Source: The Hindustan Times
KATHMANDU, NEPAL, December 26, 2001: As war clouds gather over India and Pakistan, Nepal is busy short-listing Vedic peace hymns for the inauguration of the three day South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit beginning here from January 4. A SAARC diplomat said on Wednesday, “Nepal is making a departure from the past by agreeing to open the summit with readings from the Vedas.” Confirming this , a Nepalese official indicated that the hymns would be related to world peace. The SAARC official said, “Unlike Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives, Nepal, despite being a Hindu nation, seldom gives a religious colour to SAARC programs.” He said there had been requests from various quarters to include religious recitations in the inauguration.