Bhutan today teeters on the edge of geopolitical ruin. It could tip over, or it could recover in time. It is, basically, up to King Jigme Singye Wangchuk.
In 1990,
Are hill economies condemned to remain at the fringes, surviving as appendages to the plains? Or is there a path of development for them that is autonomous, different, creative? Unless
Two recent books on Nepal's Tarai over-emphasise Mithila and ignore Tharu culture.
The vernacular art and architecture of this unique people in photographs and drawings so that it
The organisers of most film festivals come in for considerable flak on their choice of films to screen. Film festivals, after all, are meant to showcase the best cinematic fare
The trekking industry exploits the hill porter, little realising that short-term greed invites long-term disaster. A minimum portering wage must be fixed. There should be more, not less, intervention by
A good tune echoes in the mind. That is why, perhaps, governments the world over try to reinforce their ideologies by finding the "right" words for the tune.
Does music lose its identity when traditional instruments are replaced by modern ones? Or are musical ideas more important?
While music lovers and musicians may find no difficulty in recognising
For too long, the lowlanders of Nepal have neglected and denigrated them as unkempt "Bhoteys". The cultural and economic distress of Humla's Tibetan-speakers is fed by
The Tharus could not have hid out in the jungle for aeons waiting to be discovered during the malaria eradication campaign of the 1950s. They must have a history of
