A CHARITY night at a Musselburgh eatery will raise funds to support schools with solar-powered education in rural Nepal, where there is no electricity.
The event is being held at the Gurkha Bar & Restaurant on North High Street, which was named ‘Best Restaurant’ in East Scotland at the fourth annual Spice Awards.
The town’s MSP Colin Beattie submitted a recent motion to the Scottish Parliament congratulating the restaurant on winning the accolade.
Guests at the charity night on Monday will include customers, local Rotarians, retired soldiers from the British Army ‘legend group’ who support the Gurkha Welfare Trust, Spice Awards representatives and Nepali community leaders from throughout Scotland.
Cash raised will be donated to the National Innovation Center (NIC) in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and the NIC friends of EU/UK organisation, to aid its work sponsoring solar-powered digital education in the mountainous part of the country.
The project is being coordinated by Gurkha Bar manager Ghana Bhandari in Scotland. Funds are being raised by the Nepali community in Scotland.
Dr Mahabir Pun, NIC founder, who is known for his extensive work in applying wireless technologies to develop remote areas of the Himalayas, also known as the Nepal Wireless Networking Project, was welcomed on a visit to Scotland in April this year, during which he visited the Gurkha Bar and Restaurant.
Mr Bhandari, a member of the Rotary Club of Musselburgh, said a digital box, being built under NIC supervision, would be solar powered and approved by the government in Nepal.
“Students will get opportunities to learn all in one box, such as Nepali Curriculum, BBC education and Oxford pages. The NIC projects are supported and approved by world-best universities and popular media too,” he explained.
Also in attendance at the charity night will be NIC supporter, engineer and Nepali community leader Ravi Chandra Koirala, and Omit Paija Pun Nepali, an engineering student from Munich, Germany, who will lead the event along with Graham Blaikie, owner of Mercat Bar & Grill in Whitecraig.
A buffet of Nepali festive food, prepared by the Gurkha Bar & Restaurant team under the supervision of head chef Harka Karki, will be enjoyed.
There will be fun activities, a raffle, music and dance.
Table bookings, at £50 per person, are still open.
The event runs from 5.30pm to 10.30pm.
The initiative is also being backed by Hari Krishna Neupane, NIC advisor and Europe co-ordinator; Ujjal Karki, vice-president of Nepali Society Scotland and owner of The 43 Mexican Texmex & Steak House in Kilmarnock; and Ram Sharestha, former Nepali volleyball national player and Nepali community sports co-ordinator.
For tickets, go to www.gurkha-restaurant.com
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