Some poems may refuse to be translated for their nature: Dr. Mukul Dahal

Poet Mukul Dahal

Dr. Mukul Dahal is a poet and translator. He has one Nepalese poetry book 'Seemateet Seemanta' to his credit. He was an Absolute Winner of Nosside International Poetry Contest - Italy (2009). His literary writings have been published in various Nepalese and English literary journals including Madhuparka, Garima, London Grip, Glasgow to Saturn, November Sky Poetry, Snow Jewel. Dr. Dahal has translated a number of works of fiction and poetry from Nepal. 

The Editor of Cactus, Gopi Sapkota, recently had conversation with him about his writing and current projects. Following are the excerpts:

What are you working on nowadays?
I’m currently contemplating and working on two ambitions: an anthology of poems and an anthology of prose pieces.

I have poems written over a considerable period of time after I got my first anthology published fifteen years ago. These poems need to be anthologised.

Secondly, the prose I mentioned is in my head for long. I had started toying with the idea when I was in Nepal. I thought of writing about poetry and poetic process. The idea has seen a little shift now. I wish to include travel memoir and reflections on various activities I got engaged in during all these years. These pieces would be pieced together and will bear diverse colours in terms of writing style and perspectives.

Why do you write? What would happen if you don’t write?
This is an important question. I began writing not even knowing why I write. Later it became my way of living, way of looking at things around me, nature, life and responding to the incidents in a specific way. I began to be more aware of the sensibility I inherently possessed and the sense of empathy. These and my imagination urged me to read books and play with words, language and create something of my own. To create something of your own gives a fascinating feeling. It purges you off many cluttered experiences. I also believe that writing purifies your soul and your being. The feeling of purgation and going through a process of purification gives an immense pleasure. I write to relish this.

Not writing or reading for me is like being separated from a beloved. You have so much a desire to say something and your mouth is shut. It would be a feeling of pain and agony. Life is never ending source of inspiration for art and writing. It throws at you miracles, unpredictability with a call to write about them. How would you remain aloof from writing?

It would be interesting to know about your motivation and passion towards literature. Could you please tell us about your early days of writing?
To reflect on my early motivation, I remember my growing up in the rural village of eastern Nepal. My family had farm and I remember the hard work, my affinity with the soil and the awareness of passing of time year after year being aware of each season and its offering to plants and animals we kept. I was imaginative by nature, the mystery of nature wondered me a lot. We had a tall wooden house with tin roof. It leaked at places whenever there was a downpour. During a stormy night, the house shook and we woke up and stayed awake until the rainstorm subsided. All these had a deep effect in my mind and left me with more imagination and wonders. I felt like doing something but did not know what. Later when I went to school, I held fascination towards creative pieces we had to study in our textbooks. My elder brother who was in high school used to write poems. I started copying his poems and making my own with some changes and moderation. This was my early inspiration and motivation. When I was in high school, I began reading literary works, specifically books of fiction. I remember reading ‘Sirishko Phool’ by Parijat and ‘Chapaieka Anuhar’ by Daulat Bikram Bista. In the text book of Nepali subject, I came across poems of maha kabi Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Lekhnath Paudyal and short stories of Poshan Pandey, Vijaya Malla, Guru Prasad Mainali, travel essays of Taranath Sharma and many other great writers and poets of Nepali literature. These works moved me, fascinated me and I was unresistingly drawn to them. Later, when I was in post-secondary education, I got similar exposure which paved my way to writing.

Your poems are published in international literary journals. You are the winner of Nosside International Prize for poetry for 2009. Could you please tell us about your poetic journey to competition?
My journey to the UK higher education and my study of creative writing provided me with avenues of exposure to international journals. The writing course was a chance to know even more seriously, the importance of editing and honing.

Towards the end of the writing course, our gurus discussed publication and the ways to get our voices heard. They encouraged us to send our work to journals and literary contests. I sent to journals and got rejections from many and acceptance in some of them. However, submitting to the contests posed limitation as one needs to pay the entry fee in each of them. I sent to many without any positive result. I had almost given up as I came across Nosside World Poetry competition. It was a different kind of contest in which the poets required to submit their poems in their native languages accompanied by a translation in one of five official European languages. It also waived entry fee to those poets from developing countries. I submitted my poem titled ‘Chorieko’ meaning ‘Stolen’ which, to my pleasant surprise, won the prize of ‘absolute winner’.

Poet Mukul Dahal performing his poems at 'An Evening with Mukul Dahal'

How do you see the role of research when you do creative writing?
Research does have a positive role in creative writing. Poets and writers not only write from their lived experiences, but also about far off realities, experiences of people with different cultural and life experiences. In such context, research, a systematic and in-depth study of the subject, is the only way of acquiring the knowledge of the subject the writers would like to portray and infuse life in their writing. For that reason, research provides the depth and authenticity of the creative writing.

Who are your favourite writers?
It is hard to take a few names as there are so many good writers and I know, so doing, I will miss many. In Nepali literature, classic poets such as Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Lekha Nath Paudel, Siddhicharan Shrestha are my favourites as they of everyone else. Modern poets who have become inspiration for all the following generations such as Gopal Prasad Rimal, Hari Bhakta Katuwal, Bairagi Kaila, Bhupi Sherchan, Ishwor Ballav, Mohan Koirala, Bijaya Malla just to name a few. There are other poets such as Krishna Bhusan Bal, Abhi Subedi (also a critic, playwright) Shailendra Sakar, Shyamal, Parizat, Manjul, Abinash Shrestha, Bimal Nibha, Min Bahadur Bista and more. I’m sure I have missed good poets whose works I adore and draw inspiration from. Among fiction writers and playwrights Guru Prasad Mainali, Poshan Pandey, Bhimnidhi Tiwari, Bisheswor Prasad Koirala, Parizat, Bal Krishna Sama, Daulat Bikram Bista and so on. There are good many from the following generation of writers. The list will go long.

