Dr. Bishnu P. Gautam

Title of the paper: Precast and Prestressed concrete for the future construction of Sudurpaschim

Author’s affiliation : Technical Director, Sarthak Concrete Pvt. Ltd

Email: bgautam@gmail.com

Concrete is regarded as the second most consumed material on the earth after water. While concrete has been used for more than 2000 years, widespread use of precast elements has emerged as the latest concrete technology for the quality of construction. View More Precast concrete follows a modular construction approach which is sometimes classified as one of the top ten construction innovations. The widespread application of precast concrete was augmented by the invention of prestressed concrete as a revolutionary technology in concrete. Concrete is strong in compression and weak in tension, but prestressing brings concrete under compression thereby preventing cracks. The resulting concrete section becomes stronger and more durable. Concrete sections can become slimmer and hence cheaper. Because concrete components are cast and cured off-site, construction duration at the project site as well as the entire project duration can be significantly shortened. Compared to cast-in-situ concrete, superior quality can be achieved in precast concrete.
This study provides an overview of precast and prestressed concrete technology. It highlights the benefits of concrete in boosting the national economy by utilizing domestic resources and in realizing sustainable development through durable construction. A brief context of Sudurpaschim province is discussed. Recent applications of precast and prestressed concrete in Nepal are highlighted, with examples from various structures including building, river training, hydropower and tunnel projects. Research and development of precast and prestressed concrete products in Nepal are highlighted by illustrating the findings from experimental studies and academic research. Even though Nepal is in the early stage of application of precast and prestressed concrete technology, the initial applications indicate a huge potential and great benefits of the application of such products for faster, cost-effective and durable construction in various parts of Nepal including Sudurpaschim. Hide detail

Komal Prasad Phuyal

Title of the paper: Area Studies in Nepal: Prospects and Pedagogical Implications

Author’s affiliation : Tribhuvan University, Department of English

Email: ephuyal@gmail.com

Area Studies primarily aspired to understand and explain the other. For Western academia, programs on Indic Studies or Middle East Studies or China Studies were very effective ways of accessing the mysterious, lying beyond the rational explanation of the existing discourses of the time. View More For one thing, such programs also possessed military concerns after World War II; for the other, the interaction of such programs functioned as a way of establishing the relationship at the bottom of society. Although regional studies depend much on the pedagogical implications of the original practices of area studies in contemporary times, such attempts must rewrite the basic premises to reinvigorate the spirit of the discipline. In the age of globalization, national or subnational cultures require themselves to present in the international marketplace by going into the core values as manifest in multiple dimensions of society. However, the immanent perspective also points at the possible dangers lurking in itself in that the immanent perspective can go about trumpeting the cultural ego by justifying the weakness as one’s uniqueness. In this context, the pedagogue of area studies and/or regional studies at national and subnational levels must take into consideration the pitfalls of promoting one’s own culture through programs like Nepal Studies, Sudurpaschim Studies, or Newar Studies. In this paper, I examine the pedagogical implications of such programs and propose how one could rewrite the original premises of the area studies to found new domains of knowledge production and dissemination in academia. Hide detail

LP Amgain, Liladhar Joshi, Parmananda Joshi and Asmi Dawadi

Title of the paper: Harnessing the Prosperity of Marginalized Farmers of Far Western Provincethrough the Adoption of Innovative Agriculture Technologies

Email: amgainlp@gmail.com

The Far West Province (FWP)is the potential domains of untapped natural resources covering the flat Terai to high hills ecosystem with tremendous indigenous technical knowledge (ITKs),but due to the lack of proper documentation and disseminations of thoseinnovativetechnologies on the proper conservation, utilization and promotion of these precious natural resources,the prosperity of the FWP is ruining. View More A systematic and rigorous review work was planned, executed and accomplished to appraise the undergraduate-practicum assessment (UPA) studyconductedin the multi-disciplinary subjects of agriculture atGokuleshwor Agriculture and Animal Science College (GAASC), Baitadiduring 2014/15-2020/21 under Tribhuvan University, the Faculty of Agriculture (FoA), Far Western University and Nepal Agriculture Research Council, Dipayal,Doti.About 110 UPA theses accomplished by 310 agriculture graduates from the GAASClibraries were systematically arranged and categorized in chronological order based on the subject disciplines and themes, and recommended for theirscale-out to the prosperity of the farmers in the FWP. The innovative findings of FoA and NARC were also added. The research review revealed that the maximum number of research were in the major production technologiesin agronomical and vegetable crops andtheir marketing and value-chain analysis followed by the control of insect pests and diseases both in farms and storage,suggesting to follow the integrated pest management (IPM).The value-chain analysis study of the low volume high price commodity products like JumliMarshi rice, temperate vegetable seeds, and Yarsagumba (Cordepsis sinensis) are the potential avenues to boost the economic prosperity of the FWP.Large scale adoption of new innovation like crop-weather and yield forecasting, introduction of farmers’ friendly agriculture machineries and value addition and marketing of the agriculture commodities tested in the province could be promoted in collaboration with the various agriculture related national and international organizations for harnessing congenial environment to the prosperity of Far West Province. Keywords: Adoption, GAASC, Innovative Agriculture Technologies, Marginal Farmers, Prosperity of FWP Hide detail

Yagya Raj Joshi and Promod Joshi

Title of the paper: Prevalence and Intensity of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi in Tor putitora in Mahakali River, Nepal

Author’s affiliation :Department of General Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Far Western University, Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur, Nepal Radhey Hari Government P.G. College, Kumaun University, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, India

Email: yagyaraj@fwu.edu.np

Bothriocephalus acheilognathi is a predominant parasite of cyprinid fishes all over the world. In Nepal, comprehensive studies on helminth parasites of cyprinid and other fishes are still stay behind yet. So, this study, aimed to investigate the prevalence and mean intensity of Asian fish tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi) in Mahseer (Tor putitora) in Mahakali River, Nepal, was conducted from October 2021 to May 2022. A total of 96 fish samples were collected from the four sites viz View More Machheti-Khalla, Brahmdev, Sarada Barrage and Mahakali Suspension Bridge of the river using gill nets and hooks, and also purchased from the local markets of respective sites assuring the fishes were from the Mahakali River. Collected fishes, after their morpho-metric measurements, were dissected and examined in the laboratory of Department of General Science, Far Western University. Recovered parasites were processed using standard helminthological methods. Overall prevalence and intensity of the Bothriocephalus acheilognathi in Tor putitora were 5.20% and 2.2 respectively. Size-wise, higher prevalence (6.66%) and intensity (2.5) were found in 10-20 cm long fishes than ˃20 cm long fishes (3.12%, 1).Weight-wise, highest prevalence (8.33%) was found in 101-150 gm weighted fishes and highest intensity (4) in 51-100 gm weighted fishes. Sex and Month-wise, highest prevalence (17.39%) and intensity (2.5) were observed in female host fish in April followed by January (6.66%, 1). Higher prevalence (10.81%) and intensity (2.5) were found in spring season than winter season (2.32% and 1.0 respectively). Statistically, the prevalence and intensity of the parasite were insignificant (Exact significance two-sided p-value ˃ 0.05). Present study first report the infection of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi in Tor putitora in Mahakali River, Nepal and identify as a zoonotic risk to human. Key words: Asian fish tapeworm (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi), Mahseer (Tor putitora), mean intensity, prevalence, season Hide detail

Min Bahadur Shahi

Title of the paper: Does Downward Accountability Work? An Assessment of Local Government Practices in Nepal

Author’s affiliation : TU (PhD Scholar)/ FWU

Email: shahiminsir@gmail.com

The articulation of downward (social) accountability to the local government (LG) is established by the new constitution of Nepal (2015) and further elaborated the articulation of downward (social) accountability to the local government (LG) is established by the new constitution of Nepal (2015) and further elaborated in the Local Government Operational Act (2017). View More LGs in Nepal have gained more autonomy, role, and responsibility for providing public services to local citizens following the state restructuring into federal Nepal. What does local governance practice look like today in terms of governance and social accountability? This paper examines the existing practices of downward accountability practices, particularly in the case of Kailali district of Far Western Province. Two separate field-based studies were conducted at different periods of time. Initially, the study was conducted to assess the compliance of social accountability tools in three local units of Kailali district (2019). The second attempt was a study focused on the practices of the monitoring mechanisms of four LG units (2021). The Observation Checklist, key informant interview, and questionnaire schedule were used for data collection. The elected representatives, staff of LGs, and service-receiving citizens were the respondents to the fieldwork. The study shows that the downward accountability in LG is obscure and ineffective. Perception of the social accountability compliance mechanism of local elected representatives is not clear and specific. However, the elected representatives and the citizens have taken monitoring action positively. It seems that the monitoring mechanism stands as a vital tool for feedback on local government activities and service delivery. However, social accountability tools have not been prioritized by local governments as a governance compliance strategy. Effective service delivery has slowed because of a lack of an institutionalized downward accountability system. The study's detailed results and recommendations will assist in the formulation of an effective local governance policy. Hide detail

Katsuo Nawa

Title of the paper: On ‘Social Organization’ of the Rang in Byans, Far Western Nepal

Author’s affiliation : University of Tokyo

Email: nawa@ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp

In this presentation, I try to shed a new light on the “social organization” of the Rang from Byans, Darchula District, Far Western Nepal. I discuss only the cases of Rangs in Chhangru and Tinkar, the two villages uncontroversially located in former ByansGaun Vikas Samiti (current ByansGaunpalika Ward no. 1), though Rangs have lived on both the east and west sides of the Mahakali River, and there are several other villages inhabited by Rangs in Darchula District. View More In 1976, Andrew Manzardo, Dilli Ram Dahal, and Navin Kumar Rai wrote in their seminal ethnographic article on “Byanshis” in Darchula district, Far Western Nepal, “The Byanshi social organization is somewhat confusing” (95). The first purpose of this presentation is to provide a more coherent explanation of Rang ‘social organization’, by focusing on the discrepancy between several Rang overt social categories, like ‘song’ (village), ‘sora’ (roughly ‘clan’), and ‘khu’ (family) on the one hand, and exogamous unit as well as several ritual units that are not categorized by a single noun on the other. Then I would like to show ethnographically how the Rangs in Nepali Byans have lived their lives with such overt and covert categories while their social world has drastically changed and almost globally expanded, by analyzing various usages of these categories as well as several kinship terms which connote their multi-layered relatedness and belonging. This presentation is largely based on my fieldwork in Darchula district, Kathmandu valley, and elsewhere from 1993 onward First, let us summarize how Manzardo, Dahal, and Rai (1976) understood the social organization of ‘Byanshis’. What they pointed out first is the existence of the two different views of clan structure, from Chhangru and Tinkar. According to them, villagers of Chhangru think that the village has three clans (Aitawal, Bohara, and Lala in Nepali). Moreover, marriage among these three clans is prohibited, as they are considered to be ‘sister clans.’ Thus, the village of Chhangru is exogamous, and they consider the people of Tinkar the fourth clan in Nepali Byans, to which they can intermarry. Hide detail

Dammar Singh Saud

Title of the paper: Impact of using ICT in teaching English at secondary level model school of Darchula

Author’s affiliation : FWU, Darchula Campus

Email: dammarsaud68@fwu.edu.np

In this age of science and technology, new technologies particularly computers, multimedia, mobile phone, the internet and social networks offer possibilities for overcoming geographical and cost barriers in teaching and learning. View More This study attempts to trace the use of technology in teaching English at secondary-level model schools in Darchula district. It also focuses on the impact of using technology in teaching and learning English. Four teachers and 30 students from the secondary level model school of Darchula were selected to survey the use of technology in teaching English subjects at secondary level model schools of Darchula. The researchers employed mixed methods research to carry out the study where two sets of questionnaires for the teachers and the students and a semi-structured interview only for the teachers were used to collect data. The findings showed that using technology in teaching has both positive and negative impacts. Teachers like to use technology in their classrooms but limited time and lack of training and technical support from the authority hamper the mode of teaching. The students also feel comfortable in technology-affiliated classrooms, but sometimes they fail to catch the concept clearly as they become inattentive due to the lack of proper engagement of the teachers in the classroom. Hide detail

Chitra Rawat and Chinmaya Shah

Title of the paper: From Far West to Neglected North: Intra-Himalayan Migration from Sudurpaschim Province to Uttarakhand

Author’s affiliation : India Migration Now (IMN, India) Institute of Himalayan Environment Research and Education (India)

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The present-day state of Uttarakhand, India, and Sudurpaschim Province of Nepal have historically shared close socio-economic, cultural, and political ties with each other. View More The paper, thus attempts to look at the specific vulnerabilities of migrants from Sudurpaschim to the Indian Himalayan state of Uttarakhand – itself is facing a mass outmigration ‘crisis’ as people migrate from rural hill regions to urban pockets in the Himalayan foothills and beyond. The study combines existing evidence from literature and data (National Census 2011, Nepal and Census of India, 2011), with qualitative studies (longform interviews) undertaken by the authors. In doing so, it makes a case for migrants from Sudurpaschim in Uttarakhand as a distinct subset of Nepalese migrants in India, who come from a specific socio-economic position in their source country, with a seasonal migration cycle - migrating from one geographically marginalised region to another at destination. How does mobility then unfold itself in the Himalayas when workers move from one marginality to another across borders? Hide detail

Sita Bist

Title of the paper: Comparative study on Knowledge of Menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls

Author’s affiliation : FWU (graduate)

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Menstruation, biological processes, ensure the beginning of fertile age group in girls, but in our Nepalisociety it is associated with restrictions and,superstition . View More Menstrual hygiene is necessary for every woman to be prevented from infection prevent infection in reproductive and urinary tracts. The study was carried out to compare the level of awareness on menstrual hygiene among the school-going girls of rural and urban areas. Cross-sectional research design was used for the study. The study was carried out on the small village of Shukalaphata Municipality ward No 11 and an urban area of Dhangadhi sub-metropolitian city Ward , urban areas. For this study, 60 respondents were selected as sample size among which 30 were from rural and 30 were from urban areas. The respondents of age group 13-17 years were selected purposively. Interview technique was used to collect the required information regarding knowledge of menstrual hygiene. The finding of the study showed that the knowledge about menstrual hygiene among the girls of rural areas is less in compare to urban area's girls. It also shows that inspite despiteof being educated also, rural area girls are unable to have proper hygiene due to different aspects (family pressure to follow restriction). The girls of urban areas are found to have quite good knowledge on sanitary pads and have access to drinking water, toilet and other facilities. It’s not only necessary to make the menstruating girls aware about menstruation, menstrual hygiene, but it is very compulsory to make each and everyone aware about menstruation. The administration or policy makers should not only make the laws or policy regarding menstruation but they should increase their efforts on making each and every people in every village aware about menstruation and should provide the menstrual products. Hide detail

