Vibrant Culture of Beautiful Nepal by Srimal Fernando ( Published by Daily Mirror)

http://www.dailymirror.lk/
(Source :  DailyMirror Life Page C 2)

Vibrant Culture of Beautiful Nepal 

Monday, 30 January 2012 00:21

By Srimal Fernando

The Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal with its beautiful landscapes had long been known world over for its majestic Everest Mountain, the highest mountain peak on the planet, Lumbini the birthplace of Lord Gautama Buddha and for  the world renowned kukri-wielding Gorkah warriors who are reputed for winning many battles .

Nepal is famous for its extraordinary scenic beauty and salubrious climate and is known  as  “the Land of Paradise”. Nepal is a landlocked country in the Himalayan Mountains and share borders with India and China. Of the world’s fourteen high peaks, the country has eight that include Mount Everest. The countrymen call it  Sagara –Matha. It is 8850 meters above sea level. The Himalayan Mountain range in the country has more than hundred snow-laden peaks rising above seven thousand meters.

Wildlife in the country is as diverse as its landscape, ranging from the famous Royal Bengal Tigers in the Baridia, Shiva-puri national park to the one-horned Rhinoceros in Chitwan National Park and the Himalayan black bears loitering in the Himalayan foothills.

Many of the countries lakes are considered sacred and have religious significance in the social lifestyle of the communities living near them. Nepal’s cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but many have lasting influence on the country’s culture. The culture of the county is composite and over centuries had assimilated the influences of the two main religions of the Indian sub continent, the Hinduism and Buddhism.

The city of Lumbini the birthplace of Lord Buddha is located in the south-western side of the country .It is another heritage attraction. It was once an extensive centre of Buddhist culture. This world heritage site is a place of pilgrimage for millions of Buddhists from all over the world.  “Hidbhudhejate Shakyamuniti” which means “Lord Gautama Buddha was born here” is mentioned in the Asoka pillar of Lumbini erected by King Asoka  . The Nepalese Government has declared 2012 as Visit Lumbini Year .

As the most populous cosmopolitan city of Nepal, Kathmandu known as the ‘City of Temples’ is situated amidst a splendid panorama in the bowl shaped Kathmandu Valley. Kathmandu is the most vibrant city in the country with number of buildings and fair assortment of other country style houses. It has a vibrant cultural life crowded with a   legacy of a rich cultural past .There is no end to the breath-taking sites visitors can see in this city. Among its highest-esteemed attractions is the Durbar Square nestled in the heart of the city.It was the ancient seat of the Nepalese Royalty. The entire palace complex named after a monkey god called Hanuman. The best-known Bouddha-nath stupa on a three tiered platform is one of the most recognizable tourist spots that attract thousands of visitors every day. Swoyambhu-nath located on a 360 steps hillock is the world’s largest Shiva temple. The Pashupati-nath temples is another  prominent land marks in the city. Shopping is undoubtedly an attraction in itself as choices and variety for items here is incalculable.

"Tourism high priority for Nepal" - Srimal Fernando engages Hon Dilip MaharjanMinister for Tourism and Civil Aviation

Visit : http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za

"Tourism high priority for Nepal"  - Minister Dilip Maharjan

         

Srimal Fernando – SouthAsia Correspondent for Foreign Exchange - The Diplomatic Society, engages Hon Dilip Maharjan State Minister for Tourism and  Civil Aviation to Nepal . Also speaking with Dr. Ganesh Raj Joshi Secretary for Tourism and Civil Aviation, discussion centered around the unique initiative taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation to Nepal to develop the tourism in the country.

          Hon Dilip Maharjan State Minister for Tourism and  Civil Aviation
                                       

           Dr. Ganesh Raj Joshi Secretary for Tourism and Civil Aviation

Srimal Fernando (SF): Nepal has received tourist arrivals exceeding 800,000 in 2011. What are your future plans of selling Nepal to the World?

Hon Minister (HM): Tourism is one of the most important foreign income earning sectors of Nepal. The Government of Nepal has placed tourism on high priority in its new policy agenda for national development. After the dawn of peace and normalcy in the country, the Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation in collaboration with the National tourist board (NTB) had initiated several programmes to develop the tourist industry in Nepal.

