Bhandari's essays : Reflections of a mature mind

By Dr Mohan Lohani

Prof DP Bhandari's Mrigasthali, a collection in book form of personal or subjective essays published over the years in local journals, weeklies and dailies, has been hailed as a significant addition and a lasting contribution to the corpus of creative writing in this country. Prof Bhandari chose the essay as an appropriate vehicle or medium for the expression of his thoughts, feelings and personal observations on human situations, norms of social behaviour, lack of political culture and moral degradation in public life. He considers the essay as an art form less trammelled by rules than other forms of literature. He further believes that the essayist as a romancer can think and express himself on different planes, wandering freely from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the most serious to the trivial aspects of life.

Bhandari, like the English romantic poet S T Coleridge, recognises the role and importance of imagination in creative writing. It is said about Coleridge that he had the ability to make familiar appear to be unfamiliar and present something unfamiliar as familiar with the shaping power of his imagination. Dr Bhandari, too, in his essays proves his ability to present a complex idea in a simple style and a simple subject in a complicated fashion.

The first essay included in the book Hitler and Butterflies: Autobiography of a Shepherd deals with a serious theme as it gives us a deep penetrating insight into the mind, character and motives of a ruthless dictator who committed without the slightest moral compunction the heinous crime of holocaust by exterminating the countless number of Jews in Germany. The shepherd in the hills, who happens to be the writer himself recalling his childhood days in a remote far western village of Nepal, kills butterflies innocently for his own pleasure. Both Hitler and the shepherd are killers, and the similarity ends there. The untarnished puerile innocence of the shepherd stands in sharp contrast with the callous atrocities of Hitler who unleashed the reign of terror in the whole world. Hitler and the shepherd are polar opposites, whereas butterflies and the dictator are dissimilar objects or images in the essay. They are logically and artistically juxtaposed like a metaphysical conceit, and the essayist drives home his point, his perceptive analysis of how a so called great person consumed by vaulting ambition destroys himself, in a persuasive manner.

While nobody expects Dr Bhandari to present Hitler's diabolical profile in a positive light, the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota is evaluated by the essayist as a literary genius with boundless imagination and limitless vision. To the unthinking crowd insensitive to the multidimensional personality of the great poet, Devkota is an absurd creature with incongruous character. The writer is bitterly critical of a sizable chunk of Nepalese readers devoid of literary taste, experience and sensibility. Bhandari argues cogently that understanding Devkota is an intellectual exercise involving the readers's familiarity as much with ancient scriptures like the Vedas and the Upanishads as with sophisticated western literature. T S Eliot's The Waste Land when it appeared in print in 1922, was a disappointment to many readers who were intellectually ill equipped to appreciate this poem described by several learned critics and scholars as a music of ideas. The writer concludes his essay Great Poet Devkota : A Glaring Incongruity of Nepali Society with a firm assertion that Devkota who was pooh-poohed by mediocrities as a lunatic poet belonged to a wrong society with wrong culture fed on its own absurdities and incongruities.

Dr Bhandari who, like the well-known English critic F R Leavis, distinguishes the elites from the masses, is a champion of intellectual aristocracy. In his opinion, Pt Nehru, India's former Prime Minister and Jayaprithvibahadur Singh, born of a princely family 124 years ago in the far western Bajhang district of Nepal, belong to this aristocracy. The very word aristocracy is misinterpreted by the masses who are thoughtless automatons with half-baked training and education. Men of refined sensibility as they were, Nehru and Jayaprithvibahadur ardently believed in democracy, socialism, humanism and world brotherhood. Jayaprithvibahadur, although he was a son-in-law of Chandra Shumsher, the late Rana Prime Minister, would not meekly submit to his in-laws and rejected outworn traditions and habits of thinking. He is characterised by the essayist as a rebel or an iconoclast. Because he is himself an iconoclast and cannot accept authority with an unquestioning mind,

Dr Bhandari in his essay Raja Jayaprithvibahadur Singh : Word-painting of a Full-fledged Human Being presents himself as a great admirer of this exceptionally brilliant intellectual with an integrated personality. The writer is disturbed and hurt by the stone-like indifference and ingratitude of Nepalese intelligentsia to one of the illustrious sons of this country.

