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You might know Gokarna Forest Resort as a beautiful 100-room hotel situated within a forest and having its own golf course. Somewhere at the end of a dusty road, passing Boudha Stupa on the way. What you might not know is the Gokarna Protected Forest has been preserved as a kings’ hunting ground for around 500 years. Still home to monkeys and deer, the forest has ancient trees which go back even further than that. Some of these trees appeared (as on location around ancient Lumbini) in Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1994 film Little Buddha, with scenes of Siddhartha’s childhood. And it’s this forest that has always been the appeal for guests, even before there was a resort.

The 6,755 yard par 72 golf course, designed by Gleneagles Golf Developments, Scotland (noteworthy!) was officially opened in 1999. Long before there was a hotel, golfers were attracted to this international standard course.

I first visited Gokarna in 2002 when Jazzmandu held an event in what is now the main courtyard, in those days a grassy area between the trees and the half constructed hotel. Accommodation at that time was provided in what they now term ‘the cottages’ but is actually a two storey building situated a little away from today’s main hotel. Next to it was the Hunters Lodge, once an actual lodge for hunters, but in those early days, the hotel reception and restaurant. Next came the fabulous swimming pool and spa in 2003. Followed by the opening of the main wing of the hotel in 2005.

I know these things, not because I have a great memory, but because while visiting the resort recently I realized there were only two or three familiar faces left. One being Deepak Acharya, Gokarna’s golf pro. He has been overseeing the running of the golf club since its conception and remains one of Nepal’s foremost golfers. And has the memory of an elephant! He went on to explain to me that the current owner, Yeti World Nepal, (aka Yeti Airlines) only took over the lease of the resort in 2010.

Another ‘old timer’ of 20 years, Janak Ghimire, Outlet Manager, and I sat overlooking the golf course to reminisce about the time before Yeti owned the property. I had completely forgotten the hotel was once part of the Le Meridien Group. But I do remember when it was part of the Starwood Group as I was the ‘secret guest’ then. By complete chance I was asked to become someone who would appear to be just another guest to the staff but who in fact was reporting back on their efficiency, friendliness, and making recommendations as to what could be improved in the facilities and service. That was a job I loved! Meantime, Ghimire was always a friendly face, based mainly in the Golf Club, my favorite location then, and now.

Over time there has been many changes at Gokarna. The 2015 earthquake took the Hunters Lodge; the hotel grew from its original 16 to 100 rooms, losing some of its feeling of a getaway resort, and sadly, the grass in the main courtyard has been replaced with paving stones, and access to those ‘famous’ trees has been somewhat blocked off. But many things remain constant. The swimming pool and spa is still an oasis (never busy during the week); the forest, deer, and extremely cheeky monkeys remain the same. Having a whole, untouched piece of chocolate cake swiped by an agile primate is a reality!

For those looking for a short break not far from the city, or for those who enjoy golf, Gokarna cannot be recommended highly enough. Yes, it has become more service oriented and less ‘rustic’ over the years, but there are still a few smiling faces like those of Janak Ghimire and Deepak Acharya to remind you of simpler times.

The Embassy of Japan and Japan Founda­tion, in cooperation with the Japanese Language Teachers’ Association Nepal ( JALTAN), are organizing a Japanese Film Festival in Pokhara and Kathmandu this March. The festival will be held at the Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industries premises on March 15-16. In Kath­mandu, the movies will be shown at the Tribhuvan Army officer’s Club, Tundikhel on March 22-23.

“It is hoped that the film fes­tival will contribute to greater understanding of Japanese culture among the Nepali people, and in turn lead to the continued expansion of our ever-friendly and coop­erative relations,” a press release from the Embassy of Japan reads.

Nine Japanese films includ­ing animated movies with English subtitles will be screened. Among the notable movies being screened are ‘Survival Family’, ‘Ninja Kids’, ‘Pop in Q’ and ‘Hana no Ato’.

Entry in Pokhara is open to all for free on first-come-first-serve basis, while entry passes are mandatory for Kathmandu shows, which are available for free at the Embassy of Japan, Panipokhari and the JALTAN Office, Bishwo Bhasa Campus, Exhibition Road, also on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Dockyard Restaurant at New Baneshwor is conve­niently located inside the PC Complex (50 meters towards the Everest Hotel from the New Banesh­wor bus stand). A multi-cuisine restaurant, Dockyard offers a variety of sea food, something difficult to find in the area.

The warm lighting and cozy ambience provides cus­tomers a relief from the busy and bustling New Baneswor. Dockyard has exquisitely lavish interiors with a variety of seating options and is available for group parties and private events as well. The full-fledged bar is packed with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks while the coffee section is also fully equipped.

Open from breakfast time till dinner time, Dockyard is the perfect place for singles, dating couples, corporate lunches, family dinner parties and social gatherings.

