Citation
Betrayal of the knowledgeable

Material Information

Title:
Betrayal of the knowledgeable Nepal is where it is not just because of ignorance of the masses, but also the betrayal from the academics
Added title page title:
Nepal is where it is not just because of ignorance of the masses, but also the betrayal from the academics
Creator:
Mishra, Pramod ( Author, Primary )
Place of Publication:
Kathmandu
Publisher:
The Kathmandu Post
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
© 2015, Kantipur Digital Corp
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Politics ( SWAY )
Politics and government ( LCSH )
राजनीति ( SWAY )
Elites -- political ( SWAY )
Elite (Social sciences) -- Political activity ( LCSH )
राजनैतिक संभ्रान्तहरु ( SWAY )
Social inclusion ( SWAY )
Social integration ( LCSH )
सामाजिक समावेशीकरण ( SWAY )
Madhesis ( SWAY )
मधेसी ( SWAY )
Genre:
Newspaper report ( SWAY )
Temporal Coverage:
20150425 - 20151029
Spatial Coverage:
Asia -- Nepal
Coordinates:
28 x 84

Notes

General Note:
Published in: The Kathmandu Post (© 2015, Khatmandu Post) -- http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-10-29/betrayal-of-the-knowledgeable.html
General Note:
VIAF (name authority) : Mishra, Pramod : URI http://viaf.org/viaf/24430924/
General Note:
एशिया -- नेपाल
General Note:
Asie -- Népal

Record Information

Source Institution:
SOAS University of London
Rights Management:
© 2015, Khatmandu Post
Resource Identifier:
SP151029A1 ( SWAY )

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The Kathmandu Post :: Betrayal of the knowledgeable 30/10/2015 10:27

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Betrayal of the knowledgeable

Nepal is where it is not just because of ignorance of the masses, but ako the betrayal from the academics

- Pramod Mishra (/author/pramod+mishra)

Oct 29, 2015- Justice seekers and injustice perpetuators are
arrayed in the Kurukshetra of Nepali public and political sphere,
ready to go at each other. And this is after the abolition of
monarchy, after 25 years of the advent of multiparty system and
free media culture, two constituent assemblies and a botched
constitution born of a flawed and bad-faith political process.
Storm clouds of a civil war ominously loom large in the not so
distant horizon. How did we get here?
I understand that politicians act in their party's and
constituencies' interest, and to win elections. Party leaders
seldom have longue duree vision when they make decisions
because they only have short-term exigencies in their mind, not what will happen in years, let
alone decades or centuries from now. Longue duree vision is the work of statesmen but it is
exceptionally rare among dime a dozen politicians. But what about intellectuals or academics or
human rights leaders? Should they not think, profess, act differently from party politicians?

What can one say about
scholars and human rights
advocates in republican
Nepal, who forget almost a
century of sociology and
human rights theories and
practices and the
complexities to understand
the ongoing crisis?

Story Reader

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Page 1 of 4


The Kathmandu Post :: Betrayal of the knowledgeable

30/10/2015 10:27

At the conference

These two questions—How did we get here? And should scholars and intellectuals behave
differently—converged in my mind this week after I listened to a celebrated Nepali sociologist
and read an op-ed by a celebrity human rights leader and an academic. To be sure, political
interests drive politicians' decisions. But what is the role of intellectuals and human rights
leaders in shaping public opinion for the greater good and mediating conflicting, colliding ideas,
perspectives and group self-interests? Do they have any role at all to find a negotiated, mediated
path amidst the thorn-bush of conflicting, colliding interests when society spirals down into
mayhem?

More than once, I had read about this sociologist described and covered in glowing terms in
Nepali-language media. So, I thought I should go and listen to what he had to say about
sociology in theory and application. In this South Asia conference in Madison, Wisconsin, the
US, a small world of noted Nepal experts had gathered in the audience and even more noted
expert-panelists from more than one discipline commented on the Nepali sociologist's paper on
the dialectics of agency v. structure in mapping Nepal's major political events from Prithvi
Narayan Shah's unification' to Prachanda's republicanism. Obviously, the sociologist knew his
sociology from Emile Durkheim and Max Weber to Pierre Bourdieu and Immanuel Waller stein
and the commentators commented insightfully by demonstrating their knowledge of
anthropology and history. Questions and answers followed, and before it came to an end, two
scholars from the audience asked the same question: how can we understand the blockade and
theMadhesi issue?

