The doctrine of development is the dominant religion in Nepal today and its jargons the most audible liturgy. Even in remote hamlets, the word "bikas" promises a hope of salvation matched in fervour only by messianic religions in their earjy phases.
What exactly constitutes development is a question as old as philosophy. Ancient Greeks as well as ancient South Asians have debated loud and long about the nature of the "good life". The essence of this debate also lies at the root of all development thinking today, although attention is focused mainly on the means of achieving an advertised lifestyle rather than on the necesssity or the desirability of the end product.
One thing that development has meant in the Himalaya is change – rapid transformations not only in the physical surroundings but also in thinking, values and expectations. Change is inevitable, but it is its rapidity and pervasiveness that is worrisome. This modern phenomenon – only partly, described by words like "development" or "modernisation" – has put tremendous strains on perplexed Himalayites and their delicate social fabric.
Today´s changes in Nepal, unlike those of the past, involve the very metamorphosis of Nepali society. In the past several millennia, Nepalis have seen changes affecting their loyalties and identities. Inter-regional wars and dynastic succession have occurred with almost monotonous regularity, but they resulted only in the transition of "managers".