Dr Bhandari the essayist does not confine himself to a critical appreciation of outstanding personality like Devkota, Jayaprithvibahadur Singh, BP Koirala, Ganeshman Singh, Taslima Nasreen and Narayan Gopal the singer. He is equally fascinated by contemporary issues and subjects of direct relevance to society and the individual such as nationality democracy, politics and leadership. What irritates Prof Bhandari is the rhetorical and hypocritical bombbast and posture of a politician who waxes eloquent in his speeches about democratic values and socialist ideology but hardly practises what he publicly preaches. In his essay Three Manifestations of Nepali Politics : Buddha, Charvak and Socialism the writer enumerates equality, distributive justice, poverty eradication and an exploitationless society as cardinal goals of Nepalese politics. He lashes out against politicians who seldom bother to translate these pious goals and objectives into reality. Bhandari sounds bitter and harsh with rancour and malice towards none.

Nepali Congress, the ruling party, comes in for harsh criticism in the concluding essay Nepali Congress : Between Fatigue and Energetic Action. The writer firmly believes that politics is not so demeaning and dirty as it is made out to be. It is, in his considered opinion, a fundamental principle an important norm and means to regulate human life and manage state affairs. One may or may not subscribe to Dr Bhandari's view that political philosophy because it is related to practical life and realities lacks the same intellectual height and depth as one finds in other philosophical thoughts and treatises of a non-political nature. He would not rank political thinkers as great philosophers. This is indeed a subject of debate. Nonetheless, Dr Bhandari expresses his personal opinion in a refreshingly candid and assertive style.

An active participant in the People's Movement of 1990 and a close observe ever since of political developments, Dr Bhandari is not at all happy with the way politics is functioning at present or is being run by political parties and their leaders in this country. His anguish or unhappiness finds vent in these words: "What is ironic about current Nepali politics is the irresistible desire to rule others with immature haste; it is a kind of conspiracy without true political culture and impudent opportunism' (p. 246). How outraged he is comes out in the use of hyperbole when the writer says that leave alone conscientious human beings, even Lord Pashupatinath, his consort and his numerous followers would feel ashamed at the degeneration of Nepali politics. Commenting on the ruling party, the writer accuses it of being a prisoner of its historical past and basking in the past glory. He categorically points out that it is by no means a healthy symptom to escape into the glorious past from the present shortcomings and grim realities. The goal of humanity is to move from darkness unto light. Dr Bhandari regrets that reverse is the trend in Nepali Congress which seems to suffer from the symptoms of fatigue, degeneration and decline. The ruling party, as the essayist is painted to blurt out, is plagued by petty squabbles, intrigues and personal greed and self-interest. Bhandari lambasts the party leaders for encouraging fractional infighting, which is a glaring reality as evidenced by recent developments. The essay concludes on a serious and mature note full of wisdom or wise counsel: "No individual, no society and no political party can remain healthy nor can it evolve or remain active without self-criticism'. (p. 249).

In his preface to the book Dr Bhandari refers to Samuel Johnson's definition of essay as 'an irregular and undigested piece, not a regular and orderly composition'. Seemingly in agreement with Johnson, the writer would prefer to characterise his own essays as 'indigested'. A close and careful perusal of all the collected essays leave one with the impression that they are not just loose sallies of the mind, although a few stylistic lapses creep in here and there in the text. Dr Bhandari can write with ease and felicity of expression about various subjects and issues that are at once profoundly philosophical and are of worldly significance with relevance to mundane affairs and practical realities of life.

Prof Y N Khanal compliments Dr Bhandari for raising contemporary national issues and critically scrutinizing them in the light of timeless values and universal principles. What impresses Prof Khanal most about Bhandari's writings are the latter's simplicity of style, his fascinating presentation and profundity of thought, all testifying to Bhandari's maturity as a writer. The essays, reflections of a mature mind, are certainly in the great tradition of literary masters and amply bring out the writer's intellectual sharpness, wide scholarship, artistic skills, and, above all, his literary taste and sensibility.

A text for researchers Problems in ecology, both in teaching and research in Nepal, are distinct as shown by lack of progress, which is aggravated by 'academic inbreeding' in research. It is not only because of lack of vision but also because of lack of good ecology books (particularly of research methods) in Nepalese book market. But Scientific Method for Ecological Research by Prof E David Ford, a well-known ecologist at the University of Washington, USA, is an exceptional ecology book available in Nepal. A recent introduction by one of the book exhibitions/fairs in Nepal, the book is filled with useful and pertinent information needed for ecological research.

This book is organised into four sections and 16 chapters. The first chapter 'Component processes of ecological research' marks the beginning of the text providing a summary of the whole book. That is not all. It has opened up its horizon with examples of different ecological questions (of research planning, research in ecological science, and working in the research community), and instructions on how to use the book. Thus, this chapter has laid out a groundwork for rest of the 15 chapters of four sections in a logical sequence. Each section has a brief introduction alerting the readers what to expect in the forthcoming chapters of the section, and each chapter begins with a short summary, walks through relevant theories, hypotheses, axioms, questions and analyses, and ends with further reading materials.