Tourism is given high priority since it is a major contributor to the country’s economy.  Tourism is also helping Nepal socially and culturally and addressing wider issues related to the industry. Increasing tourism-related employment at a wider scale of the sector will lead to equitable distribution of benefits and greater harmony in the society. Accordingly, Nepal’s Tourism Ministry will continue to expedite strategic development plans up to 2020. The tourism sector, which has started sending positive signals of its promising future with all its promotional activities with the aim of promoting Nepal as an attractive safe, exciting and unique destination that will gradually change the tourism sector within the coming years. Through peace, the tourism sector can spread its benefits to build peace and prosperity for the stability of Nepal.

SF: To meet the growing demand of the country’s tourism sector , what are the development plans prepared by the Ministry of Tourism, the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) and the Civil Aviation for the year 2012?

HM: To meet the growing demand of the country’s tourism sector the capacity of Nepal’s Tourism Board (NTB) have to be strengthened. It needs to develop and improve strong collaborations with its partners in the industry. The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has achieved a successful year for tourism in 2011. The launching of visit Lumbini 2012 and the Tourism vision 2020 will be future targets for the booming tourist industry of the country. Further the Ministry had identified for development seventeen potential tourism zones from east, west, mid west, far west and from central regions of the country. These zones will chart seventeen wonderful experiences a tourist can enjoy. Further, the continuity of a wide-range of promotional campaigns starting from 2013 will promote Nepal as a favorite tourist destination for the travelers from all corners of the world.

SF: How can South Africa and countries from South Asia such as India and Sri Lanka,  which have fairly developed tourism sectors, support Nepal to overcome the challenges that are faced by Nepal’s tourism sector?

HM: Due to the advancement in technology and development of Science the whole world has become a Global Village.  Promoting tourism in this Global Village is significant for the development of Nepali Tourism.  The long history of diplomatic friendship between South Africa and Nepal has expanded steadily over the years. The flights from Johannesburg to Katmandu through Mumbai has increased the chances for South African travelers to reach Nepal easily. It is time for the two countries to identify potential areas for development in tourism and discuss it in detail. Tourism and Civil Aviation will be the key sectors that need improvements and strengthening. South Africa, with a wealth of experiences in tourism and aviation can share its experiences with Nepal to overcome these challenges.  

India, Sri Lanka and Nepal are historically linked by a common culture and religion. These are important factors that can improve relationships between our societies. Over the last several decades, the civil aviation industry and travel pattern in the region has changed dramatically for good. To meet further demands as passenger air traffic rises between India and Nepal, opening additional air routes from India will be an added advantage.  Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha, is a place of pilgrimage for many Sri Lankans. In recent years relations between the two countries are growing steadily as evidenced by increased bilateral trade especially with the increased number of visitors from Sri Lanka.  

SF: What are the specific sectors that offer the greatest opportunities for outsiders to invest in tourism?

HM: Unity and diversity are the specialties of Nepal. Diversity in geography, environment, ethnicity and Culture are the main specialties of our country. 

Growth in the tourism sector of the county can be achieved by developing infrastructure connected with tourism, also by spreading the benefits of tourism to the people at the grass root level within the country and by giving publicity to improve its image.  These will open up a host of opportunities for investors to tap the tourism market of Nepal.

 Source: (  http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277%3Aqtourism-high-priority-for-nepalq-minister-dilip-maharjan&catid=16%3Ahome&Itemid=25)

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South African investor to bolster Sri Lanka Tourism BySrimal Fernando

South African investor to bolster Sri Lanka Tourism

By Srimal Fernando South Asia Correspondent

Foreign Exchange The Diplomatic Society of South Africa

(http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za)

Sri Lanka is the tear drop-shaped island located 30 kilometers off the south eastern coast of India. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. During the past three years, after the dawn of peace and normalcy in Sri Lanka, the number of foreign companies investing in Sri Lanka has been increasing steadily. The island nation boasts of a progressive and modern industrial economy. It has one of the highest per capita incomes in the South Asian region with a remarkable economic growth.

 

At present, South African Investment in Sri Lanka has also been growing steadily. The long history of diplomatic friendship between the two countries lifted their relationship to a new stage, with an investment of 800 million dollars by a South African gaming and hotels group in 2011. According to media reports the investment will be made in a 200-acre private property in the coastal city of Katana, north of the Colombo by the Sun City Resorts run by South Africa's Sun International Ltd.

The growing bilateral ties between the two nations have opened up a host of opportunities for South African companies to tap the rapidly expanding Sri Lankan market and to do business in Sri Lanka. The South African Sun City Resorts investment will be the biggest investment in tourism sector development in Sri Lanka up to now. This will be followed by 500 million dollar investment by the Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Asia to build a 500-room luxury hotel in Colombo and a 300-room city resort in Hambantota on the southern coast. The growing   bilateral ties between the two nations have opened up a host of opportunities for South African companies to tap the Sri Lankan market and for the Sri Lankan companies to do business in South Africa. In 2010 the two way trade between two countries Sri Lanka and South Africa stood at 38.61 million dollars.

