[lg policy] London: "Newars living abroad are trying to preserve language=?windows-1252?Q?=82_?=culture"

[Harold Schiffman]

"Newars living abroad are trying to preserve language‚ culture"

  INTERVIEW


DR. BAL GOPAL SHRESTHA
"NRNA has never pronounced a single word in favour of rights to any
other languages of Nepal..."

The First World Newah Convention is being organised in London of the
United Kingdom from October 29 to 31, 2011. The World Newah
Organisation (WNO), a network of Newar people living abroad, and Pasa
Puchah Guthi UK (PPGUK), a Newah organisation in the UK, are jointly
hosting the event, with an aim to discuss the issues and challenges
the Newah community has encountered worldwide, envisioning a roadmap
for the conservation and preservation of Newar culture and language,
and formally announcing the WNO through the WNO London Declaration
2011.

Dr. Bal Gopal Shrestha, one of the champions of the WNO and a member
of the convention organising committee, was recently in Kathmandu.
However, we could not catch him in person due to his hectic schedule.

After returning to London, Dr. Shrestha, also a research fellow at the
Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology under the University of
Oxford, explained the essence of ethnic movement in Nepal, need for a
global network of Newar Diaspora, and the challenges the Newar people
are facing to preserve their language and culture in an email
interview with Keshav P. Koirala for The Himalayan Times Online.

EXCERPTS:

Tell us about the World Newah Organisation (WNO), its structure and
the reason for its formation.

Bal Gopal Shrestha: WNO has been set up in order to strengthen the
global network of Newar people living across various continents of the
world. It is still in process of formation, and its constitution has
to be endorsed during its first convention in London, which is taking
place from October 29 to 31 this year. Once its constitution is
endorsed, WNO will get an elected central executive committee, and the
regional as well as country chapters will be initiated as per need in
the later dates. Individuals as well as representatives of existing
Newar organisations in various countries can become its members.

Why did you feel the need for a Newar organisation, though there
already are broader platforms for Nepali Diaspora?

BGS: When you said ‘broader platforms for Nepali Diaspora’ if your
indication could be towards the NRNA. But things are bit different. I,
too, was a founder member of NRNA in the Netherlands in 2005, and
later I was involved as its advisor. Although NRNA has become a
prominent organisation and is playing praiseworthy role among the
Nepali Diaspora from various aspects, it has not yet been able to
raise any voice for oppressed nationalities or ethnic groups of Nepal.
For instance, the NRNA has never pronounced a single word in favour of
rights to any other languages of Nepal and none of the NRNA documents
have ever been published in any other languages except Khas (Nepali)
and English. In such a situation, it is but natural that, ethnic
groups living abroad also feel necessary to get organised, and do
something for the respective groups.

In fact, the Newar people spread across various countries began
introducing their ethnic based organisation already since the
beginning of the 1990s. Voice for an international Newar convention
was surfaced already during a gathering of the Newars in the USA in
1996.

In the later years, Newah personas such as Tribhuvan Tuladhar, Daya
Ratna Shakya, Dibya Hada, etc. began consultations with people in
Nepal and abroad. They also circulated preliminary concept papers by
the year 2001. Unfortunately, this did not smoothly proceed for
various reasons. However, it again took a momentum since 2009, and an
ad hoc committee has been formed in April 2010. From that time onward,
interaction among Newar people across the globe resumed, and now we
are all prepared to announce World Newah Organization formally during
its first convention in London.



Tell us more about the First WNO convention and its agendas. Why
London has been chosen for the event?

BGS: This convention aims at formally announcing the WNO. During the
convention, we will endorse its constitution, elect an executive body,
set goals for future actions besides discussion on Newar literature
and cultural heritage.

There are many reasons in choosing London as the location for the
first WNO convention. In fact, we had several propositions: some
suggested Washington DC or Portland in the USA, other in Japan, and
even some wanted it to take place in Nepal. Later, we decided for
London because of its centrally located position for people living in
Europe, and thinking it is at the middle of America and Nepal.
Besides, the Pasa Pucha Guthi, a London-based Newar organisation
enthusiastically extended its wishes to hold this convention in
London. In terms of cost effectiveness for travelling also made us to
choose London.

