Kathmandu:

If you think the far-west of Nepal is a never, never land and ‘fit only for them’ you are dead wrong. The far-west may still be Nepal’s probably most backward region even today, but it is ‘developing’ in terms of physical infrastructure.

The Karnali Bridge over Karnali River adjoining the Bardiya National Park, Suklaphanta Wildlife Reserve at the plains of Kanchanpur and a newly, domestically built 1.8 kilometre long suspension bridge over Mahakali River linking two cut-off villages — Dodhara and Chandani across the river —little ahead, Ramarosan Lake and Khaptad National Park up in the hills of Achham are a few landmarks that would simply charm any visitor, particularly the first timers.

Road links and passenger bus services, telephone connectivity, increasing number of hospitals and medical facilities, airlines and tour operators, emergence of banks and financial institutions all give a sense of change that the far-west is going through. Most importantly, residents of the far-west themselves feel the change happening around them, as captured in the Incredible Farwest, a pictorial book, authored and photographed by Captain Bed Upreti and published by Kailali Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The book is priced NRs 1500.

The Incredible Farwest Nepal is basically a picture album of the region that remained virtually cut off from Kathmandu and the rest of the country, and within the region itself, for a long time due mainly to the lack of road links, the Karnali Bridge and the suspension bridge over Mahakali, to mention a few. This album brings a great deal of positive vibe while flipping through the 100 pages of astonishing shots, many of them aerial, captured by the Captain’s lenses. These pictures indicate that the far-west has tremendous tourism potential and can just capture the visitors, both domestic and foreign. But these potentials need to be harnessed to the advantage of close to three million people residing in the nine districts — Achham, Baitadi, Bajhang, Bajura, Dadeldhura, Darchula, Doti, Kailali and Kanchanpur. The Kailai Chambers and its members have a great role to play in this regard.

The Incredible Farwest Nepal is a great picture album, but it’s a bit unclear who it is intended for since it is written in English and the price tag is bit too high. Anyway, the author and the publisher have made commendable efforts by bringing together the breathtaking pictures from the far-west encouraging a positive look at the ‘most backward’ region of the country.