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I'm completely shocked -- I don't know what to say.
It's incredible. I was in Nepal twice in the last six months, and I had actually met Crown Prince Dipendra at a party.
I particularly remember that he was a very charismatic person. I thought they were all amazing people. The crown prince sounded very very sensible, I had talked to him while I was there.
I had a great regard for the King (Birendra of Nepal). He was a very nice human being and a very learned man. As a kid, I had a brief meeting with him which I shall always remember. It was during Dashera, when the King meets the citizens and applies tikka.
I was part of the group of people, and when I went up to him and introduced myself, he told me he wanted to talk to me later.
That never happened, but I was thrilled to meet him. It was enough for me to meet him for that short moment. My sister, Manisha (Koirala) knew them well, though I don't know the details of her meetings with them.
I spoke to my father, Prakash Koirala, just now and he told me that the whole of Nepal is stunned. And imagine, at a time like this, they have to elect another king. I think -- and this is my personal opinion -- that the Nepalese people should wait for some time before they elect someone.
Anyway, I guess the government has thought it all out, the country has to move on. Meanwhile, at a personal level, I am still in a state of shock -- the news is too big to digest so soon.
Note: Siddharth Koirala, brother of film star Manisha, is a relative of Nepal Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala.
As told to Lata Khubchandani
Death of a Monarch: The Complete Coverage
EXTERNAL LINKS The Constitution of Nepal All about Nepal Laws of Nepal The Cabinet Information on Nepal The World Factbook: Nepal Nepal News The Nepal Media Nepal Home Page Government and Politics Directory Political History Embassy of India Embassy World New York Times: Royal Family of Nepal Are Killed in Palace Shooting
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