JU : Jadavpur University

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , ,



Pic Courtesy: Google Images.


JU : Gate No - 4



The fourth gate at JU ...

Beyond the gate
are sashayed imaginations
a distance to ponder by the pond

Beyond the gate
are writings
blotched on the walls

Beyond the gate
are hordes of theories
that position to be untouched
just read, write, imagine

and of course smoke.



beyond the gate…


Revisiting Memories

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , , , , , ,


"Revisiting Memories": Pictures snapped in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, India, 2014-2015.



1700, Arunachal Pradesh, 2014.

Arunachal Pradesh, 2014
"I was here".

Arunachal Pradesh, 2014 enroute 1700, 1800, Bomdila.

Pakkigaon, Sikkim: Season of Oranges, 2014

Mouth watering oranges, Sikkim, 2014.

Lower Okhrey, Sikkim, 2015.

Puyretar, Sikkim, 2015.

Burikhop, Sikkim, 2015.

My Village:
A clear view after incessant rain and violent winds.
During the month of Chait - Baishak.
Sikkim, 2015.

My Village:
A clear view after incessant rain and violent winds.
During the month of Chait - Baishak.
Sikkim, 2015.


Santherem

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , ,


Alcohol is better known as Santherem in the hills.

Santherem

Santherem, a bit artful.
We use it during birth
death, failure, love and in being.
It helps softening feelings
your frame of mind.

Man shouldn't be hard with life.
Life has a life of its own.
Santherem is an art to listen
and let flow songs of freedom
and nothingness.
The larger frame of mind.

Palpasa Cafe

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , ,




“Palpasa Café” 

Writer: Narayan Wagle 


Language: 

Original (Nepali), 

Translation (English and Korean) 


Genre (s): Novel 

Publisher: Nepalaya (Kathmandu) 

Publisher: Random House, India. 

Price: Rs. 199, 


First Year of Publication: 2005 

ISBN: 978-9937802109 


 
Palpasa Cafe by Narayan Wagle.


Nepali literature is yet to be explored, while excavating the Nepalese and Gorkha writings, one can find writers equal to the stature of Murakami, Mo Yan, Marquez and Pahmukh. Nepali literature can compete at any level; the only things required are exploration by the readers’ and usher of love, time and interest towards Nepali literature. Let Nepali Literature bloom in the garden of world literature.



“Palpasa Café” is a novel by Nepali author Narayan Wagle. The story is weaved beautifully with the Nepalese Civil War that lasted for 10 years in Nepal starting from the year 1996 to 2006. It was an armed battle between Nepali armed forces and Maoist forces with an aim of overthrowing the monarchial rule. Palpasa Café is an outcome of the decade long uprisings that portrays the anguish of Nepal during the war era.

The story mostly revolves around two characters, Drishya, a painter by profession and Palpasa. But each and every day happenings of turmoil Nepal has been beautifully wickered. The novel starts in a narrative metafictional way hearkening the readers on a voyage not travelled, after which the protagonist (Drishya) amidst the inception of chaos and disorder (Murder of Monarch) in the country gets arrested alongwith many innocent faces.

I believe Art is above existence, sameway the writer has really placed the level of Art to the metaphsyic level. Art is exposed in each and every echelon; a painter’s spacious mind obsessed with art is portrayed from the starting chapter which starts in Goa, India. The protagonist (painter) falls in love with Palpasa (A homecoming amateur film maker). Narayan Wagle is often referred as formalist for his usage of form over content but still Wagle has beautifully crafted the intricacies of the demography with the life lived the various characters in the novel.



The novel has feminist expression as most of the voices are accentuated by female characters like Phulan, Hajur Ama (Grandmother), Palpasa, Jemina, Christina etc. The dominancy of the opposite counterparts stays veiled even at the narratives.

Wagle who is also known for his thoroughness of detail and poetic imageries through the presence of his protagonist Drishya has briefly pictorised the canvas of agitated era with adroit caress. 
Palpasa Café  as the name itself label aspects like Love, Despair and Art gets more intense and tragic as it reaches its end. Drishya, while returning back towards home from his native country side accidentally he happens to meet Palpasa, as she dies in a lethal trap; Drishya gets arrested unexpectedly from his gallery leaving his assistant Phulan (readers’) all alone. 

With this, I take my hands off and leave you thirsty. Quench your thirst, springs are not far-off.



About the Book:


The book has been a best-seller in Nepal, creating a sales record for a Nepali book of 25,000 copies in the first year. It was Wagle's first book. Since its release, the book has received many honours including the highly prestigious literary award in Nepal, the Madan Puraskar. The book has also been translated into English and Korean language.

