The purpose of this self-introduction is to give the readers of this blog a better knowledge of who I am and why I have decided to start this blog.
My name is Bijay Thapa. I was born in Bhimad Nagar Palika, Arunodaya, Badahar Bhanjyang, Tanahun, Nepal on 31 July 1983 to Bal Bahadur Thapa (of the Dishuwa Thapa lineage) and his wife Tara Devi Thapa (of the Sinjali Thapa lineage). My father was a native Magar but for eight years got an education in Nepalese, the only language of instruction available at the time at the village school. He was then forced by his economic situation to join in the Indian Gurkha Army. He worked there until retirement, having eventually obtained the rank of Subedar. My mother is illiterate, she has never seen the school. As like my mom, many of the women are illiterate at that period. The reason is, 1) Government has had not Magar language curriculum systems. 2) Hinduism and blind belief society does not be allowed their girls education.
I have two brothers (one older and one younger) and two sisters (also, one older and one younger). I was raised as a child to speak four languages in Magar, Nepalese, Hindi, and English, as my first year of school as a child was a school in India. Where the medium of instruction was in English. Then, I was sent back by my father to a local school in my hometown for two or three years. I was then sent to a public school in Kathmandu. After two years in Kathmandu, for economic reason, I was sent back to my hometown once again where I studied at a local public school until my 10th years of education. Unlike most Magar children in my hometown, I had been raised speaking Nepalese in addition to Magar. So I was one of only two or three Magar children who had the linguistic background making it possible to finish the government's middle school program of education. Which was and still is predominantly a Nepalese language medium program. I went on to do what is called "plus two" in Nepal at a private school in Pokhara.
To the best of my knowledge (and I apologize if I am wrong), I was the first Magar child from my village to finish 12 years of primary and secondary education and to graduate with a full secondary school education. In looking back on things, however, it seems something of a miracle. I can still remember one of my teachers telling me that, as a Magar, I should aim for a position in either the Indian or the British army and that I should not waste my time trying to get an education that wouldn't earn me any money in the future.
After that, I got a diploma from a computer training program school in India. I did various things to survive, including setting up an internet cafe which was put out of business during the civil unrest in Nepal at the time. At the same time, I became a student at a Tribhuvan University campus in Pokhara. It was at this time that I decided to try a new life for myself in Japan. Fortunately, I got admitted to a Japanese language school in Fukuoka and equally as fortunately, was able to get a visa. After finishing the two-years Japanese language school program, I had entered, I studied at a vocational college in Tokyo to further my knowledge of computer science for two years. Having been brain-washed with the best of good intentions as a child, it still hadn't occurred to me that even someone belonging to the minority Magar ethnic group could build an academic career.
It was at this time that I was introduced by my friend Manjeet Kaur to the then head of the graduate school program in English at Daito Bunka University. who after interviewing me, that I should try to enter the graduate school program directly. But, at the time I`m suffering from financial problems. He suggests me to join their research program for a year. because it is very less school fee. He felt that I would do a good job in that program. Having no other good option at the time, I put my trust in his judgment and applied to Daito Bunka University's graduate school as a research student program. Asking for special permission to sit for the written examination and interview that would have to be lucky, I passed. After one year as a research student, I was able, under the rules of Daito Bunka University at that time, to apply to take the test as a regular graduate student. Again I did very hard work in this test too.
Thinking about it now, I realize that being able to enter the master's program of Daito Bunka University was something of a miracle and it affected me strongly, making me want to do my best, to do something special with my life. I have never been able to forget that Professor Kitabayashi told me that "my life was not my own" that I belonged to the Magar people and that it was my duty to give Magar people back pride in their ethnicity. entered the master's program in which I spent three years. Spending three years was not my original intention, but I did so in order to keep a visa and to meet my family obligation to be considered as acceptable as a possible spouse in Nepal. This is too, proved to be a matter of good luck, because it enabled me not only to get N1 on the Japanese Language Proficiency Examination but also allowed me to get the TOEIC score (the minimum score is 725 at that time) for applying entrance into Daito Bunka's doctoral program. Again, my luck held out and I was able to become a doctor's student, where I am now doing research on me (in Magar studies) from a perspective of linguistic ethnography and geolinguistics.
