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For those unacquainted with Nepal’s political system, they could do worse than pick up “The Politics of Nepal: Persistence and Change in an Asian Monarchy”. Leo E. Rose and Margaret W. Fisher’s short book covers the country’s history from the time of Prithvi Narayan Shah to the late 1960s, when it was written. Lok Raj Baral’s preface to the new Mandala Print Edition partly covers the subsequent evolution of Nepali politics between late 1960s and now.

The strength of this brief book, like the other books Rose has written on Nepal, is it’s jargon-free, simple language. Anyone can pick it up and easily understand the historic evolution of Nepali polity, while also getting a glimpse of other factors that have shaped Nepal’s destiny over the years: it’s unique geography, its rich ethnic mix, and it’s challenging geopolitical position. 

Besides the preface, and foreword by Richard L. Park, the book is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter ‘Political and Social Heritage’ discusses the evolution of Nepal as a country and its many geographical and ethnic attributes. Also included is an account of the country’s political experimentation since the time of PN Shah until the late 1960s.

The second chapter ‘Monarchy and Representative Institutions’ is basically a history of Shah monarchy: how it was subverted during the Ranarchy and how its role changed drastically in post-1950 politics. Most notably, after dismissing the elected government of BP Koirala in 1959, King Mahendra imposed a party-less Panchayat system the following year.

Other chapters in the book are: ‘The Administrative and Judicial System’, ‘Political Forces in Nepal’, ‘The Modernization of the Nepali Economy’, ‘Nepal’s International Relations’, and ‘Modernizing Nepali Politics”. These chapters are followed by a comprehensive literature guide on Nepal, and suggested further readings.

Again, the book is an initiation into modern Nepali politics. Yet more serious scholars on Nepal would also find it of some interest. Even though it is a brief volume, Rose and Fisher offer their unique take on the course of events in Nepal. For instance, the authors are ready to give King Mahendra benefit of doubt on his imposition of the partyless-Panchayat system, even as they are unsure the experiment will succeed.

They try to understand King Mahendra’s possible motivations. Among other things the monarch must have considered: “Would crown functions be usurped by the present prime minister and the monarch relegated to a figurehead…?”, “Was the very existence of the monarchy imperiled by the growing power of the Nepali Congress…?”, “Was Nepal itself in danger of becoming an Indian satellite?” It would be strange, write Rose and Fisher, if “they [these questions] had not arisen in the mind of a monarch who was only too aware of the underlying factors in both the founding and the collapse of the Rana regime, whose virtual prisoner he had himself once been”.

He argues King Mahendra’s strong prejudice against political parties is “not without substance”: “The record of the political parties in Nepal, as in much of the non-western world, does not inspire confidence in their capacity to provide the leadership and authority necessary in a difficult transitional period”. Yet the writers are far from dyed-in-the-wool monarchists. King Mahendra, they write, must also share some of the blame “for the failure of the Nepali parties to mature” as the palace itself was often engaged in playing favorites among political groups.

Nonetheless, as Baral hints in his preface, it was because of Rose’s rather sympathetic reading of the role of Nepali monarchy that King Birendra awarded Rose ‘Gorkha Dakshin Bahu’ in 1984.

The book hews to the maxim that every two has two sides. It would be wrong to ignore the version of the monarchs even if the reader is a firm believer in the democratic process—for doing so would entail an incomplete reading of Nepali history.

The guide to literature on Nepal that the book ends with is also an invaluable repository of the required reading to understand the country better.

The book, now republished by Mandala Book Point, was originally part of the broader ‘South Asian Political Systems’ series Richard L. Park edited. The series took up cases of individual countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Afghanistan. Writes Park, “The rapid rise of nationalism in Asia in the twentieth century, the decline of Western imperial systems, and the founding of the many independent states in the early years of the United Nations have all contributed to a growing interest in Asian culture and politics.” Hence the need for books like ‘The Politics of Nepal”.

It’s worth a read for anyone even remotely interested in understanding the evolution of the Nepali political system.

Non-Fiction

The Politics of Nepal: Persistence and Change in an Asian Monarchy

Leo E. Rose and Margaret W. Fisher

Pages: 197

Publisher: Mandala Book Point

For those unacquainted with Nepal’s political system, they could do worse than pick up “The Politics of Nepal: Persistence and Change in an Asian Monarchy”. Leo E. Rose and Margaret W. Fisher’s short book covers the country’s history from the time of Prithvi Narayan Shah to the late 1960s, when it was written. Lok Raj Baral’s preface to the new Mandala Print Edition partly covers the subsequent evolution of Nepali politics between late 1960s and now.

