I liked everything about your ropeway special, from the title ('Rust in peace', #209) to the book review ('Showing us the ropes'). What a waste that we couldn't plan properly and use renewable energy to power transportation in this country, and instead went for imported fossil fuel. But what your coverage shows is that even when a country's rulers are stupid and selfish, the people will show the way as the pioneers of the Barpak, Bhatte Danda and Manakamana have done. They are our real heros!

Gopal KC,
Kumaripati

. Thank you for bringing the state of ropeways in Nepal to our attention. While many of us are familiar with the very successful Manakamana cable car and have often gasped at the perilous traditional 'ghirlings' and 'khit-khite' on treks it was interesting to read how ropeway technology can be exploited on a much wider scale and can be part of Nepal's overall transportation strategy. Ropeways in Nepal which you reviewed provides not only technical information but also the historical context and brings to the forefront the importance of sociological aspects: integrating the demands of the technology with the needs of the people. I was especially interested in hearing the novel concept of using existing underutilised micro-hydro power plants to power ropeways in rural areas, powering ropeways during daytime and providing lighting at night. It was a pleasure to find a technical book that is so self-critical and covers so many different aspects of the implementation of this and other development strategies. The case studies and anecdotes by several of the authors provide a personal touch and are an important chronicle of Nepal's development history. It was inspiring to read the stories of pioneers who were willing to put their personal credibility (and often also credit) on the line against the daunting odds of officialdom's indifference/incompetence. Ajaya Dixit's account of breaking a leg on an exploration trip to a potential ropeway site and the painful descent on the back of a porter in a wicker basket made a ropeways believer out of him. Both his account and this well-edited book should go a long way towards convincing many readers.

Isabella C Bassignana Khadka,
Bansbari