Glimpses of Kathmandu
Due to its stunning scenery, much of the photography that has emerged from Nepal over the years has tended towards glimmering, postcard-type images. The result of this is that present-day photography in Nepal is in a repetitive cycle, in which most of the images produced replicate those that have been published many times before.
The following collection of photographs – taken by young Nepali, Bangladeshi, and Norwegian photographers – represents a shift away from this postcard photography, to a more intimate and nuanced exploration of Kathmandu’s everyday life. Every photograph was taken with a 35mm camera, with the zoom lens taped down. The photographers adapted this method to more directly confront conceptions and dynamics of space, as it mediated their experiences.
Additionally, these photographs are also a search for a city's soul. They suggest that the spirit of Kathmandu – or any city – shouldn’t be defined in its landmarks or monuments, but in the ephemeral spaces of off-guard moments, its people, and common experiences. It is this essence that these young photographers tried to capture in their images.
The photographs shown here are taken from a newly released book, Kathmandu, A Pocketful of Momos.
Poster power 13 September 2012
|
|
|
Children of Southasia 5 March 2012
|
|
|
Cause for hope and for sober reflection in UNICEF's latest report.
|
Right to Information: Seeping to the capillaries 29 February 2012
|
|
|
Aruna Roy interviewed by Kanak Mani Dixit
|
Call for Proposals: Culture and Conflict Grants 1 December 2011
|
|
|
Cinema as politics, politics as cinema 14 February 2014
|
|
By N Manohar Reddy |
|
![]() |
A new book on Telugu film shows that the cultural industry was tied up with caste and regional politics.
|
The art of statelessness 10 February 2014
|
|
By Rudra Rakshit and Lora Tomas |
|
![]() |
Fragments of the lives of the Rohingya refugees in Jammu
|
Reconstructing the North and democratising Sri Lanka 7 February 2014
|
|
By Ahilan Kadirgamar |
|
![]() |
A recent talk on the need for democratic mobilisation of resources and a politics of self-reflexivity in rebuilding Sri Lanka’s...
|
A room of his own 4 February 2014
|
|
By Lora Tomas |
|
![]() |
In conversation with Goa-based poet Manohar Shetty
|
Musharraf’s last stand 30 January 2014
|
|
By Sher Ali Khan |
|
![]() |
A look at the difficulties and implications of trying a military ruler in Pakistan as Musharraf prepares to leave the country....
|
There are many ways to destroy a city 23 January 2014
|
|
By Taran N Khan |
|
![]() |
Reflections on the recent attack targetting a Kabul institution, the Taverna du Liban restaurant.
|
Inside and Out 17 January 2014
|
|
By Annie McCarthy |
|
![]() |
New queer writing from Southasia suggests shifts in attitudes since 2009.
|
Archives of Southasia 14 January 2014
|
|
By The Editors |
|
![]() |
In celebrating the reissue of Himal’s first print quarterly, we offer a series of articles on the state of archiving in...
|
The life and letters of Elizabeth Draper 13 January 2014
|
|
By N P Chekkutty |
|
![]() |
The world celebrated the tercentenary of writer Laurence Sterne (1713- 1768) in 2013. A tribute to the woman who inflamed...
|
Courting prospects 9 January 2014
|
|
By Sreedeep |
|
|
Despite state overtures, localised identities provide a powerful argument against Baltistan’s coarsely wrought borders....
|
Autonomy under siege 7 January 2014
|
|
By Freny Manecksha |
|
|
Three women in the militarised spaces of Kashmir describe traumatic accounts of sexual violence and their struggles to gain...
|
Seeding the future 31 December 2013
|
|
By Smriti Mallapaty |
|
![]() |
The use of modern seeds stands to erode the genetic diversity of local seed varieties in Nepal
|
![]() |
Himal Southasian is relaunched in print! |
Image: Penguin India
Penguin India withdraws The Hindus
On 11 February 2014, Penguin India decided to recall and destroy all remaining copies of Wendy Doniger’s book The Hindus: An Alternative History. The decision was part of an agreement between them and Shiksha Bachao Andolan, a Hindu campaign group that filed a case against the publishers in 2010, arguing that the book was insulting to Hindus and contained “heresies”.
From our archive:
Diwas Kc reviews The Hindus: An Alternative History. (March 2010)
|