"Intellectitutes" in Nepal

November 30, 2010

Paras Kharel
Kathmandu

Parasjee

You have made an acute observation about the intellectuals. We have started to call the specific type of intellectuals “intellectitute”, which is combination of intellectual and another word beginning with the letter “p” and ends with “titute.” Thanks for considering us source of inspiration. As we won’t be here for too long you will need to inspire a few more of your own age group such that you will not feel lonely.

I am sure that you have come across the news about Supreme Court telling election commission to stop listing people in the voters list without citizenship. I was involved in this from the very begging. After a series of meetings first we took a delegation to election commission and, besides others, speaking there I said a few things without mincing words: election commission has eaten its own words. Then we conducted a public meeting in front of CA where too I vented my anger. Eventually we decided to file a writ petition in the Supreme Court and you already know the rest.

A strange thing happened to me last Sunday at Soaltee during a party. One drunk engineer came up to me and (first I couldn’t figure out what he was saying) alleged that I have been abusing media! I was wonderstruck. He went on to explain that he had listened to me on BBC 5 times and he doesn’t like what I say, particularly about Pancheshwar (I guess he must be a government employee involved in this project and standing to gain a “few silvers” more than his regular pay if this project is implemented). I pointed out to him that he too can use the same media to contradict me. But that didn’t please him as, most probably, no media will bother to carry him. He wished that I stop abusing the media. I point blank refused and told him that he was barking up the wrong tree.

When intellectuals in the employ of GoN become intellectitutes the situation does indeed become hopeless. However, people like you and me don’t have any right to despair. We have to keep at it to the last breadth. These intellectitutes will say things in private but don’t dare to speak up in public as doing so will entail showing to the public how degraded these people are.

You have to continue the crusade and keep it alive even after us.
With best regards,

Sincerely,

Ratna Sansar Shrestha, FCA
Senior Water Resource Analyst
http:www.RatnaSansar.com/

From: paras kharel [mailto:kharelparas@yahoo.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 28, 2010 12:51
To: Ratna Sansar Shrestha
Subject: {Disarmed} Re: request

Thank you for your prompt reply and help. Thanks also for your kind words.

Actually, not only the younger generation, even most buddhijivis real or otherwise of the older generation fail to call a spade a spade and have criminally failed on the nationalistic score, from water resources to citizenship issues. For me, you and a few others who are fighting on a nationalistic plank are a source of inspiration.

It is a tragedy of the present times that the "mainstream" view on nationalism is utterly negative -- it is treated as a dirty word. Even people who are otherwise nationalists in their hearts are reluctant to express nationalistic views for fear of being labelled as pratigami or even Maoists/radical communists these days.

 They" -- you know who -- have won. This is what they wanted all along, after all.

Best regards,

Paras
________________________________________

From: Ratna Sansar Shrestha
To: Paras Kharel
Sent: Sun, November 28, 2010 6:22:00 AM
Subject: RE: request

Paras jee
Good to hear from you.

Last week we were despondently discussing the lack of interest from the nationalistic perspective in water resources sector in the generation younger than us. A friend of mine opined that, with us already having one foot in the grave, the fervor will die with us. However, I am happy to note here that I pointed out to him that there are younger people like you who will continue the crusade even after us. By sending the following email you have just proved that I was right. Thanks a lot for not disappointing me and the likes of us. Do keep up the good work.

I have attached the bill pending in the parliament pursuant to your request and you can study my perspective in this respect by following the link below (yes, I have already published an article on the subject):

http://www.ratnasansar.com/2009/06/blog-post.html

With best regards,
Sincerely,

Ratna Sansar Shrestha, FCA
Senior Water Resource Analyst


From: paras kharel [mailto:kharelparas@yahoo.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 27, 2010 19:16
To: Ratna Sansar Shrestha
Subject: request

Dear Ratna Sansar ji,
Do you by any chance have the propo sed bill related to water resources/hydropower (i don't know exactly what) pending in parliament which is said to provide incentives (perverse) to hydropower exports? I have read about it in your or Dipak Gyawali ji's write-ups somewhere.

If you have a soft copy of the bill, please kindly forward it to me. I want to read it in my free time.

Best regards,

Paras