Panta said that the information learned by heart is knowledge. He suggested reading unforgettably forever. He was against the use of donors' money in development as they exercise unnecessary influence
A nation without history is said to be a person without memory. A person who loses his memory is regarded as suffering from Alzheimer disease. Similarly, a country without memory can also be likened to an Alzheimer patient. History highlights our past and also provides some indication about our future. Because the future is a replay of the past.
The history of Nepal begins with the Tethy Sea flowing over it till some five million years ago and its subsequent drainage following the tectonic movement, leading to the emergence of Mount Everest, the tallest in the world. Ramapithecus, the first monkey man, the birth of Sita in Janakpur and her marriage to Ram are the other hallmarks. The birth of Siddhartha turned Buddha in Lumbini is yet another historic milestone. The rule by the Gopals, the cowherds, with their capital in Matatirtha followed by the lesser known Abhirs, the buffalo herders, and hilly tribes, the Kirats, form the other rings in its historic chain. The golden era of Nepal during the regime of the Licchavis and the dark period under Thakuri rule are two contrasting historic periods.
The renaissance of Nepal during the Malla period followed by the unfortunate infighting, paving the way for the takeover of the valley by Prithvi Narayan Shah, are the other notable features of Nepali history. Again, the revival of similar conflict between the Thapa and the Pandey rival political groups led to the oppressive rule of the Ranas for 104 years. The dawn of multi-party democracy with a constitutional monarch, banning of the political parties by the Panchayat system under absolute monarchy, restoration of the multi-party system with the constitutional monarch again and finally the declaration of a federal republic Nepal after a decade-long Peoples' War waged by the Maoists mirror Nepali political history in miniature.
We have the luxury of reciting the aforementioned history squarely due to foreign as well as Nepali historians who dedicated their life to the collection of historic facts and figures. Among the foreigners are Kirkpatrick, Hamilton, Bhagwanlal Indraji, Sesil Bendal, Hara Prasad Shastri, Sylyan Levi, Perceval Landon and Kashi Prasad Jaiswal.
Among the Nepalis, Naya Raj Panta is one of the historians who has done remarkable work in the historic arena of Nepal along with Babu Ram Acharya and their disciples. Born in 1903, Panta was taken care by his maternal grandfather due to the demise of his father when he was barely one and half years old. After completing school education in Nepal, he went to Banaras and did his Masters in Sanskrit studies. He then established a research platform, the Samsodhan Mandal, and researched hard ,studying the ancient ritual texts, the Purans, genealogies like the Gopal Rajbanshawali, the diaries, and the inscriptions, publishing regularly in Purnima magazine.
Panta was a polymath of the first water. He also made memorable contributions in Mathematics and Astronomy. He always remained steadfast in his thinking. When the office bearers and members of the Nepal Academy, including the Chancellor, resigned after the fall of the Panchayat system, he did not deviate from his stand by insistently refusing to resign. He was so indispensable that he was included in the newly-formed Academy Council as a member.
He said that the information learned by heart is knowledge. He suggested the students to read unforgettably forever and not just for appearing in the examination. He was against the use of donors' money in the development of the country as they exercise unnecessary influence. He also had the temerity to say that Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Lekha Nath Poudyal and Bala Krishna Sam were opportunists and entertainers than great poets.
His 122nd anniversary was celebrated in the capital by Gyangun Trust last Saturday amid the presence of scholars of virtually all disciplines. It was chaired by former Supreme Court Judge Prakash Osti. Dr. Naya Nath Paudel, a historian, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
Seven scholars decorated with the Naya Raj Research honor, namely, Dr. Ekraj Acharya, Dr. Tirtha Prasad Mishra, Dr. Rajesh Gautam, Dr. Rishi Ram Pokharel, Dr. Shankar Raj Panta, Puskar Lohani and Top Bahadur Singh were felicitated at the programme. It was followed by the public release of several books with articles highlighting their contribution by different authors, including the columnist.
Earlier, the programme had opened with welcome remarks by the Trust authority Seshraj Sibakoti, a retired former justice, followed by the notes of remarks by the felicitated scholars. Prof. Dr. Surendra KC, a senior historian, stole the show as he invariably does by highlighting on the contributions of Panta and Sibakoti.
Behind the dazzling event, however, lay the gloom of the kind that cannot be even imagined, as if there was darkness under a glowing lamp. When the country funds almost 150 trusts created for mostly the politicians, the Gyangun Trust is funded by an individual, Sibakoti, through the pension that he receives every month. It is high time that the government supported this academy without any delay.
We have to depend on the works of historians until the James Webb Telescope feeds us the visual information. It is said that this telescope can see as far back as the big bang which took place some 13.4 billion years ago. To show 10,000 years human history is a cake walk for this mighty telescope. We will then be able to see the likes of Gautam Buddha, Jesus Christ in their real guise as if on a recorded video. So could we also see the Gopal, Abhir, Kirat, Licchavi, Thakuri, Malla, Shah and Rana rulers? Until then, the painstaking research of the foreign as well as national historians like Naya Raj Panta will continue to enlighten and inspire us.
