Nepal, Dec. 25 -- Akhilesh Upadhyay has spent much of his life exploring places where borders shape people's lives and identities. Born in the eastern town of Bhadrapur, near the Siliguri corridor, known as the Chicken's Neck, Upadhyay brings a unique perspective to his latest book, 'In the Margins of Empires: A History of the Chicken's Neck'.

Upadhyay, former editor-in-chief of the Post, and now a senior research fellow at the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), moves beyond the geopolitical spotlight to tell the stories of people living in the borderlands. He examines how global power shifts are felt in small towns and remote Himalayan communities.

In this conversation with the Post's Anish Ghimire, Upadhyay shares wh...