Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts

“Susheli Ra Sushkera” (Whistle and sigh)

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“Susheli Ra Suskhera”
A collection of short stories

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Susheli Ra Sushkera (Whistle and Sigh)

Writer – Gahar Singh Subba “Udhasi”

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Published by: Srijana Publication, Pragati Chowk (Soreng)

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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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Gorkha Imagined: Indra Bahadhur Rai in Translation

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Gorkha Imagined: Indra Bahadhur Rai in Translation




Gorkha Imagined: Indra Bahadhur Rai in Translation, edited by Prem Poddar & Anmole Prasad and published by Mukti Prakashan, Kalimpong is a translated book from Nepali to English with short stories and Essays by Indra Bahadhur Rai. The book is unique as the stories contained in it have the supremacy to quench the thirst of every reader for the theme applied is Universal in approach. There are a total of ten collected short stories and Essay collected from his major works. Indra Bahadhur Rai, a successful Darjeeling born Nepali author, a leading Nepali Literati and the one to have forged the “Ayamik Lekhan” (the Dimensionist Movement of which Rai was the forerunner) saw his works at times come under controversy. “From the Introductory section, In short IB’s project is to infect Nepali literature with the intellectual incomprehensibility of his mentors such as Derrida, Lacan and Baudillard and put Nepali Literature out of reach of ordinary readers”. Besides, Literature and writer grow with the critical evaluation by the critics/audience. Rai portrays the identity of Gurkha in most of his work with the usage of theme/subjects like Refugee, Asylum seekers, migrant and many more related subjects. In this book, the readers will find problems of Gurkha Identity its various crossroads of civilization, political affairs and identity.
Furthermore, Prem Poddar in his Introduction provides a synopsis to the readers on the usage of thematic and stylistic characteristics as used by Rai in most of his works. His insightful overture provides a briefing of all the stories and Essays and gives a much insightful view of the book which will add an added dosage to the readers. Some of the short stories and Essay in the book are Jarr: Euta Bhayekai Katha, Ghosh Babu, Ratbhari Huri Chalyo, Kheer, Jaimaya Aphumatra Likhapani Aipugi and Pahar Ra Khola etc.


The first in the book and a very widely renowned story amongst Nepali populace “Jarr” (Adulterer) has a somewhat Shakespearian outlook, the story revolves around three characters Thuli (meaning eldest daughter), Rudraman and Harshajit. Thuli loves Rudraman, a Gurkha lieutenant but she is not able to marry him due to familial pressure and marries her paternal cousin Harshajit. After the marriage is done and half of her marriage life is lived, Rudraman again appears and tires to whip Thuli but he is caught and taken in the Village court. The inborn controversy in the story and the chivalry at the last of the story by Rudraman transforms the ferocious enmity into miteri (Fictive). The other story in the book entitled as “Ghosh Babu” translated equivalently by Michael Hutt portrays shades of Irony by presenting a Bengali drycleaner resident in Darjeeling. Moreover, the story gives a dimensional view of Darjeeling as it unfolds in its narrative. “Kheer” (a Nepali rice pudding) is a story full of allegory emphasizing on the importance and safeguard of Values and Wisdom along with the unique Gurkha Identity, Culture and Tradition that is in the brink of diminishment. “Jaimaya Aphumatra Likhapani Aipugi” (Jaimaya alone arrived at Likhapani) exposes the aftermath problems faced by diasporas Gurkha. The sad story is about the Gurkha family left in Burma ad their pathetic journey towards their once abandoned homeland with equally exigent and challenging situations. At last, Jaimaya alone arrives at Likhapani near Assam leaving back her memoirs in the native land and in the hollow pathways. Moreover the other stories in the book are also full of Gurkha ethos portraying Universal theme and motif.


“Nepali is the major language in Nepal but a minor one in India”. Nepali is one of the 22nd officially recognized languages included in the Indian Literary language approved by the Sahitya Akademi.  The Essay in the Book deals with India as a sovereign state giving respect to each and every religion and languages. The need to understand the churning issue of ethno nationalism is vividly described with much broader approach. The uneven development of the country and the differentiation among the classes, language is also very well defined in the translated version. 
The translators of the book Lt. Dorjee Tshering Lepcha, Amole Prasad and Michael Hutt are to be commended for their work (translation) as their vocation enthralls each and every corner of the Gurkha society by their equivalent writing skill and henceforth Mukti Prakshan of Kalimpong in making the book available to the global audience. The Book “Gorkha Imagined: Indra Bahadhur Rai in Translation” is available in various book stores all around the world, all you need to do is visit some of it.

