Kathmandu, March 12 -- The moment Aayush Shrestha comes up to the mic, before he's even said a single word, the audience erupts in a cheer. Watching Shrestha, one of Kathmandu's most popular stand-up comedians, on stage, I finally got to know just how he makes people laugh. Shrestha, who was master of ceremonies at Sunday's VMAG Mic Drop, a stand-up comedy show, was unfortunately among the few elements of hilarity in a show that was more often cringe-worthy.

But let's begin at the beginning. The event was supposed to start at 6.30 at M&S Building in Pulchowk, but I should've expected that things wouldn't go as expected. Waiting for the event to start was like waiting for the final season of Game of Thrones to begin. I was repeatedly told...