The strength of this brief book, like the other books Rose has written on Nepal, is it’s jargon-free, simple language. Anyone can pick it up and easily understand the historic evolution of Nepali polity, while also getting a glimpse of other factors that have shaped Nepal’s destiny over the years: it’s unique geography, its rich ethnic mix, and it’s challenging geopolitical position. 

Besides the preface, and foreword by Richard L. Park, the book is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter ‘Political and Social Heritage’ discusses the evolution of Nepal as a country and its many geographical and ethnic attributes. Also included is an account of the country’s political experimentation since the time of PN Shah until the late 1960s.

The second chapter ‘Monarchy and Representative Institutions’ is basically a history of Shah monarchy: how it was subverted during the Ranarchy and how its role changed drastically in post-1950 politics. Most notably, after dismissing the elected government of BP Koirala in 1959, King Mahendra imposed a party-less Panchayat system the following year.

Other chapters in the book are: ‘The Administrative and Judicial System’, ‘Political Forces in Nepal’, ‘The Modernization of the Nepali Economy’, ‘Nepal’s International Relations’, and ‘Modernizing Nepali Politics”. These chapters are followed by a comprehensive literature guide on Nepal, and suggested further readings.

Again, the book is an initiation into modern Nepali politics. Yet more serious scholars on Nepal would also find it of some interest. Even though it is a brief volume, Rose and Fisher offer their unique take on the course of events in Nepal. For instance, the authors are ready to give King Mahendra benefit of doubt on his imposition of the partyless-Panchayat system, even as they are unsure the experiment will succeed.

They try to understand King Mahendra’s possible motivations. Among other things the monarch must have considered: “Would crown functions be usurped by the present prime minister and the monarch relegated to a figurehead…?”, “Was the very existence of the monarchy imperiled by the growing power of the Nepali Congress…?”, “Was Nepal itself in danger of becoming an Indian satellite?” It would be strange, write Rose and Fisher, if “they [these questions] had not arisen in the mind of a monarch who was only too aware of the underlying factors in both the founding and the collapse of the Rana regime, whose virtual prisoner he had himself once been”.

He argues King Mahendra’s strong prejudice against political parties is “not without substance”: “The record of the political parties in Nepal, as in much of the non-western world, does not inspire confidence in their capacity to provide the leadership and authority necessary in a difficult transitional period”. Yet the writers are far from dyed-in-the-wool monarchists. King Mahendra, they write, must also share some of the blame “for the failure of the Nepali parties to mature” as the palace itself was often engaged in playing favorites among political groups.

Nonetheless, as Baral hints in his preface, it was because of Rose’s rather sympathetic reading of the role of Nepali monarchy that King Birendra awarded Rose ‘Gorkha Dakshin Bahu’ in 1984.

The book hews to the maxim that every two has two sides. It would be wrong to ignore the version of the monarchs even if the reader is a firm believer in the democratic process—for doing so would entail an incomplete reading of Nepali history.

The guide to literature on Nepal that the book ends with is also an invaluable repository of the required reading to understand the country better.

The book, now republished by Mandala Book Point, was originally part of the broader ‘South Asian Political Systems’ series Richard L. Park edited. The series took up cases of individual countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and Afghanistan. Writes Park, “The rapid rise of nationalism in Asia in the twentieth century, the decline of Western imperial systems, and the founding of the many independent states in the early years of the United Nations have all contributed to a growing interest in Asian culture and politics.” Hence the need for books like ‘The Politics of Nepal”.

It’s worth a read for anyone even remotely interested in understanding the evolution of the Nepali political system.

No matter how hard you try to avoid reviews and spoilers, they always creep in on social media and influence an avid movie lover’s point-of-view. These quick social media reviews distract the clean state of someone who wants to approach a movie unbiased.

This happened to me most recently with the new Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer “Raat Akeli Hai.” Released on July 31 on Netflix, Raat Akeli Hai was immediately compared to last year’s Hollywood thriller “Knives Out”, with many film buffs posting non-stop on social media about their similarities. This made me want to avoid the ‘Hindi version’ but again, I have a soft spot for Siddiqui and missing out on his movie just because some people claimed it was a rip-off would be unjust.

Thank god! I again learned not to take people’s claims online too seriously. For any sane viewer who understands both the languages, the only similarity between Raat Akeli Hai and Knives Out is that they are both modern whodunits. Also, the premises are similar, where an old man gets murdered in an old house and family members are suspects. But the same can be said of many other murder mysteries starring superstar detectives Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.

In Raat Akeli Hai, a rich old man Raghubeer Singh (Khalid Tyabji) is found murdered with his own gun on the night of his wedding inside his haveli. Inspector Jatil Yadav (Siddiqui) is assigned to investigate the murder, where everyone in the family, including Raghubeer’s newly wed wife, Radha (Radhika Apte), is a suspect.

