The team had flown to the venue to attend the handover ceremony of the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area in Taplejung. Of the 20 conservationists, 15 national and five foreigners have had made significant contributions to the field of conservation in Nepal.
On the fourth anniversary of the crash, The Week pays its most heartfelt tributes to all the conservation heroes whose legacy continues even after their untimely departure. [break]
They are: Binjan Acharya, Margaret Alexander, Hem Raj Bhandari, Chandra P Gurung, Harka Gurung, Jennifer Lynn Headley, Yeshi Choden Lama, Tirtha Man Maskey, Pauli Anterno Mustonen, Damodar P Parajuli, Mathew Preece, Narayan Prasad Paudel, Sharad Kumar Rai, Jillian B Schlaepfer, Mingma Norbu Sherpa, Vijaya Shrestha, Sunil Prasad Singh, and Dawa Tsering Sherpa.
The crew members were Capt. Klim Kim, Capt. Migma Sherpa, Valeriy Safronov, and Guruwar Tandul. Gopal Rai and Meena Rai were the other two casualties.
Netra Sharma (Sapkota) on Bijnan Acharya
"A true nationalist at heart, he genuinely cared about the country..."
Netra Sharma (Sapkota), AID Development Program Assistant at USAID, had worked closely with the late Dr. Acharya for some seven years. His knowledge and skills inspired Sharma greatly, and he feels immensely proud of having him as a mentor, colleague, and above all, as a friend.
Sharma fondly remembers Acharya’s cool disposition to work. “He had a very pleasant personality, was easy to work with, and that rational thinking of his I admired the most.”
Acharya received his PhD from Leiden University, The Netherlands, with his dissertation on Forest Biodiversity Assessment. A true nationalist at heart, he decided to come back to his roots. He was a key role player in USAID’s efforts to strengthen Nepal’s internationally renowned policy for community-managed forests and buffer zones through user groups, called SAGUN.
Acharya’s efforts were instrumental in ensuring the sustainable use of Nepal’s rich natural resources while promoting democratic principles and transparency.
USAID Nepal lost an honest and dedicated senior professional, and the nation’s conservation sector lost a truly committed environmentalist, said Sharma. “He might not be physically present amongst us, but his visions and ideologies act like milestones and encourage us to better with time.”
Netra Sharma (Sapkota) is the AID Development Program Assistant, Natural Resources Governance General Development Office, at USAID/Nepal. He knew Bijnan Acharya for six years.
Ghana S Gurung on Chandra P Gurung
“A charismatic leader who had the capacity to mobilize people from all walks of life.”
Ghana S Gurung’s vivid memory of Chandra P Gurung is the song he sang during field trips: “Sora barse umerama, mapani jhilke hundoho.”
One of the founders of the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), Ghana defines Chandra Gurung as “a leader who kept his team motivated.”
Working with Chandra since 1993, Ghana sees him as a “committed and passionate conservationist” who believed that the local community should be involved in conservation if it were to be a success.
Growing up in the foothills of the Annapurnas, Chandra was involved with ACAP, then King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, and served as a country representative for WWF Nepal. And according to Ghana, Chandra was very close to the core values of the Annapurna region and always stressed on participatory conservation.
Ghana said the most important lesson he learnt from Chandra is to be a good human being and a good communicator.
“He also nurtured us and let us work freely and innovatively,” Ghana said about Chandra. “He groomed and mentored us.”
And because of his mentorship and guidance, it has helped fill the void his absence has created, Ghana said, as people are giving their best to continue Chandra Gurung’s legacy.
“Once you get better, you get higher. But you should always be humble and nurture the people under you,” Ghana remembers Chandra Gurung’s words.
Ghana S Gurung is the Conservation Program Director for WWF Nepal. He first heard about Chadra Gurung in 1985 and started working with him from 1993.
Diwakar Chapagain on Tirtha Man Maskey
“He was highly committed to conservation with results. But I think recognition for people like him is lacking.”
Tirtha Man Maskey is well-known for his work in gharial conservation, strengthening anti-poaching operations, and launching the Terai-Arc Landscape (TAL) Project. But according to Diwakar Chapagain, Maskey should be known as a “committed conservationist who was always into development, expansion and conservation.”
