NEW DELHI, Apr 13:
A new book, titled “Kathmandu Chronicle: Reclaiming India-Nepal Relations”, will throw light on the turbulent past of India-Nepal relations, their current challenges and the future prospects for the two neighbouring countries.
Written by India’s former ambassador to Nepal KV Rajan and policy professional Atul K Thakur, the book reveal the “hitherto unknown and untold aspects” of Nepal’s complicated relationship with India, publisher Penguin Random House India announced on Saturday.
While delving into Nepal’s transformation from the world’s only Hindu kingdom to a secular, federal, democratic republic, the book by Rajan and Thakur also looks at tumultuous events in the country’s past, including the Maoist insurgency, the hijacking of IC 814, the Palace massacre that wiped out King Birendra and his family, and the coup by King Gyanendra against democracy.
“India and Nepal must learn from the past but not live in it. They can build a model cooperative relationship for the needs and expectations of tomorrow’s generations, building on their unique common civilisational ties combined with new mindsets and innovative approaches,” Rajan said in a statement.
Based on in-depth analysis and new resource materials, “Kathmandu Chronicle” is crucial not only in explaining the hows and whys of the past but because of its relevance to the geopolitical uncertainties of the post-COVID world, as India asserts its aspirations on the global stage and China and other major countries raise their own profiles in the region.
“Many books on Nepal and its relations with India have been written by scholars and foreign policy practitioners, Nepalese as well as Indian. Yet too many unanswered questions remain about the hows and whys of the past, the depth and challenges of present trends, and prospects for the future, in an increasingly uncertain post-COVID world,” Thakur said. (PTI)
Premanka Goswami, associate publisher, Vintage & Head, Backlist, Penguin Random House India, said that historically and culturally, India and Nepal have shared special relationship.
“Nevertheless, this association has experienced ups and downs. What are the reasons for these issues? Why is there so much mutual distrust between two nations? Kathmandu Chronicle brings to light many stories of India-Nepal relationship that mostly remained untold and therefore unknown till date,” Goswami said.
The book is currently available on online store for pre-order and will hit the stands on April 30. (PTI)
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