politics | What led to the fall of the Nepalese monarchy in 2008? (Reply)

Rare glimpse into Nepal's defunct monarchy

KATHMANDU - Nepal's monarchy was too feared and too revered to be discussed in public. Traditional as well as legal restrictions made palace life inaccessible to scholars or reporters striving for insight into the world's last Hindu monarchy, which was abolished in 2008.

This remained the case until one retired army general who had a three-decade long association with the palace embarked on a writing project, and now his efforts are paying off handsomely.

Just a few weeks after his book Maile Dekheko Durbar (The Palace As I Saw It) was launched at the end of 2010, Vivek Kumar Shah has found himself reaping rich dividends in gold and glory. He has become a sought-after personality for radio and television shows as well as newspaper articles.

"I became a celebrity of sorts overnight," a visibly exhilarated Shah told this correspondent, discussing his royal expose. The 599-page book, hailed by the public and critics alike, seems destined to become part of Nepal's historical heritage.

The political tumult in Nepal that began in 2006, with the monarchy abolished two years later, not only ended the 240-year history of the latest dynasty - the Shahs - it marked the end of a monarchical tradition that spanned over 2,000 years.

Shah's book gives a glimpse into the policies, approaches and working style of a palace that ruled the country with absolute power, with nominated prime ministers maintaining a facade of democracy to the outside world.

It becomes clear reading Maile Dekheko Durbar that the king’s secretaries were the real power-brokers. Often these secretaries exercised unbridled authority on behalf of the king, with elected officials acting as their subordinates.

The palace secretariat was for two decades dominated by a so-called "gang of four" that only ended in early 1990, when king Birendra bowed to popular demand and agreed to be a constitutional monarch on the British model.

Despite that gesture, some of the disclosures in Shah’s book make it abundantly clear that the palace continued to use traditional as well as constitutional measures to prevent elected governments from being fully functional and independent.

This approach was partly the result of a firm belief inside the palace that elected governments would sometimes ignore national interests while entering into agreements with India, particularly on issues like citizenship and vital water resource agreements. These were not baseless assumptions.

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