Things have gone beyond just hoping for a happy new year. For those who command the destiny of this country, the time has come to act in 2061. They have to seize the initiative and give the Nepali people what they crave the most: peace.

Peace is in everyone's lips-from the war victims thronging to greet King Gyanendra during his walkabouts, the wounded policemen who survived the Beni attack and the villagers in the Maoist heartland whom the state regards as rebel sympathisers.

hile the tv footage of the royal felicitations may look staged, the spontaneous outpouring of anguish and hope on the faces of those who have turned up to greet their king is not.

The king, the political parties and the Maoists are engaged in a mortal combat for power. They all say they are doing it for the people, but none of them are listening to what the people have to say: "Put a stop to this madness, figure out a way to share power and improve our lives." By now the palace should realise that the tide of public opinion is beginning to turn. It needs to be less obsessed with symbolism, and launch a concrete conflict resolution drive.

One new year gesture next week would be for both sides to declare an unconditional and indefinite ceasefire in the new year. The Maoists' unilateral release on Tuesday of 37 security personnel and officials they captured in Beni to the ICRC was a positive gesture. The government needs to respond, and a ceasefire would not be seen as a weakness. It not just provide much-needed relief to Nepalis, it would also be a forceful confidence-building gesture for further de-escalation, a return to elections and the constitutional process. What could be a more auspicious time for that than Baisakh Ek?

As we watch the last bloody sunset of this ghastly year, it is time to work towards that new dawn.