Goddess Stands Tall To Bestow Blessings

It is festive season in Nepal. Great festivals: Dashain and Tihar are in the offing. In the hills, people are busy brewing raksi and bargaining for buffalos and goats while in the villages, people are cleaning the road and decorating their houses.

In many Terai districts, numerous statues of goddess Durga have been erected in the eve the greatest festival Dashain.

Milk Products In Chitwan

A magnificent industrial plant, spread on spacious land between dense jungle and calm river looks impressive.

Chitwon Milk Limited, a joint-venture of Chitwon Co-E Pvt. Ltd. and Dairy Development Cooperation (DDC), established at Thimura, Chitwan, at the edge of the Narayani River, some 12 km north-east from Bharatpur, the district headquarters, began its commercial production since April 2010.

Annapurna Trek Diary

Recently I made a trek to Annapurna. I had a desire to go for trekking since my first trek in Annapurna a long ago. The dream came true when Hemu dai arrived from US to do this popular trek and his friends Sudarsan and Jayram joined in the team. 

We kept our vehicle in Birethanti from where our trek began. The motorable road led us to quite a distance.

Canoe On The River

"Sauraha, Sauraha", a tangawala was shouting for the passengers to go Sauraha, the gateway to Chitwan National Park. A woman alighted from the bus at Sauraha Chowk and headed towards the tanga. Her tall slim body was swinging rhythmically and long black hair was flying in air as if she was cat-walking on the ramp. A bunch of bachelors, sitting on the bench in front of grocery shop, could not resist the temptation to tease her with sharp whistle, seeing the beauty at her best.

Mela

During the last week of March, we went to Dumkin, a beautiful hill village located in Kaule VDC of Chitwan to observe the mela, a traditional and religious fair that is often organized in the villages. I have seen many mela at the lowland but it was my first visit to observe mela in the hill.

Dumkin is about 3 hours of uphill walk from Upardang Gadi. We went through the mixed forests of rhododendron, chilaune and katus.

Food Program In Hill Schools Of Chitwan

Chepang ethnic communities have been living their subsistence and semi-nomadic life in many hill areas of Chitwan, Dhading and Makawanpur Districts. As their livelihood depends upon forest, most of their settlements are at the edge of the forests. They practice shifting cultivation clearing the prime forests that have the severe environmental problem in many hill regions.

Their main occupations are agriculture and livestock. They grow maize, millet, barley, junelo, different types of vegetables and fruits, and rice (at low lands) seasonally.

Reality Vs Perception

While I was travelling back home from Birgunj, an old man with empty tokari (vessel) got in the bus in Pathlaiya. The old man sat besides the bunch of students who were in merry mood as they were enjoying the rap music played in bus. Probably they were heading to Shaheed Smarak Park in Hetauda for picnic program. The old man asked one of the students in his local dialect, "Hetauda me tamatar ka vau kitana ba?"(What is the price of tomato in Hetauda?). The student got upset and retorted back, "Hamnika ka malum?" (How could I know?).

Rhino Inside Wood

Laymen see just a piece of wood but artists visualize different images within this piece. Kul Bahadur Ghale, 39, finds rhinos hidden inside a chunk of sissoo wood.

After some 3 hours of constant carving of piece of wood, a beautiful figure of rhino appears. Kul Bahadur of Kumroj VDC has been involving in craftsmanship for 3 years.

Understanding Biodiversity

During 2007-08, the Bird Education Society conducted bird survey for one year in Bis Hazari Tal and Khorsor Area to find the bird diversity with special focus on water birds as this area is renowned for wetlands (lakes, marshes and waterholes), a good habitat for many species of birds, mammals and reptiles.

Bis Hazari Tal

While I was doing the data analysis for the mid-term reporting, I was surprised to find the equal number of bird species that is 110, in both sites. Habitat type and quality are mostly similar in both sites. However, I thought for the previous bird data or report of the areas to compare with the present data but no such reports were available.

Theki: To Make Food Tasty

Local people in villages still store yoghurt, milk and ghee in theki, the traditional wooden vessel, locally made from daar tree (Boehmeria rugulosa). Other similar vessel with wide opening is called faam which is especially designed to keep milk while milking.