Pirt Bahadur Bist

Title of the paper: Continuity and change of Rithi bhagya system of Farwestern Nepal

Author’s affiliation : FWU, Faculty of Sociology

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The Rithi Bhagya pratha have been prevailing in Sudurpaschim since long back. It binds low-caste families to high-caste families through economic need and Hindu religious ideology View More In exchange foroflow caste products and services, high-caste landowner patrons, called rithi, fulfill necessary needs of low caste ,landless dependents, called bhagya. The rithi bhagya system is developed as a Ssouth Asia form of feudal economy in which land holding and labor relations followed caste lines. There is rapid changes in traditional occupations and social relationship of low caste people. This study aim to explore on the continuity and change of rithi bhagya system of Ffarwestern Nepal. Traditionally, Dalit works as artisan, mason, carpenter, labour, tailor, tiller, musician, iron worker and shoe maker. The field research has been conducted between Ddalits of Dogadakedar-8, Kalagau village, Baitadi districts. The key methods of iInformation collection are key informant interview, case study and focus group discussion. The finding of the study showed huge change in the Rithi bhagya pratha. The nature of livelihood of Dalits had transformed to foreign employment, agriculture wage labour, sewing clothes, playing musical instruments, service and business. The study highlights gradual shifting of Dalit subsistence ways of living to modern independent life style. . Hide detail

Govind Bahadur Dhami, Madhab Raj Bhatt, Jagadish Khadayat & Bhawani Datt Joshi

Title of the paper: Comparison of level of the background radiation of bazaar(urban) and some rural areas of Kanchanpur district, Nepal

Author’s affiliation : TU, Department of Physics

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The project work entitled "Comparison of level of the background radiatonradiation of bazaar(urban) and some rural areas of Kanchanpur district" was conducted in att the bazar area and some rurat ruralareas of Kanchanpur district View More This project work aims to compare the background radiation counts (level of background radiation of bazar & rural areas of Kanchanpur district and to study the variation of background radiation counts with temperature of the surrounding. A portable digitalt GM counter was used to measure the totalt radiation. The findings of this study show that the average of mean background radiation level of bazaar and the rural areas are approximately same. The average level of att six bazar areas was 25.66±1.80 CPM and that of at 41 rural areas was 26.11+3.18 CPMs. Among bazar areas, a titte little bit larger counts were observed at Mahakati zonal hospital area 32.26±1.86CPM and at the rest placesof bazar area have near same counts ranging from 23-27 CPM. Among rurat areas, maximum background counts were observed at 'Gha' gaun (Punarbas -05n 31.3±1.16 CPM, Katagaudi (Suktapha-12n30.24±1.77 CPM, Chakkibazar (Mahakati-01n 31.3±4.03 CPM, Mahakali Adarsh Secondary school (Dodharan33.93±1.16CPM and at Bhanu Multiple Campus (Mahakali -04n 31.4±2.23CPM, respectively. The minimum value was recorded at Ganeshpur near Janjyot Schoolt (Suktaphata- 01n 18.01±5.90 CPM. But at att other rural areas the values of background counts are rangingbetween 21-29 CPM. Hence, comparing individual background count results of bazar and that of rural areas show small fuctuatons of the count levels at different places of Kanchanpur. But there is no abnormal value of radiation counts for for att the sample places. So, there is generally, no significant risk of public exposures to the background radiation within the Kanchanpur district. Hide detail

K D Joshi, K S Bist, G D Awasthi, S Upadhyay, S Pokhrel, S B Singh and A Joshi

Title of the paper: Accelerated transformation of agri-food systems to achieve food and nutrition security and overall economic development

Author’s affiliation : IRRI, FAO

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Farwestern province is one of the least developed provinces of Nepal. Limited awareness and technical knowhow, limited industrial investments, poorly developed supply chains, lack of good governance and absence of enabling View More environment have adversely affected overall development. The challenges and opportunities for the far west is to get on a path to an accelerated but sustainable human and economic development and balancing development efforts between mountains and the terai. Agriculture is the backbone of the economy but its productivity growth is lowest in Nepal. Small, fragmented, largely rainfed and uneconomical holdings do not support livelihoods. Such holdings are increasingly abandoned in the mountains while prime agricultural lands in the terai are used for urbanization both contributing to the import ofs huge quantity of food items. Agri-food systems are further challenged by deepening weather extremes and climate crisis that have profound impacts on land, water and food systems and addressing these complex issues would need systematic and systemic approaches with collective actions. However, the province lacks research institutions, infrastructure and capacity to develop technologies, practices, knowledge and skills suitable in the region. Agricultural extension and advisory services are inadequate and ineffective. Ironically all the important institutions and services are concentrated in two districts of the Terai and widening the gaps between the mountains and the terai with long term serious implications.The long-term strategies for transforming agri-food system need to be carefully developed and implemented by integrating agriculture with rural development and human settlement trends. Extreme weather patterns and climate crisis in the next 50 years also needs to be factored in. Balancing development efforts across the province is vital to develop a vibrant and harmonized economy. The ways forward for transforming agri-food systems for achieving food and nutrition security and dignified livelihood as well as to improve the economic growth rates and gross national income suggested. Hide detail

Raksha Sharma, Kiran P. Bhatt

Title of the paper: Effect of cropping system on household food security and poverty: a case of Far Western Province, Nepal

Author’s affiliation : FWU, Agriculture and livestock

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Farmers have their own goals and preference, which plays a key role in the choice of cropping system. Cropping system, in turn, usually determines household access to food as well as household incomes and hence poverty. View More With the study of 200 farming households in the two districts, one from plains and one from hills, of the Far Western province of Nepal this research investigates the role of cropping system on household food security and poverty.Results show that the choice of cropping system significantly affects household poverty and food security, which in turn again determines household's preference for the cropping system. Poor households were found to prefer staple crops in their cropping system (choices are among rice, wheat, maize, etc.) whereas non-poor households that are seemingly food secure or having sufficient income to buy food from non-farm sources were found to prefer cash crops (or livestock animals) and prefer monoculture rather than diversifying their crops and livestock. By virtue of their choice farmers choosing staple crops have lower incomes though they perceive their food security status to be better or at least equal to their neighbors. Contrarily farmers choosing cash crops/animals have higher incomes and lower poverty rates but in certain instances they may feel food insecurity. There is a cause-effect-cause relationship cycle in this process. Since, with the choice of staple and diversified food production system such households only produce enough food (or even less) for their household whereas with monoculture, commercial farming and cash crop farming the other households earn more income/profit, which helps them come out of poverty. Usually the latter are also more food secure as they can buy deficit food from the market but in certain instances (e.g. COVID19), they may sometime feel food insecurity due to lack of own production. Hide detail

Matt Maycock

Title of the paper: Analysing changing patterns of education as a marker of freedom within Kamaiya communities in the Sudurpaschim

Author’s affiliation : University of Dundee

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After more than 20 years of being officially ‘freed’ from the Kamaiya system of bonded labour in July 2000, this paper analyses the lived View More experience of freedom for Kamaiya former bonded labourers in the Sudurpaschim province of Nepal. The Kamaiya constitute part of the wider, diverse Tharu ethnic group who have a particular experience of socio-economic exploitation within the Sudurpaschim province. The paper considers the symbolic and material significance of formal education in the post-bondage era within Kamaiya communities. The focus on formal education for this group of former bonded-labourers who were previously largely unable to attend school and university level education, enables analysis of the ways in which education facilitates new performances of gender and masculinity within the Kamaiya community. Additionally, attending formal education provides opportunities for Kamaiya communities to diversify income streams and the types of work that are possible for former Kamaiya to be engaged with. Ultimately, this paper argues that formal education has become an important marker of freedom for the Kamaiya, a marker that requires ongoing analysis and reflection as experiences of formal education have a greater resonance within Kamaiya communities. More widely this paper provides insights into the formal education in the Sudurpaschim province from the perspective of the Kamaiya community, with Kamaiya perspectives necessarily privileged within this paper. Hide detail

Birendra Kumar Bohara

Title of the paper: Study of Common Construction Practices and Structural Defects in RC Buildings in Darchula District Far-Western Nepal

Author’s affiliation : Sharada University, UP. (MMSS, Darchula)

Email: This paper presents the common construction and structural deficiencies noticed in Mahakali municipality Darchula. Darchula district is located in the far-western side of Nepal and it is a Himalayan district, which means it is a seismically active zone

View More The RC building constructions are common in the Darchula district. The main objective of this study is to find existing structural and construction mistakes in RC buildings. Field observations, interviews with engineers, technical people, local house owners, photographs, reviews of works of literature, bye-laws, buildings code, etc. are taken to fulfil the objective of this study. This paper examines the cause and effects of faulty construction practices and structural defects. The structural defects are present in the RC buildings due to the improper construction methods, economic factors, poor use of bye-laws and code, poor workmanship, do not consult with professionals, corruption, and lack of training, etc. The results show that these structural defects and faulty constructions practice may lead to serious failures of structures during strong earthquakes. This study provides relevant information on the building's collapse in a recent earthquake (Gorkha 2015) and the major cause of failure of RC buildings to compare the defects present in existing RC buildings in the Darchula district. Study shows that learning from the past incidences and building constructions should be proper with buildings code and bye-laws. The study strongly recommended that to prevent future hazards, the construction of buildings should follow the building's laws and codes and also should be ensured by the municipality and other government bodies. Similarly, the government should be monitoring construction sites and also provide training about the construction of buildings, earthquake effects and constructions material. To improve the existing structures, it is important to increase the strength capacity and ductility of the joint by providing a suitable retrofitting process or maintenance process. Hide detail

Frederic Maria Link

Title of the paper: Going up and down the Mahakali: Cross-border Movements in Nepal’s Western Borderland

Author’s affiliation : Heidelberg University (South Asia Institute)

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The paper – which is also part of research of the doctoral thesis “Movements in the Mahakali Triangle(s): statemaking and livelihoods in Nepal's Western Borderland“ for the Geography Department of the South Asia Institute, Heidelberg University, is investigating the lived and legal geographies of a peripheral border region in Far West Nepal and their significance for the livelihoods of the local population as well as for historical statemaking processes View More The research project is divided into theoretical-conceptual, methodological and concrete-empirical components, with the aim of developing a multivocal biography of a border region. With peripheries having been set as the focus of research, the conceptual component considers in combination and posits relationships between border theories and different categories within geography and other social sciences, namely agency, statemaking, and boundary narratives and practices. Following the conceptual centring of the margin, the project develops a methodology for facilitating an alternative perspective on the marginal border regions in Far West Nepal. It combines three complementary approaches: an intensive and critical evaluation of historical travel reports and maps, an analysis of Nepalese historical documents, and empirical field studies during various periods of the year (to get a clear idea about agriculture, festivals, snow-free passes for trade etc.) and in multiple localities in Far West Nepal. This methodology combines an integrative, multiperspective with a microhistorical approach, interwoven with an empirically grounded geopolitical analysis. The case study looks into the socio-economic and administrative integration of what is the (north-) western border region of present-day Nepal into the Gorkha kingdom; the (discursive) significance of the region for the making of the Nepalese state (and vice versa); and the strategies employed by the local population when dealing with changing (geo)political influences and actors at various levels and engaging in horizontal and vertical trade in local, regional, and transnational networks. Hide detail

Marie Lecomte-Tilouine

Title of the paper: What artifacts may tell and hide about power. A reading of the pillars at Ningala Saini temple, Dehi Mandu (Western Nepal)

Author’s affiliation : CNRS, France

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The temple of Ningla devi, the Bamboo Goddess (Baitadi district), displays a complex arrangement of power-related artifacts. The temple, itself supported by massive inner wooden pillars, carved with patterns, is surrounded by a forest of pillars of varied sizes and shapes. View More The inner pillars are associated with the local eminent clans, holders of power and position within the temple (two functions which overlap in this context), while all the patrilineages worshipping the goddess may mark their presence by erecting a pillar outside the temple. These are personalized, yet all are carved away from the locality, by specialized craftsmen residing in the Terai. These artefacts are regularly revived by their owners, at the time of sacrifices when they are repainted and decorated with banners. This complex and changing configuration contrasts with the concentrated image of power found in the ancient caubisi kingdoms of central and western Nepal, represented by a single sacrificial pole, closely associated with the sovereign, or, in a village context, with his representative, the village chief.By contrast, Ningala Saini's pillars do not provide a transparent picture of the power relations; Indeed, the most prominent, "mul khamba" or "main pillar", which receives the sacrifice first, is hidden among the others, anonymous to the outside eye, and belongs to an untouchable clan.The artefact suggest that the politico-religious relations which organize the local community of Kshatriyas is anchored in a power from below. This group is indeed located halfway between royalty and untouchability with regard to the goddess: its male members occupy the function of "kings", rajbar, of the temple, while its access is forbidden to its female members, but open to the untouchables, men and women. Hide detail

Neelam Sharma

Title of the paper: Monitoring and Strengthening the Freed Haliya Rehabilitation Action Plan: A Briefing for Policymakers

