Shera Durbar, Dibya Upadesh And Independence

On Saturday, Prithvi Jayanti was observed organising a variety of programmes. The special day has been marked to commemorate the contributions of Nepal’s founding father Prithvi Narayan Shah, who spearheaded a prolonged campaign to unify small principalities into modern Nepali nation state in 1825 B.S. Nepalis specially appreciate his vision of statecraft, economic nationalism, cultural tolerance, neutral yet proactive foreign policy and robust defence system embedded in his famous Dibya Updesh (Noble Counsel). However, over the centuries, his far-sighted guidelines, aimed at making Nepal strong and prosperous, were not truly upheld by either his own descendants or those who championed democracy or republican set-up.