Size of the these vessels is varied. Smaller one which store up to 1 pathi (4.57 liters) of liquid is called theki while bigger one which store up to 4 pathi is called theka. These vessels are made by local technicians in the locally designed water mill. The downward flow of water rotates the turbine blades which then rotate the shaft connected to it. The theki is attached to other end of the shaft. It takes some 3 hours to make a theki.

Makawanpur Gadi: Last Resort Of Sen Dynasty

Archaeological sites proclaim the past history of the nation. There are many forts built at the strategic locations of the country by many rulers in various era to defend itself from the enemies.

Makawanpur Fort (alt. 1035 m.), which is about 15 km east from Hetauda, was built by Tula Sen during 17 century.

Chisapani Tar: Bird Hotspot

Hill forests have been rapidly deteriorating due to human settlements and agricultural activities. Slash-and-burn, the common practice of cultivation in hill areas, has not only the deleterious effect on the biodiversity but it also results soil erosion and landslide.

There are few forest patches in the remote hill areas of Chitwan which are still intact. Dense forest around the Chisapani Tar (1695 m.) that stretches from Upardang Gadi (1275 m.) to Siraichuli (1973 m.), the pristine habitat, is especially known for its rich bird diversity.

Gaur Attacked Guide

Homnath Lamichhane, 35, a nature guide, was attacked by Gaur (Bos gaurus) in Chitwan National Park on February 8, 2010. He was attacked by a male Gaur at the grassland of Marchauli area when he was returning from whole day jungle walk from tented camp area following the fireland.

Eyes On Ibisbill

Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) has been observed at the bank of the Rapti River in Hetauda during the Ibisbill Tour jointly organized by the Bird Education Society and Nature Guide Association, Sauraha, Chitwan on February 7, 2010.

(Ibisbill)

Some 5 Ibisbills were recorded near the confluence of the Rapti River and Samari River about 200 m. west from the Samari bridge. These birds were feeding along the stony and sandy river beds with a Little Egret.

Greater Flamingo Sighted In Chitwan

Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) has been recorded in Chitwan for the first time. This unusual bird was seen in the Rapti River near Jayamangala in the Chitwan National Park that is about 1 km south-east from Sauraha (park entry point).

 

(Greater Flamingo) 

Greater Flamingo, whose status in Nepal is vagrant, was first seen by Bishnu Bahadur Lama, the senior wildlife technician from National Trust of Nature Conservation on February 3, 2010 but he first thought the bird was Lesser Flamingo. Next day, members of the Bird Education Society and nature guides went to the spot, observed and confirmed this bird as Greater Flamingo.

Meghauli Mahotsab To Promote Village Tourism

Thousands of spectators poured at the Meghauli Tourism Mahotsab - 2066 that has been jointly organized by Meghauli Tourism Development Committee and Meghauli Village Development Committee from January 29 to February 4, 2010 to promote village tourism in Meghauli.

The fourth edition of Mahotsab, organized at the southern corner of the airfield, accommodated many business stalls, restaurants, children park, mini zoo, and grand stage where cultural and entertainment programs were organized daily inviting local and national artists.

Encounter With Tiger

Tiger possesses enigmatic charm that attracts thousands of visitors every year in Chitwan National Park for the rare glimpse of this elusive creature. Although, Chitwan National Park (932 sq. km) holds the viable population of tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), some 91 individuals (DNPWC-2008/09), seeing the tiger in its prime habitat is extremely difficult.

Barma Jit Mahato, a nature guide, said, "We used to see tiger every year till 2000 A.D., but now any chances to see tiger is rare". During his 23 years of experience as nature guide, he has seen tigers for some 15 times.

Money From Honey

Several white wooden boxes have been spread along the mound below the giant hills. These modern beehives are home for millions of bees to produce sweet honey.

