Narsingh Bahadur Shrestha, renowned entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the democratic movement, passed away on 23 April at the age of 82. Three days later, the country lost another prominent entrepreneur, Mohan Gopal Khetan. Khetan died at the age of 61 due to a heart attack at the Norvic Hospital in Kathmandu. He was also suffering from diabetes.

Shrestha was the founding president of Himalayan Bank and had also filled various advisory roles. He was an industrialist-businessman who backed economic liberalisation. He was a renowned social worker and an active contributor to the 1950 democratic movement.

Shrestha started his business career in transportation, and followed with a successful venture into construction. Diabetes and heart trouble were cited as the reasons for his demise.

Khetan went into business while still a student and had early success. After starting his career in the sugar industry, Khetan established the Khetan Group, which quickly became one of Nepal's leading business institutions. He moved into the corporate industry with the establishment of Mutual Trading in 1986. Khetan then invested in other business and industrial sectors such as banking, insurance, beer, and instant noodles.

Khetan also headed social welfare organisations that focussed on education, health, and religious efforts. Khetan helped build numerous schools and hospitals and was also the honorary consular general for Turkey in Nepal.

Khetan was known for his direct approach to matters and was held to be a good public speaker. While the business community in general has kept politics at arm's length, Khetan occasionally attracted attention with his controversial political opinions. He won over the hearts of many people in his eventful life.