SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Lecture at the Center for Development Studies, National College, Kathmandu University

Web page:
www.nche.edu.np

Prof. Mahendra Narayanan Mishra had invited Staffan for a lecture about his Trichy Panel study. There were about 45 students from the second and third BA course in Development Studies. After the lecture there were many questions about the study.

Some pointed out similarities between the ecology along the Kaveri river in South India and the Nepalese rivers, with canal irrigation close to the river and rain-fed areas away from the rivers. The process of change seems slower than in South India, though. An interesting feature is that poor peasants are buying land from the rich with money remitted from migrant labourers in the Gulf and India.

Prof. Mahendra Narayanan Mishra

The four year BA course in Development studies have an annual intake of 66 students (about 250 are applying). The annual fee is Rs. 50 000. They have applied to the University to be allowed to run a 2 years masters programme in Development Studies, but so far this has not been granted. This department is very interested in linking up with the Lund Programme of Development Studies, which will start a Masters course in 2006.

We also interacted with Mr. Gopal Datt Bhatta, research officer-cum-lecturer, who is responsible for agricultural studies and watershed development.

At the lecture, we also met Mr. Lok Prasad Bhattarai (photo to the right), who attended the Lund Conference on Modern South Asian Studies in July 2004 (presenting a paper on ”Conflict in Nepali Society: A look from the theories of state, modernization and government”, more information). He is a sociologists, specialising in agrarian institutions and movements and now works as an officer in the Government Department of Agriculture. He is interested in PhD studies and wants to write about the system of government & bureaucracy in Nepal and the rise of insurgency.