E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, SEP 23 -

Expressing concern over plagiarism in Nepal, journalists and academicians on Saturday said the trend of using another person’s work should be discouraged by educating students and professionals.

In a debate on “Plagiarism: From Academia to Journalism” on the third day of the Ncell Nepal Literary Festival, the journalists and academicians dwelt on ways to avoid plagiarism .

Columnist Dharma Adhikari argued that plagiarists should not be treated too harshly, as many of them cannot differentiate between plagiarism and citing others’ work.

Academician Anirudra Thapa noted that he struggles every day with the work of his students, who despite an orientation, plagiarise ideas and even copy sentences and paragraphs ditto in their dissertations. “In fact, somebody pasted a notice outside my office saying that they are ready to write dissertations on behalf of others for a certain amount of money and I could do nothing,” he said.

Editor-in-chief of The Kathmandu Post Akhilesh Upadhyay said knowledge is when you synthesise from what you gather from others’ knowledge, not when you regurgitate. “Right from the young age one needs to learn to put citations and give credits to ideas and thoughts cited from others’ work,” he said.

In another discussion on whether a writer can make his living solely through writings, various noted writers said the day is still miles away in Nepal’s context. Novelist Jagdish Ghimire said time is not ripe yet for somebody to be a full-time writer.

Writer Khagendra Sangraula said that despite repeated attempts to become a full-time writer, he ended up doing ‘alternative jobs’ for a decent living.

In conversation with journalist Pranay Rana, the best-selling author of the Shiva Trilogy--’Immortals of Meluha and The Secrets of Nagas’--Amish Tripathi highlighted the importance of spirituality and shared his interest to write on mythology.

Also in the jam-packed venue, more than 18 poets recited their poetry on Saturday.

Sunday, the last day of the festival, will feature a discussion, ‘Audience Lost and Found’, with film directors Nischal Basnet, Ujjwal Ghimire and Tsering Ritar and moderated by film critic Yangesh at 11 am. A parallel session to this, ‘Reading in the Time of New Media, will also be held.

Rewriting History’ will feature noted culture expert Ramesh Dhugel and Pratyoush Onta with columnist Bishnu Sapkota.

PM vows to uphold press freedom

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has said the government is fully committed to promotion and protection of press freedom.

Speaking at a programme organised to mark the 43 anniversary of Nepal Press Council here on Saturday, PM Bhattarai dispelled the charges that the government is aiming to control press freedom. “I am fully confident that we can control corruption and maintain good governance with the support of media,” Bhattarai said. He also said free and vibrant press is a must in a democratic system.

At the programme, this year’s Press Council Gopal Dash Journalism Award was conferred on senior journalist Bishobhandu Bhandari.

Similarly, Post’s Mahendranagar correspondent Chitranga Thapa and other journalists, Shreeom Shrestha, Rakesh Mishara, Ganesh Sah, Rajendra Kumar Rai, Anandaram Poudel and Menuka Chaudhary, were also awarded.

Posted on: 2012-09-23 08:04

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