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The Nepal Digest Tuesday 14 Feb 95: Magh 30 2051 BkSm Volume 36 Issue 9
Apologies for no headers due to time restrictions.
******************************************************************************
* TND Board of Staff *
* ------------------ *
* Editor/Co-ordinator: Rajpal J. Singh a10rjs1@mp.cs.niu.edu *
* SCN Liaison: Rajesh B. Shrestha rshresth@black.clarku.edu *
* Consultant Editor: Padam P. Sharma sharma@plains.nodak.edu *
* Discussion Moderator: Ashutosh Tiwari tiwari@husc.harvard.edu *
* TND Archives: Sohan Panta k945184@atlas.kingston.ac.uk *
* Book Reviews Columns: Pratyoush R. Onta ponta@sas.upenn.edu *
* News Correspondent Rajendra P Shrestha rajendra@dartmouth.edu *
* *
* The Nepal Digest(TND) is a publication of the Nepal Interest Group for *
* news and discussions about issues concerning Nepal. All members of *
* nepal@cs.niu.edu will get a copy of TND. Membership is open to all. *
* THE EDITOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EDIT ARTICLES FOR CLARITY. *
* *
* +++++ Food For Thought +++++ *
* *
* "If you don't stand up for something, you will fall for anything" -Dr. MLK *
* "Democracy perishes among the silent crowd" - Sirdar Khalifa *
* *
******************************************************************************
**********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 16:37:08 -0500
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Ashu's Comments
From: sthapa@ice.lakeheadu.ca
I was shocked to read the appaling news about the
the mistreatments of the Nepali workers in Korea
(Thanks mostly to Rajendra for the excellent job of posting
news on a regular basis. It's highly appreciated).
I am in complete support with Ashu's idea to express our
joint anger and deep concerns for the unacceptable actions of the
Korean manager. Surely we cannot sit back and be callous about
this affair when Nepali people are being brutalized by their
employers.
As this new technology brings us a little closer, let us
use our cocerted efforts and all the resources at hand to try and to
bring some meaningful changes. At the least, we can let violating
parties know that such gross violation of human dignity is not tolerated
and surely will not go unnoticed.
Namaste,
Shatal Thapa.
SThapa@ICE.LakeheadU.Can
**********************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 16:39:38 -0500
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Hridesh Tripathi join UML
From: rana@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (VIVEK S. RANA)
Hridesh Tripathi MP Nepal Sadbhavana Party announced in a press
conference that he has resigned from the NSP and joined UML. This has now
raised the total UML seat to a total of 89.
Hridesh Tripathi one of the leading MP's from the NSP was in
diciplinary probation from the party High Command.
Radio Nepal today made official on D. PM Madhav Kumar Nepal's official
visit to India to be from 06 till the 10 Feb. The all party committe has still
not come up with the solution to the "Tanakpur Issue". Tanakpur is one of the
major issue to be discussed between to Nations.
*****************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 16:40:44 -0500
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: VC Mr. Mathema's Accomplishmnts
From: bohara@unm.edu (Alok Bohara ECONOMICS)
Some Thoughts on VC Mr. Mathema's Accomplishments
Alok K. Bohara
I have been enjoying the debate on Mr. Mathema and his
contribution as the VC of Tribhuvan University (TU). I have had
a personal experience while I visited with him in Nepal a couple
of years ago, which I thought it might be interesting to share
with you.
While he was visiting my University, he gave me a courtesy
call to say hello. Someone had given him my number at a party.
I did not know him before. After finding out that I was an
academician affiliated with the University, he got really excited
and started asking various interesting questions. He sounded
very genuine about improving the higher education system in
Nepal. Since I am very familiar with both education systems
(Nepali and American), we had a very productive conversation on
that issue. He invited me to visit with him in Nepal.
