Meet the talented Nepalis who are bringing cheer to their people and tourists to their country

In the three months after a devastating earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015 and claimed about 8,700 lives, injured at least 22,200 and made hundreds of thousands of people homeless, Thaneswar Guragai did what he knew best: show off his quirky talents at spinning basketballs and balancing objects on various body parts.

It may sound trivial but his skills, which have earned him 13 fun Guinness World Records to date, was able to bring cheer to the Nepalis during a dark time. Many villages were destroyed, and today, many who lost their homes still live in makeshift tents.

“The children are in trauma and crying all the time, and they have nothing to do. I wanted to make them happy. I went to the tents and performed for them,” says Thaneswar, 26, who was born in the far-eastern district of Sankhuwasava and moved to the capital Kathmandu in 2006.

Recently, Thaneswar made his first trip to Hong Kong to showcase his talents for another cause: strengthening and promoting tourism in Nepal.

On the morning of Sunday July 24, in front of the Central Harbourfront Observation Wheel, Thaneswar spun a basketball on his elbow for 6.62 seconds, beating the previous Guinness World Record of 6.14 seconds set in the UK in 2012.

Then, Thaneswar set off with about 300 others on Hike for Nepal, a 13km charity hike from the Harbourfront to Repulse Bay, led by compatriot Phurba Tenzing Sherpa, a highly-regarded mountaineer who has climbed Everest 10 times.

“I’m here to spread the message, ‘We Will Rise’,” said Phurba, 27, in an interview with the Post before the hike. “I’m here to inform the world that Nepal will certainly rise up again and to tell the international community that Nepal is safe, our mountains are safe and foreigners should visit Nepal. Nepal is based on tourism; without tourists, there is no life for Nepalis.”