Author’s affiliation : Purple Group, Kathmandu

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In 2008, the Government of Nepal abolished the Haliya system of bonded labour and declared the Haliya people free from slavery. To support this process, the government then collected data on the circumstances of the Haliya, officially registered them as freed Haliya, and issued identity cards categorizing them into four groups based on their access to land and housing View More In 2013, the government approved the Freed Haliya Rehabilitation Action Plan with three main objectives: a) rehabilitate freed Haliya so no Haliya will be landless and homeless; b) develop the Haliya’s technical and vocational skills to enable them to progress into employment and earn an income, and; c) provide access to credit to create jobs and support the Haliya to flourish through entrepreneurship. In 2019, ten years after the Government of Nepal abolished the Haliya system, the federal government assigned rural municipalities the responsibility of completing the rehabilitation process and tasked provincial governments with developing and implementing a number of policies (i.e. housing, economic participation, and access to education etc.) to benefit the Haliya. In 2020, the federal government formed the High-Level Commission to address the issues of landless families in Nepal. In 2019, the Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organisation (NNDSWO) and Anti-Slavery International (ASI) undertook a participatory monitoring exercise in 153 toles1 of 30 rural municipalities in Nepal’s Far West Region (FWR). A team of trained Haliya leaders and volunteers collected the data between August and December 2019, using participatory monitoring methods. The monitoring exercise assessed the status of freed Haliya, to better understand the progress made under the government’s Freed Haliya Rehabilitation Action Plan. This briefing summarises the findings of NNDSWO and ASI’s participatory monitoring. It then makes recommendations to the Government of Nepal on policy changes that could be enacted to strengthen the implementation of the Action Plan, to secure a future for the Haliya free from exploitation. Hide detail

Nolwen Vouiller

Title of the paper: Being a naturalist guide in Bardiya, Nepal’: evolution and retrospective analysis

Author’s affiliation : EHESS, France

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Established between the years 1988 and 1989, Bardiya National Park hosts very little anthropological work (Krauskopff, 1987), (Normose, 2002), (Bhatt, 2006).,Iit is more, via the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), the object of research from the natural sciences (Jnawali, 1989), (Baral & Heinen, 2007), or development studiesal (Bhattarai & Fischer, 2014), (Leystra, 2019), (Leclerq et al., 2019). View More The PhD I am currently pursuing in political and social sciences between Paris in France and Liège in Belgium is based on a first field study of three months in 2019 as part of a master's degree in anthropology and a first thesis fieldwork of six months from August 2021 to the end of January 2022. It aims to understand how humans adapt psycho-corporeally to the proximity of the Park's animals. I am working with participant observation, semi-directive interviews with the professions most in contact with the animals of the Park, direct and indirect observations of encounters, etc. In the context of these conferences, I would like to present an article (Vouiller, 2022) recently published in Studies in Nepali History and Society (SINHAS) Kathmandu, which deals with the profession of guiding in Bardiya National Park, highlighting these 2019 data with those of 2021-2022. While I presented the guide profession as being in the 'in-between', between a more traditional and a more modern society, a clever adaptation, I would like to accentuate the role of social networks, the process of ''heroisation'' that takes place, but also the importance of the senses and the reading of signs in the practice of the profession, notably via the concept of Umwelt (Uexküll, 1965) or via the work of Eduardo Kohn (2017) on the anthropology of the sensible. This presentation will be based on a total of more than twenty interviews and about ten excursions into the forest, in or around the Bardiya National Park. Hide detail

Shristi Regmi, Keshab Dutta Awasthi & Buddhiraj Joshi

Title of the paper: An Evaluation of Challenges of Rural Road Construction Management in Budhinanda Municipality

Author’s affiliation : Budhinanda Municipality, Bajura; United Technical College, Chitwan; Pokhara University

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There is a history of over one hundred years of road network expansion, and construction in Nepal though facing serious challenges to its sustainability. It is envisaged that the outcome of this study would be helpful in decision level for rural road planning, decision making from higher level government authorities, reviewing the policies, and improving strategy for rural road planning and implementation. View More The overall objective of the study was to evaluate the management related challenges on upgrading and maintenance of rural road, and to find causes of road construction in impromptu basis in Budhinandha Municipality, Bajura. Thirty-five management's challenges and sixteen causes of road construction in ad-hoc basis were identified from literature review and listed. Questionnaire were developed in five point Likert Scale and ranked by Relative Importance Indices (RII). Fifteen respondents from Client's team and 15 respondents from Contractor and User Committee were selected purposively for questionnaire survey. This study revealed that five top ranked management challenges were found to be dispute on alignment selection, improper water management, release of budget at end of fiscal year, land acquisition problem during track opening and widening, lack of clear technical specification, and weak geology. And five top ranked causes of road construction in ad-hoc basis were budget allocation at end of fiscal year, political and committee interference during selection of road alignment, lack of preparation of Transportation Master Plan (TMP), lack of sufficient Technical staff and lack of proper project monitoring by responsible team of Municipality.The high amount of repair and maintenance cost, and environmental protection due to haphazard use of dozer on road construction, could significantly be reduced, if government authority enforce to follow design standards, understanding the community value, and implementation of bioengineering approach during road construction. Hide detail

Rashmila Kasula and Krishna Hachhethu

Title of the paper: Minorities and Identity Politics in Federal Nepal A Study of Sudur-Pachhim Province

Author’s affiliation : TU, Political Science

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Each of the major individual Janajatis, Iindigenous peoples (IP) of Nepal, lives as a minority group in their traditional homeland, including the Tharus of Kailali and Kanchanpur districts which in combination constitute 17 percent of the total population of the Sudur-Pachhim province, a federal unit consisting of nine districts (7 hill and 2 tarai districts). View More Like the Limbus and Rais (IP of eastern hills), the Newars and Tamangs (son/daughter of soil of central hills) and the Gurungs and Magars (native people of western hills), the Tharus are non-conformists to the constitutional provision of 7-provinces federal Nepal since it is framed in contrast to their genuine aspiration to have their own identity-based political space at sub-national level. In the given adverse federal structure, the Tharus, like other IP minorities, could at best translate their own identity politics into political power at three micro level electoral constituencies: rural/urban, provincial, and parliamentary constituencies where they live as the majority or plurality population. This proposition has come to the truth as shown by the results of all elections—of the Tharu cluster areas, for instance Tikapur municipality, Joshipur Gaunpalika and Janaki Gaunpalika of Kailali district—held after the promulgation of new constitution in September 2015. This paper focuses on two major aspects of identity politics of the Tharu community living in Tikapur and surrounding areas. One is the construction of identity, mainly through political socialization. The other aspect of the study is manifestation of identity politics at times of ethnic movements and or during the elections. The paper is primarily based on field works; one of the authors have already made three short study visits in some areas of Kailali district, Tikapur and adjoining villages. The first field work was carried out on the eve of the 2017 provincial and parliamentary elections, followed by the second visit in 2018 (a couple of months after the 2017 elections) and the third in 2019. Particularly for writing of this paper with an updated data and information, one more follow up filed visit iIs in plan (may be before the drafting or at the stage of revision/finalization). Hide detail

Bihari Krishna Shrestha

Title of the paper: Jumla origin of user groups as inclusive institutions for local development- Social research capability continues to elude Nepal in its quest for accelerated progress

Author’s affiliation : Freelance

Email: biharishrestha@gmail.com

Despite Nepal remaining a chronically impoverished, corrupt and poorly governed country, its achievements in terms of the accelerated restoration of its once-devastated forest wealth and the dramatic improvements in child and maternal health as reflected in its emergence as the top performer in the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals in those fields in 2015 remain widely applauded at the world stage. View More These extraordinary development performances in a socio-economic setting that continues top remain chronically feudal have been attainable mainly through the empowerment of users themselves at the grassroots, the forest user groups in the case of forestry restoration and mothers' groups in the case of mother and child health. Despite decades of foreign aid and foreign academic interest in Nepal, these user institutions have been the outgrowth of the ethnographic findings of a modest multidisciplinary study mounted by the then Royal Nepal Academy in a Jumla village in 1970 when it reported on a centuries-old and superbly functioning traditional irrigation system, the Jachauri Kulo. While the concept of user groups owes its origin to the governing principles of the Jumla irrigation system that had also redefined the larger decentralization policy regime in the form of new decentralization legislations in 1982 and 1984, this transformation has never been a smooth sail. It had involved years of sustained advocacy and intervention in the highest corridors of power of the state and the donor community. While these successes point to the limitless potentialities for the Nepali academic community to contribute to accelerated nation building in Nepal, its actual performance has remained dismal at best all along, requiring some dispassionate examination of the fault lines deterring it and possible measure to bridging them. Hide detail

Pasang Tamang, Padam Simkhada, Bibha Simkhada, Edwin van Teijlingen

Title of the paper: Impact of federalisation in maternal and neonatal quality of care in Nepal: A mixed method study

Author’s affiliation : School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield

Email: biharishrestha@gmail.com

Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) was responsible for meeting the health needs of people in Nepal prior to the federalisation. However, after the federalisation, the authority and the responsibility have been shifted to the local authorities which will have impact in the delivery of health services at all the levels. View More Hence, this study aimed to identify the impact of federalisation on maternal and neonatal quality of care in Nepal. This study used the explanatory sequential mixed method consisting of survey and semi-structured interviews. Census method and purposive sampling were used for the survey (N-31) and semi-structured interview with health service users (N=15), health service providers (N=16) and health managers/policy makers (N=17) in Nepal, respectively. All the health facilities were well in terms of infrastructures however, stock out of essential medicine and supplies were common in most of the health facilities. Very few HFs allowed women to have companion of her choice during childbirth. The health service providers did not face any challenges in seeking the health care services from the health facilities due to the federalisation rather they found the health workers availability has improved after the federalisation. Health managers/policy makers and health service providers felt that there is need for the context focused health system and need for the policy revision. Some of the opportunities due to the federalisation were improvement in co-ordination, staff availability in health facilities and motivated political leaders while the challenges were in implementation and limited or no training availability. Hide detail

Hansh Raj Joshi

Title of the paper: After Death Rituals: Changes in Core Religious Values.A Case Study of Kriya Basnu/Garnu in Pashupatinath and Kanchanpur

Author’s affiliation : Department of Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Email: joshihanshu@gmail.com

Kearney (1995), Lewellen (2002) and Jonathan (2003) haves argued that globalization is also spread of culture including commodities. In Nepal, globalization has commodified cultural practices. After death rituals (Kriya Basnu) is considered as core and complex religious practice in Nepal which has been changed and commodified. View More I observed number of Kriya Basnu/Garnu in Pashupatinath and in Kanchanpur over the years by attending rituals and staying as Kuruwa. I did semi-structured interviews and discussions with actors engaged in rituals that enriched ethnographic research. I observed traditional communication system in Kriya Basnu has been displaced with new techniques. Previously, people around villages were informed by whistling '‘Sankha'’ in different tune which has now been displaced by social media and mobile including Kriya Putri and Kuruwa'’s are managing all stuffs by using these. During 13 days '‘kriya basne,” priest is followed by social media for arrival time and getting instructions. Kriya Putri Bhawana in Pashupatinath delivers necessary materials to Kriya Putris using emails and virtual requests.Usage of materials have also changed. In past, most of homemade things were used and nothing from outside was allowed. But now, Chinese apples with plastics cover, plastic plates and spoons, drinking water from jars, rented clothes, and rented bathroom stuffs are used. Homemade and religious plates Duna Tapari are not easily available as plastics do. Thus, values that carry essence of ‘Dos and Don’ts’ have been displaced by market stuffs and technology. Observing Kriya Basne in Kanchanpur, Kriya putris are not allowed to watch television for entertainment but Kriya Putri Bhawan in Pashupatinath is equipped with televisions and internet. Old Jajman-Brahmin relation has also been changed. Brahmins are providing customized services during 13 days. Hide detail

Hari Shankar Pant

Perceived Benefits and Challenges of Management Graduates of Far Western University towards the Entrepreneurship Intention

Author’s affiliation : Faculty of Management, Far Western University, Nepal

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Entrepreneurs are contributing a lot for the economic and social development of each country of world. The aim of this study is to explore perceived benefits and challenges of management graduates of Far Western University towards the entrepreneurial intention. View More Data were collected from 107 students who are currently studying M. phil., MBA and MBS in central campus Far Western University. A set of questionnaire was designed as the main instrument of data collection which consist the 17 questions related to perceived strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) of the respondents. Out of the 17 questions, first four are related to the opportunities, second five are related to challenges, third four are related to strength and last four are related to weakness. The instrument for data collection comprised of 6 point Likert type scale. To explore the perceived benefits and challenges of entrepreneurship intentions of management graduates of Far Western university descriptive statistics has been used. Data were processed by using computer software SPSS. The result indicates that ongoing rapid urbanization has perceived a great opportunities or highly motivates the students to start up business, its mean value is 1.77 with standard of 0.65 and financial problem is perceived as main obstacles to be an entrepreneur, its mean value is 1.81 with standard deviation of 0.91. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneur intention, opportunity, threat, strength and weakness. Hide detail

Shekhar Pathak

The Oneness of the Geo-Ecology, Communities and Cultures along Kali/Mahakali River

Author’s affiliation : PAHAR, India

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Geography changes in millions of years and ecology in centuries but territorial supremacy only in a shorter time. Territoriality is connected with the border issues of nation-states. Trans-boundary relations are natural to newly emerged nations. Commonality of communities, cultures and identities compel the neighboring nations to respect each other. Even after the birth of new nation's human relations across border remain intact. View More Indo-Nepal border issue tells us that the same community and culture can live in two nations. The issue started with the coming of East India Company to north India with Indo-Nepal war. After the treaty of Sugauli (1815-16) Kali river became the borderline between Nepal and Kumaon from Lipulekh-Kalapani to Tanakpur-Banbasa. It was done at the time when British East India Company knew very little about this region. Company did not have past records as no English or European traveler ever walked along Kali river as per available records. In this way without knowing the river system, settlement pattern and road connectivity of this region the winner decided to make the Kali/Mahakali river as the border line between British Kumaon and Nepal. Making rivers as the border line was also experimented in Eastern border of Nepal with Sikkim (Mechi river) under the treaty of Titalya (1817) and in Western border (Mandakini and Alaknanda rivers) of occupied Kumaon with newly created Tehri state. The mountains of this region have been standing, rising, eroding, weathering and flowing down for the last many million years. Human cultures reached here in the far end of the last slice of gone time. Kali is the life line of this region and both sides of river developed a common culture. Kali divides the two nations but connects the people of both sides. Kali as a natural entity never divided the biodiversity and pastoral-agro eco systems of the valley. Same is the case with communities and their cultures.In this presentation interdependence of the communities (Tharus, Brahmin, Thakur, Shilpkar, Banraji and Bhotia/Rang/Byansee) along Kali/Mahakali river will be understood and analyzed. This Himalayan corner tells us many aspects of mutuality and oneness among the people living in a common border area divided by a mighty river and two nation-states. The nation-states cannot destroy the shared ethnic-socio-cultural and economic heritage of communities living along two sides of this river. Hide detail

Divya Pant

HOLISTIC APPROACH TO LIVESTOCK AND WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY.

