The batchmates and teachers of Nepal’s new Prime Minister (PM) Baburam Bhattarai,at Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA),Sector 12 remember him as a silent observer and a straight-forward person. Bhattarai,who was elected as Nepal’s PM on August 28,is an alumnus of CCA.
After completing his graduation in architecture at CCA in 1977,Bhattarai moved to New Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture and received a doctorate degree in Town Planning from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Gurnek Singh,Bhattarai’s batchmate said,“Baburam was a quiet and no-nonsense kind of person. One of his qualities was his firm opinion. He would always stand by whatever he said once. I think this inherent quality has helped him reach the top.” Singh is a retired army officer and a landscape architect in Chandigarh.
Meanwhile,Dr S S Bhatti,former Principal of CCA,said,“Bhattarai was one of the back benchers in the class. I remember him being a silent observer.”
“This is probably the first time that an architect has become the PM of any country. Since study of architecture nurtures a holistic approach among students,I am sure Bhattarai will turn out to be a leader with holistic vision,thereby bringing in a new approach to politics,” Bhatti added.
Bhattarai’s profile records maintained at CCA mention that he was a regular visitor at Panjab University’s A C Joshi library.
The introduction of his book,Monarchy v/s Democracy: The Epic Fight in Nepal ,was written by former teacher of political theory at PU,Prof Randhir Singh who used to reside in Chandigarh until last year. Singh has now moved to New Delhi.
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