Sibu Dhakal
After completing M.A. in English in 2008 A. D. from Prithvi Narayan Campus, Pokhara, I persisted in teaching at a private academic institution. As a matter of fact, I could not leave my job and go to Kathmandu for M. Phil as I was the only breadwinner of my family. Therefore, working for livelihood was inescapable for me. For years, I and some other friends of mine kept hoping that M.Phil Degree would be available at P. N. Campus someday so that we could materialize our dream; but it was nothing more than a reverie. Being unknown about the pre-requisites of such a scholarly degree, my expectation proved to be baseless. M. Phil Programme never came to Pokhara at P. N. Campus. I kept on remembering my teacher say “You deserve to be an M. Phil scholar.” Never adrift; I was not moored, either.
Time elapsed. I kept myself engaged in the teaching profession. I was so engaged in teaching that sixteen years elapsed without being felt. My dream for M. Phil grew sixteen years older. At times, I thought of going to Kathmandu but the same problem prevailed. I could neither leave the job nor shift the family from Pokhara to Kathmandu. I was reluctant to begin everything from null in a new place leaving the place that was so familiar to me, with a good market of tuition classes, behind. My dream of M. Phil would cost much if I proceeded forward. Consequently, I began feeling depressed because something was missing in my life. I am not into university teaching, so I do not need M. Phil for academic promotion; however, it has been my dream to pursue M.Phil and thereby open the door to a doctorate degree. I sometimes wonder how this idea came to me and why. I have my prestigious M. A. degree. I could get along with it. But passion is something that leads a person beyond the horizon of dialectic. I have an interest in creative writing too. I aspire to polish myself into a good creative writer and a critic. I would like to opine that the same passion for knowledge might have driven me into this journey in pursuit of what is beyond the horizon.
With the establishment of Nepal Open University in 2016 A. D., many shattered dreams (like mine) got revitalized. They began materializing slowly but surely. Aspirants of knowledge from different nooks of the country got the opportunity to pursue degrees through online mode. And I was waiting for mine. Nothing can be achieved by heaps and bounds. So, I waited till the winter 2080 (B.S.) session.
Unbeknownst to me, NOU was running M. Phil in English. As I was skimming through The Kantipur Daily one cold morning, I came across an advertisement that drew my attention instantly. It was an advertisement for M. Phil course at Nepal Open University. The proverb “Good things come to those who wait” seems to have materialized in my case. I informed my family members about my plan to join NOU for pursuing M.Phil course, and without any ado I applied long before the deadline. The date for entrance examination was fixed at the major cities of seven provinces. As I am from Syangja, living and working in Pokhara, my examination centre was Janapriya Multiple Campus, Pokhara. Despite being keenly eager to join the course, I lacked essential preparation for the entrance test. Since I have not been a university teacher, I lacked fresh knowledge in my mind. Much of the studies of master degree did not come in use in school level teaching. So, I had lost track of much of philosophy and literature. However, I did not bother much to prepare for the entrance test. I simply revisited the erstwhile course of M. A. This helped me a lot. So far as my memory is correct, there were plus-minus sixty candidates who took their entrance test for M. Phil in English out of whom only twenty-seven were qualified; and my name was published in the third number on the merit list.
I had developed, between the years, a sort of skepticism regarding the recognition of the degrees offered by Nepal Open University. I would like to admit that my skepticism was based on hearsay that cannot be justified in any way. The ground for the problem of recognition, you might say, is the online mode of instruction. Let me tell you what I learned from the orientation programme organized by NOU in Kathmandu in the first week of Chaitra, 2080 B.S. Nepal Open University was established by the Federal Government of Nepal under the Parliament Act of Nepal, 2073 B. S. This university is owned by the central government of Nepal. So, the question of whether it is recognized by Tribhuvan University or not is itself wrong. It is recognized by the University Grant Commission (UGC). The degrees offered by Nepal Open University are as valid as the degrees offered by other universities of Nepal. The two-day orientation ended up with introduction of university and scholars, technical set up and guidance, course description and much important discussion. I was impressed by the presentation of some scholars. They have a high degree of knowledge and experience. As they come from different nooks of the country representing all the provinces, their talk was worth-listening and worth-assimilating. I learned that the thirst for knowledge is never quenched. There were scholars who had come not only to earn a degree but also to develop better understanding of things. For me, M. Phil is not only a degree offered by university; it is a journey through which I can explore new perspectives and develop deeper critical thinking. The second day of the orientation session was very exciting and encouraging. I got to know that Dr. Komal Phuyal was our instructor to deal with English Studies in the Twentieth Century and Dr. Shiva Rijal for E-Research for the first semester. Both of them are renowned university teachers. Their presentation was so impressive that I really got mesmerized. I can’t help praising their knowledge beyond the knowledge. Dr. Komal Phuyal emphasized that dire need of something makes one work hard for success.
