This is about the article "For Nepal, a brutal return to a feudal past" by Randeep Ramesh in Pokhara, Saturday February 5, 2005. It sounds as if it has been written by someone who does not really know what common people wants in Nepal. For international community democracy and freedom might mean something, but having more than one party to compete in election, does it necessarily mean democracy? Moreover if those people who get elected from villages are the one who have used unfair means to win elections and never given a thought to return to their lands from the capital after the election, amassing incredible amount of property and giving rise to corruption in the heart of the nation? I guess if Briatain were a nation where she had ruling political figures like that( totally uneducated, with past records full of corruption) and moreover suffering from insurgency would she still talk about democracy? Isnt it enough that people get to live in peace and atleast be sure whether they are going to live another sunlight, rather than living in a democratic nation where you never know whether you are being used by insurgents or the politicians or whether you are going to live another day. I personally as a nepalese student here in America was in a constant dilemma about returning back to Nepal as you cannot do anything or get a job there unless you know some political figure or even if you want to do something of your own you cannot be sure of your succeeding with all the political chaos. Therefore I guess the news articles in the international media like this would sound more credible if you could focus more on what the common people of Nepal has to say, rather than bringing out the views of a few people who were made victims because there were supporting some political agenda, or bringing out view of some political leaders themselves who know nothing more than misleading the ignorant people. Ignorant and uneducated population of Nepal is very different from what international community from democratic nations view them to be. Most of them still work hard just to be able to earn their daily bread and the so called democracy has made the situation worse with the people closer to the political figures getting richer and richer while the others went worser. I am writing this article as a concerned Nepalese citizen who wants peace, be it democracy or not. For me democracy does not necessarily mean having more than one party to compete in election, it is the condition when one can live without fear. If you could go and talk with the common people who sell stuff out on the streets, the people whom you can see walking on the streets, or those standing on the lines in post office or those going to work in their offices I am sure that you will find a very different response from the kind of thing you published based on what a political supporter who got beaten by army had to say. I am also a student, and for me being a student means to study, learn and prove it worth by contributing in some development activity rather than being a blind devotee of some political leader and be part of chaos catalyst. I look forward to your kind response to my view on your article and hope that you would come up with some credibility in your future articles rather than lopsided dogma. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I hope you guys would send your comments to these people from international media reader@guardian.co.uk reader@observer.co.uk