I refer to Ashutosh Tiwari's Strictly Business column, ('Accidental Businessman', #243) on Karna Sakya reviewing Sakya's book, Soch, and why 'Karna Sakya's positive outlook needs to (be) spread'.

An admirable and revealing predecessor to such books is Krishna Bahadur Amatya's Sansmaran (Reminiscences) published seven years ago. Amatya represents the dwindling tribe of the previous generation of Nepali (also read Newar) entrepreneurs who operated, diversified and survived in Kathmandu during the stifling autocratic Rana regime in Nepal. One instance: Amatya mentions a fellow Newar businessman called Gyan Man being subjected to the harsh physical reaction of the then Rana Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher because the jealous ruler happened to see him riding a polished and spacious Victoria in Calcutta! Gyan Man died shortly after the debilitating experience. The government's attitude and practices, then as well as now, can be compared by reading Sansmaran, which is finely produced and printed with no glaring typos and bad copy-editing, alongside Soch. And both must be read between the lines at places and one must see the fine print as well.

Amatya must be in his 80s now while Karna Sakya is in his early 60s. The 20-year gap in the active lives of Kathmandu's two prominent citizens alone is worth observing by reading their two books in tandem. This way, among many others, one can discern the wise men of Nepal who are in a fading minority while most of our present leaders are poseurs as wise guys. Today's rudderless Nepali youth have their heroes in their own land and can learn from the likes of Amatya and Sakya, in that order, who're still kicking and having their opinions circulated.

Sansmaran was read out and reviewed by Prakash Sayami on Sagarmatha FM when the book was freshly out of the press. Perhaps Soch can also be disseminated in like manner, provided the present dispensation in the country is not inconvenienced in any way whatsoever? After all, we need 'moral science' lessons once in a while, especially when Nepal is hurt in every way for hundreds of years already.

Peter J Karthak,
The Kathmandu Post

. In medicine we now talk about practicing evidence-based treatment. Likewise, Fareed Zakaria says in his relevant, ground breaking new book The Future of Freedom that almost every democratic success in the developing world in the past 50 years have taken place under a liberal authoritarian regime. If this is true, could Nepal be on the right track? For almost 15 years, I think we have had a sham democracy which fostered disenchantment and violence. Importantly, there were zero financial benefits for ordinary citizens, regardless of whatever other rights we may have obtained.

Buddha Basnyat,
MD, Kathmandu