Yubaraj Ghimire's column 'King's ADC or Singhal's pawn?' (#180) was in very bad taste. I am amazed such writing that came from a presumably top notch journalist like Ghimire and was published in your paper. Firstly, he got his facts wrong. Gen Simha did not ask for the help of Ashok Singhal at the time of the blockade. Gen Simha was ambassador in London when the Indian blockade took place under a Congress government. Furthermore, Gen Simha was not even a member of the WHF then. Ghimire not only got his facts wrong, but his logic is convoluted. The king of Nepal was declared Hindu Samrat as long ago as 1988 during the World Hindu Conference held in Kathmandu by all four Shankaracharyas and attending Dharma Gurus. How can anybody 'crown' a monarch who is already a king? This was a felicitation. Nobody is denying that the king of Nepal is the king of subjects who belong to different religions. But as he is a Hindu, what is Ghimire's problem if the Hindus of the world want to call him Hindu Samrat and felicitate His Majesty as the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu as mentioned in our holy scriptures? To brand Gen Simha, a nationalist, as a pawn of Singhal, is not only outrageous but also deliberate character assassination that could drag Ghimire to the courts. A person whole-heartedly and selflessly committed to the upliftment of Nepalis is being slandered. Let's show some appreciation for a person who works in the national interest. And let's hope Nepali Times abandons such yellow journalism.

Amar K Simha,
Kathmandu

. Yubraj Ghimire's 'King's ADC or Singhal's pawn?' (#180) was stimulating. Historic geoscience has it that long before Sindhu (Indus), the Kailash rose in the Himalayan mountain belt known also as Bramhavarta where people were taught to live with integrity and in peace. Till date this belt has numerous monasteries and temples that teach internal virtues over external religious behaviour. This is why people come from all over the world to find serenity in the unique culture left behind by the Bramhavarta civilisation.

Chakramehr Vajracharya,
Patan