A review summary of a paper by Bandana Gyawali, Nepal’s Pre-bikas encounters with the west: Sabhyata and Unnati as precursors to Development

Close glance into the introduction:

Bandana Gyawali, as a part of her PhD study, prepares the paper articulating the developmental initiatives and status in Rana period of Nepal. The author believes the paper looks beyond the conventional explanations that starting point of modern democratic Nepal and foreign aided development coincides. The paper highlights the words sabhyata (civilization) and unnati (progress) as they were extensively used in the Rana era. She believes that use of sabhyata and unnati words started earlier than bikas and they are not equivalent rather going parallel and but are adjacent.

The author describes Rana rule as a feudal era marked by backwardness, palace conspiracies and isolationism. Several studies elaborated Nepal’s semi-colonial status with British India and her peripheral status by giving examples of recruitment of Nepali youths into the British Army and Nepali laborers in industrial sectors in India. Nepal’s integration into the Indian economy was bolstered through 1923 treaty with India which is responsible for removing Nepal’s power. As an example, quoted in the paper, cottage industry in Bandipur (?) was ruined by foreign industrial capital during 1930s at the period of Juddha Shamsher.

Studies show that some initiatives like installing hydropower stations or building canals for irrigation, laying pipes for water supply or managing forestry to yield better revenue nullify the notions of Nepal as an isolated country. So, the author used the term pre-bikas embodied in the words sabhyata and unnati in order to describe the early situations before starting of modern concept of bikas.

The author quoted some studies from the west on ideas of development and progress due to lack of research in Nepal at that period. The conclusions of Robert Nisbet as gradual secularization of the ideas from its original associations with spiritual and moral betterment, while Koselleck argues that modern concept of progress is unconnected to religious faith and to other worldly perfection. Nisbet focused on metaphysics of progress while Cowen and Shenton emphasized development was ‘invented’ to counter the faults of progress. Koponen also writes that civilization is a most important terminology among the competing notions such as progress, improvement, betterment and development.

The author claims pre-bikas history of Nepal comes closer to Koselleck’s idea which argues that progress is a concept made as a response to modernity but not like the notions described by other authors mentioned above. But, Rana era notions of Unnati and Development were in response to encounters with different sabhyata, not with modernity (adhunikata). The author does not mention how different sabhyata differ from modernity? Couldn’t there be the cases that some modern sabhyata existed at that period? Modernity itself is a relative terminology. Some sabhyata could be more modern than others.

Janga Bahadur’s visit to Europe and positive identification

The author introduces ‘negative identification’ term described by Winichakul to represent the ubiquitous tendency of an ethnic group to define themselves differing from other ethnic groups and people. However, she argues Janga Bahadur’s visit to England and France was the first case of opposite of negative identification, what she called ‘positive identification’. Janga Bahadur visited the countries to know the strength of the Angrej Badshah and observe western customs, conduct and arrangements and to determine Nepal’s future policy.

The book Janga Bahadurko Belayat Yatra describes the England’s military strength and about the British parliament in most of the pages. The author here claims that his visit was not the first encounter to the western world. A marked difference with Nepal’s condition described in the book as mentioned by the author of this paper is regarding the impressive laws of Britain where nobody was above the law, whereas in Nepal, king and the prime minister were not bounded by any of such laws. The book also describes that Janga Bahadur was no less than British rulers and praised by them calling an intelligent person suitable to that age.

After returning, impressed by the Angrej, Janga Bahadur promulgated the Muluki Ain in 1854 which included abolition of mutilation, partial abolition of sati and limitation of capital punishment to specific categories. The author believes it is the first tangible effect of positive identification though it created a national hierarchy that legitimized the position of the ruling group. Critics blame that the Muluki Ain further worsen the situation of lower-class groups then (Dulal, 2013)

Chandra Shamsher’s Slavery Abolition Speech: An example of positive identification

Ruled for 28 years, Chandra Shamsher enforced/executed the social reforms made by his predecessor Dev Shamsher with his unchallenged stature. He continued supporting Britain in the great war of 1914-18. Some social and technological attempts had been documented like Dharsing-Matatirth ropeway and Pharping power plant though initial motive was only to serve the Ranas and their palaces. He managed to integrate imitation of western development ways and ensuring Nepal’s sovereignty together without being opposite of the west and without letting it radically destabilize Nepali society.

