Americans and Nepalis who attended the various talk programs this week in New York that Dahal addressed said they were expecting a sloganeering ex-guerrilla who would spout Maoist jargon, but were pleasantly surprised.

"I went in thinking he'd be a gufadi, but I hate to admit it he surpassed my expectations," said one Nepali academic who attended the Asia Society talk program. "He talked the talk, and now I will wait to see if he can walk the walk."

American participants said they found Dahal surprisingly succinct, to the point and coherent. "It almost made me forget that he is responsible for the deaths of so many Nepalis," said one American Nepali who attended one of the meetings in Queens, "he demonstrated wit and modesty, and some flare of revolutionary zeal when needed."

Although he tried to gloss over YCL excesses and appeared defensive on human rights, Dahal seemed to have done his homework on investment, the economy and on hydropower and tourism being the twin engines of growth. Questions remained: how he would be able to tame the YCL and militant unions to entice foreign investors, on handling the hardline factions within his party, and his commitment to democracy.

On Friday, Nepali community leaders and international experts and scholars were met with Dahal in a roundtable at The New School University. This was followed by a public talk in which Dahal made an English presentation that
was followed by a one hour question and answer session moderated by Kul Chandra Gautam.

On Saturday, Dahal addressed a Nepali community event organised by the Chian Foundation hall in Astoria, Queens. "The morning shows the day," Dahal told the audience in English, saying Nepalis could look forward to better days under his leadership. There was applause.

At the New School's Tischman Auditorium organised by its India China Institute the prime minister had read his scripted presentation in English and followed up with an impromptu talk in Nepal for almost 10 minutes to the crowd's delight. Both his speeches drew steady applause throughout the evening.

When someone asked him how in the 21st century his party still clings to philosophies of dead foreigners and why in public events his party still posts large portraits of dead foreigners, Dahal said what mattered was Prachandapath. But quickly he found his footing and pointed out that America too still hangs on to philosophies and photos of dead people such as George Washington and Lincoln. Laughter.

"It seems to me that some of you should be doing this back, home, you know, running for election. Actually I think some of you should have been the prime minister," he said smiling to roaring approval.

And someone said that politicians should talk less work more so I thought okay I should just leave at that very moment. But then I realized that today my work is to talk so now I am caught in a dilemma," he added enjoying his own thought process and the receptive feedback from his audience.

Recently, a Kuwaiti billionaire flew to Kathmandu in his private jet and wanted to see Dahal. The prime minister wondered aloud: "I don't know why but these days a lot of millionaires suddenly seem to want to meet me."

After sensing a receptive audience, Dahal warmed up to his cause: "Everyone is for the democratic republic these days, and till not long ago people thought I was the devil himself," he said, "and we proved them wrong, these American thinktanks and everyone else who was not in Nepal but deciding ahead of time how the Maoists would fare."