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CORY WALLACE: THE WINNER OF ‘THE YAK ATTACK RACE’  Winning ‘The Yak Attack’ race in Nepal gives me a real sense of pride and satisfaction :  Cory Wallace, world champion mountain biker, Canada Cory Wallace Photo: konaworld.cog.home By LB THAPA Cory Wallace is perhaps the only cyclist in the world, who is treated like a Hollywood star. And why not! His long list of achievements speaks volumes. There is hardly any cycling championship in the world that Cory Wallace has not won. He has cycled in the coldest areas of Europe, the hottest deserts, the Mongolian plateau, Australian outback, Japanese jungles, and the majestic Himalayas of Nepal.   Only last year Cory won the Canadian Marathon title then straight he also won the Mongolia Bike Challenge and took 2 nd place at both the Trans Rockies and the Crocodile Trophy. Wining the Australian Marathon series was just another win for Cory. Cory himself thinks that his unflinching dedication to cycling is a driving ...

Once upon a time, there was a 'Shepherd' The memory of our pet dog. Photo: LB Thapa By LB THAPA Shepherd, our family dog, had spent 12 years with us. Then one morning he died peacefully in the arms of my wife. We always treated him like one of the family members. He was truly an amazing dog. His personality traits had made him special from other dogs. He was so gentle, obedient, and dutiful that we always trusted him and he invariably proved his salt. We would always speak with him as we speak with other family members because he would understand our language and respond promptly. Ever since my son got into his conscience, his penchant for dogs became evident. He could not see a hungry dog on the street and he would try to feed him whatever he had. In fact, I always appreciated his love for dogs. When my son was 11-year old, one day without our knowledge, he brought a tiny puppy from his friend’s house. The puppy's mother was a German shepherd, so I called the...

Durga Bahadur Gurung is happy in his village with his goat farming. Photo: LB Thapa I earn more in village than my friends who sweat in foreign soil and get no respect Whether you are domestic tourists or foreign visitors to Pokhara, if you want to experience adventure, excitement and pristine nature all at the same time then waste no time. Go to Lakeside, pick up mountain bikes and set out for Antighar. Antighar is a typical Gurung village, where live Gurung people since time immemorial. Though most local villagers of Antighar have already migrated to Pokhara city and some even immigrated abroad, still the village has maintained its tradition and culture intact. In the recent past, Babu Ram Gurung, a local resident of Antighar, who at present lives in London, the UK, funded to make a beautiful video song ‘ RAMAILO ANTIGHAR ’. This video song is all about the Antighar village. I recommend you to watch this video song before setting out for Antighar. The video son...

Government policies do not encourage small scale entrepreneurs in Nepal. Photo: test.handicraftnepal.org Rhetoric like making the country investment-friendly is not enough; the government has to address the concerns of the foreign investors because litigation procedures are too cumbersome in Nepal like many other countries. If the complainant files a suit, the law of the land would then take its laborious course, and both parties involved would probably come to the end of their physical existence long before the case does. Besides, how long a small-scale investor can sustain in an alien land in such a scenario? Hence, it is vital to make faster mechanism to settle industrial disputes by setting up separate fast-track courts. By G. K. Pakavath THE decade-long insurgency in Nepal has held back the industrial development a good deal. Besides, the general feeling of people about the official procedure is that it is also a big reason preventing the government from moving on wi...

There is no doubt Gulab Rao’s physical condition is deteriorating rapidly. His condition is so serious that he should be under intense medical care. Lying on the street and begging for some coins will only exacerbate his condition. Photo: LB Thapa By LB THAPA Gulab Rao, once a rich businessman had never thought one day time would turn so cruel against him that he would find himself bagging on the same street, where once he would walk as a proud businessman. Now he is helpless and there is no one to commiserate with his pain and agony.     However, there was a time when his business thrived and he had a happy family. Once his business was firmly established in Butwal, he also tried his luck in Pokhara. His crockery business was well established in Pokhara. This encouraged him to shift from Butwal to Pokhara permanently.  During his heyday, Gulab Rao had never had an iota of doubt that one day he would stoop so low that he had to beg on the street of Pokhara. So ...

Photo credit: Anil Blon The Baba at the Pashupatinath told me "If you take 'Shiva Buty' during the Shiva Ratri, all the sins you have committed in the past and present will be purged. Take one shot my boy and you will feel as if heaven has come on earth" Oh, really. Is it possible, I said. By LB THAPA In the last Shiva Ratri, I was in Kathmandu. Well, my intention was not to go to the Pashupatinath temple, but the hotel owner where I was staying advised me to visit the temple as I could meet some incredible sadhus there. Being a freelance writer and journalist, I am always hungry for a story or two.  I was really thrilled by the idea of seeing those naked naga babas and holy babas together.   Every year Hindu believers and sadhus from across the country thronged over the premises of lord Pashupatinath temple to mark auspicious Shiva Ratri with agog and excitement. Sadhus, tangled hair and ash smeared on their forehead, made their magnificent presence to witness the ho...

Dr. Bhabha remained a bachelor all his life, he was so engrossed in his work that he did not have time to think about marriage. He knew very well that after marriage he would not be able to spend much time on his wife and decided to remain a bachelor. Dr. Bhabha devoted all his life to the cause of science. India is much indebted to Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhaba for his contribution to Indian atomic development.  Dr. HOMI JEHANGIR BHABHA is called the father of Indian Nuclear Science. Dr. Bhabha founded the TATA Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai in 1945. Under the aegis of Dr. Bhabha the first Indian Atomic Research Center (IARC) was established at Trombay, Bombay. Likewise, India's first atomic reactor, named APSARA was also commissioned in 1956.   In 1948, Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India, had formed the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) where Dr. Bhabha was appointed its first chairman. By the tireless efforts of Dr. Bhabha India bec...