Nepalese anthropologist
Dor Bahadur Bista
Father of Nepalese anthropology |
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| Born | (1928-04-15)15 April 1928
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| Disappeared | January 1995
Jumla District, Nepal |
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| Nationality | Nepalese |
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| Education | Bachelors degree in Indian Ethnography |
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| Alma mater | University of London |
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| Occupation(s) | Anthropologist, activist |
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| Notable work | |
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| Spouse | Narayani Bista |
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Dor Bahadur Bista (born ca. 1924-1928) is a Nepalese anthropologist, social scientist and activist.[1][2] Bista is considered the Father of Nepali anthropology, and has published popular books such as Fatalism and Development and People of Nepal.[3] Bista mysteriously disappeared in 1995.
Biography
Sources vary regarding Bista's date of birth. According to some sources, he was born on 15 April 1928 while there have also been some speculations that he might have been born around 1924, or in 1928.[1][4] He graduated from Patan High School, after which he attended Tri Chandra College. He completed his Certificate in Indian Ethnography in London.
Career
While working as a government headmaster in a girls' high school in Patan, Bista became a research assistant to Professor Christoph Furer-Haimendorf of London University who was conducting field research in the area of Solukhumbu.[5] He later claimed that it was this experience that ignited his interest in Anthropology.
In 1972 he was appointed to Lhasa in Tibet as Nepal's Counsel General.
He established an organization called Karnali Institute in Jumla.
In the 1980s, Bista was a member of the board of governors of ICIMOD.[6]
Disappearance
In January 1995, Bista mysteriously disappeared from Jumla District, being last seen boarding a bus to Chisapani[7] or Dhangadhi.[1] His wife, Narayani, with whom he had a daughter and three sons, died soon after.[4]
The Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies, which took over from the Nepal Studies Association of which Bista had been Honorary President, awards a prize named after him on an annual basis.[8]
Castaway Man, a documentary surrounding Bista's disappearance was released in 2015. The 82 minute documentary was directed by Kesang Tseten.[9][10]
