An Interview with Asst. Prof. S.B.Shrestha (PART -1)

Dear Readers,
The Blog Management Committee (BMC) has recently conducted an interview with Asst. Prof. S.B. Shrestha. Asst. Prof. S.B. Shrestha joined KU in 1996 and served KU in various capacities. Recently his letter to the editor published in The Kathmandu Post created unprecedented furor in KU. Ever since professors of KU are in agitation and demanding resignation of Vice Chancellor Prof. Suresh Raj Sharma and Registrar Prof. Sitaram Adhikary. Our correspondent has conducted this e-mail interview with Asst. Prof. S.B. Shrestha. Asst. Prof. S.B. Shrestha is available at sureshbhakta@gmail.com for feedback and comments.


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Please find the interview below:
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BMC: Shrestha sir, Namaskar! Its really nice meeting you again?

SBS:Namaskar. yeah, I think so.

BMC: Sir, can you tell us briefly about your past association with KU?

SBS: Past association? I am still associated with KU.

BMC: Then, what about that letter to the editor, you wrote that you were former Asst. Prof. in KU?

SBS: Perhaps, it was confusion. Be sure I never wrote that I am former employee of KU. I wrote as a current employee of KU and when it was published there was this confusion.

BMC: OK, whatever, it may be, do you stand by your points there in that first letter to the editor?
SBS: Oh my god! you are still looking for the veracity of that letter. After that first letter, I was swarmed with hundreds of e-mails congratulating me for the bold step I had taken. Some of them, like you, were still not confirmed that I wrote that letter. To satisfy them, I had to write the second letter and it was there before all of you.

BMC: I mean do you stand by what you said?
SBS: Why not? Do you think that I am a fool?

BMC: You wrote that Suresh Raj inducted the daughter of Pashupati Maharjan in KU out of turn? Can you stand by that?
SBS: Yeah, I stand by that. Suresh Raj inducted her to ingratiate himself with the palace. Suresh Raj did it to please the palace, everybody knows this in KU.


BMC: Why? Suresh Raj is himself an established academician. Why should he do that?
SBS: Suresh Raj is not an established academician, he is an established administrator. I am just following you as Pradhyapakjee has quite frequently written like that. Yeah, I too was perplexed why Suresh Raj was doing such nonsense things like hobnobbing with the royal palace. However, given the geopolitical situation of Nepal, everybody can guess that he did it to please Pashupati and the palace.

BMC: Is Suresh Raj really a supporter of nepotism in KU?
SBS: You should ask him about this.

BMC: You said that Suresh Raj wrote about his daughter?
SBS: Yeah, Suresh Raj should have never done that. Suresh Raj should have considered all of us as his children. But, he thought it otherwise and he started promoting his family in KU suddenly.

BMC: When did you realise that Suresh Raj is all for family?
SBS: Actually, it was around 1997-1998 when I came to know all these things. At that time, there came one professor from the Anna University, Prof. Rajadurai. He taught the first batch of Mechanical Engineering. We were in the same department and he used to share many things with us regarding the academia. Then, he told us that despite the seniority, Suresh Raj was about to appoint somebody else for M.E. in Anna University as Suresh Raj was convinced of the seniority of them.

BMC: This is disgusting. Is not it so?
SBS: No doubt. VC claims that he knows everything. But, he can be misled quite easily. He was misled many times by many of his relatives. I suffered for his vulnerability of being misled.


BMC: Whatever it may be. But you were sent to IIT Madras by KU for M.E. in Mechanical. Is not it so?
SBS: Yeah, you are right. I was sent there by KU for my masters. There is no doubt about it. Have I ever contradicted this? Why you are asking this question?


BMC: Of course, there are rumors that you betrayed KU by speaking against Suresh Raj publicly and you should have never done that as Suresh Raj sent you to IIT Madras.
SBS: No! I never betrayed KU. I am still for KU and I am still confident that KU is the best university in Nepal. I was not sent to IIT Madras by Suresh Raj.
I was sent there by KU. I will, therefore, be always be grateful to KU rather than Suresh Raj.


