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Pankaj Saran is a former diplomat with 40 years of experience in foreign, strategic and national security affairs. He has served in key positions within the Government of India in the Prime Minister’s Office, the National Security Council Secretariat, and Ministry of External Affairs and in several Indian missions abroad. 

He has served as India’s Ambassador to Russia and India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh, and as head of the Northern Division in the Ministry of External Affairs dealing with Nepal and Bhutan.  Saran is presently convenor of NatStrat, a Delhi-based independent Centre for Research on Strategic and Security Issues. He is also a member of the National Security Advisory Board and a Distinguished Fellow of the National Maritime Foundation. 

He is a regular commentator and writer on foreign affairs, security and strategic issues. Kamal Dev Bhattarai talked with him about the changing geopolitical situation in South Asia and its implications for Nepal. 

How do you see the changing geopolitical scenario in South Asia?

The rise of India is the most dominant feature of South Asia over the past few years. This is important because India is geographically the largest country in South Asia. It is the largest country in the world in terms of population. So what happens inside India is a matter of interest not just to the world but also to the smaller countries of South Asia. This is the first trend I have observed over the past few years. Second is there is a growing integration between the South Asian countries which is a very healthy trend. With the exception of Pakistan and Afghanistan, all other regions are today well-connected both at the government level and individual level, societal and economic levels. Third is we are finding greater interests in extra-regional powers. For example, China, the United States and to some extent Europe and Japan are showing more interest in the matters of South Asia. In a nutshell, South Asia has become more important in the global landscape than it was before.

How does India view the growing interests of extra-regional power in South Asia, mainly the US?

In South Asia, every country is a sovereign country, so they have the right to decide their respective foreign policy. Every country has the freedom to decide what kind of freedom they have with other countries. For India, it cannot comment on what kind of foreign policy any country can pursue. What India on its part is trying to do is to create an atmosphere in the region which helps the countries to develop and achieve their aspirations whether their developmental aspirations or economic aspirations or political aspirations. Its ‘neighborhood first policy’ has various dimensions such as increasing connectivity, building institutional mechanisms which will last and bind the countries which is an ongoing process. 

Sometimes, it happens at a fast pace, sometimes it happens at a slow pace, and sometimes there are obstacles. Like other regions, South Asia is affected by Covid-19 and Russia-Ukraine war. India is trying to help the smaller countries in this region. We believe that South Asia always remains an area which does not witness geopolitical competition. Because the priorities of the region are clearly oriented to economic and development issues. From an Indian perspective, it is better not to involve this region in the geopolitical competition and contestation in the world. We have already suffered during the cold war and it was of no benefit to this region. We do not want to go back to those days. Countries of the Global South have different priorities. 

Having relationships and cooperation with other countries with global and major power is legitimate. But we should not allow global major powers to exploit the vulnerabilities of small countries or Global South to create a difficult situation for them. The cooperation is natural but it should not translate into creating problems or forcing or using smaller countries by using their vulnerabilities to create problems for other countries either inside the reason and in the world. We have to find a new system or method in conducting international politics which does not increase tensions but it contributes to a greater atmosphere of peace and stability. Competition is fine. 

The United States is competing with China which is declared policy of both countries, it is not a secret. The question is whether this competition translates into conflict. This is a question that we have to ask ourselves. We do not like to be stuck in such a situation.

India is projecting itself as a leader of the Global South. How can the countries of this region benefit from it?  

From the G20 Summit, what India realized is that the global narrative was completely dominated by Europe and by what happened in Ukraine. The result was the problem of day-to-day management of economic development and not finding any reflection in the mass media. Among the global elites, India was able to sense the mood of the South and it held two summits: one before the G20 Summit and another after that to provide them a platform to share each other’s problems and concerns. And it was a great success. 

When it comes to Nepal, what India is focusing on is the practical implementation of policies toward Nepal. There are many aspects of activities between Nepal and India whether it is trade, economic cooperation or cultural or any aspects, and for me these cooperation are very important. India is providing help to Nepal in those areas where Nepal needs such help and it is understanding Nepal’s concerns and aspirations.

