Ashu,

I don't want to muddle current situation with debate on Kamaiya issues or secularism. We can talk about that later too. My sympathy laced with khuchching would be a pure sympathy/empathy and outrage if Himal would somehow ,after emerging from the current trauma, does the following:

(1) Go all out against the likes of Mohan Baidya. To hell with the democracy, this man is the most dangerous man for our future. Jammarkattel is a small pawn compared to what this man is. He still harps on 'naya janawaad', which, if interpreted directly, is "In my regime, you all journos will be f---ed up." What else you want from this guy, right? Or are we gonna wait for him and his goons to be strong enough to hit at us, so that we can hit back at them with some damage on us?

(2) Boycott the Goebbles. No sympathy for Aruna Uprety, Hari Roka , Khagendra Sangraula, Devendra Pandey and so on. Aruna didi, god bless her, has occasionally spoken against Maoists, but in front of a few chosen foreigners, she almost argued with me about how great the Maoists were. I respected her, and I didn't argue with her because I didn't want two Nepalese to fight in front of a few foreigners. If these people have some merits, then give them some respect at that place, but not as a political commentators.

(3) Boycott the royalists. It has been too much of a pain to see royalists still hanging out. It gives me a sense of binary outcome (Maoists ko bikalpa royalists), as if a few vultures are awaiting to take the democracy away. Democracy is a benign system, but like every good things, it has to be protected. We were so wrong in assuming that just because democracy is a good thing, it can operate on autogear.

(4) Wage a campaign to emasculate labor unions, protect individual properties and raise the hell about the plights of Maoist pidit.

(5) No coverage for Shivapuri, unless similar coverage for Madi massacre and the plights of Maoists pidit are written on the same issue with similar prominence.

(6) Support the parties that have never attacked press. Where is the reward system? Pite pani maobadi nai hero banaune chalan is the worst thing.

Finally, you and Himal have earned my respect in the last few months despite the occasional fallibility. Don't let the patrakars stop at the karbahi of two goons. Even if it means losing a lot of money, let's go after Maoist criminals, expose them, wage a 'shock and awe' propoganda campaign, so that in the next election, they don't get any vote. If this means all press people, all pucca nagarik samaj has to come together, let's find a way to do that.

May god pashupatinath keep you safe from future attackers.