Dear All
As mentioned before on this blog, I come from one of the poorest and so called untouchable or low caste or Dalit families in rural Nepal. Apparently I am the first Nepalese untouchable to attend Oxford University.
I feel that I am morally obliged to do something for the people who were not as lucky as I was. I aim to help the poor children and young men and women from my community in Nepal with their education. They continue to suffer in various ways, including financial hardships and social ostracisation. Perhaps, many agree that education is a best weapon for fighting social injustice.
My own case shows that support in education can be productive. Although I was born to an illiterate, poor, segregated and peasant family in rural Nepal, I was able to come this far mainly due to the generous financial support I acquired through a Christian organisation called United Mission to Nepal. I am fully funded at Oxford as well.
I intend to open a charity to run a sponsorship programme focussed on poor students or children who have not been to school. Some of them will be the orphans who lost their fathers in the recent Maoist's war. The government figures show some 13,000 people were killed, including many civilians, in the ten-year-long conflict. Although the conflict is now officially over, the families of victims continue to suffer.
As James Gray (Conservative MP) and Dr David Gellner (my faculty advisor at university) are aware, I am very passionate about the situation of Nepalese low caste. I have been writing about their plight in the national newspapers in Nepal. Although I was working for British Embassy Kathmandu, I have done some volunteer work with a few Dalit organisations while in Nepal. I intend to return upon completion of my degree to serve my country and community.
As I am new to Oxford and the UK, I do not have contacts with the relevant people and organisations who might be able to help. I am also trying to find some interested people who might be happy to give some of their time by serving as trustees to the proposed charity. I would be grateful for any other bits of advice and ideas on how to register the charity and how to network with like-minded people and institutions, subsequent fund-raising and so on.
I would be grateful for any basic ideas or advice you could give me at this stage.
Thank you.
mitra.pariyar@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk
Mitra Pariyar
Student, MPhil (Social Anthropology)
St. Hugh's College
OX2 6LE
Oxford, UK
Sunday 11 January 2009
Thursday 18 December 2008
Christmas without Jesus
A couple of days ago I was in Cornmarket Street, the heart of Oxford City Centre. Although many students had already left for Christmas, the place was full of people, like on any other off day.
My attention was drawn to an open air mission conducted in the middle of the street (the place is out of bounds for vehicles). A young tall man was making a loud speech. Part of what he was saying was, “I can see most of you carrying loads of goods and gifts bought for Christmas. However, as I stand here and watch, I see that hardly any of you has a happy face. It is often the case that those with the heaviest bag of shopping look least happy. Why has happiness disappeared from our lives, despite all the riches?”
He added, “Our situation is like that of a child who has been offered many gifts. He is so engrossed with what he got that he would not listen to his parents telling him to dispose of the wrappings properly. Whatever we have today is given to us by God, but we turn our backs on Him”.
I thought these were quite thought-provoking and well-articulated words. I had longed to listen to more of it but I couldn’t do so. It wasn’t because I was rushed, or anything like that. I simply didn’t want to look like a fool by not doing what the rest were doing. People of all ages and sex and class were moving to and fro, but unfortunately not a single soul paused to even look at the speaker, let alone listen to his God-talk. The poor man was apparently trying to brainwash his reluctant audience, but his mission itself was being washed away by total apathy.
He would have a much better day if he had selected some other hot topics, such as sex or pornography or the latest luxury products in town. Despite being treated like an alien from another planet, he had the extraordinary spirit to continue to deliver his messages. Perhaps he thought at least God must be listening to him.
If Karl Marx was observing this scene, he would have been extremely happy and extremely sad at the same time. He would be delighted to see that his polemics against religion had a real impact upon the masses. He would be terrified, though, to see his theory on the utopia of communism crushed by full-fledged capitalism. He would be angry to see that communism had been “put into the cold storage” (in the words of a British anthropologist) even in China.
One can clearly see that Christmas (like other major festivals in capitalist societies) has been hijacked by consumerism. It has been increasingly delinked from religion. Capitalism has attempted to change almost everything, including people’s beliefs, values and moralities into commodities. People themselves have been reduced to ‘machines’ to drive capitalist systems. The governments in the western world encourage people to work hard and make money and spend it too. For instance, British government has officially encouraged people in Britain to do more shopping (although they increasingly fear losing money and income sources) as a way of defeating financial meltdown.
