But he finds it unfortunate that the palace does not trust his party's good intentions in pushing for national reconciliation.At the end of his first month in Sundarijal, BP is trying to keep his spirits up through the worst of the winter. He tells himself that there is no time for gloominess, as he has only seven more years to make the best of before he hits 70, and his mental and physical faculties start to decline. Every week Nepali Times brings you entries from BP's 1977 prison diaries, handwritten in English.

1 February, 1977
Sundarijal
Today both Gorkhapatra and Rising Nepal carried a news item which gave us the information that the government has constituted a one man tribunal to try me on 8 counts. GM is also involved in some of the cases with me that the tribunal will try. After all, the King has decided not to have a dialogue with me. Which is very unfortunate from the country's point of view. The problems that the country faces are numerous and require statesmanship in the leadership which can minimise the political differences among groups and individuals and forge a national unity to face the crisis. We have returned to Nepal in this spirit. It is most deplorable that the King shouldn't read the writing on the wall and insist on his pound of flesh when his victims have themselves offered themselves to him. He couldn't rise above petty legalistic attitude and adopt a broad liberal political gesture. So far as I am concerned this news is welcome. At least the period of uncertainty is likely to be over now. I have been living for the last one month in extreme agony not knowing what's happening or what the future has in store for us. The decision of the King to try us is some kind of thaw. I think within 2 or 3 days the court will sit and the legal process will start. We don't know how the court will sit-whether it will open court or the trial will be in camera. More likely the latter. Whether we can engage advocates, whether we can meet our people to consult about our case in the court. The one man tribunal will be presided over by one Mr Shrestha who is a Zonal judge at the Janakpur court. He has been authorised to hold his court whenever he likes in the Kingdom. This to facilitate his holding it in Kathmandu.

Took up Sullivan's "We are not alone"- a book on Science for reading. I only sized up the book today. The book is quite interesting, at least the writer, being a journalist with scientific training, has very lucid style-anecdotal, historical, with a hard kernel of science. The thesis of the book is that living beings inhabit other celestial bodies- other planets of other suns. But so far as I think nobody can beat Asimov in the lucid elucidation of scientific subjects. I don't know if I can get books by him here. During my last detention here I had read his "Intelligent Man's Guide to Science"-a must read for everybody.

2 February
Sundarijal
In yesterday's paper there was a statement purported to have been issued by the spokesman of Back to Village Campaign Central Committee and running a resolution passed by a political organisation (not named) of India. His resolution must have been in criticism of the government's action in arresting us or keeping us incommunicado. We couldn't make out which party is that-may be the Socialist Party. But perhaps it has been merged with the Janata Party that has recently been organised by merging of non-communist opposition parties.
It could be the new party that has passed the resolution in our sympathy. Today both the papers carried editorials colluding yesterday's statement by the spokesman of the central committee of the BVC. The news [is] so meagre and the kind of news that would interest us don't get space in these dailies supplied to us.

Did some washing. Bathed after three days. The sun is a wee bit warmer. Hopefully waiting for warmer days to come. Waiting also for the denouement of the decision of the government to put us on trial.