Kathmandu, Sept. 30 -- 1980s, as he hit his mid-40s, Professor Suresh Raj Sharma found himself questioning what exactly he was doing with his life. He had enjoyed opportunities rare even for a hill high-caste man with a middle-class background: a PhD in Chemistry from the United Kingdom; a full professorship at a age of 38 at Tribhuvan University; an array of appointments at elite government institutions, including the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training; and an enviable network of diplomats, bureaucrats and educationists in a country where being 'aafno manchhe' ensured upward mobility. He was at the prime of his career, but something was amiss.

What followed is a story of institution-building in the midst of a countr...