As if everybody in Britain was religious, some Brits are set to launch atheist campaigns. One of them planned to start shortly in London will have the following message painted on public buses - “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”. There have been several media debates for and against the planned campaign.
The missionary man in Oxford and the atheist campaigners in London are both wrong in the sense that they are using faith as materials for public display or advertisements. They want to promote or demote God, as if the notion of God is a product of a multi-national company. We should not be surprised if a small child from a totally atheist family in London or Oxford asked, “Mummy, can I have a bar of fresh and juicy God please!”
Capitalism’s influence on people is so great that they fail to see what faith actually means. When somebody has a faith in God, he does so without seeking any clarification. Faith can be explained in terms of our everyday mundane activities as well. For instance, if I have to travel by bus or train or plane, I simply buy the ticket and get into it. In doing so, I am expressing my unquestioned faith on the driver or pilot. He might be the worst one and may ultimately cause an accident that could cost my life. Despite all these possibilities, I do not approach the driver or pilot beforehand and ask for his licence, experience and career history. What is this, if not faith?
In the similar manner, if somebody believes in God, he does not question the existence of God. He does not care if God really exists or not. But people often fail to see this simple logic.
The world is poised to celebrate this year’s Christmas. Many will do so without remembering Jesus. Nobody knows if this really hurts or benefits God. But one thing is certain; the fat cats in the capitalist societies of Europe, America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere will once again reap the benefits of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
My attention was drawn to an open air mission conducted in the middle of the street (the place is out of bounds for vehicles). A young tall man was making a loud speech. Part of what he was saying was, “I can see most of you carrying loads of goods and gifts bought for Christmas. However, as I stand here and watch, I see that hardly any of you has a happy face. It is often the case that those with the heaviest bag of shopping look least happy. Why has happiness disappeared from our lives, despite all the riches?”
He added, “Our situation is like that of a child who has been offered many gifts. He is so engrossed with what he got that he would not listen to his parents telling him to dispose of the wrappings properly. Whatever we have today is given to us by God, but we turn our backs on Him”.
I thought these were quite thought-provoking and well-articulated words. I had longed to listen to more of it but I couldn’t do so. It wasn’t because I was rushed, or anything like that. I simply didn’t want to look like a fool by not doing what the rest were doing. People of all ages and sex and class were moving to and fro, but unfortunately not a single soul paused to even look at the speaker, let alone listen to his God-talk. The poor man was apparently trying to brainwash his reluctant audience, but his mission itself was being washed away by total apathy.
He would have a much better day if he had selected some other hot topics, such as sex or pornography or the latest luxury products in town. Despite being treated like an alien from another planet, he had the extraordinary spirit to continue to deliver his messages. Perhaps he thought at least God must be listening to him.
If Karl Marx was observing this scene, he would have been extremely happy and extremely sad at the same time. He would be delighted to see that his polemics against religion had a real impact upon the masses. He would be terrified, though, to see his theory on the utopia of communism crushed by full-fledged capitalism. He would be angry to see that communism had been “put into the cold storage” (in the words of a British anthropologist) even in China.
One can clearly see that Christmas (like other major festivals in capitalist societies) has been hijacked by consumerism. It has been increasingly delinked from religion. Capitalism has attempted to change almost everything, including people’s beliefs, values and moralities into commodities. People themselves have been reduced to ‘machines’ to drive capitalist systems. The governments in the western world encourage people to work hard and make money and spend it too. For instance, British government has officially encouraged people in Britain to do more shopping (although they increasingly fear losing money and income sources) as a way of defeating financial meltdown.
As if everybody in Britain was religious, some Brits are set to launch atheist campaigns. One of them planned to start shortly in London will have the following message painted on public buses - “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”. There have been several media debates for and against the planned campaign.
The missionary man in Oxford and the atheist campaigners in London are both wrong in the sense that they are using faith as materials for public display or advertisements. They want to promote or demote God, as if the notion of God is a product of a multi-national company. We should not be surprised if a small child from a totally atheist family in London or Oxford asked, “Mummy, can I have a bar of fresh and juicy God please!”
Capitalism’s influence on people is so great that they fail to see what faith actually means. When somebody has a faith in God, he does so without seeking any clarification. Faith can be explained in terms of our everyday mundane activities as well. For instance, if I have to travel by bus or train or plane, I simply buy the ticket and get into it. In doing so, I am expressing my unquestioned faith on the driver or pilot. He might be the worst one and may ultimately cause an accident that could cost my life. Despite all these possibilities, I do not approach the driver or pilot beforehand and ask for his licence, experience and career history. What is this, if not faith?