I was so impressed with his sincerity that I spent a few
weeks to prepare a proposal outlining a sketch of a model
university that emphasized quality and academic freedom. When I
went to Nepal after about a year or so, I went to see him with my
proposal. He really enjoyed various ideas in the proposal. I
found him equally enthusiastic and sincere. He even helped me
organize a seminar on that topic. Although the seminar was
intended toward our TU elite, most of the attendants were campus
chiefs and college professors. Only a notable TU presence was
Professor Kamal P. Malla who was sort of there. It was a
semester break, and the university was partially closed.
The point I am trying to make is that Mr. Mathema seemed to
have genuine interest and had a quite a bit of enthusiasm. But
what struck me the most was his honest admission that the day-to-
day problem of running the University system (meeting, meeting,
and meeting) did not give him any time to ponder, generate new
ideas, and sketch a vision. His list of accomplishments does
reveal this truth to some extent. Even if he had enthusiasm, his
advisors probably lacked ideas and conviction.
Speaking of his advisors (Rector, Registrar etc.), let me
give you a true story that I heard from my friend. This friend
got his Ph.D. from Canada and upon his return to Nepal he
requested a meeting with VC to share his ideas. Mr. Mathema
called his top advisors (Rector, Registrar etc.) to attend that
meeting. When my friend went to see Mr. Mathema, he found
everyone there but the VC. He was tied up with another meeting
at the Ministry, and was going to be late.
My friend found that the people at the meeting showed no
interest what so ever. For some strange reason, one person (a
pretty high level TU appointee) kept going back to the phone.
While listening on the phone, he suddenly waved everyone to keep
quiet. There was a pin-drop silence in the room. Everyone
stared at the person on the phone. Then the room erupted in
jubilation when the phone handler shouted "Our candidate won in
Patan Campus student election." They started shaking hands.
Well, that pretty much sums up the character of our academic
leadership.
Who do we blame for this? I blame the political leadership
of the country, who have made a mockery out of our so-called
political appointments. This government is no different. The
new government announced the new VC who used to be the UML
president of the Faculty union at TU. (I think!!!) I know him
and he is an extremely nice gentleman. But, did they really
follow their own rhetoric that they would start seeking
applications for important political appointments, and that they
would form search committees to judge candidates? If so, what
are his (VC's) credentials, plans and vision for the university?
If I were to advise the new government, I would have
recommended Dr. Mangal S. Manandher for the position of the Vice
Chancellor of Tribhuvan University instead of the National
Planning Commission (NPC) Vice Chairman. Dr. Manandher is a
well-respected scholar and a dynamic personality, and who has
done a lot for the Geography Department at TU, which is
considered one of the best Departments on Campus. Although, for
all fairness, the Geography Department seem to have a lot of
blessings (Two former NPC Vice Chairs were geographers, and not
to mention a couple of royal princes). But, then they seem to
know how to use it.
Finally, the new government really had an opportunity to set
the University free to chart its own destiny by allowing them to
choose their leadership based on the character of an individual's
academic strength and vision rather than his/her own's political
affiliation. In the long-run bright leaders with progressive
vision would have emerged from within the university community
ready to provide much-needed stability and leadership, a must for
the 21st Century.
******************************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 16:47:19 -0500
From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: German lives less important than Nepalese lives.
Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------
In article <Pine.SUN.3.91.950202141815.23769D-100000@yacht> Ajit Shrestha <shrestha@ee.fit.edu> writes:
|Media coverage is very much money oriented. Westerners don't care much
|about the Nepal, so they flip off their TVs or flip the page on a
|magazine when they see news about Nepal. They don't see the
|advertisements that comes along with the news. So the media does't have
|any business with the viewers/readers etc. so they say to hell with nepal.
|Money, Money, Money..... That is what this world has come to be about.
|
|The only solution is for Nepal to be rich so that people, and then the
|media, will give more focus on us.
|
Few reasons, I noticed why they don't cover our news in their NEWS media:
1. The South Asia is poor----- They want to potray that see how poor
these guys are and how rich we are. In most of the entertainment program
they laugh with poverty of poor countries. They potray the #BHUKH-MARI#
in Africa as an advertisement by travel agent ? How wonderful they are?