I am now at a stage of my research, thanks to others both inside and outside of the Magar community, where I can move forward on my study of Magar history, a field of research for which profound difficulties continue to exist and for which I will continue to need the cooperation of many others.
I have two brothers (one older and one younger) and two sisters (also, one older and one younger). I was raised as a child to speak four languages in Magar, Nepalese, Hindi, and English, as my first year of school as a child was a school in India. Where the medium of instruction was in English. Then, I was sent back by my father to a local school in my hometown for two or three years. I was then sent to a public school in Kathmandu. After two years in Kathmandu, for economic reason, I was sent back to my hometown once again where I studied at a local public school until my 10th years of education. Unlike most Magar children in my hometown, I had been raised speaking Nepalese in addition to Magar. So I was one of only two or three Magar children who had the linguistic background making it possible to finish the government's middle school program of education. Which was and still is predominantly a Nepalese language medium program. I went on to do what is called "plus two" in Nepal at a private school in Pokhara.
To the best of my knowledge (and I apologize if I am wrong), I was the first Magar child from my village to finish 12 years of primary and secondary education and to graduate with a full secondary school education. In looking back on things, however, it seems something of a miracle. I can still remember one of my teachers telling me that, as a Magar, I should aim for a position in either the Indian or the British army and that I should not waste my time trying to get an education that wouldn't earn me any money in the future.
After that, I got a diploma from a computer training program school in India. I did various things to survive, including setting up an internet cafe which was put out of business during the civil unrest in Nepal at the time. At the same time, I became a student at a Tribhuvan University campus in Pokhara. It was at this time that I decided to try a new life for myself in Japan. Fortunately, I got admitted to a Japanese language school in Fukuoka and equally as fortunately, was able to get a visa. After finishing the two-years Japanese language school program, I had entered, I studied at a vocational college in Tokyo to further my knowledge of computer science for two years. Having been brain-washed with the best of good intentions as a child, it still hadn't occurred to me that even someone belonging to the minority Magar ethnic group could build an academic career.
It was at this time that I was introduced by my friend Manjeet Kaur to the then head of the graduate school program in English at Daito Bunka University. who after interviewing me, that I should try to enter the graduate school program directly. But, at the time I`m suffering from financial problems. He suggests me to join their research program for a year. because it is very less school fee. He felt that I would do a good job in that program. Having no other good option at the time, I put my trust in his judgment and applied to Daito Bunka University's graduate school as a research student program. Asking for special permission to sit for the written examination and interview that would have to be lucky, I passed. After one year as a research student, I was able, under the rules of Daito Bunka University at that time, to apply to take the test as a regular graduate student. Again I did very hard work in this test too.
Thinking about it now, I realize that being able to enter the master's program of Daito Bunka University was something of a miracle and it affected me strongly, making me want to do my best, to do something special with my life. I have never been able to forget that Professor Kitabayashi told me that "my life was not my own" that I belonged to the Magar people and that it was my duty to give Magar people back pride in their ethnicity. entered the master's program in which I spent three years. Spending three years was not my original intention, but I did so in order to keep a visa and to meet my family obligation to be considered as acceptable as a possible spouse in Nepal. This is too, proved to be a matter of good luck, because it enabled me not only to get N1 on the Japanese Language Proficiency Examination but also allowed me to get the TOEIC score (the minimum score is 725 at that time) for applying entrance into Daito Bunka's doctoral program. Again, my luck held out and I was able to become a doctor's student, where I am now doing research on me (in Magar studies) from a perspective of linguistic ethnography and geolinguistics.
I am now at a stage of my research, thanks to others both inside and outside of the Magar community, where I can move forward on my study of Magar history, a field of research for which profound difficulties continue to exist and for which I will continue to need the cooperation of many others.
