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Prachanda to gift Indian author's book to UN chief |
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By: Agencies |
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Date:
2008-11-01 |
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Place: Kathmandu |
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GIFTED: UN chief Ban Ki-Moon with Nepalese PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, in Nepal, yesterday. pic/Ap | As UN chief Ban Ki-Moon arrived in Kathmandu yesterday, Nepal's PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' had lined up an unusual gift besides hosting a sumptuous banquet in his honour. The UN secretary general and his entourage were to be gifted copies of Prachanda: The Unknown Revolutionary, the first biography in English offering intimate glimpses into the personal life of the former guerrilla, penned by Indian journalist Anirban Roy.
"Roy called me on Thursd-ay, saying the PMO had rung him up saying they wanted to buy copies of the book to present to the visiting delegation," said Madhav Lal Maharjan, CEO of Mandala Book Point, the publishers.
"Everything was shut due to Diwali. So, I rushed to our showroom to open it for an hour."
Roy, a journalist, had said he was moved to write the book after he went to Nepal to cover the pro-democracy movement against King Gyanendra's regime in 2006 and found there was little authentic information on the leader, who had lived underground for 25 years.
The Maoist government is excited about Ban's visit, as it will enhance its image as a legitimate one. The gift is probably intended to reinforce that image in the eyes of the world. |
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