It is a great honor and a special privilege for me to participate in the 3rd convocation of this young and promising University located in one of the most resourceful provinces and regions of Nepal. I bring with me the greetings of the Indian universities in general and Jawaharlal Nehru University in particular to all the teachers, students and the staff members of the Mid-West University.
I gather that over 3,800 students are graduating and are being felicitated with the degrees by the University in today’s convocation. It’s definitely a distinct milestone in the very infant stage of this great institution. I would like to therefore, extend my warmest congratulations and very best wishes to all the graduating students from across the disciplines, communities and geographies for their achievements and future endeavors.
A relatively young University like Mid-West University has several unparallel advantages which the older generation universities may not enjoy. Firstly, this University can set its own standards in terms of governance, administration, physical infrastructures, inclusiveness and overall orientations of the institution. Secondly, this University could design its own variety of academic programs, credit-based courses and also research agenda.
Thirdly, this University could also design its own semester system, admission policy and the evaluation techniques. Fourthly, University could set the highest standard for recruitments of teachers and staff members. And finally, the University could enter into several collaborative programs and projects with both the national and global institutions. I am sure the Mid-West University is already in this path of establishing the best practices in all spheres of activities. This will actually make it a regional university with a global orientation and a strong local fervor and contents.
I also strongly believe that the standard of the University will also be partly determined by the schools and colleges as catchment basin for the higher education. What is very critical for the Mid-West University is to consistently engage with as many high schools, higher secondary schools and colleges both within the Karnali province and outside. This will bring diversity, inclusiveness, and nurture competitive environment. This will also build capacities of a different variety to cater to the challengingly diverse needs of other institutions and the employment market in general.
Both in India and Nepal, many of our communities are first or second-generation learners. At the same time, within our country and at the global level we find that there is 4th to 10th generation of learners. Given this very conspicuous disparity and skewed-ness in learning curve, our children have to catch up fast, compete and accomplish sooner. It sounds difficult and formidably challenging. However, we need not worry, as there are ample and inspiring examples where the first-generation learners themselves have reached the summits in several professions.
My school headmaster in Darjeeling always told us that i) you all should demolish the walls that stand before you and also show to others the other side of the walls, ii) you all must develop scientific temperament so that your interpretation of issues, events and actions bring light, warmth and peace to the society and iii) never forget your roots and always go back to your roots so that you gain strength from your nature, culture and society. Therefore, I urge all the graduating students of Mid-West University to go beyond the artificially constructed walls, and to think and act in a scientific manner and also to remain rooted in your nativity.
Nepal and India have shared a strong bond with one another since ancient times. We are bonded by nature, cultural ecology, religion, history and economy. Our solidarity is defined by mountains, rivers, common culture and education. In the 21st century, our amicability has been further diversified by connectivity, trade, tourism, technology and support for economic growth. Lord Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal and enlightened in Bodh-Gaya, India. It simply reflects our historical linkage and common cultural heritage.
Thousands of Nepali students are attracted toward Indian universities every year and Indian researchers collaborate with Nepali academicians. A large number of Nepali students have graduated from my own University - Jawaharlal Nehru University- one of the most premier institutes in India established in 1969. JNU is a sought-after institution mainly because it has a strong inter-disciplinary learning system.
Today the core of learning is inter-disciplinarity. My advice to the young graduating students is not to get confined to a single discipline or a mono knowledge territory. You must prepare yourself globally to create a place of your own.
We cannot punish a student for once choosing a wrong discipline. Both our curriculum and admission process should be interdisciplinary. Let the students jump from one discipline to another till they find the best grounds for pursuits of knowledge and wisdom. Geographical and inter-community inclusiveness makes a class room competitive. Our teaching must be geared to cater to their aspirations, hunger for learning and more crucially their career needs. Availability of huge digital knowledge base makes us rethink about traditional methods of teaching and learning.
Teachers must bring innovative approaches to class room teachings. We must go far beyond the text books. One way to do so is to bring as much knowledge and experimentation and exposures from the fields, real life situation so that students in the class room relate to what they are taught in the class room.
Being located in one of the relatively backward geographies of Nepal, the Mid West University should have a significant curriculum content on issues that beset Mid-West and Far Western Nepal. River waters and its sharing with neighbors are so very vital. Could Mid-West University float a special course of hydro diplomacy that will teach and train young students about the nuances of diplomacy in water related negotiations, the impending impact of climate change on water resources and also about the end use of water and cross border electricity trade.
I gather that the Hon’ble Prime Minister and his Team is hosting the ‘Sagarmatha Dialogue’ in Kathmandu primarily focussing on climate change and the mountain areas. In such a magnificent event, the Mid-West University could have a key role to research on and highlight how climate change is affecting the natural resources, human settlements, livelihood practices and cross border environmental injuries. The Hon’ble Prime Minster is recognised and celebrated for his eruditeness and expansive knowledge base. I am sure the ‘regionness’ and regional institutions in Nepal’s newly emerging federal structures would be a major factor in the ‘Sagarmatha Dialogue’.
