In "Naranyanhiti whodunit. Who cares?" (#58) Kanak Dixit sounds preachy in his attack against the press and intellectuals. He fails to point out that it is the palace and the government that continues to fail the people. Mr Dixit ignores a long history of the palace's own secretive ways and corruption within, its extra-constitutional nexus with the army, its dirty intrigues. What about Kot Parba and Bhandarkhal Parba, or the sad end of Bhimsen Thapa? The palace failed to maintain transparency through undoubtedly the messiest episode in modern-day Nepal. Some of this can be attributed to shock, given the scale of tragedy. But it is never too late to rectify mistakes. Let me add that Nepali Times has often hurried to paint the palace in a positive light. That is partly understandable, given the volatile political situation, but it is as important to tell the other side of the story.

Akhilesh Upadhyay
New York University