Welcome to Season 2 of The Nepali Outpost! The first few episodes of Season 2 are part of a mini-series The Nation and the Civilization.

In Episode 1, we talk with Dr. Nirmala Mani Adhikary, author and communication theorist, about the fractional nature of identity politics, how the Hindu community should respond to cow killing, and why Nepal has to look at its knowledge system to resolve social conflict.

The discussion then moves on to how Nepal's indigenous civilizational conception of the state and the nation is different from the Western understanding of the nation and state. Dr. Adhikary talks about why "dharma" ( not religion) is central to statecraft, and the "incommensurability between how people are living and how people are perceiving".

I also ask him how he plans to win over "Kathmandu liberals" who do not subscribe to his approach to decolonization. And how the Nepali diaspora can help ongoing punarjagaran. He speaks about Mitra-bodh and Satru-Bodh, and what the "most foolish" thing a person in the Nepali diaspora can do.

We end with why he thinks Hindutva works for India but not for Nepal, where Sanatana Dharma should be the guiding principle. And why BJP and RSS need reorientation towards indigenous worldview.

Show Recommendations:

• Role of the Diaspora
• ब्राह्मणवाद विरुद्ध घृणावाद : नेपालमा जातीय, भाषिक र साम्प्रदायिक सवाल
• आस्थाको शान्ति युद्ध
• India: A Million Mutinies Now- VS Naipaul

In the final episode of Season 1 of The Nepali Outpost, we speak with filmmaker Kirtana Banskota. Kirtana speaks to us about her creative journey, why representation is important, and what it means to be one of the few Nepali-American filmmakers and producers. We dive deeper into the cultural changers in Nepali diaspora, and why Nepal's filmmakers are underappreciated and how some of its best films go unrecognized.

She also speaks about her new projects; highs (and lows) of working with the Nepali community; and what the American in "Nepali-American" might mean.

Find out more about here work here: Banskota Production

Kirtana's upcoming feature film:

• Where The Stars Are- Official Teaser

Show recommendations include:

• BEEF | Official Trailer | Netflix
•  Trial By Fire | Official Trailer | Netflix India
• Ted Lasso
• Limitless

In this episode, Kosh Raj Koirala, Editor, of Republica talks with us about what he thinks is Nepal's most pressing national security challenge and why we are ill-equipped to face it. We talk about the growing distrust of the media, and misinformation in light of the infamous Rabi Lamichanne press conference. Kosh Raj also speaks to us about the opportunity he sees for English language media in Nepal.

Show recommendations include: 

• Nepal: Strategy for Survival, Leo E. Rose
• Pashtuns: A Contested History, Tilak Devasher