In this edition of Tavern Tales, Thapa was in conversation with writer and editor Deepak Thapa, the author of A Kingdom under Siege and co-editor of An Other Voice: English Literature from Nepal. [break]
Talking about the book, Deepak Thapa said, “Rabi has managed to bring out something that was unacceptable to the middleclass society and has portrayed the reality in a way that shatters the idealized view of Nepal.
” He added that the writer has been able to break free of middle class morality and express things the way they are.
Rabi then shared his experience of writing a book for the first time. “When writers write their first book they usually write about their experiences. But it is a fiction and everything in the book is not about me except for some parts,” he said.
He added that there are things that people can relate to like growing up in Kathmandu, college life, going abroad and coming back, and then reconsidering the decision of coming back. “There is real life as well as fiction,” he said. The story, he says, is also about a typical middle class youth and his concerns.
Deepak Thapa then questioned, “There are instances of this person who goes abroad and sees a different life. Are you, in a way, trying to warn people about going abroad?”
“I am not trying to warn people,” said Rabi, “But life abroad is not always what you see on television. “You should make the best of your time abroad but it’s really hard to generalize how each Nepali individual feels about life abroad.”
Rabi has also tried to portray the life in Thamel. “Things have changed in Thamel, and it is not just about music but also about prostitution and other things. So I have tried to portray the darker side of Thamel and the realities that I have seen pop in now and then.”
Rabi Thapa’s critically acclaimed book of short stories ‘Nothing to Declare’ has also been long listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.
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