SNAPSHOTS

British cyclist in Nepal

Dass Gilbert, a 24 year old British citizen, has arrived in Nepal on a 21,000 kilometre journey by bicycle from Sydney to London to raise funds for a British Charity.

Gilbert began his journey in Sydney on 1 November 1998. His route has so far taken him through Timor, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China and Tibet, according to a British press release here. After a short holiday in Nepal his journey will continue through India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Italy and France. He will finally arrive in the UK sometime in the summer of 2000.

Gilbert aims to raise over £21,000 for the Children With AIDS Charity (CWAC), which is based in the UK. CWAC was established in October 1993. It aims to help the youngest of these infected or affected by HIV and AIDS to lead as near a normal life as possible.

Acrobatic Show

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, National Youth Forum Nepal (NYFON) and World Cultural Net (WCN) are jointly organizing Mount Everest Acrobatic Show.

The Show to be performed by the world renowned Gansu Acrobatic Troupe from China will be held at the Pragya Bhawan, Kamaladi, Kathmandu from November 1 to 6, 1999.

In a press briefing programme organized on Tuesday, the organizers provided relevant information about the mega acrobatic event in the country.

Nepalese participants selected

The Everest Media and Entertainment Pte. Ltd., the license holder and the national director for the Mr. Grasim International and Mrs. World competitions, has announced Nepalese participants for the upcoming events.

It has selected Parikshit Pradhan and Sumy K. C. Joshi to represent Nepal and to compete for the titles of Mr. Grasim International and Mrs. World respectively, a press release issued by Everest Media and Entertainment Pte. Ltd. said.

The Mr. Grasim International competition is scheduled to be held between October 17 to 31, 1999 in New Delhi, India. Similarly, the Mrs. World competition will be held between November 14 to December 2, 1999 in Jerusalem, Israel.

Both the pageants offer a host of international titles pertaining to distinct  shades of the main persona. Mrs. World contest is almost similar to the Miss Universe competition, but it will be for the married women, the press release said.

The prestigious title of Mr. Grasim International carries a  cash prize of US $ 6,000. the sub titles includes Grasim Mr Physique, Grasim Best Talent, Grasim Mr Photogenic, Grasim Best Custume and Grasim Mr Popular.

Ang Rita bids adieu

-By A Staff Reporter

Ang Rita Sherpa will not climb mountains anymore. The 10-time climber of Mt. Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) formally announced his retirement from climbing from his hospital bed last week.

He was discharged from the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on Sunday after two weeks of treatment. According to doctors he had suffered from chest infection and stomach ailments, due to which he was unable to eat. He is still under medication.

Sherpa, nicknamed ‘Snow Leopard’ for his feat, has climbed the world’s highest peak a record ten times without carrying oxygen.

Sherpa had fallen seriously ill about four months back in his home village of Solukhumbu and was airlifted to Kathmandu about a fortnight back to be admitted in the TU Teaching Hospital.

Although his record of climbing Everest ten times may be broken by other Sherpa climbers, some of whom have already climbed Everest for seven or eight times, still Ang Rita will always remain a doyen among the Everest climbers.