Stereotypic

I'm walking out of a Toyota Corolla somewhere in Kathmandu. Parash Shakya (25) is leading the way to his house. From the outside, I can hear vicious drums banging with speed and precision. The drums are so loud that it can be heard from several blocks down the road. In a small room on the second floor of the house, I see four people, each with their own instrument. Niraj Shakya (24) behind the keyboard, Pankaj Shakya (23) with the guitar sitting on one of the loudspeakers, Yudhir Gautam (18) sitting on the floor with another guitar and Surya Pun (18) sweating behind the drums. Meet the entire line up of Antim Grahan.

 

Antim Grahan was started by Parash Shakya almost seven years ago. Through the years, they persevered and they are now working on their fifth studio album. Based in Kathmandu, all of the band members are either working or in school.

 

When I visited their practicing room, the band had just finished their rehersals. We move from the rehearsal room to Parash’s room. Everybody sits down. I sit on one side of the room, the other five take the other side. I feel like a police investigator about to question them about a horrible crime. They all look at me and don't talk much. I flip open my notebook and blabber about the first thing that comes to my mind just to break the tension. After a little conversation about the band, I suddenly notice something. None of them have particularly long hair; Niraj’s bald. None of them have beard, none of them wears tight black jeans and I didn't see any black leather jackets in the hallway when I arrived. I'm not at the wrong address. I just heard them rehearsing and they weren't playing folk music.

 

After spending about two weeks and following the members of Antim Grahan and taking a part in their daily life, I came to a conclusion: One doesn't need tight black jeans, black leather jackets, chains, long hair and long beard to play black metal music. What you need is the love for music and a penchant to play it.