Kathmandu, March 21: The Fourth Woodcraft Festival has kicked off in the capital city with prime focus lent to the nature and culture.

The third woodcraft festival was held in Turkey whereas the second was held in China in 2014. The first festival took place in Tanzania in 2013.

The United Nations 67th General Assembly had declared March 21 as the World Wood Day.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari inaugurated the festival in which hundred countries from around the world are taking part.

The President stressed on putting an end to deforestation to achieve the sustainable development goal and stay safe from hunger.

She coined a term ‘Jahan Jungle, Tyahan Mangal’ (where there is jungle, there is welfare) and said that culture and nature were complimentary subjects of nature.

On the occasion, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation, Agni Prasad Sapkota, said the development of forest area was directly linked with human life while pledging government determination to conserving it.

At the programme, World Woodcraft Foundation Chairman, Dr Howard Rosen, said the life of each and every human being was linked with the jungle and that jungle nature was the unparalleled blessing of nature.

The week-long festival taking place at the Nepal Academy in Kamaladi will showcase a total of 90 stalls. Nepal has put on display around 9,000 renderings of temples developed with the use of wood in the festival.

The 9,000 temples were created in the memory of the same number of people killed during the massive ‘Gorkha Earthquake’ which struck on April 25.

The 2016 World Wood Day themed ‘Nature and Culture’ will conclude on Saturday with plantation of saplings of various plants at the Godavari Botanical Garden. RSS