SAI - News

The Allama Iqbal Chair, South Asia Institute (University of Heidelberg) is organising a seminar on ‘Faiz Ahmed Faiz: A Revolutionary Poet of Pakistan’. Participants include Dr. Sayed Wiqar Ali Shah, Dr. Christina Oesterheld and Dr. Qazi Abid.

Time, Date & Location: February 11th 2011, 3-5 pm, at SAI, Room 316.

Jhala Nath Khanal elected as new Prime Minister in Nepal
The Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the largest party in parliament, pulled out from the prime minister race in the very last minute on Thursday and instead supported the candidate of the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninists). Bringing an end to the election debacle which started seven months ago and saw 16 unsuccessful election rounds. Yesterday, Jhala Nath Khanal assumed office after taking the oath of office administered by President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav. But, until today (Monday) no cabinet could be formed as no decision was reached between the UCPN (Maoist) and CPN (UML) over the portfolio allocation. Particularly the question of who will lead the Home Ministry is at issue.
There are not only differences between the two allies but also within the CPN (UML) itself.The party is divided over the coalition with the Maoists and the secret 7-point deal Jhala Nath Khanal signed with Pushpa Kamal Dahal. A lot of tasks are ahead of the new government. On May 28 the deadline for the drafting of the new constitution ends and the faith of the PLA combatants is still undecided. The secret 7-point deal suggest a new security entity where the combatants along with other security personnel from the police and army shall be integrated. The PLA combatants are stationed in cantonments since four years and are now monitored by a cross-party Special Committee. UNMIN, who had the responsibilities of arms monitoring after the decade-long armed-conflict left Nepal in mid-January as Nepalʻs government did not extend its mandate.
How Nepalʻs two neighbours, China and India, see the new alliance is of utter interest and importance to the ongoing peace process.

Links / News:
BBC - 3 February 2011 - ”Nepal: Jhalanath Khanal elected new prime minister“
BBC - 3 February 2011 - ”Profile: New Nepal Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal“
The Kathmandu Post - 3 February 2011 - ”Khanal is elected new PM“
The Kathmandu Post - 3 February 2011 -”India, China will be happy“
The Kathmandu Post - 6 February 2011 - ”Allies at odds: Khanal is in, without a Cabinet“
The Kathmandu Post - 6 February 2011 - ”Maoist-UML agreement“

Update and Links: Lars Stöwesand

The research magazine of Heidelberg University, Ruperto Carola, features two articles on South Asia in its latest issue. Both articles are available online though in German only. The first article by Hans Harder, head of the department for Modern South Asian Languages and Literatures (Modern Indology), deals with Satire in Asia during Colonial Time. The second article by Christiane Brosius, who holds the chair for Visual and Media Anthropology, introduces romantic love in the era of globalization.

In 2010 numerous publications have emerged from the work of the employees of the South Asia Institute. At this point a small choice:

A hearty welcome to two scholars from India who are at SAI during the winter term on a Baden-Wuerttemberg Fellowship: Tanka B. Subba is Professor of Anthropology at North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India and Prashant Negi is Assistant Professor at the Dr. K./R. Narayanan Centre for Dalit & Minorities Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.

Everybody is most welcome to visit, contact and exchange ideas: Prashant Negi (Room 416, Tel.:54-8943, e-mail: negiprashant@gmail.com) and Tanka B. Subba (Room 511, Tel.: 54-8938 e-mail: tbsubba_shg@dataone.in)