Travel and tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in Sri Lanka. The country’s tourism industry is growing very rapidly and has become one of the major tourist destinations in the region.  Comparisons with other countries in the region have shown that Sri Lanka offers the most business friendly environments in South Asia. The expansion of tourism in the country continues to achieve spectacular gains in recent years. There have been new trends in tourist arrivals that give much expectation for the industry. Up to the end of December 2011, the number of tourist arrivals has recorded 855,975. This is 30.8 per cent more than the number of arrivals to the country in 2010.

Recently one of the reputed travel magazines in Britain “Cond’e Nast Traveller” has nominated Sri Lanka as one of the top five destinations to watch in 2012. Sri Lanka has been placed third among the worlds top five in the list of destinations, ahead of Britain, Australia and Abu-Dhabi.

As one of the populous countries in South Asian region, the growth and achievements in the Tourism sector of Sri Lanka are outstanding. Sri Lanka Tourism Board forecast that the contribution that will be made from the tourism sector to the national Gross Domestic Production (GDP) in 2012 will pass the one billion dollar mark from 950,000 arrivals. Further, the government aims to bolster the tourism sector and targets annual revenue of 2.7 billion dollars by 2016 from 2.5million visitors.

 

South Africa's Sun City Resorts recent investments in the Sri Lankan Leisure sector will boost the growth of the tourism sector of Sri Lanka. On the other hand South African’s will feel the confidence to travel and to invest in the countries of this region.

 

( Source : http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=268:south-african-investor-to-bolster-sri-lanka-tourism&catid=16:home&Itemid=25)

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VALUE FOR MONEY ADVERTISING

Busiest Sea ports of South Asia By Srimal Fernando (FEDS -South Asia )

 

Busiest Sea ports of South Asia

By Srimal Fernando South Asia Correspondent 

Foreign Exchange Diplomatic Society of South Africa  

 

Visit :  http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za

South Asia’s busiest ports are experiencing tremendous growth in transshipment and increment of cargo volume during the last two decades. As volume of trade in South Asia grows, countries in the region have been developing port facilities to stimulate their economies. The emerging ports in India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives are widening their maritime connectivity and introducing habour development strategies in the recent years.

India is home to 13 major ports and 200 minor habours a long coastline, spanning 7600 kilometers, forming one of the biggest peninsulas in the world. In 2007, the thirteen major ports in India handled over 74 percent of all cargo. Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Chennai, Kandla, Kolkata, Mangalore, Visakhapatnam and Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar islands are some of the busiest ports that links India with rest of the world. 

The Ports of Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) are world-class habours that led to increase in container volumes going in and out of India. According to the Indian Ports Association in 2009-20010, the Ports of Mumbai and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) witnessed a tremendous growth in vessel traffic accounting to 4735. Started way back 125 years ago, Chennai Port is the other major maritime habour in India. It is the second largest port of the country, behind Mumbai Port. Kolkata is the oldest operating port in India with two distinct dock systems and deep water dock. Apart from this, there is around 80 major riverine and minor jetties, and a large number of ship breaking berths. Kolkata port handles more than 46 million tones of cargo traffic a year. Kandla on the Gulf of Kutch in the State of Gujarat is one of the busiest sea ports  on the west coast of India. The Port of Kandla Special Economic Zone (KASEZ) was the first special economic zone to be established in India and in Asia. In 2010 the amount of cargo handled at the Kandla port rose to 79.5 million tones, a 10.10 percent rise from the figure of 2009.

Sri Lanka is geographically situated just a few nautical miles off an important sea lane between the Suez Canal and Malacca Straits, in the Indian  Ocean. Annually an estimated 35,000 ships, including 4,500 oil tankers use this maritime route. It serves as an important port terminal in Asia due to its strategic geographic location in the Indian Ocean. Colombo Harbour is one of the busiest ports in the world, and ranks among the top 35 ports. The Colombo Port currently has three container terminals. At present, the Port of Colombo alone handles 15 per cent of transshipment cargo in the sub-continent region. South Harbour adjacent to the Port of Colombo is experiencing a harbour construction boom. This new port, once constructed will be the best transshipment cargo handling hub in the South Asia. The new harbour of  Sri Lanka known as the Magam-pura Port in the Hambantota district  is the second  largest port, after the Colombo port. This habour will service ships traveling along one of world's busiest shipping lanes. The world's fifth largest natural deep-water Harbour at Trincomalee is the third major port that will be redeveloped.

