Kathmandu, Sept. 5 -- When Sagar Rana launched his book, Singha Durbar: Rise and Fall of the Rana Regime of Nepal three years ago, I asked him what made him and his two brothers Bharat and Jadgish so liberal-minded compared to other members of his clan that ruled Nepal for over a century.

He said it was because he and his brothers grew up within the comforts and luxury of a Rana palace, and they were keenly aware of the poverty and social injustice in Nepali society.

I said, wait a minute, there were other Ranas of that era who also grew up in luxury and saw the country's pervasive poverty first hand. What made him and his brothers different? Sagar Rana thought that over, and said it was probably his father's emphasis on education. Inde...