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‘I
cannot believe that I’ll never see the King again’
In
this first-person account, Manisha
Koirala
talks about the recent events in Nepal and her association
with the royal family
 There
was no one in the royal family who ever displayed any violent
tendencies. I’ve known them since the time I was little; we’ve
always had a familiar sort of relationship. While in Kathmandu,
I also met Dipendra Singh, then the crown prince, on quite
a few occasions. He always came across as extremely level-headed
and well-mannered — certainly not the kind of person who would
resort to such aberrant behaviour. The news of the massacre
has come as such a big shock to me. I’m truly overcome with
grief. As soon as I heard the news — I was abroad at that
time — I decided to take the next flight out to Mumbai. My
plan was to proceed to Nepal from there and attend the last
rites of the royal family. I was so keen on this, but most
flights to and from Nepal had been cancelled, and I couldn’t
make it on time.
I hope
the truth will be unearthed at the earliest. I have always
had the utmost respect for the King and the Queen and each
time I went home I would make it a point to call on them.
They were so very encouraging and appreciative about my work.
My heart
aches when I think of what is happening in my homeland. For,
though I’ve been living in Mumbai for the past 10 years now,
home will always be Nepal. My closest friends are those I’ve
grown up with in Kathmandu. For them, I’m just a girl they
know, not a movie star. But that has never been an issue with
me, since, having grown up in a political family, attention
is not something new for me. Anyhow, I feel so much more comfortable
in Nepal; I know everyone and everything there so well. I’m
really disturbed and troubled about the state of affairs in
the country.
This
incident has upset and put a lot of pressure not only on my
grandfather, G P Koirala, who is the Prime Minister of the
country, but also on the rest of my family. More than anything
else, I want to be with them at this moment to see them through
these trying times.
This
incident still hasn’t sunk in... I can’t believe that I will
never see King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya again.
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