3:45 am
The lights suddenly come on in a room on the second floor of a white house in Maharajganj. Behind the white curtains, an elderly man shuffles about as he wakes up. This is how Girijababu begins his day. Maharajganj is dark and all its residents still asleep, but Nepal's elder statesman is up and about. A man comes in with tea, not a word is spoken.

6:00am
Girijababu's doctor fastens a nebuliser to his face for 10 minutes and then massages his chest for another 10.

6:30 am
In the lobby of Girija Koirala's house the domestic helper invites us in for breakfast. "Come in, Come in, let's eat breakfast," Girijababu says as he helps himself to an omelet and toast and waves us to white plastic chairs. After breakfast he takes his pills and rests for half-an-hour amidst shelves stacked with books.

7:30 am
He puts on a white daura surwal, a black topi and turns on his 26 inch LG tv and watches the news. An assistant stands by and tells him his schedule for the day and reads the papers aloud to him.

11:30 am
He sits at a table in his bedroom and has a sparse lunch: soup, two-three spoonfuls of rice, dal and chicken or goat and yoghurt.

2:30 pm
Girijababu calls for tea and biscuits begins his appointments. He listens to his guests intently and responds. An hour later he has his favourite glass of milk and continues meeting people for the rest of the day.