In the world literature there are many great literary figures ranging from Rabindra Nath Tagore, Mulk Raj Ananda, R.K. Narayan to T.S. Eliot, Pablo Neruda, Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, Robert Frost, Nazim Hikmet, Anton Chekhov, Boris Pasternak and Lev Tolstoy to name only a few.

How do you think we can promote Nepali writing in English at the international level?
The best way could be to get such writing published by an international publisher. When such publisher accepts a work for publishing, the work will have an international circulation and readership. Thus, it will get a global attention. The second, is to get it reviewed by world’s top journals and papers. The library cataloguing could be the next step.

Whenever we talk about uplifting Nepalese literature in the international level, people talk about the issue of translation. You have translated some literary works from Nepali to English. What are the key issues related to translating Nepali literary works into English?
The key issues are about retaining the flavour of the original of the translated piece. There is a risk of getting lost of so much of the original in translation. The case is more common with the poetry, but not limited to. While translating, the work that has grown out of a culture and matured in a linguistic frame is carried into another language. The music of the original language, onomatopoeic nature of some words and a playful pun created from within the creative potential of the language can be partially or in many cases totally lost in translation. For instance, these lines from Nawaraj Parajuli’s poem 'Sagarmathako Gahirai':

yo arabma rab chai kaha chha (यो अरबमा रब चाहीँ कहाँ छ?)
yasto lagyo u ish..wara  haina ish..para ho ( यस्तो लाग्यो उ इश..वर हैन इश..पर हो)

These lines can somehow be translated but the beauty in them created out of the design and the playfulness of the words will surely be lost in translation. In addition, the metrical verses can have giant hurdles. Some poems may refuse to be translated for their nature and the experiment in their form and use of language.

The prose may have less bumpy journey of translation. Yet, it cannot be without issues. In fiction, certain characters use particular use of Nepali, for example the translation of Nepali used by the characters such as Kaluwa and Prem Lalwa in Nayanraj Pandey’s novel ‘Ulaar’ would loose the beauty of their accent. There may be numerous such examples.

However, these issues cannot undermine the importance and value of translation. The world’s great classics originally authored in languages other than English have found their ways into English and have gained wide spread recognition. Great works of Nepali literature must be translated to gain global attention. Some have already been translated and many are in a wait. A coordinated body for a collective effort is required for that.

How do you see the contemporary Nepalese writing?
There is a great promise in contemporary Nepali writing, in all fronts: poetry, fiction and non-fiction. I see a surge of writing from groups of writers with diverse socio-economic, ethnic backgrounds and creative consciousness. This has enriched Nepali literature.

What would you suggest to the new writers?
Continuous commitment is required for someone to grow as a writer. One can draw as much from reading of the classics and contemporary writing as from the life experience and the world a writer is living in. Never hurry for publication, getting feedback and editing are important steps for gaining maturity.

Translation kills original and organic flavour of the text: Ishwor Kadel

Poet and Novelist Ishwor Kadel

Ishwor Kadel, a poet and novelist, is the former President of Village of English Writers (VIEW), an organization working to promote Nepali writing in English. Writer Kadel’s collection of English poems Baya was published in 2013, and his English novel Echoes was published in 2014. The Editor of Cactus, Gopi Sapkota recently had the conversation with him about Nepalese writing. Following are the excerpts:

What are you writing nowadays?

Nowadays, I am writing poems in English and Nepali language. Writing in Nepali has become a must to me. Working with the poets and writers and organizing poetry recital programs in Nepali, I slowly developed my habits in writing in Nepali too. I am also writing a novel in English side by side.

You have been writing poetry and fiction. Which is your favourite genre?

I have been working on both of the genres since the beginning though it started with poetry. In fiction, I find kind of freedom to write and to express what I want to. In poetry, freedom is there too but one must be aware of its length. On the other hand, we find the matter for poetry very often but for fiction, one needs long time to develop and conclude it. I think, poetry gets more sympathy than fiction.

Could you please tell us about the reader’s responses you got from your books Baya and Echoes?

I got mixed kind of response from the readers for my poetry and fiction. But what I got from these two books is experience. It is very difficult to become bestseller. To reach into the minds and hearts of readers needs more patience, hard work, dedication for creation and develop one’s reading culture very much. In fact, I never expected cheaper kind of praises on my writing and what responses I got from my readers helped me identify my strengths and weakness as a poet and a novelist. Considering my strengths and weaknesses, I am working on my writings these days.

There are very few writers in Nepal writing in English as compared to writing in native Nepali language. How do you see the readership for Nepali writing in English?

Gopi ji, readership in English is very low compared to Nepali language. If one writes in Nepali, the book reaches on everyone’s (Readers) hands and a couple days and nights will be enough to complete the text. At least, even beginners can have access of the books and language and content in it. But it needs time as well as courage to begin a book in English in our context. As I write in English, I do not have more readers like Nepali writers do but what I wish is I could have few but qualitative readers who could understand my writings.

How do you see the present status of Nepali writing in English?

