Ganesh Ram Lachhi, the person behind who invited me to visit his Aakha Chhen housing Madhyapur Art Council at Thimi in Bhaktapur, the ancient city of Bhatgaon. We had first met at Lakshmana Rajbanshi’s place, little behind Siddharth Vansthali Institute, the educational empire that has a network of best running schools in the country affiliated to that Lakshmana Rajvanshi built in his 46-year long career in the field of education, Raja Shakya informed me the other day.
Madhyapur Art Council housed in his Aakha Chhen at Thimi in Bhaktapur is the repository of Newar art, culture, architecture and tradition he has built up single handed over the years! It took us almost a afternoon to be acquainted with various sections he has devoted to collect, invest, arrange, display, preserve, protect, promote and introduce to visitors like us. He knows and values the importance of such objects that most of us would like to get rid of by throwing out when getting our new house constructed. But he asked from persons concerned such objects donated. Whenever he came across such objects being sold purchased and possessed them, if within his means. From ancient chests and artefacts to ceramics, terracotta, masks, musical instruments of all types, a library, so on and so forth – everything is there. Time and space here do not permit me to describe them all in details here, but I share what he had to say about these objects that saw in one of the newspaper cuttings that he carefully keeps compiled and preserved. Someone was so impressed by his collections that he offered to buy a few of them out and asked for the price. Ganesh Ram Lachhi simply grateful thanked the gentleman for his greatness but regretted to part with any of the objects in his museum as these are not only dear to him being devoted all his life dedicated to the Newar cause but that they are close to his heart like his children, if not more!
Associated with the Sikkim Newar Guthi ever since Ganesh Ram Lachhi visited first in 1997, he is there in Sikkim available even on call from person unknown but demand on phone some cultural troupe, some musical instruments, some dance costumes, ornaments, etc. worth in lakhs sometimes. The then Secretary Jaishree Pradhan had invited the Nepal Bhasha Manka: Khala: to celebrate 50 Years of India’s independence and as a part of year-long functions that the Department of Cultural Affairs and Heritage, Government of Sikkim as the nodal agency had organized. They had presented the cultural extravaganza of the Newar with lakhey, charya nritya, folk dances and songs for 2-days on 13 and 14 December. This State function was inaugurated by the then Governor of Sikkim, late Chaudhary Ranvir Singh and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. People from all sections of the society from different / remote parts of Sikkim and neighbouring Darjeeling hills had braved the cold winter evenings to witness this rare opportunity of life time in the Community Hall, just in front of my house Rachna at Gangtok. Padma Ratna Tuladhar had led this 25-member cultural delegation comprising of stalwarts like Naresh Bir Shakya, Ram Krishna Duwal, Bhrigu Ram Joshi, Sharad Kasa: and all. Late D. N. Pradhan of Akhil Bharatiya Newar Sangathan of Darjeeling were amongst those invited. This writer had the opportunity to organize the concluding part of the year-long celebrations as I took over the charge of the Department next and the way it went till wee hours of the Independence Day that year in 1998 is a different story to tell. We still cherish the memory and persons interested can benefit from the pictures depicting the scenes of the Cultural Extravaganza from those days with the group photograph in the centre kept displayed on the Events page of this website of ours.
Madhyapur Art Council housed in his Aakha Chhen at Thimi in Bhaktapur is the repository of Newar art, culture, architecture and tradition he has built up single handed over the years! It took us almost a afternoon to be acquainted with various sections he has devoted to collect, invest, arrange, display, preserve, protect, promote and introduce to visitors like us. He knows and values the importance of such objects that most of us would like to get rid of by throwing out when getting our new house constructed. But he asked from persons concerned such objects donated. Whenever he came across such objects being sold purchased and possessed them, if within his means. From ancient chests and artefacts to ceramics, terracotta, masks, musical instruments of all types, a library, so on and so forth – everything is there. Time and space here do not permit me to describe them all in details here, but I share what he had to say about these objects that saw in one of the newspaper cuttings that he carefully keeps compiled and preserved. Someone was so impressed by his collections that he offered to buy a few of them out and asked for the price. Ganesh Ram Lachhi simply grateful thanked the gentleman for his greatness but regretted to part with any of the objects in his museum as these are not only dear to him being devoted all his life dedicated to the Newar cause but that they are close to his heart like his children, if not more!
Associated with the Sikkim Newar Guthi ever since Ganesh Ram Lachhi visited first in 1997, he is there in Sikkim available even on call from person unknown but demand on phone some cultural troupe, some musical instruments, some dance costumes, ornaments, etc. worth in lakhs sometimes. The then Secretary Jaishree Pradhan had invited the Nepal Bhasha Manka: Khala: to celebrate 50 Years of India’s independence and as a part of year-long functions that the Department of Cultural Affairs and Heritage, Government of Sikkim as the nodal agency had organized. They had presented the cultural extravaganza of the Newar with lakhey, charya nritya, folk dances and songs for 2-days on 13 and 14 December. This State function was inaugurated by the then Governor of Sikkim, late Chaudhary Ranvir Singh and Chief Minister Pawan Chamling. People from all sections of the society from different / remote parts of Sikkim and neighbouring Darjeeling hills had braved the cold winter evenings to witness this rare opportunity of life time in the Community Hall, just in front of my house Rachna at Gangtok. Padma Ratna Tuladhar had led this 25-member cultural delegation comprising of stalwarts like Naresh Bir Shakya, Ram Krishna Duwal, Bhrigu Ram Joshi, Sharad Kasa: and all. Late D. N. Pradhan of Akhil Bharatiya Newar Sangathan of Darjeeling were amongst those invited. This writer had the opportunity to organize the concluding part of the year-long celebrations as I took over the charge of the Department next and the way it went till wee hours of the Independence Day that year in 1998 is a different story to tell. We still cherish the memory and persons interested can benefit from the pictures depicting the scenes of the Cultural Extravaganza from those days with the group photograph in the centre kept displayed on the Events page of this website of ours.
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