Without Surendra Shakya's efforts, Nepal's participation in the Pacific Flora, 2004, would not have materialized , nor would Nepal's pavilion, billed the Bodhitwo Garden or "Garden of Enlightenment", have won a gold medal in the international exhibition. Pacific Flora, 2004, that was thrown open on April 8 at the Shizuokwa Prefecture of Hamamatsu City in Japan, near Hamanako Lake in Japan, has drawn in over five million visitors and is being participated in by 22 countries, including those from Europe, the Americas, and Asia. The International Garden and Horticulture Exhibition, the third of its kind to be held in Japan, will continue till October 11. "The organizers, Association for the International Garden and Horticulture, had extended their invitation to the Nepalese government in early 2003. The government expressed its inability to participate. When I heard of it, I approached the organizers to represent Nepal.

They accepted," said Shakya, 39, executive chairman of Himalaya Network based in Lalitpur. Shakya took a 15-member-strong team consisting of Nepali builders, singers and dancers to Japan for the exhibition. The team using bricks, paubhas, roofs, and Pancha Buddha icons, taken all the way from Nepal, built the artistic pavilion that stands on an area of 300 square meters. The construction started in January 2004, and the Japanese media grew so curious about the men at work that Nippon Hoso Kyoku, Japan's national television, filmed a documentary on the workers and their curious art. "Till date, the total project has cost me Rs 40 million, including the costs of building, maintenance and the living expenses of my team," claimed Shakya, who was recently in Kathmandu for a week. Shakya, who himself spent 12 years in Japan between 1983 and 1995, explains the pavilion as an amalgamation of Nepali cultures, traditions and religions. The beautiful pavilion received the top honor on the opening day of the exhibition from the hands of the chief of the Pacific Flora Association.

The entrance to the pavilion is built in a medieval Newari architectural style. Atop the gate are three jewels symbolizing Buddhism's trinity - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. The gate is further embellished with eight auspicious Buddhist symbols. On the board hung at the entrance is written GOLD MEDAL followed by "The Kingdom of Nepal" which is flanked on both sides by Nepal's national flags. There is a Pati, traditional hut for pilgrims, each on either side of the entrance. Designers Dilip Shakya, Dilli Ram Sapkota and Kailash Shrestha of Space Design Consultant of Lalitpur have done their best to give the garden a touch of the architecture of the Malla period (1200-1760 AD). Inside one of the Patis is the icon of Maya Devi, the venerated mother of Prince Siddhartha Gautam who became Lord Buddha. Pancha or Five Buddhas adorn the garden with Amitabha, Amogha Siddhi, Akshobhya, Ratna Sambhava and Vairochana gracing the west, north, east, south and center respectively.

Three waterspouts, handcrafted in stone, and a Gahiti or public waterspout, are further attractions in the garden. Shakya claims that he undertook the project with no financial gains in sight. "We're not allowed to undertake business activities inside the Pacific Flora premises. However, I've opened up a souvenir shop and a Nepali restaurant outside the exhibition premises to support my team and ensure a financial source for maintenance," he said. The week starting April 26 through May 2 was observed as Nepal Week, with dances from the team in traditional Newari attires, and a concert from Chautari Band, comprising Nepali artistes living in Japan. Diplomatic entourage from the Royal Nepalese Embassy in Japan, including Ambassador Dr Rameshananda Baidya, attended the celebrations. A sizeable Japanese audience also participated in a rally that was led by Bukun Gandharva who had been airlifted from Kathmandu, courtesy of Bhojan Griha, a Nepali-cuisine restaurant in Kathmandu, expressly for his skills with the Sarangi. "Bukun's sarangi was a big hit there," Shakya reminisced.

Later, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Zengi Kaminaga, reached there to personally congratulate Shakya and his team. Similarly, Japanese imperial prince Akishini Miya also visited the exhibition grounds on April 7 to particularly revisit the pavilion. Unfortunately, a typhoon intercepted the visit. The Bodhitwa Garden also showcases a variety of flora, including Rhododendron Arboreum (Lali Gurans in Nepali), Nepal's national flower, followed by Prunus Cerasoides (Ban Panyu), Nymphaea Mexicana (Lotus), Blue Poppy, Pipal and orchids. The pavilion will be dismantled in a few months, after visitors return home and the representatives from all the 22 participant countries will evacuate the exhibition area. "But the most important thing is that over five million people saw and appreciated something that I had dreamt," said Shakya.

OTHER NEWS

• 41 people dead, 3 missing in floods: At least 41 persons died, while three others went missing, in fresh flash floods and landslides in several districts of eastern Nepal. The natural disasters triggered by weeklong rains have rendered over one thousand people homeless. Power, drinking water and road transport facilities have been disrupted in several places.
  
  
• NTB holds media, tour operators' meet: Nepali ambassador to Sri Lanka Bala Bahadur Kunwar has underlined on the need to preserve eco-tourism and Buddhist religious sites with an aim to allure the Sri Lankan tourists to Nepal. Speaking at a program on Media and Tour Operators' Meet, held on July 13 in Sri Lanka, Kunwar also emphasized the need for diversification within the tourism sector. On the occasion, NTB official Sanjeev P Pandey, pointed out other areas where successful expansion is taking place.
  
  
• Economic growth up, social services down: The Economic Survey 2003/04 released recently paints a mixed picture: Although there are signs of economic revival, there also are signs of stagnation in social indicators. The annual socio-economic indicators document of the country projects the Gross Domestic Product growth rate for 2003/04 to be 3.6 percent. Although lower than the government's budgetary target of 4.5 percent, it is better than that of the last fiscal year, which was only 2.7 percent. The growth, coupled with over six percent appreciation of the Nepali currency against the greenback, has significantly raised the per capita income of the Nepalis in terms of dollars. It has increased to US$ 269 compared to last year's US$ 242. Despite a lean export earnings, the foreign currency reserves have shot up to Rs 125.39 billion, enough to cover imports for 11 months - thanks to strong remittance inflow. The per capita foreign debt burden of Nepalis has also increased by over five percent to reach Rs 9,911. This is over half of the GDP per capita at current prices. The social sector development, on the other hand, did not fare well in the current fiscal year as well, indicating that the government's "development within conflict" strategy is yet to make any impact. Among them, health portrayed the most dismal picture as the government failed to add even a single hospital or expand basic public health facilities. Instead, the number of sub-health posts declined to 3141 this year compared to 3148 last year.
  
  
  
  

By Hari Shrestha, Resident Representative in Kathmandu