When Chapagain met Maskey in 1988, the latter was doing his doctorate, and it was in 1993 he worked as Maskey’s assistant while he was the Director General at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC).
“He was a bold and straight-forward person,” Chapagain said of Maskey who joined the DNPWC in 1972 as a warden of the then Royal Chitwan National Park.
Chapagain also remembers Maskey as someone who was always concerned about conservation and how to involve local people in the process. He also hailed Maskey’s initiation to give 30 to 50% of revenue from national parks to the local people for community development.
Also, it was Maskey who initiated the Bardiya and Chitwan buffer zones and branched out to the Makalu Barun National Park, the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area, and the Manaslu Conservation Area Projects.
During his 33 years in the DNPWC, Maskey continued working in the field of wildlife and conservation. For that reason, for Chapagain, he was a “conservationist, inside and out.”
Diwakar Chapagain is the Manager – Wildlife Trade for WWF Nepal. He worked with Tirtha Man Maskey from 1993 to 2005.
Rajendra Dev Acharya on Hem Raj Bhandari
“Egoless, he was open to criticism and always took it constructively…”
“He was truly a character, full of energy, always friendly and cheerful. He was quick to put us at ease each time we saw him, making us feel like we have known him forever,” reads the memoriam on Hem Raj Bhandari by the Society of Ex-Budanilkantha Students (SEBS).
Quite something else is fondly recollected by Rajendra Dev Acharya, News Chief at Nepal Television (NTV): “I worked with Hem for four years. He was very enthusiastic and gregarious by nature, always the first one to break the ice.”
His honest, straightforward, hard-working and cheerful nature had endeared him to many, and he was one of the most dedicated individuals, Acharya said, that he ever came across.
Bhandari joined Nepal Television in 2004 as a news editor/reporter. He also was a regular contributor to Focus, the weekly news, views and reviews analysis program.
Acharya remembers how time constraints never applied to Bhandari; he would keep on perfecting his work until he was fully satisfied. Egoless, he would constantly seek advice and take every criticism constructively. Quite a perfectionist he was, recollected Acharya.
Always striving to try new things, he would go out of his way to help others. In his 16 months with NTV, Bhandari had carved a niche for himself as one of the most diligent and inquisitive staff. Efficient and professional, Bhandari loved doing in-depth reports on development, issues of public concerns, and environment was something closest to his heart.
Rajendra Dev Acharya is the News Chief at Nepal Television. Hem Raj Bhandari worked under him for four years.
Tashi Lama on Yeshi Choden Lama
“She was a lovely mother, and she really cared for the mountains. For her, it wasn’t just a job going there."
The last time Tashi Lama talked to Yeshi Choden Lama was a week before the crash. Tashi said she was on a trip and was supposed to fly back to Kathmandu on that helicopter.
Tashi met Yeshi Choden in the late 1980s at a store in Thamel where she worked. He remembers her as a “quiet and jolly person.” “She had a loud laughter,” Tashi said of one of Yeshi’s character.
Speaking of Yeshi’s commitments to conservation, Tashi said her feelings for conservation intensified after joining WWF. She started working at WWF Nepal from 1997 and was responsible for administering, monitoring and reporting on its mountain programs and projects.
Since she was of Tibetan background, Yeshi liked working with mountain people, Tashi said.
“Her major aim was to promote health awareness in remote places where there weren’t any facilities,” Tashi said. Yeshi Choden helped locals be aware of medicinal herbs and worked with amchis, the traditional healers in the mountains.
Tashi said Yeshi was passionate about her work and was on the move. She spent more than half of her time at work, he said.
He also said that Yeshi was a heavy reader who was into books on conservation and development.
Of his memories about her, Tashi said he recollects their time in Pokhara a few months before the crash.
“I‘ll miss the companionship, the friendship I shared with her,” he said.
Tashi Lama is Yeshi Choden Lama’s husband. They married in 1990.
Pitamber Sharma on Harka Gurung
“I define him as a Nepali patriot who tried to highlight Nepal in international arenas and made Nepal accessible to Nepalis. He helped introduce Nepalis to their own country.”
Pitamber Sharma belonged to Harka Gurung’s first batch of geography students at Tribhuvan University, circa 1967. But the teacher-student relations later developed into a friendly bond.
“Gurung Sir is my mentor, teacher,” Sharma said.