Slowly and gradually, the university graduates and even undergrads have developed thirst for reading books. When I visit bookshops in Bharatpur and Kathmandu, I see young generations entering into the bookshops and buy books both in English and Nepali. But to grow as a successful writer in Nepal it takes more than a decade. But we need some writers writing in English or translating Nepali works in English.

How do you think we can uplift the Nepalese writing to influence at the international level?

Well, it has become cliché to say that translation is the one and only way to take our literature into the international arena. Yet, it is the truth. Secondly, the more important task to achieve this goal is of our government. Let me tell you Gopi ji, the ISBN number we get for our books is just a fake number. The government gives us ISBN number for our book but it does not enter the ISBN number to make it globalized. If we type ISBN number of our book in google, it does not recognize it. Is not it sad?

You have been engaged in translating Nepali writing into English. Could you please tell us about its scope and challenges?

Translation gives any piece of work a wide scope. It has been growing side by side with the original writing. But as a translator, one can never get satisfied with his own translation. Translation kills original and organic flavour of the text. A same piece of text can have more than one translation but each of them lacks something.

Could you explain some of the activities of the VIEW?

VIEW is a literary organization in Chitwan specially for organizing literary programs, publishing literary journals and magazines in English. It has already organized some poetry recitals of published poets and young poets from schools. Recently, VIEW has decided to publish a literary magazine in 2019.

What is your plan for future as a writer?

I have not made any specific plans because I am the least organized man. I hate plans because the time I make plan, it starts to deteriorate. But I know one thing that I won’t stop writing till my last breath.

What would you suggest to the new writers?

Every writer has his or her own style of writing and don’t try to follow the foot print of any other writers. But read as many books as you can from the writers from your country or abroad. Reading books is not optional for those who want to grow as writers.

Criticism is a Parasitic Plant : Prof Dr Govinda Raj Bhattarai

Prof. Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai

Prof. Dr. Govinda Raj Bhattarai, a Nepalese novelist, essayist, literary critic, linguist and translation consultant, is the author, translator, and editor of more than three dozen books. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Hyderabad, and he is widely known personality in Nepalese literary field. Muglaan, Sukaraatkaa Pailaa, Uttaraadhunik Bimarsha are some of his popular books. The Editor of Cactus, Gopi Sapkota recently had the conversation with him about Nepalese writing. Following are the excerpts:

Will you kindly give a glimpse of your publications to date?

Surely, I want to be remembered as a writer.  My first book came in 1974. It was a fiction. Since then I have four novels. Five collections of essays, six books of criticisms,  seven in translated form, (English-Nepali) about a dozen edited ones. There are two anthologies of poems. Almost a dozen of them are awaiting publication. They are travel accounts and essays.

You are one of the active writers and literary critics. What are you doing nowadays?

Mostly I spend time in reading or writing, sometimes in correcting my works too. Four decades of my literary journey has taught me - this (your love for literature) is an obsession, and you are never happy. The more you work the less satisfied you are. You crave for more beauty, perfection, ambition and keep on struggling all the time. There are three centenarian writers of great fame, namely, Madhav Ghimire, Satyamohan Joshi and Madanmani Dixit. They are struggling so hard at the moment, they are lost in creation. They are the pride of Nepali literature or this nation.  As I compare myself to them, there are about 40 years lying ahead of me. And think I too must work constantly and passionately. That I am doing. Someone who is absorbed in art is like that. It is almost a disease, a psychological one.

Currently, I am finalizing a book, that is, My Travels of the  Great Britain. It's a travelogue in Nepali, and will be translated into English later. I wrote this during my visits. I had two opportunities to visit parts of the UK. I was first invited by Biswasdip Tigela, a literary enthusiast in 2008, and three years later, (in 2011), by Jaya Rai and her team of International Nepali Literary Society (INLS) branch of the UK. Both were literary and cultural visits, lasting around a month. That is enough for me to experience wonderment and satisfaction.

I was quite excited to visit the UK. Because a Professor of English is teaching students in a reputed University without seeing the land which is the birthplace of the people and its language. From Chaucer to  Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats—all the Romantics, Victorians and Modernists— different authors and writers, historians, thinkers, and forerunners. I studied hundreds of them, thousands of their works, which formed part of our syllabus. I have also taught students about every period and trend without seeing the land.

In the first visit, I started from Dover Beach, saw Sandhurst, Central London to Edinburgh, Scotland. I attended many literary and cultural events organized by forerunners of Nepali language and literature in a new diaspora of the UK. They were groping for a newer identity and the term diaspora was used to define a kind of betweenness. I met almost 500 friends and students altogether. I gave some interviews, too. I had a short glimpse of their life. But mostly that was through the eyes of the Nepali native speakers, friends, relations, acquaintances, British Gurkhas. It was a filtered impression.

I have remembered all of them. Have recorded them in my diaries, I met Ganesh Rai who showed me central London, Mijas Tembe, and Mulibir took me to Sandhurst and Stratford Upon Avon. Biswas to many places including Canterbury. There were Lekhnath, Gopi, and many... They are all parts of the book.

The second visit was more vivid and wonderful. Again from Folkestone, Canterbury to Northern Ireland. It was on the occasion of the second International Conference of the INLS (International Nepali Literary Society). During those visits I kept diaries. I always do so wherever I do go—especially new lands.  Diary writing is my hobby or say obsession. I can put up with hunger, sleep, and tiredness but must record things and events that I come across using pen and paper.

