Academia and casteism
Politics is different from academia. Politicians of South Asia are known for resorting to lies, propaganda and corruption for garnering vote and support. We have a few politicians who willingly sacrifice lucrative positions in favour of steadfast attachment to principle and values. So, in our sphere of world, general impression of politicians is that of a cunning, scheming and greedy person. And to lend credence to public perception, many of these politicians openly defy evolving social code and existing laws and regulations. As if they are the sole creator of rules and regulations, some of them speak, utter, pronounce and propagate ideas in direct contravention of existing rules. Despite similarity in traits of politicians, societal values differ much in respective countries of South Asia. For examples, politicians in Nepal and India are similar in nature. But, prevailing values in Nepal have given our politicians more immunity. Similar comparison can be made between Indian academia and Nepali academia. Though academicians maintain and arouse greater amount of respect over politicians all over the world, yet we are not witnessing the same in Nepal. If one goes by incidents, happenings and events in Kathmandu University, which is also mentioned in our previous blog, situation rather appears worsening. The politician in India, Mr. Mahendra Singh Tikait, was arrested for badmouthing CM of Utter Pradesh using casteist terms. In KU, one academic member mentally tortures another staff to his death, and the harasser is still protected and promoted. So, academia in Nepal, in comparison, looks far worse than unruly politicians of UP and Bihar.
Is this a good sign for our academia?
Are not our educationist like Suresh Raj Sharma resorting to more dirty politics than Bihari politicians?
Is academician like Suresh Raj capable of holding the prestige of academia higher in Nepal?
Answers to all these questions are definite "No." Not arresting Bhola Thapa for causing death of Buddhi Bahadur Biswokarma, a Dalit employee of KU, has put a big question mark on the notion of fairness in academia. It has shown that our academia is not for justice. In our academia, higher authority can do any thing and can say anything heaping societal disrepute, causing mental agony and setting a life threatening depression on staffs who question their nepotism and highhandedness. To protect their practice of nepotism and to conceal the saga of their corruption, they can do anything. They can invite corrupt sibling to KU premise, excite notorious Mandale to come to university premise with goons and weapons and instruct bootlicking deans, HODs and registrar to exercise their position of power to defame. This is the truth established by Buddhi Bahadur episode in KU.
It would have been very good if Suresh Raj has also apologised for such an incident in KU. Like Raj Nath Singh of BJP, who at least mentioned that Mahendra Singh Tikait has already apologised for his casteist remarks, Suresh Raj, too, must have asked Bhola Thapa to step down and quit KU. But, Suresh Raj never did anything like this. He rather behaved as criminal politicians of Bihar like Pappu Yadav and Anand Mohan Singh of Bihar. The only difference between these Bihari criminals and Suresh Raj lies in the fact that they are punished for killing rivals and honest District Magistrate, but Suresh Raj is promoted for causing the death of a staff. The way Bhola Thapa is protected, saved and given incentives in Kathmandu University clearly shows that harassment of Late Buddhi Bahadur is a handiwork of KU administration in which designer was Suresh Raj and executioner was Bhola Thapa. Other events of abuse, mental torture, inviting of goons in KU premise, too, clearly point out that "educationist" Suresh Raj has finally revealed his blood-thirsty hunger for power.
Because of corrupt, murderous academic administration in KU thriving on practice of casteism by Suresh Raj, we are all saddened to see plummeting societal respect for our academia in Nepal. Parents of Dalit and Madhesi students in KU are worried now as they fear that KU officials may mete out similar casteist-communal treatments to their wards. As a result, they are opting for IOE and IOM and other colleges in Kathmandu. Foreign students are now wary to apply for medical schools and engineering schools of KU because they have come to know that programs in KU are mainly programs run for corruption by nepotism. For a self-sustaining institute, this is the most devastating blow. Because of his own design, Suresh Raj has brought such a profound ill-repute for Kathmandu University that KU is now on the verge of loosing both the societal goodwill and international recognition. This will, in long term, definitely precipitate into overwhelming disrecognition of KU. Therefore, it is high time for all, to clearly bear in mind that people like Suresh Raj, with their practices of casteism, is downgrading our academia.
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