 THE MENU

Chef’s Special:

- Honey Glazed Chicken

- Grilled Tiger Prawns

- Grilled Fish with Mashed Potatoes

Opening hours: 8 am-9:30 pm

Location: New Baneshwor

Cards: Accepted

Meal for 2: Rs 2200

Reservations: 9849093538

The Children’s Act 2018 is unique: it has made Nepal the first South Asian coun­try to criminalize corporal punishment against children. Sec­tion 66 (d) of the Act criminaliz­es physical and mental torture or degrading treatment of chil­dren at home, at school or at any other place. The Act lists 18 acts as ‘violence’ and 11 acts as ‘sexu­al offense’ against children. Those guilty of the aforementioned crimes will be slapped with a fine not exceeding Rs. 50,000 and jail-time of up to a year.

Anybody can lodge a complaint against guardians, teachers, parents or persons committing or planning violence or a sex offense against chil­dren. “After a complaint is lodged, the related authority conducts an investigation. Depending on the result of the investigation, a case can be filed in the children court of the respective District Court,” explains Rewat Prasad Kharel, an advocate and professor of anthropology. “As per court orders, the victim can then be compensated and the guilty party penalized.”

Corporal punishment is still thought of as an effective way of enforcing discipline in many families and even in teaching circles of Nepal. “A majority of the parents who use or support cor­poral punishment think of it as a trivial matter whereby they do no more than show their discontent or disapproval,” says Bijaya Bijuk­achhe, a psychologist and psycho­therapist. “But for the children it goes much deeper.”

She says many parents use corporal punishment as they were themselves at the receiving end of it during their childhood. “But one has to keep in mind that children are unaware of this and may interpret corporal punishment as stemming from a lack of love.”

Bringing them in line

Still, the notion that fear of physical or mental punishment can help guide the children on the right path is ingrained in the minds of many parents and teachers. “You have to punish your child,” says Parbati Thapa, 25, who grew up in a family where corporal pun­ishment was the norm. “I do not condone anything extreme but a slap here and there is necessary. What else can you do with an undis­ciplined child?”

Bijukachhe answers Thapa’s question by suggesting alterna­tive forms of punishment. “You can discipline a child without harming him or her physically or emotionally. Alternative forms of punishment include time-outs and taking away privileges. Let them know about the punishment beforehand so that they are aware of the consequences.”

Make rules and make sure they are followed, Bijukachhe adds. For instance, if you child has homework to do and wants to play instead, do not let him or her play without completing the homework. Instead of causing pain for breaching rules, direct them to follow the rules. “But most importantly,” she stresses, “know that every child is different and reacts differently to each kind of punishment.”

But many parents are still uncon­vinced. “They say spanking is bad but what do I do if all else fails? Their behavior at times compels you to raise a hand and it usually works,” says Kumari Gurung, 37, a mother of a teenage boy.

Interestingly, to justify capital punishment, Pooja (who declined to give her last name), a primary school teacher in Janakpur, cites Chanakya Neeti. “It is said that children under the age of five need love and endearment, for the next five years they need discipline and control and, finally, for the five years following that, they need a mixture of both.” Seen this way, enforcement of discipline is essential to building a child’s character, she adds.

 A law curbing corporal punishment where slaps and spanks have been an integral part of raising children was bound to be contentious

Lasting effects

Yet things are not so straight­forward. According to research­ers at the University of Toronto, children in schools that use corporal punishment perform significantly worse in tasks involving “executive functioning”—psycho­logical processes such as planning, abstract thinking, and delaying gratification—compared to those studying in schools relying on mild­er disciplinary measures such as time-outs. Those who get corporal punishment when they are children may also develop mental health issues later.

Psychologist Bijukachhe says chil­dren tend to hold on to the bitter experiences, which may find release later in their lives. Problems like aggressive parenting, low self-es­teem, anxiety disorder, and per­sonality disorders are all associated with physical abuse during child­hood. “I have adult clients who have what you may consider successful careers. But with a history of phys­ically and mentally degrading treat­ment in their childhood, they also have many emotional problems,” she adds.

Again, the introduction of a law curbing corporal punish­ment in a society where slaps and spanks have traditionally been an integral part of raising children was bound to be contentious. “We have copied a law that was being applied in the western society. But do we have the kind of monitoring sys­tem they have? And has there been enough homework to ensure that the society will accept it?” Bijuk­achhe asks.

In the opinion of Lal Babu Karn, an assistant professor at TU who has taught at various schools and colleges for over 25 years, “What you need is awareness among primary stakeholders, i.e., the children, guardians and teach­ers, and a mechanism to implement corporal punishment.”

Karn welcomes the new law but he also thinks more awareness is needed for its effective implementa­tion. “You first have to publicize the penalties. Then you promote alter­nate forms of punishments and even positive reinforcements in dealing with kids.”

Given the manifest lack of interest seen in pushing such pro­gressive policies among our bureau­crats and elected officials, Kharel, the advocate, isn’t optimistic about the new law either. “It may well end up being another bit of fancy legislation enacted just to please our donors and international friends,” he says.