The Party Nepal Triumvirate | Society

Not so long ago, some very 'different' individuals got together during a salsa party and discovered that they shared one particular passion… PARTYING!!! There was a sudden demand for the "latest, happening, up-to-date" information in Nepal. More and more people have started to go out and look for parties. Due to the "information lapse," not everyone knew or heard of all the parties. Moreover, the Internet was not being used to its full advantage in advertising for these parties and events.

While lamenting the lack of a reliable information source for parties and events, they vowed to create something -something that would change partying in Nepal –forever. The idea behind PartyNepal.com was conceived over a period of several months in 2002, and the three wise men decided to create a website that would provide free access to news, reviews and information related to the Nepali clubbing scene.

What is PartyNepal.com?

PartyNepal.com is an online cocktail of all the essential party ingredients: Who, What, Where and When. It is a device to promote all sorts of parties and events in Nepal. It is the definitive guide to clubbing. You can take a look at the latest club and dance-music charts, pick up tips for a happy party life, post comments and opinions on the bulletin boards, check out the latest updates, and read about your favorite DJ.

Who?

Robin Sitoula.
This trained DJ specializes in Electronica (House, Techno, Trance, Experimental) and has always been intensely into music. After graduating from university in Sydney, Australia, his penchant for traveling, partying and clubbing took him backpacking to party, club, and rave meccas like Ibiza, Amsterdam, Milan, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Rio De Janeiro, Buenos Aires, and Goa –he's been around the world. He's even met and seen big international acts like Fat Boy Slim, Carl Cox and PVD. Robin hopes to create similar clubbing atmospheres in Kathmandu. "It's my dream to promote more of an Electronica scene in Nepal. Hopefully, we can host big name DJ's in Nepal and be known as a 'Destination' for great music and parties."

"At the end, it's all about music". -Robin

Mandil Pradhan.
Mandil manages, updates, and co-owns the website, PartyNepal.com. He's a young graphic designer "with no formal design training" from Kathmandu but has TONS of experience. Mandil is a well-known figure in the Valley, in fact you could say that we are all separated by less than six degrees thanks to Mandil and his vast network of friends, acquaintances and connections. For those of you who are not familiar with him, suffice to say, Mandil is, "fierce" when it comes to partying.

Bhusan Thapa.
Marketing Director of PartyNepal.com, Bhushan is a Business Management graduate from Sydney, Australia. A whiz at marketing and public relations, he even does event management. (His actual background is banking –to my amazement.) He looks after the trio's marketing, sponsorship, and "makes" clients. His work consists of organizing events. "I've been making money, partying and having fun. My work isn't really work; It's like organizing FUN…I party with models and good-looking people."

Birth of the Concept:

At the end of a 2-year tour, Robin found himself in Delhi. He wanted to see what the party scene was, and couldn't find anything online. He figured that he could make something to help others in this quandary –in Nepal. Robin immediately thought of partynepal.com and quickly registered www.partynepal.com. When he got back to Nepal, he hooked up with Bhusan, a long-time bud from Sydney, and another friend to form an event management company. It didn't work out so, the team split up. Meanwhile, He met Mandil at Himalayan Java Coffeehouse and talked about building a website. Mandil got excited and suggested working together.

Thus, the Project www.partynepal.com started with Robin, Mandil, Aditya and Tenzing. After a month, Aditya had to leave for Mumbai for studies, and Tenzing became busy with his personal life. That left Mandil and Robin. At this stage, PartyNepal.com was more of an information and advertising page, but not a lot of events were happening.

The duo then thought some changes were required within their own team; job definitions had to be laid out. While Mandil stuck to his original task of sole maintenance of the website and e-promoting/covering parties, Robin took up the responsibility of conceptualizing and coordinating events. Now, they needed someone to look after their marketing and public relations.

Robin had gone to Bhusan and said, "Listen mate, I'm planning to do lots of different events and I need your help." Since the two had previously worked together, the old friend was welcomed into "The Team" as a member, forming the new team of Robin, Bhusan, and Mandil of PartyNepal.com.