Author’s affiliation : Department of Agricultural And Biological Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa 16802, USA

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Environmental Convergence Opportunities in Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (ECO-CBET) Project at Penn State is evaluating the mechanisms and environmental benefits of using duckweed to capture nutrients from agricultural waste sources. View More The nutrient is fed back into the agriculture system either as animal feed or soil amendment. The study is conducted within the context of the nutrient-impaired Chesapeake Bay Watershed, in Northeast America. To show implication on a global scale the food water and energy nexus at Penn State collaborated with the Waste to energy (WTE) project located in far western Nepal to address three big problems that human mankind is facing towards achieving a circular economy: Waste management, access to energy and clean water while generating profitability and reducing the human impacts on the environment. Waste to energy under full operation is expected to handle 25% (30 ton of organic waste) generated from Dhangadi Sub metropolitan cityand produce 2400m3 of biogas, 3 ton of fertilizer per day. To evaluate the economic, technical, and environmental relevance of the project life cycle assessment (cradle to gate) was analyzed which implicates impact on greenhouse gas emission, eutrophication potential and land use change from waste management. Alongsideit, implementation of management intensive grazing (MIG)of forage is advocated for where approximately 50% ofbiomass is left for soil protection and soil health maintenance. The result of the study has indicated non-significant impact on bulk density, aggregate stability, water infiltration, active carbon, and total organic matter content. The study has developed a holistic approach to waste management that not only cater global sustainability needs by addressing local problemsbut enable local stake holder collaboration from far western region national alongside national and international institutional collaboration. The study demonstrate how systematic waste management can generate critical economic, social and environmental value when waste is returned to the system as energy, fertilizer, and nutrient-rich feed to the animals. Hide detail

Ramesh Prasad Joshi and Janardan Joshi

Impacts of Mahakali River Flood on Academic Performance: A Case Study of Bhimdatt Municipality

Author’s affiliation : Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Central Campus, FWU, Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur

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Flood is the most common disaster in Terai region of Nepal during the peak of the rainy season (June-September). An increase in the flood intensity poses the threat to the human health, livelihood, and infrastructures including academia. View More In between November to December 2021, a study based on mixed research design was conducted in seven selected schools of Bhimdatt Municipality of Kanchanpur district. The data from students, Headmaster/Principal, and teachers were collected through interview using the structured questionnaires. The qualitative information were collected through Key Informant Interview and Focus Group Discussion. A total of 210 students, 7 Headmasters/Principals, and 40 teachers were purposively selected. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data were downloaded from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website. Descriptive analysis was performed. Data visualization was done in map were plotted using Arc GIS 10.1 and HAC RAS softwaressoftware. We found that Mahakali River flood has incrasingincreasing adverse impact on the education sector of Bhimdatt municipality. Flood vulnerability reduces the quality of education that disturbs the access to the right of the students. The highest impact was of found in five wards. In September 2021, about 16.18 square kilometer area of the Bhimdatt Municipality was affected from flood. Supports from the governmental and non-governmental organizations inacademia is demanding for the reduction of impacts from flood and other disasters. Hide detail

Deepak Chandra Bhatta

Working Environment and Benefit Differences in Indo-Nepal Labour Migration

Author’s affiliation : Far Western University

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The open border between Nepal and India has encouraged people to migrate across the border for better livelihood opportunities. People from Sudurpaschim Province are disproportionately attracted to India for four important reasons: close distance, low travel cost, access to jobs and network. View More Likewise, Indian people particularly from the border towns of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bangal States usually come to Nepal searching for employment or better opportunities. The burgeoning migration research in Nepal often ignores migration Nepali to India, and there has hardly been any research on Indian migration to Nepal. This paper attempts to make a comparative study of Indo-Nepal migration, focusing on working environment, i.e. nature of work, working conditions, and their benefits such as income, and welfare benefits of both migrants groups.Bhimdatt Municipality of Kanchanpur District was selected as the study area. A mixed methodology was used for this study. For quantitative data collection, a sample survey was conducted with 650 (370 Nepali-labour migrants to India and 270 Indian labour-migrants to Nepal). Using ISCO/08, ILO (2012) skills classification framework, this paper shows Nepali migrant workers lack technical skills (91% working at the basic skill level jobs, as menial workers) as opposed to the Indian migrants, majority of whom have some moderate level technical skills, such as operating machines (54.3% Indian workers vs. 7.3% Nepali workers). This has reflection on their earning and welfare benefits and condition of work and living. Indian migrants earn an average of NRs. 40,635.5 per month, compared to NRs. 19,061.6 earned by Nepali migrants. On contrary, Nepali labour migrants who work in established companies, business houses get benefits such as allowances, overtime facility, and medical insurance. However, such benefit is not available in the case of Indian labour migrants working in different technical sectors in Nepal. Policy makers need to work on promoting skills of migrant workers to enable them to take up betterpaid jobs migration destinations. Hide detail

Krishna P. Adhikari and David N. Gellner

The Far West of Nepal as a Remote Area

Author’s affiliation : The University of Oxford

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It should hardly be surprising to view the Far West of Nepal as remote. Its very name proclaims it. Government regulations proclaim it (inhabitants of the Far West are entitled, universally, to welfare benefits that elsewhere in Nepal are restricted to the most excluded members of society – Drucza 2020). View More Most inhabitants of the hills of the Far West have never visited the nation’s capital, Kathmandu. It takes a long time to get from Mahendranagar to Kathmandu and vice versa. Yet, at the same time, Mahendranagar and Dhangadhi are closer, much closer, to Delhi than they are to Kathmandu. Most people in the Far West region have experience of travel – often regular, yearly trips – to different places in India. They may never have visited Kathmandu, but they are expert at living and surviving in India.Investment – in infrastructure, in medical facilities – is woefully low in the Far West region, as is the resulting human development status, when compared to other parts of the country. Within the Far West region, hill districts such as Bajhang are still more remote when compared to the regional capital in the Tarai. Based on research carried out in Bajhang between 2020 and 2022, and analyses of the secondary sources, this papers explores the idea of ‘sudur’ as a concept (‘remoteness’ as a state of mind, as a discourse, and as a daily reality). We ask who defines it and for whom it is an issue. We also speculate about its consequences. We argue that the very notion of ‘sudur’ is an imposed political construct, symbolizing (more than spatial position) the loci of power elsewhere, with detrimental consequences: persistent neglect, the reproduction of marginalization, and increasing dependency. Hide detail

Anchala Chaudhary

The Menstrual Impurity of Women and Girls: Chhaupadi Practices and Resistance

Author’s affiliation : PN Campus, Pokhara, Tribhuvan University

Email: anchalachaudhary@yahoo.com

The practices and beliefs attached to menstruation in different parts of the world vary across time and space and have been shaped by various factors such as: gender, religion, society and culture. View More Even though menstruation is a natural biological phenomenon, the social taboos and stigma attached to it isolate women and girls from their everyday lifestyle. Officially, Nepal is a secular country, but due to its traditional norms and values menstruating girls and women continue to suffer. Women, particularly in rural areas continue to be restricted from touching men, children, cattle, living plants, public taps, and fruit-bearing trees, to enter temples and even their houses. To observe these taboos, in some regions and places, seclusion is practised during menstruation by keeping girls and women in typical chhau goth (menstruation hut).This paper examines how menstruation is socially constructed despite the fact that it is biological phenomenon. The shared norms, values and tradition associated with these practices put an individual’s life at risk. The study uses both secondary literature review and primary data collection method. The field work was conducted in Bajhang, Accham and Doti of Karnali Province in the month April 2020 through an rapid and intensive case study and focus group discussion. The major findings of the research is that, though some people actively engage to eliminate the Chhaupadi practice to secure their lives and maintain the dignity of women and girls, others believe that their dignity has been undermined by the government’s attempts to restrict the practice of this tradition. Hide detail

Michael Hutt

The Emergence of Nepali Dalit Sahitya

Author’s affiliation : Emeritus Professor, SOAS; Research Affiliate, Anthropology, University of Oxford

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The Hindi word dalit, whose dictionary definition is ‘broken’, or ‘oppressed’, is the term most commonly used in contemporary South Asian discourse to denote members of a range of largely artisanal castes who have embarked upon a struggle against historic oppression and discrimination. View More Dalits number approximately 3.5 million in Nepal, constituting 13.22% of the total population, according to the 2011 census (Gellner et al. 2020). Despite huge social and political change over the past 60 years or so, Dalits remain at the very bottom of Nepali society in terms of all key development indicators and continue to face discrimination, exclusion and violence, both direct and structural. The under-representation of Dalits in Nepali-language literature until the late 20th century—both as the subjects of texts and the authors of texts—is very striking, and a category of Nepali-language writing labelled dalit sahitya only began to emerge after 1990. In my paper I will report on the research I have conducted on this issue to date. First, I will introduce a selection of Nepali-language texts produced by non-Dalits in which Dalit characters and Dalit-related issues have been portrayed. Most of these were published before Dalits began to author such texts themselves; a few are of more recent origin.I will then present a preliminary thematic summary of the Dalit-authored literature that has appeared in more recent years, and a summary of the debate that has arisen about the definition of dalit sahitya and the authoritative representation of Dalit issues. This will draw upon research conducted in Kathmandu in May-June and, I hope, also upon research conducted in western Nepal in the weeks running up to the conference. Hide detail

Prof. Bishwo Kalayan Parajuli and Anchala Chaudhary

The Unbounded Haliya: The Search for Dignity and Social Transformation in FW Nepal

Author’s affiliation : PN Campus, Pokhara, Tribhuvan University

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The first antislavery affirmative action in Nepal was initiated by then Rana Premier Chandra Samser in 1925 AD by freeing 59,000 slaves from different parts of the country. View More In 2000, the democratic government of Nepal abolished ‘Kamiaya System’, a form of bonded labour. In 2008, the government of Nepal announced the abolition of ‘Haliya System’, ‘freeing’ a total of 20,000 Haliyas from their moneylenders and landlords. Haliyas are agricultural labourers who plough the arable land of their master/moneylenders. It is a kind of bonded labour. The root cause of the origin of Haliya system was the debt trap. Once in debt Haliya lose all control over their condition; expensive interest rates and other charges make them unable to pay off their debts. Therefore, many of them work for years and sometimes generations to repay their loan and remain haliya. Haliyas are from socially and economically deprived communities, almost 90 percent of them are Dalits. The Haliya system prevailed in nine Far Western and three Karnali provincial districts of Nepal consisting of Kanchanpur, Dadeldhura, Baitadi, Darchula, Kailali, Doti, Achham, Bajhang, Bajura Humla, Jajarkot, and Surkhet. Haliya movement was strengthened after 2002, and the Federation of National Haliya Liberation Society was formed and worked to accelerate the Haliya movement through raising the 11-point demand with the government. A five-point agreement between the government of Nepal and the Federation of National Haliya Liberation Society was signed in September 2008 officially abolishing the Haliya system. The present paper is an attempt to illustrate the brief history of the Haliya movement in western Nepal. Attempts are made to analyse the effect of the national programme for Haliya abolition. The author hopes to illustrate the implementation strategy, mobilization, consciousness, and identity of Haliya at the local level. Despite the Corona pandemic, a two-week-long field visit was made during March-April 2021 to Kailali, Daduldhura, and Bajhang. Data was collected through observation and interviews, andinterviews and combined with secondary sources. Hide detail

Pawan Acharya,Bishnu Prasad Gautam

Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a harmful distress mechanism affecting the durability and serviceability of concrete infrastructure all over the world. Many large structures including dams and bridges needed to be replaced by new structures because treatment of ASR was not feasible

Author’s affiliation : School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Pokhara University

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The first antislavery affirmative action in Nepal was initiated by then Rana Premier Chandra Samser in 1925 AD by freeing 59,000 slaves from different parts of the country. View More Availability of amorphous or poorly crystalline silica is a necessary condition for ASR and it has been a common problem in several countries located in cold geographical regions. Some Nepali rocks also comprise amorphous silica as detected in Sanjen Hydropower and Tanahu Hydropower during examination of aggregate through various tests. Furthermore, ASR kinetics and the resulting expansion is observed to be enhanced with an increase in temperature and humidity. Accordingly, the risk of ASR is expected to be prominent in Nepal where temperature and humidity is relatively high. However, a systematic research on ASR in Nepal is scarce and the possibility of ASR is little known. This paper determines the reactivity of potential aggregate sources considered for some large infrastructures of Nepal. Accelerated mortar bar test based on the guidelines of ASTM C1260 is performed on aggregate specimens collected from Kotre area and Tanahu Hydropower project area in Tanahu, and Sanjen hydropower project area in Rasuwa. This study demonstrates that Nepal may have many sources of aggregates that are reactive. Considering the nature and scale of ASR consequences abroad, infrastructure construction in Nepal should pay utmost attention to prevent or mitigate ASR in Nepali infrastructure. Asite-specific screening procedure of aggregate prior to the construction of concrete structures should be a state of practice in Nepal. Hide detail

Anju Pandit, Okke Batelaan, Smrittee Kala Pant , Vishnu Prasad Pandey, Sanot Adhikarid

The gendered implication of declining spring sources in the Rangun watershed area

Author’s affiliation : College of Science & Engineering, Flinders University, South Australia, 5043, Australia

