Blood Bath by K Abiral

 

BLOODBATH

(Raktakunda)

(An Investigation–Based Historical Novel by Krishna Aviral)

Translated from Nepali by Dinesh Poudel

 

 

Dedication

To All

Those Who Suffered

The Intrigues

In The Royal Palace

 

Chapter I

 

1. 'I was born of a Brahmin family at Otoo. My family has been serving the royalty since my great grandparent's times. Although we were close to the royals for generations, our living conditions were not good. My grandfather was once charged of being involved in a plot to overthrow the Ranas, and so his household property was confiscated. Since then our family had been going through great hardships.

2. 'We were four brothers and two sisters. Father had no trade or job of any kind. We were in great difficulty. Father kept on going to chakari[1] of the Rana Maharajas[2] in the hope getting the confiscated property back. To attend to the chakari had been his morning rituals. Mother said Father had been waiting on the Rana Maharajas since when we were not yet born. Whenever he knew the Rana Maharajas were on visits, he would go at the chakari. Though Father spent all his life to wait on them, the property confiscated at our grandfather's times was never returned.

3. 'Mother bore all the responsibilities of the household; father waited on the Maharajas day in, day out. Mother toiled in the farm to raise us. Mother's parents were well off; and she got a lot of support from them to keep our family going.

4. 'Durbar High School and a few more schools opened up. But they were only for the Rana children and the children of most trusted high officials; there was no provision for the children of the subjects like us. We were not allowed to read and write. Brothers learned letters[3]. Father's younger brother taught them how to read and write on the dust board. Daughters were not supposed to read. Therefore we sisters never learned how to read or write, even the simple letters. We passed days playing and helping Mother with household chores.

5. 'Kathmandu was not so much densely housed. Greenery prevailed. There were large farms. Huge stay houses stood in the middle of the farms for the farmhands. The stay houses were made of sun baked bricks and thatched roofs. There stood thick and fearsome bushes at the present Thamel. Jackals howled even during the daytime. We children were afraid to go to play in such lonely and terrible places.

6. 'We could easily see the flood in the Bagmati and Bishnumati from our home during the rainy season. When the floods subsided, we played and swam in these rivers. The Bagmati had sandy banks. We swam in the clear waters of the rivers and played sinka lukai[4] and building houses in the sand. We used to build sand images and sand temples and would play worship. Some of my best friends in those days were Suntali, Tara, Punti, Mahili and Father's elder brother's daughter Jamuna.

7. 'In those days Asan was the only marketplace. People came to Asan from far and wide for shopping. And we children went there to buy and eat sweets when we got a few coins during festivals. We didn't have paper notes. Ana, Suka and Mohar[5] were in circulation. Coins were made of silver. We could buy and eat to our fill just for an Ana or Suka.

8. 'The roads were not yet blacktopped. They were paved with large stone slabs. The carriages of the Ranas proceeded along the paved roads. When the folks knew that the Ranas were journeying, they would rush out of their homes and stood by the roads to chant 'Maharajko jay hos!'[6] The ones who didn't attend these chants were liable to be charged of conspiring against them. Sometimes, His Highness Maharaja's[7] and ambassadors' vehicles ran through the roads. They were the only owners of motor vehicles. People flooded into the roads to have a look at a motor vehicle when they heard the roar. We too ran to join the crowds of onlookers and greet the vehicles.

9. 'People didn't use watches. His Highness Bir Sumsere erected the Clock Tower by the Ranipokhari, but many people didn't know how to read the timepiece. The cock's crow in the early morning and the setting sun were our clocks. When there was no sun, we knew it was the time for sunset when birds flew to their nests. Cannon balls were fired under a khari tree at Tundikhel[8] to announce it was midday. To celebrate a happy occasion, 21 shots or 31 shots were fired. We children ran to watch the celebration at Tundikhel. But we were not allowed to go near. We climbed up a tree and watched the fun from a good distance.

10. 'I don't know what struck Mahendra Sarkar[9]: he got the historical khari tree felled. People said the khari tree had been standing there since the times of Malla dynasty. Most public announcements were made from under this very tree.

11. 'We were children; we didn't understand much about the movement the Congress led demanding democracy. But the turmoil that issued about in the Palace and among the folks was within our comprehension when King Tribhuvan left for Delhi along with his family. The Rana government charged King Tribhuvan of treason against the homeland. Prince Gyanendra, King Tribhuvan's second grandson who was left in the custody of his maternal grandparents, was declared the new King. This infuriated people. Men would gather at places and talk to each other, 'What sinister is going to take place in the country?'

'12. But nobody dared to defy openly. Occasionally, we'd come to hear that the Congressmen distributed pamphlets secretly. Men talked that the Congress soldiers had attacked the military posts at the Terai and had started to create a lot of pressure on them. They said 120 high officials from the Rana family resigned from their positions in support of the movement. The rumour was that the resignation shook the Rana government led by Mohan Sumsere. People's faces reflected terror.

13. 'Soon after King Tribhuvan's exile, I think, the dissatisfied Ranas organized a procession against the Ranarchy, the rule of their own uncles. I was lucky to have gone shopping at Indrachok that day. The procession comprised of just 25 or 30 young men. The leaders were Bal Krishna Sumsere, Diamond Sumsere, Janardan Sumsere Rana and others. The procession chanted the slogan—

'Rana government: Attention!

King Tribhuvan: Come back home!'

'When the procession started from the busy marketplace, shoppers fled the scene, in case they would be arrested. I heard later that the military arrested the participants of the procession before they were able to reach Kamalaxi, and were taken to the Singh Durbar.

14. 'There was a huge celebration at the Gauchar, the present airport, when the King returned from Delhi with his family after the Delhi Pact between King Tribhuvan, the Ranas and the Congress leaders. We too went across the Bagmati to see the celebration there. They had come back all the way from Delhi by plane.

Well, it was the first time I'd seen the plane.'

 

Chapter II

1. 'My maternal great grandfather was a renowned royal astrologer during King Surendra's reign. His name was Somnath Upadhyaya. His home was at Lagan Tol in Kathmandu. He knew English; therefore he had sat for talks with the British on behalf of Nepal government several times. He translated and read out for the court the letters that came from the residential representatives of the British government. He was called by the durbar if a letter was to be drafted on behalf of the government. He had the opportunity to accompany Jungbahadur on his visit to England. You might have read about him in the history books.

2. 'Great Grandfather was highly impressed by the British rule there. He used to speak that our country too needed a rule where rulers were elected. Probably Jungbahadur and his brothers didn't like this idea of his; his relationship with Jungbahadur had not been so satisfactory since then. But he was at very good terms with the royal Palace. Great Grandfather is said to have been called if a final decision was to be made on an important issue.

3. Grandmother got the opportunity to be the housemaid of the Shahjadee, that is, His Majesty King Surendra's daughter, while her father was still the court astrologer. She was a most trusted dhai[10] of the Shahjadee. Her name was Shashikala. She was still unmarried when she joined the service.

4. 'You might find it strange as I'm using the term Shahjadee to the king's daughter. But in those days tradition was that the king's daughters were called Shahjadee. The Crown Prince was called Yuvraj and his brothers were called Sahebjyu[11]: Second Sahebjyu, Third Sahebjyu and so on. The Crown Prince's brothers and sisters were not yet called Adhirajkumar and Adhirajkumari. The tradition of calling Adhirajkumar or Adhirajkumari's children as Shahjadaa and Shahjadee and calling son-in-law as Kumar was introduced after King Tribhuvan's return from Delhi. King Tribhuvan changed the traditional salaam to 'darshan' and darshan to 'namaskar' for formal greetings. Earlier, even the civilians were to salute the royals the way soldiers did.

5. 'I must add a point here: our government was called 'Nepal Sarkar'. After the introduction of democracy in 2007 BS, the government got its present name: 'His Majesty's Government'.

6. 'But King Tribhuvan hadn't made this change of his own accord. The King declared to rename the government as His Majesty's Government as per Prime Minister Matrika Prasad Koirala's recommendations.

 

*****

7. 'But in the novel 'Seto Baagh' by Diamond Sumsere, it is said that the Mahapandit[12] Somnath Upadhyaya was charged of a political indictment, and his daughter Shashikala was dismissed from the employment at Manohara Royal Palace. And when the family was left to fend for itself Somnath's eldest son jumped into the Ranipokhari to kill himself; and the wife was charged of playing witchcraft. What do you say to this?'

8. She said she hadn't read Seto Baagh. I related a context of the book to her-

9. 'Somnath was charged of disseminating the thought that the Parliamentary system should gradually be introduced to Nepal and the dictatorship should be ended. He was charged of drafting the constitution for the purpose, and a case of treason was filed against him. All his property was confiscated and thus the family was left helpless in Kathmandu. Accusing him of being a mad wizard, he was exiled from the valley.

10. 'Shashikala was dismissed from the job according to the rule that if a man was punished by law, his daughter couldn't remain in the service at the Palace.'

11. 'That's all groundless,' the old woman said, 'though our grandfather was a nuisance in the eyes of Jagatbahadur and his brothers, he was a trusted man at the Royal Palace.' He made utmost attempt to establish the system of rule following the British model. All his attempts were foiled; Jagatbahadur and his brothers dominated the scene. This frustrated him badly and he decided to renounce the world and go ascetic. The statement that he was mad or he was exiled is not true.

12.'My grandfather did not commit suicide and my great grandmother was not charged of witchcraft. That's all cooked up story,' she claimed. 'My grandmother herself has told me all this. I can't understand why such great writer like Diamond Sumsere took liberty to fabricate such a disreputable story about my family.

13. 'He was trying to add flavour to the story, probably?' I tried to side with Diamond Sumsere, myself being a writer. But Sabita didi[13] intervened.

'Can one write whatever he wishes in a novel?'

I had no answer. Nevertheless, her question prompted me to study more.

15. Though Diamond Sumsere is blamed of injustice to the forefathers of the old woman, this has given life to the novel. The old woman's grandmother, Shashikala, appears quite often throughout the novel. Shashikala is credited to have played a very important role in marrying Shahjadee and Jagatjung. For example—

16. 'Shashikala!' Shahjadee spoke softly, 'do you know who lives by that window?'

17. 'I'm afraid Sarkar! I don't know who sits by that window. I beg Sarkar, I'd like to hear.'

18. 'Jagatjung!' Shahjadee spoke in a hushed tone of voice.

All knew that Jagatjang lived there. But Shahjadee was inquiring with some excitement and  a special stress. Shashikala thought some other has recently started living there; therefore she had expressed her ignorance. Shashikala was perplexed when Shahjadee pronounced Jagatjung's name. She said, 'Sarkar already knew who lives there, why inquiry?'

Shahjadee simply smiled at her.

The daughter of Mahapandit Somnath Upadhyaya Jyotishacharya, Shashikala was astute and intelligent. To her, Shahjadee's motives were now crystal clear. She said, 'If the Sumsere family should ever come to hear of this, frictions arise.' She kept the book of the Holy Ramayana on the table to free herself for further talk. 'Whatever you want to do, do it secretly.'

'It can't be kept a secret. I don't think it needs to be kept so.' Shahjadee retorted, 'To love and to worship like I do him is not a sin. Love, kindness and passions are human qualities. I love him.'

Her initial thought had been that Shahjadee was merely infatuated with Jagatjung and that this infatuation would wear off, but she turned pale as her mistress so openly expressed her love for him.

'You wouldn't be thinking of marrying him?' she trembled.

At Shashikala's apprehension, the princess became effusive about her feelings. She had everything worked out. Her cousin, the Lady Dhana, would marry Bir, leaving herself free to marry Jagatjung. There was an understanding to that effect between the two women, and it had the tacit approval of Dhana's father, Prince Upendra. He had promised to keep it all a secret and no one else had been told except Shashikala. On hearing all this, Shashikala forgot her qualms; and she smiled.'

27. I referred the above-mentioned context of the novel Seto Baagh. But the old woman rejected outright, 'That's all pure nonsense. It's so surprising; such great writers too write such false stories!'

28. She went on, 'The time was different. People got married well before they reached youth. How could one think of choosing a husband or wife for himself or herself as they do now? The parents got their children married before they were ten.' She added, 'Jagatjung was seven years and two months old and Shahjadee was just six; how could so small children fall in love with each other? You can imagine yourself.'

29. This statement exactly matches to "True Stories of the Rana Highnesses" by Purushottam Sumsere, another noted writer from the Rana clan.

30. 'While discussing about marriage, King Surendra addressed to Jungbahadur, 'Jungay! Find brides and grooms. We should marry Crown Prince and Shahjadees!'

'Jungbahadur made the best use of the opportunity. 'Sarkar! Why look for brides or grooms? Let Princes marry my daughters and Shahjadees marry my sons!'

Surendra glowered at Jungbahadur. He said, 'You Khas dare aim at our Shahjadees?'

King Surendra was taking him to be the same old orderly Jungbahadur whom he could order to dive into the angry Trishuli River or jump into a well and he carry out all his mad orders. How could such a crazy king understand how powerful Jungbahadur had become?

Jung too lost his tempers. He said, 'How high caste do you think of yourself, Sarkar? Don't you remember that a widowed Brahmin woman's blood flows in you? I did arrange you place onto this throne or else Third Sahebjyu Ranendra Bikram Shah would be presiding over it.'

'Now, King Surendra understood the situation. He said, 'All right, Jungay, your remark is true. Let's keep our mouth shut on this issue. Give the hands of your daughters to my sons; I'm ready to offer Shahjadees to your ones.'

31. 'The Ranas and the Shahs agreed on the marriage deal. The eldest Shahjadee Tika Rajyalaxmidevi Shah got married to Jagatjung Kunwar Rana, the son of Prime Minister Jungbahadur Rana. The bridegroom was 7 years 2 months old and the bride was just six years. Seventy elephants were brought from the Terai on the occasion. The marriage procession went from Thapathali Durbar[14] to Hanumandhoka Durbar. A dowry sum of Rs. 671,775 was collected from the people.

32.' My grandmother and four or five other servants were given as dowry on the occasion of Shahjadee's marriage.

33. 'Jagatjung used to live in Thapathali Palace. Jagatjung's durbar where Shahjadee was brought is the Singh Mahal, where the Rashtra Bank is now.

34. 'Our grandparents were married prior to Grandmother's going to Jagatjung's Singh Mahal as a dowry. Grandmother was seven and Grandfather was eight then. Grandfather's name was Tankanath Upadhyay. You'll find him enlisted among the convicts in Adtis Saal Massacre[15] against the Ranas you read in the history books. '

*****

35. 'Maybe you consider Jagatjung to be brave and courageous as his father, the powerful Prime Minister Jungbahadur. But that's not true. The sons of Jungbahadur, who could accomplish daring feats of swimming into the angry Trishuli, were by now the hedonist 'Wajid Ali Shah' of Nepal. Their carriage pulled by four horses had a urinal. To do and undo his trousers dhais were appointed and Jagatjung took these young dhais wherever he went.'

36. 'But the folks had a very good impression about him. He was believed to be brave, strong and intelligent. People spread rumours that if you touched him you'd be cleansed of all sins of the day. Many said the hardest of your missions would be successful if you had his darshan[16] before you set out for your mission. I've heard this from my own grandmother's lips. Gods know the truth.

37. 'Jungbahadur himself was not satisfied with Jagatjung's self-indulgence. He called Jagatjung by his pet name 'Bhairay' and Bir Sumsere by his 'Kailay'. I don't know why he gave Jagatjung the name 'Bhairay' but people think Bir Sumsere got his pet name 'Kailay' because of the reddish brown colour of his hair. When the two of them were together Jungbahadur used to say 'Kailay will gnaw at Bhairay's head.'

38. 'Jungbahadur's speculations came true. '

 

 

 

Chapter III

 

1. 'Our great grandmother-in-law was Crown Prince Trailokya Sarkar's wet nurse. While she could she secured positions of the Junior Officer to our Elder granduncle Homnath Upadhyay and our grandfather Tankanath Upadhyay. Another granduncle Hemprasad did not join the service.

2. Trailokya Sarkar and our grandfathers had a strong connection, for they were milk brothers. He asked them for advice whenever he needed to come to some decision. He asked for their suggestions and backing as they were his peers, too.

3. 'And Trailokya Sarkar and Jagatjung were on intimate terms as they were yoked in a reciprocal matrimony. Trailokya Sarkar's sister that is Shahjadee was married to Jagatjung and two of his sisters Lalitrajeshwari and Tarakumari were given away to Trailokya Sarkar. Thus they were tied in a double knot. That's why they were so close. They paid frequent visits to one another.

4. 'Grandmother said the role order His Highness Jungbahadur made that his brothers and then his sons were to be the Prime Ministers after his death had displeased Jagatjung, Trailokya Sarkar and all. Shahjadee was especially displeased that Jagatjung was so far behind in the role order.

5. 'Shahjadee had expressed this discontentment in front of her parents and father in law at the time when the first son Yuddhapratapjung was born to her. It was the time when the King, Queen and other royals were together at the Manohara Durbar on the occasion of the birth of a grandson.

6. 'Her brothers Trailokya and Narendra too were on her side in her dissatisfaction.

7. 'Samdhi[17]! We'd like to appoint our eldest son-in-law (Jagatjung) to the title of His Highness Mahararaj. You shall manage the rest of the process. My sons too have the same opinion.' People said the King too had spoken in favour of his daughter at that time.

8. 'Jungbahadur snapped at him and disobeyed the royal order. It could be that he didn't want to forget his brothers' support in his coming to this position.

9. 'He used to carry out all the orders then and there before. Surendra's orders used to be last and final for him, not just since he ascended to the throne, but he'd been carrying out the wildest of Surendra's orders since he was still a Prince. To carry out Surendra's wildest of fancies, Jungbahadur jumped into Trishuli on a harnessed horseback, he broke his legs while jumping into a well, he was once about to fall off the Dharahara tower. But he was not ready to change the role order now.

10. 'He said, "Creation........Above all creations I have my country and my loyalty to the crown.' He shuddered and left the scene.

11. 'They say the newly born baby was horrorstruck with Jungbahadur's loud voice. And our grandmother had comforted the baby.'

12. 'Trailokya and Jagatjung saw that their fathers and father-in-laws were not going to address their demands. So they had a scheme to grab all the power after Jungbahadur died. They had probably little hope that once the power slipped to their uncles according to the role order would come back to their hands. Keeping this truth in mind, they had a scheme to capture the total power of the kingdom into Trailokya's hands with the help of the military under his control and Jagatjung to be an ordinary prime minister after the death of Jungbahadur. Hiranyagabhakumari, Jungbahadur's youngest wife, was behind this scheme. She was a sister to Chautariya Phattejung who was killed by Jungbahadur and his brothers in the Kot Massacre[18]. Therefore she wanted to see the powers to go in her son-in-law's hands rather than to the brother-in-laws, her brother's murders.

13. 'Crown Prince Trailokya was hard working. Bravery, valor, self-dignity, optimism, confidence and all manly attributes shone on him. Naturally, he would give some thought on how the power that has slipped from the durbar to the hands of the prime minister can be retrieved. He was trying to use a popular man like Jagatjung to carry out such grave undertaking.

'Therefore he had praises and profuse feelings for him. And therefore the friendship between Jagatjung and Prince Narendra too grew stronger.

14. But their plans couldn't succeed. Jungbahadur died on 13th of Bright Half of Magh 1933 BS[19] while he was hunting in the Terai (Pattharghat of Rautahat). Ambarjung, the son of Jungbahadur's brother Jagat Sumsere, was Hajuriya. He secretly sent this message to Kathmandu through Head Constable Yambahadur Karki. The clever Dhir Sumsere shared this news to his fourth brother Ranoddip and hid the death news. They said their brother was very ill, and thus they acquired all administrative powers from King Surendra.

15. 'Jagatjung and other sons were ready to go to Pattharghat when they heard their father was serious. Daughters and son-in-law Trailokya too wished to join them in the journey. If they'd said there was no need for the royals to travel, suspicions could have arisen, and so Dhir and Ranoddip remained silent. Dhir Sumsere took all the responsibility of the travel.

16. 'When they were near Chitlang after a day's journey, Dhir Sumsere disclosed the message, saying it was fresh news. And then some sons continued towards the place where the incident had taken place whereas Jagatjung, Jungbahadur's first son, turned back to Kathmandu to accept the title of His Highness. Crown Prince Trailokya too returned. But they'd already been late. Well before they'd arrived Kathmandu, Ranoddipsingh had acquired both the titles of Prime Minister and His Highness Maharaj. Jungbahadur had arranged the title of Prime Minister to his brothers, and then to sons, and then to the nephews and so on after him, but the title of His Highness Maharaj was to go to his sons directly.

