Memories to cherish 

Abhilasha Rayamajhi enjoys the best of Mumbai and Goa

 

This year, after graduation I joined my college mates on the annual tour organised by the college. I jumped at this amazing opportunity and packed my bags for the trip ahead. It was a 15- day tour through Mumbai, Delhi, Goa and Jaipur. I was quite excited to enjoy these beautiful days and create lifelong experience and memories with my friends.
The first day started off quite well, we boarded a flight from Kathmandu to Bhairahawa. I was mesmerised by the view of the mighty mountains of Nepal and the scenic view. It was a short flight and we reached Bhairahawa.
We then boarded a bus to Gorakhpur to a catch train to Mumbai.
It was the first time I was travelling in a train. I had mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness.
My first train ride was fun filled as my friends and I chatted, laughed and enjoyed watching the trees pass through the speeding train. It was a completely new experience for most of us to hear the ‘ chai chai’ , ‘ thanda pani ’, ‘ cold drinks’ and so on by hawkers who came every now and then.
After a day and a half we reached the ‘ City of Dreams, Mumbai’. Mumbai was all about entertainment and Bollywood. It was bustling and active. Some of my friends even hoped to spot their favourite Bollywood stars as we passed through their houses. The Gateway of India in Mumbai is spectacular. The design, structure and its rich history attracts tourist from all walks of life.
We visited Water Kingdom which is Asia’s largest theme water park where we splashed in the water waves, and enjoyed different rides.
The entire city was full of life and vibrancy. My favourite spot was Marine Drive. Watching the setting sun and feeling the coolness of the Arabian Sea made me forget all the stress.
Goa our next destination awaited us.
I had always visualised a relaxed atmosphere and I was happy to be greeted by just that. I love water bodies and the town offered a laid back environment where it felt like everyone was holidaying. Parasailing, banana boat and jetski are the water sports that we indulged in. Parasailing and viewing the sea when the golden rays of the sun touched the water is priceless, it felt like I was flying in the open sky like a free bird. We also visited St Fransis Xavier Church, where it is said that the body of St Xavier hadn’t disintegrated even after being buried three times in three different countries.
Dolphin spotting at Coco beach was another activity that we participated in. The best time to spot dolphins is before 9 am and since we were late we did not see the dolphins properly. However, we enjoyed the boat ride and the scenic view of the palm trees as we passed through the house where the movie ‘ Haseena Mann Jayegi ’ was shot.
Our last night at Goa was the most memorable one. We danced till midnight on the beach and enjoyed every moment to the fullest. I believe life is too short to complain about little things. Every moment of our life is precious and is meant to be appreciated and enjoyed fully.

(The printed version of this article was published on The Himalayan Times- Travel and Lifestyle on April 28, 2016) 

Innovation in agriculture

 
Promoting technology based commercial agriculture
 
Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu
Paras Katuwal at the young age of 20 already has a work profile that is quite impressive. Despite being an undergrad student he gets invited as a guest lecturer to MBA colleges. Katuwal is the winner of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards ( GSEA) Nepal competition. The young entrepreneur will represent Nepal at the 2016 GSEA Global Finals in Bangkok, Thailand where he will be competing with top student entrepreneurs from around the world.
Two years back, he founded Nepal Thopa Sichai, an organisation that works in the field of agriculture, rural development and environment.
The company supplies modern agricultural and smart irrigation for farmers and institute working for technology based modern agriculture.
The main purpose of the company is to support transformation of a subsistence based agricultural system to modern commercial agriculture for food security and income generation through supply of modern agricultural technologies and tools.
Talking about the story behind Nepal Thopa Sichai, he shared, “ I belong to a family of farmers and I closely understand the challenges in this sector. Therefore, I decided to step up and solve the existing problems in traditional farming.” He added, “ I realised that mere passion is not enough and I had to have technical knowledge and skills to bring a revolution in this field.” He completed his professional training in Management of Greenhouse and Drip Irrigation and Advanced Solar Pumping system training from Jain Irrigation Inc, Jalgaun , Maharastra, India.
His team has been working since the last two years to demonstrate and supply economical tools and technologies for commercial agriculture.
The company is the number one name currently in the field of complete irrigation packages in Nepal by the Ministry of Agriculture and National Agriculture Machinery Entrepreneurs Association. According to him they deliver drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, fogger system, for 10 m2 of small land to commercial agricultural farms, golf courses, hotel gardens, residential buildings and offices.
He has also worked as a training facilitator in MaHa Agriculture which is a joint initiative to introduce modern agriculture technologies in Nepal with the focus on environmental friendly organic agriculture with greenhouse and fertilisation technologies for commercial agriculture.
According to him, he would not have achieved anything without his team of experts and mentors. His father who is his biggest source of inspiration is also his mentor.
Katuwal said, “ Nepal Thopa Sichai is recognised in such a short period of time because the idea is innovative. Further, development and innovation in agriculture is an important factor that can bring prosperity in the nation.”