In the similar manner, if somebody believes in God, he does not question the existence of God. He does not care if God really exists or not. But people often fail to see this simple logic.
The world is poised to celebrate this year’s Christmas. Many will do so without remembering Jesus. Nobody knows if this really hurts or benefits God. But one thing is certain; the fat cats in the capitalist societies of Europe, America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere will once again reap the benefits of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Thursday 13 November 2008
Updates
Last weekend was an interesting adventure with a British MP (Conservative Party).
I was invited to a fund raising dinner for the party, in which I was able to meet some senior people including Lord Lawnside (descendant of one of the Prime Ministers and Vice-Roy to India), a senior person in the upper house. The dinner was actually in his massive property hosting a country club and a spa.
Driving around Wiltshire with the MP to attend various Sunday Rememberance events was another fun. Although the day was dark, dreary, cold and raining, the spirits of the people in various small and big towns were high. They had gathered in the churches and streets to remember those heros from their area who lost their lives fighting for the country in various strife and war in the past.
It was a solemn occassion for me as well because many Gurkhas have lost their lives fighting for the British government. Now slowly, they are granted better treatment, but many of those who survived the horrors of war were sent back to Nepal empty handed. The British public now recognised that this was a gross mistreatment of the heroes who fought with their blood and sweat for the British empire.
The events also included offering of wreath to the idols marked with the names of people who lost their lives. Sessions were held in the local churches as well. If you didn't mind the biblical jargons and "amens", churches acted really as a community centre for all, religious and atheists alike. The events also include parade by the scouts and security units in the area. The whole town was shut down during the parade.
I was happy that people were glad to receive me. I always have the impression that people from rural areas are more friendly and open that those from the mega-cities. However, everybody asked me if I was a Gurkha. Perhaps I discovered a stereotype against Nepalese people hidden among the British public. However, I didn't mind because they didn't mean to demean me or whatever. All of them expressed their profound respect for and solidarity with the brave Gurkhas. It was indeed a great thing to learn.
It was interesting to learn that lot of people from Wiltshire were still in the army.
It was also an oppoprtunity for me to see how British politicians work. He was not working as a pompous or a high-profile person. He got along with virtually everybody on the streets. The mayors of the little towns looked a bit pompoius, though. He drove a very simple car and always made sure that he got to the venue on time. It was a learning experience for me and will be useful especially if I indeed joined politics in my country. He keeps me encouraging to go back and involve in politics with the aim of providing fresh air to Nepalese politics. I think this is one of the things I am interested in future, though not certain at this stage.
I spent the evening at his house in a rural part quite far off from Chippenham. It was such a wilderness. He had 5 horses, 2 pigs (pets), some roosters and dogs. His wife was a hard-working country woman who loved going hunting, working with and riding horses and things. It was a pleassant experience for me as I felt as if I had been back to my village home in Gorkha.
The rest is fine. I am struggling on with my novel. I hope to pull hard this weekend as I am not going anywhere this weekend. It has already crossed 11000 words and I am desperate to get it over 50 k by the end of the month, as required. The other day I read out bits of it to a native British couple. They quite liked my exotic stories based on Nepalese hills. Their views encouraged me further to plough through.
Busy man....
Last weekend was an interesting adventure with a British MP (Conservative Party).
I was invited to a fund raising dinner for the party, in which I was able to meet some senior people including Lord Lawnside (descendant of one of the Prime Ministers and Vice-Roy to India), a senior person in the upper house. The dinner was actually in his massive property hosting a country club and a spa.
Driving around Wiltshire with the MP to attend various Sunday Rememberance events was another fun. Although the day was dark, dreary, cold and raining, the spirits of the people in various small and big towns were high. They had gathered in the churches and streets to remember those heros from their area who lost their lives fighting for the country in various strife and war in the past.
It was a solemn occassion for me as well because many Gurkhas have lost their lives fighting for the British government. Now slowly, they are granted better treatment, but many of those who survived the horrors of war were sent back to Nepal empty handed. The British public now recognised that this was a gross mistreatment of the heroes who fought with their blood and sweat for the British empire.
