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"Nepal has always been portrayed as an impoverished land-locked country sandwiched between the two giants destined to be at the mercy of others. This psychological apathy must be overcome by our new generation of Nepali youths by way of educational advancements and technology. Nepal's hydro resources, its natural beauty and its strategic location could actually make Nepal an umbilical cord between the two rising super powers. Believe no more on the age-old myth that Nepal is a yam between the two stones. New crop of leaders among the youths must come forward to lead the nation. Carry a sense of purpose in your life, and don’t be afraid to dream."

This is the message for the young generation of Nepal from Prof. Alok Bohra. Few decades back nobody would have thought that a local lad running around Tansen, Palpa would one day become a well-known economist at the University of New Mexico. True to his own words, he dared to dream and paved his way with a steel determination to turn his dream into a reality.

The long road into the world of economics started in Tri-Chandra Campus where Prof. Bohara did his BA degree in 1976. After completing his master’s degree in Statistics and Economics in 1979 from Tribhuvan University (TU), he started his career as a lecturer in Economics at the TU. He headed for the US to pursue a higher degree in 1982 and did an MA (1985) and a PhD (1986) in economics at the University of Colorado. He joined the Department of Economics at the University of New Mexico as an assistant professor in 1987 and has been working there as a professor since 1999. Prof. Bohara has also worked as a visiting faculty at the University of Colorado and as a senior research associate at the University of Rochester.

In economics world, Prof. Bohara is a well-known figure in the field of environmental and political economics, trade policy, inflation studies and time series analysis, and has published more than 65 articles/papers in different reputed journals and conference proceedings. He has presented papers in numerous conferences. Lately, he has been involved in research on topics such as, conflict, democracy, poverty, and good governance. He also has reviewed a number of manuscripts for a large number of journals and books, and supervised a number of students (6 PhDs and 5 MAs) who were looking at issues such as stock market volatility in Latin America, coping strategy during a crisis (e.g., flood), benefits of recreation sites, and gender inequality.

Prof. Bohara is one of few Nepalese living abroad who are working hard for Nepalese cause. His belief in doing something for the country has led him to focus many of his research works on Nepal such as mapping poverty and community forestry and assessing the impact of conflict and poverty in Nepal. He has also founded “Nepal Study Center” at the University of New Mexico which aims to fostering intellectual collaboration and sharing knowledge. Activities of this center ranges from exploring possibilities of research and educational outreach program opportunities with Nepali academic institutions, to forming an on-line “Liberal Democracy Nepal Forum”. The activity of this center also includes two publications; Himalayan Journal of Development, and Democracy and Liberal Democracy Nepal Bulletin.

Following is the employment history of Prof. Bohara:

• Professor, (July 1999 - present), Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
• Associate Professor, (June 1993 - July 1999), Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
• Appointed Senior Research Associate, (June 1999 - June 2001), The Center for Economic Research, University of Rochester.
• Assistant Professor, (August 1987 - June 1993), Department of Economics, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
• Visiting Faculty, (Fall 1986 - Summer 1987), Department of Economics, University of Colorado, Boulder.
• Research Associate, part-time, (Fall 1986 - Spring 1987), Center for Economic Analysis, University of Colorado, Boulder.
• Graduate Part-time Instructor, (Fall 1984 - Summer 1986), Department of Economics, University of Colorado, Boulder.
• Lecturer, (August 1979 - July 1982), Statistics Instruction Committee, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Honors and recognitions of Prof. Bohara:

• Nominee, Regent’s Professor, University of New Mexico, 2003.
• Distinction, Ph.D. comprehensive examination, (February 1985), University of Colorado, Boulder.
• Nominee, Graduate Student Teaching Award, (February 1985), Economics Department, University of Colorado, Boulder.
• Meritorious Medal: Mahendra Bidya Bhushan, first in the class of 1979 Statistics Department, Master's examination, 1979, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Meritorious Medal: Chancellor Padak (Medal), first in the class of 1979 (university-wide across all disciplines), Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal.

We should be all proud of this Nepalese son. We take this opportunity to include him as a member of 'Nepalese Hall of Brain'.