Kathmandu. Goldstar, Nepal’s indigenous shoe brand, has become a symbol of national pride today. Everyone has seen the success of this brand, which is proudly used by the Prime Minister and the general public. But the story of the people who laid its foundation is slowly fading from public memory.

In the 1970s, Noor Pratap Rana and his son Kundan Pratap Jung Bahadur Rana started manufacturing chappals from Hetauda. Later, Kundan Rana founded ‘Kiran Manufacturing’ in the name of his wife Kiran Rana and gave shape to the Goldstar brand. This journey that started with a small industry has now turned into a business empire worth billions.

However, the higher the success has reached, the more the name of the founding generation has faded. While the company’s current leadership and public image feature new faces, many believe that the history of initial struggles, risks and investments has not been adequately discussed.

During the conflict, the company faced a major challenge when the trend of associating Gold Star shoes with the Maoist movement increased. It was not easy to sustain the business amidst security sensitivities, market pressures and the political shadow over the brand. The question is also being raised today as to how much the contribution of the old characters who have been in the role of saving the brand by overcoming such difficult times is being remembered today.

On the other hand, the presence of Kiran Rana, who is considered an important name in the legal and historical journey of the company, seems to be diminishing in the public discourse. Naturally, there is also a curiosity as to why the contribution associated with the company’s name, documents and early history is rarely heard in the current narrative.

This debate is not just about a company or a family, who writes history after the success of the business? Those who take risks and build the base, or the current faces of leadership? The story of Goldstar raises the same question again.

Today, Goldstar is a Nepali brand that has spread to the global market. However, as the history of its golden journey is written, not only the final chapter of success, but also the story of the hands that laid the first bricks is being remembered with equal respect.