What to do with our good news? There was one complain sometime back,
by one bangladeshi , to Japan Times (an english daily) asking why do
you potray our (South Asia's) bad things only ? Why don't you spend
some pages on our cultural heritage ? I guess the answer is that
they don't want to say "South asians are rich in somesense and we
are poor in that sense".
2. Communist govt.----- America + western world faught 45 years to
through the dictator communist govt. and they want communist to
be defamed as #BAD WORD# like Mandale in Nepali world. Why should
they promote communist parties around the world to go through
democratic ways. They don't liked and neither they will like
such procedures in this world to repeat. This is some-sort of
supression of lessions to the communist parties in other countreis.
3. because they are not christians and therefore, they want to potray
south asia only when there is some communal riot to tell their people
look non-christians are all fundamentalist and terrorist. They want
to connect everything happening with the religion. Then why they
don't want to really stop the war in Bosnia ? It is because the
guys suffering are not-christian ?
GP
*****************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 16:49:35 -0500
From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Nepali restaurant
Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------
In article <3h49lv$24u@decaxp.harvard.edu>, tiwari@husc7.harvard.edu (Ashutosh Tiwari) writes:
>
>
>
> Thanks Swarnim for the info on Nepali restaurants in the UK.
> I did not know there are that many.
>
> Let us hope that your wish to be served by fabulous Ms.
> Karisma KC-Manandhar comes true one of these days.
>
> --------------------
> What about Nepali restaurants in other parts of the world
> or in the other parts of the US? I have heard that there is one in
> Australia, somewhere. Is that true? Also, is there one in California?
>
> Madison, Wisconsin, I understand, has two. New Haven,
> Connecticut has one. Boulder, Colorado has one. There is one ( or are there
> two?) in Washington, DC? And none in New York City? That's surprising.
>
> Please post more info, those of you who are in the know!
>
>
>
> namaste
> ashu
In fact I worked in a Narayan's Nepal restaurant as a waiter during
the summer of 1992. Narayan Shrestha is a owner of that restaurent.
It is located in the Pearl Street in Boulder. This restaurent
has to be one of the most busy restaurnet I have worked in my
life. Food is excellent.
I talked to Narayan Shrestha few week ago and he has just
opened up another restaurent in Denver, Colorado under the
same name, Narayan's Nepal restaurnent. Momo and the stuffed
Tibitain bread were among the most popular items when I worked
there in his restaurent in 1992.
Bimal Adhkari> --
**************************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 16:51:42 -0500
From: rshresth@black.clarku.edu (RaJesh B. Shrestha)
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Subject: Nepal WW in NET GUIDE
Cross-posted from SCN:
---------------------
nepalimen@aol.com (Nepalimen) writes:
>I was looking at a magazine called net guide that listed all the cool
>places to visit in the web and it also listed the our Rajendra's site. Hey
>it even had a picture of a Lakhe Dance (most of the other countries that
>were listed did not). Good job Rajendra and every body else who help
>manage it.
>Bhushan
Great job, Rajendra and friends! Congratulations on maintaining a
great Home Page. It's been immensely useful and valuable and also a matter
of pride for, I'm sure, all of us!
If I may, if any Nepali big-shot is reading this, here's -- as a
private citizen -- my vote for a top-class Gorkha Dakshin Bahu Medal
To Rajendra, for indefatigably posting news from Nepal, and keeping
thousand of us students and professionals informed about the happenings back
home. A magnificent achievement, indeed.
And to Rajpal, for founding and maintaining the Nepal Digest which
continues to weave Nepalis from all over the world in one big
family in cyberspace. Not a simple achievement.
These are our cyber-heroes!
namaste
ashu
**********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 95 17:25 EST
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
From: "Balkrishna.Sharma" <23012BKS@msu.edu>
Subject: why should we have TND subscribers list handy
Dear members of TND editorial board and other netters. I proposed last time
that TND should consider updating the member list and circulate only those
email ids who have no problem in doing so. Rajpalji thought time required to
do so was a factor. Dr. P.P. Sharma has even volunteered to take the lead in
compiling and updating the list as suggested by the individual members.
