Source: http://www.kantipuronline.com/columns.php?&nid=66471

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Nepal in Our Literature

After 1990, the field of literature widened suddenly, unexpectedly, and what started as a babble of people’s self-expression has grown steadily to a cacophonous, near-raucous din as just about everyone – exuberantly – steps up to have his or her say.

By Manjushree Thapa

Now and again, one hears in Nepal’s lettered circles that – as in Eastern Europe – our literature used to be better under a closed, repressive polity than it has been in an open democracy: the twin challenges of overcoming self-censorship and evading externally imposed censorship gave our stories and poems an artfulness that is lacking in today’s literature, it is said.

Perhaps it was simply easier, under the Panchayat, to know who the important writers and poets were than it has been since 1990.

To begin with, there were fewer litterateurs then, composed of a group of urban Bahun men, some Chettri and Newar men, some Bahun, Chettri and Newar women, followed – very distantly – by everyone else. There were broadly two kinds of litterateurs: state apologists such as royal family members and their coterie, who helped to uphold Panchayat myths, and dissidents. Among the dissidents, the ‘democrats’ wrote, sometimes cryptically, of freedom, and the ‘progressives’ wrote more openly in favour of egalitarianism. The dialectics of feudalism vs. egalitarian pluralism more or less defined the terms of the literary debate. Though as a rule they were not wealthy, our writers and poets constituted the cultural elite: they wielded power via language, and though they were not widely read (who could be, in a country with such a low literacy rate?) their hold on the elite imaginary was immense.

After 1990, the field of literature widened suddenly, unexpectedly, and what started as a babble of people’s self-expression has grown steadily to a cacophonous, near-raucous din as just about everyone – exuberantly – steps up to have his or her say. Today, almost every literate Nepali writes stories or poems (and almost every non-literature Nepali is a storehouse of colourful stories and evocative turns of phrases). What is more, many are being published – by their wives, family and friends, and also by the few established publishing houses. Not only has there been no censorship, there has been hardly any editing on the books now cluttering the marketplace. Never before in the history of Nepal has there been such direct, raw expression in our stories and poems. Never before have Nepalis en masse been able to enter the design of Nepal’s literature.

The great democratising of the literary field has diversified the literary debate, offering many simultaneous debates in the place of one overarching one– though, arguably, the dialectics of feudalism vs. egalitarian pluralism still underlies most debates. Whereas we used to have a few elite men bemoaning women’s misfortunes, we now have women from all walks of life writing about their struggles, rebellions and victories. Whereas we used to have a few elite men writing about the ills of caste discrimination, we now have writers of the Dalit caste asserting the movements of desire through all of humanity. Whereas we used to have literature only in the Nepali language, we now have literature in the people’s tongues: Nepal-bhasa, various Rai dialects, Tharu, Maithili, Bhojpuri…. We have stories and poems about all parts of the country written by people who live in those parts. We – finally, one should say – have Nepal in our literature.

It is natural to find this multitude confusing, as our ‘great writers’ are now on level grounds with unknown voices from the hinterlands, and our ‘high art’ is in a thicket of mass expression. The perceived ‘artlessness’ of today’s literature is to do with the difficulty of separating the good from the mediocre – in such a horde. It finds a parallel in the seeming lack of finesse in post-1990 politics, perhaps. Yet the most compelling and important attribute of democratic representation – be it literary or political – is its authenticity, its undeniable claim to speak truly for the people. A little inelegance is a very small price to pay for such authenticity. And the inelegance does pass. Many people take up literature, as they do politics, for the quick prestige and self-importance of calling oneself a writer (or a politician). But it is the practitioners who persevere over time, honing their craft in the open field of democracy, who eventually rise to become the voices of the times.

Of course it takes democratic institutions, and not just a few talented individuals, to make this happen. It has been fifteen years of such institutions forming and sometimes collapsing – literary journals, unions, groups, movements. And what we have, now, are individual writers and poets rising from the babble to become the voices of our times. Bimal Nibha, Ahuti, Shrawan Mukarung….

I would say that it would be a pity if this openness were to be put to an end through a return to a regressive, closed society…except I do not think this can happen. Nepalis are generally frank: though in Panchayat times the polity did keep us from expressing ourselves bluntly, it was always possible to discern, through layers of politeness or evasion, what people really thought. Since democracy it has been impossible to keep people from speaking their minds. Today, our literature indicates the way we are heading: straight towards egalitarian pluralism. Pity the fools who think they can block the way.

manjushree writes well but i personally feel and have a perception of her as a carierist like her father dr, thapa.but no doubt she bwrites well...anyway she is an us graduate(i've heard)

shiva linga ji,

"Manjushree writes well"
Indeed, not only well, she writes extremely well. Outstanding is perhaps the word if I wer to describe her prose.

