Recollection of Readings on Kishore Pahadi’s Books

I was thinking to write something about Kishore Pahadi for my blog on what I think about his writing but I didn’t find time when I was in Nepal. I was passing very busy schedules in Kathmandu. And, when I came to London, it was wonderful for few days to wander around and enjoy the new place. But later again, I was busy to search the job. Once I got the job, I engaged again.

But today when I saw Kishore Pahadi’s Face Book, I was again reminded of what I was thinking for long time. It was quite impressive to see all the books that he wrote as author, co-author, translator or editor. His first book was co-authored with Ashesh Malla, and it was a collection of short stories. It was ‘Katha Kon’. Some of the stories from this collection were dramatised and were performed by Sarwanaam.

‘Ghar-Khandahar’ was another collection of short stories and it was his first sole book. I remember reading few stories from ‘Bishudai’. Most of the stories in this collection are excellent and this book was also awarded with Sajha Purashkar, an award given to the best book of the year by the Sajha Publication. I freshly remember one scene of Bishu dai, where Bishu dai paints his canvass with blood as he didn’t have money to purchase the colour.

‘Saharma Batti Niveko Bela’ is the collection of poems by Kishore Pahadi. I couldn’t exactly remember any poem right now, but I remember once he was reciting few poems from this collection in Ratnanagar of Chitwan, and received huge clapping.

‘Tyo Talako Malik’ is a collection of translated stories from different international writers. Parashu Pradhan acknowledged this book as an inspiration to translate and edit the ‘Bishwa Prashiddha Yaun Kathaharu’. ‘Kimwadanti’ is a collection of short short stories. One time, Khem Aryal and I started translating those stories into English. Khem finished his part, but I couldn’t finish my one.

Another collection of his stories is ‘Sarbaghya Ra Sex’. It was his famous book. I remember the author presented a pen which was watching the secret romance of a woman in the absence of her husband.

He wrote couple of books for children. When I was Assistant Editor for Sunkeshra, the monthly magazine for children, I had an opportunity to be the first reader of those stories. ‘Lamlamti Dam’ was the collection of such short stories for children. It’s nice to see that he is writing continuously and I wish all the best for his writing.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment.

(From: http://khaledhosseini.com/)

The journey of a confirmed Yatri

Krishna Shah Yatri had a fix on reading Balakrishna Sama's plays in his schooldays in Udayapur. And having grown up seeing lavish productions of mythological plays by the Newar community of Udayapur, Krishna started his own theater troupe, the JyotiPunja theater, and performed to crowds of thousands.

When in Kathmandu, he joined the Sanskritik Sansthan and learned the art of theater in depth. After graduating from there, Krishna again established the JyotiPunja troupe and performed a play each month where he directed plays written by Sarubhakta, Govinda Gothale and Sama, among others.

“The biggest challenge of my life came to me when I had to produce a play where all the actors were deaf,” remembers Krishna.This challenge turned out to be fruitful for Krishna because his play bagged both the best drama and best direction in the National Theater Festival of 2000.

Along with doing theater Krishna is also a prolific writer who has six books in his credit. All this in his bag, Krishna has recently hopped into a new boat, that of film direction. Although shy to announce which project he is working on, he is joyous to be exploring this new territory. Not that he is not prepared for it already, for he is a graduate of the now defunct National Studio of Film College but his entry into this new visual world is recent. Having already directed two music videos, one for Anand Karki and another for Uditnarayan Jha's upcoming album, Upahar part two, Krishna seems geared to his new role as a film director.

A person with a warm heart, Krishna says he feels most happy working with kids. Currently also a teacher of theater at Little Angels School, Krishna is awed by the tremendous interest and talent his students have for theater.

As a writer, Krishna likes to keep his themes in the realistic realm. “There is so much around us. All we need to do is just pick elements from there and put them together with integrity,” says Krishna about his writing style.

Whatever he does he does it with a heart that sees the varied aspects of being human. We only wish Krishna a fulfilling journey as he has come to a new bend and film directing has opened up to him. At a time when the film industry is starving for new talent, the entry of Krishna, with all his experience and depth will be welcoming. Bon voyage, Krishna!

(From: The Kathmandu Post)

Critical Discources on Gopal Parajuli

Gopal Parajuli is a postmodern poet in Nepali Literature. He has published hundreds of poems, plays, short stories,essays, interviews & articles in most of the leading magazines and papers from Nepal & E-magazines-Poettext (U.K.), Cubed (Canada), Paradesh (USA), Panorama (Canada), Peace Media (peacejournalism.com) (America), Freenepal (Mosco), News Blaze (US), Pressbox (London), Scoop (Newzealand) and News From Bangladesh (Bangladesh). Parajuli is currently the editor of ‘Garima’, Nepal’s foremost literary magazine.

Gopal Parajuli's other literary works include Samanantar Sadak (Parallel Roads), a play, Nayan Ishwarko Ghoshana (Declaration of a New God), an epic poem, Samayako Prasthan (The Departure of Time), an epic poem, Shabda Shatabdi (The Lost Century), an epic poem, Deshmathi Alekh (A Salute to the Nation), an epic poem, Arko Disha (New Direction), a collection of short stories, Himalmathi Alekh (Mark on the Summit), an epic poem, Dishahin Akash (The Broken Sky), a collection of short stories, Prithbimathi Alekh (The Mother-Figure), an epic poem, Sadakpachhi Sadak (Road After Road), a play, and Golardhaka Dui Chheu (The Two Extremes), a collection of one act plays.

