Jai Nepal Cinema Hall at a glance

The audience can discover total change when they enter the hall. Dolby sound system, which is famous worldwide, sight lines seating system (means the one in front will not disturb the one behind), and Zenon technical projection systems (for brightness in the screen) are some changes.

By Perina Pathak

The history of the Jai Nepal Cinema Hall (popularly known as Jaya Nepal Hall) dates back to about five decades, when it was popularly known as crocodile house and in later years, as per the demand of the general people, the house was renovated and was named Jay Nepal Chitra Ghar.

Built in 1952, the Jay Nepal Chitra Ghar earned much fame during the 50s, 60s and 70s, when there were only two to three cinema halls within the Kathmandu valley. And now after its latest renovation giving a pleasant look – both outside and inside – the crocodile house has been erected up with new infrastructure and modern gadgets as per demand of modernization. This is the second renovation after which the Jai Nepal Chitra Ghar has been named as Jai Nepal Cinema hall.

Thanks to the hall owners, who came up with new idea to renovate the once popular cinema hall with new design and equipment.

It was a year back when the idea of renovation clicked Dhungana’s mind, while he was passing through the hall. After detail talks with Nirmal Pradhan, who was handling the hall, Dhungana along with Nakim Uddin, Rajesh Siddhi and Nirmal Pradhan started the official and construction work.

Dhungana who was interested in filmmaking had started the Jai Nepal Cinema hall as a company with an aim to fulfil the demand of the modern audience with modern equipment. After the construction work of a year and more, the internal part of the hall has been totally changed. From floor levelling to bathroom, sound system, chairs and AC all have been installed with new design and items.

The audience can discover total change when they enter the hall. Dolby sound system, which is famous worlwide for sound system, sight lines seating system (means the one in front will not disturb the one behind), Zenon technical projection systems (for the brightness in screen) are some changes.

"For the audience service we have provided advanced booking and Internet booking system," said Dhungana. The hall has been divided into three parts – front, rear and balcony; whereas the front and rear parts are in ground floor and balcony is in the upper. And the capacity of the hall is 477 seats among which 150 are in balcony only. The show time is 11.30 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 5.30 p.m. The fees of each seat of front, rear and balcony are Rs. 100, Rs. 135 and Rs. 170 respectively.

When asked about what the hall serve Dhungana said, "The hall mainly aims those film enthusiast who wants better watch good movie in better place and in good environment." So, every thing has been made in such a way so that people from higher to lower class can enjoy it equally, he adds.

Mainly what type of movies will be shown? "Good and quality English, Nepali and Hindi movies with quality sound and picture will be displayed," said Dhungana.

The oldest cinema hall where late King Mahendra and Birendra have also come to watch movie along with other royal family member was not so popular during the later years. Remembering the days when late majesties have booked and hall and watched movies many time Ashok Rana, owner of the cinema hall said, "When the hall used to play popular movies their majesties used to come here."

And Even politicians like late B.P. Koirala and Surya Bahadur Thapa, Marich Man Singh also came her to watch movies.

In the very beginning the Jay Nepal Chitraghar was owned by three-brother Komal, Gandharba and Pashupat Shemsher and their son Yashaswi, Ashok and Taj Rana own the Cinema hall.

In 1972 the old crocodile house which was changed to Jay Nepal Chitra Ghar was first renovated by increasing the seat capacity from 525 seats to 800 seats. In this first renovation the old crocodile house was destroyed and was totally changed.

The hall first started its service by showing religious Hindi movie ‘Ganesh Mahima.’ "In those days people rarely used to come to watch in cinema halls," remembers Ashok Rana, "People at that time haven’t developed the habit and concept of going to cinema halls."

According to Rana, only from 1961-1980 (during Panchayat regime) the hall ran so well and Hindi blockbusters like Anar Kali, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje and Nepali blockbusters like Sindoor, Kusume Rumal were shown for long periods.

Even some of the Hollywood blockbusters of that time like ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Tree’, ‘River of no Return,’ ‘Samson the Mighty’, ‘Hercules,’ were also shown in the hall.

