AN INTRODUCTION TO NEPAL
"In this book, I have set down my impressions of various aspects of Nepali life, history, art and culture, as acquired from long study of the traditions and habits of my country and countrymen, and the interpretations of various scholars. I do not pretend to be original-much of the following pages is based on the works of eminent authorities-unless selection and choice are original acts. However, this is my view of the diverse strands of which the intricate fabric of Nepali tradition is woven, and I hope the reader will find in it a coherent, integrated and unified approach to the subject. What interests me is the whole of Nepali life, and as many sources and tributaries go to make a river, so 1 have drawn on all my reading and experience to make the book as full an account as possible of my people and my country. Also, just as a river has a certain direction, so has the destiny of a nation. My approach to the various matters dealt with in the book is conditioned by my belief in a certain necessary future for the Nepali nation- that is my value-system. This is treated briefly in the last chapter, and although all the views in the book are mine, those are particularly my own. If the readers are interested in a more elaborate discussion of my basic approach to the problem of nation-building in Nepal, I take the liberty of commending to their attention my other recent publication, Nepali Politics : Retrospect and Prospect (Oxford University Press. 1975).
I must thank all those people who read the manuscript as a whole or in parts before publication and whose invaluable advice was greatly appreciated. These include, from Nepal, Shri Surya Bikram Gewali, Chancellor of the Royal Nepal Academy, Dr. Harka Bahadur Gurung, Vice-Chairman of Nepal's National Planning Commission, Dr Devendra Raj Pande, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Finance of His Majesty's Government of Nepal, Shri Mahesh Chandra Regmi, Founder Director of Regmi Research Project (Pvt.) Ltd. and Dr. Jagadish Chandra Regmi, formerly of the Institute of Nepal and Asian Studies; from California Dr. Leo E. Rose, Dr. Margaret Fisher and Dr. Bhuwan Lal Joshi; from London and Rome respectively. Dr. David Snellgrove and Dr. Luciano Petech, who kindly read the chapters on religion, culture and early history. Finally there is Margaret Sheffield, (for whom and her like the book is intended) who was the first reader, and who over the past two years helped me by paying close attention to every word. My thanks are also due to Mr. Shyam Bahadur Maharjan for his painstaking assistance in typing the manuscript for the press.
Last but not least, I should like to record my debt of gratitude to the East-West Centre of the University of Hawaii for enabling me as one of its Senior Specialists to do most of the reading and research on which this book is based.
In the end, let me state that none of the individuals and organizations, mentioned above, should be held responsible in any way for the views expressed in the book and the responsibility is entirely my own." Rishikesh Shah.
About the Author:
Rishikesh Shah (b. 1925 A.D.) is one of few Nepali scholars who has had a successful political career. He has served his country in many different capacities-as cabinet minister, ambassador, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Council of State. He also led Nepal's first delegate to the United Nations.
Later, Rishikesh Shah moved into the opposition and became associated with the Nepal section of Amnesty International, advocating for human rights in Nepal, thus playing a leading role in the movement for the restoration of democracy in Nepal. For these actions, he was imprisoned several times during the Panchayat Era.
ISBN No.: 9789993301697
Pages: 241
Publisher: Ratna Pustak Bhandar
Provided by VBS
US$ 3.69
