Educationist Khaniya in plagiarism row 

RUDRA PANGENI
KATHMANDU: A renowned educationist‚ Tirth Raj Khaniya‚ has made it to the top of his field and enjoyed political patronage. What people outside the education sector don't know is the case of plagiarism‚ which caused embarrassment to the Nepal English Language Teachers' Association and the editorial team of its journal‚ NELTA‚ in 2010.

Khaniya lifted part of an article‚ including its conclusion‚ from a work of Ferit Kilickaya‚ an English Teacher at the Middle East Technical University‚ Ankara‚ and published it as his article -- Use of authentic materials in EFL classrooms -- in 2006 without giving due credit to Kilickaya. Kilickaya's article -- Authentic Materials and Cultural Content in EFL Classrooms -- was published in 2004.

Kilickaya discovered this in 2010‚ when Tribhuvan University’s online portal publishing journals posted NELTA’s journals‚ and complained to the NELTA in an email. "NELTA forwarded the mail to Khaniya seeking clarifications‚" sources quoted NELTA officials as saying. Asked about the article‚ however‚ chief editor of the journal‚ Jai Raj Awasthi‚ said he has no idea. “My editorial team is only responsible for the articles published in the NELTA journal after 2009 as we started peer review of the articles by two scholars thereafter.”He said authors themselves are accountable for the articles published before 2009.

NELTA‚ which started publishing the journal in 1996‚ not only removed the article from the online portal‚ but also withdrew the hard copies from its library and storage. NELTA officials told this daily on condition of anonymity that the edition was missing and said they were unaware of it. A copy of the journal obtained by THT from a personal collection‚ however‚ reveals whole paragraphs copied and pasted from Kilickaya's article without any change other than formatting.

Khaniya's article was published in the journal (Volume 11‚ Number 1-2) of Nepal English Language Teachers' Association (NELTA) in 2006.

Several academicians associated with the Tribhuvan University and other universities said they had no knowledge of the episode‚ while some spoke about it‚ only on condition of anonymity.

Khaniya is currently professor at the TU's Central Department of Education‚ Kirtipur. He was head of the department from 2004 to 2006.

Talking to this daily over the phone‚ Khaniya said he had forgotten to give reference to Kilickaya’s article. “I have included the ‘reference’ in the second edition of the book ‘Examination for Enhanced Learning’‚ which is coming within a week‚” added Khaniya. He was director of Basic and Primary Education Project under the Ministry of Education from 1992 to 1995 and was first vice-chairman of the Higher Secondary Education Board from 1995 to 2000. He was appointed member of the National Planning Commission for 2009-2011.

Besides‚ he was founding-president of the NELTA and founder-member of the Linguistics Society of Nepal. He has authored several series of school's reference materials of English Language Teaching and Learning.

Khaniya achieved master's degree from the TU in English Education and PhD in applied linguistics from the University of Edinburgh‚ UK.

He did post-doctoral research in Education under the Fulbright Programme at the George Washington University‚ Washington‚ DC.
published in the Himalayan Times on February 17, 2013
link
http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Educationist+Khaniya+in+plagiarism+row&NewsID=366209
Khaniya's article is in NELTA's journal 2006
and he copied majority of the articles

all the green part was copied 

Authentic Materials and Cultural Content in EFL Classrooms

Ferit Kilickaya
kilickay [at] metu.edu.tr
http://www.metu.edu.tr/~kilickay
Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey)

This paper aims to answer the questions of when and how authentic materials should be used in EFL classrooms, and how cultural content may be included in the curriculum. To address these questions, the paper is organized in two parts. In the first part, the definition of authentic materials is given. Then advantages and disadvantages of the use of authentic materials are discussed. In the second part, the definition of culture is given and then, why and how cultural content should be used is discussed.

Introduction

The use of authentic materials in an EFL classroom is what many teachers involved in foreign language teaching have discussed in recent years. We have heard persuasive voices insisting that the English presented in the classroom should be authentic, not produced for instructional purposes. Generally, what this means is materials which involve language naturally occurring as communication in native-speaker contexts of use, or rather those selected contexts where standard English is the norm: real newspaper reports, for example, real magazine articles, real advertisements, cooking recipes, horoscopes, etc. Most of the teachers throughout the world agree that authentic texts or materials are beneficial to the language learning process, but what is less agreed is when authentic materials should be introduced and how they should be used in an EFL classroom.

Authentic Materials: Definition

The definitions of authentic materials are slightly different in literature. What is common in these definitions is 'exposure to real language and its use in its own community'. Rogers (1988) defines it as 'appropriate' and 'quality' in terms of goals, objectives, learner needs and interest and 'natural' in terms of real life and meaningful communication (p. 467). Harmer (1991), cited in Matsuta (n.d., para. 1) defines authentic texts as materials which are designed for native speakers; they are real text; designed not for language students, but for the speakers of the language. Jordan (1997, p. 113) refers to authentic texts as texts that are not written for language teaching purposes. Authentic materials is significant since it increases students' motivation for learning, makes the learner be exposed to the 'real' language as discussed by Guariento & Morley (2001, p. 347). The main advantages of using authentic materials are (Philips and Shettlesworth 1978; Clarke 1989; Peacock 1997, cited in Richards, 2001):

• They have a positive effect on learner motivation.
• They provide authentic cultural information.
• They provide exposure to real language.
• They relate more closely to learners ' needs.
• They support a more creative approach to teaching.

We can claim that learners are being exposed to real language and they feel that they are learning the 'real' language. These are what make us excited and willing to use authentic materials in our classrooms, but while using them, it is inevitable that we face some problems.

Disadvantages of Using Authentic Materials

Richards (2001, p. 253) points out that alongside with these advantages, authentic materials often contain difficult language, unneeded vocabulary items and complex language structures, which causes a burden for the teacher in lower-level classes. Martinez (2002) mentions that authentic materials may be too culturally biased and too many structures are mixed, causing lower levels have a hard time decoding the texts. There comes the question of when authentic materials should be introduced and used in a classroom; in other words, can we use authentic materials regardless of our students' level?

Using Authentic Materials: At Which Level?

Guariento & Morley (2001) claim that at post-intermediate level, the use of authentic materials is available for use in classroom. This might be attributed to the fact that at this level, most students master a wide range of vocabulary in the target language and all of the structures. They also note that at lower levels, the use of authentic materials may cause students to feel de-motivated and frustrated since they lack many lexical items and structures used in the target language. Matsuata (n.d.) states that the use of authentic materials is a burden for the instructors teaching beginning students as they have to spend a lot of time to prepare for authentic materials regarding the ability level of the students.

Do all these mean we are not able to use authentic materials in lower-level classes apart from post-intermediate and advanced levels? According to the findings of the survey carried out by Chavez (1998), learners enjoy dealing with authentic materials since they enable them to interact with the real language and its use. Also they do not consider authentic situations or materials innately difficult. However, learners state that they need pedagogical support especially in listening situations and when reading literary texts such as the provision of a full range of cues (auditory and visual including written language).

What Can be Done to Overcome Difficulties We Face?

We may conclude that learners feel better with authentic materials helping them involve in the 'real' language as long as we, as teachers, provide them with pedagogical support. In order to achieve this, we have a wide range of choices.

Martinez (2002) suggests that teachers may use authentic materials for the learners to listen for the gist of the information presented and also he adds that by using authentic materials teachers will have the opportunity to encourage students to read for pleasure especially certain topics of their interest. Matsuta (n.d.) claims that using audio-visual materials aiding students' comprehension is beneficial since it will prevent students especially beginning ones from being frustrated about authentic materials. Materials such as popular and traditional songs will help us to create a non-threatening environment.

Guariento & Moley (2001) suggest that authentic materials should be used in accordance with students' ability and adds that suitable tasks can be given to learners in which total understanding is not important. According to Jordan (1997), in the earlier stages, non-authentic materials can be used, but stresses that upon students' dealing with materials from their own subject area, authentic materials should be introduced.

Cultural Content

Westerhuis (as cited in Cheung, 2001, p.56) defines 'culture' as the customs, values, laws, technology, artifacts and art of a particular time or people. Culture in English language teaching materials has been subject to discussion for many years. The reason for the use of cultural content in classroom is for the supposition that it will foster learner motivation (McKay, 2000, p.7).

Changes in linguistic and learning theory suggest that culture can be used as an important element in language classrooms, but many students say that they do not want to learn about the culture of the target language. This might be because of the fear of assimilation into what they perceived as something strange to them. Also, misrepresenting cultures by reinforcing popular stereotypes and constructing these cultures as monolithic, static 'Others', rather than as dynamic, fluid entities might result in failure in making cultural content an effective element in language learning and teaching (Guest, 2002).

I believe that cultural content is a key to effective teaching and learning a language provided that problems arising from introducing culture into EFL classroom are dealt with effectively and teaching strategies and learning materials are chosen appropriately.

