KATHMANDU — Inside the sunlit corridors of Ullens School Kathmandu, rows of artwork now cover walls that were once marked by soot and damage. Students of all ages walk quietly through the gallery, stopping to look at photographs, read personal essays, and view colorful paintings. The exhibition, titled Kharani Mathi ko Ujyalo (“Light Above the Ashes”), marks one year since a painful chapter in the school’s history. Throughout the space, one message comes through clearly: physical structures can be damaged, but the spirit of resilience inside a community cannot be destroyed.
The memory behind the exhibition goes back to September 9, 2025, a date the school solemnly remembers as “A Dark Day.” Following tragic urban unrest on September 8, students were attending classes online from home when news broke that their school facilities had been vandalized and damaged by fire. Sitting behind computer screens miles away, students and teachers watched in disbelief as reports confirmed severe harm to their classrooms, libraries, and buses. It was a moment of profound shock and displacement for the entire educational community.
Rather than trying to forget that difficult day, students and teachers across both campuses in Bansbari, Kathmandu, and Khumaltar, Lalitpur, chose to process the experience through creative expression. The exhibition directly confronts the loss while focusing heavily on recovery. High-contrast, black-and-white photographs capturing the immediate aftermath of the fire sit beside bright, multi-colored canvases painted by younger students. Written pieces line the walls, detailing how teachers kept lessons moving forward in virtual spaces while community members gathered to help clean debris and begin the physical rebuilding process.
Poetry and personal essays hung along the corridors focus on the concept of Ujyalo, or the light that follows darkness. Primary school children paused during their gallery walks to read peer-written essays about peace and unity, while older students reflected on timelines documenting the step-by-step restoration of their classrooms. Every piece on display traces a deliberate path from grief and uncertainty toward endurance, healing, and hope.
Ultimately, the showcase serves as both a historical record and a powerful statement about recovery. By walking these restored halls together, students and teachers see their school not as a place defined by past destruction, but as living proof of what unity can achieve. The physical campus has been rebuilt, but the true strength of Ullens School remains anchored in the unshakeable resilience of its people.
Photo Gallery
To view the full photo album capturing the artwork, student reflections, and moments from the “A Dark Day” commemoration exhibition, please click here to explore the photo gallery.
