When we talk about outdoor clothing brands we would
normally talk about North Face, Patagonia, Mammut and Sherpa Adventure Gear. And in the midst of all this, you would definitely not expect to come across a brand with a name "Kathmandu".
Kathmandu is an outdoor clothing brand originally from
Australia. It is a brand that has been putting their product in the
international market along with their other home brands like Mountain design,
Mainpeak and Wild Earth. They have certainly come a long way since 1987 and has
been selling their products like wildfire in New Zealand, UK and Australia
itself. They have over 100 distribution stores with more than 1500 team members
in the three countries today.
With more than 20 years of history, the brand has been
doing well. But even with such success in the international markets, I feel that it has failed to meet the right expectation
of trademark (the name). A trademark is something that symbolizes the brand,
which makes the brand what it is. The companies should really think
carefully about their brand name. With so many brands in the outdoor clothing
business across the globe, any new brand should be unique and should
differentiate themselves from other brands. And the name plays a big part.
And it’s not just in outdoor clothing business, but in
everything. Recently, I found out about a thrash metal band from Argentina
called “Nepal”. Even though the band is no longer together, they opened for giants like Kreator in 1994 and Megadeth in
1998. Obviously
they seem to have done well in the past but I just can’t think of what
connection they may have had with the name.
In Nepal, we can see this specially in education
institution’s names. There is Liverpool international college, Chelsea InternationalAcademy and NASA to name just a few. Just a while back I got to see another institute
called “Nirwana” in Baneshwor, Ktm. Obviously, they seem to be very inspired
from the name “Nirvana”.
And with all this going on, it really feels as if people
now-a-days just come up without thinking much. We can take examples of companies like Xerox, Chapstick, Ping Pong, Google and so on. If we think
about it, they are some of the most unique names for a brand. They really came up with a creative and amazing names. In spite of all these, those companies still became the victim of generic names. Having seen this, known about this, why
would you want to be a generic brand to begin with?
I just feel that a brand name is what a person perceives when he/she first hears about it. It is obvious that a company wants to be regarded positively in the market. So, the best way to go is to create a trademark that best reflects the firm's vision and creates a positive vibe of learning.
Women Development Advocacy Center has been involved in various social activities relating from providing empowerment for an individual to the development of Nepalese community as a whole. WDAC's vision is to “connect” with people at the ground level to understand their needs and problems, “inspire” them to grow in life and “empower” them with their various knowledge based interventions. And it has been applying that workflow in its fellowship programs and campaigns. Social Entrepreneurship, Soft Skills Development, Livelihood and Humanitarian are some of those programs.
The new Post Graduate Diploma Program in Disaster and Livelihood Recovery is no exception. The organization hopes to inspire young minds to participate in the program for better of the society. The main idea of this program is to equip young graduates with skills to separate competent ones from just adequate ones. They plan to train youths specially from disaster hit communities who were involved in post earthquake recovery programs.
WDAC had organized an orientation program on may 29th to prepare them for this program. Mr. Nanda Kishor Mandal , the president of WDAC, started the program with brief introduction.
Mr. Nanda Kishor Mandal in orentation session
They also had the chief guest for this session, Mr. Narottam Aryal , principal of King's College, a proud partner for the program. He gave his warm wishes to all the students before they head off for the course.
"To work as a WDAC's proud partner and see Nepalese student embark on international journey for welfare of our country, It's all been a great pleasure" - says Mr, Narottam.
Mr. Roman Boro sharing his experience with the participants
Students shared their confusion and curiosities with a fellow TISS student, Mr Roman Boro . Mr. Boro shared his memories and experience of TISS wih the participants. Guest lecturers, Mr. Gaurav Kandel from View Your Choice, similarly was grateful to provide contextual knowledge regarding the course and his experience. The session got more interesting as all of the faculties started sharing their stories from TISS.
The orientation session was successful completed. Mr. Nanda Kishor ended the season quoting " you guys are the first, so what you do in this year determines what the future holds for this program".
