Spaces_is 9

Above: A thousand clay windbells.
Right: Colourful puppets come in all
shapes and sizes at the Dhukuti.
Below: Tanned hides designed into
great carry-alls and trendy bags.
The company has seen good growth in
turnover in the last few years and Meera is
happy to inform that there is a growing
awareness within the country about the
aesthetics of ethnic craft. A very successful
company by any yardstick, ACP owes much
of its rise to Meera Adhikari’s diligence and
determination coupled with her experience.
A graduate of psychology, Adhikari has had
the experience of having worked in the
Women’s Skill Department of the Nepal
Women’s Organization for almost nine
years although the experience was not really
a happy one. “Most work done then was
of a superficial nature, and you could say I
learnt more of what not to do than what
needed to be done,” she says.
Anyway, at the present moment, Meera and
ACP are basking in their success and the
lady has been recognized as a women
entrepreneur of substance. Evidence of
this is of course the organization as it is
now - busy and fruitful - and awards like
the Ashoka Fellowship, Best Manager
Award by Management Association of
Nepal (2000), the Schwab Foundation of
Switzerland Award in 2004, Gorkha
Dakshin Bahu in 1998 and the Japan based
Asian Productive Organization National
Level Award for efficiency in production
further emphasize the fact. As for deciding
for oneself about how far it is true that
ACP’s products are of top quality,
innovative designs and exquisite
SPACES MAR-APR 2006 53