Journey of Karna Sakya from Forest to KGH
This article was appeared in Nepal Travel Trade Reporter in 2004
Just imagine, for a while, Nepal's tourism without Thamel. Or Thamel without Kathmandu Guest House(KGH). The man who brought isolated criss-cross roads of Thamel into the world tourism map, our very own Christopher Columbus Karna Sakya turned sixty on March 30. Without conceal the fact, I must say Karna Sakya is sole responsible for changing the face of Thamel from unknown and unsafe tole to a tourist's paradise. And, it would not be too much to say that the late Ganesh Man Singh, most adorable leader of Nepali Congress whose house is located in one of the turnings of Thamel once said that it was Karna Sakya who made him millionaires as the real estate value of Thamel soared up after tourism hub shifted from Freak Street to Thamel.
Trained as Forester in India and abroad, worked for sometime in the Forestry Department in late sixties, Karna Sakya is basically a conservationist by heart. When he was being congratulation for Suprabal Gorkah Dakshin Bahu, he said he would be more happy if he received it for conservation instead of tourism. But his entrepreneur's skill took over his conservationist's spirit after he resigned from his job from the Forestry Department in 1972 and started operating 13-roomed KGH in an old Rana Palace bought by his father.
Karna Sakya is a multi-faceted personality- a caring father, loving husband, romantic individual, innovative entrepreneur, devoted conservationist, talented writer and die-hard social worker. And, all these characteristics unveil when you start to get to know him well; that's Karna Dai rather than Karna Sakya. One of his books that I read thoroughly is "Encounter Wildlife in Nepal", a testimony of his search for Pigmy Hug and his life as a Forest Officer. In a short sojour to Pokhara and Chitwan with Karna Dai and Shanker Prasad Koiral, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in 1998, I teasingly reminded him of a character of the book he describes so vividly in the book. Coming back to Kathmandu, he presented me the same book with an autograph, "There are more interesting thing to read than Jungali episode." His other books Dolpo The Hidden Paradise, Tales of Kathmandu and Look Down Not Up are noteworthy in terms of his quest for conservation and Nepal's hidden wealth. He also edited Preservation Pays, dedicated to conservation and preservation. He played an instrumental role in establishing Royal Chitwan National Park. He is very much loved by Tharus of Chitwan who helped him preserving the forest of erstwhile royal hunting ground during his tenure as Forest Office.
The Visit Nepal 1998 was not a flagship for Karna Dai to introduce himself as a tourism professional. Rather this campaign was targeted to bring more tourists to Nepal, not to his KGH which usually gets full even in a lean period. During the campaign of Visit Nepal 1998, he inspired people to look forward and invest in tourism. Data shows that industrial loan taken by tourism sector rose from 20.03 percent in 1996/97 to 40.41percent in 1997/98 which resulted the opening of more than 100 hotels within this fiscal year. Similarly, revenue generated from tourism industry soared from US$ 115904 in 1997 to US$ 168100 in 1999.
Outspoken as he is, Karna Dai has sometimes been a subject of criticism for being harsh, stubborn communal and captive mind. But that criticism never deters him to think innovative ideas. Moved by the untimely demise of his wife and daughter by cancer, he mobilised public opinion against cancer in such a way that then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala announced the levy of one paise tax on sale of every cigarette which ultimately helped to open BP Memorial Cancer Hospital at Bharatpur. Sushila Cancer Hospice at Bharatpur is being operated by him in memoriam of his late wife. He even directed and produced a teleserial called Amritanjali to create awareness on cancer.
The saddest moments of Karna Dai could be three or four but the one he narrated so dearly to me was the dying stage of his wife in the hospital of Thailand. He recalled that moment so vividly and lucidly that he was virtually in tears. "When asked about her last wish, she said in mellow that her last wish was to serve food to all her family prepared by herself," Karna said in low voice. "Hearing her last wish we all went out of the room weeping." Here I saw the softness of Karna Dai hidden deep inside his heart.
Karna Dai is always full of ideas and zeal to implement them. Once his elder son and a good friend of mine Sunil Sakya told me that he would be happy if he could retain one forth of his dad's energy and jest. Recognising his contribution in conservation, he was appointed as Trustee of King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. He held the post of President for Nepal Heritage Society and Nepal Cancer Relief Society. Apart from being the President, Sakya Corporate Holding & KGH Group of Hotels and Resorts, Karna Dai is the executive member of six other organisations.
Karna Dai's KGH is a home to many celebrities including Ricky Martin, just recently. A befitting tribute to Karna Dai on his sixtieth birthday would be: Many people are destined for the dustbins of history. Karna Sakya takes his place in the annals of history.
