Jau Hai Pokhara

by KASHISH DAS SHRESTHA

FROM ISSUE # 107 (November 2004) | IN THIS ISSUE
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By the time WAVE was being put up on news stands valley wide and being sold by paper boys in Thankot at 8 AM, 1 Oct., the WAVE team was already on the road. Destination: Pokhara. We are pleased to inform our readers that from this issue onwards, WAVE will have an exclusive Pokhara section.

Ever since the highway connecting the two valleys of KTM and PKR was built in the 70s, PKR has remained a popular getaway for the capital's city slickers and tourists alike for at least two generations now. Its only 200 kms west of KTM, generally six hours on the road, with plenty of great sights and sounds [Trishuli!] along the way.

Pokhara has evolved over time, for both good and bad. The vibrancy of the lake side is perhaps matched only by Thamel; live bands, dance parties, cool jazz pouring out of a music shop and blending with folk tunes from another, a million colors splashed on souvenir shops selling everything from Pashmina to hemp and leather, restaurants offering Italian, Chinese, Indian to Catwoman and Fahrenheit 9/11.But there are a few stark differences: lake side is not crowded by motor vehicles or people. A walk down the street and you will find yourself the options of absolute tranquility on Phewa or the World Peace Stupa, a 45 minute hike up with spectacular views of the valley. You can also sit in any one of the cafes and bars and chill under the shadows of Machhapuchhre or watch the sun set and witness the picture perfect silhouettes made by the stupa and the hills on which she rests. It is not surprising that Pokhara is a popular holiday destination, the lakeside is a perfect getaway; be it for a laid back weekend or longer trips which would include hikes and treks or other adventure sports on air, land or water. The locals like tourism too for their livelihood.

Sonam Sangpo has been living in Pokhara since 1964 and is currently the Vice President of the Regional Hotel Association (Pokhara), Hon. Secretary of the Pokhara Tourism Council and the Managing Director of the Tibet Resort. "About 80% of the people in Ghandruk more or less depend directly on tourism for their livelihood. And in Pokhara, of its approximately 175,000 population, 35% are involved in the toursim industry. There is about 35 arab worth of investment in tourism here," he explained. "Ghandruk is in fact, also a model for village tourism and Hotel Management students from as far as Australia come to study this model," he added.

Students at Nepal Tourism and Hotel Management College meet with WAVE

While it remains a great destination for visitors, today PKR also offers some of the country's finest educational institutes, namely, Manipal College of Medicine Science and Nepal Tourism and Hotel Management College. The reputation and student body of these two institutes have grown rapidly since their establishments in 1998 and 1999 respectively. The last time WAVE visited the tourism college was in 2002 when it was just settling down. On 3 Oct., the college welcomed over 100 new students for the fall semester. While the college has recently added Business studies to the curriculum, it is making a name for itself in the Hotel Management industry. And it's no surprise that students from all over the country are joining this college; their graduates are already working for hotels in KTM, including the Soaltee, Hyatt, Yak & Yeti and the Radisson and their students continue to get internships in most leading hotels here.

If you're interested in studying medicine or hotel management, make sure you don't over look the institutes in PKR. And of course, if you've been looking for a break, then PKR is the place to go to.

Trouble in Paradise:
Pokhara isn't without its share of growing problems. The designated dumping site, admist controversies and delays, is not yet in use. This has led to a makeshift dumping site outside the Pokhara stadium, also a part of the city that all tourist buses have to pass through. A security check ahead on the road usually slows down the traffic, forcing everyone travelling through the area to put up with the stench for at least a few minutes.

Phewa taal has also been living under distress for years now. The land paper for residents whose property is adjacent to the taal says that their land starts at point X and ends where the taal begins. This basically means that the more the taal shrinks, the properties of a few residents whose lands end at Phewa gets bigger. This greed has blinded many to plow the taal banks, so that the following year there will be grasses and weeds growing there, which will eventually push the lake further within itself. This, combined with several ecological issues, has caused the size of the lake to shrink over they years. There are apparently over 30 NGOs working in Pokhara under the Phewa convervation banner but what they are doing is anyone's guess.

Interaction Program on Youth on Media:

Badri Binod Pratik, the vice president of Federation of Nepalese Journalist reads WAVE 106

Keeping in view the growing participation and need of the youth in the media, Yuwa Forum, Pokhara, organised an interaction program on 2 Oct. The president of Yuwa Forum, Jiban Baral, presided over the event, which had invited WAVE editor Kashish Das Shrestha as the chief guest. Badri Binod Pratik, the vice president of Federation of Nepalese Journalist and Gangadhar Parajuli, the vice chairman of the Nepal Press Union were amongst several other veteran journalists invited as speakers. After a welcome note by forum member Kanti Shrestha, Yuwa Forum's website www.yuwaforum.org.np was officially inaugurated by Kashish.

The Yuva Forum team with Kashish and Durga ji

The senior journalists who were invited to speak at the event, talked about the role of media in society and reminisced about their start up days. Kashish, the final speakert, noted the growing active role the youth have been playing in both print and electronic media in Nepal over the last five years. He also stressed on the fact that the media should help today's youth become responsible citizens at home and aware global citizens. He went on to say the freshly inaugurated website itself could now connect a youth group from Pokhara to youth the world over. About 45 people had attended the program.

Yuwa Forum has been organizing various socio- political programs in Pokhara, including a peace rally last month. To learn more about the group, please visit their website www.yuwaforum.org.np

[words: Durga Prasad Humagain, Himalmedia Branch incharge, Pokhara]