Winter was always going to be a test for Nepal as to how long it could assert its political autonomy against India.  After holding out for four months and the passes with China continuing to be blocked, its political leadership has acknowledged most of the Indian concerns. This sets the stage for reconciliation but not after Nepal’s people underwent an unbearable suffering due to shortages of fuel, medicines and other daily essentials. Their travails began soon after Nepal’s Constituent Assembly approved its new constitution in September. Madhesis, Nepalis of the plains, blockaded all access points from India. The tacit support by South Block and the Sangh Parivar to the Madheshi blockade was common knowledge on both sides of the border. Initially, Nepal’s three major parties stood up to the arm-twisting. They took Nepal’s case to the UN and held talks with China to open more border points. But China’s supply of fuel was inadequate to make up for the blockade on the border with India. India made a subtle concession when it signalled the Hindu Parivar hotheads to back off from demanding Nepal be made a Hindu Rashtra again. Kathmandu too played a deft hand. It made Deputy Prime Minister and Hindutva votary Kamal Thapa the chief interlocutor with India. Kathmandu also enlisted a Madheshi firebrand of yesteryear to hold talks on the Madheshi issue. Now that both countries seem to be making up, India must hold back from any chest-thumping. It might congratulate itself on pulling off a second successful blockade since the late 80s. But bitter memories and resentment do not fade away. The world too has changed since then. China today is quite capable of opening all-weather crude pipeline and rail links to Nepal. India has been rough and arrogant with Nepal ever since the dispute began. Last year’s Modi effect has been irretrievably lost and New Delhi will have to start all over again to safeguard its security interests in Nepal as well as bring to fruition ambitious hydel projects that will light up large parts of deprived Madhesh, UP and Bihar.