Memory has a peculiar way of crystallizing certain moments, preserving them in perfect clarity while others fade like old photographs. That February evening in 2025 stands out in my mind with the kind of sharpness that only truly meaningful experiences retain. The New Zealand air embraced us like a merino shawl – weightless yet warm, defying the characteristic sting of late summer evenings.

From the terrace of Upper Hutt’s Cosmopolitan Club, laughter and music drifted upward to meet the slowly darkening sky. Children darted between groups of adults, their movements as free as the cool breeze that carried the mingled aromas of various cuisines and the promising whispers of cross-cultural connection.

At the heart of it all stood Dr. Ramil Adhikary, a physician who had traded his stethoscope for the conductor’s baton of cultural diplomacy that evening. As President of the Nepal Culture and Tourism Promotion Forum, he moved through the crowd with the same precise care he might use in examining a patient, but tonight he was writing prescriptions of a different kind – ones that would lessen the distances between communities and countries.

A simple cultural evening in Upper Hutt transformed into a feat of human connections when Dr. Ramil Adhikary brought together diverse communities for a celebration of Nepali culture and international friendship. Against the backdrop of New Zealand’s summer evening, stories and cultures unfolded through dance, music, shared memories and exchange of contact details, with the Bhattarai sisters’ performance and a jazz trio creating an unforgettable soundtrack.
Mayor Wayne Guppy was, as usual, spreading his warmth and empathy as he has always been doing all this 20 years of his tenure as the city’s mayor -and going for more. The presence of Alexander E. Hillary bridged past and present, while community builder Kamal Prasad Shrestha’s decades of work in fostering connections came full circle.
Young Ansh’s piggy bank story and Prableen Adhikari’s bilingual navigation of cultures represented the promising future of cross-cultural understanding. The evening proved that when different cultures come together in celebration, they create something greater than the sum of their parts.

The jazz trio had set up in one corner – Lockie Bennett, Elijah Mulheron, and Oscar Gravie. Their music wasn’t just background; it was a foundation, a bridge between worlds. When the bassist caught my eye and winked, I swear I felt the ancient spirits of both Nepal’s mountains and New Zealand’s hills lean in to listen. Their notes would later weave seamlessly with traditional Nepali melodies, creating something entirely new yet somehow timeless.
Mayor Wayne Guppy worked the room with the easy confidence of a man who’d served his community for two decades. He carried those twenty years in office like a badge of honor, and you could see in his eyes that he was already campaigning for his next term. But there was something genuine in the way he engaged with every group, every performance, every story shared.
When Alexander E. Hillary took the floor, the room fell into a reverent hush. The grandson of Sir Edmund Hillary spoke about Nepal with such passion that you could almost see the snow-capped peaks rising behind him. His words carried the weight of legacy, of a connection between nations forged on the highest mountain in the world.
But it was the smaller moments that truly captured the magic of the evening. Young Ansh Adhikary, Dr. Adhikary’s six-year-old son, had recently become something of a local legend. The story of how he’d emptied his precious piggy bank to buy essentials for families in need circulated through the crowd, a reminder that compassion knows no age limit.
The Bhattarai sisters, Sampada and Sambridhi, transformed the space with their dance performance. Their movements told stories of distant mountains and ancient traditions, while their father Laxman’s voice carried tales of Nepal through the evening air. Each gesture was a letter in an alphabet of grace, spelling out messages of heritage and hope.
Watching it all was Kamal Prasad Shrestha, a living testament to the power of community building. Since arriving in 1997, he had woven together countless threads of culture and connection, creating a tapestry of belonging. His friendship with Sir Edmund Hillary and June Mulgrew had added yet another layer to the rich history being celebrated that night.
As the evening progressed, we witnessed something extraordinary: Luo Community performers shared the stage with Chinese artists, their movements blending with Indian classical dance. Jazz riffs twisted around traditional Nepali melodies. Young Prableen Adhikari moved effortlessly between English and Nepali, embodying the future these cultural bridges were building toward.
The night eventually wound down, as all nights must. Dr. Adhikary delivered his closing remarks, thanking everyone from Members of Parliament to community leaders. The jazz band packed away their instruments, and the last dancers caught their breath. But something remained in the air – a sense that we had all been part of something larger than ourselves.

The Jazz Band in action

Now, in quiet moments, I often find myself returning to that evening. To the taste of possibility in the air, to the lesson in generosity taught by a child’s piggy bank, to the way cultural boundaries dissolved like sugar in warm tea. That February night in Upper Hutt, we weren’t just celebrating diversity – we were witnessing the birth of new connections, new understandings, new possibilities.
Some might call it cultural exchange, but I know what I saw: it was magic, pure and simple. The kind that changes hearts and minds, that builds bridges between worlds, that echoes long after the last note has faded and the final bow has been taken. And in the end, isn’t that what we’re all seeking? Those moments of pure connection that remind us of our shared humanity?
Namaste, indeed.