For Finer Things in Life

www.fridayweekly.com.np SUBSCRIBER COPY ISSUE 40 | RS. 20 4 - 10 November, 2010 | !*–@$ sflt{s, @)^& ��AND MORE �� EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY | EVERY THURSDAY 3 4 8 10 157 16 PAGE3 IN FOCUS EVENT HALFWAY GOURMET CONSUME Hall of Frame Run the Himalayas Planet Nepal Thinking Games East meets West Time Travel One for environment and Meet the woman who loves Planet Nepal served up Not an outdoor person? Continental cuisine with a Gramophones, typewriters one for Africa! Catch glimpses running up and down colossal a delicious mix of art, No worries! Board games typical Nepali ambience - a and everything else of the two most happening mountain ranges music and fun and made save the day. Put your splendid mix. Welcome to vintage! Drop in at Vintage events this week. - Moire o’Sullivan. all of us think. mind to the test. Black Pepper. Café and Pub. ut on your dancing shoes right after Tihar, and get ready to put your hands up Shake ’em Pand just boogie as you wave in one of the biggest dance festivals Nepal has seen in recent years, the 1st International Dance Festival, or- ganized by Salsa Dance Academy. This first-of-its-kind festival is slat- ed to take place from 19 November to 21 November. – Shreeya Joshi “Dance changes people’s lives and Hips we just want to spread the beauty of dance through this festival,” shares Katia Verrault, the Managing Direc- tor of Salsa Dance Academy. By joining this festival, you’ll be signing up for a weekend of fun and dance, parties and performances, where you can learn, exchange and polish your skills in Salsa, and other dance forms such as Hip Hop, B- Boying, Bachata, Merengue, Tango, Zumba and even Classical Ballet. So, is this festival only for pros? “No. Not at all! Even people with two left feet can join this festival. It’s for everyone who has a passion for dance,” states Katia strongly. The organizers have made sure that participants only get the best. Expect to learn Latin dance forms with topnotch instructors - Susana Montero from Spain, Rafi Vayani from the Netherlands, James and Alex from Dubai, Shirly Sharbat from Israel, Vineeth Naidu and Kash Dolma from India, and belly dancing with Sita Dance from the Netherlands. Furthermore, Katia adds, “We’re not only promoting the culture of dance through this, but we’re also promoting Nepal itself. We’ve or- ganized a trek to the Annapurnas where we can take the spirit of dance to the Himalayas as well and show our beautiful country to our international guests.” So get ready to swing your hips to some enchanting Latino music at the International Dance Festival! For more details contact 4420564 or visit www.salsanepal.com Photo courtesy: Salsa Dance Academy Salsa Dance Photo courtesy: page3 make your statement one question Culture and modern arts are thought to be parallel in Nepal, but in reality they are actually two points of the same line. Would you agree? — Mannat Shrestha Sakar Shrestha, Sarita Dongol, Architect & Artist Artist I think every culture is created I don’t think culture and at its time and art should not modern art can be compared depend on any culture. When nor be said that they are two you put culture into modern art, points on the same line. Cul- it puts a boundary and limitation ture is more of a discipline, to the vision of art. Art is a sub- something that we follow ject of greater imagination and traditionally. Modern art is a creation. I don’t think modern totally new concept, which art comes from culture; each consists of a totally different era creates its own modern art composition. Modern art is culture. In my view art creates formed by destroying the culture rather than the other main composition of culture way round. Art modernizes itself so it is obvious that they are every second. not the same. Erina Tamrakar, Manish Lal Shrestha, Ramesh Khanal, Artist Visual Artist President, Artist Society of Nepal History has it that early Nepali art was I agree that our culture has con- I don’t agree that culture and developed through culture and religion. crete foundations whereas modern modern art are actually two It is still described as a movement even art is the further storey. Modern art points on the same line. Mod- in modern Nepali art. Most of the Nepali itself is the culture of contemporary ern art is quite different from modern and contemporary artists devel- thoughts where artists of different culture. They are two differ- oped and created their art based on their genres respond to social, individual ent concepts. Yet an artist can own culture and religion which gives us and political milieus. The contempo- borrow