Frederick H. Gaige writes in Regionalism and National Unity in Nepal published by University of California press in 1975:- It is likely that distinction was made soon after Prithvi Narayan Shah conquered the terai, because it was necessary to establish criteria for recruiting people into local administrative service. Hill People were given preference over plains people settled in the Terai, so that the plains people were regulated to a second-class status. Culturally different from the hill people and geographically isolated from Kathmandu, plains people living in the terai were considered to be at least quasi-foreigners. No administrative procedure was established in the terai to determine an individuals status as a Nepalese or Indian subjects. Therefore, except during the ShivaRatri festival, when Indians were allowed to make pilgrimages to Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, terai residents as well as Indians were requires to stop at the border town of Birgunj to obtain a Passport before proceeding to Kathmandu, passport were then checked at Chisapani Grahi on the route to Kathmandu. This procedure was not modified until the early 1950s and not abandoned entirely until 1958. Before 1951 ones nationality appears to have been determined primarily on a linguistic basis. Nepalesese subjects were the hill folk who spoke Nepali or hill languages such as Newari, Magar, or Gurung. For this reason, passports were not required for people travelling into Kathmandu Valley from the eastern or western hills. (Page no. 88) यसैलाई डा. सी. के. राउत आफ्नो किताब बैरागदेखि बचावसम्ममा लेख्नु भएको छ ः सांस्कृतिक रुपमा पहाडीभन्दा भिन्न र काठमाडौंदेखि विच्छिन्न रहेका तराईका मधेशीहरुलाई कम्तीमा अर्धविदेशीका रुपमा मानिन्थ्यो । भारतीयहरुलाई पशुपतिनाथसम्म तीर्थयात्रा गर्न छुट हुने शिवरात्री पर्वमा बाहेक काठमाडौं छिर्नका लागि मधेशी र भारतीय दुइटैलाई बीरगंजमा भिसा लिन रोकिनु पथ्र्यो, जुन चिसापानी गढीमा जाँच गरिन्थ्यो । यो प्रक्रिया सन् १९५० को दशकको पूर्वाद्र्धसम्म पनि कायमै थियो र सन् १९५८ मा मात्र बदलियो । सन् १९५१ अगाडि मुख्यतः भाषिक आधारमा नै नेपालको राष्ट्रियता निर्धारण गरेको पाइन्छ, नेपाली, नेवारी, मगर वा गुरुङ जस्ता पहाडी भाषा बोल्ने पहाडीहरु नै नेपाली मानिन्थे । (पेज नं १२)
Posted on: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 15:29:10 +0000