It would not be wrong to say, therefore, that Mahakavi Devkota is the foundation of modern Nepali literature. It was in 2013 Bikram Sambat (1953/54), during King Mahendra’s coronation, when Devokta took Nepali literature to international recognition through the Indreni magazine. Words cannot suffice to define Devkota’s contributions to Nepali literature.
Considering such facts, and to mark the centenary of Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Trimurti Niketan – an organization established in the names of Mahakavi Devkota, Kavi Shiromani Lekhnath Poudel, and Natyasamrat Bal Krishna Sama – felicitates 100 littérateurs and authors of Nepal who have consistently contributed their best in promoting and preserving Nepali literature for the past many decades in Nepal and outside.
The very first conclave of its kind, there has not been a single event in Nepal to this day that celebrated the centenary of a littérateur so comprehensively, and there has been no such gathering where so many writers and authors of Nepal are honored at one place and so collectively.
Long back, during the royal regime, some had attempted to mark the centenary of Natyasamrat Bal Krishna Sama. But the idea was dissolved because then prime minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand did not show much interest in making the event happen. After then, this is the first time when Nepal will see hundreds of literary icons gathered together to be recognized, and to discuss as well the prospects of Nepali literature in Nepal and elsewhere.
Sanchargram at Pingalasthan of Kathmandu is the venue where these many literary figures will be honored en masse this afternoon.
All the 100 recipients of the award are born before 2000 BS (1942/43). When Trimurti Niketan planned to host this ceremony, there were more than 500 candidates in their list. On forming a jury panel, they brought down the nominees to 100. Amongst these honored recipients, novelist, writer and journalist Peter J Karthak is the only such candidate who is being felicitated for the contributions he has made to internationalizing Nepali literature and its creative writers through his regular columns in Kathmandu’s English-language newspapers.
Dr Modnath Prasit will give away the inscribed letters of felicitation to the recipients today.
“It is a matter of great pride for us to get to felicitate Peter J Karthak for he has played a huge role in popularizing Nepali literature at the level of international reading culture through his novels, columns and articles. He is the only candidate amongst all others who is being awarded for his mastery in the English language and using it to promote Nepali literature,” unveiled Narendra Raj Prasai, the founder of Nai Prakashan and the member secretary of the Devkota Centenary Festival.
“As far as I remember, the biggest conference on literature had taken place in Kathmandu during the mid-1950s. It was the Afro-Asian Conference but was not organized by Nepal. The entirely Nepali-sponsored Devkota Festival is going to be one of those few grand occasions Asia will witness. And I take it as a great honor to have been recognized as one of the recipients at this ceremony,” shared Peter J Karthak.
This ceremony will remain worthy of appreciation as an attempt even decades down the line, for the Devkota Festival will not only felicitate Nepali writers and authors, it has a series of programs following up wherein dozens of international writers and authors are participating and are being recognized.
In March 2010, the organization is hosting the biggest literary conference ever taken place in Nepal, which will run through March 18 to 22. During the five-day International Nepali Literature Conference, 33 authors from India, four from Myanmar, three each from China and Japan, two from the UK, and one each from Germany and the USA will be felicitated, and the creative caucus will see various discussion programs alongside presenting papers on modern Nepali literature.
“All these foreign littérateurs are experts in Nepali language. They have translated many Nepali works into their native languages,” explained Prasai.
Chief Justice Anup Raj Sharma will felicitate all the international writers with letters of felicitation on March 22.
There is much more to the Devkota Festival. The ceremony also promises to acknowledge various people from Nepal, India, and Russia, now deceased but had played significant roles in Devkota’s personal life. Apart from these, the conference will also felicitate 15 politicians who are into Nepali literature, four journalists who have been covering literature, seven Non-Residential Nepalis (NRNs) who have been promoting Nepali literature abroad, 10 young poets and artists, five who’s who of the country for their financial and moral support, 10 teens for their interest in poetry, five essayists, 10 scholars who earned PhD in Nepali literature, and five literary organizations.
To make this event a success, a total amount of Rs 2,625,000 is collected from the Nepal Government, 50% of which is shared equally by the previous Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government and current government under Madhav Kumar Nepal. Also, the association of NRNs contributed Rs 1,000,000 while other donors are contributing Rs 1,500,000. Though the organizing committee cannot provide airfare and transportation costs to the international invitees, it however assures their proper accommodation throughout the festival.
The conference will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.
Authors being felicitated today are:
RD Prabhas Chataut, Upendra Shrestha, Dr Om Bir Singh Basnet, Kanchan Pudasaini, Kamal Mani Dixit, Kundan Sharma, Kali Prasad Rijal, Kewalpure Kisan, Prof. Dr. Keshav Prasad Upadhyyay, Krishna Joshi, Krishna Prasad Parajuli, Krishna Chandra Singh Pradhan, Krishna Bhakta Shrestha, Khemraj Keshavsharan, Ganesh Bahadur Prasai, Gopi Krishna Sharma, Govind Bhatta, Govind Bahadur Malla ‘Gothale’, Gitakeshari, Ghanashyam Raj Karnikar, Chandrakala Newar, Dr Chet Bahadur Kunwar, Prof Dr Chudamani Bandhu, Chetan Karki, Jagannath Tripathi, Prof Thakur Parajuli, Diamond Shumsher Rana, Prof Dr Taranath Sharma, Tulasi Diwasa, Tejeshwar Babu Gwang, Prof Dr Dayaram Shrestha, Dwarika Shrestha, Prof Dr Durga Prasad Bhandari, Durga Lal Shrestha, Dev Kumari Thapa, Devi Prasad Banbasi, Devi Sharma, Devi Chandra Shrestha, Janak Bikeshari, Dharma Raj Thapa, Dr Dhurba Chandra Gautam, Nagendra Sharma, Nitya Raj Pandey, Parshu Pradhan, Pitamber Piyush, Peter J Karthak, Pushkar Lohani, Punya Rashmi, Purna Prakash Nepal Yatri, Prakash A Raj, Prem Binod Nandan, Phanindra Raj Khetala, Porf Bal Krishna Pokharel, Bulu Sharma, Bairagi Kainla, Bhanubhakta Pokharel, Bhim Birag, Prof Dr Bhishma Raj Prasai, Bhairab Nath Rimal Kadam, Manuj Babu Mishra, Manu Brajaki, Madan Mani Dixit, Madan Regmi, Dr Maheshwar Sharma, Rashtra Kabi Madhav Ghimire, Madav Lal Karmacharya, Madhav Bhandari, Prof Mukunda Sharan Upadhayay, Prof Dr Murari Prasad Regmi, Prof Dr Mohan Himanshu Thapa, Prof Mohan Raj Sharma, Yadhav Kharel, Ratna Shumsher Thapa, Rama Sharma, Ramesh Khakurel, Ram Chandra Bhattarai, Ram Sharan Darnal, Radhika Raya, Rewati Bhandari, Dr Ram Man Trishit, Dr Ram Dayal Rakesh, Laxman Lohani, Basanta Kumar Sharma, Prof Dr Basudev Tripathi, Bishwambhar Chanchal, Sharad Kumar Bhattarai, Prof Shiva Gopal Risal, Shiva Regmi, Pandit Shyam Das Vaishnav, Shree Krishna Gautam, Sridhar Khanal, Shree Hari Rupakheti, Satya Mohan Joshi, Sabitri Pokharel, Sundar Prasad Shah Dukhi, Hanshapure Subedi, Harsha Nath Bhattarai, Hari Bhakta Neupane, Hari Shrestha, Hiranya Bhojpure, and Hem Hamal.
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