an image of culture a “nepalipan”. So there is no doubt that rary art of Nepal has a very young for creating modern art. Nepali culture and modern art are related history. To create its glory it needs with each other. In reality, they are in two more effort in terms of appreciation parts and have different roots. and awareness. page3 Fr!day Issue 40 | 4 - 10 November, 2010 3 hall of frame What: Africa Night Where: La ‘Soon restaurant, Pulchowk Spotted: Milka Odongo, Dolly Yakthumba, Sunaina Shah, Yasmine Rana What: Planet Nepal Where: Patan Durbar Square and Patan Overheard: “That african model Museum was so hot!” Enjoyed: The delicious African Spotted: Sujata Koirala, Salil Subedi food, of which people took Kanika, Suraj Singh Thakuri and Bidhata KC second and even third helpings, Enjoyed: Creative art installations, music and the colourful African clothes. by French and Nepali artists and the ambience created through lights by Karl Knapp at the Patan Durbar Square. feaissues that matter ture he Nepal Telecommunica- of services that consumers will The CIAA was right to have nals and this should have been tions Company (NTC) has eventually get. looked into the procurement THE NGN IS a complaint that NTC should lately been heard lament- Two Chinese companies – because the costs do eventually SUPPOSED have received and corrected a Ting about possible delays ZTE and Huawei Technologies reflect in the prices consumers To Be nTC’S long time ago, say, by recom- that an anti-corruption investi- – were the firms that NTC want- pay and the quality of the ser- mending certain types of sets gation could cause in its launch ed to award the NGN contract. vices. There could also be other DREAM PROJECT. – if nothing else. of Next Generation Services The two had bid separately with interests at play – such as com- SIMPLIFIED, IT IS On service quality, I have (NGN). While those yearn- eight others and ZTE had the mission agents wanting their A SWITCHING been using a mobile phone ever ing to join the next generation lowest quote for both jobs – in company selected, ISPs wanting since NTC introduced it, when of telecom services may find Kathmandu Valley and outside. NTC to make sure their busi- EXCHANGE the costs for getting a set, de- this disheartening, I, as some- NTC was thinking of awarding nesses are not affected and of THAT ALLOWS posits and a connection added one who has lived with a land- TRANSFER OF up to almost 50K, and there line telephone that has actually were charges both for incom- doubled up as a radio for about VOICE, DATA ing and outgoing calls. The a year now and a mobile that is AND VIDEO cost was high but you could practically useless, am actually THROUGH THE talk and be heard. It was after happy that someone is finally NT went into expansion mode looking into the company. The SYSTEM. that the system began to suf- NGN is supposed to be NTC’s fer. dream project. Simplified, it is a Back to my landline phone- A coincidence perhaps, the switching exchange that allows cum-radio: I am told the problem companies that were involved transfer of voice, data and video is a result of the large number with the mobile expansion through the system. (The sys- of FM licenses in Kathmandu are the same Chinese compa- tem in place now does not carry Valley and the “poor quality” of nies that were to have been video). the Chinese telephone set I use. awarded the NGN contract. I, A directive of the Commis- NGNNo, ﬁ x my phone ﬁ rst The proliferation of FM is real therefore, would like the CIAA sion for the Investigation of because there is no locality in investigation to go beyond the — Binod Bhattarai Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Kathmandu that does not have a NGN and also look back into asking NTC to redo the bid- nearby antenna. Also true is the the contracting, delivery of the ding, has stopped a contract the contract to the two Chinese cable companies’ – but there is fact that most of the telephone technology to NTC for mobiles that was almost final. It found companies with each getting one also a genuine consumer con- sets available in the market are and the service quality before the procurement process faulty job. The explanation was that cern that should have been made in China. That said, if I get allowing more public money to and wants to look at its impact this would help ensure that both probed a long time ago: service radio on the phone many others be spent into another new net- on the company, and the quality jobs were completed on time. cost and quality. should also be getting the sig- work/switching system.

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