(Bishnu Nepal)
22 March, Gaunda (Lamjung):
Visiting British Prince Henry Charles Albert David Harry today arrived Bhirkuna at Gaunda VDC-4 in the eastern part of Lamjung district.
The locals here received Prince Harry by offering white tika as per the local Gurung tradition and culture.
The Royal, fifth in the line to throne, arrived Nepal on Saturday on a five-day visit to commemorate the bicentenary bilateral relationship between Nepal and the UK. This is the first ever official visit of the 31-year-old Prince to the country.
During the visit to a small town in Bhirkuna, Prince Harry talked to the families and relatives of former British Gurkha soldiers whose houses sustained damages during the April 25 quake.
He took stock of the repercussion of the disaster and its subsequent aftershocks that claimed the lives of more than 9,000 people and injured more than 20,000 persons.
On the occasion, the Prince met an 88-year-old Mangali Tamang, spouse of British Gurkha soldier Ganjuran Tamang at Gaunda VDC -7 in the district. British Gurkha soldier Ganjuran had fought during the World War II on the side of British soldiers.
“I am very happy to have met the British Prince, which I had never imagined to have met,” expressed Managli upon the audience and brief conservation with the Prince.
The elderly took an opportunity to share Prince Harry that she was regularly doing the medical check of herself and expected if there would be any support from the Royal visitor for reconstruction of her quake-damaged house.
In response, Prince Harry gave her his word to provide support for the same through the Gorkha Welfare Fund. Harry himself has served in the army for ten years and briefly served as an Apache Helicopter pilot in Afghanistan in 2007.
Prince Harry carried out additional tasks during the visit. He trekked for an hour from Bhirkuna from Gaunda VDC Ward No 4 to Leurani Village at Ward No 7.
The trek offered the conservation enthusiast the rustic charm of Gurung settlement and natural beauty of the locality.
Prince Harry will be spending a night here at a local home stay. RSS