Internal colonialism

Without batting an eye, the sociologist replied, "Oh, it is India's colonialism over Nepal." The
audience wanted to know what the non-Nepali panelists thought about the question. The
panelists shrugged their shoulders and mumbled that they had nothing to say. And as I had gone
there just to listen, neither to ask questions nor to comment, I found myself in a moral dilemma.
I did not want to demoralise the guest by challenging his statement. But if I did not, I thought,
the narrative would remain incomplete. So, I reluctantly raised my hand. "Well," I cleared my
throat,KI think I agree with the professor but would like to add that the blockade is equally a
result of Nepali state's internal colonisation of Tarai-Madhes." And I briefly summarised the
argument of my last fortnight's column in this paper.

Coming home I read the human rights activist-academic's op-ed in Kantipur. Knowledgeable in
international law and treaties, he had written about prosecuting India through international
organisations. But in the entire harangue against India, he had nary a word to say about the
killings of innocent Madhesis in Birganj, Janakpur and other places and the torture of the Tharus
accused of killing police officials in Tikapur.

Academic ignorance

If an uneducated lout from the boondocks of Nepal spews venom against another ethnicity, we
can dismiss it as the stupidity of the ignorant. If a SLC fail or pass youth espouses one-sided
views and mouths obscenities from the construction sites and factory floors of the Middle East
and Malaysia, you can say, he does not know any better. If a leading politician of a political party
uses derogatory, racist epithets, one can say, the leader is whipping up hysteria among his
followers because a) he is not well-educated and b) has vested interests. If a sociologist, board
member appointed by the Panchayat government discriminated against someone in the selection
process for a fellowship or a job or a geographer issued discriminatory report to please his
Panchayati employers, one could say he did so because he was following the orders of his one
language-one dress proponent masters.

But what can one say about scholars and human rights advocates in republican Nepal, who forget
almost a century of sociology and human rights theories and practices and the complexities these
could bring to an understanding of the ongoing crisis in the country? Nobody says India should
not be blamed, criticised or even condemned where it deserves. But scholars are expected to take
multiple perspectives into account while dealing with a complex issue. And human rights
activist-academics at least pretend to side with the victims of murder and torture.
Therefore, my preliminary conclusion is: Nepal is where it is not just because of the ignorance of
the masses or the myopic, what Plato would say, crushed under "the leaden weights of birth and

(/news/2 015-10-
30 /handle-with-
care.html)
Oct 30.2015
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Oct 30.2015

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3 0/ presidents-precedent.html)

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3 0/ escape-plan, html)
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Escape plan (/news/ 2 015-10-3 0/escape-
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Page 2 of 4


The Kathmandu Post :: Betrayal of the knowledgeable

30/10/2015 10:27

becoming" of political leaders but equally because of the treason of the academics, intellectuals
and human rights activists. And that is very unfortunate for a multicultural, multilingual country
because a few such prominent examples may tarnish the entire community.

Published: 29-10-2015 08:33 f7IHI< x.f, I



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30/10/2015 10:27 The Kathmandu Post :: Betrayal of the knowledgeable Page 1 of 4 http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-10-29/betrayal-of-the-knowledgeable.html 296 SHARES ! Share on facebook " Share on twitter More From Oped (/category/oped) (/) Story Reader OPED (/CATEGORY/OPED) Betrayal of the knowledgeable Nepal is where it is not just because of ignorance of the masses, but also the betrayal from the academics Pramod Mishra (/author/pramod+mishra) What can one say about scholars and human rights advocates in republican Nepal, who forget almost a century of sociology and human rights theories and practices and the complexities to understand the ongoing crisis? Oct 29, 2015Justice seekers and injustice perpetuators are arrayed in the Kurukshetra of Nepali public and political sphere, ready to go at each other. And this is after the abolition of monarchy, after 25 years of the advent of multiparty system and free media culture, two constituent assemblies and a botched constitution born of a flawed and bad-faith political process. Storm clouds of a civil war ominously loom large in the not so distant horizon. How did we get here? I understand that politicians act in their party's and constituencies' interest, and to win elections. Party leaders seldom have longue duree vision when they make decisions because they only have short-term exigencies in their mind, not what will happen in years, let alone decades or centuries from now. Longue duree vision is the work of statesmen but it is exceptionally rare among dime a dozen politicians. But what about intellectuals or academics or human rights leaders? Should they not think, profess, act differently from party politicians? Print Edition (/printedition/2015-10-30) | Archive (/archive) !

