Encounter with an ex-king
February 17, 2020  10:10
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Our former colleague Abhishek Mande Bhot, who was returning from an assignment in Nepal, reports meeting the former kingdom's former monarch Gyanendra on a Kathmandu-Delhi Vistara flight on Sunday evening. Gyanendra, says Abhishek, 'was extremely polite and warm. 


When, towards the end of the flight, the crew asked if they could take a picture with him and his wife, he gladly obliged. The crew thanked him for the picture and the former king replied, "Thank you for taking care of me!"


He was the last person to get on to the flight and the first person out. His wife and he hold diplomatic passports so they were cleared out almost immediately but they were travelling with some other people, presumably, their family. So, he patiently waited for everyone to get done at immigration and they left together, notes Abhishek.


"On the tarmac, I excused myself and asked him if it'd be forward of me to request for a picture, he said 'not at all' and happily obliged. I told him this was my first time in Nepal and he said he hoped I'd enjoyed my time there and we made some small talk thereafter," says Abhishek. 


''We ran into each other after immigration again and greeted each other," adds Abhishek who told the former monarch, "I hope you have a good stay in India."


He was smiling throughout and he said thanks. Then he patted Abhishek's back and they parted ways.
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