The first section devoted to 'Developing an analytical framework' has been divided into 8 chapters, which introduce a logical framework with questions and assumptions (chapters 2-3), conceptual and propositional analysis, and ecological theories (chapters 4-5). Problems in measurement, methods of reasoning, and distinction between scientific and statistical inference, and the influence of different philosophies in ecological research are presented in chapters 6-9.

The second section dealing with 'Making a synthesis for scientific inference' is composed of three long chapters (10-12) which concentrate mainly on complex ecological issues (eg, diversity, stability and persistence) that use integrative concepts (eg, ecosystem and community). Chapter 10 provides ecological concepts - natural, functional and integrative, and ecological theories and their applications. Chapter 11 describes strategies of scientific research in ecology by different philosophers, and chapter 12 illustrates the use of mathematical models to construct explanations. These models include dynamic systems, statistical and systems simulation models.

The third section 'working in the research community' comprises 2 important chapters, which describe how social interactions influence scientific methods. Chapter 13 describes a method for assessing the progress of scientific knowledge through 3 stages - direct analysis (eg, peer review), direct repetition, and refining through extended use. Chapter 14 describes particular difficulties in conducting ecological research.

The fourth section 'Defining a methodology for ecological research' with 2 chapters provides a synthesis of previous sections in the form of a methodology. 'Progressive Synthesis in chapter 15, for example, explains an integrated method, whereas chapter 16 covers criticism and improvements of ecological research methods.

A large number of figures/flowcharts, tables, and other illustrations throughout the book have made the text easier to understand. An appendix 'suggestions for instructors', extensive list of references including recent and classical studies and glossary of the terms used in the text, and excellent authors and subject indexes have enriched the book tips like how to use the book. To develop research skills (in chapter 1) are good incentives for readers/users. Thus, providing a good framework for understanding ecological issues, methods, and planning research, this book is valuable for ecologists and environmental scientists, biologists and other researchers. This can be a valuable new acquisition for libraries and a good guide/text for serious researchers - teachers and graduate students. Considering the quality of the book, the price is quite reasonable.

Reviewed by Khadga Basnet

Crossing the last ridge

By Captain S K Bista

Are we really sure about this when the natural horizon and familiar landmarks are obscured by heavy rain or dense cloud? Controlled fight into terrain (CFIT) has been and will continue to be the dominant cause for accidents involving airplane hull losses and fatalities. Simply stated, CFIT means a normally functioning aircraft, is inadvertently flown into the ground, water or an obstacle. Many losses are a direct consequence of this CFIT and it is imperative that this rate be lowered.

Operators must be made aware of the CFIT problem, as well as trained to avoid such accidents. In many accidents, the flight crew is simply the final link in an error chain caused largely by systemic factors. Therefore, to significantly reduce CFIT accidents, existing aviation systems in Nepal must also be improved.

The main responsibility for aviation safety within a company is at the top level of management. There must be a financial commitment at this level to reducing CFIT accidents. Management must establish a sound safety culture and this is where many of the contributing factors to CFIT accidents must be eliminated. Management must ensure that a viable and effective CFIT accident prevention programme is in place within its organisation.

Many contributing factors associated with CFIT accidents are embedded in policies and decisions made by management level decision-makers. So any effort to prevent CFIT accidents can only be achieved by the support of these decision-makers, not just the flight crew.

Humans make errors and will always do so. Therefore, there will always be some level of risk related with the aviation industry. It is the goal of the decision-makers to manage this risk. The flight department has many levels of authority and each has the capacity to plan strategies and produce results independently of others. When all levels do so in coordination with one another, the results can show a promising future.

It is very important not to overlook the great influence that airline management has on the safety culture of the company and specifically on preventing CFIT accidents. Airline management must create the safety culture of the organisation. This culture then affects everyone within the organisation. Many safety recommendations and procedures, when implemented by operators, can reduce CFIT accident risk by addressing systemic and other elements that may led to this type of accident. Systemic problem may remain undetected for years before they surface as a contributing factor of a CFIT accident.

Many operators currently have insufficient systems and infrastructure for monitoring and evaluating the operational performance of management, flight crews and equipment. All operators should provide these systems with the objective of enhancing operational integrity. Some very easy way of achieving this is by (a) setting up a defined criteria for safety reporting, (b) establishment and encouragement of a no-blame reporting culture and (c) implementation of an independent quality audit function to achieve operational integrity.

All who are involved in the aviation industry must work as a team to prevent CFIT. This includes the flight crew and cabin staff, the engineer, the airline CEO and air traffic controllers.