When the first online class began, it was Dr. Komal Phuyal’s. He talked about the code and conduct of online classes. He seemed to be overly strict in terms of rules and regulations. As the classes gained momentum, I was mesmerized by his teaching techniques. He makes the concept crystal clear by relating it to real life examples. His ideas of making the learners do an assignment are worth-imitating. In fact, I learned from Dr. Komal Phuyal sir that we need to develop certain perspectives alongside knowledge. Knowledge without perspective is incomplete in the same way as experience without realization is dangerous. I must confess that I learned more from Komal sir than he taught me. I did not miss even a single class of Komal sir, nor did I submit any assignment late. I listened to each and every word of his with due attention, assimilating. I was equally influenced by Dr. Shiva Rijal. He is also a man of letters. His expertise and experience helped me learn a lot. I learned about e-research and e-learning from his classes, who encouraged the scholars to learn and assimilate the concept of e-research. He assigned us to write a research paper as a term paper. I wrote a research paper titled “Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea and Sarubhakta’s The Peak: A Study of the Flaws of the Protagonists.” Dr. Shiva Rijal approved this title with some suggestions. Following his insightful suggestions I completed my paper. I have made a comparative study of two novels in terms of the weakness of the protagonists. While analyzing reviews of literature, I came to know that most of the scholars and critics have focused on the heroic deeds of the protagonists of both novels. The protagonists have been projected as ‘heroes’ and they have been the ideal characters. As yet, nobody has talked about the flaws of the protagonists which could be referred to as ‘tragic flaw’ in Shakespearean time. There I found a research gap / departure. I carried out the research and came up with some flaws of the protagonists of both novels.
A new twist came about in the research mode when Dr. Shiva Rijal assigned an online research activity on the theme of the utilization of the retired teachers and other local human and non-human resources in Nepal. He divided the scholars in three groups and assigned different titles for the research. He emphasized on the execution of the entire research process through online media only. He also said that a student trained in ‘karate’ should not go to a ‘wrestling’ match. We got the meaning. We were supposed to be trained for online research according to the nature and spirit of the subject of the first semester that he instructed. We conducted research regarding the condition of the retired teachers of our country. The conclusion of the research was not so optimistic. The retired teachers are rarely approached by the schools for utilizing their knowledge and experience. Their knowledge, skill and experience are overlooked by the government. The state does not have any mechanism to utilize the dexterity of the retired teachers. They feel that they have been ignored. Upon the presentation of the research paper to the instructor, Dr. Shiva Rijal sir said that if the same research was conducted by the government authority, a lot of money would be required; this is the power of online research. These words of Shiva sir were eye opener for me. I realized that online research is quick and budget friendly. It saves a lot of money which can be used for other purposes.
Dr. Shiva Rijal gave us two heavy assignments as I have discussed above. He also assigned us to prepare a bibliography according to MLA 9th edition and send it in the Moodle location. He also assigned us to transcribe some YouTube videos which were on the theme of e-research. Upon doing this assignment, I came to know that the world has gone far beyond my knowledge in the use of online mode of research activities. The universities in Europe and America provide a well-facilitated platform to the online researcher or scholar. They possess ample gadgets and devices with good access to materials. On the contrary, the scholars from third world countries are facing various problems in e-research. They cannot afford reliable devices. Nor do they have proper access to online materials. There is a lack of online research centres, too.