In 1925, Chandra Shamsher was delivered a speech on moral and financial burdens of slavery system requesting the slave owners to stop the practice. The author mentioned that the prime minister appealed, not declared that slavery system ended from now, asking people’s views on he Amlekh of slaves referring the immorality of slavery and giving evidence of its cost ineffectiveness. He cited examples from two African domains where British colonized to prove his idea of abolishing slavery systems in Nepal is right, that the section of the slave people gained their status up when they were freed. He analyzed the report form Government of Pemba to illustrate hired laborers were more efficient than a slave. The author mentions two kinds of facts in his speech; first, social practices requiring participation of a slave would not be upset by the abortion, second, evidences from the civilized muluk demonstrating less values of the practice. To convince people that the abolition does not destabilize social order, he picked the example of sati abolition.

The author claims that anti-slavery attempts arose from Nepal’s interaction with the sabhya world. Through the speech, the author tries here to prove Chandra Shamsher ingenuity to convince the dominant caste groups by taking only a certain aspect of the anti-slavery movements outside the country. However, Chandra Shamsher unhesitantly expressed his admiration of the Angrej.

It seems Janga Bahadur’s visit to Britain and France was an entry point for positive identification. Chandra Shamsher continued following the approach of Janga and abolished slavery system. While the splendid speech of Chandra Shamsher was highly praised and admired in this paper, it leaves ambiguity in self-realization by Chandra Shamsher regarding the abolition. Did he truly want to abolish the slavery system, or it was just to pacify the pressure from outside and inside the country? There is also very less information on what the social disorders could come when the slavery system collapses.

Positive identification under new circumstances

With adjustment, early attempts of industrialization is another case of positive identification with the west. At that time, it was realized that British India was equally dependent on the Ranas for peace and stability, a marked change in thought process among Rana rulers. The author claims that Juddha Shamsher strengthen ties with more countries with extension of foreign relations beyond India and Tibet.

Between 1936 and 1950, sixty-three industries registered most of those were set up with joint investments from the Rana elites and Indian Marwari community across the border.

Juddha Shamsher realized that symbiotic relation existed between two countries in matters of security and political stability. This is the reason for which Juddha was convinced with industrial development which can be assumed as more than just a positive identification. Several letters by Juddha to General Bentham indicated the change in mindset. As Juddha mentioned, making change without a national ideal and without any apish imitation of other nations. So, his industrial pursuit was the result of positive identification that was as keen to prove its worth as it was open to emulating from the west. Juddha was deviated considerably from the earliest spells of positive identification.

In the paper, Juddha Shamsher’s role was described as more progressive than previous rulers as he prioritized self-reliance instead of simply copying the notions of development from western sabhyata. However, the conclusions are made mostly based on what he had spoken in the public speeches or in writings. It is worthwhile to mention what were the industries that expected to bring self-reliance. Moreover, it is not clear that what is the fate of the such industrial products, domestic consumption or export? This would determine whether the country become self-reliant.

 Towards Industrialization: the vocabulary of Sabhyata, Unnati and Development.

The author mentions two significant events during Juddha’s period, industrial exhibitions and experimental surveys of industries and economy. During the period, sabhayata and Unnati were used several times by the rulers and in the literatures as well. The idea of self-reliance was emphasized by Juddha which was reflected in literature of that time. An edition of Gorakhapatra wrote: “The rule is to learn foreign qualities and to mold them to fit the country”. The term bikas was used in the editorial but was not associated with development as industrial development but with growth in the biological sense. Juddha emphasized creating opportunities within Nepal and prevent Nepal’s wealth from draining into the British India and beyond. While critically reviewing, the author explores that both Chandra and Juddha Shamsher were sensitive regarding Nepal’s reputation comparing with the sabhya world.

The author demystifies the use of different phrases and terms during the Rana period. The English to Nepali translation was not yet standardized. The governing bodies used different terminologies to basically relate a same thing. The phrase ‘economic and industrial development’ occurred frequently in the letters between Nepal’s Prime minister and British envoy. However, British in India used the term ‘process of industrialization in 1930s. The author claims that British themselves were not the propagator of the term ‘development’ in Nepal. However, a Development Board was established in 1935 which was later named as Udhyog Parishad. The word development was picked directly from English meaning that bikas was not having become the standard, although the word was available at that time. Sabhyata and Unnati were used tremendously, the words adhunik or adhunikata are neither abundant nor persistence. So, to be modern was not the end goal.