The events also included offering of wreath to the idols marked with the names of people who lost their lives. Sessions were held in the local churches as well. If you didn't mind the biblical jargons and "amens", churches acted really as a community centre for all, religious and atheists alike. The events also include parade by the scouts and security units in the area. The whole town was shut down during the parade.
I was happy that people were glad to receive me. I always have the impression that people from rural areas are more friendly and open that those from the mega-cities. However, everybody asked me if I was a Gurkha. Perhaps I discovered a stereotype against Nepalese people hidden among the British public. However, I didn't mind because they didn't mean to demean me or whatever. All of them expressed their profound respect for and solidarity with the brave Gurkhas. It was indeed a great thing to learn.
It was interesting to learn that lot of people from Wiltshire were still in the army.
It was also an oppoprtunity for me to see how British politicians work. He was not working as a pompous or a high-profile person. He got along with virtually everybody on the streets. The mayors of the little towns looked a bit pompoius, though. He drove a very simple car and always made sure that he got to the venue on time. It was a learning experience for me and will be useful especially if I indeed joined politics in my country. He keeps me encouraging to go back and involve in politics with the aim of providing fresh air to Nepalese politics. I think this is one of the things I am interested in future, though not certain at this stage.
I spent the evening at his house in a rural part quite far off from Chippenham. It was such a wilderness. He had 5 horses, 2 pigs (pets), some roosters and dogs. His wife was a hard-working country woman who loved going hunting, working with and riding horses and things. It was a pleassant experience for me as I felt as if I had been back to my village home in Gorkha.
The rest is fine. I am struggling on with my novel. I hope to pull hard this weekend as I am not going anywhere this weekend. It has already crossed 11000 words and I am desperate to get it over 50 k by the end of the month, as required. The other day I read out bits of it to a native British couple. They quite liked my exotic stories based on Nepalese hills. Their views encouraged me further to plough through.
Busy man....
Monday 3 November 2008
Novel writing month
I have ventured on a new mission:
As per the tradition of the Failed Novelists, I enlisted myself for the novel-writing-marathon this November. The rules of the game dictate that I should have a minimum of 50k-word novel completed by the end of the month. And the suggested way forward is to finish a daily installment of around 1600 words.
Initially I was hesitant, but I did get on with it. I did start writing and the big plot is pretty clear in my mind. I intend to reflect on the lives of ordinary Nepalese people in the war-torn hills of Nepal. A war that is still largely unheard of to the world community, thanks to the biased western media. My story will also have elements of discrimination against the low caste, of course, but the main focus will be the difficulty of having to live with violence.
I believe ordinary lives in fact reveal extraordinary facts. Some of the incidents will be based on real stories from around my village, although the characters will be named differently.
I am conscious of one thing though - marketing in the west. The western readers do not find it interesting unless there is some connection to their lives and societies. I am pondering over how I could make such references or linkages between the Nepalese hills and Britain. Gurkha could be a possible linkage, but weaving it naturally will not be easy.
The other thing that worries me the most is that I may not be able to express as well as I do in Nepali. I have indeed published a few Nepali stories and some editors have appreciated it. It is certainly different to command a second language, but I hope that the publishers will polish it, if they see some scope with it.
As the organisers of the marathon claim, I need not worry now whether I will produce a marvellous piece like The Devil Wears Prada or a complete rubbish. Even if I indeed presented the latter, I will have learnt the lessons and will get an experience of writing. If it comes out to be an okay-product, I will be asked to revise in December. Or I could choose to revisit the piece after a few years, once my English has got better at Oxford. Anyway, I have taken the challenge and it is indeed a thrilling experience. The protagonists have already begun to speak to me about how they wish to be presented.
However, I should admit, I could not take the story forward that much today. I am short of nearly 900 words today. I hope I will recover on Tuesday.
Something to warm up for the fast approaching winter chills.
Novice writer
As per the tradition of the Failed Novelists, I enlisted myself for the novel-writing-marathon this November. The rules of the game dictate that I should have a minimum of 50k-word novel completed by the end of the month. And the suggested way forward is to finish a daily installment of around 1600 words.
Initially I was hesitant, but I did get on with it. I did start writing and the big plot is pretty clear in my mind. I intend to reflect on the lives of ordinary Nepalese people in the war-torn hills of Nepal. A war that is still largely unheard of to the world community, thanks to the biased western media. My story will also have elements of discrimination against the low caste, of course, but the main focus will be the difficulty of having to live with violence.