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30/10/2015 10:27 The Kathmandu Post :: Betrayal of the knowledgeable Page 2 of 4 http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-10-29/betrayal-of-the-knowledgeable.html (/news/2015-1030/handle-withcare.html) Oct 30, 2015 Handle with care (/news/2015-1030/handle-with-care.html) (/news/2015-1030/presidents-precedent.html) Oct 30, 2015 President's precedent (/news/2015-1030/presidents-precedent.html) (/news/2015-1030/escape-plan.html) Oct 30, 2015 Escape plan (/news/2015-10-30/escapeplan.html) (/news/2015-10-29/awindow-for-diplomacy.html) Oct 29, 2015 A window for diplomacy (/news/201510-29/a-window-for-diplomacy.html) (/news/2015-1028/fight-against-hunger.html) Oct 28, 2015 Fight against hunger (/news/2015-1028/fight-against-hunger.html) (/news/2015-1028/self-fulfilling-prophecy.html) Oct 28, 2015 Self-fulfilling prophecy (/news/2015-1028/self-fulfilling-prophecy.html) (/news/2015-1027/power-parity.html) Oct 27, 2015 Power parity (/news/2015-10-27/powerparity.html) (/news/2015-1027/beyond-just-voice.html) Oct 27, 2015 Beyond just voice (/news/2015-1027/beyond-just-voice.html) (/news/2015-1027/uneasy-neighbour.html) Oct 27, 2015 Uneasy neighbour (/news/2015-1027/uneasy-neighbour.html) (/news/2015-1027/the-long-view.html) Oct 27, 2015 The long view (/news/2015-10-27/thelong-view.html) At the conference These two questionsÑHow did we get here? And should scholars and intellectuals behave differentlyÑconverged in my mind this week after I listened to a celebrated Nepali sociologist and read an op-ed by a celebrity human rights leader and an academic. To be sure, political interests drive politicians' decisions. But what is the role of intellectuals and human rights leaders in shaping public opinion for the greater good and mediating conflicting, colliding ideas, perspectives and group self-interests? Do they have any role at all to find a negotiated, mediated path amidst the thorn-bush of conflicting, colliding interests when society spirals down into mayhem? More than once, I had read about this sociologist described and covered in glowing terms in Nepali-language media. So, I thought I should go and listen to what he had to say about sociology in theory and application. In this South Asia conference in Madison, Wisconsin, the US, a small world of noted Nepal experts had gathered in the audience and even more noted expert-panelists from more than one discipline commented on the Nepali sociologist's paper on the dialectics of agency v. structure in mapping Nepal's major political events from Prithvi Narayan Shah's unification' to Prachanda's republicanism. Obviously, the sociologist knew his sociology from Emile Durkheim and Max Weber to Pierre Bourdieu and Immanuel Wallerstein and the commentators commented insightfully by demonstrating their knowledge of anthropology and history. Questions and answers followed, and before it came to an end, two scholars from the audience asked the same question: how can we understand the blockade and the Madhesi issue? Internal colonialism Without batting an eye, the sociologist replied, "Oh, it is India's colonialism over Nepal." The audience wanted to know what the non-Nepali panelists thought about the question. The panelists shrugged their shoulders and mumbled that they had nothing to say. And as I had gone there just to listen, neither to ask questions nor to comment, I found myself in a moral dilemma. I did not want to demoralise the guest by challenging his statement. But if I did not, I thought, the narrative would remain incomplete. So, I reluctantly raised my hand. "Well," I cleared my throat, "I think I agree with the professor but would like to add that the blockade is equally a result of Nepali state's internal colonisation of Tarai-Madhes." And I briefly summarised the argument of my last fortnight's column in this paper. Coming home I read the human rights activist-academic's op-ed in Kantipur. Knowledgeable in international law and treaties, he had written about prosecuting India through international organisations. But in the entire harangue against India, he had nary a word to say about the killings of innocent Madhesis in Birganj, Janakpur and other places and the torture of the Tharus accused of killing police officials in Tikapur. Academic ignorance If an uneducated lout from the boondocks of Nepal spews venom against another ethnicity, we can dismiss it as the stupidity of the ignorant. If a SLC fail or pass youth espouses one-sided views and mouths obscenities from the construction sites and factory floors of the Middle East and Malaysia, you can say, he does not know any better. If a leading politician of a political party uses derogatory, racist epithets, one can say, the leader is whipping up hysteria among his followers because a) he is not well-educated and b) has vested interests. If a sociologist, board member appointed by the Panchayat government discriminated against someone in the selection process for a fellowship or a job or a geographer issued discriminatory report to please his Panchayati employers, one could say he did so because he was following the orders of his one language-one dress proponent masters. But what can one say about scholars and human rights advocates in republican Nepal, who forget almost a century of sociology and human rights theories and practices and the complexities these could bring to an understanding of the ongoing crisis in the country? Nobody says India should not be blamed, criticised or even condemned where it deserves. But scholars are expected to take multiple perspectives into account while dealing with a complex issue. And human rights activist-academics at least pretend to side with the victims of murder and torture. Therefore, my preliminary conclusion is: Nepal is where it is not just because of the ignorance of the masses or the myopic, what Plato would say, crushed under "the leaden weights of birth and