In what ways, you think, convention like this can strengthen the
ethnic movement in Nepal? Can other communities learn from the WNO?

BGS: In fact, ethnic nationalities began to search for their identity
before and after the 1990 political change in Nepal. Especially, the
Maoists tactfully caught the sentiments of neglected nationalities
when they waged ‘People’s War’ in 1996. The support of ethnic
populations to them was important during the time of their war, and
after the success of People’s Movement in 2006. Their slogans such as
to provide equal rights to all nationalities and languages; a federal
Nepal based on ethnic identity and rights to self-determination for
all nationalities fetched wide support, and they emerged as the
largest political party in the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections.

Similarly, the violent uprising in the Madhes also played an important
role in recent identity politics in Nepal. Now, all existing political
forces in Nepal are talking about empowering ethnic-nationalities,
notwithstanding differences in opinions between and betwixt them.

As the country has been declared a republic and restructuring of the
state is in process, diverse ethnic nationalities are eager to see the
change to their benefit.

The foundation of the WNO in this context is significant, as it is a
part of ethnic movement. It aims at raising voice against
discriminations based on language, cultural and ethnicity.

The declaration of the WNO certainly will encourage other
nationalities to create similar global networking bodies to other
nationalities of Nepal. This eventually will help strengthening voice
of the oppressed nationalities in Nepal.

What could the general Newar population be expecting from the WNO convention?

BGS: As it is happening for the first time, expectations are very high
among general Newar people. They might be expecting many outcomes from
the WNO. However, it has its limitation and constrains as it is at the
initial stage. It will be wrong to expect anything done overnight soon
after its first convention but we would be discussing what should be
its short-term programmes and long-term visions during our first
convention, and later on. We will start working accordingly then.

How have Newars preserved their language and culture abroad? Does WNO
have any substantial plan to teach the new generation Newars who are
living in foreign countries the language and culture?

BGS: This is very important question, indeed. As it can be imagined it
is extremely hard tasks for the Newars to preserve their language and
culture abroad.

As one might notice in Nepal, although Newar people feel proud of
their language and culture they have failed in many respect in
preserving them, especially when we talk about their language.
Discarding mother tongue at home has become an ever-increasing trend
among the Newars in Nepal. It is partly because of the low level of
awareness regarding importance of language among the Newars but
largely due to the ‘one-language policy’ of Nepal’s past and present
governments since Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher designated
Gorkhali or Khas language as single ‘Nepali’ in the 1920s.

The 1951 change overthrew the Rana regime but the Rana legacy
regarding one-language policy did not change. All successive
governments enforced it. It is unfortunate for a country like Nepal
where we have several dozens of languages and ethnicities.

The fact is that if a language is made irrelevant in day-to-day
practices it looses in its importance. This is what exactly happening
in Nepal. Consequently, Newars and other ethnic populations have been
forced to take up Khas language, which has been one-sidedly named
Nepali, at the cost of their own mother tongues.

When Newar people migrate to foreign countries, they have to face a
tough situation to preserve their language and culture as they must
also work to survive in an alien environment among people speaking
other languages. Nonetheless, in many countries where they have
initiated their organisations, Newars have started Newar language
lessons for children besides their campaign for preserving language
and culture. With the formation of the WNO, more such actions will be
taken in coordinated manners to teach Newar language to new
generations but we will be discussing for more concrete plans during
and after the WNO convention.

How can the non-resident Newars support those living in Nepal?

BGS: Since WNO is still at preliminary stage, it has not yet done any
specific tasks to provide support to the Newars living in Nepal.
However, we have been discussing to launch many programmes that would
help in economic growth of Newars beside we plan to preserve Newar
cultural heritage and language in all possible manners. Most
importantly we will work hand in hand with all for the unity of all
Newars around the globe and work for the betterment of Newar language,
culture and people.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=%26quot%3BNewars+living+abroad+are+trying+to+preserve+language‚+culture%

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