Building a New Nepal – After the Quake

CASI Seminar

CASI Spring 2015 Visiting Fellow

Prashant Jha
Associate Editor, Hindustan Times
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Center for the Advanced Study of India
3600 Market Street, Suite 560 (5th floor)
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104

 

 

About the Speaker:
Prashant Jha is a journalist and author. He has written Battles of The New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal, a deeply personal, reportage-based account of war and peace in his country. He is currently the Associate Editor of Hindustan Times, writing on Indian politics and foreign policy. Mr. Jha was a political columnist for Nepal’s leading dailies for over five years, focusing, in particular, on the role of the far-left, rise of identity politics, and Nepal-India ties. He has been the Kathmandu correspondent for The Hindu, a contributing editor with Himal Southasian magazine, and an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

About the Lecture:
On April 25, Nepal was hit by a devastating earthquake. Over 7,000 people have died and the numbers are steadily increasing. The full scale of losses in terms of human casualties, homes destroyed and cultural heritage reduced to rubble is still not known. The earthquake has tested the already limited resolve of the Nepali state, which is struggling to cope and respond to the disaster – especially in rural areas. In this backdrop, what is the current situation on the ground and challenges ahead for the government? How did Nepal get here and could a functional political order have equipped the country to deal with this better? What will be the possible political implications of this disaster – in terms of the quest for a new constitution? What has been the role of India in relief efforts – and in general in Nepal? Where does the rest of the international community come in? This lecture will focus on these and related issues.

[Event Flyer]

The Nand & Jeet Khemka Distinguished Lecture Series is an endowed public program of the Center for the Advanced Study of India (CASI). Launched in the 2007-08 academic year, and made possible through the generous support of the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, the series brings renowned India specialists to the Penn community and serves as a critical forum for analyzing and understanding the complex economic, political, social, and cultural changes that the world’s largest democracy is experiencing, as well as the challenges that lie ahead.
The Saluja Global Fellows Program has been made possible by the generous gift from Vishal Saluja ENG’89 W’89. CASI was excited to launch the program during the 2022–23 academic year, coinciding with the Center’s 30th Anniversary. This new program enables CASI to invite eminent leaders and rising experts on contemporary India preferably from the fields of media, culture, law, and contemporary history to be in residence for one to two weeks at CASI.