gunla: buddhist month of merits

By Dhurba K. Deep

Gunla is one of the longest, most multifarious and colourful Buddhist festivals of Nepal. According to the Nepali calendar, this festival usually begins on the first day of the bright fortnight of Shrawan (July/August) and continues to the first day of Bhadra (August/September) making it a month long holy event. Some people call it a wet festival because it always comes in the middle of the monsoon.

Despite the rain, the festivity goes on smoothly (August in fact, is the only month that always comes crowded with a series of ceremonial events that follow one another. More than 8 festivals take place in this month alone).

The term Gunla is the combination of two different words. Gun and la in Newari means merit and month respectively. Thus the term Gunla signifies the holy month of merits.

The philosophy behind this ancient tradition seems to have originated from monsoon fear. The month of muddy August is a big menace to Nepalese people in terms of natural calamities like floods and epidemics. Viewed in this light, it is understandable why the locals take up various acts of merits and religious acts.

The religious activities include getting up early in the morning, washing themselves in the holy rivers and going to places of worship.

Some of the important events that take place in August include: Pancha Daan, a religious ceremony designed to give away five different kinds of foodgrains as an act of charity to Buddhist monks and priests including many devotees; Bahi Dyo Boyegu, the annual display of the temple deities and monastery treasures; Gunupunhi, the full moon day that urges locals to wear the safety ban of holy threads around their wrists; Mataya, the festival of lights, organized to mark the day Shakya Muni got enlightened plus may other non-Buddhist ceremonies which make the month of Gunla a glorious occasion for all to celebrate with due respect.

According to the Buddhist tradition this month is the best for the performance of all kinds of religious and ceremonial rites. One of the main reasons for this seems to be the seasonal fear of the monsoon. The month of Shrawan brings in the dangers of flash floods, epidemics, among other things. In order to combat these possible dangers Buddhists seem to have introduced the practice of Gunla Dharma Vrata which requires them to take the regular ritual rounds of Swayamabhu Stupa plus many other important Buddhist shrines for the whole month of Shrawan. The practice of this religious ritual is generally identified with their going to the shelter of Lord Buddha which is believed to make them feel very safe and sound for the whole year to come.

The central venue for the month long ceremonial activity in Kathmandu is Swayambhu, the most important stupa complex in Nepal.

During the entire month of Gunla everyday early in the morning thousands of devotees accompanied by various traditional music go to pay tribute to this stupa dedicated to Adi Buddha. It is interesting to see that during this entire holy period many Newari women get up early in the morning and make ceremonial oil lamps at various holy points of worship and steps leading to the holy stupa on the Swayambhu hill.

On the 12th day, the Bahidyo begins. Some old monasteries worth visiting are Bagavan Bahal in Kathmandu. Guitaw Bhaee and Hiranyavarna Mahavihar in Patan and Chaturvarna Mahavihar in Bhaktapur.

On the 13th day, Buddhists, as if they were all monks living monastic lives, ritually beg for alms. Many charity points are set in the city on this day. Many Buddhists in sizeable groups make the traditional temple rounds and pay homage to many important places of worship.

The holy month of Gunla ends on the last day of the waning moon of Bhadra. Devotees, including women, carrying miniature chaityas or votive images and many ritual gifts swell into a surging mass that eventually winds up by the riverside, where the votive offerings are immersed. The following day is celebrated with visits to temples, feasts and merry making.

It’s all too funny

By Skandhar Rai

It’s not that I stand out in the crowd, but maybe I do. I hail from a kiranti background and I don’t know my mother tongue. Having lived in Kathmandu ever since being born, I realize I’ve lost some of my heritage and pride when I can’t speak my mother tongue. No wonder I find myself feeling out of place in the alleys of the traditional cities of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Although I may appear to be gazing with awe at the beautiful handicrafts I stand there straining to understand a dialect I should have learnt by now.