During my second visit, the number of friends increased more and visits extended. I was able to have a glimpse of France, spend a week there because of Harihar Aryal, the kind brother there. I have recorded everything that I could see, hear and feel with the hope that coming generation will read the ecstasy, ignorance and wonder that these visits created in the minds of a Nepali writer. I have made records of how I spent my time with them. Though it was a short glimpse, only a flash. But that's good. We cannot write about our parents or close friends or lovely village environs, anything we are too close or always with them. There is an appropriate idiom that gives meaning to this sense-- "Familiarity breeds contempt".

In the intervening years, I remained too occupied by travels and writings, conferences and teaching or supervising students. So I could not produce these travel accounts in book form. There is almost a dozen awaiting publication. Now I have retired and am a bit free from the obligation of daily routine, but then it's difficult to find a smooth road to life, it is always rugged, craggy and harsh, a smooth road remains almost imaginary.

I hope in two years from now I will be able to get all my works published. There is no impediment. My family is so favorable, my little ones so understanding and good, the problem is my TIME.

There are ten books of travel, of the USA, UK, Greece, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Russia, Africa, China, India. These are the lands I traveled. One book on travels of Assam, Shillong, Tejpur of North Eastern India is also underway. Their translations will appear later on.

I thought of the UK first as there were two visits and my literary friends are waiting for this.

Prof Bhattarai

Your novel ‘Muglaan’ is quite popular. Why do you think that this novel caught the attention of readers?

I need to dig a bit into history to answer. It was a long time ago that I wrote it at the age of 21, in 1974, the following year got it published in Kathmandu. It has been almost 40 years now. It is the first book, a fiction detailing the road construction works in Bhutan and harsh life of the innocent people of Nepali origin that were suppressed, exploited and terrorized there.

After my Matriculation from Nepal (in 1970) I had an opportunity to visit Bhutan, a small dragon kingdom in the east. My uncle used to live there. I spent about two years there with his family. I had cousins of school going age, and there were illiterate villagers around, within the district of Dorokha. I was also hired as a private teacher by villagers to teach Nepali language to their children. My father had lived there long back and as their guru his name was still remembered with reverence so they loved me as guruputra (son of a guru). My uncle was also a popular pundit in the district.

In those days I came across many dipaaites (laborers who work for the Departments of Roads etc, a corrupt word) there, they were runaways. They were Nepalis from Nepal or Bhutanese citizens of Nepali origin, a mixed lot. The people in the first category were mostly hired by contractors, builders and were imprisoned like bonded laborers and exploited extremely. They had to walk through forests, cross rivers or climb and descend snowy mountains in the wilderness for ten or fifteen days to escape the atrocity. They were again caught or returned to the labor camps. I came across many such absconders in the village. Most of my characters in the novel are these people. Later I returned Nepal with that story in mind and wrote these experiences, got it published.

Famed writers Parijat and Chandraeswar Dubey had written the introduction to my novel. The genre of Nepali novels was just growing—a realistic description was still the popular method.

The hill people of Nepal are wanderers. They have been doing this for ages. Their spread throughout the northern part of India dates back to ancient days. So leaving their native place for earning has been a long-held tradition—be it to Lhasa (Tibet) during Mahakavi Devkota’s time as described in his epic Muna-Madan, or be it  Assam during Lil Bahadur  Chhetri’s time as  described in his novel Basain, or be it Hong Kong, Qatar, Malaysia (any labour diaspora) as in Devendra Bhattarai's Registan Diary.

So Lil Bahadur's Basain and Muglan are often compared to see the Nepalese people's psyche. Ignorant and uneducated, their lives were harrowed by poverty and hardship, the dictatorial rulers' cruelty and discrimination in the kingdom. So they left the native soil in search of livelihood or some kind of employment. These plus people's desire for financial relief forced our people to migrate permanently, or temporarily to find some seasonal jobs as labourer. Michael Hutt has translated the story of Basain as Mountains Painted with Turmeric.

Many readers find an image of their grandparents or parents or their own fate in Muglan-- cheated, exploited, oppressed and unable to return. I guess that is why it’s become popular.

There are three important points connected with the popularity of this novel. First, Professor  Michael Hutt wrote in an article (and later included in his book Eloquent Hills: Essays on Nepali Literature 2013) that Muglan is the story of Nepali diaspora in Bhutan. He showed how innocent Nepalese people are exploited cruelly, leading even to death. This opened up a way to describe Muglan as a diasporic novel.

Second, like many novels, Muglan was also aired in RJ Achyut Ghimire's captivating voice in a hugely popular program, Shruti Sambeg about a decade ago. It is available online. Many people living abroad unfailingly tuned into Achyut's program and identified with the narration of Muglan, which contains the story of the characters’ trouble in exile, their hopelessness, helplessness, and death in a distant land. It is a tragic story. I was influenced by Thomas Hardy back then. Those Nepalis who desert home are reminded of their plight while reading Muglan. Today I receive calls, texts and Facebook messages in which the audience sob or cry or howl in some distant middle-eastern, European and American country while listening to Muglan.

Finally, its credit goes to Lekhnath Sharma Pathak, Lecturer of Linguistics (now a Ph.D. scholar in India). He translated Muglan into very appropriate English. Now it has been prescribed for the Bachelor level course as well. It has been translated into Hindi by Krishna Bahadur Nepali of Hyderabad college. Moreover, it is also being rendered into Assamese and Bengali.