17. 'But the renowned historian Baburam Acharya has written something else, what do you say?' I referred to a point from his book 'Let This Never Happen Again'.

18. 'Ranoddip and Dhir Sumsere kept the news of Jungbahadur's death from all until King Surendra had endorsed on the charter of 'His Highness'. Keeping the news from them and disconnecting Trailokyabikram Shah and General Jagatjung Rana was the great success on the part of Ranoddip and Dhir Sumsere. Trailokya came to know about the changed situation only when the bugle was blown to salute a new Maharaj at the Nasal Chowk of the Hanumandhoka Palace. Jagatjung could learn the news at the Manohara Palace when he was given the 19-fire salute of Maharaj at the Manohara Palace, some five miles away from Kathmandu.

19. 'I don't know what the basis of his writing is, but whatever I've heard from my mother is this. If you can't believe me, you can ask any of the Ranas who know the history.

I asked the noted historian Purushottam J.B. Rana one day. He too supported the old woman's statement. He said, 'I can produce proofs if you don't believe me.'

21. I didn't think it necessary to go that far into this matter, in case I strayed from my main storyline.

22. The old woman went on, 'Jagat Sumsere and Dhir Sumsere came to the forefront after Ranoddip's ascension to the title of His Highness Maharaj and Prime Minister. The situation went so far as Jagatjung and Crown Prince Trailokya were not allowed to see each other. I've heard Trailokya tried to retake the lost power with help of our grandfathers and Jagatjung.

23. With the sudden death of Crown Prince Trailokya at a young age of 20, all the plans folded up. My grandmother said Trailokya Sarkar died on 16th of Chaitra 1934 BS.

24. Old men suspected that Dhir Sumsere had vaidyas[20] kill Trailokya adding poison to medicine. But nobody was left with any courage to speak anything against the Ranas. It was natural; this matter slowly went into obscurity.

25. Prince Narendrabikram, Crown Prince Trailokya's younger brother, took over this responsibility after the sudden demise of Trailokya. His durbar is still there at Kamalpokhari. It is still called the Naxal Durbar. The durbar has two main gates, one facing south to Kamalpokhari and the other facing north to Naxal. There is plenty of space around the durbar. The north gate is named Bhagawati Dhoka[21] and the south gate is known as the Kumari Dhoka. There is plenty of space around the durbar. The durbar is modeled according to the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar and his descendants still live there.

26. Krishnabikram Shah, in the lineage of Narendrabikram, is still 'Mukhya Sahebjyu' (King's nearest relatives from father's side is conferred the title of 'Mukhya Sahebjyu' -writer). His son Dipakbikram is now a pilot in the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation. Dipakbikram is uncle to His Majesty. He too is awarded with a title of Sahebjyu. They are the nearest uncles to the present King. I tell you this for it may help you for further investigation. [Please note, Dipakbikram himself had performed the last rites of King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and others]

27. Narendrabikram couldn't succeed; he couldn't find any trustworthy supporters. The conspiracy disclosed and many of his supporters were given death penalty, others were awarded with confiscation of property. He too was to exile to Hyderabad (India-tr.). Later he was exiled to Gorkha. He died there.

28. Brahmins were exempted from execution. That's why our grandfathers were not killed. Instead, they were punished by shaving charpata[22], garlanded with a piglet[23] each, and followed by a band of musicians, walked for three days in the three towns of the valley, one town each day. And then they were sent to Palpa for life imprisonment. Sardar Shivaprasad Aryal, Junior Civil Officer Digbijay Upadhyay and Kana Bhatta, an ordinary priest, too were among the others who were punished.

29. General Jagatjung had been to Calcutta for treatment of his ear at the time. But when Jagatjung was found to have the pivotal role in the scheme Prime Minister Ranoddip and Dhir Sumsere wrote to the British government asking to arrest him there. He was imprisoned in Golkunda castle near Banaras.

30. He remained in the jail for a few years. Somehow he could run away from there and came to Barewa, an Indian village near Nepal-India border. This too couldn't remain secret. All the way from Kathmandu, a Nepalese army troop was assigned to arrest him. He was arrested and was put into custody. Jagatjung was pardoned only when Haripriyadevi, Jagatjung's second wife, and a Colonel Rajbhandari pleaded. And then he'd been living in the Manohara Palace.'

'Isn't Singh Mahal Jagatjung's durbar? When did he build the Manohara Durbar?' This was my question.

'It was built during Ranoddip's premiership but before the conspiracy had disclosed. Jagatjung had moved to Manohara Durbar, giving Singh Mahal to his son born of Shahjadee. He had built a nine-storey durbar at Manohara, modeled on Hanumandhoka Durbar[24].

Our grandmother lost her job when Jagatjung was arrested in India. Then evil days began to our family. Grandmother alone had to struggle so much to rear Father and uncles. We learned all this through Grandmother when we were kids.

Remember, the noted historian Baburam Acharya has discussed on the historical Adtis Saal Massacre at length in his book 'Let this Never Happen Again'. The old woman's grandfathers are mentioned in his book.

 

 

Chapter IV

 

1. I know how impatient you are to know how I came to be a dhai in the Palace. I'm going to tell you all that.

2. I must credit my father for making me a dhai. If my father hadn't regularly been to the Rana's durbars for chakari, the course of my life would have been entirely different and I would have lived a different kind of life.

3. People waited at those Ranas who knew them personally, who listened to them, who supported at times of need. Probably that's why Father frequented to Hari Sumsere Bubahajur's durbar. To be exact, Father's permanent abode was at Hari Sumsere's. He praised him all the time when he was home. Hari Sumsere Bubahajur was His Highness Juddha Sumsere's fourth son.

4. Hari Sumsere Bubahajur was in need of dhais for his daughters, and when Father had been to chakari, he asked everybody present there, 'Does any one have daughters?'

Father promptly stood and spoke about me. Many others at the chakari had daughters and they too offered theirs. Rajasaa'b[25] asked all of them to come the other day along with their daughters. This was I think in 2008 BS.

You may wonder why people went to Rana's durbars to chakari even after the fall of Ranarchy and establishment of democracy. But I say the tradition that began at the Rana times is still in practice. The people who frequently visit party leaders or ministers are there only for chakari. The fact is that the time has changed its place and style. After the exercise of democracy for so many years, chakari is still in practice, how could one expect that it would be abolished then? To me chakari is rooted deep into our blood. We are not going to be free from it so easily.

This happened when I was about eleven. Father asked me to take bath, dress up well and get ready to go with him. I think both of my parents had discussed the matter the previous night and come to decision to send me to the durbar. Mother combed and tied my hair and helped me get ready quickly. I was ignorant, and didn't dare to ask the reason. But I was happy to walk with Father wearing a new dress.

My friends saw me dressed well and going with Father. They looked at us with some awe. But nobody asked where I was going. I was delighted to walk wearing such a beautiful dress.

Soon we reached in front of a huge durbar. A lot of people were already there. Mats were spread on the yard for us to sit on. We found a corner of a mat and sat there.

I think it was the month of Magh[26]. More people came as the sun rose higher. Some girls of my age too had come with their fathers.

There was a huge kennel at one corner of the yard. Four fierce dogs were in it. They were as large as a small tiger. I'd never seen such large and fearful dogs before. The entire neighbourhood shuddered when they barked and I was terrified with the sound. Later when I came to the durbar this became a usual thing for me.

They were tied with thick iron leashes and were taken out for excretion and exercise in the morning. Four strong men came and brought them out for a walk. The dogs were so strong that they almost dragged such strong men with big arms. People sitting on the mats in the yard were talking, 'Each dog needs two pounds of meat a day.'

On the front veranda of the durbar we could see many cages hanging. Mynah, parrot and many other birds were in those cages. A mynah spoke like us humans- 'Chakarika lagi a'ko? Susare huna a'ko? Ke chha khabar? Bhuja jyunar bho? (Are you here for chakari? Are you here to work as a dhai? How are you? Have you eaten?) People laughed when the birds spoke. But I didn't understand such stuff then.

After almost an hour's wait Hari Sumsere Bubahajur and Mumahajur came out. (The old woman addressed Hari Sumsere couple as Bubahajur and Mumahajur[27]) The moment they saw them, people got up and greeted them 'darshan'. Bubahajur hinted them to sit. They all sat. Father and I too sat. They came near us and sat on the spongy chairs. A servant came and placed a small silver box in front of them. I think the small box contained kaju, kismis and other spices.

Bubahajur listened to the people one by one.

After some time our turn came. Father took me in front of Bubahajur and Mumahajur. They stared at me from head to foot, and asked Father-

'Is this girl your daughter?'

'Yes Rajasaa'b!'

'How old is she?'

'She's ten, and running on the eleventh.....'

Ranisaa'b was listening all attentively. She pulled something from the box in front of her and popped into her mouth. She asked me, 'Oi girl! Can you attend to our daughter as a maidservant?' She was chewing something.

I didn't know what a maidservant is, how a person attends the other, and things like that. Father had not spoken to me a word about it. I just stood there silently. The question was in almost a hot tone. My heart was pounding. I couldn't utter a word. Father spoke-

'She is young, but she's clever. She is good at household chores. She can do anything if she got some training. She is Ratnarajyalaxmi's age, and can attend to her well, hajur!'

Bubahajur and Mumahajur exchanged some inaudible words. Probably they were talking about me. And then Bubahajur ordered Father, 'All right. Your daughter will live here today on. You will leave her here.'

'That would be nice........ But..........' Father hesitated a bit.

'But what......?' Mumahajur asked.

'I've not brought any of her other clothes. She doesn't have anything to change...... Sarkar!'

'Don't worry. She can wear Daughter's old dresses.' Mumahajur spoke.

Father was trying to say something more, but he couldn't. Mumahajur's words silenced him.

Bubahajur gestured some order to one of his servants. The man rushed inside. He brought a small bag from inside and handed it to Bubahajur. Bubahajur placed this on Father's hands.

'This is a baksis[28] for now. You'll be awarded more afterwards if your daughter works well.'

'Victory to my Sarkars! I'm submitting my daughter at your disposal. Please pardon her if she commits errors! Father was in sobs while he spoke these words. I had never seen him sob. I'd never seen men weep before.

I was not getting at what was going on in front of me. Father wiped his tears and said, 'Daughter, you'll live here now on, in the service of Maiyarani sahebs!'

Now I could understand why I was brought here. My heart broke out. I couldn't help sobbing. Father tried to comfort me. He was by now able to hold himself.

'Daughter! If you get opportunity to serve Maiyaranis[29] as a dhai, you'll never go hungry. You won't have to work in the rain or sun. You can work inside the durbar. One has to have written this luck and luxury in the earlier birth.'

I was clinging to my father as a leech, and sobbing. Father went on, 'Your mother and I will visit you regularly. You'll be happy here in the durbar. We too will be happy if you work here. Raja–Ranisaa'b[30] themselves will provide for your marriage and later life. Don't worry dear...............!'

Father comforted and consoled me for a long time and left. A middle aged woman held me by hand and took inside. She was a dhai working there for years.

It's illegal to accept money as baksis and offer one's daughter by present-day laws. It's in a way human trade. We have been talking so much about democracy and reform but we have failed to abolish sale of children by poor. Kamaiya (bonded laborers) Tharus in the Far West and children working at rich and gentry households are all sold ones. People keep on selling children as long as there is poverty, whatever strict laws are passed.

I didn't know why and whose durbar I was brought to. Only after my stay for some months I could understand that it was the durbar of Hari Sumsere, the fourth son to His Highness Maharaj Juddha Sumsere. It was called the Baag Durbar (the Kathmandu Metropolis office occupies the durbar now -Writer). And I was brought here to serve as a dhai to his sixth daughter Ratnarajyalaxmi.

 

 

Chapter V

 

1. I missed home very very badly for some days. I used to sob a lot in privacy. Tears would roll down while working. I couldn't hold myself. But one was not allowed to weep here. Older dhais and servants would say, 'They can send you back home for good if you keep on weeping.' I didn't sob anymore.

2. Father would bring Mother from time to time. They would bring some food prepared at home. They would ask how I was getting along. They would accept whatever Bubahajur gave as my salary. There was no fixed monthly salary for serving in the durbars. Whatever amount Rajasaheb thought correct would be our salary.

3. I would be happy when father came to see me, but it would be so hard to bid farewell.

4. Bubahajur treated me well, and I had won hearts of senior dhais. Whatever kindness and love I got there, it was naturally no match to the love at home.

5. Sometimes I missed home so much that I fretted. When it was almost impossible to bear the pain, I would talk to birds in the cages hanging at the verandah. One of them, a mynah, had been my friend. The mynah was brought all the way from Chitwan jungle when it was quite young. It would talk like humans.

Our fondness grew into profound friendship. Later, he went as far as refusing food anybody else gave him.

 

*****

7. Senior maidservants trained me for about two months. After the completion of my training I was appointed to attend to Ratnarajyalaxmi Sarkar. We were only three dhais to attend to her. The two were quite senior to me. We three were to share the same bedroom. We would weave baati[31] and talked deep into the night. Sometimes we talked about our families and homes, too. Most of our talks were limited to the matters in the durbar. I heard some of the things I've told you from those senior dhais.

8. Hari Sumsere Rana, the General Sahib, had two sons: Shambhu Sumsere Rana and Susheel Sumsere Rana.

9. But daughters were eight. The eldest was married to Neelendrabikram Shah, the second Narendralaxmi was married to Mohanbikram Shah, the third Dhanrajyalaxmi was married to Mukhya Sahebjyu Krishnabikram Shah and the fourth Indrarajyalaxmi was married to His Majesty Mahendra before I got admission in the durbar. Dolrajyalaxmi, Ratnarajyalaxmi, Laxmirajyalaxmi and Indrarajyalaxmi were maiyas. Two brothers, four sisters, Buba-Muma[32], servants and we dhais made over two hundred inhabitants in the durbar. You must have known Tirtharajyalaxmi maiyarani: she's the wife to Jaykumarnath Shah, the President of Cricket Association. Advocate Lokbhakta Rana's wife Kavita Rana is their daughter.

10. Mahendra Sarkar and Indrarajyalaxmi Sarkar were married when His Highness Juddha Sumsere was still in tenure. Their marriage was fixed more on account of Juddha Sumsere's interests than King Tribhuvan's or of the royal family. His Highness Juddha Sumsere had decided to marry Mahendra Sarkar to Indra Sarkar. His Majesty Tribhuvan was neither consulted nor informed for the final decision.

11. Once, Juddha Sumsere was listening to a case in a conference hall in Singh Durbar. A soldier entered and reported that His Majesty was coming.

12. Juddha Sumsere came to the door to receive him. When they both entered, all the councilors, officers and others stood up to greet them. His Majesty Tribhuvan sat on Juddha Sumsere's chair. Soon Tribhuvan was whispering something to Juddha who was sitting next to him. Juddha Sumsere snapped so loudly at Tribhuvan Sarkar that the hall was pin drop silent. 'I have provided you with a better facility than a king of a state in India. I can't provide you more than that.'

13. King Tribhuvan's face reddened. He returned in  humiliation.

14. One can now very easily understand the position of the royal family during premiership of Juddha Sumsere when the incumbent king had to ask for money for expenses and he could be shouted at in front of his subjects.

15. That's not all. The tradition was that the Ranas received the tilak[33] from King's hands when they were appointed as the prime minister. But Juddha Sumsere broke the tradition and declared himself to be the one, refusing to recognize King Tribhuvan as the head of state. These were some of the reasons why Tribhuvan and Juddha were not on good terms. King Tribhuvan detested Juddha's family. Therefore he pressed Mahendra not to marry from the same family. King Tribhuvan used to say, 'You can marry any girl but from Juddha's family.' But Mahendra Sarkar ignored King Tribhuvan and Queen's instructions. He married Ratna Sarkar on his own free will and against the parents' interests.

16. 'Why could King Tribhuvan most possibly prohibit Mahendra from marrying into the same family?' I inquired.

17. 'The pet aversion could be because Juddha Sumsere had killed four members of the Praja Parishad the King himself had formed, including his wrestling guru Dharmabhakta.

18. 'But I've heard there is some other reason why King Tribhuvan tried to dissuade Mahendra from marrying Ratna Sarkar,' I said.

19. 'What have you heard?' The old woman wanted to know.

20. 'Whatever I've heard is this: Tribhuvan Sarkar had sexual relationship with Ratna when she was still unmarried. Therefore Tribhuvan Sarkar said, 'You can marry any other girl, but not Ratna.' What do you say? I put this question but I had some fear she could be annoyed.

21. 'Pooh! How is it possible? Can anyone establish sexual relationship with one's own son's sister-in-law?' The old woman was not much annoyed as I'd expected. She said, 'People can speak anything. They have mouths.'

22. The old woman explained, 'If the gossip you have heard is related to them prior to my going to the durbar, I've nothing to say, but since my staying there I never saw Tribhuvan Sarkar visiting her.'

23. Rather, she presented one more reason.

24. 'The reality is this: there is a serpent-shaped dark hairy mark on Ratna Sarkar's back. In those days men with such mark were labeled naag[34] and women naagin. This is the reason why the Palace hated her as a naagin. They feared that she could sting anybody any time if she got admission in the Narayanhiti Royal Palace. Maybe the astrologers had spread rumors. The royal family was victim of the false rumor.

25. In fact, it was merely a psychological terror. I've been serving her as a maidservant for so many years and never found any stinging nature in her. I cannot describe how soft-spoken and soft hearted she is.

26. It is believed that the person with such mark on the back or anywhere on the body becomes very powerful. He can't live under anybody else's domination and he doesn't allow anything to happen against his wishes. You journalists can evaluate whether this belief is applied in her life or not, but I say she wanted a simple life to live in obscurity.

27. Indra Sarkar too was different. She was the Crown Princess then, but she liked to live a simple life. She was not arrogant or conceited at all. When she was at her mother's home, she talked openheartedly to people who were there for chakari. She visited temples with the bevy of her dhais and observed vratas.[35] I've heard her habits stuck to her even when she became the Crown Princess.

28. As far as I know, the death of Ratna Sarkar's elder sister that is Crown Princess Indra Sarkar was because of slow poison. But the people were informed that she died of delivery complications. I don't know what impelled them to administer slow poison on her. She was accused of leaking a scheme of the Royal Palace to the Ranas during Juddha Sumsere's times.

29. When His Highness Maharaj Juddha Sumsere went too far in humiliating Tribhuvan Sarkar, His Majesty organized a party at the Royal Palace. The scheme was that His Highness and all the rolewallas[36] were to be invited and poisoned to death. This scheme failed because somebody from the durbar informed this to His Highness. Since then the Rana Generals became watchful and strict on the Royals.

30. The durbar made a thorough investigation of who could be the collaborator. They came to a conclusion that Indra Sarkar could be the one. Since then the Palace never liked her. Later it leaked out that she was administered a slow poison through her dhais for her alleged crime.

31. Indra Sarkar was pregnant when she was poisoned. I learned this through senior dhais when I was at Hari Sumsere Maharaja's durbar.

32. Why should they have slow-poisoned her during pregnancy? What crime had the baby in her womb committed? Questions of this kind rose in my heart then as much as you can raise now. But maybe it was a mere coincidence. They found a readymade reason of her death to publish, that she'd died of delivery complications.

33. The apparent reason is that her health was failing because she gave birth to a number of children in quick succession and the doctor was not called even after repeated requests to His Highness Mohan Sumsere. It is true to some degree. Nobody knows why Mohan Sumsere turned deaf ears to requests to call a doctor. Mohan Sumsere ordered to call a doctor when Vijay Sumsere, Mohan Sumsere's son, requested that they could be blamed if anything should happen. Vijay Sumsere had called an ordinary doctor to carry out father's orders. But by the time the doctor had arrived at Kathmandu, it was already too late. He checked Indra Sarkar and declared it was too late to treat her.

34. The doctor said she couldn't be saved by any means, and returned. Mahendra Sarkar himself tried to treat her. But how could he do so when a doctor couldn't? Indra Sarkar died after two days of the doctor's return to India.

35. The truth is this very doctor uncovered the mystery of Crown Princess Indra Sarkar being slow-poisoned. He first shared this with Vijay Sumsere. Vijay Sumsere reported it to His Highness Mohan Sumsere. And then only Mumahajur and Bubahajur learned of it. Earlier, only a few members of the royal family had known it.

36. When the reality came to light, Mahendra Sarkar was furious with his father. He was badly hurt to lose his wife for no reason, that too during childbirth. Their relationship grew colder and colder since then. It didn't improve until King Tribhuvan's death.

37. 'Indra Sarkar could have been saved if timely treatment was available.' Mahendra Sarkar kept saying this for years. Every time he talked of Indra Sarkar's death, his eyes welled up. He would choke and could speak no more. This is a solid proof how profound love he had for Indra Sarkar. Later when he became the King, Mahendra Sarkar established a Maternity Hospital at Thapathali in 1960, and he named it after Indra Sarkar.

38. Before she died, Indra Sarkar had got Mahendra Sarkar to promise he would marry her own sister after her death. Maybe she hoped that her orphaned children would suffer less if Ratna became their step mother. Maybe she worried a lot that if a stepmother from some other household came, her children would suffer much more. Moreover, her worries compounded to realize how Tribhuvan and other royals had treated her, and the presence of Ravindra Sarkar who was elder to Birendra Sarkar.

I can tell you another proof why Crown Princess Indra Sarkar's death is not only the labor pain. Why and how could she make Mahendra Sarkar pledge to marry Ratna Sarkar? She knew she was dying of the slow poison; therefore she was able to convince Mahendra Sarkar that he should marry her own sister.

40. I asked Purushottam JBR about this when I met him on an occasion. He too said he had heard a similar story.

41. 'How can we know all happenings in the Palace?' he said. 'I too heard rumours that she was administered some slow poison during her pregnancy. Sanubhai Dongol, an ex-employee of the Narayanhiti Royal Palace and a doctorate on the Palace too, had similar opinion.

 

 

Chapter VI

 

Crown Princess Indrarajyalaxmi Sarkar passed away all of a sudden after giving birth to a baby. The incident fell upon Crown Prince Mahendra so heavily that he was beside himself for some days. He came to his in-laws' home unawares and even without his body guards. Dresses too wouldn't be so tidy. He would come sometimes even without prior information. Obviously the blow of his dear wife's death was very hard on him.

2. Before she died Indra Sarkar had said to him, 'Please marry my younger sister Ratna when I'm no more.' Probably that's why when he was alone he would make regular visits to Ratna Sarkar. We would leave the room when he arrived. We'd be called only when tea, snacks or something was needed. We would immediately return after we'd carried out the orders.

3. After Mahendra Sarkar made friends with Ratna Sarkar, he recovered by and by.

4. Usually they talked for hours. Sometimes they had long conversation deep into the night. How could we dhais understand what they talked about? We dhais would titter after Mahendra Sarkar had gone if the bed was ruffled.

5. Senior dhais would tease Ratna Sarkar when they had opportunities. But she would scold them, 'Blatant wretches!'

6. The senior dhais were married, and were much older than I was. I was the youngest, and was still unmarried. So I couldn't tease her, but when I saw them doing so, I'd just laugh.

7. Their association was commonplace for us as time passed and we were used to it.

8. Bubahajur didn't like their intimacy and frequent contacts before their marriage. Once he even gave Ratna Sarkar a harsh reproof. His words made my heart thump hard. Though he was his own son in law, he ordered Mahendra Sarkar, 'You shall not come now on!'

9. Since then their rendezvous was at Ratna Sarkar's maternal uncle Choodavikram Dhamala's home. He took Ratna Sarkar along with him. And he'd inform Mahendra Sarkar.

10. Choodavikram's house was behind the present Central Jail. The house was small but quite beautiful. Ratna Sarkar would remain there the whole day. We ran for whatever things she ordered.

11. Sometimes Ratna Sarkar ordered us to accompany her when her maternal uncle couldn't come to take her. I've accompanied her a few times. But we would be bored to death waiting outside doing nothing.

12. Mahendra Sarkar was the Crown Prince, but he used to attire simply. Therefore folks couldn't easily recognize him. He too might have liked it.

13. They maintained this association for one and half years before their marriage.'

14. Later, I asked about this to the historian Purushottam Sumsere JBR who had good knowledge of those eventful times. He expressed his ignorance regarding the events inside the Baag Durbar. But he agreed that Choodavikram Dhamala's house had been Mahendra and Ratna's rendezvous. He said, 'I used to call the house the Love Palace those days.'

15. The love affair between Mahendra Sarkar and Ratna Sarkar created a commotion in the Narayanhiti Royal Palace. Ratna Sarkar knew of it through Mahendra Sarkar. But we learned from Ratna Sarkar herself.

16. According to her, Tribhuvan Sarkar utterly disliked her. He was in favour of breaking off with Juddha family and connecting with some other gentry.

17. But Mahendra Sarkar rejected his opinion outright. He went so far as to threaten to resign from the title of Prince if he were not allowed to marry Ratna Sarkar. Afterwards, Home Minister BP Koirala cushioned them and brought them into agreement.

[Please note that there is a similar context that agrees with the old woman in BP Koirala's 'Aatmavrittant' (My Story) - Writer]

19. This all happened when I was the Home Minister. The reference was Yuvarajadhiraj's marriage. One evening His Majesty the Crown Prince Mahendra appeared all of a sudden. My daughter had died in the morning. I had a small daughter. She had died. I lived at Rang Mahal. Tarini carried her body as she was small. We walked. We had to bury her. We were four or five. Susheela was in dreadful state. The lamp was not burning well. In such situation he had arrived. I hadn't been to the Office that day. He appeared at the Office door downstairs without any prior information. A man ran upstairs, saying, 'Crown Prince is here!'

I asked, 'Where?'

'Downstairs!' he said. I hurried downstairs.

20. 'I clearly remember that day. I asked the Crown Prince, 'Your Majesty! Your visit without any prior communication! Is there some emergency? Why?''

'I'm going to resign from the title. I'm going to be a commoner.' He said. He produced an envelope and pulled out a long letter from it. The letter was addressed to the King saying, 'I'm resigning.' Probably the Crown Prince too has a coat of arms. The letter bore some arms on it.

I asked, 'What could be the reason?'

21. He said this: 'I'm trying to marry a girl, my sister-in-law. Father's command is otherwise.'

22. I said, 'You can talk to him. Why should he be so obstinate?'

23. Not only that! He has found a girl and is trying to fix. He is forcing me to marry her. On the one hand I'm deprived of marrying the girl of my choice, and I am to marry a girl he wants for me on the other hand. Therefore I'm prepared to be a commoner to marry the girl of my choice.'

24. I said, 'This is a fundamental democratic right too. And you needn't resign. I will appeal His Majesty for it.'

25. He said, 'Then go ahead and finalize soon.' And then he left.

26. Two or three days later, there was a party at Singh Sumsere's. Singh Sumsere was included in the Cabinet as the Foreign Minister. He was included in the Cabinet when it was reshuffled. He had thrown this party to celebrate his inclusion in the Cabinet. The party was at Singh Mahal. I went there with hope that I could see His Majesty there. I had attended the party especially to meet the King there. I appealed to the King, 'There is a very important issue.... a few days ago Crown Prince had been to my place...'

27. 'What do you want to say? Do speak.' he said.

'I'd like to talk to you in privacy.' I said.

We came out into the balcony. We talked. Two of his sons, Himalaya and Vasundhara, too came. I said all that was to say. He said, 'That's all right! You should have said I would gladly accept the resignation!'

28. I said, 'It's not fair. It's not fair to forbid him from marrying. This is something my principle and the principle of democracy cannot accept.'

29. The King said, 'He says he wants to marry into the same Rana family. I say we should break all connection from them.'

30. I said, 'Can we reject a girl simply because she is born to a certain family? That will be wrong. Ranarchy is bad, not all the Ranas.

31. I proffered my argument as a democrat should do. We had a heated discussion. I said, 'Who would be the next Crown Prince after he lodged the resignation and your acceptance?'

32. 'He! He will be the one! He showed Himalaya to me.

33. I said, 'No! Birendra will be the next. Birendra was already born. I said he will be the next Crown Prince, not Himalaya.

34. The King had not thought of that. I think nobody had thought that way. He was a small boy. Who'd notice him? I said, 'Further more, he said Your Majesty pressed him to marry some other girl. That's twofold injury. On the one hand, one is not allowed to marry the girl one likes.........'

35. These all were my romantic feelings. Edward VIII had abandoned the throne for Simpson. I was impressed by that, and I thought it was wrong. And I believed a whole race shouldn't be treated the same way just because they were the Ranas.

And they made a peace accord. He agreed not to raise the marriage issue for another six months. His Majesty Sarkar too wouldn't press any more.' BP had done this to improve the father-son relationship. But the discord that had emanated from the marriage didn't subside until His Majesty Tribhuvan's death.

37-38. Mahendra Sarkar was determined to marry, and Tribhuvan Sarkar made a firm decision not to present himself in the wedding. Hence, Tribhuvan Sarkar left for Calcutta with two of his Queens at the time of the wedding.

39-40. Bubahajur too was displeased with this marriage. He was infuriated with the Shah clan. He was most possibly angry because his daughter Indra was slow poisoned to death. Ratna Sarkar's elder brother Shambhu Sumsere performed the ritual of kanyadan. Bubahajur didn't present himself at the ceremony.

 

 

 

Chapter VII

1. I can't guess why Indra Sarkar recommended Mahendra Sarkar to marry Ratna Sarkar after her death, although Dolrajyalaxmi was elder to Ratna. Probably because she was more beautiful, sober and Mahendra Sarkar liked her more. Or maybe she recommended her because Ratna Sarkar's horoscope affirmed she would rule a country.

2. Later Dolrajyalaxmi got married to Neelendrabikram Shah, next of kin of the Palace. I believe she's still alive.

3. Ratna Sarkar was not so satisfied with this marriage. Maybe it was because of Indra Sarkar's miserable death in the Palace, or maybe because Tribhuvan Sarkar didn't approve of her. Whenever we talked with her, she used to say, "What can be said? Everything is so uncertain...." But who can prevent if one is born to be the Queen?

4. Though parents didn't consent to it, Mahendra Sarkar was resolute to marry Ratna Sarkar. BP could make an agreement not to raise the marriage issue for another six months, but meeting between Mahendra Sarkar and Ratna Sarkar didn't break off. They would regularly meet at her maternal uncle's home.

5. After the marriage was fixed, Ratna Sarkar went to England with parents for some days. A dhai too got an opportunity to accompany them. She was taken to carry bags.

6. After she returned she told us that they had been to England for an operation. One can guess Ratna Sarkar had a baby in her womb because of the intimacy with Mahendra Sarkar before their marriage. It was about three months old at the time of operation.

7. At the same time they happened to perform another operation on her too. Here they call it bandhyakaran, isn't it?'

8. I believe Ratna Sarkar was the first Nepalese woman to have been sterilized. Because sterilization was not so easily available in India, let alone in Nepal. One had to go all the way to England for the purpose; it was beyond the reach of an average Nepalese. Nevertheless, birth control was not a need for the ones who could pay for it.

9. But for Ratna Sarkar, it was a need, for there was already an accident before marriage, and Indra Sarkar had got Mahendra Sarkar to promise that her children wouldn't suffer.

10. They returned from England after about two months. According to the dhai Mahendra Sarkar too was present there at the time of operation. But he returned immediately.

11. Mumahajur (Megh Rana, Hari Sumsere's wife) had warned her not to open her lips in regard to the operation or else she could be whipped. The dhai didn't speak a word for a long time after her return. Long after Ratna Sarkar's marriage, and well after Mumahajur had died, she opened her mouth at a gathering.

12. The preparation for the marriage began soon after their return from England. Bubahajur was not involved in the preparation. It was maybe because she had to abort a child before marriage or maybe because he was greatly displeased with the royalties. Bubahajur had not given his consent to the marriage.

13. But he didn't object to the expenses. He helped bring dresses, wine for the party, cigarette and everything from abroad.

14. But as for jewelry, they were made by a sunar here at Makhantol. The goldsmith came to the durbar and made all the jewelry according to the given designs.

15. The goldsmith was old. I don't remember his name now. But he was a famous jeweller in Kathmandu.

16. We were the dhais going to the Royal Palace as dowry; and so ornaments were made for us, too. As for the sarees, Mumahajur asked me to choose from the ones brought from England. I was given six sarees.

17-18. Dowry and gifts were prepared according to the Hindu culture. Preparing chiura[37], making pickle powder was done the way we do at our homes. Rice was brought from the Terai for chiura. Kaju, kismis, coconut and other dry fruits that were to be sent as dowry were imported from India. A trader from Asan had brought them all. Large jute sacks were filled with each item.

19-20. We were given a month long training for we were going to the durbar as dowry. Two dhais who were working in the durbar for a long time had come to train us. Their names were Motipur and Hirapur. Men had come to train men. Those were not their real names. They were given these names when they went into service in the Palace.

Motipur came from a Giri or Puri family. Her sister was married to Punaprasad Brahman, a noted writer. Motipur was a respected dhai. She didn't need to work so hard, she was quite senior. But she got salary and baksis. She often stayed at her sister's. She died in 2048 BS. Hirapur was senior, too. I didn't know much about her personal life. But she was still there when I left the Palace.

23. The wedding ceremony was an ordinary one as the fathers of both Mahendra Sarkar and Ratna Sarkar were unhappy about the union. Mahendra Sarkar was made the bridegroom from the Nagarjun durbar, not from the Narayanhiti Royal Palace. Ratna Sarkar was taken to the same durbar.

25. In the wedding we six dhais, three women and three men, were sent as dowry.

26. Among us six dhais, Ratnabahadur Joshi was promoted later up to the Kaji. The music teacher Bhoopalsingh Pradhan too was promoted to a post of a high official. They could read and write, and so it was easy for them to get promoted. I was uneducated and thus I was deprived of promotion. But Ratna Sarkar treated me well. She gave me handsome baksis on the occasion of her birthdays. Most often she would take me with her on international tours. She would bring sarees as gift when I was not taken with her. Anyway, I was her trusted dhai.

 

Chapter VIII

 

One observed many formalities in the Narayanhiti. One was not allowed to laugh heartily. One had to speak in the subdued tone. One was to whisper for conversation here.

The discipline was not very harsh in Bubahajur's Palace.

In the Royal Palace, even the parties used to begin in awkward fashion.

His Majesty King, Her Majesty Queen and other royalties would take seats on armchairs in a line. We servants would stand at the sides. The parties would commence with cigarettes or wines. The senior members of the royal family and His Majesty King would take cigarette and wine and then all other royals would take it. The regulation was that the ones who wouldn't drink or smoke too had to accept it. But they just took it to their lips.  The one's who didn't take it threw in a lightning speed.

 

Chapter IX

 

1. Tribhuvan Sarkar's one weakness was sexual matters. He had many ranis other than the two Queens. He hand many lesser ranis, too. One such lesser rani was from the Manandhar family and the other was a Newar woman named Sarala.

2. One of the many princes and princesses born to those lesser ranis was Triloki. She was married in India during Ranarchy. I saw her once when she visited Kathmandu. But I didn't know which rani she was from.

3. I've just talked to you about a lesser rani from the Manandhar household. She was a close relative of the famous professor Tirtharaj Manandhar from Makhan. From whatever I've gathered, I can say she was brought to the durbar for singing and dancing when Tribhuvan Sarkar was quite young. She was bewitchingly beautiful in her youth. She used to play the role of Krishna in the dramas in the Royal Palace.

4. She was older to Tribhuvan Sarkar. Though older, King Tribhuvan had wantonly taken her into a lesser rani. I don't know whether she bore any children or not.

5. King Tribhuvan had one more lesser rani I know. We never saw her. But a princess born of her was still in the Palace when we went there. Her name was Bimala. Later she was married to Ravi Sumsere. I don't know where they live now. I've not seen Bimala Sarkar for ages. She never attended the formal programmes when we were working there. But now when I've already left the Palace, how can I know her whereabouts?

Sarala Sarkar was younger than both the Queens, and she was very beautiful. The oval faced rani never got the formal title of the Queen from King Tribhuvan, but she got all respect and privileges like the ones in the Palace. We too had to address her as Sarkar.

7. I don't remember her maiden name, but she was a local Newar from Kathmandu. Have you ever seen the Kumari Bank building opposite to Shaknkardev Campus? That's her natal home.

8. So far as I know, there were no children to Sarala rani saheb. Is there any woman who doesn't dream to have children? But she was forbidden by the Royal Palace to bear children.

9. Once the senior dhais said she was pregnant. That was before Ratna Sarkar's marriage and our going to the Royal Palace. I heard Sarala Sarkar was delighted to be pregnant. But her pregnancy couldn't remain for more than three months. Vaidyas administered medicine to abort the foetus. She was an embodiment of melancholy ever since. She could never laugh or even smile, even at the most laughable situations. I must tell you this: I never saw her smile as long as I was there in the Palace.'

10. This Sarala is mentioned in Erica Looktag's 'Tribhuvan's Erica' too. Erica was a European physiotherapist called from India in 2006 BS for Kanti Rajyalaxmi Sarkar's treatment. She lived in Nepal for five months.

11. One evening a maid brought a tea trolley. She was never seen in the cocktail bar before. She was darker than the queens or princesses but she was a bewitching Nepalese woman. She was tall, ladylike and of most suitable weight. Her sari was embroidered with best materials as those of the in ranis' ones. Her hair was thick and black. She had not combed her hair backwards as Nepalese women do; rather she had brought to the front and folded back and was given the shape of a crown. She had a long neck and slim limbs. Her movement was nimble when she handed tea cup and sandwich plates. I couldn't understand her. She was different from other maids. Others would flash me a smile when our eyes met. I would give them nicknames like Muffle, Ball or Whiney, they would swell with pride and you could see dimples on their cheeks. But this beauty thing did not even cast her eye on me. I tried to greet her and exchange smiles. But she wouldn't respond.

12. One day when we were alone, I said to the King, 'The woman is really beautiful, isn't she yours?'

The King was astonished. He said, 'How did you know?'

I said, 'It's not so difficult for a woman to understand a woman. But she doesn't smile with me, and doesn't even respond to me. Why?'

14. 'That's my order,' the King spoke.

15. I liked the girl. Her name was Sarala and I gave her a nickname 'Sadface'. I convinced the King to involve her into our dance practice. When I tried to teach her how to dance, she would look like an alarmed animal. Naturally she enjoyed more respect than a maid deserved. Later I came to know the Queens had taken her into the Palace. Probably the ranis hoped she would be able to quench the King's thirst they had failed to quench with their sincere and profound love and devotion.'

16. Sarala Sarkar was given ample respect when Tribhuvan Sarkar was alive. Tribhuvan Sarkar ate food prepared by Sarala Sarkar herself. Though she didn't take part in formal occasions, she enjoyed her place second to the Queens at informal occasions. Other members of the royal family too treated her the same way.

17. But Mahendra Sarkar didn't like her. His repugnance revealed only after Tribhuvan Sarkar's death. Tribhuvan Sarkar died on Jeth 10, 2011.

18. Since Prince Sarkars lived at different places until the Ranarchy collapsed, we didn't come across Sarala Sarkar. With the fall of the Ranas the vigilance against the Royals was lifted and they met frequently. Mahendra Sarkar was already a youth and he wanted to play his role accordingly, whereas the senior members looked upon him as immature and treated him the same way. What I believe is the discord between the two generations is the result of too much formality.

19. The Royalties are brought up not with their parents but with wet nurses, dhais and other servants. They can see their parents at formal occasions. That's why they don't understand what parental love and care is. And that's why their attitudes and behaviours are different from children reared with direct care and affection of the parents. Doubtlessly Mahendra Sarkar went through similar complications.

20. Mahendra Sarkar had a big complaint against his 'deprived' dry childhood. Once he had been to Ratna Mandir at Pokhara, Mahendra Sarkar had complained about it.'

21. My childhood passed in solitude. I had no friends. I didn't develop friendship with anybody. I grew among servants, a wet nurse reared me.' Mahendra Sarkar used to repeat this complaint time and again.

22. Well, I was telling you the relation between Sarala Sarkar and Mahendra Sarkar. This happened after Tribhuvan Sarkar's death and Mahendra Sarkar's ascension to the throne. Mahendra Sarkar was infuriated with Sarala Sarkar's presence at an informal get-together in the Royal Palace.

Mothers tried to convince him but this triggered his anger, but he roared with anger. Sobbing, Sarala Sarkar left the scene for her bedchamber. She didn't even come out of her chamber for some days. We weren't allowed to go to her chamber, we were at different quarters. But Queen Mothers' dhai said that the Second Queen Mother herself went to her bedchamber and comforted her. She didn't take any food for two or three days, obviously because she was hurt.

23. She lived a most insulted life all the time during Mahendra Sarkar's reign.

24. Sabita didi interrupted. She said, 'She's still alive.'

[Please take note that she's one of the eye witnesses of the Royal Palace massacre. -Writer]

 

 

Chapter X

 

1. Tribhuvan Sarkar had six children other than Triloki and Bimala, from recognized queens. The three sons were Mahendra Sarkar, the second Himalaya Sarkar and the third Basundhara Sarkar. Nalini, Bijaya and Bharati were the three princesses.

2. Princess Nalini was married to a prince of former Punch state of India. The second princess Bijaya Sarkar couldn't get married as she suffered from TB. The youngest princess Bharati Sarkar was married to a Rajput Singh, but the place is not in my memory now.

3. All three Princes were married to daughters of General Nar Sumsere, at the premiership of Juddha Sumsere. The second Prince was married with Princep and the youngest Basundhara was married with Helen. Basundhara Sarkar later got married with Ramoladevi too. Ramoladevi Sarkar was from a Mandandhar family. She wrote songs by her pen name Chhinnalata. They have established some awards in her name.

4. The Second Prince Himalaya Sarkar was very gentlemanly. He was never angry and was always soft-spoken.

5. But Princess Princep Sarkar had quite a different temperament. Nobody in the durbar liked her for her bad temper, unfriendly nature and also because she was barren. She was a chatterbox and she picked a quarrel for no reason. She always carried false messages and incited people to come to blows.

6-7. The youngest Basundhara Sarkar had carried exactly the father's traits. He was debauched and would keep on drinking deep into the night. But the dissipation was not only Tribhuvan's weakness. His father Prithvi Bir Bikram was not different. He too had many lesser ranis. I could see one of them myself. Her name was Bhadrakumari Shah.

8. She used to take the motor to the temple every Sunday. For that reason, she was nicknamed 'Sunday Rani'. There were so many ranis in the Palace, she was nicknamed this way may be so that it would be easy to recognize her.

9. A daughter was born to her. King Tribhuvan's elder sister. She'd got married to General Anand Sumsere.

10. She was alive when I left the Palace. I heard later she died in 2048 or 2049 at the age of 99.

11. Basundhara Sarkar had no sons. But he had four Shahjadees: Jayanti, Jyotsna and Ketaki from Helen Sarkar and Jyotirajyalaxmi from Ramoladevi Sarkar.

12. Of Basundhara Sarkar's daughters, Jyotsna was married to Singhbahadur Basnet. This Basnet became an Ambassador too. Ketaki Sarkar was first married to Kumud Sumsere Rana. But she left Kumud Sumsere and married a foreigner and became Ketaki Chester. Jyoti who was born from Ramoladevi was married to a Singh. I don't remember his name now.

15. The first princess Jayanti Sarkar was a dwarf. She couldn't get married. She lives in the Royal Palace. [She died in the Royal Palace Massacre on 19th Jeth 2058. -Writer]

16. Basundhara Sarkar already had three daughters from Helen Sarkar but he always went for some new girls. There was no record of how many wives he had. Some of the girls were even his daughters' age.

17. Most surprising thing was that nobody spoke a word though everybody knew that Basundhara Sarkar went with so many girls, disregarding his wife at home. I used to ponder over why nobody tried to dissuade him from doing such scandalous acts and why he needn't care for the reputation of the Palace.

18. There is no record how many girls Basundhara Sarkar used. He wanted to go with all girls he saw beautiful. There was no way you could say 'no' or 'it can't be' once you were pawed at.

19. But one thing still strikes me hard. On sexual matters, the Palace is as liberal to men as inflexible to women. If a woman's name is somehow connected to a man, this will wreak havoc on her. Women can't go out freely, but men are never restricted. This is a proof how prejudiced the Palace is against women.

20. Basundhara Sarkar used not only Nepalese girls but also foreigners. Barbara Adams, the columnist of the Jan-Astha, for which you say you worked before was his concubine. He forced her out of the Palace so many times, but she was stubborn, sticking to the durbar like a leech. He tried to force her out of the country, too, but he couldn't. I think the woman is still here claiming to be his wife. (The writer apologizes if this statement of the old woman is a libel to Barbara Adams. -Writer)

21. Basundhara Sarkar had fallen in love with a British woman. He was not that handsome himself, but she was a real charm, and fat pursed, too. One can understand she wanted to come with Basundhara Sarkar because she was lured by the position he held.

22. Basundhara Sarkar lived with the woman in England for months. Later he brought her here to marry. But Tribhuvan Sarkar didn't allow them. He ordered, 'If you marry a foreigner, you shall resign from the position of Adhirajkumar. Remember, you already have a native wife.'

23. BP has mentioned this in his Aatmavrittanta (My Story).

24. The youngest Prince invited me. This is something out of track. I was not yet the Prime Minister. I was no more the Home Minister. I was not in office. I was in good terms with Basundhara. There was a hotel in Lajimpat. Chinese and Indians ran it. He invited me to eat there. I love Chinese food. I said, 'All right' and went. He said, 'I am resigning.' He wanted to marry an American girl. His Majesty Mahendra's old story repeats with his brother here. He said, 'His Majesty orders I can't marry her. His Majesty says I should be a commoner if I wish to marry her.'

I said, 'This is not sensible. The King is right here.'

I too disliked his marrying a foreign devil. I said, 'Sarkar should renounce all the privileges as a royalty if Your Highness marries a foreigner. The King is right. But why marry? Sarkar has already got a wife. Your Highness can live with her. Your Highness is doing this. And more, living with a foreigner is not reasonable for a royalty.'

Basundhara had said, 'All right, then. I'm not going to marry her.' Afterwards, Mahendra Sarkar conspired to get rid of her.

28. From what I could gather, Mahendra Sarkar got help from the British Ambassador. According to Sarkar's instructions, the Ambassador said to her, 'You are fallen in love with the Sarkar, but he is already married. He can't marry you by the existing laws. You can force Basundhara Sarkar to divorce Helen Sarkar.' She tried everything she could do but Mahendra Sarkar did not allow the divorce.

Afterwards, we heard the woman married somebody else.

30. But this news fell heavily upon Basundhara Sarkar. Every evening he used to place her photo in front and play the harmonium singing the Hindi song, 'Jaaye to kahan jaaye', eyes brimming with tears. It was a very popular song then. I forgot the name of the film. Basundhara Sarkar had a remarkable vocal.

*****

31. Where can you find a woman who doesn't dream to bear a child and to rear it under her own motherhood? But Ratna Sarkar never cultivated such dream. That dream would not come true even if she had: she was sterilized before her marriage.

32. Ratna Sarkar loved her sister's children as much as a biological mother does. And Gyanendra Sarkar was her favourite. You may see it because Gyanendra Sarkar lived at mawali[38] with her when he was a small boy.

33. The three brothers have three temperaments. Birendra Sarkar was calm. He would proffer his ideas logically and respect others' ideas, whereas Adhirajkumar Gyanendra Sarkar was a moody type. He would listen to others but stick to his own idea.

34. Maybe because he was the youngest of the brothers, Dhirendra Sarkar was more mischievous than his brothers. He would talk lightheartedly and make funny remarks and made Queen Mother laugh even at formal occasions.

35. When he was of age, Dhirendra Sarkar was less moral than his brothers on sexual matters. But he was a thoroughly a nationalist.

36. One point is much beneficial for you to know. It's that Gyanendra Sarkar always underestimated Birendra Sarkar, right since childhood. He would tell off Birendra Sarkar blaming him of not maintaining the dignity of a Crown Prince. He probably took advantage of Birendra Sarkar's straightforwardness.

37. I don't remember the year, but I can't forget one event when he rebuked the Crown Prince in the public ceremony. This happened when he was a teenager.

38. There were not any cinemas or other places for entertainment. The royal family members were to go to the National Theatre or organize a show in the Palace itself.

39. This episode was when they had been to the National Theatre. A humour was on show. Birendra Sarkar happened to burst into laughter, disregarding the people about him. Then Gyanendra Sarkar reproached so loudly that everybody could hear him. 'Pooh! What laughter! Don't you care the dignity?' But Birendra Sarkar didn't defend himself.

40. Truly speaking, Birendra Sarkar hadn't committed as bigger a blunder as Gyanendra had done by reproaching in public. But on the family meet the other day, Gyanendra Sarkar himself complained against Birendra Sarkar and fetched some reprimands. But Birendra Sarkar didn't defend himself there, too.

41. Mahendra and Ratna Sarkars sided with Gyanendra Sarkar and he was more confident.

42. I believe Gyanendra Sarkar is still domineering. How can one change one's childhood manners so easily?

43. Ratna Sarkar was affectionate to her sister's children as if they were her own, but she was quite intolerant to Ravindra Sarkar although he too was Mahendra Sarkar's blood. We don't know what went between Mahendra Sarkar and Ratna Sarkar but a new house was bought at Ravi Bhavan within a month of our going to the Palace and Ravindra Sarkar and his mother were shifted there.

44. They lived in the Palace until Indra Sarkar's death. You can take this as an example of how tolerant Indra Sarkar was.

45. Ravindra Sarkar's mother had cried her eyes out when they were shifting from the Palace. Mahendra Sarkar himself had assured and comforted her he would visit them regularly but I never knew him going to Ravi Bhavan to see them. I can never forget Ravindra Sarkar's mother whine that day.

46. Ravindra Sarkar's mother was from the Gurung or Tamang caste. She was very straightforward and naive. She was some eleven years older than Mahendra Sarkar. They didn't match. Earlier, she was a dhai like us and was King Tribhuvan's most trusted one. Ravindra Sarkar was born because she was impregnated unknowingly as she was resident servant in the Palace.

47. The episode related to Ravindra Sarkar's birth I must tell you crossed my mind. The older dhais talked that they had tried to carry out abortion but they couldn't and thus Ravindra Sarkar was born.

48. Ravindra Sarkar is a very good man. He was entitled to the crown as he was the eldest son. But he was house-arrested during Birendra Sarkar's coronation ceremony. He was not allowed to go out without permission.

49. But he never disobeyed the orders from the Palace. He never opened his lips to complain. He was satisfied with whatever the Palace provided with.

50. Since Tribhuvan ascended to the throne, the established tradition is the sons outside the wedlock are not given the throne. Prince Sagarbikram born to one of King Prithvi Bir Bikram's concubines was almost 18 years, but the five-year old second son Tribhuvan was placed on the throne. Later on, Sagarbikram was entitled with 'Sahebjyu'. Probably his family is still here in Kathmandu.

51. Ravindra Sarkar wrote touching poems and lyrics from childhood, maybe because he always felt neglected and disregarded. Later, he published a collection of lyrics named 'Jhareko Phool'. Probably he called himself jhareko phool (that is, the fallen flower). His frustration was against being deprived of the crown though he was Mahendra Sarkar's oldest son. All the lyrics are about sorrows and complaints.

53. But Mahendra Sarkar reprimanded him when the book came out. He was summoned to the Palace one evening and was reprimanded. I think this was in 2020 or 21 (BS). I don't know he ever wrote any lyrics since then. Maybe he wrote in his room, but they never came out.

54. Ravindra Sarkar got married some years after Birendra Sarkar's marriage. He has two daughters and a son. The son's name is Pravindra. He is older than the Crown Prince Deependra Sarkar. I think they live in Kathmandu. If you want to know more about Ravindra Sarkar or want to see him, you can.

 

 

Chapter XI

 

1. Mahendra Sarkar was a learned man. He would instantly write poems and lyrics. He was interested in music and his vocal was charming. He was skilled in picture art as well. He could impress anybody he talked once. His personality itself was impressive. Truly, he had all the qualities one can expect of a king.

2. Nevertheless he had weaknesses, too. He would stick to his argument. He could easily betray anybody, and be ready to die for money.

3. I knew two of King Mahendra's weaknesses already through many different books but I hadn't known this third weakness of his. I was curious.

4. 'You see, the present Narayanhiti Palace belonged to Chautariya Phattejung earlier. When he was killed at the Kot Massacre, it went into Ranoddip's hands, but he died childless. Thus the durbar remained unoccupied. During Bir Sumsere's premiership they cleaned, performed ritual rites of hom[39] and worships and the royal family were shifted to the Narayanhiti Palace. Therefore, too, the Palace is a government property.

5. But Mahendra Sarkar sold the Palace to the government for Rs. 31 crore.

5. That's not all, in the name of extending the Palace; he seized the Phohora Durbar that belonged to Pratap Sumsere's eldest son Madhav Sumsere. Don't you see a mound at South-West corner of the Royal Palace complex? That's the part of the Phohora Durbar.

6. Madhav Sumsere was given a nominal compensation, but what could he do?

7. But that is not the end of the story. He had transferred the sum of two million pounds that was deposited in the name of Nepal Government by the British Government during the First and Second World Wars into Ratna Sarkar's name. The Foreign Minister Hrishikesh Shah and Foreign Secretary Yadunath Khanal were commissioned to London for the purpose.

8. Until the money was transferred to Ratna Sarkar's name, the government got interest annually and it was deposited in the Rastra Bank accounts there. The interest was deposited in the account of Nepal Bank Limited before Rastra Bank was established. After the money was transferred to Ratna Sarkar's name the interest is not deposited in the Rastra Bank accounts.

9. In fact, it was the property of all the Nepalese. The British Government had given the money as a gift to Nepal because she was impressed by the way Nepalese shed blood and tear in the service of Britain. I've heard that the deposited sum was one million pounds in the First World War and another one million pounds in the Second World War.

10. The British didn't send it to Nepal but deposited in the Bank fearing Chandra Sumsere would grab the money and made it his personal property. But Mahendra Sarkar brazenly transferred it to Ratna Sarkar's account.

11. Ratna Sarkar didn't want the money to go to her. She had said, 'Let the money be in the name of the Government.' But Mahedra Sarkar had ordered to get it transferred, saying, 'You don't understand now, you'll understand later.'

12. I hear the money is already pulled out after it was transferred to Gyanendra Sarkar. (King Gyanendra was still an Adhirajkumar at the time of this conversation. — Writer)

13. The disease of obstinacy, greed for money and betraying the most trusted has directly descended upon Gyanendra Sarkar's veins.

14. Ratna Sarkar was very powerful Queen, but she never developed a condescending attitude. She wanted to live an ordinary woman's life. She wanted to wear simple clothes. She wouldn't attend so many formal gatherings; rather she'd love to prepare new delicacies in the kitchen. She took special interest in coothe Kingfood to Mahendra Sarkar's taste.

15. The cook was a Brahmin woman from Damauli or some other place in Tanahun. We were there to help her in the kitchen. But Ratna Sarkar herself would come forward to cook. We would say, 'Sarkar needn't take pains. What are we here for, then?'

She would say, 'And what shall I do?'

And later on, we didn't say she needn't work in the kitchen. Her hobby was to cook best delicacies; she knew what Mahendra Sarkar liked best.

16. Well, I've heard the Brahmin woman who was Mahendra Sarkar's cook lives now at Harihar Mandir in Naryanghat of Chitwan. You can easily find her if you look for 'Nepalay Aama' there. You can learn a lot about the Palace from her.

17. I was talking to you about habits, hobbies and interests Ratna Sarkar had. People talk a lot many things outside, but she loves to live simple. Maybe because she was brought into a big controversy for the marriage at her teen age, she couldn't mix up much with the public. Still, she had a close rapport with B.P. Koirala.

18. Mahendra Sarkar loved Ratna Sarkar dearly. There was never a discord in such a long marriage. Also, Mahendra Sarkar was so thoroughly affectionate towards her because she had given up everything for him, even the desire to motherhood.

19. Mahendra Sarkar got a college built in Kathmandu gave her name to it. Similarly, he made a grand cottage by the Phewa Lake in Pokhara in 2016. All cane furniture for the cottage was brought all the way from South India. This Ratna Mandir is so beautiful that whenever I go there I feel I'm in the heaven. Now too, when the King and Queen visit Pokhara, they reside in the Ratna Mandir for months.

20. This is when the Ratna Mandir was just built; we were in the entourage. Mahendra Sarkar had invited the Koirala couple. B.P. said his daughter was sick and so he had gone alone. I think, the first and last person who was Mahendra Sarkar's personal guest was BP Koirala.

21. I guess, because they both were learned politicians and litterateurs, they had intimate conversation. They talked and talked deep into the Ratna Mandir night. I've heard BP has mentioned this in his 'Aatmabrittanta'.

22. 'I have built a small house, a bungalow at the banks of the Phewa Lake. Please come there. You shall stay there with me for some days, as my guest,' the King said.

23. 'I love to stay with Your Majesty.' I said.

24. 'Please do bring her, too,' he said, and went away. I had some work to do. I had said I would do it and come. Susheela couldn't accompany me, I had to go alone. How well had the King and Queen treated me! Whatever a guest could wish for was available, that too to one's taste. Queen had managed all. I reached Pokhara. King's military secretary had been to the airport to receive me. The King was waiting when I reached the bungalow portico; Queen too was waiting there.

25. 'Where is she? Susheelaji[40] hasn't come? But I knew she may not come.' The queen complained.

26. I said, 'Daughter is sick, she couldn't come.'

27. 'Now let's see your room.' Queen said. She showed me my room. She saw everything organize well. And then food was served. The Royal family, and Surendrabahadur's brother who would put on make-up like women do was present there. One or two of King's relatives, his maternal uncle s, too, were there. How much attention had the King and Queen bestowed upon me there! While eating, the King said, 'Queen herself has prepared all this especially for you, but you haven't had.'

28. I would enter the kitchen all of a sudden while Queen was busy working.

'Aaa.... Why should come to this woman's workshop? Queen would say.

29. She would sit on a pirka[41] wearing an ordinary shawl and would chop and clean vegetable like a middle class women do; she is not a stuck-up woman. She would say, 'You never say what your choices are.'

I'd say. 'Whatever Your Majesty offers me is very tasty.'

They showed me respect, and love, too. It was a different respect and love.'

32. 'Mahendra Sarkar imprisoned the same B.P. in 2017. How their intimacy could come to an end, I can't just understand.

33. Ratna Sarkar had complained to Mahendra Sarkar when he put him into the jail. Her opinion was that the King should compromise with BP. He didn't listen and with the time she didn't care much.

34. But Ratna Sarkar never liked BP's younger brother Girija Koirala. She simply disliked him. She had given his name 'The Emaciated Brahmin'.

35. Ratna Sarkar has kept Madhusudan Rajbhandari as her own personal secretary. He is allowed to enter the royal bedchamber without any obstruction. I haven't been able to understand the reason why. Please probe into it yourself.

 

Chapter XII

 

We couldn't see New Crown Prince Birendra and Adhirajkumar Sarkars so often; they used to live away from home as they were students. We could have their darshan rarely and that also on formal occasions in the Palace.

2. And more, Prince Sarkars would stay a bit far from Mahendra Manjil where Ratna Sarkar resided. Thus we could see them only on weekly meets and formal programmes.

King Birendra Sarkar was always quiet and gentle. But he too had fallen in love when he studied in Eton College, England. The girls' father encouraged the affair. The year was 2016 or 2017; Birendra Sarkar was just fourteen or fifteen then.

4. Ramprasad Manandhar was the Ambassador to England. He was appointed as the Ambassador to England by Mahendra Sarkar himself as he was brilliant and intelligent, though he came from Newar community. Royals praised him in the Palace for his brilliance he showed since childhood; he always stood first in the school and won everybody in the English literature in the University.

5. Mahendra Sarkar had instructed Ambassador Ramprasad to support Princes with their studies. He used to call on Princes at their college. Prince Sarkars also visited the embassy. Birendra Sarkar visited the embassy especially for the duty free wine. Ambassador Manandhar used the opportunity to encourage his daughters to mix up with the Sarkars. Probably he dreamt of making his daughters Crown Princess and princesses.

6. But the other members of the Palace didn't approve of it. Ratna Sarkar expressed her objection in regard to the Nawar daughters. Once she'd snapped 'Didn't you find any Rana or Thakuri girls anywhere?' Mahendra Sarkar had summoned the Ambassador back to Nepal and demanded his explanations.

7. Four or five of Manandhar's daughters are still unmarried. I can't tell whether they speak about it or not, but you can easily find them if you want to. Their house is adjoining to the large bell of the Hanumandhoka Palace. You can reach there from behind it.

8. There was another rumour about love affairs of Birendra Sarkar and Gyanendra Sarkar with great granddaughters of Chandra Sumsere. The eldest of the three was Bijaya and the second was Bibha. I don't remember the third one's name. Those three were married somewhere else afterwards. Now Bijaya is in the social service. She's opened a home for old people who can spend their free daytime there. Nevertheless, all the three sisters were prefect women to be queens.

9. (Although the old woman had told me the names of their husbands and father, I couldn't disclose their names respecting their privacy. —Writer)

10. The rumour was that Gyanendra and Bibha were deeper in love than Birendra Sarkar and Bijaya were. Many times they had travelled abroad together. Once he had brought her to the Palace to introduce her. I saw Bibha on that very occasion. As for Bibha, she still appears in TV now and again. I don't know why, but I find them extraordinarily brilliant.

11. Ratna Sarkar refused their union as they were from Chandra Sumsere's lineage. She was in firm stand that her children wouldn't marry outside the Juddha Clan. She went so far as to warn that they should abdicate if they refused to marry girls of her choice.

 12. Gyanendra Sarkar was furious with Queen Mother's stand. I believe this is the first, and last so far, discord between them.

13. And then rumours came out that the Sarkars were going to marry Chandra Sumsere's great granddaughters from another son Shankar Sumsere and grandson Sridhar Sumsere. Ratna Sarkar refused to that, too.

14. After a long conflict and friction they were married to Kendra Sumsere's three daughters Aishwarya, Komal and Preksha respectively on the 16th Fagun 2026. They are Ratna Sarkar's third uncle Agni Sumsere's granddaughters. Thus Birendra and Gyanendra Sarkars are cousins to Aishwarya and Komal Sarkars. Shah and Rana families intermarry cousins readily, but Yuvraj Sarkars hadn't liked this. That was maybe because gossips of Aishwarya and Komal Sarkar's love affairs with somebody else.

15. I don't think I need to tell you who Aishwarya and Komal Sarkars had such affairs with. But people in the Palace said Birendra Sarkar was to marry Aishwarya Sarkar because her stars said she was going to be a queen. Or else whoever she married would be de facto king of the country. As you say, whether this was a rumour the girl's relatives circulated or was really true, I don't know myself.

16. But the Queen Mothers didn't approve of this marriage. That was why both Queen Mothers Kanti and Ishwari didn't actively take part in the wedding ceremony. Most of the servants working in the Palace know it. General Sherbahadur Malla, who begged for their active role got scolding from Queen Mother Kanti. This Sherbahadur was the Present General Shantbahadur Malla's father.

17. [For your kind information: Shantbahadur Malla was the Chief Military Secretary of the Royal Palace at the time of this interview. —Writer]

18. Queen Mothers Kanti and Ishwari Sarkars were badly hurt by the prince's marriage with Juddha Sumsere's great granddaughters. They didn't talk to Ratna Sarkar before this, but now their relation was worse. Their relation with Mahendra Sarkar too was not better as he had got married to the Juddha clan against his father's will, and had married his sons to the same clan as if he could find no girls elsewhere. So, they didn't attend to the formal meets in the Royal Palace. And slowly, Mahendra Sarkar stopped even inviting them to the party. There was almost no communication between them.'

19. The old woman wanted to wrap the interview up for the day.

 

 

 

Chapter XIII

 

1. At our next meet after a few days the old woman related a different story about King Mahendra's death. Before, I had been taught that the King had died of a heart attack. I couldn't get at the realities inside the walls of the Palace as I was not connected to the Palace in any way. Whatever the old woman said gave me a big shock. Her story made me go deeper into the subject. Her story was like this:

2. It was in the beginning of February 1972. His Majesty Mahendra Sarkar had been to Diyalo Bungalow at Chitwan. Mahendra Sarkar had given a grand party. I forgot on what occasion, but all the Royals were to attend it. I too was there as the dhai of the Queen. Queen Mothers Kanti and Ishwari Sarkars who never attended any party before too had come there. I heard Mahendra Sarkar himself had entreated them to come.

3. The party was wonderful. Ratna Sarkar herself had prepared gundruk salad for the feast. Most of the people who'd attended the party had praised the gundruk.

4. Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista, General Rangabikram Shah (King's Personal Secretary), retired and senior officers of the Palace too were there. But Birendra and Gyanendra Sarkars were not present.

5. The party continued till 7 o'clock in the evening. Then the King ordered Queen to go back to Kathmandu. Ratna Sarkar expressed her wish to stay the night and return the next morning. But Mahendra Sarkar ordered, 'You shall go now; there are only Princes at Kathmandu.'

6. It was the King's order. Therefore the Queen couldn't halt there. We returned to Kathmandu at almost eight o'clock by the helicopter. But Queen Mothers stayed there. It was on 2nd February, 1972.

7. All of a sudden a message from Chitwan came that the King was seriously ill. The Palace was in a chaos now. Ratna Sarkar and other Royals wanted to go to Chitwan, but there was no night vision helicopter then.

8. One could go there by a motor, too, but nobody took any initiation. Ratna Sarkar and others went to Chitwan early in the morning. But Mahendra Sarkar had passed away in the evening.

9. It was shocking news for us. Just the evening before, we'd left him such a happy and vivacious man enjoying the party among so many of his kith and kin.

We were frozen to hear such horrible news. Some of the Palace employees lost their senses. We were now evidently orphaned. With the flood of tears, we were cursing the god that snatched him from us.

10. I couldn't believe my ears. But Queen Mothers and other Royals who had been there to attend the party came back to Kathmandu the other day and rumours spread that Mahendra Sarkar had committed suicide by swallowing some poison. Now what I believe is probably King's earnest request to attend the party was for this very purpose.

11. The Diyalo Bungalow employees said they came to know this when His Majesty could no longer tolerate the effects of the poison and started behaving awkwardly. The King didn't allow them to call the doctors and nurses from the nearest Bharatpur Hospital. Nobody knows why, but His Majesty was not given oxygen. He didn't consent to bring him back to Kathmandu for treatment by the helicopter. At last he'd ordered, 'Let me die here.' A doctor named Susheelchandra Halder, an army Brigadier General, was with him. He had cared him at the last moments.

12. The suicide news was not made public fearing it could bring disgrace on the Palace. Rather it was reported as a heart attack. Now I think Ratna Sarkar was ordered to return for this very purpose. He would never be able to kill himself that easily if Ratna Sarkar had been there. She was sent back to Kathmandu because he knew she could get in the way of him committing such act.

13. 'What could be the reason for such a great man as the King to kill himself?' It was my question.

14. 'Well, you can ask what necessitates a king to suicide. I too don't know all the reasons, but whatever I've heard is his discord with Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, is the major one.'

15. India was pretty much displeased with Mahendra Sarkar's introduction of 'matching-to-the-soil' Panchayat system in the country. Indira Gandhi had tried to establish the system that served her interests in Nepal. Mahendra Sarkar thought it an objectionable issue. Mahendra Sarkar was trying to strengthen and institutionalize the system he'd introduced. This had an adverse effect on their relation. His Majesty had emphasized correlation with China and Pakistan to stand up to India. But they were busy struggling with their own domestic disorders, and his attempts were not so fruitful.

16. And at the same time Indira Gandhi was conspiring to swallow up Sikkim which was a free state until then. This had added to his worries.

17. Sikkim was entangled into a big domestic conflict. They were preparing to elect a so called parliament. Two years after Mahendra Sarkar's death, India gulped down Sikkim.

18. But the chief cause of His Majesty's suicide is the independence of Bangladesh. India brome East Pakistan and created a free Bangladesh, this had put him in a lot of pressure. India was warring China and Breaking Pakistan, he worried this India wouldn't spare Nepal.

19. I've heard His Majesty had an argument with Indira Gandhi over the telephone. She had asked Nepal to support her steps. But Mahendra Sarkar had said he should floor her proposal in the cabinet. And Indira Gandhi had said, 'Whatever you say will pass. Can't you support me?' She just blatantly demanded this of him and they had an argument. Indira Gandhi had threatened to make Nepal 'another Sikkim if you show off too much.'

20. People in the Palace said Mahendra Sarkar saw the monarchy and the kingdom in danger owing to his stand and this created a heavy stress on him. If you see the date of Bangladesh's independence and his death, you'll see the difference is only of a few days. [His suicide was on 2nd February 1972. -Writer]

21. Since then the royals haven't visited Diyalo Bungalow much. They go there only when it becomes a real necessity. The reason is the same.'

22. I met Sanubhai Dongol a doctorate on the Palace, the historian Purushottam Sumsere JBR, the retired military officer Diptaprakash Shah and many others to gather evidences of what I'd acquired from the old woman. They all said Mahendra Sarkar committed suicide; he didn't die of cardiac arrest. Some of them suggested me to see the then Prime Minister Kirtinidhi Bista, and collect more evidences.

23. But Kirtinidhi Bista didn't want to come to contact.

 

 

 

 

Chapter XIV

1. Of the new daughters-in-law who have been brought to the Palace, Aishwarya Sarkar was temperamental. She ticked the dhais and other servants off with harsher words. I was a dhai to Queen Mother, so I never got her bitter reproaches, but whenever I heard her reprimands I felt like leaving the Palace then and there.

2. Once a cleaner happened to take her baby son with her at work. As a rule, one cannot carry one's baby to the Palace at work. Probably she had nobody to mind the baby at her quarters. The baby was about a year old. She'd left the baby outside while she was working inside.

3. A dog named Jungay pounced on him and started sinking his teeth into the baby. She heard her son's shrieks and ran out. To her horror, the dog was dragging her baby! The mother howled and whined. She screamed for help. All of us rushed out to the scene. Queen Mother and Aishwarya Sarkar too arrived. The baby was snatched from the dog's mouth but he was heavily bleeding. He needed immediate treatment.

4. Instead of sending for a doctor or ordering to take the baby to hospital straight away, Queen Aishwarya scolded the cleaner so harshly, I can never forget. That incident remains like a nightmare deep into my heart. I felt Queen had no heart of a mother. We had whispered to each other she had a heart of stone.

5. The woman committed a mistake by bringing her baby to her workplace no doubt, but the unexpected had already happened, and the cleaner wanted sympathy, not those bittermost words of all languages. The baby needed to be taken to a doctor immediately, but Queen awarded the mother with an exceptional brutality.

6. Maybe for being the witness to that event, whenever Queen visits orphanages and fondles the children there, I take that all pure drama. They are all shameless pretenses of her kindness, love, affection and social service.

7. From the experience I've had, I can fairly say there cannot be another woman as cruel and heartless as Aishwarya Sarkar.

8. Aishwarya Sarkar wanted to play active role in the national politics. Since she came to the Palace, she'd been imposing her judgment on others. She would force that her opinion need be the final and binding at the political issues and day-to-day administration of the country. Mahendra Sarkar hadn't much liked her disposition, her tough and uncompromising attitudes and bully boy tactics since she was the Crown Princess. Good natured Birendra Sarkar had accepted her behaviour easily. When needs be, he would object to her with tender and cool methods, but Aishwarya Sarkar would snap at King. In fact, Aishwarya Sarkar still possesses the same old irritating mannerisms of hers.

9. She is a real miser. She keeps account of every single paisa. The reality is Aishwarya and Gyanendra Sarkars are identical in money matters. They behave as if they are going to take all the property with them when they die.

10. Princess Preksha too has traits similar to that of Aishwarya Sarkar. [Please note, Preksha was still living at the time of this interview. -Writer]

11. But Komal Sarkar is quite different. She is kind and gentle. She is not interested much to the public life. She wants to live a simple life in the Palace. She doesn't much care in the make ups like her sisters. She doesn't' enjoy laughter and fun so much. Truly speaking, Komal Sarkar is as humble as a cow. Gyanendra Sarkar and Komal Sarkar have stark differences in attitudes.

12. Aishwarya Sarkar had her total say in the Palace policies after Mahendra Sarkar died and Birendra Sarkar ascended to the throne in 2028 BS. She would stress that they should carry on Mahendra Sarkar's policies. Prince Gyanendra gave a pat on her back. The two have exactly the same nature. But Birendra Sarkar wanted to go ahead following the needs of the time and listening to the opinions of the people.

13. Aishwarya and Gyanendra Sarkars strongly objected to Birendra Sarkar's declaration of referendum to choose either party-less Panchayat system or the multiparty democracy. And when multiparty democracy was given in 2048 BS, they came to bitter terms with King. Gyanendra and Aishwarya Sarkars strongly objected to lifting of the system Father had introduced. Once, Gyanendra Sarkar had spoken, 'If you cannot steer the country on Father's line, you can renounce everything and go an ascetic.' Ratna Sarkar too was present in the meeting. They had argued that multiparty democracy would bring lawlessness in the country. When I see the present tug of war, I realize they'd foreseen.

14. In comparison to the former kings, the present King is quite irresolute. He can't say 'no' to Queen Mother, Gyanendra Sarkar and Queen Aishwarya. He tolerates them.

15. Once at a family get-together, they had a heated discussion. The other evening, Queen Mother Ratna Sarkar and Gyanendra Sarkar went to King's bedchamber. They knocked at the door. The King was lying on his bed having his attendant massage him. The attendant left the chamber when there was a knock at the door. When the royals visited or there is a family talk, we servants are not supposed to be there.

16. Only two of them could knock at King's door. Nobody else was allowed to do so. They entered the room and asked the King to sign on a paper, but the King acted to be drunk and refused to sign it. Gyanendra Sarkar and Queen Mother Sarkar got out of the room, their eyes full of fire.

17. They left, and the attendant got into. The King said to him, 'Do you know, they had come to make me sign on a paper I couldn't, but I acted I was drunk and made them go back empty handed.'

18. The attendant himself said this to me. Our quarters were adjoining.

19. The King didn't say what was written on the paper, but later on we could learn the paper read that some of his privileges were to be transferred to somebody else. But the most surprising thing is this: he couldn't say 'How dare you bring this?' as a ruling king. This shows how spineless the King was in front of Queen Mother and Gyanendra Sarkar.

20. I nearly forgot to tell you an important thing about the referendum. Queen and Gyanendra Sarkar called the Prime Minister and other trustworthy ministers to the Palace and gave special instruction to secure victory of party-less system over multiparty democracy. There used to be two or three meetings in the Palace every week. Sometimes even the heads of the police and army were called. We heard that Gyanendra and Aishwarya Sarkars had ordered to defeat the multiparty system. Sarkars assured every necessary support.

21. When the 'Party-less' won over the 'Multiparty' they had a grand party at the Nirmal Niwas'. All royal family members and relatives attended the party, but Birendra Sarkar stayed away from it. The King differed with them; maybe he maintained the Palace should stay out of politics.

22. 'Multiparty' lost in the referendum, but Birendra Sarkar amended the constitution and made a lot of reforms in the country. It is only since then that we Palace employees like dhais, cleaners and cooks were categorized as the civil servants were, and our pay systematized. We did get salary earlier too, but were not given an identity; we used to be recognized as dhai, susaray, didi, achi didi, bhansay, pujari, dhoke and so on.

32. We were to do the same job no doubt, but the reform gave us a clear identity as in the civil service. Now we too got positions like Mukhiya, Kharidar, Subba and so on.

24. We were the Palace employees, so we had to work at odd hours. Therefore we were paid over a thousand rupees more than the civil servants. On auspicious occasions like marriage, upanayan (Holy Thread Ceremony), Anna Prasanna (Feeding Grain Ceremony), birthdays, other formal occasions and when the Royals were pleased with us, we got baksis and dresses. That would be our additional earning.

25. But the life of dhais is not as easy and happy one as seen from outside. One lived all the time in some terror, and a slightest of error could ruin one. Everything is very unpredictable there.

26. This happened to a Rajbhandari dhai. Birendra Sarkar had ascended to the throne recently, I forgot the date. She was a maid to Birendra Sarkar, and she lived near our quarters.

27. One evening, the room guard of Sarkar came to her quarters saying the King had wished to see her. Nobody dared to ask why. She asked me to take care of her half-cooked meal and hurried to King's chamber.

28. She came almost two hours later, her face withered. I asked if anything was wrong. She didn't speak much. She said, 'headache' and went to bed empty stomach.

29. It was not hard for us experienced dhais to guess what went wrong, but I took it normally. Such incidents used to occur every now and then. During Mahendra Sarkar's reign, almost each week brought a new episode of that kind.

30. 'My menses have stopped. She said to us two months later. She opened her lips about the incident in His Majesty's bedchamber that evening.

31. His Majesty was in his room drunken with 'Vat 69'. It was his favourite drink. The room guard sent her into the chamber and waited outside. The door automatically closes after somebody enters. It can't be opened from outside until somebody opens it from inside.

32. How could she defend when the King himself advanced? The pain was too much for her and the bleeding was heavy but she tolerated all the pain and swallowed her tears.

33. Until then she was virgin of 22 or 23. She was not very pretty but nobody could tell her bad looking.

34. She was rather happy while talking about the incident, but she had worries too. She was happy because she was impregnated by the King himself, worried because she saw her life would be imprisoned in the Palace and the rest of the world would be very far.

35. The tale was unfolded soon. Other dhais congratulated her.

36-37. But her happiness couldn't go on for long. One day, three months after the incident, Queen Mother ordered me to call her. I didn't know the reason why, but even if I'd known I'd have had no other option. I think this was a Friday. It was her day off.

38. I went to her quarters. We went to Mahendra Manjil, Ratna Sarkar's abode. She got in and I remained outside. Ratna Sarkar ordered her to bring a glass of water. She ran for it.

39. Queen Mother ordered her to take a tablet. She understood why, but what could she do? She was forced to swallow it.

40. She told me this that evening.

41. Nothing special happened to her for more two days. She didn't go to work and kept lying in her bed, saying, 'I've a headache.' She ate nothing.

42. Early the third morning she started a heavy bleeding.

45. The news of her worsening conditions was reported to high officials in due time. Not only that, the ones working the service of Aiswarya Sarkar had reported this to Aishwarya Sarkar and the King's servants to him. But nobody heeded. When they reported that she could die of heavy bleeding, the Queen went so far as to say, 'Let the whore die.'

46. We were not allowed to call a doctor without the Sarkars' orders. But her condition was going worse and worse. We lost all hope of her survival. But we did as much as we could as fellow humans. We treated her with available herbs and traditional medicines.

47. She had strong stars. With continual care for two days she was able to survive. I learned that day that a person doesn't die of anything if the god of death has not arrived.

48. She resigned from the Palace job after her recovery. I still feel so sorry for the Rajbhandari sister.

49. After she left the Palace she used to stay at her brother's son. She frequently called on me to express her gratitude to my standing by her at her difficult days. In this Mangsir, it's already been two years she's not visited here. I will introduce her to you if she comes again.

50. Before she could conclude, Sunita didi interrupted her, 'I'd promised I'd never go to be a dhai at the Palace, rather I'd go to the street and beg. And I am not so.'

51. Frankly speaking, the maids' life at the Palace is the life in hell. The old woman added, 'I'd never wanted daughters go for this profession. But I couldn't deny when Queen Mother herself wished. Thus Shanti became a maid to Komal Sarkar. But the youngest daughter went to serve Sharda Sarkar of her own accord.

 

 

 

 

Chapter XV

 

1. Do you know what compelled Dhirendra Sarkar to renounce the title of Adhirajkumar?

2. I shook my head. But I could show my curiosity to listen to the story. This prompted her to curtain up many things. Sabita didi added to her at times.

3-4. Dhirendra Sarkar's weaknesses were wine and women. He had been deep into wine and girls since young age. He inherited all the qualities of his grandfather Tribhuvan and uncle Basundhara. He wanted to have all the beautiful girls of the city for himself. You have already heard about the Namita-Sunita scandal.

5-6. On the question of women, Gyanendra Sarkar too is not less. In fact all three brothers are equal, but Gyanendra Sarkar does that behind closed doors. Before, his body guard Bharat Gurung and the IGP D.B. Lama used to find girls for him.

7. The venue was Bharat Gurung's house behind Keshar Mahal. Though it was known as Bharat Gurung's house, it was in fact Dhirendra Sarkar's house registered at his name. They met the girls there.

8. D.B. Lama had recruited beautiful girls in the police force to satisfy the Sarkars.

9. It was Panchayat times, Birendra Sarkar came to know his brother Dhirendra enjoyed beautiful girls at Bharat Gurung's house, he too was desirous.

10-11. How could Bharat Gurung deny the King? He fetched girls for him, too. Now the King began a new job of sneaking into there. It was just five or six minutes walk. He would come out at evenings so that people couldn't recognize him. But how could he keep it from Queen Aishwarya's eyes for long? She could find the truth in a few months. 12-13. The Queen got spies to investigate more. The finding proved truth and she sent a beautiful girl herself. Bharat Gurung didn't know this. Birendra Sarkar went there. Aishwarya Sarkar reached the spot and caught them red-handed.