Bharat Giri, local resident of Shaktikhor, has been involving in beekeeping business for 12 years. He owns 25 hives that produce some 8-9 tons of honey annually. "At the beginning, it was difficult to get the good price of honey because we had to supply our product to limited dealers." he said. Now, they sell honey to Nepal Beekeeping Association and other dealers. Bharat's net annual income from honey is around NPR 100,000.

Sunrise From Siraichuli

The eastern horizon is glowing with brilliant crimson color. Thin horizontal red linings are prominent at the backdrop of blue sky just above the giants hills.

These hills are dwarfed by the massive mountain range at the northern front. Panoramic view of Ganesh Himal, Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, Annapurna II, Annapurna South, Gaurishankar, Himchuli, Numbur and Machhapuchhre from the top of the Siraichuli is really breathtaking.

Holy Dip

Thousands of devotees gathered in Devghat to take bath in the holy river in Maghe Sankranti (also known as Makar Sankranti). Trishuli and Kaligandaki rivers meet in this place to form Narayani river. Devghat, which is regarded as one of the holiest places for Hindu devotees, is surrounded by many Hindu temples, shrines, dharmasala and ashrams. According to the Hindu mythology, Sita, consort of Lord Ram, died in this holy place.

Smile In Faces

In the darkness, their faces illuminated with joy and excitement when local people saw their own photos in the laptop screen. There is no electricity in Upardang Gadi village and its surrounding areas, so any opportunity to see the movies or photos in the electronic devices is rare for many hill people. During this photo-show, they were looking the photos that were taken during Chhour.

Chhour is a cultural event conducted for adolescent boys of Magar and Gurung communities. These communities believe that their sons remained animal until Chhour is conducted. After Chhour, they will be transformed into human from animal and they will become eligible for marriage (http://www.nepalplus.com/?p=5804#more-5804).

The Lost Symbol And My Stories

I just finished reading 'The Lost Symbol'. Now, I am admiring yet another masterpiece of Dan Brown. I could not resist my temptation when I knew about its publication. I was especially moved by 'The Da Vinci Code'. When I expressed my desire to my friend living in US, he sent me a copy immediately.

A Visit To Blind School

Blinds see the world as dark but not their hope, future and aspirations. During our visit to Jhuwani Secondary School, we observed blind students reading and writing the Braille letters immaculately. Touching the dots with the finger tips on the white paper, they read the text fluently.

There are 21 students who are studying at different grades in this Blind Education Section. Primary level students are learning how to read and write Braille letters while higher level students study in their respective class among normal students. Their text books have been converted into Braille letters. They are provided the food and accommodation in the hostel that is adjacent to the school with nominal support from the government. This is the only blind school in the eastern Chitwan.

Elephants In Race

Elephants are great runners. During the Sixth International Elephant Race, some 22 domestic elephants assembled in the ground of Baghmara Community Forest, Chitwan to compete the grand contest.

Regional Hotel Association has been organizing this mega event in the eve of new year to promote tourism in Sauraha.

Ratnanagar Mahotsab About To Kick Off

Like many terai districts, Chitwan is also witnessing overcast condition for a week or so leaving its denizens in utter cold. In the gloomy day, however, some people are toiling hard to set up things in preparation for Ratnanagar Mahotsab 2066 that will begin from January 11.

Ratnanagar Mahotsab, the grand exhibition, is jointly organized by Ratnanagar Chambers of Commerce and Ratnanagar Municipality in every 2 years. The Mahotsab intends to promote local products, tourism and cultural heritage of Chitwan.

New Year In Upardang Gadi

I used to make resolution prior to every new year. But, these new year resolutions were hardly accomplished. So, I give up even thinking about it. However, I plan to celebrate this new year in new environment among friends with lots of fun. What could be better place than Upardang Gadi? The unique hill area lies beneath the historic fort surrounded by Magar, Gurung and Chepang communities.

Friends were really excited listening our plan. But many of them were busy and could not involve in this tour. It turned out to be eight people who made their way to Gadi. Though weather was little unfriendly, we all enjoyed the uphill walk through forests, villages and rough terrains. Spectacular views of the Chitwan Valley was covered by the mist. But it was not missed so much as cracking jokes shared during brief stopover added much flavor in the trip.