Why Should We Use Cultural Content?

As all we know, knowing a language goes beyond the knowledge of grammatical rules, vocabulary items and pronunciation of these items. Successful language learning requires language users to know that culture underlying language in order to get the meaning across. Also, Tseng (2002) suggests that culture effects changes in individual perception and is vital for expanding an individual's perspective of the world. According to Stuart and Nocon (1996),

Learning about the lived culture of actual target language speakers as well as about one's own culture requires tools that assist language learners in negotiating meaning and understanding the communicative and cultural texts in which linguistic codes are used" (p. 432).

Also, Shanahan (1997, p. 168) states that cultural content provides exposure to living language that a foreign language student lacks. So, culture is not something consisting of facts to be learnt, but a helpful tool to make learners feel the need to speak and use the target language.

How Can We Deal with Problems?

Today, English teachers have a lot of choices in terms of textbooks, and it is surprising that many of them rely on uninteresting textbooks that focus students' attention on grammatical structures, and on practice in isolation. Also, the activities chosen are based on teacher-talk and student-listen routines as suggested by Cheung (2001). These practices are unlikely to lead students to develop a genuine interest in learning English. Students lacking motivation to learn a language need variety and excitement. We should help them to notice that learning a language is not just learning its grammatical rules, vocabulary items and so on.

The reason for the use of cultural content in classroom is that it will foster learner motivation (McKay, 2000, p. 7). She, like many other experts, believes that there should be a variety of culture in the materials and not only an overload of western culture in ELT classrooms. Besides, learning about a culture does not mean accepting that culture. If the role of the culture in the materials is just to create learner interest towards contents and thus towards language, that is highly desirable. But overuse of cultural material in the language classrooms will constitute problems not for students but also for the teachers and decrease the motivation.

McKay identifies three types of cultural materials: target culture materials, learners' own culture materials and international target culture materials. For her, the best one is international target language materials, which supposedly covers a variety of knowledge from different cultures all over the world using the target language (McKay, pp. 9-10). That will most probably increase the learners' interest rather than imposing only one culture all the time and prevent learners from having the fear of assimilation into a specific culture, and help them respect other people's cultures. Students' own culture should be discussed together with target culture. In other words, home and target culture should be integrated. Robinson (as cited in Stuart and Nocon, 1996, p. 435) refers to this integration as 'Color Purple'. According to Stuart and Nocon, this synthesis is created when one becomes aware of one's own cultural lens (e.g. blue) through the recognition that a person from another culture has a different lens (e.g. red). Neither person can escape his or her own cultural lens, but each can choose to overlap lenses (e.g. purple) in order to understand better the other's perspectives and arrive at shared meaning. While using cultural content in classrooms, teachers should keep in mind that English is an international language, and culture is an aid to motivate our students rather than something to be taught.

How Can We Introduce Cultural Content in Our Classrooms?

There are a lot of activities we can use in our classrooms in order to create interest towards the target language by using cultural content. The key point is that we should create a relaxing environment where our students can discuss their own culture together with the target culture in meaningful and communicative tasks and activities. This will ensure that students are doing something with a purpose in their mind.

Sources and Techniques for Cultural Content

Today, with the help of technological developments, we have access to many sources easily and quickly. Almost all the printed materials are on the Internet in electronic forms and we can easily search anything anytime. As a result, we do not lack cultural content to use in our classrooms. Cullen and Sato (2000) suggest practical techniques and a wide range of sources for teaching culture in the EFL classroom using three different parameters, namely, information sources, activity-types and selling-points and also Kodotchigova (2002) discusses the role of role-play in teaching culture for classroom suggesting quick steps for classroom implementation. Jordan (1997, p. 105) lists sources of cultural information:

• Newspapers: these are a good source of cultural information: local papers will give more of a flavour of everyday life in towns.
• Video: a number of published ELT video tapes are a good visual source of cultural information. (Today, we have CD/DVD versions of these video tapes, which provide us with better quality.)
• Talks/discussions: some topics may be suitable for giving information to students in a plenary session.
• Role play/dramatizations: these can be used to initiate discussion and introspection.
• Culture quizzes/tests.

Conclusion

Authentic materials enable learners to interact with the real language and content rather than the form. Learners feel that they are learning a target language as it is used outside the classroom. Considering this, it may not be wrong to say that at any level authentic materials should be used to complete the gap between the competency and performance of the language learners, which is a common problem among the nonnative speakers. This requires the language patterns being put into practice in real life situations. Since learning about a culture is not accepting it and the role of the culture in the materials is just to create learner interest towards the target language, there should be a variety of culture in the materials, not a specific one.