Email: anjupant7@gmail.com

Rangun Khola watershed of Mahakali River Basin, located in Dadeldhura District in the mid-hill region of Nepal, is a representative watershed for climate change-related stresses in the region. View More Springs are the lifeline for human survival and ecosystems in such watersheds. However, the increasing natural and anthropogenic pressures on these springs lead to implications for the distribution and flow of these support systems. The spring source assessment conducted in the watershed, mapping 1,122 springs spread over the area, has demonstrated the dire problem of drying spring sources. The significant increase in time to fill a 20-litre jar, where 127 springs could fill a 20-litre jar within 30 seconds 20 years ago, has now been reduced to less than 55 springs only. This is a clear indication less water is available for the community.This study also applied a survey of 232 households, nine focal group discussions, and five key informant interviews to explore the gender implications of declining spring sources in the watershed area.Women were found to play a central role as traditional water managers for household needs. The changing context of spring water dynamics and increasing climate change pressures indicate the growing task for water collection and associated challenges. Furthermore, with male seasonal migration being a prominent coping strategy within household, women are increasingly involved in irrigation water management. This increased time for water collection is increasing time poverty among women thereby affecting their wellbeing as well as wellbeing of family. However, it was found that this segment of population who are directly affected by climate change have limited participation in the local adaptation planning process. This study adds evidence of gendered impact of climate change and calls for promoting gender-responsive local adaptation planning in the water management sector. Hide detail

Bibhab Mani Panthi, Rabin Malla, Ashok Kumar Shrestha, Kiran Prasad Bhatta

The Implementation of a Indicator Based Approach for Sub-Watershed Prioritization

Author’s affiliation : Center of Research for Environment, Energy and Water (CREEW), Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Nepal

Email: rabin@creew.org.np

Watershed prioritization is a process of identifying environmentally stressed watersheds based on several biophysical and socioeconomic indicators considering water and soil conservation and natural resource management. View More It is the first step towards integrated watershed management in a scientific way. Among different approaches developed to prioritize the sub-watersheds, indicator-based approach can be suitable for Nepalese terrain. We have modified the watershed prioritization approach developed by Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM), Government of Nepal in 2016 by making it more quantifiable and scientific. Thuligaad watershed located in Badikedar Rural Municipality, Doti district of the Sudurpachim Province, Nepal was selected for the study. Both primary and secondary source data were used for the study. Thuligaad watershed was considered third order river and its direct tributary as the second order river were considered sub-watershed for the study. Altogether five sub-watersheds- Chaud Khola, Binsen Khola, Paneri Khola, God Khola and Kapadigaad were delineated for the purpose of prioritization. Seven indicators were used to obtain the priority value under four main components- water, demography, land use/land cover and climatic and biophysical hazard. Questionnaire survey of 200 households, at least 30 household in each ward, was conducted to provide weightage to the indicators along with secondary data and expert judgement. Based on analysis of the indicator values, the prominent indicators were in the order agricultural aspect water quality and ecology> disaster vulnerability > water availability> urban settlement/infrastructure> forest aspect> population and socioeconomics. And the indicator values of each sub-watersheds were averaged, and amongst them the highest average value was 0.524 for Kapaigaad. The selected Kapadigaad sub-watershed indicated decline in the agricultural products, deteriorating water quality, higher density of the population and frequent hazards. This indicator-based approach can be a sensible approach for prioritization of sub-watersheds, it is flexible for providing weightage on the components and it can be scaled up. Hide detail

Tika ram kharel

Management of cooperative program and their contribution to poverty alleviation

Author’s affiliation : Farwestern university

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Cooperatives are generally defined as community-based, and member-owned, managed, and controlled organizations. Government of Nepal has recognized the cooperative sectors as one of the pillars of the economy, cognizant of their power and evolving prospects to contribute to poverty alleviation, service delivery, gender equality, financial strength and good governance. View More The major objective of the study was to examine the role of management in cooperative program among cooperative organization and contribution to poverty alleviation in Kanchanpur district. While analyzing the application of management tools practiced in co-operative organization for planning, controlling, decision making and evaluate cooperative index to poverty alleviation in Kanchanpur district. This study focused on examining management policy and provisions on the resources mobilization in cooperatives. Across the world today, cooperatives are increasing enormously which are seen as key players at the grassroots level, effectively organizing farmers and small businesses, providing much needed financial support and empowering the poor people by creating jobs as well income generating activities. The management policy and provisions of cooperatives has been evaluated through the analytical techniques and mobilization of resources has been examined by using the simple statistical tools. Major finding of the study was contributed to sustainable reduction of poverty. Improving the socio – economic development, cooperation among people, increasing the entrepreneur and business awareness, improving income generate and saving activities in Kanchanpur. Hide detail

Chandani Pant

Challenges in Multilingual Classroom in Government School: A Case of Bedkot Municipality, Kanchanpur

Author’s affiliation : Sharada Secondary School, Daizee (Kanchanpur)/ NELTA, Kanchanpur

Email:

Nepal is a multilingual, multicultural and multiethnic country where people from different cultures and language live together. School is the center where students from different lingual and cultural backgrounds gather and stretch their learning View More One of them is Tharu language spoken by majority of the people in Kanchanpur and Kailali districts of Sudurpaschim province. However, their language or identity is in shadow as it gets discriminated and dominated by other languages like Nepali and English as a means of instruction which hampers their learning. This paper covers the present status of multilingual classroom in government school and further explores the challenges faced by ethnic minorities in the study area. This study was basically designed with qualitative approach and the study area was Sharada Secondary School at Bedkot Municipality in Kanchanpur district, which has majority of the students from Tharu and Rana Cchaudhary community. Purposive sampling method was carried out by selecting the four respondents (two boys and two girls) from Tharu language background and ten minutes interview and open-ended semi structured questionnaires were designed to understand the situations. Students feel comfortable to express themselves and understand the content better in their own language than the English. In the case of students from Tharu community, they remain less active in the classroom activities due to lack of content knowledge delivered in English language and its effect can be noticed in their exam grades. For effectiveness of class, teacher should give priority to the mother tongue of the majority of the students. Hide detail

Kabi Raj Khatiwada and Vishnu Prasad Pandey

Characterization of hydro-meteorological drought in Nepal Himalaya: A case of Karnali River Basin

Author’s affiliation : Center of Research for Environment Energy and Water (CREEW), Nepal; ICIMOD, Nepal

Email:

Himalayan river basin is marked by a complex topography with limited observational data. In the context of increasing extreme events, this study aims to characterize drought events in the Karnali River Basin (KRB). View More Firstly, historical data for 34-years (1981–2014) from ten different stations were analyzed to compute following drought indices: Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI), Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI), Self-Calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc-PDSI), Standardized Streamflow Index (SFI), and Palmer Hydrological Drought Severity Index (PHDI). Among them, SPI is able to capture the drought duration and intensity fairly well with the others. Secondly, SPI was used to analyse the drought of the entire basin. The SPI analysis showed occurrence of major drought events in the recent years: 1984–85, 1987–88, 1992–93, 1994–95, 2004–09, and 2012. The winter drought of 1999, 2006, 2008–09 were widespread and the monsoon drought is increasing its frequency. No particular pattern of drought was observed from the historical data; however, yield sensitivity index revealed that precipitation pattern and anomaly is influencing crop yield in the area. Being the first study revealing prevalence of the drought in KRB, it can provide a basis for prioritizing interventions focused on drought management in the region. Hide detail

Madhab Raj Neupane and Kishan Datta Bhatta

Nepalese Rural-Urban Transformation and their Sustainability: A Study of Himalayan Settlements from Chandannath (Jumla) and Martadi (Bajura).

Author’s affiliation : ASG Germany e.V., Dortmund, Germany

Email: madhab.neupane@gmx.de

The rural-urban transformation in Nepal took a momentary shift along with the local institutions. Of the 753 local governments, 293 are designated as municipalities and 460 as rural municipalities. View More The share of the urban population was 17.07% in 2011 and reached 66.08% in 2021 (CBS, 2021). Karnali and Far Western Himalayan region encompassed unique traditional rural settlements having unique settlement patterns, house forms, roof structures, building materials, and spaces. In the upper Karnali region, buildings are constructed with flat mud roofs called 'Thada' and are connected at the roof level called ‘Bada’ forming a public place to host communal gatherings. Whereas in the Far Western region, buildings are constructed with slope roofs covered with slates and are connected through a courtyard, narrow passage, and public spaces.With the recent road access and ever-increasing population influx, not only their settlements’role as market centers transformed but also their patterns and features. The new political and administrative power of municipalities has changed the way these settlements govern themselves. Unfortunately, these are still at a higher risk of multiple disasters including landslides and earthquakes. These factors are shaping the settlement patterns, forms, features, inclusivity, and sustainability. Hence, it is crucial to analyze the trajectory of the transformation of these settlements.Considering the case of Chandannath and Badimalika Municipality, this paper analyses settlements by using a mixed-method approach based on secondary data from literature reviews, spatial analysis, and open street maps using a QGIS-based application. It will then combine the citizens’ knowledge through key informants and develop a trajectory of settlement transformation from 2000 to 2020. This will result in understanding traditional settlement patterns characterizing their forms of transformation, and their underlying factors. In the end, it will discuss the inclusivity and sustainability of the settlements to derive policy recommendations. Hide detail

Surendra Maharjan, Narendra Man Shakya

Generation of Long-Term Flow and Assessment of Impact of Future Land use change on Flow Using SWAT Model : A case of Betan Catchment, Western Nepal

Author’s affiliation : IOE MSc Graduate

Email: geoecsurendramaharjan@gmail.com

In this Study, the Betan Catchment was divided into 23 sub-basins, which in turn were divided into 40 HRUs, on the basis of their slope, land use and soil type. Simulations were run for time steps of 1995 – 2002 for the calibration period and 2003 – 2006 for validation. View More By comparing the simulated stream flow with the measured stream flow of the Asaraghat. After that long-term discharge was calculated for the ungauged Betan Catchment. Historical change in the land use were analyzed using ICIMOD land use maps and future scenarios were created by projecting the historical land use change in the study catchment. In this study, SWAT-CUP (calibration and uncertainty programs) was used for the sensitivity analysis, calibration, validation and uncertainty analysis of the model runs which includes hydrology. SWAT-CUP is a public domain complicated program linking the SUFI-2 (Sequential Uncertainty Fitting, version. 2) procedure to SWAT. The NSE obtained for the Calibration period was 84 %, R2 was 85 % and PBIAS was 5.7%, for the validation period the NSE was 84 %, R2 was 85 % and PBIAS was 3.0 %. The long-term average run off coefficient of the Betan catchment was calculated to be 0.73. The land use scenario changes showed that increase in barren land increases the runoff whereas increase in forest land increase the base flow during the dry period. The increase in flow during scenario -1 and scenario - 2 ranges from 3.20 to 13.20 % for post monsoonand winter period. The increase in flow during scenario -3 and scenario - 4 ranges from 13.76 to 39.29 % for pre-monsoon and monsoon period. The same approach can be applied in other ungauged catchment as well because the results showed strong reliabilityinreliability in terms of statistical parameter provided that necessary data are available. Hide detail

Mohan Moorti Pant, Ram Prasad Suwal, Sampurna Maharjan, Orna Awale, Rajan Shrestha , Punam Lakha

Vernacular Architecture of a Rural Magar Settlement of Nepal: A case of Taka, Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality, East Rukum.

Author’s affiliation : Khwopa Engineering College, Bhaktapur, Nepal

Email: ramps@nec.edu.np, suwalram@hotmail.com

Vernacular settlement of the Magar community in the Taka village of East Rukum are still lively, and represent the society, cultural and history of the place, which reflects the sustainable living pattern of a rural community. View More A detailed study of Taka village clearly defines the geography, settlement pattern, community groups, settlement cluster, social structure and rituals. Further it identifies the dwelling types and its construction technology on the basis of three features: 1. representation of each community, 2. representation of each locality, and 3. representation of variation in house form. The dwelling and life style of the residents are illustrated in a way to represent the characteristics of social structure and sharing of open spaces. The study also analyzesanalyses the spatial configuration of the dwellings. The dwelling form, building materials and construction technology blends with the terrain profile and climate creating a harmonious settlement pattern with nature and society. There is also community awareness on the conservation of Taka rural settlement heritage which is the positive sign on maintaining the identity of the community and place. Hide detail

Bimala Dumaru, Sadhana Pradhanang, Vishnu Prasad Pandey

Spring water assessment for quality and suitability for various uses: The case of Thuligaad watershed, Western Nepal

Author’s affiliation : Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

Email: ramps@nec.edu.np, suwalram@hotmail.com

Springs supply water for drinking and livelihood for a vast majority of rural population in Nepal. Haphazard development activities are affecting springs adversely in hills and mountains of Nepal View More This study aims to map springs, characterize their status from visual inspection and local/indigenous knowledge, characterize water quality, and then evaluate their suitability for drinking and irrigation in the Thuligaad watershed, Western Nepal. Analysis of 160 springs mapped within four wards in the Jorayal Rural Municipality in the Thuligaad watershed indicated that most of the springs are perennial (95%), located in less than 1,200 or within 1,400 – 1,600 meters above the sea level elevation (70.6%), and have discharge less than 5 liters per minutes (80% during pre-monsoon season). Multiple tools such as Gibb’s diagram, Piper’s diagram, and principal component analysis were used to characterize water quality. Forty springs selected for spring water quality analysis indicated that it is dominated by Ca2+> Mg2+>Na+> K+ and HCO3->Cl->SO42- water types, thus revealing rock-water interaction as dominant process controlling the spring water quality. Furthermore, water chemistry is dominantly Ca-HCO3 (52% in pre-monsoon) and Mixed Ca-Mg-Cl (28% in pre-monsoon) types. Finally, suitability analysis revealed that spring water quality is of excellent quality for drinking and concentration of various parameters comply with national and World Health Organization’s standard for drinking water quality. Similarly, the water is sage against various hazards for use in irrigation. Results of this first study in the study area provided valuable baseline information for spring water source protection and management. Keywords: Local knowledge; Nepal; springs; suitability mapping; Thuligaad; water quality Hide detail

Arshad Ansari and Vishnu Prasad Pandey

Climate Change Impact Assessment on Water Sufficiency for Water Resources Development Planning in Tila Watershed, Northwestern Nepal.