The selected participants for the fellowship has already started their course starting today. They left for the course, Friday on June 10. The program will be two months long and will include field study. They will study their subjects along with other fellow TISS students.
Author - Bnay Shrestha music enthusiast and Bachelors of Business Administration student from King's college. Author - Prajwol Wagle football fanatic and Bachelor of Business Administration student from King's college.
Nowadays Instagram is as addictive as Facebook was a few years back. For me, its way more habit forming than Facebook, ever! In addition, it acts as a prolific means to showcase individual talents to the outer world.
Writing about this article was a random thought process for me as I was just scrolling down my Instagram newsfeed and I just realised that there are so many people out there I can actually contact with and write about them. Then, I promised myself that I would set a specific theme and contact as many people as possible to succeed in my plan. What would be a better theme than “Nepali Talents” themselves?
(I wrote a few questions to ask to these amazing people which would help all of us to get to know them more closely. (I like to call it a mini-interview). Even though a few were quite busy with their work life, they managed to make some time for me! (Thank you all ).
P.S. It took around almost 2 months to gather up anything and everything for this post!
So, I present to you my favourites who indeed possess such amazing talents; mostly, they showcase it with the aid of Instagram and have been successful in stealing and winning the hearts of thousands and thousands of Instagrammers all around the globe!
(The list is in random order!)
1. JASMINE REGMI (MUA/BEAUTY DIVA)
Jasmine, 19, is a Fine Arts student currently in Scotland and has around 13k followers on her Instagram. Apart from being a sweet, friendly and kind hearted person, she has her unique beauty and makeup style.
SOURCE: INSTAGRAM
She has gained so much popularity within such a short span of time as she started with her official journey with makeup videos and demonstrations since the beginning of this year!
Inspiration : Since Nepalese are slowly opening up with their beauty and fashion talents, her biggest inspiration was Promise Tamang. She watches a lot of youtube bloggers to learn from them and her overall favourite artist would have to be Huda Beauty.
When asked what she loves about what she does, she answers with a simple yet truthful fact that we can transform ourselves into anyone we want. As Jasmine is an Arts student, makeup is like an art, people can use different colour palettes to show different moods.
Best compliment ever received: “You look beautiful without any makeup”. She takes it as the best confidence booster anyone can receive.
Response to haters: She hasn’t received many such hateful comments, just one or two. She straight deletes the message and instantly blocks the person so that she would not have to face him/her again. They are just not worth it. (Indeed Jasmine, there is no place for haters, right? *High five*)
Favourite Past time: Painting and Creating Art.
Message to viewers/Fans : Keep doing what you love. I never thought I would be somewhere I am now, having so many followers and inspiring others and getting inspiration in return. Dont let haters bring you down.
Jasmine, I absolutely love the way you go with the flow with your makeup skills. I wish I could be even slightest of what you are! I guess I will have to contact you more often to actually learn how to apply mediocre makeup because honestly, I suck at it!
Sameer, currently residing in Hongkong works as a photographer, videographer and an amazing editor. 3 years ago, he started with his journey through videos and eventually got involved with photography too.
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Biggest inspiration : Andrew Kramer.
When asked what he loves most about what he does, he loves the part where he fails, its always a good example to learn from the mistakes which is one of the only ways to grow ourselves.
Best compliment ever received : His wife, Diipa. She always encourages and supports him with his work and he takes it as a fuel for motivation.
How do you respond to haters? : Sameer says he often receives negative comments. He believes that people’s opinion are rather one-sided and very narrow and just try to express their self-imposed limits on others. Negative comments are just an outcome of a person’s inner dark reflection. He is motivated with the fact that we just need to keep working and one day, we will be counted as their idols.
Favorite Pastime: Listening to audio books and great minds; Learning new things
Message to fans/viewers : Always try to find the new you. Your mind is the biggest treasure you will ever have and its boundaries are limited. Keep learning – you gotta love the process and not just the reward.
Sameer, indeed, is a great influence and a motivator for all the youths out there who perfectly manages his professional as well as personal life. Many of us often tend to give up once we fail; but Sameer, takes his failure as his biggest inspiration.
3. JASON LOPCHAN (YOUTUBER, VINER, ENTERTAINER, COMEDIAN)
With more than 4k followers on instagram, Jason has won the hearts of many people all around the world. For entertainment purposes, his videos are one of a kind and one could relate to his videos quite easily. Once you start with his videos, you could just go with the flow.
SOURCE: INSTAGRAM
He has been making youtube videos since 4 years now, with his first video being a lip-sync video. Its been a little over a year since he has been posting videos on Instagram and Vines.
His inspiration: His brother, because he was into making short animated videos. Since he wasn’t much habituated with VFX, he went with humor.
Favorite Artist: KingBach
When asked what he loves the most about what he does, he mentions “Everything!“
Best compliment ever received: There was a girl who lost her grandmother and was really depressed because she was staying abroad and could not attend her grandma’s funeral. One of her friends mentioned Jason’s videos and it helped her overcome her sorrows.
Responding to negative comments: If they feel offended, he tries to clear it up but if they are commenting for no apparent reason, well, he just – Reads, smiles and Scrolls down!
Favorite Past time: Watching movies and working out.
Message to viewers/fans : Thank you for all your support. Do stick around and don’t unfollow.
Jason, I believe you can spread the love and humor to a wider audience with your handwork and dedication.
You should definitely watch his short movie : ASSASSIN!
Bikram, an inspirational photographer, gets his inspiration from the magnificent beauty that lies within the Kathmandu Valley. With around 16k followers on his Instagram, his photography showcases the true beauty our city holds.
SOURCE: INSTAGRAM
He started with photography probably when he was 10 or 11. His mother bought him a small film camera which he would carry with him while travelling. Since he was a kid, he would change a lot of hobbies, so it didn’t last for long. At the age of 18, he saved up enough money to own a digital camera of his own. He owned a DSLR when he was 20.
It was just a hobby for him until the day he got a paid gig for an event hosted by the college he studied at.
He follows and admires the work of Steve Mccurry, Chase Jarvis and Trey Ratcliff. He learnt everything online and didn’t take any professional classes.
He loves the fact that he completely works for himself and dwells according to the beauty nature provides. He is his own boss and with photography, independence is the biggest advantage!
Biggest compliment : One of his Instagram connections sent him a message which quoted
“I have never been to Nepal, but after seeing your pictures I feel like I live there!”
Response to Haters: He doesnt give much thought about what haters have to say. There will always be a decent amount of haters no matter what you do.
Favourite pastime: Photography, for sure.
Message to viewers/fans: Don’t be afraid. Fear is the enemy of creativity. Be bold and express yourself.
Bikram, your photography has been appreciated by so many people throughout and I believe with this talent, you can go all the way to the top!
Masna,20, who lives in UK, is an amazing make up artist with over 18k followers on Instagram. Along with her pretty face, her makeup skills are exceptionally phenomenal. You could even use the code ” MASNAX” for a 10% off with purchase of Contour Cosmetics.
At such a young age, she has accomplished so much and for sure is an inspiration to so many youngsters. Makeup is an art; not everyone can do it; which is why these amazing talents are always ready to help us with our problems and issues.
SOURCE : INSTAGRAM
Masna is such a kind hearted and a lovely person, she would be a great mentor for all of us and I am sure we would learn so much more from her.
It felt truly incredible to meet such random strangers, get to know about their journey till date and how they took inspiration from the well established ones and in return, have inspired loads of others. I specifically searched for Nepali talents because not many people are aware of the fact that Nepali people are out there, influencing and motivating us to be a better version of who we are and what we want to achieve. Thank you all for being a part of my post and I hope citizens of our country open up more and come up with what they have, a true gift that they posses within them.
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