And the article here contains some more subtopics. I think they can be found at :

http://www.esp-world.info/Articles_31/Authenticity_Effectiveness.pdf 

My computer did not open it. Could you open it and send me the word version

Trailblazing school-level teaching

Rudra Pangeni  

Kathmandu, December 6

Yes, it is Shankar Sir all the way. He finds fourth-grader Raghav Thakur least interested particularly in his classes of Maths, history and sciences. There is restlessness evidences in the boy when he is in the class. Another facet is that boy is very much interested in his father's hairdressing saloon. Seeing his interest, Shankar Sir tells the boy's father to send the boy to Mumbai for the required training for his professional development.  

Shankar Sir is of the view that school is short of catering to his interests. Not only to him, he has suggested Dinesh to join the security forces as his characteristics shown in class suits it, and also advised to arrange for the necessary study of some laws. Likewise, he also decided to call three other students, with below par performances, to his home regularly to help prepare them for the following next classes. The rest of the students of his class are upgraded to grade five, without any formal examinations, as practice is much more indispensable than written tests.

Such recommendations by a teacher for students to go the way where their interests go is not a part of the school system. Whereas high scorers are awarded and praised, the low scorers are never considered as human beings. This is perhaps the underlying conflict sown right from the school, and that becomes pervasive prevalent in the society.  

The rendition of the fourth-grade students are from Diwaswapna (Daydream), recently published by "Shiksyak" monthly magazine in Nepali edition, and Shankir Sir is a practitioner in the class. He also represents of Gijubhai, a contemporary of Mahatma Gandhi, ventured in the practice of teaching the fourth grade at Nabodaya Primary School in Bhabnagar, Gujarat, by pleading with the District Education Officer.  He had vowed to inculcate changes in the traditional way of learning by rote, to the fun-way of learning and learning by doing. The students were habituated to rote learning, cognitive learning was absent.

Upon being introduced to grade four,  Shankar Sir found the pupils disorganized, were unclean and paid no attention to the teacher. He had drills of games, storytelling for drawing their attention, besides weaving the lessons into stories and games as the vehicles for teaching, as means to teaching. Soon, he started to have much impact on their learning gradually, but the other teachers and parents of the students were at the opposite pole for the first six months. He developed book reading habit by establishing a small library with the money the students used for purchasing textbooks, and helped students develop their reading and listening skills.

Shankar Sir was a change maker in teaching. His teaching practices can be an eye-opener or guidelines for the teachers and their professional development.  

All the teachers toed his line, following the year-long perseverance and patience ofShankar Sir. There are, in fact, several teachers and schools in need of mentors likeShankar Sir. Reading this book, its simple action plan for classes, facilitating the students in a manner that they are given an opportunity to learn without the boring and dull activity of rote learning, which can be see in several schools in our country, can make learning fun and worthwhile for the pupils.

Teaching history with imaginary stories, and geography to find the locations on the maps and making visits to the survey offices were the best practices of model teaching. This not only kept the pupils engrossed but also widened their horizon.

Shankar Sir's passion for finding ways to grab the interest and tab the course objectives are very notable.

His approach is very appropriate in our school education system, as thousands of students drop out from school for they do not find their interest addressed. National statistics say that nearly 80 percent of one-grader never reach grade ten.

The concept of imposed activities, in which students are less interested, are replaced by the belief that students should be respected and their learning needs should only be imparted through an integrated exercises instead of rote learning of prescribed textbooks.

The other teachers were stiff-necked to the changes made in the first fortnight, however,Shankar Sir was able to reinforce the classroom activities replacing the exam system, and the ruling of the District Education Officer to all the teachers to learn the way for grade four teaching.

In light of a recent national assessment of grade ten, the practice of cognitive learning should replace the practice training for the SLC exam throughout the year. Shankar Sir says the exams are irrelevant, they are creating trauma for students, not their confidence. That is the students losing their capacity to learn, and the teachers not imparting cognitive skills in the classes, which are important in life for the students.

Therefore, all the school teachers of  schools ought to read the useful book for the classroom teaching, and many can change themselves or they should let others take their place for better teaching, as Shankar Sir is opinionated at the end of the book.

