Pratima Gurung is an academician and activist. She is an Assistant Professor at Padmakanya College, the Chair of the National Indigenous Disabled Women Association Nepal (NIDWAN), and is working as an expert on the National Disability Direction Committee under the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens in Nepal.

Additionally, she is an Asia Board Member of the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF-IFAD) and the Asia Region Focal Person for the Thematic Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (TG-DRR).

Gurung’s work has earned her recognition, including the National Human Rights Award in 2022 by the National Human Rights Commission of Nepal and the Human Rights and Environment Award-Asia in 2023 by the Global Coalition of the United Nations in New York.

Since 2011, she has been a powerful advocate for the rights of young indigenous people and women with disabilities in Nepal, Asia, and worldwide.

In an interview with the Post’s Aarati Ray, Gurung shares her love for books growing up, the exclusion of marginalised and indigenous narratives in the curriculum, and the rights of indigenous and disabled communities.

You are an academician. Have you seen a culture of book reading diminishing in your students?

As I have seen it, the interest in book reading has changed to some extent, especially after COVID-19. People now seem to prefer getting knowledge and information instantly, often turning to Google or other online resources. This shift is partly due to the need for time efficiency. In colleges and universities, there appears to be less attachment to reading books, novels, and poetry, as well as to studying and recitation, compared to the past.

How has your journey with reading been?

I used to love novels and stories, especially ‘Dantya Katha’, which is rich in moral lessons. I read it around class six and heard it from my grandmother. In our indigenous communities, it’s common to pass down knowledge orally, and these stories helped me stay connected to my culture.

I especially enjoyed characters who were rebellious and brave. In my leisure time, I read books and garden. When I travel, I always carry books about human relationships and minds.

Do you think indigenous knowledge is facing a crisis today because it was always oral and never properly documented?

I believe oral knowledge and history hold unique importance and significance. Our distinctiveness comes from oral history, which sets us apart from mainstream forms of knowledge.

My grandmother passed her knowledge to me through oral traditions. However, if I measure this transfer across generations, there is a noticeable gap, a reduction in knowledge, and some manipulation. I can’t practice her knowledge the same way because we are now influenced by a colonised, grand narrative presented by the dominant group as the best.

What kind of genres do you read these days?

I like to read literature that goes beyond the dominant narrative and delves into grassroots-level stories and authors. A literary theorist and post-colonial scholar, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak’s original essay, ‘Can the Subaltern Speak?’ is one such work. I focus on novels, dramas, and movies related to the narratives of marginalised people to understand their lived experiences and the oppression they faced.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, grand narrative books by authors like Plato, Shakespeare, and Milton were prevalent. However, in the 19th century, there was a shift towards reconstructing these narratives and focusing on human emotions. This period also saw the rise of the feminist movement, which has greatly influenced my actions and beliefs. I have always been fond of 19th-century feminism and feminist writers like Mary Wollstonecraft, especially her books ‘A Vindication on the Rights of Women’ and ‘Thoughts on the Education of Daughters’.

What kind of representation of indigenous knowledge and communities do you see in the Nepali curriculum?

There isn’t much beyond grand narratives but as French philosopher and historian

Michel Foucault says in his power theory, “Power is defined by those who hold the power.” Truth and reality are also shaped by those in power, so what we believe to be true might not be true.

The history of indigenous people and other marginalised communities has often been excluded from mainstream narratives in curricula and history books. This remains true even today in Nepal.

Marginalised, disabled, women, and indigenous characters have historically been portrayed as weak, especially before the 19th century. While Western feminist theory did influence the East, it is only recently that we have started reading books like ‘Yogmaya’. Characters and stories like Yogmaya’s should be more prominent, but these realisations and changes have come quite late in Nepal.

As an academician, researcher, and activist, how do you see the connection between reading culture, knowledge and advocacy?

Although discussing climate change has become trendy now, its effects were visible in Nepal even 15 years ago. The knowledge related to climate change reached South Asia quite late. Reading culture is intertwined with society because authors write about societal issues, from climate change to indigenous rights.

There is a shifting tradition in understanding marginalised communities, and these shifts have been influenced by reading culture, which in turn influences knowledge. We need to start discourse and take more action on human rights. Even if not everyone has a university book or novel, there is a growing understanding among people that they should read and pursue higher education, which is a positive shift.

Many say youths are disinterested in literature due to the burden of course books. Do you find this true? Should teaching styles change?

The effectiveness of education also depends on the branch and field of study. If we can teach the content of books practically, connecting it with social behaviour and practices, it will be very effective. This approach is common in the international context.

In Nepal, learning is often confined to the classroom. While the semester system has brought some changes, we still haven't focused enough on practical education. We know we need it, but we lack investment and implementation. Political leaders in some places are not open to new ideas, and in others, there's a lack of investment.

Western countries often take risks for knowledge because they are research-oriented. Not every research project yields positive results, but they keep trying. In Nepal, there isn't much respect or scope for research and professors. We must rethink how Nepali society views and values academia, academic discourse, and its relationship to social changes and narratives.

Pratima Gurung’s book recommendations

A Room of One's Own

Author: Virginia Woolf

Publisher: Penguin Books

Year: 2000

Woolf is one of the authors I admire a lot. This book of hers is a feminist text noted for its argument for both a literal and figurative space for women writers within a patriarchal literary tradition.

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

Author: Mary Wollstonecraft

Publisher: Penguin Classics

Year: 2004

Wollstonecraft’s book is one of the early feminist books that one must read. It critiques societal norms restricting women's education and independence, arguing that women should have access to education.

Power

Author: Michel Foucault

Publisher: New Press

Year: 2000

‘Power’ by Foucault explores power dynamics in society, delving into how power structures influence personal behaviour. It is a great read for anyone who wants to understand the power theory and society’s hierarchical structure.

Thoughts on the Education of Daughters

Author: Mary Wollstonecraft

Publisher: Thoemmes Continuum

Year: 1996

This is another impeccable work of Wollstonecraft. At a time when education for females was unacceptable, she argued against the prevailing notion that girls should only receive superficial education.

Can the Subaltern Speak?

Editor: Rosalind Morris

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Year: 2010

The book sheds light on the idea of ‘subalternity’, referring to marginalised groups who are excluded from the power structures. It examines how certain voices are silenced within colonial and post colonial structures.