BRIKCHA ROPAN (TREE PLANTATION)
The Nepali phrase "Hariyo Ban; Nepalko Dhan" (translation: "Green Forests; Nepal's Riches") used to be quite popular in the 1980's. We do not hear it anymore, and there is a reason for it. Deforestation is a serious problem in Nepal, whether it be in the name of development, business, timber smuggling, or plain ignorance, to name a few. According to Wikipedia, Nepal lost 25% of its forests between 1990 and 2005, the duration of the Maoist insurgency which almost threw the country into civil war. Although experts may disagree, various studies estimate that only 30% of Nepal's forests remain, and the rate of deforestation has not slowed down.
Deforestation affects not only the water table of the region, but also water cycles, related to weather. In the case of loss of life due to flooding, deforestation dominates the news as the culprit. Although climate change continues to be a very debatable topic, and skeptics on both sides disagree with each other using dramatic reporting, unproved assumptions and alarmist recommendations, while blaming each other, regardless of what the emotional impressions may be, planting a tree in these circumstances sums up to be a positive action.
HISTORY
The Hoste Hainse Brikcha Ropan program started informally in 2017 when Hoste Hainse Volunteer Executive Director, Krishna Shah, wanted to plant some trees on his newly purchased land in Dukuchhap (DC), 12 kilometers out from the southern tip of Ring Road in Kathmandu. After 18 years of living in the U.S., he was not excited to see what a concrete jungle Kathmandu had become. 100-year old trees within the city had been chopped down for road expansion, and practically every little roadside square foot was covered with cement to be rented out. There was virtually no more greenery left within the city. DC, a village with a population of about 3000, on the outskirts of the valley, was a move out of the concrete jungle of Kathmandu.
Toward the end of 2015, immediately after DC land was purchased, dozens of trees were felled overnight by local villagers. Krishna was able to stop felling half-way through, but a lot of damage was already done. "Gau ko Challan" (translation: the ways of the village) apparently was that once land is sold, the seller has the right to chop down his/her trees and use them for firewood. When Krishna confronted the villagers, the reply he got was, "tapai lai jagga po becheko ni; rukh becheko ta hoina ni" (translation: We sold you our land, but not our trees). As perplexing as this may sound, this was and still is the reality of village-living in Nepal. After numerous discussions, Krishna was able to convince the villagers not to chop down any more trees on the hill and quickly began repairing the damage done to the foliage through the annual tree planting event.
2020/04/26 4TH ANNUAL HOSTE HAINSE BRIKCHA ROPAN/TREE PLANTATION @ DUKUCHHAP (DC)
The 4th Annual Hoste Hainse Brikcha Ropan (Tree Plantation) was held on Sunday, April 26, 2020, in a small ceremony because of imposed lockdown restrictions due to the Coronavirus COVID-19 global pandemic. One tree was symbolically planted at Hoste Hainse Advisor, Rishi Shah's, residence in Jawalakhel coinciding with his 73rd birthday. The rest of the 99 trees were planted slowly during the lockdown at Dukuchhap (DC).
2019/04/27 3RD ANNUAL HOSTE HAINSE BRIKCHA ROPAN/TREE PLANTATION @ DUKUCHHAP (DC)
On April 27, 2019, Saturday, the third annual Hoste Hainse Brikcha Ropan took place. As always, coinciding with Hoste Hainse Advisor, Rishi Shah's, birthday (72nd), 100 more trees were planted.
2018/04/29 2ND ANNUAL HOSTE HAINSE BRIKCHA ROPAN/TREE PLANTATION @ DUKUCHHAP (DC)
On April 29, 2018, Sunday, the second annual Hoste Hainse Brikcha Ropan was held. Again, coinciding with Hoste Hainse Advisor, Rishi Shah's, birthday (71st), 100 more trees were planted. The event was organized in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Patan West, which Krishna Shah is a member of.
2017/04/29 1ST ANNUAL HOSTE HAINSE BRIKCHA ROPAN/TREE PLANTATION @ DUKUCHHAP (DC)
On April 29, 2017, Saturday, the first Brikcha Ropan occurred. Coinciding with Hoste Hainse Advisor, Rishi Shah's, 70th birthday, 100 trees were planted. Since it was the first time, a lot of trial-and-error was involved. A year later, we were proud to announce that of the 100 trees planted, 98 had survived the first year (the two saplings that did not make it were replaced). Due to this success, we decided to plant 100 trees every year.
