Running Header: Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Milan Rai- The Butterfly Effect

Sandesh Shakya

BUS 500 Organizational Leadership

Westcliff University

Presidential Business School

Mentor: Bhanu Dabadi

5th October, 2018

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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Abstract

In this assignment, we will discuss about a Nepalese contemporary visual artist Milan Rai

and his works, his leadership skill, and present action context. Milan Rai is also known as the

butterfly man, an artist inspired by a butterfly and relating the art with the present social and

environmental context. We will also discuss his behavior related to the leadership and

comparing with the practices of the exemplary leadership. We will also evaluate to what

extent the leader has credibility and areas to improve.

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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Introduction

Milan Rai is a self-taught Nepalese contemporary visual artist born in 1984. He began with

artistic carrier with an exhibition at Patna University’s College of Arts and Craft where he

received his award for his oil painting entitled “Light”.

Rai’s early works consisted of figurative, landscape and portraits. He continued his practice

by working on abstract expressionism reflecting spontaneous self-expression. He kept

experimenting with various mediums, spaces and audiences to increase the interaction

between the general public and art, moving beyond the gallery with the belief that art should

be for everyone. He collaborated with various artists, poets and musicians to produce

performances.

 Rai is also a firm believer that an artist should engage society in such a way that it can

inspire it to become an agent for social change. His work aims to establish an exchange

between people drawing attention toward social issues and challenges of transformation.

Beside this ongoing project he is working on other ambitious projects too. [ CITATION mil \l

2057 ]
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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Inspiration

The 28 years old artist was first struck by transformative powers of Butterflies while he was

working on a project called “Katha Bagaichako”. “One fluttered and settled on my paint

brush and I was transported to a more magical place filled with hope and positivity,” explains

Rai.

[ CITATION www13 \l 2057 ]

He started out by making butterfly outlines on a white recycled paper from printing press

around the valley. He planted his creation of paper butterflies around the trees, lamp post, and

old worn out houses of Kathmandu. Sooner the people began to notice the sight of butterflies

all around the city. When he revisited the places, the paper butterflies were vanished, instead

of being angry, he made more of them.

Firstly, he made paper butterflies with the stack of A4 paper with small budget but soon he

was out of money and had to drop his idea. Rai had almost given up until a unanimous

funding from California he continued his vision of creating the butterflies.

The vision behind making the paper butterflies is his message to the people giving empathy

to the broken family members, supporting sustainable development and making people aware

about the alternative ways of doing things.

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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Inspire a shared vision

Milan’s vision is simple. He doesn’t want to limit the art within the walls. He has carried

some inspiring message towards the society.  “What truly inspires me is the unfathomable

depth of creative resurrection and metamorphosis that human beings are capable of...My

handmade cutouts of white butterflies remind people of the essentially simple things in life

that we tend to forget." says Milan.[ CITATION Pav18 \l 2057 ]

He decided not to limit his work inside the galleries but also around the world where

everybody can reach towards his messages. He makes his studio wherever he goes.

His arts explains the present situation of Nepal. The pollution increasing day by day in

Kathmandu and other main cities are hampering the public health and brain. He wants to

make aware about the pollution created by the nation in the name of development. The

butterflies in the trees explains the messages about the environmental degradation in the city.

His signature work, the White Butterfly, has invited interaction in more than 40 different

countries across the globe.

Recently his butterflies have been found on tress along the Ring road that the government is

planning to chop down as a part of its road extension project. The butterfly meaning is not

against the development process but just an expression towards the better ways of doing

things.
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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

To Envision the Future and Enlist Others

Milan, himself being the artistic person he has some appealing to the society about the

positive changes in the nation and its environment. His mission and vision was simple, i.e.

struggle for the real issues. Besides the butterfly effect, Rai has worked on various projects

like “Green Spaces-“A love letter to the city”. The project mission was to awake people about

the air pollution and government being not success in tackling the issue. The trees were plant

on vacant lands before it’s too late. Planting more trees especially in urban areas can have a

significant impact on pollution levels, rising temperatures while simultaneously offering

other benefits, including urban green space for residents, habitat for birds and insects. Their

mission is to invite the city authorities in the process and encourage them to promote more

greeneries in the city.

The project fully engage the community participation between the youth’s groups, elderly

members, sports clubs. They come on a piece of land to share stories and promote positive

self-motivated groups for common goal.

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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Present Context

The 1st phase of the tree plantation was done without the participation of community. So they

faced difficulties in fostering the connection between public and the city agencies. New

partnership models’ has to be applied in these processes so that our work is both people- and

place centred. Usually Banks and other business houses fund these kinds of projects mainly

to use prominent locations for their advertisements. They are mainly interested in commercial

profits rather than the transformation and wellbeing of the society. If they fail to provide

future care and maintenance of these spaces, their advertisements will be removed

immediately as a penalty. This kind of public place –making contract has to be made

beforehand.

It is necessary to take into account the social dynamics and cultural specificities of the area.

We can invite local institutes like schools, organizations etc. to take this initiation. The idea

of local people taking on responsibility for their own parks and maintenance could instil a

sense of pride and attachment in the people who live and work in the surrounding area.

While the city authorities   started planting trees at various commercial points stretching from

Kupondol to Pulchowk. Most of the shopkeepers said, that the trees will grow and  

overshadow their billboards. They worried about their business being blocked but greeneries

are directly related to the promotion of the local economy plus urban forestation can lower

the stress level of city dwellers. Perhaps, we must bring change; on our current mind-set.  
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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”
As an extension of my project - I am going to hold dozens of convenient, accessible meetings

with shopkeeper’s and actively listen to them. Through these observations, I hope to find

what kinds of methods are missing and what can be improved.

To make an under-performing space into a lively place, we cannot expect to do everything

right initially .It takes vision, discipline and patience to create social change and greater

community.

Here my approach is not as a designer or an artist, but to serve as mediators between diverse

members of the community and facilitate the recognition of shared values and our common

goal to establish green spaces in denser cities.[ CITATION mil \l 2057 ]

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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

Conclusion

In the conclusion, Milan’s simple vision is to create an awakening to the people to get aware

about ongoing issues like pollution, environmental degradation, reconstruction, etc. Milan is

an unsung hero who has the ability to create changes in the society. We discussed about his

vision, project’s missions, messages in his art, etc. He definitely will be known as the real

change maker of today’s society.

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Milan Rai-“The Butterfly Effect”

References
http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-butterfly-effect,523. (2013, June
28). Retrieved from http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-
butterfly-effect,523: http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-
butterfly-effect,523

Mehta, P. (2018, June 18). www.awakin.org. Retrieved from www.awakin.org:

http://www.awakin.org/calls/369/milan-rai/blog

milan-rai.tumblr.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from milan-rai.tumblr.com: http://milan-rai.tumblr.com/BIO

www.nepalitimes.com. (2013, June 28). Retrieved from www.nepalitimes.com:

http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-butterfly-effect,523