Archana Thapa Uprety
ATSA Fellow 2014. Writer and Founder Chairperson of Akshar Creations
In 2014, I won the ‘Art Think South Asia’ (ATSA) scholarship and was sent to London to meet writers and groups working in various publishing houses. I was working as a writer and publisher for Akshar Creations when I was offered this opportunity. Since this scholarship was supported by British Council Nepal, I will always be grateful. In London, I was introduced to many groups conducting literary works, and it was amazing to see how these groups and publishing houses function on such limited budgets.
Whenever I talk about the British Council, I think of the British Library. I used to go there about 30 years ago when I was studying at Tribhuvan University. At the time there weren’t many libraries in Kathmandu. In fact, there were only three, of which the British Council was the best one. Sadly the British Library no longer exists. I wish we still had a place like that to go to in our free time; to sit in a quiet corner and read books.
Congratulations to the British Council for completing 60 years of establishment in Kathmandu and I am sure it will continue for a long time to come.