LCCI contribution to a prosperous Lalitpur and its heritage conservation

Lalitpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has taken the lead to publish a coffee table book on exploring Lalitpur. This publication is aimed at ensuring economic prosperity for the people, the city and also making sure that its globally unique built, natural and cultural heritage is preserved. The main purpose of this book is to present Lalitpur to the world as the place to do business and to experience the best that a world class historical city has to offer.

We can all do our part to make Lalitpur an economic and tourism hub and the book will help attain that goal. Cities are complex and must be understood well with good information, good story telling, great images and presentation. “Explore Lalitpur” will be an excellent product to do all of the above. With amazing people, with world class monuments, natural features and a full cultural calendar, Lalitpur is a happening place. This book is designed to help the residents and the visitors to realize what makes Lalitpur so special and why it is worth preserving.

What does the book contain?

Lalitpur, like any flourishing city in the world, is about its people. These people give character to the city and make it unique. We have made an attempt to present a small sample of them. Lalitpur’s prosperity is the result of thousands of years of doing business which continues to this day. We have to understand how a city is set to be a business hub where enterprises can thrive. We all feel that the best way to explore Lalitpur is to walk around.  We have a big part of the content all about the various routes one can explore. We can talk to local people, take photos and even sketch and paint as you go along.

Another fascinating aspect of this great metropolis is the way things are organized. People wonder how the great chariot festival of Karunamaya is put together. The masked dances and the water system all require a lot of organizing. The most important part of being a resident here are the numerous colorful festivals all year round. The sounds, the food, the rituals all make for a full cultural calendar. As much as people love to talk about Lalitpur as an ancient city, we cannot help but realize that it is a very updated world class modern place. We also cannot miss the natural assets, rice fields and ancient water systems.

A book is a product and a process

Preparing, researching, photographing, doing the design and layout for a book of this scope is challenging but also a lot of fun. The LCCI and Photo Venture Nepal team work together well and complement each other. The fact that the end product will be good is a result of the process that we are able to follow. Fact checking is a difficult task that we forget is part of a good end product. Our photography team are always on the move looking for the best time of the day for light and angle. This is also a good time to thank the people of Lalitpur who have helped us access various sites and provide the information that will help the book to travel all over the world and help tell the story of Lalitpur.

LCCI leadership

For many years we have wished for someone to take the lead for a world class publication that would make the people of Lalitpur proud of their past and help motivate everyone to work to build a better future. Lalitpur is the perfect place to start and build our enterprises and in the process preserve our unique way of life. As the representative body of the private sector in Lalitpur, LCCI should take great pride in having made this effort. The book will be a creative reminder for all the members of LCCI about what our full potential can be. The revenue generated from the sale of the book will also help us achieve our purpose.

-Photo Venture Nepal team led by Rosha Bajracharya

Illustration done by Kamal K. Maharjan (@Chitraharu)