June 15-21, 2001
Headline
Editorial
Ke gardeko?
Those were the last words King Birendra spoke as he collapsed in the billiard room on Friday, 1 June. Shock, rather than pain, was writ large on…
No democracy without information, no information without democracy.
The street violence that followed the royal tragedy were driven by three factors: spontaneous shock and anger, an official information blackout,…
Columns
Keep us informed
"Completely unbelievable is relatively more believable than the scarcely believable. If one has to lie, tell a big lie rather than a small lie."
A free, democratic country
There is no democracy without freedom of expression
Nation
If truth be told
Two weeks after the ghastly slaughter at Naryanhiti Palace, the findings of the probe panel have finally brought us closer to the truth. But,…
KUNDA DIXIT
Nepal’s tripod of stability
Even if the political parties are disunited, weak and in disarray their very presence spared the country from total anarchy during this crisis.
HARI ROKA
The once and future king
Urbane, erudite and a good manager, King Gyanendra is not expected to suffer fools.
DUBBY BHAGAT
Politics as usual
If a crisis of this magnitude fails to unite our bickering politicos, what will?
BINOD BHATTARAI
Three princesses
Princess Shanti Singh (1941-2001) was the first child of King Mahendra and late crown princess Indra Rajya Laxmi. Her sister Princess Sarada…
Dhirendra Shah
Dhirendra Shah (1950-2001) was said to be the wayward one of King Mahdenda's three sons. Even as a teenager he had a reputation for carousing…
The medium was the message
Information through the Internet emerged as a credible, alternative source of news from Nepal last week, as millions of people across the world typed "Nepal" into their search engines.
ALOK TUMBAHANGHEY
1 June as cultural crisis
Nepalis all over the world find their long-held belief systems and cultural practices radically challenged.
PROMOD MISHRA
All the king’s businesses
King Gyanendra was a reclusive behind-the-scenes prince busy with his conservation work and business dealings in the 30 years that his brother…
BINOD BHATTARAI
Interview
"We cannot pretend to have a constitutional monarchy when our laws are archaic and feudal."
Harka Gurung Academic, former minister A tragedy of unusual magnitude has taken place. Instead of speculating how it came about, we should look…
Business
Another blow to tourism
Many feel this is not an appropriate time to discuss slow business, but tourism will hurt from the last two weeks for some time to come.
HEMLATA RAI
Book Worm
Mah?mudr
The Quintessence of Mind and Meditation Takpo Tashi Namgyal, trans.Lobsang P Lhalungpa Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1993/2001 Rs 792…
The Concealed Essence of the Hevaja Tantra GW Farrow, I Menon
Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, 1992/2001 Rs 632 The Hevaja Tantra is a non-dual Yogini tantra of the late Mantrayana Buddhist tradition…
Great Eastern Sun
The Wisdom of the Shambhala Ch?gyam Trungpa Shambhala Publications, Boston, 1999 Rs 1,875 The follow-up to Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the…
Teachings from the Vajrasattva Retreat
Land of Medicine Buddha, February-April 1999 Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, Weston, Mass., 2000 Rs 1,500 “Doing Vajrasattva…
From The Nepali Press
King meets communist
"I have devoted most of my life to the communist cause and I wish to die a communist. Despite all this, I am a responsible citizen. First I am a…
Madhav Nepal’s flip-flop
You attended the meeting of the Privy Council. How did this [massacre] happen? No one has officially said how. This is the jurisdiction of the…
Prachanda’s view
"The spine-chilling bloodbath on the night of 1 June in Narayanhiti Darbar has created a serious political crisis in our country. Our party is…
nventive media
Pradip Nepal, CPN (UML) MP "After the unimaginable incident of 1 June, people started fabricating stories. They spoke anything they dreamt up.…
Bad blood
The incident at the Royal Palace has terrified Nepalis. This is the first time in Nepal's history that a ruling monarch has been killed. The…
No answers in Nepal
The fact is, whoever is ultimately implicated in the crime, the country faces an uphill battle in maintaining its political stability, let alone…
A terrible grief, a bleak future
Nepal is today convulsed with fear for the future. The royal family's quasi-divine status as the world's last Hindu monarchy has not saved their…
MICHAEL BINYON
"No conspiracy"
Intelligence agencies and senior Bush administration officials say their investigations do not indicate any conspiracy in the massacre of the…
AZIZ HANIFFA
To play the king
For all of the last week, the Government of India has been concerned that the Indian press might offend the Nepali monarchy. The government's…
VIR SANGHVI
A royal mess
This is a tragedy built into Nepal's compromise, into the imperfect revolution of the Nepali Congress.
In this issue:
It was Dipendra | If truth be told | Ke Gardeko? | Editorial: Keep us informed | Nepal’s tripod of stability | A free, democratic country | Politics as usual | Another blow to tourism | “We cannot pretend to have a constitutional monarchy when our laws are archaic and feudal.” | The once and future king | Three princesses | Dhirendra Shah | King meets communist | Madhav Nepal’s flip-flop | Prachanda’s view | Inventive media | Bad blood | No answers in Nepal | A terrible grief, a bleak future | “No conspiracy” | To play the king | A royal mess | The medium was the message | 1 June as cultural crisis | All the king’s businesses | If bodies have voices