yea, everything has to 'pass' under the nose of Ashu- if he likes it, its all good. if he doesn't like some things, why did that get approval, or why the heck did it even get any attention! someone who hasn't even read the book.. "Narayan is an immensely likable guy. That, plus his being the editor of Kantipur makes him a really powerful figure in Nepal. Besides, all the young journalists adore him. All these combine to make it virtually impossible for his book to get a 'bad' review in Nepal" Your version of the story. you speak with such authority for all others that it actually sounds funny. Point no 1 and 2- does it matter? IF the committee thinks the quality of the book is good, why does it matter when it was published. If they take out a book from the grave and decided to award it, you'll probably have questions too- the book was published 10 yrs ago and the author is long dead, bla bla. Very well, they must have a reason, go ask them, but don't doubt every other institution's credentials. It's like this- gas prices in Nepal rose, we saw our national property being vandalized by student leaders half of whom probably don't even own a vehicle. Gas price in the US rose, people whine for a while, but they pay. I don't think anyone here will entertain the idea of getting down to streets- there are some things that you abide by as it comes, some things you don't. Point 3 - brewing assumptions and let it spill. I doubt the committee members would sit there saying - oh, we'd been playing classical music all this while, lets have hip-hop for a change :S height of assumption is what it is... I've read the book. It's an extended version of 'coffee guff', which for me, is an entertaining read but lacks substance. I don't know if the book deserves or doesn't deserve a place in Madan Puraskar, but hey, not every single prized book has to please my taste. Some Pulitzer Prized books were 'trash' in my read- does it matter? it suited the taste of million other readers, and most important of all, the committee members.