An Interview with Dr. Ghanshyam Bhatt

Dear Readers,
The Blog Management Committee (BMC) has recently conducted an interview with Dr. Ghanshyam Bhatta. Dr. Ghanshyam Bhatta had contributed a lot for the developmental efforts of KU and he has been currently working as Asst. Professor in US. We caught up with Dr. Ghanshyam Bhatta in Nepal to solicit his opinion on current KU crisis which was triggered by his letter in The Kathmandu Post on May 24, 2006.

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Please find the excerpts of the interview below:
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BMC: Can you please throw some light on your past association with KU?

Dr. Bhatta: I started working in KU a year after it came into being. We were a team and united for everything. We all felt like our own institution. We had a very high teaching load on top of that I was working in the examination section too. There were some disagreements but we knew it was just growing and we had to establish it. KU had very strong teaching faculties that time, most of them have left now. I worked in KU for five years before going to US for PhD. When I was in the middle of my PhD program I was told that my job got terminated at KU.

BMC: What type of University is KU?

Dr. Bhatta: Even Dr. Sharma admits that it is a public university ( ref: Samaya weekly, Asar 22). The way it is functioning it looks like a commercial institution.

BMC: Your letter to the editor on May 24 seems to have triggered an avalanche of criticisms of Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma and Dr. Sitaram Adhikary of KU. What do you think about it?

Dr. Bhatta: Well, it takes a while for anger to pile up before it explodes. If it wasn't me, someone would have raised the issue. It is unwise for a judge to make a judgment before listening to both sides; I just wanted to expose the dark sides of Dr. Sharma, before the concerned authorities arrive at any conclusion. Being associated with the institution for a long time, I disagree with the way it is functioning now. I am glad about bringing this issue up.

BMC: Some faculties of KU opine that the response of KU against your letter was misleading and attempted to slander your character. Why KU is so critical of the one of the founding faculty members?

Dr. Bhatta: The most benefited person in KU is Dr. Adhikary. One time I raised the issue of his being professor. It was the process I was concerned with. There were voices of financial irregularities; his brother's house was rented by KU in huge sum which it wasn't worth. There were irregularities in the examination section. I raised all these issues. I even participated in the NUTA's (Nepal University Teacher's Association) election, which Dr. Adhikary objected. The reason why they are critical is because they think that they will be out of office if Dr. Adhikary is. Most of KU staffs supported my letter.

BMC: There are some suspicions that Dr. Sharma and Dr. Adhikary are selective in their treatment of the faculty members. It is true?

Dr. Bhatta:　Yes, there is no doubt about that. KUPA members have raised this issue and it got published in the Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post several times. Registrar's son didn't work a single day for KU during his first year's service, while a colleague of mine was told to return the benefit of the previous year to keep his job when he was going for PhD. There are tens of examples.

BMC: Some of the faculty members openly resent that Dr. Sharma and Dr. Adhikary alone are taking all the credits for the success of KU. Is it ethical for Dr. Sharma and Dr. Adhikary to do so?

Dr. Bhatta: No, Dr. Sharma deserves credits for what he did for the university. Dr. Adhikary was an appointee of Dr. Sharma; he has no contribution for the university other than working as a registrar. Dr. Sharma is trying to get more credits than he deserves, that's not ethical. As an example you can see his article published in Kantipur dated June 20 where he says Sadhus are not well treated here.

BMC:　They have let off their other relatives without dragging into the courts though they too went on higher education on paid salary leave. Is not it so?

Dr. Bhatta:　I am aware of that, to be honest. What I am aware of is the discrimination in KU. Some people get paid leave within a couple of years, some don't get it even after serving it for ten years.

BMC:　 What do you think about tackling nepotism in any university?

Dr. Bhatta:　Well, nepotism must be up-rooted from any university for the quality education. If a faculty members have to greet and bent down before the VC's daughter or brother every morning, the kind of service he is providing to the university is questionable.

BMC: It has been rumored that Dr. Sitaram Adhikary is hell bent in destroying not only his contemporaries but also those of his son, Brijesh Adhikary. Can you please tell us why he is doing things like this?

Dr. Bhatta:　The only motive could be to look for their heir when they die.

BMC: 　Dr. Suresh Raj is saying that KU statute does not permit the formation of KUPA. Do you agree with him?

Dr. Bhatta: No, I don't. Dr. Sharma is a product of Panchayati system which didn't even allow the human right organizations. Dr. Sharma is doing what royal regime did. The professional organization is your birth right, I believe. One time he told me that he prefers running the university as a manager not as an academician. He has some characters comparable to Dr. Giri.

BMC:　It appears that Dr. Suresh Raj is interested in dividing the faculties of KU by associating them with the concerned schools only. Is it not possible for all the professors to unite under a common umbrella?

Dr. Bhatta: Yes, it is, since it is our common problem. Dr. Sharma always did this in the past too. I remember one time they not only raised the salary of some faculty members but also from six months back. This can please you for a while but how far can you go? Most of the KU staffs are united although only a few take leading roles. Again there are always some short sighted yes-men, you can't do anything other than feel sorry about them.

BMC:　To prevent crisis of leadership in KU, how do you think KU leadership should evolve?

Dr. Bhatta:　Dr. Sharma did what he could, his best is behind. The way they reacted to my letter shows how poor their mentality is. The best criticism to my letter would be the answers of my questions. Why didn't they dare? If your boss lies, where can he lead you in future? Would you still follow him? Someone from KU should lead this issue with a concrete 10-15 years plan and vision of what the university will look like after that time. The plan that can be implemented, that makes hiring and promotion a transparent process, a plan that discourages nepotism, and should be able to provide justice to everyone no matter he works or worked in KU. Without such a leader in KU, Dr. Sharma will remain in office for ever and find his heir from his own family when he dies.

BMC: You have been student of Dr. Pushpa Raj Adhikary also. How do you rate his performance as the Dean of School of science especially in view of his dictatorial role in sacking Dr. Boris Niraula?

Dr. Bhatta: I don't work for KU anymore and my evaluation for him as a dean would not be very explanatory. The way Dr. Niraula is sacked, doesn't happen anywhere in the world. This reminds me royal regime again. There is no one in KU who can evaluate Dr. Niraula research wise. What KU officials don't understand is "treat the others the way you want to be treated".

BMC: How do you describe Dr. Sharma in a word or two?

Dr. Bhatta: A commercial educationist.