Sam Cowan
Sam Cowan is a retired British general who knows Nepal well through his British Gurkha connections and extensive trekking in the country over many years.
How a mighty Rana met his match and learnt a hard...
For some reason, he must have thought that the Star was not eye-catching enough, and this article centres on his efforts to, as he saw it, put things right
Baber Shumshere’s relentless quest
Chandra tries to control a growing demand for more Awards led by his son Baber but reveals an acute sensitivity to the position of the monarch and steps in to help an errant son-in-law in serious trouble with the British in India.
A worried monarch
Sam Cowan returns with fresh insights on the drafting of the Nepal's 1959 constitution, the subsequent general election, and a new witness to King Mahendra's coup d'état.
Keeping open Nepal’s road to China
A photo essay on the Rasuwagadhi road and why landslides are cutting it more often
A secret Nepal file and the battle for information
Filling a gap in the diplomatic history of Nepal from the Cold War days.
Corruption in world football and the fall of Ganesh Thapa
A chronicle of how corruption sabotaged football in Nepal.
The curious case of the Mustang incident
In 1960 a Nepali officer was shot by Chinese soldiers along the border, causing a heated diplomatic dispute. Decades later, the details of the case are still contentious
The Indian checkposts, Lipu Lekh, and Kalapani
A resolution to the disputed territory along Nepal’s northern boundary will come only when India and China agree to demarcate their border
Who will guard the guards themselves?
What the earthquake revealed about the state of civil-military relations in Nepal