No Winter holidays — Spectate Lonesomeness with old age

No Winter Holidays, a cinematic documentary by Sunir Pandey and Rajan Kathet, is indeed a chilling experience, even in the summer. And as for winter, the howling wind, music and heavy snowfalls will defy any warmth blankets could provide. Yet, the story feels unsettling with long silence, and the characters grip the mind and eyes of the audience.

Dhorpatan/ No Winter Holidays was screened for 4 weeks in CDC, Sundhara with the beginning of 2024. This documentary with list of praiseworthy awards is now again up for screening, but now in upcoming Nepal International Film festival (NIFF) 2024 within the catagory of ‘short and feature-length documentaries from Nepal’.

Making of No Winter Holidays

Scrolling through the early videos of Herne Katha, Sunir Pandey says he could not move past the second episode. It was about the Chaukidarni (gatekeeper) of Dhorpatan, and the sense of calling was irresistible according to him. Carrying the story after with his co-director, Rajan Kathet, they set a journey to find the gatekeepers of the village of Dhorpatan. And hence, they stand proud that a story everyone loves today is a part of that dedication.

Ratima aama sings very well. Her voice has attracted a lot of cameras, and it was a good thing for us. She was already comfortable and natural. Currently, we have finished its screening that lasted for 4 weeks in January. We did it in hopes to help in establishing the culture of bringing people together who love such works.”

Sunir Pandey

A team of three first scouted the village and the co-wives during the first 10 days in 2019. Then their filming schedule spanned from between May and October of 2019, with the main shoot at the end of December. Sharing meals and laughter, enjoying the shivering cold of Dhorpatan, a special bond formed in those time between the casts and filmmakers. Sunir Pandey further expresses his wishes to just visit them every now and then and be able to ask how they are doing.  

What does the Documentary- No Winter Holidays have for you?

While the movies today includes a lot of youthful story, it is rare to visualize a life of old age as a story itself in screen world. The documentary brings attention to such details of life after the fun and struggle of youth, a life of old-age, loneliness, and self dependency in such age.

While even the staffs in the movie hall wished to experience the ‘No Winter Holiday’ in one sitting, the first time viewers remained in disbelief and wishpered, “Is it really not staged?”. This skepticism itself proved to be a great cinematography in No Winter Holidays by Babin Dulal. From the beginning the co-wives in their 70s continued to show their winter immersing themselves in their everyday task. It also included their loneliness in the vast empty land left by the villagers to escape the cold of winter.

Prior to this journey of 70+ days, the makers had envisioned a story of old women from a faraway land. Yet with an open mind, they plucked out the essence of ‘No Winter Holidays’ by the end. It showed widowed co-wives with nothing in common, working, bickering and cursing each other in the harsh winter of Dhorpatan. We see them find their own ways to cope with loneliness, with no companion but each other throughout the winter while keeping themselves warm and safe.  

While the story of Herne Katha gives the impression of Chaukedarni (Gatekeeper), the documentary gives something more. The wide shots gave viewers a sense of being in Dhorpatan, and then goes on to display the resilience of the characters. It showed their indifference to the chores that we think women need a man for. 

A take on No Winter Holidays (Dhorpatan)

The relationship among the co-wives mirrors the dynamic of Tom and Jerry, marked by occasional bitterness but underpinned by care and worry for each other. Ratima, the woman who sings the tales, finds solace in herself, and Kalima, who loves talking, especially when it comes to sharing her dream, and showers love for her animals. They argue a lot, and yet, share meal and take care of the sick ones, reflecting the care they had within.

Two grandmas as the main characters, whose thoughts are within them, kept us wondering, and the makers did not hesitate to keep that till the end. The long silence as the wind howls throughout the empty village makes them best friends of solitude, where their thoughts were something the camera too could not find at some point. While they do their job of gatekeeping the village and taking care of themselves, the background music emphasizes the loneliness and gives chills of the Dhorpatan’s winter throughout the 79 minutes of it.

As the characters bear their souls to the camera, we get a peak into their bitter memories from the past that we can only imagine. It also captures the desperate phone calls to the children far away as they wait for the phone to ring in-between their everyday struggles with snow, and conflicts, making us invisible spectator for their days of winter.

No winter Holiday showcases their relation as co-wives, job as gatekeeper of an empty village, and the beauty of Dhorpatan. But they are just the surficial facts we could pick out. The 79 minutes of laugh, temper, and loneliness showcases the psychology of two women who have seen enough of the world that is constantly changing while they dwell on their memories and the land of Dhorpatan that took away their youth.