Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport gives few hints of a new Nepal. There is amiable confusion and the luggage takes inordinately long to arrive—but after all, this is the country that took 240 years to recognise that the king might be an avatar of Vishnu, but not necessarily the best person to rule. Thankfully, despite the Maoists dismantling the monarchy, with their leader Prachanda now the first republican prime minister, Nepal continues with the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle in governance. This you realise the moment you step into the airport. You are greeted with marigold garlands instead of stern surveillance. A cat lies curled on a chair and is clearly the airport’s mascot, because it appears to have its own cushion.