Now it’s up to inspector Yadav to bring the killer to justice. But his work in made hard by toxic relations between the family members, their secretive nature, their resistance to the investigation, as well as a past relationship the detective had with one of the family members. There is also outside interference in the investigation from powerful people and at the same time, more people get murdered. Also, a double robbery plus homicide from five years ago resurfaces as a connecting dot to Raghubeer’s murder, adding even more complexity.

Complications, or conflicts, are what drive the movie from the beginning. The dark, gritty, suspense film creates crisis after crisis for the detective, culminating in one fine example of the ending of a film noir. Inspector Yadav struggles to find the killer, fighting off his family issues at the same time, as well as facing adversities from his seniors and colleagues. Raghubeer, who always appears in the past, shows how a person with power and money can keep corrupting the system, even after his death.

Director Honey Trehan creates an exemplary show-reel for a murder mystery in this film written by Smita Singh. Raat Akeli Hai maintains a realistic approach to filmmaking, most likely in honor of its talented cast. And despite the 2hrs 29min length, which is considered rather long for a feature film these days, the screenplay is engaging enough to capture the audience attention throughout. There is a lag at times though, where some scenes feel stretched and redundant, but given the rest of execution, they seem more like a stylistic touch than a weakness.

Although it is a murder mystery with half a dozen suspects, Siddiqui as the investigating officer steals the limelight. This is also where Raat Akeli Hai differs from Knives Out, the latter being an ensemble while the former mostly banks on one popular actor. With his ability to take on any role and convince the audience it was written just for him, Siddiqui again proves his worth. The weak character and lack of screen time for the unofficial face of Netflix India, Radhika Apte, is a bummer though.

Who should watch it?

Whether you’re a Nawazuddin Siddiqui fan or not, Raat Akeli Hai is a must-watch if you’re into movies that play with you mind and leave you thinking frantically for a couple of hours. This is the kind of movie you can watch now, and would not mind re-watching a year later.

Raat Akeli Hai

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Crime/Drama

Actors: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte

Director: Honey Trehan

Run time: 2hrs 29min

My reader friends have really good things to say about Elif Shafak, particularly ‘The Bastard of Istanbul’ and ‘The Forty Rules of Love’. But I didn’t like either of those books much. I found them a bit slow and they spun around in circles without the stories going anywhere for the most part.

I picked up ‘Three Daughters of Eve’ as I wanted to give Shafak another chance, for the sake of one of my closest friends who absolutely adores her.

I wouldn’t say Three Daughters of Eve is great. It takes time to build up and there are clichés that make you cringe. But the inner turmoil of the main character where faith and religion are concerned is palpable and the novel has conversations and contemplations on god that make it a riveting read. Shafak’s writing has also become much more nuanced than before.

The book starts with the mugging and attempted assault of a wealthy Turkish woman, Nazperi Nalbantoğlu, or Peri for short, on her way to a fancy dinner party. This incident leads her to think back about her life—growing up in Istanbul and then moving to Oxford University for higher education, her friendship with two Muslim women, and a scandal that changes everything.  

Narrated in two timelines—the present day (which is 2016) and 1990s/early 2000s, the story moves seamlessly between the chaotic and complicated Istanbul and the contrastingly calm Oxford. The novel also has Shafak’s trademark touches of magical realism—Peri experiences visions of a baby in a mist that is both comforting and unsettling. I have to say Shafak is skilled at alternating between timelines and infusing a bit of surrealism into everyday life.

The blurb says it’s a story about three friends—Peri, Mona, and Shirin—but it’s actually mostly about Peri. There’s very little about Mona or Shirin, with the former making fleeting appearances. I wish Shafak had focused a bit more on Shirin because I liked the unapologetic, fierce, and rebellious Shirin I got a glimpse of and felt her story could have been more interesting than Peri’s.

As for Peri, she has had a troubled childhood, having been torn between her mother’s and her father’s versions of religion. Her mother was a devoted Muslim and her father was always questioning the idea and existence of god, and thus getting into heated arguments with his wife. Peri never knew just what to believe in and the confusion follows her well into adulthood. It is this figuring out what or who god is and eventually coming into her own that is the theme of Three Daughters of Eve.

The verdict: The book deserves a read as it makes you think and rethink about your faith. It could have been better. For me, the ending was a little off. But it’s not bad. I would definitely recommend it, especially to those who have always been undecided about god and wanting to make up their minds.

Fiction

Three Daughters of Eve

Elif Shafak

Published: 2016

Publisher: Penguin Random House UK

Language: English

Pages: 367, Paperback