T he Declaration of Independence world is familiar with is that of a nascent United States of America freeing itself from the colonial masters and taking the destiny of its new nation in its own firm hands. We in Nepal always take it for granted that we were never colonized by the British which left us poorer perhaps due to isolation but prouder as a sovereign nation. It was not always so and had the twists and turns of late 19th Century diplomacy not gone our way; we might have been a part of Independent India today. So, when and how did we actually declare ourselves independent from the Raj, the British rule in the Indian Subcontinent? Map showing Nepal before the Treaty of Sugauly The prelude to this important moment in our nation's history started with the Rana prime minister Jung Bahadur Rana cleverly positioning himself as a friend and ally of the British. History had already taught him how his foolish grand-uncle Bhimsen Thapa the prime minister of an ever expanding G...

O ur moral science teacher at our alma mater St. Xavier's Godavari School, the Reverend Fr. Thomas Gaffney S.J., taught us that we humans have a conscience that makes us different from other animals. Our "Voice of Conscience" would always tell us what is right and what is wrong and guide us in the right path in life. Moral Crusader Fr. Gaffney Whenever we friends from St. Xavier's School meet after all these years we reflect upon the trials and tribulations we have faced as adults and how the guiding principles of the Reverend fathers imparted to us at school have made a difference in our lives. We look askance at those whom we perceive as lacking conscience. We marvel at those heroes who have excelled in contributing to the good of our society and humanity. Dr. Govinda K.C. the moral giant fighting nefarious government scheming on the Nepal Medical Education Bill with serial 'fast unto death' sacrifice comes to mind. The much celebrated Dr. Sanduk Ruit...

Sindoor Jatra of Maharajah Dev Shumsher in 1901 A.D. Q ueen Elizabeth I is credited with the lines,"to be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it." Indeed power and pelf as symbolized by a crown have taken a terrible toll on those who were seemingly blessed with these attributes. The crowning glory is of course the coronation, the state's official celebration of enthronement by means of both secular and religious rites. The last spectacular world event was the Coronation of Shah Reza Pavlavi of Iran who officially celebrated the event in 1967 after 26 years of taking the throne as he had vowed not to have a coronation until Iran was lifted out of poverty and modernized. Sixty royal and non-royal heads of state congregated in the specially created tent city at the ancient capital of Persepolis of Cyrus the Great near modern day Shiraz. The pomp and splendour of the event while breathtaking to beho...

R ecently Bagh Durbar located near the erstwhile Bhimsen Tower 'Dharahara' at the heart of Kathmandu city was in the news as the Municipality had more or less decided to demolish a historical building adversely affected by the earthquake of 2015 instead of renovating and retrofitting it. Many have raised their voices against such a historical place being leveled to give rise to yet another shopping mall without the valley's soul. It would be another example of a potpourri of architectural styles prevalent in the unimpressive designs adorning Kathmandu's march to modernity. Mrs. Chanda Rana is one of the advocates of preservation of this historic building and kudos to her. Historic Bagh Durbar built by Prime Minister Bhimsen Thapa   What is the genesis of this historic building? What cries and whispers pervaded its corridors when the powerful were residing there? What were the historical epoch its bricks and mortars witnessed that would shape the destiny of the mov...

Rani Karma Kumari R ukum is a scenic hill district of western Nepal where one of the Chaubisi Rajyas or 24 small fiefdoms held sway before unification. Ruled by the Thakuris or the heads of the local clans it was finally absorbed into unified Nepal sometime during the rule of Regent Bahadur Shah. Since then it has been a common practice in the Shah and Rana courts bringing the Thakuri girls from faraway places such as Rukum for an upbringing in the royal households, educating them in palace etiquette, teaching them the culinary arts and instilling in them the love of music and poetry for the purpose of eventually marrying them to the young princes of the house. The girls left their homes and their parents early and made a new life among their peers and minders in the Durbars of Kathmandu. This was the tradition of Dola Palne. Thapathai Durbar of Maharajah Jung Bahadur Rana circa 1852 A.D. This young girl of six or seven from Rukum who was brought to Kathmandu was taken to the Tha...