14-15. That was enough. The Palace was all storms. Bharat Gurung and D.B. Lama were dismissed for the crime. The public was told they were punished for smuggling. But that was only the excuse. The girl scandal is the reality. If he were to be charged of smuggling, he should have been charged long back. Dhirendra had smuggled things using him since long.

16. Birendra Sarkar has been dominated by Queen Sarkar ever since. He could never protest her in any issue; he would submissively listen to her.

17. The incident brought a heavy criticism to Dhirendra Sarkar, too. Queen Mother had warned him to improve immediately. But how could he improve? How could he quit his habits he'd set since his early youth?

18. Queen Aishwarya never liked Dhirendra Sarkar now. They stopped speaking to each other. He would withdraw timidly whenever he was in front of the Queen, as if he were a snake at the grip of a stork. Even in the formal occasions, he couldn't talk to her. Later, they didn't simply invite him to such parties and get-togethers.

And then Dhirendra Sarkar fell for a foreigner. I believe she is his partner of his smuggling. He started living with the girl. Probably because Preksha Sarkar was the Queen's own sister, he started ill-treating her. Many times, they would come to blows.

20. Preksha Sarkar was Princess no doubt but she was poor. She never breathed comfortably.

21. When she got hard blows, she would come up to the Queen and complained, and the Queen herself visited Jeevan Kunja when she heard they were fighting. She would warn them not to repeat such senseless act again.

22. But he kept on torturing her.

23. I tell you, the Queen Sarkar loved Preksha as dearly as her own children. She would naturally be angered to hear her sister was beaten mercilessly so often. If you were the Queen, you too would be as angry as her.

Once, Preksha Sarkar came to the Narayanhiti Palace in tears. She was badly beaten up. That was enough. The Palace was in a storm.

24. On a regular Friday get together when all the royalties were present, Aishwarya Sarkar ordered, 'If you ill-treat Preksa and stay with a foreign girl, you shall renounce the title of Adhirajkumar.' Queen Mother and His Majesty King listened to her in silence. They didn't protest. Gyanendra Sarkar expressed his support to her.

25. Dhirendra Sarkar tried to defend himself, but none of his sisters and aunts took his side. And then he resigned from the title.

26. Aishwarya Sarkar was able to get the Royal family regulations changed so that Dhirendra Sarkar could be deplumed. The new clause was that if a royalty married a foreigner, he will lose the title.

27. The most laughable thing is that Ketaki Chester and Helen Shah and some others always remained in the Palace and their titles were never questioned.

28. Although Birendra Sarkar was caught red-handed at Bharat Gurung's home, a storm rumbled in the the palace, and DB Lamas were dismissed from the post; Aishwarya Sarkar was liberal about sexual freedom of the King. She took the King's sexual relationship with other girls casually. The dhais in the entourage have talked about it in the visits.

29. None of the male employees could take their wives with them in the internal trips or visits abroad. But a Mr. Joshi who was the chief Secretary was allowed to include his wife in the entourage. Moreover, she was allowed to remain in the camp, too.

30. This repeated again and again, and many smelled something wrong, but the queen was blind to all this.

31. Not only that, the Queen had caught the King red-handed in a Pokhara visit in 2028 BS. But she simply overlooked it. I think Aishwarya Sarkar saw that she couldn't satisfy him and he looked for satisfaction elsewhere.

32. When I reflect on it now, I think the Queen was worried of the King's reputation rather than anything else, and tracked him down at DB Lama's, or maybe she did so because he went there too frequently and to put end to this.

33. And then the old woman began another story.

34. Oh! I've forgotten to talk about the King's sister's marriage. He has three sisters: Shanti, Sharda and Shobha.

35. Of the three, Shobha Sarkar is not beautiful. She has moustache on her upper lips like men's.

36. Shanti Sarkar is slightly taller and heavier than her sisters. You might have seen her in photos.

37. His Majesty Mahendra Sarkar proposed to marry Shanti Sarkar to Pashupati Sumsere. He offered a lot of property as a dowry. But Pashupati said, 'Remember, I'm the descendent of His Highness Maharaja Prime Minister Mohan Sumsere. I'm not less rich than the Palace. Why should I marry the King's daughters?'

He must have rejected the proposal because it would hinder him in the active politics. But his refusal was a face to face challenge to the palace. And then Pashupati married Usharaje Sindhiya from Gwalior Maharaj clan. The Sindhiyas are among the richest families in India.

39. But the Palace couldn't take Pashupati's rejection easily. It took it as a kind of insult. Ratna Sarkar became thoroughly angry. 'What does the fool think of himself?' she said.

It could be the reason why Ratna Sarkar rejected outright when Dipendra Sarkar wanted to marry Devyani, Pashupati Sumsere's daughter.

40. The Palace held a talk with Omjung Sing on matrimonial relationship. He flatly refused this. Then Dipakjungbahadur Singh was ready to marry Shanti Sarkar. Dipakjungbahadur and Omjung are cousins.

41. Omjung was the son of the king of Bajhang. The kings of Bajhang were put into a lower rank when the Principality Act 2017 was made. That was just because they had refused to marry Shanti Sarkar. But Omjung revolted against this injustice. He said, 'The central government can't do anything in Bajhang.'

King Mahendra sent ten soldiers in the command of a captain to kill him. The soldiers shot him dead in his own palace. The king of Bajhang exiled himself after his son was murdered.

B.P. was the Prime Minister then. He was not yet ousted.

43. And then Omjung's younger uncle's son Dipakjung who was the royal relative was declared Bajhang's new king.

44. Shanti Sarkar was offered to the former Prime Minister Dr. K. I. Singh's son, too. But when his love affair with some other girl was reported, the chapter closed.

45. Princess Sharda Sarkar is married to Jumla's king Khadgabikram Shah. Kumar Khadgabikram Shah is brother to cine artist Nir Shah. He is a learned man. He is the founder head of a CINAS or so institute of the Tribhuvan University.

46. Shobha Sarkar, the youngest one, is married to Kumar Mohanbahadur Shahi. His father Ujjwalbahadur Shahi was a Regional Officer then.

47. You may find it strange, but the one who marries a princess has to treat her with special respect. He has to address her as 'tapain'[42]. Kumar Khadgabikram Shah and Kumar Mohanbahadur Shahi have treated the princess well. But the Bajhang king Dipakbikram has not treated her well, I think. From whatever gossips I heard in the Palace I can conclude that she is treated badly. Before, the princess used to arrive in the Palace in sobs or welled up eyes. Later when her children grew bigger, we heard the insult and injury lessened.

48. When I was in the palace, Prince Dipendra and Princess Shruti were quite small. Dipendra Sarkar was a real mischief. He was quite playful and performed silly acts. Sometimes when we were busy preparing our meal, he would appear in our quarters.

49. But Shruti Sarkar was a doll. Birendra Sarkar loved her very much. Neerajan Sarkar was a newly born baby then.

50. I took retirement in the year 2041 (BS) when I was too old to work. And then my daughter Shanta is appointed to serve Ratna Sarkar in my place. Shanta Sarkar used to serve Komal Sarkar in the Nirmal Nivas before.

 

 

 

Chapter XVI

1. Since I entered journalism I've had a very high opinion about Kanakmani Dixit, the editor and publisher of the Himal newsmagazine. But I could never have a chance to sit with him and talk about ideological matters.

2. King Gyanendra government formed on 19th Magh 2061 offered me this opportunity.

3. The political parties fighting against the king's move were less and less effective. The protest rallies and mass gatherings were on the wane. Nevertheless, the parties used to declare another 'decisive movement'. But their calls were coolly received. And no movement was a decisive one.

4. The political parties organized rallies and protests at New Baneshwar and Tinkune areas which were beyond the restricted areas. They didn't think it was necessary to break the prohibition in and around Ratna Park and Singh Durbar imposed by the King's Government. Their activities looked more of a follower than of an opposition to the government. Only the political activists took part in their protest rallies.

5. In such circumstances, civil movement was declared. Mr. Krishna Pahadi, Mr. Padmaratna Tuladhar, Mr. Shyam Shrestha, Mr. Malla K Sundar, Mr. Damannath Dhungana, Mr. Laxman Aryal, Mr. Krishnajng Rayamaji and others who have established their names on different spheres of Nepalese life declared a citizens movement with the help of many intellectuals, professors and professionals. Mr. Devendra Pande let the protests. This civil movement was to strengthen the parties' polities.

6. The Civil Society called to enter the restricted area to organize a mass demonstration for the first time on 10th of Saun 2062. The Society had called all classes, communities and groups of the society for participation in the demonstration. I had decided to take leave from the office to go and take part in the protest as I was the supporter of a democratic rule.

7. But I didn't need to take leave of absence. Project Director Mr. Kedar Khadka, the Pro-Public's Good Governance project for which I work, too was going to take part. He said, 'You can go now, I'm coming in a little while. '

8. When I reached the place at a quarter to 4 o'clock, there was already a crowd of about four hundred people. Rajendra Maharjan of Mulyankan monthly, the writer Khagendra Sangraula, my villager senior poet Bairagi Kainla, Senior lyrical poet Durgalal Shrestha and so many others. Soon, Mr. Kedar Khadka arrived. Journalists working for weekly and daily papers Balram Baniyan (Kantipur daily), Rajkumar Dikpal (Annapurna Post daily), Deepak Rijal (Nepal Samacharpatra daily), Sitaram Baral and Kishor Shrestha (Jan-Astha weekly) and many others were present. Photo journalists Usa Tixitu, Kiran Pande and others also were with us.

9. Four blue police vans were positioned by the north-western corner of Ratna Park where demonstrators could arrive from Bhotahiti. There were more police with tall canes than we demonstrators.

10. After a while, journalists Rajendra Maharjan, Harigovinda Luitel and some friends from KOKAP had brought some placards. Participants who didn't get the placards were distributed the print copies of the slogans. The demonstrators pushed each other to secure a copy of one for himself.

11. The time came nearer. A police officer came to us. He said if the demonstration goes peaceful, they are not going to disrupt. The leaders Devendraraj Pande and Krishna Pahadi came forward and said the march was going to be a peaceful one. The police officer went back.

12. The great minute to break into the restriction area approached. The police made cane chains on the way to Ratna Park from Bhotahiti so that the rally would not get into. But we moved on. The mass tried to push their way through the police. Pushing and shoving started between police and demonstrators.. I bore a short stature; I feared I would be squeezed by the crowd, so I chose to remain at the southern corner.

13. When the scuffle grew fiercer, the police started picking the leaders of the demonstration and pushed them into the police van. I too was arrested. Krishna Pahadi, Devendraraj Pande, Padmalal Bishwakarma, Suprabha Ghimire, Charan Prasain, Malla K. Sundar, Shyam Sherstha, Dr. Bharat Pradhan, Padmaratna Tuladhar, Dr. Aruna Upreti, Ninu Chapagain, Anandadev Bhatta, Sanjaysantoshi Rai, Badri Khanal, Kanakmani Dixit, Kedar Khadka, and others were there. We counted ourselves; we were twenty four.

14. The police decided to keep us in their custody overnight. We all began to send messages to our homes, and to manage for bedding and all. I contacted home by Mr. Khadka's mobile phone.

15. Gossips started. Malla K Sundar, Padmalal Bishwakarma and others were at one corner, Dr. Aruna Upreti, Suprabha Ghimire, Shyam Shrestha and others at another corner. Journalists were telephoning to other journalists and giving names of the arrested. The senior journalist Kanakmani Dixit was reading Narayan Wagle's 'Palpasa Cafe'. The book was recently published then.

16. At around 6 o'clock, journalists Bishnu Nisthuri, Kundan Aryal and others appeared outside. But they were not allowed to enter. We got the biscuits they sent to us. We ate the biscuits with water and talked to each other.

17. One of these groups broke the topic of the royal palace. I joined the group and spoke, 'King Gyanendra is born in the Mool stars, and so King Tribhuvan kept him away from him. He was being reared at his maternal grandfather's. When King Tribhuvan exiled into India with his family, Gyanendra was left behind at his maternal grandfather's home.' Suprabha Ghimire, Shyam Shrestha, Padmalal Bishwakarma and others were there in this group. Kanak Mani Dixit too joined the group, keeping his book aside.

18. I said, 'King Gyanendra is the son of Ratnarajyalaxmi, not of Indrarajyalaxmi,' I was trying to act cynical about the royal family. I added, 'Although she is an eyewitness to the Palace Massacre, Ratna doesn't speak a word about it, because Gyanendra is her own son.' It was my hit-or-miss argument.

19. Mr. Dixit heard me. He said, 'What basis are you speaking this on, a study or an assumption?'

I said, 'Half study and half an assumption.'

21. 'If so, your study is incomplete. Without any serous study, one mustn't speak on things like this until you are sure of what you say is true.' Mr. Dixit said.' One of your statements is correct, the other is not.'

22. I must admit, I depended on what I'd heard earlier. I realized I should have spoken on it after on more consultation with the old woman I met when I was trying to prepare a reportage on the then Crown Prince Dipendra's marriage. She was an ex-dhai in the royal palace. I'd not asked the old woman on it in the earlier encounters. In fact, King Gyanendra was not in this huge controversy at the time when I frequented Sabita didi in 1998-99.

23. Mr. Dixit's remarks made me feel how little knowledge I had. I was ashamed of myself. I couldn't take part actively in the conversation. I was restless as my weakness was exposed in the open. I promised myself that I would go and see the old woman once I was out of the custody; I lay quietly by Badri Khanal, a stage performer. I said to Mr Khanal, 'I am going to write a book on the Palace.'

24. That was easier said than done. Editing of 'Asal Shasan', a small magazine in size is no easy task for me. I have to collect almost fifty per cent of the news items, have to edit matters collected by colleagues. And layout, decoration, proofreading and other minor works add to keep me busy throughout the month.

25. Through all those 'business' I could manage a small time to see the old woman again near Chhauni on a day of September 2005. I'd lost her phone number in course of time; I had no option than to see her at her home.

26. I called on Sabita didi and came to know that the old woman was not there. She was now living with Shanta didi at Basundhara. When her husband died an obscure death in the Palace Massacre, she left the left the job and has lived here since then.

27. I got their address from Sabita didi. I went to Shanta didi's. Her home was at a corner near from Basundhara Crosses. The old woman easily recognized me. Sabita didi had phoned them before I reached there. I tried to build our rapport the same way as I did with Sabita didi.

28. But Shanta didi was quite suspicious. It was a tough task to reach in her confidence. I reminded her of the long contact with her mother. She accepted me gradually.

28. We had heart-to-heart talk over the phone. Shanta didi was one of the eyewitnesses of the Palace Massacre on 1st June 2001. I could hear the first hand report of the Massacre through her lips. I was able to understand who the leaders of the Massacre were. Most of my misunderstandings, suspicions and doubts found answers.

29. The old woman was still as strong and healthy as before. The difference was that her eyesight was now poor and had started wearing glasses. It was not so difficult to renew the old relation and I could win Shanta didi's heart easily. The old woman complained me for not being in contact for such a long time.

30. I had no other option than to accept my mistake. I begged her pardon for disappearing without any kind of notice. And then I directly entered the subject. My purpose was to continue the old conversation related to the Palace. The old woman spoke openheartedly. Here is a shortened version of what she said:

32. People might have suspected this because of Gyanendra Sarkar's latest moves and Queen Mother's silence after the Palace Massacre. The other reason could be that the world has seen each soul belonging to Birendra Sarkar's family is murdered and not a drop of blood was shed from his one. Daughter may explain this better.

33. Then I wanted to be clear about the rumour that Gyanendra Sarkar was born not to Indra Sarkar but to Ratna Sarkar.

34. My next curiosity was whether Gyanendra Sarkar was born in the Mool constellation. If not why did Tribhuvan Sarkar leave him behind when he could easily take him along?

35. This question made the old woman serious. She was sure I wouldn't publish what she spoke. She had trusted as much as her own son. She was now ready to tell me the untold story.

36. 'Since you have asked earnestly, I must say whatever I know clearly. From whatever I know, I can fairly say Gyanendra Sarkar is not born to Ratna Sarkar before marriage, Mahendra Sarkar had no any special relationship with his sister-in-laws when Indra Sarkar was still alive. Whatever intimate relation they had, they had it only after the death. Gyanendra Sarkar can't be born of her womb for this reason too. People speak without knowing. How can we stop their mouths?

37. But as you say, Gyanendra Sarkar's horoscope has Mool stars. According to the established tradition and belief, a child born with such stars must be kept away from parents. Such children are reared somewhere else and when the ill effect of the stars are over the child is brought back home. This is what happened to him, too.

38. You see, Gyanendra Sarkar has benefits of belonging to the Mool. He would probably not be made the king in 1950 if he were not in his maternal grandfather's home and left behind when the royal family exiled itself. Who other has such luck to wear the crown twice despite his Mool?

39. I met the historian Purushottam Sumsere JBR to confirm the old woman's statements. I asked him if Gyanendra Sarkar was born in the Mool stars. He rejected it outright. He said, 'He was not born with the Mool, but if you see his actions after he became the King, you can say he is doing worse than the Mool can do.

40. 'But people say he was reared in the maternal household because he was born with the evil Mool stars and when the royalties exiled themselves in 1950 into India, they couldn't take him along with them. What is your explanation?'

41. 'That's all groundless. I can prove he was not born with such evil stars.'

42. Saying this he opened a wardrobe and took out a photograph from the file. He said, 'This is Shanti, this is Birendra, this is Gyanendra, this is Shobha and this is King Mahendra. Dhirendra is not here; he was not yet born.'

44. I looked at the photo. Gyanendra was about six years old. King Mahendra was saying something to him. 'How could he whisper to him if he were born with such stars? Mr. JBR said, 'People talk a lot of nonsense.'

45. He related a lot of episodes. I still remember one of those episodes he said to me.

46. 'See, how big scandal is spread all over the country. People are out into the streets chanting the most offensive words. If I were him, I'd renounce the throne, why should you stick to the throne shamelessly when everybody is against you?'

47. 'It would have been better for Gyanendra to end monarchy and declare himself the President of the country when his being the King has invited such a chaos. I have written this in the Janadharana soon after the Palace Massacre.

48. After I'd met Purushottam Sumsere, I went to see and talked to the old woman once again on this context. I talked to her about what Mr. JBR said and about the photo. But the old woman was not ready to accept 'Gyanendra Sarkar was not born in the Mool stars'. She said, 'You can't disprove he was born in the Mool. Mahendra Sarkar didn't believe the tradition that a child must not be seen until the effects of the stars go off. That's why the photo was taken. But Tribhuvan Sarkar strictly followed the tradition and had not seen him until he was eight.' She again claimed that Gyanendra was born of the evil star. Then she told some of the things she heard in Hari Sumsere's palace.

49. I thought it's not necessary to stretch the issue of whether Gyanendra Sarkar was from the evil stars or not any more.

 

 

Chapter XVII

......

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..............

30. On the other hand, Shahjaee Puja and Prerana Sarkars have quite the opposite characters. They were addicted to wine since early teenage. They are arrogant. They never counted us servants as humans.

31. Nowadays I hear they are addicted to some other dangerous stuff, too.

32. (Please note at this context that Princess Preksha and Dr. Rajivraj Shahi, who is married to Dhirendra Shah's daughter Puja, are the 'suspicious' eye witnesses to the 2001 Palace Massacre. —Writer)

33. But Neerajan was coy. He wouldn't mix up with people. But once he was open to one, he was very open. He had no airs of a prince. Very jolly fellow.

34. Swimming was his hobby.

35. Dipendra Sarkar also had tastes for trekking and sports. Nobody could win him at 'Antaxari' singing. He had a perfect voice. You could sing only Nepali songs if you competed 'antaxari' with him. He sang jhyaure with exceptionally sweet melody.

36. Dipendra Sarkar enjoyed being among his friends rather than with royalties or the royal relatives. But the Queen didn't approve of this attitude. Sometimes in the parties the Queen ordered to heed to the dignity of the palace. But Crown Prince Dipendra didn't much listen to what his mother ordered.

37. The palace had stopped employing wet nurses since Dipendra and Shruti Sarkar's birth because they saw the children breastfed from these nurses were isolated lots. Queen Aishwarya had breast-fed Dipendra and Shruti Sarkars. Similarly, Paras and Prerana drank Komal Sarkar's milk. Still, Dipendra Sarkar was never able to become fond of the parents. For the king, Shruti was the pet and for the Queen Neerajan was her favourite.