But this is of no such amazement to many of us, who probably too feel the same way, but it certainly is a surprise when a street -vendor calls out to you and tries to sell you - say probably a khukuri or any souvenir item. You then watch the colour fade from his face when you tell him- ‘Dai, yo ta mahango bhayena ra’ ( brother, isn’t this a bit expensive). When his colour does return, a cheerful apology from him. Such experiences aren’t rare but are of novelty. I’ve had such experiences, specially in Bhaktapur and Godavari, when people mistook me to be of the orient. It didn’t surprise me though when in Bhaktapur the person in charge asked for a tourist fee from a queer looking fellow in shorts, whom he thought to be a Japanese. It was odd to be caught like this and I was a bit at a loss for words. The truth was that I was annoyed at the man. But I managed to see the lighter side of this a bit later when I was walking around with my friend. And the really humorous side dawned upon me when my friend told the story at his house and hysterical laughter ensued from all present.

Next time I was in Godavari , with my sister, trying to capture some photographs of the scenic beauty. It wasn’t odd when a farmer stopped his work and offered me some rice-beer, because Nepalese are known to be friendly. But I think it certainly surprised him when I spoke in Nepali and told him I was one like him. I couldn’t blame him for the picture of an orient looking person with an expensive camera slung over his shoulder and taking pictures of the mountains does seem like the typical tourist.

Wandering around the Basantapur area I have seen lots of salesmen try to sell their goods to the tourists with some success. I would find it irritating if someone was always on my back trying to see whatever I was doing. And I thought that this must be irritating for the tourists because they have to dodge such salesmen everywhere. I wished that the people would leave the tourists alone to do their bit of touring by themselves. And I definitely didn’t think these were that amusing until one day I was stopped in Jamal. I was going to my friends house. I had just stepped down from the over-head bridge when this person came and tried to sell me his goods. It was funny I think with his broken English, trying his best to convince me to buy his goods. ‘Lo and behold was he surprised when I tried to bargain with him. I named such an outrageously low price that he somehow managed to slip inconspicuously amongst the crowds and find another potential buyer.

It’s all too confusing to look at these incidents and think that I shall grow up and live as a foreigner in my own country. These instances would have helped the foreign ministry a great deal but I am not the ministry. I’m just the average teenager going about my business occasionally being amused by such incidents. But they don’t harm me in any way. In fact they just help me to remember to look at life from a comical angle. I do hope such instances occur from time to time because it all feels too funny.

People in the house...

Spost

Where to go on a Friday night? Looking for something for Saturday too? It’s been a bit of a dry spell for many in the service industry and for those looking to make the rounds of the city’s hot spots for the past few weeks. But slowly things seem to be moving back into some kind of gear.

People are now slowly getting back into the groove and looking for new places and for the old hangouts. The doors to many famous and regular joints are opening again and, more important, staying open later. The weekend has started to jump again. And that goes for all the languid lizards of the lounges too.

But there was still probably something missing for the average never say die party goer. You had the business at The Hyatt, the now ‘staying open later’ bars and restaurants in Thamel, the discos- X-Zone and Dynasty, some of the first to get back into gear. And now the dancing shoes can head down another familiar and favourite route.

So, on a hot hot humid night where better to go to chill out than to an old favourite for many of our city’s wheelers and dealers, moonlighters, the night crowd and general midnight merry makers. The Galaxy (now called the Galaxy Club) at the Everest has once again reopened its doors to let in the crowds.

Refurbished, repainted, with a spanking new air condition system it’s easy enough now just to literally chill out away from the sweat inducing weather outside. With the new resident DJ Ankit Kochar from Calcutta belting out interesting mixes it calls for a lively atmosphere. A place to go, to relax and to get down on the dance floor. Now, with the Galaxy back in operation, the weekend nights are the same again and doing what they do best- rocking and rolling, shimmy and shanking, shaking that booty people in the house.

You pay for what you get. And you can trust that the Galaxy will not disappoint and will always remain the same. So, get clubbing and people in the house...

(Entrance at the Galaxy: Rs 500 for a couple, Rs 700 for a single male and Rs 250 for a single female. Drinks: Ranges from Rs 900 for Johnnie Walker Blue Label to Rs 150 for domestic premiums. Rs 450 for a glass of wine and cocktails at Rs 350 or 225. Can beers available at Rs 225 to 175)

Pastas made in nepal

Spost

Chef Blundy who did a good job at the Olive garden in Radisson is long gone. We expected no blunders from Blundy. Some say he went to Calcutta, others say that he is somewhere in Africa, probably doing what he’s best at, busy with the Italian cuisine. He used to mix around with guests and give advice on the best dishes of the restaurant.