Coming back to the assignment of Dr. Komal Phuyal , he began with abstract and reflection writing. He assigned us to write an abstract and reflection on “My First English Book” and “My Experience of Learning English at High School.” He cared about even a minor error and began to polish us in writing. He also assigned to write a response paper; which I had not written before. Thus, I got to know many new things in writing. He created an interactive platform on Moodle and assigned us to post our materials and comment on others. This was like posting and commenting on social media. We came to know different opinions, experiences and perspectives of the scholars. I would like to share my experience with an interactive platform. While going through one of the posted contents, I saw some spelling and grammatical errors in one of the contents. I could not help correcting the errors. I corrected those errors feeling uneasiness, thinking that the scholar might feel inferior. But it did not happen. The scholars were (and are) open to learning.
Dr. Komal Phuyal assigned us a presentation model in which the scholars were divided into various groups such as presenters and discussants. The discussants were assigned to write a response paper on the topic of presentation made by other scholars. Generally, ten minutes was given for the presentation and ten minutes for comments. This type of presentation-comment session was very fruitful to the scholars. We got the opportunity to present our paper as well as learn from the fellow scholars.
The final presentation of the first semester was to write a research paper in about six thousand words. In this regard, Dr. Komal Phuyal supported us by supplying pdf texts on which we were supposed to write a research paper. He also said that we could go beyond the prescribed texts by consulting him. He also fixed the deadline of submission of the first draft. At this juncture, I felt pressurized. Without any ado, I chose Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway and began reading the pdf text. While reading the text, I highlighted the lines which I thought were useful for me. I also selected some lines and added comments. In this way I made a reading note of the text. I then began searching journal articles written by various critics, scholars and students. I had to struggle to make a collection of sufficient materials and select the authentic ones. I did not get access to many articles which are available on the internet. I collected some articles from Google Scholar, SciSpace, Research Rabbit and simply from Google with my little knowledge about searching research articles over the net. Then I began reading the articles and making notes. Komal sir had already given the idea about making notes, that is, note-quote-reflection. I worked hard for five hours a day for several days and completed the first draft within the deadline. I wrote a research paper titled “A Study of Pursuit of ‘Self’ in Green Hills of Africa by Hemingway.” As Hemingway is a famous writer, his books have been studied and analyzed worldwide by numerous critics, scholars and students. I found that Green Hills of Africa has been interpreted through all the possible perspectives. It was difficult to find a research gap. Anyway, my further reading of the materials ignited an idea that really worked. I focused on the internal journey of Hemingway as a character of the travelogue. And I decided to apply “free association” of Sigmund Freud as a theoretical tool. In the course of study, I came across the idea of Carl Gustav Jung who seemed to have followed the line of Sigmund Freud in psychoanalysis; but he has his own stand on various concepts. Jung took “free association” as an important tool in psychoanalysis but he criticized Freud’s model as ‘reductive’ and ‘backward-looking’. He has proposed his own model of free association. Mine was Freud’s model. I have tried to show through my paper that Hemingway as a character of the travelogue releases his stress and other sort of mental burden during his journey, and feels relieved. Komal sir sent us a twenty-four-point instruction for paper writing. It was very useful. He had hammered on the right spot. He also sent us a self-evaluation form and suggested us not to send the final paper unless we get a forty-five score. I did it, and built up my confidence for the final presentation in the conference.
During my short journey of five months at NOU, I learned the things that I had not learnt in the last twenty years. I understood the real spirit and significance of research. I got the right guidance for conducting a research paper. Furthermore, the instructors helped us develop perspectives. I have had an experience of collaborative research, presentation of content through power point, writing and presenting response papers, writing reflective articles, playing the role of discussant, commenting and suggesting to fellow scholars and many more. My perception of English has changed tremendously. I would think English as a language having uniformity in its standard grammar across the globe. During my study, I read articles on varieties of English and its usage. The concept of TESOL drew my attention. I would not know that TESOL is such a large revenue-generating industry to Britain. What is ‘English in the twenty-first century’ is really a complicated study because of its heterogeneity. I can conclude, based on my narrow understanding, that anything expressed in English is English. It is everybody’s language.