To help prevent CFIT from claiming more lives, the entire aviation community should work together in perfect unison to institute some immediate safety measures. Airline management, air traffic control and the regulatory authority can be helpful by being more open with information. Safety in aviation comes about, in part, by freely sharing information. This means allowing flight crews to learn from others' experiences. Currently, the exchange of information is highly restricted, partly because some organisation policies tend to blame first and think about safety later and also because people don't like to admit to certain shortcomings.

If we learn from the mistakes of others, then it is quite logical to institute within all air carriers an incident reporting system that will deliver vital information, but without punitive measures. Managing flight crew sources means the dissemination of information - integrating and using the entire flight crew aboard an airplane to bring about a safe and smoothly running flight. This CFIT team concept is just as applicable to the broad spectrum of the aviation industry as it is to the flight crew of a single airplane. With everyone's commitment, this industry can make aeroplane travel even safer than it is now.

Critical analysis of livestock

By Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada

Livestock and Livestock Insurance in Nepal', published on January 1, 2000, is a joint effort of the two authors, Vijaya Ram Mathema and Dr Durga Dutt Joshi. The book registered in ISBN National Agency, Tribhuvan University Central Library, Kirtipur has obtained ISBN 99933-532-0-5.

The book consists of 13 chapters with 177 pages. The first chapter titled 'Background Information' provides information about the geographical situation, population, religion, economy and livestock population of Nepal. The second chapter 'Livestock Sector - A Historical Perspective' speaks of different sectors of livestock: development of the livestock development projects; the livestock master plan; the agriculture perspective plan; and the 10-year dairy development plan. The third chapter 'Economic Importance of Livestock' shares livestock in terms of GDP, which has given statistical information with regard to demand and supply of different livestock products explaining the policy needed for the development of livestock sector. The fourth chapter 'Livestock Development in the Plan Period' deals with the planned objectives from the First Plan to the Ninth Plan in the livestock sector with a critical review of shortcoming of different plans in livestock development. The fifth chapter 'Allocation of Budget in Agriculture and Livestock Sector' compares the allocation of budget in agriculture and also in livestock sector with total budget expenditure.

The sixth chapter 'Livestock Population' gives statistical information about the population of different species of livestock and land holding in Nepal. The seventh chapter 'Animal Disease Situation' explains about different pictures of livestock communicable diseases and also talks on legal provisions with respect to veterinary services. The eighth chapter 'Development of Veterinary Manpower' deals with existing veterinary manpower, veterinary service centres and its development in Nepal. The ninth chapter 'Livestock Insurance in Other Countries' gives a comparative picture of how the livestock insurance programme is in operation in different countries. The tenth chapter 'Livestock Insurance Programme' describes the operation of livestock insurance in Nepal, with 12 years statistical information about livestock insurance coverage, premium received and compensation paid by Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation. The eleventh chapter 'Problems and Measures in Livestock Insurance' discusses the different problems in livestock insurance in Nepal and measures to address them. The twelfth chapter 'Supporting Institutions in Livestock Insurance Programme' deals with the involvement of different line agencies and programmes involved in livestock insurance. The final chapter 'Future Planning in Livestock Insurance' puts forth suggestions for the future planning and development of livestock and livestock insurance.

The book is the first of its kind in Nepal in livestock sector. The book provides in-depth information and makes critical analysis of livestock and livestock insurance in Nepal. The attraction of the book lies in its updated statistical information on livestock population, livestock disease, plans and programmes related to livestock sector and different aspects of livestock insurance in Nepal. Regarding the perspective of higher mortality rate of the Nepalese livestock, the livestock insurance programme operated in Nepal since 1987 is the basic supporting service for livestock development. The programme ensures loss of investment in case of death and also works as a substitute for collateral for banks.

We know that livestock is an indispensable part of subsistence agriculture based economy of the country. Experiences of countries like Switzerland, Denmark, Australia, etc also reveal that livestock can be a vital sector of the economy to promote economic growth. Livestock is the primary source of income and nutrition of the rural people. This sector, with proper planning, programme and supportive services including livestock insurance can be a major sector to achieve the goal of poverty alleviation. If this is a challenge, then how should we expand livestock insurance activities in a cost effective way?

This book can be a basic reference guide to banks, micro-finance institutions and non-government organisations who have launched or have planned to launch livestock insurance scheme. I hope this book can also serve as a good reference document to decision makers, planners, academics and also to interested scholars. No doubt, the book deserves a number of improvements including analytical depth, scooping and editorial mistakes. One must congratulate the authors for their contribution to literature on livestock development of the country.