Sharma remembers Gurung as a “typical academician, a Victorian scholar who was so well-versed with Nepal.”
Born in Lamjung, Gurung was a traveler, writer, photographer, painter, footballer, sportsman, and a physical geographer. He also held key government positions as Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Minister of State for Education, Industry and Commerce, and Minister of Tourism.
“He was very disciplined and organized,” Sharma stated about his qualities, referring to how Gurung indexed his articles and books in his library. “He didn’t use computer very much,” Sharma added.
In his obituaries that Sharma wrote after Gurung’s death, he has said: “Dr Gurung will be gratefully remembered by the nation for the four themes he drew national attention to –decentralization of polity and development, the importance of tourism in development, regulation of the international borders, and the case for an inclusive state.”
“He believed that a developed Nepal could be sustainable only when the context of hill economy and Tarai economy integrated,” Sharma said.
Sharma also credited Gurung to being one of the major persons behind the Nepal Land Resource Mapping Project in 1978. For him, Gurung was a visionary, one in a million.
“Now when we need him, he’s not here. The country could’ve benefited a lot from him,” he said of Gurung.
Pitamber Sharma is the former Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) and is also the board member of Resource Himalaya Foundation, a non-profit organization engaged in research and training on environmental and development aspects. He knew Gurung since 1966.
Chandra Shrestha on Vijaya Shrestha
“A life lived for others, he was truly a selfless individual”
Born in 1967 in the small village of Fungling in Taplejung, Vijaya Shrestha was committed to the development of Taplejung. A prominent businessman by profession and a social worker by passion, Vijaya is remembered by well wishers and colleagues alike as a friend to all.
“He had his business to run, but he always made time for social works. When I went to Taplejung, I was pleasantly shocked at the way he was adulated by the locals. For them, he was no less than a hero,” said Chandra Shrestha.
An exporter of tea and local produce to India, Vijaya served as the chairman of the Taplejung Chamber of Commerce and Industries for 12 years. During his tenure, he was elected a central committee member to the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) and represented the five districts of Mechi Zone.
Combining his business acumen and avid social works, he was associated with the NGO, Vaikalpik Group, as well as the Patheghar Multiple Campus, and was an executive member of Nepal Red Cross Society, Taplejung.
“Besides his involvement in social works, he was very active in his community. He once traveled to Hong Kong to obtain financial aid for the victims of a fire accident. The whole neighborhood had burnt down, and Vijaya’s help played a major role in the resurrection of the town’s section. He was self-driven by the need to help,” said Chandra Shrestha.
Chandra Shrestha is Vijaya Shrestha’s father-in-law. He lives in Dhankuta.
K C Paudel on Damodar Prasad Parajuli
“Simple living, high thinking Damodar Prasad Parajuli epitomizes a common man’s success.”
These were the first words to come from Dr. K C Paudel, Director General, Department of Plant Resources, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, when asked to define Parajuli (right) in a nutshell. “He was one of the most dedicated professionals in the government sector I’ve ever come across, a very rare breed.”
Born in 1952 in Nalachhap, Bhaktapur, Parajuli had a keen interest in forest conservation from the start. He studied forestry at the AIFC, Dheradun, and earned his Master’s degree in forestry from the Australian National University. He did his doctorate from Kumaon University on Taxus baccata L (sub.Wallichima) for maximum biomass production, and its medicinal properties in cancer treatment.
“He was one of the most accessible individuals, always willing to lend a helping hand. I remember him coming to Godavari on Saturdays, his days off, to check on my work. I had done my thesis on Lapsi for my PhD, and his suggestions and encouragement were of great help,” recollects Paudel.
He was well respected in Australia for his body of work; and in Nepal, he received numerous awards in recognition of his commitment and efforts in forest conservation. He was awarded the Mahendra Vidhya Bhushan (Class A) in 2006, the Suprabal Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (Class III) in 1998, and Gorkha Dakshin Bahu (Class IV) in 1981.
Parajuli took keen interest in research works, especially medicinal plants, and played a major role in the development of Nepal’s policy and strategies on forestry as well as in the expansion of community forestry in Nepal. In 1995, to conserve and promote medicinal plants, he established an NGO, SAFE Concern. The organization has been conducting research on the medicinal plants of Nepal. Currently it is being managed by Parajuli’s son.