“When he wields a pen, however, he becomes a changed man. He speaks with the voice of a prophet, and the words he sets upon the page breath fire.” writes Dr. Sanjeev Uprety. According to Michael Levy, Gopal Parajuli is a poet extra-ordinary, who composes ambrosial messages as though they were transmitted via God. Levy writes “His soul evokes true purpose of vitality”.

Recently, a collection of critical commentaries on Gopal Parajuli’s work has been published as “Critical Discources on Gopal Parajuli”. The book is edited by Susan M. Griffith-Jones. Susan Griffith-Jones has assembled a collection of commentaries by variety of authors familiar with Gopal's literary work. Some of them are Sandy Chilcote, Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai, Dr. Jaya Raj Acharya, Dr. Sanjeev Uprety, Dr. Shreedhar Gautam, Tek B. Karki, HB Bhandari Prabhat, Suresh Hachekali, Tulasi Prasad Acharya, Mukti Ghimire 'Pathik' and Kamala Sarup.

About Books: with Ashesh Malla

By Avash Karmacharya

Born in Dhankuta, writer and veteran theater artiste Ashesh Malla, 52, is the director of the Sarwanam theater troupe. An MA in Nepali Literature from Tribhuvan University, Ashesh wrote poems and stories from an early age. He started his career as an officer in Family Planning Commission and worked there for three years. Later, he joined Patan Campus as a lecturer of Nepali Literature. Today, he is an Associate Professor at Padma Kanya Multiple Campus. Malla, who has acted in over one hundred street plays and dabalis, started the theater group Sarwanam in 1982. An author of over twenty-two plays and books such as Sadaksamma (drama), Anadhikram (anthology of plays), Ardhabiram (collection of stories), Ashesh, once an avid columnist, has recently brought Eklo Ekanta (anthology of poems) from Sajha Prakashan.

Tell us about the books you're currently reading…
I've just finished reading John Nobbs' Frankly Acting and have started Abhinash Shrestha's Indrakamal Ra Andhakamal.

What genre/s do you prefer to read?
If I've access, why would not I go for all? I also can't deny that we've so many choices today to pick from and read. But I enjoy reading books that are related to my profession. So I mostly pick theatrical philosophies.

Who inspired you to pick up the reading habit?
My father is an avid reader. I still remember the time when I was very young. My father always had a book in his hand; and even in his ascending eighties now, he reads like anything. During that time, having books at home in a place like Dhankuta was a great deal. We had a sort of home library. I was never forced to read. But I loved to see my father's attachment with books. Therefore, I was influenced by him and started reading. After coming to Kathmandu, I got a chance to dive into varieties of books.

One interesting reading habit that you have…
I strongly believe that books are also living beings. They can feel sorrows and happiness. So I simply hate those who fold books and mishandle them. I don't even like people writing here and there on books. When I read, I make a point to underline important things by pencil and erase the lines once I'm over that thing.

Who is your favorite writer and why?
I'd say BP Koirala and Gopal Prasad Rimal. I find it stupid when people say we don't have good writers in Nepal. I must say they haven't read Nepali Literature to this day. BP's Modiain alone is sufficient to tell what a good literature is all about. Similarly, Gopal Prasad Rimal's poems are full of life and realities. The way he presents feelings in his lines are simply awesome. He has been a great source of inspiration to me.

What are the books that have touched you deeply? Can you name a few of them?
I finished reading Indian writer Mohan Rakesh's Aadhe Adhure in one hour and re-read it immediately. Now one can understand how beautiful that book is. Likewise, I read BP's Modiain twice. And no matter how many times I read this book, I always find something new and interesting to learn. I was deeply touched by Karna Shakya's Soch, Dhruba Chandra Gautam's Alikhit and Peter Brook's Empty Space too. Honestly, so many books are touching. But today, people have become so commercial that books with actual essence remain behind the curtain.

Which comes first in reading — knowledge or entertainment?
Undoubtedly, knowledge. I know that people also read for entertainment. But that seriously never happened to me. I always try to relate my reading with my profession. Perhaps, that is why I read books to attain more knowledge.

With the growth of cinema, television and so many other forms of entertainment, do you think books have been overshadowed?
I agree that the ratio of reading books has certainly come down. But there's no substitute for books. When films were introduced, people thought theaters would shut down. Did that happen? In the same manner, nothing can replace book reading. An Israeli friend told me it's not how many books people read; what matters more is one genuine person reading your book.

When you write a book, you mainly write about…
I write about people's sufferings and the nation. In a country where people don't even have access to water and salt, they dehydrate and die. What's the point in writing about how big are the mountains and how beautiful are the flowers here? That's why I make point to write about human sufferings.

How much time and money do you spend on books?
Books have always been one of my basic needs. When I go abroad, I see my friends busy in buying fancy dresses, and I, “a boring person” in their words, get myself into bookstores.

A word of advice to readers…
Books are the only true source of knowledge. So you don't have an escape.

Your favorite saying on reading...
“See yourself as the audience sees you.” - John Nobbs.

(From: The Kathmandu Post: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=136403)