Events Thus Far:

PartyNepal.com launched Nepal's first online clubbing and partying portal on the dawn of the Nepali New Year 2060 (14th April, 2003) at a low-budget event at Chopstick Chinese Restaurant & Bar, Thamel. More than 300 people showed up! 4 days later, they organized yet another party called Tranceport:Kathmandu! It's still remembered by many as one of the best trance events inside of Kathmandu.

PartyNepal.com hosted Retro Night, A memory of the 60's & 70's, a party intended for the slightly older crowd to relive great times. Retro Night happened at a bad time. The cease-fire had just been broken; people were terrified by the recent violence in the capital, and many were not keen on going out. Despite these setbacks, Retro Night had an outstanding turnout. Plenty of people arrived to enjoy themselves; some relived their youth while others were getting exposure.

PartyNepal.com has also invited PTY LTD, an Australian electro funk band, to include Kathmandu as part of their world tour. The Lounge-A-Rama event was a live concert that got a phenomenal response from music lovers and the media. This event brought on a new and different level for PartyNepal.com. More recently there was Project Peace: A Thamel Street Dance Festival, which even found coverage on BBC's Asia Today. Needless to say the event is their most successful one to date.

PartyNepal has become a part of the forefront and welcome crew for the people looking for a good party. PartyNepal has also hosted a number of other events, from club openings and theme parties to reunions and out-of-town gatherings.

Any challenges?

Mandil - The most challenging part is when I get back from a party at three o'clock in the morning, fully drained, and I need to start uploading the pictures to the website. I have always managed to update the pictures on the same night as that of the party. Even though people don't usually look at the website when they go home late at night (or early morning), they expect it to be there when they wake up and log on.

Bhusan - The most difficult thing about the work is organizing unique parties and events. Selecting the venue and artist, and getting sponsorships can be challenging. In Nepal, lots of events are similar. No one thinks about doing things differently, and doing different kinds of events. We are here to change the idea and concept of partying through different events. The teamwork is the key for our success. We are equally responsible for our job distribution. We all work hard to get things done correctly. Together, we complete the mission.

Where is the Nepal party "scene" going?

Robin – We've had parties before. People have just celebrated in a different way, like after harvesting. Everyone has changed due to exposure, because it slowly catches up and grows. We have more exposure to Western influence. Historical events, these also change.

Bhusan -It is a hard question at first. People are trying out a variety of party concepts. Some are doing it by theme: MIB (Men In Black), masquerade, and retro night. People are trying to host a party that stands out. And the good news is, people are starting to party a lot. They know what a GOOD party is. It is a good sign for the party people because they've got more choices. They can be in a party of their own kind/selection.

Mandil -The "scene" in Nepal is constantly growing. Compared to last year, there are a lot more parties happening this year. The Friday-night-out trend is starting to hit Nepal, which is always a good thing for the "scene". In addition, new clubs have opened in town, and some places are evolving as great private party venues –this has done wonders for the partying fraternity.

What does KTM need to keep developing the party scene?

Bhusan - Good DJs. Not just CD changers. Good music and people who enjoy and appreciate the music. Creating party ambience is another necessity. And lastly, security is an issue.

Robin - Provide a space. People should be more "aware" of the scenes. We need to show what this is. Entertainment is more of a lifestyle, and people need to be educated on what certain things are. Just because you have a cd collection, it doesn't make you a DJ. We need people from outside. The scene is changing. Hip-Hop is emerging; Electronica is becoming popular. We have more media exposure. It sends messages about Nepal and that it isn't just ONE thing. Others have more interest and curiosity. This encourages DJs to increase their skills. Parents have outdated ideas, but it is still changing. I wish street kids and rich kids could be under one roof.

Mandil – Some people still think that staying out late at night is a carnal sin; this has to change. We are trying to encourage people to party and have fun within safe and manageable limits. The main concern for most people right now is security. Since the country has been in a politically "insecure place" for such a long time, the public wants a getaway from the general dread and gloom. And on the issue of safety, have you heard of a late night clubber being shot at?

[If you have, do send in your story.]