Interview with Dr. Mahendra P. Lama

Interview with Dr. Mahendra P. Lama
by Mr. D.B.Rai, sikkimttimes.com Correspondent

Dr. Mahendra P. Lama is the Vice Chancellor of Sikkim University, the first of its kind in the North East. This University is Central University created by an Act of Parliament in 2007. He was also the Professor of Economics in Jawaharlal Nehru University and chaired the prestigious Centre for South, Central, South East Asian and South West Pacific Studies in the School of International Studies. He has held several prestigious positions in the past which include Visiting Professorship and Fellows in various Universities in India and abroad. He also held the post of Chief Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister of Sikkim for seven years in the cabinet minister rank and wrote the first Human Development Report, first Economic Survey and now famous Nathu la Trade Route Report. He has represented India in many forum including in SAARC and ASEAN. He is the youngest Vice Chancellor of India.

Luckily I got the opportunity to share some minutes with the 47 year old Vice Chancellor when he gave me the appointment on 28 January 2008 at the new administrative building of Sikkim University at 5 pm. I especially wanted to know the present development of Sikkim University and his opinion on the Gorkhaland movement which he has been advocating through many papers and programmes and for last many years now. Here are the excerpts of his interview:


SikkimTimes: Sir, I heard that Sikkim University would be a world-class standard University.

Prof Lama: You are right. We are envisaging to make this university a world-class institute. The university would work as an institutional dynamo in this critical part of India. Such kinds of institution are not available neither in the East and Northeast region of our country nor in our immediate neighbouring countries including in Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Burma and even in South West China.

Our Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Dr Pawan Chamling also have the vision to make a superb university in this region. We are geo-politically located in a very strategic area and could cater to all the neighbouring countries also in providing education related services. We are also sitting on a huge pool of knowledge and intellectual property which have so far remained unexplored.


SikkimTimes: how are you going to make it super class?

Prof Lama : See! We do not have any dearth of wherewithal for making a university of international standard that is unique from the other universities. Under Sikkim University Act we are free to decide its own rules and regulations, design our academic programmes and plan our infrastructures. This means we are starting from a scratch. This is a rare opportunity to imagine, plan and build absolutely a new institution. I feel privileged in assuming this position. We can bring resources from both the governmental and non-governmental sources. Our major challenge is not the financial resources but to attract and bring the best teachers and a diverse set of students from both within India and abroad. For this we shall provide all amenities including physical and virtual facilities, attractive perks and scholarships, research infrastructures and most importantly a friendly governance system and social environment and most importantly attractive and far reaching academic programmes.


SikkimTimes: Besides the facilities how will your university be different from others?

Prof Lama : To be different is our strength. However difference does not mean that we totally discard the old and adopt only new. Our University will be a symbol of continuity amidst change. Therefore we shall have three major academic programmes traditional, non-traditional and policy related. In the traditional programmes we shall have a range of Schools including Social Sciences, bio-technology, law and governance, environmental sciences etc. In the non-traditional programmes we shall schools like that of sustainable development and livelihood, indigenous studies and peace conflict and human security. Each school will have several centres which traditionally we call departments. Beside this we shall also have a full school devoted to Policy Studies.

For example, courses will be floated on indigenous history, mountain studies, sustainable development, designing, border studies, military sciences, global studies, global warming, disaster management, water, energy and natural resources, culture and ethnicity, music besides the generic courses like economics, biology. More importantly most of these courses and programmes will be inter – disciplinary. This means it will be more holistic. For instance a student who studies Physics will also have to deal with inter-connected social science subjects like economics etc. Many of these programmes are not at all available in other Universities in India and abroad. In fact we have already started some of these at the undergraduate level in our affiliated colleges.


SikkimTimes: At present what are you doing for the university?

Prof Lama : Presently we are designing and operationalising four policies. These are making the rules and regulations of the university, designing Academic programme, planning physical infrastructure and revamping of the colleges which fall under the university. At the same time we have started designing the human resources management of our University which is very crucial in the institution building process.

Regarding the physical infrastructure, we are going to have architectural team who will provide physical design of the university that will have a good mix of Sikkimese, oriental or occidental style. The architectural team will also design other critical aspects where we want our buildings and functional premises to be earthquake proof, energy efficient, physically handicapped friendly etc. Besides, the varsity campus to be set up in 300 acre land at Yangang in South Sikkim will have all kind of facilities like automated library, super class sports complex, modern labs, academic complexes, hospital, multi-cuisine cafeteria, banking facilities, railway to air-ticket facilities, school and meditation centres etc. This means it will be self contained campus.

Chief Minister of Sikkim Dr Pawan Chamling and the people of Sikkim at large are taking a keen interest in all our projects.

SikkimTimes: Please explain the meaning of the other policies also.