"have a perception of her as a carierist"
I don't know what you are saying as I see no real disconnect there between being a carierist [sic] and a writer. Couldn't one be both at the same time - or either or even none? What's wrong with that?

"anyway she is an us graduate(i've heard)"
Yes, only that, she's a Fulbright scholar.

Typo:

'Yes, only that, she's a Fulbright scholar.'

to read:

Yes, NOT only that, she's a Fulbright scholar.

Manjushree writes superbly. Her work "Forget Kathmandu: An Elegy for Democracy" was published by Penguin Books India. She also has a couple of other books to her credit. She's one of the coordinators of the Kathmandu-based center for public debate and discourse, Martin Chautari.

She completed high school from National Cathedral School, DC and studied photography at Rhode Island School of Design. She has her MA in English from University of Washington where she was a Fullbright scholar

For more info:

www.manjushreethapa.com

My father worked under her dad for sometime and that was when I had known about her, but the actual meeting took place after her first book "Mustang bhot...", she has an outlook and a vision which she delineates in her book. I had an opportunity to discuss with her once while managing martin chautari, a gem of a person.

Do not miss her new book, Forget kathmandu: an elegy of democracy, another depiction of loose ends in ramified politics.

Well I'm not much of a reader as such but I found the contents(of the above posted artice) a little too highbrowed.I literallly had to stop it unfinished!!i plan to read her books, hope they are a little lucid ;-)

yeah....I love Manjushrees works too!! they're always a pleasure to the heart!!!

Commandant,

You do seem to have made a rather resounding journey back to Sajha..I see you everywhere today :-)

Thank you for posting the above. No doubt, Manjusheree is an extremely talented writer. She writes very well and she writes with heart which I think only adds to the beauty of her prose.

Shivaji, Personally for me, I would hate to have my every move scrutinised and analogised to the deeds of my Father and I am quite sure that the same applies to Manjushree. She has worked hard to enjoy the infamy that she now occupies and I believe that she needs to be judged on her merits..and her's alone..irrespective of her father and his deeds..or misdeeds (depending on which side of the Political spectrum you view Dr. Thapa from).

Dr S'Love,
Thanks for the info. I didn't know she had a website of her own - cracking. I am finding it difficult to log onto the site though - the page appears blank. Will keep trying. Cheers.
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John,
Long time no see mate. Hope all is well with you in the Bama land.
Thanks for the info. So delighted to know that you actually know her in person. I did plan on meeting/contacting her when I was home in January 2004 but sadly, the plan failed to materialise mainly due to shortness of time avail. The frequent rounds of valley/Nepal bandhs only added to it. It would be lovely to meet her one day - trying to get hold of her contact details, so I can get in touch.

Yes, 'Forget Kathmandu' is an edifying read - loved her travel accounts deep into the Mao land. Marvellous. I have my usual select group with whom I share ideas, exchage books and stuff. This book particularly went down well with my friends. The 'Manjushree Fan Club' is surely growing this end mind you, fast and furious.

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Catch-22,
Good plan. Pse do read her - you won't be disappointed. She is head and shoulders my most fav contemporary Nepali writer writing in English and is probably the best literary mind that we have seen to come out of Nepal in recent times. Our very own Mansfield/Gordimer.

Hey are you a Joseph Heller fan or what? An intriguing turn of phrase he coined that is - catch-22. Cheers.
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DC Virus,
'Yeah....I love Manjushrees works too'
Don't we all! thanks.
*****
Quite a journey back to the Sajha land madam - long time coming.

"She writes very well and she writes with heart which I think only adds to the beauty of her prose."
Indeed, she does. Writing 'with heart' is perhaps one part of the art that an aspiring writer must try and embrace if he/she were to write well.

"Personally for me, I would hate to have my every move scrutinised and analogised to the deeds of my Father and I am quite sure that the same applies to Manjushree. She has worked hard to enjoy the infamy that she now occupies and I believe that she needs to be judged on her merits..and her's alone..irrespective of her father and his deeds..or misdeeds (depending on which side of the Political spectrum you view Dr. Thapa from)."
Ouuuch.. bloody hell. Excuse my French! :-) Now I know what it means when people say - hitting the nail on the head. :-) :-)

Have a good day all
Carpe diem

Commandant,

I think you know me well enough to know that I can be brutally frank :-)..hitting the nail on the head re!

I don't like the fact that children in Nepal are always measured with what their parent's do or did. Manjushree's writing has very little to do with the Political/Civil Service history of her father and to put those two on the same spectrum is ,I think, inherently unfair to her.

