Welcome to Season 2 of The Nepali Outpost! The first few episodes of Season 2 are part of a mini-series The Nation and the Civilization.

In Episode 1, we talk with Dr. Nirmala Mani Adhikary, author and communication theorist, about the fractional nature of identity politics, how the Hindu community should respond to cow killing, and why Nepal has to look at its knowledge system to resolve social conflict.

The discussion then moves on to how Nepal's indigenous civilizational conception of the state and the nation is different from the Western understanding of the nation and state. Dr. Adhikary talks about why "dharma" ( not religion) is central to statecraft, and the "incommensurability between how people are living and how people are perceiving".

I also ask him how he plans to win over "Kathmandu liberals" who do not subscribe to his approach to decolonization. And how the Nepali diaspora can help ongoing punarjagaran. He speaks about Mitra-bodh and Satru-Bodh, and what the "most foolish" thing a person in the Nepali diaspora can do.

We end with why he thinks Hindutva works for India but not for Nepal, where Sanatana Dharma should be the guiding principle. And why BJP and RSS need reorientation towards indigenous worldview.

Show Recommendations:

• Role of the Diaspora
• ब्राह्मणवाद विरुद्ध घृणावाद : नेपालमा जातीय, भाषिक र साम्प्रदायिक सवाल
• आस्थाको शान्ति युद्ध
• India: A Million Mutinies Now- VS Naipaul

In the final episode of Season 1 of The Nepali Outpost, we speak with filmmaker Kirtana Banskota. Kirtana speaks to us about her creative journey, why representation is important, and what it means to be one of the few Nepali-American filmmakers and producers. We dive deeper into the cultural changers in Nepali diaspora, and why Nepal's filmmakers are underappreciated and how some of its best films go unrecognized.

She also speaks about her new projects; highs (and lows) of working with the Nepali community; and what the American in "Nepali-American" might mean.

Find out more about here work here: Banskota Production

Kirtana's upcoming feature film:

• Where The Stars Are- Official Teaser

Show recommendations include:

• BEEF | Official Trailer | Netflix
•  Trial By Fire | Official Trailer | Netflix India
• Ted Lasso
• Limitless

In this episode, Kosh Raj Koirala, Editor, of Republica talks with us about what he thinks is Nepal's most pressing national security challenge and why we are ill-equipped to face it. We talk about the growing distrust of the media, and misinformation in light of the infamous Rabi Lamichanne press conference. Kosh Raj also speaks to us about the opportunity he sees for English language media in Nepal.

Show recommendations include: 

• Nepal: Strategy for Survival, Leo E. Rose
• Pashtuns: A Contested History, Tilak Devasher
  

This last week has people questioning ideas that this episode speaks directly to. First, what role can (and should) Non-Residential Nepalis and the Nepali Diaspora play in Nepal's growth story? Second, the struggle of Nepali entrepreneurs and the realities of doing business in Nepal. 

In this episode, we speak with Preeti Adhikary, founder of The Great Nepali Diaspora, about why creating a platform for professionals in the diaspora, to share their expertise and lift each other up, is an idea whose time has truly come. Preeti talks about why the diaspora needs to take ownership of its own narrative and "at least give ourselves a chance if we are to succeed as a community". We talk about what intentional collective success looks like and why she continues to be an optimist. 

Show recommendations include: 

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know, Malcolm Gladwell

Boju Bajai

The Legend of Vox Machina

In a much delayed, but highly relevant episode*, The Nepali Outpost speaks to Dipak Gyawali about the recent elections in Nepal and why he remains pessimistic about the health of Nepal's democracy.

Dipak Gyawali shares his experiences of asking the US to arm-twist the Indians into allowing the Maoists to negotiate with the King's Government; his thoughts on the growth of Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and why he calls himself a Green Democratic Socialist - a one-man party of which he is both the party chairman and the only cadre!

We speak of the need to rethink development and the importance of weighing societal rights against individual freedoms.  We also delve into why Prithivi Narayan Shah's "fulbari rashtriyata" remains relevant and why India's BJP-style Hindutva will not work in Nepal. 

Podcast recommendations: 

• Aneko ka Drishti ma Rashtra-Nirmata Prtithvi Narayan Shah - Hari Prasad Sodari 
• What's Left of the Jungle: A Conservation Story- Nitin Sekar  
• The Battle for Sanskrit: Is Sanskrit Political or Sacred, Oppressive or Liberating, Dead or Alive?- Rajiv Malhotra 

*Please note: This podcast was recorded on December 24, 2022, before Pushpa Kamal Dahal " Prachanda" was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 26, 2022. 

What does it mean that a civilisation is sleeping?

In this episode, The Nepali Outpost talks to Raghava Krishan, Founder of Bṛhat- Culture Engine, about what it takes to wake up a sleeping civilisation. Raghava shares his personal journey and how Bṛhat is bridging the gap between yearning and realization. Raghava also shares the importance of indigenous aesthetics in the design of a culture engine. In this first of many sessions, we try to lay the foundation for continual conversations on the civilisational ties that bind Nepal and India. 

Show Recommendations Include: 

Kantara Official Trailer- Rishab Shetty, Vijay Kiragandur ;  Hombale Films

Our Deities are Waking Us Up – What Kantara Means to Hindus, Shri Ramachandra Roddam; Bṛhat- Culture Engine

The only way to strengthen Indo-Nepal relations - Nirmal Mani Adhikary 

Bhagavan Parasurama: Kartavirya Arjuna, kathāmṛta 

Introduction to Yogi Naraharinath

Aneka Rebecca Rajbhandari on why Nepal and China still find each other hard to decipher. We also discuss why Nepal’s China-watchers must pay attention to the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) ideology. And why China’s Nepal experts need to talk to a diverse array of stakeholders in Nepal. We talk about her work with The Arniko Project and the importance of language.

Show Recommendations include:

• All Roads Lead North, Amish Raj Mulmi
• China in Ten Words, Yu Hua, Allan H. Barr (Translator)
• The Chinese who are learning Nepali,  Aneka Rebecca Rajbhandari
• The Sandman, Neil Gaiman(Writer), Allan Heinberg, and David S. Goyer

What makes a food "Nepali"? What makes food "authentic"? Do Western cooking standards hamper how we engage with Nepali food? We talk about it all in this episode of The Nepali Outpost with guest Prashanta Khanal, whose new book Timmur – Stories and Flavours from Nepal is available in fine book stores near you. We also talk about the politics of food, question Nepal's inferiority complex, and wonder about the future of Kathmandu's foodscape. Prashanta and Slok also share their one controversial take on Nepali food -- it involves vegetable momos and Dalle Khursani. Happy Listening!

Show recommendations and notes 

Kathmandu Post- Prashanta Khanal 

The Gandruk 

Anthony Bourdain - Parts Unknown

Street Food USA 

Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking