Shobha preserving traditional attire

By Amar Raj Naharki,Tanahun, Apr. 20: At a time when there is a growing trend among the younger generation to seek foreign employment, a young woman from Tanahun has set an example by commercially preserving her indigenous culture and traditional attire.

Shobha Thapa Magar, a 25-year-old from Uttarsila Tole, Vyas Municipality-2, has been successfully running a business that preserves and promotes traditional dresses and ornaments of the Magar community as well as various other ethnic groups.

With an investment of 1 million rupees, Shobha has established ‘Mundhan Cultural Dress House,’ where she has also provided employment to two people locally.Her team procures raw materials and produces traditional clothing and ornaments themselves.

“I have no intention of going abroad, rather, I plan to earn here and travel abroad only for leisure in the future,” she said. She sells a set of ornaments and clothing for around Rs.  20,000.

She shared that during the ‘National Indigenous Kauraha Conference’ held on Friday and Saturday at Jhaptar, Rishing Rural Municipality-1, she alone made sales worth more than Rs.  200,000 of Magar ornaments and attire.

Her shop offers traditional dresses from various communities including Magar, Newar, Gurung, Tamang, Dura, Chhetri, Thakuri, Darai, Bote, and Kumal. 

She said that her business generates an annual turnover of around Rs. 1.5 million, with a profit of up to Rs. 500,000.Alongside her business, Shobha has a deep passion for culture and is also skilled in performing the Kaura dance. She also rents out dresses and ornaments for video shoots.

Local representatives have also expressed happiness over her cultural business initiative. 

Chairperson of Ghiring Rural Municipality, Hom Bahadur Thapa, said that having access to all required traditional attire and ornaments in one place during events like the Kauraha Conference has greatly supported the preservation and promotion of culture. 

According to him, such business efforts not only create self-employment opportunities for youth within the country but also help protect endangered traditional attire and ornaments.