A Flower in the midst of thorns, Autobiographical essays by JHAMAK GHIMIRE

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , , , ,


“A Flower in the midst of thorns”
Autobiographical essays by
JHAMAK GHIMIRE

Writer: Jhamak Ghimire

Translated from Nepali by
Nagendra Sharma
Safal Sharma
Edited with an Introduction by
Govinda Raj Bhattarai


Publishers: Oriental Publications, Kathmandu
ISBN: 978 – 9937 – 8582 – 1 – 2
Binding: Paperback
Price   : -Rs 400/-, Hard Cover – Rs. 500/-, US$ 15.00.


“Flower in the midst of thorns” is an epoch making collection of autobiographical essays. The original book in Nepali “Jeevan Kadha ki Phool” was first published in the year 2010 which won the prestigious Madan Puruskar in the same year. Likewise, the translators, Nagendra Sharma and Safal Sharma after two years, globalized the book by translating the essays from Nepali to the language known by the world (English).

Jhamak Ghimire, was born with Cerebral Palsy in the year 1980. She started writing with her toes from the day she first wrote “Ka” in the sands with a twig. Also, a poet, she has won many awards for her writing in literature. It has been mentioned: Jhamak Ghimire to be equal to Hellen Keller of the West.
In the very first page, a reader can judge the philosophic depth of the writer by rendering masochistic lines that forays an array of myriad human feelings.


“For me, life is the best flowers of creation. I don’t know whether my life falls within the LIFE I myself have defined.”

Jhmak Ghimire ... An Inspiration.

The book, as its allegory flings a satire to the humans who have lost the essence of humanity. The book on the one hand has parably portrayed the inefficiency of the Government and politics of Nepal even terming the system to be disabled furthermore with lines like “We disabled are not sad at our own disability, but at the leaders who have disabled our country”. While on the other hand, her essays portray bottled personal hardships and distress, which she as a disabled had to face in a chauvinistic, superstitious, dark society. On reading chapters like “Caste Divisions and I, A Burden in the war against Discrimination, Disability and our society, Menstruation and Youth, Rays of Hope” etc, the reader will bump into the truth of the soul in the depth of imagination progressed with the passage of time. She found rays of hope when the elders in the society blessed her at Dashain to die soon instead of having led a crippled life. Her discourse on the position of the girl child, young women and the society shows the idiocy of the sycophantic, hangover society. “She has lashed out at everyone, including her old grandmother, mother, father and the social beliefs supporting them. She has dug into the roots of the religion that has fostered inequality”.


Until and unless the darker facets of a society cannot be brought in front, society cannot progress wholesomely. This book has a total of 47 astounding essays of manageable length covering Jhamak’s encounter with life from her birth in the year 1980 till present day. She has openly criticized the dogma of a traditional society, its obligations, ills within the culture and the superstitious belief of the Eastern psyche. On many terms, she has even rejected the existence of God. “God may not have physical form, but I do not feel that all the minute details of creation, sound, colours, sky and the stars could have come into being without a creator”.


No matter how much I try to bring out the flavor of this book, it will just turn out to be a “mission un – accomplished”.  For the essays in the book does not come from a research laboratory, but from the knowledge gained from a hard life of a crippled girl writing with her toe of amazing consciousness and courage that is priceless. 

Kshar/ Akshar (Perishable/ Imperishable)

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , , ,





Kshar/ Akshar (Perishable/ Imperishable)
Collection of Poems

Writer – Dr. Rajendra Bhandari
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Published by: Janpaksha Prakashan,
“Super Market”, (Gangtok, Sikkim)
#

Printed at – Modern Deepak Press, Varanasi.
#

Year of Publication – 1998
Binding: Paperback
Price   : 150/-

Dr. Rajendra Bhandari.



“Kshar/ Akshar” (Perishable/ Imperishable) is the third anthology of poems published in the year 1998 after the release of two of Bhandari’s earlier collection of poems, namely “Huide yee Chisa Raatka Pardaharuma” (In the veils of cold wintery nights) published in the year 1979 and the second collection of poems titled “Yee Sabhdaharu: Yee Harafharu” (These words: These lines) 1986.


Bhandari’s third anthology of poem contains a total of 48 poems. All the poems in this collection portrays detoriating socio cultural values, political aspirations of the Gorkha’s of India, widening human relationships, urban loneliness, reckless de – humanization of urban society and beurocratic corruption. His poems are like an abstract art “What you read today might be different, while reading tomorrow”.


One of his poem from “Kshar/Akshar” entitled “Baan vitra harayeka goreto haru” (The lost pathway inside the forest) takes the reader back to the periphery of the village and portrays the stark realities in a rather metamorphic way also portraying the social structure of the village with lines like:
“At home, they start cramming the table of five,
Five into five equals to the torn blouse of their mother
Four into four equals to the wrinkled face of the father”.
This poem in some way or the other demonstrates the memory of the distant past, over burdened with domestic and agricultural activities.