We are in constant interaction with the course instructors and with the fellow scholars, too. We contact them through email and messenger. We have a messenger group of learners where Dr. Shiva sir and Dr. Laxman Sir have also been added. Dr. Laxman K.C. is Co-Ordinator of M. Phil in English Programme. As of today, NOU means four people for us – Dr. Komal Phuyal, Dr. Shiva Rijal, Dr. Laxman K.C. and Dr. Khagendra Prasai. We have them solve our problem by making requests. They help us by all means. Dr. Laxman K. C. sir is very attentive to our needs. He responds quickly and gives us suggestions from time to time. All the teachers and scholars are within reach. Meetings can be held at any day and time. The scholars are willing to help one another. This is amazing! During the journey of the first semester, I found myself in the frontline among the scholars; some of whom are well-experienced university teachers. They have learnt a lot from hands-on experience in research work. They have already developed a high ability in reasoning and analyzing. I kept myself in the front line with them owing to hard work with dire passion. I have already mentioned somewhere above that I have submitted all the assignments before the deadline when some scholars were still puzzled with the ideas. I have commented on the presentation of many scholars on the screen. My active participation during the class activities might have drawn attention of the instructors as well. I know I am not the best; but I am an honest and hardworking candidate of M. Phil. in English at NOU.
It was a two-day onsite conference dated August 2nd and 3rd, 2024 at Hotel View Bhrikuti, Godavari, Lalitpur. There were twenty-three scholars presenting their paper. The presentation was categorized into six sessions based on the themes. The theme of the first session was people, power and politics. Four scholars presented their paper in this session. Each presentation was followed by discussion. Similarly, four scholars presented their paper on the theme of crises of modern self in the second session. They made wonderful presentations which were followed by discussion. The theme of session three was gender and sexuality in which four presenters amazed the listeners by their insightful ability and a command on the subject matter. The second day began with wonderful presentations on the theme of understanding the unconscious: reading the psycheon which four scholars exhibited their unique style and ability of incorporating the external world and exploring the unconscious. Under session fifth, three scholars including me presented papers on the theme of quest for heaven of one’s own. The theme of the last session was ecology, self and language. Four scholars captured the attention of the listeners by their deep knowledge of the subject matter and the ability of delivering the content in an organized manner.
The seminar was inaugurated by chief guest Prof. Dr. Amar Raj Joshi, the Head of Subject Committee of English at NOU, who blessed us with his insightful suggestions. He suggested to the research scholars that we need to respect the text first. This line is very important for the researchers. He also talked about what humanities actually is. The programme was chaired by Dr. Khagendra Prasai, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Science, NOU. He blessed us with his vast knowledge on humanities and all spheres of life. He emphasized on the importance of research work and the values and codes of research activity. He shed light on the significance of onsite seminars though the mode of learning at NOU is online. It is important to mention Laxman K. C. who is Coordinator of M Phil in English programme. Speaking in the seminar, he focused on the activities of NOU that are being conducted for the benefit of the scholars. He suggested various issues. The mentor for us is Dr Komal Phuyal, our course instructor, who talked about the importance of onsite conferences. Despite the reluctance of most of the scholars for the onsite conference, it was Komal sir himself who had convinced us for the same.
The saying “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” proved to be true in my case. I realized the importance of an onsite seminar only after attending it. I felt blessed by the insightful speech of the professors who possess better hands-on experience in the field. I got more ideas on how to search articles over the internet and use them in my research in an organized way. The insightful saying of Dr. Amma Raj Joshi “the horses should lead the cart and not vice-versa” left a lasting impression on me. His suggestion to make a window of our own and look the world through it is quite symbolic that gives rays of vast meaning. Being my first experience of presenting a paper in a conference, I was a little tense at the beginning; but as I saw and listened to my fellow scholars present their paper, I gained confidence and proceeded. I did well, as remarked by the discussants. The conference ended with a beginning of pursuit of scholarly meaning of humanities and a commitment to transforming reading into leading.
(Sibu Dhakal is pursuing an M.Phil. at Nepal Open University.)
