KATHMANDU

Sarala Gautam's 'Pinjadako Manchhe', an anthology of essays, has been released by Publications Nepalaya. This is the second book published as the primary ebook by Nepalaya this year. Prior to this, it had launched Sujeev Shakya's 'Arthat Pariwartan' as its first primary ebook release earlier in 2021.

According to a press statement released by Nepalaya, the collected essays cast a ponderous gaze upon the issues of alienation, technology, patriarchy and ecology. It quoted Gautam saying, "The pandemic has divided the world into two distinct eras – Before Covid and After Covid. True, the post-pandemic era has arrived with its own set of problems; however, it has also inflamed the older, unresolved issues. The lockdown supplied an equal amount of despair and leisure, propelling me to meditate over those issues even more deeply. The book tries to portray the ironic story of a modern man, who in search of greater freedom, has found himself chained in numerous invisible chains."

The collected essays display the familiar prose style, which helped establish Gautam as a notable columnist in Nepali newspapers. Some of her pre-published newspaper articles with longer shelf-life have also found their way into the book.

"We are working to avail the notable contemporary prose works in a more accessible digital format," it quoted Saijan Maskey, CEO of Nepalaya Publications. “Pinjadako Manchhe is the first in the series. In the coming days, we will curate a substantial range of prose works as part of our ebook series." Ebooks are slowly but certainly finding their footing among Nepali readers.

 ‘Pinjadako Manchhe' is priced at Rs 100 for the Nepali Market and will be available at thuprai.com.