The editors of Himal have asked me to write a brief note on why I write economic history. Having engaged in research and writing on the economic history of Nepal for over one-third of a century now, I could not honestly say no. Besides, I felt that the exercise would provide a good opportunity to review the reasons I have given at different times, and to clarify my thoughts and ideas as to why I have chosen economic history as my field of research.
The editors of Himal have asked me to write a brief note on why I write economic history. Having engaged in research and writing on the economic history of Nepal for over one-third of a century now, I could not honestly say no. Besides, I felt that the exercise would provide a good opportunity to review the reasons I have given at different times, and to clarify my thoughts and ideas as to why I have chosen economic history as my field of research.
The question why I write economic history may be countered with the question: Why not? Why climb Sagarmatha? There are people with an inquisitive or adventurous mind who try to do something that no one else has done. I suppose I belong to the inquisitive category. Before my studies on Nepal's economic history, the subject was virtually unexplored. In 1971, in the preface to A Study in Nepali Economic History, I wrote, "There has been a spurt in historical writing in Nepal in recent years. The patience and perseverance of a number of individuals in discovering and bringing to light documents, inscriptions and other source materials belonging to different historical periods have been commendable. Their diligence in the etymological interpretation of these source materials, and the meticulous care with which they pinpoint errors and inaccuracies in dates, names, places and personal relationships, are an essential process in our understanding of Nepal's past. One wonders, however, to what extent these efforts have made the problems and challenges faced by our ancestors comprehensible and meaningful to the present generation. From the viewpoint of substance too, the persistent disregard for economic aspects of Nepal's historical problems is inexplicable and indeed inexcusable. The choice of dynastic political relationships or the esoteric aspects of human life as subjects for historical research may be explained by the personal predilections of the researcher or his incapacity to assimilate available historical data, but the contributions made by such efforts to the better understanding of the life and problems of the Nepali people in the past is of dubious value."
My interest in economic history is also due to the realisation that it is a key aspect of the nation's life. This is why, in my 1971 book, I sought to describe "… how the people of Nepal earned their living and what factors affected their economic life during the period from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th. It deals with the economic aspects of the people's life in the belief that this is the aspect that concerns their very survival, and, as such, governs the nature of their life in other aspects too. It is concerned with such general phenomena as affect the life of the people from the economic viewpoint and not with particular incidents or personalities as subjects of intrinsic interest. Rather, it concentrates on the facts of economic life with the objective of determining the stage, nature and pace of economic development, and of identifying specific factors inducing or retarding economic progress."