“I don’t think it is right to
divide the country along ethnic or religious lines,” says Dr. Jagdish Chandra
Pokhrel, the recently appointed Vice Chairman of the National Planning Council.
“That would be a regressive step.” It is reassuring to know that the new chief
of the country’s think tank has such a definite view. Dr. Pokhrel goes on, “I
think politicians just like to make populist statements.” He himself is not in
such an easy position and says, “I believe that the new challenge facing the Council
is how to go about restructuring the nation as per recently felt needs.” This
statement makes him pause for a while to recollect his thoughts. Then he says,
“ What should be the basis on which we plan for a modern and prosperous Nepal ?
This is the real challenge.”
Well, the silver haired and thick
mustached Vice Chairman seems to have arrived at the right time. Could it be,
at last, a case of ‘the right man for the right job’? The fact that he has an excellent background
in architecture and regional planning should be of big help. “Most definitely,
yes,” agrees Dr. Pokhrel. My architectural background enables me to have a much
wider view as well as a keener insight of the issues.” When asked to explain
why, in spite of having relatively better infrastructure facilities than many
lesser developed countries, Nepal
consistently ranks among the poorest and least developed nations, the Vice
Chairman has this to say, “Well, for one, we were late starters, having opened
up only during the 1950’s. In addition, our society is highly traditional and
changes take a long time to happen. For instance, isn’t Kathmandu
supposed to be a modern metropolis? Still, you will find plenty of peasants
around. We are, I believe, a society steeped in culture and there is great
reluctance to change and experiment. As a people, we seem to be quite happy
with the status quo.” Another important point Dr. Pokhrel mentions is, “You
see, the country has not had much exposure to change. The fact that we never
had to face foreign domination means that unlike many others, we haven’t also had
what I would call, ‘forced exposure’ to change.”
Such views therefore makes it
natural for the Vice Chairman to say, “Now I think the Maoist insurgency has
forced everyone to accept that changes are needed and indeed, mandatory.” In
such a scenario it is obvious that the country’s apex policy making body has a
lot on its plate. Thankfully, the architect turned top bureaucrat who heads the
commission, seems to be up to the task. But
he does appear a bit worried too. Which, one must agree, is quite natural,
taking into account the colossal nature of the work at hand. Yet, it does look
like the right man is at the helm today. The Vice Chairman is well educated. He
received his B.Arch degree from Greece
and his Masters in Regional Planning from the University of Hawaii Boston , he received his PhD. “My thesis was
on the plight of displaced people owing to the implementation of the Kulekhani
project, as well as the resettlement of the same.” Obviously, with so much of
the same problem prevalent now due to conflict, and on a much larger scale, the
architect turned bureaucrat could well be turning pages of his thesis now and
then.
After graduation, Jagdish Chandra
Pokhrel started his professional career teaching at the Department of
Architecture in IOE. Around the same time he, along with other architects and
engineers, including Ajay Dixit, Madan B Karki, Prof. Sudarshan Tiwari,
Premnath Maskey and Pramod B Shrestha established a firm named COPE
(Consultants for Physical Environment). Initially, the office was situated in
Bagh Bazar which was shifted later to Meera Home in Khichapokhari. Works by the
firm included the Everest Bank building in Naya Baneswor, a campus in Doti and
the Pokhara Campus as well as many private residents. According to the
architect/bureaucrat, “I designed the residential quarters of Pokhara Campus.”
He also adds, “During the construction of Teaching Hospital in Maharjgunj,
although the designers were from Japan , I was on the committee as
the residential advisor/consultant.” Dr. Pokhrel states that he was a
practicing architect from 1978 to 1983. As far as COPE was concerned, Dr. Pokhrel
says, “Gradually all the partners started getting promotions in jobs they held
in their individual capacities. Some went abroad for further studies. And that
is how the firm disintegrated.” At the same time, Dr. Pokhrel recalls that
there used to be a consultancy services department in IOE which used to bid for
public projects. “I have done many public sector assignments under its
auspices,” he states.
From his experience, Dr. Pokhrel
sounds a warning when he says, “I have observed that we Nepalese find it
difficult to work in a team. However, if you see recent constructions you will
see that many are quite large and complex. For example, multiplexes and mass
housing. These projects require a team of dedicated professionals specializing
in different fields. Therefore, I do hope Nepalese professionals are not losing
out because of their inability to work in a group.” About architectural studies
in Nepal ,
he feels that it has become important to add a marketing and economic component
to the course. “It is not enough that one is well versed in architecture,” he
says. “Graduates need to think unconventionally and identify areas of
specialization. Thy must also explore new opportunities.” He is also of the
view that the country’s education system as a whole seems only to be designed
to get jobs. “In the west there is emphasis on experimentation and research. Here,
all the emphasis appears to be on getting the requisite degree which will open
employment opportunities.” A pause. Then he declares, “Our education system is
not suited for fast growth of the country.” Another pause. Another declaration,
“We are not enterprising.”
Dr. Pokhrel should know. He has
been a member of the National Planning Council from 1997 to 2002 and has been a
key player in the making of policies and plans. He laments, “Although there are
many new entrants in the bureaucracy who are far sighted and enterprising, the
problem is that one has to work with the same outdated system.” As an analogy,
he adds, “B P Koirala and Jawaharlal Nehru were visionary but because the
masses were not, they couldn’t take them along with their modern ideas.”
Explaining further, he elucidates, “Similarly, here, you have a bureaucracy
that was designed way back to serve the rulers. It still remains the same, with
few exceptions, and it still has some way to go before it realizes that it is
there to serve the people.”
Dr. Pokhrel obviously is a man of
modern ideas, whether his own, borrowed, or influenced, one cannot say, but he
appears to be quite dogmatic in his belief that modernism is needed for rapid
growth. In fact, he seems to be of the opinion that preservation should only
apply to important heritage sites. Perhaps that is why he reveals that the Council
has advised that the recently destroyed Palpa Durbar be left as it is without
any attempt at restoration. Again, it is debatable whether his opinion about
preservation is truly his own because, as everybody knows, people in high
places are likely to be targets of influence by many opinions from many
different parties with differing interests. As it is, there is already great
debate about heritage preservation and modernism in the country. Suffice it to
say that tourism will continue to be the major industry of the country in the
foreseeable future, and perhaps, heritage preservation demands more of a
country specific approach rather than a global one. The Vice Chairman is
impressed by many modern and restoration works in the Capital. “Going by what I
see of the newer structures coming up in Kathmandu
I must say that our architects seem to be doing a good job.” He specially
mentions Hisef Building
Dr. Pokhrel has a small family.
His wife, Usha, 51, is currently doing her PhD in Developmental Education in Boston . Of their two sons,
the elder, Atul, is a Princeton economics graduate, presently with the World
Bank in New Delhi , while the younger son,
Anurodh, is in Boston
studying Computer Sciences. The Vice Chairman lives in a secluded corner in
Sanepa, a peaceful haven by any standards. All said and done, he seems to have
it all. Yet, like many others, he has developed a couple of furrows on his
broad brow owing to the state of the nation. Only, in his case, the furrows
seem destined to grow much deeper in the coming days, placed as he is in a
position that will probably have to re-think on many aforesaid issues and come
up with new ideas that will take the country ahead. It will be no small matter
– directions have become completely realigned and expectations and demands
perhaps may not be in tune with Dr. Pokhrel’s own personal views. Perhaps not
even modernistic, an approach he is so convinced about.
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