Tag: College

Save Tri-Chandra

On July 9, 2022

In Blogging, essay, History, Humanity, Humans and Humanity, Nepal, Nepali, Personal, Politics, Public Interest

Chandra Shamsher Jung Bahadur Rana inaugurated the Tribhuvan-Chandra (now called Tri-Chandra) College in 1918. After the inauguration, he supposedly said, “I dug a grave for the Ranas with my own hands.” What caused the downfall of the Ranas–the college or his division of Ranas into three classes–might have been debated by historians. What this statement shows, however, is the attitude of the rulers towards this educational institute.

Tri-Chandra has been ill for a long time. When I had written a poem, titled Shatabdi (Century), the condition of the original building (Ghantaghar) was already bad. The walls were rotting, peepal had sprouted in the cracks, and roofs were leaking. I used to call it a Ghost House. After the earthquake of April 2015, the laboratories of the Department of Geology had been shut down. Since then, the practicals have never been regular. The southern section of the building closer to the Jame Masjid collapsed last year. Ironically, the building which produces geologists who study earthquake and earthquake resistance technology has suffered such a fate!

Tri-Chandra College has always been a torch-bearer in Nepalese politics. The vicinity of Narayanhiti Palace and Singha Durbar as well as other centers of power may be one of the reasons. However, the impact of this college on politics was predicted by Chandra Shamsher himself. Tri-Chandra’s students have been part of movements that toppled the Ranas, the Panchayat, and the Shah dynasty. From talents and visionaries like Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Bal Krishna Sam, Dayananda Bajracharya, and so on to the present PM Sher Bahadur Deuba and popular leader Gagan Thapa (who are not doing that great, by the way), Tri-Chandra College has produced many personalities in the past.

The curse that has dragged Tri-Chandra College into this abyss is perhaps politics itself. The ones who used Tri-Chandra as ladders to gain power, probably don’t want the youth to come up. Perhaps, they see the rise of college as a grave to their political careers. If not so, why haven’t they done anything since the earthquake?

Some students somehow got united and conducted a march demanding to save Tri-Chandra. It touched me. How could I forget about the institute where I studied for four years? Why did I stop writing blogs about the state of the college? Why didn’t I join #SaveTriChandra campaign earlier?

I don’t know who is responsible for improving the condition of the college. I don’t know if the college, university, or the government should work towards saving the college. What I do know is that the current students and the alumni all can help the college. A lot of us can provide financial and technical support. If not, we can at least raise our voices. Let’s do something, please! Let’s save Tri-Chandra!

***You can read the Nepali version here.***

त्रि-चन्द्र

By Sandeept

On July 9, 2022

In Blogging, History, Nepal, Nepali, Public Interest

घण्टाघरपट्टिको त्रि-चन्द्र कलेजको भवन । पाँच वर्षअघि गुगलमा सर्च गर्दा भेटिएको यो फोटोमा कलेजको नाम मेटिएको छ ।

वि.सं. १९७५ भदौ १२ गते चन्द्र समशेरले त्रिभुवन-चन्द्र कलेजको उद्घाटन गरेका थिए । चन्द्र समशेरले “कलेज खोलेर मैले राणा शासनको चिहान खनेँ” भनेका थिए रे । राणा शासनको चिहान कलेजले खन्यो या उनी आफैंले लागू गरेको क्लास (राणाहरूको वर्गीकरण) ले भन्ने विश्लेषण इतिहासविद्हरूले गरेका होलान् तर (उच्च) शिक्षालाई समस्याका रूपमा देख्ने शासकहरूको दृष्टिकोण यसले प्रष्ट देखाउँछ ।