Likewise, his other poem from the same book namely “Hariyo chowr ra Marble Aankhaharu” (Green meadows and Marble eyes) is a quasi – poem standing between the urban and rural life. The poem rightly portrays the reckless de humanization of the urban society. In the poem the poet far from the marble (signifying urbanity), harks the reader to the landscape of the green meadows and tempts to take refuge in it.  Finally ending off with an open ending with lines like:
“And listen to our heartbeats in that green meadow.
 “By the way, how old are you?”

Bhandari with his friend Jayant Mahapatra (renowned Indian English writer)

“Bazaar garera” (From the Market) is yet another interesting satirical poem from the same book. It highlights the churning political and economic problem of the society and Vanity as its central theme. The poet has travelled far beyond the trammeling incidents of ordinary life and from that nameless position and yet he has depicted practical examples in the poem with lines like
“How far is Nirvana from the Kerosene Queue”
This poem is dynamic in its approach. It’s like an original abstract art always delivering fresh thoughts.


Other poems like “Mamuli kura” (Ordinary matters), “Mashina Kushiharu” (Small pleasures) from this collection along with the other 44 poems Nepali poems is full of Life, Laughter, love and melancholy. One may not find traditional; rhythm in his poems, context to the usage of metres, rhymes, alliteration and accents. But it is never to be forgotten that real rhythm is inherent in our consciousness.


Finally to remind the readers of Bhandari’s earlier poem where he delves into Meta fiction of the writing process and craft with lines like:
‘Return, O words
From here onwards
I ought to proceed alone”.


About the Poet:

Dr. Rajendra Bhandari is an Indian Gorkha poet. He was born in Bong Busty, Kalimpong (West Bengal) on 28th September, 1956. He did his schooling from Kumdini Homes, Kalimpong and later joined Kalimpong College for his Graduation. He completed his Master’s in Nepali from North Bengal University after which he acquired the degree of PhD from the same University. Bhandari has published five collections of poems in Nepali. He is the finest and first Gorkha writer to have been named in the list of Nobel Prize for Literature consecutively for two years – 2012 and 2013.
In 2013, three eminent Indian writers were in the probable list including names like Mahashweta Devi, K Satchidanandan and Dr. Bhandari was also one out of the three Literati’s from India.

“Susheli Ra Sushkera” (Whistle and sigh)

Author: Unknown / Labels: , , , , , ,








“Susheli Ra Suskhera”
A collection of short stories

#
Susheli Ra Sushkera (Whistle and Sigh)

Writer – Gahar Singh Subba “Udhasi”

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Published by: Srijana Publication, Pragati Chowk (Soreng)

#

Year of Publication: 2012
Subject: A collection of short stories
Binding: Paperback
Price   : 100/-
Printed at: Graphics Printers, Durgaguri (Siliguri)


Gahar Singh Subba "Udashi".



“Susheli Ra Sushkera” (Whistle and sigh) is the latest collection of short stories written by Gahar Singh Subba “Udashi” also a Bhanu Puruskar Awardee, 2002. His writing has a philosophical outlook and his usage of typical Gorkha words and nuances makes his work applauded and well read in the bookshelf of Gorkha literature.

The collection contains a total of 33 short stories which are very much realistic in approach. The stories have been woven with stylistic characteristics like stream of consciousness, metaphor, allegory, de construction and many more. While existentialism, Modernity, psyche, Diaspora etc are made the theme in the various stories.

All the short stories are presented in various ways which undoubtedly gives an abundant insight of the writer in his understanding of the society. One of the story namely “Antarwarta” (Discussion) is stitched to a quote: “Man is born free but everywhere he is tied in chains” and has the leader (politician) of the people as a protagonist of the story. Likewise, some the other stories in the collection are “Rapture” which portrays the countryside life in search of the past memoirs finally realizing the memoirs to have sheltered in rapture. Aaj ko Shree Krishna ra Sudhama (Today’s Shree Krishna and Sudhama) is another short story which is just opposite to the Old story of Shree Krishna and Sudhama, trying its best to showcase the present reality of the society. Gaon ghar ma aajkal (These days in home and in Village) is yet another brilliant short story which is written with utmost craftsmanship and apt. It states the dwelling of life in materialism, it has a theme which is universal in approach namely diminishment of brotherhood, moral and ethical values.  

These were the synopsis of the three short stories out of the thirty three other Goosebumps. Gahar Singh Subba “Udashi” is well known for his usage of classic words which can be observed only after you take a look of this collection of minute short stories.

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