RISING HIGH AGAINST THE GUSHING WATER

Sita Thapa is a professional rafting and kayaking trainer of Nepal. Among five she is one of the pioneer woman rafters. Ms. Thapa is from Pokhara.   

By LB THAPA

Perhaps you might have seen some white-skinned Westerners sailing their rafts on the turbulent waves and battling against the deadly ripples, which can toss away their rafts at any moment. Well, let me help you to remember this scene---you must have seen all this on your TV screen. Am I right?    

Quite a few would have this opportunity to see these rafters entering into the water, setting up their gears, and finally getting ready to challenge the gushing waters. Unless you are a rafter himself, you can rarely catch a glimpse of these people from a close distance. Without any doubt, rafting is not an ordinary adventure sport like paragliding, bungee jumping, and parachute jumping---rafting is above all.

 

Muscular strength and perfect skill are a must. But if I tell you that there is a young and beautiful lash from Pokhara who does not only have enough strength to handle a raft, but she also possesses an extreme degree of courage and skill in rafting. Yes, you are right. I am talking about none other than Sita Thapa.

 

Why Sita Thapa is unique and what makes her so special are all that I will discuss in this article. In short, Sita Thapa is a nationally recognized rafter and kayaking trainer. She is one of five pioneer rafters of Nepal. There is hardly any river left in the country in which she has not rafted. Well, before I discuss her professional career, let us know about her childhood and some interesting facts about her life that might interest you for sure. After knowing all this and many more you will certainly agree with me that is why I call her special and unique.

 

“I was born at Lakeside, Pokhara and I also spent my childhood in Pokhara. Those who have seen me grow in the dusty meadows of Lakeside, know me very well. Because of my special nature and character, I have earned the name Tomboy of Pokhara”, said Sita and continued. “Of course, I am a girl but right from the day I have come to my consciousness, my interests and other activities are those of rowdy boys”.

You heard right. Right from her childhood, Sita would perform the most difficult tasks such as climbing the tallest mango trees and throwing ripened and crude mangoes for her friends, climbing mountains, and swimming across the Fewa Lake. Such activities were normal for her. As she had grown up to be a teenager, she had already become the best swimmer in the locality. Forget girls even no man could challenge her in swimming. Such was her stamina, courage, and reputation.

 

“Whether it is boating or swimming no one could accept my challenge. I could easily defeat anyone. As far as physical strength was concerned, I would always challenge boys of my age and I would invariably defeat them,” said Sita with a sense of confidence.

 

When asked how she happened to take an interest in rafting, she said, “Actually, near my house, there was a newly opened rafting company. I used to see many foreigners coming and going to Fewa Lake and Seti River. Sometimes I followed them to Fewa Lake and saw them practicing rafting and kayaking. I liked what they were doing because rafting and kayaking were different from normal boating which I was familiar with”.

 

There was a foreign woman named Inka who was married to a Nepali man and settled in Pokhara. She agreed to teach the basics of rafting and kayaking to Sita. 

“She was surprised at seeing my progress. I had learned all the basic to intermediate-level rafting and kayaking skills merely in a week. This would otherwise need a minimum of six months to complete the course”, added Sita with a mysterious smile across her face.

 

Later, Sita continued her practice with different rafting and kayaking companies and honed her skills. Her deep interest in rafting and kayaking took her to complete a professional rafting and kayaking course.

 

“I have already completed all necessary training and courses mandatory to become a certified rafting and kayaking trainer. I have been attached to a rafting company for the last couple of years. I regularly visit Japan where I work as a guide cum rafting and kayaking trainer”.

When Sita was satisfied with her performance and opportunities as a rafter and a kayaking trainer, she realized that many countries have both men's and women’s rafting and kayaking teams but Nepal did not have even a single women rafting team.

 

“I used to feel quite awkward when many women asked me how I became a rafting and kayaking trainer when there is not a single woman rafting or a kayaking team in Nepal. This was truly a genuine question, but I had no answer to this question. Then I decided to form a strong women’s rafting and kayaking team in Nepal”, said Sita Thapa convincingly.

 

There is always a vast difference between thinking and bringing those thoughts into reality. Because real problem always begins when we try to translate our dreams into reality. Sita Thapa had to face all those challenges, which were waiting for her. It was definitely not going to be easy for her to form a women’s rafting team. But Sita was adamant, undeterred, and unfazed.

 

She was not among those people who would easily be intimidated or give in. Her Tomboy spirit would always push her to cross the threshold and do some amazing and unimaginable things.

 

When she started working on her idea of forming a women's rafting and kayaking team, she had not anticipated so much difficulty she would face. Anyway, she was determined to achieve what she had decided to do.

 

After a few days of wire pulling, she firmly understood that this was a mega task and she could not achieve it alone. She needed much help from the like-minded people around her. First, she tried to reach out to her acquaintances who are devoted to rafting and kayaking.

 

“Not only in Pokhara but also the entire Kaski district I found no girl who was skilled in rafting and kayaking. But I continued searching across the country. Finally, my hard work paid off. I found four girls who were equally devoted to rafting and kayaking one like me. They were Anu Shrestha, Kathmandu, Akriti Khapangi, Udaypur, Sushma Kateth, Sunsari, Sudha Rai, Khotang”, revealed Sita.

Including Sita Thapa, they had a team of five professional rafters and kayakers. “We were very excited and happy after meeting with each other. We were glad for an obvious reason we had taken rafting and kayaking as a profession. Rafting and kayaking were not our pastime activities. We sought a career in rafting and kayaking and we were, to some extent, highly successful as well. Until now, we are the only five professional female rafters and kayakers in the country. Thus, we have taken the responsibility of promoting rafting and kayaking among the females and encourage them to take rafting and kayaking as a profession rather than a pastime adventure activity”. 

 

As soon as the women of five planned to give rafting and kayaking training to new girls, they realized a mountain of obstacles before them. They needed rafting and kayaking gear and new girls would need special clothes, which were too expensive.

 

“Most of the girls who showed interest in rafting and kayaking were not from rich families. Almost all of them were from middle-class or lower-middle-class families. They had an intense desire to learn rafting and kayaking but what they lacked was money. In the beginning, we even purchased some clothes for those girls who were talented but financially very weak. However, financially we were also not that strong. Though we are trying different things at a time to raise funds, we are still on the receiving end, we have not lost hope”, said Sita Thapa enthusiastically. 

In the initial time, they tried to reach out to different tourism-related government offices, but their efforts bore no fruit. “We are neither affiliated to any political party nor do we have money to bribe. In a situation like this, who would listen to us? Thus, our pleas merely fell on deaf ears. We, then, decided to work on our own. We ask for help from rafting and kayaking companies. In addition, we follow different activities to raise funds. We also have an organization called Project Life Trek. Anu Shrestha is the founder and president of this organization. Among others, the main purpose of this organization is to raise funds. So that we can use the fund for purchasing rafting and kayaking gears, dresses, and miscellaneous expenses”.

At present, Sita Thapa and her four female rafting and kayaking trainers are busy in the tranquil water of Fewa Lake where they are giving rafting and kayaking training to four young girls. Sita said that first new girls are taught basic things about rafting and kayaking in Fewa Lake before they are taken to the fast-flowing river where they have to test their skills. 

 

We are proud of Sita Thapa who is a pioneer female rafter and kayaker of Nepal. It is a matter of pride for all Pokhareli people for what Sita is doing. Her work is completely selfless and a matter of national pride and honor. If this is what she is doing then why did Pokhara Tourism Council (PTC) and Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) have turned blind eyes to the activities of Sita Thapa and four other rafters and kayakers? This is a question that every sane Pokhareli wants to know from the concerned tourism authority of the country today.  

LB Thapa is the publisher and editor of The Hemingway Post, a literary magazine.

LEGAL WARNING

All rights reserved. No articles and photos published in this blog can be reproduced without the prior written permission of the author. Legal action will be taken immediately if any articles or photos are reproduced without the author’s knowledge. However, articles or photos can only be reproduced by duly mentioning the author’s name and the blog's name (read2bhappy.blogspot.com). The author must be informed by sending an email. All articles and the photos published in this blog are the copyright property of LB THAPA.