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Vivah Panchami 2022

January 21, 2023January 21, 2023 by Mon

Mon

Vivah Panchami celebrates the marriage of Lord Ram with Goddess Sita, and the connection between Janakpudham and Ayodhya. The city is said to be decorated “as a bride” for the festival. The sacred geography of the city is renewed through religious rituals and public events performed in key locations, mostly…

The Kartik Naach / Katti Pyakhan

November 10, 2022February 21, 2023 by Mon

Mon

Just finished doing the back up of the recording of the ten days of the Kartik Naach. The Kartik Naach is a dance-drama performed in the month of Kartik (October-November) in Patan Durbar Square, started in 1641 by King Siddhi Narsingh Malla. The apex centres around Narsimha Avatar. And here’s…

The material presence of the divine in Janakpur

June 3, 2022July 4, 2022 by Mon

Mon

As I go through pictures of my fieldwork in Janakpur to prepare a presentation, the performative culture of the city stands out in astonishing ways. It is not only the Mithila paintings that adorn the walls, some still showing the bright colours of a recent addition, others fading, and witnessing…

A long train ride across Europe

May 7, 2022July 5, 2022 by Mon

Mon

A long train ride started early morning from Heidelberg to Venice with just one change in Innsbruck. After an exciting and very productive trip to Nepal, I returned to a Europe wounded by a war that does not seem to end; a pandemic that is still not over and other…

“Mithila” murals everywhere

April 21, 2022May 2, 2022 by Mon

Mon

What is usually described as "Mithila paintings" are omnipresent in Janakpur public spaces. A full wall painting welcomes travellers at the airport. The hall of the newly constructed railway station also displays them. You can find them along the wall of the Janaki temple compound, but also in the wall…

Thamel is struggling

March 16, 2022May 2, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Construction sites and closed businesses. A walk in Thamel can easily give the measure of how much the area has struggled because of the Covid19 pandemic and the lockdown. It really looks like a ghost of itself without tourists flooding the area. After the government decided on a complete lockdown…

Breakfast in Paris

January 28, 2022May 13, 2022 by Mon

Mon

From station to station to station. Besides reading quietly, the rewards of reducing one's carbon footprint when travelling this time included breakfast in Paris! Gare de l'Est is so close to Gare du Nord, where the Eurostar leaves, so plenty of time for a stop in between. Returning to London…

The research goes on…

January 23, 2022April 27, 2022 by Mon

Mon

After a break of a few years, mostly do to teaching overloads and various industrial disputes to save jobs that limited the time I could dedicate to following up on my research (and really made me plan for a totally different job), through the project "Heritage as Placemaking" I can…

Oxford charm

November 7, 2021May 13, 2022 by Mon

Mon

Lovely little exhibition of the Divina Commedia at the Weston Library in Oxford, from early manuscripts to the manga version. Not tempted to re-read it yet though, after it was a compulsory reading in high school for three years😅 I remember The Inferno with all the tortures was interesting, then…

Still empty, Venice

May 14, 2021May 19, 2022 by Mon

Mon

First trip after the lockdown has started to be lifted, at stages. Now fortunately staying in second homes within the region is allowed. But Venice feels like such a different city. Sadly beautiful: rethinking at the many times I thought the number of tourists should be regulated and reduced while…

York

January 19, 2020July 3, 2022 by Mon

Mon

What a lovely city York is! Magical shops, cool cafes, markets, music all around. I meant to visit it since studying the York Mystery Plays at uni, finally... A walk around the town