A Shop with a Story in Babar Mahal Revisited | Veneeta Singha

A Shop with a Story in Babar Mahal Revisited

 

 

Culture is a many splendoured thing. In Kathmandu, we exist in its penumbral aura with great satisfaction. Its countless interpretations, products, dynamics, sources and spaces (that surround us) dodge and animate our everyday lives. It becomes, intermittently, the red badge of courage and the lighthouse of history, identity and social assertion. Where life finds a happy coincidence, disruptive innovation and potential often weave their magic. 

 

 

The Babar Mahal is a historical palace - today, its avatar is a design and socio-cultural miracle. Equally, revisiting this landmark allows us a prism of possibility and, for many, of memory. A Shop with a Story opened its doors only just recently. It appears, beyond first glance, existentially complete. Kakani, Bhainsipati and other places have leant their able, entrepreneurial hands to make the sphere a bit better, a bit brighter.

 

 

Five enterprises founded and run by Nepali women contribute to this spartan store. Candles from The Candlestick Women, jewelry from the Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation, shawls made with natural dye from Kakani Himalayan Natural Dyes, decor from Newa Decor and colorful crafts from Friend Handicrafts are the story, the product, the memory, the self-engagement. Natural resources and local expertise are critical facets of Nepal's social and intellectual capital. Here, the shop is the story. It is an enterprise that encases cultural heritage and revisits the long-standing Nepali ethic of the makers' movement. Creativity is both a message and a method. The global village, the shop informs us, is alive and well. Kathmandu is also a part of the story. The women who weave these products narrate our collective parable with wisdom and silken ability.