In the book, the translators have provided the Nepali context through Nepali songs in the place of Hindi songs and several others, but it would have been better if Nepali places were used in geography classes so that Nepali students would have identified places like Pokhara and Lumbini on the map.

Shankar Sir's approach to teaching could be useful in accomplishing the goal of 'education for all' in the next four years, as it has been said that it's not going to be achieved.

Let Us Use less Power Rather Than Darkness

Last week, I met an Australian lady. A discussion about power –cut followed up. She told about the drought in her country. She further said they had to save the water: by not using flush in the restrooms, by not washing clothes etc. She proudly said they did that voluntarily. The local government appeals to the citizens to mitigate the problems and the citizens regard it for their sake. Similarly last year Bangladesh government appealed its citizens to eat potatoes to fight the food crisis. The above two examples are representatives. The welfare countries bring new measures to mitigate the challenges. Does not this government come up with similar plans to minimize the present power shedding which has crippled our lives?
Today we have power cut. This is the largest power crisis in its history. The government must calculate the impact of power cut after six months and bring strategic plan to reduce it. Possibly industries will cut the employment very soon or the working hour would be cut as a result the salaries would be minimized. The next year the situation would be horrible. Can YCL and other Trade Unions keep on protesting for reappointing those people who are out of the job in that time? It is high time these trade unions and YCL, the sister organization of Maoist party have to awake the government that the workers have to go through very difficult time in absence of power in the industries. What about the gross domestic production by the end of this fiscal year? Surely the proposed budget is prone to be affected by the lack of enough revenue collection. The situation of today many industries has already halved the productions due to power shedding. After few months the industries would be locked if no alternatives are explored.
Realizing the above situation, government should discover the measures to provide power to the industries, hospitals, and households, etc. Along with efficient crisis management, Stepping ahead foreseeing the situation after two years for making middle and large scale hydro power projects, and identifying alternative source of energy for the future are urgent.
First and foremost the electricity theft must be fully controlled by taking help of communities. Statistics say 6% load shedding would be minimized by abolishing theft. The mostly government offices are the places where power is consumed irresponsibly. We can visit the government offices and know how it is consumed. The heaters are on all the time, lights are on in the enough day lights, computers are not closed for hours even though they are not in use. In many communities, the street lamps are alight during the whole day.
Subsidy the power efficient CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) and appeal every households to use them. This subsidy should be logical to make the industries being operated to continue so that there won’t be any domino effect like unemployment increment, loss of revenue, multiplication of crimes, etc. Affluent and well off families should be appealed to volunteer by not using electrical gadgets which consumes high power and requesting them to use power-efficient appliances. For effective application strategic communication plans should be developed and applied. Communities can be taken for scrutiny.
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been recently suggested by a committee to increase the rate of the electricity price. Such increment must be used to deal the power emergency. The increment policy must be made to use power efficient electric appliances. The less consumption and get reward in payment. High consumption and pay high charges. This policy will help automatically to consume less power. This must be differently to the large industries. This pricing policy must be for only emergency period.
BY Rudra Pangeni
Rudra.pangeni@gmail.com
Sanothimi Bhaktapur
Student of Master’s Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism

Nominate democratically

This letter refers to the editorial titled ‘Sacred agents’ published on 1st Jan 2009. The topic chosen for editorial is relevant. The protests against government’s decision to fire the priest of Pashupatinath are going on. I agree with the editorial view the intervention in the selection of the priests; other necessary reforms are urgent making the Pashupatinath temple an institution inclusive and universal. But few other points are also need to be considered. Financial irregularities should be raised to reform the religious institution. I disagree with the view that this decision violates the deep rooted tradition. The government to reform like allowing non-Brahmins to be priest, opening the entry for all, etc. But presenting an editorial viewpoint of defending the nontransparent priestly tendencies does not sound logical. If the editorial view is for revoking the situation that existed before the April uprising of 2006, there is nothing to say. Otherwise, sustaining those priests for corruption and irregularities must not be voiced anyway.
The editorial sounds logical in the matter of making appointment at the will of the people who are engaged in the religious institution. I strongly support the view of appointment of the priests should be passed through others involved in Pashupatinath temple. But the doubt of financial irregularities must be made transparent. The priests must be kept at the house and passed as other heads of the institutions are done. Social audits and hearing are essential to further democratize the current decision-making process of the government.
By Rudra Pangeni
Rudra.pangeni@gmail.com

Should FM Radio be forced to broadcast centrally made news or programs ?