But during the 70s, halls were constructed, movies were easily available in CDs and cassettes, which gradually motivated the audience from going to cinema halls. "Again now the people have changed themselves and have started searching for new places to amuse themselves," said Rana.

The newly constructed Jai Nepal Cinema has started its service from last Friday by showing the hit Hollywood cinema ‘Spiderman.’ And the next change will be ‘Star Wars II.’

Ozone layer & depletion

The CFCs are so stable that only exposure to strong UV radiation breaks them down. When that happens, the CFC molecule releases atomic chlorine. One chlorine atom can destroy over 1,00,000 ozone molecules. The net effect is to destroy ozone faster than it is naturally created.

By Manisha Bhattarai

The Earth’s atmosphere is divided into several layers. The lowest region, the troposphere, extends from the Earth’s surface up to about 10 kilometers (km) in altitude. Virtually all-human activities occur in the troposphere. Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain on the planet, is only about 9 km high. The next layer, the stratosphere, continues from 10 km to about 50 km. Most commercial airline traffic occurs in the lower part of the stratosphere.

Most atmospheric ozone is concentrated in a layer in the stratosphere, about 15-30 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. Ozone is a molecule containing three oxygen atoms. It is blue in color and has a strong odor. Normal oxygen, which we breathe, has two oxygen atoms and is colorless and odorless. Ozone is much less common than normal oxygen. Out of each 10 million air molecules, about 2 million are normal oxygen, but only 3 are ozone. However, even the small amount of ozone plays a key role in the atmosphere. The ozone layer absorbs a portion of the radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching the planet’s surface. Most importantly, it absorbs the portion of ultraviolet light called UVB. At any given time, ozone molecules are constantly formed and destroyed in the stratosphere. The total amount, however, remains relatively stable. The concentration of the ozone layer can be thought of as a stream’s depth at a particular location. Although water is constantly flowing in and out, the depth remains constant. While ozone concentrations vary naturally with sunspots, the seasons, and latitude, these processes are well understood and predictable. Scientists have established records spanning several decades that detail normal ozone levels during these natural cycles. Each natural reduction in ozone levels has been followed by a recovery. Recently, however, convincing scientific evidence has shown that the ozone shield is being depleted well beyond changes due to natural processes.

For over fifty years, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were thought of as miracle substances. They are stable, nonflammable, low in toxicity, and inexpensive to produce. Over time, CFCs found uses as refrigerants, solvents, foam blowing agents, and in other smaller applications. All of these compounds have atmospheric lifetimes long enough to allow them to be transported by winds into the stratosphere. Because they release chlorine or bromine when they break down, they damage the protective ozone layer. The discussion of the ozone depletion process below focuses on CFCs, but the basic concepts apply to all of the ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

In the early 1970s, researchers began to investigate the effects of various chemicals on the ozone layer, particularly CFCs, which contain chlorine. They also examined the potential impacts of other chlorine sources. Chlorine from swimming pools, industrial plants, sea salt, and volcanoes does not reach the stratosphere. Chlorine compounds from these sources readily combine with water and repeated measurements show that they rain out of the troposphere very quickly. In contrast, CFCs are very stable and do not dissolve in rain. Thus, there are no natural processes that remove the CFCs from the lower atmosphere. Over time, winds drive the CFCs into the stratosphere. The CFCs are so stable that only exposure to strong UV radiation breaks them down. When that happens, the CFC molecule releases atomic chlorine. One chlorine atom can destroy over 100,000 ozone molecules.

One example of ozone depletion is the annual ozone "hole" over Antarctica that has occurred during the Antarctic Spring since the early 1980s. Rather than being a literal hole through the layer, the ozone hole is a large area of the stratosphere with extremely low amounts of ozone. Ozone levels fall by over 60% during the worst years.

In addition, research has shown that ozone depletion occurs over the latitudes that include North America, Europe, Asia, and much of Africa, Australia, and South America. Thus, ozone depletion is a global issue and not just a problem at the South Pole.

It is always important to limit exposure to the sun. However, ozone depletion will increase the amount of UVB, which will then increase the risk of health effects. Furthermore, UVB harms some crops, plastics and other materials, and certain types of marine life too.A 1% decrease in total column ozone causes the amount of transmitted UV radiation, in the spectral region that damages deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), to increase by about 2%. Although good ozone only represents a tiny fraction of the atmosphere, it is crucial for life on Earth.