Author’s affiliation : Department of Civil Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, IOE, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Email: ansariarshad0026@gmail.com

A thorough understanding of present and future water resources availability, water demands, and water sufficiency is necessary for sound water resources development planning Translating such information to local government level (i.e. Palikas) would help mainstreaming this agenda in development planning. View More However, many mountainous watersheds in Nepal are yet to be examined from that angle. In this regard, the Tila watershed in the Karnali river basin is taken as a case study for an in-depth analysis of water demand, availability, and sufficiency at both the watershed and Palikas levels taking climate change into account. This study has projected future climate for three future time frames: Near-future (NF: 2021-2045), Mid-future (MF: 2046-2070) and Far-future (FF: 2071-2095) using a set of CMIP6 global climate models (GCMs) under two shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) scenarios (SSP245 and SSP585) bias corrected by using quantile mapping method; developed a hydrological model in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) for water availability assessment; estimated various types of water demands (Domestic, Livestock, Institutional, Irrigation, Industrial and Losses); and computed water sufficiency based on three indicators i.e. water sufficiency ratio (WSR), water stress index (WSI) and water withdrawal to water resources (WWR) for evaluating the impact of climate change on water sufficiency. Results showed water sufficiency for both present and future period under the impact of climate change at both watershed and Palikas level as indicated by all three indicators. Among the Palikas, Mahawai has the highest WSR and Kanakasundari has the least WSR in both present and future period. These estimates of present and future water sufficiency have the ability to assist in the development and implementation of water demand management, climate change mitigation, and water resource conservation strategies in the Tila watershed. Hide detail

Harsh Bahadur Chand

EXPLORING THE PRACTICES OF SECONDARY LEVEL MATHEMATICS TEACHERS IN DEVELOPING HIGHER ORDER THINKING SKILLS.

Author’s affiliation : Department of Education, FWU, Mahendranagar, Nepal

Email: harsh_mpsteam21@kusoed.edu.np

Developing higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in students is one of the important aspects of a school mathematics education. However, past studies show that some teachers got confused about the concept and applications of HOTS (Thompson, 2008), and most of the teachers surveyed by Acharya (2021), in Nepal used less appropriate methods to develop HOTS in mathematics View More But there is a provision to ask questions that need higher order thinking skills in SEE. Therefore, to make students successful in assessments and to make students able to link mathematics with their daily life, teachers need to focus on developing HOTS in mathematics. However, none of the past studies have explored approaches to teaching HOTS in mathematics using qualitative methods. In this context, this study was conducted to explore the narratives of mathematics teachers teaching in 10th grade regarding their practices of teaching to develop HOTS in students. Social constructivism was taken as a theoretical framework for the study. This is a qualitative study under an interpretive paradigm. The research site is Bhimdatt Municipality of Kanchanpur district. Narrative interviews were conducted with six teachers teaching mathematics in 10th grade. Interview transcripts were coded, categories were formed, and then themes were generated. Themes were interpreted using the selected framework. Important and in-depth findings regarding practices of developing HOTS were obtained. The findings of the study might be useful for the secondary school mathematics teachers, textbook writers, writers of the teachers guide, and students of secondary level. Keywords: Higher order thinking skills; Social constructivism; Teaching approaches; Bloom’s taxonomy; Authentic tasks Acharya, N. H. (2021). Mathematics teachers perceptions on higher order thinking skills. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education, 6(2), 105-125. doi.org/10.32674/jimphe.v6i2.3772 Thompson, T. (2008). Mathematics teachers’ interpretation of higher-order thinking in Bloom’s taxonomy. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 3(2), 96-109. https://doi.org/10.29333/iejme/221 Hide detail

Ulrike Müller-Böker

The Khaptad National Park and its Cultural Ascriptions.

Author’s affiliation : Emerita at Department of Geography, University of Zurich

Email: ulrike.mueller-boeker@geo.uzh.ch

Khaptad National Park, which is probably the most unknown and least investigated protected area in Nepal, was established in 1984 in the Far-Western Development Region. A mixture of grazing grounds and forests shapes the landscape on the high plateau at 3’000m View More The park is surrounded by a ‘buffer zone’, from which the local population is allowed to use several resources of the park. International Tourism in the park remains negligible so far; but domestic pilgrimage tourism is important. Cultural values seem to have been of great importance for the establishment of Khaptad National Park. It was established basically on the initiative of Khaptad Baba, who lived for 50 years in Khaptad. A ‘sacred zone’ in the core of the park encompasses important holy places and the ashram of the Khaptad Baba. In this presentation I would like to document the peculiarities of this National Park and grasp the small and large religious traditions that manifest themselves in this landscape and in sanctuaries. It is based on my group's exploratory fieldwork in and around the national park several years ago and on update information of persons, who are currently active in the park. Further, I want (finally) analyse an interview I conducted in 2000 with a great supporter of Khaptad Baba, a general and close confidant of the royal family. First, I will present the National Park and its history will and second, I will elaborate the different religious practices and representations of the local population and the elite of Nepal within the National Park. Kollmair, M., Müller-Böker, U. & Soliva, R. (2003): The social context of nature conservation in Nepal. European" Bulletin of Himalayan Research, 24: 25-62. Soliva, R., Kollmair, M. & Müller-Böker, U. (2003): Nature conservation and development. In: Domrös, M. (ed.): Translating development: The case of Nepal. Social Science Press, Delhi: 142-177. Poertner, E., Junginger, M., Müller-Böker, U. (2011): Migration in Far West Nepal. Intergenerational linkages between internal and international migration of rural-to-urban migrants. Critical Asian Studies 43 (1): 23-47. Hide detail

Arjun Singh Negi

Intercultural Communication for Promoting English Language Teaching in Far Western Region.

Author’s affiliation : Department of Education, FWU

Email: negiarjun4@gmail.com

Language and culture are interrelated. Culture finds its expression in language; so, learning a new language without familiarity with its culture remains incomplete. View More English speakers at present have dual challenges: one to be able to adopt in world cultures and to promote their local culture in comparison to other cultures. So the goal of English language teaching has undergone changes from imitating native speakers'' to becoming an intercultural communicator though pedagogical implementations have not been fully realized in classrooms, especially the ones that enable students to communicate globally while at the same time help them maintaining their native / traditional languages and cultures. (Zheng& Gao 2019). The main purpose of this study is to explore lived experiences of Campus Level English teachers regarding the use of intercultural communication in ELT classes. The research has designed a research question: how do the campus level English teachers narrate the lived experiences regarding the use of intercultural communication in ELT classes? To explore the issue the researcher has used sociocultural theory and intercultural competence model for the observation of intercultural communication in ELT classes. The researcher has applied interpretive paradigm as the research design and phenomenology as the research method. Six English language teachers of different campuses of Far Western University are the informants for the study. As the data collection tools, in depth interview and personal narratives have been used. The participants are found positive in the use of intercultural communication for promoting English language teaching as well as in promoting their local cultures. Key Terms: Intercultural Communication, ELT, Sociocultural theory, intercultural competence, Far Western Region. Hide detail

Nisha Bhatt (Tiwari)

Impact of Microfinance on Women Empowerment: A Study Based Upon Micro Finance Institutions (MFI’s) of Kanchanpur District, Nepal.

Author’s affiliation : Brixton College, Mahendranagar Pokhara University, Nepal

Email: nishamission20@gmail.com

Background: Rapid progress in the microfinance sector now has turned into an empowerment movement among women across the country and easy access to microcredit facility has helped to overcome exploitation, create confidence for economic self-reliance of the rural poor, particularly among women of Kanchanpur View More Objectives: The present study is carried out to meet the objectives i.e., to analyzeanalyse the contribution of women entrepreneurs to change the life style, to evaluate the socio-economic activities and to assess the effectiveness of microfinance on improving women’s living standard in Kanchanpur district. Statement of the Problem: This study investigates the impact of microfinance on poverty and socio-economic vulnerability of women and the ability to form social capital through group-based micro loans in Kanchanpur. Method: This research study uses descriptive survey research method adopting quantitative and qualitative research paradigms. All the 350 informants out of 5 micro finance institutions in kanchanpur have been selected on the basis of complex random sampling method. Schedules are used for collecting information along with two focus group discussion, schedules interviews and field observation. Both primary and secondary data are used for the study. The research framework is developed on the basis of control variable, dependent variable & independent variable. The study uses four criteria to examine the impact of microfinance are access, creation and control over private resources; freedom of decision making at home; self-confidence on socio-economic activities; and status in community and family. The study uses three logistic regression models and a women’s empowerment index (WEIs) to analyzeanalyse women’s empowerment. Result: The empirical findings of the study show that the provision of small loans stimulates the income generating activities of rural women thereby improved their well-being and socio-economic status in Kanchanpur. Conclusion: The study concludes that if the woman owned the loan and acted as a conduit of credit, it has a positive and significant impact on her ability to make decisions at home and in wider sense help to elevate socio-economic status of women in Kanchanpur. Therefore, government ought to focus over facilitating rural women through micro credit schemes. Keywords: microfinance, poverty, vulnerability, entrepreneurs, Self-confidence, Self- employment, Women empowerment, social capital, Women Empowerment Indices (WEIs), conduit, credit, poverty). Hide detail

Prem Raj Joshi, Keshab Chaudhary

Investigating the nature of plasma oscillations in cold plasma

Author’s affiliation : Kailali Multiple Campus, Far Western University

Email: prem.vjoshi@gmail.com

The research in the field of plasma oscillation has a long history. Our research work aims to investigate various possible forms of electron plasma oscillation inside the cold plasma. View More The wave breaking condition for number density will be found both analytically and numerically. The fluid equations were solved for electron and the analytical solution for the number density, electric field and velocity are determined and analysed for different perturbation level. The results obtained are compared with the previous results by R.C. Davidson and P.P. Schram [Nucl. Fusion 8, 183 (1968)]. Different modes of oscillation are obtained and analysed for the various possible. The waveforms for number density, electric field and velocity are obtained and discussed. We found different perturbation value leads to change in the pattern and behaviour of the waveforms. Key words: Cold Plasma, Plasma Oscillation, Wave breaking Hide detail

Kishan Datta Bhatta and Madhab Raj Neupane

Vernacular Architecture: Exploring the Changes in Rana Tharu Settlements of Far Western Nepal

Author’s affiliation : Faculty of Engineering, Far Western University, Nepal

Email: dbkishan76@gmail.com

Vernacular architecture and settlements are considered culturally meaningful, socially acceptable, locally harmonized, and ecologically sustainable. View More The traditional buildings seem to be more connected to the local places, environment, culture, indigenous technology and people. However, with the development of new technologies along with increase in population, replacement of these vernacular buildings and settlements has become a regular phenomenon in many of the nations including Nepal. In this regard, considering the case of vernacular buildings and settlements of Rana Tharu from far western region, this paper aims to (i) examine the settlement pattern, house form, construction technology, materials and spaces in Rana Tharu settlements; and (ii) identify the changes and explore crucial factors behind the acceleration of such changes. The paper applies a qualitative approach through explanatory qualitative analysis for exploring the transformation in architectural style, settlement patterns, house forms, construction techniques, use of spaces, and community livelihoods in the Rana Tharu settlements. Field observations, key informant's interviews and informal discussion with locals were carried out. This research contributes to understanding the factors causing changes in traditional Rana Tharu buildings and settlement. It also highlights the significance of vernacular architecture and suggests strategies to make the settlements and buildings more resilient and sustainable. Hide detail

Sébastien Charret

The Fluidity of Ethnicity ; identity building of the cross-border Rang community in Khalangā.

Author’s affiliation : ANR Phantasies : https://anr.fr/Projet-ANR-19-CE27-0015 from Paris Cité University

Email: charretsebastien@gmail.com

In the district of Dārculā in the Far West of Nepal, a nomadic community of a few thousand people calling themselves in their own languages Rang live on the border between Nepal, India and the autonomous region of Tibet. View More This group of breeders, farmers but especially trans-Himalayan traders have their own culture and traditions influenced by both Tibetan Buddhism and Indo-Nepalese Hinduism. In a few decades, they had to adapt to major political and historical changes within these countries but also in the relations between these nations, generating several challenges for the preservation of their identity. Through the observation of several ceremonies, I would question the identity construction of the Rang community as well as the strategies of the discourses associated with it. Hide detail

Madan Singh Deupa

TEACHING PROFESSION IN SUDURPASCHIM PROVINCE: ATTITUE AND JOB SATISFACTION OF TEACHERS

Author’s affiliation : ANR Phantasies : https://anr.fr/Projet-ANR-19-CE27-0015 from Paris Cité University

Email: madandeupa14@gmail.com

Quality education is the key factor for overall development of an individual and nation. Quality of education is directly related to competency and dedication of the teacher, as teacher is the main implementor of the educational program. View More This study investigates the attitude of teachers towards teaching profession and level of their job satisfaction. Quantitative research design over a sample of randomly selected 200 teachers was used in this study. A Likert type attitude scale was prepared and standardized by the researcher on the sample of 374 school teachers of five districts of Nepal and India. Job satisfaction level was measured by Job Satisfaction Scale (JSST-DM) published by National Psychological Corporation, Agra, India. Normative survey method was used to collect required data. Maslow's theory of motivation based on the needs hierarchy system was used to interpret the findings of this study. Result was interpreted by using z-score norms based on seven categories, which explored that 20.50 percent of the teachers were favorable towards their profession, 46 percent were unfavorable and 33.50 percent were neutral towards teaching profession. Similarly, percentage of teachers found above Average Satisfied on their job was 37 percent, below Average Satisfied was 40 percent and percent of Average Satisfied teachers was 23. Out of which, 9 percent school teachers were extremely satisfied and 13 percent were extremely dissatisfied. Teachers can notcannot do well on teaching profession unless they have a positive attitude towards their profession and are not satisfied with it. This study revealed that a significant number of teachers are not satisfied with their profession and do not have a positive attitude towards it. It is imperative that the concerned authorities review the policies regarding salary, facilities and position in the national protocol for teachers in order to bring a positive change in the situation. Hide detail