Just imagine, for a while, Nepal's tourism without Thamel. Or Thamel without Kathmandu Guest House(KGH). The man who brought isolated criss-cross roads of Thamel into the world tourism map, our very own Christopher Columbus Karna Sakya turned sixty on March 30. Without conceal the fact, I must say Karna Sakya is sole responsible for changing the face of Thamel from unknown and unsafe tole to a tourist's paradise. And, it would not be too much to say that the late Ganesh Man Singh, most adorable leader of Nepali Congress whose house is located in one of the turnings of Thamel once said that it was Karna Sakya who made him millionaires as the real estate value of Thamel soared up after tourism hub shifted from Freak Street to Thamel.
Trained as Forester in India and abroad, worked for sometime in the Forestry Department in late sixties, Karna Sakya is basically a conservationist by heart. When he was being congratulation for Suprabal Gorkah Dakshin Bahu, he said he would be more happy if he received it for conservation instead of tourism. But his entrepreneur's skill took over his conservationist's spirit after he resigned from his job from the Forestry Department in 1972 and started operating 13-roomed KGH in an old Rana Palace bought by his father.
Karna Sakya is a multi-faceted personality- a caring father, loving husband, romantic individual, innovative entrepreneur, devoted conservationist, talented writer and die-hard social worker. And, all these characteristics unveil when you start to get to know him well; that's Karna Dai rather than Karna Sakya. One of his books that I read thoroughly is "Encounter Wildlife in Nepal", a testimony of his search for Pigmy Hug and his life as a Forest Officer. In a short sojour to Pokhara and Chitwan with Karna Dai and Shanker Prasad Koiral, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tourism in 1998, I teasingly reminded him of a character of the book he describes so vividly in the book. Coming back to Kathmandu, he presented me the same book with an autograph, "There are more interesting thing to read than Jungali episode." His other books Dolpo The Hidden Paradise, Tales of Kathmandu and Look Down Not Up are noteworthy in terms of his quest for conservation and Nepal's hidden wealth. He also edited Preservation Pays, dedicated to conservation and preservation. He played an instrumental role in establishing Royal Chitwan National Park. He is very much loved by Tharus of Chitwan who helped him preserving the forest of erstwhile royal hunting ground during his tenure as Forest Office.
The Visit Nepal 1998 was not a flagship for Karna Dai to introduce himself as a tourism professional. Rather this campaign was targeted to bring more tourists to Nepal, not to his KGH which usually gets full even in a lean period. During the campaign of Visit Nepal 1998, he inspired people to look forward and invest in tourism. Data shows that industrial loan taken by tourism sector rose from 20.03 percent in 1996/97 to 40.41percent in 1997/98 which resulted the opening of more than 100 hotels within this fiscal year. Similarly, revenue generated from tourism industry soared from US$ 115904 in 1997 to US$ 168100 in 1999.
Outspoken as he is, Karna Dai has sometimes been a subject of criticism for being harsh, stubborn communal and captive mind. But that criticism never deters him to think innovative ideas. Moved by the untimely demise of his wife and daughter by cancer, he mobilised public opinion against cancer in such a way that then Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala announced the levy of one paise tax on sale of every cigarette which ultimately helped to open BP Memorial Cancer Hospital at Bharatpur. Sushila Cancer Hospice at Bharatpur is being operated by him in memoriam of his late wife. He even directed and produced a teleserial called Amritanjali to create awareness on cancer.
The saddest moments of Karna Dai could be three or four but the one he narrated so dearly to me was the dying stage of his wife in the hospital of Thailand. He recalled that moment so vividly and lucidly that he was virtually in tears. "When asked about her last wish, she said in mellow that her last wish was to serve food to all her family prepared by herself," Karna said in low voice. "Hearing her last wish we all went out of the room weeping." Here I saw the softness of Karna Dai hidden deep inside his heart.
Karna Dai is always full of ideas and zeal to implement them. Once his elder son and a good friend of mine Sunil Sakya told me that he would be happy if he could retain one forth of his dad's energy and jest. Recognising his contribution in conservation, he was appointed as Trustee of King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. He held the post of President for Nepal Heritage Society and Nepal Cancer Relief Society. Apart from being the President, Sakya Corporate Holding & KGH Group of Hotels and Resorts, Karna Dai is the executive member of six other organisations.
Karna Dai's KGH is a home to many celebrities including Ricky Martin, just recently. A befitting tribute to Karna Dai on his sixtieth birthday would be: Many people are destined for the dustbins of history. Karna Sakya takes his place in the annals of history.
posted by Sarad @ 6:30 AM
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