On a sun-drenched afternoon in Inna Tole, Kathmandu, the haunting sound of a butcher’s cleaver echoes nearby. Amid the hum of life and death in this historic Newa neighborhood—home to slaughterhouses and centuries of tradition—artist Anjila Manandhar balances on scaffolding, brush in hand, headphones snug over her ears. Music plays softly, but her focus is sharp. With every stroke of colour, she is reclaiming space—not just physical, but historical, emotional, and spiritual.
For over two weeks, Anjila has been painting a mural on a four-story building in Ward No. 19, near the banks of the Bishnumati River. It’s her first mural in Kathmandu, and her first time working on scaffolding. She travels daily from Kamal Binayak, Bhaktapur, determined and undeterred by the physical demands of the work. To her, this mural is more than an art piece—it’s a spiritual offering.
“Every day, I witness the death of many buffaloes,” she says, glancing down the alleyway where remnants of the animals are hauled off. “But I believe the spiritual essence never leaves the earth. Even when the body is gone, something lingers.” Her words echo the deeper theme of her mural—a tribute to unseen presences and unheard voices, particularly those of women.
Anjila is one of seven female artists selected for the “She is the Story” project, an initiative by Voices of Women (VOW) Media in collaboration with art collective Kaalo.101. The project’s mission is bold: to reclaim public spaces with powerful, community-rooted murals that center women’s lived experiences. These are not mere decorations on city walls. They are declarations.
Artist Pooja Duwal’s mural is located in Nagadesh, Anjila Manandhar’s in Indrabinayak, Mrigaja Bajracharya in Thecho, Blu in Sankhu, Michelle Lama in Tokha, Promina Shrestha in Panga and Saru Prajapati in Khokana.
Across the Kathmandu Valley—from Sankhu to Nagadesh, Tokha to Khokana—murals have sprung up like blossoms of resistance. Each wall tells a story, painted not by outsiders but by women who have lived the realities they depict. The murals are infused with local symbols, local struggles, and local hopes.
“These murals are not just art on walls—they are power hubs,” says Pooja Pant, Executive Director of VOW Media. “They are sites of visibility where women’s histories and futures take center stage.”
In a society where women’s stories have often been relegated to footnotes, these murals challenge norms. They make women visible in the most literal way—etched into the urban landscape. Each painting is a living document of memory, struggle, triumph, and transformation.
“She is the Story” began in 2016 as a social campaign to amplify women’s voices, breaking the mold of how stories are told—and who gets to tell them. This year’s mural initiative is its most ambitious chapter yet. For Anjila, the project has been a personal journey into discovery and healing.
“I’ve experienced things through this project that I never had before,” she says. “It’s made me look at my work, and myself, differently.”
Her mural in Inna Tole—a place steeped in old traditions, raw realities, and muted women’s voices—offers a vivid contrast. Here, in a place where life and death coexist, where history often forgets the feminine presence, Anjila paints that presence back into the frame.
Nagma Mali, program lead of VOW Media, believes the ripples are already forming. “By situating women’s stories in these community spaces, we’re shifting the public discourse. People are talking. Women feel seen. That’s the beginning of change.”
Now, as the murals near completion, VOW Media is preparing to hand them over to local governments—not as final works, but as ongoing conversations. Each mural is a promise to keep listening, keep remembering, and keep creating space for women.
“She is the Story” is more than a campaign. It’s a reclamation of narrative and identity. It insists that women are not just the backdrop of history, but its co-authors.
As Anjila descends the scaffold at dusk, the mural behind her seems to glow in the fading light—a beacon in the forgotten quarter of the city. Her work is almost done, but the story she’s telling has only just begun.
