Dr Madan Kumar Bhattarai, former Foreign Secretary and ambassador to Germany and Japan, needs no introduction. He is already a name as a diplomat. Now he has been equally active in writing biographies of people who have made contributions in one or the other ways to construct and consolidate Nepal's foreign policy during its formative periods. His passion for the study of family ancestries and histories, called genealogy, is also well-known. This book where he has so painstakingly dug into so much unknown but very illuminating information about four former diplomats and foreign secretaries is a proof itself.
One wonders how much effort he must have put to collect, collate, and present information in as much reliable a manner as it may have been possible for him to bring this book about. With this new addition to his literary repertoire, Dr Bhattarai has immensely contributed to enhancing the knowledge of readers interested in knowing how the early history of the Foreign Ministry that those four diplomats helped shape and sharpen.
The book has three components. It seeks to trace the family antecedents of all four diplomats. Then it has provided their academic background. The third aspect covers their performances as professionals. Extensive information about their family background makes the book quite an interesting read, as it takes readers on a tour of unknown territory. Among the four, the academic performance of Ram Prasad Manandhar is incredibly astounding. Securing first division all the way from high school to his university education is by no means a small feat. I can stand corrected, if I am wrong, late Narendra Bikram Shah also happened to be the one who had also achieved that feat!
Tumultuous period
Dr. Bhattarai has succinctly depicted the tumultuous periods when these four people became foreign secretaries. This book offers a wealth of information about the post-50s world that was slowly on its feet rising from the ashes of WW2. Nepal had recently ousted the century-plus-old hereditary Rana rule. This was also a period that saw the emergence of newly independent countries in many Asian, African, and Latin American countries from the yoke of colonialism. There was enthusiasm and initial euphoria of having to breathe in the fresh air of freedom, and Nepal was no exception.
A new democratic political order had been put in place replacing the old one. But the shape of things to come for the political and administrative stability as well as conducting international relations in order to consolidate the new democratic system was also a big challenge. The choice of the four, each one distinct from the other appears quite strange but pragmatic. Late Ram Prasad Manandhar is exceptionally talented. The other two bring in them tact and experience from their military background. The book, as the author himself has admitted, falls short on offering analytical insights into the diplomatic performances of all the four for not writing their memoirs. So the book largely meanders only around information the author could gather from different sources, including family members and other relevant materials that he could lay his hand upon.
One wonders why and how the talent of late Manandhar was not fully utilized in the formulation and execution of foreign policy. He was made foreign secretary for a very short period of time. Dr Bhattarai has not offered any clue either. Reading between the lines of his academic and family background, Manandhar appears to be more of a diplomat of linear thinking as most of the talented intellectuals are. He seems lacking tact in proportion to this talent to move around. He appears enjoying more remaining engaged in academic activities. The reason for his early retirement from active government service seems enigmatic and a big loss to the country. It was a pity the government never thought of taking advantage of his vast knowledge and brilliant academic career.
The other three seem diplomats more of tact than talent. In diplomacy as also in politics, a tactful person can endure much longer and become more successful than the one with talent. Padam Bahadur Khatri, a man of few words not much known for his oratory skills and articulation ability is the example of how a tactful person who knows how to read the situation and move accordingly can succeed in diplomacy. That is why he could go the distance. Jharendra Narayan Singh had his own unique qualities. I remember late NB Shah once telling us about him as a diplomat with aristocratic touch who preferred to look suave and urbane, with a keen taste for sartorial elegance. That was one of the reasons why he could easily cut relations and hobnob with the high and the mighty in the diplomatic fields in countries where he has had the opportunity to serve Nepal's ambassador!
In between, Dr Bhattarai has added his own perspectives to the book about the contemporary world and also about Nepal-India relations of the time, which according to him, India preferred to call it a special relationship, albeit Nepal has never acknowledged, let alone recognize this kind of relationship with India, Dr Bhattarai hints at. He even touches upon BP and Neharu's personal relations that he says were not as easy at times. The book offers a comprehensive picture of the historic Bandung Conference of the Afro-Asian countries held in Indonesia. One cannot agree more that the Bandung Conference offered the first-ever opportunity for Nepal to peep into the international world and also to make its presence felt among the international community. The Bandung conference gave impetus to the famous five principles of peaceful co-existence which later on were further refined and developed into the Non-Aligned Movement. The four diplomats have, in their own ways, thus, served as international eyes to help bring Nepal to the international focus.
Conclusion
The book, as stated earlier, offers only a short account of the personal, academic, and professional backgrounds of the four diplomats. The challenges Nepal faced in the international arena and what those challenges were and how these four diplomats fended them off through their diplomatic dexterity are not to be found in the book. The looming shadow of the cold war and many countries forming different defense pacts like WARSAW, NATO, and SENTO, thereby dividing the world fast into different security alliances had posed a great threat to international peace and security. What role did the four diplomats play in tackling those challenges to navigate Nepal safely out of those forbidding challenges is not there in the book, perhaps because the writer did not find information on that. If only those pieces of information were included, the book would have been even more interesting and useful for readers.
I think the bold, visionary, and informed political leadership that late King Mahendra provided at that time had a great deal to do to keep Nepal out of danger. The book should have made a mention of the contribution of late King Mahendra, the architect of the modern foreign policy of Nepal, the one who took a firm decision to take Nepal to the course of nonaligned foreign policy. Even late Yadunath Khanal, in one of his books has lauded late King Mahendra as one who by diversifying the foreign policy of Nepal offered a vantage point for Nepal to look out into the contemporary world. There is no point in denying that the diplomatic personalities of the four diplomats were shaped and honed by none other than late King Mahendra!
It is not possible to reach every nook and cranny of the book to make a complete and comprehensive review. I have merely touched upon only some of the striking portions. I agree many important aspects that I should have picked from the book for review may have been omitted. The creation of anything is always beautiful. But it is not a cakewalk either. It is more so when writing a biography about persons who are no more. Gathering information about them takes a lot of strenuous effort and making them more authentic is even more difficult. Dr. Bhattarai deserves our appreciation for bringing into prominence the four diplomats who helped in their respective ways lay the foundation stone of our foreign policy.
The book is an invaluable contribution to enhancing the understanding of our younger generations who were otherwise unknown to these great people. Additional information materials, including the text of the speech made at the Bandung Conference, relevant photos, etc, given at the end of the book have been like icing on the cake. We look forward to more such books in the future with fascinating accounts of other diplomats hitherto unknown to many readers from the prolific writing of Dr Madan Kumar Bhattarai!
(Thapa is a former Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.)