I think the reason we need to have a member list handy is the same reason we
want our name printed in the telephone directory (most of us). Wouldn't it be
great if one or more of our long forgotten friend or relative could look at
the list and try to make contact? What is wrong with that? People do't go
around calling everyone they see on the list. When we receive a salesman's
call in the middle of the dinner time we still give him time and respond
politely, do't we?So, if a Nepali person sends an email for a reason we should
feel thankful. How many Nepali do we see in a day while in a foreign country
anyway? Above all the thing is free at least for the time being. We Nepalese
should be doing so much for the other Nepalese if we were in Nepal. Just 2
days ago one of the netter was asking me for his brother's email, if he had an
list I am sure it would have been easier for him. One more point, I want to
make is that unlike your or mine ordinary telephone call, the email message
come on your screen and tell you where it came from even before you read it.
And if one does not like to read it, he or she can trash the msg before
readingit completely.
So, I still would like to request TND edit board to make the change in policy
and circulate the updated member list to all members.-BKS
*************************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 19:37:51 -0500 (EST)
From: Jagadish Dawadi <JXD9590@ritvax.isc.rit.edu>
Subject: Re: The Nepal Digest - Feb 10, 1995 (26 Magh 2051 BkSm)
To: The Nepal Digest <NEPAL@cs.niu.edu>
Namaste TND Sampadakji!
Computerma Nepal Digest padhne mauka pauda yaha malai dherai khushi lagirechha/
yo bidhut patrika padhada aphu nepalmai raheko jasto bhan parchha / yo
patrikako uttrottar pragatiko kamana gardachhu / Ya, ke yo TND yangraji ma
bhanda nepali yachharmai type garera bitaran garna sakidaina? so huna sakinchha
bhane kosish ta garnu paryo ni, kaso? yas sambandhama tapaiko kasto bichar chha
? Kripaya malai jankari garnu hai? Dhanyabad!
0/
/|
/ \
Jagadish Dawadi
Rochester Institute Of Technology
%%%%%Editor's Note: It would be desirable if TND could be presented %%%%%
%%%%% in Nepali, but I am not aware of any nepali %%%%%
%%%%% fonts that can be presented using ASCII code %%%%%
%%%%% which is the standard in Internet unless you %%%%%
%%%%% wanted to uucode-uudecode other fonts. As far %%%%%
%%%%% as reading nepali writeen in english (e.g. above)%%%%
%%%%% it took me 3 times and about 5 minutes to read %%%%%
%%%%% the sample paragraph above ! Any suggestions? %%%%%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
************************************************************
Date: Fri, 10 Feb 1995 22:24:07 -0500 (EST)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@husc.harvard.edu>
Subject: Economist/Economics Jokes
To: Nepal Digest <nepal@cs.niu.edu>,
Heard at the Wharton School.
Man walking along a road in the countryside comes across a shepherd
and a huge flock of sheep. Tells the shepherd, "I will bet you $100
against one of your sheep that I can tell you the exact number in this
flock." The shepherd thinks it over; it's a big flock so he takes the
bet. "973," says the man. The shepherd is astonished, because that is
exactly right. Says "OK, I'm a man of my word, take an animal." Man
picks one up and begins to walk away.
"Wait," cries the shepherd, "Let me have a chance to get even. Double
or nothing that I can guess your exact occupation." Man says sure.
"You are an economist for a government think tank," says the shepherd.
"Amazing!" responds the man, "You are exactly right! But tell me, how
did you deduce that?"
"Well," says the shepherd, "put down my dog and I will tell you."
_________________________________________________________________
Two men are flying in a captive balloon. The wind is ugly and they
come away from their course and they have no idea where they are. So
they go down to 20 m above ground and ask a passing wanderer. "Could
you tell us where we are?"
