Perceiving Madan Bhandari and People’s Multiparty Democracy: A Conceptual Review of Political Awareness among Young Students

Abstract

This article looks into the idea of political awareness among Nepali youths by examining their political perception, with special focus on bachelor level students in Kathmandu. Political identity construction among the young generation matters a great deal because today’s students are tomorrow’s citizens, voters and leaders. Even so, we still know little about how Nepali youths, fundamentally the college students, come to know and remember leaders of the past, such as Madan Bhandari and how they relate themselves to his political idea of People’s Multiparty Democracy (PMPD). We also know little about how this memory connects with the wider question of democratic awareness among the young generation today. This review article brings together existing studies on political socialization, youth identity, collective memory and political communication in Nepal. It builds a conceptual understanding of how young university students might know, remember and perceive Bhandari and PMPD. The review suggests that Nepali youth are not cut off from politics even though many of them keep some distance from party activities. Most students are likely to recognize Bhandari as a respected national figure but their grasp of PMPD as a complete political idea may remain partial. The article creates discussion on political education and proposes a design for future empirical research using in depth interviews with young students.