“Honest, dedicated and with great leadership qualities, his ideologies and ethics reflected in his family as well. His four daughters are all doctors, and his son is a pharmacist, who also is managing SAFE Concern. An accomplished man, he was a wonderful guardian as well. Truly a man of substance, he was an ideal role model worth emulating,” reflects a sentimental Paudel.
K C Paudel is Director General, Department of Plant Resources, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation.
Madhav Acharya on Sharad Kumar Rai
“He had a vision. He was someone who could give a new direction and change the path.”
Madhav Acharya met Sharad Kumar Rai (right) during their undergraduate days at Tri-Chandra College in Kathmandu. But it was only when they left for Dehradun, India, for further study that they became the best of friends.
Talking about college days, Acharya said Rai was really up-to-date with the latest songs, books and world affairs. “He introduced me to English novels. And his favorite magazine was Newsweek,” Acharya said.
Acharya also said that it was in Dehradun where they both developed a fascination for nature. “He was more inclined to urban greenery and it was his favorite subject,” he said.
Rai started his career as an Assistant Forest Officer in Surkhet in 1977 and was also appointed Planning Officer/Forest Management Officer/Community Forest Officer in the Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation.
Remembering Rai’s works in the Ministry, Acharya said he was more centered on improving the management aspects. “Until now, there hasn’t been any forest management,” said Acharya.
“Compared to others, he had very prompt decision-making skills,” Acharya said of Rai who also served as Director-General, Department of Forests. “In the bureaucracy, there are very few people like him.”
Acharya describes his friend as a “simple, near-perfect person who never got angry.”
After the crash, he said there has been a void since there are very few people who can make good decisions and there is no management. Since he had the capacity to convince the upper levels, and were he here, things could’ve changed, Acharya said.
“In the long run, had he been living, in terms of forestry management and conservation, we would’ve gone far ahead and gained a lot. There would’ve been substantial difference at the policy level.”
Madhav Acharya is the current Director-General of the Department of Forests.
Hum B Gurung on Mingma Norbu Sherpa
“He was someone who could make right decisions at the right time."
Hum B Gurung met Mingma Norbu Sherpa in 1985 when Sherpa came as a team leader to do feasibility study on the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP). Following that, Gurung worked with him in ACAP’s Ghandruk project where he was introduced to conservation.
“He was a mentor,” Gurung said. “That’s where he really gave us the direction for the latest thinking of conservation movement.”
Gurung remembers Sherpa as a soft-spoken man with leadership qualities, and without him ACAP would not have been the project it is today. He said Mingma knew that “local people had to be engaged in the conservation process so that it creates [a sense of] commitment.”
Sherpa was the first one from the Sherpa nation to hold the position of Chief Warden at the Sagarmatha National Park. He also served as the first director of the Himalayan Program for WWF Nepal and Bhutan and started the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee to manage the garbage left by trekkers.
“One of his qualities that inspired us was his commitment to work for the community. He taught us how to work, and talk to people.”
And one of the most interesting qualities that Gurung recalls about Sherpa is his “Western-style of working.”
“When we had nothing to do, he just sent us out to the villages to talk to people, interact and be involved in some ways.”
Hum B Gurung is the CEO of Bird Conservation Nepal. He first met Mingma Norbu Sherpa in 1985 and since then worked closely until the crash.
Lekh Bahadur Gurung on Gopal and Meena Rai
“Gopal was a charismatic leader.”
Lekh Bahadur Gurung remembers Gopal Rai as a man with a mission. For Gurung, Gopal was a person who entered politics with the aim to bring social change.
Growing up in Okhaldhunga and influenced by his uncle, the recently deceased Bal Bahadur Rai, a senior Nepali Congress leader, he entered politics during his college days.
“He was strict but also a polite and cooperative man.”
Gopal’s political career started in 1970 as a founding member of the Nepal Students Union, the student wing of Nepali Congress, in Okhaldhunga. In 1994, he was elected as a Member of Parliament. He also served as Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management, and Minister of State for Finance and Forest and Soil Conservation.
Gurung said that Rai also participated in the famous political campaign known as “Timurbote Kanda” (the Timbur Tree Incident), in 2031 BS (1974/75) during the Panchayat regime.
