As a 17-year-old Boy Scout, Keshar Bahadur Bista travelled the world in the 1960s. Like many Nepalis, he could have stayed abroad and done well for himself in the diaspora.

Fortunately, his father Dor Bahadur Bista would have none of it. The famous social scientist and author of the book Fatalism and Development decided his son had not seen enough of his own country and forced him to return to Nepal. It was a decision that shaped Keshar Bahadur Bista's life and destiny. On Wednesday, he took the plunge and launched his own political party, Democratic Nepal and vowed to take Nepal down the middle path of meaningful democracy

Like his father, Bista spent most of his free time traveling around Nepal and excelled in university. On finishing his MA in Political Science from Tribhuban University where he received a gold medal for outstanding academic performance Bista volunteered for the National Development Scheme (NDS) and was sent to Sindhupalchok with three classmates where he worked for a year implementing rural development projects.

If one needs proof that the NDS was the best thing that ever happened to Nepal, one just needs to look at the commitment and drive of participants like Keshar Bahadur Bista. He returned to act as coordinator of the NDS that sent thousands of college students for one year mandatory development work in villages across Nepal.

Bista shied away from politics, although he served a brief stint as minister of culture during the Panchayat years. Seven of his ancestors were executed by Bir Shumsher so the initial reluctance to get into politics was understandable. But the yearning to do something to save the country was too strong and Keshar Bahadur Bista has now returned to his true calling.

Asked why he launched his own party, Bista says, like many other Nepalis, it was because of the unfulfilled hopes of democracy. "Ultimately democracy is the best way to improve the lives of Nepalis, our new party will represent and include all of Nepal", he says. Wish him luck.

Alok Tumbahangphey