BMC: But, at that time, Suresh Raj was the vice-chancellor. How can you deny his contributions?
SBS: Who denies that? Suresh Raj was the vice-chancellor at that time and he is vice-chancellor right now also. He has made contributions as vice-chancellor of KU and there can never be second opinion. But these ceremonial positions are different from the individual himself. I am duty-bound to answer to VC officially but not to any Tom, Dick and Harry called Suresh Raj.


BMC: Do you honour the position of VC?
SBS: No doubt. I honour it.

BMC: Then, why did you write about the dealings of VC?
SBS: Ha ha ha. Funny question. Can't you ever be whistle blower? Do you understand what I mean? Actually, we tolerated Suresh Raj for quite a long time in KU and we tolerated with all his tantrums. But when Suresh Raj started hobnobbing with the palace after the king took the reign of the kingdom, it was beyond toleration. Then, he started inviting Keshar Jung, Parashu Narayan and even Kamal Thapa into internal programs of KU exactly the same way Prachand and Baburam are being invited now. That was the boiling point. Majority of us in School of Engineering hated that and we used to informally discuss amongst ourselves that Suresh Raj is a total sell out.

BMC: Do you mean resistance to Suresh Raj was there from the School of Engineering?
SBS: Yeah, that is right. We, at the SOE, have been resisting Suresh Raj for quite a long time. Many of our seniors did that. I am just carrying that mantle.

BMC: But, Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa is quite supportive of Suresh Raj, what do you say about that.
SBS: Bhola sir has his compulsions, so he supports Suresh Raj.

BMC: Do you mean that there is no support in SOE for Suresh Raj?
SBS: If you believe the mails I receive from the faculties of SOE, I must tell you that there would be handful of supporters of Suresh Raj in school of engineering.
Many of our friends are really angry with Suresh Raj and they all want Suresh Raj to go.


BMC: Why they want Suresh Raj to go?
SBS: They know very well that Suresh Raj would never promote them. Many of them work far better than Brijesh and Manish. But because of existing system, they have to present themselves inferiorly against these gentlemen. Because of the relation of both Manish and Brijesh with KU authorities, other faculties know that however good work they put up, they will never be able to go ahead. As their forward march is prevented by the nepotism of Suresh Raj in the form of Manish and Brijesh, they are against Suresh Raj. They know that once Suresh Raj is gone both Manish and Brijesh are nothing in KU. That is why all the faculties of SOE are against these two gentlemen.

BMC: But, we heard that the current problem emanates from the School of Science only?
SBS: I think that you are referring to the some of the statements of Suresh Raj in some weeklies called Samay. Yeah, Suresh Raj has said so in that weekly. I was really surprised when I read that. As a matter of fact, both the faculties from the school of science and school of engineering started this movement. To be specific, since Ghanshyam sir is former employee of School of Science, I may be considered the first one to start this movement in KU. It is upto the friends. However, Suresh Raj must correct himself on that count. Suresh Raj must know that the movement against him has started from the school of engineering.


BMC: Thanks for that. But, it has been said that SOE is quite against KUPA. Is not so?
SBS: This is not true. Many of the faculties of SOE hates Suresh Raj, Sitaram, Brijesh and Manish. We generally chat among ourselves and try to find ways to thwart this gang. Many of our friends in SOE are closely guarding their activities and even the activities of some of their die-hard supporters. If you do not believe me, you can ask Hari Prasad Neopanejee of Mechanical Engineering. When he was there in M.E. program and subsequently in Norway in the course of completing his Masters, he actively campaingned against Suresh Raj and his group in KU. Hari later told me that Registrar Sitaram manipulated the Norweigian program to send his son Brijesh for Ph.D.. At that we were all desperate for Ph.D. nominations, and we were all angry with the way Sitaram did it for his son.


BMC: How can you guarantee that Hari Neopanejee had said so and he is still against corrupt KU administrators?
SBS: The best way is to contact and confirm this with Hari Neopanejee. Had Harijee not related every minute details of what happened in Norway, we would have never known at what song our respected Bhola sir danced and when our respectged Bhola sir danced how his beloved wife also danced. So everything is in record and no body should be in doubt.