Sarala Thapa

The radio show that enriched my life!

- Published in Wave Magazine. Talking to thousands of listeners all over the world, interviewing Rajesh Hamal and creating heated discussions… there was never a dull moment as a Yuva Vibes presenter. Then all the excitement was over. Have you ever had to stop doing something you love? Emotions fluctuated as pursuing after my degree meant to stop presenting Yuva Vibes.

For the ones who are unaware Yuva Vibes is fortnightly zoo format radio show. It is hosted by young Nepalese youths from BFBS Gurkha radio studio at Folkestone UK every Friday from 6 to 7pm(UK time).

My Yuva Vives journey commenced when the offer of starting a youth radio show came along. I was ecstatic. Always seize every opportunity that’s comes by and oh boy I did! I was over the moon. I was 16, had just finished school and had nothing better to do. Therefore starting a youth show (never done on BFBS) with eight other fresher’s was just my cup of tea. It was exciting but we were all very clueless.

If I recall the first episode of Yuva Vibes on 1st June 2010 I was very anxious. I even had a script of exactly what I wanted to say on air. On finishing the show, the sense of relief had turned into a nervous anticipation as we all waited for the verdict from the listeners. The vive was electric but with every good there is bad so how can I forget the black and white criticism we received.

Rajesh Hamal on Yuva Vibes - BFBS

We all seem to love to tear things apart, rip them to shreds or any other analogies you want to throw into the mix. Well that’s what it felt like when letters faultfinding about our appalling knowledge of ‘Nepali language’ came through. What the haters didn’t understand was nothing is amazing the first time around.

The negative comments shook our confidence but as a team we were determined not to quit because of some moaners. Instead we wanted to embrace the lovely opportunity and fight back. Not literally punching and kicking. By not letting the negatives get to you and in contrast focusing on the positive aura. I was able to celebrate two years of presenting Yuva Vibes.

In the fabulous two years I grew and learnt as a presenter and met some fantastic people along the way. Interviewing the legend Rajesh Hamal has to be the highlight. I was a nervous wreck on the day of the interview but the genuineness of the great actor came as a pleasant surprise. For someone who is so influential and a massive household icon he was so down to earth.

The show required me to be very creative and work as a part of a team presenting information and entertainment in an attractive way. Our weekly guests from the likes of LexLimbu, Rapoholic, Kranti Ale, Sagar Moktan gave Yuva Vibes an exciting flavour to tune into every week. Through Yuva Vibes I was able to explore different issues concerning the Nepalese youths here in the UK.

Sometimes the topics were challenging. Talking about now all too common drug use, racism, unemployment and niggling crime by Nepalese youth was never light. However by bringing together views from the distinctive age range of listeners the results were always enlightening. I remember one show specifically when a listener called in and started questioning my guest DJ Raju about his “jaat” (really we are still concerning about jaat?) the conservative thinking shocked me.

The effects of Yuva Vibes begin to show: comments started popping up on social media and listeners started to get involved. For me personally people started labeling me as the “BFBS girl”, which was always interesting.

As an army kid I grew up listening to BFBS and to able to present on the station was a dream come true. I always wanted to be one of the sweet talking aunties I remember speaking on the station back in Brunei. Their job seemed so easy to me. It was waffle and having a conversation, which we all love and do naturally but on air. That’s how radio turned into my fascination.

Unfortunately everything comes to an end and I became an ex presenter. If I cast my mind back to the time I didn’t want to leave at all. For me Yuva vibes was more than just an hour-long radio show on the oldies favorite BFBS. It was the love of my life, call me bunkers but there was a bond between Yuva Vibes and myself. I used to feel the bubbling excitement at the thought of going live on the radio. I loved speaking on air every week. I am thrilled and excited when using a microphone.

Yuva Vibes will remain as a preliminary involvement for me. I left with a success story and I believe that with experience comes confidence. I still carry an enormous sense of pride to have been part of BFBS history.

Laxcha Bantawa on Yuva Vibes - BFBS

With his dynamite new tune and over 90 thousand views in just three days, this rising star’s gone stratospheric.

James Shrestha glides into our attention once again with his new single 'Falling For You'. The sexy versatile Nephop heartthrob is very hot right now. He is here to talk up his new song that has probably been surfacing your Facebook news feed like an unavoidable winter cold, girls, Nepal and struggle.

The response for his new single has been phenomenal. 'I am doing what I love and still learning as I grow' he laughs. Of that, there is no doubt. The 20-year-old singer/writer/rapper first came into the UK Nephop limelight with the band named ‘Nephop UK’ but James took time out from his band to recharge by himself. He wanted to show the world, what he was capable of and he focused on establishing his voice, upgrading his lyrics, and building a stronger tone in order to come correct to his audience. Now, he is one of the few Nepalese artists who are known to rap, sing and write their own singles.

James swiftly found singly success with his first single ‘Timi Nai Timi’ then his collaboration track with GXSOUL 'Yo Timiley Garda Ho'. As for his personal highlight winning the recognition of NEPOP Challenge 2012 for the solo version of the song 'Yo Timiley Garda Ho' ranks head and shoulders above everything. Since the viral release of his second single from his debut album 'One Day You’ll Understand' life has taken a different turn for James, who always dreamt of solo success.

2nd single 'Yo Timiley Garda Ho'

He says 'it's the audience that gave me my hit' He has over 13 k fan following and counting he exclaims, 'There are strangers who need to be won over'. James has a musical talent, charismatic, exuberant stage persona that can easily please.