She is a writer who has worked hard at developing her prose. Her political ideas, I know, having had lenghty conversations with her, are far removed from those that Dr. Thapa subscribes to and I don't think there is any basis for a comparison between the two.

Goodness me madam, that was pretty quick as always. Procrastinating is my forte but the reverse applies to your case - fast, furious and always with the usual dose of your formidable wit. Blimey, I am finding it hard to keep pace ke - come on, where's me' can o Red Bull! :-)

Yes, I do indeed know. That you are brutally frank and honest. Oh yes. And brutally accurate too in hitting the nail on the head - I know, it did on someone's head above really massively. Ouchh... or is that aaiyaa! :-) A true 'marksman' rather, in my mil parlance! Your wit to stay resolutely put in the face of charging counter-logics in discussions amazes me to the point of bewilderment - it's quite beyond any description. No joking here mind you. No wonder you're law-trained eh. A would-be QC, no? Or whatever they call it there in Amrikaa.

"I don't like the fact that children in Nepal are always measured with what their parent's do or did. Manjushree's writing has very little to do with the Political/Civil Service history of her father and to put those two on the same spectrum is ,I think, inherently unfair to her."
An all too typical Nepali mindset there - nothing else and I abhor it doubtless as much as you do. I abhor the way people tend to easily present their cosy assumptions on one as a fact, purely based on the loose premise that one's family background/naataa gotaa spoke a great deal about one's success. Very disheartening that is to find when one goes on to define the other's creative works in such a sweepingly unfair, broad-brush terms. Are we to assume that Manjushree would not have been what she is if it were not for her father and his supposedly high profile public standing. How else will it fit with the case of other 'Manjushrees' then? Take for instance that of Paarijaat. She had no influential 'aafno maanchhe' as far as I know or certainly had no intention of using one as a short cut to further her literary ambitions and she obviously sported no such famous surnames viz Rana, Shah or even Thapa.

Yes, she has doubtless worked hard to reach where she is now - not anyone's cup of tea, mind you. Her success must be gauged purely on personal merit rather than anything else.

So you know her or have met her in person. Gleaming. I'd better close for the day - I have this little fever to take care of. A few CETAMOLS will do just fine. G'nite.

Commadant,

The only reason for my fast and furious responses today is that I am stuck in an excrutiatingly boring class of "Trusts and Estates"..seeing that I have neither a trust fund nor the hope of having one bestowed upon me by Bill Gates who lives in the same city...I find my mind wandering excessively in class this morning.

Having a Laptop in law school is a terrible distraction...but it allows me to take a peak at such enlightened pages as the Daily Mirror in the midst of an extremely boring lecture :-)

As for Manjushree, yes, my family had her and Daneil Lak over for dinner to our place during her last foray into California and we spent a very enjoyable evening debating politics and the steady downfall of Nepal vis-a-vis the current political climate...both of them were very enjoyable company.

As for the Nepali mentality--it's the age old nonsense of you are presumed to be a worthwhile human being based on nothing other than your family connections--one could be a serial killer but still very highly regarded if the family name reigns supreme!

As for the fever..sorry to know you're not feeling well...what you need dear commandant, is a Florence Nightingale..and those aren't to be found in the gumbas mind you :-)!! I hope you feel better soon.

I trust that your indispensable passion for debate has not worn thin because of the seemingly boring classes on some highfalutin law kuras, which you're having to attend of late. A jumpy wandering mind is what you end up with, my dear madam, especially when you've the laptop in the bag with only a click away from entering the dense cryptic jungle of the cyber sansaar. And Sajha is one big patch of that jungle that I for one intend to stay out of. At least for a few weeks. I have got some pressing projects to take care of, and this jungle-roaming is giving me so much head in! :)

Delighted to hear that your meeting with Manjushree was a pleasant one; I now remember reading her article in Nepali Times about the Nepali diaspora there in California some time ago. I am sure, she's a wonderful person to know and one would admire her more for that than what she is famous for.

""one could be a serial killer but still very highly regarded if the family name reigns supreme!""
Absolutely true. Such rogue elements not only roam free in our society but also enjoy high pubplic regard, precisely because the family fortunes/name creates that invisible power base for them to lean to at their choosing. More annoying is the fact that we comfortably elect to keep mum instead of openly challenging the existing status quo, and by implication, are all party to propagating this age-old mentality. I think, we often think more in terms of repercussions than results - you want to be keeping your head above water for obvious reasons. But then it's only reasonable in a society such as ours with its dismal level of awareness/literacy rate. Okay, I woffled on there a bit - gone off tangent, so I better stop before I say more rubbish. :)

