KATHMANDU, June 26: Writer Nayan Raj Pandey of the ‘Loo’ and ‘Ghamkiri’ fame opened the first edition of ‘Kathakram’ by reading one of his short stories, ‘Raja Indralai Thaha Chha.’

The story reading program organized by Book Lovers Nepal was set onstage at Mandala Theater in Anamnagar on Saturday. After Pandey, young writer Lenin Banjade (@Lendaai) took to the stage with his story ‘Affairgunj.’ The audience enjoyed Banjade’s witty, amusing story that talked about modern love and young generation.

An interaction session between the writers and audience was held after the reading session concluded. When asked about the story, writer Pandey shared that a writer is not bound to be limited within their own context but can also explore beyond what he has actually experienced in real life. Likewise, when Banjade was questioned if he was related in any way with the protagonist of ‘Affairgunj,’ he said that the story is purely fictional. The interaction session was moderated by Sanjit Bharati.
What made the story reading a unique, pleasant experience was the integration of live background music by The Clouds band.

“Recitation of poems, songs, and ghazals isn’t new, but story reading by the writers themselves along with background music is a fresh concept here,” stated Chairperson of Book Lovers Nepal, Bibek Mishra adding that the organizing team is “overwhelmed with the positive response” the received from the session. He also informed that ‘Kathakram’ will be a monthly event and that new writers will be invited onstage every month.