 

 

 

Chapter XVIII

 

1. Crown Prince had a sharp mind, but he was 'moody' too; whatever he did, he did with sincerity. In a party Instructor Pyarjung Thapa gave at Kharipati, after Dipendra's completion of '29 Basic' military training in 1991, the incident also shows this. His maternal uncle Suraj Sumsere too was invited to the party. Dipendra disliked him. When he saw his uncle there, he was so annoyed that he simply disappeared from the party. Everybody searched for him but only at 4 in the morning they were able to discover he was hiding at his ADC Raju Karki's home at Kupandol.

2. He spent his free time hunting crows, bats and cats in the Palace premises. He enjoyed walking, hunting and merrymaking, sports and trekking were his hobbies. He was as sharpshooter at the gun as good at the computer. He had a special interest in modern technology. He would enjoy being with his friends in the parties till midnight. He was not different from the drug addicted young generation of the Palace. Like most young men, wine and women were his weaknesses. He would frequent to Nagarjun and Godawari for the same.

3. He had ordinary man's tests and interests. Though he had royal blood, he was not interested in politics. But when King Birendra went to England for a month for treatment of his heart appointing him the President of the body of the King's representatives, he showed his first interests in the rule and politics. His grandfather was his model, and he wanted that the young generation should be given a bigger role. He would talk to his friends that he had plans to appoint youths at the Royal Palace services as well, when he would be the king.

4. According to the palace experts, it took a long time for King Birendra to know Nepal since he was foreign educated, and therefore Crown Prince was thoughtfully admitted to Budhanilkantha School where selected bright students from all over the country studied on a scholarship. This made him a Nepalese, but he never got a guardianship from the Palace, except that he was formally treated as a Crown Prince. Shruti was the King's pet and Neerajan was the Queen's. If there was anybody alone in the Palace, it was doubtlessly Dipendra himself. And more, he could never get along with his mother. That could be why he wanted to be among his peers most often.

5. What ever Himal newsmagazine published on 1st of Asar, 2058 was true. But I take liberty to tell you, Paras Sarkar had far worse habits that he had.

6. I know him since childhood; I served for so long in the Nirmal Niwas.

7. He was so unreasonable that whatever he wished should be carried out . There was no room for, 'No' or 'It can't be'.

8. There is a funny incident about Paras Sarkar. He was about eight then.

9. It was Ram Navami or some other holiday. Paras Sarkar raised a storm from early morning demanding he should be taken to school. But nobody dared to tell him that it was a holiday. The information reached to Gyanendra Sarkar's ears too. He ordered, 'Take him to school, even if it's a holiday.'

10. His orders meant it. The servants took him to school. He didn't see any teachers or friends there. He asked the gateman and learnt that it was a holiday. When he came back home, he raised a larger storm: "Why didn't anybody tell me it was a holiday?"

11. He went as far as threatening us 'I can shoot with a pistol' for minor dissatisfaction. He was hot tempered since childhood. Nobody cooled him down, nobody taught him manage his temper.

12. This developed a bad habit in him. His bad habits caused a negative impression about him and created hatred towards the monarchical system on the masses.

13. I've heard Paras Sarkar's son Hridayendra Sarkar is also a prey to such ill manners.

14. Nobody other than Dipendra could hold Paras Sarkar when he raised hell. The newspapers had reported once in 2056 (BS) when Paras Sarkar hit his car in front of the Singh Durbar and physically assaulted at a traffic police there; Dipendra Sarkar himself came there to calm the situation.

15. He had been to the Nirmal Niwas so often to calm him down.

16. Not only that, every now and then Dipendra Sarkar would visit his sister's school Kanti Ishwari Vidyalaya to see his sister's progress. He would visit Budhanilkantha School to make sure his brother's studies are going well. You can confirm this if you ask his teachers there. He would inquire teachers and friends about his brother Neerajan's manners.

17. Can you believe such caring and responsible guardian Dipendra Sarkar could commit such horrible Royal Palace Massacre?

18. Though Dipendra Sarkar was a gentlemanly and sober he was on drugs later days. But this was not on his own initiation; he was trapped in some conspiracy. There way a planned and purposeful scheme from some of the royal family members to drag him to drug addiction.

19. I don't think I need to pronounce the conspirator's names. Everyone who has some interest in the Palace or politics knows them well.

20. The scheme to drag him to addiction began in around 1990. Some of the Royal family members who were very much unhappy about the King's decision to handover some of the power to the people had carefully planned and implemented to ensnare him into addiction.

21. Aishwarya Sarkar, too, was as unhappy as Queen Mother, Gyanendra Sarkar and other royalties were, when the King replaced his father's Panchayat System with the multi-party democracy, but she never knew the conspiracy to ensnare Dipendra Sarkar into the addiction.

22. The conspirators used his ADC and the Nepalese Embassy employees at London to supply drugs in the Eton College where Dipendra Sarkar used to study. They prompted him to take drugs first. They took him to the restaurants and to the prostitutes. They even prompted him to smuggle duty-free wine into the college hostel and sell there at a higher price. The college charged him of this and he was penalized for the same.

23. Some people say Dipendra did all that because the Queen was a miser and he was in need of money. But I can't believe he had to commit smuggling to meet his educational expenses.

24. When he came back, he was thoroughly addicted to drugs. But afterwards he had lowered the dose. Maybe he had realized his position, social norms, practices and the dignity.

25. 'How could the strictly banned drugs reach his hands?' I inquired.

26. How could there be any obstacle when one is planning such a huge conspiracy? Don't you know the real boss of the narcotics dealers who are occasionally arrested by the police?

27. Dipendra Sarkar ordered his ADC to fetch drugs. They would buy it from the drug dealers at Thamel. The smugglers had connection with the palace conspirators.

28. I think when they made the scheme to ensnare him into addiction of narcotics, they'd planned the massacre, too.

29. But one thing is for sure, the 'black stuff' is not the real cause of the massacre. It was a mere excuse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter XIX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The palace was in a tug of war situation on matrimonial issues of Crown Prince Dipendra since he was a schoolboy.

2. Queen Mother Ratna wanted to make Supriya Shah, her own sister's grand daughter, the Crown Princess. Supriya is Pradibikram's daughter. This Pradipbikram is Queen Mother's ADC and her own sister's son.

3. But Birendra and Aishwarya Sarkars' eyes were on Garima Rana. She was a 7th or 8th grader schoolgirl then, not the SLC Board topper. But her ladylike manners, polite language and everything about her had lured them.

4. Queen Mother, Helen Sarkar, aunts and others were disappointed to see the King and Queen's choice.

5. Garima Rana was expelled from the Triyog English School on the third day of her winning the best marks in Class VIII. Not only was this brilliant girl expelled from the school, it was ordered that she shouldn't get admission at any other school. Lokbhakta Rana lodged a case against the decision of the School Management Committee. The Committee lost the case. They couldn't justify their decision to expel her. The sole reason behind the expulsion of such brilliant girl student was her presence as a probable candidate of the Crown Princess. When a section of the Palace proposed the 14-year-old Garima as a would-be Crown Princess, it was natural for the group in favour of Supriya to get annoyed. As a result, Garima was forced out of her school. The chairperson of the School Management Committee of Triyog English School in which Gyanendra Sarkar's daughter Princess Prerana, Dhirendra Shah's daughter Princess Pooja, Dilasa, Shitasma and others attended was Her Highness Sharda Rajyalaxmi. Please note: her husband Kumar Khadgabikram Shah and Supriya's father Pradipbikram are sons of two brothers.

6. Whatever you have written in the magazine 'Supriya' is a hundred per cent correct. The ones who ordered to expel Garima were the royalties themselves. They had wanted to erase her name from the list of probable candidates for Crown Princess and rest at peace. But the result was contrary to their wishes. Garima stood the SLC Board First.

7. And then the Queen and King became real admirers of Garima.

8. Crown Prince had fallen in love with Devyani Rana, Pashupati Sumsere's daughter. And then there was a triangular tug of war about who should be chosen as the Crown Princess.

9. The Royal family strongly disliked Devyani. Queen Mother and some others thoroughly hated her. The real reason behind is Pashupati Sumsere's rejection to marry Shanti Sarkar.

10. Not only that, Devyani was two years older than Dipendra Sarkar. This is one of the many reasons to reject Devyani.

11.The Palace had fears that Pashupati and Usharaje would influence the Palace if they accepted the Crown Prince's choice. The Palace might have feared their connection to India, too. The Royal Palace had broken matrimonial ties with Indians since Mahendra Sarkar's times. A Palace source says the Indian Ambassador K. V. Rajan showed his interests regarding Dipendra and Devyani's marriage.

12. Sindhiya gentry has a strong influence in the Indian power politics. Devyani's grandmother Vijayaraje Sindhiya was always a seniormost leader of Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP). Her son Madhavraj Sindhiya plays an influencial role in the Congress (I). One of Devyani's aunts is a Central Minister and another one is a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) of Madhyapradesh.

13. The Palace feared that the lineage would come to an end if Devyani was brought into the Palace as a Crown Princess. Devyani's mother Usharaje has only two daughters. The elder daughter Urvasi is married to a very wealthy Indian merchant family. She too has only daughters. This had added to the fears of the Palace. Devyani-Urvasi's maternal grandmother Rajmata has three daughters and only one son. The palace thoroughly feared that the marriage would bring daughters and that could bring threat to the continuation of the dynasty.

14. Although Dipendra Sarkar knew the royalties didn't like Devyani, he continued his affairs with her. In a way, he had challenged others' choice. Queen Mother and so many other royalties were against his move. You have written all this in your 'Supriya' magazine.

15. On the other hand Pashupati Sumsere had left no stone unturned to make his daughter the Crown Prince. He would allow his daughter to meet Dipendra Sarkar, he would be away from home if he knew he was visiting, and if Dipendra Sarkar was visiting abroad, he would send his daughter, too.

16. Dipendra and Devyani frequented 'Fire and Ice' restaurant at Thamel to have pizza. Sometimes people saw them shopping at Bhatbhateni Super market. Anil Shah's home at Kantipath was his meeting place. Anil is Devyani's friend Rati Shah's husband. He'd been to Sydney Olympics accompanying Dipendra and Devyani.

17. At some parties organized at star hotels in Kathmandu Devyani would dance with Dipendra Sarkar even at the presence of her parents. Pashupati took this as a pride. Usharaje went as far as talking happily to the royal relative women that Dipendra limed her daughter.

18. And that reached to the Queen's ears. She was very angry. She would send message through the people who informed her, that she was never going to accept Devyani into the Palace. But as firm Queen was not to accept Devyani as her daughter-in-law as interested Usharaje was to marry hie daughter to Dipendra Sarkar. People smelled it produced a kind of personality tussle between Usharaje and Aishwarya. It is seen that Shruti and Nirajan who were at first for Divyani had later changed their camp.

19. The discord went so far that seeing all their exercise the Queen had challenged Pashupati and Usharaje. The Queen has used............ to describe her character. (I'm sorry I can't write the word Shanta didi said the Queen spoke in this context, I fear I might be taken as a libel.—Writer)

20. Pashupati and Usharaje too were angry with the Queen's vow. And then with the help of their relatives they called a wizard secretly from India and applied witchcraft on Dipendra Sarkar. I think this was in 1999. And then Dipendra went really crazy after Devyani.

21. I know when this gets published in your book, Pashupati Sumsere may protest. But don't worry about the protest, and don't fear to write this. If needs be, I can give you concrete and detailed proofs of when, from where and how the wizard was called, and what he did.

22. None of the royalties approved of Dipendra Sarkar's profound love for Devyani. Everybody pressed him to forget and forsake her. But Dipendra Sarkar took their suggestions casually.

23. Dipendra Sarkar understood that the King and Queen liked Garima. He saw her once or twice.

24. The royalties came to the decision to accept Supriya Shah as the Crown Princess when Garima expressed her unwillingness to be the one. Birendra and Aishwarya, too, approved Supriya.

25. I think Garima was unwilling simply because she saw the Palace was always entangled in some endless intrigues, plots and treasons.

26. I remember Garima. She had hinted something like this when I met her to prepare a report for the paper 'Supriya'. Rejecting the rumor that she was the most aspiring candidate, she'd said, 'The bird soaring in the free sky over the wilderness never wishes to trap itself in the cage.' If fact when her cousin Gorakh Sumsere got married with Princess Shruti, Garima was in the hit list of the candidates.

27. When Garima expressed her unwillingness, Supriya was fixed. It was almost a year and a half before the Palace Massacre.

28. All I know is the wedding was to take place in November 1999, the date and holy hour had been calculated and preparations had begun. You can ask the Palace astrologers about it.

29. Now people talk that the Massacre was because of marriage discord. When the marriage was fixed so earlier; how come there arises a discord at that moment? That too in a Hindu tradition where a marriage is an unbreakable union of families.

30. Well, I too was curious why they should fix the marriage so early when it was actually to take place after so long time. But later I could understand that the court astrologers had suggested not marrying the Crown Prince until he crosses his 31st birthday (13th Asar 2058). They fixed the wedding ceremony after so long time as they couldn't calculate the auspicious hours befitting to the Crown Prince's horoscope.

31. Before this wedding was decided, Himani Sarkar's father had offered his daughter to Dipendra Sarkar. He had expressed this desire as Himani's horoscope said she would be the Crown Prince. He had come back from India to marry her into the Palace.

32. I think Himani Sarkar is more princessly, beautiful and better than Supriya who was going to get married to the Crown Prince. I must say you can't compare Supriya with Himani. I'm not saying this because Himani has become the Crown Princess now; but because I can see their manners and characters.

33. But Aishwarya Sarkar rejected Himani Sarkar's father's proposal outright. She said, 'Dipendra and Paras are brothers! She will be another Crown Princess if married to Paras!'

34. Himani Sarkar's father made several attempts to marry her with Dipendra. He talked and appealed through the royal relatives. But none of his attempts worked.

35. The Queen's decision was wrong. I believe if Dipendra Sarkar were married to Himani Sarkar, the Palace Massacre wouldn't go so easily.

 

 

Chapter XX

 

 

1. I understand you are impatient to hear through my lips about the Palace Massacre of June 1, as I am one of the eye-witnesses of the incident.

2. But how can I describe such a horrible dark night? The night that's snatched my vermilion from my head; the night that's snatched all my happiness and .........'

3. Her eyes welled up. She choked. She wiped her tears with an end of her sari, and remained calm for some time. And then she continued..............

4. The night is still a recurring nightmare. I scream and fret even in the dreams sometimes.

5. I've never told this to anybody, except to my sisters and mother. You are like my own brother, I believe you. This strong faith on you is making me pour my heart. But please, please do not publish in papers twisting my statements referring me. If you are publishing a book, please show me what you are going to print.

6. I had no option. I had to make a promise. I wanted to know the hidden and oppressed part of the history of the Palace.

7. When I gave word, she revealed such horrifying and mysterious incidents that my body trembled and hairs stood on end. Let me put her story in this way.....

8. My husband would be busy the whole day when there was a party in the palace. He would come back to our living quarters late in the night. He would be very busy on such days.

9. I too would be quite busy on Friday party days as Queen Mother too would join on the occasion.

10. I was busy that day as usual. Cook Gopal Devkota was busy in the kitchen. An army boy Krishnabahadur Karki was helping him. Hudda Khemraj Acharya was responsible to carry food from the kitchen to the Sitting Hall.

11. Doorkeeper Jamuna Adhikari was busy in her own work she was in charge of the store.

12. I don't remember who the soldiers at the gate were.

13. I wore Ratna Sarkar her dress, socks and shoes at around eight in the evening. She got ready to attend the meeting. The tradition is that when all the royalties and the King are present at the hall and then some of them came to receive her, Queen Mother is taken there.

14. Almost 20 minutes later the Crown Prince came to receive Queen Mother. ADC Gajendra Bohora was with him. Queen Mother went with him. I too followed them. I returned from near the hall as I was not allowed to go there. The ADC too returned.

15. I returned to the Mahendra Manjil and arranging clothes and dresses. All of a sudden there was a booming sound similar to that of a fire cracker. It must have been nine or a quarter past nine in the evening.

16. I didn't care. I thought some princes have cracked fires on the happy occasion of the party. But when the fire was two or three times; some suspicions arose in me. I went to the nearest window and removed the curtain to see what was going on outside. To my horror I saw there broke a stampede and I could hear crying and howling. I saw Dipendra Sarkar was carrying a machine gun and moving about.

17. I couldn't think of anything but my husband. I was terrified as he was managing wine and food to the King and others in the billiard hall of the Tribhuvan Sadan. I lost my senses as I remembered my husband. I wished he fled from there. In such circumstances it was neither possible to run downstairs nor was I allowed to go there I lost my body balance and slackened. I fell to the floor pronouncing, 'Hay Bhagwan!'  And I pushed the curtain a little to see what was going on outside.

18. Neerajan Sarkar came out and ran towards the garden. He had run only a few yards and he was shot with a bullet. He fell down. I peeped through the curtain, Dipendra Sarkar himself was shooting.

19. Now I was perplexed. I couldn't understand what was going on; I saw two Dipendra Sarkars. One was doing to and fro in the Billiard Hall of the Tribhuvan Sadan, and the other was shooting at Nirajan Sarkar here in the garden.

20. Meanwhile Queen Sarkar came out. She was shot in the garden three or four times. I saw her body fly three or four feet above the ground when she was shot. Now I was thoroughly trembling with fear.

21. Here Aishwarya Sarkar was shot at, shooting continued there in the hall too. I think there was a third one to shoot Shruti Sarkar, Shanti Sarkar, Gorakh and others.

22. When the shootings at the garden and in the hall was less heard and howls, shrieks and cries were calmed, Dipendra Sarkar came running out of a room in the Tribhuvan Sadan. Now I was much more terrified: I couldn't believe my eyes. I couldn't know which one was the real Dipendra Sarkar.

23. But before he could reach the Billiard Hall, he was shot at the bridge between the two pools. He fell on the spot. Only then I could understand that the murderers were wearing his masks.

24. My head reeled. I fell to the floor. Later, when I regained consciousness I was on my own bed in the quarters, surrounded by mother and sisters.

25. Only then I could know my vermilion washed away in the incident. I had lost my godlike husband.

26. You may not believe when I say the Palace Massacre was committed by men wearing Dipendra Sarkar's mask. But this is true; my own eyes have seen all that. This fact is accepted by Dr. Rajiv Shahi and ADC Gajendra Bohora when speaking to the Palace Massacre Probe Commission. You can see the report. 

27. I ask you who were those who went on firing after Dipendra Sarkar fell, if they were not the mask wearers.

28. Please note Dipendra Sarkar's ADC has said to the Probe Commission, 'The firing continued even after Dipendra Sarkar fell down.' He has also testified that there was no weapon near him. This proves Shanta didi's remark that Dipendra had not committed suicide.

29. Let's see the dialogue between the ADC and the Probe Commission at page number 55 of the report:

30. Commission: Where was Crown Prince's body lying?

Answer: On the bridge. At the southeast corner of the bridge between the two pools. The body was lying on the back.

Commission: Any weapon nearby?

Answer: No, there was no weapon. I asked to lift, the one who lifted him might have seen it. I didn't see any weapon.

Commission: You've said you saw the Crown Prince's body lying in the garden. Did the fire continue after he fell?

Answer: yes, it did. The firing went on until I returned to the doorway.

36. After the Massacre, papers wrote that the Crown Prince did all that because of the marriage discord. What's the truth? I asked her on basis of the news article written by Sudhir Sharma and Prashant Aryal in Himal newsmagazine.

37. He was worried about his marriage. He used to talk to his friends complaining that the Queen is strongly against the girl of his choice. His complains were not unnatural as his marriage was not decided even after four years of his younger sister Shruti's marriage. You can see how much his worries could grow when a daughter from a Rana family from Kathmandu was almost declared to be engaged and was soon going to get married with Prince Neerajan who was seven years junior to him.

38. The Crown Prince's life appears grand, glamorous and luxurious, but in fact he was struggling through very unfriendly situations. He had tried to revolt and had tried to marry the girl of his own choice, but he was threatened that he could be deprived of the heirship and his brother Neerajan could be made one.  This could have added to his stress. The Crown Prince wasn't going to be able to marry the girl of his choice, and he could lose the throne that was to come to him according to the tradition if he married her, he wanted to have both of them. He saw this was not possible, and the result must have been the horrible accident of 1st June.