Vishnu Prasad Pandey

Projected Changes in Future Water Availability in the Chamelia – Implications for Policy and Planning

Author’s affiliation : Department of Civil Engineering Deputy Director, Center for Water Resources Studies, Institute of Engineering, TU, Nepal

Email: vishnu.pandey@pcampus.edu.np

Western Nepal has lots of potential to contribute to national economy. However, it’s always presented as a region with “remoteness and under-developed.” View More Further, climate change maybring both challenges as well as opportunities, though their extent depends upon characteristics of the hydrological system. This paper argues for a need to re-phrase the context of Western Nepal in more positive way and then analyses how projected change in climate may impact on water availability of the region with a case of Chamelia watershed. A hydrological model in SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) environment was developed for the purpose. Future climate is projected using a set of five Regional Circulation Models (RCMs) under representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios. Then response of streamflow with projected change in climate is assessed. Results shows the SWAT model performance is adequate to represent hydrological characteristics of the watershed. Future is projected to be warmer (high model consensus) and slightly wetter (more uncertainty), with winter and pre-monsoon season receiving more rainfall. Under the projected future changes, simulated streamflow is projected to change across the future periods and seasons. The results are expected to be useful for future water resource and water infrastructure planning in the area. Hide detail

Puspa Raj Pant, Anil Thapa

Injury-related illnesses for visiting health facilities in Sudurpaschim: analysis of IHIMS records

Author’s affiliation : BNAC and NIRI Ministry of Health and Population, IHIMS

Email: Pant.Puspa@gmail.com

Background: According to the estimates produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), Injuries comprised 10% of Nepal’s disease burden in terms of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) lost in the years 2019. View More This proportion is also true for the estimated produced by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Lack or absence of national record keeping system is a general criticism for not having a locally available quality data on the burden of injuries. Integrated Health Information Management System (IHIMS) provides Out-Patient Department (OPD) visit data for 233 individual morbidity causes. Method: We analysed the situation of OPD data for all 9 districts of Sudurpaschim and describe the situation of injury-related morbidity in the region. Results: Of the total 23,277,335 OPD visits 2,389,475 (10.3%) were from Sudurpaschim and “Fall fractures and injuries” comprise 125,000 (11.9%) of total OPD visits is the 5th single cause of all causes. The IHIMS recorded 37,800 OPD visits for the causes: Road Traffic Accidents (9893), Burns & Scalds (8507), Dog Bite (7056), Traumatic Eye Disease (3901), Foreign Body in Ear Cases (3533), Insect/Wasp Bite (3303), Other Rabies Susceptible Animal Bite (559), Foreign Body in Nose Cases (551), Foreign Body in Throat Cases (238), Snake Bites (147), and Toxic Effect (133). Sudurpaschim ranks 4th out of 7 provinces for Dog Bite and Traumatic Eye Disease and Ranks 5th for Road Traffic Accidents, Foreign Body in Ear, Other Rabies Susceptible Animal Bite and “Falls/Injuries/Fractures.” OPD visits for Road Accidents in Sudurpaschim are more than Karnali and Gandaki province. Conclusion: OPD visits records depends upon the number of patients as well as available facilities in Health Facilities. On average 6,550 OPD visits only for injury-related treatment in Sudurpaschim indicates the magnitude of the problem and action needed for the prevention. Hide detail

Sara Parker, Sara Baumann, Sushma Bhatta and Laxmi Dhital

Dignity Without Danger: Collaborative Film Showing of two collaborative films on menstruation in Kanchanpur

Author’s affiliation : Dignity Without Danger, SOAS, TU and LJMU

Email: S.L.Parker@ljmu.ac.uk

The Dignity Without Danger team used the collaborative film making approach based on participatory methods to train a group of 13 women in Kanchanpur to create, analyze, and film their everyday experiences of menstruating. View More Between January 2020 and March 2021. The footage was edited into a short documentary entitled ‘8 days’ giving the audience an intimate insight into the lived realities of women during their period. It takes the audience on an 8-day journey, and provides a detailed look into the lives of women’s practices and traditions during each day of their menstrual cycle. The women also wrote, performed and filmed a short drama to help explore the impacts of menstrual beliefs and taboos at the local level called ‘Stay Away’ and wrote performed and sang 5 songs related to menstruation. ‘Stay Away’ tells the story of a loved village grandmother who believes she has been cursed and fallen ill from being touched by a menstruating woman. In the story, the grandmother must navigate social pressure from family and neighbors, decide between using traditional and western medicine, and wrestle with the evolving belief system that is shifting over generations. The drama ends with a powerful message for those still following harmful menstrual practices from Nepali women themselves. While the films offer rich, emic knowledge regarding menstrual experiences in Nepal, the films can also serve as authentic advocacy tools and community engagement tools. To better understand how community-created films impact decision making, we held a National-level and district-level film screening for policymakers and key decision makers working on menstruation and gender issues. Through surveys and discussions with policymakers, we generated a deeper understanding of the power of community-created films to be creatively harnessed for advocacy and systemic change at various policy levels. Both of these films were premiered at the Kathmadu International Film Festival in 2020 KIMFF along with other Nepali produced films on the theme of menstruation. The filmmakers from Western Nepal joined a panel of filmmakers and activists under the theme of ‘Breaking Code Red’ to discuss their films and their impact to help break the silence that surrounds the topic of menstruation. The films have also been shown at the local level and shared with a wider audience. This event provides the DWD team and local film makers with an oppprtunity to gain further feedback and answer questions frm the audeicne For further information please contact: Sara Parker, Liverpool Johns Moores University, Sociology, UK orSara E. Baumann, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, USA s.l.parker@ljmu.ac.uk orsarabaumann@pitt.edu Hide detail

Rajya Laxmi Gurung and Stefanie Lotter with Madhusudan Subedi and Sara Parker Dignity Without Danger, SOAS, TU and LJMU

Menstruation in Far Western Nepal: Negotiating Sacred and Profane Space through Practice and Authority: insights from Dignity Without Danger

Author’s affiliation : Dignity Without Danger, SOAS, TU and LJMU

Email: S.L.Parker@ljmu.ac.uk

Nearly all women and girls throughout Nepal practice at least one menstrual tradition, which can, in some cases, prevent women and girls from fully participating in economic and social life, and can negatively impact school attendance and employment.
View More The dominant narrative portrayed in the media of menstruation in Nepal focuses on the extreme form of chauppadi and menstrual exclusion to the ‘cow shed’. Dignity Without Danger is a British Academy Global Challenge Research funded research project that research project menstrual stigmas and taboos throughout Nepal utilizing creative research methods and rapid ethnography to explore the complexity of menstrual practices in Nepal. This study investigates how the social production of sacred and profane spaces influences the lifeworld’s of menstruators during their periods. The study asks two questions. First, what options do women and girls have to avoid blame and religious misconduct. And secondly, how can the social production of spaces in the continuum between sacred and profane be positively influenced in order to expand the lifeworld’s of menstruators. The study results are twofold. When women and girls are societally forced to occupy a subaltern position in their response, they can either comply with religious rules, manipulate their bodies or hide their menstrual status. Society as a whole can take a different role, it can redefine the boundaries in the continuum between sacred and profane spaces to expand the lifeworld of menstruators. The paper highlights the importance of challeging dominant narratives, the importance of undertaking research that includes religious leaders and that we can not generalise and talk about the ‘Far West’ as a homogenous region. It suggests education, both formal and non formal with the wider community is essential to break the silence that surrounds menstuation and work towards dignified menstuation that respects peoples agency. Hide detail

Arjun Guneratne

The Invisible Himalaya: Nepal in South Asian area studies

Author’s affiliation : Macalester College, U.S.A

Email: guneratne@macalester.edu

South Asia lends itself, more than some other multi-nation regions of the world, to the concept of area studies, because British colonial rule bequeathed to all of its contemporary states (save Nepal) shared political, juridical and administrative institutions, as well as a common language, English. View More Although South Asia lends itself to comparative investigation, the curiosity of researchers goes no further than the national boundary of their country of study. I discuss this with reference to the ethnography of Nepal and its relation to broader scholarship on South Asia, where, for scholars of India, the Indian state is treated as being synonymous with South Asia. National boundaries are implicitly reified as demarcating the field of inquiry, certainly in the United States, with which this paper is concerned. Thus, a scholar working in a particular region of India may draw on scholarship about India’s other regions to illuminate the problems that concern them, while failing to consider relevant work in adjacent South Asian countries, like Nepal. Most strikingly, this is seen in the failure of works on kingship and caste to take note of the muluki ain of 1854, despite ubiquitous references to it in the scholarly literature on Nepal—evidence that that literature is not being read by scholars of India. My argument is that the architecture of area studies, including research conferences, libraries and the practices of research funding, which are organized on the basis of national political boundaries, encourages this marginalization. Hide detail

Bhoomika Joshi

Friendly Nations and Open Borders: Mobility and Spatiality at the India-Nepal Border in Uttarakhand

Author’s affiliation : Doctoral Candidate, Department of Anthropology, Yale University

Email: bhoomika.joshi@yale.edu

Studies of borderlands mostly describe the work of borders in othering land and people. As goods and people move through borders with different degrees of regulation, our attention is usually focused on the differences that a border is architected to generate - whether it is the difference in citizenship, in the value of goods and commodities or in the regime of law and governance across it. View More This paper attends to the ways in which a border can produce and maintain sameness, particularly among the people moving through it and across the landscape where it is marked. Through an observation of the daily mobilities and spatiality at the India (Kumaon)-Nepal (Farwest) border at two check points in Pithoragarh (Jhulaghat & Dharchula) in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, this paper studies how the caste-gendered righteousness of the mobile bodies and the popular Hindu iconography of sacredness is reproduced and managed at an open border between ‘friendly’ nations. While the postcolonial legacy of India’s borderlands is a legacy of othering, particularly as the religious other, the India-Nepal border negotiates the sameness of religion by managing the refractions of caste and gender. The friendliness at such a border, this paper argues, rests on the evaluation of the gendered righteousness of those crossing it made acutely visible in alleged instances of elopement, marital infidelity and trafficking and in the reproduction of the sacredness of the landscape through the circulation of icons, myths and pilgrims. Hide detail

Binaya Pasakhala1, Rucha Ghate, Karma Phuntsho, Popular Gentle, Ashok Shrestha and Janita Gurung

Finding common grounds: Resources sharing between transhumant herders and CFUG in Bajhang, Nepal

Author’s affiliation : Doctoral Candidate, Department of Anthropology, Yale University

Email: bhoomika.joshi@yale.edu

Adapting to a harsh climate, fragile ecosystems, and remoteness,transhumant herders in Nepalseasonally migrate at different altitudinal rangesto graze their animals View More In winter, they migrate to access forest areas at lower elevations; however, the community forest user groups excludethem from accessing the forests they had been using for generations. This resulted in decrease in grazing area for their animals and increase in incidences of conflicts between herders and sedentary communities, mainly community forest user groups.The prolonging conflicts between forest users have been reported to undermine livelihood of conflicting parties as well as escalated forest degradation. In this context, this study analyses perspectives of the conflicting parties, their existing strategies and policies relating to transhumance pastoralism for resolving the conflict. The study was conducted in Bajhang district, focusing on transhumant herders of Saipal Rural Municipality. For data collection, focus group discussions and interviews were conducted with herders and a community forest user group. Inadequate availability of fodder, disruption of traditional reciprocal relationship,damages to crops by herders' animals,and theftand physical attacks by locals to herders were major causes of conflicts. Despite restrictions for grazing livestock in community forests, herders have been accessing forests by paying to locals without receiving any receipts.An incentive-based mechanism, engaging herders, community forest users and other stakeholders, is essential to ensure sustainable flow of ecosystem services as well as fair and equitable access of the services to the users. Hide detail

Hari Prashad Badu

A Study of Women Involvement in Cross Border Transportation and Carrying [A case of Banabasa (India- Champawat ) to Gadda chauki (Nepal - Mahendranagar)]

Author’s affiliation : Far Western University Central campus

Email: bhoomika.joshi@yale.edu

Basically Nepal and India have unique relation in people's level itself. Although the supply of goods and services is necessity to both side countries but the movement of people in border is very sensitive worldwide in the sense of security and human right View More Hundreds of the women are involving to transport the goods and services across Nepal India border by carrying goods everyday from Banbasa to Gadda chauki. My research is basically focuses on those women who are working this transport and carrying good across Nepal India border from Banabasa (India- Champawat ) to Gandda chauki (Nepal - Mahendranagar). The objective of my research is to analyze the actual social and cultural condition of carrying women and find out the actual reason behind involving this socially culturally insecure job of transportation and carrying goods across the Nepal India border. To fulfil the objective of the study, basically the research is based on exploratory and descriptive type of research design. Interview, interaction and observation are the tools to collect primary data and the secondary data is used as per need. Narration of target woman, some economic and socio cultural data are analyze descriptively and statistically. Socio cultural exclusion, economic deprivation and politically non noticeable or non recognition are the basic factors to force them to involve this type of job although the job is very insecure to women by socially, culturally and psychologically. Very few of them are in average social cultural and economic condition. Most of them are marginal and under the poverty. Key Words: women involvement, Cross Border, Transportation, Exclusion, Security Hide detail

Mohan Dangaura

The Memory of Performance: From Content to Context of Selected Tharu Folk Songs

Author’s affiliation : Thapathali Engineering Campus, Kathmandu

Email: mdangaura6@gmail.com

This paper analyzes the historical context of the Dangaura Tharu folk dance songs of Nepal. The study analyzes Tharu subjectivity by assessing the performance as an agency. The primary discussion is based on the issue of Kamaiyahood in the songs of the Tharu community View More Dangaura Tharu ethnicity resides from the Dang district to the margin of Farwest Nepal. This study interprets the role of memory in the folk performance of the community. The research concludes by justifying the abundance of Kamaiyahood, spatial memory, and empathy for nature in the community's folk performance. To evaluate the context of performance, Richard Schechner's idea of performance as a fortitude for identity has been applied critically. To supply the research with credible contexts of folksongs, Alan Dunde's concept of folklore as the identity has also been considered. Thus, the research finds the displacement from inner Dang valley, spatial memory, and the Kamaiyahood contributing as the background of Dangaura Tharu folk performance. Hide detail