I believe ordinary lives in fact reveal extraordinary facts. Some of the incidents will be based on real stories from around my village, although the characters will be named differently.
I am conscious of one thing though - marketing in the west. The western readers do not find it interesting unless there is some connection to their lives and societies. I am pondering over how I could make such references or linkages between the Nepalese hills and Britain. Gurkha could be a possible linkage, but weaving it naturally will not be easy.
The other thing that worries me the most is that I may not be able to express as well as I do in Nepali. I have indeed published a few Nepali stories and some editors have appreciated it. It is certainly different to command a second language, but I hope that the publishers will polish it, if they see some scope with it.
As the organisers of the marathon claim, I need not worry now whether I will produce a marvellous piece like The Devil Wears Prada or a complete rubbish. Even if I indeed presented the latter, I will have learnt the lessons and will get an experience of writing. If it comes out to be an okay-product, I will be asked to revise in December. Or I could choose to revisit the piece after a few years, once my English has got better at Oxford. Anyway, I have taken the challenge and it is indeed a thrilling experience. The protagonists have already begun to speak to me about how they wish to be presented.
However, I should admit, I could not take the story forward that much today. I am short of nearly 900 words today. I hope I will recover on Tuesday.
Something to warm up for the fast approaching winter chills.
Novice writer
Monday 27 October 2008
My Deepawali
This weekend was so special that I felt at home in the UK for the first time...
I was invited to a Dashain-Tihar celebration organised by the Srinjshil Nepali Samaj in Aldershot. The annual event featured Nepalese cultural programmes, food, drinks and a short formal session involving some speeches. And of course, the event gave emphasis on the informal gathering of the Nepalese people, which was indeed useful and most enjoyable of all.
This Dashain, Nepalese equivalent of the X-Mas in the US and UK, was the worst in my life because I was alone in Oxford busy with series of induction programmes. My wife and son were in Kathmandu and my parents were in Gorkha. I am sure everybody in my family missed me and did not enjoy this Dashain very much. It was particularly hopeless for me because I did not have an opportunity to celebrate the day with anybody from Nepal.
In such a sad situation, I was blessed with an invitation to attend this event. And I really enjoyed the whole event. No word would suffice my gratefulness to the organisers.
It took me nearly an hour (or more) to get to the place by train from Oxford. On arrival, I felt as if I had actually gone back to my country. One would almost always bump into Nepalese people on the streets. I knew it was one of the Nepalese hubs in the UK as a result of having a Gurkha establishment there for a long time, but I did not know that so many Nepalese live in the area! Thousands of Nepalese, mostly Gurkhas, live in Aldershot and nearby Farnborough areas.
The President of the organisation, Sher Bahadur Sunar, himself a former Gurkha, was somewhat different from many other Gurkhas. He was well aware of the political developments in Nepal and was in fact involved in politics. He was close to the Nepali Congress party, and had high level contacts in the party leadership, as evidenced by visiting Sher Bahadur Deuba (former PM of Nepal) visiting his house recently. Sunar is enterprenual as well. He runs a restaurant which features lok dohori, particularly over the weekends. I thought he is doing an emulative work of promoting Nepalese culture in the UK.
When he launched his organisation in 2007, many had advised him to label it as a "Dalit" organisation. Many had also suggested him to limit the association to his own caste group - Bishwakarma. But he rejected both ideas and named it Srinjalshil Nepali Samaj (a creative Nepalese society). I rather prefer this alternative not least because "srinjalshil" is potentially a better replacement for the term "Dalit". It evokes a more forward-looking and positive image of the so-called low caste. Needless to state, our tradition is one of creativity, without which societies in the past would not run. We are a bunch of people with craftsmanship in our blood. This is still the case with most low caste in the rural parts of the country, although the feudal social systems have deliberately projected our traditional occupation as profane.
And his effort to include people from across the caste groups is something to be learnt by everyboday. One of the reasons for the failure of so-called Dalit movements is our inability to rise above the caste, partisan and familial interests. We still have not learnt to get united; divided as we are, our case is bound to remain feeble and uninfluential.
The cultural programme was also quite good. It was good to know that the young kids who have been here for a while had not forgotten their culture and tradition. We must indeed make sure that the cultural package from our society/civilisation comes with us and stays with us for many generations. Our culture defines who we are and where we come from. If we lose our culture, we fear losing our identity.
It was also an opportunity to see for myself how the Gurkhas had settled in the UK. This is a relatively recent development. British Gurkhas are considered fairly well off in our society in Nepal. It was clear that many of them wish to go back at a certain point, possibly when their children would be able to look after themselves. They badly miss their good life back home. They were frustrated that they had to work hard once again, even after retirment, to make a living in this costly land. Specially, the spouses had an unusually hard time compared to their much-privelaged life in Kathmandu or Pokhara or Dharan. Lahureni has become an icon for the extravagant women in Nepal.
It was however, sad to learn that the Nepalese people settled in the UK still have not given up their stereotype against the people of so-called low caste. They explicitly or implicitly show their casteist behaviour, an extreme form or undeclared racism. The UK is a country where you can not discriminate against people on the basis of their race or coolour or origin. But the Nepalese people's habits die hard. This is an issue that deserves serious attention. I am sure the UK Government would be willing to look into it if the residents made complaints formally in an organised manner. I am not sure what the situation is in other European countries and across the Atlantic.
Anyway, this was such a great time for me to be able to see so many Nepalese people from my own community. Much of my homesickness appears to have gone after the event.
It was quite late at night when the programme ended. I was taken by one kind Gurkha to his house and looked after well. Sunar also joined me the next morning. I returned after a nice dal- bhat meal.
Thank you Sunar-jee! Thank you Srijanshil Samaj! Thank you all friends for the wonderful time! After all, I had never imagined that I would be celebrating this Deepawali in the UK!
Happy Mood.
I was invited to a Dashain-Tihar celebration organised by the Srinjshil Nepali Samaj in Aldershot. The annual event featured Nepalese cultural programmes, food, drinks and a short formal session involving some speeches. And of course, the event gave emphasis on the informal gathering of the Nepalese people, which was indeed useful and most enjoyable of all.
This Dashain, Nepalese equivalent of the X-Mas in the US and UK, was the worst in my life because I was alone in Oxford busy with series of induction programmes. My wife and son were in Kathmandu and my parents were in Gorkha. I am sure everybody in my family missed me and did not enjoy this Dashain very much. It was particularly hopeless for me because I did not have an opportunity to celebrate the day with anybody from Nepal.
In such a sad situation, I was blessed with an invitation to attend this event. And I really enjoyed the whole event. No word would suffice my gratefulness to the organisers.
It took me nearly an hour (or more) to get to the place by train from Oxford. On arrival, I felt as if I had actually gone back to my country. One would almost always bump into Nepalese people on the streets. I knew it was one of the Nepalese hubs in the UK as a result of having a Gurkha establishment there for a long time, but I did not know that so many Nepalese live in the area! Thousands of Nepalese, mostly Gurkhas, live in Aldershot and nearby Farnborough areas.
The President of the organisation, Sher Bahadur Sunar, himself a former Gurkha, was somewhat different from many other Gurkhas. He was well aware of the political developments in Nepal and was in fact involved in politics. He was close to the Nepali Congress party, and had high level contacts in the party leadership, as evidenced by visiting Sher Bahadur Deuba (former PM of Nepal) visiting his house recently. Sunar is enterprenual as well. He runs a restaurant which features lok dohori, particularly over the weekends. I thought he is doing an emulative work of promoting Nepalese culture in the UK.
When he launched his organisation in 2007, many had advised him to label it as a "Dalit" organisation. Many had also suggested him to limit the association to his own caste group - Bishwakarma. But he rejected both ideas and named it Srinjalshil Nepali Samaj (a creative Nepalese society). I rather prefer this alternative not least because "srinjalshil" is potentially a better replacement for the term "Dalit". It evokes a more forward-looking and positive image of the so-called low caste. Needless to state, our tradition is one of creativity, without which societies in the past would not run. We are a bunch of people with craftsmanship in our blood. This is still the case with most low caste in the rural parts of the country, although the feudal social systems have deliberately projected our traditional occupation as profane.
And his effort to include people from across the caste groups is something to be learnt by everyboday. One of the reasons for the failure of so-called Dalit movements is our inability to rise above the caste, partisan and familial interests. We still have not learnt to get united; divided as we are, our case is bound to remain feeble and uninfluential.
The cultural programme was also quite good. It was good to know that the young kids who have been here for a while had not forgotten their culture and tradition. We must indeed make sure that the cultural package from our society/civilisation comes with us and stays with us for many generations. Our culture defines who we are and where we come from. If we lose our culture, we fear losing our identity.
It was also an opportunity to see for myself how the Gurkhas had settled in the UK. This is a relatively recent development. British Gurkhas are considered fairly well off in our society in Nepal. It was clear that many of them wish to go back at a certain point, possibly when their children would be able to look after themselves. They badly miss their good life back home. They were frustrated that they had to work hard once again, even after retirment, to make a living in this costly land. Specially, the spouses had an unusually hard time compared to their much-privelaged life in Kathmandu or Pokhara or Dharan. Lahureni has become an icon for the extravagant women in Nepal.
It was however, sad to learn that the Nepalese people settled in the UK still have not given up their stereotype against the people of so-called low caste. They explicitly or implicitly show their casteist behaviour, an extreme form or undeclared racism. The UK is a country where you can not discriminate against people on the basis of their race or coolour or origin. But the Nepalese people's habits die hard. This is an issue that deserves serious attention. I am sure the UK Government would be willing to look into it if the residents made complaints formally in an organised manner. I am not sure what the situation is in other European countries and across the Atlantic.
Anyway, this was such a great time for me to be able to see so many Nepalese people from my own community. Much of my homesickness appears to have gone after the event.
It was quite late at night when the programme ended. I was taken by one kind Gurkha to his house and looked after well. Sunar also joined me the next morning. I returned after a nice dal- bhat meal.
Thank you Sunar-jee! Thank you Srijanshil Samaj! Thank you all friends for the wonderful time! After all, I had never imagined that I would be celebrating this Deepawali in the UK!
Happy Mood.
Wednesday 22 October 2008
A thought from the day
I was at a weekly coffee hosted by my department (ISCA) when this occured...
I met a fellow student who is also studying MPhil in Social Anthropology and is contemplating researching on the Sahara area of Afria. One of the main reasons was that she knew the place quite well and had the interests to research on these people - refugees and non-refugees on a multi-sited fieldwork.
She gave me a suggestion on my possible future research, which I took as a bright idea. She advised me to aim for doing side projects as an anthropologist in future and review the studies conducted on Nepal (such as those on Newars of Kathmandu by Dr David Gellner and on the untouchables of Bajhang district by Dr Cameron). This would be a new practice in anthropology, a native anthropologist critiqueing the study on his native societies.
I think I should not let the idea die out, specially if I am going to work long-term as a practioner. So far I believe I will indeed be working as one.
In the discussion, there was a mulling over whether I should research on Nepal itself or outside. The concept had to be analysed looking at its pros and cons. If I did indeed go for fieldwork in a Nepali-speaking community in Nepal, I would not need to learn the language and I would be familiar with many things. As a result, my DPhil could be swift - perhaps completed within two years after MPhil.
On the flipside, I will be deprived of the excitements and challenges involved with the unpacking of a completely new culture, in other parts of the world except South Asia. I would need to start from zero and everything I learnt would look exciting and new. It will certainly not be the case with my research in Nepal.
I will need to think about this very carefully and fairly quickly as well. My adviser's opinion will also count, of course.
I met a fellow student who is also studying MPhil in Social Anthropology and is contemplating researching on the Sahara area of Afria. One of the main reasons was that she knew the place quite well and had the interests to research on these people - refugees and non-refugees on a multi-sited fieldwork.
She gave me a suggestion on my possible future research, which I took as a bright idea. She advised me to aim for doing side projects as an anthropologist in future and review the studies conducted on Nepal (such as those on Newars of Kathmandu by Dr David Gellner and on the untouchables of Bajhang district by Dr Cameron). This would be a new practice in anthropology, a native anthropologist critiqueing the study on his native societies.
I think I should not let the idea die out, specially if I am going to work long-term as a practioner. So far I believe I will indeed be working as one.
In the discussion, there was a mulling over whether I should research on Nepal itself or outside. The concept had to be analysed looking at its pros and cons. If I did indeed go for fieldwork in a Nepali-speaking community in Nepal, I would not need to learn the language and I would be familiar with many things. As a result, my DPhil could be swift - perhaps completed within two years after MPhil.
On the flipside, I will be deprived of the excitements and challenges involved with the unpacking of a completely new culture, in other parts of the world except South Asia. I would need to start from zero and everything I learnt would look exciting and new. It will certainly not be the case with my research in Nepal.
