Nepal during the Aarohan Gurukul years

Nepal during the Aarohan Gurukul years. After returning, I learnt about Sunil Pokhrel’s theatre work, mainly through word of mouth. He set up the Gurukul School of Theatre in Purano Baneshwor in 2002, which became quite influential. Students received intensive residential training; they in turn participated in house-full productions. Due to various reasons, the physical space of Aarohan Gurukul was demolished after a nine-year run. I never got to see it. But some of Pokhrel’s students, I heard, clustered and founded their own theatre groups. I am not a student of theatre. But I am constantly curious regarding the bubbling artistic energy that is apparent in Kathmandu these days. I believe that art can have a positive impact on an individual or a society.Theatre, in particular, has a long history worldwide. It is a powerful multidisciplinary medium that often elicits visceral reactions.

Hence, theatre can convey provocative messages against ruling systems and has the potential to catalyse socio-political changes. In fact, Sunil Pokhrel was active even during the autocratic Panchayat era, putting up productions that sought to enlighten the public about basic rights and democratic values. In a country like Nepal –long cut off from the rest of the world, still transitioning from an oppressive, feudal society to a democratic republic–the significance of artistic endeavours can be manifold. One can’t deny the elevated socio-political consciousness of the general Nepali public in the new millennium. That factor, combined with an unprecedented exposure to and exchange with societies in south Asia and Western countries, has directly impacted various art forms. There are a handful of examples in the film industry as well. The noteworthy 2008 release Kagbeni, Khagendra Lamichhane’s heartfelt Talakjung vs Tulke, Min Bahadur Bham’s fresh treatment of Kali Pothi and Deepak Rauniyar’s Highway and White Sun (which recently premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival) are some examples of filmmakers engaging more deeply with unique subject matter and innovative techniques. These genuine artistic attempts have, at the very least, sent ripples across the stagnant stillwater of glitzy, superficial entertainment.

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