A Buddhist monk’s unusual initiative to attract Western tourists to the almost deserted albeit picturesque touristic destination of Mustang deserves accolades for going beyond his professional domain to lead the pack as a promoter of his impoverished homeland. The 37-year-old lama, identified by the name of Pasang Gurung, neither rued the government’s lack of interest nor waited for the Nepal Tourism Board officials to announce a publicity blitz. Instead, he went on to produce a 42-minute film showcasing Mustang’s heavenly beauty that includes mountain vistas, cold deserts, yaks, ubiquitous gumbas and the Tenji festival dedicated to world peace. But as his film turned out to be amateurish, he again had to hire a professional cinematographer. Thanks also to the Himalayan Cultural Conservation Camp, which the lama incidentally chairs, as well as several of the well wishers who donated, the film, costing 6,000 dollars, is now ready to see the light of day. His effort to fend off the familiar dependence syndrome is downright praiseworthy.

Nepal’s famous serendipity is not only its wondrous landscape but also its unique people who are the custodians of an equally unique religious and cultural tradition. It would be an irony for one of Nepal’s most attractive destinations to be kept off limits from the reach of the regular tourists. The area, closed to most outsiders until 1992, is still accessible to only the lucky few with permits, which are not so easy to acquire. Deregulating controls would thus be the first step towards presenting the region’s immense tourism potential. Doing so would not only help in generating an assortment of employment opportunities for the locals but by stopping the trend of the youths going elsewhere in large numbers for jobs it can also help in preserving the region’s spectacular cultural tradition. Tourism is the main mantra that could be instrumental in transforming the inaccessible region’s geophysical bane into boon.