"You are in a balloon."
So the one pilot to the other:
"The answer is perfectly right and absolutely useless. The man must be
an economist"
"Then you must be businessmen", answers the man.
"Thats right! How did you know?"
"You have such a good view from where you are and yet you don't know
where you are!"
---------------------------------------------------
Light bulb jokes are always in...
Q: How many Chicago School economists does it take to change a light
bulb?
A: None. If the light bulb needed changing the market would have
already done it.
_________________________________________________________________
Q: How many mainstream economists does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Two, one to change the bulb and one to assume the existence of
ladders.
_________________________________________________________________
Q: How many conservative economists does it take to change a light
bulb?
A1: None. The darkness will cause the light bulb to change by itself.
A2: None. If it really needed changing, market forces would have
caused it to happen.
A3: None. If the government would just leave it alone, it would screw
itself in.
The above light bulb jokes were stolen from an article in
_The_Wharton_Journal_, Feb. 21, 1994, by Selena Maranjian, who
undoubtedly pilfered the humor from someone else. Selena also
suggested (for you B-school types):
-------------------------------------------------
Q: How many Wharton MBAs does it take to change a light bulb?
A: Only one, if you hire me. I can actually change the light bulb by
myself. As you can see from my resume, I've had extensive experience
changing light bulbs in my previous positions. I've also been named to
the Wharton Light Bulb list, and am presently a teaching assistant for
Light Bulb Management 666. My only weakness is that I'm compulsive
about changing light bulbs in my spare time.
---------------------------------------------------
Q: How many B-school doctoral students does it take to change a light
bulb?
A: I'm writing my dissertation on that topic; I should have an answer
for you in about 5 years.
_________________________________________________________________
Q:Why did God create economists ?
A:In order to make weather forecasters look good.
_________________________________________________________________
An econometrician and an astrologer are arguing about their subjects.
The astrologer says, "Astrology is more scientific. My predictions
come out right half the time. Yours can't even reach that proportion".
The econometrician replies, "That's because of external shocks. Stars
don't have those".
_________________________________________________________________
An Economist is someone who didn't have enough personality to become
an accountant.
_________________________________________________________________
Q: What is a recent economics graduate's usual question in his first
job?
A: What would you like to have with your french fries sir?
_________________________________________________________________
A central banker walks into a pizzeria to order a pizza.
When the pizza is done, he goes up to the counter get it. There a
clerk asks him: "Should I cut it into six pieces or eight pieces?"
The central banker replies: "I'm feeling rather hungry right now.
You'd better cut it into eight pieces."
_________________________________________________________________
Reproduced below is an Economist Joke that illustrates the separate
facilities solution to an externality problem.
Three guys decide to play a round of golf: a priest, a psychologist,
and an economist.
They get behind a *very* slow two-some, who, despite a caddy, are
taking all day to line up their shots and four-putting every green,
and so on. By the 8th hole, the three men are complaining loudly about
the slow play ahead and swearing a blue streak, and so on. The priest
says, "Holy Mary, I pray that they should take some lessons before
they play again." The psychologist says, "I swear there are people
that like to play golf slowly." The economist says, "I realy didnt
expect to spend this much time playing a round of golf."
By the 9th hole, they have had it with slow play, so the psychologist
goes to the caddy and demands that they be allowed to play through.
The caddy says O.K., but then explains that the two golfers are blind,
that both are retired firemen who lost their eyesight saving people in
a fire, and that explains their slow play, and would they please not
swear and complain so loud.
The priest is mortified; he says, "Here I am a man of the cloth and
I've been swearing at the slow play of two blind men." The
psychologist is also mortified; he says, "Here I am a man trained to
help others with their problems and I've been complaining about the
slow play of two blind men."
The economist ponders the situation-finally he goes back to the caddy
and says, "Listen, the next time could they play at night."
