Mishra, who is also the founder of HELP NEPAL Network, a voluntarily run global charity, however, chooses to call himself a practical philanthropist, philanthropic journalist, a writer, and an occasional actor. [break]
He plays the protagonist in the upcoming movie Highway. Busy preparing for the release of his second book, Khana Pugos, Dina Pugos, at the end of March, Mishra is excited as a father to be as the subject matter in this book is something that is very ‘close to his heart’ and is ‘passionate’ about.
A collection of articles previously penned and published as columns in the Nepali daily newspapers Nagarik and Kantipur, the royalty collected from this book, like his last one, will be donated to a deprived Chepang community of Kanda Village in Chitwan.
Mishra sat down with Republica’s Shitu Rajbhandari to talk about the book. Excerpts:
What’s the story behind the title of the book Khana Pugos, Dina Pugos?
The title comes from a blessing my friend Sriram Rayamajhi’s mother gave everyone. It resonated with the overall theme of practical philanthropy. My philanthropic journalism in the articles complied in the book is stuck with it.
So what do you mean by practical philanthropy?
We can’t expect everyone to be Mother Teresa or Anuradha Koirala; they are exceptional people with exceptional qualities. But what we can do is, say, if one drinks ten bottles of beer a month, s/he can sacrifice a bottle a month and save maybe Rs 150 for a good cause.
This isn’t going to make a huge impact on your lifestyle in any way. And at the same time, what it cultivates is a society in which more fortunate people take it as their responsibility to look after people who are less fortunate than we are.
Some think doing your job is your responsibility but one needs to transcend the professional boundaries and do something for the society.
And what’s philanthropic journalism?
Journalism usually talks about the negatives, not just here but throughout the world. Despite the core value of journalism being public service, I personally doubt that all the negatives have served the public. There might be individual cases where journalism might have helped in different ways but in totality it hasn’t.
Therefore, I feel we need to give a little more space for positive issues which will create positive vibes in the society and eventually the psychic of the society will change.
An example of it would be this: While reporting about a health post in a remote area which doesn’t have an x-ray machine, a line about how much it would cost to get the machine would be timely, and if one wants to support in its purchase which will help the people in the village, it can be incorporated in the report coverage.
Journalism has the power and access like no other avenues and there is no harm in doing so as newspapers do run fundraisers during disasters too.
How did you develop this idea of practical philanthropy?
I grew up in Bouddha and even as a child I would give part of my pocket money away to the beggars in the area. And when I went to Pakistan to do my Masters in journalism, I came across the Islamic concept of zakat which says that each person should give away 2.5 percent of one’s earning to the needy. Similarly, while in the UK, I noticed that people, regardless of being rich or poor, supported a charity. They had the concept that if you don’t support a charity you are a bad person. Politically, I’m a believer in the welfare state where the rich pay higher taxes to help the state support the poor. All these things had influences on me.
Let’s divert: Is reading a dying habit with the advance of technology, especially among the youth?
I don’t think it’s dying. In fact, kids today are reading more as they have easier access to books in school and stores. We didn’t have that when we were growing up. They have shifted from paper to screen but they do read books too and are reading much more than we ever did.
With all the stress on communicating in English language, do you think it’s hampering Nepali?
It’s a huge problem in elite schools and some are addressing the problem by stressing on Nepali as well, though it isn’t a problem in most schools. Having said that, it’s a bitter truth which was brought to my notice by the editor of Gorkhapatra, Ram Chandra Neupane, while undergoing training at the Press Institute.
He said, “Your mother tongue is Nepali but English is the language that will help you in your work.” So if you’re better in English, it brings better chances in life. So I encourage the youth to be bilingual in this competitive world, but Nepali has to be emphasized equally by parents as well.
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