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Manisha Bidari, 19, has been contemplating if she should switch to menstrual cups from sanitary pads. But there are many things to consider before she makes the switch. First, a menstrual cup costs Rs 2,200. “Why are they so expensive?” she questions. Second, she does not know how to use and clean it. “Will it fit? I am scared if it will feel uncomfortable. Additional­ly, none of my family members use it,” she lays out her concerns. Despite being environment and user friendly, many are unaware about even the existence of men­strual cups. Others are confused where to get proper information. Right now the main users of this cup in Kathmandu seem to be teenagers and women in their early 20s (at least on the basis of our conversa­tions with its users). After talking to six women who use menstrual cups and a quick chat with Shristi Shakya, the executive assistant at Putali Nepal, a non-profit which distributes and spreads awareness about menstrual cups, we believe it is an investment worth making. Here is why.

Easy to use

According to Shakya, 21, who has herself been using menstru­al cups since 2014, it is “the best thing to use during your menstru­al cycle”. First, the users do not have to worry about stains. The cup, once inserted into the vagina, holds the blood inside. You then take the cup out, throw the collected blood, and clean it with warm water to use it again.

“I love traveling and trekking so when I am using a menstrual cup I don’t have to worry about changing pads frequently. A menstrual cup is both portable and comfortable.” Using a menstrual cup, you can go for a swim during your period. You can run and jump. “There is a lot of freedom,” she says.

Worth it

“I’d guessed the menstrual cups cost around Rs 600. When I found their real price, I was shocked. I was in a dilemma whether to buy it. However, it only took me a day to decide I wanted one for myself when I discovered its many bene­fits,” says Devashree Niraula, 23, an environmentalist.

But for someone who uses sani­tary pads for say Rs 100 a month, why should they make the initial investment of Rs 2,200 on a men­strual cup?

Shakya explains: “You may not be willing to part with Rs 2,200 initially but you have to consider that the cup can be used for ten years. If you spend Rs 100 a month on pads, you spend Rs 12,000 in ten years. A menstrual cup becomes a cost effec­tive product if you take a long view.”

Menstrual cups are not produced in Nepal and since they are import­ed, usually from India and Europe, the cost increases.

Putali Nepal has been importing and selling the cups from Europe since 2014. They currently sell 15-20 cups a month through their exclusive Kar.ma Coffee, Jham­sikhel outlet. “We hope increasing awareness will lead to higher sales,” Shakya says.

Use by young girls

Since menstrual cups have to be inserted into the vagina, many women are concerned that these may be difficult to use for young girls who are having their period for the first time. Additionally, as Nepali society still prizes virgin­ity, won’t using a menstrual cup destroy your virginity?

“One of the main reasons why menstrual cups have not been able to sell more in Nepal is the social taboos associated with them,” Shakya says. “There is a misconcep­tion that once you insert something into your vagina, you are no more a virgin. Yes, menstrual cup stretches your hymen but it does not have any other health issues.”

So can a girl as young as 13 use a menstrual cup for her first period? Shakya replies in the affirmative: “This is why menstrual cups come in two sizes: medium and small. So young girls can use the small ones.” Does the size affect how much blood it can hold? “No. Only the width of the two cups are different but both will hold an equal quantity of blood,” she clarifies.

Other benefits

There are other benefits of using menstrual cups as well. They are environmentally friendly. If you use a menstrual pad or a tampon, you have to toss them aside after use. But you can use the same menstrual cup for a decade.

Additionally, there are health benefits. Chances of infection are high if you use a pad or a tampon. But not for menstrual cups. Shakya informs that they are made of medical grade silicon and have no side effects.

Shreeya Sharma, 21, who started using menstrual cups only a month ago, also vouches for the benefits of menstrual cups. “There are risks of contracting a ‘toxic shock syn­drome’ if you use a tampon. There is a pungent smell when you use a pad. But menstrual cups have no such complications.” She admits that inserting and releasing the cup into your vagina may be uneasy for first-timers but it does not take long to get used to.

The rather obscure premises of the Tripureshwor Mahadev Temple on the banks of the Bagmati River at Tripureshwor has been home to the Music Museum of Nepal for the past eight years. The ancient brick-and-mortar building being run by the guthi in the temple courtyard is almost in ruins after the 2015 earthquake. The main temple is also being recon­structed at the moment and the two-storey historic hous­es that host the museum of Nepali folk instruments is in a shambles. A creaky wooden staircase leads to the second floor of the dilapidated house where a collection of endangered, rare and extinct Nepali folk instruments are displayed, attached to the walls and in wooded cabinets. In the dim light one can witness the rich cultural diversity in music of the country from these instruments that are hundreds of years old. The museum now boasts of the largest and most com­prehensive collection of traditional folk instruments collected over 23 years, from the high Himalayas to the Tarai plains.