Now, we have Anup Thapa, Food and Beverage Executive at the restaurant. He mentions that "Italians are not at all health conscious about pastas". We all know that Italian cuisine is rich with layers of cheese, olive and meat. They love olive oil and olive oil is used in most of the dishes. Probably the name of the Italian restaurant goes by that name. Thapa says, "Sauces determine the taste of pastas", which is very true. He insists that the pastas available at the Olive garden are not brought from supermarkets, they are home made.

The Olive Garden is promoting pastas. And it is on till Aug 19. They want to make people aware of the different kinds of pastas. Usually some mistake pastas to be only spaghetti and shell pastas. But there are different kinds. Even some pastas look like momos like Ravioli with stuffed meat inside.

Not denying the taste of the culinary delights on offer, and the amount of real experience behind the cooking, the Spaghetti tossed with pestos and shaved romano at Rs 425 could go down well with a nice Chianti, as could the more straightforward Penne served with traditional Bolognese (Rs 450).

Another quite exotic one could be the Prawns & Artichokes tossed in caraway cream (served with farfalle) at Rs 575 and the Whole wheat Tagliatelle with lemon chicken (500), but keep in mind the richness of it, which at times could get cloying if taken in large quantities.

A softer touch could be the Lasagne of vegetables, Napolitana style (Rs 425) or the Gnocchi with tomato & mozzarella (Rs 450). Other variations to look out for, if you’re in the mood, are Beetroot Tortellini filled with wild mushroom mousse (served with roasted bell pepper & eggplant caviar, cream & salsa rosso) at Rs 500, the Anolini with minced tenderloin (served on marsala jus with blues cheese & olives) (Rs 475) and the Cannelloni with fish cubes & capers & vegetables (baked with parmesan) (Rs 500).

Tourism for all

By Rabindra Nakarmi

Nepal has unlimited potential for tourism development. Her natural beauty, geographic and cultural diversity, artistic heritage, the presence of eight high peaks (above 8,000m) among fourteen in the world including Mt. Everest, world renowned peaks, rare and endangered species of birds and animals like the spiny babbler, the one horned rhino, the birth place of Lord Buddha, temples, thousands of rivers and lakes, and traditional and spiritual feelings all attract the tourist.

The tourism industry was growing (during the Eighth Plan) in around ten percent annually. The Tourism Infrastructure Development Project (TIDP) with funding from the Asian Development Bank, improved various fundamental infrastructures of tourism.

The study of tourism products, developing and adding new products, improving tourist sites and participating in different tourism fairs and events to increase the number of tourists helped in expanding tourism activities in Nepal.

During the first half of the Ninth Plan we celebrated Visit Nepal ‘98 aiming at quality development of the tourism industry and publicity of domestic and international tourism. The objectives of the Ninth Plan are to develop tourism in Nepal as a premium destination in the tourism market, to upgrade economic growth, to expand tourism down to the grass roots village level and to establish tourism as an important sector for overall economic development.

Tourism as an industry influences society, the economy and the environment. It brings both negative and positive impacts in society. The positive impacts are that it creates more jobs, opportunities, raises the living standard of local communities and develops the infrastructure for social life. Negatives impacts are environmental pollution, western influence, the increased gap between rich and poor, maximum use of resources, corrosion of natural beauty and local structure, loss in yield of crops and animals.

Tourism has been one of the favoured paths to the accelerated socio-economic up-liftment in Nepal. Hence, the need for competent environmental techniques to identify, assess and predict the environmental impact in the industry and local social economic development. That means household management in local communities for income generation, a frugal and judicious expenditure of money for the tourist keeping in mind the local environment. And to improve the quality of people’s lives and their social, cultural and natural environments by building up knowledge and skills. Communication capabilities, as well as a sense of ethics, which will promote tourism resources that are environmentally, socio-culturally and economically beneficial and sustainable. Hence, it needs local participation in the industry as well as in other development programmes. People who are involved in this industry should focus on the teaching of critical perspective on tourism as a tool for sustainable development, rather than on the more traditional tourism management approach and should be able to provide different unique and exotic services and opportunities for the tourist.

All this helps in integrating all levels of people, to participate and achieve the common goal of the nation- poverty alleviation through the tourism industry.

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