And for me these are core issues of bilateral relationship. Maintaining a close communication with Nepal at all levels is critical. If India’s growth can help Nepal to achieve its own national ambitions that will be a good situation. That is the constant efforts that you carry Nepal along to help and enable Nepal to take benefit from India’s growth. It is a reality that India is the fastest growing economy in the world and today its growth rate is higher than China. When India itself is changing so fast that gives opportunity to its immediate neighbors. There is an open border between two countries, there is free movement of the people so there are huge opportunities for Nepal.

But it seems that it is not happening, what are the bottlenecks?

I think it is happening. What we should think and try is to move beyond government. Governments have the role to play and they are playing their role in all that is going on. But there is much more in the relationship than the government.  Both societies have a deep stake in each other’s success and welfare. Every section of the society has a role to play and we should not leave this relationship only to the government. It is too important and too complicated to say that only the government can handle all the problems. 

The governments can provide a pathway, it can provide a broad ecosystem, it can provide atmosphere, and framework but other sections of society should play a vital role. Nepal is in need of employment and more investment which is a primary goal of the Nepal government. We have to see in what way India can help Nepal. One is obviously financial assistance, line of credits and development cooperation but there is more than that. I can see the huge potential of tourism. The Indian middle-class is growing fast and they are looking for a destination. Nepal should see India as a strategic depth. The good news is that India is doing well and Nepal has an opportunity and you should exploit it.

How does India view China’s growing concerns in Nepal?

What Nepal does with China and how it conducts its relationship is a matter for the Nepalese government to decide on which India cannot say anything. But, what I also say is that no relationship whether it is between Nepal and China or between India and any other countries should be constructed or developed in a way that harms the interests of someone else’ interests. This is a basic principle of international relationship. 

All countries are equal, equally sovereign and they have the right to conduct relationships but those relationships should not be at the expense of someone else's interests or no relationship should adversely affect the security interest of some other countries. Geography is a reality. Geography dictates the certain natural relationship and we should respect what nature has given to us—how geography has bound Nepal and India together. 

There is a certain affinity between two countries which will remain for the long run and no one can change it. You cannot artificially change the reality of geography and culture. You do not want any territory or country that is used for any activities that hurts some other country’s national security interests. No one would like it neither Nepal nor India and even for China any actions to be taken by any countries which it feels hurts its national security interests. This is a very natural and logical reaction. The fact is that India’s relationship today with China is in a difficult position. We are hopeful that we can persuade the Chinese to look at India differently to address India’s core concerns. But having said that we also trade with China, we have investment, so it is a complicated relationship. Everyone in India looks at Nepal through Indian eyes.

Nepal, nestled in the heart of the Himalayas, boasts a rich tapestry of culture, tradition and natural beauty. Yet, beneath its picturesque landscapes lies a healthcare sector grappling with challenges while teeming with untapped potential. As the nation strides toward socio-economic prosperity, the transformation of its healthcare landscape can prove to be substantive through interventions like augmenting investment along with promoting public and private sector collaboration in bolstering medical tourism, oriental health care practices, pharmaceutical industry and medical education.

At the core of Nepal’s healthcare discourse lies the issue of healthcare expenditure, measured as a percentage of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). While developed nations like the United States allocate a substantial portion of their GDP — 17.3 percent, to be precise — toward healthcare, Nepal’s investment in this vital sector remains comparatively modest. However, as the wheels of economic development gain momentum, there exists a ripe opportunity to bolster healthcare spending, thereby catalyzing improved health outcomes and driving socioeconomic advancement.

The dichotomy between public and private healthcare sectors paints a nuanced picture of Nepal’s healthcare landscape. The Health Management Information System (HMIS) 2020-21 data shed light on the significant role of private hospitals, with a higher proportion of patients seeking care in these facilities compared to their public counterparts. Yet, rather than viewing this as a stark division, fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors emerges as a potent strategy to fortify Nepal’s healthcare ecosystem. By incentivizing private sector investment in healthcare infrastructure, quality assurance measures, and capacity-building, Nepal can forge a path toward enhanced service delivery and sectoral development.

