PROGRAMMES FOR SALE
Journey of Discovery (Series)
Journey of Discovery is a series of documentaries produced by Nepal Television to introduce Nepal to the outside world. The series, as seen entirely from Nepalese perspective gives its viewers the true picture of Nepal's different ethnic communities, their traditions and culture. Together they form the uniqueness that is Nepal and what much of the outside world who have seen it first hand have come to love so much.
The series are:
Guhaar! (Help!) Five, one-hour series
Help!, a co-production between
Finlands Svenska Television (FST) and Nepal Television (NTV), was shot in western Nepal
and in Kathmandu by a Nepalese crew. The five one-hour episodes, offering glimpses into a
different world, were directed by Deependra Gauchan and produced by Leena Vihtonen. In
addition to a Finnish actress, the cast consists of Nepalese actors, villagers in Ramghat
and expats in Kathmandu.
A fernale consultant arrives in a remote Nepalese village to
solve a crisis: an integrated aid project is about to run dry. The 'recipients' don't seem
to 'integrate' into the project and the final report should be written in just over a
year! The consultant's solution is crystal clear: the project lacks a communication
component. But how would people communicate quickly, easily and effectively
if th can't read or write?
GUHAAR! HELP! is the story about Cecilia, an expert in
"interactive community management" and "development support
communication", and also about a group of village women in the need of
"help". Namaste Lal, Cecilia's assistant in the village and the bureaucrats in
the capital try to integrate "help" into a wider context
Like many other developing countries Nepal needs an increasing amount of foreign development funding to balance its budget.
When a new development project is initiated, it always
creates huge expectations of improved life amongst the "target group". A
multitude of creative solutions seem to exist in the western world
looking for a challenging problem. Our leading character Cecilia is part of this industry.
Her solution is video equipment - the idea has been successfully used in Greenland. Women
who can't read or write can make video letters to send to the capital and via these
letters they can communicate with the decision makers about their needs. Women from
Sungaon (Golden village) work together with Cecilia towards a shared goal. East collides
with west, the 20th century with age-old traditions. How will the project change the lives
or thecircumstances in the village? What has Cecilia learnt during this process? What has
Namaste Lal to say when he returns to his everyday life?
The world of development aid is full of surprises...
When one talks of the rich cultural heritage of Nepal, it usually revolves around the rich culture and traditions found in the Kathmandu Valley which began with the Newar civilization estimated to be around the 6th century BC. As with other ethnic groups in Nepal, there are subdivisions within the Newari society as well. And one of the backbones of the Newari society, which has indeed made the culture of Nepal so unique, are the Jyapus who are the farmers of the community.
This 50 minute documentary on the Jyapus gives an insight into the lifestyle of the Jyapus who maintain both Buddhism and Hinduism as their religion. Although farming is their main occupation, Jyapus are perhaps the only community in Nepal who barely depend on other communities in the daily necessities of life, be it in clothing, food or shelter, or even entertainment. This is the community whose contributions to the Kathmandu Valley vis a vis the Newar civilization cannot be ignored. Be it in music, pottery, construction, cottage industry, religion and above all in agriculture, the involvement of the Jyapus in every area is most prominent. Their music, their festivals and their way of life at once makes this documentary a must for those who are interested in learning about different people in different places.
Anthropologists are yet to agree with each other as to the origin of the Tharus. The stories of their origin are many and their mongoloid and non mongoloid features in an aspect that has confused researchers even to this day. The Tharus with a population of over half a million, live throughout the length of the southern plains of Nepal know as the Terai. they are believed to be among the oldest groups to inhabit the Terai. While their brethren in the central plains and the eastern plains have slowly joined the main stream of the local community and are fast ignoring their culture, the life of the Tharus of Western Nepal still remains the same as it was a hundred years ago.
This interesting documentary takes you to the Tharu region for a glimpse into the their culture. Their way of life- from their food habits, marriage, ornaments, music etc. A culture so unique that it is exotic even to most Nepalese. As the country's old traditions and culture are giving way to modernization, the culture of the Tharus are now being equally threatened.
For a country whose size is smaller that the state of Florida and with a population of just over 20 million, Nepal has over 52 different ethnic groups For its size , it also boasts of the most interesting flora and fauna found in the world besides having eight of the ten mountain peaks over eight thousand metres including Mt. Everest.
Dhimals who live in the eastern plains of Nepal are said to of mongoloid in origin and yet they have uniqueness in their culture which sets them apart from the mongoloids. Until sometime ago they were rather nomadic practicing shifting cultivation. But this kind of activity has stopped completely for sometime as there are few areas left where they can move around. Facing hostilities of a very different kind from clever, existence as well as their culture and tradition is being threatened to the point of complete transformation from their unique way of life.
The world is familiar with the Nepalese soldiers who have earned a name for themselves in bravery, courage and loyalty. They have served in the British and Indian army as the Gurkhas which has become a legend in itself. Limbus form the bulk of Gurkha brigade. Far away from home and their families, they have adopted themselves extermely well. But what is their village like in the most remote hilly regions of Nepal?
This serial tells you the inside story of the Limbus. The simple people that have become legendary. the Limbus, for whom, slicing off the small digit of a friend's finger is considered a joke are yet one of the most hospitable people of Nepal. The Limbos whose marriage tradition calls for carrying off the girl of his choice forcefully prior to the consent of her family. The hardy people whose culture and tradition is so unique that it has to be seen to be believed.
Anybody who has visited Kathmandu will tell you that the wood carvings found here is perhaps the most exquisite in the world. Woodcarving to an average Nepali is nothing new and nothing special. It is still practiced even to this day.
Whether a temple, palace, average houses or even a poor man's house, it is not uncommon to see exquisitely carved doors and windows. Some are ancient, some are old and some are new, but they all reflect the same philosophy which goes behind its making and behind its purpose. And that is not all. Take a look at the temple struts and the different icons and marvel at the wonderful craftsmanship that in today's commercial term would be worth fortunes. But above all the aesthetic beauty of Nepalese wood carving is on the one hand a pleasure to behold and on the other spiritually individual.