Raghu Bir Bhatta

Mathematical Modeling of Dynamics of Communicable Diseases with Yoga Pranayama

Author’s affiliation : Nepal Sanskrit University Beljhundi Dang

Email:

In this paper,a mathematical model is developed which de- scribes the dynamics of communicable diseases under the as- sumption that Yoga Pranayama produce immunity power View More This immunity power protect us from infection and re-infection and immune protection may wane over time.A scheduled package of pranayama through yoga classes and yoga shibirs is considered as disease control strategy.A distinction is made between infec- tion in naive individuals and infection in Yoga sadhak individ- uals.Immune system has been primed by Prnayama.We analyze the association between prevalence of infection and immunity in- duced by Yoga Pranayama.The model shows that prevention of diseases depends parameters we have developed. Key Words: Transmission dynamics,Pranayama, Immunity power, Epidemic equilibrium. 2 Hide detail

Raksha Sharma, Shreya Tiwari, Seema Lamichhane and Saurab Subedi

Performance of different organic materials on wheat yield at Tikapur, Kailali

Author’s affiliation : Faculty of Agriculture, Far Western University, Tikapur, Kailali

Email:

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different organic materials alone and in combination on the growth and yield of wheat var. Aditya during November 2021- April 2022 in the Agronomy Field of Far Western University, Tikapur, Kailali View More The study was carried out with 7 treatments viz. Farm yard manure (FYM), Vermicompost (V), Trichodermaviridae (T), FYM + V (FV), FYM + T(FT), FYM + V + T(FVT) and Control (without any organic matter) laid out in Randomized Complete Block design with three replications. The results showed significant difference between the plot treated with organic materials and control in terms of yield attributing characters and yield. Combination of organic materials proved to be better than those applied single. Similarly, plots treated with FYM performed better than the plots treated with Vermicompost alone. All the treatments having FYM yielded greater amount of grains per unit area than the treatments without FYM. This study suggests further field experiments with similar organic materials for comprehending findings of this research. Keywords:Farmyard manures, Trichoderma, Vermicompost, Yield Hide detail

Ujjwal Sundas

Perspectives of HRM Leaders on Diversity, Equityand Inclusion in Nepal

Author’s affiliation : PhD Scholar,Singhania University

Email: ujjwalsundas@gmail.com

Diversity Managementhas not yet been a significant part of now much discussed topic HRM in Nepal although theconcepts of Diversity Management (DM) emerged in the USA, Canada in 1980s. Most of the developed countries in European Union have been the flagship of diversity management. View More There are handful of renowned organizations today either catering HRM services or implementing full-fledged HRM discipline in their own organizations. College text books and, seminars and dialogues conducted by development sectors have indicated that the emergence of concepts of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is pertinent in today's context. In developed countries, both profit making and non-profit making organizations have been emphasizing the concepts of DEI and focusing on those in organizations. It's a thought-provoking idea to learn the perspectives of current organization leaders in Nepal about their views on DEI. The article has been prepared based on findings of in-depth interviews taken with leadersand/or senior HR managers of reputed companies those are promoting HRM in Nepal. It attempts to provide an exploratory review seeking to shed light on their perspectives of regarding DEI in their pre-established HRM domain.Thearticle explores the opinions, experiences and competencies and the initiatives taken by HRM leaders. The article also discusses the challenges faced by the HRM leaders in the pursuit of promoting the diversity management. Keywords: Diversity Management,Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Perspectives, Competencies. Hide detail

Convener: Dr. Krishna Adhikari and Prof. David Gellner
Chair: Prof. David Gellner
Discussant: Prof. Bishwa Kalyan Parajuli (tbc)

Author’s affiliation : The University of Oxford,PN Campus, Pokhara, Tribhuvan University

Email: krishna.adhikari@anthro.ox.ac.uk

The socio-cultural diversity of Nepal is a well-known and much-studied subject, as is, latterly, the issue of the uneven socio-economic outcomes experienced by different groups of people, based on region, gender, caste-ethnicity, and so on. . View More As a result, since the 2000s, Nepal has started recognising and managing diversity in a more pronounced and productive way. One of the major policy innovations adopted in this period is affirmative action, which aims to create a level playing field and to empower marginalised sections of society. The idea of federalism enshrined in the 2015 Constitution of Nepal has to be seen as a way of addressing these inbuilt inequalities. Sudurpaschim Province and the neighbouring territories of the erstwhile mid-western region are remote, relatively neglected, and 'backward’ in development. Dalits are present in significant number in these regions and are a prime target of these reservation and welfare policies. However, despite increasing interest and policy relevance, there exists rather limited ground-level knowledge about the extent to which these national policies implemented for well over a decade now have been effective. Have grassroots communities been able to reap the benefits intended? How far have they been able to participate in the development processes affecting their lives through the local governments, NGOs and other community-based institutions? How do social organisations and institutions that link communities function in the new federal dispensation? Based on three separate empirical investigations in 2021-22 in Kailali, Banke, and Surkhet districts, and covering both Dalits and non-Dalits, from both Pahadi and Madhesi backgrounds, the panel aims to share some fresh findings and thereby to provide material for discussion, which, it is expected, should be useful and relevant to policy and practice at different levels. Hide detail

Prakash Nepali

Author’s affiliation : Samata Foundation, Lalitpur

Title: The Impact of Reservation Policies at the Local Level

Email: prakash.advnepal@gmail.com

In order to rectify historical exclusions and imbalances experienced by Dalits and other marginal groups, Nepal has practised reservations for the past one and half decades. While the outcomes of these policies have started to emerge, the subject remains controversial and its future remains uncertain. View More There is very limited research to understand the outcomes of the reservation policies so far, and how the policies are (un)working on ground, particularly at the rural villages. Based on the empirical research carried out in the mid-west of Nepal, this paper analyses the policy provisions, particularly the principle of proportional inclusion enshrined in the Article 40 (1) of the constitution, and thereby identifies gaps in the policy and practices. Applying a qualitative interview method, the research was carried out in Banke (Nepalganj and Khajura) and Surkhet (Birendranagar and Taal Baraha) districts. Altogether about 60 people were included in the interview including both the Pahadi and Tarai Dalits, and elected ward representatives. The study shows that the Dalit community seems to have benefited from the reservation policy as so far implemented in Nepal. The opportunity to enter government jobs and be represented in the political arena is a considerable achievement. However, the more backward caste groups within the Dalit community, particularly from rural areas do not seem to have benefited from this policy. Moreover, at the community level, the reservations policy seems to have had little effect because of a lack of adequate knowledge, and the inability of the state to implement its own policies. A more targeted approach to include and enable hard to reach grassroots groups and most marginalised Dalit communities is needed in order to materialise the policy objectives Hide detail

Tilak Bishwakarma

Author’s affiliation : R.R. Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

Title: Cooperatives and Political Participation: How Far do Women and Dalits get Involved?

Email: tivikji@gmail.com

The prosperity of poor people through the cooperative model is perceived as one of the best tools for development. There are so many cooperatives working in Nepal for a long period of time with the main mission of poor people’s inclusion in the mainstream of development. Similarly, there are many governmental and non-governmental organizations working for poverty reduction and leadership development of marginalized people View More In this context, this study highlights the leadership status of Dalit people and their access to opportunities provided by the local government as well as development agencies. In addition, this study examines the governance practices in local municipalities, and cooperatives and NGOs. Interviews were conducted with hill and Madhesi Dalits, local representatives, government officials, and political leaders covering 20 municipalities of three districts (Kailali, Banke and Surkhet) in the far and mid-western Tarai.. The study revealed the fact that despite recent development and provision for reservations at the local level, and despite some progresses made in recent years, Dalit’s access to (leadership) opportunities in political parties, local governments and in development organization is still challenging. In addition, the study showed that Dalits are largely unaware of the budget and programme of the local government. Generally, they neither enquire about the budget programmes, nor do the local governments inform them about these Surprisingly, Dalit women representatives themselves reported not to be fully updated themselves about the budget and programmes and their voice is often ignored. Moreover, political biasedness and exclusion of Dalits in local power exercises, leader’s monopoly, and lack of awareness Dalit communities are some important factors that create obstacles to Dalits’ participation in and access to local developmental, political and economic activities affecting their lives. Keywords: Cooperatives, Dalit, leadership local government, women Hide detail

Gopal Nepali and Dr Krishna P. Adhikari

Author’s affiliation : Samata Foundation, Lalitpur

Title: Social Organizations and Caste Relations in a Western Tarai Village

Email: gnepali5@gmail.com

Tarai Dalits, who remain one of the most marginalized and excluded groups, have attracted very limited research. A large corpus of literature has grown up on social organization and caste relations in India’s villages, across the southern border, but there is very limited systematic study of Nepal’s Tarai, and even less on the Tarai in the light of recent political uprisings (Maoist movement, 1996-2005, and Madhes movement, 2007-2016). View More This paper, based on a holistic village study conducted between 2020 and 2021, combining ethnography with surveys, attempts to address the gap to some extent. Data were collected from a set of five villages in Banke district, covering the following caste groups: non-Dalits (Yadav, Barma, Loniya, Godiya), Dalits (Dhobi, Khatik, Chamar), and Muslims. The study site also offered an opportunity to observe Pahadi–Madhesi interrelations thanks to the internal migrations in the past three decades. The preliminary findings show some continuity and some changes of the village organization (in terms of settlements, land ownership, occupation, Jajamani system, and caste commensalities). Muslims, who are treated almost on a par with Dalits, are well integrated in the village caste system so that occasional the Hindu-Muslim conflicts that erupt in Nepalganj town seemingly have ‘no visible effect’ on the local social fabric. The Jajmani system is largely abandoned thanks to the new economic opportunities brought in by urbanization and new infrastructural development. Unlike the general trend elsewhere in Nepal, there is very limited international labour migration from the ‘core’ Madhesi households. There is an increased awareness of Madhesi identity. Though there is subtle Madhesi-Pahadi feeling, Pahadi migration is regarded as a positive force for development and change. Despite both groups observing a set of caste-based taboos, each group was found treating Dalits from the other group with some leniency and acceptability. Though changes in recent years on caste-based untouchability, especially commensality in public, is visible, caste rules are strictly imposed when it comes marriage. The caste-class stratification are very much at work even today. Hide detail

Prof. Vishnu Prasad Pandey

Author’s affiliation : Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, Nepal.

Title: Social Organizations and Caste Relations in a Western Tarai Village

Email: vishnu.pandey@pcampus.edu.np

Sudurpaschim includes two large river systems, namely, Mahakali and Karnali, and several other southern rivers, as a source of water for lives, livelihoods, environment and economy. Climate change is expected to impacts various sectors View More Those impacts are primarily manifested through water. Int his context, this session, aims to shed light on current status of water resources in various forms (e.g., surface, springs, etc.), projected changes in climate and associated risks on water availability and water-induced hazards, and other aspects related to water resources management in the Sudurpaschim region. This session is expected to feature around five articles on the following areas
• Future water availability and implications in policy and planning
• Spring water resources and quality
• Water-induced disasters (e.g., floods, droughts, etc.)
• Aquatic biodiversity in Karnali region
• Water resources management in the changing context
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Prof. Anna Robinson-Pant,
Mr. Uttam Prasad Upadhyay,
Dr. Yagya Raj Pant,
Mr. Hem Raj Lekhak,Mr. S. B. Subasi,Mr. Sher Bahadur Kathayat,
Ms Kusum Shrestha, Dr. Dharma Upadhyay,Mr. Mohan raj Upadhyay,
Mr. Hari Dev Tamang, Mr. Damodar Panta, Mr. Govinda Dev Bhatta,
Mr. Bishnu Kumar Devkota,
Mr. Laxmi Raman Bon,
Mr. Guru Prasad Acharya

Author’s affiliation : University of East Anglia

Title: Education for Rural Development in Seti Zone: reflections from the 1980s

Email: A.Robinson-Pant@uea.ac.uk uttamprasadupadhyay@gmail.com

The Seti project was launched in 1981, designed to ‘convert the educational system into a powerful force for rural development’ (UNDP, 1981: 1). View More At this time, no girls at all were enrolled at secondary level in Bajura and the regional female literacy rate was only 1.9% (ibid). As one of the most ‘backward’ areas in the country with poor communication facilities and limited infrastructure, Seti zone was selected for the pilot project of an innovative integrated educational approach which was to be developed for the whole country. A central aim was to narrow the gap existing between the school and the community through positioning the teacher as a ‘change agent’, developing a curriculum that responded to students’ real-life experiences and producing teaching-learning materials from local resources. The motto was to teach new skills and knowledge on the riverbank or in the fields, rather than lecturing about health and sanitation in the classroom or showing cauliflower seeds on the blackboard. Through its structures and practices, the project also set out to challenge directly gender and caste discrimination and model a new approach to community development. Forty years on, a team of former Seti project staff, headteachers and teachers has come together to reflect on their experiences of engaging in this unusual process of educational change. Based on analysis of field reports, project documents and autoethnographic accounts, this presentation will explore the administrative, pedagogical and social practices introduced by the Seti project – ranging from the nonformal cheli beti programme for out-of-school girls to the teacher training centre established in Dipayal and new systems of school construction, teacher supervision and community learning. Our objective is to share an often-forgotten history of education in the Sudarpaschim province and to highlight the relevance for Nepal’s education sector today – in particular, the current policy directive for palikas to produce localised curricula promoting local cultures/languages and to develop community hubs for lifelong learning. We propose a roundtable event to maximise informal discussion and sharing of reflections on the recent history of education in the Seti Zone. The team of 15 people named above will offer short presentations around various aspects of their work on the Seti project – including teacher training, curriculum development, school construction, girls’ nonformal education, adult literacy and an overview of key educational policy issues in the 1980s. The session would then facilitate comparative discussion of present policy challenges and initiatives in this region today. Participants at the roundtable will be encouraged to share their educational experiences in the Far Western region, both past and present, with a view to discussing ideas for future policy directions and enhancing educational practice in the region Hide detail