User talk:Kathmandu2007

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My problem is that Nepal Bhasha is only one of many languages in Nepal - I don't disagree that, say, the Kathmandu or Bhaktapur pages should have the Nepal Bhasha equivalents of their names, but when you're discussing the whole country, rather than simply the Kathmandu valley, I don't believe that Nepal Bhasha, or at least Nepal Bhasha on its own, is appropriate, simply because it is not the language of most of the country. If we have Nepal Bhasha, we should have Maithili, Manang, Gurung, Tamang, Magar, Lepcha, Tibetan, Limbu, any of the Rai languages, and so on. If you think that's a good idea, perhaps we could adopt a solution similar to that of South Africa and the European Union - have a collapsible list containing various languages of Nepal. Tell me what you think.

Actually I completely agree with you that the indigenous languages of Nepal should be celebrated. But we should celebrate all of them equally, rather than giving priority to one.

BovineBeast 12:21, 5 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Image:Indian revolt of 1857 states map.svg

Hi, i just happened to see your comment and wanted to clarify a few things. Firstly, the map was based using a credible source as mentioned in the image page [1], and as such conforms to wikipedia policy of verifiability. Personally, i am ignorant of the history of Nepal, but a search on historical british india maps, seem to include Nepal as a part of it[2]. And please calm down, when i saw that message, it was almost as if i would be the cause of riots in Nepal. The indian maps i make have a divided kashmir, so far no one seems to have made a fuss ;)
Im a little lazy to go researching history right now, if you can point me to some relevant info, ill be happy to make the change -- PlaneMad|YakYak 20:57, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

update well all 1857 maps have Nepal included as an independent state under the empire. this contradicts your claim that the kingdom was not a part of the empire. as i understand it, it was being protected by the british? -- PlaneMad|YakYak 21:05, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
Hi, from Nepal#History, i understand that Nepal supported the british during the revolt of 1857? Then it would still warrant a place in the map. the description has been modified. Even kashmir i think falls under the same category. please comment -- PlaneMad|YakYak 09:35, 4 November 2007 (UTC)
So its ok to have nepal listed as an independent state then as i have done now? or you want anything more changed?-- PlaneMad|YakYak 02:56, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
sure no problem :) -- PlaneMad|YakYak 10:20, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Newars

Dear Kathmandu2007,

It seems that you removed a fact tag "{{fact}}" on the article Nepal. Could you please let me know why? The second sentence in the lead of the wikilinked article, Newar, mentions that

Newars are a linguistic community with multiple ethnicity/race and faith, bound together by a common language.

Unless this is changed, it would be inconsistent to say that Newars are an ethnic group. The aforementioned text suggests that Newars are a language group rather than an ethnic group. If you can cite any Reliable sources supporting Newar as an ethnic community, please add the citation or add the information on the article's talk page so that we can add the citation supporting it.

Thank you for your valuable participation in editing of Nepal. I believe that, together, we can make Nepal a featured article once again.

Regards,


Kushal one 09:56, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Dear Kathmandu2007,

Thank you very much for your swift and detailed response. Your link led me to table 16. Thank you very much for the citation. It is credible and reputable. As I noted in my edit summary, I had been taught in school (by a Newar teacher) that Newars are a language group because not all Newars share the same genealogy. I understand this discussion might be totally impractical and "academic" in nature. However, I would like to know your opinion on it.

For the record, I am satisfied with your reasoning in removing the fact tag. I hope that with more care, we can elevate Nepal back to its Featured article status.

Regards,

Kushal one 19:04, 17 February 2008 (UTC)

Dear Kathmandu2007,

Thank you for your reply. I find that you are genuinely concerned about Newars and Newari culture in general.

Let me start by voicing my agreements with you. There needs to be scientific studies on Newars. However, I have some reservations on using the term "ethnic." My reservations against branding Newars an "ethnic group" are based on the bad taste of the word "ethnic". This seems to be totally illogical and based on faulty assumptions. It would be true but you came to my rescue. I am thankful to you for that.

As I read through your comments, I can see that you mentioned that Newars have a highly developed system of "group of people performing various professional work". If I could argue that people in different occupations were in their occupations by heredity, it could mean that the people in different professions would have different genealogies.

I would like to voice my dissatisfaction on your word "restrict". Defining Newars in terms of language group does not "restrict" Newars. Defining Newars as a language group means that we are not limited and we are not a tribe. True, the "dya: chhe:" and "mul ghar"s do predominate the family life. However, these are separate families and trying to say that they split from the same parents is not very satisfying to me. On the other hand, calling Newars a language group also has some backing as the citation in the second sentence in the lead of the article, with a citation. You will need to study and challenge the citation in the article Newar if you are to prove your point.

The basis of Newari culture is Nepal Bhasa. Ethnicity or even religion was not a dividing force in the Newars of Kathmandu. We assimilated the Kirats, the Lichhavis, and the Mallas; we had a symbiosis between the Hindus and the Buddhists. I reiterate my position that more study is needed but to settle saying that Newars are an ethnic group is demeaning to our rich heritage.

I guess I am rambling a bit too much. If I offended you or anyone else in this edit, I humbly and sincerely apologize as it never was and still is not my intention.

Thank you very much for reading.

Regards, Kushal 17:48, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Reply to Kushal one

Please accept my thanks for taking time to comment on my edit.

There are many views regarding what Newar means, which can differ depending on background and understanding of each individual. I understand and appreciate the view that you mentioned, which is one way of defining Newar, however you should appreciate that there can be more than one way of defining such a broad topic . We do have to appreciate the fact that Newars are ethnic community. I am a Newar and when someone questions me of my ethnicity, I put Newar down on it. Newars are recognized as one of the native ethnic community of Nepal by Government of Nepal, and please be aware that this is not a new phenomenon. Please refer to website of Central Bureau of statistics which have been categorizing Nepalese people into various ethnic groups and you will be able to find percentage of Nepalese who refer themselves as Newar ethnically, and percentage of people who speak Nepal Bhasa. It is sad to say that the number of people who speak Nepal Bhasa are less than the number of Newars according to official statistical figure of Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal. Please refer to http://www.cbs.gov.np/. I do have my personal reservations about this data.

With best regards,

Kathmandu2007 (talk) 18:29, 17 February 2008 (UTC)