Nepal, Aug. 11 -- Similarities between the late Tulsi Giri and Prime Minister Balendra Shah are striking. Both became heads of government in their mid-thirties. Their families were wealthy and highly regarded in the neighbourhood of Janakpur. The Giris are from Siraha and the Shahs from Mahottari, but, like most zamindars of the region, both families maintained a base in the spiritual capital of Mithila.

Giri's rise-from joining the Nepali Congress to becoming foreign minister and then vice-chairman to chairman of the post-coup Shah regimes in the 1960s-was mysterious, but also spectacular. Beyond his rapid ascent to power, Giri was known among his peers for his exquisite tastes: Bespoke attire, neatly trimmed hair, haute cuisine, fine w...