Mohan Gopal Khetan was perhaps Nepal's most famous diabetic. He always had an extra shot of insulin in his kurta pocket when he partied, which was quite often-he rarely refused an invite.
For a man who fully lived every day, insulin injections were minor hassles. He was only 61 when he died last week. But it was a life full of vitality and variety.
During the late 80s and early 90s, the flamboyant Khetan courted controversy and inspired awe. He was unapologetic about the methods he employed to advance his business interests. He refused to be cowed down when arrested for alleged violation of the Foreign Currency Regulation in 1993.
Irregular meals and stress while in custody played havoc with his health. But Khetan kept up his unconventional ways, ignoring powerful friends who suggested that it didn't pay to be a Marwari maverick in Nepal.
He sided openly with Ganeshman Singh in the internal power struggles of the Nepali Congress. He supported the UML, bragged that he had helped the Maoists at the beginning of their armed struggle, and eventually said that Girija Prasad Koirala was the only politician who had never asked him for pecuniary favours.
But Khetan's munificence didn't buy him popularity. Powerful politicians often refused to acknowledge him publicly-largely because he was a Marwari. In return, Khetan flaunted his background even more.
Marwaris are a close-knit community and present a unified face, but differences within their ranks are marked. According to insiders, Marwaris in Nepal are of four types.
Biratanagar families consider themselves the elite. They claim higher status because they are mostly in manufacturing, which creates jobs and contributes more to the national economy than trading. The Golchhas and Dugars are prominent among them.
The descendents of families that came to Nepal from Burma via Hong Kong dominated foreign trade for years. Many have since relocated to south-east Asian countries and are said to consider themselves superior to Nepali traders dealing in primary goods.
The mercantile families in tarai towns usually have businesses on both sides of the border. They've been around for generations and are now doctors, engineers, chartered accountants, and even politicians. They are confident, indigenised, and speak Maithili, Bhojpuri, or Awadhi.
Ironically, Indrachok Marwaris, such as Khetan, were once considered the underclass of the community though they have lived in the capital for over a century and speak Newari with fluency. Most began, unglamorously, by trading in textiles, sitting in their shops 365 days of the year. Even big sahujis found it difficult to find respectable Indian grooms for their daughters.
Khetan's father had to move to Birganj to find a suitable boy for his sister across the border. The young Khetan, instead of getting annoyed, decided to become more successful-financially and socially-than everyone else of his time. In doing so, he established the primacy of Kathmandu Marwaris in Nepal.
Khetan found his true calling in representing multinational corporations. He became a quintessential comprador and flourished with the aid industry. Indrachok's Marwari families had been stirred even before Khetan's adventures-BL Mittal had made his fortune in construction and Binod Chaudhary showed promise from a very early age. But Khetan was big and growing.
With the liberalisation of the 1990s, Khetan diversified into manufacturing, banking, insurance, and aviation. His successes were legendary and failures spectacular.
He courted controversy to the end, always behaving as if he were settling scores for the suffering of his salesmen forefathers. Accounts cleared, he left this world. The man from Makhan will be remembered for years by his friends and foes alike.
CK lal in
