Bird watching training for trekking guides kicks off

A two-day 'Bird Watching Training for Trekking Guides' kicked off at Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) Secretariat on Tuesday.

The training is being organized by Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) with technical support of Bird Conservation Nepal (BCN). Altogether 30 trekking guides associated with TAAN member agencies are participating in the training.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Karna Bahadur Lama, general secretary of TAAN, said the training is being organized to enhance professionalism of trekking workers. "As bird watching is a specialized activity, we are hopeful that the training will enable our trekking guides to handle specialized groups," Lama said. "We will continue to organize different trainings and skills enrichment programs for trekking entrepreneurs and trekking guides in the future as well."

Similarly, Dr Narendra Man Babu Pradhan, CEO of BCN, said BCN was happy to partner with TAAN to impact bird watching skills and techniques on trekking guides. "But training alone won't help bird watching is all about passion," he said. "I am hopeful that the training will be fruitful to you."

Similarly, Shital Chandra Dharel, coordinator of Training & Human Resources Department of TAAN, said TAAN will organize different training programs to enrich professionalism of trekking entrepreneurs as well as workers employed by its member agencies.

The training will have sessions on Status and Importance of Nepal's Birds, Ecotoursim & Opportunity of Birdwatching Tourism in Nepal, Bird Identification Techniques, Code of Conduct for Bird Watchers, Bird Watching Sites in Nepal and Government Rules & Regulations. There will also be a half-day bird watching trip in Nagarjun forest.

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Mu Gompa

                            Mu Gompa

 Mu Gompa (3700m) is the highest and most northerly permanent human settlement in the Tsum valley. The monastery is situated at an altitude of 3700m. Although a little over 100 years old, Mu is one of the larger complexes of Tsum and was established in 1895.

Lama sherap Dorje Drukpa Rinpochel heads the establishment. The connection of Mu to the Drukpa is commemorated by the occasional visits of various Bhutaness lamas. The monastery stores many religious books, incuding trek kangyur. The central lifesize statue is chenresig, seen here as the eleven- headed version called Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit. Guru Rinpoche sits on the left and two Buddhas    (Amitabha Buddhas perhaps) on the right. Milarepa sits on the top right with his trademark hand to ear. Tara lokpa Rinpoche and the Dalai lama are given prominence, although the Dalai Lama is of the Gelug-pa sect. 

The monks of Mu perform regular meditations, annual rituals and alternate fasting. At one time there were said to be 500 monks and nuns in mu and Dhephyudonma. However, these days only a few nuns remain. The monastery is overseen by lama sherap and it too conforms to the unusual Tsum valley blend of Nyingma-pa and kagyu-pa. There are two special festivals celebrated in this monastery Ngyungne, which occurs in September/October with fasting for world peace, and yaarney which involves the reading of sacred texts and some rituals being performed.

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Old couple sightless, homeless, helpless

The hardships of an elderly visually-impaired couple have been compounded since the April earthquake damaged their house in Chitwan.
Dam Bahadur Chepang, 92, and wife Saunimaya, 95, of an impoverished Chepang community at Sarling in Lothar-8 have no money to rebuild their house. They are risking their lives by staying on in the dilapidated house. Unable to work and earn, they have difficulties arranging for essentials.
“We cannot walk easily. We have to crawl while cultivating crops on our farmland,” said Saunimaya. They have no choice but to feel the way up to the forest to collect fodder and firewood.
Dam Bahadur lost sight five years ago while Saunimaya became unable to see seven years ago. Devoid of enough bedding or warm clothes, they make a fire to beat the chill at night.
“We have no money to buy warm clothes. The fire has kept us alive,” said Dam Bahadur. Sometimes they are hurt sitting around the fire, at others their clothes get burnt. The couple said they have given up hope to regain eyesight as they cannot afford treatment.
“I don’t know what happened to my eye. I can’t see anything now,” said Saunimaya. In the lack of the citizenship certificate, she has been deprived of the social security allowance. However, the old man collects the government’s monthly dole.
The couple has five sons but they stay in places up to an hour’s walk away. Dam Bahadur said he and his wife have no food grains—they could not grow crops this year. “We often go to bed on empty stomach,” he said. They, however, plan to collect some wild roots for food.
Occasionally, their sons and grandchildren bring them foodstuff. They long for living in a new house and eating to their hearts’ content. Although the government has built houses for displaced Chepangs in some areas, Dam Bahadur said they were neglected.
“The government provides relief only to the people in contact. There’s no one who sees our plight, he rued.
 source by Kathmandu post 

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