Nepal continues to amaze. The peaceful revolution that brought an end to the country's 240-year-old monarchy, with a minimum loss of lives, and now its equally-peaceful transformation as a secular democratic republic is unexpected, to say the least, in today's world of political, economic, religious, sectarian, and racial violence. As the world watched with admiration, the Nepalese let a hallowed, and one would have thought deeply revered, institution quietly pass into history. Revenge was not in the air. The victors didn't even flex their muscles in celebration, unlike the usual winner behaviour in South Asia.
Neither did the vanquished strike back in retaliation. That's the other amazing thing. It couldn't be that the king and the institution of monarchy had no following left among the people, bureaucracy, and armed forces; and we know how unpopular rulers or leaders would do anything to foment trouble to retain their rein on power. But nothing of the sort has happened in Nepal. Whatever King Gyanendra's other faults may be
