Nischal Basnet, 31, has his debut directorial venture with Loot as one of the most successful Nepali films for this year. Amun Thapa, 25, is the man behind Sasto Deal, an online shopping destination that recently celebrated its first year of happy services. Santosh Acharya, 26, President of Youth Initiative, is working to develop youth empowerment and potential. Nagma Shrestha, 21, bagged the 7th place in Miss Earth 2012, a position not reached by any beauty queen from Nepal.[break]
They look back on the year that’s been and talk about their aspirations as they welcome the New Year.
How has 2012 been for you? Has the year met your expectations, or did you face any disappointments?
Nagma: I’ve always had the intuition that 2012 was the year for me to turn my dreams into reality. It had been my dream to be Miss Nepal since my childhood. Through the pageant, I also participated in Miss Earth 2012 where I made it to the Top 8 and won 5 subtitles, which is an achievement for Nepal.
Santosh: I had a few dreams for 2012 that I managed to accomplish. I wanted to work with the youth and provide resources and opportunities to a certain number of youth. I also had a dream of representing my country at an international forum and I went to Berlin to talk on the issue of population dynamics and sustainable development. Our anti-corruption campaign ‘May the Corrupt Rot!’ was also successful and it helped to sensitize many Nepali youths.
Amun: I had to overcome two major personal challenges this year. I was in America for my studies and I had a hard time convincing my parents that I wanted to do something in Nepal instead of staying back in the US.
The next problem was the fact that I wanted to work in e-commerce. I was told by everyone that it’s never going to work in Nepal. They said that there was no online population in Nepal, and of course, there was the problem of load shedding. Sasto Deal was launched last year in December and the entire year I’ve been running around to overcome all the challenges.
I always knew there were lots of problems in Nepal. But where there are problems, there are always opportunities, too. All you have to do is think differently and stay focused. It’s a small country; there aren’t a lot of expenses. Even for small companies, it won’t take much to expand here.
I had no disappointments this year but a lot of sacrifices had to be made. I had to work every Saturday and I couldn’t travel like I wanted to.
Nischal: My expectations were small. Filmmaking was never a dream. It’s just been three years since I developed an interest in it. I was in Australia, studying animation and editing. I watched Kagbeni and what struck me was the quality of the film. Next, I watched Sano Sansar. The story didn’t interest me, but it was the visual quality that made me think that we’re heading somewhere. I felt that I had some stories to tell.
By the time I finished Loot, I realized the number of problems one faces here. It’s as if no one is cooperative. There are laws but there’s no implementation. So by the time I finished with the film, I was in no state to judge it. It was only after seeing the audience reaction with my own eyes that I believed it. And that one thing made the whole of 2012 great for me. My target was that I would do something within 10 years but I managed to do it within a year.
From left to right: Nischal Basnet, Nagma Shrestha, Santosh Acharya and Amun Thapa. (Photo: Chandra Shekhar Karki/Republica)
What are your plans for the coming year?
Nischal: My plan is to make one film per year. I’m working on a script right now. My priority is to entertain the audience and my dream is to get the divided audience, one that visits multiplexes and the other that frequents single screen movie theatres, to equally enjoy a particular movie.
My next movie, ‘Dimaag Kharab,’ will be a total comedy. I’m trying to present everything that’s happening in the social cultural context today in a humorous way.
Amun: It can only get better. Ecommerce is flourishing and even big companies like Chaudhary Group have launched cgdigital.com. 2013 will not be just about small companies trying to make it big but big companies trying to move into different sectors.
Sasto Deal will expand and we’re looking to move into Pokhara, Biratnagar and Dharan before someone else does. We’ll launch sastobook.com within two months where people can buy and sell textbooks, novels. We also want a transparency in our Corporate Social Responsibility.
Santosh:I’m yet to complete my Master’s thesis in Physics. I’m waiting for the elections so I can talk to youth leaders about what can be done for the youths in our country. I also want to invest in at least 25 youths and bring their attention to youth entrepreneurship, focusing especially on agro-based entrepreneurship. Different young people are doing different good things, and to create a platform where these young people can connect and exchange ideas and experiences is my other goal. I don’t believe in getting young people from regional areas to the capital. I would like them to stay where they are and continue what they are doing. Otherwise, it just becomes centralized. My dream is to get their dreams accomplished.
Nagma: As Miss Earth Nepal, I learnt a lot about energy. I learnt about A Liter of Light in the Philippines which is a project that teaches about alternative energy. My plan is to start it from within Kathmandu and then go on to several places and install this project. I’m also involved in community forest (samudayik ban) where about 65% of women are involved. Through Mothers of Mother Earth, I’ll be working to encourage the people involved in community forest. I’m also going to start a business with my friend and I also plan to go for bungee.
How can the young people be encouraged today?
Santosh: I believe in being a role model. Create an environment where you can be an example and motivate people. The key to today’s world is information, and like I said before, through my organization, we’re looking to fund young people with ideas, connect them with the right information. I’ve seen that the youth today have the zeal to do something and want to be engaged. Five years ago, they were seeking information and now they want implementation and their own involvement. That’s a very positive thing for the country.
Nischal: I would like to tell everyone that nothing can stop us from learning and going forward. Opportunities will always come and we have to be able to grab them.
When I look at the society, I see that everyone is frustrated. It’s the environment around us that ticks us off. We’re not satisfied with what’s happening with our country. But just because someone else doesn’t do his jobs doesn’t mean that we should stop with ours. It should be clear that if we want change, we should stand up for something.
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