In the realm of medical tourism, Nepal remains as a hidden gem, offering a blend of high-quality medical treatments at affordable rates against the backdrop of breathtaking landscapes from the touristic perspective and the intensity of the global flow of medical tourists. The global medical tourism industry, valued at $9.7bn in 2022, presents a lucrative opportunity for Nepal to showcase its prowess in healthcare provision. Cosmetic procedures, dental care, infertility treatments — Nepal’s offerings resonate with individuals seeking quality healthcare services without breaking the bank. Organizations like the Nepal Medical Tourism Organization (NEMTO) play a pivotal role in elevating Nepal as a premier medical tourism destination, thereby bolstering the economy and the healthcare sector in tandem.

While modern medicine holds sway, the integration of alternative medicine — Ayurveda, Yog, traditional healing practices — presents a symbiotic relationship between health improvement and tourism development. Embracing these age-old practices not only expands healthcare options for citizens but also taps into the burgeoning trend of holistic wellness travel. As global travelers seek sanctuary in Nepal’s tranquil abodes, the convergence of traditional wisdom and modern healthcare catapults the nation onto the world stage as a beacon of well-being and rejuvenation.

In terms of pharmaceuticals, Nepal stands at the cusp of innovation and self-reliance. With pharmaceuticals constituting a significant portion of healthcare expenditure, investing in local production holds the promise of reducing dependence on imports and stimulating economic growth. Strategic investments, regulatory reforms and international partnerships pave the way for Nepal to emerge as a pharmaceutical powerhouse, aligning its healthcare sector with global standards and amplifying its impact on regional markets.

Amidst the promises of progress lie challenges that demand attention and resolve. The unfilled MBBS seats for international students underscore the need for strategic interventions to attract talent and maximize the sector's potential. Strategic advertising campaigns highlighting Nepal’s quality medical education, affordable fees and promising career prospects can serve as a beacon, drawing aspiring medical professionals to Nepal's shores and addressing economic concerns in one fell swoop.

In conclusion, Nepal’s healthcare sector stands at a crossroads of transformation and innovation. By embracing challenges as opportunities, Nepal has the potential to emerge as a beacon of healthcare excellence in the region and beyond. Through sensible interventions in the aforementioned sectors Nepal can chart a course toward a healthier, more prosperous future — a future where healthcare transcends boundaries and transforms lives.

Deepa Gurung, popularly known as ‘GDiipa_inspo’ on Instagram, is more than just a renowned makeup artist. She is a dynamic beauty entrepreneur. She’s the founder of Pari Cosmetics, a Nepali cosmetic brand. She’s also the co-founder of TTDeye colored contact lenses. She runs makeup classes in Nepal, Hong Kong, and many cities across the UK.

Gurung, originally from Pokhara, Nepal, moved to Hong Kong at a young age and spent around two decades there. After living in the UK for five years, she has now returned to Nepal to launch her brand in her homeland. Her business operates primarily online and she’s currently busy establishing its headquarters in Nepal, managing the customer service team, and ensuring overall smooth operations.

She always dreamt of having her own business. When she was young, she did different odd jobs to save up for it. She started working as a freelance makeup artist and even got to work with wealthy clients in Hong Kong. Being around luxury got her interested in the business side of things. She realized that if you showcase your products well and focus on quality, your business can do well. So, armed with skills and knowledge, she started Pari Cosmetics in 2017, manufacturing makeup brushes as her first product. And in 2019, she officially launched her beauty products.

A few months ago, she officially kicked off Pari Cosmetics and TTDeye in Nepal, throwing a big party where she invited many influencers and Nepali celebrities. Despite being a new face in the Nepali media scene, she says, she was overwhelmed by the incredible love and support she received from everyone who attended. Bringing her beauty brand to Nepal is a major achievement for her, she says. 

