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In the midst of the crowd, Muktiram Dahal's old eyes search the grounds for a glimpse of his son. Called up to the stage by the organiser, Muktiram waits eagerly for the arrival of his son, Maoist chairman and prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal. "My son-in-law told me that he would come to Tribhuban University in Kirtipur today, so I came here to meet him," Muktiram says.

However, after waiting for quite a while, it seems the prime minister is not coming after all. Wiping away the tears from his face, Muktiram says: "I rushed here immediately the minute I knew he was coming."

Muktiram stayed with his son at the chairman's Naya Bajar house, and has spoken to him twice on the phone since, but hasn't seen him since he became prime minister. Muktiram says he doesn't want to go to Baluwatar. His younger son is also out of the country so he longs to see the son that is here. "I am getting older, I want to see my son before I die," says the father of Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

Muktiram Dahal lives with his daughter, son-in-law and grandchild in Kirtipur.