Defining sabhyata and Unnati

The author does a survey of writings in Sarada, a newspaper operating under the gaze of Juddha Shamsher, criticized sabhyata as it represents commodification and the obsessions. One writing says it as an endless parade of western goods and its ensuing indebtedness. A less abrasive attempt quotes one cannot be sabhya by distancing from literature. A writing available says there are different sabhyata but the science that flows beneath them all can be the same. In nutshell, sabhyata was a demarcation between two worlds.

According to essay in Sarada, Unnati refers to the enhancement of the Jati (race) through education, particularly by promoting education in Nepalese language. The word Pragati had become common by the early 1940s, still bikas was rarely used. Both the rulers and raiti identified positively with the progress of the unnat muluk. There was richer debate on the merits and demerits of the cultural and social elements of sabhyata among raiti.

Predominance of Unnati in Rana era Nepal

In this section, the author talks about the Nepali language and literature while dealing with the concerned words. Sanskrit, being a primary source of Nepali language, is a greatest source of borrowing in the Nepali language. Unnati, bikas and sabhyata all three are arrived from Sanskrit. The dictionary of the Rana period termed Unnati as progression, completion, and of becoming complete; and, bikas or development as an increase, particularly in animal and plant species, as a condition of good growth. Bikas or development was not unknown in the early 1930s. But, both Bikas and development were associated with growth and not with industrial development. Unnati over bikas's popularity over 'development' is said to be associated with attempts at standardizing the Nepali language. Proponents of Nepalese language (non-ranas) deliberately avoided the term development because they were working against the encroachment of western sabhyata. The Ranas took the western sabhyata positively whereas the non-ranas were ambivalent. The non-ranas avoided picking words from English language though they were able to understand it.

In nutshell, Unnati stands for progress in industrialization, sabhyata stands for progress in education while development was only confined to the pages of Rana correspondence.

The author highlighted the use of certain terminologies like unnati, bikas and sabhyata in Nepali language. However, there is no information available on the other local languages. From the ruler’s perspective, based on the available literatures, she has comprehensively assembled the information, but it does not cover whole Nepal, as at that time also, different language groups were residing in Nepal. She repeatedly mentions these key words to illustrate the feeling of the society during the Rana period. However, the information available for that part of history is meagre. How logical is this to conclude based on the few words available in literatures.

Conclusion:

At the Rana period, preferred language was Nepali though Ranas were fascinated by the English language. Nepali word Unnati combined the western concept of both progress and development. Unnati is collection of expectations which can be ambiguous and is not confined to definite goals. Development is specifically meant industrial development. It does not refer to educational reforms or the attempts to systematize the Nepali language. Development is measurable and centered upon short term achievements. The distinction of progress (Unnati) and development was prominent after rise of the capitalism, politically after the ending of Rana regime in Nepal. Nepali society of the pre-democratic era was mindful of western societies which was considered more civilized than itself by that time’s society. The overall idea evaluated in this paper were the outcomes of close contacts and subsequent comparisons with the western societies. The positive identification as a result of feeling of subordination when the Nepali jati encountered with the western societies or different sabhyata were discussed. Assuming sabhyata as the end goal, progress or unnati become a process of transformation made possible by industrial development.

Considering comprehensiveness of the paper, it can be concluded that the paper is masterpiece for the topic. Though particularly focusing on few terminologies, the paper highlights the spirits of the Nepali society at that period in a logical order and following the chronology. A more detail study is required to further explore that period. The study can be made with available literatures and surveying the key persons (though very less are live) of that period. In order to have more clarity, if available, a detail explanation of the situations at western world/sabhyata during the Rana era would be great. Moreover, it would be great to have information in terms of unnati and sabhyata in the aftermaths of the people’s revolution in 1950s to compare the two distinct scenarios, the Rana period and after Rana period. The explanation of Nepalese political situations at that time at micro level is not done in the paper which would have tremendous implications in development pursuits.

 

References:

Dulal B.(2013) Caste systems in Nepal: past and present YouTube link here

 

 

 *******