Paush - National Upliftment Monthly

Cover News
Year : 1, Issue : 4 National Upliftment Monthly 9
especially in the present turmoil
political situation.
In 1982, some twenty-two years
ago, I had an opportunity to present
a paper on heritage conservation and
sustainable tourism in a colloquium of
the Heritage of Asia and Pacific Island
HAPI in Hawaii organized by East West
Center. As a Nepalese, I was so proud
to mention that the future of tourism
is secured in the peaceful country
like Nepal where the most beautiful
woman can walk in middle of night
without being hassled. Honestly, I had
never anticipated that the situation
of this country would get so worst in
such a short time. How an unstable
politics can turn a heaven into a hell,
this is a classic example to witness.
Peace has become a most
sought-after issue in Nepal. It is now
easier said than done phenomenon.
At this critical juncture, when
Lumbini Development Trust asked
me to present a paper on developing
Lumbini as World Peace City, I was
little perturbed. First I thought the
subject was too challenging, and
secondly and more importantly, I
could not just conceive the idea of
making a tranquil sacred garden of
Lumbini a metropolis. How could it
be possible to transform primitive
surrounding villages of Lumbini
into a sophisticated urban area?
When I read the report by Dr.
Young Hoon Kwaak and Dr. Abelardo
Brenes, commissioned by UNDP, it
was like an eye opening. The vision
of the World Peace City mentioned
in the UNDP report was absolutely
fascinating. After reading the
report, I am not hesitating to say
that if Kenjo Tange’s master plan is
an architectural masterpiece, the
report of Dr.Kwaak and Dr.Brenes
is a philosophical masterpiece of
planning and development for the
future of Lumbini. Actually today in
this conference, I could have simply
reread the report of Dr. Kwaak and
Dr. Brenes as it so relevant to this
occasion. However, with a note of
high appreciation for it, I would like
to express my view and vision in a
Nepalese perceptive and from the
Nepalese Eyes.
On this occasion, I don’t want
to deal on development and
management aspect of Lumbini
project. I shall briefly touch upon
the organization issue only to the
extent that is necessary for my paper
especially in focusing Lumbini as a
World Peace City. Before I present my
paper, let me honestly confess that I
am not a Buddhist scholar nor am I
a political or religious leader, nor am
I a conflict manager, nor a qualified
urban architect. I am just a student of
heritage conservation.
Fourteen years ago after the
dawn of multi party democracy
when the then Vice-chairman of
the Lumbini Development Trust late
Mr. Surya Bahadur Shakya and the
member secretary Prof. Asha Ram
Shakya nominated me as one of the
trustee of the Trust, I humbly asked
them whether he had chosen me
because I was also a Sakya, When
they explained to me that my name
was proposed because I was the
Chairman of Nepal Heritage Society,
and on that rationale I accepted the
offer. This is how I got involved in
Lumbini. My interests in Lumbini are
related to its history, archeology and
heritage conservation. And to my
mind, these are the finest dimensions
of heritages that are the facts of
Lumbini.
Peace movement –
Peace has become a rare
commodity in the present world. The
whole world is craving for turning
their beloved homeland and habitat
into a Peace Zone. The Zone of Peace
provides models to put peace into
practice. The modern concept of
peace zone dates back to 1971 when
the United Nation began declaring
the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean
and other regions as zones of peace.
These efforts generally went in vain
due to cold war politics. In 1987, as
civil wars in several Central American
countries were winding down, the
Central America declared a Zone of
Peace.
In the present world, various
countries are being torn apart by all
kinds of internal, external and crossboarder
conflicts. To address the
catch 22 situation of conflicts, the
whole humanitarian society is fighting
its tooth and nail. In early nineties,
a non-governmental organization
called Zone of Peace International
Foundation ZOPIF was established
in Washington DC in America with
an objective of promoting Zone of
Peace in a local and regional level.
This organization has approached
the United Nation to create a new
International Convention on the basis
of which every nation and country
that wishes could and may declare
its own sacred sites, special places
of worship and pilgrimages as well as
historic and cultural importance as
International Zones of Peace.
In 1991, UNESCO instituted
a Culture of Peace Program and
launched pilot peace programs
in various countries including El
Salvador. With the same sprit, six
hundred three Mayors from 108
countries have formed a Mayor for
Peace Association. It has played
a vital role in leading Peace City
movement. In 2002 Christchurch City
Councilors voted in favor of declaring
Christchurch a Peace City. In Papua,
the zone of peace movement went
so strong that despite the central
government approval, the local
community declared a Zone of Peace
on December 2002. The Papuans
made two fundamental decisions
namely to declare Papua as a zone
of peace and to claim December 1st.
as the Papuan Day of Peace. The last
straw of the modern conflict-torn
society lies in hope that rest in the
zone of peace movement.
In mid seventies, a proposal of
declaring Nepal as a Zone of Peace
was presented in the United Nation by
the late His Majesty the King Birendra.
In the context of Nepal and South
Asia, it was an extremely far-sighting
approach, More than 120 countries
endorsed it but unfortunately because
of some geo-political hegemony, the
Nepalese effort declaring Nepal as
Zone of Peace could not materialize.
Now at this crossroad of national and
international conflict, the endeavor
of developing Lumbini a World Peace
City has become once again a fresh
and perfect beginning.
Historical background-
More than twenty five hundred
years ago, Goutam Buddha was born