Kathmandu, January 17, 2017: A group of young photographers, musicians, and poets of Kathmandu are working together to put up a travel photo exhibition and musical shows to generate funds for cataract surgeries. The 3-days long event named as Yatri, which means traveler in Nepali, is being held at Bikalpa Art Center, Pulchowk beginning this January 20.
This is the second iteration of the photo exhibition, that was initiated last year by the photographer, traveler and high-school educator Kaushal Sapkota. During the first year of Yatri, the team was able to generate more than 250,000 Nepali Rupees. Proceeds from the exhibition was used to procure winter clothes for the people of Laprak, Gorkha, a place heavily devastated by the April earthquake, 2015.
This year’s exhibition will try to generate funds for a targeted 100 cataract surgeries. Though it takes only 1,200 Nepali Rupees for a cataract surgery, cataract still remains one of the major reasons for blindness in Nepal. Proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the project Make Me See and to their collaboration with the Sagarmatha Chaudhary Eye Hospital, Lahan.
The exhibition has 25 pictures that Sapkota took during his travels in Nepal, India, Pakistan and the United States. It also will exhibit 5 photographs from travelers Mahesh Dahal, Pradeep Bashyal, and Jaya Jung Mahat. The photos are for sale, and are priced at 5,000 Nepali Rupees. The exhibition is also open for individual pledges and donations.
Team Yatri has also tried to infuse music and poetry with photography. Most of Sapkota’s work are exhibited as a tribute to Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran. The three days long event will also witness a Sufi performance by Ankit Babu Adhikari, jazz performance by Sneha Yonjan and poetry by Alok Lamsal and Avijeet ‘Musafir’ Das.
“If we can make small changes from our side to spread positivity and help people in need, that’s more than enough to contribute for the betterment of the society. This is our small contribution to our ecosystem. We want to use our vacation time every year to contribute for the betterment of the lives of people. And the most beautiful aspect about the exhibition is that we are getting to contribute with the form of art we love,†shared Sapkota talking about the essence of the exhibition. “It just takes 1,200 Nepali Rupees for a person to get his/her vision back. It is our privilege and honor to do this. I am thankful to everyone who are planning to contribute in the process,†he added.
The event has been sponsored by Dish Home, The Crust Café (Baneshwor), Jamboree Education Consultancy, King’s College and Lion’s Club of Kathmandu, Babarmahal.
Glocal Khabar is the official online media partner for the exhibition.
Details:
Date: January 20-22, 2017
Time: 2pm – 9pm
Venue: Bikalpa Art Center, Pulchowk (opposite Sajha Petrol Pump), Lalitpur
Contact: 9813154216
