CK Lal is my favourite columnist. His is the first thing I turn to on your internet editions. I admire his analysis and understanding. But it is when CK Lal writes on Hinduism or on his pet subject of 'Bahunbad' that it gets disgusting. I don't understand why he is going out of his way to champion himself as one of the crusaders against Bahuns. Does it help to make Nepal a secular country in the near future? What does he gain by making a mockery of Hinduism? Are Bahuns ahead of other so-called down-trodden ones to espouse communalism in Nepal? Certainly not, and I challenge Lal on this issue. My Muslim friends and American colleagues are so dedicated to propound the cause of their faiths, and it hurts when Hinduism can't be similarly defended. Lal should use his wit and wisdom in more constructive writings than running down his own faith. If he has one.

Madhuban Paudel
Honolulu, Hawaii

. Thank you, CK Lal for being such a brave champion to the cause of secularism. It is when those around us are losing their heads that your clear, sharp arguments for rationality and tolerance ring true. And thank you, Nepali Times for giving writers like Lal a voice.

Dinesh Sharma, New Delhi

. I am a Bahun, although I call myself Brahmin. Pardon my sophistication for sticking to the original Sanskrit here, CK Lal. My whole family was Brahmin and I am a pure Brahmin. My mamaghar is Brahmin, Sanima and Phupu are Brahmin. One phupu did marry a Newar and that was more than 28 years ago. But that probably won't tell you the degree of our conservatism clearly. I, myself, recently got married to an American (a whitey, Swiss-German Mennonite guy from the Midwest). And guess what? My family is fine with it. So you might be asking me, hey wait a minute, where is your bahun naak (pride), right? Well yeah, that's what I am wondering. I am not sure what exactly you were you trying to say in your article ('Kingdom of the bahuns', #153). We Brahmins, even though revered highly by Vedas etc, never really tried to rule this poor country of our. We were not the ones to suck the blood of poor Nepalis for 105 years. On the contrary, we tried to earn a decent livelihood by studying hard, getting a job and going places. So why are you envious of that? I would rather have you write about the class of people who rely on their might and money to get places. Not us. Not one person in my family has the 'pride' you are referring to. In fact, all I have learnt while growing up is: work hard, be honest and god will be good to you. In fact, I have personally seen some insane injustices happen to my family that made us feel pretty helpless and powerless because we were Brahmins. Or maybe because we were just ordinary Nepalis. If you were a Bahun, Lal, you would know that it is no big deal. Most of us don't have the feeling of supremacy that you are hallucinating about. And about secular faith, let me give you an example: I lived in a Buddhist town most of my life and even though raised Hindu, I consider myself Hindu-Buddhist, just out of respect to my surrounding roots. We are not as orthodox as you make us out to be.

D Adhikari, Michigan, USA