KATHMANDU, March 8: 'Birgunj-Mero Saharko Katha' is hitting the stands from this Friday, March 11. The book is a 'city biography' as the writer Girish Giri puts it.
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Giri is a journalist with more than two decades of experience in reporting, currently working in Setopati. Here he talks about his first book and what readers can expect from it.
What is 'Birgunj-Mero Saharko Katha' about?The book is a city biography. I wanted to introduce my hometown Birgunj to the readers, to show them that it's not just the controversial city of the past months. I have tried to give a glimpse of Birgunj of the past, and written about people who make up the soul of the city today. It also includes the Madhesh movement. I've addressed topics like the roles of various people in the movement, the local people who've suffered more than the rest of the country during the movement, the role of media, and the truth behind some of the reports that were doing the rounds.
Did your writing the book have anything to do with the recent tumultuous relationship between Birgunj and the rest of the country?
Not really, though it did make me feel that I should speed up my writing. I was already preparing and researching materials for the book since the past two years. I was reading related texts, in constant touch with people from my hometown, and doing a lot of research basically. Then when the Madhesh movement started and people began passing disparaging comments about the city, the people, and the movement, that's when I felt that it was truly time to complete the book. I wanted people to understand that Birgunj is more than the revolution.
This is your first book. Were you looking at any writer or book for inspiration?
The book is an original attempt of mine. However, I had read Indian writer Suketu Mehta's 'Maximum City' a couple of years ago and I really liked it. I wrote it in my own style and in the way I knew best.
Published by nepa~laya, 'Birgunj-Mero Saharko Katha' is in Nepali and 300 pages long.
