A Life in Public Service

In 1960, King Mahendra Shah summoned twenty-four-year-old Nepali PhD student Bhekh Bahadur Thapa from California to serve as Member Secretary of the National Planning Council. Over the extraordinary six-decade career that followed, Thapa witnessed firsthand the challenges, heartbreaks, and triumphs of nation-building in Nepal. He became Secretary of Finance and Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank before age forty during King Mahendra's reign, served as Finance Minister under King Birendra, and turned to diplomacy as Nepal's ambassador to the US, UN Resident Coordinator in war-torn Sri Lanka, and ambassador to India. He later served as Foreign Minister during the monarchy's final years and as Nepal coordinator of the India-Nepal Eminent Persons Group. This insider account offers deeply personal observations on Nepal's transformation from a feudal protectorate under the Rana dynasty to its current manifestation as a federal democratic republic. Why You Should Read? Theme: Chronicles Nepal's political evolution through the eyes of a key architect of its modern governance and economic policy Significance: Rare insider perspective spanning six decades of Nepal's transition from monarchy to democracy, written by someone who held the nation's highest offices Ideal for: Readers interested in South Asian politics, diplomatic history, nation-building, and political memoirs Standout feature: Intimate firsthand account of Nepal's governance from someone who shaped its financial, diplomatic, and political institutions across multiple regimes