PAGE 3

30/10/2015 10:27 The Kathmandu Post :: Betrayal of the knowledgeable Page 3 of 4 http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-10-29/betrayal-of-the-knowledgeable.html becoming" of political leaders but equally because of the treason of the academics, intellectuals and human rights activists. And that is very unfortunate for a multicultural, multilingual country because a few such prominent examples may tarnish the entire community. Published: 29-10-2015 08:33 USER'S FEEDBACK Comment via Facebook or Click here Loading... 296 Like Like 0 Comments Sort by Facebook Comments Plugin Newest Newest Add a comment... Don't have facebook account? Use this form to comment The Kathmandu Post's Categories Blog (/category/blog) | Capital (/category/capital) | Development (/category/development) | Editor's Pick (/category/editors-pick) | Editorial (/category/editorial) | Entertainment (/category/entertainment) | Featured (/category/featured) | Fiction Park (/category/fiction-park) | General (/category/general) | Health & Living (/category/health-living) | Health & Style (/category/health-style) | Int'l Coverage (/category/intl-coverage) | INTERVIEW (/category/interview) | MAIN NEWS (/category/main-news) | Money (/category/money) | National (/category/national) | news (/category/news) | Off The Beat (/category/off-the-beat-odd-news) | Oped (/category/oped) | POST TRIVIA (/category/trivia-nepal-facts-about-nepal) | Saturday Features (/category/saturday-features) | Sports (/category/sports) | Video (/category/video) | World (/category/world) (http://www.kmg.com.np) Visit kmg.com.np (http://www.kmg.com.np) About Us Established in February 1993, the Kathmandu Post, Nepal's first privately owned English broadsheet daily, is today Nepal's leading English language newspaper, with a daily circulation of 82,000 copies. This makes the Post Nepal's second-most widely circulated newspaperÑafter Kantipur daily. The Kathmandu Post is also a member of Asia News Network that has over 15 members and is known for its insightful, unbiased journalistic work of the highest calibre. Read moreÈ (http://kmg.com.np/kantipur-publication/#TheKathmandu-Post) Advertise Ekantipur provides easy and effective advertisement services for the advertisers. Advertise with us È (http://ekantipur.com/advertisement) Feedback Send us your feedback È Contact Address Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd. Kantipur Complex, Subidhanagar Kathmandu, Nepal +977-01-5135000 +977-01-5135001 Contact Us È " ! # A member of ekantipur (http://www.ekantipur.com)

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