     

In a small book, one finds tons of grief and misfortunes one after another and life still struggling for survival. Everything is quite real. The cruel destiny is unforeseeable but one has to undergo unremitting ordeals. Its language is too simple, unrefined and almost in rustic tones, it brings out the dialects of Bhutanese Nepalis, their culture.

Out of all the books, you have written, which one do you like the most?

It's difficult to say dear bhaai. As a writer, you too must have experienced such a dilemma. But I never expected someone would put such a question before. You might have expected me to reply Muglan, but I cannot. It means injustice upon the rest. In a way, I think my best is yet to appear for which I am struggling—in the genre of novel or essay or poetry, not anything like criticism. Criticism is a parasitic plant, a bloodsucking thing which does not have its own roots, flowers, and fruits. It sucks other's blood. You know, I always hate a blood sucker. I spent quite a large portion of my life in this genre so I often repent too.  Had I invested all my time in the creation of novels!

Initially, you started as a creative writer, but later you moved to criticism. What motivated you to be a literary critic?

You attacked me with the same question that I wanted to shun. Now I must reply. In fact, the writer in me was born out of whims. There was no one to guide me, to show me a path or give suggestions. Now I sometimes provide suggestions to my daughters, give them ideas to polish their language. But there was no one to tell me. I came to a village emerging out of a jungle, now I am in a town. Metaphorically like that. A writer should craft his or her route personally. You grope in the dark for publication. Moreover, mine was a difficult time. It was represented by letter press technology. Getting published was great, unlike today.

After the publication of my first novel Muglan in 1974, I left Kathmandu and returned to my village in the East which lacked literary activities. I was too occupied by my job of teaching, so writing became almost secondary for a decade or almost two decades. This barren period tempted me towards critical writings.

By the time I got transferred to Kathmandu, my fresh novelist and young poet were half dampened and almost rusted in the villages. I did many critical writings there, however, the creative writer must have gone into hibernation. The budding writer within me was quite discontented but I kept it suppressed for long. In the meanwhile I got a stipend for writing Kavyik Aandolanko Parichya (Introduction to Literary Trends and Movements) which meant most western literary movements like Cubism, Modernism, Expressionism, Impressionism, Naturalism, Experimentalism, Stream of Consciousness, Imagism, Dadaism, war poetry and many more that had laid the foundation of modern thought. The book was published by Royal Nepal Academy in 1982. This work introduced me as a modern critic (and thinker) among the Nepali academia so I was encouraged more to go deeper.

Then the desire for higher education took me to India, I spent five years around the great academic atmosphere of the University of Hyderabad. I delved deep in Translation Studies and my creative writer got buried deeper. See, how different situations mould one's fate.

But I saw that Indian scholars presented, discussed and debated Postmodernism passionately. Then, I returned to my University in Kathmandu to find the nation ravaged by conflict and war, brutal killings and extortion. Villages were being vacated, they were youthless, all young people had joined the revolutionary forces or deserted the country. There were no human rights and the Maoists’ wing was trying to establish dictatorial rule by overthrowing kingship and destroying the very roots of democracy at the cost of everything. In the meanwhile, some writers (supporters of extremism) had already published books denouncing Postmodernism criticizing this as an instrument of the West, the Capitalists (they mean to say Democratic) countries especially. They were promising pluralism for the new society while attacking Postmodernism at the same time. This was contradictory.

Then I studied the modern form of democracy which is based on humanism, guarantees human rights, is all-inclusive, which ensures freedom of speech, is based extensively on cyber culture, which is reverting many old values. As a result, cultural values are taking global forms. So I wrote in favour of postmodernism not to establish high theories of France of England or America but to teach our people a new kind of freedom, suitable to our environment so that they could be enabled to stand against dictatorial hegemony, that is communism or to oppose all kinds of authoritarianism. I wrote Uttar Aadhunik Aina, that is Postmodern Mirror which won me Best Award of INLS Books in 2006. I was then invited by my literary friends to the USA in order to attend its first international conference where I received the award. Two years later another work titled Uttar Aadhunik Bimarsha (Postmodern Discourse) got published. A large volume of 1000 pages that pleaded for plurality, multiplicity, new standpoint and above all a great, worldwide paradigm shift we experienced in our society. It pleaded that no authoritarian rule will be a solution to such an imminent danger. I wanted to strengthen my belief and claim. I wrote two more critical works during the subsequent years.

My purpose was to assist new democratic spirit. My purpose was to help people know about the new trends of thought and freedom. My purpose was to familiarise them with great paradigm shift whether in politics or religion or teaching methods or reading writing eating travel or anything in the current civilization. The pattern of life was changing, philosophy was changing, and no outdated principles explained for this. This purpose became more important than creative writing. If the educated people don’t understand the paradigm shift and if they are swayed by the advocates of an authoritarian rule then that is sure to destroy all.

Therefore much of my reading and so writing was theory based, however people came to me with their new creations and wanted me to analyze them from new angles —feminist perspectives, diasporic viewpoints, marginal angles, all new paradigms from the Nepali world came to me. And I did. I did, not for money nor for the promotion of Nepali criticism but for introducing these and many other novel trends of thought applicable to new society now looking for a total change, a post structural paradigm. Each led to the freedom of thought and newness of life, the alternative ways.

So people began to address me as literary critic mistakenly, however. I disclaim every time. Whatever I did was to stand against the dictatorial dismissal of a free society.

Gopi with Prof Govinda Raj Bhattarai at Cambridge in 2011

As a literary critic, could you please name the best five books ever written in Nepalese language?

