First foreigner to travel Nepal, accused of supporting 1959 Tibetan Uprising fueling Khampa Revolution (a guirella military revolution) against China using Nepalese soil.
After taking a diploma in engineering and geology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, he took a doctorate in the geology of the Welsh mountains and then became a research assistant at the Zurich Geological Institute.[1]
Hagen first visited Nepal in 1950 with a first Swiss development assistance mission. In 1952 he was employed by the government of Nepal and also worked for the United Nations. He explored the geography of that Himalayan state.[citation needed]
Career
Dr. Hagen was the first foreigner to trek throughout Nepal during geological and geographic survey work and mapping on behalf of the United Nations. He walked over 14,000 km walking several times across Nepal, where the topography is mostly hilly to snow-covered. He filmed Nepalese cultural and ethnic diversity originally as produced as a silent documentary, and later with an English narration in his own voice.[2] Dr. Hagen is also the author of several books including a book entitled Nepal (ISBN99933 13 03 3; LCCN 99937099) [3][4]
From 1966 to 1971, as adviser to the UN's Development Program, he was given a special mission in crisis-hit areas worldwide including Africa, the Middle East and Asia.[5] Hagen was a pioneer in the field of development aid, undertaking missions to the Himalayas, eastern Africa and South America in a career spanning over 60 years.[6]
After Tibet was taken over by China in 1959, Hagen used his influence to help the Tibetan refugees. During the next years he gained 14th Dalai Lama's confidence. He managed to bring approximately 1,000–1,500 Tibetans to Switzerland.[7]
Hagen retired from the UN in 1972, worked as a freelance adviser for organisations involved in foreign aid and later returned to the Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich where he lectured on the problems of the developing world. In the early 1980s he established the Toni Hagen Foundation in Switzerland and Nepal to promote democratic reforms and better understanding between different ethnic groups in Nepal.[8]
Film Production
In 1999 Dr. Toni Hagen filmed a story of his life, The Ring of the Buddha (German title: Der Ring des Buddha), which also included some original materials from the 1960s. Soon after the film was shown, he died in early 2003 at the age of 85 in his home in Lucerne[9] on Good Friday, three days after his wife,[10] Gertrud in Lenzerheide.
toni, hagen, august, 1917, luzern, april, 2003, lenzerheide, swiss, geologist, pioneer, swiss, development, assistance, born17, august, 1917died18, april, 2003, 2003, aged, lenzerheidenationalityswitzerlandcitizenshipswitzerland, nepal, honorary, known, forfir. Toni Hagen 17 August 1917 in Luzern 18 April 2003 in Lenzerheide was a Swiss geologist and a pioneer of Swiss development assistance Toni HagenBorn17 August 1917Died18 April 2003 2003 04 19 aged 85 LenzerheideNationalitySwitzerlandCitizenshipSwitzerland and Nepal honorary Known forFirst foreigner to travel Nepal accused of supporting 1959 Tibetan Uprising fueling Khampa Revolution a guirella military revolution against China using Nepalese soil SpouseGertrudChildren1 son and 2 daughters Contents 1 Education 2 Career 3 Film Production 4 External links 5 ReferencesEducation EditAfter taking a diploma in engineering and geology from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich he took a doctorate in the geology of the Welsh mountains and then became a research assistant at the Zurich Geological Institute 1 Hagen first visited Nepal in 1950 with a first Swiss development assistance mission In 1952 he was employed by the government of Nepal and also worked for the United Nations He explored the geography of that Himalayan state citation needed Career EditDr Hagen was the first foreigner to trek throughout Nepal during geological and geographic survey work and mapping on behalf of the United Nations He walked over 14 000 km walking several times across Nepal where the topography is mostly hilly to snow covered He filmed Nepalese cultural and ethnic diversity originally as produced as a silent documentary and later with an English narration in his own voice 2 Dr Hagen is also the author of several books including a book entitled Nepal ISBN 99933 13 03 3 LCCN 99937099 3 4 From 1966 to 1971 as adviser to the UN s Development Program he was given a special mission in crisis hit areas worldwide including Africa the Middle East and Asia 5 Hagen was a pioneer in the field of development aid undertaking missions to the Himalayas eastern Africa and South America in a career spanning over 60 years 6 After Tibet was taken over by China in 1959 Hagen used his influence to help the Tibetan refugees During the next years he gained 14th Dalai Lama s confidence He managed to bring approximately 1 000 1 500 Tibetans to Switzerland 7 Hagen retired from the UN in 1972 worked as a freelance adviser for organisations involved in foreign aid and later returned to the Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich where he lectured on the problems of the developing world In the early 1980s he established the Toni Hagen Foundation in Switzerland and Nepal to promote democratic reforms and better understanding between different ethnic groups in Nepal 8 Film Production EditIn 1999 Dr Toni Hagen filmed a story of his life The Ring of the Buddha German title Der Ring des Buddha which also included some original materials from the 1960s Soon after the film was shown he died in early 2003 at the age of 85 in his home in Lucerne 9 on Good Friday three days after his wife 10 Gertrud in Lenzerheide External links EditThe Ring of the Buddha at IMDbReferences Edit Toni Hagen Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine A documentary filmed in Nepal between 1950 and 1958 YouTube Toni Hagen s Nepal The Kingdom in the Himalaya Himal Books Archived from the original on 23 July 2010 LC Catalog No Connections Available LCCN 99937099 Toni Hagen http www swissinfo ch eng index html siteSect 105 amp sid 1779125 dead link http www swissinfo ch eng index html siteSect 105 amp sid 1779125 dead link Toni Hagen Remembering not to forget Toni Hagen Nepali Times Toni Hagen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Toni Hagen amp oldid 1113516559, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