39. That's all pure nonsense, all cooked up story. If it was simply because of the marriage discord, Ratna Sarkar could have been the first target; it was Ratna Sarkar who utterly rejected Devyani Rana he loved. It was Ratna Sarkar who opposed first, whose decision was binding and final on the issue. All others had just supported her. Why was Ratna Sarkar staying at the next room untouched?

40. The truth is there was not any disagreement on marital issue at the time. His marriage was decided with Supriya one half years ago. The preparations had begun. I've already told you about this.'

 

 

 

 

Chapter XXI

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Indeed, all the blame for the incident was put on Dipendra's head. The probe commission formed to investigate the incident, too, instead of making a neutral investigation, said Dipendra was guilty. A man who was killed conspiratorially was called a murderer. He was also projected as a hashish addict. But it's all a show. At the end, what more can you expect from those who just follow orders?

The fact that no evidence of hashish was found in the stub of the cigar3ette, which Dipendra was said to have smoked before the incident, also probes this. This will become clear to you also if you go through the lab report of the Police Anti-Narcotic Laboratory on the cigarette. The report clearly says 'no traces of narcotics were found in the cigarette.'

What should be noted here is that the cigarette stub should have been tested at the Bidhibigyan Laboratory. But as they say haste means waste, it was tested at the police lab. But still, the truth could not remain hidden. Like what Shanta didi says, the police lab report does say 'no trace of narcotics was found in the cigarette stub.'

I checked the investigation report. It contained all the letters from the Police Headquarters but the police lab report was missing. I took it as another mystery.

'Another thing is, Ranabhat's investigation report says Dipendra committed suicide after killing everybody. I read the same in the newspapers also. You think yourself- is it possible to commit suicide with a machine gun? To commit suicide with a machine gun one has to shoot oneself under the chin by pulling the trigger with the toe. But Dipendra was shot in the chest. So doesn't it become clear that he was shot by somebody else?' she said boldly.

I found her argument quite convincing. Yet I asked her showing some misgivings, 'But Kumar Gorakh Sumsere, an eyewitness of the incident, said in the September 2001 issue of Nepal fortnightly that it was in fact Dipendra who fired the shots?' Renowned journalist Bijay Kumar Pandey had taken that interview.

....(Dipendra) started turning around after shooting Kumar Khadga. Exactly then both my and the Crown Prince's eyes met. I think may be he hesitated for a moment but His Highness shot me right in the chest. His eyes were very focused. No expression of guilt or regret at all about what he was doing. Very focused look. Some people ask, was it really Dipendra who fired the shots? I don't have even a shred of doubt that he fired the shots. Can you make a mistake identifying someone who has come to shoot you, who stand just 10 steps away, face to face? The same face, the same height, the same movements, the same eyes, the same walk; I have no doubts whatsoever.' (Nepal fortnightly, September, 2001 issue)

When reminded of the above statement of Kumar Gorakh Sumsere Rana published in Nepal fortnightly, she said, 'I don't know why Gorakh said so. But I think he was confused. He said so because thought the man wearing the mask was Dipendra. I think whether he got confused or he said what he was told to say.

The fact that three different kinds of machine gun bullets were found at the incident site also contradicts Gorakh's statement. It is impossible for a person to fire from three machine guns at the same time. I am very sure that others wearing Dipendra's mask had fired the shots,' she said confidently.

What is to be noted here is that Ranabhat's report, too, says that three different kinds of machine gun bullets were found at the incident site.

I, however, asked her, 'It is said Dipendra Sarkar had used all the three weapons?'

 

'That's all nonsense, created to hide the truth. On the one hand you say Dipendra was so high that he couldn't even walk and that others had to carry him to his bedroom, while on the other, you say he came back within ten minutes carrying three guns and shot everybody. Who would believe this?

And again Gajendra Bohora, in his statement to the probe commission, has said, 'no weapon was found near Dipendra's body.' If what the conspirators say- Dipendra committed suicide after shooting everybody- is true, then shouldn't there be a weapon by the side of his body?

Now it's clear that the report's conclusion that Dipendra had committed suicide is a plain lie.

I will tell you the truth; murderers wearing masks had used all the three machine guns found at the incident site. Dipendra Sarkar only had a Glok pistol. That too he wasn't carrying that day.'

The report itself says that none of the guns recovered from the incident site were under Dipendra's possession.

I turned the pages of the report right in front of her; I had photocopied the report from the Central Library at Pulchowk. Page 116 of the report said:

The acquisition form obtained from the Royal Palace shows that royal ADC Captain Gajendra Bohara had received the following arms and weapons from the Royal Guard Military Police Arsenal for then Crown Prince Dipendra on May 9, 1996:

a) One Link Pistol No. 55330

b) A 15-round magazine of the above pistol

c) A 17-round magazine of the same pistol

d) The colour box, brush and holster for the same pistol.

After showing me the above information from the report, she said, 'Now you tell me, where did the machine guns come from, if the murderers didn't bring them?'

'You journalists, too, wrote that Dipendra Sarkar was behind the massacre without trying to know the truth and without reading the probe report properly,' she expressed her dissatisfaction, 'Investigative journalism which digs out the truth hasn't really begun in Nepal. All go after rumors. Is this what we call journalism?'

'It's not like that. It was because of the circumstances back then that we couldn't investigate. If Nepalese journalists just cannot investigate as you say, I wouldn't have come to you,' I said, disagreeing with the accusation made against myself and the fraternity I belong to.

We resumed our conversation after her temper cooled down.

'You said earlier that those firing the shots were wearing masks resembling Dipendra's face? You also said you saw it with your own eyes. Basically, who are those people? How could they reach the Billiard Room where even the royal palace employees are not usually allowed to enter?'

She said, 'I don't have to keep saying who those people are. Just look at the report; what Hudda Khem Raj Acharya, responsible for VIP security, has said...' She gave a vague answer. I immediately turned the pages of the report. Acharya has said in the report:

'.... right then somebody suddenly came out and ran off,..... ADC Gajendra saa'b ran after the person. As I also needed to know who was running away, I moved forward and tried to identify the person, who didn't even look back at me. After going much further away, the person quickly looked around. It was then I recognized him; it was Dr Rajeev.'

However, in their statements prince Paras and Gorakh Sumsere have mentioned that Dr. Rajeev and others had rescued the injured. Following on from that, I asked, 'How did Dr. Rajeev, who ran away without turning back, help the injured?'

'As they say, lie can never be covered up,' she replied.

A few days after the incident, Dr. Rajeev Shahi staged another drama of a press conference in which 'no questions were allowed'. What kind of press conference is it where you are not allowed to ask questions! If you really just wanted to put on a show, why put on one which even children wouldn't believe?

In fact, the press conference had been organized to 'guide' the massacre investigation commission, to remind it that it couldn't go outside the instructions.

'And yes, Gorakh has said that after Birendra Sarkar was shot, he, along with Dr. Rajeev, held him, and that right then Dipendra Sarkar shot him and Shruti. How is it possible that Gorakh and Shruti, who were holding Birendra Sarkar, were hit but miraculously, Dr. Rajeev and Paras who were present in the same room escaped without a scratch?' I asked, referring to Gorakh's account titled Maile je Dekhein (What I Saw) published in Nepal magazine.

'Exactly, it's simply impossible', she agreed, and added; 'I think that Gorakh made a sponsored statement under compulsion.'

Also nothing happened to Paras Sarkar, who was alongside Birendra Sarkar, Shruti Sarkar and Gorakh Sumsere. Dipendra Sarkar spared Paras Sarkar just because he said, 'Dada, it's just us here.' Does something like that actually happen? All a show.

'Actually speaking, Preksha Sarkar was only one to survive against the wish of the architects of the murder plan. Later, she too, was taken to Rara Lake in a conspiratorial way and plunged into the lake along with the helicopter. The helicopter pilot survives, all the people following the orders survive, and only Preksha Sarkar, along with her helpers, dies. Can this really happen if there's no conspiracy? It's a conspicuous conspiracy. Why don't you write these things?'

'Had we written such things at that time, they would have also made us disappear,' I said.

Truly speaking, Preksha Sarkar was extremely loyal to Aishwarya Sarkar. She was highly dissatisfied by the way the entire family line of Birendra Sarkar had been exterminated in a conspiratorial manner. In a way she had become a bundle of nerves. I was told about this by a friend of mine working at her residence.

'Can't I meet her?' I expressed my eagerness to directly talk to Preksha Sarkar's mind.

'She won't talk to you freely even if I arrange a meeting,' she said. 'She had told me these things only because of our friendship.

After the massacre, Gyanendra Sarkar lost no time in transferring the property of Birendra Sarkar, Aishwarya Sarkar and Dhirendra Sarkar, one after another, to his name. In less than three months after becoming the king, new notes bearing his photo were issued. He even got the newly formed sports club of the Armed Police Force name to name after him. All these actions show how desperate Gyanendra Sarkar was to become the king. Preksha Sarkar had complaints regarding these actions. She was of the view that something should have been done in the names of the departed ones.'

I didn't understand clearly what she was saying about the sports club of the Armed Police Force. So I asked her to explain.

She said, 'The sports club of the Army has been named after Tribhuvan Sarkar- Tribhuvan Army Club, and the police club has been after Mahendra Sarkar- Mahendra Police Club. So Preksha Sarkar demanded that the Armed Police Force Sports Club be named after Birendra Sarkar. But Gyanendra Sarkar got the club to name after him- Gyanendra Armed Police Force Club. Preksha Sarkar had expressed her disapproval regarding this.

Preksha Sarkar was especially hurt over the property issue. Though she wouldn't get Birendra Sarkar's property, her demand was that she and her daughters should at least get her husband's property. But, Gyanendra Sarkar was so much after money that he didn't even listen to Preksha Sarkar. He transferred it all to his name and his daughter Prerana Sarkar's name. He transferred only a small portion of the property to Preksha's daughters, Dilasa and Shitasma Sarkars.

While discussing property matters in a royal family meeting, Preksha Sarkar had expressed her objection in front of the Queen Mother. Then Queen Mother said, 'She also has to taken care of.' It is said that King Gyanendra did not say anything, she just frowned at her.

Less than a month later came the news that the helicopter carrying Preksha Sarkar had gone missing in Rara Lake but the pilot was safe.

If the present government arrests the pilot and the concerned army officers, and investigates the matter, all the mystery might be solved. I feel that you journalists need to take an initiative in this matter. If journalists from the USA, UK can investigate matters hundreds of years old, then why can't you people investigate matters just 5-10 years old?'

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER XXII

 

 

1. Well, I was talking to you about the Palace Massacre.

2. Birendra Sarkar's blood was wiped out and everyone was intact from Gyanendra Sarkar's line. Is it possible? The world should understand what the reality could be.

3. I expressed my curiosity, 'But Komal Sarkar was wounded and hospitalized!'

4. 'That's all a drama,' she said, 'you should know nobody touched her.'

5. In the witness statement the Queen has given to the Probe commission she has said that she was not shot at, and when Shanti Sarkar fell, her body fell upon her. You can see the self-speaking report.' She offered me a photocopy of the report prepared by the Commission I'd given her the previous day.

6. I too attended the family get-together at Tribhuvan Sadan that day. I heard the Crown Prince had gone to bed early. After a while I heard a boom of firing, and the bullet hit the ceiling. And then I saw a bullet hit the right side of Birendra Sarkar's neck. Kumar Gorakh and Kumar Khadga too were shot at. I was pushed from behind and I fell down. I couldn't breathe easily. Shanti Rajyalaxmi was on me. Her blood was on my head.

7. The then Shahjadaa and present Crown Prince has accepted in his statement to the Probe Commission that Princess Komal was not hurt. The report states this referring as his witness statement:

8. I saw Mother while getting up. She'd fallen. She was under. Princess Shanti was on her. I saw mother push her and get up. I helped Mother get up. 'I'm not fine, I'm not fine,' she said. Her head was bleeding. I'd first thought she was hurt. She showed me where she felt pain. I checked her head. There was no injury.'

9. Paras Sarkar has said, 'I'd first thought she was hurt on her head.' Isn't he who shot...........?

10. She said, 'You are able to understand all yourself..............'

11. After the incident the casualties were taken to the military hospital instead of taking them to Bir Hospital where there are many operation theatres, better doctors and better facilities. This too is a part of the grand design. There were not many doctors on duty and the operation theaters were obviously a few. The victims were operated on the floor. Twenty-four doctors were called from the Teaching Hospital. Why didn't they take the victims there?

12. I believe they didn't take the nearest Teaching Hospital fearing some could survive. This is a pre-planned strategy.

13. The other but important fact the public should know is that if timely treatment was available, or let's say if they had been taken to the nearest hospital, Shruti Sarkar and Dhirendra could have survived. According to the rescue team, Shruti Sarkar and Dhirendra had quite a minor injury with an ordinary fire. But they were sent with Death depriving them of appropriate treatment.

14. As soon as he got information, Prime Minister G.P. Koirala visited the spot. When Queen Mother saw him, she remarked,' Who allowed this rickety Brahmin to enter? Take him to the military camp and keep him there in custody!'

15. The military carried out her orders and he was taken into custody for two hours. After two hours the President of the Advisory Board to the King, Dr. Kesharjung Rayamajhi visited the Prime Minister after two hours and reported him. He conveyed Queen Mother's orders for him to normalize the situation. Prime Minister had spoken that he was trapped for two hours.

16. That's not all, the former Chief Justice Keshav Prasad Upadhyay, and Taranath Ranabhat's report is a complete farce. Upadhyay and Ranabhat became the pawns of the Palace to play the farce. Madhav Nepal rightly refused to be in the so called Probe Commission.

17. I must frankly accept that I thoroughly hate the man called Madhav Nepal, but when he refused to play a role in the farce of the so called 'Probe Commission', he made right decision. I think he refused because he smelled that they were trying to make him another pawn to veil upon the murder. You had better ask him why he refused.

18. 'You have blamed that the formation of the Probe Commission and their report as a drama to curtain the plot. But on what ground are you saying so?' It was my natural curiosity.

19. Look at the subservient and meek questions they have asked in the name of witness statement. That reveals the real motive of the Commission.' she said.

20. I had carried the Probe report along with me. I started flipping over the pages. The recently declared Queen was asked this question:

21. 'Your Majesty! We are deeply hurt to learn of the news that Your Majesty too is injured on the 1st June incident. We wish Your Majesty's speedy recovery. As His Majesty King has ordered us to form a high commission to probe the incident and find facts, we are here at Your Majesty's disposal, for we are informed Your Majesty was present on the spot at the time of the incident and we would be most thankful if Your Majesty could kindly provide us with some knowledge regarding the mishap. Considering the health, we could be most thankful if Your Majesty could kindly inform the Commission whatever Your Majesty thinks appropriate....'

22. Likewise, the then Shahjadaa and present Crown Prince Paras was asked thus:

23. 'Your Highness! We could learn that Your Highness too was present at the family get-together on 1st June, we would be most thankful and it would be easier for us to prepare the report if Your Highness could kindly educate us with whatever Your Highness saw and whatever Your Highness experienced...'

24. 'I read the above mentioned part of the report for her. She said, 'Now tell me, is that an inquiry or a chakari?'

25. I've said the Commission is sponsored or designed not just on the basis of questions. The most important is the instruction that was given to doctors who were preparing on-the-spot medical report.

26. From whatever information I could gather, Dr. Dinesh Gongol was called to the palace and instructed to prepare a desired report on the third day of the massacre before washing the blood and clearing the site. After he'd clearly been instructed what he should do, the doctor was taken to the spot. He saw pieces of bones and flesh and pools of blood everywhere and fainted himself. They said, 'He can't do.' and then Dr. Upendra Devkota was assigned to carry out the job.

27. To repay for his faithfulness, Dr. Devkota was later made the Health Minister. Otherwise, why should the Palace choose him, there were so many capable and willing people to serve the Palace?

28. I know when this thing gets published in your book, Dr. Gongol and Dr. Devkota may reject and protest , their social status and prestige doesn't allow to accept this so readily, but the  reality we could see as a Palace employee is this.

29. One more point, since Dhirendra Sarkar had renounced the title of a Prince, he'd ceased to appear at the regular get-togethers other than birthday parties. But the surprising thing is he too was present there that day. But Gyanendra Sarkar who attended the regular parties very regularly was absent without any information to anybody that day. The mystery is here too. I think even Komal Sarkar was not informed about the plot. You can see the mystery of the massacre from this perspective too.

31. 'People say many Palace employees are killed in the incident, is it true?' I expressed a popular suspicion.

32. 'That's not true. The only employee killed in the incident was my husband. My complaint is that the Palace never declared my husband too as one of the Massacre victims. A few months ago when my son came back home, he too complained. "Why should they not take my father's name as a victim of the Massacre?" was his complaint.

33. I reveal the truth to you I left the Palace only because of this. Though the Queen Mother was asking me to continue, I couldn't do so. Seeing the plots, treachery, bloodshed, and so on, I lost faith on the Palace and left my job.

34. Now I want to live a peaceful and stress free life with my son and daughter-in law.'

 

 

Epilogue

 

 

1. Well? What do you say? King died? Which King died? King of which country? Birendra? No, it can't be. Queen Aishwarya too? Crown Prince Dipendra, too? Princess Shruti too? And Prince Neerajan as well? What news? It can't be! How can it be? Dipendra can't do it! It's simply impossible. Impossible!

There must be some conspiracy. Conspiracy! There is some conspiracy. Oh! What news! Couldn't it be Paras's deed?

After midnight of the 1st June, telephones rang in houses in and outside the Kathmandu Valley.

4. Have you heard about the horrible incident in the Palace? There's a massacre. Birendra's family is finished.'

5. Oho! Yes? What do you say? What do you mean? No it can't be. It can't at all be. It must be only a rumour. I must be a nonsensical rumour. It is impossible.

6. Alas! The Royal family is wiped out!

7. Oho! Yes? What? What do you say? Jya hai!

8. Telephones rang at odd hours. By early morning the news had spread like a forest fire throughout the country connected by telephone wires.

---

[1] chakari : to attend to; to wait on

[2] Maharaja: the great King

[3] letters: Nepali language is written in simple, compound and complex letters, called varnas

[4] sinka lukai : a children's game of hiding and finding a small stick in the sand or dust

[5] ana, suka, mohar : Nepali coins of small denomination

[6] Maharajko jay hos : Victory be to our great King

[7] His Highness Maharaja: the Rana Prime Ministers were given the title of Sri Sri Sri Maharaja, too

[8] Tudikhel: the parade ground at the heart of Kathmandu

[9] Sarkar: His or Her Majesty; His or Her Highness; the government

[10] dhai: maid; chambermaid

[11] Sahebjyu: prince (saheb=sahib; sir or madam; jyu is a term added to express respect)

[12] Mahapandit: pundit the great

[13] didi: a senior sister, a respectable term to address a girl or woman senior by age

[14] durbar: a palace

[15] Adtis Saal Massacre: an unsuccessful scheme to oust Ranas from power in the year 1938 BS, a massacre took place when disclosed

[16] darshan : a form of greeting; seeing

[17] Samdhi: son's or daughter's father-in-law

[18] Kot Massacre : the massacre at the Kot Square

[19] BS: Bikram Sambat is 56 years 8.5 months ahead of AD

[20] vaidya: an Ayurvedic doctor

[21] dhoka: door

[22] Charpata: this form of punishment was given to most disgraceful upper caste criminals by shaving a big cross on one's head

[23] pig is untouchable to the upper caste Hindus

[24] durbar : a palace

[25] saa'b : sahib, Sir or Madam

[26] Magh : the tenth month of the BS, January-15 to February-15

[27] Bubahajur: respected father, Mumahajur: respected mother (Buba: father, Muma: mother, hajur: sir; madam)

[28] baksis: a gift

[29] maiyarani: princess, Maiya: Miss

[30] Raja-Ranisaa'b: the King and queen, but here the Ranas

[31] baati: holy wicks

[32] Buba-Muma: Father and Mother

[33] tilak: a holy black mark put  on the forehead

[34] naag and naagin: the serpent gods, but here ominous forces that sting

[35] vrata: ritual fasting

[36] rolewalla: one who is in the line of premiership

 

[37] chiura: beaten rice

[38] mawali: mother's natal home

[39] hom: rite of offering mixture of rice, ghee, til, etc. to the Fire God

[40] ji or jyu: a term to respect men or women (as sir or madam)

[41] pirka: a piece of wooden plank or a straw mattress to sit on the floor

[42] tapain: a respectful form of 'you'