Nepal

If you've visited Nepal but are left with more questions than answers, or if you plan to work or live in the country, this is a good book to read. The first 100 pages are a somewhat dry description of the many Nepali tribes and castes, their traditions, differences, and origins.The next chapter "The Nepali life cycle", is fun to read, and enlightening, also in what concerns the status and life style of Nepali women. Take the following example: Hindu tradition poses high responsability on fathers to watch over their daughters; to sidestep this burden, the Newar people invented a trick. Surprising as it is, by marrying their daughters at the age of seven to the god Vishnu, and thus reducing any subsequent marriage to the status of "secondary marriage", there is no shame for the family if the daughter is not "pure" before marriage, and also divorce is possible for her. Also aspects of schooling and courtship are discussed.The chapters are "Dealing with Nepalis" and "Close encounters", reflect the author's experience with handling projects in Nepal and may be very useful if you wish to set up a project in Nepal and to keep it running smoothly.