Insta inspiration
Nepali pages on Instagram that we recommend
Who doesn’t love a good picture? And then there are photos that aren’t just visually stunning but the stories they portray and shed light on are equally important. Instagram, it seems, is a treasure trove of some great storytelling. Nepal, being a country with many stories and a few secrets, has many pages devoted to it.
From fascinating travel blogs that pay tribute to various cultures to a steady dose of art and art-related events, here are some noteworthy pages that can liven up your feed.
@cj_karki
With close to 11,000 followers, CJ Karki’s feed is an explosion of colors and, in many ways, a celebration of life. This page is perhaps a good answer to questions that inquire into what Nepal really is like. Karki’s shots neither glorify nor dismiss the inherent beauty of Nepal, they show Nepal in all its rawness and naturalness. Some of his pictures are just captures of the crowded Nepali streets, of the hundreds of buildings mushrooming all over the valley, a young boy rinsing his face at a communal tap after a hard day of play. Some pictures feature street vendors carrying their crates of tomatoes, waving cartoon character balloons in the air or just children smiling. Karki is quite the poet himself so his words add context and depth to his pictures. His page is Nepal in all its glory and flaws.
@newari.beauties
Nepalis live in a country of such beguiling culture that taking full measure of all its details and intricacies is an almost impossible feat. The Newari culture specifically with their rituals and traditions is quite an enigma to those that don’t belong to it. There are quite a few pages dedicated solely on promoting the Newa culture and Newari Beauties is one such account on Instagram. Their posts are made in collaboration with various photographers and they elaborate on the significance of a certain ceremony or a certain accessory. Most Nepalis may believe that they, at least, have a general idea of all that befalls under the Newa community but this page will prove you wrong. From the human portrayal of Lord Madhav Narayan on the Swasthani brata to their nail trimming ceremonies, this page is a glimpse into the Newari community beyond their Kumaris, Lakheys and yomaris.
@artreenepal
Art in Nepal is at a progressive stage. Today, more than ever, artists have the platform to create pieces according to their own whims and fancies and have the medium to share it too. Artree Nepal is one such platform. Artree Nepal, in its roots, is a group formed by six contemporary artists and their motive is to establish exploratory discourses on art. Although they have their own website, the group’s page on Instagram is definitely worth a visit. On the page are behind the scene shots of artworks in the making, brief introductions about any upcoming art exhibition and shout-outs to up and coming artists. If you’re an art enthusiast then Artree could be your viewing channel to the ever-growing art scene in Nepal. But even if you’re not an art enthusiast, it’s still a pretty cool page to follow. Trust us.
@respectporters
There are quite a few pages on Instagram boasting of Nepal’s unmatched landscapes and featuring shots of people from all indigenous backgrounds going about their day-to-day life. But hardly are there mentions of what all goes on behind the scenes: The effort it takes to capture a good shot, the hours of experimenting for the right location and angles and also the porters who carry all the heavy equipment and luggage on arduous trails. This page is entirely dedicated to such porters who carry loads larger than their bodies. They also have a segment called the “Unsung Hero Story,” that is released in parts. This segment gives a narrative on a deceased porter’s life, speaks of their difficult lives and sheds light on the fact that despite their undeniable contribution to leading expeditions, they are hardly, if ever, acknowledged.
@storiesofnepal
The most recent count on Stories of Nepal is 766 posts, meaning there are 766 stories featured here. There are too many stories of despair, loss, and sadness on the news and there are some here too. But with these narratives of loss are also stories of courage and unmatched strength. Posts here are single shots of people and the space for captions is entirely dedicated to narrating their stories. The words are simple, honest, relatable, and raw. A married daughter regrets not being able to visit her aging parents because of the long walk from her village to theirs; a child on being asked her name replies that she has long forgotten what it was. An “interpersonal side of Nepal” shown through this page, a viewer commented, and he couldn’t have said it any better.
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