Nepali literature goes global

March 2, 2005
5 MIN READ
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A couple of online Nepali literary/art journals, which are both thematic and eclectic in their choice of poetry and arts, have started to tap the world wide web, showcasing the works of both known and unknown contemporary Nepali poets and artists.

Nepalikalasahitya.com, an online literary journal, has taken up the initiative to introduce Nepali literature to global level—especially among the Nepali diaspora.

With its good selection of old as well as fresh poems of Iswar Ballav, Tulsi Diwas, Bimal Nibha, Dr Banira Giri, Manjul, Dr Benju Sharma, Shyamal, to name a few, and new short stories/poems of other talents, this site shows that the imagination is alive and well. And the aspiring poet, novelist, journalist, essayist, creative non-fiction writer—or simply a curious reader who relishes good writing (poem/short stories) – could do no better than to begin with www.nepalikalasahitya.com, a venture of MountDigit Publication (P.) Ltd.

“Our objective is to let the Nepali diaspora and the international community to learn about the rich literature and arts of Nepal—both contemporary as well as classical,” said Rajeswor Karki, publisher of the website. “We also want to introduce the information technology to our littérateurs,” added Karki, himself a literary figure.

According to Karki, in the upcoming editions, the journal has plans to publish the English translations of Nepali literary works as well. “We will also provide a forum to Nepali artistes and photographers,” he added.

The website also features biographies of literary figures. In the first issue, the journal has covered the life of Parijaat. The site also displays pictures of more than 60 contemporary Nepali poets, hundreds of best Nepali songs and ghazals and links to the works of contemporary Nepali painters. In its first issue, it has covered the paintings of Manuj Babu Mishra- a distinguished name in the Nepali painting scene.

“In the poetry sector, Nepal doesn’t lag behind compared to the international arena,” Momila, a well-known poet and editor of nepalikalasahitya.com told Nepalnews. “We are, however, yet to compete at the international level in the areas of fiction, stories and drama. It is because arts and literature are not our first priority,” she added.

Poet and advisor to nepalikalasahitya.com, Usha Sherchan, said arts and literature are the hallmarks of any civilized nation. “Such works that intend to introduce the hidden Nepali treasures to the vast literary sky of the world must be supported by all,” she added.

Another Nepali literary online journal, www.nepalikavita.com proclaims to showcase the poems written in Nepali language across the world. It also contains the English translations of some Nepali poems and contains two dozen plus Nepali poems of Bhim Darshan Roka, translated by Maya Watson. It is indeed a web library of Nepali poems, as proclaimed by its publisher. The poems of Ashesh Malla, Bairagi Kainla, Balkrishna Sama, Banira Giri, Bhanubhakta Acharya, Bhimnidhi Tiwari, Bhupi Sherchan, Bimal Koirala, Bimal Niva, Chhetra Pratap Adhikari, Hari Bhakta Katuwal, Ishwor Ballav, Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Lekhnath Poudyal, Mohan Koirala, Momila, and Tulsi Diwas- a few names to reckon with among Nepal’s contemporary literary figures- and many other unknown but powerful poems of aspiring poets can be read on this site.

Under the Nepali Kabitasangraha (Nepali poetry collection) link of this site, readers will find hundreds of poems in the poem collections of some of Nepal’s most gifted poets including Bhupi Serchan’s Ghumne Mech Mathi Andho Manchhe (42 poems), Gopal Prasad Rimal’s Aama ko Sapana (28 poems), Manjul’s Anubhutika patra-patra oth haru (100 plus poems), 20 plus poems of Bairagi Kaila, Sarubhakta’s Itar Samay (more than 45 poems), Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s Laxmi Kabita Sangraha (88 poems), and the works of many brilliant Nepali poets not mentioned here.

However, the site needs to update its Taja Khabar (Breaking News) section where the “fresh” news is more than a year old.

From the works of Nepal’s Great Poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota- a prolific writer of undisputed classics- and other giants of Nepali poetry like Siddhicharan Shrestha, Gopal Prasad Rimal, Lekhnath Poudyal, Bhupi Sherchan and others to today’s Mohan Koirala, Ishwor Ballav, Bikram Subba, Bimal Niva, Shailendra Sakar, Manjul etc there are many poems that are worth reading and reciting many times. And the selection of the poems is such that it has something to say to everybody.

Also, these sites have done a very commendable job by giving enough space to young and aspiring writers and poets of today’s Nepal. After all, though we can be proud of the works of Devkota, Paudyal, Shrestha and Rimal, it is the likes of Koirala, Ballav, Niva, Subba, Manjul and Sakar and the other talents who we can expect to enrich and advance the Nepali language and literature further.

“The works of art and literature of our times, in a way, will define our age and how we lived,” said Momila. “The world history is witness that conflict gives rise to world-class literature. Nepalis are, however, yet to create such works,” she added.

If such works are created or are being created, Nepali web journals would be one of the best place to introduce them to the global audience. nepalnews.com Akhil Tripathi/ B. Yogi Mar 02 05