It's difficult. But I must.

i. First poet Bhanubhakta Acharya's Ramayana (the first Nepali epic whose English translation I have accomplished recently, now awaiting publication)

ii. Mahakavi Devkota's epic Prometheus, based on Greek mythology but is adapted to Nepali political history of Rana Regime.

iii. B P Koirala's novel Hitler Ra Yahudee (translated as  Hitler and the Jews by Nagendra Sharma recently)

iv. Parijat's novel Shirisko Phool (translated as Blue Memosa by Sondra Zeidstein and Tanka Vilas Varya

V. Krishnachandra Singh Pradhan's recently published collection of essays Krishchandraka Nobandhaharu

There had not been much discussion about the post-modern literature in Nepal until you brought it to the limelight. Why do you choose the post-modernism as your favorite area of interest for the literary criticism?

Yes, not surprisingly people regard me as one its forerunners. I regard other thinkers like Abhi Subedi who have played a crucial role in introducing people to the call of new time. There are Dr Krishna Gautam, Jagdish Shumaher Rana, and some young generation critics too. Now things are easier. The Universities have prescribed postmodernism for different syllabi. And many books have appeared and the harsh left wing has realised that it is foolish to stand against the call of time. Even the concept of Marxism has changed. Pluralism destroyed all hegemonies and cyber world distributed all information throughout the world.

I was afraid. The way people attacked democracy with sound and fury could have been resulted into dictatorial rule, making it impossible to revert to free life. Thank God that did not happen. I didn’t go to politics. Nor did the politicians know me. But I kept on shouting in loud voices teaching university students and writers and everyone about the importance of inclusiveness and variety, multiple thoughts and coexistence. This was an investment on stronger intellectual ground.

Presently Prachanda took a very bold decision and declared that there is no way out, we must choose multiparty system and free competition. This is an age of democracy.

I think no democracy will win a greater victory than this and that there will be no greater democratic system than this. Likewise Prof Chaitanya Mishra, a towering scholar and sociologist repented recently— We taught Marxism, that exists nowhere, for thirty years. That's true, many were duped and trained to live in illusion for years. Now they have accepted reality, now they have realised. That's very good. There is no alternative to democracy. No alternative to freedom. Let writers live and die in freedom, do not force them to sing a false song that you are good and great.

But I am afraid, the people are still innocent and naive. They tried to sell Marxism like an antique worth possessing. Utopia also sells well in an uneducated mass. They sold it like an antique thing in the corner of history. Now all are disillusioned have realised nothing is final and human society is always in the making. Nepal's politics has taken a great turn. This is a true paradigm shift in people's thought. This is based on reality, open society and globalization.

How does a literary critic play a constructive role to develop a creative writer?

Great critics have stood at great junctures of history. John Dryden, for instance, was an awe-inspiring writer and critic, he dominated the Restoration England. People got a new vision from Ezra Pound, for instance. The way he defined Imagism is the foundation of modernism, Sartre's view of existentialism marks the greatest departure in the history of literature/ philosophy, T S Eliot's observation of social criticism brought a big change among the critics. They are great writers, not merely critics.

But Nepali literature has a very short history so the number of outstanding literary critic is small, far and few. They fall within one hundred years. Of them most remarkable are Ramkrishna Sharma, Yadunath Khanal, I B Rai, Iswar Baral, Taranath Sharma, Abhi Subedi—all came with English literature background and so they gave models of criticism as well. There are others too equally great as Krishnachandra Singh Pradhan, BasudevTripathi, Kumar Bahadur Joshi, Mohanraj Sharma. But all of them are creative writers first, and then critics. One cannot be a great critic unless gifted with creative genius. One may be regarded purely a theorist as I A Richards, or Edward Said or Homi K Bhabha or Stuart Hill who claim some new literary theory or philosophy only. 

In my case I am always reminded of the words of Jean Sibelius, a most noted symphonic composer of Scandinavia (1865-1957), "Pay no attention to what the critics say. A statue has never been erected in honor of a critic." Since I heard this, a strong dislike of critics grew in me. And this apathy is growing stronger. I will stand for creative works.

Of course, a literary critic must hold the ideal or stand point of Edgar Allen Poe. “In criticism, I will be bold, and as sternly, absolutely just with friend and foe. From this purpose nothing shall turn me.” That’s true but many just spit venom and kill the spirit and possibility in the creative artist.

I don’t like this genre, I don’t like to waste my time that I can use for creative writing but then people coax and wheedle and persuade and cajole and entice and force or compel and sometimes even charm me to put my pen onto paper for their sake. In a matter of three decades I must have written more than five thousand pages—you can just imagine how many books I read. Isn't it a sheer waste? I don’t have another life and much of this is wasted for them not for me. I was compelled to spend on this thankless investment. If one is happy with my criticism, they won't appear again if one is unhappy they will never appear again.

Most of the people blame you for praising any writer even if they don’t deserve the praise. How do you defend?

Whatever the consequence of my work, I have always worked bearing in my mind a singular motto that Frank A Clark, an American politician and lawyer (1860-1936) has put forth. He says, "Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots." No wonder you get nothing by wasting your time in fruitless activity like this. Why don’t you create your own?

You have expertise in translation. How do you see the present status of translating Nepalese literature into other languages?

I feel well compensated. There is no sense of loss when I consider that I happened to be the first candidate from Nepal to earn a degree in Translation Studies. It has been more than twenty years that I returned from the University of Hyderabad, India which has established sophisticated Centre for Applied Linguistics and Translation Studies. Thanks to my Pathfinder guru Prof. Jai Raj Awasthi who chose this area for me and thanks to my supervisor guru Professor U N Singh, himself a great translation theorist and practitioner in India, who guided me.

