Dr Rabin Man Shakya
Portland, Feb 12 (Nepal Oregon News): As a president of Kathmandu-Eugene Sister City Committee (KESCC) for several years back in 1990s in Nepal, Bhikkhu Maitri's role and contributions to enhance and promote cordial relations between Kathmandu and US city of Eugene has been tremendous.
Kathmandu-Eugene Sister City Committee was established in Kathmandu under Kathmandu Metropolitan City in 1992, and Bhikkhu Maitri was unanimously nominated as its president whereas I was named the general secretary of the sister city committee at that time.
Former mayor of Eugene, Oregon, USA Mr Les Anderson had paid an official visit to Kathmandu in 1975. Nepal was still in the grip of authoritarian Panchayat regime. Kathmandu Metropolitan City was then known as Kathmandu Nagar Panchayat. It was during mayor Anderson's visit to Kathmandu that a memorandum of understanding on establishing sister city relationship between Kathmandu and Eugene was reached upon.
Bhikkhu Maitri visited the USA in 1985 and again as the president of Kathmandu-Eugene Sister City Committee, he was in the USA in 1993 as a member of sister city delegation headed by Kathmandu deputy mayor late Nabindra Raj Joshi. The other member of the delegation was Shree Shah.
Vikkhu Maitri Mahasthavir is the president of Ananda Kuti Vihara Trust, council member of Lumbini Buddhist University, founder and chairman of International Buddhist Society, Lumbini. The Rev Vikkhu is also the former president of Akhil Nepal Vikkhu Maha Sangha.
Bhikkhu Maitri was one of the six boys from Nepal who went to Sri Lanka in 1968 for ordination. Maitri Bhante also worked as a journalist for over four years at the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) starting from Dec 1976 to Dec 1980. At that time, it was Maitri Bhante who started Nepali language program from SLBC.
Vikkhu Maitri has a multi-dimensional personality. But very few people in Nepal know about Bhikkhu Maitri's contributions to Kathmandu-Eugene Sister City relations. Our country Nepal and our capital city Kathmandu have received a lot of help and cooperation from the US city of Eugene in Oregon in the past.
Recently, Maitri Bhante has been diagnosed with rectum cancer. Tumor has been successfully removed with a surgery. But now the Rev Bhante is undergoing through chemo-therapy procedures.
On behalf of Nepal Oregon News, the octogenarian Buddhist activist Shanta Ratna Shakya (also former executive member of KESCC) handed over Rs 20,000.00 to Maitri Bhante at the Ananda Kuti Vihara in Kathmandu. Nepal Oregon News wishes the Bhante's sound health and speedy recovery.
Meanwhile, Daya Shakya, who is also the president of Nepali Association of Oregon, (also the former president of Eugene - Kathmandu Sister City Committee in Oregon), has provided $ 350.00 to Maitri Bhikkhu for his chemotherapy procedures under the Oregon initiatives.
( Nepal Oregon News writer Rabin Man Shakya is a Nepali journalist in the USA)
