Hats off to Sheetal Kumar for addressing such important questions in his Eyes Wide Shut column ('Open your eyes', #329). But I wonder if his analysis is not too sophisticated for the hill audience which doesn't want to listen to the fact that our Nepal is not as inclusive as we boast it is.

B Nepali,
email

. Who is this Hand (Foreign), and why, when he has so obviously lived here long enough to have the right to comment, does he prefer to remain anonymous?
Still, even though his Moving Target is accompanied by a fetching sketch rather than a photo, I\'ve enjoyed his thought-provoking contributions immensely. I only hope that Dahal and Bhattarai took the time to peruse his piece on Maoist economic policy ('You owe me', Foreign Hand, #329) and realise that there are people, foreign or not, who remain unswayed by their catchy slogans for a new Nepal and are waiting to see real results from their brand of communism.

Tilak Prasad Yadav,
Kuleswor

. You do a great job of givng space to voices not often heard, whether of dissent, moderation, or ethnic minority. But I find it depressing that women are so under-represented in your columns. It's true, Sheetal Kumar and Foreign Hand do not have photographs accompanying their columns, and that gender subterfuge may be part of their hidden identity. But how about some concrete evidence that there are women out there who write columns on things other than music and meditation. Perhaps you should have an anonymous contest to pick a new political columnist, and see what comes up.

Janaki Gurung,
email