Back in Nepal, we (under C M Bandhu) designed the first syllabus in Translation Studies in for the Department of Linguistics in 1997, for Department of English Education in 1998, then for other Humanities Departments M Phil. TU has produced two more Ph D degree holders in Translation Studies and two more are underway. Some are doing M Phil, many opt for this Masters level course and thesis writing every year.

I translated profusely (between English and Nepali), encouraged many, promoted this discipline and craft. Above all, I raised voice continually for setting up a Department of Translation at Nepal Academy. Ultimately they established one eight years ago, a new Department after 50 years of Academy's  foundation. Isn’t it great? The Department is doing commendable activities of translation— firstly by publishing translations (books), and also by publishing Rupantaran, a multilingual translation journal. These are most commendable works. Thanks to Mr Ganga Uprety, the Chancellor of Nepal Academy today.

Moreover we are involved in a novel task of compiling the first Dictionary of Translators, which will include any translator who has contributed towards the translation of from or into the Nepali language. That will be great. Thanks to Professor Usha Thakur, she is now heading the Department. They have entrusted me as a coordinator of a team of five experts. We are final editing this.

These are technical parts. But our translation tradition is wrong founded. Either publisher or the sponsor rob the translator, keep their identity a secret, get a work translated and published without permission, regard this as a second hand, less prestigious job. We need to bring improvements by enforcing international laws and raise the standard of a translator on par with that of the source writer. Because we are living in an age of translation and if we do  not respect this discipline properly, we may die

It seems to me that Nepalese literature has not been able to influence the international literary sector to the expected level. What do you think we should do to improve it?

This is the most serious question every interviewer asks me. They think I know the position of Nepali literature that should have occupied internationally.

Nepali is a young literature. We recently observed the bicentenary anniversary of the first Nepali poet Bhanubhakta. So our translational activities had to wait for the growth of language, literature and the interest or level of the reader/ writer. Nepali is built mostly on the translation of Sanskrit classical texts. The translation of Western literature into Nepali is a recent phenomenon of about 100 years. The first English novel to be translated was Rider Haggards' She in 1931 (by Pushkar Shumsher Rana).

Since then almost one thousand titles have undergone translating between Nepali and different languages. But most people consider that translation stands only for English-Nepali activity.

Translation is an unaccepted and illegal activity in Nepal. So translator too don’t feel much prestige in this job. We have a growing need for the translation of Nepali literature into other languages. In an interview 2015 Nobel Laureate Svetlana said her books were translated into dozens of European languages before she went to English. In our case translation means English, no other languages. Because we have no contact with people of German, French, Russian, Spanish, and Scandinavian languages. And one severe hurdle that has ever unsolved is India does not allow Nepalese books to supply as commodities to India but more than ten trucks of Indian books enter into Nepal every week. I don’t know why Nepalese books are not allowed in the custom. Therefore so long as this hegemonic disparity has its solution our aim of translation also remains discouraged. We do some into English but we have no market no passage and we don’t have access to Europe or other languages. So long as Nepal does not have access to books in the Indian market, translation into foreign language will be a sheer waste.

So far we have more than one thousand titles in translation. Nepal can never expect to grow in translation unless this bilateral impediment is removed on democratic principle of equality. 

I am a Free Man: L B Chhetri

Poet and Story Writer L B Chhetri

L B Chhetri, a story writer, and poet from Nepal, has three books to his credit. Mr. Chhetri is a literary activist, who is actively engaged in the literary activities to promote Nepali literature from local to international level. Following are the excerpts of the conversation with him by Gopi Sapkota for Cactus.

I would like to start with a common question, why do you write?

The common question to you Gopi is an uncommon one for me. Why I write?  I read others and I want others too to read me. So, I write. I have feelings, thoughts, and experiences and I prefer sharing these with others, so I write. When I read others, two apparent reactions are there on me. One, the book I am reading is very good and I too must try to write such good books. Second, the book is not good. I must write better than such not good books.  These are the thoughts often occupy my mind. But honestly speaking, I write for my satisfaction.

What are you writing nowadays?
I am a retired elder citizen.I am a free man and enjoy writing regularly. Last year only I got my two anthologies published: one story collection and another a poem collection. Thus, I write stories, poems, memoir, and essays. I am also working on a novel on women struggle and emancipation. I love visiting the world and so for I have visited America, Australia, the UK, a few countries of Europe. I have also visited India, Bangladesh, Myanmar.   I love writing travelogues as well. 

Now, right now what I am writing -  I spend much of my time on my Autobiography.  Once it is completed, I would prefer to convert it into a fiction.   

You have both collections of stories and poetry. Which is your favorite genre to write?
Well, to me writing short stories (say story) is comfortable zone provided I am working with and on a good plot.  Composing poetry is very difficult. I have no heart to declare myself a poet. Yet, I compose poems too. But I don’t dare to call myself a poet. Yet, I compose poems too.   Yes, one can call me a story writer. My stories are of my own style, call it ‘l b style.’

