Nepali vortex

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Kahin aphnai bhurnarima

Aphai paryau ki…

"Have you got pulled into a vortex of your own making?" asks the opening lines of a song by the music maestro Amber Gurung. The words fit the present-day context of Nepal perfectly, where a king very new to the throne, with the arrogance that is the hallmark of the impenetrable, is engaged in the relentless pursuit of dismantling his dynasty. But does he even know it?

The citizens at large did not want it this way. In professionally conducted public opinion surveys, they had stated their preference for a constitutional monarchy. But the stock of the Shah dynasty took a beating when King Gyanendra started appointing prime ministers by himself in October 2002. The public's regard for the king plummeted when on 1 February, in a military-backed coup, he ripped apart the 1990 Constitution and became 'chairman' of the government, a position it does not sanction. The king had in essence become prime minister, but you would not know it – he maintains the bearing of an aloof monarch even as the economy slumps, public services break down, and development grinds to a halt.

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Himal Southasian
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