We are losing every minute from the bad situation that has gripped the nation

Avinav Rana, Resident Manager, RADISSON Hotel

To begin with my childhood days, I secured my School Leaving Certificate from BudhaNil Kantha School right here in Nepal. Later I moved to Delhi to obtain my +2 education from the Air Force School. And then to Paris, France, to graduate in the discipline of Hotel Management, a course of 3 years. By 1991, I had already completed my graduation in Hotel Management from the internationally acclaimed "Ecole Hotelier Paris".

Upon my return home, I got an opportunity at the Hotel Yak & Yeti, a Five Star Complex, as an Assistant Manager, Food & Beverage. Thus my line of business at the Hotel industry began. I had a stint at this Hotel for all along five years.

Later, I served for the Mercure Chain as Human Resource Manager. However, things did not move as was expected which led me to serve again as HR Manager in the preparatory days of the Radisson Chain in Kathmandu. This should have been around the year 1996 or so.

Since then I have been linked with the Radisson in different capacities beginning, among others, HR manager to Duty Manager (Operations) to Executive Manager to Resident Manager. I had an opportunity to serve Radisson as Acting Manager for about 18 months. At the moment, I am serving the Hotel as Resident Manager.

Talking of the prospect of the Hotel business in the country, I would say that the magnetism that we had in this sector a decade back is missing at the moment for varied reasons. Multiple reasons could be ascribed to this slow-down in this business. The situation prevailing at the moment is simply not encouraging for the expansion of this business. At best, the Hotels in Nepal are devising schemes that allows them to exist and brave the difficulties. It has only been a matter of existence. How to sustain the industry and how to same money, not earning altogether, with a glimmer of hope that one fine morning things will fall in places. This has been the issue for all those engaged in this sector. Our pains are the same. It’s only the passion that is left with us who loved and lived for Hotel business or else the commerce is having a very bad times ever in its history.

We are losing every minute from the bad situation that has gripped the nation over the years.

As regards, the national flag carrier, the RNAC, is a flop case. The status and the fame this national flag carrier earned in its early days have all become a matter of distant past. In the presence of practically defective and vision less administration of the RNAC, the country’s tourism and the Hotel industries are being hit hard. Because of this, others, for example, The Sahara and the Jet Airways, are all set to land in Kathmandu who will eat the Nepali segment of the earnings. It is not that I am against the landing of those aircrafts in Nepal, however, what I mean to say is that had we ourselves been able to cater to the needs of the vacationers arriving Nepal, would have added one more feather in the RNAC’s cap. However, this appears not forthcoming in the near future. But then yet I welcome the landing of Sahara and Jet Airways in Kathmandu which will also add to bring the sick hotel industry into motion.

Let’s increase our own competitiveness and efficiency so that we can face the challenges posed to us by others.

With all these depressing pictures remaining intact, the fact is also that the flow of the tourists to this country have increased compared to last year. The early months of this year saw picking-up of the tourists inflow in the country. If this upward trend scenario worsens, unfortunately, we will have to face greater challenges as a number of diplomatic missions in Kathmandu have been sending warning signals to their countrymen not to travel Nepal for varied reasons. If the missions continue to do so, its bang will be terrible for the entire sector. It is this that pains me very much and I for one continue to remain worried over the future prospects of Nepal’s tourism? I guess, other Hoteliers like me share my opinion in this regard.

All those who are involved in this sector must now act in a coordinated manner and face the challenge. This we have to do as we too are a part of the system and hence it becomes our bounden duty to act at times of crisis of the sort that has gripped the country over the years. We can’t escape our responsibilities. Terrible isn’t it that we never know when is the next bundhs, the next strike and the next chukka jam? It’s enough and enough should be enough. It’s not that the government should be blamed for all what has been happening in the nations. Others too who have been creating issues out of non-issues too must be blamed. Now it is time that we all come to our senses and take stock of the damages that we have already suffered.

I as a democrat, however, have failed so far as to why the political parties have been creating this hullabaloo? Has the nation’s democracy been scrapped altogether? We got to identify what you can digest and then only eat the food? If you today manage a collapse of the entire tourism sector and next morning even if you come to power, can you regain what you damaged when not in power?

Talking of the Maoists insurgency, I feel strongly that we must find our the very root causes for the sudden emergence of this issue some eight years ago. It has already a form of cancer and the damaged cells must be cured. We need to address the root-causes and treat the disease so that the cells begin functioning well.

But I have a different feeling towards the insurgency. I doubt they would come to the table so easily. Unless, I feel, they are assured as to what would happen to their leaders, cadres and militia, the insurgency would prefer not to listen to the talks of the State. Now tell me is the government in a position to address their issues straight? Even if take for example that they wish now a safe landing but then will they prefer to multiply with cipher their eight years long struggle with the state? Certainly not. A sort of best compromise should be made for them to bring them back to the national mainstream. After all they too were the sons of the same soil. Isn’t it that? Aren’t they?

Thus I strongly push my contention that to deal with this situation, we got to need an elected government which will speak the voices of the people and will have better and effective powers to deal with the issues, in this case the insurgency. Only an elected representative will have that mandate and the needed strength as well. I think you got the point? Elections must be held and the Maoists too must come in favor the elections. Mind it, Democracy doesn’t listen to personal whims. People’s choices have got to be honored.

With due respect and honor to the monarch, I would say that the King should have avoided being dragged into controversies. Yes! His intervention would have found some relevant meaning if he would have come at a time when the country were about to collapse. However, nothing of that sort had happened. The King would have left the problems to be sorted out itself by those who created it.

In yet another plane, what I consider is that the political parties now must stop crying foul. It is they who pushed Deuba to the wall and poor Deuba acted on their tricky advice and later penalized by the King. Did the political parties come up with suitable alternatives to the King’s perusal after Deuba was sacked? Perhaps they didn’t. Or else the King was bound to act on their alternatives. However, this was not forthcoming which apparently allowed the King to act in a manner that he considered best for the country. If this is politics then I am afraid the flourishing of democracy in Nepal. It has certain established norms and regulations, which have got to be honored and acted upon accordingly.

The people in far-flung villages have not been told of what demo was? Unless some one taught them of the virtues of demo, how could they know about it? Democracy is not only seeking votes. It’s more than that.

As far as my involvement in the social sector is concerned, let me tell you that the Hotel I am associated with has been generous enough to work on this sector since long. Well, we do at times provide assistances to certain NGOs and through them we approach those who in effect need our support. For instance, we have as yet been able to support the handicapped ones and been of some help to those women who have been brought back from Indian brothels. Radisson is a part of this society and hence we too are concerned with the issues and problems that Nepali society is confronting of late.

To conclude: Democracy could thus be defined. It’s a conflict in between the NC and the UML. Later it is a conflict between all the five political parties, which is not more than a Grand TAMASHA for the people. This is what we have understood of Democracy in Nepal.

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