Kathmandu, March 20 -- One Prachanda,

With Mao's Red Book tucked in his bag,

Wandering from door to door seeking shelter

In the Magar hamlets of Rukum-

Was left behind somewhere along the way there.

Another Prachanda,

Forgetting the very trails he once carved,

Marching on highways built by others,

Was left behind too,

Amid the crowd of the satiated.

- Prachanda, left behind by Raju Syangtan

Six years ago, journalist and poet Raju Syangtan penned a free verse directed at Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chairman of then CPN (Maoist Centre). The poem served as a poignant critique of how the Maoist movement and its leadership were drifting away from their foundational beliefs. In the wake of the March 5 general election, those verses have tran...