KATHMANDU, Oct 2: The Nepal Academy Hall at Kamaladi now has a monument of dandelion standing in its garden. At a ceremony held at the said venue on September 29, the monument was unveiled by the chief guest Minister of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Kripasur Sherpa; Russian ambassador to Nepal Dr Sergey Vasilievich Velichkin; Chancellor of Nepal Academy Ganga Prasad Upreti, and Professor Gregory Pototsky, initiator of the dandelion campaign.
Professor Pototsky, sculptor of the dandelion monument, is the president of the Academy of Kindness International – a nonprofit organization dedicated to promote peace and friendship worldwide. The organization has been erecting such monuments since 2007 with the aim of spreading kindness.
The dandelion monument is a representation of the most common herb that can be found all around the globe- dandelion. Just like the fast spreading nature of the plant, the monument is meant to show the invisible rays of kindness that connects all in a network of friendship and understanding.
After the unveiling ceremony, Prof Pototsky said, "Each country should have a kindness day and celebrate it every year. Today, the world is full of contradictions which lead to conflicts. The only exit from this evil is to solve them through kindness. Because only kindness and gratitude can save the world."
The dandelion monument has been erected in various other parts of the world like Austria, France, China, and Malaysia, among others.