The day had just begun in Patna, the capital city of Bihar, when the sound of vendors shouting out the headlines filled the air.
The streets, already bustling with rickshaws and bicycles, were now crowded with people eager to get their hands on the day's newspaper.
Today's headline was not the usual political squabble or economic forecast; it was something historic.
At a busy railway station, passengers waiting for their trains crowded around the newspaper stand. The vendor, a wiry man with a quick smile, was selling copies faster than he could count.
The Hindustan Times was headlined with "NEPAL JOINS INDIA: A UNION FOR THE AGES".
Beneath the bold letters was a photograph of Prime Minister Rohan Varma and King Tribhuvan, shaking hands and signing the documents.
