Episode 1 – Land and People

The History Series is a podcast by The Record, on all things related to Nepali History and its effect on our present. For the first season, we are featuring a series of lectures on the history of modern Nepal, by Father Ludwig Francis Stiller. Father Stiller was, among other things, a dedicated historian and scholar of Nepali history. He became a Nepali citizen in 1969, attained a master’s degree and a doctorate in Nepali History from Tribhuvan University and also taught there for a while. He put out significant publications and books on Nepali History, notably The Silent Cry: The People of Nepal: 1816 -1839 (Kathmandu: Sahayogi Prakashan, 1976). In 1993 he published his final book, “Nepal: Growth of a Nation” and in his latter years, he put out a 16 part video lecture series on the History of Modern Nepal. Father Stiller passed away in 2009, leaving behind his series of lectures as his “last big academic project”[1].

We felt an urgency to share this series of lectures on the making of modern Nepal due to its simple yet comprehensive take on what led to the formation of Nepal we know today and all the while, Father Stiller’s charm and enthusiasm is sure to keep you engaged.

Since this was originally a video series, we have done our best to convert it into an audio friendly version of lectures for this podcast, to make it most accessible to everyone interested in the making of modern Nepal.

For more information on Father Stiller, you can check out our articles on him and his work.

Photo credit: “The Kôt at Katmandoo during the Dussera”, Watercolor by Henry Ambrose Oldfield, c. 1855.