Gopal married Meena in 1980, and Gurung describes the couple as having “a good relationship.”
“Back at Udaypur [Meena’s family hometown], the couple gardened different kinds of plants, which their family [four daughters and a son] has given continuity to the present,” Gurung said.
Lekh Bahadur Gurung is Gopal Rai’s borther-in-law. He is also a social activist and a founder member of Suva Laxmi English Boarding School in Okhaldhunga.
Dilip Singh on Sunil Prasad Singh
“Man of simple principles.”
Born in Hatiaula, a rural village in Sarlahi, Sunil Singh is described by his childhood friend Dilip Singh as a quiet, down to earth individual who was fully dedicated to his vocation.
“I knew him from class six. We did our college together and even applied for jobs together. In fact, we were appointed to Nepal Television on the same day. The years I spent with him are full of fond memories,” said Singh, who currently works as a studio technician at NTV.
His determination and dedication to work was truly commendable. Though he came from a relatively poor family background, the fact that he overcame all adversities to become a prominent journalist at NTV speaks volumes.
The teams of the late Hem Raj Bhandari and Singh complimented each other. Rajendra Dev Acharya, News Chief at NTV, remembers Singh as a man of simple principles. One of the smoothest cameramen, his journalistic approach to work was a great help, Acharya reflects
“The news of losing two of my best staff members and my cousin Bijnan Acharya was very shocking to me. I was disturbed for days: A loss too great to measure in words.”
Dilip Singh is the childhood friend of Sunil Singh’s. He knew him for 24 years. Singh worked under Rajendra Dev Acharya, News Chief at NTV, for 12 years.
Shyam Bajimaya on Narayan Prasad Paudel
“With exceptional leadership quality, he truly believed in what he did.”
Shyam Sundar Bajimaya first met Narayan Prasad Paudel in 1975 when he attended the Indian Forest College in Dehradun. They had both gone for diploma in forestry under a Colombo Plan Scholarship.
Bajimaya reminisces, “We went to the same college. Back in Nepal, we got appointed to jobs on the same day, and even our promotion ran parallel.”
In 1987, Paudel was appointed a permanent staff member of the Department of Soil Conservation, and in 1988, he was actively involved in community forest conservation initiatives in Nepalgunj, Baitadi, Sindhuli, and Kavre districts.
With an MA in Mythologist Management from the University of Michigan, Paudel played a critical role in making the Makalu-Barun National Park and Conservation Area a reality. He was also working to upgrade the Sagarmatha National Park management system through a participatory planning process.
Having been involved in the conservation filed for over 30 years, Paudel was just recently promoted to Director-General at DNPWC.
One of Paudel’s strong points, according to Bajimaya, was his ability to immediately establish rapport with everyone he met. According to his subordinates and colleagues alike, he was a calm, friendly and polite individual who had exceptional leadership capability, which was invaluable for the DNPWC.
Shyam Bajimaya is the former Director General, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and knew Narayan Prasad Paudel for 31 years.
Ang Phuri Sherpa on Dawa Tsering
“A true conservationist at heart, Khardar Dawa was truly exceptional.”
Looking at him physically, one could not miss Dawa Tsering’s (left) army background and his strict demeanor, which manifested when situations required. A hardliner when it came to conservation, he is credited for laying the foundations of the handover of the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area Project.
“He was truly dedicated to the cause and played a vital role in the conservation of biodiversity in KCA. His efforts and contributions were commendable, and WWF Nepal awarded him with the Abraham Conservation Award,” said Ang Phuri Sherpa, National Coordinator, Critical Ecosystem Fund Partnership, WWF Nepal.
Dawa Tsering was born in 1949 in the small village of Lingbung in Lelep. Orphaned at a very tender age, he was raised by his grandfather. But destiny would have him return to the region where he would lead a major conservation effort in the eastern Himalaya.
“His professionalism, the care he took in his work, and his ethics were of the highest order,” said Sherpa. In 2003, Dawa was unanimously appointed to the post of Chairman of the Kanchanjunga Conservation Area Management Council.
A competent leader, he managed to resolve the political wrangling in the KCA. It was under his guidance the KCA was given the management responsibility by the government.
Ang Phuri Sherpa is the National Coordinator for Critical Ecosystem Fund Partnership in WWF Nepal.
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