A Reading Path Down a Rabbit Hole: Mukti Singh Thapa

The Kathmandu Post

At school, during breaks, he would spend his time in the library trying to imitate images he saw on books and sometimes he would sneak out comic books to practise the strokes of the images in them. “I enjoyed drawing things more than anything. I was a curious kid, I wanted to try making everything,” says Thapa, laughing heartily at his Jawalakhel-based work studio.

However, people are not that keen on learning traditional art today, says Thapa. “That interest in learning traditional art is declining and perhaps because our culture is not that open to learning. Everyone thinks they have already learned and they feel small when they have to be a student again,” he said.

Srizu Bajracharya/TKP

Nepali Times

“Your paintings are as unique as my chips,” Bill Gates said to Mukti Singh Thapa during a lunch conversation back in 1992 in the canteen of his Microsoft office in Redmond, Washington. Gates had acquired seven of this Nepali artist’s paintings at an exhibition.

Miss World Beauty Pageant sash in particular stands out. No matter how resilient, determined and dedicated a woman may be, is society always judging her only by her physical attributes? Despite the inner strength and vigour of womanhood, a patriarchal world still judges and appraises women through their exterior appearance and youthfulness.