_________________________________________________________________
A physist, a chemist and an economist are stranded on an island, with
nothing to eat. A can of soup washes ashore. The physist says, "Lets
smash the can open with a rock." The chemist says, "Lets build a fire
and heat the can first." The economist says, "Lets assume that we have
a can-opener..."
_________________________________________________________________
Q: What's the difference between a finance major and an economics
major?
A: Oppurtunity Cost
_________________________________________________________________
An economist, a philosopher, a biologist, and an architect were were
arguing about what was God's real profession. The philosopher said,
"Well, first and foremost, God is a philosopher because he created the
principles by which man is to live." "Ridiculous!" said the biologist
"Before that, God created man and woman and all living things so
clearly he was a biologist." "Wrong," said the architect. "Before
that, he created the heavens and the earth. Before the earth, there
was only complete confusion and chaos!" "Well," said the economist,
"where do you think the chaos came from?"
_________________________________________________________________
The First Law of Economists: For every economist, there exists an
equal and opposite economist.
The Second Law of Economists: They're both wrong.
_________________________________________________________________
If all the economists were laid end to end
a) it would be a good thing
b) they would be more comfortable
c) they would never reach conclusion
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
_________________________________________________________________
Two economists are walking down the street. One sees a dollar lying on
the sidewalk, and says so.
"Obviously not," says the other. "If there were, someone would have
picked it up!"
_________________________________________________________________
We have 2 classes of forecasters: Those who don't know . . . and those
who don't know they don't know.
- John Kenneth Galbraith, Economics professor, Harvard
_________________________________________________________________
"Murphys law of economic policy": Economists have the least influence
on policy where they know the most and are most agreed; they have the
most influence on policy where they know the least and disagree most
vehemently.
- Alan S. Blinder, Former Chair, Department of Economics, Princeton U.
_________________________________________________________________
Economists don't answer to questions others make because they know
what the answer is. They answer because they are asked.
_________________________________________________________________
There is also a joke about the last Mayday parade in the Soviet Union.
After the tanks and the troops and the planes and the missles rolled
by there came ten men dressed in black.
"Are they Spies?" Asked Gorby?
"They are economists," replies the KGB director, "imagine the havoc
they will wreak when we set them loose on the Americans"
_________________________________________________________________
The mathematician's child and the economist's child were in the third
grade together, and the teacher asked, "If one man with one shovel can
dig a ditch in ten days, how long would it take ten men with ten
shovels to dig the same ditch?" Both children raised their hands.
The teacher said to the mathematician's child, "Johnny, how long?" and
little Johnny v. said, "One day, teacher."
The teacher looked at the economist's child and said, "John Maynard,
is that right?"
_________________________________________________________________
Given 1000 economists, there will be 10 theoretical economists with
different theories on how to change the light bulb and 990 empirical
economists laboring to determine which theory is the *correct* one,
and everyone will still be in the dark.
********************************************************************
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 00:16:17 -0500 (EST)
From: Ashutosh Tiwari <tiwari@husc.harvard.edu>
Subject: Monthly Essay: PhD Myth and Narrow Context.
To: Nepal Digest <nepal@cs.niu.edu>,
What follows is a piece, published in Kathmandu's SPOTLIGHT weekly of
June 24, 1994.
PhD MYTH & NARROW CONTEXT
"Intellectual is the most over-worked words in recent Nepalese
writing." So wrote Kamal Prakash Malla in 1970, in his essay "The
Intellectuals in Nepalese Society", later republished in his book "The
Road To Nowhere". Twenty-five years later, it still is. But with a twist.
Not only is "intellectual" one of Nepal's most over-written, over-
uttered and overwrought English words (its rivals are: "communist",
"congress" and "Coca Cola"), but also one of Nepal's most popular and the
least controversial public honorifics.
Just read various write-ups and essays that appear in both the Nepali
and English medium press in Kathmandu. What soon hums about the nation's
intellectual pulse is this: Today any Nepali with a PhD or a published
from-India book or two, or a few op-eds in the Rising Nepal, or a symbiotic
relationship with an NGO or a research institute can be called an
Intellectual -- with the capital 'I'.