Heritage tour
Akash Bhairav Temple

By Razen Manandhar

The residents of Kathmandu Valley love to live close to their adored gods’ dwellings. One among such temples in the core area of the capital is of Akash Bhairav, the god of sky, which is situated at the densly populated Indrachawk or Wanghaa, few minutes walk from the core bazaar of Ason.

It has a unique architecture : The structure of the temple stands somewhere between a house and a temple. The ground floor is left as open space (for stray bulls some decades ago and now for shops) and the deitey is placed on the first floor. The second floor is left for organsing special feasts. The attic roof has more aesthetic value than utilisation. The golden windows and a pair of lions on its first floor are the speciality of this temple.

The giant terra-cotta urn with a mask of three-eyed Bhairav, the wrathful aspect of Lord Shiva, is the prime deity. He is heavily decorated with silver crown, neckless and earrings. And his head stands on ancient-looking wooden pedestal, flanked by two small deities.. According to a legend, the face belonged to the Kirati king Yalambar, said to be a third century AD king. Once he traveled by air to watch the Mahabharata war but when Krishna found that he was going to help the Kauravas, he beheaded the king with his disc and the head fell on the gound where the temple stand today.

The local people adore the Bhairav as the "Aju-Dyo" (literally a grandfather-god). Honouring aged people as gods has been a tradtion of the Newars. According to cultural expert Baladev Juju, the Newar philosophy makes old people equivalent to gods. "Most of the gods and goddesses in the valley are in fact reminder of our forefathers," says Juju.

The date of origin of the temple is not known. The oldest evidence of 1548 AD, ever found there, suggests that a temple was there as early as 1124 years ago. The temple was renovated in 1901, 1929, 1939 and finally after 1934 earthquake.

Such historic and cultural heritage remained more or less dilapidated for many years. The guthi members as well as the locals did show concern to save the temple from further detorioration but lack of budget hindered from conserving their legacy, their pride.

A guthi with 57 members, consisting of local Newar farmers, has been the owner of the temple and also the bears the responsibility of security and conservation of the temple. They observe daily and occasional rituals to the deity. The Bhairav has been is also their Digu-Dyo (family clan) and the need to follow the rituals of Gathamnugal at their homes.

The extravagant pooja during the festival of Indirajatra is remarkable. During the week, a pipe is attatched to the Bhairav’s mouth and home made rice liquor is dripped out to the thronging outside. Similarly special rituals with animal sacrifices are held also on Balachaturdashi, Shivaratri, Ramnawami and Phagu Purnima. "Chatamari", a type of rice-bread is distributed among the pilgrims on Baishakh Poornima. For all the ritual, the guthi has only expenses it get from the shops it has rented in the temple-hosue.

An Akash Bhairav Temple Conservation Committee has been set to renovate the temple that has received an unexpectedly wide participation form the locals. Apart form the government’s and KMC’s donation People has contributed as much as Rs 300,000. A sum of over Rs 12 million has been so far collected only from the local level. They have estimated a budget of around two million for completion of the project and expected to complete it before the coming Indrajatra.

Unfortunately, the Department of Archaeology, the goernment body to conerve all the ancient monuments of the coutry, has participated in the ambitious programme only to approve the design.

The ancient temple of Akas Bhairav, was in a dilapidated condition for many years, is now on the way to make a history of conservation, thanks mainly to the locals. They believe the new construction work will bring back the temple in its original shape, as it looked like in the pre-1934 photographs. It will also add the balcony, which was discarded during the renovation 60 years ago by the Ranas. Plus, instead of the wall-paintings of Astamatrikas, the eight Mother deities inside the holy chamber, they have decided to install relief figures of the respective goddesses.

Designer of the conservation of the temple Hari Prasad Shrestha said that the temple of Akash Bhairav is going to set an example that the Nepalis are still capable of conservinng ancient monument without financial or technical assistance form foreigners. Bidhya said, "Let this be an example and the people follow the model of collecting donations for the sace of conservation of cultural heritage. I’ sure, we can do quite a lot."

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