KATHMANDU,

An English-language novel titled ‘Wake Up Ali…Wake Up Now’ by Sumit Sharma Sameer was launched in the capital city amid a special function held earlier this week in the capital.

Addressing the function, author Sameer said the novel was written to bring to the public the hardships and difficulties faced by Nepali migrant workers abroad. “I wanted to communicate the stories of our time; the stories that I feel are important and need to be told. The stories of so many Alis have to be spelt out,” he said. “Migration has been a permanent feature since the advent of human civilization. It got more accelerated during our age. That acceleration brought varied opportunities to mankind but yet dismantled the very fabrics of our lives.”

Author Sameer said that he had always wanted to write something on the very constructive and destructive process connecting South Asia into one thread that could help produce many other stories. The book was earlier published in Nepali under the title ‘Prawas’ two years ago and has been translated by Sushrut Acharya in English. The English version, ‘Wake Up Ali…Wake Up Now’ was published in 2022 by Vitasta Publishing based in New Delhi, India.

Also addressing the function, author and founder of Bookaholics Saguna Shah said that the novel explores the human psyche by exploring the constraints of relationships and desires. “The content is far and beyond the concerns of migrant workers, their status quo and their struggle in a foreign land, but also an internal journey of a protagonist. The book is about the awakening of the protagonist,” she said.

Nepali Congress (NC) General Secretary and Member of Parliament Gagan Thapa, recalling his long time association with the writer, said, “I have known Sumit for the last 25 years and knew that he can write non-fiction, but he took me by surprise by writing fiction.” Thapa added that the novel can be best described as a sociological fiction. “This is about social structure, human relationships and individual relationships to society. This is a story of migrants; story of diasporas and struggles in modern day society. The conflict between migrants and natives and the opportunity cost and how one has to disconnect with your loved ones to get connected to the larger world to grab the opportunities,” he said.

“I could see through the characters how the whole process of globalization on one hand brings people together and at the other, at same time, makes them dysfunctional. The protagonist compares his life with the life of an ant. He struggles to find his place, his identity in the larger cosmic design. There is an ongoing conflict between the material world and spiritual thought process. It is a powerful book.”