Prof Lama : We shall have an exclusive and full School of Policy Studies. This School will draw experts and professionals from all over the country and abroad and along with our own students and faculty members, various policy studies will be conducted. For instance, there are large scale disasters including the landslides in the hills and mountains. We shall first study these landslides and suggest policies to the development agencies on the prevention and management of landslides. Similarly we keep talking about richness on medicinal plants and folk medicines. We have to commercialize them and patent them. This has two aspects the research aspects and the policy aspects including marketing, patenting and framing other legal issues. So far no one has done it. It has to be done in an organised manner. This School will do it and institutionalise it. What should be our polices on border management, natural resources management given the changing profiles of global economies and cross border interactions ? Who will do this ? Our School will carry out such policy studies.

The university also has a plan to revamp the entire college system. As soon as the colleges came under our university from North Bengal University, the colleges needed to have semester based teaching and evaluation system. There will be total six semesters for a complete degree course and in each semester there will be three internal assessments. We shall have to revamp the entire syllabus and bring the best syllabus to our colleges. More importantly we shall have to introduce inter-disciplinary programmes so that our college students become outward looking, knowledgeable and competitive. This will make the student up-to-date to their subject, besides the teacher will also be pro-active in their duty.


SikkimTimes: Any other speciality of the university?

Prof Lama : Yes, our university will also be different in work culture from other universities. First of all, we will not have any peon. Every officer and teacher have to maintain his office. We shall outsource engineering services, security system, sanitation and food services. From the very beginning we are saying that our University will be transparent in every respect. We respect the people’s aspirations that our University should be a “zero corruption” university. We can do it and we are committed to it.

We want our staff to be on a mission mode and not the typical government service mode. So far we have had excellent set of human resources to run the affairs of the University. My colleagues have a high level of social commitment to build an institution of international standard. We shall have to keep it up. This is our strength. Though we have a strict office time from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm one can see a large number of them staying back till they finish their respective assignments. This inspires all of us. We give full freedom and ample facilities to our executives. They are doing well. It is a good mix of local and national talents. We learn from each other and plus we have a large number of visitors and experts giving us advices and scope.


SikkimTimes: Let’s turn to other side. Sir, now tell me how the Nepali community of Darjeeling, Dooars and also of Assam will be benefited from this university?

Prof Lama : Let me tell you it is a national University and you know that University is class-caste-ideology and religion neutral. Quality of education is topmost in our agenda. So we donot have any preference for any particular ethnic group or regional entity. However, we want the maximum participation from the people of Sikkim and its surrounding regions including Darjeeling. In fact after over 60 years of independence we are going to have a good higher education institution in this region. Our people in the region should harness this great opportunity. We know our boys and girls are very talented and could do wonders if they are given the right opportunity. This University exactly provides that at the very doorstep. Why should our students hunt for jobs? We want the companies , government and other employers to come to us to fetch the services of our students.

Besides that we want to study, conserve and sustain the very essence of this region. For instance, we shall have a full school devoted to Indigenous Studies wherein we shall study various ethnic groups and communities, natural resources, social systems and development dynamics in the region in greater details. We are worried that the rich cultural heritage of this region is fast eroding and some of them have already gone into the brink of oblivion. We have a great opportunity to introduce these cultures at a global scale. We did not do that own our own in the last 200 years. Whatever was done , they were mostly by scholars and travelers from outside both during the British India and post-independence period. We shall have to make a major dent into all these own our own. This will enrich the region and the nation and the global thinking process.


SikkimTimes: I came to know that the locals also will be given some preference in this institute. If so then, will the students of Darjeeling and Dooars be counted as locals and in which basis the locals will be given the reservation?

Prof Lama : We definitely have programmes and schemes to encourage the students from the region to come and partake the benefits of higher education under Sikkim University. We are designing them. We donot want any student to be handicapped by economic background in aspiring for higher education.

SikkimTimes: Regarding Gorkhaland movement which has again appeared in Darjeeling district, do you want to say anything?

Prof Lama : What is happening in Darjeeling is something positive. After independence the West Bengal Government because of various reasons steadily practiced internal colonialism. Look what happened to the resources, institutions and people of Darjeeling and Dooars. After the signing of the accord in 1988 and setting up of the DGHC Darjeeling literally became a slum in every respect. Everything went bad and we are all in a disastrous phase. This is the example of a leadership failure. Bengal needs to democratize its democracy. It talks of development but in action it only destroys and destroys. The agent of destruction is again a hill man, the Chairman of the DGHC. The present movement against the Bengal Government and its flag bearer in Darjeeling was a crying need. Misrule and dictatorship created by DGHC chairman would be uprooted and will last no longer. After 18 months it will be totally uprooted.

