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Retaining past glory with mordern facilities
LALITPUR, JAN 20 - The place bears a new look and yet it has retained the traditional architectural values of Lalitpur, the town of fine arts. With two huge ancient-looking entrance gates, the erstwhile Ashok Cinema Hall (ACH) has got a facelift and yet it boasts both traditional and modern architectural colours.
The good news is that ACH is back in business — after a gap of over two years but entirely in different form. The remodelling of the building was completed quite recently after a native businessman, now a resident of the United States, resolved to bring back its past glory.
The 51-year-old building, which was simply a cinema hall and was on the brink of collapse, has now turned into a multi-purpose building. Situated just a minute’s walk away from the Patan Dhoka, the traditional entrance to the town of Patan, the building welcomes the visitors with two big and intricately carved oil lamps.
Stop for a minute and see: The sloped-roof of the building has three shining metal pinnacles. Paintings portraying the historical personalities hung on the walls of the auditorium have added aesthetic values to the complex that now has marble floors.
A big stage with velvet curtain that’s at the heart of the Patan’s new ‘hall of fame’ is ideal for such events as fashion shows and cultural programmes. And the four close circuit cameras capture every movement of the visitors in the premises; which means better security in these times.
The Ashok Cinema, one of the oldest cinema halls in the valley, is no longer a movie theatre. It has a new name: Ashok Multi Purpose Private Limited. With latest sound technology, it now boasts an auditorium hall which is ideal only for charity shows.
Moreover, one can also rent the building for conference, seminars and other programmes. One who rents the place to host parties does not need to worry about catering services. It is available in the complex itself.
The building, inaugurated on January 15, has the capacity to accommodate up to 1,000 people, and it also has parking spaces that can take in 200 motorbikes and 45 light vehicles.
Dinkar Govinda Amatya, the owner of the cinema hall who is a well-established businessman in the USA, came to Nepal with the thoughts of preserving ACH, which, according to him, is a landmark of Patan.
"I came all the way from Houston, Texas, just to preserve this landmark of my birthplace," says the lone owner of the building, which was once owned by 28 shareholders.
He believes that the problem of the locals of hunting big halls for organising programmes will be solved now that ACH has got a complete facelift.
"People of Patan have to book halls or hotels in Kathmandu to host their private parties. Now they can enjoy such facilities right near their home-yards," says Amatya. He also believes that the hall will help boost the sales of the neighbourhood businesses.
"I thought of everyone in my community. The hall is not only business-oriented but will serve the people as per its capacity," he says, adding: "Prices are reasonable and quite affordable".Posted on: 2004-01-21 03:23
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