She fully commits to overcoming challenges, not letting moments of doubt or obstacles hold her back. In both business and personal life, she fearlessly takes strategic risks and thinks ahead. Although she had a settled life in Hong Kong with a successful brand and product, she felt something was amiss. She says she was struggling with past relationships and her people-pleasing tendency was putting her at a disadvantage. In the summer of 2019, to start afresh, she left her investments and everything behind and boarded a flight to the UK to be with her mother and sisters, which certainly made a big difference in her life.

“In business, I love the idea of us working together like a family. Our focus is on progress, not getting entangled in unhealthy competition. I consistently urge everyone, regardless of their position, to be kind and respectful,” says Gurung. 

She believes a happy workplace brings positive outcomes. Instead of restricting employees to monotonous tasks, she mentors and provides space for talent development, avoiding monotony in tasks while also valuing creative input from each team member.

Gurung, 32, is adamant about not compromising on the quality of production or visual presentation. She ensures top-notch quality by using excellent studio lighting, professional cameras, and a well-set-up environment to showcase their products in the best way possible.

Pari Cosmetics aims to become a household brand. “We aim to cater to the Nepali diaspora worldwide,” says Gurung. Emphasizing a clean and vegan approach, the founder ensures their products are cruelty-free and sustainable. “It’s more on the natural side and our packaging doesn’t use hard plastic,” she says. 

Not only is she nurturing her own brand, but she’s also raising her toddler while juggling attending events, conducting makeup classes, and traveling across the country. She discusses how parenting responsibilities are shared with her partner, Sagar Gurung, the founder of Gunda London. She acknowledges him as a support system for personal growth and values their friendship and partnership. 

She was a judge in the Miss World America beauty pageant. Despite being well-known in the beauty industry, she is humble and readily compliments others. She’s friendly and doesn’t hesitate to reach out to people. “Your network is your net worth,” she says. She believes in the continuous journey of learning, emphasizing that nobody’s perfect. By experimenting, improving skills, and keeping an open mind, she believes, you can achieve success.

She aims to launch a full makeup line and skincare products under Pari Cosmetics within two years. Her vision is to expand her franchise across cities in Nepal to make quality products accessible to everyone. The prices are slightly on the higher side and Gurung hopes to make them affordable in the future. The main obstacle, she says, is the high import taxes. It has affected her business plan. But she remains determined to provide quality products that everyone can afford.

“Many of the products Nepalis purchase are from India and other countries. We shouldn’t rely so heavily on imports,” she says, adding Nepal should focus on growing its economy by manufacturing most of the things it imports. For this, Nepal must invest in its youth and give them the incentive to explore and learn innovative, international practices and bring those skills back home.

Nepal has a new Minister for Youth and Sports.

Perhaps this is the opportunity for the nation to come up with robust solutions to develop two areas of policy-making that have been traditionally neglected and relegated to a second-class status within the domains of decision-making. Biraj Bhakta Shrestha is the new minister and he has some daunting tasks ahead of him.

To be fair to his predecessor, Dig Bahadur Limbu, it would be interesting to assess what has been done during the previous government. Yet is it not yet a practice to review and give scores to what has been achieved. Perhaps it is also difficult to do so because rarely do governments of the day have a clear vision of goals and tasks to be achieved portfolio-wise.

Coming to the new minister, from what newspapers are saying, there is an air of optimism about Shrestha and what he could do.

Let’s not forget that he belongs to a party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, that has considerable leverage over Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The first big mission for him is to make his ministry relevant, a heavy weight within the echelons of power in Singha Durbar.

For now, it is almost a mission impossible considering the disregard that, so far, youth-related policies have been objects of.

How about starting a series of consultations with youth organizations and sports stakeholders?

This is certainly a no-brainer and I do hope that Shrestha and his team are already coming up with a bold exercise of listening to and engaging with them.

Imagine a series of meetings, quite informal in nature, in Kathmandu but outside the walls of Singha Durbar and around the nation where “open mike” sessions can unfold in an environment where participants can feel the freedom to speak their minds.

