Page 7 - SAU Connect September 2019

The Quarterly Newsletter of South Asian University | Volume 4 Issue 1 September 2019 The Quarterly Newsletter of South Asian University | Volume 4 Issue 1 September 2019

SAU Orientation 2019 Academic Events

Work, Identity and Livelihood in “New” Nepal: Conversation within South Asia

New Delhi (19-19.07.2019) SAU Sociology News: A two-day international conference “Work, Identity and
Livelihood in ‘New’ Nepal: Conversation within South Asia was organised by SAU’s Department of
Sociology on 18-19 July 2019, in collaboration with Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) in
India, International Development Research Centre Canada (IDRC), the French National Centre for
Scientific Research (CNRS) and Martin Chautari in Nepal. This is our second biannual conference engaging
with how “work” constitutes one or more of the multidimensional identities Nepalis hold within and
outside Nepal. As was the case with our first conference held in SAU in 2017, all papers presented in the
proposed conference were on Nepal, and all discussants were topic specialists who brought a South Asian
perspective into the discussion.

The conference began with the opening speech by Dr. Mallika Shakya representing the Department of
Sociology and Dr Anindya Chatteerjee, Regional Director for Asia, IDRC Canada. The rest of the
conference comprised of 8 panel discussions over two days. Twenty (20) scholars from Nepal were
selected from a large pool of abstracts submitted. Eight scholars were invited as designated discussants
to provide feedback on these papers. There were just under 50 participants at the conference.

At the end of the first day of the conference, Professor Surinder Jodhka from JNU, Professsor Chitra Joshi
from Delhi University and Dr Mekhala Krishnamurthy from Ashoka University engaged in a discussion of
two books on Nepal: The first was authored by Dr Mallika Shakya, Department of Sociology, SAU, entitled,
“Death of an Industry: The Cultural Politics of Garment Manufacturing during the Maoist Revolution in
New Delhi (29.07.2019) SAU News: The new batch of Masters and PhD students, who cleared the SAU Nepal” (Cambridge University Press: NY/Cambridge/Delhi). The second was co-edited by Dr Laya Prasad
Entrance Test 2019, has come in. Registration process for students from SAARC countries other than India Uprety, Dr Suresh Dhakal and Dr Jagat Basnet, Tribhuvan University, entitled “Peasant studies in Nepal”
was held on 11 and 12 July 2019, while that for students from India was held on 25 and 26 July 2019. An (Vajra Books: Kathmandu).
Orientation Programme to welcome all the freshers was organised on 29 July 2019.
At the closing session, Dr Anindya Chatterjee from IDRC Canada and Dr Feyzi Ismail, SOAS discussed
Dr. Kavita A Sharma, President, SAU, delivered the welcome address and narrated a brief history of the possible trajectories for this conference going forward. This session was chaired by Dr Yogesh Raj, Martin
university and the on-going project of constructing the permanent campus of the university. Professor Chautari Nepal.
Santosh C Panda, Vice President, SAU, shared his perspective on how difficult it is to compete with
hundreds of aspiring students to find a place among the select few in each programme. He expressed his
hope that when young minds gather in the quest for knowledge in an environment like the one provided
by SAU, the entire SAARC region should gain.

The Dean of Students, hostel wardens, the medical officer, the counsellor and the members of the
Gender Sensitization Committee explained the rules, regulations and guidelines of the university. The
Director of Admissions and Evaluations read out some of the short essays written by the students during
an ice-breaking event organised for the students from SAARC countries other than India. The event
concluded with an interactive session accompanied by tea and refreshments.

After the initial programme, students from SAARC countries other than India participated in
Department/Faculty-specific two-week orientation sessions to familiarize themselves with the academic
programmes, to revise their undergraduate training, as well as to brush up their language skills.

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