Nepal : Rule and Misrule

The author modestly disclaims any scholarly pretensions or literary aspirations. The charm of this book lies in the teacher of the author. His old world courtesy, compassion and child like simplicity shine through the experiences he relates. \nFirst we accompany him to the districts of Nepal with his father then see himself as Bada Hakim of Nepalganj. He touches lightly on the hazards of feudal, and rather despotic, rule. The horizon widens when he is appointed Nepal's first Consul General in India in 1934. New Delhi is an exciting place to be in; the seat, then, of the British Raj. We get a glimpse of the functioning of the British Empire in India- The British Empire on which the sun was never to set, and yet it did. We see him rubbing shoulders with the great; from Kings and Queen and Viceroys to Presidents and Prime Ministers. And behind the glamour of lavish ceremonial occasions we catch sight of the work that goes into making them so. \nBack in Nepal we are taken on a whirlwind tour of the regimes of the Rana Prime Ministers. The wind of change, when they free India, do not leave Nepal unchanged. Kind Tribhuvan Bir Bikram Shah Dev faces a crisis which marks a turning point in the balance of power. Nepal is set firmly on the road to a more humane and democratic method of government. \nThrough all the vicissitudes of his life emerges a likeable portrait of an upright, honest, god-fearing man. A man whose precept in life was expressed so well by George Washington: "Labour to keep alive in your heart that little spark of celestial fire called conscience."riod.