February 15- Padam Sundas, a national Dalit literary figure and noted Dalit leader is appointed by the Government of Nepal as a member of Nepal Academy. Sundas is the second academician to be honored as a member of the national academy of scholars, from Dalit community after Academician Ramsharan Darnal.

Padam Sundas led Nepal’s Dalit literature movement as the President of Nepal Dalit Sahitya tatha Sansktriti Pratisthan (Nepal Dalit Literature and Culture Academy), a non-govenmental organization.

In the early 1970s, Dalit leader Sundas led a program for Dalits’ entry into various temples in Nepal as a test to evaluate the Muluki Ain (Civil Code), 1963, promulgated by King Mahendra if it would work for eradication of untouchability as claimed. “I was thrown out when I tried to enter a temple because I am a Dalit,” Sundas had once said “Nearly one-fourth of Nepal’s population are Dalits, who are treated as less than human. We have been trying to challenge that, but the Civil Code that asks you not to disturb social harmony [which never existed] blocks such efforts.”

In recent years, he has been continually supporting the struggle for Dalit quota reserved for medical education in Nepal. More recently, he was in the fore-front to back the Dalit students fighting for restoration of 15% quota reservation for Dalit MBBS degree studies.

Nepaldalitinfo network expresses hearty congratulations to the leader Sundas for his appointment as the Academician of the Nepal Academy.

A Dalit intellectual Hira Bishwokarma in his congratulatory note writes, “Sundas Dai is a dedicated leader and activist of Dalit movement. He has been contributing to enrich the Dalit literature through his own writing and helping others to publish. I think, he truly deserves the position. Let us see to what extent he would be able to play a role in favour of Dalits. Especially, as arts and culture of Dalits need to be preserved and promoted, and we hope that he would be able to avert some of the resources of Nepal Academy in their favour.”

Saroj Dillu, a younger literary figure from Dalit community, congratulating Sundas writes, “We hope, he would break the traditional Bahunism at the Academy and open the path of opportunities for Dalit litterateurs/scholars for their access to reach the Academy.”

Dilip Nepali, an another Nepaldalitinfo member also expressed his hearty congratulations to Sundas.

In the recent appointments made by the Government of Nepal for various academies, a Dalit woman artist Aruna Himmang has been appointed a member of Nepal Fine Arts Academy.

Report by:
Bhakti Nepal
For Nepaldalitnfo Network

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