20/02/2026
We are delighted to announce the release of Mukti’s Marvel, a collaboratively created graphic novel developed through 3 years long engagement with Tahnani Dapha Khalah, a traditional music institute, in Kirtipur, Nepal. The story explores the multidimensional relationships between music, heritage, and place—co‑imagined with 25 secondary‑school students who helped shape its narrative and future visions. We have deliberately used this creative style as a tool for gender-inclusive heritage activism-- women are situated as major characters throughout the novel; originally which is rare to observe.
Grateful to all collaborators—Heritage as Placemaking, Tahnani Dapha Khalah, Dapha Dhuku, Folk Lok, Satori Center for the Arts, Let’s Play, Shree Bishwo Rastriya Secondary School, and Hilltown International School—for bringing this vision to life. Check out this coloring-book version in the repository of University Library of Heidelberg, and feel free to download them for your loved ones-- while we continue our work on the final colored version of it.
👇 You can explore the project and access the graphic novel here:
In the historic town of Kirtipur, the annual processional masked dance known as Devi Pyakha unfolds. But hidden within this tradition lies a long-lost folktale—a tale of Kutiya Buri, an antagonist trapped in her own narrative. She was once notorious for stealing beauty from animals and humans alik...
