The rotund, genial owner of a trekkers' lodge in Nepal looked up admiringly at the late king Birendra's portrait, and said with unexpected vehemence: 'Birendra was a good man. But we hate the new king. He has no right to be our ruler.'
Not so long ago, the lodge owner would have regarded the expression of such anti-royalist sentiment as nothing less than treason. But after two years of political turmoil following the shocking palace massacre of Birendra and his family, the people of Nepal - the world's only Hindu kingdom - appear to be discarding age-old beliefs and inhibitions.
Caught in the maelstrom of popular distrust and daily street demonstrations, Nepal's new ruler, King Gyanendra, 56, who ascended the throne after his brother's assassination in June 2001, is struggling to retain his exalted position.
Before his fortuitous rise to power, Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev was a prosperous businessman, with major interests in hotels, tobacco and tea.
During his short reign, Nepal, which became a democracy only in 1990, has seen its parliament dissolved, its constitution virtually suspended, and its governments caught in a revolving door, with yet another prime minister appointed last month by royal decree.
The country's major political parties are openly critical of the king for subverting democracy, and are making potentially damaging demands, such as a petition seeking a full accounting of royal assets.