त्रि-चन्द्र कलेज बिरामी भएको धेरै भइसक्यो । पाँच वर्षअघि शताब्दी कविता लेख्दा नै घण्टाघरपट्टिको पुरानो बिल्डिंगको स्थिति खराब थियो । भित्ताहरू उप्किरहेका थिए, ठाउँठाउँमा पीपल उम्रेको थियो, छत चुहिन थालेको थियो । म आफैँ “यो त भूतघरजस्तो देखिन्छ” भनिरहन्थें साथीहरूसँग । भूकम्पपछि भूर्गभशास्त्रको प्रयोगशाला बन्द भएको थियो । अझसम्म प्रयोगात्मक कक्षा राम्रोसँग संचालन भएका छैनन् । मस्जिदपट्टिको खण्ड पहिले नै जीर्ण थियो । अहिले भत्किएको छ । भूकम्पको बारेमा पढ्ने पढाउने, इन्जिनियरिङ संरचना भूकम्प थेग्न सक्ने हुनुपर्छ भन्ने विज्ञहरू भएकै ठाउँमा सात वर्षसम्म पनि सुधार नहुनु ठूलो विडम्बना हो । वैज्ञानिक र विज्ञलाई त्यसै त नपत्याइने हाम्रो समाजमा यसले दिने नकारात्मक सन्देशका बारेमा भनिरहनु नपर्ला ।

त्रि-चन्द्र कलेज सधैं राजनीतिको केन्द्रमा रहँदै आएको छ । राजदरबार र सिंहदारबार नजिकै भएकाले पनि होला । तर यो कलेजले राजनीतिमा खेल्न सक्ने भूमिका चन्द्र समशेरले नै अनुमान गरेको देखिन्छ । राणाविरोधी आन्दोलनदेखि गणतन्त्रको आवाजसम्म त्रि-चन्द्र कलेजका विद्यार्थीको भूमिका छ । “यी राजनीतिक परिवर्तनले समाजलाई के फाइदा भयो र ?” भन्नुहुन्छ भने यसरी प्रश्न सोध्ने अधिकार दिलाउने आन्दोलन यिनै हुन् ।

तर राजनीती नै त्रि-चन्द्र कलेजको अभिशाप हो । यही कलेजमा प्रजातन्त्र, गणतन्त्र र स्वतन्त्रताका आवाज उठाउँदै सत्तामा पुगेकाहरू सायद अब त्यस्तो आवाज दबाउन चाहन्छन् । त्रि-चन्द्रको उत्थानमा आफ्नो राजनीतिको चिहान देख्छन् सायद उनीहरू । नत्र सात वर्षसम्म शिक्षा र राजनीतिको बनेको ठाउँ किन बेवास्तामा पर्‍थ्यो ?

त्रि-चन्द्र बचाउनका लागि फेरि पनि विद्यार्थीहरू सडकमा उत्रनु पर्‍यो । यसले बेस्सरी पोल्यो मलाई । यतिका वर्ष आफूले शिक्षा लिएको ठाउँ कसरी बिर्सेँ ? लेखहरू लेख्न किन छाडेँ ? #SaveTrichandra अभियानमा स्वर मिलाउन किन सकिनँ ?

यो कलेज सरकारको दायित्वमा पर्छ या विश्वविद्यालयको दायित्वमा पर्छ थाहा छैन । तर यसप्रति विद्यार्थीको दायित्व पक्का छ । पैसा उठाएर हुन्छ कि प्राविधिक सहयोग गरेर हुन्छ वा नेताहरूलाई निद्राबाट ब्युझाएर हुन्छ, लौ न केही गरौँ ! शिक्षाको ऐतिहासिक धरोहरलाई मासिन रोकौं । केही त गरौं !