“But it could all be lost,” says Ram Prasad Kandel, the founder and curator of the museum who in 1995 started the long process of collecting and saving the music instruments. “It could be a matter of weeks before we pack all these invaluable pieces of history into a box and shut down.” The Music Museum of Nepal, previously known as the Nepali Folk Musical Instru­ment Museum, has gotten a notice to vacate its premises and without any support from the government or the private sector, the non-profit institution has no option but to shut its doors—perhaps forever.

“But I will not stop my research and will continue collecting and archiving Nepali instruments,” says Kandel, who is now in the UK to raise funds and prepare for the Eighth International Folk Music Fes­tival the museum organizes annual­ly, and which will this year be held in Kathmandu on November 22-24. “I hope if not this generation, at least future generations will show more interest in the musical history of Nepal.”

Nepali folk instruments like the sarangi and madal have been able to survive through their incorpora­tion into the larger pop culture but around 1,300 other ethnic Nepali instruments have not been as for­tunate. Although culturally rich, rapid modernization and an apa­thy to history has made most of Nepal’s musical heritage vulnerable to extinction.

Professional musician castes like Gaine, Damai, Badi and Kapali passed on their skills down many generations. Over 100 different ethnic groups and castes had their own musical traditions and cultures that sustained their livelihood and enriched the society. “Yet we fight for bare sustenance,” says Kandel. “We are a long way from collecting and conserving all Nepali folk instru­ments and at this rate some might be extinct before we finish our work.”

Some instruments at the museum like the Panha Mukha Baja, Haade Bansuri, Yaba Mridanga, Rudra Mri­danga and Jor Murali have already become extinct, with the remain­ing specimens available only at the museum. But even at the low entry tickets of Rs 20 for students and Rs 50 for adults, the museum rarely sees visitors, and it does not make anywhere close to the kind of money it needs for its long-term survival. The temple guthi has now asked the museum to move because it has given out the premises to a univer­sity on a long-term lease. The only hope for the museum is to win the legal battle against their tenant, the hearing for which is on August 29.

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The Boogie Woogie pro­duction team had to work mighty hard to make this first-of-its-kind show in Nepal a success.

“Dance reality shows are comparatively more chal­lenging than other reality shows,” says Aleen Shres­tha, the director of Boogie Woogie. “We have to take care of every small aspect, from matching make-up with dress to stage props.” Shrestha describes his expe­rience of producing the first Boogie Woogie show as bit of a ‘mixed bag’.

“No one had tried this in Nepal before. So, we made mistakes but at the same time we also learned so much in the process,” says Suresh Paudel, proj­ect head for Boogie Woogie. “It was also a process that gave us Kabita Nepali, the deserved winner.”

On the day of the grand finale itself, Nepali, along with two other finalists, stood on the stage with great anticipation, and dread, their hearts thump­ing against their chests. With only moments left for the final announcement she started preparing herself for the worst. “I kept tell­ing myself whatever hap­pens will happen for the good,” says Nepali. “I wasn’t expecting to win. In fact, I was willing to settle for the third runners-up prize.”

Growing up, Nepali learnt early to move her body to the rhythm of music. Her parents would play songs on television for her to dance. So passionate was she that once, as a toddler, she broke the television screen at home, trying to get inside the screen to dance. Her parents, who were not home at the time, found her dancing with half of her body inside the television when they got home.

Even though she was fond of dancing, the art form was only a medium for her to express her inner feelings till she came across the Boogie Woogie audition announcement. She was instantly hooked but her parents were not convinced.

“Our society still frowns upon a woman choosing dancing as her career,” says Nepali. “So, at first my fam­ily did not approve of my decision to participate and I had to convince them to let me pursue my dream.”

The self-taught Nepali feels her versatility helped her progress in the competition and says the eight-month-journey of Boogie Woogie was a learn­ing curve she will forever remember. “Day or night, my focus was only on danc­ing. I even used to dream about dancing,” she says. “In the competition itself, it was all about hard work. I had many injuries but the Boogie Woogie team took care of them. The good part is that I got to learn many dance forms that I had seen only on television.”

As the grand finale night progressed and nervousness filled the air, Nepali felt her rationale for competing in Boogie Woogie had already been justified. “For me it wasn’t about winning. I came here to learn,” she says. Nepali spent the whole finale evening preparing for the worst and when she heard her name announced as the winner, she was shocked. “My mind went blank,” says Nepali. “I didn’t know how to react.” Nepali had won the competition by getting 30 percent more votes compared to the first runners-up in SMS voting.

Nepali bagged Rs 2.5 mil­lion in cash with which she wants to build a home for her family. And now that she has won the competition, she also wants to get back to studying and completing her high-school, from which she had to drop out because of the show. “I will first complete my studies and will then explore my career in the film industry,” says Nepali. “Until then, I will be doing programs and music videos for pocket money,” she smiles.

Photos by Pritam Chhetri