By Rudra Pangeni
FM radios have to depend on few networking institutions for few highly qualitative and prime time programs. An interaction program on the topic “impact of centre on local radio: Practice and experience of Radio networking” hold by Martin Chautari in association with Alliance for Social Dialogue (ASD). The discussion was followed by the paper presentation of the four community FM Radios from Radio Janakpur, Sunklaphanta FM, Radio Rupakot, Radio Palung. All of them broadcast more or less networking news or programs from the Kathmandu.
Sheetal shah, the Station manager of Radio Janakpur said the listeners have less attention to the networking programs because of language and grass root people do not have any concern to such networked programs too.
Whereas Dhirendra Sinal, the station manager of Sunklaphant F M claims that the concern of local people about center is fulfilled by networked programs like BBC Nepali Sewa, Kayakairan and Nepal Darpan. But also the programs of Antenna Foundation and Equal Access are highly qualitative and good programs they have become good ingredients to the whole broadcastings. Local producers are learning to produce better programs but the quality of local programs are less effective than the programs from the center. He further said just 33% programs they have taken from the center. Others are locally made. The programs from the networking has also helped to make a little lump of budget to the total budget of the FM.
Manohar Dhakal, the station manager of Palung FM focused on the importance of FM in the community where majority of people are farmers. The programs of Palung has not only empowered farmers but also women empowerment. Children’s programs, and other local language programs are other remarkable things of this FM. He added that few networked programs have not only informed about center but also got financial support for the FM stations.
Radio Rupakot stands a unique FM. The share is distributed to all the common people ie farmers, local teachers, local business people etc. Both news and other programs are fully prepared by the local people. Its structure of the committee and members are nomitated democratically. Deepak Thapa, the station maager claimed that all the programs are on the basis of local value. The local advertisement of the people which is for common purpose are played at lower cost and others are differently charged. The BBC Nepali service is only one networking news because many people in the locality have concern to their kiths and kins in British. Just five people are fulltimers and paid but rest of all are volunteers. According to him many programs are made by volunteer students or other volunteers from different walks of life.
The discussion helped to come up with the ideas that the local purpose and programs must be broadcasted at the local time. Centrally made programs does not make any sense to the need of the locality. Many experts asserted the state should have notified the condition of networking and the spirit of FM must not be hindered by the networking in the name of moneymaking business. The state should have strategic plan for the management of the FM.

“The New Year Celebrated: 1129”

Thimi, Bhaktapur
October 29, 2008
Newar community has celebrated 1129 new year ( Nhu Daya Vintuna1129; means Happy New Year 1129). Recently government of Nepal has declared this sambat as a national sambat.
Priminister Pushpa Kamal Dahal aka Prachand garlanded to the statue of Shankkhdhar Shankhwa, the founder of this Newa Sambat in a program organized by Newa Dabu in Thimi. He said that this sambat remarks the nationality as well as the step to omit the stratified class struggle in Nepali society. He further said Sankhadhar Shankhwa had freed poors by paying their laon is a significant example of social justice.
Newar community celebrate the Mha Puja in the evening of this day. Mha Puja is the festival of worshipping oneself. This means the god inside oneself is worshipped.

“The need for promoting Bhadgaunle Topi like Darjelinges”

Kathmandu
October 20, 2008
Balkrishna Sahankhakarma is highly motivated when people in Gorkhaland made a strict rule for the inhabitants of Darjeeling and neighboring districts. The rule is wearing Bhadgaunle topi ( a trditionally prepared black cap) compulsorily during festivals by Darjeeling people and other neighboring people who have demand of separate Gorkhaland. Sankhakarmi is only one industrialist of kalo topi, for which Bhaktapur is well known. Other about half a dozen families has subsistence and pastime job of cap making in addition to Shakhakarmi.
He further says that they need at least 2 million caps but it is hard to meet the supply with this less manpower. Shankhankarimi has trained many poor people though it is still very poorly paid job. He further added if this situation remains that cap making cottage industry will progress better. But government is reluctant to support such historic and traditional profession and identity of Nepali cap.
Leela Subbha, a business man who has come to Bhaktpur from Kakarnbhitta ( a bordering city of Nepal with Darjeeling) to purchase the caps that there is high demand of caps.
As the situation seems easier the Bhaktapures has to work hard to fulfill the need of Darjeeling. Shankhakarmi says that if the locals get better income in this job many people would join it. It is high time we ourselves should wear such caps to assist our Nepalese identity.
It can be suggested why not compulsory wearing the black cap to the employee of GoN.