In fact, so widespread is this practice in all circles that on
surveying the current Nepali 'intellectual scene', words Malla wrote
in 1970, still rings true: "Nepal is one of the few countries in Asia where
literate members of the population are greatly flattered when someone
calls them 'intellectuals'."
Now, my purpose here is not to argue who is a Nepali 'intellectual'
or who is not. Nor is to look into what makes an 'intellectual', or how
s/he is different from the ordinary minds. My purpose is to retreat to that
shell marked 'interested private citizen', and make two observations on
the state and the works of Nepal's "intellectuals": PhD myth and narrow
context.
PHD MYTH: In "Fatalism And Development", author Dor Bahadur Bista
remarked that a (high-caste) Nepali studied hard to get a 'jagir'. Once
he got it, then he did no work --- or, at least, certainly not as much as
he did at school. Education, Bista sought to argue, therefore provided
a socially-sanctioned excuse to do no work.
Strangely, a similar process marks the fate of most, not all, Nepali
PhD "intellectuals". He (and it is usually a he) may have worked hard in
graduate school in India or overseas. But on coming back with a doctoral
degree, his initiation into Nepali intellectual-dom is painlessly swift.
The press hails him reverentially. Calling him Daktar So-and-so,
journalists seek his comments and deep thoughts on various issues. Millions
of his literate and illiterate compatriots respect him with a
Daktar-shaheb. His colleagues at TU and elsewhere will refer to each
other as "fellow-Buddhijibis" or "fellow-intellectuals. And impressed
by his own credentials, our thus annoited intellectual begins to throw
weight of his PhD around, even in areas far removed from the groves of
academy.
Amidst all this uncritical applause, one key point gets consistently
lost: A PhD degree in and of itself doe not, and should not, mean anything
'intellectual'. It is, after all, a degree, just like a BA or an MSc, earned
after a few years of serious academic pursuit. At its refined, the degree
signals the end of an appenticeship in an academic discipline under a mentor
at a university. At worst, it is just a piece of paper, certifying that the
apprentice has mastered using the tools of his discipline, and is now
competent to use them professionally (anywhere in the world).
Thus viewed, a new way of judging a Nepali 'intellectual' emerges.
He is an 'intellectual', not because of his PhD from a great western or
eastern university. Not too because of his 300-page dissertation that so
impressed his family and friends. Not too because he insists on appending
the title "Dr." in front of his name even in his social life.
What we in public should bear in mind is that the daktar-shaheb
may qualify as an 'intellectual' (he may prefer the word "scholar" or
'reseracher') if he has, after his PhD, done and published original pieces
of research (to expand the frontiers of his discipline or its cognates).
Judged against this criterion, most Nepali PhDs (in Kathmandu) do not
measure highly. Their serious post-PhD publications and reserach are too
insignificant and too scattered for them to don the cap of an 'intellectual'.
To play on Malla's words: "How many readable and influential books or
articles on history, economics, science or anthropology or geography that
modern-day Nepali "intellectuals" have produced?" The answer, even today,
is: Very few
NARROW CONTEXT: Byond little post-PhD research, most Nepali
"intellectuals" seem to be known as "intellectuals" only inside the char-
bhanjyang. On the basis of their work alone, very few are known even in
India. Narrow location and narrow context help explain this.
The constricting fact of location has been well-described by
Govinda Bhatta, a Marxist writer, who, in an interview with a literary
magazine, observed: "It's easy to be an intellectual (buddhijibi) in
Kathmandu. You write for Kathmandu-based papers. You stay in Kathmandu
for two years, and hang out with the right crowd at al the right places
and right functions. And soon, people will think of you as a national
level thinker." And to be an "intellectual" in Kathmandu is to face few
criticisms and peer evaluations -- both of which elsewhere form the
life-blood of any scholar's better and higher-quality research output.