His music is unforced and natural .His catchy lyrics never go unheard and his fiercely cute sexy look has not gone unnoticed either. He is adored by an overwhelming number of female fans, scattered across the globe. One girl confessed to dreaming about him every night and flew half way across the world to meet James, he still finds the whole thing a bit too crazy.

Still shot from music video of 'Falling for you'

The UK based artist came to the UK when he was ten and currently lives in Derby. James was raised by two supportive parents. He has an elder brother who plays a special role in motivating him to create the best, by criticising his demos. My brother commenting 'its crap' makes James stay up all night sipping sugarcoated coffee to create a fresh taste of melodies for his listeners.

He's not only a born performer, he's a careful one, who bought his first Eminem album in 2006, inspired by his music James started writing his own rap and singing. Now music has become a fundamental part of his life. James is enjoying his success but he remembers to stay humble because he can vividly recall the sleepless struggle he made for his music to be heard, prior to his sucess. 'The hard part of being in the music business is trying to find a way to stand out' confesses James.

The rising star is perusing is burning ambition. He will be flying back to Nepal in 2014 and is planning to tour around the country. He is not wasting any time and is busy preparing his exciting tour to homeland.

1st single 'Timi Nai Timi'

Connect with James: Facebook / YouTube

She is every girl's love affair. She is the best friend every girl wants. Look up 'over achiever' and chances are this pretty lady will pop up. With business brains, styling smarts and magical make up skills, Chhimmi Dolkhar Gurung is on the money. She is a self-taught freelance makeup artist and stylist currently based in the UK.

She is the make-up maestro behind the attractive faces we see in Nepalese events such as Miss UK Nepal and high-end fashion events in London. Through her YouTube channel and social media she teaches her followers how to hide their flaws and get rid of their insecurities. When questioned if she would return to live out in Nepal she says, 'I would definitely go back to Nepal' as she visions herself growing old in Nepal. 'I lived in Nepal for half of my life so far and I was born there so it would only feel right to go back there' she explains.The idea of creating something from the thought process and inspiring others is what motivates Chhimmi. The blogger discovered make up in her early teens and used to practice the techniques published in glossy fashion and beauty magazines. 'It was never to impress boys or to look better than the next girl- I just really enjoyed re-inventing myself,' clarifies Chhimmi who has continued trying different makeup looks everyday, even now.

When asked can you wear too much make up? She disagrees headstrong and says 'A person in full drag makeup is just as beautiful as someone wearing nothing but a slick of mascara'. Chhimmii is in love with her work and her parents who were initially doubtful have also come round to appreciate her creativity 'My dad was a little bit unsure at first but now he checks out my Facebook page and like all my updates'. How sweet is that. Bless! It’s been an especially fabulous year for the 24-year-old Fashion Promotion and Imaging student, what with her second year of Uni completed with countless lists of involvement with extravagant fashion shows and photo shoots. And now she is just waiting to start her fashion internship with a well known heritage shoe brand in London called Underground for which she exclaims she is 'Very excited' about and rightly so. Her plate seems full of make up and fashion and this lady wants to continue her enthusiasm and hopes to intertwine the two together to make a living from it.

Get the Rita Ora look with Chhimmi!

Follow Chhimmis blog for all the must-know beauty and fashion tips!

Sarita talks fame, fashion and travelling and find out what it's like to be an interactive blogger in her spare time…

Sarita Chamling who describes herself as optimistic and approachable, is one of that rare breed who manage to be effortlessly stylish. There is no doubting that she is a fashionista, she is also a qualified human resource administrator and a chocoholic who likes to raid chocolates but don’t we all?

Sarita is very passionate about fashion & beauty and she wanted to put that passion across to people. Fashionbeautybug is a place to chronicle and share her personal style, beauty tips, fashion obsessions and travel adventures.

If you follow her blog @ fashionbeautybug, you'll know a few things: she's crazy-beautiful, her handbag collection is amaze, she is a bookworm but something we didn't know about this beauty was she is bit of a sports girl, who plays basketball.

Last September, Sarita was busy showcasing her style, celeb spotting and checking out new trends as she represented Nepali press for the very first time in London Fashion week 2012. She reminiscences the proud memory 'I felt very lucky and grateful to represent my country Nepal. The person who handed my exhibition ticket told me that, they never had any press from Nepal before'. She has kept both her fashion show invitation card and exhibition tickets as a souvenir and to remind her of the amazing opportunity fashion blogging from her cosy bedroom lead to.

Presently, she is breathing and living German air. To break away from her busy life in the UK, she made her move to Germany early this year and is currently taking time to adapt into the new country, she tweeted 'Been meeting new people every day and liking it'.

Sarita first found fashion through the fashionable characters she admired of a comic 'Archie'. As a fashion blogger of Fashionbeautybug, she is known as much for her outfits as her fashion posts but, despite her wardrobe popularity, she takes a refreshingly laid back approach to her fashion style.

In the Fashionbeautybug world, it is all about being ahead of trends and bagging items that will stand the test of time. For Sarita, Fashion is an art and a powerful approach to portray and express herself. Her uniform compromises floral midi dresses, powerful colours and heeled sandals. Feeling comfortable and beautiful with what you wear is the fashion motto Sarita focuses on.

Attention from the Nepalese community and fashion followers is something she is still not quite used to, however she says, 'I feel humble and grateful when people come up to me and talk about what I do. I always thank them for taking time to read my blog from their busy life'. Receiving feedbacks and suggestions from people gives her the strength and the motivation to blog more.

For now, Sarita is busy writing fashion features for Texasnepal.com and discovering Germany. She is also set to make a career in her two main interests of Human Resources and fashion.