Restoration enthusiast Rabindra Puri.  Bibek Bhandari for The National
Restoration enthusiast Rabindra Puri. Bibek Bhandari for The National

Cherish the past



Nepal’s capital Kathmandu is a kaleidoscopic architectural mishmash: pagoda-roofed temples decorated with intricate woodcarvings stand alongside traditional brick houses and concrete towers like mismatched beads threaded on a string, a reflection of the country’s haphazard urbanisation.

One Nepalese man, Rabindra Puri, has been on a determined quest to revive the city’s architectural vision. An artist, architect and sculptor, Puri is determined to save the country’s architectural inheritance, a mission that the 43-year-old began close to home – literally. “Can you believe this house was like that?” he said, pointing to a picture hanging on his front porch of a 150-year-old near-derelict building that was once a poultry farm. Today that same house is the Namuna Ghar (Model House) and a winner of the Unesco Asia Pacific Heritage Award in 2004. A four-storey house in the ancient neighbourhood of Bhaktapur – one of the three adjoined royal cities along with Patan and Kathmandu – Namuna Ghar is a master class in reviving traditional Newari architecture. The Newars are one of Nepal’s many ethnic groups, also said to be the early inhabitants of Kathmandu Valley and renowned for their craftsmanship.

From the outside, this brick house with its carved wooden window frames, doors and balconies is a perfect facsimile of history. Inside, it retains the traditional aesthetic of Newari homes. The wooden stairway leading to each floor is narrow; the living room, bedroom and kitchen have handcrafted wooden pillars and ceiling beams; the bathrooms, though western in style to suit a more contemporary Nepalese family, have Nepalese elements such as brass faucets. The house is open for public visits and Puri welcomes private guests here.

“There wasn’t a single person who talked positively about my project,” Puri says of the scepticism that surrounded his efforts at the outset in 1999. “It was also very difficult to convince the workers as well. They thought I was some lunatic.” Ramesh Shilpakar, who has been working with Puri for more than a decade, believes Puri is a man of vision. A woodcarver by profession, the 50-year-old says that initially he didn’t think that the Namuna Ghar project would ever materialise. “He was using those decayed wooden pillars and painting them for reuse,” Shilpakar says of his doubts. “But what he has made of that house makes us believe in our work – to carry on our tradition.”

Projects such as these make new use of skills passed from generation to generation, but while the older generation – Shilpakar’s generation – is proud to earn a meagre living as an artisan, its children long for more modern careers. As a teenager, Puri’s parents persuaded their son to choose a 21st-century profession; they wanted him to study law, but growing up in Bhaktapur, an ancient royal city ringed with temples and palace courtyards, the young Puri had already made up his mind. “Bhaktapur made me the artist I am today,” he says. “If I wasn’t born here, I don’t know if I would have become an artist.”

While studying law, Puri enrolled in art school without his parents’ permission and also studied history and business to quench his hunger for knowledge. By 1993, before going to Germany for further studies, Puri had four undergraduate degrees in law, fine arts, business and history. When he returned to a well-paid desk job, he noticed how quickly Kathmandu Valley was being transformed in the rush towards modernity: roads were being widened and old brick buildings demolished to make way for concrete structures along with any idea of preserving the past.

“My heart wept that very moment,” he says, remembering a walk through the Patan neighbourhood, noticing the changing landscape. “I wanted to do something then – that’s when I decided to leave my job and follow my passion.”

It’s been more than a decade now since Puri started renovating Bhaktapur’s historic buildings as well as building new ones that adhere to local building techniques. To date, he has worked on 50 projects, including renovating old houses, community schools and libraries to reflect traditional architecture.

Rohit Ranjitkar, a conservation architect and one of Puri’s contemporaries, describes his projects as “adaptive reuse”. “He is renovating these buildings for a new purpose – while the exterior pertains to the old style, the interior is modernised to suit individual needs,” says Ranjitkar, programme director of the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT).

Unlike Puri, who is investing his time and effort on private spaces, KVPT’s focus is on the preservation of public monuments. Kathmandu Valley contains seven Unesco world heritage sites that have regularly been listed as endangered and the organisation warns that action must be taken. With this in mind, KVPT’s current projects include the restoration of the Sundari Chowk or Beautiful Courtyard, a striking example of traditional Nepali architecture, wood carving and stone sculpture dating back to 1647.

“We are preserving history,” Ranjitkar says as he stands outside Sundari Chowk overlooking the Patan Museum, which according to him was being used as a dumping ground. At present, craftsmen are restoring the palace courtyard’s original window carvings, doors and tympana (a highly decorated sculpture panel, pictured), and carefully moulded replicas have replaced the looted artworks.

About 36 kilometres south-west of Kathmandu, in Panauti, Puri has equally ambitious plans to open a Museum of Stolen Art to house replicas of 50 of Nepal’s lost artworks dating back to the 7th century. When Nepal opened its doors to foreign visitors in the 1950s, its cultural heritage garnered great interest and a marketplace developed, fed by hundreds of sculptures smuggled out of Nepal in subsequent decades.

Set to open in 2015, the museum will help highlight what has been lost and underline the importance of preserving what is left. The replicas are being made by 14 local artists and shown in the Heritage Gallery in Bhaktapur with monies raised from admissions going to help fund the project. Next month, the cultural custodian will open a vocational training school in Panauti to run courses in stone sculpting, woodcarving and metal work to train a much-needed local workforce to continue the age-old artistry. By 2030, Puri is hopeful that Panauti can become a model town and as part of his masterplan, supported by the local municipality, he plans to renovate a number of local houses. His RP Foundation will also provide technical assistance to local families who would like to follow his example.

Puri is hopeful of a more beautiful future for Kathmandu Valley that can preserve the past.

“People usually get motivated by good things in life,” he said. “But for me, all the destruction of those old buildings actually motivated me to work in their preservation and re-present them to the future generation. That’s my mission.”

Bibek Bhandari is a regular contributor to The National.

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners

Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books

Ad Astra

Director: James Gray

Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones

Five out of five stars 

KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Traits of Chinese zodiac animals

Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent   

MATCH INFO

Burnley 1 (Brady 89')

Manchester City 4 (Jesus 24', 50', Rodri 68', Mahrez 87')

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Match info

Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4
(Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)

Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

'Cheb%20Khaled'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKhaled%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBelieve%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
88 Video's most popular rentals

Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

Race results:

1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min

2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec

3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec

Company%20profile%20
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'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
'C'mon C'mon'

Director:Mike Mills

Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman

Rating: 4/5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Cricket World Cup League Two

Teams

Oman, UAE, Namibia

Al Amerat, Muscat

 

Results

Oman beat UAE by five wickets

UAE beat Namibia by eight runs

Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs

UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets

 

Fixtures

Saturday January 11 - UAE v Oman

Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia

Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Jumanji: The Next Level

Director: Jake Kasdan

Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas 

Two out of five stars 

Race card

5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m

6.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,400m

6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 1,200m

7.50pm: Longines Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,00 (D) 1,900m

8.25pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m

9pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (T) 2,410m

9.35pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

MATCH INFO

FA Cup final

Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

The specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed PDK

Power: 630bhp

Torque: 820Nm

Price: Dh683,200

On sale: now