Idealism And Pragmatism

During the last fortnight, I received a call from my revered friend and distinguished writer, Chandrakanta Jee, about a book that recounts, among other things, the political life of the late Achyut Raj Regmi and his role in Nepal’s democratic movement and social renaissance. I was pleased to hear about the book and expressed my interest in writing a short introduction for publication in The Rising Nepal. Soon afterward, Chandrakanta Jee and Kalpana Regmi, the late leader’s charismatic and vivacious daughter, visited my office at Narayanhiti and gave me a copy of the book. They also shared with me yet another book that compiled articles highlighting the personality of the late Regmi and paying tribute to his contribution to the democratisation struggle in Nepal.

I first met Achyut Raj Regmi at his residence in Baneshwor more than four decades ago, when I had recently come to Kathmandu from my village and begun teaching at a private boarding school in Maitidevi, where he chaired the management committee. I was deeply impressed by his suave and gentle manner. 

Later, I met him occasionally at public events, and each encounter strengthened my admiration for his simplicity and humility. 

Some politicians become famous because they hold the highest offices in the state; others are remembered less for the positions they occupied than for the values they upheld, the relationships they nurtured, and the difficult choices they made at crucial moments in a nation’s history. Achyut Raj Regmi belongs to the latter category. 

The book, in which his life and political journey are narrated by Chandrakanta Acharya Jee, is therefore more than a political biography. It is also a recollection of a generation that witnessed Nepal’s transition from the Rana order to monarchy, from constitutional experimentation to party politics, and from exile and political repression to the restoration of multiparty democracy.

Regmi's story is especially compelling because it does not fit neatly into the conventional narrative of Nepali Congress politics. Born in Palpa and drawn into the democratic movement, he joined the Nepali Congress and became part of the struggle against autocratic rule. Like many leaders of his generation, he went into exile in India after King Mahendra assumed political power.