KATHMANDU, Dec 9: A gallery which is filled with ancient printing machines and woodcrafts in Boudha of Kathmandu is no less than a museum which hosts wood blocks that date back to the 15th century. The ancient printing technique is still on the move in this gallery.

Named “Kabi Raj” meaning doctor of ancestral medicines by his grandfather, Kabi Raj Lama is now one of the modern doctors of the fine arts who has kept the ancestral printing technique alive.

“I used to see my grandfather making wood and stone inscriptions back in the days using the locally available materials. I didn't pay attention back in those days but as I grew up, I would say when I started my graduation, the interest for ancient printing techniques started to grow inside me,” Kabi Raj told Republica.

But it was a visit to a museum in Japan where Kabi Raj found an eternal interest in wood and stone print technique which gradually transformed with technological advancement. With strong determination and commitment, he has now started collecting the ancient printing materials abandoned with digitization.

“If the ancient techniques had passed on from generation to generation with the time then these techniques would have grown exponentially in Nepal owing to the ample of possibilities and resources here. I have the determination and commitment to preserve and promote these techniques and I have been collecting all those leftover things which are on the verge of complete extinction.”

 
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