Pilot turned politician for giving wings to his dreams For a resident of Manang, becoming a pilot is a dream made of a different stuff. Although Manang had an airport there was no air service, and people had to walk for days to reach the district headquarters. Maney Ankhey was one ordinary Manange with an uncommon dream. He always thought that if there were a regular air service in district, the people could get some relief from their difficult life. It was no wonder that he sent his son Tripple Gurung, now 44, to a flying school in Australia. When Tripple returned to Nepal 18 years ago as a pilot, he started to fly Yeti Airways and later became a pilot with the Kingfisher Airlines. Yet, Tripple never lost sight of his true home, Manang. In the last 10 years, he has worked to promote tourism, health, education, apple production, electricity and transport in the district. “I fulfilled my father’s dream somewhat by becoming a pilot,” Tripple says. “But after 13 and a half years of flying planes in Nepal and India, I felt like doing something more for Manang. That’s why I left flying profession and have devoted myself completely to Manang.” Now he is contesting the CA election as a candidate from RPP. In his leadership, the Manang Youth Society first started Destination Manang programme in 2004. The event was organised again in 2007 and 2010. When a motorable road reached Manang, it eased people’s difficulties. However, the district’s charm as a trekking destination suffered. In order to maintain tourist flow in Manang, Tripple worked tirelessly to identify an alternative trekking route, the map of which was published. Now he is involved in building necessary infrastructures in the route and promote different homestay circuits. Because of Manang’s remoteness, the decade-long conflict didn’t really affect Manang, but the district always remained marginalised. If elected to the CA, he plans to integrate Manang in the national mainstream. Tripple wants to see more women in the CA and is running along with Eten Gurung as a partner in RPP’s PR list. He also has other dreams like making Manang a Go-Green destination, making a peace sculpture garden in Nar and Phu villages, building a link to Tibet and generating employment. All these dreams would sound farfetched if uttered by any other person, but for a person with Tripple’s track record, they’re achievable goals.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 03:45:02 +0000
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