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bbc reporter meeting nepal's maoist leader

Meeting Nepal's Maoist leader

By Charles Haviland
BBC News

On Monday, Nepal's Maoist movement marks its 10th year of insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom.

The Maoist rebel leader Prachanda
Nepal's Maoist rebel leader Prachanda spoke exclusively to the BBC
In a rare move, the rebel leader, Prachanda, spoke out about the conflict that has claimed some 13,000 lives - and the possible exile or execution of Nepal's King Gyanendra.

It was difficult to believe that the man sitting modestly in the corner was Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known under his nom-de-guerre of Prachanda ("The Fierce One").

This is a man whose face, until a few weeks ago, was known only through a single photograph, taken in rural Nepal in 2001.

In that photo his forehead is creased in a frown of concentration.

The 52-year-old man I met, with his speckled beard, was mild-mannered, shy, joking, laughing nervously - more humorous than intimidating and without the overt charisma of some revolutionary leaders.

He looked more like a popular uncle than a communist who has been underground since 1981 and waging war for a decade.

His number two, Baburam Bhattarai, with a cloth cap and eagle eyes, and flanking Prachanda, looked much more revolutionary.

But once seated in front of the camera, Prachanda grew more intense, periodically thrusting forward his tensely hunched shoulders as he spoke.

It was as if the words were inside him, waiting to be forcefully expelled.

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