I will need to think about this very carefully and fairly quickly as well. My adviser's opinion will also count, of course.
Tuesday 21 October 2008
Daddy Missed Badly
Today my wife called me from Kathmandu, Subash was with her. We spoke for nearly half an hour.
It's been a month since I left them. By now my wife and I are becoming accustomed to living separately. It was really difficult at the start. My wife kept crying for sometime. Although I did not cry, I was extremely sad and felt very lonely indeed. It was bad also because the university orientation or the study had not begun and I did not have friends here. So, I kept remembering them in my room, I lived with their memory.
However, my son Subash was perhaps not comprehending at that stage that he was not going to see me for a while. Perhaps he had hoped that the UK was one of those districts in Nepal and I would come back after a few days - just like my frequent district visits from work. We had tried to explain this to him before my departure, but perhaps he had not got the point. Therefore, he did not make much fuss initially. But Rita has been informing me lately that he has begun to miss me badly.
He keeps remembering me every evening, she said. And he particularly misses me on Fridays. He tells his mom and friends that I would go and pick him up from his school on Fridays, like in the past. Friday being my half-day at work, I used to take him home from school almost every Friday. Frequently we used to go to Thamel for pizza or chips before going back home.
I hope this will not have any impact upon his tender psyche. She said he sometimes tells everyone of his plans to meet daddy in the UK after some months. He told his grandparents and others in his maternal uncle's house that he would not be there to celebrate the next Dashain. That was all very good. But what is this thing about Friday?
When we speak over the phone, he invariably complains about his mom not being kind to him. He keeps telling me how she had smacked him or had not bought him what he had wanted, and so on. He once said, "Daddy, come and smack mom, she is always smacks me". I know his mom is not so unkind, but I think he is making a pretext for asking me to come over quickly.
Well, what to do? This is really sad. It would not be that bad if I were one of those fathers (some in Nepal) who try to keep themselves distant from their children. I used to spend the weekends with him. He would never leave me alone when I was at home, but would never sleep with me at night. We used to go for a walk or visit places and relatives. He would want to somehow keep his mom off during the day.
What to do? It was never our intention to be separated for long. We had never stayed separate for this long. But the circumstances at times force us to take the harsh decisions. We are looking forward to our reunion once I have found a family accomodation outside the college, a school for Subash and a job for my wife.
Sad Daddy
It's been a month since I left them. By now my wife and I are becoming accustomed to living separately. It was really difficult at the start. My wife kept crying for sometime. Although I did not cry, I was extremely sad and felt very lonely indeed. It was bad also because the university orientation or the study had not begun and I did not have friends here. So, I kept remembering them in my room, I lived with their memory.
However, my son Subash was perhaps not comprehending at that stage that he was not going to see me for a while. Perhaps he had hoped that the UK was one of those districts in Nepal and I would come back after a few days - just like my frequent district visits from work. We had tried to explain this to him before my departure, but perhaps he had not got the point. Therefore, he did not make much fuss initially. But Rita has been informing me lately that he has begun to miss me badly.
He keeps remembering me every evening, she said. And he particularly misses me on Fridays. He tells his mom and friends that I would go and pick him up from his school on Fridays, like in the past. Friday being my half-day at work, I used to take him home from school almost every Friday. Frequently we used to go to Thamel for pizza or chips before going back home.
I hope this will not have any impact upon his tender psyche. She said he sometimes tells everyone of his plans to meet daddy in the UK after some months. He told his grandparents and others in his maternal uncle's house that he would not be there to celebrate the next Dashain. That was all very good. But what is this thing about Friday?
When we speak over the phone, he invariably complains about his mom not being kind to him. He keeps telling me how she had smacked him or had not bought him what he had wanted, and so on. He once said, "Daddy, come and smack mom, she is always smacks me". I know his mom is not so unkind, but I think he is making a pretext for asking me to come over quickly.
Well, what to do? This is really sad. It would not be that bad if I were one of those fathers (some in Nepal) who try to keep themselves distant from their children. I used to spend the weekends with him. He would never leave me alone when I was at home, but would never sleep with me at night. We used to go for a walk or visit places and relatives. He would want to somehow keep his mom off during the day.
What to do? It was never our intention to be separated for long. We had never stayed separate for this long. But the circumstances at times force us to take the harsh decisions. We are looking forward to our reunion once I have found a family accomodation outside the college, a school for Subash and a job for my wife.
Sad Daddy
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