Nepal has always fascinated me. Whether it is the grandeur of its durbar squares, mysteries of its temples, its natural endowments, its customs and traditions like worshipping of the living goddess, its valiant history or on the flip side, devastating earthquakes and floods, plane hijacking of 1999, palace massacre of 2001, and its topsy-turvy relationship with India, the erstwhile Hindu kingdom rarely ceases my consciousness.

Being a geopolitics aficionado, I also keenly observe Nepal’s role in South Asia. Thus, in my last visit to Kathmandu, I picked up an engrossing book on India-Nepal relationship — Kathmandu Chronicle: Reclaiming India-Nepal Relations. It’s been jointly authored by Krishna V Rajan, India’s longest-serving Ambassador to Nepal till date and later an advisor to the Indian government on Nepal matters, and Atul K Thakur, a credible Indian voice on Nepal today.

The authors make the book’s focus adequately clear through its title and subtitle. The latter points to the fact that both sides have been harbouring some misgivings, in spite of social and cultural commonalities, which warrant correction. So, the book doesn’t just diagnose the ailment, but also prescribes treatment.

Kathmandu Chronicle is divided into three sections. The first one presents personal experiences and work of Rajan as a diplomat in Kathmandu. The second section focuses on Nepal’s struggle for democracy. It goes on to expound India’s interventions in this journey of Nepal and scepticism on part of both for one another. While the first two sections deal with the causes of mutual distrust between the two nations, the final part, offers hope for........

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