Dr. Harka Gurung was a true family man who loved and deeply respected every member of his family. As he was more interested in natural landscape than giving Hindu or Buddhist names to his children, he named his two daughters Himalchuli and Manasulu, and one son Sagarmatha. He dedicated his book, Vignettes of Nepal (1980) to his two daughters (Himalchuli and Manasulu) and two sons (Bikas and Sagarmatha). The book, Nepal: Dimensions of Development (1984) was dedicated to his father (Subedar Parsai Gurung) and the other book, Nature and Culture (1989), to his mother (Mayishebo Gurung). The publisher of most of his books was his wife Ms. Saroj Gurung. He acknowledged his wife in most of his writings and admitted that she accompanied him through even the most difficult parts of his life with courage and fortitude.
Dr. Gurung is no doubt one of the most accomplished Nepali scholars to date in the history of Nepal. His breadth of interest was unusual and his productivity at this stage of his career stage was virtually unparalleled among any Nepali scholars to date. He has conducted research and published on a range of issues encompassing some of the earliest and best travelogues, best ethnographic descriptions of various Nepali ethnic groups, assessments of the politics of ethnic identity in Nepal, and population-related themes ranging from fertility to migration. Beyond geography, his writings vary enormously in contents. Some writings are closer to history, some to sociology and anthropology, political science, economics or development studies. Some of his writings are purely descriptive while others are highly analytical. This diversity is both a strength and a weakness. It is strength because so many sources of knowledge come together in the field that it continually sparkles with new ideas and thoughts. There is also a weakness in such writings, as diverse efforts make a subject weaker in its own areas.
While Dr. Gurung was in fact not particularly interested in developing theories of social sciences in general, at the same time he was quite good at developing models. His models of "regional development" based on five development regions, and a proposal to divide Nepal into 25 districts are very well taken by Nepali scholars and planners even today. He was a true nationalist. As a team leader of the project on migration, he proposed two things if Nepal hoped to develop in the future: the border between Nepal and India must be regulated and a system of work permits should be introduced to foreign workers in Nepal. The latter stages of his writing can be counted on understanding, and often representing, the indigenous or "native" point of view. In other words, he played the role of a "cultural broker," in mediating between the government and the Adibasi/Janajati groups of Nepal for their upliftment and development. He noted that the underdevelopment of many Adivasi/Janajati groups was closely related to the social and political constraints of the wider Nepali Hindu social structure. Unlike many Nepali scholars, he always read and cited books which focussed on Nepal; in fact, his study room at home can aptly be described as a 'Nepal Collection'.
Dr. Gurung had a lifelong passion for travel, an inner desire for adventure and facts which ultimately led to his tragic death in the soil of a remote region of Nepal Himalayas. He will be remembered in the history of Nepal as a planner, teacher and renowned academic.
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