***You can read the English version of this article here.***

शताब्दी

By Sandeept

On August 23, 2017

In Nepali Poem, Poetry

मध्ययुगीन युरोपेली शैलीमा

सेतो रङका पाप्रा उप्किएर पहेँलो, कालो बनेका

दिवार चिरेर उम्रेका उन्यु र पीपलका पात बोकेर

उभिएको कुनै भुतघरजस्तो संरचना देख्दा

नतर्सिनू,
चारैतिर दुईतीन फिट अग्ला घाँस, दुबो, सिस्नु,

वनफाँडा, काँडा र गाँजाका झाङमा

खेलिरहेका, गफ हाँकिरहेका अनि आफ्नै कुनामा

सर्को तानी मनोरञ्जन लिइरहेका थरीथरीका मानिस देख्दा

नझुक्किनू,
छतमा, फूलबारीमा, लाइब्रेरीमा, कोरिडोरमा,

रुखमुन्तिर, ल्याबमा अनि क्लासरूममा

निश्चिन्त ग्याङ, ग्रुप र जोडी बन्दै

टङ्टङ बज्ने घडीघरको पेन्डुलम जस्तै

यताउता गरिरहेका विद्यार्थी देख्दा

नअल्मलिनू,
भर्खर शताब्दी पार गरेको

भुकम्प, राजनीती र

बेवास्ताको मारमा परेको

जन्ममा नै पिताको

मनमा बिस्मात जगाएको

यो त्रिभुवन-चन्द्र बहुमुखी कलेज हो !

99 years: Is Tri-Chandra showing signs of Old Age?

By Sandeept

On August 24, 2016

In Blogging, Nepal, Reasoning

The Past

When Tri-Chandra College was inaugurated 99 years ago, the then Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher JBR had said, “I have done a mistake. This college will end the rule of the Ranas.”

Though Chandra Shumsher’s division of the Ranas into different classes was among the primary reasons for the fall of Ranas, he was not wrong in understanding the strength of higher education, in changing the society.

The Present

On Sunday, 5th Bhadra, 2073 (23rd August, 2016) the 99th anniversary of Tri-Chandra Multiple College was celebrated. I am not sure what the Tribhuvan University, college administration, students’ union thought about the programme that was organized. Personally, I was not excited. There are several reasons behind my dissatisfaction.

The management of the college is not satisfactory. I am not sure how this college is managed. New students are met first by the cadres of “Students’ Union”. They guide new students well- which is nice. When it comes to handling complex situations, the college administration should guide and help students. The administration, however is almost inaccessible without the mediation of Students’ Union. Because of the inefficiency of the administration, the Students’ Union have been influential over the students as well as the college administration.

There are several unions “for the welfare of students” but none seem to be effective in managing the infrastructures needed for smooth running of the college. The college, divided into two blocks: Ghantaghar block and Saraswati Sadan block, looks better as long as you are outside of the latter. Inside, it has several problems beginning from staffing to the classroom infrastructures.

The Ghantaghar block, the older block gives me a Gothic impression. The building is old. Whitewash has been replaced by mosses and lichens, walls have inhabited ferns and Peepal, the classrooms have infrastructures seemingly from the other century, and the recent earthquake worsened its state even more.

On the Ghantaghar is a Sports Hall. This is also the hall where the 99th anniversary of the college was celebrated. The preparation was evident. The hall looked cleaner than ever. The outside of the hall had been recently painted. The black colour on pillars was painting the hands as well. Grass was cut after more than six months, revealing the junk that had been hidden. No one had cared to throw them, though. (Incomplete preparation, oof!)

Talking of problems, I must tell you that anyone can enter the college with no restriction, whatsoever. And not all of them come to study. Everyone has seen people smoke marijuana within the college premises. Yet no one does anything to them. There are two reasons, basically:

1) They can do anything when they are “high”.

2) They have connections with Students’ Union.*

And the weed is dense behind the Ghantaghar block.

And the college has always had ill fame for its gang wars.

I have already talked about academic problems in my earlier post: Why Classes Become Boring.

The Future

Based on the number of students being admitted to the college (which is mostly artificial**), some leaders of Students’ Union had said, “Tri-Chandra should be a university.”

I had agreed then (when I was a newbie there); I differ now. With the problems the college is facing, and the negligence of administration as well as that of Students’ Union in solving them, the college does not have a bright future ahead. Unless the problems I have mentioned are solved, the college will remain infamous as the centre of gang wars and fights.

* Having a lot of Students’ Union is beneficial to some extent. Nobody dares to touch others because of the the connection they might have.

** The number of students is mostly artificial. Most students admit so that they don’t have to lose a year or two while they try for medical or engineering seats.