SHRADHA PAL

KATHMANDU: Prabal Gurung — a name echoing in the Capital since the last few days (made evident in The Himalayan Times’ November 1 issue, if it ‘slipped’ your notice). Was it enough though? The throng of people at the Army Officers’ Club, Tundikhel on the evening of November 1 for In Conversation with Prabal Gurung’ was proof enough that people had heard about it and the auditorium was packed, literally to the rafters!

Everyone was seated by 4:00 pm. Teenagers were unapologetically fidgety clicking selfies, ladies were greeting one another with air kisses, groups of friends were chattering away, organisers were scurrying to make sure everything was proper ... in between they were glancing at the stage time and again for the two white lounge chairs to be occupied.

As the clock ticked to 4:45pm, people seemed restless, but just then, the lights dimmed and two words appeared on two huge screens set on the stage. People roared, applauded and screamed: “Go Prabal”. One after another Gurung’s interviews and his collections are aired. Every time Gurung took a bow at the end of his collection (on screen), the screams became deafening. The anticipation morphed into almost hysteria when Ashutosh Tiwari entered, addressed the audience and said, “Should I now call Prabal Gurung?”

“Yes,” the hall reverberated, and Gurung humbly walked in and the informal conversation began.

Who is Prabal Gurung?

Gurung is a person driven by passion and knows where he comes from. “I don’t want to forget my roots and identity,” is how he simply yet firmly put it. He always knew he wanted to become a fashion designer, but when he stated this here (years ago), he was often told: ‘That is a nice hobby, but what would you really become?’



Now the answer is not even necessary.

Gurung shared that everyone always said he was “different” and people did not understand that. There were times when he was compared to his elder brother (Prabesh) ‘Why can’t you be like him...’ his mother however never let that get to him. “She would tell me ‘you are perfect’,” expressed emotional Gurung. He took a deep breath and continued, “She had complete faith in me.”

Not an overnight success

With such strength, Gurung has always been driven, yet humble. There was a time when he was just a boy from Baneshwor, but now only his initials state statement. This, however, did not happen overnight as some may assume. “It was 14 years of hardwork,” said Gurung.

While interning the Donna Karen in the US, his job was to put water on the table for designers and cut fabrics. After work, he would attend classes at Parson’s. So, it was not about the glitz and glamour that youngsters are crazy about these days. “What you see on the screen is just 0.2 per cent of all the effort.”

Not for fame

Level headed and practical, Gurung gave insightful advice about career, especially for people in the creative field. “Be true to yourself. Everyone has an opinion, but shun the white noise. Having said that, follow your experience and intuition.”

Also chasing fame is futile. “Fame cannot be the end goal. It is the only result of hardwork. When you work passionately, you will find an audience.” This is when education plays a significant role. “Education hands you the tools, you have to define your own success.”

These are not mere words. Gurung has lived such a life, yet he did not preach.

Daily routine

Without discipline, nothing can be achieved and Gurung’s schedule speaks for it. His day beings at 5:30/6:00 am and “I make my tea.” Everyone giggled at the end of the sentence. “I do make my own tea, but little bit,” he explained, making everyone laugh.

He then checks emails, at 7:00 am goes to the gym, works out for an hour, returns home, eats breakfast, gets in a taxi, calls mum “almost every day” reaches office and the work begins. Usually from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm it’s all business related work. It’s break time thereafter and the creative work begins, which goes on till 9:00 to 10:00pm. After work he goes home and retires to bed “after 12, well I cannot give the exact time as mum will say ‘sutdaina’ (you don’t sleep enough)”.

For Nepalis

“Bhaee halcha ni (it’ll be done), we have to change this attitude and come out of it. We have to set our standards high and be on the international level,” Gurung said with conviction. And we should, truly!



Being a Nepali, Gurung is often questioned ‘What will you do for Nepal’? A relevant question for a few perhaps, but he is definitely not responsible for everyone. He worked hard and put Nepal on the map of the world’s haute couture map, his job is well done. Still he did try to contribute something from his side. “I did try getting products from here for my fourth season, but out of 300 products only five pieces qualified.” There was a second attempt, but again in vain. Yet he hasn’t given up. Perhaps someday ...

An unstoppable partnership

When The Himalayan Times joined hands with Nepal’s international fashion icon Prabal Gurung to raise funds for a noble cause ... it’s was bound to be unstoppable.

While THT took its role as media partner very seriously and featured Prabal Gurung in an exclusive interview and created ample buzz about the fund raiser in November 1 edition, here’s what Prabal Gurung tweeted on Friday morning after seeing THT.

“Thank you @thehimalayan for the incredible support. Couldn’t have asked for a better partner for an important cause”

The entire proceeds from this event organised by Shikshya Foundation Nepal, will go to CNN Hero Pushpa Basnet’s early Childhood Development Centre.

THT is grateful for being invited to partner this great initiative, where we could also make a difference in our own way. Cheers to partnerships, to the cause, to change … to being unstoppable!


http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=An+evening+with+Prabal+Gurung+&NewsID=395768