What a sad situation ? Bengal had a very good opportunity to regain the confidence of the people of Darjeeling district in the last 23 years. It did not do that. It again adopted a traditional and hoodwinking instrument to regain the confidence of the leader and not the people. It therefore protected, developed and hypnotized DGHC chairman with all petty perks and guards and neglected the people. The leader floated in vanity, arrogance and sense of artificial pride. The cost is naturally very high and Bengal will have to pay heavy price for the same. Look at the role of Bengal even on the issue of Sixth schedule. The Chief Minister had to cancel his own Party’s meeting in Darjeeling even then he thought DGHC chairman was right and commands peoples support. What could be the right definition of political shortsightedness that this simple inability to read the writing in the open wall. You know I saw national highway undergoing petty repairs when he was to visit Darjeeling. This is really symbolic of Bengal’s attitude in Darjeeling. You do petty and artificial repairs but donot build, donot construct and donot give anything big.


Equally shameful has been the role of DGHC Chairman. He did nothing but tried to divert the attention of the people from the main issues of development and separate state to very hackneyed and at times very disturbing issues like No Man’s land, 1950 India-Nepal Treaty, public meeting at Toodikhel in Kathmandu, airport in Dhootriah, the International Court of Justice at Hague, Gorkha vs Nepali language issue, Mata and Pita issues, Dhunga and Murti issue, to see a Goddess in Nepal’s lady nun-singer Ani, sixth schedule, international spy ring issue and what not. Can we think of a single good project done by him ? Who gained except a few contractors and bureaucrats and councillors ? All the people cried and remained shocked by his harmful actions. Writer’s Building in Calcutta celebrated his madness and showered on him the red blessings for more stupidity and anti-people activities. Do we forget how many people were killed during his treacherous regime, how Bhanubhakta’s bust was stolen from Chowrasta ? Do we forget that he did not even pay Rs 8000 to the families of people who died in the first phase of Gorkhaland agitation ? Whereas in Nandigram they paid lakhs and even in Nithari child victims case they paid lakhs as compensation.

Let us also be very clear that the people demanding separate state comprising of Darjeeling district and Dooars areas are demanding it for last 100 years. They were never and will never be against Bengalis. They are against the Bengal’s system like the people of Nandigram and like the Naxalites in 1960s and 70s. Bengalis living in these two districts have been and will be a very valuable constituent of the new State. It is not a communal demand. This is made out to be so by a particular political party to hide their ideological hypocrisy, political ineptness and inefficient and dictatorial governance. Historically the hill people are the most proven non-communal people and Darjeeling is the custodian of communal harmony and democratic practices. The present day Bengal only looks for the conservation of its political party and not the people at large. How can you run a state and country like this ? The system is bound to collapse sooner or later as it has happened in Darjeeling district and Dooars.


SikkimTimes: Is it possible to form a Gorkhaland?

Prof Lama : Hundred per cent as Centre is very favorable to us and Bengal Government has morally and psychologically accepted this. Only a legislative action is required now. Only problem is that of mass mobilization and convincing the right people with right arguments, at right place and at right time. We must have our Dooars with it as historically it has been with us. Therefore, we need to undertake mass mobilization especially in plain areas. We should go to non-hill people and try to convince them about the need to have a separate state. We should tell them how much we can gain both interms of political freedom and economic benefits if we have a separate state. Look at Dooars, Bengal has finished them in every respect there. Hunger death is the rule there. Only politics is there.

Bengal has reached the pinnacle of its development. It can not go up now. This is the maximum Bengal can do and reach. Whereas we can, we have a huge potentials and bright future. As a separate state ours could be one of the most dynamic and developed states in the country and whole of eastern India. We have tea, cinchona, water, rich bio-diversity, tourism, border trade, human resources and Darjeeling as an internationally acclaimed brand name. We just need to scientifically harness and revitalize all these. If Deng Xiaoping can resurrect the China since 1979 which was finished by Mao’s Cultural Revolution why not Darjeeling under the warmth of democracy and the direct purview of Government of India ? People in Dooars should understand this. They too are very fed up with the Bengal government. It is a question of time only. They all will be with us very soon. But we have to reach out to them.

I donot call it Gorkhaland as our State would be an all inclusive state like the Muslims, Bengalis, Biharis, Kochemeches, Marwaris and the hill people and many others from other parts of India. Our Chief Minister could be anyone and from any community and any background.


SikkimTimes: Sir, you said that Centre was favorable. What about Greater Nepal theory given to prevent Gorkhaland?

Prof Lama : It is just an assumption and is a figment of imagination. Ours is a great country with solid human resources and strong democratic ethos. No one can even think of disturbing us let alone a friendly neighbouring country like Nepal. Greater Nepal concept is a British legacy and such legacies have only done incessant harm to our country. Look at the partition of India, that was a British action and legacy. How much of damage it has caused to our country and the people of Pakistan.



(The writer is a freelancer by profession and can be reached at dbrai2007@rediffmail.com)