Salil Kanika and Thomas Bertschi were introduced to each other by a mutual friend in 2004 and at their first meeting they discovered their common fascination with rainbows.
A visual artist, Bertschi started the Rainbow Project in Switzerland in 1989, fulfilling his dream of creating a Life Art Community.
“We both look at rainbows as a symbol of free spirit,” says Kanika, 32, a self-taught performance artist and a musician. “I play the didgeridoo, which are usually painted with images of the rainbow snake,” he explains. Kanika is the founder of EarthBeat, a Life Art Project based in Kathmandu, and he regularly holds workshops to teach children how to make and play the didgeridoo.
“Imagine Rainbow is essentially a yellow-page book with contacts and information of artists worldwide,” says Kanika. Edited by Bertschi, Imagine Rainbow was first released 10 years back in 1999 in German. The second edition is an updated version in English, which also includes a DVD with seven films of projects done by the Rainbow Project Switzerland.
The CD Himalaya, on the other hand, is a project by IRIK which was established by Kanika and Bertschi in 2006.
“Himalaya carries only a single track which is 12 minutes long but is the work of many artists and musicians,” informs Kanika, who wrote the song. Since its inception, IRIK has been actively participating in the art scenes of Kathmandu but in its own way.
In 2006, IRIK worked on a film that included street children, visual artists and musicians. The movie was followed by the release of a musical compilation which comprised songs composed and written by children. The funds collected from the CD enable IRIK to initiate a cultural/musical educational program at Mitrata Nepal, a non-profit organization dedicated to support underprivileged children.
“We’ve been able to pay a whole year’s salaries for four music teachers to teach the children at Mitrata Nepal,” says Kanika, who hopes to get more funds through the sale of Himalaya. “However, we want Mitrata Nepal to take over this program and become self-sufficient, which is why IRIK is pulling out,” he says and adds, “Our job was to leave that initial impulse and now it is up to them to nurture it independent of us.”
The four music teachers currently involved are Kiran Nepali, Rameshwar Maharjan, Roop Kamal Chhetri, and Raman Maharjan.
“I believe it’s the free spirit that always survives in the end, even though people doubt us,” says Kanika firmly and ends, “I don’t know what I’ll do next, but I’m always open to new ideas.”
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