Dear Students, with your dedication, discipline and determination, I am sure most of you would be able to reach newer heights. Traditionally, we have cultivated a variety of crops, fruits, vegetables and plants. Can we now start cultivating knowledge (gyanko kheti). In the increasingly and intensely knowledge driven world of today, the cultivation of knowledge is the most effective way to success. For this to happen, the most fundamental instrument is to imbibe reading habit at the very early stages of childhood and when you are a student.
Therefore, can I venture to propose that each household and parents now add a shelf of books in your homes and keep it along with sofa, TV, fridge, computer, flower pots and pets? These books could be comics to stories of Ramayana, writings of Devkota and Parijat and about stars to rivers and trees to food and fashion to technologies and music to sports and politics.
The agenda and discourse in the global world are driven by some dominant forces and institutions. It is very vital for us in India and Nepal to be a part of this agenda driving process. This is where a provincial university like Mid-West University could play a pivotal role in generating what we call in physics a ‘critical mass’ or what I call in my mother tongue Nepali as ‘nichod shakti’. This ‘nichod shakti’ in all fields of concern like science, technology, finance, law, economics, governance, sports, music, literature etc would actually drive the national and global agenda. Therefore, Right Hon’ble Prime Minister Sir and the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, we shall have to strive, create and build this ‘nichod shakti’ to provide Nepal a new platform of global recognition.
As a relatively elder teacher now, I have always believed that class room teaching is only a small segment of learning process. Learning and knowledge acquisition is a dynamic, long term and a complex process. Observation, visits, plays, conversation-discussion, interaction, food and cultural assimilations, joint projects and experimentations are some of the best ways of learning. That is why, when we were building Sikkim University, a national institution, besides the curriculum with a strong local and global contents, we initiated hands on learning programs like ‘Hiundo Yatra’- Winter Sojourn where students and teachers from all disciplines used their winter holidays to study subjects like water, energy, disasters, trafficking, natural resources, social movements and conflicts and alaichi and amlisho. They prepared interdisciplinary reports and presented before the civil society, policy makers and other stakeholders. This is how we tried to connect communities, governments and people at large with the University, the institution of higher learning.
Similarly we started ‘Maukhik Itihas’ - oral history project to document our knowledge heritage including from the aged people and Dhami, Jhankri, Fedangma, Bonbo and others on issues of traditional medicines, cultural practices, ecology, disaster management and agriculture heritage. We had an abiding theme, “Baje Mare, Boju Mureen, Duiwata pustakalaya lierai gae, aba yesto huna dinnauhai” (Grandfather passed away, Grandmother crossed the horizon, took away two beautiful libraries, we shall not let it happen again). These projects soon became a movement and mission in Sikkim, Darjeeling and North East region of India. One of our objectives has been to get as many patents and intellectual property rights in traditional medicinal practices for our communities and geographies.
The real challenge today is how to make our universities outward looking and more and more relevant. How do we graduate from a mere degree providing situation of today to nurture and develop ‘degree plus’ paradigm of education. Many of the universities abroad that have done exceedingly well belong to this category of ‘degree plus’. In the ‘degree plus’, Universities must identify and promote the ‘plusses’ that bring out the best from the students and communities. The plusses could be skills, specialized knowledge, technocratic spirit, traditional wisdom, competitive qualities and also well imbibed creativity and cultivated-innovative instincts or even a simple organic character.
When a teacher enters into the class room, she/he does not have a caste, class, creed, religion and even nationality. She is just a teacher, a symbol of universalism, humanity, freedom and source of knowledge and epitome of wisdom. On the other hand, each student in the class room is a symbol of hope, determination, light and global inclusivity and of course a blossoming talent. Therefore, University like Mid-West provides a space for fusion and blending of these two magnificent and powerful forces represented by teachers and students. This is where the foundation of powerful nation and idea of a global player is laid down. And then the millions of colorful flowers will bloom.
Dear students, you must freely bloom as the ever-blue expansive sky is your limit. When you are there, you must leave behind seeds for more flowers to bloom. A student’s life is a rare phase in your long journey. As you give your precious three to eight years to the University, it shall give you a lasting gift in return of 70 more years of success, joy and contentment. Enjoy each moment of it. Be a soft power to reckon with.
In Bhagavat Gita, Yoga is defined as ‘Yoga Karmashu Kaushalam’, which in a way means Yoga is not only physical strength and spiritual solace one draws from it. In fact, it implies that whatever we do with dedication and dexterity that actually becomes Yoga. Therefore, the practice of learning and quest for knowledge is actually Yoga for all our students and teachers.
The onset of federalism in Nepal has provided unprecedented and wide varieties of opportunities in all the seven provinces. An institution of promise like Mid- West University must train the young minds and produce a huge pool of human resources to harness these opportunities. The grass root should lead the nation as they are the foundations and cradles of both civilization and growth.
I would like to once again express a deep sense of gratitude to the Rt Hon’ble Prime Minister, Hon’ble Education Minister and other dignitaries for their gracious presence here. My special thanks to Hon’ble Vice Chancellor and his entire teaching and non-teaching staff members and very dear students for their hard work to make this Convocation a grand success.
(Address by Prof Mahendra P Lama, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi during the 3rd Convocation of Mid-West University at Birendranagar, Surkhet, Karnali Province on March 7, 2025)
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