With regard to narrow contexts, suffice is it to study history
as researche by Nepali academics. As historian Pratyoush Onta has
pointed out in another context (HIMAL magazine, July-August 1993), most
history books published by Nepal's senior historians (and since they
have PhDs, they are also "intellectuals") have made no effort to interpret
the dynamics of Nepali history in relation to the larger context of Indian
or South Asian history. The result is that much of history one gets to read
is little more than the same old fossilized stories of the ruling political
elites that get passed off as Nepal's only history. The struggles of the
ordinary man against the forces of war, famine, government policies, religion
and neighboring states are conveniently left out.
Today even Nepal's "intellectual-economists" suffer from this sort
of narrow-mindedness. Their public rationale for the current spate of
liberalization programs is glib: "The whole world is doing it, and so should
we." As far as we in the public know, they have no attempt to interpret the
reasons behind Nepal's need to liberalize economy against the imperatives
of the growing Indian economy, and the political economy of the development
process itself.
PHD MYTH and Narrow CONTEXTS are only two of many overlooked
aspects about Nepal's -- often self-declared -- "intellectuals". But it
behooves these intellectuals to get out of their post-PhD lassitude and
constant flirtation with electoral politics (read: power) to get down to do
some serious basic research. That way, they will slowly begin to gain the
respect not only of the public and their students but also by their coleagues
abroad. If Nepali students can be great students, then they can also grow
up to become great scholars and researchers, without hiding behind the
easy label called "intellectual".
written by ashu. comments, criticisms, further thoughts welcome on TND
and SCN.
namaste
ashu
************************************************************
From: Shailesh R. Bhandari <sbhandar@garnet.acns.fsu.edu>
Subject: Muktak
To: nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 09:26:28 -0500 (EST)
KATHMANDU
Nepal ko garibi laai gijaaoodai
Kathmandu kaa pratek sadak maa
Nayaa nayaa model kaa gaadi haru
Tibra gati maa gai rahekaa chhan
Malaai laagchha ti gaadi haru,
Nepal laai garibi ko pratham sreni maa puraaoona
Aatur vai raheka chhan
JUN
Aunsee ko raat maa jun dekhe vanda
Timile malaai paagal vanyau
Aba ta mahaa paagal vanchhau ki vanne dar laagchha
Kinaki,
Yauban fakrana fakrana laageka timra ti oth haru maa ma
Sandhai sandhi jun dekhchhu.
************************************************************************
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 14:31:30 -0400 (EDT)
From: ST941806@PIP.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU
Subject: birth place of Buddha
To: NEPAL@cs.niu.edu
TO my great surprise, i learned from a friend that she was told in
her class that there are some archeological evidences sugggesting that
Buddha might have been born in present Northern India, near the Nepali
border. I surely do not have that type of knowledge in this matter
except that i was taught and told all my life that Nepal is the
birth place of Buddha.
I would appreciate if anybody could clarify this confusion for me.
Thank you....
Umanga.
ps. I would appreciate if the interested person [s] would e-mail
directly to my e-mailk account in%"st941806@pip.cc.brandeis.edu"
****************************************************************
From: "Microtronics Team 1" <MICROT1@lib.brenau.edu>
To: Nepal@cs.niu.edu
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 1995 15:25:57 EST
Subject: Top 10
Top 10 reasons why cyber-matrimonial does not work!
10) People think cyber-matrimonial is a fake,this thing only occurs in
space.
9) People think it is just another copy from Indian culture.
8) Both parties ask 50 questions just to release their real first
names and another 50 questions to release their last names.
7) At least one party's parents don't involve in this process.
6) Both parties believe they need "lami" for this relationship.They
believe direct email correspondence is the intrusion of their
private lives.
5) "Cyber-lami" works as an another "hakeem" from Char Khal Adda.
4) The whole process only prolongs bachelors' lives.
3) Both parties believe their visa status is more important than
anything else.
2) There are more guys than girls in the USA.
1) People who tried before have bumper stickers......"cyber-
matrimonial! It sucks!!"
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