From Himal archives: @amishmulmi.bsky.social wrote in April about the violent pro-monarchy protests, which he says revealed Nepal’s incomplete transition from Hindu kingdom to secular republic, with nationalist myths and India’s Hindu Right feeding into royalist resurgence.

For Mint Lounge, I write about travel hazards for Buddhist pilgrims in the Himalaya: from snowstorms and mad buffaloes to death in the ravines, altitude sickness, mugger crocodiles – and other humans.
www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/...

A sharp take on for the renowned Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival #KIMFF showing six Chinese propaganda films under a segment titled Xizang Panorama - Xizang being China’s (and soon Nepal's?) term for occupied Tibet. Also ironic: the use of Tibetan prayer flags in the festival banner.

Some thoughts on a mountain film festival in Nepal using Xizang instead of Tibet:

www.linkedin.com/pulse/kimff-...

A point of special concern for Nepal’s democratic leaders has been the appearance at royalist rallies of posters showing Ajay Mohan Singh Bisht, better known as Yogi Adityanath. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

Nepali nationalism as promoted by successive kings has been rooted in an aversion to India. New Delhi would do well to back a republican Nepal if only to forestall a resurgence of such nationalism in its neighbourhood. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

Supporters greet Nepal’s former king, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, in Kathmandu in early March 2025. Nepal’s government permitted peaceful pro-king gatherings in the name of free speech, but recent monarchist violence has turned the tide. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

Nepali historiography has not evolved much since the days of the monarchy. The national history many Nepalis receive today remains as it has been for many decades: a long procession of kings and their achievements. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

A point of special concern for Nepal’s democratic leaders has been the appearance at royalist rallies of posters showing Ajay Mohan Singh Bisht, better known as Yogi Adityanath. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

The Nepal government had, until recently, permitted peaceful pro-monarchy gatherings in the name of free speech. But the recent violence has turned the tide. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

On almost every indicator – economic, social or political – Nepal is doing better than it ever did under the monarchy. Why, then, are some sections of Nepali society nostalgic about royal rule? @amishmulmi.bsky.social

Nepal's recent monarchist resurgence to popular discontent tells only part of the story. Really, the resurgence is a result of Nepal’s incomplete revolutions, including its incomplete transition from Hindu kingdom to secular republic. @amishmulmi.bsky.social

My first Bluesky post: an essay on why discontent alone cannot explain the resurgence of royalist politics. Instead, Nepal's incomplete revolutions, the slow erosion of its federalism, and the continual use of monarchist nationalism is to blame for royal nostalgia, I argue: