Dor Bahadur Bista

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Dor Bahadur Bista

Father of Nepalese anthropology
डोरबहादुर बिष्ट
Dor Bahadur Bista.jpg
Born(1928-04-15)15 April 1928
Jharuwarasi, Patan, Nepal
DisappearedJanuary 1995
Jumla District, Nepal
NationalityNepalese
EducationBachelors degree in Indian Ethnography
Alma mater University of London
Occupation(s)Anthropologist, activist
Notable work
SpouseNarayani Bista

Dor Bahadur Bista (born ca. 1924-1928) is a Nepalese anthropologist, social scientist and activist. [1] [2] Bista is considered the Father of Nepali anthropology, and has published popular books such as Fatalism and Development and People of Nepal . [3] Bista mysteriously disappeared in 1995.

Contents

Biography

Sources vary regarding Bista's date of birth. According to some sources, he was born on 15 April 1928 while there have also been some speculations that he might have been born around 1924, or in 1928. [1] [4] He graduated from Patan High School, after which he attended Tri Chandra College. He completed his Certificate in Indian Ethnography in London.

Career

While working as a government headmaster in a girls' high school in Patan, Bista became a research assistant to Professor Christoph Furer-Haimendorf of London University who was conducting field research in the area of Solukhumbu. [5] He later claimed that it was this experience that ignited his interest in Anthropology.

In 1972 he was appointed to Lhasa in Tibet as Nepal's Counsel General.

He established an organization called Karnali Institute in Jumla.

In the 1980s, Bista was a member of the board of governors of ICIMOD. [6]

Disappearance

In January 1995, Bista mysteriously disappeared from Jumla District, being last seen boarding a bus to Chisapani [7] or Dhangadhi. [1] His wife, Narayani, with whom he had a daughter and three sons, died soon after. [4]

Bibliography

Books

Articles

Legacy

The Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, which took over from the Nepal Studies Association of which Bista had been Honorary President, awards a prize named after him on an annual basis. [8]

Castaway Man, a documentary surrounding Bista's disappearance was released in 2015. The 82 minute documentary was directed by Kesang Tseten. [9] [10]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Dor Bahadur Bista: The 'Father of Nepalese Anthropology'". ECS Nepal. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  2. "Dor Bahadur Bista's last interview | la.lit". Lalit Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  3. diwakar (21 January 2019). "A longtime friend's memory of Dor Bahadur Bista, the disappeared Father of Nepali Anthropology - OnlineKhabar English News" . Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 Ghimire, Subhash; Luitel, Guna Raj (18 January 2016). "Man who pioneered Nepali anthropology". MyRepublica. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  5. Fisher, James F. (1996). "An Interview With Dor Bahadur Bista". Current Anthropology. 37 (2): 349–356. doi:10.1086/204498. ISSN   0011-3204.
  6. "ICIMOD Board of Governors" (PDF). icimod.org.
  7. Dixit, Kunda (23 April 2015). "Looking for Dor Bahadur Bista". Nepali Times.
  8. "Grants and Fellowship". Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  9. Dixit, Kunda. "Looking for Dor Bahadur Bista | Nepali Times Buzz | Nepali Times". archive.nepalitimes.com. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  10. "Found and lost". Himal Southasian. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2022.