It was one of those great reversals of fortune to hear Om Minister Mahara Kamred issue an appeal to Chhetris, Bahuns and Co Pvt Ltd not to go through with their three-day bund because, as he put it, "It will have a negative impact on the economy and inconvenience the people." Which must be why his party announced an indefinite strike that lasted nearly a week last year about this time. Muntri Mahara, of course, doesn't have a clue that bunds are in fact good for the economy, they are great for GDP growth, and we should have more of them. Take the three days of shutdowns last week, and look at what we achieved:

1. Nepal saved 102 million litres of petrol and diesel in the 15 days of shutdowns in various parts of the country this month, thus preventing an increase in our BOP deficit with India to the tune of Rs 1 arab.
2. At the average rate of 15 fatalities a day on our highways, the shutdowns saved the lives of 45 Nepalis.
3. 50 goats, 67 ducks and 650 chicken that would have been victims of road kill on our highways lived to see another day so they could be sacrificed at the temple.
4. More than 7,000 marriage processions with lavish juntis, baja gaja, sumptuous banquets and other unnecessary wedding expenses were not incurred because of successive highway closures, boosting family cash savings nationwide by an estimated 100 karods.
5. Nepalis all over the country saved up to Rs 3 arabs in three days because they couldn't get to hospital and so were spared having to pay exorbitant medical bills.
6. The kids stayed home and got time to catch up with their home works like tending buffalos, washing dishes and helping at the neighbourhood rice mill, thus contributing their slave labour to the national economy.
7. Nepal's annual GDP growth rate went up by an average of 0.5% because of the dramatic increase in the sales of gin, vodka, whiskey, rum, beer and moonshine during the bund period.
8. Tens of thousands of jobless youth were provided three days of
full-time employment setting up highway barricades, setting fire to buses and carrying out target practice on fast-moving motorcyclists. This enhanced the purchasing power of the population, and helped the economy.
9. A new national past-time was created in Butwal on Tuesday's bund: the attempt of the live cremation of a teacher who dared defy a strike call. Barbecuing fellow-Nepalis is a bold new step to showcase our martial spirit and upholding our proud heritage of bravery in battle.
10. Tourism entrepreneurs have short-sightedly called for a ban on bunds. That would be a mistake. We should look at marketing hartals to potential visitors by having niftily designed signage on the sides of London double-deckers promoting deserted streets, pollution-free cities and free treks from the airport to hotel.

As the country reached its constitutional climax, tempers frayed and the defenestrator MP, Mr Paswan, did a Tarzan-cum-King Kong impersonation by trying to wrestle the chairman of the constitutional committee, Nilambar Uncle, to the ground. Paswan has certain conditions for constitution extension: that throughout the extension period CA members should be allowed to throw furniture out of windows, poke microphones up the noses of fellow-legislators in the State Restructuring Committee, colour red passports fluorescent pink so they can be sold in dark alleyways behind the BICC, slap a super-injunction on media reports about phone calls pertaining to 50 karods for buying and selling CA members. Only if these conditions are met will he allow the CA extension.

So Armageddon did not happen on May 21. But wait, did they get the calculation wrong by a week and it will still happen on May 28? Which brings us to the question when does the deadline actually expire on May 28? Western embassies in Kathmandu seem to think it is midnight. Actually in Nepal the new day begins at 6AM, which means the party bosses have six more hours to bang their heads together and come up with an agreement on extra time.