New Gathbandhan to please audience this Gai Jatra

By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, July 15: Nepali artistes have long observed Gai Jatra as a festival for comedy and satire. 

This year, targeting this day, comedian Shiva Shankar Rijal, better known by his stage name Joginder Panwala, has brought together a  ‘coalition’ video. 

In coalition that he has labelled ‘Gathbandhan,’ he has included topics like the issues raised and promises  made during the election, inflation, people’s disillusionment with political parties, the war between Ukraine and Russia and others. 

This satire video, produced by OSR Digital and written, presented and directed by Rijal brings together comedians Daman Rupakheti, Radhika Hamal, Kamal Mainali, Ghanshyam Gautam, Prem Sharma Paudel, Suresh Timalsina, Shivram Karki and Savita Khadka. The video was released on Wednesday on OSR’s official 

YouTube channel.  Gatabandhan is Rijal’s 20th satire sketch. He has been releasing Gai Jatra aimed-comedy performances, called Gai Jatra Koseli, every year since 2004.

“We used to see many satirical Gai Jatra sketches in the past, but their number has dwindled in recent years,” Rijal said, sharing that he considered it his religion to humour on the festival. 

Rijal said that his latest Gai Jatre Koseli is a jab at contemporary issues and political distortions.