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“Call of the Hills”

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


Book Review...

Call of the Hills…
A Coursebook of Indian Nepali Literature in Translation (Volume I)
ISBN: 81- 86954 -88-0
Binding: Paperback
Price   : 100/-
Printed at: Trade Con, Kolkata
Published by: Centre of Advanced Study in Comparative Literature
   Jadavpur University
   Kolkata
Year of Publication: 2012
Subject: (Coursebook) Essays and Literary Fiction.


 “Call of the Hills” is a course book which has been included in the graduation syllabus of Comparative Literature in Jadavpur University, Kolkata. The name of the book “Call of the Hills” is appropriate, for the stories contained in it deeply portrays the stories of the hills, mountains, precipice and the lifestyle of the people. The book has used English as its medium in translating the Nepali Stories into English. Altogether, the volume has a collection of three Essays and nineteen short stories written by seventeen eminent Nepali writers including three stories of Shiva Kumar Rai. The stories have been translated by students and Research scholars of Kalimpong, Darjeeling, Sikkim and Kolkata namely Martha Rai, Bishwa Devi Subba (Sikkim University), Gaurav Tamang, Gyanendra Mani Pradhan and Shradanjali Tamang (Darjeeling), Lee Pandi Fudong (Kalimpong), Sanchari Bhattacharya, Smita Basu, Debapritam Chakraborty, Rianka Roy, Shubojit Banerjee, Anshuman Bhowmick, Malini Bhattacharya, Satish Kumar and Ranjamrittika Bhowmick (Kolkata).The book is edited by Dr. Kavita Lama and Sayatan Dasgupta.

The translated stories are very strong having Universal motifs depicting the worldwide and everyday life of the Nepali speaking people of India with some stories based on the relevant social, political and economic realities. Provinces in India were created in independent India according to a language being spoken but due to the upcoming of various linguistic languages, no region/state speaks one language. For eg – languages that are spoken in Sikkim are Bhutia, Lepcha, Limboo, Gurung, Rai, Newar, Bihari, Bengali and Nepali etc. Likewise, Sayatan Dasgupta in his Introduction has given a wide view of the differences created by languages taking the linguistic cartography of South East Asia in general and the language Nepali in particular. Some of the stories contained in the book are Chaprasi by Achha Rai “Rashik” is a story woven into the social fabric of life in Darjeeling Hills and relate to the social, political and economic realities of the region, Bal Bahadhur Bishta Chettri by Ishwar Ballabh is written in a tongue cheek tone showcasing the oppression faced by a scarecrow, The Diamond Necklace (Hira ko Haar) by Shiva Kumar Rai focuses on human greed and awe for fame, authority and affluence and is also full of shock and laughter, The path a Thought Traverses ( Euta Vichar ko Yatrapath) by Indra Bahadhur Rai is a story written during the decisive period of the theory of “Dimensional Movement”, it is a story describing its theme from the language of painting, music and is presented in obliquities’ and Reality (Yatharta) by Jas Yonzone “Pyasi” focuses on love and social institutions, evoking a weird feeling and camouflaged on a ghost like story only to make the story turn more realistic with the befall of tragedy in the end. This is not the end, there are more stories of Lakhi Devi Sundas, Agam Sigh Giri, Guman Singh Chamling full of myriad thematic and stylistic characteristics and many more in the book and all you need to do is buy it from your nearest bookstores.

For me, The book tends to be important and of huge success in two ways; firstly Nepali literature which has remain untamed has not been exposed to the worldwide readers, this book with the works of seventeen writers holding different taste undoubtedly will bolster the outlook of Nepali Literature and satiate the thirst of the globalized readers’. Dr. Kavita Lama in her Foreward has stated words like “The number of translated works in Indian Nepali literature can simply be counted on one’s fingers”. True to her words, there are only few translated works but with the coming of such initiative and young talents from the hills, it might be the starting of a new era in the field of Translation and in the globalization of Nepali Literature.

Secondly, the book juxtaposes works of many eminent Nepali writers. Also the stories of the volume are being studied for the academic year 2012-13 in the Department of Comparative Literature in Jadavpur University. It is to be noted that students from myriad communities will also be learning and knowing the tradition of the Hills and also to mention the lifestyle of the Hill and Modus Vivendi of the Hill people. To strengthen the identity of the Gorkha speaking Indians through the usage of a pen and a paper is the success of this book.

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