They would also feel empowered because perhaps, this time around, there is now a higher chance that their voices and concerns would also count.

Indeed, there are a lot of things that need discussing.

To start with, are the current national policies effective?

Well, we already know the answer to this question.

The key point would be finding practical, doable ways to turn them around.

Probably, commonsense would indicate that there is no time to radically change the existing plans.

Instead, there might be space to twist them and modify them a bit, in order to make such plans more effective.

Giving ownership to the stakeholders is one step to strengthen the Ministry of Youth and Sports but then, it is going to be paramount to get the buy-in of the prime minister.

This means not only more resources for it but also a special attention to the policy proposals that are going to be mapped out and then implemented.

Coming up with an ambitious but at the same time realistic action plan with achievable milestones is going to be the second most important thing for Shrestha.

Reviewing and assessing the institutional effectiveness of the bodies under the ministry should be on top of this list.

For example, how fit for the purpose are institutions like the National Youth Council or National Sport Council? What about the National Olympic Committee?

What about the motivation, strengths and constraints of the employees of these bodies? How can the staff working there provide more value for their work?

Having their concerns fully on board would give Shrestha an edge to turn around these institutions.

Within both portfolios under the purview of the ministry, youths-related and sports-related, there are certainly linkages and commonalities that have not been meaningfully exploited.

Ideally, the National Youth Council or National Sport Council should not work in silos as it is common practice now.

Instead, there should be in place an institutional cooperative framework to carry out, though through different means, the overarching goals of the ministry.

Talking about implementation, it is also essential to come up with a partnership framework with NGOs and not for profit organizations, especially in the youth sector.

There are so many promising organizations active in areas like youth leadership and climate action but funding is always a thorny issue.

The more the ministry works with them, the easier for the nation to realize ambitious goals of development.

It’s also of paramount importance to work out a strategy to empower the provinces’ work in the empowerment of youths, including through sports.

This is a tough area also because, within the Rastriya Swatantra Party, there is a certain dose of skepticism toward provinces.

At the same time, each of these two dimensions has specific subsets of areas. For example, promoting volunteerism should be a major agenda of the ministry.

Perhaps this is the right time to dust off the draft National Volunteering Policy that has been waiting for a formal endorsement by the Federal Cabinet for more than three years.

We know very well that volunteerism has been underappreciated and its value has been underestimated.

It should not be the case because civic engagement, the engine behind any volunteering activity, is an essential part of the national fabric.

The problem is that it has never been fully leveraged nor understood.

In the sports field, there is so much to be done, especially at tapping the potential of youngsters, starting from childhood.

Nepal should not only focus on boosting and developing its elite athletes even though, for obvious reasons, it is essential to recognize and acknowledge them.

Positively enough, at least for the major sports, something has been happening in this regard.

Yet it is essential, while making difficult choices and prioritizing for funding, to recognize that promoting sports at young ages is very important.

Doing so would require a cross-sectoral effort because, for example, schools and colleges do play an important role in this regard.

Think about the role of private colleges in promoting basketball.

Yet future champions should also emerge from public schools and here some collaborations with the Ministry of Education, also under Minister Shrestha’s party, could make a difference.

Then there is the vastly-neglected area of adaptive sports.

Athletes with disabilities deserve the same respect and treatment received by their able-bodied peers.

Many of them are frustrated and their potential is severely impacted by lack of action to support them.

Wheelchair table-tennis, wheelchair basketball, blind cricket and deaf football, for example, just to mention a few disciplines, have a huge scope for growth if investments are made.

Then, setting some targets will matter. How many youths of the nations would be undertaking volunteering activities?

How many of such acts would be one-off versus more long-term ones? How many interschools sports competitions should be organized?

How many medals should Nepal aim for at the next South Asia or Asian Games? What about the targets for Los Angeles 2028?

The new Minister for Youth and Sports has tons of work ahead but only a different style of work and grounded ambition can help him.

I wish Minister Shrestha best of luck.

The author is the co-founder of ENGAGE and The Good Leadership. Views are personal