Naam kyai rahos pachi bhanera kuwa khanayo
Ghasi daridra gharko tara buddhi kasto
Ma Bhanubhakta dhani bhaikana aja kina yesto!
–Ghasi, Bhanubhakta Acharya–
I still clearly remember these lines which I came across when I was a student in grade six. I started writing poems early, when I was just twelve years old, and this poem got entrenched in my thoughts ever since. [break]This poem really inspired me and made me aware of what I can do as a person and how I can contribute to the society.
The lines from the poem “Ghasi” sheds light on the fact that our life is temporary and we won’t be living forever. Being born as a human, we should do something for the sake of humanity and society. Just getting a life, living and leaving thereafter shouldn’t be the purpose of life. We can give a whole new meaning to our lives only when we do something in any little ways we can.
When poet Bhanubhakta Acharya was coming back from Benares, India, on his way home, he took shelter under a tree. He then met a grass cutter, who was gathering grass. As he got into a conversation with the grass cutter, he came to know that he was toiling hard not only to earn his livelihood but saving money to dig a well in his village so that passersbys could quench their thirst and that he would be remembered even after his death.
Upon knowing the grass cutter’s thought for such a noble cause, Bhanubhakta was left speechless and he pondered upon what he himself had done so far. The grass cutter, though a poor fellow, was compassionate and had a big dream. Bhanubhakta then contemplated on the truth that though he came from a rich family and was educated, he still had not thought about life, the way the grass cutter did. It was then that he got inspired to do something in life. This inspiration is what led him to translate Ramayan, the ancient Sanskrit epic, into Nepali language so that even ordinary Nepali people could read it as well.
About Unnati Bohara “Sheela”
Poet, lyricist and litterateur, Sheela describes herself as a sensitive person who likes to write about the realities of life in creative ways. Her themes are usually the suffering, chaos and the harsh realities of life.
“When I’m emotional and going through something, I just jot down my thoughts into a diary and from there a whole new poem or a story gets created,” says Sheela.
Also a singer, she has a collection of songs she wrote and also a number of poems and novels to her credit. Some of her published works are her collection of poems, “Koseli Usailai,” “Bhavanaka Taranga,” and also song collection, “Adrishya Ghau” and a number of song albums like “Pheri Ekpalta,” “Bhul Bhayo Mabaata,” among others. Her works which have been translated into English are the novel “Two Faces of a Coin” and an anthology of lyrical poems, “Soft Sensation.”
She has also been awarded with the “Prabal Gorkha Dakshin Baahu Chautho,” the National Civil Golden Award 2064, Rajdhani Special Award 2063, among others.
“My passion is writing about the realities of life rather than fiction because that way, I believe that I can justify what I’ve seen and experienced,” says Sheela.
She is almost done writing a novel called “Trishna” which is based on a real life story about the psychology of a child. Her collection of songs called “Sheelaka Sparshaharu” is also being published soon.
Gauri By Madhab Prasad Ghimire
This is a narrative poetry written by Ghimire to mourn the death of his beloved wife. The poem is about what he went through and his poignant experiences after his wife passed away.
Husband and wife complete each other, and Ghimire in this poem expresses about how he can forget his wife when she had always been there for him. This is a poem written when pain and suffering had reached its limitation and it speaks about the poet’s suffering and the sense of absence that he felt.
Anuradha
By Bijay Bahadur Malla
I’ve read this book many times and every time I do so, I find more profound and new meanings. This book is about a woman named Anuradha and it talks about her psychology and her perspectives.
The book focuses on her life and tells a distressing story of how she was forcefully married.
Anuradha questions that though she was married lawfully, how can forced marriage be called a pious act? The book is a voice of an aware and rebellious woman who fought for her rights.
Jiwan Kada ki Phool By Jhamak Ghimire
This is an autobiography and shows the struggle and the pain that the writer went through in her life. I really admire the writer because though she was born as a differently-abled person, the writer developed a talent of writing with her feet.
Fighting her physical challenges, she achieved a position in the field of literature and proved that she can do anything that even a normal person could find hard to. Her drive and passion for life is really inspiring.
Roostira Rumalida By Dr Dhruba Chandra Gautam
This book is a travelogue and talks about the experiences of the writer when he had visited Russia.
Being a litterateur, he has described those places in a literary way and he has also compared things that he found there with that of his own country.
Though I have never been to Russia, it felt like I was there while reading this book.
Ishwarko Adalatma Outsiderko Bayan By Momila
The writer has the power to play with words beautifully. The book, in an emotional manner, describes the feelings of human beings.
The book talks about how we cannot escape from the sufferings of life, and though we embrace it happily or by being sad, we have to accept this fact. No matter how often I read this book, it never seems enough as I can relate to it every time.
As told to Nistha Rayamajhi
Related story
Five ways to boost creativity
