Understanding Nepal’s Development is predicative on the knowledge of a mixture of native and
alien perspectives on development. This piece of work is different from others because the
interpretations are blended with cross-cultural richness and the context is narrated with a fully
native rigor. We believe that interpretations become more meaningful if the context is well set.
The state of Nepal’s development is more governed by multiple factors, and endogenic and
exogenic factors simultaneously have played their roles in shaping the nation’s destiny.
The book is divided into three parts. The first part contains three chapters, one on the society and
culture; another on the people, the land and the economy; and the third on contemporary issues.
The society and culture are important not only because they embody and reflect values, beliefs
and norms of the Nepali people but also because they shed light on how the society is regimented
and stratified. Because this has implications for development, we argue that the typical practice
of grouping the Nepali people into two categories - as caste and ethnic groups – leads to a
misunderstanding. All Nepalese can be grouped within one or the other ethnic groups, and the
caste system has a varying influence on these ethnic groups. They are to be seen as mutually
inclusive and not exclusive constructs.
Another social institution that influences human life on a day-to-day basis is religion. Because
Hinduism and Buddhism are the two prominent religions in Nepal, the key features of these
religions are presented in this book. Nepal is unique in the world in that an ideal harmony can be
seen between Hinduism and Buddhism. This harmony is manifested by the mutual respect and
religious practice followed by the Hindus and the Buddhists. These religions attach higher values
to morality rather than the material growth and commercialization, so an explanation of the
present state of development of Nepal may be inherent here.