How the lockdown turned Shanta Raj Shakya into a popular storyteller

To pass time, Shakya, 65, a retired government employee, started reading Newa folk stories and essays on his private Facebook page. Now, he has become a household name.

Shanta Raj Shakya has a way of telling stories, even histories, that makes one feel as though he is reading just for you. As though we know him, and he us. Shakya’s voice is confident and his narration expressive. Even without visuals, his recordings, made in Nepal Bhasa, draws you in.