Port of Karachi and the Port Muhammad Bin Qasim are the busiest transshipment ports in Pakistan.  Annualy 25 million tons of cargo is handled at this natural deep-water port of Karachi. Port Qasim is the second busiest port in the country. It handles 35 percent  of the nation's cargo.  Chinese construction crews with hefty investments are building a sea port in two phases in Gwadar situated at the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

Chittagong and Mongla are the principal seaports in Bangladesh. It is on the Ganges delta region. The Chittagong Port, which is 9 nautical miles from the shore line of the Bay of Bengal, witnessed a tremendous growth in cargo handling accounting for 3 million tones in 2009. Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) is responsible for the management of the habour.  The two major ports are an important maritime connection to ports situated in the Bay of Bengal.

The Maldives maritime strengths and port development reflect the fact that a majority of its trade is seaborne. The Male’ Commercial Harbour is the main port in the country handling international   maritime traffic. The Male port cooperates with neighboring ports to foster business.

These Sub-continental coastline ports have transformed the region into an important transshipment hub with shipping, logistic services; refueling, refinering, bunkering, dry docking for ship repair and building facilities with tax free zones. These attractive ports are also emerging as the world's new cruise destinations. History suggests that the maritime trade had greater interaction in this region for centuries. The strong economic development in many South Asian countries has led to increasing cargo volumes, international trade and maritime connectivity with the world. These regional ports open up a host of opportunities for investors to tap into the markets of South Asia.

 

 

 ( Source : http://thediplomaticsociety.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=264)

 

 

 

Unforgettable culture of Jerusalem

Source :  Daily Mirror -Life  page C2
(http://www.dailymirror.lk)

Unforgettable culture of   Jerusalem

Monday, 09 January 2012 02:57
By Srimal Fernando

As the most populous city of Israel, Jerusalem has a vibrant cultural life crowded with a   legacy of a rich cultural past .Origin of Jerusalem is ancient and unique that it has been veiled in the mist of time.  For centuries, the city of Jerusalem, and the Holy Land itself, have been treasured in the hearts of three major religions Judaism, Islam and Christianity. The city possesses an enormous cultural richness with uncountable attractions to see and offers an unmatched experience to the travelers. The city is nestled in the Judean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Jerusalem is surrounded by valleys and dry river beds and is the home to people from many different faiths, traditions and ethnicities and is an important cultural and political centre in the Arab world.

 Most of the Jerusalem’s noteworthy historical sites are clustered in the older sector of the City. Jerusalem is dotted with hundreds of synagogues, dozens of churches and mosques having sprawling complexes with towering minarets. The Old City of Jerusalem is surrounded by a wall and divided into Jewish, Armenian, Muslim and Christian quarters. Most of the Christians in Jerusalem belong mainly to the Eastern Orthodox Churches. Jerusalem has been sacred to the Jews from time of King David. The Western Wall is a sacred place for Jews is one of the most recognizable and the best-known monuments in the city that attracts thousands of visitors and worshipers every day. Following the Muslim conquest in 638 AD the Dome of the Rock a shrine located on the Temple Mount and the famous Al Aqsa mosque known as the “Noble Sanctuary” attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. The city is renowned for its rich art and culture as well as intellectual aura of its people. However the 125 square kilometer   Jerusalem city remains one of the core issues in the Israel – Palestine conflict. With the passage of centuries, Jerusalem serve as a source of inspiration to musicians, poets and other creative spirits. Mt. Zion, is in southwest of the Old City, where Mary the mother of Jesus Christ spent her last night. At the same locality is the Room of the Last Supper, where Jesus ate his last meal. Mount Olive is in East of Jerusalem’s Old city. Mary’s tomb, the mausoleum of mother of Jesus is one of the most recognizable and the best-known monuments situated in Mount Olive. There are many exotic places-of-interest in the New City of Jerusalem. Of those the most popular are Israel Museum, the Knesset, Museum of Italian Jewish Art, Yad Vashem, Holocaust Memorial Museum, Russian Compound and the Yehuda market. The city is well-known for its wide variety of exquisite handicrafts, architectural styles, brilliant literary works and for colorful souvenirs. Since the yester years, religious-socio-cultural ceremonies held great importance among the people of the city, although Jerusalem is known primarily for its religious significance.The countries music is a blend of musical elements from a several cultures. The people of the city are known for their love for theatre, films, music and dances.