I know, madam, the Nightingales won't be found in the gumbaas and one ought to be looking for them elsewhere. Yes, plenty of them everywhere but the always pressing kura is to do with how one can make sure that one ends up with is a real F Nightingale. Far too many fake ones, mind you - so the gumbaa option must remain extant for now. :-) Tell me about the Emerald City then. There ought to be no dirth of dashing Darcys out there I suppose - though I suspect they may not as readily possess the authentic Darcy accent, no? Hey who cares about the accent anyway as long as other credentials measure up to your Darcy expectations! :-)

Hey I am super-duper busy this and next week, so you won't see my shadow amble past your screen but do pop in, I might surprise you. :-)
Carpe diem

"Rubbish"?, not at all. I think you hit the nail on the head (for someone that professed ignorance as to what that meant, you seem to have mastered it rather quickly :-))

Manjushree in her article in Nepali Times, had focused on the emerging class warefare that has taken a hold of the Nepali community in the U.S. The number of Nepalese entering has increased due to the ongoing "Diversity Visa" that the U.S provides. Apparently, the self proclaimed vanguard of Nepali society is none to happy about that because the newly arriving immigrants have no family name and no education to fall back on; hence, twisted logis seems to dictate that they have no right to aspire to the hopes of an easier life.

My father, along with some friends started a Non-Profit organization in L.A to help these newly arriving Nepalese (hence the dinner at our place) and Manjushree had writen about the work that they were doing - one enlightened Nepali asked my father "why are you working with "these people" and making it easier for them to stay in the U.S when all they are fit to do is wash dishes" - this comming from the so called intelligentsia/progressive half of Nepali soceity...Lord help us! :-)

As for Darcy--no, no one that looks or has the characteristics of Darcy. This being the Soviet of Washington, one is more likely to run into a Chekov/Lenin spewing angst riddled youth rather than the privilege born and bred Darcy...hence the foray into the gumbas with you as commander of the expedition :-) ..looks like that task may be somehwat easier to do. I may have the opportunity of pursuing a semester of Law in London. The program is supposed to last from Jan - May 2007 and I am waiting for my law school to approve of the classes etc that I would be taking there...so...looks like it will have to be the Scottish Higlands and the reserves of Barley and Rye along the way, so much for your tapasya! :-)

Have a good week Commandant.

Pardon the profusion of spelling errors.

Take care.

Right, good lord, am I supposed to not work today or what? :-) Just as I was settling into my chair with a freshly brewed tea, the thread popped up. Back to square one! :-)

Hitting nail on the head is what I do worst.. some more studying to do on the marksmanship principles..... :-) But thanks.

Thanks for the additional info on the Manjushree article.
"""why are you working with "these people" and making it easier for them to stay in the U.S when all they are fit to do is wash dishes"""
An all too typical Nepali mindset. Call me a synic but the gripping claw of narrowmindedness appear to cling to us all. It's ever so disheartening to find especially when such snide comments come from the very persons who should be doing something meaningful to help the Nepali communities in need. How very disgraceful.

Hey what a cracking news of you to be coming to London. Will you be completing this semester with London University ho? LSE? UCL? That is such good news. Pse do keep me posted on the developments now and then.

Hey I have got to now log off and get back to the cuppa - it has gone cold. The kettle is waiting for me though. Have a nice day, madam.
Carpe diem

Commandant,

Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance? ~ Edgar Bergan :-)

As for the mindlessness of comments by some people of education and intellect - it baffles me as much as it does you and I fear that for me, ignoring them is easiest. The problem with that, is that without challenges posed to them, they have free reign to be as feudal and as ignorant as they please...I can go on a very long diatribe on this point, so it's best to keep quiet while I can so I'm not pulling my hair out in sheer agony!

You seem to have a rather busy week or two ahead, I hope it's not excrutiatingly busy--what with spurts of footsie in between and all :-)

As far as the semester is concerned, it's a program through Pace University in Indiana and the classes in London are held at the UCL. I will let you know of things as they come about in that regard but I am already thrilled to bits at the prospect of living through a rainy, cold and dreary winter in Belayat :-)

Till later Commandant,

Adieu.

saano kuro:

I once tried to apply for Fulbright and came across a notice that former US graduates are ineligible to apply. But Manjushree got Fulbright after completing her undergrad from USA? Do the Americans in KTM make exceptions for some? Just a question.

""Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance? ~ Edgar Bergan :-) ""
:-) What a cracking quote that is.. Morning.

Just signing in to say that I have read you, madam. Hope your London plan materialise to the full. I am chuffed. Busy day/weeks ahead. Hope your flight to/stay in California will be a pleasant one.

Till later, I bid adieu.

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Pire,
I'm hoping, the scholars will drop in themselves to provide answers to your query, because I can't. It'll be good hear straight from the horse's mouth as it were!

Carpe diem

what i know is that she is a talent. .........with a critical analytical capacity...........

well done manju