flex hangings, and a poster that was way too long and about 8 feet tall, with my head on it. Mohan and others from Newa de Cafe catered. A dog walked onto the amphitheater at Nepal Academy and Pranab declared it the chief guest of the event.

The Vanishing Act was launched. Rabi dai and Ujju spoke.

Since then, I have frequently been asked when my 'second' book will come. I don't know the answer to that. Technically, TVA was my third. Technically. 


 Since I made this collage sometime in 2020, I think, I have added two more covers:


Cover painted by Amshad sir, designed by Dishebh sir.

Another, designed by BookHill:


But I have finished translating two books already which have not yet been sent to print:

Maggie's book is being proofread, will to to print immediately after. Narayan dai's - not sure what or when Nepalaya will do or not do. 

 But that is not all, folks! I am going to be translating Khagendra Sangroula dai's short stories, shortly after I finish translating this book, which I have been working on:


But, that's not all, folks! I have also finished in-putting Ms. Iva Maharjan ji's proofs for Budhani, a Tharu folktale which I have 'refabulated', and which Indu Tharu ji has translated into her Tharu language. We're waiting on Dishebh sir to finish the cover for it.

In between, I also helped photo.circle translate a few of their books and exhibitions. I'm particularly fond of the translations of Amar Kanwar that I did. And there are these books:



I also wrote a screenplay. Here's the English version, and here's the Nepali. Sushrut Acharya is the cowriter, and Rachel Julia Moles helped with doctoring it. 

But that's not all, folks! I also translated a few short children's books for Anbika Giri, but I don't think they have been published yet:




I have been published in the Nepal issue of Pix - just a silly thing I scratched while drunk; in a magazine out of NYC whose name I have forgotten, in the Head of Zeus anthology House of Snow; in Kevin Bubriski badda's book; on Roads and Kingdoms, Mumbai Mirror and Al Jazeera. I translated Frederick Lecloux's book, I think it is called 'Everyday Epiphanies.' I know of at least two professors who have taught my short stories in their classes, and a few TAs as well. 

Et cetera. Yes, it is true that I haven't been able to finish my first long novel - I started in mid-September and worked until mid-November, tried in mid-February to finish it, and am moaning about it in mid-March. But, whatever, man! Scroll up. This is evidence that I haven't been sitting on my hands doing nothing.

Oh yes, I also edited the translations of four books, wrote a screenplay, helped out with quite a few student movies, etc. It doesn't feel like I have done much over the past decade, but I seem to have done not too badly. 

So, yeah, not too bad, Mr. Adhikari, not too bad at all. 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Spring has come to Kathmandu

 ... but also a new dusting of snow on the mountains. The morning air is dirty, but a swift breeze sweeps through around midday. It is a startling to realize that the sprawl of houses so close by to the east is actually Nagarkot. Usually, the air is so heavy with particulate matter that Nagarkot is invisible. 

Not accurate colors - shifted toward blue so that the sky is a deeper blue. 


Dharahara, Shivapuri, mountains
Chandragiri




This is a pigeon tail against the window :)






Thursday, February 29, 2024

A walk in the morning is...

... a morning walk, innit!







 

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Two photos

 It has been difficult to go out and about since I have come back - I carry the camera in my bag, but worry about photographing in the streets. It also feels strange to go to the Durbar Square or other architectural spaces to take photos - because I want to make pictures, not architectural photos. So, a photo of a vase of fake flowers, and the real sky. 




I also need to get back to writing! And translating!



Saturday, February 24, 2024

Bye bye, Markhu!

Nothing as annoying as not finding one's own writing interesting. So I have come back to Sanepa from Markhu. 6000 or intended 20000 words done, though. I was waiting to get over the 10k hump - the next milestone is usually at the 16k mark, after which the characters and events want to race to 20k. But, looks like it will be a few more days before I get over the hump. I have no choice but to set the novel aside in March, though - must race to finish Bhesh Bahadur Thapa's book. 

Here are some photos:

Tree near Chitlang, overexposed and out of focus, just like the house below. But I like them.

This reminded me of the four pigeons on a line, which has been my profile photo since around 2008, I think :)


Picnic-going public.
Picnic being set up. Dipak and I were wondering if this is a school thing. It seems it is a student union thing - Nepali Congress affiliated NeBiSangh was ferrying multiple busloads of people to Markhu.

Across the lake.


Blue-shifted, lake, boats. 

Something fascinating about the new road, line of alders and hill of pines. 

I tried to photograph a tree of laliguras, but the other photos were all so generic and no fun. This overexposed one finally let the red of the rhoddies pop. 

 

Monday, February 19, 2024

learning to play with white balance

This boy is a stray, and not vaccinated, so can't let him play. But he makes a good subject for photography.

A simal not yet in bloom.






Sajjan Raj Vaidya