An academic gem in tourism business
Dinesh Prasain is a young and energetic entrepreneur with Nepali tourism industry. Born on Mangsir 12, 2028 BS in Mughutar VDC of Ramechhap district, he is the managing director of Cha Cha Whee Fun Resort, Pokhara.
Prasain started his primary education in his village itself. After completing Grade 4, he joined Budhanilkantha School in Kathmandu from where he completed ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels. Prasain was good in study and always topped his class. He holds a Masters degree from Tribhuvan University and Ph.D in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University. He has received fellowships from US and Thailand.
The young entrepreneur still remembers his childhood days in his birthplace. His village is situated between Tamakoshi and Vathauele rivers. “We used to go swimming, fishing and steal sugarcane from others’ field. We also used to play marbles with friends,” he said. Because of such childhood antics, he often had to face wraths of village elders.
“Time at Budhanilkantha School was very much. There were students from all 75 districts coming from different social, cultural and economic background. We were called by our first names and numbers not by the castes. There was egalitarian environment,” he remembers. “Our teachers asked us to be creative and to express ourselves and bring out our personality.”
During his school days, Prasain used to participate in athletic events and write dramas in English language.
Prasain was interested toward tourism from his school days. Teachers used to take them on different trekking trips. “Such trips used to be fun. I discovered the joys of traveling during my school days,” he added. He has already traveled to around 20 countries in course of his study and employment.
After completing his study, Prasain got married to Pratikshya Chhetri who is supporting him in his business. Chhetri, too, is pursuing her Ph.D in population studies. The Prasain couple is blessed with a beautiful daughter and a son who are studying in a Montessori school in Pokhara.
Prasain has worked as consultants for different international organizations like UNDP, UNICEF, USAID, SAVE THE CHILDERN, DFID and GTZ etc. He also worked as the editor of Everest Voice magazine which is focused on tourism sector. The young entrepreneur entered the tourism industry in 1994
“You need to have a good business idea. Money is not a problem as it is easy to get investment from banks these days,” he said.
Cha Cha Whee Resort – a boutique resort for families with kids — can accommodate 80 people at a time. The resort has a spacious garden where people can relax and enjoy mountain views while sipping a cup of tea or coffee. As the resort is focused on children, it is drawing lot of family groups. “We are receiving lot of Indian visitors,” he said, adding: “We have been receiving good feedbacks from them.”
As the resort is doing good business, Prasain has been failing to provide adequate time to his family members. Realizing this fact, he takes them for refreshing outings. “I am satisfied with whatever I have achieved in my life so far,” the young entrepreneur said.
