In 'Nepali dystopia' (Editorial, #201) you have painted a rather depressing doomsday scenario for Nepal in two year's time. At the rate at which things are going from bad to worse, I would say that we have even less time than that for your dystopia to be realised. The powers that be must read your last sentence, 'What use is power if there is no country left to exercise it in?'

Gautam K Maskey, Thapathali

. Your editorial, 'Nepali dystopia', laments the conditions of a failed state in Nepal. Our neighbour, India has finally awakened from a deep Kumbakarna-like slumber to notice the Maoist support network in the Indo-Gangetic plains. The Maoists have now become a security threat to the Indians because the Naxalite and tribal belts have even greater, if not the same, inequality, exploitation, poverty and entrenched caste discrmination as Nepal. Ironically, the Nepali Maoists have become a 'shining path' for disenchanted Indians in Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkand to Andhra Pradesh.

India already deals with Islamic militant infiltration from Kashmir. It does not need a peasant-proletarian revolution sprouting at its doorstep.

Nepal is much more porous than Kashmir. It is quite mysterious why the Indian authorities did not nip the Maoist supply and activities in their area in the bud. India probably wanted to extract some favours from Nepal in a quid pro quo manner. Little did Big Brother notice that the fire had already spread to its own house. Now it may be too late. There is a lesson here for babus in South Bloc. Please reread your Ramayana.

SN Singh, email