Under the ballroom's crystal chandeliers, Nepal's Maoists are holding court. The cavernous room in one of Kathmandu's former palaces is packed; outside the roads are choked with cars hurrying people to the gathering.
Members of the ultra-left politburo sit under a big red banner. In the middle is Puspa Kamal Dahal – a former teacher better known by his nom de guerre, Prachanda – the man making an aggressive bid to become Nepal's next prime minister.
Lining the corridors are portraits of the old days of the Himalayan former Hindu kingdom – tiger-hunting expeditions; royal households in red tunics and plumed headgear; and doughty queens in uncomfortable-looking Victorian-era regalia.
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