(April 24, 2016)

THT- Perspectives
April 24, 2016
Tourism struggling for revival

 
 Government has to walk the talk and develop infrastructure, enhance promotion and offer incentives to get tourism back on its feet again
Abhilasha Rayamajhi
Kathmandu
The tourism sector of Nepal was hit hard by the devastating earthquake last year followed by political problems and an economic blockade.
Tourists arrivals dropped by approximately 46 per cent as compared to the same period the previous year. In 2014 tourist arrivals by air were recorded at 652,655 which dropped to 300,325 in 2015/ 16. However, the industry now hopes to get back on track and looks forward to better days ahead.
Silver lining

 “ The previous two years were tragic for the entire tourism industry.Everest Avalanche, blizzards, earthquake, political unrest and the economic blockade adversely affected the entire industry,” says Pravesh Aryal, Executive Director of Hotel Association Nepal ( HAN). He says that the continuous series of natural disasters and economic crisis crushed the tourism industry of Nepal.
“ However, gradually the flow of tourists have increased. The occupancy rate of hotels has increased to 50 per cent which was hardly 20 to 30 per cent even three months ago. The occupancy rate of hotels during this period in 2014 was 80 to 85 per cent,” he adds. The tourism industry is now moving toward improvement and a revival phase.
He says, “ We are optimistic that till August, 2017 we will be on the path of recovery and in 2018 we shall operate in full swing.” “ The role of national and international media in tourism promotion revival
promotion is significant. Both national and international media have carried positive news about tourism in Nepal and it has helped the industry to rise again,” he says.
National Geographic Traveler Magazine and London based noted travel guide Rough Guides listed Nepal as a must- visit place in 2016.
Tapping the neighbourhood
 According to him, in order to increase tourist flow the government should focus on increasing tourists from neighbouring countries. “ Our focus is to attract Indian and Chinese tourists. The government has implemented free visa on arrival for Chinese tourists since January, 2016,” he says. The bilateral relationship between neighbouring countries must be strong in order to boost tourism, he points out.
“ We requested the government to promote Nepal’s tourism during his official visit to China. The government of China plays a vital role in influencing the general population,” he says. He continues, “ We share an open border with India so we are attracting Indian tourists by providing attractive tour packages to tour operators.” Promotions not enough Tej Bahadur Gurung, First Vice President of Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal ( TAAN) says, “ Just promoting Nepal as ‘ Once is not enough’ is not sufficient. The government must do more homework to explore new destinations and develop infrastructure.” Nepal holds enormous potential which is still not tapped. Tourists are attracted to the natural beauty and local products of Nepal. He explains that the industry can be revived and sustain in the long run if local people are trained and empowered to promote eco tourism.
Similarly, Madhusudhan Acharya, President of Nepal Association of Tour and Travel Agents ( NATTA), says, “ The government has announced Ghumfir Barsa 2073 without any significant preparation.
It would have been the right move if enough planning and development had been done by the government.” “ The government has delayed reconstruction of heritage and trekking routes that were destroyed by the earthquake,” he says. He further adds that the private sector is ever ready and always working towards the development of the sector.
“ Most promotional activities are done at the initiation and cost of the private sector. The government is not serious about solving problems and issues of such an important sector,” he states. He mentions that it is already a year later and reconstruction is only limited to talk which has added to the woe of the entire industry.
Fighting for a favourable environment
“ We are not asking for any special provisions or facilities from the government for the development of tourism. Our only request to the government is to provide a favourable environment for us to run our businesses,” says Bhola Bikram Thapa, Managing Director, President Travel and Tours. He said that a number of travel agencies had to shut down during the economic crisis.
He says, “ Even though the distance from Kathmandu to Pokhara can be covered in four hours, it takes almost seven hours to reach due to the terrible condition of the road.” Tourism cannot prosper without the development of infrastructure in the country.
According to him expansion of airport and construction of roads is a must for the betterment of tourism in Nepal.
“ The European Commission ( EC) blacklisted Nepali airlines on December 5,2013 has a negative impact on the entire tourism industry. The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal ( CAAN) must work to get Nepali Airlines out of this blacklist,” according to Ambica Shrestha, Senior Tourism Entrepreneur.
Tourism entrepreneurs say the government must take these concrete steps before promoting tourism at the international level.
Moreover, unexplored destinations such as Rara and Khaptap must be promoted as a tourist destinations according to them.
Tax holidays must be provided to local tourism entrepreneurs to help the industry revive. They opined that coherent policies based on realistic targets should be formed and implemented with the support of industry experts.

At your Service
Multiple healthcare services and solutions social entrepreneurship

Himalayan News Service
Kathmandu
Bishal Dhakal, a cardiac surgeon and a well known social entrepreneur describes himself as a conscious citizen and a balanced individual. In 2009 he established Health at Home, an organisation that provides complete healthcare services to patients at their own residence. Since then the organisation has been successfully operating in Pokhara, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Kathmandu. The enterprise has been able to establish itself as an innovative, independent and inclusive organisation.
According to Dhakal, the main purpose of the organisation is to solve issues of patient care which includes simple daily routine hygiene management to high end home based ventilation and critical care management.
As a cardiac surgeon he has had the experience of exploring the healthcare services in Russia, India, Pakistan and the United States.
He says, “ I was selected as an International Exchange Fellow by US government. This provided me an opportunity to travel and learn about healthcare in the US. What we are doing in Nepal through Health at Home is pretty close to global homecare practice models and standards.” Talking about his future plans, he says, “ I will always be working in three- focus areas; healthcare services innovation, social entrepreneurship development and disaster healthcare.” Dhakal informs, “ Currently we are only performing in 10 to 20 per cent of our functional thematic capacity and our 80 per cent needs to be explored over the years which will be our future.” According to him, entrepreneurship can be practiced by everyone; be it a government employee, or someone in private start ups or in family business. “ Being enterprising means you seek to transform your delivery to next level and take it to bigger better process. This transformation is possible with innovations, investments and in- depth understanding of the issue,” he shares. He says, “ This will be easier to understand if we divide, doing business is not equal to becoming an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are essential part of progressive institutions and often they are found as leaders of that successful business or institutions.” As an active and successful entrepreneur he is always motivating other aspiring ones. He says, “ A social entrepreneur should always help create more entrepreneurs. That is where social change becomes widely available to everyone and impact is generated in manifold.”

(The article was printed in The Himalayan Times- Perspectives on April 3, 2016)