Dark water emerges from the springs of this remote valley in the mountains, a land of exquisite beauty, a land under military occupation for decades.

KATHMANDU, Dec 5: An early meeting of Foreign Secretary-led mechanism proposed by the Nepali side to resolve the issues involving Kalapani and other territories has become uncertain as the Indian side has yet to respond to the request.

Allow me to say something at the outset. I have been in a mission to document history. I have been travelling across the country and hope to go across the border too. The main mission of my travel is to explore how Nepal was under attack from various powers in the past and how Nepal managed to resist or fight back for the sake of safeguarding or expanding its territory.

King Prithvi Narayan Shah’s unification campaign was focused on Kathmandu but it seemed like a powerful state to win over. To weaken it, he blockaded the Kathmandu Valley.  This affected East India Company’s trade with Tibet (and China) because their trade was carried out via Kathmandu.