Two books by Writer Chhetri

What do you think about balancing thought and feeling in your writing? Which component dominates you, while you are writing?
You know, the tussle is between the mind and the heart.  I have a thought that tends to dominate my feelings. But, I have a feeling that tends to love the world and the weaker most.  My story ‘FATAHA SUBAS’ most of the people liked. Mentally, I was disturbed by Subas’s misconduct for a week and the readers were suspicious how I will react once he returns with the lost motorbike but ultimately my heart wins for I am not sever on him. We all are the human being and we ought to love everyone. This is how I perceive the world and it is my feeling that can’t be dominated by my thought.  Rather, we should make a balance.

You had been teaching for a long time. There is certainly a ‘Professor’ living inside you. How does the life of a professor influence your writing? 

Not much in fact. Honestly speaking, I am proud of that Professor living inside me.  That helps to identify me in the present society of small Nepal. I love being small ‘l‘ and small ‘b’. Had that Professor not been inside me I would have been, perhaps, L B, an egoist, a disgrace on me.  It doesn’t affect my writing.  Let me explain you this way - once I was lecturing on Shelly’s poem ‘Ode to a Skylark’. I spent almost a period of 50 minutes to explain just two lines-

‘We look before and after
and pine for what is not.’ 

The students were happy. The same day in the evening while preparing my next day’s lecture, I struggled hard to compose a poem on the same theme in Nepali. But alas! I failed.  And I realized a Professor of poetry doesn’t necessarily make a poet.  One can be a good teacher and deliver good lecture on a poet’s creation but he can’t be a poet by himself.  What I mean is a professor of poetry and a creator of poetry are two different identities. Yes, blessed are a few having both identities in one. Now the Professor, very much alive inside me, saves me from several viruses and doesn’t disturb me in my creative activities. I have composed a few good poems too.

What do you think about the idea that the creative writers need to do some research before they write?

That will be short of a training perhaps. I am in a state of ambivalence.  Knowing some methodology is not bad. But, talking about teachers - do the Master ( Arts) degree holders need to qualify Masters in Education for teaching? Are the PhD holders’ better teachers than only Master degree holders? I do not think so.  A teacher is an artist, he doesn’t need an additional course to make him a good teacher.  Similarly, if one burdens himself with research works the poet or the creators may get his original (crude) creative art-laden.

Research work is for methodology. I agree it can help in structure shaping or to some extent crafting. 

L B Chhetri: The Mood

I think you initiated some activities to promote Nepali writing in English in Chitwan. Could you please tell us about it?

Long back we started VIEW Chitwan (Village of English Writers) and the purpose was, as you suggest, to create a platform for English students to work on Nepali literature in English language.  Ishwor Kadel wrote a novel and published a poetry book; Vishwa Subedi came out with his English poetry anthology.  I am transliterating my Nepali short stories into English.  The result, however, is not satisfactory.  Say almost all give priority to earn the livelihood and are engaged in jobs.  They do not have enough time for creation. As adults, they end up with jobs and families, say they enjoy busy lives.  

Could you tell us about your observation on contemporary Nepalese writing?

To a greater extent, Nepal’s socio-political and socio-economic life has had a great impact on contemporary Nepalese writings.  The present generation of writers in Nepal are the products of long unrest and struggle and are very much conscious politically and socially. How politics is harming their growth? Why is Nepal economically sinking? Where is the Nepali society heading towards? And many such questions have become the concern of the common people. And the same is reflected in their creations whether fiction, poetry or drama.  Thus, it has become a source of expressing people’s anger, repugnance, and contempt, the question of women’s emancipation, identity, the voice of margins and many injustices prevailing in society.

Writer L B Chhetri with Poet Tulasi Diwas

About writings, I must say it’s ok. Reading and writing culture has developed here and in the past Nepali market did witness the presence of good creations. But the same writers who gave good works in the beginning, fail to further the same standard. The serious readers have noticed it and are disappointed. However, out of hundreds of books produced every year, a few are really good and win laurels and awards.

It is a high time that Nepalese writing needs to be promoted at the international level. Where do you think we need to work and focus?
It has to. But how? It’s a big challenge. Often, I am encountered with a question – are we really interested in? The well-wishers are eager to see Nepali literature in the world market but are not perhaps aware that we need to have our writers of that standard. The literature we produce does not, perhaps, meet international standard.
           
We have, though not in bulk, great novels, dramas, short stories, essays and epics of the past in our credit but these are not enough to take our literature in the world market. These are to be translated first in English and in different languages.

Our Nepali readers and scholars are scattered all over the world; literary organizations are formed, programs are conducted but no effort is made to translate our good works into English and other languages.  Such organizations are limited to mark the functions like Laxmi Jayanti, Lekhnath Jayanti, Saraswati Pooja, poetry recital and award distributions.

Nepal Pragya Pratishthan can play a vital role by taking in confidence organizations like International Nepali Literary Society and work for promoting Nepali literature in world market though good translation work.  I want to be personal here taking a small space. I wanted to join hands with International Nepali Literary Society team as an advisor with an intention to work as one of the promoters. I am very much eager to promote Nepali literature all over the world.  I approached the concerned people of INLS in America but all in vain. They, with their vested interest, remained happy with the same advisory team.  They can still work on it and send a team of experts to Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard and other universities of the world and request them to include our books and memoirs in non-western literature study. We need a vision to work, commitment and best effort. We lack these essentials, dear Gopi.

What is your plan for future as a writer?

So far, I have three books to my credit, two short stories, and one poetry collection.  Right now, I am working on my novel on women struggle for emancipation, one more fiction, based on my biographical details, some travelogues.  I am, at the same time, trans-creating (in English) my short stories written in Nepali.  I have a lot to write, a lot to read as well. I lack time.