Thamel
DARK STAR OF KATHMANDU
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Rabi Thapa
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Kathmandu neighbourhood of Thamel became a hub of the worldwide hippie counterculture movement. Today, it is a commercial and cultural centre of the Nepali capital. In this unusual biography of the ever-evolving place, the writer Rabi Thapa looks to the streets of Thamel and discusses the area’s history and influence. He draws on encounters with people in the neighbourhood, including glue-sniffing children, transvestite sex workers and entrepreneurs looking to strike gold.
Speaking Tiger, 184 pages, Rs 399
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